We recently looked at a very nice home and quickly ruled it out because it was the last house inside town limits. With town water, sewer, and taxes, it added over $200 per month to the cost. So it made me wonder, can you secede from a town? A quick Google search showed me that I was not alone in my thoughts. It has been done by at least one condominium complex in Pennsylvania and is being considered by another in New York. (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFDA1431F93AA35752C1A961948260)
My question is can one homeowner secede? There have been many towns that want to secede from their state. I know there are advantages to being part of a town and that those advantages come at a price, and for me, they are not a good value.
My question goes much deeper than just pure economics. What about political and regulatory issues? I am, for the most part, a far right social conservative but I have very libertarian views on property ownership. I have a hard time paying the town a fee so that they will allow me to make improvements on my property. Uh, thank you? I understand the need for safety and good citizenship but we have become this nanny state society where everyone must be protected from themselves and have government watch over every move. I have said it before and I will say it again, at the very least, our forefathers would be disgusted at what our country has become. I fear that they would label us all Tories. I find that my desire for independence does not fit well with municipal living.
So, can someone legally secede from a town?
I know everyone is dumping on Josh Howard right now. I don’t want to do that. I actually want to help him out. First, let me thank him for being honest with us.
Josh, do you feel like the world is closing in around you? Do you need to get away? After you clear up this little drag racing trial, why don’t you take a little trip. I found a place that would suit you. You won’t have to worry about being harassed about your comments about The National Anthem. In fact, you will be held in high esteem. If only you played baseball instead of basketball, they might even adopt you. Just go to http://www.cubalinda.com/ and book a flight. You’ll feel right at home.
Unfortunately, Howard has the right to make disparaging comments because of the thousands of men and women gave their lives to defend his freedom. The very poem that became our national anthem was birthed in a battle for that freedom. I realize that one song could never fully reflect the deep love and commitment that so many of us have for this great nation, but I can’t think of any other song that comes close. People risk their lives to get into this country, albeit illegally.
Josh, try what I do when I celebrate this fine song and all that it represents. Keep your mouth shut, stand up straight, and think about those brave soldiers who served us, the brave forefathers that faced tortuous deaths, the freedoms that you enjoy, and the God that gave us the rights that we are guaranteed. If you don’t want to do that, I’d suggest that you make that little getaway destination a permanent relocation.
Ah, the NFL is back. I love football. It is by far my favorite spectator sport. Two weeks into the new season and there is finally something besides Brett Favre and Tom Brady to talk about. Official Ed Hochuli blew a call that allowed the Denver Broncos to complete an amazing comeback in stunning fashion, 39-38. As usual, I found a life lesson in this not quite so tragic life altering event.
Norv Turner, the coach for the San Diego Chargers went nuts. Sports commentators and fans have suggested everything from job termination to fines to water-boarding for Ed Hochuli. True, if Hochuli made the right call, the Chargers recover the fumble and win the game. However, they still allowed the Broncos to score the touchdown AND the two point conversion after the call.
So Norv, here’s my thoughts. Everyone including Hochuli knew the call was bad. As injust and wrong as it was, the call could not be overturned. It was the situation that you and your team had to deal with. It was up to you and your team to not allow someone else’s mistakes to control your life. You did not. Move on.
All of us must deal with things that are beyond our control. What we can control is how we respond. You can live your life being a victim and allowing other people and circumstances to control your life or you can choose to rise above those circumstances. Greatness is not achieved by falling down to adversity but by prevailing over it. Imagine the locker room had the Chargers stood up and won the game despite the bad call. Imagine how they would respond the next time they were in a close game and on their heels. Sadly, for the Chargers and for so many of us, all we can do is imagine.
I am not saying that it is easy to do what is right when everyone around you is wallowing in the mud or to hold your head high when you have been greatly wronged, but I can say that if you do, you will be stronger in ways that I am far too incompetent to define.
Norv, you cannot change what happened. You can, however, prepare like never before and take it out on the Jets next week or you can wallow in your self pity and be 2-5 and updating your resume.
It’s been a crazy summer. I know I fell off the face of the earth, but I have climbed back to the surface and I know that all six of my faithful readers will be pleased 
I recently attended a worship conference at Lighthouse Community Church in Federalsburg, MD. It was lead by hopeLight out of Warsaw, NY.
I am not a worship conference veteran and am by no means an expert, but I was very impressed with how the conference was setup. They started off with a full set of worship music and then talked about the hows and whys. This did several things for me. One, they showed that they knew what they were doing, both musically and spiritually. Two, the music set the tone for the evening. We were there to learn how to lead worship better. They started leading by example and then broke it down for us. The last thing that it did for me was it made me focus on the real goal, which is worshiping our God.
One of the things that really rang true for me was their talk about integrity. I know there are many grey areas in Christianity. For example, is consuming alcohol appropriate? In many countries and even many parts of this country, it is completely acceptable. In other areas, it is considered awful. The worship leaders made a point that reinforced my own position. How can you lead worship on Sunday morning if you were in the bar on Saturday night? My position has always been that as a leader in the church, you should not cause another person to sin. If a recovering alcoholic sees a worship leader or pastor drinking alcohol, they think that just a few won’t matter. I’m sure the pastor can stop at just one but the alcoholiccannot stop at just one. Another issue is that it opens quite a bit of temptation to lean on something other than God to deal with your problems. Okay, l’ll get off my soapbox.
Another big issue that they addressed was that you need to worship God with all that you have. We were created to worship God and so we need to spend our time in worship giving our all. David danced until he embarrassed those around him. I don’t think I have ever embarrassed anyone with my worship. I know I need to loosen up and let go of the geek in me.
All in all, the evening was well spent. The band sounded great. They were upbeat and fun to listen to. But the most important thing was that they used their talent for God with all that they had. They share their craft with everyone they can so that more people can worship in a free spirit.
If you get the chance, give them a listen and begin to praise.
Excellence is always the best policy
Life is a journey so enjoy the ride
There is no such thing as too much integrity
Sometimes doing the right thing is hard, but it is still right
Everything decision in life has consequenses, some good, some bad
What you do is not who you are
Be true to yourself
Be true to God
Dream big
Believe in yourself
No matter what, in every circumstance, your father will always love you
Effort is important
Doing for others is better than doing for yourself
The greatest joy is in giving
You can
accomplish almost anything when you are truly committed to the task
Having favor with someone is important
Work hard at whatever you do
No matter how hard you work, family comes first. Always
If you prepare enough, the task will be easier.
Dream big
Love your wife like she is your best friend because she is.
Last week I wrote a post about our pool and how hard it was to believe that we would be able to swim in the disgusting water. Well, today, my children jumped in! It’s amazing that in less than a week’s time, we went from utterly repulsive to crystal clear, thanks to the good people at the local pool center.
On the flip side of that post, I talked about how our spiritual lives mirrors my pool. Last night, I was reflecting on how much spiritual growth I have seen in my life in the last few months. Now, please, I am not bragging on myself. On the contrary, this is growth that should have come much earlier and easier than it has, but I am a stuborn man. God has put me in a position where my faith has been able to grow immensly. Just like the chemicals, the purification of my life has been a bit harsh. It has not been the most fun trip, much like cleaning that nasty water, but the reward has been even greater than what my kids felt as they jumped in with both feet this afternoon.
Next time you see a pool, clean or dirty, think about your spiritual life. How clean is your water? And what will it take to make it pure?
We use AT&T (formally Cingular) wireless phones where I work. Usually, Mondays are pretty hectic. Today has been a great day! the cell phone will not work and we cannot stay in the office because the air conditioner quit working. I think I have accomplished more today than since we were issued cell phones.
In all seriousness, I have not had time to research what is wrong at AT&T, but it has caused several problems that I am aware of. In contacting AT&T this morning, we learned that all of Delaware, part of Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey was down. I cannot imagine being a contractor or road salesperson and not being able to be in contact with the office or customers. I know that they tell you that your cellular service is not guarranteed to always work, but in today’s society, we have become dependent upon the use of wireless phones. My wife will be on the road tonight. I am glad that she is on Verizon. I want to know if she breaks down or has a flat tire or just had a bad evening.
AT&T, it has been nice to have a day off from the phone but let’s get it together. This isn’t 1996. Cell phones are not a novelty. They are a neccesity. If you want to be a industry leader, then go join the Boy Scouts and be prepared!
I have mentioned before that I can turn anything into a life lesson and here I go again…
I pulled to cover off of the pool last night. Honestly, I have seen stagnate ponds that looked cleaner (Sorry, no pictures, I don’t want to gross you out). The water is black and murky at best and even smells like a stagnate pond. As I started to vacuum the bottom of the dismal abyss, I thought to myself “We going to swim in that?”
After an hour of vacuuming, there was a slight change. You could at least see a light surface emerging at the bottom. After a massive amount of chemicals and a massive amount of filtering, I know that the water will be crystal clear and irresistible.
It makes me think about our own lives. It does not matter how dark or murky we are on the inside, God can pour spiritual chlorine through us and filter out all the impurities. Just like a pool, it usually doesn’t happen overnight, despite my children’s desires. It takes time and a balance of the right things to make yourself pure. I could run my filter 24/7 but without chlorine, my water would still be green. I could pour $500 worth of chemicals into my water but without stirring them up and running the filter, they would settle to the bottom, useless. Given the opportunity, God will clean and filter your life until you begin to shine.
Another interesting analogy is that a pool takes constant maintenance. I do not like to swim in mostly clean water. I want it fully clean. I may have to adjust the pH here and the alkaline there throughout the summer and I always check the chlorine and run the filter. I pull out the vacuum a few times per week to get the junk that starts to accumulate in the deep end because I want the water clean. Our lives are just like that. If we do not constantly maintain our spiritual person, we can become dark and murky and need major shock to get us clean again. In September, my water was sparkling. In June, it is repulsive. With a little work, a lot of chemicals, it will be sparkling again very soon. This weekend, I will be checking the levels of the pool chemicals. I think I better take a reading on my spirit while I’m at it.
