One Nation Under God (Revised)

I had a small debate about the Clinton administration with my boss...I noted that the question is really, "are we still a Nation under God?" We both agreed that the answer was no. The Nation needs our prayer and I'm jealous of a friend of mine. She and her husband are going to the National prayer breakfast with George W! Too cool!!!

On a different note, Saddam Hussein is about to be hung, and I've been considering this morning how I feel about the execution. As a patriot, I think he needed to hang (though I do wonder if was really him?). As a Christian, though I believe in capital punishment, I still wonder... A neat thing happened this morning. The Lord said to me, "Pray for the president with your daughter." And I did. It was an emotional experience and one filled with tears. I wonder what she thought, but she too prayed, really prayed. She's 10, and though she doesn't understand world events, she understands W. needs prayer. I'm so proud of her.

Merry Christmas!

What can I say...it's my profession!

...and Wingmen

I have a Ranger buddy, and he'll always be there. But as I climb the ladder, I guess what I need these days is a Wingman. He may not know how to field strip an M-16 or navagate through the dark of half this country, but this I know. He's got my back these days. And my front. And the flanks. In this world I live in now, I don't need a Ranger buddy as I once did...my life is no longer on the line. But when you fly high and fast in the business world, you need a wingman. Wingmen can quote Sun Tzu, "Keep your friends close..." They say things like, "Mav, we don't have fuel for this kind of stuff," but never leave your side. They say, "Slam on the brakes, he'll fly right by." And, "Anybody seen a green out here?" We play, we joke, but we get the job done...consistently. You know what else? Sometimes out of the blue, on a terrible day, he might leave you a message that says something like, "You have a gift Mav, of holding the team together, making us believe that everything is going to work out." He calls me Maveric, 'Mav," and I call him Wingman and Ghostrider and...Chuck. We deny each other flyby's, "the pattern is full," but know we never would. He's my living GPS; I think he befriends me out of pitty :) You need a wingman in life...Thanks Chuck.

PS - Wingmen have cool mom's!

John

I want to write about a funeral. I want to write about a wingman. But I feel compelled to write about John. I hope Steve Farrar will forgive me if this is copyright infringement... It's the personal stuff about Jesus that matters, Steve captures it well.

"John was staggered by Jesus. That's the way it is with people who hang out with the Lord day after day. They can't stop talking about Him......And when a guy's spent forty-two straight months walking alongside the King of kings and Lord of lords, he's bound to have a few impressions on certain subjects......Think about eating meals over the campfire with Him...rowing a boat with Him into the teeth of a storm...confronting dangerous enemies with Him...praying with Him on the mountainside......sleeping under the stars with Him...walking on the beach with Him at sunrise...watching Him lose His life on a cross......" Watching Him lose His life on the cross. (Finishing Strong - Steve Farrar - p.127)

...Steve's work
......my shortening the text

Be aware of Wonder...

Be Aware of Wonder (1 of many to come)
It's important to be aware of wonder. So important. I reminded my Wednesday evening Kids Klub class at Church. Max Lucado helped me... via Matthias (If I'm lucky, he'll keep his post up for a while).
25 Questions for Mary

Ranger Buddies

Everybody needs a Ranger Buddy (or a wingman). Even if you've never been in the Army, it's the concept that matters. Let me tell you about mine. Gary. He didn't become my Ranger Buddy until I got out of the Army, he was still in. We did so much together. We had each others back so to speak. And we created a bit of mischief...nothing too bad! He stayed at my house, and he at mine as the years went on. We hung out in the mountains and my life rested in his hands as I leaned backward off a cliff - a show of faith I guess...and an amazing rush! We climbed bridges together, prayed together, worshiped together...and have gone our seperate ways these days. But he's still my Ranger Buddy. I still trust him with my life, and my wife - I'm not sure which I find a greater tribute! I wrote to Gary today...and his Mom. Ranger Buddies moms are cool. Gary's mom is cool!