Our Kids Are Reading Too Much!

I'm beginning to get a handle on why our children are growing up the way they are..... They may be reading TOO much!

I'm almost ashamed to say that I found this book in the window of a bookstore on Main Street of my home town in Iowa last week.

(Now you have a sense of where MY humor (or lack of it) developed.)

"It's a Small World After All"

It never ceases to amaze me how small technology has made our planet......

In the last few months, this blog has been visited by 40 countries.

This week alone includes:
Russia
Sri Lanka
Nigeria
Barbados
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
Egypt
United States

Needless to say, our world is very bored and looking for ANYTHING to pass the time.....

I sure hope I don't inadvertently start a World War.....

Life Objective

I ran across this last week and thought it was really good. Something for a goal-setter to think about..... What is my objective in life?


"To seek, trust and glorify God, through humble service and continual prayer. To raise up quality disciples as quickly as possible, so that some day I might hear God say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

A pretty concise picture of what we should be doing as Christians.

Lord, help me weave this statement into the fabric of my life. Help me to be a humble servant, pray continually and disciple others.

Prank Call

I guess this is a first.... I butt dialed myself.... cell phone to home. I answered the phone and waited for myself to talk... finally hung up. Guess it was a prank call.....

Long Live Grandchildren!

I realize I haven't posted for almost a month.... it's just that I can't seem to think of anything to say that would be worthwhile to read and I don't want to waste peoples time.  Then I thought.... hey, that's never stopped me before!  So let's waste some time together....

Got a four day visit from my daughter and two grandkids last week.  It was a blast from the time Alison came flying out of the airport tram to give me a hug and kiss until she blocked six people from getting through airport security giving me hugs, kisses and waves goodbye..... What a joy!

Samuel couldn't tell me how much he loves me yet, but I could see it in his eyes..... He is the best little baby I've ever seen.  So pleasant, with such an easy smile.  I remember using all my best material when Ashley was little and all I got was a token courtesy smile....

Thanks Ashley for making the effort and sharing your children with this "old" man.  It means a lot to me.  You're still my favorite, most beautiful daughter.

 

Challenge For the Day....

As I was reading Matthew 7 in The Message this morning, I found some great reminders--


1) "Don't look for shortcuts to God.... The way to God is vigorous and requires total attention."

2) "Don't be impressed with charisma, look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say."

3) "Knowing the correct "password"...... isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience.

So that's my plan today. I'm going to seek after God hard, work on my character and strive to be obey to God's direction. Why don't you join me?

Ah... Spring Is In The Air

A time when men's fancy turns to belly button revealing girls.....enjoying the outdoors.....

Vocabulary Lesson

This is really strange.... I don't understand it, but over the last couple years I seem to be getting more and more afraid of myself.

I'm not sure, but I may be coming down with a case of peladophobia....



(No, I'm not going to tell you.  Look it up, lazy!  I mean, you do have the internet.)

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste........

Last week I decided it was time to pressure wash my drive and sidewalks.  It's not alot of fun, but it does give you 3-4 hours to yourself.  Time to think, as you really can't listen to music or talk on the phone with all the engine noise....

Yep, the perfect time to examine your life and make adjustments to any bad habits that have crept up; a time to pray and spend time with God; a time to reassess goals for the year and measure success' and failures.  You know, be productive....

That all sounds well and good, doesn't it?  Well, here's just a small, unsolicitated peek into my thoughts during that valuable 3-4 hours of time...... Okay, should I clean across the sidewalk, or go with it?  Hmmm, I think it's coming cleaner if I take smaller strokes and move the wand faster.  Yeah, kinda like that.  That seems to be working okay.  What a beautiful day to be working outside.  This is great.  Thanks God for the time to spend with you.  Boy, would I love to be playing golf right now.  I know what I need to do now.  Take the club straight back, not jerk it inside.  Then keep the elbow in, maintain a good path, don't be casting my wrists at the bottom of the swing. That's why I keep hitting it fat.  I KNOW I can be a better golfer.  I've just got to practice more.

I wonder if these neighbors going by are saying, "What a guy!  He sure keeps his place looking great.  I'm really glad to have Terry as a neighbor.  He really takes pride in his property."  No, they're probably saying, "Well, it's about time.  His place was really looking shabby....".  God, it's so good to have time to talk with you.  I really want to spend some quality time in your presence.... Ow! What was that?  Oh, I guess it was just a leaf falling and hit me in the neck.  So, where was I?  Hmmm, this section is larger. I wonder if I should change the cleaning pattern and take larger strokes..... My arm and back are starting to get a little tired.  I've really got some business calls to make before the day's over.... wonder what time it is and how long I've been out here.  This gas is really going down fast.

You know what?  It's really easy to get distracted out here with my thoughts and not really focus on anything but daydreaming... I wonder if everybody does this, or it's just me.  I wonder if this would be something I can blog about?  Naw... nobody would be interested enough to even finish reading something like that....

Do You Need Something To Think About?

If you do, here's a few to keep you going for a little while anyhow..... If you don't... forget I even brought them up.

• If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
• If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
• Would a fly without wings be a walk?
• When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?
• Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
• If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

and while I'm at it.....

• If you shoot a mime, do you need a silencer?

Winter

Winter means different things to different people, doesn't it.  I just flew up to Iowa to visit my father for a long weekend.  And, of course, they WOULD wait to have the second snow of the year right after I get here.

To me, being transplanted to Florida for so long, the snow is beautiful and I enjoy standing outside and just looking up.  (Kind of like a tourist in New York City.  I guess pick pockets are probably on the rise in Iowa during snow storms.... catch your mark while he's mesmerized by the snow.....)  It keeps the economy strong.

My dad and brothers could go all year without seeing it as it just means shoveling, scraping and sliding cars.  Not something they find that beautiful.  To each his own I guess.  Life is full of perspectives.

Two thoughts --  1) keep life in perspective today and focus on the positive; and 2) don't forget that other people are not "wrong" because they have a different perspective than you do.

Success Is Not An Accident

I"m trusting that you've gotten off to a great start in 2012 and the Lord is blessing you with incredible success. 


I'm reading "Success Is Not An Accident", by Tommy Newberry. Below are a few of his thoughts that might be worth pondering......

• High achievers are motivated by pleasurable outcomes. Underachievers are motivated by pleasurable methods.

• Living on purpose requires deliberately deciding in advance how you are going to grow more like the person God wants you to become.

• Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him.

• When you take responsibility for your actions, accept that life isn't fair, get rid of excuses, become a doer, and develop an abundance mentality, you will break down many of the barriers keeping you from true success.

I needed to be reminded of some of these things as I move toward accomplishing my goals for 2012.  It can be so easy to allow short term gratification to get in the way of long term results......

I pray you are successful TODAY!

Fireflies

Do you remember catching fireflies at night when you were a kid?  We all did it, right?  Well, except the kids west of the Rockies..... fireflies do not exist west of the Rockies.  What a sad childhood those kids must have had....

There are 1,900 variety of fireflies in the world, with 200 located in the United States.  Did you know that each variety of firefly has it's own unique signal or "Morse code" used to communicate with it's own.  The males are able to look across the field and find their mate just by following the signal given by the females light pattern.  The females don't fly, but climb up a weed, flower or branch and wait for their mate to come.  They typically live two weeks, mate and die...... what a shame.

Additionally, 97% of the firefly's illumination is light and 3% is heat.  Compare that to the standard light bulb, that is just the opposite -- 3% illumination and 97% heat......

My point is this -- Do we have the most incredible creator or what?

If God spent as much time on fireflies as he did creating it's variety and unique signals, just think of the thought he put into you and me.  No wonder he let's us live 70 years plus, instead of two weeks.  He wants to show off his human creation to the world just a little bit longer.

And boy, when he makes something,he does it right.  If only he would have made the light bulb... I'm sure they would have been much more efficient.

Oh, and tell your kids not to worry about putting grass in the jar when they catch them, because they really don't eat.  Two weeks to live and a lot to do... no time for food.

I Guess Three Feet is Enough......

I've never done this before..... I've never cared for a pet from birth to death. Never had a pet that I loved hard and long enough to call family. Never had a pet that wormed it's way into my heart and brought such joy, fun and laughter..... until Honey Bear. Somehow his birth certificate read "Sweet Honey Bear II". But we knew him as "Honey Bear". (The "Bear" part I added, after I refused to let my daughter name a male dog just "Honey".)

I've never had to bury a pet before. I don't know, two feet deep? Surely not 4-5.... I guess three is enough. I know I have to do this. No way am I leaving him with the vet to "dispose of". This guy deserves a prominent place in our backyard. A place we can remember him each time we go back there.

Each time we see that spot we can enjoy a flashback....like when he was a baby and we were watching him eat to the bottom of his dish, his hind legs coming off the ground as he strained for those last few bites. Or the times he would get so excited to ride in the car or take a walk on "the trail", knowing this time he was finally going to catch that biker. Or when we watched our friends enjoy seeing his frenzied excitement as he was told it was time for his "walk". The spinning and barking from an otherwise mild mannered dog was a real treat.

I guess what I'll miss most of all are the quiet evenings of snuggling up beside me, or sleeping in my lap as I read the paper or watched television. I'll miss the head popping up at the front window as I pull up the drive, waiting for the garage door to rise. I won't have anybody run to the door as I come in, saying "Alright, Terry's home! I've been waiting all day for you!" (No, my wife doesn't do that... does yours?)

Yes, three feet is enough. As I gently lay my best friend to rest, his full eight pounds seems just a little bit heavier this morning. I guess it's okay to cry. After all, our vet did......

Today I've lost one of the most loyal, loving and obedient friends I've ever had. You are loved Honey Bear, and will be sorely missed and never forgotten. Rest in peace Big Guy.

A One Inch Nose Hair!!!

Okay, it wasn't one inch, but it might as well have been.... How do those things grow like that out of nowhere? I look in the mirror in the morning and all is well, and later in the day here's one single nose hair shooting out of my right nostril, apparently trying to become the start of an unwanted mustache.

Once I hit 50, it's like all of the sudden my nose hairs can't stand the dark. They're all competing to be the first ones out. You know what I'm talking about...... You sit across from a guy at lunch who never trims his nose. You wonder if he's aware of it and doesn't care, or if he's oblivious to that bouquet. You try to keep eye contact, but find yourself glancing down about two inches. You just KNOW you saw it move, but weren't sure.

I don't understand it. You can do your best to trim them up before you go out for the evening, and somehow one "strong-willed" hair waits to pop out as soon as you begin meeting your friends. I figure I have two options -- use a finger and try to stuff it back up my nose until later where I can deal with it in private, or get a good grip and pull. (Note: if you don't want to appear to be "sensitive", don't use second option.)

I thought maybe a long-term answer was to try and pour wax up my nose while standing on my head. Don't try it.... it only leaves you gasping for breath and swallowing hot wax....

Okay, I'm done with my rant. This over 50 thing is NOT what it's cracked up to be..... Hey, is that a new hair on my ear?!?!?!? 

Peacock Poop

Isn't it amazing what we can learn from our pets? I have a 14 year-old Yorkie named Honey Bear that is constantly teaching me things. I also have a neighborhood peacock that loves to spend a large part of his morning in my back yard. Apparently it's a great place for his "morning constitution". This is where our lesson begins.....

For some reason, God created dogs to smell and eat poop.... So when I let Honey out into the backyard, he has one goal in mind..... to find peacock poop. Unfortunately for him, he has no system. He just wanders through the yard, serpentining here and there, to and fro, back and forth, yon and der... (okay, I ran out). Since we have a pretty big yard, he spends a long time out there and rarely finds his "goal for the day".

That made me think about my approach to achieving MY goal for each day. How do I go about finding my "peacock poop" for the day? Do I have a system or plan? Do I wander through the day and hope that I run across the right people I need to help me succeed? Do I think that I can just go through my day with my mind wandering and think I'm going to magically come up with a great solution to a company problem? Do I think I am going to effectively serve others or communicate with God today just by chance?

Of course not! Our personal growth does not just happen. We MUST be intentional with our day. We must live each day directing our thoughts and actions to have purpose.

I challenge you today to take control of your thoughts and actions. Use your time wisely and purposefully today. Don't be random. Be intentional. And I hope you have loftier goals than Honey Bear.