Forever Young- Real Men of Genius (06)

I am so thankful for my job! Not only to have a job, but to enjoy it, and enjoy the people I work with every day. I actually work with the striping crew from April to November and with the maintenance crew from December to March- so it is like two different jobs/bosses. Both jobs are fun- and both have their plusses and minuses. Every year  since 2005, I have made a new video of the crew, except last year when I failed to make a new one. This year we lost our lead driver to a promotion as lead tech on Stevens Pass. He had been with the crew around 20 years. We welcome our new driver, Beau Strutzel, who starts on May 1st. Welcome aboard Beau Strutzel. We are proud to have you as part of the striping crew and a Real Men of Genius....

Beau was in charge of Signs before he joined the striping crew- this photos is from Coles Corner area of Hwy 2 from a couple years ago.

Southern Ponderings

Actually Humor has the most postings on my blogs- I love humor. It is good for you. I want to hear Aaron Wilburn live someday. Even if you have heard this  before, I know you will laugh again. I don't think we laugh enough and as you can see below, there are many benefits of laughter.

Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long haul. Laughter may:

•Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into... your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.

•Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.

•Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.

•Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and make you feel happier. .

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
•Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.

•Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.

•Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Power of First Impressions

I discovered this message by Mark Gungor and had to share it. It is a bit longer than most of my videos, but well worth a half hour of your time. God can speak to you through many different ways- it is not always Sunday morning in church- God spoke to me thru Mark Gungor and I think he will speak to you as well if you will listen. Its not what Mark Gungor says, it is what God Says and what the Bible says, that really matters. It is addressed to all of us about the power of first impressions and why we are loosing this generation. I know this is for me, but I think you will enjoy it and learn reminders from it as well. I think we all needed reminded at times because of first impressions....

Stumpy and his wife Martha went to the state fair every year. Every year Stumpy would say, "Martha, I'd like to ride in that there airplane." And every year Martha would say, "I know Stumpy, but that airplane ride costs ten dollars, and ten dollars is ten dollars." One year Stumpy and Martha went to the fair and Stumpy said, "Martha, I'm 71 years old. If I don't ride that airplane this year I may never get another chance." Martha replied, "Stumpy, that there airplane ride cos...ts ten dollars, and ten dollars is ten dollars." The pilot overheard them and said, "Folks, I'll make you a deal, I'll take you both up for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say one word, I won't charge you, but if you say one word it's ten dollars." Stumpy and Martha agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of twists and turns, rolls and dives, but not a word was heard. He did all his tricks over again, but still not a word. They landed and the pilot turned to Stumpy, "By golly, I did everything I could think of to get you to yell out, but you didn't." Stumpy replied, "Well, I was gonna say something when Martha fell out, but ten dollars is ten dollars."

7 Things to Remember About Sex

Your spouse approaches intimacy much differently than you. 

By Bob Lepine     

It’s no surprise that many husbands and wives think differently about sex. And these differences can easily become a source of conflict in marriage.

With that in mind, I want to suggest seven things men need to remember about sex and seven things wives need to keep in mind as well:
What husbands should remember about sex
1. Hollywood sex is made up. It’s a fantasy. The people in romantic scenes in movies are actors. Don’t try to measure your marital sex against what you see in a romantic film.
2. Sex is probably (but not necessarily) a lower priority for your wife than it is for you. Are you as committed to meeting her needs and desires as you’d like her to be with your desire for sex? Could you even name her top three relationship needs? Here is one of them ...
3. Your wife needs a safe and secure relationship. In order for her to engage in sex with heart and mind and body, she needs to know that you will be there for her, that you are committed to her, and that she is your one and only.
4. Your wife wants to have sex with a companion, not with someone who simply shares her mailing address. If you’re not spending time having fun together in all kinds of settings, she’s going to be less motivated to be with you sexually.
5. You don’t need to have an affair to be an unfaithful husband. Whether you look at pornography or at other women, the Bible makes it clear that any lust for a woman who is not your wife is adultery.
6. There is no secret formula to arousal. If you think you have found a secret formula, and you attempt to repeat the recipe, your wife will change the secret. Women don’t want to be figured out. They also don’t want to be manipulated.
7. Your wife is insecure about her physical beauty. She sees all the flaws. Watch what you say to her.
What wives should remember about sex
1. Sex is God’s idea. He created it and gave it as a good gift to husbands and wives in marriage. It is a key part of His plan for how we become one in marriage.
2. For most men, sex is a big deal—and it’s not because men are perverted or ungodly. God delights when a husband and wife enjoy marital intimacy.
3. How you respond to your husband when he initiates sex is critical. To be uninterested can communicate a lack of respect and honor for him. I’m not saying you need to say yes every time he initiates. But when you say no, explain why in a way that still affirms your desire for him.
4. Sex is a marital discipline. It’s a part of how we serve each other in marriage. It is wrong for a wife to use sex as a reward or a lack of sex as punishment. The Bible clearly teaches that husbands and wives are not to deprive each other in this area.
5. Men are visually oriented. No matter how you see yourself, he is stimulated by sight. Again, God is the One who made men with a desire to see women naked. And the only legitimate way for your husband to satisfy this God-given desire is for you to let him see you naked.
6. Men in romance novels and soap operas are made up. The strong, sensitive, caring men portrayed in most romance novels are fictional characters. No husband can live up to the near perfection an author presents.
7. Creativity is good. The Bible says that the marriage bed is undefiled. This means that a husband and wife have freedom to explore what brings them pleasure and enjoyment in the sexual arena of marriage. Neither of you should be pressured to do something you're uncomfortable with in the sexual relationship. But passion can be stirred by variety and creativity in the sexual relationship.

While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes." He addressed the man, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?" Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?

A man tells his doctor that he’s incapable of doing all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination is over, he says, “Okay, Doctor. In plain English—what’s wrong with me?”
“Well, in plain English,” says the doctor, “you’re just lazy.”
The man nods. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.”

There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman - before marriage and after marriage.

Athiests Are Irrational

There are some videos I post that I really cannot add anything to- This one is like that. Brad Stine does a good job and is not ashamed of his beliefs. I hope to hear Brad in person someday and I think I can safely add a label just for his humor.

Q: Why did the atheist throw her watch out the window?

A: She wanted to see if it was designed intelligently enough to evolve into a bird.

Q: What is so ironic about Atheists?
A: They’re always talking about God.

Q: How does an Athesist girl have her hair done?
A: In big bangs!

Q: Why can’t atheists solve exponential equations?
A: Because they don’t believe in higher powers.

There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist.
Every day, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her.
He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?"
Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?" But she kept on praying.
One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do. As usual, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself, "Humph! I'll fix her."
He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what she would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shouting everywhere! The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol' crazy lady, God didn't buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!" At hearing this, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord.
When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was. She said, "I knew the Lord would provide me with some groceries, but I didn't know he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"

Drinking and Driving Ad

Between 2004 and 2008 based of fatal crashes- nearly half (49%) of people killed in impaired related crashes were between 16 and 30. Of impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes, 84% were male. Almost 2/3rds of impaired related crashes occurred in rural areas. Two out of three crashes occurred between 6pm and 5;59am. More than half (52%) occurred in rural areas. 50% of impaired drivers killed, were also speeding. Over half of passenger occupants involved in impaired driving fatal crashes were not wearing seat belts.  My hats off to those cracking down on impaired drivers- you have my total support-Nail those Drivers. Too bad we have so many attorneys trying to get those caught get off on technicalities for their fees. There is no need to drink and drive any time- Please, Please, Please do not Drink and Drive! I don't need to be called out to flag for one more DUI accident

Easter Hope

Happy Easter.  Easter is Hope.  He is Risen. He is coming back.  Now go and live like you believe that.

THE MESSIAH’S MESSAGE

Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time -- this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.)

The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence.

But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste. ...

1 Corinthians 15:1-9 The MESSAGE

Funny 911 Calls

This is national telecommunications week. I am proud my daughter works for Rivercom Dispatch. I admire those who work in dispatching in our valley- WSP, Rivercom, and the WSDOT dispatchers as well. I would like to share this "Tribute To Dispatchers By Chief Thomas Wagoner Loveland (Colo.) Police Department , (1994)

Someone once asked me if I thought that answering telephones for a living was a profession. I said, "I thought it was a calling." so is dispatching. I have found in my law enforcement career that dispatchers are the unsung heroes of public safety. They miss the excitement of riding in a speeding car with lights flashing and sirens wailing. They can only hear of the bright orange flames leaping from a burning building. They do not get to see the joy on the face of worried parents as they see their child begin breathing on its own, after it has been given CPR.

Dispatchers sit in darkened rooms looking at computer screens and talking to voices from faces they never see. It's like reading a lot of books, but only half of each one.

Dispatchers connect the anxious conversations of terrified victims, angry informants, suicidal citizens and grouchy officers. They are the calming influence of all of them-the quiet, competent voices in the night that provide the pillars for the bridges of sanity and safety. They are expected to gather information from highly agitated people who can't remember where they live, what their name is, or what they just saw. And then, they are to calmly provide all that information to the officers, firefighters, or paramedics without error the first time and every time.

Dispatchers are expected to be able to do five things at once-and do them well. While questioning a frantic caller, they must type the information into a computer, tip off another dispatcher, put another caller on hold, and listen to an officer run a plate for a parking problem. To miss the plate numbers is to raise the officer's ire; to miss the caller's information may be to endanger the same officer's life. But, the officer will never understand that.

Dispatchers have two constant companions, other dispatchers and stress. They depend on one, and try to ignore the other. they are chastened by upset callers, taken for granted by the public, and criticized by the officers. The rewards they get are inexpensive and infrequent, except for the satisfaction they feel at the end of a shift, having done what they were expected to do.

Dispatchers come in all shapes and sizes, all races, both sexes, and all ages. They are blondes, and brunettes, and redheads. They are quiet and outgoing, single, or married, plain, beautiful, or handsome. No two are alike, yet they are all the same.

They are people who were selected in a difficult hiring process to do an impossible job. They are as different as snowflakes, but they have one thing in common. They care about people and they enjoy being the lifeline of society-that steady voice in a storm-the one who knows how to handle every emergency and does it with style and grace; and, uncompromised competence.

Dispatchers play many roles: therapist, doctor, lawyer, teacher, weatherman, guidance counselor, psychologist, priest, secretary, supervisor, politician, and reporter. And few people must jump through the emotional hoops on the trip through the joy of one caller's birthday party, to the fear of another caller's burglary in progress, to the anger of a neighbor blocked in their drive, and back to the birthday caller all in a two-minute time frame. The emotional rollercoaster rolls to a stop after an 8 or 10 hour shift, and they are expected to walk down to their car with steady feet and no queasiness in their stomach-because they are dispatchers. If they hold it in, they are too closed. If they talk about it, they are a whiner. If it bothers them, it adds more stress. If it doesn't, they question themselves, wondering why.

Dispatchers are expected to have:
the compassion of Mother Theresa
the wisdom of Solomon
the interviewing skills of Oprah Winfrey
the gentleness of Florence Nightingale
the patience of Job
the voice of Barbara Streisand
the knowledge of Einstein
the answers of Ann Landers
the humor of David Letterman
the investigative skills of Sgt. Joe Friday
the looks of Melanie Griffith or Don Johnson
the faith of Billy Graham
the energy of Charo
and the endurance of the Energizer Bunny

Is it any wonder that many drop out during training? It is a unique and talented person who can do this job and do it well. And, it is fitting and proper that we take a few minutes or hours this week to honor you for the job that each of you do. That recognition is overdue and it is insufficient. But, it is sincere. It takes a special person with unique skills. I admire you and I thank you for the thankless job you do. You are heroes, and I am proud to work with you.

911 Operator: 911, what is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I’m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn’t have an eleven on it. 911 Operator: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one 911 Operator: Yes, ma’am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I’m not stupid.

* * * * *

911 Operator: 911, what’s the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart 911 Operator: Is this her first child? Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!

 

Question: If H_{20 is on the inside of a fire hydrant, what is on the outside?}
Answer: K9P

A blonde woman calls 911. In a panic she tells the dispatcher that her house is on fire and that she needs the fire department there immediately. The dispatcher tells her, just calm down Mame and tell us how to get there. The blonde lady replies "DUH, THE BIG RED TRUCK"

In My Seat-A Pilots Story of 9/11

Please take the time to watch this video.  It’s unlike anything I have seen, read or heard about that horrific day. Narrated by a pilot who was supposed to be on American Airlines Boston - LA Flight 11 the morning of 9/11.  It is one incredible story that must be shared and watched to the end, especially as we begin the Easter season. Someone said Christians celebrate Easter Every Sunday.

Have you heard the story of the jelly beans?

Little jelly beans...Tell a story true.

A tale of our Father's love...That's just for me and you.

GREEN is for the new spring grass..YELLOW is for the sun above 

BROWN is for the soft earth where. People sat hearing of HIS love

PURPLE'S for the robe he wore...RED is for that precious wine.

BLACK is for the sins He washed...From your soul and mine.

BLUE'S for the sadness of ...HIS friends and family,

and is for the glory of the Day...HE rose for you and me.

Now that you've heard the story...You know what each color means.

The story of our Father's love...As told by jelly beans.

So when you see jelly beans on this Easter season,

stop and remember, ...Jesus is the reason!

"For God so loved the world, He gave His One and Only Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

  

We've Only Just Begun

Today is a special day- on April 13, 1974, I said “I do... till death do us depart” in Coulee Dam to the most special woman.  I think I am the luckiest man alive and am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife! We Have only Just begun by the Carpenters was played at our wedding- I added some photos to share some of the memories. Time goes by so fast- God has given us so much- 3 special Children, six wonderful Grandkids, and so many great friends and examples to follow/encourage us on. Happy Anniversary Janice- I Love you and yes, We have Only Just Begun...

All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble. ~Raymond Hull

Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. ~James C. Dobson

You can never be happily married to another until you get a divorce from yourself. Successful marriage demands a certain death to self. ~Jerry McCant

Married life teaches one invaluable lesson: to think of things far enough ahead not to say them. ~Jefferson Machamer

Easter Invite

I am thankful for church- it is a big part of my life and so thankful for the friends there. I am thankful for my pastor and his teachings both behind the pulpit and the way he lives his life. I really hope you have a church home and are faithful in attending.  Although I chose this video for its humor, it does bring home a point. I hope you can look beyond my faults and see Jesus this Easter. I think the main thing I learned at Christian College was to keep my eyes on Jesus and not those around us. I may have disappointed you in my comments or blogs, but don't let that keep you from Jesus who loves you and died for you, and rose again so that we may also rise again someday. I think often we think Christians should be perfect- Even Peter was not perfect. Keep your Eyes on Jesus, not man.

Aligned

Pastor-speaker Chip Ingram shares in his book, I Am With You Always, that nuclear submarines consist of some of the most amazing technology on the planet. These incredible military vessels can stay underwater for ninety days, but every ninety days the submarine must resurface to maintain proper alignment with the North Star. While under water, the submarine’s navigation system is affected by the earth’s magnetic forces. Because the submarines carry missiles of mass destruction, they must pay close attention to keeping the equipment aligned to the true reference point of the North Star.                   
We’re like that submarine in that we cannot perform at our highest level or complete our mission without maintaining proper alignment with our God. Your heart is the navigational equipment that keeps you on track with God. Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.                      

Easter Weekend by Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee reminds us of what is the Meaning of Easter and Good Friday. The Sermon, It's Friday, Sunday is Coming, I first heard from Tony Compolo on Focus on the Family in the 80's-but has been shared by many, some with videos. I never get tired of hearing the Easter Story. I hope it is not just another day for you- I do not need to re-inact it, it is finished and Jesus is Lord. TGIF= Thank God I'm Forgiven. Happy Good Friday- and don't forget, Sunday is coming!

The Pioneer of Salvation

By Bob Morrison, FRC Senior Fellow

Use the word pioneer with an American audience and our minds will usually turn to images of Conestoga wagons pulled by sturdy oxen. They are wending their way Westward. It's an arduous trek of families--fathers, mothers, and their children--across forested mountains and out onto the Great Plains. It would be years before these pioneers could bring the land under cultivation and see those amber waves of grain.

Scripture uses the word pioneer to describe Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, but He is also the pioneer, the One who goes before us, the One who bids us follow Him. Oftentimes that first pioneer and all pioneers who came after Him faced danger.

Sometimes, they even followed in His footsteps to a violent death.

Jesus knew not only betrayal, He knew shame. He took upon Himself the sins of the world, our sins, everyone's. As God and Man, He knew no sin, but he endured all that sin can bring for our sake. He hid not his face from shame and spitting. Yes, spitting. He was scourged. We hardly use the word scourge today. It means to be whipped. Romans used a scourge that was a wooden handled whip strung with long leather strips. These strips were studded with lead and pieces of sheep bone. These scourges survived from Bible times until barely a century ago. In Britain's Royal Navy, the lash was called "the cat 'o nine tails," for the nine strips of leather. Letting the cat out of the bag was not only the telling of a forbidden secret, it was the prelude to something awful. Whole ships' companies were ordered to witness as the flesh of a man's bare back was lacerated. Men who were scourged often died of that punishment. The loss of blood and the inevitable infection scourging caused were enough to kill.

Jesus endured all this before he went to the cross. He scorned its shame. In the space of five days, He went from being cheered in Jerusalem, from being hailed as the Son of David to suffering the humiliation of being betrayed, arrested, and treated as the lowest of criminals. Why did He do it? For the joy set before Him, Hebrews tells us. He could see beyond Calvary, beyond the Place of the Skull. He knew what joy lay before Him. He also knew what it would take to arrive at that place.

This is hard for us as mere humans to comprehend. Knowing the future always seems like a good idea for us. But can we bear it? Can we endure what may come to us, what our portion of sorrow and suffering will be?

Jesus knew what was over that horizon. He knew He had to remain faithful to the end. This can be, this must be, a source of great strength to us today. Crowds who once hailed what we hail are turning away from Truth. We are daily witnessing betrayals. Many of the mighty view us with scorn, if not yet with spitting, if not yet with scourging. Why is this? They hated Him. They will hate us. The servants are not greater than their master. Expect it. Be prepared. Don't lose hope. Stand together.

Before He entered Jerusalem that Palm Sunday morning and before that long ago Holy Week, Jesus gave us a glimpse over the horizon. He gave us a foretaste of the Resurrection when he came upon the tomb of his beloved friend, Lazarus, in Bethany. Dead and buried for four days when Jesus arrived, Lazarus arose at the command of his Lord. Lazarus came back from the dead because, as Jesus told them:

I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Yes, Lord, we believe.

Summer Workzone Safety

:

This is Work Zone Safety Week. On Washington’s state and local roads, 46 drivers, passengers and roadway workers were killed and close to 4,000 injured in work zones from 2005-2009. Since 1950, 57 Washington State Department of Transportation employees have lost their lives in work zone-related activities. In 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, 609 people died in highway work zone crashes nationwide – an increase of 19 fatalities compared to 2011.  In 2012, 132 fatal crashes occurred in work zones involving large trucks and buses. I wish to thank those who take time to slow down in our work zones- it only takes a second as you can see in todays video. We too want to get home to our families at the end of each day. Please remember to slow down- your car is like a Weapon....Yesterday someone could have lost a life in a workzone traffic accident near Vantage- Please slow down in work zones.

April 9th, 2014.  GRANT COUNTY, Wash. -- Westbound traffic on Interstate 90 near the Vantage Bridge was stopped for about four hours Wednesday morning after a truck carrying a load of hay crashed into equipment in a work zone.

Washington State Patrol says the driver of the truck, Ricardo Reyes Lopez of Moses Lake, lost control just after 7:30 a.m. and hit an unoccupied street sweeper parked in the right lane, which was closed to traffic due to construction. The truck then sideswiped a Cadillac sedan and hit a pickup truck from behind.

The truck overturned, spilling hay onto the roadway and blocking the westbound lanes.

The driver of the truck was not injured. The other two drivers, Juana Rangel Alvarado of Mattawa and Eric Brindle of Quincy, were taken to Quincy Valley Medical Center for treatment.

Crews were able to clear the roadway around noon.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. WSP says it does not believe alcohol or drugs played a factor.

If I Were The Devil

This speech was broadcast by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on April 3, 1965. If you missed it, play it now, Please! Remember, 49 years ago, many of the things he talks about could not be imagined-what will it be like 10 year from now? for you who cannot view the video with your hand held, I posted the words below;

The oldest genuine Paul Harvey version of this piece we've found so far appeared in his newspaper column in 1964:

If I Were the Devil

If I were the Prince of Darkness I would want to engulf the whole earth in darkness.

I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree.

So I should set about however necessary, to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers.

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whispers to you as I whispered to Eve, "Do as you please."

To the young I would whisper "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that "man created God," instead of the other way around. I would confide that "what is bad is good and what is good is square."

In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be "extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

And the old I would teach to pray — to say after me — "Our father which are in Washington."

Then I'd get organized.

I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting.

I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice-versa.

I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me.

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could, I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction, I'd tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions; let those run wild.

I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get preachers to say, "She's right."

With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography.

Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress.

Then in his own churches I'd substitute psychology for religion and deify science.

If I were Satan I'd make the symbol of Easter an egg

And the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. Then my police state would force everybody back to work.

Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps.

If I were Satan I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and the whole world go to hell as sure as the Devil.

I was only Five Years Old when the following statement was made. Obama Was not born yet.

What Would You Do? (The Bridge)

The Bridge- What would you do?

If your plan is to have no plan, is that a Plan? If you choose to do nothing, is that a choice? If you choose to not vote, have you voted?  Life is full of choices- you made one just to click on this blog- one of several dozen choices already chosen by you today. Look how much is being spent to sway your choice on advertising. Raising children is about teaching them to make wise choices on their own. Ever wonder how many choices you (or I) make that affect those around us and price they will pay for our choice(s)? I once heard a pastor say he was going to write a sermon called "How much is you sin going to cost me?"  I sometimes think we dwell to much on the big choices and not enough on the little choices we make every day. The word choice is found 44 times in the Bible and Choose is found 79 times. 

Every choice you make has an end result.

It's not a matter of can or cannot,

it's a matter of will or will not,

everything is a choice,

choose wisely

You are the person who has to decide.

Whether you'll do it or toss it aside;

You are the person who makes up your mind.

Whether you'll lead or will linger behind.

Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar.

Or just be contented to stay where you are.

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny

How you choose to respond each moment to the movie of life

 determines how you see the next frame,

and the next, and eventually how you feel when the movie ends.

Think about how your choices today, will affect those around, you as well as yourself.

Some choices for Eternity

This Old House by Signature Sound

April 5^th, 2008,  Jan, Darcie and Caitlyn had left to go shopping in Cashmere. I was in back bedroom with Cody and Emilee, reading books, playing games and playing on computer for a quiet time. At around 1;15 pm, when someone knocked on our door. As I answered it, some boys asked me, “Mr., Do you know your house is on fire??” I quickly grabbed the kids and helped them out the front door, yelled “call 911”, and asked a lady to watch Cody/Emilee while I ran back in to try to grab the computer. I quickly dropped that idea as I heard the fire roar and smoke was developing-I ran back out and grabbed the garden hose only to find it would not reach the back of the house where the fire was. I think the fire chief showed up next and while we waited for fire trucks, I called Jan on cell phone and told her she better come home as our house was on fire. (We later learned the fire probably started under rear porch from a defective extension cord or a battery charger for a kids electric cart.)  Everything happened so fast.  People were so caring, so helpful and we felt God upholding us. It’s so much easier to look back! Thanks to those four boys who cared to knock on the door to let us know! Thanks for Pemco Insurance and France AND Company who treated us so fairly- I highly recommend both. Thanks to those who prayed and gave us so much help/encouragement. (A couple who went through a fire has us over for dinner/our church gave us a shower.) Thanks to  Darcie/Eric for letting us stay in their trailer as our  house was rebuilt- it was not only close by, but having the grandkids there helped us and maybe even the grandkids.  We moved back in 6 months from the date of the fire! We were allowed to do some of the repairs to help pay for any changes we requested. We have so much to be thankful for- I sometimes feel like Job in the Bible. I do not know how people without God handle issues like this in their lives? Yes, we still will occasionally wonder about something we used to own- and I think we have downsized by choice. I can honestly say people mean so much more than things. As in this song/video by Ernie Hause and Signature Sound,  I am reminded this is not my home, We just live here for awhile,…. making memories,…. Our real home lies on the other side, I am just passing thru, …Heaven is so much more.

 Front Door after the fire

The Bedroom where Kids and I were having a quiet time..

The Back Porch

Fire started below porch from ether extension cord or battery charger for go kart in center

Good Friday by the Skit Guys

There are so many ways people use to tell the Easter Story, but the story remains the same. they say there are 4 love languages, whatever language you listen in or prefer, I hope you hear loud and clear that Jesus Loves You Very Much and he is coming  back someday. Make sure he is your personal savior and not just a story.

The Miraculous Easter Dinner

I love everything about making Easter dinner except the Saturday shopping. That day, the supermarket can be as crowded as a department store at Christmas. And this Easter, on top of my regular checklist, I had to buy the ingredients for a delicious new recipe I’d discovered: sliced ham and turkey layered with Swiss cheese and spinach, all wrapped in pastry dough.                      
Trouble was, my work schedule had left me no time to shop earlier in the week.                      
I’ll get up extra early and take care of everything Saturday morning, I thought, as I drove to the office Friday. But that morning Yola, one of my co-workers, asked if my husband, Robert, and I would help her move the next day. “I really don’t have anybody else to ask,” she apologized.                      
“Sure,” I told her, soft touch that I am. Bright and early Saturday morning, Robert, my 15-year-old son Ben, and I drove our pickup to her old apartment. Oh, the piles of furniture and boxes! It took us till late afternoon to get her settled in her new place.                      
By the time we returned home, I was spent. I don’t know how I’m going to go shopping now, let alone cook Easter dinner, I thought. The only ingredient I had at home was the spinach.                      
On the kitchen counter were two shopping bags of food Yola had sent home with us – her thanks for helping her move. She was leaving on a trip the next day, and didn’t want the food to go to waste.                      
I reached into the first bag and pulled out a package of sliced ham. Well, that’s lucky, I thought. At least I can cross one thing off my list.                      
Then I pulled out a package of sliced turkey, and another of Swiss cheese.                      
That’s odd, I thought. There’s no way Yola knew my Easter dinner plans.                      
I reached back into the grocery bag, thinking of the Easter miracle. All of sudden, the strangest feeling came over me. My hand closed around a package near the bottom of the bag. I lifted it out. It was a box of pastry dough – the final ingredient I needed for my recipe. (found on Godfruits.com)

Easter Commerical

Inviting friends to church is so easy, even Babies can do it. I hope to see you in church Sunday. Our church meets sundays at 8:30am  or 10:30am at 1520 McKittrick in Wenatchee.

Here are some signs from church's that you may have not seen yet? Who says Christians do not have a sense of humor?

Staying home and yelling Oh God does not constitute going to church.

If you park here, you are liable to be prayed for

Notice in a church parking lot. Trespassers will be baptised.

If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd.

Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church.

How will you spend eternity - Smoking or Non-smoking?

Fight truth decay -- study the Bible daily.

No God - No Peace. Know God - Know Peace.

Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!

Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world.

In the dark? Follow the Son.

"Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"

"If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."

"This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" ----- (U R)