In honor of Reformation Day!

Sung to the tune of A Mighty Fortress

A mighty Ford truck has my wife,
a mini-van with boys wailing;
for hauling groceries bread, milk, and spud,
or taking packages for mailing,
It cost us lots of dough,
But protects us from the snow,
On long trips it is great,
When the alignment is kept straight,
It’s old, we need its sequel!

War of the Worlds

Listened to a local re-enactment of the War of the Worlds radio broadcast tonight on the occassion of its 70th anniversary. A little artistic talent combined with radio technology, and a good story, managed to give thousands a real fright back in 1938. Of course today, we have Snopes to set us straight on those scary pieces of news we pick up.

It was a far more positive daddies session this morning, as most of us were pretty low after last Thursday's beat down, but things are looking up for us dads and my dad is home from the hospital too, thank you God!

Next week holds more tests and a trip to St. Louis for my young son in the womb, please keep him and us in your prayers.

Abandoned in Nebraska

More teenagers discarded this week in Nebraska. I'm just so happy that my father, who art in Heaven, no matter how rebellious, antagonistic, mean-spirited, and downright bad I get as a sinner, never abandons me.

High Five

Well, we went back for another ultrasound on our third son today and he immediately showed us his "High Five" as the very first image we saw on the screen was a clear shot of his right hand, fingers extended. He is a little wiggly worm who didn't want to sit still. He looks healthy and vibrant in every way, though he still has fluid in his head that likely will need to be dealt with at birth. His five digits reminded me of this past Saturday when we were going to a weenie roast. My wife had told our 5-year old that we would be going at Five and even pointed to the clock and said when it reads "5:00" we would be going. He turned into a veritable Gary Cooper ala High Noon, watching the clock and waiting for "High Five" when the train would arrive (or our car would leave I guess). It got so bad that he began doodling on his magna-doodle and my wife and I just had to capture the image on film.

This is the actual drawing he did on his magna-doodle as he watched the clock:



That is focus!

Well, we got to go to the weenie roast and a good time was had by all. Keep our 3rd son in your prayers (and my beautiful wife also as this little wiggle worm is so active that very soon when he's big enough for her to feel these movements I doubt if she is going to get much sleep!)

Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins this weekend and got these wonderful battery-powered lights to go inside (no flames which is great with little kids) that change colors and really do a good job of illuminating the faces of the pumpkins. The boys each made their own, one happy and one sad and they are up in the window. On Monday's I pick up the boys from school afterwork and as it is getting dark earlier, I wondered if Mommy would have them turned on tonight when we got home.

Sure enough, we pulled into the driveway and there were the colorfully sad & happy pumpkins sitting up in the window for the boys to admire. What a great mommy they have. Oh, but it gets better cause they walked upstairs to thank her and she had their supper fresh out of the oven and ready to eat! What a great mommy they have.

To the doctor tomorrow for us to check on son # 3 inside that great mommy, keep him and her and all of us in your prayers please.

A Bulwark Never Failing

On Wednesday I sought strength and solice in Psalm 46. See post:

Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday and opened our service with Luther's own hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Its a hymn he wrote close to 500 years ago, and is a paraphrase of that same Psalm 46. As I stood amidst the congregation singing with the organ on the opening verse, the word bulwark struck a chord with me. It is not used in all of the many english translations that exist of the hymn that Luther penned in German and though I'm sure I've sung it that way before, it stood out to me today.

It is comforting to know that our God is an awesome God. Our God is a Mighty Fortress. Our God is a bulwark...NEVER FAILING.

Romans 8:31b ~ If God is for us, who can be against us?

Doughnuts

My sons have a video from the library with an old short from the early sixties on it. It's a Homer Price story about a machine that makes doughnuts and won't stop making them and soon the little cafe is full of doughnuts. It makes us all hungry for doughnuts as we watch this silly little film, and inspired the poem below:

The simple fried cake batter with a hole in the middle,
Oh how I've loved thee, ever since I was little.

You fit on my finger, and taste great every bite,
It doesn't take long for you to be completely out of sight.

From the basic cake style to the glazed or the frosted,
Filled, sprinkled, twirled, no possibility have you exhausted.

The Long John, Eclair, and any claiming to be your cousin,
Cannot compare to a Sunday morning dozen.

Thanks for the joy you bring in a delictable round,
The champion of breakfasts you should surely be crowned.

Dad

I'm a dad. I have a dad. I have my third son on the way. Both my dad and my third son presently have health concerns. I am concerned. It's funny how God works sometimes.

This morning, in the midst of wanting answers about my own father and as a father about my own unborn son, our Men's Fraternity lesson was entitled, "What Every Dad Needs To Know." It was rich and powerful lesson and discussion that enriched the fathers present as much as it convicted them for falling short as dads. It closed with a video of Team Hoyt, a father and son team who run triathlons and marathons together, which can be seen on YouTube here:



That says it all about what Our Father Who Art In Heaven does for us, and what the father he provided for me here on earth has done for me, and the challenge that lays before me as a father to three sons God has gifted me with. May I rise each day thankful to God for the gifts and blessings he has bestowed and eager to do His will as a father to His children. What Every Dad Needs To Know is that God is there for us...it's just what I needed to know this morning!

I Need To Remind Myself today that

Psalm 46 (King James Version) ~
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Please keep my young unborn son in your prayers today and also my father who collapsed at home this morning and is in the hospital tonight still awaiting answers to the questions about his health, what happened, and what is in store for him. Stress test will be tomorrow. The eldest and least men in my family need our prayers, it is such a comfort to know that the Body of Christ that God has so richly blessed us with has responded to our calls in this time of stress for us. It is truly a comfort and joy to know that God is in control, and has provided us with so many friends and family that continuously remind us of that fact.

My THREE sons

Well, ultrasound was this morning and we are having a boy, our third. Cute little guy looked healthy in every way but one, so we have been referred to specialist and will undergo some further tests/ultrasounds to determine what, if anything is wrong, and monitor the situation. Please keep this precious, beautiful, smiling tiny boy in your prayers as we trust that God will keep him in His care.

Sciatica Sporadica

My sister--my bride, my dear beloved wife is suffering in her current pregnancy. Though I remember that her sporadic bouts of sciatica were just as bad in her previous pregnancies, she's convinced this is the worst it has ever been. The worst part about it is, it only seems to strike when she is the most relaxed. So I pray today for her pain to ease or a remedy arise to ease the stress on her sciatic nerve so that she may have a little comfort.

Going in the Strength You Have

Have you ever felt inadequate? Have you ever felt that you weren't up to the task? Have you ever looked at a home or work project and thought, "I need to hire someone who knows what they are doing to get this done?" Sometimes life in general throws those kind of curves at us. How can we cope with crisis in the family or finances or natural disasters, etc.? Gideon felt that way too:

Judges 6:12-16 (NIV) states ~ When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

"But Lord , [a] " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

Gideon saw his own strength as being inadequate...just as David's fellow Israelites would later see him as a boy being no match for the giant warrior Goliath. In neither case did God increase their size or strength, He sent both out with the strength they had. It was more than enough, for the faithful have God with them and no matter how weak they might be in appearance, a mustard seed of faith left in them makes them the strongest around. For our strength comes from Him whom, by grace through faith has redeemed us and made us new creations, strong and eternal! Our God truly is an awesome God and we should go forth each day, doing His will with the strength we have.

Ode to a Dust Bunny

Inspired by a day off housecleaning project:

The floor of our kitchen is like the wild, wild, west,

For there under the table, a tumbleweed finds rest.

A dust bunny just glides with the breeze in the room,

Hoping to avoid capture by the dustpan and broom.

Despite capture after capture though, they always return,

Generation after generation they never seem to learn.

A broom, mop, or vacuum, there typical demise,

My son once ate one, that was a surprise!

But as pets go, dust bunnies can't be beat,

They don't eat, poop, or bite, and stay under your seat.

No trips to the shelter or pet shop mind you,

You've already got them, don't tell them to shew!

Leave them a corner, a place out of the way,

They don't need to be walked, they don't even play.

But for dust bunny owners, the best part of all

To keep them happy, just don't clean your floors or your hall!

Praying for Bill

I think that Bill hates me. His new movie mocks all that I hold dear, but it seems Bill goes beyond mere mocking humor. Bill seemingly wants to prove that religion and religious devotees are the real root of the world's often violent turmoil. Bill seems to have malice toward me.

So what is a humble man of God to do? Jesus says:

Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV) ~ "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

I love you Bill. Further more, Jesus loves you. May God Bless you and help you find, and keep you in, His everlasting peace.

Final Debate...Both Lost

Neither of the two major-party candidates has done anything to win my vote this year. Now that the final debate is history...I've made up my mind.

Chuck Baldwin for President 2008

He is the closest to my own thoughts and feelings and in an era where change is the key to election, it's time we change the two party system that has done nothing but let us down and give us no real choices but more of the same. If you do what you've always done, expect to get what you've always got.

Now many will argue that my vote is then "wasted." I disagree. A vote for someone you don't agree with, or think is incompetent to lead simply because they are the candidate in one of the only two parties to win the Presidency since 1860 is in my mind, a bigger waste of a vote.

The only way to have a government OF, BY, and FOR the PEOPLE is to vote for who you think will do the best job in office, in getting the ideals you believe in most turned into action. It is not WE THE PARTY...it is WE THE PEOPLE, and its time the PEOPLE stood up and threw out the two party system that holds us back. Throwing it out starts by voting for a third party. The time has come...don't waste this opportunity...I know I won't.

We Got A Puppy!

Hey, my sister--my bride, finally caved in and let us get a puppy! She just couldn't resist those adorable little eyes and the tiny wet nose. Hey, and the best part is...













...he's ALREADY HOUSE TRAINED!




Our youngest with face paint courtesy of Sunday's Fall Family Festival at church!

Before the Dawn

I was up today before the dawn,
And watched you lay their sleeping.
I gently got up and out of bed,
And around it went silently creeping.
In the darkness you lay so still,
Your face against your pillow.
As the ceiling fan gently blew your hair,
Like a breeze whispering through a willow.
The comforter rose and fell again,
As your lungs took in and let out air.
And in the moment my heart did leap,
At your beauty oh so rare.

And it only gets better in the sunlight! Love you sweetie and thanks for not getting mad when the alarm goes off so early so I can get up and walk! Your the best.

Proper Alignment

Ever driven a vehicle that had a lousy front-end alignment. No, I'm not just talking about the ones that will veer right or left if you let go of the steering wheel, I'm talking the ones where at slower speeds the car literally shakes as the two front wheels want to go in different directions. The only way to stop the shaking is to either stop the car or get going fast enough that the tires are moving so quickly forward they can no longer pull to the right or left. (And no, I'm not recommending you do this) That is a car in desperate need of an alignment. If you don't get the alignment fixed, you'll soon be losing tires, possibly as you drive and that is a recipe for disaster.

How about our lives? Do our lives ever get so far out of whack that we are literally shaking as we try and live out each day? Is our heart and soul pulling us one way while our mind and sinful nature tugging us another? Yes, it happens to all of us from time to time, perhaps even more often than it does to our cars, but human alignment is something a doctor or psychologist can fix. Just like the car, not fixing the alignment in our lives can cause uneven wear and tear and eventually lead us to a disaster.

Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) states ~"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

In God alone comes proper alignment. By grace, through faith, we are saved, we are brought into proper alignment by Jesus the Messiah's death upon the Cross and that is the only way we "WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN!"

Idiom-etry 101

If ignorance is bliss, would you know that it was?

If absences makes the heart grow fonder, why are two heads better than one?

Are slips of the tongue more likely when the drinks are on the rocks?

Would you really want to taste any but your own medicine?

If were all in the same boat, how can variety be the spice of life?

Why can't you cry over spilt milk yet you can argue if the glass was half empty or full?

If you don't let sleeping dogs lie, will they always get up on the wrong side of the bed?

How come the road never gets any of the ones for it?

If your back's up against the wall, at least you know you won't have to bend over backwards!

OK...BACK ON TRACK

My diet derailed over the summer, I had been at least maintaining my new weight though but need to get back on the horse and get busy getting healthier. The new assault begins Monday

Food Drive

Community Food Drive is underway and the school where I work has already filled an entire 15-passenger van and is started on another! The drive is hoping to collect 300,000 pounds of food on Friday.

It is amazing to see people pull together, even in the midst of a financial crisis, and meet the needs of the needy, serving God by serving others. God bless this community!

Energy Crisis

At our house, we are suffering through an energy crisis. As the evening temperatures continue to drop and cooler nights force us into closing up some of the windows, we are really starting to feel the pains of the energy crisis. No, we don't lack for heat, that we can afford with no problem. Our crisis relates directly to the energy of our younger son who never seems to tire. In fact, as the evenings wear on, he often seems to get fresher and more energized so that by an hour past his bedtime, he's just hitting his stride. He's 3 but seems to be on an 19 year old's schedule. And with that energy, and my wife and my's coinciding lack thereof, you have the energy crisis that is afflicting us each evening at bedtime. We don't have the energy for the patience we need and he had more than enough energy to outwit and outlast us both and worse yet, he knows it!

God give us the patience, strength, and endurance to reenergize ourselves and deenergize him in the days and weeks ahead.

Royal Tapestry

My sister--my bride got her hair done this week. My own words fail me in describing it so I resort to the Bible for these apt words:

Song of Solomon 7:5 (NIV) ~ "Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses."

I'm captivated sweety!

God's Bailout Plan

In a week of crisis and rescue, of tales of Woe and bailout plans, what would be more appropriate than a reminder of the only true bailout plan that ever worked, and still works for us today.

The present financial crisis is owed in part to disobedience to God's will for us, to coveting more or bigger or brighter, to over-indulging in the self rather than serving our neighbors, in essence, to sin. No amount of government intervention will help with sin. There isn't enough money in all the world's vaults to pay off the debt of sin. But God had a bailout plan.

Romans 3:22-26(NIV) ~"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—-he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

God's Bailout plan is THE BAILOUT Plan. Perhaps its time the country, in fact the world, got on board.

The Color of...Cars

A couple of classic witty lines from Mr. Newman to close out the homage week on Wit day.

"Pool excellence is *not* about excellent pool."

"I'll put it simple: if you're going hard enough left, you'll find yourself turning right"

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Newman's breakthrough role as Rocky Graziano uttering the title line "You know, I've been lucky. Somebody up there likes me."

It's not luck, and its not like

John 3:16 (NIV) ~ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."


It's grace and its love and its for all of us.

Hud

One of the classic lines uttered by Newman's Hud character kinda summarized Hud's entire philosophy of life when he said: "You don't look out for yourself, the only helping hand you'll ever get is when they lower the box"

Of course, Hud was all about himself. Selfish people will often find in the end that the only helping hand available to them are the ones that lower the box. Not so with the Body of Christ. We all serve God by serving others. Its a community effort, the Communion of Saints is and I cringe and think of Hud everytime I hear someone who says "I believe in God but I don't believe in church." It's the equivalent of saying I believe in the head but not in the body. Body of Christ IS the church! Those in the Body of Christ, that is those in the church are, and will continue to be, in receipt of the helping hands of their fellow Christians, and also the very ones offering their own hands to help others as well.

Hud is a sad tale of a lost soul who decided to go it alone and found, in the end, loneliness and despair. I'm so glad and thankful that God has adopted me into the Body of Christ through my baptism.