If you would like to add a comment to any of the threads here on AADB, registration with blogspot.com is not required. Simply click on the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of an essay, and either enter a nickname under ‘choose an identity’ or post your comment anonymously. Serious comments are always welcome.



REQUIEM

Below are the two final essays to be posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed. The first one is written by a friend -- screen name 'Euro-American Scum' -- who, over the past four years, has been the most faithful essayist here. He has written about everything from his pilgrimage to Normandy in 2004 to take part in the 60th–year commemoration of the invasion, to his memories of his tour in Vietnam. His dedication to America’s founding principles ... and those who have sacrificed to preserve them over the past 200+ years ... is unequaled. Thank you, E-A-S. It has been a privilege to include your writing here, and it is a privilege to call you my friend.

The second essay is my own farewell. And with it I thank all of the many regular visitors, and those who may have only dropped in occasionally, for coming here. I hope you learned something. I hope a seed or two was planted. But, even if not, I thank you for stopping by ... 25 March, 2010

12/13/2007

Warm Wishes for a Blessed Christmas

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7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ... Luke 2:7-11

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Mary, Did You Know?
(Click to listen)

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would someday walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you’ve kissed your little baby, then you’ve kissed the face of God.

The blind will see!
The deaf will hear!
The dead will live again!
The lame will leap!
The dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb!

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is God of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy was heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I Am!

_____________________________

I have much yet to do to prepare for our celebration of Christmas, and I am sure the rest of you will not be placing political blogging high on your list of priorities these next two weeks either ... so, before signing off for the year, I want to express my thanks to all who have stopped by here during 2007.

I began this weblog in May of 2006. In the year and a half that has passed since my first entry, 150 articles and essays have been posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed, by me and more than twenty others whose essays I have been privileged to include here. And well over two thousand comments have been written by patriots who share my concern about the future of our beloved republic.

I want to express my deep appreciation to all who have contributed here – the essayists and the commenters alike. Your participation here has instructed and informed, has created intelligent debate on topics that both inspire and discourage, and has provided uplift, affirmation and support for your fellow patriots.

I hope all who have passed through here in the past year will drop by again. And, if you have not contributed your thoughts to the dialogue on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed, consider becoming a part of the discussions. They are sometimes lively, and always focused on reclaiming America from those in powerful positions -- in our government, media and academia -- who do not revere our glorious past, and who desire to mold our future with a heavy hand.

Before signing off for the year, I would like to share with you a heartwarming experience I witnessed recently, and then simply post a few photos I took today around our home, in order to share with you all, in a personal way, Christmas in the Joanie and Rick household.

Last weekend I attended a Christmas concert performed by the National Christian Choir, who were performing at a large church in Lancaster. The music was extraordinarily beautiful and inspiring. The choir’s music director, Dr. C. Harry Causey, spoke to the audience several times during the program, and it was apparent that this man is a devout Christian, and he deeply cares about America.

Before the choir ended the evening’s performance with a remarkable rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, Dr. Causey turned to the audience and announced that a collection was going to be taken. Under the choir’s Music for Overseas Military program, their new Christmas CD is going to be sent, so as to arrive before Christmas, to as many of our forces in Iraq as possible, at cost ($7). The CDs are distributed to military service members through, and in coordination with, the Offices of the Chief Chaplains of the Army, the Navy (who also supports the Marine Corps), the Air Force, and the Coast Guard.

I, unfortunately, only had a five-dollar bill and coins in my purse, so could only put that much in the collection plate when it came my way. But, when the plate reached me, I was uplifted to see it overflowing with ten and twenty dollar bills.

I have since learned that, in the only two Christmas concerts that the National Christian Choir performed this year (at Immanuel’s Church in Silver Spring, MD and at Calvary Church here in Lancaster), the amount collected for these CDs has exceeded $35,000 – so five thousand of our troops in Iraq will be receiving this beautiful Christmas music.

It is that kind of small, but infinitely meaningful, example of genuine ‘Christmas spirit’ at work that brings alive the true meaning of this holy season!

I wish you all many such experiences ... and a blessed Christmas ... and a New Year filled with contentment and special joys!

Until 2008 ...

~ joanie

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42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Joanie, your words and pics. Merry Christmas and God bless!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all that you do.

Your home and Christmas decor are lovely!

Merry Christmas to your and yours Joanie! See you in 2008....

Anonymous said...

I think conservatives are much more charitable than liberals. The people at those concerts were probably heavily conservative. They give more, and they would definitely support our troops.

Thanks for the heartwarming story, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Anonymous said...

Nice story, Joanie.

I especially like your baby grand and your fireplace. :-)

Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, Joanie! Thank you for sharing part of your Christmas with us and Merry Christmas to your family from ours!

Anonymous said...

"I have since learned that, in the only two Christmas concerts that the National Christian Choir performed this year (at Immanuel’s Church in Silver Spring, MD and at Calvary Church here in Lancaster), the amount collected for these CDs has exceeded $35,000 – so five thousand of our troops in Iraq will be receiving this beautiful Christmas music."

No Scrooges in those audiences, and a great thing to contribute to.

Merry Christmas, C.W. and Happy New Year too.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to see "Merry Christmas" written here instead of "Happy Holidays." That's all I hear everywhere I go, and I always respond, "Merry Christmas to you!" Unusually the person acts relieved that I dared to use the word "Christmas" and they respond in kind.

Merry Christmas, Joanie!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous pictures, Joanie! I don't celebrate Christmas but you almost make me wish I did. :>)

Happy New Year to you, too!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the story about the concert donations. Thanks for sharing it. God bless our forces overseas.

I like your pictures, too. Your house looks so warm and fesitve!

Merry Christmas to you and Rick!

Anonymous said...

Yes.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Anonymous said...

Joanie, such a beautiful offering. I love "Mary Did You Know" too.

Merry Christmas to you and your family! See you in the new year.

Anonymous said...

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos. Beautiful song. Beautiful words.

Merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

Have a wonderful Christmas Joanie!

Anonymous said...

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas to you, Joanie, yours and all who have contributed to Allegiance and Duty Betrayed as well as those who have just stopped by to get a new insight into right thinking.

Anonymous said...

God bless you, Joanie. Have a wonderful and safe Christmas and come back in 2008 with more liberals in your crosshairs. ;)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Joanie. Good wishes right back at ya!

See you in '08....

Anonymous said...

A Jewish friend sent me this e-mail. Joanie, I think it helps explain, at least to me, why this Christmas isn't quite the delightful celebration of years past.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards .

Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this lovely Christmas greeting. I wish you and your husband the warmest of celebrations and I look forward to reading more here in the New Year.

Anonymous said...

Have you heard the latest?

There will be no Nativity Scene in the United States Congress this year! The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in the United States Capitol this Christmas Season.

This isn't for any religious reason; they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's Capitol.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

.

brityank said...

Hello Joanie and All =

Many thanks for the information and conversations you've all allowed me to take part in. It has been a frustrating education, but an enjoyable one.

As always, Joanie, you seem to know just the right words and expressions to write your postings, and I sincerely appreciate them.

May you all have a joyous Christmas, and a bountiful, fruitful, New Year.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Joanie. This is very wonderful! Best wishes to you and Rick and the children for a merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

cw-patriot,

Do you have an Allegiance and Duty Betrayed email account where I can write to you with some questions?

Steve

Anonymous said...

This is one of the most beautiful personal Christmas greetings I have ever read. Thank you Joanie, and blessings of the season to you and yours!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, as always. And Merry Christmas to you!

Anonymous said...

A very merry Christmas to you CW-Patriot, and a wish for a happy and prosperous New Year too!

Anonymous said...

I had a hard time getting through to this page, but once I did it was worth the wait.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your Christmas thoughts and pictures. You have a beautiful home.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

Anonymous said...

Thank you and God bless you...and have a WONDERFUL MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas & may the blessings of health/life/love continue into 2008 for your family and friends, joanie.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas Joanie and God bless you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the awesome Christmas greeting, c-w. See you in the new year!

Anonymous said...

God bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Your home is lovely Joanie, and I appeciate the warm Christmas message too.

I hope you and Rick have a wonderful Christmas and I'm looking forward to reading much more of your writing in the New Year!

Anonymous said...

Thank you and God bless!

Anonymous said...

MERRY and HAPPY to you and yours, Joanie! See you next year....

Anonymous said...

We conservatives generally know the meaning of the season much more so than the liberals.

Merry Christmas wishes to everyone!

Anonymous said...

I hope for you good Christmas and happy new year too.

Anonymous said...

The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.


....Numbers 6:24-26

Luis said...

Merry Christmas Joanie.

Thank you for all your writing this year which brings a lot to all those fortunate enough to know about this site. Long may it continue.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Joanie! I'm looking forward to even more excellent commentary from you in 2008 with the election and all. < g >