Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bill O'Reilly: A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity




Hi, Connie, here. Please,
. . . Come, walk with me.
. . . . . . . Come, talk with me.

Bill O'Reilly, host of The O’Reilly Factor among other interests, wrote A Bold, Fresh Piece of Humanity to teach us a little about himself. Along the journey, I learned a little about myself.

First, Mr. O’Reilly walks and talks his Christianity. Hmm, do I?

Mr. O’Reilly is exceptionally sure of himself and his God-given talents. He has no doubts as to why he’s here or the mission he’s here to accomplish. It’s clear that, over the decades, this mission statement has morphed, but he appears to have been self-sufficient and on course from his earliest memories.

Me? Nah. I’m the follower, not the leader, a trait I’ve known about myself for, ahem, decades. A trait I don’t mind. I mean, we can’t all be leaders, right? We need us little guys there in the background as fillers.

Mr. O’Reilly goes after the big fish in defense of the little fish that are swept aside in the wake of greed, lust and power. Such is his personality and strength. This evidently is God’s purpose in making Bill O’Reilly as he is--a bold, fresh piece of humanity. Mr. O’Reilly has made powerful enemies along this path, and God has given him the tools to cope--mentally and physically.

Personally, I would hate to be surrounded by bodyguards 24/7. I love personal time with family and friends. I treasure my time alone. I don’t need people watching my back when I go to church to worship. Nor do I need them when I take Communion to the homebound, while I serve at a funeral reception, or while my beautiful Golden


Retriever Riley and I visit convalescent homes, hospitals and local events. Sometimes I feel I could use one while I’m volunteering at the homeless home on women’s day. No, not really. They're a lovely bunch of ladies with their own special problems.

Mr. O'Reilly believes the phrase a work in progress is a copout. He says, "What it really means is, 'He's a jerk and might be one forever.' " He goes on to say that we are all flawed--that no one will ever be a completed 'work.'

Wow! That statement gave me pause. He may be on to something. We always have choices. We must make the right one, even if it‘s not the popular one. Of course, mistakes are made. But we can’t cry out, “It wasn’t my fault. I’m only a work in progress.” We need to own up to our errors, make a vow not to repeat them, forgive ourselves and get back on the journey. Whew. Life is tough. Anyone willing to come, walk with me?

I’ve often lamented the fact that I can’t come up with one-liner, back-at-ya’s instantaneously, like Mr. O’Reilly. Man, he is a master. My husband’s like that. I used to envy the gift. But I’ve finally gotten the message. The Lord gave me the talent of putting words to paper and with that gift comes the added reward of one-liner, back-at-ya’s. Now, they might take me five or six tries . . . Well, that’s kind of an understatement. I’ve been known to linger over one of those instantaneous comebacks for as long as six months! But does the reader know if it took me six months or six seconds (like Mr. O’Reilly and my husband) to come up with that perfect quirky phrase. No, fortunately for me, they don't. I love that, among a treasure chest of other things, about writing and sharing the gifts God saw fit to give me to use while on His beautiful earth.

You see, we are all special in our own way in God's eyes. Don’t waste your precious moments envying what others have. They pay the price one way or another. I can go out to dinner without fear of being mobbed. Bill O’Reilly can move mountains of red tape to grant a child his or her last wish.

God has a journey for you, too. Take His hand and enjoy It will be the best trip you’ve ever taken. Trust me. I know.
.
The Lord says "I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

Please leave a comment with your email address included (with spaces or brackets arount the "@" so net spiders, etc, can't phish your address) to be entered to win a copy of Shirley Kiger Connolly's I See God in the Simple Things.
Thanks for walking with me. Thanks for talking with me. You’ve made my day brighter. May God bless you always and forever.


Connie




25 comments:

  1. Connie;

    You're more of a leader than you think you are. You may not always have a fast comeback (few of us do) but when you say something it's always worth listening to.
    Loved reading your blog. And Reily looks so handsome, too.

    Bobbie

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  2. Connie, I agree. You are a leader in ways you don't see, but others do.

    The post looks great! I certainly learned a bit about Bill O beyond his 'boldness'. I wish I had a bit more, myself. I would probably never had considered reading this but you've made it sound very interesting.

    Have a great day, it's a special one, and I'm glad the Lord brought this friendship into our lives and that we're on this writing journey together!

    Debbie

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  3. Bobbie, thanks for coming over to visit and for your uplifting words.

    Deb, your picture's wonderful!It'll be so great to meet you 'in person' at conference in two weeks.

    Have a great day!

    Connie

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  4. Wow, that was awesome. I'm not a big O'Reilly fan personally, but I absolutely loved your take on his book and his life.

    My Mom, on the other hand, is a huge O'Reilly fan. I'll be sure to send her over for a visit today :)
    Dina

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  5. Thanks, Dina. You mom and I must be of like geneeration! :-)
    Connie

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  6. Very interesting take, Connie. Even when I agree with Mr. O'Reilly I have a hard time listening to him. But through the filter of your gentleness, I got a different perspective. That's a special talent, and you are a special woman!

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  7. Hey Connie, great post. You had me LOL because I'm right there with you, always trying to come up with a snappy comeback. By the time I ever think of one, no one cares anymore! Have a great day. I'm dashing off to work.

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  8. Hey, Deb, you finally have your picture up. Cute! But you certainly don't look old enough to be a grandma!

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  9. Mr. O’Reilly goes after the big fish in defense of the little fish that are swept aside in the wake of greed, lust and power.

    Beautifully worded! I appreciate the concept of how our confidence in our God-given talents/purpose/plan really does help tackle the "big fish" that threaten our morale.

    Not being afraid to be a voice or representation for Christianity can have some real and lasting effects.

    Thanks for the insight!
    ~Sarah Dolan

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  11. Hi, I've wanted to read this book and haven't yet. Mainly because I always read fiction. But I'm a big O'Reilly Factor fan so maybe.

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  12. I mainly read fiction, too, and my 'to read' stack is growing faster than my 'read' stack! However, this book was a gift and I felt obligated. Turns out I couldn't put it down. Now I'm thinking of broadening my horizons! :-)))

    Glad you could all stop by. Suzie, I know what you mean. Three days later, my spiffy come-back falls on wondering ears!

    Lisa, everyone writes and reads a book differently. God's diversity is awesome.

    Sarah, the fish I tackle may not be as large as Mr. O'Reilly's, but they're whoppers to me!

    Mary, it's so great to see you here. I'm usually on the other end of comments with you.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Connie

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  13. Hi Connie! Great post! I know very little about O'Reilly so this was fun to read. The "work in progress" stuff made me pause, too, but he's got a point.

    Your dog is adorable. I'm fighting so hard against getting a puppy right now...but he's so cute...

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  14. Hi, Susanne: Thanks for your comments. Yeah, you need a puppy. Just think of the sleepless nights, the nibbled slippers, the wet carpet . . . then think of puppy breath, right up there with coffee and chocolate chip cookies scents; someone who's always always overjoyed to see you; those big, brown adoring eyes, walking companion, protector, new picture for your blog . . . Yeah, you need a puppy.

    Connie

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  15. I'll be gone volunteering until about 5 PM PDT. Talk to you after that!

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  16. Bill O'Reilly sounds like a great guy! Don't we all go after the bigger fishes? :-)

    When I first tried to comment just now, McAfee Site Advisor overrode it and said your site was on the list for checking for internet safety. Now I have just registered as a Site Advisor Reviewer!

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  17. It took me a long time to learn not to envy the path and gifts God has given others. And I still sometimes fall back into that. It's so good to know that I am unique and the role the Lord has for me to play in giving Him glory is unique as well!

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  18. Lovely, Connie. It looks beautiful, and your gentle spirit shines through. Can you hear that sound? It's me, clapping. Bravo!

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  19. Connie, I enjoyed your post. It's good to know there are Christians out there living their faith and making a difference in the world, wheteher they impact a large portion of the world or just their little corner.

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  20. Connie,
    Great sharing about Mr. O'Reilly (Bill). He is a real guy, and it shows.

    My husband and I watch his show along with Beck's every weekday (though I walk out of the room, often, when Bill shows the short videos of women in less than their proper attire during many of the second half portions of his show). I can listen to the analysis easy enough without watching. (I agree with some of his guests in that there is no necessity to SHOW that stuff.)

    But all in all I appreciate what he has to share. And I am so glad you did a presentation on him.

    Thanks for offering my first devotional here as a prize. I look forward to passing it on to your winner.

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  21. Great interview. Interesting you did Bill O'Reilly. That's an original guy!
    Thanks, and I like your new blog.
    Jane Insley

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  22. Hi Connie,
    Great article. You know I was thinking about the leader/follower thing and . . . I think maybe we all lead a little bit at differnt times in our lives. It may not be a big thing that gets a lot of attention, but still we may lead. I hadn't even thought about that before you posted this article. I'm looking forward to the early bird and meeting you at conference.

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  23. Thanks for this. It gives me a different perspective on Bill O, whom I can rarely bear to watch. And it's not his faith or his politics, per se, that yank me up short.

    It's his tendency to invite people to his program and then talk over them. I catch myself yelling, "Shut UP for a moment and let the man/woman speak!"

    Yelling at the TV. Yeah. That's REAL mature of me.

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  24. Too bad there aren't more Bill O'Reilly's in the media. I'd actually enjoy watching the news. He's not afraid to tell it like it is and give both perspectives . Thanks for the interview. Please enter me for your book. Thanks.
    desertrose5173 at gmail dot com

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