t's the season

Saturday question—What are your feelings about Christmas?  We all have feelings about Christmas and they can change as fast as the wind does!  Feelings are fickle to say the least! MissPerfect says—Feelings are not the Truth usually! They are fake and can’t be relied on!  RickyRick says—"There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But this kind of thinking allows us to be manipulated by our moods—making us to live according to our feelings.” WorldClassLarry says—Not good!

The MI-Wizard Christmas joke—Did you hear about the man who stole an Advent calendar?------------------------He got 25 days!

Joy says—"The season of Advent  is a time of waiting that Christians first recognized as early as the fourth century. Advent is about intentional waiting; a special time of concentrated anticipation for the celebration of Jesus’s birth. In this season, we are encouraged to slow down, allow the Holy Spirit to move us toward repentance and renewal, and patiently wait for the advent (the coming) of Jesus that we celebrate each Christmas.” I like the description of “intentional waiting.”  There seems to be some magic in it, my opinion, and not just at Christmas time but always in my life.

 This is a quote of one of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln—[From Second Inaugural Address, Washington, March 4, 1852]  “With Malice Toward None. The Almighty has his own purposes…Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this might scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God will that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop  of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said: ‘the judgements of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.”’

Will Rogers said—"Good judgement come from experiences and a lot of that come from bad judgment.” Oh, how we learn now don’t we. I just learned something very important from hearing how a person hurt another person by not being a true friend. Ouchy ouchy!  She stung supposedly a friend big time. Truly a great gift is to love a person and that is being true and having a strong relationship (e.g. being loyal). But there are many ways we can love, but one of those ways is to use our resources---whether that’s money, time, or effort—to express love to each other. AverageJoe says—ANYWAY, just do it sincerely with a good heart (i.e. be true and real). SusieQ says--And for heaven’s sake, don’t give a friend some cheesy cheap trinket gift for Christmas (i.e. a throwaway gift); instead give them a true hug and tell them how you feel about them (e.g. how you appreciate them). That is a huge massive gift! LuckieEddie says—It’s never good to stomp on anyone thinking we are some hotshots!

My farmer friends in IA always try to maximize their corn and soybean yields (i.e. to make more money); it’s natural. They start with the best seed that fits their ground. As the saying goes—Good seed does not cost, it pays! We were in WinCo getting grocers and discussing what water we should buy as we don’t care for the water here in Mesa. Jeanne started a conversation with another shopper who was may 35 years old. She gave her a lot of good advice. We thanked her and she said—”I try every day to help some person; it makes me feel soooo much better; it’s like giving them a gift!

We were talking to folks down the street. They told us that they have 9 kids and a huge massive number of grandchildren and a huge massive number of great grandchildren. I said to them—If you give each of them a thousand dollars for Christmas that’s a lot of money!  He said she gives a lot more money to family than I do; I think she gives toooo much but it’s her choice. They didn’t tell us what they give soooooo we don’t know the amounts (i.e. what is a lot to one isn’t a lot to another). I guess giving is a personal choice and not just at Christmas but any time maybe. Saturday questions—Are we more a giver or a taker? Do we think more about ourselves or others? BigShotBetty says—I really like myself a lot let me tell ya!

WorldClassLarry says—"How could anyone have expected Isaiah’s words to come to pass in that particularly miraculous and utterly unprecedented way? Most everyone was caught off guard, a total surprise. How has God surprised you lately? Do you think God might surprise us in our life? How are you longing for God to draw near? How have you seen evidence that Jesus is present, even now, within you? This Advent season, watch for God to show up to you in unexpected ways. Now that is pretty exciting to me, yes it is.  Personally, I expect it! What I’m saying is this: If God tells us to go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, take the tartar sauce with us. We’re going to have a fish fry tonight! 

There are 60 major prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ. In their book Science Speaks, Peter Stoner and Robert Newman calculated the odds of any one man in all of human history fulfilling only 8 of those prophecies to be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Jesus fulfilled all 60! The odds of that happening are astronomical. I always say that I like the odds in my favor; I like those odds.

It appears that folks really want to know about their future. They do medical tests, have their palms read, read fortune cookies etc. But do we really want to know our future? Many folks are scared to death about their future. If we are believers, we have HOPE in Jesus and that is we will have eternal life through Him as our Savior. Jesus is not a Santa Claus (i.e. a fake). Jesus is not fickle! Jesus is the TRUTH! That is what I believe. You might have other thoughts. I pray that you might at least consider Jesus. We were in CO at our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids last weekend. They took us out for dinner and to the performance by the Denver Orchestra and Chorale. They played and sang two of my most favorite Christmas songs: The Hallelujah chorus and Oh Holy Night. I like the part that says—Fall on your knees oh hear the Angles sing!  I pray that we all can all hear the angels sing this Christmas. Saturday question--What did the angels tell Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds?  Fear not, I am the Lord and I will take care of you! 

I researched reindeer with the Alaska Wildlife Department and found out that both male and female reindeer have antlers. The males lose their antler after breeding season by about December1 while the female reindeer keep their antlers until about March 1. Soooo Dasher, Dancer Prancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Doner, Blitzen and Rudolf had to be girls. Soooo it makes sense as only girls would be nice enough to pull a fat old man around in a red suit all over the world in one night. And it also makes sense that they would not mind making many stops as they don’t mind stopping and asking for directions (i.e. as most girls struggle knowing which direction they are going). Besides, they don’t mind stopping often as they all have to go to the bathroom together anyway! 

And Mary, treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  I like that word “ponder.” I like to ponder. Do you? I have talked to a number of folks who are readers. They seem to like to read science fiction much more than anything about reality. I don’t think they enjoy pondering reality. Maybe they are really tired of reality. Maybe they are tired of being in a fight all the time. I don’t know. What do you think? That is what I thought. Make believe can get us out of reality alright! Saturday question—Do you ever get tired of trying to improve all the time and just want to take a break and forget about reality and read a science fiction book or just deal with Santa Claus or just sit in the quit and ponder? Such is life!

VelvetElvis says—I am also like you because I have a choice. To become bitter, cynical, jaded and hard. Anybody can do that. A lot have. Hatred is a powerful, unifying force. And there is a lot to be repulsed by. Or, like you, I can choose to reclaim my innocence. We can insist that hope is real and that a group of people who love God and others really can change the world. We can commit all the more to being the kinds of people who are learning how to do what Jesus teaches us.

Merry Christmas to all of you from Jeanne and I.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Joy is not in things it is in us.

winning and losing

The MI-Wizard’s Christmas joke—What did the gingerbread man say when the gingerbread woman asked how she looked--------------------SWEET!

My neighbor told me that his father told him to believe half of what he sees and none of what he hears!  Soooo having said that, let’s get started with this “It’s Saturday.”

This sculpture is top of an art gallery in New Zealand but it is being moved as some folks don’t like it, but others do. I guess the don’tlikeitfolks won. But who knows, it’s just a matter of opinion. A town council person said—"This is either a great day for Wellington or a terrible day for Wellington and there’s not much view in between.” Soooo how will anyone really know who won and who lost! And quite often the folks who make the most noise get their way, but they really aren’t even the majority (i.e. it seems to happen all the time; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out). SusieQ says—Does it really matter! If it doesn’t affect me personally, I don’t care one little iota! But if it affects me personally, well…Kattie bar the door!

Winning and losing in professional sports is very important as there is a lot of money at stake. Sooo the franchises try to buy the best talent they can; the better talent they have, the better their chances of winning (i.e. put the odds in their favor). But someone or some group needs to decide what good talent is. And sometimes the talent they buy doesn’t prove out. That is decided by “the prove-it-time.” The proof is in the pudding! I think if we want to be a winner, being around better folks puts the odds much more in our favor as usually we become much like the folks we are around. LuckyEddie says—I have seen it many times; c’mon, quite kidding yourself!

A new friend told me that when she was a teenager her parents thought she was hanging around with the wrong crowd and they just couldn’t convince her to change. They forced her to go and live with relatives in another city to get away from her current crowd.  I asked her if it worked. Ya, I stopped at the gas station and asked the guy who filled my car up, which way to Spokane (i.e. got a new environment and new start). I can’t help but wonder if she would not have gone! Soooo do you think she won or lost? I don’t know but she thinks she did!

Sooooo here is an idea as to what qualities that folks have that we want to be around. But it’s each our own decision and guess who makes that decision. RickyRick says—“ There is a clear distinction between pride and humility. While pride will tear down your relationships, humility builds them up and strengthens them. But pride is self-deceiving. It can be hard for us to recognize in ourself. Instead, try looking for the symptoms of pride, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality. If you see some of those characteristics in ourselves, we might have a problem with pride. Proverbs 16:18 says, ‘Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin.’ I like how the Message paraphrases this verse: ‘First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.’ Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride.” My opinion is that humble folks are winners and proud folks are losers!

We had the opportunity to go to the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center performing Hear The Angel Voices. It was a group of folks from age 4 to seniors. They will take any child and teach them to sing (i.e. no auditions); using Christian Classical music and traditional classical music (i.e. the director said they have been doing this for 18 years; going against the odds of teaching teenagers and using Christian music). This is big time as they perform at major venues. They are dynamic with maybe 500 folks participating; incredible. ANYWAY, what really impressed me was none of them where showboats and they all had the same facial expressions; they were a team and not individually theoretically performers a.k.a. showoffs. They had to be taught that. They appeared to be very humble.  

Sooooo I had to find a medical doctor when moving to Yakima. It was rather difficult I was told as there is a shortage of doctors and most aren’t taking new patients.  Soooo Jeanne and I stopped at the clinic where her doctor is and thought we would just ask around. We went in the wrong door and was basically lost in the maze of the clinic and a nurse asked us if she could help us. I said yes, we seem to be lost and I need a doctor (i.e. we all laughed). I explained my situation and she said all the doctors here are not taking new patients. Well, you can see I really need a doctor (i.e. we all laughed again). Sooo she lead us to the front desk while having a nice conversation about how and why I’m in Yakima). Then she said, what is your name and what’s your number. I will call you and maybe get you a doctor. She was the nurse of one of the best internists in the Valley. She got me in. She was a winner. Like my Butler County buddies say—It’s good to just act dumb sometimes but erv, in your case, you don’t even have to act!

I was coming to my vehicle in the parking lot carrying a bouquet of red roses and the cart guy says to me—I hope it’s preventive and not a make up!  We laughed. Then he came back and said—I have been married for 21 years and have learned to just give flowers and keep my mouth shut; it seems I just mess it up when I open my mouth; it seems to work best for me. We laughed again. I thanked him for his advice. Then he said—You just can’t lose by giving flowers is what I have learned! Such is life. Soooo the other day I was going to get our mail and there was a lady and her dog sitting in a golf cart waiting. This guy who was her husband came waddling toward us and I said—she is still waiting for you—good—she had three invites, but she turned them all down—how drunk were they!  What an idiot! Now that guy will need a big make up bouquet for sure!  What was he thinking anyway! This last week a friend told me she was very offended by a friend who said something about her that was tactless and rude and demeaning; I doubt if my friend will ever forget it even though after a couple of days the gal sorta kinda apologized (i.e. somethings we just can’t take it back once it was said). I will never forget it (i.e. not my kind of folks I care to be around). A guy in our mensgettogether group said--People don't care what you think of them as much as they care how you treat them.

I discovered that different folks process information differently! Da! We hear the same information but comprehend it differently. We were with some friends recently that all of us received the same information but came away understanding it quite differently. Sooooo why is that do you think NiftyHarold?  Well, it could be because of our genes that we received give us different intelligence or it could be we have different education or it could because we have had different past environments or different current environments. I think for me, it’s cause I’m just a little ol’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN raised by Chester and Anna.

Here is a story of a winner! A friend here in our 55+ community who is the president of the woodwork shop club. He said he asked for a key to get into the shop 7 years ago and they told him that only the president has a key—well, who’s the president—we don’t have one. Sooo a couple of guys gave him the key and he has been president ever since. BUT this guy is just a great guy. He told us that he observes people (i.e. yes there are females who use the shop) and if he sees someone struggling with something or senses there is something not right with them, he will approach them and try to nip it in the bud before it become a big mess. He is way more than the president of the woodworking club.

I read this in the paper, soooo it must be right, that a person who is trying to help the troubled youth said—"It can be easy to get stuck in the sadness of it all,” (i.e. referring to be around sad people or sad situations). Sometimes it appears that we wonder if we are winning or losing (i.e. if we are really making any difference)! We wonder if it really makes much difference when we continue to throw more money at it but nuttin seems to change? Sometimes it feels like it’s such a temporary fix and we really aren’t fixing the real problem. I was told by a friend recently that if a person doesn’t what to change, we are wasting our time and money! But then again, I know troubled youths who figured it out and did a 360!  Now those are big time successful folks, my opinion. I have asked some of them, how come they changed? It appears there are many reasons and some really don’t know! Isn’t that interesting! Maybe it’s like the old saying—It’s what animal I feed the most that wins! But remember folks, a good teacher can change everything!

Onesmartbusinessperson says—"When employers hire someone, many search for people who have a resume and experience fitting the position they seek to fill. Once they narrow the list of competent people, many select the person they like the best. I think a better approach is to hire for character first. Hiring someone with great competence, but no character, can be a terrible mistake.”  Boy oh boy, can that be true with relationships as well, my opinion. The winners in a great relationship are those who have great character and great competence, but great character is more important, my opinion and my experience. I like this quote that came from the good book--“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” GeorgeTheCrook says—Most folks are an extension of the folks they are around; that sure seems to be true!

VelvetElvis says—Most of the messages we receive are about how to make life easier. The call of Jesus goes the other direction. It’s about making our lives more difficult. It is going out of our way to be more generous and disciplined and loving and free.  It is refusing to escape and become numb to and check out of this broken, fractured world….

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Kindness is love with its working clothes on.

manage

If you drive a car into a forest and leave it for one hundred years, when you return, you will find it has deteriorated. That is an elementary example of the Second Law of Thermodynamics which says that without inputs of energy in a closed system, entropy (disorder) increases over time. When left alone (no input of care or energy), things get worse, not better, over time. That is how I feel if we don’t manage our lives constantly. That’s my opinion. And you might think my opinion is a legend of the Cascade Mountains or the gospel truth or neither! You can believe what you want! Most of you readers live in America and have that freedom!

We manage our cell phone package, we manage our finances, we manage our kids’ TV time, we manage our car maintenance, we manage our diet, our weight, what we do in our spare time, etc. We manage a lot now don’t we. Some folks are in management soooo they manage others (i.e. and many folks need management as they can’t manage their actions; they need help). Some folks are in upper management where they manage other managers. There are managers who are in top management like the head coach, CEO of a company, head pastor of a church, parents of a family, the chairperson of a board, etc. Even wolves have a leader of the pack (i.e. maybe the strongest male or female)! There are dictators of countries who have complete control and some countries are democracies where the people decide, they are supposed to anyway even though there are differences of opinions about that it appears.

I have repeated what a late friend said to me quite often—Decisions have consequences and guess who gets to make the decisions. Sooooo who is managing our lives? I have a good friend who said to me recently that she wants to change who is managing her life (i.e. she wants to change back to who she was and wants to be). I think to do that it will take some changes. What changes do you think she will have to take? Dr.J says—"Most people today are living lies. They’re trying to be people they’re not. But Moses—because he was a man of integrity—refused to live a lie. Against all kinds of peer pressure, he insisted on being who God made him to be. Here’s my question: Who are we letting determine our identity?”  And who do we let make that decision?

A challenge I have in managing my life is to slow down; I want to slow down in some facets of my life; I’m working on it but it ain’t easy for me. I read this like it’s written just for me by Joy. Joy says—"Often I feel like life is a race; one in which my pursuit, and even capture, of the next “important” thing or accomplishment still leaves me wanting. Technological advances have brought many of us countless personal benefits. However, I believe that continual access to work email, regular text alerts, location tracking, and the expectations that accompany these conveniences may prevent us from slowing down, giving God praise for his daily gifts to us. We might rush through life too fast to take joy in a hug. We may not ever pause to marvel that the barren ground of winter will soon bear our favorite spring flowers. Or we miss the beauty of creation before us because we’re too concerned about getting the best photo of the sunset to share on social media.” The joke is from the MI-Wizard!

Have we had a defining moment in our lives? I mean a moment or a point in our life when we're urged to make a pivotal decision, or when we experience something that fundamentally changes us (e.g. when I met Jeanne). There is quite a spectrum in thinking why that happened (e.g. a coffee buddy thinks everything is random and we think it was a God wink; that is quite a range). Well, that special moment was very important in our lives, no question. Or some might say it just fall in our laps! We really didn’t make it happen; we didn’t manage it but we sorta kinda did! But I always like to be on the lookout for opportunities. A guydownthestreet said to me this week--erv, when an opportunity comes along, seize it; it might not ever come again! Soooo suck it up cupcake and let's get going!

I read what RickyRick wrote while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—"If we’re honest, the desire for money or position may have a regular stronghold on our decision-making. We may be very concerned about looking good in the neighborhood. If so, the shine of our earthly treasure may blind us to the real blessings of life. If not money, we might live in fear about the “what ifs” around the corner; expending a lot of energy seeking to control situations for what we perceive will be the best possible outcome. Perhaps, and sadly, a deep need to know what’s coming next means missing the chance to be grateful for the blessings right in front of us. Consider our personal focus.” I hope I’m not missing the boat! ItchieBitchie said to me—“erv, the time is now. Stop hitting the snooze button on your life.” Yikes!  Folks often ask me if they are ItchieBitchie. The pic is of ItchieBitchie. If the pic looks like you, then you are ItchieBitchie!  hahaha

SusieQ says--It is soooo hard to stay strong, especially going through what I’m going through. It’s tough let me tell ya; you have no idea! I agree SusieQ! Tough times are not easy; they never are. We somehow need to manage them; some how! I recently was around a couple of new acquaintances who told me about their tough times that they are going through (i.e. not much different then what we are going through or have gone through). ANYWAY, I learned from them that to express ourselves and talk about struggles seems to do folks good, it seems to help; It’s great to be around good folks. Oh ya!

Do we ever wonder if we are going in the right direction with our lives?  CadillacJack says—It all depends on who you ask; there is always a yes and a no by someone or some group! I was told by a someone—erv, we don’t think like you! Even my GPS navigational system in my vehicle tells me there are different ways to get where I want to go and even sometimes it is wrong or it doesn’t give me the best alternative (i.e. it thinks differently than I do). I read that even AI can be wrong soooo don’t always trust it. Soooo then how do we decide? We saw the Sphere lite up at night in Las Vegas when we were there. It’s all done by computer as like many things are. If someone puts in the wrong information, they get the wrong result (i.e. programed wrong). I wonder sometimes if some of my programing is wacko! As a result, I'm lite up wrong! Or maybe other folks are lite up wrong!

VelvetElvis says—These are the kinds of people who change the world. They improvise and adapt and innovate and explore new ways to get things done. They don’t make a lot of noise, and they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—The best gifts are tied with heart strings.