Stories and other stuff

Hey gang.  Hope you're enjoying this snowy Tuesday in Utah.  I spent some of the day today running errands.  The Saturn is all road legal and registered.  That saves a ton of money from driving Chevron (my Ford F250) every day.  I enjoy driving my truck but the car is so much easier on the walletto. I just kicked on the TV and heard some Republican talking head say one of the stupidest things I've heard on television.  He was trying to defend Rick Santorum and the Republicans talking about helping folks.  His point is that the Government subsidizes welfare. Duh. He also says record numbers of Americans are on "food stamps".  Again, Duh! Has he looked at the unemployment numbers lately?  If there were more jobs, more people wouldn't need help.  The more jobs, the less unemployment.  The more these jobs pay, the less money the Government spends on welfare programs.  And where would these folks be without that aid? Liste...

Dear Wendi, For the things I said about you on the blog that were noone's business but ours, I apologize.  For the things I did to destroy our marriage, there aren't words to describe the sorrow I feel for them.  I do own them, I take full responsibility for them, and I have tried to fix them. I've explained my reasons for saying what I did, but those reasons don't justify the outcome which was one where I shamed and humiliated you.  Intent means nothing when that was the result, and for that too, I apologize.  Talk is cheap, Wendi, I know, so I'd invite you to look through the archives of the blog.  When you are mentioned, it's positive, on in passing to tell a story.  Often times, you'll find the stories full of holes because I learned enough from that experience; in that the details that would make a story better aren't there.  I sincerely believe the best apology I could give you would be one where contrition is shown, not said, and I have tried ...

I'm gonna be talking today in generalities because I didn't see the story I'm gonna talk about in full, just that it may happen (and probably will happen).  It's likely a Christian will be executed in Iran for no other reason than he believes in Jesus Christ and wants to share this good news.  I prayed for this man just a short time ago.  I'd ask that you do too. What makes this so stark is that our President, and rightfully so, apologized for burning Qurans in Afghanistan.  We should as a country and a military, show tolerance because one of the tenets of our beliefs is a belief in freedom of religion.  As Christians, we should be loving people to Christ, which is a whole other topic for another day. Sometimes I wonder to myself what our nation would look like if we Christians were as zealous about our faith as others are about theirs.  I can tell you that I don't share the extreme views that some do, but just turned off a news program I enjoy because ...

When I tried to go to college last fall I had every intention of pursuing a degree in supply chain management.  I think it's a good field to go into because of how the world operates these days.  We've come up with a term for this called "logistics". One concept that fascinates me is the "just in time" philosophy that keeps companies from having excessive inventory on their shelves.  They design their production schedules with their suppliers so that they have what they need at just the right time they need it to avoid production delays while avoiding the costs of excess inventory.  It's a pretty smart concept; although really over-simplified for the sake of discussion this morning. It's not a new concept.  God has been in the Logistics business since He created the world.  I found this morning an answer to a prayer.  I know this is gonna not make sense, but on Monday that still small voice I heard asked me this:  what do you want? And I cou...

When God does something impossible, he first takes an impossible man and crushes him! Today's sermon at church was about forgiveness.  Great timing, Pastor Karl.  I know he prepares his sermons in advance but it seemed today that this arrow was aimed right at me.  In fact, all I could say to him at the end of the service was "wow". His point is one I hold dear to my heart.  If I forgive less than Christ forgave me, then how do I justify that? Good advice and lots to think about, dear readers.  Forgiveness, like love, sometimes involves a choice.  What that choice boils down to sometimes for Christians is to choose to believe Christ's teachings or not.  As the man on the radio said, we are the only things created on this planet who can say yes or no to God.  I say yes. I choose to forgive like Christ forgave me.  I didn't deserve Grace.  God gave it to me.  I didn't deserve mercy, but in His mercy God didn't give me what I deserv...

This week was car week here at the house.  I still have a couple of tasks left to do for the cars this week.  If I can get Miss June to hold still for five minutes, I need to change the serpentine belt on her Saturn.   Mine needs a bath and I need to get it inspected.  I put two new tires on it yesterday so I can get this done. I have a couple of new tools this week too.  One is a replacement for one I lost.  That one would be a 14 mm wrench.  The last time I used a 14 mm wrench was to change the serpentine belt in June's car after having it towed home.  I swear I set the thing on the grass but when I went to get it to put it away, I couldn't find it. I have a rivet gun, too.  I only tried to use it once.  Notice the word tried.  My front license plate holder fell off someplace so I have a new one and new plates.  Some little cop at Hill chastised me in his "cop voice" that I had to have a front plate.  The thing is he...

Psalm 34:10 (NLT) says:   The young lions sometimes go hungry but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing. This was the memory verse last week from BBN Radio.  They share a verse of scripture a week to help folks hide God's word in their hearts.  I need to work on this one and I have a story about it. I must've heard this verse at least a half-dozen times before a week ago today.  Earlier in the day last Friday, I asked God if there was anything He wanted to share with me and turned to this very page.  The verse is at the top of the page.  On the facing page in this particular Bible (It's a devotional Bible) is a story about Ira Sankey.  He was a hymn writer in the 1800s and fought in the Civil War on the Union side.  The story goes on to tell how he had a chance encounter with a man who fought for the South.  One night while Mr. Sankey was on guard duty, he began singing a hymn.  The Confederate soldier, unbeknownst...