Stories and other stuff

It was a little bit chilly for yard work today, so I decided to spend part of my Easter Sunday doing something I'd been wanting to do but putting off for too long.  I swapped over some parts from a tractor that KP gave me to mine. I'm thankful to have it.  It has one essential part that's called a varidrive pulley and they don't make them anymore (because anymore was 30 years ago when the thing was built in the first place).  While I didn't have to replace that yet, I did need to replace the hood.  I wrecked the tractor several years ago by forgetting to take it out of neutral when I started it.  I'm not so smart sometimes.  Anyway, it took a couple of hours to swap the parts over and fill the tires with air.  With the donor parts, my tractor looks a lot more like the "cooter bug" than it did.  It now has lights that work, a hood that functions, a cap on the steering wheel, and a front grille.  It fired right up after I charged the batter...

Normally, I’d be writing this for delivery at a chapel service at the Ogden Rescue Mission. Things are not normal today. They’re never going to go back to what normal was, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Still, I had a word to share, We live in a world where God has been marginalized. What God calls sin, the world defines it as a lifestyle choice. It’s almost as if the whole world is upside down and quite honestly we don’t know which way to turn. Where is God when we need Him most? Those might be some of the thoughts you might have today, whether or not you're a believer. Today is a good day to think about those things and what we can learn from God’s word about them. We’re not alone in wondering that and we can, through His word, look back to a time when another very small group of people were wondering the very same things, albeit for much different reasons. On Palm Sunday, Jesus was heralded a king! Shouts of Hosanna! Greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, bu...

I have a lot of first world problems.  One of them is that I own a Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro thingie to mop my floors.  Another is that my home is for sale.  Yet another is that I provide safe harbor to pussycats (one does not OWN pussycats) which requires a certain amount of upkeep (see my second first world problem),  The thing all three of these things have in common is that they require me to make trips for supplies that I wish I didn't have to make. The house is showing today so I need to mop.  I needed formula to mop.  I also needed lawn and leaf bags and was down to my last roll of paper towels.  My truck overheated a couple of weeks ago and I've not tended to it because that means anti-freeze that I didn't have.  I've been putting off a trip to Wal-mart for a couple of weeks now.  Because I needed some things, but I didn't  need some things right then. I'm taking this seriously and taking it seriously looks like it's starting...

A bit ago, I posted something on Facebook about whether the time has us or we have the time.  I'm trying not to fall into a real pity-party.  I'm still trying to come to terms with things working out the way they did with the house.  I told someone today that I lost the house, but lost is maybe not quite the word for it.  I'm coming to terms with that, too.  Loss implies the possibility of a victory.  There was never going to be one, and I'm still trying to let go of the need to understand why. I'm human and sometimes surrender looks like a minute-by-minute battle. You'd think I'd be used to some social distancing by now.  To a certain extent, I am.  But it's taken this to realize how important my little church family is to me.  Other than my co-workers they're about the only people I interact with on a regular basis in person.  My kids live away from me and have their own busy lives.  So alone isn't new to me.  But yesterd...

While the building looks large, the church itself isn't all that big.  That's what I'd have to say about our little church on the corner in Ogden.  Our pastor often refers to us as "the little church on the corner" but that little church does some big things. A friend of mine from church called me yesterday and we talked on the phone for 20 minutes or so.  It was a welcome call.  I miss my church family.  We had a pretty good talk about some of the things going on in our lives and God used the time for each of us to build the other one up and provide some mutual encouragement.  It always amazes me how He works, but I could write volumes on that subject. My friend mentioned our little church on the corner and described how that place is full of something on Sundays that the previous place my friend worshiped at was missing.  I thought to myself as I listened, "that's the Holy Spirit".  Our little church on the corner has changed quite a bit....

Times are tough right now.  This social distancing is taking a toll on people because even the few people I interact with regularly, I can't. For instance, Wendi was watching the dog for me this week.  It's kinda joint custody time again because of the craziness.  I think it's better for Bucky that he can go out when he needs to.  He's not as young as he used to be so she's kind enough to take care of him for me when I can't be home.  I love her kids and they love me.  Their first inclination when they see me is to run to me and give me hugs.  I am still working so I have to remind them to stay back from me.  It's hard.  Wendi explained to them it's because I love them that I do that, but the kids are the only hugs I get these days. I know I'm not the only one.  I can't imagine the thousand-fold fear and dread our healthcare professionals are going through right now.  Adding insult to injury, some are facing pay cuts because the...