Our Daily Bread
When asked the question: "if you could do one thing and knew that you absolutely would not fail, what would it be?" I replied: "Negotiate world peace". The rest of the folks in the room were saying "How do you top that?" hehehe The point was not to "one up" each other with our responses!
We all watch the news or read it online. We all know peace is so difficult to negotiate and to maintain within disagreeing parties. We all know how peace is difficult to find and maintain in our own minds and hearts. Why is that?
The Bible tells us that true peace is only achieved through a healthy relationship with God. Check out John 14:25-31, the scripture lesson for today. What a great promise!
Lord, please help us to seek peace on this earth!
Teaching Tuesday
I haven't had a chance to read my D1 lesson yet. I know it is our first lesson in the New Testament. I will write about it next week.
Other Stuff
Mi tigre fixed a nice, healthy dinner last night. I eat much better when he is around! I am sure that will be a priority for us as we talk on the phone after he leaves tomorrow. I need to keep this up! I had a meeting at church. We watched a movie after I got home. It was nice cuddling on the couch watching the movie!
We are going to make the most of his last night in Cbus. We will miss each other terribly, but will rest in the fact that this is only the beginning for our relationship. It will be an amazing ride!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
No matter what
Our Daily Bread
There is a contemporary Christian song called No Matter What by Kerrie Roberts. It seems to come on first each time I attach my iPod to my car stereo. I usually need to hear it! Like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, it is easy to forget God when things are going well!
The devotional talks about how God is with us during every moment of our lives -- both the good and not so good times. We can rely on his promises at all times, though we might not actually believe he will keep his promises. I am guilty of that.
What are you "not believing" today?
Lord, help us always believe in your promises and in your love.
Movie Monday
Mi tigre and I went to see the movie A Man on a Ledge yesterday afternoon. I wasn't that impressed with the movie when I saw the previews. I was mistaken. The movie was suspenseful. It had action. It had a "good guy wins in the end" kind of theme that kept you rooting for the good guy. I really enjoyed it.
I give it two bear paws for the story line and action. See it at the movie theater to get the full effect of the ledge!
Other Stuff
Mi tigre and I had a great weekend. I had such a good time. He is staying a few more days before he has to travel back home. We are making the most of the last few days of his visit. I am so thankful that I met such a kind, sweet man. I am looking forward to what the future brings for us.
I had another workout on Saturday. I need to work harder on the workouts. I will try harder this week. I noticed that I lost three pounds in the last week since mi tigre came to visit. He has gently encouraged me to eat better and has cooked several healthy meals for me. I really appreciate that.
I will be getting back to my normal routine on Wednesday.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
There is a contemporary Christian song called No Matter What by Kerrie Roberts. It seems to come on first each time I attach my iPod to my car stereo. I usually need to hear it! Like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, it is easy to forget God when things are going well!
The devotional talks about how God is with us during every moment of our lives -- both the good and not so good times. We can rely on his promises at all times, though we might not actually believe he will keep his promises. I am guilty of that.
What are you "not believing" today?
Lord, help us always believe in your promises and in your love.
Movie Monday
Mi tigre and I went to see the movie A Man on a Ledge yesterday afternoon. I wasn't that impressed with the movie when I saw the previews. I was mistaken. The movie was suspenseful. It had action. It had a "good guy wins in the end" kind of theme that kept you rooting for the good guy. I really enjoyed it.
I give it two bear paws for the story line and action. See it at the movie theater to get the full effect of the ledge!
Other Stuff
Mi tigre and I had a great weekend. I had such a good time. He is staying a few more days before he has to travel back home. We are making the most of the last few days of his visit. I am so thankful that I met such a kind, sweet man. I am looking forward to what the future brings for us.
I had another workout on Saturday. I need to work harder on the workouts. I will try harder this week. I noticed that I lost three pounds in the last week since mi tigre came to visit. He has gently encouraged me to eat better and has cooked several healthy meals for me. I really appreciate that.
I will be getting back to my normal routine on Wednesday.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Special Report
OK, I know I haven't been writing very much the past few days. I am enjoying the visit from mi tigre very much. We went to church today and then to the movies. He made some amazing beef and mushroom burgers for lunch. We are chillaxing tonight. Will write more tomorrow!
Let go, my friends! God will catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Let go, my friends! God will catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Don't judge now!
Our Daily Bread
One of the silliest shows on television, IMHO, is a show called Reno 911. The humor is raw and silly and often naughty. They made the show into a movie a few years ago placing the officers in Miami. When one of the rather bottom heavy ladies got funny looks walking down the beach in a thong, she said over and over "Don't hate now!" Ha!
The message for children of God is to not hate and not judge. We have all met church folks that are less than kind and less than supportive. They seem to use church to feed their own egos and selfish needs. Who needs to be around people like that? Well, again IMHO, we need to talk people where they are and love them like Christ loves them. It is not easy, just like it is not always easy to love me! I can be a handful! hehehe
Lord, help us to always love, always look at others like you do.
Simply Saturday
The visit is going well. Mi tigre arrived on Tuesday night. I worked Wednesday and then took off Thursday and Friday. We had some friends over for dinner Thursday night and had a nice time. I had some tentative plans for Friday that worked out great. I took him to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He figured it out as we drove the two hours there. We will stop by Canton some other time for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ;-p
We had a great time in Cleveland. I found it interesting that we have about the same attention span! hehehe We looked at each other after a few hours and said "I am ready to go!". ha! I took him on a "slice of life" tour down Route 83. It cuts through the tree of my life. I pointed out the areas I lived as a kid and young adult. We took Route 83 from Interstate 90 down to Interstate 71 and drove back to Columbus. We didn't visit my family. We will do that another time.
I was a little embarrassed at the time, but I shared a side of me that most folks never see. I stopped by my grandparents' graves for a minute. I needed to talk to Grandma to tell her "I met someone..." Mi tigre was very sweet when talked about it in the car. February 14, 2012 is the tenth anniversary of her death. Grandpa would have been 100 this year if he was still alive.
So where is the relationship going? We will see. I know I care about mi tigre very much. He is the first man I have ever known that accepts me for who I am and encourages me to be me. He is supportive and not pushy. Please pray for us as we figure out our relationship., I am not sure if he is going to church with me tomorrow. I am being like him -- supportive and not pushy. Yes, I can really do that! hehehe I know I am very good at being pushy. I am also very good at being supportive.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
One of the silliest shows on television, IMHO, is a show called Reno 911. The humor is raw and silly and often naughty. They made the show into a movie a few years ago placing the officers in Miami. When one of the rather bottom heavy ladies got funny looks walking down the beach in a thong, she said over and over "Don't hate now!" Ha!
The message for children of God is to not hate and not judge. We have all met church folks that are less than kind and less than supportive. They seem to use church to feed their own egos and selfish needs. Who needs to be around people like that? Well, again IMHO, we need to talk people where they are and love them like Christ loves them. It is not easy, just like it is not always easy to love me! I can be a handful! hehehe
Lord, help us to always love, always look at others like you do.
Simply Saturday
The visit is going well. Mi tigre arrived on Tuesday night. I worked Wednesday and then took off Thursday and Friday. We had some friends over for dinner Thursday night and had a nice time. I had some tentative plans for Friday that worked out great. I took him to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He figured it out as we drove the two hours there. We will stop by Canton some other time for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ;-p
We had a great time in Cleveland. I found it interesting that we have about the same attention span! hehehe We looked at each other after a few hours and said "I am ready to go!". ha! I took him on a "slice of life" tour down Route 83. It cuts through the tree of my life. I pointed out the areas I lived as a kid and young adult. We took Route 83 from Interstate 90 down to Interstate 71 and drove back to Columbus. We didn't visit my family. We will do that another time.
I was a little embarrassed at the time, but I shared a side of me that most folks never see. I stopped by my grandparents' graves for a minute. I needed to talk to Grandma to tell her "I met someone..." Mi tigre was very sweet when talked about it in the car. February 14, 2012 is the tenth anniversary of her death. Grandpa would have been 100 this year if he was still alive.
So where is the relationship going? We will see. I know I care about mi tigre very much. He is the first man I have ever known that accepts me for who I am and encourages me to be me. He is supportive and not pushy. Please pray for us as we figure out our relationship., I am not sure if he is going to church with me tomorrow. I am being like him -- supportive and not pushy. Yes, I can really do that! hehehe I know I am very good at being pushy. I am also very good at being supportive.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Out with the Old?
Our Daily Bread
I can testify today! Yes I can! hehehe The devotional for today talks about how valuable and meaningful reading the Old Testament can be to us as believers. I can testify to that!
I studied some of the Old Testament in the Disciple 2 class I took last year. We read and glazed over a lot more of it in the Disciple 1 class I took this year. Though I find lots of the Old Testament scary and strange, I understood exactly that the author of the devotion said -- the OT teaches us about life with God! I found myself relating over and over to the "human" nature of the people of Israel. Listen to God, don't listen to God, repeat over and over. I learned about the heartache that God feels (at least in my simple mind) when we turn away from him. Wow! I learned about the nature of God! What will you learn?
Lord, more to be desired than gold is your Word!
Witness Wednesday
I have a visitor in for a little while. We enjoyed our first evening together last night. Life with him seems to natural. We will see if we both feel that way during and after the visit! I teased him that we will play it by ear on how long he stays. We both may be total b(*&(^ to live with! hehehe I adore this man, but I will listen to my mind and heart as we spend time together. I could really fall for mi tigre.
Other Stuff
As I mentioned above, mi tigre arrived at my house last night. We had a nice evening of talking and hanging out. I am looking forward to tonight so I can spend more time with him.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I can testify today! Yes I can! hehehe The devotional for today talks about how valuable and meaningful reading the Old Testament can be to us as believers. I can testify to that!
I studied some of the Old Testament in the Disciple 2 class I took last year. We read and glazed over a lot more of it in the Disciple 1 class I took this year. Though I find lots of the Old Testament scary and strange, I understood exactly that the author of the devotion said -- the OT teaches us about life with God! I found myself relating over and over to the "human" nature of the people of Israel. Listen to God, don't listen to God, repeat over and over. I learned about the heartache that God feels (at least in my simple mind) when we turn away from him. Wow! I learned about the nature of God! What will you learn?
Lord, more to be desired than gold is your Word!
Witness Wednesday
I have a visitor in for a little while. We enjoyed our first evening together last night. Life with him seems to natural. We will see if we both feel that way during and after the visit! I teased him that we will play it by ear on how long he stays. We both may be total b(*&(^ to live with! hehehe I adore this man, but I will listen to my mind and heart as we spend time together. I could really fall for mi tigre.
Other Stuff
As I mentioned above, mi tigre arrived at my house last night. We had a nice evening of talking and hanging out. I am looking forward to tonight so I can spend more time with him.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Outside and Inside...
Our Daily Bread
One of the biggest complaints I hear about church people and the most common excuse for not going to church is "churches are filled with hypocrites". Yes, if we identify ourselves as children of God that attend church and try to do God's will, people will expect a different standard of behavior from us! This reminds me of the joke I have with my minister about wearing our church t-shirt: "it means I have to be nice to people so I don't embarrass the name of the church!".
The religious leaders of the church in the time of Jesus were accused of being many things like cups that were clean on the outside only or tombs that looked pretty from the outside. Inside was a different story! Jesus accuses them in public forums of their behavior. No wonder he wasn't that popular in the religious realms!
Jesus calls us today to be the best we can be. Not only for us, but to lead others to him.
Lord, help us always be the witness for you that we need to be!
Teaching Tuesday
The lesson this week was about the transition time between the Old Testament and the coming of Jesus. We studied Esther and Jonah. God wanted me to get something profound out of the Jonah story because Sunday's sermon was about Jonah! Wow! I did learn something! Take a look at the books of Esther and Jonah. There are some very cool stories.
Other Stuff
I did a few things around the house last night before driving back to church. I had the first meeting of the FOGG group (Fabulous older gay guys). I came up with the idea and was a little nervous about staring the group. We had a good first meeting. I am excited about the future meetings.
I talked to mi tigre after the group meeting. He was finalizing his preparations for his trip to visit me. He called this morning to say he is on his way! I am very excited. I am trying not to be nervous. This situation is new to me in several ways. I will do my best to turn it over to God and just relax. Be my charming self. ;-p
My great-nephew is having surgery today. I will post how the little guy comes through surgery. I can't imagine having open heart surgery at four months of age. He had a birth defect that needs to be repaired.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
One of the biggest complaints I hear about church people and the most common excuse for not going to church is "churches are filled with hypocrites". Yes, if we identify ourselves as children of God that attend church and try to do God's will, people will expect a different standard of behavior from us! This reminds me of the joke I have with my minister about wearing our church t-shirt: "it means I have to be nice to people so I don't embarrass the name of the church!".
The religious leaders of the church in the time of Jesus were accused of being many things like cups that were clean on the outside only or tombs that looked pretty from the outside. Inside was a different story! Jesus accuses them in public forums of their behavior. No wonder he wasn't that popular in the religious realms!
Jesus calls us today to be the best we can be. Not only for us, but to lead others to him.
Lord, help us always be the witness for you that we need to be!
Teaching Tuesday
The lesson this week was about the transition time between the Old Testament and the coming of Jesus. We studied Esther and Jonah. God wanted me to get something profound out of the Jonah story because Sunday's sermon was about Jonah! Wow! I did learn something! Take a look at the books of Esther and Jonah. There are some very cool stories.
Other Stuff
I did a few things around the house last night before driving back to church. I had the first meeting of the FOGG group (Fabulous older gay guys). I came up with the idea and was a little nervous about staring the group. We had a good first meeting. I am excited about the future meetings.
I talked to mi tigre after the group meeting. He was finalizing his preparations for his trip to visit me. He called this morning to say he is on his way! I am very excited. I am trying not to be nervous. This situation is new to me in several ways. I will do my best to turn it over to God and just relax. Be my charming self. ;-p
My great-nephew is having surgery today. I will post how the little guy comes through surgery. I can't imagine having open heart surgery at four months of age. He had a birth defect that needs to be repaired.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Don't forget...
Our Daily Bread
While studying the Old Testament in the Disciple 1 and 2 classes at church, I am always amazed about how forgetful the people of Israel are when it comes to the things that God did for them. They turn from him in many ways including worshiping false gods. As we say in Kentucky "That just ain't right!" Please note that there are a lot more syllables in those words when I speak my Kentucky accent! hehehe
The devotional talks about how Moses told the people of Israel about the land of milk and honey. How they would live abundantly. God promises us the same things today if we love him and follow him. We may not have all we want, but he will provide (or empower us to obtain) all we need. How cool is that!
From my life experience, I see myself acting like the people of Israel. It is only human nature. We forget God when things are going well. In essence, we should always acknowledge and praise and worship the Lord in all circumstances. I mentioned in D1 class a few weeks ago: "What does it matter what circumstances we are facing if we know that God is with us?" That is not an easy thing to say or to live!
Lord, thank you for being with us at all times. We know that if you seem far away it is because we moved, not you!
Movie Monday
I got to see two movies last week: Joyful Noise and Contraband.
Joyful Noise
This movie was exactly what I expected -- fun and uplifting! It also had some tender moments and some very, very funny moments! The story is about a great church choir that seems to lose in the regional finals each year and never makes it to the national competition. Their small town is dying and the choir is the one bright spot for the folks there. They get their big break to compete at nationals. You have to see the movie to see what happens! I loved the music even though I am not a huge fan of using pop music in a worship situation. Like the Sister Act movies, they made it tasteful and they made it work. Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah were very good together and apart.
I give this movie three bear paws for the overall experience. You can rent it if you like. There is nothing spectacular about seeing it in the theater except the sound and very large screen for the show pieces.
Contraband
Mark Wahlberg starred in this movie about an ex-smuggler gone straight that gets pulled back into his old life when his brother-in-law gets in trouble with his old cronies. The story seems typical, but there are enough twists and turns that make it very interesting towards the end. There are lots of explosions and action as well.
I give this movie two bear paws for the action and plot twists. You can watch this at home unless you want to see the explosions on a big screen!
Other Stuff
I had a busy weekend that was capped off with church yesterday and a long board meeting. I wrote up the minutes from the meeting as soon as I got home so I wouldn't forget our conversations when transcribing my notes.
I talked to mi tigre a few times. I am sure he fell asleep last night as he had a late Saturday night and an early Sunday morning of running errands.
I also had a good time with my skinny buddy from Cincy. We had breakfast yesterday morning before he left for his refereeing gig and headed home. I miss seeing him regularly.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
While studying the Old Testament in the Disciple 1 and 2 classes at church, I am always amazed about how forgetful the people of Israel are when it comes to the things that God did for them. They turn from him in many ways including worshiping false gods. As we say in Kentucky "That just ain't right!" Please note that there are a lot more syllables in those words when I speak my Kentucky accent! hehehe
The devotional talks about how Moses told the people of Israel about the land of milk and honey. How they would live abundantly. God promises us the same things today if we love him and follow him. We may not have all we want, but he will provide (or empower us to obtain) all we need. How cool is that!
From my life experience, I see myself acting like the people of Israel. It is only human nature. We forget God when things are going well. In essence, we should always acknowledge and praise and worship the Lord in all circumstances. I mentioned in D1 class a few weeks ago: "What does it matter what circumstances we are facing if we know that God is with us?" That is not an easy thing to say or to live!
Lord, thank you for being with us at all times. We know that if you seem far away it is because we moved, not you!
Movie Monday
I got to see two movies last week: Joyful Noise and Contraband.
Joyful Noise
This movie was exactly what I expected -- fun and uplifting! It also had some tender moments and some very, very funny moments! The story is about a great church choir that seems to lose in the regional finals each year and never makes it to the national competition. Their small town is dying and the choir is the one bright spot for the folks there. They get their big break to compete at nationals. You have to see the movie to see what happens! I loved the music even though I am not a huge fan of using pop music in a worship situation. Like the Sister Act movies, they made it tasteful and they made it work. Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah were very good together and apart.
I give this movie three bear paws for the overall experience. You can rent it if you like. There is nothing spectacular about seeing it in the theater except the sound and very large screen for the show pieces.
Contraband
Mark Wahlberg starred in this movie about an ex-smuggler gone straight that gets pulled back into his old life when his brother-in-law gets in trouble with his old cronies. The story seems typical, but there are enough twists and turns that make it very interesting towards the end. There are lots of explosions and action as well.
I give this movie two bear paws for the action and plot twists. You can watch this at home unless you want to see the explosions on a big screen!
Other Stuff
I had a busy weekend that was capped off with church yesterday and a long board meeting. I wrote up the minutes from the meeting as soon as I got home so I wouldn't forget our conversations when transcribing my notes.
I talked to mi tigre a few times. I am sure he fell asleep last night as he had a late Saturday night and an early Sunday morning of running errands.
I also had a good time with my skinny buddy from Cincy. We had breakfast yesterday morning before he left for his refereeing gig and headed home. I miss seeing him regularly.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Can't stop the music...
Our Daily Bread
It is rare that I get to mention a Village People song in a devotion! ;-p Can't stop the music is a song and a movie title for them. The song isn't too bad. The movie wasn't very good at all!
Throughout the Bible, you can't ignore the role of music in the worship and life with God! It is such an integral part of the spiritual life. Today, music is a part of almost every life. There are TV shows and radio stations and satellite radio and on and on. How can music add to our quest for a better relationship with God?
First, participate in music at church in an appropriate way. Not everyone can sing like an angel. Try at least singing the hymns and praise songs. Support the arts in your church any way you can. Read the Psalms out loud as you have a chance (like each Sunday in m blog!). Find your favorites and read them often!
Lord, thank you for the gift of music. I want to lift up your name and use it to better my relationship with you!
Psalm Sunday
The psalm for this week is Psalm 34. Very cool praise psalm! I like the way it talks about the life of one who truly seeks God!
Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Other Stuff
I had a little breakthrough the other day. I have been trying to figure out how to write about it, so here it goes. I have written about God's promise tome about finding my next relationship, my life partner. I realized the other day that I have been saying "yes, God, I have faith and I believe in your promise". but I haven't really been trusting God completely. I realized when I was thinking about mi tigre. Is he the one? I said to myself "I never thought I would find him". DOH! Busted! I guess I really hadn't given that over to the Lord completely. That also made me think "what else haven't I given over to the Lord completely?" Of course, I got an answer to that pretty quickly, too! hehehe Dropping the baggage from previous relationships is happening slowly, but surely. More slowly than what I want! I praise God that my eyes have been opened!
I had a nice supper with my skinny buddy and his nephew last night. I also got my reading done. I had a couple quick conversations with mi tigre. He had a very busy day yesterday as well. I am looking forward to his visit!
I have my first board meeting with the mens chorus this afternoon. We will see how that goes!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
It is rare that I get to mention a Village People song in a devotion! ;-p Can't stop the music is a song and a movie title for them. The song isn't too bad. The movie wasn't very good at all!
Throughout the Bible, you can't ignore the role of music in the worship and life with God! It is such an integral part of the spiritual life. Today, music is a part of almost every life. There are TV shows and radio stations and satellite radio and on and on. How can music add to our quest for a better relationship with God?
First, participate in music at church in an appropriate way. Not everyone can sing like an angel. Try at least singing the hymns and praise songs. Support the arts in your church any way you can. Read the Psalms out loud as you have a chance (like each Sunday in m blog!). Find your favorites and read them often!
Lord, thank you for the gift of music. I want to lift up your name and use it to better my relationship with you!
Psalm Sunday
The psalm for this week is Psalm 34. Very cool praise psalm! I like the way it talks about the life of one who truly seeks God!
Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Other Stuff
I had a little breakthrough the other day. I have been trying to figure out how to write about it, so here it goes. I have written about God's promise tome about finding my next relationship, my life partner. I realized the other day that I have been saying "yes, God, I have faith and I believe in your promise". but I haven't really been trusting God completely. I realized when I was thinking about mi tigre. Is he the one? I said to myself "I never thought I would find him". DOH! Busted! I guess I really hadn't given that over to the Lord completely. That also made me think "what else haven't I given over to the Lord completely?" Of course, I got an answer to that pretty quickly, too! hehehe Dropping the baggage from previous relationships is happening slowly, but surely. More slowly than what I want! I praise God that my eyes have been opened!
I had a nice supper with my skinny buddy and his nephew last night. I also got my reading done. I had a couple quick conversations with mi tigre. He had a very busy day yesterday as well. I am looking forward to his visit!
I have my first board meeting with the mens chorus this afternoon. We will see how that goes!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Cleaning house...
Our Daily Bread
We see the phrase "cleaning house" used a lot in our culture. We hear it used for the obvious reason. We hear it after a new coach begins his or her program at a new school (cleaning house of the old staff). We hear it when we talk about anything meaning "a new start". The example in the devotional talks about cleaning house before the Chinese New Year so they can make room for good luck!
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians talks about them being proud of their sin. He encourages them to "clean house" to put aside all kinds of sin. What kind of "cleaning house" do we need to do with our lives? I know I do!
Lord, help us listen to the great housekeeper of our minds and hearts, the Holy Spirit!
Simply Saturday
Sorry for the late entry today. My friend from Cincy wanted to go to breakfast before our appointments today, so I got up VERY early for a Saturday morning! I didn't have time to submit this entry until early evening.
We had a nice time at the mens chorus retreat today. Very cool.
I got to talk to mi tigre twice. We were both very busy today, so we are being flexible with the phone calls.
I earned another free 30 gallons of gas at Giant Eagle. I am going to pick that up now. That is like a $100 worth of gas!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
We see the phrase "cleaning house" used a lot in our culture. We hear it used for the obvious reason. We hear it after a new coach begins his or her program at a new school (cleaning house of the old staff). We hear it when we talk about anything meaning "a new start". The example in the devotional talks about cleaning house before the Chinese New Year so they can make room for good luck!
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians talks about them being proud of their sin. He encourages them to "clean house" to put aside all kinds of sin. What kind of "cleaning house" do we need to do with our lives? I know I do!
Lord, help us listen to the great housekeeper of our minds and hearts, the Holy Spirit!
Simply Saturday
Sorry for the late entry today. My friend from Cincy wanted to go to breakfast before our appointments today, so I got up VERY early for a Saturday morning! I didn't have time to submit this entry until early evening.
We had a nice time at the mens chorus retreat today. Very cool.
I got to talk to mi tigre twice. We were both very busy today, so we are being flexible with the phone calls.
I earned another free 30 gallons of gas at Giant Eagle. I am going to pick that up now. That is like a $100 worth of gas!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Not the righteous...
Our Daily Bread
Friends of mine in high and college thought I was a little "out there" because I would talk to or hang out with anyone who wanted to get to know me. Their race, creed, color, etc didn't matter to me. I wanted to show God's grace and love to all folks! This often lead to some interesting situations like running with a pack of Palestinian men in college! Good times!
Jesus revolutionized religion in his day. The people of God, the Jews, kept to themselves and obeyed the strict laws of their faith and community. There were over 600 laws to keep at any one time! Wow! Jesus broke many of them while taking the message of His Father's love to all people. He ate with tax collectors and sinners (which would have made him unclean in the Jewish realm). He touched those who were sick (which also would have made him unclean). He healed on the Sabbath doing his Father's work (a strict taboo). Jesus' message to us was to go where the Father commands us to go!
Lord, I want to listen. I want to go where you say go and talk to whoever you say talk to.
Foodie Friday
My hero told me that this week is restaurant week in Columbus, Ohio. Here is the link to the web site
There are many options available. Check them out while you can. I might check out the Polaris Grill tonight when my skinny friend from Cincy arrives.
Other Stuff
As I mentioned above, my skinny friend from Cincy arrives tonight. He is staying with me for the weekend while he referees volleyball. He will head home on Sunday. Mi tigre arrives Sunday night or Monday (depending on the weather and such things). I have a busy weekend with the mens chorus. I have an all day retreat on Saturday. I have my first board meeting on Sunday. We will see how that goes!
I went to my second boot camp session last night. That was my fourth session in eight days. That is a quick start to my weight loss boot camp! I admit that I was very tired and didn't give my best. Not sure when my next session will be. I will probably take next week off. I am trying to eat better each day.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friends of mine in high and college thought I was a little "out there" because I would talk to or hang out with anyone who wanted to get to know me. Their race, creed, color, etc didn't matter to me. I wanted to show God's grace and love to all folks! This often lead to some interesting situations like running with a pack of Palestinian men in college! Good times!
Jesus revolutionized religion in his day. The people of God, the Jews, kept to themselves and obeyed the strict laws of their faith and community. There were over 600 laws to keep at any one time! Wow! Jesus broke many of them while taking the message of His Father's love to all people. He ate with tax collectors and sinners (which would have made him unclean in the Jewish realm). He touched those who were sick (which also would have made him unclean). He healed on the Sabbath doing his Father's work (a strict taboo). Jesus' message to us was to go where the Father commands us to go!
Lord, I want to listen. I want to go where you say go and talk to whoever you say talk to.
Foodie Friday
My hero told me that this week is restaurant week in Columbus, Ohio. Here is the link to the web site
There are many options available. Check them out while you can. I might check out the Polaris Grill tonight when my skinny friend from Cincy arrives.
Other Stuff
As I mentioned above, my skinny friend from Cincy arrives tonight. He is staying with me for the weekend while he referees volleyball. He will head home on Sunday. Mi tigre arrives Sunday night or Monday (depending on the weather and such things). I have a busy weekend with the mens chorus. I have an all day retreat on Saturday. I have my first board meeting on Sunday. We will see how that goes!
I went to my second boot camp session last night. That was my fourth session in eight days. That is a quick start to my weight loss boot camp! I admit that I was very tired and didn't give my best. Not sure when my next session will be. I will probably take next week off. I am trying to eat better each day.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Seek ye first...
Our Daily Bread
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness... That is how the children's song goes. It is a constant reminder to me about my priorities in life!
The devotional talks about seeking God. I loved the little saying at the end:
How cool is that? ;-) God is great. God can be found if you truly seek him! One of the lines from our scripture reading at church on Sunday struck me. When awakened by God, young Samuel said something like "Your servant is listening, Lord. What would you have me do?" When was the last time you said that to God?
Lord, help us to listen and be willing to obey!
Technology Thursday
Tablets, blah, blah, blah. Phones, blah, blah, blah. Here are a few interesting topics.
Ultra thin laptops
After the Apple MacBook Air became so insanely popular, every laptop manufacturer is trying to create a similar product. Can you say iPad? There are several coming out in the next few months that might catch up to the Air. Funny how Apple always seem to leap ahead just as the competition sort of catches up! I noticed a sale at MicroCenter on the MacBook laptops. Very nice prices for the next few days if you are in the market.
Kodak files bankruptcy
Talk about a horse and buggy company in a hybrid car kind of world! Kodak has not been able to keep up with the times. We will see if they can recover.
Stopping online piracy
Haven't we learned anything? Why are we letting our government tell us what we can and can't view and download online? Have we become China? Several important web sites observed a service black out yesterday to protest the bills currently in our House and Senate to prevent online piracy. Once again, we have an impossible task managed by an impossible government agency. Let's move on!
Other Stuff
I had a long talk with mi tigre last night. We had a great time. I am looking forward to his visit very much.
I walked with my walking buddy last night after work. We had a nice chat. D1 class was a little quiet last night, but we got a lot out of the lesson and the devotional. I really liked the devotional. In my prayer time before class, I told God I was listening. Please speak to me somehow about my questions. He did so in fine fashion during the devotional with this story of the The Two Wolves. Praise God!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness... That is how the children's song goes. It is a constant reminder to me about my priorities in life!
The devotional talks about seeking God. I loved the little saying at the end:
Because God is great, He will be sought;
because God is good, He will be found.
How cool is that? ;-) God is great. God can be found if you truly seek him! One of the lines from our scripture reading at church on Sunday struck me. When awakened by God, young Samuel said something like "Your servant is listening, Lord. What would you have me do?" When was the last time you said that to God?
Lord, help us to listen and be willing to obey!
Technology Thursday
Tablets, blah, blah, blah. Phones, blah, blah, blah. Here are a few interesting topics.
Ultra thin laptops
After the Apple MacBook Air became so insanely popular, every laptop manufacturer is trying to create a similar product. Can you say iPad? There are several coming out in the next few months that might catch up to the Air. Funny how Apple always seem to leap ahead just as the competition sort of catches up! I noticed a sale at MicroCenter on the MacBook laptops. Very nice prices for the next few days if you are in the market.
Kodak files bankruptcy
Talk about a horse and buggy company in a hybrid car kind of world! Kodak has not been able to keep up with the times. We will see if they can recover.
Stopping online piracy
Haven't we learned anything? Why are we letting our government tell us what we can and can't view and download online? Have we become China? Several important web sites observed a service black out yesterday to protest the bills currently in our House and Senate to prevent online piracy. Once again, we have an impossible task managed by an impossible government agency. Let's move on!
Other Stuff
I had a long talk with mi tigre last night. We had a great time. I am looking forward to his visit very much.
I walked with my walking buddy last night after work. We had a nice chat. D1 class was a little quiet last night, but we got a lot out of the lesson and the devotional. I really liked the devotional. In my prayer time before class, I told God I was listening. Please speak to me somehow about my questions. He did so in fine fashion during the devotional with this story of the The Two Wolves. Praise God!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Whoa!
Our Daily Bread
The example the author gives in the devotional today was a familiar one to me. I had a vertigo problem for a few weeks last year. It was very unsettling! Seemingly easy tasks were suddenly made difficult because I couldn't stay on an even keel!
Just like the author mentioned, life can be that way as well. A part of us wants life to be on an even keel all the time. A part of us wants spontaneity and change. Finding that balance in our world today is a challenge, especially since we don't have control on all the things around us. We aren't God! I am going to take the author's points a step further and say: we do have a choice! We have a choice in how we respond to the stimuli in our environment! We can grow old and bitter or we can put on the full armor of God so we can win the battle! We can overcome the things in this life! We can make more of heaven on earth!
Lord, please help us put on your full armor so we can be victorious in our lives! To you be the glory!
Witness Wednesday
OK, I admit it. I am a 10 year old trapped in a 52 year old body! Not really, but sort of. I decided a long time ago to not "grow old". Do you know the kind of people I am talking about? The man or woman that is 40 years old and thinks that life is over? They don't live. They just exist!
What do I do to remain young at heart? First, I try to find the wonder in every day life. I try to do this even though I have been a lot of places and seen a lot of things in my life. Finding the wonder in every day life is like finding a hidden treasure every day! How exciting is that?!? ;-p Sometimes the wonder is nature. Sometimes it is a person. Sometimes it is the interaction I have with a person who needs to be uplifted (or when I need to be uplifted).
Second, I let myself feel things. I let myself get excited about things. I let myself be passionate about things. When was the last time you were excited about something or passionate about something? I get excited about having my dinner group friends over for dinner. I get excited about mailing mi tigre a romantic greeting card. I am passionate about my singing. I let myself be passionate about my Bible study class, even though it is 34 weeks long!
Be sensitive to yourself. Be sensitive to what God instructs you to do. As I heard in a sermon recently, how do I know that something is from God? God will not ask you to something that is unhealthy, self-defacing or dangerous to others. Stay young. Stay in tune to God...
Other Stuff
I had a nice evening. I went to see the movie Contraband. I came home to do some stuff around the house and have a couple of talks with mi tigre. He is so sweet to me. I really appreciate. He seems to appreciate how much I care about him as well. He is going to wait until Thursday to open his cards for our two month "anniversary". I am such a silly bear sometimes!
I have my D1 class tonight. Should be a good class.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
The example the author gives in the devotional today was a familiar one to me. I had a vertigo problem for a few weeks last year. It was very unsettling! Seemingly easy tasks were suddenly made difficult because I couldn't stay on an even keel!
Just like the author mentioned, life can be that way as well. A part of us wants life to be on an even keel all the time. A part of us wants spontaneity and change. Finding that balance in our world today is a challenge, especially since we don't have control on all the things around us. We aren't God! I am going to take the author's points a step further and say: we do have a choice! We have a choice in how we respond to the stimuli in our environment! We can grow old and bitter or we can put on the full armor of God so we can win the battle! We can overcome the things in this life! We can make more of heaven on earth!
Lord, please help us put on your full armor so we can be victorious in our lives! To you be the glory!
Witness Wednesday
OK, I admit it. I am a 10 year old trapped in a 52 year old body! Not really, but sort of. I decided a long time ago to not "grow old". Do you know the kind of people I am talking about? The man or woman that is 40 years old and thinks that life is over? They don't live. They just exist!
What do I do to remain young at heart? First, I try to find the wonder in every day life. I try to do this even though I have been a lot of places and seen a lot of things in my life. Finding the wonder in every day life is like finding a hidden treasure every day! How exciting is that?!? ;-p Sometimes the wonder is nature. Sometimes it is a person. Sometimes it is the interaction I have with a person who needs to be uplifted (or when I need to be uplifted).
Second, I let myself feel things. I let myself get excited about things. I let myself be passionate about things. When was the last time you were excited about something or passionate about something? I get excited about having my dinner group friends over for dinner. I get excited about mailing mi tigre a romantic greeting card. I am passionate about my singing. I let myself be passionate about my Bible study class, even though it is 34 weeks long!
Be sensitive to yourself. Be sensitive to what God instructs you to do. As I heard in a sermon recently, how do I know that something is from God? God will not ask you to something that is unhealthy, self-defacing or dangerous to others. Stay young. Stay in tune to God...
Other Stuff
I had a nice evening. I went to see the movie Contraband. I came home to do some stuff around the house and have a couple of talks with mi tigre. He is so sweet to me. I really appreciate. He seems to appreciate how much I care about him as well. He is going to wait until Thursday to open his cards for our two month "anniversary". I am such a silly bear sometimes!
I have my D1 class tonight. Should be a good class.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Accepting help
Our Daily Bread
One of the most difficult things for me is to accept help. That help can be in the form of favors or in the form of counsel. When I had my eye issues, I couldn't do everything for myself. I had friends offer to come over to do simple stuff like mow the lawn and clean the house. I really appreciated it very much!
Moses accepted the unsolicited advice from his father-in-law when it came to the way he judged the disputes for the people of Israel. He and the people sat from morning to night! That is not a good thing! Jethro's advice was obviously from God as it has worked for many years since then!
The point of the devotional for was that we should be willing and open to God's leading to accept or offer counsel!
Lord, help us always follow your leading when talking to others.
Teaching Tuesday
The readings this week were the prophetic readings from the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, Micah and Malachi. I didn't understand it all, but it was interesting reading!
The best part for me were the stories in the first six chapters of Daniel (the burning furnace and the lions den stories). Take a look at those!
Other Stuff
I had a great Monday. Went to see the movie Joyful Noise. I will review that on Monday. I had lunch with a buddy. I took a little nap. I went to a QVR session. I attended the mens chorus rehearsal. Whew! It was good day! I also had a few conversations with mi tigre. He is so sweet to me.
Back to work today!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
One of the most difficult things for me is to accept help. That help can be in the form of favors or in the form of counsel. When I had my eye issues, I couldn't do everything for myself. I had friends offer to come over to do simple stuff like mow the lawn and clean the house. I really appreciated it very much!
Moses accepted the unsolicited advice from his father-in-law when it came to the way he judged the disputes for the people of Israel. He and the people sat from morning to night! That is not a good thing! Jethro's advice was obviously from God as it has worked for many years since then!
The point of the devotional for was that we should be willing and open to God's leading to accept or offer counsel!
Lord, help us always follow your leading when talking to others.
Teaching Tuesday
The readings this week were the prophetic readings from the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, Micah and Malachi. I didn't understand it all, but it was interesting reading!
The best part for me were the stories in the first six chapters of Daniel (the burning furnace and the lions den stories). Take a look at those!
Other Stuff
I had a great Monday. Went to see the movie Joyful Noise. I will review that on Monday. I had lunch with a buddy. I took a little nap. I went to a QVR session. I attended the mens chorus rehearsal. Whew! It was good day! I also had a few conversations with mi tigre. He is so sweet to me.
Back to work today!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, January 16, 2012
The earth tells...
Our Daily Bread
The devotional tells about a man that starting memorizing the Bible at a young age. He memorized the entire New Testament and much of the Old Testament! How insignificant does that make me feel when I haven't even read the entire Bible! I can memorize models of cars and features, but not scripture! I will have to work on that!
The devotional also talks about using scripture and Nature to see the works and nature of God. How amazing it is to walk in a forest to admire God's handiwork! How amazing to people watch and see God's handiwork! The latter proves that God has a sense of humor! hehehe
Lord, help us always look around and admire your handiwork!
Movie Monday
Didn't make it to a movie last week. I plan to see one this week.
Psalm Sunday
I missed Psalm Sunday because I got up late and then got busy getting ready for my dinner group. Sorry about that! The psalm for this week is Psalm 33. This is a praise psalm that also reminds us of God's nature and who God it. Pretty amazing stuff! Read this psalm out loud as you walk around in nature!
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Other Stuff
I am off work today. Wooohoo! I finished cleaning up from the dinner group last night. I am heading out to a movie shortly. I am having lunch with a friend. I have a workout this evening and then mens chorus rehearsal. A busy day. I will take it easy tomorrow night! ;-)
I had a couple of good talks with mi tigre yesterday. He is so sweet to me. He was very helpful when I was making the pork tenderloin for my dinner group. Here is what it looked like on the plate:
It is rubbed with Mexican spices. Mi tigre asked if I could make it for him during his visit. I said "yes" of course! I realized afterwards that the sauce was really a sauce and not a gravy. Gravies are thicker than sauces. The sauce had a great taste that complemented the spices on the meat. Very nice! Everyone seemed to like it.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
The devotional tells about a man that starting memorizing the Bible at a young age. He memorized the entire New Testament and much of the Old Testament! How insignificant does that make me feel when I haven't even read the entire Bible! I can memorize models of cars and features, but not scripture! I will have to work on that!
The devotional also talks about using scripture and Nature to see the works and nature of God. How amazing it is to walk in a forest to admire God's handiwork! How amazing to people watch and see God's handiwork! The latter proves that God has a sense of humor! hehehe
Lord, help us always look around and admire your handiwork!
Movie Monday
Didn't make it to a movie last week. I plan to see one this week.
Psalm Sunday
I missed Psalm Sunday because I got up late and then got busy getting ready for my dinner group. Sorry about that! The psalm for this week is Psalm 33. This is a praise psalm that also reminds us of God's nature and who God it. Pretty amazing stuff! Read this psalm out loud as you walk around in nature!
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Other Stuff
I am off work today. Wooohoo! I finished cleaning up from the dinner group last night. I am heading out to a movie shortly. I am having lunch with a friend. I have a workout this evening and then mens chorus rehearsal. A busy day. I will take it easy tomorrow night! ;-)
I had a couple of good talks with mi tigre yesterday. He is so sweet to me. He was very helpful when I was making the pork tenderloin for my dinner group. Here is what it looked like on the plate:
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Conflict
Our Daily Bread
I thought the example in the devotional today was interesting. It spoke to me in an unexpected way. While the story talked about the disappointment you would feel learning that your child stole from you, the Spirit talked to me about how I get disappointed in friends that I care about when I feel they do something wrong. I have been praying about that this week as I experienced it again in my current relationship (and the poor guy doesn't even know it!). ;-p
The Holy Spirit "grieves" or is disappointed in us when we go against its leading. The Spirit says go right. We decide to go left. Going against our spiritual GPS is not a good thing! ;-) Knowing that the Spirit grieves made me think more about my actions today and every day. I don't like grieving. I don't want to make the Spirit grieve either!
Lord, I want to go right when the Spirit says go right!
Simply Saturday
I tried a new gadget last night. I will write more about it after I use it a few more times. It was only $65 at Costco. I made a Costco run to pick up my pork tenderloins and a few other things for this weekend. I also picked up my shirts at the laundry, stopped at Kroger for a few things for dinner tomorrow night and stopped by the Mexican market to pick up some spices for dinner tomorrow night. I am pretty confident I can make the recipe, though I am concerned about the sauce. I sort of suck at making sauces...
I had some more lessons in "the process" this week. The process is what at close friend calls developing a lasting romantic relationship. I had some brief periods of doubt when I wondered what I was doing. I had to examine my feelings as a different friend asked me what I really wanted to happen. I realized that these ups and downs, these periods of figuring things out are important in getting to know someone and to solidify feelings if they are developing. Feelings are definitely developing. We will spend some more time in person soon. We will see how that goes. Having someone stay at your house is a whole new party!
I have a boot camp session this morning. I will see how that goes. The QVR session kicked my butt. It will take me a few weeks to get up to speed. I need to watch my blood sugar closely and I need to eat the right things before I go to class. I won't make that mistake again after eating the wrong thing before class on Thursday. Yikes!
I have also been working on "releasing to God". This is the exercise I mentioned last week. It seems to be working for me. I did not expect to find even deeper revelations of things that I need to release to God, especially some previous relationship baggage. It will be fine. The discipline that God has been building in my will help if I stay diligent. I can do this. I suck at discipline and being diligent. ;-p
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I thought the example in the devotional today was interesting. It spoke to me in an unexpected way. While the story talked about the disappointment you would feel learning that your child stole from you, the Spirit talked to me about how I get disappointed in friends that I care about when I feel they do something wrong. I have been praying about that this week as I experienced it again in my current relationship (and the poor guy doesn't even know it!). ;-p
The Holy Spirit "grieves" or is disappointed in us when we go against its leading. The Spirit says go right. We decide to go left. Going against our spiritual GPS is not a good thing! ;-) Knowing that the Spirit grieves made me think more about my actions today and every day. I don't like grieving. I don't want to make the Spirit grieve either!
Lord, I want to go right when the Spirit says go right!
Simply Saturday
I tried a new gadget last night. I will write more about it after I use it a few more times. It was only $65 at Costco. I made a Costco run to pick up my pork tenderloins and a few other things for this weekend. I also picked up my shirts at the laundry, stopped at Kroger for a few things for dinner tomorrow night and stopped by the Mexican market to pick up some spices for dinner tomorrow night. I am pretty confident I can make the recipe, though I am concerned about the sauce. I sort of suck at making sauces...
I had some more lessons in "the process" this week. The process is what at close friend calls developing a lasting romantic relationship. I had some brief periods of doubt when I wondered what I was doing. I had to examine my feelings as a different friend asked me what I really wanted to happen. I realized that these ups and downs, these periods of figuring things out are important in getting to know someone and to solidify feelings if they are developing. Feelings are definitely developing. We will spend some more time in person soon. We will see how that goes. Having someone stay at your house is a whole new party!
I have a boot camp session this morning. I will see how that goes. The QVR session kicked my butt. It will take me a few weeks to get up to speed. I need to watch my blood sugar closely and I need to eat the right things before I go to class. I won't make that mistake again after eating the wrong thing before class on Thursday. Yikes!
I have also been working on "releasing to God". This is the exercise I mentioned last week. It seems to be working for me. I did not expect to find even deeper revelations of things that I need to release to God, especially some previous relationship baggage. It will be fine. The discipline that God has been building in my will help if I stay diligent. I can do this. I suck at discipline and being diligent. ;-p
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Turn off the ADT
Our Daily Bread
Like millions of folks in the U.S., I have the ADT alarm service to protect my house. It is comforting to know that I have this protection. I must turn it off in the mornings before I leave for work or even a welcome guest will set it off! There is a way to program a code that a guest can use to turn off the alarm.
We all have a built in ADT or alarm system in our heads and hearts. If someone or God tries to get too close that alarm goes off! Warning! Warning! One of the keys to be a child of God is to give God a pass code to your internal alarm system. You can trust God. He will visit you as often as you let him!
Lord, help us lower our defenses so that nothing comes between you and us!
Foodie Friday
Here is the other recipe I looked at for my dinner group on Sunday. It is the Pork Dijonnaise dish from the Bristol Bar and Grill in Louisville, Kentucky. I love that place!
Bristol Bar & Grille's pork Dijonnaise
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
Oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Place tenderloin on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Brush with vegetable or olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, turn pan back to front and roast 10 more minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest section reaches 155 degrees on a meat thermometer.
In a skillet, melt butter over low heat. When melted, add mustard. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar. Cook and stir another 2 to 3 minutes.
Slice cooked tenderloin on the diagonal. Pour sauce over pork.
Serves 6.
Other Stuff
Had a busy day yesterday. Didn't get to talk to mi tigre very much. We were both tired after I got done with choir practice. It is cold in KC and Columbus. It would be nice to cuddle with him to keep warm! I have a three day weekend, so we can talk more this weekend.
Going to relax. Do some reading. Work on my Spanish lessons. Go to a boot camp session.
The QVR (quick visible results) session last night kicked my butt, especially during the upper body exercises. I will keep plugging away at it.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Like millions of folks in the U.S., I have the ADT alarm service to protect my house. It is comforting to know that I have this protection. I must turn it off in the mornings before I leave for work or even a welcome guest will set it off! There is a way to program a code that a guest can use to turn off the alarm.
We all have a built in ADT or alarm system in our heads and hearts. If someone or God tries to get too close that alarm goes off! Warning! Warning! One of the keys to be a child of God is to give God a pass code to your internal alarm system. You can trust God. He will visit you as often as you let him!
Lord, help us lower our defenses so that nothing comes between you and us!
Foodie Friday
Here is the other recipe I looked at for my dinner group on Sunday. It is the Pork Dijonnaise dish from the Bristol Bar and Grill in Louisville, Kentucky. I love that place!
Bristol Bar & Grille's pork Dijonnaise
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
Oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Place tenderloin on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Brush with vegetable or olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, turn pan back to front and roast 10 more minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest section reaches 155 degrees on a meat thermometer.
In a skillet, melt butter over low heat. When melted, add mustard. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar. Cook and stir another 2 to 3 minutes.
Slice cooked tenderloin on the diagonal. Pour sauce over pork.
Serves 6.
Other Stuff
Had a busy day yesterday. Didn't get to talk to mi tigre very much. We were both tired after I got done with choir practice. It is cold in KC and Columbus. It would be nice to cuddle with him to keep warm! I have a three day weekend, so we can talk more this weekend.
Going to relax. Do some reading. Work on my Spanish lessons. Go to a boot camp session.
The QVR (quick visible results) session last night kicked my butt, especially during the upper body exercises. I will keep plugging away at it.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Don't hide it under a bushel
Our Daily Bread
A song from my childhood goes something like this: This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. One of the verses is: Hide it under a bushel, NO, I'm gonna let it shine. You must yell "NO" as loud as you can! hehehe
I understand the predicament the lady had in the devotional. I was at the movies on Saturday. The movie was in a large theater that wasn't very full. Of all the places to sit, a gentleman sat next to me. He looked at me and said: " Is this OK? I have a brain tumor and I act funny sometimes. I walk the dog. That is my job." I told him he was fine. I also checked on him after the movie to make sure he found his way.
It is easy for us to hide our light or to let Satan blow it out through his trickery and lies. Hide it under a bushel, NO! Gonna let Satan blow it out, NO! ;-) That is easier said than done some days!
Lord, help us always show your light!
Technology Thursday
I think I forgot to review the Kindle Touch last week (or the week before). I have been using it for a few weeks now. I bought the Kindle Touch 3G. It comes with free 3G access to Amazon.com. Note, the 3G access is only for Amazon.com. You can't use the web browser to access anything but Amazon.com. That surprised me a little bit when I tried to access some sports scores in a place that didn't have a wireless network.
Things I like:
Things I don't like:
Overall, I recommend this device if you like to read! The wireless network only version is cheaper. A lot fo folks can get by with that version. I didn't find the ads too intrusive.
Other Stuff
I worked from home yesterday because of my eye doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. The appointment went very well! Wooohooooo! Considering the doctor told me 3.5 years ago that he didn't know if he could help me a lot, hearing that I had 20/20 vision with my new glasses was very cool!
I am trying bifocals now. I received them in the mail yesterday. I will try them out. I find that I have lazy head. I tilt my head at times and things go out of focus! I also have to be careful looking down, which is not easy for me without glasses. I don't wear the glasses for medium vision like when I read the computer screen.
I had a couple of nice conversations with mi tigre. I really like him.
I have my first boot camp session tonight. I started following the weight loss diet today. I will see how that goes. I am sure I will write about it.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
A song from my childhood goes something like this: This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. One of the verses is: Hide it under a bushel, NO, I'm gonna let it shine. You must yell "NO" as loud as you can! hehehe
I understand the predicament the lady had in the devotional. I was at the movies on Saturday. The movie was in a large theater that wasn't very full. Of all the places to sit, a gentleman sat next to me. He looked at me and said: " Is this OK? I have a brain tumor and I act funny sometimes. I walk the dog. That is my job." I told him he was fine. I also checked on him after the movie to make sure he found his way.
It is easy for us to hide our light or to let Satan blow it out through his trickery and lies. Hide it under a bushel, NO! Gonna let Satan blow it out, NO! ;-) That is easier said than done some days!
Lord, help us always show your light!
Technology Thursday
I think I forgot to review the Kindle Touch last week (or the week before). I have been using it for a few weeks now. I bought the Kindle Touch 3G. It comes with free 3G access to Amazon.com. Note, the 3G access is only for Amazon.com. You can't use the web browser to access anything but Amazon.com. That surprised me a little bit when I tried to access some sports scores in a place that didn't have a wireless network.
Things I like:
- It is so light! It is much lighter and easier to hold than my iPad. Make no mistake, the Kindle Touch or Kindle Fire hold a candle to an iPad in my opinion. I find the Kindle Touch very easy to hold and to read, especially with the case I got that has place for me to slip my hand in. I use a quick touch of the thumb to advance the pages. Very cool!
- It is relatively fast. I can maneuver the pages fairly quickly.
- It organizes my books in an easy to read list.
- I can buy new content quickly.
Things I don't like:
- The flashing of the e-ink screen every few pages. I find this annoying, but I am getting used to it.
- It puts the most recently used book at the top of the book list. This is OK, I guess. At least it makes sense. I have to look through the list each time if I can't remember when I last accessed a book.
- It is not back lit. This is not a big deal either. I have a book light to use if I read at night.
- Navigation within some books is cumbersome. I am getting used to this as well. It is not easy to get to specific Bible verses in some books.
Overall, I recommend this device if you like to read! The wireless network only version is cheaper. A lot fo folks can get by with that version. I didn't find the ads too intrusive.
Other Stuff
I worked from home yesterday because of my eye doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. The appointment went very well! Wooohooooo! Considering the doctor told me 3.5 years ago that he didn't know if he could help me a lot, hearing that I had 20/20 vision with my new glasses was very cool!
I am trying bifocals now. I received them in the mail yesterday. I will try them out. I find that I have lazy head. I tilt my head at times and things go out of focus! I also have to be careful looking down, which is not easy for me without glasses. I don't wear the glasses for medium vision like when I read the computer screen.
I had a couple of nice conversations with mi tigre. I really like him.
I have my first boot camp session tonight. I started following the weight loss diet today. I will see how that goes. I am sure I will write about it.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What nice gifts you have...
Our Daily Bread
My, what nice gifts you have! That sort of sounds like a line from Alice in Wonderland! hehehe
We sometimes think of gifts like an art gallery. They are nice to look at, but we really don't use them! We put that heavy plastic protective covering over our gifts like a fancy couch at our grandmothers' homes! hehehe The only way to really think of our gifts is for us to find ways to use them for God. Rip off the plastic covering! Use those gifts! hehehe
Lord, please help us find our gifts and use them for you!
Witness Wednesday
I had a good week. As I mentioned briefly last Friday, I had a good session with my counselor. He gave me some tools to help me "release" things that are bothering me. Sometimes situations, people or things swirl around in my pretty little head. The errant thoughts keep me from my relationship with God and relationships with others. My goal is to not let those things interfere. I want to truly release things to God as I realize them. It has been refreshing, but difficult at times. Letting go of things, though unpleasant, are often too comfortable for us to let go of. We would rather have the unpleasantness of the known rather than the fear of the unknown. I decided not to be afraid of the unknown.
I am treading into the unknown with my relationship with mi tigre. I will not be afraid. Relaxing and just being the Duane that I have always wanted to be with someone else is what I am trying to do. We laugh. We talk seriously. We plan, we don't plan. hehehe We are so considerate of each other. I could fall in love with this man if we continue this way! This is the way God told me my next relationship would be. It is scary and exciting at the same time! I will not be afraid!
Other Stuff
I had a fun trip to Costco with my walking buddy last night. We picked up a few bargains. ;-) I also picked up some stuff for my weight loss boot camp adventure that I start tomorrow. I will write about that.
I talked to mi tigre a couple of times. We had fun texting each other yesterday morning as well. He is so sweet to me.
I am working from home today. I have check up at the eye doctor early this afternoon. I have the D1 class tonight.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
My, what nice gifts you have! That sort of sounds like a line from Alice in Wonderland! hehehe
We sometimes think of gifts like an art gallery. They are nice to look at, but we really don't use them! We put that heavy plastic protective covering over our gifts like a fancy couch at our grandmothers' homes! hehehe The only way to really think of our gifts is for us to find ways to use them for God. Rip off the plastic covering! Use those gifts! hehehe
Lord, please help us find our gifts and use them for you!
Witness Wednesday
I had a good week. As I mentioned briefly last Friday, I had a good session with my counselor. He gave me some tools to help me "release" things that are bothering me. Sometimes situations, people or things swirl around in my pretty little head. The errant thoughts keep me from my relationship with God and relationships with others. My goal is to not let those things interfere. I want to truly release things to God as I realize them. It has been refreshing, but difficult at times. Letting go of things, though unpleasant, are often too comfortable for us to let go of. We would rather have the unpleasantness of the known rather than the fear of the unknown. I decided not to be afraid of the unknown.
I am treading into the unknown with my relationship with mi tigre. I will not be afraid. Relaxing and just being the Duane that I have always wanted to be with someone else is what I am trying to do. We laugh. We talk seriously. We plan, we don't plan. hehehe We are so considerate of each other. I could fall in love with this man if we continue this way! This is the way God told me my next relationship would be. It is scary and exciting at the same time! I will not be afraid!
Other Stuff
I had a fun trip to Costco with my walking buddy last night. We picked up a few bargains. ;-) I also picked up some stuff for my weight loss boot camp adventure that I start tomorrow. I will write about that.
I talked to mi tigre a couple of times. We had fun texting each other yesterday morning as well. He is so sweet to me.
I am working from home today. I have check up at the eye doctor early this afternoon. I have the D1 class tonight.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Surprise!
Our Daily Bread
I am here to testify today! hehehe Yes, I can testify that God will surprise you if you follow him as best you can and be open to him working in your life. Not all of the surprises seemed like a good thing at first, like when I had cancer at age 26. I learned so much from that experience. I met a great guy in another town at a bar. Surprise! I can tell you that one of the biggest surprises of my life occurred in my latest friendship when I realized that the menial "wax on-wax off" tasks from the past 4.5 years really did pay off! ;-) Surprise!
The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of the coolest in the Bible for me. It shows several sides of God's character. First, about how God cares and provides for the outcasts of this world. In that day, a widowed woman was on her own, especially if her husband didn't have any brothers to take her in. She was thrown from a life of being a wife and mother into being an outcast just trying to survive. Second, it shows that God really can surprise us when we are least expecting it. He can surprise us with kindness, with generosity and with love. Both women were open to this, which is a requirement!
Is God trying to reach out to you today despite your current situation? Be open. Trust God.
Lord, help us to trust you completely, even when life's circumstances seem bleak!
Teaching Tuesday
We studied the book of Job this week. I have to admit that I had mixed feelings when I read the entire book. We usually praise Job for his undying faith during hardship. Yes, he did, but he did sort of whine a lot too! hehehe IMHO, I thought he sounded a little full of himself when he proclaimed that he was a righteous man and did not deserve what happened to him! I finally understood that he was trying to get across to his not-so-supportive friends that their view of God was not correct. "Godly" does not equal "riches and success". "Trials and tribulations" does not equal 'OMG, you sinned big time!" hehehe
The few time in my life that trials and tribulations came my way, I was more numb than anything. I had mixed feelings of trust, faith, questioning and doubts. I think that is only human. We can recover from the questioning and doubts through more trust and faith. Things may not work out on our time schedule, but they will work out on God's. Remember the "wax on-wax off " moments!
Other stuff
I was tired when I got home from work. Not sure why. I had a snack and then took a quick nap. I had two quick calls with mi tigre. I really miss him! I went to my initial evaluation for my weight loss boot camp. I can start scheduling my boot camp and QVR sessions tonight. The exercise and eating recommendations are designed specifically for rapid weight loss with lessons on how to keep off the weight! I think I can keep it off if I can lose the weight. I have been stuck in the 15 - 20 pound weight loss range for a few months now, though part of that time was the holiday season.
I have a Costco and grocery store run scheduled for tonight then relax at home.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I am here to testify today! hehehe Yes, I can testify that God will surprise you if you follow him as best you can and be open to him working in your life. Not all of the surprises seemed like a good thing at first, like when I had cancer at age 26. I learned so much from that experience. I met a great guy in another town at a bar. Surprise! I can tell you that one of the biggest surprises of my life occurred in my latest friendship when I realized that the menial "wax on-wax off" tasks from the past 4.5 years really did pay off! ;-) Surprise!
The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of the coolest in the Bible for me. It shows several sides of God's character. First, about how God cares and provides for the outcasts of this world. In that day, a widowed woman was on her own, especially if her husband didn't have any brothers to take her in. She was thrown from a life of being a wife and mother into being an outcast just trying to survive. Second, it shows that God really can surprise us when we are least expecting it. He can surprise us with kindness, with generosity and with love. Both women were open to this, which is a requirement!
Is God trying to reach out to you today despite your current situation? Be open. Trust God.
Lord, help us to trust you completely, even when life's circumstances seem bleak!
Teaching Tuesday
We studied the book of Job this week. I have to admit that I had mixed feelings when I read the entire book. We usually praise Job for his undying faith during hardship. Yes, he did, but he did sort of whine a lot too! hehehe IMHO, I thought he sounded a little full of himself when he proclaimed that he was a righteous man and did not deserve what happened to him! I finally understood that he was trying to get across to his not-so-supportive friends that their view of God was not correct. "Godly" does not equal "riches and success". "Trials and tribulations" does not equal 'OMG, you sinned big time!" hehehe
The few time in my life that trials and tribulations came my way, I was more numb than anything. I had mixed feelings of trust, faith, questioning and doubts. I think that is only human. We can recover from the questioning and doubts through more trust and faith. Things may not work out on our time schedule, but they will work out on God's. Remember the "wax on-wax off " moments!
Other stuff
I was tired when I got home from work. Not sure why. I had a snack and then took a quick nap. I had two quick calls with mi tigre. I really miss him! I went to my initial evaluation for my weight loss boot camp. I can start scheduling my boot camp and QVR sessions tonight. The exercise and eating recommendations are designed specifically for rapid weight loss with lessons on how to keep off the weight! I think I can keep it off if I can lose the weight. I have been stuck in the 15 - 20 pound weight loss range for a few months now, though part of that time was the holiday season.
I have a Costco and grocery store run scheduled for tonight then relax at home.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Plans change...
Our Daily Bread
Once again, the devotional hit me right between the eyes! Plans change. What is up with that? hehehe As a trained project manager, we have a process for changing a plan called a "change request". Once we set a project plan, a change to the plan requires a change request to document why the project plan was changed. There can be a number of reasons like management changed the scope or schedule or technical changes or other things.
The thing I learned from the devotional is that I should never set the baseline for the project plan of my life. I cannot ask God to submit a change request every time my plans go awry! I also learned that I cannot ask that of my friends, especially mi tigre. Our plans for the next two week changed over the weekend. A part of my got upset and was disappointed. This stems from what Yin used to bring to my attention -- I make assumptions and plans without really thinking about the other person. The other part of my remained thankful that I met mi tigre and have him in my life, regardless of when he can come to visit. Things will work out as they are supposed to. Being flexible and spontaneous is the key. Letting God work in his time and on his schedule is my plan. I praise God that he counts me worthy to be in his plan at all!
Lord, thank you for helping me take each day at a time. I don't need no stinkin' planning! hehehe
Movie Monday
I saw the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on Saturday. It was a very intellectual film, that was almost too long for this type of film. There was lots of intrigue and spy stuff. In short, the story is about Gary Oldham's character who is tasked with identifying the mole in the British secret service. The title of the film refers to the code names for each of the suspects in the movie. The cast was amazing. Some of the performances were outstanding. We will see what the Academy thinks at Oscar time.
I give this movie three bear paws. You can rent this one. There is nothing that stands out seeing it at the theater.
Other Stuff
I had a nice Sunday. We had some great services at church. I had a nice lunch, and then dozed while watching the Michigan-Wisconsin basketball game. I talked to mi tigre for a while. We also texted back and forth that evening. The mens chorus rehearsal was intense for some reason. I got a good night call from mi tigre before falling asleep. Sweet dreams...
I have my initial evaluation for my weight loss boot camp tonight. I will see how that goes.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Once again, the devotional hit me right between the eyes! Plans change. What is up with that? hehehe As a trained project manager, we have a process for changing a plan called a "change request". Once we set a project plan, a change to the plan requires a change request to document why the project plan was changed. There can be a number of reasons like management changed the scope or schedule or technical changes or other things.
The thing I learned from the devotional is that I should never set the baseline for the project plan of my life. I cannot ask God to submit a change request every time my plans go awry! I also learned that I cannot ask that of my friends, especially mi tigre. Our plans for the next two week changed over the weekend. A part of my got upset and was disappointed. This stems from what Yin used to bring to my attention -- I make assumptions and plans without really thinking about the other person. The other part of my remained thankful that I met mi tigre and have him in my life, regardless of when he can come to visit. Things will work out as they are supposed to. Being flexible and spontaneous is the key. Letting God work in his time and on his schedule is my plan. I praise God that he counts me worthy to be in his plan at all!
Lord, thank you for helping me take each day at a time. I don't need no stinkin' planning! hehehe
Movie Monday
I saw the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on Saturday. It was a very intellectual film, that was almost too long for this type of film. There was lots of intrigue and spy stuff. In short, the story is about Gary Oldham's character who is tasked with identifying the mole in the British secret service. The title of the film refers to the code names for each of the suspects in the movie. The cast was amazing. Some of the performances were outstanding. We will see what the Academy thinks at Oscar time.
I give this movie three bear paws. You can rent this one. There is nothing that stands out seeing it at the theater.
Other Stuff
I had a nice Sunday. We had some great services at church. I had a nice lunch, and then dozed while watching the Michigan-Wisconsin basketball game. I talked to mi tigre for a while. We also texted back and forth that evening. The mens chorus rehearsal was intense for some reason. I got a good night call from mi tigre before falling asleep. Sweet dreams...
I have my initial evaluation for my weight loss boot camp tonight. I will see how that goes.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
With a cheerful heart...
Our Daily Bread
When I first read this passage of scripture and heard a sermon on it, I thought of the Christmas Carol character, Scrooge! hehehe He didn't like giving. On the rare occasions he did give something, he did begrudgingly. What a transformation by the end of the story!
As children of God, we need that transformation as well. We know we should give our time and money to church, but often do so begrudgingly. We do not have a cheerful heart. Does that mean we should stop giving until we get it right? No! We should keep giving and then pray for the Holy Spirit to grow the joy of giving in your heart! Give, I say, give! hehehe It only takes looking at the face of one orphan that your contribution helped or one homeless person that has a warm place to sleep on a old Ohio winter night to warm your heart as well!
Lord, help us always to give. Help us to give with the joy of your salvation!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 32 is the psalm for today. Please read it out loud, with feeling! Verse 9 is the one that applies the most to me! DOH!
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Other Stuff
I had a busy day on Saturday, though it was my own fault! I saw the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in the morning. I ran a few errands after the movie, including picking up something for a little project I did for mi tigre. I mailed it off so I hope he will get a kick out of it when he opens the envelope. We had a couple nice conversations during the day. I fell asleep relatively early, so we didn't have our bedtime chat. I missed that.
I also did laundry, finished guest room/bathroom cleaning, cleaned my master bathroom, vacuumed upstairs, cleaned the ceiling fans, changed the furnace filter, cleaned some dirty shelves in the fridge and cleaned the kitchen. I also finished my reading for D1 class and did one of my Spanish vocabulary lessons. Whew! No wonder I was tired!
I will rest today. Maybe do another Spanish vocabulary lesson or two. I start my boot camp sessions tomorrow night. I am sure I will be writing about that!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
When I first read this passage of scripture and heard a sermon on it, I thought of the Christmas Carol character, Scrooge! hehehe He didn't like giving. On the rare occasions he did give something, he did begrudgingly. What a transformation by the end of the story!
As children of God, we need that transformation as well. We know we should give our time and money to church, but often do so begrudgingly. We do not have a cheerful heart. Does that mean we should stop giving until we get it right? No! We should keep giving and then pray for the Holy Spirit to grow the joy of giving in your heart! Give, I say, give! hehehe It only takes looking at the face of one orphan that your contribution helped or one homeless person that has a warm place to sleep on a old Ohio winter night to warm your heart as well!
Lord, help us always to give. Help us to give with the joy of your salvation!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 32 is the psalm for today. Please read it out loud, with feeling! Verse 9 is the one that applies the most to me! DOH!
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Other Stuff
I had a busy day on Saturday, though it was my own fault! I saw the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in the morning. I ran a few errands after the movie, including picking up something for a little project I did for mi tigre. I mailed it off so I hope he will get a kick out of it when he opens the envelope. We had a couple nice conversations during the day. I fell asleep relatively early, so we didn't have our bedtime chat. I missed that.
I also did laundry, finished guest room/bathroom cleaning, cleaned my master bathroom, vacuumed upstairs, cleaned the ceiling fans, changed the furnace filter, cleaned some dirty shelves in the fridge and cleaned the kitchen. I also finished my reading for D1 class and did one of my Spanish vocabulary lessons. Whew! No wonder I was tired!
I will rest today. Maybe do another Spanish vocabulary lesson or two. I start my boot camp sessions tomorrow night. I am sure I will be writing about that!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
You are the man!
Our Daily Bread
I read the story of David and Nathan in the Disciple 1 and 2 classes I participate in at church. I have to admit that I have a problem with reading the story. I have a tendency to look at other folks "who need to hear this message" instead of cleaning up my own house! Isn't that human nature? ;-p
The story goes like this: David saw Bathsheba. David "went in unto her" while Uriah was at battle and got her pregnant. David tried to cover his tracks by getting Uriah to sleep with her before folks noticed. That didn't work. That wasn't the most horrible part of the story. David figured out a backhanded way to have Uriah killed in battle so he could have her as his wife. God told Nathan what happened. Nathan told David the usual Biblical type story to bring the situation to his attention. Wow! I thought Nathan was brave for doing this!
If someone would tell us a Biblical like story to bring a sin to our attention, what would it be? We all know what we think we are hiding! hehehe Is it lust, hate, pride, envy, sexual impurity, etc? We all have our weaknesses. Let us all pray that we can figure them out and them over to God before a prophet shows up on our doorstep!
Lord, help us open our eyes to the things that keep us from you!
Simply Saturday
I had an interesting week. I got a few things done at work. I spent some time with friends. I had a few phone calls with friends and family. I started back into my regular routine with singing and Bible study. I also had some great talks with mi tigre. It was not easy for me, but we worked through some things the past two days. I am so thankful that we are patient with each other! He is a very special man.
What did we talk about? I will not go into details as to retain our privacy, but I will say that it related to the entry from yesterday about insecurity. I made the commitment in my mind and heart to be more disciplined and to not let anything come between me and God and me and my relationship with mi tigre. I saw how damaging the insecurities could possibly be the past two days. I wasn't feeling well due to wild swings in my blood sugar levels. I started exercising again, though I rarely had swings like this when I was exercising last Fall. I let some fears and insecurities slip into my head and let them snowball into something unhealthy. Mi tigre was very patient with me as we talked about them. Like I promised myself (and him), this can't happen again, at least the way it happened yesterday. God is working in me to trust him more and also enabling me to trust mi tigre completely as we get to know each other better.
This all circles back around to the session I had with my counselor on Thursday. He told me about a "letting go" tool to use when things swirl around in my pretty little head. hehehe I call it the "release" tool. I imagine the person that I am stressing about walking a dangerous, unhealthy path, falling at times, failing most of the time, while I am watching from the right path, the path of God. Each time he or she fails, I acknowledge the feelings I am having and then say "I release you to God". If the person looks back to me for help, I will help. The points are these: I can only help when they ask me and I can't let their actions upset me or affect my life when they don't want my help. I hope you can see after reading this blog that I care deeply about people. I will not let anything come between me and God and me and mi tigre. My stubbornness is set on that now! hehehe
Is there something or someone in your life that you need to release? Think and pray about that this weekend.
Going to the movies this morning, then doing stuff around the house today. I am looking forward to a call or two from mi tigre. I really like him. ;-p
Let go, my friends. Release it to God. God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I read the story of David and Nathan in the Disciple 1 and 2 classes I participate in at church. I have to admit that I have a problem with reading the story. I have a tendency to look at other folks "who need to hear this message" instead of cleaning up my own house! Isn't that human nature? ;-p
The story goes like this: David saw Bathsheba. David "went in unto her" while Uriah was at battle and got her pregnant. David tried to cover his tracks by getting Uriah to sleep with her before folks noticed. That didn't work. That wasn't the most horrible part of the story. David figured out a backhanded way to have Uriah killed in battle so he could have her as his wife. God told Nathan what happened. Nathan told David the usual Biblical type story to bring the situation to his attention. Wow! I thought Nathan was brave for doing this!
If someone would tell us a Biblical like story to bring a sin to our attention, what would it be? We all know what we think we are hiding! hehehe Is it lust, hate, pride, envy, sexual impurity, etc? We all have our weaknesses. Let us all pray that we can figure them out and them over to God before a prophet shows up on our doorstep!
Lord, help us open our eyes to the things that keep us from you!
Simply Saturday
I had an interesting week. I got a few things done at work. I spent some time with friends. I had a few phone calls with friends and family. I started back into my regular routine with singing and Bible study. I also had some great talks with mi tigre. It was not easy for me, but we worked through some things the past two days. I am so thankful that we are patient with each other! He is a very special man.
What did we talk about? I will not go into details as to retain our privacy, but I will say that it related to the entry from yesterday about insecurity. I made the commitment in my mind and heart to be more disciplined and to not let anything come between me and God and me and my relationship with mi tigre. I saw how damaging the insecurities could possibly be the past two days. I wasn't feeling well due to wild swings in my blood sugar levels. I started exercising again, though I rarely had swings like this when I was exercising last Fall. I let some fears and insecurities slip into my head and let them snowball into something unhealthy. Mi tigre was very patient with me as we talked about them. Like I promised myself (and him), this can't happen again, at least the way it happened yesterday. God is working in me to trust him more and also enabling me to trust mi tigre completely as we get to know each other better.
This all circles back around to the session I had with my counselor on Thursday. He told me about a "letting go" tool to use when things swirl around in my pretty little head. hehehe I call it the "release" tool. I imagine the person that I am stressing about walking a dangerous, unhealthy path, falling at times, failing most of the time, while I am watching from the right path, the path of God. Each time he or she fails, I acknowledge the feelings I am having and then say "I release you to God". If the person looks back to me for help, I will help. The points are these: I can only help when they ask me and I can't let their actions upset me or affect my life when they don't want my help. I hope you can see after reading this blog that I care deeply about people. I will not let anything come between me and God and me and mi tigre. My stubbornness is set on that now! hehehe
Is there something or someone in your life that you need to release? Think and pray about that this weekend.
Going to the movies this morning, then doing stuff around the house today. I am looking forward to a call or two from mi tigre. I really like him. ;-p
Let go, my friends. Release it to God. God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, January 6, 2012
This life or the next?
Our Daily Bread
There is a Coke Zero commercial that asks the question "And...?". The point is that there is usually more to almost any situation, like a cola having great Coke taste AND zero calories! hehehe
Our lives are sort of like that. We live our lives and we ask God -- AND?. Yes, there is an "and" -- our eternal life with God in Heaven. The devotional today talks about the conflict we can have -- whether to stay here on earth to server God better and longer or to be with him in heaven! It is nice to know we have something to look forward to. Life can get you down at times even though we have all the joy our hearts can hold at our disposal with our relationship with God!
Lord, I want to serve you here as best as I can til the day I can finally some home...
Foodie Friday
Here is a recipe for a meal I had at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas last September. I am considering making the pork roast part of the recipe for my dinner group on the 15th. I will post the other recipe I am considering next week.
New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Tamale and Pecan Butter
total Time: 2 hr 25 min
Prep 2 hr 10 min
Cook 15 min
Yield:
4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
Salt
New Mexican Spice Rub, recipe follows
Bourbon-Ancho Sauce, recipe follows
Sweet Potato Tamale with Pecan Butter, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan, over high heat. Season pork with salt on both sides. Dredge pork in the spice rub and tap off any excess. Sear the pork on both sides until golden brown. Cook in the oven to medium doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 12 slices. Plate 3 slices per plate. Drizzle with the Bourbon-Ancho Sauce. Place a Sweet Potato Tamale, topped with Pecan Butter next to the slices of pork.
New Mexican Rub:
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
2 teaspoons chile de arbol
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Bourbon-Ancho Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
3 ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, stems removed and pureed
6 cups homemade chicken stock
1 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed
8 whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the bourbon and cook until completely reduced. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return mixture to the pan, and cook to sauce consistency, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bourbon and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Sweet Potato Tamales:
20 dried corn husks
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, preferable fresh
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed
2 cups chicken stock or water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large or 2 medium sweet potato, roasted at 375 degrees for about 1 hour or until soft, then peeled and flesh mashed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Pecan Butter, recipe follows
About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.
Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To Serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa. Top each with 1 tablespoon of Pecan Butter.
Pecan Butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours.
Other Stuff
A close friend has tried to teach me about "the process" for a deep, lasting relationship. Frankly, most of it escapes my understanding (and I am a very smart guy!). I am learning more and more about it during my relationship with mi tigre. The part I struggle most with is what I call the "coal mine effect". As we get to know each other better and develop deeper feelings, I keep running into pockets of insecurity the deeper I go. It is unsettling for me, but I usually feel relieved as we talk about them and unearth them once and for all. I ran across another pocket last night. We are going to talk about it today. Whew....
I had a great talk with my counselor last night. I asked for some tools to handle some specific situations in my life that bother me. He had some great ideas. I shared the best one with my walking buddy as we both get upset with a mutual friend. We can do this. We will support each other. We will do our best to love our friend and not let things upset us.
Choir practice was fun last night. I ran a few errands after practice. I had a conversation with mi tigre after that.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
There is a Coke Zero commercial that asks the question "And...?". The point is that there is usually more to almost any situation, like a cola having great Coke taste AND zero calories! hehehe
Our lives are sort of like that. We live our lives and we ask God -- AND?. Yes, there is an "and" -- our eternal life with God in Heaven. The devotional today talks about the conflict we can have -- whether to stay here on earth to server God better and longer or to be with him in heaven! It is nice to know we have something to look forward to. Life can get you down at times even though we have all the joy our hearts can hold at our disposal with our relationship with God!
Lord, I want to serve you here as best as I can til the day I can finally some home...
Foodie Friday
Here is a recipe for a meal I had at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas last September. I am considering making the pork roast part of the recipe for my dinner group on the 15th. I will post the other recipe I am considering next week.
New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Tamale and Pecan Butter
total Time: 2 hr 25 min
Prep 2 hr 10 min
Cook 15 min
Yield:
4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
Salt
New Mexican Spice Rub, recipe follows
Bourbon-Ancho Sauce, recipe follows
Sweet Potato Tamale with Pecan Butter, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan, over high heat. Season pork with salt on both sides. Dredge pork in the spice rub and tap off any excess. Sear the pork on both sides until golden brown. Cook in the oven to medium doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 12 slices. Plate 3 slices per plate. Drizzle with the Bourbon-Ancho Sauce. Place a Sweet Potato Tamale, topped with Pecan Butter next to the slices of pork.
New Mexican Rub:
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
2 teaspoons chile de arbol
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Bourbon-Ancho Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
3 ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, stems removed and pureed
6 cups homemade chicken stock
1 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed
8 whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the bourbon and cook until completely reduced. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return mixture to the pan, and cook to sauce consistency, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bourbon and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Sweet Potato Tamales:
20 dried corn husks
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, preferable fresh
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed
2 cups chicken stock or water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large or 2 medium sweet potato, roasted at 375 degrees for about 1 hour or until soft, then peeled and flesh mashed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Pecan Butter, recipe follows
About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.
Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To Serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa. Top each with 1 tablespoon of Pecan Butter.
Pecan Butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours.
Other Stuff
A close friend has tried to teach me about "the process" for a deep, lasting relationship. Frankly, most of it escapes my understanding (and I am a very smart guy!). I am learning more and more about it during my relationship with mi tigre. The part I struggle most with is what I call the "coal mine effect". As we get to know each other better and develop deeper feelings, I keep running into pockets of insecurity the deeper I go. It is unsettling for me, but I usually feel relieved as we talk about them and unearth them once and for all. I ran across another pocket last night. We are going to talk about it today. Whew....
I had a great talk with my counselor last night. I asked for some tools to handle some specific situations in my life that bother me. He had some great ideas. I shared the best one with my walking buddy as we both get upset with a mutual friend. We can do this. We will support each other. We will do our best to love our friend and not let things upset us.
Choir practice was fun last night. I ran a few errands after practice. I had a conversation with mi tigre after that.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Yes, I am a planner....
Our Daily Bread
Yes, I am a planner. It is funny because I was telling a coworker this morning how I am doing much better about not planning everything since I met mi tigre! I am learning that while there is a little comfort in planning and knowing what is supposed to happen, that it is also confining and restrictive at the same time. I guess I have a lower tolerance for "not knowing" than I do for "restrictive"! hehehe
So can a planner be a Christian? Can a Christian be a planner? hehehe The answer is a resounding "yes!" The key is to plan without being rigid. What? Aren't plans made to be followed? We can make plans according to the way God is leading us, but we should never be completely rigid so that we ignore the leading of the Spirit each and every day. Sometimes plans will get tossed. Sometimes the road ahead of us is unclear and we just have to trust God as we take each step. Yes, it can be scary at times. Having faith in God for each breath and for each step is unsettling for this planning bear. ;-p It is also the life that I have prayed about -- a life that is not ordinary!
Lord, I want to live life your way. My way is too boring! hehehe
Technology Thursday
I saw an article on QR codes that I want to share with you. Below is an example of a QR code.
A QR code is a relatively new form of bar code used for many purposes. The most common purpose is to store lots of information that can be processed by a cell phone with a camera and a QR code reader. What kind of information can it hold? A lot more than a standard bar code! Several companies are using them to point consumers to their web site. Point them to Twitter or Facebook. Point them to Youtube for a video about their product(s). I have also seen them used for storing personal information a person can scan to add someone to your address book!
I use the Neoreader app on my iPhone to read QR codes. Start the app. Focus your camera on the QR code. The app will process the QR code and perform what is in the code, like going to a web site. Very cool!
Check them out today. You will see a lot more them very soon!
Other Stuff
I went home after work yesterday and took a short nap. I gathered all the stuff I was taking to D1 class for snacks and got to church early. The chorizo queso dip was a big hit. So were the Toberlone chunks, the beef sticks and the veggies! Folks didn't eat the Milano Melts. I tried one and it wasn't very good. Oh well. We had a very good class.
The highlight of the class for me was the question: "is it realistic to ask folks to abstain from sex before marriage and to be faithful in marriage?" From what I have learned the past few years and from my current relationship, my answer is "Yes, it is reasonable". This requires a commitment to God and a commitment to each other for the relationship to be more than physical. Mi tigre and I are working on this kind of friendship and relationship. We will see where it goes. It is not easy when you are terribly attracted to someone and care about him or her very much. Human nature is to express these feelings in every way possible.
God is so good. Trust God today with every part of your life. Step forward even if you aren't sure where the road is going.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Yes, I am a planner. It is funny because I was telling a coworker this morning how I am doing much better about not planning everything since I met mi tigre! I am learning that while there is a little comfort in planning and knowing what is supposed to happen, that it is also confining and restrictive at the same time. I guess I have a lower tolerance for "not knowing" than I do for "restrictive"! hehehe
So can a planner be a Christian? Can a Christian be a planner? hehehe The answer is a resounding "yes!" The key is to plan without being rigid. What? Aren't plans made to be followed? We can make plans according to the way God is leading us, but we should never be completely rigid so that we ignore the leading of the Spirit each and every day. Sometimes plans will get tossed. Sometimes the road ahead of us is unclear and we just have to trust God as we take each step. Yes, it can be scary at times. Having faith in God for each breath and for each step is unsettling for this planning bear. ;-p It is also the life that I have prayed about -- a life that is not ordinary!
Lord, I want to live life your way. My way is too boring! hehehe
Technology Thursday
I saw an article on QR codes that I want to share with you. Below is an example of a QR code.
I use the Neoreader app on my iPhone to read QR codes. Start the app. Focus your camera on the QR code. The app will process the QR code and perform what is in the code, like going to a web site. Very cool!
Check them out today. You will see a lot more them very soon!
Other Stuff
I went home after work yesterday and took a short nap. I gathered all the stuff I was taking to D1 class for snacks and got to church early. The chorizo queso dip was a big hit. So were the Toberlone chunks, the beef sticks and the veggies! Folks didn't eat the Milano Melts. I tried one and it wasn't very good. Oh well. We had a very good class.
The highlight of the class for me was the question: "is it realistic to ask folks to abstain from sex before marriage and to be faithful in marriage?" From what I have learned the past few years and from my current relationship, my answer is "Yes, it is reasonable". This requires a commitment to God and a commitment to each other for the relationship to be more than physical. Mi tigre and I are working on this kind of friendship and relationship. We will see where it goes. It is not easy when you are terribly attracted to someone and care about him or her very much. Human nature is to express these feelings in every way possible.
God is so good. Trust God today with every part of your life. Step forward even if you aren't sure where the road is going.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Exercise or not?
Our Daily Bread
I bought a Groupon deal today. It is for a 6 week boot camp for weight loss and getting in shape. I realize I can't do all of that in six weeks, but I wanted a "jump start" for this effort. I have been doing pretty well the past five months. I lost about 20 pounds or so, keeping most of it off over the holidays.
The devotional today talks about exercise a little. Yes, there are benefits to exercise for the children of God. We should do our best to keep our physical bodies healthy. We should not be obsessed with exercise or anything else that could possibly distract us from our relationship with God.
The devotional says the only thing we should go overboard on is loving others. Loving others helps us show God to others who may not know him. Like exercise helps take care of our bodies, we should take care of ourselves while loving others. I learned about "ministering from an empty well" when I was younger. You must have something to give to give to others!
Lord,help us love better -- others and ourselves.
Witness Wednesday
I had a good week with my best friend. We talked about a lot of stuff. I also talked with mi tigre about several deep topics. So what came out of those talks?
God used those talks, the Bible readings from this week, and my prayer time to work on my discipline. There are some things that I need to get better at. Some things I need to put aside so I can stop wasting precious energy on junk in my mind and heart. Yes, it is finally time to get disciplined! hehehe I mean to be diligent each and every day about these things. I seem to lose focus after a few days or weeks. Not good!
I will keep working on it. I will talk with my counselor some more about it this week.
Other Stuff
I got a few things done last night. The main accomplishment was to get the snacks ready for D1 class this week. Woohoooo! I will figure out the logistics tonight. I don't want to take my big crock pot to church. I think I can get by with the small one. ;-)
I had a good talk with mi tigre yesterday. He is so sweet to me. He called me back just to tell me one of our songs was on the radio. ;-p
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I bought a Groupon deal today. It is for a 6 week boot camp for weight loss and getting in shape. I realize I can't do all of that in six weeks, but I wanted a "jump start" for this effort. I have been doing pretty well the past five months. I lost about 20 pounds or so, keeping most of it off over the holidays.
The devotional today talks about exercise a little. Yes, there are benefits to exercise for the children of God. We should do our best to keep our physical bodies healthy. We should not be obsessed with exercise or anything else that could possibly distract us from our relationship with God.
The devotional says the only thing we should go overboard on is loving others. Loving others helps us show God to others who may not know him. Like exercise helps take care of our bodies, we should take care of ourselves while loving others. I learned about "ministering from an empty well" when I was younger. You must have something to give to give to others!
Lord,help us love better -- others and ourselves.
Witness Wednesday
I had a good week with my best friend. We talked about a lot of stuff. I also talked with mi tigre about several deep topics. So what came out of those talks?
God used those talks, the Bible readings from this week, and my prayer time to work on my discipline. There are some things that I need to get better at. Some things I need to put aside so I can stop wasting precious energy on junk in my mind and heart. Yes, it is finally time to get disciplined! hehehe I mean to be diligent each and every day about these things. I seem to lose focus after a few days or weeks. Not good!
I will keep working on it. I will talk with my counselor some more about it this week.
Other Stuff
I got a few things done last night. The main accomplishment was to get the snacks ready for D1 class this week. Woohoooo! I will figure out the logistics tonight. I don't want to take my big crock pot to church. I think I can get by with the small one. ;-)
I had a good talk with mi tigre yesterday. He is so sweet to me. He called me back just to tell me one of our songs was on the radio. ;-p
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
It starts at the beginning...
Our Daily Bread
It always amazes me how things come together! The devotional today is the same topic as the D1 readings for this week!
So what does it mean to "seek wisdom"? The book of Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7). Reading through all the proverbs is a good place to start after that. I recommend reading one chapter over and over for a week, then go to the next chapter. Make notes about the verses that seem to specifically apply to you. Try not to think about how verses apply to others! hehehe
Lord, help us seek your wisdom and not rely on our own!
Teaching Tuesday
Yes, the Disciple 1 lesson this week is on wisdom. The book calls it "right living". The passages address almost every area of life. It is pretty amazing stuff! Like I said above, I recommend reading one chapter over and over for a week, then go to the next chapter. Make notes about the verses that seem to specifically apply to you.
Also, write down specific areas of your life that you are struggling with. Make notes of the verses that apply to those areas as you read the Proverbs. You will be amazed when you do your reading!
Other Stuff
Monday was a relaxing day. I was off work. I went to an early movie. I took a nice nap. I made an early supper. I went to mens chorus rehearsal. I had a couple of conversations with mi tigre. It was a good day.
Back to the routine today! I will see what the new year brings!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
It always amazes me how things come together! The devotional today is the same topic as the D1 readings for this week!
So what does it mean to "seek wisdom"? The book of Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7). Reading through all the proverbs is a good place to start after that. I recommend reading one chapter over and over for a week, then go to the next chapter. Make notes about the verses that seem to specifically apply to you. Try not to think about how verses apply to others! hehehe
Lord, help us seek your wisdom and not rely on our own!
Teaching Tuesday
Yes, the Disciple 1 lesson this week is on wisdom. The book calls it "right living". The passages address almost every area of life. It is pretty amazing stuff! Like I said above, I recommend reading one chapter over and over for a week, then go to the next chapter. Make notes about the verses that seem to specifically apply to you.
Also, write down specific areas of your life that you are struggling with. Make notes of the verses that apply to those areas as you read the Proverbs. You will be amazed when you do your reading!
Other Stuff
Monday was a relaxing day. I was off work. I went to an early movie. I took a nice nap. I made an early supper. I went to mens chorus rehearsal. I had a couple of conversations with mi tigre. It was a good day.
Back to the routine today! I will see what the new year brings!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Really? Seriously?
Our Daily Bread
I don't think I have a lot of "enemies" as the Bible talks about. I know there are some folks that don't necessarily like me because of my sexuality or my personality or whatever reason(s) they want to choose. If I know someone doesn't like me, I usually go out of my way to help them whenever I can.
An example of this is at work. A coworker that I don't know very well made a disparaging remark about me behind my back. Another coworker was terribly offended and reported the comment to our manager and to HR. Whoa... All this happened before I found out about the comment! The whole team had to attend diversity training! Yikes! A few weeks after that the coworker that made the remark needed my assistance with something. I went over and above what was needed to help out and then followed up with him a few days later to see if he needed anything else. He was surprised to say the least!
That is the point of the devotional. Anyone can love someone else who loves them. God calls us to love our enemies. There are so many examples of how to do this in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. Let's make this one of our resolutions for the new year!
Lord, I want to love my enemies as myself in hopes of leading them to you!
Movie Monday
I saw two movies at the theater last week: War Horse and New Years Eve My best friend and I also watched several movies at home on DVD and Amazon Instant Video. I might review those another time.
War Horse
This epic story was very well done in movie form. The book was made into a Broadway show and this movie. It is the story of a boy and his horse. Their close relationship lasted many years and over many miles and extraordinary circumstances. They survived the first world war and managed to find each other! Wow! It is a long movie and a little slow in places. It was worth seeing at the theater. Be warned that the war scenes are gruesome.
I give this movie three bear paws.
New Years Eve
I saw this movie on New Years Eve with my best friend. It was very cool seeing it that night because you sort of felt like you were in NYC for the dropping of the ball! There were many story lines with lots of cameo appearances by movie stars. That was cool. There were also some twists in the story lines that brought some ooooo's, ahhhhh's and tears. It was also very funny in parts!
I give this one two bear paws.
Other Stuff
I had a nice Sunday. My best friend headed home very early. I went to church. I stopped by the grocery. I took a short nap. I did stuff around the house. I finished most of my D1 reading. I had a couple nice conversations with mi tigre. It was a good day.
I am heading to the movies this morning. I want to rest a little this afternoon before going to mens chorus rehearsal tonight.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I don't think I have a lot of "enemies" as the Bible talks about. I know there are some folks that don't necessarily like me because of my sexuality or my personality or whatever reason(s) they want to choose. If I know someone doesn't like me, I usually go out of my way to help them whenever I can.
An example of this is at work. A coworker that I don't know very well made a disparaging remark about me behind my back. Another coworker was terribly offended and reported the comment to our manager and to HR. Whoa... All this happened before I found out about the comment! The whole team had to attend diversity training! Yikes! A few weeks after that the coworker that made the remark needed my assistance with something. I went over and above what was needed to help out and then followed up with him a few days later to see if he needed anything else. He was surprised to say the least!
That is the point of the devotional. Anyone can love someone else who loves them. God calls us to love our enemies. There are so many examples of how to do this in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. Let's make this one of our resolutions for the new year!
Lord, I want to love my enemies as myself in hopes of leading them to you!
Movie Monday
I saw two movies at the theater last week: War Horse and New Years Eve My best friend and I also watched several movies at home on DVD and Amazon Instant Video. I might review those another time.
War Horse
This epic story was very well done in movie form. The book was made into a Broadway show and this movie. It is the story of a boy and his horse. Their close relationship lasted many years and over many miles and extraordinary circumstances. They survived the first world war and managed to find each other! Wow! It is a long movie and a little slow in places. It was worth seeing at the theater. Be warned that the war scenes are gruesome.
I give this movie three bear paws.
New Years Eve
I saw this movie on New Years Eve with my best friend. It was very cool seeing it that night because you sort of felt like you were in NYC for the dropping of the ball! There were many story lines with lots of cameo appearances by movie stars. That was cool. There were also some twists in the story lines that brought some ooooo's, ahhhhh's and tears. It was also very funny in parts!
I give this one two bear paws.
Other Stuff
I had a nice Sunday. My best friend headed home very early. I went to church. I stopped by the grocery. I took a short nap. I did stuff around the house. I finished most of my D1 reading. I had a couple nice conversations with mi tigre. It was a good day.
I am heading to the movies this morning. I want to rest a little this afternoon before going to mens chorus rehearsal tonight.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Looking forward to it...
Our Daily Bread
Have you ever had guests at your home? There is a lot of preparation before the visit as you clean the house, buy groceries, and clear your schedule. There is a lot of anticipation for their arrival!
We should have a similar approach to the return of Christ. This is different, however, than a house guest. You usually know the day and time (or approximately) when the guest will arrive. We do not know when Jesus will return. We still need to prepare and stay prepared! We can "keep our house clean" and do all good works as we are appointed until his coming!
Lord, will this be the year? Only you know for sure. Let us all be ready!
Special Edition - Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, my friends! 2011 was an interesting year! 2012 could be even more interesting!
Here is a synopsis of my 2011:
I had trips to Chicago, St Louis, Kansas City, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Orlando and Las Vegas.
I had two eye surgeries on my left eye (hopefully the last eye surgeries!).
I logged another year at my employer. There is some unsurety about the future. Who knows what will happen?
I had a decent year financially, though I my credit card balances are higher than what I want (see resolutions below). I did some smart things. I did some silly things.
I started losing weight again. I plan to keep that up in 2012 (see resolutions below).
I finally worked through some personal relationship issues. This is one of my most important accomplishments -- dropping the baggage that can interfere with my relationship with God and other relationships.
I strengthened some relationships and maintained others.
What a year!
Resolutions for 2012
Whatever you pursue or whatever dreams you have, I hope you make the right things happen in 2012.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Have you ever had guests at your home? There is a lot of preparation before the visit as you clean the house, buy groceries, and clear your schedule. There is a lot of anticipation for their arrival!
We should have a similar approach to the return of Christ. This is different, however, than a house guest. You usually know the day and time (or approximately) when the guest will arrive. We do not know when Jesus will return. We still need to prepare and stay prepared! We can "keep our house clean" and do all good works as we are appointed until his coming!
Lord, will this be the year? Only you know for sure. Let us all be ready!
Special Edition - Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, my friends! 2011 was an interesting year! 2012 could be even more interesting!
Here is a synopsis of my 2011:
I had trips to Chicago, St Louis, Kansas City, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Orlando and Las Vegas.
I had two eye surgeries on my left eye (hopefully the last eye surgeries!).
I logged another year at my employer. There is some unsurety about the future. Who knows what will happen?
I had a decent year financially, though I my credit card balances are higher than what I want (see resolutions below). I did some smart things. I did some silly things.
I started losing weight again. I plan to keep that up in 2012 (see resolutions below).
I finally worked through some personal relationship issues. This is one of my most important accomplishments -- dropping the baggage that can interfere with my relationship with God and other relationships.
I strengthened some relationships and maintained others.
What a year!
Resolutions for 2012
- Lose weight
- Make better financial decisions, especially when it comes to using credit. I sometimes lose discipline in this area of my life.
- Pursue the relationship with mi tigre as we figure out where our relationship will go. I will take things slow!
- Follow my heart when it comes to the things of God
Whatever you pursue or whatever dreams you have, I hope you make the right things happen in 2012.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
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