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Watching the news tonight I see a story about a double murder at a poker party. A poker game was going on in an apartment when a guy shows up to rob the game. He shoots and kills the host. Then another player pulls his (legally) concealed hand gun and kills the robber.

Then I notice this was at the apartment complex I used to live in. Oh, but wait for it…the camera zooms out from the apartment door (showing the number) and shows the most of the building. Holy whaaaa??? That’s MY former apartment, not just the complex, but the actual apartment I lived in for more than a year!

Um…glad I don’t still live there, much? Yep.

Last week, Keith, over at bagofnothing.com posted the video above. It show a terrified dog that was resceud from a shelter an hour before it was scheduled to be euthanized. What really got me was the pure terror the dog showed.

Three years ago, I experienced the same thing. We saw an ad on Craig’s list put up by the City of Canton animal shelter. They had a yellow lab that had been there for five weeks. They were supposed to put her down on Friday of week three, but couldn’t do it. Friday of week four came and went. The ad we saw went up Thursday of week five and said they would have to put her down Friday. The ad BEGGED someone to come get her. Friday morning the ad was up again. My wife convinced me to go pick up the dog. Even if we didn’t keep her, at least she would live. She is still with us today.

We believe she was bred and then dumped at the shelter in Canton while her puppies were sold at First Monday Trade Days in Canton. It was obvious she was young and had recently had puppies. She is the second of our three labs that came from a shelter (the first was from a friend).

Our yellow lab is an amazingly sweet and thankful dog. She was EXTREMELY scared of people when we brought her home. She is still terrified of strangers. She would sleep down the hall around the corner, away from everyone. Gradually she moved closer. After 6 months, she would stay in the same room with us for extended periods of time. Now she gives the most amazing hugs, buries her head into your shoulder, and lets us scratch her ears (something she ran from before).

I can’t imagine a world without this sweet dog. The sad thing is, animals such as this one are lost every day. The yellow puppy dog has so much love to give. She acts as if every day is a gift, and for her, it is. Before you decide to buy a puppy at a flea market, or a breeder, check with your local animal shelter or rescue agency. For more information, a great place to visit is the website of Sparky’s Pals, a non-profit humane education organization started right here in Dallas by a couple of friends of mine, Kevin and Virginia.

A MASSIVE 8.8 earthquake hit Chile just a few hours ago. This has triggered a tsunami warning throughout the Pacific region. I was reading the initial warning bulletin and found the verbiage below disturbing. I cannot imagine something like this. Mother nature is amazing, beautiful, destructive, and powerful. My prayers are with all of those in Chile and the areas still yet to be affected by the aftermath of this enormous quake.

Pictures of the Chile quake from the Telegraph (UK)

Full warning text here

I’ve bolded some of the things that boggle my mind…

EVALUATION

A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.

TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.

THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS 1105 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010

I’m sure you’ve know many godly or spiritual people in your life. But every now and then comes along that rare individual who seems to personify the lessons we grew up hearing about Jesus. They are the ones you turn to for advice, comfort, solace, wisdom, and understanding. They often are great leaders, teachers, and counselors, but they are also humble, gentle, and non-judgmental. So it breaks your heart when something bad happens to them.

At the same time, you get to see how they handle adversity. It is in this time where you see the power of their spirit and the strength of their faith. There is that quiet strength ever present even when fear tries to subterfuge a lifetime of belief in an almighty God who can deliver us from any obstacle.

Such is the story of my friend, Ray Hardin. Today he sent out the following email. Please pray for Ray. Many people depend on this great man, whether he will admit it or not. His friends and colleagues are a testament to the love and respect that Ray commands simply by being the man he is. I am posting this here because a simple prayer request on Facebook or Twitter is not enough. I wanted you to hear the faith and strength in Ray’s own words.

January 5, 2010
Providential Patient
 
*PROVIDENTIAL: Happening as if through divine intervention
*PATIENT: A person who is under medical care or treatment
 
In the Fall of 2009 I had a wicked case of the flu…like so many others! It ran it’s course in less than two weeks, but instead of completely running away it took up residence in my chest. And it hung on. And on. And on. I couldn’t quit coughing! Fearing I might OD on Robitussin DM, I called my doctor to see what we might do. He ordered a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia. Sure enough: no pneumonia. But we saw something else that didn’t look so good. We followed up the very next day with a CT which showed that “something else” even more clearly. That was followed up with a bronchoscopy, a lung exam with a tiny camera on a long tube-thing. A tiny ½ cm tumor in an airway was seen and biopsied. And that biopsy brought the news: small-cell lung cancer. Small-cell is the most aggressive, relentless and deadly kind. It can’t be removed surgically.
 
So more tests were done to see if that little tumor had spread any…to any other part of my body. A head MRI, a full-body CT with contrast media and a bone scan were all done. And all showed the tumor has not spread beyond two adjacent lymph nodes. So now, at Baylor Dallas, we begin chemotherapy and radiation therapy to blast that area. There is no cure for cancer…yet. But we have evidently discovered this one pretty early. And it hasn’t spread. So I have a fair chance of beating this. That’s medical lingo.
 
And I’m sure not discounting that. I have the highest admiration and appreciation for my physicians and for medicine in general. It is my intent to fight this with every ounce of energy I have.
 
But I’m actually more interested in spiritual lingo. I’m now a providential patient because I had that flu last Fall…which let us discover this hidden killer. If God allowed that circumstance to unfold, He can also see me through this. And He can certainly heal me if that’s what He thinks is best all round. He hasn’t let me know yet what He has in mind here, but I’m listening very, very closely.
 
A small group grew organically and walked with me through this discovery process. They have prayed several weeks now for my healing and well-being. I invite you now to join in praying for me, too. However works best for you… and with whatever words…or with no words. And, of course, please feel free to pass this message on.
 
I believe—above all else—that God knows us, understands us and loves us outrageously. He is letting me lean on Him through this challenging episode. And in His care I am and shall be completely safe.
 
Thanks, love and blessings,
Ray Hardin

Please read this post by Trey Morgan and then send a few dollars. He posted back in November about the Adventures in Mission Team that made the trip to Honduras and went to the dump to hand out sandwiches. They make and handout up to 3,200 sandwiched a day! Here is the really shocking part. $20 per day will feed everyone at the dump for the day and $80 will take care of them for an entire week!

From the most recent post:

“If you have read my blog in the past month, you know I’ve asked that this Tuesday you consider making a donation to the “Dump Fund” to help feed the people who live and eat at the dump. Although I haven’t officially asked for money yet, a few of you have already sent some. You guys are amazing. In fact, one person has contacted me and said they’d match dollar for dollar anything given over $2500 (up to $2500). That means if we raise $5000, this very kind person will write us a check for $2500 to make our total $7500. I’m praying that this happens. This Tuesday I’ll give you all the details how you can give, and please understand that 100% of what you give will go to feed hungry people.”

Last Sunday at Highland Oaks Larry James, President and CEO of Central Dallas Ministries, was our guest Speaker. During his sermon he mentioned the work that his organization does. While they have numerous programs, one stood out to me, a support group of 22 men who have been wrongly convicted of crimes and spent time in prison only later to be exonerated. I can’t imagine having to spend a week in jail for something I didn’t do, much less 27 years!

I first became aware of the Innocence Project a few years ago because of the work of Dallas District Attorney, Craig Watkins. You can
Google him to see all the work he’s done getting wrongly convicted people released.

I’ve heard it is difficult for someone that has been in prison for a length of time to adjust to being back in the “real world”. I can’t pretend to imagine how difficult or frightening this would be. Imagine how much has changed in the last twenty years. And what do you do after 10, 15, or 20 years without any job history? How hard must it make it to get a job?

One reason this is an issue for me is because I have had the chance to meet and speak with a handful of these men. My heart goes out to them. I cannot fathom the trials they have been through. Yet, what amazes me the most, is that not a one of them I have met seemed angry or bitter. In fact, they have been wonderful to talk to, once they get going. There is often a shyness that seems strange to me. I met a man the other day who must be 6′ 5″ tall and looked like a former NFL defensive lineman, but he was so quiet, soft spoken, and reserved that it took him awhile to begin to talk with me.

In a way, it saddened me because these gentlemen can seem as if they have a broken spirit. Perhaps some of them do. I am sure there is fear of how they will be perceived, or what someone may want from them. At the same time, many have wonderful spirits and the desire to take action and prevent this same injustice from happening again. The gentleman I met this week will be in Austin on Monday and Tuesday to testify before our state representatives about a witness identification bill to standardize witness identification procedures. Many others are public speakers and authors.

I have had the opportunity to meet these gentlemen through my work. The optometrist I work for is providing free comprehensive eye exams and diagnostic testing to these exonerees. We were put in contact with Dr. Page at UTA by one of our patients. This same patient has agreed to pay for the cost of materials for these exonerees to get new glasses. I can tell you that the people receiving these services have been VERY appreciative, and I am blessed to be a part of the process.

One thing this also reminds me of is the importance of not judging others. Often, this type of behavior is a central reason why so many people have been wrongly sent to prison. The person you see may not be the person you are looking at. It’s easy to make judgments about someone because of the color of their skin, the place they live, who their friends are, how many tattoos they have, or where they go to church. I have met great people in the worst parts of town, just as I have met dishonest, angry people that are respected members of their community. When you look at each person as a child of God, no better or worse than yourself, you can see amazing people and opportunity. Don’t close doors on people based upon what you don’t know about them.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Mt 7:1-2

I-35 southbound was a nightmare this afternoon. As I merged onto I-30 I noticed the situation was not improving. I almost went home another way, but this was a little shorter, go figure. Anyway, just as I am coming out of downtown, I finally heard a traffic report of a “police action” on I-30 at I-45. I though, great. Wait! I am almost at I-45 and I have my trusty camera with me! And luckily I was NOT on the side of the road that had been completely shut down.

Anyway, I was able to fire off a few shots with said trusty camera. When I got home, I realized it was still not on the news, so I typed out a quick email to Tim Rogers at FrontBurner (D Magazine’s daily blog). And attached a few of the pictures. As you can see, the close up made the cut.

I still haven’t seen anything about this on the news, I am not sure if the situation has been resolved. I sure hope that guy didn’t jump.

Sitting in the coffee shop this morning I see WFAA break in to report a motorcycle officer had crashed on the Houston Street Viaduct. Emergency vehicles were on the scene and reports were that paramedics were seen frantically working on the officer. One report I heard said an I witness said the officer was thrown 20 feet through the air after coming off his motorcycle.

A few minutes ago, they broke in again to announce the officer had passed away. As
BigWhiteHat would say, its time to take a knee. Keep the officers family, friends, and fellow officers in your prayers. Little information is currently available, but I know this will be a big story today so stayed tuned.

Update: KRLD is now saying they have heard that the officer may have struck a curb while travelling at a high rate of speed. The officer had been with the department since 1988.

And it doesn’t make me happy to know he was travelling as part of the Clinton security detail. I know that’s unfair, but it still irks me…