The Satan Worshipping Girls From the Year I Lost My Mind

Hey gang!

Do you ever read other people’s stuff and get inspired to share? Sure you do. Today it’s my turn. This morning, I was reading a few of my favorite bloggers and came to my friend Matt’s The Church of No People. He talked about how he almost got conned by a couple people that “supposedly” found a wallet on the street while in college.

He then asked the question, “Do you have a stupid story to share?” For those of you that know me, you know I have plenty of them. I could start anywhere in my life. Part of it is because I’m more naive about people than I like to admit. I always try to see the good side and don’t like to admit that other people are nuttier than an Almond Joy bar.

This story comes from December 1993, a couple months before I got saved. I like to lovingly called 1993 THE YEAR I LOST MY MIND. My friend Steve Felosa calls it the YEAR OF ME DOING STUPID S*** THAT MAKES NO SENSE. Either way, you are about to embark on a story in my life that I’m not particularly proud of, but so comical that it needs telling.

The year 1993 was another cold year in my dating life. I couldn’t have gotten a date if I had walked into a sorority house nude. Don’t picture that! Anyhow, I was lonely. My friends Kevin and Chris had moved to Pittsburgh to start a new life and a lot of my other friends, well, they were going through a lot of stuff too.

In 1991, I placed an ad in the back of one of those Enquirer type mags and met a gal, had a great time and thought I should do that again. But I realized the flaw of that was I didn’t actually get to talk to the gal until I met her. There probably would’ve been a few clues that something wasn’t right.

Well, I decided to call a chat line to meet girls. After a few times, I met a girl from Kentucky. I lived in West Virginia at the time, so going to Kentucky to meet a girl didn’t seem like that far, so we began talking. She told me that she was 19, a nursing student and sent me a decent picture via email. So I thought, I have Thursdays off from the paper. I’ll make the drive and meet her.

She told me she had class until three and that should’ve tipped me off that something was not quite right. So I made the five hour drive to Hazard, Kentucky. Yes, it’s real. No, I didn’t see the General Lee. I stopped off in a gas station and went into the station to pay. I met a nice gal who instantly told me that I didn’t look like I was from around there. I told her I was visiting town. She then told me that she got off at eight if I needed someone to show me around.

So I went to the gal I had the real date with and when I got in the front yard, I was met by her brother. He was 16 and looked like a basketball player. He was 6’5” with long arms. He gives me a look and asks me how old I am. I was 24 at the time and he started laughing. He walked to his truck and drove away. I walked on to the porch. She gets in front of the door and says that we need to get out of here. Her mom asks her who it was and she claimed that I was a friend.

We got to my car and I asked her where she wanted to eat. She said she wasn’t hungry and told me to drive to the gas station. Yeah, that one. On the way, I asked her how class was and she totally blew off her cover. She admitted that she was a twin sister of the brother I had met already. So, she’s 16 and in high school. Great. Wrong. She hadn’t been in class because she dropped out last week. At that point, she asked me for cigarettes. I don’t smoke. She asked me for three bucks. I told her I wasn’t supporting her habit.

So she says to take her to her girlfriend’s house. Her girlfriend was a little better looking, but she was wearing all black. I thought nothing of this as black tends to make fat people look a touch thinner. So we walk in her house. We stroll by the living room. It looked normal. As did her parents. They asked who I was. A friend of her friend’s. So she’s like, “Wanna see my room?” What trouble could I get into with two 16 year-old girls 300 miles from home?

We walk in and her room is mostly dark. I notice a little table near the front with candles all over it. I look around and then say, “This is your room, huh?” She responds quickly, “Well, it is a sanctuary.” Huh? Wh-wh-wh-what? Sanctuary? You guessed it. I was in the middle of Kentucky with two Satan worshipping teen girls. She then tells me that she can’t wait to have a baby to sacrifice at the altar. I start looking to see where I could make a door for the fastest route to my car.

They continue talking and smoking cigarettes and I am asking myself why my legs won’t move to get me the heck outta there. It wasn’t “deer in the headlights” fear, it was more of “driving by a car crash” curiosity. They talked about going to this restaurant and finding boys to try to make out with. I was glad that they were looking beyond me at this point.

After about 5 minutes, we go outside, much to my liking. The girl I was supposed to be having a date with asks if I can drop them off at the restaurant. Sure thing!!! I drop them off at the restaurant and thank my lucky stars that I saw a McDonald’s three blocks before that. It was 6:15 and I had my dinner. I did think about hanging out until 8:00 so that my night wasn’t a total waste, but the more I thought about it, I just wasn’t ready to tempt fate a second time that night.

I drove home and had a message on my answering machine. Yeah, from the girl. “Hey, I never really said that I was sorry for lying to you. Just so you know, I’m not. I was looking for more of an athletic, military type guy to have sex with. Later loser.” I wasn’t Christian yet, but I already knew to thank God for letting me come out unharmed. It was definitely better to be lonely than dating a Satan worshipper.

So I’ll ask the same question Matt did at the end of his writing. Do any of you have a stupid story to share? Anyone else do something stupid before they got saved or even after they got saved? I know I’m not the only one that’s had a dumb blind date. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

I love you guys!
Frank

Wisdom Wednesday: A First Look at Mike Murdock's 101 Wisdom Keys

Hey gang!

I went looking through some old books the other day and found some great stuff. I love looking at books a second time after a little time passes by. Just like the Bible, sometimes you can find some nuggets in a book that you have long forgotten.

With Wednesdays being all about wisdom, I’ve been sharing from the words of Solomon in Proverbs for the last several months. I think it’s great to pull wisdom from great minds. With that, I found a book from televangelist Mike Murdock called 101 Wisdom Keys. While Mike has had issues with his teachings on money, his teachings on wisdom are usually very sound and practical. So for the next few weeks, I’d like to examine some of his wisdom and place it in perspective with words from God’s Holy Word. Each week we’ll take a look at 20. So this series will last for five weeks.

1. Never complain about what you permit.
When we permit things out of the will of God, we should be ready for the consequences. Jeremiah says it well in Lamentations 3:39, “Why should any man complain when he is punished for his sins?”

2. The problem that infuriates you the most is the problem that God has assigned you to solve.
I don’t think I agree with this one. God wants you to be joyful in the assignment of your life. It is said in 1 Samuel 8:12, “Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.” God also places you where you are needed if you are faithful.

3. Those who unlock your compassion are those to whom you have been assigned.
I think this has a grain of truth to it. Colossians 3:12 gives us, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Zechariah 7:9 drives the point home, “This is what the Lord Almighty says, ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” I don’t think you get to be choosy, but those that God puts in front of you are your assignment.

4. What you are willing to walk away from determines what God will bring to you.
There’s more to this thought than “Resist the devil and he will flee.” I remember hearing a story from my friend Stan Scott when I was working at WLYJ TV. Stan shared a story of a tough time in his family’s life and he had been offered a job with another TV station. It was more prestige, but longer hours. He told us that he prayed and decided to turn down the job. The very next day, WTOV in Steubenville, OH offered him a better schedule and even more money to stay closer to home. Sometimes, when we say no with the right motives, the Lord will bless us beyond what we deserve.

5. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.
I totally agree with this one. If you are practicing what you want to achieve every day, there is a greater likelihood of success. There was a story on Monday that said that Albert Pujols meets his hitting coach every day in the batting cage and works on his swing. That’s why the guy can hit over .300 and hit home runs better than anyone else right now.

6. Your rewards in life are determined by the problems you solve for others.
Again, total agreement. You will reap what you sow. However, I might warn you that the rainbow isn’t always covered with silver and gold at the end of it. The blessing (reward) may be a job well done and the satisfaction of that.

7. When you want something you have never had, you have got to do something you have never done.
I think this one is true too. All of us say that we want a better relationship with God. Sometimes we need to pray more, read more or name any other discipline that deepens a relationship. To get to know my wife, I had to spend time with her. The same is true of God.

8. All men fall…The great ones get back up.
I could start with Joseph, talk long on David, go on about Paul and his adventures. Each of these men had one thing in common. Bad things happened, but they always kept going.

9. Intolerance of your present creates your future.
The story of Moses and leading the Israelite people is a great example. He despised the Hebrew beating the Israelite. Yes, he had to run temporarily, but he came back to lead the people because he did not want the Israelites to suffer in Egypt.

10. Those who cannot increase you will inevitably decrease you.
I think of the story of Samson and Delilah. She wanted to know his secret to bring his undoing. There are people out there looking to take you down, especially when you are doing right.

11. You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be.
Why did the Israelites spend over 400 years in Egypt before they left in the Exodus. No one had a clue where to go. Once Moses gave them the vision, they were ready. Sure they complained a lot, but at least they had a destination.

12. You will only have significant success with something that is an obsession.
Before being blinded in the desert by God, Paul was one of the most active killers of Christians known as Saul. However, after his conversion, no one worked harder to bring people to Christ. This is why he is the most famous character of the New Testament after Jesus.

13. Give another what he cannot find anywhere else and he will keep returning.
The old story of “give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he will be fed his whole life” should be our ultimate end. We don’t want to just give people what they need all the time or they will begin to place us as their God for our gift giving, rather than giving praise to the greatest giver of gifts.

14. Your assignment is not your decision but your discovery.
The story of Moses is our best example. God called Moses at The Burning Bush. He tried to come up with excuses not to do it, but God showed him that this indeed his assignment to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

15. When fatigue walks in, faith walks out.
Isaiah chapter 40, verses 30-31, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those that hope on the Lord will renew their strength.” Sometimes it’s difficult, but we have to stop and wait.

16. If what you hold in your hand is not enough to be your harvest, make it your seed.
You might say to “give and it will be given unto you”, but this may need a deeper commitment of stewardship.

17. You will never change what you believe until your belief system cannot produce something you want.
Luke 16:13 says it best, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.”

18. You will only be pursued for the problems you solve.
While I think there is some truth in this, this is not always the case. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls (pursues) around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

19. Champions are willing to do things they hate to create something they love.
Jesus didn’t enjoy going to the cross, but knowing that he did it for us made it all worth it.

20. You will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue.
The practicality says that jobs, breaks, opportunities don’t fall in your lap. Yes, God wants us to accept the free gift of salvation through Christ, but he does want us to take that message to the entire world. Failing that commitment on our end does not keep us out of heaven, but does keep us from our fullest potential.

We’ll continue with more of these next week.

I love you guys!
Frank

Don't Let the Fire Burn Out, HELP!

Hey gang!

If you are near my age, you will remember this commercial. “It’s Shake n’ Bake and I helped.” All of us want to help. I’ve not met many people that don’t have a desire to make the world a better place. As I awoke with a sore shoulder this morning, I remembered back to a time when help was all I could do.

I was 14 and was helping our Little League coaches give pitchers advice on throwing the ball accurately. I went over where to release the ball and placement of the fingers to throw a fastball. Most 10-12 year-olds aren’t ready for curves and sliders. You just want them to put it over the plate and make people swing. I had helped out a couple times and we split the team and had an exhibition. The two coaches took half the team each and both let me play first base coach.

There was nothing to do as a first base coach for a practice. I knew the signal for telling the kids to steal a base, so I tried to help by telling a runner to steal a base. To my unfortunate luck, the catcher was the slowest guy on either team. He was thrown out by half the base.

The coach begins yelling at the kid. “Who told you to go anywhere?” He answered that I did. The coach runs up to me and starts yelling. “Who do you think you are telling him to run?” I stammered that I thought it would help. He goes on. “Help? You think you’re Mr. Super Help. Why don’t you get the H*** out of here and never come back!” So I did. I never went back. It actually took me another nine years to get back on a baseball field as a coach. In another town.

It often happens like that in the church today. We get saved. We learn the basics. Then most churches start screaming from the pulpit that they need help. They really do. In most churches, it’s the same handful of people doing everything. The program, the singing, the kids’ ministry, the van or bus driving, the list goes on. The only problem is that many don’t teach you how to help. They go under the assumption that you already know how. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:2, “For I know your eagerness to help.”

So you begin doing some of this, some of that, stretching yourself here, throwing a pinch of yourself there and before you know it, you are as busy as that handful of folks and you either are drowning in a to-do list or you have no idea what you’re doing, but you’re doing it.

In the book of Leviticus, God gives the Levites to Aaron the head priest to help him get the religious sacrament type things done. Keep in mind, this was the beginning of the priesthood for the Israelites in the desert. No one really knew what they were doing other than the instructions given by God to Moses. To work with these elements, often required a preciseness. God even tells Moses that if a person between the ages of 25 and 50 wasn’t healthy and without disease that they probably shouldn’t be doing this.

In Chapter 10, two of Aaron’s sons were making the fire for some incense when they got a little overzealous and made too much fire. The NIV calls this an unauthorized fire. The fire of the presence of the Lord came out and consumed them both. It was a costly mistake for his sons, ending their lives.

Unfortunately, this happens in the church as well. People get rolling along, helping out immensely and they make a mistake. They aren’t killed, but they aren’t taught with reinforcement either. Their passion to help gets snuffed out. Not only do they stop helping. They often leave the church, period. This is when you hear phrases like, “Well, if God’s people are like that, I don’t want anything to do with them.” And that is often how they stay. No church, no God.

Proverbs tells parents to “Train a child in the way they should go and they won’t depart from it.” Sometimes, this is how we have to work with people who are helping us. We have to remember that not every Christian is on the same page with God or their walk.

Are you one of those people that want to help, but don’t know where to start? Here are a few suggestions for you. First, ask people who are significant in your walk with God where they think you may be able to help best. If you aren’t seeing any results with that, try asking someone who you see helping already. Believe me, especially if they have a tired look, they will be more than happy to give you advice on who to see to ask that question if they don’t have an answer for you. Lastly, ask people working at the Welcome Center of your church. They’ll direct you to the right person to talk to.

One of the true hopes of this ministry is to see you find your place in the church that you are going to and be a blessing to others. It won’t just make you feel good. It may change a life.

I love you guys!
Frank

Marriage Monday: Are Arrows Flying in Your Marriage(from Marriage Victory.com)

Hey gang!

It’s Monday, a new week and hopefully a season of my family’s life without sickness. After the summer bug visited for most of the week, I apologize for not having a Wisdom Wednesday or anything after that for last week. If you’ve been following The Bible in 90 Days study, that has been going very well. If you haven’t made it over there, go to http://omr90daysthroughthebible.blogspot.com. Otherwise, hopefully this week will be closer to normal.

Anyhow, we have an article I found at Marriagevictory.com that I thought was very good. Enjoy the read and have a blessed day with loved ones.

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Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows--bitter words. Psalm 64:3 (NKJV)

Picture this. Carrying a bow and some arrows, you walk into a room full of people. You then start shooting arrows all over the room. Some of those arrows hit the wall. Some hit the furniture. But some hit other people. You look over to see one of the arrows sticking out of the chest of your spouse. You cry out that you didn’t mean to. You were just shooting around and not planning on hitting anyone. But you did. And now they’re badly hurt. That arrow is out there and you can’t bring it back.

Your words can be like those arrows in that they can be devastating. People are hurt by words that are thoughtlessly spoken as much as words that are said with intent to harm. And like those arrows, you can’t take them back. They’re already out there. Those wounds can take a long time to heal. Many people are still hurting from words said years earlier.

And even worse, many are silently suffering from things said by their husband or wife.

Your mouth is not a weapon. Don’t use it as one.

Is your spouse walking around with an arrow sticking out of them? An arrow that you shot?

Whether you meant to or not, those words hurt.

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. Matthew 12:36

It’s said of a person that can come up with a quick remark to something someone else said that they are quick witted. In actuality, they would really be slow witted. They would be quick mouthed, but their mind hasn’t thought quickly enough about the pain they may cause if they shoot off their mouth. Many people are hurt while someone is trying to be smart or funny. Make sure your remarks are not tearing others down.

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James 1:19

Start taking time to think about what you are going to say to your spouse…and other people for that matter. Consider what negative effect your words will have on that person. Is what you are about to say something that you would want someone to say to you?

Remember, you can’t take those arrows back.

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99 Blogger Blogs, Are Milestones That Important?

Hey gang!

Time is something I never seem to have enough of, but always finding some is my desire. Today, I think about tomorrow’s Wisdom Wednesday being the 100th edition of One Man Revival here on Blogspot. It’s a milestone some probably thought we’d never see and one that I kept thinking earlier on about what I might say when I did get here.

When we reach milestones, we want them to be profound. Like we’ve accomplished something. As an avid sports guy, I’m always watching for athletes that break records and reach milestone that most never see. I remember being in high school and watching Pete Rose march toward history as he broke Ty Cobb’s hit record in 1985. Watching Cal Ripken overtake Lou Gehrig for the all-time consecutive games record was something else. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998 as they smashed ball after ball past Roger Maris’ single season home run mark.

The one I’ll always remember is Ripken though. He made a great comment in his post-game press conference. “I want to thank all of you for being here, but really I was just fortunate to be able to come to work and do something I love everyday.” No matter what the milestones, they take time. You show up, run the race, and go home each day.

The apostle Paul often compared life to being a race. A race that he didn’t just want to participate in, but to finish. In Acts 20:24, he says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” That’s another thing about milestones. They are often task oriented with a goal in mind. Once he realized what the task was, Paul wanted to be able to tell people about Jesus for as long as he could.

The other main point of what Ripken tells us is that we need to be consistent. We need to keep showing up. Show up to church to be in fellowship with other believers and be fed the Word of God, show up to pray and listen for God’s guidance, show up to read our Bible and ponder what we read, show up when others ask us what God wills us to do on this big blue ball. That doesn’t mean show up three out of ten times like in baseball or even 70% to pass a class. It means what LeCrae calls, “Come hard or go home!”

We need to become consistent at being consistent. We are told to strive to do right. I like strive. It doesn’t mean to be perfect, but to attempt the best you have. If you are having doubts, read this from The Message Romans 14:23, “But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe-some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them-then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.”

God doesn’t want us to go after his kingdom halfway. If you need proof, there was a church of Laodicea that God speaks to in the book of Revelation. Starting in chapter 3, verse 15, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Have you ever left a drink in the car when you go in the mall and try to drink it after coming out on a hot day? It’s not a great feeling. The aftertaste is terrible. I don’t think we want to induce an ungodly indigestion.

Finally, as we reach milestones, we want to finish with God’s grace. I turned 40 this year. I’m thankful I still have my hair. I know that sounds rather vain of me. I’m not sure how I’d look bald. I used to get upset with the gray coming in and I still really don’t want it to turn white overnight, but I’m mildly OK when I think about friends and others that are my age that have less rather than more. It may not lay down easy after I sleep on it overnight, but that’s what water and shampoo are for.

Anyhow, enough about my vanity. God wants us to finish the race strong, but he also wants us to realize the grace that he gives us as we go. I’m 40 and thankful. I can only pray that as I go over 45, 50 and whatever else God allows that I can be as thankful and maybe, just maybe learn to complain a little less. That’s the major reason we remember a guy like Ripken. God gave him the grace to be graceful to us as the circus of insanity gathered. May he give that to us as well.

I love you guys!
Frank

Marriage Monday:Remember Your Story

Hey gang!

When I started the idea of Marriage Monday a few months ago, I’ve probably been one of the biggest beneficiaries of doing the blogs. The tips have blessed my marriage and some things that we have done, I’ve also been able to share. One of the questions I get from time to time is how did I meet my wife. I think it’s fun to look back and remember. Next Tuesday will mark seven years since I asked her to marry me. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it has been that long, until I look at the life we have created. We’ve been very blessed. So here we go.

It’s amazing that when you stop looking for love, it finds you. That’s what happened for me. I had just walked away from someone that I cared about that had no feelings for me. That may sound a little harsh, but it was true. As Biz Markie, she saw me as “Just a Friend.” Along with that, my great aunt that lived in a nursing home in West Virginia had just died. My mom and grandma went to the funeral. I had to stay behind because I had just started a new job. It was pretty much one of the worst weekends of my life.

But Sunday has always been a good day and I went to Bible Baptist and went to Sunday School with the high school teens. To say that they were the bright stars of my life might be a touch on the melodramatic, but they meant a lot during the tough times. So after that, I went to main service and did my rounds of saying hi to everyone. Right before I got to the teen section, I stopped off and said hello to Rosa Ramirez and Colleen Brotherton, two of my fellow singles who have been bright and happy people in my life.

There she was. She sat next to Colleen and on her other side was Carol. Amazingly, I can’t remember Carol’s last name. She was dressed well. Even in sadness, I made a mental note of her. Dressing well is important to me. Ask anyone. People that know my wife now may not realize how good a dresser she is most of the time because she wears set uniforms to work. She doesn’t get to dress up as often. But when she does, it really is something.

After that morning, I didn’t see her for a few weeks. My friend James Delagarza came to talk to me about teaching the Singles Again ministry because I had been part of it at one time and also had taught it before. I accepted and began going. The first Friday night that I went to teach, I saw her again. We talked briefly and then I presented the study portion of the evening. After the class, she stopped me and asked me if I was serious about people being able to call me if they had questions. She sounded a touch distressed, but I assured her that sure, she could call me.

Another five weeks of class pass and I had been floating through. What I mean by that is that I beat a couple subjects that I wanted understood a little too long and with all my other responsibilities, had left this ministry on the back burner as far as focus. After class, she called me on it. She didn’t beat me up, but she politely let me know that I needed to change the subject. It was nice to have someone tell me.

The next week she called me and asked if I would go to a wedding with her. No pressure. I’m thinking, I have nothing better to do on the 4th of July, so sure. Between that time, my friend James told me that we just needed to do a fun event without a study. It rained buckets that night and so the group decided on two things. One group went to eat at Dairy Queen and the other group went to the movies.

We ended up seeing Windtalkers. James and I always liked going to the movies right, so we stopped and got a pizza on the way. So during the most violent scenes, here I am eating pizza like I’ve seen this a hundred times before. She just stares at me. Not that I’m in love with this guy stare, but the this guy might have more than a few screws loose look. I laugh to myself. Here I am on what we realize later is a setup first date and I am looking like a complete goon stuffing myself.

After the movie, we talked about some of our friends and our concerns for them. A couple of our friends were just being stupid and needed some loving talk to kick them out of it. I think that was still on our minds when we met at the church Independence Day function on the 3rd. We had a good dinner and then left everyone for a walk and talk around Kissimmee Park. We spent hours talking about church. I’m not sure she realized she said this, but she asked me, “Do you ever think you are too wrapped up in other people’s lives to worry about your own?” I never answered that question, but boy howdy, did I ever think about it over the next 12 hours.

The next day was the 4th and we went to the wedding at Cypress Gardens. This was a beautiful place for a wedding. Flowers everywhere. However, I must admit that walking to the reception from the wedding was a little weird as all I could think about was I felt that I walking across a 19th century looking scene across a plantation. OK, it probably didn’t help to have “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” playing in my head.

Once we got to the reception, it was a great time. The music and food was excellent. I wasn’t sure how good of a connection I was making until I led her across the room. I took her hand and it felt natural. We both commented on it later and agreed. We stayed around another half hour or so and headed back to Orlando. On the way back, we passed a fireworks display. We pulled off the interstate and just watched. It was very cool.

She had the four day weekend and so we went out on Friday before group and then joined everyone at St Cloud Park for the singles’ holiday cookout. Afterwards, she had wanted to go to the beach, but I had bowling on Friday nights. So she decided that she was tired and went home.

Saturday came and we went to Family Christian Bookstore to look at potential studies for the singles. We had decided on a prayer study and a God’s will study. As we were driving back to my house, she told me that we needed to talk. We’d spent quite a bit of time talking already, but I sensed a serious tone. I began freaking. Maybe I talked too much. Maybe she had too much information. I had felt comfortable with her, maybe too comfortable. AAAAAAAAAA!

We pulled over at this mini mall between her house and mine. She looked at me and said, “Look. We can’t do this. I can’t just be your friend. I want more.” I chugged my soda. Too fast. I chucked. Not badly though. I then breathed a sigh of relief. She’s like, “What’s wrong?” I thought she’d wanted to break up with me. I was so thankful that wasn’t the case.

We went to my house so I could change and then we finally went to the beach at Cocoa and spent the evening there. Before we left, she kept looking at me. I’m like a total airhead. I kept rambling on about how we didn’t bring my camera. Finally, she turns me and kisses me. I think right then we knew. We knew that we would get married. We talked long term stuff on the way back from the beach. I took the long way on purpose. We had almost two hours to chat.

By Tuesday night, I had found the ring. It was a ring passed down from my great aunt Ida. It was a perfect fit. So July 12th, 2002, was the night of our engagement. October 26, 2002, Mindy and I got married. It’s been an interesting ride, but we have survived and it is getting better every day.

So, if you’d like to share part of your journey, take time in the comments below.

I love you guys!
Frank

Independence, It Began With The Declaration

Personally, this is my favorite Carman song, America Again. This is not the actual music video, but the actual one glitched frequently as I watched it on Youtube. However, this one is very, very good.

Hey gang!

Tomorrow, the United States of America will be 233 years old. It was July 4, 1776 that the United States signed the Declaration of Independence and left Great Britain’s control. So this weekend, we’ll see a lot of the things that an old car commercial said was America many years ago; Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, Chevrolet, fireworks. Oh yes, fireworks have become part of the culture of the 4th of July. I can still remember my first fireworks display at the old Skyline Drive-In back in the mid seventies.

If you’ve been an any American history class, you know that the reason that people fled Britain and the surrounding areas was for religious freedoms. Throughout the Constitution, there are references to God (in several forms).Ironically, there are only three references to God in The Declaration of Independence.

The first reference is from the first paragraph. I’ll post all of it because you need it to understand what is being said.

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature God’s entitle them, a descent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to their separation.”

This reference is talking about the rights that God gives us as humans. The declaration is saying that Britain was not giving these rights, or at least the leadership was not. The second reference continues that thought, “…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…” Primarily what these colonists were telling the throne was that they would not surrender their rights any longer and wanted to make sure that they had their own rights protected.

The final reference is the close referring to God as Divine Providence, meaning that they would be relying on God that this would be the correct course of action that they have taken. They no longer believed that Britain was acting in their best interest. Seven years later, Cornwallis surrendered in war and America had fought for its freedom and won over Great Britain.

Many things have changed in 233 years, but if you look around this land this weekend you will see the pride of this country in flags flying everywhere. Enjoy the weekend, pray for America and be safe.

I love you guys!
Frank