Today's Quote

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."

Aristotle

Quote of the Day

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Random Quotes

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

"But I have miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost

"Every wind is fair when we are flying from misfortune."
Sophocles

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when we grow up."
Pablo Picasso

"Outside of a dog a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx

"I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific."
Lily Tomlin

"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground."
Theodore Roosevelt

"Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't."
Pete Seeger

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Ferris Bueller

Four Boyfriends

Thanks, Larry.
----------------
Once upon a time there was a girl who had four boyfriends.

She loved the fourth boyfriend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.

She also loved the third boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

She also loved her second boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

The girl's first boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him!

One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, 'I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, will I be alone.'

Thus, she asked the fourth boyfriend, 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? 'No way!', replied the fourth boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.

His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

The sad girl then asked the third boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?' 'No!', replied the third boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!' Her heart sank and turned cold

She then asked the second boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the second boyfriend. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.' His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.' The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, you have four boyfriends in your lives:

Your fourth boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.

Your third boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth.When you die, it will all go to others.

Your second boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.

And your first boyfriend is your spirit. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, your spirit is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

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New book says evangelicals' numbers are dwindling

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/DN-relwicker_10met.ART.South.Edition1.467feed.html

Comments?

Well Said, Teacher!!!

Thanks to Snuffy for this post.
-----------------------------------
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do.. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...) "Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life."

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?" His jaw dropped and he fell silent.

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Fox News Off the Air

In the spirit of the reigning pundits who comment on the Presidential primaries, Fox News has dropped out of the TV business since they finished a distant third in the ratings of the coverage of the Iowa caucuses.

:>>>)

Name Change for Fox News?

Fox News has announced plans to change their name to one more suitable to their real mission.

The candidates are:
1. Pravda
2. Izvestia
3. Bush Tales
4. Goose Step News
5. Fascist Road
6. Biased and Don't Care
7. Lie Brary of Knowledge (from CT)
8. All Anti-Hillary, All the Time
9. Fixed News
10.Dumb, So You Don't Have to Be
11.All the Points of View You Agree with Anyway

:>)

Dissent

This is from Wade Burleson's blog, "Grace and Truth to You."  He is a dissident on the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) International Missions Board (IMB).
The full blog entry:  http://kerussocharis.blogspot.com/2007/11/imb-meeting-monday-nov-5-springfield.html


...snip

I would like to close tonight's post, at this very late hour, with this great quote I recently discovered by the great Polish dissident Vaclav Havel and one I hope might be an encouragement to my Southern Baptist friends who are on their way to paving the future of tomorrow for all of us who name Christ as Savior and are not afraid to stand on Baptist principles:

Polish dissident Vaclav Havel:

You do not become a "dissident" just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society.

Check out my blog, Gray Matters:  http://pwgraymatters.blogspot.com/

Quotes of the Day

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.
- Mark Twain
A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.
- Robertson Davies
Tradition is what you resort to when you don't have the time or the money to do it right.
- Kurt Herbert Alder

Musings and Amusings

Here's some random thoughts:

Plano East vs Plano football game on Friday night (Plano won, 28-14)

O The Plano East defense played much better. Did they read my blog entry from last Friday night?

O The winning touchdown pass was a perfect throw from Meger. It's the kind of crushing play at the right time that Plano used to execute almost every year against the Panthers.

O The pivotal play of the game was Plano's cornerback blitz sack of Riko Smalls with the clock winding down in the first half and East inside the Plano 20. There were no points on that drive; East tried to get the field goal unit on the field since they had no timeouts left. A spike of the ball would have been the right call.

O Plano's quarterback, Carson Meger, didn't self-destruct. Riko did: 2 interceptions and numerous other bad throws. What's happened to him? He was all-world in the first half of the season.

O Even Gerald Brence out-coached Johnny Ringo!

O Plano made the plays and had the athletes. Congratulations to them. I hope they go far in the playoffs.

O By my calculations, East, if it makes the playoffs (there could be a 5-way tie for third place), will face either Rockwall or Naaman Forest. You've got to worry about how the Panthers will play after their spotty defensive and offensive play the last few weeks.

O On Shoe Goop (the tube of stuff used to repair tennis shoes)
Is it just me, or does it smell like and look like the model airplane glue you used as a kid?

O ZZ Top concert on Thursday night (with Jeni, my daughter)
I have officially entered the old codger's zone. The music was too loud, even from the next-to-the-back-row center balcony seats we started in. Also, I sic'ed security on the pot-smoking, beer-drinking, profanity-speaking, finger-raising, loud fans who wouldn't sit down in the balcony seats in front of us. Even though it was loud, you couldn't hear the music or the gravelly-voiced singing clearly from up there (it was in the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie). We moved, and the sound and sight-lines were much better from the side seats lower down. After about 4 songs, all the 'Top songs sound the same, except for the Tres Hombres ones. We left after the 2nd encore, La Grange, to beat the traffic. Jeni wasn't impressed with this old, bearded band.

Seventies Something

Here's a post for the ladies.

http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/seventies-something/index.html?ex=1351656000&en=b184014acd5c229c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Two Pigs

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

The questions people ask make it sound as though I should be morally outraged at myself, as if it’s impossible to scratch the pigs behind the ears and still intend to kill them.

http://www.nytimes.com/mem/emailthis.html

Scewy Shots: See What I Hit

This post is a collection of observations about random topics.

"Scewy" in the title is the child's pronunciation for scary; when I sent out an email announcing I was starting a blog, my daughter sent an email back: "Uh-oh - is it also going to include the inner workings of the mind of little elm bear? Scary.... ;)."

Kudos & Oh-nos!
Thumbs-up and Thumbs-down to events of the day

Kudos
o The Lake Highlands football team
For a great offensive game-plan & tremendous execution Friday night in their game against my beloved Plano East Panthers. The Panthers never did figure out what the Wildcats were going to run.

o The Panthers of Plano East
In a thrilling game, the Panthers still won, 38-37 in 2 overtimes, coming from 10 points down in the last 8 minutes

o Babe's of Sanger
The family went on a road trip to Babe's on Saturday night, and the home-cookin' at Babe's was a big hit! If you don't get enough to eat there, you fell asleep at the wheel. The waitresses are a hoot, and even sing good ole country songs. A good time was had by all!

o The City of Little Elm
For the good fireworks show Saturday night for the Fall Festival. We watched them from miles away at Jeni's house in Providence Village.

Oh-Nos!
o The Democratic Presidential candidates
All except Bill Richardson showed no guts when they failed to commit to Iraq troup withdrawals by 2013

Baylor Football Quote

Even though Baylor is 3-1 now, the Bears will NOT go undefeated the rest of the year!

Here's my original quote:
"Baylor football is God's way of keeping Baptists humble."

Be proud, Bears, and have class. Not like some other schools we know.