Taken

Last night I watched the last 20 minutes of one of my favorite movies: Taken
The star of the movie is Liam Neeson who plays a former CIA operative named Bryan Mills who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers for sexual slavery while traveling in France.

In the climactic scene of the movie Mills breaks into the master bedroom on a yacht, only to find his daughter being held by a sheikh with a knife to her throat. Mills draws his gun, takes careful aim and then blows the sheikh away.

The daughter, who has been drugged and assaulted looks at her dad with disbelief and with tears streaming down her face cries out over and over again:
"You came for me? You came for me?"

Mills, the Father, offers the movie's most chill bump inducing line - "I told you I would."

My iWitness...

The voices on the call to 911 are filled with panic and desperation...
"Please hurry! Hurry up!! Get here fast!! It's getting bad!"

And so the brave firefighters of the New York Fire Department hurried as fast as they could.
When everyone was running away from the Towers...
The NYFD were running to the Towers...

I can hear the voices of those that were rescued by the NYFD...
"You came for me?"

"I told you I would" was the response of those that took an oath to be an NYFD firefighter that said that they would serve the people of New York City to the best of their ability.

The very first memory verse I ever memorized went like this:
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3. 16)

Over the years I can't tell you how many times I have cried out to God...

"YOU CAME FOR ME? YOU CAME FOR ME?"

His voice has varied over the years...
Sometimes He shouts...
Sometimes He whispers...
Sometimes His tear streaked face hardly makes a sound...
Sometimes His eyes alone speak volumes...
Sometimes He chuckles...
But the answer is always the same...

"I told you I would..."

There's an old saying that goes something like this...
"Life isn't worth living until you have found something worth dying for..."

In Jesus and in the NYFD/NYPD on 9/11/01 we find some people who really knew what it meant to be alive...

They came for us just like they said they would...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

The Little Drummer Boy

Confession time: I'm a closet rocker!
There...
I said it...
I confessed it...
I am officially out of the closet and no longer will I attend my weekly RA (Rockers Anonymous) meetings!
My favorite rock song is Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild."
I grew up listening to Styx, Boston, Journey, Kansas, Yes, Def Leppard and Peter Frampton.
Nothing better than a strong bass beat to get my head rockin and my body rolling!
Rock n Roll forever!!!

Last night I went, by myself to the Def Leppard and Kiss concert. (I was still a closet rocker last night!)
Close to four hours of head banging, foot stomping, body rocking music.
I love Def Leppard as they pulled out all the stops on some of my favorite tunes.
Photograph, Animal, Let's Get Rocked, Armageddon It, Rock of Ages and Pour Some Sugar On Me were just some of the songs that got the crowd of 19,500 rockin and rollin!
Fantastic solos by all the artists were highlighted with vintage video and superb strobe light effects.
The drummer for Def Leppard, Rick Allen is only 8 months younger than me.
They have a nickname for Rick - Thunder God!
He performed some of the most fantastic drum solos that had me and the audience completely mesmerized.
Do you know what is so remarkable about Rick Allen?
He only has one arm!

My iWitness...

Over the years I have rocked out every Christmas to another drummer.
His nickname is not Thunder God!
He simply goes by, "The Little Drummer Boy."
He is summoned by that fantastic trio known as The Magi to join them on their journey to pay tribute to the newborn king - Jesus!
You may remember how his Number 1, one hit wonder song goes (Here's the last verse or so):
The Little Drummer Boy realizes that the only gift he has to offer is to play his drum for the newborn babe. He looks at Mary and says:

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

Do you know what Rick Allen aka - Thunder God and The Little Drummer Boy have in common?

They played their best with what they had.
Rick Allen only has one arm. He played his best!
The Little Drummer Boy, in the midst of gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh only had his little drum. He played his best!

Whatever you have...
Play your best for God today!

Play your best with whatever you have...
And get ready...
Get ready to see the most brilliant smile
that will rock and roll you all night long!
Pa rum pum pum pum!!!!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often, Fear not and ROCK ON!!
David!

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
     my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
     my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18. 2)