Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 536

January 10, 2011

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 10, 1941: Luftwaffe begins operations from Sicily, limiting British sea traffic in the Mediterranean. Thailand invades French Indo-China (under Vichy control). The play Arsenic and Old Lace premieres on Broadway.
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Published on January 10, 2011 03:00

January 9, 2011

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 9, 1941: First flight of RAF Avro Lancaster bomber.
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Published on January 09, 2011 03:00

January 8, 2011

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 8, 1941: President Roosevelt submits his budget, 60% of which is designated for defense. William Randolph Hearst forbids his newspapers to run ads for upcoming movie, Citizen Kane.
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Published on January 08, 2011 03:00

January 7, 2011

Seeing Red

Yesterday morning an SUV ran the stop sign in front of the elementary school and flipped off the crossing-guard. I came home to dirty socks on the family room floor—socks I told the kids at least a dozen times to pick up. After reading the front page of the newspaper, I needed the funny pages. Our dog chewed up the funny pages.

Life throws us many reasons to get angry every day. And we do get angry. Anger is a natural emotion God gave us to fight injustice and wrong. What a relief to know God doesn't consider anger a sin.

But oh boy, can we sin in our anger! When anger comes from a prideful sense of entitlement or whenever we fail to control this powerful emotion, great harm can come. Psalm 4:4 tells us, "In your anger do not sin."

So, how do we do that? In all honesty, I'm still working on it myself. I'm a people-pleaser who doesn't like conflict - so I stuff anger, but then I explode at trivial things. Ick. When that heat rises, I'm trying to teach myself to take a moment and pray.

1) Why am I angry? Is this righteous anger or just selfish annoyance that I didn't get my way?
2) Is there an issue that needs to be addressed, or do I just need to let it go?
3) If an issue needs to be addressed, how can I do so while showing respect and mercy for the other person?

Then pray for wisdom and strength to do the right thing.

How do you handle anger in your life?
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Published on January 07, 2011 05:00

January 6, 2011

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 6, 1941: President Roosevelt makes his "Four Freedoms" speech in his State of the Union address to Congress; also proposes Lend-Lease program to aid British.
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Published on January 06, 2011 03:00

January 5, 2011

Book Beat - Paradise Valley

The cover endorsement for Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer reads, "If you like Amish fiction, you'll love this book!" I would amend this..."If you don't read Amish fiction, you'll still love this book!"


I don't read much Amish fiction (although I've enjoyed Suzanne Woods Fisher's books), but I'll read anything Dale Cramer writes. He hooked me hard with Bad Ground, then made me a fan with Sutter's Cross, Levi's Will, and Summer of Light. He is a versatile and extremely gifted writer.

Paradise Valley is based on a true incident in the author's family history. In 1921, the state of Ohio required all children to attend public schools, and five Amish men were imprisoned for refusing to comply. Faced with the choice of obeying the law of the land or obeying the law of their church, several families chose to settle in Mexico.


In Paradise Valley, the fictional family of Caleb Bender makes such a choice. They uproot from the land and the community they love and set off for Mexico, hoping others will follow. Teenage daughter Rachel is separated from the young man she loves, and her sister Miriam loses all hope of finding a husband. The Benders find fertile land - and danger. Mexico is going through birth pangs, settling down from the Revolution and the era of Pancho Villa's raids on the US. Bandits roam the land, and the government is weak. While in the States, the pacifist Amish were protected from the lawless by the law - in Mexico they have no such protection.


Paradise Valley does not disappoint. Although softer-edged than Mr. Cramer's previous works, this is no fluffy read. Deep questions are raised about standing up for what you believe in - and how to live a peaceful life in a land without law. His characters are deep and interesting - I'm particularly intrigued by Domingo, a young Mexican man employed by the Benders. The setting, the situation, the characters, and Mr. Cramer's gorgeous prose broaden this novel's appeal beyond the audience for traditional Amish fiction. I truly enjoyed it.
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Published on January 05, 2011 05:00

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 5, 1941: Australians capture Bardia in Libya, taking 45,000 Italian POWs.
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Published on January 05, 2011 03:00

January 4, 2011

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 4, 1941: Free French lead Tuareg and Tibesti tribesmen from Chad to destroy Italian air base at Murzuk, Libya, having crossed 468km of desert.
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Published on January 04, 2011 03:00

January 3, 2011

Lessons from the 1940s - Freedom from Fear

Seventy years ago, the world was a fearsome place. Nazi Germany controlled most of western continental Europe and pummeled Britain with almost daily bombings, militarist Japan was brutalizing coastal China, and Fascist Italy was making dangerous progress in eastern Africa toward Britain's vital Suez Canal. The United States wasn't at war, but faced two terrifying choices - to go to war, or to let evil win.

On January 6, 1941, in his State of the Union Address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that everyone deserved four fundamental freedoms - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. At the time, the Axis dictators stifled freedom of speech and worship, and conquered peoples lived in great fear and want.

Within five years, the governments that had caused so much fear and death were toppled. The external triggers of fear were removed - but did fear disappear?

The human mind is inclined to fear. This can benefit us as we imagine possible dangers and protect ourselves. A healthy amount of fear motivates us to do our best work on the job, to fasten our seatbelts, to vaccinate our children, to save for the future, and to brush and floss.

But fear has a tendency to worm inside, make itself at home, and spread its poison. Fear of ridicule can keep us from doing the right thing. Fear of failure - or success - can paralyze us on the job. Fear of being hurt can impede true friendship and love. Fear of whatever threat is popular on the internet this week can disrupt our lives.

This is no way to live. The most common command in the Bible is "Do not fear!" God wants us to trust Him completely, and fear is a lack of trust. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." We should let His perfect love drive out fear (1 John 4:18) and live in the freedom God desires for us.

Only in the Lord will we ever find true freedom from fear.
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Published on January 03, 2011 05:00

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Jan. 3, 1941: Medical study shows sulfanilamide reduces death rate from pneumonia.
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Published on January 03, 2011 03:00