Here is my Rant! If you can’t buy the brand of candy in a convenience
store the other 11 months of the year..... you shouldn't give it out as trick
or treat candy. There is a lot of candy being given away that is a generic,
imitation, fraudulent excuse for candy. If no one has ever heard of this stuff
or ever purchased it on purpose..... don't buy a big bag of it at Wal-Mart and
pass it out to the kids in your neighborhood!!!!!
Now on to other important matters. Perspective is everything! We see in others what we choose to see.
My Dallas Mavericks kicked off their NBA season with a loss last night. But, not to fear..... I am working with the big boy and help is on the way!!!!!
Thanksgiving Day is exactly 40 days from today. I am taking
a 40 day journey.
Personally it is spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional
health that will get extra focus. Authenticity, congruency and simplicity are
my themes. I wanna be a better me. I wanna be a simple child of God that brings
Him glory in the little things I do. More "out of the spotlight" service than "in
the spotlight" leadership. I want to be a dad, son and Papa that makes my
family proud. I want to be a man that looks in the mirror and respects the guy
I see.
I am also focusing on laying a strong foundation for jSimon
Photography for a great 2010. It will be our first full year in business and I
want to build habits, systems and practices that are a model of excellence and
client service.
I'll share bits and pieces over the next 40 Days but much of
it will be between me and my God. I'm pretty jazzed about it.
I think the thing I am most excited about is something I
have recently reincorporated into my life practices. As a child, my parents
taught us kids to literally kneel by our bed every night and pray out loud. I
got away from that through my adult years. My prayer life became more internal
prayer, rarely out loud, and almost never kneeling. I don’t think kneeling and
praying out loud carries any extra lifting power. I’m not on a crusade or recruiting.
I think prayer can be just as effective either way. But, recently I find myself
rediscovering an old friend and regularly kneeling by my bed and ending my day
praying out loud. I have found it to be so rich! I have found that literally kneeling
has made an internal difference in me as I approach my God. I find speaking my
prayers out loud keeps me from drifting into other distracting thoughts and
gives my prayer time a definitive start and finish. That helps me. Sometimes my
night-time prayers are very short. Sometimes they become lengthy as I find my heart
pouring out over my vocal cords and talking to my God about things we haven’t discussed in some time. It has busted me out of “routine prayer” and I needed that.
So over the next 40 days I will kneel every single night by my bed and end my
day praying out loud. And though my prayer will include request, confession,
search for wisdom and intercession for others… every single night I will make
giving thanks for specific things in that day a priority. I am gonna walk into
Thanksgiving Day practiced and ready.
Here is an old song that spontaneously came to me during my
prayer time recently. In my house, by myself, on my knees, I sang it out loud to my God.
I forgot a lot of the words, made some words up, repeated the lines I liked a
lot. It was so authentic… me and my God just talking through some stuff as I
sang to Him. I think we both enjoyed it. The dogs next door …. not so much.
Heart of Worship
When the music fades,
All is stripped away,
And I simply come,
Longing just to bring,
Something that's of worth,
That will bless Your heart.
I'll bring You more than a song,
For a song in itself,
Is not what You have required,
You search much deeper within,
Through the way things appear,
You're looking into my heart.
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus,
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it,
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus.
King of endless worth,
No one could express,
How much You deserve,
Though I'm weak and poor,
All I have is Yours,
Every single breath.
I'll bring You more than a song,
For a song in itself,
Is not what You have required,
You search much deeper within,
Through the way things appear,
You're looking into my heart.
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus,
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus.
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus,
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it,
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus.
Tiffani, Josh and Simone are flying to Chicago today to have Simone undergo examination and preparation for her upcoming
surgery at theShrinersHospital. The surgeons will go in and repair the hole in the roof of Simone’s
mouth so that she will be able to eat like other kids without it squeezing out
her nose. She has learned to deal with food coming out her nose when she
swallows…. what she doesn’t like is her parents wiping her nose!!! That flat
ticks her off!!! I refuse to wipe the girl’s nose because I don’t want her to
think I am part of their conspiracy. :)
1.Pray for Josh, Tiff and the Doctors so they will
have clarity and wisdom to know confidently exactly what to do and when to do
it.
2.Pray for safe passage to and from Chicago.
3.Please pray a prayer of gratitude for the
amazing generosity of the Shriners who have taken on Simone and are completely
funding her care 100%. No strings attached! That is amazing!!! I will be a Shriner
fan for life. Thank you Dan and Shelli Bates for connecting us with these wonderful humans!
4.Buy tickets to the Shriners Circus when it comes
to your town. It is one of their major fund raisers. We know first-hand how a
night of entertainment for your family results in changing the quality of a kid’s
life and health!!!!
I am on the record as being a product of my grandfather. He was an extremely patriotic WW1 veteran who loved America, loved soldiers, and HATED WAR! I feel the same. As an American I love peace and I hate war. I understand that war is at times necessary to keep the peace. But many times, even most times, it is not necessary… it is chosen. As a Christian I am called to peace. Hebrews 12:14
says “Make every effort to live in peace with all
men”.
As a lover of peace, I am also a
fan of the Nobel Peace Prize. I was quite surprised when my President
was announced as a winner. I am glad…. just surprised. He obviously was too.
Thomas L. Friedman wrote a great OP-ED
piece in the New York Times. I am handing my blog to him today. I wish I had said this.
The Nobel committee did President
Obama no favors by prematurely awarding him its peace prize. As he himself
acknowledged, he has not done anything yet on the scale that would normally
merit such an award — and it dismays me that the most important prize in the
world has been devalued in this way.
It
is not the president’s fault, though, that the Europeans are so relieved at his
style of leadership, in contrast to that of his predecessor, that they want to
do all they can to validate and encourage it. I thought the president showed
great grace in accepting the prize not for himself but “as an affirmation of
American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.”
All that said, I hope Mr. Obama will
take this instinct a step further when he travels to Oslo on Dec. 10 for the
peace prize ceremony. Here is the speech I hope he will give:
“Let me begin by thanking the Nobel
committee for awarding me this prize, the highest award to which any statesman
can aspire. As I said on the day it was announced, ‘I do not feel that I
deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve
been honored by this prize.’ Therefore, upon reflection, I cannot accept this
award on my behalf at all.
“But I will accept it on behalf of
the most important peacekeepers in the world for the last century — the men and
women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of the American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, to liberate
Europe from the grip of Nazi fascism. I will accept this award on behalf of the
American soldiers and sailors who fought on the high seas and forlorn islands
in the Pacific to free East Asia from Japanese tyranny in the Second World War.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of the American airmen who in June 1948 broke the Soviet blockade of Berlin
with an airlift of food and fuel so that West Berliners could continue to live
free. I will accept this award on behalf of the tens of thousands of American
soldiers who protected Europe from Communist dictatorship throughout the 50
years of the cold war.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of the American soldiers who stand guard today at outposts in the mountains and
deserts of Afghanistan to give that country, and particularly its women and
girls, a chance to live a decent life free from the Taliban’s religious
totalitarianism.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of the American men and women who are still on patrol today in Iraq, helping to
protect Baghdad’s fledgling government as it tries to organize the rarest of
things in that country and that region — another free and fair election.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of the thousands of American soldiers who today help protect a free and
Democratic South Korea from an unfree and Communist North Korea.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of all the American men and women soldiers who have gone on repeated
humanitarian rescue missions after earthquakes and floods from the mountains of
Pakistan to the coasts of Indonesia. I will accept this award on behalf of
American soldiers who serve in the peacekeeping force in the Sinai desert that
has kept relations between Egypt and Israel stable ever since the Camp David
treaty was signed.
“I will accept this award on behalf
of all the American airmen and sailors today who keep the sea lanes open and
free in the Pacific and Atlantic so world trade can flow unhindered between
nations.
“Finally, I will accept this award
on behalf of my grandfather, Stanley Dunham, who arrived at Normandy six weeks
after D-Day, and on behalf of my great-uncle, Charlie Payne, who was among
those soldiers who liberated part of the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald.
“Members of the Nobel committee, I
accept this award on behalf of all these American men and women soldiers, past
and present, because I know — and I want you to know — that there is no peace
without peacekeepers.
“Until the words of Isaiah are made
true and lasting — and nations never again lift up swords against nations and
never learn war anymore — we will need peacekeepers. Lord knows, ours are not
perfect, and I have already moved to remedy inexcusable excesses we’ve
perpetrated in the war on terrorism.
“But have no doubt, those are the
exception. If you want to see the true essence of America, visit any U.S.
military outpost in Iraq or Afghanistan. You will meet young men and women of
every race and religion who work together as one, far from their families,
motivated chiefly by their mission to keep the peace and expand the borders of
freedom.
“So for all these reasons — and so
you understand that I will never hesitate to call on American soldiers where
necessary to take the field against the enemies of peace, tolerance and liberty
— I accept this peace prize on behalf of the men and women of the U.S.
military: the world’s most important peacekeepers.”
_______________________
Good words! And on the lighter side if ya haven't seen the SNL clip. I am here to serve. Enjoy...
"We never expect
to see Jesus in a storm. Yet, it is in storms that he does his finest
work, for it is in storms that he has our keenest attention." - Max Lucado
My Confession: It is much easier for me to have a heart filled
with praise in times of abundance, ease, beauty, and pleasure than it is in times
of difficulty. When my heart hurts... my praise voice tends to get a dose of laryngitis. His praise worthiness isn’t fickle and inconsistent. My emotions
are. My seasons run hot and cold. My praise should not.
My Declaration:
I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands,
for You are who You are
no matter where I am,
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand,
You never left my side,
and though my heart is torn,
I will praise You in this storm.
My friend Joanna Brigman turned me on to this
song by a group called Casting Crowns. Give it a listen.
“If
you look at the world, you'll be depressed. If you look within, you'll
be distressed. If you look at Christ, you'll be at rest.” - Corrie Ten
Boom
Good word, well timed for my ears, Corrie Ten Boom.
I
am better when I am at rest INSIDE. I find being at rest inside is affected by, but not directed by, my outside pace. Inside peace is different than external calm.
I believe God designed us to be at peace.
Scripture says the evidence of walking with our Maker is love, joy, peace....
I don't know about you but peace hasn't been descriptive of the past 2 weeks of my life. Hectic... angst.... but absolutely not peace.
This week my mission is to slow my internal pace, breath deep... and be at peace.
I hope you have yourself a blessed and peace-filled week. jess
"Prayer is the saucer into which parental fears are poured to cool." -Max Lucado.
Only Max Lucado could say it so well!!! But don't get lost in the
beauty of the poetry... the truth becomes profound in the living not
the hearing. And, its truth isn't just for parental fears, any and all fears are appropriate in the "cooling saucer" of genuine prayer.
2. Present a dissertation on the
ancient Babylonian Empire, with particular reference to architecture,
literature, law and social conditions; -OR- provide the first/last name of God.
3. Would you ask William Shakespeare
to (a) sail the ocean (b) lead an army, or (c) WRITE A PLAY?
4. What religion is the Pope: (a)
Pakistani (b) Japanese (c) Agnostic (d) Is the Pope Catholic?
5. Metric conversion: How many feet
are in 0.0 meters?
6. How many commandments was Moses
given (approximately)?
7. What are people in America’s far
north called? (a) Southerners (b) Not Southerners.
8. Six kings of England have been
called George, the last one being George the Sixth. Name the previous five.
9. Can you explain Einstein’s
Special Theory of Relativity? (a) yes (b) no.
10. What are coat hangers used for,
other than unlocking car doors?
11. Which part of America produces
the most oranges? (a) New York (b) Canada (c) Belgium (d) FLORIDA.
12. Where is the basement in a
three-story building located?
13. Advanced math: If you have three
apples, how many apples do you have?
14. Where does the rain come from?
(a) The sky.
15. Essay: In 20 words or less, list
all of the words you know. (HINT: These are words.)
“If you look at the world, you'll be depressed.
If you look within, you'll be distressed.
If you look at Christ, you'll be at rest.”
- Corrie Ten Boom
Good word, well timed for my ears, Corrie Ten Boom.
I am better when I am at rest INSIDE. I find being at rest inside is affected by, but not directed by, my outside pace. Inside peace is different than external calm.
I believe God designed us to be at peace. Scripture says the evidence of walking with our Maker is love, joy, peace....
I don't know about you but peace hasn't been descriptive of the past 2 weeks of my life. Hectic... angst.... but absolutely not peace.
This week my mission is to slow my internal pace, breath deep... and be at peace.
I hope you have yourself a blessed and peace-filled week.
jess