S U M M E R T I M
E
��Summertime and the living is easy�� declares a familiar
song. The cold blast of Winter is past as well at the nourishing
rains of Spring. We can now enjoy the warmth of the Sun��s
rays. This is the time we look forward to taking time off for
vacations.
Yes, we look forward to summers, but have you ever thought
about what makes summertime possible? In our Northern Hemisphere
summer astronomically begins on June 21st. This
is because the North Pole has its greatest slant toward the sun at this
time. What makes the four seasons is the 23.45 degree tilt of the
earth��s axis to the sun. This tilt exposes different parts of the
globe to sunlight as it circles the sun.
The more popular way for determining summertime is
climatically. This is determined by the months with the
highest average temperature which are June, July and August. The
reason for the difference in summer dates is that the longest day is not the
hottest, because it takes time for the oceans to warm up to match the overhead
position of the sun, and the same is true for it to cool down.
With warmer temperatures more outdoor activities are
planned. Picnics and outings to the beach and the mountains are
favorites. Water skiing and swimming are popular.
Sports such as volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis and
football are now played. Also longer days promote more evening
activities.
Travel to visit relatives or scenic places now take
place. Summer is an excellent time to photograph the beauties of
nature. It is refreshing to experience the sea breeze while
traveling on ferries to many interesting destinations. Parents get
time to themselves by sending their kids off to camp. The weather
now permits backpacking and camping. Gardening can bring a great
deal of pleasure. Why not even fly a kite or build a bird
feeder? One can also go on a scavenger hunt or even make some
homemade ice cream. Summer is a wonderful time!
There are two major holidays celebrated during
summer. The first is Father��s Day and the second is
Independence Day. Father��s Day is celebrated on the
second in June. Usually this is done by giving him a present along
with a card with a poem of appreciation. However, fathers get
lesser presents than the mothers on their special day. With the
advent of Woman��s lib fathers don��t get the respect they once did.
Maureen Dowd even wrote a book asking Are Men Necessary?
Are men important only for the purpose of procreation?
��Although humans are capable of amazing resilience in the
face of difficulty, few would argue that single-parenting is ideal.
An impressive body of research suggests that fathers and mothers
make different though equally important contributions to the healthy development
of children, and that neither parent is dispensable.��
��The truth is that children need committed fathers as
much as they need their mothers. Statistics consistently point out
that children who grow up without their fathers are more likely to suffer from
various social problems. Crime, drug abuse, abortion and school
dropout rates are often directly related to father��s absence.��
��A father must not only see spending time with his children
(or grandchildren) as being important; he must also see his role as
critical to their well-being. While men easily see the value
in pursuing education to help them in their vocations, rarely do they see the
same value in improving their skills at fathering. Even if more
men did value such skills, few programs are aimed at educating
fathers in their family role, and those that do exist are not very
successful.��
��God��s Word consistently paints an image of God as our
Father. However, many people struggle with that picture
because they can only relate to an angry dominating or selfish father.��
Lacking the example of a good father one can learn much about fatherhood
from God. ��For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom
his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.�� (Ephesians
3:14-15).
��It was I (God) who taught Ephraim to walk, taking
them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the
yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them�� (Hosea 11:3-4).
��If you, then, though you are evil (imperfect), know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do
to others what you would have them do to you�� (Matthew 7:11-12).
��Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as
sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you
are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all
had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.
How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and
live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they
thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in
his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but
painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness
and peace for those who have been trained by it�� (Hebrews 12:7-11).
Independence Day is July 4th.
It celebrates the 13 colonies gaining their freedom from British
oppression so they could become the United States of America
The importance of this holiday is found in the words
of Woodrow Wilson. ��A nation which does not remember what it was
yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do.
We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from
or what we have been about.��
As precious as our founding documents (The Declaration of
Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights) are, they need to be
undergirded by Christianity to successfully govern our country.
John Adams who was the signer of these documents recognized this:
��We have no government armed with power capable of
contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.
Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords
of our constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our
constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. (Most quotes
taken from Internet).
O BEAUTIFUL FOR
SPACIOUS SKIES,
FOR AMBER WAVES OF
GRAIN,
FOR PURPLE MOUNTAIN
MAJESTIES
ABOVE THE FRUITED
PLAIN!
GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON
THEE
AND CROWN THY
GOOD
WITH BROTHERHOOD
FROM SEA TO SHINING
SEA!
(Katherine Lee
Bates)
Your friend,
Tom Atkinson
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