My life since Christmas

It's been five days since Christmas.  My wife I have quit long ago exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  We now decided what item we want and then purchase it sometime when we really want it for our Christmas present.  One year it was new furniture, another year new computers, another year, a gas insert for our fireplace.  Most often as was true for this year, our Christmas shopping was completed before the beginning of summer.
   But I did have a nice surprise for my wife this year.  I purchased a newer model car for her this year.  I also have one other surprise for her that will come tomorrow: a Kitchen aid mixer.  I took the test Kitchen Aid gives to determine which mixer would be best for her but decided it wasn't nice enough to I got a different model.  It's something she has always wanted so I thought I'd get it for her while I have the money and while I am still alive to give it to her.
  As for myself I got a new tie clasp, a smile on my wife's face, and a New Year beginning with a few dollars in the bank and none owed to creditors save for our house payment.  For the past five years I have carried a debt for a local church but they were kind enough to pay the remainder of the loan if full and I've repaid the bank as well so I didn't have to pay the interest payment.
  Life is good.  I have a loving wife, a nice home, no debt,  a good church family and a loving God.    

Walking in the Spirit Dec. 30, 2018

SR_71

The SR-71 is the fastest manned aircraft ever produced and  part of my job in Vietnam was the tracking of military aircraft.  A video of the blackbird, which the ST-71 was known as reminded me of his incident.  I knew I was tracking a blackbird because it was moving so quickly it was the only plane it could be.  The plane entered North Vietnamese airspace from the southeastern corner of N>V< and flew across the width of the country then headed due north and then exited in the northeastern part of the country.  In only took a few minutes for the blackbird to make the trip.
  When the SR-71 first entered the country the N. Vietnamese launched a MiG 23 from their northern most airbase.  The MiG fly as fast straight up as it could and then fired all it's missiles.   It was like a hail Mary pass in football and like most hail Mary passes, this attempt to shoot down the blackbird failed too but it was the closest the enemy ever came to hitting the plane.
  I actually had the pleasure of viewing one of these beauties close up  while traveling through Okinawa.  I do believe this aircraft has been retired from active service.

Drcember 27. 2018

Helping the police

  There have been many occasions when I have gone to the aid of the police.  The first time was in my twenties.  I was working at a retail store and I stepped out on the loading dock and noticed a police officer struggling to gain control of a much larger man.  I asked if I could help and when given permission the gentleman relaxed and was easily taken into custody.  A couple of years later I noticed several officers struggling with multiple suspects and I stopped to render assistance.
  A third time was at Lowes Food store  on High Point Road in Greensboro.  Two suspects, one six feet four and the other, six foot ten, had stolen and consumed several bottles of wine on the premises and were attempting to leave with more when approached by a uniformed police officer and a couple of Lowes security personnel.  The three men were no match for the two bigger and stronger suspects.  The two security officers wrestled with the shorter of the two suspects in an attempt to handcuff him while the police officer was trying to handcuff the larger man after having sprayed him with mace.
   The big man tossed the little cop over the customer service counter but was so blinded by the spray he couldn't see which way to flee/  The policeman recovered and again tried to handcuff the big man.  I asked the cop for permission to help and he nodded his approval, being to tired to even speak.  Fortunately, the security guards had the first man in custody and one of them came to our aid to subdue the second fellow.
   The fourth and last time was also in Greensboro.  A man on a motorcycle was fleeing from a policeman in an SUV.  The motorcyclist fled up a dead in street and was attempting to leave that area when the cop blocked his exit.  After a short face off the motor cycle sped behind the SUV and attempted to go behind my truck.  Being in reverse, I just stepped on the gas attempting to block him from fleeing.  The motor cycle rider lost control of his ride and ran from the scene.  The police officer and his dog gave chase but the dog was confused as to whom it was chasing:  me or the suspect.  The suspect was easily outrunning the police officer so I just put my truck into forward gear and pulled in front of the fleeing suspect so he had to stop running.
   I don't consider myself a hero.  I just did what all good citizens should do but few do.  The police are here to help us in times of trouble.  Even if everyone was a law abiding citizen the police would still be necessary as there are times when someone needs to be there to keep things in order.  I just put myself in their situation and react the way I would want others to act.  If we all got involved there would be much less crime.

buying a car is harder than it should be.

   One would think that car lots would be eager to sell a car but it turns out it's harder than it should be.  The crazy thing is I have the money to pay for the car in full.  Well, sort of.  I have 80% of it in cash.  The salesman told me when I picked the car out  that they could take a credit card but when I gave him mine he wanted to know if it could run it through as a debit card.  Why would I write you a check for a partial payment then have you withdraw the remainder out of my checking account via debit card?
    I told him I could finance the remainder until my needed funds are deposited but he couldn't tell me which credit reporting agency the dealership would use.  I told him I needed to know to unfreeze my credit.  The sales manager said that he would have their bank call me and I could give the bank my info.  I said "no thank you".  I have my credit frozen for a reason and I am not giving my information to a stranger so they can circumvent the process and gain access to my credit without me unfreezing it.  I'm not playing that stupid game.
   I has now been ten days since I first tried to purchase a car and I still don't have one and it will be sometime after Christmas   before I have the opportunity to get it.  If the dealership had been truthful about the credit card bit it would have saved me a trip to Greensboro.
   If I could have waited until the first of the year I would have more than enough cash to get the car outright but this is the vehicle I have been searching months for so I really hate to let it go.

Awesome time in church

  Jimmy Davis was our guest speaker this morning after Sunday School followed by a dinner in the fellowship hall followed by a short musical concert.  Sunday School was an awesome lesson and the worship hour seemed as if the preacher delivered the exact same message as we had in Sunday School.
   One could feel the hand of God in todays service.

Interesting discussion on prostate cancer

  I am following a thread on a Facebook post discussing prostate cancer and treatment options.  I am far from an expert but I am still in the process of recovery from prostate surgery.  There are so many changes in the field that the handbook handout given at cancer treatment centers is already out of date.  I know the one I received never mentioned proton treatments and didn't discuss prostate size, length of some treatment options, healing, recovery times, and all the possible side effects  and many other issues.  If any out there have questions or comments about prostate cancer treatments and/or options I will be glad to share what little I do know and will invite others that have been through this so maybe we can help each other through this process.

When is helping not an act of kindness?

A man was in the kitchen cooking a couple cakes of cornbread.  The day before  his wife told him he didn't need to make any cornbread but he replied that he wanted some.  There were two sizes of skillets in the oven, the timer was set for twenty minutes and everything was going according to plan.    When the twenty minute timer went off, the man pulled the skillets from the oven and tested the cornbread for doneness,  The smaller skillet was done but the larger skillet needed a little more time in the oven.  Before he could pop the skillet back into the oven and reset the timer his wife came by and turned the timer and oven off.
  He asked her what are you doing and she said the timer was beeping.  "I know but I didn't want the oven turned off".
  Well, I'll just turn it back on" she retorted.
  "No, just forget it."

He cut the smaller cake of cornbread and offered his wife a taste.  "
  "I grew up on Jiffy cornbread mix"  she said.  "I don't like this".
  Maybe the wife thought she was helping but the day before she started the whole affair by criticizing his desire to make cornbread.   The man knew the smaller skillet would cook faster than the big skillet so it would take an additional 5 minutes to cook.  He pulled both pans from the oven to test them for doneness and to determine if 5 minutes would be enough to finish the big pan.  When the wife cut the oven off it was, to him, just his wife's way of showing her displeasure at him cooking the cornbread when she didn't want him too and to signal him she didn't think he knew what he was doing.  When she made the remark about Jiffy cornbread mix, it just added insult to injury.

News from the homefront

  Friday, December 7, 2018 was Pearl Harbor Day, my second day back to the YMCA swimming pool, and the date of the meeting to the Anchor Baptist Fellowship.  I was invited to be a guest speaker but I never made it.  I was involved in an automobile accident and had to get my pastor to come pick me up.
   My wife thinks I may have developed an allergy   to our cats.  Early last year I seemed to have developed a cold but didn't have all the cold symptoms.  I thought it might have been a sinus infection although I have never had one before.  I suffered through it and finally got better after a moth of agony.  Then the symptoms returned in the fall to I went to the doctor.  I have to be in serious discomfort to go to a doctor for routine ailments.  I was told I had allergies and given a prescription for Fluticasone propionate which helped a lot.  My prescription expired November 1, 2018 and my I used the last of my medicine a few weeks later.  Before the moth was up my symptoms returned.
  Clogged up nose, dry itchy throat and an annoying cough.  I sucked on cough drops, took an over the counter allergy medicine (which allowed me to sleep), used a nasal spray, and even took some night time cold medication but got little relief.  I requested a refill of my medication but never heard from the doctor or the pharmacy so I was just going to wait until my doctors appointment on the 14th.  My medicine came by mail yesterday.
    I thought I may have been allergic to pollen but my wife noticed that my symptoms were actually much better when   we were not come.  She thinks I may be allergic to my cats.
  I'll ask my doctor Friday.  

There is freedom in surrender

     Many in America consider themselves Christians even though they have never made a profession of faith and some of them are regulars in our church houses.  They are the reason many people don't go to church:  they are the hypocrites.  Then there are others would are truly Christians but just have never grew up.  Paul called them babes. People think they are hypocrites because their actions don't always reflect their stated beliefs.
  There are many Protestants who think all Catholics are lost because the Catholic Church teaches some things Protestants don't think is right.   If our salvation was based on the correct interpretation of scripture than there would probably no one going to heaven for I have found that even among highly respected biblical scholars and theologians a wide range of understanding and interpretations.    A babe in Christ is one who knows the fundamentals of the faith but judges others the way people judge each other and not by the way God sees us.  A babe in Christ is also one who lives a life not fully surrendered as if totally surrender means defeat.  Christianity is a relationship and all relationships take work.  One will not be married long if one only came home once or twice a year, never contributed to the household budget, and never or seldom ever talked to their spouse.  Yet that is the relationship many Christians have with God.  No wonder things don't work out to good for them.
  There are some people who view church attendance about the same as belonging to a social club.  They go on a regular bases whether   that be all the services, Sunday morning only, or just special events.  Some don't go at all because they got their feelings hurt, they think the church is only after their money, or they have found other ways to satisfy their social needs and no longer view the church as a necessary outlet for human contact.  Texting and facebooking without actually ever seeing another person often substitutes for social interaction.  It really isn't.
   I was no different than many people.  I believe in Christ and I believe the bible was the word of God but I also had to live in the world.  I wanted to be viewed as a good person but few like a goody-two-shoes so one learns to walk the line between what is right and socially acceptable behavior.  often when one does that their life feels like a lie because they are not being true to God, to their friends, or to themselves.
   It took me many years to learn that one needs to choose whom to serve. A man cannot live as part of the world and still live for Christ.  I finally decided that if I was a Christian that I should jump in 100%.  I don't care how pure ones motives are there will always be one to criticize, to view with distrust, or to seek to take advantage of you.  It doesn't matter for I attend church because I find it a source of knowledge, strength and encouragement.  I draw upon my relationship with Christ and not upon my relation or standing in the church.
  Even so, life is still a battle between the spirit and the flesh.  The Christian life isn't always an easy life but it is deeply satisfying.      It is like having a healthy marriage:  there are always temptations and discouragement out in the workplace and public places but one knows at home there is one person that understands and cares and is willing to share of themselves with you, that is dependable to give help when needed and with whom you feel an overwhelming need to love and protect.
  There is no relationship more perfect than the one between a fully surrendered Christian and his savior and Lord, Christ Jesus.

adequate lighting

   Even after remodeling the kitchen we still had some lighting issues.  The main light in the kitchen is a florescent light.  Florescent lights are notorious for flickering when the temperatures are on the cool side.  But the main problem we were having is in the area where my wife keeps her recipe books and under the cabinet where my coffee maker is.  I get up early and one of the first thigs I do is fix my coffee and make my breakfast.   If I turn on the light in the dinning area, then I have enough light to wake the entire neighborhood.  The LED light fixture I installed is so bright I had to installed a dimmer switch to tone it down so we could open our eyes.
   I have had to open the microwave so I can see the button to turn on the light over the oven.  My wife is such a light sleeper I hate doing that because the slight noise is often enough to disturb her sleep.  The other day  she came home with two small LED lights to go under the cabinet.  I've tried them in the  past and found either the lighting inadequate or the device of poor construction or quality that it made it inconvenient to use.  But these units she purchased provide more than adequate light, come with three setting ( on, auto, and off).  Once up they stay up.  There are no  regular batteries to change.  The lights come with a recharging cord and if the batteries ever die then one can use the recharging cord as a regular plug.  On auto, the light is activated by motion so I no longer have to open the microwave to turn on a light or even use that light.  I can make breakfast and coffee with the light these little units provide.
  What a clever designed devise.