In Threes?

For most of my life I've heard that celebrity deaths always come in threes. First it was Ed McMahon, then Farah Fawcett, and finally Michael Jackson. But wait! News today reports the passing of Billy Mays. My guess is that more young people recongnize Billy Mays' name than Farah or, perhaps, even Ed. The Charlie's Angels and Johnny Carson eras have long passed, but OxyClean lives on!

So, does this mean that celebrity deaths now come in fours? Or was one of the four I mentioned not a celebrity? Or, does it mean that the theory of threes just does not hold water?

I don't know if Billy Mays actually falls in the celebrity category. Certainly he has been king of informercials for many years. But is his death less significant than the other three? If you ask his family and friends, the answer would be a solid, "NO!" Virtually every death brings mourning and a sense of loss to those who know and love the deceased. The good news is...death is a part of life, but it is not permanent. Jesus Christ conquered death, hell and the grave so that we could conquer them also. Just like Ed, MJ, FF, and Billy, we will cease living on this side of heaven. The important point is: Where will we be when we step into the other side of eternity? My ticket to heaven has been bought and paid for; it's in my pocket. His steadfast love made that possible. Praise the Lord!

SURPRISE????

Conservatives like me seem to be so shocked that President Obama is implementing his liberal agenda, for example, extending benefits to same-sex couples. DUH!!! These are the things he said he was going to do, and a large number of conservatives had to have voted for him or he would not have been elected, or at least not by the margin by which he was elected. We're getting exactly what we should have expected when the nation chose him to lead our country.

I expect it will get worse before it gets better. In the meantime, the next congressional election is just over a year away, and we can support candidates with conservative Christian values and affect change, or sit by and watch as our values and economic freedoms continue to erode. But let's not act like we didn't expect him to do the things he is doing. After all, that's exactlyy what he promised his liberal supporters he would do.

What can you do in the meantime? Take a lesson from the left and make enough noise that your elected leaders respond. Write your Congressman and your Senators. Make your voice heard. If we get loud enough they can't ignore us.

Richard John Neuhaus, a German theologan who spent a portion of his life in Nazi concentration camps for his oppositon to Hitler, penned the following words:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

If we don't speak up, there will be no one left to do so. Make some noise!

God bless.

What Are You Looking At?

It's Tuesday, and it's raining. I've heard a lot of complaints about the rain we've been receiving...how it's making the grass grow faster, requiring more mowing...how it's making the weeds grow faster, requiring more work...but look what it's doing for the flowers!

I find myself surrounded by people who see that every silver lining is surrounded by a dark cloud. Quit looking at the weeds and start looking at the flowers. Come August, you'll be wishing for rain again.

This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!