Life Is Good!

Salute To My Dad

2010-11-12T13:02:00.014-06:00

After 4 months of not posting a blog, I have now decided to enter the world of the blogosphere once again. It was not that there was a lack of things to blog about, rather it was me not being motivated to blog. I was beginning to think I was not going to blog again, but last night I got the urge to post a blog, so ready or not, here am I.

Yesterday evening I attended the Veteran's Day service in Gainesville. It was a pretty neat service with a massive fireworks display for the finale. The local bands and choir were good, the speakers and performers did a good job. But the real stars of the evening were the Veterans themselves who had come out to the event. Most veterans wore something identifying themselves as a Vet. Some came with obvious physical discomforts brought on by their service. All were there with a quiet, classic dignity only a Veteran seems to carry these days. During the service I could not help but think of my dad (pictured above).

A Veteran himself who recently turned 84 last month. On his 19th birthday he got off a troop transport and marched to Pantanella Air Base outside of Canosa, Italy. Courtesy of Uncle Sam, my dad was a member of the 15th Army Air Force, 465th Bomb Group (H), 781st Bomb Squadron. He served as the ball gunner on a B-24 Liberator flying missions over the Alps to bomb Nazi targets in Austria, Hungary, Romania and throughout the Balkans. (The ball gunner is the gunner located on the underside of the plane.)

As a young teenager learning to shoot pheasants, I was always in awe of my dad's ability to consistently hit pheasants flying fast and far away. On one hunting trip I ask my dad how he was able to always hit the birds with seemingly so little effort. He commented that the hours of practicing shooting at fighter planes flying at all possible angles while moving at 275 m.p.h. made shooting at pheasants seem rather pedestrian.

I have found this reply to be fairly typical from Veterans. Having a lifetime of experiences forged into their character in a few short years, they go about their lives with little acclaim and no need for attention. They work, play, serve and bring much betterment to each community where they live. Their sacrifices given in years past seem too easily taken for granted by those never having to serve their fellow man through the military. Quietly productive in most all they do, building our nation up and moving her forward. True champions of liberty are the men and women serving us through their sacrifices of military duty. God bless our Veterans. Thank you one and all. And thank you, dad, for you're the best of them all.

Summer Days

2010-07-21T10:39:00.006-05:00

So quickly does time go by. One month to go before school season is upon us. The last rush to go someplace before the fall season starts is upon us. My personal trip will be to the Philippines to visit Christie and the kids! In fact, in 4 days, 09 hours 14 minutes from now I will be leaving for Tagbilaran. The first four days of my stay in the Philippines will comprise traveling to and from speaking opportunities. One of these speaking engagements will be to about 30 South Korean missionaries/Christian workers serving in the Philippines. Following this we will head to Baguio City. This appears to be the dream vacation site for the Filipinos. At least Christie is very excited to get to go there. I think it is sort of like us going to the Rocky Mountains for vacation. The big adventure for me in getting to Baquio City will be renting a car and getting out of the Manila traffic alive and in sound mind!

Last week I had the wonderful privilege to host Pete Valdez here at the house. Pete is from the Philippines and I knew him from his interpreting some at a pastor's seminar last January. During the week we moved from acquaintances to friends. It was fun to introduce Pete to Texas culture. As he had been visiting California for a week before coming here, he was privileged to experience the better side of life in America! (Note: This is humor with a tinge of truth for my thin skinned friends on the west coast!) We did spend one afternoon shooting guns. He thought this was much more fun than a day at Disneyland. Pete has moved on to St. Louis and all is quiet for now. Two days after my return from the Philippines will be the arrival of Tomek and Renia from Poland. These are dear friends who were able to spend a week here two years ago. It will be good to have them back in the house again for a visit.

Did you know? Botanically speaking, the banana is an herb, the jalapeno is a fruit, and apples and peaches are members of the rose family. Now you may qualify for a TV game show knowing this trivia! Tonight is a great night for ice cream. So ice cream is on tap for part of the supper fare. Whoever came up with ice cream needs their name etched in immortality. Actually, ice cream dates back to the second century BC, when Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar. Tonight as I have a Root Beer Float I will again declare that God is good, therefore Life is good!

Blessings

How Did You Do That?

2010-07-12T14:49:00.006-05:00

The fireworks on July 4th went off as usual. 33 guests came for hamburgers and fireworks. Some little kids shot off fireworks for the first time. The bigger kids were off shooting their fireworks a few feet away. And the really big kids (menfolk) had the best time of all! Amazing how this works.

The clock is ticking. 13 days, 9 hours until I see my wife waiting for me at the Tagbilaran airport. It will have been only three months since we were married but it seems like an eternity since we were last together in the same country. A quick update on the status of Christie and kids coming to the U.S. The papers and documents have been sent to Homeland Security where they will do background checks on the "newest Halls" and determine they are kosher enough to apply for a visa. This usually takes 3-4 months. All in all I am still believing for the family to be here by Christmas. Thanksgiving would be nice, but Christmas is just fine too.

This week I have as a guest in my home - Pete Valdez. Pete is a pastor in the Philippines. More than this, Pete is a godly man and a good friend. In fact, he was one of the sponsors for Christie and me at our wedding. (Perhaps Christie sent Pete here to check me out to see if I was really as good as I appeared to be in April!) Well, as you can see by the photo, Pete has to earn his keep around here. Mowing grass and preaching. What more could a Filipino want to do while staying here. How about golf and shooting guns! This might be a week he doesn't forget.

Now for the "How Did You Do That?" story. I got a call this morning to fetch a set of spare car keys and get to Wal-Mart as soon as possible. Seems someone had flushed the car keys down the toilet! Now I must admit to laughing out loud when I heard the plea to come to the rescue. I was stumped as to how an adult could flush keys down a toilet. Maybe a 5 year old, but an adult? Reaching to give the spare set of keys I had to ask, "how did you do that?" It's really simple. Here's how. The lady is on the toilet and the cell phone rings. Reaching into the purse and moving stuff around to get the cell phone made the keys come alive and crawl out of the purse and jump into the toilet. Well there is only one thing to do and that is to reach in and retrieve the keys. So rising off the toilet to go after the keys, before you could say Jimminy Cricket, the automatic senor activates and a giant "Whoosh" whisked the keys out of sight! Who would have thought about the automatic sensor? Next time she will!

God is surely good on every front. There is always something to cause somebody somewhere to get despondent as they grouse about. But God who is always good and always has good counsel tells us to "Rejoice always" and to "Be joyful always". So I choose to heed his advice and look at the gracious goodness of our Heavenly Father all around. As I do this, I find my 'eyes of faith' are sharpened and my perspective is always shifting into alignment with God's perspective. I may not do this perfectly and consistently, but I am better at this than I used to be before I made a conscious decision to heed this admonition. I find God's grace changing my natural view on things and for this I am grateful.

Blessings,

Farewell June

2010-06-30T12:02:00.008-05:00

Well here we are 1/3 of the way through summer. Farewell to June. July is going to be great. July 4th is always special as we celebrate our nation's Independence. For me this means grilling out with friends and shooting fireworks after dark. Next year I get to teach my son, John, how to 'do fireworks'. Yes, papers have been sent in and now someone in the bureaucracy called Homeland Security will decide whether my new family are terrorists or not and give permission for proceeding on to visa application. So the waiting game has formally begun in getting Christie and kids over here with me.

Everyone repeat after me: Kansas is God's Country. The other day I went to open the refrigerator door and there it was. A refrigerator magnet stating, "Texas - God's Country." What? How did that get there? In all the people coming and going through my house someone slipped that thing onto the refrigerator. Under normal conditions I would consider this graffiti. But since it obviously came from a friend, albeit anonymously, it stays as a reminder of valued friendships who love to 'tease' with good humor. (After all, whoever it was who placed that thing on the refrigerator has had to put up with my humor for many years.)

At the end of July, (actually 25 days, 11 hours from now) I will be landing at the Tagbilaran airport in Bohol as I travel back to the Philippines to be with my family for a brief visit. During the trip I will have the privilege to share with a conference of Korean pastors ministering in the Philippines as well as preaching in two churches new to me. As exciting as these opportunities are, they are really side trips compared to spending time with Christie and the kids. The picture posted is a view of the Chocolate Hills on Bohol. During the dry season the vegetation on the hills dry up and the hills look like hundreds of Hersey Kisses have been dropped from heaven and landed in the center of Bohol.

The rest of the summer will have an international flavor here at the house. Pete Valdez, pastor, then interpreter, then acquaintance, then a sponsor to my marriage to Christie, and now friend (this is the progression in our relationship) will be spending week here with me during July. Pete is a wonderful man of God from the Philippines. When August roles onto the scene I have the honor to host Tomek and Renia Bieniek for a week. Tomek and Renia spent a week here two years ago and enjoyed it so much they are coming for a return engagement! This couple from Poland are precious and have hearts so in love with the Lord. It promises to be a great summer.

Before I close I need to share that Hannah Davidson, a college age student from CTC, is now in Tanzania for five weeks. Be praying for her as she serves the Lord among orphans in Tanzania. If you want to follow her adventures this summer, check out her blog at the following link: prayfortanzania.blogspot.com

Blessings to all!

Living Well

2010-06-25T21:11:00.001-05:00

Driving home yesterday from the funeral of my sister-in-law who died four months after discovering she had inoperable cancer gave me a chance to reflect on a life well lived. Listening to those who shared about Colleen's impact on their lives I found myself in agreement with what a great gal she was. And yet a part of the story was left out in the narrative of her life. Yes, Colleen was a believer in Christ (and a very effective and mature one), but the story behind the story is the transforming work of grace in Colleen's life. The power of the Holy Spirit is so real and is able to renew a life and make the heart and soul on an individual so in sync with the Heavenly Father that what naturally flows out is the image of the Father. Colleen excelled at this. Life - the life of God came forth from her so naturally. This is as it should come forth - naturally. As Paul states in Philippians 1:6, God is at work in us throughout our lives. Colleen worked to remain open and pliable to the things God was depositing into her life. As a result of her open heart to the things of God in combination with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, throughout the years Colleen consistently brought God's life to many others. Well done, Colleen. Well done, Holy Spirit!

My countdown clock shows 30 days, 2 hours until I return to the Philippines to spend time with Christie and the kids. Four days ago we officially filed papers to start the process of getting Christie and kids visas to come to the U.S. Time wise we are hoping sometime in December there will be cause to celebrate the family uniting in the U.S.

Life is certainly good. Family and friends in abundance. A great country in which to live. A future brighter than the past. A new golfing buddy coming back to Valley View. And a God who loves so extravagantly. Life is good.

Blessings

107 - Pancakes - Electricity

2010-06-09T18:37:00.004-05:00

I am writing this blog from Arizona while attending a conference. Landing at 4:00 in the afternoon to be greeted with 107 degree temperature did feel rather excessive. However, the conference site keeps the meeting room so cool that I get "goose bumps" before each session ends. So the solution (since I did not bring a jacket) is to run outdoors at every possible break to get warmed up! The conference has been great. I head home tomorrow to more normal temperatures.

At lunchtime on Monday I found myself staring at the Denny's menu offering "all-you-can-eat-pancakes" for $4.00. When I asked the waitress what the record was she said 9 pancakes (by a 12 year-old boy) was the most any of her customers had eaten. Ah, the challenge. I can do more than that. So here you have me vainly trying to revert back to my gluttonous childhood and consume 10 pancakes - just for the record. All was going well on the road to the record even as each bite of the 7th pancake told me a wiser person would quit while still able to crawl back to the car. But just 3 more pancakes and the record is mine! As I was finishing off pancake number 8, the waitress brought pancakes 9 and 10 along with horrifying news. The waitress on the other side of the room said she had served an eight year old girl 11 pancakes. This is like moving the goal line whenever you get close to it. I've played games with people like this. They keep informing you of another rule to the game as you go along. Of course, the new rules never seem to be an advantage to you. 10 pancakes were within distance but 12? How stupid was I going to be on this afternoon?

On the home front. This morning I heard the statistic that there are 1 billion persons on the earth living without electricity or running water in their home. (U.N. statistics) As of today we can remove 4 of those statistics. Christie and children have now gotten electricity to their home! The first electric appliance Christie was going out to buy was . . . an electric rice cooker! I will get to see how well Christie cooks rice in 46 days, 5 hours, 12 minutes. That is when, according to the countdown clock on my computer, I will land in Tagbilaran to see Christie and the kids again!

Well God is certainly good. It is fun being His child. And, by the way, I did quit at 10 pancakes. I decided to let the eight year old girl keep her record. And yes, I felt stuffed for at least 24 hours.

Blessings.

Wild Thoughts on a Summer Afternoon

2010-06-04T14:35:00.009-05:00

Here are some thoughts floating through my mind while waiting for the last graduation service of the year.

Someday I may "get it". I just received a text from my sister coming back out of the Rocky Mountains. How could someone want to spend a week in the mountains when they could enjoy the wide open spaces of the prairie? Someday I may understand this phenomena. But for the time being I will enjoy watching the masses cross the prairie to the mountains totally oblivious to the beauty surrounding them. When I watch this migration I am reminded of the lemmings running blindly over the cliff to their deaths.

The oil spill in the gulf is a great boon to the evolutionary scientists. With so much oil spewing forth in the gulf it must surely be creating such hostile environments that today's species will have to evolve into something different to survive. The fittest of these survivalists will one day get their pictures in "Nature" and "Science" magazines. So the evolutionists are gleeful in their anticipation of these future new species. The only problem is, they won't be around in 50 million years to know if this ever occurred! Oh, the poor evolutionist. He will have to live by "faith" since he will never be around to observe what he believes.

An idea worth pondering. With the gulf oil crisis having no end in sight this is another opportunity to explore additional alternative energy sources. How about inventing cars that run on hot air. Then President "O" can nationalize all the BP gas stations in the U.S. as a punitive measure for their mistake. Government owned and operated service stations will then be available for all freedom challenged individuals. Now this is just the first step in getting America back to work. Next will be the construction of a pipeline network connecting the government owned and run BP stations to a source of hot air to run the newly invented "hot air automobile". Millions of Obamajobs will be created. Endless Obamajobs - just building another BP service station will require another pipeline to the source of hot air. Where, you ask, will all these pipelines run to the source of such massive quantities of hot air. Follow the pipelines east, young man, east across the Potomac to a big white house and an outhouse with 535 stalls.

Blessings (and enjoy the day)

Oh Those Golden Fields

2010-05-29T08:42:00.003-05:00

The other day I drove past a most welcome sight. A wheat field that was ripe for harvest! Granted, in this part of Texas the wheat fields are significantly smaller than in western Kansas, but still it was wheat and it was ripe and oh, what a beautiful sight. Yesterday I passed another field with a combine moved into the field ready to start the harvest. This brought to mind the memory of older boys/young men starting their summer jobs on custom harvesting crews. Starting now in Texas and ending in August in North Dakota or Canada, working 14 hour days for 3 months straight. Days off are rain days. Rainy days are rare (and unwelcome) during the harvesting season, which is always where they are located. The days are hot, long, and tiring with always another field to cut just up the road. By the middle of June all excitement has waned and it is now simply long, hard labor and the prospect of another 70 days of the same frenetic activity facing these young men.

How do they keep going? What stirs within them as they rise for another day.

They eagerly listen to the daily reports. Yes, fields are ripe around Wellington! Kiowa reports two more days and the fields there will be ready. Get ready boys. We're crossing into KANSAS. There we will find the sky is bluer, the air is cleaner, the sunflowers bigger, and the wheat is better! The heart of the high plains of America. It lifts the spirits and dreams of young men to new heights. Harvesting in Kansas - it doesn't get any better.
But alas, three fast weeks and Kansas will be behind and the northern high plains will be the new ground. Still, the three weeks in Kansas stays in their souls and the memories stir them to continue onward. They can finish the harvest season because they have been to Kansas. Their hearts have been strangely warmed. And like Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) they will now always possess a yearning to someday get back to that special place called Kansas.

OK, now that I have those thoughts out of my system it is on to other good things.

We (Cross Timbers Church) have eight seniors graduating from high school this year. I am so proud of these eight youth. They have wonderful hearts and cheery dispositions. They are a 'good crop' of youth. As my late grandmother would say, "they come from good stock." Best of all is they each love the Lord and are doing their best to actively follow Him. Way to go Joshua, Jonathan, Parker, Kinzey, Bradley, Natali, Simon and Sherry. May God richly bless these eight as they begin new chapters in their lives.

In other happenings of importance. I bought tickets to go see my lovely wife in the Philippines. I will be arriving in Tagbilaran on July 27th. That is 59 days from now (but who is counting?) I don't know who is more excited about this coming trip - Christie or me. What I need to find is one of those countdown clocks that have the days, hours, minutes, and seconds on it. The days go by too slowly in this matter. I need to see more progress. A countdown clock with minutes and seconds would show progress is being made ever so surely and swiftly to reach the 27th.
Speaking with Christie this morning, she now has electric lines run to her rental house and wiring of the house was done yesterday. Next Monday she will talk with the power company and have them push the magic switch allowing her to have lights in the home! But wait, you have heard it said, "give someone an inch and they will take a mile", well this just happened. Before the electricity is flowing to the house, the kids were asking mom if they would be getting a TV! Ha, some things are the same the world over.

It is time to move on into the day, so until the next post, blessings to everyone.

Choices

2010-05-17T17:17:00.010-05:00

I remember my first morning in the Philippines. It was 4:30 in the morning, the roosters were all ready active and crowing. Stumbling into the bathroom to take a shower I was greeted with a single water knob. "'What is this?" I thought to myself. This situation was more than my introduction to cold water showers. It was the opening revelation to me of the reality of abundant choices we have as Americans. We are blessed to have more than an abundance of choices in almost every area of life here in the USA. Now, fifteen years later I am still wondering how anyone can stand to take cold water showers. And yet the majority of the world's population can not even conceive of hot water showers. And herein is part of the missing construct in most of the world.

Choices, or the lack of choices, have a profound affect on our ability to dream or to stay stagnant! And choices, or lack of choices, also spur our desire to change or inhibit one's motivation to move forward.

If a man finds himself in a room with two doors opening to the outside and he chooses the first door he will invariably begin to wonder about the possibilities which lie beyond the second door. His imagination becomes alive and active with the possibilities for more than a single outcome. That same man in a room with only one door finds it hard to imagine of any possibility other than the reality presented to him through the one door. His ability to dream is limited by lack of choices.

I think dreaming is a learned activity as much as it is an innate human trait. God gives us the ability to dream but it must be nurtured into maturity. And choices are one of the 'breeding grounds' for this nurturing of dreams. Thus, here in the USA , we find it easy to dream of other, bigger and better plans because we have choices available to us. This is one of the reasons we can say America is blessed. When our choices are lessened, one by one, as a people we lose our
ability to nurture our dreams. When this happens we begin our slide downward into the lower realm of lesser dreams and hopes.

Yes, freedom to hope. Freedom to dream. Freedom to be inspired. Much of it comes forth from the choices are have before us. As a nation we strive to preserve choices. In political verbiage we call them 'freedoms'. Without them we begin to dream little and aspire less.

Thank you, Lord, for the choices I have and the ability to dream. Amen

Blessings

The Wedding

2010-05-04T07:28:00.004-05:00

Well I finally managed to get married the other day. I would not have suspected things could change in such short notice since I am not an aggressive and bold risk taker. But around 4:00 PM on April 24, 2010 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol Philippines at Glory Evangelical Holiness Church the beautiful Christie Buyan became Christie Hall! And now our lives take on new hopes and challenges. For those who may not know much about this marriage, Christie's first husband was a pastor who died suddenly about 18 months ago. Christie had been hoping and praying for another pastor whom she might marry and, lo and behold, this handsome American pastor shows up who was available!

Now the challenge is to get Christie and her children into the good land known as the U.S.A. legally and as quickly as possible. In this task, the time line appears to be 6 - 12 months (with 12 months suggested as being closer to reality). But we are praying for God to grease the wheels of bureaucracy at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and see this time shortened.

While in the Philippines waiting to get married I had the privilege of preaching on both Sundays and speaking twice at a youth leaders retreat. It is fun to worship with believers in other nations and join with them in their style of expressing their love to the Lord. This was really a treat as it offset the mind numbing, trivial hoops the bureaucracy continuously puts you through as you try to make advances in the Philippines. What follows is a story of such 'hoop jumping' when we went to open an account in a bank in Tagbilaran City. Everyone needs a picture ID to validate themselves as a living body sitting in front of the desk of the "New Accounts" officer. This bank required a photo to go into their file along with the photocopy of your picture ID. This still wasn't much of an inconvenience until they informed you that the photo they required had to be 1" x 1"! OK, so this means leaving the bank and finding a photo store to purchase the necessary photos. Take your photo, wait 30 minutes (thank God Dunkin Donuts was next door), pick up the six 1" x 1" photos and head back to the bank. In the Philippines it seems like everyone and everything done requires some trivial hoop like this microscopic 1" x 1" photo which will then validate their copy of your photo ID. So let's just say the wheels of efficiency move a little slower there than here.

But every culture has its nuances that seem to make sense to us and look like oddities to those outside the culture. I remember when visiting Poland one month after the 9-11 attacks. The Poles where questioning why we would let Muslims from the Middle East still enter our country with no hesitation. Trying to explain our desire to protect individual liberties was a hard sell to the Poles who thought we were nuts not to restrict all movements of those who fit the "profile" of our enemies.

Crossing cultures can be eye opening with frustration and wonderment occurring within minutes of one another. Such is the joys of travel to 'another world'. Well, I must go to bed and get reoriented to U.S. time once again.

Blessings

Rings Purchased!

2010-04-19T21:33:00.003-05:00

In my last blog I forgot to mention that I got to watch a Filipino pastor climb a coconut tree and fetch a fresh coconut for me to sample. It is absolutely amazing how easily he climbed 30 feet up the tree ( in about 30 seconds). This without spiked boots or a safety belt. I got a video of this accomplishment but, alas, I am back at an Internet cafe without ability to upload the video. McDonald's (with free WI-FI) is still in my future plans.

Yesterday was a day trip to Cebu to shop for rings. Half the mission was accomplished. This morning the second half was accomplished here in Bohol!

Now for the ordeal - shopping for shoes! I had forgotten what it is like shopping with a women hunting for a pair of shoes. Arrrggghhh. But it is not only shoes for Christie but for her mother and three kids as well. Arrrggghhh times 5. After 3 hours of no progress it was decided to: 1) Bring John (10) and Shekinah (8) into the store to try on shoes so they would actually fit. 2) Give Crisielyn (18) money and she can shop and buy the shoes she wants. 3) Let Christie and her mother shop tomorrow for their shoes without me around!

Tomorrow will be a busy day as we must travel. Traveling anywhere in the Philippines is a time consuming activity. I will be traveling somewhere to a youth leader's retreat and get the privilege of sharing with those in attendance. I will be speaking in the evening which means from noon on I will be somehow engaged in the following three activities. 1) Waiting. 2) Traveling. 1) More waiting. 3) Speaking. 2) More traveling. I expect to be back to my room around 10 PM. I will find out this afternoon what is suppose to happen and then tomorrow find out what will really happen. Life can be full of serendipity events - especially here in the Philippines.

Lest I forget to mention this, it is 4 days and 4 hours until the wedding.

Blessings to everyone.

T Minus 5 Days, 22 Hours

2010-04-18T03:04:00.003-05:00

I have access to the Internet! It seems improbable to be so long without Internet access but the days do turn into a blur and end without the necessary stop to an Internet cafe. Here is a brief rundown of what's happening in the Philippines while we wait for the wedding.

Arriving at midnight on the 13th I proceeded to the US Embassy in Manila at 6 AM on the 14th and thought I would arrive early (like 2 hours before they opened). To my surprise I was probably number 200 in line! But, Praise God, all went well and I got the required "Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage". Then off to Tagbilaran and filed this critical piece of paper completing all the hoops to get our marriage license. The license will be issued on the 23rd (another of God's favor) and the wedding will be on the 24th!

Thursday was a day to get "fitted" for the wedding gowns and my special 'barong'. A 'barong' is a Filipino dress shirt. This way I don't have to wear a tie or tux to the wedding!!!! Friday was setting up banking matters with Christie so we can hopefully make Western Union obsolete. Of course, any official transaction seems to take a minimum of two trips to the office with errands in between getting some obsolete piece of information they require. Saturday was spent visiting pastors and inviting them to the wedding. In our travels on
Christie's motorcycle, we got caught in a downpour so spent 30 minutes under a mango tree trying to stay dry.

Today I preached at Glory Evangelical Holiness Church (where we will be married). I am scheduled to teach at a youth conference on this coming Wednesday night. Next Sunday I will be preaching at 10 AM and probably at 1:30 PM. At this point I am declining all speaking invitations!

The days fly by fast but seem to crawl toward the 24th. There has been so much to do this past week. This coming week will be pretty easy as we have all the details taken care of (as far as can be discerned). I just discovered that McDonald's has free WI-FI so my next post will have some pictures.

I'll close for now. All is well. God is good. He is still on the Throne issuing forth mercy and grace! 5 days, 22 hours till the wedding! (But whose counting anyway).

Blessings

There and Back Again!

2010-04-10T18:00:00.003-05:00

The lovely lady in the picture is Christie! I have spent this past week in the Philippines attending a one-day marriage seminar which was required in order to meet the requirements for a marriage license. (This was one of three things requiring personal appearances in order to get a marriage license.) So I arrived in Tagbilaran on Wednesday morning and we immediately took off to visit Christie's parents. After visiting with her parents and putting my best foot forward (no attempts at humor) they gave what I had hoped to receive - their blessing on our marriage!

Then it was attending the required marriage seminar on Thursday. God must have sense of humor as the seminar was conducted in Cebuano. But I got my piece of paper signed and certified! Hopped on the plane on Friday and zoomed back home. I got to spend time with Christie's children and it was a good two days with them.

The wedding is planned for the 24th. I am heading back to the Philippines on Monday (12th) and stay there until coming home on the 29th. There seems to always be another unseen bump in the road so all I know is that as of this posting all is set. I am out of here for now as I have a few things to do for tomorrow and wash clothes for the next journey. I thought you would enjoy this picture of Christie (I know I do) so I had an excuse to practice further picture posting.

Have a great Sunday tomorrow.

Blessings

No, This Is Not a Pre-April Fools Joke

2010-03-31T12:20:00.003-06:00

Place: Bohol Tropics restaurant. Tagbilarn, Bohol, Philippines
Time: 6:30 PM. February 3, 2010
Event: Evening Supper. Last night on Bohol before heading home to America.

There she was sitting across the table from me invited to share a meal with us by a mutual friend. It was the first time I recall seeing her. She had been attending the pastor's seminar for three days but, hey, I was not looking for a prospective bride so I never noticed her. Now that the seminar was finished and we were at the table together I did notice her. Though we spoke but 4 or 5 sentences to one another during the meal, still when she left there was a lingering memory. But I didn't even remember her name.

By the time my companions and I arrived home from the Philippines there were the usual five or six emails from various pastors thanking us for coming and giving testimonials of what god had done in their lives as a result of attending the seminar. Her email was one of the six. Who is Christie Oscaris? Which pastora (female pastor) was she at the seminar? She introduced herself as the woman at the supper and hoped I remembered her. How could I not remember her - she was the only woman at the table with four other men.

To hit the 'reply' button and respond or go on to the next email. That was the question. Perhaps it was the lingering memory from the supper, but as most of you know by now, I obviously hit the 'reply' button. And I have kept hitting the 'reply' button until one day it was her turn to reply to me. In response to a proposal of marriage she hit the 'reply' button and said YES!

As I shared the news with family first, the universal response was, "What!?" (shock) and then the congratulations. Perhaps I should have sent out an email announcing I had met a woman. And then followed up this email with weekly status reports. This would have eliminated the shock factor. But I did not want to be answering questions every week on this matter. Besides, shock is good to get the adrenalin flowing! So now that the shock is worn off and people can process some information, here are some details. In other words, answers to questions asked.

Christie is a Christian. Yes, we have both prayed about this. No, Christie is not nuts. (I may be but she is definitely not nuts.) Christie speaks English. Christie is a widow whose husband died 18 months ago from a sudden liver problem. Her husband was a pastor and she has been asking the Lord for another pastor so she could continue to be a pastor's wife. (OK, maybe she is a little nuts.) Christie is 33 years old. She has 3 children. And yes she is beautiful. (Spoken by one who is in love with her.) Her children are Crisielyn (18), John (10), and Shekinah (8).

The wedding is planned for April 24th. After the wedding I will return home and begin the process of getting a "spousal visa" so Christie and the kids can come to the U.S. This process usually takes six months before the visa is issued. So realistically it will be sometime in November when we get to have the house filled with new family members.

Now for a picture of the future bride. There are three women in this picture that are special to me. The lady in pink was healed of breast cancer the previous night during the seminar. The lady on the far right was also healed of a "throat problem" that was painful and made it impossible for her to speak above a whisper. Both women wanted a picture with us and then the other women joined in the picture. Christie is the beautiful woman in the middle! (Of course, I am the tall, handsome one among the men.)

Now that this news is posted I can resume posting of various topics which are of "Not so urgent matters." Also, if this picture is actually posted, it means I have learned to post pictures with my blog and a whole new world is before me. I'll keep you posted.

Blessings

The Elusive Magical Exercise Machine

2010-03-09T21:06:00.003-06:00

Today was a beautiful day. It was so beautiful that it was almost a sin not to be on the golf course. So Lord, I repent for not golfing today! Now that this matter is resolved we can talk about more serious matters.

In my quest to stay in some semblance of healthy shape I purchased a bike three months ago. Just in time for the winter weather to cancel out all practical use for the bike. But the bike is only good for the cardiovascular system (and my legs). It does very little for the gut. So for trimming of the abs comes the necessary sit-up bar. What am I thinking? Sit-ups? I hate sit-ups. How much use will the sit-up bar gets - well let's say it may sale some day with a "slightly used" sign on it. However, now that I am set up to get physically fit, along comes a TV ad for some walking treadmill/machine that will keep you fit by simply walking. In fact this device is so efficient that it gives you more of a work out than other running treadmills. But this super efficient machine does not go far enough. Soon there will be a real breakthrough exercising device. I am eagerly waiting for the day when they come up with an 'exercising TV'. I am not talking about an exercise DVD but a real TV that exercises your thighs, abs, gluts, heart, ear lobes and pinkies all while just sitting watching some program. And in the midst of pondering this great future machine it occurred to me that we already have this available for one month of the year. It is called March Madness!

As I sit and watch the ballgames I will arise from the couch to grab a drink or reach for more "vitamins". Each time I arise I exercise my abs. Walking to the kitchen for more refills must surely cause my thighs to cry out for relief from the constant walking back and forth. The 'gluts' - whatever they are can just be ignored. The heart rate climbs in proportion to the closeness of the game. The sustained heart rate that everyone talks about is easily attained if your team is marginal and can not achieve a blowout. Ear lobes and pinkies get their share of workout just from being there to squeeze, pull, or twist to relieve nervous energy and to abate panic attacks.
Yes, March Madness is the true magical exercise experience. Oops, I just dropped some popcorn on the floor. That's great. Just bending over to pick it up exercises the abs. That's one less sit-up to do this evening. Hooray for dropped popcorn!

In three days I and four others will be heading to Honduras to do some construction work at New Life Children's Home in Jalaca. Our assignment, dig a hole 8'(L)x8'(W)x10'(H) and build a septic tank inside the hole. We'll see how our backs hold up through the week. A week of this work is good for a year worth of sit-ups. I can see it now, take that sit-up bar back to the store.

I put out the last of the bird seed this evening. When the birds finish what's out in the bird feeders they will be on their own. This is another sign that spring is just about here! Next it will time for the hummingbirds! Hooray.

It has been one year since starting this blog. Looking back I wish I had written more consistently. But I also am surprised that I wrote as much as I did. Actually, everything over twelve posts should be considered miraculous for me. So we head into year number 2. Hopefully many more posts are to come.

Blessings

Our Share Of The Record

2010-02-13T06:15:00.005-06:00

Well, we did it. Us folks here in north Texas held up our end in garnering record snowfall. It was as if we (Texans) could not stand the east coast getting all the attention from record snowfall so we decided to share in the spotlight and join the fun. Now when they talk about the record snowfall of 2010 they will have to mention Texas as well! It started snowing right before dawn and did not end until 10 p.m. This was the longest length of time for it to snow since I have been living in Texas. Also it was the most snowfall in one pass in the last 70 years. The total amount of snow this year is officially a record! Way to go north Texas.

Of course, the snow does cause us to do strange things. Public school here in Valley View had kids come to school at 8 a.m. only to dismiss them at 10:30 a.m. The benefit of this was it could be counted an official school day. Yippee. One less day to go to school in the spring!

Last night I grilled hamburgers in the 7 inches of snow that are still on the ground. On a whim I invited everyone on my Facebook to come by if they wanted some burgers. Eleven brave souls came by to partake of the fun. Not surprisingly, my Polish, Honduran, and Filipino friends didn't respond to the invite. :)

One of the friends who came over asked if I had ingredients for cookies. She was doubtful I had this kind of supplies in the house. I am proud to say that I had everything she needed to bake cookies. Another youth said he could bake cookies as well so we had two bakers on two separate computers getting their recipes and then meeting in the kitchen to make their choice cookies. Meanwhile the rest of us chowed down our burgers before watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. The cookies came out of the oven during the ceremonies. I was content to settle for burgers and chips and got fresh cookies as well! Life is good.

One of my morning meetings today is postponed due to the snow on the ground. This means I can attend the Teen Tea Party in Gainesville in it's entirety instead of scrambling to get two events squeezed into the morning.

One of the youth in our church heads down to Kerrville, Texas Sunday and Monday to give speeches at a speech competition hosted by the American Legion. Parker Luke is one of the four finalists in this competition throughout the state of Texas. If he wins this competition it is on to the nationals in Indiana. Go Parker!

Yesterday I got this computer debugged of about 30 viruses or other creatures that were causing it to run in slow motion. I mean I could literally fix my breakfast (well hot chocolate and heated honey buns) before certain programs would boot up. Now all is back to normal with me able to access two programs at once without it freezing up. Life is good.

Bird feeding in the winter is a blast if you can afford it! The birds are fun to watch. However, birds have a tendency to tell all their fine feathered friends where the nearest food source is and the first thing you notice is the bird population rises exponentially. One finch turns into dozens, one cardinal brings another eight, one chickadee materializes into gazillions. Soon the bags of bird food seem insufficient for the masses. I was in Wal-Mart the other day with nothing in my cart but bird food! I was dreaming of feeding birds during the summer time in the desert - thinking about how little this would cost. Then I remembered the birds of the desert are vultures and they eat dead things! And they, too, never eat alone. They go get their friends too! So if I were to provide the birds of the desert a meal, it would have to be me. Now, feeding the birds in my backyard does not seem to cost near as much. How one's perspective can change. :) Life is good.

Blessings

Snow

2010-02-11T07:20:00.002-06:00

Wow! As the dawn brings the first hint of light this morning it reveals it is snowing. And what a beautiful snow it is. For those who have watched White Christmas, it is snowing like the closing scene of the movie. Gently falling snow with no hint of wind makes for a picture perfect scene and lots of fun for the kids who will get to skip school today. And the birds are glad the bird feeders are full

Random thoughts. Today is a great day for Chicken Chow Mein while tonight is a great night to watch some Red Green shows.

This Saturday morning there is a Teen Tea Party in Gainesville at the Court House Square from 10 - Noon. It should be good. This is the 4th Tea Party to be held in Gainesville. Each one has been good. This one should be the best as those hosting it are the ones seeing their future monetary fortunes being spent with no say in the matter. I guess it is similar to the original Tea Party mantra "No taxation without representation".

Today I will learn to use Flicker.

I love these two verses in Psalm 21:1 & 3. "O Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad. And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! . . . For You met him with the blessings of good things; You set a crown of fine gold on his head."

And finally for today it is worth mentioning that God does all things well!

Blessings

Philippines 2010 Remembered

2010-02-10T05:47:00.002-06:00

Returning recently from my annual trek to the Philippines where I and two others conduct seminars for Filipino pastors brings pleasant memories to mind. Much was accomplished during the two seminars held on the islands of Leyte and Bohol. The pastors in attendance were challenged, blessed, and inspired (according to the Filipino pastors' own words.) Highlights for me during the seminars were:
1) Seeing physical healing occur. During the two seminars I witnessed or prayed for persons who were healed of a goiter on a neck, breast cancer, leg lengthened, knees healed, pain in stomachs, backs, shoulders vanishing. One of our long time pastor/interpreter friends with us during the seminar on Bohol had pain in his shoulder and back go away during the seminar. At supper following the end of the seminar he mentioned that he noticed the long term, constant pain he had grown accustomed of enduring was no longer there. Without specific prayer for him, but just being in the presence of the Lord, brought about the removal of pain!
2) A pastor from New Guinea attending the seminar testified that his family ancestors killed and ate the first missionaries arriving from Fiji. Then they killed and ate the second group of missionaries coming from Fiji. Still the missionaries came and his family ended up followers of Jesus Christ. He mentioned to us that the last cannibalistic act in new Guinea took place in the 1930s.
3) Establishing new and affirming old relationships with pastors in the Philippines. God has some really neat men and women serving him in the Philippines! Among them are two couples serving as coordinators for the seminars. Art and Hazel Suralta in Leyte, and Fernando and Madeline Impang in Bohol, did great jobs in coordinating the seminars and taking the hassles off our shoulders.

One last side note regarding the trip. This was the thirteenth year I have been going to the Philippines. In all my trips I invariably travel through Manila. Manila (all 13 million people) has always been dirty, grungy, polluted and crowded. But this year Manila was cleaner than I have ever seen it. The air was clean (not smoggy) and the sky was actually blue! What a wonderful change for this city.

Thanks for letting me remember some of the neat things about this Philippine trip.
Blessings

The Morning After

2010-01-20T08:23:00.004-06:00

Wow. Yesterday's election in Massachusetts was another "Boston Tea Party". I guess you might say that Bostonians know how to shake things up. Here is this simpleton's 'take' of the events last night viewed from afar.

Thank you David Gergen -
David Gergan, the CNN news guy/former Washington DC political advisor/professor at Harvard Kennedy School, provided the perfect opportunity for Scott Brown to win the hearts of the people in Massachusetts. In a debate several weeks ago, serving as the moderator/questioner, he asked Scott Brown about his chance of claiming the Kennedy seat in the Senate. Scott Brown's reply won thousands of votes. His reply was, "It is not Kennedy's seat, it is the people's seat." With this comment he drew even and took the momentum of the campaign to his side.

Acceptance Speech -
Scott Brown gave a good acceptance speech, thanking all the right people. It was noticeable that he profusely thanked the independent voters of Massachusetts far more than he thanked those in the Republican party. Perhaps this was because the RNC (Republican National Committee) did not contribute much money or hope for his election. This is the second election in a row in which the RNC looked like absolute hayseeds emerging from a cave. In the congressional election in upstate New York a couple of months ago, the Republican party elites backed a liberal republican only to find her tanking as the voters were backing a conservative independent. Only at the last second of that election did the RNC jump on the bandwagon. The same scenario played out in Massachusetts. The RNC thought Scott Brown had no chance so why invest in a losing cause. Only in the last weeks of the campaign, after the momentum had clearly swung in Brown's favor, did the RNC get on the bandwagon.

"Tea Partiers" -
Those most happy on the morning after are the "Tea Partiers". Scott Brown mirrors them. More independent than republican. Not ready to swear allegiance to the Republican Party but will use the party as the only viable outlet at this time to effect political change. If the Republican Party does not get it's act together, "Tea Partiers" will go another route as there is little loyalty to the Republican Party. And this is so with good cause.

One Down, Ninety-Nine To Go -
Only 99 more senators to replace! Even the Republicans need to be replaced! The Republicans in the Senate under Bush did exactly what the Democrats in the Senate are doing under Obama. Bush started the bailouts (with Republican Senators support.) Obama simply took the blueprint and ran farther and faster with it.

The Real Winner -
Amid the speculation of whether the White House 'learned a lesson' last night and how it will respond, the health care debate will go forward by the White House with greater urgency. The Democrats 'lost' that precious 60th vote last night. But remember, in November they bought the 60th vote from Senator Mary Landrieu, securing it with a $100 million gift to the State of Louisiana. Then last month they bought the 60th wavering vote from Senator Ben Nelson, securing it with a gift of indefinite millions of dollars to the State of Nebraska. So, dear friends, it will not come as a surprise when the 60th vote is bought again. And the winner is . . . The state of Maine! With Maine's two liberal Republican Senators, the courting (buying) of just one of their votes will be awesome to behold. It is just too bad no one will be behind the closed door to see the deal being made.

Well, I'm off to have a great day. I hope your day is great too!
Blessings

Leaving Seattle

2010-01-08T14:13:00.001-06:00

It's 30 minutes before I board the jet to whisk me away from Seattle and back to home in the Lone Star State. I'm heading into frigid temperatures so Seattle looks real good right now. Lasting thoughts on Seattle before I leave. It was fun to wake up each morning to the sound of sea gulls (amidst the sound of downtown Seattle). In the Mackinesso language the word 'Seattle' means "land of night shadows". This is because you never get to see your shadow until night fall. How can that be? At night they turn on the street lights and as you walk under them you can actually see your shadow. In the daytime you are deprived of shadows.
The Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges surrounding Seattle form a natural beauty. But as a "prairie man" myself the mountain's beauty takes second place to the high plains' beauty. Perhaps the sunshine has a part to play in this.

I got some neat Christmas gifts from my two daughters so my trip to Seattle was great in every way.

As I close this blog, my next step in this venture is learning to post pictures in the blog. "It's easy once you know what to do", say those who know how to do it.

Anyway, God is good and life is good.
Blessings

Seattle Days

2010-01-06T11:36:00.003-06:00

I'm enjoying the week in Seattle visiting my two daughters. It's a nice change of pace from Valley View in many ways. Most notable this year is the weather. Most of the places I have lived (Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas) have used the phrase, "If you don't like the weather, stick around a day, it will change." This phrase is not used in Seattle. The phrase more likely to be used is, "If you don't like the weather, leave. It will be the same tomorrow." Yesterday we were walking in the mist - which is Seattle's version of rain - when my son-in-law commented that he knew what broccoli felt like in the super market. You know, every so often those misting devices come on to keep the produce moist. That is Seattle during the winter and spring and fall. Having endured nature's misting machine for two days now I think it is time for a change. Maybe a dose of sunlight would be good. Here's hoping for a sunny day so you can at least see the Space Needle. What is a visit to Seattle without being able to see the it's historical icon?

By the way trivia - Did you know that Dallas gets more rain annually than Seattle? It just comes in bucket form in Dallas rather than in misting form in Seattle. Uncle Woody's old fashioned Carmel corn cost $6.99 for a 12 ounce bag. It was good but too pricey. It was not good to eat the whole bag at 11:00 PM. Corinne's Carmel corn is much better. I am starting my third day in Seattle and have yet to enter a vehicle of any kind.

It's time to enter the world of Seattle. Hey, it's only partly cloudy today!

Blessings

Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T10:22:00.003-06:00

Five minutes into the new year and I was experiencing a first. I was actually 'toasting' something with a group of friends. We were 'toasting' the new year. You know the routine. We were supposed to go around the room and each person/family give a toast to the new year and everyone sip some champagne with each toast. The first toast went something like this. May 2010 be better than 2009. The second toast (with a slight variation) ended with may 2010 be better than 2009. The third toast (after skipping me due to the obvious "bad" year I had experienced) brought the same toast, "Here's to a better year than last." By now you get the picture. Everyone was thinking what a stinking year 2009 was and glad it was over. So with a slight pause someone chimed in for everyone, and said, "For all of us, may 2010 be better than last year." I must admit I was at a loss of what my impromptu "toast" was going to be.

Driving home a few minutes later found me pondering those past 20 minutes with the toast. Why was 2009 so bad? What happened during the year that made everyone glad it was over? In pondering this, the common thread to the answer to this question was difficult situations arose in which we would rather not have been a participant. Each family around the room had their own set of circumstances which made life difficult in one degree or another (and most had a crises thrown in to boot.) And so it was easy to let circumstances dictate our view of 2009.

By the time I arrived home I had a toast to offer the new year. "May 2010 be as good as the last year."

Let me explain my heart. In one sense 2009 was a "bummer" due to the death of my wife, Joyce. This experience does bring about pain and major readjustments to life. But in walking through 2009 and even the two prior years leading up to Joyce's death, there has been an incredible presence of the Lord and His peace upon us through those difficult times. The Lord did promise that He would never leave us. Indeed, I have found this to be so in such a very real way that I do not ever want to "miss" His presence again. I believe my 'awareness' of His incredible nearness only came through those difficult experiences. For me, 2009 was defined by His presence much more so than any year of my life. For this I am forever grateful. For this reason alone 2009 was the best year of my life.

Difficulties, hardships, crises - whatever you want to call them - serve at least two purposes. First, they reveal what is in our heart. Second they deepen our faith in what we truly believe. Without the difficulties, we remain ignorantly blissful and shallow. Some things can only be forged in tough situations. Difficulty, hardship, crisis - they all will visit us again in 2010. This is part of life. But they do not have to define our year or life. I choose to define my year by the presence of the Lord which brought peace, joy, even contentment in the midst of the difficulties and hardships faced.

So here's to 2010 - More difficulties, more of His presence, more of His grace, more of His character forged into my life!

Blessings

Guns, Snot Rags, and Dishes

2009-12-29T16:21:00.003-06:00

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?

2009-12-23T10:01:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-02T10:47:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-26T11:28:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-04T10:04:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-27T06:17:00.003-06:00

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

2009-10-16T13:24:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-29T12:51:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-11T08:15:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-10T07:20:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-09T09:36:00.004-05:00

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

2009-09-02T23:52:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-01T17:21:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-26T10:25:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-26T10:16:00.004-05:00

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

Monday, Monday

2009-08-10T19:53:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-08T08:45:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-08T07:50:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-07T07:03:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-07-24T23:51:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-22T09:01:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-07-20T18:17:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-10T09:23:00.003-05:00

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 !?!

2009-06-19T06:30:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-09T01:14:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-04T12:16:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-02T09:40:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-29T09:13:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-25T12:49:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-19T23:35:00.002-05:00

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

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

2009-05-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-28T23:19:00.003-05:00

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

Hoorah! We're Past Earth Day

2009-04-23T23:24:00.004-05:00

OK. This post is going to be a little sarcastic. (Hint: Those without a sense of humor probably should skip this post.)
As I was reading about Earth Day celebrations in the local newspaper with the article detailing how different people were saving this and recycling that so Mother Earth will not grind to a halt some time in the next 5 million years, it struck me how the Filipino's are inherently more green than us here in the good 'ole USA.
Every time we flush the toilet we expend 1.2 gallons of water. What if we take our cue from the Filipinos and have the male population simply go outdoors to "water the wall?" Each trip outside will save 1.2 gallons of water. Factoring in at least twice a day (2.4 gallons saved) multiplied by 150 million males in the USA brings a conservative estimate of 348 million gallons of good, clean water saved per day! This greening of the planet takes so little effort.
Mom, just send little Johnnie outside and you will be helping Mother Earth and feel better about yourself. But wait, if we do this won't our cities smell like Manila? Well, yes, of course. But we all are asked to make sacrifices for Mother Earth. So tomorrow send your men folks outside to "water the wall" knowing you are saving 1.2 gallons of water each and every time.
This way we can save enough water that we can all take 20 minute showers each morning!

Blessings

Let the Warrior Arise

2009-04-22T09:03:00.007-05:00

April 22, 2009. It is birthday time for a young man I have known for 19 years. This young man has walked through life with a steadfastness that is rare in our times. As a result of his resoluteness to live for his king, his heart is unmixed (the Greek word for innocence has this meaning of a heart unmixed with things that cause impurity) and he is happy and fulfilled. It is possible to be in this state of heart even when we find ourselves in the midst of uncertainty, even if we do not always get things right, and even when there is no concrete goal set before us. So, Happy Birthday Elijah! And well done for your first 25 years!

Speaking of birthdays, it is my sister-in-law has a birthday today as well. Though it is impolite to mention how old a lady is, let's just say she was my classmate in school. (This means she is still young!) She, too, is a light that shines forth brightly with the love for her king!
Happy Birthday to Colleen!

How blessed I am to have been surrounded by such awesome people my whole life.

In chapter eight of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge , there is this statement.

"Every man is a warrior inside. But the choice to fight is his own."

I love this statement. It inspires me to live for and fight for the higher, nobler cause of my king. On the opposite side of this is the sadness of observing the warrior who refuses to pick up his weapon and fight when there is a battle being waged all around him. Concern for personal safety, comfort, and ease; aversion to the ugliness of battle and blood; ignorance of the cause for battle; all produce withered, atrophied arms unfit for the fight.

God, spare me from such a fate as this. I do not want to be found on the sidelines when there is a battle to be fought.

Lord, give us courage and let the warrior arise!

Blessings

Stained Glass

2009-04-18T18:03:00.003-05:00

It is so beautiful right now. The sun has one more hour to strut its stuff here before blessing the other side of the world. After two days of clouds and much needed rain the sunshine broke through bringing refreshing rays to this guy who hails from the land "where the skies are not cloudy all day." As I write this the weather news has radar showing that in about 2 hours another round of clouds and rain can be expected here. So I will enjoy the beauty of the moment.

Well, I am now down to the last 2 days of my puzzle. It is going so easily now. People are coming out of the shadows to "help" now that it has gotten easy due to the lack of options left of the table. So I have to chide them for coming to my rescue when the light at the end of the tunnel is as big as the sun shining outside. Where were these friends when it looked impossible to complete?

On another note, a different kind of beauty is seen in the lives changed from self-centeredness to other-centeredness. I had the opportunity to visit this week with a man who struggled for 26 years trying to overcome his addiction to alcohol. Today, he is finding that his life isn't wasted and that there is purpose for his life. He is even falling in love with people whom he has known for many years. This man is as beautiful as the stained glass found in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. How joyful it is to watch this change occur.

Another burst of brilliant sunlight!!!!

Can God not be good? I don't think so because it is not in his nature. Lord, let me live up to my nature which you have place within me. Let your goodness and beauty be seen in and through me.

Blessings!

The Tease in the Tea Parties

2009-04-16T23:13:00.004-05:00

Reflections on the April 15th Tea Parties.
The Tea Parties were a great success in giving people a voice of dissent. There were many reasons why so many people showed up to the Tea Parties. It struck me how diverse were the objections of the people. Because there were issues ranging from the policies of President "O" to the 'bailouts' begun by President Bush, it held a little bit of something for everyone who were mostly on the the losing side of the past election.
Only a few of the participants really voiced the true reason for the Tea Parties. That reason being: The federal government going beyond the legal powers it possesses through the Constitution. This is at the core of the protests and the frustration of so many people. If this is true (and I believe it is) then this is not a President "O" problem. This problem has been around longer than our current President has been alive.

Now the seeds of the future demise of the Tea Parties were sown on April 15th at the Tea Party events. The seeds which will produce the demise of the Tea Parties are the Republican Party. Let me explain. Name the practical difference between the Democratic and Republican Parties. I know what the two parties say they stand for (and at least the Democrats act on what they say they stand for) but when we look back the last 20 years, the only real difference between the two parties is described like this. The Democrats desire to kill something quickly while the Republicans desire to kill something slowly. It is akin to having both wrists slit (Democrat version) verses having only one wrist slit (Republican version.) Either way, death comes.

The Republican party says they for limited government. Yet, where have the Republicans limited government when they were in power and had opportunities to do so. The problem seems to be that Conservatives who hold to a Constitutional view of government try to link up with a Party that does not in itself hold to a Constitutional view of government. This brings us back to the Tea Parties. The Republican Party is (and will be) at the Tea Parties for one reason only - to get back in power so they can go the same direction as the Democrats (only at a slower pace.) Why would anyone at the Tea Parties even dream of the Republican Party getting back in power?
Those at the 2009 Tea Parties, if they are coming in the spirit of the original 1773 Tea Party, will not look to the Republican Party but look to a new party that will act as radical as the signers of the Constitution no matter the cost. This is the only way the change which the Tea Party dissenters are looking for will come about. Expecting it to come through Republicans in power will only bring demise in slow motion.

So my fellow compatriots - let us look elsewhere to a new party. Why waste time and effort on a party that has left the Constitution as surely as the Democrats? Spend your effort in bringing forth a viable new party. When you do this you will really be embracing the spirit of the 1773 Tea Party.

Amazing, Inspiring, Spirit Lifting

2009-04-14T17:30:00.007-05:00

This is two videos in a row. This one is going in my archives as there is inspiration written all over this one. You get to watch a dream become reality right before your eyes. Watch this. Enjoy this. And be inspired!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Blessings

Adventure Supreme

2009-04-14T02:14:00.007-05:00

Do you have 36 minutes to spare? The following link is a fascinating look into history. It is real video of the great sailing ship Peking going around Cape Horn. The year is 1929. Warning: Once you begin you will not want to quit!

Since I have not mastered the linkage art of this craft you will have to type in the following URL instead of simply clicking on it. It is still worth the effort.
http:video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1184583933122407708&hl=en
and enjoy.

Blessings

The Unilateralist

2009-04-14T00:29:00.010-05:00

Congratulations to President "O" for giving the Naval forces permission to use force if necessary to rescue the American merchant captain held hostage by Somalian pirates. A giant thanks and kudos to the Navy for their precision rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. Our president was right in his decision. However, it is ironic that this right decision goes against everything our President professes to believe regarding international relations. After spending 12 months blasting President Bush for his unilateral "go-it-alone" policies and promising a "change" from this style of engagement, when it came right down to time to act, President "O" chose exactly the same policy! Clearly this was not what President "O" desired. It is desirable to have others backing you up when a tough decision has to be made. But there are times when the international community will withhold their support and blessings (for whatever reasons) and the only alternative to doing nothing is to become a Unilateralist.

A similar scenario is unfolding in Afghanistan where President "O" is pushing for a build up of troops. Involving the international community in this project (NATO in particular) has been met with a broad yawn by the Europeans who said yes but will commit only 500 combined troops. So what will our President do? It looks like we will be acting alone in this build up. My how easy it is to criticize policy only to find yourself following the same course 12 months later.

Perhaps President Bush was not so "evil" in pursuing a unilateral policy after all. But then I'm sure the unilateral policies of President "O" are more justified because, after all, he is much better able to persuade leaders to follow him than President Bush ever was. The double standard in all of this is that Bush's policies were said to be employed out of arrogance whereas President "O"'s policies stem from necessity.

In this matter Bush, the Unilateralist is now joined by "O", the Unilateralist.

Easter Night

2009-04-12T23:08:00.005-05:00

Wow! What a day this has been. The disciples are roused into action by women already at the tomb and back again with the report that He is gone. Running to the tomb, finding it empty and returning home to ponder what has happened and the possible implications of the empty tomb. Then here comes Mary Magdalene again with the news that she SAW Jesus and TALKED with Him. Now the whole day has past and you are left alone to wonder about the days events. I wonder what was going through the minds of the disciples that first Easter night.

Life comes at you fast. Jesus - don't leave home without Him!

It rained this morning at 7:00 AM. Great, we needed the rain so very much that no one seemed to mind that once again an Easter Sunrise Service was held inside. I have often thought it strange to hold a Sunrise service inside a building when the intent is to have it outside. I know the logic of Texans is that no one will show up in inclement weather so it is better to hold it indoors and get more people to attend. Yet very few come to a Sunrise Service because of comfort.
Coming from God's Country (aka Kansas) I am used to Sunrise Services being held on absolutely gorgeous mornings to miserable, nasty mornings when snow and ice ruled the landscape. In all cases, those who came out to the Sunrise Service did so knowing the weather was what it was. That is what I appreciate about those who attend a Sunrise Service outdoors. They attend knowing full well what is the weather condition. And in spite of the weather (and not because of the weather) they seem to enjoy the simplicity of the outdoor service.
Indoor Sunrise Services are about as attractive as a three-legged dog and don't attract anyone not already planning to get out of bed for a silly thing such as a Sunrise Service. So next year, if it rains, put on a raincoat, grab an umbrella, or just stand bare chested like they do at football games in freezing temperatures, do anything but "stay comfortable at all costs."

Every year I enjoy watching the Masters golf tournament. This year was no different from the other years as I am always awestruck at the beauty of the Augusta National Golf Course. Other golf courses have their charm - but Augusta National has beauty that is endless! This is one of the intangibles that makes this tournament the best in America. Golf played amongst Azaleas, Dogwoods in bloom, Magnolia and Pine trees - can't get any better than this. But then again, golf played on a cow pasture with real buffalo wallows, sand greens (not traps) and buffalo grass fairways, no trees but lots of wind is not bad place to play either. Quinter Municipal has its own unique charm and beauty only a 'prairie lover' could enjoy!

Blessings!

Let's Go Counter-Culture

2009-04-08T23:43:00.006-05:00

Four down and forty-seven to go (D.C. included.) Add Vermont to the list of states (Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts) that has lowered the standard of marriage to include single-sex couples. The day draws closer to that point where the Church separates itself from societal norms and becomes counter-culture! Perhaps at this intersection will we find true transformation instead of the tired make-over of a society that is not too interested in putting make-up and perfume on just to look good.

Tomorrow is Passover. I'm looking forward to the Seder meal we will be having at our church. I remember my first try at a Seder meal. We had never cooked lamb before and so got out the old Betty Crocker cook book to see how it was done. We noticed that lamb was to be cooked 45 minutes. No sweat. With one hour to go before the meal in goes the lamb. 45 minutes later out comes the lamb - totally uncooked on the inner 80% of the meat! We had not noticed the directions called for 45 minutes per pound! Praise God for microwave ovens. Still, we started late by 45 minutes while waiting for the rest of the meat to cook.
As I recall this episode of life from 25 years gone by, I remember the reactions of those in attendance. Most thought it humorous, but some were upset that they did not get to eat on time. Their night was ruined because they ate at 7:15 PM instead of 6:30 PM. And it is pretty hard to have fellowship with someone who is angry over something which you had a part in. Praise God for those who have the ability to laugh! Now that I am older and wiser on such things, I know it really isn't worth getting upset over spilled milk or late Seder meals. Now if I can just remember this when I am "in the midst" my next disaster.

One mile down the road. A couple with no running car, no jobs (income), no home (sleeping in a borrowed 5'x6' tent). You are the appointed one to tell them to move off the property on which they are squatting. What do you tell them to do? What do you do?

Blessings!

Set Apart for a High Purpose

2009-04-03T17:26:00.009-06:00

Now that the Iowa Supreme Court has ruled Iowa law unconstitutional regarding marraiage, thus making way for homosexuals to marry in the same manner as heterosexuals, is it possible that we are only a few years away from the church and state certificates of marriage being two seperate documents? As Iowa joins Massachusetts and Conneticut allowing homosexual marriages to be identical in definition to heterosexual marriage, will the Church say there is a standard it upholds which transcends secular state standards? In other words, will the Church say the State or Scripture is the source for defining marriage. It will be interesting in the years ahead to watch the Church rise higher if she chooses Scripture. If, on the other hand if she chooses not to choose between State or Scripture, she becomes increasingly irrelevant to our society.

For the naturalist among this blogs reader. Want to see a newly hatched baby eagle raised in the nest until it flies off to glory? Go to http://www.suttoncenter.org/ Click on the Live Bald Eagle Nest Cam. This is a live feed camera so you are watching what is happening right now. Note: If it is night time you will not be able to see anything!

I went to the Valley View H.S. track meet on Thursday. I went to see the opening 2-mile race as two of the runners come to CTC's youth group. Eight laps! By the end of lap three the field of runners had separated into two groups. Group one were the runners who enjoyed running two miles. Group two were the runners who obviously were running this race because the coach told them to do so. Guess which group was in front of the other? This is so much a glimpse of life. It is amazing how much more 'gusto' we put into our effort and how much more we get accomplished when we enjoy what we are doing. Enjoyment and a sense of purpose give us fuel to move forward when tough times arise before us. So if you are reading this and need a pick-me-up, then I encourage you to "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will ..." (If you do not know the end of this verse you will have to look in up for yourself. Hint: it can be found in the book of Psalms.)

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. Looking forward to a great day.

The Reward of Longevity

2009-04-01T22:18:00.008-06:00

Nineteen years ago today (April 1) my wife and I along with our two daughters drove our Mazda GLC and Ryder truck up the drive and began the marvelous adventure of pastoring a small but great group of Believers gathered under the name of Cross Timbers Church. Where the years have gone by is hard to fathom. Yet the calendar doesn't hide the fact of the passage of time. (Neither does the balding head of this writer.)

A milestone is set to occur in this journey of pastoring CTC. This year will mark a first - from birth to HS graduation. I have been here at CTC long enough to see Abilgail Davidson born and now (in two months) graduate from High School. This is a feat few pastors witness because we do not stick around in one place long enough to see both the birth and graduation of the individual. Thank you Lord for this great honor. And thank you CTC for putting up with me for such a long time!

It's almost finished. The puzzle I have been working on for 4 months has now gotten to that critical mass stage where there are fewer pieces unattached than are attached. This is good news. Now instead of rejoicing in getting 3 pieces per day put together I am picking up steam and finding it easy to get 6-7 pieces assembled per day. This makes me almost giddy as I can sense the day when the mocking will cease. After having the puzzle out for about a month people who pass through the house on a regular basis began commenting on the lack of progress being made on the puzzle. There were the open comments on my inability to advance. There were the looks of bewilderment at the puzzle seeming to go weeks without anythings being done to it. Even the Hospice flower deliverer - (every two weeks on Thursday) looks inside the door to gauge the progress. Yes, she too regularly makes a comment or two. But soon, and very soon, it will be over. And the completed puzzle will stay on its table for two weeks until all the mockers, including the Hospice flower lady, (in fact I will invite her in just so she can see it up close and personal) will see the completed puzzle. Oh, the sweet music to the ears of hearing the mocking replaced with congratulations.

And then we tear the puzzle apart and start all over again on a new one!

Blessings.

Simple Enchantment

2009-03-30T23:12:00.008-06:00

Well I have finally crawled out of my hole having shed all the tears I could after the Jayhawks went down in flames to the Spartans of MSU. We can put THE CHANT on the shelf until until next season. Wait, my Tambourine Dance Team members so enjoy THE CHANT each week before practice that it is a must to get the ole juices flowing. Now some of the gals hate THE CHANT, others secretly admire (I think) THE CHANT and some think THE CHANT is kind of cool. But it does get the juices flowing one way or the other. So for my T.D.T. girls who get the privilege to hear it weekly they are blessed. For everyone else, one more time, close your eyes and listen - from God's country you begin to hear "rock chalk jayhawk, KU ....

Have you ever noticed how simple things seem to have an enchantment about them? Take water falling over a rock. A rather simple thing yet we take millions of pictures each year of this simple event. Now I know that Niagara, Victoria, and the other 'biggies" are what we immediately think about when waterfalls are discussed. But how many waterfalls of 1-3 feet are photographed everyday. You see pictures of them all around. Pictures of brooks and streams and even drainage ditches earn pictures of water running over and down rocks and other objects. Why? Because they are enchanting to behold. Every waterfall is like a kaleidoscope. Each different than the others yet each encompassing the same elements. Lest someone thinks this is meaningless, why then do we construct waterfalls inside buildings or outside in our gardens? Simple, it is because of the enchantment factor. Standing before a 5 foot waterfall is nothing compared to the awesome, mighty Niagara. Yet both hold our attention through their enchantment. Simply water falling over a rock. Oh how this world is filled with enchantment through and through. Today, may I find enchantment in some simple thing I come upon.

WND Joke of the Day

2009-03-26T14:23:00.004-06:00

What makes 'natural born' better?
Posted: March 25, 2009 11:55 pm Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily

In a Seattle, Wash., college classroom, students were discussing the qualifications to be president of the United States. It was pretty simple - the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years age.
However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.
The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone's jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, "What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-Section?"

Just Fiddling Around

2009-03-26T13:05:00.018-06:00

Let me see if I get this straight.

THIS = A sub-committee of our Senate is holding hearings today on how to come up with a better system to determine college football's top team.

THIS is all we get?

THIS, at a time when President "O" today said there will be more unemployment to come down the tracks and no, the outsourced jobs are not coming back to the U.S.
THIS, at a time when no one in congress can read a stimulus bill.
THIS, at the time no one in Washington can explain how the bailout works. THIS, at the same time most pension and IRA plans have vaporized.
THIS, at the time the budget deficit is larger than any other times 3.
THIS, at the time North Korea is prepared to launch a missile to further their nuclear ambitions.
THIS, at the time Iran is putting the finishing touches on their nuclear program.
THIS, at the time when the U.S./Mexico border is in shambles.

Stop the madness. All we get is THIS?

Surely we get something else besides this from our elected elite? Ah, yes, of course there is. And what each of us gets I'm sure was designed to help the housing industry. We each get a screw!

WND Joke of the Day

2009-03-23T15:49:00.002-06:00

Posted: March 22, 2009 8:50 pm Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily

The Department of Defense briefed the president this morning. Officials told President Obama that two Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq.
To everyone's surprise, all the color drained from Obama's face. Then he collapsed onto his desk, holding his head in his hands, visibly shaken and almost in tears.
Finally, he composed himself and asked, "Just how many is a brazilian?"

Courage Among Mortals

2009-03-23T12:41:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a remarkable day in our church and I was privileged to be in attendance as two young persons and an elderly lady pointed us to higher ideals than we normally observe throughout the week.

The two young persons, girls by the name of Rebekah Davidson and Whitney Yosten, chose to spend two weeks in Mexico this summer working at an orphanage. As a result of holding to their commitment to go on this mission trip they lost their spot on the school's cheer leading team. Cheer leading camp came at the same time as the mission trip and both girls had committed to the mission trip long before the cheerleader's camp schedule came out. After trying to work around the conflict they were given the choice - either attend the cheerleader camp and qualify for team or miss the cheerleader camp and cease being a cheerleader. Both girls chose the mission trip over being a cheerleader next year.
This was a major decision for these two young ladies. Both have been cheerleaders "all their lives." In small towns, cheerleaders are placed in the upper echelon of school society. To fore go this status takes courage. Making a hard choice is a rare commodity in our society. Our leaders too often model expediency rather than making the hard choice.
How was the girls decision the right choice? In this case both girls sought the Lord's desire regarding the mission trip and believe the Lord wanted them to go on this mission trip. Thus they responded in obedience by committing to be a part of the mission team. Now when the conflict arose and a choice had to be made, both girls made decisions to honor their word previously given. When the consequences of their choice was revealed to them, lesser mortals would have caved in. But not these two! Both showed the courage (and trust in their Lord) that was modeled for us by Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego.

This scenario was quickly followed by an elderly lady (75ish) who left the U.S.A. for Honduras around the age of 62. Why did she go so willingly to Honduras? Because God spoke to her as a 16 year old calling her to do mission work. Forty-five years later this was her first real opportunity to go do mission work. Now from nothing - which means no land, no building, no support, nothing except a willing, obedient heart - comes an orphanage with 36 children! Way to go Georgia Lamont! Jim and Georgia Lamont are great examples of living for the greater good of others.

Mere mortals, yet infused with divine courage. Continue to lead the way Rebekah, Whitney, and Georgia.

Savor the sound of THE CHANT as the Jayhawks soar into the 'Sweet 16'.

Jayhawks, Harvey and Mud Holes

2009-03-21T09:41:00.002-06:00

Fortunately for the KU Jayhawks there were not two Ben Woodsides on North Dakota State U. team yesterday. Ben ran between, around, under, and over the Jayhawks. He made every defender (6 Jayhawks took a shot at slowing him down) look like they were wearing ankle weights. Ben Woodside would be deemed one of the super elite guards of this season if he were playing on a team in a major conference.

In the end as the clock moved to 0:00, the Jayhawks heard THE CHANT and all was well in the 'Land of Milk and Honey'.

What a glorious week this has been. For those who were able to spend time outside the past 5 days found that it will be hard to top this week for perfect weather in North Texas. Thursday was so beautiful that I did something I have never done before. I grilled out by myself. I do not recall grilling hamburgers on the ole grill without having company over here at our place. Now don't read this to mean I am starting a new trend. It just so happened that the two couples scheduled to come over Thursday evening canceled leaving me free to grill alone.

Now on to more enlightened talk. Last night Joyce and I watched the movie Harvey. You know, the movie staring James Stewart and Harvey, the Pooka. Of course, if you are so into the 5 senses thing (i.e. if I can't see, smell, taste, touch, or hear it - then it doesn't exist) you will think Harvey is a total waste of time because you won't 'get it'. This is so like our culture today. Our physical senses dominate all that we are about. Reading our culture's literature and watching our culture's TV and movies can lead a person to conclude life must revolve around the physical senses.

Or does it?

Perhaps the spiritual dimension of life has been short changed and neglected by our culture. It is far easier to live by sight than to live by faith. Perhaps we have lost the spiritual dimension of life and as a result are now wallowing in a mud hole. This mud hole only gets deeper the longer we revolve our lives around the physical senses while neglecting the spiritual side. We hear politicians and others invoke this spiritual side when they talk about values (when this use is convenient for their argument). But then we see them run back to their self-created mud holes. The capitals of mud hole creation - Washington (power), New York (money), and Hollywood (sex) - will only dig us deeper in our mud hole until we once again choose to embrace the spiritual. Embracing the spiritual is only the first step in the journey, mind you. For it is possible to be 'spiritual' and still miss the "Author of Life". But without this first step we will forever be stuck in the mud hole.

When a 105 Can Still Be Good

2009-03-19T18:48:00.001-06:00

Last week I went golfing with a good friend and fellow life traveler Glen Kersey. Glen and I have a wonderful time golfing. Glen doesn't take the game as seriously as he should (or as I do). Most of the time we end up laughing at ourselves when we start to get serious about this game. It had been 5 months since we were together on a golf course so naturally expectations were not too high. Nevertheless, as we were heading out to the course I commented that even if I hit a poor shot I was still going to enjoy the game. Glen kind of chuckled and muttered something like, "Yeah, sure."

After the first hole was finished and we had by then dusted off 6 months rust, we (read I) was ready for some real golf. My tee shot headed right where I aimed - at the large tree on the left side of the fairway. The tree was far enough out that by the time my ball would reach it the natural fade I hit would move my ball right of the tree and would roll down the hill into perfect position for my approach shot to the green. And then it happend. For some unexplained cosmic reasoning, the ball went straight and stayed going straight. No amount of coaxing or appealing to the ball seemed to have any effect. The ball bounced twice on its approach to the tree before climbing up the trunk of the tree 3 feet before falling straight down coming to rest (and I'm not making this up) touching the trunk of the tree. As we are walking off the second green, ball in hand, yours truely was bitterly protesting to himself (and any others who would listen) the fate of my tee shot and all I could do to relieve the angst of the moment was to give a primal scream of protest before driving off to the third teebox.

Pulling up to the third teebox I looked over at Glen laughing to himself at my pitiful theatrics. Our eyes met and without a word needed spoken, he communicated, "It sure didn't take long." Then we both laughed and hit our next shots - causing us to laugh again and again.

Many blessings and have a wonderful, laugh filled day.

Question: Where do you go to see a grown man cry? Answer: On a golf course where he 3 putts 8 out of the 18 holes!

Time for the Tip-Off

2009-03-18T19:42:00.002-06:00

My last post left several wondering what the initials 'DMD' represented. It always amazes me how most of us humans so easily fall prey to Diminishing Memory Disorder. It strikes whenever, wherever and whomever if we're not careful. None are immune from some stage of this disorder. Symptoms to watch for that alerts one to the early stages of 'DMD' are 1) sour mood, 2) unwillingness to laugh, and 3) seeing the bogey man waiting at every turn.

Yes, we take life too seriously too often. Perhaps this is why we need the artists of the world to remind us of the beauty and goodness of life. Like ice sculptures. Few things have less permanence than ice sculpture. Yet what an awesome ability to create beauty out of nothing special. Guys who take chain saws to logs and make carvings of various animals like bears and buffaloes amaze me to no end. I can just stand in amazement looking at the beauty carved out of an ordinary log. Before I forget here is a marvelous video of ice sculptures that are exceptional.

Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn0QBIJyt3Y for pure enchantment.

Now it is time for the tip-offs to begin. Rock Chalk JAYHAWKS!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go

2009-03-17T17:44:00.001-06:00

I just had my first false start. After finishing my first ever blog (it was a masterpiece) I got up the nerve to hit the 'publish post' button. As I was admiring my first ever blog I noticed a misspelled word! I had left an "l" out of blog so it read bog instead. This will never do for my very first blog so I went to edit out this mistake and somehow completely deleted my first masterpiece. I can't get it back! aarrrrrgh!

So here we go again.

In the grand scheme of things this blog (or attempt at blogging) does not seem all that important. Yet here I am, a non-writer giving it a go. Why blog when writing is an incredibly laborious task for you? Several reasons come to mind. First, because blogging requires you to think clearly, be creative, and exercise discipline. I am one of those guys who end up staring at the screen or paper wondering what to say and how easily others make it appear. But now it is my turn to crawl out of the cave and enter into the 21st century. The second reason for this blog is simply because I can do it and it appears to have the potential to be fun. Now you know that this blog is simply about me having a good time. So if blogging ever ceases to be fun, I'll shut it down because I am not getting a nickel for this venture. The third reason for this undertaking is to help those with 'DMD' remember that life is good.

So in future postings, I hope you come to enjoy life more and more. Until next time. Blessings

Wait...you were wondering what 'DMD' stood for. Wait for the next post.