Stories and other stuff

October baseball.  I'd like it a lot better if the Yankees didn't make it in but such is life. If the Dodgers were in, I'd have someone to root for.  As it is, I guess I'm gonna be a Cardinals fan for a while. I haven't been following baseball much this year.  Or anything else, really, for that matter, but it seems like things are getting a little better, a little easier.  October baseball is exciting.  Look for some really good "small ball" from the Cardinals.  Tony LaRusa is a master at get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in.  He's not afraid to pull out the stops either.  It would be my guess that you'll see at least one squeeze play from the Cardinals in the post season. Great pitching, great strategy, and clutch performances are all a part of October baseball.  Who will be the heroes this year?  Will the Yankees dominate?  We saw the Red Sox fall apart in the month of September and lose a 9 game lead in the wild card race. ...

I heard a very interesting and very telling sign of the times yesterday.  A news report mentioned that about 70% of the US economy is consumer spending and the word an analyst used to describe consumer sentiment was "depressed". I think of how many are unemployed.  How many of us are teetering on the brink because of a loss of an income; or how many have had to take lower paying jobs and are struggling.  One of the biggest things I've noticed lately is how empty the grocery store parking lots appear these days.  Maybe it's just because I don't go at the right times, but it's enough to notice that when I do, there aren't as many cars in the parking lot as there used to be.  I also see that the beef selections at the store aren't quite what they used to be.  I think that's another telling sign of how prices are hurting people. If we're the engine, and we can't shovel enough coal into that engine to keep it running by spending money we don...

Dear friends and readers of the blog, The words I want you to hear are not mine but they are powerful and they explain my life more than I ever could myself.  Sometimes, God calls us to circumstances we don't understand fully and just now I finished listening to a program on the radio that sums up not only my life these days but also adds to the conversation of why attending worship services is important (you really NEED to listen to this Xander, whoever you are!) As usual, my internet connection isn't going to let me post a link to the program but you can find it in one of three ways:  First, on the internet at either insight.org, or at oneplace.com.  The program you're looking for is called Insight for Living by Chuck Swindall.  The message today is the second part of one on the book of Hosea.  You can also hear a repeat of this program on the radio at 99.5 f.m., the Bible Broadcasting Network station in Ogden/SLC at 6:30 p.m. this evening. Take a half-h...

Yesterday, someone named Xander left a comment on my blog which I answered and after I did, I discovered a few typos and as I'm apt to do, a bit of rambling on a theme.  I didn't feel the answer in itself did the question justice so I spent some time in the scriptures last evening in the hope I could answer the question better.  This morning I think I can do that. First off, we have to look at what a church is.  Is it the building (mine is easily identifiable as a church by the style of architecture in its construction), as are many others?  You can't drive through a neighborhood in Utah without finding a ward house that belongs to the LDS church and most are easily identifiable.  The building has a purpose just as my church does.  It's where people meet to worship God. I'm not going to get into dogma with anyone.  First off I'm not educated enough in the scriptures to do that. I know what I believe; what I believe is the Truth that comes from God'...

Why is it you believe that just because some people don't attend church think you aren't going to heaven? You must not pay much attention to what your bible says. Acts 17: 230 Matt. 15: 9 It does not matter "where" or "how" you worship This was left as a comment on my blog.  I answered it, decided I needed to fix some typos and stuff but can't edit comments.  So I deleted my comment and I'm going to address the comment again in tomorrow's post.  I kept saying the same thing and the response wasn't well written.  I intend to fix that. Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about church, may I suggest you start reading Paul's letters to the Romans, the Corinthians, the Thessalonians, the Collosians, and the Ephesians.  Church is something more than you just go to on Sunday but going is important and I want to talk about why. I ate way too much for dinner and I want to do a little more research with my very limited internet connec...

I had a great night at work tonight.  It was my last shift as a regular "fuelie"; a term of endearment for an aircraft fuels systems mechanic.  Me, I prefer the term "tank rat", but fuelie seems to be the one that sticks.  I got to work on the outside fuel dock which is something I really enjoy.  It's like working regular airplanes that fly soon, not just airplanes going through the overhaul process.  And then... Our boss came out and sent us out to the flight line.  I was happy because I always liked working on the ramp.  I do like the hangar because I'm old and it gets cold outside in the winter but it was nice to see the Hill flight line for the first time as a civilian.  I still can start a -86 which put me one step ahead of the guys I was working with.  Some things you just don't forget.  I'm sure most of my Guard friends could start one in their sleep. Anyway, as we were waiting for the airplane to be turned over to us, another...

I know a man who would do just about anything for anyone.  If you need something and he has it, he's always the first guy to loan it out.  He's the last guy to ask for help.  He's funny, articulate, and a good guy. With just about the darkest side I've ever seen in a person.  He's cynical, defensive, and can be down right mean.  And he's OK with the fact that he's going to hell.  I mean that.  He does all these good things, has this good streak in him.  Helps out people.  And then, he knows he's going to hell and doesn't care. That's so sad to me because I see the good things in him, the good side he has, then I hear him say things like that and I wonder to myself "Why?" He's married so it's not like he's out chasing girls or this big womanizer.  He's kind of a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy at times, but he's so giving too.  I don't get why he wouldn't accept the Good News.  I really don't because s...