Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004                                                     by Llenis M

  Wow, Jesus himself taught that we cannot do a single thing without dwelling in him, or putting him in our plans. Sure we can try to do things in our strength and maybe be sucessful for a while, but sooner or later we fail.  An example in my life has been when I first rededicated my heart to the Lord, boy I tell you I was trying so hard to stop cursing and listening to worldly music that I wrestled with it for some time.  Until one sweet day the Lord spoke and said, Jenny it is not your work to perfect you, but my work to perfect you.  I can tell you that in the Lord's time and patience  he gave me complete victory.  I used to think it would be impossible because I had made it a habit in my daily life.  But when Jesus changed the desires of my heart, it was finished! Now the struggle of other things did not end there, but the journey to holiness is still before me.  But what if I didn't learn to rely on God and his power to work these things out?  What if I failed to meet with him each day? Do you think I would have accomplished success? I think not. The only way you and I are going to bear the fruits of the Spirit is by abiding in the Lord Jesus.  The more distant we are the harder it will be to reflect the character of Jesus.   

In other times I have also experienced the purging of the leaves in my tree, when I have dried out. The Lord will surely correct you and cleanse you from those things that hinder you to produce fruit.  In Job 5:17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty...For he wounds, but also binds up, he injures, but his hands also heal. God knows how to get our attention when we are drifting away into things that are of this world, and I assure you if he has taken you in as his son/daughter you can be certain that he will disciple you.  All this has great meaning to us Christians for we must continue each day, each moment to bear the fruits of the Spirit. If we say we are followers of Christ.

Are you producing what the Lord has required of you?  Or do you feel barren, if so I really just want to encourage you to use this the tool here, just recommit your walk to the Lord and tell him you need his help.  You and I can never, ever do anything good without him, so why not surrender it to him?  I have struggled in the past with things that were hindering my production for the kingdom of God, but when I reconnected with the life of my soul and the helper, I was able to bring forth delicious fruit for my King.  I pray that the Lord may speak to you heart today.   Blessing upon you all..And please keep me in your prayers, I need them! Jenny

"The only type of aid France gives the US is croissants and cheese. If that."             Chung Lao, head webmaster

A.  The July 24th Tourney Schedule and the Official Rules/Regulations have been posted.  Please be sure to check these pages out, as we go into detail on exactly how things will go down.  Please post all comments/questions on the message board.

   Posted on Saturday, June 26, 2004                                                            by Greg S

Hello from beautiful Springfield Missouri!!! – The home of four Super Wal-Mart’s (marking the four corners of the city), home of cashew chicken (lots of Asian food and very few Asian people?), and the world’s largest Bass Pro Shop (the biggest employer in Springfield).

(A random Fact…a whopping 19 states in the USA contain a town/city named Springfield: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia According to Rand McNally.)

Thursday, June 24, 2004 - Benj

Mish Mash           

Here's a smattering of thoughts on a few (unrelated) topics:.

God's Masterpiece:  Let me start with a Scripture that's been an encouragement to me lately:  "For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."  Ephesians 2:10, New Living.  

Reagan and Church:  Last Thursday, I commented on Reagan not attending church.  A couple days later, I read this quote:  "Many Americans have heard that he rarely attended church while president, and this is true.  Because he respected his fellow worshippers at church, he didn't want to interrupt services with a motorcade and swarm of Secret Service officers.  He also didn't want to put others at risk should another assassin attack.  Instead, my father prayed and meditated wherever he was.  He especially liked to worship at his beloved Rancho del Cielo, his "open cathedral", he called it, saying it reminded him of the line from Scripture: "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord."  -Michael Reagan, son of Ronald Reagan, in the June 21st issue of US News & World Report 

A.  Hey all.  The following concoction is for those of us who don't go out into the hills to round up some molasses, spices, and sugar.  SO, with the summer BBQ season in full swing, I thought it was high time to share with you, Lao's special sauce.  

Its really easy.  Watch this:

#1 is KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce:  This is hands down, the best "by itself" sauce on the market.

#2 SRIRACHA HOT chili sauce:  The best hot chili sauce on the market.

So what do you do?.........................

MIX THEM TOGETHER

"Thanks Chris, I didn't know that."  ;)  Use more Masterpiece sauce than Sriracha, but you can work it out on your own.  I am telling you, this is it.  Try it out.

B.  Tourney 2004 Update:  The Official Rules/Regulations & The Official Schedule for the upcoming Tourney will be released next Monday, June 28th, which should be ample time to familiarize yourselves.

(1) "I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW.            (A) George W. Bush

      WE WILL WIN TUESDAY"

(2) "THE REASON I KEEP INSIST-              (B) Kobe Bryant

     ING THERE WAS A RELATION-

     SHIP BETWEEN IRAQ AND

     SADDAM AND AL QAEDA IS

     BECAUSE THERE WAS A

     RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

Traffic & Weather

It was a busy week for me. Things flew by. Hard to believe its Friday already. To start things off I have a couple of complaints.

Thursday, June 17, 2004 - Benj

Ronald Reagan           

So much has been written and spoken about our former President in the last several days, including an article about Reagan's "remarkable humility" from the Boston Globe that I've posted below.  I don't presume to think that I could add much to the accolades.  But I'll try.

I find the timing of Reagan's death to be astounding.  God's timing.  Jim Jordan, a former manager in Kerry's campaign, admitted that he and other Democratic operatives have been deathly scared of Reagan passing away during the last three presidential election cycles.  Because of the potential impact it could have on the voters.  And now Reagan has passed away right in the middle of a campaign that is unlike any we have seen before:  the first campaign being waged after the nationally-defining horror of 9-11.

One thing that troubles me about Reagan:  he was not a church goer.  It is clear that he believed deeply in God and the Bible, but seeking fellowship and Christian brotherhood doesn't seem to have been a major focus of his life.  I know that there are many, many Christians out there who are in a similar situation - but the Word is clear on this:  we ARE to regularly meet together with others in the faith, i.e. "not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is."  - Hebrews 10:25.  Last Wednesday night, however, we heard a speech that he gave in 1983 to a group of Christian broadcasters, and there is simply no denying the rock-solid faith that he had in God, the Bible, and the power of the Christian community for good.  

I've read a couple books in the past about Reagan, and overall I am left with the impression that he was a tremendously decent, uplifting, romantic, and caring type of man.  Definitely a role model in so many ways.  May his memory be forever blessed.

The modest giant

By Jeff Jacoby  |  June 10, 2004

RONALD REAGAN was the first president I was old enough to vote for and the only one I have ever voted for with enthusiasm. He was the preeminent influence on my political coming of age -- so much so that to this day, "Reaganite" is the label that best sums up my political worldview.

For those of us who so admired Reagan during his presidency -- and who remember the mockery and disdain to which he was so often subjected -- the tributes that have been pouring forth since Saturday help make the sorrow of his death and the awful sickness that preceded it more bearable. History, as he always knew it would, has vindicated him. The man once dismissed as an "amiable dunce" and reviled as a warmonger is now acknowledged as a courageous visionary, an apostle of decency and liberty who left the world far better than he found it.

"The American sound," Reagan said in his second inaugural address, "is hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair." Much the same could be said of Reagan himself. All week long, the accolades have emphasized the character and values that made him the man he was -- his optimism, his patriotism, his self-deprecating humor, his moral clarity, his rocklike belief that freedom is the birthright of every human being, his willingness to call evil by its name, his faith in God, his sheer guts.

But one trait has gone largely unmentioned: His remarkable humility.

In her moving and affectionate account of the 40th president's life, "When Character Was King," Peggy Noonan says that when she really wants to convey what Reagan was like, she tells the "bathroom story."

It occurred in 1981, shortly after the assassination attempt. Reagan was still in the hospital and one night, feeling unwell, he got out of bed to go to the bathroom. "He slapped water on his face, and water slopped out of the sink," Noonan relates. "He got some paper towels and got down on the floor to clean it up. An aide came in and said: `Mr. President, what are you doing? We have people for that.' And Reagan said, oh, no, he was just cleaning up his mess, he didn't want a nurse to have to do it."

That was Reagan: On his say-so armies would march and fighter jets scramble, but he hated to trouble a hospital orderly to mop up his spill. That humbleness, it seems to me, is a mark of Reagan's greatness, too -- and a key to understanding the outpouring of affection his death has unleashed.

Though he came from nothing -- poor family, alcoholic father, no status, nothing to boast about -- Reagan considered himself no less entitled to respect and a chance to prove himself than those who had much more. But if no man was his better, neither was he the better of any man. That instinctive sense of the equality of all Americans never left him -- not even when he stood at the pinnacle of fame and power.

In reminiscences this week, former staffers have described what it was like to work for the president. Several have recalled how, even when they were at the bottom of the pecking order, he never made them feel small or unworthy of notice. To the contrary: He noticed them, talked to them, made them feel special.

Reagan climbed as high as anyone in our age can climb. But it wasn't ego or a craving for honor and status that drove him, and he never lost his empathy for ordinary Americans -- or his connection with them, as we now know from his private correspondence.

He was a lifelong letter writer -- perhaps the most prolific correspondent of any president since Jefferson. A collection of his letters was published last year ("Reagan: A Life in Letters"), and it is striking to see how many of them were written -- by hand, usually -- to angry or disappointed critics, many of them unimportant people he had never met. He is unfailingly polite and respectful; often he is touchingly earnest in his attempt to get them to see his side of an issue.

And why would the president of the United States devote so much time to answering mail from complete nobodies? In part because he never forgot his own modest roots. He was a genuinely humble man, one who didn't scorn others as "complete nobodies." For who knew better than he just how far a "nobody" from nowhere might someday go?

On June 3, 1984, Reagan visited Ballyporeen, the County Tipperary hamlet where his great-grandfather was born in 1828.

"Today I come back to you as a descendant of people who are buried here in paupers' graves," he said. "Perhaps this is God's way of reminding us that we must always treat every individual, no matter what his or her station in life, with dignity and respect. And who knows? Someday that person's child or grandchild might grow up to become the prime minister of Ireland -- or president of the United States."

In his first inaugural address, Reagan described George Washington as both "a monumental man" and "a man of humility." The two qualities merged in the nation's first president. They merged again in the 40th. May he rest in peace. 

   Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004                                                            by Ben H

Reagan and my Dad

After  the book titled The DaVinci Code was referred to me by someone with whom I was discussing religion, I decided to buy it and read it. However, I didn't realize the great impact this book had made until I looked recently at the list of New York times bestsellers and saw that more than a year after it was published, it still ranks 1st (at least when I checked 2 weeks ago).

While the book has an interesting plot (I love mysteries and the whole concept of hidden codes), and it definitely has some hardcore facts, that alone does not suffice in explaining the immense popularity this book has garnered. After all, if one wants mysteries and romance, one only needs to turn to John Grisham and Danielle Steel ( I promise I don't read her books, I really don't ;). Truth is, I prefer John Grisham; Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were among my favorites when I was younger). So, it's not about the thrill. It's about the answers this book gives for questions many people are asking, specifically about the Bible.

My conclusion is that people want to find answers outside the Bible, proof that either validates or invalidates the Bible, because it will somehow validate or invalidate the existence of a God. While that is a very important issue, and I admire those who wish to pursue truth, there is a danger in that we may go to the wrong sources. Another thing that I have noticed is that some people who arrive at certain conclusions about the Bible have not even read the entire  Bible once in their lives, and yet they are quick to point out all these "mistakes" and scratch out the Bible as a source of truth, almost as if they are trying to find a reason to not believe in the Bible.

The manner in which that thought is connected to The DaVinci Code is that Dan Brown very cunningly spins the mystery that keeps the reader turning page after page , intertwined with truths -and falsehoods. Not purposely done, I'm sure, but there nonetheless. For example, the main theme concerns DaVinci's hidden symbolism in his art, which is true. Brown also refers to the organization Opus Dei that actually exists, and causes the reader to question the validity of the Bible as a source of accurate knowledge by casting a shadow over the council that canonized the Bible.

Moreover, he goes on to say that the society was matriarchal ( great tactic to appeal to the feminists as well as to the "enlightened" individual), and that the ones who canonized the Bible controlled and manipulated the Bible in such a way that society became patriarchal. Sounds nice and pretty, but if you recall that the New Testament is an extension of the Old Testament, which is the holy book for the Judaic faith, you know that the society was predominantly patriarchal. And this is just one of the fallacies. For lack of space I won't list everything, but I just want to encourage everyone to read with an open mind, and check out the facts. Don't accept as fact everything you hear.

On a lighter note, I just thought I'd share with you a few segments of either conversations I've had or things I've seen written which I thought were somewhat amusing.

Carved on a table in the library at the University of Houston:

Lord, Help me!

I am hungay hungay hungay.

Marsha and Ernest together forever. (Hello, are we back at elementary school?)

And finally a segment of a chat I had with one of my friends (the whole part of the conversation shown is from the same person. Asterisks are used to conceal identity. Conversation displayed with his permission ;).

A.  Sup all.  I've got new pics for you from the wedding of Wesley & Elizabeth Samuel (Dallas), courtesy of one Susan Samuel.  Congrats go out to the Bride and Groom.

B.  "Reagan: In Conclusion":  I've written a follow up piece to my RR tribute from last week.  In it, I write about passing through the Capitol Rotunda and viewing the casket. 

You can find it in The IndaPhatFarm Post

C.  Remembrance: Ronald Reagan:  We've created a new section in Remembrance honoring the 40th President.  Replete with 55 pictures, 19 Media Clips, & several memorable quotes.  I will be adding more content to this section as it comes in, so stay tuned for that.  

D.  Elijiah T. Abraham:  I have a pic for you of the newest Mets fan courtesy of Vinod V. 

(Abhilash & Erica's son)

E.  Pistons Go Up 3-1:  It looks like the Bad Boys are back.  Who would of thought that the all-star equipped LA Lakers would be in this big a hole?  Defense, Defense, Defense, that's all I have to say.  LA's dynasty should officially come to an end on Tuesday night, followed by the departure of one Kobe Bryant.

No NBA team down 3-1 in the Finals, has ever come back to win the championship.

Thursday, June 10, 2004 - Benj

Give me some Ribs, J-Lo, Indian Weddings           

Well I was going to write about the great and honorable Ronald Reagan for today's update.  But we've been seeing his image all week in print, on TV, hearing audio clips on the radio, etc etc.  Inundation.  So I'll save my eulogy for another time.  Maybe next week.  

Monday night we fired up the new grill and cooked some indian-spiced ribs.  Sonia made the marinade and I didn't watch so I can't tell you how to make some yourself.  Cooked to perfection.  Mmm.... I think I'll stop writing and go eat.  :-)

This new grill is the first thing I've ever assembled that actually worked when assembly was complete.  Normally my klutz-of-a-self has to tamper with the "finished product" to get it to work right, i.e. unscrewing this, reopening that, slamming something against the wall, and yelling about the glories of the pre-civilized world when people didn't have to deal with such blasted gadgets.

So it was a nice feeling to slowly turn on that valve on the newly filled gas tank.  Wait 15 seconds, and then turn on the ignition, hear the click-click-click for a few seconds and then WHOOSH the fiery gas comes piping up.  I couldn't believe it.

Next topic:  can you believe that J-Lo got hitched again?  Of course you can!  She's the next Elizabeth Taylor.  50 years from now she'll need all 10 fingers and all 10 toes to count her innumerable marriages.  How pathetic.  Let's hope she fades, fades, fades, fades away.  

Speaking of marriages, it's that time of the year again.  How many weddings have you been to yet this season?  Hopefully NONE.  If there's one thing I do NOT like, it's Indian weddings.  Here's a horrible generalization for you:  Most Indian weddings are too crowded, too long, too pretentious, and there's not enough time to chat with the people that you actually wanna chill with.  So far we are only scheduled to attend one wedding this year, and it'll be one of the few weddings I've attended that's cross-cultural:  a malayalee from DC marrying a Toronto Caucasian.  

Which brings me to the extremely interesting topic of interracial marriages.  But my time is up.  Tune in next week.  Ronald Reagan or Interracial Marriages.  I'll toss a coin.  

   Posted on Wednesday, June 9, 2004                                                            by Ben H

The devil really doesn't have many new tricks. He is just so smooth at what he does that we fall for them a lot. The tricks that he uses on you and me are the same as the ones he used in the first temptation of mankind in the Garden. The reason why I think its important to look closely at what happened in the Garden is that we are in a an all-out war. The first rule of combat is to know your enemy and his tactics.

"...Yea hath God said you shall not eat of very tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God hath said ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes will be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." [Gen.3:1-5]

 Notice this age-old tactic: the serpent makes Eve believe that God is making her miss out on something good. Being God is something man has always craved for. How could Eve fall for such a stupid idea? There's only one explanation: the idea was so attractive to her that she, in essence, lost all reason. She forgot the wonderful fellowship with God and the peace it brought. She lost site of the fact that God had always given her everything good in life. She was simply infatuated with that one thing that he had told her she couldn't have. Was it because God was being mean? That's what Satan told her. No. It was because that THING was not good for her and would never make her happy.

Again, man has always has wanted to be God. You may think I'm talking about cloning or abortion or euthanasia (legal killing of elderly and other "unwanted" ). Not really. I'm talking about the desire to be our own god and run our own lives. I call it the perpetual struggle for surrender. That's what it really comes down to. How much are we willing to let God take over?

If you're like me, you're not willing to surrender anything. The Bible says we are so wicked that we would not give God a piece of bread if he asked us. But thank God for the Holy Spirit who draws us with cords of love to Himself and for Jesus who broke the dominion of sin and death over us. Slowly but surely, God knocks down one stronghold after another in us. Take it one step at a time.

                                                         Keep up the good fight.
 

A.  Is it fame?  Money?  Power?  A lot has been said, and will be said, about Ronald Reagan over the course of this week, about his greatness.  Personally I have always felt that great men make a difference in the world around them.  Whose name will be remembered in 100 years?  Bill Gates or Ronald Reagan?

RR's life affected me b/c of the following:  

#1 - He made me believe that anything is possible.  This man's optimism, wit, charm, faith, leadership, hard work, are an example to every human being.  Also, the man made the words character and principle, actually mean something to me.  Have faith in God, do good for your country, and don't be narrow minded. 

RR was one of those leaders that appears once every generation, at the exact time when they were needed most.  I would go as far as to say that he was the greatest President of the last 50 years, and that goes up to the present day.  I'd rank him #4 on the all time list, after Lincoln, Washington, and FDR.  

Now, let's go a little bit more in depth.

Before RR was elected, the United States was involved in the "Carter Years", and I don't say that affectionately.  Inflation, mortgage rates and gas prices were all sky rocketing.  Scores of Americans were still being held hostage in Iran after more than 1 year of Jimmy Carter's ineptitude.  In essence, the nation had lost its sense of identity.  Americans were not being told how to fix their problems, they were being told they were to blame for their problems.  The time was ripe, for a new leader.

C.  Underestimating Reagan:  The political landscape of Reagan's political career is littered with people who didn't take him seriously.  Those people soon found themselves unemployed.  

Who would have thought that this so called "dumb actor" from a little town, would be twice elected Governor of California, the nation's biggest state, let alone twice elected President.  Here's a case in point:  when the incumbent Governor of California learned that RR would be his opponent, he was thrilled, it would be a piece of cake against this Hollywood B actor with no political experience.  RR won by 1 million votes. 

How did he do it?  Well, take a look at some of the quotes below:

D.  Quotable Quotes:  Aside from the end of the Cold War, RR may well be remembered for the innumerable one liners of his career.  "Honey, I forgot to duck" and "I hope you're all Republicans" among them.  He seemed to have this uncanny ability to mix self deprecating humor and charm against all of his opponents, which endeared him to the nation.

Its been some time since my last update.  So let me reintroduce myself, my name is Vinod from New York city.  I pulled away from the powerful grasp of my infant son’s hands, who by the way just turned 7 months old a few days ago, to get to this keyboard.  My arms are getting conditioned with carrying my son all day long and throwing out his heavy diapers.  This is alone time, my time now.  So just sit back and try to catch all this because I am not going to repeat myself because I have no time. 

Tree huggers unite.  June 22^nd, 2004 represents the day an entire forest of trees will be mutilated and cut down because our former President, Bill “Bubba” Clinton himself has just released his memoir entitled, “My Life”, to which I respond, my goodness.  There are 1.3 million copies of this book in reserve at the moment.  These 1.3 million customers have just wasted their money.  At 26 dollars a pop, “My Life” represents about 12 gallons of gas (New York City: 2.30/gallon, but New Yorkers, this site my help: www.newyorkgasprices.com) or 6 gallons of milk (NYC prices: bordering the 4$/gallon mark).  So I implore all IPF members to refrain from purchasing this book or borrowing it from the library.  The Clinton 60 minutes interview with Dan Rather precedes the release of the book.  This interview will most likely by one long commercial for reasons to buy his book, so don’t tune in. 

Now did you ever thing we would reach a point in time when milk prices would exceed that of gas ?  Either way the malayalee community will not be affected by the increase in prices.  The Corollas and Camrys will be filled to the top with regular gas at the self service station of course, who needs clean windows or to top off some motor oil ?    But while at the pump please keep the following in mind: Don’t leave the nozzle in the tank and press the button that holds the trigger down, so that you can leave the nozzle running while you do something else.  According to Lifetime TV and an Oprah Winfrey collaboration, I learned that you may trigger an explosion by static electricity when you return to the pump to remove the nozzle.  Now let me explain why I was watching Lifetime (A women’s network) and Oprah: marriage is a cooperative effort, Grace and I watched it together.  You laugh now but wait till you get married or have regular unleaded burst in your face, you’ll only understand then. 

But don’t worry gas prices, it will not stop us malayalees from driving to the Indian grocery stores to buy canned jack fruit, won’t stop us NTC’ers from driving to Convention at all odd hours of the night with our eyes rolled back in our heads from exhaustion, us New Yorkers from driving our cars into the ground and burning gas while idling in traffic.  We will not be stopped.  When we visit someone’s house, I doubt they’ll skim on the milk by adding soy substitutes.  They will have their tea and they will have it 3 times a day.  They won’t be stopped, they won’t be stopped just like the Lakers.  For those who care about the NBA, did you know that if Phil Jackson wins this year, he will break Red Auerbach’s record ?  This is getting ridiculous.  I hope Karl Malone does not receive a ring because he is one dirty player.  Either way you spin it, the Lakers seem like they will win this year and this is one sound prediction unlike the message boards.  Did you read some of the noise that people have posted regarding their teams ?  And why are things getting so heated  ?  Is there some prize pot I am unaware of  ? Based on what people are posting, it sounds like someone is going to get physically knocked out.  The Stunnaz have been ceasing from contributing to all that heat.  We will not make predictions or knock anyone else.  All rules and regulations will be posted an hour prior to the start of the tournament, kidding, it should be posted shortly.  Come with peace, not with beef.  Vinod, blue eagle, over and out.

“My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever.  The bombing begins in 5 minutes.” Ronald Reagan, RIP.

A.  Those words were spoke to Ronald Reagan by an radio broadcaster from his hometown the night he got elected President.  Poignant words that I thought I'd repeat.

It's not by accident that he was the first person I put on my picture slice.

I will have a full in-depth update for you on Monday about this great man.

B.  Vinod will be updating tomorrow.

5 Reasons Why I Hate the L.A Lakers

1) Kobe Byrant - This Son of a fish is the cockiest most arrogant player I have ever seen. Ill give him his props when he can win a championship without Shaquille O'neal. On a side note, I hope the Knicks will be able to acquire him when his contract ends after this season. That is if he doesn't go to jail first.

2) Gary Payton & Karl Malone.  There are some Ex-Nba players whom I would have liked to have seen win at  least 1 ring  -- like Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. However I hope Gary and Karl never see the reflection of a glimmer of a ring. True, these are future hall of famers and I respect them for their hard work-ethic. But where's the self -respect, where's the loyalty, where's the dignity, where's the pride. I would rather see a man go out in honor without getting a ring than cowards who betrayed their own teams to come to L.A and gravel at the feet of Shaq and Kobe for the sake of a ring.

3) Phil Jackson.  He won 6 rings in the 1990's.  Reason: He had the best player on the face of the earth.  He's won 3 more rings in the new Millenium. Reason: - He has the most dominant player on the face of the earth - Shaquille Oneal, plus Kobe Byrant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton.  I'll respect the man when he  pulls a Stan Van Gundy and takes a team like Miami deep into the playoffs.  My question is, Who cant coach the Lakers to another ring?  For Gods sake, they're an all-star team. I bet you if you put them against the Western or Eastern All-Stars, they'll still win!

Thursday, June 3, 2004 - Benj

Graduation & College           

I was in MD this past weekend for the graduation party of my little cuzzin Becky (aka SHABOOQUA).  Being there brought back memories of my own high school graduation many moons ago.  

First of all, I want to publicly go on record and say that for most people, it's no big deal  to graduate high school.  As I told Becky, "GIRL YOU BETTER GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL OR I WILL THROTTLE YOU".  :-)

Secondly, I will now contradict myself and say that it is an achievement to finish high school and to finish it well like Becky did.  God wants us to do our work wholeheartedly and cheerfully - whether it be high school, college, working at Potbelly's, computer programming, seeing patients, ministering in the Church - whatever it may be.

Looking back, I'd say that my college years were some of the best.  New friends, all kinds of social activity, interesting philosophy classes, reading different sorts of books than I'd ever read before, being involved with on-campus Christian ministry, studying for tests and writing papers, playing a lot of racquetball, developing an interest in politics, etc.

All right, enough reminiscing.  But if there's any advice I could give to Becky and other college-bound people, it would be this:  LIVE IT UP!  ENJOY YOURSELF!   WALK WITH GOD!  MAKE THE MOST OF THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!  

   Posted on Wednesday, June 2, 2004                                                   by Liza B

Do you ever feel worthless? Do you ever feel like God can’t or won’t forgive you for something you have done? Have you ever felt like you can’t make it? I am sure many of us have felt that way at one time or another and today I want to challenge that mind frame with the Truth that God speaks into our lives.

God just can’t or wont forgive me.

Truth: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

That is why the opening verse is “Who hath believed our report?”

Today is June 1st, and while this marks the first day of the 6th month of the year, it also represents a loss of freedom. Summer school begins. So for those taking summer school, I wish you the best. May the summer pass by quickly. For those of you who are not taking summer school, have fun, sleep-in just a little bit, and accomplish something this summer.

Read that book you've been wanting to read, learn to play that musical instrument, perfect those basketball skills for the tourney (better watch out, our h-town guys are awesome), and reach that goal at which you've had your eyes set. And if you don't have any goals, now is a good time to set some so that you don't have to look back at the end of the summer and wonder where all your time went, and wish you hadn't wasted it.

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