My mother, Marion Dalton was born on the Fourth of July and died on Christmas Day five years ago. Life is not as interesting without Marion, there was always something different with Marion.  You could expect the unexpected.   Here is a poem I wrote years ago in tribute to Mom:

Marion Gertrude Dalton 1924 - 2006
Written in 1984 for her 60th birthday

Marion, an American
Was born July the fourth,
With firecrackers cracking:
She’ll be a patriot of course.

For God and country, apple pie,
And motherhood for sure;
Parades with flags keep marching by
To mark each birthday year.

Marion’s an Eagle
Far to the right of Ron.
She’s colorful, red, white and blue
With bumper stickers on.

Gertie, she’s a traveler
From L.A. to D.C.;
She catches most all the summits,
And not just on TV.

Grandma, she’s a marcher
Who’s seen on nightly news.
The grandkids wait til six o’clock
To find out granny’s views.

Mrs. D. is flighty,
Not always down on earth;
But it would take both earth and heaven
To measure what she’s worth.

by her son, Richard

Since 1986, every innovation workshop I've facilitated has included a poster of Albert Einstein.

Somehow, Einstein's smiling countenance inspires everyone in the room — no matter what their social style, gender, or title.

The only thing I find more fascinating than this is the incredible amount of powerful quotes he left behind.

1. "The only real valuable thing is intuition."

2. "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

3. "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."

4. "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

5. "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."

6. "The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge."

7. "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

8. "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

9. "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

10. "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

11. "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

12. "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

13. "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."

14. "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

15. "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours. That's relativity."

16. "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."

17. "What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world."

18. "A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

19. "A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?"

20. "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"

21. "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."

22. "Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts."

23. "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

24. "Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them."

25. "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

26. "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

27. "I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."

28. "The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive."

29. "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."

30. "We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us."

31. "You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I've only ever had one."

32. "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

33. "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

34. "Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts."

35. "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

This is our CHRISTMAS GREETING to you - music and all.

I asked Theresa to do a recording of one of my favorite Christmas Hymns
- Of the Father's Love Begotten. ENJOY !

A bit of an update from The Dalton's -
I am working on a huge media vision that covers all of Metro Detroit.  This link may help you catch the LookUpDetroit VISION for connecting, blessing and reaching to our neighbors.  I continue my personal ministry both in the city and suburbs.  Here is a recent Advent Message I delivered in Lapeer, MI.

We are involved at Church of the Holy Redeemer, a church we pioneered with a small group starting in a school in Sterling Heights years ago. Theresa, every Saturday leads worship there at at 5 p.m. service and also is part of the music ministry most every Sunday.  She also serves as the Manager at the Give Thanks Bakery in Rochester just a few blocks for our home.

OUR THANKS AND PRAISE THIS SEASON AND DAILY IS TO
OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

- OUR LOVE AND PRAYERS GO WITH YOU IN 2012.

It is away's great to get up to Lapeer, MI and be with folks from St. Matthew's.   This is a Video from their service, included with the sermon is a song from Theresa Dalton and a bit of a personal update from me before the message.   This was on Nov 27, 2011- The First Sunday of Advent and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I preached from the Lectionary New Testament Reading:

Thank You for the Grace
Thank You for the Gifts
Thank You for the Group

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ESV).

Recovering Biblical Worship -

GREAT AUDIO MESSAGE ON CHRISTIAN WORSHIP ! -  Fr. Richard

Biblically correct worship—is there such a thing? This presentation discussed the trend from structured liturgical to free-flowing worship and helped determine if this is biblical. Are there biblical guidelines for worship? Is the fashion for rock-group-style worship a pure gift from God or a capitulation to the spirit of the age? Wright led listeners on spiritual journey regarding how to best glorify God and reflect his image in the world through worship.

Find the Podcast for Mobile Listening - Number 10  -  iTunes Link

Source Link at Calvin College

Eric Metaxas wrote a great book titled, BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy which we are reading and discussing at church.  He also wrote a children's book a few years ago, on Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving.  Check out this interesting interview about Squanto.

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving

This entertaining and historical story shows that the actual hero of the Thanksgiving was neither white nor Indian, but God. In 1608, English traders came to Massachusetts and captured a 12-year old Indian, Squanto, and sold him into slavery. He was raised by Christians and taught faith in God. Ten years later he was sent home to America. Upon arrival, he learned an epidemic had wiped out his entire village. But God had plans for Squanto. God delivered a Thanksgiving miracle: an English-speaking Indian living in the exact place where the Pilgrims land in a strange new world.

Link to Book on Amazon

Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford (October 25, 2011) Richard Dawkins was invited by the Oxford student Christian Union to defend his book The God Delusion in public debate with William Lane Craig. The invitation remained open until the last minute. However, Dawkins refused the challenge and his chair remained empty. Craig then gave a lecture to a capacity audience on the weaknesses of the central arguments of the book and responded to a panel of academics. The event, which was chaired by atheist Prof. Peter Millican, was part of The Reasonable Faith Tour 2011 sponsored by UCCF, Damaris & Premier Christian Radio.

Timothy Keller has written a book titled “The Reason for God – Belief in an Age of Skepticism”. In some ways, one could call it an updated, contemporary “Mere Christianity”. Keller, like C. S. Lewis is dealing with some common objections to the idea of God and then also presenting a positive argument for basic Christian belief. I think he does an excellent job and I applaud him. He was also applauded at Google Headquarters a while ago, as he presented some ideas from his book to the Google Staff. The presentation is offered here via YouTube. Seems like the turnout for Keller's talk brought an unusually large crowd of Google employees compared to the many presentations by other visiting authors. I highly recommend the book, but you might also want to watch this video presentation, followed up by interesting questions from Google folks. - Richard Dalton

Amazon Link to Book