"NO REGRETS" FOR TAYLOR SWIFT

We make far too much of celebrities.  We dress like them, act like them and in some respects become them.  Granted, I don't know what a celebrities life is like.....and I hope I never do.  All I'm saying is this.  When placed in a high pedestal situation do the right thing, would you?

I shared this post on Facebook last night about one Taylor Swift.  You know, Taylor Swift, the country singer who keeps chalking up awards for top artist almost daily.  The story follows courtesy of Fox News:

"Taylor Swift offered condolences to the family of a marine killed in action by sending flowers to his home and calling his parents.  The country singer reached out to the family of Sgt. Wade Wilson after his best friend Cpl Josh Marreel posted a YouTube video asking Swift to think of Wilson, who was a huge fan of her music.

 “This is a shout out to the one and only Taylor Swift,” Marreel said in the May 15 video. “I know you have no idea who I am, but this video isn’t about me. This is about my good buddy, Sergeant Wade D. Wilson, who was killed in action Friday, May 11, 2012 in Afghanistan. Anybody that knew Willy knew that he worshipped you. He even slept with a poster of you in between our beds in Afghanistan.

“This guy was my best friend. I know a lot of people get on here and ask celebrities to go to dances with them … All I’m asking is for you to think about him.”  Texas television station KBTX reports Swift also plans to wear his dog tags in her next video to honor the life of the fallen marine.

"THANK YOU, TAYLOR SWIFT"

The note that accompanied the flowers contained the message, “ Wade, thank you for loving my music. I won’t forget it. And I will never forget you. All my love, Taylor Swift.”  A family friend told KBTX “words cannot express what all of this has meant to our family in such a difficult time.”

Now let me take this a step farther.  Let's say Swift had brushed off the opportunity to do the "right thing".  Would she have regretted it?  In a quiet moment would she have remembered the request of a friend of  Sergeant Wade D. Wilson and thought....I should of, could of, but didn't.  We all have regrets.  Some are just bigger than others.  Here's an example:

"A great man and religious leader whom I admired often said that he had lived his entire life with no regrets. However, as I reflect on my choices, I have many regrets that trouble me. I have spent countless hours reflecting on words I said, decisions I made, or actions I took that I wish I could “un-do.”

John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I realize that not all of the actions I regret are necessarily sins; rather, some are unwise choices or errors in judgment. For example, I once decided to take a job many miles from my home and family, a job that kept me from participating in the joy of birthdays and many other parts of family life. For both sins and errors, God’s message is the same: It does no good to look back and wonder "what if . . ." or "if only I . . . ."

I have learned that to lead a good life — a God-centered life — it is not important to have no regrets. When I reflect on the past but keep my eyes on the future, I can see some value even in the things I regret. Our experiences, especially the mistakes we have made, can serve to make us stronger and wiser.

3:7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
3:8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.
3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,
3:11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
3:13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
3:15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you.-Philippians 3:7-15

Don't beat yourself up over your regrets.  Learn from them and follow the right course, just like Taylor Swift did.  Swift's actions are ones any of us can do......not only if you are a celebrity, but EVEN if you're a little old church mouse.

YGG,

John   

NAVIGATING OUR STAINED WORLD

The older I get the more I try to do the right thing.  That doesn't mean I always do.  It just means I'm more aware of my actions now than ever before in my life.  Some of the reasons for following the right thinking is because I'd like to be a role model for my children.....and a bigger portion of it is because I want to be a good Christian.

I stumble for sure.....I get mad (I know it's alright to be mad some times or so my Christ Life friends would agree with me on that), I get  my feelings hurt and all due to the fact I live in this stained world of ours.  


I heard an interview this morning on ESPN of a former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles.  He had put himself into a dire situation with finances and he needed the help of several of the other investors in his group to avoid bankruptcy.  At first, they all agreed to sell their portions of the team back to him but when it came time for papers to be signed one of the friends reneged.  "If you don't sell me your stock I will be ruined", he said.  "Can't you do this for me"?  The silence from his old buddy was apparent.  He would not sell regardless of the the effect it had.  Which made me think.....nice friend.  My gosh, how callous.  And then I reflected on the times I did something of a similar notion but not so high dollar of a hit.  Yes, we live in a selfish, stained world.

Our stained world in a different manner 

WWJD.  That was a pretty popular comment years ago.  But truthfully, what would he want us to do?   The key is coming to the understanding of how we need to live our lives.  For some, those days never come about.

Today's thoughts and television interview led me to this scripture.  Hopefully it will enable you and continue to encourage me to see what God wants from us.      

1:19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
1:20 for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.  1:21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

1:23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 1:24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
1:25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

1:26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.  1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.-James 1:19-27

If anything, this day was a "gift" to me.  Not only the day but what I clearly realized.  God will provide for me regardless of my situation.  All I have to do is stay on course....

YGG,

John

ONE YEAR REMOVED FROM THE PRAYER VIGIL

One year ago today was the Prayer Vigil we held for the Iowa National Guard Soldiers that were deployed in Afghanistan.  In many ways it seems far longer ago than that.  But....and that is a big BUT there remains an even greater need for our prayers of support and security for our troops.  All is not well and that's putting it mildly.  There are still Americans losing there lives in a war that has lost its course.   And that's if it even had one.  I'd like to revisit my blog one day after our event last year.  Our seeds are still in need of planting.....
 
"Your physical senses are incapable of judging whether a seed is alive or not. You cannot see, feel, hear, smell, or taste the life in a seed. There is only one way to prove a seed is alive -- plant it.

The words above speak so much truth, but as human beings we often times get in the way.  How do you know the power of the seed you plant?  You don't.  You might not ever know in your lifetime....but that doesn't mean you don't plant it.  I have a myriad of thoughts from Sunday's Prayer Vigil that was held for the Iowa National Guard troops and their families.  Foremost, though, is this.  We heard God Ask....We Obeyed.....and We Planted Seeds.  And those seeds will multiply.  I think of the thousands who heard and saw the radio and television reports of the event.   And then I think of the outreach we can have in placing parts of the vigil on You Tube.  That's where we're feeling directed.  Yes, our seeds can have far reaching effects.  But it takes us to act on those promptings.

Our Nations Colors Provided The Foundation of the Prayer Vigil

Case in point, this morning, I'm coming home from picking up my son, Jonathan.  We pull in the driveway and get out of the car as our neighbors are leaving their house.    "Saw you on TV last night", wow, that was great", the husband said.  I could say I was taken aback by his comments, but that would not even begin to put the proper wordage to it.  I was blown away.  For over two years now, we've lived next door to these people.  They hardly ever say anything to us...or any other neighbor for that matter.  When they come home, it's in the garage and down with the door, immediately.  We've tried to connect with them despite some outbursts....like our dog venturing into their yard, one of our cats killing a bird near their bird feeder and our teenage kids noise and cars.  Not once have they mentioned the yellow ribbon around the tree in our front yard, around the mailbox or on a post at the front door.  Not once, since our son deployed to Afghanistan in July of 2010.  Not once.

And then there was this.  On top of that, neighbor man, says, "my son here (helping dad and mom this morning), flys for a commercial airlines and he takes soldiers back and forth to Kuwait. When will your son get back?".  And the dialogue was off and running.  Coincidence?  not hardly!!!

There have been others and I know there will be more.  That's the neat thing.

I had a reporter ask me after the event if I thought it was a success.  "It's not up to me to say that",  I said.  I know the people that God wanted to be there, were".   Maybe I can put it into an even better perspective.  Sunday, May 15th we invited people to come to a session...kind of like a recording session.  People sang, they spoke, they prayed.  I do know the ones that attended the vigil were moved deeply.  I had more than one of the performers mention the "longing" expression of comfort many in the crowd displayed.  Yes, the Holy Spirit was there front and center.

 Now, the message is being taken forward through those that experienced the day firsthand, those that heard and saw it on the radio and television news and then the ones that will see it on YouTube and on Facebook and through My Father's Voice.

Back to a comment I made at the head of this post.  There is only one way to prove a seed is alive -- plant it.  So what's next? 

The seed of the word is planted in our heart, then the water of the word keeps it alive.  In the Bible, 1Corinthians 3:6 says "I planted, Apollos watered, and God's life makes it grow.  For our soldiers, know that people are loving on you big time.  You are in their thoughts and prayers.  Just know that there are more today than yesterday and they'll be more tomorrow than today.  Rest in that".

Those thoughts were from one year ago....and as you can see, there is still a need for our continued prayer. 
I would especially like to uplift the women that are serving in our armed forces today on this Mother's Day.  You are indeed something special. 
  

YGG,

John

WHERE IS YOUR BATTLEGROUND?

How goes your battle lately?  Is it one that is causing you great conflict.....big distress or utter frustration in your life?  Is your battleground your marriage, perhaps it's the glut of pornography you encounter or maybe it's unfair business practices?  We all have our battles....some are just bigger than others. 

If we think of our military and the battles they face, the demons seem rather obvious.  "Such is the case when it comes to the Christian life, we will either gain or lose ground. We will either win or lose. But we have to be involved in the spiritual battle. Spiritual pacifists will be knocked down, because the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground", says author Greg Laurie.

It is up to us to fight the good fight of faith.  So we need to suit up and learn the principles from God’s Word that teach us how to be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.  First, we need to put on the full armor of God as we engage in the spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”

The phrase “put on” carries the idea of doing something once and for all. It speaks of permanence.  The full armor of God is not something we put on and then take off again.  We are to keep it on all the time.

Second, we need to be aware of the fact that Satan is not the equal of God. The devil would like us to think that whatever God can do, he can do, as though they were two sides of the same force.  Although Satan is a powerful spirit being, he is far from God’s equal.  You see, God is omnipotent.  God is omniscient.  God is omnipresent.  God can do anything that He wants to do, anywhere and anytime.  Satan is none of those things. He has limitations as to what he can do.

Third, we need to realize that the devil will primarily attack us in the realm of the imagination. The apostle Paul mentioned this in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”.

The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it.  He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream.  Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates.  Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.

Last, we need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh. “The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, our own will above all else. Then there is the flesh.  When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites".

So when someone asks you next time, "how goes the battle?  Simply reply "God is in control".  And then trust that he is. 

A great Perspective!!!

I saw another intriguing piece from Upper Room today.  Words of wisdom from years past.  It's about dealing with the problems that we face in our world.....and the perspective we show. 

"My great grandpa’s wrinkles deepen when he chuckles.  His blue eyes reflect a schoolboy’s mischievous sense of humor. Nearly 100 years of living, through personal tragedies and historic disasters, has shaped my great-grandpa’s perspective.

He listens to my frustrations with an occasional nod.  Great-grandpa’s response reflects gentleness that often comes with age. “Well . . .” signals his turn to talk.  He pauses to complete his thought before putting it to words.  My worries for the day will be fleeting thoughts, he assures me.  He’s not minimizing my concerns; he just has a different perspective. His wisdom and peace of mind come from having always found God faithful.

Our Creator’s perspective goes back much farther than Great-grandpa’s.  It didn’t start in 1913; God’s perspective has always existed; it’s eternal.  God doesn’t minimize our struggles but sees them in light of eternity.  God doesn’t minimize our pain but sees it in light of eternal glory.  When we cannot understand why God isn’t working as we ask, scripture encourages us to trust".

Amen .


YGG,

John

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME?

It’s hard to identify “the last time” until it happens, and even then, you might not.  Have you found yourself trying to think back to when was the last time that..........?  It's probably something we think about at one time or another especially when we're yearning for some connection to the past.

Several weeks ago I was trying to put some rememinder to the last time I held each of my three sons in the rocking chair and sang them to sleep.  Those were some tremendously great memories.  Just me and them in the quiet of the nightime.......rocking back and forth.  What age did that end?  I can't be sure of the timing for any of my sons. They just disappeared.  Years later we graduated to things like throwing the ball in the backyard or playing a game of street basketball.  Those times are gone now too.  So I began wondering about all the many things we do in our lives that end, some very abruptly. 

What would be some of your favorite things to wax nostalgic?  Do you have some pictures or video to look back at to relive the moment?  I hope so because that sure can take you back to the moment with just about everything to the smells, the type of day and the emotion that went along with the special moment.  Those times might not have seemed so special then, but they do now. 

One for the memory banks

I ran across an article from a writer by the name of Stephanie Georgopulos which I think presents a very vivid picture.  "Last fall, my parents were preparing to move south.  My brother and I chose a Sunday to visit and figure out what we could unload before they sold the house: furniture, books, records.  After spending the day excavating the garage, we sat down for dinner at a table where we’d passed countless holidays as a family.  This was no holiday, though — both of my sisters were notably absent and the mood was more somber than celebratory.  We ate in silence until my dad pierced through our thoughts to give voice to what we’d all been thinking: “Whenever I do anything around the house lately, I can’t help but think it’s the last time.”

The last time can be imminent, sometimes, but it can also come when you least expect it.  All it takes is one phone call and suddenly you’re scrambling to recall the minutiae of five minutes ago — what was our last conversation and I hope we didn’t fight and did I say I love you?  Because I did, I do.  The last time can happen while you’re sound asleep, like you went to bed next to someone you loved and woke up to a stranger who’s saying something like “You should go,” or “Do you need to turn the light on to find your things,” and it sounds like he’s speaking a foreign language, like he’s talking in tongues and how does this happen?  Hours ago he was there, but he’s been replaced by a vacuous stare and a stale voice, a cold sack of bones and the last time has come and gone without your permission.  Had you seen it coming, maybe you would’ve done things differently. Maybe you wouldn’t have come over at all.

After dinner we talk about Pepper, the family dog.  She’s thirteen; too ill to survive a trip to Florida, too old to become someone else’s pet. “I think you should put her to sleep,” I tell my dad. She sits five feet away, dazed and joyless.  I suspect I’m unfamiliar to her now; she’s experiencing bursts of recognition but for the most part I’m a stranger.  I can tell by the way she growls.  My dad breaks his own silence with a sigh. “I’m glad you said that, thanks.”  And I know it’s genuine, that he needed to hear it from someone else, that he knows it’s the right thing to do.  We both kind of stare at nothing for a while, then I scratch behind Pepper’s ear for the last time and prepare for the ride home.

You can set an alarm, mark it on a calendar, tattoo it on your skin and still the last time doesn’t need your permission.  What you count on is that you have the power to end things, to label people ‘never again,’ to say farewell forever and mean it.  What you count on is having a choice.  But you don’t, and you’ll know that when you allow your heart to get broken again despite the protests you made and the caution you took; you’ll know that when you see The Ex at an airport bar even though you swore you’d never set eyes on her again.  You’ll know that when you look at a loved one’s funeral face and whisper goodbye and shut the door only for that person to haunt your dreams; for that ghost to find you in the one place where you can touch him, laugh with him outside the bounds of reality.

I hadn’t planned on it, but my brother and I took one last trip to my parent’s house before they locked the doors for good.  Everything looked the same as it did two weeks prior, except for the room where Pepper had been.  That room was empty, quiet.  And sure, I’d said my goodbyes already,  I’d pet her and comforted her and thought of it as our ending, our closure. I’d known, the last time I walked out of my parent’s front door, that I would never see her again.  But if I knew how quiet the house would be without her, how empty that room would feel, maybe I would’ve done things differently. Maybe I wouldn’t have come over at all."

I highly doubt that Stephanie.  You and I both know that.  Not only did you pay your respects, it was a way of honoring your parents for the time they made you a "home" with all its special memories.

And isn't that what the "last times" should mean to us?  Remember that the next time you feel like it's the last time.

YGG,

John   

AN EASTER "HELP" ALONG....

PV2 Pete's Journey for Help is a look-see at the thoughts and heart of a young soldier who returned to Iowa from deployment to Afghanistan.  He is facing some real struggles integrating into "normalcy".  His story, while unique, is one that many of the 2,800 that deployed in July of 2010 and returned home the summer of 2011 are experiencing in one form or another. 

We haven't  heard much from PV2 in quite some time.  And the reason?  Well, thankfully, he appears to be on the right road.  He's dating a young lady and he has continued to work in his support for Presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

But more importantly, there has been a big conversion in his attitude about life and what direction and purpose there is for his future.

We hooked up the other day to catch up.   And here is a story he was told which he's using as a remembrance where he was months ago..... and how he sees an opportunity to help others in the future.     

Who Needs Who More?

   
"I remember an incident that took place a few years ago at Huntington Beach.  The summer day was beautiful, the sun was warm, and it felt good to be down at the ocean.

I walked into the water to do a little body surfing.  Suddenly, I noticed something unusual about another swimmer.  He was a young man, about twenty years of age, and maybe twenty-five yards in front of me.  He was struggling against the waves, and as I watched him, I knew something was very wrong!  I quickly swam over to him, grabbed him, and towed him back to the beach where we were both out of danger.

Bringing him to safety had proved to be no easy task, and afterward we both sat on the sand for awhile, exhausted.  In a few moments, I introduced myself, and he told me his name was Steve.

When we finally caught our breath, I asked him a question.  "Steve, were you drowning out there?'  He bent his head and looked down at the sand.  He hesitated and then answered, "Yes."  Even though we had come through this experience together, this young man felt so embarrassed that he could not even look at me one on one.  He could not look me in the eye!

After a moment, I asked him a second question.  "Steve, since you felt you were drowning, why didn't you cry out for help?"

Almost immediately he turned, looked at me and said, "Cry out for help, Mike?  What would my friends think if I cried out for help?"

I sat there stunned.  I could not believe what I had heard.  How foolish, I thought.  In another minute Steve would have drowned.  Yet, no matter what, he would not have cried out for help.  He was going to make it on his own or not make it at all.

Why is that, like that young man at Huntington Beach, so many people find it difficult to say, "Help, I need you!  I need encouragement!  I need support!  I don't think I can do it alone?"  Why do people refuse to reach out for help and support?  Why do we find it hard to admit we need encouragement?  We all need to pray this prayer.

"Father, I need you.  I need your help.  I know I cannot go through life alone.

I'm so glad You've provided brothers and sisters in the Lord who will stand by me, support me, and reach out to me even when I am unable to ask."  

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."  ( Psalm 9: 9 )

For all those out there who provided support and encouragement to me when I was drowning, (and you know who you are) thanks from the bottom of my heart for keeping me from sinking!  I will never forget what you did to keep me alive and never giving up and giving in.  I wish everyone had a thousand friends like you have been to me. 

Pete's story was very impactful to say the least.  He'd had these great words passed onto him when he was in that "sinking" state.  Just like many of us.  On this beautiful Easter day...look around you at ones who might need your help.  Today, you might be giving the help and tomorrow you just might need it yourself.  Just like Pete has figured out.

He is Risen.

YGG,

John

HOW MUCH ARE PICTURES WORTH?

"A picture is worth one thousand words".....and in some instances much more.  All of us have been moved to an emotional reaction from an image that just won't go away.  It's like it's embedded forever. 

So, where the heck did that quote ever come from anyway?   Here's what I found in some research I did:  The idea that a picture can convey what might take many words to express was voiced by a character in Ivan S. Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, 1862: "The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book."

A similar idea was seen very widely in the USA from the early 20th century, in adverts for Doan's Backache Kidney Pills, which included a picture of a man holding his back and the text "Every picture tells a story".

Neither of the above led directly to 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. Who it was that married 'worth ten thousand words' with 'picture' isn't known, but we do know that the phrase is American in origin. It began to be used quite frequently in the US press from around the 1920s onward. The earliest example I can find is from the text of an instructional talk given by the newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane to the Syracuse Advertising Men's Club, in March 1911:  "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words."

This phrase was never more evident than on November 25, 1963 when a young UPI photographer captured one of the most poignant and reproduced images of the past half-century.  "One exposure on a roll of 36 exposures,” Stan Stearns marveled decades later:  little John F. Kennedy Jr., grief-stricken, saluting his father, President John F. Kennedy's coffin as it rolled by on a caisson.

"Just the mention of the salute can still revive memories for those who lived through that day. It remains one of perhaps a handful of pictures that evoke the span of the mid-20th century along with Joe Rosenthal’s image of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II" said Adam Bernstein of the Washington Post. 

More recently we've had images that have presented themselves from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Those pictures have been gut-wrenching and others heartbreaking as one of my Facebook friends alluded to in regards to the picture below.  One of a brave "little military man" saluting his father's casket.

There are four other pictures that come to mind as I think about the significance of their impact to not only garner our attention.....but one that grabs hold and doesn't let go.  One is of a soldier in Afghanistan who is offering his condolences and prayers to five of his company's fallen.


                                  
 

And then there is Petty Officer Jon Tumilson's dog, Hawkeye, that captured national news with his reverent and compassionate loyalty as he laid next to his master's casket.

  
And these two awesome images........

and a picture that speaks of tragedy and Hope all in one..

As you can see, pictures do tell a story and in some cases more than one.  And as we've been led to believe, a picture is worth a thousand words.   

The blog today is in remembrance of all the photographers who have spent their lives trying to "capture the moment".  Bu specifically, I want to remind you of Stan Stearns, the John-John photographer.  Stearns passed away on March 2nd of this year.  He was 76. 

For Mr. Stearns, the compensation for his most noted photograph was entirely in glory.
“I got $25 for winning picture of the month” at UPI, he said. “That and my regular paycheck.  It’s frustrating when I think of how much money that picture has made in the last 30 years. Probably $3 million to $5 million.”

We'll never be able to repay Mr. Stearns for his work.  That's a given.  And it should be noted that of the 70 photojournalists cramped into a space made for half that many that November day, only two captured the image of the famous salute.  Most had their attention focused on Jackie Kennedy.  

If that's not saying something...

YGG,

John