Category Archives: Just For Fun

July 4, 2011 · 8:11 am

What Freedom Is All About

Our church loves to do up July 4th the right way. We celebrate not only America’s birthday, but the grace and true freedom that God has so lovingly given each one of us through Jesus Christ.

Yesterday we sang “This Is How It Feels to Be Free.”

The only thing I could think throughout the entire song was how amazingly and overwhelmingly grateful I am that Jesus Christ set me free from the bondage of sin.

It literally brought tears to my eyes and got me all choked up, and that’s never a good thing when I’m supposed to be singing because then I get this little squeaky-thing going on with my voice. Not pretty.

The person who delivered our sermon was a a friend of mine from high school who is now a prosecuting attorney in town. As I listened to his inspired words, I tried not to think about the fact that he and I were in a production of Charlotte’s Web together when I was in the 10th grade (I was Charlotte, he was Templeton) and instead listen to what he was saying. He spoke a lot about explaining the Declaration of Independence and what it means to us, and I’d like to add my own thoughts to what he was saying.

(I’m about to put on my US History Teacher hat and my Disciple of Christ hat.)

The Declaration of Independence contains a beautiful line that is important not only to our freedoms as Americans, but to our freedoms as human beings in all nations of the world.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As human beings, we are granted unalienable rights that cannot be taken away. These rights come not from man or government, but from God.

Life–
God granted each one of us life. In genesis 2, he created Man. The Bible says that he created each one of us and knows the number of hairs on our head.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

Liberty-
God has given us the ultimate gift of liberty through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his son. Probably the most well-known Bible verse lays is out clearly for us. When we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, we are granted the freedom of eternal life with God himself.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

The Pursuit of Happiness-
God does not automatically give us “happiness” when we become followers and disciples of Christ, but he gives us opportunities to know Him more, which will instill in us a joy that supersedes any man-made happiness we could ever achieve.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

When we understand these basic rights, granted to us through God’s unbelievable mercy, then we are truly free.

Happy Independence Day, America!

Share With Me: What are your favorite July 4th traditions?

10 Things I’ll Never Live Down – Number One

Number One-

Our first Christmas as a married couple. My husband lovingly wrapped my Christmas gift and put it under the tree.

I hate spoiling a surprise– like, really hate it, but my curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the gift to give it a shake.

It was flat and thin, and the only thing I could come up with was that my husband had gotten me a calendar for our first Christmas. And I wasn’t sure what to think about that. I mean, any time someone gives me a gift, I am very grateful, but I was hoping for something a little more personal than a calendar from my husband for our first Christmas. And I really hoped it wasn’t a calendar. I was beginning to go into a panicked “over-analyze” state of what it meant that he had gotten me a calendar.

Christmas Eve. I was making lunch or something in the kitchen, and we were talking about the gifts we had gotten for each other- keeping everything a surprise until Christmas morning.

My husband says, “I tried to be really thoughtful.”

Hmmmm….I’m thinking. Thin, flat…suddenly my brain flashes to commercials I had been hearing on the radio for weeks.

“I really hope you didn’t get me something goofy, like buy me a star.”

I was jesting. All in good fun. Because there was No.Possible.Way. that my hubby had registered a star in my name. No.Way.

But I watched as his face fell. And my heart broke. Not only had I ruined the surprise, I felt like a two-cent piece with a hole in it (as my mom says).

So my hubs goes over to the tree, gets the package and hands it to me. “Go ahead and open it,” he says, sadly. So I did. And it was a star registry.

Never in my life have I wanted so badly to laugh and cry in the same moment. I felt like a jerk, but at the same time, I simply could not believe that he would spend money on something like that, although it very much did fit my idea of personal. But for a hopeless romantic, I didn’t really buy into the whole star registry thing. We didn’t even own a telescope!

I thanked him and did my very, very best to make up for my gaff. And I’m still trying. And I still feel like a jerk when I think about it. And we still don’t own a telescope.

Every single holiday or gift giving occasion since, my husband has handed me the gift with the following comment, “No, I did not get you something ‘goofy’ like a star.” I can’t believe he still gets me gifts at all. If I were him, I wouldn’t buy me anything. From that first Christmas on, he’s given me some seriously amazing, thoughtful, helpful things.

I still have my star registry paperwork. I still think he was being very thoughtful. I still can’t believe he actually did that. I’m so lucky to have him.

But I’ll never live it down.

Share with me: Have you ever ruined someone’s gift giving surprise?

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Tagged as Christmas, gifts, holiday, husband, Jennifer K. Hale, star registry, Uncategorized

May 30, 2011 · 1:10 pm

The Soldier Stigma

I am a military brat. I am so proud of the fact that my father dutifully served our country in the United States Army for over 20 years, including during the Gulf War. It’s part of who I am. Growing up as an Army brat provided me the opportunity to travel and meet people from various cultures and religions and have a greater understanding of the world from a very young age. My grandfather served in the US Navy, and now my brother is serving in the National Guard. It’s a heritage of dedication to service.

As a history teacher, it really gets under my skin when people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but I’ve learned to let it go, simply because I don’t think there can be enough holidays to recognize the amazing things that our soldiers and their families do for all of us civilians.

However, on this Memorial Day, when patriotism and gratitude for our military seems to flow from every set of lips, I wanted to take a moment to address a “stigma” that seems to run rampant among the civilian world. I’ll give you an example.

Several years ago I was teaching a lesson in my classroom and I said something about someone joining the military after high school. A student looked at me and with all seriousness said, “Mrs. Hale, isn’t the Army just for stupid people who can’t get into college?”

(DEEP breath. Do not hit student. Do NOT hit student!! — These were the words running through my head at the time.) I calmly explained to the young woman that if it weren’t for the many, many, many intelligent, brave, and educated men and women who have served our country faithfully, the United States of America would not have prevailed in the many battles we’ve fought since our nation’s birth.

Why is it that many of the same people who openly profess their gratitude for our service men and women actually believe that the military is a calling only for those who can’t do anything else?

And a career in the military is indeed a calling. It calls to those who desire to be better, stronger, and faster. It calls to those who are looking for ways to provide for their families while making a difference in the lives of millions. It calls to those who hold no college degrees, or are highly educated. It calls to those with a sense of duty and honor, and a deep-seeded love for the democracy on which this nation was founded. It calls to those who are braver, more passionate, and more dedicated than most of us could ever be. It calls to those who love to serve, who can be disciplined, and can respond and act within a fraction of a second. It calls to those who are willing to die.

Perhaps my perception of this abundance of ignorance about the military is misguided, but it seems to me that in my life, I’ve crossed paths with multiple people who, while grateful for the service of others, have no idea what the heart of a soldier is like. I don’t know why these people continue to perpetuate the myth that the military is the catch-all for the dregs of society; for those who can’t go to college or aren’t smart enough to do anything else. Wars aren’t won by idiots.

Thank God for those willing to serve, willing to sacrifice time with their loved ones, and willing to die so that we might continue to enjoy our freedoms. I continue to pray that those who enjoy these freedoms will at some point try to understand the valiant, wise, and brave heart of a solider.