This is my last entry for a while. I am not sure I want to continue writing every day. I don't know if I am learning that I don't have to share everything in my life with the world every day or just shutting myself down.
Either way, I am fine with it. Life goes on.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The best laid plans...
Our Daily Bread
The best laid plans of mice and men don't always work out. We all know that from our daily lives! I am a planner. I know these things! hehehe
Haman had an issue with Mordecai, who wouldn't bow before him in public places. Mordecai only bowed to the living God. Haman got mad and schemed to have not only Mordecai, but ALL of the Jews killed. Esther risked her life by approaching the king to reverse his decision. Read Esther 7:1-10 for the amazing turn of events. Haters never win! hehehe
I also liked the quote by George Washington Carver:
“Hate within will eventually destroy the hater.”
Wow! I am slowly dealing with my self-hate. I dealt with much of it when I was coming out and dealing with my sexuality. My religious background filled me with self-hate for my homosexual feelings. Now, I sometimes let my borderline perfectionist tendencies to drive some self-hate because I can't or won't do all the things I am supposed to or want to do. Whew! God can make us all whole, including healing our self-hate!
Lord, thank you for your healing power. Help us all claim it every day!
Simply Saturday
I had a week! I feel much better this morning after starting antibiotics on Monday. I have been trying to rest more this week even though I managed to workout almost every day. My goal for this week was to break the 30 pounds lost mark. I did it this morning! Woohoooo! I managed to do it with sensitive eating and reasonable exercise. I must figure out how to lose and maintain my ideal weight without spending all my time working out. Whew! I want to have a nice body for my age. I don't have to be a weight lifter kind of guy. I am not motivated or wanting to be that.
I try to vary my exercise. I do my Bowflex routine a few days a week. I like that. I try to do the routines I learned at the boot camp and cross fit classes to work different muscles. I ride my recumbent bike. I start playing in a singles tennis league next week. I would like to maintain and lose another five pounds in the next two weeks before my Kentucky trip. After I do that (thinking positively), I will be within seven pounds of my five year lowest weight. I can do this!
Relationships and friendships have been on my mind a lot the past few weeks. Lots of ups and downs. I had to be careful that I took time for myself. I was putting out a lot of energy listening and helping friends. I was running low on personal strength and started to feel better that no one was going out of their way for me. God did again, like he always does! His Spirit gently reminds me of my blessings, like I can actually see myself in the mirror (instead of losing my eye sight the past few years). I told a buddy the other day that if I was partnered, I probably couldn't help out my friends and family as much. I wouldn't be able to do as much. Then again, if I was with the right person, I would be able to do more! As Paul said, I will do my best to be content in whatever state I am.
I have a meeting at church today, then going to watch a rugby game. That should be interesting. I like the idea of husky men laying in a pile. ;-) I didn't work on m D1 reading last night, so I need to do that tonight. Oh, the wild and crazy gay lifestyle that everyone is so envious of. Reading Revelation on a Saturday night...
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
The best laid plans of mice and men don't always work out. We all know that from our daily lives! I am a planner. I know these things! hehehe
Haman had an issue with Mordecai, who wouldn't bow before him in public places. Mordecai only bowed to the living God. Haman got mad and schemed to have not only Mordecai, but ALL of the Jews killed. Esther risked her life by approaching the king to reverse his decision. Read Esther 7:1-10 for the amazing turn of events. Haters never win! hehehe
I also liked the quote by George Washington Carver:
“Hate within will eventually destroy the hater.”
Wow! I am slowly dealing with my self-hate. I dealt with much of it when I was coming out and dealing with my sexuality. My religious background filled me with self-hate for my homosexual feelings. Now, I sometimes let my borderline perfectionist tendencies to drive some self-hate because I can't or won't do all the things I am supposed to or want to do. Whew! God can make us all whole, including healing our self-hate!
Lord, thank you for your healing power. Help us all claim it every day!
Simply Saturday
I had a week! I feel much better this morning after starting antibiotics on Monday. I have been trying to rest more this week even though I managed to workout almost every day. My goal for this week was to break the 30 pounds lost mark. I did it this morning! Woohoooo! I managed to do it with sensitive eating and reasonable exercise. I must figure out how to lose and maintain my ideal weight without spending all my time working out. Whew! I want to have a nice body for my age. I don't have to be a weight lifter kind of guy. I am not motivated or wanting to be that.
I try to vary my exercise. I do my Bowflex routine a few days a week. I like that. I try to do the routines I learned at the boot camp and cross fit classes to work different muscles. I ride my recumbent bike. I start playing in a singles tennis league next week. I would like to maintain and lose another five pounds in the next two weeks before my Kentucky trip. After I do that (thinking positively), I will be within seven pounds of my five year lowest weight. I can do this!
Relationships and friendships have been on my mind a lot the past few weeks. Lots of ups and downs. I had to be careful that I took time for myself. I was putting out a lot of energy listening and helping friends. I was running low on personal strength and started to feel better that no one was going out of their way for me. God did again, like he always does! His Spirit gently reminds me of my blessings, like I can actually see myself in the mirror (instead of losing my eye sight the past few years). I told a buddy the other day that if I was partnered, I probably couldn't help out my friends and family as much. I wouldn't be able to do as much. Then again, if I was with the right person, I would be able to do more! As Paul said, I will do my best to be content in whatever state I am.
I have a meeting at church today, then going to watch a rugby game. That should be interesting. I like the idea of husky men laying in a pile. ;-) I didn't work on m D1 reading last night, so I need to do that tonight. Oh, the wild and crazy gay lifestyle that everyone is so envious of. Reading Revelation on a Saturday night...
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, April 27, 2012
I will follow him...
Our Daily Bread
...follow him wherever he may lead, do-do-dooooo. I love that song from Sister Act! hehehe The devotional talks about the cost of following Christ.
Being a business person, I would probably create an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the costs of following Christ. That is what I do! hehehe Like in business, most folks underestimate the costs! The examples in Luke prove this point. Jesus expected everything from his followers. It was (or is) an easy call.
Why follow? Because like any good business venture, the credits far outweigh the debits! hehehe The privilege to serve the Living God and the amazing life we have in Him far outweigh any costs!
Lord, thank you for offering an amazing and eternal life in you!
Foodie Friday
I ate at J. Liu's last Friday night. Well, sort of. I attended a function where they provided the Mexican food for the event theme. The event was held on the second floor of the huge building in Worthington. Very cool place!
The Mexican food was not that great in my opinion, but I was sort of ill that night. I might not have been tasting things like I usually do. I thought the food was bland and pretty tasteless, even the chicken mole! Oh well. I need to try the place again and eat off the regular menu. Some friends of mine looked at the menu and thought it looked great. Plus, I also get Southwest Airlines points for eating there as well!
Other Stuff
I had a busy day. I helped a friend with some computer stuff after work. I had enough time to run him home and grab a hamburger before choir rehearsal. I didn't eat much yesterday. I wasn't hungry most of the day. I think that is from the antibiotics I am taking.
I am doing OK on the weight loss again. I have been hovering between 23 - 28 pounds. I want to lose another 5 - 10 in the next few weeks. I haven't been exercising much the last week due to being sick. I have a goal to look good for my May 11 road trip!
I need to run some errands tonight. I will see how that goes. I have a meeting at church tomorrow morning, then watch a friend's rugby match. Interesting.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
...follow him wherever he may lead, do-do-dooooo. I love that song from Sister Act! hehehe The devotional talks about the cost of following Christ.
Being a business person, I would probably create an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the costs of following Christ. That is what I do! hehehe Like in business, most folks underestimate the costs! The examples in Luke prove this point. Jesus expected everything from his followers. It was (or is) an easy call.
Why follow? Because like any good business venture, the credits far outweigh the debits! hehehe The privilege to serve the Living God and the amazing life we have in Him far outweigh any costs!
Lord, thank you for offering an amazing and eternal life in you!
Foodie Friday
I ate at J. Liu's last Friday night. Well, sort of. I attended a function where they provided the Mexican food for the event theme. The event was held on the second floor of the huge building in Worthington. Very cool place!
The Mexican food was not that great in my opinion, but I was sort of ill that night. I might not have been tasting things like I usually do. I thought the food was bland and pretty tasteless, even the chicken mole! Oh well. I need to try the place again and eat off the regular menu. Some friends of mine looked at the menu and thought it looked great. Plus, I also get Southwest Airlines points for eating there as well!
Other Stuff
I had a busy day. I helped a friend with some computer stuff after work. I had enough time to run him home and grab a hamburger before choir rehearsal. I didn't eat much yesterday. I wasn't hungry most of the day. I think that is from the antibiotics I am taking.
I am doing OK on the weight loss again. I have been hovering between 23 - 28 pounds. I want to lose another 5 - 10 in the next few weeks. I haven't been exercising much the last week due to being sick. I have a goal to look good for my May 11 road trip!
I need to run some errands tonight. I will see how that goes. I have a meeting at church tomorrow morning, then watch a friend's rugby match. Interesting.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
What is true religion?
Our Daily Bread
I feel like we get caught up in labels -- it is obvious in the way we label people and the way we wear labels! A friend recently told me that there are two types of Ralph Lauren labels -- blue and green. The garments with blue labels were deemed "better". I was so relieved to find out I had blue label Ralph Lauren shirts and pants! DOH! See! I am doing it again! hehehe
But I digress... The devotional talks about not just wearing labels, like the label of being a child of God, but rather living the life of a child of God! Take a look at James 1:19-27 that talks about this. I loved the last paragraph of the devotional:
True religion is not a garment to be taken on and off. It is a lofty challenge about how we live before a holy God and others.
Lord, help us find true faith that we can show each and every day.
Technology Thursday
The technology world is so boring right now. At least the tablet wars and patent wars are taking a rest. Here are a few headlines.
Google Drive facing issues with content rights.
Apple has more cash that most countries...
Sprints truly unlimited data plan not attracting many iPhone users
RIM's BBOS10 device due in October. Too much, too little, too late?
Other Stuff
I went to a movie after work last night. After relaxing and getting another night's rest, I am feeling much better. I need to work out today for sure! I didn't feel like it yesterday. We had a good D1 class. Only three more weeks to go!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I feel like we get caught up in labels -- it is obvious in the way we label people and the way we wear labels! A friend recently told me that there are two types of Ralph Lauren labels -- blue and green. The garments with blue labels were deemed "better". I was so relieved to find out I had blue label Ralph Lauren shirts and pants! DOH! See! I am doing it again! hehehe
But I digress... The devotional talks about not just wearing labels, like the label of being a child of God, but rather living the life of a child of God! Take a look at James 1:19-27 that talks about this. I loved the last paragraph of the devotional:
True religion is not a garment to be taken on and off. It is a lofty challenge about how we live before a holy God and others.
Lord, help us find true faith that we can show each and every day.
Technology Thursday
The technology world is so boring right now. At least the tablet wars and patent wars are taking a rest. Here are a few headlines.
Google Drive facing issues with content rights.
Apple has more cash that most countries...
Sprints truly unlimited data plan not attracting many iPhone users
RIM's BBOS10 device due in October. Too much, too little, too late?
Other Stuff
I went to a movie after work last night. After relaxing and getting another night's rest, I am feeling much better. I need to work out today for sure! I didn't feel like it yesterday. We had a good D1 class. Only three more weeks to go!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Busy day
The day is slipping away from me. Sorry I haven't written anything today. I will post tomorrow. Wishing you a great day!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Follower or trailblazer?
Our Daily Bread
When I think of a trail blazer, I think of Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett. I never really thought of every day people, even myself, as trail blazers.
We can be trail blazers in many ways. I was the first from my family to graduate from college and to get a master's degree. Other folks may have blazed the way for moving out of the patterns their families have been in for generations. Others can break free from the unfortunate events in their lives so they can help others blaze the trail to healthy emotional and physical lives. What trails are you blazing? What trails could you blaze? Think about that today!
Lord, thank you for examples like David and Solomon who blazed trails for you.
Teaching Tuesday
We read two chapters again this week as we wind down to our last four class periods. Whew! We read about the topic of "Sacrifice" in the book of Hebrews. I don't remember reading much of the book before. It was pretty intense!
We also read about the topic of "Holy" in the books of I and II Peter. We also circled back around to a few chapters in Leviticus and Isaiah to tie things together. I liked the books of Peter. Very interesting stuff.
Other Stuff
I started feeling better yesterday, especially after starting the antibiotics the doctor gave me. I did NOT have strep throat, but I did have a nasty sinus and throat infection again. ;-( OH well. My throat has never been so sore in my life! I gargled with salt water several times. It didn't help at all! I had to work late to make up the time from getting into work late after my annual physical. I will get the results later this week.
After I got home, I did a light workout and then folded and put away laundry. I hadn't done that yet. ;-p I also fixed some supper and tried to go to bed early. That didn't work out. Oh well.
I have a busy day, then a boot camp class tonight. Will try to review my D1 reading after class.
I received a very nice note from my minister tonight. I really appreciated that.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
When I think of a trail blazer, I think of Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett. I never really thought of every day people, even myself, as trail blazers.
We can be trail blazers in many ways. I was the first from my family to graduate from college and to get a master's degree. Other folks may have blazed the way for moving out of the patterns their families have been in for generations. Others can break free from the unfortunate events in their lives so they can help others blaze the trail to healthy emotional and physical lives. What trails are you blazing? What trails could you blaze? Think about that today!
Lord, thank you for examples like David and Solomon who blazed trails for you.
Teaching Tuesday
We read two chapters again this week as we wind down to our last four class periods. Whew! We read about the topic of "Sacrifice" in the book of Hebrews. I don't remember reading much of the book before. It was pretty intense!
We also read about the topic of "Holy" in the books of I and II Peter. We also circled back around to a few chapters in Leviticus and Isaiah to tie things together. I liked the books of Peter. Very interesting stuff.
Other Stuff
I started feeling better yesterday, especially after starting the antibiotics the doctor gave me. I did NOT have strep throat, but I did have a nasty sinus and throat infection again. ;-( OH well. My throat has never been so sore in my life! I gargled with salt water several times. It didn't help at all! I had to work late to make up the time from getting into work late after my annual physical. I will get the results later this week.
After I got home, I did a light workout and then folded and put away laundry. I hadn't done that yet. ;-p I also fixed some supper and tried to go to bed early. That didn't work out. Oh well.
I have a busy day, then a boot camp class tonight. Will try to review my D1 reading after class.
I received a very nice note from my minister tonight. I really appreciated that.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Chatter
Our Daily Bread
I know I talk a LOT. Many people told me so over the year. Quite the bearish chatter box! I often wonder how God can listen and keep track of ten people like me praying, much less billions of people praying! ;-p
Seriously, God is an awesome god! He is the only true god! He can be in communication with us 24/7 if we were able as humans to do so. He is there to listen and to talk through his Holy Spirit if we are willing to listen. Amazing!
So if you are a talker like me, or just a shy person, always remember you can talk to God any time, any where!
Lord, thank you for prayer. Help us always to be in a attitude of prayer!
Movie Monday
I didn't make it to the movies this week. ;-( I watched the older movie Arena on TV. It was on the G4 channel, so you can imagine what it was like: blood, guts, violence, blah, blah, blah. In short, the movie was about an undercover agent that made his way into a secret Internet fighting club. He was finally able to break down the whole setup with a friend on the inside. Lots of blood and killing and gore. Oh well. It wasn't very good.
I give this movie 1/2 bear paw.
Other Stuff
My solo at church went OK yesterday. I was sick all weekend. I am feeling a little better today, but not much. I have a doctor appointment at 8:30. I had a hard time resting last night. I probably won't go to work after the doctor appointment. I will see how I feel and what the doctor says.
I had a nice lunch and talk with Ying yesterday. He had a lot to tell me about.
Nothing planned for tonight. I hoped to start my cross fit training tonight. I am not sure I will feel up to it. ;-(
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I know I talk a LOT. Many people told me so over the year. Quite the bearish chatter box! I often wonder how God can listen and keep track of ten people like me praying, much less billions of people praying! ;-p
Seriously, God is an awesome god! He is the only true god! He can be in communication with us 24/7 if we were able as humans to do so. He is there to listen and to talk through his Holy Spirit if we are willing to listen. Amazing!
So if you are a talker like me, or just a shy person, always remember you can talk to God any time, any where!
Lord, thank you for prayer. Help us always to be in a attitude of prayer!
Movie Monday
I didn't make it to the movies this week. ;-( I watched the older movie Arena on TV. It was on the G4 channel, so you can imagine what it was like: blood, guts, violence, blah, blah, blah. In short, the movie was about an undercover agent that made his way into a secret Internet fighting club. He was finally able to break down the whole setup with a friend on the inside. Lots of blood and killing and gore. Oh well. It wasn't very good.
I give this movie 1/2 bear paw.
Other Stuff
My solo at church went OK yesterday. I was sick all weekend. I am feeling a little better today, but not much. I have a doctor appointment at 8:30. I had a hard time resting last night. I probably won't go to work after the doctor appointment. I will see how I feel and what the doctor says.
I had a nice lunch and talk with Ying yesterday. He had a lot to tell me about.
Nothing planned for tonight. I hoped to start my cross fit training tonight. I am not sure I will feel up to it. ;-(
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Always more to learn
Our Daily Bread
The devotional seemed nice today and maybe didn't even apply a whole lot for a change! THEN, it hit me. I was being pompous about my Bible study. Yes, I have studied the Bible a lot in my life, especially in the last two years. It hit me that I need to look at the Bible from a new perspective each time I open it. I have changed since the last time I read a passage. My life has changed. God hasn't. He is waiting there to reveal himself to me each and every second I pursue him. Praise God!
Lord, help me never assume I know all there is to know about you or your Word!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 44 is beautifully written like so many of the other psalms. Read it out loud to see what it can mean to you.
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Other Stuff
Didn't do much yesterday. I was sick. Went to choir rehearsal. Slept. Ate supper and read D1 stuff. Went to bed for the night. Whew! I did manage a quick Bowflex workout in there somewhere. Whew...
Please say a prayer for my throat this morning. If feels like it wants to jump out of my neck it is so sore. ;-(
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
The devotional seemed nice today and maybe didn't even apply a whole lot for a change! THEN, it hit me. I was being pompous about my Bible study. Yes, I have studied the Bible a lot in my life, especially in the last two years. It hit me that I need to look at the Bible from a new perspective each time I open it. I have changed since the last time I read a passage. My life has changed. God hasn't. He is waiting there to reveal himself to me each and every second I pursue him. Praise God!
Lord, help me never assume I know all there is to know about you or your Word!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 44 is beautifully written like so many of the other psalms. Read it out loud to see what it can mean to you.
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Other Stuff
Didn't do much yesterday. I was sick. Went to choir rehearsal. Slept. Ate supper and read D1 stuff. Went to bed for the night. Whew! I did manage a quick Bowflex workout in there somewhere. Whew...
Please say a prayer for my throat this morning. If feels like it wants to jump out of my neck it is so sore. ;-(
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Busy day
Sorry I didn't write much today. I had choir practice this morning, then went home and slept all afternoon! I feel a little better this evening. I am going to rest and hit the sack early.
Attend Festival of Hymns tomorrow at King Avenue UMC if you get a chance. It is very cool! Duane
Attend Festival of Hymns tomorrow at King Avenue UMC if you get a chance. It is very cool! Duane
Friday, April 20, 2012
What's in a name...
Our Daily Bread
I often forget how the unusual habit I have with friends affects people. If I start to get close to someone, I give him or her a nickname. They can be descriptive or just silly. My best friend and I call each other either "honey" or "pookie", for example. ;-p
Jesus renamed Simon upon meeting him. He looked into Simon's mind and heart and renamed him Cephas, which means Peter, which means "rock". It is amazing how Jesus knew this man would be the cornerstone on which he would build his church!
The wonderful news is: Jesus sees into each of us. He knows what we are and what we can become if we give ourselves over to him. One of the other nicknames or terms of endearment I use is BCOG. You are a Beloved Child Of God! Yes, you are! Believe it and live it!
Lord, thank you seeing into my heart and mind. Help me be the person you want me to be!
Foodie Friday
I bought a Goupon deal for a restaurant called Basil last week. Here is the web site. The menu looks very good. Some friends of mine have eaten there and highly recommended it. I love Asian food in general, except for curry dishes from India/Pakistan. Not much of a curry fan at all! Ewwww! Sorry, don't mean to offend!
We talked about Thai food in our dinner group last week. We talked about Thai Lagoon, which recently moved to the Best Western Hotel on Dublin-Granville Road (a great move!). We also talked about the Thai Grill in Westerville. I will try both of them out and let you know what I think. I promise not to eat just Pad Thai in both places! I love that dish!
On a different note, the Cuisine for a Cause event for church is at J Liu's in Worthington tonight. It has a very electic menu. Check it out sometime as well!
Other Stuff
I was very tired after work last night. I stopped by the car dealer to pick up the sunglasses I left in the old car. I went home, planning to take a short nap and then mow the lawn. I took a nap alright. Longer than I planned! I managed to get the dishwasher emptied and a package mailed, but didn't mow the lawn. I will try to do that tonight before C4aC. It is not supposed to rain until tonight. We will see.
I have choir practice in the morning for our spring musical presentation. I need to do some work on my solo. It is the only song that has to be memorized. ;-p It is not difficult. I need to sit down with it so I don't look silly up there! hehehe
I hope to mount the projector and screen in my basement, but I may have to wait until next week. My first priority to get some rest this weekend. I have my annual physical on Monday. That could be interesting as I get feedback on how my workouts are going.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I often forget how the unusual habit I have with friends affects people. If I start to get close to someone, I give him or her a nickname. They can be descriptive or just silly. My best friend and I call each other either "honey" or "pookie", for example. ;-p
Jesus renamed Simon upon meeting him. He looked into Simon's mind and heart and renamed him Cephas, which means Peter, which means "rock". It is amazing how Jesus knew this man would be the cornerstone on which he would build his church!
The wonderful news is: Jesus sees into each of us. He knows what we are and what we can become if we give ourselves over to him. One of the other nicknames or terms of endearment I use is BCOG. You are a Beloved Child Of God! Yes, you are! Believe it and live it!
Lord, thank you seeing into my heart and mind. Help me be the person you want me to be!
Foodie Friday
I bought a Goupon deal for a restaurant called Basil last week. Here is the web site. The menu looks very good. Some friends of mine have eaten there and highly recommended it. I love Asian food in general, except for curry dishes from India/Pakistan. Not much of a curry fan at all! Ewwww! Sorry, don't mean to offend!
We talked about Thai food in our dinner group last week. We talked about Thai Lagoon, which recently moved to the Best Western Hotel on Dublin-Granville Road (a great move!). We also talked about the Thai Grill in Westerville. I will try both of them out and let you know what I think. I promise not to eat just Pad Thai in both places! I love that dish!
On a different note, the Cuisine for a Cause event for church is at J Liu's in Worthington tonight. It has a very electic menu. Check it out sometime as well!
Other Stuff
I was very tired after work last night. I stopped by the car dealer to pick up the sunglasses I left in the old car. I went home, planning to take a short nap and then mow the lawn. I took a nap alright. Longer than I planned! I managed to get the dishwasher emptied and a package mailed, but didn't mow the lawn. I will try to do that tonight before C4aC. It is not supposed to rain until tonight. We will see.
I have choir practice in the morning for our spring musical presentation. I need to do some work on my solo. It is the only song that has to be memorized. ;-p It is not difficult. I need to sit down with it so I don't look silly up there! hehehe
I hope to mount the projector and screen in my basement, but I may have to wait until next week. My first priority to get some rest this weekend. I have my annual physical on Monday. That could be interesting as I get feedback on how my workouts are going.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Crazy love
Our Daily Bread
I think stories like Hosea scare some folks away from God. ;-( "What if God calls me to be a prophet?" "What if God asks me to do the crazy stuff like in the Old Testament?" I have those fears as well. I guess what gets me through them all is learning to trust God more and more. I trust God to push me and bend me, but not to break me. He never allows more then we can bear!
The story of Hosea is simple: God tells Hosea to marry a woman that will forsake him for other men. This relationship parallels the relationship between God and Israel. One metaphor for the relationship is that Israel is the bride of God, or God is the bridegroom of the blushing bride Israel. Like a bride in Biblical times (and hopefully today as well), she is pure and wholesome and faithful. The groom is also faithful and loving. Israel forsook God for other idols and stuff over and over. Bad Israel! Bad Israel! hehehe
I was pretty judgmental towards Israel until the Holy Spirit guided me to see the same problem in MY relationship with God! Yikes! Bad Duane! Bad Duane! I guess we have already established that! ;-p
What about your relationship with God?
Lord, help us to be faithful and true in our relationship with you!
Technology Thursday
Not sure what to write about this week. I am still working on the home theater. I received the correct ceiling mounting bracket yesterday. I am not sure of my plans for Saturday, but I hope to get the screen and projector mounted. I will see how that works out. I also want to move the club chair from the family room to the basement as well. I am looking at lighting options for the room, too. I want to replace the florescent lights that I have now. I also want to get some lights for the stairwell and the entry way to the basement that I can control via remote control. I think I found those the other day. I will keep plugging away at it. ;-)
Other Stuff
I have a trip to Kentucky planned for mid-May. I want to visit my family and also attend a graduation. Another graduation in Central Kentucky. Go figure! ;-p
I have to stop by the car dealer tonight. I forgot my sunglasses in my old car. I would like to mow the lawn after that (and before choir practice) so I don't have to worry about it this week. I will see how that goes.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I think stories like Hosea scare some folks away from God. ;-( "What if God calls me to be a prophet?" "What if God asks me to do the crazy stuff like in the Old Testament?" I have those fears as well. I guess what gets me through them all is learning to trust God more and more. I trust God to push me and bend me, but not to break me. He never allows more then we can bear!
The story of Hosea is simple: God tells Hosea to marry a woman that will forsake him for other men. This relationship parallels the relationship between God and Israel. One metaphor for the relationship is that Israel is the bride of God, or God is the bridegroom of the blushing bride Israel. Like a bride in Biblical times (and hopefully today as well), she is pure and wholesome and faithful. The groom is also faithful and loving. Israel forsook God for other idols and stuff over and over. Bad Israel! Bad Israel! hehehe
I was pretty judgmental towards Israel until the Holy Spirit guided me to see the same problem in MY relationship with God! Yikes! Bad Duane! Bad Duane! I guess we have already established that! ;-p
What about your relationship with God?
Lord, help us to be faithful and true in our relationship with you!
Technology Thursday
Not sure what to write about this week. I am still working on the home theater. I received the correct ceiling mounting bracket yesterday. I am not sure of my plans for Saturday, but I hope to get the screen and projector mounted. I will see how that works out. I also want to move the club chair from the family room to the basement as well. I am looking at lighting options for the room, too. I want to replace the florescent lights that I have now. I also want to get some lights for the stairwell and the entry way to the basement that I can control via remote control. I think I found those the other day. I will keep plugging away at it. ;-)
Other Stuff
I have a trip to Kentucky planned for mid-May. I want to visit my family and also attend a graduation. Another graduation in Central Kentucky. Go figure! ;-p
I have to stop by the car dealer tonight. I forgot my sunglasses in my old car. I would like to mow the lawn after that (and before choir practice) so I don't have to worry about it this week. I will see how that goes.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
How beautiful...
Our Daily Bread
I never really thought about feet that much. I trim my toenails. I usually wear socks with my shoes (though not with sandals...). I check my toes and stuff since I am diabetic. I also laughed at the feet of Frodo and friends in the Lord of the Rings movies! Yikes!
Feet literally took a beating in the olden times. Some folks wore sandals. Many folks couldn't afford sandals so they walked barefoot all the time. Imagine how your feet would feel in the desert areas of Israel and Egypt after a long day of work or a long journey. Apparently, it was a honored custom to have a servant or family member wash and anoint the feet of special guests. This was very comforting for the guest and also demonstrated the ultimate in hospitality.
The story in the devotional is one of my favorites. The sinful woman was so repentant, that she washed the feet of Jesus with her tears (not a basin of water) and wiped them off with her hair (rather than a cloth or towel). She then anointed his feet with expensive oil that showed she gave him all she had. Wow!
What are we willing to do to show our love for Jesus? To show our devotion and gratitude for the gift of eternal life?
Lord, please help us show our love for you in the best ways we know how!
Witness Wednesday
I had an interesting week. Whew... I was a little busy over the weekend. I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't get my projector and screen mounted in the basement. I will try to get that done in the next few weeks, after the correct project mounting hardware arrives at the house. I love the projector. It looks great on a wall with only primer! I will figure out the furniture strategy sometime as well. Not sure what I want to do yet.
I was a little down on Monday. I was thinking a lot about God's promises. I have been tempted a lot to do some things on my own instead of waiting on God. Finding the balance between being open to his leading and making things happen myself is difficult for me. I will keep working on it. ;-p
I have been working out a lot. Maybe too much. Whew... I am trying to find the balance there as well. I like challenging myself physically, but only if it doesn't interfere with my real life! I am eating better, but not always consistently eating better. I can lapse two or three days in a row, gain some weight, feel bad, then try to take it off again. I go in this one-step-forward-two-steps-back cycle that I don't like. Hate it... Consistency is hard for me. That is one of the reasons I started writing this blog. It required me to make a consistent, disciplined commitment to writing something each day. I have done pretty well with it. I will continue!
What is your challenge? Don't have any? Look again! hehehe
Other Stuff
Had a busy day at work. Thankfully, a 3:00 - 5:00 meeting was canceled! Woohooo! I took a quick nap at home, then went to my boot camp class. I guess I didn't eat enough yesterday because I got very weak during the class. I had to leave after 30 minutes. I went home to rest and get something to eat. My blood sugar was fine. I just felt very weak. I rested and read my D1 stuff the remainder of the evening.
I tried a new workout place this morning. I was still tired from last night, so I didn't try as hard as I should have. I will take it easy tonight and try it again tomorrow. I am not sure I like this place. I did like the foam roller stretches that help get the toxins out of your muscles! I ordered one of my own on Amazon.com this morning. My favorite gym so far has been the cross fit gym, but it is very out of the way for me. The price is right however, so I might reconsider it. I like the emphasis on eating right!
I am enjoying the new car. I am watching the fuel gauge to get an idea of how the mileage is doing. ;-) Between the gas cans in my garage and the free fill up I have on my Giant Eagle card, I shouldn't have to pay for gas for a while!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I never really thought about feet that much. I trim my toenails. I usually wear socks with my shoes (though not with sandals...). I check my toes and stuff since I am diabetic. I also laughed at the feet of Frodo and friends in the Lord of the Rings movies! Yikes!
Feet literally took a beating in the olden times. Some folks wore sandals. Many folks couldn't afford sandals so they walked barefoot all the time. Imagine how your feet would feel in the desert areas of Israel and Egypt after a long day of work or a long journey. Apparently, it was a honored custom to have a servant or family member wash and anoint the feet of special guests. This was very comforting for the guest and also demonstrated the ultimate in hospitality.
The story in the devotional is one of my favorites. The sinful woman was so repentant, that she washed the feet of Jesus with her tears (not a basin of water) and wiped them off with her hair (rather than a cloth or towel). She then anointed his feet with expensive oil that showed she gave him all she had. Wow!
What are we willing to do to show our love for Jesus? To show our devotion and gratitude for the gift of eternal life?
Lord, please help us show our love for you in the best ways we know how!
Witness Wednesday
I had an interesting week. Whew... I was a little busy over the weekend. I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't get my projector and screen mounted in the basement. I will try to get that done in the next few weeks, after the correct project mounting hardware arrives at the house. I love the projector. It looks great on a wall with only primer! I will figure out the furniture strategy sometime as well. Not sure what I want to do yet.
I was a little down on Monday. I was thinking a lot about God's promises. I have been tempted a lot to do some things on my own instead of waiting on God. Finding the balance between being open to his leading and making things happen myself is difficult for me. I will keep working on it. ;-p
I have been working out a lot. Maybe too much. Whew... I am trying to find the balance there as well. I like challenging myself physically, but only if it doesn't interfere with my real life! I am eating better, but not always consistently eating better. I can lapse two or three days in a row, gain some weight, feel bad, then try to take it off again. I go in this one-step-forward-two-steps-back cycle that I don't like. Hate it... Consistency is hard for me. That is one of the reasons I started writing this blog. It required me to make a consistent, disciplined commitment to writing something each day. I have done pretty well with it. I will continue!
What is your challenge? Don't have any? Look again! hehehe
Other Stuff
Had a busy day at work. Thankfully, a 3:00 - 5:00 meeting was canceled! Woohooo! I took a quick nap at home, then went to my boot camp class. I guess I didn't eat enough yesterday because I got very weak during the class. I had to leave after 30 minutes. I went home to rest and get something to eat. My blood sugar was fine. I just felt very weak. I rested and read my D1 stuff the remainder of the evening.
I tried a new workout place this morning. I was still tired from last night, so I didn't try as hard as I should have. I will take it easy tonight and try it again tomorrow. I am not sure I like this place. I did like the foam roller stretches that help get the toxins out of your muscles! I ordered one of my own on Amazon.com this morning. My favorite gym so far has been the cross fit gym, but it is very out of the way for me. The price is right however, so I might reconsider it. I like the emphasis on eating right!
I am enjoying the new car. I am watching the fuel gauge to get an idea of how the mileage is doing. ;-) Between the gas cans in my garage and the free fill up I have on my Giant Eagle card, I shouldn't have to pay for gas for a while!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
You are so bad...
Our Daily Bread
OK, I have to admit it. I hear this phrase a lot "You are so bad!". It is usually said playfully by a friend or family member who was on the receiving end of my teasing or joking. Even my own mother says it so it must be true! Yikes! At least I don't sit in the corner bragging about it!
Well, I sort of do that. I wear the "nice bad boy" tag with pride, maybe too much pride. Is everything I say edifying or building up someone else? Do my statements bring glory to God? Are they of pure thought and intention? I guess the honest answer to those questions is "no". I laugh it off as being part of my "charm".
Can we be charming and godly? Yes, of course we can! God gave us a sense of humor to use to make our days lighter and to lift the spirits of those around us. We have to use it responsibly!
Lord, help me use my gift of a joyful spirit and adorable charm, errrrr, I mean, being me to your glory!
Teaching Tuesday
We read two chapters this week as we are winding down our class. Whew! I read Galatians, I Timothy, II Timothy and Titus. What a difference in Paul's demeanor! He was NOT happy with the folks at Galatia!
I have to admit that Paul sounded much more like he hates women in Galatians. After last week, I better understood the context in which he wrote some of the things to women in Corinthians. That wasn't so bad. What context does he have for the Galatians? I need to learn more about that. They are all short books. Give them a quick read.
Other Stuff
I ran home after work to change and do some errands. I made it to the gym on time for my QVR class. It went fast. I tried hard to do all the exercises.
I spent the rest of the evening at the car dealer buying my new car! I broke down and bought a new car last night. I have been wanting one for a while, but didn't know what I wanted to buy. My thriftiness got the best of me and I picked the Hyundai Sonata. Very nice car! My best friend bought the next trim level up from mine. Mine has all the stuff on it I wanted. I am looking forward to the better gas mileage. I will write more about it soon.
Lots of things going on this week. We will see how they go!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
OK, I have to admit it. I hear this phrase a lot "You are so bad!". It is usually said playfully by a friend or family member who was on the receiving end of my teasing or joking. Even my own mother says it so it must be true! Yikes! At least I don't sit in the corner bragging about it!
Well, I sort of do that. I wear the "nice bad boy" tag with pride, maybe too much pride. Is everything I say edifying or building up someone else? Do my statements bring glory to God? Are they of pure thought and intention? I guess the honest answer to those questions is "no". I laugh it off as being part of my "charm".
Can we be charming and godly? Yes, of course we can! God gave us a sense of humor to use to make our days lighter and to lift the spirits of those around us. We have to use it responsibly!
Lord, help me use my gift of a joyful spirit and adorable charm, errrrr, I mean, being me to your glory!
Teaching Tuesday
We read two chapters this week as we are winding down our class. Whew! I read Galatians, I Timothy, II Timothy and Titus. What a difference in Paul's demeanor! He was NOT happy with the folks at Galatia!
I have to admit that Paul sounded much more like he hates women in Galatians. After last week, I better understood the context in which he wrote some of the things to women in Corinthians. That wasn't so bad. What context does he have for the Galatians? I need to learn more about that. They are all short books. Give them a quick read.
Other Stuff
I ran home after work to change and do some errands. I made it to the gym on time for my QVR class. It went fast. I tried hard to do all the exercises.
I spent the rest of the evening at the car dealer buying my new car! I broke down and bought a new car last night. I have been wanting one for a while, but didn't know what I wanted to buy. My thriftiness got the best of me and I picked the Hyundai Sonata. Very nice car! My best friend bought the next trim level up from mine. Mine has all the stuff on it I wanted. I am looking forward to the better gas mileage. I will write more about it soon.
Lots of things going on this week. We will see how they go!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Shine!
Our Daily Bread
Have you ever worked with old wood furniture that lost its beauty? You can do several things to remove the old finish, then apply a new finish. When you are done, the true beauty of the wood shines through! It is amazing!
God wants to do that with us. He wants us to be grateful for the beauty he created in the world. He wants us to be grateful for the beauty he creates in us. That is, if we just let him!
I am feeling a little "down" today. I am not sure why. This devotional reminded me to always be grateful for the things I have, the people in my life (though they can be a challenge at times), and for every situation that I encounter that gives me a chance to let Jesus shine through. "Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am..." I hope I start feeling this today. So far --- nada...
Lord, help us always be grateful of the beauty around us and inside us!
Movie Monday
I took time to see the movie Lockout on Sunday. I wanted to see Guy Pearce all butch and stuff! hehehe
The movie was OK. I liked it as much as many of the other movies I have seen lately. If you don't think too much, you can enjoy it more. Guy is OK in his role of Snow, an ex CIA agent that is trying to free the president's daughter from a maximum security space prison. It has the elements of sci-fi and of an action movie. There was a hint of a love story, but it wasn't too distracting. hehehe The special effects are sort of cool, so see this one on the big screen.
I give this movie two bear paws.
Other Stuff
I went to early church, then drove to the movies (see review above). After the movie, I stopped by Target, had a conversation with mi tigre, and stopped by the Hyundai dealer to look at some cars. I found one I really like, so I am thinking seriously of buying it if I can get the deal I want. I will call the salesman today. It is a 2012 Sonata GLS. I didn't need the SE or Limited packages. I want the GLS with the auto headlights and alloy wheels. All the 2012 Sonatas come with BlueLink, so that is cool. The payments will probably be cheaper than my Escape and the gas mileage is about 25-30% better. I like that!
I worked on my side dish for dinner group. It turned out pretty good. The dinner was good and the fellowship was fun as usual!
I have exercise class tonight. I want to decide which gym to attend for my cross fit exercises. I like this approach. I like the integrated "eat well" emphasis as well. I will see how that works out.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Have you ever worked with old wood furniture that lost its beauty? You can do several things to remove the old finish, then apply a new finish. When you are done, the true beauty of the wood shines through! It is amazing!
God wants to do that with us. He wants us to be grateful for the beauty he created in the world. He wants us to be grateful for the beauty he creates in us. That is, if we just let him!
I am feeling a little "down" today. I am not sure why. This devotional reminded me to always be grateful for the things I have, the people in my life (though they can be a challenge at times), and for every situation that I encounter that gives me a chance to let Jesus shine through. "Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am..." I hope I start feeling this today. So far --- nada...
Lord, help us always be grateful of the beauty around us and inside us!
Movie Monday
I took time to see the movie Lockout on Sunday. I wanted to see Guy Pearce all butch and stuff! hehehe
The movie was OK. I liked it as much as many of the other movies I have seen lately. If you don't think too much, you can enjoy it more. Guy is OK in his role of Snow, an ex CIA agent that is trying to free the president's daughter from a maximum security space prison. It has the elements of sci-fi and of an action movie. There was a hint of a love story, but it wasn't too distracting. hehehe The special effects are sort of cool, so see this one on the big screen.
I give this movie two bear paws.
Other Stuff
I went to early church, then drove to the movies (see review above). After the movie, I stopped by Target, had a conversation with mi tigre, and stopped by the Hyundai dealer to look at some cars. I found one I really like, so I am thinking seriously of buying it if I can get the deal I want. I will call the salesman today. It is a 2012 Sonata GLS. I didn't need the SE or Limited packages. I want the GLS with the auto headlights and alloy wheels. All the 2012 Sonatas come with BlueLink, so that is cool. The payments will probably be cheaper than my Escape and the gas mileage is about 25-30% better. I like that!
I worked on my side dish for dinner group. It turned out pretty good. The dinner was good and the fellowship was fun as usual!
I have exercise class tonight. I want to decide which gym to attend for my cross fit exercises. I like this approach. I like the integrated "eat well" emphasis as well. I will see how that works out.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Rest in peace
Our Daily Bread
No, not that kind of "rest in peace", I mean rest in peace as we are living!
I got two things out of the devotional. First, rest. Rest is good. Rest is needed for us to be the kind of folks we need to be for God. Are you getting enough rest? Sleep? Relaxation? Other things besides work and work and work?
Second, peace. When we rest (and when we are busy), we need to focus on peace. Peace of mind that our minds are pure and thinking about God. Peace of heart that we know we are growing in the grace of God. Peace of body that our bodies are getting the care they need to be healthy. Peace, peace, peace.
Lord, help us find peace in rest and rest in peace!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 43 is a very short psalm, but there is a lot packed in there! It is an express version of the psalm formula God-has-forsaken-me-please-help-me-I-will-continue-to-praise-you-anyway pattern. I love the way the psalmist turns the "why have you forsaken me" kind of stuff quickly into "you are my stronghold" and "your faithful care". Once again, please read this out loud!
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Other Stuff
I had a busy day on Saturday. I ran some errands including picking up shirts, going to Walmart, Meijer and Giant Eagle, and a quick stop at Costco. I decided to buy a new Bluray player for the basement. The old one couldn't play some of the newer Bluray disks. ;-( I got a great deal on a Bluray with wireless networking at Costco. Woohoooo!
I figured out that I can't mount me projector in the basement because I bought the wrong kind of ceiling mount. I boxed up the old and and ordered the new, correct one. I will work on mounting the screen when I get a chance this week. I also got some more clean up done yesterday in the basement. I decided to buy a microwave stand if I can find what I want. I don't like the shelf I have it sitting on right now. It is too big and bulky.
I finished off the evening with the CMTO tennis social. I played tennis for about 3 hours, fortunately it was all doubles. I was using a COMPLETELY different set of muscles than my other workouts! I was so tired and sore when I got done. Whew! I stretched out then drove home. I did some more stretching and took some of my recovery supplements (the ones that help me not get sore after exercise). I feel much better this morning. Whew! I am going to take it easy today.
I need to pick up the potatoes for my dinner group side dish for tonight. I am looking forward to seeing the gang. ;-)
Funny story: I got a phone call from mi tigre when I was in the Meijer store yesterday. I wasn't thinking after the call and scanned my key chain card. It didn't work. The attendant come over to help. Apparently this silly bear tried to scan his Giant Eagle card at Meijer and wondered why it didn't work! DOH! It was humbling and gave us both a good laugh. I also shared that with some friends for another humbling laugh at myself.
God is so good. My prayer is that you find the rest, peace and joy in your life that only God can give.
Let go, my friends. God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
No, not that kind of "rest in peace", I mean rest in peace as we are living!
I got two things out of the devotional. First, rest. Rest is good. Rest is needed for us to be the kind of folks we need to be for God. Are you getting enough rest? Sleep? Relaxation? Other things besides work and work and work?
Second, peace. When we rest (and when we are busy), we need to focus on peace. Peace of mind that our minds are pure and thinking about God. Peace of heart that we know we are growing in the grace of God. Peace of body that our bodies are getting the care they need to be healthy. Peace, peace, peace.
Lord, help us find peace in rest and rest in peace!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 43 is a very short psalm, but there is a lot packed in there! It is an express version of the psalm formula God-has-forsaken-me-please-help-me-I-will-continue-to-praise-you-anyway pattern. I love the way the psalmist turns the "why have you forsaken me" kind of stuff quickly into "you are my stronghold" and "your faithful care". Once again, please read this out loud!
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Other Stuff
I had a busy day on Saturday. I ran some errands including picking up shirts, going to Walmart, Meijer and Giant Eagle, and a quick stop at Costco. I decided to buy a new Bluray player for the basement. The old one couldn't play some of the newer Bluray disks. ;-( I got a great deal on a Bluray with wireless networking at Costco. Woohoooo!
I figured out that I can't mount me projector in the basement because I bought the wrong kind of ceiling mount. I boxed up the old and and ordered the new, correct one. I will work on mounting the screen when I get a chance this week. I also got some more clean up done yesterday in the basement. I decided to buy a microwave stand if I can find what I want. I don't like the shelf I have it sitting on right now. It is too big and bulky.
I finished off the evening with the CMTO tennis social. I played tennis for about 3 hours, fortunately it was all doubles. I was using a COMPLETELY different set of muscles than my other workouts! I was so tired and sore when I got done. Whew! I stretched out then drove home. I did some more stretching and took some of my recovery supplements (the ones that help me not get sore after exercise). I feel much better this morning. Whew! I am going to take it easy today.
I need to pick up the potatoes for my dinner group side dish for tonight. I am looking forward to seeing the gang. ;-)
Funny story: I got a phone call from mi tigre when I was in the Meijer store yesterday. I wasn't thinking after the call and scanned my key chain card. It didn't work. The attendant come over to help. Apparently this silly bear tried to scan his Giant Eagle card at Meijer and wondered why it didn't work! DOH! It was humbling and gave us both a good laugh. I also shared that with some friends for another humbling laugh at myself.
God is so good. My prayer is that you find the rest, peace and joy in your life that only God can give.
Let go, my friends. God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
A foot?
Our Daily Bread
We read I Corinthians last week in D1 class. We laid the groundwork for the passage that accompanied today's devotional. Ephesians 4:1-16. We will offer, in a loving and prayerful manner, what we think the spiritual gifts of the our classmate are. It should be a cool experience. The silly bear that I am asked "can I say someone is a foot?" I knew this would set up one of the other classmates to say "Can I say someone is an a$$hole?" DOH! I guess we both need to read more!
So read the scripture passage. Think about what your gift(s) might be. Over the years, it has been suggested to me that I might have three gifts: prophecy, teaching and evangelism. I don't know. I know there are things I like to do for God. I am not sure I am doing all I can. Are you?
Lord, help me recognize and put into action my spiritual gifts...
Simply Saturday
Of Moobs and Men
Yes, I realize I can be very intense in my blog entries. I feel lighthearted today after having a very busy week and getting some things done. I don't like being this busy because I can't do the things I really want to do! We all make our choices.
As I have written the past few months, I started on a new exercise and diet adventure. The diet is really changing my eating habits, which have been awful to atrocious during my lifetime. I really have no excuse. I know better. Now the funny part, the moobs. What are moobs? It is the abbreviation for man boobs. You know them. You have all either seen them on a chunky guy or you may even have them yourself. Far be it from me to judge! hehehe Don't hate now!
Where do they come from? My theory is that the fat from my tummy area had a big war and some of the fat traveled north to my chest. That is my story and I am sticking to it. When I say I want to have a bounce in my step, I do not mean my moobs. I don't want my moobs to stop bouncing five minutes after the rest of me stops! It would be nice for my chest to be a manly chest, hairy and firm. I like that idea.
What am I going to do about it? Well, I am not sure. I haven't seen any supplements for moobs. You know what I am talking about -- the TV ads for supplements than help you lose weight without dieting or exercising. Is there a supplement for moobs? How about an exercise machine infomercial with testimonials about how men starting using it and worked off their moobs? There could be mooby "before" pictures and the firm, hairy chest "after" pictures. No, I think not! ;-P I think I will invent one. The Moob Buster or MoobSter or the MoobBeGone or something silly like that. With all the moobs out there, I am sure there is a large target market! ha!
I decided to work on my moobs, despite the fact that it seems hopeless at times. I started wearing a sauna belt around my waist a few months ago. It seems to have helped slim down my midsection. I am going to try the same approach on my moobs. As a matter of fact, I am wearing it right now as I go out to run errands! I am serious! I will also wear the sauna belt over my moobs when exercising. Firm, hairy chest, here I come!
Thank you for letting me digress. I realize I can be very intense at times. My relationship with God, my friends, and my church are very important to me. My prayer is that everyone can see that regardless of my moobs!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
We read I Corinthians last week in D1 class. We laid the groundwork for the passage that accompanied today's devotional. Ephesians 4:1-16. We will offer, in a loving and prayerful manner, what we think the spiritual gifts of the our classmate are. It should be a cool experience. The silly bear that I am asked "can I say someone is a foot?" I knew this would set up one of the other classmates to say "Can I say someone is an a$$hole?" DOH! I guess we both need to read more!
So read the scripture passage. Think about what your gift(s) might be. Over the years, it has been suggested to me that I might have three gifts: prophecy, teaching and evangelism. I don't know. I know there are things I like to do for God. I am not sure I am doing all I can. Are you?
Lord, help me recognize and put into action my spiritual gifts...
Simply Saturday
Of Moobs and Men
Yes, I realize I can be very intense in my blog entries. I feel lighthearted today after having a very busy week and getting some things done. I don't like being this busy because I can't do the things I really want to do! We all make our choices.
As I have written the past few months, I started on a new exercise and diet adventure. The diet is really changing my eating habits, which have been awful to atrocious during my lifetime. I really have no excuse. I know better. Now the funny part, the moobs. What are moobs? It is the abbreviation for man boobs. You know them. You have all either seen them on a chunky guy or you may even have them yourself. Far be it from me to judge! hehehe Don't hate now!
Where do they come from? My theory is that the fat from my tummy area had a big war and some of the fat traveled north to my chest. That is my story and I am sticking to it. When I say I want to have a bounce in my step, I do not mean my moobs. I don't want my moobs to stop bouncing five minutes after the rest of me stops! It would be nice for my chest to be a manly chest, hairy and firm. I like that idea.
What am I going to do about it? Well, I am not sure. I haven't seen any supplements for moobs. You know what I am talking about -- the TV ads for supplements than help you lose weight without dieting or exercising. Is there a supplement for moobs? How about an exercise machine infomercial with testimonials about how men starting using it and worked off their moobs? There could be mooby "before" pictures and the firm, hairy chest "after" pictures. No, I think not! ;-P I think I will invent one. The Moob Buster or MoobSter or the MoobBeGone or something silly like that. With all the moobs out there, I am sure there is a large target market! ha!
I decided to work on my moobs, despite the fact that it seems hopeless at times. I started wearing a sauna belt around my waist a few months ago. It seems to have helped slim down my midsection. I am going to try the same approach on my moobs. As a matter of fact, I am wearing it right now as I go out to run errands! I am serious! I will also wear the sauna belt over my moobs when exercising. Firm, hairy chest, here I come!
Thank you for letting me digress. I realize I can be very intense at times. My relationship with God, my friends, and my church are very important to me. My prayer is that everyone can see that regardless of my moobs!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, April 13, 2012
No Never Alone...
Our Daily Bread
"No, never a----lo---ne----, no, never alone" is a hymn I used to sing earlier in my life. I loved relying on its encouraging message during those times I felt very alone indeed! We can all rest in this promise!
When I first read the devotional, I thought of some friends who are going through tough times. I didn't think of myself at all. As I thought about it more, it hit me right between the eyes! Yes, some of my actions are direct contradictions to a promise that God made me "Duane, you will not be alone in this life. I will lead you to your special man". It is difficult for me (and many folks) to let go and let God. I mean God made me so lovable and charming, shouldn't I be able to find my special man all on my own? Just kidding about that first part! Well, God wants to use our abilities with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Oooohhhhhhhh! I think I see now. I shouldn't try to charm someone just because I am attracted to him. That has been a problem for me in the past.
In what areas of your life do you sometimes feel alone? Please remember the hymn about Him! ;-)
Lord, thank you for always standing by me. If you are not by my side, I now realize that I am the one who moved!
Foodie Friday
We have our dinner group this Sunday. I plan to make a side dish, probably some Italian Au Grain potatoes that I love. Here is the recipe I use for a medium size batch.
Italian Au Gratin Potatoes
four large Idaho baking potatoes
four large Yukon Gold potatoes
four large white regular potatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Asiago cheese
Olive oil (preferably in a mister)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
NOTE: you can use your favorite cheeses if you like, for example, you can use Pepper Jack cheese if you like it more spicy!
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Gently slice all of them very thinly with a mandolin (be careful!).
3. Spray a 13X9 glass baker with Pam or other non-stick coating.
4. Put a single layer of one of the potato types (leave them a little moist from the washing), lightly misting some olive oil, and put a little cheese, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. LIGHTLY means just that as you will have several layers!
5. Repeat step 4 with the other two types of potatoes, then repeat the layers until the baking dish is almost full. Do not put any cheese on top. It will hold up very well since we have to bake this for a while.
6. Cover the baker with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.
7. Check to see if the potatoes are done by gently poking a fork in the middle. You can tell if the potatoes are done or a little raw yet. Bake for another fifteen minutes, covered, then test again.
8. After the potatoes seem tender, add a top layer of cheese, the recover with foil. You don't have to bake it any longer to melt the top layer of cheese.
Let set a few minutes before serving. This travels well if you have a hot/cold travel carrier for your baking dish. Enjoy!
Other Stuff
I got off work a little early yesterday. I piddled around the house a little, then took a nap. I had a QVR class before going to choir practice. I am excited about the Festival of Hymns we are doing on the 22nd!
I also had a nice talk with mi tigre. We hadn't talked in a few days. We both had stories...
I am excited about Friday night! I will be working on my home theater! Woohooo!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
"No, never a----lo---ne----, no, never alone" is a hymn I used to sing earlier in my life. I loved relying on its encouraging message during those times I felt very alone indeed! We can all rest in this promise!
When I first read the devotional, I thought of some friends who are going through tough times. I didn't think of myself at all. As I thought about it more, it hit me right between the eyes! Yes, some of my actions are direct contradictions to a promise that God made me "Duane, you will not be alone in this life. I will lead you to your special man". It is difficult for me (and many folks) to let go and let God. I mean God made me so lovable and charming, shouldn't I be able to find my special man all on my own? Just kidding about that first part! Well, God wants to use our abilities with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Oooohhhhhhhh! I think I see now. I shouldn't try to charm someone just because I am attracted to him. That has been a problem for me in the past.
In what areas of your life do you sometimes feel alone? Please remember the hymn about Him! ;-)
Lord, thank you for always standing by me. If you are not by my side, I now realize that I am the one who moved!
Foodie Friday
We have our dinner group this Sunday. I plan to make a side dish, probably some Italian Au Grain potatoes that I love. Here is the recipe I use for a medium size batch.
Italian Au Gratin Potatoes
four large Idaho baking potatoes
four large Yukon Gold potatoes
four large white regular potatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Asiago cheese
Olive oil (preferably in a mister)
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
NOTE: you can use your favorite cheeses if you like, for example, you can use Pepper Jack cheese if you like it more spicy!
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Gently slice all of them very thinly with a mandolin (be careful!).
3. Spray a 13X9 glass baker with Pam or other non-stick coating.
4. Put a single layer of one of the potato types (leave them a little moist from the washing), lightly misting some olive oil, and put a little cheese, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. LIGHTLY means just that as you will have several layers!
5. Repeat step 4 with the other two types of potatoes, then repeat the layers until the baking dish is almost full. Do not put any cheese on top. It will hold up very well since we have to bake this for a while.
6. Cover the baker with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.
7. Check to see if the potatoes are done by gently poking a fork in the middle. You can tell if the potatoes are done or a little raw yet. Bake for another fifteen minutes, covered, then test again.
8. After the potatoes seem tender, add a top layer of cheese, the recover with foil. You don't have to bake it any longer to melt the top layer of cheese.
Let set a few minutes before serving. This travels well if you have a hot/cold travel carrier for your baking dish. Enjoy!
Other Stuff
I got off work a little early yesterday. I piddled around the house a little, then took a nap. I had a QVR class before going to choir practice. I am excited about the Festival of Hymns we are doing on the 22nd!
I also had a nice talk with mi tigre. We hadn't talked in a few days. We both had stories...
I am excited about Friday night! I will be working on my home theater! Woohooo!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Cry out to God
Our Daily Bread
During my Bible study classes the past two years and during college (a very long time ago), we discussed what psalms like Psalm 119 really meant. Can we really cry out to God? Will he listen? Will it really do any good?
I can answer those questions from my personal experience with a resounding "YES!"! We can cry out to God if we are so moved by our situations or the situations of others. He will listen (he has listened to me over and over and confirmed he heard me in a myriad of ways). Yes, it really will be a good thing! As I make my meager gains in my relationship with God, I find that God teaches me what to cry out for during these times. The Holy Spirit, who can help us with groans of pain and love, will help us when we can't put things into words.
Trust God. He is trustworthy and true. I know this. I hope you do too!
Lord, thank you for being there when we need to cry out or just to talk softly to our God!
Technology Thursday
I have to admit that I was disappointed last weekend. I thought the ATT LTE service would be available when I visited St Louis. It was not active yet. As I understand it, there were a few periods when it was up and down, but it was not "live". Oh well. I will test my iPad LTE capabilities some other time.
Here are a few technology headlines:
Sony cuts 10,000 jobs. Sony reported its biggest quarterly loss ever recently. The company has not kept up with the times. They are hurting and hurting bad. We will see how they rebound.
U.S. sues Apple and some others over price fixing ebooks. Apparently, Apple tried to collude with other retailers to fix prices on ebooks. Amazon, for example, was undercutting them on prices! So were others. We will see how this turns out.
Tricorder to be reality? If you ever watched any of the Star Trek series, they had some amazing gadgets. One of the most impressive was the Tricorder used by the medical team. Apparently, the day may be coming soon for the tricorder to be reality!
Big virus hits Mac OS Apple is stinging again this week after reports of a virus that could have affected as many as six million Macs comes to light. In defense of Apple, this is very unusual. A reality check says that any popular OS will have hackers trying to break into it.
Other Stuff
I did some shopping after work last night. Found some bargains at Target, like a microwave oven for my basement. Very cool. I took a short nap then talked with some friends before D1 class. My devotional went well in D1 class. Class was great as well. I went to bed as soon as I got home. Thank God for sleep!
I have a light day at work, then exercise class, then church choir practice. I am looking forward to a fun weekend of social activities and working on my basement. Very cool.
Have a great day!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
During my Bible study classes the past two years and during college (a very long time ago), we discussed what psalms like Psalm 119 really meant. Can we really cry out to God? Will he listen? Will it really do any good?
I can answer those questions from my personal experience with a resounding "YES!"! We can cry out to God if we are so moved by our situations or the situations of others. He will listen (he has listened to me over and over and confirmed he heard me in a myriad of ways). Yes, it really will be a good thing! As I make my meager gains in my relationship with God, I find that God teaches me what to cry out for during these times. The Holy Spirit, who can help us with groans of pain and love, will help us when we can't put things into words.
Trust God. He is trustworthy and true. I know this. I hope you do too!
Lord, thank you for being there when we need to cry out or just to talk softly to our God!
Technology Thursday
I have to admit that I was disappointed last weekend. I thought the ATT LTE service would be available when I visited St Louis. It was not active yet. As I understand it, there were a few periods when it was up and down, but it was not "live". Oh well. I will test my iPad LTE capabilities some other time.
Here are a few technology headlines:
Sony cuts 10,000 jobs. Sony reported its biggest quarterly loss ever recently. The company has not kept up with the times. They are hurting and hurting bad. We will see how they rebound.
U.S. sues Apple and some others over price fixing ebooks. Apparently, Apple tried to collude with other retailers to fix prices on ebooks. Amazon, for example, was undercutting them on prices! So were others. We will see how this turns out.
Tricorder to be reality? If you ever watched any of the Star Trek series, they had some amazing gadgets. One of the most impressive was the Tricorder used by the medical team. Apparently, the day may be coming soon for the tricorder to be reality!
Big virus hits Mac OS Apple is stinging again this week after reports of a virus that could have affected as many as six million Macs comes to light. In defense of Apple, this is very unusual. A reality check says that any popular OS will have hackers trying to break into it.
Other Stuff
I did some shopping after work last night. Found some bargains at Target, like a microwave oven for my basement. Very cool. I took a short nap then talked with some friends before D1 class. My devotional went well in D1 class. Class was great as well. I went to bed as soon as I got home. Thank God for sleep!
I have a light day at work, then exercise class, then church choir practice. I am looking forward to a fun weekend of social activities and working on my basement. Very cool.
Have a great day!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Open doors...
Our Daily Bread
One of the things I love about the church I attend is the theme song "Open Doors". I was surprised to see that phrase as the title for today's devotional! For our church, open doors means our doors are open to all. All are welcome. The devotional discussed something different.
Paul's ministry was amazing in that he had a zeal for sharing the Gospel that I don't think has been matched in history (not that it is a competition). The devotional gave several examples of how he used every situation to share the message. It was amazing! Read through the scripture passage for today -- I Corinthians 16:1-12. Very cool! What can you do differently in your life? I know I am looking at my life!
Lord, help us see the opportunities to share your Word with others and have courage to do so!
Witness Wednesday
This has been another "Duane has sooooo much to work on " weeks for me. I have not been feeling like myself lately. I figured out why, well, I finally admitted to myself why and did something about it. I was trying to make a friendship into a romantic relationship. Not good! We decided to be close friends. I am very happy with that! I also found the devotional from last week that was based on I Corinthians 13. I am sharing that with my D1 class tonight. I also printed off the verses that I shared yesterday for each person in the class customized with their name! ;-) God is so good to me. How can I keep from singing?
Other Stuff
I ran home after work. Opened a few more Amazon.com boxes. Took a short nap, and then got ready for my boot camp class. I did pretty well in the class, but still have a long way to go on the ab work and the upper body work. Whew... I stopped by the grocery after class. I came home to rest, unload the dishwasher, finish laundry, pay some bills, get stuff ready for today, and then fell into bed. I didn't work on my home theater stuff at all! I was afraid I would start working on it and stay up half the night! I slept well. Whew!
I made it up to work out this morning. I also unpacked the boxes and started evaluating what I need to do for the home theater setup. ;-) I will work on that some more this weekend. That is my top priority! hehehe
I also found out I can get discount tickets to see West Side Story next week. I am taking advantage of that!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
One of the things I love about the church I attend is the theme song "Open Doors". I was surprised to see that phrase as the title for today's devotional! For our church, open doors means our doors are open to all. All are welcome. The devotional discussed something different.
Paul's ministry was amazing in that he had a zeal for sharing the Gospel that I don't think has been matched in history (not that it is a competition). The devotional gave several examples of how he used every situation to share the message. It was amazing! Read through the scripture passage for today -- I Corinthians 16:1-12. Very cool! What can you do differently in your life? I know I am looking at my life!
Lord, help us see the opportunities to share your Word with others and have courage to do so!
Witness Wednesday
This has been another "Duane has sooooo much to work on " weeks for me. I have not been feeling like myself lately. I figured out why, well, I finally admitted to myself why and did something about it. I was trying to make a friendship into a romantic relationship. Not good! We decided to be close friends. I am very happy with that! I also found the devotional from last week that was based on I Corinthians 13. I am sharing that with my D1 class tonight. I also printed off the verses that I shared yesterday for each person in the class customized with their name! ;-) God is so good to me. How can I keep from singing?
Other Stuff
I ran home after work. Opened a few more Amazon.com boxes. Took a short nap, and then got ready for my boot camp class. I did pretty well in the class, but still have a long way to go on the ab work and the upper body work. Whew... I stopped by the grocery after class. I came home to rest, unload the dishwasher, finish laundry, pay some bills, get stuff ready for today, and then fell into bed. I didn't work on my home theater stuff at all! I was afraid I would start working on it and stay up half the night! I slept well. Whew!
I made it up to work out this morning. I also unpacked the boxes and started evaluating what I need to do for the home theater setup. ;-) I will work on that some more this weekend. That is my top priority! hehehe
I also found out I can get discount tickets to see West Side Story next week. I am taking advantage of that!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
A soft answer
Our Daily Bread
A soft answer? What the heck is that? hehehe I need sooooo much work in this area! I joked with a friend last week "I don't even own a pair of kid gloves, much less willing to wear them when they might be needed!" Giving a soft answer is equal to handling folks with kid gloves in my silly mind!
The devotion is not only Biblical, it gives a real world example! God has been bringing this to my attention over and over the past few months. I get very intense sometimes. That intensity leads to being impatient and short with people, often people I care about very much. It is not a good thing! I am praying to be more patient, more loving, more "soft-answer" enabled!
Lord, please help us all to give soft answers to hard hearts!
Teaching Tuesday
We studied the letters to the Corinthians this week in D1 class. Very cool books! I don't always understand the writings of Paul. Our book helped me understand some things that have troubled me for years. I never really thought about how the letters to the Corinthians were responses to letters received by Paul. I guess I never tried to find the letters that he received so I could read his responses in context. Out of context, some of those responses are very problematic for me!
Here is a something I plan to do for the devotional tomorrow night. I read about this exercise somewhere, so I am going to share it with the class. I hope it means something to you as well. In short, you substitute your name for the word "love" in these verses. It looks like this.
I Corinthians 14:4-7
Duane is patient
Duane is kind.
Duane does not envy,
Duane does not boast,
Duane is not proud
Duane does not dishonor others
Duane is not self-seeking
Duane is not easily angered
Duane keeps no record of wrongs
Duane does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
Duane always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Try this with your name. ;-)
Other Stuff
I did a lot last night! I was soooooo tired when I went to bed. Then the perfect storm hit. A new supplement I took made me hyper. I couldn't sleep. My blood sugar went low. A gastric problem caused me to spend lots of time in the bathroom. I have a guest visiting this week, so I have to be careful not to walk around the house naked! hehehe Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. I am feeling it today.
I weighed myself. I gained almost six pounds in the last week. ;-( I should have eaten better over vacation. Oh well. I had a good time. I will lose it this week and then move on with my weight loss. I can do this!
I plan to exercise tonight and then work on my home theater stuff. Oh, I forgot I haven't put laundry away or emptied the dishwasher yet. I have to do that too.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
A soft answer? What the heck is that? hehehe I need sooooo much work in this area! I joked with a friend last week "I don't even own a pair of kid gloves, much less willing to wear them when they might be needed!" Giving a soft answer is equal to handling folks with kid gloves in my silly mind!
The devotion is not only Biblical, it gives a real world example! God has been bringing this to my attention over and over the past few months. I get very intense sometimes. That intensity leads to being impatient and short with people, often people I care about very much. It is not a good thing! I am praying to be more patient, more loving, more "soft-answer" enabled!
Lord, please help us all to give soft answers to hard hearts!
Teaching Tuesday
We studied the letters to the Corinthians this week in D1 class. Very cool books! I don't always understand the writings of Paul. Our book helped me understand some things that have troubled me for years. I never really thought about how the letters to the Corinthians were responses to letters received by Paul. I guess I never tried to find the letters that he received so I could read his responses in context. Out of context, some of those responses are very problematic for me!
Here is a something I plan to do for the devotional tomorrow night. I read about this exercise somewhere, so I am going to share it with the class. I hope it means something to you as well. In short, you substitute your name for the word "love" in these verses. It looks like this.
I Corinthians 14:4-7
Duane is patient
Duane is kind.
Duane does not envy,
Duane does not boast,
Duane is not proud
Duane does not dishonor others
Duane is not self-seeking
Duane is not easily angered
Duane keeps no record of wrongs
Duane does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
Duane always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Try this with your name. ;-)
Other Stuff
I did a lot last night! I was soooooo tired when I went to bed. Then the perfect storm hit. A new supplement I took made me hyper. I couldn't sleep. My blood sugar went low. A gastric problem caused me to spend lots of time in the bathroom. I have a guest visiting this week, so I have to be careful not to walk around the house naked! hehehe Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. I am feeling it today.
I weighed myself. I gained almost six pounds in the last week. ;-( I should have eaten better over vacation. Oh well. I had a good time. I will lose it this week and then move on with my weight loss. I can do this!
I plan to exercise tonight and then work on my home theater stuff. Oh, I forgot I haven't put laundry away or emptied the dishwasher yet. I have to do that too.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Back Home!
Whew! I drove back home from St Louis this morning VERY early! My best friend leaves his house at 6:00 am for work. I left for home at the same time. It must have been too early because I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque that wasted about 20 minutes. I did get a great shot of the Arch (even though I don't usually get THAT close to it on the way home).
I got home about 2:15 so it took me a little over seven hours to get home. I had a LOT to do when I got home! I had to carry in everything from the car, carry in the multitude of boxes on my front porch and get organized for the rest of the afternoon! I put in a load of laundry, then went outside to mow the lawn and put some plants in planters. Done! I unpacked the rest of the bags from the trip. Done! Second load of laundry in the washer. Done! Folded first load from dryer. Done! I am knocking them down now! hehehe
I have some more stuff to do before I sleep. I like being busy. I should have time to work on my home theater tomorrow night after my workout.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
On Location: St Louis Day 3
Our Daily Bread
Hallelujah for the Cross! It is hard to look past the suffering that Jesus experienced on Friday until we realize that all of his promises were true on Sunday! He arose victoriously from the grave! Hallelujah!
Yes, we run to the Cross. The Cross of sacrifice. The Cross of love. The Cross that reminds us that there are wages for our sin -- death. There are consequences of our sin -- separation from God. There is a remedy for sin -- the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord! Hallelujah!
Lord, please help us to always remember the Cross... and the empty tomb!
Easter Sunday
My best friend and I had a nice dinner with some friends last night. I wasn't feeling well after shopping most of the day. I even had a short nap, but was still tired after dinner. I crashed about 9:00 and slept until 7:00 this morning. I guess I needed it. I got in a short workout that pepped me up a little bit. I need to go to the doctor for my annual physical exam this week. Whew...
I texted a bunch of friends and family to wish them a Happy Easter. I am so fortunate to have so many folks that care about me!
I am looking forward to a nice afternoon with my best friends' family and friends. Honey Baked Ham is my favorite!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Hallelujah for the Cross! It is hard to look past the suffering that Jesus experienced on Friday until we realize that all of his promises were true on Sunday! He arose victoriously from the grave! Hallelujah!
Yes, we run to the Cross. The Cross of sacrifice. The Cross of love. The Cross that reminds us that there are wages for our sin -- death. There are consequences of our sin -- separation from God. There is a remedy for sin -- the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord! Hallelujah!
Lord, please help us to always remember the Cross... and the empty tomb!
Easter Sunday
My best friend and I had a nice dinner with some friends last night. I wasn't feeling well after shopping most of the day. I even had a short nap, but was still tired after dinner. I crashed about 9:00 and slept until 7:00 this morning. I guess I needed it. I got in a short workout that pepped me up a little bit. I need to go to the doctor for my annual physical exam this week. Whew...
I texted a bunch of friends and family to wish them a Happy Easter. I am so fortunate to have so many folks that care about me!
I am looking forward to a nice afternoon with my best friends' family and friends. Honey Baked Ham is my favorite!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
On Location - St Louis Day 2
Our Daily Bread
I really hate these devotions at times! hehehe Not really, but they can cut so deep with the message and the Word of God! It is like having a leech cut off of you. It hurts, but you know it is the best thing for you!
I Corinthians 13, also known as the Love chapter, is so amazing. The devotion talked about a few verses, 4 - 8, The part of the devotional that cut me the most is the part about how we react when our helpfulness is not recognized or unrewarded. Yikes! I will also add unappreciated, which is the same as unrewarded, I guess.
How do you react in those cases? I know I don't always act well!
Lord, help me to love better, to love like you love me.
Simply Saturday
I had a good day with my best friend. We rested and goofed off during the day. I managed to finish the last 20% of the last Hunger Games book, Mockingjay. Woohooo! I really liked those three books! We had a nice breakfast as well and talked and watched TV and talked.... ;-) We ran some errands before meeting friends for supper. One of the friends I met during my first visit to St Louis a long time ago! We have kept in touch over the years. Very cool. We had a nice supper at Pietros, though I ate WAY too much. They had my favorite tortellini dish and I ate every bite! Way too much food for someone changing his eating habits. I will do better today. We went back to my best friend's apartment and had some dessert and talked.
Here is a pic of me with the Pietros Easter bunny:
We will run errands for our Easter dinner today. It is supposed to be pretty here again today. ;-)
So I had an epiphany with mi tigre on Thursday night. We are not pursuing a romantic relationship any longer. We will be friends. It will be nice to have someone to talk about eating and workouts with. He cannot be the priority in my life he once was after our decision. I am fine with it. It is a burden lifted. I knew he was not right for me, but God used us in each other's lives in many ways. I am thankful.
I scheduled my Body by Todd sessions the other day. I will use up that Groupon deal and determine my next workout approach. Should be interesting. The cross fit stuff is cool. I will probably check that out and follow up with that. That gym is really out of my way. I am not sure I want to make it my main workout place. I will figure it out. I know I need to keep up with my better eating habits. That is taking me a long way to losing weight and being healthier! It is a lifelong change!
Time to go. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Burdens have been lifted this weekend. New opportunities for faith and trusting God. How can I keep from singing? ;-O
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I really hate these devotions at times! hehehe Not really, but they can cut so deep with the message and the Word of God! It is like having a leech cut off of you. It hurts, but you know it is the best thing for you!
I Corinthians 13, also known as the Love chapter, is so amazing. The devotion talked about a few verses, 4 - 8, The part of the devotional that cut me the most is the part about how we react when our helpfulness is not recognized or unrewarded. Yikes! I will also add unappreciated, which is the same as unrewarded, I guess.
How do you react in those cases? I know I don't always act well!
Lord, help me to love better, to love like you love me.
Simply Saturday
I had a good day with my best friend. We rested and goofed off during the day. I managed to finish the last 20% of the last Hunger Games book, Mockingjay. Woohooo! I really liked those three books! We had a nice breakfast as well and talked and watched TV and talked.... ;-) We ran some errands before meeting friends for supper. One of the friends I met during my first visit to St Louis a long time ago! We have kept in touch over the years. Very cool. We had a nice supper at Pietros, though I ate WAY too much. They had my favorite tortellini dish and I ate every bite! Way too much food for someone changing his eating habits. I will do better today. We went back to my best friend's apartment and had some dessert and talked.
Here is a pic of me with the Pietros Easter bunny:
We will run errands for our Easter dinner today. It is supposed to be pretty here again today. ;-)
So I had an epiphany with mi tigre on Thursday night. We are not pursuing a romantic relationship any longer. We will be friends. It will be nice to have someone to talk about eating and workouts with. He cannot be the priority in my life he once was after our decision. I am fine with it. It is a burden lifted. I knew he was not right for me, but God used us in each other's lives in many ways. I am thankful.
I scheduled my Body by Todd sessions the other day. I will use up that Groupon deal and determine my next workout approach. Should be interesting. The cross fit stuff is cool. I will probably check that out and follow up with that. That gym is really out of my way. I am not sure I want to make it my main workout place. I will figure it out. I know I need to keep up with my better eating habits. That is taking me a long way to losing weight and being healthier! It is a lifelong change!
Time to go. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Burdens have been lifted this weekend. New opportunities for faith and trusting God. How can I keep from singing? ;-O
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Friday, April 6, 2012
On location - St Louis
Made it to St Louis just fine. Having a good visit. Slept very well last night. Looking forward to dinner with some friends tonight.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The banquet hall
Our Daily Bread
My house isn't that big, but some of my friends refer to my dining room as the "banquet hall". hehehe I have a large Mission style table that can seat eight comfortably. I can also add another table at the end that can sit another six folks. It is a lot of fun for me to fill both those tables!
Jesus broke bread with his disciples many times in his ministry. The most meaningful was when he instituted the Lord's Supper the week he was crucified. He took bread, blessed it, and broke it as a symbol of his body. He took wine, blessed it, and had each person drink as a symbol of his blood he was going to shed for us. Wow!
God wants to fill his tables with his loving children. He calls to us each day. Just as Jesus shared with his disciples, God wants to share with us for eternity!
Lord, help us remember the sacrifice of your Son as we celebrate this Easter season.
Technology Thursday
I am visiting my best friend in St Louis this weekend. I am looking forward to getting away for the weekend. One of the things I plan to do is activate the LTE service on my new iPad. St Louis is one of the cities where ATT rolled out their new LTE service. ;-p I am interested to see how well it works and how fast it really is. I can do this on a month to month basis, so I will cancel it at the end of the month until ATT LTE arrives in Columbus. ATT rolled out LTE in Cleveland and Akron recently. I don't think I have ever been jealous of Akron before! I hope to have it in Columbus soon.
Here is ATT's 4G/LTE map
Here is a description of what LTE is.
Other Stuff
I was tired after work yesterday! I guess I have been doing too much. I ate too much yesterday as well. I need to take it easy today. One of the guys brought amazing "snacks" last night to D1 class. It was an entire meal! I planned ahead for it, but still ate too much. I also had Chick-Fil-a for lunch, which is more than I usually eat for lunch. I will do better today. I am bloated this morning, weighing in four pounds heavier than Tuesday! Yikes!
I had some nice talks with mi tigre yesterday. We will talk more today.
I plan to order my projector system this weekend. I finally found the one I want. I will pay off the credit card when I get my extra check in June. Home theater/man cave, here I come! ;-p I am still working on the sound and screen approach. I think I have it figured out.
I finished packing for my trip when I got home. It was nice to get a "good night, sleep tight" call from mi tigre. I had nice dreams of him.
I work a half day, then drive to St Louis. I want to get the heck out of town! ;-) I will miss Easter at my church, but that is OK. I am there a lot the rest of the year! I picked up my music last night so I could work on my solo this week.
I am excited about my tennis league starting in a few weeks. ;-) I also scheduled the exercise classes for my second Groupon deal with Body by Todd. I will decide what to do with my external exercise after that. I wouldn't mind getting into the cross fit stuff more. I think I am ready to ease into that now.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
My house isn't that big, but some of my friends refer to my dining room as the "banquet hall". hehehe I have a large Mission style table that can seat eight comfortably. I can also add another table at the end that can sit another six folks. It is a lot of fun for me to fill both those tables!
Jesus broke bread with his disciples many times in his ministry. The most meaningful was when he instituted the Lord's Supper the week he was crucified. He took bread, blessed it, and broke it as a symbol of his body. He took wine, blessed it, and had each person drink as a symbol of his blood he was going to shed for us. Wow!
God wants to fill his tables with his loving children. He calls to us each day. Just as Jesus shared with his disciples, God wants to share with us for eternity!
Lord, help us remember the sacrifice of your Son as we celebrate this Easter season.
Technology Thursday
I am visiting my best friend in St Louis this weekend. I am looking forward to getting away for the weekend. One of the things I plan to do is activate the LTE service on my new iPad. St Louis is one of the cities where ATT rolled out their new LTE service. ;-p I am interested to see how well it works and how fast it really is. I can do this on a month to month basis, so I will cancel it at the end of the month until ATT LTE arrives in Columbus. ATT rolled out LTE in Cleveland and Akron recently. I don't think I have ever been jealous of Akron before! I hope to have it in Columbus soon.
Here is ATT's 4G/LTE map
Here is a description of what LTE is.
Other Stuff
I was tired after work yesterday! I guess I have been doing too much. I ate too much yesterday as well. I need to take it easy today. One of the guys brought amazing "snacks" last night to D1 class. It was an entire meal! I planned ahead for it, but still ate too much. I also had Chick-Fil-a for lunch, which is more than I usually eat for lunch. I will do better today. I am bloated this morning, weighing in four pounds heavier than Tuesday! Yikes!
I had some nice talks with mi tigre yesterday. We will talk more today.
I plan to order my projector system this weekend. I finally found the one I want. I will pay off the credit card when I get my extra check in June. Home theater/man cave, here I come! ;-p I am still working on the sound and screen approach. I think I have it figured out.
I finished packing for my trip when I got home. It was nice to get a "good night, sleep tight" call from mi tigre. I had nice dreams of him.
I work a half day, then drive to St Louis. I want to get the heck out of town! ;-) I will miss Easter at my church, but that is OK. I am there a lot the rest of the year! I picked up my music last night so I could work on my solo this week.
I am excited about my tennis league starting in a few weeks. ;-) I also scheduled the exercise classes for my second Groupon deal with Body by Todd. I will decide what to do with my external exercise after that. I wouldn't mind getting into the cross fit stuff more. I think I am ready to ease into that now.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Run Forrest Run!
Our Daily Bread
Yes, I went there! I referenced the movie Forrest Gump! hehehe Some people love that movie. Some people hate that movie! The devotional talks about a little rabbit that barely escapes the talons of an eagle that wanted to make Hasenpfeffer!
The point of the devotional is that we need to develop the skills to avoid the evil one in our lives as much as possible. Like the rabbit, we need to sense when the evil one is trying to work no good in our lives. We need to run or put up our defenses of Bible study and prayer to ward off evil!
Lord, help us know when we should be wary of the evil one and not fall into temptation!
Witness Wednesday
I had another bizarre week! I am getting through it all, but it is wearing me out. I am doing my best to work through issues with friends and relationships in a caring and loving manner. I really suck at this at times. Oh well. I will keep trying. I apologized to a friend last night even though I was not totally at fault. I couldn't go another week without making things right or at least trying.
I joked with my best friend about my rampage the past few weeks. Haven't felt like myself. I teased "I don't even OWN a pair of kid gloves! How can I handle things with them!" hehehe Oh well. I will keep praying. I will keep getting better. I will try to love better and better. That is the only way I know how to be.
Other Stuff
I worked late again last night and then drove down to Canal Winchester for my singing engagement with the Nationaires. My buddy's house is on the way, so I stopped for a quick apology. I got to read a little before the concert. The concert went well. I was happy with the way it turned out. Several of us went to Las Margheritas afterwards for supper. I went home and fell into bed. Whew...
We sing at our Dublin office at lunch time today. That should be fun.
I have to run by Giant Eagle tonight and then to D1 class. I have to finish my packing after class and load the car. I plan to leave from work to drive to St Louis at lunch time tomorrow. woohooo!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Yes, I went there! I referenced the movie Forrest Gump! hehehe Some people love that movie. Some people hate that movie! The devotional talks about a little rabbit that barely escapes the talons of an eagle that wanted to make Hasenpfeffer!
The point of the devotional is that we need to develop the skills to avoid the evil one in our lives as much as possible. Like the rabbit, we need to sense when the evil one is trying to work no good in our lives. We need to run or put up our defenses of Bible study and prayer to ward off evil!
Lord, help us know when we should be wary of the evil one and not fall into temptation!
Witness Wednesday
I had another bizarre week! I am getting through it all, but it is wearing me out. I am doing my best to work through issues with friends and relationships in a caring and loving manner. I really suck at this at times. Oh well. I will keep trying. I apologized to a friend last night even though I was not totally at fault. I couldn't go another week without making things right or at least trying.
I joked with my best friend about my rampage the past few weeks. Haven't felt like myself. I teased "I don't even OWN a pair of kid gloves! How can I handle things with them!" hehehe Oh well. I will keep praying. I will keep getting better. I will try to love better and better. That is the only way I know how to be.
Other Stuff
I worked late again last night and then drove down to Canal Winchester for my singing engagement with the Nationaires. My buddy's house is on the way, so I stopped for a quick apology. I got to read a little before the concert. The concert went well. I was happy with the way it turned out. Several of us went to Las Margheritas afterwards for supper. I went home and fell into bed. Whew...
We sing at our Dublin office at lunch time today. That should be fun.
I have to run by Giant Eagle tonight and then to D1 class. I have to finish my packing after class and load the car. I plan to leave from work to drive to St Louis at lunch time tomorrow. woohooo!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
What's in a name?
Our Daily Bread
What is your name? Have you ever looked it up to see what it means? "Duane" means "strong, trustworthy". It can also mean "dark skinned or swarthy". That last definition is lost on my lily white body!
It was customary in ancient Israel for the father to name a child at birth. In the cases of John the Baptist and Jesus, angels told the fathers what to name their sons. It was traumatic and confusing for everyone around!
The point of the devotion is that the angel told the father to name our Lord, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. A Savior. A Messiah! Praise God!
Lord, thank you for a strong and trustworthy name! Thank you for sending Jesus, the name above all names!
Teaching Tuesday
We read the book of Romans this week. I forgot how many memorable verses there are in that book! Our text mentioned that Martin Luther called Romans "the purest form of the Gospel". Here are some of my favorite verses (from the Romans road...)
Romans 3:23
Romans 8:28
Read over Romans when you get a chance. Since it was written by Paul, it also has that confusing "Paul-speak" at times. Whew... My commentary said the references to homosexuality really mean that he condemns any kind of life that promotes sexual immorality. Gay men and college men are considered by many the epitome of sexual immorality! Paul does not commend a homosexual who lives a chaste life alone or lives in a committed relationship. Very cool.
Other Stuff
I worked til 5:00, then went to the cross fit gym for a workout. I was really tired after my Bowflex routine in the morning and then working all day. Whew. I got through the workout, surprising myself and the instructor! ;-)
I went to Giant Eagle Market District to pick up some wine, but they were out of my favorite. I ordered some. It should be in on Wednesday. I hate to make another trip over there, but I want to take some to St Louis with me. ;-) I got home in time to pack my clothes for my trip. I still need to pack medicine and stuff. I only had time to read one chapter of Mockingjay before succumbing to sleep. Sleep is good....
I have a gig with the Nationaires tonight after work. Some friends are meeting for dinner afterwards. Cool.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
What is your name? Have you ever looked it up to see what it means? "Duane" means "strong, trustworthy". It can also mean "dark skinned or swarthy". That last definition is lost on my lily white body!
It was customary in ancient Israel for the father to name a child at birth. In the cases of John the Baptist and Jesus, angels told the fathers what to name their sons. It was traumatic and confusing for everyone around!
The point of the devotion is that the angel told the father to name our Lord, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. A Savior. A Messiah! Praise God!
Lord, thank you for a strong and trustworthy name! Thank you for sending Jesus, the name above all names!
Teaching Tuesday
We read the book of Romans this week. I forgot how many memorable verses there are in that book! Our text mentioned that Martin Luther called Romans "the purest form of the Gospel". Here are some of my favorite verses (from the Romans road...)
Romans 3:23
Romans 8:28
Read over Romans when you get a chance. Since it was written by Paul, it also has that confusing "Paul-speak" at times. Whew... My commentary said the references to homosexuality really mean that he condemns any kind of life that promotes sexual immorality. Gay men and college men are considered by many the epitome of sexual immorality! Paul does not commend a homosexual who lives a chaste life alone or lives in a committed relationship. Very cool.
Other Stuff
I worked til 5:00, then went to the cross fit gym for a workout. I was really tired after my Bowflex routine in the morning and then working all day. Whew. I got through the workout, surprising myself and the instructor! ;-)
I went to Giant Eagle Market District to pick up some wine, but they were out of my favorite. I ordered some. It should be in on Wednesday. I hate to make another trip over there, but I want to take some to St Louis with me. ;-) I got home in time to pack my clothes for my trip. I still need to pack medicine and stuff. I only had time to read one chapter of Mockingjay before succumbing to sleep. Sleep is good....
I have a gig with the Nationaires tonight after work. Some friends are meeting for dinner afterwards. Cool.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Dial 1 for ...
Our Daily Bread
I am old enough to remember when all customer support lines were real people. There wasn't the endless maze of "Dial 1 for blah, Dial 2 for blah blah " and on and on. Yikes! Sometimes I just need to talk to someone about a problem that doesn't fit into one of their neat categories!
I am so very thankful that God hasn't gone to this system! Can you even imagine what we would hear when we pray? "Say 1 for healing requests. Say 2 for job requests. Say 3 for intercessory prayers. Dial 9 for praises". I imagine that number 9 wouldn't be used very much!
Our wonderful God is not available, he sends his Spirit to help us in our weakness, even in our weakness when we don't know how to pray. I love Romans 8:26:
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Movie Monday
I got to see the movie Wrath of the Titans in 3D IMAX on Saturday. I liked it better than the first movie. I thought the 3D effects were much better in general, though there were several times when the blurriness of the CGI effects in 3D were very distracting.
The story line was very cool. Lots of action. Lots of emotion. I loved the raw emotion showed by the actress who played the Queen of Greece after Cronos was defeated! I wanted to stand and yell as well!
I give this movie two bear paws. See it at the theater in 3D or 3D IMAX if you can. It is worth the extra ticket price.
Other Stuff
I had a busy Sunday. I had great conversations with mi tigre after church. I trimmed and mowed the yard. I spread some Preen on the landscaping. I sprayed the weeds again. I washed my Escape. I am not sure I like the washing wand I bought. I burns through a lot of soap when I wash. Hmmm... Also, the mop attachment falls off too easily. Oh well. I will figure it out.
I had a quick conversation with a Christian brother that I had a run in with last week. I don't want to judge, but he is so clueless. He thinks he is perfect and has nothing to work on in his life. I am releasing him over to God and not interacting with him any longer. There are some folks that just can't treat people right. It is sad. It is not my concern. I will pray for him, but not try to be his friend. It hurts me too much to be mistreated by him.
I read about 55% of the third Hunger Games book, Mockingjay. I will finish it tonight after I workout and pack for my St Louis trip. I am busy Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so I need to pack tonight.
I am looking forward to my St Louis trip. Spending time with my best friend is one of my favorite things to do!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
I am old enough to remember when all customer support lines were real people. There wasn't the endless maze of "Dial 1 for blah, Dial 2 for blah blah " and on and on. Yikes! Sometimes I just need to talk to someone about a problem that doesn't fit into one of their neat categories!
I am so very thankful that God hasn't gone to this system! Can you even imagine what we would hear when we pray? "Say 1 for healing requests. Say 2 for job requests. Say 3 for intercessory prayers. Dial 9 for praises". I imagine that number 9 wouldn't be used very much!
Our wonderful God is not available, he sends his Spirit to help us in our weakness, even in our weakness when we don't know how to pray. I love Romans 8:26:
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
I have had some of those times lately. Praise God that he sends his Spirit! Thank you! I am dialing 9 to praise him!
Lord, thank you for being there for us when we pray. Thank you for sending your Spirit when we don't know what words to say!
Movie Monday
I got to see the movie Wrath of the Titans in 3D IMAX on Saturday. I liked it better than the first movie. I thought the 3D effects were much better in general, though there were several times when the blurriness of the CGI effects in 3D were very distracting.
The story line was very cool. Lots of action. Lots of emotion. I loved the raw emotion showed by the actress who played the Queen of Greece after Cronos was defeated! I wanted to stand and yell as well!
I give this movie two bear paws. See it at the theater in 3D or 3D IMAX if you can. It is worth the extra ticket price.
Other Stuff
I had a busy Sunday. I had great conversations with mi tigre after church. I trimmed and mowed the yard. I spread some Preen on the landscaping. I sprayed the weeds again. I washed my Escape. I am not sure I like the washing wand I bought. I burns through a lot of soap when I wash. Hmmm... Also, the mop attachment falls off too easily. Oh well. I will figure it out.
I had a quick conversation with a Christian brother that I had a run in with last week. I don't want to judge, but he is so clueless. He thinks he is perfect and has nothing to work on in his life. I am releasing him over to God and not interacting with him any longer. There are some folks that just can't treat people right. It is sad. It is not my concern. I will pray for him, but not try to be his friend. It hurts me too much to be mistreated by him.
I read about 55% of the third Hunger Games book, Mockingjay. I will finish it tonight after I workout and pack for my St Louis trip. I am busy Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so I need to pack tonight.
I am looking forward to my St Louis trip. Spending time with my best friend is one of my favorite things to do!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Change is good?
Our Daily Bread
We have a joke in the corporate America world: change gives the illusion of progress! ha! Have you seen that in your company? Change for apparently no good reason?
The devotional talks about how change is different in God's world. There are changes that happen in our lives that may seem "bad" in the eyes of the world, but actually "good" in the sight of God. The change can help up move forward in our lives with God. Downsizing or taking a different job that makes less money may be the biggest blessing that we can have, but it seems like a step back to the world In doing so, we may have more time to spend on the things of God!
Lord, help us look at every change through your eyes!
Psalm Sunday
I love this psalm! The first two verses are amazing! Where else in the Bible does someone express that deep longing for God? Read this outloud!
Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Other Stuff
I survived my first cross fit workout. It wasn't as intense as the ones that mi tigre does at his gym. It was intense though. I worked a different set of muscles in a different way. It was intense for me at this point in my fitness training. I plan to go back tomorrow.
I saw the movie Wrath of the Titans. I will write about that on Movie Monday. ;-)
I did a few things around the house, read my D1 stuff and had a couple of conversations with mi tigre. I watched UK beat Louisville. It was an intense game. I watched the first half of the OSU games. I went to bed at half time because I was pretty sure what the outcome was going to be. The Bucks were going to blow the lead and lose another big game. They lost by two points. Heavy sigh. Oh well. UK shouldn't have any problem with them.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
We have a joke in the corporate America world: change gives the illusion of progress! ha! Have you seen that in your company? Change for apparently no good reason?
The devotional talks about how change is different in God's world. There are changes that happen in our lives that may seem "bad" in the eyes of the world, but actually "good" in the sight of God. The change can help up move forward in our lives with God. Downsizing or taking a different job that makes less money may be the biggest blessing that we can have, but it seems like a step back to the world In doing so, we may have more time to spend on the things of God!
Lord, help us look at every change through your eyes!
Psalm Sunday
I love this psalm! The first two verses are amazing! Where else in the Bible does someone express that deep longing for God? Read this outloud!
Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Other Stuff
I survived my first cross fit workout. It wasn't as intense as the ones that mi tigre does at his gym. It was intense though. I worked a different set of muscles in a different way. It was intense for me at this point in my fitness training. I plan to go back tomorrow.
I saw the movie Wrath of the Titans. I will write about that on Movie Monday. ;-)
I did a few things around the house, read my D1 stuff and had a couple of conversations with mi tigre. I watched UK beat Louisville. It was an intense game. I watched the first half of the OSU games. I went to bed at half time because I was pretty sure what the outcome was going to be. The Bucks were going to blow the lead and lose another big game. They lost by two points. Heavy sigh. Oh well. UK shouldn't have any problem with them.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
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