Sermon Central
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Have You Ever Heard Of The Woman Who Hated ... PRO
Contributed by Andrew Chan on May 17, 2001 (message contributor)
Have you ever heard of the woman who hated Mother’s Day? According to the Toronto Star’s website, there was such a woman. If you think the spirit of Mother’s Day has been spoiled by the commercialism of cards, flowers and once-a-year sincerity, you stand united with the woman credited with giving us the annual event.
West Virginian Anna Jarvis was so horrified by the monster she helped create in 1914, she spent most of her later years campaigning to have the second Sunday in May removed from the calendar as the day to honour your mother.
In the end, Jarvis lost the fight. The woman, who was never a mother herself, exhausted her financial resources and ruined her mental health in that fight. She died alone in 1948 in an asylum at the age of 84. Just before her death Jarvis told a local reporter: "I devoted my entire life to Mother’s Day and the racketeers and grafters have taken it over."
"She simply wanted a day to honour and remember mothers, but in her mind it didn’t turn out that way," says William Pollard, an archivist at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va., where Jarvis bequeathed her letters and other writings.
In 1914, Jarvis spearheaded a campaign to help persuade U.S. president Woodrow Wilson to set aside May’s second Sunday as a national day for recognition. She orchestrated a letter-writing campaign to Wilson, lobbied influential politicians and clergymen and distributed brochures arguing about the importance of a national day for mothers.
Jarvis’ cause came from admiration for her recently deceased mother, Anna Maria, and others like her who had been an inspiration. But by the early 1920s, she was sickened by the commercial circus she had helped create. She felt the day had nothing to do with celebrating the real achievements of women.
Jarvis spent her latter days crashing floral company conventions to protest and urging card companies to give the money they made from...
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Even If You Never Saw The Movie "A Few Good Men," ... PRO
Contributed by Mary Lewis on Aug 6, 2003
Even if you never saw the movie “A Few Good Men,” you’re probably familiar with one scene. Tom Cruise plays a military lawyer and is interrogating tough-guy Jack Nicholson. Cruise is getting nowhere and finally yells, “I WANT THE TRUTH!” And Jack Nicholson shouts back. “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE ...read more
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A. The Brilliant Scientist Sir Isaac Newton ...
Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004
a. The brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could take his telescope and look millions and millions of miles into space. Then he added, “But when I lay it aside, go into my room, shut the door, and get down on my knees in earnest prayer, I see more of ...read more
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Have You Ever Thought Any Deep Thoughts About ... PRO
Contributed by Bruce Ball on Jan 16, 2005
Have you ever thought any deep thoughts about rubber bands? I have. In fact, I had one of those great big rubber bands that I was going to bring up here, but somewhere along the way, I either mislaid it or lost it. I was going to bring it up here and drape it over this corner right here, and I ...read more
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What God Can Do PRO
Contributed by S Henriques on Sep 6, 2003
Henry Blackaby once wrote, “When God was ready to judge the world with a flood, He came to Noah. When He desired to build a nation for Himself, He turned to Abraham. When He heard His children groaning under Egyptian bondage, He appeared in a burning bush to Moses. They were three of the most ...read more
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The Command Came, "On Your Mark, Get Set," And ... PRO
Contributed by Tim Richards on Dec 1, 2004
The command came, "On your mark, get set," and then the pistol cracked and the race was on. A fine athlete sprang to the lead, and when the race was over he had broke the state record. Only a few other runners even finished the race. Many dropped out when they saw they could not win. As the field ...read more
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