Undone - Rick Bahl

MDA- I am going to Jail TODAY and I Need Your Help!

2011-09-28T07:19:00.001-05:00

Help break me out of jail!

Please donate to my bail…or double down to keep me in!

Today is the day that they are sending me “Up the River…” I’m still a long way from my goal, so anything that you can do to help would be appreciated.

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www.redhouseranch.com: The PUSH Story

2011-01-11T08:19:00.000-06:00

http://redhouseranch.blogspot.com/p/push-story.html?spref=bl: "Have you heard the story about the man that had to walk through a mountainous area to get to work? There on his path was a huge boulder wedg..."

TRUTH begets TRUTH

2010-12-06T05:50:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning I was at Willow early. I had to drop off my son for a Student Impact trip to Salem Baptist Church. I had some time to kill before the 9:00 AM service, so I grabbed a cup of coffee from Dr. B's and went up to the mezzanine and retrieved a Bible off of the shelf.

I've been in the book of Esther for my morning devotional, so I figured I would take the time to get ahead (actually finished the book). The book of Ester is a great story, probably best know for the verse, Esther 4:14 (New International Version, ©2010)
14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Bill had taught out of the book not too long ago.

This week, Bill began a new series named "He Shall be Called...", leading up to the Christmas services. He taught out of Isiah 9:6. When Bill got to the name, Prince of Peace, the light came on for me. Bill spent a good bit of time expounding the value of Peace. Jesus taught us to be peacemakers. The Beatitudes text in the book of Matthew says that they will be called "the sons of God". Other translations use the phrase "Children of God".

So, you may ask, what's the connection? The light came on... what did it illuminate? How many Peacemakers do you know? I mean REAL peacemakers. The 100% Forgive and Forget type... Is that you? Can you "... love your enemies?" as Jesus commands us to do?

That is my point. Basic human nature frustrates peace. It seeks revenge. Retribution and hatred are much more likely to be human responses than peace and love. Back to Esther... Remember Haman? He was the "right-hand man" of Artaxerxes II and he thought pretty highly of himself. He thought so highly of himself that he expected everyone to bow down to him in respect. Mordecai, a Jew, refused to do that. He would only honor the one true God in that manner. This incensed Haman. It angered him so much that with the help of his wife and some friends, he devised a plot to kill ALL of the Jews in Persia. NOT a very peaceful plan!

Long story short, what happened to Haman? He was impaled on the very pole he had erected to kill Mordecai! What is the lesson here? God's plan is for Peace. When we let our human nature, a sinful, prideful nature, get in the way, we become victims of our own wickedness. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, what will it be for you? Peace and Love or hatred and pride?

"Miss TSA" Calendar

2010-12-01T12:30:00.017-06:00

You know it's going to happen!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Veterans Day Tribute to the Most Heavily Decorated Soldier

2010-11-11T06:14:00.000-06:00

MARRIAGE

2010-08-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into our bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

Someone's little boy

2010-07-26T15:46:00.009-05:00

1/2 boy & 1/2 man!
If you read this, you WILL forward it on. You just won't be able to stop yourself.
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances, is considered by society as half man-half boy...Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and has a 155mm howitzer. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time...in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot...
A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

Prayer wheel for our military... please don't break it. Please send this on after a short prayer
Prayer Wheel
'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan , sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere, be it foreign countries or here in the USA.
There is nothing attached...This can be very powerful.

Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine or Airman...prayer is the very best one.
I can't break this one, sorry. Pass it on to everyone and pray.

New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)!

2010-07-21T08:15:00.003-05:00

This one just hit my Inbox. I performed my obligatory due diligence and YES, it has been posted to Snopes.com, http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/newprayer.asp

Still, it is a relevant commentary on the sad state of our society. Here it is...

Since the Pledge of Allegiance
and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore, because the word 'God' is mentioned.....
a kid in Arizona wrote the attached:

NEW School prayer:

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong...

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles..
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I
make:
Should I be shot; my soul please take!
Amen.

... his town shall stone him to death

2010-03-19T06:21:00.003-05:00

Before anyone gets too excited, let me set the stage on this. I was reading my Bible this morning and I happened to be in Deuteronomy 21. If you believe in God and in His Truth, which is documented in the Bible, you can't really argue with what I am about to share. I am NOT advocating that this is a practice we should all adopt. Perhaps a bit too much water has already flowed under this bridge. BUT, just imagine how different the world would be today, IF the Israelites had actually followed God's Word on this one!!!

A Rebellious Son
18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.

In all honesty, under this standard, I am not sure that I would be here today. I certainly remember a period in my life where I was VERY rebellious. I specifically told my parents that there were certain things about my young life that I enjoyed (and they disapproved of) that I was NOT going to change, and that there was nothing that they could do about it! Imagine that...

Fortunately, I am blessed with children that I would not have to turn over to the elders. Not everyone has been as blessed. I know parent who would do anything to get their kids "back on track." But, sadly there a way too many parents who just don't care. They've written off their children years ago.

Go back and look at the passage again. Who bore first responsibility? The parents. If the parents couldn't correct the behavior of a rebellious child, who was next in line? The Elders of the town. Think about it for a minute. Do you think that any of the elders would be surprised when the parents brought the child before them? No! I am sure that they already knew the kid AND his behavior. Now, who carried out the stoning... to DEATH? "...all the men of his town..." Do you think that all the men casting the stones knew the rebellious son? Probably...

Who benefited from this engagement? The community. "You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid." After the FIRST kid was stoned, how long do you think that it was before the next "bad" kid decided to mouth off to his parents?

God's Plans REALLY are the best. If His People had followed his instructions, Imagine what kind of communities we would live in today!

“Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”

2010-03-06T09:08:00.000-06:00

I received this from a friend this morning...

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, “Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had even known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

God bless the parents who drugged us.

Lost Generation ......

2010-02-20T10:12:00.001-06:00

1 minute and 44 seconds that will make you stop and go hmmmm....

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus?

2010-02-17T06:52:00.000-06:00

"Where's the Line to See Jesus?"
(An Original Song)
Performed by father and daughter, Steve Haupt and Becky Kelley
Inspired by grandson, Spencer Reijgers

Written by Steve Haupt and Chris Loesch

Recorded at Shock City Studios, Saint Louis, MO
Produced by Chris Loesch

Bible in a Minute

2010-01-28T06:43:00.001-06:00

by Barats and Bereta Productions

Lucky

2010-01-18T05:54:00.000-06:00

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't
and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog namedLucky. Lucky was a real character.
Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn
their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help
himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and
something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the
treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always
stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys
stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her
she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was
fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night
before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought
struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog
liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be
abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave
him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated
and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening
walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home,
Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.
Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It
made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She
couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave
way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally
blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the
sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved
mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking
further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is
still cancer-free. Lucky He still steals treasures and stashes them in his
toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember......live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from
God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are
not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live
simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God

Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen

Personal Handbook 2010

2010-01-11T06:29:00.002-06:00

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.. 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts about things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Share this to everyone you care about, I just did.

A Soldier's Christmas

2009-12-24T07:04:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-21T05:41:00.003-06:00

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”

2009-12-14T19:14:00.003-06:00

One Nation Under God

Too Busy?!

2009-12-14T06:45:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-11T06:50:00.007-06:00

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

2009-12-08T07:36:00.005-06:00

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

2009-12-08T07:21:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-01T06:58:00.002-06:00

My dog Lacy is good, but not this good!

Christmas With a Capital "C"

2009-11-30T06:35:00.001-06:00

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Billy Graham's Suit

2009-11-25T07:21:00.000-06:00

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!

2009-11-23T06:43:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-11-20T20:33:00.004-06:00

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.

2009-11-16T06:43:00.001-06:00

Eleven things you did not learn in school

2009-10-28T07:17:00.001-05:00

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

2009-09-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-03T08:31:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-03T07:15:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-21T06:56:00.001-05:00

Do you know God? Would your recognize His Name?

Click on the image...

2009-08-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

Margin or Marginless?

2009-08-19T07:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-14T06:23:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-13T05:44:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-11T06:03:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-10T07:26:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-06T20:13:00.003-05:00

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!!!

2009-08-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-30T08:56:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-27T11:37:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-07-27T11:27:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-07-21T07:51:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-19T15:59:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-15T11:03:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-13T21:20:00.002-05:00

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??

2009-07-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-30T07:20:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-28T17:59:00.002-05:00

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!!!

2009-06-27T14:59:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-24T14:19:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-22T12:17:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-17T06:37:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-18T06:12:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-15T06:50:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-05-13T07:21:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-05-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

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

Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. Joins Leading Technology Thought Leaders for Breakthrough Industry Conference

2009-05-09T09:05:00.001-05:00

Peer group members learn to manage change, build relationships and help customers succeed in challenging economic times

April 27, 2009 – Carpentersville, IL – Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. recently played an active role throughout the first annual Heartland Tech Group (HTG) Summit in Dallas, Texas. HTG attracts industry thought leaders, experts and peers from across the globe. HTG members recently converged to participate and share knowledge, build on proven best practices and leverage the talents of all members. Built on its mandate of execution and accountability, HTG provides positive interaction throughout the entire technology industry by holding each other accountable to all members’ commitments.

Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. participates in HTG13 alongside eleven other group members who serve as a peer board of directors. Individual peer groups drill down and focus on overall effectiveness across operations, marketing, sales, finances and overall health of each member. By focusing on industry standards including business planning, process development, financial benchmarking and education, HTG members strive to maintain a competitive advantage over those other service firms that do not participate in peer activities.

“Participation in the HTG Summit benefits our company and our clients by exposing us to leading ideas, technologies and industry peers, “ said Rick Bahl, President of Quality Systems Solutions, Inc.. “We bring back proven ideas we can use immediately and a longer-term plan for greater success in the future. Plus, our peers hold us accountable for achieving our goals.”

Focused on only the best small and midsize technology firms, HTG spans the entire technology ecosystem. By leveraging leading technology manufacturers and vendors who provide sponsorship and interaction with HTG members, members are now equipped with the tools and knowledge to provide an increased level of service in their communities. HTG members are better prepared and understand the importance of positive interaction across all levels of the industry. This includes how disruptive and breakthrough IT solutions will influence their clients with laser-focused training from their peers and leading industry experts.

“HTG member companies benefit from having Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. join us at our event and participate in our peer groups,” said Scott Scrogin, President of HTG. “Our members have a passionate commitment to change and improve their businesses and their lives. Great technology matters, but we know that relationships and execution matter more.”

About Quality Systems Solutions, Inc.

Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. is a full-service solution provider offering hardware, software and services specifically geared toward helping small businesses succeed. We have partnered with leading companies such as Microsoft, HP, Symantec, IBM, TREND Micro, Lenovo, and SONICWALL to provide you with perfect solutions for your information technology needs. Our trained staff can identify and implement a solution tailor made for your situation.
In addition to serving small and medium sized businesses in suburban Chicago, we offer hosted services and remote monitoring and management solutions throughout North America.

About Heartland Tech Group

Heartland Tech Group was founded by Arlin Sorensen in 2001 to bring Iowa-based IT partners together to leverage each other’s talents following the post-dot com downturn. Over the years, HTG has grown from a purchasing group to a serious group of business owners, sales professionals, marketing managers and senior management of IT firms in non-competing geographies who meet for two days each quarter to work on key businesses issues and opportunities for growth. HTG has grown to over 200 members throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.

Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. Press Contact

Derik (Rick) Bahl
President
847-426-9548 ext.100
rick@qualitysystemssolutions.com

HTG Press Contact

Stuart Crawford
HTG Press and Media Relations
403.206.2233
htgmedia@htgmembers.com

Day Five

2009-05-01T09:45:00.002-05:00

I am hours away from ending my 5 day "beans and rice challenge." The obvious question is, "how do I feel?" Physically, I feel fine. I've lost about 6 lbs., but that really wasn't the point. Did I ever get really hungry? Not really. Despite how much I normally eat, 3 cups of food is apparently enough for me... Did I experience caffeine withdrawal? Surprisingly not. That was what I was most concerned about. On a normal day, I can drink a pot of coffee and a couple of Mnt. Dews. I had a slight headache a couple of times, but not bad at all.

So, what was the toughest challenge? Temptation! Being surrounded by food and simply denying yourself is no simple task. I was an exhibitor at a Chamber Expo on Wednesday. The booth right next to mine was a local Country Club, with the Chef cooking up Steak Diane all day with a chocolate mousse to boot. That was one of about half a dozen booths featuring what appeared to be very tasty food.

Ok, so what is the point? The point is, I have choices. You have choices. Anyone who reads this blog is one of the most fortunate people on planet earth. Billions, yes with a B are not that fortunate. The have no choice. One cup of rice a day would be "Steak Diane" for them. Two cups and they have chocolate mousse. Three cups a day and THEY think that they are the fortunate ones! Was I able to empathize with the poorest of the poor? Barely! I can hardly imagine what it is like to drink dirty water and/or go for days or weeks at a time HUNGRY. I mean REALLY HUNGRY. My little exercise doesn't even come close.

So what? Here is what I would encourage you to do. Try it yourself. One week, one cup of rice or beans for each meal. No treats. No Snacks. Wash it all down with tap water. No Starbucks. No bottled water. RICE, BEANS, Water. That's it! THEN pick your favorite aid organization and GIVE! Give generously! Give regularly! Just GIVE!

If you don't know who to give to, contact your local church. I don't know of a single church that does not support some sort of global poverty initiative. If your not the church type, contact World Vision, ONE, Feed My Starving Children or any credible organization focus on aid to the starving.

Day Two

2009-04-28T05:47:00.002-05:00

Today is day two of my "rice and beans" challenge. No, I'm not on a diet, though it wouldn't hurt me if I was. I am experiencing the "5-Day Challenge" a week later than everyone else at Willow Creek Community Church.

It is actually rather interesting for me. I just return from a week-long conference at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Las Colinas, TX. For those of you that have been there, it is a pretty nice place. Not a 5 star joint but very comfortable. Six days of "conference food" and dinners out on the town. For those of you that do the conference circuit, you know that unless you are ill, you never lose weight on road.

At any rate, in stark contrast to what I did last week, this is what I am doing this week.

"As an act of solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the globe, we encourage you to eat for five days, as the bottom economic half of the world does every day. Eat the three meals of your day using only the options below. Set aside the money you would have spent on additional groceries, and donate it to Celebration of Hope, which will support those who struggle with hunger and thirst.
Meal Options:
Plain oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
A tortilla, rice, and beans
Rice with bits of fish or chicken, and a vegetable
Tap water (use your Celebration of Hope cup)
Food Portions:
Portion sizes around the world are much smaller than a typical American meal. One cup or eight ounces is a generous portion. Meat is a luxury, with the average African consuming about ¾ ounce per day—the size of a small chicken nugget. Fresh fruit is rare, available only if locally grown and in season.
While these meals seem small by American standards, they actually represent diets in the broad middle when compared to the rest of the world. Half the world’s population lives on no more than $2 a day. Approximately 1 billion people live on even less—only $1 per day."

I don't want to minimize the reality of hunger, but I do want to point out that the greatest challenge I faced yesterday was that of temptation. On day one, hunger was never an issue. I expected a bit of a headache from caffeine withdrawal, but I was never really hungry. Chocolate in the bowl, cake in the tray, left over pizza in the fridge. That is what really challenged me, not eating what is so freely available.

I'm sure that by then end of the week, my body will be reacting a little differently. I'm confident that in some small way, I will begin to appreciate what true hunger feels like. But if I don't. If I never hear my stomach growl of feel faint or weak. If I stay the course and honor the challenge, one thing will happen for sure. I will be victorious. Victorious over temptation. Victorious over self-indulgence.

And how long do you think that will last? An hour? A day? A week? Let us not forget how blessed we are. HE has provided it all. HE offers me choices that others simply don't have. HE requires me to steward effectively all that HE has given me.

Praying for HTG Summit

2009-04-18T09:26:00.002-05:00

It was my turn. We have a 24 hour prayer vigil to support the upcoming HTG Summit that begins Monday morning. Many of us volunteered to pray for 30 minutes to lift up the event to God.

When I accepted the invitation, I wasn't exactly sure how I would pray for 30 minutes. The first 25 items were provided by the organizer, Chris Chirgwin. I added the last five. I then spent one minute praying over each line.

May God honor each and every prayer request as 47 other people lift them up to Him. If you are reading this and would care to offer your prayer support, please do. Everything you need is included in the lines below. Even if you don't know, He does!

1. That God will be glorified in all that happens
2. That attendees will be protected, particularly from illness and harm. Last quarter we had one member that had to go to the hospital and a number that became sick after returning home.
3. For the leadership team and staff that they will be filled with patience and joy as they serve
4. Daily devotions and testimony time at 6:30 on M/Tu/Th and F
5. Church service at 6:30 on Wed – Jeff, Brad, Phil and others
6. That every believer will have the opportunity to share their life deeply with at least one other
7. For the facilitators who will be leading the 19 individual peer group meetings
8. For Bob Burg as he comes to share about being a Go Giver
9. For the Omni staff – that as they serve – we will serve and reach them
10. For the vendors who will attend – that they will see a very different relationship with our members – not one of being taken advantage of – but of being served
11. For boldness in sharing life and truth and Jesus
12. For deep relationships to be built that will last a lifetime
13. For God’s hedge of protection around all the events of the week
14. For the 20 or so new members who will be overwhelmed with their experience
15. For Scott and Arlin as they share the vision of HTG on Thursday
16. For all the breakout sessions – about 40 total – that content will be relevant and attendance will be strong
17. For the vendor fair – that the interaction between member and vendor will be positive and create win-win relationships
18. That some will come into a saving relationship with Jesus this week
19. For Christy Sacco – our event coordinator – for stamina and wisdom
20. For Ken Shetler – our vendor relationship man – for the ability to be a peace maker as he tried to herd the cats
21. For the HTG board as they meet and plan the future
22. For our new online portal – that it will work as expected and everyone will be able to get to the needed information
23. For peace that passes all understanding
24. That every interaction will be positive and bring honor to God
25. That God will expand our territory and help us continue to grow in our influence and thought leadership in the industry
26. That as God work in practical ways in the members live and their businesses become profitable or more profitable, that they will REMEMBER God and that they will honor him with their full tithe.
27. That the LIGHT of Christ burns so brightly throughout the week, that it cannot be missed or mistaken.
29. That the "Take away" for each and every summit attendee is that, "God is in control!"
30. Finally, I pray that each and every one of us is eternally thankful for the truth shared in #29, "God is in control!"

He is RISEN!

2009-04-12T08:30:00.001-05:00

He is RISEN!

Hallelujah

A Thousand Questions

2009-04-10T07:11:00.002-05:00

Many of you know that I am a participating member of Willow Creek Community Church. Yesterday I received an email from Bill Hybels pertaining to the Easter Service. The email included a link to a short video clip from Bill.

While I was viewing the clip, I started to "explorer" a bit. Willow has a fairly extensive library of multimedia content on their website. I came across this piece from the Willow Creek Leadership Summit call A Thousand Questions. Enjoy!

The End of Christian America

2009-04-08T10:42:00.003-05:00

I saw this article on my MSN home page this morning. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it, but I must say that I am not surprised by the findings.

The End of Christian America

I am listening to the audio book, "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard. I'm guessing that Mr. Willard would not be terribly surprised either.

Part of me actually takes comfort in the report. After all, what we are talking about is the "self-identified Christians." It is one thing to call yourself a "Christian" and quite another to live the life that Christ has called us to live.

To put it another way, if you gave everyone a list and asked them to pick from the list, some number has always picked "Christian." That simply means they liked that choice better than the others OR they thought that was the "right" answer to the question. It doesn't really mean anything.

If you take that point of view, it might mean that those who remain, are closer to living the Christian life, removing the "posers" for the lack of a better term. Is that all bad? Perhaps not... I see this as a cycle. Maybe if those that remain live a life that reflects the "LIGHT" that is within them, it will attract new believers and we will eventually see the numbers turn.

I hardly think that we witnessing "The End of Christian America." What do you think?

TwoTrillionTons....

2009-04-07T05:33:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this and I immediately recognized the tune. If you are younger than 35, you probably won't. I don't necessarily agree completely with the singer, but I certainly share his general views and opinions. How about you?

TwoTrillionTons....

Paid In Full!

2009-04-03T05:49:00.004-05:00

Greetings my friends. I have been away too long. It has been over a month since I last posted and for that I ask your forgiveness. I could offer a long list of "reasons," but I won't. Instead I will simply say that as I type these words, I feel a deep sense or relief.

The story below is not mine, yet it is. I did not write it. Once again, I am borrowing it from the morning devotional of my good friend Arlin. He did not write it either. Fact of the matter is, I don't know who wrote. But, it is about me. It might be about you too. Read it and find out...

After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the 'prosecutor.'

He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him. The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'

The prosecutor rose and said, 'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this woman belongs in hell.' He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank..

I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done? Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This woman belongs in hell, she is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.'

When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.

'Satan was correct in saying that this woman had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this woman deserves to be punished.' Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and she has accepted Me as her Savior, so she is Mine.'

My Lord continued with, 'Her name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch her from Me. Satan still does not understand yet. This woman is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'

As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to be done.' 'I've done it all.'

The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips..'This woman is free.' The penalty for her has already been paid in full. 'Case dismissed.'

As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.' I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'

Christ lovingly smiled and said, 'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has receive d the same verdict as you, Paid In Full!

Prayer of Jabez Update

2009-02-28T09:10:00.002-06:00

I have posted several times about my personal Prayer of Jabez. With all of the negative new around us, I want to continue to offer a bit of encouragement.

Before I start, I want to include a quote from this morning's devotional by my good friend Arlin Sorensen. Arlin is in Genesis 26 and he says this about God's blessing on Isaac, because of his father Abraham, "Isaac does very well – he and his family really flourish and accumulate wealth – so much they are asked to move on and when they do God just blesses them all over again. There is much power in living God’s way – not only for us at the time, but as we pass that on to the generations that follow. Legacy is so important – are you leaving what you want for those who will follow in your footsteps?"

I won't rehash the news, because it is just plain depressing. I won't even refute it, because I believe that the basic facts are accurate. I will say that there is HOPE.

Here is the update on my story and the credit all goes to God. I claim NO credit for what I am about to describe. I am purely the beneficiary of the Grace and Glory of our our God, simply because I asked for it. Many will scoff. Some will laugh. But for those who put their Faith in God, they will simply say, Amen!

A little over a year ago, I began praying a somewhat personalized version of the Prayer of Jabez. Not a great departure from scripture, just not verbatim from my trusty NIV. When I began I was working PT in two jobs. I was working as a W2 contract consultant for Motorola, down from the Full-time position I was hired to fill 5 years earlier. I was also dedicating more time and effort the the business I started nearly 12 years ago. I was putting in a fair amount of time at both, but not really raking in the cash.

I had reached a point where I could no longer do both. It was akin to the "two masters" parable, in a secular sort of way. I was beginning to resent the demands that both jobs were placing on my life. I chose, after a considerable amount of prayer and guidance to dedicate my effort on growing Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. to the point where it would fully support my family and provide enough organic growth to survive in the future.

That is where the PoJ came in. I must emphasize that the focus of the prayer was not on enlarging my checkbook. It was on enlarging my territory, expressly for the purpose of serving God's Kingdom. I am not an MBA, but I understand enough about God's economy to know how God can use a business and/or a business owner to accomplish His will, especially here in the U.S. My business is "relational" as opposed to "transactional." When we engage with a client, it is typically for a very long time. That engagement extends to nearly everyone in the client's company. That my friends it a LOT of "territory." When I asked God to "expand my territory," I knew exactly what the implications were.

We all know that God works in mysterious ways. He has in this situation as well. Some were obvious and apparent. I would include the establishment of my relationship to Arlin as one of those. Through Arlin I have met a multitude of Brothers and Sister, who are supporting me along the way. Some of the less obvious would be a deeper level of engagement with some of our vendors. Out of hundreds of thousands or partners, we were chosen to participate in the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 TAP program and through that, we were afforded tremendous marketing and exposure opportunities. The list goes on...

I am at a point where "good" things are happening so fast, it almost scare me! I will leave you with this, and as I said, not to "blow my own horn," but as a testament to the GOODNESS of God! Year to date, over last year we are up 30.7% in Gross Revenue. Amen! Gross Profit is up 91.8% Hallelujah, Amen! We are adding new clients on the rate of 1/month, which is HUGH for a small shop like ours!!!

God is Good! God is Faithful! When people ask me about my business, that is exactly what I tell them. ALL of them. I don't care if they believe in God, or not. I don't even ask them. I just tell them the TRUTH!

Very Odd, indeed.

2009-02-26T08:37:00.003-06:00

I would say that the majority of my posts contain some sort of intellectual material. I try to include thought provoking content, as often as possible. Every now and then, I'll stick something up here that is just plain fun, or in this case, a bit weird.

For those missing the more serious topics, bear with me. Despite the economy, I have been blessed with more business than I can keep up with! That has had an adverse impact on my ability to construct the more challenging posts that I enjoy writing.

Now, on to the show...

Determination!

2009-02-21T13:39:00.004-06:00

There is so much I could say about this video...

When I received it, the message subject was, "prison break - smart dog!" "Prison break is so negative. The optimist in me sees, determination, courage, ingenuity...

What do you see?

One Year Bible reading - Update

2009-02-18T05:41:00.002-06:00

I believe that I mentioned earlier that I began a One Year Bible reading plan the first of the year. This morning, I want to reflect a bit on the Old Testament portion. Keep in mind, I am not a theologian, a biblical scholar or any sort of authority on the subject. I'll admit, that I haven't even done any independent research on what I am about to say. These are simply MY thoughts.

I am now a couple of chapters into Leviticus. How many of you have read Leviticus? From the intro in the NLT version that I am reading, it is essentially the "Priest's Manual" for the Levites.

The books I have read so far, Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus have all been written by Moses. One observation I have made is how the "style" has changed. What I mean specifically is the level of repetition has increased as we move along.

In the book of Genesis, Moses tells God's story of creation. Genesis is essentially the historical accounting of the beginning and a description of the lineage of the human race. Very little repetition.

Exodus, is largely autobiographical. It covers the bulk of Moses' live and focuses on how God saves the Hebrew people from Pharaoh and leads them out of Egypt. We start to see some repetition here. Indirectly, in how God deals with Pharaoh and his instruction to Moses for doing so. We really start to see it a the end of the chapter, when God is providing Moses with plans for the tabernacle.

By the time we get to Leviticus, we are into full "Lather, Rinse, Repeat" mode! The reason for various offerings and the manner in which they are done is described in detail... over an over. Why is that?

Historians tell us that written language was rare in ancient times. Most stories were spoken from one person to another. Apparently they were spoken in considerable detail and with minimal variation or embellishment. Back then, when it came to history class, students were good listeners with equally good memories. If you think about Genesis, some of that had to be reveal or inspired to Moses. There is no way that the story of creation or the Garden of Eden could be passed down from generation to generation. But certainly, everything from Noah on was probably "known" to Moses by historical "retelling."

So, if folks could remember a "good story" why all of the repetition in some and not others? I suppose in today's times we would attribute the repetition to some aged infirmity. I don't know the amount of time between the three books, but certainly, by the time that Leviticus was written, Moses was an old man. Do you think that he repeated himself because he forgot what he said? Remember, is was in the parchment days... He didn't just do Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V to move his words around.

Perhaps it was something really important! Perhaps God REALLY wanted to deal with this Sin issue. The reason that the Priests, the Tabernacle and the offerings were necessary in the first place. Maybe there was nothing more important to God than to try and redeem His people, who through their own free will had chosen to leave Him.

I don't think that God intended Leviticus to be a cure for insomnia. I really do think that he wanted us to understand that the wages of sin are death! In this case it was the substitutionary death of various animals, depending on the sin. I know many people gloss over the book of Leviticus but I would encourage you to "dig in." Read each and every word. Let it sink in. Understand WHY all of this was necessary. Imagine all of the BLOOD (I will try to cover that tomorrow). Leviticus is in the Bible for a reason...

THOSE BORN 1920-1979

2009-02-17T05:40:00.003-06:00

The content below is from an email that has been around the block a couple of times. I think that is is worth one more lap...

I know that the economy is taking its toll on many. Not just here but around the world. Is it any wonder? Just look at what we have done! This small bit of satire only reveals part of the mess we have created.

In the US, our sense of entitlement and self-indulgence has driven us to a point of near collapse. Perhaps it is time to return to a life that was just a bit less complicated?

These phrases state the "obvious." For "my opinion" on the less obvious, read to the very bottom.

THOSE BORN 1920-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.And we were OK.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno :

'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

I can't speak for the rest of the world as I've only seen but a small part of it. I can say that I have been to all 50 states and in the past 47 years we have done more than try to "...take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance." As a country, we have quite effectively taken God out of our lives. In his place we have put two thing, Us and our Stuff. We have made ourselves Lord of our individual lives and we worship "Stuff." Very sad indeed

I am currently on a one year Bible plan. I am just into Leviticus and Mark, but I know how the story ends! God wins! Each time I read the Old Testament, I am reminded how much we are like the people of Israel. They were God's chosen people. He wanted to prosper them! We wanted the Best for them! He wanted them to be a shining light for the rest of the world to see

Does any of that sound familiar for us Americans? Did God want the best for us? Did he want to prosper us? Did he want the US to be a shining light for the rest of the world?

Do you know what happened to the ancient Hebrews? When they honored God and worshiped him with all their hearts, he protected them and delivered them. Unfortunately, that never lasted long. They would always stray. They would ignore their God and worship lesser gods. Each time that would happen they would face calamity! It happened a lot! It was not uncommon for the people of Israel to spend 400 years in captivity. Their doing... God's punishment for their disobedience

Does any of that sound familiar for us Americans? Are there any lessons to be learn? Are we prepared for 400 years of captivity? I don't know about you, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" Josh 24:15

Miracle on the Hudson

2009-02-10T06:21:00.004-06:00

It's been several weeks now since the miraculous landing of the US Air flight on the Hudson River. Captain Chelsey Sullenberger has been heralded as a hero. There is no doubt that he and his crew exhibited extraordinary courage and exceptional professionalism. The voice recordings indicated that the controllers were no less inspired.

Nearly everyone has described the event as a Miracle. I did a quick bit of poking around to see if any credit had been attributed to the ONLY one who can perform miracles. Unfortunately, Captain Sullenberger didn't seem willing to do that.

I received this picture, which I believe gives credit, where credit is due!

Welcome Home!

2009-02-07T11:20:00.004-06:00

I have no idea when this video was produced, but I just had it emailed to me. Let this be a reminder that as Americans, we ALWAYS owe a debt of gratitude to those who serve in the Armed Services. For well over 3 decades that service has been a choice that those men and women have made freely. Never forget that even when the U.S. is at peace, which seem to be less and less often, many of the volunteers still serve in places far from home. Places that may not necessarily be "safe."

God Bless all who serve, have served or will serve. May we never forget that they serve US and we owe them for that service!

Born Again American

2009-02-02T19:59:00.004-06:00

This one seems like a no-brainer to me...

...And All who agree said...

2009-01-28T05:44:00.004-06:00

I was reading Matthew 18:19 when a powerful thought occurred to me. In the verse Jesus tells the disciples, "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." I thought, gee, I know quite a few Christians and we actually do agree on a thing of two. If I could only figure out how this thing works...!

DUH!!!! Bill Hybels, senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, ends EVERY prayer with the following; "... and all of God's people agreed, Amen!" Sometimes, I guess that I am just a little bit slow... ;-)

I'm off to a room that will be filled with 30 or more believers, gathered in His name. Let's see what we agree upon.

God & Humans, the response (then & now)

2009-01-27T05:34:00.003-06:00

I am in a One Year Bible reading plan. Last night, the two primary passages I was reading was Exodus 2:11 - 3:22 and Matthew 17:10-27. The Old Testament piece describes Moses' burning bush experience and the New Testament segment sees Jesus instructing Peter to pay the temple tax with a coin from the fishes mouth.

In the first, God speak to Moses in a burning bush and says to him...what? "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on Holy ground." Now I have read and heard some very interesting commentary on that single verse, but that is not really where I am going here.
The point is that God spoke. Scripture doesn't confirm the action of Moses, other than to say that "...he hid his face in his hands...", but we can assume that he followed God's instruction and removed his sandals.

In Matthew I want to focus on a verse that is actually just ahead of the temple tax story. In 17:17 Jesus says, "You stubborn, faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you?

Now lets establish a little timeline. The burning bush story occurred about 1420 BC. Here we are in 2009 AD. Matthew 17:17 is just about in the middle, give or take a few hundred years...
Scene one, God spoke, human listened. Scene two, Jesus spoke, humans refused to believe. Scene three, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are speaking to your heart every day, what are you doing? Are you removing your sandals daily? Or are you left wondering, "Why couldn't we cast out the demon?"

HTG19

2009-01-26T19:13:00.003-06:00

Today was a GOOD day. It began with about 30 HTG members gathered in the Presidential Suite of the Omni Mandalay hotel in Dallas. These folks gathered early, before the meetings began for a devotional time led by Jeff Wood. Jeff spoke to a committed group of business leaders about the importance of being an Ambassador for the Lord. The message was rooted in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. It was very appropriate for a group that was about to spend the day interacting with nearly 200 business leaders.

I met with six of those leaders, founding members of HTG 19. Collectively, we will invest in one another for quite possibly years to come. As the facilitator of the group, I was privileged to introduce them to the "HTG Way."

Arlin Sorensen stopped by to present the "Big Picture" and to elaborate on the Mission, Vision and Values of Heartland Tech Groups. After that we jumped right in! The guys were well prepared and we set about addressing the topics on the agenda and setting the foundation for many meetings to come.

Mike Murphy from the Microsoft Local Partner Engagement team hosted a Lunch & Learn. I think that it is safe to say that his presentation was well received and relevant to all.

A long day was capped off with a pleasant dinner at a restaurant walking distance from the hotel. All in all, I think these guys "get it." I'm looking forward to watching as they work together to grow their businesses and improve the balance in their lives.

Today was a GOOD day.

Sunday Morning Prayer Request

2009-01-25T07:03:00.002-06:00

This morning I come before you and the Lord with a couple of prayer requests. I know the power of prayer and I ask you to join me in praying for the following:

I pray for healing, miraculous healing for two young men, Nolan and Scott. Nolan was the victim of a terrible auto accident on January 9th. He sustained injuries has include numerous broken bones but more importantly there was trauma to the brain. He is in stable condition but our prayer is for complete and TOTAL healing for this 25 year old man, with his whole life ahead of him.

Scott recently visited the doctor for some fairly common, but persistent symptoms. I don't have many of the details but apparent the diagnosis revealed that he may have a rare form of cancer with limited treatment options. He is still undergoing some additional tests. I would pray the same thing for Scott, complete and TOTAL healing. As he submits to the tests and treatment, I would pray that he and his family be granted a sense of Peace, knowing that God is in control.

I am leaving for a full week of "business" in Dallas. I am praying for safe passage and that throughout the week, the business that gets done is God's business! HTG is a collection of business owners and key business leaders formed into 20 groups of 12 member companies each. There will about 220 companies represented with over 325 people in attendance during the course of the week. I lead HTG19 and participate in HTG13. Please pray that the Power and Presence of God is felt by all... all week long.

I also lead a faithful group of Christian in my neighborhood, called a Table group. We meet monthly for dinner and fellowship. They are meeting later today. As I will be in Dallas, I will be unable to join them. I KNOW that God has a standing appointment to be present when that group gathers, but I pray for them none-the-less.

God is GOOD!

"The Proposal"

2009-01-24T15:23:00.002-06:00

I can't take any credit for this, as I received it as an email. I can't give any credit, as I don't know who actually wrote it. However, I do think that the general point is relevant enough to post here.

When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.
Our government should not be immune from similar risks.
Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from
the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%.
Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.
Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:
$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)
$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people's staff. (estimate $1.3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)
$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks
each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion/ yr)

The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their
best interests to work together for the good of our country?
We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a
more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.
Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established. (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few)
Note:

Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.
Summary of opportunity:
$ 44,108,400 reduction of congress members.
$282,100, 000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.
$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.
$59,675,000 for 25%r eduction of staff for remaining house members.
$37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.

$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.
$8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings. (that's 8-BILLION just to start!)
Big business does these types of cuts all the time.

If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or
30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

Congratulations to the United States of America

2009-01-20T18:04:00.002-06:00

If you know me or you have read any of my blog, it should come as no surprise to you that I consider myself to be a conservative Republican. But today that label pales to a much more significant one. Today I am a Proud American!

Politics aside, I must take a moment to recognize this momentous occasion. It is truly significant at so many different levels. This post will be one of hundreds of thousands, if not millions today. Many will focus on the man who just became the 44th President of the United States. I would like to focus on the HOPE that was so obvious today.

By most accounts, there were over 1.5 million people at the inauguration ceremony. The news report that I listened to said that there were "no arrests!" That in itself is truly remarkable. Nearly every spectator that was interviewed spoke of hope and opportunity. A common theme was "if he can do this..."

You may not have voted for the man. You may not share is views or support his plans. But if you are an American you must rejoice in that fact that a barrier that many thought would never be broken, was shattered on this very day!

May God truly bless America and may HE impart HIS wisdom on this leader, our President.

The Prayer of Jabez

2009-01-18T18:58:00.004-06:00

About a week and a half ago I wrote a posting called, A Job year? Officially, there are no comments on the blog, but several people who know me; Paul, Marge, Jared and Mike to name a few, emailed me and shared some comments. I always appreciate the views of others, whether they agree with me or not.

Mike, who happens to be a neighbor and a member of our Table Group picked up on my comment, "For a year now I have been praying my version of The Prayer of Jabez, and it would seem like God IS expanding my territory." He happened to have Bruce Wilkinson's book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life on CD and he offered to let me borrow it. I was aware of the book, but had not read it.

I listened to the 110 minute unabridged presentation last night. The first thing that struck me is how gifted authors, and teachers like Mr. Wilkenson can take something as simple as two verses out of the Bible and write a book on it. Granted , is not a large book, but it did take nearly two hours to listen to.

Just to be clear, here is the entire text of the prayer attributed to an Old Testament character named Jabez.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”10Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

That's it! Jabez is not mentioned prior nor after these two verses. In fact, it is very interesting that these two verse even appear in the Bible. 1 Chronicles Chapter 4 is primarily listing of the genealogy of the Clans of Judah and it begins listing "The descendants of Judah." Verse 7 ends with "...Aharhel son of Harum." We get the prayer in 9-10 and then11 begins with, "Kelub, Shuhah's brother, was the father of Mehir, who was ..." The genealogy goes on from there.

Clearly God had a plan for that passage of scripture. Mr. Wilkinson does an outstanding job of establishing the context for Jabez's petition to God and then for providing insight into what that means for you and I. If you haven't read the book (or listened to it) I would encourage you to do so.

As for me, I have already confessed that I had been praying that prayer for over a year. I have shared and continue to share with anyone who will listen, how God is honoring that prayer. After listening to Bruce, I am rededicating myself to asking God to bless me and enlarge my territory.

I was not quite comfortable with the last part of his request, "...keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain..." I didn't feel worthy. I now have a better understanding of why that request is so very important for me to include as part of my prayer.

We server a Great God! HE has GREAT plans for each and everyone of us. Most of us will never realize the fruition of those plans, simply because we never ask God to unleash HIS power in our lives. If you ask for the Power, you NEED the Protection! When you step out in Faith for God, you are Worthy and you deserve HIS protection. ASK for it. From now on, I will.

Obamanomics

2009-01-18T02:23:00.003-06:00

Obamanomics. Its 2:25 AM and I couldn't sleep. Obamanomics is not necessarily what was keeping me awake, but it seemed to be the word that kept coming to mind. For some reason, as I tossed and turned, I kept thinking that I was going to coin that term. The link above would indicate that at least 212,000 people thought of it before me.

The funny thing is I am less concern with his fiscal policy than some other things, its just that that was the word that popped into my sleepless mind and wouldn't leave. I'll admit it. I'm totally winging it here. I am not a political scientist. I am not an economist. I am not even "Joe the Plumber..." I am a lifelong Republican. Always a fiscal conservative. Previously a somewhat social liberal, but more and more conservative on the social side as well.

For those of you who don't know me and stumble upon this, I am also a registered voter in the state of Illinois. Mr. Obama was my Senator. No I did not vote for him (ever).

I think that the thing that is keeping my awake is fear. I am afraid of the fact that I almost like this guy. I say almost... because I don't. BUT, there is something about him. Several have claimed that he is the Antichrist. Snopes is certainly not an authority on the subject, but then again, neither am I. However, there are people that I know and respect that share my concern.

Let's be clear, Obama is no "Slick Willy", another guy that far too many people found likable and some even thought to be believable. Barack, in my opinion does seem to possess a bit more character than former President Clinton. I also believe that his motives are a little more genuine than our last democratic president. However, I am really getting tired of the whole Lincoln thing! Obama is NOT Lincoln, duh. The whistle-stop tour today. The Lincoln Bible for the inauguration. That whole thing makes me want to gag.

This is a case where for the sake of our great nation, the United States of America, I hope that I am wrong. I hope that my gut feeling; the feeling that there is something just "not right" about this guy, is totally wrong. I'll go on record right now as saying that if 4 years from now, or heaven forbid, 8 years from now, we are preparing to inaugurate our NEXT president, and the country is Significantly better off, I'll be the first to admit that he was everything that people are hoping he is.

Its taken me nearly a half hour to compose these thoughts and I'd like to say that I am tired and ready to go to sleep. But I can't. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

Fear of Flying?

2009-01-12T07:28:00.003-06:00

Do you have a Fear of Flying? If you did, how do you think that you might over come that? One way might be to learn how to fly. Seems like many of us lose our fear, once we feel like we are in control.

Ok, so maybe you can conquer your fear of flying by earning your pilot's license. Easy, right? Check this out... Pilot Jessica Cox on Inside Edition.

Kind of reminds you of Nick Vunicic!

What is it going to take for you to conquer your fear?

A Job year?

2009-01-07T06:47:00.004-06:00

If you believe everything that the press tells you, you probably find yourself in one of two camps. The first is that 2009 is going to be bad, very BAD. If you are a little more optimistic or perhaps a Democrat, you may believe that Mr. Obama is the savior and that he is going to come in and FIX everything.

As for me, I believe neither. My good friend Arlin has been in the book of Job for nearly three weeks now. As I read his devotional this morning, it occurred to me that we (WE is a group that is expanding by the moment) may be in for a Job experience.

I'll digress for a moment and proclaim that I am currently being blessed by circumstances that can only be attributed to answered prayer. My business, Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. is on track to have our best single month in the 12 year history of the company. For a year now I have been praying my version of The Prayer of Jabez, and it would seem like God IS expanding my territory. I remind myself daily that "The Lord giveth…and the Lord taketh away", so for now I am extremely grateful for what He has given.

Back to the big picture. 2008 saw a reversal of fortune for many... MANY people. We all know someone who was "riding high." Life was good and everything seemed to be going their way. BOOM! Out of nowhere, they were knocked off their horse. For some, it was a minor setback and they may have already "gotten back in the saddle", perhaps riding a bit slower, but riding none the less. For others, their horse may have run off, leaving them to walk. Yet others still suffered injury in the fall... in some cases, significant injury. Some may never fully recover.

So, what does this all mean? I guess that it depends. If you are a Christian, I'd suggest that you go back and Read the book of Job. How does your life align with Job's? What can you learn from Job? Job aside, what do we know about God? God is GOOD! He is good in the best of times. He is good in the worst of times. The only thing that ever really changes is US. God is always the same.

If your not a Christian, I'd suggest that you go back and Read the book of Job. How does your life align with Job's? What can you learn from Job? Seriously, whether you believe in God or not, there is some real wisdom contained in the book of Job. Otherwise, what option do you have? Think that you can work it all out on your own? Think that Obama with "fix" everything? Let me know how that works for you! Let's meet back here in a year and compare notes. ;-)

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T21:12:00.003-06:00

Christmas 2008 is nearing it conclusion, for me! It began as does every day for me. I literally roll out of bed and the first thing that hits the floor is my knees. I find myself in prayer, often times for several minutes. Once again, today was no different.

My kids are older now, almost 14, so there aren't quites as many presents under the tree, AND they weren't up before the sun. Opening gifts was "quick & easy" compared to many years past.

Tradition has us spending the afternoon with Karen's extended family. Over the years that experience has ranged from joyous to, well.... sometimes just a bit less than "good." I would rate today as a "better than average!"

I guess where I am going with this is.... today could have been so much more, and it wasn't. It was so full of potential, unfulfilled. My morning devotional CHALLENGED me to take advantage TODAY to share the Gospel of Jesus. TODAY!

Those that know me have heard me say before, "What would Jesus have me do, Today?" Today, on the anniversary of His birth, I was to share the gospel with someone, anyone. I didn't. Not because there was no opportunity. I was surrounded by people who know the "Our Father..." none of who KNOW THE FATHER!

How did you do? I would Really like to know. Did anyone have the opportunity to SHARE Jesus with another? More accurately I should ask, "Did anyone SHARE Jesus with another?" Tell me! I would love to hear your story.

Willow Creek has had some rather large Christmas productions in years past. For the two years prior, they have presented a rather elaborate production called "Imagine Christmas." It was very entertaining and quite spectacular. I'll say that the Christmas message was even faithfully delivered.

This year was a bit different. It was still a much larger and still a very "professional" and polished production. But this year much of the "glitz' was gone, replaced by a very simple central theme. Light. This year the gospel of the "Good News" was presented in a more comprehensive manner. Jesus was born. We know that. We celebrate that and for good reason. For a moment, go back to my post yesterday. If we simply celebrated the birth of a baby, how significant would that be? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

He brought the Light to our dark world. And then what? He called all believers to be the "Light of the world." His birth, foretold by the bright and shinning star illuminated the world in a way that had not been seen since the creation. He is the Light and he is the souce of our Light!

Willow is currently offering the entire Christmas service (I believe that this is the first or second of 12) as streaming media, online. I don't know how long this link will last and I'll warn you that it comes in at just over 95 minutes. But, I would encourage you to check it out. I can assure you that it will NOT be your typical "Christmas Service".

http://www.willowcreek.org/christmasvideo

The Real Reason for Christmas.

2008-12-24T09:54:00.000-06:00

On this morning of Christmas Eve 2008 I sat down for my morning devotional. All year I have been using Rick Renner's Sparking Gems from the Greek. I found this morning's lesson to be particularly insightful. I would estimate that over half of the world's population is familiar with the Christmas Story. What do they know? They know that a baby was born. This birth was different from all other human births, before and since, as it was the product of immaculate conception and it produced the Savior of the World. Born on Christmas day was God in the flesh, Fully Divine, yet fully human.

So what? Why does that matter? It matters because Jesus came to SAVE us. He was born to DIE. He didn't die just any death. He died the most horrible death that one could imagine and he did it willingly. He did it for you and He did it for me. HIS life was significant. His teaching was relevant. But, HIS death is our Salvation! We celebrate his birth, as the Lamb of God that would that would be sacrificed for our sin, so that we could spend eternity with God in heaven.

Below is Rick's lesson:

Do you plan on taking the time this Christmas to tell your children or friends about the purpose of Christmas? If so, what will you tell them?

Although we usually meditate on the birth of Jesus at this time of the year, His purpose in coming to earth was not to give us the sweet picture of a baby in a Bethlehem manger. That little baby was born to die for you and for me and thus pay for the forgiveness of our sins. He was born to die on the Cross that we might be reconciled to God.

People rarely think of the Cross at Christmastime because it is the time set aside to celebrate Jesus' birth. But in Philippians 2, Paul connects the two thoughts. As Paul writes about God becoming a man, he goes on to express the ultimate reason God chose to take this amazing action. Paul says in verse 8, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Philippians 2:8 says that Jesus was "found in fashion as a man." That word "fashion" is the Greek word schema. This is extremely important, for this was precisely the same word that was used in ancient times to depict a king who exchanged his kingly garments for a brief period of time for the clothing of a beggar.
How wonderful that the Holy Spirit would inspire the apostle Paul to use this exact word! When Jesus came to earth, it really was a moment when God Almighty shed His glorious appearance and exchanged it for the clothing of human flesh. Although man is wonderfully made, his earthly frame is temporal dust and cannot be compared to the eternal and glorious appearance of God. However, for the sake of our redemption, God laid aside all of His radiant glory, took upon Himself human flesh, and was manifested in the very likeness of a human being.

This is the true story of a King who traded His kingly garments and took upon Himself the clothing of a servant. But the story doesn't stop there. Jesus — our King who exchanged His royal robes for the clothing of flesh —loved us so much that He "humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross!"

The word "humbled" is the Greek word tapeinao, and it means to be humble, to be lowly, and to be willing to stoop to any measure that is needed. This describes the attitude God had when He took upon Himself human flesh. Think of how much humility would be required for God to shed His glory and lower Himself to become like a member of His creation. Consider the greatness of God's love that drove Him to divest Himself of all His splendor and become like a man. This is amazing to me, particularly when I think of how often the flesh recoils at the thought of being humble or preferring someone else above itself. Yet Jesus humbled Himself "and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

The word "obedient" tells me that this was not a pleasurable experience that Jesus looked forward to in anticipation. To humble Himself to this extent required Jesus' deliberate obedience.
As preexistent God, Jesus came to earth for this purpose. But as man dressed in flesh, He despised the thought of the Cross (Hebrews 12:2) and could only endure its shame because He knew of the results that would follow. For Jesus to be obedient as a man, He had to choose to obey the eternal plan of God.

The word "obedient" that is used to describe Jesus is the Greek word hupakouo, from the word hupo, which means under, and the word akouo, which means I hear. When these two words are compounded together, they picture someone who is hupo —under someone else's authority, and akouo — listening to what that superior is speaking to him. After listening and taking these instructions to heart, this person then carries out the orders of his superior.

Thus, the word hupakouo tells us that obedient people are 1) under authority, 2) listening to what their superior is saying, and 3) carrying out the orders that have been given to them. This is what the word "obedient" means in this verse, and this is what obedience means for you and me.

You see, even Jesus had to come to this place of obedience. Although He knew that He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, that didn't mean His flesh was excited about dying as the Lamb of God on the Cross. According to this verse in
Philippians 2:8, Jesus had to humble Himself and become "obedient" in order to follow God's plan. He wasn't looking forward to the experience of death on a Cross; He made a choice to humble Himself and to go to any measure in order to
accomplish the Father's plan.

So as we celebrate Christmas tonight and tomorrow days, be sure to remember the real purpose of Christmas. It isn't just a time to reflect on the baby boy who was born in Bethlehem so long ago. That baby was God manifest in the flesh. He was born to die for you and for me. Jesus was so willing to do whatever was required in order to redeem us from Satan and sin that He humbled Himself even unto death on a Cross! That is what Christmas is all about!

To all of you I wish a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

I've fallen, will I get up?

2008-12-23T08:31:00.003-06:00

We are rapidly approaching the end of 2008. For most of us, we will be happy to see it go. To be honest, it is about this time every year, that I just want it to be DONE. Its not so much that I am looking forward to the coming year, in this case, I'm not sure that 2009 is going to be any better. By most accounts it is likely to be much worse. I just get to the end of the year, throw my hands up and say, "It's Finished..."

Does that sound a little depressing? Perhaps, but the reality is, I have been blessed and I have a great deal to be thankful for. I know that. But like everyone else, I sometimes forget. Remember Job? He had it ALL! He was a righteous man before God and was blessed richly. Then what? At what appeared to be the "top of his game", he lost it all. I mean everything. I'm sure that some who read this can identify with that feeling. Its not too long ago that many if not most Americans were feeling "pretty good." I believe that the term was "irrational exuberance." The "tech bubble" burst. We survived. The air wasn't fully out of that balloon before we started inflating the "housing bubble." Won't we ever learn? POP!

I'm going to avoid the temptation to go too "deep" on this, but let's just say that the "Lord givith and the Lord taketh way." Are you feeling even a little bit despondent? Do you really think that your life is that bad? Well tell me this, how would your life be if you were born with no arms and no legs? Meet Nick Vujicic and let him teach you about the importance of "getting back up."

Nick did it. Job did it. What about you? Can you get back up?

"...a wise man listens to advice"

2008-12-21T19:00:00.002-06:00

I've been reading a book call Chazown by Craig Groeschel. The subtitle is "A different way to see your life." For several years now, I have been undergoing a great deal of introspection. This is one of several books I have read, hoping to find a little more clarity, a higher purpose, a God given direction for my life.

On page 85 there is a heading, "Of course I know where I'M going!" At least for me, that is a BIG part of the problem!! I have a plan. I have goals and objectives. I know what I want to do. The root of the problem is, if my plans aren't consistent with God's plans for my life, the outcome is generally not good.

This is the time of year when many people consider their plans for the coming year. For business owners like myself, we look at Business Plans, Marketing Plans, Life Plans or any number of other "plans." For the rest of you, there are career plans, education plans, savings plans, vacation plans and countless others.

My buddy, and fellow HTG Peer group member Karl Palachuk has a nice piece on Business Plan in a Month - Final Thoughts . Another HTG member and brother in Christ, Stuart Crawford has a nice ebook called Goal Setting for IT Professionals. These are kinds of things I am typically reviewing this time of year. Many of us on Arlin Sorensen's email devotional list, about 30 at last count have "planned" on reading the entire Bible in 2009. Yes, we need to make plans in our spiritual life too.

Now to the heart of the message tonight, Proverbs 12:15 tells us "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." In his book, Craig give us some practical pointers on how to be "wise" men and women.

The first and foremost is seek God's plan for you life in the Bible. The Bible is the TRUTH. It is the owner's manual for the human being, created in God's image. Craig is partial to the book of Proverbs because it is full of wisdom and very practical advice, even today, thousands of years after it was written. For me, I am "in the word" by various means each day. I find that the "truth" that I need seems to come to me. It may be a devotional. It may be a book. It comes directly from the Bible and sometimes it shows up in a song on Christian radio.

The next source for salient advice is our godly friends. These are folks that we attend church with. They may be people that we "serve" with or perhaps, simply people that we "serve." If you are in a small group or have an accountability partner, these are the folks that you should be sharing your "plans" with. Ask them if they feel like God is in your plans.

Finally, seek advice from those in a community with a history of success in the area you are seeking advice. In my case that might be my HTG Peer group. These guys are not all Christians, but they are all committed to one-another. We have a stated goal of HELPING each other. We do it willingly. We do it enthusiastically. We do is with a mutual commitment to the success of each member in the group. Ask those whom you trust as respected authorities within your community.

A wise man is a man who KNOWS his ignorance. He accepts that what he really knows is only a fraction of what he thinks he knows. A truly wise man surrenders ALL he knows to the wisdom of God. For God has a plan for each of us, one that we could never imagine. Subjecting our plan to His is just about the wisest thing that we can do.

Are you a Dog or a Cat

2008-12-19T18:25:00.004-06:00

DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1 :00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11 :00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We have both a dog and a cat in our house and I would have to say that their behavior is pretty consistent with the attitudes conveyed above.

I have often used a "Dog" metaphor to describe Christian Faith. As a dog LOVES his master and would do anything to please his master, the Christian loves God and will do anything to please him... or at least that is the way that it should be. The dog basks in the glow of his owner's attention and praise. So should we. A dog starts every day brimming with enthusiasm. There are times when I think that my dog's butt is going to fall off, she is wagging so much! Each night ends with a deep sense of gratitude as she curls up with a member of the family was we relax for the evening.

The most notable thing about dogs, something that every Christian should aspire to is their capacity to forgive. A dog loves its master SO much that it will forgive anything and everything. Have you every forgotten to feed your dog? It forgives you? Have you ever failed to let your dog out to relieve itself in a timely manner? It forgives you? Have you ever inflicted pain upon your dog (accidentally I hope...)? It forgives you? Have you ever scolded your dog, or yelled at it for no reason? It forgives you?

We know that God does ALL things for good, but certainly there are times when bad things happen, and we blame God! Seems like we could learn a thing or two from our dogs.

The Mom Song

2008-12-18T18:17:00.003-06:00

I don't know about you, the the past 48 hours have been an absolute nightmare for me. I'll spare you the details. I spent an inordinate amount of time praying for patience, grace and a heaping dose of mercy!

My neighbor, Table group member and friend, Laura sent me this today. It brought a much needed smile to my face. I hope that you enjoy it too! The "mom" song.

We are expecting a foot of snow overnight, so I may have some extra time tomorrow to compose a posting with a little more "meat" to it. Or not... ;-)

The World is Obviously Desparate for News... ;)

2008-12-17T12:12:00.004-06:00

Last week I was a guest on BlogTalk Radio. This week, my cousin, Jeff Muscarella is a guest on CNBC discussing Alternatives to Job Cuts. Jeff is a Partner at NPI "Real Experts, Real Savings" located in Atlanta, GA.

Coincidentally, Quality Systems Solutions, Inc. is working with NPI to update their current technology infrastructure to improve productivity and enhance mobility.

Do Sports drinks actually make a difference??

2008-12-16T08:58:00.002-06:00

Even as a "Techie" I am often astonished by two things. First what people are actually able to do these days, and second, that they have the time to do it!

Do Sports drinks actually make a difference??

Gary Haugen ROCKS!

2008-12-15T20:28:00.002-06:00

Gary Haugen is the President and CEO of International Justice Mission. He was the guest speaker this past weekend at Willow Creek Community Church. We are in the midst of a series called PREPARE and the topic for this message was "Prepare: Impact the World."

I don't know about the World, but he certainly had an impact on me. Without question, he is one of the most compelling speakers I have seen in quite some time. He was a faculty speaker this past August at the Leadership Summit, but I was unable to attend the session that he presented. What a blessing it was to catch him this time around.

Here is a link to some of his content posted on YouTube. If anyone is interested in the presentation that he made Sunday, I'll see what I can do about getting a copy and posting it there.

A segment of David's Story was shown as part of the presentation but the real power of the message came from the compassion and conviction in Gary's voice.

Gary and his team seem to "get around" so if you ever have a chance to hear him speak, don't pass it up!

Stethoscope

2008-12-13T22:50:00.004-06:00

Susan Dolan is a member of Arlin's morning devotional email list. I met her and her husband Pat this summer at the "Go Giver retreat" at Arlin's farm. She shared this with the list earlier this week. Stethoscope. What would your heart sound like???

Here is another one that Susan shared last week. I missed it first time around... Invitation.

Divorce

2008-12-13T08:58:00.003-06:00

Often times, the topic on which I feel prompted to write comes to me in the shower. Today was no different. I had already planned on following up yesterday's radio program by commenting on a note that I taken during the conversation.

Instead, I felt a very clear prompting to talk about divorce. I'll start by saying that I am happily married... for the second time. I was divorced nearly 20 years ago. To some, what I am about to say will smack of hypocrisy. I don't believe that is the case, but it is also not the point either.

The point is divorce destroys biblical community, relationships and families. There have been countless scriptural commentaries written on the subject. Here is one of the first I found with a brief summary below.

Divorce in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament):

Matthew 5:31-32: Adultery the only valid grounds for divorce:
Matthew 19:3-9: Adultery the only valid grounds for divorce: Jesus returns to the question of grounds for divorce and confirms his stance in Matthew 5. He says that God intended men and women to marry permanently; divorce is not in God's plan.
Mark 10:2-12: There are no valid grounds for divorce: Jesus here
implies that all marriages are permanent; divorce is not allowed for any reason.
Luke 16:18: Remarriage is not permitted: Jesus here condemns remarriage of both husband and wife.
1 Corinthians 7:10-17: Remarriage is permitted, in some circumstances: Paul apparently wrote this passage in response to some Christians who were married to other Christians and were considering separating from their spouses and leading
a celibate life.

So then, as Christians, what should we do? Now, I am not a counselor. I'm not a therapist. I'm just a guy trying my best to live the life that God has given me. In that life he has provided some guidance, in the form of the Bible. He has also placed other people on this planet to help me along the way. Part of my purpose in being here is to help others in their Christian journey.

I ask again, what shall we do? What if we simply "discouraged" divorce as our baseline position. Rather than find reasons to condone divorce or excuses for why "this" divorce is acceptable, why don't we realize that divorce is not in God's plan for ANYONE?

If that is the foundation upon which we stand, then what? If divorce is not an option, what is the solution to marital discord? Prayer? Petition? Submission? There are probably a couple of more that I could think of, but these are probably a good starting point.

Let's step back for a minute and frame the situation. Who exactly are we talking about. Am I referring to the person who is considering a divorce? Am I addressing the spouse who is facing an unwanted divorce? What about the friends and family? YES. I believe that all parties are faced with the same challenge AND the same solution to the problem. Prayer, Petition and Submission.

What then shall we do. Pray! Pray specifically for BOTH the husband and the wife, for we know that both are sinners. What ever the "reason" for the breakdown in the relationship, you can be certain that both bear some responsibility for it.

Petition God to intervene. We know that in Christ all things are possible. We know that God's plan is for perfect community and oneness. Oneness in our relationship with him. Oneness in our relationship with our spouse and oneness in our relationship with others.

Submit ourselves to the purpose of truth, hope, peace and Love. The Greatest of These Is Love. If we are the husband or wife, we need to submit ourselves to the power of Love, the love that we pledged UNCONDITIONALLY on the day that we were married. If we are a friend or family member we need to submit ourselves to the love we have for the affected couple and the the love we have for God, whose heart is broken with each broken marriage. Sometimes that means speaking the TRUTH in love. That means saying things that may be very difficult to say but must be said, if healing is to occur.

Now, I am not naive enough to think that I can "talk" anyone out of a divorce. But I am confident that God can mend any relationship. He wrote the book on Forgiveness. Isn't that really what divorce is all about, the inability to Forgive? God can, does and will show you how to forgive as well.

In closing, I want to apologize for what may be a somewhat dis-jointed monologue and certainly one that is longer than I normally post. I also want to acknowledge the underlying reason for this posting. Each morning, my knees hit the floor and I pray. I pray for a lot of things, among those, the needs of others. There are currently three couples that I am praying for. All three are in different stages of "the process" but I refuse to concede a single relationship to Satan. I believe that God CAN redeem each of those relationships. For those that don't believe it, ask my Mother. That is a posting for another time... until then blessing to All!

The Bahlog: Managed Services for God?

2008-12-12T18:56:00.000-06:00

The MarketPlace Ministry radio program was a success and a wonderful experience. You can read a bit more about it here. The Bahlog: Managed Services for God?

Marketplace Ministry

2008-12-11T17:37:00.002-06:00

Join Stuart Crawford, Jeff Wood, Brad Schow, Arlin Sorensen and me (all HTG members) on Friday at noon eastern on blogtalk radio. All of these guys are veterans of the "Go Giver" retreat that Arlin hosted this past Summer. Their membership in HTG ensures that they are serious about their business, but tomorrow's discussion will focus on their commitment to God and His Business. We will be talking about ministry in the workplace and how faith and business do not have to be separated and kept apart. Join us on Friday at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb and join the conversation. The session will be recorded, so if you can't make check back and listen when you can. For that matter you can download is an listen at your convenience.

American Depression

2008-12-10T08:38:00.001-06:00

This week I am in Seattle for the Microsoft Mobile Communications Partner Summit 2008. Quality Systems Solutions, Inc., the company I own, is one of just over 400 Microsoft partners in the US with the Mobility Competency, so we were invited to attend the two day event. You can read my comments on the conference here.

In the morning keynote speech, Allison Watson, Corporate Vice President, World Wide Partner Group, spoke about the tough economic times we are facing and made several references to the Great Depression. I'm not much of one for reading the newspaper, but late last night I was having trouble sleeping, so I picked up the copy of USA Today that had been left in the room. On page 11A I found a FULL Page advertisement that caught my eye. The title was, "WHAT AMERICA CAN DO TO AVOID A DEPRESSION ." Apparently the ad is a reposting of the blog, http://remortgageamerica.blogspot.com/ .

Rather and repost the contents of the readily available blog, I would highly recommend you check it out. The idea is SO simple and it make so much GOOD SENSE, it is almost destine for failure. For some reason, our politicians have a real challenge with simple solutions to complex problem, that might actually work. Instead they would prefer to toss money around (your money and mine) giving it to the very same people who caused the problem in the first place.

Rather than bail out those that are "too big to fail", lets help those too small to steal (your taxes and mine). The reference to stealing implies my opinion that the money that was "lent" to these companies has a very LOW probability to being repaid and for all practical purposes it is being stolen...