July 4th

Make Mine a Double Dip

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coneThis time each year, I get a little nostalgic.  I have to admit, it doesn’t take me long to yearn again for the wonderful days of July, and I’m not thinking of the 4th of July.

I’m one of the people who take notice of the true significance of July and do my best to celebrate it.  July, in case you’ve already forgotten, is set aside as National Ice Cream Month.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and declared the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day.

The USDA reports that the USA produced some 1.53 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen desserts in 2013. The sales of ice cream and frozen desserts add about $5.4 billion in sales to the economy—don’t ask how much it adds to the waistlines of Americans.

All of this talk about tasting has reminded me of Psalm 34:

“God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.  Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness (The Message).”

When you pause to reflect on God and His goodness, remember to thank Him for the many blessings associated with gift of taste ….. you might also praise Him for ice cream too.

Independence Day

/ insightbyseymour / 1 Comment

july-4th-independence-day-usa-flag-map-abstract-holidaySince tomorrow is the 4th of July and the day that we celebrate our independence, I thought I would share a few statistics with you:

  • 87%of American households own an outdoor grill, and moat of those will be used over this weekend.
  • 150 million hotdog will be eaten which is enough to stretch from Washington D.C. to Los Angles more than 5 times
  • 700 million pounds of chickens has been purchased to be cooked and eaten,
  • 190 million pounds of red meat or pork will be cooked.
  • 63% of Americans will attend a fireworks display and 66% will have an American flag on display.
  • 80% of Americans will go to a picnic or attend a barbeque.
  • According the Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs, the record for eating the most hotdogs in 10 minutes is 64….including the buns.
  • Macy’s will light up the skyline in New York City when more than 40,000 shells are exploded when 12,000 pounds of black powder is ignited. Every second approximately 1,000 of the shells are launched with some of them travelling a thousand feet into the sky.

As you celebrate on July 4th, remember the sacrifices of our forefathers who, through personal sacrifice, purchased the freedoms we enjoy.  As I write this, I think of a statement made by President Ronald Reagan:

George Washington believed that religion, morality, and brotherhood were the pillars of society. He said you couldn’t have morality without religion. And yet today we’re told that to protect the first amendment, we must expel God, the source of all knowledge, from our children’s classrooms. Well, pardon me, but the first amendment was not written to protect the American people from religion; the first amendment was written to protect the American people from government tyranny.

When you see the fireworks displays in the night sky, remember that Jesus is the Light of the world, and pray that God will bless the USA.