Eight years have passed since this event.
Let's not repeat the experience.
Mother's Day was not too much fun in 2014. Eight years have passed since this event. After many hours of shoveling, I was able to retrieve our cars on May 12.
Let's not repeat the experience.
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Whether it is at home, work, or school, when does your presence bring healing to others?
-- On the flipside, who has the greatest healing influence in your life? Leaving the house at 5:30 AM this morning reminded me of my earlier working years in St. Louis. Back in the day when I worked in downtown St. Louis, or even in St. Louis County in Maryland Heights, Missouri, I would leave the house that early each day to avoid rush hour traffic. Today, I did it to join 500 of my closest friends for breakfast at Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was a privilege for me to be a judge when the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne were selecting the Youth of the Year. The panel of judges chose Tommy Valencia as our local winner. Tommy went on to win at the state level as well. He will now go on to the regional competition in Dallas, Texas later this summer. It was amazing to see how much his presentation skills had improved since the original competition. That young man has a bright future. The Keynote speaker, Gian Paul Gonzalez, was quite inspirational in his message. He has quite a story and I was blessed to hear it. One line I wrote down for future reference is this: "Fame is what we do for ourselves. Greatness is what we do for others." No one touched my heart this morning like Mr. Justin Pendleton, Chief Executive Officer for Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne. This man truly understands the sacred dignity and value of each human being in our midst. "There aren't bad kids. There are bad circumstances." Justin, thank you for your service to the community. I am beyond fortunate each time I get to partner with you on an endeavor to enhance our community. Your inspirational leadership and your kindness is a blessing to us all. Finally, I had some fun hanging out with a couple of basketball players from the University of Wyoming. It was nice being eye-to-eye with some folks for a change. Take note--I was not the tallest person in the room this time.
It was great to be in attendance at an energized event, even if it did have to start at 6:30 A.M. The nearly 500 people in attendance for this fundraiser demonstrated the wonderful attributes of the Cheyenne community. Don't let the negativity of the evening news wear you down. There is a lot of good still happening in our society. Mr. Justin Pendleton and the staff of Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne demonstrated that in a big way today. Congratulations on a fantastic event! I pray that we never lose our sense of direction. The world will try to distract us and lead us astray. Stay focused, and walk with the Lord.
One of the first people I met when I began full-time ministry in Florence, Colorado back in July of 2000 was Chet Snell. That man and his wife touched my life immensely through the years. Today, Chet was laid to rest. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and all of his friends, especially the people of St. Benedict Parish.
www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/canoncitydailyrecord/name/chester-snell-obituary?id=34544976 Who has been to the M & M Store in Las Vegas? Their website says the following:
"This 28,000 square foot, four-level monument to the colorful fun of M&M'S was the first M&M'S store location ever." They now have stores in Minnesota at the Mall of America, New York, Disney Springs, London, Berlin, and Shanghai. A family member sent this photo (above) to me after visiting Las Vegas last week. How sad is that? You go on vacation only to find out that the movie is temporarily closed. Let me get this straight. It is too dangerous to watch a movie, but come on in and buy all the candy you want. There are no health challenges (dangers) there. Actually, the movie has special effects. Is 4D a thing? It could be blowing germs around a little more than average. Thus, precautions are taken to limit exposure to a virus. It is understandable, but still disappointing. Don't let anything disappoint you today. Have a tremendous Friday! I joined a sizable group of people who gathered in front of the capitol building in Cheyenne, Wyoming this afternoon to pray for our nation. Of course, even a prayer event draws protesters.
It becomes more evident with each passing day that we as a society learned nothing from reading the Old Testament Scriptures. The people flourished when they walked with God. It did not go so well when they abandoned God. The cycle is repeated time and time again. How can we expect the blessing of God when we make it clear that the Ten Commandments are simply suggestions to be ignored? Attending today's event impacted me in a different way than what I had anticipated. These outdoor prayer events frequently remind me of a pep rally. It really isn't all that prayerful, but it is good to see people come together with the idea of praying as the Body of Christ. That is what I was expecting, and it is what I experienced. However, the protesters got my attention. They made me realize that my prayer life has lacked fervor in praying for those who are lost. I walk away from today's event with a conviction knowing that I have room to grow significantly in this area. Do I truly care about those who are lost? If so, what do I do about it? Politicians won't save us. Social media won't save us. Money won't save us. It is God who saves us through His Son, Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us root ourselves in prayer, and then meet each day with the courage to fulfill our purpose as God leads us into the mission field of our day-to-day lives. Blessings and peace! According to the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming - Government Facebook page, "Governor Mark Gordon declared May 1-7 as National Travel and Tourism Week in the state of Wyoming during a proclamation signing at the state capitol building." The post on social media went on to give some statistics. "In 2021, Wyoming welcomed 8.1 million overnight visitors who spent over $4.2 billion; a 38% increase from 2020. Visitor spending directly affected Wyoming's economy by generating $258 million in local and state tax revenues, which helps fund jobs and public programs." Wyoming is the least populated state in the United States. Tourism dollars are a huge part of the equation in Wyoming's financial health. This seems to be even more prevalent as the coal, oil, and gas industry continue to take hits. The impact of societal shutdown in 2020 appears to be significant. Since the social media post did not give any statistics for 2019, I went and did some research. I wanted to know the economic impact of the COVID restrictions as determined by the stats from 2019 (pre-COVID) to 2020 (onset of COVID restrictions), to 2021. Here is what I found according to the Executive Report for the Wyoming Office of Tourism. "Across the state, 2020 was a challenging year for the travel industry. Overnight visitor volume fell from 9.2 million person trips in 2019 to 6.9 million person trips in 2020, a decline of 25.6%." 2019--9.2 million overnight visitors 2020--6.9 million overnight visitors 2021--8.1 million overnight visitors "Total travel spending in the state declined 22.9% from $4.0 billion in 2019 to $3.1 billion in 2020." 2019--$4.0 billion in travel spending 2020--$3.1 billion in travel spending 2021--$4.2 billion in travel spending "Taxes directly related to travel declined by 21.4% from approximately $203.2 million in 2019 to $159.8 million in 2020." 2019--$203.2 million in tax revenue 2020--$159.8 million in tax revenue 2021--$258.0 million in tax revenue The statistics are quite interesting to review in the context of the ripple effect. For instance, "In 2020, every $1 million in travel-related spending resulted in 9.4 jobs for the industry." It is good to see the rebound that tourism made in the state from 2020 to 2021. Although 2021 still showed about a million less visitors than 2019, the amount of revenue bounced back enough to surpass the 2019 total. Why do I share this information? Am I getting a kick-back from the Wyoming Office of Tourism? No, I am not. I share it to make you think about the ripple effect of everything we do in our day-to-day lives. Tourism is only one facet of the economy, but look at how many people are impacted because of it. Now, let's make it personal. How many people do you personally impact on a day-to-day basis? What is the ripple effect? Questions for reflection: 1. Did your interactions with others at work or school build people up? 2. How well did you treat the person at the restaurant waiting on your table? 3. Do you volunteer your time at church or a nonprofit agency to build others up? 4. Is someone else's life brighter because they encountered you? In case you were wondering why anyone would go to Wyoming, here is a sample. Beware--there are traffic jams at times.
It has taken years, but my book finally made it beyond the borders of the United States. My book is not a "best-seller" in this country, and I am not expecting it to be translated into other languages. However, one copy has made it to an international destination. Yay! Celebrate the small successes.
I am truly humbled when someone sends me an email and says that they were touched by the message in my book. That makes all of the work getting it published worth it. Where did my book end up? Although I have never been to Germany, it is somewhat appropriate with my German heritage that my book would make it to Berlin, Germany as its first international destination. Thanks Miri for visiting us in the USA, and taking my book to places it has never been before. |
AuthorThis is my personal blog. The opinions expressed are those of Deacon Vernon and the blog's readers. This site operates independently and is not affiliated with any other entity. The information I provide is on an "as-is" basis. I make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of any information on this blog. I will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information. Furthermore, I will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use. |