Stories and other stuff

I'm probably not going where some of you might think with today's post.  Yes there are times that I say, if only, but I've learned from those times and paid for some of them dearly.  I'm sure we all have and for those times I think the rule of thumb isn't to go back and say "if only".  We can learn and grow and say to ourselves, "next time...".  Today's post is in regard to the crack pipe I found at the church on Friday. I'll never know why it was left there, but one possible explanation and my prayer for the owner is this: I see in my mind's eye someone struggling with addiction, not knowing where to turn, and finding themselves in front of the First Baptist Church in Ogden.  Sitting on the lawn, they're distraught, and turn to the Lord in prayer.  Through His grace, He touches the life of the person sitting there and the pipe is left on the lawn as a way to say to Jesus, "You're right, Lord, and I don't need thi...

I was looking at the blog tonight.  Believe it or not, it's like a journal of sorts for me and I can go back and revisit some of the things I was thinking and feeling over the past few months.  Some interesting things crop up too using the blog tools. Just as a fer instance:  Someone did a yahoo search on Bible studies by a Dale Cooper about following Jesus and my blog popped up.  Interesting.  I don't know I'm any kind of a Bible scholar but I did just finish my second course on BBN Radio's online Bible institute.  (www.bbnbi.org for the shameless plug!) I had an uneventful week.  I came to realize some things that are personal but important to me.  Not everything is for sharing on the blog but I shared with the people that are important.  I'm finding that's a healthier way for me to express things.  I worked quite a bit this week but have two days off this weekend. I put the time to good use.  I had some landscaping work to do...

Well, this is gonna be my last blog post for a long time.  I'm done with the whole facebook thing for a while, too.  It's like a train wreck... I don't wanna look but I do.  I just gotta get back to finding some kind of happiness in this crazy mess the world is.  Not just mine, but the world in general. There is yard work to be done, a pool to swim in.  There are books to read.  There is life to be enjoyed and I'm gonna start enjoying it. Thanks for coming along for the ride.  I'll be in touch!

Why do people think Americans are stupid?  Or are we really that stupid? I've been watching with interest the banter going on in Washington all week.  The Republicans want to pretty much decimate our Government.  They had from 2001-2006 to do this.  What they instead did was finance two wars on the full faith and credit of the United States of America and cut taxes. They've touted raising taxes as a "job killing idea", but we're still paying the same in taxes as we did when things went south in 2008.  How is this idea of running massive deficits anybody's idea of smart.  Because of these policies when the Republicans had control of the House of Representatives and Senate, we're all gonna suffer some. I work for Uncle Sugar.  Some of the policies being floated are changing my retirement to a "high 5" calculation, from the current "high 3".  What that means is instead of averaging my highest 3 years of pay, they'll average it ov...

What to do, what to do what to do? It's a beautiful and hot summer day in Ogden, Utah.  There is only one patch of snow left on Mt. Ogden.  There are fishing poles in the garage.  Yesterday was payday.  The mountains look so inviting... There are lawns that need to be mowed and my truck has some stuff in it that needs to go.  The green waste facility doesn't accept sod, so I gotta haul it to the compost pile out back. I cleaned out the pool again yesterday.  It's so clear and inviting, just waiting to be used.  The grocery has steaks on sale for $2.99 a pound and there's plenty of charcoal.  They also have these ginormous marshmallows just perfect for roasting and there's a bundle of wood by the fire pit. It'd be a beautiful day for a drive in the mountains or a quick run to Idaho to buy lottery tickets. So many things to do and be done on this beautiful Saturday. And then there's the hangar.  It was hot last night and I'm sure it...

I had an interesting conversation the other night with one of the guys I work with.  We were talking about God and Jesus and at one point, I asked him this question: "If God isn't real; if Christ isn't the Son of God, our Savior, and everything else He claims to be, then why out of all the names in the world, do these two names become used as curse words?" I used this to illustrate the point that if the enemy (Satan) wasn't real, then why would these two names be uses they way they are. (BTW, I'm guilty of this in my past, and my friends could attest to this).  My point is and was that night, that if the two weren't who they say they are, then their Holy Names would not be used in those terms.  And it wouldn't be one of the Ten Commandments to not  do this. I want you to think about that today.  I told him further that out of all the language I hear in the hangar that these are the things that bother me the most and further explained to him that he...

Hi, How would you like to save a struggling 46 year old man?  For just $1 a day, that's $31 a month, you and 99 of your friends could adopt a Coop.  For your kind donation, you'll receive a photo of Coop (suitable for hanging on your refrigerator door), and a personalized letter. Your kind donations will ensure that your adopted Coop can do things like not have to work 12 hour days or give up his weekends for overtime.  You'll keep a roof over Coop's & the "immigrant's" head and ensure the immigrant can give up the Wal-mart gig and just spend her days puttering in the flower garden. You'll also receive updates on Coop, his life, his struggles, his joys and stories about how God works in his life. (um, wait, you already get that for free...). By now, you know I'm kidding. Things are hard for all of us and I don't want your money.  I still want you to give $31 a month away though, because there are families everywhere that truly need ...