are you ready for March Madness?

You can expect to see a lot of "march madness" postings on my blog in the next month. It is the best time of the year for those of us who love college basketball. Get ready by watching the video from 1992 when Duke won the NCAA National Championship - CBS's "One Shining Moment"

just imagine

On the way to work at the beginning of January, a billboard caught my eye on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. At first glance, the billboard had two beautiful stained glass windows, side by side. The next day as I passed by I read the billboard further and noticed that one stained glass window had the words "Imagine" while the window to the right had two words "No Religion." My first thought was "who would put up such a billboard in the Bible belt?" Another day passed and while on my way to work again, I finally read the smaller print across the bottom that stated the ad was placed by a group advocating "freedom from religion." First, as a citizen in the U.S.A. our "Bill of Rights" promises us freedom of religion, not from religion. Our country was settled by many who fled England so they could worship God freely. Second, the phrase "imagine no religion" is a thought provoking statement and was the first phrase of "Imagine" - a beautiful tune written by John Lennon of the Beatles in the late 1960's. I was in junior high at that time and seem to remember that the Beatles lost a lot of fans, especially when John Lennon declared that they were more popular than Jesus Christ. My parents forbade us from listening to them after that. Ironically, much of the song's lyrics this "dreamer" wrote about will come to pass during the Millennium, the 1000 year reign of Christ, after the Great Tribulation, all thanks to Jesus Christ. Another thought which came to mind that week was "why do people think all religion is bad?" The Bible has much to say about religion and there is good religion (pure and undefiled) and bad (the Pharisees were religious but not saved.) I do not believe the option of "no religion" would be a positive thing. I was also irritated that someone would put this slogan on a billboard and that I had to drive by it every day. But God met my need during that week. On the following Sunday and for the rest of January, we would begin our services at church using a song written by Cindy Berry titled "Just Imagine." The main focus of the song is that we should try to imagine how it would be to live in Heaven and not on earth, "to walk on streets of gold" and "gather around the throne and sing praises to the Lamb." The song ends with the phrase, "Just imagine when Jesus comes again." God used that song to help my drive to work during that month. As soon as my eyes would see the billboard each morning, I would burst into song, "Just imagine when Jesus comes again!"

it is well with my soul

What a joy it is that God has allowed me to participate in the choir at Berean Baptist Church. We recently sang a choral arrangement of "It Is Well With My Soul" which was preceded by narration from our music pastor giving the story behind the song. One of our church members developed this powerpoint presentation to be used with the song and last week it was posted on youtube. I hope you will be blessed by this video:

family photo Sunday

As you can see, my son is having too much fun as a youth pastor. This was taken at their recent "Nerd's the Word" youth activity. You can see more photos at the church website.

Duke shines in victory over St. Johns

After two straight losses I knew the Dukies would have to make a statement as they played St. Johns today. Being a non-conference game took some of the pressure off I am sure. But after St. Johns started the game with 7-0 run, I was hoping the Blue Devils would not wait until the 2nd half to try and turn the game (and team) around. No need to worry, the team recovered from the slow start, led by 18 at the half and won the game handily with a final score of 86 - 56. All the players shined in this game and this was the Duke team I am used to watching. My only complaint today was that CBS left the game with 14 minutes to go and switched to the Kansas-Oklahoma State. I had to read the play by play on the internet for the rest of the game. So what changed? One change I noticed - the player who came off the bench Wednesday night to lead the comeback at Miami (when the team was down by 20 points) - John Scheyer was a starter today. Also according to CBS commentators, Coach K met with every player individually after the loss to Miami. The soul-searching must have worked! Read more at Observations from above the rim(blog)
Game Stats(espn.com)

family news

Congratulations to the proud new parents, Craig and Lori (Baggett) Wardlaw, on the birth of their baby daughter - Charlee Ann. The baby was due in March, so we are happy that both mom and daughter are doing well. Charlee Ann was born at 9PM on Tuesday, Feb.19th, and weighed 6lb, 7 oz. Also, Congrats to the Joann and David for their 2nd grandchild - send pictures please!

I mentioned last month to pray for Janelle as she had a test for her atrophic kidney. She received a good report and gets to keep her kidney. She will go back in six months for another check-up.

Looking ahead, we have a wedding around the corner, in just about one month. We are looking forward to "getting the last one out of the nest." Hey, "we're not losing a son, we're gaining a daughter." (Those old cliches are so true!) "Brandon and Rachel will tie the knot" on March 29th. Our oldest son (and brother) Pastor Josh will be performing his first wedding! If all works out as planned, our middle son Stephen and Leah will have another daughter just in time for the wedding. We will enjoy the family gathering together for this special time and will get to meet Rachel's parents who are missionaries. The wedding will take place at Victory Baptist in Jacksonville so we will get to enjoy our friends there, too. Josh and Janelle left Victory to minister at Hope Baptist in Pennsylvania. He will be preaching for both services on the Sunday after the wedding at his "home" church. I wonder if any of his "nursery workers" will be around for this day.

dukies lose again!

What a miserable game for us Duke fans, at least until the last 6 minutes or so! The Blue Devils were down by 20 points in the second half before they staged a comeback to "almost" win. I am not sure what happened during the first half and most of the second because this was not the same Duke team that beat North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. Duke had the last shot and Demarcus Nelson made a 3 pointer from half-court at the buzzer to end the game with the final score of Miami 96, Duke 95. You have to give Miami credit as they played just like we are used to watching the Dukies play - maybe they watched a lot tapes in preparation for this game! The ACC is a tough conference and I realize Duke could lose a few more games before March Madness begins. I will have to work on keeping my blood pressure down!
DUKE HEADLINES:
'Canes deal another defeat to Blue Devils
Coaches heating up UNC-Duke rivalry

cool beans and other stuff

Readers Digest is now available on line - check out this link to their cartoon gallery.

Did you read in the news about the couple in Minnesota that are celebrating their 83rd anniversary? Clarence (101) and Mayme Vail (99) have probably set a record as the longest married couple alive in the U.S.

Have you forgotten? This movie will remind you about the events of 9/11/2001 - The Cross and The Towers

Cross-shaped ruin to stay at Ground Zero
by USA TODAY Saturday, May 13, 2006NEW YORK
(AP) — The foundation in charge of developing ground zero's memorial and museum pledged to permanently display the two pieces of steel left standing in the
shape of a cross after the World Trade Center collapsed

Washington's birthday

Last week I mentioned that on this day, the third Monday of February, we would celebrate all of the President's birthdays. But I have learned that I was wrong - this day is the official birthday for George Washington.

Even though Washington was born on February 22nd, our nation has chosen the third Monday of the month to celebrate our greatest President.

Read more at foxnews and heritage.org: "It's Washington's birthday"

George Washington at a glance (from millercenter)

family photo Sunday

I found this clipping from the newspaper in an old photo/scrap book (Click to enlarge) and it brings back a lot of memories! This was taken right before the "dinner on the grounds" celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Calvary Baptist Church, in October 1968. My dad who founded the church and his sister, Aunt Emily, are almost hidden in the back row on the left side. My young mother is the 2nd person on the second row from the left. (I wonder who that is with the bee hive hardo!) My oldest sister, Debbie, is right in the middle with her "That Girl!"(Marlo Thomas) hairdo. My youngest sister, Loretta, is the 2nd person from the right on the front row, looking like a little angel, and I am behind her - pestering her as usual. I also recognize a very young cousin Pat holding a baby - must be Donna - and husband Don on the back row.

cool beans and other stuff

Check out msn.com for The 10 Best Foods You're Not Eating

Our family in Wisconsin must be having fun (or misery) as the news reported they have had record snowfall for the season (and it's not over yet): read The Badger Herald article and Leah's blog which reports that Stephen is busy plowing snow for extra cash.

Kodak.com offers these Top Ten Tips for taking better pictures with your digital camera.

I thought this was an interesting commentary (you will not hear this on the news) about Bush's very good year by Kudlow of the Washington Times

We watched the movie "Chariots of Fire" recently and it sparked my interest in Eric Liddell, the Scottish Christian who refused to run his track meet during the Olympics on a Sunday. The movie just touched on one small time period of his life, as he went on to be a missionary in China. He opted to stay in China while sending his family to Canada, was rounded up by the Japanese during WWII and died in a prison camp...Read more about Eric

Jericho is back for Season 2

My son got us hooked on watching Jericho last year. This series depicts what might happen if there were a nuclear attack on the USA. About 14 major cities are destroyed across the country, like New York, Atlanta, Denver, etc. Those left in the smaller cities have to learn to defend themselves, protect their food supply, etc. I am happy to report that season 2 began last night, Tuesdays at 10 pm EST on CBS. It seems CBS was going to cancel this series, but after a lot of emails, phone calls, and bloggers got involved, they are giving it another shot. If you missed it on TV last night, you can go to CBS.com and watch all full episodes of season 1 and the first episode of season 2: "Reconstruction."

birthdays in US History

Even though his birthday is now celebrated on the third Monday of February, Abraham Lincoln was actually born today(2/12). President's Day is a fairly recent holiday established to honor both Lincoln and George Washington (born 2/22) and I suppose all the other presidents. (photo of Lincoln at Antietam battlefield)

In honor of the birthday of Honest Abe, hear are some links to sites to refresh your memory:

Abraham Lincoln at a glance(millercenter.com)

The biography of Lincoln (Whitehouse.gov)

About the assassination of Lincoln (aol.com)

dukies surprising everyone but me

As many of you know my sons and I are huge Duke fans, ever since the 1991 and 1992 seasons, when Duke won back-to-back NCAA basketball championships. When the season began this year, Duke was not considered to be in contention for the final four in March. But after the past 11 wins in a row, including beating #3 North Carolina last week at the Dean Dome, everyone is talking about the Dukies. Now at the #2 spot in the polls, Duke has been able to win by playing intensely with full force for 40 minutes. With 8 All-Americans on the team, Duke has a tremendous bench. In some of the recent games, there were 5 or 6 players in double figures. Jon Scheyer is my favorite player on the team. As a freshman last year, he started every game. But this year, instead of being a starter, he has been willing to be the "sixth man" and come off the bench. His challenge this year was to play like a starter, while coming off the bench, and play with a great attitude. Scheyer is definitely a winner.

If you missed the games last week, check out the links and highlight video below.

• Blue Devils give Tar Heels a chemistry lesson
• No. 2 Duke extends its winning streak to 11
• photos from the Boston College game

family photo Sunday

Where were you at the turn of the century?

I took this photo of Stephen and Brandon in our living room in Jacksonville on January 1, 2000 at 12 AM; and Y2K was much ado about nothing!

Happy Birthday Brandon

Wow, our "baby" is 27 today! Time flies doesn't it. From now until March 27th, my three sons are 27, 28 and 29 - how did we do that!?

Brandon, hope you had a good birthday and hope the card arrived on time!

February Birthdays Slideshow

our bill of rights

In 1789 the first Congress of the United States convened and proposed 12 amendments to our Constitution. Of those, 10 were ratified by the states and became our "Bill of Rights" in 1791. We, the people, should read these from time to time to remind us of our rights as citizens of this great country.

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

the beginning of the Reagan era

The hotly contested Republican primary season reminds me of the beginning of the Reagan era.

Yes, I was there back in May of 1976, when Ronald Reagan visited the campus of Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn. He was running for the republican nomination against the "chosen one" of the Republican establishment, Gerald Ford.

You may recall that President Gerald Ford was never elected into that office. He was chosen by President Richard Nixon to be his Vice-President, replacing then Vice-President Agnew, who became the first Vice-President to resign office. Later, when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford became the President for the remainder of the term. I have always believed that the Republican "establishment" chose Ford to be their number one candidate during the 1976 primary season (He went on to lose to Jimmy Carter.) Even though Reagan did not win the nomination that year, we were excited that someone with his convictions and backbone was finally running for President. Four years later he would go on to become the President and serve two terms. I believe Reagan could have served three or four terms if the Constitution allowed.

The rally at Tennessee Temple was huge. I remember the wall-to-wall feeling in that gymnasium. I was in the concert band and we were asked to perform during the rally, playing Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." The security was tight, but nothing like it would be today. click to read an article from Chattanooga.com

family photo Sunday

This is a photo of our youngest son, Brandon, on the day he was born at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida, 27 years ago (1981) on February 9th. Thanks to all my sons for the new scanner they gave me for Christmas. I was able to scan this photo and restore the color, so we do not look orange in this photo now.

super Tuesday

Super Duper Tuesday is almost here - 24 states including Georgia will be holding their primaries. Click to view the Yahoo Political Dashboard for 2008. Check out the national polls as well as the individual state polls.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution publishes a "Pastor's" Roundtable each Saturday. This week's question is "What is most important to you this election season?"
click to read the answers from the area's ministers including our Pastor, Dan Sweatt

Of course, Mike Huckabee was endorsed by Chuck Norris "Walker Texas Ranger" himself, and went on to win in IOWA. Watch this video below for some humor.