Warning: Venting with no vacillation!

Good morning and welcome to another brand new work week. It's Monday, November 7, 2011, and today I have hit the ground running, so to speak. There are some things that make my blood boil, literally. At the top of the list is the way in which casualties of war are being intentionally neglected under the current administration. When President George W. Bush was the Commander in Chief, every single day he was incriminated when one of our soldiers was killed. President Obama came into office vowing to change the so called Bush doctrine. Once reality set in, he not only didn't change it, he embraced it, and today it has been the foundation of this administration's war strategy. However, along the way, under this new administration, deaths of our brave military have more than tripled. What has been the response of those who were previously using up the world's supply of ink to portray President Bush as a war criminal? Ho hum, oh well, that's the way it goes in war, along with no accountability whatsoever for the conduct of these operations. How could these leading news sources change so radically regarding something they held out as fundamental to us as a nation? I can tell you how. It's because they have the most left leaning liberal President ever elected, and they will not allow anything, at least as it pertains to them, to detract from him being reelected. Look at how they glossed over scandals involving President Clinton and Presidential Candidate John Edwards. They also have been very quick to tag any criticism of President Obama as being racist. Contrast that to how they have literally done all they could to tar and feather Republican candidate Herman Cain, a black man, over unproven allegations. I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable but what about proportionality? What's the difference my friend? He is conservative and to them that is the greatest crime of all! I rest my case.

Taken at the house before our Sunday afternoon fun!

That was on my mind and I just had to share it. On a lighter note, we did make it through our first excursion into the make believe world where I get to do what some might call grueling but gratifying work impersonating that jolly old elf, the King of the North Pole, Santa Claus. This past Saturday the photographer made a total of 660 snaps of about 200 kids. That was in 2 sessions of  2 hours each. I'm talking two hours of relentless posing, wrestling with kids, dealing with moms and dads, and even practicing my calf holding skills on a few. My wife was with me on Sunday afternoon and as you might expect they could not have been more pleased with Mrs. Claus. She spent most of her time sitting with me and making photos but they did get her to read the classic, The Night Before Christmas, with a bunch of kids gathered round. They thought she had a perfect voice for reading. I tried to tell them she learned to speak up and out that way when she was calling hogs back on the farm. They thought I was joking. But it was a wonderful experience and she and I both got to show love to many children. One little boy who was confined to a wheelchair was picked up and placed in my lap. He was so quiet and sweet. His parents were so proud to get a photo of him with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa is supposed to be jolly but I must tell you when I felt those little dead legs in my lap I had to hold back a tear as my heart went out to this young man and his family. I could also tell you about one little two year old girl who was brought back the third time because her parents were determined. She was a kicker, literally, big time! And, she was very strong. The third time her dad gave me permission to do whatever I could to hold her down. They promised her everything they could think of including french fries, even a large container of fries. No thank you. I'm not sure they got anything worth keeping in terms of a photograph but I sure was glad to wish her a farewell when she and her parents finally moved on down the road.

One thing is for sure. When you do this Santa work, you will get a good night's sleep. That comes with the territory. Last evening our Pastor led out in a study of Isaiah Chapter 40. This is one of the most profound of passages in The Scriptures. It defines for us the attributes of our Great God. In a world where the focus is mostly on me, me, me, most of the time, reading this passage will make us to know that our God, Creator of all things, is Lord over all, everything, from the elements of nature to the breath in the bodies of every living person. We read in this chapter of His awesome power. That's right. His works are Awesome. I know the word awesome is the favorite of kids, and especially teens and teen leaders and it is used to tag just about any and everything that someone likes. But, to me, if there ever was a word that should be reserved for the Lord God of Heaven, and His demonstrated power, Awesome is that word. I know. I am told all the time they don't mean any disrespect when they use that word. Maybe not. But, I will continue to explain why I think it is a word reserved for our Great God. "Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,  And I will declare Your greatness." (Psalm 145:6) “Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy:  Do not let all the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes,  Our priests and our prophets,  Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day." (Nehemiah 9:32) Finally, some verses from Isaiah 40: 15-18 "Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,  And are counted as the small dust on the scales;   Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.  And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.  All nations before Him are as nothing,  And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God?  Or what likeness will you compare to Him?" (Verses quoted from the New King James Version) The little kids sing truth when they proclaim, "What a Mighty God we serve!" And, that's not a bad way to start off our brand new work week! Amen.                .....More later.