Day 44- A Lincoln First

Yesterday was Abraham Lincoln's birthday. I forgot it.  Mr. Lincoln looks like (from the pictures I've seen) the kind of guy that has too much on his mind to hold forgetting his birthday against someone. In the pictures that I've seen, he always looks pretty somber.

A somber Mr. Lincoln

 

 A somber Barry (Laura kept saying, "You look mad"). I guess I need to work on my somber look

I remembered his birthday today so I decided to do something for a "first" to celebrate this great President's birthday. It seems as great as he was there ought to be more done for his birthday. I sort of feel sorry for him and George Washington having to share President's day. Those guys were really great.

I decided I would memorize the Gettysburg Address for my "first" today. What I actually ended up doing was memorizing two thirds of the Gettysburg Address. It is not very long, but it's not very easy to memorize either. There are no jokes. The website I found it at had it broken down into 3 paragraphs. I memorized the first two. Of course, they were the two shortest, so maybe I memorized half. I memorized part of the Gettysburg Address as my first.

I still can't get video on this site, so I asked Laura, Hannah Grace, and Joel to be my audience. They listened while I recited; following along to make sure I was getting it right. I even made about 2 sentences into the third paragraph before I completely went off and just started making stuff up.

Reenactment of the Gettysburg Address 

Mr. Lincoln receives a resounding ovation

I don't remember ever memorizing this before.  Even if I did, it still counts as a "first" because it's been more than 15-20 years (a refresher for those who have forgotten the rules; if I have not done something in 15-20 years, it counts as a "first").  As I read over his address and worked at memorizing, the one sentence that meant the most to me was in the last paragraph (the one I didn't get memorized; rats).  Here it is: "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

So much for Mr. Lincoln being a prophet. The sentence struck me as a good line for a follower of Jesus.  The world will probably not long remember anything I say. It will probably not long remember what I've done.  My family and a few friends will remember for a few years, but after that what I've said or done will be forgotten. What is important is that Jesus is not forgotten. What He's done must not be forgotten! What a great and humble statement for a President to make.  May this be the heartbeat of every follower of Jesus.  What I say and do is not the big deal.  Remember Jesus Christ.  Talk about what He's done.  Let's make sure the people around us remember Jesus every day!  Let's pass along such a passionate conviction about the love of Christ that our families will pass it along to the next generation and the next. 

Remembering for the abundant life,

Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Shoes
2. Mustard
3. Pictures from my childhood