A Fractured Republican September 12, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
I consider myself a Republican. I am a conservative. My family has a long history with the Republican party. However, I’m very disgusted with the Republican Party right now and it mainly stems from my dissatisfaction with President Bush and the war in Iraq.
I was lied to and I don’t take that lightly. I remember President Bush’s address to Congress and the Nation when he said that an attack on our country was imminent if we didn’t do something about Iraq. He said that there was ‘undisputed’ evidence that Iraqi had possession of ‘weapons of mass destruction’.
Well, guess what….the WMDs either didn’t exist, or the U.S. Military let them get out of the country (which is worse). Either way, there was a blatant lie or a blatant failure. No way around that.
Is the world better off without Saddam? Absolutely. He was a bad guy. However, I’m not so sure Iraq is a better place. The argument can certainly be made that Iraq is a more dangerous place now than when Saddam had it.
Bottom line… Botched reason to go to war. Botched war. The troops have been great and I salute them. Their leadership has been the flaw….
Testimony August 28, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Faith.add a comment
Okay, so I did my testimony on Sunday. I have to admit that I’m glad that it’s over, although it wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined it to be.
First, I shared the story about what got me to do it (see prior post; “Holy Spirit”) and then I went on to say the following:
“I didn’t say anything to Paul about the dream at first, I just told him that I’d think about doing it and would get back to him. I still planned to turn him down. However, by this time, I wouldn’t have been turning down Paul, I would have clearly been turning down God. So I thought about it a bit and I figured….so what if I stood up and turned all red-faced, tripped on stage, passed out, etc. So, what! It just wouldn’t be worth turning down God for.
So I shared this story with a few people, and jokingly said that I’d agreed to do it because I was actually afraid that I’d be struck down by lightening if I didn’t. But, you see….I wouldn’t have been struck by lightening. Because of God’s Grace, He’d continue to look just as favorably on me even if I had of turned Him.
Do I believe that New Orleans was washed-out because it was plagued with sin? Absolutely not! You see, if I believed that, I wouldn’t truely believe in Grace. Do I believe that AIDS is God’s curse for homosexuals? Absolutely not! Again, if I believed that, I wouldn’t truely believe in Grace.
I was saved a little over 20 years ago when I was 10 years old. I knew then that I was saved by Grace. ….And I’ve always understood what Grace means…at least in my mind anyway. But, you see, it hasn’t been until the last couple of years that I’ve truely began to grasp in my heart what Grace means. I think a lot of that has to do with being a new father. I’ve got a 3 year old, Andrew, and a seven week old, Matthew. My 3 year old, Andrew, can really test me sometimes….he can really make me mad, and he can really dissappoint me. But I know that I will always love him. And, deep down, I really have a ‘he can’t do wrong mentality’. You see, I think that’s the mentality that God has towards us….through his Grace he looks at us like we can’t do wrong.
I’ll leave you today with one final thought. It says a lot about how I view God’s Grace towards others. Several months ago I heard an interview of a state legislator…a Democrat. The person doing the inteview said, ‘You’re a Christian, how can you justify calling yourself a Democrat in today’s political environment with the Democratic Party’s stance on social issues?’ The legislator said, “That’s easy, my philosophy is this: I strive to be as conservative as the Bible in my own life, yet as liberal as the Grace of God in my views toward others.’ Wow, I’m not a Democrat, but that was very powerful to me.
Thank you.”
The Holy Spirit August 6, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Faith.add a comment
Paul Wiegert, our Outreach Director at GMV UMC, recently asked me to give my testimony during the month of August. At our 9:45 a.m. service, this means speaking in front of approximately 300 people! Wow…no way…not me I said. People remind me all the time that I’m a lawyer and shouldn’t have a problem with public speaking. Well, it’s not exactly easy for me. So, my initial response to Paul was, “no, you can find someone else.” Then he went on to try and convince me saying that “it’s only 3 minutes” and “you can talk about anything”. He also went on to say that I could simply talk about GRACE since Rudy’s sermon series during August is on GRACE.
GRACE….he had to drop that word. When he did, I got goosebumps. You see, about 6 months ago, I had a dream that I was in front of the Church talking about GRACE in my life. Wow!
Coincidence? I don’t think so. My friends, that is the nudging of the Holy Spirit. I’m still not entirely happy about it, but I want to be obedient. I’m signed-up to do my testimony on Sunday the 26th.
Take the Free Stuff July 28, 2007
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I attended a professionalism seminar today that was sponsored by the Alabama State Bar. Retired circuit judge, Arthur Hanes, gave a talk and presented 5 “freebies” for which all should take advantage for a successful law practice. His contention is that these things cost nothing and require no certain level of intelligence to obtain. I not only think these “freebies” are key to a successful law practice, but, in fact are key to success at anything in life. The five “freebies” are:
1) Be on Time
2) Prepare
3) Make Friends
4) Ask Questions
5) Exhibit Honesty and Candor
Summer Vacation July 23, 2007
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The Iraqi Parliament has decided to take the whole month of August off for vacation. How absurd! Our troops are dying every day to provide security in this country while a political framework is built. And the Iraqi’s decide to take a month-long vacation during this crucial time in their history. I think they’re telling us just how much they appreciate our efforts…
Blessings July 11, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Faith.1 comment so far
Wow! The past 12 months or so have been such a whirlwind for me. Looking back on it, it amazing just how many blessings God has given me over this period of time. I told somebody the other day that I’ve had so many congratulatory remarks over the past year – and so many things that I’m thankful for – that I often have to ask what someone is congratulating me for. Anyway, here’s a list of some of my recent blessings. I want to praise God for these blessings!
- Baby Matthew – July 4, 2007
- First 5k run
- First half marathon
- First triathlon
- New job
- Promotion (after 8 months on new job)
- Passed the Alabama State Bar
- Lots of spiritual growth
- Family and friends
July 4, 2007 July 9, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Fatherhood.add a comment
Wow!! What a 4th of July!! Baby Matthew ended up arriving 11 days early on July 4th. I had really forgotten how awesome a child birth is. And to happen on the 4th of July…how cool.
Been a little busy lately helping Becki with the babies at home so the posts may be a little slower for a while.
Injustice June 29, 2007
Posted by clucas30 in Law.1 comment so far
So Siegelman and Scrushy were hauled-off to prison today. Siegelman got 7 years and Scrushy got 6 years. First, let me say that my personal opinion is that these are two bad characters. I think both are/was crooked and I think Scrushy should’ve definitely went to prison on all of the Healthsouth fraud charges previously waged against him. However, neither of these guys should be going to prison on these charges. Do I think that Scrushy gave money to Siegelman’s lottery campaign with the intent (either implicit or expicit) that it would buy him a spot on the State Certificate of Need Board? Absolutely. Is that dirty and unethical? Absolutely. Should it be a felony that sends someone to prison? Absolutely NOT!
Folks, this is politics. Should politics be this dirty? No. However, how can anyone possibly “prove” that what happened with Scrushy and Siegelman is any different than most scenarios where campaign contributions are made. There are some out there that make political contributions because they are a friend of a particular politician, some that do it just because they are patriotic and want to support our way of government, etc….however, most do it because they expect something in return. One has to use his own moral compass to decide when that “line” is crossed, however, the criminal justice system shouldn’t be splitting hairs and making that call. Consider how Mr. Webster defines the word “Politics” – (a) the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy; (b) the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government. Scrushy was giving money to a legitimate political campaign fund in hopes of “guiding or influencing” the State Certificate of Need Board. If there were an explicit agreement between the two of them, that was wrong. Again, it doesn’t rise to the level of a felony.
It’s so ironic for Scrushy. Injustice got him off of the hook in his first criminal trial, and now injustice sends him to prison. Some would say that the end result is all that matters and that the end justifies the means. Folks, we can’t think like this when it comes to the criminal justice system. Otherwise, our constitutional rights fall in the trash can. These are two bad characters, but we can’t put people in prison for that…
It’s a sad day for our criminal justice system. We do have the best system in the world, but it certainly does have it’s faults.
Good Workouts June 28, 2007
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45 mins. on the stationary bike at lunch, and 3 miles at the Trak Shak after work. A very positive training day!!!
A 15-year First!!! June 26, 2007
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I stepped on the scales today at the gym and weighed-in at 258 lbs. I haven’t broke 260 since 1992! (I was 16) Here’s my weights over the last fifteen years (approximately).
Just one year ago, I was at 275 lbs. That’s a total of 17 lbs. since I started running. The goal…an ‘athletic’ 205 lbs. (that way, I can still do tri’s in the 200 lb. + Clydesdale division). Slow and steady though… My theory is that I will only lose it by doing things that I can maintain and sustain from now on.
