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We'd like you to take your Bible now, if you will, and look at the 18th chapter of Matthew. Matthew chapter 18. This great chapter has a single theme, really. The childlikeness of the believer. It deals with themes related to God's children -- those who are in His redeemed family. And as we've been saying in this particular series, the most common designation for the people of God is children. We are commonly called children; and I think God calls us that, not only because we are the offspring of God, but because we are dependent, because we are weak, because we are ignorant, because we are humble, because we are immature. All of those characteristics that are true of children physically are true of us spiritually; and every section of chapter 18 speaks to the issue of God's people as children.
For example, in verses 3 and 4, Jesus said, "We enter the Kingdom as little children." In verses 5 through 9, we are to be protected from sin like little children. In verses 10 to 14, we are to be cared for like little children. In verses 15 to 20, we are to be disciplined like children; and in verses 21 to 35, we are to be forgiven like children.
Now, we've already looked at the fact that we're to enter the Kingdom like children in verses 3 and 4; and we've also, last week, examined the idea that we are to be protected from sin like little children in verses 5 to 9. And this morning we come to verses 10 through 14; and just a note for some of you, there's a familiar statement in this passage. It's verse 11 in the Authorized. It says, "For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost." The earlier manuscripts of Matthew do not include that verse. We believe that some scribe put it in. Lemme add that it is true, and it does belong in Luke 19:10. We just don't know how it got in Matthew 18, because in all the early manuscripts, it isn't there. When something isn't in the early manuscripts and it appears in the later manuscripts, we figure somebody later on put it in; and so we're not denying the truth. It's in Luke 19:10, and it's true. It just isn't in this particular text, and we don't know how it managed to wiggle in. Some well-meaning scribe thought it enhanced what Matthew was saying. So just in case you wonder why I go right on by as if it weren't there, it isn't there...
Now, we focused last time on our Lord's very strong warning against anyone who causes His children to sin. A very strong word from Him in verses 5 to 9. Now, in the same general line of thought, we're looking this morning at the positive side to that negative. In other words, we are not only not to allow or to lead Christians into sin, we are positively to care for them; and I see that emerging out of this passage. Although it starts with a negative, it ends with a very positive approach; and so I like to think that verses 10 through 14 are all about the care of God's children. The care of God's children.
Now, keep in mind that the passage is not talking about physical children. It is not talking about infants and little children physically. It is talking about the childlike believer, the one who knows Jesus Christ, who has come as a child, who is the child of God; and the little child is simply an analogy to define the nature of one who follows God, who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's talking about Christians under the analogy of little children...
Now, the text basically says to us that God cares for His children. That's the basic bottom line truth in this text. God cares for His children, and you can see it pretty well in verse 14. "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Or should be marred, or should be ruined, or should be led into disaster. The Father, then, cares for His children. God is a God who cares for His own.
Another underlying principle is this: that God cares for them equally, that He cares for them equally. He says, "One of these little ones," in verse 14. He says, "One of these little ones," in verse 10; and both times that numerical one is put in there just so nobody gets eliminated. It is so very important that every single individual Christian be thought of as in the utmost sense important to the care of God the Father.
Now, with that in mind, let's look, basically, at the text. Verse 10, "Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven. How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more over that sheep than over the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
The...the idea that the text keeps talking us as little ones, as children, emphasizes our humility. It emphasizes our weakness. It emphasizes our lowliness, our meekness, our dependence; and this is a very essential element in understanding the redemptive plan of God. For example, look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1 for a moment, verse 26. Remember Jesus said, "Nobody comes into the Kingdom except as a little child, one who is humble, dependent, weak, and meek, and so forth." The high and the mighty, the lofty, the proud, and all that just don't come in. They...they don't get in. They're not interested. They don't need the help. The person who comes in comes when he senses his own inadequacy and unworthiness and lowliness, childlikeness, desperate need for one to do what he can't do for himself; and so we find in 1 Corinthians 1:26, "You see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called."
Have you noticed that in Christianity? First of all, look that it says not many wise men, not many high class intelligentsia...Now this is a great intellectuals. There aren't many intellectuals. Oh, there are a few, but not many, not many; because they often are satisfied by their own intelligence. And then he says, "There are not many mighty." That has to do with the great, the powerful, the famous, the influential. And then he says, "There are not many noble." That has to do with the well-born, the high-ranking, the royal. That the high-class people basically aren't the ones who dominate the Kingdom of God. It's amazing to me that there are always those people who wanna be out there, thinking they can win those people to the Lord. "Oh, if we could just win these intellectuals, or if we could just win these influential, famous, powerful politicians, athletes, movie stars or leaders, if we could just get over here to the...to the royal people, the high-class people, and so forth, and win those people to Christ, boy, just thing what God could do in the world." And they forget that it's always been this way. There aren't many wise, and there aren't many mighty, and there aren't many noble.
Instead of the wise, verse 27 says, you get the foolish; and instead of the mighty, you get the weak; and in verse 28, instead of the of the noble, you get the base or the common folks. Now this is very important, because what it tells us is that God cares for common people. God cares for the little ones. That's why in Matthew 25 He says, "Whatever you do unto the least of these, My brethren, you've done it unto Me." And I think that there's a very clear reason why God has done this. It's in verse 29. "That no flesh should glory before God." And then verse 31, "He that glories, let him glory in the Lord."
You don't come into God's Kingdom by your intellect. You don't come into God's Kingdom by your power and influence. You don't come into God's Kingdom by your birth or your birthright. Those people just seem somehow to be so disinterested. They seem to lack the kind of humility and desperation of a little child that is necessary for anyone to enter the Kingdom. God has chosen the humble.
When Jesus came to preach in Luke 4, He got up, and He took the text, Isaiah 61, and He said that He had come and been anointed to preach the Gospel to the poor. To the poor...It's hard for rich people to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. It's easier for camels to go through the eye of needles. It's mostly the poor; and so what you have then, keep it in mind, is a whole lotta lowly people in the Kingdom, a lotta little ones, a lot of insignificant folks. There are still stratas, and there are a few of those upper echelon folks, but most are just common folks; and the text is saying we are to care for the common folks, every single one of these little ones, because every single one of these little ones, verse 14 says, is the special care of the Father...
Now, remember, the disciples were arguing about who was gonna be the greatest, who was gonna be the most exalted among them in the Kingdom when it came to earth; and Jesus is really giving them more of an answer than they expected. He's telling them the greatest is the humblest, the greatest is the lowliest; and He says to them, "You can't even get in My Kingdom unless you're humble; and if you wanna be great in My Kingdom, you must be humble. The humbler, the greater; and instead of provoking each other to pride and ambition and selfishness and jealousy and envy and leading each other into sin...now we come into our text 10 to 14...you oughta be leading one another into righteousness; and instead of looking down on each other and thinking yourself to be worthy of elevation, you oughta be looking up at each other as God considers each to be equal.
In other words, though it stands alone as a teaching passage, its context enriches its immediate impact. These disciples needed to know that, if they were gonna push themselves up, they were gonna have to do it at the expense of pushing someone else down; and that was in violation of the heart of the Father Himself. For all in His Kingdom are great. For all in His Kingdom are humble; because if they weren't humble, they never woulda gotten in His Kingdom. So instead of their proud self-seeking which created jealousy, envy, and pride and led each other to sin, and instead of their care-less attitude that says, "I want what I want whether you get it or not," they should've been seeking the welfare of one another. That's the heart of this text; and lest you think it's some new...new lesson to us who study the New Testament and hasn't been given heretofore, we've given it many times. Every time we allude to Philippians chapter 2, we see the same truth, where the Apostle Paul says to the Philippian believers, "I wish that you had the same love." What do you mean by that, Paul? "Simply I miss...I wish that you loved everybody the same, the same care for one another."
How do you do that, Paul? "Well, you look not on your own things, but on the things of others. You let each man esteem others better than themselves," Philippians 2 says, "For that's the mind of Christ, who, when He was God, thought it not something to hold onto that kind of thing, but humbled Himself and became a Man and died for us." In a sense, He looked on us as better than Himself. He was willing sacrifice everything He had: all the honor, all the glory, and humiliate Himself for our sake; and that's the spirit of this text. Paul is saying, in Philippians 2, "Don't look down on one another. Look up at one another. See yourself as on the bottom." And, here, our Lord is saying the same thing in verse 10. "Don't look down on these little ones...God looks up to them in terms of being underneath them to consider their needs." Very important principle.
Now, let's look at the...the text with just two thoughts, the rule and the reason. The rule and the reason. The rule's in verse 10. "Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones." Stop right there. That is the rule. That's the principle, the standard, the statute, the commandment. Take heed is simply a...phrase meaning be careful. See that you don't. Be careful. A very important command and, again, you get the feeling that this is a warning. That if you're not doing this, you're in some trouble. Last time He said, "Don't lead a Christian into sin. You'd be better off if a millstone were put around your neck and you were drowned in the deep...in the deepest part of the sea." And here He is saying, "Take heed," and it is a strong warning that would imply some similar kind of thing might be better than to do this.
"Take heed that you despise not." The word despise in the Greek is very interesting. Kataphroneho, phroneho has to do with the mind and thinking, and kata is down. Don't think down on people. Don't put yourself up here and look at them as if they were below you, as if they were beneath you. Looking at them with disdain, looking at them with indifference, as if they were valueless or useless or worthless, holding them in contempt...not worth your consideration...
So the command is very simple; and if you take the subjective verb with a negative prohibition, it could say this: "Be warned. This should never, ever, ever happen, that you look down on one of these little ones as if he were without value." That's what it said. Don't ever do that. Notice it says "One of these little ones," and, again, I remind you that little ones has to do with Christians, not with little babies. We know that because of verse 6. "One of these little ones who believe in Me," and that is the key that interprets the little ones for us, because babies can't believe in Jesus Christ. They don't know Him. So the little ones to whom He refers is the...is the group of believers. So don't look down on one believer, not one. That numerical addition is very important. Don't look down on one, not one.
You know, the world has done this. The world has done this. The world has looked down on the Christians. It is enough that the world looks down on Christians. It is enough that they are looked down on and ridiculed and despised and disdained and held in contempt and thought to be worthless and useless and of no value. "It is enough that the world does that to these little ones who belong to Me. You should not do that."...
The Lord is primarily concerned here with how Christians treat Christians. Now, I think the church has caught the spirit of the world, unfortunately. We seem to get the world's diseases so easily. And in the world, you see, you...you despise the simple, and you despise the humble, and you despise the meek, and you inevitably exalt the great, and you lift up the stars and the heroes, and the Lord in Heaven cares for the little ones...the very least of them, and He cares for them -- get this word -- equally. Equally. So the words of Jesus are emphatic. He sets a constant warning in motion against looking down at one single one of God's little children no matter how seemingly valueless, he or she might appear. Don't do it.
The psalmist in that monumental Psalm 15, which talks about the heart of the true worshipper says, "The true worshipper...I love this...honors those who fear the Lord." And so should we honor all those who fear the Lord, no matter where they are on the social strata. Never be guilty of looking down at God's children no matter who they are. You know, we're...we're very good at criticizing. We're very good at laughing at peoples' foibles, laughing at their weaknesses, ridiculing their failures.
Lemme just describe to you, for example, the ways we look down on other Christians; and now we'll know what to avoid. Okay? I give ya few ways in which we tend to look down on other Christians. First, by flaunting our liberty. By flaunting our liberty. We studied this a little bit in Romans last week, when we alluded to chapter 14 and 15; and the implication of chapter 14 is that there were some Christians who had been Christians for a while, perhaps were rather mature, and had long ago cut the cord with Judaism. They weren't hung up on the...on the Sabbath anymore. They weren't hung up on certain dietary laws. They were free, and they were eating pork, if you will, and they were living in violation of the old traditional Sabbath law. They really weren't bound by that anymore. They felt very free. The first part of Romans 14 says that.
And then there were a group of new Christians coming along, and they...they had just come out of that, and they were still bound in their conscience because of years of loyalty. They were bound to the Sabbath, and they were bound to the festivals, and they were bound to certain kind of dietary laws; and Paul says, "Don't you, that have been freed from that...use your liberty to oppress those other people...and to cause 'em to stumble, and to grieve them, and to injure them, and to wound them." And that's exactly what I'm talking about. We look down on other Christians when we flaunt our liberty with the attitude, "Well, I don't care what it does to him. Who cares how he feels about it. This is my liberty. I'm free to do it. What do I care what they say?" We may not quite say it that boldly, but we may often act in that way; and that's what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:16 is using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness. In other words, the person who says, "Look, I don't care what those people over there think. I'm free to do this if I want. It's not forbidden in the Bible. I'm gonna do this, even if it does make 'em stumble. They're not gonna make me conform to their standard."
I've had people say to me, "Well, listen, I can't go through my whole life trying to adjust to everybody's problem. I mean they're just gonna have to get over mine." I've had people say to me, "You know, I know it bothers so and so for me to drink, but that's their tough luck. I'm free in Christ, and I'm gonna do it." Paul says in Romans 14, "Don't destroy the Kingdom of God in the life of that person for the sake of something you drink or something you eat."...I mean there's a sense in which you are despising that person. You're saying, "Look, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do, because I'm more important to me than you are." Be warned, folks. You don't wanna live like that, because you don't wanna live with the consequences of living like that. You certainly don't wanna violate the principles of the Savior you say you love.
So one way we despise other people is by flaunting our liberty. There's a second way. I believe we despite other people, not only by flaunting our liberty, and I think that is so important. I would stress it more. Just lemme remind you of Romans 14:3, "Let not him that eat despise him that eats not." And there he uses the very same term. You despise someone when you use your liberty against their conscience.
But there's a second way, and I see this in James chapter 2. Look at it there. James 2, "Brethren, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with respect of persons." In other words, if you're a Christian, and you're in the faith, don't hold that faith, and be a part of the family of God and have in your heart respect of persons. In other words, think of some people as better than others. "And if there comes into your assembly a man with a gold ring, in fine apparel, and there comes in a man in filthy, vile clothing, and you have respect to the one that wears the fine clothing, and you say, 'Sit thou here in a good place,' and say to the poor, 'Stand thou there,' or 'Sit here under my footstool. Get outta the way, will ya?' are you not partial in yourselves and becoming judge with evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren: Hath not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him? But you have despised the poor. Do you...do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by which you are called?"
I mean, you certainly wouldn't wanna cater just to the rich. They've been a problem to the church for a long time. "If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,' you do well. But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin." Verse 6, "you have despised the poor." There's a second way you despise people -- by looking down on the lowly, by looking down on the lowly people... Considering people under your social station in life as unworthy of your concern or attention...We do that. Boy, we do everything we can to pad the seat of the one above; and we just don't like the ones below to even interrupt us. That's despising one of the little ones.
There's a third way we despise Christians. First Corinthians chapter 11...1 Corinthians. I didn't know there were so many of these in the Scripture until I got to looking them all up and going through the Scripture, and 1 Corinthians chapter 11, the church come to...had come together regularly for a love feast and the Lord's Supper; and in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says, "When you come together therefore into one place, this is not the Lord's Supper which you eat. You may think you're eating the Lord's Supper, but it isn't the Lord's Supper. You have really messed it up." And here's how, verse 21, "For in eating, every one taketh before the other his own supper." Now, how would you like to go to a potluck like that? Where all the people who brought the food came an hour early; and by the time the crowd came, it was all eaten by the people who brought it.
That's why Paul says in the next verse, "Don't you have a house to eat in? If all you wanna do is eat a meal, stay home." The result of this is that one is hungry. In other words, the people who didn't have anything, the poor of the church, they came hoping to find some food brought to them by those who had the food; but the people who had it all ate it all up. In fact, they got drunk, so you have half the group drunk, and half of 'em hungry...And he says to them in verse 22, "Do you despise the church of God and shame them that have not?" You despise a person by withholding what he needs. We despise people by flaunting our liberty, looking down on the lowly, and withholding from those in need...by consuming everything without a thought for those who do not have by overindulgence, materialism, consumption...
There's a fourth way. In 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Wish we could spend more time on each of these. First Corinthians...or 2 Corinthians 10 is a very, very fascinating chapter. These self-styled egotistical, proud...self-appointed representatives of God were condemning Paul. They really despised him...and they despised him for an interesting reason. Verse 10, 2 Corinthians 10, "'For his letters,' say they, 'are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.'"...
Here's a fourth way -- by ridiculing someone's physical features. By ridiculing someone's physical features, mocking their appearance or their way of speech; and we can do this. The high-class, you know, we want all the rich and beautiful and lovely people; and the media just continually pumps a stream of that stuff out, that they're the only people worth talking to. They're the only people whose opinions matter.
I remember someone was telling me when Moody went to Cambridge. Cambridge, the most educated spot on the earth. He was to speak, and he said at the beginning of his message, "Don't let nobody never tell you God don't love you 'cause He do."... Man, did he get their attention. See, he had been mocked in the press for his lack of proper English...We look down on people so often because of their physical appearance or because of their simple vocabulary or their simple clothing, their simple lifestyle, their modest living accommodations. We're not to do that. That's wrong.
Lemme give you another one, Galatians 6...Galatians 6 verse 1..."If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something when he's nothing, he deceives himself."
You know what? There's another way we can...we can look down in disdain on people. By looking with indifference on a Christian who has fallen. By looking with indifference on a Christian who has fallen. Just wanna push him outta the way. "Well, I mean he had his choice. He made his choice, and that's the way he chose to live." And we're just gonna tell him, "You're gone, fella, and that's it." We wipe our hands clean. That...that's wrong. That's not the way to treat that person. You're to restore him in meekness, humility. It takes humility to be willing to do that. You gotta come down off your thing. "Well, I'm too good to soil my hands with this guy who stained his life in this way," and you're saying, in effect, "I'll come down there, my brother, and I'll lift you up, and I'll carry your burden, and I'll fulfill the law of Christ." And what is the law of Christ? That you should love. That's the law of Christ. If you're too good for that, verse 3, who are you kidding? Not God, just you.
How do we despise others? By flaunting our liberty, by looking down on the lowly, by withholding from those in need, by ridiculing someone's physical features, by looking with indifference on a Christian who has fallen. You know, sometimes we say, "Well, he's getting the judgment of God." Back in the 4th chapter of Galatians, Paul had this happening to him. He says in verse 13, "You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel unto you at the first." And he had a tremendous infirmity of the flesh. He had a severe illness; and he came there and preached; and, apparently, it was a problem for them, because verse 14 says, "And your trial, which was in my flesh, you despised not."
"I mean you didn't look down on me then when I was preaching you the Gospel, even though it must have been difficult for you. You didn't despise me, and you didn't reject me, and now you're rejecting me." Verse 16, "Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"...Now, he says, "You didn't despise me when I gave you the Gospel. Now, when I come back to you and say, 'Get your life straight. Shape up spiritually.' Are you gonna despise me?"
This takes me to a sixth principle. We despise people when we reject those who confront our sinfulness. We despise another believer when we reject the person who confronts our sinfulness. We decide, "Who does he think he is...confronting me?" In the process of discipline, that's happened many times when I have approached a person and said, "You know, your life is out of line, and this is what you need to do to get your life right," and their reply has come, "Well, just who do you think you are?" And they despise the one who seeks to help.
Paul had the same situation in the Corinthian church -- 1 Corinthians 4:10. He says in...in sarcastic terms, "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honorable, but we are despised." He had come to the Corinthians with a message of repentance and a message of get things straightened out, and...they despised him. At the end of 1 Corinthians, look at 16:10, 1 Corinthians 16:10, He says, "If Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear. Don't scare him to death." Corinthians were a tough bunch. "For he works the work of the Lord, as I do. And let no man therefore despise him...Don't look down on him. He's gonna come and confront you. He's gonna come and tell you what you need to know. Don't look down on him. Don't despise him."
You know what Paul said to Titus in Titus 2:15? "These words speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority, and let no man despise you." And he said to Timothy, "Let no man despise you or...what?...your youth. Just because you're young, don't let 'em look down on you if you speak the truth of God." Listen, we look down on other Christians. If they come in love, and they come in care, and they confront us about our sin, and if we don't accept that, we are despising them. That's wrong.
Give you one other way -- 1 Thessalonians chapter 4...We despise a believer when we use him for our own selfish gain. This goes on a lot. When we use him for our own selfish gain. First Thessalonians 4:6, "That no man should go so far as to defraud...Literally means to take advantage of his brother in any matter." Not sexually, not economically, not socially, not anyway should we ever take advantage or, in other words, profit by his loss...in any way; "Because the Lord is the avenger of all such." Now, here we are, folks. When we despise another believer by taking advantage of them, the Lord will pay the account. "For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness; and He therefore that despises that believer by doing that is not despising man but God, who planted the Holy Spirit in him." So you're really dealing with God who is one with that believer.
Now, how do we look down on other Christians? By flaunting our liberty, by being inconsiderate of the lowly, by withholding from those in need while we indulge ourselves, by ridiculing someone's physical features, by looking with indifference on a Christian who has fallen, by rejecting those who confront our sinfulness, and by taking advantage of a fellow believer for personal gain.
Now, let's go back to Matthew 18. Listen, verse 10 says, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones." Don't do it. All of these ways are to be rejected. That's the rule. Here comes the reasons. Three reasons, verses 10, 12, 13, 14. Very rapidly, here they come.
Verse 10, reason No. 1, "For I say unto you that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who's in Heaven." Why should we not look down on another Christian? Because of their relation to angels. Did you get that? Their relation to angels. That's a marvelous statement. When I got to this, I wanted to teach all over again the series we did some years ago on God's invisible army, and go all the way back through all the angelology. A great, great study of God's holy angels. But I resisted that for the sake of covering the text.
Lemme just tell you what it means. Look at it. "I say unto you." That's emphatic. "With all My authority, I solemnly affirm to you that in Heaven their angels..." Now, oh, this is great. That means that up in Heaven God's people have some angels. See it? "Their angels." They belong to believers. They are our angels. They're for us. Hebrews 1:14, do you know that passage? Tremendously important passage. Talking about the angels, and He says, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to serve them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Angels in Heaven are ministering spirits sent to serve God's people. So He says, "How could you ever look down on these little ones, when they are the special care of the angels?" The holy angels, the eternally holy angels. Which angels? "The ones who do always behold the face of My Father." What does that mean? That means they're holy, because if they weren't, they couldn't get that close, right? Those who live in the presence of God, those who have access to the third eternal throne of the Father in Heaven, those holy creatures are the special angels, "given to the care of My little ones." That's why you better be careful how you treat the little ones. You don't want a buncha holy angels on your neck, do you?...
Now, lemme tell you what this verse doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that every little baby has a guardian angel for two reasons. First of which, it doesn't say that. Second of which, it isn't talking about physical babies. It also does not mean that every single Christian has his own personal angel. Doesn't say that either. It just says their angels, collectively, are in Heaven standing in the very presence of God. They are the angels of His presence. They are the holy angels who have access to His throne. They behold His face, and those angels have as their special assignment the care of God's little ones. That's all it's saying. You can't conclude from that text that every single baby has his own angel, every single Christian has his own angel. That...that theory grew up, but it's silly, because angels wasting their time when we were asleep just sitting around twiddling their celestial thumbs. I mean it wouldn't make any sense at all. Plus there are times when some of us need a whole bunch of 'em, and we'd have to borrow them from somebody else. That's not taught in the Scripture.
It did become believed in Judaism, however. The Jewish tradition and superstition, it appears in the beautiful story called Tobit, where everybody, every little child has his own angel. In fact, the Jews did believe this in the time of our Lord, and that's why, in Acts 12:15, you remember when they were praying for Peter to get outta prison? And the Lord delivered Peter, and he banged on the door, and the little girl came to the door and came back and said, "It's Peter." They said, "No, no, he's in prison." They were praying for him to get out. They just believe he would. And so somebody says, "Oh, it is his angel." Now, that wasn't necessarily theologically correct. What it did was articulate a superstition at the time, and the superstition was that everybody had an angel, and that, when you died, it was very likely that your angel would then appear to the people who loved you after your death to let them know that you had gone. And so they're saying, "Oh, this means Peter's dead." So they articulate that common superstition that is not taught in Scripture at all. All it's saying in that verse is that God has all these angels standing in His presence, indicating their infinite holiness, and they are dispatched for the care of His little ones.
What a great thought. It's kind of reminiscent of the Eastern custom where there were people who stood in the presence of the king. First Kings chapter 10, 2 Kings 25, talks about those who stand in presence of the king; and this King, the King of all kings has in His present these...presence these specially set apart holy beings; and they are for the care of His children. So when you're messing with God's children, even the least and the lowliest of them, you're fooling around with those whom the angels are spent to care for; and it may well be that the weaker and the lowlier and the meeker they are, the more angels minister in their behalf.
Second very important principle here. The first reason that we are to care for God's children is because of their relation to angels. Lemme interject a second one -- their relation to Christ. Their relation to Christ, and I wanna draw that back to verse 5, because verse 5 really fits in the flow of thought here. Remember in verse 5 Jesus said, "Whosoever shall receive one such little child in My name, receives Me." Do you remember when we studied that, we went into great detail about the fact that the believer is one with Jesus Christ? So that when you despise a believer, in effect who are you despising? Jesus Christ.
Lest you think that that's stretching the point, look for a moment at Luke 10:16, Luke 10:16. Here our Lord says this..."He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me." Jesus was sending out the seventy, two by two. He said, "Know this, if they despise you, they're despising Me." Oh, my, what a statement. What a statement. Christ is one with His little ones. When you look down on one, no matter how lowly, how humble, how unattractive, how simple, how deprived of earthly fare, and you look at that person as if they were of no value, of no use, of no worth, you look down on Jesus Christ. He thought it not something to hold onto...to maintain His glory, but He came down for the sake of that lowly one and purchased that lowly one with His own precious blood...Great price.
The Pharisees and the scribes, when they found somebody that was lowly or somebody that was insignificant or uneducated, untrained, not intellectual, not well-born, no influence, no money, they despised. They crushed. They stomped on those kinds of people. Very opposite of the Messiah. One of the great verses in Matthew is chapter 12 verse 20. As over against the wretched devastation of the Pharisees against the poor and the weak, it is said of the Messiah in Matthew 12:20, "A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench." A bruised reed trying to stay up in the wind, but bruised and about to bend and fall over, smoking flax trying to stay lit. The fire trying to be alive, but all that's left is a small, little indication of light, and the smoke is coming that indicates its flickering out. When Jesus finds one who is broken and one whose life light is flickering, He doesn't break it further and stomp out the flame that is remaining as the Pharisees did. He doesn't break the bruised reed, and He doesn't quench the smoking flax. Rather, He strengthens the bruised reed, and He fans to flame the smoking flax. The weak and the helpless, the powerless, those destroyed by sin and suffering, those bent with care, those lacking resources, those that the world pushes aside and tramples and despises and crushes and treated...and treats with contempt, the Lord loves and gathers the broken people to His heart. He heals the sick. He raises the outcasts. He cheers the fearful. He strengthens the doubters. He feeds the hungry; forgives the sinners. Not only that, He takes on their sorrow, takes on their woes, takes on their pain and exchanges His love.
Now, listen, when you despise a little one, you do so against the holy angels and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Finally, the third beautiful, beautiful reason...the relation of believers to the Father. The relation of believers to the Father. A parable is given. Look at it in verse 12. "How think ye?" In other words, think along with Me. Reason this with Me. Be provoked to think. "If a man have a hundred sheep..." Now, if a man had a hundred sheep, he'd be a wealthy man. That's a lotta sheep. Tell you another thing. If a man had a hundred sheep...he might not miss one if it strayed away. I mean just normally, if all they were was hundred sheep. "But let's say this man had a hundred sheep...Jesus said...One of them is gone. Does he not leave the ninety and nine and go into the mountains and seek the one which has gone astray?"
Now, there's only way a man would do that. He'd have to know that sheep was gone; but, I mean, if you're out there in the field and the pasture, and the sheep are roaming all over the place, how you gonna know that sheep was gone? Are you gonna have to stop and try to count those meandering sheep all over the place? I don't think so. I think the idea here is very, very beautiful. I think a shepherd was so well acquainted with his sheep that he missed the presence of one because of its uniqueness, not because it didn't add up when it was mathematically charted. It wasn't a question of counting all day long. It was a question of missing one, because you didn't see the inimitable characteristics of that one sheep that you knew well being acted out on the stage of the field. The shepherd really knew every sheep. In fact, most of the shepherds would know every little idiosyncrasy about every sheep, every little quirk, every little thing that the sheep did that was unique to that sheep, because they would inspect them every night as they were taking into the fold for the night; and so the shepherd would miss the one sheep.
In verse 13, "If so be that he goes out and finds it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety and nine which went not astray." That's a simple parable, maybe the simplest parable the Lord ever gave, very easy to understand. All it's simply saying is wrapped up in verse 14. "That's the way it is with the will of your Father who's in Heaven. He doesn't want one of these little ones to wander away, perish." In other words, God cares for His little sheep. That's the point.
This parable, by the way, is also used in Luke 15 verses 3 to 7. There it is used in reference to unbelievers. Here it is used in reference to believers. In each case, it beautifully fits the context and the intent of the Lord. Palestine, it was easy for sheep to go astray. There were little valleys and gullies and hills and ledges and precipices everywhere, and they could wander off, and Palestinian shepherds became experts at tracking lost sheep, snatching them out of lions, pulling them from thorn bushes, getting them off of ledges where they had become marooned; and if that little sheep was brought back alive, and it was wrapped by its legs around the neck of its shepherd, there would be rejoicing in his heart, more than the ninety and nine that didn't go anywhere...This is a real shepherd's heart. Each sheep was important.
I think the implication here is a...is a Christian who wanders off into sin, moral sin, spiritual sin, false doctrine, whatever kind. Here is the drifting Christian who wanders away from the flock, and he's missed by the Father. This wasn't true of the spiritual leaders in Israel. They could've cared less. They devoured the sheep. They never brought them back. They never bound up their broken wounds, but the true shepherd did. He always has. Peter said it, "Casting all your care on Him, for He...what?...careth for you," 1 Peter 5:7, "He careth for you." And He cares for every single one of them. The Bible says repeatedly, "There is no respect of persons with God." He doesn't play any favorites. He doesn't say anything about the sheep. He doesn't say His fattest sheep, His best sheep, His most valuable sheep, His pet sheep. Didn't matter. It was just one of the sheep; but every one of them was equally important to the Lord; because there's no specific valuation given to one over another.
I love what it says in Job 34:19. Talks about God, and it says, "How much less to Him that accepteth not the person of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor! For they are all the work of His hands." God is not particularly fancied by princes, nor does He fancy them to be better than paupers; and even in Matthew 25, when men are judged, sent into eternal hell for what they have done, He says, "Because you have not done it unto the least of these, My brethren." There is no respect of persons with God.
Now, what do we see about the love of the shepherd here? First, it is an individual love. One sheep gone out of a hundred, yet the shepherd wouldn't rest till he brought it home; and that's the Shepherd Father's love. It is an infinite love. He sees not flocks, but individual sheep; and every one has a special, intimate relationship with Him.
I've thought about this recently, that one of the things that makes me be able to understand eternity in terms of its very special meaning is that, throughout all of eternity, I will be in Heaven to God what no one else there will be to Him, because I'm an individual. That makes Heaven wonderful. For years, I kind of thought as Heaven as a whole bunch of perfect people just milling around; and how could God care about one over another? Well, it isn't that He cares about one over another. It is that every one of them is so unique that there is, in the relationship to the eternal God, throughout the all the eons of forever, an intimacy that cannot be known by any other than the one who shares it. So He knows the sheep; and with perfect knowledge, He misses one who strays.
So it is an individual care. Secondly, it's a patient care. He has more patience for His foolish children than we do, I think. The sheep may be foolish, but the shepherd still brings 'em back. He doesn't say, "Boy, that was a foolish sheep anyway. Just let it go." I mean I could understand a shepherd saying, "You know, this is the third time this week that sheep has done that. I hope a lion gets that sheep. I'm not going out there one more time for that sheep. The thing is skinny, anyway; and by the time we slaughter the thing, isn't gonna mean anything for meat; and in the meantime, it's got all kinds of blotches all over it. When you shear the thing, it's practically -- let the thing go." That's not the heart of God...It's a patient, patient care.
Thirdly, a seeking care. God is out there seeking. I love this. It pursues. It doesn't say, "Well, I'm here. When you get ready to come back, let Me know." No, it's not a sheep crawling back and flopping over on its back and putting its feet up in the air and saying, "Please take me back." And some kind of reluctant forgiveness is offered. No. Seeking care. Forgiving care. There's restoration here, brought back into the fold. I don't see any beatings or punishments or...
And then it's a rejoicing. There's no contempt. There's no grudge. "Well, listen, this is once. Three times, you're gone." None of that. Forgiving, and He rejoices more over the one that came back than the one that stayed. You understand that. You understand that. You know, a mother with a lotta children would rejoice more over the one that walked away from the Lord and lived a dissolute life and then turned repentant, came back, and embraced Jesus Christ than she would all the rest who stayed home and never went that way, right? Sure. A mother who has all kinds of children, maybe in her...in her little home, and one of them becomes deathly ill; and he survives the illnesses and is restored to health, she is gonna have a greater joy over the restoration of that child's health than she will have, at that time, over the health of the others that never was broken. That's just part of life...
I mean when you're rescued out of the sea, there's a greater rejoicing than if you'd never been in the sea to begin with. When you survive the disaster, there's a greater rejoicing in the survival than ever there would've been in your life if you hadn't had the disaster to start with. So we understand that.
I love what William Arnot says. "If it did not please Him to get me back, my pleasure would be small." Isn't that a beautiful thought? Then he said this, "The longing of Christ to get the wanderer into His bosom again for the satisfaction of his own soul is the sweetest ingredient in the cup of a returning penitent's joy." Great statement.
Well, verse 14, and we'll close. "So it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish." The word perish, apollome. Sometimes in the Bible, it means to die and go to hell. Sometimes in the Bible, it can mean to be scarred or marred. Sometimes, it can be to be ruined, to enter into a disaster. It is used 1 Corinthians 8:11, in Romans 14:15 of believers who are ruined in their spiritual life. Not in the final perishing in hell sense; but it ruins their spiritual progress. It ruins their spiritual power. It...it destroys their usefulness to God, and that's what its use is here. It would be better to say, "It's not the will of your Father who's in Heaven that one of these little ones should be spiritual marred...spiritually wounded...spiritually ruined." So God cares. Christ cares, and the angels care. Because of this, beloved, take heed that you despise not one of these little ones.
We come to You, Father, in prayer to close with this worship hour; and we sense that there has been a convicting in our hearts. Help us, Father, that we shall feel sorrow, true sorrow, for the message speaks to me, to every one of us, for we have, by word or deed or indifference, despised some of Your little ones. It is not to say we're not to correct their sin. We are. It is not to say we're not to rightly evaluate and judge where they are that we may help them and strengthen them. It is to say that we disdain them, hold them in contempt, look down on them, think them less than we are. Help us, Father...to be sorrowful. May it be that ever, when we come into Your presence for worship, we leave sorry. Like Isaiah, we cannot see Thee and walk away without saying, "Woe is me for I am undone. I am unclean." So we have failed, Father, in these areas, and may our sorrow be godly sorrow which worketh repentance...And may we esteem Your little ones as the angels esteem them, as the Son esteems them, as You esteem them. May we demonstrate to them the same individual patient, seeking, forgiving, rejoicing care...that You show them.
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Also 'attention shit' for the world outside the UK and Ireland. An act of defecation by a pet dog or cat, designed to get the attention of the owner/master, who has done (or not done) something to annoy said pet.
Jesus! The cat's dropped an attention shite in the laundry hamper again! Did you forget to feed her!?
by Andy Sword January 25, 2011
buy the domain for your cat blog

subset: commoncrawl


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MIAMI (Reuters) - One of Colombia's top former drug traffickers, Diego Perez Henao, pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 80 tons of cocaine into the United States over the course of almost two decades, according to federal prosecutors in Miami.
Perez Henao, 42, who goes by the alias Diego Rastrojo, was extradited from Colombia in August 2013, and is due to be sentenced on June 5 when he could face up to life in prison.
At a plea hearing held before U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz on Friday, Perez Henao admitted to shipping 180,000 pounds of cocaine starting in 1994, using various transportation methods including airplanes and semi-submersibles, to Mexican cartels supplying the U.S. market, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami.
"Diego Perez Henao was the kingpin of a prolific drug cartel," said U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer. "The conviction of Perez Henao concludes one of the most significant chapters in the history of the Colombian drug trade," he added.
One of the heads of the Rastrojos criminal gang, Henao was captured in Venezuela in June 2012, then deported to Colombia. A $5 million bounty was offered for his capture.
Colombia's five main criminal gangs, which have around 3,800 members, were mostly formed after the disbanding of right-wing paramilitary groups in 2006.
Many of the paramilitary units morphed into criminal gangs supplying cocaine to cartels in Mexico and the United States, making the arrest of their leaders a top priority for Washington in its battle against drug trafficking.
Colombia is one of the world's top cocaine producers, making about 300 tons a year even after U.S.-backed efforts to stamp out the illegal trade. The country's leftist guerrillas, the FARC and the smaller ELN group, levy taxes on local production of coca but deny involvement in trafficking the drug.
The coca leaf is the raw material used to make cocaine.
The government has been in peace negotiations with the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, since last November. Both the FARC and ELN, or National Liberation Army, are considered terrorist organizations by the United States and European Union.
(Reporting by David Adams; Editing by Ken Wills)


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Stone Age Dinner
We did a special themed "Flintstones" dinner the same month as "The Flintstones" 50th anniversary. We built a car and we gave kids (and adults) rides. We then created a menu of prehistoric proportions to include Pterodactyl Legs, Roasted Rocks, etc. The name cards for each item were painted on landscape blocks from the local home improvement store.


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December 31, 2012
President Obama went on Meet the Press Sunday and said he will put his "full weight" behind passing new restrictions on the Second Amendment in 2013.
"I'm going to be putting forward a package and I'm going to be putting my full weight behind it," he said. "I'm going to be making an argument to the American people about why this is important and why we have to do everything we can to make sure that something like what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary does not happen again."
During the interview with David Gregory, Obama focused on "assault weapons" and high-capacity magazines. Second Amendment foes routinely describe semi-automatic weapons with cosmetic military features as assault weapons.


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Tug o' war over Mammoth Creek water continues
The legal struggle triggered when the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power claimed it owned all of the water rights to Mammoth Creek continues with both Los Angeles and Mammoth arguing their case in courts and through media.
In the past few weeks, letters between Los Angeles and the Mammoth Community Water District have outlined sharp differences between the two agencies—and no solutions.
Los Angeles continues to assert it legally owns all of the water in Mammoth Creek, including the water that Mammoth uses for its daily needs. The city first made this assertion publicly late last year.
In a letter to the water district dated June 28, Los Angeles asserts it does not want to "take" the water Mammoth uses—but it does want Mammoth to consider paying Los Angeles for the water.
The water district in turn argues it was granted the water rights by the state and as such, does not need to pay Los Angeles.
The repercussions of the case, should it not be settled out of court—both sides continue to meet in mandatory settlement talks—could be far-reaching. If Los Angeles prevails, at minimum, Mammoth's water rates would increase.
But Mono County Supervisor Byng Hunt believes the damage could go much further.
"We have to keep an eye on this," he said Tuesday, as the county supervisors discussed the most recent round of letters between the water district and Los Angeles. "This could have repercussions all over Mono County. Water will become increasingly important in the future and we need to be very involved in this. This is not just about Mammoth."
Hunt said later he is worried that if L.A. wins, a legal precedent might be set that weakens the county's control over its water.
Mono County's attorneys are watching the process very closely, he said, and will get involved if necessary.
In the meantime, the water district's general manager, Greg Norby, who has been actively petitioning Legislature and Congressional representatives for support, recently released a timeline and schedule of upcoming interactions between the two agencies.
The court held a status conference meeting by phone July 3. Judge Garbolino (retired Placer County judge appointed by Judicial Counsel), Stuart Somach and Kelley Tabor of Somach/Simmons/Dunn (representing DWP), Janna Sidley (of Los Angeles City Attorney's Office), and Alan Lilly (representing MCWD) all participated.
During the course of the conference, the following orders were issued by Judge Garbolino:
• MCWD shall certify and file the administrative records in both cases on or before July 16. LADWP will pay MCWD costs of preparing these records (admin records have been prepared, but not "certified").
• LADWP shall file its opening briefs (one in each case) on or before Sept. 14.
• MCWD shall file its responsive briefs on or before Nov. 16.
• LADWP shall file its reply briefs on or before Dec. 21.
• The hearing on the merits in each case is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2013, beginning at 9 a.m., in the Mammoth Lakes courthouse. This hearing will be open to the public. It's expected to only take a day or so.
• Judge Garbolino will issue his decision shortly after the hearing (weeks not months).


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Thursday, March 15, 2012
Spring blooms at The Brickhouse Inn, Gettysburg
Spring come to The Brickhouse Inn - or is it summer? This photo was taken today (March 15) showing daffodils, a camellia, and flowering cherry trees. It's all happened so suddenly - I can't keep up with pruning the roses!
Posted by Brian Duncan (author) at 12:13 PM
2 comments:
It was lovely weather that day, and the two other day we stayed there. We really enjoyed staying at the Inn. Thanks a lot. :)ReplyDelete
Looks like things are coming to life. This weather is really bringing some early surprises! Don't forget to keep us posted on the "Underground Journey" weekend. And if you by chance have a cancellation for the Reenactment Weekend, let us know.ReplyDelete
Chana Turner
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Symptoms due to hemorrhoids are bleeding, protrusion and pain. Such bleeding must never be assumed to be due to hemorrhoids but correctly diagnosed.
Actions indicated for the processes behind this disease
Cardio-vascular tonic will help with the muscular tone and general state of well being of the veins involved.
Astringents will reduce bleeding, if present, and tighten the tissue locally. But take care if used internally, avoid constipation.
Bitters will help both digestive and eliminative processes, facilitating bowel motions.
Aperients/Laxatives will ensure easier motions.
Vulnerary herbs will speed the healing of inflamed tissues locally.
Emollients will soothe if applied externally.
Anti-inflammatories will soothe the inflamed tissue.
System Support
The problem is a combination of both digestive and cardio-vascular system and so will benefit from tonics for the blood vessels as well as lower bowel support.
Specific Remedies
Many culture contain herbs with a reputation in the treatment of this common problem. In Europe there is nothing to match the aptly named Pilewort! Apart from this plant, most astringents or anti-inflammatories will help.
One possible prescription
Salves may also be used containing any of the many possible herbs, such as:
This provides internally the following actions:
Avoidance or removal of constipation is often the key to the alleviation of hemorrhoids. Thus the following factors need to be explored in addition to direct herbal treatment of the hemorrhoids themselves:


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ORLANDO—Warren Sapp made $82,185,056 in his NFL career. He ended up with $826.04 in his bank account.
How does a man go from the All-NFL penthouse to the bankruptcy basement?
"Look at all the Air Jordans!"
— Photos: List of athletes who went bankrupt
So exclaimed Brenda Dykgraaf's business partner. They were touring Sapp's house a couple of weeks ago. When they walked into the closet off the master suite, their eyes widened.
It was as if Imelda Marcos had married Mars Blackmon. There were 240 pairs of sneakers, give or take an Air Jordan XVII.
How do you turn a fortune into a bankruptcy sale?
It's gotta be the shoes, not to mention the women, the children, the de Grisogono watch, the lion skin rug and having the investment acumen of Warren Buffet's ukulele.
There was also the House that Warren Built. He paid $4.1 million for the 15,000 square-foot spread. Dykgraaf bought it at an auction Thursday for $2.1 million. It capped the latest chapter in the continuing sports drama we'll call "Jocks Gone Broke."
A 2009 Sports Illustrated study found that 78 percent of former NFL players go bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement. Fifty percent of NBA players are broke five years after leaving the league.
I want to feel sorry for anyone who has his Bentley repossessed, but it's hard. So many simply refuse to learn from others' mistakes. Or in Sapp's case, bankruptcy is a form of karma you don't want to trifle with.
He was a great football player, but one unpleasant human being. There are plenty of those, but most are at least one-faced in their jerkiness.
Sapp's special brilliance is his ability to be funny, loquacious and likable when the TV camera is on. The second it goes off, he reverts into being the surliest man on earth.
That's what drew me to Thursday's auction at the Orlando Airport Marriott. I figured if every bidder accidentally showed up at the Hilton, I could offer $12,000 and win by default.
Nothing would bother Sapp more than the thought of a lowly sportswriter floating down the lazy river in the customized pool he built. I would do it not just for me, but for the thousands of media members, autograph seekers and little old ladies Sapp has treated like mosquitoes over the years.
Watching his financial struggles has triggered a communal case of schadenfreude. Call it Sappenfreude. Also call me bummed.
I got to the auction and discovered bidders had to pre-qualify and put up a $300,000 escrow deposit. Sapp needs far bigger dollars than I have to dig out of his financial pit.
He filed for bankruptcy in April, listing $6.45 million in assets and $6.7 million in debt.
A trustee was charged with selling Sapp's possessions.
A judge discharged the case last month, but Sapp still has to unload the house and other worldly goods to pay creditors.
Like 99.99 percent of you, I can't fathom how a guy can blow $82 million. Though I'd like to give it a try. As crazy as it sounds, Sapp is a relative piker when it comes to squandering.
Mike Tyson blew $400 million on mansions, cars, tattoos, jewelry and Siberian tigers. Bad investments usually play a big role in these downfalls. It's just more amusing to dwell on the extravagances.
Allen Iverson had a 50-person entourage to support. Vince Young spent $5,000 a week at the Cheesecake Factory.
God and the FBI only know what Lawrence Taylor spent his millions on.
These guys have earned the right to throw around some silly coin. But can't a guy get by on, say, 150 pairs of Air Jordans? Is it that hard to stash a little cash in a nice CD or mutual fund?
Sapp invested in a housing development that went south. But the real-estate bubble wasn't his downfall. Did he really need an Xbox and a PlayStation?
Okay, that's nothing when the Raiders are paying you $36 million to get old and fat.
What's not chump change is a divorce (ask Michael Jordan after writing that $168 million check) and children.
Sapp had two kids with his ex-wife, Jamiko. He had four other children with four different women.
If only Sapp had invested in a really good zipper, he might not be on the hook for $75,495 a month in alimony and child support.
His ex-wife's attorney sat by the trustee at Thursday's auction. A large screen showed sumptuous slides of the item up for bid.
There was the wine room. The workout room. The walkway to the dock. The lake in back. The Home Theater room, which was not to be confused with the TV and Rec room. The Tuscan-style mansion has four bedrooms, a master suite, five full baths, a boathouse, a rollercoaster and a llama.
Okay, those last two were at Michael Jackson's house. Sapp kept no exotic animals, though he could relax on that that lion skin rug after a hard day of analysis at the NFL Network.
You could cut the tension with a Tiffany knife as the auctioneer took the podium.
"In the case of Warren Carlos Sapp, case number 12-12819," said Lamar Fisher of Fisher Auction Co.
Four people who pre-qualified were spread around the room. Another was on the phone. There were five TV crews, including one from France doing a special on the U.S. economy. I wondered how many Parisian waiters Sapp had ever yelled at.
Fisher pounded the gavel down and opened the bidding at $4 million. Three assistants roamed the room, trying to cajole somebody to bite. Prospective buyers sat stone-faced through the auctioneer's machine-gun delivery.
"DoIhear4million? Four million? Four million? Four million?"
Down it went.
"Three-point-nine? Three-point-nine? Do I hear three-point-nine?"
He didn't hear anything for about five minutes.
"Two million? Do I hear two?"
"One-point-six!" a bidder yelled.
Geez, that's what Sapp used to make every five games.
"One-seven," chimed another bidder.
It got up to $2 million, then Dykgraaf couldn't resist.
"My heart was pounding," she said.
She bid $2.1 million. Going once, going twice, SOLD to the fitness guru who lives in Wesley Snipes' old house!
That's right. Dykgraaf is a staple on the Home Shopping Network. There's apparently a lot of money in selling Air Climbers and Ab Rollers. Enough for her to buy the house Snipes lived in before he moved to federal prison for tax evasion.
Speaking of costly divorces, that property sits next to Tiger Woods' old house. Dykgraaf remodeled it and doesn't plan to move into her new digs.
"I bought it as an investment," she said.
It seems like a pretty good one considering the house was appraised at $3.4 million. Sadly, the sales price did not include any possessions.
The refrigerator, the painting of a naked lady and the Air Jordans are negotiable. Though Dykgraaf didn't look like she could wear a men's size 15.
One person who didn't look too thrilled was Jamiko's lawyer, who left without comment. If Sapp has any regrets, you'll never know it.
He has almost 900,000 Twitter followers. When his bankruptcy was filed, one questioned Sapp's lifestyle.
Sapp defended living like "a king." His Excellency is in better shape than most broke ex-jocks. Court records show he's making $115,000 a month off TV. His annuity and NFL pension are protected from bankruptcy claims.
He's still a cautionary tale, though it won't change anything. More saps will always come along.
In the case of Warren Carlos Sapp, I'm not sure what it would take to elicit any remorse. Though an idea hit me as the auction wound down.
"I hope to sell it within a year," Dykgraaf said.
Until then, maybe she'll let me lease it really cheap. The first thing I'll do is invite the old owner to a housewarming party.
I can't wait to open the door wearing a pair of size 15 Air Jordans.


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PORT SAID, Egypt (Reuters) - Shipping through Egypt's Suez Canal was proceeding as normal on Saturday, an official from the canal authority said after violence flared in cities along its course in the past two days.
However, witnesses reported that operations at Port Said's port were halted when staff said they would suspend work due to the violence. Other factories and workplaces closed for the day.
Violence erupted on Friday and Saturday in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, cities that run along the canal, a vital international trade route and major source of revenue for Egypt.
"Shipping movement through the Suez Canal is regular and is going ahead positively," canal spokesman Tarek Hassanein told Reuters, adding 44 ships had entered the canal so far on Saturday.
One witness reported that the army, which was deployed to Port Said, at the northern end of the canal, had sent troops to surround the branch office of the canal authority in the city.
The army had also been deployed in Suez at the southern end of the canal after violence on Friday there. The headquarters of the canal authority is in Ismailia, around the midway point.
At least 11 people were killed in Port Said on Saturday when violence erupted after a court sentenced to death 21 people accused of involvement in last year's Port Said soccer stadium disaster in which 74 people died.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Janet Lawrence)


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Amber Valley MP Nigel Mills has welcomed the announcement that unemployment has continued to fall.
Latest national figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported the annual fall in unemployment had brought the rate down to 6.6 per cent, with a record rise of 345,000 in those gaining jobs – with most being full-time positions.
Welcoming the drop in statistics, Mr Mills said: "I'm delighted to say that unemployment is continuing to fall in my constituency. After the success of my second Amber Valley Jobs Fair in March, we saw it fall in April to 2.9 per cent, and I'm pleased to say that May's figures have shown a further fall – to 2.7 per cent.
"More of my constituents now have the security of a monthly pay-packet, and it's further evidence that our plan is working.
"The number of jobs created in the private sector under this Government has reached 2 million – two something that the Labour Party said was impossible.
"The job is not yet done - I will continue to work with local businesses to do whatever I can to help them take on more employees, and I'll be holding another jobs fair later this year."
The figures show the number of people out of work fell by 161,000 to 2.16 million, bringing the unemployment rate down to 6.6 per cent.
The number of people in work rose by a record 345,000, to 30.5 million.
But the quarterly rate of earnings growth, including bonuses, slowed to 0.7 per cent from 1.9 per cent the previous month.
This was mainly due to delayed bonus payments, the Office for National Statistics said. Excluding bonuses, pay rose by 0.9 per cent, it said.
The number of people out of work is now at its lowest level for more than five years, with youth unemployment, among 16 to 24-year-olds, standing at 853,000.


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Director Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" was released in theaters in 2009, but the film has been in a near constant state of revision since then. First there was the director's cut released on DVD, then there was "Tales of the Black Freighter," a separate adaptation of the comic-within-a-comic in the original "Watchmen" book. Then there was an "Ultimate Cut," with the "Black Freighter" segments re-edited into the film, giving it a three-and-a-half hour running time.
Now, there's a new edition of the film, billed as the most complete "Watchmen" yet released, which combines the full "Ultimate Cut" of the film with Alan Moore's original graphic novel. The set hits stores Tuesday.
Snyder, deep in post-production on "Man of Steel," took time out to talk about the film's continuing appeal to viewers and how it means even more today than when it was released.
HC: There's another version of "Watchmen" coming out on Blu-ray. This seemingly never-ending interest in the film must be gratifying as a director.
ZS: It's weird because I was talking with some colleagues and we were talking about "Watchmen" and saying that in a weird way, "Watchmen" becomes more and more relevant as more and more superhero movies come out. After "Avengers" really would have been the perfect time to release "Watchmen" because it's the anti-"Avengers" movie. With "Avengers" being this phenomenon worldwide, it's interesting what Alan Moore did with that graphic novel and what we tried to do with the movie. Alan Moore not only is a genius in the book he created, but also his knowledge of comic books and mythology of comic books and what the superheroes were in response to and what they represent is really beautiful and insightful. We try to get that across in the movie. When "Avengers" or whatever other movies get made, it confirms to me the mythological deconstruction that Alan was able to achieve in the book and we tried to achieve in the movie. It's even more fun to watch the movie now, I think, as the general audience has become more and more familiar with these icons and this mythology. The deconstruction of that mythology is inevitable, but it really hasn't been done. I think it's interesting that we have this genre that is so rich, but except for "Watchmen" and "Kick-Ass," which I would call more of a comedy superhero movie, I don't know that they try to dig into the why of it that we do.
HC: That deconstruction of the genre means that "Watchmen" probably shouldn't be the first comic non-comic book fans read.
ZS: In a weird way, it should be the last comic book people read. But the reason people say that is because of the things it deals with. These characters, Doctor Manhattan responding to the threat of cold war and nuclear weapons. These heroes ambiguously crossing lines between good and evil. How do you justify the actions these guys take? All that stuff. In that context, I think a non comic book fan is able to go, "Wow, that's not just put on the stand and it kicks ass." It becomes an intellectual exercise as well. It's funny, when Chris Nolan came to me and said "Do you want to do Superman?" I was like "No!" That's a difficult one. But I felt like I knew the rules. I understand the rules of Superman — not necessarily better than anyone else — but better than a normal filmmaker would. After doing "Watchmen" and digging that deep into the why of superheroes, when Superman is presented to you, I felt like I was in a unique position to say "I get this guy. I know what this is."
HC: Was it a greater challenge to adapt the specific story of "Watchmen" or create a new story within the rules of Superman?
ZS: There's different challenges, and I guess they're equal. "Watchmen" is just so rich. The challenge with "Watchmen" is making sure that the ideas that were in the book got into the movie. That was my biggest stretch. I wanted people to watch the movie and get it. It's one of those things where over time, it has happened more. People always come up to me now and say, "'Watchmen' is the best superhero movie ever made. I'm always say "That's super cool. That's nice of you to say." But it happens now, more and more and more than it did when it first came out. I think the studio thought it was a superhero movie. They thought it was this franchise-able superhero movie that was going to be sequel-able, like "Iron Man" or something. And I'm like, guys, this is something entirely different. I can't even begin to describe how wrong that is. It's a hard-R, deconstruction of the superhero genre, and that's the fun of it. The fun is not, "Wow, we're bad-ass. We're these superheroes and we're going to go kick the aliens' ass or whatever enemy presents itself." That's not the fun of the movie. The fun of the movie is that these superheroes rape each other and they have super-destructive relationships and they don't know how to cope with society or themselves. They have a lot of issues. That's the fun: to see superheroes in that context. I think that was the thing the studio was like, "Wow." When a general audience goes to the movie, like when my parents go to the movie, thinking, "Oh, my son made a cool superhero movie." And they were like, "What is this?" There's that part of it. I think we've set up this concept of what a superhero movie is and in a weird way, that mythology has been respected by filmmakers across the board. Then for a movie like "Watchmen" to come along. It's period. The way it's sewn into history. The way it uses the collective psychology of world politics to shape the superheroes. That stuff is like, "Whoa." Some people feel there's no need for that. That becomes a little exhausting for some people, but for me that's the best part of it.
HC: Do you continue to get feedback on a film after it leaves theaters?
ZS: For me it's slightly different because I'm plugged into fan culture in a weird way. So it does resonate a little bit deeper for me. I get another kick at the can. Like "Sucker Punch," which wasn't critically acclaimed in any way, but when I'm at Comic-Con I can take a renewed pride in the movie by the cultural expression that the movie has. I'm like, wow, it didn't fall on deaf ears entirely. I think with "Watchmen," this is a movie that had marginal box office success. I wouldn't say it was horrible, but it wasn't a runaway hit. But on the other hand we've had more DVD versions of this movie than any other movie I've ever made. I've done more interviews about this movie. I've done more panels and discussions. You can say what you want about how the movie is perceived by popular culture, but it definitely has a place in comic book history and comic book movie history because it has a way of dealing with a thing that the studios mine as pure gold. You gotta know what you're mining, it's not that easy. You don't get to just stick your shovel in the mountain and come out with a pot of gold. There's got to be a why to it.
HC: Are you fine with modest box office if it means the movie has a life later?
ZS: 100%. I couldn't be prouder of the movie. It's exactly as I intended it. I don't get it anymore, but I think people have seen the reality. I used to get "Oh you changed the book. It's not 100% pure 'Watchmen.'" And I'd say, "Are you kidding me? Are you crazy?" "300" allowed me to make this movie exactly how I wanted it. I had a stranglehold on the studio that allowed me to make a super-personal love letter to that graphic novel. It's funny that Alan Moore has said he's against "Watchmen" the movie. But it's the strictest rendering of his work, by far, in movie form. It's probably better in a weird way, that there was the controversy and the struggle to get it made. I wouldn't change it at all. It is pokey. It's a pokey movie in the sense that it never let anyone in. Unless you're letting the story wash over you. I go to it because I enjoy the superhero genre, but you also get confronted by some harsh realities. I'm incredibly proud of it and I wouldn't change it at all.
HC: Have you read the prequel comics? "Before Watchmen"?
ZS: I have been checking that out a little bit. Not as much as you'd imagine. I've got them in my office. But I haven't had time to crack 'em. I've flipped through them and they look pretty cool to be honest.
HC: So you're not someone who believes that "Watchmen" should stand on its own with no sequels or prequels?
ZS: I took that graphic novel and made it into a movie, so I can't really say, "Hey, no other adaptations!" That's not really cool. And by the way, I don't think it does anything to the graphic novel. It doesn't hurt it. I feel like the legacy of the graphic novel is OK. If I made a three-hour ad for the graphic novel, then I succeeded.
HC: How do you see "Man of Steel" fitting into this mythology now that you've made "Watchmen?"
ZS: It's a more serious version of Superman. It's not like a heart attack. We took the mythology seriously. We take him as a character seriously. I believe the movie would appeal to anyone. I think that you're going to see a Superman you've never seen before. We approached it as though no other films had been made. He's the king-daddy. Honestly that's why I wanted to do it. I'm interested in Superman because he's the father of all superheroes. He's this amazing ambassador for all superheroes. What was it about him that cracked the code that made pop culture embrace this other mythology? What we've made as a film not only examines that but is also an amazing adventure story. It's been an honor to work on. As a comic book fan, Superman is like the Rosetta Stone of all superheroes. I wanted to be sure the movie treated it respectfully.
— Patrick Kevin Day
'Minutemen' goes past darkness
Moebius: The Hero Complex interview
Dave Gibbons on his 'Watchmen' guilt
'Watchmen' prequels: DC dares to expand on classic
Millar's 'Supercrooks': Pack your bags, villains
Neil Gaiman returns to 'Neverwhere'
Rothfuss: Let's move past dragons, dwarves
'Dragon Tattoo' coming to Vertigo


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Caribbean Eco Adventure Vacation Packages & Resorts
Barbados... Green Globe Certified Properties
Nature and eco vacations in Barbados
Barbados is an island of great natural beauty and offers great eco-adventure vacation packages to the Caribbean - from the white sand beaches, to beautiful tropical blooms. You can enjoy this Caribbean beauty through a submarine ride, a scuba diving expedition, an island safari tour a trip to the local Wildlife Reserve, a swim with the turtles, or a trek through lovely gardens.
Several local hotels are actively pursuing sound environmental policies, and this has been reflected in the Green Globe Certification that several have achieved. If you are a nature-lover looking for a Caribbean eco-adventure, then these are the ideal places to stay in Barbados.


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Hammer of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Judgement of Light > Divine Storm > Consecration > Exorcism
Basically, you hit whatever ability is off cooldown and at the top of the list.
Regular Gameplay
For the first 80% of the fight--where Hammer of Wrath is not available--you can simplify the ability list using two macros:
Macro 1:Single-Target
/castsequence reset=4 Crusader Strike,Judgement of Light,Crusader Strike
Macro 2:AoE
/castsequence reset=10 Divine Storm,Consecration
Your priority list now becomes:
Macro 1:Single-target > Macro 2:AoE > Exorcism
If the first macro is on cooldown, hit the second. If both are on cooldown, and Art of War is up, hit Exorcism.
This scheme is identical to optimal FCFS, but only uses 3 buttons instead of 5, so you might find it easier to use. It also has the advantage that if you can't AoE (for example, Crowd Control is being used), you can just ignore Macro 2.
Execute Range
Once Hammer of Wrath comes into play, the above system breaks down. However, there is another sequence which comes very close to optimal FCFS play. You lose about 1 second out of every 24 seconds of DPS, which is about a 4% loss from perfect play. However, 2 buttons are a lot easier to press than 6, so you might find that you come out ahead.
Macro 3: Execute
/castsequence reset=target Hammer of Wrath,Crusader Strike,Judgement of Light,Divine Storm,Hammer of Wrath,Crusader Strike,Consecration
The priority list becomes:
Macro 3:Execute > Exorcism
As before, if Macro 3 is on cooldown and Art of War is up, pop Exorcism.


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In Your Town
Interested in learning more, but you're not going to Radford just yet? No worries; Radford University counselors, faculty and staff members visit high schools and attend college fairs throughout the U.S.
To find out when we'll visit your area, search the travel schedule below by state, date or program name. We hope to see you soon!
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Two Brady projects finish runner-up at state FCCLA
Career, service project recognized.
Four Brady students earned silver medals for projects presented during the state Family, Career and Community Leaders (FCCLA) of America meeting in Lincoln earlier this month.
Junior Taina Taullie placed second in the teach and train division of the Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) competition.
Taullie's project was titled "Exploring Teaching Music as a Career Choice."
The teach and train category is designed to recognize participants who demonstrate their ability to explore and experience the career of teaching or training.
Taullie loves music so she explored the possibility of becoming an elementary music teacher. She created lesson plans for all elementary grades and used them to teach for a day.
Taullie was required to create a portfolio detailing the progression of her project. She also created a visual board to help show judges what her teaching experience was like.
The other Brady project presented at the state contest was a group effort by Kyle Pohlman, Jeffrey Simants and Tyler Egenberger.
The three boys named their project, "Dodge! Dive! Dip! Duck! Dodge!"
In the chapter service project manual division, students are required to undertake a project in which they develop and implement an idea their whole chapter can help with.
Pohlman, Simants and Egenberger focused on raising money for chronic myeloid leukemia research by planning and hosting a dodgeball tournament.
Participants in this category must create a large scrapbook detailing their experience and rendering proof of their work.
Both projects were required to give oral presentations for the state contest.
FCCLA is a nationwide student organization designed to build strong leaders.
Approximately 1,300 delegates from 105 chapters attended the Nebraska FCCLA leadership conference.
STAR is one area that encourages active participation and emphasizes the positive accomplishments of FCCLA members.
The two Brady STAR projects to compete at state qualified after winning gold medals in their divisions of the district FCCLA contest in January.
Latest Headlines
- Gothenburg native releases first novel
- We all need help from a friend
- Monsanto hosts 6th annual Safety Day program
- Brady places champ and runner-up at State FCCLA
- Swedes continue conference domination
- Dancing With The Stars changes venues
- Middle-of-the-Pack Finishes For Swede Boys and Girls
- Girls Show Support for Teacher's Cancer Fight


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Quicksand Design and partners have begun work on Project Sammaan, redesigning public sanitation facilities in urban slums in India. The new work began earlier this year, following their heavy design research phase in 2010–2011, funded by the Gates Foundation and nicknamed "The Potty Project" (previously covered on BoP Designer). Partners include the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) and the city governments of two large cities in India, with continued support from the Gates Foundation.
The objective of this project is to rethink the current models of sanitation facilities and design a new programmatic infrastructure and physical structure that instills a sense of dignity while addressing issues affecting sanitation practices in India.
We feel that sharing our successes, and hurdles, is vital to the project to open channels of dialogue and instill a sense of collaboration in such a critical field.
Quicksand has launched a blog and twitter account (@ProjectSammaan) specific to the project, chronicling the progress and thoughts behind it along the way. It looks like it'll be a great resource and insightful window into the process that will be entertaining and informative to designers, design-thinkers and sanitation proponents alike. Your ongoing input is invited. Visit the Project Sammaan blog >>
In addition, Quicksand and partners have launched an "Open Innovation Challenge" to the public in three categories:
- Architectural Design (of the facilities)
- Hand-Washing Design (of the ideal soap-dispensing system)
- Waste Management Design (within the facility)
See full details here, where you can download briefs to each of the three challenges.
(all images from Project Sammaan)


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Every hospital should strive for Good Outcomes for the patient. The G in GNH Hospital stands for our commitment towards Good Medical Outcomes for the patients who walk through our doors. Medical Profession is known as the Noble Profession but there are widespread allegations about this profess...
The medical expert will guide you for all hospital needs
Receive guidance from the first consultation through the entire hospitalization process.
Medical experts assist the patients to find the right doctor and book appointments.
Consult with 5000+ doctors online and get all your health queries answered.


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By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A review board for a California chapter of the Boy Scouts of America has challenged the national organization by recommending that an openly gay former Scout be awarded the top rank of Eagle.
Bonnie Hazarabedian, who chaired the Boy Scout district review board that signed off on Ryan Andresen's Eagle scout application, said the recommendation was sent to the local Boy Scout chapter to be forwarded to the national headquarters for final approval.
"From what I understand, this has never happened before," Ryan's father, Eric Andresen, told Reuters.
However, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America, Deron Smith, said the review board's recommendation never reached the national headquarters because it was stopped by the chief executive of Ryan's local Mount Diablo Silverado Boy Scout council.
Andresen's Boy Scout membership was revoked last year and Smith said he remained ineligible for the Eagle award.
"The Eagle application was forwarded, by a volunteer, to the local council but it was not approved because this young man proactively stated that he does not agree to Scouting's principle of 'Duty to God' and does not meet Scouting's membership requirements. Therefore, he is not eligible to receive the rank of Eagle," Smith said in an email to Reuters.
Ryan, 18, and his parents drew national attention in October after his Scoutmaster refused to sign his Eagle scout application because of his sexual orientation.
More than 462,000 people subsequently signed the Andresens' petitions at Change.org calling on the Scoutmaster to sign. Meanwhile, the Andresens sent Ryan's application to the review board and Hazarabedian told Reuters she acted on it because it was filed before his ejection from the Boy Scouts.
"I don't think sexual orientation should enter into why a Scout is a Scout, or whether they are Eagle material," said Hazarabedian. "We felt without a doubt he deserved that rank."
Andresen's father, who was a Boy Scout leader until his son was ejected, said the family was trying to send a message.
"It's the desire that no other Scout should ever have to go through this," Eric Andresen said.
Hazarabedian called the Scouts' anti-gay policy "something out of the Dark Ages."
In 1981 when Hazarabedian was a teenager, her friend's brother Tim Curran, a gay Eagle Scout, was the plaintiff in what became the landmark case in California upholding the right of the Boy Scouts, and private organizations in general, to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
Hazarabedian said she recalls making posters and signing petitions in support of Curran and thinking, "By the time I have a son old enough to be a Scout, that will be years from now, they will have fixed this by then, they'll be more tolerant by then. But here we are, 2013, and the same thing is going on."
Ryan, who became something of a celebrity with national television appearances and strangers asking to be photographed with him, wants to focus on his last year of high school, his father said.
"We assume someday BSA will (change), and maybe at that time Ryan can retroactively get his Eagle award," he said.
(Editing by Jane Sutton, Nick Zieminski and Claudia Parsons)


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Grace Faugno can still remember shuffling downstairs as a child in her pajamas after bath time to watch her father dip cookie after cookie when they lived above the family business on Adams Street. It was the same kitchen where her family ate dinner each night. And as she and her siblings grew, that bakery was their playground.
"I remember jumping from flour sack to flour sack," Grace recalls. "It was a good place to grow up. My parents were always very busy; they worked very hard."
That dedication to work and family has clearly been passed down to the set of siblings now in charge of one of the most famous family-run businesses in America, Carlo's Bakery.
Grace, her sisters, and their little brother Buddy—more popularly known now as "The Cake Boss"—turned the bakery into an empire, giving people worldwide a taste of what family business is all about in our mile-square.
"It really hasn't changed us at all," Buddy says. "We're still a very tightknit family. At the end of the day family comes first."
Although, he admits, there are certainly days when they want to kill each other and "everything else."
"You have to be able to separate it and understand that it's business," Buddy says. "No matter what, when push comes to shove we're always there for each other."
Maddalena, the second oldest, agrees and says that most arguments are over in five minutes with the next question being, "Are you coming over for dinner?"
"I know people that haven't spoken to their sister in 20 years," she says. "I can't imagine that ever happening."
Indeed, the key to success in a sibling-run business may actually be to speak as much as possible or, as Grace likes to put it: "don't hold back, don't hold grudges."
"Maybe that's a little bit of the Hoboken in us," says Grace. "You're not gonna have to wonder what's on our minds."
But the other key component, she adds, is everyone having his or her own responsibilities within the business, enabling them to accomplish together what they could never do alone.
"I'm complete when I'm here," Grace says. "It's like all the siblings are the rest of the pieces of the puzzle; it just works."
Brothers Keepers
While some businesses in Hoboken are bastions of family-run history, others are just beginning to lay the foundation for their legacies. Dairen Coto worked as a barber for 20 years in other people's shops before he was finally able to save the money for him and his brother to open their own business.
After much old-fashioned hard work and hustle, in February 2012, Dairen and his brother Leo opened the doors to Trim—their very own barbershop on First Street.
The two had worked together at various barber shops—from Newport Mall to Union City—before they struck out as entrepreneurs. And it was that experience of working together for others that has made them appreciate working together in their own business even more.
"Now we're able to pay our bills easier, make a little more money," says Dairen, the eldest. "It's our creativity and we can do what we want."
Being able to create their own destiny is precisely the reason the brothers chose their profession in the first place.
"At one point I didn't like cutting hair," says Dairen. "I hated it; it was 'their' rules. I tried different jobs and I realized this is what I do, I'm a barber, and I'm going to do my thing."
Leo quickly bought into the idea, and together they became sole creators of their destinies.
"It's easier that we're brothers, we get along real well," says Dairen. "He's like me. He's my brother."
But their shop is more than just two brothers, a couple of chairs, and some clippers. Instead of being someone else's employees, they now have employees of their own. And that can be where things get a little dicey.
The most difficult thing, Dairen says, is making decisions about the staffing.
"I don't want to be the one to fire someone or change the rules," he says. And neither does Leo. But they've come up with a solution that seems to be working pretty well: they look to each other to handle it. Hey, isn't that what brothers are for?
Work Together, Play Together
When it comes to "taking it outside" to resolve sibling rivalry, Roger and Erika Muller have taken the old adage to another level. The two, who work together in their family insurance agency, also play together on various local hockey teams.
"She's much harder to get along with when she's not playing hockey," Roger says with a laugh. "When we have issues at work we take it out on the ice."
Or more precisely, according to Erika, they take it out on others because they play on the same team.
The doors to Muller Insurance were first opened by their grandfather, John, who at one point had three offices on Washington Street and was honored with a street-naming earlier this year—the area around 10th and Washington Street is now John Muller Way.
In choosing college and work, both Roger and Erika kept the family business in mind—and in their hearts.
After more than 20 years working in the office alongside his sister, Roger is in the process of officially taking over for their dad. And the two are playing on two or three ice hockey teams each year, keeping things nice and cool in the work environment as well.
"I think that because both of us respect each other it's easy in business to get along," says Roger. "You're lucky to have someone that you trust, and you back each other up."
"We are working together for a common goal," Erika adds. "It is rewarding being in a family business because you have the security of knowing that you are with your family, and at the end of the day we will both do anything that we can possibly do for each other and for the business."
Still, it can sometimes be hard to separate personal life from business when family feuds erupt at home. But, Erika says, "Thank goodness for weekends!"
And Roger admits that he struggles with one major problem working with his sister: "People from 6 to 60 walk in and try to pick her up!"
At the End of the Day, it's Family
For the Losurdo Brothers, working with the family is "just what you do." The family bought Tony's Bakery on Second Street in 1975, expanding it into a deli 10 years later. Brothers Nick and Danny, who run the bakery/deli, say the experience of working together has not changed much since they started.
"It's the same thing," Danny says. "Everybody does what they have to do. We're just a little older—and we have kids."
Indeed, the next generation (six cousins in all) is ready to take over, working diligently beside their dads.
Danny, the younger of the two brothers, began working in the business when he was 14. He now works side by side with his son, Frank, 14.
"I had to come to work before I went to school in the morning," Danny says with a chuckle. "But that's 'old school.' Now they come in after school or on weekends."
Still, the kids spend their summers getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get to work, and the family business has instilled a strong work ethic, rare in most teenagers.
"We try to help our fathers," says Nick's son, Nicholas, 17. "It's a good business."
For young Frank, who sits quietly on the sidelines, much like his uncle, the best part of working for the family is free eats! Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, eggplant parmesan, the list goes on.
For the most part, Danny handles the front end while Nick cooks all that delicious food.
"We keep him back there 'cause he's quiet," Danny jokes as his brother pops his head out from behind the counter to make sure everything's OK before quickly retreating to the back again.
"It's fun," Danny says. "We have ups and downs, but at the end of the day, it's family."—07030
Carlo's Bakery
95 Washington St.
(201) 659-3671
Losurdo Bros.
Tony's Italian Bread Bakery & Deli
410 Second St.
(201) 659-4766
Muller Insurance
930 Washington St.
(201) 659-2403
303 First St.
(201) 942-9122


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"'There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways...their magical prowess—their daring—their powers of deduction—and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.'"
The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter—but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through—alive!