In today's culture we see many statements, quotes that fly around facebook attributed to different people. There is one in particular that I saw yesterday morning that said this:
"You can't hang out with negative people and expect to have a positive life" - Joel Olsteen
At first glance reading the quote above on my facebook, it would make sense and then I had to ask myself this question? Who did Christ hang out with ?
The bible tells us that Jesus was a friend of sinners, He was so because he engaged them, and he engaged them because He could see their hearts and He loved them and He loves you.
Is the ultimate goal tosecure our life here to be positive?? Or would it be to share the knowledge of Christ as your Lord and savior, the most positive news in the world, to the world.
The Pharisees at the time noticed who Jesus was hanging out with and pointed this out numerous times, an adulterous woman, a leper, entering the tomb of a dead man? Christ, loved them.
The next time you feel like the person you are hanging around with seems to be negative, perhaps you have a place there, a purpose to share the most positive message of all is that Christ is alive and loves each of us, that He died so that we may have an ongoing relationship with Him, that the creator of the universe knew this life would be hard and knew we would need Him. How dare we just say we can't hang out with negative people at the risk of not having a positive life? Really?
Should not our faith be so strong, and the news so positive that Christ resides in our hearts that hanging out with someone who is negative could not touch the fact of who we are nor effect the promise that our life is more than positive its eternal. Should not that light shine enough to effect the negativity of the people that we come into contact with?
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Circle of Life, memories, the past and a glimpse of the future.
The opening to Broadway's Lion King was one that immediately teleported me back in time. I had heard the tribal scream opening a thousand times before followed by laughter of little girls as the sun rose on our tv screen years ago. We had purchased the VHS tape the Lion King, and it quickly became a favorite of my girls who were all able to sit on my lap. It also provided some relaxation time for dad if mom happen to be working or out doing some shopping. I did not mind watching the Lion King particularly since I had reached the point of dreaming of ways I could render extinct a certain purple dinosaur who kept saying he loved me.
Our small house in Ozark, Missouri on a quiet cul-de-sac frequently was full of the sounds of an African jungle and the presentation of the young prince of Pride Rock followed by the laughter of three princesses. They would dance to Hakuna Matata, cautiously looked at the screen when Scar was giving Simba the evil eye. To this day instead of having a deer in headlights moment we describe those type of moments as Simba moments realizing the stampede is coming as the cameras close in on Simba's face and a look of horror comes across the screen. This movie has been part of my kids lives as much as Superman was for me as a kid. Simba however was a kid himself, one that they related to, and the life lesson of running from life's troubles or facing them is something that touches every human on the planet. They would dance, giggle, and applaud as Simba assumes his role as King of Pride Rock and the happily ever after coming full circle as Simba's child was presented at the end of the movie.
As the crowds walked in and the mezzanine and balcony began to fill up at Tulsa Performing Arts Center I snapped a shot of those three princesses sitting next to me eagerly waiting for the curtain to rise on the broadway show. No longer in my lap, they were three young women all looking forward to the show starting. For me it was a circle of life moment, you see that night my youngest daughter turned 18 years old and in that moment I related to what Mufasa was saying to Simba when he said there comes a time that you will take your place in the world. My daughters have all three begun a transition from being under our care to learning their place in the world.
I am so proud of each of them and who they are becoming, they each are kind and have hearts for others. The realization that my kids are grown is one that is still taking some time to set in as I write these words. I looked over several times during the play as those three princesses watching eagerly and again it was amazing to see how far we had come together as a family. I am looking forward to embracing what is ahead with my daughters the joys, the sorrows, and the challenges for them because I believe they know who they are and that God has a plan for each of their lives and that He is making sure that plan comes about.
Monday, May 6, 2013
If I had a son he would grow up to look like Chris Stevens, American Ambassador in Libya.
Not so long ago, September 11, 2012, there was a 3 a.m. phone call to the Obama Administration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that an attack was underway at our American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Inside that embassy were brave Americans and four of them were killed, Christopher Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Glenn Doherty and Sean Smith.
We have been told this week that it happened a long time ago and not now an issue that the current administration is focusing on. We have been told that the attack was because of an American made video that caused a crowd to riot. I believe that the current administration was more concerned with a coming election than they were with the facts or sending help to the embassy that had requested it.
We are a nation of people that serve and for each person that is now serving and who has served in any capacity the words "What difference does it make, Why 4 Americans are dead" uttered by the occupier of the head office in the State Department rang like a slap in the face. This quote also shows a person who is so focused on keeping a reputation, rather than doing a job that her capacity to serve in any future office as far as I am concerned is destroyed.
We now have 3 more brave Americans who claim that they have been threatened with career ending consequences should they cooperate with a congressional investigation, these whistle blowers are testifying now as to their knowledge of the events that evening. These are also people that are serving that are providing us with a different picture than what has been provided to the American people so far.
You have to ask yourself if three friends of the Boston Bombers can be charged with covering up the evidence in that bombing that happened during the Boston marathon, what then are we calling what this Administration has done to hide the fact that Al-Qaeda was involved in the attacks in Benghazi.
I believe there will be legal strategies played out, it happened a long time ago, it does not matter now, there will be accusations of Monday morning quarterbacking on what could have been done and that this is all about politics. The issue however is getting to the truth, and look at what it is taking to get there because we know now that it was not a video as we were told, and our leaders have NOT been forthcoming with the facts. Abraham Lincoln said,
In the end it is about 4 Americans who are now deceased who served this country and anytime an American dies in the line of service asking why always matters, and is never to long ago.
Darren Stewart
Monday, November 5, 2012
A City on Hill - Election day 2012
Tomorrow is November 6, 2012 and my country, the United States of America will be participating in an election to choose the next leader of our country without a bullet fired and without a war declared.
While there is no war, this has been a battle getting to this point and I know without a doubt that Americans are battle scarred. We have looked back on the last four years and how this country has changed. We look at divisions and start questioning which category we belong in, male, female black, white, asian, latino, the 1 percent, the other 99 percent. We have focused seemingly on differences without figuring out how to come together as Americans. Most Americans are now tired of the illness in government of hyper partisanship, along with its symptoms of gridlock, delays, cronyism.
It would be easy tomorrow to treat this as another day and not do you part but even though this is not a revolution but an election please realize the price that has been paid for the opportunity for you to cast your vote for President of the United States. The blood of this nations defenders has spilled so that you have a choice in this election. The greatest generation our grandparents and great grandparents fought and sacrificed against forces that would deny our rights to vote and change our way of life from that of freedom to despotism.
I am reminded of the words of Ronald Reagan tonight that he spoke on the eve of his re-election:
The greatness of America doesn't begin in Washington; it begins with each of you—in the mighty spirit of free people under God, in the bedrock values you live by each day in your families, neighborhoods, and work-places. Each of you is an individual worthy of respect, unique and important to the success of America. And only by trusting you, giving you opportunities to climb high and reach for the stars, can we preserve the golden dream of America as the champion of peace and freedom among the nations of the world."
While there is no war, this has been a battle getting to this point and I know without a doubt that Americans are battle scarred. We have looked back on the last four years and how this country has changed. We look at divisions and start questioning which category we belong in, male, female black, white, asian, latino, the 1 percent, the other 99 percent. We have focused seemingly on differences without figuring out how to come together as Americans. Most Americans are now tired of the illness in government of hyper partisanship, along with its symptoms of gridlock, delays, cronyism.
It would be easy tomorrow to treat this as another day and not do you part but even though this is not a revolution but an election please realize the price that has been paid for the opportunity for you to cast your vote for President of the United States. The blood of this nations defenders has spilled so that you have a choice in this election. The greatest generation our grandparents and great grandparents fought and sacrificed against forces that would deny our rights to vote and change our way of life from that of freedom to despotism.
I am reminded of the words of Ronald Reagan tonight that he spoke on the eve of his re-election:
The greatness of America doesn't begin in Washington; it begins with each of you—in the mighty spirit of free people under God, in the bedrock values you live by each day in your families, neighborhoods, and work-places. Each of you is an individual worthy of respect, unique and important to the success of America. And only by trusting you, giving you opportunities to climb high and reach for the stars, can we preserve the golden dream of America as the champion of peace and freedom among the nations of the world."
November 5, 1984
Tomorrow no matter what you are doing, no matter where you are go and make time to vote.
Our future depends on it.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Peace through Strength vs Peace through Apology
From an early age we are taught that if we have done something wrong we need to make sure and apologize for it. It is an attempt to right a wrong, restore a friendship or settle things between 2 parties, or just plain good manners. The apology has many applications for each of us however it is not a strategy to achieve peace.
If peace truly is the goal for our nation and we accept that freedom and liberty are to be defended then history teaches us that there are forces that rise to challenge the cause of Freedom and Liberty. There are many parts of the world where freedom is absent and the characteristics of nations in the absence of freedom are often a controlled economy, an oppressed people, and deep in the heart of an individual in that populace an instinct that something is not right.
I believe we are not only endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights but we are also blessed with a human heart that recognizes when those rights are taken away from us. Even those born to a life where they are not free and are ruled by a dictator, despot, a party who exercises force over its people know that something has to be better than this. Instinct is not only given to us by God but America stands as an example to the rest of the world, a city on a hill.
America and the experience of this country calls to those that are oppressed, that are under rule, and are not free, it is in the very DNA of our nations founders. We do not force anyone to believe one way or the other but we strive to live peacefully with those that differ from us and each of us have an opinion.
The killing of our nations citizens in Benghazi, Embassy in Libya we are told was provoked by a video - to which I say SO WHAT. The focus is not someone who made a video it should be that 4 of our citizens died on American soil while representing us in a foreign country. No matter how heinous the video may be, no matter what was said - and perhaps we need the ACLU to confirm this, that video, its content, and its producer are NO EXCUSE to kill or harm American citizens abroad.
We have leaders who are worried about damage control in the media, and not bringing damage to the ones who perpetrated this act because they are a school yard bully. America this is not the time we get behind a leader and look those in the eye who murdered someone and say we are sorry, however it is a time we say in our country - we have freedom - and you attack any American for any reason you attack all of us.
Unfortunately by trying to appease and apologize for the maker of the video we fuel the hearts of those that would attack us on these grounds. While we can condemn the video at home, and we can say all we want about it, what we can not and SHOULD not do is excuse the murder of Americans because of something on You tube.
In other countries we see the absence of freedom, and unfortunately in this country we currently have an absence of leadership. In this playground - an apology doesn't cut it.
We stand up for freedom and bring to justice those that would harm and attack her. While these past attacks did not see our mortar crumbling to the ground, lives were lost and there is no excuse you can say in the media and if you truly want to deliver apologies - start by talking to the families of those that lost their lives.
If peace truly is the goal for our nation and we accept that freedom and liberty are to be defended then history teaches us that there are forces that rise to challenge the cause of Freedom and Liberty. There are many parts of the world where freedom is absent and the characteristics of nations in the absence of freedom are often a controlled economy, an oppressed people, and deep in the heart of an individual in that populace an instinct that something is not right.
I believe we are not only endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights but we are also blessed with a human heart that recognizes when those rights are taken away from us. Even those born to a life where they are not free and are ruled by a dictator, despot, a party who exercises force over its people know that something has to be better than this. Instinct is not only given to us by God but America stands as an example to the rest of the world, a city on a hill.
America and the experience of this country calls to those that are oppressed, that are under rule, and are not free, it is in the very DNA of our nations founders. We do not force anyone to believe one way or the other but we strive to live peacefully with those that differ from us and each of us have an opinion.
The killing of our nations citizens in Benghazi, Embassy in Libya we are told was provoked by a video - to which I say SO WHAT. The focus is not someone who made a video it should be that 4 of our citizens died on American soil while representing us in a foreign country. No matter how heinous the video may be, no matter what was said - and perhaps we need the ACLU to confirm this, that video, its content, and its producer are NO EXCUSE to kill or harm American citizens abroad.
We have leaders who are worried about damage control in the media, and not bringing damage to the ones who perpetrated this act because they are a school yard bully. America this is not the time we get behind a leader and look those in the eye who murdered someone and say we are sorry, however it is a time we say in our country - we have freedom - and you attack any American for any reason you attack all of us.
Unfortunately by trying to appease and apologize for the maker of the video we fuel the hearts of those that would attack us on these grounds. While we can condemn the video at home, and we can say all we want about it, what we can not and SHOULD not do is excuse the murder of Americans because of something on You tube.
In other countries we see the absence of freedom, and unfortunately in this country we currently have an absence of leadership. In this playground - an apology doesn't cut it.
We stand up for freedom and bring to justice those that would harm and attack her. While these past attacks did not see our mortar crumbling to the ground, lives were lost and there is no excuse you can say in the media and if you truly want to deliver apologies - start by talking to the families of those that lost their lives.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The American Dream and American Business - things that Obama does not understand are interconnected.
President Obama shows a complete inability to understand the link to business and the American Dream. The latest speech in Roanoke, VA has him telling supporters that business owners did not build their business without the help of the government that the government not only played a roll in their enterprise but without this government you would not be where you are today.
With all due respect Mr. President more and more the story is becoming in our business community that businessess are where they are today in spite of your efforts. You see President Obama, see's the American dream as a bunch of workers not business owners or anyone taking risks, workers working for the government, or employees - don't dream of running your own enterprise, that would make you part of the problem, the enemy, the 1% or whatever devisive name this administration decides to label a business owner next.
Business owners are American People who have risked more than anyone to pursue a dream. Behind every business is a person or persons or family who have risked and are providing services, and they do it more efficiently than our government could ever dream of.
Our current president says where would you be without the roads and infrastructure your driving on, we got that for you? Yes - and business owners pay taxes Mr. President - on the income they make, and we even paid for or thought we were paying for shovel ready jobs to help those roads the first go around of tarp money that was authorized by the people elected Congress.
Mr. President you forget who the American government is, that it is made up not of just the people of Washington DC that hold power - but it is the American People you work for, we don't work for you.
In November I truly believe that you will be reminded of this fact when the people of this nation fire you, but don't worry the taxes paid by Americans and business owners of the past have built a great infrastructure to send you on the road back to where you came from.
With all due respect Mr. President more and more the story is becoming in our business community that businessess are where they are today in spite of your efforts. You see President Obama, see's the American dream as a bunch of workers not business owners or anyone taking risks, workers working for the government, or employees - don't dream of running your own enterprise, that would make you part of the problem, the enemy, the 1% or whatever devisive name this administration decides to label a business owner next.
Business owners are American People who have risked more than anyone to pursue a dream. Behind every business is a person or persons or family who have risked and are providing services, and they do it more efficiently than our government could ever dream of.
Our current president says where would you be without the roads and infrastructure your driving on, we got that for you? Yes - and business owners pay taxes Mr. President - on the income they make, and we even paid for or thought we were paying for shovel ready jobs to help those roads the first go around of tarp money that was authorized by the people elected Congress.
Mr. President you forget who the American government is, that it is made up not of just the people of Washington DC that hold power - but it is the American People you work for, we don't work for you.
In November I truly believe that you will be reminded of this fact when the people of this nation fire you, but don't worry the taxes paid by Americans and business owners of the past have built a great infrastructure to send you on the road back to where you came from.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Witnessing a Come Back Story is truly inspirational October 2011 and the St. Louis Cardinals
Most everyone loves to hear a comeback story and sometimes in your life you get to witness a comeback and it changes the whole way you will tell the story to future generations. This week the St. Louis Cardinals that had been down by 10 and 1/2 games in August, was invited to playoffs as the wild card pick went on to beat the Phillie's and the Brewers then beat out the Texas Rangers for their 11th world series title.
Even if you are not a baseball fan if you watched game 6 when they were down by 2 in the 9th and 10th innings and came forward to tie it and then pull it out with a walk off home run in the 11th you could feel the tension and the magic that was happening on the field. The Cards came back and to watch and listen we now have a story to tell about this awesome game how they came back and went on to win.
Future generations will be told about this and thanks to today's technology we have video of it. We will swap stories about how great it was to see it happening and how awesome we felt as we watched it. A good comeback story resonates with the human soul and it speaks to each person in a different way but also in a common way.
I could not help but think that America's game this week perhaps pointed to hope in 2011 a time when so much seems hopeless, economic conditions keep getting worse, the political climate is volatile and wars and disasters are all around us. I also believe that perhaps that there is a lesson in America's game for America- don't count America out yet - yes we have our issues but we are the greatest nation on earth with the most amazing people in the world within its borders.
I can't help but also think of another hope and another comeback story that happened around 2000 years ago - we find twelve men dejected for their leader had just been killed this man that had called them to love so much and taught them what true peace was had died a tragic death. He was blameless yet took a punishment that killed him. He was innocent and yet hung on a cross with the guilty. These men who had spent close to three years with him had lost hope, were down and dejected and then the 3rd day came and the ultimate comeback story was written in History. He came back from the dead to announce that there is hope and He was it. The day's technology was writing and story telling and those people who witnessed it began to write and tell and today those words are preserved so that all will know who Christ is and what He did.
Comeback stories give us hope, they point to history and make us look at what has been overcome and promise hope in the future with what is to be. I think we love comeback stories because we have a King who promised another return that hasn't happened yet one where He himself returns, one that will be the ultimate comeback story - how do I know this? Through the words and writings of those men who at one point went through three days of loss to witness His return.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Even if you are not a baseball fan if you watched game 6 when they were down by 2 in the 9th and 10th innings and came forward to tie it and then pull it out with a walk off home run in the 11th you could feel the tension and the magic that was happening on the field. The Cards came back and to watch and listen we now have a story to tell about this awesome game how they came back and went on to win.
Future generations will be told about this and thanks to today's technology we have video of it. We will swap stories about how great it was to see it happening and how awesome we felt as we watched it. A good comeback story resonates with the human soul and it speaks to each person in a different way but also in a common way.
I could not help but think that America's game this week perhaps pointed to hope in 2011 a time when so much seems hopeless, economic conditions keep getting worse, the political climate is volatile and wars and disasters are all around us. I also believe that perhaps that there is a lesson in America's game for America- don't count America out yet - yes we have our issues but we are the greatest nation on earth with the most amazing people in the world within its borders.
I can't help but also think of another hope and another comeback story that happened around 2000 years ago - we find twelve men dejected for their leader had just been killed this man that had called them to love so much and taught them what true peace was had died a tragic death. He was blameless yet took a punishment that killed him. He was innocent and yet hung on a cross with the guilty. These men who had spent close to three years with him had lost hope, were down and dejected and then the 3rd day came and the ultimate comeback story was written in History. He came back from the dead to announce that there is hope and He was it. The day's technology was writing and story telling and those people who witnessed it began to write and tell and today those words are preserved so that all will know who Christ is and what He did.
Comeback stories give us hope, they point to history and make us look at what has been overcome and promise hope in the future with what is to be. I think we love comeback stories because we have a King who promised another return that hasn't happened yet one where He himself returns, one that will be the ultimate comeback story - how do I know this? Through the words and writings of those men who at one point went through three days of loss to witness His return.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Monday, October 17, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals and the magic of Baseball, thanks dad.
My first memory of the Cards is of my dad staring at the tv watching this game called baseball I was probably in the 3rd grade, there was excitement and he would always be intently staring at the tube. I asked a question about the what was happening and he began to explain the game of baseball to me. That season there was something special going on "you see that man right there, he is going for a record of stolen bases," my dad explained. At that time I asked why he was having to steal anything and as my dad laughed he clarified what stolen basis were and once I got the meaning I was glued with him to the tv watching to see if Lou Brock would break the record. I celebrated with my dad the day he did it.
That summer our family took a vacation to St. Louis and we went to a series of games where the Cards played the Dodgers at the old Busch Stadium, and dad took us to the baseball hall of fame. I remember seeing the display of a bat being made what it started off to be and then its different stages from a piece of wood to a baseball bat. I remember seeing the past World Series trophy that the Cards had won before. I also remember to this day my dad smiling and enjoying this game.
Baseball, specifically Cardinal baseball will always make me think of my dad because of those times as a kid. The celebration of winning seasons, the disappointing close call seasons but the Cards are a team that are loved by Missouri and many other baseball fans that have adopted them as their team.
The last time the Cardinals won the World Series was in 2006, I am sure that October provided many memories for Cardinals fans. I am positive that the victory was celebrated the world over for the champions of baseball as it is every year. That year was the year I lost my father after a lengthy battle with heart disease, he passed away in August. It was a very difficult time following any sports that year for me and especially Cardinals Baseball - I just remember thinking how awesome it would have been for him to see it that October.
Times had changed baseball had not but the man that introduced me to the game, that explained what a stolen base was and how many outs it took and all of the rest was not here. He was one of the reasons I enjoyed the Cards, he brought me to my first game at Busch, and I will be forever grateful for the times that he spent with me not only explaining baseball but explaining so much more.
Years later I sat with him at the Springfield Cards stadium enjoying the Springfield Cardinals with him and my girls, his three grand daughters. We talked so much more about Baseball during the game as we both watched the girls take in the game, and we both realized that we missed the years we had before. He got to watch as I answered some questions my daughters had and I remember it was a great time, there was plenty of magic on the field in the form of the game, but there was real magic happening in the stands as well. Love you dad - they made it again - will be watching and cheering them on. Go Cards.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sincerely, How do you end a letter - ???
Letter writing is quickly becoming a lost art. Ask yourself when was the last time a letter was delivered to me from a friend or family member that was handwritten and signed? In today's world we have an email system that will replace that and it makes our trips to the mail box very mundane reserved only for junk mail and bills.
Email is awesome though and it gets our message to our friends instantly however the personal touch can be lost how we end emails can be ttyl, lol, or simply later. I think today we expect we can hear back so quickly that emails almost are more like quick conversations so little is paid to how we end them sometimes. I think many times when you read letters through out history there is an ending that sometimes you never knew how long it would be again before you heard back from that person so endings of letters were not just ttyl.
When I write I love to utilize words and I have favorites, not only do I love words but words have the power to sway an opinion, change a heart, move a soul and save a life. One of my favorite words is sincerely, there are debates about its origins but many believe it is from 2 latin words sine meaning 'without' and cera meaning 'wax'. During the Republic of Rome craftsmen who would either be slaves or foreigners in the Roman Empire and worked with marble would cover imperfections with wax much like wood scratches are covered today. One other use involving wax was that cement workers would sometimes do the same thing utilizing some wax since it was less expensive than cement. When the wax melted bricks would shift and this would have sometimes fatal consequences so the term sine cera meaning genuine without imperfection or without wax came into being.
One of my favorite verses in the bible is also the ending of a letter, it is also a "Sincerely" you don't hear it quoted alot as a favorite because of this. Many times the last verse of Jude is looked over because it is quite simply the ending of a letter but if you take just this verse you can see it is totally without wax:
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. Jude 1:24
If you read that just as Jude ends his letter it ends the letter with three great promises for us, He is giving all Glory to God because He is 1) able to keep us from falling, 2) will bring us with joy into his presence 3) present us without a single fault.
He is able to keep us from falling, he knows where we are each day whether we are facing temptation or just falling in weakness He is our strength. Through Christ we are able to be in the presence of God, through His son you are able to reach God. Through Christ you are without a single fault for all of our faults all of mine are gone because I have been made whole and washed through His sacrifice, He loves us He sincerely loves us.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
You never know who will be walking with you - and where or when it begins....
I remember the first time I asked my wife out and she said yes it wasn't that romantic you see we both worked at the same place and many times we closed the eatery together and so romantic me I chose this great romantic spot next to the dumpster where we both were hauling multiple trash bags to strike up this conversation. She looked radiant to me and finally she said yes after we had taken breaks together gotten to know each other and became friends.
Somehow she was able to see past the trash I was hauling and said yes and that was our beginning 25 years ago this coming summer. Three years later she would stand with me side by side minus the trash, all in white and letting go of her dad's hand and grabbing mine to be married. God has richly blessed me on so many levels with someone who is committed to me and allowed me to commit to her for the rest of my life - she is an answer to a prayer that I prayed for and is everything that I asked God for and so much more.
She makes me want to strive to be the man God would have me to be and the father to the three daughters that we have together. My wife reached for her dreams of nursing after all 3 girls were in school during the day, we sacrificed so that she could stay at home while the girls were small and I was so glad that we were able to accomplish that. Nursing school was interesting and in 2005 my wife became a nurse and her patients got to see the care and grace that I saw in her everyday it was the perfect fit.
In 2007 my wife transferred to become a Nurse Cancer Navigator - what this means is when someone is diagnosed with cancer my wife steps in and is able to consult with the patient as a liaison between doctor and family, she coordinates care, educates, provides support for both patient and family and becomes a listening ear to those who have just heard the news and are facing the road ahead, she navigates this road with them.
I don't know alot about medical terminology, but speaking as her husband whom God chose to allow me to navigate life with she is an excellent navigator to assist you on this journey ahead. Her strength, faith and grace allow her to provide the kind of care and hope that you and your family can depend on, and I speak from experience. It is with her heart that she listens, with her knowledge that she cares and educates and with her love that she provides the strength for the patient to fight the battles ahead.
I am so proud of the difference she makes in the lives of her patients and while I know that those she meets at work have heard the worse news of their lives they have an ally with whom they will be meeting to navigate the road ahead.
Thank you for navigating this life with me, I am blessed beyond measure Lib.
Somehow she was able to see past the trash I was hauling and said yes and that was our beginning 25 years ago this coming summer. Three years later she would stand with me side by side minus the trash, all in white and letting go of her dad's hand and grabbing mine to be married. God has richly blessed me on so many levels with someone who is committed to me and allowed me to commit to her for the rest of my life - she is an answer to a prayer that I prayed for and is everything that I asked God for and so much more.
She makes me want to strive to be the man God would have me to be and the father to the three daughters that we have together. My wife reached for her dreams of nursing after all 3 girls were in school during the day, we sacrificed so that she could stay at home while the girls were small and I was so glad that we were able to accomplish that. Nursing school was interesting and in 2005 my wife became a nurse and her patients got to see the care and grace that I saw in her everyday it was the perfect fit.
In 2007 my wife transferred to become a Nurse Cancer Navigator - what this means is when someone is diagnosed with cancer my wife steps in and is able to consult with the patient as a liaison between doctor and family, she coordinates care, educates, provides support for both patient and family and becomes a listening ear to those who have just heard the news and are facing the road ahead, she navigates this road with them.
I don't know alot about medical terminology, but speaking as her husband whom God chose to allow me to navigate life with she is an excellent navigator to assist you on this journey ahead. Her strength, faith and grace allow her to provide the kind of care and hope that you and your family can depend on, and I speak from experience. It is with her heart that she listens, with her knowledge that she cares and educates and with her love that she provides the strength for the patient to fight the battles ahead.
I am so proud of the difference she makes in the lives of her patients and while I know that those she meets at work have heard the worse news of their lives they have an ally with whom they will be meeting to navigate the road ahead.
Thank you for navigating this life with me, I am blessed beyond measure Lib.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
9/11/01 - In an American History Book -
It is hard to believe that we are approaching a decade since that terrible September morning in 2001, the weather of an excessively hot summer in 2011 has cooled off and we are having clear skies and it is reminding me of that morning as well.
Today, however something different happened, an almost surreal experience I was talking with my daughter about school as she was studying and there on her bed lay her American History book. I picked it up and decided to flip to the back and saw 9/11 being reported in it. The images of 9/11 were pictured there just in a history book, the fireball of the second tower had been seared so much into my brain that I could almost see it moving in the photo. My daughters were very young 6, 7 and 9 when it happened and they remember that day well, we all remember when days when we see our parents crying, this time day they saw a nation crying.
9/11 tore all of us apart and brought us all together at the same time, flags were everywhere and we filled our churches and the prayers of a nation went up to God, and now here I sit 10 years later in Oklahoma reading about it in a history book. My father was still alive on that day although he did have a heart episode the day before he was recovering nicely on the heart floor of a hospital and all of the televisions were unplugged on the floor when the planes hit the tower for fear it would cause the patients to have heart attacks. I remember going to see my dad that afternoon after work to talk to him after my mom had tried to gently explained what happened as he had been recovering. When your at the hospital you are cut off from a normal environment anyway so to have a thing like 9/11 happen while you are recuperating I suppose would be like waking up from a nightmare and almost wishing you could go back to being sick again because it was normal before this happened.
My dad was a retired military sergeant he told me he wished he could put his uniform back on and join back up and maybe he should call and offer surely he could help out at a desk should they need it, and I said dad your retired and they can handle it, but that was my father, he would have been in the desert had his heart not been sick.
It is one thing to read about the events that day in the history books it was an entirely different thing to live through that day. They say that there are few veterans of WWII left living however there is a project going on where those men and women are being interviewed so that their stories will be preserved the eye witness accounts that will tell the story and pass it down for generations, this generation will be known as a generation who lived during the worst terrorist attack on American soil - we witnessed everything and the loss and heroism we saw that day will never be forgotten.
Today, however something different happened, an almost surreal experience I was talking with my daughter about school as she was studying and there on her bed lay her American History book. I picked it up and decided to flip to the back and saw 9/11 being reported in it. The images of 9/11 were pictured there just in a history book, the fireball of the second tower had been seared so much into my brain that I could almost see it moving in the photo. My daughters were very young 6, 7 and 9 when it happened and they remember that day well, we all remember when days when we see our parents crying, this time day they saw a nation crying.
9/11 tore all of us apart and brought us all together at the same time, flags were everywhere and we filled our churches and the prayers of a nation went up to God, and now here I sit 10 years later in Oklahoma reading about it in a history book. My father was still alive on that day although he did have a heart episode the day before he was recovering nicely on the heart floor of a hospital and all of the televisions were unplugged on the floor when the planes hit the tower for fear it would cause the patients to have heart attacks. I remember going to see my dad that afternoon after work to talk to him after my mom had tried to gently explained what happened as he had been recovering. When your at the hospital you are cut off from a normal environment anyway so to have a thing like 9/11 happen while you are recuperating I suppose would be like waking up from a nightmare and almost wishing you could go back to being sick again because it was normal before this happened.
My dad was a retired military sergeant he told me he wished he could put his uniform back on and join back up and maybe he should call and offer surely he could help out at a desk should they need it, and I said dad your retired and they can handle it, but that was my father, he would have been in the desert had his heart not been sick.
It is one thing to read about the events that day in the history books it was an entirely different thing to live through that day. They say that there are few veterans of WWII left living however there is a project going on where those men and women are being interviewed so that their stories will be preserved the eye witness accounts that will tell the story and pass it down for generations, this generation will be known as a generation who lived during the worst terrorist attack on American soil - we witnessed everything and the loss and heroism we saw that day will never be forgotten.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
9/11 The Day that Changed the World - A View from the Harbor
"The New Colossus"
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus, 1883
A View from the Harbor, Smoke at the Golden Door
Darren W Stewart 9/11/01
Welcoming those that came before
My torch beside the Golden door
Burning bright this clear morn
the September my heart was torn
Twin Citadels, towering, etching sky
ablaze this day, billowing high
the tempest-tost, the sirens wail
the bravery true freedom's hail
Weeping, mourning I lift my light
my torch once hope, now breaks the night
for those to search to hear a heart
My light still burns I won't depart
I stand still proud, full of hope
for the ones left behind to cope
with such tragedy, injustice, fear
Let those that witnessed draw near
And through the tears and the flames
let me stand still brightly without my frame
of towers on the shore now and forever more
and my essence still doth freedom ring.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Surrounded by So Great a Cloud of Estrogen -
I have the privilege of being married to the woman of my dreams and one who I know God destined me to be with. God blessed me when I became the father of 3 daughters. The reaction I get when I tell people I have 3 daughters is mixed, some look at me as if to sympathize others look at me as if I never get to watch a football game. Sometimes I get that knowing look from dads that says aren't girls awesome! There are those things that I may never understand about females, however I can tell you after living with 4 for the last 16 years of my life you do pick up on a few things, like when to shut up and say nothing, silence can be golden or other times it can be plutonium (totally radioactive with all the makings of a nuclear blast).
Girls absolutely love to hear their dad say I love you, but they also can never hear it enough, girls love to be surprised and they can be as adventurous and do some of the same things you did as a boy growing up. During the girls younger years on every other weekend their mom had to work at the hospital so we would go on adventures. We visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home in Marshfield, Mo and one time we were in Branson and instead of turning north back towards home in the middle of the afternoon I thought it was to soon to end our adventure and we just headed to Arkanasas and had a great time together.
Something that I can never do enough of and always want to do more of is take each of my daughters on dates for one on one time, its imperative to spend some quality time individually with each girl, and I always had a few rules on these dates
rule 1 I always paid
rule 2 she always picked the place or activity
rule 3 no technology if possible -
rule 4 talk to each other
rule 5 - get the door for her, chair for her and treat her as if this was her special night
rule 6 - if you can get a memento from this night - a movie ticket stub, a flower to her something for her.
There are a couple of things that are accomplished by doing this, 1) you get quality time with her and it helps her self image as she grows up and 2) and this is the biggie - she learns how a girl is to be treated when on a date. You can be sure that you have set the bar when it comes to dating and she will be able to recognize what a gentlemen is and how she is supposed to be treated.
I admit there are subjects that are best handled by mom when it comes to daughters and I gladly abdicate those wholeheartedly, but my wife is excellent at pulling me in when its a good idea or telling me that she has got this.
The other thing I am learning about girls is that they grow up to be women, faster than you want them to be, and no matter when you see them you can still see your little girl. If you have seen Father of the Bride - its the part where she is telling him she is getting married only he see's like a 4 year old- yeah that really happened the first time my daughter asked me for the keys to the car... Slam are you kidding me? when did that happen?
Letting go is something that is really tough- you never really let go of them because they are part of you and you hold them with your heart, however you do let them make decisions and venture out, move out or stay in another state and then you feel something missing a piece of yourself is in the world that once came home to sleep under your roof each night - its the weirdest feeling it leaves you wanting to put everything back and I find myself frequently looking at pictures of putting 3 little girls on the bus or taking them to school.
I am still learning and still have millions to learn about the women God has blessed me in my life with however I am so grateful for each one of them each and every day.
Girls absolutely love to hear their dad say I love you, but they also can never hear it enough, girls love to be surprised and they can be as adventurous and do some of the same things you did as a boy growing up. During the girls younger years on every other weekend their mom had to work at the hospital so we would go on adventures. We visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home in Marshfield, Mo and one time we were in Branson and instead of turning north back towards home in the middle of the afternoon I thought it was to soon to end our adventure and we just headed to Arkanasas and had a great time together.
Something that I can never do enough of and always want to do more of is take each of my daughters on dates for one on one time, its imperative to spend some quality time individually with each girl, and I always had a few rules on these dates
rule 1 I always paid
rule 2 she always picked the place or activity
rule 3 no technology if possible -
rule 4 talk to each other
rule 5 - get the door for her, chair for her and treat her as if this was her special night
rule 6 - if you can get a memento from this night - a movie ticket stub, a flower to her something for her.
There are a couple of things that are accomplished by doing this, 1) you get quality time with her and it helps her self image as she grows up and 2) and this is the biggie - she learns how a girl is to be treated when on a date. You can be sure that you have set the bar when it comes to dating and she will be able to recognize what a gentlemen is and how she is supposed to be treated.
I admit there are subjects that are best handled by mom when it comes to daughters and I gladly abdicate those wholeheartedly, but my wife is excellent at pulling me in when its a good idea or telling me that she has got this.
The other thing I am learning about girls is that they grow up to be women, faster than you want them to be, and no matter when you see them you can still see your little girl. If you have seen Father of the Bride - its the part where she is telling him she is getting married only he see's like a 4 year old- yeah that really happened the first time my daughter asked me for the keys to the car... Slam are you kidding me? when did that happen?
Letting go is something that is really tough- you never really let go of them because they are part of you and you hold them with your heart, however you do let them make decisions and venture out, move out or stay in another state and then you feel something missing a piece of yourself is in the world that once came home to sleep under your roof each night - its the weirdest feeling it leaves you wanting to put everything back and I find myself frequently looking at pictures of putting 3 little girls on the bus or taking them to school.
I am still learning and still have millions to learn about the women God has blessed me in my life with however I am so grateful for each one of them each and every day.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Change - at a price.
Growing up in the military you quickly learn not to get used to your surroundings for very long because the military would always have another station or new orders for your dad to carry out, and your world and everything around you could change very quickly. I can remember as a kid celebrating the last day of school in the 4th grade and anticipating the beginning of summer. The last bell of the day ringing, the excitement of the walk home with an empty backpack except for the stuff I had cleaned out of my desk. Summer's seemed to last an eternity then. I opened the front door of my house excited to begin the long hot Missouri summer to find out that we would be moving to Germany for the next 3 years.
Change can be a stressor, sometimes we have a warning that it is coming, sometimes we walk through a door and it is there to greet us and in one instant we are going a different direction. "We would like for you to consider retirement now...", "The test results are positive...", "We are moving the company in a different direction..." "We would like for you to consider moving to another office located in another state...", no matter how the change hits it takes a moment, we take a breath and in that moment we come to a fork in the road. There is a choice to make or perhaps the choice has been made for us and we are to just follow the assignment. Those moments can bring us to a place we never thought we would be five minutes ago, because five minutes ago it was just the beginning of summer right?
Change brought us from Missouri to Oklahoma, my wife was offered an opportunity with a local hospital and after weighing out everything and looking at all of the changes that this meant we had questions, BIG ones.
Change many times often makes us ask questions, Germany? where is Germany ? Why did this happen to me? how does this happen? It is within these moments of change that I am so thankful for my relationship with Christ. Without Him all you have are questions, but knowing Him, having a personal relationship with Him, you get the answers. You are able to bring those questions to Him in prayer, to talk with him about how you feel. He loves to hear us ask why, how, and where, more importantly He loves answering us. If you feel wronged by a friend, an employer, a spouse, a parent, tell Him, talk with Him. If you don't understand something that is going on in your life, ask Him to show you why. He knows you, He understands you more than anyone. He loves you and it is His joy to draw you closer to Him. He is in pursuit of you and that is perhaps all the more reason for big changes to happen and big questions to come about in your life for I have found in those moments I draw nearer to Him, rely on Him, not to just get me through it, but to get to know Him more. Many times we go through our Christian walk when change hits us feeling like we are barely holding on to God, when in fact it is He that holds us the entire time.
How wonderful that the cost of this change of knowing Him, the full price has already been paid by Him, He has already paid with His life, all we have to do is accept Him.
Change can be a stressor, sometimes we have a warning that it is coming, sometimes we walk through a door and it is there to greet us and in one instant we are going a different direction. "We would like for you to consider retirement now...", "The test results are positive...", "We are moving the company in a different direction..." "We would like for you to consider moving to another office located in another state...", no matter how the change hits it takes a moment, we take a breath and in that moment we come to a fork in the road. There is a choice to make or perhaps the choice has been made for us and we are to just follow the assignment. Those moments can bring us to a place we never thought we would be five minutes ago, because five minutes ago it was just the beginning of summer right?
Change brought us from Missouri to Oklahoma, my wife was offered an opportunity with a local hospital and after weighing out everything and looking at all of the changes that this meant we had questions, BIG ones.
Change many times often makes us ask questions, Germany? where is Germany ? Why did this happen to me? how does this happen? It is within these moments of change that I am so thankful for my relationship with Christ. Without Him all you have are questions, but knowing Him, having a personal relationship with Him, you get the answers. You are able to bring those questions to Him in prayer, to talk with him about how you feel. He loves to hear us ask why, how, and where, more importantly He loves answering us. If you feel wronged by a friend, an employer, a spouse, a parent, tell Him, talk with Him. If you don't understand something that is going on in your life, ask Him to show you why. He knows you, He understands you more than anyone. He loves you and it is His joy to draw you closer to Him. He is in pursuit of you and that is perhaps all the more reason for big changes to happen and big questions to come about in your life for I have found in those moments I draw nearer to Him, rely on Him, not to just get me through it, but to get to know Him more. Many times we go through our Christian walk when change hits us feeling like we are barely holding on to God, when in fact it is He that holds us the entire time.
How wonderful that the cost of this change of knowing Him, the full price has already been paid by Him, He has already paid with His life, all we have to do is accept Him.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
God's Promise - in an Epic Storm
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma became our home in January of 2011, it also became the bulls eye of the strongest Blizzard in recent history this past week, and it is not over yet, we have more snow called for in the forecast. We have spent time together inside, keeping in touch with loved ones in Missouri and monitoring Facebook. Cars and trucks were abandoned on a closed down I 44 from Tulsa to Springfield, Missouri, and it felt strange that even if we wanted to get back to where we had lived for years we could not get there with the main interstate closed down for days.
Storms have a way of putting us on alert, the warnings ring out, our senses are conditioned to pay attention and to make sure you are prepared to seek shelter, and to make sure you have taken certain precautions in order to protect yourself and your family. We immediately went to the store to stock up on basic food and supplies gearing up to be trapped for a few days, and it was there as I looked at some empty shelves, that I realized how we are truly blessed to live in a time when we have big huge markets to go to, can you imagine how our ancestors that coped with storms like this where they were trapped for days and made due with what was available and stored and stocked up, today we panic if we think we will not be able to get to the store for 3 or 4 days.
Storms have this way of measuring us giving us a barometer of where we may be in our faith, we don't have to be in a boat and feel the waves all of sudden come up on us any more, no we now have the capability of viewing Doppler radar and seeing the gathering clouds coming in over the Rockies from space so that we can really build up our fear days before so that it has plenty of time to really set in our hearts and give us even more time to worry, to let fear come over you, to cause you to rush to the store and buy 3 carts full of groceries just in case you have to go 4 days without getting to the store.
Just like the 12 disciples waking up a sleeping Jesus, telling Him it was storming, we hit our panic button, we start thinking about what we can do to help ourselves in this situation which assumes we have some sort of control when the storms of life can come across but every once in awhile the size of the storm is so epic that you realize that there is only Christ who has control, we can shovel, we can stock up, run to the store and buy groceries, but the storm hits and God reminds us that He holds our life and has a plan that He is bringing to fulfillment. The night in the boat, the storm came, the disciples panic, the Lord is sleeping, they wake Him, and then He calms the sea and quiets the storm. Many of us who are familiar with the ending of this story read over it and we miss the purpose, we jump to the end because we anticipate it, Jesus stopped the storm He CALMED the sea, in doing so the purpose of the storm is revealed, more importantly He was revealed to them, what an amazing experience to draw on, to live through to witness and to rely on. Can you imagine the impact on their faith, living through that, seeing Christ calm the storm, these were the men that would carry on to establish the church after He was crucified, they would give testimony to who He was, they would face more storms in their life to come with the experience of knowing the one who with one command they saw him calm the sea.
God is still in control today, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the epic Blizzard of 2011 has made its place in history even as the drifts are still at my front door about 2 feet high, I am reminded that no matter how deep the snow will drift or the winds will blow, God is in control, and has a plan here in Oklahoma, for each person to come to know Him, and have a relationship with Him.
Storms have a way of putting us on alert, the warnings ring out, our senses are conditioned to pay attention and to make sure you are prepared to seek shelter, and to make sure you have taken certain precautions in order to protect yourself and your family. We immediately went to the store to stock up on basic food and supplies gearing up to be trapped for a few days, and it was there as I looked at some empty shelves, that I realized how we are truly blessed to live in a time when we have big huge markets to go to, can you imagine how our ancestors that coped with storms like this where they were trapped for days and made due with what was available and stored and stocked up, today we panic if we think we will not be able to get to the store for 3 or 4 days.
Storms have this way of measuring us giving us a barometer of where we may be in our faith, we don't have to be in a boat and feel the waves all of sudden come up on us any more, no we now have the capability of viewing Doppler radar and seeing the gathering clouds coming in over the Rockies from space so that we can really build up our fear days before so that it has plenty of time to really set in our hearts and give us even more time to worry, to let fear come over you, to cause you to rush to the store and buy 3 carts full of groceries just in case you have to go 4 days without getting to the store.
Just like the 12 disciples waking up a sleeping Jesus, telling Him it was storming, we hit our panic button, we start thinking about what we can do to help ourselves in this situation which assumes we have some sort of control when the storms of life can come across but every once in awhile the size of the storm is so epic that you realize that there is only Christ who has control, we can shovel, we can stock up, run to the store and buy groceries, but the storm hits and God reminds us that He holds our life and has a plan that He is bringing to fulfillment. The night in the boat, the storm came, the disciples panic, the Lord is sleeping, they wake Him, and then He calms the sea and quiets the storm. Many of us who are familiar with the ending of this story read over it and we miss the purpose, we jump to the end because we anticipate it, Jesus stopped the storm He CALMED the sea, in doing so the purpose of the storm is revealed, more importantly He was revealed to them, what an amazing experience to draw on, to live through to witness and to rely on. Can you imagine the impact on their faith, living through that, seeing Christ calm the storm, these were the men that would carry on to establish the church after He was crucified, they would give testimony to who He was, they would face more storms in their life to come with the experience of knowing the one who with one command they saw him calm the sea.
God is still in control today, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the epic Blizzard of 2011 has made its place in history even as the drifts are still at my front door about 2 feet high, I am reminded that no matter how deep the snow will drift or the winds will blow, God is in control, and has a plan here in Oklahoma, for each person to come to know Him, and have a relationship with Him.
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