Monday Morning Rant 101

Jack Barry brought the message in Miami, OK yesterday and it was marvelous. I shall probably extract some of his thoughts for further examination in later posts. I had never heard him preach before and now wonder why. In a small congregation, depleted by vacations and other pressing issues, we found the remainder hanging on his every word. Good job Jack!

I truly believe that I was exceptionally eager for the ministry this morning. The drive over, always a treat, brought to mind what a fabulous country we live in. The tidy homes in the towns and well tended farms reminded me of the industrious God fearing folks who live there and see to keeping the gifts of the Lord in good shape. It is difficult to imagine what drives our politicians to wish to destroy such a remarkable land.

A Day to Remember

We have been besieged the last few days with memorials and tributes to the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Like other signal events, you can probably remember exactly where you were. Lost as it was in the hoopla over the moon landing, is another event which is not only un-celebrated, but which many would like to forget. It is the 40th anniversary of Mary Joe Kopechne’s death.

To refresh your memory I shall quote from Power Line:

“I thought I would take a moment to bother you all, ladies included, to remind everyone that this is the 40th anniversary of the infamous Chappaquiddick incident in which an inebriated Senator Ted Kennedy marked a reunion of his brother Bobby's "Boiler Room" girls by driving one to her death off the Dyke Road bridge.

This manslaughter might have been forgiven if Kennedy hadn't decided to evade responsibility for the accident and cover it up by failing to report it, trying to co-opt one of his aides to cop to being the driver, and then leaving them to try and fix it for him for over seven hours.

Worse, Mary Jo Kopechne, whose drowned body was found in a position trying to eke out the last molecules of air within the submerged car, was left to drown by the self-involved Senator, who chose not to seek immediate help.

After proceedings by a Kennedy-friendly judicial system in Massachusetts, Kennedy was found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident and had his driver's license suspended. But perhaps the crowning event was Kennedy's appalling nationally-televised apologia, which I remember viewing on TV, and which still reigns as probably the worst and most self-indulgent political pitch ever.

He may be "the Lion of the Senate", but I will never forget Chappaquiddick. For the uninitiated, a must read is Leo Damore's excellent book Senatorial Privilege.”

I remember well. My family and I had stopped south of Toledo, Ohio for breakfast that morning and I picked up the Blade for more news on the Moon attempt. At the bottom of page 17 was about ten column inches with a report of the incident at Chappaquidick. It was sketchy at best but really stated all I needed to know. A girl had been killed and the man responsible was nowhere to be found.

He has been increasingly visible ever since. In the intervining forty years, I have watched my kids grow to adulthood and have children of their own. I have seen incredible changes in our country—some good, some not so good. I have witnessed natural beauty blossom around me and had an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.

Mary Jo Kopechne was denied all of this and the opportunity to live her life. Ted Kennedy and I both know why she never smelled another beautiful rose or held a precious baby of her own. My prayer is that they are both dealt with by God within His full range of mercy and wrath.

Public Servants at Work

The Tea Party “terrorists” were hard at work last Friday. About thirty plus showed up at Sen. Claire McCaskell’s regional office in a Saint Louis suburb. Their goal was to speak to her representative there and advise their discontent with several issues soon coming before the Senate. That body will soon entertain the “Cap and Trade” bill and shortly thereafter, the health care initiatives. The largely gray-haired contingent carried signs and posters expressing their displeasure with these issues and others and wanted their voices heard.

They were refused entry!

Further, those inside the office locked the doors, drew the blinds and eventually called the cops. When the police arrived they were admitted to the building and shortly thereafter advised the patriots to go to the other side of street and abandon the public sidewalk in front of the building.

I believe that the above narrative pretty much tells you all you need to know about both Claire McCaskell and her minions. In addition, it sums up the attitude of this entire administration when it comes to reasonable discussion of any issue. The meme appears to be “my way, or the highway.” The country’s in the very best of hands.

On the other hand, I was greeted warmly at Roy Blunt’s regional office in Springfield and my opinions were actually solicited. I shall here repeat my invitation to join us all in Washington, D.C. on 10, 11, and 12th of September. Let’s all go have some fun banging on locked doors and looking at drawn blinds. Maybe we can all get arrested together.

And finally

No rain here for about a week so we are stuck dragging hoses to protect the flowers from the continued drought. If God can give me that much beauty for my pleasure; the least I can do is take good care of His gifts. The upside is the mowing of the four acre grass patch is less frequent as a result. See, there is a blessing in everything if you just take the time to search it out.

Brother Barry came up with an illustration I had never heard of or thought about thoroughly. If we had $86,400 deposited in an account for our exclusive use daily and were challenged to use it for the best advantage, could we do it? Understand that at the end of the day the account returned to zero with the unused part forfeited. As the next day began, the same amount would be there for our use.

He likened this to the opportunity we have to use the 86,400 seconds which we receive daily. Our gift from Him is here for today and begins again tomorrow. How many seconds to act in kindness? How many to call an old friend? How many to share the benefits we have received from the Lord? How many to share a testimony?

At the end of the day are we ready to account for our stewardship of that precious time? My thanks to Jack for the example of how to evaluate the gift of time the Lord has given.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon