First and foremost, I have to bear in mind that not everyone there is of the same faith group, and must be respectful of the presence of those whose beliefs are different from my own. That doesn't mean I have to hide what I believe, it just means I have to express my beliefs in ways that are respectful of others.
Second, I'm limited in the time available for the Thought for the Day. The target is not to exceed 30 seconds. It comes near the end of the briefing, and the attention of the participants is limited.
So, here was my thought for the day today, 19 December 2009. It actually ran a little bit over the 30-second goal, but the feedback I got was good, so it was well-received.
In recent Thoughts for the Day, Chaplain Michalke has been telling us about the Twelve days of Christmas. Some of you may also be aware that sunset today begins the last day of Chanukah.
Chanukah commemorates the victory of the Jewish Hasmonean priests against the forces of Syria in 165 B.C.E. After purifying the temple - though they only had one day’s worth of oil that met the requirements of ritual purity for the lamps in the sanctuary – they lit the lamps, which burned for eight days, until they were able to obtain more oil for them.
Chanukah reminds us that when things are darkest, God's light is able to break through to guide us, and when resources are scarcest, God is both able and willing to provide miraculously for those who trust in Him.
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I am responsible for the comments and information that appears on my blog. Therefore I have elected to moderate all comments, to ensure that this blog maintans an appropriate tone of dignity, respect and propriety. My goal is not to filter out people whose opinions differ from mine, only to filter out those comments whose manner of expression is so unedifying that I don't choose to give them a forum for publication. All people may have the freedom to express themselves as they wish, but I don't have to facilitate inappropriate communications on my blog; people can express themselves somewhere else.