I was in my favorite store recently, when a young family was blocking the way. The mother looked up and told her children, “Move over, kids, and let the old man by.”


Old man, indeed!  I looked at them and just shook my head in amazement, and drove the power cart  around them.  Why, I’m not so old, am I? I decided that there must be a test I can take.  I mean, you can find anything on the internet, can’t you? But to my dismay, I could find no such thing.  So, I
did what any young, er, mature guy would do. I made one up. Of course, I knew I had to share it with you. Here goes.


You’re only as old as you feel.


               
I woke up this morning, feeling pretty good. Then I tried to get up.  Let’s see…Back didn’t hurt…too much…knees didn’t lock up – well both of them  didn’t.


All your senses are alert.


               
My wife said something as I was getting up. I put my hearing aids in and  asked her to repeat it.  She asked
me to fix some breakfast, I agreed. When it was ready, I put my teeth in and we enjoyed a good meal.


Your body is firm and  youthful.


               
Hmmm… Hair is grey, skin is wrinkled, I have a spare tire big enough for  a semi truck.  Doesn’t look good
for me.


As you get older, you get wiser.


               
Score one for older, wiser, not so much. That’s a plus,  right?



All this is, of course, in jest. There is no test to determine if  you are old. What we need to remember, is, as we age, we owe the next generation, and need to share the values we were raised with. Things like respect, and empathy. We need to instill in them a solid value system. The ten commandments is a good start. I respectfully ask each of you to look at your life, and ask yourself – Am I getting old? Or just feeling that  way?


Good thing the test was made up, for I was getting worried.


Be blessed, today and
everyday.

 
  Long ago, I learned that there were seven deadly sins. You know, the biggies like wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. After I looked and saw that I haven't posted in almost a year, I decided that there is an eighth- procrastination. Yep, I'm guilty as sin....that's a joke, folks. 

   It's not like I haven't been on the road, reflecting on life, and other good stuff, or that God hasn't put anything on my heart to share..... I've just been a dirty, rotten procastinater.  I've even procrastinated about this entry about procrastination.  GASP!! Oh the Horror!!  Say it isn't so!

  As I move through life God puts things on my heart to share, so that one person, or group receives His word. When I fail to pass along that message, I have disobeyed God, hence the sin. Perhaps, the procrastination was to give me the reason for this entry, so...I don't know!!

  Some of you my find this to be a little preachy. Please forgive me for that, as I try not to be that way, but this has been heavy on my heart lately.

  At any rate, here is what I wish to share with you - Life is fleeting. We do not know, with any certainty what lies before us each day. Recent events in Boston show this to be so very true. A trusted advisor, known as El Pastor Viejo (The old preacher) recently shared on his facebook page the thoughts of one of his parishoners. In short, it said that God had laid upon her heart that the rapture was imminent. So, those fellow procastinators out there, get it in gear! If you don't know GOD, look into your heart and find him. He is there, I promise! Don't let the layers of life get in your way. Like an onion, peel away all the petty things (that you probably think are important) and understand that God LOVES YOU unconditionally, no matter what you have done in or with your life. Jesus died on Calvary's cross to give us this. Don't waste this precious gift.

  Christians - we are the church. Each of us has a ministry to share what we know. PLEASE, don't commit the 8th deadly sin!

  Don't think this is only about God. We all have things that we have put off doing, or saying. Whether it be telling someone how you feel, or righting a wrong in your life, Do it. Just do it.

  So there isn't any misunderstanding, I love each and every one of you, friends, family, aquaintances and even enemies alike. Life is too short to carry grudges and hurts.

Be blessed!               
 
Mother's Day is just around the corner. I'd like to invite each of you to stop and take a moment to reflect about all the things your mother has done for you. Certainly we can remember the mundane, day by day things like cooking cleaning, doing the laundry, etc., etc.  While these thing are all very necessary to a growing boy (or girl for that matter), what about the untold and unsung things? Remember the night that you came in late from a date, or while hanging out with friends? I bet your mom didn't get much sleep until you were safe at home and in bed without a care in the world.  Mine didn't. Did you ever get in trouble growing up? After the shouting died down, weren't you aware that Mom just wanted you safe, and wanted to love you unconditionally? I think it would be safe to say that our mothers loved us beyond imagination - even when in our anger we rejected it and hurt someone who really cared for us.

God is like that, only multiplied by cazillions. He wants us to love Him more than anything. It's that simple. No matter what we do, or how much we push Him away, He is there, ready to pick us up, dust off our pants and love us...Just like mom.

I lost my mother several years ago, and miss her terribly. Take this opportunity to do something special for YOUR mother, if you can. God bless you, especially if You are also a mother. Remember, God loves you, and so do I.

 
A week or so ago, my lovely wife and I took a road trip to Omaha to visit my son and his family - especially my grandson :). I was familiar with the route, and didn't need directions. But, as we got closer, I plugged in the GPS to help me find the motel we would stay at.  As we drove merrily along, having a great conversation about our plans for the week, the 'lady in the dash - I call her Shiela - instructed us to exit and go to the right. We did.  I had a vague feeling something wasn't quite right, but what the heck, Shiela knows what she's doing, right? Well... Several miles and a few confusing turns later, we find ourselves on a dirt road somewhere, we think, in Kansas..or was it Missouri? At this point, I pulled out the old torn up atlas and found our way.

Our christian walk is a lot like this little story.  We sail along, thinking we know where we are headed ,but we let the world grab us up and lead us down a path headed to disaster. Until we ignore the confusing directions, and pick up a map (bible) and look for the true way, we will remain lost.
Don't depend on wordly directions, go to the source and walk a straight path.

Lord, be with us and guide us every step of every day. Let us be deaf to the directions that will lead us astray. Let us focus on the truth of your word to be our map and plan for living. Amen

Until next time, God Bless you!
 
Easter has passed, and unfortunately, with it the memory of what the cost of the resurrection really was. I wrote this a while back, and want to share it with you.
 
A couple of months ago, my pastors’ sermon started  with a bit about John 3:16.  This  got me to thinking about how well known this verse is, and wondering how well it  was understood. I wondered what would happen if I put the words- “For God so  loved the world, He gave his only begotton Son…” – into a modern context. It  went something like this.

 Hey, Son. What’s up?

 Oh, nothing much. What do you  need?

 Well, I have all these people down here that aren’t doing   right.

 What can I do to help?

 I need you to come on down and help me save  them.

 That would work, I just got a new suit with an awesome hat I want  to wear.

 I think I’d dress down if I were  you.

 Why?

 Well, when you get here they will arrest you, give you a bogus  trial, and sentence you to death.

 Ouch!

 That’s not all. You’ll be forced to carry a heavy cross across  town to the top of a hill, while people throw rocks at
you.

 Double ouch!!

 Yeah, they’ll take your clothes and gamble for them. Then a crown of really sharp thorns will be pushed on your
head.

 Gee, you sure make this sound like so much fun! 
 
Have I told you that they will nail your feet and hands to the  cross and raise it up, leaving you to  die?

 Noooo…

 Will you come?

 Yes, Father. I will be right  there.

 
Stop and think about the tremendous sacrifice that both God and  Jesus made. Could you, would you ask your son to do this? 

Would you agree if YOUR Father asked the same of  you?

 
The adventure of starting a brand new blog brings with it great responsibilities.  Just what does one post, to set the tone and encourage others to want to read it, as well as future posts. I have finally decided on the following. I hope it blesses you. I must add this disclaimer, though. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone, and all glory goes to God. If you wish to share anything I write, please do so. I only ask that all credit goes to God, as I need none, for I am but a simple messenger.
A while back, I was driving my beautiful wife, Debbie, to the doctor. On the way, we tuned into a random christian radio station. This is what I have chosen to share with you.
  The story was about a small church in a medium sized town that suffered from poor attendance. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in a back room during a Sunday service. As the members fled,  the deacons grabbed something to carry with them to save. Among these items was a rather non descript, if not ordinary picture of Jesus. Of course, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered, to 'see the show'. The fire department responded and put out what turned out to be a small blaze in a closet. Slowly, the congregation went back into the church, one by one. Yet the rather large crowd stayed, seemingly transfixed by the simple picture of Jesus. The pastor, a grizzled veteran, asked why they were so amazed by the picture, as it had hung in the foyer for all to see for many years. After a short pause, someone said, "this is the first time you have brought Jesus out into the street."
  If there is a moral to this story, it is this: If you want the many, rather than the few, to know about Jesus, the church (that's me and you, bubba) have to get Jesus out in the streets where He can do the most good.