I'm Retiring

My first blog was on Monday, September 13, 2004. Seven years of blogging! But like anything else in this life, times change. Blogs were really "in" seven years ago. Now people want shorter snippets of information. So Twitter and Facebook have moved blogs to the shelf.

Having said that, I am gratified to have people tell me that they follow my blog. At times, the ideas have flowed consistently. However, it seems that lately the ideas have come with much less frequency.

So after 7 years, I am closing up shop. I leave open the possibility of someday returning. After all, Brett Favre has done it several times.

Grace and peace to all. Keep your eyes fixed on THE Hope.

Tough Love vs. Spanking

I saw this on a friend's Facebook entry and thought it was worth sharing:

Tough Love vs. Spanking

Most of America ‘s populace think it improper
to spank children, so I have tried other methods
to control my kids when they have one of ‘those moments.’

One that I found effective is for me to just take
the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it’s the vibration from the car, others
say it’s the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I’ve included a photo below of one of my sessions with
my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

Be sure to notice the speed on the radar in the background.

What were Pat Robertson and CC's Carpet Thinking?

Pat Robertson has determined that it is ok to divorce your spouse if he or she has Alzheimer's disease. He gave consent to the idea of a man beginning to date because his wife suffered from this illness. When questioned about the vows a couple makes, like "In sickness and in health" and "Til death do us part," he said that Alzheimer's IS a kind of death.

It seems to me that in a culture that is already looking for a loophole to commitments, Pat has just opened a huge one. Couldn't a person apply this same reasoning to many debilitating illnesses? The list could be unending.

Jesus said, "The two shall become one flesh. What God has joined together, let no one separate." One flesh! Does "one flesh" become "two flesh" because your spouse has Alzheimer's? Robertson's advice sounds very clinical. But it surely doesn't sound like love.

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I have been seeing the ads for a few weeks as I watch the Rangers' games. CC's Carpet has been promoting that anyone who buys carpet or countertops in September will receive them free if Josh Hamilton hits a grand slam.

Guess what happened in last night's game. Yep.

The owner of CC's Carpet said the promotion has brought in $500,000 of business.

Yes, he had an insurance policy to cover this. So he made a handsome profit. Josh Hamilton probably isn't the insurance company's favorite Ranger.

9-11, Birthday Wishes, Wife's Wisdom

I was moved by the remembrances of 9-11 yesterday. Thinking back on that day still seems so surreal. That morning, a friend of mine had picked me up to go near Tyler for a golf outing with a dozen or so guys. As I got in his pickup, he told me that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. Immediately, I thought of pictures I have seen from back in the 30s when a plane flew into the Empire State Building. I just assumed it was a freak air accident.

By the time we arrived at the golf course, the 2nd plane had struck, and the 1st tower was collapsing. Everyone was watching the TV in the clubhouse -- eyes bugged out and mouths hanging open.

Little did we comprehend at that moment that life would never be the same for us.

I continue to pray that God will cover the victims' families with His peace. And I pray for the hearts of those who promote terror, that they might be drawn to the love of the Father.

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Today is my oldest son's 31st birthday. I don't know how a father could be any more proud of his children than I am. I continue to be a student of his Christlike heart for the poor and the disenfranchised.

I also CAN'T WAIT to spend time with him and his family in a couple of weeks!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

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My wife never ceases to amaze me. She is so immersed in the presence of God that she speaks with great words of wisdom and power. Last night she was working on a talk and she shared a thought with me. She said, "Death creates a spiritual earthquake. It leaves you sifting through the rubble to find faith." Wow! That certainly describes my grief journey.