Sunday, November 16, 2014

The Leaning Towers

Deacon Ken of my parish
always manages to have a great post each Sunday. Here is another:

The Leaning Towers … The Tower of Pisa, one of the world's great landmarks, was originally designed to stand up straight. In 1773, it began to lean shortly after the onset of construction due to a poorly laid foundation. The word Pisa “, I've heard, actually means "marshy land." This might explain why history's most famous church bell tower started going off-kilter before it was even completed. Several years ago it looked like the Tower of Pisa was headed for toppling. Moving one-twentieth of an inch each year, it eventually ended up 17 feet out of plumb. Alarmed architects and engineers puzzled over it, and in 1990, created a plan to remove 38 cubic meters of soil from underneath to straighten the tower by 18 inches. Now, they say, it is stable for another 300 years.

Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that the leaning Tower of Pisa is not the most tilted tower in the world. In November 2007, the honor was given to the leaning tower of Suurhusen in Germany. Though not as beautiful or old as her sister in Pisa, the 15th century Suurhusen bell tower is the greatest leaner on earth. You don't have to be pretty to be crooked. Once again, the sway from vertical is due to marshy soil and a faulty foundation. These twin towers teach us an important lesson. If you want to stand straight, you need to have a firm foundation. Parents, if you want to grow good adults, start your children when they're young. This is the most important task for mothers and fathers. Teach your children the depths of truth, character, integrity and faith. And most importantly, teach them about God. When they are older, they will display it.

Engaged couples can build a great marriage by building on the firm foundation of selfless love, faith and trust. Marriages built on shallow soil seldom last. A life, built on the rock solid foundation of God, faith and the Bible, will stand straight and strong through all the storms of life. If you've started off wrong, and find yourself leaning, there's still hope but it always goes back to the foundational issues.

Blessings

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This is Krystal, Peggy's daughter. Email me at kisstal618@gmail so I can send you that bag holder I made.

Thank you.

Unknown said...

I just read your last post, and completely agree with the ending!! I am one without any foundation and it has shown greatly throughout my life. I have managed to find a wonderful man to marry and have found my path back to God. I have recently hit some more HUGE bumps in my life, but I take it one day at a time. Sometimes my faith gets very shaky, but my husband leads me back to the right path. My goal is to raise my son the best I am able to with God always in his heart and on his mind. I am very thankful for my husband, for he is everything I could have wanted for a father to my son and more!!

Hope all is well in your life!!