The All American Dream

"Live simply so that others may simply live."
Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Dawn Of A Sad New Day

This is from an AFA email sent to me:

"Now that the courts have ruled that a disabled person--Terri Schiavo--must die, who is the next disabled category to go? Those with Alzheimer's? Those with incurable cancer? Those who are paraplegic? Remember, Terri committed no crime. She signed no will stating her desire to be starved to death. How her injury occurred remains a mystery. She was on no ventilator. She was not brain dead. Her parents offered to take her home and care for her at no expense to anyone other than themselves. But her husband--the man who years ago abandoned her and moved in with another woman and had two children with that woman but refused to divorce Terri--said he wanted her dead. Strange, but he said nothing about Terri wanting to die until seven years into her disability. For the past 14 years he has denied Terri any therapy. Thirty allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation were filed in court by the Florida Department of Children and Families. But the judges disregarded all that. Instead, they said Terri must die. Not in a humane manner, but by starvation."

It’s a sad day in our history.

Of Sunlight And Death

The sun is warmer these days and the daylight hours are longer. Spring is beginning to have it's way and winter is packing her bags for the southern hemisphere.
I am glad.
A friend of mine who plows snow during the winter, says that he had a record for the amount of days he had to address the snow issue that rests on parking lots and sidewalks alike.
He has been plowing for 20 years.

I am really struggling with the forced murder of Terry Sharvo in Florida. Are we not supposed to protect those who cannot protect themselves? Where does this slippery slope end?

If Terry's murder is continued, I think every handicapped person in the U.S. should seek political asylum in Canada, or Australia.

Who, in the end, will get to decide that my quality of life isn't "normal" anymore?
Who will take the extreme measures of feeding me away so I can drift away in the peace of death?
Sorry Craig, you can't communicate anymore, you can't produce anymore, so your life must not be worth living, starve.

If the judge had any guts he would have ordered Terry to be taken out back and shot in the back of the head. That would be far more "humane." We would be prosecuted for treating our pets in the same manner that they are treating Terry and her family.

What comes to my mind is Hitler and all of his gracious care for the infirmed.

Heaven, still longing.....

Fiesta!

The 11th Annual Mexican Fiesta Dinner Auction will happen this Satuday Night at The Cornerstone Church from 5-7 p.m.
Great food, loads of fun and a cool auction (with lots of practical and inventive items) both live and written open bid will take place.
ALL the money goes to build two houses in Anapra for needy families this summer and a bunkhouse to house the teams that come and build those houses.
Tickets are $10.00 Adults, $5.00 children 6-12, 5 and under are free!

thanks!

?Passion, What's That Really?

So what does it mean, in real everyday terms, to have passion for Jesus?
What does it look like to follow Jesus with all that you are?
How can someone know that they are pursuing Jesus as their Leader and King?

Then after you have answered that, answer this:
How are you doing with applying your definition into your life??
What do you do when you fail to meet the "criteria" of that self-determined definition?
How do you handle the sucessful application without becoming prideful about your passion?
Let's chat about it!

Yearning

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather the wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Antoine de Saint Exupery

goodbyes

"Mark" was a friend of mine. Not for alot of years, but we had recently caught-up spending several hours talking about life and our struggles over breakfast and almost lunch. He was very sad about his life's circumstances and yet seemed somewhat determined to make it through. I had talked to him several times on Sundays either before or after the celebration each week for over a month. He had shown up a few times at a men's Bible study that I'm in, early in the morning, during the week.
"Mark" was having marriage issues to the point that it looked like the mariage wouldn't survive. Mark talked about the fact that he still loved his soon to be ex-wife and the children that were still young. He was really confused about life and love and God, like any of us would be.
One deeply dark day, "Mark's" dispair got the best of him and he suddenly and tragically ended his own life. I found out early the next morning, the day I was leaving for Mexico.
There were so many questions and tears.
There are so many more to come for those closest to him.

I have a hard time understanding that level of dispair. Not that I haven't had seasons of dispair myself, because I have, but to convince yourself that death is more bearable that life, for me, is a tough one to swallow.

Pray for his family.
If you find yourself overcome with life, please seek help now.

Goodbye, my friend.

24!

I just cannot believe that Connie and I have spent the last 24 years married together! It is unbelieveable that someone who knows me that well would spend that long hanging around me. I thank God that he has allowed us to grow up together, grow closer to each other and to him along the way. He has given us three great kids and many memories along the way. Now with our youngest son Ryan, poised to graduate in June a whole new phase of our life will open up. Oh, the seasons of life that we go through are all so different and challenging in their own way.
I shake my head at the thought that 24 years have gone by in a flash! Thanks Honey for loving me!

Styx Lyrics

You'd have to read the "Brilliant!?" post to understand

The Grand Illusion
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Welcome to the Grand illusion
Come on in and see what's happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show
The stage is set, the band starts playing
Suddenly your heart is pounding
Wishing secretly you were a star.

But don't be fooled by the radio
The TV or the magazines
They show you photographs of how your life should be
But they're just someone else's fantasy
So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because you never win the game
Just remember that it's a Grand illusion
And deep inside we're all the same. We're all the same...

So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because your neighbors got it made
Just remember that it's a Grand illusionA
nd deep inside we're all the same. We're all the same...

America spells competition, join us in our blind ambition
Get yourself a brand new motor car
Someday soon we'll stop to ponder
what on Earth's this spell we're under
We made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are

Brilliant!?

As I was reading other blogs today, I was determined to sit down and write something brilliant, something that would stir the soul and shake up our reality.
Something totally revolutionary.

O.K. I’ll just write and let you determine it’s value, or lack there of:

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the Church lately, not any one particular group that gathers, but the whole thing. The way that we Americans approach what we do that is called “Church.”
I have been reading quite a bit and have gotten to what I feel is almost the top of a hill where I can see another valley, another reality and it almost frightens me. You see I am, by definition, a “professional” religious person. My vocation is the “Church.” My life has been, for a very long time, consumed with making the Church, the Bride of Christ, the best that it can possibly be. A virtual love-machine that is changing lives by the power of the gospel, a lot of hard work, and smart decisions along the way. I have searched for the best methods and the next greatest programs that would shake up lives for the Kingdom of God. Every time I buy into the latest and greatest, it fails! The love machine has stalled.
I am the type of person who hates to be involved in something that just isn’t working, that is wasting time and energy. If the horse is dead, dismount I have said more than once.
I have thought that I could very easily get a job at Best Buy and be happy, yet I have this calling on my life that won’t go away.
At this point in my life I am coming to realize that what I thought was the best vehicle for changing lives is working against the very thing that we are trying to do. The “come on in and watch the show” approach doesn’t produce the results that we seek, changed lives. It produces consumers of religious goods and services. What I know to be the only hope of the world, is not working in it’s present form in North America.
“Styx” had a song (a long time ago) and a line from it went something like: “Welcome to the grand illusion, come on in and see what’s happening, pay the price, get your ticket at the door…”
Is this how Jesus defined His bride?
Is this how the Apostles lived out their Church experience?
We need simple. We need friends. We need Jesus, together.
Now if I can just figure out what that means in our context ….. I will let you in too!