A Thorny Issue

Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. First they said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ But the olive tree refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
“Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!’ But the fig tree also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing my sweet fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
“Then they said to the grapevine, ‘You be our king!’ But the grapevine also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the wine that cheers both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
“Then all the trees finally turned to the thornbush and said, ‘Come, you be our king!’ And the thornbush replied to the trees, ‘If you truly want to make me your king, come and take shelter in my shade. If not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’” Judges 9:8-15 NLT



One thing I have noticed since moving to our to our home in the woods is that thorns are a curse.
I have spent many hours cutting and pulling thorns, brambles and other vines from the trees that surround our house. Great trees have been permanently maimed by the choking of these vines and thorns. Young trees are embraced and slowly pulled downward by these parasites, until they die or their growth is forever stunted.

That's what happens when thorns are allowed to take over. They consume, they are never satisfied until they have destroyed that which they rule over ... and then they move on to another host.

Thus it is with thug dictators in third world countries.

Thus it is congress in these United States.


Why is this man (Reid) smiling? Indeed,

Why are all these people - well, gleeful?

It's because they think they have just put

one over on the American people.

Someone stood in their way.

Thank you, House Republicans and some Democrats who earlier today, saw fit to stand firm against the bill which it seems everyone from the President down, thought should be passed.

Everyone that is but a generous portion of the American people.

I think we are tired of being told the world will end tomorrow if congress doesn't get to do what it wants.

Then when the world doesn't end tomorrow, they put it off a few days - "well - it will surely end after this weekend if we don't get something passed!" they say.

All the time they are crying out - "You can't make it without us! PLEASE need us!!" -

I think we can make - and possibly quite peaceably without them.

Until this congress is ready to come clean about who is really at fault here (and it ain't Bush Tax Cuts, nor is it Wall Street), I think we should stop listening to them.

I really wanted to stop writing about this stuff, but if I don't express some of my anger toward our "leaders", I am afraid I will start yelling at my kids.

I am really offended when I hear congressional leaders (including Republicans) talking about how they are "investing" and they could even make money on the deal. Now tell me, if you had a couple hundred hard-earned dollars that you wanted to throw into the stock market, would you give it to these guys to invest?

No, but they still stand - licking their chops - ready to take $700 BILLION from you.

On the news that the bail out bill did not pass (Glory-Be!) the Dow Jones fell nearly 800 points.

Do you know what I plan to do about it tomorrow?

Well, if the Lord is willing, I plan to get up and stop by my in-law's house on my way to work for a special breakfast sandwich. I plan to do that because it's Tuesday and that's what I do.

Then I plan to go about my day, just like any other.

The Dow Jones does not determine what kind of day I will have - it doesn't decide my life for me.

I am learning to trust my life, my finances, my family, my future, my all to One who cares for me; and One who has the plan and the power to keep it all intact.

Just a note about the Bail Out.

I have written my Congressman and my Senator . . . and I am praying.

Could it be possible that we would see "leaders" in Washington actually lead? Wouldn't it be wonderful for them to throw aside all of their jockeying for position and spinning and just do the right thing?

Can you imagine if the hearts of the people of that city were suddenly melted?

What if we Americans saw in them, someone we could trust? What if President, Representatives and Senators suddenly became transparent and said...we want to do what is right this time... but it might be painful ...

I think I would be ready to roll up my sleeves and fight through whatever crisis followed right alongside them. Wouldn't you?

This is America. We can rebuild.

Let's get it right this time. We may be running out of second chances.

The borrower is slave to the lender....

Something Bigger Than Ourselves

Everyone longs to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

I have said this often - probably taken credit for it a few times - but I don't know to whom the quote should be attributed. It is - however - true!

One experience I had with this concept was during a better part of the 90's. Our church began what developed in later years into a Passion Play, which we performed every year around Easter.

Our Music Pastor at the time was the passion behind our Passion Play! His drive infected us all and he was all about growth!

The little program went from a "choir" project to an all-consuming "community" project involving actors, musicians, designers, builders, technicians of all descriptions, artist, hospitality people and smiling people.
Jerry (that was our Music Pastor) pushed. Each year he would sell his vision to the choir and we would sorta' look at each other - thinking of all the reasons why we would never see it. But then when we would see his vision come into reality - and we were a part of it - we were all ignited.

I saw large groups of people, finish their daily work and show up on a regular basis to work - sometimes well into the night - just to be a part of this big happening.

Energy. Passion. Creativity.

Those are just some of the fruits that grow from being a part of something bigger than yourself.

Tonight we attended a benefit dinner for the school our children attend.
Our kids attend a private Christian school. Our reasons are a subject for another day, but I realized again tonight that this school is one of those "bigger than ourselves" things.

Usually these annual fundraising dinners feature a big name speaker. But this year, they decided to just feature the school.

Now I need to confess that I had my doubts about how the program would come off. I figured it would look like something "home-made" and that people would say - "well, it's ashamed about that little school - they couldn't even afford a speaker this year..."

I was wrong.

From the opening prayer led by a student, through a moving song by a middle school student the events held us riveted as we saw the handiwork of God on display.

A mom and a coach both shared testimonies about how God had brought healing through the relationships they had developed in that school.

A panel of students spoke freely and frankly about this whole concept of a Biblical Worldview.

It was amazing - it moved me....again. Just like every time I come in contact with anything to do with this school. It is where God is at work in our community.

Now I know there are churches, and neighborhoods, and families where God is also working - He's big, He can work in a lot of places at once. But this school is definitely one of those places and I am so grateful my children are affiliated with it. I am glad R. and I are affiliated with it!

I knew if I wrote about this tonight - I wouldn't do it justice. But I needed to say it while the passion is strong.

Sometimes, words just fail.

To be a part of this school is truly an opportunity to be a part of something bigger!
Thanks, God.

Did Anybody Think to Pray?

Throughout America's long history, her leaders have often called upon the nation to pray during times of crisis.

Has anyone heard anybody from Washington call on the nation to pray?

It appears to me that instead, we have taken matters into our own hands and smugly formulated our own plans with our own resources. I don't know about you, but every time I have tried that in my own personal life - I have fallen on my face.

So I have offered a great deal of comments lately about this economic crisis that we -as a nation- are purportedly on the brink of. But I have offered few solutions.

So here is my suggestion.

Call for prayer.

Then, lets get our heads together and formulate a plan.

I did hear about a free market solution, apparently being offered by a legislator from Texas - he proposes a temporary reduction in the capital gains tax.

I expect that this economy would go back to whirrrring along pretty quick after that.

But what kind of lessons would that teach our children?

That tax-cuts work.

-for everyone.

That government serves us best when it stays out of our pocketbooks.

-and out of our way!

I don't see many congressional "leaders" going along with that. There power is derived these days from the fear, panic and ignorance of the people.

Okay, so I am a little ticked.


And another thing - this President - in whom I am well pleased.... has not served us well on this issue.

For Congress Oversight = Overlook

The foxes are all sponsoring hearings this week and are whining about why they should be allowed to oversee the hen house. Despite the fact that they have always demonstrated a voracious appetite for chicken and a complete lack of any notion of self-discipline.

The "foxes" are our congressional leaders.

They are blaming Wall Street, blaming Bush, blaming the Private Sector... none seem to be considering the fact that the great financial debacle in which we find ourselves is of their own making!

Though I shouldn't be, I am still astounded at the audacity -the gall -of these charlatans. Their level of hypocrisy is amazing.

Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the like are pointing out that they want congress to provide the oversight of this $700 Billion dollar bailout scheme.

I ask you. If you have a third cousin that is shiftless and lazy and has never done an honest day's work. If he has taken all you ever offered to give him without an ounce of gratitude. If he has stolen from you when your back was turned and sometimes even when you were looking right at him... are you going to let this guy run your business for you? Can you honestly see yourself turning over your checking account to him?

Frank and Dodd and their ilk have had oversight over these industries yet they act as if they never saw this coming. It seems that for them oversight meant to 'overlook' the problems.

Frank and Dodd and company have been enriched by their relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In fact some have indicated that they were instrumental in limiting the scrutiny of those two organizations.

Now in this day of sensational headlines - when everything is "The Worst It's Been in Years!" - perhaps we need to back away and breathe a minute. Fear and panic can lead you into some foolish agreements.

Never trust someone who says you have to decide right now! Chances are, they do not want you to study the proposal too closely.

About a year ago, this same congress was saying we had to get overwhelming legislation passed to overhaul the entire immigration policy in America. Remember that?
As more and more light was shed on that proposal America soon sent the message to congress that these were not changes that we wanted. Yet for many of them - until it became apparent that their political necks were on the line - they were singing the praises of comprehensive immigration reform. They said it had to be passed right away and as I recall, they spoke of those that opposed them in a rather disparaging way.

These are the same guys.

They are up there "crying 'wolf'" again.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that there are some serious issues facing our economy, and I readily admit that I know very little about how the failure of these major players might effect our economy. But I do not have any reason to trust those that are in positions of leadership. Especially when I believe that failed Clinton Administration policies and a little bit of larceny from our congressional "leaders" are at the source of this conundrum.

Do I seem bitter?

Well let me look to the bright side: America has been blessed with a rich heritage. It is a heritage inspired by God and put into place by God-led men, therefore our system of government is marvelous and amazing.

Our system of government is one whose only power is loaned to it by the people.

There are checks and balances in place to keep power from concentrating in one area and to limit the possibility of corruption.

The biggest check and balance we have is the vote.

It would be nice to see those members of our legislative branch that have profited in an unlawful way to come to justice. But until we can find some true leaders to truly take on the task of real reform (think Ronald Reagan), the next best thing will be to vote them out of office.

I was happy to notice the headline tonight that the FBI is looking into Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
And those congressional job approval numbers still hover around 73 % -disapprove.

Gas Pains

I refuse to join the masses in yelling "Crises!" - but the gas issue struck home this morning and was almost a problem.

Yesterday, I heard rumblings that some areas were out of gas. I really didn't notice it because I didn't need gas. I might have learned more about the issue had I stopped for gas on my way home as I had intended at some point.
Since procrastination is one of my strong points, I decided to put off buying gas until I went to the hospital to see Dad. Unbeknownst to me, R. had also put off buying gas in the hope that I would take her car when I went to the hospital and fill up her tank. Both of these strategies were discombobulated by the fact that I decided not to go to the hospital after all.

So this morning we all left for our respective destinations with little fuel to get us there.

I planned to stop at the Shell station in a small town on my route to work. I don't really like that station but you can pay at the pump. I was somewhat disturbed to find that there were no gas prices on their sign and no cars at the pumps.

I drove on, cranking up the level of panic in my silent prayers.

This little berg just doesn't have a lot of choices for gas buying and my trip to work involves a long haul over a mountain with few resources on it. So when my second and third options were used up, I really began to pray.

There is a station at the foot of that mountain I mentioned and it was kind of a last resort because they only accept cash and I didn't remember much of that stuff residing in my wallet the last time I had looked. I began calculating the amount I thought I had and dividing that by the approximate price per gallon, and then multiplying that by my estimated miles per gallon.

I pulled into the station, someone was parked at the pump - "Great!" - I thought, then I saw the little sticky-note signs that were stuck on the pumps and read "out". Okay, now it was time to pray in earnest.

I called to check on R. - she had stopped at good ole' Walmart and filled up for considerably less than the prices I was seeing on these empty stations.

I called work, I would be late. I was glad to get to leave a voicemail instead of having to explain to someone that I was immature and couldn't manage the responsibility of making sure I had gasoline in my car...

On my way into the heart of the little town, I found a spot. From all the alcoholic beverage signs in the window, it was plain to me that gas was a mere sideline for this business.

There was a guy in front of me pumping gas, so I felt a sense of relief -UNLESS HE GOT IT ALL! - with that motivating thought I whipped around and backed over to the other side of the pump.

On the pump was a little handwritten sign. I read it cautiously - expecting the word "out" to jump off the page... but it really didn't make sense. The sign said something about the "Advertised Special" and something about "Credit Cards" and "Pre-Pay" and what appeared to be a "2X" .

As I tried to decipher the code, the guy beside me decided it might be important that he know what his sign said. "Does that mean that charge you double for using a credit card?" he asked. I didn't know.
The message at the bottom of the little card was very clear though, it read "We have a large selections of wines". It was as if the owner was trying to drive people into such a state of confusion and unrest that only a bottle of cheap wine would help them forget their pain.

I went inside to investigate.

The proprietor's command of the English language was not good, but he made up for it in speed. I, on the other hand, slowed my already-sluggish speech pattern in order to be better understood.

I asked him about the sign and he began to explain; after asking him to repeat himself once, I soon realized that my efforts to translate-on-the-fly were useless.

So I just "punted". I asked if I could buy gas with a credit card, and held up my "Discover".

I should note here for all of you that are aware that I am a fan of Dave Ramsey and the "Total Money Makeover", that I believe strongly in the elimination of every reliance on credit cards. But we are not there yet. We are down to a couple.

Anyway, I just asked. And he responded "yeah ... but maybe not that one... do you have visa? mastercard?" .

For a second time, I began calculating my cash-on-hand divided by price-per gallon and - "It worked" he said.

I pumped my gas and left feeling lighter. At the first of next month I should feel even lighter when that credit card bill comes in.

Dad's Gift

I haven't spoken much about my Dad over the past couple weeks - he has been hospitalized for a little over three weeks now. He has gone from one ICU to another ICU and then to another hospital where he has now been for over a week.

Early on after his open-heart surgery, we were a little disappointed to learn that there was a portion of his heart they just couldn't get to (boy there's a sermon illustration for you), so he came out with three bypasses and a new valve which is actually "slightly used" since it is a bovine (read "cow") valve.

Well Dad hasn't been put out to pasture (look- that's a joke... you know, playing off the bovine - oh never mind) but he has been out of it for awhile.

He spent a great deal of the past few weeks in something of a stupor - mostly sleeping.

He has communicated with us and knew his family (even in-laws) but often times his speech was very weak and he has spoken with closed eyes.

There have been some good days when he was more alert but they often led to him being agitated and then he would sleep again.

Last week he had a couple of back-to-back bad days, one in which he just slept all day.

Then he seemed to turn around. He has been allowed to eat again and that seems to have put some life back into him.

Yesterday and today he was very alert, sitting up for a time today and eating well. Yesterday, he picked up a train of thought that he had been ruminating before his last heart episode.

He offered AA, five 5-dollar bills to read the New Testament through by Christmas.

Dad had been thinking along those lines before he entered the hospital. He had told Mom he would like to go into one of the younger Sunday School classes and offer a cash-prize for Bible reading.

Dad was never much for encouraging involvement in sports... he usually based his opposition to organized sports programs on two foundational issues: Finances and Freedom.

"They are just after your money" - he would say. I remember pricing football equipment in the sixth grade - just sort of dreaming - and I saw that Dad was right.

Dad used the same argument about Boy Scouts: you know, you have to buy the handbook, the uniform, all that gear and camping equipment.

The other argument was "Freedom". We didn't get involved in organized sports very much because "we might take a notion to go to Granny and Pop's house in Griffin". Dad like to do some things spontaneously and he didn't want some game to stand in our way.

But now the Bible, that was another thing. Dad wanted to encourage us to read it. And he didn't mind using finances or freedom to bring that about.

Much like he did with the offer to AA and with similar offers recently to Ab, Dad at times offered my siblings and me money for reading certain portions of the Bible.

Other times Dad required Bible reading.

When I was in the seventh and eighth grade in LaFayette, Georgia, our Junior High School had burned (it happened before I ever moved there). So we shared the High School: high schoolers attended until noon and junior highers attended from about 1:00 until 6:00.

There were pro's and con's to that setup. The main positive being that I could sleep late every day.

Dad, who was not a big fan of children sleeping too late or watching too much television, set forth an edict that I had to read a certain amount of scripture before I could turn on the television. I don't remember the exact amount, but I settled into a pattern of reading 3 Psalms each day before hitting the tube.

And I was pretty faithful to that. Since I concentrated on the latter part of the Psalms (shorter), I tended to read Psalm 127 a lot. I can still quote most of it -"Except the Lord build the house; they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early and to sit up late...."

Some may think that it trivializes the Word of God to pay people to read it. Or perhaps children would rebel against being forced to read before activating the television each day. But I don't think it had either of those effects on me.

I think that year or so of patterned reading developed into something of a discipline. I still want to start each day with the Word. And some of those Psalms that became so familiar to me then, became anchor points for me during (and after) the stormy teenage years.

Dad knew that we kids would need that bedrock of strength. I am glad he did. I am also glad to see that his mind is quick enough now to remember the importance of God's Word and the value of instilling an appreciation for it in the hearts of children.

Before his protracted stay in the hospital, Dad was nearing the end of his second journey through the entire Bible this year.

The children in my family were blessed with a spiritual "one-two punch" for parents. Dad gave us the discipline of the Word; Mom taught us the precious practicality of the Word. It is for every moment, every situation, every day of our life.

As I look back, I was able to pick up some opportunities to participate in a few organized sports programs as I got older; and though I did very little scouting - AA is now a fledgling "Tiger Cub" on his way to his "Bobcat Badge". So I am in no wise bitter - on the contrary - I was given a treasure of eternal proportions.

It's A Wonderful Life bank run (full version)

I know this is a long video, but if you haven't seen it in awhile, I think you will find this scene timely.

For the purposes of the post that follows - just insert "congress" when you hear the name "Potter".

There are great and timeless lessons to be learned from these classics

The Fly in the Ointment

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1 NKJV

From Shakespeare's Hamlet, we get the phrase "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark".

In these days of financial fear mongering and massive bailouts, the foregoing phrases seem to readily come to mind.

I have felt prompted to post some of my reactions several times, but it's probably best that I haven't since they were pretty bitter.

Here are some of my reactions (hopefully they have now been tempered somewhat):

- The "fly" in the ointment of all these failings is our government and particularly the legislative branch. Whether by regulation or deregulation -but most likely through corruption- I believe they bear the weight of the responsibility. They are now meddling with our economic system yet again- in order to "save us" all from the natural outcomes of their last few episodes of meddling with our economic system.

-This amazing and wonderful free-market economy is at the same time - marvelously resilient and extremely harsh. When our government steps in by circumventing the natural outcome of corruption or poor decisions; or by trying to manipulate the economy in some fashion, it always results in problems.

-I understand that a "run" on banks or "soup-lines" or -any other apocalyptic, depression era descriptive terms - would not be good for our national morale or our standing in the world. However, precious few people are pointing out the fact that all these costly bailouts and take-overs will have to be funded by you and I.

-How do our leaders in the legislative arena respond in this time of crisis?

Nancy Pelosi continues to run a national office as if the entire country looks like her very liberal constituency. She avoids the natural questions about corruption at the congressional level and promises to investigate WALLSTREET.

Harry Reid - that citadel of resolve - says "No one knows what to do..." .

In the same manner with which they dealt with the real crisis of rising fuel prices, this congress has once again... left town.

- I am really concerned that we see no move toward investigating those committees that had oversight on these industries. And why no one seems to be examining the officials on those committees that have benefited greatly from the organizations that are now being bailed out (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in particular).

President Bush is doing something. I respect him for that - this President has never run from trouble. My problem with him is that his conservative principles have not always shown themselves to be strong in the arena of "limited government". So his response seems to be one that will -again- grow the government.

In all of this I cannot get the scenes from It's a Wonderful Life! out of my mind.... "Potter isn't selling; Potter's buying!..." George Bailey says.

Make no mistake, congress is not "bailing out" - congress is "taking over".

A Coat

"You stole my coat."

The listener was taken aback and wilted slightly, then gaining his composure, he studied the eyes of the speaker in order to forecast his next move.

But he thought again; perhaps, there was no violence intended. The matter-of-fact tone of the statement was without passion. The speaker had said it in the same manner with which one would comment on the weather: "The sun is nice today . . . you stole my coat . . . wasn't that a fine rain we had Tuesday?"

So he listened.

The speaker went on. I saw you steal it. We were in the nearby village three days ago. I had traveled there to visit the market. Such crowds were there that day! And what excitement! All over a Teacher. I had put my coat aside because of the noonday sun. That must have been when you took it. I only saw you running away - wearing my coat.

Somehow I couldn't walk away from the teaching, though. My heart and mind were transfixed. He spoke of blessings befalling the poor - like myself. He spoke of a kingdom from heaven that would be so different from any on earth. He healed sicknesses and worked wonders. He spoke with such wisdom!

That is why I sought Him out after He had finished speaking. I told Him how you had stolen my coat. I hoped for justice.

He told me what to do. He told me to hunt you down -

-And for three days I have done just that. I just missed you in the tavern on the outskirts of that town. I found a fragment, torn from my coat there. The proprietor told me how that you used the few coins I had tucked away in the pocket of my coat to purchase strong drink. And when you had well drunk, he said you fought with the other customers. He said one of the ruffians had torn the coat as you escaped his grasp.

You slept off your drunkenness in your hovel of a home; but you had left behind your pitiful wife and two poor children there when I arrived the next day.

Merchants described how you had tried to sell them the coat but they doubted your integrity.

A soldier remembered finding you napping in the evening sun. He had taken great delight in describing to me how he had struck you repeatedly with the broad-side of his sword and then kicked you until you were able to scramble out of his reach.

A cook was proud of the fact he had denied you the scraps he was about to throw out. He said he knew you were up to mischief.

And now at last, I have caught up with you.

The listener stiffened as he grimaced. Ready to react to the knife or club that would be wielded against him.

But instead, the speaker stepped back.

He loosened his belt, removed his shirt. . .

. . . and handed it to the listener.

"Take this also - it goes with the coat; that's what He told me to do."

This is the kingdom of heaven.

Sovereignty of God in a Sunday Morning Prayer

Our kids will tend to utilize run-on sentences at times.
This is especially true with Ab at bed time. After teeth are brushed and other duties are deftly put to rest, it is time for prayer and then a goodnight kiss. It is at that point- following our prayer - that she seems to want to cram as much conversation as possible into the time that elapses while I travel from her bedside to the bedroom door. In machine-gun style, she hammers away as if she is in a competition that she will lose if I manage to get a word in edge-wise.

On many nights, the only way to signal an end is for me (or Mom depending on whose turn it is), to slowly pull the door closed. This allows her to edit her remarks in order for her to close with a "G'night Dad, I love you!" before the door is completely shut.

I love my little girl.

AA is more like me and tends to be halting in his speech patterns and -as fits our southern culture - slow. But nonetheless, he too can run-on with the best of them.

This morning as we drove to church, AA volunteered to lead us in prayer. He went through what has become both his and Ab's standard lines... "We thank You for this day" ... "we pray that no one will get hurt..." etc.

But then he decided to veer from the mundane and spend some time on his teacher at school. She is very ill and we, as a family have been praying for her. I think that once he got into this new territory of spontaneity in his praying, he may have been worried that someone would stop him before he completed it. The prayer went something like this:

...God bless my teacher 'cause she is really, really sick ...
... and I know You know that...
'cause you know the thoughts ...and , um....
-well, I don't really remember that verse,
-but I know you know that too! ...

That is a six-year-old understanding of the sovereignty of God.

We know He cares; we know He can do what He said He would do; and we know He knows what He promised He would do... even when we can't quite remember it.

I heard a sermon today from a series on the attributes of God, it focused on the fact that God is good. We can depend on Him to do what is best (though that may not always be what we like).

His goodness is not based on whether or not I deserve it (because I never would), but rather it is based on His nature.

That sermon was a good follow-up to the sermon I had already heard coming from my backseat.

Droopy Dog-Deputy Droopy

I am tired and the last three weeks have been weighty so I thought you might enjoy a "Droopy" cartoon. Tex Avery just cracks me up!
No morals or lessons in this story - just fun.

Great America Series: Rally Around the Flag

I wanted to write something inspiring in honor of September 11th. But somehow, the memory of that dreadful day when three thousand Americans lost their lives through a coordinated series of despicable acts, just leaves me cold and empty.

What followed, however, was inspiring. And that brings me to what I want to post tonight. The Great America Series is a recurring series of posts that involve single words or small phrases that describe this wonderful miracle of a nation that we enjoy. Previous posts have centered on American know-how, rugged individualism and the Judeo-Christian work ethic.

This one is about how we rally together in times of crisis.

I had a teacher in the eighth grade, I think her name was Mrs. Wiggins. She taught American History and her passion about the 1940's inspired me. So much so that to this day, I cannot get enough information about that WWII era.
When I was in the eighth grade at that Junior High School in the small town of LaFayette, Georgia, the Vietnam War had just ended. In fact, I believe it was that same year that the last Americans pulled out, leaving that country to a bloodthirsty enemy bent on vengeance.

Mrs. Wiggins told us that one reason there was such turmoil in our country over that war was that we were not directly attacked. She said that if anyone ever attacked this nation, the people would always rally together. And she pointed to Pearl Harbor and December 7, 1941 as her example. I remember how she talked about everyone joining in to help with the war effort during that time.

That's what Americans do. In crisis, we rally around the flag. Like some dysfunctional families, we may be at one anothers throats most of the time. But you let some outsider come in and harm our sibling and -dysfunctional or not- there will be a scrap!

A little while back, I entered into an in depth discussion with my brother-in-law and my father-in-law. We talked about religion and we talked about politics. Then my father-in-law asked us if we remembered what things were like on those few days after the September 11th attack in 2001. I don't think either of us said anything, but we knew... there were several days in which you just wanted to plaster flags everywhere in defiance of those that had attacked us. Communities were coming together for prayer services; people from down here in the southland were loading up in trucks and vans to go up and help out that bunch of yankees in New York City; people looked other people in the eyes and asked - "are you doing okay?" - and they really meant it!

People were freely talking about God and praying for each other - even congressmen "crossed the aisle" to sing "God Bless America" on the Capitol steps.

It was really, amazingly - neat!

That's what my brother-in-law and I were thinking and my father-in-law's eyes glimmered as he said, "that's just the way in used to be - all the time".

It didn't just happen during acts of war. How many hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters have brought people together in this country? Hurricane Katrina was such a politicized tragedy but in her aftermath, how many people loaded up there tools and went to help? When refugees were coming to our state, healthcare workers, churches and volunteers met them at Welcome Centers and took care of them.

But I think that's always been the case... whether it was barn-raising in the Amish country, or joining together to bring in the cotton crop in the deep south- Americans count on other Americans in a pinch.

I don't suppose anyone captures that spirit of America any better than my favorite movie director, Frank Capra. One of the hallmarks of his movies is big crowds, often rallying together in order to come to someone's aid. Remember Jimmy Stewart and that crowded living room during the closing scene of "It's a Wonderful Life!" - that was America, and Frank Capra found a way to put that into most all of his movies.

In this clip from the last scene of "Meet John Doe" another Frank Capra movie, Barbara Stanwyck tries to convince Gary Cooper ("John Doe") not to jump off that building at midnight on Christmas eve. Well, you need to see the movie to understand it, but what you will see is a lot of people gathering together at a time of crisis.

So what happened to that "rally around the flag" attitude?

Well, the last time -as I recall - it was an election. Some time around the 2004 campaign, political parties decided that a united front just wasn't worth the loss of power. So it became popular for elected officials to speak out against the President and his policies -even during times of war...even sometimes on foreign soil.

Can we get it back? Perhaps.

But first I think we have to talk to people that really remember what "coming together for a common purpose" was like.

The real tragedy of 9/11 may not have been the senseless death of so many... it may be that we didn't come together and stay together when we had the chance.

Truth about Consequences

A little over twenty years ago, my older brother and I took on an entrepreneurial quest. It was an experience that left a deep impression (read "scar") on me and probably changed my thinking in a variety of ways.

My brother did - and still does - enjoy the great benefit of being self-employed which our free-market economy affords. So our joint venture was just another episode for him; for me it was a very singular event, I wanted to carve out a niche for myself and stay there. I was investing a lot of hope in this deal.

Though I have doubted it in retrospect, I thought at the time, that the idea of us partnering was inspired by God.

My brother and I had been spending a good bit of time together and I knew that he had an opportunity to buy a little retail business. At the same time, my work seemed to be at a dead end: I was selling life insurance except that the "selling" part never had kicked in. I was not a "fit" for that job and my performance (or lack thereof) was obvious. One day I had just left a meeting with my Sales Manager in which he had pointed out to me that very fact.


As I was riding in my car, muttering and pontificating to myself and to God in one of those half-rant, half-prayer conversations, when an idea occurred to me. I thought about it a few minutes and then ran home to call my brother (no cell phones in those days) and share it with him.

He needed capital and I had a little retirement account in which I was now fully vested. I could take that and invest it in his venture. We could purchase the retail business and I could run it. I had always liked retail.

And so it began.

We had a blast! My relationship with my brother grew and we were almost inseparable. We had "inside jokes" and shared stories. We worked days and into the nights. We learned new things, sometimes we argued.


But the short of it is that we were way underfunded and during something of an economic downturn, bankers didn't want to keep renewing our notes or adding more to our debt load.

Many of our accounts were on C.O.D. (cash on delivery - in other words they didn't really trust us). And finally, in less than three years, we had closed the doors.

We did not technically bankrupt but we spent quite a long time, settling with people we owed and paying off bills. I had gotten married during that time and it was very disheartening to get those "collection" phone calls in front of my wife. The entire episode took it's toll on my relationship with my brother; it started cracks in the foundation my brand new marriage; and it did damage to the way that I looked at myself and how I thought others viewed me.

The fact is, in my late twenties and early thirties I was fairly convinced that I had all but messed up my life. But there were lessons in there for me to learn. I think my brother learned some also. Those details may be a subject for another day except to say that I have learned first-hand that the borrower is slave to the lender.

That time in my life somehow propelled me into returning to college a couple years later. Some time after that, R. and I were able to enjoy a restoration of our marriage.

I said all that to point something out. I don't know if God orchestrated the events that resulted in turmoil, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't always walking lock-step with His plan. But He was able to take that mess and weave it into my life and bring something good out of it. He was able to use the consequences of my mistakes to teach me.

Consequences are one of God's teaching tools.

Now, let me tell you about something. This week, I had the opportunity to help out - through my philanthropy - a couple that was going through their own set of consequences because of doing goofy things. Oh don't be so surprised; you helped them out also.

Maybe you've heard their names recently. At the risk of embarrassing them for their utter simplicity - I will share their names with you: Fannie-Mae and Freddie Mac.

Yes, when congress bails someone out - make no mistake about it- it is you and I that are doing all the bailing. Congress just takes the credit.
For all of its talk and bluster the U.S. Congress has never once turned a profit. They do not make anything. They just take from us, send it out somewhere else and then take the credit.

But by bailing out troubled institutions, congress has circumvented the lessons of bearing one's consequences.

That's why they keep having to bail out institutions - because they will not allow them to learn. During the Savings and Loan scandals of the 90's, congress bailed out the S & L's. Earlier this year there were more bailouts and now the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In Numbers 12 there is a story about Moses' sister, Miriam. This took place during the nation of Israel's wilderness travels. Miriam had some derogatory remarks about Moses' choice for a wife, and God heard it.
I think God saw that there was more to Miriam's complaint than just the expression of her opinion. She was possibly jealous of Moses - felt as if she should play a more important role in the organization.
It seems in those days, that God's punishment-of-choice was leprosy. Miriam caught a bad case of it.

Moses cried and prayed. Aaron cried and prayed (cause he had been doing a little trash-talking too).
And God said she would get better...after seven days. So they stopped traveling and camped in that spot, waiting for Miriam to endure her punishment.

She needed that time of enduring the consequences of her actions. She came out of that episode cleaner, wiser and with the right frame of mind.

When we were deep in debt, if someone had come along and offered to just bail us out completely - I probably would have jumped at the opportunity.

I'm glad they didn't.

Songs in the Night

I like music. I really think that I can find something about most every style of music that appeals to me. Okay there may be some esoteric styles that stretch beyond my abilities to appreciate... but most stuff, I like.

I sing, too. Sometimes it is just white noise to fill the empty spaces, other times it might be an unconscious defense mechanism - like whistling in the dark, sometimes I sing simply for the joy of annoying other people.

Some tunes can motivate me, others can make me smile or contemplate.

Last night as I walked away from the hospital where we had had a somewhat troubling visit with my Dad in the ICU, a song popped into my head and before long, it was coming out of my mouth...

It was our last visit of the day, and since I had returned to work that day, it was my first visit of the day. We had been happy to learn that morning that Dad was waking up after about two days under sedation.

When I saw him, I was pleased with the improvement, but he could barely speak above a whisper and his eyes were closed most of the time. A couple of times he began coughing - a weak gurgling cough. I think that was fairly normal, but it bothered me. I cringed a little as I watched Dad grimace when the nurse tried to suction his throat a little.

It just troubled me. It troubled me more than I revealed to my family.

As we parted ways in the parking lot and I walked away alone in the dark silence of my thoughts, this song seeped into my mind:

Rest in the arms
of the everlasting One,
Rest in the arms
of Jesus Christ, His Son;
When all you can do
Has al-ready been done.

Rest in the arms of God....

That seemed to be what I needed to hear.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV

Jesus said -"...I will give you rest."

I enjoyed the sweetness of that song most of my drive home.

Just before you complete the "Sainthood Nomination" form with all my vital statistics, I should tell you that somewhere on Dean Street, I launched into singing the theme to "Welcome Back, Kotter".

I think that sometimes God uses people as His "unconscious agents" to serve as answers to prayer.


"Touched by an Angel" was a popular TV series about angels that inserted themselves into the lives of people who were experiencing various melodramas; sort of a vertical "Route 66". And while I believe that we sometimes do entertain "angels unaware" and sometimes God uses these "ministering spirits"- as He calls them- to intervene in situations. I think a lot of times He just uses natural means and ordinary people to do His bidding.


Yesterday, I think I encountered just such an instance.


My Dad is recuperating from open-heart surgery and yesterday was still sedated and in ICU. Our visits with him were limited to 4 thirty minute sessions, so I was driving my Mom and aunt around between visiting hours.


My whole family has had a stressful few days and we were all tired. As we jumped in the car to make another trek to the hospital to be there in time for the 5:00 visitation - the car battery died. We quickly grabbed another available ride and left, determined to deal with this problem later.


Now I freely admit that I am not mechanically inclined. I can reason - I have opposable thumbs - but when it comes to mechanics, I am all thumbs and not the opposable kind! My Dad could always fix things, but they may not work exactly the same as they did before. He has always been a big fan of "straight-wiring".

If you have an electronic device that is straight-wired, when you plug it in it's on. If you want to turn it off, you unplug it.


Dad "fixed" quite a few electronic devices and appliances that way.


I tend to be like Dad, but without the finesse.

There are a few mechanical tasks that I have completed... I have installed several flush-kits, I can change my own oil, I built a tree house for the kids a couple years ago - let's just leave it at that.

Because I recognize my deficiency in this area ("a man's GOT to know his limitations!" -Clint Eastwood), I have always tried to make up the difference by praying- a lot... about every repair job.


Yesterday, when we returned from the hospital, it became apparent that I needed to "be the little man of the house" since Dad was laying up there in ICU. So I took matters into my own hands, I jumped off my Mom's car while she and my Aunt tried their best to "help".
Then I took the car for a drive in hopes of better charging up the battery. Upon my return, I turned off the ignition and tried to crank the car again. Barely - just barely it cranked and even in my mechanically-challenged mind I knew that the battery was dead.

Sometimes, when backed into a corner, people will react with uncharacteristic flair. The adrenals began pumping and I flew into action... okay I didn't "fly into action" ... there was movement of sorts...

I called Walmart.

The guy in the service department seemed quite competent. They were to close in about half an hour, but he felt that if I could get their in ten minutes, his crew would have enough time to fix me right up before leaving for the day.

Then I realized that I had not called the Walmart just down the road; I had called the Walmart on the other side of town.

After hanging up, I quickly called the closer Walmart - using precious time - and discovered that they were not terribly busy and it was worth a try.

I raced out of the house and down the - okay I didn't race but I went at a pace that was slightly faster than my normal trudge.

Then I inserted my "mechanical-deficit-reduction-act" - I prayed. I prayed that I would get there in time to get the new battery in, I think I prayed for favor with selecting the correct one, I am pretty sure I prayed for that upcoming traffic light to stay green long enough for me to get through it!

I drove to the garage area at Walmart and found the place swept and clean, the doors were open but I saw no one.

I left the car running (for fear that if I had to leave it might not crank again), and who should meet me at the door but Billy - the answer to my prayer!!

I have known Billy for about twenty years, he goes to my church and he's been retired for quite awhile. He recently took a part-time job there because "being retired is no fun when you are alone". I could've kissed him on the forehead! I knew Billy would not leave me in my hour of need.

He was surrounded by three unseemly-looking characters. . . they had obviously been in the oil business all day. They all were coated with a generous layer of petro-perspiration.

I got the feeling that in another setting, these guys could have been mean.

But they were not mean yesterday - they might just as well have been three little pudgy cherabims flying around - cause they were the answer to my desperate prayer.

One guy left, Billy got my paperwork done and the other two cherubims just replaced my battery finishing up with about two minutes to spare.

It was confirmed to me that God was in this thing when another car drove up as they were getting mine finished. Out jumped a very attractive young lady with a nice tan and a flashing smile. She bounced up to "Gabriel "and his buddy and asked, "can I get my oil changed?".

"Not today," "Gabriel" replied " it's too late."

Now I ask you, under normal circumstances would these guys have said that? No, I think they would have said "-forget about 'mama's-boy' here and let's help this nice young lady!"

But they didn't. And I looked them in the eye and thanked them.
Then on my way back I thanked God.

It may be a commodity that is sometimes hard to find at Walmart these days; we call it good customer service. But it raises that practice to a new level when we think of it as "becoming the answer to a prayer".

Opposable Thumbs.

Tonight I was explaining to AA how that Grandaddy had had open heart surgery today...I told him about how they opened his chest cavity; I told him about how used a part of a cow's heart to replace Grandaddy's valve.

"OOH!" he interrupted,"will he still have an opposable thumb?"

"'cause cows don't have an opposable thumb and if he has a cow's heart will he still have an opposable thumb?"

It was a good question. And one which I totally deserve.

I have simplified the "missing-link" down to the fact that the biggest factor separating humans from apes is the opposable thumb.

What is an opposable thumb, you might ask?

My understanding is that we humans are the only animals with the ability to reach across our palms with our thumbs - at least our thumbs can reach farther than other animals with thumbs. This gives us the ability to efficiently utilize tools and to reason and therefore is the seat of our authority. This opposable thumb is - in my thinking - the symbol of our authority on the earth.

Now before proceeding with my explanation - I should point out that I am strictly a "Creationist"... I do not believe that we -by chance -evolved from other life forms. I do believe people can evolve spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually but that is an inner evolution and has more to do with the effect of the Creator than the survival of the fittest.

Anyway, I have often pictured mischevious people in the ape exhibit at some zoo - taunting and teasing the baboons by gesturing with their thumbs moving back and forth across their palms.

"Hey Mighty-Joe... can you do this? Oh you can't?! I guess that's why I'm out here and you are in there! Look at this, Joe [still gesturing wildly] 'you know what this means? I can R-E-A-S-O-N... Can you Re-e-e-eason, Joe?"

I think I have shared that illustration with my kids a time or two.

It's also why AA once remarked something to the effect that he would hate to be a dog because he wouldn't have an opposable thumb and couldn't go to heaven.

The GRX Candidate

[I am feeling real sarcastic this morning so readers beware]

In viewing the field of candidates for the presidential election and in particular Barack Obama, I was thinking of great quotes of previous presidents and how he might fit into that fraternity:

Teddy Roosevelt gave us "Speak softly and carry a big stick"

From FDR we got, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"

JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country!"

.... Barack Obama challenged us with the admonition to "Check our tire pressure!" ....

Among his other soon to be quotable favorites was his statement at a fundraiser, in which he attempted to explain the bitterness of those who "cling to their guns, religion and xenophobia..."

It is that morsel of inspired rhetoric on which I would like to focus this morning.

Okay, I'm not really sure what xenophobia means - is that like - a fear of Olivia Newton-John Disco movies? Oh, you're right - that would be "Xanadu-phobia".

Anyway, I don't think Mr. Obama actually said "Xenophobia", I guess the news reporters just summarized his remarks and categorized them as xenophobia.

I think it is possible that John McCain - calculating political strategist that he is - watched the reaction to this statement and found himself a constituency!

I figure McCain's mind began clicking and he thought: "Hey, there are quite a few folks out there that are kinda' religious ...

and I know some folks that like guns ...

I don't really know what "clinging to xenophobia" is - but it's probably illegal in several states...

And hey! come to think of it - I've noticed a lot of those four-wheel drive pick up trucks with gun racks, "Honk if you love Jesus" stickers and low air pressure in their tires!

And Mr. Obama is dissing all these people -WOO! this could be BIG!"

So what did he do? He performed a major political power-play, that's what he did. He reached down among the masses and pulled out a gem of a VP candidate - a woman of the people! One that would properly represent this new found constituency.

Sarah Palin is the Guns, Religion and Xenophobia candidate -or GRX Candidate for short!

My Dad has been in the hospital this weekend awaiting heart surgery and he has conducted an extremely informal poll. With nearly every visitor that came in, he would get around to asking - "What do you think of McCain's pick for a running mate?" Most all responses that I have heard have been favorable - but my uncle from South Georgia had the best, he said: "I think she is somewhere between pretty and bad pretty!"

My uncle didn't seem very bitter but I think he does cling to religion at times. And I don't know if he owns any guns, but he has been known to fish and that's got to be just one step away from owning an assault weapon. He's probably your typical GRX constituent.

You can bet Sarah Palin owns a gun! It's not recommended that you hunt grizzly bears or moose without one. Hunting was a regular past time for her growing up in Alaska. In fact, her parents were on their way to their hunting cabin when they got the call about her big announcement last week.

She is definitely a "gun-clinger".

And that same uncle told me that he had heard that she attended the Assembly of God church... speaking as a fellow charismatic-pentecostal, I can say that that fills the bill for "religion" .

So Sarah Palin answers at least two-thirds of the GRX triangle. But if I am to uncover McCain's devious and cunning political play, I must look up xenophobia to see if Sarah is a match for that leg of the constituency group.

According to Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary, Xenophobia is fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.

That one nearly had me stumped but then I remembered that corrupt politicians - they're strangers of sorts, are they not? I read where Sara developed a real dislike for them... maybe she's a xenophobe too!

There you have it: Sarah Palin - clinger of guns and religion and xenophobe-extraordinaire!

She's the Total GRX Package!