I don't remember birthday #1 - My older siblings and parents may have, but my personal memories date from a much later year as trauma and fears started writing on my brain with their indelible pen.

Oak Park memories include a few non-mentionable items, but mostly innocent fragments like getting chased by dad between the picket-fenced yards, seeing our dead fair-toss-game-won duck in the backyard, riding a bike off the corner cliff and crashing, kissing Lukey Stokke, and other assorted glimpses of growing up around zillions of neighbor kids.

I'm really thankful for the vintage photos that captured a childhood that my memory has forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

President Lincoln Reviews the Troops- 1863

My great-great grandfather, William James Burk, was a captain in the 116th PA Volunteers Regiment (of the Irish Brigade). Here is his commanding officer's story of President Lincoln's visit to the troops.

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From the book, The Story of the 116th Regiment by St. Clair A. Mulholland:

 

In the latter part of April, the President visited and reviewed the army. The One Hundred and Sixteenth Battalion never looked better than on this occasion. The great review took place on the plains, back of Spofford Heights, and occupied two whole days. Corps after corps filed past, one hundred and twenty thousand men . . . But though a joyous occasion, Mr. Lincoln wore that air of thoughtful sadness that every one recalls so well.

While at Army Headquarters in the morning, surrounded by Generals and brilliant company, he seemed cheerful and full of life and gayety [sic], but, as hour after hour he rode along the line of troops, he appeared like a man overshadowed by some deep sorrow. No doubt he thought of the coming campaign, of the great battle in the near future, and of the many who would fall.

On the second day of the review he seemed more overcome than usual, and his strong, rugged face bore visible traces of his inmost thoughts. During the afternoon he became unusually silent, and rode for an hour without exchanging a word with the brilliant staff that galloped behind him. At one time his gait became very slow, and finally he reigned up his horse in front of a Pennsylvania regiment, and looking into the faces of the young soldiers who stood silently in line at a "present arm," he let fall the lines on the horse's neck, and reaching out his arms towards the ranks, exclaimed, "My God, men, if I could save this country by giving up my own life and saving yours, how gladly I would do it!" As he spoke, the tears stole down his furrowed cheeks, and his great heart seemed bursting. Then he slowly passed on --- but who can forget the scene!

It was an episode called forth by the circumstances, the occasion and the man. Abraham Lincoln had a heart overflowing with kindness and love for all mankind. No human being was too lowly to an object of his tender thought and solicitude.

Ozone Fall Kayaked For First Time



I've been to Ozone Fall in Eastern Tennessee one time with my step-brother, Craig Woodling. It's situated close to the highway, so within easy trek time. You can walk right up to the water precipice and feel the gut-wrenching churn in your bowels as you peer over the 100' drop to the water and rocks below. In the fall and winter, with very little water flowing over, the pool below isn't very large and it would be certain death to attempt any type of yahooing into it. You can see my photos here: Ozone Falls

To think that someone would descend this death trap in a kayak is amazing. Amazing because it would be like shooting Niagara Falls in a barrel, in my humble opinion. But people do 'amazing' things. Or rather 'stupid' things. Or 'inane' things.





This is a situation where faith must trump reason. Faith in the 10% chance that you won't be killed. Faith in the fact that you will be on YouTube, whether you lived or died.

The Bible says God sends the "rain on the just and the unjust," and "the goodness of God leads us to repentance." If all sin and stupidity were justly rewarded on the spot, none of us would be alive.

God is so patient, forbearing, kind and merciful to his creatures - yet we continue to ignore Him, laugh at Him, tempt Him, and hide from Him.

Lord, open our eyes to see your Goodness so we might give you the glory that's due to your name.

Winter Looming

Another winter looms around the corner after a long, long summer and warm fall. But as the earth tilts, even global warming won't stop it from grabbing us by the neck and shaking the daylight out of us.

I don't like the cold and don't look forward to the glove-covered fingers that still hurt and get numb when I'm outside. Our plans to visit Yosemite to take pictures in February won't be deterred, though. No pain, no pictures.

The sandhill cranes are coming back to the area. The rice fields are being cut and flooded just for them and the numberless waterfowl that make the Central Valley their winter home.

Hunters are blasting away at the ducks around the Preserve at Cosumnes River. Pretty jarring, but the birds seem to be used to them (and the freeway truck noise that constantly drones in the distance). Birds get used to all sorts of distractions - like cars driving through their habitat. But the line is drawn at anything two or four legged mammals.

Night Before Slaughter

One of the most harrowing battles in the Civil War took place on December 13, 1862 in Fredericksburg, VA. The Union's 9th Army under General Ambrose Burnside was sent on a suicide mission across the Rappahannock River. Stationed across the river for weeks, my great-great grandfather, William James Burk, waited with his 116th PA Volunteer Regiment in the Irish Brigade. He would be among the young men marching across the quickly-placed pontoon bridges to the town (the main bridge had been destroyed). The battle ground would be on an elevated field called Marye's Heights where the Southern Army had perfectly staged defenses.

I cannot imagine the thoughts and emotions William had while preparing for this day of slaughter. Hopefully, he was praying for the God of all mercy to spare his life, and if he did, God answered that prayer, because he lived to fight in many more battles before being captured at Petersburg and sent to a number of Confederate prisons.

Clara Barton was more than a wonderful nurse: she also wrote letters that contained poetry in her prose. She was with the Union troops on the eve of this battle and penned the following [punctuation is original]:

Head Quarters 2nd Div.
9th Army Corps - Army of Potomac

Camp near Falmouth, Va.
Dec. 12th, 1862 - 2-o'clock A.M.

"My dear Cousin Vira,

"Five minutes time with you; and God only knows what those five minutes might be worth to the maybe-doomed thousands sleeping around me.

"It is the night before a battle. The enemy, Fredericksburg, and its mighty entrenchments lie before us, the river between - at tomorrow's dawn our troops will essay to cross, and the guns of the enemy will sweep those frail [pontoon] bridges at every breath.

"The moon is shining through the soft haze with brightness almost prophetic. For the last half hour I have stood alone in the awful stillness of its glimmering light gazing upon the strange sad scene around me, striving to say, 'Thy will Oh God be done.'

"The camp fires blaze with unwanted brightness, the sentry's tread is still but quick - the acres of little shelter tents are dark and still as death, no wonder for as I gazed sorrowfully upon them, I thought I could almost hear the slow flap of the grim messenger's wings, as one by one he sought and selected his victims for the morning sacrifice. Sleep weary one, Sleep and rest for tomorrow's toil. Oh! Sleep and visit in dreams once more the loved ones nestling at home. They may yet live to dream of you, cold lifeless and bloody, but this dream soldier is thy last, paint it brightly, dream well. Oh northern mothers wives and sisters, all unconscious of the hour, would to Heaven that I could bear for you the concentrated woe which is so soon to follow, would that Christ would teach my soul a prayer that would plead to the Father for grace sufficient for you, God pity and strengthen you every one.

"Mine are not the only waking hours, the light yet burns brightly in our kind hearted General's tent where he pens what may be a last farewell to his wife and children and things sadly of his fated men.

"Already the roll of the moving artillery is sounding in my ears. The battle draws near and I must catch one hour's sleep for tomorrow's labor.

"Good night dear cousin and Heaven grant you strength for your more peaceful and less terrible, but not weary days than mine."

Yours in love,
Clara

What Is Theology?

 

John Dick was a Secessionist pastor in Scotland. Born in 1764, he started preaching in Slateford, near Edinburgh in 1786. He received his Doctor of Divinity at Princeton, NJ in 1815 and returned to Scotland to head the theology 'department'.

 

He gave lectures on theology, which were published in two volumes. I remember visiting Bob and Peggy West when Bob was attending Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. The library let me copy volume 1's Attributes of God pages, which I collated and covered when I got home. The picture below is of an original 1858 printing, not my copy.

 



 

Here is Rev. Dick's explanation of theology proper. Be sure to read the last paragraph.

 

"Theology literally signifies, a discourse concerning God. By the ancients,

the term was used in a more restricted, and a more extended sense. In the
writings of the Fathers, mention is made of the Theology of the Sacred Trinity,
and of the Theology of the Son of God, or of the Divinity of our Saviour;
while the word, at other times, denotes the general system of truth contained
in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, or these Scriptures themselves.

"It may be defined to be the science which treats of God, his nature, his attri-
butes, his counsels, his works, and his dispensations towards the human race.
I call it a science, because it is equally worthy of that designation with any of
those departments of knowledge to which it is applied by common consent; for,
although its authentic records do not deliver theology in a scientific form, it is
founded on first principles, from which its subordinate parts are deducible; and,
throughout all its ramifications, there is a connexion, a mutual dependence,
constituting a harmonious whole.

 

"Reflection upon the subject of theology will convince us that it claims the preference

to all other studies. In God, we behold an assemblage of all conceivable excellencies,
existing in the highest degree, and in  the most perfect accordance; the union of grandeur and loveliness, of every thing fitted to awaken solemn and pleasing emotions,
to impress us with veneration, to gain our confidence, to inspire us with hope.

He is invisible to mortal eyes, but this is not a reason for suspending our inquiries,
because we are furnished not only with external senses, by which we communi-
cate with the material creation, but also with mental faculties, which qua-
lify us for liolding intercourse with the intellectual or spiritual world. The
mystery which envelopes his nature might discourage us, if we entertained a
presumptuous wish to comprehend his infinite essence; but it presents no ob-
stacle to the attainment of that degree of knowledge which will serve as the
foundation of religion, since he has been pleased to grant such manifestations
of himself as are suitable to our limited capacity and our present state of exist-
ence.

 

"His remoteness from us, who are separated from him by an interval of

infinite extent, has been urged by some men as an argument for dismissing him
from our thoughts, and confining them to subjects more nearly allied to us; but
it will have no weight in the estimation of those who consider, that independent
and self-existent as he is, he stands in the closest relations to us, as our Maker,
our Lawgiver, and our Judge. To know this mighty Being, as far as he may
be known, is the noblest aim of the human understanding; to love him, the
most worthy exercise of our affections; and to serve him the most honourable
and delightful purpose to which we can devote our time and talents. To ascer-
tain the character of God in its aspect towards us; to contemplate the display
of his attributes in his works and dispensations; to discover his designs towards
man in his original and his present state; to learn our duty to him, the means of
enjoying his favour, the hopes which we are authorized to entertain, and
the wonderful expedient by which our alien race is restored to purity and
happiness; these are the objects of theology, and entitle it to be pronounced
the first of all the sciences in dignity and importance.

 

"Ignorant of the other sciences, and of the arts which minister to the ornament

and amusement of life, a man who can sustain himself by mechanical labour, may spend
the short time of his earthly pilgrimage, not without comfort, nor without the
honour which honesty and integrity may procure, especially if religion has
shed some rays of its celestial light upon him; but he who has stored his
mind with every kind of knowledge except the knowledge of God and divine
things, lives like a fool, and shall die without hope."

 

 



 



Color the Skies



God created all things ex nihilo - from nothing. That doesn't mean God is nothing, but that God exists apart and outside of His creation. Space, time and life were spoken into existence by the "word of His power." Hebrews 1:3.

And in His wisdom He created color - that visible electromagnetic spectrum of light with different wavelengths.

Colors have come to symbolize certain Biblical truths. Blue refers to heaven and black to sin and judgment. Yes, I know - black isn't really a color.

Most people enjoy any lavish use of complementary colors - and they most likely don't know why. It's a spiritual thing, actually. God's image is relected in us, and part of that primal image is appreciation of beauty - color is part of an expression of all that is beautiful. Genesis 1:26.

This is one reason we enjoy visiting the Color the Skies Balloon Festival each year. Few events boast so much color on a large scale.

Today is a good day to thank God for this wonderful gift of sight and the visible electromagnetic spectrum!