I Know Who's Over the Rainbow

War is hell. Innocent men, women and children lose their lives. Mostly, we only read about them. They tend to be faceless. That is until today in this video.
War is a life changing event. It affects those without guns, and those who have them. I really wish that we could find a way to not hate any more. The longer I live the more I love the words written in red. If we lived our lives according to the words of Jesus, we'd be a lot better off.
I believe we get the ideas about the rightful place of war in our world, from the Old Testament. Well here's a news flash-Jesus fulfilled the OT and the Law. We are free from all that. And if we are free from that, we are free from the Pride that causes war. Luke 6:27-36 are not just any words. They are the words of Jesus. If we believe any of His other words and leave these alone, we are in serious trouble. If we fail to abide by these words we are taking God out of the equation in our most difficult circumstances. Maybe it's time to bring our men and women home and allow God to do His thing through us, without lead and shrapnel. If these are in fact holy wars, who better than God to become our true Defender.
All I know is that Christ didn't preach war. He taught peace. He said to love our enemies. I don't know about you, but before I get over the rainbow, I want to see as many people get to the other side as possible. The best way to get them there is through the love of the Gospel of Jesus. You see the only violence we should be telling people about is the Crucifixion of our Lord. He died so we could live. Live in peace and love with all mankind. Some will accept Jesus and some won't. Our job is to love them all, no matter what. It is time to void our hearts of hate. I'm starting today. Won't you?

Slippery Slope

From what I have gathered from the story of these two teens, Robert Sonneborn and Marcus Winphrie, at least one of them was an honor student. How someone goes from that to an escapee from the JJC in South Bend, where he had a hand in beating a guard, not just into submission but into a brain damaged state, is mind boggling. They both were sentenced to 34 years in prison today. They actually received more, but some was suspended. I'm guessing they are looking to do at least 17 years behind bars before they will be able to be released. If they were the only ones that were affected, I could almost close the book and say you got what you deserved. And I am fairly sure there are folks who say throw away the key. "They are no count now and will never amount to anything anyway." I guess I can't just cast them away like that. You see, something inside of me is sitting beside their moms and dads, ready to weep for and with them. Sure, they'll be out by the time they are 35 or so. That gives them plenty of time to build a life for themselves, if they will start doing the right things while they are locked up. I'm going to begin today praying for both of these boys. First that they will find the One who can help them through this time of grief and anger, Jesus. I can't imagine how mad they must be at themselves. And while they did horrible things to that guard whom I will also pray for, they remain God's creation and are deserving to meet their Savior. If they turn Him down, then it's on them. But until the final breath leaves their lungs, they have hope. And it is that hope I am praying they find. The choice is theirs and theirs alone. But I can cry out to a loving, forgiving God, that He might send someone to introduce them to His Son, Jesus. I hope you'll pray too.

Everyone Has a Story

I love the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy. It reminds me that no matter who you are, you have a story. And so does your neighbor. So does the guy behind you at the grocery store. So does the lady in the car in front of you, you are trying to pass because she is going too slow. And so does the guy behind you, who is trying to go around you because this time you are going too slow for him. We all have a story to tell.
I knew this, but today my beautiful wife Dana, lived it out with one of her new friends. They went shopping together and before long her friend was sharing her story. A story that was difficult to hear, yet amazing at the same time, because of how she overcame the obsticles that had been placed in her life. You see we can't really know someone until we hear their story. My wife knew there was a story, and finally she got to hear it.
And you know, I think it's time we all took her lead and tried to find out someones story. We are all shaped by our stories. We are the way we are, because of, or in spite of, our story. I think if we knew a little bit more about each other maybe we'd be a little kinder to one another. Maybe that seemingly crabby old man wouldn't be so crabby if he could tell you his story. Loneliness is a horrible prison. Maybe the single mom just might find hope in your story, or you in hers. Maybe you could finally let go of some heart ache, if only you could share the events that changed your life. Yes, we all have a story to tell. Find someone today and be a listener. Maybe, just maybe, they'll want to hear yours.

It's Just About Over

I don't know about you, but I'm a "summer" person. Plain and simple. Sure I like to watch football in the fall, but baseball and summer would be my favorites. About the only time I enjoy sixty degrees is when it has been thirty degrees first. That means that we are coming out of winter and heading into spring. Sixty just seems colder after a few months of eighty degrees. I say all this because the last day of summer is coming up fast. This year the last day of summer is September 21st. I know that kids have been back in school since the middle of August. I find that repulsive, as if you wouldn't be able to figure it out for yourself.

So as I prepare to hunker down for another winter season, I thought I'd leave you with a couple of songs that you can keep until next year. Farewell summer. It was nice to see you. I'm not looking forward to your ugly cousin Jack Frost.



I couldn't resist this copy of Summer Wind. Though it is a bit sad, it really portrays summer and what it means to me. Plus Roy and the Dodgers; it just doesn't get much better.

The Other Side of the Coin

Today the Notre Dame football season gets underway. Love them or hate them, I think we all can identify a little with Rudy. If Thursday night was what can go wrong with college football, then Rudy is the flip side.

Heat of the Moment

College football got off to a great start. I must admit playing on a blue field seems a little crazy, but it wasn't the craziest thing that happened last night. One of the Oregon Ducks took offense (that was about the only time the Ducks did anything offensively by the way) to being jacked with. The punch was bad enough. But the really rude thing was he never yelled "Duck!"