My Daily Prayer

My Father in heaven.  Your name is special and sacred to me.  Set apart from all other names.  As I long for Your kingdom, let it be in me today.  Let me live out my life on this earth, as I will live it in Your kingdom.  Focusing completely on You.  May Your perfect will be done in me, as it is done in heaven.  

Please provide the nourishment that I need today, both physically, and spiritually.  Help me to rely upon You for my needs Father.  Everything comes from You.  

Please forgive me of my sins.  Help me to forgive those that do me wrong, as completely and unconditionally, as You have forgiven me.  

Please let me not give into Satan's temptations, but deliver me out of the hands of the evil one.  

To You belongs the kingdom, and the power, and all glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

It's CHRISTmas Day!

It's another CHRISTmas day.  It's funny, but I enjoy the idea of CHRISTmas less each year.  What I mean by that is, I dread the idea of HAVING to buy presents, and expect presents. When I was younger, of course, I LOVED getting presents.  And, I've always LOVED to give presents, too.  But as there are more and more years behind me, I see the reason for the holiday is being lost in commercialism.  It saddens me so much to see people spending money they don't have, on presents that don't matter, and giving them to people that don't appreciate them.  Not REALLY appreciate them, anyway.  

I miss the old days when you bought a few gifts for a few people, and you enjoyed it.  I miss hearing the scripture read everywhere, describing the scene in the manger.  The swaddling clothes, the wise men, the gifts.  I miss the respect people gave the holiday.  Now, they're afraid to say the word CHRISTmas.  Happy Holidays.  Season's Greetings.  So sad.  

I want a CHRISTmas where we shut things down.  Stores, restaurants, all non-essentials.  That way, everybody would HAVE to stay home and enjoy their families.   You would have to wait a day or two to go spend your gift card.  Imagine that.  

We need to enjoy the day, the IDEA of the day.  Remember that it is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  A gift given to us by God Himself, that we might believe on the name of Jesus, and be saved in the name of Jesus.  Without this gift, we would all be lost, and bound for Hell.  

Spend some time with your family.  Go to church.  Read God's Word.  Give of yourself.  He has given you a marvelous Gift.  Give the Gift away.  The world needs this Gift more than any other.  One size fits all, and you'll never have to return it.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  GOD BLESS US ALL!

A Box Of Stars

My post today is a poem I wrote back in January of this year.  I wrote it as part of a poetry exercise.  The exercise was to look around and find an item in the room, and write a poem about it, without much forethought.  I was sitting in my bedroom at the time, and looking around the room, I saw the box on a shelf that contained a folded flag.  It was the flag that my wife received when her adoptive dad passed away.  When I saw the flag, the first thing that popped in my head was, a box of stars.  I wrote the poem in about 15 minutes.  It's kind of a sad poem, about death, and loss, and loneliness.  It is one of my favorites, mainly because of how it came to be written.  Enjoy.

A box of stars
A single rose
Marble squares
In single rows.

Sad goodbyes
Wiping tears
Asking why
Sad despair.


A quiet house
No longer home
No longer loud
Voices gone.


Get out of bed
A life to live
Look ahead
So much to give.


One day, then two
They're all the same
The life you knew
Is like a dream.


You'll heal, with time
God makes a way
You'll soon feel fine
But not today.

Today Is My Birthday!

Every year on my birthday, I am always surprised that I have made it through another year.  When I was younger, I never imagined myself living past the age of 40.  I just assumed I would never see 41.  So, when I did make it past 40, I didn't know what to expect.  Every year I think, will this be the last birthday for me?  I know it sounds odd, but when you've thought something was going to happen for so long, it just gets stuck in there somewhere. 

Today, like every day, I thanked God for another day of life, and in this case, another year.  He has really changed things for me and Carolyn in this last year.  I try to imagine what He will do in the coming year, but I can't go there.  I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow or not, much less another year. 

All I do know, is that I am 52 years old, I have a wonderful family, a wonderful and blessed life, and God loves me.  When I finally do leave this place, I have a much better place to go to.  Living for all eternity with my Heavenly Father, and Jesus, His Son, sure beats living here any day.  I will live here as long as God wants me to, then I will go home.  What a day that will be.

The Fast

The fast, much more than a day without food
Does do both the soul, and the body much good,
It clears the mind of its' earthly things
And makes way for answers, that God may bring.


Once desire for meat is set aside
And gnawing hunger pangs have died,
Our time's best spent reading God's Holy word
And silent, sweet fellowship with Almighty Lord.


Though the bond between spirit and Spirit be weak
Our healing begins with the bending of knee,
And while we are promised, His love and His care
True closeness may be found, through fasting and prayer.

A Better Day

The sun rises on a beautiful Monday morn, bright
With the hope of new tidings, unforeseen 'til now,
The happenings of Sunday, can shed on us, no light
For in the rarity of this day, nothing familiar can be found.


How the wind may blow, where the mind may go, who can know
It's a present, waiting to be ripped open,
What's inside, will decide, how the whole day will flow
It's enough to make one spend the entire morning hoping.


Hoping and praying, for a better day than others
So many in the past, are not worth being mentioned,
Today could be the best day, from breakfast on through 'til supper
The sort of day that, when it’s done, keeps us up at night just wishing.


Wishing for another day, just like the one we’d had today
But how could one improve upon perfection,
For sixteen hours, we’d had it all, at least it had felt that way
Let’s give thanks to the Lord, for one good day, but pray for repetition.

Ringing The Bell

Carolyn and I did something today that I have never done.  We helped ring bells for the Salvation Army.  Granted, we only did it for an hour, but the experience was pretty cool.  I've always seen the volunteers standing out in all kinds of weather, ringing those bells, and I always wondered who they were.  Where did they come from.  Well, they are me.  I am them.  Anybody can volunteer to help collect money for the Salvation Army. 

The cool part for us, besides being able to help people, was getting to stand with our friends, Karen and Brook Evans.  They are friends of ours from our church.  We also got to talk to several people going into, and coming out of, Kroger.  I was surprised by the amount of people who just automatically stopped and dropped money in the bucket.  The little kids who put every individual coin in one at a time were my favorite.

I am a people watcher.  I am not a stalker, I just like to watch people interacting with each other.  You can tell alot about a person by how they react to the public.  I like to go to the mall on a busy weekend night during Christmas shopping season, and just watch people.  It's better than any TV show I could watch. 

I have attached a link to a little video I took of Carolyn, Brook, and Karen while they were doing their volunteer duty.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw3Kn4c_1FA

God's Love

This is a poem that I wrote today.  I thank God for the words He gives me.


I am in this world
Susceptible to pain, grief, and failure
But I am not of this world
Accessible to grace, mercy, and forgiveness


The world knocks me down
But the Hand of God picks me up
The darkness of the world leaves me cold
But the light of God fills me with warmth


I am bombarded by hate all day long
I gently extend a hand of love
Temptations attack me from all sides
God’s love surrounds me like armor


The world says to hold on to all it has to offer
But my hands are open, to receive all God’s blessings
The world says that I can’t do it
But God says nothing is impossible for Him


I appreciate the home God has given me here
But I have a better home waiting, not built by human hands
The world says this is it, no Heaven or Hell to worry about
But I believe there is more to this life, than what my eyes can see


Light and peace, or darkness and fear
To me, of course, the choice is clear
I would rather live one day, in the presence of God
Than live a million lifetimes in this forsaken world


Come quickly Lord Jesus, take hold of my hand
And lead me into that faraway land
Where my eyes will never more close in sleep
And all that You have sown, I will evermore reap.

September Sun

This is a poem I finished today. 

A slight chill is in the air,
Soft crunching underfoot,
As leaves finally break free
Of the tight grasp of the stubborn trees,
Lined along the sides of the streets
That run back and forth near my house.

The sad, bare branches
Become more evident every day
As they prepare themselves
For the inevitable winter
That is slowly creeping in,
And making its’ presence known.

The September sun shines brightly,
Throwing shadows in places
That July would never imagine.
Once again, getting our minds off summer,
And bringing forlorn thoughts
Of long sleeves, and sweaters.

God has His own special way
Of making us ready.
Like using autumn to gradually prepare us
For coming cold weather.
And allowing aches and pains
To soften the blow of old age.

As I sit and watch the children play,
My thoughts turn to earlier days.
When that was me, hiding in a pile of leaves,
Waiting for the chance to jump out
And scare my friends.
Then we’d laugh and run, and run, and run.
All the while, ignoring the September sun.

Sick Day

I have had allergy problems for awhile now, like alot of others I'm sure.  So, yesterday I had enough, and went to WalMart to buy some medicine.  I don't like to take most over-the-counter medicines, but I was desperate.  I bought a generic version of Sudafed 12-hour medicine, and took one last night at 7pm.  It wasn't too bad, at least for the first couple of hours, anyway.

We went to bed at 10pm, and I was hoping the medicine would give me a good night's sleep.  I haven't been able to breathe well at night because of the allergies.  Well, less than an hour after I went to sleep, I was jolted awake, with my heart racing a mile a minute.  My head was spinning, my breathing was shallow and rapid.  It really scared me.  After rolling around in bed, trying to get back to sleep, I finally got up to walk around, hoping to get tired.  I ended up staying up, pacing back and forth in my bathroom, so I wouldn't wake Carolyn up. 

Long story short, I was up until after 3am.  I was supposed to get up at a little after 5am. to get ready for work.  I made the decision to call in.  I really hate to do that, for several reasons.  One, of course, is I don't get paid for not working.  Two, I get an absence on my attendance record.  Our attendance policy is pretty tight, so I can't get too many.  I would hate to lose my job because of attendance, after having worked there for almost 19 years.  The last reason I hated to miss, is because so many people call in sick in my department, and I feel bad for my supervisor.  He tries to keep things running smoothly, with the people he has, and I think he does a good job. 

I went to bed after calling in, and, of course, I laid there unable to sleep for about a half hour.  When I did finally go to sleep, I was awakened by Carolyn's alarm at around 7:30am.  I have been up ever since.  It is now almost 11am. as I am writing this.  I know there was no way I could have made it at work, but I still feel bad about the whole thing.  Such is life.  As a Christian, I know that EVERYTHING happens for some reason, sometimes known only to God Himself.  I will trust that He will take care of me, no matter what.

Cellphone Venting

This is going to be a very short post today.  I am going to make a prediction.

If I am ever killed, or hurt, in a car accident, it will be because someone was talking on their cellphone and driving.  I was coming home from work today, driving from Rushville to New Castle, and I saw so many incidents of people swerving, driving WAY too slow, and almost hitting things, while talking so calmly on their phones, I thought I was going to scream.  I had to ask God to help me, and forgive me for my angry thoughts. 

This country better hurry up and pass a law, banning driving while talking, or texting, on your cell phone.  It has gotten to be an epidemic.  I almost hate to get on the road every day, mainly because of this. 

Thank you for letting me vent my frustrations.  God bless you, and may God help us all.

An Open Letter To All TV Networks

This letter is in response to the programming you have been showing over the last couple of years.  I used to watch more of your shows than I do now.  Apparently you now have the right to say pretty much anything you want to.  Which brings me to my first point:  Just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD.  I know you like to be edgy, so you can compete with the cable networks.  But, if I wanted to watch cable, guess what, I would go watch cable. 

I want to watch a decent, entertaining show, without seeing so much skin, and hearing things I don't need to hear.  You used to be able to do that, so, what happened?  I can tell you what happened.  You got lazy.  Very lazy.  Your writers haven't come up with any new ideas in years.  The only thing you've come up with, is to throw more profanity into the mix, and see what happens.  I'll give you a hint.  It's not working.  We are turning away from your edgy, hip, programming in droves.  When you do come up with a decent idea for a new show, you have to load it down with so much profanity and filth, that we can't watch it.  You apparently know this, because you run a show for about a year, and yank it off the air.  Nobody wants to see that kind of junk, week in, and week out.  Get a clue.

It's obvious that you don't know how to come up with new ideas, because all you do is put more, and more reality shows on the air.  Seriously?  You throw a bunch of people into a volatile situation, and film it.  Wow!  That's exciting.  No, really.  Whatever.  I would come closer to watching somebody's old home movies, than another reality show.  Give me a break.

I really miss the old days, when you put some thought into what you were going to show on TV.  Exciting dramas.  Funny, clean, family comedies.  Great, entertaining variety shows.  And everybody had ALL their clothes on.  And nobody used profanity.  Sure, it may have been implied every now and then, but it wasn't shown.   I really, really miss those days.

Lastly, I know I don't fit into your demographics.  You are targeting young, middle-class males.  You think they are the ones spending money on your sponsors' products.  But, in case you haven't noticed, most of those young guys either can't find a job, or they just don't want to work.  So that leaves us older guys to go out and spend our hard earned money.  And, if I don't like your shows, I probably won't see your sponsors' ads.  Sorry to hit you with reality, but there you go.  It doesn't look very good on a chart or a graph, but it's the simple, right-in-your-face, truth. 

Now, please wake up, and start making shows for all of us old-fashioned, money-spending, adults.  PLEASE!!!    I am about THIS close, to just giving up on TV, and going back to reading books, and playing board games, or doing crossword puzzles.  SOMETHING!!!  I am just sick of paying good money to the satellite people, only to be offended every time I turn on my TV. 

I am now done ranting and raving.  for now anyway.  i think.  maybe.

My Right To Say No

I am a person that loves to help others, whenever possible.  I have always been that way.  I have to say, that it makes me feel good inside, knowing that I have made someones life a little easier.  That being said, I think I am about to turn over a new leaf.

We just recently started going to a new church, and we love it.  I have never been one to just go to church and sit in a pew.  I need to be doing SOMETHING.  So, when we started going to this new church, we looked for things we could do.  We love to sing, so we joined the choir, and also, the Praise and Worship team.  We love it.  Carolyn then heard about the Wednesday night children's program, AWANA, and wanted to join that.  She did.  Suddenly, we have very little free time left.  I, for some reason, love to have free time to get things done around the house, or just be little lazy.  It always makes me feel selfish when I want some time to myself, but I make time for it anyway.  This is where the new leaf thing comes in.

I am going to start making myself say no to things that I just do not have a passion for.  I am still going to help people, I can't help that.  But I am going to have to start saying NO every now and then.  I don't want to, but there are so many people that just expect you to drop everything and help them, no matter what, or when. 

It's always been mine and Carolyn's nature to help people when asked, it's how we're wired, I guess.  But I am going to have to just start saying no, thank you.  sorry.  can't do it right now.  booked solid.  not going to happen.  can't help you.

I have talked to God about this, and I will do whatever He tells me to do, of course.  But unless I feel Him leading me to do something, I am going to start being a little more objective on what I decide to do, from now on.

Not a very exciting post this time, but something that is weighing heavily on my mind. 

My Own Day Of Salvation

Yesterday, (Sept.1st), was a very important day for me.  It was on September 1, 1993 that I asked God to forgive me of my sins, and He saved my soul.  It's hard to believe it's been 17 years.  It's not always been easy, and sometimes, it was downright hard.  But one thing has never changed, He has never left me, nor forsaken me.  I have not always been that faithful to Him, but He has always been faithful to me.  Whatever He said would happen, did.  He has always kept His promises.  

In those 17 years, He has sent us to 3 different churches.  The first one was Charity Baptist Church (4 years), the second was Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church (12 years and 8 months), and the most recent one, First Baptist Church (4 months). 

I have also lost a few friends because of my conversion, but He has blessed me with MANY more friends than I have lost.  He is so good.

I don't know what He has in store for me in the coming years, if I even have years left, but I know that whatever it may be, it will be exciting. 

A Prayer For Today

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us as a people and, as a nation, for where we have sinned against You.  Forgive us for the abominations, the immorality, the filthiness in all our media, and the corruption in our government.  Forgive us for allowing other 'gods' to be worshipped in our country, that our forefathers never knew.  Forgive us for allowing Your Name, Your Son's Name, and Your Holy Word, to be removed from so many things, all because they are 'offensive' to those that don't believe. 

Forgive us for what we have allowed our children to become.  We have turned them into little adults, but without the conscience, or mental reasoning it takes, to be an adult.  We have allowed them watch whatever they want, listen to whatever they want, read whatever they want, all so we don't damage their little self-esteem. 

Father, please continue to pour Your mercy out upon us.  We need Your mercy Father.  It's the only reason we are still a thriving nation.  We thank You for Your new mercies, every morning Father.  You are far better to us than we deserve. 

You are so faithful, when we are not.  You are kind, and gracious, when we are not.  You are so forgiving, when we are not.  Why You still love us as much as You do, is a mystery to me.  Thank You for being God, and that there is no other.  You are the one, and only, true, living God.  Creator of all the universe, and all that is in it. 

Thank You that You are still in complete control of all things.  Thank You for every breath that You give us.  For the food that we eat, the clothes we wear, and the shelter that You give us.  

Father, please open our eyes to the truth.  Help us to see that we need to repent of our sins, and turn from our wicked ways, and turn to You, before it is eternally too late.

Thank You Father, for hearing, and answering our prayers.  We praise Your Holy Name.  We love you.  We pray this in Your only begotten Son's Name, Jesus.  The name that is above every name.  Amen.

On That Day

I was reading in Luke chapter 17 this morning, and I noticed something rather interesting, at least it was for me.  I have read and re-read this chapter several times, trying to figure out some of the things Jesus was talking about.  Starting in verse 22, Jesus is beginning to talk to the disciples about the end of days, when Jesus would come back.  I always find this topic very compelling.  I think everyone should, because it concerns all of us.

In verse 24, He says, "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day."  Everyone will see Him when He comes back.  In verses 26-27, He says, "And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."  Noah had warned the people over and over again, trying to get them to understand that this devastating event was going to happen soon, but no one would believe.  They thought he was drunk, or crazy.  They went about their everyday lives, eating and drinking, getting married.  It was said that every evil thing a man could think of, was being done .  They believed they had all the time in the world..  Noah knew better.  He had heard God, and believed.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

In verses 28-30, Jesus says, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."  If you'll remember, Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun by homosexuals and perverts of every kind.  This verse says, as in the days of Noah, so it was in the days of Lot.  They were going about their everyday business, taking care of their lusts, and all their stuff.  In verse 31, Jesus says, "In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back."  He says that when He comes back, you won't have time to worry about all your stuff.  None of it will matter anymore. 

The next verse says it all, I believe.  Verse 32 says, "Remember Lot's wife."  Period.  Lot's wife was told to leave Sodom behind, and not look back.  She missed her stuff, and her life back in Sodom, and turned around for one last look.  It was the last thing she would ever do.  She was turned into a pillar of salt.  Why does Jesus mention her right here?  I believe part of the reason is, you have to make a choice between your way, or His way.  There are dire consequences if you make the wrong choice.  Lot's wife made the wrong choice, and paid for it with her life.  In the same way, if you don't choose Him, you will spiritually pay for it with your eternal life.  Jesus says in the next verse, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve (or, save) it." 

Lastly, in the two descriptions of what the day of the Son of man will be like, the people are doing all sorts of everyday, mundane things.  But, two things they are not doing, are, watching and praying.  They are taking care of all their physical and fleshly needs, but they are ignoring their spiritual needs.  We are told to always watch and pray.  We don't know when this 'day of the Son of man' will take place, so we should ALWAYS be watching FOR Him, and praying TO Him.  And, as in Noah's case, we need to be telling others to get ready for that day.  They will think we're crazy.  They'll roll their eyes, and maybe even laugh, but we still need to tell them.  We have found grace in the eyes of the LORD, so let us show grace, and mercy, to those in need.  There is a lost and dying world that needs to hear that there is a God in Heaven that loves them. 

Revelation 22:12-14 says, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

The World Today

When you hear the word 'propaganda', what do you think?  Do you think of Nazi Germany, or the U.S.S.R.?  I think of Hitler, and how he used everything he could use, to fool the people of Germany into believing that everything he was doing, was for their own good.  I'm reading a book called 'Small Wonders', about how the Volkswagen came to be.  Ferdinand Porsche came up with the idea for a small, dependable car, that the everyday, German citizen could afford to buy, and afford to repair drive.  Hitler, a car buff, heard about it, and wanted to build it to use for propaganda efforts.  He told the Germans citizens that he cared about them, and wanted them to have good things, like the other countries have.  He also was using Porsche, and other car designers, to build fast race cars, so Germany could become known in the racing circles.  Both efforts eventually worked. 

The whole point of this, though, is as I read this book, and saw how Hitler operated, I noticed a scary similarity to how our own government is operating today.  They jumped in and started telling the banks, and car companies, and Wall Street, how they were, and were not, going to do things from now on.  They come on TV and tell us things are turning around, and how THEIR WAY was the RIGHT WAY.  Propaganda is alive and well on our TV's and the internet, as we speak.  As if TELLING us things are okay, MAKES everything okay.  I wasn't born yesterday, and I have been a very patriotic citizen of these United States all my life.  Something has got to be done to slow down the rate of deterioration in our country, and it has got to be done NOW.

Let me tell you, honestly, I LOVE Muslims, Mexicans, etc., but we have got to stop allowing ANYONE, from ANYWHERE, to just waltz into our country, and start demanding we stop what we're doing, and take care of them.  We have gotten so 'tolerant', (I get sick when I hear this word), that we, our government anyway, actually stop and say, "ok, what can we do to make you happy?".  We have become the cash cow for anybody that hates their country, and wants to go take advantage of the new, tolerant, happy, smiley, kumbayah, take-whatever-you-need, America.  I would say, United States, but our states aren't very UNITED these days.  Look at Arizona, California, and the few states that have allowed homosexuals to 'legally marry' each other. Ugh!. 

But, anyway, I digress.  Before this new government took over, we argued about what we have always argued about in this country.  Republican or Democrat.  Left or Right.  Rich or Poor.  Now, we've gone outside the box.  We are no longer concerned about taking care of our own, we want to make sure EVERYBODY likes us.  We don't want to be seen as exclusive, but ALL inclusive.  And even though every other house, on every block, in every county, in EVERY state, is empty, because of foreclosure, we are being told that this is the 'Summer of Recovery'. We are doing GREAT!  HAH!  Tell that to the family that can't afford to drive their Japanese car down to their local Saudi Arabian gas station, run by some guy from India, (who, by the way, is probably not having to pay taxes, like you and I have to).  Again, and seriously, I mean it, I am so NOT racist, or bigoted, in ANY WAY.  This is not about color, or nationalities, or languages, or anything like that.  It is about RIGHTS!.  Whatever happened to our RIGHTS as American citizens? 

I don't know.  Maybe it's just me.  Maybe I'm WAY off base with this.  But I hope not.  I would like to think that there are about 300 million others in this country, that want it to be like it used to be, before we got so smart, and likable.  I want the America that I grew up in.  When we used to fly our flags on our front porch.  When we watched out for each other, and cared about each other.  Now, there's so much fear, so much distrust, we only look out for NUMBER ONE. 

If you are not already, PLEASE START praying for this once great country of ours.  We have turned so far away from where we started.  We used to be a God-fearing people.  We used to be United.  We used to care what happened to each other.  The Bible says that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold.  Guess what.  It's already started.  I believe we are in the LAST of the last days.  Jesus said that the returning of the Son of Man would be at a time when we would be like in the days of Noah, and the days of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  In the days of Noah, any evil thing that a man could think of, was being done.  Sodom and Gomorrah was overrun with homosexuality, and all sorts of perversions.  Sound familiar?  Watch TV.  Read a newspaper.  It's here.

We are told to WATCH and PRAY, for the appearing of the Son of Man would come like lightning in the sky.  QUICKLY and very suddenly.  Are you ready?  By looking at the condition of the world we live in, I doubt very many people are ready.  If you are not saved, ask God to forgive you of your sins, and turn away, or repent, from you wicked lifestyle.  Believe that Jesus IS who He says he is, THE Son of God.  Be ready.

Thank You

Thank You Father God for...


Love, peace, joy, comfort, calmness in my soul, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, strength, energy, every breath I breathe.


Grace, mercy, patience, kindness, truth, deliverance, faith, hope and charity.


Clothes, food, house, gas, electricity, water, lights, microwave ovens, cars, TV, radio, computer, Internet, satellites, cable, shoes, socks, and art.


Clouds, rain, lightning, thunder, snow, wind, sun, moon, stars, heat, cold, birds, trees, cats, dogs, flowers, fruits and vegetables.


Most of all, thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, Jesus, the Christ, to die on an old rugged cross, to pay the debt for my nasty, ugly sins, that I could never pay.


Some of this list may sound a little silly, but the point is, we have God to thank for EVERYTHING. We take SO MUCH for granted, that we don't appreciate what God has done for us.

God is good, all the time.

Who Are We?

Second only to knowing who God is, is knowing who we are, and, who we are not. 

We are fallen, sinful beings.  We are imperfect.  We are weak.  We are sinners, saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.  We are most unworthy.

We are NOT able to make right decisions on our own.  We are NOT the ones with all the answers.  We are NOT able to save ourselves.

We are NOT God.

Only God is God.

We ARE loved.  Amen.

God Is Not...

When I first got saved, I was led to believe that God expected us Christians to behave a certain way.  So, I conformed to this way of thinking.  I dressed like everybody else, and listened to the same music as everybody else.  I thought this was the way it was done.  After a few years, God started putting people in my life that showed me a different point of view.   I have written down a few of my thoughts about what God has shown me about Himself.


God is not about a man in a fine dress shirt and tie, and nicely ironed slacks, and black shiny shoes.  Nor is He about short hair, and a clean-shaven face.


God is not about the King James Version, the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Good News Bible, or The Message Bible.


He is not about hymnals, or sound systems, or projectors and screens.  God is not about old-fashioned hymns, or contemporary Praise and Worship music.  He's not about choirs, or instruments, or perfect-pitch voices, either.


God is not Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, or any of their divisions.


God will not be confined in our man-made boxes, so that we can let Him out when we need something.


What God is about, is Salvation, Unity, Kindness, Helping one another, Taking the Gospel to ALL the world, Teaching, and making Disciples of the lost. 


God will meet you where you are.  Paul said, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.


Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39, "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.


God IS Love.  Amen.

Staying Alive

The movie 'Saturday Night Fever' came out over 30 years ago. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I still remember all my friends learning to disco. What a sad memory. I can't dance, so I didn't even try to 'do the hustle'.

The PG version of this movie was on TV recently, so I recorded it. I hadn't seen it in decades, so I thought it would be safe to watch it without the profanity and sex. After I watched it, I was depressed. I remembered it being about dancing, mostly, but I was wrong. It showed the sad, disturbing lives of teenagers, growing up in a big city, with mixed up values, and no real role models. The main characters life, revolved mostly around dancing, and wanting to get away from his horrible life. I saw this movie about 3 times in one week. Back then, I was blown away by this thing, apparently. No wonder my life was so messed up. I looked up to something like this.

Anyway, it's been over 30 years since it came out, and we are no better off today, than we were then. Our big cities, and lately our smaller towns, are breeding grounds for all kinds of criminals, gangs, drug dealers, prostitutes, and their ilk. It's really sad that we haven't been able to pinpoint the reason for this behavior. Our government is so busy coming up with new 'programs', and throwing money at our problems, that they are missing the solution. They are so concerned about being 'politically correct', and 'tolerant', and not offending anyone, that our children, our futures, have been forgotten.

The bottom line, of course, is that we all need Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He is the only One that can change the self-destructive patterns in our lives. He is the only One that can take us off that well-worn path that leads to Hell, and put our feet on the beautiful, well-lit path that leads to Heaven. With Him, all things are possible. If He hadn't been taken out of our schools, our courtrooms, our libraries, our government, who knows where we would be as a nation today. We could have been so much more. So sad.

"Oh Victory, in Jesus, my Savior, forever; He sought me, and He bought me, with His redeeming blood." Thank you Jesus. Amen.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Life is funny. When you live long enough, you start noticing things. I was out mowing my yard, and pulling weeds, (pulling them since my weed eater string kept locking up on me), when the thought hit me. 'How many times have I pulled these sames weeds, along this same fence?' The futility of it all just struck me as odd, and funny. I have spent the last 28 years at this house, taking care of my yard, pulling weeds, painting the house, etc. But just wait until I've been in the ground for a week or so, and those same weeds will be a foot high, mocking me to my grave. In the back of my mind, I think 'what's the use?'. Yes, of course I want my yard to look nice. I want my neighborhood to look nice, at least my little part of it. But what's the use, really?

We may say that we 'own' our house, or whatever, but we never really 'own' anything here on this earth. We are merely caretakers, until the next guy comes along. I know people who spend untold hours out in their yards, and/or gardens, pulling weeds, and making such a fuss over every little thing, as if that were their whole lives. I have news for them. IT'S NOT!!!

Lately, my saying has been 'Life's too short'. Life is simply too short to waste it on trivial, futile little things that don't matter. Not really. For example, my house needs to be painted this year. I have the paint, I have the ladder, the brushes, everything I need. But, if it doesn't get painted THIS year, I suppose it'll get painted next year. No big deal. I might not even be around next year to paint it anyway. I guess that will be for the next guy to do.

It may sound like I'm lazy, or nonchalant, but I'm not. I just woke up this morning, thinking about my life, and where God has brought me, from where I was. I could have made so many different decisions here and there, but didn't. And now, here I am. I have worried and fretted about every little decision I have ever made, and I'm exactly where God wanted me to be anyway. I don't have the life I had BECAUSE I worried, but in SPITE of my worrying.

Life will go on, or it won't. I will have enough money to retire on, or I won't. I will wake up tomorrow morning and enjoy my Saturday, or, again, I won't. I have a wonderful, beautiful wife, and two great boys. God has given me all that I have, not because I deserved it, or I worked hard enough for it. I have what I have because of God's grace. Sure, I have to do certain things along the way. That's part of it, isn't it? But God tells me not to worry about ANYTHING. He's got it under control. From now on, I live. I breathe. I laugh, play, work, whatever. But I will not worry. At least, I will try not to.

Now, you must excuse me. I am going to go take my shower, and go out and enjoy the rest of my day. I think I will go take some pictures, somewhere. I guess. I don't really know. I'm playing it by ear today.

God is great. All the time.

Just A Small Gripe

I just have one small gripe tonight. I get up early every morning and drive twenty-some miles to Rushville, where I work. I am still pretty groggy when I'm driving, so I need all the help I can get. I love, well, love may be too strong a word, but like very much, my cruise control. I get to a comfortable speed, click it on, and my feet get to rest all the way there. BUT, it never fails, that I get behind somebody who is either not in a hurry, or is not SMART enough to know how to work the cruise control. Almost every car has one now. I know it's a trivial little complaint, but it's just one of those things that really gripes me after awhile.

I'm done whining now. Oh yea, one more thing. PLEASE USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL!!! I said please. Thank you very much.

Toy Story 3 (A Movie Date)

I went to see Toy Story 3 with my wife yesterday. The movie was absolutely fantastic. The theater we saw it in, was not. Our local theater has been here for quite some time. It has been bought and sold alot lately. It's hard to make any money in a small town, especially when you only charge like 4 or 5 dollars for a ticket, when everybody else is charging 9 dollars. The newest owners of the theater are charging 7 dollars a ticket, which is still cheaper than the other places, in other cities. I hadn't been to our local theater in years, so I had forgotten what it was like. I was told they had fixed the sound system, and made it more of a surround sound. Right.

When we went, they only had one speaker working up front. It sounded like one of those old AM radios we carried around, about 40 years ago. Also, as if that wasn't good enough, the air conditioning was not working. So, here we were, in a theater with about 150 kids either crying, or screaming, with not cool air, and a speaker that you had to strain to hear. And, we were obviously not going to see the 3D version of this movie. Wow! What a night.

Once I got used to all the downgrading, the movie was great. The story was good, and easy to follow. They used all the characters very well. There was no bad language, maybe an innuendo or two, not bad. I laughed through most of the movie, and cried at the end. It was better than most real-life movies that are out. Even though I was sweating when it was over, I still waited for all the credits to roll, just in case there was something at the end. There wasn't.

I don't mean to sound overly critical, it really wasn't a horrible night. I just don't think I will be going back to that theater anytime soon. If I want to see another movie, I'll either wait for the Blu-Ray, or drive to Muncie and pay 9 dollars for air conditioning, and cool sound. Oh yeah, and stadium seating. Did I mention they were giving away FREE POPCORN? It was stale. Oh well.

Change

I have had several changes in my life lately. Changes in the way I feel, the way I see certain things, the way I think, those sort of changes. One big change was when God led us away from our home church of 12 1/2 years. We were comfortable there. We love the church, and all the people in it. But something started happening about a year ago. I had a vision while sitting in church, listening to a sermon. I was listening to the preaching, when suddenly, I was somewhere else. I could hear what was going on around me, but I was aware of other things going on in front of me. To make a long story short, I felt God was showing me that in a matter of time, I was to go. After that, things started becoming very clear. I still TRIED to ignore the vision. I didn't want to hear the message God had for me.

Later in the year, in November, Carolyn had her surgery, and two weeks later, I had my surgery. I was off work for a week with Carolyn, and then I was off work for six weeks for my surgery. This gave me LOTS of time to sit and think. I wasn't allowed to do much else. In those couple of months, God changed me dramatically. I could see that He was doing things, changing things, in my and Carolyn's lives. I had been the choir director at our church for a few years, and loved doing it. I had also done the nursing home ministry for our church for about ten years, and loved it. I started feeling God leading me to quit the choir director position, and stop two of the nursing homes we were doing. These were big changes for me. Again, I was comfortable doing these things. I felt called by God to do them. But now, He was pulling me back. I was ready, but I didn't want to disappoint our church family. I had to make a choice. Make the church happy, or God. I had to choose God.

By the middle of March, we knew we were going to be leaving our church, but we didn't know where we were going. We felt like Abraham and Sarah. It was scary, but exciting. We didn't know how to tell our church we were leaving. So, as I do about EVERYTHING, I prayed and prayed and prayed. Again, long story short, we decided to just tell them, and go. It didn't go so well. Nobody understood what we were doing. They thought we were making a big mistake, and wanted us to stay. We did too, but we knew we couldn't. Easter Sunday was our last Sunday at our church, and we haven't looked back.

We have been at our new church for about two months, and LOVE it. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. The point of this post, is to show that when God makes a change in your life, you can fight it, or go where He tells you to go. Give in, and let God lead you. He knows far more than we do, where we belong. He knows where He can use you, more than you do. Change is good, when God is doing the changing. How great is our God. Amen.

Life Goes On

I have a page on Facebook that I go to every now and then. Nobody ever writes on my wall, I just go there to see what everybody is saying to each other. I can catch up on things, without having to carry on a conversation. I have noticed that some very bored, sneaky people are hacking into members accounts, and using their identities, sending messages to unsuspecting friends. Most people will put up with this, and just keep adding more 'friends', not caring about the hacking. They probably think it's relatively harmless.

I was on my page tonight, and just decided to unload some of my 'friends'. I started out with 106 friends, and when I was done, I had 57 left. Out of those 57, I probably ever talk to about 5 of them. The rest, I just use to catch up on friends and family. Sad. Some people live on Facebook, playing all the silly games, tending to their 'farms', and such. I have heard of some people setting an alarm, just so they could get up and water their plants. Wow.

I am letting go of this present world, a little at a time. There will come a day, very soon, that most of my stuff will be taken away anyway. The things of this world will burn up, with a fervent heat, so says the Bible. And I believe it. I can't take it with me, so I will give away what I can, and use up what's left. When I leave this world, whether by death, or the rapture, I expect that I won't have much down here with my name on it.

When Jesus walked this earth, He didn't own anything. He said 'the foxes have holes, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head'. He knew the importance of distancing oneself from the trappings of this present world. We can get too comfortable with our stuff, and make it a part of our identity. When we love some material thing so much, that we can't let go of it, then we have forgotten our purpose for being here. We are not here to gather as much stuff as we can get our hands on. We are here to gather souls for God's Kingdom.

Love people, not things. Pastor Larry Delon always said, don't love anything, that can't love you back. Amen.

Sudden Healing

At this time last week, I was in severe pain, and had been for about two weeks. I had a pulled muscle in my shoulder, back pain, and pain in my other shoulder. From the time I got up in the morning, and until I went to bed at night, I was in pain. I couldn't get it to go away, no matter what I took or did. I had been praying every day for God to heal me of this pain, according to His perfect will. I knew He could heal me, and I knew He heard my prayers, but He just hadn't healed me yet.

Last Thursday night, I went to bed as usual, hurting as usual. The next morning, when I got out of bed, I noticed something very unusual. I didn't hurt anymore. At all. Nowhere. I thought, 'well, it'll start hurting again in a few minutes', but it never did. It still hasn't. I don't know why God decided to wait so long to heal me, and I don't know why He decided to COMPLETELY heal me either. When I was asking Him for healing, I was asking that He put all my muscles, bones, and nerves back where they belong, so that I wouldn't hurt. I thought He might make me feel better, but I wasn't expecting such a complete healing. That makes me feel bad. I pray, and pray, for God to heal me, but I don't REALLY expect Him to all the way. I guess it has a little to do with guilt, or not feeling worthy enough for Him to do it right. After all, it's just me. I'm nobody. But what I forget, is He sent His only begotten Son to die a cruel, shameful death on a wooden cross, to pay for MY sins. MINE!!! (and everybody else's too). He loves me THAT much!!!

So, when I pray for anything now, I am going to fully expect His best. His perfect will. He knows what is best for me. I don't. He's God. I'm not. I want to brag on God every chance I get. He is SO worth it. God is good, ALL the time.

The Foolishness Of God

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

The scripture above says that a non-believer cannot understand the spiritual things of God, because they seem foolish to him. He cannot possible understand the things of God, because he does not have the Holy Spirit in him.

As a conservative Christian, my mind can't comprehend how a perverted, evil man, can look at a sweet little girl, or boy, and only see them with a deviate sense of affection. Equally, that spiritually, and mentally, disturbed man, can't understand how I can continue to follow, and believe in, a God that I can't even see. This is just one worldly example of the same scripture. When I was saved, the old natural man was put to death, and the new man was born. I no longer had the same mind I once had. I now can see and understand the things of God more clearly. I 'hear' the voice of God, and 'feel' the Spirit of God, and 'see' God in everything around me. I have tried to explain this to non-Christians, but they cannot comprehend what I am saying.

Here is another real world example of this scripture. In today's paper, a column written by Cokie and Steve Roberts, is discussing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in our military. That policy says that if you are a homosexual serving in the military, you cannot openly practice your lifestyle, or you will be discharged from service. They are saying that the policy needs to be repealed, because today, "we are a far more open and tolerant country. The House and Senate have both passed bills that would eliminate the policy, but it still faces a rocky legislative road." The problem is, "a small but vocal chorus of Christian conservatives continues to oppose any change in the current law, and they are strongly supported by some orthodox military chaplains who believe homosexuality is a sin." According to the Roberts', Christian conservatives have a right to their opinion, but they don't have a right to impose their narrow-minded view of homosexuality on the rest of the country."

The Roberts' also say that "most Americans know and like openly gay people in their schools, their workplaces, their neighborhoods, and their own families." I personally, know very few people who are tolerant of openly active homosexuals, flaunting their lifestyles in front of them.

Of course, homosexuality is just one area where believers, and non-believers disagree. When sin issues, such as homosexuality, abortion, gambling, adultery, and the like, are discussed in an open forum, the line is usually drawn right down the middle of both camps. It is all because of what God says in His word. The natural man cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit. The things of God are foolishness to the unbeliever.

The Apostle Paul says in the same chapter of 1 Corinthians, that our "faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." He also wrote, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

In closing, we need to be sensitive to the concerns of non-believers, while at the same time, always trying to lead them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. The only cure for the darkness of this world, is the Light of Christ.

Don't Conform, But Transform

For some reason, God has had this scripture stuck in my head for about the last week. It is Romans 12:1-2, which reads, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Now, I don't do this often, but I happened to read this same scripture in The Message translation, and here's how they interpret it: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

The website, www.truthortradition.com , has some interesting things to say about this. Rather than try to put it into my own words, I will copy it verbatim. Here is part of what they say: This verse has great truth buried within it. For one thing, the words “conformed to this world” are one Greek word, suschematizo, which means, “to form according to a pattern or mold.” Furthermore, the word “world” is not kosmos, the created world, but rather aion, or “age.” Why is that important for us to know? The word aion does not just mean “age” in the sense that it is a finite period of time. The linguist Richard Trench gives a good idea of its meaning.

“Aion came to mean all that exists in the world under conditions of time.... Aion includes all the thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, impulses, and aspirations present in the world at any given time, which may be impossible to accurately define but which still constitute a real and effective power—the moral or immoral atmosphere we breathe.”

Christians must face the fact that the Devil has created an “atmosphere” in this world that is ungodly, and which leads people away from God and into sin. That “atmosphere” of ungodliness is as real as the country-western atmosphere in a country-western bar, or the Asian atmosphere in an oriental restaurant. Furthermore, the Devil’s intent in creating an ungodly atmosphere is to have people conform to it just as if they were conforming to a mold. That is why God tells us that we must not be conformed to the pattern, the mold, of the world.

As Christians, we must become spiritual meteorologists. We must become sensitive to the spiritual atmosphere around us, and able to recognize how we are being influenced, and whether that influence is godly or ungodly. The spiritual atmosphere we live in influences almost everything we think or do. For example, how do we speak to each other? Caustically and sarcastically, like the people in the television comedies speak to each other, or do our words convey love, encouragement, and compassion? Do we dress to impress (often sexually), or do we dress with a view to letting the Christ in us shine through our lives? Do we go into debt to have a car that will “Wow” our neighbors and make us feel powerful, or are we concerned about “Wowing” the Lord Jesus Christ? What is important to us? Is it things that have a firm root in Scripture, such as helping and blessing others, or is it isolating ourselves for hours at a time watching television or playing video games, in the end contributing nothing meaningful to ourselves or our society?

If we do not become spiritual meteorologists, we will be led, usually without even realizing it, into a life of ungodliness, sorrow, and pain. We must become aware of the atmospheric mold the Devil is trying to squeeze us into, and then have enough love for God and ourselves that we refuse to live in the ungodly lifestyle he lays before us daily, but instead recognize who we are in Christ and what we can do for ourselves and our society, and then get about doing it.

I know this was a long blog, but it seems very important to post it at this time. I pray that God puts these words in front of the one that needs them. Be a light in the darkness. Make a difference. Be different. Revive us, O Lord!!!

Wisdom (or lack of it)

I work with a guy who thinks he is right about EVERYTHING! When he starts talking, I want to just scream and run away. Either that, or politely ignore him. Aside from these two options, the only choice I have is to stand and listen, and politely scream in my mind, where he can't hear it. Also, if you have an opinion, and he disagrees, he gets really snooty. Or smart-alecky, whichever.

I know God gave us free will. He gave us the right to disagree, even, with Him. But just because we have the right, to think He is wrong, that doesn't make us right. He is ALWAYS RIGHT. All He did, was give us the right to be wrong, if we so choose. There are those that think they are ALWAYS RIGHT, no matter what the subject. They have presumed, incorrectly, that because they were smart enough to be right about a few things, then they must be right about EVERYTHING. We need to be wise enough, to realize when we are wrong.

Bill Clinton was once asked in an interview, how he could be FOR abortion, and claim to be a Southern Baptist. His answer was amazing. He asked the interviewer to show him in the Bible, where the word 'abortion' was. In his pursuit of wisdom, he showed his ignorance. The actual word 'abortion' may not be in the Bible, but 'Thou shalt not kill' is. The word 'gambling' is not in the Bible either, but the principles against it are. It's the principle, not the word, that matters. Words change, but God's truth doesn't.

Men can be smug. They can roll their eyes. They can give that pathetic, patronizing look. When you talk about God, and scripture, and Heaven and Hell, they may just ignore you and walk away. But in the end, they can't ignore God. They can't just ignore Him and walk away. He is too great a presence. He is right. All the time. Till the end of time. Judgment is coming, and earthly wisdom won't get you to Heaven. Your own righteousness won't get you there either. Asking God to forgive you of your sins, and asking Him to save you, and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, is the ONLY WAY to get to Heaven. Don't be so smart that you miss out on eternity with Him.

A Stormy Thursday

Wow!!! What a day for weather. The day started out with fairly good weather on the way to work. That is, until I made it half-way there. The sky started getting darker, and I saw lightning up ahead of me. Then, the rain started. It was crazy. I had my wipers on high, and I had to slow down to about 40 mph just to stay on the road. After I got to work, the power went off in our shop. Unfortunately, it only stayed off for a few minutes. After about another half hour, the rain went away.

The rest of the work day went great. The weather was fine, and bearable. After work, though, was a different story. I stopped off in Dunreith to check out some sales at an antique store. I looked around for about 20 minutes, and found nothing. When I left the store, I was shocked. The sky was a scary, dark grey, and I could hear the thunder rumbling. I texted Carolyn, and she told me to be careful, there was a bad storm in New Castle. Great. Within 5 minutes, I was driving through the worst storm I can remember driving through in quite some time. Everybody was slowed down to a crawl, and some people were pulled off on the side of the road. After some hectic moments, I finally made it into town, and the rain finally subsided. Most of the roads were flooded, and I was told that power lines were down on Rd. 38. I was SO glad to be home. I took my shower and stayed in the rest of the night. Thank You God for Your protection. It could have been so much worse.

Rainy Wednesday

We must really need rain, because it seems like that's all it does anymore. I'm not complaining, mind you, just noticing a trend. I also notice that I have to mow my grass twice as much as usual. This morning, we had a very good rain at about 8am. We were supposed to get a storm later, but nothing yet. Again, not complaining.


Work went okay again today, except for my machines breaking down for about 3 hours. Needless to say, I didn't make my rate for the day. That really bugs me. But there's always tomorrow.


We had choir practice tonight at church, and, as always, we had a blast. The people there are so nice, and funny. The songs are great too. Ken, the choir director, is very good at his job. While we were there tonight, I took a picture of the sanctuary with my phone, not the greatest quality, to show my sister. I'm posting it below. Great things continue to happen at First Baptist. God is truly better to us than we deserve.

Boring Day

Today was kind of a boring day. I had to go back to work this morning, (joy, joy). It was nice being off for three days, even thought it seemed like one and a half. I hurt like an old man when I got up. My body got out of the habit of rising early. It doesn't take very long to get out of the habit, apparently. Work went ok. I was on a grinder today, and went over my rate for the day. I don't know where the energy came from, (well, I do, really), but I'm glad I had it. It made the day go by much faster.

After work, I came straight home and started mowing the yard. It was WAY too hot to mow, but it had to be done, and I didn't see anybody else volunteering to do it. After I got done mowing our yard, I went ahead and mowed the neighbor's yard. It needed it, and I did have the extra gas. After two yards, I was totally exhausted. I thought I was going to pass out. Fortunately, we have the central air conditioning on in the house. I came in and turned it to about 68 degrees. It felt nice. That, and a long shower, made me feel much better.

After supper, Adam and his girlfriend, Kara, brought us both a small Blizzard from Dairy Queen. It was an unexpected surprise. I haven't had Dairy Queen since last year sometime. What a way to end the day. Thank You God for a Wonderful Day.

Memorial Day

What a beautiful beginning to the day. It was just slightly cloudy, and warm. The power went off in the middle of the night, due to storms, and all the clocks were flashing. When I saw that, I thought the day was going to be a bust. But as the day went on, it got nicer. Our Memorial Day parade started at 10am, and I was going to try to go, but I just didn't feel like it when I got up. I heard it went great.

At about 12:30pm, I helped our son Matt change the spark plugs in his PT Cruiser. I had never worked on one of those, so I was a little nervous. It took us about one and a half hours, but we got it done. It runs great now. We had a good time visiting with Matt and his girlfriend, Ginger, and their dog, Lady.

After all that fun, I realized we had missed a cookout my sister was having at her house. I felt terrible, but Matt and I had planned on doing his car today, for a while. I still had to do our shopping, and go to the cemeteries. We did all that, and got home, just ahead of a storm coming through. On our way to the Batson Cemetery, out in the middle of nowhere, we saw a cool structure in someone's front yard. Of course, I had to get out and take a picture of it. Instead of describing it, I will just post the picture below. Our three day weekend turned out pretty cool. We got a lot of stuff done, and saw a lot of people. God is good.

Sunday, Oh Sunday

Well, we had a great time at church again today. Today was one of the Sundays this month, that the choir sang. We have to be at church at 8:45am to practice. I always enjoy this time with the choir. Our Sunday School class was good again today, also. Our teacher, Ed Bell, has a cool teaching style. He gives you great scriptural background for the text you're reading, but does it in a sometimes humorous way. We are very much enjoying our time there. The worship service was fantastic today, also. The children sang two songs for the church, and then the pastor did baby dedications for three children. It was a great part of the service, as he prayed over these children individually, and asked for God's blessings upon them, and their parents. Then, the choir got up and sang a song called 'Ten Thousand Years'. It was a very exciting song, with all the parts pulling together to make a beautiful noise to the Lord. The pastor delivered a great message on unity amongst Christians. I was really inspired by his message.


In the afternoon, we met up with four of our close friends, DJ / Alisha, and Brady / Mandy. We went to Concannon's Bakery and Deli in Muncie for lunch, at around 1:30pm. We had a FANTASTIC time with all of them. DJ / Alisha moved to South Carolina last year, and were here for a few days to visit family and friends for the holiday. We ended up staying at the restaurant for about 3 hours. I really do miss DJ / Alisha and their family. It was so good to spend time with Brady / Mandy again, also. We haven't done that in a while.






As I am typing this, a MASSIVE thunderstorm has just passed through our area. There's still thunder and lightning going on, but nothing like it was. I thought we were going to lose trees, the wind was that strong. I didn't even know it was supposed to rain, much less storm. It was a crazy end to such a beautiful day. Carolyn had a great birthday. Thank you Lord.

Nice Saturday

What a beautiful day it was. And it started out so late for us. We slept in until 11:30am!!! I couldn't believe it when I woke up and saw the clock. Granted, I didn't go to bed until 3:30am, but still. I usually don't sleep more than 6 hours a night. Oh well, I must have needed it.

After our hibernation, we got cleaned up and went to my niece's open house. I missed going to her graduation ceremony. It was at 11:00am. Oops. It was nice to see family today. I don't get to see them as much as I would like. That's the way it is with family though. It was also my other niece's 15th birthday. It only seems like a couple of years ago that these two girls were running around playing. Now, their working, and driving, and graduating from high school. How time flies. John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans". We need to appreciate every day that God gives us. Each day, and each person we know, are blessings from Him. How we forget that sometimes.

After the open house, Carolyn and I took off for Muncie. Tomorrow is her birthday, and I wanted her to be able to buy some clothes for her. She hardly ever spends any money on herself. We shopped for a while, and then headed back to the big town of New Castle. When we got back into town, we stopped at Ming's Buffet for some Chinese food. As usual, Carolyn didn't eat very much, while I pigged out. After that, it was WalMart, and then home. A boring, but fun day.

I am so glad God gave me Carolyn. I tell her I don't deserve a woman like her, and she gives me that look. But it's true. I see her as such a blessing in my life. God knew what kind of woman would put up with me, and it was her. How she has stayed with me all this time, I'll never know. We could have fun just sitting and talking for hours. Or just going to the park and sitting, or swinging. We have so much fun together. Thank You God. I really don't deserve such a beautiful, understanding, and forgiving woman.