Keeping up

We have been busier than we should be the last several weeks, but I am still working on keeping up with my reading. Here are a few I have taken in. Maybe something will interest you.

Cause Everybody loves them!

The other day, we attended a luncheon that a local Church put on for First Responders. They were great! The food was actually very tasty and the staff that served us was friendly, helpful and expressed their appreciation over and over. It was nice to be appreciated like that.

So, the following is not in any way meant to take away from what they did for us and how much we appreciated the lunch, but it does show that, once again, everyone loves firemen.

The first wave of eaters was cops (oh surprise). Some ten or fifteen minutes after I arrived, a crew of firefighters came in off of their truck. And no, even though they walked in like they owned the place, we didn't have any fights.

As soon as they came in, one of the ladies serving us said loudly, "Oh Yay! We have Firemen!". At this point, the rest of the staff erupted in cheers.

Yes, we appreciated the lunch. And yes, everybody loves firemen.

Laying it down

For a soldier, it can be one of the hardest things you can do.

Yes, you have cursed it as you have humped it over countless hills, miles of trails and cleaned it endlessly,

But it has more than saved your life, it has come to define who you are and what your life is about.

And when it comes time to lay down your rifle, it can be the hardest thing you've ever done.

 

For a student, putting down your books and stepping out of the classroom can feel like your life will never be the same again.

Yes, you have learned some of the most interesting things, challenged yourself to do more than you thought you could and come to love the life of learning.

And when it comes time to set aside your books, it can be the hardest thing you've ever done.

 

The performer doesn't want to step away from the microphone.

There is something about the attention you get when all eyes are on you, hanging on your every word and swaying along with your every chord.

So when it comes time to step away from the microphone, it can be the hardest thing you've ever done.

But sometimes the call is higher, the fight is greater, the things we need to learn are far more real and the audience might be smaller, but is more important than ever.

When the time comes, are we ready to lay down our rifles?

A Low Point

"Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas." - Davy Crockett

And another bit from the life of the Honorable congressman from Tennessee. Right before he left for Texas, he was defeated in a re-election bid by a one legged lawyer with a peg leg, and this quote is what is said to have been his response to the good people of Tennessee.

I suppose it sometimes takes us reaching a low point before we get up the gumption to make that life-altering change that we have been thinking about for years.

On the other hand, sometimes we can make dumb decisions on the spur of the moment simply because we are unhappy about something.

Which do you suppose Davy did?


And pictured above is Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of the man himself in the 2004 film, The Alamo.

Arrows

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Psalm 127:4 (NASB)

It is a privilege that we as parents have to send our children to places we may never get to go to do things we will never get to do. The accomplishments and impact that they have, while done on their own, can be a part of the legacy we leave the world and the impact we have on the world.

With that in mind, we are excited about our oldest daughter's (Emily) recent decision to be a part of a missions trip/training program to Quito, Ecuador this coming year. This seven month program combines  spending time working with local Churches and community groups to make an impact in the lives of the people of that City while spending time learning about leadership, culture, language and more to invest in learning to make an impact in the future.

As with many "mission" trips, she will be raising support for this program, so I am sure you can expect us to ask you to participate in this endeavor. But in the meantime, take a look at some of what the organization hat selected her to be a part of this team is about and what she will be a part of with the SUBMERGE program:

Go International

When he was only three.....

I was recently at work driving around in my truck and looking for evildoers, when I saw some members of the U.S. Border Patrol frantically waving me down and two ladies standing beside their parked car talking to them.

I have learned from past experience that the one thing Patrol Agents fear is talking with journalists. As far as they are concerned, talking with a reporter is a worse fate then being interviewed by an attorney. They are even forbidden by their policies from giving interviews, etc., etc.

Sure enough, their frantic waves were because they were dealing with a local television reporter and her camera person.

I was able to save them by taking the reporters to the likely spot where a man had recently been shot in the backside by his three year old while they were spending some quality time at the range.

When the reporter asked me if I had ever heard of a three year old involved in any sort of shooting. Of course I have, and I let her know about it.

Davy Crockett ".... 'kilt him a b'ar' when he was only three."

Here is a link to the news report:

A Tucson toddler accidently shoots his father on a shooting range

And here is Fess Parker, Davy Crockett to generations of Disney viewers, singing all about it:

 

 

Who shot first?

I was recently reminded of some of the controversy surrounding the scene in the movie Star Wars where we first meet Han Solo. He is in the Cantina  in Mos Eisley and is being confronted by Greedo.

In the original theatrical version, Han shoots Greedo first with his blaster as Greedo is leveling a blaster at Han's face. 

Many felt that this gave Han a bad boy, murderous anti-hero image. Good guys don't shoot first, do they? So, in later versions, George Lucas changed the scene so Greedo fired first and Han followed up with a deadly shot of his own.

But is it really wrong for Han to shoot first?

 Our laws make it perfectly legal for a person to use deadly physical force when they reasonably believes it is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.

In other words, if you think you are going to be killed, do what you need to to save your life. And definitely shoot first, because the first one to shoot might be the only one that gets to.

Greedo had a deadly weapon aimed at Han, signifying his intent to use it and he further verbally indicated that he planned on killing Han. Han was perfectly justified in shooting first. At least in a free society like ours.

The only court of law that would convict Han would be some Empire's kangaroo court that filed some sort of trumped up charges, which is exactly what he would have been facing if he stuck around in Mos Eisley.

Apparently those that were concerned about Han's shot have a legal theory more like the Galactic Empire than ours.