Oh, my achin' back!

I guess you could call me a "backslider." On Wednesday May 10, Cristy worked late and then drove directly from work to meet me at Quizno's Subs to have dinner with me. As we were finishing are subs outside at the restaurant it began to rain so, we left. The restaurant is just a couple of blocks from the church and we arrived in just a couple of minutes. It was still raining and the bottom of my new shoes were a little slick. Anyway, I entered the church and started down the steps toward the room in the basement where we were meeting for prayer service. I took a couple of steps and began to slip on the steps. I tried to catch myself, but was unable. I fell flat on my back. It HURT!! I laid there for a few seconds and then the pain started. Pastor Foxx, who was several feet in front of me rushed back to help, as did Walter Haines and several other men. I think they could tell I fell very hard. The men helped me up and to a chair to sit in. However, the longer I sat there, the more nauseated I became. So, someone went upstairs to locate Cristy and Ashley, who were both practicing with the chior, to alert them to what had happened. Once they came to see me, it was decided that I would go to the emergency room at Mt. Carmel East.

Upon arriving at the hospital the pain was really severe. I was very fortunate that they were able to take me back and "see" me pretty quick. The ER doctor, Dr. Gentile, came in and prescribed some pain medication and CT scan. I'm not sure what kind of pain medication they gave me, but...it sure did the trick! After being administered the pain medication, I was taken to
have a CT scan completed. I had several visitors; Pastor & Ellen Foxx, as well as, Andy Ross came by to see how I was doing. I was under some heavy drugs and don't remember much about either visits. But I do appreciate their concern.

The Diagnosis: As you can see from the CT scans, Dr. Gentile informed me, I had fractured two vertebrae. He stated, there was nothing I could do for it, other that let it heal. The fractures, as you can tell from the scans, if you click on them, are away from the spinal cord and are surrounded by muscle. They didn't need "set" and were unlikely to "move." So, I just needed to take it easy and let them heal. He let me go from the ER once the pain medication started to wear off and I started to regain some sense about me. I took the next two days off from work and lounged around the house. I have been trying to lose weight and had been doing some exercise on a recumbent bike and a tread mill. I had to take a few days off but, I didn't want to lose the momentum I had established. 25 Lbs. and counting!

Hyde Park, London, England: Speakers' Corner

"Speakers Corner (Marble Arch corner of Hyde Park) - "A remaining vestige of the British tradition of free speech is this institution of impromptu discourses by unknown orators, often on religion or politics, usually on Sundays..."

Speakers Corner in Hyde Park has seen many influential figures come and speak their mind, like Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels and Lenin. Even Cromwell's corpse was hung up here in a cage for public display, after he had died as a warning to others who might wish to abolish the Monarchy. This was of course in the days before Speaker's Corner when at the same location was "Tyburn", one of the "hanging fields" of London. Other's whose ghosts haunt this corner include William Morris and George Orwell.

Cristy and I were strolling through Hyde Park when we happened upon a "speaker." As evidenced by the picture to the right, many times large crowds gather to debate the days "hot" topics. However, this was NOT Cristy and my experience! We happened upon a gentleman that looked cold and lonely as he stood on his "soap box" waiting for an audience to debate.

The "GREAT CHARTER"

Several centuries before the Reformation took form, the Magna Carta was "sealed" by King John's hand on June 15, 1215 at Runnymeade meadows not far from Windsor. The Magna Carta is often thought of as the corner-stone of liberty and the chief defence against arbitrary and unjust rule. Our (United States) Constituition and Bill of Rights are based, in part, on the Magna Carter. There are sixty-three (63) clauses to the Magna Carta and it's very interesting that the first and last clause both deal with the freedom of the Church, or lack thereof, at that time. The first clause, concedes the freedom of the Church from royal interference, and in particular confirms the church's right to elect its own dignitaries without King John's or any royal's interference. This was all brought about by John's dispute with the Pope over the election of the archbishop of Canterbury.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Salisbury Cathedral (picture to the right) is because it "houses" one of the four remaining originals of the Magna Carta. It is also the site where many men and women lost their lives in the defense of the cause of Christ, as noted in the picture to the left. It seemed odd to me that the site of one of the great documents of liberty and unjust rule is also the site of much religious persecution.

Prayers at Public Events Should Not Invoke Jesus. Huh!?

This article appeared in the Columbus Dispatch November 27.

Prayers at public events should not invoke Jesus
Friday, November 25, 2005
KEN GARFIELD

I love the prayers before government meetings and sports events. These public expressions of faith remind me there’s more to life than politics and games. I feel better after people share a word about thankfulness, fair play and the joys of life that come from God.
These should be innocent prayers, but some insist on wording them in a way that demeans people of other faiths and emboldens critics who say, ‘‘Organized religion divides more than it unites."
Courts consistently rule that we’re not supposed to end government-sponsored prayers in Jesus’ name.
Yet some insist on publicly affirming Jesus no matter what the Constitution says about government not endorsing one religion. The hottest battleground is South Carolina.
Great Falls, S.C., tried it and got creamed by a Wiccan; the town had to pay her legal fees. Even after that debacle, Rock Hill City Council member Jim Reno ended a recent public prayer before a meeting in Jesus’ name. He politely declined to tell me why.
I won’t speak for Reno, but I think I know why some wellmeaning people can’t let go of their Jesus prayer. Their passion for him is matched only by a dread that somehow they won’t be able to honor him openly, freely, whenever and wherever they want.
I’m thankful that people of faith are standing guard to protect our right to worship freely. But they’re taking one principle and applying it in a way that violates another: our right to a government that doesn’t favor one religion.
I feel the same way about those who pine for organized prayer in public school. Aren’t there enough places to pray in America without imposing on people?
I love what retired Presbyterian pastor Jim Watkins of Rock Hill has to say. In a conversation with me and a guest column in The Herald of Rock Hill, Watkins said the most important work on God’s behalf isn’t done in the prayer before a meeting, no matter who gets prayed to.
God’s work is done when politicians get down to the people’s business — caring for widows and orphans, and providing affordable housing for the old, recreation for the young, and police and fire protection equally for everyone regardless of color, class or status.
‘‘We presume that God is not at work somewhere if God isn’t at work on our terms," Watkins said. ‘‘The most important religious thing a city council or town council can look at is the budget."
Some people have trouble seeing that because they’ve created a cloud of controversy that blinds us to a simple point: It’s not just how we pray. It’s how we live. Ken Garfield is religion editor at The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.

First, it seems Mr. Garfield would rather offend our Lord and Savior than offend individuals at some public gathering. I think Mr. Garfield would be well served if he read the eleventh chapter of Luke and 1st Peter 4:11, which says, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. " We are to glorify Christ in ALL THINGS; not some things; not just when we feel like it; but, in everything we do and say!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Cristy and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. And, they said it wouldn't last! Both of us had put in grueling schedules at work this past summer and fall and wanted to take a little vacation. So, we decided to take a trip to celebrate our anniversary. I started surfing the net for "last minute deals" and came up with a pretty nice trip to London. I was just in London last year and Cristy had never been there, so I thought it would be fun to go again with her.

There were several "points of interest" I wanted to visit. I have a fondness for historical sites and especially church historical sites. As I go through my pictures, and figure out how to post them, I will discuss some of the sites and their significance to the church. Cristy and I had opportunity to visit one such site last Sunday, the Metropolitan Tabernacle Baptist Church.

The Tabernacle Fellowship goes back to the year 1650, thirty years after the sailing of the Pilgrim Fathers, and at the time that Parliament had just banned Baptist meetings. Some 200 years after MTBC got its start a gentleman by the name of Charles Haddon Spurgeon started preaching there. Many Christian leaders consider him to be the greatest preacher England ever produced.

Cristy and I also visited Westminster Abbey, Salisbury Cathederal, St. George's Chapel at Windsor Palace and many other church history sites as well. In addition, she and I got to see one of the four remaining originals of the Magna Carta, one of the most significant documents to free men everywhere. And, as if that wasn't enough...we also went to Stonehenge, Parliament and many other places. It was a great trip and I will post pictures as soon as I go through them and throw out the bad ones!

Man's Best Friend -- Frankie!

A couple of years ago, while Ashley was at school, Erica and I got the "great" idea to get a dog. Most of the people who know me now would not guess me to be the dog owner type. However, growing up as a kid I was always around dogs. We (my family) had several dogs while I was a kid, but the two that were most special to me were Sparky and Rock. Mom and Dad got Sparky when I was a baby, so Spark and I grew up together. Spark was a Boston Bull Terrier and full of life in his early years. Then, they got Rocky when I was about five years old. Rock was a German Shepherd. Dad spent a significant amount of time training Rock. It paid off...Rock was a very special dog to our family and especailly to my Dad.

OK, so now let me introduce you to Frankie (short for Frankenstien). We picked her up from the pound two years ago at halloween time, thus the name... Frankie was about 4 or 5 months old when we got her. The workers at the pound told us she had been beaten and abused, which explained to us why she was so timid. After a difficult "probation period" Frankie started to grasp the idea that the less she "messed" in the house the better we liked her! I know, I know...conditional love is not very becoming, but cleaning up doggy "doo" at three in the morning isn't either!

Needless to say, Frankie has grown on us and has won over the hearts of everyone that comes in contact with her. She has such a sweet disposition and is an incredible frisbee player. I'm sure as time goes by Frankie will be featured many times on my Blog. Everyone...meet FRANKIE!

OK, so I'm off to a slow start with this thing!

Last winter, right after my wife and I got married, my oldest daughter encouraged me to "do" a blog. I have never been much of a writer, however I am very opiniated (no, really! Ask anyone that knows me). The thought of throwing my words out there to help solve some of the world's problems almost made me giddy! So, with great enthusiasm I embarked on creating this BLOG . My guess is, like most of my projects, I'll run hot and cold with keeping it fresh. As you can tell I have been in hibernation for the last nine months.

The last nine or ten months have been very hectic. Besides being a newlywed, I have been extremely busy at work. Couple that with a few vacations, playing with Frankie (man's best friend), mowing the grass, getting off the couch to get the mail and... "voila" there goes the summer!

So, here I go again.

Can you believe she said YES!?

The Happy Couple!