BPDMotor6's Blog

      I lost a good friend and the world is a colder and darker place today. David Reginald "Bo" Spraggins died a week ago. He was a good friend to all of us at Mountain Brook PD and a good man! I have had to think a lot about death in the last few years, and I have come to the conclusion that the best thing anyone could say about some one was that they were a good man/ woman. I don't mean in the way we say, " oh, he was so good" after someone dies when what we really said about them when they were alive was much different. I have yet to meet anyone who did not like David. I remember most was the way he lived, he lived his faith everyday! That's one thing that made him a good man, the other was he always had a smile. I know there were times when he was in pain and really didn't feel like smiling , but he did! You could not talk to him and not feel lifted up.

     David also taught me something VERY important that I will carry with me the rest of my life, and will share with all of you now. When I was upset  about something ,about how someone had treated me or something someone said about me,David always said one thing. " Don't worry about what their doing you just do the right thing! Don't wory about other people, you just worry about you!" See David knew and reminded me that I couldn't control how others acted, but I could control how I acted and I had an obligation to do so!  I could not let others bring me down to their level, I had an obligation to left them up! Sometimes we just need that quiet reminder to stay on track and to hold tight to what we know is right no matter what the rest of the world is doing.

I lost a friend and the world just feels a little colder, but it's not. Because everyday David Reginald "Bo" Spraggins lives on in me. And now he live on in you too!

Peace~

I consider myself a fairly unflappable person, not so much "hard" as "weathered". I have seen the good and bad people do and very seldom do I get moved. It's an occupation hazard I guess. But some one sent me this and I was moved to tears thinking of my own son and had to pass it along to other.

READ STORY FIRST
A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with
me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on
to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's
request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his
father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father
said 'Yes' too.

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.
The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86
kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike
ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the
coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race
together. View this race at.....

NOW WATCH THIS VIDEO:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8
cf08faca5dd9ea45513 
 
If you aren't touched ... you have no soul!

    I read a blog today from a person struggling to make ends meet. Sound familiar? As I read I remembered my adventures in Kosovo right after the war ended there. I was working as a guard at the Pristina Hospital. The conditions I saw there haunt me to this day! It’s a wonder anyone made it out of there alive. I met two little girls who would come outside in the evening and visit with me. The first girl pushed the wheelchair, she had one leg. The second girl had no legs, they relied on each other to get around. The first little girl couldn’t get any crutches and wheel chairs were even harder to come by. The first little girl had watched as her whole family was shot to death. The missed killing her and left her for dead. The second little girl was marking the family fields for mines when she lost her legs. Mines have safeties that only let them explode if so much weight is applied, well someone took the safety off! These two little girls had nothing! And I do mean NOTHING! Noting but each other and the dreams all little girls share all over the world, to grow up and be happy someday.

     Several months later I was investigating a body in a field when I realized I was standing in a mine field. They were plentiful! While I stood there for what seemed like days, I thought about my life and those two little girls. I lot of stuff will run through your mind at a time like that! And I thought about my humble little home in America. How it didn’t seem like much there, but if I had it over here it would seem like a castle! I made it out f the mind field Ok but I was changed forever. I never looked at things the same way again. I thought about the parable of the sparrow and how God provides for the sparrow, how much more he love me and how much more will he provide for me. I realized at that moment he had always taken care of me! Like the story about the foot prints in the sand, he had been carrying me! I still don’t have a lot by some standards, I struggle to make ends meet, some times they do sometimes they just come within sight of each other. But I always have what I need! NEEDS vs WANTS! I WANT a mansion, I NEED shelter! I WANT Perrier, I NEED safe clean drinking water. I WANT nice suits, I have clean clothes!  I smile now when I thing about those little girls and wonder what they are doing and what has become of them. I also smile when I think how much God has blessed me with!

     I hear people scream about illegals taking “OUR JOBS!” The jobs they do most of us wouldn’t! That’s how they got them in the first place! I have seen the third world up close and personal, and I won’t judge anyone for trying to escape! This is the greatest country on Earth! While I was in Kosovo I heard some of the other workers from other countries taking about the bad attitudes most Americans have (and we do!) they couldn’t see me and I just listened. After a few minutes my Russian partner walked up to the group and heard them and just shook his head, and said,” You all talk so bad about Americans, but each one of you would sell your mother and grandmother to be one! Now get back to work~!” and without a sound they all looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to work. I am blessed, I maybe poor, but I’m poor in the richest country in the world! We worry about who we should vote for in the elections, AT LEAST WE HAVE ELECTIONS! And we don’t have to worry about being shot if we vote for the wrong person! Sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective and something to help focus it! God bless America, and keep blessing me!

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.

Mother Teresa

     I'm getting just about sick of pastors politicking from the pulpit. I have no problem with people expressing the political views and interest but not on some jobs. I am a police officer and have worked in cities with horrible political situations. I had dozens of people come up to me a day and speak ugly about the mayor and attempt to get me to express my personal opinion. I never did while I was in uniform or on duty no matter how badly I wanted to. You see there is a time and a place for everything. As a minister you have a job to do and the pulpit is your office. Your job is preaching the world of God, educating the flock and saving the lost. NOT expressing personal opinion or furthing your own agenda. I fear some have sold their souls and are using the pulpit as a money making scheme or an attempt at gaining power. Woe unto anyone who has! You have accepted a huge responsibility and politics is not in anyway part of it. 

    We have separation of church and state to prevent the state from instituting a religion but there isn't anything to prevent religion from entering politics. I do not believe you can legislate morality nor should we. I do not believe in forcing my religious views on anyone nor do I want yours forced on me. If you want to change the character and morals of this world the fastest and best way to do it is to live your faith. Don't snow me, show me! Show me your faith by living it everyday.

    Give unto the lord that which is the lord and unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. It’s God’s house and the lord's pulpit , let’s give it back to him!

Peace~

If we had more hell in the pulpit, we would have less hell in the pew.
Billy Graham