Stories and other stuff

If you're a craps player, you know what this term means.  It's a bet that whoever is rolling the dice will roll an eleven or crap out (rolling a two, three, or twelve).  It's also a term used to describe some folks who identify themselves as Christians.  In this scenario, C is for Christmas, E is for Easter, and it's about the only two times some folks step into a church in a year.  We celebrate two very important milestones in Christianity on these occasions and I understand why attendance goes up at churches at these two times. What I don't understand is why more people don't go to church.  Today, I'm going to use myself as an example for the rest of you. I saw as an impressionable teenager what politics can do to a church first hand.  I saw a division in the church I used to attend.  I saw people that were Christians to things to other people for personal reasons that were, well, just flat out MEAN and un-Christian.  It happens because we'r...

I said something about blogging about the subject of losing everything, but I'd written about this before in a blog called "Lost and Found" which you can read  here. I do want to add this thought, though.  What I have now, I wouldn't trade for all the gold in the world.  There isn't money that can buy the peace and joy I know.  It comes from the King of kings, the Lord of lords.  I wonder..... do you know Him?

Rather than comment on the comments of yesterday's posts, I thought I'd share what I'm grateful for today. First off, I'm grateful for God's love.  Without Him, nothing is possible and everything is meaningless.  If you don't know this, then you don't know Him.  I'm grateful for the trials in my life because they've caused me to learn and grow.  Someday, the big one will be resolved and I'll be grateful for the outcome, even though I don't know what it is. I'm grateful secondly today that a long-overdue apology to my first wife was tendered and accepted.  It's nice to try and be civil after a couple of years of not being that.  I'm also grateful for her willingness to help me and my oldest boy fix the thing that's broken between us.  That's a good thing to be grateful for. I'm grateful that people read, and kind of take away something from my blog.  Sharing the Good News is something I'm proud to do.  I'm...

Hot water...  No, for once I'm not in any, if you'll pardon the expression, trouble.  Hot water is my new friend.  It makes coffee for me in the morning.  It makes things hurt a lot less while I'm sitting in the bathtub enjoying the hot water.  Anymore, I'm so stiff in the morning, a hot bath has become part of my ritual.  I think of all the money I wasted over the years and am kicking myself...I never bought a hot tub.  Wanted one, but never bought one.  Probably just as well, now, but boy, could I sure use a visit to one. I have this little thingie that's supposed to turn your tub into a whirlpool.  It works OK.  I haven't used it in a very long time, though.  Maybe I'll give that a try tomorrow while I'm trying to get the joints to quit throbbing.  This getting older business...well, let's just say I'm not a fan. I like the getting wiser.  Just not the creaks and groans.  They make pills for that, I know, but I...

I just never know what's going to happen in my life. I have a little story to tell.  It's about social networking, being a Christian, and a whole bunch of things, I suppose, that I have nothing to do with. About a month ago (almost to the day) I received an e-mail at my yahoo account notifying me of a friend request on Facebook.  I politely declined the request because it was from a person who isn't a friend.  Our lives may get to the point where we're going to have to be civil, but that's really about it from my point of view.  Anyway, I declined it, politely, through what I thought was a very nice e-mail to a third person in this little story (sorry, no names but you can probably figure it out....) For that, I was told I wasn't being very godly toward this person; that the person was reaching out to me so that we could find a way to get along, which is something we're going to have to do.  I'm used to having my faith called into question by the t...

I have to say the theme of today's blog isn't my own.  I've borrowed it from one of my favorite radio programs, called "Running to Win" (you can listen online, here ). The topic of the program tonight was Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding.  The story is in the book of John.  While talking about this, Pastor Lutzer proffered this idea to the listening audience. He said something like for those that aren't Christians, for those that don't believe on Jesus, they should enjoy this life, because it's as good as it's going to get.  He further said for those that believe, this is as bad as it's ever going to be. I get a lot out of this program.  Just yesterday, the good Pastor talked about a man he heard witness and the story went something like this:  The man was facing financial difficulties of all sorts and going through a divorce.  He'd had some other troubles too.  The man said throughout this period in hi...

I haven't been feeling very bloggy lately.  In fact, I've been feeling a bit like the tin man from the "Wizzard of Oz", no not needing a heart, but rusted stiff.  I thought it might be the weather, or attributable to folding myself up like a pretzel inside an airplane fuel tank.  I think, though, after lunch today, it might be attributable to the cholesterol pills.  Time for a visit to the doc again. I started writing this post this morning but abandoned it.  I just wasn't feeling it, but I think it's kind of the message of the day.  As I was getting ready to leave for lunch the immigrant and I had a conversation about sharing what we have.  The scouts are having a food drive which what started the conversation.  As I drove to lunch, the radio program I had on was reading from a book and the topic was about sharing.  it was interesting that I'd started my day off with writing about it, then heard two examples of it in the span of about ten ...