Looking Forward to Next Weeks Guests

Love doing my radio show and having the chance to talk one on one to so many interesting authors, politicians, personalities and more. Next week you won't want to miss a day: Monday I will talk with Mike Gilbert, who served as O. J. Simpson's sports agent for a reported 18 years. he wrote the book How I Helped O. J. Get Away With Murder. Should be a real interesting hour. Then later in the week on Thursday, former Bill Clinton advisor and political pundit Dick Morris will join me. His latest book is Fleeced which explores the many ways Morris feels we as citizens are being fleeced by our government. Not near Atlantic City? Listen to the show over the internet at www.jeffwhitaker.com 6-7 pm eastern from WOND 1400 AM radio.

A Friend Has Gone Home

     You know how sometimes in life, you get to know someone (although it may be brief) but they make a lasting impact.  Bill Becker is one of those people.  Our paths crossed at our church (Shore Fellowship) less than a year ago.  He had come off a bout of cancer and I was in the middle of mine.  We connected.  He shared with me that I was an encouragement to him as he read my blog during my journey through Leukemia.  Interestingly enough as the next several months unfolded, Bill became an encouragement to me.  His cancer returned.  Ups and downs. Uncertainty. Good news.  Not so good news.  Through it all, Bill praised his Creator.  If you haven't seen an interview I did with him over 3 months ago, you need to. 

     Bill passed peacefully to glory last evening.  My families thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kathy and his family. 

      Bill was and still is an inspiration to so many.  The apostle Paul reminds us in a letter to Timothy that it should be our goal as believers to be able to say with him, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Therefore there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."  Bill has done just that.

   You can say nothing greater of a person than that they were a "friend of God".  Bill was not only a friend to so many of us,  he was and is today "a friend of God".  Thanks for touching our lives Bill.  Thanks for crossing our paths.  We are all so much richer for having known you.

A Giant Has Left Us

     I got a lump in my throat this afternoon when I heard of the passing of NBC's Tim Russert.  The political junkie that I am, I looked forward each weekend to listening to Meet The Press downloaded to my ipod as I drove to anchor the 11 p.m. news.  Although his routes were deep in Democrat politics, I felt that Russert was by far the most objective, hard-hitting interviewer in Washington.  I always learned more about candidates, issues and controversies each week.  No matter what their persuasion, Tim hit them all hard and equally. My favorite shows were always the ones featuring his political roundtable of James Carville, Mary Matalin and Doris Kearns Goodwin. 

      I remember Russert saying once that even with all he had achieved, each time he walked up the driveway at the White House, he pinched himself.  He still never got over that a blue collar boy from Buffalo could sit down and interview the President of the United States. He would always say, "What a country!"  I think it was that grounded sense of never forgetting his heritage and roots that kept Tim Russert in touch with the issues that face this nation. We are all the richer for having had his insight and analysis all these years.  We will all miss him tremendously in the weeks and months ahead.  Election night just won't be the same without Tim and his dry erase board.

     Our thoughts and prayers are with Tim's family and his colleagues during this difficult time.