Journey to Pikes Peak
Have you ever been to Pikes Peak? On a clear, clear day the Peak is visible on the western horizon for almost two hours before you get there. Just a few weeks ago, my wife and I were privileged to sit near the Peak and spoil the granddaughters with some ice cream in the town of Manitou Springs. Back in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates was so inspired by the view from the peak that she wrote some beautiful lyrics and then kept revising them until 1911. Finally the hymn was ready for publication.
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain.
AMERICA! AMERICA! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
AMERICA! AMERICA! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
AMERICA! AMERICA! May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness and every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!
AMERICA! AMERICA! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
Prayer: God whose blessing we experience in more ways than we can imagine, continue to watch over us and shed your grace upon our land. Amen
--Ben Keckler
07.03.09
Showing posts with label Fourth of July. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fourth of July. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Daily Devotion - July 1
Preparing for Our Nation's Birthday
Here are some lyrics that you will recognize immediately; try to get the feeling that Samuel Smith might have had as he penned these words nearly 180 years ago. The first public performance was July 4, 1832 in Boston.
My country ‘tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty: of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride
From every mountainside let freedom ring.
My native country—thee
Land of the noble free thy name I love:
I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills
My heart with rapture thrills like that above.
Let music swell the breeze
And ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song.
Let all that breathe partake, let mortal tongues awake
Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
Our fathers’ God to thee
Author of liberty, to thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light
Protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.
As we approach the 4th of July, I hope that we can honor the quiet center of our lives where Holy Love resides. While there will be plenty of noise and celebration; quiet humility before God is important, too!
Prayer: God of our mothers and fathers, create a sensitive and seeking spirit within me and within all my brothers and sisters who live in this nation of freedom. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
07.01.09
Here are some lyrics that you will recognize immediately; try to get the feeling that Samuel Smith might have had as he penned these words nearly 180 years ago. The first public performance was July 4, 1832 in Boston.
My country ‘tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty: of thee I sing
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride
From every mountainside let freedom ring.
My native country—thee
Land of the noble free thy name I love:
I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills
My heart with rapture thrills like that above.
Let music swell the breeze
And ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song.
Let all that breathe partake, let mortal tongues awake
Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
Our fathers’ God to thee
Author of liberty, to thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light
Protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.
As we approach the 4th of July, I hope that we can honor the quiet center of our lives where Holy Love resides. While there will be plenty of noise and celebration; quiet humility before God is important, too!
Prayer: God of our mothers and fathers, create a sensitive and seeking spirit within me and within all my brothers and sisters who live in this nation of freedom. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
07.01.09
Friday, July 4, 2008
Daily Devotions - Friday, July 4
In the Midst of Fireworks
A reading for today: Psalm 92
“This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters,
This land was made for you and me."
From the time the Declaration of Independence set in motion the United States of America to this present day when we celebrate that declaration, the expansive boundaries of our land have invited people of the world to come and participate in this movement of freedom. Our history contains dark moments and moments when freedom’s torch burned with brilliance.
In our work and our leisure on this national holiday, give some time to thinking about the multitude of blessings that you experience in this land. Today is also a day to spend time asking yourself questions about how you can make this land of opportunity a better “melting pot” for all people. Today is also a day to give thanks for founding fathers, for dedicated women and men, for leaders who carry forth the drumbeat of freedom.
This is a day which God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
A prayer for today: God whose blessings are more than I deserve, accept my thanks for this land and the freedom that I enjoy. Amen.
Ben Keckler
07.04.08
A reading for today: Psalm 92
“This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters,
This land was made for you and me."
From the time the Declaration of Independence set in motion the United States of America to this present day when we celebrate that declaration, the expansive boundaries of our land have invited people of the world to come and participate in this movement of freedom. Our history contains dark moments and moments when freedom’s torch burned with brilliance.
In our work and our leisure on this national holiday, give some time to thinking about the multitude of blessings that you experience in this land. Today is also a day to spend time asking yourself questions about how you can make this land of opportunity a better “melting pot” for all people. Today is also a day to give thanks for founding fathers, for dedicated women and men, for leaders who carry forth the drumbeat of freedom.
This is a day which God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
A prayer for today: God whose blessings are more than I deserve, accept my thanks for this land and the freedom that I enjoy. Amen.
Ben Keckler
07.04.08
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