I needed a little laugh today…a smile or something…so I went and found another installment of Ellen calling her friend Gladys. She is hilarious! Enjoy…
Ellen and Gladys Part 2
Happy Friday!
Friday Fodder 02-27-09
Friday, February 27th, 2009Ellen and Gladys Part 2
He’s All Boy!
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Last weekend Anita took Lindsay to the Revolve Tour—a Christian mother/daughter conference. They even spent the night downtown, which meant me and the boys were on our own for Friday night and all day Saturday. I was actually looking forward to it…two days to spend with just the guys.
So on Friday morning I got Logan and Kyle together and asked them what they wanted to do together for the weekend since it was “just the boys”. Kyle did not hesitate for one second in exclaiming: “I know! Let’s take your sword and destroy everything!!!” (And he said it while sweeping his arms in a wide arc to indicate the entire house).
He…is…such…a…boy! And I must admit that the thought does hold some appeal. 
Although it sounded like fun, we channeled his energy into something slightly less destructive. We ended up going out and getting some movies and a game for the Wii (Ghost Squad) that we played together for hours! A little eating out rounded out the two days together. We had a blast. And yes, Kyle is all boy..through and through…
Doing what he does best!
Good Question
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009Over the past couple of weeks I have heard a few great questions that I wanted to share. I am not the author of these questions (I will give credit where it is due). Grant English asked me the first question. Nick Roberts shared the last two questions with me (he asked his daughter these questions).
I love to ask questions and I love having people ask me questions. These three questions are exceptional. I plan to use them often. Here they are:
- How is your soul?
Quick and to the point. This question gets to the important stuff right away.
Grant asked me this one two weeks ago and I am stealing it already.
This is a good one to ask yourself too.
- How do you think I am treating your mother?
Nick asked his daughter this question on a “date night”.
Be ready for the answer because I suspect you’ll get some great answers!
I plan on using this one very soon with all my kids.
- How am I doing at being a Dad?
Nick’s follow-up question…also a dozy!
Both of these questions fall into the “be careful what you ask for” category.
Good questions. OK…great questions!
Have any more you want to share? Have any answers? 
Pursued…
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009I have been reading through the life of David as part of my time with God lately. I am currently in 2 Samuel after David has been King for awhile. In fact, part of the story has shifted from David to his sons and daughters. What a mess!
Here’s a quick highlight from just 2 Samuel 13:
Tamar is raped by her half-brother Amnon.
Tamar’s brother, Absalom, plots revenge against Amnon and kills him (can’t honestly say that I blame him).
King David banishes Absalom from his kingdom.
That’s what I call a dysfunctional family. King David finishes mourning for Amnon’s death and wants to be reunited with Absalom, but he has a problem…he has banished Absalom. Enter Joab…one of the David’s friends, confidants and generals. He wants the king to be reconciled to his son so he sends a woman to seek David’s advice…really a ruse to get David to see how think-headed he is being (and it works).
As this woman is talking to David, she says something that lept off the page at me this morning. It’s a truth I know…but it never hurts to be reminded once in awhile. Here is what she said:
God does not just sweep life away;
instead, he devises ways to bring us back
when we have been separated from him.
2 Samuel 14:14b, NLT
She was using God as an example of why David should find a way to bring his son back, but the truth here is amazing.
:: God pursues us ::
He devises ways to bring us back to Himself. He does not want us living apart from Him…He want a relationship with us more than we want it with Him!
As I think back on my own life, this has been true. God has pursued me and He has devised some very clever ways to bring me back to Him. I wish I wasn’t always so stubborn and stupid, but He is patient and loving.
How is God pursuing you now? How has He pursued you in the past? Thank Him for it!
Friday Fodder 02-20-2009
Friday, February 20th, 2009This might just be the perfect machine, but I wouldn’t expect one in American anytime real soon (maybe in the upper Midwest?). I thought this was the perfect way to start off our Friday…enjoy…
The Perfect Vending Machine
Happy Friday!
No Plan B
Thursday, February 19th, 2009I must admit right up front here that I am not perfectly comfortable with what I am about to say. God is stretching me…and that’s not usually comfortable, but it’s necessary. The topic God has been working on me this morning is the issue of trust.
Specifically, where is my trust?
Now, I know where my trust is supposed to be, but that’s not really the question. The question is where IS my trust? Here is the Scripture that’s rattling around my brain and spirit this morning:
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4, NLT
There is a lot of good stuff in these two short verses. Great promises such as: God will give us peace of mind when we trust in Him. Great reminders such as: Keep your thoughts fixed on God. Great truths such as: God is strong, He’s “the eternal Rock”.
But it’s what we read between the lines that has my attention this morning.
There is no Plan B!
“Trust in the Lord always.” That’s it.
Not, trust in the Lord and your 401K (like you would do that now anyway).
Not, trust in the Lord and your family and friends.
There is no Plan B…just trust in the Lord always. I don’t always do that. Sometimes I trust in me too.
And that’s when I get into all kinds of trouble. So no more Plan B for me…OK, I’m working on it! 
Sick…and tired
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009It started Friday afternoon…I could feel that I was getting sick. It got bad enough that I left work early to take it easy—maybe even forestall the inevitable. It didn’t work. That night my tonsils exploded! By Saturday morning they were so bad I actually went to the ER (I started out going to my Doctor only to find out they are no longer open on Saturdays).
After 2.5 hours in the ER the rapid strep test came back negative so I was sent home with antibiotics and told that if it didn’t get better in 24 hours they wanted to see me again to be sure there wasn’t an abscess developing. It got worse…much worse! My tonsils grew so much it was hard to breathe through my nose—and those suckers in the back of my throat looked N-A-S-T-Y!!
I was absolutely worn out too. But Sunday I did what I was told and headed back to the ER. After a CT Scan that came back negative, and IV drip, some steroids to shrink the tonsils, and 4 hours later I was headed home again with a scrip for vicodin and instructions to see my doctor on Monday. Still no real idea what I had (no abscess though) and I had spent 6.5 hours in the ER…good times!
The doctor on Monday was no help either. Just wait it out and follow the antibiotic program to the end. My throat feels a little better, but I am dragging a bit still. Thankfully I had yesterday off and mostly took it easy. I forgot to ask the doctor yesterday about yanking these tonsils out…maybe next time.
All I know is that the ER is no place to spend the weekend. I am sick…and tired.
Lindsay’s New Do
Monday, February 16th, 2009Lindsay has been talking about getting her hair cut for the last few months and she finally took the plunge today. She found a picture online of what she wanted and she and her mom headed off to the salon. The stylist cut it a little shorter than she asked for (why do they do that?), but it still looks great. Here are the pics…
This one makes me want to find my shotgun and get it ready!
Too cute!
Good thing she takes after her mother…sigh.
A Little Comparison, If You Please
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009After listening to President Obama’s first televised press conference on Monday there was one comment he made that caught my attention. As soon as he made the comment my mind re-winded a few years to another president’s inaugural address. The two statements are worlds apart and show a clear difference in ideology.
History will tell which one ends up being right (or “more” right?). Here are the two statements (taken from direct transcripts and in context)…you can draw your own conclusions upon comparison (the emphasis in both is simply to highlight the ideological comparison). For all our sake’s I hope they both end up being right (but I don’t think that will be the case). No more commentary from me…you be the judge…
Exhibit A: President Obama’s Press Conference on 02/09/2009:
It is absolutely true that we can’t depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth. That is and must be the role of the private sector. But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back into life.
It is only government that can break the vicious cycle, where lost jobs lead to people spending less money, which leads to even more layoffs. And breaking that cycle is exactly what the plan that’s moving through Congress is designed to do.
Exhibit B: President Reagan’s Inaugural Address on 01/20/1981:
The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we’ve had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.
In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.
Again, time will tell…thoughts?
More Than a Map
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009God and I have been spending some good time together recently…which typically means He has also been stirring the proverbial pot of my spiritual life. This week the focus has been on how I see God in my life. Is He a friend? A Father? A Guide? Exactly how do I see Him in my daily life…and how am I supposed to see Him? This has led to some interesting discoveries and prayers.
I think I mentioned that I started a new devotional book a few weeks ago. It’s called Walk with God by Chris Tiegreen and it has been awesome! God is using this book to do a number in my walk with Him (funny how they got the title right).
Yesterday’s reading has stuck with me because it hits a tender spot…and one that I think is true for most people:
We just want direction, not God. We don’t want to put in the time and effort for a life-changing relationship with Him. (page 40)
Now, I can honestly that this is not true for me…at least not anymore! It used to be. And in a big way. I wanted God to solve all of my problems and just give me some direction. And I would get frustrated when He didn’t do it (or at least when He didn’t do it the way I thought He should). I saw God as a type of road map for my life. He has broken—or is in the process of breaking—that in me. I truly do desire a relationship with Him more than just directions.
That has taken a lot of time and work. But it is God’s doing. This got me wondering about how else we see God? Any you want to share….?
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