Crazy Human Stunts

There's no real reason to post this other than the entertainment factor. Kind of weird to me but to each his own right?

Remembering Ed Thomas

Many of you have heard about Ed Thomas, the Iowa football coach who was recently shot to death by a mentally disturbed student. It is a shame we must be introduced to great people through such tragedies. Below is a story from espn.com. Perhaps others will come to know the Lord through this senseless act. People will definately have the opportunity to hear the gospel when Coach Thomas' great and meaningful life is mentioned.

PARKERSBURG, Iowa -- Thousands of mourners gathered Monday to remember a slain high school football coach as a man of faith who believed in leading by example.
Family, friends and former players packed into a church, community center and parking lot for the funeral for Ed Thomas, the 58-year-old longtime coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High School who was gunned down Wednesday in the school weight room.
Pastor Brad Zinnecker of First Congregational Church said the huge turnout was a testament to Thomas' faith.
"They recognized a man after God's own heart," Zinnecker said. "His personal life and public life were one and the same."
The number of mourners easily topped the roughly 1,800-person population of Parkersburg as people filled the church, watched a broadcast of the funeral in the community center and spilled into a parking lot to listen to the service.
Media coverage of the funeral was limited, with reporters banned from entering the buildings. However, a transcript of an audio recording of the service was released after the funeral.
In the transcript, Al Kerns, a longtime assistant coach, described the relationship Thomas had with members of the community.
"He only saw the best in all of us," he said. "He never said no when others asked of him, so other people could never say no to him."
Kerns, who has been named a co-coach for the team this fall, drew laughs when he described how Thomas would show his players how much he cared.
"If Ed loved you, he'd chew you out. More than once," Kerns said. "And he could make you feel this big, but there was love in every bit of it. And sometimes, we all needed that."
One of Thomas' sons, Aaron Thomas, told mourners his father would have wanted the community to "get going" after his death and to do something to improve the town. He recalled that in May 2008, after Parkersburg was struck by a tornado that wiped out about one-third of the town and killed six people, Ed Thomas was a key leader in pushing for the recovery of the community about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines.
Aaron Thomas urged mourners to wake up Tuesday with a renewed sense of purpose. He said they should get to work early and leave late, because even finding time for small tasks can make a difference.
Among those in attendance were members of football teams from across Iowa, dressed in their jerseys.
Thomas worked as a head coach for 37 seasons -- 34 of them at Aplington-Parkersburg. He was named the NFL's 2005 high school coach of the year and over his career amassed a 292-84 record and two state titles. He coached a number of players who went on to the NFL, including Green Bay Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville Jaguars center Brad Meester, Detroit Lions defensive end Jared DeVries and Denver Broncos center Casey Wiegmann. All four served as pallbearers.
Authorities have charged Mark Becker, a 24-year-old former player at Aplington-Parkersburg, with first-degree murder. He remained in the Cerro Gordo County jail on a $1 million bond.
After the funeral, University of Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley reflected on Thomas' impact on his players.
"Ed Thomas was a very strong individual, as you can see today," Farley said. "He used football as an avenue to change the lives of young men and women."
Jon Wiegmann, the other co-coach at Aplington-Parkersburg, said the upcoming season would be difficult without Thomas.
"We're going to have to become much better coaches," Wiegmann said. "We know we're dealing with young men going through severe pain. [This season] is not going to be about wins and losses. It's going to be about rebuilding a team."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

U.S. troops pulling back; are Iraqis ready? - CNN News

The Ministry Of The Interior - Oswald Chambers

"But ye are . . . a royal priesthood." 1 Peter 2:9

By what right do we become "a royal priesthood"? By the right of the Atonement. Are we prepared to leave ourselves resolutely alone and to launch out into the priestly work of prayer? The continual grubbing on the inside to see whether we are what we ought to be generates a self-centred, morbid type of Christianity, not the robust, simple life of the child of God. Until we get into a right relationship to God, it is a case of hanging on by the skin of our teeth, and we say - What a wonderful victory I have got. There is nothing indicative of the miracle of Redemption in that. Launch out in reckless belief that the Redemption is complete, and then bother no more about yourself, but begin to do as Jesus Christ said - pray for the friend who comes to you at midnight, pray for the saints, pray for all men. Pray on the realization that you are only perfect in Christ Jesus, not on this plea - "O Lord, I have done my best, please hear me."

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. When we are there, then we have to pour out for all we are worth in this ministry of the interior.

Have You Come To "When" Yet? - Oswald Chambers

"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends." Job 42:10

The plaintive, self-centred, morbid kind of prayer, a dead-set that I want to be right, is never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is a sign that I am rebelling against the Atonement. "Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer; I will walk rightly if You will help me." I cannot make myself right with God, I cannot make my life perfect; I can only be right with God if I accept the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to resign every kind of claim and cease from every effort, and leave myself entirely alone in His hands, and then begin to pour out in the priestly work of intercession. There is much prayer that arises from real disbelief in the Atonement. Jesus is not beginning to save us, He has saved us, the thing is done, and it is an insult to ask Him to do it.

If you are not getting the hundredfold more, not getting insight into God's word, then start praying for your friends, enter into the ministry of the interior. "The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends." The real business of your life as a saved soul is intercessory prayer. Wherever God puts you in circumstances, pray immediately, pray that His Atonement may be realized in other lives as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now; pray for those with whom you come in contact now.

Toothpick Folk Art

So many people have so very many interpretations when it comes to art. This folk art is really neat. The man in this story has literally been building this piece throughout his entire life. Creativity never ceases to amaze us!

Leaving Denton - Upcoming Show

Another Crazy Tragedy

How does this stuff happen?

Buy or Sell? Let's Make a Deal.

It is the middle of June and the Major League Baseball trade deadline is just over a month away. It is generally at this point in the season that we as Ranger fans begin discussing what proven players need to be traded away in return for prospects from other teams. This is what has happened in too many previous seasons. There is a silver lining to falling out of contention by mid July - all of the young players that have come back to Texas via trades have given the Rangers the best minor league system in all of baseball. That is not my opinion - that is the opinion of industry experts and baseball insiders.

The Rangers are in a different position this season, they find themselves in first place, a spot they have now occupied for thirty-nine consecutive days. With a little help, I think the Rangers can finish up the season at the top of their division and then who knows? There are no run away teams in the American League this season. Everyone is beatable. Any team that gets into the playoffs has a legitimate chance of going to the World Series.

The window for winning a championship in the major leagues is very small. Any and all opportunities to be successful must be taken advantage of. The Rangers have stockpiled some fantastic young talent throughout every level of their system. It is time to send some of that talent away for some proven veteran players. There are those who will disagree and say that even now, the Rangers should trade Milwood and Blaylock or Padilla and Byrd to continue stockpiling young talent. This is crazy talk. The time to act is now. Since there is no salary cap in baseball, one never knows when the free-spending Angels will decide to increase their payroll in the off-season by signing the biggest names on the market to extravagant deals. If the Rangers are still in first at the trade deadline or if they are within three games of first, I hope some deals can be made - we shall see.

Get A Move On - Oswald Chambers

"Abide in Me." John 15:4

The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. "Abide in Me" - in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. It is not a bandbox life.

Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances because I say it will hinder my communion with Him? That is an impertinence. It does not matter what my circumstances are, I can be as sure of abiding in Jesus in them as in a prayer meeting. I have not to change and arrange my circumstances myself. With Our Lord the inner abiding was unsullied; He was at home with God wherever His body was placed. He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek towards His Father's dispensations for Him. Think of the amazing leisure of Our Lord's life! We keep God at excitement point, there is none of the serenity of the life hid with Christ in God about us.

Think of the things that take you out of abiding in Christ - Yes, Lord, just a minute, I have got this to do; Yes, I will abide when once this is finished; when this week is over, it will be all right, I will abide then. Get a move on; begin to abide now. In the initial stages it is a continual effort until it becomes so much the law of life that you abide in Him unconsciously. Determine to abide in Jesus wherever you are placed.

Daily Dose of Goodness

Every day I drink a steaming mug of hot tea. But not just any tea, I drink chai tea, which I used to make from scratch, but now I’ve made it easier by drinking Good Earth Organic Seven Spice Chai tea, which I have found is the best next to homemade. It is a delicious blend of black tea, cardamom, ginger root, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, star anise, licorice root, vanilla, and just a little spearmint. The perfect way to make this tea is to fill your mug half way with hot water, steep the tea bag for about two minutes, then add honey and milk. It is sweet, and smooth with just a touch of spice. I believe everyone should try this tea at least once, and I think you may just develop a habit!

Another reason to use the Good Earth brand is because each bag has a proverb or positive saying from famous people attached to its string. I have started compiling these little morsels of goodness in my journal and thought I would share with you some of my favorites. Maybe you will find one or two that touch you that you may want to keep close to your heart also. So away we go!

• Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up…Chinese Proverb
• To know the road ahead, ask those coming back…Chinese Proverb
• I shut my eyes in order to see…Paul Gauguin
• Every artist was first an amateur…Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes…Carl Gustav Jung
• I make the most of all that comes, and the least of all that goes…Sara Teasdale
• As we grow old, the beauty steals inward…Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber…Elbert Hubbard
• When you can’t get a compliment any other way, pay yourself one…Mark Twain
• Grief shared is half grief; joy shared is double joy…Honduran Proverb
• A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song…Chinese Proverb

Happy day and week to come!

Getting There - Oswald Chambers

"Master, where dwellest Thou? . . Come and see." "Come with Me." John 1:39

"They abode with Him that day." That is about all some of us ever do, then we wake up to actualities, self-interest arises and the abiding is passed. There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.

"Thou art Simon, thou shalt be called Cephas." God writes the new name on those places only in our lives where He has erased the pride and self-sufficiency and self-interest. Some of us have the new name in spots only, like spiritual measles. In sections we look all right. When we have our best spiritual mood on, you would think we were very high-toned saints; but don't look at us when we are not in that mood. The disciple is one who has the new name written all over him; self-interest and pride and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.

Pride is the deification of self, and this to-day in some of us is not of the order of the Pharisee, but of the publican. To say "Oh, I'm no saint," is acceptable to human pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. It literally means that you defy God to make you a saint, "I am much too weak and hopeless, I am outside the reach of the Atonement." Humility before men may be unconscious blasphemy before God. Why are you not a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe God can make you one. It would be all right, you say, if God saved you and took you straight to heaven. That is just what He will do! "We will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Make no conditions, let Jesus be everything, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for ever.

Presidential Pardon

President Obama writes a young girl a pardon for missing her last day of school. Very nice. I wish those were a bit more accessible.

CNN News Story

I was curious if this method should be brought to the United States to fight our ailments also. Perhaps we could reduce West Nile related illnesses with such a deterrent.

Waive Bye-Bye? Evan Grant on Vicente Padilla

Here is the great Evan Grant's commentary on the Padilla fiasco with the Rangers last week. Maybe it served a purpose.
Evan Grant now writes for D Magazine.

BOSTON - The waiver period on Vicente Padilla came in with a bang Wednesday and went out with barely a whimper Friday afternoon.
For whatever reason - his salary, his stuff or his erratic behavior - nobody claimed him.
But that seemed to be a foregone conclusion from the moment we broke the story Wednesday afternoon.
So why do it in the first place?
It’s an impossible question to fully answer because the Rangers won’t talk about waivers - hey, they won’t even officially acknowledge that he was available or that he cleared. We can at least take some guesses, though:
• They wanted to send a message: The next question, however, is to who? To the rest of the team, which has cringed for three-plus seasons every time Padilla goes looking to harvest body parts using a baseball as his extractor? To Padilla?
The waivers move came less than 24 hours after Padilla hit Mark Teixeira twice, earning pay back against Elvis Andrus (hard slide) and Nelson Cruz (head-buzzing). Placing him on waivers would let the club know that “Hey, we’re at least trying to get rid of the guy,” and it would serve as notice to Padilla that his time in Texas could be short.
The only problem with this theory is the vehicle: Waivers are supposed to be double secret probation secret. So, if the Rangers were trying to send a message, they were relying on a media leak doing the work for them. That’s hardly the preferred message delivery system.
Still the message did get out and prompted a “very good” meeting between Padilla and Rangers officials, I’ve been told.
So, if sending a message internally was the reason behind the move, it would have to be considered a success. Well, at least until the Rangers see what kind of approach Padilla brings to the mound on Sunday and beyond.
• They were advertising: The Rangers believe they are contenders, but just like other contenders, they have holes. They could use another bat, particularly if Josh Hamilton is going to be out past the All-Star break. They could use an extra setup man in the bullpen. Every contender could use a front-line starter.
To help fill any hole, they are going to have to move some salary around. Padilla, still due about $8 million for this year, is the largest salary the club could consider moving.
By placing him on waivers, it acts as a classified ad to other clubs:
“Need Starting Pitcher? Contact Texas Rangers. Willing to discuss financial arrangements on this $8 million model.”
It’s broadcast to the whole league that way.
The problem with this is that it doesn’t really save you much work. Jon Daniels could have sent an email to the handful of clubs who might legitimately have interest in him without risking animosity that could arise from Padilla finding out he’d been placed on waivers.
This just seems like too much risk for too little reward, but it might get a conversation or two started that otherwise might not happen.
• They are in deep financial trouble: The Rangers are for sale. The sale price, depending on where you look seems to be dropping. A wise buyer might hold out for several more months to see if Tom Hicks’ financial situation further deteriorates.
Hicks said in an email this week that business operations for the Rangers will operate under this premise “it’s business as usual.”
Maybe Hicks is playing down the degree of the financial situation, but if the Rangers are in deep, deep financial trouble, I’d expected there to be more guys on the way out the door.
It’s possible the Rangers are financially motivated, but doubtful that is the sole reason behind the move.
From where I sit, it seems the most logical reasoning behind the move was to try and send some subtle message to the team and Padilla that his casual head-hunting will no longer be tolerated. But unless the Rangers are willing to go the Sidney Ponson route and release a pitcher having some success, it simply seems strange.

Don't Slack Off - Oswald Chambers

"Whatsoever ye shalt ask in My name, that will I do." John 14:13

Am I fulfilling this ministry of the interior? There is no snare or any danger of infatuation or pride in intercession, it is a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit whereby the Father is glorified. Am I allowing my spiritual life to be frittered away, or am I bringing it all to one centre - the Atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest in my life? If the one central point, the great exerting influence in my life is the Atonement of the Lord, then every phase of my life will bear fruit for Him.

I must take time to realize what is the central point of power. Do I give one minute out of sixty to concentrate upon it? "If ye abide in Me" - continue to act and think and work from that centre - "ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Am I abiding? Am I taking time to abide? What is the greatest factor of power in my life? Is it work, service, sacrifice for others, or trying to work for God? The thing that ought to exert the greatest power in my life is the Atonement of the Lord. It is not the thing we spend the most time on that moulds us most; the greatest element is the thing that exerts most power. We must determine to be limited and concentrate our affinities.

"Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do." The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and his apparently free choices are God's fore-ordained decrees. Mysterious? Logically contradictory and absurd? Yes, but a glorious truth to a saint.

Soldier Surprises Daughter

Thought I'd share a recent CNN report about a soldier returning home after a year and surprising his daughter at school. This was a touching story. I just wanted to take a moment and express gratitude to all of our service men and women for their sacrifice. We would not have the freedom we have today without them. God bless them all.

Airline Safety Refresher

In case it's been a while since you've flown, Delta Airlines has produced this video focusing on passenger safety. It's nice to see a major company taking the time to have fun while producing a video that can be enjoyed by those watching it. Hope you enjoy it.

5 myths of vaccines

"Vaccines: Top 5 myths about childhood vaccines" was the title of an article on the front page of MSN Health. I just couldn't pass this up.

Now before I get started I'll throw out my disclaimer. This will only be for information purposes to try and get you to think outside of the box a little and make informed decisions when it comes to injecting your child or yourself with anything. I am not telling you whether or not to vaccinate your child - only you can make that choice. (and YES, it is a choice)

The reason I am writing on this because "they" call it the 5 myths. According to my trusty iPhone dictionary app., the definition of myth is "an imaginary or fictitious thing; an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution." So let's take a look at these 5 "myths" (I think I've already used up my quota for quotation marks and I'm just getting started).

Myth #1: Vaccines aren't necessary

This myth is anything but a myth. In fact, it couldn't be any farther from a myth and closer to the truth. The only way vaccines would be completely necessary would be if our body could not code an antibody for whatever illness we are being vaccinated against. Your body is more than capable of killing off any infection you are told to vaccinate against. Your immune system has the ability to code for several trillions of antibodies for diseases we haven't even discovered yet. In fact, your immune system can code for more antibodies than your own DNA would allow for. In order for this statement to be true, then all children who do not get vaccinated would surely acquire the sickness and die because the body would not be able to defend itself from such a powerful infection like those "they" want you to vaccinate against.

Myth #2: Vaccine side effects are dangerous

This one is very puzzling to me. Why did "they" set up special government funds that pays millions and millions of dollars every year to parents whose children were permanently or fatally injured from a vaccine. But here lies the thought process of the system. Your little boy or girl is a necessary sacrifice to ensure "herd immunity" or higher public health. If their side effects are so minor, then why do "they" make it so hard for the public to get a true list of side effects.

Myth #3: Vaccines cause autism

I guess this one is a partial truth. It's not the vaccine causing autism but the mercury they use to preserve the mercury that does the damage. I personally know 2 families with children who were fine until receiving a round of vaccines containing mercury and soon developed autism. Mercury is one of the most dangerous neurotoxins known to man. I don't care how many methyl groups you add to it. IT'S TOXIC! Do not be fooled that they have removed mercury from the vaccines. They have only lowered the amount in them. All the stats show an exponential growth in autistic children right along with the increased use of mercury containing vaccines. Just because the vaccine makers haven't produced research to show a definite link, and why would they, doesn't mean there isn't a connection. It's like the OJ thing. No definite connection was ever made but most people know he was at least connected to it if not guilty of committing the act. All they have to do to silence the accusations is inject newborns and toddlers with mercury and observe for any side effects. They won't do that research because they know it's not safe.

Myth #4: Vaccines are given too early

This one cannot be called a myth because they are given too early. There is a much less lower risk of adverse reaction with delayed vaccination. We're talking about injecting newborns with mercury, aluminum, animal parts, formaldehyde and much more. You can't tell me that it's not dangerous to do that to a body with little or no immune system to defend itself. It's also safer to break up the shots into single shots and not all at once. MMR is the equivalent of taking 3 different vaccines. It's a lot easier for a young immune system to defend itself against 1 vaccine at a time than 3 to 6.

Myth #5: It's OK to skip certain vaccines if you have safety concerns

This one down right makes me mad. Here's the translation: You don't have a choice parents! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.........oh yeah.....and...WRONG! This multibillion dollar industry would love for you to believe that you don't have a choice on whether or not you want to all vaccines, a few vaccines, or no vaccines. You always have a choice. These are your kids, not theirs. 2 of my 3 kids have never been vaccinated against anything and my oldest stopped at age 2, and none since. Guess what?! They are all healthier than most of the kids we know. The two that have been adjusted since birth and no vaccines have never had ear infections. My oldest had ear infections all the time before we stopped vaccinating and adjusting him. I"m not saying vaccines cause ear infections. I'm saying when you give the support an immune system needs to be healthy and not drug it the first chance you get, the better it works.
Here are the 3 real myths about vaccines "they" want you to believe:

#1 All vaccines are totally effective

#2 All vaccines are safe

#3 Vaccines are mandatory, you have no choice

I have no problem when my patients tell me that they vaccinated their children. Far be it from me to tell anyone what's best for their kids. All I ask is for parents to make educated decisions.

iTunes Single of the Week - David Nail

For those of you that have not heard of iTunes, you should down load it immediately. The folks at Apple, the marketing geniuses that they are, have bridged the gap between PC and Mac users. The iTunes media software is a gold mine for anyone who enjoys podcasts, music, movies, television shows, audio books, games, applications and even old radio shows. Many items can be purchased at very reasonable prices, and there are also many subscriptions and downloads that are free for iTunes users. It is standard on all iPhones and Macintosh computers. As well, it is the interface for the ever-popular iPods. Virtually any windows computer purchased in the last five years can support the software that is a free download on the Apple website.

If you consider yourself a lover of music you should be aware that each week, a free single of the week, may be downloaded from the iTunes store. These singles cover a huge range in genres and are always used to help promote up and coming artists. This week David Nail, country artist, is featured. And each week new items appear for the public's pleasure. If you do have the opportunity to check out iTunes I would highly reccomend it. You won't regret it.

Faith and the Economy - CNN Video

In these desperate times of financial crisis, everyone is feeling the effects. Communities of faith struggle just as hard to keep their doors open as do other Americans.