GOING HOME

Saturday, September 30, 2006

“There’s no place like home.” How true!

Tomorrow morning we are going home. We are going back to the church we called home for fifteen years. Tomorrow is Homecoming at Lincoln Heights Christian Church. Tomorrow we will burn the mortgage on their wonderful sanctuary. It will be a great day.

They have asked me to teach an adult Bible class. I will be teaching from Jeremiah 29 on the subject “How to Live In The Meantime.” God has a plan for every life and that’s what we will be talking about—how to live according to his plan.

I will also be honored to officiate at the Lord’s Table and to make a few personal comments before the offering is taken.

We will enjoy a great meal at noon, a wonderful time of fellowship and burn that old mortgage!

Homecoming will have a lot to give!

PAPER PILE-UP

Friday, September 29, 2006

Where does all that paper come from? It just keeps coming. The newspaper plops on the driveway about 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. The mail comes anywhere between 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Other paper products just appear by osmosis or something.

I take care of the newspaper almost immediately. I read it the first thing in the morning and usually by noon it is out of the house. What comes in the mail and what I print from the computer is my problem. For years I have had a problem with paper pile-up. Occasionally, like yesterday, I will dig into the mountain of “stuff.” On the way out to the trash can I looked like Santa with his bag of toys. Only it wasn’t toys it was trash. Why did I keep it so long? I kept it because I couldn’t make a decision not to keep it. “Hey, this is a great article. I may use this someday.” “Oh yeah, where, when?” “You’re right. I will never use it. I’m only dreaming. Those days are gone.” Out it goes!

I have made a resolution to sit down with the mail and immediately go through it and throw away everything that I know I don’t want and to file the rest. Sounds good! I have made the same resolution dozens of times. Maybe this time. Do you think? NAH!

WHY DO DENTISTS ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU CAN’T GIVE AN ANSWER?

Thursday, September 28, 2006

“Did you hear about the shooting at the school in Colorado, yesterday?”

“Ugh, aaah, oh, ah, ur, ur, *&&+@#, ugh………………………….”

You feel like saying, “Take your cotton pickin hands out of my mouth and I will answer you.” But even if you did it would come out, “Ugh, urrrrrr, ah, oh, ugh…….” Or something like that.

When I was growing up we didn’t think much about going to the dentist. In fact, we didn’t think about it at all—and we didn’t go. As an adult I have gone every six months for years. For some strange reason the hygienist got the bright idea she wanted to see me every three months. I have gone along with that for two appointments. Today I decided, “What’s up with this foolishness? I will soon be 72 and if she cleans my teeth every six months and I brush twice a day with an electric toothbrush and “play around with flossing” these teeth will last me until I head on home.” So, I told the dear lady and she understood. At least I think she understood. What I said was, “Ugh, aaah, oh, ah, ur, ur, **&^^%, ur, ugh.”

I WATCHED HIM GROW UP

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

He walks by our house in the mornings on his way to school. He has a cigarette in his mouth and a can of something in his hand—it looks like a coke but it could be a beer. How sad! Do cigarettes really stunt your growth? Well not in his case. He is a towering six footer—at least. Are the cigarettes going to harm him in other ways? Doctors thinks so, and I agree with them. Besides, smoking is such a stupid habit. You roll up tobacco in a piece of paper, put it in your mouth and set it on fire. You then puff on it until it smokes and then you suck some of it into your throat.

One evening I was out in my drive washing the car. Chris waddled over and told me I couldn’t wash my car at night. I guess he thought I was stupid. I told him I could do anything I wanted to. I guess he is now saying the same thing. He was about two or three years old when he advised me about the car. He is now seventeen.

MUSIC MOVES ME

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

I like these words from writer, Ken Gire:

Music moves me in ways I can’t quite explain.

No theological study about heaven ever made me long for it more than “Somewhere Over the rainbow,” sung by Judy Garland. And when I heard Eva Cassidy’s renditions recently, the longing became even more intense.

No book about how to have a good marriage made me long for it as much as “The Prayer,” sung by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.

No sermon ever stirred my longing for Christ as much as the aria “Nessun dorma,” sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
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I TOO AM MOVED BY MUSIC. RIGHT NOW AS I TYPE I AM LISTENING TO GREAT MUSIC. WE NEED TO TURN OFF THE TELEVISION OCCASIONALLY AND LISTEN TO MUSIC—JUST LISTEN!

WHEN FAVORITE PEOPLE DISAPPOINT

Monday, September 25, 2006

Curt Warner is a Christian and a good quarterback. I like him a lot. But yesterday he lost the football game for the Cardinals. After the game he said, “We have to stop losing games like this.” Not we, Curt—you! You lost the game when you threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball in the last few minutes. The young quarterback for Arizona State also lost the football game he played in Saturday. He stepped up and said so. He said, “Evidently I’m not as good as I thought I was.” Ok, that’s good thinking. Just get back out there next week and do better. I’m confident you will. But I’m not sure Curt Warner will.

Mel Gibson is a Christian and a good actor. But he needs to learn to keep his big mouth shut. Recently he said bad things about the Jewish people while he was intoxicated. A few days ago he spoke against America and said some things about the War in Iraq that didn’t need to be said.

What do you do when favorite people disappoint? If you do what I’m going to do for these two, you cut them some slack and move on. Maybe you don’t like the comments I have made about one or both of them. Hopefully you cut me some slack and move on. How many times have our friends just looked at us, smiled and moved on???????