Little Gangster (Part 3)

"What they did to me really got to me. How can I forget it. We had been cruising around, smoking weed and drinking a few beers. We stopped at the park. There were four of us. I was leaning against a tree, just listening to some tunes. All of a sudden somebody started shooting at us. One bullet hit the tree I was leaning against. We ran toward a dumpster. All four of us had our guns. We all shot back........I thought. I got shot in the eye. I started yelling for my homies. All of them had left me. I was all alone. The other gang had left. When the police came, I didn't answer any of their questions. The paramedics came. I went to the hospital. I didn't tell them who was with me. I was arrested. I went from the hospital to jail, to court, back to jail, back to court and then to prison. I have one eye and no friends. I'm in prison right now. So far nobody has visited me. Nobody has put any money into my account. What they did to me really got to me. Not the other dudes..........my homies.........what they did to me."

Little Gangster (Part 2)

He was 13 years old. He was 4 ft. 10 in. tall and weighed 95 pounds. He was in the 7th. grade. He thought he was bad. He showed contempt. He had a sneer. He was an angry young man who did not know his dad. In school; he enjoyed cussing at teachers. He liked to kick classroom doors and run. He got suspended several times for fighting and for defying teachers. One day he was in the street being defiant. He forgot he was not talking to a teacher; he used the "f " word freely. He was disrespecting a cop. He quickly found himself lying flat on the sidewalk with a police officer's shoe stepping hard on the back of his head. He realized that a cop and a teacher do not share the same functions.

Little Gangster (Pt.1)

He was a handsome 14 year old boy. He called himself "Piloto." He thought he was a man. He was not a man. He was a teen-ager looking for recognition. He was a teen-ager looking for something he thought he deserved. He was a teenager looking for glory. He was a teen-ager looking for girls. Although he had never been in a fight, he thought he was tough. He joined a gang; he got "jumped in." He almost backed out after that experience. He was not a fighter. He wanted the recognition for being tough. He was confronted with his first "test." One friday he was at a neighborhood store with some of his "homies." A rival gang showed up. They wasted no time. Piloto got his nose punched and bloodied. Piloto ran so fast, he nearly knocked one of his homies down. He ran all the way home. He stopped for nothing. When he got home, he locked all of the doors and called the school he attended. He told the secretary in a scared but demanding tone: "Hey, I just got jumped, and I don't want to go to this school anymore." By the following monday he was enrolled in another school. He moved in with a relative in a neighboring community. He got interested in surfing. He changed the way he talked. He refused to be called "Piloto." He enjoyed wearing shorts and flip flops. He forgot about being a gangster.

Diverse, Noisy, and Opinionated

Rick Warren is a Christian pastor. He has been selected to give the invocation at Barak Obama's Presidential Inauguration. This is good news. It is politically wise, and it is good news for the country. Rick Warren is not a perfect human being. Nevertheless, he is not a drunk, drug addict, embezzler, thief, womanizer, nor does he conduct himself in a way reflecting a host of perverted and/or immoral acts. If he ever did; the media would not be denied a field day and celebration. Speaking of celebration; I celebrate the fact that Warren was the man selected. He truly believes it is wrong to hate another human being. He believes in a value system taught by the inspired Word of God. I know some disagree with him. Recently, he told a crowd of 500 that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to agree on everything all the time. I'm sure most of us agree with that statement. "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand." Obama defended his choice last week, by saying: "During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America is about. That's part of the magic of this country........We are diverse and noisy and opinionated." I agree.

Congratulations, Angie!

Angie; you have come a long way. You have no idea how proud your mom and I are of you. Or how grateful we are for you. You have worked hard. You have studied hard. You have paid some dues. In late July, you took the California State Bar Exam. During late November you were notified that you passed it. On December 4, 2008 you were sworn in as an attorney in the State of California. What a girl! What an intelligent, beautiful girl! The beauty of all of this is that you realize that you could not have done it without the help of the Lord. I love you Angie!Do you remember Your first grade teacher: Mrs. Long? In first grade you wrote an awesome paper describing a snowball fight. Mrs. Long's comment was: "Oh how fun!" That was some of your best work. A classic. Like I said: you have come a long way. The best is yet to come! You go girl!

Christmas Time

About a year ago I published a blog entry declaring that the Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. This has not changed. I am already enjoying the current Christmas Season in spite of the pressures and the demands. It makes no difference. This year will be the best Christmas ever. I plan to dress up as Santa Claus this year. One of my goals is to experience a White Christmas. I guess I will need to leave town in order for that to happen. I have never been far from home during Christmas. Have I spent Thanksgiving away from family? Yes, several times (years ago). I was even offered one thousand bucks to participate in an experiment at UCLA. I would have done it , but it was during the Christmas holidays. No way. Why all of the joy? Because of Jesus. He is the reason for the season.

Don't Be Afraid of Anything

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9) Fear is the opposite of faith. My emphasis here is on not being afraid. Don't ever be afraid of anything or anyone. I know; easier said than done. Nevertheless, it can still be done. I mean it from a standpoint of practical Christian living. It is more practical to have courage than to have fear. When I talk about courage I refer to an attitude that declares first of all to yourself that everything is going to be fine. This attitude shouts out in a Godly manner that you will be safe. You will not be afraid of circumstances. You will not be afraid of the future. You will not be afraid of harm coming to you or your loved ones. God will take care of you. It is simple. Humble yourself before God. The benefits are greater than the sacrifice of your ego. "Draw close to God and He will draw close to you." (James 4:8) Please depend on God. Know that He has promised to protect you and defend you. Know it. And don't be afraid to be kind. Don't be afraid to forgive. How can we serve God if we are afraid? Study the power. Be a student of the power. By that; I mean study the Word of God. His word is replete with power. Know it. Love it. You can start by reading the following 5 chapters of the book of Psalms: 1, 23, 27, 91, and 121. God promises us beautiful things in His word. You will be blessed. Don't be afraid of anything!