This speech was given  by Margarat Thatcher; former Prime Minister of Great Britain.  I heard Margaret Thatcher speak years ago during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.  I did not know who she was at that time but I remember being so impressed with her.  She spoke with such authority and clearly had much wisdom and  fear of the Lord.  Here she examines how the Judeo-Christian tradition has provided the moral foundations of American and other nations in the West.

History has taught us that freedom cannot long survive unless it is based on moral foundations. The American founding bears ample witness to this fact. America has become the most powerful nation in history, yet she uses her power not for territorial expansion but to perpetuate freedom and justice throughout the world.

For over two centuries, Americans have held fast to their belief in freedom for all men—a belief that springs from their spiritual heritage. John Adams, second president of the United States, wrote in 1789, “Our Constitution was designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” That was an astonishing thing to say, but it was true.

What kind of people built America and thus prompted Adams to make such a statement? Sadly, too many people, especially young people, have a hard time answering that question. They know little of their own history (This is also true in Great Britain.) But America’s is a very distinguished history, nonetheless, and it has important lessons to teach us regarding the necessity of moral foundations.  Read more...

I must admit that our family;  including my own siblings and extended family,  are not very organized or super good planners.  We don’t have a ton of great traditions that we  are consistent with from year to year, although we are beginning to repeat a few for several years now.  One thing we always make time for though is music.  Our family…most of us…loves to sing!! Each Christmas after dinner is over,  gifts are opened and we are all sitting around,  we will break out the guitars, lyric sheets,  and begin singing.  I’m usually the one to get the singing  started and I’ve learned over the years to simply pass out the music,  get my guitar, and begin singing.  Most of the time everyone is in a good mood and wants to sing carols.  If I made it into a big deal and asked “Who would like to sing?”, perhaps enthusiasm would be absent.  I make a point to be  very informal and casual about it and just begin singing.  Usually my brother or sister will join in first and then the children and others will chime in.  I encourage my boys to sing and tell them, “This is what our family does at Christmas.” I would never ask them, “Would you like to sing?” unless I wanted a “No, not really” answer.  Children naturally love to sing once it has started and they see the adults having fun. I believe that  adults need to model and mentor their children in this area if they want their children to have a love  and appreciation for music. My boys especially enjoy singing  childrens favorites….like The twelve days of Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. There is something about families singing together that just makes Christmas complete .  Read more...