Time To Spare & Stuff On My Mind

This evening was the first in a few weeks that it seemed as though I might be getting close to ready for the coming winter. So much so that I took a few moments to let my creative side loose on the workbench for a few minutes. what I came up with is a toilet paper tree that allows a variety of users their choice of texture and comfort. It also provides space for "what to do" with that little bitty leftover roll that you hate to be wasteful and throw away. Constructed entirely from plexi round stock and quite well balanced, if I do say so myself, it affords the person making leisurely use of the facilities time to ponder their choices. For the decorator in each of us it gives another opportunity to express oneself in creative ways by mixing and matching the various prints and colors available. Top it all off with the "ever present" spare on top and it should be a winner in every department store. I'm certain you will be seeing something like this soon, if not already, at your favorite discount outlet or possibly even on the TV as a "special" buy one get one free offer. Just $9.95 plus applicable taxes, shipping & handling(of course)and it is yours. Nine color coordinated hues of bathroom background to choose from, including(for an additional $9.95)one that lights up and serves both as night light and dispenser extraordinaire!
Seriously, it was a wonderful break from the tasks that always seem to be at hand. Life is like that, busy with one sort of cleanup\fixup or another. It started as a joke for some of my E-friends, but now as I look across at it on the workbench I see real possibilities. That's what I think God sees in each of us, real possibilities! We are flawed, and quite often without any real purpose in life other than to live out our days eating, sleeping, and working. When the Master takes the time to wield the tools of His Spirit, though, some very amazing things begin to occur. I suppose the first thing that I noticed in my walk was less focus on me(inward)and more focus on others(outward). It can be an awakening from which there is no recovery, only complete, sweet surrender. I won't repeat the catch phrases here, you already know them. What I will add to tonight's creative side is an opportunity to be more each day than you were the previous day. You know where I'm headed with this, Christ! He is the one to take up the reins of our unruly lives and guide us down paths that will truly be a blessing in the lives of everyone around us, and ultimately, to ourselves as well. There I go on that selfish streak again. Have a wonderful day, and know that I am praying for you along with the rest of our world. God bless, Preacher.

Welcoming Guests And Celebrating Love!

I have to be quick this evening. The temperature in my new office is at a chilly 48 and I'm dressed as warm as I can be and still use my digits. Today was fantastic! God blessed me in so many ways that even the pain of driving a nail into my finger by accident seems to mean very little right now(can't feel the fingers much at low temps anyway). We had surprise visitors to our home. A surprise to me, anyway. Cheryl and I have talked about getting a dog for years now, and most of the time I was not quite ready and she was not really sure. Today that all ended when she invited a co-worker from Astoria, SD to bring over a five month old Great Pyrenees male pup. She said if I liked him I could have him as my B'day present from her. I nearly fell off the earth for a moment. I had to say no, because I really don't want a pup coming to live with me unless I get him just before weaning is completed. It's a thing I learned back when I was breeding Poms that has never proven to be wrong. They just seem to train better and become a more attached animal that way. The main thing was that she has agreed to have one! Now the question is all about finding the "right" one. Isn't the kid that came with the dog cute(unfortunate that he can't come with the pup or I might have reconsidered)! It seems like there is a hitch to almost everything. While I'm in this celebratory mood, though, I would like to share with you that there is a blessing that comes without a single hitch. That's the love offered you in Christ from our Creator God.
That comes with a bonus, too, the indwelling of God's Spirit to make all things in life more beautiful and fulfilling. I don't know when the last time was that I had a day so filled with true heartfelt emotion. I tried to share my feelings with my wife, but I don't think she really appreciates it when I get so sentimental that tears begin to show. She truly made this a day to remember. Many thanks to You tonight, my Lord, for providing me with the most wonderful gifts a heart could ever desire. Your love is more precious than gold or fine silver, right after that is the love You have revealed in the heart of my wife. God, I thank You and Cheryl for this day! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Winter Comes

I decided to title this edition the same as my first novel. It seemed somehow appropriate this evening. I was relaxing before stepping into the shower today, coffee in hand, stereo pounding out a pleasant background, when the first white flakes began to fall. There went the plans for the day. Within thirty minutes as I watched in awe the flakes grew in size and frequency until the backyard looked somewhat like a TV with no station coming in. Wet, heavy snow covered everything rapidly and I had to turn my back and get in the shower grumbling about all that was left to do to really "be ready" for winter this year. Oh, nothing major, now, just lots and lots of little things that should have been done yesterday except I was busy doing other things that had to be done. The barn has electricity now, and the lines to the garden shed are run but unconnected. The outdoor kitchen is just like it was a week ago when last I made use of it. Lawn chairs have yet to be stowed away(cushions and stuff, too)and the list goes on and on. No sooner did I step from the shower than the phone began to ring. An emergency call from my wife informing me that if I didn't bring lunch for her and a friend they would starve today. Out through the storm in record time with grilled chicken chunks in a beautiful salad with two sandwiches to accompany the feast I made my way through town. Some folks have a hard time getting used to driving in the snow(two accidents lay between me and my goal)so I opted to drive the side streets. I must admit the snow was beautiful the way it came down. So many reminders of God's grace in the midst of the day as the flakes covered everything equally. Streets of pure slush and gutters awash as the snow tried but failed to stay snow, slowed progress. I made it right on time, though, to deliver lunch and avoid the untimely passing due to starvation of two lovely ladies. Choosing to stay off the main thourough fares I was back home safely about twenty minutes before my first appointment. That was how the entire day went. Just in time to take care of what needed to be done and no spare time to fool around except for the minutes I spent walking through the backyard picking up the few things that shouldn't be gotten wet and taking these quick pics. All in all I'm sitting here smiling over the whole mess. The sun came out, the snow is gone, and all that remains is to arrive for services in the morning and enjoy some time in God's house with the warmth of friends and fellowship to surround me. There will be time to finish the things that must be done, I remind myself. Winter comes, and with it a whole new way of living for the balance of the year and a good portion of next.
I suppose that my greatest thanks today are given for the advance warnings I had from far off friends of impending weather. Or should I say, I thank God for friends that care enough to let me know when things aren't looking good. If things aren't looking really good in your life why don't you stop on in to a church tomorrow and see if getting a little "good news" can make a difference in your life. I'll be at 1st Baptist here in Brookings, but there are branch offices all over and we all work for the same boss. Have a wonderful Sunday, and be ready for winter. After all, it's the best six months of the year here on the Great American Desert...Lol...God bless, Preacher.

Images In Time!

 
Cheryl, my wife, has friends and family that know that her favorite color is purple(hence the new "purple" garage doors behind which my Harleys reside)and that she enjoys all of the shades that accompany this paritcular title. One of those friends forwarded this picture without any description of where, what, or when. It could represent almost any season here on the Great American Desert except winter. A friend over in Wisconsin warned me last evening of approaching snow. Another in Montana says they've begun the season of hard frost and morning warmups on vehicles. Two days ago I had to scrape frost from the windshield of my car before I could go anywhere. All the varied reports and the picture brought a thought to mind concerning "seasons" in life.
Wednesday evening we were in attendance at a party that encompassed four very alive
generations. We ate, we laughed, we sang, we played, and we prayed. All of this is not surprising to me. What I note tonight, though, is that with all the seasons of life represented there were no tell-tale delineations separating the youngest at 2 from the oldest at ?, all mothers and daughters. It was almost as though the ancestry in play extended for each to the encompassing reality of differences that are only present in the mind of those who are onlookers. I learned a new thing! When we are in the midst of our lives we cease to take note of the other lives around us. It is only in stepping away from ourselves that we can really see the truth and beauty of life's seasons as they emerge. I can remember being 2 when I look through the eyes of a little one, as clearly as I can remember being the age I am today. That holds true for the other ages represented at the gathering. No matter what the age, once you have experienced those years they are always a part of you. Today I would say that one of life's greatest joys is to be in the midst of intergenerational gatherings where people, regardless of age, are free to be who they are and share that "self" with others. The very young pray with the reverence that they see in those who surround them, and thus it will become a part of them as they grow. That reverence for things of the spirit may seem slight at the moment, but they are never forgotten. God speaks as boldly through the thoughts and actions of the young as He does through the words and deeds of those who are more mature. It is an attitude that separates the joyful, playful and prayerful from those who are not. The color purple in my ecumenical faith perspective is indicative of royalty. What a beautiful way for us to celebrate the seasons of life when we share our love of God in every way possible, just as God does with us throughout nature and more. The wonder of the winter lies ahead with the promise of spring's splendor to once more bring purple back to life. God bless, Preacher. 

The Garden Shed Project!

 
It is 99% done. I'm tired. God did a whole lot more in the same amount of time, and then rested. This is good! God bless, Preacher. 

Keys In Life!

The garden shed is 99% complete! I'll blog that one this week after the mess is put away and the tools are cleaned up, back in their racks. Tonight I felt like just sharing thoughts about my life.
The wood plaque\frame is a little project I came up with for Cheryl and I to share. It fills many needs and also makes an excellent example as a backdrop for life. The little rectangles(I carefully cut cardboard to fit each opening so that trimming photos to fit would be really easy)are going to be holding pictures of the "new" babies in our lives. We're still dickering over what age will be the limit for being posted here. I think we'll agree on newborn to age two only. That way nobody will be on that piece of wall for a long time. Cutting the cardboard I thought about how I do the same thing with every part of my life that is under our roof. Every section overlaps the others some, but they are each separate compartments of living that are a part of who I am. The big heading at the top indicates my personal priority in that God comes first! Down where it says "keys" is almost a joke. If we totaled up the time spent looking for keys in our house on a yearly basis it would probably equal the number of hours in a week, 168! It isn't that there aren't specific places for keys to be found, there are. There's one in the shape of a grand piano near the dining room door. There's another on the back of the side door to my office. There's a "key" clock cabinet in the kitchen(all we use that one for is padlocks and keys that fit them). Then there are the hooks for vehicle keys to hang above the workbench in my cave. All in all it doesn't take more than 30 seconds to check where the keys should be when they aren't present. Most often, though, they will be found laying somewhere that they don't belong. Keeping things in their proper places has never been a strong suit of mine. I thought when I got married that problem would be solved...Lol! We're getting better at organizing as we grow older. We had to, it was either that or submit to having many pieces and parts of our lives eternally missing. It wasn't by chance that I shot the photo on the grand. Music is a big part of both of us, and maintaining the harmony in our lives is not easy. Perhaps that is why we both turn often to God in prayer to aid us in working out the harmony that can quickly get lost in the mixing of our spaces. I do wish at times that life was as black and white as the keys on the grand and that everything would fall into order as rapidly in the world as it does in the studio(I haven't been there in a week and I sorely miss it)when we're putting songs together. Once again I refer back to that first priority, God. It seems that no matter what gets to happening in my little spaces, if I'm actively seeking guidance from my Creator everything fits together better and there are fewer parts getting lost along the way. Today's work on the garden shed required the use of several different saws(I think I have about 26 of them 1\3 powered)so several times during the course of the day I had to reorganize them and switch blades and settings. It's a tedious task, but necessary, and one that I put to double use for the purpose of prayer while the fingers on my hands are doing their jobs. I also give thanks for those hands and fingers while I'm at it, and for the abilities God has granted me to use them. They are battered, cut, bruised and abrased by the week's work. Healing will come in time now that the splinters are out. Such is life! It seems that no matter what we're about, if we take the time to be in communion with God everything goes better. I can't wait to see the baby pics up in the foyer! Who knows, maybe some of the keys to our lives will not be so easily lost if we get our priorities straight! God bless, Preacher.

Seeing Life's Many Blessings

Sometimes all it takes is one simple flower to remind each of us what a beautiful world we live in. My thanks to Steve tonight for taking the pic, and to uncle Lou for forwarding it on to me. It made my day! I've been getting alot of photos of flowers lately, and real ones, also! My wife, Cheryl, does that once in awhile just to remind me of her love. I wonder if I've ever told her how much the flowers also remind me of the author of such beauty, God. Maybe I'll wait until the new garden shed is finished and surprise her in some "flowery" little way of how much I love her, too! Life goes full circle for each of us I was reminded this evening. Today I give thanks for friends who hear me when I have needs that call them above and beyond the sense of duty. I give thanks for family and the many ways that they bless me every day, and for the newest addition to the family, another bloom that has just arrived on the tree of our mutually shared heritage. We ran into our niece(you may have seen the pics of her a few months ago when I blogged her shower)at Walmart today while picking up more paint for the barn. Usually I don't attend "Walmart" sprees(everytime we walk in the door together another contribution is made to the growing success of a company that my vote is still 'out' on), today I needed to get some blades for a special saw so there I was. Camera ever handy on the belt bag I snapped these really quick. Blessings, they come in such a wide variety every day if we have the time to see them. Being in the "right" place at the "right" time helps(I hope Cheryl doesn't mind me putting her out here, she doesn't know how beautiful she is when she is cradling a baby), but we also have to be prepared to have our lives blessed. Maybe that is something I used to miss out on. I wasn't willing to take the time to truly allow myself to be blessed in so many ways. My prayer tonight is that each of us takes the time to let God come into our lives in all possible ways with showers of blessings we truly see with our eyes, and our hearts! In Christ's Love, Preacher.