Ok so the past several weeks have been an absolute whirlwind! So much to do, so little time. By the time this article is posted, I may or may not be married (no I don’t say that because I’m not sure whether I’m going to go through with it! Just that I’m not sure what day this article will be posted!) The past week has been unreal. My family and closet friends have come out to Seattle to celebrate with me. And I finally get to marry the woman of my dreams! Yes that’s right I’m making it official, allow me to introduce you (my IPF family) to my new bride (or bride-to-be, again depending on when this gets posted) Angela Susan Daniel (maybe Flores by the time you read this).

Ok if you know me at all on a personal level, heck if you have read even one of my articles, you are probably thinking, “WHAT!? THIS GUY’S GETTING MARRIED!?” Don’t worry, I can’t believe it either. It is pretty surreal, although I keep waiting for that one morning where I wake up in cold sweats wondering what am I getting myself into! MARRIED!? ME?! Don’t get me wrong, I have never been surer about anything in my life, but COME ON!!!!! I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a grown man, let alone a husband! I’m the guy that just a little over a year ago was rooming with two buddies on a college campus. I’m the guy that just about a year ago began his career. I’m that guy that washes and dries his clothes and then instead of folding them up and putting them away in a dresser, he leaves them in the dryer and picks out what he needs as he goes along! I’m that guy that will do a load in the dishwasher only after EVERY cup or plate has been used and it’s either wash the dishes or eat on a napkin and drink out of the carton! Oh and changing bed sheets, FORGETABOUTIT!!!!!

But alas, my time has come. My bachelor days are behind me. As far as I’m concerned come June 20, 2009, my life as I have known it is over! And my real life begins!

I am blessed that I get a an amazing woman and an amazing new family. I really believe God put Angela in my life at the exact perfect moment. Over the past three years we have both come so far. I am excited at where God will lead us in the years to come.

So raise your glasses with me in a toast: “Here’s to my beautiful new bride and all the future holds for us!”   

Peace I'm Out! 

On Sunday May 31, 2009 Aloor K. Matthew, a dedicated father and loving husband, passed from this earth to his final resting place. After a grueling battle with cancer, Uncle passed from this life of suffering to a place of no more pain or sorrow. He leaves behind a large legacy of lives touched and service to others. I knew Uncle since I was a little kid in Chicago. Though from everything I have heard of his life in Malaysia and all that he accomplished there, I can only speak of the man I knew in Chicago. He was a devoted member of the New Testament Church and he loved God.

When I think of Uncle, two things immediately come to my mind. The first is his service to others. He showed his heart for service in many ways. From his faithful service and love to his wife, Annamma through the years, to his longtime ministry to the elderly in nursing homes. Uncle faithfully visited and ministered to nursing home residents week after week for several years until he was physically no longer able to continue. I remember him giving updates on the nursing home ministry during testimony time at NTC. He would constantly encourage the other members of the congregation to join him in ministry to the elderly, even if it was just singing Christmas carols during the holidays.

The second thing that immediately comes to my mind when I think of Uncle is the countless number of times he would greet me with a pat on the face and yell, “Jonathan my boy!” Even though it really stung, I always couldn’t help but smile. Even if I hadn’t seen him in several months, that one Sunday I would visit the church, he would still give me a firm pat on the cheek and make me feel like I had never left.

It seems cliché to say we shouldn’t mourn a person’s death but rather rejoice in the life they lived. But the truth is I, can’t help but feel both emotions. When you live a life and set an example like the life and example set by Uncle, you can’t help but both rejoice for all the amazing things done and accomplished by Uncle AK, while at the same time mourn that a man so dedicated to his family and his ministry no longer is among us.

We all mourn loss in our own way, some very openly, others in a more private subdued way. But the one thing that all who mourn the loss of Uncle share is an emptiness in our hearts at the passing of a kind man of God.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…” (Rev 21:4)

Rest In Peace Uncle, you will be greatly missed (say hi to mom for me)

Peace I'm Out! 

Ok so as I'm trying to decide what to write this week, I'm desperately trying to turn away from American Idol but I can’t! YES I admit it, I watch AMERICAN IDOL! To be honest I use to make fun of the whole “Idol” crowd. It was a dumb show, full of second-rate singers, and very annoying personalities. Well I have had a change of heart. Don’t get me wrong, it is still all of the above (dumb, annoying, second-rate, ect…) but it is for those very reasons that I can’t turn away! The show is hilarious! Where else can one take such pleasure in the misery and broken dreams of other human beings with out feeling bad about it? For every halfway decent singer shown during the series opening episodes, I get to enjoy 6 or 7 oblivious members of the human race make absolute fools of themselves. And yes, quite frankly it makes me feel just that much better about myself.

The best part is the family and friends of those that are, well let’s just say, less then musically gifted. You wonder what people must be thinking when they tell a loved one “You are so talented!” when in fact what they should be saying is, “STOP! NEVER EVER ATTEMPT TO SING AGAIN, UNLESS YOU ARE COMPLETELY ALONE AND NO ONE ELSE CAN HEAR YOU!!!!”
 
Well enough of American Idol for tonight. Just this past week President Obama gave the first televised interview of his new presidency. And to the surprise of many (and not so surprising to everyone else) it was not with anyone of the typical American media outlets. CNN? MSNBC? CNBC? CBS? FOXNEWS? No, no, no, no, and HECK NO! And the winner of the very prestigious first interview with his Highness President Obama is? Al-Arabiya, an overseas Arab television station. Almost immediately after news of the interview all of your typical political pundits were talking, analyzing and dissecting the presidents unusual choice of media outlets. I heard a wide range of opinions on the topic, everything from “What a brilliant decision by Obama,” and “He truly is a wise statesman,” to “What was he thinking! How dare he give the Arab world such an honor!” and “Now we see his true colors!”

Truth is Pres. Obama did the right thing by reaching out and showing the Arab Muslim world that the US isn’t in the business of fighting Islam, it is in the business of fighting radical terrorists who would mean our nation harm. Nowhere does it say that you cannot have military might and diplomacy at the same time. Just because a nation has the ability to wage war does mean it should abandon diplomatic efforts all together.

I credit our previous president with bolstering our national defense and helping to make our nation safe from attacks upon our shores. But I also welcome Pres. Obama’s call for greater diplomacy with other less then Pro-American nations. Last time I checked, the Cold War wasn’t won by nuclear explosions and foreign invasions. No, it was won due to the shrewd diplomacy of a great American leader, President Ronald Reagan.

So to all those who want to point to Obama’s willingness to talk with the enemy as just another sign that he is the Anti-Christ, I can only shake my head in frustration.

Ok I am finished for tonight. Gotta get back to SportsCenter, there is a highlight of a really great hockey fight on right now!

Peace I'm Out! 

Happy New Year to all of the IPF family! It's kind of weird saying that since I've been absent for so long! Life is a little crazy these days, but I can not complain. I've been blessed and God has been faithful.

I realize the whole NFL commentary thing from me was an absolute failure this past season. And since I have been unable to share my thoughts and opinions on all things football for pretty much the entire season, I am not going to start giving my opinions now. Except to say, GO CARDINALS!

I want to give our fearless leader a big shout out before I go any further (and no I am not referring to Barak H Obama). The man I speak of has shown over the past several years now a real commitment to keeping this site running (even though some of its regular contributors, namely myself, have been less then faithful with their part) and to the mission of IPF, which I believe is to have a place where people can come and be up lifted and stay connected. So here is to you Chris and all of your hard work, and for staying true to the vision you had for IPF.

As I watched, and continue to watch, countless hours of election and inaugural coverage over the past several days (as I am sure many of you have done) I am struck by a very overwhelming sense of “Business as Usual”. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not so staunchly conservative or right-winged that I cannot appreciate the historical significance of President Obama’s election. And as a minority myself I can admit to a small sense of satisfaction that a person of color has broken the barrier of the highest political office in this nation if not the world. But that is where it ends for me. After all the bells and whistles of the election and inauguration are over, and after the last piece of trash has been collected and disposed of off the streets of Washington following the grandiose parade and festivities this past Tuesday, after ALL of that, it is Business as Usual in Washington, as far as I am concerned.

I feel like this needs to be said, so I am just going to say it. I DON’T CARE THAT BARAK OBAMA IS BLACK, and quite frankly neither should any of you. All I care about is that he is now OUR president! Not the democrat’s president, or the liberal’s president or even the rest of the world’s president. He is OUR president, the president of the United States of America. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, or claim allegiance to any other obscure political party, whether you voted for him or not, whether your white, black, Hispanic, or Asian, IF YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY BARAK OBAMA IS YOUR PRESIDENT.

Let that sink in for a minute… Now back to my statement about not caring that Pres. Obama is black. I was listening to an interview with Rush Limbaugh last night and he made some interesting comments on this topic that I think need to be heard (let me preface this by saying I generally dislike Mr. Limbaugh and think he can be a right-winged blowhard but in this instance I agree with him). The gist of his thoughts were basically this: Obama’s being black has absolutely no relevance into the matter of whether or not he can do the job required of him, and other then it being a nice footnote in our nations history, PEOPLE NEED TO GET OVER IT!

The man could be purple for all I care. All I want to know is if this MAN, elected by the citizens of this great nation, can execute the duties of the office of President of the United States. His being black has about just as much relevance in his ability to be a good president as my being Hispanic has in my ability to be a good police officer… In case you missed that, what I am trying to say is… IT HAS NO RELEVANCE WHAT SO EVER!!!

I guess I am just a little tired of being force fed this notion that Obama’s race and his scholarly demeanor are enough to lift this nation out of the doldrums. The way people talk about this guy, you would think he is the second coming of…well at least the second coming of the Beatles or something!

I will rap this up by saying I hope Barak Obama succeeds in leading this country. Did I vote for him? No. Did I think he was the best choice to be the leader of this country? No. But the people have spoken and he is my President. And for that I say good luck to you Mr. President. LONG LIVE THE KING!

Peace I'm Out!