Prayer Time

Please pray for NorCal. We are supposed to have temperatures in the high 100's again today. Air quality spiked to 255 yesterday (making it VERY unhealthy for everyone) with no relief in sight. The fires continue to burn out of control.

:o(

BBQ Time

With the way the heat has been, I have been trying to cook as much as possible on the grill - however with the poor air quality (was ~170 yesterday, thinking it is worse today) "they" have been asking us not to.

Last night I did match-lite burgers. Tonight, I gave in to the "man" and am having Andrew do pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. I picked 2 dozen 'maters yesterday so I can whip up another batch of salsa as soon as I get a hour or so free. I don't think any of my hot peppers are ripe yet so will have to resort to store-bought.

blessings on your day

Heating Up

With temperatures well into triple digits and humidity in single-digits, much of CA is under "explosive fire watch."

Duh!

Old Guys Rule

So the teenage football players challenged the "old guys" to a game on the 4th. They were QUITE SURE that they would "smoke some tail" that day. The old guys won 5 to 3. Last I heard tee-shirts were being made (of course several of the old guys had a hard time walking the next day, but it was worth it).

Who Are You?

How may people do you really know? Most (all?) of us wear a mask much like that clown above. We hide who we are from our friends, our family and our spouses. We let the "mask" become who we are to the world. Occasionally we let bits and pieces show to select individuals but not very often. Sometimes it is easier showing our true selves to those that are not the closest to us.

When we reveal our heart - our inner most being to people close to us we risk enormous hurt. Yet those are the relationships that would benefit the most by taking off the mask. Fear - fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of judgment prevent us from opening up. So instead of stepping out and trusting those we claim to love, we hide behind our masks - safe and secure...and alone.

blessings on your day
__________________________________________________________________
Ecclesiastes 4:12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Christian Cars?

South Carolina is considering issuing special license plates that proclaim the driver (or the car?) as a Christian. Florida recently rejected a similar measure over the whole "separation of church and state" issue (a good decision, the wrong reason). While I applaud the sentiment and awareness of the role Christianity plays (played?) in our country by the South Carolina legislators, I deploy the precedent.

Here in the good ol' U S of A, we have always espoused freedom of religion. As a result, the Christian church has only lately tasted even the remotest touch of persecution. If Christians are granted their own license plate, what is to stop Muslims, Mormons, Atheists and a host of other "religions" from demanding their own? Do we want every religion capable of starting a letter writing campaign designing their own, custom license plate? Sometimes I wonder about my fellow Christians. It seems that some, at least, of the stereotypes are true.

blessings on your day

Happy Birthday Jocelyn

For the Floridians

Bottle-Your-Own

By Candle-light

Please Protect Me From Myself

Isn't that what the American public says? I liked the old-style sparklers. They were brighter and lasted longer. What kid ever died from stepping on a hot sparkler wire? Seriously, it was a rite of passage for most of us. It taught an important lesson - wear shoes outside when mom/dad tell you to.

Oh sure, I understand that some people are irresponsible (and yes, let's say it - stupid) but why does that mean the rest of us have to pay for it? I blame the lawyers personally. I am sure that there are a few that are honest, hard-working and looking out for the public good (just like there are a few "good" politicians). Far too many, however, are just greedy and callous.

Ok, that's the end of my rant for today. I'll try to find somethig nice to say a little later.

And So It Goes

The more it changes the more it stays the same, eh?

Well we are at the end of the work week. Thanking God for the shorter week and praying for a night without a pager going off. For the second night in a row, I spent 2 hours sitting at my computer working on systems while the rest of NorCal was sleeping.

We had night 4 of the pre-4th celebration last night. 'Toine & Wane-Oh set off a few pieces and the kidlets played with sparklers (not really sparklers but that is a different rant) and threw the pop-its.

Heading to the kitchen for more coffee, blessings on your day.

Apathy, Redux

A week or so ago, I posted a commentary on an incident where a group of people watched a man beat a child to death. The latest example of Apathy comes to us from Brooklyn, NY where a woman collapsed and died in a mental hospital without anyone lifting a finger. For the story from FoxNews.com, go HERE.

In part...
"The video shows the 49-year-old woman falling out of her chair at about 5:30 a.m. June 19, then lying face-down on the floor and thrashing around before going still. The woman died."

Why does stuff like this happen in America?

Luke 10:36-37 "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."

How Much?

A guy is driving around the back woods of Tennessee and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog For Sale." He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says, "So, what's your story?"

The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running.

"But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

"Ten dollars," the guy says.

"Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

"Because he's a liar. He never did any of that stuff."

BBQ Season is Here

Of course we have been BBQ'g for months now, but the season is officially open :) (OK, I admit I wanted an excuse to use the above image) Last night we did chicken in a chipotle marinade. It was yummy. The smoke is a lot better today due to the delta breezes coming through however the official fire count is now over 1,400 and I am sure the smoke will return as soon as the breeze dies down.

Last night we went to Chik-Fil-A for our free ice cream sundaes after dinner.

Work has been frustrating the last few days. I have spent a lot of time struggling with issues that end up staying unresolved. I guess that is how it goes some days. We are having a BBQ at work today to celebrate something or other. I am sure it is an important event - just not sure which one.

blessings on your day