9/11 … WHAT A WAY TO START YOUR BIRTHDAY !!!

Our oldest son Michael will never be able to forget September 11^th, it’s his birthday.

He was born September 11, 1971.  September 11, 2001 was his 30^th birthday!

He was working at the construction site of the co-gen plant next to the Boston Airport.  Boston Airport is where some of the hyjacked flights originated.  His boss had given him the day off to celebrate his birthday.  He slept a little late.

When he got up he turned on the TV and, at first, thought he had tuned in to another “disaster” movie.  It didn’t take long to realize he was watching breaking news.  He immediately called his mother who had just gotten up and turned on our TV, since it was three hours earlier here on the west coast.  She immediately woke me up and at first I thought she was kidding.

What a way to start a day.

What a way for the families of the victims to start their day.

What a way to start your birthday.

This morning we are watching all the programs about the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th and Michael is trying to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of his birthday.  Talk about conflicting emotions and déjà vu !

I’m not quite sure how to feel about all this, but, I AM sure Michael has VERY mixed emotions.  Bonnie has tried to reach him, in New Mexico, on the phone.  No luck, yet.

Our prayers go out to all the families of victims of the September 11^th attack.

Our prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrendous event.

Our prayers go out to all Americans.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Thanks to all those who read this.

Thanks to all those who pass it on.

Copy and Paste as much as you like.

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

1 Peter 5:10  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Dog - Man’s Best Friend? Or A Link To …?

<<<I use the masculine pronouns “man” and “he” just to make it easier to write>>>

Why is it that most dogs are better people than most people?  It can’t just be loyalty, unconditional love, craving our company, or a willingness to forgive the stupid, unthinking way we treat them sometimes.

There has to be something more.  Some spark of devine guidance only the canine species is endowed with.

Could it just be coincidence that the names dog and God are so similar?  Maybe the original biblical translation was wrong and dog, not man, was the one made in God’s Image?  I’ve asked God about this and He just seems to give me a wink and a little smile.  He doesn’t seem to be offended by the comparison, either.

Dogs are messengers of God.  God's word is not accidental or happenstance.  The writers God chose to communicate His message were inspired divinely to write what they wrote, as they wrote it.  It is no accident there are 40 references in The Bible to dogs.

Dogs are messengers of God in that "dog" specifically and purposefully was selected through divine inspiration to communicate the full measure of God through the context of the 40 Scriptural references or citations in The Bible. Whether Hebrew (kelev), Greek (kuōn), or Aramaic (kalbā), whether literal, metaphorical, or allegorical in syntax, in the context of communicating God's word, dogs are messengers of God.*

W. C. Fields said:  “I never met a man I didn’t like.”

I say:  “I never met a dog I didn’t like.”  “The more dogs I meet, the less I like people. ”

Occasionally, I’ve met a dog who didn’t like me.

Maybe I smelled wrong or looked wrong or sounded wrong.

Maybe I violated his space, uninvited.

Maybe I reminded him of someone who abused him or someone he … just … didn’t … like.

In any case, we just agreed to take diverging paths.

Don’t get me wrong.  Other pets are OK.

Cats come in, eat, and want to go right back out.  Sometimes they will tolerate attention, but, not for long.  They do know how to say goodby:  Tail up and back turned.

Birds sit in a cage, squawk, eat, make a mess all over the floor, and stare at you with one eye.

Rodents can be trained to eat on cue … ?

Fish are …………….. well ……………. fish.

Reptiles are ………… we won’t even go there.

A dog, on the other hand, loves to play with you.  Mountain or beach, backyard or park, with or without toys (toys do make it more fun).

Dogs like to hunt.  Some even like to fish. Although, at times, their patience can be a little scarce.

A dog will, sometimes, be content just to lay his head, or maybe his whole body, on your lap.

The later you get home, the happier he is to see you.

He thinks the best bed for him is that pile of your dirty clothes at the foot of your bed.

When you are ill or recuperating, he will steadfastly stay by your side until you recover.

Dogs have been known to accompany their master’s casket until it’s put in the grave.

A dog doesn’t ask for much.  Food and water, a bath now and then, scritchies behind the ears or down the nose, a loving word, or sometimes just the simple touch of your hand.  Warning:  some dogs resist the bath part.

According to the Bible**, a man is given seventy to eighty years.

A dog is given considerably less.  I think that is so a man can experience the thrill of companionship from more than one dog in his lifetime.

Mark Twain said:  “If dogs don’t go to heaven, I want to go where they go.”

I’m with you there Mr Clemens.

*    http://www.associatedcontent.com/

**  Psalm 90:10   The days of our lives are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

NEED WASHING?

A slightly different twist on a post, by a very good friend, on her blog.

http://www.godspotting.net/2011/08/my-souls-dirty-underwear.html

It was pouring outside.  The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters.

So much in a hurry to hit the earth, it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there, under the awning, just outside the door of Walmart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall.  I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Memories of running, as a child, splashing so carefree, came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

A little girl had been shopping with her mom in Walmart.  She must have been

6-years-old.  She was a beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in:

“Mom, let’s run through the rain.”

“What?” Mom asked.

“Let’s run through the rain.” She repeated.

“No honey, we’ll wait until it slows down a bit.” Mom relied.

The young child waited a minute and repeated:

“Mom let’s run through the rain …”

“We’ll get soaked if we do.” Mom said.

“No we won’t, mom.  That’s not what you said this morning.” The young girl

said, as she tugged at her mom’s arm.

“This morning?  When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

“Don’t you remember?  When you were talking to Dad about his cancer, you said

‘If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything.’ ”

The entire crowd became silent … I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the

rain … We all stood silently.  No one left.  Mom paused and thought for a moment

about what she should say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold the child for being silly.  Some might even ignore what was said.  But, this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life.

A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

“Honey, you are absolutely right.  Let’s run through the rain.  If God let’s us get wet, well…maybe we just needed washing.” Mom said.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing, as they ran across the parking lot, dodging cars and stepping in puddles.  They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.  And, YES, I did.  I ran.  I got wet.  I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away our material possessions.  They can take away our money.  They can take away our health.  But nothing and nobody can take away our precious memories.  Don’t forget to take the time to make memories every day.  To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then a lifetime to forget them.

“Link” this to the people you’ll never forget.  Let them know you are thinking

about them.

Keep in touch with your friends.  You never know when you’ll need each other.

Take the time to LIVE!

And DON’T FORGET TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN!!!

Getting Old Is A B- - - -

This one is for anyone who is interested.  Just so I don’t have to “tell the tale” over and over.

I’m not sure how to start it, so I will just go with chronological.

7/21/2011 3pm:               Went to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Zion Hospital with severe pain and swelling in the groin area (and below).  After 7 hours of tests, they sent me home with antibiotics and painkillers.

7/22/2011 10am:              Returned to the emergency room with unbelievable pain and increased swelling.  After another 7 hours of tests the doctor told me he could send me home with a different antibiotic or admit me to the hospital.  Thank God I went for the hospital.

7/22-24/2011:                            The next 2 ½ days were filled with tests, including ultra-sound(3 of them).  Bouncing sound waves off an infection & abcess in that, already very sensative, area brings new meaning to the word “excruciating.”  To her credit, I could see the emotional pain it(my pain) was causing the operator of the equipment.  A lot of prayer time was used up in those few days.

7/24/2011 2pm:               Finally on Sunday afternoon, after a visit with the Infectious Disease doctor, the doctor from Urology came in and we discussed our “options”.

Option #1:   Continue trying to treat the problem with just antibiotics.  It turns out antibiotics can’t get past the threshhold of an abcess. Very possibly have to have surgery, anyway.

Option #2:   Go in for surgery immediately to remove the abcess, damaged - - - -, and surrounding tissue; then treat with more antibiotics.

Disregarding my natural male instinct to go with Option #1, in a vain attempt to protect what was mine, I went with Option #2 … Once, again Thank God.

7/24/2011, 6pm:     Surgery to remove one - - - - and the surrounding infected tissue.

7/25-28/2011:                  Three days of phasing in and out of reality due to medications of all kinds.   WARNING:  Stay away from Percocet!!!  It can make you crazy, literally.

7/28-present/2011:           Home to the best nursing care in the world, my wonderful wife.

8/5/2011, 7am:       Back to work a week too soon.  Wish I could have waited the recommended extra week.

Did I mention, for those of you who are uninitiated, that, while in the hospital:

#1:  Three times a day they stab a vein somewhere on an arm or hand to “draw” blood?

#2:  They wake you up every two hours, on the hour, to take your blood pressure, temperature, and (as I’m a diabetic) prick your finger to check your blood sugar.  If your blood sugar is too high, they also stab you with an insulin injection 15 minutes later.

#3:  Every two hours, on the half-hour, they make you turn back-to-side or side-to-back.

#4:  In the intervening time they keep waking you up to ask how you are or to try to get you to eat the most tastless cardboard on earth.***

#5:  Whatever happened to “Get Some Rest!” ???

*** When I, eventually, realized I could order specific items, not on the “list”.

I finally got edible food.

Recovery is a long road and mostly uphill.  I am a very impatient patient.  The worst part of recovery is waiting until it’s “safe” to do the things my mind & body are demanding I try.  Especially when I realize that some of the long wait times are medical CYA.

As Forrest Gump said:  “That’s all I got to say about that.”

(You’ll have to mentally ‘hear’ the accent)

Twinkies, Root Beer, and God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. 

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted.

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

What Does Love Mean? …

YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS,

RED.

WHAT LOVE MEANS TO A 4-8 YEAR OLD...

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouths of babes..

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds.     'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined.
See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time ,
even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing
, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy
are like that.  They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better , you should start with a friend
who you hate , '
Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt , then he wears it
everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked
at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford .'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone
all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody , your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it , you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

The best was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman's
yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy
said ,

”Nothing , I just helped him cry”

When there is nothing left but God , that is when you find out that God
is all you need. Take a few seconds and simply say the following small prayer:

Heavenly Father , please bless all my friends in whatever it is that
You know they may be needing this day! And may each of their lives be full of
Your peace , prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer
relationship with You. Amen .

Suggest this to five friends and ask them to suggest it to five friends.

Within hours you helped a multitude of people to pray for other people.
Now watch the power of God at work.

God Bless You All !

I Believe

I am just going to post a link to this video.  If the link doesn't work, cut and paste the URL to your browser.
Be sure your sound is turned up.

http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html

Blessings,

Red

The Children’s Bible In A Nutshell

You may have read this before, but, it’s timeless.

A Child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

This is amazing and brought tears of laughter to my eyes.

Through the eyes of a child:

In the beginning, which was near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness and some gas.  The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one’, but I think he must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said ‘Give me a light’ and someone did.

Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve.  Adam and Eve were naked but they weren’t embarrased because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Then came Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast.  Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whos real name was Charlton Heston.  Moses led the Israel Lites out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh’s people.  These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lites every day with manicotti.  Then he gave them his Top Ten Commandments.  These include:  Don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance or covet your neighbor’s stuff.

After Joshua came David.  He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot.  He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines.  My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.  One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.

After the Old Testament there was the New Testament.  Jesus is the star of the new.  He was born in Bethlehem in a barn.  (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me ‘Close the door!  Were you born in a barn?  It would be nice to say ‘As a matter of fact, I was.’)

Jesus had twelve opposums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus.  Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man.  He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But some guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot.  Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus.  He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus went up to heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum.  His return is foretold in the Book of Revolution.

How Much Do You Want For Them?

Shared from a .pps sent to me.

One day, Jesus and Satan had a conversation, and Jesus asked Satan what he was doing with the people here in the world…

Satan responded:  They are entertaining me:  I am teaching them to kill; to hate one another; to abuse children; showing the youth how to use drugs; to drink; to lie and to do everything prohibited.  I am amusing myself very much.

Jesus asked:  And after, what are you going to do with them?

After … I am going to finish them all.

Jesus asked:  How much do you want for them?

Satan replied:  Why are you going to love these people?  They are treacherous, lying, false, egotistic and covetous!  They will never really love you, they are going to blaspheme and spit in your face, they are going to despise you, and they will not consider you at all.

How much do you want for them, Satan?

I want all your tears and your blood.

OK, done deal … and Jesus paid the price of our salvation.

How do we forget Jesus?

We Believe everything the world shows us, but we question everything that comes from Him …

People send jokes through e-mail … sending them to each other instantly.

But, when the e-mail is about Jesus, people think about it twice before sending it to others.  Most of them never send it at all.

Everyone says they want to be with GOD someday.

A lot of us say:  I believe in Jesus … but, what do we do for him.

To speak of Jesus is not a matter that the people want to hear … they only come to Jesus when they are in big trouble.

Mark 8:38    “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, The Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the Holy Angels.”

Peace Be With You ...

The Devil & the Duck

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.
He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.
Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.
As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let fly with the slingshot, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!
In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his Sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes"
But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said, "Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."
She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. 

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer..
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is....You need to know that:
God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life... He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.
The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.
Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today.
Share this with a friend and always remember:
God is at the window!

When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

GOD BLESS YOU!

What’s Really Important?

A friend had to remind me of that.  Thank you Sheila. (See comment on previous post)

I decided to try to make this posting upbeat.  Feeling a little better about myself  since last Saturday.  Life’s little ups and downs, I guess.

I received the following in an e-mail from a long-time friend.  I’ve known him since elementary school and I won’t tell how long that’s been (our bowling balls were rocks).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room:

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.  His bed was next to the room’s only window.  The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.  The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their military service, where they had been on vacations… every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods when his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.  Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.  Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scenes.  One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.  Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.  One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.  She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.  As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.  The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.  He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.  It faced a blank wall..

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside the window.  The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.  Shared grief is half the sorrow, but, happiness, when shared, is doubled.

“Today is a gift … that’s why it’s called The Present.”

I pray you will pass this on to all your friends for whom you wish God’s Blessings.