The next letter in TIME is:

INVEST!

We use a lot of phrases with time that aren’t really possible. You can’t buy more time and you can’t really find more time. We speak of making time, but that’s impossible, too.

1. You can’t save time – you only buy antibiotics online invest it
Time is more valuable than money, but it’s like money in that it can be spent and invested. It’s different from money though, because while money can be saved, time can’t. It you don’t use it, you lose it. Forever. In the early 1970s Jim Croce wrote a song that said, “If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, is to save every day ‘till eternity passes away–just to spend them with you.” Those are great lyrics, and it would be nice if we could save time, but you can’t. In fact, a few months after he wrote that song, he was tragically killed in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana at the age of 30. You can’t save time.

We have all kinds of time saving appliances like microwave ovens. Guys love to take short cuts in order to “save time.” Show me some of the time you’ve saved–where is it? You can’t save it you can only spend it and invest it. At a graduation commencement at his alma mater, Wheaton College, Billy Graham said: “Time is the capital that God has given us to invest. People are the stocks in which we are to invest our time, whether they’re blue chips or penny stocks or even junk bonds.”

The difference with money is we all have different amounts of it (perhaps because some have been wiser in spending and investing it), but we all have exactly the same amount of time. Every day, God gives each of us 86,400 seconds. It’s as if someone gave you $86,400 and told you you had to spend it all that day, and any money left over had to be surrendered.

You’d shop ‘till you dropped! You’d invest it wisely, because there is no promise of more money tomorrow.

It’s the same with time. You and I aren’t promised a fresh supply tomorrow, so we must invest it wisely while we have it. Where are you investing most of your time?

2. Where you invest your time reveals what is most important to you
There are 168 golden hours in each week. The average person will spend about 56 of those hours sleeping, about 24 of those hours in eating and personal hygiene, and about 50 of those hours working or traveling to work. That means there are only about 35 hours a week of “discretionary” time left over. That’s about 5 hours per day. Where are investing those hours? If I were to follow you around and observe you for those 5 hours, after about 10 days, I could tell you what is most important in your life.

You might not like it, or agree with it, but for some of you, surfing the Internet is most important to you.

For others of you, watching television, or reading magazines is what’s most important. How much of that discretionary time are you devoting to your Lord? How much are you devoting to your family? A study of 1,500 households at the University of Michigan found mothers working outside the home spend an average of 11 minutes a day on weekdays, and thirty minutes a day on weekends with the children (not including mealtime). Fathers spend an average of 8 minutes a day on weekdays and 14 minutes a day on weekends in different activities with their children.

Have you ever heard this excuse? Some dad or mom will say, “I don’t spend much time with my family, but the little time I do spend is ‘quality time.’” I don’t really like that phrase, because it is most often used as an excuse for not spending much time together. “Quality time” is really a misnomer, because all time has the same quality. Consider this second…was it of higher quality than the previous second…or of this second right now? It’s like talking about “quality money.”

If I offered you a hundred dollar bill, would you say, “No, it’s wrinkled.” I’d rather have that new, crisp $5 because it’s of better quality.” Hello. I prefer the phrase “fun family time” or “meaningful family time” but there is no substitute for investing a large quantity of time with your family. If they are important, you’ll indicate it by the amount of discretionary time you give them. The next letter in family TIME is:

MANAGE!

I inexpensive cialis reminded you a few weeks ago, that all the money we receive comes from God and we only manage it. The same can be true of time. God is the creator of time, and He alone controls it. Once a time management expert was teaching a seminar for executives. He placed a large, clear open-mouthed jar in front of the group. Next, he put seven or eight large rocks into the jar until it was full. “Is the jar full?” He asked. Everyone nodded. Then he took pebbles and filled up the jar with the small rocks until they reached the rim. “Is the jar full?” By now, they didn’t answer. So, he poured fine sand in. “Is the jar full?” Some nodded. He proceeded to take a pitcher of water and filled up the jar again. “What’s the lesson about time management?” he asked. Hands shot up, and everyone agreed “No matter how busy you are you can always fit more things into your schedule.” “Wrong.” he replied. “The lesson is: unless you put the big rocks in first, they never will fit in.

You must figure out what the big rocks are for you.” What are the big rocks in your life? Giving time to God? Giving time to your marriage and to your children? If you don’t put those big rocks in first, someone else will fill up your jar. Understand:

1. Every moment is a gift from God that must be managed wisely There is an entire field of study called “time management.” In almost every business in America, consultants are hired to teach busy executives how to better manage their time. When I meet with young pastors each year at our Barnabas Conference, the number one question is always, “How do you manage your time between your family and the church?” Time management is a hot topic. In his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes: “Time management is a misleading concept. You can’t really manage time. You can’t delay it, speed it up, save it or lose it. No matter what you do time keeps moving forward at the same rate. The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.”

The Bible uses another word. Instead of managing your time, it speaks of redeeming the time,
which is an even better idea. Paul writes: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but
as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:14- 15)

“Family T.I.M.E.” Psalm 90:1-2, et.al. • June 2, 2002 • #942 5
by David O. Dykes • Part 4 of 4 in Family: An Endangered Species? series
Discover Life Ministries • P.O. Box 131678, Tyler, TX 75713-1678 • David O. Dykes, Pastor • 903-525-1106 • www.discoverlife.tv
Visit www.gabc.org for a list of available formats of this message.

The phrase “walk circumspectly,” means to be constantly looking around to make the most of
every opportunity. Emmitt Smith is a great football running back, but he’s not the biggest or the
fastest, or the strongest. What he excels at is running with his eyes open, and he is one of the best
at seeing holes as they open and then running through them. That’s the way we should live,
looking for every opportunity to invest time wisely, then darting through them. When an
opportunity passes, it can’t be reclaimed–it is gone forever. That’s what it means to redeem the
time.

Beaver dams can stabilize creek flow, slow runoff and create ponds which benefit fish, furbearing animals and other wildlife. However, when a beaver’s modification of the environment comes in conflict with the property owner’s objectives, the results can be much more damaging than beneficial.

Most cialis buy antibiotics reactions of the damage caused by beavers is the result of bank burrowing, dam building, tree cutting or flooding. Levees or pond dams weakened by beaver burrows may collapse during periods of high water. If creeks, drainage ditches, culverts and spillways become blocked by beaver dams, adjacent pasture land, timberland and roadways can be damaged by flooding and erosion. In urban areas, beavers damage fruit trees, gardens and ornamental trees and shrubs.

Beaver control is best accomplished as soon as there is evidence of beaver damage. Once beaver colonies become established over a large area, controlling them can be difficult and costly.

The Texas Wildlife Services, unit of Texas AgriLife Extension Service will have a wildlife damage management specialist available to assist landowners with beaver problems in Gregg County beginning in September. If you need this service, please stop by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service – Gregg County office and complete a beaver control form. This service is available for a limited time. Additional information is available from the Extension office at 903/236-8429.

With the recent rains we have had in the East Texas area, fire ants will become much more active, but can still be controlled with persistence, patience and the right plan. The Texas Two-step Method gives excellent control of fire ants.
T
wo-step pesticides can be found in nurseries, garden centers, and hardware or pesticide specialty stores.

When properly applied, this method causes little risk to people, pets or the environment. The first step is to broadcast a fire ant bait-a product containing a food plus an insecticide-over the whole yard, usually in the fall and spring. When collected by worker ants, bait particles are carried to the colony and shared with the queen and other ants. Less pesticide is needed with baits because this kind of delivery is very efficient. Baits work best when scattered lightly over the whole yard. Hand-held seed spreaders are ideal for applying fire ant baits. Set the spreader on the smallest opening and make one pass over the area to be treated. This should apply the recommended rate.

Be patient. Baits work slowly. Products containing hydramethylnon or spinosad work the fastest, controlling ants within 2 to 4 weeks. Insect growth regulator baits (like fenoxycarb, pyriproxifen, and methoprene) usually require 2 to 6 months. The advantage of growth regulators is that they need to be reapplied less often when treating areas larger than an acre.

Apply no prescription online pharmacy baits at the right time. Baits are effective only when fire ants are actively searching for food. Ants remove baits from the soil surface within a few hours if baits are applied during peak foraging times. Fire ants forage when the soil surface temperature is between 70 and 90 degrees F, May to September in most of Texas. Fall applications work well to reduce fire ant numbers the following spring. During winter, fire ants forage little and rarely pick up baits.

The second step is to treat problem ant colonies-those needing immediate attention-using a mound treatment. Mound treatment is the fastest way to get rid of individual colonies. It’s not necessary to treat all fire ant colonies with mound treatments after applying a bait. Limit Step Two treatments to mounds located next to house foundations, in high-traffic areas or other trouble spots.

Individual mound treatments with products containing one of the following works well: cyfluthrin, cialis tablets for sale d-limonene, deltamethrin, carbaryl, pyrethrins, acephate, permethrin.

Dennis Smith can be contacted at the Gregg County Extension Office by e-mail at dg-smith@tamu.edu or telephone at: 903-236-8429.

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

The City of Tyler’s Gallery Main Street will celebrate its grand opening with a one-man show featuring the works of Paul Jackson, an internationally recognized buy prozac watercolor artist, on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. The gallery is located at 110 W. Erwin in the heart of downtown.

Born in Lawrence Kansas, raised in Starkville Mississippi, Jackson began painting in college at Mississippi State University. In 1992 he received a Master’s in Fine Art from the University of Missouri. Since then his artwork has received top honors in national and international competition, and graced the covers of dozens of magazines and books.

Paul was honored by the American Watercolor Society with signature membership at the age of 30. He is also a Signature member of the National Watercolor Society. Paul was the grand prize winner in the “Paint Your Way to Paris” competition and has been featured as one of the
Master Painters of the World in International Artists Magazine.

“We are quite proud that Paul Jackson will be our first featured artist for Gallery Main Street,” said Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass. “The gallery will be a real boost for the community’s efforts to revitalize downtown.”

In 2008, the City Council approved a measure to create the Main Street Department and allocated funding to renovate office space in downtown to house the new department, a downtown visitors’ center, the Heart of generic brand for cialis Tyler 501c3 as well the new Gallery Main Street.

Crucial to the program’s success was Tyler architect Ron Mabry. He volunteered to serve as the project architect, but his work did not stop there. Due to his efforts, tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of labor and materials were donated toward the achievement of the goal of a new downtown gallery by members of the local development community (names listed below).

Another group important to the gallery’s development is the Downtown Tyler Arts Coalition (DTAC). Created by the Main Street Department and Heart of Tyler, DTAC is an all-volunteer group that is directing arts activities and development in a variety of arts sectors, including visual arts, dance, film and theater and more. Volunteer artists have done everything from organizing meetings to graphic design, all at no cost. Artist and designer Jacqueline Chubirka was the creative force behind the logos for DTAC and Gallery Main Street. Artist Debbie Cannatella has led the charge in organizing DTAC’s visual arts group, which has generated programming for the gallery. Every six weeks, a juried art show, each of a different theme, will be hung in the gallery (a complete schedule is available on www.downtowntylerarts.com). A group of professional artists and instructors serves as the jury for each show.

“The greatest thing,” Abell said, “is that this success story isn’t about the City alone. It’s about the community coming together, each person offering what he or she does best, to create a one-of-a-kind facility that will be a catalyst for the renaissance now underway in Downtown Tyler.”

To attend the grand opening, please RSVP by calling (903) 593-6905 or visit the gallery starting Sept. 2 during normal business hours.

With each passing moment, the nation grows more polarized as Washington’s partisan bickering becomes ever more combative. Nowhere is this more evident than with the health care debate. It has become a touchstone for discontent over the Obama administration’s aggressive attempts to push through health care reform, the government’s out-of-control spending, the loss of civil liberties and the fact that government leaders are not listening.

Understandably, many Americans are very frustrated.

This frustration has spawned lively–and often angry–protests at town hall meetings across the country, marked by Americans wielding protest signs online drugs and demanding to be heard. According to the Associated Press, “Many of those raising their voices and fists at the [health care] town halls have never been politically active.”

Although this is a healthy sign of democracy in action, critics have denounced the protesters for their disruptive behavior and likened them to angry mobs. However, the First Amendment does not require civility–merely cialis 20mg tablets free speech, and whether we like it or not, yelling and offensive signs are part of that.

What is not healthy and is, in fact, downright stupid are the handfuls of protesters who have recently taken to carrying guns along with them to these free speech rallies. For example, one man showed up at a rally in Portsmouth, N.H., with a protest sign and a loaded handgun strapped to his thigh. In Phoenix, Ariz., about a dozen people brought guns to a health-care rally. One man actually had an AR-15 assault rifle slung over his shoulder. When asked why he had guns with him, the man reportedly responded, “Because I can do it. In Arizona, I still have some freedoms left.”

Free speech and the right to bear arms are protected by the United States Constitution. But bringing a loaded gun to a free speech rally is not a wise or prudent exercise of one’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. All it will do is endanger innocent lives and discredit these kinds of activist movements. For instance, while these gun-toting protesters may be few in number, they are already being identified with the protest movement as a whole.

Here’s the bottom line: there are basically only two reasons for carrying a gun in America–to protect yourself or to go hunting. But there is no valid reason for carrying a gun to these town hall meetings. It will only increase the police presence.

And as I’ve said many times before, there is no way the average citizen armed with a gun can challenge the modern police officer who is armed to the teeth with even bigger guns, assault vehicles, battering rams, ballistic shields, “flashbang” grenades, smoke grenades, pepper spray and tear gas, to name just some of local law enforcement’s arsenal. The average citizen simply has no defense against that kind of weaponry. And it would be foolish to think otherwise.

However, this does not mean that we, as citizens, are powerless. Our power rests in our ability to protest and foment change. As the Associated Press recently reported, “The emerging protest movement is almost the mirror image of the grass-roots campaign that helped sweep Obama into office by pulling in people who’d never been politically active. This time Obama is seeing the other side of what can happen when people are motivated, connect over the Internet and seemingly reach a tipping point that turns them from onlookers into activists.”

Our power also rests in our ability to speak truth to power–even shout truth to power. People have a right to shout. And they have a right to be extremist in their speech. As despicable as it seems, they have a right to carry a sign that says “Death to Obama” if they disagree with him. To maintain our free speech rights in general, we have to protect these forms of extremist speech as well.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a case in point. Although he advocated nonviolent change, King was often labeled an extremist. To many Americans, King’s arguments and protests for equality were seen as threatening. Thus, calling someone extremist is a relative value. It depends on who’s doing the labeling.

This brings me back to the gun-toting protesters at the health care rallies. It’s time for cooler heads to prevail. The frustration level in this country is already at an all-time high. All it will take is one stupid, violent act for these town halls to be closed down by the government. And that will mean the destruction of free speech. That’s why the gun-toting has to stop.

We certainly don’t want a handful of foolish people to destroy something that up to this point has been very healthy for our democracy. After all, the democratic process works best when critical discourse is allowed. That’s why the First Amendment is so important. It works as a steam valve, allowing radicals to blow off steam and air their views. This facilitates against radicals going underground and becoming terrorists.

Democracy can only survive by active participation of its citizenry. Lest we forget, the Constitution opens with those three beautiful words “we the people,” and we must do all we can to protect the rights of “we the people” to express themselves freely. Thus, whether or not you agree with the behavior at these town hall meetings, at least these protesters have taken the time to turn their televisions off, step outside their houses and get active in the governmental process.

During a public forum on ethics and morality, one panelist stated that he believed that morality is something that is defined by each individual, based upon their frame of reference. He opined that one person’s moral view may differ from that of another.
His question was, how do you know whose view of morality is correct? Another believed that, in this age of moral relativity, truth is subjective and changeable and each person gets to define his or her own version of truth.

I stated that the best way to avoid such confusion about truth and morality is to first find and embrace indisputable truth and a moral code of values. Then all of one’s opinions and positions on issues will be viewed within the framework of that known truth and conviction. Finally, determine not to compromise in those areas.

I was asked how to find “truth” and “core values.” Core values are the basis for making life decisions and are established in conviction and integrity. Core values are interwoven into your person and do not change when you are tempted to violate those convictions for the sake of convenience.

For instance, I have a core value against stealing; therefore, I don’t have to decide whether or not to take something that is not mine, cialis dosage options even if there is no chance of getting caught. When one has embraced the truth, as set forth in Scripture, and specifically God’s Ten Commandments, one cannot wantonly violate those Commandments.

A person with no core conviction will base actions upon opportunity rather than on morality. I have a core conviction against taking illegal drugs or committing crime; therefore, there would be no struggle when faced with temptation to do either. I have taken a conscious, principled stand against committing crime, doing drugs, lying, etc.

A core set of values means that you steadfastly adhere to a code of conduct and principles by which you order your life. When pressured to operate outside of that code, a core set of values will likely keep you from making such a mistake. The lie of moral relativity insists that Xenical Online there are many versions of the truth, and that is a clear deception.

The Bible tells us in 2 Cor. 10, that we should, “…take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ…“ By doing this, we fortify ourselves against blindly following people, programs or philosophical concepts that oppose our strongly held beliefs.

Compromise is often necessary in life, but not when it requires you to abandon moral values or personal integrity. It is said that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. A person who depends upon others to define their position on issues or societal trends, may not have core values.

Don’t compromise, don’t be wishy-washy, supporting one side of an issue today, another tomorrow. Be consistent. Give your children a road map that will serve them well as they navigate the often treacherous path through life. That road map and compass is the Holy Scriptures.

Embrace a core set of values for your life and teach your children values and ethics. The Ten Commandments are viewed by some as outdated and not applicable to today‘s lifestyles and morals. Not true. God’s Word is essential to ordering one’s life today. The Scriptures are eternally true, and are indispensable in embracing and teaching core values.

In answer to the question as to whose moral values one should embrace; there is only one truth, one moral code that brings about happiness. The Lord wants us to embrace His truth only, and not follow our failed human hearts. He warns us in Psalms 6, “…keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teachings. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you awake, they will speak to you.”

When we fail to meet His standards, God wants us to turn to Him in prayer and repentance for our sins. Through Christ, He forgives, undeservedly, and leads us to abundant life on earth and eternal life with Him.

Dear Editor,

Health care reform is a must; we need it. But the proposed cure in House Resolution 3200 is worse than the disease. It will not bring meaningful change because it does not address the fundamental problem – the cost of health care. Health insurance companies have been vilified by Speaker Pelosi and President Obama as the culprit in this crisis. Health insurance is expensive because health care is expensive.

Insurance is only a funding mechanism for the cost of health care. Until those costs are dealt with, no meaningful change will happen.

The rhetoric of this debate has focused on the “evil” insurance companies who make a profit from funding our health care. I don’t know of any business that works on the concept of not making a profit.

Otherwise, the company fails. And then medicament cialis what happens to the people those companies insure? Heaven forbid that the company funding my care remains solvent!

Insurance companies are in the business of managing risk; arguably they are the best at it in the world.

They currently manage the risk of an uncontrollable economic anomaly called “heath care costs.” Are they perfect? No. But I’ll bet they are a far sight better at managing those risks than a government who proposes a bill that costs $1 trillion over ten years, adds $219 billion to our deficit, and would still leave over 17 million people uninsured. That will be a monumental failure.

Health care reform is a must, but this proposed reform will not bring meaningful change. It will further shackle us and our economy to our government. No prescription will cure that headache.

Jennifer Davault
Tyler, TX
Member, Texas Assoc. of Health Underwriters buy prozac online & East TX AHU

A few months ago, during morning rush hour, two local high school kids peeled out of their high school parking lot, and, seconds later, turned onto one of the busiest arteries in the area. In a flash they were racing through heavy traffic at horrific speeds. Dodging and weaving, they miraculously covered four miles before the inevitable crash.

The leading car plowed into a pickup truck turning left into a shopping center, instantly killing a male passenger in the pickup. The seventeen year-old drag racer’s car flipped three or four times and burst into flames. He spent the next six cialis drug impotence months in the hospital burn unit and is now awaiting trial for vehicular homicide.

The other kid, also seventeen, fled the scene, but later decided to come forward. People at the high school could easily identify both drivers.

Police compiled a chilling array of facts and evidence. Tests indicated that the first car was traveling 94 miles per hour when it hit the pickup.

Witnesses along the thoroughfare estimated that both cars were doing 90 or more. Records showed that the second boy had already been arrested a couple of times for speeding. Peers told police that both drivers habitually raced around the vicinity of the school. Some described the crash perpetrator as a bully.

School authorities admitted that the second kid was constantly in trouble for disrupting class and disregarding school rules. His parents seemed helpless or unwilling to discipline price Xenical him. In fact, they had bought him his late model Acura. The court is now considering whether or not to charge the boy as an adult. His parents have testified that he is immature, not capable of consistently making responsible decisions.

If I were the judge I would ask, “Oh really? In that case, knowing that your son was irresponsible, why did you provide him with a car? Why didn’t you take the car away when he got his first speeding ticket? Why didn’t you ground him when you learned of his unruly, disrespectful behavior at school? Did you not realize that your son was probably going to kill somebody, possibly himself?”

Every sixteen year-old kid wants to get a driver’s license. Who can blame them? It’s a ticket to freedom, adventure, fun, dating, and a new sense of self-respect – or maybe self-importance. But none of that is relevant UNLESS that teenager thinks more like a forty-year-old than a high school kid. Parents must see plenty of evidence that their would-be driver is careful, wise, considerate, and responsible – mature beyond his or her years.

I speak as a former kid. My folks made me wait until after I was seventeen to get my license. It seemed so unfair. I did fairly well in school. At fifteen I passed driver’s ed, was active in our church, and was considered a pretty good kid. But my parents weren’t convinced that I had the kind of good judgment necessary for navigating in San Francisco Bay Area traffic.

They were probably right.

Parents, especially us dads, must learn to say “No, not yet,” when it’s really tough. When we understand how much our teens want to hear our “Yes.” Even when they will wrongly interpret our “No,” as personal rejection and a grievous wound.

Once upon a time fathers would say things like, “Pay attention and grow wise for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my teaching, for I too was once my father’s son . . . My father told me ‘Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live. Learn to be wise and develop good judgment.’” *

Hmm … “Follow my instructions and you will live.” Sometimes parental action means the difference between life and death.

[Proverbs 4:1-5, Living Bible]

1979 had been a peculiar year for both the Dallas Cowboys and their hated rivals from the nation’s capital, the Washington Redskins. Both teams had 10-5 records in a season thick with upsets and comebacks, but even though the Redskins had defeated the Cowboys 34-20 in a November game in Washington, because of their better record versus National Football Conference (NFC) teams the ‘Boys were assured of at least a wild card playoff berth regardless of the outcome of the approaching final game of the season when the Redskins visited Texas Stadium. Still, Dallas head coach Tom Landry and his men were desperate to win this season-ending contest for more than one reason. Losing would mean travelling to wintry Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to face the up-and-coming Eagles in a Wildcard clash, and then most likely spend the remainder of the playoffs on the road. Defeating the Skins would give the Cowboys the NFC Eastern Division championship and a two-week bye to rest and recuperate before starting the playoffs–at home. Yet there was more at stake than scheduling.

In their earlier win over Dallas the Redskins, leading 31-20, had called time out in order to kick a field goal and run the score to 34-20. Washington Head Coach (and former Texas Aggie) Jack Pardee had defended this action as necessary padding in case a playoff spot depended on the point spread. The Cowboys, however, took it very personally. Everyone in the Dallas organization from Landry on down suspected that had the Redskins been playing anyone besides the Cowboys they would not have kicked those three points, and that it was a deliberate act to rub Dallas’ collective nose in the defeat. The boys from North Texas were thirsting for revenge as the season’s last game loomed.

Washington could take nothing for granted unless it again beat Dallas and won the division outright, but there was a chance for the Redskins to lose and still make the playoffs. Pardee had been right about the point spread. His team owned a tie-breaker edge that would put them in the playoffs even if they lost in Dallas. All they needed was for the St. Louis Cardinals either to beat the Chicago Bears in a game in Chicago that started earlier than the one in Dallas, or to lose by 33 points or less. By the time of the 3:00 p.m. kickoff in freezing Texas Stadium the scene was set for a gridiron masterpiece.

At first things went badly for the home team.

Plagued all season by an uncharacteristically porous defense they seemed unable to stop power fullback John Riggins as he tore through arm tackles like they were cotton candy. The Dallas offense had problems of its own as its first two possessions ended in lost fumbles that Washington exploited in route to a 17-0 second quarter lead, setting a strange scoring trend.
All the scoring in the game came in spurts as the momentum repeatedly shifted. The Redskins scored the first 17 points, the Cowboys scored the next 21.

Washington then scored another 17 (at first) unanswered points, and Dallas scored the last 14. Uncomfortably close to halftime the Cowboys’ offensive gears caught and meshed as Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Roger Staubach heaved two touchdown passes to narrow the gap to 17-14 at intermission.

The only scoring in a relatively uneventful third quarter was a short touchdown run by Dallas fullback Robert Newhouse, giving the Pokes a 21-17 lead. The fourth period would make history.

The Cowboys were still ahead 21-20 when Staubach threw an ill-advised pass that defensive back Mark Murphy intercepted and returned deep into Dallas territory. Fired up by the turnover the Skins rattled off two quick scores for a 34-21 lead at mid-quarter, forced the Cowboys to punt and again started downfield. At this point thousands of dejected fans began leaving Texas Stadium.

It did indeed look like lights out for the home team, but with 6:54 to play in the game Washington tailback Clarence Harmon fumbled and Dallas defensive tackle Randy White recovered on the Cowboys 41-yard line. The 37-year-old Staubach had never played better than he would during the next few minutes. He wasted little time in connecting on receptions of 14, 19 and 26 yards. The last one was to running back Ron Springs for the score that cut the difference to 34-28. The momentum had shifted buy tadalafil cialis yet again.

At this point the final score from the Chicago-St. Louis game flashed on the Texas Stadium scoreboard. Bears 42, Cardinals 6. The Skins’ 33-point tie-breaker edge had vanished. Now they had to defeat Dallas and win the division outright to make the playoffs at all.

After taking the kickoff the Redskins managed to reach their own 33, where they were stymied with a third-and-two. If they converted they would probably win. Dallas would have to use its last two times out to stop the clock on the next possession, and if it managed to force a punt it would face a long drive with very little time remaining and no way to stop the clock except by down-wasting incomplete passes. If the Boys could stop Washington here, however, they would still have a full two minutes and two times out. Enter Dallas tackle Larry Cole.

Cole was known for playing his best against Washington, and on that crucial overseas online pharmacy third down he lived up to his reputation. Riggins had already gained a career-high 153 yards, so Pardee liked his chances of picking up two more. Taking the handoff from quarterback Joe Theismann, Riggins headed right on the same play he had taken for a 66-yard touchdown run earlier in the quarter. Cole remembered well. He knifed into the Redskin backfield and dropped Riggins for a two-yard loss. Washington punted and Dallas took possession on its own 25 with 1:46 to play and still having those two precious times out Cole had saved by stopping Riggins.

“Riggins showed some indecision,and I had more speed than I thought,” said Cole later.

With sniper’s accuracy Staubach hooked up with his corps of brilliant receivers for completions of 20, 22 and 25 yards down the center of the field while the Redskin defense sealed off the sidelines in anticipation of him working the sides to save time. With his times out, though, he was able to move down the middle without running out of time. His last pass set him and his offense up with a first-and-goal at the eight-yard-line and 45 seconds remaining in the game. Calling his last time out he huddled with Landry on the sideline.

After agreeing on strategy Roger came back on the field and threw an incompletion on first down.

Lining up for second down he sensed the Washington defensive backs would blitz in an attempt to throw off the next play’s timing. The intended receiver was tight end Billy Joe DuPree. The Redskins did blitz and Staubach quickly lost sight of DuPree in the confusion. Instead he lobbed the ball to wide receiver Tony Hill, who ran under and caught the pass in the end zone for the 35-34 final score.

Roger finished the game with 336 yards passing and four touchdowns, becoming the only man to win the National Football League passing championship (the third of his career) in his final season.

In the remaining 39 seconds the Redskins tried hard and heroically to get into field goal range, but time ran out on them on the Dallas 40-yard line, ending their season and giving the Cowboys the NFC Eastern Division championship.

In the postgame locker room press interviews the Skins seemed angrier at the Cardinals than at the Cowboys.

“How can they call themselves professionals,” fumed Washington center Bob Kuziel. “Did they have a U-Haul backed up to their locker room or what?”

A heartbroken Pardee did not bother pointing fingers,
but merely moaned, “Losing by one point took the Redskins from being division champs to the outhouse.”
Not all the Washington comments were negative, however. Assistant Coach Fran O’Connor professed to be proud of both teams.

“If a better football game has been played in the last 10 years I want to hear about it,” he said.
In a postseason poll NFL executives agreed with O’Connor when they voted on the ten best games of the decade. Nine of the top ten spots were taken by playoff and Super Bowl games. This Dallas-Washington match was the only regular season game included, which just made official what was so obvious–on December 16, 1979 the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins played a game apart.

As I was journaling to God this morning, I was telling Him of the problems I am having keeping a balance in the work that I am doing. I told Him that I knew I needed to move forward in Love, but thoughts kept popping into my head of fear and doubt:

“What if this doesn’t work?”

“Should I be doing something else? Something more?”

“What about these other responsibilities?”

All these uncertainties are like a smoke screen causing me to lose focus on the path God has laid before me. Then I heard, “Everything is uncertain except that which comes from God.” So being a list maker, I made a list of those things I was certain of.

The love that my husband and I share
The love that I have in my heart for others
The love of Christ
It seems like a short list, and I guess it is really. But what more do I need to know? These three things are what my life boils down to. These things are what’s left when everything else is removed or taken away. So, if I move forward in these three areas I know I am moving forward in what I know to be certain and true – that which comes from God.

I then listed the ways in which I could move forward in these areas. This revealed where my heart is and uncovered some areas where calluses have developed. Have I been spending enough time with my husband, meeting his needs? Do my actions demonstrate to my family and friends how much I love them? Am I moving closer in my relationship with Christ? I was convicted order prescription drugs without a prescription that I had begun putting other, less certain things cialis soft tabs online ahead of these priorities.

This was such an easy exercise. It took a total of about 5 minutes, but it brought me such peace! I had cleared away the smoke of uncertainty and refocused on what is truly important: love, loving others, and learning to love others better in Christ.

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 8-13)
When we are in His glory we will no longer have need of prophecy or speaking in tongues for we will fully know that which we only know in part right now, but faith, hope, and love will remain even when everything else passes away. These are certain and we should invest all God has given us into them. Let everything else pass away.

What has been creating a smoke screen in your life and obscuring your path? What happens when you place at the top of your priority list those things you know for certain? Look how it shows us God’s priorities. “The greatest of these is Love.”

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4)

If God has placed His desires on our hearts, will He not also provide for us that which is needed in order
to fulfill His desires?

What else do we need?

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