A Better Way to Learn

I recently returned from my annual excursion to cook for the North Texas Buckskin Brigade on the Stasney's Cook Ranch near Albany, Texas. On the surface, the camp seems to be a 4 1/2 day camp to learn about the whitetailed deer. However, I've learned through my involvement, that the course is really about teaching 14 to 17 year olds about leadership, teamwork, confidence, critical thinking, and respect for their peers and wildlife. I could write about the program for days, but that is not my purpose today.

My topic today is with the method used for teaching these campers. Being married to a teacher, I have a fair knowledge of how our county educates our kids in the public school system. Watching these campers learn what they learn in such a short period makes me want to compare the methods they use at the camp versus those we use in our public schools. There is no doubt in my mind that there has to be a better way to educate our children.

The first observance I have is that we have put our public school teachers in a horrible, nearly "no-win" situation. We give them marginal equipment to teach with. We give them sorry conditions to teach in. In fact, we seem to "handcuff" them at alomost every opportunity. Our public school teachers have been taught to teach in what seems to me to be a "defensive" mode. We harp on what they CAN'T do, as opposed to what they CAN do. The threats of standardized testing and "no child left behind" dominate the landscape and force our teachers, the trained professionals, to perform in a little glass box and fulfill the requirements that meets somebody elses definition of a "good education." I assure you, there is no real fun involved for the students or the teachers. I believe this method allows for many "children to be left behind." It may somewhat address the needs of the lowest achievers or a specific ethnic group, but it leaves most of the students in an area somewhere less than they could be if they were allowed to learn in a different way.

My second observation is that it is truly incredible what the campers at the Texas Brigades learn in their short time at camp. Never mind the fact that they learn more about the whitetail deer, their habitat, their anatomy and physiology, biology, wildlife conservation and management, and range science practices, then you'll ever know. They also learn a great deal about leadership, teamwork, confidence, critical thinking and respect for their peers and wildlife. The camp leaders and staff are all volunteers. They do not have to answer to a boss or school board or various interest groups who think their children are more important than your children. They employee a method of teaching which involves the camper in their study. For example, we use to get excited when we studied anatomy because our science textbook actually had colored pictures in that section. At the Buckskin Brigade, the students witness a complete necropsy of a whitetailed deer in which a biologist and a veterinarian split a deer open from the tip of its nose to it's "booty" and lay it out for the students to see. They go through the entire body of the deer and explain exactly why it works the way it does and why the deer is built the way it is. In the end, the students can name the various components of the digestive tract of a deer and appreciate just how tough wildlife have it when they are completely dependent on nature. Every step of the way during the camp is a "hands on" experience lead by a professional in that field.

Rich and honored should be the person who can figure out a way for us to change our method of education to one that involves the student to participate in learning with a professional from that discipline. I am convinced it's a better way to learn. Our teachers should not be sweating because their room is not satisfactorally air conditioned or from the pressure of achieving a certain score on the standardized test. Our teachers should be sweating because they've been participating in an outdoor activity with their students and given maximum effort because they have gone the "extra mile" because the absolutely love what they are doing.

Heck, I'm inspired to try an Accounting Camp or a Business Camp. I think, with a little adventorous thinking and no "handcuffs", you could make it interesting while instilling some very positive characteristics in the youth. The Texas Brigade way is to have very high expectations for what those campers can do, and in the end, their expectations are nearly always met.

When I become President, I will make Kent Mills my Director of Education. I will have a Board of Education made up of one man, Dr. Bill Eikenhorst, DVM. These are just two of the volunteers that have helped shape the Texas Brigades program and made me a believer that there is a better way to educate our children. They aren't interested in what the CAN'T do. The concentrate on what they CAN do. And believe me, when good people want to do something, they will amaze you with their results. Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas.

Little Boze

Why for the Life of Me?

Furthering my recent unfunded, unscientific research into why people do the things they do, I stumbled across an observation that I can not reconcile in my own head. Sure, I've kind of figured out why one might select an extremely ethnic name for their child and the effects, or lack there of, of that name on that child. I've also learned a little bit about some religions that were unfamiliar to me that makes me better understand a smidgen of what they might be thinking. Heck, I've even recently come to the revelation that the best gift you can give the uninformed is not money, but the knowledge of how to appreciate that money.

My confusion comes from serveral recent visits to the local HEB grocery store. We've chosen to shop their as part of our "Savings Level 4" committment to become better stewards of the gifts God has blessed us with. No one really knows what "Savings Level 4" actually is. It just means to my family that we have to watch our spending on an everyday basis. We would not ordinarily choose to shop this particular grocery store. It's too crowded, marginally clean, and full of shoppers that like to visit on their cell phones while they are visiting with other shoppers while they are blocking the isles with their 6 kids and their grandparents. I've never been a fan of the "generational shopping" where you bring the whole extended family. Is there some 15% discount for having 3 or more generations in the store at the same time that I'm not aware of? That will be a topic for another day. However, we do think this store has lower prices than our previous choice, and therefore, sacrifices are being made.

On my last four visits to this store, I have witnessed grown people (adult aged) spending thier money in the foyer playing the little game whereby they are trying to pickup a stuffed prize with a crane. Why for the life of me would an adult want to spend the time, effort and money to secure such a prize? It's beyond comprehension to me.

My hypothesis is, when viewing these folks, that time is not an issue. I don't get the feeling they have a conference in the Board Room in twenty minutes and must prepare thier presentation. Instead, it looks as if maybe they have looked ahead and realized that Judge Judy is going to be a replay of the April 6th show and they don't necessarily need to watch it again.

I suppose effort is not a problem, either. Sure, they have to stand up for a little while, but sometimes it feels good to stretch your legs. I think if I were in the business of creating these machines, I would create a version that is played while sitting down. A customer may be inclined to stay longer, and play more, if they are comfortable.

As far as the money spent, that's the biggest obstacle I have. First, lets look at the prize. I'm assuming, at best, it's a cheaply stuffed animal made by child labor in China. It would beg me to ask, "When you win one, did you actually win anything?" Maybe you could stick it on the back dash of your car or take it straight to your garage sale. Either way, I suspect the value of the prize depreciates rather quickly, like the second it leaves the gaming machine. Then comes the fact that there is much more losing than winning. I suspect someone retrieves a prize from time to time, but I have not witnessed such on these four occasions.

In regards to the money spent by these "gamblers", my ultimate curiosity would be to see if any of them paid for their groceries with a Texas Card or some other form of assistance. I don't have time to implement such a research project, but I would be interested to know. It could be that "we" are paying for this venture.

I don't mean for this topic to reveal "the Pharisee in me," although I can assure you there is indeed one. It's really about the fact I can not for the life of me figure out what would lead anyone to want to participate in such a game of fortune. Maybe there is some competition among those participants and they get points for their success. I don't know. I also assume it's possible that those folks would be bewildered by some of the stuff I do. If so, it probably serves them right for confusing my brain. If you have it figured out, please let me know.

Little Boze

Religion Coming Soon

I am currently doing research on various religions and am formulating some thoughts to share with you. I've recently met both a Muslim and a Hindu. I am somewhat facinated with how these nice people of different faiths can get along with me, but within the context of the world, would seem to want to hate me. Of course, I've quickly found out that the haters normally represent very orthodox, yet extreme, radical sects that not only condone violence, but encourage it as a weapon to push their agenda. Unfortunately, they receive all the headlines. My look will concentrate on the average person of a different religion that could be living in your neighborhood.

This won't be very in-depth and will be designed more as an overview. Certainly, many of you may already be familiar with such groups having studied them at one time or another. But for me, this is all pretty new. The discussions will focus on the "Western" religions of Judahism, Christianity, and the Islamic faith. We will also cover the "Eastern" religions of Hindu and Buddahism. From what I've learned, it's a wild world out there. Amazingly, while most all of these religions differ in their beliefs and rituals, they almost all have the same ethics and morals. They all believe in the Golden Rule and think you should be kind to others.

It seems to me that if we all concentrated on our similarities instead of our differences, the world would be a better place. I'll do my best to post some of these overviews as soon as I'm finished with my research. Peace.

Little Boze

The Best Kid Ever

I have a special friend who just might be the best kid ever. I call her Baby Kate, but she is actually something like a junior in college. She started out in this world in good stead with me as she was born on the exact day I got married. Therefore, each year, she can remind me of my wedding anniversary when I call to wish her a happy birthday.

Baby Kate is awesome. She is sweet, kind, smart, and friendly. She's mature enough to be comfortable around adults, yet childish enough to still have fun. She embodies most all of the attributes that anyone would want in a friend. And on top of all that, she's downright gorgeous on the inside and the outside. Truly, if there were more Baby Kate's in the world, the world would be a better place. She's a great girl, and I love her.

I've always speculated on what it is that just makes her so great and I keep coming back to the fact it just seems as though she was reared correctly. Her parents must have done lots of things right in their parenting. She comes from a very loving family and learned right from wrong at a very early age. While I'm sure she must have some minor flaw somewhere, I haven't seen it.

I am extremely honored and humbled to have Baby Kate in my life. However, that is not the best part. Imagine how blessed I feel knowing that I actually have several Baby Kates in my life. They go by names such as Meredith, Casie, Callie, Courtney, Casey, Jessica, Leah, Amanda, Annabelle, Claire, Jamie, Kristen, Mallory, Rebecca, Gina, and my all time favorite - The Hannah Bozeman. And even this list is not all inclusive. There are a few others. Each of these girls share many of the same characteristics as Baby Kate. While they are each special in their own different ways, they, like Baby Kate, are about as good as it gets when it comes to being great kids. I would take each and everyone of them home with me to be my own. They are that special, and I am extremely blessed and thankful for each of them.

Do you have any Baby Kates in your life? Have you thanked God for them lately? My wish for you is that you have several of them. I also wish for you to know some of my Baby Kates. In fact, I wish you could meet the original one. They are great kids and a great source of joy in my life. Take time to stop and be thankful for the great kids in your life. They are a gift from God.

Little Boze

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Bacon Underwear

Note: This tale is based on a liberal generalization of a true story. No animals were harmed during the writing of this post.

A dog friend of mine, who I'll refer to as "Bruiser" to protect his identity, recently found himself on the wrong side of the law. He had no previous convictions and was generally thought to be an upstanding citizen in the local K-9 community. He does not look the part of a diralect and is actually quite lovable to those who know him.

The events began as we traveled to New York for a well deserved vacation. I was attending a Yankees baseball game, which fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine. Bruiser's owner, who I'll refer to as "Kently" so that he may remain annonymous, had just screamed, "I heart Jeter" when his cell phone began to ring. On the other end of the four increasingly incremental bars was his next door neighbor. He called to inform Kently that his wife, "the neighbor lady", had been attacked, and damaged, by Bruiser. Of course, as the events unfolded, it was determined that all of this was made possible by the neighbor lady entering into Bruiser's yard unannounced and unauthorized.

Within a very short time, maybe less than 3,480 seconds, the "Po-Po" had shown up to take Bruiser to the pokey. With the absentee owner being 1,600 miles away, the best he could negotiate for was to have Bruiser turn himself in and serve a 10 day sentence.

Recognizing that this was out of character for Bruiser, we began to search for some answers and determine just what went wrong. Was there a conspiracy, was it a case of misidentification? And then it hit us like a ton of bricks. It turns out the neighbor lady may or may not have been wearing bacon underwear. It would all make sense. How could any dog, including the normally mild mannered Bruiser, resist such an enticement. Indeed we were on to something, but unfortuanately, we were too late.

You see, Bruiser is a humble dog of humble means. Why, heck, he's one gate left open from being a dog of the streets. He couldn't afford the representation of a Jackie Chiles or a Johnny Cochran. It would of taken some very expensive defense attorneys to raise the "attractive nuisance" defense. It's probably hard for you and I to deem bacon underwear as an attractive nuisance, but to a dog...life doesn't get much better.

No one on the outside will ever know what Bruiser went through in the Big House. He doesn't like to talk about it much. He does seem to use alot more slang language and continuously mumbles suff about "the man." We can only hope that he has learned something from his incarceration, even if he was unjustly convicted.

How do we handle that kind of adversity? It'd be easy to become sour when you pay for some unjustly conviction. The apostle Paul was incarcerated and yet he never seemed to lose his hope that he had God on his side and was being blessed. I'm convinced that you either get "bitter" or "better." Your success in handling adversity is what grows and matures you into being better than you were. So hang in there. And next time you come across someone wearing bacon underwear, be cautious. As tempting as it may be, there might be trouble lurking underneath.

Little Boze

How good is your Math?

My mentor, Chris Barnett, asked me "Where were we in history 1 billion seconds ago?" Of course, it had been a while since that had come up in conversation with anyone and I normally save my "Rain Man" skills for dinner parties and wedding receptions. Therefore, I was at a loss. However, I didn't let that stop me and I ventured a confident guess of approximately 8 years ago. I was shocked when he declared that 1 billion seconds ago was in 1959 and he was fastly approaching his 1 billonth second birthday. Man how time flies when your're having fun. It just seems like 500 million seconds ago I was studying for the CPA exam.

He then proceeded to dish out, "Where were we in history 1 billion minutes ago?" Of course, one could begin to deduce the proper time period if one wished to strain his mind. However, this one wished to save the effort and wait for the answer. Patience IS a virtue. According to Chris' sources, 1 billion minutes ago was during Christ's life. He did not specify if Jesus had met James or Peter as of yet. We'll just assume he is rounding off to the nearest generation.

Apparently, 1 billion hours ago found us in the Stone Age. Of course, once you get back that far, it's hard to even put time in it's proper relationship. So, I'll just assume that was way back, even before the time of cowboys and Indians. Believe it or not, there was a time in my early life that I thought that was as far back as you could go, even preceeding all the Bible stuff.

To gain some perspective, Chris then asked, "How long does it take the US Government to spend $1 billion?" Based on the answers above, one starts to think that a billion is a fairly significant amount. Right? Well, according to his sources, the US Government spends $1 billion dollars.........every 8 1/2 minutes. Holy Heck! That's alot of cash. Good thing, for now, there's lots of social security taxes being paid into the system to borrow from.

So is 1 billion a large numer? How about 24 billion hamburgers sold? How about a billion stars in the sky? How about a billionaire? I think it's hard to get your hands around it. My advice to you is to always think big. I just don't know now if I'm thinking big enough.

CONTROVERSIAL DISCLAIMER

My sub-mentor or mentor-in-training, Kent Gideon, has audited the above numbers, and feels they are not accurate. He firmly believes the 1 billion seconds ago was in 1974, just shortly before America's bicentenial. He has presented his documentation for review and it is being considered. While he does not dispute Barnett's character and motives, he questions his reliance on unnamed sources and has called for him to present his documentation. I will continue to follow the events as they unfold. Regardless, 1 billion of anything still seems to be a whole lot.

Little Boze

SPIRIT IS COMING

It's Baaaaaack. You will be receiving information soon on the resumption of Spirit. Believe it or not, plans for next year's tour are already underway. Tony wants to begin very soon and has plans to work on some special music, Christmas songs, and possibly even some Bible study. He's also looking ahead to Spirit Renewed and possibly a Fall fundraising opportunity.

Last year's trip went so well that it seems lots of folks have some good ideas for this year. If you have any, let me know. You can comment on this blog or email me at boze@orwcpa.com. Your sponsors are very excited and look forward to this year.

So, get the word out and let's plan on having a good time. It'll be more fun than saying..."I like those Mooses."

See you soon.

Little Boze

Learn to be Still

I've been fortunate to have had some time off over the past month and have enjoyed it. I've taken a few more naps, slept in a little later, and left work a little early. Those of you that know my tax season routine should know that such allowances are warranted. For it won't be long until the grind starts back up. However, it still seems to bother me a little as I ponder if I should be doing something else more constructive or meaningful. I find it hard to justify not doing anything when I could be doing something.

I figure most everyone will be about as busy as they want to be. We'll spend our time on our priorities and muddle through the rest of the necessities the best we can. In some sense, I've always felt I've cheated myself by "doing lots of things" as opposed to "doing a few things well." No doubt some of that is born out of always filling up my time without taking time to be still.

The Eagles sing a song called Learn to be Still. In it they state, and I'm paraphrasing here, that...We're like sheep without a Shepherd, we don't know how to be alone. So we wonder around this desert, And wind up following the wrong Gods home. I think we need to learn how to be alone, how to be still. There are times when doing nothing is the best thing. Being still and reflective can give one the opportunity to see things from a distance. It can give you time to see things from a different perspective than your use to. It can remove the clutter and allow one to listen for God's will and guidance.

Like usual, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. This serves to be a reminder to implement a good strategy. Give yourself a "self-imposed" sabatical. Change your routine, for a while, by allowing yourself to be still. Don't be a shepherdless sheep. Then, when it's time that something must be done, maybe you'll be ready to do it well. Hang in there.

Little Boze

What are you going to do?

In my last post What if you nearly saw a moose?, I reflected on how the joy is in the hunt, and not necessarily the kill. Along those lines, I was reminded of a list I concocted when I turned 40 to ensure that I stayed "in the hunt." I refer to the list as MY LIST OF 50 THINGS TO DO. In the subsequent 2 years, I have knocked out 6 of the 50. Obviously, some are easier to acheive than others. Some items require discipline on my part, others require some "cabbage" to cover the cost, and others require the coordination and blessings of others who may find themselves involved. I thought I'd share my list with you in no particular order.

Things Accomplished

Watch a Play on Broadway - Avenue Q and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Visit Statue of Liberty - Greener than I thought it would be
Spend a night outside in Colorado - Estes Park at the HEBB cabins
Read a book by Elmor Kelton - The Time It Never Rained
Write a Song - God is Great and God is Good, copyrighted 2005
Become friends with a Muslim - Abdullah Ferose of Roswell, NM

Things Left to Do

Attend an OU vs. UT football game
Play golf at Pebble Beach
Travel to Alaska
Attend a US Open
Ride roller coaster on top of Stratosphere in Las Vega
Make a $25,000 contribution to a worthy cause
Eat with someone famous
Work on a mission trip
Give daughter away at her wedding
Go deep sea fishing
Attend 2 college football bowl games in the same season
Tour some Scandinavian countries
Own at least a portion of a race horse
Surprise my wife with another honeymoon
Create an artistic piece
Provide airfare for someone in need
Read Moby Dick
Provide a scholarship for a nonfamily member
Learn to play the guitar
Speak to a crowd larger than 300 people
Take a grandchild to Disneyworld
Shoot 75 or lower in a round of golf
Sing a solo in public
See a President live in person
Learn to cook jambalya, ettoufe, and gumbo
Sponsor a needy child for one year
Go snow skiing
Make a $500 wager
Give away my car
See and tour the Vatican
Host a surprise party for a friend
Attend a North Carolina basketball game in Chapel Hill
Underwrite a trip for the entire church youth
Travel to New England and stay in an Inn
Weigh less that 220 pounds
Tell a war veteran Thank You
Watch a sunset in Key West
Raise $5,000 for a charity
Be completely debt free
Attend a cooking school/seminar
Tour the Hershey plant in Herschey, Pennsylvania
Provide all the Christmas gifts one year for a needy family
Go on a vacation with less than a weeks notice
Forgive someone who doesn't deserve it

That should be 50. If you're wondering what will happen if I don't get them done before I die, well...I'll be dead so it won't really matter to me at that point. All I know is I should have alot of fun trying to get them all done. If any of you can help me in some way, I'd be much obliged.

Speaking of you, what are you going to do? I'm sure you have some ideas. Maybe jotting them down will help you plan for some exciting opportunities in the future. If you have any good thoughts you'd like to share with me, heck, I may want to change my list. Maybe your goal is to have your picture taken with the boys from Cross Canadian Ragweed.


Or Pat Green. Anything is possible! Just stay in the game.

Little Boze

What if you nearly saw a moose?

My recent travels have led me to both Yellowstone National Park (America's First National Park) and the Rocky Mountain National Park. I consider both excursions quite a treat as I have rarely visited such treasures as our nation holds. This was actually my second visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park as we made the same trip in 2005. I have learned that one of the most important activities related to the Parks is to attempt to observe the greatest number and most unique wildlife specimans that each Park holds.

I saw a black bear in Yellowstone. He was juvenile in size and possessed a red tag in his ear. He wasn't as near interested in us as we were in him. I also saw an Osprey eagle there in it's natural habitat. He was in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone near the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. The Lower Falls tumbles 309 ft., more than twice the distance of Niagra Falls.

I also saw an American bison. I saw that American bison go "pooh." I saw that American bison go "pooh" for a distance of approximately 8 feet. I also saw a yellow-bellied marmot family. If you are not sure what a marmot is, think the gophers from the Caddyshack movie. I saw a "freak-horned" elk and a muledeer with a 5" drop-tine, still in velvet. Then one of my favorite sights was the football stadium for the Colorado University Buffaloes. Of course, I didn't actually see this in the Park. I had to drive to Boulder, Colorado to see it, but the 40 mile drive was well worth it. I made friends with their Associate Athletic Director, who gave me all the particulars about the stadium and their program. Actually, he just answered all the questions I asked him. He was extremely informative and very nice to visit with.

However, I did not get to see some of the "prize specimans" these parks hold. I did not see any wolves or bighorn sheep. I nearly saw a moose...I was just a few days late.
Some of our party had arrived a few days earlier and made the trek to the Parks moose habitat, the marshy wetlands where the elusive rare moose like to live. They were fortunate to witness a mother and her calve and, later, the prize of prizes, a bull moose. We revisited the site during our trip, but wern't so lucky. Again, we were just a few days late.

As I've pondered what I first had deemed as bad luck, it made me realize that nearly seeing a moose is not a bad thing. Had we seen all the prize specimans of wildlife, we might not be encouraged to return to the Parks. We may have considered our "tags filled" and lost the reason for continuing our search. And if we didn't go back, we'd sure miss out on all the joys of the journey that we did experience, regardless of which animals we witnessed. It helps me to keep the perspective that "the joy is in the hunt, and not in the kill."

I had an old friend that, literally, had more money than he would ever spend and nothing but time on his hands. He set around in his office and complained and griped about anything and everything. He became very bitter and seemed as though nothing in life could please him. I aksed him once, "you have all the money you need and time to burn, why don't you go somewhere and see what that place is like. Why don't you travel to such and such and enjoy the culture of the people there?" He replied that he'd already been to everywhere he wanted to go. He'd seen these and those people and was not interested in any place else. He later passed away, without ever leaving the region in which he lived.

Sad, really. I hope I never see everything that I want to see. I hope I always have at least one more thing to do before I pass. I hope I never completely "fill my tag" so there remains a reason to remain in the hunt, and experience the joy in the journey.

Here's hoping that you nearly see a moose, so that you may also receive one of God's true blessings. The blessing of the need to stay in the game and experience the joy in the journey.

Little Boze

What if your golf cart won't go in Reverse?

We live in a culture where you're "either gong forward or you're backing up." Well, what if you can't back up?

Certainly, most of us would choose to be "growing" or "making ground" in our personal lives when considering the alternative. Obtaining new personal goals or cementing deeper, meaningful relationships tends to increase our happiness and meet our need for accomplishment. But can you really be going forward all the time? If one were to be growing continually, would they lose the sensation of the growth? We're all aware that plants tend to thrive when they receive the proper pruning. Without that temporary stunting, the plant would eventually grow aimlessly in a potentially devastating manner. So, it's obvious to me, that at times, one must back up, to reach their full potential. Again, what if you can't back up.

We had the privelege of meeting the 2005 Miss Texas. She was a very nice young lady from Bownfield, Texas. Physically, she could best be described by "Hubba-hubba." Not a flaw to be seen by the naked eye. (I wanted to use the term "naked" at least once when I was talking about Miss Texas.) In our discussions, I learned of the many really neat places she'd been in her travels across the country and our state to represent our state as the reigning Miss Texas. Amazingly to me, she indicated that approximately 50% of her travel through Texas, to all of these neat sites and venues, required her to pass through San Angelo, Texas in a car. With dinner parties at the Galleria in Houston or River Parades in San Antonio, she normally arrived by first passing the Town & Country convience store on Bryant Blvd. She stated how it was ironic that going from great event to great event in some really neat places seemed to always lead her to a bathroom break at an old convience store across from the Santa Fe Junction. It's obvious to me that, between important, high-water marks in her life, she was "backing up," through San Angelo, to get to the next meaningful occasion.




A tight fiscal budget did not allow her to fly from event to event and stay in luxury hotels between such. Normally, she attended an event and drove back home in her car until her next scheduled appearance. She indicated she enjoyed seeing Texas from a car and really liked meeting all the people she represented along the way. She also stated that if she were at a fancy gala everyday, she'd eat too much good food, an not be able to fit into any of the gowns she'd been awared with for winning the title. Would we want to be represented by a plump Miss Texas? Probably not. For her to meet our expectations, she has to "stay on top of her game." Even if that means "backing up" through San Angelo.

On another occasion we were able to meet Texas country songwriter and recording artist, Mark David Manders. The son of the former Dallas Cowboy, Dave Manders, grew up in the metroplex and attempts to make a living playing music to a generation of revelers that are younger than myself. I actually enjoy his music and am reminded of a song in which he ponders if one's career is responsible for their happiness. He contrast the advantages of being a doctor, lawyer or an engineer with the career of "blaming other poeple for the problems in my life." In his song, he insist that having freedom to follow the wind is more important than the money one could earn when tied to a job. He even specifically mentions, "That it's a wll known fact, that you're always going backwards, when you're digging a ditch."



So why bother with a career if we'd be happier blowing where the wind blows? I suppose certainly, that it due to the fact that during this period of "going backwards," we are enriching our lives with resources that let us do alot of the things we enjoy, let us live the "high-life," so to speak. Simply put, if we did not spend anytime "going backwards," we could not afford to pay for those opportunities that allow us to grow. We need to back up, in order to progress.

I have a friend who has a golf cart that does not operate in Reverse. It goes forward just fine. This simple weakness in it's operation causes chaos in the world order. When driving this vehicle, he is not completely free to enjoy what he has achieved or experience the pinnicle of cart ownership. At least some part of his consiousness is obligated and enslaved with determining where he can park, so that his departure will be unimpeded. If he pulls up to close to an immovable object, he is stuck. If he pulls in behind a car, for instance, he is subject to the mercy of that driver as to when he can or can not proceed on his way.

Living without the ability to back up is very limitating. It, in the end, may very well keep you from going forward. Jesus took time out to go into the desert to pray and be alone. I'm sure he could have pressed forward. I believe He realized that taking a step back and fortifying His resources was the best thing for Him to do in the long run. Backing up can help us to be better prepared and gives us options to proceed. Retreating or Reversing can be positive, even though we normally view those terms with a negative connotation.

My wish for you is that your golf cart always has a Reverse option and that you recognize that sometimes, in order for you to grow and reach new heights, you have to back up.

Little Boze