The day started with church. Decked out in our Sunday duds we attended services at Crossroads Baptist Church, where we listened to a rousing message from Pastor Kenny Baldwin on how men are to be mighty men of valour. Even though the message wasn't designed for women it offered up some encouragement as to what to look for and expect in the future from my husband.
LTIA Class 2010
After we returned for lunch, dinner and lecture on world views how they are formed, how to choose the right world view, and worl view warfare strategy. Intense, but necessary for what we would be facing the rest of the week.
After dinner we got ready and went on our night walking tour of the monuments. I've been to DC a number of times, but a night walk of tour of the monuments was new to me. If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. For one, the heat is less intense, although the humidity still hangs around it's less brutal than when the sun is full on in the sky.
We started off at the Jefferson Memorial where Bro. Ken brought us a lesson on it's history and what Thomas Jefferson believed concerning the role of God in our government. We closed it off by singing a patriotic song (forgive me for forgetting the song we sang here the only 2 I remember are what we sang at the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument).
Jeffeson Memorial Fact: On the inside walls are four inscriptions of Jefferson’s writings describing his beliefs in freedom, education of all people, and the need for a change in the laws and institutions of a democracy.
Thomans Jefferson Quote: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever."
After dinner we got ready and went on our night walking tour of the monuments. I've been to DC a number of times, but a night walk of tour of the monuments was new to me. If you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. For one, the heat is less intense, although the humidity still hangs around it's less brutal than when the sun is full on in the sky.
We started off at the Jefferson Memorial where Bro. Ken brought us a lesson on it's history and what Thomas Jefferson believed concerning the role of God in our government. We closed it off by singing a patriotic song (forgive me for forgetting the song we sang here the only 2 I remember are what we sang at the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument).
Jeffeson Memorial Fact: On the inside walls are four inscriptions of Jefferson’s writings describing his beliefs in freedom, education of all people, and the need for a change in the laws and institutions of a democracy.
Thomans Jefferson Quote: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Sadly Joel did not have his hunting gear with him
After we made our way over to the Licoln memorial. Personally, and I have no tangible reason to feel this way, but the Licoln memorial is my favorite. I'd like to be there sometime just by myself and enjoy the silence between the columns and his speeches engraved on the walls. After our lesson here, we sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Lincoln Memorial Fact: the 36 columns surrounding the monument represnt the 36 states that were in the union during the Civil War.
Abrham Lincoln Quote: "The best gift God has given man is the Bible. It is by all odds the most influential book (or rather collection of books) in existence. The Old and New Testaments have held men together spiritually through the centuries. Three hundred and fifty years ago, in 1611, fifty four devoted English scholars and churchmen, assigned to the task by King James I , gave to the English speaking world a monument of noble prose, on which so many of us have been brought up. The Bible has been translated into more than 1,150 languages. In short, the Bible has had the most dramatic career of any book in the world."
Lincoln Memorial Fact: the 36 columns surrounding the monument represnt the 36 states that were in the union during the Civil War.
Abrham Lincoln Quote: "The best gift God has given man is the Bible. It is by all odds the most influential book (or rather collection of books) in existence. The Old and New Testaments have held men together spiritually through the centuries. Three hundred and fifty years ago, in 1611, fifty four devoted English scholars and churchmen, assigned to the task by King James I , gave to the English speaking world a monument of noble prose, on which so many of us have been brought up. The Bible has been translated into more than 1,150 languages. In short, the Bible has had the most dramatic career of any book in the world."
The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Inagural Address
Next it was onto the Vietnam Memorial. Unique to the last few monumnets is that there is no mention of God within their architechture. He is either omitted entirely or any referance is dwarfted by the uplifting of man over God. A stark contrast to the first where God is magnified. The silence surrounding this monument in particular warrents no hymn or song, because there is nothing to be glorified here. Surpisingly, I witnessed a slew of teens in tears. Over what I don't know, possibly a family member they never knew...they were all to young to ever grown up with the aftermath of recovery from the vietnam war. But still littered throughout the memorial are cards, flowers and stuffed animals letting the soldiers, sailors and airmen know that they are not forgotten.
Vietnam Memorial Fact: Designed by Maya Ying Lin, a 20 year old student at Yale University. Her design was the result of an earlier class assignment. She only received a B grade on the assignment, but a jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selected her design. There are 58,195 names on the wall.
Vietnam Memorial Fact: Designed by Maya Ying Lin, a 20 year old student at Yale University. Her design was the result of an earlier class assignment. She only received a B grade on the assignment, but a jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selected her design. There are 58,195 names on the wall.
USS Forestal Tribute
Reflections in the wall
As we travelled to our next destination, the WWII memorial, the lightening bugs started to come out. Half of the SPG's had never seen them before, so trying to capture them on camera was not as easy as they had hoped. We would have had an easier time if we had Mason jars with holes in the top. Seeing them brought back memories from the summer spent at my Grandma's in PA. Nice to see that the pleasure they bring to people has not changed.
I had never been to this memorial before, it was being built when I lived there, but I never got to see it's completion. Having family that served in this war made it a little more personal to me, rather than just a monument to commemorate people that I didn't know. I took pictures of the columns that had the states names, in which my family member had served from.
Finally we closed the evening off with the Washington monument. Facing the flags that encompass the monument with our hands over out hearts here we sang the Star Spangled Banner. Interesting to these hymns that were sung was that upon their completion we were rewarded with applause. Not that this was our goal, but it did boost our spirits a bit. Here we even had strangers join in. There is something about our Nations capital that brings out peoples patriotic spirits. Even if they don't want to be the ones that initiate patriotic fervor they recognize the need to pay tribute where tribute is due.
Washington Monument fact: No building in DC is allowed to be taller than the Washington monument.
George Washington Quote: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
I had never been to this memorial before, it was being built when I lived there, but I never got to see it's completion. Having family that served in this war made it a little more personal to me, rather than just a monument to commemorate people that I didn't know. I took pictures of the columns that had the states names, in which my family member had served from.
Finally we closed the evening off with the Washington monument. Facing the flags that encompass the monument with our hands over out hearts here we sang the Star Spangled Banner. Interesting to these hymns that were sung was that upon their completion we were rewarded with applause. Not that this was our goal, but it did boost our spirits a bit. Here we even had strangers join in. There is something about our Nations capital that brings out peoples patriotic spirits. Even if they don't want to be the ones that initiate patriotic fervor they recognize the need to pay tribute where tribute is due.Washington Monument fact: No building in DC is allowed to be taller than the Washington monument.
George Washington Quote: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
Today's government would like to have people believe that our founding fathers had no desire to have God involved in the affairs of government, but that is completely the opposite of what thier desire was. They knew that we needed His governance in our affairs and that because of God we could live with liberty in the land of the free and the home of the brave. David said in Psalm 119:45 ~ "And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts." Because our forefathers saught out the Lord precepts we have been able to enjoy liberty in this country for the past 234 years. Unless we let God back in the involvement in our affairs I shudder to think of what will happen in the next 234.
good, 
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