Just a Wandering Mind

I am always amazed at the press a dead entertainer gets these days.  It was big news when Marilyn Monroe died, but not the hub-bub of Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston.  It's not clear to me why their funerals were telecast, why so many people had to comment on so many issues.

These are people for whom life held no meaning, apparently.  It seems they misused their gifts at the end, using drugs and/or alcohol to mask an emptiness that no top-ten hit, countless buckets of money nor fan adoration could fill.

I think back of my mother deceased some 3 plus years now.  How she bravely faced cancer and a terminal diagnosis, and passed away sweetly (though loudly snoring) after 84 years.  This is a woman who only found true love at age 50, had a couple failed marriages, lived in a poor miner's home as a child and in a lower-middle class lifestyle as an adult.  She managed to live past age 48 or 50.

I think of my friend Doug, killed in a rock-climbing accident when only 24 years old.  He grabbed life for all it is worth and would've lived a thousand life times over compared to mine if he only could have even doubled his years.

I think of so many of the disabled people for whom my company provides products and how they manage through neuro-muscular diseases, amputations, closed-head injuries and the like to get through each day, most with as sincere a smile you will ever see, and many with real tears.  I see them grabbing for life  rather than woe-is-me drama, they provide support for others in similar situations, speak to youth groups and school-aged children, write, paint and just get along.

If I could advise some of these "stars" I'd tell them to take off their make-up, their fancy wardrobe, lose their entourage and go out regularly volunteering in their communities.  Spend some time in adult foster homes, playing games or taking walks with the residents; maybe buy them some dinner, or cable or whatever.

I would encourage these lonely celebrity souls to come with me to church, pack bags at a food bank to be delivered by others, visit nursing homes and senior homes and simply read, or sing or hang out and speak to the residents.  I would encourage them to visit sick children in hospitals and write letters to the troops overseas, all without the presence of photographers, publicists, stylists, wardrobe assistant or make-up person.

When someone values, really values the lives of others, then they can find value in their own lives.  When I think of Houston, Jackson, Joplin, Belushi, Monroe, Hendrix, and so many others who have taken their own lives with weapons, booze or drugs I see so many empty lives.  What a shame to have so much and have nothing.

If you have an emptiness in you and you've tried filling it with lousy relationships, chemicals, food, a reckless lifestyle or whatever your coping mechanism is, I have a thought for you.  Get on your knees right now and talk to God.  Ask Jesus Christ to make Himself known to you.  Pray for forgiveness, ask Him for His love; tell Him you are looking for Him, your Father, to fill that empty spot inside you.  See, so many times that empty hole is where we have taken God out.  Ask Him to fill you with His love, ask Him to be real to you. 

Your life might not be peaches and cream right away.  But as you draw near the Lord and He draws near to you, you will know there is a place of perfect peace in the Lord.  Fill up your emptiness with the One who offers truth, peace and love.  Oh yeah, and he'll never leave you or forsake you.   If you're not sure how, drop me a line or comment.  I'm here to give you a hand.  Maybe there is a person in your life who needs you to reach out.  Whitney could've use a hand, Michael and the rest.  Let all of us secure in the love of God reach out to those who are in obvious need.  God Bless.

Stings a bit....

So I'm listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio the other day.  I can't remember exactly what he was talking about but he said, "you hear it and it stings, because it's true and it's uncomfortable".  How many times have you heard "the truth hurts"?  Sometimes it does.

Then I started to think about a little different angle.  Many years ago, boxer Cassius Clay decided to be a follower of Islam and took the Muslim name Muhammed Ali.  Fine, fine, it's really fine.  Your choice, man.  Bless you for having the courage of your convictions.  Shortly after his commitment of faith, he would begin each interview after a (successful) fight with "First of all I'd like to give praise to Allah".

Nary an interviewer ever mentioned, complained, editorialized or pontificated about this.  And it wasn't just once and, remember, Ali was about the biggest name in sport for a time and truly a citizen of the world.  Not a peep out of mainstream "journalism". 

There was an NBA basketball player, might have been Mahmood Abdul Raouf or someone like that, who would not stand for the US National anthem before games (or anytime I suppose).  He claimed it was due to his religion (Islam).  There was a bit of a clamor, but it died down, and this guy was no Kobe Bryant, anyway.

Many boxers in the 70's and 80's when the networks televised a lot of middleweight, welterweight and other boxing matches would give praise to Allah, after a win.  I guess nobody interviews the loser much anyway.

So then we've had Kurt Warner, for one, and Tim Tebow for another give glory to Jesus.  Warner took some much publicized flak about it.  Tebow has been villianized, vilified and pulverized for his open declaration of faith.

Why not so much as a whimper when someone in a prominent position praises Allah and why so much disdain, really, when someone praises Jesus, or simply praises God?  Well, maybe it's as Cowherd said, "it stings a bit, because it's true and it's uncomfortable". 

I believe even aetheists know there is something to this Jesus guy.  It's written in the Bible "even the demons know his name...and shudder".  And when He (Jesus) gets good press, it stings a bit, because the truth hurts.  So sometimes we try to bury a stinging truth by ridicule, maybe by ostracizing someone, maybe by trying to "find the bad" in someone who trys to "act so good".  You know, Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner, and others still give the glory and praise to God even when they lose a game, or have bad day at work, or school, or at home because Jesus said "I AM the way and the truth and the life."  If you try to ignore it, it stings a bit, because you know it's true and it's uncomfortable.

I'll sign off, still giving the glory and honor and praise to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Merry, uhh Happy,uhhh, Season's, uhhh, Have a Good One.

If you are a Christian, or at least if you believe in God, Christmas time is a great time for either just touching base with your faith or really connecting again as if for the first time.  It's a weird time because even the most pious Christians that Jesus might not want to hang out with are either looking forward to opening presents, eating well, or getting their newly charged Starbucks gift cards.  At least here in America.

There was a column in the Detroit News by Editor Nolan Finley.  He wrote as he was leaving a store after Christmas shopping, he held a door open for a lady entering and said, "Happy Holidays".  Finley wrote that the lady "barked" back," I say Merry Christmas!" in a tone more suited to a union strike vote or Congressional Debate in South Korea just before someone gets kung-fu'd.

Finley wrote that he is a Christian, and didn't mean anything more than to give her a pleasant greeting, but was taken aback by her.....almost militant behavior (my words not his).  I have to admit, I think some folks are getting a bit too worked up over words sometimes.

One of my favorite songs this time of year is "Happy Holidays" when sung by Andy Williams.  The song was recorded probably in the 1960's and nobody then was worried about the secular media, de-empahsizing of the Christian aspect of the season, etc.  It is a pleasant song and makes me smile. Williams also recorded "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" with something for toasting and marshmallows for roasting, etc. with nary a mention of Christmas.

 Now my favorite Christmas song is "O Holy Night" sung by virtually anyone, I suppose, even Young Jeezy if he does it straight.  Is he still Young Jeezy?  Or has he aged to the point of "Just Jeezy"?  I can tear up during a version of "Silent Night" I love "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and I enjoy reading Luke Chapter 2 verses 8-11.  It's Christmas, right?

Just a segway, here, or is it a segue?  Gotta check that.  Anyway, while I was going door-to-door with some church folk inviting parents to send their kids to church in our Bus Ministry a couple years ago, I spotted two teen girls listening to a rap song in a car.  I walked over, waited until the song ended, and asked, "who is that"?  Now, they knew we were church people, and on top of that we were all caucasian church people in an area of Detroit where most white folk were either cops or drug-buyers.  Really.

So the young lady says, "It's Young Jeezy."  It was a catchy tune, and I told her that and asked her to tell me about Young Jeezy.  She mentioned a couple of things I really can't remember, she didn't know too much about him, other than he was cute and the CD was very good.  Then she asked what we were doing there, and I said, "you told me about Young Jeezy and  we're telling people about this guy Young Jesus".  They actually were very polite when I shared a bit of faith with them, told 'em thanks for their time and went to the next house.  See, you don't have to hit people over the head with your faith, or cut off heads, I suppose.  When God gives you an opening, go ahead and walk through it with courtesy and love.  (And of course confidence because you are certain of your faith and even a Happy Holidays won't shake it).

So next time someone wishes you a Happy Holiday, go ahead and say "Merry Christmas" if you want, or say thanks, or even give 'em a handshake and pat on the shoulder.  But don't act like a spoiled brat or angry mob-inciter and growl out a Christmas greeting that sounds more like fightin' words.  And, hey, for most of us who claim to be Christian, maybe we should wish more people Merry Christmas every other part of the year except December and maybe they'll listen more.

Jesus had a couple issues with religious people.  First, they thought they knew everything about God and nobody else did.  Second, He was kinda cheesed that they seemed to try to BECOME the Almighty rather than WORSHIP the almighty.  Finally, He felt those religious types actually made it difficult for the "sinners" and normal folk to enjoy a relationship with God.  So, when Jesus got the most angry, it was with religious types. You could look it up.

For those of you who proclaim Christ as Lord;  If you indeed read your bible, you know that as time goes on, people will be less interested in an Almighty God and Savior, "the love of most will wax cold", etc.  These times are a sign for us to be extra certain to let people know that God is Love, and through that love He offers eternal life in His Son.  Don't chase people away by being a big cranky-pants at Christmas or any other time.

  Be relational, not religious, be personable, not pious, be a lover of people, not an arbiter of holiday greetings.  Show love, like Jesus did, and worry about the sematics later. With respect to people of all faiths, or none, Merry Christmas.

Occupy THIS

So we have the Occupy Movement.  I must admit, I remember this during the 60's in the campus unrest days.  You had the Berrigans bombing ROTC offices on campus, sit-ins, love-ins, some destruction and wanton rioting, you know.  But during all that unrest, the idea was to tell the government to keep their hands off freedoms.  The 60's were about reminding the "powers that be" that the real power was with the people.

Now, point one, I applaud peaceful protest, and even violent protest depending on the situation.  I applaud those excercising their rights as Americans and freedom to assemble and protest.  I think the concept of  this protest iteself is great.  The part of the Occupy Movement (or OM as I'll call it) that bothers me is that it seems this band of protesters, funded and backed by some big money (from big industry, I might add...George Soros anyone?) seem to WANT the government to take over banks, regulate industry and decide how to allocate wealth.  THAT' S scarier than Abbey Hoffman and the Chicago Six (or was it 7?).  It's scarier than the Black Panthers, the John Birch Society and Jehovah's Witnesses....

I fear that these people who would take from the rich and give to the not-so-rich forget, as they surf on their MacBook, update facebook status ("sitting in the rain smoking hookah") on their iPhones, listening to music on their iPods and tweeting such deep thoughts as ("some of the people are urinating out in the open") forget that corporate greed is in direct response to the need of the public to have all this cool stuff, them included.  AND, if you let the government spread the wealth, there won't be any except in the government (and the big businesses supporting those in power).

I'd like all the people in the OM to think a bit about how talented our senators, representatives, the President and his cabinet are at balancing a budget....Now you're thinking.  You really think they can spread the wealth to lift everybody up, or will most of us be taking a big step back?

Maybe instead of trying to bring down big business and big banking, we can switch money to credit unions, sure, fine.  Maybe instead of bringing down big corporations we will invest in those who, rather than squeeze every nickel out of their company to inflate stock prices and fill the pockets of big investors, they will invest in the neighborhoods where they operate, take a bit of a dividend loss to enrich the lives of their employees and others in ways other than financially. 

WE can stop buying stock and products in "evil companies".  Go ahead.  But don't think it's cool to buy goods from foreign companies because we've seen the sweatshops, melamine in formula and other examples by those companies.

Maybe it's time we the people took back our government.  Don't vote for the usual suspects.  Real grass roots involvment would be to find that person who is all about what's right versus who's right.  Hey!  Everyone should run for office for something somewhere.  Get actively involved.  Occupying a spot and spouting rhetoric (blogging) is fine, I give you points for some involvement.  But let's all get really involved and do the hard work to roust all the Republicans and Democrats and put Americans into offices.  Maybe one of those people will be you.  I announce now that I will run for something next time around.  Maybe I can still get some play for President this time around, you never know.  I challenge each of you to do it, too.

And, as always my friends, May God Bless you and keep you.  Know that beyond corporate bail-outs, partisan politics and just crazy-ass stuff in this world, there is One who you can count on.  When this stuff gets you down, cry out to Jesus, let him know you're scared or hurting or worried.  Wait on His Presence quietly.  And let Him lead you through the hard work it takes to make a world better.  See 'ya.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

So, it's a beautiful October day, I took a day off from work to enjoy a long weekend and I feel like blogging.  Nothing says got to blog like getting new license plate tabs, untangling a dental bill/insurance issue and setting up an appointment at the vet.  For the dog.  Not me. 

I'm leisurely perusing some newspaper articles from the last couple of weeks.  I gotta tell you, this stuff wasn't in the paper when I was a kid. 

One from today, in the Oakland Press via the AP wire service, was about a Viet Namese woman who cut off HALF her husbands' penis and threw it in a river.   The headline read "Viet Namese Woman Cuts off Taiwanese Husband's Penis." He had been out of work and messing around with another woman while the wife slaved as a singer in her parents' Karaoke bar.  You can't make this stuff up.  The wife, we'll call her BLADE, says she did it after her husband fell asleep after taking sleeping pills and drugs.  Tell 'ya what, Blade, I figure he did the drugs, you slipped him the sleeping pills.  And why cut off just half?  Was it longitudinal or lattitudinal?  It's not in the story.  She's been booked for assault.  If they're in the US there would be an ethnic intimidation charge, too.  Now, cutting off the guy's, you know, is a state charge, but the other one, that's Federal.

There's another story from the front page a couple weeks ago.  Now, the Oakland Press in Oakland County,MI is a real newspaper, just google 'em.  But they print some wacky stuff.  The next story was, indeed on the front page.  I believe the headline was "Man Dies after Sex and Drug Party at Chaplain's House".  So I had to read it.  It got better.  The Chaplain for the Ferndale Police Department was also gay, and a leading gay activist in the city Plus he leads a church congregation in the city.  You're jumping ahead, now, aren't you?  So apparently the chaplain has a guy come over, they inject methamphetamine to increase their libido or performance, or whatever, and the guy becomes unresponsive, not just to the sex part but TOTALLY unresponsive.  So the FERNDALE POLICE CHAPLAIN, activist and church pastor PHONES A FRIEND to come over.  The friend then calls the police and ambulance, the unresponsive guy dies.  So, Ferndale fires the chaplain, I don't know what his church will do.  I had a totally different idea going on in my head before I read the story.  So we can put this guy up with Ted Haggard, Jim Bakker and other pandering pastors, I suppose.  Oh, yeah, there are charges pending.

In that same paper on the front page was a story about bullies.  Scotch Elementary school in West Bloomfield, MI.  hosted a FunD run (FUND run,not just fun run, get it ?) against bullying.  The kids got pledges and ran around the school's track for about 20 minutes.  The article stated  "Proceeds this year will fund multiple character education initiatives that target bullying."  What was that, again?  Anyway, it seems like a good idea, builds cameraderie among the older and younger students and has one major benefit:  these kids, when chased by a bully, will be able to outlast him for up to 20 minutes.  Most bullies can't run that long, I'm guessing.  I'm pretty sure this program is more about outrunning bullies when character education initiatives prove fruitless.

Ahh, the world is indeed a changing place.  Character initiatives to target bullies, Police Chaplains having meth and sex parties, and another member amputation. This stuff probably was going on when I was 8 years old, I suppose, but we didn't read it in the papers.  I'm not sure we need the Chaplain and the Blade in the paper, really.  The anti-bully thing is a good thing, but if these character education initiatives involve water boarding or sensory deprivation, I think it'll end up on the front page again.

While I feel sorry for the unnamed man who died at the Chaplain's house, and the guy who ran afoul of Blade, and I wish no children be bullied, a simpler world sure allowed us to sleep peacefully, and without armor-plated undies.  Truth is stranger than fiction.  Until next time....Oh, yeah, click on the title for some fun.

Oil, Light Bulbs and Cafe Standards

Well, it has gone from cool damp spring to a rather hot summer around here.  When I was a kid, we didn't have air conditioning in the house, so the sounds of summer were the box fan in the hallway, crickets, trains, dogs barking, Mrs. Hartline's boyfriend running through the backyard, hopping fences to avoid Mr. Hartline, and the occasional hot-rodder.  Nowadays it's the constant humming of the neighborhood AC units.  Nowhere near as home-spun nor enjoyable, but very, very comfortable. 

When I was a kid, I thought it just natural that all the wood in the house was sticky in the summer and everyone went to sleep with a wet washcloth on their head. Of course all the doors and windows were open.  Heck, you might even sleep in the cool basement (with the lights on to avoid spiders and the walking dead that lived down there when the lights were off).

These days being what they are, I immediately started thinking about energy consumption.  Then I started to think about these absurd new curly-cue light bulbs, which throw about as much light versus a standard light bulb as a lightning bug versus a prison spotlight.  I think about the Federal Governments attempt to mandate 52 MILES PER GALLON for US automobiles (Cafe Standards)  Really?  Then I wonder why we don't drill for oil in the massive fields in the ocean off our shores or the Alaskan mountains.  Then my mind starts wandering and I head off to "crazy old man" country.....

See, it is my humble opinion that much of this global warming, tree-hugging energy running out stuff is not so much about saving the planet as it is about control.  Imagine if cars can get 52 miles per gallon but only can travel 200 miles.  Imagine all the curly-cue light bulbs not saving enough energy and instead of curly bulbs we begin to experience rationed utility use in the name of saving Mother Earth.  Imagine having to shut down industry, entertainment and even LOCAL governments in the name of saving energy for a time?  Perhaps the Feds will TAKE OVER various utilities and industries and ration work, production and energy in the name of the "common good".  Think it can't happen?  Ask GM and Chrysler. 

I was listening to my Sirius/XM radio on the "Bridge" station.  They played a Jackson Browne song and the announcer said that Browne would appear at a "safe energy" rally or concert as he had at the very first one.  Then I laughed out loud.  Then the lady next to me at the traffic light looked at me like I was drunk, or weird.  Then I laughed louder and spat out my Trident.

I laughed because of the term "safe energy".  Just the creation of power for various uses can be described as "unsafe".  Wind turbines produce electricity through movement that produces "dangerous" electricty and heat from friction.  Nuclear has it's drawbacks, burning coal, oil, etc. has natural drawbacks, but all produce energy that at it's core is dangerous when used incorrectly.  There is no safe energy, some is cleaner that others, some with less natural disaster possibilities.  Take wind versus oil.  If you have an oil spill, it can be quite disasterous.  Windmills, not so much danger (but don't try to put them up in the sightlines of a Kennedy).

You know, we should just allow drilling in the mountains and oceans for a finite period, say, 30 years.  Then mandate a tear down of those facilities.  In thirty years we should be able to figure out how to safely dispose of nuclear waste, or use solar, wind, geothermal and other technologies better, safer and more economically than available now.  In thirty years I think we can figure out how to light our homes without curly cues or incandescent lights, run our cars on other fuels, our manufacturing with less-damaging side-effects. 

And you know what?  We can spur more pure research, more profit-minded new companies racing for the best mousetrap.  And you know what?  It becomes the AMERICAN way.  We could be leaders again, but many seem to be embarrassed or ashamed of being in a nation that was once a leader in peace, yes, in war, in research, manufacturing and prosperity.  We shouldn't be ashamed of wanting to be great, none of us individually nor collectively as a nation. 

Global warming, curly bulbs, cafe standards....All designed to create a governmental control of it's people.  And as our nation and other nations begin the take-over, many of us sit quietly, believing "saving the world is good".  Many sit by saying, "you're a crazy old man".  Many just go on with Dr. Phil, Oprah, ESPN and TMZ and let their liberties be not-so-quietly spirited away.

Just think.  How many in our government in any party you pick are career politicians?  They've nary worked a day in their lives, they've just been face-first in the public trough their entire adult lives.  They figure they will always have unlimited energy, unlimited access to gas-guzzlers and private airliners, because they are the ELITE. 

Well folks, this energy stuff is about control.  If a public is controlled by the amount of energy they can use, the distance they can travel and the amounts they have to pay for just the simplest things, they are very easily controlled.  Remember the old Soviet Union and other "Socialist" or Communist nations?  You always read of bread shortages, meat shortages, gas shortages.  It wasn't so much about not being able to produce, it was about controlling production to control a public.  And make sure you belong to the correct political party, or good luck with even the bare essentials.

Anyway, I encourage everyone to read Ayn Rand...an anti-communist atheist who wrote Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead and Anthem.  Great reads.  A great look into mankind, all three.  As a Christian, I once struggled with the fact I so enjoyed an atheist's works.  Then, as I look into her characters, her "good guys" are filled with a certain, spirit I guess.  She might rally in the wonder of man's own spirit, I look at that spirit as the spark given by an amazing creator.  The spark all of us have, to use for rising up and out, the creator's very desire for us to use all the God-given talents we have to achieve for ourselves and to serve  each other.

Hey!  Join me and my atheist friend Ayn Rand and motivate that spirit within you to do something good, or noble, or selfless, or gallant.  Good night, my friends.  Take control of your life with the spirit that dwells within you.  Keep the ELITE from shepherding your lives.  Dare to be great.  God Bless.

Forgive us our debts....

So, we've weathered a debt crisis for now. Standard and Poor's has been demonized for lowering our previously perfect credit rating and much of the public and politicos are bashing S&P.  Isn't that just like us?  I mean S&P stated, and I paraphrase, that the US credit rating was lowered do to the lack of long-term planning and the contentious nature of our Congress.  Is that not true?  Japan just received similar notice for the same general reasons.

How do we fix this?  Demand Congress acts long-term and with the best interests of the United States rather than political platforms in mind.  Demand our elected officials get out of the trough, stop filling bills with pork, end the practice of pensions and healthcare for themselves.  Go to work!  You should not be career politicians, you should be career employees of other companies or your own businesses and SERVE the public, not keep pulling dollars out of our pockets.

While we must be careful to look after the neediest of Americans, namely minor children and the aged, we must also stop supporting "poor people" who live in single family homes, have satellite television or premium cable, existing government health care, either through Medicare or Medicaid, get food stamps and always manage to buy cigarettes, weed and booze, and are able-bodied and able to work.  Now, I know times are tough job-wise.  But you can find work out there that will pay at least what is received in assistance.  It's just lowering one's standards to work at Wal-Mart or McDonald's or some job that is below your personal standards, which include taking money for nothing from the government coffers (my pockets) and many times living in places which are best described as hovels.  You know, the average "poor" person in America is still among the top 10% or so of the income earners in the world.  You could look it up.

How about if all of us go out and vote for any politican in a party other than Republican or Democrat?  You can't do Communist, either, because their platform and the Democrats are too similar.  No Tea Party either, too similar to Republicans.  So you have Libertarians, Green Party (ugh!), Independents and others.  Hey, I like Joe Lieberman as an independent, he'd make a pretty good President, I think.  A true American who looks at "what is right" rather than "who is right".

How about if many of us decide to run for office in our cities, our counties and beyond?  Yeah, you need some money, but the internet is a great way to drum up interest and dollars.  You can even Tweet your way to office if done properly.  (You probably have to hire Steve Martin or Robin Williams).

Americans have to decide if all our pet projects that we want the government to subsidize, including global warming, government funded abortions, able-bodied welfare recipients, unions (see stimulus funds), oil company tax breaks, lifetime health care and pensions for Congress members (Presidents are okay, tough job even if you suck at it) are really worth selling our futures, and our childrens'.  We have to look at public employee pensions, our state and civic leaders' deals and the rest.

It's true that everyone will have to take a hit to right the boat.  Yup, that means we probably gotta pay more in taxes, at least for a time. Yup, that means most of the free rides will have to end.  We might have to end our desires to try to legislate that everyone gets to share in wealth, we will always have poor.  We have to demand that elected officials do something constructive for the city, state or nation they're elected to serve.  And we have to decide if we want to do anything to make the changes, or end like so many sheep, or lemmings or turkeys. I once read that turkeys are so, stupid, I guess, that they will actually look up to the sky when it rains, open their mouths and drown.  Now, that might have been in National Geographic or Mad Magazine, I'm not sure which.  Lets' not be turkeys.