Henriet's Blog

10th Anniversary of Diana's Death

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. I remember August 31, 1997...it's still hard to remember.

As reported by the BBC, services were held in England to commemorate her death and celebrate her life. Prince Harry led the tribute to his mother and Prince William read from Ephesians the service at Guards' Chapel near Buckingham Palace in London. The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and other family and friends joined the princes as they remembered their mother. The Bishop of London, Rev. Dr. Richard Chartres, addressed the congregation.

Prince Harry, who was 12 when she died, stated: "When she was alive we completely took for granted her unrivalled love of life, laughter, fun and folly."

Crowds listened in on the service for friends and family outside the Guards' Chapel and joined in the singing of hymns. All around the world people remembered Diana, the People's Princess.

RELATED POSTS

Princess Diana Remembered

Remaining Korean Hostages To Be Released

The South Korean government and the Taliban came to an agreement on Tuesday, August 28, to release the remaining 19 hostages. Twelve of the 19 hostages were released on Wednesday, August 29. The remaining hostages are scheduled to be released today, August 30. (Click here for the full story.)

What great news but at what cost! The South Korean government promised to withdraw all its troops--200--by the end of the year and forbid all Christian activity by its citizens in Afghanistan.

I feel torn. Of course I'm happy for the hostages and their families. Yet I fear that this creates a dangerous precedent. All terrorists have to do is nab some key people to force their will. Being a missional Christian has just become a lot more dangerous.

As I write this I'm humming: "I have decided to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back."

Michael Vick Finds Jesus

There's much chatter about Michael Vick's apology regarding his dog fighting charges. He apologized, seemed to take responsibility and shared that he had found Jesus.

Searching Michael Vick

There were over 400,000 hits on "Michael Vick Finds Jesus." Most of the comments I read were very cynical and doubted Vick's sincerity.

Of course it's awful that he participated in dog fighting, financed the atrocious acts and was connected to the killing of several dogs. I hate that those dogs were hurt and killed. He could be sentenced to five years. He'll probably spend 12 to 18 months in jail, have to pay hefty fines and deal with the consequences to his career.

Video Of The Apology

What's Our Response?

I'm not sure. What he did was awful but he seems to be taking responsibility for his actions. As evident from his words, he tried to speak from his heart stating:

"First, I want to apologize for all the things that I have done and that I have allowed to happen...I want to apologize to all the young kids out there, for my immature acts, and what I did was very immature, so that means I need to grow up.

"I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to better Michael Vick the person, not the football player. I take full responsibility for my actions.

People say that a lot: I take full responsibility for my actions. But what does that mean? Janet Reno said it but kept her job. It's easy to say but hard to do. Yet, taking responsibility is a first step toward growing up. Good for Vick if he's sincere. He continued,

"I feel like we all make mistakes. I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. Those things just can't happen. Dog fighting is a terrible thing and I didn't reject it. I'm upset with myself and through this situation I've found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God, and I think that's the right thing to do as of right now.

I watched him on television as he made the statement. As he said, "I've found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness" he briefly displayed an inner joy. That seems like the real deal. He also said, "that seems to be the right thing for right now." I hope he's not looking to God only for the moment.

He added: "I have a lot to think about in the next year or so...I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think of my actions and what I've done, and how to make Michael Vick a better person. Thank you."

Let's pray that Vick chooses to walk with Jesus, to grow in his relationship with Him, and to change his life for the better. Let's withhold judgment and let's pray for Vick and his family.

A Month Of 100s

I turned 100 (100th post on August 15), UPS turned 100 and I had the opportunity to speak about 100 Bottles of Wine in a sermon this last Sunday.

Imagine being in church, discussing the wedding at Cana and having a wine display of 100 bottles of wine to illustrate the fact that Jesus made a lot of wine. The truth is he made fantastic wine and lots of it. Six vats of 100 bottles each for an estimated 2400 to 3600 servings of wine. It must have been quite a wedding.

Timberlake only received one comment from someone who was bothered by the display.

UPS Turns 100 Too!

In the same month that I turned 100 (my 100th post that is), UPS celebrates its 100th year. Congratulations UPS!

Did you know that UPS started in Seattle in 1907? That it started in a hotel basement office in Pioneer Square? That two young men started it using a $100 loan? Their names were Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. Casey was 19 and Ryan 19 when they started. Their company was named American Messenger Co. 

They started out delivering messages and packages on foot or by street car. Their first year they had only one bicycle. Yet their start-up flourished in Seattle in the middle of the economic boom caused by the Alaska Gold Rush.

The company known to us as UPS is the world's largest shipping carrier employing more than 427,000 people in 200 countries. UPS has grown from a $100 to a $47 billion business in 100 years.

On August 28, 2007, 300 UPS execs, including CEO Mike Eskew will gather in Seattle to celebrate UPS' 100 year anniversary.

As for their original business location, it is now a waterfall garden park built in 1967 to commemorate American Messenger Company's  birthplace.

Goodbye Tom; We Did The Hokey Pokey

Yesterday, I attended the memorial service for Tom Ingram at Timberlake. Many paid tribute to his life, his love, his adventures, and his relationships. According to all who spoke, Tom was himself, lived boldly, loved everybody and made every life he touched better. His sister-in-law said, "God, if there's pasta in heaven, have Tom make you some of his smoked salmon fettuccine."

At the end of the two-hour memorial service, the about 300 attendees did the hokey-pokey in his honor. A final wish he'd given to a group of friends in his last days. He said, "I wish we all could do the hokey-pokey." And we did.

For a final tribute to Tom Ingram, read his obituary as published in the Seattle PI.

Tom Ingram Dies After Valiant Battle

Tom Ingram passed away on Wednesday, August 22, 2007. He had fought his cancer valiantly and decided to live bravely until the very end (click here to read more about his story). After returning from Moldova, his health started to deteriorate quickly. He was in Evergreen Hospice for his last few days with his wife Barb and other family members by his side.

His memorial service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, August 25, 2007, at 3 p.m. at Timberlake. For directions and a map click here. Timberlake is located at 4505 236th Avenue NE in Redmond, Washington.

Peru Quake Survivors Found In Church

Seven people were found alive under the ruins of the church of San Clemente in Pisco, Peru. The church collapsed on worshipers during the 8.0 Peruvian quake on Wednesday, August 15. The quake hit as more than 200 people celebrated the Feast of the Assumption.

In total more than 500 people died, thousands are injured, 80,000 are homeless and more than 33,000 homes were destroyed. World Vision, as well as many other organizations around the world, are helping with relief efforts.

An eyewitness said that the quake lasted two-and-a-half minutes. That's forever when the ground is shaking.

As I write this Hurricane Dean is bearing down on Mexico. Let's pray for people in these areas as they are facing great challenges. Let's give thanks that Jamaica was largely spared.

As a side note, Timberlake in Redmond, WA, is hosting an Everyone Prepared Seminar in October. Invite your friends and neighbors to this very practical opportunity to get prepared in case of local disasters. For those outside the Seattle area, check with your local fire station or look for CERT programs to become prepared.

Quotes About Living Your Life As You

Based on yesterday's thought about living well because each one of us is unique, I thought I'd share the following quotes:

"Most people are other people.  Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."                                            Oscar Wilde 

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."  Judy Garland

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."                                                     E.E. Cummings

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

                                                  Apostle Paul

As always, share your own favorite quote!

Watch Our World Grow

I saw this link on Simply Missional. It's a world clock that displays population growth, earth temperature and all sorts of things. Check it out at: Worldclock.

Thanks Chris for keeping us up to date!

Imagine that many people on earth and God made each one of us unique. There are no duplicates or redundancies. Live your life well. You're the only you we have!