This one is gonna make some mad. But, truth hurts and I make no bones about it.
In a matter of just a few weeks now, believers all across America will have an interesting political choice to make.
On one hand, we have Mitt Romney; a smart family man with a huge business background that believes in God, studies the scriptures, has ministered and helped others, and attends church regularly. The glaring problem to most Christians is that he is in fact a Mormon. Oops.
On the other hand, we have President Obama; an educated, good family man, with a desire to see people get “a fair chance”, yet who has a Muslim heritage with too many Islamic friends to count. While he claims to know Jesus, he attended a controversial “black theology” church led by the extreme radical Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Huh?
So what would Jesus do?
See the truth is God doesn’t really care about our economy. He doesn’t give a rip about bailouts, big gulp bans, taxes on the rich, healthcare, the value of the dollar or spending money on NASA so we can get to Mars. In fact, there are only a few things he would care about if he was here on November 6, 2012, and his voting results would likely be easy to follow. It’s really not that hard once you see it through the prism of the Word and break it down to the five real issues Jesus himself would truly care about.
Entitlements - The Bible makes it clear that we are to take care of those that are truly in need and/or are desperate for help and we have both Christian and worldly systems in place for those people now. The Bible also makes it clear a man is responsible to care for himself, provide for his family and work or he shall not eat. Nowhere in scripture can you see the character of God endorsing a growing system of handouts and dependency on any system made by man. In fact, Paul himself worked so that “he may not be a burden” on anyone. Nearly 50% of American’s now get some form of check or handout from the government. Slackers abound and irresponsibility has its own Twitter hash tag. As a business owner that has hired hundreds of people I have seen it first hand and it makes me sick. This growing attitude of dependency is 100% contrary to the teachings of the bible. Under President Obama handouts and dependency have grown astronomically while responsibility has been swept under the rug.
God’s Word and Values – The attack on Christian values in this country and around the world has increased tenfold in the last decade. You see it just like I do and frankly, it is scary. There is no doubt the End is near. But neither are we supposed to let the world just run ramshod over us like an old Super Dave skit without speaking out. The Bible has been and always will be the center of Truth for life. Our nation, and sadly many Christians, is caving to the pressures of various worldly, anti-God movements such as political correctness and tolerance of immorality. The fastest growing religion in the world is now Islam, with a temple near you. It is alarming to say the least. Jesus spoke out against immorality and large portions of the New Testament are about false teachers and false religions. Laws that would prohibit us from speaking the truth and proclaiming the teachings of God are being worked on now. We have to act. During the Democratic National Convention the word “God” was voluntarily removed from their platform. Under pressure it was put back in even though the vote taken audibly was clearly against it. Need I say more?
Homosexuality – God’s first ordained structure was the family, consisting of Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. The family was God’s first defense against Satan’s front line and the homosexual movement is the devil’s biggest weapon. Homosexuality is sin. Period. End of story. Those are God’s words and the popularity of legalizing homosexual marriages is tragic. Everyone sins and every sinner has a right to exist. We can and should befriend homosexuals and love them. But when laws are made to promote and condone this movement, a line has been crossed. Obama has promoted and embraced the homosexual movement more than any President in our history.
Israel – The Jewish people were promised by God a homeland and that occurred in 1948 primarily because America forced it to. For decades we have supported, protected and defended these vulnerable chosen people of God. The scripture makes it clear that those who oppose His people “will be cursed” and my guess is we don’t want to be on the wrong side of the line when God curses anything. Recent actions, even under President Bush, have brought us very close to crossing over that line. Jews will always be His people and we better get back to remembering that in a real hurry. Under the leadership of President Obama, Israel has been left in the dark. He hasn’t even visited them one time in 4 years. He is no friend of Israel. Not good.
Life – Finally and most important, Jesus would care about the sanctity and respect for the unborn. Over 50,000,000 Americans won’t be voting this year because they were killed by the lawful act of a doctor. The Word makes it clear that life begins when God says it does, not when Chris Matthews does. Obama is one of the most radical supporters of abortion in history…even infanticide. He makes Hillary Clinton look like the Pope on this issue. Romney may have once supported a woman’s right to choose, but he says his views have since changed and that’s all that matters, even if it was merely political. The Republican party will hold him accountable to standing firm in supporting the pro life movement or the Tea Party will see he is a one-term flash in the pan. Regardless of Romney, Obama hasn’t changed his views and even made it clear he would want his own daughter to have the freedom to kill his grandchild if it inconvenienced her life should she get pregnant. Look it up. This one issue alone is all any believer really needs to make their decision clear. A Christian that is pro-choice needs to make sure they have the right version of the Bible and try re-reading it.
Despite all of these completely anti-God issues, some Christians like to argue that there should be a separation between politics and faith. Many have a carefree attitude to the point of apathetic disinterest in the process. They say “God is in control, so who cares?” What they fail to realize is that God ordained the world we live in from the beginning. It was God that knew we would have governments, political systems and laws. His word clearly explains that both in the New and Old Testaments. He also knew there would be corruption, bickering, elitism and the like. After all, men run these systems and many times they are, in fact, epic failures.
Yes, Christians need to lead by example and only Jesus can change the hearts of man but worldly governments can either be run by His people or those that hate Him, and in America that is decide by voting. God expects believers to stand up for the values and expectations He gave us in His word. We need to wake up to that reality. Even the Israelites eventually had to make a stand against their ruler and in a similar way America was founded by believers that also took a stand.
Today is no different. More than ever America needs to start making a turn back to our roots and right now we are blessed that we can still do that with our votes. Judges will be appointed in the next 4-6 years that could determine all kinds of laws – either for or against the teachings expressed in God’s word.
It’s time to make people have personal responsibility. It’s time to stand up for Israel. It’s time to defend the God ordained family structure and resist the homosexual agenda. It’s time to stand up and defend the Bible and the values it demands we live by. And, most importantly to God, it’s time we stop killing babies.
Jesus stood on a cross in defense of you. The least we can do is stand at a voting booth in defense of Him.
The Democratic Party endorses abortion, promotes homosexuality, has weakened in their defense of Israel, gives applause to irresponsibility, and wants God removed from nearly everything, including their own party platform. So it’s pretty easy to see…
Jesus wouldn’t vote for Obama, will you?
“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens." Exodus 18:21
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Winners that Cheat Are Losers
One of the main lessons any good parent tries to teach their children is to be honest and never cheat.
I guess Lance Armstrong either was never taught that lesson or simply forgot it.
Armstrong took the sports world by storm by winning seven Tour De France bike racing titles and putting the cycling sport on the map. Because of him we all now worry about running over riders during rush hour each day. Bikers are everywhere, all the time. Even I have one, though it is begging me to take her out for a ride.
For years this man was an American hero, even overcoming cancer during the process and inspiring people all over the world. What he had done was amazing; a record most agree was up there with the likes of Nolan Ryan's 5,000 strikeouts. It was a record most agree would never be broken again.
Too bad the record no longer stands.
Armstrong retired amidst a storm of controversy surrounding allegations of sports enhancement drug use. Though he never tested positive, most know athletes these days can beat nearly any drug test even those done without warning. Apparently, this man was proud and open about his use of the drugs, including his teammates and friends in his scheme. As most cheaters do, he felt invincible and never even thought about all that was at stake.
Well, the heat soon got too hot to stand ending in him being banned for life from the sport he loved and having all of his titles scratched from the record books.
It wasn't his enemies that did him in and called him out. It was his closest friends who finally spoke the truth.
Honesty and integrity are hard to find these days. Kids see other kids cheating, watch TV stars and other "idols" get away with lying and see too many adults that are just as bad. Even our nation's leaders appear to mislead and lie in attempts to win.
No one is perfect and all of us have likely crossed the lines between truth and untruths, but now more than ever we need to rise above the mediocrity and do our best to go against the tide - even if that means we lose.
Winning by cheating may feel good for a minute. It may even last a few years. But in the end a cheater is still just a loser in costume.
True winners don't cheat.
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
I guess Lance Armstrong either was never taught that lesson or simply forgot it.
Armstrong took the sports world by storm by winning seven Tour De France bike racing titles and putting the cycling sport on the map. Because of him we all now worry about running over riders during rush hour each day. Bikers are everywhere, all the time. Even I have one, though it is begging me to take her out for a ride.
For years this man was an American hero, even overcoming cancer during the process and inspiring people all over the world. What he had done was amazing; a record most agree was up there with the likes of Nolan Ryan's 5,000 strikeouts. It was a record most agree would never be broken again.
Too bad the record no longer stands.
Armstrong retired amidst a storm of controversy surrounding allegations of sports enhancement drug use. Though he never tested positive, most know athletes these days can beat nearly any drug test even those done without warning. Apparently, this man was proud and open about his use of the drugs, including his teammates and friends in his scheme. As most cheaters do, he felt invincible and never even thought about all that was at stake.
Well, the heat soon got too hot to stand ending in him being banned for life from the sport he loved and having all of his titles scratched from the record books.
It wasn't his enemies that did him in and called him out. It was his closest friends who finally spoke the truth.
Honesty and integrity are hard to find these days. Kids see other kids cheating, watch TV stars and other "idols" get away with lying and see too many adults that are just as bad. Even our nation's leaders appear to mislead and lie in attempts to win.
No one is perfect and all of us have likely crossed the lines between truth and untruths, but now more than ever we need to rise above the mediocrity and do our best to go against the tide - even if that means we lose.
Winning by cheating may feel good for a minute. It may even last a few years. But in the end a cheater is still just a loser in costume.
True winners don't cheat.
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Cowboys All About Profits
There just aren’t many bigger Dallas Cowboys fans than me. I have shrines celebrating Cowboys history in my home office as well as my main office. I worked part-time for the team back in the early 90s just so I could go to games for free. I go to training camp for a few days by myself just to study and prepare for the season. I owned a suite at one time and I’ve had season tickets since the early 2000s.
But at the end of last year I came to this reality: Jerry Jones has substituted winning for profits and ruined my team.
In the last 246 games, the team has gone 123-123 under his ownership and direction as the general manager. We have won one playoff game since 1996 much less sniff a SuperBowl.
The Cowboys now offer a mediocre product for the highest price and Jones is laughing all the way to the bank. The pride of the Schramm and Landry days are long gone. Even Jimmy Johnson is an old memory now. Put it this way, teams like the Raiders, Seahawks and Saints have won more in the last decade than we have and all three of those have been to a SuperBowl!
In any other real business world, a company that couldn’t improve its services or products for nearly two decades wouldn’t last even a few years. Yet Cowboys fans like me keep drinking the cool-aid in hopes one days Jones’ idiocy will win anyway.
I sent Jones a letter telling him goodbye last year and explained the above to him in clear detail. Now I go to a few games a year and buy some other schmucks tickets instead for about 1/5th the price.
If he cared so much about winning he would realize he is the common denominator each year and he would remove himself from personnel and team moves. I feel bad for the players and coaches to be honest.
Needless to say I am bitter about the whole thing. Can you tell? I love football and I love my Cowboys. It is my drug. Instead of hard working players eager to please and scared of losing their incomes, Jones and the NFL in general have created a money making monster of unreal proportions. Even the famed pink “Breast Cancer Awareness” push each year is more about money than the sad disease.
Maybe one day things will change. If not, I can only pray and hope my favorite time of the year ends with a Cowboys team finding a way to rise above blandness and win something on accident.
Because until it hits Jerry in the pocketbook; cash will be king.
Winning isn’t even on tap.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” I Timothy 6:10
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
But at the end of last year I came to this reality: Jerry Jones has substituted winning for profits and ruined my team.
In the last 246 games, the team has gone 123-123 under his ownership and direction as the general manager. We have won one playoff game since 1996 much less sniff a SuperBowl.
The Cowboys now offer a mediocre product for the highest price and Jones is laughing all the way to the bank. The pride of the Schramm and Landry days are long gone. Even Jimmy Johnson is an old memory now. Put it this way, teams like the Raiders, Seahawks and Saints have won more in the last decade than we have and all three of those have been to a SuperBowl!
In any other real business world, a company that couldn’t improve its services or products for nearly two decades wouldn’t last even a few years. Yet Cowboys fans like me keep drinking the cool-aid in hopes one days Jones’ idiocy will win anyway.
I sent Jones a letter telling him goodbye last year and explained the above to him in clear detail. Now I go to a few games a year and buy some other schmucks tickets instead for about 1/5th the price.
If he cared so much about winning he would realize he is the common denominator each year and he would remove himself from personnel and team moves. I feel bad for the players and coaches to be honest.
Needless to say I am bitter about the whole thing. Can you tell? I love football and I love my Cowboys. It is my drug. Instead of hard working players eager to please and scared of losing their incomes, Jones and the NFL in general have created a money making monster of unreal proportions. Even the famed pink “Breast Cancer Awareness” push each year is more about money than the sad disease.
Maybe one day things will change. If not, I can only pray and hope my favorite time of the year ends with a Cowboys team finding a way to rise above blandness and win something on accident.
Because until it hits Jerry in the pocketbook; cash will be king.
Winning isn’t even on tap.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” I Timothy 6:10
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Spoons, Forks and the Fellas
One thing is certain. Nothing means more to me than friends and family. Nothing.
Business is a challenge and it pays the bills and my sports teams give me that rush throughout the seasons. But nothing comes close to being with those you love. And rarely do I laugh more than when I’m acting stupid with my buddies.
Over the decades God has blessed me beyond measure with a group of close friends, some of which have known each other since the mid 80s. We call each other “the fellas”.
Today’s fellas derived from a group called “the dwellos” formed at Howard Payne University back in the early 90s but over the last two decades the group has grown to include others diversifying the group’s background and pushing the gang to over 10 members strong. I could name them all, but they know who they are.
As we have all moved farther apart, gotten older, and busier with work and kids, we rarely get to see or even talk to each other these days; especially not as a group at the same time. In the old days, the original members would have to find things to do like create the classic home movie Attack of the Killer Spoons in 1992.
In the summer of 2007 one of those rare times occurred at my home in Mansfield at “Fellas Weekend III”, in which most of us were able to gather for a quick reunion. What started off as a fellas take-over of Fort Worth and the Stockyards, ended with the filming of a new movie that paid homage to Spoons called Revenge of the Forks.
It took us 5 years, but in the fall of 2012 it was completed and released. As of this writing, it has well over 75 hits on YouTube, setting some new records. Just not sure which ones…
The world premier night was another one of those funny and rare fellas events. Spread all over the place between Denver, New Jersey, Dallas and San Antonio, we grabbed a hold of modern day technology to join together and watch it live as one. We started out with Facebook chatting, then moved to a conference call party line where the next 10 minutes was spent in total chaos as each of us tried to give the other a hard time. It had been more than 5 years since we had spent any kind of time together so a lot of ribbing had to be done.
A few minutes later “Dave” started the live streaming of the 8 minute horror classic we had created and the laughter began. Though a little more technology was used than in Spoons, Forks was truly a perfect sequel. After we spent another 10 minutes telling each other how stupidly hilarious it was and catching up some, the night ended as most of us had to tend to kids or get ready for the next day.
Life always happens.
I’m not sure if the fellas will ever unite again under one roof for Sliced by the Blades or some other stupid event. With kids and life being the way it is in your 40s, it may be eternity before we have that kind of time, or at the least we will likely be learning the secrets to wheel chair racing. But one thing is clear – we are all greatly blessed to know each other and have been brought together over the years.
Most people spend their lives hoping to have 1-2 friends they could trust with their lives. We just happen to have about 10 and none of us really know why.
I love my fellas. More than most of them will ever know.
God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Colossians 3:16
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
Business is a challenge and it pays the bills and my sports teams give me that rush throughout the seasons. But nothing comes close to being with those you love. And rarely do I laugh more than when I’m acting stupid with my buddies.
Over the decades God has blessed me beyond measure with a group of close friends, some of which have known each other since the mid 80s. We call each other “the fellas”.
Today’s fellas derived from a group called “the dwellos” formed at Howard Payne University back in the early 90s but over the last two decades the group has grown to include others diversifying the group’s background and pushing the gang to over 10 members strong. I could name them all, but they know who they are.
As we have all moved farther apart, gotten older, and busier with work and kids, we rarely get to see or even talk to each other these days; especially not as a group at the same time. In the old days, the original members would have to find things to do like create the classic home movie Attack of the Killer Spoons in 1992.
In the summer of 2007 one of those rare times occurred at my home in Mansfield at “Fellas Weekend III”, in which most of us were able to gather for a quick reunion. What started off as a fellas take-over of Fort Worth and the Stockyards, ended with the filming of a new movie that paid homage to Spoons called Revenge of the Forks.
It took us 5 years, but in the fall of 2012 it was completed and released. As of this writing, it has well over 75 hits on YouTube, setting some new records. Just not sure which ones…
The world premier night was another one of those funny and rare fellas events. Spread all over the place between Denver, New Jersey, Dallas and San Antonio, we grabbed a hold of modern day technology to join together and watch it live as one. We started out with Facebook chatting, then moved to a conference call party line where the next 10 minutes was spent in total chaos as each of us tried to give the other a hard time. It had been more than 5 years since we had spent any kind of time together so a lot of ribbing had to be done.
A few minutes later “Dave” started the live streaming of the 8 minute horror classic we had created and the laughter began. Though a little more technology was used than in Spoons, Forks was truly a perfect sequel. After we spent another 10 minutes telling each other how stupidly hilarious it was and catching up some, the night ended as most of us had to tend to kids or get ready for the next day.
Life always happens.
I’m not sure if the fellas will ever unite again under one roof for Sliced by the Blades or some other stupid event. With kids and life being the way it is in your 40s, it may be eternity before we have that kind of time, or at the least we will likely be learning the secrets to wheel chair racing. But one thing is clear – we are all greatly blessed to know each other and have been brought together over the years.
Most people spend their lives hoping to have 1-2 friends they could trust with their lives. We just happen to have about 10 and none of us really know why.
I love my fellas. More than most of them will ever know.
God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Colossians 3:16
(c) 2012, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”
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