Gone Are The Days

Yes, gone are the days when clothing labels were sewn on the inside of the garment, Oreo cookies came in only one flavor, and TV was closer to reality than “Reality TV”.
As a child I remember how simple life was…I was smarter then. As a teenager I knew everything about everything. Over the years as I grew older, I learned less and less about more and more…until now, I know absolutely nothing about anything.
It’s a sad day when a total stranger tells you that you’re wearing your clothes inside out.

Dear Lord Jesus
I know You did the “Big Forgive”
So in the past I cannot live
Help me make it thru the day
You’re the one who earned the pay

You’re the one who is beguiled
Not reviled by the heart of a child
Upon my face you’ve put a smile
And with your grace an extra mile
Amen

I've Been Duped

"You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it."
Jeremiah 20:7-9
Amen

Rain

Today’s job was out of town so I drove the fifty miles as the compass wavered about the “NE”. The powder blue summer sky didn’t have the normal puffy white clouds but presented smooth lenticular ones with shotgun gray underbellies and a hazy darkness that loomed on the horizon. This was the eighth month of the year and there had been no rain in as many months.
The summer heat had parched my spirit and fried my brain leaving me felling like a lifeless heap of jerky. I was expecting another hot, dry, and physically challenging day. But without warning the atmosphere darkened, the temperature dropped and a torrent of rain fell to the dusty earth. It was the long over due drink for which I had waited.
Thank you, Lord Jesus,
For Your blessings out of the sky
Now, it has made my spirits fly.
It’s time to be bold and not be shy
Its time to sing Your praises on high.
Amen.

Chill'n Out

I twisted on the last wire nut and flipped the breaker. The five-ton package unit immediately dropped the temperature of my man-cave/garage from 107 to 79 degrees. The commercial size blower expelled a torrent of wind that pushed what little hair I had straight back and pulled at my cheeks as if I were in a skydiving free fall. There’ll be no more hot, sweaty, weekend projects at my house...because, now...I can do all those little jobs in my man cave/wind tunnel. In South Texas there is no such thing as too big when it comes to air conditioners.
Eat your heart out Tim “the tool man” Taylor.
Dear Lord,
Forgive my complaining about the summer heat.
I'm certain you will hear less of that complaint now.
I must remember not to complain about the electric bill.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all my many blessings.
Amen.

Thursday Morning

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to church. It was the same ole routine…just like every day…until we got to the first reading. It was from the book of Judges 11:29-39. I don’t recall ever hearing the story of Jephthah and his vow to the Lord.
"If you deliver the Ammonites into my power," he said,
"whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering."
Now, I’m thinking, surely he didn’t think that one through. Who did he believe he would meet when he returned home? Maybe, his wife? His child? Some pizza delivery guy? Come on. I can see the writing on the wall, I know where this story is going.
Admittedly there have been times in my marriage when I’ve thought the wife would make a good “burnt offering”. But really, this is all too hard to believe. And, don’t you know it, it’s his daughter that comes out of the house dancing and playing the tambourine, his only daughter, his only child. It’s just too bazaar, how could he have done that?
But then I think how God sacrificed his only Son on the cross. Maybe, I’ve just heard that story so many times that it doesn’t carry the shock value. Besides, that “salvation thing” works for me. I can’t imagine what God and his Son must have gone through, but I am sooooo…. thankful that God loves me that much. It’s mind-boggling, it’s hard to believe but I am going with it. All other options just don’t get the job done.

Thank you, Father God
Thank you, Jesus Christ, Son of God
Thank you Holy Spirit…for the wisdom to not “over-think” this unbelievable awesome salvation truth.
Amen

My Favorite Seventh Grader

Dear Grandson Cameron,
School starts in a few days. I just want you to know that I wish you the best at your new school. I pray your tests go well and that you are placed in a class that is interesting and challenging to you. So have fun, study hard and remember that it is easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble.
May God bless you, your efforts and endeavors. I pray that you grow into the person God wants you to be and have fun along the way. You are a bright spot in my life so be a light to your friends and fellow students. Amen

Love Dado

The Big “D”…and I don’t Mean Dallas

After a seven-month separation…my wife returned home and began using the “D” word. I was taken aback…I never saw it coming. Things ran smoothly during her absence and I figured everything would be OK. I washed all the dishes by hand, never considering that thing under the cabinet. But now that she has returned, she has mentioned the “D” word several times. I think I see the writing on the wall. Tomorrow, I’m buying her that new Dishwasher. Yes, it’s long over due…all the racks are rusty and the drain backs-up leaving an odoriferous surprise for the next innocent victim who opens the door.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all the modern conveniences.
And thank you for a wonderful wife who knows how to use them.

Amen