Remember The Old Admonition: "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover"?

REMEMBER THE OLD ADMONITION:  "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!"?  ~  I almost did that yesterday when I received an e-mail from Ray Comfort of Living Waters Ministry. 

I have long respected Ray Comfort for his evangelistic fervor in sharing the Word of God.  But when I received his e-mail asking, "Is the New House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a GENUINE Christian?" - I will admit that I was at first offended. 

Why?  Two reasons: first, when I saw the title, I did not know who had sent this e-mail - and I thought it was someone from the Left already attempting to attack our new Speaker, declaring his Christian faith to be only a front. 

And second, that made me think of a conversation my wife, Dory, and I had recently, when we were discussing a church we are familiar with which, I discovered, does not celebrate the Lord's Supper, aka Communion - or does it so infrequently that is seems as though they have discarded the Lord's Supper, forgotten His admonition to "do this in remembrance of Me."

Dory told me that a friend who had also attended that church shared her understanding of why this church does not do Communion, "They are afraid there may be people in the congregation on that day who are not really believers, or who are carrying a sin within, and may offend God by taking Communion unworthily."  

Really?  My question was, "Who in any church can say that another person is, or is not, a Christian believer - or is not worthy that day to participate in the Lord's Supper?" 

I will speak only of Baptist churches, for that is where I have spent the past 36 years.  In the theology of different Baptist denominations, there are three Communion practices: 

1. Closed Communion:  Which declares that only baptized members of their local congregation may take Communion in their local church.  Their reasoning is that there may be visitors who are not really believers. 

For me the obvious question should be:  "How do the pastor, elders, deacons know that "all" the members of "their" local church are truly believers or are worthy on that day?  How do we know if the pastor, elders, deacons of that church are truly believers or are worthy on that day?" 

If Billy Graham, Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Charles Stanley, J. Vernon McGee, etc., had walked into their Closed Communion local church - would the pastor have refused to let them take Communion - because they might not really be believers, or worthy? 

2. Close Communion:  Which declares that only members of their denomination may join in Communion with the local church.  Same question:  "How do we know .  .  .  .  . ?"

3. Open Communion:  All in the worship service on the Day of Communion may join hands at the Lord's Table.  How does this work?  1 Corinthians 11:28, "But let a man (each individual) examine himself." 

Looking at the person sitting next to you, do you know if that person is worthy to celebrate the Lord's Supper?  Do you know if the pastor, elders, deacons of that church are worthy to celebrate the Lord's Supper?  You and I cannot know, the pastor and other leaders cannot know - ONLY that person and God knows for sure. 

So let's not remove the Lord's Supper from our worship - because we do not know about that other person.  Know yourself and let the others do the same. "But let a man (each individual) examine himself." 

And follow what Christ has told us in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, "He broke it (the bread) and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' "

To set the record straight, I misjudged Ray Comfort's e-mail message - because I had not yet opened "his book" aka, his e-mail - I had initially judged ONLY from the cover - which we all know is not always reliable.  I apologize to Ray Comfort and give him a big "Atta Boy!" for his description of House Speaker Mike Johnson.  I agree with Ray 100%.

So, who is Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of OUR Congressional House of Representatives?  Glad you asked!

Prior to his election to Congress in 2016, for nearly 20 years Mike successfully litigated high profile Constitutional Law cases in district and appellate courts nationwide.  For five years he served as a law professor at the Liberty University Helms School of Government. 

Before Congress, Mike Johnson was senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, now known as Alliance Defending Freedom.  And very important to me, but anathema to the Left, Speaker Mike Johnson's home church is the Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana.

In Congress, Mike has served on the House Armed Services Committee, he was appointed to the prestigious House Judiciary Committee, and Mike was elected to be Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference.

In his first public address before the House, Speaker Mike Johnson said that his first measure would be a resolution supporting Israel amid its war against Hamas.  He also stated, “I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear:  that God is the one who raises up those in authority.  He raised up each of you – all of us.”

In his speech, Speaker Johnson noted that standing high in the house chamber, in full view of all Congressional Representatives as they fulfill their duties to "We The People" is the motto: “In God We Trust.” 

And Speaker Mike Johnson declares that this motto was a stern rebuke of atheistic Communism during the height of the Cold War - and that America is the only nation to be founded on a creed referencing our inalienable rights given by our creator.

My photo composite below shows an earlier address to our Congressional House of Representatives by Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he points toward the marble relief of Moses hanging in our Congressional House - to remind all of us that Israel is America's friend and ally in the Middle East. 

And early in his first address as Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson said, "I looked up at the top of the chamber and I saw the face of Moses."

When the House Chamber was remodeled in 1949-50, 23 marble relief portraits depicting historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles which underlie our Constitutional American Law today. 

They are looking out over the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol - as a reminder to all who are chosen to represent "We The People" in Our Congressional House of Representatives - that those men, especially Moses, and "We The People" are holding them accountable as they serve us today.   

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Is the New House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a GENUINE Christian?
By Ray Comfort, Founder & CEO, Living Waters

“So often we are disappointed by those politicians who have a measure of faith before elections, and once they’re in power, they become weak in their faith.”  — Ray Comfort

Mike Johnson just became the new House Speaker — the third highest position in United States government.  He has proclaimed faith in God, but is he a genuine Christian? 

Ray Comfort gives some commentary on this topic, shows compelling footage of Johnson’s public address - and Ray uses the phrase, “In God We Trust” as a springboard to share the Gospel with a college student.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWEEKY117U&t=920s

OR

https://livingwaters.com/is-the-new-house-speaker-mike-johnson-a-genuine-christian/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That said, I am asking ALL my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) to view Ray Comfort's video from his e-mail which proves that we now have a strong Conservative Speaker Of The House, a House which can begin to move forward in correcting many of the Left-Initiated Mistakes begun on Jan 20, 2021, when Old Joe began to sleep in our Oval Office. 

After you and your family view the video, then share Ray's video with all your FRANs, asking them to do the same. 

We have to spread the word that America has taken our first step back toward righting the "Sinking Ship of State in America" - and moving toward "Making America Great Again" as we VOTE CONSERVATIVE in the 2024 Elections.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Life Can Be Fun And Interesting - Join Me On My Adventure Into History!

LIFE CAN BE FUN AND INTERESTING ~ If we only seek the truth and not hide from it.  Let me invite you to join me on a real adventure through American history.  Make you curious?  How can Bill Gray have links to American history?  Come along for the ride and I will show you.

Recently while searching my photo archives, I happened upon two Photo Comparisons done by the LDS Family Search Genealogical web site.  Before I move on, let me highly recommend the LDS genealogical web site - for that we must give the Mormon church great credit.  The LDS church has long placed great value on family and family history - so their worldwide database of family genealogy is second to none.  And, it is FREE to use!  You can find the site at:  familysearch (dot) org

Moving on, about 35 years ago my brother, Bob, called me and started the conversation with, "I have something to tell you!"   "Okay, what is it?"  "No, I can't tell you!"  "Bob, you have already opened the can of worms - so tell me what is so hard to tell."

Bob told me, "You are my half-brother.  We have different fathers."  He thought I would be upset, but I was excited by the possibilities. I don't think I bothered to ask him which father belonged to me.

"Wonderful, tell my more," I suggested.  Bob was worried that I would be upset.  He and our older cousin, Christine Byrd Hardin, had being talking about my story - but for many years she was afraid to tell me.  When her mom, my Aunt Ola, and my mom were still alive, mom asked Aunt Ola if she should tell me - and Aunt Ola suggested she not. 

I can understand Aunt Ola's thinking, for back in early 1937, when I surprised her, an unwed lady being pregnant was spoken of only in whispers. While mom was separated from Bob's dad and living with my Aunt Ola and Uncle Ed Byrd in Tuscumbia, Alabama - she met my biological father, Alonzo Arp. 

Alonzo was a handsome young fellow who had come to the Shoals area of Alabama to work in construction - and since he and my Uncle Ed worked together, they became good friends.  Naturally Alonzo would visit Uncle Ed's home where mom was living - and they began dating.  In the latter part of 1936 when the job was finished, Alonzo went back to Ohio and they lost touch. 

At that time, neither he nor my mom knew about the little surprise he left her, me.  And in 1937 a young 20 year old woman having a child out of wedlock was not something anyone talked about. So my little secret lay dormant all those years until Bob and Christine opened the box and told me about it.

While they were afraid of hurting me - actually this news opened a whole new world for me.  Somewhere out there I had another family - maybe other siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so many more new relatives that I had not known about before.  It was like a whole new world opening to me, a new birth.  Bob told me, "Christine knows the whole story.  Call her."

You cannot imagine how fast I called Christine.  "Hey, cousin, tell me about my father!"   She told me about Alonzo spending time at Uncle Ed's home and of mom and Alonzo dating - and Christine sent me photos of Alonzo, mom, and Uncle Ed together.  Mom being a 20-year old woman, separated from her legal husband, and with no means of support - without making a lot of noise over the situation she reunited with her estranged husband and I was born into the Gray family, which was a blessing to me.  I had a wonderful childhood, loving and being loved by my Grandparents, Ed & Cora Gray, and I spent a lot of time on their farm. 

I grew up believing Ed & Cora Gray were my biological grandparents, and I am not sure they even knew I was not - for I could not have had better grandparents.  As a young boy I had cousins living at my grandparents farm - and his brother, my Great-Uncle Bob, had a farm close by where I had more cousins.  Between my Grandfather Gray's farm and my Uncle Bob & Aunt Alice Gray's farm, I had lots of cousins.  After her first husband died young, Aunt Alice, my mom's older sister, married my Great-Uncle Bob.  So that made them both my Aunt and Uncle - and my Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle. 

I know, kind of like the old song "I Am My Own Grandpa."   For my younger Friends, that is a novelty song written by Dwight Latham, inspired when reading a book of Mark Twain anecdotes.  In his book, Twain had written an anecdote to prove it would be possible for a man to become his own grandfather.  The song was first performed by Lonzo and Oscar in 1947, and later by Willie Nelson.   Notice the first to sing the song was named Lonzo - and my biological father Alonzo Arp was also called Lonzo.  A wee bit of Twilight Zone coincidence, do you think?

Back to the farms, my cousin Buddy (Paul Jones), my brother Bob, and I were the Three Musketeers - having many adventures on the farm, swimming in a muddy end of Spring Creek off Woodmont Drive (Old U. S. Hwy 43) in Tuscumbia, riding grandpa's mules and palomino mare, Maudine.  One evening we were all at Grandpa's farm celebrating someone's birthday when I jumped from a tree and broke my left arm.  Bob's dad, Elvin, took me to a doctor - and thinking back, I really don't believe he knew he was not my father either.

Grandpa still used a team of mules for his farm work, and I remember the day that Bob, Buddy, and I rode with Grandpa up into what we called the mountains (more like big hills) south of Tuscumbia to cut and gather a wagon load of firewood.  My grandparents had an older man living with them and helping on the farm.  One day the three of us were running around in a freshly plowed field and we noticed the old man working in another field.  I will not go into details, but we played a trick on the old man - and he caught on right away.  Yes, we got into trouble - but Buddy more because he lived at the farm.  As I said, we were the Three Musketeers, three young boys looking for mischief.

And quite honestly, I feel sure my grandparents never knew I was not their biological grandchild.  If they did, they never treated me differently - I was one of the Gray kids, I belonged, and this was my family.

But now, thanks to the new revelation from Bob and Christine - I was also part of another family and that stirred my interest in genealogy.  I began searching in the LDS FamilySearch site for both my Maternal Hall/Elam lineage and now my Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage.   In my Maternal Hall Lineage I have only been able to go back 4 generations to my g-g-g-grandfather, Joseph Silas Hall, who was born circa 1800 - and all my years of searching for him, I have been hitting a brick wall.  

Back that far, all my family ancestors were born in and lived in a small town in the very northwest corner of Alabama named Riverton.   Riverton was a small agricultural community which in the 1934-1938 period much of it was flooded when the Congress-approved TVA Pickwick Landing Dam on the Tennessee River was constructed.  My Hall family moved east to the town of Tuscumbia where I first said, "Hello, world!"

However, with tricks I learned in weaving my way into history with my Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage - I may now be able to break down that Hall/Elam wall and dig deeper into my Maternal family.  As I said, exciting!
 
For many years I also kept hitting a brick wall in my Paternal Arp Lineage.  In the 1990s the Internet started becoming a part of our daily lives - and began to open new avenues of exploration, especially with the advent of the Online LDS Genealogy web site.  But I still was hitting a brick wall with my Arp Paternal Lineage.  Maybe circa 1995/96 somehow I came upon a man, Brian Lord, who lived in Seattle, worked at a local FM radio station, and while he was not part of the Earpe/Earp/Arp family, he had a great knowledge of the their genealogy.

With the info that Brian Lord was able to give me, I learned that the Earp/Arp families mostly lived in the area which included northern Georgia and both South Carolina and North Carolina - and they had a family reunion every year.  But because, at this time, I was only 90% sure this was my lineage I did not get too excited.  Brian Lord introduced me to a man named James "Jim" Arp who lived in Murphy, North Carolina.  Jim wrote me a letter telling me that he was pretty sure I have a half-sister, Imogene Donaldson, living near Seattle.  And he gave me her address and phone number.  Wow, now I was starting to believe this indeed was my Arp Lineage.

I called Imogene, but it was not a good time to chat since her husband was terminally ill.   I introduced myself and told her I would call later.  About six months later, I did call her and after that we talked fairly often on the phone.  I sent her photos of me plus the photo of Alonzo Arp, my Uncle Ed Byrd, and mom taken when Alonzo and mom were dating - and she sent me photos of her dad, Alonzo, visiting her family in Washington. 

She told me that when she received my photos, an aunt who lived nearby told her, "That is Alonzo's son, no doubt about it."  I never had a chance to visit Imogene, even though we talked over the years - and she passed away about a year ago.  But since she was a believer, we will have lots of time to catch up when I join her some day.

During the next couple of years of genealogy searching, a lady sent me an e-mail telling me, "Wyatt Earp and his brothers are your cousins."   That was interesting, but I had no further facts to base it on - until later.   Through the LDS Genealogy site I found that Joshua Earp (1706-1771) had two sons, Matthew (1736-1808) and William (1729-1778).  Wyatt Earp and his brothers are in the lineage of William Earp - and I am in the lineage of Matthew Earp.  They are my 6th cousins - Wyatt died in January 1937 and I was born July 1937.  More Twilight Zone coincidence, do you think?

Not long ago, the LDS Family Search Genealogy web site sent me a notice that a girl, Mary Chilton, age 13, who arrived in America in 1620 on the Mayflower and whose father, James Chilton, was one of the 41 men who signed the Mayflower Compact, was my 10th Great-Grandmother.  The Pilgrims had come to America in search of religious freedom, but before leaving the boat at Plymouth, Massachusetts, they needed a mutually agreed upon governing document for their new Plymouth Colony. 

That document was the Mayflower Compact.  It was written by the men aboard the Mayflower.   Mary Chilton's father, James Chilton, was one of the 41 men who wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact.  It is my firm belief that the three most important documents in our American history are:  The Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Together they form a documented chain declaring our American freedom.  And now, I may have a direct link to that history, wow!

I have always loved America.  But after seeing this and learning there is a possibility that my 10th generation Great-Grandmother, Mary Chilton, actually came to America on the Mayflower, and that her father, my 11th generation Great-Grandfather - was part of the creation of what I consider to be the first of the three most important documents in American history - it was like, "WOW, now I really feel like an American all the way to my bones!"

But just as I would not lay claim to my Earp/Arp lineage or that Wyatt Earp was my cousin - until I could connect all the dots - I cannot lay claim to Mary Chilton until I can do the same.

Starting back from me, I have connected many dots from my Paternal Grandmother, Alafair Fain, Alonzo's mother, through my 5th Great-Grandmother, Sarah Boone - to her father Squire Boone Sr., my 6th Great-Grandfather - to George Boone 1, my 9th Great-Grandfather.  And there I lose the trail with him and his wife, Mary Boone.  But that takes me back to the 1620 time period.  And if you recall, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.  Why can't I connect the dots?   

Mary Chilton had 11 children - and most of her children had 10 or more children. Do you see how the paths to the right dots can get very confusing?  At every link, the number gets multiplied by 10.  So Mary's 11 becomes over 100, which becomes about 1000, etc.  And all I had to do was to find the ONE direct link to my dot.  Yes, a very big and time consuming task.  Makes me wish they had TV in those days to entertain themselves. 

By the way, does that name Boone sound familiar?  Yes, my 5th Great-Grandmother, Sarah, is the sister of Daniel Boone, making him my 5th Great-Granduncle.  You are right, he is the famous frontiersman, hunter, explorer,etc., that we all read about in grade school and about whom movies have been made.  I wasn't looking for this - it just popped up as I wound my way through the generations, searching for Mary Chilton.

As you can see, I have gone past the 5th generation on my paternal ancestors - but that is where the dots begin to get fuzzy - trying to connect them to the other end and my alleged 10th generation Great-Grandmother, Mary Chilton.  From her end, I have had some success in getting her lineage up from the 1620 time period - but cannot connect the right dots. 

Why?  Well, on her end of the lineage line - all the families had 10 -15 children.  And to get the dots to connect I have to go through all of her 11 children - then through each of their 10 - 15 children, etc.  Do you see the difficulty?  Each new generation has over a hundred paths, and the next maybe a thousand paths, etc. - before I can connect that one line's dot with my line's dot.  Almost time for the funny farm!

The best connections of the dots I can find are through marriage.  Mary Chilton Winslow and her husband, John Winslow had 11 children.  Several of their children married spouses which are in my direct Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage.  So I suppose Mary Chilton is only my relative by marriage.  Hey, that is better than no connection to such historical figures.

Do you see now why I was excited when I learned that had another family?  And what a thrill ride it has been traveling through all the generations in my attempt to connect the dots and know that I DO have a connection with history?  Not the final results I wanted, but I am a happy camper!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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This Video ~ For Barry Goldwater In 1964 - OR - President Trump In 2024?

In This Video, The Late President Ronald Reagan could be making a campaign speech for President Trump in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.  All his statements, all his words perfectly fit President Donald Trump's version of America today.

Yet This Video Was Made In 1964 When Barry Goldwater Was Running Against Lyndon Johnson ~ For the future of our America.  This video could have been made this very week, when America is suffering under the dangerous leadership of the Leftist Democratic Party.

The words which Ronald Reagan spoke in this Pro-Barry Goldwater 1964 Presidential Election speech fits perfectly when speaking of the Pro-Donald Trump 2024 Presidential Election speech.  If I did not know better, I could be convinced that, in this speech, Ronald Reagan IS campaigning for President Trump today.

Let me take you back to that time in 1964 for a moment.  Lyndon Johnson had been the Vice President when President Jack Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.  Upon the death of JFK, Lyndon Johnson inherited the presidency (just as Cackling Kamala would if Old Joe had to leave office before the 2024 election) and finished the inherited presidency.

Then the Democratic Party nominated Lyndon Johnson to run for president himself in 1964, running against Republican Barry Goldwater.  Until that day I had been registered as a Democrat.  The very day that the Democrats nominated Johnson as their candidate - I went that very day and re-registered as a Republican and have been registered Republican since.

JFK had put American troops into Vietnam on a limited basis.  In 1964, the war in Vietnam was wavering, America's participation as advisors was limited, and Americans wanted to get all America troops out of Vietnam.  Barry Goldwater was honest when asked about winning or losing that war.  He replied honestly, "Yes, I will escalate that war so that it will end sooner and get all our military out of Vietnam." 

Johnson, on the other hand, promised in his campaign speeches to continue to limit the number of American troops serving in Vietnam.  The people liked what Johnson said, compared to Goldwater's honest answer - and elected Johnson.

Once Johnson was inaugurated, he immediately flooded Vietnam with American troops - leading the the death of over 58,000 American troops in Vietnam.

Not long after that, Barry Goldwater was met by reporters as he exited a plane returning him to California.  On the tarmac, standing in the doorway of the plane, he smiled and told reporters, "The American people were told if they voted for me, the war in Vietnam would escalate rapidly.  Many Americans did vote for me - and look, many more thousands of American troops are now in Vietnam!"   A wee bit of satirical humor!

Yes, the folks got what they voted for when they elected Lyndon Johnson - just as Americans are today because the Leftist Socialist Democratic Party was able to, by hook or by crook (when folks says they will do something "by hook or by crook" - they are determined to do it, even if they have to make a great effort or use dishonest means) put Old Joe and Cackling Kamala into our White House in 2020.

Folks, listen carefully to what the late Ronald Reagan is telling America in this 1964 speech.  Apply that to your current pains of living under a Leftist Socialist Democratic administration today ~ Inflation out of control - Price of Family Necessities out of control - America dependent upon Russia and the OPEC for oil to run our industry and homes today - open threat of War already in Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, and America (?), do you think - Secular Morals running rampant across America - Schools teaching our children, Kindergarten through college that aberrant sexual desires are "normal." 

These are just a few of what the Leftist Socialist Democrats have given all American families today.

VIDEO - Ronald Reagan Once Foretold What Would Happen If America Gave Up Freedom For Safety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWqfvmzd5qk

View this video and then SHARE, SHARE, SHARE it with all your FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) and ask them to SHARE, SHARE, SHARE it.   The future of the American family is truly at stake in the 2024 ELECTIONS. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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A Very Dear Christian Brother, Jerry Baker, Inspired A Deja Vu Moment!

TODAY A VERY DEAR CHRISTIAN BROTHER, JERRY BAKER, shared a graphic which basically said:  "No matter your status in life, doctor or office cleaner - that does not give you the right to look down upon another person who has a lesser job."

As happens so often with me, I wrote a response to Jerry - but then realized that this is a thought I would like to share with all my Friends.  In Matthew 22:36 Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  And Jesus compressed the Ten Commandments into two:

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."   The first Four Commandments relate to your relationship with God the Father. 

AND

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."   The last Six Commandments relate to your relationship with your fellow man.  Do you see where Jesus put His emphasis?

After His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ, God the Son, left all Christian believers with Two Commandments and Two Ordinances.  Any person who is a Christian believer will live by those Commandments and Ordinances.  If we, our church, or our denomination - excludes any part of those Two Commandments and Two Ordinances - is that person, church, denomination really Christian? 

No, I am not judging anyone or any church. That is something each of us must do for ourselves.  But food for thought:  If one or both of the Commandments, if one or both of the Ordinances - are excluded in your life or in the life of your home church - do you think it is time for change?  As I said, food for thought.

These are my thoughts I shared with my Christian brother, Jerry:

Hi Jerry Baker, In the end, it is not what we do for ourselves - it is what we do for God that will matter.

I can easily recall the dilemma of several customer/friends I have had over my years in the computer industry.  In the mid-1960s I lived in Northern Cal and worked in the Palo Alto area.  A customer, Rick, who was also a friend, had a masters degree and was working in computer design for Lockheed. One day we were talking and he told me, "Bill, I am quitting my job and going back to college to study medicine."

I thought, "That is a nice fit. With his computer design background plus his newly gained medical knowledge - he will make a great Biomedical Engineer."  I bumped into him years later at the VA Hospital in that area - and found that he had opted to become a psychiatrist.  Who could have guessed it?

When I think of Biomedical Engineering, I always remember a man and an incident from circa 1968.  I was selling computers out of Huntsville and was negotiating the sale of a million dollar computer system to Vanderbilt University.  As part of my negotiations I was taking six people from the Vanderbilt Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering departments to my company headquarters in Boston.  On the flight up I sat with Dr. Bill Baker, head of the Biomedical Engineering Department.

During the flight we were chatting and he asked, not to judge but merely as a part of our conversation, "Where did you go to college?"  And I answered him honestly, "I don't have a college degree."  His response was conversational, but in no way judgemental, "It really does not matter, does it.  You know your job and your computer field very well - and that is what really counts."  By the way, a few weeks later I flew to our Regional Sales Meeting with a million dollar purchase order in my pocket.

In the 1970s I made a sales call on a man at Rockwell Autonetics in Anaheim. He held a Ph.d. in, I believe, computer engineering.  I could see that he was not a happy camper that day, so we just chatted.  He was unhappy in his job. I asked, "If you were going to get your Ph.d. now - what field would you choose?"

He told me, "I would not bother with college. I would become a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. They make a lot more money than I do as a Ph.d.!"

How well I recall an account I was working on in the early 1970s.  He was a VP in charge of the new product research division in Van Nuys for a large Auto Testing Equipment company back East. I had loaned him one of my computers to see how it fit into his plans for a new product.

All was going well when he went on his vacation. When he returned to his office after the vacation - he found that the Suits and Powers in the home office back East had decided to close the research division here in Southern Cal - and never bothered to tell him as he went on vacation.

Can you imagine coming back from a great vacation - and being told, "The research division you were running has been closed. Have a nice life!"

He called me to pick up my computer - and as I was putting it in my car, he told me, "Bill, you have not sold any computers - but you have made a friend."

And that meant more to me than any commission check I might have received later. It all depends upon what we value in life - and his friendship was head and shoulders above the commission.  Just a few thoughts.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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