| Holy Christ – It Works |
| He Remains the Greatest Influencer on the Planet… But has he got anything that benefits Your life? Browse the pages of Holy Christ – It Works and decide for yourself. (No preaching, many smiles, all your choice.) Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/449RdSW by Bart Jackson Reviewers are calling it: “The most interesting book I have ever read.” “…Unreservedly recommended for agnostics, non-Christians and believers…” “…Humorous, disarming, wise…” “…As we grope for direction today – add this book to your table of life.”
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BartsBooks
Finally The Good News – The Path of Persistence
Recently, I was invited to the Annual Convocation at Pillar College (Pillar.edu). ‘Tis a Christian Bible college that takes aim, intriguingly, at offering a new life direction to those who need one. The average student age is about mid-to-late twenties; and made up of those who, for the most part, have had a rough, and less-than-privileged youth. The convocation’s keynote address was given by a previous valedictorian who had endured an unbelievably crushing childhood trauma, and currently serves as a top commercial litigator in a major Manhattan law firm.
This is the college of a new start that blends a practical academic toolkit with an equally practical spiritual toolkit that will set students mentally and emotionally onto a life of consequence. Subjects include the basic Western Civilization – American Government and Philosophy courses – a variety of Writing and Business courses – along with computer and AI, Computer, and Financial literacy. They offer a full Bachelors and Masters programs.
What interested me most was the climax to the evening’s ceremonies. Each incoming student was asked to stand and read out loud – very loudly – a printed Pledge of Persistence they had been given. They did. Every member of the new class rose to their feet and read avidly this pledge committing themselves – vowing that they would, as of this moment, make a new start – that they would face all challenges to their education – and promise to see it through. Hope rippled through that hall. If a person has enough encouragement and strong belief, can she walk on water? Can he walk on the moon? All I know, is that if I return for graduation ceremonies, I won’t be surprised to see all these individuals wearing the cap and gown.
– Bart Jackson
The Happiness of Pursuit
The best education a man can get comes from pursuing an intelligent woman. But the lessons that stick with him the longest result from chasing a beautiful one.
Afterthought. And if you find yourself hot on the trail of a lass with an abundance of both brains and beauty, just be damn sure you catch her. Newsletter – BartsBooks
Happy Independence Day
July 4, 1776 marked more than the transformation from colony to a new nation. A lot more. It marked the recognition of that long-ignored truth: A nation is its people – all its people. It is far greater than its king, its government, or those posturing themselves as its rulers. And to stamp this truth into reality, the newly declared nation of the United States established itself as a democracy – designed on that ancient Athenian and then-current Enlightenment belief of government by consent of the governed. No, not every person held a voice in that governance, but through our history, so many United States people keep on trying to make that voice more inclusive – and louder. And that is a spirit that truly sets my heart celebrating.
The marvelously insightful Mark Twain said, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” So to mark this day of gratitude and celebration, allow me to share with you a few of the times that I have felt particularly patriotic and proud to call myself an American:
– 2020 – When I learned that my United States for more than the past two decades had been providing malaria medicines to over 50 million people all over the globe, most of whom were not U.S. citizens. Hey, that’s my nation.
– 1999 – In UlaanBaatar, Mongolia when I met Dave, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who was building the second of two hospitals in that country. The U.S. Army Corps, Dave explained, maintains a constant mission to create roads, schools, emergency housing, medical facilities, along with providing agricultural aid and disaster cleanup. They do all this abroad for two reasons: first, it fosters good will, displaying what our nation really stands for, and secondly, they don’t want to compete with U.S. private industry in America.
– 2015 – In a visit to Philadelphia, when I learned that the Continental Congress, upon reading Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, vetoed the change of Alexander Hamilton. The enlightened Jefferson had penned that our inalienable rights included “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Hamilton, ever the cash-counting banker, had wanted to change it to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property.” Our nation’s founders envisioned goals beyond the accumulation of wealth.
– 1964 – When I read in the paper that the amazingly able legislator and leader Lyndon B. Johnson had pushed through the passage of the Civil Rights Act, flinging wide the doors of the American Dream and justice to so many who had been denied rights before.
– Every June – when I attend school graduation ceremonies and realize that my nation – the United States of America – from its very outset so ardently realized the value of an educated citizenry that they mandated formal education as a right for all, not a privilege.
Do you, my friend, have any special moments of patriotic pride that you recall? If so, I’d love to hear and share them.
Happy Independence Day,
– Bart Jackson
New Jersey’s Got Faith – and Works Government at its Best
Those who’ve read Holy Christ – It Works, know that Faith is the key to Accomplishment. And the Garden State’s Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell is proving its effectiveness with the launch of the state’s new Faith Action Center. On April 29th Ocean Grove’s Grand Auditorium Caldwell, a fourth-generation Methodist pastor, passionately opened the FAC, saying, “We are here to give a voice to the voiceless and those too often underserved…Government cannot do it all alone – we must invoke the Faith Sector.” Finally, here, comes an original concept bringing practical compassion and swift aid on all fronts. (Read More…)
Semaj Vanzant Sr., newly appointed FAC executive director, president of New Jersey’s General Baptist Convention, explained that the cleverly engineered Faith Action Center and its Faith Action Network, will form communicative avenues between the many existing programs, strengthen their effect, and offer direct help and human connections to those in our state requiring it most. “Our faith houses are where people in need gather to find people they trust…this trust and human connection is vital,” Vanzant noted. The FAC’s call throws a lasso around the entire interfaith community – inviting members of synagogues, temples, churches, and all peoples faithfully laboring for the welfare of humanity.
If you are one of those in need – one of those with resources to share – or if you for once want to see a government caring for its people and taking its responsibilities seriously, visit nj.gov – click on NJFAC and prepare to be uplifted.
