This year, the month of May has two special Sundays. On May 12, we celebrate Mother’s Day, and on May 19, we celebrate the birthday of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.

At first glance, these two celebrations have nothing in common. Many view Mother’s Day as a secular honoring or remembrance of mothers. Pentecost is a religious “high day” recalling Peter’s first sermon and the first great “in-gathering” of believers recorded in the book of Acts.

Yet these two celebrations have a lot in common. The history of Mother’s Day is interesting. Mothering Day in England was originally the celebration of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the mother Anglican church to which folks belonged. In the 17th century, a degree of the church made this day a celebration of all mothers.

Mother’s Day in the U.S. was begun by Julia Ward Howe through a Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870. Howe, who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic, was grieved by all the deaths caused by the Civil War. Her proclamation called mothers together to be an agent of peace and reconciliation.

The first Mother’s Day celebrated on the second Sunday in May was the idea of Anna M. Jarvis in 1908. Her mother had died the previous year. Jarvis was searching for a way to honor her memory. Interestingly, the first official Mother’s Day service was held in Andrews Methodist Church in West Virginia, with more than 400 people attending.

At this service, everyone was given a white carnation (Jarvis’ mother’s favorite flower). It was out of this practice that we get the tradition of giving white carnations in memory of those mothers who have passed away, and red carnations to honor those who have mothers still living.

Mother’s Day has become a day that we remember the guidance and support our mothers have given (or are still giving). We remember and thank God for the care our mothers have provided throughout the years. All countries that celebrate Mother’s Day do so on the second Sunday in May.

Pentecost is also a day that we celebrate One who provides guidance and support – the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Counselor, the person of the Trinity active in the world today. Like Mother’s Day, Pentecost Sunday is celebrated by believers around the world at the same time. Pentecost, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter, is on a different Sunday each year.

Red is the color of the Christian Year that we use at Pentecost, symbolizing the continued presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Red is also the color of the carnations that honor those mothers still with us.

As we celebrate these two special days, may we all center on the influence of our mothers that have helped mold us into who we are today and the continued power of the Holly Spirit that desires to guide and mold us spiritually in the future.

The Rev. Wade Ogle is the minister at Trinity United Methodist Church, at 6230 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte. He writes a monthly pastor’s note to his congregation that appears in the church’s newsletter.

We welcome columns from guest pastors who have a faith-based message to share in the Mountain Island Monitor. If you’d like to share, email news@
mimonitor.com.

Since the mid-1980s, media reports and politicians’ statements in the U.S., United Kingdom and Israel have played up fears of the alleged “Iranian nuclear threat.” The campaign began in 1984 with a “Jane’s Intelligence Defense Weekly” report warning that Iran was moving “very quickly” toward a nuclear weapon. Later that year, Sen. Alan Cranston alleged that Iran was “seven years away” from being able to build a nuclear weapon.

In 1988, Iraq issued warnings that Iran was close to nuclear capability.

In January 1992, Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Knesset that “within three to five years, we can assume that Iran will become autonomous in its ability to develop and produce a nuclear bomb.”

And so on.

For nearly 30 years, we have been inundated on a nearly monthly basis by the same old lie: that Iran was a few months or years away from nuclear capability.

Let’s establish the truth about the situation. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad never said that it was his intent to “wipe Israel off the map.” This was an improper translation; the true translation reads “this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Al Khamenei, has reiterated his fatwa on numerous occasions, declaring the possession of atomic weapons “a major sin.”

Iran has actually been far more accommodating than Israel. Iran has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; Israel has not. Iran has repeatedly permitted International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into its facilities; Israel has refused inspections.

Fortunately, Israel’s defense leadership paints a different picture. In April, both Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli Defense Force chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz told the Haaretz newspaper that Iranian leaders were “very rational people” who would be making a “huge mistake” if they were to pursue nuclear weapons. This is understandable, since Israel is believed to have an arsenal of atomic bombs.

We should all share Richard Lynch’s desire to avoid a nuclear confrontation. Such confrontations, however, are best avoided with honest conversation rather than fear mongering.

– Charles Held, Mount Holly

As he continued his speech, he gave a very simple, yet very effective, presentation on the process of developing a nuclear weapon. Using a simple chalkboard, he drew a shape similar to a gallon jug of milk.  On the front of the jug, he placed three lines to represent the stages of development for a nuclear weapon. At the neck of the jug, he drew a red line and explained that line represented near completion of a nuclear weapon. The final stage is when they can develop enriched uranium.

What should Israel do? This was his appeal to the United Nations as to guidance and how to handle this crisis. If Iran reaches the red line, there is not much time to take defensive action and prepare for the worst.

This brought back memories of my time in the Strategic Air Command during the early to mid-1950s. After completing my training, I was assigned to a B-36 bomber crew as an ECM (electronic countermeasures) specialist.  At that time, the B-36 was the largest warplane ever built and still holds that distinction, with a 240-foot wingspan, and length of 162 feet.

Appropriately named the Peacemaker, our mission was to be prepared at all times to counter communist aggression.

Our missions were varied, and we dealt with a variety of issues from time to time. On one particular mission, we had completed the run-up of all 10 engines, six reciprocating engines and four jets. We made our final turn to line up on the runway, the brakes are locked, and all engines are set to 100 percent power and the breaks released.

This is quite a surge of power. Once in the air and having retracted the landing gear, one crewmember from the front cabin and one crewmember from the rear cabin enter the bomb bay area with high-powered searchlights to check for any problems. The particular concern is with possible hydraulic leaks or gas fumes.

Although this was not my standard duty, I did from time to time relieve one of the regular crewmembers. When I opened the hatch to enter the bomb bay, I was confronted with a huge bomb! I knew that SAC often had planes carrying nuclear weapons, but we were never told in advance whether we would or would not be armed with a nuclear weapon. This is the type information that should not be made public. The bomb was about 25 feet long and 6 feet tall.

I later learned that this particular weapon was about 20 times more powerful than the ones that had been dropped on Japan. None of the crew in our compartment had any knowledge that this weapon had been loaded onto the plane. No one ever spoke much about this, if so it was done quietly.

As the mission continued, the crew settled into its routine responsibilities. At this point, we did not know the exact nature of this particular mission. Obviously, the aircraft commander, flight engineers and radar observer knew where we were headed.

Hours into the flight we heard the radar navigator announce “we are approaching the IP, and I will take over the steering.” The IP is the initial point on a bomb run and allows the radar navigator to line up the plane for the final run to the target. Several minutes later, the aircraft commander gave the command to put up the curtains. After a few more minutes came the command “bomb doors open.”

Finally, we heard we were approaching Denver. We were at high altitude and the next sequence of commands was “bomb away.” The aircraft made a sharp left turn, followed by the announcement of a direct hit. The thought that came to my mind was Denver is gone! Fortunately, this was practice, but there has always been a red line.  I can understand the genuine concern of the prime minister of Israel and the safety of his people. Civilization could not survive a nuclear war.

– Richard Lynch, Charlotte

Hopefully you have heard of the Catawba River District, but even those who have might lack a clear idea of our work. Protecting the Catawba River? Helping the economy? Improving schools? We are all of that and more.

The Catawba River District seeks to provide a united voice for protecting and growing the things that make our community special – good schools, homes and jobs; a healthy environment; and vibrant town centers.

I have seen first-hand what happens when a community lacks that voice. I moved to northwest Charlotte 10 years ago with my husband, John. We felt the environmentally and historically rich area around Mountain Island Lake would be ideal for raising our blended family of three teenagers and three grandchildren.

Like many of you, I watched with apprehension in the mid-2000s as builders discovered our quiet corner of the county and began developing Charlotte’s last frontier.

I have witnessed the same kind of growth before, while living in University City and serving as its county commission representative. I watched good and bad evolve simultaneously. Only after the creation of a strong community voice called University City Partners did Charlotte leaders start to listen to residents about their needs.

I did not want that to happen here as well, so in 2008 I helped organize a group of developers and a group of environmentalists to launch the Catawba River District. Our goal is to work with this area’s many groups to provide a unified voice for our area of northwest Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and areas of Belmont and Mount Holly, near the river.  We want everyone to see the River District as we do: an environmentally precious part of the region and a great place to live, as well.

The four years since we began have been a roller coaster ride for the River District. Our group initially planned to team with two developers to help them brand the River District as an environmentally friendly place to live. We even created a unique certification program that helps homes save energy while protecting the Catawba River.

The recession has put that effort on hold but not stopped our work toward protecting the river and improving our local economy.

Our current efforts focus on helping local schools prepare our children for high-tech jobs of the future. We brought together experts from across all levels of learning to help us shape an exciting new approach to learning science and math that is accessible regardless of family income level. From this has come our second major initiative, Outdoor Learning Laboratories.

I will have much more to share about the labs in future months, but imagine getting math and science lessons while visiting your local greenway, park and school.

We also have launched a third important initiative: a broad communications network to keep everyone informed on both our efforts. Visit CatawbaRiverViews.org to learn more.

I hope this monthly column will help more of our community connect with us and each other, helping forge that goal of speaking as a collective voice and not being ignored by our government leaders and elected officials.

Since helping to start the Catawba River District in 2008, Edna Chirico has served on its executive board, until taking over as executive director in 2011. A former two-term Mecklenburg County commissioner, she has served on many public and nonprofit boards. She lives in the Mountain Island area with her husband, John, and has three children and three grandchildren.

There has been so much criticism about Mountain Island Charter School recently and the perception that the school does nothing but take from the community. This is just not accurate. I want to address these complaints by reminding people of some of the things that MICS brings to Mount Holly and the surrounding community.

• MICS employs 70 full-time people within the city of Mount Holly. There are several more part-time positions at the school, and the school will be adding several more full-time positions during the next four years as they grow their high school.

• MICS brings an educational alternative to all of Gaston County, as well as surrounding counties. While it is true that not everyone can attend the school, the open positions at the school are filled by random lottery so that every child has a chance, not just children who live in a certain area. The children of MICS are excited to be there, and if you have a chance to visit the campus, you will see that.

• MICS brings business to the community, including after-school programs, the purchase of supplies, catered lunches, T-shirts, awards, facility and equipment rentals and other day-to-day purchases. The construction of its new facility will bring even more business to the area.

• MICS brings community spirit to the area with musicals, plays, sports, art exhibits, grandparent events and even an upcoming Bring Spring 5K run, which is open to everyone in the community.

To say that MICS only takes from the community is not true and not fair. MICS has worked very hard to become a valuable community partner by providing jobs, educational opportunities, local business and community spirit. In my opinion, Mountain Island Charter School has succeeded and become a valuable asset to the community.

– Wendy Sellers, MICS parent,

Charlotte

This short article responds to “Residents: Charlotte school location unsafe for school traffic” and comes from a parent volunteer at Mountain Island Charter School. As the mission statement of the school reflects, “MICS offers a traditional curriculum while instilling character values and leadership development within a positive, challenging learning environment. Students, teachers, staff and parents will be encouraged to lead by example through their positive impact on and service to each other, their school and their community. We endeavor to promote and foster excellence, wisdom, integrity and perseverance within our students to enable them to be successful in today’s complex and diverse society.”

Therefore, I take issue with the statement and characterization from the article that opined “others feel that because all public schools are exempt from taxes, Mount Holly won’t receive much of a financial or educational return from a school where only about 25 percent of students reside in Gaston County.”

Charter schools provide parents a choice in the education of their children, and this School of Distinction in its inaugural year proved that MICS, its staff, students and parent supporters have brought credit upon themselves, Mount Holly and Gaston County. Because of dogged determination and perseverance MICS is a success story and continues to achieve milestones in spite of the many tribulations it has endured. Since public tax dollars are the primary funding sources for charter schools, local, state and federal dollars follow the child to a charter school. So if one does the math, it is very apparent that a financial and education return most certainly is enjoyed by Mount Holly and Gaston County from the surrounding counties and from all those who have moved to the area directly as a result of having this opportunity.

As Andre Gide voices, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Therefore, The elected officials, who so publicly hailed MICS in its inaugural year, might be well served to express to the aggrieved neighborhoods that there is a process that Mount Holly/Gaston Planning Commission dictates. MICS has diligently toiled to adhere to the process. Therefore, perhaps rather than enabling disparaging remarks, Mount Holly could take action to explain the process to all parties openly. I would also remind that the end goal is edification and development of children, our most precious gifts and future.

– Kevin Holland, MICS parent,

Charlotte

A few years ago, after having a bad day, I walked into Books-A-Million at Concord Mills Mall and asked the clerk, “Do you have the book “Don’t Let the Jerks Get the Best Of You” by Paul Meier?” He found their last copy.

In this book, Meier, a psychologist, says all of us are jerks, and all of us are affected by jerks. He defines jerks on three levels.

• First-level jerks: They do not willfully hurt others, but they do. They feel guilt for what they have done.

• Second-level jerks: They willfully hurt others. They will feel guilt, although it may take a few years for guilt to register.

• Third-level jerks: They willfully hurt others and feel no guilt.

Meier goes on to explain that he acted like a second level jerk when he threw a cup of soda out of his driver side window into an open convertible Volkswagen Bug. His reason, it was moving to slow on the highway.

It took his wife a few days to convince him that what he did was willful and very un-Christian. Meier goes on to say that a classic sign of a second-level or third-level jerk is the inability to ever admit that another point-of-view might have some merit. Second- and third-level jerks often lose friends, but they seldom lose arguments Their defenses are just too strong.

A definition of forgiveness that I heard from psychologist Archibald Hart has helped me deal with those who have hurt me. He defines the word as “forfeiting my right to hurt you for hurting me.” I had always thought that forgiving is forgetting, but quickly realized that it’s not.

When we forget, we put ourselves and the people we love in harm’s way. There is a verse of scripture that says, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine, they will trample them under foot, turn and charge against you.” Rather than forget, I’ve used Hart’s definition of forgiveness. The street version of that is “I give up my right to rearrange your face for hurting me.”

If forgiving is not forgetting, what do I do with the relationship with the person who has offended me? Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. While God calls me to give up my right to hurt someone for hurting me – forgiveness – I may not always be able to reconcile with the offender. To reconcile, the other person needs to say to me, “I’m sorry; I was wrong.” Without hearing that, I will forgive them, but we may not have reconciliation.

What do you do with those who don’t seek to reconcile their relationship with you? Pray for them. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Other translations say, “Pray for those which spitefully use you or hate, insult or curse you.” I have learned to ask God to bless them.

I’ll be back next month. Until then, live well my friend.

Rev. Tony Marciano is the executive director of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, which provides a free long-term Christian recovery program for me and women who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

I believe life resembles a roller coaster ride – you’re going uphill, enjoying the upward climb and its wonderful, exhilarating experience. Then, suddenly, it all changes.

You’re going down the hill, and life couldn’t get any worse than this. You hold onto the hope that it will get better, and depending on the design of the roller coaster, you can go down–very far down–until you hit the bottom. Life is over, and it’s the end of the world. Then, the coaster starts to climb back up and you finally see light at the end of your tunnel.

Marriage can be a lot like a roller coaster, with its ups and its downs. Wes Roberts and H. Norman Wright, in their premarital workbook, “Before You Say I Do,” look at the three stages of marriage. I compare those three stages to a roller coaster.

Roberts and Wright provide some words and ideas to go along with these stages. They refer to stage one, the upward climb of the roller coaster, as “enchantment.” Words and phrases that describe enchantment include on cloud nine, perfect, just right, forever, infatuated, idolize, numb, fascinated, charmed, captivated, ecstasy, thrilled and preoccupied.

In a couple’s mind, there is no peak to this roller coaster. They think “Our love, our marriage is going to be different.” Just as every roller coaster has its peak, the enchantment stage also has its high point.

Then they enter stage two, or “disenchantment.” Some words or phrases used to describe it include upset, terrible, absolutely wrong, “I quit,” hurt, put down, splintered, irritated, wretched, burdened, uncomfortable, bitter, trapped and “we’ll never make it.” Often, when a couple arrives at this stage, divorce seems to be the only way out.

Stage two is significant because even if a couple doesn’t divorce, they can stay hurdling toward the bottom, wallowing in self pity and feeling trapped with nowhere to go. How many marriages don’t achieve real intimacy, but operate more like a business, with the two partners simply enduring each other rather than truly experiencing love?

During stage three, the roller coaster climbs up the next hill. This time, the climb isn’t driven by hormones or feelings, but rather, acceptance. You don’t focus on your spouse’s shortcomings,  nor do you deny them. Instead, you focus on your spouse’s strengths. Words and phrases used to describe stage three include feet on the ground, “I need you,” “let’s work it out,” “I’ll help you,” encourage, whole, refreshed, thankful, free, comfortable, friendly and together.

I believe that all couples go through these cycles. It’s easy for a marriage to get stuck in stage two, with both parties feeling that the other doesn’t make them happy. Divorce appears to be the only option that allows both spouses to find joy and happiness. Other couples live out the rest of their lives enduring each other’s presence. But it’s the couple who works through the struggles, the challenges and the pain of stage two who eventually move onto stage three where they enjoy the “bliss” and the “ecstasy” of marriage.

I’ll be back next month. Until then, live well my friend.

The Rev. Tony Marciano is the executive director of the Charlotte Rescue Mission. The Charlotte Rescue Mission provides a free long-term Christian recovery program for men and women who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Last spring my wife and I boarded a tour bus to visit Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach. It’s a beautiful spot, and I encourage readers to visit it the next time you travel to the area. Just as we arrived, my wife’s flip-flop broke, rendering the shoe useless. Since we arrived on a bus instead of taking our own car, we couldn’t leave the garden and buy another one. The gift shop didn’t sell flip-flops and we were going to be there for three hours. We would be stuck sitting on a bench because of the broken footwear.

Desperate, we hobbled over to the welcome center to explain our problem to the greeter. After listening to our story, the woman took off her flip-flops and loaned them to my wife. She just asked us to return them to her before we boarded the bus.

We were shocked, surprised, flabbergasted and overwhelmed by this woman’s generosity. My wife and I had a great time during the next few hours, enjoying the park and admiring the statues. We went back to the welcome center to return the flip-flops and thank “our angel” for making a memorable experience for my wife and me.

I share this story as a reminder about how we see life; the attitude that we bring will determine our altitude. If we think we are beaten, we are. If we believe that there is hope, we will see the hand of God moving before us in ways we can’t explain. Let me tell you another story.

Last April, I marked “Executive Assistant Day” on my calendar. I wanted to be sure I remembered that day for my new executive assistant. But as my life continued, I got busy and totally forgot the day.

Normally, I workout at the Dowd YMCA before work. For some reason, I went to the gym during lunch and ran into a friend I don’t often see in my locker row. We normally exchange polite pleasantries and talk about the Charlotte Rescue Mission. That day, however, he didn’t bring up the Mission. Instead, he looked at me and asked, “Do you know what day today is?” to which I replied, “No.” “It’s Executive Assistant Day,” he replied. I gasped as I realized I almost missed that important day for my assistant. Fortunately, I had the time to pick up a card. Why would someone randomly bring up that it was Executive Assistant Day?

There is a scripture verse that says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” I’ve learned that there are no coincidences in life; there are holy coincidences. Yet, in both of the above-mentioned stories, I had a choice. I could shrug it off as just something that happened and move on to the next appointment on my calendar. But instead, I’m still learning that because of God’s incredible love for you and me, He is constantly pursuing a relationship with us. Sometimes he makes Himself aware to us through holy coincidences. We just have to look with eyes that are willing to see the hand of God moving in front of us.

When you put down this newspaper, clean your eyeglasses. But don’t look at life with your eyes; rather see with your heart.

I’ll be back next month. Until then, live well my friend.

Rev. Tony Marciano is the Executive Director of the Charlotte Rescue Mission. The Charlotte Rescue Mission provides a free long-term Christian recovery program for men and women who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

This past April Catherine Elizabeth “Kate” Middleton married Prince William of Wales. In 1987 her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, founded Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations. They have since become millionaires.

Let me change the story around. What if Kate did not have parents who are millionaires? What if she were a pauper, a peasant girl? What if Prince William had just happened to come upon her and fell madly in love, in spite of her poverty? How would he have captured the heart of a peasant girl?

Brent Hodges and John Eldridge, in their book “The Sacred Romance” (its not a love story between a man and a woman but between God as us), tell a figurative story of a king, centuries ago, who dealt with the same challenge. Permit me to modify their tale. The king, riding alone in the forest, came across a poor peasant girl living in a thatched roof hut. She was beautiful, yet simple. She was charming and yet humble. The king only stopped by her simple home for a drink of water, yet in those brief moments she stole his heart.

As he rode off from this encounter, he had found true love. No other woman in his kingdom had stolen his heart the way she had. What would he do? How would he win her over?

He assembled his wisest counselors and sought their wisdom.

The first advisor suggested he send his royal ambassador to the peasant girl to tell her that the king would like her hand in marriage. “But what if she would say ‘no,’” the king asked. What if she declined his marriage proposal? What if she said that she was totally unworthy–a woman of no means marrying the king of this great kingdom.

The king continued to struggle when a second advisor came up with a plan. He suggested that the king send a military force of 100 soldiers. In addition, he would send me with banners and others with trumpets. They would arrive at her simple hut with much fanfare. The king would dismount his stallion, knock on her door and ask for her hand in marriage. “But what if she were frightened from all the attention?” thought the king. What if she stayed inside her home and chose not to come out?

The king found himself deeply troubled. What could he do to win the hand of this woman who had stolen his heart? Finally, a third advisor came up with a solution. He explained to the king that he would have to become just like the woman – a pauper. He would have to lay aside his kingship and dress just like her – a peasant. He would arrive at her home as a simple man, not as a king. Then, and only then, would he know that she would respond to the purity of his love for her and not to his position of king.

That story is symbolic of the Christmas story; how would God win our hearts? He would have to become just like us, to be born as we are born, to live and work as we live and work, to become one of us, laying aside his divinity so we could respond to the purity of his love.

This Christmas, I invite you to enter into a relationship with the one we call the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who laid aside his divinity to become one of us.

I’ll be back next month. Until then, live well my friend.

Rev. Tony Marciano is the executive director of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, which provides a free, long-term Christian recovery program for men and women who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.