A Subdued Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2020 by vanbraman

The celebration of Cinco de Mayo is a bit subdued this year.

It has been interesting to see the memes on Facebook about how Cinco de Mayo is finally on Taco Tuesday and that a virus with the name of a beverage commonly consumed on the day has ruined it.

When Cinco de Mayo comes around every year, I think about what it is really commemorating.

Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Puebla - Mexico vs. France - May 5, 1862 Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla?

The battle took place on May 5, 1862 and is also called the Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

The Battle of Puebla was between Mexico and an invading French army. The Mexican Army overcame great odds to win the battle and send the French packing.

This battle may have had a big affect on the War Between the States as it has been speculated that if France had won this battle they would have then moved north to join with the Confederate Army.

A year later President Juárez declared a national holiday to remember the Battle of Cinco de Mayo. Today Cinco de Mayo is only a regional holiday in Mexico and is not a national holiday. It is more widely celebrated in the US than it is in Mexico.

After being defeated at the Battle of Puebla the French army had to regroup and they eventually resumed their march toward Mexico City which was soon defeated. Emperor Maximilian then ruled Mexico for about three years before the Mexican Republic was re-established.

cinco de mayo, nacho cheese, mexican foodI decided to at least celebrate in a small way by having some nacho cheese.

I heated up some Juanita’s Mexican Gourmet Queso para Nachos that I had in my pantry.

cinco de mayo, nacho cheese, mexican foodIt was easy enough to just add some salsa and heat it up in the microwave.

cinco de mayo, nacho cheese, mexican foodThen scoop the queso up with some totopos de Maiz. I did not eat it all, I saved some for a later day when I need a snack.

Chicken Soup - Shredded Chicken - Polla Sopa - CoyoacanIt would have been nice to have some good Mexican chicken soup.

Carne Adobada - Anita's Taqueria - Livermore, California - Seasoned Pork - Mexican FoodOr some nice carne adobada from Anita’s Taqueria in Livermore.

Ernie's Taqueria - Patterson, California - Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas - Guacamole - Rice - BeansOr, some carnitas from Ernie’s Taqueria in Patterson.

Now I am hungry for Mexican food.

Steven

Posted in California, Culture, Food, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are You Smarter than Your Teacher? – V

Posted on May 4, 2020 by vanbraman

This is post number V of Are You Smarter than Your Teacher?

Psalm 119, Are you smarter than your teacher. Wisdom, teacherIn the first post I explained what is behind the title and covered the first two categories of the game I included in a lesson on Psalm 119. In the following posts I covered the remaining six categories.

In this final post I will share some additional thoughts about applications we can learn from Psalm 119.

Psalm 119, Smarter than your teacher, applicaiton, Game ShowThe main theme of Psalm 119 is the Law of Moses.

Psalm 119, Smarter than your teacher, applicaiton, Game ShowIn almost every verse of Psalm 119 there is a word that covers an aspect of the law. In the slide above I shared English words used for the Law and the Hebrew equivalents.

You can tell that the Law is very complex. As you look back over the verses I used in the series and as you read Psalm 119, you will definitely see these aspects of the Law and how we should apply them.

Psalm 119, Smarter than your teacher, applicaiton, Game ShowI asked my audience something to have them think about.

Why don’t contestants always win on Who’s Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

The questions are all about subjects that are taught in Fifth Grade and I would imagine that all contestants went through these subjects at one time.

The Fifth Graders on the show almost always get the question right, but the adults sometimes are challenged and do not do well.

Why is this?

The Phys Ed category gives us a bit of a clue. What happens if we do not exercise very often? We soon loose strength and agility. The same happens with our mind.

The adults on the show have not studied the topics for many years and cannot easily recall the answers that are fresh in the minds of the Fifth Graders.

Psalm 119, Smarter than your teacher, applicaiton, Game ShowSo, how can we remember the Law or God’s Word?

We need to:

  • Read it Regularly
  • Meditate on it Carefully
  • Apply in Personally
  • Memorize it Diligently

If we follow these steps we will know the Bible better and know more of what God wants us to do in our lives.

A teacher’s main purpose is to get you started on a path of learning.

We later may need other teachers to help us through things that are difficult to understand, but we need to instill in ourselves a culture of lifelong learning.

Especially when it comes to the Bible.

Psalm 119, Are you smarter than your teacher. Wisdom, teacherYou can be Smarter than your Teacher if you continue to study God’s Word on your own, and with others.

I hope you enjoyed this series on Psalm 119

Steven

Are You Smarter than Your Teacher? – A study of Psalm 119 in five parts

Here are links to the five parts:

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V

 

Posted in Culture, Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments