I hope you're paying attention

I just can't stand it any longer. I certainly hope that you're paying attention to what is going on in the media regarding the presidential candidates. I've already made up my mind and I'm not going to try to convince you one way or the other, but I'm going with McCain/Palin. He wasn't my first choice during the primaries but,f or me, it's a no-brainer at this point.

Now that I've said that I want to add this for you: If you haven't made up your mind but you do intend to vote then I urge you to make sure that you get informed about the candidates. That said, I also want to urge you to seek your knowledge through more than one outlet. Don't just watch or listen to mainstream media (CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, National Public Radio) you need to seek out the opposing point of view (Fox News, conservative talk radio). If you only listen to one side then eventually everything they say will sound like the truth when in actuality, it's far from the truth. In my opinion, the mainstream media seems to live in some alternate universe with a very distorted sense of reality. I promise, if you pay attention, you'll begin to feel the same way.

Well, I just had to get that one off of my chest. This election is a very important one for our country. They all are. Please take it seriously. If you're not informed, DON'T VOTE. Voting is a privilege not a right.

Scott

A True Friend

I mentioned in my post on July 7 that we had been in Wichita Falls and said that I would tell you why we were there in a few days. Well, it's been more than a few days but here we go....

My buddy, Kevin, is a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and we went to Wichita Falls to attend his Change of Command ceremony. He took over the command of one of the training squadrons at Sheppard Air Force Base. It's his first command and he was within driving distance, and our budget (gas was $3.95/gal. at the time), so we decided to go.

We had a great weekend. I've seen Kevin infrequently since college - once or twice a year, and the kids have been around his family even less. But, kids being kids, they started playing right away as if they were old friends.

To keep this from turning into a novel, I'll get right to the crux of this post. Kevin and I have been friends since high school and we were roommates in college. Kevin's wife has said on a few occassions that she is amazed at the connection between Kevin and myself. Even though we see each other infrequently and talk seldom we always seem to pick up as if we'd seen each other yesterday. I think that connection goes back to a time in high school when I wasn't a good friend.

Kevin and I had know each other for about a year when I started hanging around with another guy (let's call him Brent) that convinced me the Kevin and some of my other friends were bad influences on me and that I should hang around them. For whatever reason, I believed this Brent and blew Kevin off for about a year.

Well a year later, after Brent blew a gasket and revealed his true colors, I found myself in class with Kevin and my old friends. We had to talk to one another and everyone basically treated me the same as they always had and we found ourselves making plans to go camping. I was happy to have my friends around again so I accepted their invitation to the trip. While on the trip, one of the guys, not Kevin, asked me what was going on over the previous year. I told them that I had basically lost my mind, but that I was better. That was the end of the discussion - no one ever asked another question about it - Kevin never asked (I think he might have years later - but I'm not sure.)

I say all of that for this point. Kevin and my other friends showed me the love of Christ. You know, undeserved and unconditional love. Sure they asked what happened, but I had already been accepted back into the fold. They didn't ask and then allow me to hang around with them. They probably didn't realize what they didn't I surely didn't at the time, but I can see it now.

We've long since gone our separate ways and Kevin is the only one that I keep in touch with. I've run into some of the other guys on rare occasions, but Kevin and I really do have a special connection and I believe it goes all the way back to that time in high school. He was a true friend then and he is still the same today. I'm blessed to have him in my life.

Enjoy the ride...

Scott

Something or nothing

We all go through "stuff" in our lives. The good times and the bad times. In the good times everything is great, life's good, no worries, we're on top of the world and everything is coming up roses. In the bad times we're wondering, "What did I do to deserve this? Why me?"

It seems to me that the good times create memories and the "bad" times create character and wisdom. James 1:2-4 states that we should rejoice in times of trial because the testing of your faith develops perseverence and that perseverence will cause you to be mature and complete, lacking nothing. My prayer has always been, during my times of trial, that God make clear the lessons to be learned.

My point here is: Everything that we go through in life can be worth something or it can be worth nothing. You can learn and grow from your experiences or you can wallow in pity wondering; "Why me?" It's your decision. That's the great part - you get to choose.

So how do you deal with trials in your life? Are they worth something or nothing? If you learn and grow then I urge you to share wisdom with others. If you lean to the other side of the equation, I pray that you will stop spinning your wheels and move forward with your life. We all get thrown curveballs from time to time - mine was divorce. The world keeps spinning regardless of what's going on in our lives so we might as well hang on and...

...enjoy the ride!

Scott