What Difference Do It Make

Some Stories Just Can’t Be Stopped . . . What Difference Do It Make? continues the hard-to-believe story of hope and reconciliation that began with the New York Times bestseller, Same Kind of Different as Me. Ron Hall and Denver Moore, unlikely friends and even unlikelier coauthors—a wealthy fine-art dealer and an illiterate homeless African American—share the hard-to-stop story of how a remarkable woman’s love brought them together. Now, in What Difference Do It Make? Ron and Denver along with Lynn Vincent offer: more of the story—with untold anecdotes, especially Ron’s struggle with his difficult father and Denver’s dramatic stint in Angola prison the rest of the story—how Same Kind of Different as Me came to be written and changed the lives of its authors the ongoing story—true tales of hope from people whose lives have been changed by Ron and Denver’s story and how they make a difference in their worlds your part in the story—wise, practical, and hard-lived guidance for how you can make a difference to those in need plus intriguing extras—including full-page color samples of Denver’s paintings Deeply moving but never sappy or sentimental, What Difference Do It Make? answers its own question with a simple and emphatic answer. What difference can one person (or two) make in the world? A lot!

What Difference Does It Make? is a true story of one individual who still believes in the democratic system that is now being stripped away from the honest American, and the struggle this one person went through to attempt to preserve it. With over seventeen years with the FAA and numerous excellence awards with cash bonuses, my career ended up being fired for "lack of candor" in my refusal to reveal what I had provided to the FBI after the retaliation began from my testimony in Washington DC, and the continued attacks. A complete lack of true management ability and training, including to the accidents of two FAA aircraft involving pilots who saw the corruption and the near fatal accident that were all set up by unscrupulous maintenance personnel at the direction of FAA management. A continual string of fraudulent contracts, all for just under $10,000,000 that happened to coincide with the limit of which the DOT/OIG would be required to audit. The majority of the story takes place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Here, a group of "managers" who care for nothing other than their own gratification and stolen wealth manipulates the budget, contracts, and contractors to their own best interest, leaving the American taxpayer to foot the bill! The fraudulent activities of FAA management completely turned my life upside down immediately after I testified. The few true friends who in two cases emerged from the woodwork to assist me during the worst time of my life came shining through. From professed good friends to a wife and on to a business partner who turned on me when they felt they could gain from my loss. At the time of testifying against the FAA, I had no criminal history, no bankruptcies, and a perfect credit history. My purpose is now to educate the American taxpayer as to what was and is occurring within the FAA after the FAA Rea-Authorization Act of 1994 was signed into law by President William Jefferson Clinton The Federal Aviation Administration has a budget that grows faster than the national debt, and we the people will receive nothing for it. Managers, if you wish to call them such, manipulate funds and budgets for their own personal gain and sell the American taxpayer a bill of goods. From our Mexican nationals who are in top management positions to the inspector who is told what to find on accident investigations, the system is broken all due to in part to the Congressional Act in 1994 that allowed the FAA to operate without outside supervision. How many times have you heard on the news after an aircraft accident or incident, "The FAA is investigating?" Did TWA Flight 800 really have a leaking fuel cell? The factual data shows a completely different story. This story goes from the investigations to the death threats of this one individual and the near accidents that beset him to his rapid termination! "He will be long in a pine box before he ever recovers anything from us!" I would like to state a great debt of thanks to Larry Benson, Mark Hendrix, Lois Ballard, Jack Vance, and especially to Clifford MaGee. Had it not have been for these five people; the outcome may have been dramatically worse.

Can you truly give a reason for your faith--Or the lack of it? What Difference Does It Make? The Busy Person’s Guide to Christianity, gives fresh insights that bring the faith picture together in a way that makes sense. It’s an easy read that paints a picture of where we are, where we likely want to be, and how we can get there. It explains how faith works in a practical way and suggests some ways of understanding Christianity that you may have never heard before. This book not only confronts some of the obstacles of faith, but also discusses the conundrum of “truth,” Biblical reliability, and the practical day to day difference Christianity can make in a life. This entertaining read connects the dots of Christianity in unique ways. It ties together some of those loose ends that people often ignore, dismiss, or trip over. What Difference Does It Make? gives explicit answers to how life works. You’ll come away with new understandings of the ever- present questions, “Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going?” You’ll gain insights into why the Bible refers to believers as “The Bride of Christ” and how essential this concept is to a personal relationship with God and others. Whether or not you’ve ever considered the intimate, braided together life God intends to have with each of us, you’ll want to read this book. It puts the pieces of the life-puzzle together with how-to instructions and a virtual start to finish picture to follow on the cover. So, if you’ve ever asked the questions, “Does faith really work?” or “How is it possible for someone have a personal relationship with the God of the universe?” or “What difference could an ancient religion make in my life today?” you need to read this concise and easy to understand book. What Difference Does It Make? The Busy Person’s Guide to Christianity, just may change your life . . . and your eternity.

This revised edition of the Tough Questions series of small group curriculum faces head-on the difficult and challenging questions seekers ask about the Christian faith.

Under the thumb of a brutal dictatorship, a small, but proud, nation eagerly awaits deliverance. Its prophets have predicted the arrival of a savior (the Messiah), and twelve men think they have found him. The entire country now gathers at the capital city to celebrate its most ancient national holiday. All eyes turn to this charismatic teacher from the North, and his followers become excited in anticipation. Will this week hold their hour of deliverance?

Education is a discipline that is constantly emerging, and for which there are more questions than answers. Beyond the research reports, the articles in refereed journals, and the well-crafted presentations, what is happening in education? What difference does our work make in the lives of those we research? How is education as a whole different because of our effort? And what is the nature of the difference we make? This book provides some answers to those questions based on engaged and critical research from around the world. It is also a critical reflection on new possibilities for qualitative research, its implications and relevance to educational practice. Andrew Hargreaves, Enora Brown, Graham Hingagaroa Smith, Jack Whitehead, Mutindi Mumbua, Andrew Gitlin, Phil Carspecken, and others invite readers to join the conversation, and take it beyond these pages by enriching and extending the discourse within their communities of practice.

Become more culturally competent in an increasingly diverse world Recent years have seen dramatic changes to several institutions worldwide. Our increasingly interconnected, digitized, and globalized world presents immense opportunities and unique challenges. Modern businesses and schools interact with individuals and organizations from a diverse range of cultural and national backgrounds—increasing the likelihood for miscommunication, errors in strategy, and unintended consequences in the process. This has also spilled into our daily lives and the way we consume information today. Understanding how to navigate these and other pitfalls requires adaptability, nuanced cross-cultural communication, and effective conflict resolution. Use Your Difference to Make a Difference provides readers with a skills-based, actionable plan that transforms differences into agents of inclusiveness, connection, and mutual understanding. This innovative and timely guide illustrates how to leverage differences to move beyond unconscious biases, manage a culturally-diverse workplace, create an environment for more tolerant schooling environments, more trusted media, communicate across borders, find and retain diverse talent, and bridge the gap between working locally and expanding globally. Expert guidance on a comprehensive range of topics—teamwork, leadership styles, information sharing, delegation, supervision, giving and receiving feedback, coaching and motivation, recruiting, managing suppliers and customers, and more—helps you manage the essential aspects of international relationships and cultural awareness. This valuable resource contains the indispensable knowledge required to: Develop self-awareness needed to be a cross-cultural communicator Develop content, messaging techniques, marketing plans, and business strategies that translate across cultural borders Help your employees to better understand and collaborate with clients and colleagues from different backgrounds Help teachers build safe environments for students to be themselves Strengthen cross-cultural competencies in yourself, your team, and your entire organization Understand the cultural, economic, and political factors surrounding our world Use Your Difference to Make a Difference is a must-have resource for any educator, parent, leader, manager, or team member of an organization that interacts with co-workers and customers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Proceedings of a conference held at St. Mary’s University in Notre Dame, Indiana (2017), this volume presents a wide-ranging exploration of Time as experienced and contemplated. Included are offerings on ancient Mesopotamian archaeology, literature and religion, Biblical texts and archaeology, Chinese literature and philosophy, and Islamic law.