I Survived!

Well, I survived Kayla's first driving experience today.

We went to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles where she took her test and acquired her driving permit.

On the way home we stopped at the church in our neighborhood and she got her first experience behind the wheel.

After maneuvering around the parking lot a little bit we ventured out and drove about 2 miles around our neighborhood before ending up back at the church parking lot.

Time keeps on moving, moving, moving...

Eagle or Oyster?

We, as Americans, must not sacrifice freedom for security. I like the difference between the American oyster and the American eagle. When God made the oyster, he put a big thick shell around him, put him deep in the water, and provided him constant nourishment. Whenever he gets hungry, he just opens his mouth, sucks in food, and then shuts his jaws. When God made the eagle, He put him out in the mountains and said, “Build your own nest and fight your own enemies, and raise your own young, and provide your own food, and stand against the wind and the rain. But I will give you the great blue sky to fly in and the strength to endure.” I am so thankful we are Eagle, not oyster, people.

Darren Strickland's Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Scoutmaster Gourley: Welcome to this special meeting of Troop 51. This afternoon we are gathered to celebrate the achievement of the Eagle Rank by Darren Strickland. First, I ask Brian Witthoeft to open this Court of Honor by thanking God for this day.

Brian W: (...opening prayer...)

Scoutmaster Gourley: Please stand for the presentation of the colors. Color guard advance...Scout salute...post the colors.


[Scout]: Please join me in the pledge of allegiance (...recite pledge...)

Scoutmaster Gourley: Color guard retreat. You may be seated. It is my pleasure to declare this Court of Honor officially open. Would [names of four Scouts] please come forward and recite the Scout Oath, Law, Slogan, and Motto (...scouts come forward...)


These are the principles on which Scouting is built. Members of Troop 51 please stand and make the Scout sign.

[Scout 1]: recite Oath
[Scout 2]: recite Law
[Scout 3]: recite Slogan
[Scout 4]: recite Motto

Scoutmaster Gourley: Thank you gentlemen, Troop be seated. Now we have an opportunity to reflect on the makings of an Eagle Scout as we hear from a few individuals concerning Darren's journey toward the Eagle Rank.

Brian Blankenship: speaks


Mrs. Beatty: speaks

Dad: speaks

Today we are here to celebrate Darren's achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout…AND an all around fine young man! As proud of Darren as I am, this achievement is not just about a single individual's accomplishment. This celebration is about the accomplishments and teamwork of many people.

It's about Troop 68 in Beavercreek where Darren started his scouting journey 7 years ago. It's about Troop 362 here in Xenia who welcomed Darren when we moved from Beavercreek to Xenia in late 2002. It's about people like Mr. Davis, Mr. Conover, Mr. Seva and others investing their time, talent and energy into Darren and many other scouts along the way. It's about Troop 51 in Waynesville welcoming Darren as a First Class Scout and helping him through the rest of his scouting journey. It's about individuals like Brian Blankenship, Gordon & Shelly Beatty, Alan Carter and others guiding and helping Darren and many other scouts. It's about all the individuals who gave of their time, energy and other resources to help plan and complete Darren's Eagle Scout Project at Apex Community Church.

So to each and every one of you who has invested in Darren and helped him to become the person he is today, AND to become an Eagle Scout…I say, "thank you!"

Darren, the journey to this moment has been one of the longest single journeys you've been on in your 17.5 years. It started when you were 10.5 in March 2002 with your first visit to Troop 68 when we were living in Beavercreek. It continued when you were 11, in the fall of 2002, when we moved to Xenia and you transferred to Troop 362. And it continued on when you were 12, in 2003, when we transferred to Troop 51 in Waynesville. So, Darren, 3 Boy Scout troops and 7 years later, we stand here today celebrating your journey from Scout to Eagle Scout AND all those who helped you along the way.

As Darren's father, I'd like to quickly review the Scout Oath and Law qualities I have observed in Darren over the years.

The Scout Oath:
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
And to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep my self physically strong,
Mentally awake, and morally straight.

The first line of the Scout Oath talks about doing your best - in most endeavors Darren undertakes, he does strive to do his best, whether it is studying for a test, learning a classical guitar piece, or just being a friend.

The fourth line of the Scout Oath says "to help other people at all times" - Darren is keenly aware of the needs and feelings of others and is usually very helpful when he sees or discerns a need.

The last line of the Scout Oath talks about being morally straight - there is no doubt to anyone who knows Darren that he is a person of high morals based upon his personal relationship with God.

The Scout Law:
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean, and reverent.

While I have observed all of the Scout Law characteristics in Darren over the years, the following stand out to me:

Friendly, Courteous, Kind and Cheerful - Just by meeting Darren you know he is friendly, courteous, kind, and cheerful.

Obedient - He has been trained in obedience and has mastered that character trait well, unlike his father, who still struggles with authority.

Thrifty - Darren demonstrates the quality of being thrifty by always searching and shopping for the best deal.

Clean - He can't help but to be clean in the German heritage and environment in which he has been raised.

And finally, Reverent - Darren is reverent to his God and to all people he encounters.

Darren, in conclusion, before all of these people (family and friends), I want to say that I am so proud of you, I love you and I respect you. You have indeed grown into a fine young man and one of your rewards is to be able to call yourself an Eagle Scout for the rest of your life. Congratulations.

Dillon: Darren please come forward. I would like to invite all Eagle Scouts in the audience to come forward and introduce yourself, including the Troop and year when you received the Eagle Rank. (...introductions...)

Eagles, please make the scout sign and rededicate yourselves silently while the Eagle Scout Promise is administered. Darren, repeat after me:

I affirm my allegiance
To the promises of the Scout Oath.
I thoughtfully recognize,
And take upon myself,
The obligations and responsibilities,
Of an Eagle Scout.
On my honor, I will do my best
To make my training an example;
To make my rank, and my influence,
Count strongly for better Scouting.
And for better citizenship,
In my troop,
In my community,
And in my contact with other people.
To this I pledge my sacred honor.

Dillon: It is my honor to present the Eagle badge to you
(...pin badge on...)

Scoutmaster Gourley: As your Scoutmaster it is my pleasure to present the Eagle neckerchief and slide.
(...present neckerchief and slide...)

Now, Darren, you have the opportunity to recognize some very special people who have helped you in your journey to the Eagle Rank.

Darren: gives pins and gives thanks

Scoutmaster Gourely: Color guard advance...scout salute...retrieve the colors....retire the colors.

Brian Witthoeft: (...Closing prayer...)


Scoutmaster Gourley: Thank you all for coming today. Please enjoy the refreshments and
congratulate Darren Strickland, Troop 51's newest Eagle Scout.

Eagle Scout Court of Honor

I just posted Darren's Eagle Scout Court of Honor Invitation here.

Living a GREAT life!

What does living a GREAT life mean to you?

You do know a GREAT life doesn’t just happen, don’t you?

It seems to me that a GREAT life has at least 3 components:

One, a GREAT life is one that is chosen and is lived in the service of something greater than self. What greater purpose is there than the Kingdom of God and sharing the Good News?

Second, a GREAT life makes a contribution to something larger than self. A GREAT life stands up, speaks out, and gets things done. A GREAT life makes a difference and leaves this world better than we found it.

Third, a GREAT life leaves a path for others to follow. A GREAT life leaves a legacy and inspires the next generation to go further and achieve more than we did. This is the crux of discipleship.

I love the story of the "star thrower," about a man walking on the beach after a storm, throwing starfish back into the ocean so they won't die on the shore. Someone criticizes him for wasting his time, noting that there are millions of starfish, and the few he saves won't make much difference. The man silently bends over, throws a starfish into the surf and replies, "It made a difference for that one."

Set your minimum standard to live a GREAT life: to know your purpose, make a contribution and leave a legacy. Make a difference for “that one” already in your life.

Some day each one of us must look back and assess our life, and when that time comes we want to know it was a GREAT life, with a certain purpose, contributions, and those who can carry the message on.

Here's Your Recipe for a Happy Year

Click here --> http://axshun.com/Recipe.pdf
(or copy and paste into your browser)

Happy New Year,

Barak Strickland

Self-Assessment

by Steve Pavlina

One of the best ways to bring more truth into your life is to conduct a quick self-assessment. Assign a numerical rating to each area of your life using a simple 1–10 scale. A 1 means this part of your life is terrible and could hardly get worse; a 10 means this area is absolutely perfect and you can scarcely imagine it getting better. Please take a minute to do this now. Here are the areas to rate:

Area of Your Life and Your Rating (1–10)
Habits & daily routine ___________
Career & work ___________
Money & finances ___________
Health & fitness ___________
Mental development & education ___________
Social life & relationships ___________
Home & family ___________
Emotions ___________
Character & integrity ___________
Life purpose & contribution ___________
Spiritual development ___________

Your answers should provide a nice snapshot of how you’re doing. Usually you’ll find that some areas lag behind the others, sometimes far behind. Interestingly, it’s in our weakest spots that we most often succumb to falsehood and denial, since those are the most difficult areas to face. But those areas can’t improve until you face and accept the truth.

Holiday Letter

Our family holiday letter has just been posted for your reading enjoyment.

Young Chuck

Young Chuck in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer
agreed to deliver the horse the next day. The next day he drove up and
said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died.'

Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'

The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already'

Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse.'

The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?

Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead horse!'

Chuck said, 'Sure I can, Watch me. I just won't tell any body he's dead.'

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened
with that dead horse?'

Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a
piece and made a profit of $998..'

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.'

Chuck grew up and now works for the government. He was the one who
figured out how to "bail us out".

Veterans Day

Here in the United States we're celebrating Veterans Day - a day to honor all of the men and women who are serving or who have ever served our nation as members of the military.

My own 4 years in the United States Air Force are what really makes me sensitive to this day, not to mention having the day off as a federal holiday :-)

Many lives have been lost in past or current wars. Many have suffered because of their injuries - both physical and mental. Yet young men and women continue to volunteer to serve.

I hope you'll give a special thought today to the men and women who make it safe for you and me to live our lives.

If you are one of the millions who serve - THANK YOU!