Oliphants & Donkeys

What a strange mix of politics we are watching unfold. I know, this is an election year and we can expect some very strange things to happen, but has anyone noticed that things are getting more and more weird? Maybe I'm just old enough to have seen enough years(presidential election)and presidents to take note. I'm not saying anyone is right or anyone is wrong, but I do believe there is only one man in that boat hoping to escape the sharks. We can expect this to escalate into an old fashioned donnybrook before it is all said and done! (Does anyone use that term anymore?)
Riding the crest of the waves would be a good place for our boatsman to be. Right about now it would be wonderful to walk on water! I suppose, to be perfectly honest, I have experienced times in my own life when I felt as though I were being stalked by sharks. Every time, though, I have learned from the experience that faith is the factor that the sharks never understand. Even in pursuit of us they become lost in their own haste. Maybe that's why it is so difficult for some of our folks to distinguish truth from fantasy when running for office. They see the sharks, too, and they don't have the strength of character to close their eyes and simply pray the shark away.
The parting thought on these circumstances is.....There are times when the sharks need to be reminded that God is in charge and that their role is to be the entree, NOT the diner. Just a thought, but I pray you and I have the courage to really understand the issues at risk for our country this year. God is in control, and the sharks may easily wind up dining on one another. God bless, Preacher.

Soaring With Eagles

Today I am listening to sounds of motorcycles roaring down 6th Street while feeling like I've been run over by one. Illness is not becoming for anyone even if they usually look great(which I seldom do)our there on two wheels. Today I couldn't take the chill of the air even though it would feel wonderful to have the health to do it and I would. Fever and chills, bad coughs and aches have accompanied these past few days and nights(nights are the worst). Whine, whine, whine.....I have an appointment with the doctor today at my wife's insistence. She wants me out getting something done on the project. There is much to be done, but I have been blessed with enough wet and mud that it appears as though it will take the better part of a week without rain just to get on site. God is good! I would feel really horrible if conditions were perfect for work and I could not!
We were just out there looking at the future home. It will be great! On the other hand I think it will take me 'til I'm 60 to get even close to finished. That's why I need the doctor and his expertise. Actually I probably only need antibiotics and rest, but he will have to write the prescription and I will have to pay for visiting him in his office. Ya know, when I consult with guys at the lumber yard concerning materials and building codes they don't charge a penny for their time in helping me to sort out solutions. Why is it that if you have a doctor's degree(license to practice)you charge outrageous fees? Maybe it's all of those support team members they have working in the clinic. I don't know. I'm just thankful this day that we have really good insurance and that I may see a glimmer of improvement this weekend in my physical health.
Yes the snow out here on the Great American Desert is about gone. The sun is warming things nicely and the prospects for life are wonderful if there is no rain for a few weeks. All I ask is enough time to get two truckloads of construction stuff on site ready for work and maybe finish up the driveway. Life could be worse, but it can be better as well. God teaches us so many things through His provision for our lives. As always, today the big lesson is patience. That plus giving thanks for what I have not what I have not. I pray that travels are going well for our folks in America. Some things we cannot change, but they can improve(at least our attitude towards them)through prayer. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Backgrounds & Borders, Bathrooms & Biffys

When we unite in the bonds of Holy Matrimony we also commit ourselves to a life of sharing space. Oftimes in our modern day world we have been "sharing space" for a long time before the ceremony & vows. I'm a bit old school. LOL....I'm probably as old school as you can run across these days. As we continue the process of creating in actuality our vision for a haven we come across the meaning of tonight's title. All of the elements that comprise a home(the home is actually Cheryls and I have a cave and office attached to it)are those which we must wrestle for another few months. After that they will be forever(at least for our lifetimes)set in cement.
I ere quite often on the side of practicality and usability. This will not become entirely apparent until I set the interior walls of our project and proceed to make it habitable for humans. My wife, Cheryl, does not care to have a lot of doors in her home. Where we are now one can enter a small(very)hall and encounter doors on three sides. I like that! Doors offer opportunities. One never knows what might be on the other side of a door. We recently had an accountant friend attempt to exit our home via a walk-in closet in our foyer. That is still providing many chuckles for those who were present.
There are many doors present in our life experience. Some we fling wide open and rush through only to find ourselves disappointed, dejected, depressed, and sometimes behind bars. That has to do with our personal choices. No person can make them for us and we all must face the decisions concerning our lives alone, unless we have received an initiation into the hall of a greater power. Others may have suggested this course of action. Friends and family may have tried to help us find it. But, the truth is, we can only make this big decision for ourselves. There is not a single person who can change us other than ourselves! What color we would like our walls to be, what type of floor covering we would choose to live with for a few months or the rest of our lives. I can say this from a personal background of prison ministry that if we do not choose the state will, and we will not appreciate the interior decorator! Gray is not a favorite color of mine, although I worked in that environment for eight years. I may have always known that I would be there, what I did not know was that they were going to let me in and check me out every day while I preached repentance! Those were wonderful times! Now I look forward to creating a haven for those who serve the Lord and need a place to be for awhile. Maybe even perhaps a bit of a retreat from the pressures of our world. That is why we are in the midst of choosing backgrounds, borders, bathrooms(there will be four)and biffys for all the Lord brings to us. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

In Search Of Earth

Adama, Obama, are we watching SciFi or what? Folks are telling Hillary to get out now and strive to unite the party behind a single leader. She is not about to listen. This will be a bloody battle that is going to tear a party apart. Democrats(of which I am a registered one)need an opportunity to recapture the White House. This is not a game of capture the flag waged via children on a field of green, but it is beginning to appear as one. Adama is leading his people through space in flight from the Cylons who wish to destroy them because they are human. Obama is leading his people through a difficult time in America's history in hopes that he can make a difference and capture the flag of leadership that will make all of our lives better. Now we are living the SciFi life in real time. The directions that our country takes are not determined by a single person in an oval office. They are the directions which the past has imposed on them and the situations they inherit in that office for which the ramifications of decisions made last for decades. The legacy of the oval office is the respect it is given in other countries. At this point in time we are "under the gun" economically. There is no quick cure, but there can be prayer. I'm referring to the nation that could return to God and place Him in charge of the destiny of a country rather than resorting to the solutions proposed by people who truly only wish to advance themselves across the field of power. We have observed as greed, lust, and a host of seven sins have inflicted their influence over the country's capitol. Perhaps the time has come for the influence of those who sit in the pews(not Rev. Wright's)on Sunday to truly take a stand and influence the outcome of a political battle that(one way or the other)must be in the best interests of all concerned. That means the American people. There was a time when we were "isolationists" and that was right for that era. We can no longer be isolationists, but we do need to take charge of our country, our future, and our people. Those born and raised here(to the best of my knowledge according to the big book of Huycks we got off the boat not too far behind the Pilgrims)who run generations deep and have a vested interest in the outcome of our next election need to pray every day for our leaders and for those who live down the street, next door, and a few miles down the road, that their hearts will turn to the only salvation our world can know.
So, that is my spin on the situation we are in. Things are not looking really good folks! The economy is in trouble that runs way deep and way wide. There must be change, and it is up to us to encourage that change in a manner that will be the best for the folks we live with, share a neighborhood with, and sit in worship with us on Sunday. Maybe not all in the same church, but it is the same God we worship.
In Christ's Love, Preacher.

In Search Of America

No Rides For Awhile!

A dismal day has dawned for those of us living in the Great American Desert. I took this picture through the screen on the patio. It did not improve the looks of our outdoors. The ducks aren't very happy and Snickers has the opinion that he would rather do his "business" in the bathroom. Maybe I should build him a little potty bippy of his own to see if he could manage it. This weekend we have the annual spring swapmeet in Sioux Falls, SD. I doubt that anyone will be riding their scooters. I had looked forward to attending but the weather is proving to be less than cooperative.
Looking on the bright side, though, I do have two new Vista builds up and running. One with 3gb of ram, the other with half that. I waited for Vista sp1 to come out before building the wee beasts. It seems everyone has had major problems with the operating system. Thusfar I have only experienced one lockup and that was after it had been left running for two days with no attention. I suppose I'll keep the three XP Home builds for backup. After a few years of use even the largest of hard drives is stuffed with stuff. Then there is the Win '98 sitting in my wife's office that we will have to decide what to do with before the big move. Can you tell I've been staying in to avoid the weather? There is also an UBUNTU build on the drawing board that I am really looking forward to having in my future office. I've had it all together and running for a few hours, but that was just a test. Now I'll do the real thing with a larger hard drive and more stuff. When I think about this it puts me in mind of how pleased I am that my Creator doesn't do that with us. Yes, I know He did at one point, but there was a remnant spared! It seems that there are a lot of folks in the ecumenical community subscribing to "end time" theology. They scare a lot of the ordinary church goers, and they scare me, too! My Bible tells me that no body knows the time of our next "tear down." There is a calendar pointed to by some that say 2012 is the final year. Personally I think they ran out of space to carve in the stone any more dates. Every medium has it's limitations. In God's time all will work out as it is intended. You and I are to be faithful, patient, and kind to one another in the meantime. As for today, I will probably have to go out at some point and wage war with the snow. That is truly a losing battle. Maybe, on the other hand, I will just wait it out and let the heat of the sun disperse the snow. It has been known to happen, even here this time of the year.
God bless, Preacher.

Happy Easter 2008!

My wife has a "new" thing happening in her experience of life. They are called "ducks" and they not only live in the backyard but are now moving into the house we presently occupy. The first one(big mallard)came to us from a farm where he could no longer get along and play nice with the other ducks. Personally I find him amusing, but he has some really bad habits. This past spring and summer he followed Cheryl around the yard just like a pet duck(really quacked me up-pardon the pun)does. Then there came the white duck with the broken leg which we could not heal properly so she just gimps around and enjoys the water a lot because once immersed she is not handicapped. Then there came the whole ancient house project which may or may not ever truly end, but that is part of our life. Now, in this old bed and breakfast someone 80 or 90 years ago hand painted a duck on the bathroom door. He's a little on the cartoonish side, but Cheryl took a liking to it and insists that it will be preserved. Now we have a pattern forming. A passion, if one can call it that for the duckish things that continue to come our way. So the piano bench has now seated her three little duckie friends who are headed for a home in the original bathroom of the bed and breakfast. Needless to say the ducks will probably drive me crazy but I didn't have that far to go. Anyway as we close the night on a theme that is just "ducky" I wanted to share how much we enjoyed worship this morning. Easter is always special in many ways. The best part of the morning was just sitting back and actually worshiping without having to play, preach, or perform. Thank you Lord. God is like that! He always seems to know what we truly need, even if it is not exactly what we wanted. Praise God for a beautiful day, an opportunity to share great food with family and friends, and the reminder that I am forgiven as a Child Of God and therein we find ourselves being really lucky ducks!
In Christ's Love, Preacher.