Just Wondering

I am not a gambler but I held out hope of having an actual and substantial financial gain occur in my life. To date this has not happened. I watch reality TV about families winning expensive vacations, homes and other financial rewards. Why is it never me?


The pessimistic side of me falls back on the adage, “born a day late and dollar short.” This does not prevent me from being a patriotic respectful person in spite of all tragedies I have experienced. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth; in fact struggle was my childhood lot in life. Thank God my parents and family weren’t complainers about their lot in life. I was shielded from despondency on these matters because of an instilled faith in a God who has an eternal plan for me.

My attention to being on “the short end of the stick” comes from observation of those who are selected winners of valuable prizes without much more than a submission of an entry. Herein is the problem. Entry forms are basically a hoax for all losers to provide personal information for future solicitations. They have an agenda of participation that will cost the entrant. Ultimately I believe ever winner of substantial gain will have hidden costs, i.e., taxes.

I remember two occasions as a pre-teen when I entered a sweepstakes. I was more than hopeful of my name being selected as a winner. Was it an impure or false faith?

The first was for a bicycle from a local Sears’s store. I stood anxiously by as they drew a name from the large container of submissions. Well, as you can probably guess it wasn’t my number. Disappointment filled my being as I walked away feeling like a loser.

The second occasion was when a small local shoe store was accepting entries for a brand new go-cart. This was the rage of the time for young boys. It had a wow factor. Every week I walked to town to admire this fine machine. When they finally posted the winner it was not my name. I am of the opinion that this one was a scam to attract business.

As I grew older the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes envelopes were filling our mailbox. I again had hopes of winning the million dollars or new home, maybe even a lesser prize. For years I would enter only to have my hopes dashed after the announced deadlines with nobody showing up with balloons and cameras at my doorstep. I even bought magazines hoping to improve my chance of becoming a winner. NOTHIN!

In my 65 plus years on earth I have learned that winning a fortune is pretty slim to mostly none. The odds are stacked against me. But I do have good health and awesome family and friends to always be there. My hope cannot be in a decision of man but must rest in my eternal Heavenly Father who has invested in me for my future with Him. I strive for the prize of the high calling of God (Phil. 3:14). I will acknowledge that I have experienced priceless rewards in my spirit through fulfilling the call of God on my life. He is true and faithful and able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think (Eph.3:20).

My dependency is not on the sinful nature of man. I must look to my source. My source is my Lord.

Expressions of Disgust (Pet Peeves)

As I have accepted or encountered certain situations in my recent life there is a tendency for me to be more vocal in stating my opinions. Maybe there is a measure of insensitivity (I don’t care) towards what others think. My feelings have hardened to allow me to truly express my views.


Do I dare write on these issues and declare my perspective? What will the repercussions be? How many offenses will I bring? I know many will be offended at certain stances I take.

Would this be wrong to express in writing my opinions? I think not. They have long been in my silent mind. It is a liberty that each individual has in this nation (at least so far). These voicing’s are not meant to bring personal harm to anyone; however, I will accept the fact that they will be offended by the content of my message. There is and will be reciprocation accordingly. They too will offend me in some of their raucous rants. Please do not read this with the idea that I think of myself more “holier than thou.”

I have always believed myself to be one who accepted opinions of others although at times I silently disagreed with them. This was a failure on my part to express opinion for fear of reprisal or someone might stop liking me. (Sometimes they probably never liked me in the first place.) It is so true that you cannot make everybody happy at the same time.

And so, what are my pet peeves?

A current rage or trend has gripped many. I do not believe our body should become a canvas for painting billboard material that is permanent, i.e., tattoos. I don’t like them. I suggest wearing a garment that carries their message. I will not dislike the person who has such décor on their person but I don’t have to like the “art.” The purpose and content do not affect my opinion. The body need not be dishonored in such fashion.

Bodily piercings that are carried to extremes takes me to the primitive tribes of our world. What now is the point of such piercings? The initial pain--- is it worth it. No part of the human body seems to be immune from such irreverent holes and adornment. Is the adornment that pretty?

What about clothing? Well, mostly it is a lack of adequate covering when in public places. Pornography becomes three dimensional. No wonder there is such sexual violence when attire attracts the predator like bait in a trap for an animal.

The balance of respect for elders is clearly gone. The youth have not been educated about the contributions made by their ancestors. Honor is disregarded.

Movie language is awful. Films made today contain so much cursing and foul language it becomes an offense to my ears. This is aside from the sexual aspects portrayed in so many top box office movies. And people pay big bucks to go see them! Yikes!

There is a disregard for the role of spiritual matters in everyday living. Too many just cry out to God when there is adversity. No time for God. We must find balance in our lives.

Discouragement Overruled by Encouragement

Yep.... it happens to all of us, discouragement.

How do we overcome such situations to become encouraged? I have found that shutting down my mind and focusing only on the cause of the discouragment only tends to increase it. Friends and family can certainly contribute to bringing me out of the doldrums of discouragement.

The Scripture tells us we should "encourage one another daily." This is certainly an interesting point. Obviously God knew discouraging times would come and He made provision through this inspired declaration that we should encourage one another.

Be encouraged my friends! God does care, cast your cares upon Him.

What to Write . . . .

May has approached its exit for 2011 and I have not been too inspired to write on this blog.


I have been rather busy and a bit exhausted with computer work on my job. This might explain my neglect of posting something. Now I have become like so many procrastinators, making excuses for not doing something.

I do have a certain level of passion to write more but there are so many other life issues that occupy my time. Many of them are of higher priority.

Well, it’s time to move on in an attempt a composition of some value to take space on my blog. But what subject do I address? Can I continue my therapy on recovery from the hurts of the past? Nah, don’t want to go there since I am healed and blessed. I need to quit picking at the scar tissue.

There is the possibility of reviewing some other notes I have accumulated over the years and picking a topic to write about. I really can’t be sure what at this point in time. Guess it will remain to be seen what my next choice of discussion will be here.

Stay tuned.

My View

The event of the demise of Osama bin Laden has given occasion to much commentary. Amongst such remarks there has been fierce exchange of words on his swift execution and the interrelated matters. And thus I will add my perspective. ---- Thanks for the freedom of speech and press! Reign on!

The report of his death through our government agencies is the opinion I concur with. An evil plotting person has been expunged from our world. The lengthy time period and process of finding the deranged bin Laden has had its ups and downs. There has been much ado about the whole process that led to his execution by the U.S. Navy Seal Team 6. I applaud the execution of their duty.

Controversy surrounds this event because of the jihad element. Religious overtones are ingrained in the terrorist movement that hides behind the cloak of religious conviction and interpretation of the Quran. I can respect the opposing opinions of persons; however, I expect the same respect for my opposing opinion. The heart of a man must be changed or he will maintain his same opinion.

A man who would hide in his compound and secretly deploy personnel to dismantle our freedom is not deserving of breathing the air. His cowardice is evident. His tactics through al Qaeda or the Taliban are best described as ruthless. They place no value to anyone opposed to their religious or political views. I know we cannot clump all Muslims in his barrel, nor can we likewise clump Christians in one barrel. Radical elements exist in all facets of society.

We are often attacked for stating strong opinions on biblical based morality. There is the implication and misunderstanding that we are merely moronic Bible thumpers. This description of my stance on issues is  as offensive to me as any statement I issue on controversial matters that possibly offends those of another position.

A man must examine his own heart and motives. He must decide as an individual whether to believe in God. That is his free moral choice. If I choose to believe in God, then I should be respected as a fellow sojourner on earth and not live in fear of retribution because I believe differently. However, do not impose your rules on me as I will not impose mine on you.

This argument does go deeper than just the surface of man’s laws. It becomes a matter of heart and an awakening of man’s soul and spirit. Conversion is a decision. A hardened heart will not absorb compassion. Agape (God Love) must prevail if humanity continues to thrive. Purpose of existence must be fixed in the individual’s mind if they are to present a viable argument.

I hold to the view of the veracity of the Bible and the precepts set therein. I choose to have faith in a God who loves me and demonstrated grace and mercy to me. My judgment call will acquiesce to Him as the final court of appeal. No man needs to die in such fashion as bin Laden, he had his days of mercy and grace; he simply chose another course.

Terrorism will continue because man is essentially lost without a savior to direct. I must hold to the hope of my salvation for eternity. I cannot shove my faith down your throat with words or weapons; you will make your own choice.

CHANGE CHALLENGES

The last few days have been filled with change.


Sometimes change is good. Other times change is difficult.

On Thursday evening we were with the grieving family of Helen Jones for the viewing. The body was there and peaceful looking, but we know her soul had gone to be at rest with her LORD.

Friday (Good Friday) was the memorial service for Helen with a chapel service and internment after. I hope and pray that my words about her life and service were adequate enough. Many of the family stated so. I felt honored to officiate for the services.

Saturday we rested and did only necessary things. A trip to Lowe’s for closet repair items and sprinkler system changes took several hours of our time.

On Sunday we awoke early to get to church and serve our first official Team Leaders duties of the First Impressions Team for two worship services. It was awesome to serve and greet arrivals for worship. The house was packed for the 9 am service (over 1,000) and almost packed for the 11 am service. We left the church about one pm and finally determined were to go for lunch. We had breakfast at Denny’s in Selma about two pm and then decided to venture to Fresno. Traffic was very light—almost everything was closed, surprise!

Back at home we chilled together and prepared for the week.

Now I am back to work and the remodeling of the front office has everything in disarray. Stuff is everywhere and nowhere. Boy! Talk about unorganized and chaos. All but one of management was absent on Monday. Not the way to run a business! Ah, but who am I to judge. I must just roll with the punches and smile, keeping the spirit of Christ.

Today I am notified by my supervisor that my grant notice must be done for 2011 FY and we haven’t got the FY 2010 approval notice yet. The new request is due June 8. Don’t make any sense to me. It is Tuesday and the remodel is still underway. We will make it. I refuse to let it break me or crush my spirit.

Loosing Good Neighbors

Our neighbors across the street have moved. It is so difficult to face their absence. It is really too bad that their lender wouldn’t work with them. House prices have really dropped many of us under the bus. Being upside down on one’s equity is really mind boggling. These are such a young couple with a small child to have to face such crisis.


We are in anxiety over who will be moving in. They had to walk away like so many have done lately. I completed understand their predicament and respect their decision regardless of how we feel. I know we will keep in contact. They moved just a short distance away.

I hope we can establish some descent rapport with the new residents. The home is really nice but will now need some work before being sold or rented.