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A Blond Kidnapper

A Blond was down on her luck. In order to raise some money, she decided to kidnap a kid and hold him for ransom.

She went to the playground, grabbed a kid, took him behind a tree, and told him, "I`ve kidnapped you."

She then wrote a note saying, "I`ve kidnapped your kid. Tomorrow morning, put $10,000 in a paper bag and put it under the pecan tree next to the slide on the north side of the playground. Signed, Blonde."

The Blonde then taped the note to the kid`s shirt and sent him home to show it to his parents.

The next morning the blonde checked, and sure enough, a paper bag was sitting beneath the pecan tree.

The blonde opened the bag and found the $10,000 with a note that said, "How could you do this to a fellow Blonde?"

1943 Largest tank battle in history ends

The Battle of Kursk, involving some 6,000 tanks, two million men, and 5,000 aircraft, ends with the German offensive repulsed by the Soviets at heavy cost.

In early July, Germany and the USSR concentrated their forces near the city of Kursk in western Russia, site of a 150-mile-wide Soviet pocket that jutted 100 miles into the German lines. The German attack began on July 5, and 38 divisions, nearly half of which were armored, began moving from the south and the north. However, the Soviets had better tanks and air support than in previous battles, and in bitter fighting Soviet antitank artillery destroyed as much as 40 percent of the German armor, which included their new Mark VI Tiger tanks. After six days of warfare concentrated near Prokhorovka, south of Kursk, the German Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge called off the offensive, and by July 23 the Soviets had forced the Germans back to their original positions.

In the beginning of August, the Soviets began a major offensive around the Kursk salient, and within a few weeks the Germans were in retreat all along the eastern front.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. —Ephesians 3:20-21

Of all the names for God in the Bible, this is my favorite: "Him who is Able to Do Immeasurably More." Our God is the same God who parted the Red Sea and fed 5,000 on a green hillside with only a couple of sardine sandwiches. He longs to do more than we can ask or imagine! Unfortunately most of us haven't really given him much of a challenge with our wimpy dreams and shallow prayers. Let's dream big dreams for God. Then hang on for the ride that is more than we can even imagine!

July 13th

1980 

• Lori Fredrickson, born in Aurora, Illinois, rhythmic gymnast, US team-96

1970 

• Lou Rosselli, born in New York City, 114 lbs/52 kg freestyle wrestler 1996 Olympics

1969 

• Jamie Walters, born in Boston, Massachusetts, actor, singer, record producer,, 'How Do You Talk To An Angel'

1956 

• Mark Mendoza, born in Long Island, New York, born Mark Glickman, known as Mark 'The Animal' Mendoza, bassist, songwriter, Twisted Sister

1950 

• George D. Nelson, born in Iowa, PhD/astronaut, STS 41C, STS 61-C, STS-26

1942 

• Harrison Ford, born in Chicago, Illinois, actor, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Frantic

1940 

• Patrick Stewart, born in England, actor, Picard-Star Trek Next Generation

1901 

• Mickey "Toy Bulldog" Walker, welterweight boxing champ, 1922-26

1821 

• Nathan Bedford Forrest, born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, American Civil War, Confederate Army lieutenant general, cavalry leader, opposed Reconstruction era in the post-war South

1815 

• James Alexander Seddon, Secretary War, Confederacy