Twice today, rainy day that it is, I have been greeted with "Nasty day, isn't it?" To which I responded the first time as I flung my arms wide as though to receive the rain with joy, to accept it for the blessing that it is, "It's a wonderful day, and I am thankful to have lived long enough to see it!" The interrogator smiled and said, "Have a great day!" That's the spirit.
String Too Short to Tie
Friday, April 25, 2025
That's the Spirit!
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Be Kind to the Elderly
People make fun of old guys, asking, Why do they wear their belt so close to the armpits? I am an elderly gentleman, not to mention an old guy, not to put too fine a point on it. Life's experiences and empirical evidence may serve us well in this case, and since you have not lived long enough to observe it yourself, I will tell you why.
Stick with me.People of a certain age (mine) tended to buy quality items "back in the day." These things virtually never wear out. Also, many old people endured hard times as they clawed their way through the world and "waste not, want not" became their mantra. I am still wearing slacks and sweaters, suits, even, that I bought when I was, as you might describe yourself, "middle-aged." They are still good. Would I go out and fritter away my hard-earned wherewithal on new? I think you know the answer to that.
Now an interesting if not marvelous thing tends to occur in the human physique as it ages. The elderly shrink as they get older, and the older they get the more they shrink. Observation, empirical evidence. Case, the first person. I, in my younger day, stood six foot three. If I straighten my spine against a wall and stand tall (yet flat-footed) the tape will catch me at just. . . just barely, six feet even. You do not have to have a degree in astrophysics to understand that my pants are too long. And both the solution and the answer to the original question is evident.
Thank you for asking; and thank you for your patience.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Joy
The magi followed the star with joy! Matthew 2
Q- What is this joy?
A- God is love. Love wins.
Q- What is the key to this joy?
A- The key to joy is trusting God. Surrender to His will. It is that simple
Q- What is this joy I gain?
A- The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Neh. 8:10) In Him I delight.
Q- What is the will of God?
A- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself."
Q- What is grace?
A- Grace is going out of ones way to help someone who does not deserve it and did not earn it.
Q- How far does God go to extend grace to us?
A- We cannot imagine how far Christ, the Creator of all things, went out of His way, assuming finite human flesh, dying a cruel and inhumane death, to extend His grace to us.
Q- What must we do to receive His grace?
A- "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
Q- What must we give to God in return for this salvation?
A- Withhold nothing; give Him your all. Submit to His will.
" It is not the teaching of the Scriptures that grace makes us free to do evil.
Rather, it sets us free to do good." A.W. Tozer
Friday, November 22, 2024
My Little Sister
Oh, rain, rain, rain.
The baby said
It's gonna rain!
She cried from her bed.
The lightning flashed
It's gonna rain!
The thunder roared
It's gonna rain!
She shouted from her bed
Her mama raised up her head
Said go to sleep.
Oh, rain, rain, rain, rain.
And the baby said
It's gonna rain.
And mama stood beside the bed
Do that again I'll have to spank.
And the lightning flashed
And the baby said IT'S GONNA *whispered* rain.
And baby said
It's! (Whispered from her bed) gonna rain.
------Eighty-four years ago
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Within Which I Save Short Pieces
She was sitting on the sidewalk, legs spraddled, chin down, obviously wracked by drug abuse and dissipation.
He walked by and in disdain saw the town he grew up in falling into ruin. "I need to get out of this degenerate place."
She walked by, shook her head and thought, "Sad. How can young people do that to themselves.?"
Jesus looked down and saw one of his children, broken and in ruin, desperately in need of help. "I must send one of my servants to minister to her needs."
You approach the frail, dirty girl there on the sidewalk. . .
*******************"+
the winter that never ends
and it's no pants day
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Monday, September 2, 2024
For Labor Day
I would to ashes it reduce
And let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow"