Paul O'Rear -- Thursday, December 31, 2009, 3:59 PM (No Comments)
Categories: Big Idea, Health, Make a Difference, My Purpose, Resolutions
Tags: 1 Corinthians, 1 John, 1 Thessalonians, FaceBook, Google, Happy New Year!, Harvard School of Public Health, Matthew, Mayo Clinic, Pam Nelson, Proverbs, Psalms, The Heritage Foundation, WebMD
Pam Nelson, a dear friend and high school classmate, recently posted to her Facebook status a thought-provoking list of “to do” items that will make anyone’s life more meaningful. I was intrigued as to the source of the list, so I Googled a few of the list items and found several websites with a nearly-identical list of 39 items, including the items from Pam’s Facebook list. I have edited the list in a few places for increased clarity or meaning, and have included relevant sources where appropriate. I want to share the list with you on the eve of this new year. Some of the list items will resonate with you more than others. That’s OK. Pick and choose the ones that mean the most to you, and resolve to incorporate them into your daily journey. I pray God’s richest blessings on you and yours for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
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Paul O'Rear -- Monday, December 14, 2009, 8:49 AM (No Comments)
Categories: Make a Difference, Movies, My Purpose, Youth Culture
Tags: Cutting, Divorce, Hypocrisy, Jake Taylor, Jesus, Roger Dawson, School Violence, Social Divisions, Suicide, Teen Pregnancy, To Save A Life, Underage Drinking
Jake Taylor has it all: friends, fame, a basketball scholarship and the hottest girl in school. What could be better?
Enter Roger Dawson. Roger has nothing. No friends. No hope. Nothing but putdowns and getting pushed aside. Things couldn’t get worse … could they?
Jake and Roger were best friends when they were kids. But the politics of high school quickly pulled them apart. Now Roger doesn’t fit in Jake’s — or anyone’s — circle, and he’s had enough. He walks onto campus with a gun in his pocket and pain in his heart and makes a tragic move.
Jake’s last-ditch effort can’t stop Roger, and the sudden tragedy rocks Jake’s world. Something breaks loose inside and sends him questioning everything. Most of all, he can’t shake the question, Could I have saved Roger? In a quest for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger and reaching out to the geeks, losers and loners. But he quickly finds that crossing class castes threatens everything he’s built his world on. And it could cost him his own friends, his girl, his dreams and even his reputation. Is it worth the price to find the answer to his ultimate question: What do I want my life to be about?
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Paul O'Rear -- Saturday, December 12, 2009, 10:41 PM (1 Comment)
Categories: Adventure, Make a Difference, Music, My Purpose
Tags: Africa, Amsterdam Netherlands, Ashley O'Rear, Barcelona Spain, Bein' Green, Big Bird, Big Lots, Billboard, C is for Cookie, Caracas Venezuela, Cesar Pope, Clarence Bekker, Cookie Monster, David Dunn, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Dimitri Dolganov, Django Degen, Francois Viguié, Geraldo & Dionisio, God, Grandpa Elliott, Guguletu South Africa, Joe Raposo, John Donne, Junior Kissangwa Mbouta, Kermit the Frog, Mamelodi South Africa, Mighty Joe Young, Moscow Russia, Muppets, National Junior Honor Society, New Orleans Louisiana, Paris France, Pisa Italy, Pokei Klaas, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Robbie Howard Eighth Grade Center, Roberto Luti, Roger Ridley, Santa Monica California, Sesame Street, Sinamuva, Sing, Stand By Me, Stefano Tomaselli, Swahili, The Carpenters, The Congo, Toulouse France, Try Giving Yourself Away, Twin Eagle Drum Group, Umlazi South Africa, United States of America, Vusi Mahlasela, Walt Disney Pictures, Washboard Chaz, Waxahachie High School, Waxahachie ISD, Windsong, Winston Churchill, Zuni New Mexico
In 1998, Walt Disney Pictures released a movie called “Mighty Joe Young”. The movie was about a huge gorilla named Joe living in the jungles of Africa. Joe is brought to the United States to save him from being killed by poachers, and he eventually ends up back in Africa on a wildlife refuge created especially for him.
It was a pretty good movie. But the best thing about the movie was an enchanting lullaby that kept appearing in the soundtrack throughout the entire movie. The song is entitled “Windsong”, and it was written and sung in the Swahili language.
Listen to “Windsong”.
I was captivated by this incredibly beautiful, soul-stirring composition the first time I heard it. But not knowing Swahili, I had no idea what the song was saying. So I did some research.
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