Hurts

Yah-da, yah-da, yah-da, yah-da, yah! Disclaimer—I got a call from a friend who reminded me in January I said I thought the stock market would go down 15% (i.e. I didn’t say when folks). It just has been going up and went over 11,000. But I will predict the course of the stock market for 2010 accurately (i.e. you can put it in stone)—It will either go up or it will go down! Sooooooo, don’t believe much what I think (i.e. it’s only my opinion and you get what you pay for—don’t forget that)! "Markets are constantly in a state of uncertainty and flux and money is made by discounting the obvious and betting on the unexpected." -- George Soros-- Such is life.

A missionary friend wrote this in his email newsletter--All of us deal with difficult times in life. If you haven't yet, you are either lying, delusional, or will be experiencing some in your future. It is a part of life and there is nothing wrong with that. The key is how we choose to deal with these times. Do we get discouraged and give up or retaliate? Do we simply shut down? Or do we lean on others and lean on God for direction and help in carrying us through it? There truly are benefits to the last option. Even Christ Jesus Himself grew discouraged, but dealt with it in the right way.

Change hurts sometimes! Churches are struggling with change. People always have struggled with change. Gary Player quipped during the Masters Par 3 Tournament on 4/7/10, "Change is the price of survival." So do you think church small groups might provide an opportunity for folks to share their hurts in a comfortable setting? Does your church have small groups that do this? Maybe you don’t have any hurting folks in your church—ya right! GeorgeTheCrook says—Being vunerable with each other produces strong relationships.

You ever feel like you are on a treadmill that you can’t get off or in a squirrel cage you can’t get out or you’re on a merry-go-round you can’t get off of (i.e. we live in a manic world and it hurts sometimes). You can't control the outer circumstances of your life but you can control how you react to them. That makes you dominant over circumstances.—My father, Chester, said to me many times—Everybody has problems. It’s just that people handle them differently. I was reminded again this week by a friend about what my Mom, Anna, always told me—ERVIN, always do what is right. My friend was working on a business situation and he was sharing it with me on several occasions. Then he called and told me what he decided to do—He told me his decision and then said—I’m doing what is right! GeorgeTheCrook says—Sometimes the right thing hurts but…! MissPerfect says--Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.

SusieQ says--We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. Ouchy ouchy! That hurts sometimes SusieQ. Oh yes! Marriage can be difficult (i.e. it must be as about 50% of all marriages end up in divorce). I read this: Men want--1. Sexual fulfillment 2. Recreational companionship 3. An attractive spouse 4. Domestic support 5. Admiration and Women want--1. Affection 2. Conversation 3. Honesty and openness 4. Financial support 5. Family commitment. Sooooooo do you think those are accurate? It hurts when you don’t get what you want! Such is life.

I got a telephone call at 12:45 (i.e. I was eating my lunch). I said hello but there was no response. I could hear some background noise of people talking. I said hello again and the guy said—I’ll take two double cheeseburgers, my usual. I said—hello again. The guy said—Ervin, are you thinking about new siding and new windows? No! Okay then and hung up. So what do you think this guy looks like? You already have him pictured in your mind; I do. LuckieEddie says—now that hurts!

It hurts when I miss the obvious! When we got home from the valley the light going down the basement didn’t work (i.e. it’s a three way switch to the lights above the pool table (i.e. two lights with each two bulbs). They worked when we left. How can that be—how can a switch go bad when we weren’t there! So I get my little tester out and took the switches out. I couldn’t tell anything. Arlene said to me--could all the bulbs be burned out (i.e. no way Arlene—da!)? So I put a new bulb in and bingo, it worked. What! To rub insult to injury, as I was taking one of the switches out, I hit my bald head on the sharp edge of the door jam and now I have wound on my head again (i.e. you bald headed guys understand that). It hurt! Chet said—You look like Gorbachev dad! “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” ~Einstein~

ItchieBithcie says--Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. WildWille says—A person who is nice to you but rude to someone who is less than them (i.e. by their judgment) is not a nice person (i.e. this is very important). Pay attention, it never fails! I was hurt ‘cause I heard of a situation in our community of a gal who made a mistake and all her friends abandoned her. What kind of friends were they anyway. When you are hurt is when you need support. I don’t get it. I’m quite disappointed in those gals who thought maybe they were better. Ouchy ouchy!

I thought Tiger was a Buddhist! He sounds more like he believes in God than a Christian. I heard him say on the 6th tee box Saturday—God damn it! Son of a bitch! It sorta kinda hurts to hear that I think but I have said it already. So…! But I think Tiger should have said—Buddha damn it! Then on the 13th after hitting a poor shot, Tiger said Jesus Christ! Shouldn’t he have said—BUDDHA! Well! I’m not a great huge fan of Phil but how could anyone not root for Phil over Tiger! FYI, you guys who don’t follow Phil and the PGA, Phil’s wife and mother both are going through breast cancer treatment. See, one of the best gofers in the world has hurts in his life’s story—it’s just ain’t you. A friend sent me this link about Phil. http://www.augusta.com/stories/040107/mas_122384.shtml

I had the opportunity to go to church with a friend Sunday. We heard “a story from the seats” (i.e. a person from the congregation sharing his story). He said, we all have a story and in our story we all have hurts. Saturday question—Do you have hurts in your story?

Diplomacy…the art of letting someone have it your way! I’m confused…maybe I’m not! Oh it hurts when you make a mistake (i.e. I have made many and will make more). Soooooo, everything new in church will not work (i.e. some will fail). Ya just gotta try something else that does work. A person (i.e. seemingly a successful business person) in a small group years ago expressed that his greatest fear was that of failure. Yet, Abe Lincoln failed miserably many times and ended up a great man of our country. Yabut erv, failure hurts, it hurts terribly. Maybe and maybe not. I was talking to a friend this week and he told me that he and a partner bought a business. After they closed the deal, his partner got cold feet. He said—I have made many bad business decisions and this is just another. See how past failures affect our internal computer. SusieQ says—I don’t let others affect my decisions and I don’t care what others think; is that okay! AverageJoe says—You can’t make footprints in the sand if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to make butt prints in the sand of times! CadillacJack says—After all is said and none, more is said than done! Such is life.

We went to Mayo Clinic at Rochester this past week for our annual physicals. The test results were good—we were happy about that. The only thing is Doc wants Arlene to gain some weight (i.e. now that is a problem that most Americans would like). I would suggest that all of you have an annual physical. ANWYAY we think that there were less folks at Mayo (i.e. our observation and opinion). Joesixpack says—Toooooo many times we take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world (i.e. think about that folks—do you see the big picture or only a snippet which is Butler County Iowa or your church denomination). Maybe our thinking of less folks was ‘cause it was a certain day or the season, we don’t know. Or maybe it was about money. If you have to pay a large deductible, you might just go without medical work. JoeThePlumber says—I’d rather spend the $500 to $1,000 on fishing and drinking beer unless the government pays for my medical care then it’s different (i.e. plenty of pigs at the trough)! So there you heard it from JoeThePlumber a.k.a. the average American. I talked to a college friend from good ol’ Northwestern College when in Rochester (i.e. he lives there and is a real estate developer, landlord, entrepreneur, etc.). He said business is bad. With no jobs there is nothing happening (i.e. it’s all about money). He said it really hurts right now. He asked me if I was a Democrat or Republican—I asked him what he was—he said I was a Democrat when I was in education (i.e. he has a doctorate degree in education) ‘cause it was best for me and since I am in business I’m a Republican ‘cause it’s best for me (i.e. it’s all about money and how it affects a guy personally). Such is life.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" It's what "they" told you. For some of you, they told you that years ago and it has remained as a burning indictment seared across your soul and spirit. You feel ashamed (i.e. it hurts). Ashamed for something that happened in the past that God has forgiven and forgotten. It is time that you realize that you are no longer that person. It's time to realize that you should no longer be ashamed. It's time to let it go and raise your head. It's time. Now ~ That is what I read this week. This past winter in the valley at a production, they poked fun of one of my defects. We try to put those behind us but…it hurt again. I thought about it some again and it was amazing what I discovered. I discovered that the defect really maybe, probably gave me the opportunity of life. It also gave me joy in a way that I would have never had without that defect (i.e. it’s really unbelievable, really). Soooooo maybe, probably that defect was really a blessing but I never really realized it before. Think about your defects in a different way and see if this makes any sense to you. Such is life.

Oh yes, those physicals really don’t hurt. I had my chest x-rayed, wired for a EKG, poked, stuck, thumped, and even had the Doc shove his finger up my butt for the prostrate exam (i.e. I have no idea what you gals go through). ANYWAY it really doesn’t hurt but it’s just unpleasant.

You won’t believe the opportunity I had the other night (i.e. it just fell in my lap). We stayed over at Rochester as Arlene needed to see another doctor the next day early. I went for an evening walk and a guy asked me if I knew where this address was. It was I think 703 1st Street. I didn’t but asked him what he was looking for—a place to sleep tonight (i.e. a shelter)—are you homeless—yes I am—how long—a week and it really hurts. He showed me the paper and it had a phone # on it so I called and found out it was about 8 blocks away. You have no place to sleep or any money do you—no I don’t. I asked him if I could walk with him—sure—so why are you homeless—my wife and I separated—how come—I guess it was a process but mainly ‘cause she has a job and I don’t (i.e. all about money folks)—how long have you been married—19 years—how old are you Lewis--57—have a family—5 children—where do they live—St. Paul—why don’t you go and live with them—I don’t want to impose; this being homeless really sucks—so why are you not working—I lost my job ‘cause I had health issues (i.e. he pulled up his pant leg and showed me a huge massive hole in his leg)—what’s that from anyway—hardening of the arteries from smoking; I almost lost my leg—Are you a Christian Lewis—yes I am—we all have hurts in our life and we don’t much care for them—it’s a lot easier when it is someone else erv. We got there and I gave a $20—It’s not much Lewis but maybe it will help a little—thank you erv, now I can least eat tomorrow. What’s so ironical about this is that Dr. Kuipers and I just talked about him thinking he got scammed by a beggar in Houston this winter. He ended up giving him $60 but still thought it was a hoax. Dr. Kuipers is a Christian man and we talked about how hard it is to know when to give and when not to give (i.e. it’s all about money folks). We wonder sometimes if we are just being taken advantage of. So was I taken advantage of? I don’t know and never will (i.e. I really don’t care). But hey, I feel good! Lewis never asked for money and I didn’t have to give him any. Sooooo why did I—just ‘cause I could. Such is life.

I said to the phlebotomist who drew my blood at Mayo Clinic, you seem to have a good attitude—I tell my children, their day is how they decide they want it to be; it’s all about attitude—you sound like a good mother—I try!

MissPerfect says—Make sure before you tell a man you love his company…make sure he owns one!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

KR’s thought of the day—It’s not the number of hours you put in, but what you put in the hours that count.
TheProfessor’sPithySaying—The educated person possesses the greatest wealth within himself--Menander