Put your tongue in your mouth,Pipey!

My boy Pipe used to sit there with his tongue sticking out.He did it a lot. We think he was a little slow as a result of breathing in too much exhaust when he was a kitten. I used to tell him"Put your tongue back in your mouth"! Boy, I wish someone had told me that BEFORE the MANY times I have spoken stupid, hurtful things.Yes, boring man,(raca) put your tongue in your mouth. Take it out to bless, encourage, strengthen, praise,lift up.It is a very powerful force, the tongue. Lord, help me to use mine for good.

Useless trivia

I am an expert in it. Usless trivia that is.My bride says that my mind is full of it,and she's right.I know a lot about stuff that really is insignificant,or that not a lot of people know.For example,when Batman and Robin fired up the Batmobile, Robin always said the same thing. I know what he said,verbatum. Stuff like that I know, useless stuff.It sometimes seems that my life is full of useless,trivial things. But The Lord uses all of it,to teach,to discipline, to strengthen,to encourage,to help me relate to others,to minister to others.When I look back on some of those"trivial"things, I realize that nothing is insignificant with God. He can and does use those things in my life.Thank You Lord for trivia,and the lessons that come with it.

Acts 20:24

I am a sportsaholic.Not as much as I used to be though.I still get pretty bummed sometimes when my favorite teams lose, or the teams I don't like,win.In the grand scheme of things,though,it really doesn't matter. Acts 20:24 says"None of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear unto myself,that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which The Lord Jesus has given me, that I might testify to the gospel of the grace of God".Thanks,Lord ,for putting that verse in the Bible.I want to be an Acts 20:24 disciple.Dear Lord,please bring this verse to me when those insignificant things try to weigh me down.

Who knew?

1982. The last video."Under Attack". 1982,the last tv appearance, the last appearance together as a group. Yep,ABBA.The end of the video shows them walking together in a warehouse,then a delivery door opens and they walk out into the sunshine. It was pretty sad to watch,actually. It was all over,though nobody knew it then.You just never know when the"last time" will be.If I treated every person as if it was going to be the last time I ever saw them,man,that would revolutionize my life.Imagine if we all took that attitude. It would change the world! Lord, help me to start that change today!

I just couldn't help it

I've said that many times, heard it many times, too. Sometimes you have no explanation for why you do something, or you wonder why someone did what they did, and that's the response, "I just couldn't help it".Peter and John got called on the carpet for preaching Jesus to the people. The "religious" leaders told them to stop, and they said they just couldn't help it. Jesus is so wonderful that they just can't stop talking about Him.AWESOME! Let that be me, Lord,in my life, in my speech.Let them be reflections of you... "Hey, I just couldn't help it!"

Happy Birthday Fellas(and T.C.)

Today my 2 outdoor cats, and one indoor (used to be outdoor) cat are 9 years old.My boys, Boots and Hattie,are nearing the end of their 10th winter living outside. Only by the grace and mercy of The Lord have they come this far.Their sister, T.C.,spent 1 winter out there and decided that inside was much better.Thank You Lord for Your mercy upon them, Your mercy and guidence upon me,and thanks so much for all the joy that You have given me through these 3 great cats.

Snooze Alarm

I love that thing.Too much,according to my bride.9 extra minutes of sleep.We've even moved the radio,so we have to get up to shut off the alarm or hit the snooze. It doesn't matter to me.I get up,hit the snooze,and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz,back to sleep.It's because I don't want to get up RIGHT NOW, I'll get up a little later.Sadly, I must confess I've hit the snooze alarm with The Lord many times. Make that phone call, do that kindness,pray for that person, read some Scripture...Ok,Lord,just a little later...snooze. Cmon,Lord, just 1 more time...snooze.Fortunately,God in His mercy gives me second and 3rd and 4th chances to do the thing He wants me to do. Sometimes though,He does not.The opportunity is gone, lost.It really is true, you snooze, you lose.Not only do I ,but sometimes others do, too.

The Ultimate Legacy

It's almost a year ago now.The husband of one of the ladies who is active in our school passed away. 44 years old. He woke up during the night saying he was not feeling well.A short time later, he was gone, heart attack. It hit our school very hard.He was a street cleaner for the town, a very common, ordinary man.The wait to get into the funeral home was 45 minutes to an hour,just to get in!The Buffalo News wrote a half page article on him titled"An Extrordinary Ordinary Man".Wow, what a legacy. Let's face it, most of us fall into the ordinary category,especially me.(boring too)We're called by God,not to do exceptional things for Him,but TO BE EXCEPTIONAL IN ORDINARY THINGS.If I can do THAT,if I can BE that, perhaps I could get close to the kind of legacy that Eric left,which continues to inspire me to this day.

SOS

One of my favorite ABBA songs,if not THE favorite.SOS,save our ship,a distress call,a call put out in a crisis. How many times do I put out an SOS to The Lord,call on Him only in a crisis, or when I need something? Shame on me,too many times.SOS =Seek Our Saviour. Not just in crisis times, not just in needful times, but ALL THE TIME.Thank You Lord, that You are there when my SOS signal comes to YOU,help me to remember that You would love for me to call on You when there is no SOS.To say hello,to say thanks,to talk, to just fellowship.Those are precious times,thank You for them.

La Brea Tar Pits

We were fortunate last year to get to see the La Brea Tar Pits in California.They really are just pits, filled with tar and sludge and gunk. Every few seconds, tar comes bubbling up to the surface at different spots in the pits.You look and there's nothing, then all of a sudden you see a bubbling spot. It is really cool. If I stay myself on God, and keep close to Him, He will come bubbling out of me. It will just happen. It's up to me to cultivate that close relationship with Him. I won't have to force His "bubbles" to come out, they will, naturally. Just like the La Brea Tar Pits.