Happy Easter

Indeed, this is the day that the Lord has made!  It is the Christian High Holy Day of the year, along with Christmas.  Jesus Christ was born in the Advent Season which is in the Fall and Easter is celebrated in the spring, in the Church Season of Lent.  We celebrate Easter because Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the sins of man.  The reason being is because God our Heavenly Father sent him for the benefit of mankind to be redeemed so that we could all, through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord, Redeemer and Savior, live life eternal in the Glory of God.

I realize to some it is a hard concept to understand. My words to those are "It is not of our understanding but of our faith."  It is impossible to understand God's purposes and who's and how's and why's of His thoughts.  Through faith we come into a communion of conversation with God, with the right spirit our fears are calmed, and our joy is expanded. In understanding that it was God who sent His only Son to take the sins of mankind away, and to allow us, as unworthy as the best of us are, and the impossibility of the worst sinners to be justified in God's eyes to spend eternity in the presence of God.  This is the whole purpose that God had for Jesus Christ.  What a gift we have been given, and what a relief to know we have now have, in spite of our evilness and unworthiness, we can, through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, be with God when our time is over on earth . . . or Jesus returns . . . whichever comes first!

There are so many stories to be told, so many songs to be sung, all praising His name and goodness.  What a wonderful future we have and it is all because God loved us so much that he gave us his ONLY Son.  I love this time of year because the message is being stronger and more pointed through movies and TV miniseries and TV programing that involves the Story of Jesus and his sacrifice.  One of those miniseries this year is the on the History channel and will be coming out on DVD this Tuesday.  I will be getting that one for sure.  The songs have been sung through this season, and especially through Holy Week.  The greatest one for me is the Song "HE LIVES", because to me, that is what this is all about.

He lives, He lives. Christ Jesus lives today!

Easter is NOT about Easter eggs, candy, Easter baskets, and fancy clothes.  That is commercial stuff.  It is about your salvation, and how Jesus paid the price of our sins.  So if you are disheartened, REJOYCE because HE LIVES!  Christ has cheated death and has gone home to prepare for us a place, a mansion of many rooms.  Look it up...it is in the Bible. That book explains it all.

Visit a church in your neighborhood and ask a Pastor about this "Resurrection Story".  

I hope your Easter Celebration was as good as ours was this morning.  I think that maybe you know the point of this story....HE LIVES!

Blessings, 

Gary 

Saturday is FUNNIES DAY - - - - - - -

Happy Easter everyone!

Yesterday was Good Friday.  A Christian Holy Day.  One that is remembered with words of faith of Jesus' last day.  This whole week is what we call Holy Week comes to an end on Sunday, but will be celebrated again next year, and the year after that, etc. etc. etc.

Christ has RISEN INDEED!

Easter Sunday is when we celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ has conquered death. It has no sting!  HE is ALIVE!  The sad news is that Jesus suffered horrible pain and anguish for our sin.  The Good news is that God sent His only Son to die for our sins that we, as humans, have acquired because of what Adam and Eve thrust upon humanity right from the get go.  But we serve a loving God and that is the reason for the sacrifice that we celebrate at Easter.  Overcoming Death.  Dying for our sins.  How can we put it into words that give it the respect, awesomeness, total scope of what Jesus has done for us, so many years ago?  We can now read, learn, and discuss, what Jesus was/is all about.  Now we can look at others through the eyes of Jesus in what He taught us through His life, on treating others with love and compassion, giving us hope, and joy.  Sharing our sorrows, and our happiness.  Helping others for no other purpose than to make their lives better.  In this time of world wide chaos, and uncertainty, we can take time this Easter to re-focus on the One that can make a difference in our lives, if we take the time to sit and listen to that little voice that has been talking to us from our birth.  You know what I'm talking about don't you?  He has been with you trying to communicate for a long time with you.  Sometimes you have heard Him...then shrugged it off, and went on your own way, only to hear that voice talking again.  Some people are afraid that it sounds like a crazy man doesn't it?  Let me assure you that the "voice" is perhaps what we call "conscience".  At any rate, we as sons and daughters of God are needing to start listening closer to that inner feeling that is trying to guide you and love you.

What a wonderful season that we get to celebrate every year, this wonderful Easter message.

For those that are fence sitters with this "Christian" thing, stop on in to a church in your neighborhood this Sunday and share in the celebration of the resurrection of our (and your) Lord, Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.  His sacrifice was for YOU.

Since this is my blog, and it conveys my thoughts, I am sure that there are others that disagree or have other beliefs that do not include the whole theology of Jesus.  I know that there are many religions and a whole bunch of denominations out there.  This is one of the thoughts that we as Christians call "free will".  When we have free will to choose what we want to believe in, we also have to be willing to stand up for our beliefs and be accountable to others for what we say, do (and NOT do), and manage to put out there for anyone to read and contemplate.  I am not a theologian, nor am I a very complicated thinker.  I do believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as my Lord and Savior.  I have grown up in the United Methodist Church as a denomination.  I have studied and taken lots of courses and studies through my walk in faith.  As a Certified Lay Speaker of the UMC...oh wait....we are now Lay Servants. Not really sure what this all means, and am pretty sure you don't either and titles are really meaningless in the end. What you do and how you act is what counts most. With that said, I have grown in the church. What has developed has happened over quite a few years of seeing how I could make a difference in others lives.  When asked to take a position as a District Director of Lay Speaking Ministry in the Desert SouthWest Annual Conference, I was shocked that someone would even ask ME, let alone think I could do the job!  After five years and building our Ministry throughout our district to about 145 Certified and Trained Lay Speakers, I turned over our successes to the next person asked, to develop and nurture. We then moved to Tennessee to listen for God's whisper to what He has for me to do next.  I have discovered that we never realize what we have inside us to do God's work, until someone ASKS us to do something.  After five years I found out some interesting and exciting areas that I never knew I had or experienced before.

 The fact that the United Methodist Church is a connectional organization is something that I am very proud of.  As a world wide organization we are the first ones to areas that need disaster help.  We are where people are.  I am proud of that ability and the financial resources we have available because of that connection.   To those shying way from organized religion because of the hypocrisy of a lot of churches. please remember that churches are not a resting place for the Saints, but a learning place for the sinners.  Although there is NOTHING worse than in-church politics, but even that is something we all experience but something that we can overcome with compassion, calmness, and love in our hearts.  But for now, I ask that you who are reading these words to search out a neighborhood church and attend it this Sunday.  Then perhaps you will even try it again the following week.....let me know how that worked out for you.

Keep singing, keep praying, keep going to church

Blessings,
Gary

Sometimes sleep has a hard time doing what it is intended to do.  Do you ever have that happen?  Like last night for instance.  We attended the Maundy Thursday Worship Services at Brazil United Methodist Church, which was awesome, and had a nice dinner on the way home.  As is usual, I came into my office and did some stuff, getting ready for today, and finally went to bed about 12:30.  What is NOT usual is that Pat was still UP!  She had downloaded a Max Lucado Book, Six hours One Friday, which she read in four hours!  Lately my muscles have been cramping and several times I had to get up to rub and stretch them out. I recall tossing and turning a lot last night.  Normally, I get ready for bed, get my O2 machines running, put on my mask, and I'm off to deep sleep.  Not last night.  Finally, about 7:00 something, the dog starts barking 'cause it wants to go outside or get fed or something equally irritating.  Pat takes care of her, but the damage is done . . .  not really, because I should have been up anyway.

So now I am lethargic and trying to not be so sleepy.  I do have projects to do today.  I have a stack of photos of 1981 to scan and file.  Since it is not all that thick, maybe I will do 1982 as well.  Pat has all our photos in boxes which is "the Project" that I have chosen to accomplish before I can't do stuff like that anymore...so now is the right time, I suppose. I enjoy doing stuff like that. When I started working at the City of Las Vegas, I was able to transfer to the Graphic Arts Division as their Bindery guy.  I cut paper for the presses, finished the jobs AFTER the presses printed it (like folding, wrapping, cutting multi-number of items like business cards, into proper size, etc.) as well as fill in wherever needed.  When I returned from Desert Storm, I became the Camera Room technician...shooting copy and developing film, striping film, preparing plates for the press, etc.. I wanted to do Graphic Artist work but the boss said, "We are NOT a training organization, so NO." or some such words. So I did the next best thing . . . I became friends with the Artists.  Through relationships with them, I was able to learn enough about how Pagemaker, then later, InDesign, PhotoShop and a couple other design programs, work.  Creating things is a very fulfilling feeling.  I'm not real good at Graphic Design, but have been associated with some AWSOME designers and will ALWAYS be indebted to them for taking their time to show me some things in their world of creativity.

That brings us to the point of this story.  Through experience, when I have a difficult time sleeping, there is a message trying to get out of the inner recesses of my head and is needing to be released!  Last night my fitfulness was caused by my Potassium level being off...for whatever consequence other than muscle cramping, has.  BUT . . .  that did lead into this morning blog, which led into a short conversation of RELATIONSHIP, which is what turns out to be the POINT of the STORY today.
When you are in need of learning something you have no idea about, you go to school, or to someone who knows what you would like to learn.  Without a relationship, nothing much is learned.  Think back in your life and verify that fact.  Remember Grandma as she was showing you the art of making that perfect pancake?  Or the awesome cross stitch pattern?  Or maybe Grandpa as he showed you how to operated the table saw? Or in my example of a friend showing me the tricky points of a computer program.  There are relationships there in all of those!  Guess what?  GOD is waiting for you to start a relationship with HIM when you are ready.  He has been ready since he created you.  Sometimes, we start a relationship but it gets broken off....and we drift away.  If it was a human-human relationship, that may never regain a connection.  With GOD . . . He is ALWAYS there, waiting for you to re-start.
A relationship with GOD is a forever thing, though we may drift away, we can always do that re-start at any time, any place.  Isn't that reassuring?  Suggestion for the day is:  IF you have drifted away from your relationship with GOD, re-start TODAY. . .  it is never too late.  And you will sleep better too.

Isn't it interesting how one small thought leads into a whole series of small things, making something special?

Keep singing, Keep praying.

Blessings,
Gary

Have you ever wondered why you never hear people say: "When I retire, I think we will move NORTH."?   I never have.  Most of my relatives live just south of Canada!  Some are living west of Duluth...those are my long time Parents friends and their children that we grew up with, if you remember that posting.  Then my two brothers live in Minneapolis and St. Paul. My Sister took evasive action and moved south years ago and is now in Arizona with one of her daughters.  My best friend and cousin Diane is a part-time Southerner as they are snow birds from Bloomington to Gulf Shores Alabama in the appropriate season.  Pat and I moved to Nevada a couple times from Minnesota and several years ago moved from Nevada to Tennessee.  For fear that just EVERYONE will move here, I will comment that this is where we are very comfortable.  We live in a small town of Rutherford est. 1799.  Population 1,151 in 2011.  I think it is about the same today....not much movement since then I think in this sleepy little town.

Rutherford is really a small town feeling that grabs you quickly.  For instance, when we moved in, I wanted to have a storage/work shop built, but on a concrete slab.  Around these parts sheds are set on concrete pylons a lot.  I live on a corner of a cul de sac and a road. The road goes to one block off our downtown street about a half mile or less from the house.  In the back yard, the cement truck was pouring the slab and was about half way done when my phone rang in the house.  It was the lady at town hall telling me I needed a permit for the concrete pour!  Now that is SMALL TOWN.  We love it here.  When we moved in, unknown to us, the town Mayor lived up the street.  The second week we were still unpacking he came to our door and introduced himself and welcomed us to the neighborhood and to Rutherford.  I was really impressed and told him so.  I said that I lived in Henderson NV for 20 years and not ONCE did the Mayor ever come to my house to visit.  And furthermore, I worked for the City of Las Vegas for almost 20 years and not ONE Mayor came to visit me either!  And I really liked Oscar Goodman a lot!  oh well....

There is a farm field on the other side of the road (that goes into downtown) so we get the full rural USA feeling here.  I am learning about crop rotation practices here:  corn one year, soy beans the next, etc.  Birds all over the place.  Robins nesting in our gutter down drains, cardinals flying around with their beautiful red blazing across the yard.  Our youngest dog Sarge, aka Duffis Dog loves spring.  Mother robins training their new hatchlings HATE it when Sarge is let out into the fenced back yard because sometimes, Momma hasn't warned the new ones about quick dogs jumping on slow new birds.  What a mess.  Rutherford is the smallest community of  a line of four communities separated by farm fields. Starting North and moving South,  Union City on the Kentucky border (23 miles from us) then Kenton, where my daughter and her family live (10 min. dive) then Us (Rutherford)...then Dyer which is pretty nice size....it even has a diner called "The Toot 'n Tell It".  We eat there a lot....good food, and friends drop in and sit with ya.  Then, continuing to move South, is Trenton.  Trenton is a nice size.  Has a McDonald's, Subway, Sonic, Mexican and Chinese eateries, and my favorite Music Store! There is also a High School/Community Complex there.  In between Dyer and Trenton is Gibson County High School which is an area wide facility...not a town school, you could probably have guessed that by the School name.

We have what is called "the Four Lane" around these parts.  It is not a freeway as there are roads the feed into it (most at right angles).  The speed limit is 65, so we can zip around pretty good.  Have to be careful though because south of Trenton, on the way to Humboldt, the speed drops to 55mph and the local sheriffs watch it pretty darn good.  Read into that warning what you will.  just sayin'  Most of our roads here are two lane roads though...like the Alamo Hwy. (yes, even we have one...after all Rutherford is "the last home of Davy Crockett")

Davy Crockett's Cabin....tours available,
and front porch singing Tuesday evenings 7:00 during the summer

which runs between Trenton to the southwest to Alamo TN. and beyond.  The church we are members of is down that road a piece at Gibson Wells.  An un-icorporated town somewhere, haven't figured out just where "there" it really is, yet. BUT we go to the Methodist Church there.  They have the neatest Youth Group.  What an enthusiastic group of kids!  They call their group KFC...for Kids For Christ....pretty neat huh?   Anyway, Alamo Highway has a 55mph limit on it, but most only take that as a suggestion.

Rutherford's Downtown is one block long . . . BUT . . .  on BOTH sides of the street!!  On that section of small town bliss is the Post Office, a gift/flower shop, grocery store, and several clothing stores, then cross the street to the north side and come back, we have a FANTASTIC Clothing Store where I bought a suit and an overcoat...some shirts...you get the idea.  Then next to that is our Town Hall where the permits are issues from, a beauty salon, Bank, Hester's Drug Store where they treat you like family and the service is SUPURB! If there is one thing about a small town drug store it is SERVICE par EXCELLENCE!  They know everyone and serve them as we all wish we could be served by others.  Then next to them is an insurance agency and next on the corner is our local medical clinic.  Around the corner on Trenton highway (actually a two lane road) is the Masons lodge...every town has to have one of those, don't they?  Oh, our Fire Department is on the other side of Trenton Highway behind the tire repair shop. We have three churches within two blocks there as well.  The Methodist Church, Baptist Church and a Presbyterian Church.  So we have God pretty well covered as well.

I can imagine seeing this town in it's prime.  There was a Kenwood factory here some years ago and some other industries as well.  People were many and everyone knew everyone....just about like it is today except the "people were many" part.  There is one house across from the Methodist church that is a historical landmark. Looks like a southern plantation home. There are a few of those around here, it seems to be a popular style.  It is also nice to see them being taken care of.  We have our own Middle School here as well.  Our Granddaughter from Kenton is going there now, since Kenton School goes to 4th grade only. I know, this is getting complicated.  So much for a TOUR of a SOUTHERN Small Town.

The point of this story is:  There are many wonderful places to live.  Some folk like the comfort and accessibility that a large city provides. Others like super rural living, like out on the farm, away from the hustle bustle of a lot of folks.  Others like mountain top living where there are just a few folks around to contend with and then there are folks like Pat and I that have found comfort and joy of living in a small, rural based town where we have what we need, and the rest is not all that far away, if we need that too. But what we have found is the serene feeling we get with a slower pace of living.  Yes, we have to drive a bit farther to places like the Doctors or the Shopping Centers, but we make those trips after we gather a list. We have found that LISTS are a very important part of organization.

God is here as well. With a town as small as this, with three churches within three blocks and not counting the other three or four a little farther out of the center, I have found that peoples values are basically focused on God.  This is an easy place to talk about Jesus.  As a matter of fact, He comes up in most conversations about how He has blessed us in certain ways.  I love talking about Jesus, don't you?  It is so nice to see people make an effort to talk about Him.  People do that in Southern, small, rural towns.  If you are thinking about relocating, I highly recommend finding one of those Souther, small, rural towns to move to.  We are blessed.  We don't miss the busy-ness of large town-city living.  But what is important to understand is, find a place you enjoy...park it....live it.

Keep singing, keep praising, enjoy where you live.

Blessings,
Gary

Guitar playing is an interesting task.  There are so many different kinds of guitars that when someone gets the idea to take up playing a guitar, just what are they going to choose?  There are acoustic guitars (those wooden looking ones with/out electronics) BUT WAIT!  They do electrify acoustic guitars..so now what do you do?  Then there are those thin ones with different shapes and sizes that get plugged into an amplifier, that most people call an "electric guitar".  Then there are 12 string and 4 four string (tenor) guitars to contend with.  Now we have classical guitars....those are commonly seen with the tuning key (at the head of the guitar) facing downward instead of outward as a regular guitar.  Then one of the best kind of guitars which I had started to learn to play and eventually it became overwhelming and I never got as far as I wanted to and an opportunity came up that I traded my pedal guitar and some of it's equipment for some other sound equipment I felt was needed to be acquired.

I admire watching a good guitar player that plays notes that make sense to me.  A rapid flurry of notes that make no sense is not pretty.  Someone like Chet Atkins playing ANYTHING is a blessing to my ears. There is a download that I shared on my FaceBook page of an trio of guitarist (lead, rhythm, and bass) that are playing in a farm shed with a tractor being used as the rhythm section.  This is AWESOME!   It is at Jan 2, 2013.  Check it out...this is a great example of ingenuity at it's finest!  The guitarists are real good ones to pull this off.  Just for the record, I tried to download it to this blog, but I'm not Hi-Tech enough to figure it out.  If someone can Facebook me with how to do that, I would appreciate that.

We all have to start somewhere and sometime with anything we choose.  We do not become good at anything right away.  It all takes time to develop our skills at whatever we are trying to be accomplished at.  For me guitar playing is a form of expression.  It is a way for me to relax and to grow in my enjoyment of singing.  Personally, I am glad I was not depending on my playing and singing to earn a living, as I don't feel I am THAT talented to support a family with my musical skills.  However, I feel a great sense of calmness when I can lead worship in music.  Notwithstanding the fact that reading music is still beyond me, but once I know what key to play in, I can practice through the chord changes and will get the message of the song across to the congregation or wherever I am playing.  Through the years, as I have written before, being with basically one group of friends and accomplished musicians in the Celebration Music Team, I did get spoiled.  We were more family than a bunch of musicians getting together every Tuesday evening at church to practice upcoming songs.  Through eighteen years of singing praises to God, and enjoying being with each other, I think we developed a lot of respect for each other and actually loved each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is because of a common love and that is MUSIC.  So after so much time together and learning together, and experimenting musically together, and most importantly . . . we understood each other....we got to be pretty darn good!
I will always think back on those days as a blessing for expanding my understanding and enjoyment of music, and friends.

Back to guitars.  I prefer acoustic guitars and have only a couple at this time.  My main guitar does have electronics installed in it, but if I am not plugged in, one would know by looking at it.  If needed, I can amplify it, but with what I am doing now, it has not been necessary, but its nice to know I have that option.  My classical guitar is un-electrified because I don't think it is necessary.  I wish I could have purchased a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar for many years, but never got around to it or gathered the dollars to do so, which is probably closer to the truth than "never got around to it" ha ha   As you have perhaps noticed in a previous postings, I owned a twelve string guitar at one time.  It was an interesting sounding guitar as the strings were set in pairs.  The first two (high sounding) strings were tuned together.  The last four were tuned an octave apart which gives it a very full sound.  The neck is a touch bigger to make space for all the strings, but the size of the guitar was not much (if any) bigger than my main guitar. The pedal steel guitar is totally different than you would expect something with "guitar" as a name.  It is a flat, horizontal playing surface supported by four legs and has a number of pedals attached to the strings at the top (underside mechanics) and to a channel screwed to the two front legs. The guitars come with either 6, 10, or 12 strings (single neck) or times that times two if you have a double neck.  The tunings are completely different than a regular guitar. It is played with a metal bar in your left hand and with your right hand fingers.  What a beautiful sound it has when it is played by someone who has practiced a lot.  I got to be a fair player, which is a step or two under good.  I didn't practice enough.  Wish I had it back now.  Oh well.

The point to this story is:  We all can find something that we have a passion for. Mine was, to some extent, Music (singing and guitar playing).  When we have a passion for whatever it is, we will enjoy doing it.  It could be reading, playing a musical instrument, collecting thimbles, matchbox cars, real cars, and the list goes on.  What would it be like if we all had a passion for living our life for God?  We have practice every Sunday and our Jewish friends hold practice on Saturdays.  We can become passionate, read, research, and put into practice what we learn, in how we live our lives.  It is that, that is noticed by others.  How we live our lives.  Just when you think you are alone, someone ALWAYS seems to see the "ugly" side of you don't they?  I know it happens to me all the time.  Playing a game on my computer sometimes frustrates me to no end, and then my wife hears things that I shouldn't even be thinking, let alone screaming! ha ha.  But that is what I am trying to point out.  No matter how HUMAN we are, we can ALWAYS (there is that word again) ask forgiveness and practice harder at our passion of living a Christ like/God pleasing life. Nobody is perfect that is living now on earth.  There was one at one time, but they crucified Him.  So with all our faults and extra baggage, we can still have a passion for living as Christ/God wants us to live.  We will learn through practice, just like learning music.  There is hope, so don't give up your practice.

Keep singing, keep practicing, keep smiling.

Blessings
Gary

How do you figure out what to do on any particular day?   Of course your boss would have some input on that question wouldn't he/she/they?  When we were young and just learning how to read, etc. our Parents (or other caregiver perhaps) guided us to what we needed to do, at pretty much, any given time.

Then as time moved on and we gained knowledge of the world and of the mind, we were able to move out on our own, blazing a trail of happiness and excitement!  Right?  What we found out was that there were limits to our abilities.  We couldn't just wish something into existence but had to plan, save money or other resources...like gathering materials a little at a time, etc. to complete a personal project or two. Somewhere along the line, hopefully an education is attained.  You find an occupation that you enjoy and live long enough to gain enough resources and funds to be able to not have work.  From your saving, planning, and investing for the future in what you can find during your journey through life, you are able to do what has been named "RETIRE".  At the very beginning of my "working" life, I started to think seriously about the end goal, of not needing a job, because of my efforts during the work part of my life.  Retirement as I understood it, seems to be a thing of the past as I am sitting here watching the news, and listening to my younger friends, as well as my children.

I am concerned about not only my children and their part in this new economy and mindsets that eventually determine a whole lot of decisions that were not there, interfering with the how much, how long, with what medium we collected and set aside for the future.  For example, I remember a little perk to put away for a long period investment called "Savings Bonds".  Over a period of years they paid about 7% on your monthly investment that you could pick from.  Automatic payroll deduction and all.  They are basically worthless now, so that resource has shriveled up.  And to kick that can even further down the road,  now with what we contributed to our whole lives into a retirement SUPPLEMENT called Social Security, is now almost a thing of the past because the politicians that were in control of those funds have raped it and given it to non-contributors because of social pressure and no doubt other influences.  So another "hedge" to be able to retire (in my time) was to have several careers!  What a concept.  At 17, while still in High School, I joined the Navy Reserve on a delayed entry program.  That worked well as it developed into a career of development that transcended beyond the Navy (after reaching the level of Chief Petty Officer in 7 years) and because of a massive Military cutback, to the Army and reaching the level of Master Sergeant (E8) and on to retirement after two wars (Viet Nam and Desert Storm) and thirty years of an exciting and rewarding career.  In the beginning, the government said:"Put in at least 20 years and we will pay you a retirement." I took them at their word and completed the time PLUS.  Along the way, I found myself working for the City of Las Vegas and stayed around to earn their retirement plan, and was able to leave the job thing at the age of 60 years.  Through those years from 17 to 60 I walked a lot of paths, did a lot of things, traveled the world over, raising a wonderful family with the help and support of a fantastic wife that we recently celebrated our 46th Wedding Anniversary.  It was through her that kept everything together.....I just went and did.....she is the one who made it all work.  Our three children are grown with children of their own. I am so proud of them for turning out so great, in spite of the time that I was not able to be at home to play and guide them as much as other Dad's did. I had the privilege of getting a head start from MY Dad who had a printing business, and a faith that I could build everything upon. In all my time, I was unemployed less than 6 weeks.  During that unemployment time, I was looking for employment EVERY DAY... faithfully.  I was willing to work anywhere or in anything that I could do. Nothing was menial, I would start at the bottom if necessary...no problem there. As it was God, again, provided a path for future success.

But now I am seeing a dark cloud on the horizon that concerns me.  Not for me, but for my children.  The way the "entitlement" talk is going around it looks to me that they are going to try to disrespect their contracts they promised and finagle a way out of not paying what they promised and leave us all high and dry.  My observation is that the people that go into politics are usually good people.  It is when they get there and find out they can't get their promises to their people done, unless they play the career politicians games and that leads to stupidity and destructive thinking.  There appears to be no way for this crud to stop and turn itself around.  So the result is that the hard working people are becoming less and less because the incentive is getting less and less.  The more people there are that take what they don't earn, the less there are to earn enough to support them AND themselves.  So simple thinking that even someone like me can figure that one out! I may be able to personally escape the full force of this challenge but only because of age....what a thought huh?  I have three very intelligent children....through hard work and focus, they have worked and sweated to make a nice living for themselves.  It is them that I fear they will have to deal with all this governmental foolishness and dishonesty under the guise of "assisting those that can't help themselves", which is the same as saying "supporting those that REFUSE to support themselves."  When a government spends more than the people can pay for, we are doomed.

I am not a college graduate.  I am not all that smart when it comes to a lot of things, but common sense seems to have been thrown out the window.  I wish I could be more positive today.  But some times things need to be brought out and said.

With that said, one thing I do know.  Jesus Christ is our Lord and our Redeemer.  It is through HIM that our Salvation is gained.  This world is only a temporary place that we are just passing through.  I have followed Him and He has provided my family with a decent life style based on a firmness of commitment to help others that are incapable of helping themselves.  I need to be an example for those that are dealing with bad influences so they can draw themselves up and help others through their personal journey through life.  If we don't live our life as though God is walking along side us, which He is, others will never understand what a joy and relief that is, and there is really nothing else of value that doesn't fade over time, or gets taken away, that we can offer them.  It does make us accountable though doesn't it?

The point of the story is this:  With today's many challenges, and all the dark clouds amassing on the horizon, we MUST continue to have FAITH.  Faith in ourselves, our focus, our families, and our GOD.  If you claim you are a Christian, have faith in Jesus Christ!  It is what Christians do.  Read the Bible.  I have several friends that are reading the Bible on the focus of completing it in a year.  One friend in in his third year of reading a different translation each year!  Now there is FOCUS.  Reading the Bible is a way to focus on your faith.  Another way is to Attend a Church of your choice regularly.  Normally, there are some folks there that can help you be an accountable Christian, that will help both of you.  For our Jewish friends....Praise God as you do so well.

So keep singing, keep up your Faith, and above all, Keep smiling.

Blessings
Gary

Have you ever had a difficult time focusing your attention?  There is so much going on around you that is exciting that you find yourself shifting from one project to another without finishing any of them.  I have two boxes full of photos that need to be scanned, and organized into years and subject.  There are quite a few more boxes just like these two over in Pat's office that need the same work done with them. Then there are the family movies that I have talked about before.  They need to be put into digital format as well and then burned on DVD for saving.  How does one get started?  What will motivate me  to don what is needed, knowing that the only way to finish the project, is to get started! There is SO much that needs to be done that it is overwhelmingly a big project. It is not that I don't have enough storage space. I have three external hard drives that have in excess 400 GB each of room.  That will easily hold those pictures don't ya think?

Then there is the hundreds of books that need to be read.  What happens when they are read???  They are put back on the bookshelf to be "admired".  What do YOU do with read books?  You can email me with your suggestions.  gary.saffell@Yahoo.com    I have a nice office that used to be the master bedroom that needs to be overhauled with some organization, but don't have a clue on what I want or how I want to re-organize it.  With non-committed time on my hands, if I don't use it properly, it will be wasted.  Won't be able to regain lost time.  That seems to be a waste doesn't it?  My books are a hodge-podge of research/background books of a bunch of different subjects with the majority of them in the religious category.  Then there are music books, general reading books of interesting people that I would like to read their life history.  Then there are several Clive Cussler books yet to be read. I love his adventure stories.  Doesn't gain me much but is entertaining when nothing else is pressing.  I have a closet full of misc. books that need to be out where I can see them, but no room to display.  So that leads me to conclude I need to be taking some time to read them and ditch them.  I am a slow reader, so not sure there is time to read them all to get them out of the way!

So what am I going to do with this mess that I call an office?  Probably nothing drastic.  I will eliminate the piles that seem to stack up on my counter top and rearrange the other clutter, but that will be about it.  Is that how we live our lives?  Go along for a while collecting "clutter" and stacking them in a pile?  It's not so much when we do it one piece at a time, is it?  We start out with things arranged in pretty good order, once we understand we do need organization in our lives.  Our internal book shelves have things all sitting there, ready for us to use, nice and pretty.  Then life gets moving, sometimes pretty fast and things like standards of living, morals (cheating perhaps), speech patterns (vulgarity), honesty (oh, it was just a little white lie), start to swell up and don't get taken care of right away.  Then our book shelves start to look a mess.  To top it all off, our table/desk/countertops, start to grow STACKS of the stuff!  How do we manage it all?  What can we do to get rid of this growth of stuff that is slowing our lives down?  Lets look to our spiritual resources.  What do we have there that will get our lives back on track.  Get our thoughts back in line with where it really should be.  Getting rid of the clutter that is interfering with where God wants us to be.   Last night (Sunday, March 24th) Pat and I went to a sister Church and were blessed beyond what we are allowed, I am sure.  A Gospel music ministry group called the Joylanders had come to share their faith through music with a group of very appreciative folks.  I was smiling the whole night long with the inspiration and harmonious sounds that they washed over us all. Of course it was way too short of a time they shared with us, although it could have been all night long, it would have been too short of a time.  The talent in that family group is amazing.  Jason is a fantastic, and masterful guitarist, and his bass voice has a range that is astounding.  Vanessa's voice is one of an angel and her instrumental talents leaves me speechless.  She is perfection on the guitar, fiddle, banjo is beyond belief.  I know she also plays pedal steel guitar as well, but not last night.  I know envy is a not a good thing to have, but I do have it with her musical instrument variety of perfection.  Then there is Jay....bassist of extraordinary talent. Watching him play the bass during the sharing, was a wonderful blessing.  The notes were of pureness and perfection. His hands gliding from note to note were of a master of caressing the instrument.  Ally's voice was one of an angel singing praises, with a little kick of down-home humbleness.  All together with Vanessa's fantastic Parents, who are long time singers of the Word and the foundation of the group, did a wonderful job of re-organizing some of the clutter I have been accumulating within myself.  At least for the short time they were flooding me with their music, I was in heaven...worry free....feeling the grace of God flowing over my soul.

Now that it's over, and real life has crept back in, what am I going to do with the clutter?  Continue to work on getting rid of the bothersome stuff, that keeps getting in the way, and I suppose I will continue to get rid of some of those piles of no longer useful life things stacking up on my counter top and in those file drawers that have so faithfully been filled with "things I might need in the future" stuff.

How are you doing on your stacks of stuff?  Maybe its time for you as well, to start the process of getting rid of things in your life that are interfering with being closer to God in your life.  Just a thought.

Blessings,
Gary

Optimism is a good word.  A noun. It means hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.  Being Optimistic is the adjective (an action word) that gets you in the proper frame of mind to allow something, usually positive, to look forward to seeing, doing, ect.

Several weeks ago my life changed.  Since then I have been working toward the HOW TO LIVE WITH IT part.  I realized that adjustments were in order pretty quickly from the beginning.  I also realized that what it is  . . .  IS.  It won't go away like a bad dream. It won't get much better. So how am I going to deal with it?  Am I going to be angry?  Anger isn't a very productive feeling.  Am I going to feel sorry for myself?  Why would I do that?  Understanding what I have, and seeing what conditions others are working through, I have a "walk in the park" event going on here.  Although it will be a slow walk, it is still hands down better than some I see and read about.  Those are the folks that I pray about constantly, especially my military brothers and sisters.  They have given so much, doing what others don't have a clue about.  I am so fortunate to have come away from a several careers in the shape I am, and am still able to walk on my natural legs and giving my granddaughters a hug with my arms when I see them.  That I am still able to talk. Still able to do what average people do, although now I have a little pack with me that churns out Oxygen for me to breath, and that makes a little noise. Sometimes people look to see what the racket is all about, but all is good.  WHY?  Because I have optimism.  It's a great word!  It makes me happy when I realize how well off I am, in contrast to how poorly I could be.  I choose to be happy.  I choose to continue to share my love of Jesus Christ in some form or fashion.  I am, who God made me, and for that, I will continue to be happy and rejoice that I have a life filled with friends, and filled with the most important part and that is FAMILY, that loves me.

I pray for those that are having difficulties in their lives.  Those that are suffering from Negativism. Those that are hurting so bad that their emotions are clouded with doubt and despair. I had a moment of that. I was really down about loosing something I was greatly enjoying and thinking I was doing well at.  Then it went away.  I regained my OPTIMISM and am much better both physically and emotionally as well, because I chose to (with God's help).  So I do understand.   I ask that you pray for those that are suffering similar situations as well.  As brothers and sisters in life, we need to support those that are in trouble of loosing their happiness, and joy.  We need to intervene and give them their OPTIMISM back so they can be productive members of society.  When you think about it, aren't you happiest when you are accomplishing something?  When your hands and mind is busy helping someone?  We can all do with a little dose of OPTIMISM now and then.  Mostly the NOW is better...know what I mean?

I am optimistic that I will continue to have opportunities that God will provide.  I have my thoughts of what I would LIKE, but understand that is not going to be the focus.  The focus is what GOD wants me to do.  HE will guide the what, when, and how.  All I know is that I am OPTIMISTIC that in the proper time, I will hear his whisper and I will have been prepared (because that is what God does) to fulfill HIS next assignment.  That is going to be exciting, don't you think?  There is opportunity around the corner....I just need to get TO the corner.  With OPTIMISM, I can make it.  You can too.

Keep singing, keep praying for others, keep that smile on your face.

Blessings,
Gary

Saturday FUNNIES time

This is a terrible weapon of Mass  (or is it Mess) Destruction.  ACT NOW!

Ahhhhhhhhhh  I think I understand 

Only if you subscribe to an  internet provider.

Old habits are difficult to break....

Ralph had a terrible lawn chair folding accident years ago.  Therapy didn't work.

Have a HAPPY WEEKEND

Association  association |əˌsōsēˈāSHən, -SHē-|
noun1 (abbr.: assn. )(oftenin names) a group of people organized for a joint purpose: the National Association of Broadcasters.I also describe the word as a group of individuals who THINK along similar lines of thought.  We as friends, tend to gather where we are comfortable.  
As we move through life, our personal associations tend fluctuate with our social and professional circles. For a lot of people, based on family traditions and values, the church is a large part of their lives. Being centered around a religious frame of thought is a good thing, agreed?  Then why do people drift from a solid Bible based, love one another foundation?  In recent years there have been TV shows of religious communities having strife and conflict within and some members seeking the "outside" lifestyle.  I have thought about that some.  I can relate a little bit to what they are perhaps feeling.  There is a time in almost everyone's life that a change is needed.  A change from the "usual".  Things get stale perhaps.  There is that thought that you haven't experienced life at it's fullest. "What's on the other side?" Sometimes when those thoughts are brought to fruition, it gets really, really scary!  We weren't expecting the harshness of reality without support.  So we go looking for support, and that is where we find ourselves getting deeper and deeper away from where we should be. Is it the excitement?  Is it the Danger?  
I would venture to guess that we have all taken a trip to the "wild side" at one time or another in our lives.  The saving grace is when we return to reality and retake our spiritual lives back and live a life of loving, sharing, caring and nurturing one another.  At least that is what I have discovered.  As I have written in previous issues, life takes some pretty interesting turns.  I think that is for a reason.  If we don't  know what is out there, how are we to know how to combat the spiritual robbing and soul deflating activities that Satan is attempting to entwine you in?  So if we have taken that wild side trip, and decided to come back to our community of God loving people, why are THEY (those people) so nasty at times to us?  Why are those church people so hypocritical and mean?  Why are church politics sometimes worse than anything else?  Why are some church people so mean to other members, and particularly to their Pastors?  I have been seeing some articles on FaceBook "shares" about the calling of Pastors and how they are treated poorly by their congregations.  Quite astonishing revelation.  How people who profess to be members of a church congregation, a church ASSOCIATION, can treat their Pastors so poorly, what are they doing to themselves???  The answer is simple.  HUMANs.   We are human beings.  Most of us are affected by the influence of Satan to some degree. Most of us are fighting that fight continually, because it is Satan that is wanting our soul...too. The battle rages on.  People get confused and nasty at times and bad things happen.  It is like that in most organizations.
So now that we know what we are up against, I would still suggest a relationship with God and that relationship is fortified and solidified in a church association/relationship.  I have heard so many people complain about how hypocritical organized religion is that it makes my head swim.  That is their excuse for not attending.  With all that I have experienced, I still need the association of being around spirit filled people to help me battle Satan and keep God at the forefront of my focus. And yes, as a Christian,  Jesus the Christ is my Lord and Savior. There are other faith communities that have God alone...like the Jewish Faith. That is fine with us Christians, I think.  There is freedom to believe whatever you choose.  I know many faithful Jewish people and they are genuine, believers in their spiritual walk...and I honor and praise their faithfulness to God.  But there are people that claim faith, but display otherwise.  Yes, we all have our faults.  Yes, we are not perfect.  I would rather associate with positive and spirit filled, God loving,  Jesus praising folks than in a destructive association of non productive and hurtful associations. People join churches to associate with like minded folks.  Unfortunately, world wide church memberships are in decline.  That is a worrisome trend that has been going on since the 1960's.  It is accelerating its pace.  We need to stop this and get back to where we need to be.  I think that there are many reasons why people don't attend church anymore.  One is stimulation. We have become a tactile society.  If we are not visually, mentally, emotionally stimulated to a large degree, we lose interest.  So how can you help in this challenge?  Become interested in a local church and get involved in making in visually, mentally, emotionally stimulating.  Don't leave it for others to do.  Help those "others" to accomplish it!  
It all boils down to ASSOCIATIONS.  Which ones are you going to affiliate with?  We all choose.  There is no choice not to.  If you choose to stay at home and be a recluse, you have chosen. You have now become one of the challenges instead of one of the solutions.  Wouldn't it be more fun and fulfilling to be a solution instead of a challenge?  I think it would.  Associate with that church down the block, over yonder, down the road a piece.  They will be glad to see you.
Keep singing, share a smile, and help someone to associate.
Blessings,Gary

Have you ever thought of your Grandmother or even your Mom when you see some of the commercials on TV and imagine what they would say about the content?  I know my Grandma would be gasping for air and clutching her heart with her eyes opened so wide the edges are stretched!  How did we get so far out of whack from decency and common sense?  Dr. Spock was probably the first step, when he injured some poor little Momma's feelings after she gave her child a spanking for being out of line in the training of upbringing a child.  Not every child is perfect like you were are they?  I know.  I know.  Sarcasm is a lost art isn't it?  As an average and even above average parent, we have exceptional children who are more intelligent, better looking, faster developing, best development than any other kid known to mankind.  Of course we want to think like that, don't we?  To think any less is giving our child a disadvantage over his/her life. Can you imagine, "My parents don't think I'm smart."  "My parents think I'm only AVERAGE."  "My parents don't love me, because I don't have a smart phone, iPad, twitter account, or the right brands of clothes."  I'll bet there are a lot of kids out there that would love just to have a clean shirt on their backs and shoes on their feet...any kind and brand of shoes. Not just the $150/pr. shoes.

Topics concerning sex, proper boy-girl social rules, dating boundaries, proper ways to dress, and a whole lot of different social skills seem to be missing from a child/youth's upbringing.  Proper language skills to converse with others around you are so lacking today that it is difficult to understand what people are talking about.  Even such basic things as talking in a theater...movie, concert or recital type venue.  I understand that Rock concerts and Country concerts and things like open air concerts are more raucous more than "shows' even like the Grand Ole Opry where the audience stays seated and clap their approval instead of jumping off the stage into (hopefully) something soft!

I remember walking from Jr. High School with a neighbor girl who lived one block beyond me.  In the morning we would walk to school together as she got to my corner, and after school, she would continue on after we departed at the same corner.  Ok....I AM a little slow, but this was a "friend". One day after getting home, I found on my dresser top a note.  It was from MOM.  It read something like this: "A gentleman walks on the curb side when walking with a lady."  From then on, when we walked to and from school, I walked on the curb side of her.  Why? Because Mom said so.   Parent guidance. Maybe that is what is missing today.  Parents are too busy doing other things that are LESS important than raising their children up to be good citizens with good morals and decent respect of other people, no matter who or what gender they are.  Who would be the ones that know that the best?  I think it would be the parents that would take that responsibility, wouldn't you?  Oh, but they are busy making their drug buy so they can have a good time, after all . . . they deserve it, don't they?

How did we get into this situation? I have three children and they have children.  Each of our children were raised to RESPECT each other. Did they fight among themselves?  Sure.  Not usually when Mom or I were around, but I suspect they did.  But they would defend each other from an outsider if needed.  And now they are raising their children to RESPECT others.  To treat each other like they would like to be treated.  Young people want to be respected.  They want adults to know they are people too, with feelings, wants, needs, desires.  As adults we need to show the youth that is what we all want as well, and that we do respect them. There is also a term: "Boundaries" that needs to be understood as well. Somewhere along the line respect and boundaries has stopped being a high priority.  Personal greed, the "Me FIRST" syndrome appeared.  The "Let me HELP you" teachings went away.  The "gimme, gimmie" attitude became the words of the day.

How do we change it?  Get back to church.  What a concept!  What will church do for you that you don't already know?  There are many wonderful and very good teachings to be learned on taking care of each other, helping one another, loving each other like brothers and sisters. Did you understand that last one on loving?  Like brothers and sisters....Like a family member you respect and defend and uphold in high esteem.  We all have our arguments and disagreements, but we still love our brothers and sisters, and our Parents....don't we?  Church is good for people to attend.  There are all different types of churches around.  There are so many denominations to pick from.  Personally, I am and have always been a member of the United Methodist Church.  We can visit that subject another time.  But we all have a "comfort zone" that will fit into most Christian denominations that are out there and more. There is the Jewish faith,  the Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Church of Christ, Church of God,  etc., etc. . . Google "religions" and take a look.  I know that there are a lot of folks that dislike "Organized Religion", probably because of a bad experience in their earlier life.  Any time man and his "organizational lack-of-skills" gets involved, there are bound to be some missteps and awkward things happening.  Why? Because we are human...bound to make mistakes...bound to not understand at times.  Our best bet is to overlook human frailties and find a new church to visit. Who knows, you may find just the place you are comfortable....or even better yet....where the preaching steps on your toes and it feels good....just what you needed... every once in a while.

Point of the story:  When we as a country started to drift away from the church, the country started to deteriorate.  We need to return to God.  We need to turn our country around and as Christians, Jews, and other God loving and God respecting people, we need to begin respecting each other and stand up for what is right and good.  Stand up against what is wrong, filthy, disrespectful and down right disgusting, and get our values back where it belongs.  Positiveness.  Helping each other when needed.  Praying without fear of rebuke from others that don't believe the same way we do.  Stand tall.  Stand firm.  Faith without works is an empty faith.  Lead your family by example.  Lets get decency back into our lives, our hearts, our communicating, our culture once again.

Remember to keep singing, keep smiling....it really bugs some folks, but do it with love.

Blessings,
Gary

Singing is a way of life for a lot of folks.  It was and is a big part of my life.  Some people can sing, and some are not so good at it, but enjoy singing anyway.  Why is that?  Why do some of us like singing so much?  It is an outlet for our emotions.  It is an outlet for our giving back to God His gifts that He has given us.  He has given some of us  the gift of being able to learn musical instruments as well.  For me, I can play basic 6 and 12 string guitar, some very basic pedal steel string guitar, bass guitar, learning mandolin and have played basic banjo.  I would love to be good at all of these instruments, as well as learn how to play a Dobro guitar.  Making music is a passion of mine.

There is a minor drawback on all of this music singing/instrument situation.  I do not know how to read music.  I have found that this is not just me.  It is pandemic among musicians, I understand.  It would have been disaster during the big band times, as reading music with so many different instruments playing so much interlocking melodies, reading was a NECESSITY!  However, in todays music, of a more simplistic style, it is not as critical, but still necessary.  When I  was learning to the play the guitar, I learned chords. I learned how most songs are played and what chords make up a key.  How it is arranged and what a "bridge" is and how it does what it does. I learned that the words have to keep up with the beat that the instruments playing, because if the singer draws out a phrase, it screws up what the instruments are playing.  So music with instruments and singing is a team effort.  That is a learning mark.  So now that I have the basic information of how music is written, and the relationship between instruments and voice, what do I do with it?  Well, I can sing and accompany myself and others to created a harmonious sounds of praise, joy, and humor.  All this without knowing how to read music.  The professionals of Nashville have resolved that challenge.  They designed a way to communicate what key and the modifications are throughout the song by numbers. Surprisingly, it is called "The Nashville Number System".  I have the book.  Well . . .  isn't that a step in the right direction?  I bought it, paged through it several years ago.  I'll get back to it later.

I have even taught a few students how to play the guitar.  Still don't know a lick about converting the notes on the paper and the string they represent on the guitar, mandolin, banjo or steel guitar to sound.  Tell me what key you are playing in, and I will do a decent job of keeping up with the song.  Don't give me a solo part, as I would probably not do so well giving a decent "turn around" for you.

Singing goes along with guitar playing  pretty well, for a minimalist presentation.  I love to sing.  I have found that because of my recent breathing challenge, singing seems to give me joy as well as "aerobic" value as well.  Of course I can't reverse the damage that has been done, but I am thinking that perhaps I can keep what little I have. So I am now thinking of gathering a little group that loves to sing, play and loves the Lord.  We will sing praise songs, and maybe a few other generic fun songs that everyone can laugh at.  In Henderson we did a lot of Gaither (Southern Baptist type songs), some Maranatha! Music, www.maranathamusic.com among other types. That is what I envision, but we all bring our likes and dislikes to the group.  I will be ready to get going with this after some more doctor evaluations are complete and a couple other issues are completed. I will keep y'all informed.  

Point of the story:  No matter what your true talents are, GOD has given you joy.  That joy can be proclaimed through music and/or singing if you choose.  It doesn't matter if you do it professional quality or beginner quality. It doesn't matter if you can read the notes on the sheet music or not.   It is for the glory of GOD and no one can take that away from you, through criticism or accolade. So go out and make a joyful noise unto the Lord!   Keep on singin'

Blessings,
Gary

Computers are a way of life with most of us.  It didn't used to be that way, and there are some folk that it still isn't.  Sometimes I really admire their not having a computer that takes up so much of their day. I like the look on their face when they tell you "What's FaceBook?"  Computers are a necessity of government, business, and most households now.  They are the TOOL that gets us our information that we think is needed all the time.  Paper paged books are going away, as is paper newspapers for our information gathering of daily living.  I was told many years ago that we would become a paperless society soon.  I seem to print out a lot of stuff on my home office printer.  What do I do with it?  File it in a folder.  There is a name for that, and maybe another time we will visit that issue.  But, we but are still moving closer to that paperless society envisioned years ago.

A while ago while having to take some medical tests at Jackson General Hospital in Jackson, TN, I did the "check-in" with the admittance person.  After asking for my medical coverage cards, she scanned them into the computer and went on explaining that the "new system" was going to have everything that was necessary for "the system" to know about me now that the cards are scanned. That is kind of uncomfortable knowing that my personal information is now let loose of my control and a machine with many security leak potentials, has "ME". . .  Not that it ever WAS under my control, I suppose.   Several weeks later when I came into the Emergency Room via ambulance, there wasn't a lack of information problem at all, when they admitted me.  All the insurance and other information was neatly tucked away in their system.  Interesting huh?

On the other side of that coin, computers can be aggravating, and stress building.  Like when you loose that internet connection right in the middle of a project.  Or for some unknown reason, you can't connect to the internet at all, and you are at HOME!  Some folks have told me I am one of those Hi Tech people because I use an iPad and do work at a computer.  I am about as low hi tech as anyone could imagine, I think.  I know nothing about how to make it work if it decides not to.  Ever had that happen to you?  Frustrating isn't it?   I have improved  over the years though on knowing what NOT to do with files if you still want the computer to work properly.  At the beginning, I had this thing about "neatening" up the folders.  Lesson learned: Don't go into the system files and mess around unless you have been to a school to enlighten you on how computers actually work.  If you move stuff around that is really really important for the operation of the computer, it cannot find said file(s) that you rearranged location because it made more sense to you, and now your computer will be relegated to serving you as a desktop "holder-downer" only.   So now I leave things alone (most of the time) and sit back and hope that nothing will go bad.  The iPad training is given to me by my daughter. Actually, it is not training as much as it is Damage Control, showing me how to undo what I have screwed up!

I really don't know how any household functions without having a home computer these days.  Actually, I guess it is, I don't know how someone, that doesn't have someone, to do the internet research and day to day connectivity with bill paying, shopping, research, etc. for them, get by.  If I didn't have Pat doing that sort of stuff, I would be soooooo lost.  She is my foundation of staying out of trouble with all kinds of things.  She makes Doctor appointments, pays the bills, plans the shopping trips, meetings we or either of us have scheduled, and whatever is going on in our lives.  I am blessed with just being where I am needed to be, and when.  THAT is a blessing for me, as I can then focus on other areas of life that need to be explored, worked on, contemplated over, developed, designed, coordinated and a whole lot of other things done.  We are truly a well oiled team.

But most of it would be done at a slower pace without a computer, in spite of it's pugnaciousness at times.  Have you ever thought of how your life would be without God in it?  Some of us know that answer.  Some of us have experienced that emptiness of not having a foundation of love and peace in our lives that only God can give us.  The GOOD NEWS is that we are ALWAYS connected to Him....IF we choose to.  We will not loose that connection like an internet connection, unless we disconnect on our side.  And even then, it is only on our side because God is still there, with us, wanting to continue on with our relationship of goodness, wholeness, peacefulness, and joy.  We don't have to fret over internet connection, speed, downloads, uploads, file formats, or anything else.  God IS there for you and for me.  ALL the time.  No machine needed.  No wires to connect.  No fancy terminology to use. No education and technical stuff to learn.   Just you and God.   Isn't that reassuring?

Do you know how to make that connection?  It is based on the KISS method.

You know. . .  Keep It Simple Silly!

The answer is: Start


Now the choice is yours.

Blessings,
Gary

Tempest is the word of the day.
After a restful night of sleep with the assistance of a wonderful machine, I awoke with a rythmic roll of thunder.  "Tempest" was the first word to my mind.  That reminded me of Matthew 8:23-27.


23 And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save us, Lord; we are perishing. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?


There were times when driving the bus at the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN,  that I drove into the outer suburbs of Lake Minnetonka in tempest type rain, pouring down so hard I could not see two feet in front of the bumper, and so hard the wind rocked the 12 ton bus.  Those were times of fear.  Those were times of doubt. When the wind blows so hard your windshield wipers are blown our of position on your large windshield to where they are hanging BELOW, and of no value anymore, and it is so dark outside, you can't see the road two feet ahead or around your vehicle, THAT's is scary.  But by inching a little at a time FORWARD, knowing that your destination is ahead if you only keep moving, no matter how slow, no matter how difficult, you will reap the reward of shelter, you will find shelter if you focus and stay alert.  That trip was always a difficult one given that it is very dark and distant from the dense population area and on narrow roads as well.  It was ALWAYS a relief when I saw the street lights of the Town.

If we think about it, LIFE is like that trip, sometimes.  Along the way, the storms come in and try to blow us off course.  The thunder claps, the rain falls, and that wind blows us here and there.  It does get scary and frightening at times, doesn't it.  There are times that the storm slowly rolls in and you see it coming.  Those are the times we can prepare ourselves and it isn't so bad.  It is those 'Flash Storms' that pop up suddenly.  Calmness is a state that is very difficult to attain in those times.  But when the fishermen in the boat were so fearful, they came to Jesus saying "Save us Lord; we are perishing." 
Then Jesus said to them, "Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith?"  Seems to me, what we are reading is saying: "Have faith. Calm down. Keep focused on the task at hand, and everything will be good."  
Calm, gentleness, inner peace, are all good.  Today we can start to practice our inner peace resources.  The more we practice, the better we get at it.



Speaking of practice. . . the Lady that I asked to marry me 46 years ago had said yes and today is the day we started our journey through life together.  Here are a couple pictures of that day.  Happy Anniversary to the girl I married, and the partner that has put up with me through all these years.  We still hold each others hand as we walk through life.  Mostly so I don't fall over. (that's a joke)  As most of you have read of our working together at the Aquarium Store and the Shoe store, some folks asked me this peculiar question: "How do you do it?  Working with your WIFE every day?"  My question to them was my answer and still is today: "Why not?  I married her to be with her, because I love her, and enjoy being with her.  She is my partner." 

                           
                               

At the Altar rail
Commander in Chief US Atlantic Fleet
Chapel, Norfolk, VA

True love: March 18, 1967

Happy Anniversary Pat!

Point of the story:  Through life, we have our tempests and storms, of varying strengths. How we prepare ourselves has a lot to do with our survivability.  If we trust in God and don't give up, we will come out the other side of the storm, perhaps richer in faith, richer in love, and richer in resources on how to live through what Satan throws at us.  We can become stronger in focus and in loving our brothers and sisters.  It is a difficult task as times, that I will warn you, and well worth the effort.  BUT . . . you have to keep your strength up and remain focused.

Blessing,
Gary

Last few weeks have been pretty exceptional in many ways.  There have been some pretty low lows, and some exceptionally high, highs.  

Of course it started when I paid an unscheduled visit to the Emergency Room at Jackson General Hospital in Jackson TN.  It was there and the following four days that my life has taken a little bump in the journey that was going along so wonderfully.  Notice I said "wonderfully", not good, not swell, not perfect.  There had been some challenges, but life is like that. No matter who you are, or how you live, there WILL be challenges that get in the way of your concept of a perfect life.

Mine was going along in a direction I had not dared dream of before it was opened up to me.  I had been filling in church pulpits for quite a few years and enjoying the blessings it was giving me. Those blessings were the ability to share the Word of Christ to those that came to be shared with.  The list of churches was memories of diverse and loving folks that wanted to be fed the spiritual manna to allow them to grow in faith and happiness.  

Sometimes it is difficult to provide such a message that will do that for everyone. . . so I learned that any particular message would not fit every listener. That is a fact.  So I tried my best to provide something of interest in a message that had/has a story to it.  That is what I am.  I am a Story Teller.  I try to relate the Spiritual Message, of course based on a Bible Passage or Passages, and through a story, show the listener how it could relate to them.  

Recently, as is my format, when diving in to an area that I think may be a new place for the congregation, I set a foundational explanation of the "who's who", and the terminology and what it means, real quick like at the beginning, and move on to the message.  i.e.  "Today we are going to be talking about Lake Wobegon.  Lake Wobegon is an imaginary place thought up by Public Radio author, singer, and story teller, Garrison Keillor who has a weekly radio show out of the University of Minnesota. He has created Lake Wobegon, a mythical place of perfection, "Where all the men are are strong, all the women are good looking and all the children are above average."  I then went into the sermon telling about in real life, things are not always as they appear.  I also I found out from this particular sermon was that not everybody in the pews on any particular Sunday morning is listening.  Oh, they always come up to you afterwards and say things like "Nice sermon preacher", or "Good message today Pastor".  But it may not necessarily be very accurate.

Recently there was a sermon I preached about a new pastor discovering that a previous one had asked a family to keep their special needs child home on Sunday morning because it was "disrupting" the service.  He walked across the field out behind the church building and visited with the parents and met the child.  He invited them to come back to church.  They did not show up the next Sunday, so he made another walk across the field out back of the church building and told them he would like them to come back to church this next Sunday. He followed up with "If I have to delay Worship to come back her and get you, I will."  They showed up. The Dad eventually became the Church Council Chairman, a Special Needs Sunday School class was established with SIX children, and their son Jimmy was the first recipient of that classes perfect attendance pin!  The Scripture was l Corinthians 13.  That is commonly called the Love Chapter.  I had been having the Youth of the congregation take notes and grade my sermons on Understandability, and overall grade of usefulness, signed and given to me after the service was complete.  I got an "A" that day and notes like: "I really liked the story about Jimmy.  I like the meaning of it."  and this one in particular struck me as remarkable: "If a child doesn't go to church, how are they going to learn how to worship?"  Those were coming from a couple of the youth.  Some adults did not seem to understand that message, I am told.  

So I have pondered this dilemma for some time now, beating myself up for not being able to reach the worshipper.  After sinking to a great depth of despair, and grief, along with some pretty extreme physical challenges of which I am trying to heal, I have discovered that it had nothing to do with ME!  I discovered that those who were voicing their concerns were not not rejecting me, the messenger . . . they were rejecting GOD's Message!  Children, youth, with open hearts . . . understood.  

Some adults . . . "LOVE" on the outside . . .  rejecting God's message, perhaps with unprepared hearts on the inside.  Just like we get ourselves physically clothed to attend church we must prepare our hearts as well, to hear the message that God has so lovingly prepared for us on that day.

So, there is the message for this most unusual message today . . . this day of traditional Christian Worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  For those that hear without getting ready to hear first, or are, in so many words: Just "playing church", with bright smiling faces, and false words like "We LOVE You", consider your condition before expounding it to others.  That will not only spread your condition unnecessarily, but infect and spread it to the detriment of the church body.   Rejecting the message is ok.....but not good if, in the process, you do harm to the messenger.  That is not a good thing . . . for either.

I read somewhere a statement that seemed to fit:  "God didn't send a Pastor to a church to make the Congregation happy.  He sent the Pastor to that congregation to share GOD's message."

The life of a person of God is not always an easy or smooth life.  Be kind to your Pastor(s) they are doing remarkable work for God trying their hardest to Spiritually feed you and help you.  An honest compliment goes much further than a bitting, hurtful and, most often, misdirected verbal slap in the face.

Blessings,

Gary