Valentine’s Day… Humbug

I guess I’ve always had a cynical streak. I look at things and wonder where they came from, who started them, and more than anything, what their motivation for starting them was. Take Valentine’s Day for example. The cynical side of me would think that this holiday, like many American holidays was started for the express purpose of selling greeting cards, flowers, and candy. If it wasn’t started for that, somebody sure decided it was a good day to use for that.

In actuality, the holiday of Valentine’s Day, more properly called St. Valentine’s Day was started by the Roman Catholic Church in 500 AD to commemorate St. Valentine. Although it was removed from the “official calendar of church holidays” in 1969, the celebration of Valentine’s Day is still accepted by the church. So, I guess we have to say “Thank you” to Pope Gelasius I for giving us this day.

Yet, why do we need a special day to remind us to act in love towards those that we claim to love? What’s wrong with us that we can’t act and feel loving the other 364 days of the year? Not only that, but how is one day of being romantic and loving supposed to make up for all those other days of forgetting? It seems to me we need 364 days of being romantic and loving per year, and maybe one day of break. That might even serve a purpose, the one day of break would help to remind us of how valuable that person’s love is to us, and we’d appreciate it more.

I’ll have to say, my wife and I won’t go out on Monday to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Not because I don’t love her, but because our work won’t allow us to. So, we celebrated Valentine’s Day early. Then again, we don’t limit ourselves to celebrating our love for one another only on days where somebody tells us to. I don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to buy my wife flowers; I do it some other day, especially if I can surprise her with them. Besides, have you noticed how much higher flower prices are on Valentine’s Day?

I’d like to propose something new to you. Instead of just celebrating your love one day a year, how about making it one day per week? Pick a day of the week that’s going to be your personal Valentine’s Day as a couple, and make sure you do something special to express and celebrate your love for one another. If you can do more than one day, that’s even better; but make sure you do the one.

By the way, if you need any romantic ideas, check out my other blog at: RomanticActOfTheDay.Blogspot.com

Prayer Overcomes Drugs

I’m sure you’ve heard about the violence that’s going on here on the Mexican side of the border. Battles between the various drug trafficking cartels have become a small-scale war. Whole towns have been abandoned, or are in the process of being abandoned by their citizens. Kidnapping, extortion, and muggings have become a daily event. Hundreds of people have lost their lives.

In the small town of Nuevo Progresso none of this is going on. I say small, because the town is only six blocks long. This border town exists for one purpose and one purpose only, to separate Americans from their dollars. The main street of the town consists of tourist traps, dentists and pharmacies, with a few restaurants and bars thrown in. The town exists, more than anything, for the Winter Texans; retired people who come down here to avoid the cold up north.

Just like all the other towns here on the border, the druggies started moving in and trying to take over. There weren’t any shootings or kidnappings, but extortion was on the rise. The pastor of the biggest church in town decided to do something about it and gathered his people together to pray.

Before going on the streets to pray, this pastor met with the head of the narcos (drug traffickers) in town. He said that they wanted to set up a spiritual road block, using the slang term that the narcos used. Now, when they do their road blocks, it’s to steal from people, but what this pastor proposed was to stop people on the roads to pray for them. He asked the head narco for his permission to do this.

Before you react with a “he doesn’t have to ask anyone to pray” sort of reaction, I’ve got to say that this pastor was being very astute. He could have made an enemy of the narcos, or he could have co-opted them in his plan. By asking their permission, he guaranteed that they wouldn’t bother him or his congregation while praying for the people.

The head narco asked him when, where, and how his people would be dressed. They set a schedule for every Thursday evening, and the people would wear the same color shirt to be distinctive.

Right from the start it was a success. They had so many people asking for prayer that it caused a traffic jam. That was okay, because it didn’t hurt the rest of the town. So, the church kept praying, specifically praying that God would protect the people from the drug lords and their minions.

After two months of praying every Thursday, the Mexican Marines surrounded the town. They arrested the police (many of who were working with the druggies), the judge, the transit police (traffic cops) and went into the houses where the narcos had people they had kidnapped in other towns. In one clean sweep they removed all corruption and all the criminals. Obviously, they had excellent intelligence.

For three months that town was under martial law, while the municipal government was reformed. Then the marines turned it back over to the people and left. Here, several months later, things are still peaceful. While other towns have shootings, kidnappings and extortion, Nuevo Progresso has peace and prosperity.

“Are they still praying?” You might ask; of course, every Thursday evening you can see the congregation of that church, out on the streets, praying for everyone they can; and God is with them.