INSPIRATION FROM TRAGEDY
by: Mike Dowdy
I just returned from a trip to New Jersey. While en route there, I was stuck in traffic on Interstate 81, just below the Virginia state line, (Bristol, Tennessee), due to a traffic accident with a fatality involved. This accident involved a tanker truck hauling a hazardous material load that developed a leak, which meant that we weren't going anywhere for several hours.
After being told by the Tennessee state troopers that we would be sitting still until the clean up was completed, I set my brakes on the truck and got our to stretch my legs. Other truck drivers did the same, and at one point there were 5 of us standing there by my truck, complaining.
Sitting right beside me in the left lane, were two elderly people in a Silverado pick up truck, which was loaded quite well. The man, (Joe), lowered his window and asked what was going on regarding the traffic situation.
Soon we were all talking with this couple. I mentioned that if I had known about this, I would have bought something to drink, (water), for I was becoming thirsty. The lady, (Anna), said that they had plenty of water, and sodas in the cooler in the bed of the truck, and offered everyone present something. While she was back there, she said that she had plenty of tuna salad made up, and asked if we would be interested in a sandwich.
After some urging from Joe, we agreed to a sandwich. While Anna was making the sandwiches on the tailgate of the truck, she was singing like a songbird. To be close to 70, (I guess), she had a remarkable voice.
When she finished making the sandwiches, and putting everything up, Joe raised the tailgate of the truck to close it. I noticed a Mississippi license plate on it. I inquired as to what part of Mississippi they were from. Joe said Biloxi. Knowing that Biloxi had been ravaged also by hurricane Katrina, I asked if they sustained any damage. Joe said that they lost everything but what they had on and what was in the pickup. All of us drivers tried unsuccessfully to pay them for their drinks and the sandwiches. They would have nothing to do with it.
Joe said that their son was living around Harrisonburg, Virginia and that they were going there. He was in the real estate business and that there was a home that became open, and that they were going to start all over there. Staring over at their age would not be easy.
I will soon be 48 years old, and I have to say that I have never eaten a tuna sandwich with side orders of reality and humility. These people lost everything except the pictures, important documents, and some clothes. Joe had managed to get their antique heirloom grandfathers clock into the bed of the truck and Anna got her china and silverware, but that was all. These wonderful people lost practically everything they owned and still would not accept any money for their food and drinks. Joe said that "it was better to give than it is to receive."
They sought refuge behind a block wall that he had built years ago, and they
watched their belongings and their home disappear in the winds of Hurricane
Katrina. Joe said that during all this he had one hand holding onto Anna and the other holding on to God. Their truck and their selves came out of Katrina
unscathed.
As I stated before, Anna was singing a song while making the sandwiches.
The song is titled "I know who holds tomorrow," an old gospel song. She knew
every word, and was quite a gifted singer of it. Have you ever heard it?
The chorus of this song is, “Many things, about tomorrow, I don't seem to
understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand."
There is no doubt, in my mind, who was holding both their hands.
Forget all of the politics that the news is striving on, and think about people just like Joe and Anna. If you can, help out with the victim’s relief funds. If you cannot, at least offer a prayer for everyone.
I know that these two elderly people got to this old country boy. I will always remember them. Joe and Anna, if by some strange way you or someone you know gets this, and shows it to you, God Bless you!
Mike Dowdy
Hartselle, Alabama
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Friday, September 30, 2005
An opinion.... Speak up America! Sheehan has spent her sympathy
Speak up America! Sheehan has spent her sympathy
By Ed Koch, former Mayor, NYC
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has become the face of the anti-war movement in the United States. While her grief is understandable, her rhetoric is outrageous.
As the mother of a son killed in battle in Iraq, she originally struck a sympathetic chord, whether you supported the war in Iraq or opposed it. One cannot help but empathize with the agony of a bereaved mother. But that has changed over the months, and I believe that many Americans who viewed her with sympathy no longer do so.
Many Americans, myself included, now see her as a person who has come to enjoy the celebratory status accorded to her by the radicals on the extreme left who see America as the outlaw of the world. These radicals are not content to be constructive critics. They are bent on destroying this country.
Some of them want to turn America into a radical socialist state. Others hope to create a utopia. But regardless of their agendas, how can Cindy Sheehan's supporters defend her shameful statement, "This country is not worth dying for."
While we recognize the U.S. is far from perfect, we are still head and shoulders above most other countries in the world in every respect. We remain the place where almost all others, given the chance, want to come to live. We continue to be the land of opportunity. We are the world's leading economy.
Yes, there is far too great a difference between the incomes of the rich and the poor. Yes, we haven't provided universal medical care as a matter of right for all of our citizens. Yes, minorities still suffer from discrimination socially, in housing, jobs and education. But we have a political system that for more than 200 years has allowed the electorate to work its will through regularly held elections. The government follows the will of the people, or it will no longer stay in power..
Those who rail against the United States have simply failed to sell their message to the public at large. They keep losing elections, local as well as national. Rather than broadening their appeal, they have narrowed it.
I supported and still support the war in Iraq, because our Congress and President had every right to rely on the advice of the CIA that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. On Sunday, September 25, 2005, Tim Russert of Meet The Press, summed up the situation prevailing before the war, saying, "…post September 11th, there was a fear of terrorism, an inability to know whether there were weapons of mass destruction by the public or by the media. George W. Bush said there were. Bill and Hillary Clinton said there were. The Russians, French and Germans, who opposed the war, said there were. Hans Blix of the UN said there were."
Iraq had fought an eight-year war against Iran resulting in a million casualties, using poison gas against the Kurds, who were citizens of Iraq, and against the Iranian army. Yes, since the 2003 invasion, we have not found any present supplies of WMD. Nevertheless, based on advice from CIA counterparts advising every member nation of the United Nations Security Council, the Security Council, including Syria, adopted Resolution 1441 unanimously, finding Iraq had weapons of mass destruction for which it had not accounted and advising Iraq that failure to account was cause for war. Iraq refused to account for them to the U.N. We and our allies were right to invade, notwithstanding that other countries, terrified by the prospect of terrorism against them and tempted by corruption at the UN masterminded by Saddam Hussein through the Oil-For-Food program and lucrative vendor contracts with Hussein's regime, did not join us.
As I have often stated, we have accomplished our original goal to prevent Iraq from threatening us or its regional neighbors. We should declare victory and get out. Yes, there probably will be a civil war among the Kurds, Sunni and Shia. If the UN — which is still under a cloud because of the "Oil for Food" scandal — decides to take a military role in Iraq to stop the civil war, we can join them at that time. Having accomplished our original mission, we should no longer be fulfilling the obligations of other countries, such as Germany and France which have had a free ride to date. Even in Afghanistan, the latter NATO allies, do not participate in combat duty, leaving that and the ensuing casualties for the U.S. to bear.
President George W. Bush summed up his views on Iraq when he stated, "When the Iraqi army stands up, the American Army will stand down." I have low expectations of that happening in the immediate future. The estimates provided by the Bush administration on our getting out range from two to ten years. I do not believe we should wait that long, because of the casualties that would be involved. We should get out now, leaving the UN in charge. Although I believe that we should leave Iraq, I do not accept Sheehan's outrageous statements.
Sheehan has joined those who rail against Israel, labeling Israel as the culprit with her comment, "You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine and the terrorism will stop." Is that why Sunni and other terrorists have intentionally killed thousands of Shia civilians, labeling them, according to al-Zarkawi, infidels? Is that why Arab fundamentalists have declared war against all Christians and Jews?
According to Wikipedia, on August 15, 2005, on the Chris Matthews Show, Sheehan said, "she would not have responded differently to her son's death had he died in Afghanistan rather than in Iraq. Sheehan argued that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was 'almost the same thing as the Iraq war.'" Remember, the UN Security Council authorized the invasion of Afghanistan and the war against the Taliban government.
Sheehan's personal attacks on President Bush include comments in a speech on April 27, 2005, when she said, "We are not waging a war on terror in this country. We're waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush." Shameful.
According to Wikipedia, Sheehan wrote, "Casey was killed in the Global War of Terrorism waged on the world and its own citizens by the biggest terrorist outfit in the world: George and his destructive neo-con cabal."
In an interview on CBS, Sheehan referred to the foreign insurgents coming into Iraq, who are condemned as terrorists even by other Arab countries, as well as the U.S. and Great Britain, as "freedom fighters." On September 16, 2005, she said, "Pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq." On the one hand, she and her supporters urge that the National Guard be brought back from Iraq to be used in New Orleans, and on the other hand, she condemns their use there now.
In addressing a veterans' group on August 5, 2005, she demeaned herself with the use of truly outrageous remarks hurled at the President, describing him as "a lying bastard," "that jerk," "that filth spewer and war monger," and "that evil maniac."
Sheehan appeared this past weekend in Washington, D.C., leading the parade in a picture captured by the media that included Jesse Jackson, Julian Bond and Al Sharpton.
On Monday of this week, while Sheehan and her supporters were in Washington protesting at the White House against the presence of U.S. military forces in Iraq — those forces there at the request of the democratically elected Iraqi government — according to The New York Times, "Armed men dressed as police officers burst into a primary school in a town south of Baghdad on Monday, rounded up five Shiite teachers and their driver, marched them to an empty classroom and killed them, a police official said." Sheehan believes them to be "freedom fighters."
Of course, Sheehan has the right to state her opinion in a country she believes shouldn't be defended. We who disagree with her statements, we who believe this country deserves our thanks, love and willingness to defend it, also have the right to express our views. Speak up, America.
By Ed Koch, former Mayor, NYC
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has become the face of the anti-war movement in the United States. While her grief is understandable, her rhetoric is outrageous.
As the mother of a son killed in battle in Iraq, she originally struck a sympathetic chord, whether you supported the war in Iraq or opposed it. One cannot help but empathize with the agony of a bereaved mother. But that has changed over the months, and I believe that many Americans who viewed her with sympathy no longer do so.
Many Americans, myself included, now see her as a person who has come to enjoy the celebratory status accorded to her by the radicals on the extreme left who see America as the outlaw of the world. These radicals are not content to be constructive critics. They are bent on destroying this country.
Some of them want to turn America into a radical socialist state. Others hope to create a utopia. But regardless of their agendas, how can Cindy Sheehan's supporters defend her shameful statement, "This country is not worth dying for."
While we recognize the U.S. is far from perfect, we are still head and shoulders above most other countries in the world in every respect. We remain the place where almost all others, given the chance, want to come to live. We continue to be the land of opportunity. We are the world's leading economy.
Yes, there is far too great a difference between the incomes of the rich and the poor. Yes, we haven't provided universal medical care as a matter of right for all of our citizens. Yes, minorities still suffer from discrimination socially, in housing, jobs and education. But we have a political system that for more than 200 years has allowed the electorate to work its will through regularly held elections. The government follows the will of the people, or it will no longer stay in power..
Those who rail against the United States have simply failed to sell their message to the public at large. They keep losing elections, local as well as national. Rather than broadening their appeal, they have narrowed it.
I supported and still support the war in Iraq, because our Congress and President had every right to rely on the advice of the CIA that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. On Sunday, September 25, 2005, Tim Russert of Meet The Press, summed up the situation prevailing before the war, saying, "…post September 11th, there was a fear of terrorism, an inability to know whether there were weapons of mass destruction by the public or by the media. George W. Bush said there were. Bill and Hillary Clinton said there were. The Russians, French and Germans, who opposed the war, said there were. Hans Blix of the UN said there were."
Iraq had fought an eight-year war against Iran resulting in a million casualties, using poison gas against the Kurds, who were citizens of Iraq, and against the Iranian army. Yes, since the 2003 invasion, we have not found any present supplies of WMD. Nevertheless, based on advice from CIA counterparts advising every member nation of the United Nations Security Council, the Security Council, including Syria, adopted Resolution 1441 unanimously, finding Iraq had weapons of mass destruction for which it had not accounted and advising Iraq that failure to account was cause for war. Iraq refused to account for them to the U.N. We and our allies were right to invade, notwithstanding that other countries, terrified by the prospect of terrorism against them and tempted by corruption at the UN masterminded by Saddam Hussein through the Oil-For-Food program and lucrative vendor contracts with Hussein's regime, did not join us.
As I have often stated, we have accomplished our original goal to prevent Iraq from threatening us or its regional neighbors. We should declare victory and get out. Yes, there probably will be a civil war among the Kurds, Sunni and Shia. If the UN — which is still under a cloud because of the "Oil for Food" scandal — decides to take a military role in Iraq to stop the civil war, we can join them at that time. Having accomplished our original mission, we should no longer be fulfilling the obligations of other countries, such as Germany and France which have had a free ride to date. Even in Afghanistan, the latter NATO allies, do not participate in combat duty, leaving that and the ensuing casualties for the U.S. to bear.
President George W. Bush summed up his views on Iraq when he stated, "When the Iraqi army stands up, the American Army will stand down." I have low expectations of that happening in the immediate future. The estimates provided by the Bush administration on our getting out range from two to ten years. I do not believe we should wait that long, because of the casualties that would be involved. We should get out now, leaving the UN in charge. Although I believe that we should leave Iraq, I do not accept Sheehan's outrageous statements.
Sheehan has joined those who rail against Israel, labeling Israel as the culprit with her comment, "You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine and the terrorism will stop." Is that why Sunni and other terrorists have intentionally killed thousands of Shia civilians, labeling them, according to al-Zarkawi, infidels? Is that why Arab fundamentalists have declared war against all Christians and Jews?
According to Wikipedia, on August 15, 2005, on the Chris Matthews Show, Sheehan said, "she would not have responded differently to her son's death had he died in Afghanistan rather than in Iraq. Sheehan argued that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was 'almost the same thing as the Iraq war.'" Remember, the UN Security Council authorized the invasion of Afghanistan and the war against the Taliban government.
Sheehan's personal attacks on President Bush include comments in a speech on April 27, 2005, when she said, "We are not waging a war on terror in this country. We're waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush." Shameful.
According to Wikipedia, Sheehan wrote, "Casey was killed in the Global War of Terrorism waged on the world and its own citizens by the biggest terrorist outfit in the world: George and his destructive neo-con cabal."
In an interview on CBS, Sheehan referred to the foreign insurgents coming into Iraq, who are condemned as terrorists even by other Arab countries, as well as the U.S. and Great Britain, as "freedom fighters." On September 16, 2005, she said, "Pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq." On the one hand, she and her supporters urge that the National Guard be brought back from Iraq to be used in New Orleans, and on the other hand, she condemns their use there now.
In addressing a veterans' group on August 5, 2005, she demeaned herself with the use of truly outrageous remarks hurled at the President, describing him as "a lying bastard," "that jerk," "that filth spewer and war monger," and "that evil maniac."
Sheehan appeared this past weekend in Washington, D.C., leading the parade in a picture captured by the media that included Jesse Jackson, Julian Bond and Al Sharpton.
On Monday of this week, while Sheehan and her supporters were in Washington protesting at the White House against the presence of U.S. military forces in Iraq — those forces there at the request of the democratically elected Iraqi government — according to The New York Times, "Armed men dressed as police officers burst into a primary school in a town south of Baghdad on Monday, rounded up five Shiite teachers and their driver, marched them to an empty classroom and killed them, a police official said." Sheehan believes them to be "freedom fighters."
Of course, Sheehan has the right to state her opinion in a country she believes shouldn't be defended. We who disagree with her statements, we who believe this country deserves our thanks, love and willingness to defend it, also have the right to express our views. Speak up, America.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
From Uncle Ivan, "TO MEET SUCH A MAN "...
A Story That Will Surely Touch You
TO MEET SUCH A MAN
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying,a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square."
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.
"Not really," he replied, "just resting."
"Have you eaten today?"
"Oh, I ate something early this morning"
"Would you like to have lunch with me?"
"Do you have some work I could do for you?"
"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."
"Sure," he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?"
"St. Louis."
"Where you from?"
"Oh, all over, mostly Florida."
"How long you been walking?"
"Fourteen years," came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God
"Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now"
"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.
"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside ! for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"
"What?"
"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"
"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."
I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled! led well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.
"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see" I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
"Where are you headed from here?" I asked.
"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."
"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"
"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope."
"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."
"I know," I said, "I love you, too." "The Lord is good!"
"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked.
"A long time," he replied
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."
"I'll be there!" was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless."
"God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."
"Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus' precious Name Amen."
GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!
TO MEET SUCH A MAN
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying,a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square."
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.
"Not really," he replied, "just resting."
"Have you eaten today?"
"Oh, I ate something early this morning"
"Would you like to have lunch with me?"
"Do you have some work I could do for you?"
"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."
"Sure," he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?"
"St. Louis."
"Where you from?"
"Oh, all over, mostly Florida."
"How long you been walking?"
"Fourteen years," came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God
"Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now"
"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.
"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside ! for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"
"What?"
"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"
"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."
I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled! led well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.
"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see" I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
"Where are you headed from here?" I asked.
"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."
"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"
"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope."
"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."
"I know," I said, "I love you, too." "The Lord is good!"
"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked.
"A long time," he replied
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."
"I'll be there!" was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless."
"God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."
"Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus' precious Name Amen."
GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!
Saturday, September 24, 2005
I put up some photos of the morning sky... Hurricane Rita to our south gave us some very beautiful skies this am. We had a cold front to our west with a long "roll" cloud from south to north in the western sky.. and Rita to our south with her fingers stretching out... Enjoy.. oh, and there a few shots of wiley coytee too.. haha.. enjoy..
Friday, September 23, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Jake's Welding Class open house tonight in Stillwater at Merdian Tech.
Great time had by all. Here is some photos from the night! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sunday, September 18, 2005
from La....
Those of us in La. know who screwed up this disaster. Our Governor, the levee
board, the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Mayor are primarily to
blame with the incompetence of FEMA being secondary.
By the way, things have improved significantly. We give credit to our armed
forces who have taken the pressure off of local law enforcement allowing them
to regain control of our cities. I've often wondered why New Orleans police
have a reputation for being tough, no nonsense guys -- I now understand.
The looting here has been bad. You won't see it on TV, since we're not even
close to being newsworthy considering all the deprivation, death and suffering
being reported.
Our parish took in the first 600 evacuees, and put them up in one of our
brand new high schools located next to I-10. In l0 hours they had trashed the
school, torn out urinals, ripped the bleachers out of the gym and trashed the
classrooms and computers.
We moved them, plus 600 more to a place across the Interstate at an expo
center.
By Tuesday night, there were 3 car jackings and 3 armed robberies. So we had
to call in our deputies, police and Nat'l Guard troops to guard the evacuees.
Most of our law enforcement had been down in NO working the rescue mission.
The same stories apply to Baton Rouge, only multiply the numbers 10 fold. My
godson/nephew is the chief of the K-9 Department in Shreveport, 250 miles north
of Baton Rouge. He had been in NO working on the rescue till now, except he
has been called back to Shreveport tonight to protect against the looting there.
Mandy works for a doctor in a clinic next to our small hospital in Gonzales.
It's situated across the Interstate from the evacuee center. At 11 AM
yesterday (Thursday), the police locked down the hospital and the
clinic to protect them from looters. The clinic closed down at 2 PM and the
medical staff got escorts out of the vicinity.
The national news seems to carry a constant theme of Louisiana politicians
crying "shame, shame America". "Where's the government?" It's the mantra de
jour.
Our governor had the power to declare martial law and commandeer school buses
to evacuate the NO folks. She did not. Her news conferences are unscheduled,
unformatted ramblings, punctuated with tears and calls for help and
prayers......but not much information or direction. She has been noticeably absent from
sight today since the President toured.
Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees here, but I don't want any of you
"Americans out there" to accept any blame for the lack of immediate response
when it was clearly the responsibility of local and state government officials.
Frank H. Kean, III
1614 LaSalle Parc Baton Rouge, La. 70806
board, the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Mayor are primarily to
blame with the incompetence of FEMA being secondary.
By the way, things have improved significantly. We give credit to our armed
forces who have taken the pressure off of local law enforcement allowing them
to regain control of our cities. I've often wondered why New Orleans police
have a reputation for being tough, no nonsense guys -- I now understand.
The looting here has been bad. You won't see it on TV, since we're not even
close to being newsworthy considering all the deprivation, death and suffering
being reported.
Our parish took in the first 600 evacuees, and put them up in one of our
brand new high schools located next to I-10. In l0 hours they had trashed the
school, torn out urinals, ripped the bleachers out of the gym and trashed the
classrooms and computers.
We moved them, plus 600 more to a place across the Interstate at an expo
center.
By Tuesday night, there were 3 car jackings and 3 armed robberies. So we had
to call in our deputies, police and Nat'l Guard troops to guard the evacuees.
Most of our law enforcement had been down in NO working the rescue mission.
The same stories apply to Baton Rouge, only multiply the numbers 10 fold. My
godson/nephew is the chief of the K-9 Department in Shreveport, 250 miles north
of Baton Rouge. He had been in NO working on the rescue till now, except he
has been called back to Shreveport tonight to protect against the looting there.
Mandy works for a doctor in a clinic next to our small hospital in Gonzales.
It's situated across the Interstate from the evacuee center. At 11 AM
yesterday (Thursday), the police locked down the hospital and the
clinic to protect them from looters. The clinic closed down at 2 PM and the
medical staff got escorts out of the vicinity.
The national news seems to carry a constant theme of Louisiana politicians
crying "shame, shame America". "Where's the government?" It's the mantra de
jour.
Our governor had the power to declare martial law and commandeer school buses
to evacuate the NO folks. She did not. Her news conferences are unscheduled,
unformatted ramblings, punctuated with tears and calls for help and
prayers......but not much information or direction. She has been noticeably absent from
sight today since the President toured.
Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees here, but I don't want any of you
"Americans out there" to accept any blame for the lack of immediate response
when it was clearly the responsibility of local and state government officials.
Frank H. Kean, III
1614 LaSalle Parc Baton Rouge, La. 70806
Saturday, September 17, 2005
You have to love grandma's... from Heather..
The doctor that had been seeing an 80-year-old woman for most of her life finally retired. At her next checkup, the new doctor told her to bring a list of all the medicines that had been prescribed for her.
As the young doctor was looking through these, his eyes grew wide as he realized she had a prescription for birth control pills. "Mrs.Smith, do you realize these are BIRTH CONTROL pills?
"Yes, they help me sleep at night."
"Mrs. Smith, I assure you there is absolutely NOTHING in these that could possibly help you sleep!"
She reached out and patted the young Doctor's knee. "Yes, dear, I know that. But every morning, I grind one up and mix it in the glass of orange juice that my 16 year old granddaughter drinks... And believe me, it helps me sleep at night.
You gotta like Grandmas
As the young doctor was looking through these, his eyes grew wide as he realized she had a prescription for birth control pills. "Mrs.Smith, do you realize these are BIRTH CONTROL pills?
"Yes, they help me sleep at night."
"Mrs. Smith, I assure you there is absolutely NOTHING in these that could possibly help you sleep!"
She reached out and patted the young Doctor's knee. "Yes, dear, I know that. But every morning, I grind one up and mix it in the glass of orange juice that my 16 year old granddaughter drinks... And believe me, it helps me sleep at night.
You gotta like Grandmas
Friday, September 16, 2005
Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda send this prayer for all..
This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
The Prayer:
Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings In Jesus' precious name.
Amen
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let us continue to pray for one another.
The Prayer:
Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings In Jesus' precious name.
Amen
Thursday, September 15, 2005
From Heather... Letter From WWII Soldier Reaches Home
Letter From WWII Soldier Reaches Home
Son Thanked Parents For Birthday Gift
POSTED: 11:38 am CDT September 15, 2005
POOLE, Neb. -- More than 60 years after he sent it, the final letter
written by a soldier killed in World War II has made it home.
The letter somehow landed inside a newspaper dated 1915.
Nebraskan Gary Mathis found it after he bought a box of old newspapers
at a yard sale in Kansas. The letter's envelope had military post office
markings dated March 6, 1944.
Mathis ran an announcement and a picture of the letter in a local
newspaper, and word of mouth got to the soldier's sister.
Louise Kisling said her brother, Clinton Krotz, was an infantry soldier
in Italy during the war. He was killed in action about two months after
the date on the letter.
In the letter, Krotz thanked his parents for a wristwatch they had sent
as a birthday gift, as well as some candy and nuts.
Kisling said her only disappointment is that her parents never got to
see the letter.
Son Thanked Parents For Birthday Gift
POSTED: 11:38 am CDT September 15, 2005
POOLE, Neb. -- More than 60 years after he sent it, the final letter
written by a soldier killed in World War II has made it home.
The letter somehow landed inside a newspaper dated 1915.
Nebraskan Gary Mathis found it after he bought a box of old newspapers
at a yard sale in Kansas. The letter's envelope had military post office
markings dated March 6, 1944.
Mathis ran an announcement and a picture of the letter in a local
newspaper, and word of mouth got to the soldier's sister.
Louise Kisling said her brother, Clinton Krotz, was an infantry soldier
in Italy during the war. He was killed in action about two months after
the date on the letter.
In the letter, Krotz thanked his parents for a wristwatch they had sent
as a birthday gift, as well as some candy and nuts.
Kisling said her only disappointment is that her parents never got to
see the letter.
Ms. Madison Ann Blankinship at 4 months and 10 days!
Lookie who came to see us last night!! Yelp, Ms. Madison came to visit last night, before the storms moved in, while mom and dad were practicing their baseball in town. She is a hoot. She can now almost get her legs under her enough to crawl, which will happen soon, I bet. She can turn over by herself and then turn back over. I was taking pics of her trying to do all this last night. You can see how she can get her legs under her in the new photos ... check them out.. enjoy the day!
Hummm....haha.. from Heather Ann....,
I was sitting in a cafeteria recently, next to a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper.
One of the headlines blared: "12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed."
She shook her head at the sad news.
Then, turning to me, she asked, ";How many is a Brazilian?"
One of the headlines blared: "12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed."
She shook her head at the sad news.
Then, turning to me, she asked, ";How many is a Brazilian?"
Monday, September 12, 2005
Duct tape or a nail... or.... from Uncle Ivan
Duct Tape or a Nail
A man dies and goes to heaven.
Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.
St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.
You need 100 points to make it into heaven.
You tell me all the good things you've done,
and I give you a certain number of points for each item,
depending on how good it was.
When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says,
"I was married to the same woman for 50 years
and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life
and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."
"One point!?!!"
"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a
shelterfor homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more
points," he says.
"Two points!?!! "Exasperated, the man cries.
"At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God."
"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape or baling wire.
God did it with a nail.
AMEN
A man dies and goes to heaven.
Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.
St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.
You need 100 points to make it into heaven.
You tell me all the good things you've done,
and I give you a certain number of points for each item,
depending on how good it was.
When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says,
"I was married to the same woman for 50 years
and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life
and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."
"One point!?!!"
"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a
shelterfor homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more
points," he says.
"Two points!?!! "Exasperated, the man cries.
"At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God."
"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape or baling wire.
God did it with a nail.
AMEN
We received a special award from Austyn for Grandparents Day too.. Thanks Austyn for making if very special for us... and thanks to Andrew and Madison for coming over and sharing the day with us too... and Kaitlyn is walking... wow... great videos of her on Jon's site... we all watched her many times over the weekend... thanks for putting them online... our love to all .... thanks for the best grandparent day ever!
Here is the menu for Grandparents Day....
Here is the menu for Grandparents Day Dinner at the Moffat Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road
What a great weekend... thanks kids and grandkids... many times over... thanks....
My my my… what an almost perfect weekend!! Ann and I are fast being to love Grandparents Day in a way we have never appreciated it before!
It started Friday with lunch with Andrew Paul at his school, which we enjoyed very much. We did not get to make Austyn’s because we thought they ate at the same time, but found out later they don’t, but they are in schools that are cross town and there was only thirty minutes between lunch periods. Great Grandma Moffat ate with Austyn so he did have some of his Grand’s there... and she is way more important!
Then Friday, after a quick call to Jon to see when they were coming up … and discovered they were not (could be that Dad misunderstood the message last weekend… ha-ha) we confirmed to Heather we would watch the kiddos… on Saturday, which we did. Her and Paul had an engagement Saturday evening, and needed someone.. so of course, Mom and I stepped in GLADLY and watched the kids… and JAKE too…
On Sunday, Heather and the kiddos came over for lunch… and we had a great lunch… Ann made steamed pork chops, mashed potatoes and her famous gravy… and much more…. Then…. We ended up with a surprise dinner at the Phil Moffat Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road. It is a fairly new establishment, with Mr. Austyn Moffat serving as Head waiter, Tammy as head chef and the owner, Phillip Moffat. We were greeted in the rain at the door… and escorted into the waiting room where we were handed a menu and our orders were taken… Then after watching Austyn and Tammy play dominos and Austyn winning… we were seated and enjoyed a totally tremendous meal… see the photo of the menu…. And then after our great meal, we were presented with a very special orange certificate of appreciation for grandparents… IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Thanks guys…..
And thanks to every one for the cards, calls, thoughts, etc… and for making “our” weekend so very special!!!
It started Friday with lunch with Andrew Paul at his school, which we enjoyed very much. We did not get to make Austyn’s because we thought they ate at the same time, but found out later they don’t, but they are in schools that are cross town and there was only thirty minutes between lunch periods. Great Grandma Moffat ate with Austyn so he did have some of his Grand’s there... and she is way more important!
Then Friday, after a quick call to Jon to see when they were coming up … and discovered they were not (could be that Dad misunderstood the message last weekend… ha-ha) we confirmed to Heather we would watch the kiddos… on Saturday, which we did. Her and Paul had an engagement Saturday evening, and needed someone.. so of course, Mom and I stepped in GLADLY and watched the kids… and JAKE too…
On Sunday, Heather and the kiddos came over for lunch… and we had a great lunch… Ann made steamed pork chops, mashed potatoes and her famous gravy… and much more…. Then…. We ended up with a surprise dinner at the Phil Moffat Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road. It is a fairly new establishment, with Mr. Austyn Moffat serving as Head waiter, Tammy as head chef and the owner, Phillip Moffat. We were greeted in the rain at the door… and escorted into the waiting room where we were handed a menu and our orders were taken… Then after watching Austyn and Tammy play dominos and Austyn winning… we were seated and enjoyed a totally tremendous meal… see the photo of the menu…. And then after our great meal, we were presented with a very special orange certificate of appreciation for grandparents… IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Thanks guys…..
And thanks to every one for the cards, calls, thoughts, etc… and for making “our” weekend so very special!!!
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