♫ Like a Rock ♫

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Bob Seger, character, community-service, compassion, goodness, Helping others, homeless, integrity, kindness, Like a Rock, mentally ill, music, neighbors, service, stand, take stand, truth

Popular approval of Congress has reached an all time low as Americans reel under the vast scope of myriad scandals and lies perpetrated by this Administration. Yes! We have seen corruption before. Yes, we’ve been lied to before. Yes, we’ve even seen huge character flaws in our leaders before, but never … NEVER to the depth and scope to which we’re seeing today.

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Why? What has changed? What has happened to allow or facilitate such widespread corruption?

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Will a building stand if its foundation is compromised?

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Will a traveler reach his destination without first plotting his course & naming his destination?

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Can a nation long survive which has shredded its moral compass and floats aimlessly on sentimentalism?

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Perhaps innocently, perhaps with vile intent, social mores held firm throughout global civilizations over thousands of years, have suddenly (over the past few decades) come into question. GOD was declared dead April 8, 1966, and since that time, little by little, the once universal boundaries of Right & Wrong, have blurred. What was once, not more than generation ago, accepted behavior, has become “Old-fashioned” and “intolerant.”

Funny thing is, GOD is no place defined in our Founding documents, and the early Framers each held different personal beliefs. They intentionally kept all reference to GOD ambiguous so various individual beliefs might be adapted and accepted.

♫ Like a Rock ♫

• The point is CHARACTER.
• The point is GOALS … self-improvement … serving others.
• The point is standing for something bigger than yourself.
  The point is growing in personal integrity and service to the community… by choice, rather than by mandate.
• The point … is standing firm on some defined principles that are other aware.

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Without a firm foundation to stand on, the tides of political correctness too easily blow us around until we find ourselves … surrounded by Corruption. Like so many of our political leaders, bought and sold to the highest bidder, we, too, succumb to the popular trends and thoughts, victims of popular opinion.

How did we get here? We allowed it by our own compromise.

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Take a stand for GOODNESS
Take a stand for KINDNESS
Take a stand for TRUTH
Take a stand for COMPASSION
Take a stand for your Neighbor, for the Homeless, for the mentally infirmed … to be personally involved!

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Find something bigger than yourself worth STANDING FOR, worth giving your life’s passion to support, worth working toward and Take a Stand.

“We must stop acting like children.
We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings,
which are like winds that toss us around from place to place.”
Eph 4:14 CEV

♫ Like a Rock ♫

Words and music by Bob Seger

Stood there boldly
Sweatin’ in the sun
Felt like a million
Felt like number one
The height of summer
I’d never felt that strong
Like a rock

I was eighteen
Didn’t have a care
Working for peanuts
Not a dime to spare
But I was lean and
Solid everywhere
Like a rock

My hands were steady
My eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose
My steps were quick and light
And I held firmly
To what I felt was right
Like a rock

Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock

And I stood arrow straight
Unencumbered by the weight
Of all these hustlers and their schemes
I stood proud, I stood tall
High above it all
I still believed in my dreams

Twenty years now
Where’d they go?
Twenty years
I don’t know
Sit and I wonder sometimes
Where they’ve gone

And sometimes late at night
When I’m bathed in the firelight
The moon comes callin’ a ghostly white
And I recall
I Recall …

Like a rock. standin’ arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin’ from the gate
Like a rock, carryin’ the weight
Like a rock

Like a rock, the sun upon my skin
Like a rock, hard against the wind
Like a rock, I see myself again
Like a rock

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Y108 Listeners Demonstrate the Meaning of Christmas

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Christmas, community, furnace, heat, help, neighbors, Neighbors helping neighbors, pitch in, Pittsburgh, teamwork

PLEASE NOTE: While there are government programs to help offset heating bills, there are NO government programs that help with the expense of furnace repair or replacement. I spy a FREE MARKET OPPORTUNITY!!!

This took place in Pittsburgh, PA … so PROUD of my fellow “Burghers!”

Y108 Listeners Donate And Install A Furnace

Happy New Year! This is Jimmy and Monty with an inspiring story of the compassion of Y108 fans.

Kathy moved into her Muse home in July, as part of a rent-to-own arrangement. But, she had not workable furnace, and she was relying on seven space heaters and a kerosene heater to get her through the winter. Christmas was a week away on December 18, and when Kathy heard us asking our audience how they’d spend $1,000, she called Y108 to say that she’d buy a furnace.

We immediately got calls from Y108 listeners who wanted to help. Jody had money she’d set aside to donate to a charity. Tim had acquired two barely used furnaces from some recent demolition work. Bob from Precision Plumbing volunteered his time.

Kathy tells how it all came together. “Last Saturday (December 28), the guys came out and installed the furnace. Tim had the used furnace. Bob… brought a buddy of his, Jason, and they all came out and they all worked on it.” The installation took about 7 hours.

“Jody was at my house yesterday, she was the one who called and said that she would donate the funds.”

“It was amazing, too, because they all live so close. Jody’s right over the hill from me.”

Kathy says that having a working furnace is “amazing”, and there were “lots of hugs” all around. She adds, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause”.

(PHOTO above Left to Right: Tim who donated a furnace, Kathy, Jody who donated funds, Bob from Precision Plumbing in the Santa hat, and his coworker Jason)

ReDirect: A Reason for Giving

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action, caring, common sense, COURTESY, Good Samaritan, help, humanity, neighbors, thoughtfulness

It does no real good at this point, to dwell on the enormity of negative aspects of the Obama Administration. The extent of his disrespect for America and for the American people, whether they/we acknowledge that disrespect or not, is inexcusable. Nevertheless, it appears, at least for the present, that our hands are tied. So, beating the dead horse of his outrageous crimes, lies, and deceptions seems more of a distraction from all that is GOOD, all that is holy, and all that is AMERICAN … for me.

I will continue to write about whatever is on my heart, but I expect it to be more God-centered. Of course, it will still flavor my love for this nation and her people, but I choose to look for the GOOD. It may be harder to find than the bad, but I will find some and share it here in the hope that we will all be inspired toward improvement, toward a higher calling, toward genuine service.

On that note …

[WATCH] Why Has This Man’s Viral Video Restored a Little Faith in Humanity?

Go and do likewise!

Taking Back our NEIGHBORHOODS!

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caring, faith, faith-based, generous, help, Holiday Season, needy, neighborhoods, Neighborly, neighbors, Pray for America, prayer, Presidential Prayer Team, sharing

How ’bout a Holiday Block Party?

As we come into the Holiday Season, we must understand that many of our neighbors are financially and/or emotionally stretched beyond their means. Others will run up extravagant credit card bills to lavish their loved ones with “stuff” that will be trashed or discarded within a month. Across the nation, food banks are struggling to keep their shelves stocked for the genuinely needy. Homeless shelters see the weather turning colder and more desperate people in need of shelter. Of course, there are those among us who abuse the system and drain our resources, but that doesn’t negate the true need that exists.

It is my contention that we are ALL people of faith … the question is in what or Whom do we put our faith? It is not up to me to decide, nor is it up to me to sit in judgment! It is up to you and me to CARE about our neighbors! Can we DO this, or are we too ruined by fear and suspicion?

caring …

Years ago, before 9/11 … before the nation went crazy, we knew our neighbors. Our children played together. We got to know different family and cultural traditions through people we lived next to and worked with. It made us richer human beings. Jews, Christians, and Catholics all living together, sharing “American Life!” Germans, Irish, Ethiopian, Chinese, Argentinian, Ukraine, Nigerian, Cuban … it didn’t matter where we came from. We were all AMERICANS. We still are!!!

Listed below is a short list of some of my favorite organizations that help our NEIGHBORS. Maybe if we all added our NEIGHBORS to our Christmas/Chanakah list, we’d appreciate the season more?

• CITY MISSION
• MERCURY ONE
• SALVATION ARMY
• CARE.org
• CATHOLIC CHARITIES

Share Your Holiday Spirit with Your NEIGHBOR!

Be creative! Get acquainted with NEIGHBORS. We don’t have to be best friends, but we all have something to share with one another!
DONATE to one of the organizations listed above, or one of your choice, and help bridge the gap for those in need.

Federal Government Pulls Aid To Food Pantry Because Of Their “Christian Practices”

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charity, Christian Practices, Christian values, community, food pantry, local church, needy, neighbors

From the time the first settlers arrived on our shores until several decades ago, charity and aid to those in need was supplied by the local community and the church. If there was an illness, injury or loss of a family member, the church was there to help provide meals, watch kids, etc. If a barn needed to be raised, the church members brought their tools, the women brought the meal baskets and everyone pitched in to help. The same was true of harvest time. Church families would help each other bring in their crops and in the process, there was usually a lot of sharing and trading of produce.

Back in Arizona, I had the honor of serving on the Board of Deacons. We helped out the elderly and families in need. We would organize meals, help pay bills when necessary and even help others from outside our church who came looking to keep their lights on or to put a meal on the table for their families. It was always a blessing to help our brothers and sisters in need.

Times are changing and fewer churches are providing that vital help to people and families in need. Part of the problem is that today’s people are too busy with themselves to worry about others and in a struggling economy, some churches no longer have the resources to help. Yet others have become so liberal in their theology that they have no concern for the needy. After all, and I’ve heard this on more than one occasion, let them turn to the government for help.

What many churches and Christians fail to realize is that attitude is playing into the government’s hands. Our federal government doesn’t want Christian charity to be the norm in America. Instead, they want everyone, and I mean everyone, to turn to the government for all of their needs. This is socialism 101 to its core.

Read more HERE

If You Need a Good Laugh… | Military.com

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"life lessons", American, American Interests, appreciation, Blog, boredom, character, character training, choices, Conservative opinion, Democrat, empathy, fear, freedom, fun, God, hilarious, Hope * Change, Human nature, Human Rights, Military appreciation, military service, morality, neighbors, order, patriotism, pleasure, spiritual, USA, Women's Issues

Though I’ve seen this before, it is always a pleasure!

 

The Devaluing of Morality in America

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"life lessons", caring, character training, hippies, Human nature, morality, neighbors, spiritual, Viet Nam

Taking the temperature!

1. Is there a general decline of morality on every level, i.e. elected public officials, celebrities, and “Joe-the-plumber,” or is it centered in a particular group or stratus?

2. Is there morality without religion? If yes, please give examples. If non, why not?

3. What is the current “morality” of the United States? Why?

4. Is there any excuse for bad behavior (whatever that may be)?

The 10 Commandments ~ Outdated?

MY OBSERVATION is that our American culture has been sliding downhill since the 60’s, and unlike some, I do not necessarily blame it on the removal of prayer from schools. I look at the disintegration of the American family as the microcosm of the step by step elimination of morality in America. In my mind, a number of things factor into what I see as an obvious decline in general morality.

A general mental numbness among most family oriented people coming out of the 50’s into the early 60’s. Americans knew what was expected of them: they went to work, they went to school, they did their thing, but they did it according to the established mores, based on the Christian foundations of our nation. They went to church, synagogue, or used that time as “family time” to have a picnic, or go to dinner, This had nothing really to do with a church or religion as much as it did basic fundamental morality .i.e the 10 Commandments. TO my knowledge, there is nothing contained in the 10 Commandments that contradicts the basic tenets of any other major religion. And whenever those failed, we could always fall back on the Golden Rule. I’d wager the majority of our young people today – those under 25, have no idea what the Golden Rule is or its meaning.

"Father Knows Best" - One of many families that flooded TV

Korea and View Nam. These conflicts/wars were undefined and increasingly unpopular. In addition, and more importantly, it was the first time the media was permitted on the front lines, and they quickly learned sensational sells! They didn’t show us the victories, the heroic acts of our troops, or the desire of the South Vietnamese for our support. Instead, they showed us the frustration, the ugliness, the tragedy of war. Then these brave service men and women had to come back to ridicule and harassment from every angle on top of their own personal war baggage, PTSD, etc. These vets didn’t receive the help they needed to re-enter society, but were faced with the “horrors” everyday life in the USA in a different “morality.”

Disenfranchised soldiers rejected and mocked.

“If it feels good, do it!” Free love and the tearing down of authority marked the decade of the 60’s and continued through the 70’s. Many things once held “sacred” were mocked or devalued. Responsible leadership was despised. No one over 30 was trustworthy. Rules were seen only as things to question and eventually destroy. Rebellion was glamorous and desirable. If the government could break the “rules” and fight in Viet Nam, then we could break the rules, too. “Free love” was the cry of a group of “hippies” from Haight-Ashbury, CA. The stereotype included psychedelic drugs (LSD, mescaline, and opium mixtures of various and sundry sorts) and “head” music with raging guitars and pounding percussion mixed with lyrics that questioned gov’t, questioned our involvement in Viet Nam, and social conventions. Hippies wore Wild, colorful clothing and headbands, tie dye and every other person played guitar. All sexual boundaries were removed, and those who bought their lifestyle and attempted to mimic it. Living together became much more common and openly done.

"Woodstock" - an outdoor music festival in NY attended by 500,000 youths in 1969

The ME generation was born! Instead of weighing every action, thought and word by society’s standards, it suddenly became the norm to think only of self. Couples no longer needed to “commit” to one another, they stayed as long as they wanted then moved on. Same sex relationships started to become more open. The only consideration young people, in particular, had was their own needs, desires, and understanding. The concepts of “community” and even “family” greatly diminished.

Less about the whole and more about ME!

Right and Wrong - who decides?

These are at least 4 of the major reasons for what looks like the serious social malaise in which we find ourselves today. Kids killing kids, kids making babies, the “family” structure has disintegrated, generations of government dependents, an outrageous number of homeless. The majority of Americans have reverted to an isolationist attitude with personal privacy (the ultimate self-preservation) being held as the optimum social goal. True at least until an emergency, then slowly but surely neighbors remember neighbors and communities reach out to help other communities.

My question is … why can’t we LIVE there … eager to help one another, eager to talk to one another. Why can’t we live as caring neighbors everyday? THAT is morality!