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Convincing Mr. Ford

It was a sweltering August day when the Cohen
brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan
offices of Henry Ford, the car maker.
"Mr.Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest
of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that
will revolutionize the automobile industry."
Ford looked skeptical, but their threat to offer it to
the competition kept his interest piqued.
"We would like to demonstrate it to you in person."
After a little cajoling, they brought Mr. Ford outside
and asked him to enter a black automobile parked in
front of the building. Hyman Cohen, the middle
brother, opened the door of the car. "Please step
inside, Mr. Ford."
"What." shouted the tycoon, "Are you crazy? It must
be two hundred degrees in that car."
"It is," smiled the youngest brother, Maxwell, "but sit
down Mr. Ford, and push the white button."
Intrigued, Ford pushed the button. All of a sudden a
whoosh of freezing air started blowing from vents all
around the car, and within seconds the automobile
was not only comfortable, it was quite cool.
"This is amazing," exclaimed Ford. "How much do
you want for the patent?"
Norman spoke up, "The price is one million dollars."
Then he paused. There is something else. The name
'Cohen Brothers Air-conditioning' must be stamped
right next to the Ford logo."
"Money is no problem," retorted Ford, "but no way
will I have another last name next to my logo on my
cars."
They haggled back and forth for a while and finally
they settled. Five million dollars, but the Cohens' last
name would be left off. However, the first names of
the Cohen brothers would be forever emblazoned
upon the console of every Ford air conditioning
system.
And that is why, even today, whenever you enter a
Ford vehicle, you will see those three names clearly
printed on the air conditioning control panel:
Norm, Hi and Max.
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THE DUSTY BIBLE

The dusty Bible sits on the shelf
The busy owner, so full of self
Thinks of it from time to time
Saying "it used to be a good friend of mine
One day I will have to take it down
And read again about Bethlehem town
Today I'm too busy to do much
Tho' I long once again for the Master's touch"
Quickly they turn and shut the door
Too harried to remember the days of yore
When they would sit and read and pray
And God would show to them the way
Such fellowship they had with Him
Now they run to work or gym
Their life is in such sad array
They no longer have the time to pray
But if they'd spend some time alone
Turn off the TV and the phone
Take the dusty Bible from the shelf
They would find in it great wealth
Take some time to just relax
Gain strength against the world's attacks
Blow the dust off of the cover
Read about your Ultimate Lover
Immerse yourself in the greatest story
Spend a little time in glory
Life will start to fall in place
When you seek the Savior's face
So busy owner, full of self
Take your Bible off the shelf
Sit down and spend some time
With this good friend of yours and mine

Debbie Preuss ©
February 26, 2006

============================

IN THE POTTER'S HOUSE

There I go again
Splat! On the Potter's wheel
Scattered all over the place.
I have tried, time and again
To be molded and shaped
By the loving hands of the great Potter.
I want to be holy! I want to be pure!
Full of zeal, full of fire
A channel of blessing, a river of mercy.

But ouch!
Don't put your finger there, Lord!
It hurts too much!
Must you really touch
That habit of mine?
I guess in your sight
It is such a plight.
But Lord, I confess
In it I delight.

Em...I hate to dictate -
But Lord, stay your hand
For I truly can't stand
Your dealings with me.
Please just let me be.
I want to be free...

So lovingly, He let me be
And put me on a shelf to stay
To rest from His dealings
To be free from His pruning.
For sometime I've been here
Sitting on this shelf, watching Him work
On various other vessels.

Day after day
I've squirmed and I've cringed
As He bent and He squeezed
Pummeled and straightened
Prodded and pricked
Sharpened and perfected
The vessels surrendered.
And oh! I must admit
It's good to submit.

How beautiful those vessels turned out to be!
They are not on the shelf, oh no not at all!
Ambassadors of the Potter
That's what they are.
They show forth His glory
His great workmanship
Their lives are more blessed
Than mine on this shelf.

Em...that reminds me Lord -
I think it's my turn: my turn to be made
COME GET ME OFF THIS SHELF!
I beg you Lord, I pray.

-- By Tega Samuel
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Christians - By Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!




LOVE: A PARAPHRASE OF 1 CORINTHIANS 13

Here is what love is like--genuine love. God's kind
of love. It's patient. It can wait. It helps others, even if
they never find out who did it. Love doesn't look for
greener pastures or dream of how things could be better
if I just got rid of all my current commitments. Love doesn't
boast. It doesn't try to build itself up to be something
it isn't. Love doesn't act in a loose, immoral way. It doesn't
seek to take, but it willingly gives. Love doesn't lose its
cool. It doesn't turn on and off. Love doesn't think about
how bad the other person is, and certainly doesn't think
of how it could get back at someone. Love is grieved deeply
(as God is) over the evil in this world, but it rejoices over
truth.
Love comes and sits with you when you're feeling down
and finds out what is wrong. It empathizes with you and
believes in you. Love knows you'll come through just as
God planned, and love sticks right beside you all the way.
Love doesn't give up, or quit, or diminish or go home.
Love keeps on keeping on, even when everything goes wrong and
the feelings leave and the other person doesn't seem as special
anymore. Love succeeds 100 percent of the time. That, my
friend, is what real love is!

Copyright 2003 David Sanford.
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NO ONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED.
Not the federal agencies tasked with preparing for catastrophes. Not the local officials responsible for aging levees and vulnerable populations. Least of all the residents themselves, who had been warned for decades that they lived on vulnerable terrain. But when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, it seemed as though the whole country was caught unawares. Accusations began to fly even before floodwaters receded. But facts take longer to surface. In the months since the storm, many of the first impressions conveyed by the media have turned out to be mistaken. And many of the most important lessons of Katrina have yet to be absorbed. But one thing is certain: More hurricanes will come. To cope with them we need to understand what really happened during modern America's worst natural disaster. POPULAR MECHANICS editors and reporters spent more than four months interviewing officials, scientists, first responders and victims. Here is our report.--THE EDITORS

GOVERNMENT RESPONDED RAPIDLY

MYTH: "The aftermath of Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history."--Aaron Broussard, president, Jefferson Parish, La., Meet the Press, NBC, Sept. 4, 2005

REALITY: Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors. In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest--and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm's landfall.

Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast. Hoistless Army helicopters improvised rescues, carefully hovering on rooftops to pick up survivors. On the ground, "guardsmen had to chop their way through, moving trees and recreating roadways," says Jack Harrison of the National Guard. By the end of the week, 50,000 National Guard troops in the Gulf Coast region had saved 17,000 people; 4000 Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,000.

These units had help from local, state and national responders, including five helicopters from the Navy ship Bataan and choppers from the Air Force and police. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dispatched 250 agents in boats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state police and sheriffs' departments launched rescue flotillas. By Wednesday morning, volunteers and national teams joined the effort, including eight units from California's Swift Water Rescue. By Sept. 8, the waterborne operation had rescued 20,000.

While the press focused on FEMA's shortcomings, this broad array of local, state and national responders pulled off an extraordinary success--especially given the huge area devastated by the storm. Computer simulations of a Katrina-strength hurricane had estimated a worst-case-scenario death toll of more than 60,000 people in Louisiana. The actual number was 1077 in that state.

NEXT TIME: Any fatalities are too many. Improvements hinge on building more robust communications networks and stepping up predisaster planning to better coordinate local and national resources.

PM PRESCRIPTION
Improving Response


ONE OF THE BIGGEST reminders from Katrina is that FEMA is not a first responder. It was local and state agencies that got there first and saved lives. Where the feds can contribute is in planning and helping to pay for a coordinated response. Here are a few concrete steps.

Think Locally: "Every disaster starts and ends as a local event," says Ed Jacoby, who managed New York state's emergency response to 9/11. All municipalities must assess their own risk of disasters--both natural and man-made.

Include Business Help: "Companies realize that if a city shuts down, they shut down," says Barry Scanlon, former FEMA director of corporate affairs. During Katrina, many companies coordinated their own mini relief efforts. That organizational power can augment public disaster management. "If 10 Fortune 100 members made a commitment to the Department of Homeland Security," says Scanlon, "the country would take a huge leap forward."

Prearrange Contracts: Recovery costs skyrocket with high demand during a crisis. Contracts with local firms must be signed before disaster strikes. "You know beforehand that everyone is ready to move," says Kate Hale, emergency management director of Florida's Miami-Dade County during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. "The government blows the whistle and the contractors go to work."

Better First-Responder Gear
In disasters, the right tools are everything. PM chose three Katrina-tested technologies that should be part of every emergency manager's arsenal.
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