June 20, 2013

2012: A Look Back

2012-A Look Back

* NASA’s “Curiosity” rover lands on Mars  * London hosts summer Olympics

* Hurricane Sandy devastates the East Coast  * New York Giants win Super Bowl

* President Obama is re-elected  * U.S. dominates the final medal count in summer Olympics

* Colorado wild fires consume over 200,000 acres  * Los Angeles Kings win Stanley Cup

* Adele voted AP Entertainer of the Year  * Michael Phelps becomes most decorated Olympian

* “Fifty Shades of Grey” dominates publishing  * San Francisco Giants win World Series         

* 65 confirmed tornadoes occur in a single outbreak from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast

* Academy Award for “Best Picture” – The Artist  * Israeli/Palestinian war re-ignites

* Anti-American sentiment runs rapid across the Middle-East leaving a wake of death

* Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their first child

* Album of the Year “Life Is Good” by rapper Nas  * Syrian Civil War kills tens of thousands

* Approximately 100 million Christian Bibles were either distributed or sold

IN MEMORY

* Neil Armstrong  * General Norman Schwarzkopf  * Dick Clark  * Davy Jones  * Andy Griffith  * Whitney Houston

* Jack Klugman * Richard Dawson  * Ernest Borgnine  * Phillys Diler  * Rodney King  * Larry Hagman

* Vidal Sassoon  * Junior Seau  *Frank Pastore

Feel Good Friday: A Shopping Mall Miracle

A Shopping Mall Miracle

In a true story eerily similar to a scene right out of the classic movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, the parents of a 3 year old hearing-disabled boy received a heartwarming holiday gift from a mall Santa Claus.  The family recently took a risky trip to the mall hoping for a miracle and it turned out that providing a miracle was on the top of Santa’s “To Do” list.

Santa said he noticed the young boy’s condition and, using a gesture similar to adjusting a baseball cap, he asked in American Sign Language if the boy had been good this year.  When the mother saw Santa’s gesture she said “I wanted to cry.”  The mother said most people do not know sign language and to see Santa speaking to her boy was overwhelming.

Was this truly Santa Claus? I don’t know but let’s just say It is very similar to the scene of the little Dutch girl that jumped up on Santa’s lap in the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, where Santa spoke the language of all little children.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/23/santa-claus-uses-sign-lan_n_2347084.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news

10 Gifts Most Likely To Get Returned

10 Gifts Most Likely To Get Returned

It’s the day after Christmas and all through the store, is a gift return madhouse and it stretches door to door…

It is estimated that 33% of all the gifts given this Christmas will make their way back to the stores to be exchanged for something deemed more worthy or cash…if possible.  Below is a list of the top ten returned items from Christmas past:

10. Duplicate Toys

  9. Housewares

  8. Movies

  7. Video Games

  6. Music

  5. Shoes

  4. Spouse Inappropriate Gifts (i.e. Toaster)

  3. Clothing

  2. Age Inappropriate Toy (i.e. Pink bunny PJs with built-in feeties for a 12 year old).

  1. Something you just plain did not want (i.e. An item most likely bought out of guilt).

My advice is to hang on to the gift that created the reason for the season.  Hang on to it as though your eternal life depends on it…

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

 

A Christmas Poem

I lay at rest in a peaceful state,

Tomorrow is Christmas and the children can’t wait.

The weather outside is crispy and clear,

The glow from the fireplace reflects in the mirror.

My eyes become heavy and my thoughts start to fade,

But not before visions of my family invade.

Then a slight tap…tap…tap begins soft in my head,

It grows with intensity ‘til I rise from my bed.

I look to the window where the noise is abound,

In my grogginess and haste I step on the hound.

As I spy through the window the tap-tap fades away,

I’m staring at nothing and I like it that way.

Than a humorous thought comes to me from the past,

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas it’s happening at last.

A slight chuckle slips out as I turn toward the bed,

The tap-tap starts again and it’s not in my head.

This time as I squint to see what is the cause,

I witness a sight but it’s not Santa Claus.

The stars have aligned to a wonderful scene,

A manger, a mother, a baby…a dream.

I blink my eyes twice and rub out all the sleep,

I look once again and the scene is more deep.

The wise men, the animals, and even the bright star,

Have formed once again in the distance afar.

Now a message appears as the stars realign,

God’s written word, what a wonderful sign.

This is My Son Whom I love and adore,

His birth was My gift to the rich and the poor.

So don’t lose your focus on this Christmas day,

Remember your Savior and what He had to say.

There’s no greater gift from one friend to another,

Than to lay down his life in place of the other.

Then as fast as it came it faded away,

My nose pressed the window in hopes it would stay.

I made my way back to the bed in a fog,

This time I made sure I stepped over the dog.

Then I sat very still my gaze circled the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Feel Good Friday: Good Morning World!

Good morning world!  I know it’s early and the final results will not be known until midnight tonight, but it looks like the Mayans may have been a few mathematical equations off from predicting the “Apocalypse”.  Hopefully the news that we are still around is good enough news for this edition of “Feel Good Friday”.  If not, maybe the attached picture will help a little… 

 Enjoy Your Weekend :)

 

 

Mayan Mayhem by Mayhew

With the Mayan calendar ending this Friday, it is rumored people around the world are grappling with doomsday phobias and fears of global destruction.  Star gazers and religious zealots are using this fear to bolster support for their theories of impending doom do to planetary collisions or “end of days” type of catastrophes such as explosions, earthquakes, and floods.

Despite the fact NASA has assured us there is no scientific evidence indicating the world will end on December 21st, studies have shown that 10% of the people questioned about a worldwide destruction believe the world will end in 2012, according to Yahoo! News’ “Who Knew?”.  Well Yahoo, I know one thing for sure…God knows.  I think we would be wise to adhere to Matthew Chapter 6, Verse 34:

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

See you Friday…I think :)

I Believe

I believe the loudest sound after the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy was the sound of God’s heart breaking.

I believe the deepest reaction after the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy were the tears that flowed from the eyes of Jesus.

I believe 1 John 4:4, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 

I believe in miracles.

…and I believe God’s Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of those in need, individually, and precisely in the fashion needed.

Feel Good Friday: I Will Name This Animal…Dog

More than 100 police, firefighters, and volunteers in Australia went searching for a missing two year-old boy named Dante.  The call for help went out when the mother realized her little son vanished from their front yard and the only place he could have wandered to was the dangerous “bush”.  After 14 hours of frantic searching while a thunderstorm moved across the vast woodland area, the toddler was found crying, stunned, quite grubby, and dehydrated…but safe.  You may ask yourself how they found him.

After trackers found Dante’s discarded “nappy” they knew they were heading in the right direction.   They began calling out his name when the two officers that made the discovery first saw a German Shepherd appear from behind some bushes.   That’s right.  Dante’s pet German Shepherd, Dasher, had stayed with the little guy the entire time and protected him from the environment.  What was Dasher’s reward…a hardy belly rub from the grateful family members.  And you know what?  That’s probably all he needed.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’  Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:18-19)

Then Adam said, “I will name this animal dog for ‘DOG’ is ‘GOD’ spelled backwards and this animal truly seems to understand unconditional love.” (Adam didn’t really say that but can’t you hear that conversation taking place?).  Sorry cat-lovers.  I’ll try to find a “Feel Good Friday” cat story in the future.  If one exists :)

Enjoy  Your Weekend!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230961/A-childs-best-friend-Loyal-dog-Dasher-guarded-year-old-went-missing-Australian-bush-fourteen-hours.html

God Has Your Back

Photo by Aleksandra P.

When does one become qualified to babysit? Is there a specific age or grade level that accurately measures a person’s ability to watch and protect another human being?  My oldest daughter used to get hired to babysit when she was in middle school; then again she was 12 going on 38.

However, a 39-year-old woman was arrested for leaving three of her children under the care of her oldest child who is 13.  When I first read the article I thought it was going to tell me that the mom abandoned her children because she was high or intoxicated but that was not the case.  She left her children for a short period of time so she could go to church (well that was different).  So what’s the problem?

The problem is that the four year old wandered into the yard across the street alone and the neighbor called the police.  Some people are criticizing the mom, while others are pointing fingers at the neighbor for not being very neighborly.  In my opinion there must be more to this story before we can read an article like this and then cast judgment on the mom or the neighbor.

I feel sorry for the mom. I do not know what to think about the neighbor, but I know God protected the little child when he or she crossed the street.   Stories like this make you wonder how many times God has protected you and me without us even knowing it.

http://www.everydayfamily.com/blog/mother-arrested-for-using-13-yr-old-as-babysitter/

 

 

Drinking and Driving = Manslaughter = Church?

Photo By Konrad Baranski

Drinking and driving is a societal problem to be sure.  Jerry Brown, a line-backer for the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad was killed over the weekend in a solo vehicle drunk driving incident.  Brown was the passenger of a vehicle being driven by another Dallas Cowboys player, Josh Brent.  Brent is a nose tackle for the Cowboys and has been charged with “intoxication manslaughter”.  What type of penalty should Josh Brent pay?

In another DUI incident, a 17 year old Oklahoma teenager was found guilty of manslaughter after a 16 year old was killed due to the 17 year old driving under the influence.  What type of penalty should the 17 year old pay?  Well I have the answer to that one.  The judge sentenced the 17 year old to attend church as part of his probation.  The judge’s ability to “think outside of the box” in today’s world would have been interesting enough for me to blog about but then the story turned weird and it left me no choice.

The ACLU filed a complaint against the judge who did the sentencing on the teenager. The ACLU argues in their complaint, “The judge’s ruling violates the Oklahoma Code of Judicial Conduct because the decision disregards America’s principles of religious liberty.” Then the story went from weird to absurd.

The 17 year old and his attorney agreed with the judge’s decision so that means the ACLU acted on their own.  The scripture from last Wednesday’s blog entitled “Hobby Lobby” seems most appropriate here as well:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/12/08/cowboys-player-facing-intoxication-manslaughter-charge-after-teammate-death-in

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/06/aclu-files-complaint-after-teen-sentenced-to-church-in-dui-case/