Good Morning NorCal

It was overcast and windy this morning. The little boy and I are really suffering from respiratory issues right now. Not sure if it is bad allergies or a cold.

Mother's Day was nice. Saturday the moms went for pedicures/manicures and then we had a BBQ at my parents. Doug cooked the steaks which were very tender.

Sunday we went to Il Fornaio's (sp?) for brunch. The food was nice although I was expecting more of a buffet style rather than a menu. We relaxed the rest of the day and hung out with the neighbors.

RF and her boyfriend Andy arrived about 9:30 last night. He seems like a really nice guy and I hope we can spend enough time together to get to know one another at least a little bit. Over half of his luggage was stuff RF left behind in the UK (still lots of stuff back there waiting). SE went down to Clovis to attend a prom with an old friend and spend the day with her mom.

blessings on your day

Off Into the Sunset

Heading out in a bit. Been a rough week at work - too many things broke. Spent the entire day recovering a critical system. If all goes well the 2 hour upgrade will be done in 8 (niiiiiiiice).

blessings on your weekend

Real Faith (pt 3)

Sometimes I choose the picture to match what I type. Other times I choose what to type based on the picture : ) The trick for the reader is to figure out which is the case today.

Faith is believing no matter how you feel about it. I "believe in" my marriage even when things are not the best and I truly don't "feel like it." I believe in my marriage because of past experiences (things have always worked out), future promises (we promised never to give up) and my choice. My faith in God works the same way. I believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior because of my past experiences with God; because of God's promises (He has kept every one) and my choice to follow Him.

Like the picture says, faith is a journey. My faith today is not the same as it was 10 years ago and (hopefully) will be much different from what it will be 10 years in the future. Some days I advance in my faith and relationship with God, other days I retreat. Regardless of the nature of "today," I choose God. In the same way; no matter how I feel, I choose my wife and my marriage.

blessings on your day

Old Man

For those that might be confused by the preceding post, I am not an Old Lady (although I have been accused of ACTING like one on occasion). In fact, with my next birthday, I am entering in to the next-to-last decade that I am NOT an old man ;) (sorry dad)

Old Lady

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture...wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)


When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry...I'll run...if I'm able!

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!

(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, 'She's so sweet when she's sleeping!'

God Bless All Mums and Grandmas everywhere!

Which Path?

That is what it always comes down to, doesn't it? We always end up with a choice - which path should I take. When we get irritated and yes, even ticked off, we have to make a choice. How should we respond?

When presented with a questionable business opportunity we have to make a choice. We find a wallet on the street containing several hundred dollars - what choice will we make?

Jesus faced this dilemma when He prayed in the garden that night He was betrayed. He asked His Father to take the cup of suffering away. God said "no" and Jesus had a choice to make. He could not go to the cross under compulsion - it had to be His choice. Making the "hard choices" is what it means to be a Christian (or even an adult).

What choices are YOU making today - what path will you take?
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James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Rock and Roll

So still battling the kidney stone. Slept better last night but it kicked in again this morning. It is running about a "2" most of the time with spikes up to the 5-8 range. Still, I guess it beats spending the night in the E/R hooked up to I.V.'s.

SE made chicken cordon bleu last night for dinner. She has her Psych final today. E has her second day of training then it is back to the evening shift at Sutter. NoDogs has a game tonight (it isn't on my calendar so not sure who we are playing).

My daily reading hit Ruth this morning :) Love that book. Swindoll is teaching out of Esther (did you know that "God" isn't mentioned in the book of Esther?).

blessings on your day

Cherries

We got a lot done in the yard this weekend. We had removed the green apple ground cover on the north side early in the spring. Saturday we planted a few flowers and filled in with bark. I put a fuschia in on the south side and a ultra-dwarf Stella cherry next to the veggie garden.

I enjoy working with plants - it is very relaxing. AJ and Ash came up Saturday for their step-bro's wedding but went back right away after it was over.

AR's looked sharp for his prom (see below). E has class today and tomorrow, an advanced life support class similar to what they teach paramedics. Mom & Dad booked their flight back to MN for Birdie's memorial service next month.

I spent much of the weekend battling kidney stones. The only good thing so far has been the fact that I have avoided the E/R this time. Prayers would be appreciated.

blessings on your morning

The Jeep

Jr. Prom

Crawler

Ever have one of those days that seems to crawl? I guess that is good as it means I haven't broken anything today. My upper back is sore today, shoulders are tight - most likely related to not sleeping well. I had a brief episode of kidney stones last night. Fortunately it never got bad enough to warrant a trip to the E/R (always a good thing). I did take one of my pain pills which seemed to disrupt my sleep. I would have thought it would have helped me to sleep but apparently not.

Tonight RF, HR and NA are coming up for their step-bro's wedding and will be staying with us for the weekend. No baseball Saturday as it is the annual RWLL carnival (we did win our game last night even though we "don't keep score")

Next Saturday we are having a BBQ at mom & dad's place for Mother's Day (if the family is reading this, I volunteer for Caesar Salad or Potato Salad). Sunday I am taking the available children out for brunch with E.

blessings on your day

Jeep-Jeep

Well the boy is now driving a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee similar to the one above. Of course it has 32 inch tires on it (can't drive anything less you know). With a V8 engine, it gets about 10-11 MPG, 22 gallon tank, $4/gal - do the math

Real Faith (pt 2)

(continuing from previous post)

For me, the defining moment was composed of 2 separate events. First was my reading of Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" which approaches faith from an intellectual perspective. Since that is how I tend to view the world, it had a profound impact on me. The realization that the bible was historically accurate was huge. (This was later solidified by my atheist teacher in college who stated unequivocally that it was possible to determine what Jesus had said based on archaeological techniques as applied to the NT writings.)

The second event was a service at a small charismatic church in which I watched someone miraculously healed. Of these two, the first is something repeatable (meaning I can lay out the same proofs to someone else) and the second is subjective and experiential. Since then I have on many occasions experienced the hand of God in my life and am quick to share these experiences with other Christians (and the occasional non-Christian).

At some level, the process whereby we "come to faith" is different for each of us. However, Paul reminds us that we have an absolute obligation that "if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it" (1 Peter 3:15, NLT)

I feel strongly that we must not fall into the trap of "blind faith." To believe something without knowing why you believe it leaves you incapable of sustaining your faith and passing it along. It is also not sufficient to believe because "my parents did and taught me to believe." Each person is responsible for their own beliefs and their own faith. You can't believe simply because you "felt the Spirit move in me" as that could be the cold medicine you took earlier ;)

(to be continued)

Auto Insurance

So SE has decided that Geico will be the cheapest car insurance for her purposes. The only reason I even mention this is because I wanted to use the picture above ;)

(picture courtesy of R. Wright Photography)

Real Faith (pt 1)

I was asked recently what makes my faith real to me. The question was in the context of a discussion relating to an acquaintance who had suffered a horrific loss and while expressing a "belief in Jesus' exhibited no actual saving faith.

I must be honest and say that I punted on the question. I wasn't prepared and didn't want to have to think hard. Since then I have pondered the question and will begin the process of answering.

There are two things that we MUST keep in mind in any discussion on faith. First, that faith is NOT the same as "knowing." The second is that faith, like love, is a choice. Both of these things need their own study.

In many ways, my faith is based on my experiences. Through various events in my life, God has made Himself known to me. This answer, however, will not suffice for most people (in fact it did not suffice for me).