A Different Perspective on the Climate

There is a trend today in modern science that is very troubling. Some scientists have become activists for causes that sustain their generation of research dollars. Some have made their cause a new religion. Both of these are the case with the global warming. There was also a time that researchers tried to be unbiased and neutral. Not so today, the global warming promoters have become married to a political agenda and a political celebrity. What ever happened to science for the common good?

The facts are that the climate of our planet has gone through and is going through cycles of change continuously. Whether you look at geological data, weather logs, biblical accounts or archeology, the result is the same. Our climate patterns change from time to time in a sort of cyclical manner. Remember the ice age, the wholly mammoth, the glaciers that we now know are covering land masses? They have all been shown to have not existed from the formation of the earth. If man-made contaminants, high levels of green house gases and the combustion engine is the major cause of the current warming, then what man-made cause precipitated the melting in the last ice age?

The whole global warming movement is a political movement with a dogmatic fervor. The facts are as sketchy as the fact for evolution. They are both theories that the 'microwave' scientists are too impatient to do the real work to support their claims. It is much easier to follow a self directed political reject, defame the detractors that want real research and make dollars for fuzzy research their platform.

The Keyoto Protocol is not the answer because it is ineffective. It conveniently makes the politically expedient exemption for three of the world's largest polluters: China, Russia and India. By the keyoto protocol, these countries can continue to build factories and cola burning plants with little or no emission control devices. On other hand, it penalizes the most aggressive countries that are on their own making big climate improvements: the USA and Canada. I have met many people who, unlike me, are making their determinations on global warming and the Keyoto protocol without having actually read any of the actual documents. They take their information from newspapers and other journalists who have also not read any of the actual documents but try to funnel down complex and voluminous quantities of data into a 30 second sound bite or a 4 column newspaper article. It is popular to join the politically correctness of blaming President George Bush and the Unites States for the climate cycles we are observing and the pollution that has occurred all over the globe. However, anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty cannot truly believe that all the ills of the global warming crowd occurred in the last eight years or on one continent.

Pollution is ubiquitous global problem. It has been accumulating for centuries around the globe. It occurs for many reasons: one is ignorance of the potential dangers of industry and development; another is greed, evil, dishonesty, misrepresentation, self-righteousness. In the final analysis, it boils down to sin. These traits are inherent to all men regardless to race, color, national origin, political persuasion or ethnicity. Pollution also knows no national boundaries, no political persuasion, no racial preferences, no social status.


We need to take care of our earth because it is the right thing to do. It is the responsible thing to do. Our world is important because it belongs to God. Our climate is important because we need to leave a better world for our kids and grand kids than the one we found. We need to reduce our emissions because pollution not only affects the our lungs, it affects our entire bodies, our entire cell structure, our entire lifestyle. We need to investigate, develop and promote new technologies that allows us to live freely while improving the living standards of our global brothers and sisters. How many of us can take on stopping global challenges? May I suggest that we begin with making a difference in our communities? We expect cheap goods and fast results. Look at what we purchase; how much of all this stuff do we need? Let us hold corporations to making sound decisions for sustainable business operations rather than quick quarterly profits. Let us stay away from disposable and use more reusable, repairable and recyclable.

In the final analysis, the earth is not ours. We are just stewards who get to use it and prepare it for those who come behind us. It did not take us eight years to cause the problems that we have and it will take solid, sensible, non-political, non-partisan, ethical and unbiased scientific solutions to repair the strain that we have caused. If you need Al Gore and the United Nations to tell us that we need to be more responsible in how we live and what we expect in our standards of living, then we are mistaken because neither of them are presenting sound, reasonable, ethical or scientific solutions. If we think that carbon-free is the solution, then go back to chemistry class because carbon is a building block of life: it is here to stay.

What ever happened to doing things because they were right, because it is the best for mankind and for our community?

My Mother Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

I am reposting this blog as a Tribute to my mother on his Mother's Day 2009:

On July 24th, 2007 my mother, Madeleine Leonce, nee Martelly, went to be with her Lord. She lived on this earth for 82 years. She never finished high school. She did not leave us a fortune nor did she leave us debt. Her name is not on any buildings or in any international journals. Yet, I cannot think on anyone I have ever met in my life that has ever had a more profound effect on my life than my mother. Today, I want to introduce her name and memory in the world through my blog.
Madeleine Leonce did not give us a fortune, she gave us the ability to dream and to work for our dreams. She did not give us houses and land, she gave us hope that our tomorrow will be better than today. She did not finish high school but she taught us that ignorance is not substitute for intelligence and not all knowledge is contained in books. She taught that talent does not guarantee success and that success is no substitute for integrity. Though she never attended a seminary, Madeleine's ministry touched more people in more places than she ever knew.
I was given the privilege to write her eulogy on behalf of my family. THe experience changed my life one more time. I want to share it with the world.

Eulogy: Madeleine Leonce, nee Martelly
September 15, 1925 – July 24, 2007
She Did It Anyway

She was born into a family that loved the Lord and taught her to love God, her family and her fellowman. Life came at her quickly. From what we know, her childhood in Mon Repose, St. Lucia was exceptional: she had a strong family support, her grandfather and grand mother, mother, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, many cousins and close family friends. They farmed, raised crops and animals, provided for the family and sold to others for livelihood.

At an early age, Madeleine, began to take care of her siblings and watch over them. She also spent as much time as she could with her grandfather, Pap Savaoui, who was a spiritual giant, a healer and a man of faith. Madeleine got her seeds of unshakable faith from him. She was unable to complete secondary school but she was educated anyway.

When the disappointments of life left her with five young children, she raised them anyway. When other relationships left her to raise a family of eight with little money and a small home, she raised us anyway making roads where none existed.

In her early days in Barbados, she started a business importing and selling crops from St. Lucia with little resources but she did it anyway. She did it in Carrington Village and Tweeside Road, while sent her kids to school, she cooked, she cleaned and ran a business. Eventually she became a seamstress and made clothes for numerous people and family members for all occasions. When people could not pay she made their clothes anyway.

When she gave her heart to God fully, she knew that God was calling her to change her lifestyle. She had little money and no home, yet she got a new government house anyway. When her children and other family members broke her heart at so many critical times, she loved us anyway and continued to remind us that God is love but he will not be mocked.

When mouths were hungry and cupboards were bare, she knelt in prayer, sent us to school and went to the kitchen anyway. Even though there was nothing in the house in the morning, by the evening God gave her food anyway.

The house was small, the rooms were full but she took in strangers anyway.

When her dreams were dashed and she had to make changes, she dreamed anyway.
When we would sit around and talk and play games, she told stories and taught us to dream anyway. When she had no money for Christmas presents for her children, she made them with her own hands anyway.

When we had no bus fare to get to church or school, we went anyway. When we had no money for youth camp, we went anyway. When her boss told her that she would lose her job if she went to her son’s wedding in Trinidad, she went anyway. When family and others criticized her for claiming to be a Christian when her girls were having children out of wedlock, she served God anyway.

When the parents in the neighborhood would not send their children to church with us, she went and invited them to her house and told them of Jesus’ love anyway. Despite that fact that she has not conducted a Junior Fellowship for many years, we have heard of at least one person who is now a Christian and conducting her own Junior Fellowship. The ministry continues anyway.

When her health began to take her strength and her vision, she was continued her times with God anyway. When sickness zapped her strength, she still wanted to go to church anyway. When the doctors said that her body was failing and the cancer was spreading, she continued to live anyway.

Today the day has come to stand by her side and honor her passing to her heavenly home; this is not her lying here, she’s living in eternity anyway.

Among the things she taught us is this:

You may chase a dream that might never come your way
Dream it anyway
You may love someone with all your heart yet they may choose to walk away
Love them anyway
God is great, but sometimes life’s not good.
When we prayer, things don’t always turn out like we think they should,
We do it anyway.
Sing, dream, love
Do them anyway.*

Mummy, we heard you
We get it now
You did it and we are here anyway.

(*Excerpts from Anyway, by Martina McBride, Wake Up Laughing, BMG Music, 2007)

Letting Go, One Year Later

Last June we experienced that mixed emotions of letting go of our son to allow him to pursue his dreams of becoming a fighter pilot and an astranaut. He has now complete his first year of college and training at the Air Force Academy and is excited about next year. After all, he is attending one of the best uninversities in the world.

In letting go we experienced lonliness that we had not imagined. We wished we could take him back but we knew that we had to let him go after his dreams. We recommitted him to the hands of the Lord. As I recap the last year, I realized something new: in not being at home, home became more important to him. He values being at home more than ever; he values his room; his friends at home; he values his family; he values His relationship with Christ; he values his upbringing. We are proud of both of our kids.

Letting go is part of the maturity process God gives us when He gives us kids. My greatest fear is that I fail to impart to my kids what God has asked me to impart to them and for my own selfish gratification, I fail to allow them to be what He wants them to be. Today, I still look at Ryan and wonder if I could have done things better or different. I do see things that I could have done differently. God has never-the-less taken our best efforts and covered them with His Spirit and the results are amazing.

We are glad that we let him go even if we had to weep in the process.

We are greatful for God's mercies and favor in our lives.

Walking Into History

As a child we read in storybooks of distant places and people around the world. As one who loves history and geography, I loved to read about the people of the Orient, their customs and history. The Great Wall of China is one of the marvels of the world.

Reading and seeing pictures of the Great Wall always got my attention. I have many dreams and goals yet to be accomplished. My list of places to visit is extensive however, I never imagined getting to actually see the Great Wall.

On March 24, 2007, the Lord actually allowed me, not only to see the wall but actually to hike on a portion of this marvel of construction and military dominance.

This formerly poor boy from a 'bad' school on a small island walked in the pages of his childhood reading books. Where we come from has not bearing on where we can go when we have a dream.

Wow... Life is Good, God is Great and I am Blessed!

Dream of the World

Growing up, I always dreamed of traveling and seeing the world. The Caribbean is still the most beautiful but the rest of the world has its own beauty to be enjoyed.
This Asia Mission affords me the opportunity to see Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan I may even get to India. The sights, sounds, smell and customs of the orient are as unique as the people that live here. Our hosts are kind and gracious. The expectations for daily living are as separated from one generation to the other as they are in the western world.
Currently, we are in Beijing. A large, large city, with between 13 and 17 million people (depending on the area around the city center you count). People, cars, buses, trains, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles are everywhere. The masses of people are like the water of the seas and rivers that are everywhere. So are signs of religious philosophies and history. In the U.S. and the Caribbean our history and historical reminders are young when compared to these ancient civilizations. When I think of sustainability, the Asians seem to be living experts.
The youth are looking forward to newer and better days; the elders are enjoying life with their feet strongly planted in the ancestors that paved the way. The east and the west are blending. We have much to learn.
I am thankful that I am here and seeing the world that I dreamed of when I was a child.

Principle Centered Leadership II

The fundamental structure of leadership is the actual person, the leader. The character, the reputation, the thinking, values, mentors, and ethics that cover a person is the toolkit that will hold the principles that governs the way a person will lead.
Leaders lead people. Managers oversee processes that may or may not involve people. Leadership should be less about popularity and more about creating a sense of purpose, vision, value and crusade. Every great leader assembles a team whose main mission is to vary the vision, value and the crusade.
One reason why principle centered leadership is important is that if we are asking others to join a team, we should value them enough to lead a sustainable effort that will create value, purpose and accomplishment for them as well. Great leaders help others to achieve their goals and dreams while accomplishing the goals and dreams of the leader. We should never use people in order to promote ourselves. We should not be successful if our team is unsuccessful. When others are hurt or destroyed in our effort to be the 'top-dog' we are egotistical, selfish, self-centered, opportunistic and ungodly. A leader's greatest achievement is the other winners who are created on our way to success.
Principles that are universal:

1. Honest
2. Integrity
3. Morality
4. Sacrifice
5. Perseverance
6. Commitment to Personal Growth
7. Selflessness

Sometimes we are mistaken in thinking that only prominent and popular people are leaders. People like politicians, lawyers, doctors, religious icons. However, many real and successful leaders never achieve prominence in the public eye. I am thinking of the millions of good parents who each day raise children, some of their own and others their 'adopt' to go out into the world with a dream, a vision, a purpose and make a difference in their individual way. These unsung heroes, at times, sacrifice their own opportunities to allow their children to grow up in a place of safety, security, values, encouragement and positive influences. They daily exemplify honesty, integrity, selflessness, perseverance, morality so that those ever watching eyes not only hear a lecture but see a lifestyle.

I also think of the immigrant families who travel from the places of their roots in order to allow their children, nephews, nieces and cousins to have a better chance to fly a space shuttle, build a better bridge, discover the latest renewable fuel, write the next universal story.

These are real leaders whose influence and path to success birth generations of leaders who now lead backwards and forwards: they pull others up because of their sacrificial steps and pushing others forward because of the new leaders they help create.

Some Things Are A Tragedy

Two days ago a young man walked in to a historic mall here in Salt Lake City in a tench coat with a shot gun, a hand gun and lots of ammunition. Within minutes he had killed five people and wounded many others before being killed himself by police. In those short minutes hundreds of lives changed forever and a community was awakened. People shopping, dining, walking, talking or just hanging out were immediately cast into total fear, chaos and confusion.

Young lives taken in a blink of an eye; children lost parents and parents lost children. Another four in critical condition at various hospitals struggling to recover. A young Bosnian man also lost his life and his family are also now victims of this senseless and apparently random act.

Many experts and laymen are going to spend large amounts of time trying to explain why this happened, how it happened, where did he get the guns and how could anyone do something like this? That may be important to some to know however all those answers will not reverse the tragedy that took place. The tragedy is the innocent lives lost, the life of the gunman lost and many families broken and in pain for a very long time. All the answers in the world won't change that.

In times like this, a community is tested. How will we respond? A community is built in the relationships that are established in the good times and in the bad. How we respond to others speaks loudly about who we really are. It was amazing to see and to hear how total strangers became instant teams, and hopefully now acquaintances, as they began to try to find cover or to escape the shooting range. Parents were holding their children trying to shield then and console them. Total former strangers were close by trying to support those parents and reassure the children that everything will be well now that they were safe.

Out of tragedy can come triumph and it will in this case. At the same time, it is still a tragedy.

Twenty Four Hours In A Day

There never seems to be enough time to get everything done: work, school, business, church, sports, hobbies, kids. The more we do, there more there seems to be done. Life is good. I wish I could get some more sleep though.

The tyranny of the urgent keeps rapping at the heels of the important. I must remember to do the important first. There are only twenty four hours in a day no matter how much there is to do. When the day is over it's over and a new one starts immediately.

Yesterday in past; tomorrow is future; today is present - a gift.

When Getting Older Becomes Painful

I remember the time when I so much wanted to be older. Being young was too restrictive; too many things that were not for kids; places we could not go. I wanted to be older; to be free. My dreams were calling me. I could not wait to finish school and get on with it. I never really wanted to leave home. I had a poor but great home and friends and was in a good band. To pursue my dreams I had to leave.

I got through college and got married. We started our home and family together. Our kids came along and have been hugh blessing. My wife improved my life tremendously over the years. However, one secret of getting older evaded me until recently. As I got older, my parents, mentors and spiritual leaders also got older. I was not prepared for that. I think I expected them to stay the same because I needed them to stay the same. They were my pillars of strength. How could they get ol? Some have even crossed over.

My mother is the strongest person I have even known. She has more faith than anyone I have ever met. She has survived the pain of unfaithful men while raising siblings and eight children. She has survived severe hardship. Yet she never gave up, she loves her Lord, evangelized an entire community basically by herself. She has fed and clothed more people than some non-profit organizations.

Today, the ravages of age has invaded her body. Her walk is now slow, her physical strength is fading, her mind wanders to places that bring her joy, her heart they say is weakened and cancer is is migrating through her body. I wish I could be twenty again. I don't really want to grow up. Being under her direct rule would be a great thing right now.



My father (not the sperm donor but the one who fulfilled the role) used to run races regularly. He mentored and discipled over one hundred and twenty young men. He shares in our lives, knows our wives, our hurts, our joys and or struggles. He found me in a church on the island twenty six years ago and planted the words of a dream maker in my heart. My life has never been the same. He is a man of integrity, a faithful father and husband. His spiritual strength would cripple Samson.


Today, the ravages of age has invaded his body. Though his invasion is not as extensive as my mother's, he stills experiences his symptoms.


Solomon says that there is a time for everything under heaven (Eccles. 3:1). Maybe we can find a way to freeze time. If they have to grow up too then let's stay young.

Principle Centered Leadership I

I have made some observations over the years as I have looked at the current state of our world, the dysfunction and impotence of United Nations, the political and ethical dearth in the United States and even political divide in some churches. There is a lack of principle centered leadership among those who want to be considered leaders and are asking others to follow them.

The most influential and principle centered leader known to man is Jesus Christ. He exemplified the power of leadership to create, motivate and channel human energy to change the world for the better. Jesus' principles were established early in this ministry and despite severe opposition and unspeakable persecution, he was able to recruit, train, equip and motivate a diverse band of unlikely men to take on the task of evangelizing the entire known world. The influence of that band is still in effect today.

Principle centered leadership leadership can also be used for negative results. Such leaders as Hitler, Stalin, and Jim Jones come to mind. They stuck to their principles to the detriment of thousands, even millions of followers.

The world has always been looking for leaders to follow. Today's lack of principle centered leadership has resulted in a world of confusion. People posing as leaders conduct opinion polls to determine what they will say in different venues to get votes, raise money and at times even conveniently omit relevant information. The world body established discuss and resolve issues on the world stage, the United Nations, is impotent to resolve problems or even keep the peace. There leadership principles are secular, their members come from the ranks of politically appointed miscreants and despots who desire personal power above finding sound resolutions. The United States congress struggles to address significant and critical issues because members have large staffs who spend their days crafting headline grabbing sound bites to 'shape' public opinion and raise money for their re-election accounts rather than establish principled solutions to the nations challenges.

The national main line media stations and newspapers (even some overseas based outlets) would rather make news than report news even if it means using non-credible sources to substantiate a bad story. Journalists now report for ratings as opposed to report on the facts.

We pass laws to protect women's rights to their bodies while millions of babies are murdered. Later we call a national crisis when older children murder their peers. Unfortunately , the depravity of murdering children in the womb has now gravitated youth murdering youth and parents killing their own children outside the womb.

Leadership without foundational principles leads to confusion, self-centeredness and immorality. The path of least resistance always leads to no resistance, a blowing in the wind. Effective leaders operate from a set of irrevocable pillars that guide them in spite of popular opinion, criticism, setbacks. It drives them to vision and mission. They are not afraid of failure nor do they need the comfort of popular consensus. I'll talk about that in part II.

A Dream Needs Freedom

Today I dropped my son off at the airport on his way to begin his second semester as a cadet at the prestigious United States Air Force Academy. One of the toughest things that we have ever had to do was to leave our son at the academy and drive ten hours back home knowing that things would never be the same again. The parenting principles that we have learned says that despite the changes our relationship will get better. At that time we wondered if this was true.

Our son grew up with lots of energy, went to great public schools, was a brilliant student, a good musician and a competitive athlete. In elementary school, he expressed an interest in space and we helped him build a space suit. We, as a family, travel moderately, so our kids have been on airplanes flying nationally and internationally from an early age. Around age 14, he declared that he wanted to be an astronaut and design airplanes. Later that same year, he told me that he wanted to attend college at the Air Force Academy. We even took a family vacation that included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. He worked hard the next 3 years to ensure that he was a top competitor for an entrance slot to the academy.

We encourage our children to have dreams. We teach them to understand that dreams birth creativity, give us hope, keep us excited and allow us to persevere. We also teach them that luck is mostly being prepared to take advantage of an opportunity when it arises. Those lucky people that we see are usually those who have been prepared and was ready to move at the tight time. We were, and are the most excited, for our son's achievements; we boast on both our kids; we are their biggest cheerleaders.

Yet the joy of that achievement still was tempered by the fact that the only way our son could achieve his dream was for us to trust him to those who are much better equipped to help him reach those goals. As we drove back last summer and as I left him at the airport today, I was reminded that to be a dream builder with our son we have to free him from our home and our daily oversight to follow the trail of his dreams. Fulfillment of dreams requires freedom to pursue those dreams. I was also reminded that if we had done our jobs well as parents over the last eighteen years, he has all the foundational tools to make it on his own and that the best gift we could give him is freedom to follow where God is leading home.

Parenting has many cares along with its many rewards. Our children are gifts from God entrusted to us for nurturing, development, encouragement, love, care, guidance and support. Letting go is very difficult and painful. However, our new relationship is evolving, the celebrations and the rewards are different but they are just as cherished and fulfilling.

2007 - We have Hope.

This is the first day of 2007. We have just completed a fantastic year in 2006. The blessings of God were all over our lives and we experienced His bounty personally and as a family. Those who received our Christmas letter would know of specific examples where we celebrated and new experiences that were given to us.

As we enter 2007, I wanted the first thing I read to be the Bible. I wanted to begin with an eternal perspective. I opened the Word to Ecclesiastes chapter 9. Here are some verses that I believe spoke to me for this coming year:

4 Anyone who is among the living has hope —
even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your
wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God
favors what you do.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might, for in the grave,
where you are going, there is neither working
nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Most of all, we have hope. Without hope we are lost and destined for failure. Hope feeds life and enthusiasm. God favors us and will provide for our needs. Whatever we do we should do it to our very best because it will reflect our hope and God's blessings. It is very important then that we choose carefully what we spend our time and efforts doing. Our choices should not reflect conflict with the word of God.

God gives each of us oportunity regardless of whether or not we are the fastest, most brilliant, most learned or strongest. Each of us has potential (time and chance) to succeed and experience God's favor. This reminds me that life is less about competing with others as much as it is competing with ourselves to defeat laziness, procrastination, and comfort to move onto excellence.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.