Thursday, December 08, 2011

Love Muggers Like Crazy?

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner. But one night, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn. He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'" Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome. "You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says. Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth. "The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'" "No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'" Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?" "Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said. Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says. The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you." The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know." Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me." Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch." "I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world." Produced for Morning Edition by Michael Garofalo March 28, 2008. Click here to listen to his story.
Photo courtesy StoryCorps

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Merry Christmas Card Quiz 2011?

1. Which actually happened?
A. Both Joshua and Lydia both went to summer camp for the first time alone
B. Joshua brushed his teeth every day
C. Joshua rode his Ripstik down a huge hill and didn’t break anything
D. Both A and C

2. What did Mike’s church do this year to show people that God loves them like crazy?
A. Raised money for The Daughter Project helping victims of sexual trafficking in NW Ohio
B. Hosted Valentines for Haiti concert benefiting earthquake victims
C. Nothing
D. Both A and B
  


3. What did Mike do in 2011?
A. Talked about social media at a Media Summit in California for pastors
B. Prayed for two hours with thousands of people @ Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC
C. Helped a team of pastors organize a week long Camp Meeting in Ohio
D. All of the above

4. What does Jackie like about her family?
A. That the kids are old enough to help out around the house
B. That the kids are growing up
C. That Barkley never grows up
D. Both A and C
5. What was Joshua and Lydia’s favorite movie?
A. Earthlings
B. Call + Response
C. The Conscientious Objector
D. Despicable Me

6. Joshua [age 12] loves:
A. Hexbugs
B. Guitar Lessons
C. K12 Home School
D. All of the above



7. Lydia [age 9½] loves:
A. Gymnastics class
B. Kids choir @ church
C. Morning worship @ breakfast table with dad
D. All of the above

8. Jackie...
A. Dabbled in working full time for six months
B. Could NOT believe Mike learned to cook this year
C. Loves bargain hunting with Lydia
D. All of the above

9. Mike’s favorite books read include:
A. All Is Grace by Brennan Manning
B. Leadership Is Dead by Jeremie Kubicek
D. All of the above

10. What else did Mike’s church do?
A. Hosted a Reading Revelation book club
B. Streams online and archives all of their services @www.tfsda.org
C. Picnicked with Purpose giving away Lemonade in the summer and hot Apple Cider in the fall
D. All of the above

➘ Answers: They're all D!!!
>7 Fortunate—Bam!!!
>5 Unfortunate—Serenity now!!!
>3 A misfortune—You’re fired!!!

Please keep in contact!!!
facebook: mike4tune
iTunes: Toledo First
twitter: @mike4tune
website: tfsda.org

How Hungry?

How hungry are we for the Advent or coming of God and His word? The Kimyal Tribe live in the Eastern Highlands of West Papua, Indonesia are VERY hungry!!! They are sustenance farmers who were untouched by the outside world until missionaries Phil & Phyliss Masters brought the Gospel to their area in 1963. Phil Masters was martyred in 1968 when he and fellow missionary Stan Dale were killed and cannibalized by the Yale tribe (click here for more info). But the missionaries that came after have been witnesses to the Kimyals' love and desire for the Word of God.

It reminded me of some verses in Isaiah 40 which says, "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.' Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, 'Your God is coming!' He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." Enjoy!!!