Charity and Love

Charity. When we hear or see this word we think of giving, but look at it in a different light.
I Corinthians 13:13 says "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
 Charity or, the Greek meaning agape which means "love: esp. brotherly love, charity; the love of God for man and of man for God.
When we think of love we think of loving someone, which is fine, but the point I wish for you to see is a love that goes beyond the actually love we think or see. And though the English word love includes the affection which springs up between persons of different sexes, it is generally understood to denote only the higher and nobler forms of that affection, the lower being stigmatized under the name of passion.
Charity, God has blessed us with the ability to have charity, agape, pure love for Him and our fellow man.
Do we use it? Some do, actually very few do. They say it from their mouth, like blowing in the wind, but we do not use it, put it into action. Why do we do this? because we love ourselves more than we do God. We place so many things before Him that He is very disappointed in. Paul explained this. He warned us of this. Today we have done exactly what he wrote about in 1 Corinthians 13. Read it. Some of us use the Faith. We have faith. We use it daily. We have faith that God will bless and protect us in His will. And we all have Hope. Hope that the faith we have will bless us in God's will. Faith that the salvation we have accepted is real. We know it is real because we have felt the touch of His hand upon us. But we do not use the charity. The charity that God has given us to use for Him unto of fellow man. 
How can we use it? When you see someone in trouble or having a hard time. What do we do? Most times we judge them first. Then we talk or seek out the "truth" to make a decision on which if we will help them or not. Why do we do this? Is it what God would want us to do? Remember the bracelets and saying WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? Ask ourselves that question. Instead of passing judgement on someone, ask WWJD. I have felt the pain on the judgement of others. The stares and whispers. The public shunning, especially at church. Wow, that really blew me away. In church, shunning or ostracizing someone because the made a mistake, for instance being locked up. I just smiled., I know I have that charity in my heart. I have tried my best to utilize that gift God has given me, and He has given it to you if you have accepted Him as your savior. You have the GIFT or CHARITY. We have to use it. Oh just think how much better our lives would be if we gave charity first always. The love we would be able to see. The simple blessings of someone having a hard time smiling. The joy of the blessing YOU can be to others. It is amazing.
So lets start using it. When you wake up tomorrow and you go to work or school or wherever, put the charity up front. Apply it to our lives and watch other start to feel the blessing you shall become.
Be a blessing tomorrow. Allow Him to touch someone through YOU.

Respect

I was asked to write about respect. Below in the definition of Respect. 

Respect:

: a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.

: a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way

: a particular way of thinking about or looking at something

Respect is what we owe; Love is what we give.  

Philip James Bailey

Respect. Look at the definition. Respect has feeling. In order the respect someone you must have the feeling that it is good, important. We respect veterans for their sacrifice to our country. Even though I do not agree or particularly like President Obama, I respect the office. Why you may ask? Because it my duty as an American citizen.  The Bible speaks of this in Romans 13:1

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God

The second definition says, again feeling about something important. What is important in your life? Many will say family, children things like that. I have been on the disrespectful side of this and it shames me. I have not been the father and dad that I should have been and it shames me. I have not been the son I should have been, and it shames me. Many have judged me and have deemed me one that cannot be respected. Today I strive to be one that is worthy of respect. Respect is earned, daily. When you respect someone you cannot judge them. You respect their ability, their character, you respect something of value in their life. I hope someday I can be worthy of respect from the people I have wronged. 

The words Feeling and Important as used in the definition of respect. Why is that? Again I ask what do you hold important? I hold important the smile of my daughter and the funny grin of my son. I hold the love I have for them as being full of feeling and important. So I respect my children and what they mean to me. So I Respect that. I respect the LOVE they show me, and the LOVE I have for them. God has blessed me beyond measure. Not in worldly items, but in the blessings He gives me daily. 

God gives us the ability to seek out wisdom through Him. When we seek His favor, and walk in His will, we will begin to see the true joy of respect. I do not ask for your respect, I wish to earn it. Just as the quote says, " Respect is what we owe, Love is what we give". How true is that. As a Christian, it is my duty and obligation to give you respect. 1 Peter 2:17 (NIV) says,
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

If we as Christians today will have the attitude to show love and give respect, our lives will be changed and in the process, we may help change the life of another. 

Baseball look out ESPN wants your soul....

These thoughts are my own and not associated with anyone else, enjoy.

While watching the ESPN program PTI tonight. Co-host Michael Wilbon made several observations that left me aghast. While talking about MLB's attempt this year to shorten the game, Wilbon mentioned that doing away with warm up pitches between innings should be eliminated. Eliminated? Has this sports personality ever been a pitcher, or coached baseball? Warm up pitches are not just a novelty, they are a necessity. A pitchers arm is a fragile thing. Its not like throwing a football, or shooting a free throw (something his overblown NBA players cannot do). A pitchers arm could literally kill someone. Here is the proof. For nearly half a century in baseball, baseballs were nasty, spit and snot covered brown blobs being hurled at a batter 90 feet away at speeds nearing triple digits. Then something happened. A batter was killed. Ray Chapman was killed on August 17, 1920 when a ball thrown by Yankees pitcher Carl Mayes. The reason, the ball stained by spit, slime, snot and tobacco juice could not be seen. Chapman was struck in the side of the head and dies 12 hours later. The only on field fatality in MLB history. In case your wondering, batting helmets were unheard of, and wouldn't be for a few more decades and then only "invented" by a Negro League batter who was tired of getting hit in the head. Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League are the only two major sporting leagues that has a player killed while playing. Bill Masterton, of the Minnesota North Stars was killed as the result of massive head injuries received in 1968.

How many have been killed by a NBA free throw? None. How many killed by a passed football? None. A pitcher warming up is a needful thing, not a time killer or a show. It is also needed so a pitcher, who's arm is oft times insured because of the valuable nature of his skill, does not injure himself. Its not like a NBA prima-donna who can clap 3 times, throw a handful of chalk into the air and go out and lose a game (with his bogus "I can't breathe" shirt on as well). Why do you think they work pitchers and catchers out before everyone else in spring training. Why do they have a place for extra or relief pitchers to "warm up" in called the bullpen? Its not for show, it is for safety, for both the batter and the pitcher (and even the umpire); its for common sense.

So let's see the score so far, Wilbon 0, Common Sense 1. 

His next moment of ignorance, came after speaking of two players who should be banned from the game. Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. If you are a baseball purist, you will know that Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson should be in the Hall of Fame, but that is a topic for another day. The only juice they did was tobacco juice.

Apparently Bonds is giving A-Rod lessons (insert your favorite comment or pun), helping him on his return to the league this year. Wilbon went on to state that Bonds is an excellent teacher. Really? Barry Bonds, Jr? The player who is probably the biggest cry baby in baseball? The man who when he departed from Arizona State the team had a party? The player who got mad after his teammate won the MVP and they won a ton of games and got into a fight with him? The same one who made his manager, Dusty Baker, trade the said MVP because he out did him on the field? The one who lied to a Federal Grand Jury, multiple times? The man who hit all those home runs (with an asterisk)? The biggest loser in baseball? BALCO. The "cream" and the "clear"? The biggest and worst possible insult to baseball, ever? What the???? Bonds is teaching A-Rod how to get back into the league this year. In case you missed it A-rod was banned this past year for using Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). He whined and cried leaving a wake of lawyers and doctors wondering why he didn't take his medicine a shut up. This is great. Some at ESPN think A-Rod is great for baseball. They want him to return with a flourish. Bonds teaching A-Rod, to Wilbon it was a grand thing. It is a joke, that is what it is. Both players should be banned from baseball and all their records removed from the record books. The only thing they should be teaching each other is how to be ashamed. Which is impossible because they have no shame about them. 

Final Score - Wilbon 0, Common Sense 2.

Thanks.

Sports. Oh the agony....

These are my thoughts, my own opinions, not associated with anyone else. Enjoy

First off let me say I missed the Packers/Seahawks second half, but this football season has been one of the most theatrical ever. Professional sports has become a what-not-to-do in forms of poor leadership, and here is my take on 3 of them. I will post my thoughts on the others, that is if you want me too.

The NBA is the most dramatic league around. There are more flops (literally and figuratively) than World Cup Soccer. Overpaid, enabled cry-babies making the equivalent of the GND of a third-world country. Trying to be political activist wearing "I can't breathe" t-shirts during warm-up, not caring about anyone but looking just pretending to care about society. Its a shame, a disgrace that it is on nine months of the year. Its a shame that people go crazy over basketball of this type. Yes type, do they know how to play defense? Is defense even allowed? There are the "Bad Boys". Imagine LeBron James driving the lane against Detroit back then, can you say "lights out, night-night". Now college basketball is becoming just as bad. Oh and be careful little mouth what you say. That will cause you to be force to sell your own team. Players say the same thing that owner said. The difference, the that owner was white, crazy apparently, but yes white. You can rap about it, but don't YOU say it.  Otherwise that double standard that exist will bite you in the behind, or check book. Besides any sport that takes 6 months to play their regular season, and another 2 to 3 months to do their playoffs, well that is just plain, BORING.

The NFL. Just think of the impact they could have on young football players. Fortunately they do not allow players to come out after their freshman year. They do have an age limit. For this I do give them a "golf clap". However the handling of several incidents this year has led me to believe that the NFL, well it could be rigged. Goodell apparently does not wish for Jerry Jones to get to the Super Bowl on his watch. Calls, no-calls and reversed calls cost the Cowboys this year. Leaving the  outcome of a football game should never be left in the hands of an official, in any sport. The Ray Rice situation was a fiasco from the start. All the continued drug suspensions and the final straw was Suh stomping Rodgers injured calm in the final game of the year. Spatial awareness, really? Oh your suspended but now your fined. The NFL's leadership is poor at best. No direction. Where is Al Davis and Pete Rozell when we need them. Now they are going to have teams from each coast (TV ratings) playing. Lets face it if the NFL is NOT as good as it was a few years ago? Is the double standard in the NFL getting as bad as the NBA? Not yet.

Now NASCAR. NASCAR has become the most predictable sport around. Step out of line and you will be fined, or points taken away, or wait its who? Oh that's OK, they were, uh, er, uh yeah its OK for them to do. Oh wait they can't do that, fine them. I have, or was a fan of NASCAR from the days of Petty, Yarborugh, my favorite Pearson, and the Allison brothers. This is when racing was racing. There were no "templates" no "traction control" or fake fights. If there was a fight, blood is going to be spilled. Engines were engines. Gasoline was leaded, and it didn't make a hole in the ozone layer or cause "global warming". Drivers smoked in Victory Lane, kissed the race queen, and were not riding their daddy's coattail. The won because they made a car run with out 30 engineers or pouting to the NASCAR trailer, or worse the cameras. Now its politically correct racing. Don't cuss on your own radio frequency or they will fine you. Don't give that driver the finger, they will get you. Don't show any real emotion or they will fine you. Teams were proud and fans were too. They raced, and raced hard. There were no restrictor plates, the cars flew and the fans loved it. Now its hard to give away tickets to a race. NASCAR is predictable, you pretty well know who is going to win (Hendrick or Gibbs the majority of the time). Rules are made to cater to no particular ownership group. I have quit watching racing. I could not tell you who won this years "cell-phone" cup, because it BORING. Racing is boring even at 200 MPH for 3 hours side-by-side until somebody wrecks takes half the field out and then wreck again. NASCAR sucks any more, and its a shame because it used to be an awesome sport. Ownership my one family since the beginning has become a cancer to something that use to be great. BORING Brian France, BORING and EXPENSIVE.

Hawaii, Global Warming and the Truth

First of all let me start by saying I am sarcastic. Anyone who has known me knows this to be true. The thoughts, words and opinions I write, well they belong to me and just as I respect your opinion, respect mine.

Bing Crosby made famous the song "White Christmas", not Don Ho. "Hawaiian Ice" is sold at parks, street corners and at the beach. "Hawaiian Snow" is sold in legalized marijuana stores in Colorado, California and Oregon.

But as true to form with "global warming" Hawaii had snow for Christmas, Claiborne County, did not. Score Hawaii 1; Claiborne County 0 for 2014. I know it is normally not like this. But given 2014 was supposedly the warmest year ever per NOAA and NASA and some Japanese weather agencies (I would say for Japan 1945 was hotter, especially in Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima). Yeah you probably are saying, oh that was over the line Randy, but I am sure there are many veterans of the south Pacific would heartily agree with me. If that offended you, well I will not apologize. They started it, we finished it. 

Now back to the "global warming" before its too late. Yes 2014 was the "hottest" year on record by a whopping 0.07F, an average temperature of 58.24F. at this rate the oceans will boil in approximately 3029 years or the year 5044. Yeah it may have been warm, but snow in Hawaii? A polar vortex? And "global warming"? C'mon man. The same old, el Nino, la nino, the weather doomsday naysayers are getting old. Yeah the polar bears and penguins are losing territory, but there is so much more. More important things that we have no worries about. 

Here is my point of this entire "global warming" farce. On an average night in January in 2013 there were over 610,000 people homeless in America. 15.8 million children on average went to bed hungry. 32 million adults that could not read. There has been over 47,000 abortions in the United States this year alone. And finally it is estimated that 59% of the population will die unsaved.

We are so worried about "global warming". Worried about "choice" when many people have no "choice". We are worried about 0.07F. Worried about things so insignificant and trivial, we should be shamed as a Christian nation. Worried that we may insult or cause reproach upon some small group or person. The truth is we need to look at ourselves. We need to read II Chronicles 7:14, and begin to live it. Live it ourselves, not worrying what another may think, act, say or do.

I know many have different beliefs or religions. Fortunately, the God I serve is one who historically has been verified, and is more powerful than all the rest.

The Joy of Emergency Services in a small town

Today emergency responders would have crapped their pants. Somehow being trapped over a half a mile underground, and rapidly running out of air was a fun time. That night and the subsequent week where amazing. I watched techniques and practices that very few people have or will ever see. I was honored and privileged enough to be consulted when the Howard Street Railroad Tunnel caught fire in Baltimore. Not bad for a volunteer who the county did not pay, nor never paid. And PROUD of IT.

 I miss it every day. Claiborne County EMA (as it was known then) could handle ANYTHING. And we knew our limits, so no one ever got seriously hurt (busted ear drums; 9 concussions; roasted ears; meth-lab induced asthma; and TBI alnog with PTSD) not withstanding, we survived.

We took on wildfires; flood; hazardous materials incidents; missing planes; missing people; drowning; mass causality incidents; mutual aid; multi-state jurisdictional issues; stupid county commissioners; just plain dumb county executives and mayors; know-it-alls; squirrels; wanna-be's; fakers; power-grabbers; tornadoes; the smallpox scourge; Y2K apocalyptic ministers and computer idiots; the Klan; and yes even death threats and warrants on me from a religious-white supremacists group and yes even post 9-11 money grabbing by jealous local agencies. Well the last one did me in when you have to make deals with on agency to help them all, well that agenbcy could care less about the people. 

This brings back memories when WE could handle whatever came our way. Cumberland Gap RR Tunnel Fire. Nobody had ever confronted an emergency like this. A fire in a railroad tunnel, under National Park property; with 3 states in jurisdiction. We came together and did it. Claiborne EMA (not Homeland Security) Over 100 firefighters from every department in Claiborne County (South Claiborne, Speedwell, North Claiborne, Clear Fork and TNTFD) There are not half that many firefighters now. TEMA; MSHA; Norfolk Southern RR; Bell County Coal; James River Coal; TN Mine Rescue; KY Mine Rescue; Over 200 people all together put it out. Something never seen done in the UNITED STATES by volunteers. I am proud of everyone of them from those days. Wayne Osborne Mike Satkowski Sonya George We did it.

The man on the (L) is a regional coordinator from TEMA; The one in the (M) is Rev. Ronnie Pressnell (then at Bell County Coal) and I am the one on the (R) is me a volunteer Director of Emergency Management; FFII; EMT-P; and a Heavy Rescue Technician. I was the only member of the FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Tennessee Task Force (Memphis/Shelby County) from east Tennessee. The only one that will EVER have been a member of that team from east Tennessee.  

God is GREAT - ALWAYS

We do not know what the future holds, only God knows that. Complete reliance on HIM will allow us to find the correct paths, the correct way of life, the abundance of blessings that only He can give.

Why do say this? because I know it to be true. I have lived it. I know what it feels like to "leave stuff in the bucket" Inky Johnson. I know how it feels to fail and fail big time. 

A year ago I found myself taken out of a situation I should never have put myself into. I felt like Sampson, I was like Sampson. I have allowed myself to be enticed and eventually devoured from within by the lust of life and harlotry. I knew the payday was coming. God caused me to have to pay up, and I did. But thank God He showed me "the more excellent way". by placing me in a place where I had a choice, continue fighting God, and losing. Or humbling myself, and allowing God to work on me. I thank God that I sat aside my stubbornness and let God, "do His thing" to me. I followed the instructions in James 4:6-10, and God has done wonders ever since. 

Now I am happy. I still have nothing, but there is a reason for that. When you have nothing and get something, you appreciate it so much more. Now words, thank you Marisa Anders & Summer Widner and encouragement, thank you Sanford C Loy Ccm, And opportunities, thank you Dave Hooker. Are the greatest blessings of all. I have had my share of disappointments, but they were for a reason. The reason was most of the time it was what I wanted, not what God wanted. 

So what have I learned? God's plans are perfect, when we plan we mess it up. Be patient, wait on God, He is not in the fire, the wind and earth shaking stuff, He is in the still small voice that is the guidance center of our lives. If we follow God's plans, we will succeed. If we follow our plans, we will flourish occasionally, but we will always fail in the end. 

But the greatest lesson I have learned, I have a forgiving God. I do not have to worry, He always forgives. Man says, "I can forgive, but never forget", I am SO glad God is not like that. He forgives freely and forgets what we have done. 

Can you imagine if God forgave like we forgive each other? Think of that the next time you forgive someone. Forgive them like God forgives us.