BabuLife

The Declaration that Started it All

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Read on....

Thank You Mr. President

As our nation begins a new era under a new president, I've been reflecting on the past 8 years under  the leadership of George W. Bush.

I can't think of a recent president who faced anything more challenging than what he faced during his first year in office.  A sleeping nation was awakened to the fact that we were at war...whether we believed it or not.

Recalling an interview he had with Oprah Winfrey leading up to the 2000 election, the question was posed to him and I remember hearing him say that he believed God called him to the office of President.  I don't think he knew what exactly our nation was going to need him for...he just expressed a sense of calling.  In 2001 I believe that calling was made clear.  Whether you are a person who voted for him, liked him or disliked him...I believe he fulfilled a role at a time when our nation needed a man with his heart, passion and desire to keep another 9/11 from occurring on American soil.

Here's an historical pic to remember the positive legacy of President George W. Bush.  Scroll down to read the story behind the pic.

President George W. Bush hugging Ashley. "As the President passed by, Ashley handed the President her ticket to sign which he did with a big smile; not knowing her connection with 9/11.  He was moving at a brisk pace as you might imagine doing a 4 stop tour that day.  He then shook hands with Linda when she conveyed who this young lady was.  Instantly his entire demeanor changed.  He lost his smile.  His eyes closed briefly.  He stopped, backed-up took, Ashley's hands and in a quite, private voice asked, "How are you doing?"  Ashley, according to her father, showing more emotion than since the loss of her mom, forced out "Fine." The President held her close for what seemed like forever but it was likely just 10-15 seconds, and while still holding her, looking at Lynn said, "I can see how much your dad loves you, Ashley."

Read the full story.

Gaza Update

Below is the most recent note sent to the "Once An Arafat Man" Facebook Group members.  If you'd like to join the group, sign up for a Facebook account and join the over 270 people on the "Once" Group Page here.  To all who have asked how my folks are....THANK YOU.  Your prayers and concern mean more than you know...

Hello "Once" groupers!

As you know, there's a lot happening right now in Gaza where my folks have been working over the past couple of years. Thankfully, they are safely outside the borders of Gaza...however, there are many friends and partners within. We covet your prayers for the people of Gaza and the people of Israel during this time.

Many have asked for information on where my Dad (Tass) and Mom (Karen) are. Currently they are in Israel doing what they have been called to do. If you've read the book, you know there's no stopping them from doing what the Lord has called them to do.

Today, my Dad put a post up on the blog www.OnceAnArafatMan.com to give you some insight into his thoughts regarding the current escalation in Gaza. You can read it here:

http://onceanarafatman.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Keep your ears to your radios and eyes to your TV sets, as all attention is being drawn to Gaza and Israel, you might hear or see my Pops sharing his story of redemption. He's been on several shows recently including Janet Parshell, Jay Sekulow among many others.

Thank you all so much for your support! And please...keep passing the book around! There's no better time than now to share the story with your friends and family...the world is watching, wondering what exactly this whole conflict is about.

God bless!
-Ben (Son of Tass)

Got my Sticker!

I arrived at 8:20a.m. to vote and I was in and out in 5 minutes.  Not sure where your polling station is? Check out Google's handy little polling station locater here.

My Choice for President

HT: Jeff Miller & The Hammer via Twitter.

Tony Snow Dead at 53

Today the U.S. media lost a great news person in Tony Snow.  He was one of my favorites...an awesome communicator, a heart for people and his family.  Here's one of my favorite quotes from Tony Snow:

To have faith is to believe in truth, believe that truth confers special power on those lucky enough to get a little insight, and to know in our hearts that all these things come from God, which is why we should never get too cocky about our successes. - Tony Snow

Happy Independence Day USA!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Read it all . . .

Scared of Oil Prices?

There are a lot of possible reasons for the current gas prices going through the roof.  It's the talk at the water cooler, it's the talk at the booth next to you when you're having lunch, and it's the talk at family gatherings.  There are a ton of different reasons for the increased prices, but I'm not interested in talking about those here.  I've heard them all...and I'm sure you have too.  Instead, I thought I'd share a fantastic post by my former pastor, Jeff Adams on this very issue.  You have got to read it.  Here's an excerpt:

My life right now is very comfortable. I live in a nice house, drive a nice car, eat out whenever I want and can honestly say I lack for nothing. I am able to give generously to the church, several mission projects outside our church and even to some local causes. I have so much for which to be thankful.

Last evening, though, I was watching the news on television report on the economy, the housing market and soaring gasoline prices. Five minutes later I wondered if I would have a paycheck next week and whether or not I should start melting down gold jewelry to sell in order to avoid standing in the soup kitchen line another few weeks. I’m telling you that I could have sworn the news anchor was named Chick N. Little, and his message was basically this: The sky is falling!

Whoa! Let’s bring things into perspective. I don’t like to pay four bucks a gallon any more than the next guy. But, while I’m complaining about the price of gasoline, I’m still plunking down over $3.00 for a cup of designer coffee. I don’t even want to know how much a gallon that figures out to be! Yeah, I know. You don’t have to drive a cup of coffee to work.

Read the full post "Response to $4 Gasoline"

McCain on Battlestar?

Has anyone ever noticed the resemblance between Battlestar Galactica's Colonel Tigh and Presidential hopeful John McCain?  I'm not getting political here...but could McCain be a Cylon? Hmm.... I'll be watching him closely.

HT: adampienzek.com

Arafat Man Excerpt Posted

Recently my Dad decided to go ahead and post some excerpts from the upcoming book "Once an Arafat Man" over on his blog.  I had a chance to read through the book and all I can say is...wow. Last Thursday I opened it up to read a couple of pages then looked at the clock to find forty minutes had passed.  It's a book that has the power to change the American churches perspective in it's response to the middle east crises in very positive ways.  Too often I hear from many folks who are oblivious to the world beyond our borders and how it impacts our lives.  By the way...he's going to be swinging through the U.S. this summer and if you have any interest in exploring the idea of having him share his story at your church or missions conferences, you can shoot him an email here.

Here's an excerpt from the book found on his blog:

Deadly Surprise

The growling of the IDF engines grew louder. My heartbeat began to pound. I positioned myself for steady action as I peered through my scope. The enemy convoy reached the edge of the village. I picked out my closest target. I trained the weapon on his head … and ever so carefully squeezed the Simonov’s trigger.

At nearly the same moment, my comrades in the village began firing from their hiding places. The firefight exploded all at once. The noise was deafening. The Israeli infantry at that time had no flak jackets, so we were able to wound or kill them right away. All hell broke loose that morning in al-Karameh.

Of course, we began taking our own casualties, too. Every Fatah fighter knew this would happen. None of us counted on surviving this day, in fact. We were fully prepared to die. We might never see the moon again, but we would regain our honor. That was in fact the meaning of this village’s name, Karameh. It was the Arabic word for “honor” or “dignity.”

The street battle raged on at full force, while I kept picking off targets from the hillside. Minutes passed, perhaps even a full hour. There was no subtlety to our approach; we were going with every thrust we had to inflict mortal damage on the Jews. Then a massive bomb blast shook the entire valley. Our troops had blown up the Allenby Bridge, cutting off the escape route if the IDF tried to pull back. The Israelis were now trapped on our side of the Jordan—the east side—and would have to fight to the death. Only a miracle of Joshua-sized proportion would save them now.

A few minutes later, my commander shouted at me with alarm in his voice. “Do you hear that? Helicopter gunships are coming!” I had been too focused on my targets to notice. “Get off this hill!” he ordered. “If you stay here, they’ll blow you to bits from the air! Get down into the village with everybody else!”

I scrambled down the hill to join my comrades in the fight. There the conflict grew increasingly close-range. You hardly had room to use a weapon. It became a hand-to-hand brawl with fists, knives and even rocks. We put our karate and judo training to use immediately. The two sides were so intermingled that their helicopter gunners couldn’t sort us out. At this point, I was fighting on sheer instinct. There was no time to think or strategize. I simply kept bashing the nearest IDF soldier before he could bash me.

I could tell the enemy was bewildered at our bravery. They had expected us to act more like classic guerrilla fighters, feinting and withdrawing. Instead, here we were in a no-holds-barred fracas. Guys were screaming, blood was splashing, the wounded were moaning, and all of us were jumping over an increasing number of dead bodies to keep up the attack. I glanced down at several cuts on my arm but paid little attention. The kick of adrenalin was too strong to worry about it.

We Fatah fighters were in fact more agile than the IDF, since we carried less gear than they did and could therefore run faster. We also had our bayonets already fixed on our weapons and ready to use, while the Israelis were still fumbling to get theirs off their belts and attached. At times they literally ran into our knives.

Whenever they tried to regroup behind one of their tanks, a suicide bomber would leap down from a rooftop with a thunderous explosion of nails and other metal bits. Blood spattered and body parts flew through the air.

Once in a while throughout the afternoon, there would be a short lull in the fighting when the Israelis barricaded themselves in a house. We would quickly set up in the house across the street, where we would then open fire again. We stormed building after building.

This excerpt is from the forthcoming book "Once An Arafat Man" arriving on shelves September 15, 2008 published by Tyndale House. Visit the blog "OnceAnArafatMan.com"