Nothing says “America” more than the Nativity Scene

Gerhard Gellinger | Pixabay.com

A few days after Easter, I was resting in my in-laws basement in Gettysburg, watching a 2015 re-run of Last Man Standing‘s Christmas episode.

Tim Allen’s character sent his two son-in-laws off to set up the Nativity scene.  Ryan, Allen’s Left-wing son-in-law, convinced Boyd, the shows lovable air-head, to create something that was multicultural, which wouldn’t often “Jews, Muslims, and Zoroastrians.”

Together, they created the “New-tivity Scene” — an empty creche with a sign that read “put your God here.”

Ironically, no place is more “multicultural” than America — and nothing say “America” more than the Nativity scene.

Think about it.

First, speaking of Zoroastrians, the Magi were priests from the East — and possibly Zoroastrians. Mary and Joseph were undoubtedly Jewish parents, as were all the Shepherds.  The baby grew up to become  one of the revered prophets of Islam — and his mother is revered universally by Muslims.

And on that Holy Night, though the Holy Family technically were not yet refugees or homeless — (they had a home in Nazareth) — they were immigrants, as are most Americans.

Further, they were definitely not a traditional family.

With all-due respect to the Holy Mother, she did not plan her pregnancy — just like many American women today.  However, she accepted her predicament giving women throughout history a blessed example to follow.  And Joseph, her husband, was not Jesus’ father; he was His step-father.  I had a step-dad, as do so many of us today.

Because of the love I had for my father in heaven — my biological father in Heaven, that is, I didn’t make my step-dad’s role easy.  However, I can’t image my life today without his wisdom and guidance.

Nearly everybody was represented at the Nativity — except the powers of the world.

The Nativity offers the birth of Freedom: The Freedom of Religion; the Freedom from Want; the Freedom of Worship; Freedom from Fear.

There’s nothing more American than that!

Amen!

 

James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, ‘Twas, and the new book series Hail Mary. For six years, James taught At-Risk kids in Los Angeles. Today, he lives in New York where he continues to write — and teach. To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman & McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.

 

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Does Mel Brooks have the answer to America’s great divide?

Angela George [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

I believe the great comedian and movie producer Mel Brooks has found the answer to America’s great divide.

Years ago, Mr. Brooks told Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes:

“Hitler was part of this incredible idea that you could put Jews in concentration camps and kill them…How do you get even with the man? How do you get even with him?” he asks Wallace. “You have to bring him down with ridicule, because if you stand on a soapbox and you match him with rhetoric, you’re just as bad as he is, but if you can make people laugh at him, then you’re one up on him,” he tells Wallace. “It’s been one of my lifelong jobs – to make the world laugh at Adolf Hitler,” says Brooks.

And instead of venting our anger with violence, we need to combat hate with ridicule – and make the world laugh at Adolph Hilter … and all those like him.

 

James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, ‘Twas, and the new book series Hail Mary. For six years, James taught At-Risk kids in Los Angeles. Today, he lives in New York where he continues to write — and teach. To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman & McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.

 

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America needs Another Blues Brothers Movie!

 

It appears that our nation has collectively lost its mind.

Every time I go on Twitter or facebook, someone is protesting something. Disagreement has turned into disorder. Discussion no longer appears to exist.

Posts have gone from social updates of family and friends to the promotion of everyone’s individual social justice platform.

Whatever happened to the belief to “Never discuss religion and politics in public” practiced by our parents and grandparents?

I must confess. I am probably as guilty as everyone else.

So, I decided to go from surfing social media to listening to FM classic rock. It takes me back; back to a time when people had to actually talk to one another to communicate — a time, for me, when America was actually great.  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Sam and Dave’s classic “Soul Man” came on the radio this afternoon when I was driving and I started to reflect on the very first time I heard the song.

It didn’t come from the R&B duo.  It was through the vocals of two actor/comedians, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, via their soul-filled fraternal alter egos, Jake and Elwood Blues.

What started out as a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live quickly became a media franchise which included two movies and 14 albums — and countless cover-bands followed, like the one from my high school Alma Mater, the legendary Lindy Blues Brothers.

While listening to Sam and Dave, I started to reflect on the first film. It’s heart and soul. It’s iconic cast.

For many of us suburban, white kids, spoon-fed Top-40 by Casey Kasem and Dick Clark, it was the first time we saw musical performances by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker — and we liked what we saw.

More so, we liked the way we felt.

In religion and theology, a revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.

In a way, this was more than a movie. It was a revelation.

Through supernatural communication, the Blue Brothers Movie revealed a form of knowledge of America that we never had before  – and that supernatural conduit was Soul.

In turn, it gave all of us a sense of the true spirit of America. Oh yeah, we also laughed our butts off!

We need that again!

We need to regain our soul and learn how to laugh again!

We need another Blue Brothers Movie.

 

James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, ‘Twas, and the new book series Hail Mary. To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman/McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.

 

P.S.

If the above never happens, then we should, at least, consider another supernatural dimension.  May I recommend The 5th Dimension.

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