Of Preachers and Preaching

Our preacher is a goodly man,
Real righteous, kind and true.
Yet he can smile and laugh and joke
'Long with the best of you.

Yet long with that jokin' man
Some phrases often spoken,
"Believe in the Lord and you'll be saved-"
And believe me he's not jokin'.

"Lay your all on the altar, friend,
Confess all and pray thru."
He speaks thus not to just one friend
But, to the lot of you.

Sometimes the sermon sets with one
And then again another.
Who knows when sin is easily hidden?
Sometimes one, sometimes 'tother

Yet gently, kindly, he does preach.
If the shoe fits, then wear it.
Don't be ashamed to confess your sin,
Jesus will help you bear it.

By Treva E. Stokes (1912-1980)

Senseless in San Diego

Where does the blame rest?
With those who poked fun?
With those who heard the jest?
With those who owned the gun?

Everyone wants to know why
Life at school is so bitter cruel.
To early the young say goodbye,
To classmates left in a bloody pool. 

With seasonal shootings to recall,
Softer we dare say, "Never again."
Harder it is for the tears to fall.
Shorter is our attention to the pain.

We find ourselves in a perfect storm,
Where unresolved anger and guns
Can so unexpectedly transform
The power of the unrestrained ones.

Working for a superior gun control law,
Wanting all our youth to know real love,
Like Titanic our dreams have a key flaw.
Within one must live a trust in God above.

By Alan T. Stokes  March 7, 2001

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Note: This poem is dedicated to Randy Gordon and Bryan Zucker who died on March 5, 2001 after being shot by a classmate (See Scars of the Santana High School Shooting - 10 Years Later, San Diego Union-Tribune, March 4, 2011).

Gmail Upgrades

I'm a happy owner of a Gmail account. I first signed up for it in 2010, because I realized that I didn't want to change my email address anytime I changed internet service providers. I have tried other web-based email over the years and keep one as a backup, but nothing changes my first email love for Gmail.

Gmail has announced a major upgrade to their product this week. Some of the features include:

• Allowing users the option to designate an expiration date on emails at which they will self-destruct and disappear from the receivers account. 
• Giving clearer notification on suspicious emails to improve security.
• Using a nudging technique to remind people when they haven't responded to emails.
• Adding a smart-reply function to it's web-based email.
• Giveing high priority notifications.

See Edward C. Baig, USA Today, April 25, 2018 for more information on exciting new features available to anyone with a Gmail address.

Gmail is a Google product. These improvements will make their free email even better.