I have done a lot of thinking about the Tookie Williams clemency case in California. This post stems from that thinking. I was watching TV last night and a guy in support for Tookie’s clemency was talking about being “Pro Life” and how he thought that people who are Pro Life should not only want unborn humans to live but also be against the death penalty. I have a hard time agreeing with him.

Being against abortion is protecting a child that can’t protect itself. I do believe that there are some circumstances where the abortion might be needed for life or death situations. But there are crimes that should be punishable by the death penalty. I believe if we used it more effectively it could help reduce crime because it wouldn’t be seen as a joke. Criminals no life in the prison is sometime better than life outside. Why is that? Why do criminal have rights that allow them a higher cost of living than some people struggling to make it the right way, hard work? I digress on that thought to get back to my main point. Pro life is protecting an unborn child that can’t protect it’s self. Pro Death Penalty is saying that when a person makes bad decisions that are so heinous against humanity and his community that they should have to face a punishment that fits the crime. Giving them life in prison is a slap on the wrist and letting others know the punishment is easy and worth the crime if caught.

This is all to say that without looking at the examples that God left for us and his use of the death penalty. Its all about justice.

What a lot to be thankful for! Technically we are homeless, but we are staying with family, which is nicer than that what homeless people would wish for. That hit me the other night. I don’t have a job and only my wife is working as a receptionist but we still make enough to be over the poverty level. I don’t believe in this notion that some Christians have that because I have faith that can move a mountain I should have all that I deserve because God is blessing me. I know I’m blessed. I know that God sees me and is looking out for me in spite of the fact that by the worlds standards He isn’t looking out for me because I followed His will for me and it has lead me no where.

I’m rambling because there are people close to me who believe I should be asking these questions. Why should I ask these questions? My faith is founded on the fact that God loves me and His blessing are not only reserved to monetary blessings. Being close to family and being able to spend more time with them than we have in almost 3 years. Staying home with my daughter and getting to be the main influencer in her life for this short amount of time is great. As I sit and think about Thanksgiving I see all of these blessing and knowing that God is right here beside me is all I need to know I am receiving all of God’s blessing for my life right now.

Since we are not serving full-time in ministry right now we have had the opportunity to worship with my family and my home church, Central Christian Church in Ocala, FL and the church that Dawn got baptized in, Holly Hill Church of Christ. We have also got to worship at Tomoka Beachside and we are helping out there when we can and how we can. But this last week I got a call from and friend, who happens to be the preacher at the church I grew up in asking if I would fill in for a sick preacher who is recovering from cancer treatments. What an honor, I have never supplied preached before or preached during the Sunday morning worship time much before. I accepted because I want God to use me where ever He would and to be helpful. It was a great experience. A lovely congregation in western Florida. I want God to expand me and mold me into the minister He wants me to be so that I can be as much help to any future congregation as possible. I feel that God used me to get across His message this morning and it was such a different experience for me but I’m sure I’ll do it again if given the opportunity.

I recently became a Peter Drucker fan. My first book was “The Daily Druker” a great devo type book for leadership. In my research of Drucker I found what a profound relationship that he and Rick Warren had and how influential he was on Rick and managing to reach so many for Christ as Saddleback. Peter Drucker has gone to be with the Lord. A sad day for his family and friends. One of the greatest compliments that I heard about Peter was that in all the years he was writing book and all kinds of people were writing books for the same leadership/ business market about how to claw your way to the top, Peter’s books never offered any other way to get to the top than hard work. That says a lot about who he was and what he stood for. We will miss influence but luckily all future generations have his book for guidance on how to be great leaders.

My dad got me a new book and gave to me this weekend when we got see him. This is one of the neatest books that I own. A British citizen that grew up in India during their colonial occupation illustrated the entire book of Psalms. He finished the book around 1934 and it was first published in the 1980’s and reprinted in 2004. It is such a neat story of a guy that grew up in India and joined the army and got to travel the Middle East and as he read the Psalms, he saw the images that David and the other writers of the Psalms saw and one day began to illustrate the Psalms one by one. It is a very beautiful book and just so neat to see the images that the writers talk about as you read through the Psalms. Check it out.

Me the wife and our daughter have been attending Tomoka Beachside and I am starting to get more involved and helping them where I can. I helped with the set up team this last weekend and the A/V team. I have also be using some of my other talents to help them out as well. I finally finished getting everything together for a Wordpress site for them. I think it looks really good and fits them well. They already had the art work and logo I just had to work with Wordpress to make it work the way I wanted it to with some dynamic and static aspects to it. Check it out.