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WHERE WERE YOU ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001?

9/11/2018

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The burning towers, shortly after the second hit.
As we commemorate the tragedy of 9/11 today on its seventeenth anniversary,  one of the best ways is to remember exactly where we were and what we witnessed on TV and discussed in conversations on that fateful day.  I remember that day well and if you sit down and think about, it's a good way to keep it firm in our memory.  It's one of those events that we should never forget.

In the afternoon of the day prior, I flew from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale to attend a regular regional business meeting.  The group, made from managers from all over Florida, joined one another for a nice dinner and then held a packed meeting the following day, followed by return home in the evening.  So, after a nice social hour and meal, we retired early in order to be fresh and raring to go in the morning.

We assembled at the meeting site about seven-thirty and enjoyed a continental breakfast with coffee before getting down to business.  The meeting began at eight sharp and we were just getting in full gear when one of the corporate secretaries ran into the office and, with tears on her face, whispered into the ear of our boss, the Florida region manager. She was normally a very friendly and outgoing person but she appeared in shock and when she left our leader said the business meeting was suspended.  He then rolled a portable TV into the room and what we saw on the screen left us numb.  It was a picture of the first World Trade Center tower ablaze with smoke everywhere.  And then, only moments later, we saw the second plane plow into the other tower with an ensuing blast as glass and portions of the building structure exploded outward.

We sat there in total silence and then Bob, our leader, asked the secretary to call the airport since we already knew flights would be cancelled.  When she came back, we were asked if we all had rental cars and when we all answered yes, she told us that the rental car company said there would be no charge if we turned our cars in at the nearest rental location to our home.  All airports were closed for the remainder of the day due to security concerns.

I remember the drive north on I-95 that day, wondering why someone would want to do this and asking myself what it meant for the future.  I made two stops, one near West Palm Beach for a cup of coffee and the next at Ormond Beach for a bite to eat.  At both locations people in the establishments were quiet and hushed, some with tears, others showing anger on their face.  And I specifically remember at Ormond Beach that the TV commentator mentioned that a group of people on the roof of a building in Brooklyn was cheering the carnage.  It was even said that the building was heavily occupied with legal aliens from the Middle East.  Today, no one will claim that to be true although thousands tuned in like me undoubtedly heard it.

When I got home, my wife was waiting for me and as we sat down for a snack before turning in, she asked me what I thought.  I am not ashamed to say that my eyes teared up as I told her there was some organization somewhere that hated America so much that they would do anything to create a climate of fear, death, chaos and destruction.  I vowed that day to never forget and I haven't.  And on this day each year I take time to quietly pray for the end of hate in the hearts of so many and its replacement with love for one another.  After all, it's what Jesus expects of us and only His way can solve all problems.  But I will also admit that I display this picture each year on this day in remembrance of the thousands who needlessly died.

So, that was my day on 9/11, a day like Pearl Harbor that will live in my mind in infamy. How was your day those seventeen years ago?  Never forget.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Storms of Earthly Life

9/8/2018

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And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.      
                                                                                  - Matthew 8:26 (KJV)


Here on the Eastern Seaboard this day, all eyes are warily watching the Atlantic. We are now in the most active period of hurricane season and, like clockwork, great storms are forming and moving toward the west.  One in particular, Hurricane Florence, right now has her eyes set on a potential direct hit on the United States. She is powerful, fickle and could end up nearly anywhere from South Carolina to New England, but her course is still not certain.  In fact, with hurricanes nothing is ever certain and it's why we call them fickle.  They seem to have a mind of their own which keeps millions on edge until the last minute.

But storms like hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and other events in nature are just a few of the storms within our earthly sphere.  What about the internal storms we face such as making choices between good and evil and how a bad choice creates a storm which can destroy our life and soul?  And why are we so easily frightened by earthly things and look for human solutions which never really fulfill our need?  Just like Jesus said to His Disciples above when He walked to them on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, saved Peter from drowning when he faltered in his trust, and asked why they had such little faith. Well, it's because they like we today, are mere sinful mortals and we just can't fully take care of ourselves yet we don't like to admit it.  We think we have all the answers until something goes awry and then we often seek solace from the wrong source.

Whatever makes you fearful, be it a major storm like a hurricane or the storm of conflict within your heart and soul, take it to Jesus.  He is the one who can comfort you and ease your fears.  After all, He died for each of us to give us the opportunity to live forever in His Kingdom. All we have to do is believe in Him by faith and live for Him in this world.  Then your fears will melt away, your future will be assured and you can deal with whatever you must face, even a hurricane. 

Sometimes the storms of life are a test, often delivered by the Evil One who was banished from heaven to live on earth and try and work his evil ways on wayward hearts. He is a beguiler and can take many forms.  Perhaps he is the Captain of the hurricane, steering it to create destruction and death.  But whatever storm we my face, if we face it with the Lord in our heart and at our side, we can be comforted knowing that this life we are living, just a blip on the timeline of earthly life, gives us the opportunity to make the decision of a lifetime if we choose the Lord. And if we do, then we will depart this life for a life and place so beautiful and so joyful that it's beyond our wildest dreams.

I know what choice I made.  How about you?  There will be no hurricanes in that place, only fair winds and following seas.

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The Five F's of Growing into Adulthood: Component 3- Foundation (in Education)

9/6/2018

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This series has been devoted to relating my story as a boy over all those "Summers at Old Nags Head" to its impact on my growth into adulthood through the influence of what a I call the Five F's.  Thus far we've discussed family and faith. In today's commentary we'll cover the foundation of a good education and how it plays into the preparation of preparing a young man for entry into the adult world as a sound adult capable of thinking clearly and logically in living his life.

Here's what I believe to be necessary in foundation education to prepare a youngster for adulthood and while many today might disagree, all I can say is it served me well. Those components include the 3 R's (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic), history and civics (real, not politically correct history and understanding of our system of government as established by our constitutional republic), science (not based on consensus but based on hard facts, supportable in discourse and debate of all sides of issues), and the mastery of reason and logic, best developed through learning to think and present ideas both on your feet and on paper).  Public speaking in debate and discourse is a good aid to this as is writing for clarity and content. 

When looking back at the 3 R's, reading requires opening a book and absorbing it's content, not being glued to an I-phone.  Writing includes pen and paper and mastering both print and cursive work and math requires putting in the sweat equity of the basics before getting into the advanced.  It's not easy and it's not meant to be but, then again, anything worth having takes work. Those old traditional approaches have much value, particularly in the formative years and they provide the discipline and the use of motor skills coupled with the mind to develop the whole person.  In my case, my active interaction with my family throughout my summers at the beach addressed these things. I was encouraged to read history of the beach to answer many of my questions and to write down the things I wanted to remember for later use.

I would also have to say that faith training is also important if you believe in a Higher Power but that would be better served through your child's religious organization of choice to the family.  It needs to be tied in to complete the whole, however, for we've already discussed the critical importance of faith in our life.

Now many will, no doubt, object to this type of education, saying it's old school and not necessary but I would argue that if we look at the problems of the modern world, taking this training approach would allow for a fully mature development looking in much more depth than just doing the memory work required by so many of today's teachers.  Teaching requires the opening of the mind to explore options, but originating from a baseline which served young people well for thousands of years. It has to be based upon truth, even when the truth might be ugly, because if we don't base our direction on the truth of the past we will never be our best.  Some things don't change over time and truth is one of the principal ones.
 
This approach worked well for me and it also took the active involvement and encouragement of a loving family to make it stick.  Children can't be fully developed by sending them off to school and never checking up on their progress and the quality of instruction.  A well balanced approach to a foundation education, added to family and faith which we've already discussed, coupled with the following two and final  components, fun and freedom, will produce a young man or woman well on the way to success. They will be able to effectively deal with both the good and bad aspects of life and master the art of staying on course with their lives.

My summers at Nags Head were rich with family involvement, including a large dose of my extended family on the maternal side, active participation and enrichment of my faith both on the beach and in the local church and continuing foundational education incorporated into activities at the beach.  Reading, writing, the study of natural science and discourse were active in my life and added to the richness of that beautiful beach lifestyle.



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The Five F's of Growing Into Adulthood: Component 2 - Faith

9/4/2018

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As we continue this morning on my discussion of the Five F's, things that impacted me in my life as a a boy during "Summers at Old Nag Head," today's component, Faith, is by far the most important.  But I listed it second, after family, since my family represented my introduction to the world and it was through my family in very early life that I was introduced to the subject of faith.  Faith isn't something that requires it to be about religion, for the dictionary (I'm using the Oxford American version) simply says "reliance or trust in a person or thing."  The basic point is that we are not successful in what we do solely on our own, we do have to rely on something else to keep us on track, gain support and encouragement and maintain the determination to get where we want to go. We are social animals and our basic psyche requires that support.

In my own personal life, I can't talk of faith without interjecting God, for God is, to me, my Creator and in His three persons offers all of the backup to keep me going in life.  It's an individual and personal thing, this Christian faith of mine, and I chose it when I realized that my reason for believing in Him and who He is was through faith.  While there is plenty of evidence of His existence, there is no absolute scientific proof although there are now the beginning of some theories, but by opening my heart and allowing the Spirit within me to serve as my personal guidance counselor, it works for me.  Others are free to choose with their free will whatever they wish, but I know in my heart this is the "real deal" for me.

So, just how does this faith work for me in my daily routine of life. Well, it interjects itself into all facets of my life.  It is important in dealing with family, friends, business issues and in solving problems as well as gaining the most out of the good times.  When I open my heart and let the Spirit infect my mind and soul, I know the things that He leads me to are the right ones and it has gotten me through tough times and made the good times better.  And I know I'm not perfect or ever will be, that's impossible for a mere mortal.  But I also know that when I run my plans by Him, give Him my problems and ask for His guidance in all that I do, things will go better.  They may not be exactly the way I wanted them to go, but I know that He knows best and in the end the result will be the right one.

As I grew up, I knew that I needed something much bigger than me to pull me along the road of life and when I sat down on the beach at "Old Nags Head" and watched the sun rise, the waves break, the sun on the golden sand and the wonderful sea creatures of flight and in the water, I knew that He was the answer.  And that's why I believe in Him through faith.  Will it work for someone else? Well, that's a decision to be made by that other person, but it is certainly something they could consider if they wished, for faith which leads to believing in God is open to all.  He always wants to talk with us, he just asks us to start the conversation.  Faith: it's what gets me through life with the offer of so much more.

COMING NEXT:  FOUNDATION (Education)





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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: WHY WE MUST WORK

9/1/2018

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Wlorkmen on a New York high rise construction job eating lunch.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.       - Genesis 2:15 (KJV)

On Monday we celebrate Labor Day, the day we honor the working men and women of America.  But unlike what the politicians say, mankind was made to work, it was never planned for large masses of people to be living in a permanent poverty cycle of welfare. No, every man and woman in America was designed to work, whether it be in the oil rigs, or as a mechanic, a lawyer, a doctor or a housewife, to keep ourselves and our loved ones fed, clothed and sheltered.  It began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, put there by God with the task of tending it so that it would be productive for them,  giving them the sustenance that they needed to support themselves and their two boys, Cain and Abel.

But something went awry when Adam and Eve failed to follow God's plan, for Adam and Eve instead used their free will to make a bad decision.  Instead of following God's wishes, they were charmed by the Devil taking the form of a serpent and it turned the wonderful life God gave them into a living nightmare. God told them they had been given all the things they needed in the Garden of Eden, but they were not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, but instead of listening to the Master, they chose to listen to the beguiling serpent who was merely Satan showing himself in a disguise. They ate of the forbidden fruit and sin was born.  With their eyes now open to good and evil, they realized they were naked and were ashamed, covering their nakedness with leaves and hiding from God when He spoke.  They actually thought they could hide from He who knows everything, past, present and future. And it was the first biblical example of how actions have consequences.

Well, in the end, they were banished from that heavenly garden and forced to labor hard each day to feed themselves.  And, of course, the joy of having children was tempered by the pains of childbirth for God wanted them to understand fully what they had done.  And they would suffer more as their sons would viciously fight over jealousy and Cain would slay Abel.

So, mankind, made to work from the original words of Genesis, now had to work under tougher conditions, making a garden out of rocky soil where it was once in the perfect condition and it would make life hard.  But, at the same time, God gave each of us bodies capable of work and a mind to help us determine what we are best suited for and he expects us today, just like in days past, to work for our living.  Yet, today we have so many programs to allow people to avoid work, and that means good and limited resources are being wasted on bad behavior.  That's not good for our society, it's not good for our pocketbooks and it's not the way God intends man to behave.

Charity as a Christian concept was designed by God to help put people on their feet after suffering something serious that set them back.  Maybe it is a young mother whose husband, the family breadwinner, is sick or died and the family needs help. Maybe it is a family that lived through a tumultuous hurricane or tornado and has lost everything.  Or maybe it is a poor kid from the ghetto who doesn't know how he can prepare himself for life given the circumstances he lives with.  But whatever these situations might be, of course a helping hand is in order, but it is not meant to be a permanent fix which over time creates laziness and lack of willingness to work. No, the handout is supposed to be a temporary measure, a hand up, for when people face the future and the realization that getting on their feet brings both dignity and honor to their life, they are much happier and self-satisfied as God intended. And if they also fill their heart with God, they are well on the way to a personal transformation that will be everlasting.

So, on this Labor Day weekend, we should all commit to trying to find answers to permanently ending the never ending dependency cycle of so many by asking God's guidance and help in changing things. He always listens and he wants us to find the answers,  He just requires that we approach him first.

Dear Lord,  On this Labor Day weekend we thank you for the many talents and gifts yo have given us to afford the opportunity for us to be productive through work.  Help us to find solutions to the long term problems of dependency and instill in us your knowledge to help turn everyone into a productive and valuable addition to our land. Give us the knowledge, drive and energy to create a hand up philosophy where a handout approach has been used for so long. And bless those who will undertake this change for it will better them and all of us with your guidance and grace.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

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STRANGE HAPPENINGS AT CAPE HATTERAS: 132 YEARS AGO LAST NIGHT

9/1/2018

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Cape Hatteras Light, prior to its move back from the ocean in 1999
STRANGE HAPPENINGS ON A DARK CAPE HATTERAS NIGHT

The Keeper of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was beginning his climb to the top of the lighthouse on that fateful night of August 31, 1886. The wicks were lit early before dark and he had come down to dinner with his family before taking up his customary place on the outer platform below the candle room. From here he could see any signs of trouble for ships at sea and, if spotted, could signal by light to the nearby Lifesaving Service boat station.

During the hot summer months, he enjoyed his time alone at the top. On this hot and humid evening, it was cooler up there with the air moving more than at ground level and delivering a slight, but cooling sea breeze which was divine. As darkness fully set in, the haze of the day disappeared and the stars above looked as if he could reach out and touch them. He pulled out his pipe and stoked it with tobacco, then lit it and enjoyed the aroma of the spiced tobacco as he blew the smoke out slowly, savoring the moment. It was one pleasure that he enjoyed immensely, that and strong, black coffee which he carried with him for his watch to keep him awake.

He looked at his watch and it said 9:50 p.m. and as he began to ponder the hours of quiet he would spend that night, suddenly the lighthouse tower began to shake. It stopped and he thought it had been his imagination but then it started again, more violent, and he could identify a swaying motion from southwest to northeast, yet there was nearly no wind to speak of.

He decided to sound the alarm for something was wrong and he wanted anyone on the grounds to leave now. Then he started to make his way inside to the circular stairwell, having to hang on for dear life to avoid being flung over the side. On his way down the stairs, he was knocked down by loss of balance twice and took a couple of hits to his body from the iron steps, yet he made it safely.

And then, just as suddenly, the shaking of the land and the swaying of the lighthouse stopped. Shortly thereafter one of the surfmen from the lifesaving station showed up to see if things were okay.

“The Chief said he could see the lighthouse swaying and sent me to check, Sir,” the young man said. “We just walked outside of the station because the wall was rattling but we were concerned because we knew you would be stationed at the top.”

He thanked the young man and sent him on his way, then went into the Keeper’s house to see his wife and children in good shape but just a little shell-shocked. He told them it must have been some type of earthquake although he had never experienced one and said he’d ride up to Buxton in the buggy in the morning to the telegraph station to find out what happened.

After waiting an hour with no further activity, he retraced his footsteps back up the tower and noticed that every glass window in the lighthouse was cracked. Yet when he got to the lens room, the Fresnel lens showed no sign of damage, but he would clean them just to make sure they picked up no dust or debris when morning broke. The rest of his evening watch was quiet and of no concern.

In the morning when he hitched up the wagon and went to Buxton, he learned that indeed it had been the offshoot of an earthquake, a big one which nearly destroyed the Old City of Charleston, South Carolina and killed about one hundred people. But even more frightening locally was what was learned from the experience of Indians in a village named Whapopin over near Engelhard on the other side of the Pamlico.

At the same time the lighthouse was swaying, the Indians were awakened by the shaking earth and escaped their village of thirty huts and farm plots for higher ground. When they came back later, the entire land mass was under two feet of water, caused by liquefaction, the pulverization of the sandy soil to near dust which allowed the groundwater level to fill in the void. The small town literally sank as a result of the earthquake and the residents then moved to Engelhard.

The Charleston earthquake measured about 6.7 on the Richter scale while the impact in eastern North Carolina was about half that. Yet, a tremor in a swamp or sand, land much more likely to freely break down under stress, would account for the huge sway and the sunken village. And what was called the village of Whapopin near Lake Mattamuskeet is now listed on most geographical maps as Whapopin Creek.

I was led to this story by one of my author page readers, Maggie Bourbon, who identified a Facebook post on the subject. She just suggested I look into it and, being that it was a Facebook site, I looked for other corroboration. Sure enough, I found a sixteen- page paper written by Fred Willard of the Lost Colony Research Center which validated the story, so here it is for my readers to see.

So, we’ve got nor’easters and hurricanes to worry about and I hope this doesn’t mean we now have earthquakes to contend with in our future. But, folks, after all, it’s just nature doing her thing and despite what we think, we are never really in control.

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    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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