Concert Announcement

Award-winning Christian musician Tony Melendez is coming to Midland’s Event Center to present “The Gift of Hope” concert. The starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 18

Melendez, whose albums include “Never Be the Same” and “Ways of the Wise,” was born without arms because his mother was prescribed the drug thalidomide during pregnancy. He wore artificial arms until age 10, but then discovered he could do more with his feet.

He began playing a push-button organ and later a guitar with his feet and started writing his own songs. While in high school, he became involved in the Catholic church. He used his talents for Masses and church-related events.

General admission tickets ($10) may be purchased at Hy-Vee Food Store and Fremont National Bank. Peace Lutheran Church, along with the bank and Sid Dillon Chevrolet, are sponsoring the event.

Again, if you are still looking for an example of Warrior Spirit, you need not look any further.

‘Last Lecture’ Professor Dies

Dr. Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor, died early Friday morning after a long, much-publicized battle with cancer.

Many of you may know of Pausch from the YouTube video of his last lecture, others may have read the book based on that lecture.

The short version is that life is meant to be celebrated at all stages. Enjoy and rejoice for what you have and what you have done… never lament over what you have not done.

From CNN:

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.

“The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful,” Pausch wrote on his Web site. “But rest assured; I’m hardly unique.”

The book “The Last Lecture,” written with Jeffrey Zaslow, leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists after its publication in April and remains there this week. Pausch said he dictated the book to Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal writer, by cell phone. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.

If you are trying to figure out what it is like to live life with Warrior Spirit, look no further than Dr. Pausch