Should we cancel Columbus Day?
This October, Federal government employees like I will have a day off on Columbus Day. As a biased Viking family member, I would rather to view that Leif Erikson as the first explorer from Europe to reach North America. However, that is not a point here. We honor Christopher Columbus for his courage in both reaching North America and evangelizing the Gospel to Native people there.
Even though some people have threatened to cancel the Columbus Day holiday because it has become for them a symbol of European greed and genocide, in his defense, several historians have shown that Columbus was not a villain.
This October, Federal government employees like I will have a day off on Columbus Day. As a biased Viking family member, I would rather to view that Leif Erikson as the first explorer from Europe to reach North America. However, that is not a point here. We honor Christopher Columbus for his courage in both reaching North America and evangelizing the Gospel to Native people there.
Even though some people have threatened to cancel the Columbus Day holiday because it has become for them a symbol of European greed and genocide, in his defense, several historians have shown that Columbus was not a villain.
Some sources claim that the objective of Columbus’ voyages was only political or economic gain. They say that he intended to discover adequate gold to finance a crusade to capture Jerusalem from Muslims, based on the evidence of his letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in Spain. He was born and raised in Italy and experienced the militant front of Islam at the eastern end of the Mediterranean that blocked Europe’s essential overland trade with the Orient. He was concerned about Muslim dominance in the region.
When Columbus arrived in Hispaniola (an island in the Caribbean), he taught Native people about the true religion. Columbus already had consulted with the Pope to send missionaries to Native people of the New World so they could trust Christ.
Columbus didn’t seek to take Native people as slaves. He even viewed them as employees of the Spanish settlement in Hispaniola. Spanish monarchs advised settlers to treat the Natives with love and not to harm them. Unfortunately, it didn’t always go that way.
When he first sighted land on October 12, 1492, he named it San Salvador, which means Holy Savior.
Columbus was not the saint or the barbarian as assumed by different groups with their own agendas in the modern world. He was just a human who hoped to spread the Gospel there for people to remember what San Salvador means.
Columbus Day is a holiday that shows the human character, attitudes, and decisions of action that impacted American history. Therefore, we should not cancel Columbus Day… Just enjoy that day!
~~Pastor Andy
When Columbus arrived in Hispaniola (an island in the Caribbean), he taught Native people about the true religion. Columbus already had consulted with the Pope to send missionaries to Native people of the New World so they could trust Christ.
Columbus didn’t seek to take Native people as slaves. He even viewed them as employees of the Spanish settlement in Hispaniola. Spanish monarchs advised settlers to treat the Natives with love and not to harm them. Unfortunately, it didn’t always go that way.
When he first sighted land on October 12, 1492, he named it San Salvador, which means Holy Savior.
Columbus was not the saint or the barbarian as assumed by different groups with their own agendas in the modern world. He was just a human who hoped to spread the Gospel there for people to remember what San Salvador means.
Columbus Day is a holiday that shows the human character, attitudes, and decisions of action that impacted American history. Therefore, we should not cancel Columbus Day… Just enjoy that day!
~~Pastor Andy
Trivia question: What does the name “Christopher” mean?
Answer: Christ-bringer.
Answer: Christ-bringer.
What is the Festival of Purim?
Purim is a Jewish holiday that remembers the victory against Persian King Xerxes’s highest official named Haman. He loathed the Jews, especially Mordecai (a relative of Xerxes’ wife) who had refused to bow down to him.
Haman created a decree that could not be reversed, to have every Jew in Persia annihilated. The king agreed to his plan to kill the Jewish people on a specific day. Mordecai heard about the plot and sent the message to Queen Esther.
Esther invited Xerxes and Haman to a banquet where eventually she exposed her Jewish heritage to the king, as well as Haman's evil plot to have her and her people annihilated. Furious, King Xerxes executed Haman on the gallows — the very same gallows Haman had built to kill Mordecai.
Haman’s plot was thwarted, and Mordecai's act of kindness prevailed in the chronicles of the king. Mordecai was promoted to Haman's high position and Jews were given protection throughout the land. The people celebrated God's tremendous action in protecting the Jews. The joyous festival of Purim was created.
You can watch the movie about Esther below. However, the movie is not 100% identical to the Bible. I highly recommended that you read the Book of Esther in the Bible. Pray that antisemitism in the world will be significantly reduced.
https://tubitv.com/movies/708192/the-book-of-esther
Purim is a Jewish holiday that remembers the victory against Persian King Xerxes’s highest official named Haman. He loathed the Jews, especially Mordecai (a relative of Xerxes’ wife) who had refused to bow down to him.
Haman created a decree that could not be reversed, to have every Jew in Persia annihilated. The king agreed to his plan to kill the Jewish people on a specific day. Mordecai heard about the plot and sent the message to Queen Esther.
Esther invited Xerxes and Haman to a banquet where eventually she exposed her Jewish heritage to the king, as well as Haman's evil plot to have her and her people annihilated. Furious, King Xerxes executed Haman on the gallows — the very same gallows Haman had built to kill Mordecai.
Haman’s plot was thwarted, and Mordecai's act of kindness prevailed in the chronicles of the king. Mordecai was promoted to Haman's high position and Jews were given protection throughout the land. The people celebrated God's tremendous action in protecting the Jews. The joyous festival of Purim was created.
You can watch the movie about Esther below. However, the movie is not 100% identical to the Bible. I highly recommended that you read the Book of Esther in the Bible. Pray that antisemitism in the world will be significantly reduced.
https://tubitv.com/movies/708192/the-book-of-esther
~~ Pastor Andy
Letters From Prison (part 1)
The Apostle Paul was confined in prison for several years, but he used that time in productive ministry. We see some of the fruit of that ministry in his prison letters that the Bible has preserved for us.
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians to thank them for a financial gift they sent him for his care and comfort in prison. Ancient prisons were very different than the prisons we know today. There was no prison commissary. There were no prison jobs where inmates could earn a little money. Food, clothing, medicines, and essential supplies all needed to be provided by friends and family (see Acts 24:23). Without outside help, inmates suffered miserably.
Christians in Philippi were aware of Paul’s incarceration. Although they were not wealthy people, they donated what they could. They put their gift into hands Epaphroditus, of one of their members, to deliver to Paul hundreds of miles away. While on his way to visit Paul, or after he arrived, Epaphroditus became sick and almost died. After he recovered, Paul dictated a letter for Epaphroditus to carry back home to Philippi, thanking his friends for their gift.
In his letter, Paul also reported on his life in prison: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News. All the palace guards and everyone else knows that I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ. Because I am in prison, most of the believers have become more bold in Christ and are not afraid to speak the word of God.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
In spite of Paul’s incarceration, his letter to the Philippians is perhaps the most joyful and encouraging letter in the Bible. Paul continually points his readers to Christ Jesus, as he reminds us of all that Jesus has done for us. And Paul reminds us how our relationship with Jesus affects the way we think and act in our daily life.
The Apostle Paul was confined in prison for several years, but he used that time in productive ministry. We see some of the fruit of that ministry in his prison letters that the Bible has preserved for us.
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians to thank them for a financial gift they sent him for his care and comfort in prison. Ancient prisons were very different than the prisons we know today. There was no prison commissary. There were no prison jobs where inmates could earn a little money. Food, clothing, medicines, and essential supplies all needed to be provided by friends and family (see Acts 24:23). Without outside help, inmates suffered miserably.
Christians in Philippi were aware of Paul’s incarceration. Although they were not wealthy people, they donated what they could. They put their gift into hands Epaphroditus, of one of their members, to deliver to Paul hundreds of miles away. While on his way to visit Paul, or after he arrived, Epaphroditus became sick and almost died. After he recovered, Paul dictated a letter for Epaphroditus to carry back home to Philippi, thanking his friends for their gift.
In his letter, Paul also reported on his life in prison: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News. All the palace guards and everyone else knows that I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ. Because I am in prison, most of the believers have become more bold in Christ and are not afraid to speak the word of God.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
In spite of Paul’s incarceration, his letter to the Philippians is perhaps the most joyful and encouraging letter in the Bible. Paul continually points his readers to Christ Jesus, as he reminds us of all that Jesus has done for us. And Paul reminds us how our relationship with Jesus affects the way we think and act in our daily life.
Remember those who are in prison
as if you were in prison with them.
Hebrews 13:3
as if you were in prison with them.
Hebrews 13:3
Lincoln’s Vow
On September 17, 1862, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George McClellan, engaged in battle at Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg, Maryland (near Harpers Ferry, MD). It was the first battle of the war on Union soil.
History looks back on that day as the deadliest battle of the Civil War. Over 3,675 men died that day (2,108 Union solders; 1,567 Confederate); 17,301 were wounded; and 1,771 were captured or missing. The combined total losses for both sides was 22,727 men.
Even though more soldiers died and were wounded on the Union side, General Lee and his Confederates were driven back south. The Battle of Antietam was an important turning point for the Union army.
History looks back on that day as the deadliest battle of the Civil War. Over 3,675 men died that day (2,108 Union solders; 1,567 Confederate); 17,301 were wounded; and 1,771 were captured or missing. The combined total losses for both sides was 22,727 men.
Even though more soldiers died and were wounded on the Union side, General Lee and his Confederates were driven back south. The Battle of Antietam was an important turning point for the Union army.
 | Five days after the Battle of Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln met with his Cabinet and told them: “I made a solemn vow before God, that if General Lee were driven back from Pennsylvania, I would crown the result by the declaration of freedom to the slaves.” |
On that day, September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, giving the rights of life, freedom, and citizenship to all people, regardless of their race, origin, and circumstance, which took effect on January 1, 1863.
By the President of the United States of America:
A Proclamation
A Proclamation
Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom...”
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom...”
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.
By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
Celebrating
Deaf Culture in America
Deaf Culture in America
September is Deaf Culture Month.
We don’t call it “Awareness Month” or “History Month” because the public already observes two other Deaf annual events being observed at different times during the year.
The first is National Deaf History Month (March 13 – April 15), proclaimed 52 years ago, November 1972, by Colorado’s governor, with the support of Colorado Association of the Deaf and the late David Anthony and Jerry Moers, the two first Deaf movers and shakers and heroes ever in American history of Annual Deaf events. National Deaf History Month. was endorsed by the American Library Association in 2005 and National Association of the Deaf in 2006.
December 3-10, 2024, Clerc-Gallaudet Week, was first proclaimed 50 years ago, December 1974, by the DC Executive Office (now Mayor) with the support of DC Public Library former ASL students, in cooperation with the DC Deaf community and NAD. It was then called Deaf Awareness Week. The week now honors the first two visionary leaders in the American history of public education. Laurent Clerc (Deaf) and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (hearing) were born in the month of December, on December 26, 1785 and December 10, 1787 respectively.
We don’t call it “Awareness Month” or “History Month” because the public already observes two other Deaf annual events being observed at different times during the year.
The first is National Deaf History Month (March 13 – April 15), proclaimed 52 years ago, November 1972, by Colorado’s governor, with the support of Colorado Association of the Deaf and the late David Anthony and Jerry Moers, the two first Deaf movers and shakers and heroes ever in American history of Annual Deaf events. National Deaf History Month. was endorsed by the American Library Association in 2005 and National Association of the Deaf in 2006.
December 3-10, 2024, Clerc-Gallaudet Week, was first proclaimed 50 years ago, December 1974, by the DC Executive Office (now Mayor) with the support of DC Public Library former ASL students, in cooperation with the DC Deaf community and NAD. It was then called Deaf Awareness Week. The week now honors the first two visionary leaders in the American history of public education. Laurent Clerc (Deaf) and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (hearing) were born in the month of December, on December 26, 1785 and December 10, 1787 respectively.
Our state of Maryland was the first state in America that had its governor signed Deaf Culture Digital Library (DCDL) into state law ten years ago on May 15, 2014, thanks in large part to the efforts of Alec McFarlane, one of several members of the Maryland Governor’s DCDL Task Force.
Then, Librarian Susan F. Cohen of the Montgomery County Public libraries was appointed as the first Coordinator of the DCDL. The rest is history.
Then, Librarian Susan F. Cohen of the Montgomery County Public libraries was appointed as the first Coordinator of the DCDL. The rest is history.
Deaf Culture Trivia
Who was the founder of the first national Deaf convention in America?
Who was the founder of the first national Deaf convention in America?
| Answer: Thomas Brown – on September 26, 1850, on the campus of the school which Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded, the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. Brown was not able to attend the August 25, 1880, convention due to the long distance to Ohio from his home in New Hampshire. However, he made it to the next one in New York City in 1883, where he was elected to serve on the board. However he was not able to finish his term. He died at the age of 78. |  Thomas Brown |
Learn more...
Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library
https://www.marylanddcdl.org
https://marylanddcdl.overdrive.com
...the first stop for information about Deaf culture of many things.
Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library
https://www.marylanddcdl.org
https://marylanddcdl.overdrive.com
...the first stop for information about Deaf culture of many things.
