Paul Newman dies at the age of 83

America has lost a great actor and man. I enjoyed seeing Paul Newman in so many films, especially Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Robert Redford. I also liked Cool Hand Luke. Anything he acted in was good. I just think he was a fine actor an a very likable man.

Paul Newman also took up auto racing in his later years.

In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.

"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.

Among his other accomplishments was his company Newman's Own and his camp for cancer-stricken children.

In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.

Paul Newman has been married to his wife, JoAnn Woodward since 1958. They are one of the longest-lasting married couples in Hollywood.

Technorati Tags: Paul Newman, Death, JoAnn Woodward

Run to the secret place

In this day of trials, especially with the problems in our economy, we wonder how we will ever survive. The gas prices are higher than they’ve ever been and groceries are going the same way. We are faced with perhaps the inability to pay our bills, fill our tummy’s, or even save for a rainy day.

Wall Street is having a break down. Banks and mortgage companies are going belly-up. And now the government is asking the taxpayers to fund a proposal of $700 billion dollars to bail out these institutions. If the companies had not been so inept in running the business, we would not be where we are today. Or, if the government had paid attention when congressmen/congresswomen brought the problem with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the forefront, things would be different.

While we, as Christians, are in the public sector as taxpayers, we should not be secular in our thinking. While the secular public is rolling over ideas to ‘fix’ the problem, we Christians should be turning toward our ‘secret place’ in the Lord.

Psalm 91 states it very plain. He is our refuge and fortress and we should put our trust in Him. If we dwell in the ‘secret place’ of the most High we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. We should not be afraid of the terror that come our way or worry about the problems that now face our nation. We do think about them, rightfully so. But these problems should not be in the forefront of our minds. We should be resting in the promise of God that He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5). Sure, we are going through some treacherous times right now and it is upsetting. But we should learn to pray and turn these things over to the Lord who tells us to cast all our cares upon Him. (I Peter 5:7).

2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

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Stuck on Stupid

Technorati Tags: Secret, God, Almighty, Wall Street

Our America

Copyright Graphics by Irene

I am proud to be an American. There is no better country to live in than our own USA! When you are a citizen of a country, you should be happy to tell others that you love your country. That's why am not ashamed to say I am glad to be from the 'land of the free, home of the brave' .... America.

A friend of mine is starting a new series entitled "The American Dream". You will find this series over at Nanna's Reflections. Right now, she has up the first article, asking you to talk about what The American Dream means to you. Why not go by, read her post, and leave your thoughts as a comment for her. You may become a regular reader of her blog.

Proud to be An American by Lee Greenwood - Lyrics

Technorati Tags: America, Citizen, Dream

Psalm 139

Psalms 139

1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Technorati Tags: Bible

Troubles hampering your life?

Lately, we have been experiencing all kind of trouble with the provider of our DSL service. Our DSL is up and down, off and on, and it is very frustrating. We can have a page up and try going to another and it throws us up a page showing we are not connected to the Internet. Takes time for it to reset and sometimes we have to do it numerous times. We have called them time and time again, only to be told it is ‘okay on our end’. You would think they would try and find the problem, since it isn’t in our inside lines.

Now, we have been having trouble even in our phone lines (same provider) as have all our neighbors. There has been a roaring on our phone for many days. People complain when we try to talk to them on the phone. They are getting the same roaring on their end of the phone and they don’t want to talk with you. My daughter even said she hears her voice in the feedback. I, too, have experienced this when calling home from my cell phone.

These troubles seem to be detrimental to our every day lives. But, are they detrimental to our eternal lives? I believe all our every day worries are nothing compared to the trouble we will be in if we come to the day of judgement and have not given our lives to the service of the Lord. When we appear before the Lord on judgement day, will we hear ‘well done, thy true and faithful servant’, or will we hear, ‘depart from me, you workers of iniquity’?

Now is the time we need to decide whether we are really followers of the true God, or are we separated from Him and eternal rest because of our way of life. Do we truly adhere to His commandments?

Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

Matthew 22:37 is the first and greatest commandment. And, if we do not hold to this one, then we are, for all spiritual purposes, lost. Where do you stand today? Are your troubles overflowing into your life where you are unable to separate them from your spiritual life? Are you constantly worrying about tomorrow rather than living for today, keeping your eye on Christ and His promises?

Our problems could be to the detriment of our souls, truthfully! Problems can get us into all kinds of trouble. I remember old folks saying things such as ‘it can cause you to lose your religion’ – in other words, the enemy is out there to destroy your faith. And, if he can get you off into secular thinking and out of the realm of faith, then he is on the way to having you in his corner. Don’t give into the enemy; keep your eyes on the Lord and remember it is HE who has the last say. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Technorati Tags: Trouble, Faith, God, Eternal, Lord

A look back at 9/11

The Day America Cried

Mornings are for waking up happy, going on with your business, and enjoying life. After all, the weekend is over; it's the beginning of a beautiful new day given to you by the Lord. But the morning of September 11, 2001 wasn't to be one of those mornings that were so simple. Nothing could have prepared us for the tragedy of the morning. If someone had said to me, the World Trade Center will be bombed today, I would have said you have to be kidding! And, I would have meant it. This is the land of freedoms - a family sometimes divided, but together in times of trials. Things like that just do not happen in our country. But, today would change my thought pattern - it does happen, and it did happen!

I was sleeping a little later that morning and my husband came in and told me that my daughter was on the phone. He also said, come in the computer room - the World Trade Center is on fire. I don't think that he actually knew it was a plane that had hit it at the time, or perhaps he did. My memory of that morning is like a haze. We sat there and looked in horror. Our fears were found to be true - it wasn't an accident. Another plane hit the south tower right before our eyes.

I look back now and realize, at the moment of the second plane hit on that tower, and the aftermath of the explosion, that we knew it was terrorism, but we didn't know who would have wanted to strike beautiful America, and right in the heart of downtown Manhattan. After all, these were buildings with multiple tenants from all over the world. Everyone was affected, not just America. Thousands of workers, and hundreds of rescue workers and policemen were lost, without a reason! The enemy came to our country, took our own planes, and unsuspecting people, and used them as bombs against us.

As we watched the men and women come out of that building, run down the streets, or being helped by others, we were horrified. Our hearts went out to them - tears stung our eyes. We didn't know any of them by person, but felt for them - the things that they had to undergo and the time it will take to heal. Our hearts went out to the many families that lost loved ones, and never will be able to put closure on that part of their lives, having no body to bury. The very thought made me angry. Like others, I suppose I would have gone after the person/persons responsible, if it were possible. Sure, the terrorists that did the acts were dead, but someone had set this act up, and someone will pay.

America's heartland has been scarred, and we cried tears. But, if the enemy thought that he would tear out our hearts, he has another thought coming. As someone said on television, we are family. Families bicker amongst themselves, but when attacked, families stick together. America is united more in Spirit and cause than I have ever seen in my lifetime. We will go after those responsible and AMERICA WILL RISE AGAIN!

©Barbara Sanders, September 16, 2001. All rights reserved.

Taken from Speak to My Heart Inspirational Stories

A personal message from an Iraqi Veteran for Obama

Dear Mr. Obama,



Veteran, Iraq, Obama

Was your Mother pro-life?

To me, that is an easy question to answer. At least, my Mother gave birth to all three of the children with which she found herself carrying in the womb. I must have gotten my pro-life stance from her as I had two children. My daughter had four and my daughter-in-law has had two. Abortion was never in the equation. I find it ironic that these people advocating abortion had a mother who was pro-life, especially at the time of their birth. Do they not realize, had she been pro-abortion, that they would not have been here? But, she gave them the chance at life, the life they want to take away from those babies they carry in the womb, even right up to the time of birth.

It seems that women who want the ‘right to choose’ are going against Palin, not on the issues, but because she is pro-life and she ‘might’ try to press her beliefs on them. I don’t see the job of the Vice-President as going after women who don’t have her beliefs.

I heard a couple women talking today, one of them Kirsten Powers, on Fox News. They were saying that they didn’t like the way people were jumping on her as a woman, but then they turned around and said she didn’t speak for women. One said, ‘what did the feminists fight for, and here she wants to take it away?’ They don’t understand we all have the right to have our opinion and make our own choices. That seems to have been lost in the mix of the discussion. I think they realize it would take everyone in Congress to over turn Roe vs. Wade, yet this is what they think the McCain/Palin campaign is going to do.

In fact, the right to choice is what Nancy Pelosi has said in her speeches. She, as a Catholic, went against the teaching of the church when she said that she didn’t think that the Catholic Church had an answer for when the right to life took place. She was called on this by an archbishop and told that the right to life started at the moment of conception. I had a Catholic friend back in the 60’s that always said they did not believe in abortion. So, apparently Pelosi hasn’t been paying close attention to her church teachings.

Pelosi, who has served as a Democratic representative from San Francisco for nearly 22 years, elicited strong protest from the Catholic clergy and laity when she said on Meet the Press that the church has been indecisive on when life begins. She also argued it doesn't matter what the correct answer is, because a woman's right to an abortion trumps an unborn baby's rights, regardless of when his life begins.

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Technorati Tags: Pro-Life, Conception, Abortion, Nancy Pelosi, Birth

Hyprocisy in the media

There are so many of the people out here in the public that are fed up with the way that Governor Sarah Palin has been treated since being chosen by McCain for his vice-president running mate. They have jumped on her hot and heavy first with the statement (NOT the truth) that her 17 year old daughter was the real mother of the new baby that was born with Down Syndrome. They have also made statements that she should have made a different choice when she found out through tests that this baby boy had Down Syndrome. In other words, she is pro-life and that offended some that she didn't get an abortion. It is sad how easily some can throw away the life of another human being. I questioned one other day and asked him how he would have felt had his own Mom wanted to abort him. He thought it would have been no big deal. Things happen. :(

Then, to combat that accusation, she opened up her family's life more by telling the world (which had no business knowing) that her 17 year old daughter, Bristol, was 5 months pregnant. She went on to say that her daughter had made the choice to keep the baby and marry the young man she has been dating. But this young girl has been raked over the coals,too, and she doesn't deserve what she is getting. I applaud this young woman for making the correct decision. She will never be sorry that she decided to carry this child to term and enjoy the baby for years to come. The other alternative that most would love to have seen her take was abortion. But they don't understand that this is a very close-knit family. They value every child that comes their way. They are pro-life and would never think of aborting a baby.

The Democratic party (Obama, to be exact) believes in late-term abortion. He has made the statement that he doesn't want his girls to have to be burdened with a baby until they are ready for one. In other words, I'll make sure my daughters have a chance to have an abortion if they happen to get pregnant and don't want the baby. That upsets me and many others that think children are a gift from God. Not one of them is here without a reason.

It appalls me that they will ask questions of a woman that they would never ask of a man. Would they ever ask Obama how he's going to run the country with 2 girls at home while his wife is working at her high-salaried job? She's not a stay-at-home Mom! And, did they question Joe Biden when he chose to go back to work and leave his two sons every day after his wife and child were killed? I don't think so. So why be hypocritical now in asking these questions of her? Also, it angers me that they are attacking her and her daughter when they found out that her 17 year old girl was pregnant. Just because this young girl made a mistake does in no way reflect on the parent's upbringing of their children. Many families have these problems in their family, but it doesn't mean they aren't good parents. I believe this is happening to Sarah and her family simply because she is pro-life and didn't entertain abortion.

I used to have a little hope for some of the reporters, but I'm losing respect for the majority of them this week! I applaud those reporters that have taken a stand for Sarah Palin and her family, though, especially Laura Ingraham! I saw her and Greta VanSustern last night. And she recognized how Greta felt because of what was reflected in her eyes. But you know what? John Coale, Greta's lawyer husband, who is a democrat, has gone over to the republican ticket and is now working for the McCain campaign. He thinks that McCain is the best bet for our country at this time. You can view the interview by Tammy Haddad on video.

Technorati Tags: Media, Hypocrisy, Sarah Palin, Family