oh ya

Now remember folks, a gal who is in our coffee group said to me—erv, I only believe about 10% of what you say! Soooo take that into consideration when reading this “It’s Saturday.” And this gal seems to be one of the sharper knives in the drawer! Oh ya!

Most of us do just the opposite; maybe we don’t get it! I’m talking about when things go bad, we pray for God to fix it and now! Even folks who claim they don’t believe in God, subconsciously do it (i.e.my opinion). But David, a hero of mine, he did just the opposite, he would first tell God he doesn’t understand Him, and then he would always end his conversation with God by saying you are my great God and gave God praise.  Another guy who did about the same was Daniel. When Daniel faced a deadly threat, he didn’t complain. He didn’t plead for divine intervention. He gave thanks. Crazy huh! Oh ya!  Here is a suggestion that can be amazing: go into your bedroom, close the door soooo no one sees you, go next to your bed, heel down next to it, and give thanks to God (i.e. give appreciation). It’s very humbling and feels soooo good! ANYWAY, it works for me! Oh ya! Try it, you might like it! No one will know! Folks have tried many other things in trying to figure life out! Oh ya!

WildWillie says--Maybe some of you remember this example: I remember when my sixth-grade teacher heated a metal gas can. Once it was very hot, he put the lid on securely, making it airtight, and set the can on his desk. The whole class watched as it began cracking and pop-ping. Then, right in front of our eyes, the can was crushed without anyone touching it! That is amazing! My opinion is that I have had many amazing things happen to me in my lifetime that are just unexplainable, and I expect I will have more; you have tooooo I bet; no question. Pretty amazing wouldn’t you say.

WorldClassLarry says--Try making every deed a seed, like a little mustard seed. When growing up on the farm a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN we had a weed on the farm that was the mustard. It was a problem and hard to get rid of. The reason was it produced many many little little black seeds and those little seeds grew up into quite large plants. We didn’t have the chemicals back then that we have now so they were hard to get rid of. Soooo, I encourage all of us to be good mustard seeds (i.e. little black mustard seeds with our good deeds)! The old saying goes like this: We judge a trapper by his furs!

What do you think are the current strong cultural forces? Are we thinking a lot about ourselves, greed, recreation, the great discrepancy between the elite rich and the middle class, lawlessness, material possessions, technology (e,g, AI) etc.? What cultural forces do you think are decreasing?  I wonder if family, values, morals, etc. are getting less and less. I read that Christians have less cultural force (i.e. it sure appears that way). Soooo do we ever think where this is all going?  Or maybe we really don’t care. Or we really are happy the way it is going. Or maybe it is unstoppable, completely out of control! Maybe like a big snowball going down Mt Rainer that is getting bigger and bigger and the only way it will stop is when it hits the bottom and completely falls apart!  I wonder as I wander! What do you think? That is what I thought!

 John Maxwell, world-renowned author and leadership authority, once said, “If you think you’re a leader and you don’t have anyone following you, you’re just taking a walk.” Will Rogers said it this way— “If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.” AverageJoe says—There are folks who think they are leaders because they have a position but aren’t really leaders and there are folks who are leaders who don’t know they are leaders. I guess we all know both kinds now don’t we.

One of the folks I play pickleball with is about 70 and is a retired professional person. She said to me--I have a thousand things going on in my head and I’m trying to play pickleball. Later at a break, she said—Since I’ve been here, I have had 35 text and email messages.  I said--I’m glad I’m not in your head! I think she has been a leader and still is. Oh ya!

I have been here in Yakima for more than a month now. I enjoy it, it has gone well, no surprises. I enjoy the beautiful shrub-steppe, the arid landscape which is made up of sagebrush and basalt cliffs. Yakima is in a valley with hills all around it. It’s reclaimed desert; their average annual rain fall is about 8 inches. Everything is irrigated from the snow melt of Mt. Rainer, Mt. Adams and other mountains that flows into the Yakima River and the Columbia River and reservoirs and then through many canals which irrigates the Valley. Pretty interesting to me.

This is a pic of Yakima that is at my new dentist’s office. It’s an overview of Yakima with Mt. Adams in the background. I think some folks see the overview a.k.a. concept of life much better than those who just see only a fraction they are living right now. Just like when living on their street but not seeing the big picture of the Yakima Valley (i.e. there is a big difference). This concept is a big concept to understand. A buddy in our coffee group told me the story of his 3-year-old great granddaughter. Her parents give her money when she does chores around the house to put in her piggy bank along with birthday money etc. She wanted a big person bike, but her parents told her she couldn’t have one until she saved enough money to buy one. Her mother noticed on Prime specials that the bike she wanted was half price soooo they counted her money and bought the bike. She is soooo proud of the bike she bought. Now that is an example of learning the big concept. Oh ya! Jeanne has hiked Mt. Adams 8 times. Now you know why I’m always behind her when hiking! Oh ya! That is understanding the big concept!!!

I have learned a lot of new and different stuff in my short time in Yakima, oh ya! RickyRick says—"Success in life is tied to learning. If you want to succeed in a certain area of your life, then you must become a student in that area. You must always be learning something new. As you study, it’s crucial to understand the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is information gained from education or experience. The more you know, the better equipped you are to handle life’s challenges. But wisdom comes from a different source!” My opinion is that it is good to pray for wisdom. Oh ya! The Valedictorian says--In learning to get dressed, I learned that if I start with the wrong button at the bottom of the shirt, then things will not be right at the top of the shirt. I still rediscover that lesson in my life!  Oh ya!” In an article, Jonas shares some thoughts about a phenomenon I assume we’re all familiar with: We learn new things but fail to apply them. In his own words: “We’re like lions in the classroom, and sheep in the outside world. We learn great things but don’t use them. . . Don’t be satisfied with mere learning. We must apply what we learn. Become a lion outside the classroom – that’s where it matters.” Remember the old saying: It’s better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense though it’s better to have both. Abraham Lincoln said—“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.”

Do I know what I want? If I could have anything, what would I ask for? The smartest person in the world asked for wisdom! That might be a good idea, I think. If I would have wisdom then I would have many good options. I like good options. I think that is what I would ask for. Oh ya! An antonym for smart is stupid. Soooo what do you think a stupid person would ask for?

ValvetElvis says—I am learning that churches and individuals are best when they give themselves away. We are to be used to bless other people. The point is that people serving others make their lives better.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—When we forgive, we are released from bondage to past hurts.