A Soldier's Christmas

This has circulated around the Internet for a couple of years now. It still serves as a reminder of how blessed that, we as Americans, One Nation Under GOD!, truly are.


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.


The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.


The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.


Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.


"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..


To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.


No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.


I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.


I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.."


"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."


Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

My Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. "I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.

"Oh, no sir. I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings! Skip this one!"

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting! We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandt's! Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10! Let's see the masters!"

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting in the second row shouted, "Now, let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/son.asp

McNaughton’s "One Nation Under God”

One Nation Under God

Too Busy?!

This came to me in the form of one of those "must forward" emails... which I rarely do. Several months later... here it is. You'll notice that it is much more timely now, than when I received it.

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,
"We can't keep Christians from going to church."

"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth...."

"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with
Their SAVIOR."

"Once they gain that connection with JESUS, our power over them is Broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners,
BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship
With JESUS CHRIST.."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their SAVIOR and maintaining that
Vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable Schemes to occupy their minds," he answered...

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to
work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty
Lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from
The pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small
voice."

"Entice them to play the radio or I-Pod whenever they drive." To
Keep the TV, DVDs, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see
To it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music
Constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with CHRIST."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."

"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."

"Invade their driving moments with billboards."

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and
Every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services
And false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands
Will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll
Become dissatisfied with their wives. "

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."

"Give them headaches too! "

"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to
Look elsewhere."

"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the
Real meaning of Christmas."

"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about HIS resurrection
And power over sin and death..."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."

"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on GOD'S creation.
Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies
Instead."

"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and
Small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek
Power from JESUS."

"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health
And family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"

"It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere
To get busier & more rushed, going here & there.

Having little time for their GOD or their families.

Having no time to tell others about the power of JESUS to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

You be the judge!!!!!

Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

THE OLD PATHS

This may be a little sentimental for some and perhaps even a little offensive for others. It has been adapted from an email sent to me by my dad. It certainly represents his generation, but I too am old enough to remember that this IS the way that things were... for the most part.

Kind of reminds me of The End of The Innocence by Don Henley.

I wish the old paths were before us instead of behind us.

THE OLD PATHS

I liked the old paths, when
Moms were
at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.

And sisters got married BEFORE having children!

Crime did not
pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.


Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave.


Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children
were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.


Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;

And children looked decent.

People loved the truth,
And
hated a lie.

They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!


Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing
sounded normal;
And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was
wicked;
Drugs were for illness;
And divorce was unthinkable.


The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God
was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;

And preached from house to house..

To be called an American
was worth dying for;
To be called an American was worth living for;

To be called a traitor was a shame!


I still like the
old paths the best!


'The Old Paths' was written by a retired minister who lives In Tennessee.

The Map

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby.. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today..'

After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. 'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.'

GoD and DoG

By Wendy Francisco c2009Crack O' Noon Music ASCAP Download "God and DoG" gifts, t -shirts, and free wmv file at http://www.GoDandDoG.org. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Playmate of the Year

My dog Lacy is good, but not this good!

Christmas With a Capital "C"

This one has been around for a while, but it time to bring it out again.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Billy Graham's Suit

Billy Graham is now 90 years old with Parkinson's disease. In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte , North Carolina , invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed..

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, 'I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.' Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.' Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.''

Having said that Billy Graham continued, 'See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.

You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am .. I also know where I'm going.'

"Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."

Help put Christ back in Christmas!

Having already seen the continued assault on Christmas at retailers, schools and government locations in 2009, it is time we take a stand. So forgive me for being so bold, but I encourage you to participate in this and send a message:

What a clever idea! Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.

Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year. As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude.

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a " Holiday Tree". . ... It's always been called a CHRISTMAS TREE!

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is among those suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything Christian away from us. Help put Christ back in Christmas!

Why Boys NEED Parents!

I noticed that there were some men present in a couple of the photos. Perhaps I should change the caption to, "Why Boys NEED a Mother!"

You have a new Friend Request from Jesus.

Eleven things you did not learn in school

An excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Twitter in Plain English video

I saw this on another blog and thought it was worth posting. I know that there is still a great deal of confusion regarding Twitter. My kids think that it is useless, so that tell me that there MUST be some real value in it for me... ;-)

I thinks that this Youtube video does a pretty nice job explaining the basic philosophy. What do you think?



Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/qssinc

NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

This one just landed in my Inbox. Once again... these are not my words and they are not necessarily my opinion. I'm expecting the there might be some differing views. If there are, I would love to hear them..

NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION
"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy..

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes .

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care . That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly.....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Healthcare Crisis - According to Bill Maher

I neither support nor oppose the comments made by Mr. Maher, but it did find them interesting. I would be interested in your thoughts. Please leave a comment.

Names of God

Do you know God? Would your recognize His Name?

Click on the image...

Margin or Marginless?

Margin or Marginless?
by Rick Warren

God, listen to me shout, bend an ear to my prayer… You’ve always given me breathing room, a place to get away from it all. Psalm 61:1, 3 (MSG)

A lot of people are on overload and headed for a crash. Consider these statistics:
• People now sleep 2½ fewer hours each night than people did a hundred years ago.
• The average work week is longer now than it was in the 1960s.
• The average office worker has 36 hours of work piled up on his or her desk. It takes us three hours a week just to sort through it and find what we need.
• We spend eight months of our lives opening junk mail, two years of our lives playing phone tag with people, and five years waiting for people who are late for meetings.

At least in the U.S., we’re a piled-on, stretched-to-the limit society that is chronically rushed, chronically late, and chronically exhausted. Many of us feel like Job did when he said, “I have no peace! I have no quiet! I have no rest! And trouble keeps coming” (Job 3:26 GWT).

Overload comes when we have too much activity in our lives, too much change, too many choices, too much work, too much debt, too much media exposure. We’re stressed by information overload; we’re stressed by accessibility overload – we’re connected all the time. Simply put, we’re stressed by the pace of life.

Is there a solution? Yes. The solution is to put some margin into your life. Margin is breathing room. It’s keeping a little reserve that you’re not using up. It’s not going from one meeting to the next to the next with no space in between. Margin is the space between your load and your limit. But most of us are far more overloaded than we can handle, and there is no margin for error in our lives.

Dr. Richard Swenson, MD says this: “The conditions of modern day living devour margin. If you’re homeless we direct you to a shelter. If you’re penniless we offer you food stamps. If you’re breathless we connect you to oxygen. But if you’re marginless we give you one more thing to do. Marginless is being 30 minutes late to the doctor’s office because you were 20 minutes late getting out of the hairdresser because you were 10 minutes late dropping the children off at school because the car ran out of gas two blocks from a gas station and you forgot your purse. That’s marginless.

“Margin, on the other hand, is having breath at the top of the staircase, money at the end of the month, and sanity left over at the end of adolescence. Margin is grandma taking the baby for the afternoon. Margin is having a friend help carry the burden.

“Marginless is not having time to finish the book you’re reading on stress. Margin is having the time to read it twice. Marginless is our culture. Margin is counter-culture, having some space in your life and schedule. Marginless is the disease of our decade and margin is the cure.”

Acts 17

I started this "Modern Day Paul" thread the other day and it seems like I may live in that for a while. I was reading Acts 17 this morning (from a Gideons in my hotel room). I prefer the NIV, so I've gone to http://www.biblegateway.com/ for this translation of verses 22 & 23.

Acts 17:22-23 (New International Version)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Now, compare that to the KJV that I originally read this morning:

Acts 17:22-23 (King James Version)
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

Now, we can't compare versions without including the Message:

Acts 17:22-23 (The Message)
22-23So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with.

In this case, I think that the KJV nailed it. No mincing of words. "ye are too superstitious." and "therefore ye ignorantly worship...." What would Paul see today? Would he witness folks that are still too superstitious? People who put their faith in the wrong things and who are afraid or things that have no real power over them? Would he be faced with people who "ignorantly worship"? I am afraid that the answer is probably yes to both questions.

Who will tell them the Truth? Who will be their "Paul?"

Modern day Paul II

The other day I had written about how I had compared a friend to a Modern day Paul . How can you know if you are deal with someone like Paul? What set him apart from the other apostles?

Saul was righteous and indignant. Paul was humble and gracious.
Ephesians 3:8-9 (New International Version)
8Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

Paul was obedient to God and sought His will in all that he did. He understood the power of prayer. He prayed for others, instructed them to pray and equally important, he asked them to pray for him.
Ephesians 6:19-20 (New International Version)
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Do you know anyone like that? Someone, who despite their obvious power and authority (given by God) remains humble and gracious? Is that person frequently in prayer? Do they engage others in prayer and ask them to engage with him as well?

I do believe that there are people out there, just like that. I also believe that they are blessed to be just the way that they are. Finally, I believe if you are wise, you will come along side those folks every opportunity that you can. Support them. Encourage them. Pray for them.

The Mistake

Yesterday I made reference to the question, "If it were a crime to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Here is a borrowed example with a similar theme.

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.

He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, ''I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk; naturally...I assumed you had stolen the car ..''

Mondern day Paul

This weekend I attended an event and had the opportunity to stand before a group of people with a microphone in my hand. At one point I dared to compare a living person, someone present in the room with the apostle Paul. Heresy? Blasphemy? Gee, I don't know...

Paul was a spiritual Giant! Is it possible today for someone to be like Paul was? Perhaps. Should we expect a one-to-one correlation? A modern day clone? I think not. But if we exam the life of Paul as a whole and the contribution that he made to the Christian community of his time, we may be able to draw some parallels.

At the very beginning, I want to point out that I am specifically talking about PAUL, not Saul. Yes I know that they were the same human being, but they were two entirely different people. There is probably no better example of one who was born again in the Spirit of Christ, one who died to Self and lived for Christ. I want to focus on the new Paul and not the old Saul.

From the moment he was knocked to the ground and blinded, until the day he died, he was a changed man, entire devoted to his Saviour. Now, we all know people who have been "changed" by Christ. That is the way it is supposed to be. I've heard is said, "If it were a crime to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" If Christ is in us, we cannot be the same as we were.

So, what made Paul so different? First of all, he was on a mission considerably different than the other apostles. He was dedicated to bringing the Good News of the Gospel to the Gentiles, where as the rest of the apostles were primarily charged with leading the Jews to saving Grace. In modern times that might look like someone speaking to the un-churched in industry as opposed to a preacher speaking to the religious.

More than any other apostle, Paul went places, taking the Gospel with him. He did not preach at the same synagogue week after week, year after year. He went from town to town. Pick up any Bible with a map in it and you can see that Paul went on several "journeys" where he covered a LOT of ground. Paul truly was the FEET of Jesus. He carried the Gospel to far off places where God led him. Today, that far off place might be the office building right across the street from a prospering church. It might be the bar or the crack house on the wrong side of town. It might be and industry convention, attended by thousand of people from around the world. The fact is, today there are now billions of people FAR from God, but geography is not so much a factor. A modern day Paul would have to go THERE, were they are AND proclaim the Gospel. How many people do you know like that?

Of all of the Apostles, there is probably none that was a better mentor than Paul. As near as I can tell, he never traveled alone. He always had a partner, or supporting cast with him. When he spent time building a new church he sought out the leaders and he pour himself into them. He embodied the very Servant Leadership that Jesus tried to teach the others. He built up his followers until they were able to stand on their own. He trained his leaders until the could teach boldly and lead effectively. Do you know anyone like that?

Throughout his ministry, Paul never lost sight of who he was and whose he was. He was a man, saved by Grace and he belonged to a Savior who loved him immeasurably. More than anything else, Paul wanted to share that love with the entire world. He LIVED it!

We all know folks that are "good people." We have all heard pastors that were great teachers. We have all seen tremendous acts of service by ordinary people. But, how many of us have seen a "Paul"?

If you have, I would love to hear about it. Please share your story.

Willow Creek Leadership Summit 2009 - Day 1

This is the third year that I have attended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit and the first time I have attended from a satellite location. I am in Omaha for the summit and then will spend the weekend 40 miles east of there in Harlan, IA.

The host church is Brookside Church. I haven't been to a lot of WCA churches, but it would not be too difficult to imagine that this was a WCA church. It has a very "Promiseland" like children's ministry wing, which coincidentally happens to be in the lower level of the church. Their primary worship space is much like the Activity Center, where Willow first met when they move onto the current South Barrington campus. They have a Chapel at the other end of the building from the worship center. If you have been to South Barrington, you would immediately recognize the architectural similarities.

I am really in no position to make any assessment of the church doctrine or beliefs. I will say that they were well prepared with an abundance of very friendly volunteers. Apparently this was not the first time that they have done this. Logistically, they did a fine job. I will say that I was surprised that lunch was not provided. It wasn't a big deal, but having been fed (abundantly) the two times I attended previously, I was unprepared to track down my own lunch. I ended up walking down to a local convenience store to grab a sandwich.

As far as the summit itself goes, I think that this was the BEST Day one in the past 3 years. I think that all today's sessions were home runs. Rather that recount my feelings, I'm going to jump over to Twitter.com and capture comments from others, posted throughout the day.

jaxnc: Tons of ideas from being @ the Summit #tls09. Best opening day in a few years. Challenged, inspired, convicted.

mikechem: Great day at the Leadership Summit. Speakers stressed the need for leaders to empower people for innovation, creativity and trust. #TLS09

leebiles: @donnamct I was blown away by tim keller retelling of the prodigal son; you always got to bring it back to the gospel! #TLS09

patamo: RT: "The longer you're down in your trenches, the easier it is to mistake the edge of your rut for the horizon." Gary Hamel // #TLS09

bexmann: Just spent a whole day getting my world rocked by the Leadership Summit...holy cow. #tls09

ajelwind: Here's Josh Wilson, who performed at today's Leadership Summit http://tinyurl.com/nk3ffy #tls09

gilesshih: #tls09 kiva.org provides over $85 million in micro-finance loans each yr to entrepreneurs worldwide - lives are being changed!

saddacracker: RT @tonysteward The elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son was lost, not in spite of his obedience, but because of it. #tls09

LifeVerse: People are not looking for a mild dose of God, they want a full dose of God. Bill Hybles Leadership Summit #TLS09

Want to read more? Check it out... http://twitter.com/search?q=%23tls09#search?q=%23tls09

Share your Vision!!!

Last night Karen and I enjoyed an evening BBQ with the family of one of my son's friends. This was the first time that both families had gotten together. The other father, Jeff, and I got to talking about Leadership and Vision. After sharing some of my thoughts another guest, Dale, suggested that I reminded him the the "Dancing Guy at the Sasquatch music festival. Check this out...

For those of you that know me, what do you think? That is just about how I dance. ;-)

In terms of sharing a vision, see how contagious it can be. You may feel a little foolish at first, but if you are confident in your vision and stay the course, others WILL follow.

If that wasn't enough for you, hers is the Loooong version. Watch this one with discretion...

Let all I do honor You

I'm sure this never happens to anyone else, but every now and then a song just convicts me! It's not so much that its a catchy tune that gets stuck in your head (if you were listening to Klove radio yesterday, you learned all about "ear worms.") but instead it rocks you and just won't go away.

I'm a huge fan of Chris Tomlin and he does a Billy Foote song called "You Are My King." The song is totally awesome but the refrain contains the phrase "Let all I do honor You" OUCH!

A challenge? A statement? A wish? What is it for you? I can tell you in my case it is NOT a profession of TRUTH... If it is a wish, what good is that? "Gee, I sure hope that everything I do honors You, Jesus..." "Oh, and BTW, if it doesn't - I'm sorry." If it is a challenge, what must I do to overcome it? I start by trying to remain "connected to the vine."

At Willow Creek, we are blessed with some of the best teaching pastors on the planet. When they aren't teaching, we learn from guest teachers that are World Class, such as Andy Stanley, David Nasser, Michael Durso Wayne Cordiero and others. You can listen to the regular weekly messages here, Media Player.

Quite some time ago, Willow changed it's mid-week service to a "campus-style" classes format. Classes range from "Seeker" to "Committed Christ Follower." All are captured in audio and some include streaming video. The Current Class archive is here, Classes at Willow.

Back to my point of how do I "Let all I do honor You." The truth is, not very well.

Mindy Caliguire has been teaching a series called "Experience Ephesians: Soul Care in the Scriptures." You will find it listed at the link I just provided. Mindy is one of my favorite teachers, and like the Chris Tomlin song, her lessons in this series have pierce me. Her teaching has "called me out."

The TRUTH is, whether I Honor my King in all I do or not, He Loves me! For that I am eternally thankful.

In God We Still Trust

My father sent me this a while back and I just got around to watching it. I haven't listened to our local C&W station for a looooong time, so I don't know if this received much airplay or not. You Diamond Rio fans will recognize this but for the rest of you, enjoy!

How would you introduce Christ?

Steve Harvey is a Comedian and Radio Show host.


Something you might expect at a Southern Baptist revival, but has near as I can tell, that wasn't the venue.

The Alex Graham Story --- Will you help us reach the goal of 2010 by 2010?

When Susie and Bill Graham made the decision to share their daughter Alex’s story with the world, their primary goal was to help others. They knew the inspiring account of Alex’s battle with cancer as told by family, friends and the community could make a meaningful difference in the lives of those facing a life threatening illness or other life tragedy. That goal was realized this year when the book When One Door Closes was released.

Since then the book has received fantastic reviews and awards including the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award for excellence in family friendly media, products and services. Thanks to you, sales of the book have reached the point where the majority of creative, production and publishing costs have been recovered, and we are on the verge of making another goal a reality. From the very beginning it has been the Grahams’ commitment to return their full portion of book sales profits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and to use the book to benefit other organizations such as the American Cancer Society. We urgently need your help now to make this second goal a reality.

The goal is to sell another 2010 copes of When One Door Closes by January 1, 2010. Traditional national advertising and marketing costs are prohibitive, but we know with your help and the power of the e-mail, we can reach out across America and reach our objective. In addition, the publisher Three Dot L.L.C. is offering an additional incentive in the form of a $5 donation rebate that can be sent to the purchaser’s choice of either Make-A-Wish or The American Cancer Society. Links to Barnes and Noble Booksellers and the rebate form are included below.

Can we count on your help to spread the word? Will you consider another purchase and encourage friends and family to buy and read Alex’s inspiring story? Will you forward this email this em-mail with your personal message to ten others and ask them to do the same?

Thank you for your ongoing support. Without you, sharing Alex’s story and remarkable wish with so many would not be possible.

Barnes and Noble Booksellers:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780976201212&ourl=When%2DOne%2DDoor%2DCloses%2FH%2DThomas%2DSaylor

Rebate form:
http://www.whenonedoorclosesbysusieandbillgraham.com/purchase.php

For more information about the book please visit:

http://www.whenonedoorclosesbysusieandbillgraham.com/index.php

http://www.alexswish.com/

Andy Stanley teaches at Willow Creek

Andy Stanley, Pastor of North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA was the guest teacher this weekend at Willow Creek Community Church. Andy filled in for the scheduled guest, John Maxwell, who is mourning the death of his mother.

Follow his warm introduction by WCCC Senior Pastor, Bill Hybels, Andy went on to point out that he was performing as a "third string" preacher... How is that for managing expectations? ;-)
Fact of the matter is he did an outstanding job in delivering his message. One should also note that he interrupted his family vacation, with less than a week's notice to bless the Willow congregation.

Andy taught on a series that he had presented to his home church in the Spring. The Series was called Staying in Love. I am not sure if the entire contents of each message are available for streaming, but you can check them out at http://www.northpoint.org/messages

I was Googling around and I found a couple of references to this same message. Here is one from Adam White, called Love is a verb, not a nown. A similar post is made by Sarah Pledger.

I just checked and Andy's message from Saturday night is available for live streaming on the Willow Creek Media Player. The link will get you to the Player but you will still need to select the message from the NavBar on the right. ENJOY!

Partners in Christ Prayer Breakfast

The 2nd annual WPC Partners in Christ Prayer Breakfast goes into the books as a success. All told I think that we had 40 plus in attendance. Boyd Bailey challenged us with an outstanding message and we were blessed with a copy of his new book, infusion.

I don't have a list of the official sponsors in front of me, but I want to extend a special thanks to Arlin and Hardin for making this thing happen.

A little light in a Dark City

I arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon, just in time to meet some friends for a group dinner. HOT and very humid. By the time we walked the several blocks to our destination, in the French Quarter, we were all sweaty messes. That kind of sets the stage for the week to come.

For many people New Orleans is one of their favorite destinations. I would imagine that most of those people plan their visits for Spring and Fall. Mid July is NOT prime time for the Gulf Coast, especially for those of us that wilt.

When folks mention "Sin City" most people think of Las Vegas. I'm sure that most Christians would not argue with that moniker. But if you stop to think about it, NOLA is a MUCH darker place. In addition to the Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll (not to mention the gambling)there is a long history of occult and voodoo associated with this city makes Las Vegas look like Vatican City!

Now for the LIGHT! As the city is invaded by thousands (~7,000???) of Microsoft Partners, there is a small group of Christians that choose the LIGHT! They know that where two or more gather in HIS name, HE is there. That is exactly what happened this morning at the Residence Inn. As a matter of fact, that will happen every morning this week.

Wednesday morning there will be about 50 believers gathered for a Partners in Christ Prayer Breakfast at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center. If you are in town for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner conference and would like to join us, please do.

If you regularly read this blog, please pray for the faithful who are here and ask that they be protected and blessed. But more importantly, ask that they may be a blessing to others, a LIGHT in a dark city!

Crappy Coffee??

Ok, please forgive me for what I am about to do, but how could I resist?



Poo brew: Premium coffee is dung to a turn

Expensive ‘civet coffee’ made from beans separated from critter’s droppings
PeoplePets.com
updated 9:40 a.m. CT, Thurs., July 2, 2009

Okay, let's get this straight. You take some coffee beans, feed them to a wild, weasel-like mammal, and wait for the beans to get digested and, um, drop? Then you take those beans and turn them into the world’s most desired and expensive coffee?

That, indeed, is how something called Kopi Luwak — or civet coffee — is made. First, ripe beans are ingested by a civet, a creature indigenous to Africa and Asia that looks like a cat on steroids. Then, workers go through the civet’s droppings and separate the chalky beans (at least we now know the world’s worst job). The beans are dried, sterilized and processed into civet coffee, which, apparently, has a magically intense aroma and flavor.


In Europe, roughly 2 lbs. of Kopi Luwak sells for as much as $700 — if, that is, you can find it. A typical civet produces only about an ounce of the stuff a day, so it’s unlikely you’ll be ordering a decaf dung espresso at Starbucks anytime soon.

Still, if you’re a coffee drinker and you have an adventurous streak, you might just savor the idea of having a java brew with such a, ahem, close connection to the wild.



URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31706286/ns/today_pets/
© 2009 MSNBC.com

A rendition of Psalm 23 for the workplace

Bobbi Govanus from Arlin's morning email list shared this rendition of Psalm 23 for the workplace:

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining.

He reminds me that he is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor him in all that I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning, I still will not stop, for He is with me!

His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through. He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go.

His Faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check. His retirement plan beats every 401k there is! When it's all said and done, I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I bless His name.

A Beautiful Sunday in Chicago

Today is a beautiful day indeed. For the past week we have been suffering from oppressive heat and humidity. Today we had a bit of a reprieve with a temp of only 81 deg and humidity of 35%. Factor in a strong breeze, OK, a wind, and it was an exceptional day.

Today is the day that Willow Creek Community Church Celebrates 28 Years of Lakeside Baptisms. God couldn't have provided a better day for it, even if His people had asked Him to. I was baptized at the same service back in 2005. It was Blistering Hot and nary a breeze. The poor folks who weren't dunked, simply melted.

Just before I began typing this, I checked the North-Mar Church website to see if I could link back to the Father's Day service that I posted on last Monday. Turns out that for some reason, that service is not available for download. Just seconds later I get a message from my mother saying that she picked me up a CD. How is that for God's provision? Since they didn't post it publicly, I probably won't be able to post it here. I'll check the copyright when I get it.

Speaking of messages, today Bill Hybels taught on the passage 2 Kings 5:1-19 . I'll let you read the passage yourself, then contemplate this... I didn't take notes, so let me see if I can get it right.

#1. No matter what you do, do your best. Do it for the glory of God.
#2. Choose to Love. No matter how horrible things are for you, do good for others.
#3. Ask for and Accept help from others.
#4. Be willing to do the "simple" things.

I'm not sure that I have that exactly right, but can you see where those would fit in with that passage? I KNOW that this sermon will be posted. It may be a couple of day, but you will be able to find it here. I probably won't get back to it, so if I am way off the mark, leave a comment and let me know.

BANK ACCOUNT for life!!!

The following was forwarded to me by my friend, Bud.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. 'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!' Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Partners in Christ at WPC in NOLA

Get it on your calendar and plan to join us!

Join Microsoft partners and employees from around the world

for a time of fellowship and prayer

at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference

New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center

859 Convention Center Boulevard

New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

7:00 - 8:00 a.m.

Click Here to Register Today!

Boyd Bailey has accepted our invitation to come to New Orleans to be our speaker for the 2009 Partners in Christ prayer breakfast!

Boyd is founder and Chairman of Wisdom Hunters, LLC and is the author of two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God; Boyd is also founder of Ministry Ventures, a venture capital firm for early stage ministries which has helped 45 start-up ministries raise over $15.5 million and impact over 35,000 people for Christ. Prior to Ministry Ventures, Bailey was the National Director for Crown Financial Ministries. He was instrumental in the expansion of Crown into 30 major markets across the U.S. He was a key facilitator in the 25 million dollar merger between Christian Financial Concepts and Crown Ministries. Before Crown he and Andy Stanley started First Baptist Atlanta’s north campus; and as an Elder, Boyd assisted Andy in the start of North Point Community Church. In college he bought a service business with five employees. This business endeavor financed his education and the equity from its sale was the economic launching pad for his graduate school experience.

Boyd Bailey was born in Huntsville, Alabama and received his Bachelor of Arts from Jacksonville State University and his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary in FT. Worth, Texas. Boyd and his wife Rita live in Roswell, GA. They have been married 30 years and are blessed with four daughters and two son-in-laws who love Jesus!

Again this year we will be providing all attendees a free book, Boyd’s Infusion devotional.

We also will be having prayer time on Mon, Tues, Thur and Fri mornings at 6:30 AM. It will be held at the Residence Inn New Orleans Convention Center at 345 St. Joseph Street. Exact room location will be in the daily update where we will count down the days to WPC and the Partners in Christ breakfast. If you won’t be in New Orleans, or aren’t in the technology business, we ask you join us in praying for our industry and the marketplace ministry we are working to establish. We need God’s touch to make things happen for His glory and honor and praise. Hope to see many of you in NOLA.

Questions? Contact mailto:info@partnersinchrist.net?subject=Partners

Happy Monday! Don't you just hate that??? How often do you really have a "happy Monday?"

I suppose that there is really no reason why I can't. I just usually don't. I won't get into that... It's just how the words appeared on the screen...

What I really wanted to focus on was Father's day? Was that happy for you? Mine was a good day! The Bahl family happens to be at the Bahl home... in Ohio. My family is spending a mini-vacation at my parent's house. My daughter is spending this week at a gymnastics camp hosted by Kent State University. Which incidentally is coached by a high school friend of mine.

Anyway, we slept in yesterday and attended the church service at North-Mar Churh. One of their missionary's was home from Jordan and preached an outstanding message centered on Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch from Acts 8. I just check and the message isn't posted yet, but when it is, I'll post a link. I would definitely recommend listening to how he tied the Biblical teaching to action in today's world.

After church, we grabbed a bite to eat and then when out to tour a project that my dad has been working on with the Army Corp of Engineers. The whole family enjoyed a very beautiful day at the lake.

What would the first day of summer be without a BBQ? We had grilled hamburgers and sweet corn. Very good indeed!

I have to share with you one gift that my father received. From my brother, his middle child, he received the gift of Sobriety. Darran's card to my dad contained his "30-day" coin from AA. After 22 years of alcohol addiction, he is well on his way to recovery, and for that we are all celebrating!

Living Bible

It's been nearly a month since I have posted. I guess that I am having a bit of a dry spell. To tell the truth, I have been feeling a bit "disconnected." Arlin had this story posted in his email this morning. For those of you not on the list, I think that you will enjoy this.

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this Boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing.

The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, 'What I'm About to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.'

'Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read!'

The Classroom

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered thatthere were no desks. 'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earnthe right to sit at a desk.

'They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.

''No,' she said.'Maybe it's our behavior.

'She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior..

'And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.

'At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.

Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand along side the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/school-desks.htm
http://huckabee.wordpress.com/2007/11/10/mike-huckabee-the-martha-cothren-lesson-on-the-price-of-freedom/

Welcome back...to a Friend

This week must be "Friend Week..." This post deals more with a "change" than a "welcome back." It would seem that one of by very good friends, as a matter of fact, my FAVORITE Canadian friend, Stuart Crawford had to make some changes to his blog hosting. He has asked me to update my link to his blog on this site. Which I have done. If you haven't visited Stuarts blog, I would highly encourage you to do so, by clicking on the link in the NAV bar on the right.

For those of you that don't know Stuart, he is one of the nicest people you could meet. If you work in the SMB Tech space, is is one of the BEST people you could meet. He is very active in the SMB Tech space and is a key contributor on so many levels. He is a prolific blogger, a published author, a gifted speaker and just a genuinely nice guy.

Want to know the thing I like best about Stuart? He has a powerful testimony that he shares openly. Stuart has learned to become very transparent in his faith. He is unashamed of his relationship with God and his dependence upon Grace through Jesus.

Stuart hosts a weekly Blogtalk Radio segment. The following link is to a segment he did late last year on Faith in the Workplace. I was a guest as well as several of my fellow HTG peers.

Goodbye to a friend.

A good friend of mine has accepted God's calling to serve a church in the great state of Washington. Steve Jepersen has been my Willow Creek Community Church "Area Pastor" for nearly 3 years now. As a Community Leader in Steve's area, he has been my "boss" for that time. Keep in mind that I am a volunteer, so "boss" is a relative term.

I will say that it has been a pleasure serving our community under his direction and support. He will be sorely missed.

Please join me in praying for Steve and his wife Jean as the move on to serve Snohomish Community Church.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Dear Mom,

This morning at church, we were reminded of the power of Words. Words are powerful.

Every child knows that, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me…” Oh, if that were only true. Words can hurt. They can also, encourage.
Words are powerful.
They can inspire. Words can instruct and guide. Words can degrade.
Words are powerful.

There are no more powerful words than those contained in the Bible. The words of the Bible describe the entire human experience. They introduce us the Alpha and the Omega. The “I AM” is distinguished from the multitudes of “I am - NOT”

Matthew 15:4 tells us “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’” The celebration of “Mother’s Day” is a fairly recent tradition. No, it wasn’t created by Hallmark, but according to Wikipedia, here in North America, we trace it back to Anna Jarvis in 1912. I was a bit surprised to discover that bit of trivia.

At any rate, I set out to consider some powerful words that describe you. It’s kind of funny. The words that come to mind are definitely a function of the period in my life and the role that you played during that period. I am confident that you did not change nearly as much as my perception did.

As a child, I recall very clearly that you were beautiful. I remember sitting on the couch, combing your hair. I believe the appropriate term would be “ratting” your hair, but none-the-less, by doing so, I felt part of your beauty. I can still recall photographs of you and Dad all “dressed up” for some occasion. Beauty indeed!

Adolescence and young adulthood bring to bear strong images of forgiveness. Lord knows that you were given ample opportunities to forgive. I’ll admit, at times I just could not understand. But today, that is probably one of the greatest gifts that you have bestowed upon me. My ability to forgive others is undoubtedly a gift of God, but no one modeled it better than you.

One of the speakers today spoke of the fact that mother’s never stop impacting their children. Even today, as I rapidly approach the ripe old age of 50, your influence, opinion and guidance are every bit as important to me as when I was 5. This may come as a bit of a surprise to you, (or maybe not) but you are one of the wisest people I know. When I stop to think about it, where did it come from? I’m not sure that we can credit it to an exemplary education. Certainly raising Darran, Danae and myself did not fill you with wisdom. I would have to conclude that your wisdom came from the same place that Solomon received his. By humbly surrendering your spirit to Christ, God has filled you with wisdom beyond your education or experience. You have inspired me in more ways than you can imagine.

Beautiful, forgiving and wise, who could ask for more? Yet more there is indeed. Perhaps next year, I can try this again and I am sure that a whole new list of words would spring to life, reminding me of you. Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Rick