my Redeemer lives

Any Way Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I know - this has been around before

hey, dad, let's go for a ride, OK?
140.6 miles
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[ 4:36]

'CLICK ON' the above > and experience true love

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For those who don't know, the 'Ironman' is the toughest triathlon.

The race encompasses three endurance events:
- a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by
- a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride followed by
- a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon.

This father and son completed the race together.
Our heavenly Father carries us the same way
... everyday.

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investment advise

finding the next starbucks

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you can lead a horse to the frappuccino,
but you can't make him succeed

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je t'aime

Heart Way Friday
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On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

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...and at the heart of it all -
(3:58)


'CLICK' the above > and be transported back in time
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who put the "W" in 'Christmas'

Your Way Monday
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The following was sent to me by a friend, Missy Hathaway. Thank you, Missy.
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The "W" in Christmas

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down.

Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

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Tonight is the night - God Bless You All !
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How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

The Way Wednesday
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From the writings of Peter Kreeft,
Twelve Ways to Know God

Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God (Jn 17:3). What are the ways? In how many different ways can we know God, and thus know eternal life? When I take an inventory, I find twelve.

1. The final, complete, definitive way, of course, is Christ, God himself in human flesh.
2. His church is his body, so we know God also through the church.
3. The Scriptures are the church's book. This book, like Christ himself, is called "The Word of God."
4. Scripture also says we can know God in nature see Romans 1. This is an innate, spontaneous, natural knowledge. I think no one who lives by the sea, or by a little river, can be an atheist.
5. Art also reveals God. I know three ex-atheists who say, "There is the music of Bach, therefore there must be a God." This too is immediate.
6. Conscience is the voice of God. It speaks absolutely, with no ifs, ands, or buts. This too is immediate. [The last three ways of knowing God (4-6) are natural, while the first three are supernatural. The last three reveal three attributes of God, the three things the human spirit wants most: truth, beauty, and goodness. God has filled his creation with these three things. Here are six more ways in which we can and do know God.]
7. Reason, reflecting on nature, art, or conscience, can know God by good philosophical arguments.
8. Experience, life, your story, can also reveal God. You can see the hand of Providence there.
9. The collective experience of the race, embodied in history and tradition, expressed in literature, also reveals God.You can know God through others' stories, through great literature.
10. The saints reveal God. They are advertisements, mirrors, little Christs. They are perhaps the most effective of all means of convincing and converting people.
11. Our ordinary daily experience of doing God's will will reveal God. God becomes clearer to see when the eye of the heart is purified: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."
12. Prayer meets God—ordinary prayer. You learn more of God from a few minutes of prayerful repentance than through a lifetime in a library.

Unfortunately, Christians sometimes have family fights about these ways, and treat them as either/or instead of both/and. They all support each other, and nothing could be more foolish than treating them as rivals—for example, finding God in the church versus finding God in nature, or reason versus experience, or Christ versus art.

If you have neglected any of these ways, it would be an excellent idea to explore them. For instance, pray using great music. Or take an hour to review your life some time to see God's role in your past. Read a great book to better meet and know and glorify God. Pray about it first.

Add to this list, if you can. There are more ways of finding and knowing God than any one essay can contain. Or any one world.

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TRI-ATHLETE of the century

Heart Way Friday
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and tip a Smythwicks to Fr. V. at 'Adam's Ale' for this one
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There' an annual triathlon event here where I live. I don't recall any contestant like this participating. I would hope this video inspires the next one, wherever he or she may be.
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'CLICK' on the > above, then, get out your cheerleader pom-poms.
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Where is my heart?
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This SHOULD be in the News

Your Way Monday
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A friend of mine e-mailed this to me. He's had 2 sons graduated from the U S Naval Academy. I decided I'd share this with you ... from my friend Dan S.
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This needs to make headline news ... not some of the other junk that makes the news these days! Celeb weddings ... celeb jail itineraries ... who's not wearing undies ... etc.

It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq.

John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents the real America.

You'll seldom see things like this in the news. The American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.

James Gates U. S. Navy
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Then this came from my friend Missy H:
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Something cool that Xerox is doing.
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them...
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Now it is up to you to respond.
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