IthinksobutIdon'tknowforsure

Times change folks! IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure! If you don’t change some stuff, it starts to look like middle ages before long. C. S. Lewis says—All that is not eternal is eternally out of date. We had a P3 party at our church—paint, pizza and praise. I was told there were 37 of us folks (i.e. kids and adults) who showed up to paint the educational rooms. Here is what a typical room looked before and here is a picture of a room after the P3. Which room looks the most inviting to a 10 year old do you think? Da!!! John Wesley once said—Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn. Such is life.

Here is a pic of my friends of how they looked before the P3 and a pic of how they looked after the P3! Aren’t they something!

IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure! MyFriendJean says—Some of us are like wheelbarrows—only useful when pushed and very easily upset. That statement makes me think about many folks in churches all over (i.e. talk a lot but don’t do much and are very touchy—showboats but not workers). And then when changes are made, they complain ‘cause they might have to do something (i.e. those kind of folks get under my skin!). That’s my opinion. Change is hard folks but it’s a certainty. That’s just the way it is if you like it or not. Some folks look at visionaries as “trick masters” with their full bag of tricks. Ouchy ouchy! SusieQ says--No matter what way you look at change, right without Love is wrong! Think about that folks. Joesixpack says—IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure that God many times is trying to tell us something in big bold print but we still can’t read it! We’re blinded by our own huge massive egos. Ouchy ouchy!

IthinksobutIdon’tforsure! MissPerfect says--Reform is soooooooo urgently needed but it seems to take a huge massive catastrophe to really get anyone’s attention. I read in the London paper (i.e. so it must be right) that England test folks who are getting and want to get disability payments for the government. They put them into three classes—Disabled, disabled at this time but will be able to go back to work, and those who can work. Folks get 64 pounds being unemployed and 84 for being disabled so the unemployed folks are all trying to get disability. The payments have increased unbelievably in recent years (i.e. it’s all about money folks). They say—The Coalition Government has to have a reform of some kind as we cannot continue to operate this way—it just ain’t going to work. It’s very obvious that the good old U. S. of A will need to have a reform sometime or it will get real ugly folks (i.e. it’s hard as everything is done to politically correct to get reelected in the good old U. S. of A). I personally doubt if it will happen until it gets sooooooooooooo bad and then something will happen (i.e. Ithinksobutdon’tknowforsure). Ask Germany about that! Ouchy ouchy! Change is much like a rescuer helping a drowning person who is putting up too much of a struggle. The rescuer must first render the person still more helpless, until he or she is wholly at the rescuer’s mercy. Ya got to get to rock bottom before folks seem to look for help other than themselves (i.e. it’s an ego thing folks—my opinion). Such is life.

I went for a bike ride Saturday to Kesley (i.e. 14 miles SSW). There was a 12 mph wind from the SSW (i.e. I looked on underground weather when I got home). If you are not a biker, you have no idea how much difference that makes (i.e. huge massive difference). IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure but it’s a lot easier when you have the wind on your back. Sooooooo here’s the deal I was thinking about—Wind is a great encouragement so do you think a compliment or encouragement might make the wind at someone’s back. What do you think? Assignment—Send an encouraging note to someone this week. Okay here is something else that I though about when biking—I have had sorta kinda a hard time slowing down since I got back from our trip (i.e. not focused correctly). Saturday I wasn’t comfortable just doing nutten (i.e. nutten according to my standards). I thought about the campers. They pull out Friday night with their $25,000 camper plus license, insurance, & maintenance, $35,000 pickup plus license, insurance & maintenance, and their $25,000 boat plus license, insurance, winterizing and maintenance and just sit and eat all weekend not feeling guilty about doing nutten. Why can’t I just sit and do nutten at home? I don’t get it. Maybe I need to spend $85,000 so I can sit and do nutten. Yabut if I bought that stuff plus camping site fee, purchase skies, tube, fishing gear, camping equipment, and other stuff to sit and do nutten, I would have no place to store all that stuff so I would have to build a $35,000 shed plus taxes and insurance. And you know what folks, all recreational equipment deprecates faster than diarrhea! Then I thought, we like to travel so we aren’t home many weekends plus we go to the grandkids several weekends, plus I usually have a couple of golf outings, plus there are always a couple of weddings that take up a couple of weekends, so that leaves about 2 weekends free and usually the weather is bad one weekend so that leaves one weekend to go camping and just sitting there eating and sleeping and not feeling guilty about doing nutten. I decided I just will be uneasy sitting in our sun porch eating and sleeping that weekend. It fits me just fine I guess. IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure! Such is life.

IthinksobutIdon’tknowforusure! WildWilly says—Evil prevails when good men do nuttten! ~ Where you choose to place your trust will determine the direction and quality of your life. ~ Are you confused? Listen to the quiet voice of your Heavenly Father. He is not a God of confusion. Talk with Him; listen to Him; trust Him. He is steadfast, and He is your protector…forever. ~ God’s plan for you includes provisions for your spiritual, physical, and emotional health. ~ People are funny. When they are young, they will spend their health to get wealth. Later, they will gladly pay all they have trying to get their health back. Such is life. Folks, that’s just the way it is.

IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure—Iknowforsure! I recently hurt Arlene’s feelings. Why do I do that (i.e. makes me wanta kick a can)! I don’t want tooooooo but I do. I know why, ‘cause it’s my big ego getting in the way (i.e. that sucker is hard to control sometimes folks). I want to be humble but it just flares up. I gain nutten by hurting her. TheProfessor says—When a guy wrongs another he injures himself in return—someway, somehow, sometime. I love Arlene; she is a very nice person, so why do I hurt her (i.e. this week 42 years ago we were married in Wichert Reformed Church, Wichert, IL on a hot summer day--some of you were there—that’s the biggest break I caught in my life folks marrying Arlene Schaafsma). I’m a real small person when I hurt her and a real big person when I’m humble. I know that but I’m such a jerk at times. My Mom, Anna, would be disappointed with me; she always told me to do what is right and I did not do what was right. I like it when Arlene is happy (i.e. a happy wife is a happy life and don’t you forget that boys). Soooooo, I apologized and she forgave me once again but will I ever learn? IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure!

I didn’t see this happening! Oh no! Happenstance, na I don’t think so. That statement was taught to me by a friend. I like it. IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure! We sat in the same pew Sunday with some good old friends. They gave me the book Hoops For Hope--Take Your Best Shot” by Austin Gutwein to read (i.e. my personal copy). It’s a short book but powerful to me. I was looking for a book to read—happenstance, na I don’t think so. ANYWAY it’s about a young boy who made a massive huge difference in many folks’ lives in Africa. It was on the major TV networks (i.e. maybe you have seen it). It’s a good short read—it affected me (i.e. encouraging to me). It seemed like I lost some of my focus lately (i.e. tooooooo much ervie). Then Arlene and I were in a big box place in the metro the other day and ran into an old basketball player who played for me maybe 35 years ago (i.e. a friend to this day). We talked and he shared that he has a stepdaughter who he and his wife are caregivers to (i.e. I didn’t know that). I put the book experience together with his care giving and this is my thought. There are soooooooooo many of you out there who are such great folks but no one really know how great you are. You are “differencemakeres” in many lives but no one really knows and why you are soooooooo great is that you don’t want others to know. You are the salt of the earth—you aren’t glory seekers, don’t want your picture in the paper, don’t want to be the citizen of the year, the fan of the year or don’t need to advertise how great you are. You are just greatest folks on this earth. In the book it said—Folks who help affect someone else’s’ life will change their own life (i.e. I believe that—my opinion). Givers are always happy folks; takers are always miserable folks (i.e. my opinion). I know a lot you personally and I know what you do for others (i.e. a little anyway). You are great folks with huge, good massive hearts (i.e. real folks—I really dislike fakers). You’re my kind of folks. You don’t have to figure everything out; you just do the right thing (i.e. it’s plain and basic folks—don’t try to be important in the world’s eyes—make it a small private thing—you do things that others don’t see or appreciate). One of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln said—In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years. Soooooooooo don’t give up; continue to be generous with your time, ability, and your money. And do it with the right motive! Okay let’s get out there and do it folks! Do something bigger than yourself! Happenstance, na I don’t think so folks—A friend calls and wants have breakfast Friday morning (i.e. it was the icing on the cake). He reassured me that I had to get on the right focus again. He motivated and inspired me. MyFriendJean says—To be a good neighbor is one of life’s richest joys. Such is life.

IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure! We got our new taxes on our property (i.e. houses) in Butler County. Ours went up $96 to $2,410 annually on our house that is assessed by the assessor at $128,281. Some of you might think we life in a shack. We really don’t I don’t think, but everything is relevant. We built it in 1974 for $35,000 including the lot (i.e. my neighbor said he didn’t make any money on our house—ya right!). We were only going to live here a couple of years and then move on (i.e. had big plans). We are still in the same house. We had some money saved so we lived on one check and paid the house off with Arlene’s so in about 3 years we had the house paid for after paying our college debt. My Daddy, Chester, always told me—Interest is what you receive, not what you pay out. But he had an exception—I could borrow money on anything that appreciated in value, not depreciated in value. Ya gotta remember though we only made about $7,000 back then. Here is the story behind this: The new houses in P’burg (i.e. new ‘cause of the tornado) are all nearly twice the size and twice the insurance and taxes (i.e. some are paying 4 to 6+ thousand now). Ouchy ouchy! Yes, folks were treated right with insurance and some folks even took advantage of the insurance companies so…life goes on. Now some have got a big house and more expense. Much like having all the recreation stuff. So when asked to give to the church they say—We can’t afford it, our taxes are double and we have payments on our stuff, we have a tight budget. I’m not pointing fingers. I am really happy for many folks to have nice stuff. I really am. Many of you have huge massive incomes each year and have a huge massive net worth (i.e. everything is relevant) and are great givers (i.e. we need folks to make money and be good givers; otherwise there would be no mission projects) but I wonder if I do it right some times. I really do. IthinksobutIdon’tknowforsure!

I went into Scheels to price a seat pack for my bike (i.e. I just used duck tape and just taped my spare tube to my bike rack—it looked tacky a.k.a. cheap). Their selection was rather poor. As I was leaving I noticed their display of sunglasses past the check out (i.e. they know what they are doing folks—it’s all about money folks). I saw a pair I liked for $9.50. I bought a pair in Holland as mine broke a.k.a. cheap for 7.5 euros—I didn’t like them—I think they are girl glasses. ANYWAY I went to pay for them with my credit card. The gal said I needed my license as I didn’t sign the back of my card. I didn’t have it so I had to pay cash. It’s store policy she said and that’s why I don’t sign it. But I said to her—you know what, I used my credit card for maybe $5,000 in Europe and not once did they ask for my license. I IthinkIknowbutIdon’tknowforsure. Huh, interesting.

IthinksobutIdon'tknowforsure--IT'S SO DRY IN ARKANSAS ........ That the Baptists are starting to baptize by sprinkling, The Methodists are using wet-wipes, Presbyterians are giving rain checks, And the Catholics are praying for the wine to turn back into water! Hey, it’s not dry in IA, Iknowthatforsure!

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

erv

KR’s thought of the day—If you lighten the way for others, you’ll never be in the dark yourself.