#OTD 2002 - John Francis "Jack" Buck died at the age of 77 in St Louis, MO.
The sweetest man with a beautiful penchant for doing things out of the ordinary.
Not because he wanted the spotlight, but because he knew he spoke for the common man. Yet he could do it with style and grace and make us think "I want to be like him!"
I had a few videos I was going to use, but this one seems to speak the loudest on a sad day... because this is probably how he would want it too.
Rest in Paradise Jack. Rest easy.
#STLCards
A 6-year-old boy was found floating unconscious in a Florida pool. Seconds later, an ICE officer jumped in to save him.
ICE law enforcement officer Gregory Simmonds spotted the child in distress in Pasco County on May 16 and immediately pulled him from the water.
The child wasn't breathing, and Simmonds began life-saving CPR at the scene until the boy regained consciousness.
Local authorities say the child is expected to make a full recovery, a rescue DHS is calling an act of bravery.
It’s amazing how quickly the gatekeepers of culture decide what’s acceptable.
In June, every logo becomes a rainbow. Every stadium, every jersey, every broadcast gets a political message.
But put a Bible verse on your cap? Suddenly that’s “controversial.”
Put an American slogan front and center? Suddenly that’s “divisive.”
The NFL had no problem painting political movements in the end zone. Major League Baseball has no problem turning every June into a month-long corporate activism campaign.
Yet the moment someone wants to celebrate faith, patriotism, or traditional values, we’re told those things don’t belong in sports.
Funny how the people preaching inclusion always seem to have a very specific list of viewpoints they’re willing to include.
If rainbow logos belong in sports, then so do Bible verses.
If political messages belong in sports, then so do messages celebrating faith, family, and country.
The double standard isn’t subtle anymore. EVERYONE sees it.
Aaron Tucker had been out of prison for seven days. He had less than $2 in his pocket and one shot at turning his life around, a job interview that morning. Then he saw a car flip over and catch fire from his bus window.
He asked the bus driver if he was going to help. "No, but if you get out I'm going to leave," the driver replied. Tucker got out anyway.
He sprinted toward the upside-down, smoke-filled car and found the 61-year-old driver covered in blood.
He unbuckled the man's seatbelt and dragged him clear as the car started to catch fire.
He pulled off his own dress shirt and used it to stop the man's head wound from bleeding, telling him: "You're going to be all right. Your family wants to see you. Keep your eyes open."
The bus left. Tucker missed his interview.
When the story got out, strangers set up a GoFundMe that raised over $50,000 in three days. He also received multiple job offers in construction.
"I feel like a job can come and go, but a life is a one-time thing," Tucker said. "The job just wasn't in my mind at that time."
This is such a beautiful song. It was written by Ric Ocasek, but he felt that the song needed a better vocal performance than he could give, so he let bandmate Benjamin Orr sing it instead. A very wise, and selfless, move. Unfortunately, Ben died of pancreatic cancer in 2000. Gone but never forgotten and the music will live on forever.
The Cars - Drive (Live Aid 1985)
To you, it's just a Cracker Barrel parking lot. To me, it's where I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
I was 21 years old. I was working at the Cracker Barrel in Tallahassee after some of the worst years of my life. I'd made mistakes. Real ones.
I grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, raised by a mom who worked hard and didn't accept excuses. But I made decisions that should have ended my story before it ever really started. By the grace of God, they didn't. But every day, I was carrying them.
One afternoon, a church group came into the restaurant, just back from a revival. I served them their meals like I served any other table. But something happened while I was serving them. I can't fully explain it to you. The Lord spoke to me. He said, “Stop running from Me.”
It knocked me back.
I went to find the table, and they were all gone. I could see through their windows that they were getting on their bus, and I knew deep down that if I let them drive away, I was going to keep running. So I went outside. The last woman, just as she was stepping onto the bus, turned to me and asked, “Are you okay?”
I told her, “No ma’am, I’m not okay.” I told her the Lord was telling me to stop running.
That whole bus emptied out, stood with me in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel in Tallahassee, Florida, and prayed over me right there.
I gave my life to Christ that day. Right there.
I still get emotional about it. Because I know what I was before that moment, and I know what He's done since. He gave me a wife who shares my faith. He gave me three sons. He gave me a career, a community, a calling I never would have dared to ask for. He took a kid from Crown Heights who’d run out of chances and gave him a life that doesn't make sense apart from grace.
People ask me sometimes why I talk about it. Why I bring up the parking lot. Why I don't just keep that part private and let folks see the polished version.
I'll tell you why.
Because there's a young man out there right now — maybe in Tallahassee, maybe in Tampa, maybe in Miami, maybe in a small town in the Panhandle — who thinks his story is already over. Who thinks the mistakes he's made disqualify him from the life he could have had. Who thinks God doesn't want anything to do with somebody like him.
I'm here to tell him: that's a lie.
In life, you're not who you are at the lowest point. You're who you choose to become after.
The Lord met me in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. He'll meet you wherever you are.
You just have to stop running.
What do these 6 kids all have in common?
They each completed our 50 Yard Challenge by mowing 50 FREE lawns in their communities for the elderly, disabled, single parents, and veterans.
With every 10 lawns, they earned a new color shirt, and at 50 lawns they received their black shirt (like a black belt in karate) 🥋—along with a brand-new mower, weed eater, and blower!
👉 Will your child be the next to take on the challenge?
Kids can join from any city, any state. Raking leaves and snow shoveling count too.
Sign up here: https://t.co/cUXfnpDBhS
(These kids are from previous years.)
Thank you to all who fought and sacrificed in freedoms defense all those years ago. Incredible footage here. Blessed that both my uncles survived and will never forget the over 400,000 who did not come home.
Man do I miss this legend.
"Foul ball! Oh and it lands right in that lady’s bush… (long pause)… And by Busch, of course, I��m referring to her ice cold beer. That sounds pretty good right about now" - Mike Shannon
I wonder who at The White House might be able to make this happen? This man has earned it, and what a GREAT thing he's doing for people in need around America! This is what "Love Thy Neighbor" is all about🇺🇸