The Man in the Arena

Ending 7 Months of Silence

2011-05-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Wow - it's been a LONG time. Why? I don't really know. Have I been remarkably busy? Sort of, but not exactly. I have just been...away. What's happened since we last met? Well, obviously, we've had Thanksgiving and Christmas - totally GREAT experiences with our "local" family. Then we've had my daughter's b-ball season which was awesome...made it to the championship game of her first AAU season. Then there was my son's school b-ball season. Fun bunch of games! So, we're to March now...we took an awesome trip to Cali!! Then, back home, we started boy-o's AAU season. And that's about where we are now. Living life to the fullest - blessed beyond belief and looking forward to an amazing future...whatever it may bring!

Unforgettable

2010-10-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

I imagine when one hears the term, "unforgettable" it brings to mind a song, or a memory of some time or event that is permanently embedded in the brain. Usually it's a good thing. Sometimes, however, there are events and dates that become unforgettable in a not-so-great way. I'll never forget Friday October 1st, 2010. When a doctor looks at your firstborn and says, "Mr. Blake, you have a very rare disease called scleroderma", you don't forget that. It stays with you - it's unforgettable. It's hard to think about. It's hard to know what to do. It's hard to keep from reading all the material available on the internet and not totally freaking out! But...you don't forget it. That's the hardest thing of all - just trying to not think about it. When I wake up, I'm thinking about it; when I drive to work, I'm thinking about it. When I drop him off at school and watch him walk in with his backpack, checking his hair and trying not to over-wave to his dad, believe me - I'm thinking about it.
God can do great things - I know that. So, at this point, we know it's in His hands. We'll do our part and get the meds and the treatments and buy the lotions and socks and all. But ultimately, I know God has a plan. Blake will be fine, regardless. Not because I'm a great dad, but because he has a great Father. A Father who is amazing, and loving, and truly unforgettable.

Wish I'd Written This!

2009-06-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hey - LONG time away! But, I'm older and more mature now...whatever. Anyway - many of you have probably seen this. It's a letter that is going around the email highway supposedly written by a 4th grade teacher (she didn't write it). But - it is something I wish I would have penned! Whomever the author is makes a great point!

April 27, 2009
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Mr. Obama:
I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally. You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America. You are responsible to the citizens of the United States.
You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth. I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about?
Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century? Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?
Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia. You don't show Great Britain, our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia. How dare you, sir! How dare you!
You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey. You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you?
I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you. You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.
What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members -- on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't! Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million -- not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now.
I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you. I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.

Sincerely,
Every Real American

Yes, More Stimulating Info...

2009-02-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

We are being sold a line of...well - a line! This "strangulus" bill is just a horrible idea, and many, many Americans think so. But, our elected crooks are NOT listening to us. They're listening to the special interest groups that will benefit from this "rescue" package. What our government is doing is unconstitutional! There are no provisions in the Constitution for the government to spend our money on what they're spending it on. And if this whole thing is about getting money back in the banks - do THAT! Better yet - let the American citizen put their money back in the system! I'm sorry Newsweak, (I know how it's spelled!) but we are NOT all socialists now - not this guy and not millions of others who are thinking still, anyway.
Anyway...the following is from Nathaniel Ward, writing at www.myHeritage.org.
President Barack Obama urged Congress to move quickly on finalizing the legislation, saying that failure to act would mean still further economic decline. This just isn't true. In fact, Heritage economist J.D. Foster told a conference on economic recovery today that the Trillion Dollar Debt Plan will only deepen the recession. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office agrees, arguing that it will depress economic activity. Worse, Foster argued that the massive spending could drive up interest rates to crippling levels, while the tax increases scheduled for next year will not advance the recovery one bit. On Heritage's Foundry blog, Conn Carroll looks at other "stimulus" myths repeated during the press conference.
In his remarks yesterday, the President said that most economists from across the political spectrum support this sort of massive government spending to "stimulate" the economy.
Writing on National Review Online, Heritage budget expert Brian Riedl debunks the myth of "bipartisan consensus" on this legislation. Nobel Laureates Ed Prescott, James Buchanan, and Vernon Smith recently joined 200 other economists signing a letter opposing the legislation. Other notable economists critical of the stimulus package include Nobel Laureate Gary Becker, as well as Robert Barro, Greg Mankiw, Arthur Laffer, and Larry Lindsey. Martin Feldstein, who had been the only notable conservative economist loudly supporting the stimulus, has since changed his mind.
More liberal economists such as Alice Rivlin and Alan Blinder have also strongly criticized certain aspects of the spending bill.

More Borrowed Info

2009-02-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

So I don't have any unique thoughts lately...so what. My brain is over-stimulus-ed! This spending bill is killing me. "What do you think stiulus is? It's spending! Seriously." Loosely quoted from Pres. Obama, but the gist of his statement nonetheless. OK - seriously? We get it that "stimulus" is spending. But this is just WRONG! The money being spent here is NOT job-creating! It's special interest spending gone wild. Anyway - here's something from The Foundry from The Heritage Foundation (there are hyperlinks in this article, too that have additional information):
"Morning Bell: Stop Digging
Posted By Conn Carroll On February 6, 2009
Another day, another poll showing public support for President Barack Obama’s Trillion Dollar Debt Plan sinking fast. Trying to turn these numbers around, Obama went on the offensive yesterday delivering some red meat to House Democrats at their posh Resort and Spa retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia. Defending his plan, Obama told Democrats: “[We] are not going to get relief by turning back to the same policies that for the last eight years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin. … I found this national debt, doubled, wrapped in a big bow waiting for me as I stepped into the Oval Office. … What do you think a stimulus is? It’s spending — that’s the whole point! Seriously.”
Seriously, where has Obama been the last eight years? What does he think got us into this mess? Where does he think those deficits came from? Here are the facts. Before President Bush took office, the federal government took in $2 trillion in revenue in 2000. In 2009, the federal government is expected to take in $2.4 trillion. After eight years under President Bush, the federal government is taking in $400 billion more a year in revenue. So why did Congressional Budget Office project a $1.4 trillion deficit for the 2009 budget? Massive spending increases. As McClatchy reports “George W. Bush, despite all his recent bravado about being an apostle of small government and budget-slashing, is the biggest spending president since Lyndon B. Johnson. In fact, he’s arguably an even bigger spender than LBJ.” McClatchy goes on to detail Bush’s spending binge including an 18% increase in education spending, a doubling of agriculture spending, the 2003 Medicare expansion which was the “biggest single expansion in the programs history”, and the $295 billion 2005 infrastructure bill.
So to recap, in 2000 the federal government spent just $1.8 trillion. Now the CBO estimates that the feds will spend almost double that, $3.5 trillion, in 2009 (and that does not include Obama’s Trillion Dollar Debt Plan). Combining the increased $400 billion in revenue with the $1.7 trillion increase in spending, we see that the mountains of debt Obama is whining about inheriting all came from massive increases in federal spending. It was borrowing and spending that got us into this mess. Obama’s Trillion Dollar Debt Plan is not a ‘change’ from Bush, it is Bushonomics on steroids.
And the $816 billion price tag is a completely dishonest scoring of the plan’s real size. This is because the stimulus bill pretends that most of its welfare benefit increases will lapse after two years. In fact, both Congress and President Obama intend for most of these increases to become permanent. The notion that Congress intends to temporarily increase Pell grants and Earned Income Tax Credit benefit levels for just two years and then let benefits fall back to their original status is out of touch with Washington reality. Any Congressman who, two years from now, suggests that the new welfare spending be allowed to lapse to pre-stimulus levels would be pilloried for slashing welfare.
According to a new study by Heritage senior research fellow Robert Rector, once the hidden welfare spending in the bill is counted, the total ten year fiscal burden (added to the national debt) will not be $816 billion, as claimed, but $1.34 trillion. Where is Obama going to find all the money to pay for this spending? Right now Treasury securities are selling at high prices and with low yields. But how long will credit be cheap? Will it still be when the Treasury is scrounging around in the international credit markets six months or a year from now? China and Japan account for almost 65% of total Treasury securities held by foreign owners. But their economies are also slowing. If they even start slowing their appetite for U.S. debt, a drop in world market demand for Treasurys could drive borrowing costs upward, and there could be a ballooning of the interest cost line in the budget that will worsen an already frightening outlook.
Last night Obama told Democrats, “If you’re headed for a cliff, you have to change direction.” That’s a decent analogy, but the problem is his Trillion Dollar Debt Plan is not a change in direction. It is a foot on the accelerator. Instead, the Senators voting today should take another saying to heart: “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

Letting Go and Pressing On

2009-02-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last night a young lady gave her life over to God by being immersed into Christ. It was a pretty cool event. It's always good to see a young (or old) person commit their lives to Christ. I am happy for her and for her parents who have invested their lives in raising their kids to get them to this point - the point of giving it all over to God. But, it makes me think, too. This young lady is stepping into a new life! And by "new", I mean different than probably 95%+ of the kids at her school, most of the people she'll run into in life - we're talking very different!
But, that's what it is isn't it? That's what Peter was trying to tell the Christians he was writing to when he says, "So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy...And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests...You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession" (1 Pet 1:14-15; 2:5, 9 - NLT). We are different. At least we should be. And when you're in the 8th grade, surrounded by either ungodly punks or people who are pseudo-Christian, it's going to be hard. Well, truth is, I'm in that situation and I'm almost 40! That's where we all are. And it's tough to be holy, separate people.
My prayer for this young lady is that she'll hang in there. I think she will - she's a good kid. What I pray doesn't happen is what's happened to too many...the Slow Fade. Do you know that song? It's by Casting Crowns. Look at these words: "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade, when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid, when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. It's a slow fade." (The song was in "Fireproof" by the way.) But isn't that the case. People rarely intentionally fall away from their relationship with God. It just happens...slowly...gradually...then one day they're back in the old life. This won't happen for this young lady - that's my prayer. We won't allow it, as her Christian family.
So, to prevent this Slow Fade, what can we do? Well, I'll answer with words from another "Fade" song. This one by Jeremy Camp: "Let it Fade", "Let this old life crumble, let it fade. Let this new life offered be your saving grace. Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade." Nice words, Jeremy. But Paul says it best, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Cor 5:17).

A Few Questions from Glenn Beck

2009-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Yeah - I'm stealing stuff for two posts in a row. But, I think this is pretty cool. Look it over and see what you think...

WE Surround Them
February 4, 2009 - 9:30 ET
GLENN: So I'm going to just ask you right now just to think of these things and just answer out loud. Just say to yourself yes or no. Yes or no. Is this who I am? Is this what I believe? Because I believe you and I agree on most of these.
1) Yes or no: Do you believe America is a good place, that we've lost our way over the years, that we have done bad things but generally speaking we tried hard. We try to make amends. We have tried to do the right thing. Just like everybody else, we fail from time to time and we have truly lost our way in the last 20 years. But gosh, if you look at America, she's good and our founders were good and our founding documents are good. We've just strayed too far away from them. Yes or no.
2) Yes or no: I believe in God. I may not go to the same church or synagogue or mosque as the majority of people in America, but I believe in God and he is the center of my life, and God does not tell people to behead others or to persecute others that see God in a different way. As long as that god is not telling them to persecute others.
Yes or no.
3) Yes or no: It is my responsibility to try to be better and a more honest person than I was yesterday. Sometimes I fail, I'll make mistakes, but it's my main mission to be better than I was personally than I was yesterday.
4) Yes or no: The family is sacred. I and my spouse are the ultimate authority under God when it comes to my family. I raise my family, and that comes with a grave responsibility. If I fail, I answer to God.
5) Yes or no: If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6) Yes or no: I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but that is not a guarantee of equal results.
7) Yes or no: I work hard for what I have, and I will share it with others that I choose when I choose, should I choose. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8) It is not un-American for anyone to disagree with my opinion, but my opinion or others' opinions may be anti-American. Anti-American rhetoric would be anything that is destructive to the Constitution and our country as our founders understood it.
9) And the last one is the government works for me. The government answers to me. I do not answer to the government.
How many are there? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. There are nine of them. Do you agree with seven of them?
Here's what I want you to do. Step one: No matter where you are right now, I want you to take a picture of yourself. I want you to take a picture, and I ask you and you'll understand as we go in the next couple of weeks, I ask you if you could bring these and ask your children -- can we post these please on the Internet, on the website? I want you to ask as many people as you know, do you believe in these things? Just seven out of nine. Do you believe in them? Then will you please take a picture of yourself. If you ask your family and you ask your children tonight, do you believe in these things. Take a picture of your spouse. Not as a family. Take them one at a time and send them to me, e-mail them to me at -- what is the address, Stu?wesurroundthem@gmail.com. This is how much I believe that you are not alone.
Please, if you agree with these things, please send me a photo. I will explain on, is it -- do we know, is it going to be February 27th? We don't know? We don't have a date yet. And I'll explain on February 27th -- I think it's going to be that date, in the next couple of weeks -- and I'm going to do a special radio show and television show. It's going to be a live show. We are going to also have you have an opportunity to attend. I will tell you about that in the coming days. I will also tell you in the coming days that you don't have to come to New York to be a part of it, either. But this is all going to be grassroots. I believe it's going to be February 27th. Could be a week later. Don't be alone, and you'll understand why on that day. But I ask you today, do this one thing. Do you believe in these things? Do you believe in these things? If you do, then do me a favor, please, do your children a favor. Take a picture of yourself and send it to me at wesurroundthem@gmail.com.

What On EARTH!!!???!!!

2009-02-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

OK - I want to just write about this. But, I go to the Heritage Foundation website and, lo and behold, they've said it all for me. So, I'll just steal this from them. Please read this and send it to everyone you know. Politics aside - this is SUCH a BAD idea!!!!!!

There are two competing story lines developing on the Trillion Dollar Debt Plan. The first is that the bill passed by the House is basically a sound spending plan that only needs a few minor changes in the Senate before it can be passed and single-handedly save the entire U.S. economy from total collapse. So, National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers tells the USA Today, "We're focused on the pie, not the crumbs. The president is prepared to compromise but our focus is on the fact that the American economy badly needs help." President Barack Obama was also on message last night telling ABC News: "The overwhelming bulk of the package is sound. Most of the programs that have been criticized as part of this package amount to less than 1% of the overall package." That is the official White House version of events. Then there is the truth.
The truth is that the vast majority Obama's Trillion Dollar Debt Plan has nothing to do with stimulating the economy and everything to do with permanently redistributing spending and power away from the private sector and toward government. That is why the plan is costlier than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. That is why it is larger than the entire GDP of India. That is why the plan will send our debt-to-GDP levels to unprecedented heights. Remember, only 15% of the spending in this debt plan goes to infrastructure. So where does the rest of the money go? Obama's Trillion Dollar Debt Plan doubles the size of the entire Education Department and according to the New York Times, expands government health care spending in a way that fundamentally "rewrit[es] the social contract with the poor in ways [the left] have long yearned to do."
As conservative stalwart Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) writes in today's Wall Street Journal: "As a nation, we got into this mess by spending and investing money that didn't exist. We won't get out of it by doing more of the same." Coburn is not alone in this assessment. The Washington Post reports today that Senate Democratic leaders have conceded they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written. And it is not just because conservatives like Sen. Coburn object. Moderate Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are also not happy with the core of the Trillion Dollar Debt Plan. Nelson says he and Collins have identified "tens of billions" in cuts they will ask Obama to remove. But Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) had an even more honest assessment of the bill telling the Post that "many of the provisions were jammed into the legislation by members of the Appropriations Committee who were 'trying to short-circuit the normal legislative process.'" Snowe concluded: "They should scrub it."
There is an alternative. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has an idea he calls The American Option. Instead of permanently expanding the size and power of Washington, DeMint's idea would free American entrepreneurs from their stifling tax burdens and allow them to create millions of new private sector jobs. The American Option would create rapid growth in wages and business incomes by reducing business taxes from 35% to 25%; reducing the estate tax to 15%; keeping the tax rates on dividends and capital gains at 15%; reducing individual tax rates to three levels and permanently repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). According to a study by the Center for Data Analysis this policy would increase employment by a half million jobs in 2009 and by 1.3 million jobs in 2010, and create 4.8 million jobs between 2009 and 2012. By contrast, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Trillion Dollar Debt Plan will only create 1.2 million to 3.6 million jobs, one in five of which will be a government job.Commenting on the rapidly shrinking support for the Trillion Dollar Debt Plan, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) predicted that "100 decisions" will be "made between now and when we deliver the bill to the president's desk." Let's hope our Senator's choose freedom and small government over Washington control over the economy and trillion dollar deficits for years to come.
(Morning Bell - heritage.com)

When Reality Sets In

2009-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while. I've been on vacation to see family for the holidays and then moved from one house to another - in the same neighborhood, but a move nonetheless. But, now it's back to real life. And what a day for it! The Obamuration! The New Messiah has come! I think I feel a tingle going up my leg.
I'm just a little confused though. My checkbook is still stuggling to stay afloat. I thought it was supposed to be a perfect 72 degrees from now on. As far as I can tell, gas prices are about the same today as they were yesterday. Hamas still hates Israel. Obama supporters were not incredibly classy, upright citizens all the sudden. (See - "NaNaNaNa, Hey Hey, Goodbye!" How tacky!) And, people in our own country are still out of work, homeless and hungry in some places. What happened? The only thing different is that it seems like global warming may have stopped in its tracks. (Did BHO speak and the temperatures decrease?)
I'll tell you what happened and is happening...reality. Soon it will hit us as a country too. Soon we'll see what trillion dollar bailouts do for our economy.
Hang on to your hats. Change is coming...oh yes - it's coming. Let's just hope we can keep some of our own change at the end of it all!

Tis the Season

2008-12-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love this whole time of year - from Katelyn's birthday on Nov 15th until New Year's Day - it's just the best.
But, I have to say today is a special day. Today is my anniversary. Thirteen years I've been married to an incredible woman. Thirteen years that have been full of excitement; some sadness, some hurts, but most of all thirteen years full of loving life.
God has been good to us. That's the understatement of the century. We have the two most wonderful kids to ever walk the face of the earth. We have lived in eight different houses (sort of nine). We've called five different states "home" for a time. And through it all, we've grown to love each other more each year. (I suppose I can only speak for myself, huh?) But, what has made the difference for us is the fact that I believe we KNOW that it's God being good to us. He is the center of our lives.
Many people say that God is their focus. I do. And right now even more people than ever talk about Baby Jesus. But, if God isn't really at the core of who you are - and not in a "I go to church 3-4 times a year, I own a Bible, I even pray every now and then" kind of way. I mean God at your core - if He's not there, life is hard. Life can be no fun. Life can drop you in places you never thought you'd be. But, with God right there with you...it's all good.
So, today I celebrate! I don't deserve to be as happy as I am. I am more blessed than I ever should have been. And I owe it to a wonderful, amazing, beautiful woman. I love you, Kara!

Where do I get in line?!

2008-12-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

"Please sir, may I have some more?" So asks Oliver Twist in Dickens' tale of the hapless orphan. And so ask America's failing businesses, "Please Miss Pelosi, may we have some more?" What is it with this bailout fever?! Anyone ever think maybe the Big 3 are suffering because their cars aren't quite as good as they should be? Maybe they're losing money because the labor unions have them hog-tied to pay guys $50/hour to do a $20/hour job? Now we are ACTUALLY talking about newspaper company bailouts! (See: http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/mmalkin/2008/mm_1203.shtml - try to not be sick!) Next we'll be bailing out the lava lamp industry and the 8-track tape companies. (No one's buying their goods anymore! They need our help!)
And where is all the sympathy for Big Oil? I quote from Robert Higgs in Conservative Battleline Online, "Oil company executives have not been summoned to Washington so that they can be applauded for sloughing off the greed that (allegedly) impelled them to charge so much for their products in June and July." These guys are losing a pretty good chunk of potential profit; but, Congress isn't shedding any tears now, are they? No bailouts for Big Oil, huh?
Also, Pat Buchanan writes on humanevents.com: "Thus, we have the $700 billion Bush bank bailout, the $700 billion 'stimulus package' Obama wants by inauguration to 'jolt this economy back into shape' and the $800 billion fund Hank Paulson created to get consumers borrowing and buying again. These come on top of Bush $455 billion deficit, the $29 billion bailout of Bear Stearns, the $105 billion in pork to grease the $700 billion bailout, the $100 billion to $200 billion to keep Fannie and Freddie afloat, the $140-billion-and-counting for AIG, the $25 billion for the greening of GM, Ford and Chrysler, the $25 billion more to save the Big Three and the $20 billion for CitiGroup. Now much of this overlaps, and some will be retrieved. But we are still staring at a deficit that could approach $2 trillion. How would this stack up historically? A deficit of $1.4 trillion would be 10 percent of gross domestic product, dwarfing the postwar record 6 percent run by Ronald Reagan in the Jimmy Carter recession."
That's staggering! OK - I'm all for the Allman Brothers music and Happy Days reruns, but I'm not THAT big a fan of returning to the 70s! (Maybe we'll need those lava lamps and 8-track players again...)
We are staring in the face of socialism...and no one seems to get it.
So, if this is the road we're going down, I'm in! I could use a bailout! I have debt for which I can lay blame at the feet of someone else, sure. If Big Brother is bailing everyone out, and we're heading for the U.S.S.A, where do I get in line? Whatever!

Thankful

2008-11-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

To have a day set aside just to remember that for which I am thankful is a good thing. I need to do it more. I have so much! To some people it may not seem that way; but, to others, I live like a king. And for that I am thankful.
I have the most wonderful wife in the entire world. (I know - some of you are saying, "No sir, you don't. I do." Sorry. You're wrong.) She is the epicenter of a sometimes tumultuous world I live in. She is the love of my life - in every way. Often, while I sit in the living room across from her, I wonder why. Why in the world did this incredible, intelligent, beautiful woman ever agree to marry me? Why does she even allow me in her home!? But, she does. And, I think she likes me. And for that I am thankful.
Last night I tucked my kids into bed after a short Bible lesson, some silent reading,and prayers. I look at those two and I can not recall where the time went. I drop the oldest off at middle school every day and I think, "Why am I doing this? He's only 6 isn't he?" They grow too fast. But, my children are a beautiful gift from God that I do not deserve. I just hope to return them to Him someday in as good a shape as I got them. They are amazing and I am so proud of them. And for that I am thankful.
I talked to my Dad the other day - it was his 73rd birthday. What an amazing man. He is a rock in our family. He married amazingly well, too! He makes up half of what is the greatest parenting tandem I've ever experienced. For years I wondered if they would ever "get it." Now I wonder why it took me so long. But, I have made it to this point in my life, in large part, due to my Dad - and my Mom - being the remarkable people that they are. They have always loved and guided me. Not once did they kill me. And for that I am thankful.
Earlier in the month I talked to my brother on his birthday - a man 14 years my senior. I have never gotten to know him like I would like to. But, I know he's another remarkable man in my family. I see it in his children and I know it from what I see in him and in his wonderful wife. I missed talking to my sister on her birthday this month; and I missed my brother-in-law on his birthday this month. (Busy month!) But, I emailed - this generation's version of "staying in touch" I suppose. And though I don't talk to my siblings as often as I should, I know they love me. I know they think about me as I think about them...because that's how we were raised. I have a fabulous set of brothers and sisters in law - on both sides - and nieces and nephews that I am so proud of...and miss so much so often. But, I was blessed to be born into, and marry into, a family that loves and cares about each other - even across the miles and the years. And for that I am thankful.
God gave up His Son, to die on a cross, for me. That is a ridiculous statement. The Creator of the universe would never give up anything for me! Certainly He would never allow any part of Himself to DIE on a cross to forgive my innumerable sins. But - He did. And for that, above all else, I am thankful.

Change That Looks Very Familiar

2008-11-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

President-Elect B.H. O'Bama (I know that's wrong - I just think it's funny, OK) ran on one word: "change." "The Change We Need", "We are the ones we've been waiting for" (whatever THAT means!), "Change we can believe in" and "Yes, we can" - these are just a few of his lofty slogans during his ascension to Washington.
Now, on the surface, these all sound good. Washington needs some new blood once in a while. We would probably all agree with that. So, what does B.H. do? He begins to methodically, thoughtfully select his cabinet. And it's exciting! New names, new faces coming to the Capital to make a difference for the regular "Joe" - to clean up the old mess of "politics-as-usual" in the Big City.
Let's see...who do we have here? Ahh - fresh faces, unscarred from nasty old party politics like, Joe Biden for VP - WOW! - where did this guy come from? He'll be exciting to get to know. Then there's Rahm Emanuel - another innovative selection.
Well, let's just run through the list, shall we? Now, you'll need pen and paper to jot these names down - they're so unfamiliar to the political landscape. Some lady named Hillary something...Clinton, maybe, is in line for some post. There's a David Axelrod. Some fine, upstanding gentleman named Bill Daley - apparently from the Chicago area - is awaiting his appointment as well. Then there are some wacky, way out-of-the-box picks like these guys: Tom Daschle, John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, Bill Richardson, Howard Dean (insert maniacal scream here), Dick Gephardt (or is it Richard? We'll have to get to know him a little first, I suppose), Donna Shalala, Eric Holder, and - my personl favorite - Albert Gore. I mean, where does he come up with these outsiders?!
"The Change We Can Believe In" - that IS a great slogan!

The Challenge of...Aging

2008-11-17T11:24:00.000-08:00

To watch my kids get older and experience new aspects of life is a tremendous joy. There is, however, a drawback. As each beautiful child gets another year older (one of them turned 9 years old last Saturday), so do I. To see these kids hit landmarks (12 is around the corner for the other one) is so exciting. But, facing the realization that parents also deal with landmarks (40 is around the corner for one of them!) for some reason, doesn't quite hold the same joy. It's funny though. Kids look ahead and say, "I can't wait to be 12, or 16, or 21." Adults look ahead and say, "I can't believe I'm closing in on 40, or 50, or 65." We also tend to reflect as we see these mile-markers ahead...and that's a good thing. "What have I done in life?" "How have I changed the world around me?" "How did I get HERE?" These are common questions, I imagine. And important questions.
However, I want to ask some different questions. See, I don't need to be fearful of growing older. I take decent care of myself, so (Lord willing) I don't have any pressing physical concerns. So, the questions I want to ask are, "Am I growing in my relationship with my God every single day? With my wife? My kids? Am I cultivating a home that will provide blessings and confidence for my family?" And instead of looking over my shoulder and dwelling on what might have been and asking, "Why did this have to happen?" - along with the relationship questions - I want to daily pose these questions to myself: "What am I going to do to make use of today? How can I improve today? How can I make a positive difference...today?"
Asking those questions is asking to be challenged, isn't it? Well, so be it. With God as my helper, I want to take on these challenges. I want to face challenges like Caleb, who, at 80 years old said, "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said" (Joshua 14:12).
Give me this mountain...whatever it is.

The Struggle

2008-11-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

OK - 2 in one day. A little indulgent don't you think. Maybe you're right; but I just had to share this, too. It's another song. See, I'm trying to be a little more open to "Religious Rock/Pop" music. So, there's this song by Run Kid Run called "Freedom." Here is a portion of the lyrics: "All my chains I can't disengage and I don't believe that I want to. One hand sings your praise, the other brings me shame. I have selfishness to blame" Isn't that the Christian life almost in a nutshell?! It reminds me so much of what Paul says in Romans 7: "I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate...And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway" (Rom 7:15-19). That is such a potent passage. You know why? Because that's the apostle PAUL writing that. HE struggles. And if Paul can admit that the Christian life is tough, surely I can!
"Freedom" also includes an answer to this dilemma: "I scream, ' Father, please I need rescuing. I need You and You alone.'" What a coincidence - Paul provides the same solution: "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 7:24-25).

Give Me Your Eyes

2008-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

"Give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see, everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me your eyes so I can see." This song by Brandon Heath has a great message, doesn't it? Allow me the ability to NOTICE! And when I notice someone that needs attention, give me the wisdom to act, the courage to show love and compassion - not in a pitying way, but in a way that reflects the love of God to someone who needs it.
We all see them. We all probably know many of them - the broken-hearted, the ones forgotten. Galatians 6:9-10 seems very relevant: "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith." "Give me your strength when I am weary. Give me your arms to guide my way. Give me your voice when mine will falter, to say the things I need to say." No, those words aren't in Mr. Heath's song; but they're in my heart.

Endeared, Enabled and Enslaved

2008-11-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

It appears that Pelosi and Friends are feeling rather emboldened by the coming CHANGE in the administration on Capitol Hill. Already in the works is yet another economic stimulus package. No, strike that, two economic stimuli (Stimuli? Is that right? Stimuluses...?) are on the way. (See: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/08/obama_calls_for_stimulus_package/ and http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/Pelosi_Wants_Tax_Cuts_In_New_Stimulus_Plan_xxxx33455.html - at least the phrase "tax cut" gets in this one!) Perhaps the thinking is: the first one worked so well that we may as well shoot for more. Hmm...maybe not. So what IS the thinking? Let's be clear - this writer is certainly not one to refuse free money. If Washington is short-sighted enough to think this is The Solution, I'll take the money and run. Maybe that's both impractical and impolitic, but hey - I've got a family that fell in love with Disneyland thanks to the last handout! (We did our patriotic duty and spent the thing. No saving up here!) So, the point is not to valiantly declare we should all refuse the check from Big Uncle. The point is: to ask, "What's the POINT?!"
In answer, I have a suspicion. Let's say the Big Kid on the block slides you a quarter for a Bomb Pop from the ice cream truck. "Never mind paying it back," he says. "Just consider it a gift."
"Pretty nice of him," you think to yourself. But, the next day, he does it again. Then again the next day, and the next. You're endeared to the Big Kid. He's your pal. He's looking out for "your best interests." (Beware!) Because then what happens? If you're not responsible, you get to where your Pavlovian response to the wind-up, Jack-in-the-box, ice cream truck music is to show up for your $1.00 Bomb Pop with 75 cents! After all, doesn't Big Kid always foot the bill for the extra quarter. He has enabled you to be irresponsible! Now, here's where he drops the other shoe (foot? hammer? whatever...) on you. Big Kid isn't too crazy about mowing the yard. So, after you slurp down your discounted frozen delicacy, he hits YOU up to mow his yard for him. What do you say? He's supplemented your ice cream truck habit for weeks! The least you could do is mow for the guy. Then he's asking you to rake for him, then take out his garbage, then do his homework for him. Soon he's not asking, he's telling! But, all along, he's paying for a portion of those Bomb Pops - maybe even a larger portion - maybe he's paying 35 cents for you now. However, take a look at the load you're carrying for him. You have been become his slave - an indentured servant. And it was all because he endeared himself to you with a "gift"; he enabled you to count on him instead of yourself, and in doing so, you became enslaved.
OK - maybe this is a bit of an apocalyptic parable. Yet, is this not the direction we find ourselves headed? Big Uncle in Washington pays for all of our Bomb Pops and we end up his serfs! Not to mention the fact that eventually the Big Kid and the Big Uncle are going to run out of cash. Then who pays for the Bomb Pop? Nobody, that's who. You go without! But, guess who is still mowing the yard and taking out the trash and doing twice the homework? You are! Why? Because the Big Uncle - wait...Big Kid (I'm getting lost in my own analogies). You keep doing the work because the guy YOU gave the power to now can make you - THAT'S why! And you know what? You asked for this! You put yourself in this hole by allowing Big Whoever to foot your bill, Fannie! You too, Freddie and all you other Bailout Beneficiaries! And, John Q. Public, this scenario can and will be ours as well, if we're not careful and suspicious and cautious about who we allow to pay the Ice Cream Man...if you know what I mean.

A Time for Everything

2008-11-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

OK - it's all said and done now. We have a new President-Elect. Not my #1 choice, but that's OK, too. As means of concession, I have even taken down some of my most critical posts. Why? Because it's time to move on. It's time for me to focus on what I can do to make things better - better for me, better for my family, better for my congregation. It's time to get to work on what really matters - my God, my family and my faith. It's time to look around and see who I can share with, who I can help and inspire and push and pull to be the person God needs them to be. There is much to do for the Christian today and it has very little, if anything at all, to do with who sits in the Oval Office. We told our kids the other night to remember what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Tim 2:1-4: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (NKJV). See, our point in wanting a President who is at least favorable to Godly pursuits is not so we can have more money or a stronger military or even for him to keep us safe from terrorism. Our objective in praying for good leaders is for GOD'S SAKE! We want good leadership so we can lead a quiet life and live in godliness and decency so we can be free to share the Gospel with others - so our example can shine out to the people around us and we can draw them closer to God...because that's what HE wants!
Do we need strong leaders? Certainly. Would I rather have seen someone else in the White House - perhaps even a couple of other "someone elses" running for the office? Sure. But what it comes down to is this: God is still God and I am still His loyal, loving, devoted, humble, thankful servant. And this is my prayer: "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!" (2 Chronicles 14:11)

...they all create this haze.

2008-10-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

There's a song by 3 Doors Down called "Running out of Days." Here's the lyrics:
"And all these little things in life, they all create this haze. There’s too many things to get done, and I’m running out of days."
That is profound - as profound as you can expect from some rockers from Escatawpa, MS. There is so much to distract us today. We have 24-hour-everything channels on TV; we have mp3 players that allow us to have all our favorite music non-stop and digital radio stations if that doesn't work for you; and of course, the internet that has SO much information - good and bad - at our fingertips 24/7. You and I can keep ourselves "entertained" ALL the time. So, my question is this - are we paying attention? To anything? Do we notice what's going on in the world around us AT ALL?! Are we taking the time to take care of what's really important or are we "running out of days?"
Look at this election cycle - both candidates are questionable, in my opinion. One is FAR more questionable than the other (see http://www.neverfindout.org/ for instance); but, are we paying attention to what this government is doing? To what our public officials are doing? To where our money is being spent?
Look at our culture. Kids in SF, CA were taken to their homosexual teachers' lesbian wedding the other day. They were joined in "marriage" by the MAYOR!!! (http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=285766) And it was called, "a teaching opportunity." Holy cow! A 13 year old boy was killed in Chicago by another kid who TOLD him he was on his "death list"! (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-conn-murder-bond-15-oct15,0,2460679.story) What are we doing?!
Look at where we are religiously. This article (http://christianactionleague.org/news/hidden-strength/) says that it's a good thing that we have so many denominations. What?! It's a good thing that we are not the people that Jesus asks God that we become? See John 17:20-21 - "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (emphasis mine). So-called "competition" between denominations is GOOD? Our competition is to be against the garbage mentioned above! Wow!
Are we paying attention? Do we have time to change before we deteriorate completely?! Dude, if we hold a mirror up to this nation, we should see PaxRomana. We are Rome repeating itself in many ways. Lift the haze! Don't run out of days...
"And all these little things in life, they all create this haze There’s too many things to get done, and I’m running out of days."