The Giant Sucking Sound

I heard the news today of the passing of Ross Perot.  Although only 5 foot 6 inches tall, he was a giant of a man.  I had once read his book, entitled, "On Wings of Eagles" about Perot putting together a team to rescue some of his EDS employees from a Tehran prison.  On the drive home today, I learned some other notable things about the man that made me think. 

Now, I preface this post with a statement that Ross Perot was not perfect.  He was a man with failings and shortcomings like all of us, but I think we do a disservice, especially today, when we judge people in the past by today's standards or when we negate a lifetime of goodness by focusing on the negative in people.  If all were held to that standard, well, we could honor no one, for we all fall short.

First, I learned that Ross Perot believed that family meals were a sacred time.  He insisted that the family eat together, and he would sit at the head of the table and say grace, thanking the Creator for His Goodness and Mercy. 

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I think it is important to place family meal togetherness as a priority, especially in our busy world.  It is a beautiful thing to humble yourself and be thankful for your food, your sustenance, your blessings, and realize that it did not come by the sweat of your brow or from money you spent that you are partaking in a meal, but by the provision of a benevolent God.

You see, Ross Perot despite achieving tremendous success and being a billionaire, started from humble beginnings.  He was raised in East Texas in Texarkana and his upbringing shaped him.  When he was 25 years old, he dug his father's grave with a shovel and filled it in order to honor his dad.  He was frugal.  A story that made me chuckle is that he entered the U.S. Naval Academy at age 19 and when sworn in, he was given several pairs of shoes and a dozen sets of underwear.  Up to that point he had never had more than one pair of shoes and three pair of underwear at one time.  Perot said, "This was possibly my first example of government waste."

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Later, he brought to our national consciousness the subject of waste.  I had to laugh as I thought about how we are frugal, too!  We waste nothing!  We compost everything.  We aren't hoarders, but the only things that go into the trash are items that can't be shredded and composted.  We produce very little garbage.  We feed our soil and even feel guilty on vacation when we throw away a banana peel!  We wash and re-use zip loc bags, plastic forks and spoons and plastic sour cream containers.  Stretching a buck is important.

Another thing I remember about Perot is his charts and graphs.  He had a keen ability to be able to communicate things in a simple fashion that anyone could understand.  In fact, I think he would always say, "It's that simple." as he would finish a point.  He was the one that brought attention to the nation about the need for balancing the budget and the dangers of NAFTA.  Remember "the giant sucking sound?" 

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I've always believed in the following Bible verse and have been averse to debt from a personal standpoint.:

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 

I think it works on a national standpoint as well. 

I believe that Ross Perot loved his country, saw trouble brewing and wanted to sound the alarm.  He wanted to serve.  His son said it best when speaking of his father.  As quoted HERE: Perot Jr. said his dad truly loved the country, and that’s why he ran for president, “It wasn’t for personal gain,” he said. “He was a businessman, frustrated by what was going on, and wanted to help fix the country.”

Benjamin's Senior Service

Benjamin is our youngest and will be (gasp!) graduating from high school tomorrow night.  Last Sunday morning, our church honored our graduates during the morning service.  Each graduate received a very nice leather-bound Bible and were encouraged to read it daily.  I still have mine from when I graduated in 1984 and cherish it.  Our preacher (Bro. Andy Buckley) gave some timely advice to our graduates in his message, but it is great advice to all.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 King James Version (KJV)

12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.

1. Receive Christ while you are YOUNG.  (Mark 10:21-22)  The best time to receive Christ is when we are young.  Jesus paid a great deal of attention to children, teenagers, and young people during His earthly ministry.

2. Read God's Word Daily.  (Matthew 4:4)  Reading God's Word is to our spiritual life like eating is to our physical life.  Daily consumption of God's Word is necessary to maintain our spiritual health. (1 Peter 2:2)

3. Realize God's purpose for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)  God has a great plan for the lives of His children.  (Genesis 5:21-24)

4. Recognize the importance of a Good Name. (Proverbs 22:1)  Our name reflects upon our Parents, Grandparents, and the LORD.  To possess a good name, we must possess character and integrity.  A good name must be earned, moment by moment, day by day, decision by decision.

5. Resolve to marry only a Believer. (2 Corinthians 6:14)  As believers, we should not form any relationship with unbelievers that would lead us to compromise Biblical Standards or jeopardize the consistency of our Christian witness.

6. Render a powerful witness to the World for Christ. (Acts 1:8)  The Bible teaches that every believer should have the desire to share Christ with others.  (John 4:39-42)  A church or believer without Evangelism is a contradiction in terms, just as fire that does not burn is a contradiction.

Brother Andy prayed for our graduates.  We pray that they will heed the good advice given them.  Congratulations Graduates!  We love you Benjamin and are so proud of you.