Support public smoking bans

It is not a secret that I believe in a healthy lifestyle for those I care about, from my family and the extended families I have through the hundreds of children I serve in my ministry, and it is not a secret that smoking cigarettes is bad for a person’s health.  I work hard to show teenagers that starting bad habits early can have devastating effects on their lives.  Also is the whole issue of second-hand smoke and how it can be just as bad as smoking for those who are around smokers, including children.

As a result of this information, many public schools, universities, libraries, art galleries, courthouses, bars and restaurants are smoke free areas.  This has been a controversial issue wherever smoking bans have been proposed.   Economic losses of bars and restaurants are cited for the opposition of such bans, and the truth is any loss is usually minimal over time, and some new customer start going to places that were formerly smoking areas.

For those who smoke, consider stopping or at least be considerate of those around you and respect their requests not to smoke. The savings is the cost of cigarettes will be noticeable, too.

Smoke-free legislation reduces emergency hospitalizations for childhood asthma, saving lives and healthcare dollars, according to a recent study from Scotland published in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to the study, before the legislation was implemented, admissions for asthma were increasing at a mean rate of 5.2 percent per year. After implementation of the legislation, there was a mean reduction in the rate of admissions of 18.2 percent per year relative to the rate on March 26, 2006.

This is just one of the many studies available today which prove that public smoking bans will save lives, save money and save healthcare costs.  The most important aspect of a public smoking ban will be the benefit our children will receive, directly and indirectly.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” -2 Peter 1:2

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

Want to know more about the members of Lambda Sigma Chi? Click here to meet the members of the unofficial fraternity.

Golden View

(Photo by Mike Hall)

A country roadside in Indiana is covered in yellow and white wildflowers, something that is seen if a person slows down to look.

 Photo Gallery

Surfers on Virgina Beach

Through the magic of technology and computers, the World of Words by Elias Tobias presents a portfolio of ArtBrushed images that originated as digital photographs by Mike Hall.  You save the entire image to your computer free, and use the ArtBrushed photo for wallpaper or the screensaver.  You can print it and frame it, too. Just click on the image on this post and and choose the “Save photo as” option when you right click again.  Select which folder the file will go, then you name that file. Approve the change and you’re set.

Turn an ordinary cup into an Elias Tobias cup with free logo downloads at the World of Words by Elias Tobias.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Reject

Rev. Paul Abernathy reflects on his days when started his first band and the troubles he had. The band may have gone away, but his interest in music has given him purpose in life.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Reject
I want to hear my songs
played on the radio.
I’m a rock ‘n’ roll reject, and
music is the only thing I know.

I’m lost, cold and alone.
My friends come and go.
I really don’t have a home.
All I know is life on the road.
It seems I can only see as far
as a the neck of my guitar.
There are times I’ve starved
in order to be a superstar.

I want to hear my songs
played on the radio.
I’m a rock ‘n’ roll reject, and
music is the only thing I know.

Some of my decisions are wrong,
and the chance for change are gone.
I know my trip will be long, but
it is in my heart to sing my songs.
Somethings I can do myself,
but are times I could use your help.
I know it’s hard to live a dream,
but I do have enough to eat.
I play in bars for bear and beans
where the bright lights gleam.

I want to hear my songs
played on the radio.
I’m a rock ‘n’ roll reject, and
music is the only thing I know.

Have you read the childrens story, The Peasant Princess? It is in English, French, Spanish, German, and Arabic.

Another day

They say your birthday is a special time to celebrate,
but really on the calendar, it’s just another date.

It’s a time to reflect where I’ve been and what I’ve done.
I hope I’ve been in the right place to help someone.

In my youth, it was a special time with friends and family,
and we would all get together for a fun-filled party.

Those times were great, but now a good steak dinner is fine.
Getting cards and e-mail with well-wishes is just as kind.

Who is Elias Tobias? Go to his biography that is also in Spanish.

Nunca escuche a las lágrimas de una mujer

Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.

Nunca escuche a las lágrimas de una mujer

Nunca escuche a las lágrimas de una mujer.
Es un sistema de defensa que han
Perfeccionó a lo largo de los años
Cuando ellos sienten que tienen
sufrido algún delito.
Se puede llorar un río y las inundaciones
Sus emociones sobre el paisaje
Así que parece que su fácil ver su lado.
Entonces es hora de que el delincuente que ocultar,
Dado que, para entonces, la mujer ha ganado
La guerra, si no sólo la batalla.
Nunca escuche a las lágrimas de una mujer,
porque si lo haces, puede ser que también acaba de morir.

Want to know how to get your work published? Get the facts here.

Never listen to a woman’s tears

Never listen to a woman’s tears.
It’s a defense system they have
Honed throughout the years
When they feel they have
suffered some offense.
They can cry a river and flood
Their emotions over the landscape
So that its seems easy to see their side.
Then it’s time for the offender to hide,
Since, by then, the woman has won
The war, if not just the battle.
Never listen to a woman’s tears,
because if you do, you might as well just die.

To read this poem in Spanish, click here.

Would you like to start your own poetry blog? Learn how to do this in three easy steps.

Yeux rieurs

Yeux rieurs

Lorsque je l’ai regardée,
ses yeux bleus a explosé de bonheur.
Ils m’ont fait sourire.
Elle est revenue ce sourire,
et cela me rapprochait ·
J’ai dit: “Salut.”
Je suis reparti déçu.
Elle était simplement rire de moi.
Dès le premier regard je pouvais
voir qu’elle était trop jolie pour l’amour.

Pour lire ce poème en anglais, cliquez ici.

Photos by Mike Hall converted into brushed paintings are in the ArtBrushed Photo Gallery. Download art for free.

Laughing Eyes

When I looked at her,
her blue eyes exploded with happiness.
They made me smile.
She returned that smile,
and it drew me nearer.
I said “Hi.”
I walked away disappointed.
She was merely laughing at me.
From the first glance I could
see she was too pretty to love.

To read this poem in French, click here.

Learn 10 ways how you can harness the Power of Words with modern technology.

What is your motivation?

Every large church, like the one I work with, has an organization to make it work and achieve the work of the Lord. This concept applies on a smaller scale to smaller congregations, too, but a larger church that has thousands of people who attend its services weekly has challenges its smaller counterparts may not have. Our leadership is borrowing models from the world of business to make our organization stronger, more financially responsible and ultimately better. To this end, our team has attended workshops that center on the motivations of our leaders, including me.

The individual leader, our head minister, has a leadership team who works with the leader to achieve our desired goals and objectives.  With the economy still in recovery mode and many churches in this country seeing decreased attendance, we have models from business that can be adapted to do more than just keep the church financially viable.  We can serve the needs of the expanded congregation spiritually.

In a business models we studied, the key factors for our organization reflected what businesses are doing to survive, even though they may be over 100 years old. One word tossed around was change, and another was flexibility.  Better use of available resources was needed to take advantage of new technologies and opportunities.  What is our motivation, individually and as a group? This is what the workshop was all about, because the motivations determined the management styles.

One consulting group we studied, The Clarion Group, Ltd. from Seattle, put leadership styles into four categories. I have the tendency to be in charge and want to exert authority through enabling others.  Some of our team had the tendency to focus on relationships with others and felt fulfilled to be in service to others. A third motivation style centered on achieving outcomes measured in specific deliverable standards while getting things done.  A fourth fulfillment through authority was to exert control and have a tendency to be in charge.  All of us on the team use these motivations to some extent, but favored one over the others.

Throughout the experience, we discovered who we were individually, and how to work better as a team to make our church better, for the ultimate motivation, to serve Jesus, our Savior. I have the children of the church as my focus, and my motivation, and the reason I go to work every day of the week.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” -2 Peter 1:2

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

Want to know more about the members of Lambda Sigma Chi? Click here to meet the members of the unofficial fraternity.