Where's the Emergency Stop button?

Years ago, when I was working in a pipe threading factory, where we would put threads on the ends of 9 5/8 inch casing for the oil fields, there was a big red button that you could push if your machine started acting crazy.
Well I was thinking today about my life and how crazy it has been lately, and without going into the details of it, I've been looking for that big red button so that I can push it and my life will at least stop for a little while and I can get things back to normal.
Does anyone know where that big red button is? I'm sure that I know where it is, but right at the moment my life is so chaotic that I can barely find my own rear end. So let me ask, does anyone else out there ever feel like this? Just curious.....

Hesitancy...and the gospel of me.....

This morning as I was reading and enjoying a little quiet time with the Father, I pondered my life and where I have come from these last few years. What I was thinking really was, "What would be the main thing that I have yet to overcome in my life?" And the word that I heard was "Hesitancy".

I immediately made myself a mental note to look up that word, and went on with my reading. When I got to work, I checked the definition of the word hesitancy, and this is what I found:
Hesitancy: (noun) hesitation or indecision; doubt.
(synonyms)

1. Doubt, indecision, skepticism, irresolution, uncertaintity.
2. Delay, wavering, delaying, procrastination, pause

Well, so now I can see that I've been nailed by the Father here. When I've been hesitant in any aspect of my life I have been in doubt, wavering. And it seems that there is a scripture that talks about that: (James 1:5-8)

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

In looking back on my life (all 44 years of it), if I was going to be honest with myself, I would have to say that I have always been one of those hesitant guys. I mean, I don't jump out in front and take the lead very often. Oh occasionally I will if it is in a large group, but I'm talking about my personal life here. I tend to lean more towards the passive and not the aggressive behaviour.

What gets me with this, is that all this time I've thought that I was trusting God, but if I'm hesitant with the things that He has shown me, then I'm actually in doubt, and doubt is the opposite of faith. And we all know that without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that comes to Him must believe and not doubt. So if I'm in doubt, I'm not in faith, and that puts Dave into a very precarious position.

I think that I'm finding a truth here, one that has eluded me for a good many years. I've got to follow after this and see into which parts of my heart it leads. I'm sure that one thing is true, if the Father leads me there, He will help me with whatever I find. After all that is what the scriputre in James is talking about, when we don't know, ask the Father, because He wants to help us.

Teddy Roosevelt....a man's man

I received this blog in my email today from a man's group called "The Art of Manliness". It was so good I posted it here for you all to see....enjoy. And to whoever the author is (let me know and I'll give you full credit) I appreciate your article very much.

The author of this is Brett McKay. Thanks to Charlie Kondeck for the information.

Lessons in Manliness: Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War

Theodore Roosevelt, who arguably accomplished more than any other American man, called his experience in the Spanish-American War, “the great day of my life.” It was during his charge up Kettle Hill that Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership and confidence finally crystallized. He passed the test and emerged as a leader capable of ascending to the presidency. His actions during the war impart crucial lessons on manly leadership:

1. Walk the Walk. Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child who grew up reading of ancient battles and warriors and longing to be one. He built up his body and as he got older started writing his own books about military feats. Yet he still longed to see action firsthand, and when the opportunity finally arrived, he wasted no time in seizing it. As soon as the Spanish-American War broke out, Teddy pestered the Secretary of the Navy for a commission in the army. He then sold his cattle ranch and some of his possessions, and took out life insurance in preparation of receiving it. He was fully prepared to put his money where his mouth (and pen) was.

2. Know your limitations. Teddy was never short on confidence, but he didn’t let cocksureness slip into arrogance. When Roosevelt got his wish for an army commission and was offered command of the First United States Volunteer Calvary as Colonel, he turned it down citing his lack of tactical experience. He instead accepted a position as Lieutenant Colonel and recommend Leonard Wood to be Colonel. (TR would later become Colonel when Wood was promoted to brigadier general.)

3. Pick the best men for your team. If you wish to surround yourself with the best men, you must be the kind of leader men fall over each to serve under. 23,000 men applied to be part of the First Calvary; most of them addressed their letters to Roosevelt even though Wood was technically in charge. Of the 23,000 only 560 were chosen. Some of the rejected cried, so heartbroken were they on not being able to be part of Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. Composed of the West’s best frontiersmen, marksmen, and horsemen and the East’s great athletes and prominent sons, the Rough Riders were a unique and unstoppable group.

4. Be one of the men. The ship which transported the troops to Cuba did not have room for many horses; Roosevelt was one of the few men in the regiment able to take his. When the Rough Riders arrived in Cuba, they began their march to Las Guasimas. The temperature was simmering, and the men trudged through the heat in thick uniforms and heavy bedrolls. Still, Roosevelt walked alongside the men, refusing to ride while they were marching.

5. Lead by example. Don’t ask others to do anything you are afraid of doing yourself. When it came time to take the San Juan Heights, TR’s regiment ran into heavy fire from the Spanish. As bodies piled up all around him, TR stayed on his horse as an example of courage. However, there was a delay before they could start scaling the hills, and the men, including TR, were forced to lay low and take cover. When the order finally came to take Kettle Hill, the men were reluctant to rise to their feet. TR mounted his horse and shouted, “Are you afraid to stand up, when I am on horseback?” He promptly took off, galloping across an open area and under a hail of bullets.

6. See it through. After securing Kettle Hill, TR noticed that the attacks on the neighboring San Juan Hill were faltering. He shouted for his men to charge, leaped over a barbed wire fence, and ran down the hill. When he glanced back, he saw that only 5 of his men had followed. 3 of these 5 were shot and TR was practically leading the charge single-handedly. He ran back under heavy fire, formed the remaining men (who claimed to have not heard the initial order) into a formidable assault line, and began the charge again.

Roosevelt’s personal bravery and leadership were critical elements in the success of the Battle of Las Guasimas. In 2001, Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.