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.