Smitty City

Sir Winston Churchill is a fascinating character of world history, and one of my favorite personalities of all time. I would recommend Churchill on Leadership to anyone who feels that they are, or should be, a student of leadership. Those who appreciate the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that one can attain from history should put Steven F. Hayward's biographical examination of Churchill and his leadership techniques on your future reading list.







"Every night... I try myself by Court Martial to see if I have done anything effective during the day. I don't mean just pawing the ground, anyone can go through the motions, but something really effective.

A, Paul, wa een de jailhouse fa sake ob Jedus Christ, an we broda Timothy, da write ya, Philemon, we deah Christian broda wa da hep we een de wok. A da write too ta ya, Apphia, we sista, an ta Archippus, wa da wok long wid we een de fight. An A da write ta de bredren wa da meet dey een ya house. We da pray dat God we Fada an we Lawd Jedus Christ bless oona an gii oona peace een oona haat.

All de time wen A da pray fa ya, A da tell me God tankya fa ya. Cause A yeh say ya lob all God people an ya da trus een de Lawd Jedus. A da pray dat de fait dat oona hab een de Lawd Jedus gwine hep oda people fa ondastan mo an mo bout de blessin dat God da gii we, wen we one een Christ. Wen A yah how ya lob God people, A been full op wid joy an A tek courage fa true. Cause me Christian broda, ya done mek God people haat glad.

So den, eben dough A got de tority fa chaage ya fa do wa ya oughta do, cause A Christ postle, stillyet, cause ob ya lob, A ain gwine do dat. A jes da aks ya, eben dough A Paul done ole an now A een de jailhouse fa sake ob de wok dat A beena do fa Jedus Christ. A da aks ya fa sake ob Onesimus, wa God done mek me own chile een Christ. Cause wiles A been een de jailhouse yah, A bring um fa trus een Christ. Onesimus ain been no hep ta ya, bot now e able fa hep ya, an kin hep me too. A da sen um back ta ya. A lob um sommuch dat e jes like me haat da gwine wid um. A been wahn fa keep um wid me yah fa hep me now wen ya ain wid me, wiles A een de jailhouse fa sake ob de Godd Nyews ob God. Bot A ain keep um wid me yah, cause A ain know ef ya been fa gree fa um fa stay wid me. A wahn ya fa hep me jes ef ya wahn fa hep me. Maybe God leh Onesimus lef ya fa leetle wile, so dat ya kin hab um back faeba. An e ain gwine come back ta ya jes like a slabe no mo. E mo den dat now. E ya deah Christian broda wa da come back ta ya. A lob um fa true, bot fa sho, ya gwine lob um mo den me now. Cause e da wok fa ya, an mo den dat, e ya deah broda een de Lawd. So den, since ya know e one een Christ, da wok togeda, ya oughta gii Onesimus haaty welcome, jes like ya been ga gii me haaty welcome. If e done do ya wrong or ef e owe ya sompin, chaage me fa dat. A Paul da write dis yah wid me own han. A gwine pay ya back wasoneba Onesimus da owe ya. A ain gwine taak bout de debt dat ya owe me. Ya owe me eben ya own sef. Yeah, me broda, do me dis fabor, fa sake ob we Lawd. A ya Christian broda. Mek me haat glad. Wiles A da write ya dis, A sho dat ya gwine do wa A aks ya fa do. A know ya gwine do eben mo den wa A aks ya fa do. One oda ting, A wahn ya fa git a room ready fa me. A da look fowaad, cause ob de pray dat oona all da pray ta God fa me, dat e gwine git me outta dis jailhouse so dat A gwine be able fa come ta oona gin.

Epaphras, wa longside me een de jailhouse yah fa sake ob Jedus Christ, e tell oona hey. Mark, Aristarchus, Demas an Luke, wa all da wok togeda longside me, dey tell oona hey too. A pray dat de Lawd Jedus Christ gwine bless all ob oona.

Taken from the Gullah New Testament (De Nyew Testament)

I heard a BCS analyst say that... mathematically, a team that can reach the six position in the BCS rankings can, in fact, reach the national championship game. IT IS CONCEIVABLE. Of course, a million things must happen in the next few weeks...but remember that a man named George recently made it to the Final Four.

However, at this point, all USC has to do is win out (Cal, Notre Dame, @ UCLA...rugged) and they'll hold off all one loss teams.

My heart nearly exploded as I heard those words escape from the mouth of a fellow student this evening in class. She said it in passing...but she said it. Her exact words were: "Leadership can be studied from the life of Jesus even though he is dead. Besides, even today all those people follow him for some reason." She was giving a presentation on a book written by Ken Blanchard entitled, Servant Leadership. I said nothing. I felt Satan and his angels applauding me. I should have interrupted her presentation. That is what God has called us to do... to interrupt while the world spins to proclaim, however small or insignificant the venue, that our Lord is not dead. Tonight, I failed at following Christ. I failed my mission.

Lately, my pursuits of being an exceptional student have overshadowed my calling to be an exceptional disciple. There is more required from jonathan smith than simple A's and B's. The colleges and universities that we occupy need more than good students. They need fearless warriors who endlessly fight for the throne of creation. A throne that is already established, but one that has yet to be acknowledged by thousands that walk past us everyday on weathered pavement...thousands that walk by me. I started to write these thoughts in my journal, but I decided to post them so that they may encourage, challenge, and convict those of us who are merely surviving on our respective campuses. Let us pray for each other.

Tonight, I agreed with her.

We are all well aware of political pundit, Rush Limbaugh…headache to both elephants and donkeys. Though I tend to agree with most of his rantings, we all would agree that he doesn’t do much to aid the reputation of conservatives. Well, he has successfully ruffled the media’s feathers (and their panties) yet again with his comments on Michael J. Fox, his illness, and his stem-cell supporting commercials. I love you, Rush. You make me smile, even laugh at times. Heck, I even looked past your drug addiction and your ridiculous marriage to the core of your being…and found something worth holding on to. But why would you feel the need to attack the character of an adored, Parkinson’s-ridden, time-traveling hero like Michael J. freakin’ Fox? You might as well made fun of Chris Reeves or the boxer formally known as Cassias Clay. If Rush’s ultimate mission is to sway viewers and listeners, then why would he attack the integrity of a loved celebrity battling a terminal disease? It just doesn’t make sense. Don’t broadcast that opinion…it doesn’t help the cause! Well, he did. And as I usually do here at Smitty City, I will give you my humble (and always correct) opinion. I wouldn’t have done it. After I watched the commercials, I would have put my head down, picked up my briefcase and exited the conference room. I would not have taken off my clothes, jumped on the table, and screamed, “FAKER, FAKER, BELLY-ACHER!”
If your have not caught up on the story…Rush accused Fox of failing to take his medicine to therefore incite the tremors associated with Parkinson’s, specifically for the taping of this commercial. The mission of this behavior, as stated by Limbaugh, was to evoke emotion in the viewers which would ultimately sway them to supporting stem-cell research and this particular candidate. Let’s face it…if you see Calvin Klein on the tube unable to control his body, you're going to stop and watch. Furthermore, you will probably feel some sort of emotion; in fact, I couldn’t help but feel some when viewing the commercial in order to formulate this opinion. Case and point: wise, wise tactic. Keyword of “case and point”: tactic.
Rush is not completely off base. He points out that Fox is on record in previously admitting to skipping his medication to exaggerate the tremors. If it’s happened before, it can happen again. I won’t speak to the accuracy of this allegation, and I won’t address its morality either (although you might care to comment). But I will say this: Rush was right by saying that Fox and his democratic cronies exploit his illness in times such as these. Most certainly. Aristotle’s pathos is guaranteed when Fox is on screen unable to control himself. So yes, I believe that Fox’s illness is being used as a tactic of political war. But…In the future, Rushy-baby, choose your battles more wisely. We don’t want to be viewed as heartless vultures!

(It should be noted that before Christ, I was a heartless vulture. Now I’m just a vulture…actually more like an Appalachian Buzzard)

(it should also be noted that agreeing with elephants more than donkeys doesn't make you and elephant)