It is beyond me !

Ever heard someone say that ? It's beyond me ! ... or it beats me.


While a simple phrase like that is not a problem, it does (sort of) sound like a note of defeat. A note that says, I cannot do that. A sigh of resign. A note of desperation.

Well, it IS beyond me. In the humble, mid sized city of Little Rock Arkansas there is a need. A need that is simple and basic. The need is for children to have a loving home. A home where a child no matter how disadvantaged, no matter how heavily the odds are set against can KNOW that they will be loved and cared for and that they matter... to SOMEONE.

One of my FAVORITE phrases in life is.... STOP CURSING THE DARKNESS AND LIGHT A CANDLE. So simple, so true. SO EASY. But it is beyond me... or is it? You see ... we know that separately we have limited abilities, access and resources. BUT... together.. TOGETHER.. we can do much more.

My family and I have been blessed more than words can describe by The Church at Rock Creek, it's members and staff. We call it Church 2.0. It is HONEST. IT IS REAL. Is this an ad for a church ? NO.. this post is to let you know that WE .. WE as a church, and WE as a people, have decided to make an IMPACT. An IMPACT on the region and on the state. We have undertaken a goal of opening a Children's Home on our church campus and staffing it. We will be able to take in several dozen children and we will be expanding to a youth home as our last stage (as those of you know who have / have been / or ever WERE a Teenager know it is the most difficult stage).

So how can you / WE make an IMPACT on our area? http://www.churchatrockcreek.org/childrenshome.htm . No matter how many it helps .. big or small we CAN make an IMPACT.

I am NOT asking for donations, although if you felt directed that way please contact the church at http://www.churchatrockcreek.org/ and ask to speak to Lynn Fagan, Administrator.

As for us, we have chosen to auction a property for IMPACT and 100% of the bid price will go DIRECTLY to the IMPACT fund at The Church at Rock Creek. Please watch soon for that special auction. It will be very clearly noted that 100% of the sales price will be donated for the Children's Home. In the spring of 2006 we auctioned a property on EBay for the victims of Katrina. That EBay auction raised $19,200 for the home site in HSV. We proudly delivered the check to the Little Rock office of the Salvation Army. Let's say they were glad to see us and we were happy to help... but more than that.. the stories of the LIVES changed at the Salvation Army. The roofers who were unemployed in New Orleans that have been relocated here and were busy and THRILLED to be "earning my own keep" as one of them told me. Katrina was a staggering disaster. But as in ALL things, there is good that can come from it. The lives that have been redeemed, the sense of self worth reborn, the "can do" attitude that surprises even the hardest heart. That is the GOOD side of Katrina.

IMPACT does not address a "national crisis", it does not and will not make the evening news. IMPACT is for ONE purpose. To show children, who have no choice and who have NOT chosen to have the home life they do that someone - if even a stranger to them - loves them, cares for them and that they matter. This is specifically for children who have been pulled by the courts from their home(s) and need a place to stay. It IS that simple.

And yes, maybe it is beyond me .. i cannot build a children's home, but it is NOT beyond US! ;)
Please watch for this special auction and if you can bid, great, if you cannot please pray that someone can help and we can complete building and making an IMPACT on others lives.

For more information http://www.churchatrockcreek.org/impact.htm

Lighting a Candle...............

dennis

Senior Pie Chart

Doesn't this just say it all? Those of you who have been reading my Blog know that THIS IS ME.

Add to that, forgetting "what's his / her name's name! "

Ok, again, a good time to "lay it on the line". This is not ALL that strange to me. As a child i had GREAT difficultly learning English. It made (MAKES) no since or is that sense? English and my mental skills seem to have been at odds since (or sense OR cents) i was VERY young. That said, I am ALL about the logic. Frankly, I am ALL about testing the rules (and OHHHHH don't MY children test / remind me of that). Yet I digress. My point here is not about English, it is about rules and the people who make them. Who are they? Where did they get the authority to tell me that "though" is different that "threw" ? and WHO says what is right and what is not?

I have arrived at a point of PEACE in my life. A point where i do not argue with the wind any more... and i am not the "angry young man" that Billy Joel sang about. I am the happy to be here guy who knows that looking for things i had a minute ago, beats worrying or stressing all about all my youth angst.

"Oh, there's a place in the world for the angry young man with his fist in the air and his head in the sand, he's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood, it's a comfort to know his intentions are good. His honor is pure and his courage is well, he sits in a room with a lock on the door and his maps and his metals laid out on the floor and he likes to be known as the angry young man"

to continue,

"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage I found that just surviving was a noble fight.I once believed in causes too,I had my pointless point of view, And life went on no matter who was wrong or right."

to finish,

"And there's always a place for the angry young man, With his fist in the air and his head in the sand.And he's never been able to learn from mistakes, So he can't understand why his heart always breaks. But his honor is pure and his courage as well,And he's fair and he's true and he's boring as hell-And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man.(synthesizer solo) There's a place in the world for the angry young man With his working class ties and his radical plans He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl, He's always at home with his back to the wall.And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost, And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross-And he likes to be known as the angry young man."

Ladies, i know you may not be able to relate, but every man on this list, has at least a fleeting feeling like this.. at some point.

Have you hugged the person you love most today ?

dennis

Time for Fun

Ok.. we have talked history, and we have talked politics and the future.
But now, it is time for what Arkansans do best, we LOVE a good story, a funny song, or just a cute tale. Well the wait is over, i was emailed this a few days ago, and it is uniquely a great Arkansas Song.

http://

And i am VERY sorry if you see two of these, Blogger.com is having "issues"...
trust me .. you WILL enjoy the song, sort of a love song.. of sorts.


This weeks auctions,
Great lots, great prices....
Where are YOU spending your future ?
make our home yours

more news to come ,
dennis

What a Gamble :)

I LOVE history, it ROCKS,
better yet, it is pretty cool when it repeats itself.


Take Hot Springs and it's GAMBLING PAST. History buffs like myself know that "gaming" in Hot Springs has gone on since one Indian bet another Indian that it would rain. Yet, Gaming (of some sort or another) has been here CONSTANTLY for 200 years.



You see, in MY lifetime, I was a SMALL child living outside of Little Rock and I would look and the local Newspaper and see that Sammy Davis Jr. (IN THE 1970's MIND YOU) was at the "Vapors" a "dinner club" in Hot Springs. WOW!! and BIGGER THAN THAT!! Phylis Diller was coming the next week and John Mathis was 2 weeks after that. I was a slow kid, but i knew that we lived so far back in the woods (culturally) were getting Saturday Night Live on Mondays...(and we did not "GET IT" all the time then). What were these LAS VEGAS STARS doing in HOT SPRINGS ARKANSAS ?? I was stumped. Then in the mid 70' (i was 12 - 13) there was a new Governor (NOT BILL) in town and he called raids on ALL the gambling tables and slots in HS, so ended (for the while) an era.



Was this new? HARDLY ! Only to a snot nosed kid who had NO CLUE. You see, in the 20's and 30's Al Capone and other gangs REGULARLY came in HS. It was where Al tried to get "the cure" (read STD's here) with the healing waters, and just like with the Indians, Hot Springs was neutral. No gang wars here. If you had a beef with someone in Chicago, you left it there. By the way, Hot Springs was a nearly direct train ride from Chicago, as it was ALWAYS hailed as "the cure" (again read STD's here). The routine was that you took a weeks worth of baths, rested, exercised, at well, Gambled, and drank LOTS of water (after the Mercury Bath or the Sitz Bath). If after ALL of that, you could walk the mountain trail over to Gulpha Gorge (other side of hill in Hot Springs National Park), you were declared .... CURED! I am in good health and LOVE outdoor walks and trust me.. if you can walk that 3.7 miles, YOU ARE CURED! of WHATEVER you have or had :).


Ok, Enough history for one blog, What is happening and how does it affect Hot Springs Village?
Gambling is STRICTLY forbidden in Arkansas EXCEPT in 2 places. Hot Springs (at Oaklawn) and in West Memphis (at the greyhound racing track). You see, we have NO lottery, no casinos, no Indian reservations, no gaming... PERIOD. Until this spring when the legislature decide that West Memphis and Hot Springs could have LOCAL voting to all this. Well, you can see the future from here. Oaklawn (who's horse racing season ended in April) offered some slot machines at that time.

NEWS: This week, Oaklawn has NOW HIRING - DEALERS signs on the main drag.

THIS IS HUGE. It is expected to change everything.


So, what is so big about it ? Harrah's has bought a 14 acre run down shopping center just 2 blocks down the street, in addition to the Majestic Hotel (600 rooms) in downtown.

I am certain that we will be "busting out all over" pretty soon.

What does this mean to you ?

I don't know .. we all see things differently.. but this looks like an INVESTMENT on the HOOK.
Take a look here .. and you tell me ! :) I do not think we will see prices like this again.



hug someone you love :)

dennis



btw, make sure to sign up for the free lot giveaway