Wow. How blessed am I?
God has surrounded me with a terrific family in an idyllic setting; He has placed literally hundreds of people in my path who have made me a better person...
I am daily reminded of how great the sovereign God of the universe truly is.
I know there are many who hurt today. I realize there are scores of families in crisis and marriages on the brink of breaking as I sit and write this...
I pray God will ease pain and touch hearts... my hope is that those who are hurting will be receptive to His Spirit's comfort today.
This morning, as Lucy the Wonderdog curls up next to me on the couch, I can see into the dining room... the table setting is worthy of a Rockwell painting. In a few hours a dozen of the best people on the planet will sit down and eat the world's best turkey and dressing courtesy of my momma-in-law... we will have Kelly's melt-in-your-mouth homemade dinner rolls and Stacey's signature green bean bundles... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
yep, in just under 6 hours, Rodney and Stacey and Blake and Olivia and Jason and June and Kelly and Caitlin and Cara and Cassie and me (oh, and Lucy the Wonderdog) will enjoy one of my favorite holiday meals.
Thank you, God, for blessing me... again.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
protests and perversion
I did not know Jimmy Clay, though I have friends who knew him...
On November 13, 25 year old Sergeant James M Clay was killed in an auto accident in Anbar Province, Iraq while serving as a member of the 224th maintenance company of the Army National Guard.
On November 23 his body was laid to rest in a local cemetery after a funeral service at a local church.
I didn't know him, but I owe him. He volunteered to serve and protect my freedom and yours, and I do not take that lightly...
While the procession was leaving the church building, several protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas held up signs with slogans like "God hates America"...
I understand that you and I will differ on war and its causes... we may disagree about how the U.S. got involved in Afghanistan, or whether our young men and women should be placed in harm's way in Iraq... we can argue about why our troops are where they are and how they got there...
but protesting the war at a fallen soldier's funeral seems like a new all-time low... and I don't understand. really? holding up signs on the side of the road so Jimmy's wife and precious, grieving family can see their hatred... showing their disdain for one more soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the very freedom they were enjoying on the side of that road.
for my part, people like that seem to have no concept of, nor appreciation for sacrifice. I for one would be happy to buy each of these ingrates a one-way ticket to any third-world country... I got no use for anyone who cannot at least understand what it takes to volunteer to lay down your life for your fellow man.
I have never served in the military. But I certainly have undying gratitude for anyone who dons the uniform of the United States of America.... especially a volunteer!
I realize our country is not perfect, and I, like you, sometimes wonder if 'we' are 'in the right'.
But I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to 9 countries on 3 continents... and each of those trips - while enjoyable - shared one thing in common: when it was time to come home, I was happy to return to the greatest country on the planet.
Thank you, Jimmy Clay, for giving me the precious gift of freedom. The Bronze Star and The Distinguished Service Medal are small tokens indeed for your sacrifice.
As the Angels welcome you Home, may God be with your family and give them comfort. In the words of Abraham Lincoln,
to the protesters... well, there are no famous quotes acknowledging heartless cowards...
so I'll just say this:
On November 13, 25 year old Sergeant James M Clay was killed in an auto accident in Anbar Province, Iraq while serving as a member of the 224th maintenance company of the Army National Guard.
On November 23 his body was laid to rest in a local cemetery after a funeral service at a local church.
I didn't know him, but I owe him. He volunteered to serve and protect my freedom and yours, and I do not take that lightly...
While the procession was leaving the church building, several protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas held up signs with slogans like "God hates America"...
I understand that you and I will differ on war and its causes... we may disagree about how the U.S. got involved in Afghanistan, or whether our young men and women should be placed in harm's way in Iraq... we can argue about why our troops are where they are and how they got there...
but protesting the war at a fallen soldier's funeral seems like a new all-time low... and I don't understand. really? holding up signs on the side of the road so Jimmy's wife and precious, grieving family can see their hatred... showing their disdain for one more soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the very freedom they were enjoying on the side of that road.
for my part, people like that seem to have no concept of, nor appreciation for sacrifice. I for one would be happy to buy each of these ingrates a one-way ticket to any third-world country... I got no use for anyone who cannot at least understand what it takes to volunteer to lay down your life for your fellow man.
I have never served in the military. But I certainly have undying gratitude for anyone who dons the uniform of the United States of America.... especially a volunteer!
I realize our country is not perfect, and I, like you, sometimes wonder if 'we' are 'in the right'.
But I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to 9 countries on 3 continents... and each of those trips - while enjoyable - shared one thing in common: when it was time to come home, I was happy to return to the greatest country on the planet.
Thank you, Jimmy Clay, for giving me the precious gift of freedom. The Bronze Star and The Distinguished Service Medal are small tokens indeed for your sacrifice.
As the Angels welcome you Home, may God be with your family and give them comfort. In the words of Abraham Lincoln,
"I pray that our Heavenly Father may
assuage the anguish of your bereavement,
and leave you only the cherished memory
of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride
that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice
upon the altar of freedom"
to the protesters... well, there are no famous quotes acknowledging heartless cowards...
so I'll just say this:
please leave. move to another country.
or just stay in Kansas, I don't care...
just stay away from our town...
you are not welcome here.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
changes
After a 10-year career with a local Educational Software company, Kelly and I have prayerfully decided it is time for a change...
I have accepted an offer to represent a company called Curriculum Advantage out of Atlanta, Georgia... my territory will be Arkansas, and I look forward to calling on my old friends in the Arkansas School districts!
Change is hard... but it occurs to me that our addiction to routine is a very unGodly trait.
this is a God thing. there is no doubt!
but still, while I am extremely excited about this new software package and this new company and this incredible opportunity, it is still a change...
I suspect that - just like every other turn in the road over my 47 years - it will turn out very blessed indeed... 'cause God is steering!
thank you in advance for all your well wishes...
my new email is tmartin@curriculumadvantage.com and my new phone number is the same as the old one, except the prefix is 736 instead of 656...
God Bless!
this is gonna be fun!
I have accepted an offer to represent a company called Curriculum Advantage out of Atlanta, Georgia... my territory will be Arkansas, and I look forward to calling on my old friends in the Arkansas School districts!
Change is hard... but it occurs to me that our addiction to routine is a very unGodly trait.
this is a God thing. there is no doubt!
but still, while I am extremely excited about this new software package and this new company and this incredible opportunity, it is still a change...
I suspect that - just like every other turn in the road over my 47 years - it will turn out very blessed indeed... 'cause God is steering!
thank you in advance for all your well wishes...
my new email is tmartin@curriculumadvantage.com and my new phone number is the same as the old one, except the prefix is 736 instead of 656...
God Bless!
this is gonna be fun!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
the Bucket List
Well Kelly and I finally rented the Bucket List last night...
a great story... and one of those that you are glad you saw in the comfort of your own home, so only those closest to you could see you bawl like a small infant!
We really enjoyed it... Nicholson and Freeman were very good in their roles as two recently diagnosed cancer patients who decide they will forgo further torturous chemotherapy treatment... they decide instead to make a list of everything they wanted to see and do before they 'kick the bucket' - hence the title.
It is a very intriguing idea.
When Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic adenocarcenoma (if I live to be 150 years old, I will NEVER forget those fancy $5 words for 'lung cancer'), she and Dad decided to fight it. Most of us would likely make the same decision given similar circumstances... hindsight being 20/20, I think all of us wish she had been able to do what these two guys did.
I mean, she had 10 pretty good months... if you count as 'good' the routine chemotherapy treatments which poisoned her body and took her hair ...and the radiation treatments that stole her ability to taste food... if you count as 'good' the vomiting and general nausea that became a daily reminder of her disease - or more accurately, the cure for her disease...
if you count as good the daily shark cartilage milk shakes (I'm not making this up... though now it sounds like a punchline to a bad Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Akroyd and the 'RonCo Bass-o-matic') which tasted as good as they sound... if you count as good being finally so weak she became wheelchair-, then bed-bound...
I dunno... I honestly don't know which was worse: her illness or the treatment. Of course, it helps us sleep better at night to say that 'she would have felt MUCH worse if not for the treatment'...
Oh well... sorry for the digression. I guess I didn't know the movie brought up so many old, deep feelings...
but it makes me wonder (and I know it's easy for me to say this right now...) but I wonder sometimes...
if death is the door to Heaven... if dying is the path to eternal joy and forever being with Jesus... it sure seems that we Christians fight like hell to avoid it. I guess God placed this intense and instinctive 'will to live' inside us all...
OK, this started out as a flippin' movie review... and took a real dark turn toward introspection... sorry for that! :-)
truly, I don't know how I will face my own end here.
...but at least a part of me wants to believe I will embrace it and welcome it and, well, make my own bucket list.
a great story... and one of those that you are glad you saw in the comfort of your own home, so only those closest to you could see you bawl like a small infant!
We really enjoyed it... Nicholson and Freeman were very good in their roles as two recently diagnosed cancer patients who decide they will forgo further torturous chemotherapy treatment... they decide instead to make a list of everything they wanted to see and do before they 'kick the bucket' - hence the title.
It is a very intriguing idea.
When Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic adenocarcenoma (if I live to be 150 years old, I will NEVER forget those fancy $5 words for 'lung cancer'), she and Dad decided to fight it. Most of us would likely make the same decision given similar circumstances... hindsight being 20/20, I think all of us wish she had been able to do what these two guys did.
I mean, she had 10 pretty good months... if you count as 'good' the routine chemotherapy treatments which poisoned her body and took her hair ...and the radiation treatments that stole her ability to taste food... if you count as 'good' the vomiting and general nausea that became a daily reminder of her disease - or more accurately, the cure for her disease...
if you count as good the daily shark cartilage milk shakes (I'm not making this up... though now it sounds like a punchline to a bad Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Akroyd and the 'RonCo Bass-o-matic') which tasted as good as they sound... if you count as good being finally so weak she became wheelchair-, then bed-bound...
I dunno... I honestly don't know which was worse: her illness or the treatment. Of course, it helps us sleep better at night to say that 'she would have felt MUCH worse if not for the treatment'...
Oh well... sorry for the digression. I guess I didn't know the movie brought up so many old, deep feelings...
but it makes me wonder (and I know it's easy for me to say this right now...) but I wonder sometimes...
if death is the door to Heaven... if dying is the path to eternal joy and forever being with Jesus... it sure seems that we Christians fight like hell to avoid it. I guess God placed this intense and instinctive 'will to live' inside us all...
OK, this started out as a flippin' movie review... and took a real dark turn toward introspection... sorry for that! :-)
truly, I don't know how I will face my own end here.
...but at least a part of me wants to believe I will embrace it and welcome it and, well, make my own bucket list.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Walkin in Memphis
every time I'm in a big city (I guess Memphis qualifies), I am reminded of how deep the need is for Jesus.
I realize the need is equally deep in my own town... but it seems greater somehow when I am next to the homeless and the depraved and the deprived. or at least when they are more obvious...
Again, I know there are those in Mountain Home who need Him just as acutely... I guess I somehow insulate myself from them when I am on my home turf.
As most of this city still sleeps, I am reminded of Harold Shank's words from a sermon he preached a few years ago: "there are 100,000 souls in need of Jesus who live and work in the very shadow of our church building"...
maybe its the numbers that stagger me and give me pause...
anyhow, mark it up to the ramblings of someone who woke up too early this morning! but God is reminding me today that the fields are indeed 'white unto harvest'
God Bless!
I realize the need is equally deep in my own town... but it seems greater somehow when I am next to the homeless and the depraved and the deprived. or at least when they are more obvious...
Again, I know there are those in Mountain Home who need Him just as acutely... I guess I somehow insulate myself from them when I am on my home turf.
As most of this city still sleeps, I am reminded of Harold Shank's words from a sermon he preached a few years ago: "there are 100,000 souls in need of Jesus who live and work in the very shadow of our church building"...
maybe its the numbers that stagger me and give me pause...
anyhow, mark it up to the ramblings of someone who woke up too early this morning! but God is reminding me today that the fields are indeed 'white unto harvest'
God Bless!
Monday, November 17, 2008
so what do we do with the marginalized?
In our small group, we are using an advance copy of Ross Cochran's small group 'curriculum'... it is a collection of case studies intended to cause discussion and reflection and deeper study into our daily walk, and includes real-life situations which we must deal with as we grow.
We are finishing up the first case after 3 or 4 weeks of really good discussion and study, and I am really enjoying the depth of thought it has provoked among our group. The one we started with is entitled 'can I be a member of your church?', and explores the minefields which we humans lay down with regard to 'joining a church'...
(Incidentally, for clarification, we agreed early in the study that this 'case' deals with how an individual 'officially becomes' a part of a local congregation... further, we discovered that there is a distinct difference between God 'adding the saved' to His Church [Universal] and a person 'joining' a local congregation)
anyhow, if the definition of exercise includes 'stretching', then this has been a worthwhile 'exercise' indeed!
As we closed our time last night, Kelly reminded us that much of this discussion revolves around how we treat the marginalized... what do we 'do' with the people whom we perceive as different? What actions do we take toward those whom society has defined as 'lesser'?
the homeless, the divorced, the orphaned, the widowed, the bi-polar, the imprisoned, the poor, the - well, let's be honest - weird people!?!??
what do we do?
I know it has become cliche... heck, it's a slogan on a bracelet... but what WOULD He do? What DID He do...
...with the blind man....
do we have some idyllic Dickensian vision (no pun) of this scene? one where the sightless guy was dressed nice with a white cane and the dark Stevie Wonder/Ray Charles glasses on... one where he smelled good and spoke properly and acted right?
...with the Samaritan woman...
do we imagine she was a woman just like our momma? dressed in the latest crop pants and flats and cute top? ...with a fresh layer of makeup and perfume applied for her trip to the city well?
...with the lepers or the Centurion or Peter's mother-in-law or the demon-possessed or the paralytic or the woman with the 'issue of blood'... yeccchhhh!
these people represented the ugliest side of society. Not really fit for our 'churches'.... not really welcome in our homes.... not particularly well-suited for our institutional theology...
but Jesus treated them every one with respect and honesty and dignity and... most of all... compassion and love.
dare we treat them any differently?
We are finishing up the first case after 3 or 4 weeks of really good discussion and study, and I am really enjoying the depth of thought it has provoked among our group. The one we started with is entitled 'can I be a member of your church?', and explores the minefields which we humans lay down with regard to 'joining a church'...
(Incidentally, for clarification, we agreed early in the study that this 'case' deals with how an individual 'officially becomes' a part of a local congregation... further, we discovered that there is a distinct difference between God 'adding the saved' to His Church [Universal] and a person 'joining' a local congregation)
anyhow, if the definition of exercise includes 'stretching', then this has been a worthwhile 'exercise' indeed!
As we closed our time last night, Kelly reminded us that much of this discussion revolves around how we treat the marginalized... what do we 'do' with the people whom we perceive as different? What actions do we take toward those whom society has defined as 'lesser'?
the homeless, the divorced, the orphaned, the widowed, the bi-polar, the imprisoned, the poor, the - well, let's be honest - weird people!?!??
what do we do?
I know it has become cliche... heck, it's a slogan on a bracelet... but what WOULD He do? What DID He do...
...with the blind man....
do we have some idyllic Dickensian vision (no pun) of this scene? one where the sightless guy was dressed nice with a white cane and the dark Stevie Wonder/Ray Charles glasses on... one where he smelled good and spoke properly and acted right?
...with the Samaritan woman...
do we imagine she was a woman just like our momma? dressed in the latest crop pants and flats and cute top? ...with a fresh layer of makeup and perfume applied for her trip to the city well?
...with the lepers or the Centurion or Peter's mother-in-law or the demon-possessed or the paralytic or the woman with the 'issue of blood'... yeccchhhh!
these people represented the ugliest side of society. Not really fit for our 'churches'.... not really welcome in our homes.... not particularly well-suited for our institutional theology...
but Jesus treated them every one with respect and honesty and dignity and... most of all... compassion and love.
dare we treat them any differently?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
San Antonio
Well, we'd never been to San Antonio... but we will go back!
As it happens, the anniversary of my lovely bride's birth coincided with the expiration of my Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards free flight. So we picked a 'Southwest' city, pricelined a cool hotel and off we went!
We celebrated Kelly's birthday 730 feet above the ground in a revolving restaurant in the Tower of the America's (think Seattle's space needle) while enjoying the breath-taking, 360 degree vista of the San Antonio skyline... the meal was as wonderful as the view!
We toured the birthplace of Texas liberty, the Alamo... the audio tour is a must for anyone who visits the city... it was incredibly moving!
We strolled along the Riverwalk, this eclectic collection of shops and restaurants which is located below street level along both sides of the San Antonio river... which winds for several miles beneath the downtown area... (I know, you just gotta see it...)
It was so great to get away... and such a blessing to spend a couple days alone with my very favorite person and very best friend!
God Bless!
As it happens, the anniversary of my lovely bride's birth coincided with the expiration of my Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards free flight. So we picked a 'Southwest' city, pricelined a cool hotel and off we went!
We celebrated Kelly's birthday 730 feet above the ground in a revolving restaurant in the Tower of the America's (think Seattle's space needle) while enjoying the breath-taking, 360 degree vista of the San Antonio skyline... the meal was as wonderful as the view!
We toured the birthplace of Texas liberty, the Alamo... the audio tour is a must for anyone who visits the city... it was incredibly moving!
We strolled along the Riverwalk, this eclectic collection of shops and restaurants which is located below street level along both sides of the San Antonio river... which winds for several miles beneath the downtown area... (I know, you just gotta see it...)
It was so great to get away... and such a blessing to spend a couple days alone with my very favorite person and very best friend!
God Bless!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Christmas lights
So when my brother bought out dad's business, he moved it to the Industrial Park and sold the property beside daddy's house to the car lot next door.
for the last decade, Dad has transformed his property on Highway 62 SW into a winter wonderland... 20,000 Christmas lights, 3 huge inflatables - a Santa, a Snowman and a snow family - a dozen 'trees', 3 angels and a host of other various life size lighted holiday figures adorn his 5 acres every year...
It has become a staple of Christmas Joy in North Central Arkansas!
Well, for the last 5 years or so, his employees provided the 150 man hours required for the transformation... but this year, the business is not there... and neither are the employees!
He talked about abandoning the decorating and selling all the pieces, but too many people begged him not to...
so for the last 3 days, Daddy and I have strung lights and anchored inflatables and replaced bulbs and scaled his roof... and it has been 3 of the best days of my life.
I don't make the time I should to be with my dad... and the opportunity God provided this last 3 days will remain one of my best memories of me and him...
No, he's not going anywhere... he's healthier than me! And I will now make a better effort to find ways to spend time with him... but I am really happy we were able to be together - just me and him - for three days...
Miss Edna provided 3 sumptuous lunches to break up each day...
It was just... perfect!
If you are blessed with parents who are still with you on this earth, please find time in your busy schedule and just spend time with them.
There is no better investment.
Blessings!
for the last decade, Dad has transformed his property on Highway 62 SW into a winter wonderland... 20,000 Christmas lights, 3 huge inflatables - a Santa, a Snowman and a snow family - a dozen 'trees', 3 angels and a host of other various life size lighted holiday figures adorn his 5 acres every year...
It has become a staple of Christmas Joy in North Central Arkansas!
Well, for the last 5 years or so, his employees provided the 150 man hours required for the transformation... but this year, the business is not there... and neither are the employees!
He talked about abandoning the decorating and selling all the pieces, but too many people begged him not to...
so for the last 3 days, Daddy and I have strung lights and anchored inflatables and replaced bulbs and scaled his roof... and it has been 3 of the best days of my life.
I don't make the time I should to be with my dad... and the opportunity God provided this last 3 days will remain one of my best memories of me and him...
No, he's not going anywhere... he's healthier than me! And I will now make a better effort to find ways to spend time with him... but I am really happy we were able to be together - just me and him - for three days...
Miss Edna provided 3 sumptuous lunches to break up each day...
It was just... perfect!
If you are blessed with parents who are still with you on this earth, please find time in your busy schedule and just spend time with them.
There is no better investment.
Blessings!
Monday, November 10, 2008
singing with old friends... thank you God for such a blessing!
Wow!
what a weekend of praise... last weekend the trees and leaves screamed their brilliant and colorful praises to the King! And we got to experience one of the finest color shows on earth...
this past week, the wind sang its worship as it whistled and howled and blew the leaves to the ground... incredible! (and Sunday afternoon, Kelly and Cara and Cassie and I raked them up and bagged them and enjoyed a brilliant sunshiny day outdoors with Lucy the Wonderdog)
but Saturday was a highlight! When the First Day guys arrived in Mountain Home to rehearse before our engagement at the First Christian Church in Gainesville, we stopped by Jimmy and Charlene Horton's house to sing with them...
I have sung for all my life... I can't remember a time when I didn't. And my very earliest and fondest memories of singing are with Jimmy Horton leading hymns at worship assembly for College and North Church of Christ, which met at what is now the Jackson Rentals building... He is the only person I have ever known who used a tuning fork to pitch the songs...
anyhow, Jimmy's love of singing and passion for praise is unparalleled... (his understanding of shaped note music is also incredible!) ...and I can think of nobody who loves God and praising Him with song more than my dear old friend... his inimitable style and soaring tenor voice remain, for me, one of God's Greatest Gifts to any man.
So it was one of the greatest blessings of my entire life to be able to stop by Jimmy and Charlene's house to sing with them Saturday with my First Day friends.
We brought hymnals and sang a half dozen old hymns... and we sang a few songs from the First Day repertoire...
and we were blessed! and God was praised! and Jesus was glorified!
Jimmy and Charlene sang along with us (and, incidentally, the old boy can still sing!!!), and I was so moved by the experience, it was hard for me to find my voice at times...
If life is marked by mountain top experiences, Saturday was a very tall peak indeed...
If life is made richer by the people God places in your path, the Hortons have made me (and countless others) rich beyond measure!
Thank you, Jimmy and Charlene, for blessing my life. Thank you for Saturday.
thank you, God, for the Hortons.
what a weekend of praise... last weekend the trees and leaves screamed their brilliant and colorful praises to the King! And we got to experience one of the finest color shows on earth...
this past week, the wind sang its worship as it whistled and howled and blew the leaves to the ground... incredible! (and Sunday afternoon, Kelly and Cara and Cassie and I raked them up and bagged them and enjoyed a brilliant sunshiny day outdoors with Lucy the Wonderdog)
but Saturday was a highlight! When the First Day guys arrived in Mountain Home to rehearse before our engagement at the First Christian Church in Gainesville, we stopped by Jimmy and Charlene Horton's house to sing with them...
I have sung for all my life... I can't remember a time when I didn't. And my very earliest and fondest memories of singing are with Jimmy Horton leading hymns at worship assembly for College and North Church of Christ, which met at what is now the Jackson Rentals building... He is the only person I have ever known who used a tuning fork to pitch the songs...
anyhow, Jimmy's love of singing and passion for praise is unparalleled... (his understanding of shaped note music is also incredible!) ...and I can think of nobody who loves God and praising Him with song more than my dear old friend... his inimitable style and soaring tenor voice remain, for me, one of God's Greatest Gifts to any man.
So it was one of the greatest blessings of my entire life to be able to stop by Jimmy and Charlene's house to sing with them Saturday with my First Day friends.
We brought hymnals and sang a half dozen old hymns... and we sang a few songs from the First Day repertoire...
and we were blessed! and God was praised! and Jesus was glorified!
Jimmy and Charlene sang along with us (and, incidentally, the old boy can still sing!!!), and I was so moved by the experience, it was hard for me to find my voice at times...
If life is marked by mountain top experiences, Saturday was a very tall peak indeed...
If life is made richer by the people God places in your path, the Hortons have made me (and countless others) rich beyond measure!
Thank you, Jimmy and Charlene, for blessing my life. Thank you for Saturday.
thank you, God, for the Hortons.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
the lottery - one person's view
So I'm soaking in the election results... pretty intriguing stuff...
and I was just thinkin'...
one interesting ballot initiative gave voters the choice to establish a state lottery... I happen to believe that gambling is a particularly insidious vice which can trap a person really quickly. I know that gambling victimizes the poorest segment of the population, and devours those least equipped to defend themselves... and I know a bit more...
One of my dearest friends spent 44 months in federal prison because of a series of bad decisions which began with betting on college football games. He lost his job, his wife, his kids and his freedom... to say I am against state sponsored gambling would be putting it mildly.
Well, the people spoke last Tuesday and passed the measure... and Arkansas became the 43rd state to have a lottery.
A friend of mine was bemoaning the outcome of the vote to a preacher's wife today... and she had an interesting 'take' on the lottery 'coming to Arkansas'...
"When the lottery passed in the state where we used to live, our benevolence exploded!" she lamented.
I would like to believe she saw this 'explosion' as a a great opportunity to serve and help and counsel hurting people... but I think she was complaining about the strain it put on the 'church budget'... maybe they had to dip into their church savings account... OK, I'll stop...
who knows...
I know God is in control and I know His ways are so far above mine... and if He chooses to use something which I perceive to be evil to His glory by placing hurting people in our path whom we can help and counsel... who am I to argue?
oh, well... just thinkin'...
and I was just thinkin'...
one interesting ballot initiative gave voters the choice to establish a state lottery... I happen to believe that gambling is a particularly insidious vice which can trap a person really quickly. I know that gambling victimizes the poorest segment of the population, and devours those least equipped to defend themselves... and I know a bit more...
One of my dearest friends spent 44 months in federal prison because of a series of bad decisions which began with betting on college football games. He lost his job, his wife, his kids and his freedom... to say I am against state sponsored gambling would be putting it mildly.
Well, the people spoke last Tuesday and passed the measure... and Arkansas became the 43rd state to have a lottery.
A friend of mine was bemoaning the outcome of the vote to a preacher's wife today... and she had an interesting 'take' on the lottery 'coming to Arkansas'...
"When the lottery passed in the state where we used to live, our benevolence exploded!" she lamented.
I would like to believe she saw this 'explosion' as a a great opportunity to serve and help and counsel hurting people... but I think she was complaining about the strain it put on the 'church budget'... maybe they had to dip into their church savings account... OK, I'll stop...
who knows...
I know God is in control and I know His ways are so far above mine... and if He chooses to use something which I perceive to be evil to His glory by placing hurting people in our path whom we can help and counsel... who am I to argue?
oh, well... just thinkin'...
Welcome Home!
My friends and heroes are home safely from Panama!
Holly Smith picked Lynn and Joy up from the Little Rock Airport on Wednesday (after six months at 'Riverside in Panama') and they arrived back in God's Country (though an argument could be made that they just left God's Country) in the evening...
Welcome Back!
The family at Riverside cannot wait to see you at our assembly on Sunday...
I know the Nelsons are road weary and more than a little sad to have left their other home, but I also know they are craving worship with their American brothers and sisters who think about them and pray over them and support them from afar!
Thank you, God, for their safe return!
Blessings!
Holly Smith picked Lynn and Joy up from the Little Rock Airport on Wednesday (after six months at 'Riverside in Panama') and they arrived back in God's Country (though an argument could be made that they just left God's Country) in the evening...
Welcome Back!
The family at Riverside cannot wait to see you at our assembly on Sunday...
I know the Nelsons are road weary and more than a little sad to have left their other home, but I also know they are craving worship with their American brothers and sisters who think about them and pray over them and support them from afar!
Thank you, God, for their safe return!
Blessings!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
President Obama
Yesterday we continued this experiment called America. We elected the 44th president or our representative republic, and It always fills me with great pride to take part in this most basic of democratic practices... Especially sweet this election is the fact that my oldest daughter exercised that privilege for the first time in her life. I feel very blessed indeed to live in this era... and I am struck by the fact that she would not have been allowed to vote if she were born only a few decades ago...
I did not support Barack Obama... nor did I vote for him. But 52 per cent of those who voted (about 62 million Americans) did. He won a simple majority of the popular vote in enough states to garner 349 electoral votes - 79 more electors than needed to earn the highest office in the land. By anyone's calculation, this was a landslide... and for that, I am extremely grateful. Only 8 years ago, I remember being on pins and needles for over 3 weeks awaiting the official winner...
For those who supported and voted for President-elect Obama, I congratulate you. His acceptance speech was one of the best speeches I have ever heard! He and his writers are extremely gifted, and showed unbelievable awareness of the gravitas of this truly historic night. His speech may well be remembered right up there with Dr. King's 'I have a dream' and President Kennedy's 'ask not what your country' and President Reagan's 'tear down that wall' speeches... If President-elect Obama governs like he campaigned, he has a legitimate chance of being a great Commander-in-Chief!
For those who voted for Senator McCain, I congratulate you as well... you supported a very good man of the highest moral fiber... I also congratulate you because we all participated in a rite which most of us take entirely for granted. I believe he would have made an excellent President... his patriotism is above reproach and his track record - despite Obama's campaign-trail assertions to the contrary - is much more moderate than most Republicans. And his concession speech - maybe the hardest speech to deliver - was eloquent and classy and terrific.
From a political perspective, Barack Obama built the most incredible campaign machine in the history of machines! And, to his credit, he was able to mobilize and motivate a demographic which is always counted on but rarely delivers - the 18 to 25 year old voter... this election, for the very first time, they turned out in droves! and that is remarkable and very very positive!
But at the end of the day, President-elect Obama excited people and Senator McCain did not. Yeah, the economy tanked at just the wrong time for McCain and most Americans have lost whatever interest in and support for the war on terror they once may have had... and the Obama camp made very very few missteps...
Here is what we should ALL understand:
If you supported John McCain, things are not as bad as you (or the pundits) may think... and if you supported Barack Obama, things are not as good as you (or the pundits) believe...
The sun came up this morning, I still have to pick up Lucy the Wonderdog at the vet, Joy and Lynn (my heroes and Panama missionary friends) are coming home today, my dear friend's marriage is still in peril, the economy is still in serious trouble, gas prices are still at an 18-month low, I am still married to the most beautiful (inside and out) woman on the planet, my 3 daughters are still the most wonderful blessings any daddy could ever have...
Whether Senator McCain or Senator Obama was elected, my world will have changed very little, if at all...
and, above all, the same God who breathed our planet into existence and knows how many hairs are on my head (fewer every morning)...
He is still in control.
So, since I am a Christian, I will not be depressed or fearful; and I will not be a hand-wringing worry wart... instead, I resolve to act like I know Who's in charge...
May He bless Barack Obama and may He bless the United States of America!
I did not support Barack Obama... nor did I vote for him. But 52 per cent of those who voted (about 62 million Americans) did. He won a simple majority of the popular vote in enough states to garner 349 electoral votes - 79 more electors than needed to earn the highest office in the land. By anyone's calculation, this was a landslide... and for that, I am extremely grateful. Only 8 years ago, I remember being on pins and needles for over 3 weeks awaiting the official winner...
For those who supported and voted for President-elect Obama, I congratulate you. His acceptance speech was one of the best speeches I have ever heard! He and his writers are extremely gifted, and showed unbelievable awareness of the gravitas of this truly historic night. His speech may well be remembered right up there with Dr. King's 'I have a dream' and President Kennedy's 'ask not what your country' and President Reagan's 'tear down that wall' speeches... If President-elect Obama governs like he campaigned, he has a legitimate chance of being a great Commander-in-Chief!
For those who voted for Senator McCain, I congratulate you as well... you supported a very good man of the highest moral fiber... I also congratulate you because we all participated in a rite which most of us take entirely for granted. I believe he would have made an excellent President... his patriotism is above reproach and his track record - despite Obama's campaign-trail assertions to the contrary - is much more moderate than most Republicans. And his concession speech - maybe the hardest speech to deliver - was eloquent and classy and terrific.
From a political perspective, Barack Obama built the most incredible campaign machine in the history of machines! And, to his credit, he was able to mobilize and motivate a demographic which is always counted on but rarely delivers - the 18 to 25 year old voter... this election, for the very first time, they turned out in droves! and that is remarkable and very very positive!
But at the end of the day, President-elect Obama excited people and Senator McCain did not. Yeah, the economy tanked at just the wrong time for McCain and most Americans have lost whatever interest in and support for the war on terror they once may have had... and the Obama camp made very very few missteps...
Here is what we should ALL understand:
If you supported John McCain, things are not as bad as you (or the pundits) may think... and if you supported Barack Obama, things are not as good as you (or the pundits) believe...
The sun came up this morning, I still have to pick up Lucy the Wonderdog at the vet, Joy and Lynn (my heroes and Panama missionary friends) are coming home today, my dear friend's marriage is still in peril, the economy is still in serious trouble, gas prices are still at an 18-month low, I am still married to the most beautiful (inside and out) woman on the planet, my 3 daughters are still the most wonderful blessings any daddy could ever have...
Whether Senator McCain or Senator Obama was elected, my world will have changed very little, if at all...
and, above all, the same God who breathed our planet into existence and knows how many hairs are on my head (fewer every morning)...
He is still in control.
So, since I am a Christian, I will not be depressed or fearful; and I will not be a hand-wringing worry wart... instead, I resolve to act like I know Who's in charge...
May He bless Barack Obama and may He bless the United States of America!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
more devouring by the prowling lion
Another family in crisis. Another marriage crumbling. Another pair of children whose parents are struggling with the chest-crushing, heart-ripping decision of whether to stay married.
I can't bear it... I can't stand to watch... these people are not statistics anymore, they are my friends. and I feel helpless...
Please pray for yet another family that is falling apart. God is the God of healing, and we must implore Him to do His thing on this precious couple.
My friends are heartbroken as they face this possibility...
God of All Creation, please help!
I can't bear it... I can't stand to watch... these people are not statistics anymore, they are my friends. and I feel helpless...
Please pray for yet another family that is falling apart. God is the God of healing, and we must implore Him to do His thing on this precious couple.
My friends are heartbroken as they face this possibility...
God of All Creation, please help!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
