Tuesday, June 8, 2004

11:21 AM This is the best time of year for bike riding. As far as I’m concerned, the hotter, the better. Yesterday it was around 90 and I had a great time on my bike. 1404 miles YTD. 8:33 AM I need some help! Next week I’m leading a Civil War tour to the major battlefields of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. At this hour next Tuesday we’ll be starting our tour of Gettysburg. I need to borrow the 10 videos by Ken Burns on The Civil War that ran on PBS about 14 years ago. Last Christmas one of my sons gave me the DVD version of the series. Unfortunately, the bus we’re using has a VCR but not a DVD player. If you have the videos of the 10 episodes, and if you would loan them to me for the trip next week, please send me an email. 7:09 AM Today’s entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called Sharon’s Law. 6:54 AM A final thought: The parents, relatives and friends of the OPCA students nearly filled the sanctuary. The large crowd symbolizes how much the school has grown from a tiny beginning nine years ago. In the early days the students plus family and friends barely filled the first few rows. 6:51 AM There were two graduations last night—kindergarten and eighth grade. Marlene hugged each child as they came forward to receive their diplomas. 6:50 AM The eighth grade graduates entered the sanctuary to “Pomp and Circumstance” played by two bagpipers—Kevin Thames and Ted King. Kevin will be the new principal next year. 6:42 AM Tuesday Shout-Out to the brand-new Eighth Grade Graduates of Oak Park Christian Academy: Michelle Agosto Loveeta Nicole Baggett Carina Cano Christine Compasio Javario Cornell Mary Jo Edwards Rebekah Fields Christina McKee Desiree Moran Kristin Steinberg Daniel Vaquez Ebony Wrenn Carino Cano enrolled in kindergarten at OPCA our very first year. She has been at the school since the beginning. Last night’s graduation ceremony was Marlene’s final public duty as OPCA administrator (although she remains on the job until the end of June). After the ceremony, a little boy came up and showed her that he had a loose tooth. Marlene took a piece of tissue and pulled his tooth. The little boy was so proud. He showed everyone the tooth Mrs. Pritchard had pulled for him. An administrator wears many hats—leader, counselor, organizer, friend, encourager, disciplinarian, and occasional dentist. 6:40 AM The countdown continues … 4 Days until the Faith and Freedom Concert, Saturday, June 17, 7 PM. 6:39 AM Chuck Colson explains why Christians and churches must speak out on the great moral and social controversies of our time.

We must not stand by while our culture is hijacked by alien philosophies hostile to the created order. Look at the issues before us: gay “marriage”–an oxymoron which will undermine the family; the creation of life in man’s image, that is, cloning; abortion; and terrorism driven by religious extremists, to name just a few. If Christians do not seize the moment and act on the cultural commission, there soon will be no culture left to save. But when we do our duty, we can change the world.