Stories and other stuff

 Hey, y'all(?)... Judging by the numbers of people who still read this thing when I write it, y'all might be a stretch, but, undaunted by that, and realizing that God gives the increase, here we go.. I was thinking a bit ago about how I wound up here in Oregon.  A facebook memory reminded me that I guess I wanted to come to the coast ten years ago but couldn't for whatever reasons.  A couple of years later, I'd meet a woman who was born here that would forever change the rest of my life.  Shortly after that, I couldn't go anyplace without coming across Oregon license plates. My pastor friend and I were having coffee outside one morning at the Einstein's on Harrison Blvd. in Ogden when I pointed out a car with an Oregon plate in the parking lot.  I told him that for the last week or so before that, I'd been noticing them more and more.  It was kind of my first little taste of God's Providence and how He kind of used things like that in the early days to k...

 I got reminded today of the words that saved my life almost 11 years ago.  Maybe I needed those words again today, but hey are still just as important today as they were then.   When Life Gets To Be More Than You Can Stand....Kneel. It did.  I did.  And honestly, sometimes it still does.   I've had a lot to think about over the last few days and sometimes the things that happen to me just bewilder me.  There's a word you don't see very much anymore...bewilder.  Life can be hard and understanding mine is not an easy task sometimes.   What I do understand though is that I have an incredible, active, and abundant relationship with Jesus, and because of that, a restored relationship with the Father.  Kneeling is a daily practice in my home and prayer without ceasing happens all throughout the day.  I got thinking about that.  I spend more time talking with Jesus than I do watching TV.  I talk about my day....

Over the past several days, I have seen the same sets of Scripture three different times, from three different places, all with an emphasis on one single point:  God sometimes teaches the lesson twice. The stories used to illustrate things Jesus did twice:  He fed the 5000, then the 4000.  Then there were the two different times Jesus calmed the storms.  Once, He was asleep in the boat.  The next time, He walked on the water out to the disciples.   I have seen these things,, as I said, used in three different places, to illustrate the same point.  Jesus taught the disciples something twice because it was important. Having the point driven home three different times, I'm listening.  And I'm reflecting on the lesson I had to learn twice over the last three years.  I think there's some significance in that.  I got reminded by a photo I took that it was three years ago this week that I went to Washington to get the ex.  That didn't...

 In my last post, I described a little bit of an ongoing struggle with the DMV here in Oregon.  It's not the only one I've faced.  I've been trying since I moved here to straighten out my healthcare with the VA here in Oregon.  The VA Hospital is in Roseburg.  There is a clinic here in North Bend but it, like many other healthcare providers, is not accepting new patients.  Trying to get things fixed so I have the right authorization so I can get the billing straight and get my prescriptions filled has been a challenge. On Sunday, I started asking for God's favor over the situations I had to deal with this week and listening to the prompting of the Spirit, to deal with one on one day, and one the next. To show you the struggle is real with the DMV here in Oregon, I need to explain how I finally got an answer to my problem.  The DMV office opens at 8 a.m.  I called at, I think, 8:04 a.m.  I was on hold for 47 minutes before I got to talk to a p...

 I knew the plates on my Toyota would expire at the end of January, so at the beginning of November, I mailed off the paperwork to get Oregon plates for it.  For the longest time, the DMV has been closed to appointments for renewing registrations.  I had to fill out the paperwork, actually take the car to the DMV to have what's known as a VIN inspection done.  That's where someone from the DMV verifies the VIN on your car for you, gives you a form with said information on it, and separates you from $7 of your hard earned money. You cannot register a vehicle that's not titled in Oregon, in Oregon.  Because my car has a Utah title and the Credit Union still has possession of said title until the loan is paid off, I had to mail my application, my VIN inspection, and a check for a lot more than $7 to the credit union in Utah with a letter explaining that I needed them to send the Utah title, all the paperwork, and the check I enclosed, to the DMV in Oregon so they c...

Back in the day, you used to have tickets to things that required a punch to be validated.  Bus drivers and train conductors were among the folks who used to punch tickets.  The words "ticket punched" became a euphemism for getting dead at some point, largely because once one's ticket was punched, it was no longer good. Today was an unbelievable day.  I mean that.  God had been reminding me He knows that it's not good for someone to be alone and He did some stuff this week to fix that.  Last Friday, I stepped out in faith and attended an interfaith worship and prayer service.  Because I did, I got invited to join a prayer meeting at the church I worship at this past Sunday.  Because I went to that, I was invited to join a small group Bible study that meets on Thursday.  I went.  I had so much fun. Earlier today, I had a fantastic cup of coffee with a neighbor who has a lot in common with me.  Our lives have been eerily on parallel tracks...

I know this guy.  I'm happy that he, like myself, came to Christ later in life and his life is going well these days.  That brings me joy.  We stay in touch on social media and I like seeing the posts about his family and the ones he shares about Jesus.  A couple of them have been quite timely.  I'm always grateful to God to know friends have come to the Truth.  I'm grateful that I can call him a friend. This same friend shares other stuff too.  Political stuff that often is not based on any known or researched fact.  I wonder sometimes how people can see Truth but be blinded to things that are true and based on reality.  Sometimes I wonder if the two things conflict when pointing others to Jesus.  I think about things like that in my own life.  I think it's part of why I feel convicted by the Holy Spirit to stay out of the politics that happen on social media.  I still have my own views, but I'd like to think I'm smart enough ...