Salt and Light

My dear friend Greg Allen of The Right Balance will be hosting a tribute to Eddie tomorrow, Friday the 28th, from 10:06 - 11:00 am Central Time.

Please visit the link above where you can find a radio station near you or listen to the show online. It is going to be a blessed occasion.

I will be on the show for the whole hour and here are some of the guests scheduled to bring tribute to Eddie:

10:06 - 10:20 Frank Salvato of The New Media Journal

10:20 - 10:30 Buzz Patterson, best-selling author and presidential aide to President Bill Clinton. Buzz is a dear brother-in-Christ who has written a brilliant third book (the first two are excellent too) about how the Left is trying to defeat America. War Crimes is a must read and Buzz immortalizes Eddie’s words from Hope Rides Alone. Buzz will tell you that Eddie’s words are the lynch pin to his book.

10:33 Lieutenant Colonel Joe Myers is going to try to come on for a few minutes and say a quick few words about Eddie. Joe was the first to alert us to Eddie being mentioned on The O’Reilly Factor and Karen and I had the chance to break bread with him and our dear friends Dino and Jeannette. Joe spoke so highly of Eddie and has been greatly affected by Eddie’s life and death.

After this, some of the family will come on. Eddie’s mother, Tina Kelly, may come on. Eddie’s sister Becky will also come on to say some words about her beloved brother. Possibly my wife Karen and Eddie’s step-sister Tiffany Schreffler (my step-daugther) will come on. Also, time allowing Bill Malley, my best man and great mentor to Tiffany, Eddie, and Becky, known as “Mr. Bill” will come on.

Greg is lovingly putting together a show to bring great honor to Eddie. Greg will tell you that he truly believed that Eddie would one day be a congressman if not higher. Many of you have echoed that sentiment. Eddie laughed when I told him about what Greg said, replying: “I’m not sure they’d appreciate me hurling my chair across the room at some stupid comment made by another congressman.” That’s my Eddie!

Please join us, but if you cannot, go to The Right Balance to see replay times and I will be posting the entire interview here a few days later.

God bless!

Here is part two of Air Force Master Sergeant Tony Johnston’s poem:

And Then One Day…. Part #2

And then one day you wake up and realize
That you’re still not home.
No matter how badly you want to be.
And you finally acknowledge the fact
That it either has to get better…
Or it has to get worse…

And “worse” is not an option.

“Worse” is one more blow to those that sacrificed,
And especially to the “some” that “gave all.”
And “worse” leaves out the people that care,
And the people that don’t understand,
But love you anyway.
And want more than anything,
For you to be home.

“All the way” home.

So maybe this is as far home
As you’re ever gonna get?
And that may sound sad.
But you know in your heart
That no one ever came home from any war
Unchanged in some way.

And maybe by the time you figure out,
That it’s time to quit trying to figure it out,
You’ll find some Peace in that?
And each time you find that Peace,
It becomes another part of your puzzle?

So you realize that if your dreams
Are where the dead and wounded need to live,
So that they are never forgotten,
Then so be it.
You wouldn’t leave them behind then,
So why would you
Leave them behind now?

And you acknowledge the fact
That being scared can help keep you alive,
And that the old adage about
Pain…
Being fear…
Leaving your body…
Never made more sense.
This pain is different,
But it’s still pain.

So you steal a line from your favorite poem…

“You plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers”

And you keep looking for the parts of your “new” self
And keep putting the Peace,
And the pieces,
of Your puzzle together…
With a little help from your friends.

And you realize that if your purpose
Really is the essence of who you are,
That maybe this was your “purpose” and this is just who you are now?

And you know that it either has to get better,
Or it has to get worse…

And “worse” is not an option!

Master Sergeant Anthony Johnston
“All the way”… home.

Please go to the New Media Journal and read my good friend Lance Fairchok’s tribute to Eddie titled “Remember Eddie, Remember His Message.”

We, like you Lance, “will remember you, Eddie, every day of my life.”

Look who we have in our corner! The great comedian Jackie Mason was one of my favorites growing up. Many of you know that he is a conservative and has appeared on Sean Hannity’s show many times. Jackie has let loose a serious tirade, and I must say I was shocked at his anger. I for one do not hate (not allowed to) but my anger matches Jackie’s. Eddie would have cracked up at this video.

Fasten your seat belts!

Some of you may need the Kleenex, but I must confess that as I put this video tribute together and watched it three times for my final approval, I smiled the whole time. That is just an indication of how wonderful a son Eddie was. This video is for so many of you who have written me and said you feel as though you know Eddie, so here are some pictures to help.

Even though this video may cause you to shed a tear, my prayer is that it will bring you great joy. It gives me joy, brings a smile on my face, and blesses God for His precious gift of a son.

I love you Jesus!

I promised to give you more information about the Fisher House Foundation which is where we are asking you to send your monies in lieu of flowers. Their national office is in Rockville, Maryland and I wanted to share an email I received from James D. Weiskopf, Vice President, Communications for the Fisher House Foundation:

Dear Mr. Jeffers:

Jim

What wonderful people! Please check the website to see if there is a Fisher House near you so your donation can go to one locally.

For those of you in NW Florida we have a brand new Fisher House being constructed on Eglin Air Force Base and in fact, as God’s providence would have it, the final approvals were given last Wednesday, September 19th. The very same day that Eddie was killed, new birth was given to a wonderful organization right here in the Emerald Coast! Please visit our very own Fisher House of the Emerald Coast website. There you can download applications to donate money and time and talents.

Tom Rice, owner of The Magnolia Grill and local philanthropist, is on the executive committee and this morning he called into the local radio station to give his condolences and commitment that these funds given will be used wisely. Tom also stated that at the dedication he would like to see a plaque done in memory of Eddie and the generosity of those who love him. Thanks to Ken Walsh and Jerry Melvin of The Morning Show at WFTW in Fort Walton Beach for having Karen and me in this morning to talk about Eddie and the Fisher House.

We serve a mighty God and even though we don’t always understand His ways, I can assure you that He is in control and is at work in all areas of our life. My family thanks you in advance for your generosity towards the Fisher House Foundation in memory of our beloved Eddie.

Frank Salvato has once again honored our family by putting my tribute to Eddie on the New Media Journal. Please read “Hope Rides Eternal” and share it with all you know. I would also encourage you to post NMJ in your favorites; it is one of the first sites I read every morning. I would recommend you do the same.

God bless all of you and thank you once again for the tremendous outpouring of love.

In Christ
Dave Jeffers
Ps. 37:4

I want to share a poem, actually it is two parts, from Air Force Master Sergeant Tony Johnston. He wrote this about Eddie:

I am shocked and saddened at the loss of your son. He was part of the inspiration for me to come back here for the fourth time. When I left in May of 2006 I was a wreck. As a 44 year old Air National Guardsman with a wife and three lovely children, I thought that I had done my fair share. My work at the Air Force Theatre Hospital here had been much more taxing on my mind and on my soul than I could have ever expected. But when I read what your son had written, and his view on how important this mission is, I was reminded that I was not the only one sacrificing, and that this cause is just and righteous.

So here is part one of Tony’s stirring and brilliant poem…

And Then One Day

And then one day you wake up…..and you are home.
And you’re afraid it might be another dream.
But there you are
Surrounded by young sons…….yours and others’
At the baseball diamond, Sitting on the bench, waiting on the call.
“Play Ball!” This is real; it’s too quiet to be a dream.

And all is right with the world…. Almost.
If the kids weren’t there, you’d cry
But you can’t, or you won’t, because you’re the dad,
Just home from the war
And the young Marine whose hand you held
As he drew his last ragged breath
Just Won’t let go,
He’s still dead.
And you can’t change that.
You can’t bring him back,
Even if you could trade your life for his.
But that doesn’t keep you from wondering
What he might have become?
And you Honor his Family, and you Honor his life,
By going on with yours.

But you still wonder what might have been?
One day you realize that you are not alone.
Your family wants to Honor him, and Honor you too,
But they can’t do that until you come home….
All the way home.

And one day you will be “all the way home”
But until then you trudge on….and you cry
Especially when no one else is around,
Because of the terror of the evening news
Because of the next sad song on the radio
Because of the nightmares
Or because of the fact that you just can’t let it go.

And you pray to God that you don’t have to explain,
The red eyes.
The tired look.
The distance….Again
Or answer another question like
“What was it like?”
Or “Why are you so sad?”
You are thankful that they care
But wish that it would all just go away

And one day you realize,
It’s not all about you.
And one day you realize
That no one could have been where you’ve been
Or seen what you’ve seen
And not be changed….Somehow
And you cry
Again.

And you make up your mind
That when you’ve learned the lesson
That you were sent here to learn
And climbed the hill that you were sent here to climb,
That it will all be okay someday,
When God’s time is right
Not yours.

And you wonder what you need to do
Who you need to help,
Or where you need to be
Before the faces of the dead and wounded
Finally quit dragging themselves through your dreams?
And you might finally realize that your family needs you as much
As anyone else.
And that they served too
And that they sacrificed too
And, like you, they did it for all the right reasons

So when you finally learn the lesson that God sent you to learn
And acknowledge the sacrifices of those that didn’t make it home
That then
Just maybe then
At night you can lie down and have
A peaceful night’s sleep

And then finally one day you wake up and you’re home….
And you pray to God that it’s not just another dream.

Look for part two of Tony’s poem on Tuesday.

One of the comments on my last post about Adam’s email to me asked, “What do we do now?” Well, I will reveal on Monday in my tribute to Eddie’s life a call to arms. Frank Salvato of the New Media Journal will be publishing “Hope Rides Eternal.” This is not to be confused with my original email and recent posting announcing Eddie’s death. At any rate, please check in to NMJ on Monday morning (as you should be doing every day!) and read my tribute to Eddie.

While you are waiting I have some required reading for you and if you truly want to become the type of activist that Eddie is looking for, you need to read Lance Fairchok’s latest article, “The Devil and the Democrats” at NMJ. It will set the tone and help us to understand our enemy.

I wanted to share a letter with all of you from a dear brother in Christ from up in Canada. Adam Boggs was the very first respondent to Eddie’s article “Hope Rides Alone.” Some over 700 people later the Hope Family was formed and is still growing. Adam thought that what he wrote me might seem crazy, but I told him it is an inspiring tribute to Eddie. I am publishing it here with his permission:

David,

Adam

Well the tributes are just beginning but it seemed only fitting that our dear friend Frank Salvato at the New Media Journal should be one of the first to write about Eddie since he was the one who published Eddie.

Frank emailed me either late Wednesday or early Thursday and asked if there was a recording of Eddie having read his article Hope Rides Alone; Frank was receiving inquiries about it. I told him we had actually planned on doing so but we never did. I told Frank because of his actor’s voice that he would be the perfect candidate and I believed it would honor Eddie to have Frank read it. Frank not only did that but he wrote a stirring tribute to our Eddie that has forever immortalized Eddie’s contribution to life, our country, and to humanity.

You can read Frank’s tribute to Eddie, “The Death of a Soldier…The Life of a Patriot” and listen to the tribute on NMJ radio.

My sister Mary suggested that I post all of Eddie’s articles here again and Frank Salvato has just sent them, so thanks to Mary for the wonderful idea and Frank’s assistance:

Hope Rides Alone
Freedom Feels Good
Real Deal in Ramadi

It is with great personal sadness but joy in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I announce the death of my son Eddie Jeffers. Eddie was killed around 7 am Iraqi time from an accidental vehicle roll-over. Although our personal loss is traumatic, we know he is in a better place. All of you have been so wonderful to my son and my family and he was so blessed and humbled by your love for him. He told me this past summer after the wonderful gift you gave his wife and him that he didn’t understand why people were so generous and kind to him. You see to Eddie, he was just doing his job and what he believed was his life mission from God.

I’ve said this often; Eddie was my hero. My dear brother in Christ Rod Martin told me that Eddie died a hero for not just the soldier he was but the person. Eddie, through his writing, touched so many people’s lives, yours and you so lovingly touched ours back.

We thank you in advance for your condolences and prayers. Please pray especially for Eddie’s wife Stephanie; as you can imagine she is devastated. Our prayer is that Eddie’s death will exalt Christ as did his life.

In lieu of any flowers we are asking all donations be given to the Fisher House in memory of Eddie; he loved that charity.

Love in Christ Jesus

The Jeffers Family

“Blessed be the Lord my Strength, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” Psalm 144:1 (Eddie’s favorite Bible verse)

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

I’m sure most of you missed my appearance today on the Bob Dutko Show on Michigan’s largest Christian radio station out of Detroit, FM 103.5 The Light. Bob was a gracious host and thanks to the producer Jan for setting this up and the engineer Jerry for providing me with an audio file of the interview. Here’s the show from You Tube.

After posting yesterday afternoon, I received a phone call from Stephen Dinan of the Washington Times and he interviewed me about my press release concerning John McCain’s claim that he’s been a baptist for 15 years. You can read my part of the interview at the Times’ article, “Candidates Invite Questions About Their Faith.”

The big four, Thompson, Giuliani, McCain, and Romney, made a mistake by not showing up to the Values Voter Debate in Fort Lauderdale. In fact, Giuliani was in town and did not show up.

The big four received much criticism from the likes of Phyliss Schafly, Pastor Rick Scarborough, Buddy Smith from AFA, and the Rabbi who was on the panel called Rudy Giuliani a coward for not showing up while he was in town. Janet Folger of Faith2Action stated she believed that this was a clear sign that Mike Huckabee was the clear choice for President. The rest would not commit to any candidate this early. I think that is a good strategy; keep your powder dry because there is a lot of time left.

Mike Huckabee won the straw poll with 63% of the vote, and the big four all dropped severely, down to almost nothing (Giuliani got zero votes). One pleasant surprise was the very good showing of Alan Keyes (I confess I did not know he was running again).

I’ve been sitting here watching this for the last 3 ½ hours and this was by far the best debate I’ve seen so far.

So the Huckabee phenomenon is still strong.

Check out my latest press release on the Christian Newswire, “Jesusland Not Buying McBaptist.”

Because of the press release, tomorrow morning I will be on Detroit’s Christian Radio Station FM 103.5, “The Light.” You can listen online at 11:15 central time.

Also I was contacted by the editor of Church Executive Magazine for a review copy of my book. I’m praying that they will deem it worthy of publishing a review of “Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland.”

Lastly, tonight there will be a GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate tonight and you can watch via live streaming at the American Family Association’s website.

So much has gone on and I’m way behind; brutal week of graduate studies with midterms. The Lord was good though and I passed! I need to catch you up on things though.

As you all know, last week was probably one of the lowest moments in US military history. First, a true American hero, General David Petraeus, was scandalously smeared by MoveOn.org, the New York Times, and congressional Democrats, with a few RINOs mixed in for good measure (thank you Chuck Hagel). We need to call all our US Representative and Senators and say we will no longer tolerate such shameless behavior towards a true American Hero. Please use every possible means to voice your complete with not only your elected officials, but also Senator Harry Reid, all the Democratic candidates, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Please remember to me polite, no hatred or vitriol.

We have to come to the defense of the military because they cannot defend themselves, and the GOP is doing a mediocre job of it. Let’s rally around the troops!

Dennis Kucinich has been many things to America. To the Looney Left he is their only hope for an immediate end to the Iraqi War. He is fun to watch many times as he comes up with stuff that even makes the rest of the Democrat candidates shake their heads.

However, he has stepped over the line from lunacy to treason.

Watch this video of his performance in Syria!

My heart is soaring! I just got off the phone with my sister Theresa Price and she is truly in the middle of God’s work.

Theresa has struggled with drugs and alcohol for most of her adult life and as her testimony reveals, it has devastated her life. She’s been in and out of different rehab centers and yet she would succumb to the demons.

Praise God she has finally made it to The Father’s House. No, I mean she is literally living and working at a wonderful ministry known as The Father’s House. She has been there almost one year and is now serving as an intern and is a women’s recovery house leader.

Located in the South Oroville, California, The Father’s House is truly being Salt and Light. As their wonderful website says, “South Oroville is a region that is marked with poverty, drug abuse, hopelessness and despair. Over the past 9 years The Father’s House Church has had a massive role in transforming this region. It has active children’s, youth, drug recovery, elder care and homeless ministries.”

My pastor always says that God will turn misery into ministry and that is exactly what is happening in my sister’s life and the lives of many. I am so proud of her and thankful for Steve and Vicki Orsillo for giving their lives and their livelihood to this wonderful ministry.

In my book in the chapter on economics, I wrote, “It is clear that government dependence needs to end. For this to happen, two steps must be taken. First, able-bodied adults receiving government assistance need to be forced to find work and to make themselves more employable through training. Second, churches and faith-based organizations must take a more active role in providing assistance. The church should not only meet the physical and emotional needs of the community, but also provide spiritual and moral counseling.”

Well hallelujah The Father’s House is doing what God designed the church to be, a place of healing and growth right in the center of its community.

As is the case with all ministry, The Father’s House incurs massive costs and the Orsillo Family is footing much of the bill themselves. I’m asking all of you to search your hearts and your wallets and make whatever donation you can afford. Please understand nothing is too small and if we all give what we can, we will be able to help such a wonderful place.

Thanks once again for allowing me to presume upon your kindness and generosity in sharing this story with you and this wonderful opportunity to bless this ministry.

God bless!

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4