Two Presidents and a Clown

It's not often that a former president comes to the Panhandle, but last week Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both had events in Canyon. It was kind of exciting.

Clinton was here to speak at West Texas A&M's Distinguished Lecture Series. He talked about the Flight 93 National Memorial and about his time after leaving office. WT donated $100,000 to the Flight 93 Memorial in exchange for Clinton to speak on campus.

I really wanted to go to the speech, but my blue dress was at the cleaner's. The TV station reported that the event was packed with area Democrats..... all eight of them! I have to give Clinton some credit, though. He is a great speaker, and he definitely knows his way around an intern. I bet the Secret Service loved Clinton. Imagine the fun they had during his time in office! Seriously, the speech raised $100,000 for a good cause: the Flight 93 Memorial.

George Bush's visit to the Panhandle was big news, too. Bush joined 20 military servicemen wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan for the Warrior 100-K mountain bike ride in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

It was part of Bush's Military Service Initiative to honor the sacrifice and bravery of the wounded warriors. This was his second year to ride in the Warrior 100-K. Last year, the event was at Big Bend Ranch State Park, and Bush led 14 veterans on the ride. This year, he wanted to bring the three-day ride to Palo Duro Canyon.

The event also raises awareness for groups like the Wounded Warrior Project, which aids injured soldiers. Bush has done so much to help our veterans. He is really a class act!

Both Clinton and Bush deserve praise for their work last week to benefit projects like the Flight 93 Memorial and Wounded Warriors. They are patriots for their dedication! Meanwhile, our current Comedian-in-Chief was off making the rounds on late-night TV. Barack Obama was busy cracking jokes on Jimmy Fallon 'Late Night' and practicing his act for the White House Correspondents Dinner.
 
I guess we know who's looking out for the best interests of the country, and it ain't Obama!

Feels Like Home

One of the hardest things about moving to Pampa two years ago was leaving my friends and the church I attended in Amarillo. I knew it would be hard to find a church like that one. This past Sunday, though, I officially became a member of Briarwood Church.

There are a lot of great churches in Pampa. I visited several of them when I first moved back here but mostly went to church with my mom. I started visiting Briarwood's Wednesday night Bible study last August. It was a study on prayer, and I liked it a lot. Then, I got up my nerves and went to a Sunday service. It felt like home!

I already knew many of the people there. Some were friends from high school. The other people seemed to know my name right away.... I guess it's hard to miss someone in a big scooter sticking out in the aisle! Everyone was friendly and made me feel welcome.

I've been attending church there since August and even started going to Sunday school. A few weeks ago, Pastor Hancock had a membership class. I went to learn more about the church and what it believes. I had been praying about it and really wanted to join the church. After the class, it seemed like I was meant to be there.... so I took the plunge! Now, I am a member of Briarwood Church, and I'm glad to be there.

I don't have to travel far to get there either. I can look out my front door and see the giant cross atop Briarwood. Instead of the 25-minute drive that I had in Amarillo, I can get to church in three minutes (two-and-a-half if I step on it).

I still don't know everyone's name, but I'm learning. I believe this is where God wants me to be, and I'm looking forward to all He has in store for me!

Who Let The Dogs Out?

In the world of politics, it's often dog-eat-dog. But in Barack Obama's case, it's more like man-eat-dog!

The Obama campaign has been in a real dogfight with Mitt Romney's camp over which is worse: To put a dog on the roof of a fast-moving car or to eat dog meat as food. As the left-wing media continues to hound Romney for strapping his dog on the roof of the car during a family trip in the 1980s, Republicans had their own dog-day afternoon last week after a report came out that Obama ate dog meat as a boy in Indonesia.

Romney has barked that his dog, Seamus, "loved" riding on the roof. What dog wouldn't? That's not so bad! At least it wasn't his mother-in-law or one of the five kids strapped to the roof, right? That would really put Romney in the doghouse.

But eating dog meat? Obama wrote about it in his 1995 memoir, "Dreams of My Father," where he admits he ate dog meat when he lived in Indonesia from ages 6 to 10. "I was introduced to dog meat (tough), snake meat (tougher), and roasted grasshopper (crunchy),” Obama wrote in the book.

Yummy!! Can you just imagine the menu at some of Obama's family dinners? Maybe a little Chicken Poodle Soup..... or how about some Chow Chow Mein?

No wonder special Secret Service agents at the White House have been assigned to protect the Obamas' dog, Bo. Could it be that 'Bo' is short for Bo-B-Que?

We've all heard of politics going to the dogs, but this is ridiculous. Dog gone it, the candidates need to stop all this foolishness! It's time to let sleeping dogs lie and get back to trying to solve the serious issues facing our country!

Romney vs. Obama

President Romney! That has a nice ring to it. It must scare some Democrats to death. It sounds better than the alternative: four more years of 'President Obama.'

I was disappointed when Rick Santorum dropped out of the race last week. Of all the Republican candidates who ran, I thought Santorum was the most honest. Santorum is a true conservative, and he fought for the Christian values he believes in. That's the kind of man I want in the White House.

I don't know much about Mitt Romney yet. Some have called him "Obama-lite" because of some of the liberal laws he supported as governor of Massachusetts. He's also flip-flopped on issues like abortion.

Even so, Romney is a better choice for president than Obama! Republicans need to come together now and show their support for Romney. And we need to do our part by praying for Romney and for the outcome of this election.

Romney has Obama and the Democrats on the run. They're scared of him. The attacks on Romney and his family have already started. Last week, a Democratic adviser criticized Romney's wife, saying Ann Romney "had never worked a day in her life." That's such an insult. Ann Romney has more experience as a stay-at-home mom than Obama had as a community organizer!

Now, the real fun begins.... Romney and Obama going head-to-head. I can't wait! Romney needs to get out there and expose Obama as worst president on record. That shouldn't be hard with Obama's pitiful record.

This election is about saving the country. In the end, this election shouldn't even be close! If voters just compare the two candidates, the choice is clear. America needs to elect Mitt Romney!

Simple Faith

I like to keep things simple. People try to make things way too hard sometimes. Life is hard enough... why make it more difficult? People try to make the message of the Gospel difficult, too. That's not the way God intended it to be.

We come to God in childlike faith. In Luke 18:17, Jesus says, "Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."

It's simple faith that saves us, and it's faith like a child that leads us through the trials of life. The older I get, the more I realize how much I need God and depend on Him. When life gets tough, there are times when all I can do is call on God like a little child..... and trust. He knows exactly what I need, and He comes through every time! I just have to believe.

Growing up, I wanted so desperately to be independent. Despite the struggles of my disability, I wanted to get a job and live on my own. With child-like faith, I believed all this was possible. I stepped out in faith, and God provided. I don't know how He did it. He provided a job when it seemed almost impossible that I would be able to hold a job. He gave me more than I ever could have hoped or imagined.

When I became unable to walk in 2008, it was the hardest time in my life. I couldn't get around my apartment. I eventually had to quit my job, and I didn't know how I was going to survive. I was literally as helpless as a child. During this time, God taught me again to trust Him with child-like faith.

Through all this, God STILL provided. None of this caught God by surprise. He brought me here to Pampa, close to my family, and He has filled my life with so many good things. I am so blessed!

God can work through your situation like He has in mine. There's nothing too hard for God, if we come to Him in faith and believe. “Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Simply believe.

Happy Existence Day

Happy Existence Day! That must be the new politically correct way students in some New York City schools say 'Happy birthday.' These NYC schools banned the word 'birthday.' Also banned on school tests are words like 'slavery,' 'dinosaur,' 'Halloween,' 'dancing' (except when talking about ballet), and 'computer.'

This sounds like some kind of skit from "Saturday Night Live," but it's real. I'm not making it up.

The NYC Department of Education claims it is just looking out for the feelings of its students. It says dinosaurs call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists; birthdays aren’t celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Halloween suggests paganism. I say, GET OVER IT!!

The department says some kids might "feel bad" because they can't afford a computer at home. Awww! How sad! Maybe these kids could sell their i-pods, cell phones, mp3 players and CD players to buy a computer. Seriously, who DOESN'T have a computer these days?

If schools ban the word 'slavery,' they're actually eliminating historical facts just because a word might offend someone. And the word 'birthday'? Everyone has a birthday.... whether Jehovah's (False) Witnesses want to celebrate it or not.

But, you know, this got me to thinking. There are some words that I wished were banned when I was in school. The word 'homework,' for example. That word really made me feel bad because it meant I actually had to study instead of watching TV. How could the school do that to me?!

I also think schools should ban the letter 'D' as a grade. Kids might think 'D' stands for 'Dummy,' and it would make them feel bad if a teacher put a 'D' on their paper. That could scar a kid forever!

Seriously, though, schools need to find something better to do. Why not start banning four-letter words....like 'test'?