Polish Your Shoes

My mom first taught me as a child that "What is for you will not go by you . . ." and as a child I found this to be true. Being a wise mother when I reached the right age she then expanded on this and taught me " . . .But you do not always get what you want." I always found it funny that the years spent repeating the first part of her pearls of wisdom greatly outnumbered the latter and yet both now are remembered equally and they fit so well together that there must be a biblical connection somewhere though I have not found one.

The most remembered quote though from my mum was only said to me once when I asked why my older sister was always getting new clothes and I was not "a girl is as well out the world as out the style" was my mums reply to which she added "all a man needs is an ironed shirt and well polished shoes" and so to this day I keep my shoes polished and my shirts laundered with light starch. Well some of my shirts others are dry cleaned because of the material they are made from. It is funny how little things we say in a moment stay with those who love us forever. May I ask what pearls of wisdom you are passing on with or without knowing it to your children?

My moms remark taught me the importance of well polished shoes. I found out later in life that a mans shoes is one of the first things a woman notices about a him. I am glad that mine were polished that night as it led to a wonderful friendship that has lasted over many years.

One of my most treasured possessions is a a simple wooden shoe brush. It belonged to my father who always kept his shoes well polished. I have never seen a brush like it. It was probably made a long time ago and did not cost much but it has a neat handle and seems to give my shoes a magical shine or is that just my imagination?

Thoughts of a Soldier

It is memorial weekend but to those who have lost their father everyday is memorial day. My dad was a soldier in the Argyle & Southern Highlanders in world war two and was fortunate to return but I remember him showing me a picture of his regiment taken at Stirling castle before they left for war and very few of the men in that picture returned home to Scotland.

So today as I spend the day with my son I am thinking of a soldier, my father and his grandfather, who he never met and others like him from America who gave us the ability to enjoy our day living in freedom.

Is it not ironic that over sixty years later the British and Americans are again fighting side by side against dictatorships and tyranny for a freedom that is for others.

Thoughts of my Father

It's been so long since you held me dad,
It's been so long since you dried my tears,
It's been so long since I heard your laughter,
Wringing in my ears.

And what can I say now to a piece of stone.
Wait for me till it's my time to come home?
The years they pass so slowly deep within my heart,
And yet time passes quickly as each day I start.

I remember all you taught me,
Especially to pray,
Just like you dad every night and day,
And if you can hear them in heaven high above,
Please tell God that you planted this seed of love.

I know the words of my savior,
But I know yours too,
The little pearls of wisdom,
Like God will see you through.

The psalms and the proverbs,
Every man should read,
Wisdom and discernment,
Given to those decreed.

I am a little boy now become a man,
Following in your shadow,
Trying the best I can,
With each deed to show.

The fruit of your love,
You left here below,
Am I a failure?
Lord I hope not so.

I have to thank you Lord,
For the man who rocked my cot,
And walked along beside me,
Telling me what I must not.

It's been a long time dad,
And all I can say,
Is that I am your son,
And I cried for you today.

Toast to the Lassies

Robert Burns is often referred to as the immortal bard. Many profess to have never heard of him and yet sing his song "Auld Lang Sine" every New Year at midnight.

Being Scots myself I like to get to dress in my kilt. Go to the annual memorial "Burns Supper" held in January of each year by a Burns club in Dallas that I am a member of and on occasion when so requested by the committee give one of the speeches.

My favorite speech to give at the Burns supper is the toast to the lassies. Listed below is the last "lassies speech" that I gave in 2004. I trust that the reader will understand the Lalands dialect which comes from the lowlands of Scotland and as explained in the speech is the language the poetry was written in by Robert Burns.

unfortunately the emphasis and tone in which the speech was given is obviously lost in simply reading the written word of the speech. The bold lines may represent a memory jogger, a pause for effect, a voice inflection or an emphasis but I hope that the reader will find it interesting enough to be encouraged to either read some of Burns poetry or attend a supper in their local area.

Toast to the Lassies

In 1996 I stood by a gravesite in Scotland of a lady I never met. She had died many years before I was born. Her name was Agnes Brown of Kirkoswald, wife of William Burns and the mother of Robert Burns. As I stood there I thought of another mother called Mary who at the birth of her son the bible simply says "but Mary kept all these things in her heart" As I stood there I wondered what thoughts of her son did Agnes Burns keep in her heart?

Married to William Burns just 12 years after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion against the Crown we know very little about her except two crucial things, being poor she spoke in the old Scottish tongue called Lowlands or Lalands and she loved to sing old Scots songs to her children as they worked together in the field. Robert her eldest wrote his poetry in the old Scottish dialect in fond memory of his mother's singing.

Robert born on the 25th of January 1759 just two years after his parents marriage was influenced greatly by two women growing up, his mother and her cousin Betty Davidson who with their many stories of the local countryside and its folklore instilled in him a love of his Scottish heritage, pride in his humble beginnings and the seeds of his poetic future. Roberts mum and dad sacrificed to have him and his brother Gilbert educated in English by a private tutor named John Murdoch and so Robert easily wrote in both languages. English and Scots.

Burns was a man of simple tastes but also a complex individual. My role tonight ladies and gentlemen is to amaze you with the fact that he wrote hundreds of poems and songs by candlelight while being pursued by women. Pursued? Yes pursued. After all we are talking of a time when the bard would have to walk everywhere he went and if reality matches legend he walked a lot . . . .from bonnie hillside to bonnie hillside or perhaps I should in all modesty say from bonnie bush to bonnie bush.

Burns good friend, Maria Riddell, wrote of Robert in her memoirs that:

"None certainly ever outshone Burns in the charms – the sorcery I would almost call it, of fascinating conversation, the spontaneous eloquence of social argument, or the unstudied poignancy of brilliant repartee; nor was any man, I believe, ever gifted with a larger portion of the vivida vis amimi"

Now ladies I am sure that I do not need to interpret that for you? You have all seen a portion of the vivida vis amimi . . . . how large though I cannot say. I do know though that Maria and the many loves of Robert Burns would probably argue that not everything is bigger in Texas.

Please remember ladies and gentlemen that we are talking of a time before the automobile, the cell phone, radio and television. No fancy restaurants or shopping mall in Robert's time, no movie or rock stars just authors and poets. Robert was a poet and a local celebrity. Articulate, eloquent and handsome and don't forget ladies gifted with a large vivida vis amimi. The poor man got no rest from those ever chasing women who came into and out of his life to the tune of 16 children that we know of.

Burns never attended church on a regular basis, which is probably why he did not exactly obey the commandment that says thou shall not commit adultery. In his possibly biographical poem "Epitaph to a wag in Mauchline" he writes;

Lament him, Mauchlin husbands a'
He often did assist ye;
For if ye staid hale weeks gone,
Yer wives, they never had miss'd ye

Ye Maughlin Bairns, as on ye pass,
To school with hand the gither
O tread ye lightly on his grass,
Perhaps he was your father.

Many people criticize Burns for his womanizing and yet he was not alone between the sheets as all his offspring testify. Robert though new true love and that was with Jean Armour. We know that because he kept going back to her (and she kept accepting him).

Robert was saddened that Jean Armour's father would not allow her to marry him and when her family shipped her off to relatives living in Paisley to have the twins she was carrying he felt that she had abandoned him. He of course remembered that old adage that nothing replaces an old love like a new one and so he immediately took solace with Mary Campbell, known in his poetry, as Highland Mary.

It would seem in Robert's time a lack of day planners, computers and calendars tended to make the many women in his life seem to overlap. One thing was sure though Mother Nature kept score and by her calendar babies were born to different women just days apart. Perhaps Robert just got a little confused over old loves and new loves and on what bonnie hillside he was meant to be walking on which day and with whom.

On December 27, 1791 he wrote a memorial to his final parting with Clarinda It is without doubt written from the soul of the man. It is simply titled Ae fond kiss.

Ae fond kiss and then we sever!
Ae fareweel, alas for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Who shall say that fortune grieves him
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me,
Dark despair around benights me.

I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy,
But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever,
Had we never lovd say kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken hearted.

Very touching and very romantic as are these words he wrote to Jean Armour,

Of a the airts the wind can blaw,
I dearly like the West,
For there the bonnie lassie lives,
The lassie I lo'e best,
There wild woods grow, and rivers row,
And monie a hill between,
But day and night my fancy's flight is ever with my Jean.

I like to think that Ae Fond Kiss would never have been published without Jean's knowledge and blessing.

Women were a prime inspiration to Robert Burns and brought out the romantic in him. I think the most beautiful poem and song ever written about the love between a man and a woman is his poem red red rose.

O, my luv;s like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
My luve's like a melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

So fair thou art, my bonnie lass,
So deep in love am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun,
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands of life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve,
And fare thee weel awhile,
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

Burns first motivational inspiration was a young lady named Nellie Kirkpatrick, the Blacksmiths daughter, who inspired Burns' first song. Robert used it to win Nell's affections away from a fellow suitor of her attention. The song titled Handsome Nell lacks the warmth and feelings of red red rose but remember he was only fifteen when he wrote it.

O, once I lu'd a bonnie lass,
An aye I love her still,
An' whilst that virtue warms my breast,
I'll love my handsome Nell
She dresses aye sae clean and neat,
Baith decent and genteel;
And there's something in her gait
Gears ony dress look weel.

Was Robert Burns only interested in beautiful women not at all by the time he had reached the ripe old age of seventeen he knew what was important in a lassie . . . her mind! He writes of Alison Begbie in his poem On Cassrock Banks.

But it's not her air, her form, her face,
Tho' matching beauty's fabled queen,
Tis the mind that shines in ev'ry grace,
An' chiefly in rogueish een.

Or as his friends at the pub would no doubt say in later years. Och aye sure right Rab! A bright intellectual mind was the first thing ye noticed. It wasn't her big t' . . . Sure Rab nae doubt at a' . We believe ye. . Unfortunately for the immortal bard Miss Begbie was intelligent enough not to believe him either and to reject him.

Henpecked husbands, rejected ladies, hypocritical churchmen, lords and ladies, ghosts and goblins, the devil and his scary band, common folk and the beautiful Scottish countryside can all be found in the poetry of Robert Burns. But of all he wrote and it was vast the one thing that immerges is that though he wore many hats and played many roles during his life, poet, father, husband, friend, brother, nationalist, drunkard, cad, compassionate human being, bad boy, celebrity, brilliant humanist whatever term you wish to use when you consider his life after you read his work you have to know that he loved Scotland, he loved the common folk, he loved his children, and he loved Mrs Jean Burns and yes he loved the lassies too but above them all he loved God and his Mother.

A mother's heart my dad told me should never be broken. It is the most precious gift a man is given while on earth. As I stood by the grave of Agnes Burns that day I think in her heart she kept this thought. For all and whatever my son is I am proud of him. And in recognition of that lady's son I ask the gentlemen to be upstanding and to lift their glasses in a toast to the lady by their side and say to the lassies . . . .cheers!

Introduction

I have almost complete my book on biblical finance and wanted an introduction that would help people keep finances in the overall perspective of their life and its lesser importance to other relationships. This is what I came up with.

Introduction

There is only one God. I firmly believe this to be true. Why? And the man was asked by God will you walk with me and he said yes. The man asked God would you walk with me? And God replied I promise on My Sons life.

I was not born in America and so my thought process and experiences have been different to most Americans. My first act related to religion when I came to America was to attend the funeral of a Hispanic boy who had committed suicide and shot himself. Why I do not know. I was invited to the funeral because I was his brother’s boss.

The main question that day was not where do you live, what kind of car do you drive or how much do you earn. The boy was Roman Catholic and the question I was asked was do you think my brother will get into heaven?

As a Presbyterian I was puzzled by this remark but I was told that the Catholic Church does not believe that suicide victims get into heaven without going through purgatory. I told the brother that day what I had heard as a child that if we believe in a merciful Christ then yes he was in heaven.

My mind had gone back to the time in Scotland when my uncle had died and my aunt had asked a similar question of the minister. Do you think my husband went to heaven, as he was not baptized? The minister’s response was the same as I shared that day in Dallas long ago. I knew my uncle was in heaven because of all the good works that he had done but especially because I knew that he believed in Jesus Christ. I knew that the Hispanic boy was in heaven because of all the tears and prayers for his soul that day from loving family and friends.

Now let me share just one of my uncles good deeds with you less you think he simply gave some money to charity.

We lived in a tiny village of brick workers, coal and clay miners. One day our next-door neighbor fell into the brick-making machine and was killed. He was quite literally chopped into fine little pieces. My uncle took on the task of going into the machine and scraping his neighbor off of its insides so that the man’s mother could bury her son. Yes I firmly believe that my uncle was in heaven even though he was not baptized.

Why do I share these experiences with you in a book on biblical finance? I want you to approach this subject with humility and understanding. I want you to realize that Jesus walked everywhere and did not fly or drive a Rolls Royce. I want you to realize that the man who betrayed him was the keeper of his finances.

I want you to listen to your heart and to God. But more than this I want you to ask yourself if I die today does my money, bills, credit score or retirement mean anything to me?

To Do Lists

When people first meet me they think I live a boring life all work etc but I am a great believer in making a to do list and crossing something off each year. One item that I took off last year was to climb the temple of the sun in Mexico and to walk in the ball court. How strange to think that the winning captain thought it was an honor to give his life to take a message to the gods. Open heart surgery without medication so to speak is what I call real commitment and faith.

This year I climbed the leaning tower of Pisa and the year before last it was to the top of the Coppola of St. Peters in Rome . Of all the climbs that's the one that made me think "man I must be fit" :)

Other items knocked off the list? Well they are numerous to say the least. When I look at the list I realize how much I have been blessed and all the neat things that I have done.

Funny thing it all started with not being able to take a trip in high school because my dad had died and we could not afford it on what my widowed mum brought in. My mum told me not to worry though as one day I too would get to see Europe just as my sister had when she went on the high school trip few years earlier.

Well like most things my mother promised it certainly came true. I wonder? Did she pray for me to see the world? I don't know but I certainly have been round it more than a few times.

King David said that all we have comes from God and that He is the source of everything we have. I have certainly found this to be true in my life and king David was a man after God's own heart so he knew what he was talking about.

God bless you and yours

My dad's first lesson

I ask what is more important than being happy being yourself?

The answer is to love God and your family because this is where all true happiness begins. My father's fist lesson to me as a child . . .

"Happiness is something you carry with you. No one can give it to you."

I have found this to be oh so true but the older and wiser I get I have found that there are negative people out there who will try to steal your happiness. Please do not let them. Carry it with you everywhere you go. By all means share it but never forget it belongs to you and is a gift from God.

God bless you and yours

Knights of Foreverland

I know that I should have not mentioned the Knights :)

Why? Because I am once again being reminded that I should find a publisher and have them put out there for all the world to share. My trusty friends I thank you for your support of my humble efforts. I have made it so that it is now possible to e-mail items straight from my blog. A good idea? I know not.

Anyway on being led to look again I have been reminded that there are more than 19 poems in the saga and also I have been asked how and why did they originate. I think it is in part a blessing called friendship.

"And let me tell you of another time,
And a man who is a friend of mine."

In the beginning

I lost a dear friend not to death as hopefully he may be reading this. I simply lost him. I called his home in the Colony, TX for two or three days without success and got no response. I thought he may have been staying at his then girlfriends home in North Dallas so I called there for a few more days with no response either. After a short period of time I was very concerned to say the least. Well I finally found him in Plano General Hospital paralysed from the neck down.

I will come back to his illness and recovery another time but suffice to say that for a few months my caddy rode what I call the triangle from home to work to the hospital and back to home. Quite a few miles with lots of time to think in either direction.

One night after a serious relapse, a lot of prayer and an excellent emergency response by the hospital staff. I was headed home in the wee hours and asked God after I sincerely thanked Him for keeping my friend here on earth what could I do to cheer him up. And that is when he said write a poem for him. And so the first and a little humorous poem called "a wee story of the Knights of Forever-Land" was written.

In the early Spring,
When birds begin to sing,
Its then I polish my armor,
And think, this castle is getting kind o'dim.

My trusty steed
All winter I did feed,
Some fresh air again he doth need,
So forward we go again in search of noble deeds.

The rest of the poem goes on to introduce Sir George and Sir James the first two knights we meet in the saga. They are followed by Sir Afton, Sir Timothy, Sir Ray, Sir Robert, Sir William, Sir Roger etc.

The main story is about the love between a man and his lady and about our knights search for God, love and his wife to be. Like all stories he finds God, he understands love and he marries his bride and like true life loses his wife to death. He then tries to teach his own son about God, love and his mother as the wonderful woman his father was blessed to know and love. The poetry creates scenes like pictures in ones mind.

For example Sir James goes to visit the grave of his wife and as he sits there as the late afternoon sunshine turns into evening twightlight he shares these thoughts of the gift he was given to know and experience. True love.

Sir James reflects
A Love for Life

Love is given and not received,
Like a cooling summer breeze,
It comes with scent of flowers,
Of azure skies and gentle hours.

It is the time I spent with thee,
In simple moments neath a tree,
As we lay and touched and kissed,
Those simple things they brought us bliss.

Into my life you came one day,
On a summer evening far away,
I in turn did realize,
You were a gift and not a prize.

A gift from God to teach me well,
The important one who saved me from hell,
How did you achieve this task?
Through faith in The One that lasts.

My love for you it made me change,
Although at first I found this strange,
Slowly bit-by-bit I placed my trust in it,
This feeling of love from deep inside.

Why then you may ask, as do I,
The words would never come though I did try,
To tell you how you made me feel,
How intense and oh how real.

And that is how it should be,
This feeling for you inside of me,
I can’t now show for I knew not how,
Life is like a driven plow.

Deep the furrow is driven,
That neath the sun and under heaven,
We may backward look but only onward go,
Till we reach the end of our row.

And where we pulled together,
See the straight part of the tow,
Side by side and not apart,
Is the best for these two hearts.

Life He first gave to me,
Along with freedom to love thee,
And if I stopped a lot,
It was only capture this one thought.

My love for you could not be bought,
It is like a small for-get-me-not,
A little flower named by God,
Placed where now my feet do trod.

Over looked though you may be,
My love still I give to thee,
In this life I must onward go,
Carrying this precious love we had so.

Uncle Tommy's Lesson

I would like to share a story told to me and my dad long time ago. It was one of those stories that have stayed with me and left an impression that I never forgot. It is an important lesson in judging others.

My dad had an uncle named Tom who lived in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland and we went to visit him as my dad wanted to "check up on him" to see that he was doing alright. I always remember that the street was called Espiside Crescent why I don't know just one of those things I suppose.

It was a cold winters day and we sat close to the fire. I learned that day that men talk of things when women are not around especially men who have seen battle and experienced war first hand. My dad fought in the second world war and his uncle had fought in the first world war. How the subject got there I don't remember but I do remember uncle Tommy's words as clear as day.

I learned that day that these two men that I respected thought that war was stupid and filled with horror that stayed with a soldier the rest of his life and that is why no soldier that has experienced it ever talk s about it in public.

My dad's uncle Tommy said that during the first world war he was lying in a short trench that had suffered a direct hit from a German shell. All the men were dead except himself and a man from Glasgow. He at one side of the shell hole and the man from Glasgow at the other with about ten to fifteen men lying dead between them. Both men hoped that they may be rescued if the British advanced or if they came out looking for wounded men after dark. Tommy said that he felt sure the other man would have made it except for what happened next.

An officer who was suffering from shell shock came running up and started screaming at the dead men to attack the Germans. The man from Glasgow was badly wounded in his legs but not critical and begged uncle Tommy to crawl to a rifle and to shoot the officer before the Germans spotted him and fired another shell into the trench. Uncle Tommy was also wounded mostly in his upper body but he was not able to get to a weapon before the Germans spotted the crazy officer. Sure enough his antics drew fire down upon them and another shell landed in the trench killing the man from Glasgow and severely wounding uncle Tommy in the head to the point where it was a miracle that he survived not only the blast and shrapnel but the surgery afterwards. He carried a steel plate in his head the rest of his days.

The officer too was now wounded but not as severe as the German shell was directed at the "troops" in the trench. Later uncle Tommy heard that the officer was awarded a medal for gallantry either a distinguished service medal (DSM) or distinguished service cross (DSC) I am not sure which but he got it for bravely trying to rally two badly wounded soldiers and a trench full of dead men in the face of enemy fire as some senior officer three or four trenches back had watched this "heroic" action through a pair of binoculars.

Uncle Tommy's lesson?

Don't judge the medals on a mans chest judge the man carrying them.

DaVinci Code

The secret is thank goodness Dan Brown lacks imagination and has either a poor travel agent or does not know how to use the Florence telephone directory.

Let's start at the beginning folks the book is fictional as in made up. The places such as Rosylnn chapel are real. I know because I was born just short drive from Edinburgh. The book has a mediocre ending. The hero offers to take his lady to Florence, Italy and promises to stay at the Brunelleshi hotel. Not a bad hotel and you should encourage all your friends and those Hollywood types to stay there except Oprah of course as we don't mind her because we know that she can keep the real secret of true romance. Its called ambiance.

We also know that God turns evil into good and yours truly stayed almost a month at the Brunelleschi when they stopped the planes from flying to the USA after 9/11. It is a nice hotel but nothing great and cetainly not romantic. If you want an easy way to find it just follow the tourist signs for Dante's house but instead of turning right turn left at the little shoe store and go up the narrow alley and you are there. Have your picture taken outside to fool your friends and keep our secret.

So what is the true secret? Why do I say Mr. Brown lacks imagination? Well if I wanted to impress a lady I would not take her to the Brunelleshi nor would I finish my book there. Where would I go? Now remember this is the true secret and if you tell I will know. How will I know because it is where I go and those of you with a sense of style, grace and elegance combined with a wicked sense of humor know it is the hotel Monna Lisa. Ah I see that the intelligent ones among you noticed the double "n". Hey we are talking codes here! We have to hide it from those who search on MSN rather than Google.

OK now no rushing around the Net looking for pictures. I have attached one for you after this humble scribble. Just think how ironic to pick a hotel at the end of the book the same name as DaVinci's famous painting. A hotel which used to be a palace where the Eastern Emperor from Constantinople stayed when he visited the pope in Florence in 1439. A hotel which has an extra letter in it to keep the California hip crowd away. We all know that only Jay Lenno can spell in california but we credit that to his mother who was after all from Dumbarton but I share yet another secret.

Are we ready for the picture? Remember the promise no sharing with the Brown brigade. Only romantic bloggers wishing to have a cherished memory allowed . . .

Go back to the top of the page the picture on the left is not inside the Brunelleshi it is inside the Monna Lisa!

The Phone Call

A boy and a girl were talking to each other on the phone about their father one day and sharing memories of their childhood.

The girl said that she remembered her dad always taking care of her family, working hard for lots of hours for small pay to provide food, shelter, warmth and happiness.

The boy said he remembered his dad sharing his food with him and his sister and going without himself and how he was always giving a helping hand to other people.

The girl said that she always remembered how much her father loved her mother and how he loved to laugh and sing.

The boy said that he remembered how much his father loved his mother too and was such a great whistler.

The girl said I am getting weepy. The boy replied I am too.

The girl said I love you. The boy said I love you too.

As he hung up the phone the boy had this thought.

Dear Lord I give thanks to you in all that you do,
And in all these years,
And through all the tears,
Our dads love still comes through.

And if I stray,
As I am afraid I may,
Please forgive me,
As to you I pray.

And though the gift was short,
I learned true love can't be bought,
And from heaven,
We were given such a lot.

And I pray today that those who may,
Tell their dad I love you in some simple way,
As into their heart they gather,
Memories of the man who is there father.

Never be Obvious

Early One Morning

Early one morning,
When all was quiet and still,
I took a moment,
To think of you.

It was early before the dawn,
When a little light came on,
And a little prayer was said,
Our Father bless her golden head.

I prayed give her rest and give her peace,
And my best friend her soul doth keep,
The words were few, the thoughts were kind,
As into my heart you came to mind.

It was early this morning,
When I thought of you,
And all was quiet as I said,
Lord I thank you.

Sunsets and Poets

I suppose that I am blessed to have this for my backyard. The wondrous beauty of it never fails to capture my imagination.

I have a simple prayer I like to say each day. "God thankyou for the sunrise and sunsets each one let me never forget. Each and every one a gift from heaven a gift from God so freely given".

I wrote a poem called "Sunsets and Poets" but sadly tonight as I write I cannot find it "in the stack" or PC so it is probably on a floppy disc somewhere.

Perhaps this is a blessing though as the reader may simply wish to look and imagine themselves standing by the water but if you do remember that you are not alone because the artist is all around you and His majesty fills your eyes and your senses with His gift of love.

A peek in the diary of today 5/16/06

I spoke with my prayer partner today about my blog and asked for some feedback. His comment was well it only scratches the surface but it is a start. When I asked why? His response was you are a very complex person and biblical finance and poetry are but very small parts of your character and persona.

Persona ?. . . . . Well that word we will have to come back to later when I have given it more thought :)

My prayer partner has had a positive influence in my life. He told me during our first conversation that he "talked with God" that got my attention because he did not say he "talked to God". I can't say what my original thoughts were on hearing this (he may read this) but his conviction and sincereity made me want to hear more and though we are of different denominations we are of one faith.

That first conversation was about ten years ago and we have prayed together almost five days a week for most of those years. We pray for the sick, for those in need and over a variety of different subjects and things. Now if the praise reports are anything to go by we have more than a few success stories to tell but as none of the success is ours and it all belongs to God we never need say a word.

I believe that we are all a product not only of our family but of the people we meet along the way. You know the kind people who give you pearls of wisdom or share little stories from their lives in the hope that we will learn from them and their success or failure. People who for no apparent reason adopt you as their stray of the month and help you through a bad patch with words of encouragement and belief in you and your future success. Like the lady who wrote the words to the song "Back on my feet again" that Michael Bolton kindly sang on the radio for only me when I was at the bottom. Well there was a deeper bottom than that one time before but when you are a child you can only watch and pray and trust in God and your remaining parent.

So today if after you read this I hope that you may stop and think. Was I a positive influence today? Did I inspire someone? Did I share a smile? Did I pass on a kind word or did you say "have a wondeful day" to someone perhaps a child who just said to you my dog was run over by an automobile? This happened to my daughter some time ago in a well known chain resturant in Texas where I had taken her to "cheer her up". So please listen to a child carefully when he or she tells you something. It is very important to them.

My prayer partner is that kind of man he listens. I call Him Sir Afton the Elder Knight. I have not decided yet whether to post the 19 Knights of Foreverland poems on this blog yet. But as a tribute to my dear friend I will post one.

Sir Afton’s Third Lesson
Youth

I was a squire once and this story must be told,
Sir Afton he was young then and not quite so old,
I had neither bravery nor strength of arm,
I had not won the Lists, or wore a ladies charm.

A man I met many years ago he was so kind,
Two gifts he gave to me I always keep in mind,
He gave me precious moments taken from his time,
And a son he had who became a friend of mine.

We met on another day was it June or was it May?
Strange dear squire for I can no longer say,
Men in chains and bondage he taught to pray,
Prisoners of man to God he brought each day.

I was younger then in life and in the Lord,
I had barely just taken up the sword,
My friend he was ahead of me,
Though not to far that him I could not see.

Inspiration came one night from the Lord,
My friend he was used by my God,
The road was rocky the path was strewn,
Boulders and obstacles from the hill were hewn.

I followed the way for up the path,
I saw a man who at the last,
Was used by God to bring men home,
To sit around Lord Jesus throne.

I teach you all this day,
As he did others how to pray,
I am the elder knight it’s true,
But in the past I was young like you.

I share with you my inspiration,
That comes your day of decision,
This tale may come to mind,
Of a man who is a friend of mine.

Google Land

Google gave me a Blog,
So I wrote this with a heavenly nod,
Do no evil is what they say.
As Jesus too did one fine day.

The words He did underscore,
Were simply go and sin no more,
And in days long gone bye,
Men understood His sacrifice,
And did no evil to their fellow men.

Now of course we forget the cost,
Our savior paid upon the cross,
As many do evil across this land,
From the humble to the grand,
Each not caring about his fellow man.

So if through this blog I reach to you,
Give thanks to God for Google too,
Who spreads the word across the globe,
Via e-mail and via blog,
And remember His first wish.

Tell them of a carpenter,
Who taught His disciples to fish,
As we fishers of men,
Spread the gospel and amen,
Throughout Google land again.

The Walk

A man from Nazareth went for a walk one day,
And the world stopped to hear what He had to say,
His words were few yet all profound,
They blessed all those gathered round.

And as each asked Him about God,
What he replied made them think and nod,
So much that to this day His words are taught,
And still by man His God is sought.

I know the way as it is called,
In days of old no marbled halls,
No millions of dollars pastors displayed,
Just humble men bent to pray.

Jesus walked yet you want a jet,
Is He coming back just yet?
Sadly cleansing of the temple is needed again I see,
Jesus bought your salvation and gave it for free.

And as He hung upon the cross,
He asked forgiveness for the lost,
He bought your freedom at the highest cost,
As His blood flowed from the cross.

You cannot buy a ticket to heaven,
Freely from God it is given,
It came because a son his Father obeyed,
And went for a walk when He could have sat in the shade.

So I ask you dear friend,
Why must each program end?
With offers of books and tapes,
Junk offered for the carpenter’s sake.

The bible is the word of God,
And not one word is from a fraud,
Blessings to one and all,
It says that Jesus died to save us all.

The Message

Water droplets on the trees,
I observe them as they start to freeze.

As winter cometh once again,
To my once leafy covered little shady glen.

I look down upon the running brook,
It is still free yet slower now it looks.

And as the seasons come and go,
Each one my Lords hand it doth show.

As I in old age now study those things,
A youth leaves in favor of what life brings.

And though many times I have seen it freeze,
Tonight like frozen fingers rose to heaven are the trees.

Bony fingers raised in pain,
As the earth cries to the sun please come again.

False god that cannot answer,
Yet man and earth worship it just the same.

And in the season of His bidding,
Spring will enter once again.

To glorify with simple majesty,
That resurrection can be seen again.

And Jesus Christ He promised us,
That He will come once again.

So as you sit alone,
By the hearth you call home.

Or with your loved ones gathered round,
Happy is the melody of that sound.

Outside your window are still the trees,
And to God in summer they will breathe.

With canopy of rich green,
The message of life you may have not seen.

Investing 101

Dollar Cost Averaging

The basic principle behind Dollar Cost Averaging is very simple. Your money buys more stock, bonds or mutual funds when prices are low and less when prices are high. This technique is best suited to medium to long term investments where over time your consistent investment should lead to an average price better than trying to time the market where you may be lucky to buy at the bottom or unlucky to buy at the top of the market cycle. Please remember that Dollar Cost Averaging does not guarantee you a profit. It simply provides you with a secure method of providing the “best” median base line in the cost of your investment. It will of course also require that you keep detailed records to establish the cost basis of your investments but this small amount of extra effort is definitely worth the results achieved over time.

Dollar cost averaging also removes the emotion from investing. You decide up front how much you can or wish to contribute and put this predetermined amount away each month or quarter. One additional benefit of dollar cost averaging is that it tends to cut down on unnecessary trading and the potential resultant capital gains tax.

If you historically reinvest your dividends then you are already performing a form of dollar cost averaging. Be careful not to become excessively focused on dollar cost averaging. It is a tool and nothing more. A good tool but still a financial tool. Do not commit too much of your income towards dollar cost averaging investing after maximizing your 401(k) or IRA. You do after all need a little flexibility to reward yourself and those you love from time to time.

One thing to remember if you Dollar Cost Average via a DRIP you will need to keep track of your “cost basis”. This term simply means the price you paid for each portion/unit of stock or mutual fund you purchased. You will need this to calculate the profit or loss you will have when you decide to sell. Who needs to know this? Two people, the taxman and yourself though for different reasons. Remember you must always give unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar. You also need to know your true profit to be able to bring your tithe into the storehouse of God.

Of course if you are making monthly deposits into a savings or money market account then we do not use the term dollar-cost-averaging as you are basically accumulating capital.

Index funds

These buy a basket of stocks based on some selected financial index. Though some may from time to time hold portions in cash equivalent holdings or even futures contracts, options or swaps related to the underlying index so it is important to read the funds prospectus. Indexing may help you to eliminate some of the risks associated with active trading or active management such as poor timing or poor security selection. Indexing may also help increase your after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment funds.
The goal of an index fund is not necessarily to beat the market but to meet the same market performance as the selected index. Please remember that this is generally before management fees and expenses so it is vital to pick a fund with a good track record of low management fees and expenses such as Vanguard or Fidelity.

An index fund like an actively managed fund carries with it a varying amount of risk and this is related to the overall market, the strategy of the fund and the management of the fund itself. Remember that the fund manager’s track record is very important so if he or she leaves the fund you should watch the funds performance and if it drops you may wish to consider leaving too.

Some index funds may use the term “representative sampling” this is investing in a representative sample of securities in the relevant underlying index, which have a similar investment profile as the underlying index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics and fundamental characteristics plus the liquidity measure of the underlying index but do not hold all of the securities that are included in the relevant underlying index. Thus we see a variance in performance called tracking error. This may result in lower returns than the actual index itself. Again please remember to read the funds prospectus.

Let us look at market risks. Every stock or mutual fund is subject to market risk. We will discuss mutual funds in more detail a little later. Depending on the security you select it will be subject to asset class risk, passive investment risk, concentration risk, tracking error risk, management risk, derivative risks and currency risks if foreign currency transactions or comparisons are involved.

All investments may lose money over the short term due to market movements or over the long term due to market downturns. For this reason you should never fall in love with an individual stock or fund but set both buy and sell limits when considering your purchase.

What does the bible say about risk?

Cast your bread upon the water for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight.

Ecclesiastics 11:1-2

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Ecclesiastics 11:6

The bible instructs us to diversify our investments because you do not which will be successful. Hence the statement we find on every mutual fund prospectus about past performance or earnings being no guarantee of future profits. If any one tells you that they can double your money and make you rich – run and take your money with you. If you want safety then do as the Lord instructed and put your money on deposit for interest.

Each person though as a good steward should learn how to handle the talents allotted to them. It is up to you to ensure that your 2/10 or 1/5 is working all the time so that the harvest is constantly increasing as is your tithe and first fruits to the Lord. If you do not take care of your money others will do it for you, but you will find either it is all gone or greatly diluted. It is your duty to be a good steward and manage your money.

So what is the first step towards taking care of and investing your money after you are out of debt? First save a portion in cash on deposit for interest as stated in the scripture above. It is through the power of compound interest that money on deposit grows and the sooner in life that you remove debt and start to save the more you will have to spend, tithe, and share. However always remember to help others especially the poor or those in need. We spend a lot of time learning about so many different things in school but we have to teach our children and ourselves about managing money and proper diversification.

Thought for Mother's Day

We all tend to think of our mother today. Those of us who have lost them to death know that special feeling of loss and live with our cherished memories but not all mother's have a happy mother's day. Some think of a lost child or husband and still others of a child in trouble. I received a phone call from one such mother tonight but sadly I lack the wisdom to solve her problem.

I could only advise her to turn it over to God in prayer. I trust that she will not mind me sharing this poem that I wrote for them with the world wide web for if another mother reads this and simply says God bless them then her reward will be great in heaven.

A mere man like myself cannot imagine what the pain must be like to be seperated from the child you carried in your womb but God knows and I believe He honors mother's and their prayers.


A Mother’s Prayer

A mother cried to heaven,
That her child’s sin be forgiven,
And that a mother’s prayer,
Be heard and answered there.

God send your angel tonight,
To lead my angel back to the light,
That I again may hear,
Mum I love it here.

My home lord I do pray,
Make it sunny on that day,
Like the prodigal son,
She again doth return.

May my arms open wide,
Convey the love I feel inside,
And may my prayer,
Be carried there.

That she may know,
It tears my heart open so,
To simply be apart,
From the gentle beating of her heart.

I am a mother here below,
The one you did the gift bestow,
To always remember with pride,
The months I carried her inside.

So God I do confess,
It may be a small matter in this great universe,
But amid my prayer and tears,
No greater joy would end my fear.

Than for you to restore again,
My child, my love, my best friend,
And then to her I may say,
Thank God for this glorious day.

Mother's Day

It is mother’s day tomorrow,
And my heart is wracked with tears,
Over a loss it cannot bear,
Through the passing year.

And if I knelt before you,
What would you tell me to say?
I am looking to you lord,
For she always told me to pray.

Pray in your time of sadness,
Pray in your time of joy,
Pray with thanks for each blessing,
And for his mercy from above.

What prayer may I ask you lord?
Replaces a mother’s love,
Please I beg you tell me as to you tonight I pray,
As my mother taught me each and every day.

Father in heaven high above,
My mother is the one, who taught me,
About my saviors love,
Why then can’t it touch me?

I see lord the sunshine,
And the stream that flows by,
Works of thy fingers,
Ordered from on high.

And if a man doth ask you,
What would you say?
You are doing the right thing,
When to me you pray.

For I am your heavenly father,
And at my golden throne,
Stood a woman who loved me,
One I had brought home.

And when I asked her,
What did she leave behind?
Children that love you lord,
My she was so kind.

So tonight you may ask me,
As you kneel again in prayer,
To the God you know is really there,
What replaces a mother’s love?

And I will fulfill my son’s promise,
To always to you be near,
To never leave you,
And all your days to share.

Its mother’s day tomorrow,
And I understand your loss,
I felt it too as they nailed my son,
To a wooden cross.

He told the world that I loved him,
Though they did not believe,
I had written it in scripture,
And had the prophets it foretell.

Your mother she knew it,
And did speak of it very well,
My son he did acknowledge her,
As at the throne he everyone did tell.

Its mother’s day tomorrow,
And I will smile and say,
My savior he doth love me,
And my mother who taught me to pray.

Credit Cards

The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Proverbs 22:7


You have seen them on television, heard them on the radio and definitely had them stuffed in your mailbox. Advertisements from credit card companies for everything from flowers, diaries, chocolate and watches to life insurance, rewards programs, luxury hotels, vacations and weekend get aways. The perfect couple pictured enjoying themselves by a sunny pool or on a deserted sandy beach. Supplemented with special offers from automobile rental companies, airlines, hotels and fancy restaurants all packaged to make you dissatisfied with the way you are living and to make you feel that you deserve the good life because you are entitled to it. This great life style is yours for the asking because you have arrived. You have good credit!

Fact is you are entitled to nothing you have not worked for. You are being asked to give them your budgeted expenditure plus your discretionary expenditure but much more importantly to pledge your future income whether from earned or unearned sources.

Lose your job, get into financial difficulty due to poor health or fail to consistently pay at least the minimum required payment and these same corporations will introduce you to collection agents, lawyers, debt collection agencies, bad credit reports and all the while continue to send you offers of more plastic at ever increasing higher interest rates. You go from living the high life and being made to feel special to a person of low self-esteem and a life of misery.

Should you have a credit card? Absolutely but as a financial tool to do your bidding and as a mechanism to help you in tracking and controlling your spending. Control! You say control. Yes control because the credit card company does something most people are too lazy to do, they track all of your spending and document it. Some credit card companies provide you with a copy monthly free of charge if you pay off all of your balance each month. Even if your card has an annual fee is it not a reasonable price for this data collection and correlation? How much time and effort would it take you to come up with this accurate an itemized list? Use this information as an action item list to control your annual expenditure and to plan your credit purchases.

What about errors on credit charges? Do these happen? Yes of course they do but they are rare and almost all credit card companies will work with you to solve any legitimate mistake or erroneous charge. It is after all in their interest (literally) to keep you as a client.

Ask yourself why does the mortgage rate drop with the interest rate set by the Fed yet your credit card interest rate marches on. The answer is simple no legislation or government mechanism to make them. You will hear them say that a competitive market keeps interest rates low but this is not so. So how do you get the credit card companies to cut your rate? Simple tell them you are going to change credit card companies.

It is amazing how this simple tactics works but be reasonable if you are paying over 20% then ask for 12% not 6 or 7%. If you are paying 11 or 12% then you should try for 9%. The lower your rate the less reduction you can expect. You will be fortunate indeed if you can find one at 1 or 2% above prime but this is possible and will depend entirely on your credit score and current promotional activity at the individual credit card company.

A credit card in your pocket is two things. One a financial product in the eyes of the credit card issuer and two a financial tool in your eyes. Once you let it become a financial product to you then you are headed towards financial trouble. Do not pledge excessive amounts of your future financial income to your credit card. Control your spending habits and always pay off your credit card debt when the bill comes in each month. The only pledge you should make is your tithe to the church. Always remember to “praise the Lord and pay the bill”.

What about transferring balances between credit cards? These offers should come with one simple instruction in big bold letters READ THE SMALL PRINT. If you are in a position where you have to consider teaser offers then your credit card debt is already out of control. Please keep in mind that many teaser rates can disappear if you are late by even one payment or within a given time period after the transfer. More and more the small print is actually permitting the new company to change the interest rate at will and possibly to a higher rate than your old credit card.

So please pay off your credit card every month. Be aware that one months missed payment cam affect two future months interest and always use your credit card as a financial tool to track monthly and annual expenditures. You should only select a card that gives cash back rather than hotel or airline points or some other similar awards, as this is a true financial measure with no black out dates or restriction on use. Of course more and more some card companies are providing both options and if you select one of these then you give yourself added flexibility but always make sure that your card has the redeem cash option.

So what do you do once you have control over your debt? Do not forget that many have been there before you (in debt) and many will be there after you some for the second or third time so start today to take charge of your finances and do not become one of those who do not change their ways and as the bible says like a dog returned to eat its vomit.

Use your credit card wisely and you will find it both a useful and invaluable tool.

God Bless you and yours

A Tear in Heaven

I heard a tear in heaven,
I know I heard it fall,
It fell on the day,
Our savior gave His all.

The angels too they heard it,
And slowly turned in fear,
Just in time to watch,
The Father lose all He held dear.

God He could not watch the earth,
As His only begotten son,
Died for mankind,
To pay the price of sin.

Jesus said it is finished,
With His last earthly breath,
And in the throne room of heaven,
Was no peace or happiness.

The sky it then blackened,
As God turned away,
And man terrified,
Rued his actions that day.

The devil danced with gladness,
His minions too did bound,
Tearing down the curtain,
Throwing it on the ground.

Promises of resurrection,
Would true the testament be found?
Would salvation from heaven,
To earth be sent down.

Would mankind be given?
Grace by God above,
The promised present,
Bought by Jesus with his blood.

Three long days they waited,
Till the sun an empty tomb did kiss,
As at sunrise Jesus rose,
With the promised gift.

Out of love. He gave us,
Salvation bought by His son,
That repentant man,
Again to God may come.

I heard a tear in heaven,
I know I heard it fall,
It fell on the day,
My savior gave His all.

A Father cried in heaven,
Over such a sacrifice,
And on earth mankind,
Realized that Jesus was the Christ.

Bible Promises: Isaiah 58

I have heard some talk of a $58 dollar seed as being a special requirement that unlocks some mystical key to prosperity but the bible is quite clear on this subject. You will prosper as your soul prospers and God wishes obedience more than sacrifice.

So in plain language what does Isaiah 58 say and does it make certain promises. The answer like most important items in the bible is yes it does make promises as it lays out the guidelines for charity work acceptable to God. As Jesus said what you have done for the least of these you have done for me.

Charity begins at home in your local community. You must first take care of your extended family and then spread outwards to other communities and countries. Good stewardship is important and by first building where you can see the fruits of your labor you can understand more clearly the importance of Isaiah 58. It is a model plan for improving your own community and all those who live in it. By restoring and rebuilding, repairing and taking care of what previous generations have left us plus adding suitable new buildings to the fabric of our community we add to the quality of life of those around us. The ones we call family, friends and neighbors. The ones on whose faces we see a smile as they begin again or thank their community for showing that they both care and are obedient to God’s word. Isaiah 58 is the foundation of Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Red Cross and the local Food Bank/Kitchen. The hungry are everywhere, the homeless are everywhere, those in need of clothing are everywhere, and those in need are everywhere. There is no sin in first taking care of your local community before reaching out further a field.

Sadly in today’s modern world there are those who take donations to support their own lifestyle. Administration fees absorb excessive amounts of the annual income received via donations from the givers. Abuse is always better seen at the local level and trust built as one sees the reward of their giving in the smile of a neighbor or friend. Corrupt governments, organizations and administrations cannot steal what they cannot touch.

Isaiah 58 teaches us

Feed the Hungry
Provide shelter to the homeless
Clothe those in need
Take care of your family

In doing so you will

Be healed quickly
Become righteous
God will protect your back
You will call and God will answer you

Further more it adds that you must not

Oppress the weak
Point or compare yourself to others
Spread gossip

But rather must assist the oppressed. If you do then,

Your light will become bright
The Lord will guide you always
He will satisfy your needs
He will strengthen your body
You will be made whole in mind, body and spirit
Your family will rebuild ancient ruins and raise up ancient foundations.
Be a repairer of broken walls.
You will become a restorer of streets with dwellings

It is also important to

Keep the Sabbath
Call the Sabbath a delight

Remember the Holy Day is honorable. Do not go your own way or speak idle words; this brings joy in the Lord. And you will ride the heights of the land and feast on the inheritance.

So take your $58 and feed a local family or paint a neighbors fence or spruce up an elderly persons yard or help that child who needs a new pair of jeans and see the rewards of Isaiah 58 every day.

God bless you and keep you always.