Iraqi Christians in Peril

This 2 minute video (once you get past the commercial) is an excerpt from the CBS TV Show 60 Minutes that aired last night. In this video a clergyman in Baghdad tells the reporter that the situation for Iraq's Christians is worse now than under Saddam Hussein's reign, and possibly the worst since Christians have lived in the country.

I posted about this last year and got one response.. I think that many of us are sad beyond words when we consider that our fellow believers in Jesus are suffering in Iraq because of an ill-advised war that has resulted in Iraq becoming a full-fledged Muslim country hostile to Christian faith and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please take 2 minutes to watch the video.. it will inform you and maybe inspire you to pray for these in Iraq.

Christian Tattoo?

After posting about suicide I needed to switch topics quick.. and for some reason I remembered my good friend Matt at From The Morning and his great post titled Can a Christian get a Tattoo? Matt's tattoo is featured left. My pastor friend Jim just got a tattoo displaying a cross on his forearm.. and I was wondering.. do Christian's mainly use religious imagery when they tattoo? What do you think? Do the Christians you know (or you yourself) display a religious message in their tattoo(s)? What is the coolest one that you have seen?

18 Suicides a Day

This excerpt from today's edition of the KC Star made me sad.. and I was already sad this morning..

Each day, 18 veterans kill themselves, according to the latest estimate from the Department of Veterans Affairs. No firm numbers are available, such as breakdowns of veterans’ suicides by the decade in which they served. There’s no unified nationwide system to track veterans’ deaths.

But 18 suicides each day translate to more than 6,500 deaths a year — and 21 percent of all U.S. suicides. Veterans make up about 8 percent of the U.S. population.

I don't think that I have much to add except to say that PTSD is under-diagnosed and largely ignored by the military and most of our country.

Blue Bayou

If you haven't ever heard them sing, please let me introduce you to two of my all time favorite singers singing the same song. I cannot decide which rendition I like better.. maybe you can help me out.. which version do you like better.. feel free to listen to the first minute of each if you don't have time to listen to the full cut!



Linda Ronstadt



Roy Orbison

NJ Dolphins

Frolicking close to where my mom used to live!

Top 40 Summer Things

Another entry from my email inbox:

1. Start some type of collection
2. Record and catalog information (Bird, backyard animals, etc.)
3. Visit the Zoo
4. Visit the Museum
5. Go to the park
6. Go fishing
7. Go biking
8. Go hiking
9. Go to your Public Library
10. Go to the farmers market
11. Do community service work
12. Visit the elderly in homes
13. Keep a Journal
14. Write letters to friends and family
15. Play a game, board game, etc.
16. Clean the house or organize a room
17. Plan a vacation or trip
18. Start a hobby
19. Go out and buy some photo albums
20. Have A Neighborhood Block Party
21. Join a group, support group, book club, scrapbooking
22. Learn a Foreign Language
23. Learn Sign Language
24. Go pick fresh fruit
25. Go Camping
26. Read together
27. Spend time together
28. Visit your state capital
29. Visit a state park
30. Visit Nature Centers in your area
31. Attend your State & County Fairs
32. Attend a Festival
33. Have a family cookout
34. Call a friend you haven't seen in a while
35. Have an inspection done on your mobility equipment
36. Go to a waterpark or local pool
37. Catch fireflies with your family
38. Stare at the stars for a while
39. Eat at an outdoor restaurant
40. Go to a baseball game with loved ones and friends

I think that we may do 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 26, 33, 34 & 39.

Which ones will you do this summer? Any other suggestions?

June Blogging Recap

HT: Barbara and Wordle.

World Record Belly Flop

From 35' into 12" of water!

Syanora #1 Geek

A fitting one minute goodbye to my favorite
geek-hero on his last day of work at MS!
Mac owners will especially enjoy :)

The Love Test

I got this one from a friend this morning via email. It is an interesting story (but probably not a true one).. I'll comment on it below.

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,' Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

Isn't it interesting how people respond differently to adversity. Some like the gal's boyfriend will sacrifice all for the one they love. Others like the gal who received her boyfriend's eyes seem to have a shallow love that disappears when things get tough.

Gotta wonder why people seem to "love" so differently.. and wonder if the gal in the story ever really loved the guy? I don't think that she ever did. I think that adversity tests love and some people fail the love test. What do you think?

Haditha Charges Dismissed

You may not get this former front page story in your local newscast or newspaper.

Senator John Murtha once had this to say about the events at Haditha:

"Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

I am sure that the good senator is working on a retraction of sorts.

Economic Stimulus Check

Have you gotten your stimulus check yet? We got ours and plan to put it in the bank.. we will not be buying anything new.. thus it will not stimulate the economy here in Kansas.

What are you planning to do with your check? Has it stimulated your economy enough to spend it or put it in savings? If you spend it will it be on something that you would not have normally purchased?

The Mom Song

HT: Nephos - This is 3 minutes of fun!

George Carlin, 1937-2008

I first saw George Carlin as a teenager in the 1960s and will always remember him as Al Sleet, the hippy-dippy weatherman. This one minute clip with Johnny Carson gives you a glimse into his comic genius.