Pastor A

“But what am I supposed to feel when I do something I am sorry for?” This is a good question and I believe there is an easy answer: regret.

It is natural to have regret when you have made a mistake or sinned against God or another person. We all make mistakes and it is certain that we all sin AND we should feel bad about it. This is why God gave us I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To me, the guilty conscience comes from a deliberate failure to obey I John 1:9. On the other hand, regret means you are sorry and do not want to repeat the same action again. Guilt is an emotion that immobilizes you. This is why guilt serves no good purpose. It will not help you in any way. Guilt is a waste of time. You cannot change what has been done by feeling guilty about it.

Do you remember the story of David? He was so wracked by guilt that in Psalm 51 he suggests that it was affecting him physically. His bones ached within him. In other words, he was immobilized and he simply acknowledged to God what God already knew. David was liberated from that point forward. Sure, he had plenty of regret, but he was no longer paralyzed by guilt.

The past is just that… passed. Gone. Slipped away. Not to be repeated again. If you need to make restitution, do it. If you messed up, apologize. If you are forgiven your mistake by the offended, give thanks and move on. If you are not forgiven for the mistake you made, then move on anyway. Forgive yourself; learn from the experience. Act differently next time. God promises not only to forgive but to cleanse. That means that you are given freedom from your past. Don’t be chained by guilt!

I am trying to attend as many events as my schedule permits. On Friday I was rather stretched to the max. The pastoral staff went to the hospital to be with the John Wilbur family and I stayed until the last possible moment before I had to leave to drive to Scottsdale, Arizona. This was a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Dennis Dwyer, one of our newer church members, was graduating with a Master of Divinity in Biblical Communication degree from Phoenix Seminary. Dennis traveled for eight years between Tucson and Scottsdale and put an astounding 110,000 miles on his car in the process.

Dennis wrote the following:

For the past eight years and one hundred thousand miles plus, which is four times around the planet, half of which were driven at night in line with a string of lights, Phoenix Seminary became (and still is!) a very big part of my life. I will treasure and remember it for the rest of my days.

I really never thought that this incredible opportunity to be with like-minded people, having the same passion to know more about Christ, would come to a completion. I shared with Dr. Paul Wegner that towards the end of my studies in communication skills and languages that I wanted to transfer into the counseling program and start over so that I could stay on longer, because what I received in this journey through the studies of the Bible is this thirst to know more about who God is, where I am going and what His plan is. What I have seen in my sixty plus years on this tiny planet is that time is very short and it travels very fast the older we get. I have also witnessed that getting older is not easy, the mind is not as sharp, the wrinkles and loss of hair and when I look in the mirror I see that time is not very fair to our body; the reality hits that we are here for a short period of time and we need to make the best of it, but also I believe there is something better, and that there is an eternity that awaits us.

Friday evening’s graduation commencement ceremony was surreal! It is difficult to describe the emotions that Gina and I were going through as we stepped onto the platform to receive my degree, it seemed as though time stood still: was this really real? My first emotion was thinking that I am not worthy of this honor, that God would use someone like me to bring to this point in my life. The second emotion was, what will I do next?

I was honored by the many people who attended the service, by sharing their time in this special celebration, and not just for me, but for all who ‘ran the race.’ I am grateful for all the people who have prayed and supported us, who continued to encourage me when I felt that the end was not near enough or even attainable. I especially want to thank Quent and Ana Quiner who were always praying for us from the beginning, and I am so grateful to Col. Don Nixon and his wife Jo who continually supported us in encouragement to stay in the battle and our friends Kim Dupuis, Manny Torres, and Charles and Joanne Isgett for loving us as dear friends. I am indebted to my library friends as well; Doug, Janet, Jim and Mitch who were always cheering me on and my alumni brothers and sisters, who are many, who knew the cost and also supported me along the way. I appreciate the care of Pastor Armstrong and Deacon Fred Vanley from my church, Tucson Baptist Temple, for believing in me. I am also truly grateful for the ones who did not believe in what I was doing in this quest to know the word of God, because they gave me the wherewithal to press on for the cause. But most of all I am blessed to have a wife who was able to endure this quest with me in the midst of her personal physical suffering and I could have never finished this dream without her love and commitment to see me through.

I was moved by Dr. Daryl Delhousaye’s message about having courage in the midst of the hardships to stand firm against the nay-Sayers; to not be afraid of fear of what people thought or said, but to face it, embrace it and to look for the justice in the truth in order to press on for the cause. I believe many hearts were touched and encouraged that night by his commission and charge to the graduates and the audience as well. I will always treasure the servant hearts of ALL of the professors who have shared so much wisdom, care and love. Each of us is set upon a journey with one cause, purpose and end: to seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

So the question is what is next? Gina and I want to ‘go to Disneyland!’ Just kidding, but I have to get back to work. Time is short and I have much to share. My desire would be to continue on in academics, but there is a battlefield to stand on and I have asked God to send me. I would like to write and teach, but the real comfort comes from knowing that all that is given to me is this one day. Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Imagine that, just for a moment; God knows what will be, for each of us. What I do know is that I am going to continue to live for Jesus, a wretched sinner as I, who is saved by grace, God’s grace that sees beyond all of our faults, it’s not about a degree, but about the degree of love I give to others.

I am blessed to have you as part of my life, as well as many others who have made an impact in my journey through this life, by challenging me, testing me, pushing me, encouraging and praying for me. I ask that you will forgive me for the times that I have hurt or disappointed you. It is my prayer that God will bless you as well and thank you for taking time to read this and again thanks for being my friend.

So many in life never complete the journey and are filled with excuses. I would like to congratulate Dennis for completing an arduous eight year journey. I can think of a dozen reasons to quit; yet, he finished the job. Well done!

What is success? Success can be defined in different ways. Success is finding the will of God and doing it. Success is being all you can be in each area of your life without sacrificing your ability to be all you can be in each and every other area of your life. I believe that a successful person has learned the art of living a balanced life. For example, it makes no sense to me if a person is the world’s greatest salesperson and they have bad health. It is nothing but sad to have made a ton of money but sacrificed your family along the way. One should not sacrifice one area over another. Someone said, “To be rich and sick is stupid.” When I read that, I had to stop and consider what the author was really saying.

There are so, so many unbalanced people in this world and especially in the Christian life. There are people who play really hard. There are people that have a child-centered relationship and everything revolves around their children… sad! There are people that are obsessed with making their next dollar. There are people that could care less about their debt and continue to spend money they do not have to buy things they do not need. There are people that eat at the buffet bars in town like pigs slopping in the hogpen. Balance is the key! Think of your life in terms of a wheel with spokes. The hub (center part) represents your relationship with Christ. Christ should be the most important area of your life and from that relationship extends all of the spokes of life. Each spoke represents the physical, social, financial, health and exercise, career, family, fun, play, alone time, hobbies, friends, civic responsibilities, etc. With each of these areas as the spoke of a wheel, considering your own life, how smooth is the ride? Or do you have some flat spots?

Growth in one area of your life, generally speaking, means you will let another area slide slightly. But slightly is the operative word. Do not completely abandon any one area in pursuit of another. People who do that, and I am sure you can name a few, are one-dimensional, boring, and end up leading sad, unfulfilled lives. They have cheated themselves, those around them, and the rest of the world by not living a balanced life. Put Christ first today! Then begin to balance the spokes of your life.

Don’t try today; DO today!

I love watches. I have a couple watches. I tend to think of my watches more as jewelry than as timepieces. One reason is that when I turned 45, I could not see those little numbers as I once was able to see. My favorite watch is a $6 watch that I purchased in China from one of those vendors in a little booth who begged me to stop and look at his wares. John Buntin and I laugh about my purchase. I purchased two watches that were identical Tag Heuer “knock-off” watches. Impressive! $12 total for two watches. Well, the first one worked less than one day and the face fell off. John used it until one of the arms fell off. To our surprise, the other one is still working even as I write this post. We are ten months later and the watch still works and it looks like I actually own a Tag Heuer watch.

The most important reason I do not pay that much attention to my watch any longer is something that I read once, “We do not wear a watch to know what time it is; we wear a watch to know what time it isn’t.” That is an interesting statement. Do you really ever care what time it is? Now hold on; do not answer too quickly. Do not start yelling, “Well, of course I do! I have appointments, planes to catch, things to do, people to see.” Big deal – we all do. How busy you are does not impress me or anyone else. So hang on and let me explain.

Do you look at your watch to see if it is time to leave for your appointment or to see if it not yet time to leave for your appointment? I would imagine that it is the latter. We really do not care what time it is, we only care what time it is not. It is not time to go to lunch. It is not time to go to the airport. It is not time for bed. It is not time to go to work.

And if it is not time to do those things, there must still be time to do something else! That is what you really want, right? Time to do something else. Time to get another cup of coffee. Time enough to relax a little longer. Time do do what you want to do instead of what you have to do.

So what time is it? Time to do the most important thing that needs to be done. If the most important thing gets done, regardless of what it is, nothing else really matters much.

Don’t try today; DO today!

Do you have things in your life that need to be done – things that you really want to see accomplished; yet, you just have not been able to find the time to get them done? Right now, face the fact those things are never going to get done until they become a priority to you. Figure out what is really important to you. In other words, it is time to establish priorities.

Is it your health? If it is, then you will know it is when you do things that make you healthier like eating properly and exercising regularly. Nothing will stand in your way. Not your work, your favorite television show, or any other excuse. There will be enough time for you to get healthy because you will make enough time to get healthy.

Is your priority to spend more time with your family? If it is, then you will know when you really begin to make time for them. You will turn OFF the television set. You will all eat supper around the dining room table, instead of mom cooking a meal and everyone grabbing a plate and going their separate ways. You will DO something together! Nothing will stand in your way.

Is your priority to have a right relationship with God and the church? If it is, then you will know when you start making the things of the Lord real. You and your family will be in church; better yet, you and your family will serve in your church. No excuses – just involvement. WOW! Just think what your children and grandchildren will learn from you when they see you living the same way at church that you do at home. Make it a priority and it can change your life and your family life.

Face these facts… people talk a good game… but they never PLAY the game. Quit talking and start doing. In the normalcy of life sometimes the things you do not want to do have to be your priority. Things like picking up the children, meeting the repairman, picking up the dry cleaning, and accomplishing your list of honey-do’s. I would rather take a beating than meet a repairman. They are never on time and rarely call to advise they will be late; they usually have to come back a second time because they do not have the right things with them to do the job the first time. All of that drives me insane! Yet, life dictates that I sometimes have to do it. Been there? Establish your priorities and do what it takes to get the job done.

Life is full of have-to’s. There is no way around it. I have them and you have them. There are things that we are not wild about doing but still have to do. Welcome to this thing called… life. The key is to figure out how to get them done and still have time to do what you enjoy doing.

Just please stop saying there is not enough time. There is plenty of time. Time to take care of the crazy things that have to be done. Besides, it is not the crazy things that are keeping you from having time to accomplish what you want to accomplish. It is all of the things you let creep into your life because you do not have clearly defined priorities.

God – First; Family – Second; Church – Third; Work – Fourth; etc. Have you ever established your priorities? There is plenty of time to do what is really important to you. Stop being frustrated. Yes, time is short and as we age, it seems to get shorter. But there will never be enough time to do everything there is to do. However, there is plenty of time to do the things you really want to do. You will establish priorities and then work your plan to achieve those priorities.

Stop trying and DO today!

Each time I am invited to a sporting event, play, recital, etc. by one of our parents or children, I try to go so that I can encourage the children of our church. I love getting to know our church families and this is an excellent way to do so.

I had the opportunity to go watch Trinity and Harley in their school play. Both had singing parts and really did an excellent job. As is the case with most children when there is an audience, there were nerves; however, the students were able to remember their lines, in spite of this pressure. It was good to see Fred and Helen Vanley at the play supporting this family. Patty, Harley and Trinity’s grandmother, was so excited to see all of us show up for the play!

Patty Cox is working hard to keep her granddaughters in church and making right decisions. I certainly have an admiration for all grandparents who have taken up the mantle to train their grandchildren when the parent(s) are unavailable. Patty, keep up the good work you are doing!

I was able to capture these two pics during the play. Harley is the top pic and Trinity is on the right with the yellow flower in her hair.

I need more time. I want more time. There is too much to do and not enough time to do it. What to do, what to do? Go to a time management seminar. Or buy an organizer and carry it with you all of the time so you can plot and plan every moment of your life. Those things will work. Yeah, right!

Time management is a joke. Time cannot be managed. Stop trying. It will only frustrate you. Forget about having the time or not having the time. There is nothing you can do to get more of it anyway, so give it up.

Instead of focusing on how much time you have, or do not have or need to have, begin to focus on what your priorities are. The problem is never a lack of time; the problem is poorly defined priorities. When you have established the most important thing in the world for you to do, then time will take care of itself.

If I came to your house, opened your garage door and began to look at your messy garage, like most people, you would probably say you have been meaning to clean the place but have just been too busy. Yes, wrong. You have not been too busy at all. You did not clean your garage because it was not a priority to you. If it had been a priority you would have found the time to clean it. Our priorities almost always get done because we find and make the time for them. On the other hand, the things that are not at all important to us we let slide.

This applies to every area of your life. If I gave you a book that, if read and the principles implemented, would guarantee you more success, happiness, and fulfillment in your life, would you read it? Well, you are reading this blog because you somehow made the time to make this a priority.

Funny how even though you are a busy person – and I know you are – you were able to either find the time or make the time to read my blog. Other people say they want happiness, prosperity, fulfillment and they will never find the time to read. And their excuse… I just didn’t have the time. Watching Survivor, DWTS, or even Everybody Loves Raymond or Seinfeld reruns – those were their priorities. They found time to watch TV but did not find the time to read a book, blog, Bible, or clean their garage. Doing well is not a priority to them.

Too busy to clean the garage? To play with your children? To read a book? To call your mom? To go on a date night with your spouse? How about if I called and offered you a round of golf at the best course in town for free? Would you be too busy for that? If you were a golfer, you would find the time. You would make the time, because that round of golf would have become a priority to you.

We all reveal exactly where our priorities are placed by what we DO!

The golden rule is wrong. Do not just treat people the way you want to be treated. Treat them better. Your level of expectation might be pretty low. My expectation when doing business with others is sometimes too low. (I go to restaurants and if the food even shows up, I have a party.) Therefore, you might be willing to accept a lower quality of service than your customer, neighbor, coworker, or family member is willing to accept. Do not judge what others want by what you are willing to accept. Err on the side of more. Give more than they expect. Be nicer than they expect. Give better service than they expect. Surprise people by going the extra mile. Even the Bible says that we are to go the extra mile, not one but two!

The number one most important lesson about your work, career, and potential success is this… do what you say you are going to do, when you said you were going to do it, in the way you said you were going to do it. No excuses. No pointing the finger of blame elsewhere. No nothing! Just keep your word. Period. Be the person your coworkers and your customers can put their trust, faith and confidence in – without exception.

Don’t try today; DO today!

Work seems to be such a dirty word anymore. Everyone is trying to get out of work or work as little as possible. When you work, work! When you play, play! Do your best not to mix the two. This is especially true if you work from home. Be able to walk away. Many people have home offices these days. Sadly, many people are good at having a home office. They just do not get much work done. Or even more sadly, they do not get much living done.

You must be able to walk away from “home” and its duties and responsibilities to go to “work” and take on those duties and responsibilities. More important, you have to be able to walk away from the work and live your life. This is very hard for most people.

Make your work area a place where you only do work things. Do not eat at your desk or do any personal things at your desk. When you are not working, stay away from that area. If your work area has a door, then close it. If it does not have a door, put one in! Close off the area where you work from the place where you rest, relax, and play.

Get the hard stuff out of the way first. It is kind of like being a little kid and having to clean your plate. If you were smart, you learned to eat the broccoli first and save the macaroni an cheese for later. The same applies to work. Do the stuff that is not your favorite when you first get there. Do not put it off. Just get it done, get it out of the way, and move on to the stuff that you enjoy.

Stay focused. Do one job until completion when at all possible. Figure out the most important thing that has to be done today. Prioritize and then do it. If it really has to be done, you will have accomplished something meaningful regardless of what else does not get done. Focus on things of real importance and let the less important things move down your priority list. No one ever gets in trouble for doing the things that really matter. The things that really matter produce results that really matter, and we are all measured on the quality of our results, not the quality of our activities.

Christians NEED to be better employees. You have a testimony to uphold so work when you work, get the hard stuff out the way first, and stay focused. You will be a better employee for your boss!

Don’t try today; DO today!

First of all, right out the gate, let me say that I am not a PETA fan! I do believe it is okay to kill animals for food. I even think it is okay to kill animals to make clothing. And I definitely believe it is okay to kill snakes to make purses, shoes, and boots. Having stated that, I also believe that it is wonderful for families to own animals and treat them with value and respect.

There are 37 widow(er)s in our church. Most of them have an animal to keep them company. Whether a cat (yuk), dog, pig, skunk, ferret, monkey, or whatever your favorite animal; I know there is great value to have a “friend” in the family.

Growing up on a farm setting in West Virginia, we were privileged to be around lots of animals. In fact, we had dogs, chickens, goats, a horse, a skunk, pigs, guinea pigs, and a couple that I have probably forgotten. Most had names: my first dog – Tiger; Mary Magdalene – a chicken who was allowed to come into our house, Flipper and Skipper – goats who were also allowed inside our house, a horse named Spirit, and all of our cows were named… names like Brenda and Tiny. Our skunk was named Scooter. I’ve forgotten the names of our pigs but I didn’t much care for them.

Growing up, I didn’t know that it might be considered abnormal with our animal loving family. Every morning at 5:30 a.m., I had the responsibility to feed and water all of the chickens in the chicken coop. I had to open the door for the chickens to be able to go outside in the fenced-in area and then gather the eggs. I had to feed and water the cows. I never thought of it as a “hard life,” although growing older I didn’t always have the greatest attitude with respect to my chores. Now I have a great respect for how hard my parents made me work. They were slave drivers (another article on that later)!

Here is what I have learned: there is great value in owning an animal. It teaches responsibility to your children (if you make them do chores like feeding, watering, and cleaning up). But for the most part, animals provide companionship, almost as if they have another sense that we do not have. They understand when you are going to leave or even if there is a death in the family. Animals can mourn and get sick too.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my mother. She has a chocolate lab named, Hershey. As a widowed lady with no children living close, I don’t know what my mom would do without her dog! She loves Hershey. Hershey, as big as she is, still climbs up into mom’s lap, as if she is a lap dog or something. She talks to mom, runs with mom, follows mom around, and genuinely loves mom. I’m thankful that God put animals on this earth for I know that my mother’s life would be much more difficult without a Hershey in her life.

The pics in the post are of mom’s dog and from my recent trip to see her. I had such fun throwing balls and sticks to mom’s dog. She even sat in my lap! One of these days we will just have to own a dog like Hershey. Love your animals the right way.

As I grew up in West Virginia, on a farm with both pasture and woods, it was not uncommon for us to gather brush (limbs and twigs) from beneath all of the trees. As our house was heated with wood, we would also cut down trees and all of the excess limbs would be stacked into huge brushpiles. We would save the brushpiles to burn after a good rainstorm or in the winter months when there was snow on the ground.

In my younger years, fire intrigued me; just as it continues to do for every child who has the opportunity to play with a brushpile. I would poke a long stick into the fire and pull it out to see the flame and smoke it created. We would often poke a spider web or a leaf to hear the sizzle of the heat as it burned whatever we touched. I would often see my dad sitting by the fire as it died down; he would just stare into the fire and I wondered where was his mind and what was he thinking about.

Many times after a long day of work, mom would grab some hot dogs and bread (we could not afford hot dog buns) and we would cook our hot dogs over the coals of the brushpile we had just burned. I do believe that is some of the best eating in the world – a scorched hot dog over glowing, red-hot coals. There were often times that we would even stay up very late to ensure that the fire burned completely down to a pile of just ashes.

My dad taught me how to build a proper brushpile to ensure that it would burn. We used matches and kindling to start the fire. Gasoline, kerosene, oil, and paper were considered cheating for anyone could start a fire that way. Even to this day I like to do it the old-fashioned way for it is more satisfying for sure. It might take a little longer but the fire does not smell of gasoline, kerosene, or oil when you do it the right way. Also, if you do not use paper then you do not have all of the paper flying up into the air to cause another fire that you did not intend to have.

Well, as I crossed over from teenager to adult, I began to realize how soothing it was to just sit next to a fire and discuss all of the world’s problems. You can really meditate about life and all that is going on when you stare and watching the flames dance in their own little party. The smell of wood smoke, the heat from the fire, and the dancing flames are mesmerizing to say the least. In fact, my dad and I had some of the greatest conversations that we ever had in life… sitting around a brushpile that we had set to fire. I do miss those times with my dad.

This past week I had the opportunity to go visit my mother. She had built four such brushpiles and asked if there was anyway before I left if I could help her burn them. Of course that was okay with me; however, due to local fire regulations we had to wait until after 5:00 p.m. On Thursday it was spitting rain and rather cool… a perfect day for fire building. I was transported back to my childhood days as we burned four brushpiles late into the evening. It was fabulous to be covered in that great, great smell – wood smoke!

By the way, in spite of my protests to start the fires the old-fashioned way, my mother insisted that we cheat. To honor my mother I complied with her request and therefore we used kerosene to start the fires. I still feel bad about this…

Author Unknown

This election has me very worried. So many things to consider. I voted for Obama. McCain was a Washington insider and we don’t need any more of them. I have changed my mind three times, since then. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. I must say this drives my husband crazy. But, I feel if you view CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. I started thinking “where does all the money come from for President Obama”? I have four daughters who went to College, and we were middle class, and money was tight. We (including my girls) worked hard and there were lots of student loans. I started looking into Obama’s history for my own peace of mind.

Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. “Barry” (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a “round the world” trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate’s family, then off to Africa to visit his father’s family.

My question – Where did he get the money for this trip? Neither I, nor any one of my children would have had money for a trip like this when they were in college. When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York. It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack – not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It’s not cheap to say the least. My girls asked me; where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe it’s none of my business?

After Columbia, he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. a year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York. By “chance” he met Antoin “Tony” Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery several times in the past and in 2011. Rezko, was named “Entrepreneur of the Decade” by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association”. About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans? His family has no money that’s for sure.

After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what I discovered? They represented “Rezar” which is Rezko’s firm. Rezko was one of Obama’s first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago. In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with “seed money” for his U.S. Senate race.

In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwoood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans – Where did he get the money for this property? On the same day Rezko’s wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama’s new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko.

Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett, was Michele Obama’s boss. She is now Obama’s chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Am I going nuts or is there a pattern here?

On May 10, 2008, The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was “sacked” after the press found out he was having regular contacts with “Hamas”, which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama’s visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will “Take care of things”. What the heck does that mean?

Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that were born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those “small” Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?

And the final bit of news. On September 7, 2009, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip that was made on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, “My Muslim faith”. When questioned, “he made a mistake”. Some mistake huh?

All of the above information I got on line. If you would like to check it – Wikipedia, encyclopedia, Barack Obama; Tony Rezko; Valerie Jarrett: Daily Times – Obama visited Pakistan in 1981; The Washington Times – September 7, 2008; The Times May 10, 2008.

Now the BIG question – If I found out all this information on my own, Why haven’t all of our “intelligent” members of the press been reporting this? Is this a Kettle of Fish??

As Arsenio Hall would say.—-”HUMMMMMMM! Does something stink or is it my imagination?” These are legitimate questions for our president.

I always enjoy watching the children and youth of our church participate in sports or other activities. I was invited to watch Justin play for his high school, Santa Rita High School, on Friday afternoon. Justin is a home-school student and is allowed to play for Santa Rita. Justin plays third base and pitches.

I appreciate Justin’s hard work and great attitude. Justin is very faithful here at TBT and as a freshman, he always attends the prayer meetings in my office. He is a great member of our youth group!

Author: Unkown – I am not gray-haired just yet…

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are “Baby Boomers” getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshipped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.

In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don’t know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.

We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn’t fight for the Socialist States of America ; we fought for the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America ,and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to  anyone for America .

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the “Hope and Change” which in reality was nothing but “Hype and Lies.” You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don’t like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or “Climbing the Social Ladder” to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the “Great Lie” in 2008 are now having buyer’s remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn’t have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the ‘Kool-Aid.’ Now you’re paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you  got.  We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

Well, don’t worry youngsters, the Gray-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we’re going, and in 2012 we’re going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to “We the People” and “We the People” plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the “Gray-Haired Brigade.”

Author, Anon. Gray-Haired Brigade Member

The last week has been extremely hectic with counseling, deaths/funerals, Jonathan’s malaria, Shelli’s foot surgery, and the day-to-day church responsibilities. My blog had to take a backseat for a few days. I heard a man say to my wife, “I hope you are milking that surgery for all its worth.” This comes from a man who does not work and plays on the sympathies of others. I don’t have to worry about him reading my blog since it would be too much work to do so!

There is no way to avoid it – work is a part of everyone’s life. You have to work. I have not figured out a way to avoid it unless I become a welfare recipient or play on the sympathies of someone else. Some have mastered this “art” of being lazy and playing the victim role. By the way, these are not the kind of people that you want to emulate. Work is a given, not just because it is the major source of your income but also because it is the major source of both your personal and professional fulfillment and manner in which you achieve His approval and satisfaction with your life.

I have written before about the importance of loving what you do. However, to those who say, “just love what you do and you will never work a day in your life;” I say, “they are idiots!” No matter how much you love what you do, sometimes it is work! And sometimes it will not be fun. And sometimes you will hate it. Even if what you do is the true fulfillment of all the creative and fun energy you have in your heart, mind, body, and soul, sometimes you will get tired of it and hate it. That is reality.

I absolutely love what I do! My wife believes I love it too much. It is a thrill to work with people, counsel people, talk to people, be involved in the details of people’s lives, encourage missionaries, study the Word of God, preach the Word of God, go to children’s ballgames, visit in homes, and… the list goes on and on! Yet sometimes, I don’t enjoy it. I get ill just thinking about one more hospital visit, one more counseling session, one more meeting… does it mean I do not love what I do for a living? Not at all. I love what God allows me to do! I would not want to trade it for anything else in this world. It only means that I get tired.

This is the reality of work. But do you quit when you get tired… some do; those who have embraced and are driven with the reality that sometimes work is work will fulfill and achieve and be healthier than those who quit! Don’t be a quitter and don’t give up being the best that you can be at whatever God has called or given you permission to do and accomplish with your life.

Don’t try to work today; DO work today!