Guns, Snot Rags, and Dishes

I got a call last night from my dear friend Jack Skidmore telling me he would be at my door at 8:00 AM to show me how to clean my rifle we had taken to the shooting range two weeks before. This morning as I was learning to disassemble my rifle, cleaning it, and putting it back together I made the fatal mistake. I asked Jack how often I should clean the gun. His reply brought not a single leap for joy. He said, "Clean it after each time you use it."

This got me to thinking how much we detest cleaning things. For instance, 'snot rags' (aka: handkerchiefs) fit into this category. Clean it after each time you use it. But we (manfolks) got tired of doing this so we invented the disposable tissue (Kleenex). Awe, you can sense the freedom just knowing how easy it is to get a fresh clean tissue.
Another case is dishes. Tired of washing dishes after every use? First, we tried domesticating dogs to lick the dishes clean but the womenfolk thought this was not sanitary enough. From a man's perspective, why else have a dog? And why do you think a dog is referred to as 'man's best friend' if not for his plate licking ability? So we started producing children to serve as dishwashers. This was great and served well until you stopped producing children and they grew up to begin washing their own dishes. So as a stop gap measure we invented automatic dishwashers to relieve us from this task which never seemed to end. This solution is great for those who can afford automatic dishwashers. But for the rest of the folks the simple solution was inventing paper plates. Now we just have to throw them away after each use. But wait, there is still to come one evolutionary step in this advancement of progress. It is the invention of the edible plate. Why throw away something that could be eaten with great delight? (Men, take heed of this precautionary notice. This is a marvelous idea that has an undesirable outcome. If we succumb to edible plates, then the next step downward is edible plates loaded with all the essential vitamins and minerals needed. The last thing we will remember eating is a paper plate as the womenfolk will soon quit cooking altogether!)

So how did I get to this point after starting the morning cleaning a rifle? Easy. (At least with my mind it was easy.) The question before me was, What is it that I can get in the realm of armaments that does not require cleaning after each use? Now you know the thought process of the genius who invented the hand grenade! That is the answer. No one ever has to clean a grenade after its use. You just go on about the other affairs of the day. Yes, I think I will go to Wal-Mart tomorrow morning and order a dozen of them babies from my good friend Don.
Wait, I hear the womenfolk telling us to go fill in the holes! Aaggggh.

Blessings on this beautiful, snowy December 29.

What Happened To December?

My last post was December 2nd. I had planned to post more blogs in December and then "Life Happens". My world got incredibly busy just when I thought December would be relative free to relax and enjoy the Christmas season. What was I thinking? How could I be so naive. After 30 years of life as pastor I should have learned that December is never, never, never a slow month in which to relax.
Someone who does not attend church and is outside looking in at Christianity asked me the other day what I did with my time (with the tone that it would be nice to sit around all day doing nothing.) This question got me reflecting on this fast moving December. After consulting my calendar and memory, here is the serendipity part of my December since my last post. The serendipity part of life is the "icing on the cake". The cake itself is our enduring, vital and vibrant time walking with our Lord Jesus. Without the "cake" life is filled with activity without eternity. So here is my "icing" of the past few days.

December 4 - Spent the day shopping for gifts for the church families.
December 5 - Went to Oklahoma City with my siblings to celebrate my little sister's 50th birthday. Attended a county western concert (Trace Atkins and Marlena McBride) which was lousy (I am no country western fan). What was fun during the concert was watching the updates of the Big 12 conference championship via cell phone! Who cares about Trace and Marlena when you have Nebraska vs. Texas to enjoy?
December 6 - Left OKC at 5:30 AM to get back to Valley View for church. CTC's Christmas banquet tonight. Spent the afternoon setting up for the banquet.
December 7 - Crashed in exhaustion from the weekend. (Morning only)
December 8 - Went to the movies to see The Blind Side. It is an excellent movie. Go see it when you get a chance.
December 9 - News of teen girl in church is pregnant. Next 9 days working with family through this crises.
December 12 - Memorial service for a precious lady in our church who died 3 weeks earlier.
December 13 -15 - Special services with Clay Nash here at CTC. What a great time of refreshing to have this man of God in our midst imparting life.
December 15 - Went target shooting with Clay and friends. The bad to this was it was 37 degrees outside with wind so that it was a little uncomfortable. The good was that I got to shoot my antique 1876 Springfield rifle for the first time. This was pretty cool (but not as cool as the weather!)
December 16 - Participation in CTC Christmas Caroling canceled due to emergency.
December 17 - Christmas shopping for Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree ministry. There are 13 children in the Valley View area who have a parent in a state prison somewhere in the U.S. The Valley View Fellowship of Churches took this on as something our churches would help with this year. 13 children divided by 3 churches is very doable without too much hassle.
December 18 - Supper at a home group and Youth Lock-In took up the evening.
December 19 - Officiate a wedding.
December 21 - Overnight birthday party here at the house with 9 girls celebrating Whitney Yosten's 16 birthday!

My eating habits have been shattered during this time. It is the holidays after all. At one point I ate 5 meals in a row and felt like a blimp doing it. I normally eat 1 big meal a day and snack the rest of the time. I had back to back meals at IHOP (supper and breakfast) during this 5-meals-in-a-row streak. The previous week I ate 3 meals at Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant with different individuals. On the third trip to the restaurant I ended up ordering chicken fried steak. I did get a funny look when ordering this item at a mexican restaurant.

It has been fun remembering the life experiences of the past few weeks as I write this post. God is so good. In other news, my oldest daughter, Amanda was the featured artist in an art showing in Seattle on December 20th. The showing went really well and she was amazed at the interest expressed in her work. I am really proud of her.
This morning I put up bird feeders in my back yard so now the little winged creatures will have a merry feast for Christmas.

In case I do not blog (which I probably will not) again before Christmas, I wish everyone within earshot a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

And remember - God is good, therefore life is good.

Blessings

SHARED EXPERIENCES

Well, well, well. We woke up to snow on the ground this morning! What a pleasant surprise it was. Here in Texas snow is always a pleasant surprise as it never snows heavily enough to do much damage (except for the Texas drivers who . . .) On rare occasions it snows enough here that one can go outside and actually play in the snow - things like snow ball fights, building snowmen, imprint snow angels, and even play fox and geese in the snow. Even writing about this makes me wish for more snow.

Life is so fascinating. While one persons circumstances are favorable and all is going well, another person you know is facing hard choices in the midst of difficult circumstances. Currently I have four friends walking through real tough situations (that I know about.) I would say that is about average. We all do our best to hang on and walk through those times knowing that the difficult times do pass. As we walk with our friends through the hard times it always binds our hearts together. It does so in ways that would never occur while walking with a friends only in good times when everything is pleasant.

Shared experiences are wonderful and life fulfilling. Solitary moments can be refreshing (and very necessary) but they are not capable of bringing fulfillment to life. This is the reason Facebook is so popular. We instinctively want to share life with others. Why else do we feel the urge to tell someone about the beautiful sunset we witnessed alone? Why else do people show pictures to you? When traveling in a car and someone sees a rainbow they say, "Look, there's a rainbow." That statement is meant to bring others into a shared experience of viewing something as simple as a rainbow.

Rainbows are meant to be a shared experience. The Bible tells us that God sees the rainbows. Every time we see a rainbow we are sharing an experience with God because he is viewing the same rainbow. This is so like God. It chooses to share our experiences. In the simple things and the complex things, through good times or hard times, he chooses to walk with us - each and every day. Unlike the other gods, the one true God revealed in the Bible is both transcendent and imminent. (This means he is both far above us and yet is very near us at the same time.) God just wants to share himself with each of us. This is so fundamental to God that he even chose to enter our world as 'one of us'. Ah yes, the INCARNATION. That is what this holiday season is all about. Jesus' birth is the INCARNATION. God becoming flesh and dwelling with us. Why? Because he wants to share his life with us! All that God does is aimed at this objective - making it possible for us to share life with him.

The next time you have one of those moments that you "just have to share with someone" remember that God desires the same thing. He has those moments that he wants to share with us. And through those shared moments we become closer than a brother. How cool this is, God and me, God and you, bound together closer than a brother through shared experiences.

Well, the snow is gone now, the green grass is out in its own beauty. God is good so life is good!

Blessings.

Thanksgiving 2009

I'm up in God's Country for Thanksgiving this year. For those in denial or are unenlightened, God's Country is the most accurate description of Kansas that you can find in God's dictionary. What a marvelous day this is. Everyone is thankful for family and friends. It seems everyone wakes up intentionally thankful. It is a gift we offer others around us. But just wait.

In 24 hours we will be back to normal life. Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go with the normal everyday attitude. We will brace ourselves for the onslaught of "Black Friday" shopping not with the attitude of thankfulness but with a rush to beat everyone else to the best deal on the corner. Family and friends are a distant thought as it becomes all about me and my circumstances (stuck in traffic one block away from that great bargain.) Hey folks, let's see some of that intentional thankfulness come forth from every pore of our bodies everyday in every situation towards all people.

Mostly this Thanksgiving I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God. My departed wife Joyce (departed sounds so much better than dead) spent the last 4.5 years of her life cultivating the presence of god in her life. One of the lasting treasures she left me and others is the reality of His presence in everyday life. The closeness of His presence with the accompanied graces of peace and joy is really such a very precious gift from the Almighty. He is so personal, so full of vitality and life that He cannot help but share Himself with others. And I am overwhelmed with gratitude that He would share Himself with me.

A first for me happened the other day. The Valley View Fellowship of Churches held a community Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday night. It was a pot-luck affair so I had to actually cook something to take with me for my contribution to the meal. Guess what? Every last morsel of my dish was consumed! Wow, what I great cook I am. they liked my dish! Maybe I ought to get my own cooking show. But alas, here is the rest of the story. there was a greater turnout than expected which translated into more people than food. So every morsel on the table was consumed by the time the last person went through the line. (Note: There was plenty of desert left on the desert table.) So I really don't know if my dish was consumed because of its tastiness or because of the desperate situation of the food supply. Whichever it may be, I'll believe it was because of my prowess as a budding chef!

November has been such a blur of activity that I haven't blogged but twice this month. I will do better in posting more in December. The Advent season begins this coming Sunday. Christmas music will officially begin then. But in reality, Christmas music is a staple throughout the year in the 'Hall Nuthouse'. Nevertheless, with the beginning of Advent, people don't look at your strangely when Christmas music is playing.

It is time to end this blog, get dressed and go upstairs and interact with the rest of the family. Besides this, I want to go outside and enjoy God's Country!

Blessings.

Tea Party Patriots

It is the day after the elections of 2009 and the Tea Party Patriots have scored big against the White House Machine. Success only emboldens the Tea Party crowd. But, like the Patriots of 1776, even setbacks serve to galvanize them into more committed action. All this serves to set up 2010 as an exciting mid-term election.

Speaking of politicians. How about the "Blue Dog Democrats"? They are as offensive as the RINOs on the other side of the isle. The fence they straddle has for a long time been a flat surface on which they could lounge in comfort. Now that fence has grown spikes and it is rather uncomfortable. That's good. They must now get off they duff and take a stand. May they get what they deserve!

We have now had six consecutive days of sunshine. In fact the sun has been out in its full glory more in the first four days of November than in the first 25 days of October. This October being recorded has the 6th wettest October in Texas since record keeping began. Praise God for the sunshine!

It used to be that November was a month of "little" activity in the Hall household and we would wait for it's arrival for a much needed lull following our church's PTL PARTY on October 31st. Something happened this year and I have managed to commit myself to 20 of the 30 days of November. (I should fire my scheduler.) Now I am looking for December for a lull in the calendar. But Christmas season somehow does not produce lulls in one's schedule. So alas, maybe January.

This is such a nice day today that it deserves a picnic. So I am off to get some hamburger buns and I am grilling for supper. Everyone is welcome to come on over tonight (5 PM) for burgers and chips. Notice how I just scheduled another event in November. Only 9 more days left to fill up!

Blessings.

Home From Honduras

Reflections on my recent trip to Honduras abound as many good things occurred that were very encouraging to see. Last week I went with two other men to hold seminars for pastors and their wives in the cities of Talanga, El Porvenir, and Guaimaca. Seeing friends from years past is always a true blessing. I have been very fortunate to develop friendships with about a dozen Honduran pastors. It is an honor to serve these brothers who labor in obscurity yet are doing good jobs of shepherding God's people under their care. Many of you know that it is Leonard, Jack and my heart to minister to pastor's in remote areas where they have very few opportunities to attend seminars for encouragement and education.

As I reported earlier, we saw God show up (always a good thing!) and heal marriages which were falling off the cliff. Eight people were healed of things such as tumors, depression, and pain in various parts of the body. Physical healing is always an amazing thing to participate in as God brings healing as a result of his unending goodness and love for us. The pastor's deep expressions of gratitude for coming and sharing with them is incredibly humbling. It makes the cost of going seem insignificant compared to the hope and encouragement given to fellow co-laborers of the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Tidbits of the trip for those who were not in church last Sunday. At El Porvenir there were two pastors who walked over 4 hours to attend the seminar. This is incredibly inspiring to continue onward in my own efforts to pastor were I am placed. (In my very first seminar I conducted in Omjon, Philippines one woman pastor started on Wednesday morning and arrived at 5:00 PM on Thursday to get to the closing session of the seminar.)
One of the hardest things for me to get used to during my travels to these remote places is the lack of hot water. How to bathe without going into shock each morning is always one of the major challenges of the trip. Each morning you take a deep breath and get the torment over with as quickly as possible. The 'deep breath' is to stifle the primal scream of anguish that wants to rise within me as good water runs down my back. The food is almost always good. And in those few times when you do not get enough to eat there is always the supply of Snickers and Butterfingers waiting to supplement the diet!
The flowering trees of Honduras are so gorgeous. Pictures (at least my pictures) do not do justice to their beauty.

As I close this entry let me give praise to the Lord for those in Honduras who serve in conditions most Americans would never submit too. So to Jorge, Carlos, Danilo, Henry, Elmore, Santos, Luis, Alvin, and the many others in the remote areas of central Honduras - WELL DONE.

Sunny Days Are Here Again

Two weeks ago I attended the Texas State Fair. It rained that day. And it has been raining ever since. Eight inches of rain in the past two weeks. Cloudy and overcast everyday. North Texans were on their knees pleading for sunshine. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Wednesday night I MADE MY CONFESSION TO A FRIEND. I was responsible for all the rain. It was because I went to the State Fair. Within twenty-four hours the skies cleared and the sun was back in its rightful place. All is well again. The past two weeks made us all yearn for God's Country (KANSAS) where in their state song the line "where the skies are not cloudy all day" rang true to our hearts. After the past two weeks it makes a person wonder how those poor souls survive in the Great Northwest.

Last Wednesday night, after making my confession, I felt so good that I invited a couple over to the house following the church activities to roast marshmallows over a new outdoor fire pit I had recently purchased. As earlier noted, it had rained eight inches and everything was soaked (including the firewood). This was no problem. Earlier in the day I discovered some lighter fluid left over from some distant grill out and figured I could use the lighter fluid to soak the wood and get it to burn enough to dry out and thus I would be in 'tall cotton' with a roaring fire amidst the wet wonderland. Alas there was not enough lighter fluid to complete the task so it was nip and tuck as to whether we could get the wood dry enough to stay burning. But God is good and with some newspaper and prayer we succeeded in getting the wood finally burning. Then I strode into the house to get the marshmallows only to discover the bag of marshmallows in the cupboard was a bag of miniature marshmallows! I can say that roasting miniature marshmallows is a real waste of time. They burn quickly. They have little taste. And the effort expended is not worth the reward received. Lessons learned through this futile event are: 1) Buy a full bottle of lighter fluid, 2) Dry out wood in the kitchen stove first, and 3) Buy bigger marshmallows!

Papa Was A Rolling Stone (playing in the background) sure takes one back down memory lane!

Three days from now I will be in Honduras. My two traveling companions, Jack and Leonard, and I will be conducting seminars for pastors. One never quite knows what to expect at these seminars. Last year it was marriages that were about to be ended that was the side issues we dealt with amidst the seminar. I am happy to report that the marriages are still together and improved. I am eager to get the recent update from the pastors and their wives. Another time in the Philippines it was a surprise to us to have a pastor tell us that he did not know he could show Grace to his church. Law was all he knew. It will be good to again rub shoulders with the pastors of Talanga, Honduras.

May everyone have a blessed day.
Blessings

October Treat

Yesterday I went to the Texas State Fair for the first time in 9 years. It was fun with not much changing since I last visited. But I will share three experiences.
First, I rode the Ferris wheel on the midway for the first time. I was surprised at how little motion there was. I grew up riding on Ferris wheels that were open bench/cart seating that would swing at the least bit of starting and stopping. The 'Texas Star' has a heavy cage that would take King Kong swinging it to produce any significant motion. Still, the view from 200 feet off the ground is spectacular.
The second experience was found at the auto show, specifically the Ford area. Ford had a humanoid robot that was amazingly advanced. It really did converse with the audience on a wide range of topics. It was totally absorbing to watch a robot pick at random someone from the audience and talk with them. This was a cool exhibit.
The third experience was humbling. Coming upon a trio (guitar, saxophone, trumpet) playing in a public area there were two men listening and dancing to the music with utter disregard to the people passing by. I have passed by similar scenes on other occasions with young men doing their break dancing or whatever. They were great at their dancing and knew it and wanting those passing by to see their 'greatness'. But this scene was different. The two men were mentally handicapped. They also were rhythmically challenged. (Note: The two aforementioned conditions are not related for I, too, am rhythmically challenged. No other comment is needed. :) ) As those passing by would look at the two dancers, there was the inevitable laugh at the two men. Yet the men were lost in their enjoyment of the music and were totally oblivious to those who thought they were the 'funny little men'. As I was watching this scene finishing an ice cream cone so I could go board the aerial tram, the Lord impressed upon me there was really only two free men within my eyesight! These two men were copying David as he 'danced before the Lord. David was caught up in his enjoyment of the Lord and danced with all his might, not caring what others (including his wife) thought of him, his style, or whatever. David danced because he loved the Lord. The world could laugh, but David would nevertheless dance!
--- Oh, to be free to dance as David and these two men danced.

Chicago - 0, Rio de Janeiro - The World
We now know that Chicago was the first to be eliminated from the 2016 Olympic consideration. I think the biggest mistake Chicago made in their last effort sales pitch before the Olympic Committee was in the makeup of the delegation traveling to Copenhagen. It was fine for President "O" and his wife to travel to Denmark, Oprah probably did just fine as well. But for the life of me I can't figure out why the rest of the delegation was comprised of former Olympians. I'm sure the vote would have been much better for Chicago if the bulk of the delegation was comprised of ACORN members instead of former Olympians. After all, what do Olympians know about rigging votes?

Blessings

The Choice Is Ours

I spent last Friday evening at our church's youth and men's camp out. Since I did not want to fish all night as was the plan of most of the guys, I left when the Park gates were closing and returned home to sleep in my own bed rather than in a tent. After supper, when the first round of fishing commenced, I found myself in camp with our church's youth pastor, Joe Yosten. As the sun set, we were adoring the absolute beauty of the lake and sky and the beauty of the campsite and park. As we commented on the great job someone did in marking this spot for a campsite and also for making this park so beautiful, it struck us how important a role God gave mankind in fashioning this earth into a thing of beauty. It was a moment of relaxed enjoyment in the stillness and beauty of the night.
In stark contrast to this experience, a couple of days later I found myself watching a news video of several Chicago youth beating another youth to death. It was horrific to watch - the ugliness of the scene played out before the world thanks to us by a cell phone video camera.

Two experiences. One so beautiful. One so hellish. Both brought to us by the choices men made.

Everyday we have choices to make. And those choices will result in our creating a beautiful, desirable environment or a hostile, ugly environment. The choice of order or chaos. The choice of beauty or trashiness. The choice of peace or discord. On and on, each day presents us with choices. What will your choices today produce in the world around you?


On a different subject. I purchased a bike yesterday. Several men in our church are bike riders so I thought I might join them on a trek some day. One of the men told me I needed to get in shape and build up some stamina so I would not bail out after a quarter mile into our trek. So now I must start a conditioning plan. Here is my plan. Two miles down the road is the nearest convenience store and I figure if I make it that far I will reward myself with a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. After all, I do need calories in order to make it back home! After three weeks of this daily program I will be ready to go all out to the Pizza Hut!

Blessings

Eight Years Later

The date 9/11 will never be forgotten in America or the Muslim world. It will be remembered for wildly different reasons. The loss of lives on 9/11 was shocking to observe and mourned because of their innocence in all things related to the event. This is one of the fundamental things about America and the morality which it embraces. America mourns the loss of innocent life. The pictures in the Muslim world were vastly different. Rejoicing over the loss of innocent lives seems to abide in their embraced morality. Seldom do we find Americans gleefully celebrating the loss of life of the innocent. We see this as tragic and seek to avoid it as much as possible. Even in war, civilian causalities caused by American firepower is surprisingly low because of our desire to spare the innocent. America is set apart in this aspect.
Throughout history most nations/empires made little effort to make a distinction between the enemy and the innocent and so all became pawns to be expended serving the goals of the leaders. Whole civilian populations were killed or enslaved as a routine part of warfare. This was the norm. And then along comes America. She has led the world in setting a standard in protecting the innocent. Have we done this perfectly. No. But the intent and effort in cherishing and protecting the innocent, even in wartime, is remarkable in light of past history. It is a tribute to the Judeo/Christian moral base which underpins our morality. Our moral underpinnings, based on Biblical truths, were greatly revealed in the aftermath of 9/11 compared with other cultures.

One side note on the above morality of sparing the innocent. The disturbing nature of abortion is the complete abandonment of this principle which America has so long cherished. To embrace abortion so easily, as America has done, is truly an open attack from within rejecting America's earnest desire to protect the innocent.

Yesterday's Personal Saga
I survived the visit to the oral surgeon yesterday. Actually I did pretty well considering my history of such endeavors. Praise God for his gift of nitrous oxide (or whatever it is). A few highs and lows of the visit, literally, were: my normal blood pressure is around 118/80. Blood pressure when first sitting in dental chair: 180/121. Yes I can literally feel my blood pressure increase as I walk into the dentist office. Nitrous oxide relaxes me to 121/? during the tooth extraction. After everything is over, I relive in my mind all that has happened and begin to get light headed and "white as a sheet" (though never completely fainted.) So while lying on the chair 'recovering' they check my blood pressure again: 77/51. At this point they told me to take my time and not feel rushed to leave. Ha, at that point I could not have crawled out of the building if I wanted to. But eventually my blood pressure returned to normal and I walked out like a champ - minus one wisdom tooth. But it was an hour of highs and lows!

Blessings

T - Minus 6 Hours

I wonder what the "T" stands for? After a short night of sleep in which I awoke every hour on the hour waiting for this day to arrive I finally got up to jot down my random thoughts during the night about going to the dentist in 6 hours. Spend a moment with me as I write because you will see what a wimp I am when it comes to dentists.
** What is the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon? The dentist pulls teeth while the oral surgeon does tooth extractions.
** Pain-free dentistry? Surely this is an oxymoron. In reality I can say I have never been in physical pain because of dental work. However, the emotional anguish more than makes up for the lack of physical pain.
** I remember the time I passed out in the dental chair before the dentist even touched me! Yes, I was an adult at the time.
** Back in the old days when you were required to get a blood test before your got married I decided that I would distract myself from the mandated needle work by reciting scripture verses. After the alcohol rub and with the approach of the needle I started to recite John 3:16. I didn't even make it though the verse before I was out cold!
** Irrational fears are real. Praise God I only have just this one. And roller coasters, heights, snakes, blood, needles, missed free throws, missed 3-foot putts, cottage cheese, lima beans, broken bones, lack of cookies, and maybe one or two more that I may have overlooked.
** Random thought at 3:15 AM - "I wonder if the oral surgeon is sleeping better than me?"


I am listening to Maurice Ravel's Bolero as I type this post. Bolero is my all-time favorite classical piece of music. I first heard it while watching Torvel and Dean (Canadian figure skating couple) skate to this music at the world championships. They scored perfect 10's. Everyone was astounded at their performance. It was the first time a perfect score had been given in the pairs competition. The music had much to do with the dramatic and fantastic routine. Ever since hearing this piece in the early 80's I have loved it.


Last nights President's Address: How convenient it is to have DVR. Last night I had activities at the church to attend to so I was did not get the chance to watch the real-time teleprompting session from President "O". Catching up to it later I noticed we have gone from 47 million uninsured to 30 million uninsured. If we hold out another 90 days perhaps he will lower the figure to 15 million which is about where most authorities say the true number lies.

The census figures show that there are 13 million poor children not covered by insurance. Yet every state has some variety of a CHIP program. How can we still have uninsured children? Studies have shown that there are about 6.5 million children enrolled in a CHIP program that did not report this fact on the census forms. Children who have not enrolled in a CHIP program but go to the hospital for treatment are enrolled in the program by most hospitals (so as to be reimbursed for their services) during their stay at the hospital. In effect this means that there is no poor child not eligible for insurance unless the parents absolutely refuse to avail themselves of this program.

My reflections on President "O" calling for civil discourse on health care reform. In his mind, civil discourse translates into "agreeing with me." Any disagreement, by his definition, means that one is mean spirited, uncivil, and should not be listened to (shut out of the discourse.) Of course this will not happen so it will be a bumpy ride until some form of reform is forced upon use from the Washington Cartel.


Bolero is finished and I need to get some errands run before I head to the dentist/oral surgeon/Armageddon. Next time you read my blog I'll have one less wisdom tooth!
It is now T - minus 5 hours.


Blessings

The Day After

Fearful to fall asleep last night due to the uncertainty of what may happen in the night after President "O" teleprompted our public school children during the day, I stayed up till 12:30 AM. Finally, with a dash of HOPE that no CHANGE would occur I closed my eyes and slept soundly until . . . the sun came up! Yes, the sun rose in the east just like it has been doing since day four of creation. God is still in charge. The early morning news had no reports of public school children being beamed up to the motherland called Chicago. Now, hopefully the sun will arise tomorrow morning following the teleprompting to the nation of "Obamacare, version XIII."

I'm enjoying watching the hummingbirds suck up the sweet liquid of the feeders. I used to exasperated watching the aggression of the hummers toward one another as they guard their feeder with great jealousy. Then, eureka!, I discovered why this is a good thing. The hummers expend a whole lot of calories chasing off one another and so they have to keep coming back for more food. This in turn lends itself to my enjoyment of watching those marvelous little birds. So as for me and my household, I say fight on!

The phone call just came and the countdown has begun. The receptionist was confirming THE APPOINTMENT. 27.5 hours till Armageddon. Actually it is 27.5 hours until the dentist but for me it may as well be Armageddon. After 17 years, I am now down to hours! The "laughing gas" better be as advertised or . . . I can't imagine what. But I am pretty certain the sun will rise the next morning.

I so enjoy hearing people laugh. Labor Day found about 30 souls here at the house for burgers and hot dogs. During the course of the evening a group decided to play some "charade" type game which brought out the screams and laughter from the porch. Music to the soul.

Today, as is everyday, is a good day to be joyful for tomorrow is . . . the dentist!

Blessings

Running, Teleprompting, Golf

Wow, I ran last Friday without pain in either of my knees! This is the first time in 4+ years I have been able to do such a feat. Granted, I only ran 100 yards but it still counted as running. It all started in February 2005 when one day I noticed this sharp pain when I tried to bend my knee. After putting up with this for about 2 years, an MRI revealed torn cartilage in my right knee. Shortly after the MRI and before a visit to the orthopedic doctor the knee quit hurting. So surgery put on hold. Shortly after this I was lugging a washing machine up to a 2nd floor apartment for a friend who was not helping a whole lot when, trying to protect my right knee I hurt my left knee. Now after much prayer and time I have returned to pretty much doing anything I want to do without pain in my knees! God is so good.

If you can't impress the adults, aim lower and go for the young skulls full of mush . . . President "O" has taken it upon himself to save the states a whole lot of money. He plans to impress the public school children with his oratory skills next Tuesday. This has prompted many parents to plan on holding their children out of school that day. Now I know the NEA will have fits with this action but I believe the parents still have some vestiges of control over their children. Now on to the fiscal side of this story. Each state pays the local school districts money per child based on attendance. If the child does not show up, the local school district does not get state money for that child on that day. So states will actually save money due to President "O" reading his teleprompter to public school children on September 8. This is probably the only act President "O" has done which will actually cut spending of taxpayer's money.

I am golfing with 3 friends Thursday morning. This will be good for the soul as it is a time of much laughter amid periodic flashes of brilliance. It is also a rare time to trash talk. You don't trash talk when you are getting whipped, so when I play with my brother I remain silent. But Thursday morning - let's just say I will get to trash talk some. And I plan to leave Mabel at home during this round of golf.

Blessings

O Glorious September

September is such a beautiful month. One of the simple reasons for this is because it follows August. Now August would not be too bad except it is always hot. There is a reason people use the phrase "dog days of August". Yesterday saw the end of August and today is the beginning of September and guess what? The temperature here is cooler by 7 degrees with this holding true for the week! Now we can enjoy being outside again! Even our plants can see the light of day knowing the worst of the temperatures are over.

August was actually a very good month with many great things happening in the lives of those making up Cross Timbers Church. How awesome it is to hear the testimonies of God touching lives and speaking to individuals. Just a simple word from Him changes lives! I daily revel in the goodness of our Lord for His sweet spirit that is so evident in our church body.

Reputations do make a difference. Sunday afternoon I was watching the PGA golf tournament. Tiger Woods had made up 4 strokes and needed to make birdie on the final hole to force a sudden death playoff. His approach shot was great and he stood over a 6 foot birdie putt which he has made many, many times before. Then he did something that left everyone (including the announcers) stunned. He missed a very easy putt. Not only did he not make the putt, he was not even close. He missed the hole completely! Because it was Tiger Woods who never misses putts like this, it was a stunner to see him miss. The missed putt most likely cost him the tournament. What is amazing about this event was the announcers could only say that he missed it. If it was a 'mere mortal' missing this putt in this situation everyone would have said he "choked" on the pressure of the moment. But no one is going to say that Tiger Woods "choked". Why? It is because he has demonstrated his ability to consistently make these putts. He has a reputation of not folding under pressure. And because of this reputation Tiger Woods missed the putt but he did not "choke".

I love David's psalms in which he speaks of God laughing. One of David's undeniable truths which served him so well over the years was his knowing that God delighted in him. I have observed over the years that the person who has truly understood this basic truth is the individual most happy and free. God is so very wonderful and good. I can only feel sadness for anyone who does not know or believe this God who is so good.
Psalm 2:4 references God laughing at ruler's attempts to set themselves apart from God. All rulers seem to do what is right in their eyes with or without God's input. Yet in all reality even rulers are ultimately dependent upon the God of the Universe. It is so good to know that He is good.

Blessings

Hurry Up and Get Here Quick, September

There are 435 people counting the days until September arrives and they can run back to their cocoon (their bubble of protection) called Washington, DC. After a month of Town Hall meetings in which our congressmen and women were ill prepared to address their constituents they can now slink back to DC and resume their careers within the safe confines of our capital. Now instead of hearing the roar of reality from their constituents they can hear the soothing words of flattery and profit from the lobbyists.

I don't think the August recess can be counted as 'recess' this year. If nothing else happened during the August recess, some members of congress were forced to actually read a bill of which they were preparing to vote. It is amazing how all the bills being passed under this administration are dire emergencies that require action and votes before the bills are read. Examples of these are: 1) the bail out of the financial institutions package, 2) the stimulus spending package, 3) the cap and trade bill, and 4) the health care reform package. It is easy to believe that some in congress still have not read the bill in spite of its controversy. Many on Capital Hill are to lazy to actually read the proposed legislation and rely on aides to handle this 'arduous' task. Is it any wonder the public holds both political parties in such contempt these days?

I can picture our Representatives an Senators marking an X on each day in their DayTimers at the stroke of midnight, crossing off another day of their 'recess', eagerly waiting for that official trip back to their cocoon.

R.I.P. TED

One dominant word represents Senator Ted Kennedy. Chappaquiddick. Now may both R.I.P.

Monday, Monday

Today Tambourine Dance camp began at our church. Ten young ladies put in a long day of 8 hours of instruction. I am so proud of these gals. They have made great strides in the past three years. Having been in other churches with Tambourine Dancers, I think CTC's rate among the best. But then I might be a little prejudiced!

While eating supper with the T&D girls I mentioned that I did something this afternoon that I had not done in a full year. They were eager to hear what it was but I told them they would have to read my blog in order to find out. How's that for getting new readers! So let me finish the rest of the blog before I come clean.

Sunday morning there were four testimonies in church. Two were rather on the "truth is stranger than fiction" side. Money blowing down the street to be freely collected and a horse being overcome by the presence of the Holy Spirit even as it's cut leg was being healed is enough to keep your attention.

How we view miracles tend to fall into one of two categories. The common view of miracles is they display God's power and authority so people will pay attention to God's claims. A different view of miracles is that miracles are a display of God's love for mankind. Through the miraculous a person's attention can be drawn to God's great love for them. I think I am opting more and more for the second view. I went grocery shopping this afternoon and ... bought a head of broccoli ... something unheard of (and not thought of) for over a year. And you thought I had done something earth shattering.

Shopping at Wal-Mart has become a special event lately. Last month one of the bloggers in our church posted a humorous post about people entering Wal-Mart using the EXIT door and leaving Wal-Mart using the ENTRANCE door. Since I have more than once slipped up and found myself going counter culture at Wal-Mart and not wanting to be caught by Nicki I must now engage in a reconnaissance mission looking for a certain van. If it is not in the parking lot then I can go shopping with l less thing on my mind. For the reason why people don't use the correct posted door it seems we have three possible reasons. 1) People don't care about trivial things such as this. 2) This is a harmless way to express rebellion to the zillion little rules governing our lives. 3) The public school system has failed to teach people how to read with comprehension. Take your pick for the excuse you will use when caught using the wrong door.

Blessings

The Red Neck Rule

Well, the call to breakfast mentioned in the previous post was a false run. I came down for breakfast only to learn that more family was coming for breakfast and we were out of eggs. So the "breakfast fixer" (a.k.a. sister-in-law) requested that her husband go pay the boy next door his lawn mowing money and in the process ask to borrow some eggs. Obviously, my sister-in-law has a few "red neck" rules still to learn. This pertinent one is: "Men don't go to the neighbors to borrow food." It is OK to send your children next door to borrow food, but you never ask a man to do this. A real man will drive 10 miles out of his way to buy eggs rather than go 1/4 mile to borrow eggs. Now that we are finished making our egg (and juice and cheese) run, now it is time for breakfast - unless we run out of something else!

The Great and Wonderful Fictitious Garage Sale

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that I was in Ohio helping my brother-in-laws conduct a fictitious garage sale. I had comments to this posting asking what in the world is a fictitious garage sale. Let me explain.

I traveled 900 miles to the designated location to help move, sort, and dispose of 50 years worth of "stuff". Upon arriving there had been no advance plans made. It seems that we were going to have a pow-wow Thursday night on what the procedure was going to be for the weekend. The pow-wow lasted 15 minutes with the conclusion that "no conclusion was best, that way everyone would be happy (or frustrated)." So yesterday, in my mind, we had a garage sale clearing away those 50 years of accumulated "stuff." Meanwhile, in the real world of the physical I was having a blast hanging with family (in-laws) visiting, laughing, and enjoying the life God has so graciously given us.

The day did entail 1 hour of cleaning out the old house for the world's smallest garage sale today. Some of the salvaged treasures which I will be bringing home with me is a frog door stop (cool), some old family photos, and a neat Christmas item the kids in the church will like when they come by the house. Update: A late Friday night pow-wow determined that we will call the Salvation Army to come pick up the workable big things like TV, microwave, vacuum, etc. and the rest will burn in a huge bonfire. Now the interesting thing about this garage sale/bonfire is that it was supposed to raise money for my mission trip. The bonfire idea came from me when I offered $100.00 for everything in the garage sale. When they accepted the offer I volunteered my new found "booty" to be assigned to the bonfire. With the proceeds from our fictitious garage sale my brother-in-law will be donating to my mission trip, everyone now seems happy about the arrangement. When I get home everyone is invited to stop by and see my $100.00 frog door stop!

They have just called for me to come down for breakfast and so I will end this post. Here's hoping that my next blog is not about a fictitious bonfire!

Blessings

Annual Pilgrimage

I find myself awakening to an Ohio sunrise this morning. I have traveled this route before - many times in fact. On the morning of my wedding day my soon to be mother-in-law made me promise that I would bring her daughter back to Ohio at least once a year. What man would not make any promise it took in order to get the privilege of marrying the one he loves? (I am only glad that the promise was not something really hard to fulfill.) I have kept this promise every year except once. The last year of Joyce's life she was physically unable to travel back and so we missed last year's pilgrimage. I write this in order to make a confession. I have failed to keep this promise for a second time. I awoke this morning to realize I ran off to the airport yesterday and left Joyce at home! I should have brought her ashes with me to technically fulfill my vow to my mother-in-law. I have reluctantly (on the part of Joyce's family) been granted forgiveness so now I am free to move throughout the day with a merry heart! Thanks to my brother-in-laws for their grace. In this aspect they model our Heavenly Father's heart.

How awful it would be to not receive grace and to know that I would forever be unable to rectify this misdeed of mine. (Now I could go back to Texas and ship her ashes back to Ohio but that still is not the same as bringing her back to Ohio. However, shipping ashes is a little harder than calling up the UPS man for door-to-door delivery. But that is another story for another day in another world.)

Real sin is like that. Once committed we cannot ourselves remove it's sin from our life. We may be able to rectify some of circumstances and consequences caused as a result of our sin, but the deed done is still forever there. What wretched creatures we can so easily become. Who can save us from our own destiny created through our own plans and activities?
As I said earlier in this post, my brother-in-laws model our Father's heart. God, in his loving mercy, has not only chosen to forgive our sin but has also chosen to not remember our sin once it is forgiven. In our relating to God our Father, forgiveness without the forgetting of our sin doesn't work. If God would remember my sins then how could I ever freely come into his presence with joy knowing that He knows all of my sins? This remembering of my sins would negate Hebrews 4:16 real quickly because I could never approach His throne of grace with confidence.

Praise God. He is full of mercy everyday and today is no exception so we can go forth with great freedom and joy to love Him and dance with our Lord today. So have a great day filled with much laughter and joy.

Blessings

PS My brother-in-laws approved of this post - especially the part about their modeling God's heart!

What Are You Staring At?

When I was a youth I had a younger brother who was confined to a wheelchair due to an inherited disease. This was at a time before the American Disabilities Act required handicap access to any place in the universe except the moon. It was also a time before chairlifts and vans were common. Our family's first wheelchair accessible van was a used cargo van with a homemade ramp which required two persons (a pusher and a puller) to get my brother up into the van. So it was relatively rare to see someone out and about in a wheelchair. During this time if you wanted to get into most buildings you had to navigate steps in a wheelchair. Thus it was unusual to see a handicapped person out in public trying to circumvent the barriers of curbs, steps, and non-automatic opening doors.

Whenever we were out in the public away from our small hometown, my brother was very conscious of the eyes following him around. It was obvious that my brother was the object of many sets of eyes following him wherever he went. It bugged him so much that sometimes he would confront a person with the phrase, "what are you staring at?" It really was useful in getting someone to quit staring at you.

But let's face it. We find it hard not to stare at something that is spectacular - whether it is good or beautiful, bad or ugly.

Within the soul of man are eyes that have the ability to behold both a physical realm and a spiritual realm. It is far easier to behold the physical realm because it is so easily seen. (It really takes no effort to see the physical.) The spiritual realm is not so easy to behold as it is for the most part invisible. I say for the most part because the miraculous can be seen and is simply the spiritual realm manifesting itself in the physical realm.

The Bible encourages us to fix our eyes on the unseen, spiritual realm. One of the valuable reasons for fixing our eyes on the spiritual realm rather than the physical realm is the fact that the realm we are most conscious of will be reflected in the way we live. To fix our eyes on Jesus will bring a result in our inner character being transformed into His image which will then have the positive effect on our outward thoughts and acts.

I am finding the more conscious I become of the unseen spiritual realm, the more this focus brings into sight the spectacular nature of our Lord Jesus. And the more spectacular He appears to us the more irresistible He becomes to us. We just have to stare more at Him because of His awesome goodness manifested in and through us.

So friends, let's all have a "stare fest". Let's stare at the unseen, spiritual world and become more conscious than ever of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings

Mind Stretchers To Think Over

I am spending this week at the Hem Of His Garment Healing Conference at Bethel Church in Redding, CA. What a marvelous time it has been these first 5 sessions. I have 5 minutes before I head off to start the day so here are some random "mind stretchers" to ponder on throughout the day from the first session on Monday evening.

"God loves us as much as he loves Jesus."

"Nothing is as important as the presence of God."

'The reason god does the miraculous is because he loves people."

"We do not need to work for what he has already given us."

That's it for now.
Blessings

Is It Worth It?

I am attending a conference in Redding, CA this week. The opening session begins in about two hours so this post is a poem I wrote several years ago. Hopefully you will enjoy it. I will post again on Wednesday if I'm able.

Is It Worth It?

Is it worth it . . .

To here a newborn baby cry?

To run to the finish line after having fallen?

To stand alongside King Leonidas at Thermopylae?

To see those first baby steps in your house or on the moon?

To be there when the "Fat Lady" sings?

To plant the flag on Mt. Suribachi?

To chase after the rainbow?

To aide an Anne Frank?

To sweat drops of blood?

To hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

Back in the Posting Business

It has been way to long since my last posting. A whole lot of things have been happening since June 17. Mostly it has been very good. Mostly it has taken up my time so that when I do sit down I either don't want to write or I was too tired to write about my happenings. But this morning is different I want to blog! Maybe if I blog in the morning instead of waiting till midnight my mind would be a little more than mush and things coherent would come out.

As I sit to write this post I am listening to the music of Glen Campbell. Listening to Glen Campbell songs is like watching water rush over a 15 foot waterfall. It is something that you could listen to all day (or as the case of a waterfall - watch all day.) Now I know the younger readers of this blog will ask, "Glen Campbell, who is he?" But it is to their loss that they are so culturally deprived!

I have been asked with incredulity, "You listen to that?" Well, I'll let the secret out. I do listen to music other than Praise and Worship music. However, it is hard to beat what God is inspiring songwriters to put together expressing the wonderful nature and person of the Lord Jesus. So I go back to P&W everyday. So what's in my MP3 player? To begin with, you need to know that my music appreciation range is quite eclectic as you'll notice. It's sort of hard to pin down what my favorite style is so I just call it Eclectic.

My favorite song in my MP3 player is How Much Is That Dogie In The Window. Don't laugh, it was a number one hit sometime in the 1950s. Songs ranging from Roy Orbison to Patti Page, with the Temptations, Glen Campbell, Henry Mancini, Roy Rogers, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Three Dog Night tucked between them give pleasure to my soul. Oh, I almost forgot the classics, every MP3 player must have Maurice Ravel's Bolero in it. This is one for the ages! And of course, my MP3 player would be second rate if it did not have the military marches in it. Appreciation and gratitude always come to mind when you hear the likes of Anchors Aweigh or The Caissons Go Rolling Along or The Marine's Hymn or The Air Force Song.

On to other thoughts. Tomorrow marks the end of my first year of serving on the Pioneer Valley Association Board of Directors. It has been a real trip! I have two more years to fulfill my term. Last year at this time the annual election meeting needed to have the Sheriff's deputy called in to stop a scuffle between individuals. Shortly after things calmed down I was one of three newly elected directors sworn in. (Note: I was elected with one vote as a write-in candidate. And no, I did not vote for myself.) Many good things have been accomplished during the past year. One of them is that the people of Pioneer Valley now talk to each other instead of yelling at each other. That is always an improvement and hopefully will make the coming year even more productive.

One last item to mention. Sunday will see the last of our youth head off to the mission field for this summer. We have had youth serving in Oklahoma, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and now Italy. We also had an adult do mission work in Zambia this summer. Two others will go to Honduras in the Fall. That is 16 individuals out of our congregation of 80. Wow, well done CTC!

Children's camp this week, youth work days next week, youth camp the week after that (along with a conference in California). Then things will settle down in August. At least one can dream.

Manuals !?!

This posting will be about a mundane thing which I have thought about writing but it is surely nothing profound. I write it to get it out of my mind- so out it comes.

Every time you purchase something it comes with an operator's manual/instruction book. Being a true man, I promptly pitch the manual into the trash with the box and proceed on with life. This worked well when your better half retrieved the manual and kept it in a filing system for future reference (and saved the day on many occasions.) The worst of these manuals is always with a computer software program which promises "plug and play" ease of operation. Being the simpleton I am I always assume that "plug and play" means that your slip the disk in and install the operation and, 'whoohoo', it works. But I have learned that in the box, underneath the shiny disk, lurks a manual - at least 100 pages worth! Do they really expect me to read this stuff? Never in a 25years! That's why you marry someone who does read the manuals!

Life changes real fast when your 'manual reader' is no longer around to save the day. Either life gets much simpler because you abandon anything more complicated than "a+b=c" formula or you begin to read the manuals so you can stay in touch with the world of new and improved "gizmos".

So now I save the manuals (I always have so that Joyce would not have to later dig them out of the trash) and pile them somewhere with all the other stuff I may need someday. My non-orderly filing system was no match for Joyce's filing system. Think in terms of "chaos vs. order".

After one month without my manual reader around I am helpless in programming my TiVo. this simple task would have naturally fallen on Joyce's shoulders but alas, it it now up to me to find the manual and learn to do it by reading the manual without having someone show me how to do it. Did you notice the operative word in the previous sentence was 'find'. It is not that I can't read the manuals - the problem is I can't find the manuals. Auuugh !!!!! Sometimes being absent minded is the pits.

Wow! Just as I finished typing the above paragraph I glance up from this post and there it is tucked away on the bottom tier of the coffee table! I have found the manual! Now I can learn to operate the TiVo and my life will be made easier - so they say.

Life is good so keep smiling. Blessings

Fortitude

I am at the present time in Safford, AZ attending a conference. The hour is late so I thought it would be cool to bring out of my poetry files something of the past that has not seen the light of day before this time. Below is a poem I wrote on 12/31/2004. Hope you enjoy it.

FORTITUDE

There is no truce
Surrender is not an option
Embracing uncertain outcomes
We move forward

One step at a time

Toward one certain Outcome

We travel light

Assured by the Word and Spirit

We look backward only to see abundant grace

We stay not where we are

Our hearts drawn with yearning

For a new tomorrow

Onward . . . always another step

Never give up the journey

Eucastrophe awaits around the corner

And there . . . there is our goal

Our Lord and Savior with outstretched arms

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Eucatastrophe -- a word coined by J.R.R. Tolkien to describe a momentous turn of events ushering in good fortune.

Blessings

Yearnings

OK. I have just lost my recent great post on yearnings. Where it went I have no idea. It seems that 3 mistyped keys in random order (or secret code unknown to anyone in the universe) will vaporize a masterpiece. Trust me, it was a good post. Does this happen to others or is it just my unique abilities that are able to accomplish this?

So here is a substitute post for the masterpiece just lost. Ten days ago we had a series of storms blow through. It appears the only damage of consequence was that the hummingbird population around my house was either blown into the next county or did not survive the storms. Either option has left the hummingbird feeders void of any activity since the storms. Now they only serve as a reminder of the former days of enchantment while we wait for a new batch of "Hummers" to find the feeders. Now, today, I see that I have Roadrunners in my back yard! That's cool but they don't have the color nor quite the same 'enchantment factor' of the hummingbirds. Still I will take the Roadrunners over the crows who come by for the pecans. All in all it is an amazing world God has placed us in and given us the responsibility to steward.

And for those reading this blog who watch what you eat, here's a interesting observation that may relieve some of the worry about what to eat.

Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausage/fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Apparently, it is speaking English that causes heart attacks!

Blessings

Eating Right and Healthy Diets

Note: For the humor challenged, please eat a celery stalk before reading.

O.K. Students of the culinary arts - it is time to answer a few questions about healthy foods. In today's society there are many varieties of diets. All thevarious diets seem to produce over the long run is many misconceptions. So below is an attempt to put balance back into the discussion of healthy eating.

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it . . .don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer. That is like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables! So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, which means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made from grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ration is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ration is two to one, etc.

Q: What are the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ... Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around.

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey, 'Round' is a shape!

I sincerely hope this Q & A session has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

Enjoy the day and Many Blessings

Beauty In The Garden

This week has been so incredibly beautiful. The garden in the front and back yard of my home is at its peak before the heat of summer begins to incite stress on the plants. As I sit outside to read in the beauty of the morning or evening I marvel at the garden which Joyce so loved to work and improve. After 3 years of toil and selecting various plants over and over again, this spring required very little additions to the garden. About the only work that has been required is the need to weed!

As I reflect on all the work Joyce put into her "living art project" it strikes me how closely her life resembled her garden. She worked diligently at the garden in order for it to produce beauty. It is not some random plants surprising us with their beauty. They were planned and cultivated to produce their beauty. The plants that could not stand the soil and heat conditions had to go to make room for plants that were better suited for the conditions and thus were more productive. Then there was the nurturing of the plants to bring them to maturity so they could show forth their "glory". Oh how Joyce loved to work in the garden. Well, as I said earlier, she did a good job of enabling the garden to show forth it's "glory".

The beauty of a person's life takes much the same type of "garden work." Unless we plant and cultivate certain qualities and characteristics within our spirit we will not have much beauty showing forth from our lives. The qualities of generosity, love, kindness, gentleness, peace, contentment, awe and wonder do not arise and exhibit themselves without being planted, cultivated, and nurtured. Only as they grow and become mature do their beauty become pronounced enough to "shine forth". The '"glory" of our lives is ultimately linked to the fruit of our lives which reflects God's handiwork in and upon our lives.

Weeding in the garden is a constant just as is it necessary to weed out of our lives those "things" which will overtake the cultivated plantings of our lives. If I want to see the fruit of generosity shine forth then I must make sure that greed, fear of the future, self-indulgence, and various other "weeds" remain plucked out of the "garden of my soul."

In other happenings: I just received a call from a monument dealer wanting to send literature about a burial plot. The caller asked my age and then asked if I was married. I instinctively said yes and then quickly added, "wait a minute, I mean no". Then I had to explain that my wife had died 3 weeks ago. To this information the caller said, "Oh my god, I am so sorry for this call." The caller fumbled through the rest of the call and I found myself laughing at the awkwardness of the scenario. I didn't have the heart to tell the caller I won't be needing a burial plot as my wife was cremated so I probably will be too. So in a few days will come some junk mail about burial plots I will not be needing.

Enough of this post for today. It's time I go cultivate some good plants "in my soul" and do some more "weeding" at the same time!

Blessings

Rainbows Do Exist

Saturday evening. 6:05 PM. Wall of rain approaching from the south. Sun shining in the west. It was beautiful outside. I so enjoy standing outside (under a covered shelter of course) and watching a storm approach and unleash the torrents of water from the clouds. Having grown up on the plains of Kansas it is an awesome sight to take in - the approach of the storm - the fury of the storm - and then the RAINBOW! Living here in Texas has certain perks, but Rainbow spotting is not one of them. They tend to be infrequent and small when they do make their appearance. (I suppose this is one reason leprechauns are an endangered species in Texas.) Saturday I was reminded of the glorious goodness of God as I went outside to watch the approach and experience the fury. And then there it was - a RAINBOW arching over CTC! Oh the beauty and joy of simple pleasures.

Tomorrow the first of the CTC'ers head out for missions. Sherry Williams heads off to Camp Dry Gulch for the summer as she serves as a counselor at the camp. She is the first of 13 we will send out to various corners of the world during the next six weeks. Places such as Oklahoma, Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, and Mexico will have CTC'ers walking on their soil.

I am expecially proud of the Mexico team. Many times we let inconvenience stop us from "going forth". In this case, there was the concern of the violence in Mexico that caused some to hesitate, then the "Swine Flu" outbreak caused some hesitation. Through it all, Joe Yosten, leading the team kept his eye on the goal, never waivered and now is two weeks from launching.

Thunder clouds are building up around here. It is Memorial Day so this is expected. No problems here at the Hall household though as I had 20+ over for a grill out last evening. This afternoon I go over to someone else's place and let them worry about a rain out!

Last night as the last guests left the house I noticed the sign by the front door Joyce had made many years ago to identify our unigue status in the world. The sign reads, "Welcome to the Hall's Nuthouse". The thought crossed my mind that now that all the females have left the house, maybe the sign should go. Then horror of horrors - the thought occurred to me that perhaps it was I who made the sign necessary! So, the sign stays until I notice some consistent, long-term signs of normalcy around here instead of short spurts that vaporize all too quickly!

Have a great Memorial Day. God bless our troops! Blessings

Light Headed

I feel light headed at this time. Something is missing. Wait. I know what it is. Proverbs 12:4 states, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown." That's it. My crown is missing! It is amazing how we men do manage to 'marry up' most of the time.

Speaking of crowns. Twila Paris' song Let No Man Take Your Crown has these lyrics:

A crown is heavy, you could fall beneath the weight

Consider carefully before you abdicate

The King has given you responsibility

And when you wear it, you wear His authority

Let no man take it, let no man take it.

Let no man take your crown

Let no man take your crown

Till at His feet you lay it down

May you be ever faithful found

Let no man take your crown

If I'm unwilling to be sure the job is done

Then I compel the King to find another one

Who will be diligent to carry out the plan

Let us determine to accept every command

Let no man take it, let no man take it

He had a reason for choosing you

You have a reason to follow through

Let no man take your crown.

Great song, great lyrics. Guard the crown the Lord has given you to wear!


Blessings

Surviving the Whirlwind

Hi everyone. It has been three weeks since my last post so I hope someone checks in to read this. I think I am ready to resume so sort of regularity in posting. Well, I have survived the death of my lovely wife, Joyce. Joyce received her crown of righteousness which Paul refers to in 2 Timothy 4: 6-7 on May 3 2009. What an awesome woman of God she was. God was so generous in his grace being poured upon my life in this one simple act - allowing me to be married to Joyce for nearly 35 years. In fact, there is not a time since my high school years in which Joyce was not part of my life having met her my freshman year at Oral Roberts University.

Her journey the past 5 years has been one filled with incredible experiences and times with the Lord and intimate moments with Him in such a manner that Joyce was fully embracing parting this life and walking with Jesus in the fullest manifestation we can experience for eternity. At one time in this journey she reflected upon these moments of heavenly visitations (as she described them) and proclaimed, "The best that we experience in this life pales in comparison to that which we experience when we are fully in his presence."

Two things have struck me the past weeks since her passing. First, Joyce's uncanny ability to focus on the Lord's presence (which always ushered in his peace and joy) in spite of everything else swirling around her. This was her priority once she found she had a lump on her breast. She was determined to not let cancer consume her attention, focus and life. Rather, Jesus was going to get her attention and focus. As a result of her laser-like focus on this, she spoke one morning that the past three years of life have been the best three years of her life because Jesus was nearer and more personal than any time before this incredible journey.
The second thing that has struck me is the lack of anything of monetary value that Joyce had.
My wife was always first and foremost a practical gal. But I never realized how much this was true until I began the "cleaning out" process of her stuff. There was nothing of great value to hang on to except her wedding ring (which was a hand me down from her family.) Everything else of value was valued due to it coming forth from her person. Things such as her writings, art, etc. hold value because it came from her heart.

This "cleaning out" process brought to mind an episode of my life when my youngest daughter, Christabelle, and I were preparing to head to Europe for her High School senior trip. (Oh the benefits of homeschooling!) We were shopping at the local Goodwill store in Gainesville when I commented to Christabelle, "How ironic this is. Here we are shopping for clothes at Goodwill when next week we will be in Paris, Venice, and Vienna." But this was how we had learned to live through the years - putting value on the experiences and memories rather than on material things.

This is enough of a post for this morning. I'll most likely post many other reflections of our life together in the days ahead. Some psychologist somewhere would say this is probably good therapy for me. Personally, forget the therapy! This is a wealth of stuff to write about. This is a treasure store of topics which is needed for this guy who struggles in writing even a simple letter!

But now I am off to see the movie Star Trek.

God is so very good!
Blessings

I'm Back

Howdy everyone! It has been almost a week since my last post. Time flies by super fast these days. Sunday was my 56th birthday! Fifty-six marvelous years. Wow. It doesn't seem possible. However, as my balding head attests, time has gone by.

One of the nice things about baldness is that once it has happened you don't have to worry about it. (Not that I ever worried about baldness before.) It is one of the mysteries of life. Some gene somewhere deep in the storage vault of DNA tells your head to start shedding about age 35. The next thing you know you figure that God must like shiny heads because He made so many of them. Today it is all the rage as men with a full head of hair actually try to shave below the skin barrier to get what I have been given naturally. Ain't God grand?


There is more rain in the forecast for later this week. This is a good thing. We need more fresh water so we can fill our swimming pools and hot tubs with a clear conscience.


Aragorn stands alone facing the oncoming horde of Orcs. What does he do? He runs toward them to engage them in battle. One against the horde. This scene is what makes the LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring so special to me. At this moment you knew that Aragorn had what it takes to live a noble life. He was willing to live (and die if necessary) for a cause that was greater than himself.

The amazing thing about this scene is that it is played out in every generation. Men and women in every era have faced the same situation and responded as Aargon did. In the battle of Leyte Gulf between the US Navy and Japanese Navy in WWII this scene played out before us. The Japanese Navy fleet surprised a strike force of light cruisers in Leyte Gulf. The Japanese fleet was vastly superior in numbers of ships and firepower. Surprised to realize the Japanese fleet was upon them, Lieutenant Commander Robert Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts with these words,

"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds

from which survival cannot be expected.

We will do what damage we can."

And with these words he ordered his ship to head directly toward the Japanese fleet to possibly buy time for the rest of the strike force to prepare for battle. We know what happened because against all odds, they not only survived the battle, they WON the battle.

Lord, fill us with courage to fight and not run, no matter the odds facing us.

Incidentally, FYI: The battle of Leyte Gulf was the last naval battle ever fought with battleships and destroyers. Ever since this battle took place submarines and aircraft carriers dominate naval combat operations. Now you know!


Blessings