When someone asks you to quote your favorite Scripture verses, what immediately comes to mind?
Here are two of mine:
"Greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend" (John 15:13)
"The Lord is the shade at your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night." (Psalm 121:3).
So what are your favorites--without looking them up....
Go ahead, feel free to share them here
To the Chicago Tribune
Last Saturday's Chicago Tribune published a letter in the "Voice of the People" section entitled "The Benefits to Becoming Bilingual"--a direct reference to why we should all learn Spanish.
While I found the letter very well-written, I also found it infuriating. I sent this response to the editor of the Chicago Tribune today:
**********************************************
Regarding Missy Berry's well-written opinion in Saturday's "Voice of the People", I must respectfully and firmly disagree with just about every premise of her letter.
I do not feel threatened by anyone who speaks, looks, acts differently than myself....at least not in my country--the United States of America. I am very thankful for the great diversity of people that are found in this place--the freest nation in the history of humanity. But this is AMERICA...not Mexico, or Poland, or Zimbabwe, just to name a few foreign countries.
I am particularly not threatened by those Spanish-speakers who come here. I am more frustrated than threatened. And what is particularly frustrating to me, and to millions of my fellow citizens across this land is the unwillingness of many of the "Hispanics" "Latinos"--whatever they want to call themselves--to adapt this new country. I keep hearing some of the Hispanics say, "But in my country..."
If this isn't their country, what on earth are they doing here? No one goes somewhere for a 20-year visit.
Americans have every right to celebrate Independence Day because that is OUR national holiday. The Liberation of Poland, Mexico, or any other nation (outside of the USA) is not our national holiday, nor should it be.
As a military veteran, I am deeply disturbed by the fact that we Americans have become so "culturally diverse" and "openminded" that we forget we are Americans. I have no hyphenated patriotism...I am an American. It doesn't matter what the lineage is...what matters is that I am an American.
The benefits of people learning to speak the English language, should they decide to live here permanently (and having lived here for more than several months, I do believe that is their intentions) are manifold: Better chances for productive employment. Better chances for educational opportunities, and far better chances to climb the economic ladder.
The benefits of people learning to speak English here in the United States are also longlasting upon all who pay taxes to the local, state, and federal governments. Translating all those forms is expensive--and someone, somewhere has to pay the "fiddler" after the dancing is over. I pay my share. But I would have to pay less if we insisted that people adapt and assimilate into this country and to learn the prevailing language of commerce and society.
Wave the Flag of the United States, learn to speak English, and get on the path to becoming an American. No need to hyphenate your plans. Just do it.
While I found the letter very well-written, I also found it infuriating. I sent this response to the editor of the Chicago Tribune today:
**********************************************
Regarding Missy Berry's well-written opinion in Saturday's "Voice of the People", I must respectfully and firmly disagree with just about every premise of her letter.
I do not feel threatened by anyone who speaks, looks, acts differently than myself....at least not in my country--the United States of America. I am very thankful for the great diversity of people that are found in this place--the freest nation in the history of humanity. But this is AMERICA...not Mexico, or Poland, or Zimbabwe, just to name a few foreign countries.
I am particularly not threatened by those Spanish-speakers who come here. I am more frustrated than threatened. And what is particularly frustrating to me, and to millions of my fellow citizens across this land is the unwillingness of many of the "Hispanics" "Latinos"--whatever they want to call themselves--to adapt this new country. I keep hearing some of the Hispanics say, "But in my country..."
If this isn't their country, what on earth are they doing here? No one goes somewhere for a 20-year visit.
Americans have every right to celebrate Independence Day because that is OUR national holiday. The Liberation of Poland, Mexico, or any other nation (outside of the USA) is not our national holiday, nor should it be.
As a military veteran, I am deeply disturbed by the fact that we Americans have become so "culturally diverse" and "openminded" that we forget we are Americans. I have no hyphenated patriotism...I am an American. It doesn't matter what the lineage is...what matters is that I am an American.
The benefits of people learning to speak the English language, should they decide to live here permanently (and having lived here for more than several months, I do believe that is their intentions) are manifold: Better chances for productive employment. Better chances for educational opportunities, and far better chances to climb the economic ladder.
The benefits of people learning to speak English here in the United States are also longlasting upon all who pay taxes to the local, state, and federal governments. Translating all those forms is expensive--and someone, somewhere has to pay the "fiddler" after the dancing is over. I pay my share. But I would have to pay less if we insisted that people adapt and assimilate into this country and to learn the prevailing language of commerce and society.
Wave the Flag of the United States, learn to speak English, and get on the path to becoming an American. No need to hyphenate your plans. Just do it.
So what about your level of "commitment"?
I recently read a post on a forum where the pastor was all upset and out of sorts because his congregational members could only commit small amounts of time to local church activities each week.
I've been actively involved in the ministry of every local church where I've been a regular parishioner since I was a small child. But there are times when I have to say "no."
I don't like saying "no"--but I do have to work a full-time job. I also have to run my own household, and when something needs to get done "in my life" it's my turn.
So...what do you think? Are the expectations of "leaders" in church just waaaay too much, or are we "parishioners" just not involved enough?
I've been actively involved in the ministry of every local church where I've been a regular parishioner since I was a small child. But there are times when I have to say "no."
I don't like saying "no"--but I do have to work a full-time job. I also have to run my own household, and when something needs to get done "in my life" it's my turn.
So...what do you think? Are the expectations of "leaders" in church just waaaay too much, or are we "parishioners" just not involved enough?
When the "front runners" aren't in front...What's up with that?
I watched the "Republican Debate" on PBS last night, hosted by Tavis Smiley. It was good, it was engaging, and it was informative.
The only problem: The four Republican "front-runners" didn't come to the show, for whatever reasons.
I can't believe, not for one New York second, that Senator John McCain, Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, Former Governor Mitt Romney, and Former Senator Fred Thompson all had "scheduling conflicts" and couldn't appear at this historically black college (Morgan State) in the Baltimore area for a 90-minute debate.
This debate was one of the better ones that I've watched, save for the pontificating of perennial candidate Alan Keyes, Former Ambassador to the United Nations.
Why would McCain, Giuliani, Romney, and Thompson all "diss" the majority Black audience? This was their chance to show an otherwise "skeptical" group why they should be President.
You can't "show" if you don't "go."
Each of these candidates, in my opinion, have forfeited the opportunity to win the nomination of the GOP, and no American voter should even consider casting a vote for them.
The only problem: The four Republican "front-runners" didn't come to the show, for whatever reasons.
I can't believe, not for one New York second, that Senator John McCain, Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, Former Governor Mitt Romney, and Former Senator Fred Thompson all had "scheduling conflicts" and couldn't appear at this historically black college (Morgan State) in the Baltimore area for a 90-minute debate.
This debate was one of the better ones that I've watched, save for the pontificating of perennial candidate Alan Keyes, Former Ambassador to the United Nations.
Why would McCain, Giuliani, Romney, and Thompson all "diss" the majority Black audience? This was their chance to show an otherwise "skeptical" group why they should be President.
You can't "show" if you don't "go."
Each of these candidates, in my opinion, have forfeited the opportunity to win the nomination of the GOP, and no American voter should even consider casting a vote for them.
And on a less "spiritual note"...
DANCING WITH THE STARS begins tonite...ABC, 7 p.m. Central time.
It should be "quite the line-up" this time. Not sure whom I will pull for. My heart is still broken because "Laila Ali" lost the last season....
So, you all watch this time, okay?
It should be "quite the line-up" this time. Not sure whom I will pull for. My heart is still broken because "Laila Ali" lost the last season....
So, you all watch this time, okay?
Absolutely Amazing!
www.nationalchristianchoir.org
The world-renown National Christian Choir (from the nation's capitol) was in concert here in Chicago this past weekend! All I can say is "WOW..."
I first remember hearing the "choir" when I was stationed in South Korea, and would hear some wonderful christian music occasionally on the Armed Forces Network. I remember hearing them sing one of the great hymns of our faith, "Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us..." Even though that was more than 17 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.
And then, several years later, I was stationed with the United States Air Force in west Texas, and was scheduled for major surgery. I happened to be listening to the Christian station there in Lubbock very early one morning, and this wonderful choir once again ministered the love and grace of Christ to me during my time of need.
How thrilled I was to learn (a few months ago, actually) that Senior Pastor Erwin Lutzer of The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org) had invited the National Christian Choir to come be with us here in Chicago for the weekend.
In conjunction with WMBI-FM, the flagship station of the Moody Broadcasting Network, the Choir did a marvelous concert of their music on Saturday evening to a full sanctuary at The Moody Church. This was the world premier of the choir's new recording, "People Need The Lord."
What was even more special was the Choir led us in worshipping our great God yesterday in the morning worship gathering. Once again, this ensemble of some 138 voices helped us court the presence of Christ as we gathered in His name.
One very special thing also for me, the pianist Mrs Kathy Bowman--who has been their only pianist for the last 23 years--once taught at my alma mater, Lee University (www.leeuniversity.edu). It was such a joy to meet her and to reminisce about all the wonderful people that we both have known over the years.
Visit all of the websites here, and particularly the one for the National Christian Choir! You will be glad you did.
The world-renown National Christian Choir (from the nation's capitol) was in concert here in Chicago this past weekend! All I can say is "WOW..."
I first remember hearing the "choir" when I was stationed in South Korea, and would hear some wonderful christian music occasionally on the Armed Forces Network. I remember hearing them sing one of the great hymns of our faith, "Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us..." Even though that was more than 17 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.
And then, several years later, I was stationed with the United States Air Force in west Texas, and was scheduled for major surgery. I happened to be listening to the Christian station there in Lubbock very early one morning, and this wonderful choir once again ministered the love and grace of Christ to me during my time of need.
How thrilled I was to learn (a few months ago, actually) that Senior Pastor Erwin Lutzer of The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org) had invited the National Christian Choir to come be with us here in Chicago for the weekend.
In conjunction with WMBI-FM, the flagship station of the Moody Broadcasting Network, the Choir did a marvelous concert of their music on Saturday evening to a full sanctuary at The Moody Church. This was the world premier of the choir's new recording, "People Need The Lord."
What was even more special was the Choir led us in worshipping our great God yesterday in the morning worship gathering. Once again, this ensemble of some 138 voices helped us court the presence of Christ as we gathered in His name.
One very special thing also for me, the pianist Mrs Kathy Bowman--who has been their only pianist for the last 23 years--once taught at my alma mater, Lee University (www.leeuniversity.edu). It was such a joy to meet her and to reminisce about all the wonderful people that we both have known over the years.
Visit all of the websites here, and particularly the one for the National Christian Choir! You will be glad you did.
Healthcare...why it matters...
For all the many "issues" facing this country, I do believe the most important "internal" issue is healthcare, and how it affects every person living here in the United States.
I was watching a special on PBS last night that featured five of the Democratic hopefuls for the nomination. The main topic of discussion was Healthcare...and what it means to America.
Senators Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Hillary Clinton, former Senator John Edwards, and Governor Bill Richardson were the guest panelists in this 90-minute forum hosted by PBS' Judy Woodruff.
I'm glad that "healthcare" is once again taking a prominent place in the "national conversation."
While I was going to seminary, I worked in a local hospital on two different occasions. I witnessed, firsthand, just what healthcare and access to such care means in our society.
The fact that we have almost 50 million people in this country--the richest on earth and in the history of humaity--is almost unthinkable...and definitely unconscionable.
Do any of the aforementioned politicians have all the answers? Of course not.
Is insuring 50 million people in this country an "easy" accomplishment? Of course not.
But we need to do something...and I'm glad that the Democrats have at least started talking about it.
I'll write more later.
I was watching a special on PBS last night that featured five of the Democratic hopefuls for the nomination. The main topic of discussion was Healthcare...and what it means to America.
Senators Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Hillary Clinton, former Senator John Edwards, and Governor Bill Richardson were the guest panelists in this 90-minute forum hosted by PBS' Judy Woodruff.
I'm glad that "healthcare" is once again taking a prominent place in the "national conversation."
While I was going to seminary, I worked in a local hospital on two different occasions. I witnessed, firsthand, just what healthcare and access to such care means in our society.
The fact that we have almost 50 million people in this country--the richest on earth and in the history of humaity--is almost unthinkable...and definitely unconscionable.
Do any of the aforementioned politicians have all the answers? Of course not.
Is insuring 50 million people in this country an "easy" accomplishment? Of course not.
But we need to do something...and I'm glad that the Democrats have at least started talking about it.
I'll write more later.
The Parable of the Bird Feeder...We must pay attention.
Manifold thanks to Pastor Gary Piepkorn (retired Air Force Chaplain, and personal friend for many years) for sending this to me. It makes LOTS of sense:
_______________________________________
A man bought a bird feeder. He hung it on his back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week he had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of his
patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile,
the chairs, the table... everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb the
man and try to peck him even though he had fed them out of his own pocket.
And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the
feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that he fill it when it got low on food. After a while, the man couldn't even sit on his own back porch anymore.
Well, the man took down the bird feeder and in three days the
birds were gone.
He cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had
built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now let's see . . . . .
Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free
medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an
automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly. . .
Our taxes went up to pay for free services, small apartments are
housing 5 families:
You have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room
doctor:
Your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.
Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one"
to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for our government to take down the bird
feeder.
_____________________________________
It absolutely is time to take down the "bird feeder." It was time many, many years ago...and we are fools if we continue to "feed the birds" the way we are currently doing.
_______________________________________
A man bought a bird feeder. He hung it on his back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week he had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of his
patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile,
the chairs, the table... everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb the
man and try to peck him even though he had fed them out of his own pocket.
And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the
feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that he fill it when it got low on food. After a while, the man couldn't even sit on his own back porch anymore.
Well, the man took down the bird feeder and in three days the
birds were gone.
He cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had
built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now let's see . . . . .
Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free
medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an
automatic citizen.
Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly. . .
Our taxes went up to pay for free services, small apartments are
housing 5 families:
You have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room
doctor:
Your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English.
Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one"
to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for our government to take down the bird
feeder.
_____________________________________
It absolutely is time to take down the "bird feeder." It was time many, many years ago...and we are fools if we continue to "feed the birds" the way we are currently doing.
Now that General Petraeus has spoken...
I listened to as much of General David Petraeus' testimony as I possibly could earlier this week. He is a deeply committed public servant and, from all accounts, a terrific military leader.
I'm troubled that so many in Washington DC--including the President and Vice President of the United States--have really not heard what the General seems to be saying.
We are making "some" progress in Iraq. Not as much as we would hoped to have made...and not as little as the "naysayers" claim either.
While I was all for the Bush Administration's decision to "go to war" I was absolutely horrified that so little planning went into this "effort."
Retired General Eric Shinsecki warned both the Congress and the White House of what would be needed to bring about the desired results in this conflict. Less than one month later General Shinsecki was relieved of his duties as the Chief of Staff, United States Army.
Now retired, Former Secretary of State, (Retired General, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff) Colin Powell also candidly and clearly advised the Bush Administration of the obstacles and hurdles that would need to be crossed and cleared. But alas, Rumsfeld and Cheney--neither of them war heroes in the stretch of anyone's imagination--thought they knew better than the "proven heroes." Secretary Powell, however, had been the brilliant architect of the First Gulf War in 1991. But he too, was pushed aside and silenced by this brain-dead Administration.
Now, almost 4000 American service personnel have given their lives. And the talking heads in Washington still aren't listening too closely.
Why?
I'm troubled that so many in Washington DC--including the President and Vice President of the United States--have really not heard what the General seems to be saying.
We are making "some" progress in Iraq. Not as much as we would hoped to have made...and not as little as the "naysayers" claim either.
While I was all for the Bush Administration's decision to "go to war" I was absolutely horrified that so little planning went into this "effort."
Retired General Eric Shinsecki warned both the Congress and the White House of what would be needed to bring about the desired results in this conflict. Less than one month later General Shinsecki was relieved of his duties as the Chief of Staff, United States Army.
Now retired, Former Secretary of State, (Retired General, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff) Colin Powell also candidly and clearly advised the Bush Administration of the obstacles and hurdles that would need to be crossed and cleared. But alas, Rumsfeld and Cheney--neither of them war heroes in the stretch of anyone's imagination--thought they knew better than the "proven heroes." Secretary Powell, however, had been the brilliant architect of the First Gulf War in 1991. But he too, was pushed aside and silenced by this brain-dead Administration.
Now, almost 4000 American service personnel have given their lives. And the talking heads in Washington still aren't listening too closely.
Why?
The "OPRAH" factor for Senator Obama...
The reigning Queen of Talk Shows...Oprah Winfrey...has unabashedly thrown her entire reputation and support behind the political campaign of the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.
Miss Winfrey, as a law-abiding American, has every right to support whomever she wants to support for whatever political office someone wants to pursue. This time, OPRAH has decided that Barack Obama--a good man, with a beautiful wife and lovely daughters--should be president of the United States, come January 2009.
I personally disagree with Oprah on this one.
She has always seem to be one of the "voices of reason" concerning most issues in contemporary society. On many occasions, I have found myself agreeing with her. I have deeply appreciated her philanthropic efforts around the world. I have admired the fact that she is a hard-working, tremendously gifted, and gracious woman.
I even admire the fact that she has decided to get involved in the political process.
What bugs me though is the fact that she has now alienated millions of her viewers who have decided, deep in their heart of hearts, that Senator Obama is not ready for the Oval Office.
At least not yet.
Miss Winfrey, as a law-abiding American, has every right to support whomever she wants to support for whatever political office someone wants to pursue. This time, OPRAH has decided that Barack Obama--a good man, with a beautiful wife and lovely daughters--should be president of the United States, come January 2009.
I personally disagree with Oprah on this one.
She has always seem to be one of the "voices of reason" concerning most issues in contemporary society. On many occasions, I have found myself agreeing with her. I have deeply appreciated her philanthropic efforts around the world. I have admired the fact that she is a hard-working, tremendously gifted, and gracious woman.
I even admire the fact that she has decided to get involved in the political process.
What bugs me though is the fact that she has now alienated millions of her viewers who have decided, deep in their heart of hearts, that Senator Obama is not ready for the Oval Office.
At least not yet.
I Then Shall Live...
I've often stated that GLORIA GAITHER is probably my favorite living poet/songwriter. In response to a book written by the late Dr Francis Schaeffer in the 1980s, she penned this wonderful poem, set to the music of Jean Sebelius's FINLANDIA:
___________________________________________________
I then shall live as one who's been forgiven;
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive another;
The law of love I gladly will obey.
I then shall live as one who's learned compassion;
Ive been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see anothers point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through.
Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your powr and glory, let them shine thru me.
Your Hallowed Name O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world thru me.
__________________________________________
What a powerful song/prayer/statement of commitment.
___________________________________________________
I then shall live as one who's been forgiven;
I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I'll forgive another;
The law of love I gladly will obey.
I then shall live as one who's learned compassion;
Ive been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see anothers point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I'll be there to care and follow through.
Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your powr and glory, let them shine thru me.
Your Hallowed Name O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world thru me.
__________________________________________
What a powerful song/prayer/statement of commitment.
I sang this song 23 years ago...
And I still love it:
_____________________________
Down from His glory
Everliving story,
My God and Saviour came
And Jesus was His name.
Born in a manger,
To this earth a stranger
A man of sorrows, tears, and agony.
Oh how I love Him!
How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine
My all in all!
The great Creator
Became my Saviour!
And all God's fulness
Dwells in Him!
__________________________
And that is no less true today. I love this God-Man, Jesus Christ! I adore this God-Man, Jesus Christ! In Him dwells all the fulness of God.
That's something to consider.
_____________________________
Down from His glory
Everliving story,
My God and Saviour came
And Jesus was His name.
Born in a manger,
To this earth a stranger
A man of sorrows, tears, and agony.
Oh how I love Him!
How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine
My all in all!
The great Creator
Became my Saviour!
And all God's fulness
Dwells in Him!
__________________________
And that is no less true today. I love this God-Man, Jesus Christ! I adore this God-Man, Jesus Christ! In Him dwells all the fulness of God.
That's something to consider.
Something to remember here...
I first heard this great song when I was a student at Lee College (now University) back in the early 1980s. Gary McSpadden is one of the co-writers of this great reminder:
Above His name there is no other name
The one who is eternally the same
There is no other name
The first and last, beginning and the end.
He was the King who made
the common man his friend
there is no other name.
let every tongue proclaim
And sing the name of Jesus
Chorus:
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Messiah King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus
Verse #2
He created all there is with his own hands
And yet our smallest need He understands
There is no other name
The one who said "I am the great I AM"
and then He gave Himself a sacrifice for man
There is no other name, let every tongue proclaim
And sing the name of Jesus
Chorus:
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Forever He shall reign as King of Kings
He's Lord of all, and every Living thing
Yes, from now on we'll worship Him and praise
the name of Jesus
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Forever He shall reign as King of Kings
He's Lord or all, and every Living thing
Yes, from now on we'll worship Him
and praise the name of Jesus!
Praise the name of JESUS!
Above His name there is no other name
The one who is eternally the same
There is no other name
The first and last, beginning and the end.
He was the King who made
the common man his friend
there is no other name.
let every tongue proclaim
And sing the name of Jesus
Chorus:
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Messiah King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus
Verse #2
He created all there is with his own hands
And yet our smallest need He understands
There is no other name
The one who said "I am the great I AM"
and then He gave Himself a sacrifice for man
There is no other name, let every tongue proclaim
And sing the name of Jesus
Chorus:
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Forever He shall reign as King of Kings
He's Lord of all, and every Living thing
Yes, from now on we'll worship Him and praise
the name of Jesus
Magnify and praise the name of Jesus
No other name but Jesus
There is power in the precious name of Jesus, Jesus
Forever He shall reign as King of Kings
He's Lord or all, and every Living thing
Yes, from now on we'll worship Him
and praise the name of Jesus!
Praise the name of JESUS!
Bill Cosby Is Right...Here's the speech...
This speech was delivered by Bill Cosby, EdD at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Brown Vs Board of Education. He was right then, and he is still right today:
_______________________________________________________
Ladies and gentlemen, I really have to ask you to seriously consider what you’ve heard, and now this is the end of the evening so to speak. I heard a prize fight manager say to his fellow who was losing badly, “David, listen to me. It’s not what’s he’s doing to you. It’s what you’re not doing. (laughter).
Ladies and gentlemen, these people set, they opened the doors, they gave us the right, and today, ladies and gentlemen, in our cities and public schools we have fifty percent drop out. In our own neighborhood, we have men in prison. No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband. (clapping) No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child (clapping)
.
Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic and lower middle economic people are [not*] holding their end in this deal. In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on. (clapping) In the old days, you couldn’t hooky school because every drawn shade was an eye (laughing). And before your mother got off the bus and to the house, she knew exactly where you had gone, who had gone into the house, and where you got on whatever you had one and where you got it from. Parents don’t know that today.
I’m talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.
Where were you when he was two? (clapping) Where were you when he was twelve? (clapping) Where were you when he was eighteen, and how come you don’t know he had a pistol? (clapping) And where is his father, and why don’t you know where he is? And why doesn’t the father show up to talk to this boy?
The church is only open on Sunday. And you can’t keep asking Jesus to ask doing things for you (clapping). You can’t keep asking that God will find a way. God is tired of you (clapping and laughing). God was there when they won all those cases. 50 in a row. That’s where God was because these people were doing something. And God said, “I’m going to find a way.” I wasn’t there when God said it… I’m making this up (laughter). But it sounds like what God would do (laughter).
We cannot blame white people. White people (clapping) .. white people don’t live over there. They close up the shop early. The Korean ones still don’t know us as well…they stay open 24 hours (laughter).
I’m looking and I see a man named Kenneth Clark. He and his wife Mamie…Kenneth’s still alive. I have to apologize to him for these people because Kenneth said it straight. He said you have to strengthen yourselves…and we’ve got to have that black doll. And everybody said it. Julian Bond said it. Dick Gregory said it. All these lawyers said it. And you wouldn’t know that anybody had done a damned thing.
50 percent drop out rate, I’m telling you, and people in jail, and women having children by five, six different men. Under what excuse, I want somebody to love me, and as soon as you have it, you forget to parent. Grandmother, mother, and great grandmother in the same room, raising children, and the child knows nothing about love or respect of any one of the three of them (clapping). All this child knows is “gimme, gimme, gimme.” These people want to buy the friendship of a child….and the child couldn’t care less. Those of us sitting out here who have gone on to some college or whatever we’ve done, we still fear our parents (clapping and laughter). And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics. (clapping)
A\Kenneth Clark, somewhere in his home in upstate New York…just looking ahead. Thank God, he doesn’t know what’s going on, thank God. But these people, the ones up here in the balcony fought so hard. Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! Then we all run out and are outraged, “The cops shouldn’t have shot him” What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand? (laughter and clapping). I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else (laughter) And I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if get caught with it you’re going to embarrass your mother. Not you’re going to get your butt kicked. No. You’re going to embarrass your mother. You’re going to embarrass your family.
If knock that girl up, you’re going to have to run away because it’s going to be too embarrassing for your family. In the old days, a girl getting pregnant had to go down South, and then her mother would go down to get her. But the mother had the baby. I said the mother had the baby. The girl didn’t have a baby. The mother had the baby in two weeks. (laughter) We are not parenting. Ladies and gentlemen, listen to these people, they are showing you what’s wrong. People putting their clothes on backwards. –isn’t that a sign of something going on wrong? (laughter)
Are you not paying attention, people with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up (laughter and clapping ). Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack…and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from? (laughter). We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans, they don’t know a damned thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Shaligua, Mohammed and all that crap and all of them are in jail. (When we give these kinds names to our children, we give them the strength and inspiration in the meaning of those names. What’s the point of giving them strong names if there is not parenting and values backing it up).
Brown Versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We’ve got to take the neighborhood back (clapping). We’ve got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It’s right around the corner. (laughter) It’s standing on the corner. It can’t speak English. It doesn’t want to speak English. I can’t even talk the way these people talk. “Why you ain’t where you is go, ra,” I don’t know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk (laughter). Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it’s important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can’t land a plane with “why you ain’t…” You can’t be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they’re moving ahead on this. Well, they know they’re not, they’re just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you’re just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out.
Now look, I’m telling you. It’s not what they’re doing to us. It’s what we’re not doing. 50 percent drop out. Look, we’re raising our own ingrown immigrants. These people are fighting hard to be ignorant. There’s no English being spoken, and they’re walking and they’re angry. Oh God, they’re angry and they have pistols and they shoot and they do stupid things. And after they kill somebody, they don’t have a plan. Just murder somebody. Boom. Over what? A pizza? And then run to the poor cousin’s house. They sit there and the cousin says “what are you doing here?” “I just killed somebody, man.” “What?” “I just killed somebody, I’ve got to stay here.” “No, you don’t.” “Well, give me some money, I’ll go…” “Where are you going?” “North Carolina.” Everybody wanted to go to North Carolina. But the police know where you’re going because your cousin has a record.
Five or six different children, same woman, eight, ten different husbands or whatever, pretty soon you’re going to have to have DNA cards so you can tell who you’re making love to. You don’t who this is. It might be your grandmother. (laughter) I’m telling you, they’re young enough. Hey, you have a baby when you’re twelve. Your baby turns thirteen and has a baby, how old are you? Huh? Grandmother. By the time you’re twelve, you could have sex with your grandmother, you keep those numbers coming. I’m just predicting.
I’m saying Brown Vs. Board of Education. We’ve got to hit the streets, ladies and gentlemen. I’m winding up, now , no more applause. I’m saying, look at the Black Muslims. There are Black Muslims standing on the street corners and they say so forth and so on, and we’rere laughing at them because they have bean pies and all that, but you don’t read “Black Muslim gunned down while chastising drug dealer.” You don’t read that. They don’t shoot down Black Muslims. You understand me. Muslims tell you to get out of the neighborhood. When you want to clear your neighborhood out, first thing you do is go get the Black Muslims, bean pies and all (laughter). And your neighborhood is then clear. The police can’t do it .
I’m telling you Christians, what’s wrong with you? Why can’t you hit the streets? Why can’t you clean it out yourselves? It’s our time now, ladies and gentlemen. It is our time (clapping). And I’ve got good news for you. It’s not about money. It’s about you doing something ordinarily that we do—get in somebody else’s business. It’s time for you to not accept the language that these people are speaking, which will take them nowhere. What the hell good is Brown V. Board of Education if nobody wants it?
What is it with young girls getting after some girl who wants to still remain a virgin. Who are these sick black people and where did they come from and why haven’t they been parented to shut up? To go up to girls and try to get a club where “you are nobody..,” this is a sickness ladies and gentlemen and we are not paying attention to these children. These are children. They don’t know anything. They don’t have anything. They’re homeless people. All they know how to do is beg. And you give it to them, trying to win their friendship. And what are they good for? And then they stand there in an orange suit and you drop to your knees, “(crying sound) He didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything.” Yes, he did do it. And you need to have an orange suit on too (laughter, clapping).
So, ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for the award (big laughter) and giving me an opportunity to speak because, I mean, this is the future, and all of these people who lined up and done..they’ve got to be wondering what the hell happened. Brown V. Board of Education, these people who marched and were hit in the face with rocks and punched in the face to get an education and we got these knuckleheads walking around who don’t want to learn English (clapping) I know that you all know it. I just want to get you as angry that you ought to be. When you walk around the neighborhood and you see this stuff, that stuff’s not funny. These people are not funny anymore. And that ‘s not brother. And that’s not my sister. They’re faking and they’re dragging me way down because the state, the city and all these people have to pick up the tab on them because they don’t want to accept that they have to study to get an education.
We have to begin to build in the neighborhood, have restaurants, have cleaners, have pharmacies, have real estate, have medical buildings instead of trying to rob them all. And so, ladies and gentlemen, please, Dorothy Height, where ever she’s sitting, she didn’t do all that stuff so that she could hear somebody say “I can’t stand algebra, I can’t stand…and “what you is.” It’s horrible.
Basketball players, multimillionaires can’t write a paragraph. Football players, multimillionaires, can’t read. Yes. Multimillionaires. Well, Brown V Board of Education, where are we today? It’s there. They paved the way. What did we do with it. The white man, he’s laughing, got to be laughing. 50 percent drop out, rest of them in prison.
You got to tell me that if there was parenting, help me, if there was parenting, he wouldn’t have picked up the Coca Cola bottle and walked out with it to get shot in the back of the head. He wouldn’t have. Not if he loved his parents. And not if they were parenting! Not if the father would come home. Not if the boy hadn’t dropped the sperm cell inside of the girl and the girl had said, “No, you have to come back here and be the father of this child.” Not ..“I don’t have to.”
Therefore, you have the pile up of these sweet beautiful things born by nature raised by no one. Give them presents. You’re raising pimps. That’s what a pimp is. A pimp will act nasty to you so you have to go out and get them something. And then you bring it back and maybe he or she hugs you. And that’s why pimp is so famous. They’ve got a drink called the “Pimp-something.” You all wonder what that’s about, don’t you? Well, you’re probably going to let Jesus figure it out for you (laughter). Well, I’ve got something to tell you about Jesus. When you go to the church, look at the stained glass things of Jesus. Look at them. Is Jesus smiling? Not in one picture. So, tell your friends. Let’s try to do something. Let’s try to make Jesus smile. Let’s start parenting. Thank you, thank you (clapping, cheers)
_______________________________________________________
Ladies and gentlemen, I really have to ask you to seriously consider what you’ve heard, and now this is the end of the evening so to speak. I heard a prize fight manager say to his fellow who was losing badly, “David, listen to me. It’s not what’s he’s doing to you. It’s what you’re not doing. (laughter).
Ladies and gentlemen, these people set, they opened the doors, they gave us the right, and today, ladies and gentlemen, in our cities and public schools we have fifty percent drop out. In our own neighborhood, we have men in prison. No longer is a person embarrassed because they’re pregnant without a husband. (clapping) No longer is a boy considered an embarrassment if he tries to run away from being the father of the unmarried child (clapping)
.
Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic and lower middle economic people are [not*] holding their end in this deal. In the neighborhood that most of us grew up in, parenting is not going on. (clapping) In the old days, you couldn’t hooky school because every drawn shade was an eye (laughing). And before your mother got off the bus and to the house, she knew exactly where you had gone, who had gone into the house, and where you got on whatever you had one and where you got it from. Parents don’t know that today.
I’m talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.
Where were you when he was two? (clapping) Where were you when he was twelve? (clapping) Where were you when he was eighteen, and how come you don’t know he had a pistol? (clapping) And where is his father, and why don’t you know where he is? And why doesn’t the father show up to talk to this boy?
The church is only open on Sunday. And you can’t keep asking Jesus to ask doing things for you (clapping). You can’t keep asking that God will find a way. God is tired of you (clapping and laughing). God was there when they won all those cases. 50 in a row. That’s where God was because these people were doing something. And God said, “I’m going to find a way.” I wasn’t there when God said it… I’m making this up (laughter). But it sounds like what God would do (laughter).
We cannot blame white people. White people (clapping) .. white people don’t live over there. They close up the shop early. The Korean ones still don’t know us as well…they stay open 24 hours (laughter).
I’m looking and I see a man named Kenneth Clark. He and his wife Mamie…Kenneth’s still alive. I have to apologize to him for these people because Kenneth said it straight. He said you have to strengthen yourselves…and we’ve got to have that black doll. And everybody said it. Julian Bond said it. Dick Gregory said it. All these lawyers said it. And you wouldn’t know that anybody had done a damned thing.
50 percent drop out rate, I’m telling you, and people in jail, and women having children by five, six different men. Under what excuse, I want somebody to love me, and as soon as you have it, you forget to parent. Grandmother, mother, and great grandmother in the same room, raising children, and the child knows nothing about love or respect of any one of the three of them (clapping). All this child knows is “gimme, gimme, gimme.” These people want to buy the friendship of a child….and the child couldn’t care less. Those of us sitting out here who have gone on to some college or whatever we’ve done, we still fear our parents (clapping and laughter). And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics. (clapping)
A\Kenneth Clark, somewhere in his home in upstate New York…just looking ahead. Thank God, he doesn’t know what’s going on, thank God. But these people, the ones up here in the balcony fought so hard. Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! Then we all run out and are outraged, “The cops shouldn’t have shot him” What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand? (laughter and clapping). I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else (laughter) And I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if get caught with it you’re going to embarrass your mother. Not you’re going to get your butt kicked. No. You’re going to embarrass your mother. You’re going to embarrass your family.
If knock that girl up, you’re going to have to run away because it’s going to be too embarrassing for your family. In the old days, a girl getting pregnant had to go down South, and then her mother would go down to get her. But the mother had the baby. I said the mother had the baby. The girl didn’t have a baby. The mother had the baby in two weeks. (laughter) We are not parenting. Ladies and gentlemen, listen to these people, they are showing you what’s wrong. People putting their clothes on backwards. –isn’t that a sign of something going on wrong? (laughter)
Are you not paying attention, people with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up (laughter and clapping ). Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack…and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from? (laughter). We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans, they don’t know a damned thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Shaligua, Mohammed and all that crap and all of them are in jail. (When we give these kinds names to our children, we give them the strength and inspiration in the meaning of those names. What’s the point of giving them strong names if there is not parenting and values backing it up).
Brown Versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We’ve got to take the neighborhood back (clapping). We’ve got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It’s right around the corner. (laughter) It’s standing on the corner. It can’t speak English. It doesn’t want to speak English. I can’t even talk the way these people talk. “Why you ain’t where you is go, ra,” I don’t know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk (laughter). Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it’s important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can’t land a plane with “why you ain’t…” You can’t be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they’re moving ahead on this. Well, they know they’re not, they’re just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you’re just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out.
Now look, I’m telling you. It’s not what they’re doing to us. It’s what we’re not doing. 50 percent drop out. Look, we’re raising our own ingrown immigrants. These people are fighting hard to be ignorant. There’s no English being spoken, and they’re walking and they’re angry. Oh God, they’re angry and they have pistols and they shoot and they do stupid things. And after they kill somebody, they don’t have a plan. Just murder somebody. Boom. Over what? A pizza? And then run to the poor cousin’s house. They sit there and the cousin says “what are you doing here?” “I just killed somebody, man.” “What?” “I just killed somebody, I’ve got to stay here.” “No, you don’t.” “Well, give me some money, I’ll go…” “Where are you going?” “North Carolina.” Everybody wanted to go to North Carolina. But the police know where you’re going because your cousin has a record.
Five or six different children, same woman, eight, ten different husbands or whatever, pretty soon you’re going to have to have DNA cards so you can tell who you’re making love to. You don’t who this is. It might be your grandmother. (laughter) I’m telling you, they’re young enough. Hey, you have a baby when you’re twelve. Your baby turns thirteen and has a baby, how old are you? Huh? Grandmother. By the time you’re twelve, you could have sex with your grandmother, you keep those numbers coming. I’m just predicting.
I’m saying Brown Vs. Board of Education. We’ve got to hit the streets, ladies and gentlemen. I’m winding up, now , no more applause. I’m saying, look at the Black Muslims. There are Black Muslims standing on the street corners and they say so forth and so on, and we’rere laughing at them because they have bean pies and all that, but you don’t read “Black Muslim gunned down while chastising drug dealer.” You don’t read that. They don’t shoot down Black Muslims. You understand me. Muslims tell you to get out of the neighborhood. When you want to clear your neighborhood out, first thing you do is go get the Black Muslims, bean pies and all (laughter). And your neighborhood is then clear. The police can’t do it .
I’m telling you Christians, what’s wrong with you? Why can’t you hit the streets? Why can’t you clean it out yourselves? It’s our time now, ladies and gentlemen. It is our time (clapping). And I’ve got good news for you. It’s not about money. It’s about you doing something ordinarily that we do—get in somebody else’s business. It’s time for you to not accept the language that these people are speaking, which will take them nowhere. What the hell good is Brown V. Board of Education if nobody wants it?
What is it with young girls getting after some girl who wants to still remain a virgin. Who are these sick black people and where did they come from and why haven’t they been parented to shut up? To go up to girls and try to get a club where “you are nobody..,” this is a sickness ladies and gentlemen and we are not paying attention to these children. These are children. They don’t know anything. They don’t have anything. They’re homeless people. All they know how to do is beg. And you give it to them, trying to win their friendship. And what are they good for? And then they stand there in an orange suit and you drop to your knees, “(crying sound) He didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything.” Yes, he did do it. And you need to have an orange suit on too (laughter, clapping).
So, ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for the award (big laughter) and giving me an opportunity to speak because, I mean, this is the future, and all of these people who lined up and done..they’ve got to be wondering what the hell happened. Brown V. Board of Education, these people who marched and were hit in the face with rocks and punched in the face to get an education and we got these knuckleheads walking around who don’t want to learn English (clapping) I know that you all know it. I just want to get you as angry that you ought to be. When you walk around the neighborhood and you see this stuff, that stuff’s not funny. These people are not funny anymore. And that ‘s not brother. And that’s not my sister. They’re faking and they’re dragging me way down because the state, the city and all these people have to pick up the tab on them because they don’t want to accept that they have to study to get an education.
We have to begin to build in the neighborhood, have restaurants, have cleaners, have pharmacies, have real estate, have medical buildings instead of trying to rob them all. And so, ladies and gentlemen, please, Dorothy Height, where ever she’s sitting, she didn’t do all that stuff so that she could hear somebody say “I can’t stand algebra, I can’t stand…and “what you is.” It’s horrible.
Basketball players, multimillionaires can’t write a paragraph. Football players, multimillionaires, can’t read. Yes. Multimillionaires. Well, Brown V Board of Education, where are we today? It’s there. They paved the way. What did we do with it. The white man, he’s laughing, got to be laughing. 50 percent drop out, rest of them in prison.
You got to tell me that if there was parenting, help me, if there was parenting, he wouldn’t have picked up the Coca Cola bottle and walked out with it to get shot in the back of the head. He wouldn’t have. Not if he loved his parents. And not if they were parenting! Not if the father would come home. Not if the boy hadn’t dropped the sperm cell inside of the girl and the girl had said, “No, you have to come back here and be the father of this child.” Not ..“I don’t have to.”
Therefore, you have the pile up of these sweet beautiful things born by nature raised by no one. Give them presents. You’re raising pimps. That’s what a pimp is. A pimp will act nasty to you so you have to go out and get them something. And then you bring it back and maybe he or she hugs you. And that’s why pimp is so famous. They’ve got a drink called the “Pimp-something.” You all wonder what that’s about, don’t you? Well, you’re probably going to let Jesus figure it out for you (laughter). Well, I’ve got something to tell you about Jesus. When you go to the church, look at the stained glass things of Jesus. Look at them. Is Jesus smiling? Not in one picture. So, tell your friends. Let’s try to do something. Let’s try to make Jesus smile. Let’s start parenting. Thank you, thank you (clapping, cheers)
All I can say is "Amen"
'Bill Cosby Was Right'
Inspired by the outspoken comedian, journalist Juan Williams offers a bold critique of black America. His message: There's a crisis in the community, and all of us—especially the church—have a role to play in healing the damage.
Interview by Edward Gilbreath, Online Exclusive with Juan Williams
Three years ago, comedian Bill Cosby set off a firestorm of criticism and debate with his speech about black America's failure to fulfill the promise of Brown v. Board of Education. He addressed the sad state of African American literacy and the growing percentage of dropouts. He talked about the epidemic of out-of-wedlock births and the black community's lack of shame over it. He spoke of the senseless criminal behavior that puts too many black men in prison—or the grave: "People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake!" And he denounced the tendency among blacks to blame racism: "It is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us, and it keeps a person frozen in their seat."
Inspired by Cosby's controversial remarks, National Public Radio senior correspondent and Fox News commentator Juan Williams wrote a book that adds journalistic weight to the comedian's fiery wake-up call. Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America—and What We Can Do About It, just released in paperback, made Williams the target of the same critics who lambasted Cosby. But it has also kept people engaged in a much-needed conversation. Williams, who is also the author of This Far By Faith: Stories from the African American Religious Experience, spoke with Today's Christian editor Edward Gilbreath about Enough and why America should take Cosby's words to heart.
"Phony leaders." "Dead-end movements." "Culture of failure." I think it's safe to say you brought some strong opinions to this book. When did you know Enough was something you had to write?
I've been a reporter in Washington, D.C., for a long time, and lived through the Marion Barry years where you had a corrupt, drug-addicted mayor who played on his civil rights credentials to make himself a hero to people. He led a city government that lacked accountability and failed to deliver on its promises.
In the '80s I covered Jesse Jackson's two campaigns, where arguably it wasn't about winning the presidency but about raising issues that were of concern to people of color and the poor and forcing the mainstream political parties to pay attention to those who had been left behind by Reaganomics. In the years that followed, I looked back at the phenomenon of Jackson's presidential bid and his ensuing work and the question occurred to me, What has he accomplished? He was supposed to raise issues of justice for the poor and disadvantaged, but ultimately what his campaigns amounted to were an airplane for him to fly around in and jobs for his friends and political cronies. His campaigns seemed to have accomplished very little in terms of changing the condition of the disadvantaged.
Both Jackson and Barry led me to wonder, what had become of the civil rights movement and its struggle to achieve American ideals and Christian values in our nation? I just didn't see it. Instead, I saw a lot self-serving people who were posturing as advocates for the poor, but who really, it seemed to me, were enriching themselves.
So you were thinking about the book even before the famous Bill Cosby speech?
I was, but it hadn't formed in my mind how to do it. Then, in 2004, the NAACP invited Cosby to speak in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. The expectation was that he would give the standard "nice" speech, but instead he goes off and says these really wild things that, in the minds of some, took poor blacks to task for not taking ownership of their problems. I had been looking for a structure for the book, and because of Cosby's celebrity and the symbolism of him giving that speech, on that date, before that audience, the pieces all came together in that moment.
Of course, the deeper effect of Cosby's speech wasn't felt until critics from within the African American community began bashing him over it.
That's right. In the days following the speech, the critics launched an aggressive attack on Cosby, including the idea that he was an entertainer who didn't understand the power of systemic racism, that he was a self-hating black man, and that he was someone who was giving ammunition to the right wing.
As I heard all this, I thought to myself, What did the man say? I went back, read the speech, and decided that, while Cosby does speak in vivid, wild language, there's a lot of truth to what he's saying. There was a reason the people in the audience were applauding, giving amens, and standing ovations. Contrary to the response that came from critics later on, that audience knew this was a conversation people have long been having within the black community, and one that needed to be taken further.
Why do you think Cosby was attacked for saying something many blacks already believed to be true?
As an observer of politics, I've seen the way issues of poverty are dealt with today—everything from Reagan welfare reform of the '80s, to Clinton welfare reform of the '90s, and then coming forward to the present and events like Hurricane Katrina. I've discovered that there is a poverty industry. People keep pouring money in, and there are certain people who stand up and proclaim themselves to be the representatives and advocates of the poor. But they never seem to truly help people get out of poverty. There's a poverty spirit that takes hold.
In the book, I call it a "culture of failure," where people get caught up in dysfunctional behavior. They blame racism and other external forces. They make excuses, and then point fingers at everybody but themselves when things go obviously wrong. That's why the title of the book is Enough. I'm saying, "Come on, give me a break here!" It's time to stop making excuses and, like Cosby suggested, take responsibility.
Seeing how Cosby was treated, you had to know you would be opening yourself to those same types of personal assaults. And they certainly came. Did you ever have any trepidation about going there?
I gave very little thought to that. My main concern was about making a substantive and convincing case for the points that Cosby brought out in his speech. I thought if I avoided Cosby's explosive language and simply laid out the facts, then I could make it possible for people to engage the issues in a constructive discussion. I now know I was fooling myself. The critics will launch their personal attacks regardless of how balanced you try to be.
Al Sharpton called me a black Ann Coulter with pants. Jesse Jackson implied I was a bad journalist. Others accused me of excusing racism and blaming poor people for their problems. But I'm simply trying to hold today's civil rights leaders accountable for what's happening in black America.
Because of your roles with NPR and Fox News, conservatives have pegged you as someone who leans to the left on the political spectrum. But after the release of Enough, many conservatives embraced you.
One of the biggest surprises for me was how conservative talk radio hosts picked up on the message and began to tell their listeners that this is an important book.
I think part of the sexiness of the book for conservatives is that it's coming from this black guy that they used to regard as being "part of the problem," and now you're coming out with a message similar to what they've been trying to say for years, except you can say it more boldly because you're black. I listened to one interview that you did with a white host, and at moments it sounded like he was using you to affirm other views he had about reverse discrimination, black underachievement, and the evils of affirmative action. Since the book's release, have you felt as though some white conservatives were trying to exploit you as a black man who now "sees the light"?
I certainly have to consider that. But I think what's really happening is that these conservative talk show hosts didn't feel they could speak loudly on this issue because they were vulnerable to the rhetoric that, as white men who don't have any idea what it's like to struggle as a black person in this country, they couldn't criticize the African American community without seeming to unfairly demonize and attack black people and poor people. They've had some black voices like Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, and Shelby Steele who have long been ideologically identified as "black conservatives." But now, here I come and I'm identified in their world as much more liberal. That definitely gets people's attention.
To be honest, I don't think anyone who knows me personally would say, "Oh yeah, Juan is the quintessential liberal." If you've seen me on Fox News, where I'm often surrounded by Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes, and Britt Hume, I am certainly more left wing than they are. But the reason I look left wing is because they are so far right! [Laughs.] It's like if I walk into a room of short people. I'm not really that tall, but in comparison I'll probably appear that way.
Does all the talk about liberal and conservative politics bother you?
I didn't write this book to please conservatives or to please liberals. I wrote the book because I think what's happening in the African American community is an important sociological phenomenon. And if you care anything at all about poor people getting left behind in this very competitive economy, where there is a larger and larger divide between rich and poor, then it's critical that we address these issues in a new way. I welcome white voices, Hispanic voices, Republican voices, Democratic voices, Independent voices. I want everybody in on this conversation. As Americans, I don't think we should allow the conversation about race and poverty to be limited by reporters who only call Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton when these issues are covered.
You write about how black America has a rich tradition of empowerment in grassroots leadership, scholarship, and in the arts. Over time, you would think those rich traditions would have been passed down and multiplied. How did the African American community end up passing down more dysfunction than empowerment?
Well, to say we've passed down more dysfunction than empowerment is a generalization. Today, black America is more educated than in any previous era, and we have the largest black middle class ever.
Then is it just the media that hypes the dysfunction over the progress?
No. In fact, I think there's a very real crisis. When you look at the family breakdown, the dropout rate, and the fact that 25 percent of African Americans still live below the poverty line, it's hard not to acknowledge the magnitude of the situation.
When I was in Philadelphia last year the front page of the newspaper listed a running body count, because they have such a high homicide rate. In every major city in America, stray bullets from drive-by shootings are killing young children. So it isn't just hype.
The civil rights movement was once rooted in the pulpit and in the church. It spoke across racial lines with the idea of "let's all stand together in Christian service to do what is right."
But part of the reason things have changed in black America is that the civil rights movement left behind what it did best. I think what originally empowered the movement was its appeal to conscience and the best of the Judeo-Christian ethic. So you saw preachers like Dr. Martin Luther King and Dr. Ralph Abernathy saying, "If you are a Christian, how can you not see us as children of God, also? How can you not see the Spirit of God within us?"
And that was such a challenge to the white segregationists. It cut through to the heart, and I think that is why so much of the civil rights movement is rooted in the pulpit and in the church. It spoke across racial lines with the idea of "let's all stand together in Christian service to do what is right." That message that called us to reach within ourselves and fulfill God's intent for the world is such inspiring stuff. But all of that shifted in the early '70s when the movement was transformed into primarily a political force. Then it became about certain black leaders getting their "cut of the pie." That was such a different message than "We shall overcome" and "We will stand together because God is on our side."
So how do we end this "culture of failure" that has settled over our communities?
To start, we've got to deal immediately and urgently with the 25 percent of the black population that lives in poverty. Poverty is self-perpetuating, so we must find ways to prevent the cycle from taking hold of generation after generation. There are people who don't have the will to take advantage of opportunity or can't find a way to get a grip on that first rung on the ladder of upward mobility. So how do we change this?
In the book, I talk about a government study that concluded if you graduate high school, don't have a child out of wedlock, don't marry until you are employed, and enter and stay in the work force—no matter how small the job—you have an excellent chance of living above the poverty line. I think that's the message we have to convey to young people. You can make it in this country. At the very basic level, you just need to do things that will put you in a position to win. Graduate from high school, and if possible go to college. Stay in the job market. Don't have children before you're ready to care for them. And understand the value of marriage—both in terms of family life and in terms of building wealth and securing a stable standard of living. We need to tell people these basic steps and start talking about how shameful it is to get involved with crime—reintroduce the stigma. Like Cosby said, "They may be building all these jails, but you don't have to go to them."
You mention the church and religion as being a part of the solution as well. Specifically, how do you see churches and people of faith playing a role?
Let's start with Hurricane Katrina. There are still volunteers from every church, every denomination, going down to that Gulf Coast area to help people. Last year, when I was down there, it looked like it was the official vacation spot for many Christian groups. People are going down there to make a difference. In my church, in Washington, we adopted a family of five and made housing available to them on the church property. We gave them the basic necessities, helped them in terms of contacts and getting jobs and all that. And we're continuing to help them now that they've found their own place. This kind of service has been true of churches and religious institutions all across the nation.
The suicide rate and the level of people being emotionally disturbed and upset often spike as a result of natural disasters like Katrina. It's the church that can speak to those different needs and help people cope.
Churches also have a role to play in connecting people across class lines. For example, people who have moved out to the suburbs and who perhaps only come back into their old neighborhoods on Sunday mornings to go to church … Those church members are potential role models and contacts for people who are trapped in those old neighborhoods and need to get out. The notion of a community of faith that can provide a structure of caring and support is a powerful force for helping people. I know, in my own life, I've found this to be true.
________________________________________________________
WOW!
Inspired by the outspoken comedian, journalist Juan Williams offers a bold critique of black America. His message: There's a crisis in the community, and all of us—especially the church—have a role to play in healing the damage.
Interview by Edward Gilbreath, Online Exclusive with Juan Williams
Three years ago, comedian Bill Cosby set off a firestorm of criticism and debate with his speech about black America's failure to fulfill the promise of Brown v. Board of Education. He addressed the sad state of African American literacy and the growing percentage of dropouts. He talked about the epidemic of out-of-wedlock births and the black community's lack of shame over it. He spoke of the senseless criminal behavior that puts too many black men in prison—or the grave: "People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake!" And he denounced the tendency among blacks to blame racism: "It is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us, and it keeps a person frozen in their seat."
Inspired by Cosby's controversial remarks, National Public Radio senior correspondent and Fox News commentator Juan Williams wrote a book that adds journalistic weight to the comedian's fiery wake-up call. Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America—and What We Can Do About It, just released in paperback, made Williams the target of the same critics who lambasted Cosby. But it has also kept people engaged in a much-needed conversation. Williams, who is also the author of This Far By Faith: Stories from the African American Religious Experience, spoke with Today's Christian editor Edward Gilbreath about Enough and why America should take Cosby's words to heart.
"Phony leaders." "Dead-end movements." "Culture of failure." I think it's safe to say you brought some strong opinions to this book. When did you know Enough was something you had to write?
I've been a reporter in Washington, D.C., for a long time, and lived through the Marion Barry years where you had a corrupt, drug-addicted mayor who played on his civil rights credentials to make himself a hero to people. He led a city government that lacked accountability and failed to deliver on its promises.
In the '80s I covered Jesse Jackson's two campaigns, where arguably it wasn't about winning the presidency but about raising issues that were of concern to people of color and the poor and forcing the mainstream political parties to pay attention to those who had been left behind by Reaganomics. In the years that followed, I looked back at the phenomenon of Jackson's presidential bid and his ensuing work and the question occurred to me, What has he accomplished? He was supposed to raise issues of justice for the poor and disadvantaged, but ultimately what his campaigns amounted to were an airplane for him to fly around in and jobs for his friends and political cronies. His campaigns seemed to have accomplished very little in terms of changing the condition of the disadvantaged.
Both Jackson and Barry led me to wonder, what had become of the civil rights movement and its struggle to achieve American ideals and Christian values in our nation? I just didn't see it. Instead, I saw a lot self-serving people who were posturing as advocates for the poor, but who really, it seemed to me, were enriching themselves.
So you were thinking about the book even before the famous Bill Cosby speech?
I was, but it hadn't formed in my mind how to do it. Then, in 2004, the NAACP invited Cosby to speak in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. The expectation was that he would give the standard "nice" speech, but instead he goes off and says these really wild things that, in the minds of some, took poor blacks to task for not taking ownership of their problems. I had been looking for a structure for the book, and because of Cosby's celebrity and the symbolism of him giving that speech, on that date, before that audience, the pieces all came together in that moment.
Of course, the deeper effect of Cosby's speech wasn't felt until critics from within the African American community began bashing him over it.
That's right. In the days following the speech, the critics launched an aggressive attack on Cosby, including the idea that he was an entertainer who didn't understand the power of systemic racism, that he was a self-hating black man, and that he was someone who was giving ammunition to the right wing.
As I heard all this, I thought to myself, What did the man say? I went back, read the speech, and decided that, while Cosby does speak in vivid, wild language, there's a lot of truth to what he's saying. There was a reason the people in the audience were applauding, giving amens, and standing ovations. Contrary to the response that came from critics later on, that audience knew this was a conversation people have long been having within the black community, and one that needed to be taken further.
Why do you think Cosby was attacked for saying something many blacks already believed to be true?
As an observer of politics, I've seen the way issues of poverty are dealt with today—everything from Reagan welfare reform of the '80s, to Clinton welfare reform of the '90s, and then coming forward to the present and events like Hurricane Katrina. I've discovered that there is a poverty industry. People keep pouring money in, and there are certain people who stand up and proclaim themselves to be the representatives and advocates of the poor. But they never seem to truly help people get out of poverty. There's a poverty spirit that takes hold.
In the book, I call it a "culture of failure," where people get caught up in dysfunctional behavior. They blame racism and other external forces. They make excuses, and then point fingers at everybody but themselves when things go obviously wrong. That's why the title of the book is Enough. I'm saying, "Come on, give me a break here!" It's time to stop making excuses and, like Cosby suggested, take responsibility.
Seeing how Cosby was treated, you had to know you would be opening yourself to those same types of personal assaults. And they certainly came. Did you ever have any trepidation about going there?
I gave very little thought to that. My main concern was about making a substantive and convincing case for the points that Cosby brought out in his speech. I thought if I avoided Cosby's explosive language and simply laid out the facts, then I could make it possible for people to engage the issues in a constructive discussion. I now know I was fooling myself. The critics will launch their personal attacks regardless of how balanced you try to be.
Al Sharpton called me a black Ann Coulter with pants. Jesse Jackson implied I was a bad journalist. Others accused me of excusing racism and blaming poor people for their problems. But I'm simply trying to hold today's civil rights leaders accountable for what's happening in black America.
Because of your roles with NPR and Fox News, conservatives have pegged you as someone who leans to the left on the political spectrum. But after the release of Enough, many conservatives embraced you.
One of the biggest surprises for me was how conservative talk radio hosts picked up on the message and began to tell their listeners that this is an important book.
I think part of the sexiness of the book for conservatives is that it's coming from this black guy that they used to regard as being "part of the problem," and now you're coming out with a message similar to what they've been trying to say for years, except you can say it more boldly because you're black. I listened to one interview that you did with a white host, and at moments it sounded like he was using you to affirm other views he had about reverse discrimination, black underachievement, and the evils of affirmative action. Since the book's release, have you felt as though some white conservatives were trying to exploit you as a black man who now "sees the light"?
I certainly have to consider that. But I think what's really happening is that these conservative talk show hosts didn't feel they could speak loudly on this issue because they were vulnerable to the rhetoric that, as white men who don't have any idea what it's like to struggle as a black person in this country, they couldn't criticize the African American community without seeming to unfairly demonize and attack black people and poor people. They've had some black voices like Thomas Sowell, John McWhorter, and Shelby Steele who have long been ideologically identified as "black conservatives." But now, here I come and I'm identified in their world as much more liberal. That definitely gets people's attention.
To be honest, I don't think anyone who knows me personally would say, "Oh yeah, Juan is the quintessential liberal." If you've seen me on Fox News, where I'm often surrounded by Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes, and Britt Hume, I am certainly more left wing than they are. But the reason I look left wing is because they are so far right! [Laughs.] It's like if I walk into a room of short people. I'm not really that tall, but in comparison I'll probably appear that way.
Does all the talk about liberal and conservative politics bother you?
I didn't write this book to please conservatives or to please liberals. I wrote the book because I think what's happening in the African American community is an important sociological phenomenon. And if you care anything at all about poor people getting left behind in this very competitive economy, where there is a larger and larger divide between rich and poor, then it's critical that we address these issues in a new way. I welcome white voices, Hispanic voices, Republican voices, Democratic voices, Independent voices. I want everybody in on this conversation. As Americans, I don't think we should allow the conversation about race and poverty to be limited by reporters who only call Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton when these issues are covered.
You write about how black America has a rich tradition of empowerment in grassroots leadership, scholarship, and in the arts. Over time, you would think those rich traditions would have been passed down and multiplied. How did the African American community end up passing down more dysfunction than empowerment?
Well, to say we've passed down more dysfunction than empowerment is a generalization. Today, black America is more educated than in any previous era, and we have the largest black middle class ever.
Then is it just the media that hypes the dysfunction over the progress?
No. In fact, I think there's a very real crisis. When you look at the family breakdown, the dropout rate, and the fact that 25 percent of African Americans still live below the poverty line, it's hard not to acknowledge the magnitude of the situation.
When I was in Philadelphia last year the front page of the newspaper listed a running body count, because they have such a high homicide rate. In every major city in America, stray bullets from drive-by shootings are killing young children. So it isn't just hype.
The civil rights movement was once rooted in the pulpit and in the church. It spoke across racial lines with the idea of "let's all stand together in Christian service to do what is right."
But part of the reason things have changed in black America is that the civil rights movement left behind what it did best. I think what originally empowered the movement was its appeal to conscience and the best of the Judeo-Christian ethic. So you saw preachers like Dr. Martin Luther King and Dr. Ralph Abernathy saying, "If you are a Christian, how can you not see us as children of God, also? How can you not see the Spirit of God within us?"
And that was such a challenge to the white segregationists. It cut through to the heart, and I think that is why so much of the civil rights movement is rooted in the pulpit and in the church. It spoke across racial lines with the idea of "let's all stand together in Christian service to do what is right." That message that called us to reach within ourselves and fulfill God's intent for the world is such inspiring stuff. But all of that shifted in the early '70s when the movement was transformed into primarily a political force. Then it became about certain black leaders getting their "cut of the pie." That was such a different message than "We shall overcome" and "We will stand together because God is on our side."
So how do we end this "culture of failure" that has settled over our communities?
To start, we've got to deal immediately and urgently with the 25 percent of the black population that lives in poverty. Poverty is self-perpetuating, so we must find ways to prevent the cycle from taking hold of generation after generation. There are people who don't have the will to take advantage of opportunity or can't find a way to get a grip on that first rung on the ladder of upward mobility. So how do we change this?
In the book, I talk about a government study that concluded if you graduate high school, don't have a child out of wedlock, don't marry until you are employed, and enter and stay in the work force—no matter how small the job—you have an excellent chance of living above the poverty line. I think that's the message we have to convey to young people. You can make it in this country. At the very basic level, you just need to do things that will put you in a position to win. Graduate from high school, and if possible go to college. Stay in the job market. Don't have children before you're ready to care for them. And understand the value of marriage—both in terms of family life and in terms of building wealth and securing a stable standard of living. We need to tell people these basic steps and start talking about how shameful it is to get involved with crime—reintroduce the stigma. Like Cosby said, "They may be building all these jails, but you don't have to go to them."
You mention the church and religion as being a part of the solution as well. Specifically, how do you see churches and people of faith playing a role?
Let's start with Hurricane Katrina. There are still volunteers from every church, every denomination, going down to that Gulf Coast area to help people. Last year, when I was down there, it looked like it was the official vacation spot for many Christian groups. People are going down there to make a difference. In my church, in Washington, we adopted a family of five and made housing available to them on the church property. We gave them the basic necessities, helped them in terms of contacts and getting jobs and all that. And we're continuing to help them now that they've found their own place. This kind of service has been true of churches and religious institutions all across the nation.
The suicide rate and the level of people being emotionally disturbed and upset often spike as a result of natural disasters like Katrina. It's the church that can speak to those different needs and help people cope.
Churches also have a role to play in connecting people across class lines. For example, people who have moved out to the suburbs and who perhaps only come back into their old neighborhoods on Sunday mornings to go to church … Those church members are potential role models and contacts for people who are trapped in those old neighborhoods and need to get out. The notion of a community of faith that can provide a structure of caring and support is a powerful force for helping people. I know, in my own life, I've found this to be true.
________________________________________________________
WOW!
Goodbye to my friend, Peggy Wynn....
My precious, precious friend Peggy went to glory last Wednesday evening at her home in Cleveland TN.
As I have written previously, this wonderful woman was one of the blessed people I've ever known. Her husband, Bishop Ray Wynn, is grieving, I'm sure.
I love them both dearly. I only wish I could have told her one more time how very much I loved her.
She is now in the presence of the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ whom she so faithfully loved and served for so many years.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."
And that's a promise that is always kept!
As I have written previously, this wonderful woman was one of the blessed people I've ever known. Her husband, Bishop Ray Wynn, is grieving, I'm sure.
I love them both dearly. I only wish I could have told her one more time how very much I loved her.
She is now in the presence of the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ whom she so faithfully loved and served for so many years.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."
And that's a promise that is always kept!
Home and Hospitality...
Some wonderful friends, Pastor Gary Piepkorn along with his wonderful wife Judy, will be guests in my home beginning tomorrow afternoon. I've not seen them in almost twelve years, and I am very, very excited.
I first met Gary when he was Chaplain (Major) Gary Piepkorn, United States Air Force. We were stationed together at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea in 1990. We immediately became good friends...and he was a wonderful encouragement to me on many levels.
Almost a year later, Gary and Judy (along with their children) were re-assigned to Oslo, Norway--where I was also assigned. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled with this development. Gary and Judy became my "family" in so many ways. I can never thank them enough.
So, in the meantime, I am reassigned to Reese AFB, near Lubbock, Texas in November 1992. About 18 months later, the Piepkorns return stateside--to Cannon AFB in Clovis, New Mexic0--about two hours away from me.!
I am completely convinced this is not "coincidence." God knew that I would need the Piepkorns near me during those years of "exile" in West Texas.
Now, the kids are all married and gone. Judy has decided that she wants to be a very, very well educated Nurse, so she has returned to school...Good for her.
After their assignment at Cannon, the Piepkorns did a tour in England, and then in Northern California...before Gary decided to retire...and accept a Pastorate of a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod down in New Mexico!
I can hardly wait for them to arrive!
I first met Gary when he was Chaplain (Major) Gary Piepkorn, United States Air Force. We were stationed together at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea in 1990. We immediately became good friends...and he was a wonderful encouragement to me on many levels.
Almost a year later, Gary and Judy (along with their children) were re-assigned to Oslo, Norway--where I was also assigned. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled with this development. Gary and Judy became my "family" in so many ways. I can never thank them enough.
So, in the meantime, I am reassigned to Reese AFB, near Lubbock, Texas in November 1992. About 18 months later, the Piepkorns return stateside--to Cannon AFB in Clovis, New Mexic0--about two hours away from me.!
I am completely convinced this is not "coincidence." God knew that I would need the Piepkorns near me during those years of "exile" in West Texas.
Now, the kids are all married and gone. Judy has decided that she wants to be a very, very well educated Nurse, so she has returned to school...Good for her.
After their assignment at Cannon, the Piepkorns did a tour in England, and then in Northern California...before Gary decided to retire...and accept a Pastorate of a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod down in New Mexico!
I can hardly wait for them to arrive!
I hope my heart doesn't stop this season!
September 24th premiers the new season of DANCING WITH THE STARS:
The fifth season of this marvelous show will feature the following celebrities:
Marie Osmond
Floyd Mayweather (Boxer)
Melanie Brown (Scary Spice)
Helio Castroneves (From Venezuela, Racecar Driver)
Jennie Garth ( Beverly Hills, 90210)
Cameron Mathison (All my Children)
Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks owner)
Wayne Newton (singer..a really OLD singer)
Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girls on Disney)
Josie Maran ( model)
Albert Reed ( model)
Jane Seymour (Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman)
I can hardly wait.
The fifth season of this marvelous show will feature the following celebrities:
Marie Osmond
Floyd Mayweather (Boxer)
Melanie Brown (Scary Spice)
Helio Castroneves (From Venezuela, Racecar Driver)
Jennie Garth ( Beverly Hills, 90210)
Cameron Mathison (All my Children)
Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks owner)
Wayne Newton (singer..a really OLD singer)
Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girls on Disney)
Josie Maran ( model)
Albert Reed ( model)
Jane Seymour (Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman)
I can hardly wait.
I must confess...
I miss hearing about Heaven!
There was a time in our lives, and in our society, and especially in our churches when we heard about Heaven, we sang about Heaven, and we anxiously awaited our arrival in Heaven.
Now, sadly enough, we hear so very little about Heaven, and we sing about it even less.
Why?
Have we become so comfortable here on this planet...with all the comforts and goods, and "stuff" that we cannot begin to imagine that the City Whose Builder and Maker is God could be any better than what we currently have?
I grew up poor....we literally had nothing, and we knew it. But the one thing that we possessed, and that I still humbly claim: That wonderful promise of Heaven after life on this earth has ended.
My precious Grandmother Hoover taught me songs about heaven. The local church where I came to Christ as a small child, and most of the churches where I attended ever since that time, all sang and preached about heaven.
So what happened? Do we just not care about "heaven" anymore? Are we really that satisfied down here?
One of the great songs I learned as a child goes something like this:
While travelin' thru this world of sorrow
I'm on my way to gloryland!
I'll not turn back, for some tomorrow
My trials here, I'll understand.
I want to know more about my Jesus
I want to know more about my Lord
I want to know more about that mansion
I'm gonna receive as my reward!
I want to know more about that homeland
I mean to go there, some day some how.
And after I reach that heavenly city,
I'll surely know more than I know now!
What a promise! What a thrill! What a future!
What say ye?
There was a time in our lives, and in our society, and especially in our churches when we heard about Heaven, we sang about Heaven, and we anxiously awaited our arrival in Heaven.
Now, sadly enough, we hear so very little about Heaven, and we sing about it even less.
Why?
Have we become so comfortable here on this planet...with all the comforts and goods, and "stuff" that we cannot begin to imagine that the City Whose Builder and Maker is God could be any better than what we currently have?
I grew up poor....we literally had nothing, and we knew it. But the one thing that we possessed, and that I still humbly claim: That wonderful promise of Heaven after life on this earth has ended.
My precious Grandmother Hoover taught me songs about heaven. The local church where I came to Christ as a small child, and most of the churches where I attended ever since that time, all sang and preached about heaven.
So what happened? Do we just not care about "heaven" anymore? Are we really that satisfied down here?
One of the great songs I learned as a child goes something like this:
While travelin' thru this world of sorrow
I'm on my way to gloryland!
I'll not turn back, for some tomorrow
My trials here, I'll understand.
I want to know more about my Jesus
I want to know more about my Lord
I want to know more about that mansion
I'm gonna receive as my reward!
I want to know more about that homeland
I mean to go there, some day some how.
And after I reach that heavenly city,
I'll surely know more than I know now!
What a promise! What a thrill! What a future!
What say ye?
When families "disconnect.." A snapshot of my life...
My parents (Bobby and Jodi) divorced shortly after I was born. Of course back then (1962), divorce was the scourge of society--and it was usually the red "A" on the foreheads of those who were caught in its' web.
My parents not only abandoned each other, but they both abandoned me. I was less than one year old, and my precious Grandmother Hoover took me, and raised me--in a time when she should have been able to enjoy her golden years after raising ten children of her own--she took me in, a small infant and raised me.
I remember my Grandfather Hoover coming to find me in some type of shelter, and I was standing on a mattress soaked with urine, crying. I was just a very, very small child, but I do remember this happening...and not sure how old I was.
And sadly enough, my biological parents dropped in and out of my life at their convenience.
Little wonder, that I decided to return the favor when I became an adult.
I've had no contact with Bobby for more than 15 years now. I don't know if he is dead or alive, and at this point in the game, it doesn't really matter to me--in the long scheme of things. The last time I saw him or heard his voice was at my Grandmother Hoover's funeral--his own mother. He showed up drunk as a skunk. He really embarrassed himself...and the rest of us.
Jodi and I talk occasionally--when I call her. Those times are fairly infrequent. She is married to a wonderful man, John Gunter, and they live in north Alabama.
I'll write more later. But I wanted to start sharing a little about me.
My parents not only abandoned each other, but they both abandoned me. I was less than one year old, and my precious Grandmother Hoover took me, and raised me--in a time when she should have been able to enjoy her golden years after raising ten children of her own--she took me in, a small infant and raised me.
I remember my Grandfather Hoover coming to find me in some type of shelter, and I was standing on a mattress soaked with urine, crying. I was just a very, very small child, but I do remember this happening...and not sure how old I was.
And sadly enough, my biological parents dropped in and out of my life at their convenience.
Little wonder, that I decided to return the favor when I became an adult.
I've had no contact with Bobby for more than 15 years now. I don't know if he is dead or alive, and at this point in the game, it doesn't really matter to me--in the long scheme of things. The last time I saw him or heard his voice was at my Grandmother Hoover's funeral--his own mother. He showed up drunk as a skunk. He really embarrassed himself...and the rest of us.
Jodi and I talk occasionally--when I call her. Those times are fairly infrequent. She is married to a wonderful man, John Gunter, and they live in north Alabama.
I'll write more later. But I wanted to start sharing a little about me.
Peggy Wynn: Please pray for this precious saint of God!
I first met Bishop Ray C Wynn, and his wonderful wife Peggy almost thirty years ago. He was the General Superintendent of the Bible Training Institute of the Church of God of Prophecy International Offices in Cleveland, TN.
I fell in love with the Wynns from the very beginning. There are no finer people on the planet than Ray and Peggy Wynn.
Sister Peggy is now in the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital in Cleveland, Tennessee. She is not expected to live very much longer.
My eyes are full of tears as I type this, because I loved them so very deeply.
The last time I saw Sister Wynn was three years ago this weekend. She was using a walker due to some severe pain in her legs and back. And it broke my heart then.
I served on active duty in the United States Air Force for ten years. Without fail, every year for Christmas I would receive a wonderful greeting card from the Wynns. And without fail, every year I would receive a card--and usually a small gift--for my birthday..again from the Wynns. She would always say, "We miss you, we love you, please hurry to see us soon. Love, Ray and Peggy"
How I treasured those precious, precious reminders of people who love so unconditionally.
When I returned to Cleveland TN to go to seminary, it was Ray and Peggy Wynn who came to see me in my new "digs" to make sure that I had everything I needed. When they found out that I didn't have a suitable bed, they loaned me one of their cots--and I'm so grateful.
In 1997, Brother Wynn called and said that he needed to come see me.....what I didn't realize was that Sister Peggy had made me a special birthday cake. She made me a special cake in 1998, 1999, and again in 2000.
My heart is breaking right now, thinking that this precious, wonderful saint of God will go on to glory, and that I'll have to wait to talk with her again.
About three months ago, on a Sunday night, I made a list of people whom I've loved and adored over the years. The Wynns were very near the top of the list. I called these people and told them how much I love them...how much they have graced and blest my life, and what a treasure they are to me. Now, I only wish that I could call Peggy Wynn one more time.
Please pray for Peggy and Ray Wynn.
I fell in love with the Wynns from the very beginning. There are no finer people on the planet than Ray and Peggy Wynn.
Sister Peggy is now in the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital in Cleveland, Tennessee. She is not expected to live very much longer.
My eyes are full of tears as I type this, because I loved them so very deeply.
The last time I saw Sister Wynn was three years ago this weekend. She was using a walker due to some severe pain in her legs and back. And it broke my heart then.
I served on active duty in the United States Air Force for ten years. Without fail, every year for Christmas I would receive a wonderful greeting card from the Wynns. And without fail, every year I would receive a card--and usually a small gift--for my birthday..again from the Wynns. She would always say, "We miss you, we love you, please hurry to see us soon. Love, Ray and Peggy"
How I treasured those precious, precious reminders of people who love so unconditionally.
When I returned to Cleveland TN to go to seminary, it was Ray and Peggy Wynn who came to see me in my new "digs" to make sure that I had everything I needed. When they found out that I didn't have a suitable bed, they loaned me one of their cots--and I'm so grateful.
In 1997, Brother Wynn called and said that he needed to come see me.....what I didn't realize was that Sister Peggy had made me a special birthday cake. She made me a special cake in 1998, 1999, and again in 2000.
My heart is breaking right now, thinking that this precious, wonderful saint of God will go on to glory, and that I'll have to wait to talk with her again.
About three months ago, on a Sunday night, I made a list of people whom I've loved and adored over the years. The Wynns were very near the top of the list. I called these people and told them how much I love them...how much they have graced and blest my life, and what a treasure they are to me. Now, I only wish that I could call Peggy Wynn one more time.
Please pray for Peggy and Ray Wynn.
Seven years ago today: August 27, 2000
I left very familiar surroundings in Cleveland, TN to move to the "Windy City." Chicago was calling me, and specifically friends who were living here, involved in a wonderful ministry in this city.
God has been good to me. I've learned so much about Him, about life in general, about His Church, and about myself.
I remember standing in the Nashville Airport that early Sunday afternoon, and wiping tears from my eyes as I said "goodbye" to one of the dearest friends I've ever had: Kevin Moses. That was a time that I will never forget. Kevin was the face of Jesus to me on so many, many occasions.
He and I are still very close, and I considered him to be one of the finest men on earth.
There have been lots of "bumps" along the way in the last seven years, but God has been good, and I've seen His hand in alot of things in this journey thus far.
God has been good to me. I've learned so much about Him, about life in general, about His Church, and about myself.
I remember standing in the Nashville Airport that early Sunday afternoon, and wiping tears from my eyes as I said "goodbye" to one of the dearest friends I've ever had: Kevin Moses. That was a time that I will never forget. Kevin was the face of Jesus to me on so many, many occasions.
He and I are still very close, and I considered him to be one of the finest men on earth.
There have been lots of "bumps" along the way in the last seven years, but God has been good, and I've seen His hand in alot of things in this journey thus far.
BP finally got "smart"---no additional dumping into Lake Michigan....
BP (used to stand for "British Petroleum" and not sure what it stands for now) reversed a terrible decision it made several weeks ago to dump extra "pollution" into our wonderful Lake Michigan.
The original decision was made a few weeks ago, after the Indiana Legislature gave the company their "blessing" to increase their dumping of waste products in the "Grand Canyon" of the upper Midwest.
After the uproar from the surrounding states, and particularly from the cries of outrage here in Northern Illinois, the company has reversed their ill-fated decision. They will now seek other alternatives to polluting our great Lake.
Yes, I can call it "our" great Lake...because I have lived in Chicago for seven years, come August 27th.
The outrage and uproar coming from Chicago and her neighbors is paralleled only by the decision of the Federated Department Store Company to change "Marshall Fields" to Macy's last year.
And anyone who has lived in the Chicagoland area over the last two years remembers what a brouhaha that who spectacle became.
BP, we are glad that you have come to your senses.
It was about time.
The original decision was made a few weeks ago, after the Indiana Legislature gave the company their "blessing" to increase their dumping of waste products in the "Grand Canyon" of the upper Midwest.
After the uproar from the surrounding states, and particularly from the cries of outrage here in Northern Illinois, the company has reversed their ill-fated decision. They will now seek other alternatives to polluting our great Lake.
Yes, I can call it "our" great Lake...because I have lived in Chicago for seven years, come August 27th.
The outrage and uproar coming from Chicago and her neighbors is paralleled only by the decision of the Federated Department Store Company to change "Marshall Fields" to Macy's last year.
And anyone who has lived in the Chicagoland area over the last two years remembers what a brouhaha that who spectacle became.
BP, we are glad that you have come to your senses.
It was about time.
Happy Anniversar,. Travis and Kelly Johnson
For my friends Pastor Travis Johnson and his wonderful wife, Kelly:
Happy Anniversary!
Travis,
Dude, you married WAAAAAY above yourself....
Kelly, you got a pretty good deal yourself.
Happy Anniversary!
Travis,
Dude, you married WAAAAAY above yourself....
Kelly, you got a pretty good deal yourself.
Some people can't be helped...
I work as an Admissions Officer for a vocational/career college here in Chicago. I deal with people every day, and sometimes all day. I thoroughly enjoy my work--99% of the time.
But I have discovered that some people cannot be helped regardless of how hard I may try.
A case in point: A certain gentleman whom I met at a Veterans Fair over a month ago continues looking for a job in mechanical engineering. I took his resume at the fair and passed it on to the "powers that be" who might be able to help him.
This man calls me, accusing me of just about everything in the book, because he can't find a job, and doesn't want to get more marketable skills. He is a military veterans, and has a masters degree, for Pete's sake!
When I can't answer every question to his exact satisfaction, he blows up. When I insist on him coming to my office so I can sit down and talk with him, he has a hissy-fit, and starts railing at me again.
After all of this drama, I've decided that HE cannot be helped. And the reason:
He doesn't want to be helped. He wants to blame everyone except himself.
Lord, please don't ever let me be like that. And please forgive me for the times that I have been.
But I have discovered that some people cannot be helped regardless of how hard I may try.
A case in point: A certain gentleman whom I met at a Veterans Fair over a month ago continues looking for a job in mechanical engineering. I took his resume at the fair and passed it on to the "powers that be" who might be able to help him.
This man calls me, accusing me of just about everything in the book, because he can't find a job, and doesn't want to get more marketable skills. He is a military veterans, and has a masters degree, for Pete's sake!
When I can't answer every question to his exact satisfaction, he blows up. When I insist on him coming to my office so I can sit down and talk with him, he has a hissy-fit, and starts railing at me again.
After all of this drama, I've decided that HE cannot be helped. And the reason:
He doesn't want to be helped. He wants to blame everyone except himself.
Lord, please don't ever let me be like that. And please forgive me for the times that I have been.
When the "little people" die...
The woman who made the phrase "the little people"--billionaire Leona Helmsley died today at age 87.
She was infamous for how badly and poorly she treated those "little people"--the ones whom she regarded as beneath her dignity, financially and otherwise.
Of course, most Americans would have been "financially" beneath her dignity--since she was a billionaire many times over.
When she was convicted of Tax Evasion many years ago, one of her employees testified under oath that the "Queen" of the hotel industry said, "We don't pay taxes...taxes are for the little people."
Now, the Queen of Mean, Ms Helmsley has found out just how little she really was, and now, eternally is.
Here's a link to the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_re_us/obit_helmsley
I'm wondering if now that she is facing eternity that she feels that "judgment" is only for the "little people."
She was infamous for how badly and poorly she treated those "little people"--the ones whom she regarded as beneath her dignity, financially and otherwise.
Of course, most Americans would have been "financially" beneath her dignity--since she was a billionaire many times over.
When she was convicted of Tax Evasion many years ago, one of her employees testified under oath that the "Queen" of the hotel industry said, "We don't pay taxes...taxes are for the little people."
Now, the Queen of Mean, Ms Helmsley has found out just how little she really was, and now, eternally is.
Here's a link to the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_re_us/obit_helmsley
I'm wondering if now that she is facing eternity that she feels that "judgment" is only for the "little people."
Elvira Arellano arrested and deported...What took them so long?
It's about time....and my next question to the "feds" are why it took them so long?
Ms Arellano finally came out of hiding from the United Methodist storefront church on Chicago's west side, and sojourned to Los Angeles, allegedly to speak at an immigrants' gathering.
The federal authorities finally did what should have been done more than one year ago:
They took her into custody, and deposited her back onto Mexican soil....where she belongs.
Now, lest some of my readers accuse me of being heartless and uncaring, let's put some more pieces into the picture:
This lady came here illegally about 13-15 years ago.
She obtained/stole a Social Security Number, and other documents illegally.
She was deported in 1997, and ordered not to return to the United States.
She defied deportation orders last year, and hid out in the Adalberto UMC in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago's west side.
She has used her son (who was born here) as her "anchor."
She speaks little, if any English--even though she has been here for more than ten years.
The church where she took sanctuary broke the laws of the land in hiding her. They should be heavily fined, and their tax exempt status should be immediately revoked.
I am not heartless nor am I uncaring. However, we must enforce the laws of this land. Our laws are not violating anyone...and particularly not those who want to trespass into this nation.
Ms Arellano finally came out of hiding from the United Methodist storefront church on Chicago's west side, and sojourned to Los Angeles, allegedly to speak at an immigrants' gathering.
The federal authorities finally did what should have been done more than one year ago:
They took her into custody, and deposited her back onto Mexican soil....where she belongs.
Now, lest some of my readers accuse me of being heartless and uncaring, let's put some more pieces into the picture:
This lady came here illegally about 13-15 years ago.
She obtained/stole a Social Security Number, and other documents illegally.
She was deported in 1997, and ordered not to return to the United States.
She defied deportation orders last year, and hid out in the Adalberto UMC in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago's west side.
She has used her son (who was born here) as her "anchor."
She speaks little, if any English--even though she has been here for more than ten years.
The church where she took sanctuary broke the laws of the land in hiding her. They should be heavily fined, and their tax exempt status should be immediately revoked.
I am not heartless nor am I uncaring. However, we must enforce the laws of this land. Our laws are not violating anyone...and particularly not those who want to trespass into this nation.
Pray for our congregation
I am a regular parishioner (soon-to-be member) of The Moody Church here in Chicago. This is one of the great, historic congregations in the United States, "celebrating the joy of changed lives since 1864".
We are in a bit of transition right now--reaching people whom we've never reached before. We are also becoming a wonderfully relational congregation, instead of being just an "informational" station. Information is important...but God is a relational God. As His people, we want to be relational people, reflecting the image of His Son.
We have a brand new Christian Life Center (aka CLC), and we are wanting to use this multi-purpose facility to reach people all over this great city.
I'm asking my regular readers to take time out and pray for The Moody Church here in Chicago. We aren't anywhere near a "perfect church", but we deeply and passionately want to do the Lord's bidding.
Our Senior Pastor, Dr Erwin Lutzer, will sincerely and humbly be grateful for your intercession on our behalf.
Thanks.
We are in a bit of transition right now--reaching people whom we've never reached before. We are also becoming a wonderfully relational congregation, instead of being just an "informational" station. Information is important...but God is a relational God. As His people, we want to be relational people, reflecting the image of His Son.
We have a brand new Christian Life Center (aka CLC), and we are wanting to use this multi-purpose facility to reach people all over this great city.
I'm asking my regular readers to take time out and pray for The Moody Church here in Chicago. We aren't anywhere near a "perfect church", but we deeply and passionately want to do the Lord's bidding.
Our Senior Pastor, Dr Erwin Lutzer, will sincerely and humbly be grateful for your intercession on our behalf.
Thanks.
Back to the blog...MAN Secrets--tips for men!
It's been a crazy week here in my office...
And in my life.
But I'm still blogging--and I still read LOTS of them every day.
Some "friends" of mine have compiled a list of "Man Secrets: Trips and Tricks for men".
I would like to share some of them here:
____________________________________
1. Stay current with your fashion sense. You don't have to track the latest fads, but you should be socially aware of what decade we are now living in.
2. Comb overs don't work. You are only fooling yourself. Everyone else knows you are bald on top. So, let it go. Bald is beautiful. [My comment: AMEN!]
3. Cologne is an accessory, not a main event.
4. On time is five minutes late...Five minutes early is on time.
5. Load the dishwasher..it's not that hard.
6. Don't wear clothes that make noise when you walk. If do, know you are at high risk to spontaneously combust.
7. Go to Cracker Barrel--they are cheap eats, and great coffee.
8. If she calls you "honey" she may not be flirting with you. You just might be so old looking that everyone knows you are now "harmless."
9. Crock Pots are a great thing...learn to use one.
10. Learn to iron your own shirts and slacks...it will save you money, and you can impress the woman (women) in your life.
11. Yes, you can still hold the door open for other people, regardless of what they say. Just shows that your manners are better than theirs.
12. Own at least three different shades of long-sleeved, blue shirts--oxford button downs preferably. Blue shirts will go with just about everything.
13. Do some secret shopping on your own...just so you will know what the current "trends" are...you don't have to buy anything--but be better informed than you currently are.
14. Become friends with someone at the local flower shop...they may be able to "save your hide" on those days when you really need someone with that "ability."
15. If you have a choice between a good night's sleep and something else...CHOOSE THE SLEEP.
16. Clip your nose and ear hair. Look like a man, not a wildabeast.
17. If a splash of cologne makes you smell good, baptism in it doesn't make you smell great!
18. Stop and ask for directions before you need them. It will make you appear far smarter than everyone thinks that you are!
19. Remember that you seldom play better than you practice.
20. Be the person that everyone wants to sit next to.
And in my life.
But I'm still blogging--and I still read LOTS of them every day.
Some "friends" of mine have compiled a list of "Man Secrets: Trips and Tricks for men".
I would like to share some of them here:
____________________________________
1. Stay current with your fashion sense. You don't have to track the latest fads, but you should be socially aware of what decade we are now living in.
2. Comb overs don't work. You are only fooling yourself. Everyone else knows you are bald on top. So, let it go. Bald is beautiful. [My comment: AMEN!]
3. Cologne is an accessory, not a main event.
4. On time is five minutes late...Five minutes early is on time.
5. Load the dishwasher..it's not that hard.
6. Don't wear clothes that make noise when you walk. If do, know you are at high risk to spontaneously combust.
7. Go to Cracker Barrel--they are cheap eats, and great coffee.
8. If she calls you "honey" she may not be flirting with you. You just might be so old looking that everyone knows you are now "harmless."
9. Crock Pots are a great thing...learn to use one.
10. Learn to iron your own shirts and slacks...it will save you money, and you can impress the woman (women) in your life.
11. Yes, you can still hold the door open for other people, regardless of what they say. Just shows that your manners are better than theirs.
12. Own at least three different shades of long-sleeved, blue shirts--oxford button downs preferably. Blue shirts will go with just about everything.
13. Do some secret shopping on your own...just so you will know what the current "trends" are...you don't have to buy anything--but be better informed than you currently are.
14. Become friends with someone at the local flower shop...they may be able to "save your hide" on those days when you really need someone with that "ability."
15. If you have a choice between a good night's sleep and something else...CHOOSE THE SLEEP.
16. Clip your nose and ear hair. Look like a man, not a wildabeast.
17. If a splash of cologne makes you smell good, baptism in it doesn't make you smell great!
18. Stop and ask for directions before you need them. It will make you appear far smarter than everyone thinks that you are!
19. Remember that you seldom play better than you practice.
20. Be the person that everyone wants to sit next to.
"Pastor To Power"
The major network ABC has done it again!
The Primetime special "Pastor to Power" highlighting the ministry and relationship of Dr Billy Graham to eleven Presidents of the United States was terrific!
It just wasn't long enough.
That documentary could have been three hours, and would have still left me wanting more!
Dr Graham has been a "pastor" to many Presidents when they have most needed to feel the presence of the Lord, and to hear His Word.
If you didn't get a chance to see this wonderful special, please look up the information on the internet. It was terrific.
The Primetime special "Pastor to Power" highlighting the ministry and relationship of Dr Billy Graham to eleven Presidents of the United States was terrific!
It just wasn't long enough.
That documentary could have been three hours, and would have still left me wanting more!
Dr Graham has been a "pastor" to many Presidents when they have most needed to feel the presence of the Lord, and to hear His Word.
If you didn't get a chance to see this wonderful special, please look up the information on the internet. It was terrific.
Another Cancer Survivor...Robin Roberts...
Good Morning America's co-host Robin Roberts told the nation this morning that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
As disheartening and discouraging as this must be for her, and all those who know her so well, the rest of us--her "GMA" fans and family--are deeply touched and concerned about her.
I've remember when Robin was on ESPN's SportsCenter...and then when she first arrived at GMA, doing the news.
And then a couple of years ago when she became one of the three co-anchors of my favorite morning program.
She made a bold confession this morning: "God is good all the time." And I must say a hearty "Amen."
I encourage everyone to pray for her as she has surgery this Friday, and for the recovery period which could last a while.
I also want to encourage everyone--particularly the ladies who read my blog--to have regular exams, and to pay attention to any of the "lumps" you may find. I'm encouraging "everyone" because on rare occasions men have been found to have breast cancer too.
Robin, we love you. We are praying for you...and God will see you through.
As disheartening and discouraging as this must be for her, and all those who know her so well, the rest of us--her "GMA" fans and family--are deeply touched and concerned about her.
I've remember when Robin was on ESPN's SportsCenter...and then when she first arrived at GMA, doing the news.
And then a couple of years ago when she became one of the three co-anchors of my favorite morning program.
She made a bold confession this morning: "God is good all the time." And I must say a hearty "Amen."
I encourage everyone to pray for her as she has surgery this Friday, and for the recovery period which could last a while.
I also want to encourage everyone--particularly the ladies who read my blog--to have regular exams, and to pay attention to any of the "lumps" you may find. I'm encouraging "everyone" because on rare occasions men have been found to have breast cancer too.
Robin, we love you. We are praying for you...and God will see you through.
Heaven....is it real?
I have no doubt in my mind, that the wonderful place I've heard of all my life--HEAVEN--is real.
I have waaaay too many friends and family members in that glorious city to even entertain the shadow of a doubt about the City Whose Builder and Maker is God.
But the way we live on this earth....I'm wondering if we Christ-followers have lost all interest in a place called Heaven.
We never sing about Heaven anymore...or at least hardly ever. I can remember when those precious saints of God sang those grand old songs about Heaven...When the sisters would raise their hands in the air, and wipe tears from their eyes..singing about heaven.
I remember, as a child, when we sang about God's eternal city--Heaven---because we knew it would have to be FAR, FAR superior to what little we had (and still have, in many cases) on this earth. The people of God would rejoice, because of the unspeakably marvelous hope they had for the "afterlife."
I actually encountered someone not long ago, and we were talking about "heaven." This person made the remark to the effect of "I'm wondering if Heaven will be much better than what I have here already."
WHAT? It has to be AEONS better than the paltry substance we have on this earth.
So what about Heaven? How real is "heaven" to you?
I have many loved ones there....I call them "my investments" in that glorious, glorious place, where the Lamb of God--God's Only Begotten Son--is the everlasting light....
I want to go there!
I have waaaay too many friends and family members in that glorious city to even entertain the shadow of a doubt about the City Whose Builder and Maker is God.
But the way we live on this earth....I'm wondering if we Christ-followers have lost all interest in a place called Heaven.
We never sing about Heaven anymore...or at least hardly ever. I can remember when those precious saints of God sang those grand old songs about Heaven...When the sisters would raise their hands in the air, and wipe tears from their eyes..singing about heaven.
I remember, as a child, when we sang about God's eternal city--Heaven---because we knew it would have to be FAR, FAR superior to what little we had (and still have, in many cases) on this earth. The people of God would rejoice, because of the unspeakably marvelous hope they had for the "afterlife."
I actually encountered someone not long ago, and we were talking about "heaven." This person made the remark to the effect of "I'm wondering if Heaven will be much better than what I have here already."
WHAT? It has to be AEONS better than the paltry substance we have on this earth.
So what about Heaven? How real is "heaven" to you?
I have many loved ones there....I call them "my investments" in that glorious, glorious place, where the Lamb of God--God's Only Begotten Son--is the everlasting light....
I want to go there!
Hillary is right! It DOES take a village....
Several years ago--somewhere in the mid90s--then First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a very thought-provoking book, It Takes A Village.
While I am not an advocate of the federal, state or local governments controlling everything in life, the more I think about the phrase, "It takes a village", the more I believe it to be true.
Here's my reasoning:
1) I work in a career college here in Chicago. We serve, for the most part, minorities (mostly black and hispanic), about 65% of them being single parents. Every one of these people seem to want something better for their children than they themselves had. I can sympathize.
2) The day of "mom staying at home, raising the children while dad is the main 'breadwinner'" is for all intents and purposes over. That rarely happens anymore. I'm not taking sides as to whether it is right or wrong...I'm just saying it rarely happens anymore.
3) Children should never have to shoulder the burden of "raising themselves." But sadly, far too many children do shoulder that incredible burden. I encounter these "children" (anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child as far as I am concerned) regularly. And I always wonder what their life would be like if there were some caring adults around them all the time--to guide them, to offer their opinions and suggestions, and to teach them how civilized society should function.
4) There was a time when the child belonged to the neighborhood. I know this is true, because I grew up in one of those neighborhoods/communities. Every adult in area knew who I was, and where I lived. There was the sense of "well-being" and caring that was a a very natural part of growing up. I didn't have very much--actually we were very poor--but I developed good manners, received a great education (in the public schools, no less), and knew right from wrong. I learned not to be a victim...I learned that "life" has consequences. For some reason, it appears that far too many "children" no longer learn those lessons.
"Keeping up with the Joneses" is no longer our goal. "Keeping up with the Jetsons" is.
And we are reaping the results...
And they aren't pretty.
Maybe, just maybe, we can learn to be the village again. Our children, and our future depends on it.
While I am not an advocate of the federal, state or local governments controlling everything in life, the more I think about the phrase, "It takes a village", the more I believe it to be true.
Here's my reasoning:
1) I work in a career college here in Chicago. We serve, for the most part, minorities (mostly black and hispanic), about 65% of them being single parents. Every one of these people seem to want something better for their children than they themselves had. I can sympathize.
2) The day of "mom staying at home, raising the children while dad is the main 'breadwinner'" is for all intents and purposes over. That rarely happens anymore. I'm not taking sides as to whether it is right or wrong...I'm just saying it rarely happens anymore.
3) Children should never have to shoulder the burden of "raising themselves." But sadly, far too many children do shoulder that incredible burden. I encounter these "children" (anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child as far as I am concerned) regularly. And I always wonder what their life would be like if there were some caring adults around them all the time--to guide them, to offer their opinions and suggestions, and to teach them how civilized society should function.
4) There was a time when the child belonged to the neighborhood. I know this is true, because I grew up in one of those neighborhoods/communities. Every adult in area knew who I was, and where I lived. There was the sense of "well-being" and caring that was a a very natural part of growing up. I didn't have very much--actually we were very poor--but I developed good manners, received a great education (in the public schools, no less), and knew right from wrong. I learned not to be a victim...I learned that "life" has consequences. For some reason, it appears that far too many "children" no longer learn those lessons.
"Keeping up with the Joneses" is no longer our goal. "Keeping up with the Jetsons" is.
And we are reaping the results...
And they aren't pretty.
Maybe, just maybe, we can learn to be the village again. Our children, and our future depends on it.
Heroes...
I posted these words on March 6, 2006....a Bluegrass/Southern Gospel group called "The Isaacs" wrote and sing this wonderful, powerful message in song:
Momma combs his hair
and Daddy helps him brush his teeth
Day after day for thirty years the same routine
The special needs he lives
with make life seem so unfair
But he thanks God every day
Because he knows Mom and Dad are there..
He's a hero and she's a hero
It doesn't matter that nobody knows their name
They keep on giving to make life worth living
Might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same
They tried for many years to have a baby of their own
But God knew a little girl who didn't have a home
Someone else's burden was their blessing in disguise
And now she's got a Mom and Daddy
there to hold her when she cries
Every single parent who must carry twice the load
And those who sacrifice to raise a child that's not their own
They dedicate their time to make a difference in someone else's life
And in my eyes...
He's a hero, and she's a hero..
Does'nt matter if anyone knows their names....
They might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same.
___________________________________
Our world and our culture is starving for "heroes." All of the ones that we thought we had have become anything BUT heroes. But, as the song says, "They keep on giving to make life worth living...might go unnoticed, but they're heroes just the same."
Who are the "heroes" in your life? Tell me about them. I really do want to know.
Momma combs his hair
and Daddy helps him brush his teeth
Day after day for thirty years the same routine
The special needs he lives
with make life seem so unfair
But he thanks God every day
Because he knows Mom and Dad are there..
He's a hero and she's a hero
It doesn't matter that nobody knows their name
They keep on giving to make life worth living
Might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same
They tried for many years to have a baby of their own
But God knew a little girl who didn't have a home
Someone else's burden was their blessing in disguise
And now she's got a Mom and Daddy
there to hold her when she cries
Every single parent who must carry twice the load
And those who sacrifice to raise a child that's not their own
They dedicate their time to make a difference in someone else's life
And in my eyes...
He's a hero, and she's a hero..
Does'nt matter if anyone knows their names....
They might go unnoticed but they're heroes just the same.
___________________________________
Our world and our culture is starving for "heroes." All of the ones that we thought we had have become anything BUT heroes. But, as the song says, "They keep on giving to make life worth living...might go unnoticed, but they're heroes just the same."
Who are the "heroes" in your life? Tell me about them. I really do want to know.
Let me recommend two great books.
When I Lay My Isaac Down and A New Kind of Normal both written by author/speaker Carol Kent. Her websites are:
http://www.carolkent.org/ and http://www.speakupforhope.org
Carol has an amazing story of God's faithfulness in the life of her family. She and her husband Gene have one child, Jason Paul Kent. A wonderful, brilliant boy, he was a joy to raise. He got an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated with honors. He met the love of his life--at church---and they were soon married.
And then he committed murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole...and this changed "everything" in the life of the Kent family.
I first heard Carol's story on LIFE Today with James Robison a year or more ago. It brought tears to my eyes. And I have wanted to read "Isaac" for a long time. Last weekend, as I was volunteering at the Chicago Women of Faith conference, I bought both books (they were on sale, okay?), and have finished reading both of them.
Carol tells an amazing story of heartache, heartbreak, and how the "Healer" and "Friend of the Wounded heart" has come near to her son, her husband, and her own self.
These books are well worth the read. Sometimes, I wonder if Carol and Gene had ever suffered any "set backs" before that fateful day in 1999. But one thing is for sure: that call after midnight in 1999 completely changed their earthly lives. And even more sure: God would see her through all the pain, heartache, and devastation.
He always does.
Let me encourage those of you who read my blog: Please get these two books. Read them, pass them own, and then drop Carol Kent a note, and relate what her written ministry has meant to you.
http://www.carolkent.org/ and http://www.speakupforhope.org
Carol has an amazing story of God's faithfulness in the life of her family. She and her husband Gene have one child, Jason Paul Kent. A wonderful, brilliant boy, he was a joy to raise. He got an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated with honors. He met the love of his life--at church---and they were soon married.
And then he committed murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole...and this changed "everything" in the life of the Kent family.
I first heard Carol's story on LIFE Today with James Robison a year or more ago. It brought tears to my eyes. And I have wanted to read "Isaac" for a long time. Last weekend, as I was volunteering at the Chicago Women of Faith conference, I bought both books (they were on sale, okay?), and have finished reading both of them.
Carol tells an amazing story of heartache, heartbreak, and how the "Healer" and "Friend of the Wounded heart" has come near to her son, her husband, and her own self.
These books are well worth the read. Sometimes, I wonder if Carol and Gene had ever suffered any "set backs" before that fateful day in 1999. But one thing is for sure: that call after midnight in 1999 completely changed their earthly lives. And even more sure: God would see her through all the pain, heartache, and devastation.
He always does.
Let me encourage those of you who read my blog: Please get these two books. Read them, pass them own, and then drop Carol Kent a note, and relate what her written ministry has meant to you.
Sawdust Salad...a new recipe!
SAWDUST SALAD
1 sm lemon Jello
1 sm orange Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 bananas
1 can crushed pineapple
1 pkg tiny marshmallows
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
3 oz cream cheese
1 lg Cool Whip
1 pkg grated cheese
Pour boiling water over Jello and dissolve. Add cold water, bananas and crushed pineapple (drain and save juice). Place in a 9x13 dish. Chill, then top with tiny marshmallows.
Mix sugar, flour, pineapple juice and egg (well beaten) in a saucepan and cook until thickened. Cool, then pour over marshmallows.
Mix cream cheese (softened) and Cool Whip well and spread over marshmallows. Top with grated cheese. Refrigerate.
Thanks to my friend Ann Downing for sharing this recipe. Visit here site at www.anndowning.com
1 sm lemon Jello
1 sm orange Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 bananas
1 can crushed pineapple
1 pkg tiny marshmallows
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
3 oz cream cheese
1 lg Cool Whip
1 pkg grated cheese
Pour boiling water over Jello and dissolve. Add cold water, bananas and crushed pineapple (drain and save juice). Place in a 9x13 dish. Chill, then top with tiny marshmallows.
Mix sugar, flour, pineapple juice and egg (well beaten) in a saucepan and cook until thickened. Cool, then pour over marshmallows.
Mix cream cheese (softened) and Cool Whip well and spread over marshmallows. Top with grated cheese. Refrigerate.
Thanks to my friend Ann Downing for sharing this recipe. Visit here site at www.anndowning.com
This is PRICELESS...
Sometimes you just have to laugh....I found this one on a message board, and just about fell off my office chair, howling with laughter!
____________________________________________
There were two men shipwrecked on this island. The minute they got on to the island one of them started screaming and yelling, "We're going to die! We're going to die! There's no food! No water! We're going to Die!"
The second man was propped up against a palm tree and acting so calmly it drove the first man crazy. "Don't you understand? We're going to die!"
The second man replied, "You don't understand, I make $100,000.00 a week."
The first man looked at him quite dumbfounded and asked, "What difference does that make? We're on an island with no food and no water! We're going to DIE!!!"
The second man answered, "You just don't get it. I make $100,000.00 a week and I tithe ten percent on that $100,000.00 a week.
My pastor will find me!
____________________________________________
There were two men shipwrecked on this island. The minute they got on to the island one of them started screaming and yelling, "We're going to die! We're going to die! There's no food! No water! We're going to Die!"
The second man was propped up against a palm tree and acting so calmly it drove the first man crazy. "Don't you understand? We're going to die!"
The second man replied, "You don't understand, I make $100,000.00 a week."
The first man looked at him quite dumbfounded and asked, "What difference does that make? We're on an island with no food and no water! We're going to DIE!!!"
The second man answered, "You just don't get it. I make $100,000.00 a week and I tithe ten percent on that $100,000.00 a week.
My pastor will find me!
What about me?
I've been a follower of Christ for almost forty years now. I've seen just about everything, every program, and every activity that a local church can have....TWICE!
In my mid-forties now, I'm seeing all of the "emergents" and "missionals" and other folks that are springing up in the local congregations, and sometimes I want to ask "What about me?"
I don't fit into the "twenty" or "thirty"somethings anymore---because I'm not...
I don't fit into the typical "singles ministry"---because our local congregation doesn't have one...and really doesn't need one--in my humble opinion.
I'm very well educated, and just want to do my part in helping to advance the "kingdom of God..."
I'm not an evangelist, even though I believe in evangelism.
So what about me?
Where do I fit in?
In my mid-forties now, I'm seeing all of the "emergents" and "missionals" and other folks that are springing up in the local congregations, and sometimes I want to ask "What about me?"
I don't fit into the "twenty" or "thirty"somethings anymore---because I'm not...
I don't fit into the typical "singles ministry"---because our local congregation doesn't have one...and really doesn't need one--in my humble opinion.
I'm very well educated, and just want to do my part in helping to advance the "kingdom of God..."
I'm not an evangelist, even though I believe in evangelism.
So what about me?
Where do I fit in?
Some good advice...
Everything that I will post today is not particularly profound....until you think about it...and then it becomes incredibly profound:
1) When you think you've settled an argument with someone, ask one more question: "Is there something else I need to know?"
2) Remember that sitting in a comfortable chair with a good book is still one of life's least expensive and most enjoyable experiences.
3) When dining in someone's home, be the first to tell your host or hostess, "This is delicious."
4) Resign from the impossible job of trying to keep everyone happy.
5) When someone wants to do something nice for you...let them.
6) Smile when you answer the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
7) We all need second chances. Give somebody one.
8) Don't injure a relationship by always having the "last word."
9) Look people "in the eye" when paying a compliment or asking for a favor.
10) Never hesitate to ask for directions, a recipe, or a hug.
1) When you think you've settled an argument with someone, ask one more question: "Is there something else I need to know?"
2) Remember that sitting in a comfortable chair with a good book is still one of life's least expensive and most enjoyable experiences.
3) When dining in someone's home, be the first to tell your host or hostess, "This is delicious."
4) Resign from the impossible job of trying to keep everyone happy.
5) When someone wants to do something nice for you...let them.
6) Smile when you answer the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
7) We all need second chances. Give somebody one.
8) Don't injure a relationship by always having the "last word."
9) Look people "in the eye" when paying a compliment or asking for a favor.
10) Never hesitate to ask for directions, a recipe, or a hug.
Jesus in the "No Spin" zone....
http://www.moodychurch.org/ministries/sundayconnection/index.html
For the next several weeks, the Sunday Evening gathering at The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org) will be featuring the theme of "Jesus in the 'No Spin' Zone"--discussing the parables of Christ as recorded in the New Testament.
Pastor Steve Mason, who directs Discipleship and Equipping Ministries, is preaching and teaching this series in our new Christian Life Center (CLC). You can also listen to these wonderful messages online by following the link above.
If you are in the Chicago area at all this summer, by all means please come pay us a visit. We would love to have you, and you will encounter a warm, relational, Christ-worshipping congregation.
For the next several weeks, the Sunday Evening gathering at The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org) will be featuring the theme of "Jesus in the 'No Spin' Zone"--discussing the parables of Christ as recorded in the New Testament.
Pastor Steve Mason, who directs Discipleship and Equipping Ministries, is preaching and teaching this series in our new Christian Life Center (CLC). You can also listen to these wonderful messages online by following the link above.
If you are in the Chicago area at all this summer, by all means please come pay us a visit. We would love to have you, and you will encounter a warm, relational, Christ-worshipping congregation.
Eleven Things You Did not learn in school...
A friend sent me this:
__________________________
These eleven items are ascribed to Microsoft's Bill Gates. Whether he actually articulated them or not, I have no way of knowing. However these things are VERY, VERY TRUE:
1. Life is not fair: Get used to it.
2. The world won't care about your self-esteem. (The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.).
3. You will NOT make $60,000 a year out of high school (You won't be a Vice-President with a car phone until you've earned both...)
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. (Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: opportunity)
6. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
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, an d listening to you talk about how cool you think you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your room)
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.)
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).
10. Television is not real life. (In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.)
11. Be nice to nerds. (Chances are, you'll end up working for one.)
__________________________
These eleven items are ascribed to Microsoft's Bill Gates. Whether he actually articulated them or not, I have no way of knowing. However these things are VERY, VERY TRUE:
1. Life is not fair: Get used to it.
2. The world won't care about your self-esteem. (The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.).
3. You will NOT make $60,000 a year out of high school (You won't be a Vice-President with a car phone until you've earned both...)
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. (Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: opportunity)
6. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
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, an d listening to you talk about how cool you think you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your room)
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.)
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).
10. Television is not real life. (In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.)
11. Be nice to nerds. (Chances are, you'll end up working for one.)
Happy Birthday, Brian White!
My good friend Brian White is celebrating his 32nd birthday today!
Happy Birthday, Brian
He is an amazing man...or at least I think so. He and I have been friends now for more than six years. I met him when he first came to Chicago in the winter/spring of 2001. He moved here to do a masters degree at the Moody Bible Institute.
Afterwards, he accepted a position as Associate Pastor in a local church in the Detroit area for two years. Honestly, I think he and I talked more when he was living in Michigan than we do now...and we are in the same city.
He's a kind, warm, generous man with a large heart. He has a very disarming smile, and a great sense of humor. He is also marrying a wonderful, wonderufl girl...Miss Inna.
So, true to form, I want to wish him a big Happy Birthday here!
Happy Birthday, Brian
He is an amazing man...or at least I think so. He and I have been friends now for more than six years. I met him when he first came to Chicago in the winter/spring of 2001. He moved here to do a masters degree at the Moody Bible Institute.
Afterwards, he accepted a position as Associate Pastor in a local church in the Detroit area for two years. Honestly, I think he and I talked more when he was living in Michigan than we do now...and we are in the same city.
He's a kind, warm, generous man with a large heart. He has a very disarming smile, and a great sense of humor. He is also marrying a wonderful, wonderufl girl...Miss Inna.
So, true to form, I want to wish him a big Happy Birthday here!
For someone who will read this post, I feel impressed of the Holy Spirit to share these words with you. Singer/Songwriter Gerald Crabb penned a wonderful song entitled "The Healer..." Here are the words:
___________________________
The Healer
She pressed through the crowd so weak and so frail,
so often she reached out but her efforts failed.
With faith so persistent,
determined she must touch Jesus.
Her friends said "just give up for after twelve years,
of heart aches and failures, disappointments, and fears.
Accept your condition, with the multitude He will not see us."
Her heart beat so fast as HE came into sight,
her emotions were filled with both joy and with fright.
She let HIM pass by-- but not out of reach,
as she touched HIS garments HE turned to speak.
(Chorus) Someone's been healed today.
A miracle passed your way.
Reach out touch HIS clothes,
you now are made whole, step forward and claim.
Your faith has pulled you through,
your healing will come to you.
You can receive today, right now in Jesus name.
Though Satan says give up, you're close to a miracle
Jesus is passing your way.
Gods still in business and does the impossible sending down blessings each day!
(Chorus) You can be healed today,
you let a miracle pass your way
Reach out touch HIS clothes,
you now are made whole, step forward and claim.
Your faith has pulled you through,
your healing will come to you.
You can receive today right now in Jesus name.
The HEALER is passing your way!
____________________________
This wonderful Healing Jesus is indeed passing your way! Dear friend(s), He is still the same healing God that He was in the times of the Old and New Testaments....He wants to bring healing in your life.
___________________________
The Healer
She pressed through the crowd so weak and so frail,
so often she reached out but her efforts failed.
With faith so persistent,
determined she must touch Jesus.
Her friends said "just give up for after twelve years,
of heart aches and failures, disappointments, and fears.
Accept your condition, with the multitude He will not see us."
Her heart beat so fast as HE came into sight,
her emotions were filled with both joy and with fright.
She let HIM pass by-- but not out of reach,
as she touched HIS garments HE turned to speak.
(Chorus) Someone's been healed today.
A miracle passed your way.
Reach out touch HIS clothes,
you now are made whole, step forward and claim.
Your faith has pulled you through,
your healing will come to you.
You can receive today, right now in Jesus name.
Though Satan says give up, you're close to a miracle
Jesus is passing your way.
Gods still in business and does the impossible sending down blessings each day!
(Chorus) You can be healed today,
you let a miracle pass your way
Reach out touch HIS clothes,
you now are made whole, step forward and claim.
Your faith has pulled you through,
your healing will come to you.
You can receive today right now in Jesus name.
The HEALER is passing your way!
____________________________
This wonderful Healing Jesus is indeed passing your way! Dear friend(s), He is still the same healing God that He was in the times of the Old and New Testaments....He wants to bring healing in your life.
Repairs....
For some reason I never really "got into" watching all the home repair shows like "This Old House" or "Bob Vila's" whatever-its-called. Until I bought a home two years ago.
Now, I seem to be captivated by these short 27-minute episodes, even though I am not needing to make home repairs anytime soon. (I am the first owner of a brand new rehabbed condo.)
But, homes aren't the only things that need repairing.
More importantly, and even more difficult sometimes, are the repairing of relationships that have been injured or broken. And sometimes, this can take years.
I am thinking of one right now that was just about destroyed by some long, wagging tongues. I did everything in my power to "preserve" this relationship, and it still hit the skids. It was heartbreaking for me....and I felt the pain very keenly.
My brother in Christ--my friend, lives in another state...and I've not heard from him in almost 4 years now. It was a very ugly situation. But now I want to see if I can do my part in repairing it.
I'm not sure where to start. But this much I do know: God wants me to do my part.
How about you? Are there relationships in your life that has been destroyed/broken/torn apart, and there's a chance they can be salvaged or restored?
What would God have you do?
What's holding you back? Why?
Please pray for me, as I follow what I believe to be God's directions in "this" situation.
Now, I seem to be captivated by these short 27-minute episodes, even though I am not needing to make home repairs anytime soon. (I am the first owner of a brand new rehabbed condo.)
But, homes aren't the only things that need repairing.
More importantly, and even more difficult sometimes, are the repairing of relationships that have been injured or broken. And sometimes, this can take years.
I am thinking of one right now that was just about destroyed by some long, wagging tongues. I did everything in my power to "preserve" this relationship, and it still hit the skids. It was heartbreaking for me....and I felt the pain very keenly.
My brother in Christ--my friend, lives in another state...and I've not heard from him in almost 4 years now. It was a very ugly situation. But now I want to see if I can do my part in repairing it.
I'm not sure where to start. But this much I do know: God wants me to do my part.
How about you? Are there relationships in your life that has been destroyed/broken/torn apart, and there's a chance they can be salvaged or restored?
What would God have you do?
What's holding you back? Why?
Please pray for me, as I follow what I believe to be God's directions in "this" situation.
My banana pudding recipe....
If you don't know by now, I'm a native Southerner...and very proud of the heritage, even though by choice I have decided to no longer live in the deep South.
My Grandmother Hoover was a wonderful cook. And with as many people as we had in the Hoover clan, that was essential.
She made the most wonderful banana pudding. I couldn't remember exactly how she did it, but my "other mother" Mrs Jane Pearson--who is my "mom" in almost every sense of the word--gave me a fabulous recipe several years ago, and I've tweaked it a bit. Here it is:
You will need:
1 box of vanilla wafers (or you can use lemon cookies also)
several ripe bananas, sliced pinwheel-style
*In a medium Pyrex bowl (or casserole dish), layers these, beginning with the wafers/cookies. The top layer should be bananas.
3 cups of milk (use whole or 2%, not "fat free"--yuck!)
3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 tablespoon flour (plain or self-rising is fine)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix all of these items together in a large stewer or saucepan. Over high heat, stir these constantly until the mixture boils. Do not stop stirring this mixture, because it will scorch.
Once the mixture has come to a good boil, stir for one more minute, then pour it over the wafer/banana layers.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (lime juice will work just fine). With an electric mixer, beat these until stiff white peaks are formed.
Once the white peaks are formed, spread over the casserole dish, sealing the edges.
Under direct heat, place the dish, and allow the meringue to brown for two minutes, watching it carefully, so as not to burn. When desired brownness has been reached, remove from oven, and allow it to stand at room temperature for ten minutes.
Enjoy!
My Grandmother Hoover was a wonderful cook. And with as many people as we had in the Hoover clan, that was essential.
She made the most wonderful banana pudding. I couldn't remember exactly how she did it, but my "other mother" Mrs Jane Pearson--who is my "mom" in almost every sense of the word--gave me a fabulous recipe several years ago, and I've tweaked it a bit. Here it is:
You will need:
1 box of vanilla wafers (or you can use lemon cookies also)
several ripe bananas, sliced pinwheel-style
*In a medium Pyrex bowl (or casserole dish), layers these, beginning with the wafers/cookies. The top layer should be bananas.
3 cups of milk (use whole or 2%, not "fat free"--yuck!)
3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 tablespoon flour (plain or self-rising is fine)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix all of these items together in a large stewer or saucepan. Over high heat, stir these constantly until the mixture boils. Do not stop stirring this mixture, because it will scorch.
Once the mixture has come to a good boil, stir for one more minute, then pour it over the wafer/banana layers.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (lime juice will work just fine). With an electric mixer, beat these until stiff white peaks are formed.
Once the white peaks are formed, spread over the casserole dish, sealing the edges.
Under direct heat, place the dish, and allow the meringue to brown for two minutes, watching it carefully, so as not to burn. When desired brownness has been reached, remove from oven, and allow it to stand at room temperature for ten minutes.
Enjoy!
Independence Day....Some Thoughts.
I am very thankful for the Freedoms we enjoy in these United States. I am all for the celebrations (within reason--which has a very fluid definition in itself) by the people who inhabit this great land and call it "home."
But more than the "freedoms" I cherish as an American, I am so grateful for the freedoms that I have in Jesus Christ, God's only Son.
Bill and Gloria Gaither (mostly Gloria, LOL) wrote a wonderful song many years ago, that has become my "anthem." This song says it all:
Deep within the heart has always known that there was freedom
Somehow breathed into the very soul of life.
The prisoner, the powerless, the saved have always known it
There`s something that keeps reaching for the sky.
Even life begins because a baby fights for freedom
And songs we love to sing have freedom`s theme.
Some have walked through fire and flood to find a place of freedom
And some faced hell itself for freedom`s dream.
Let freedom ring wherever minds know what it means to be in chains
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain.
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets where prisons have no key
We can be free and we can sing --- let freedom ring!
God built freedom into every fiber of creation
And He meant for us to all be free and whole.
When my Lord bought freedom with the blood of His redemption
His cross stamped pardon on my very soul!
I`ll sing it out with every breath, I`ll let the whole world hear it
This hallelujah anthem of the free!
That iron bars and heavy chains can never hold us captive
The Son has made us free and free indeed!
Let freedom ring down through the ages from a hill called Calvary
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain.
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets where prisons have no key,
You can be free and you can sing-- let freedom ring!
All I can say is "Amen."
But more than the "freedoms" I cherish as an American, I am so grateful for the freedoms that I have in Jesus Christ, God's only Son.
Bill and Gloria Gaither (mostly Gloria, LOL) wrote a wonderful song many years ago, that has become my "anthem." This song says it all:
Deep within the heart has always known that there was freedom
Somehow breathed into the very soul of life.
The prisoner, the powerless, the saved have always known it
There`s something that keeps reaching for the sky.
Even life begins because a baby fights for freedom
And songs we love to sing have freedom`s theme.
Some have walked through fire and flood to find a place of freedom
And some faced hell itself for freedom`s dream.
Let freedom ring wherever minds know what it means to be in chains
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain.
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets where prisons have no key
We can be free and we can sing --- let freedom ring!
God built freedom into every fiber of creation
And He meant for us to all be free and whole.
When my Lord bought freedom with the blood of His redemption
His cross stamped pardon on my very soul!
I`ll sing it out with every breath, I`ll let the whole world hear it
This hallelujah anthem of the free!
That iron bars and heavy chains can never hold us captive
The Son has made us free and free indeed!
Let freedom ring down through the ages from a hill called Calvary
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain.
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets where prisons have no key,
You can be free and you can sing-- let freedom ring!
All I can say is "Amen."
What deeply troubles me
about the current "immigration" debate(s) in this country:
1) We have become a nation of "every man[and woman] does what is right in their own eyes." And this is particularly true of those who come to the United States, undocumented, and decide to stay here.
2) We are teaching an entire segment of society [and subsequent generations] that the laws of the United States of America can be ingnored and trifled with, and nothing of any consequence will happen. If anyone can come to the United States, ignoring our immigration laws, and successfully "hide out" here...or worse yet, flaunt their status, then how can we expect "society" to believe that our "laws" actually should be obeyed?
3) Our educational, legal, healthcare, and welfare systems are being bankrupted by the "overloads" on them. Taxpaying "citizens" and legal residents of this nation deserve far better than these systems can currently deliver. In our desires to be "humane" we are becoming less so, because the current structures cannot effectively serve those who most need their services.
4) Most of the people I've encountered who come here undocumented (and have remained here) have little, if any, loyalty to the United States of America. They will be the first ones to "march" on the streets, wave their flags (of another land), and cry out about how "unfair" America is to them. If America is so "unfair"--then what on earth are you doing here, consuming our resources, polluting our streets, and taking up space? You are neither needed nor wanted in this land, if we are so "awful."
5) The "amnesty option" of 1986 didn't work then, even though President Reagan's intentions were noble and good. The laws of 1986 only spurred more Mexicans (and others) to come here illegally, and we are now reaping the whirlwind of such actions. Our generosity and kindness have been abused, and will continue being abused until we stop those who are abusing.
What say ye?
1) We have become a nation of "every man[and woman] does what is right in their own eyes." And this is particularly true of those who come to the United States, undocumented, and decide to stay here.
2) We are teaching an entire segment of society [and subsequent generations] that the laws of the United States of America can be ingnored and trifled with, and nothing of any consequence will happen. If anyone can come to the United States, ignoring our immigration laws, and successfully "hide out" here...or worse yet, flaunt their status, then how can we expect "society" to believe that our "laws" actually should be obeyed?
3) Our educational, legal, healthcare, and welfare systems are being bankrupted by the "overloads" on them. Taxpaying "citizens" and legal residents of this nation deserve far better than these systems can currently deliver. In our desires to be "humane" we are becoming less so, because the current structures cannot effectively serve those who most need their services.
4) Most of the people I've encountered who come here undocumented (and have remained here) have little, if any, loyalty to the United States of America. They will be the first ones to "march" on the streets, wave their flags (of another land), and cry out about how "unfair" America is to them. If America is so "unfair"--then what on earth are you doing here, consuming our resources, polluting our streets, and taking up space? You are neither needed nor wanted in this land, if we are so "awful."
5) The "amnesty option" of 1986 didn't work then, even though President Reagan's intentions were noble and good. The laws of 1986 only spurred more Mexicans (and others) to come here illegally, and we are now reaping the whirlwind of such actions. Our generosity and kindness have been abused, and will continue being abused until we stop those who are abusing.
What say ye?
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