Can't Lose That Eerie Feeling

I just took my wife away for the weekend, as we saw an time opening that we didn't want to pass up.  My schedule gets busier as the spring progresses.  We had a delightful time, centering our time around nice restaurants and relaxation.

Unfortunately, this may be the last one I feel comfortable going on.... You see, in the last two weeks, I've lost four lbs... count them,  FOUR LBS!  Now, my uncomfortable feeling has nothing to do with the food we ate over the weekend.  It's the going out of town part, where we have to stay in a hotel room.

I've now started having this eerie feeling... I guess you'd call it a fear.... that since I've lost all this weight, somebody's stalking me.  (Who wouldn't want a look, you know?  It's not like I've signed up for AARP yet... (I could have, but didn't do it.))  I mean, you can't always get doors at hotels withOUT peepholes in them.  I just KNOW that somebody's trying to track my room down, get close to mine, and ..... apparently it's really easy to reverse the peepholes....you know the rest.  I feel violated just thinking about it.

I know it's important to get away with my wife, but I just don't know if I can get over this.  Anyway, if any of you see or hear about any "videos" floating around the internet, would you be kind enough to let me know.

Thanks.
 

An Important Lesson - "The Cleaning Lady"

Check out this story I ran across today --
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz.  I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:  "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke.  I had seen the cleaning woman several times.  She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?  I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.  Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.  "Absolutely," said the professor.  "In your careers, you will meet many people.  ALL are significant.  They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." 

I've never forgotten that lesson.  I also learned her name was Dorothy.

What a great lesson for us today.  All are significant.  I like that......

Ahh, Country Music at It's Best

I'm not a real country music fan, but I know some who are..... I can appreciate the concept of telling a story to music..... as some of these song titles will suggest:

Let Me Love the Leavin' from Your Mind
All I Want From You (Is Away)
My Wife Ran Off with My Best Friend, and I Sure Do Miss Him
She Got the Gold Mine (I Got the Shaft)
I Bought the Shoes that Just Walked Out on Me
I Got You on My Conscience but at Least You're off My Back
Walk Out Backwards Slowly so I'll Think You're Walking In
I Guess I Had Your Leavin' Coming
It Ain't Easy Being Easy
Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger (When You Go Out at Night)
Her Teeth Were Stained, but Her Heart Was Pure
If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?

And my all time favorite..... If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me.

Relationships aren't easy, are they?  Thanks Country Music!

Lessons Fit For a King - 2 Chronicles 26

It might seem kind of boring to read through both Chronicles in the Old Testament, but it really does have an important theme.  The lessons become pretty obvious actually.... I mean, I think I figured out a pattern, and as you all know, I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer".

As I was looking at the 26th chapter in 2 Chron. I found this --
"King Uzziah did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight......And as long as the king sought the Lord, God gave him success.  LESSON ONE -- Okay, please the Lord .... have success.  GOOD

"King Uzziah's fame spread far and wide, for the Lord helped him wonderfully until he became very powerful.  But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall."   LESSON TWO -- The Lord's help can make you famous and powerful.  GOOD?
LESSON THREE -- Pride from fame and power can be our downfall.  BAD

27th chapter --
"King Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight..... and became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God."
LESSON FOUR -- Obey the Lord, be powerful.  GOOD

28th chapter --
"King Ahaz did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord..... That's why the Lord his god allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz.  The Lord was humbling King Ahaz, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord."
LESSON FIVE -- Disobey the Lord, be humbled.  BAD

"When trouble came to King Ahaz, he became even more unfaithful to the Lord...... This led to his ruin and the ruin of all Israel."
LESSON SIX -- When trials and tribulations come, don't turn away from the Lord.  BAD

RECAPITULATION (Isn't that a great word?  You know "recap", "summary")
See how simple this part of the Bible is?  When we obey God, good things happen.  When we disobey God, bad things happen..... Could it get much easier?  Thank you.

I know, I know, nothing is as easy it seems..... and two of these lessons remind us of that.  When we start to become successful in any aspect of life, including spiritually, it's really easy to start getting prideful.  We think we've finally arrived, and think "why can't other people act like us"?  That's when we fall.

It's also very easy to allow trouble in our lives to turn us away from God and blame him, rather than seek him for direction or an answer to the problem.  THAT'S all part of maturing in him.   It's not easy.  I mean, if chosen kings of countries had trouble with it, why should we expect it to be any different for us?

Anyhow, for what it's worth..... just something I got out of my devotions this week.

One Tweet To Many

Isn't it crazy these days to see some of the postings on facebook, the twitters, etc.  Don't people have better things to do?  Worse yet, what about the people taking time to read it?  (No, this blog is NOT the same thing!  Okay, almost...... giggle, giggle.)

Things like --
I'm at the dentist
I'm getting my teeth cleaned
She's working on the reeghhrr seeaafddde
Ow, that hurt.
Oh, I think I just drooled on myself....

You know, stuff like that.

I'm at the Subway near my house
I'm twelfth in line
I can't decide what to get
Now I'm eleventh
American or Provolone cheese?
Now I'm tenth...

You get the idea.

Okay, I'll quit this blog right now, as I really never had anything to say anyway.  AND, I don't want to be confused with those crazy twitter people and obnoxious facebook posters....

Thank You

I am so grateful for all the prayers, cards, messages and thoughts that went out to my family and me during the time of my mother's illness and death.  It meant so much to me to know I had so many friends that were supporting me.  Thank you so much.  You'll never know what that meant to me.

I'm reminded of I Samuel 23.  David was running from King Saul as the king was seeking to take his life.  Verse 16 says, "And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God."

That was all of you.  You helped me find strength in the Lord during the time I was in great turmoil.  Thank you for being my Jonathan.

Dad appears to be doing as well as expected.  He has seen God continually honor his faithful life and righteous living.  To make a long story short -- First, in less than two weeks of mom's funeral, dad found a perfect one bedroom apartment in a beautiful 77-unit retirement facility.  (Somehow they just "happen" to have the first opening in the three years of their existence the week we checked on it.)  He sold his house the same week, and has closed with cash in the pocket for the appraised value.  (In this economy?  Yeah, right.)

God takes care of His own....  Thank you Lord.  Keep dad in prayer as he continues this part of his new journey.

I should be back blogging again..... I guess I needed the break.....