Faith

Silver Linings

I just got back from watching the sunset, and now I’m sitting here in my favorite, big, comfortable living room chair, listening to some wonderful, well-produced music which has moved me into a deep into personal reflection.

As some of you know, I’m currently on a medical leave from work. I have yet to disclose the condition publicly, but needless to say, it’s not life-threatening and everything is going to be okay.

Maybe the music is playing with my heartstrings, but my thoughts right now are geared on this crazy ride known as life—and thus far the ride (probably like yours) has been filled with wild swings both up and down. Focusing on the ups keeps me happy and sane. As for the downs? There have been some terribly low moments as I will briefly describe, but somehow there has always been a silver lining.

One thing about those ups and downs, looking at them closely maintains within me a deep seated contentment, particularly when I consider life’s most distant horizon.

But touching on the ups, none outdo the beautiful woman I fell head-over-heals in love with when we were both 18. The ups also include my four children who I relished raising and now enjoy watching do life as adults—and I can’t forget the sheer joy I receive from hanging out with my four grandchildren.

The ups also encompass family and friends, laughter, vacations, recreation, and the opportunity to have been an occasional blessing to those in need. In particular I’m thinking of all the kids who were adopted, including my third son, Josh, via my TV segment on Channel 5,”Brian’s Kids.

Certainly my career has been an up. Not just the accolades, promotions, awards and income, but the talented (and in some cases super famous) people I’ve worked with, and the moments of side-splitting hilarity that have occurred behind the scenes that most will never even know about.

And then there are the downs. The worst moment of my life was witnessing the death of a friend when I was ten, but miraculously that eventually turned out to be an odd sort of up as it caused me (and a quite a few others, including his parents) to become aware of the promise of Heaven.

Another down that landed up was when I recklessly turned my back on my parents and went incommunicado with them until my brother stepped in and told me Dad had fallen ill. In the months to come our relationship was fully restored and turned out being better than I could have ever imagined. In his last moments Dad urged me to get along with Mom, which I did.

Again, the downs (and there are many more) have convinced me is that, despite some very real pain and regret, there can be a silver lining.

As I sit here in this comfy easy chair, I’m also thinking of four buddies of mine who have cancer. I pray for them daily—lately I’ve been awakened in the middle of the night from a dream in which I’m praying for them. So, I wake up and pray.

Interestingly, while all of these men cherish life, none of them fear death; because they know that, eventually, Heaven awaits. Like me, they have all placed their trust in the one who proclaims:

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

So, I’m good. I’ve hit one of life’s speed bumps, but I’m confident that this little down will become a big up.

I can’t wait to see all the silver linings.

Venice Flooding? Tell Me Something New

It’s true. Venice is flooding–again.

Some are saying it’s worse than in more than 50 years.  Such high water levels will leave “a permanent mark”, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted.

“Now the government must listen,” he added. “These are the effects of climate change… the costs will be high.”

I say, “Bunk.”

Climate scaremongers are pointing to the records at Saint Mark’s Basilica, which has been flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years, according to church records. Pierpaolo Campostrini, a member of Saint Mark’s council, said four of those floods have now occurred within the past 20 years.

And that proves…?

Let’s ask a few basic questions. First, what was occurring 50 years ago when Venice last experienced such flooding? It was actually in 1966, and the concern back then was global cooling.

Next let’s take a LOOK at Venice. It’s a city made up of more than 100 islands inside a lagoon off the north-east coast of Italy. The main landmass is intersected by the Grand Canal.  It is also an ancient city that is experiencing widespread subsidence–in other words, it is SINKING.

A project to protect the city from flooding has been under way since 2003 but has been hit by soaring costs, scandals and delays.

In my opinion, the Mayor’s cry for help is really a desperate call for more funding, which will line the pockets of more scandalous actors.

The Financial Costs Per Homeless, in the Silicon Valley

This story is NOT Fake News.

For the first time the cost of caring for the homeless in California has been calculated, and the amount is staggering.

These numbers were run in Santa Clara County, the epicenter of the Silicon Valley.

The cost?  $520 million annually.

And it gets worse.

The new study entitled,“Home Not Found: The Cost of Homelessness in Silicon Valley,”  described as the most comprehensive look ever at the expense of homelessness on a community, has determined that more than $3 billion was spent over a six-year period in the county on services such as trips to the emergency rooms, jail stays and mental health care.

The study was compiled by the Los Angeles-based Economic Roundtable,

All told, the study determined Santa Clara county has 7,567 homeless — the nation’s seventh-highest total.  That breaks down to a public cost of $68,719 per homeless individual.

But the study did not reveal the greater questions regarding why so many are homeless?  Yes, housing is terribly expensive  in the Silicon Valley; but many just getting their footing in the area will find ways to temporarily get by, including renting a room, or living in an RV.  Also, there’s no one holding a gun to anyone’s head to make them live in this region.

In my mind, the greater question is what percentage of the homeless are drug addicted or mentally handicapped?

My daughter, who is a licensed marriage and family counselor and is in charge of a state-subsidized sober-living facility, is convinced the vast majority of the homeless are drug addicted.  That begs an even larger question: why?

Personally, I believe the homeless crisis is a situation born of the nationwide breakdown of the the traditional family, a concurrent turn away from Biblical morality, and a rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

 

Many of the signers to the Declaration of Independence signed their lives away

The following is an excerpt from my book, “Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda Will Dismantle America” (2012, WND Books).  I’ve also shared this story in Episode 40 of my Hidden Headlines Podcast (July 4, 2019).

Francis Lewis was born in Wales in 1713.  He was orphaned at the age of five and raised by relatives. After a college education in London, he became a business apprentice and earnestly saved his money.  At the age of 21, he set sail for New York where he established an importing business.

In 1756, during the French and Indian War, Lewis was a special aid to the British forces, supplying them with uniforms and other critical supplies.  He was on business at Fort Oswego, when a bloody battle broke out against the French aggressors.  Lewis was taken prisoner and sent to France aboard a ship, cruelly housed in a wooden box.  Upon his release at the close of the war, Lewis was rewarded for his service to the crown with 5,000 acres of land in New York.

Again, while one might think that such a man would be forever loyal to Great Britain, such was not the case for Lewis.  He saw how the edicts from England were strangling freedom in the colonies, and, according to Lossing, Lewis held dearly to “his republican views.”

Lewis’ wife Elizabeth was also a devout patriot and fervently supported her husband when he was elected a delegate to the General Congress in 1775 and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia the following year.  Once the Declaration was signed, the British placed a price upon the head of Francis Lewis.  Before he was able to reach his home on Long Island, ground troops and a warship were sent to seize his wife and destroy his property.  Elizabeth watched from a balcony as a cannon ball crashed into a wall immediately next to her.  Immediately a servant shouted, “Run, Mistress, run!”[1]

Mrs. Lewis calmly replied, “Another shot is not likely to strike the same spot,” and she did not budge.

The soldiers soon entered the home and destroyed all books, papers, and ruthlessly pillaged the entire property.  Elizabeth Lewis was taken to New York and thrown into prison.  She was not allowed a bed or a change of clothing, and given little to eat.  A former family African servant discovered her location and was able to smuggle some small articles of clothing and some food to her.  He also reported her whereabouts and condition to Congress.  Demands were made for her better treatment, but the British were determined to make an example of Mrs. Lewis’ prominence and wealth.

Finally, General Washington was able to broker a prisoner exchange, and Elizabeth was able to join her husband in Philadelphia. However, it was plain to everyone that because of her mistreatment, she was broken in health and was slowly sinking into the grave.  Francis Lewis soon asked for a leave of absence from Congress to devote his whole time to his wife.  She died in 1779.

Grief-stricken, Lewis retired from Congress to live with his sons.  This great patriot died in 1802 at the age of 89 in New York City.  He was buried in an unmarked grave in the yard of Trinity Church.

[1]Harry Clinton, Mary Wolcott Green, The Pioneer Mothers of America, Volume 3 (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1912), p. 121.

Nice Nails Never Fail

My mother has always been a great dresser. It’s probably because she grew up near poverty on a farm in Minnesota. Upon high school graduation she decided to hit the “big city” of Minneapolis and become a registered nurse. Once she completed her training she made the move to really get radical and took off for Los Angeles. There she met a flashy young guy who had just served in the Korean War, owned a deli/liquor store, and drove a nice car. It turned out to be true love. Mom and Dad were soon wed and I was born several years later.
 
Dad’s been gone for many years. Now Mom’s getting close to the end. The last throngs of cancer are closing in, but disease be damned!  This woman is ready for her heavenly reward.
 
She took a spill at home last Friday and while in the hospital they discovered that this 87-year old dynamo had been unknowingly battling liver and kidney cancer. Interestingly, she had just had her nails done prior to the fall. Today, as she lay in bed asleep, I decided to take a snap of her always lovely hands and those awesome nails.
 
If there is a prize for “Best Nails in Hospice,” she clearly wins.
 
The lesson: for the ladies, nice nails never fail.
 
For the guys: change your undies daily.
 
lol, and thanks for your prayers.
 
Brian