Without a doubt the 2008 election will go down as one of the most historic elections ever in the United States. Regardless of who wins we will have a first, either the first African American president in our history or the first female Vice-President in our history. By the time election day rolls around chances are we will know just about everything there is to know about each of the candidates, from how much money has been spent on their clothes to who their friends are and have been for their entire lives. We certainly live in the information age and there is no lack of information about all of the candidates. Depending on what network news you watch you can get the "slant" you want toward which ever candidate you prefer. You can watch the talk shows on television or listen on the radio and hear every conceivable "side" of the issues. With all of this information and all of the polls that will tell you this candidate is winning in one state or that one is ahead in another state we have been bombarded for months now. But what it all comes down to is what you do when you got the the polls on November 4th or during early voting and you get to decide whom you want to elect as the next president of the greatest country in the world. You get to decide whom you will cast your ballot for. I know your vote is only one of millions but it's your vote and nobody can tell you how to cast it. They can give you their opinions and they can try and influence you but you get to decide.
Let me share with you what will help me decide whom I will vote for when I go during early voting. I will vote for the candidate that most closely holds the beliefs that I hold dearly. I cannot get past the issue of LIFE when I vote. I feel so strongly about the sanctity of LIFE, especially of the unborn that I will vote for the candidate that shares my belief in this area. I will vote for the candidate that will work to reduce the influence of government in our lives. I very firmly believe that God created the government and that it should be respected and followed but I don't believe that the governement is the answer to all our problems, I believe we as the people can better solve our problems. I will vote for the candidate that will reduce the tax burden on our citizens. I believe in hard work and earning your own way. I believe that when the Bible says "if a man will not work he will not eat," that means we are to work for what we have and I believe we shouldn't have to give any more of it to the government than is absolutely necessary. I will vote for the candidate that will work to promote family in our country. Family as God defined it, one man and one woman committed to each other for life raising their children to love God and follow His teachings. I am a "beliefs" voter and a "conscience" voter. I will vote for the candidate that I believe most closely shares my beliefs and my conscience as a citizen of the United States and most importantly as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Notice I didn't tell you who I will vote for. Of course I realize that you can probably read between the lines and make a pretty edcuated guess, but the point is I'm going to vote for the person I believe shares my beliefs and convictions and I urge you to do the same. That is our responsibility as citizens of these United States and as believers in Jesus Christ.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
What A Wild Weekend
It was one of those wild weekends for me and my teams. The weekend began on a sour note as my beloved Ryan Raiders lost to the Lake Dallas Falcons on a last minute touchdown. The Raiders are now 4-2 having lost two games by a combined 7 points! The weekend ended on another sour note as my Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals 30-24. But the inbetween time was fantastic. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Texas Longhorn. Although my allegiances have changed since then I ALWAYS pull for the Longhorns to beat the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. Wow! What a game it was on Saturday! In the meantime my number one team, the Baylor Bears were beating Iowa State. Then my new team the Oklahoma State Cowboys (You know the Bible says "where your treasure is there your heart will be also." Alot of my treasure is in Stillwater now!) beat the third ranked team in the nation the Missouri Tigers on national television. It certainly didn't break my heart that Chase Daniel of Southlake Carroll fame, threw the interception that sealed it for OKState. So it was a great weekend and a not so good weekend for me and my favorite teams.
Next Saturday we will be traveling to Stillwater for OSU Homecoming. They say it's the biggest Homecoming in the nation so I'm looking forward to experiencing it all. I'm still insulted that OSU picked Baylor to be their homecoming game and I really hate it that their first loss will come after beating the number three team in the nation! But that's life!
There are so many things more important in life that football! I'll admit I love football and football players and coaches. The game and the people who coach and play it helped to shape my teenage years and hopefully I have been able to help shape some of those teenagers over the past several years as a pastor and chaplain. Some probably think I talk too much about football but I believe it is a game that brings people together and can bring a great deal of joy to people's lives. Just visit any college campus in the Fall or any high school field on a Friday night and you will see what I mean!
Our country certainly faces some very difficult problems right now. With the economy in a downfall and the presidential election just a few weeks away, these are scary days. But here is what I know - God is still in control! In the midst of chaos, football wins and losses, God is still in control. He is the rock that we can stand on even in the most difficult of times. No matter how your football teams did last week, no matter what your financial situation, I hope you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and let Him be your rock through all of life!
Next Saturday we will be traveling to Stillwater for OSU Homecoming. They say it's the biggest Homecoming in the nation so I'm looking forward to experiencing it all. I'm still insulted that OSU picked Baylor to be their homecoming game and I really hate it that their first loss will come after beating the number three team in the nation! But that's life!
There are so many things more important in life that football! I'll admit I love football and football players and coaches. The game and the people who coach and play it helped to shape my teenage years and hopefully I have been able to help shape some of those teenagers over the past several years as a pastor and chaplain. Some probably think I talk too much about football but I believe it is a game that brings people together and can bring a great deal of joy to people's lives. Just visit any college campus in the Fall or any high school field on a Friday night and you will see what I mean!
Our country certainly faces some very difficult problems right now. With the economy in a downfall and the presidential election just a few weeks away, these are scary days. But here is what I know - God is still in control! In the midst of chaos, football wins and losses, God is still in control. He is the rock that we can stand on even in the most difficult of times. No matter how your football teams did last week, no matter what your financial situation, I hope you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and let Him be your rock through all of life!
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Dreaded Day Arrives!
Last Friday, the day I have known was coming finally arrived. To be honest I had very mixed emotions about the day. One the one hand I was excited on the other I was not looking forward to it. I had been told for months what a hard day it would be. Many who have gone before me told me of their experience and warned me about what was coming. So I counted down the days until Friday August 15th arrived. The day we took Ryan to college.
We left the house about 7:30 A.M. and headed north on I35. We made our way through Gainesville, crossed the Red River into "foreign" country. We held our noses as we went through Norman, then through OK City and Edmond. We made the right turn onto Hwy 51 and pulled into Stillwater about 11:00 A.M. We drove straight to the SAE house, Ryan's home for at least the next three years of his college experience. It was much different than the last time we were there. Cars were everywhere and people were all over the front lawn. We quickly found Ryan's room and after I wrote my first check for college, making my wallet much lighter! we moved him into his room. He's in the newer part of the house in a room with three other guys. One from OK, one from Kansas and one from Southlake, Texas. His sister was not real happy about him living with someone from Southlake, but that's another story.
After lunch with the rest of the new students and their families, and a quick trip to Wal Mart to stock his mini-fridge, the most dreaded moment of the day arrived, it was time for Tami, Alyssa and me to leave. Ryan walked out to the parking lot with us, we hugged and said our goodbyes got into the car and drove off leaving him behind. I have to admit, I did much better than I thought I would, I felt a few tears coming but I managed to fight them off, knowing Alyssa would make fun of me. Tami did remarkably well too! A few tears and a little trouble saying those goodbyes but all in all we handled it well.
It's only been three days since we left him in Stillwater so it sort of seems like he is gone to camp right now. I imagine that come Friday of this week when he doesn't come home reality will probably sink in a little more. I do miss him already and I know I will continue to. But! I know that I left in Stillwater last Friday one of the finest young men on the face of this earth. A young man that loves the Lord, makes good decisions for an 18 year old, is confident in his abilities and knows where he is heading. I left a young man that has already made me proud and I know will continue to in the days to come. I left a young man that has been given a firm foundation of faith, right and wrong, and a sense of putting others before himself. I left a young man that I can't wait to see how he grows and matures and becomes the man of God he was created to be.
It was a dreaded day for me, a tough day but an exciting day none the less.
Now if we can just find somewhere for Alyssa to go!!!!!!
We left the house about 7:30 A.M. and headed north on I35. We made our way through Gainesville, crossed the Red River into "foreign" country. We held our noses as we went through Norman, then through OK City and Edmond. We made the right turn onto Hwy 51 and pulled into Stillwater about 11:00 A.M. We drove straight to the SAE house, Ryan's home for at least the next three years of his college experience. It was much different than the last time we were there. Cars were everywhere and people were all over the front lawn. We quickly found Ryan's room and after I wrote my first check for college, making my wallet much lighter! we moved him into his room. He's in the newer part of the house in a room with three other guys. One from OK, one from Kansas and one from Southlake, Texas. His sister was not real happy about him living with someone from Southlake, but that's another story.
After lunch with the rest of the new students and their families, and a quick trip to Wal Mart to stock his mini-fridge, the most dreaded moment of the day arrived, it was time for Tami, Alyssa and me to leave. Ryan walked out to the parking lot with us, we hugged and said our goodbyes got into the car and drove off leaving him behind. I have to admit, I did much better than I thought I would, I felt a few tears coming but I managed to fight them off, knowing Alyssa would make fun of me. Tami did remarkably well too! A few tears and a little trouble saying those goodbyes but all in all we handled it well.
It's only been three days since we left him in Stillwater so it sort of seems like he is gone to camp right now. I imagine that come Friday of this week when he doesn't come home reality will probably sink in a little more. I do miss him already and I know I will continue to. But! I know that I left in Stillwater last Friday one of the finest young men on the face of this earth. A young man that loves the Lord, makes good decisions for an 18 year old, is confident in his abilities and knows where he is heading. I left a young man that has already made me proud and I know will continue to in the days to come. I left a young man that has been given a firm foundation of faith, right and wrong, and a sense of putting others before himself. I left a young man that I can't wait to see how he grows and matures and becomes the man of God he was created to be.
It was a dreaded day for me, a tough day but an exciting day none the less.
Now if we can just find somewhere for Alyssa to go!!!!!!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
A Bright Orange Shirt
This past Monday and Tuesday Ryan and I spent a couple of days at his home for the next four years - Oklahoma State University. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that a member of my family will be living in Oklahoma instead of Texas! After all the comments I have made from the pulpit about Oklahoma over the past eleven years I guess I'm getting my payback.
We were at OSU for orientation and registration. It was sort of the culmination of the past 18 months or so of Ryan deciding where he would go to college. He started out looking at OSU, then changed to Texas A&M with a little bit of Texas Tech thrown in for good measure. But when all was said and done he chose OSU. I did make him apply to Baylor and he was accepted rather quickly, but I failed in getting him to follow his mothers example and mine by going there. I was resigned to the fact that Ryan would be the one to choose his school and I can honestly say I had decided I would be happy for him whatever his decision. But I will say that last Friday as we were decorating the house and backyard for his graduation party, with all kinds of Orange things I was a little glad I was not putting up maroon!
We do have some Aggie things around the house because his mother jumped the gun at Christmas time and bought some of those gosh awful things. But not me! I told Ryan I was not buying anything that wasn't green until he was certain of where he was going. Last Tuesday when he came out of registration with his official OSU student ID card in hand I said let's go to the spirit shop. Less than 15 minutes after he got the card I bought my first and second orange shirts! Bright, slap you in the face, orange mind you. I bought an orange polo shirt with OSU on the chest and a t-shirt that says OSU Dad. I will proudly wear them both over the next four years any and every weekend of the year except for the Saturday in October of this year when they play Baylor! OSU even had the audacity to schedule Baylor for their homecoming! I will be there that Saturday hoping that Ryan's first homecoming is a great one except for the outcome of the game!
Tami and I are very proud of Ryan and all that he has accomplished during his high school years. We are very excited for him as he gets ready to go off to OSU. I've been told how hard it's going to be about the second week in August when we drop him off in Stillwater and drive away for the first time. I know its true and I'm not looking forward to it, but I am excited for him and for the experiences he will have while there. Most of all I'm proud of the young man he has become and the great things he will do in life. I am and will always be his biggest fan and cheerleader and I will proudly wear that bright orange shirt on many occasions and tell everyone that my son is an OSU Cowboy!
We were at OSU for orientation and registration. It was sort of the culmination of the past 18 months or so of Ryan deciding where he would go to college. He started out looking at OSU, then changed to Texas A&M with a little bit of Texas Tech thrown in for good measure. But when all was said and done he chose OSU. I did make him apply to Baylor and he was accepted rather quickly, but I failed in getting him to follow his mothers example and mine by going there. I was resigned to the fact that Ryan would be the one to choose his school and I can honestly say I had decided I would be happy for him whatever his decision. But I will say that last Friday as we were decorating the house and backyard for his graduation party, with all kinds of Orange things I was a little glad I was not putting up maroon!
We do have some Aggie things around the house because his mother jumped the gun at Christmas time and bought some of those gosh awful things. But not me! I told Ryan I was not buying anything that wasn't green until he was certain of where he was going. Last Tuesday when he came out of registration with his official OSU student ID card in hand I said let's go to the spirit shop. Less than 15 minutes after he got the card I bought my first and second orange shirts! Bright, slap you in the face, orange mind you. I bought an orange polo shirt with OSU on the chest and a t-shirt that says OSU Dad. I will proudly wear them both over the next four years any and every weekend of the year except for the Saturday in October of this year when they play Baylor! OSU even had the audacity to schedule Baylor for their homecoming! I will be there that Saturday hoping that Ryan's first homecoming is a great one except for the outcome of the game!
Tami and I are very proud of Ryan and all that he has accomplished during his high school years. We are very excited for him as he gets ready to go off to OSU. I've been told how hard it's going to be about the second week in August when we drop him off in Stillwater and drive away for the first time. I know its true and I'm not looking forward to it, but I am excited for him and for the experiences he will have while there. Most of all I'm proud of the young man he has become and the great things he will do in life. I am and will always be his biggest fan and cheerleader and I will proudly wear that bright orange shirt on many occasions and tell everyone that my son is an OSU Cowboy!
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