Gardening News April 27, 2015

    Didn't have much time for working in the yard what with a doctor's appointment and doing laundry but I did manage to get out there for a few minutes today.  I have a new peach tree seedling coming up which I had to transplant so that gives me 8 peach trees in my mini-orchard. 
     After the recent rain the top of my pear tree was pointing earthward with the top tip almost touching mother earth.  I had one tree that I had planned on cutting down anyway so I took it out today and used it as a stake to hold my pear tree upright.  I also mulched my new cherry tree.  Just praying that the new Stella and the new Reiner make it.  I really would like some cherries next year.
      I also have some new pumpkin plants come up so that will give me twenty.  Some one suggested that   I sell my fruits and vegetables and give the money to the church.  The church is the people and I would rather give them the food than the cash.  Except for the pumpkins.  I will sell the pumpkins except for the smaller ones which I'll give to the youngest kids. 

Cataract Surgery

    This will be my second go at this.  My first one was done at Southeastern Eye Center in Greensboro in February of 07.  This one will be done on the other eye by the VA in Salisbury on May 4, 2015.  There was supposed to be at least a two month wait but there was a cancellation so I got the earlier appointment.  Yea!  If this does for my vision what the first one did I should be able to see fairly well for a change. 

Eye Surgery

            I have a cataract on my right eye and was told there would be a two month wait time but when I went to get my work up and surgery time I was in luck.  There was a cancellation so I'll go down Friday for all my pre-op work and the go Monday, May 4 for surgery. 
   No surgery is fun and I've only had one that was necessary in order to live.  I had surgery to correct Dupretrens (sp)  Contracture but it didn't work.  I also had cataract surgery on my left eye about 7 years ago.  My left eye was much worse than my right but it will have to be done if I want to continue to see out of my right eye.  it's better done now than when I can't hardly see and are much older.  Other than the cataract my eyes are healthy. 

Gardning News April 25, 2015

      I planted a sweet Stella cherry tree today so now I have a pollinator for all three varieties of cherry trees.  So far I have 30 watermelon plants, 3 varieties, 25 cantaloupe plants (2 varieties), 12 squash,  2 zucchini and 15 pumpkin plants    stick their little heads above the soil.  I have six new peach trees in my mini-orchard.  My problem area last year was my tomatoes.  In my tomato garden one plant has died and the rest are struggling.  I planted two on my back porch (in buckets) and 5 in the big garden and they are doing much better so it just might be the space.
     I have finished planting for the year.  If it bears fruit that would be good and if it doesn't then so be it.  I hope I have a bountiful harvest as there are many hungry people out there and the kids just love the pumpkins.  I like the smiles on peoples faces. 

Pictures of special Interest

My two kitties asleep in my chair

My new friends at the state farmers market

Garden and yard Pictures 2 of 2

mandena

Lambs ear

Gardena

Phlox garden

 Hybiscus tree

Garden and yard pictures

 bugle weed

Daffodil and Iris

First iris bloom

main vegetable garden

New peach tree space

Iris garden

Japanese Holly bushes

Homosexuilaity and the Bible

     I was looking at a cartoon a friend of mine had posted which was funny.  I clicked on the cartoon to see what else the cartoonists had posted and while looking through the work I noticed a theme of support of those who practice an alternative lifestyle.  One really offensive post said "God, something that didn't exist but then did and created everything else but hated lezzies"
     I think the poster of that comment is confused between God and the "Big Bang."   According to modern day theory, there was nothing but somehow two gravitational forces pulled on each other  and Bang, in a micro second everything that exists came into being.  That the world had a beginning is proven by that the fact that the universe is getting larger.
    When I was a child we would take a glass of liquid, most often water or milk, and set it on a small board.  On either end of the board was a hole with a piece of rope threaded through and knotted on the end.  The two pieces of rope were then brought to a point just above the glass and joined together to form a rough triangle.  Another rope, a much longer piece, was attached to the joint where the two short pieces of rope joined, enabling a person to swing the glass of liquid around in circles.  While one was swinging this contraption the liquid stayed in the glass but when the motion slowed to to low a speed or stopped the liquid would spill out of the glass.  This liquid stayed in the glass because of centrifugal force  and demonstrated the principle of gravity. 
    The thing I learned from this is that in order to have gravity there must be an object moving in a circle at sufficient speed as to create centrifugal force.  So in order to have gravity collide with gravity there must have been two objects moving at sufficient speed.  But if there was nothing then there could not have been gravity but if there was something then what was it.  Any way one looks at it there has always had to be something and if a thing has always existed it cannot change.  Change is proof of an origin and without an origin what is has always had to be. 
    The fact that what has always existed was alive and had thought and purpose because if it didn't then that dead object would be all that was or ever could be.  The thing that has always existed is God, the great "I AM". 
    God did not create homosexuals any more than God created murderers or liars or thieves.  God created life and he created life in many different forms.  One form was mankind.  He created man with free will.  We have a choice in all that we say or do and we have that choice in our relationship with God.  God intended for Earth to be the permanent home of man but sin entered the world through the actions of Adam breaking the bond between man and God.  In order to keep His promise of death for disobedience and yet show His love for man, God sent His son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for mans disobedience. 
    God hates anything that separates man and Him.  He does not hate man.  Humans are born with a sinful and rebellious nature  but we also have free will.  Homosexuality is just another sin like lying and murder and adultery and fornication, and slothfulness and willful disobedience.  In God's eyes a sin is a sin, one is no worse than another.  Homosexuals claim they were born that way and I agree they were born with a wicked heart just like every other child born into this world.  No one has to teach a child to lie or to be selfish or to steal or to do any bad thing.  Parents have to teach their children to tell the truth, to say please and thank you, to share, and to be honest. 
   Being born with a sinful nature is not permission to continue to live that way nor proof that God hates you.  He doesn't.

Sunday Night Special

      Last night was youth Sunday at One Way Baptist Church and culminated a marvelous week.  First, our youth minister, was facing a serious surgery.  His surgeon had been postponing the operation for at least sic months because he really didn't want to do it.  He knew the chances of survival was near zero but he also knew the surgery was necessary to restore the man's quality of life. 
   God not only saw Wendell through without a hitch but his recovery has been remarkable.  Another member of our church had discovered a lump in her breast and had a biopsy preformed.  She is fine.
     Sunday night we have a special service in which the young people participant in the service but this month we had a youth group from another church.   The played instruments and sang and then Justine delivered the message.  Justine first preached a year ago when he was but thirteen and he was inspirational.  Today, at fourteen, he preached with the maturity of a seasoned pastor.  He ise a most remarkable young man. 

Gardening tips

       A friend advised me he planted his tomatoes in hills so they are less apt to drown in this wet weather and another friend pointed out that gardens tend to dry out faster in drier weather.  It seems we are prone to droughts around here so it seems the hills are the perfect solution for April but not for the rest of the growing season.  I've seen a little evidence of yellowing tomato plants nut it seems the following 7 or 8 days will be drier than we've had lately so maybe those plants will recover. 
    I did something different this year.  I have two plants on my back deck and 6 plants in my big garden as well as my regular tomato and cucumber garden.  It is the regular garden where I have had problems of yellowing tomatoes which is frustrating because I planted my tomatoes in that space because of yearly drought conditions
    I'm having a hard time getting my watermelon seeds to sprout but everything else is growing good.  My green beans have come up nicely this year and my beets and spring onions have formed pretty rows.  My lettuce is actually getting big enough to tell what it is.  The strangest thing is I had a peach tree spring up in the oddest place.  I suppose a squirrel hid a pit there and it came up for I certainly would not have planted a tree in that spot.  Hopefully I can transplant it to a place where I need it to be.  I had planned a placed for six trees to grow and only 5 came up so this one will complete the set. 
   My cape myrtle seeds haven't sprouted yet but I was given so few of them I really didn't expect any results.  If anyone has seedling of deep red crape myrtle's I can have let me know.  I need three. 

Which is better: a fund day with friends or yard work and a sick friend?

      A stupid question most people would say.  Friday my wife and I drove to Raleigh for a walk through the State Farmers market with some friends, one old and one new.  I enjoyed their company and looking at all the plants (even purchased a few), enjoyed our meal together, and even the drive there and back was pleasant.  A really fun and enjoyable day. 
     Saturday was much different.  Went to the city mulch yard and picked up two scoops of mulch and spread it around the yard as soon as I got home.  Got my first scoop at 8:30 am and finished spreading it at 11:30.  After lunch I mowed the grass, cleaned all my equipment and put everything away.  I was tired and sore  by then.  I rested about an hour  and then took some food over to a friends house.  The friend has a hard time under the best of circumstances but his surgery was really hard on him and his family.  The doctor was surprised he lived through his operation and was doubly surprised at how well his recovery is going.  God answers prayers and takes care of His own. 
    The man and his wife are really nice people.  It was a doctor's mistake that left him in a bad situation and my friend had to endure a lot of pain and inconvenience  before another doctor would even consider an operation.  My friend was told he most likely would not survive. 
   It brought my wife and I a lot of pleasure knowing that a good friend made it through such a dangerous situation and we were happy to bring comfort and aid to him and his family.  It also brought me pleasure to see how nice my yard looked after all the grooming.  So yea, it's a toss up between the two days.  Life is good.
   

is all this rain good for the garden?

     I finally found my cantaloupe plants I need to complete my garden but I just don't know when I can get them planted.  Beets, carrots, lettuce, all varieties of beans, onions, pepper plants, watermelon, squash, cucumbers, and even my pumpkins have sprouted and seem to be doing good. 
   To be honest, I buy my pepper plants, tomatoes, and cantaloupe as I just haven't had that good of a fortune starting from seed.  Cantaloupe plants are some of the last plants to be available and I suppose that is due to the dangers of frost.  I grow some really good melons at my house.  Last years crop was among the best .
   In years past we have had droughts and our gardens suffered from lack of water and the we had a time when we had so much rain that everything drowned.  I don't know what happened last year as far as tomatoes are concerned.  The stayed green too long and had a bitter taste to them.  I don't remember but two tomatoes that had a good taste from last years crop and I had 17 plants.
   But for now I have all the cantaloupe plants ready to put into the ground but it is too rainy and today will be to muddy   and tomorrow is the big mulch sale in Randleman ($5.00 a scoop) and of course Sunday is the Lord's day and Monday it is supposed to rain again.  Of course I know when it does stop raining we will complain about that because it just might be the last we get until July 4th. 

Mail is obsolete

    When a soldiers name was called during mail call there was always a happy moment.  Everyone liked getting a letter from home and I know of no one who didn't like getting a personal letter.  We used to be excited when the mail man came because there was always hope that one of the envelopes had your name of it. 
    Do we still write soldiers?  I know I haven't received a letter or card with my name on it in like forever except from my mom.  She has never had a computer.
    But we don't use computers fro mail anymore either.  E-mail did away with the personal letter and physical mail became known as snail mail which is just another way of getting bills and advertisements.  Honestly, I haven't used e-mail for personal contact in several years as now everyone uses their phone to send text messages.  E-mail has gone the way of snail mail:  just a way of doing business and a way for businesses to   delivery advertising to you. 
   I think e-mail was on the way out when I first got my first e-mail account and I was probably one of the last people to use it regularly for personal communications.  One day soon one will be forced to give out their cell phone number in order to buy anything and will be bombarded with text ads which we will call TEDS or something.  We'll have to find another way to communicate then.  I always enjoy that small frame of time when we leave advertisers in the dust and we are hassle free for a while.  Sort of like when cable TV first came out.  It was called pay TV and the big sales pitch was either watch TV with ads or pay the cable company for ad free TV. 
   By the time cable was so widely used I had no choice but to use it or do without TV, there was no such thing as ad free TV.  Once we had the privilege of reading news stories  but now we have to watch videos with an ad attached at the beginning.  Advertisers are not far behind though.  The other day my wife was complaining that she now receives advertising on her phone when ever she tries to send or receive a text.  It sure would be nice if someone would invent a way to get a personal communication  without an ad attached. 

He screwed up again

    Brantley Hicks got his picture in the paper last week, in the crime section no less.  I know Brantley and he is one of the unfortunate ones that attorney's like to say never had a chance because he had a drug addicted mother and an absentee father who never really cared about anything except for drugs and that other things that motivates men.  And to add to this young man's troubles he has red hair.

   Well, I for one don't believe that having red hair makes you more ill than anyone else.  I will agree that having an absentee father and a mother who engages in risky behavior is not an ideal situation for young impressionable minds to live  in but that situation doesn't have to condemn one to a life dictated by a habit of making stupid decisions. 

   I liked Brantley and I gave him a chance to do something useful with his life and to fulfill a dream of his at the same time.  Brantley's problem was not the circumstances he grew up in but in his attitude towards life.  He was capable of making good decisions.  He just chose not too. 

   If you are a God fearing person and believe in the power of prayer, then pray for Brantley.  Pray every day for this young man.  He is in the Randolph county jail.  Send him a letter or card letting him know you are praying for him and that someone loves him.  I do and so does Jesus.  He just needs some encouragement. 

After 50 Years of Smoking Marijuana, Her Life Turned Out Nicely

     A New York Times article features the author of a book that details 50 years of marijuana use by a woman who claims to have smoked the drug almost every day for fifty years.  She claims it did her no harm and should be legalized.  To me, that's not a legitimate argument. 
  
      I smoked cigarettes for over fifty years and have suffered no ill effects from it yet I would never claim it is a healthy habit.  Numerous people have been harmed by tobacco products and many have died.  At best it is a smelly disgusting habit that causes some people to become angry when they need a smoke and have motivated people to do stupid things like stand outside on a cold windy rainy day when common sense says they should be warm inside somewhere. 

    Some people like to consume alcohol and I've read stories about people that attributed their longevity to consuming a glass or two of spirits on a daily bases for 80 years and never suffered any ill effects either.  I don't think any one in their right minds would accept such a statement as proof that alcohol, even if consumed occasionally, is risk free.  Millions of people have suffered ill effects from alcohol and untold thousands have been killed because of it. 

    I would agree that marijuana is probably the least harmful of the three substances and it is the only illegal one in the group but that still isn't any reason for its use, legally or otherwise.  Humans engage in lots of risky behaviors none of which are illegal all the time nor legal all the time.  Base jumping is legal in certain circumstances and illegal in other, just to cite one example.  But that is a risky behavior that involves a very small percentage of the population who normally take precautions to minimize risks to themselves and others. 

   I have always thought the marijuana would be legalized when tobacco use was made a crime.  After all, what are we going to use all those cigarette manufacturing facilities for?   I'm surprised that tobacco farmers and cigarette manufacturers haven't banned together to put pressure on Congress to legalize the plant to replace tobacco. 

  Engaging in risky behavior like becoming a stunt car driver cannot be compared to risky behavior like smoking and drinking for one simple reason.  Smoking and driving alter a person's mental abilities or physical state.  Personally I just don't see the need in doing that to myself.  I don't need a drink, ever, for any reason.  I've not smoked marijuana nor drank alcohol for more than fifty years and suffered no ill effects nor do I ever expect to.  For me, if a behavior is not beneficial to me and will cause or potential cause harm to those around me then I see no need to engage in that behavior. 

   If a substance that alters your behavior becomes a want then you aren't in control any more.  I refuse to allow any substance to control me, especially if that substance alters my behavior. 

Garden News, April 11, 2015 Less Weeds, Less Money

    My garden tiller died last year and I tried renting one this year but that didn't work out so well.  I really didn't want to purchase another small tiller after experiencing broken transmissions after only two years of light use   on two different tillers and buying a bigger tiller presented more problems than it would have solved so I opted to buy a cultivator instead.  I made my selection of n electric cultivator.  \
    I have a small spot behind my shed that I'm using for my tomato and cucumber garden and a much larger space on the upper side of the house I use for most other plants.  it years past it just didn't seem to matter how deep or fine I tilled the soil weeds started to regrow almost immediately and about halfway through the growing season I would just have to give up on weed control until after harvest. 
   The cultivator is easy to use but it takes hours to use where a tiller makes quick work of my garden space.  Where the tiller turned the soil over and deep the cultivator barely scratched the surface  Three weeks after using the cultivator to remove weeds and grass from my garden space the garden is virtually weed and grass free.  I suppose there is truth to the saying that the less one disturbs the soil the fewer weeds one will have.  Using a cultivator instead of a tiller in an already established garden area   has turned out to be a good decision. 

Gardening updates

   I picked up 17 tomato plants, sweet pepper plants and jalapeno pepper plants as well as an assortment of flowers.  I added a large bag of potting soil for vegetables and flowers and a couple bags of mulch as well as a small ball of Rebel fescue  to my shopping cart. 

    When I got home I mixed a bag of sand and a couple pounds of Epsom salts with the  potting soil.  I dug 15 holes for the tomatoes and filled each hole with my potting soil mixture.  I filled two planters full of the mixture for my two patio tomato plants and put them on the back porch.  I also dug six holes, 3 each for my pepper plants.  After putting the plants into the hole I fished filling the holes with top soil and the with the dirt from the hole itself.  I put up the  basket on the back porch and filled it with potting soil mixture and flowers to attract hummingbirds.  I then filled two other pots with my potting soil mixture for the pots that go on the front porch. 
   
    I then took one bag of mulch and put around my two peach seedlings and some around the little dogwood I planted.  I then prepared my bald spots in the yard and  seeded them with my Rebel fescue.  I then cleaned up and put away all my tools and equipment.  I went in to take a break and swallow some cool refreshing liquid before I headed out to clean and vacuum my van but mother nature took care of the watering of the gardens and yard for me so I postponed the van until tomorrow. 

   I'm really excited about my yard this year.  Most of the fruit trees were planted from seed.  I dug my two water ponds by hand in the rock filled hard red clay.  When I first moved here the yard was so uneven it was hard to push a mower from one end to the other.  One side of the yard was almost bare and full of rocks while the other side was just bare.  It just didn't seem possible to get anything to grow and my yard was just as plain and barren and ugly as any yard in the neighborhood. 
\
   I've been here 7 years now.  I have 11 peach trees, nine apple trees, 3 cherry trees, 12 grape vines, two blueberry bushes, and three blackberry bushes.     I also have 4 Bradford pear trees, a Bartlett pear tree, 2 dogwood trees, 4 crape myrtles, a holy trees, 4 holly bushes, 8 rose bushes, a butterfly bush, 3 Japanese holly bushes, 2 bushes with the yellow/green leaves, 2 Hawthorne trees, 5 pine trees,  2 Redbud trees, and 2 other trees I can't recall the name of. 

  I also have two water ponds, one 250 gallon pond for goldfish and one 1200 gallon Koi pond.  There are 4 bird houses, the garden around my water ponds, the 2 flower gardens in the front of the house, my rose garden I planted for my wife that extends between the two Bradford pear trees in the front yard, my phlox garden, my Iris garden on the hillside, my watermelon and cantaloupe garden, my tomato and cucumber garden, and my pumpkin garden. 

     That's not to shabby for a less that a 1/2 acre lot.  The fruit trees are just now beginning to flower out and hopefully I can get some fruit from them this year.  last year I think I pick 1 peach and 4 small apples.  One year two grape vines were loaded and two had a few small grapes.  Last year the one that had a few small grapes were loaded but the grapes were still small while the first two had just  few grapes that never seemed to ripen.    The best thing though is my yard is about to reward my years of hard work with natures beauty. 

Garden Wonders

     I like to check the status of my plants, trees, and gardens ever day.  My new rose bush is putting forth new growth.  I transplanted numerous flowers yesterday and all are standing tall this morning.  My three oldest peach trees are putting forth their first fruits this morning and all my apple trees have blooms.  Two of my cherry trees are full of blooms and my newest cherry tree seems to be doing well.
    Last fall I planted some peach seeds.  Most often I break the kernel out of the shell and wait until spring to plant but I just stuck the seeds in the ground last fall.  I had cleared an area on the other side of the creek bed and decided to plant fruit trees there.  I planted 5 holes hoping for three peach trees.  I now have my three. 
   All my established grape vines are now in bloom and the two cuttings I started this winter are in bloom also.  Of course there are some late bloomers like my Clematis and Crape Myrtle.  My biggest surprise this morning was a pumpkin seed I had planted has sprouted. 
    All I need now is some cantaloupe and tomato plants and for my vegetable seeds to sprout.  Everything is looking good so far.    
  

Why are some people's lives so full of drama.

      A lady visited our church Sunday morning for Easter services.  She called the preacher at 11:30 pm Sunday night complaining that she had left her bible at church and wanted him to go get it for her.  He told her she could contact me and he said he would give her my number but not until Monday morning.  She called but my wife took the call.  She wanted us to run over to the church to be sure her bible was there.  I told her to come to Randleman and when she got to the church to call me then and I would come unlock the door so she could get her Bible. 
     She called back and said she didn't have a ride to Randleman but was looking for one.  She claimed she left checks for some unpaid bills in her Bible and really needed to retrieve it.  She called back a couple of hours later and said she was on her way and would be at the church in 30n minutes.  Forty-five minutes later she called and said they were just then leaving Asheboro.  It was around three o'clock when she finally showed up to get her Bible.
   The funny thing was she never looked inside it to see if her checks and bills were still there.  One would think that was the first thing she would have checked for. 
   I don't believe there was anything about the Bible that could not have waited until Wednesday night.  There is always the possibility that she hoped the preacher or myself would have shown up by ourselves to meet her but that isn't about to happen.  I never meet a woman anywhere without someone else with me, preferably my wife. 
   Oh yes, people do set church members up.  In 1975 my then pastor got a call from one of his long time members and asked him to stop by his house for a talk.  When the preacher got to the address a woman dressed in a see through negligee opened the door.  The man he went to see was there but not in the house.  He was hidden outside with a camera.  The man and the woman then accused the pastor of inappropriate behavior, which wasn't true of course, but the preacher had no witness on his behalf. 
   I don't know why getting her bible back was of such importance to this woman.  She could have always written new checks and destroyed the old ones later.  I do know that it caused a big interruption in my life and got to many  people involved in a minor problem  Way to much drama.    

Cherry, Cherry

     There are now three Cherry Trees in my yard, two Bing and a Rainer.  The two Bing trees are in full bloom and the Rainer looks to bloom any time now.  For the past several years I had a Montgomery  and last spring it bloomed and small cherries were produced.  Then it died.  It was bad enough that I lost a tree but now I had no pollinator for my Bing Cherries. 
    Last year my next door neighbor put in six trees and I knew several of them were fruit trees but I had no idea what variety.  This year three of his trees bloomed and they are cherry trees.  I don't know what kind of cherry nor do I have a clue as to what the other three trees are.  They have not produced flowers yet.  It would be a streak of good luck for me if his trees were a pollinator for my trees.  If he purchased a variety there is a good chance our trees will cross-pollinate but if he purchased all one variety and they all are Bing then maybe neither one of us will have cherries. 
   Almost all my apple trees are blooming this year.  I do have a pollinator for my Fuji apples as my Granny Smith lived another year.  I planted a crab apple tree which is a universal donor, sorta like being O+, so I'm sure I'll have apples for years to come.  I successfully propagated some grape  vines this year and all my older vines are putting out this year.  All my blueberry bushes look healthy as does my pear tree and blackberry bushes.  I may have some fruit this year besides grapes.  Looking forward to all my hard work finally paying off.   
  

Easter Sunday Surprise

      Actually the only surprise I got this Sunday was a phone call from my son.  I know Easter is a holiday, well. sort of a holiday and my son only calls on holidays but those are normally my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I don't always get to talk with him then.  Sometime we play phone tag and recently we have just resorted to texting.   It's a real treat to actually get to talk with him.
    Even so, that isn't the best part of Easter Sunday.  Easter was established as the first Sunday after a full moon after the equinox that signals the beginning of spring.  I forgot what it's called and I just don't feel like looking it up right now.  If you want to know, you can look it up.  But because of the way the day of Easter was established the date changes every year.   But what happened 1990 years ago happened only once and it doesn't matter the date we celebrate what happened  but just that we do.  On Palm Sunday, which was last week, Jesus wrote a donkey into the city of Jerusalem signifying that he was King of the Jews and the promised Messiah.  A donkey was considered a beast for royalty while a horse was considered a beast of war and not fit for the king of peace.  It was just a few days later, on Passover, that Judas betrayed Jesus and He was arrested.  On Friday he was crucified and buried.  That day is known as Good Friday.  On Sunday, Easter Sunday, Jesus was seen in the flesh   by Mary and then by Peter and John and then the twelve. 
   There were many Old Testament scripture that relates what happened on the cross.  Read Psalms 16:10, Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53.  Those are but a few.  What happened on that day was real, my  friend, and that moment changed history for men.  many today would have you believe that being a good person will gain you entry into heaven while being a bad person condemns one to hell.  Many don't believe in hell so they either gain heaven or get nothing.  I'm sorry but it just doesn't work that way. 
    In case you say Christianity is only one religion and other religions teach different things and you just can't accept that there is only one way into heaven, I'm sorry but I have to go by what God says rather than what you think is fair.  Jesus didn't die on the cross just so you would have another alternative to getting to heaven.  His death was necessary in order to pay the promised penalty of death given to Adam and mankind at the time of the original sin.  And don't go blaming Eve because God say it is man's responsibility to guide the family.  All things are equal in a marriage except   it is the man's responsibility to see to the spiritual needs of his family. 
   I thank God for what He did 1990 years ago and accept his gift of life and promise to live my life to bring praise, honor, and glory to the name of Jesus. 

I haven't actually read the law but....

     The new freedom of religion law sure is making waves lately.  The constitution guarantees freedom from discrimination due to race, gender, and sexual orientation.  Those perhaps have been viewed as the big three and the most obvious   but there are so many more ways to discriminate:  by what college you attended, by how tall you are, by how much you weigh, the color of your hair, the size of your boobs,   by the attractiveness of tour face, the size of your muscles, the shape of your nose, and on and on and on.  Anything that is different about you can work to your advantage or disadvantage depending of the feelings of others. 
    What does that have to do with this new law?  A lot or nothing depending on your point of view.  In a nut shell, the new law makes it illegal to discriminate against a person because of their religion.  It only seems fair that if I can't discriminate against you because of your sexual orientation then you can't discriminate against me because of my religion.  Of course the gays and lesbians aren't happy  about this new law.  In effect, what they are unhappy about is it takes away from them the right to sue you if you refuse to grant them what they want based on religious objections. 
    What is happening here is that humans are classifying sins as big sins and little sins.  Some religions teach that you only need forgiveness of the big sins but the danger with that philosophy is who determines when a sin progresses from small to large?  In God's word there is no distinction: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; the wages of sin is death; for by one mans sin did death enter in.  It just seems right that telling a little white lie is no big deal while committing capital murder is really, really serious.  If a partner cheats on their spouse it should not be any ones business other than that couple  but it is a sin unto damnation to have sex with someone of the same gender.  Well, God makes no such distinction.  That's human wisdom.
    As long as we remain wrapped in a robe of flesh we will sin.  That's what we do.  However, if we are a child of God, and I'm talking about true repentance and not a confession that we are weak and we believe God is real, we will be forgiven of our sins.  A true child of God  has a desire to live for God, to serve Him.  As a friend of mine said "if your religion doesn't take you to church I doubt that it will take you to heaven" but at the same time mere church attendance is not a fruit of the spirit.  One can tell a true Christian but witnessing the changes that take place in their life over a period of time.  A real Christian doesn't willfully commit sin. 
    I have no less regard for a homosexual than I do a liar or a thief.  As a minister I will not perform a marriage of a man and woman who are merely living together any more than I would a gay couple.  Both are willfully living in sin.  I know the scriptures say we aren't to judge but the scriptures also say a minister has the right to declare who is righteous and who is not. 
   One may live with their lover of the opposite sex or the same sex, it doesn't matter  and  it should not me my right to treat you ill because I don't agree with your lifestyle choices.  At the same time you should not have the right to force me to do something that I believe is wrong for me to do. 

  
    

Dealing with issues

     

     A half century ago I was about to graduate high school and still suffered from a problem that had plagued me for as long as I could remember.  It was not a problem I could take to college with me and in my first week of college I was terrified my problem had come to school with me.  Fortunately, it didn't.
     My mom had taken me to the doctor once to have me examined to determine what was wrong with me.  The doctor told her it was nerves which Mom explained to me as some doctor had injured me in some procedure causing some nerve damage that resulted in my problem.  To a youngster it sounded reasonable except for the fact I'd never been to the doctor for anything except for a physical and the one time in second grade where I burned my hand, neither procedure was invasive.  No way a nerve was clipped during an invasive procedure. 
   The funny thing is my problem disappeared the very day I went off to college and has never reoccurred.  it seems my nerve problem was caused by my relationship with Mom and not from some doctor error.  it seems like my whole childhood was spent trying to avoid interaction with my mother.  I found her irritating,  abusive,  and totally unreasonable.  She used profanity, a lot it seemed, and always seem to be angry about something.  if my brother and I slept in she would be mad because "you boys will mess up the house I've spent all morning cleaning".  If we got up early  then she'd say "I wish you boys would stay in bed until I get the house cleaned.  You run in and out making it impossible for me to get my work done." 
   If I wore a shirt to school that Mom had just washed an ironed then she'd get mad and yell at me "I just washed that shirt".  I didn't understand why it was such a big deal for me to wear a freshly cleaned shirt to school.  it just seemed the only peace I got was when I was out of her sight or when my dad was home.  So when I finally left home my nerve problem disappeared. 
   No, my problems with Mom were not solved because of the distance but the daily task of avoidance was eliminated.  In fact, fifty years later I still have issues with Mom.  I still find her irritating, and some times unreasonable.  it seems the world should revolve around her and you cannot have a conversation with her unless the conversation is about her.  If I mention I have a cold, it will remind her "I haven't had a cold in 35 years, not since my doctor gave me this special shot."    She never even asks how I feeling but launches into a ten or fifteen minute speech about her health. 
   The crazy thing about it is that I call my mom every day and visit her once a month to do repair work and take her shopping or what ever she needs.  I keep hoping my mom will one day realize how to have a conversation.  If I say I'm sick it would be a shocker if she responded "I'm sorry you don't feel well.  What are you doing to take care of yourself?"  But she's 89 so I think she is the way she will always be.  So I'll just love her in spite of all her faults.  She is, after all, Mom.

Another "you're doing it wrong" article from Yahoo

     "You've been making guacamole all wrong"   is the title of another  "you're doing it wrong" article on Yahoo.  How do they know I'm doing it wrong.  maybe I make it different or do it different than they do because I do it the way I like it.  maybe they have a different way and it may even be a better way  but if my way get's the job done then it isn't wrong.   
   Doesn't that just stick in your crawl when the first words out of someone's mouth is you're doing it wrong/  It sure does mine. 

Amanda Knox Decision is Final

  

      Amanda Knox, an American student who choose to study overseas and was charged with murder following the death of her roommate has been awaiting the decision of the courts on her case.  After her conviction she appealed and was found not-guilty but the higher courts wanted to review that decision.  It has been several years now but the decision has been handed down.  Amanda Knox had said if her conviction was upheld she would not go to prison but I don't really think she could have remained free long.
   I read the facts of the case before the first trial and I read the facts as presented by the prosecution after her conviction as well as watching documentaries on TV and reading any other available articles on this case.  I have to agree that sometimes her behavior was a little weird and she really isn't all that likeable of a person, I just couldn't wrap my mind around her guilt.  I think, perhaps, she really didn't take the investigation and charges against her all that serious.  She knew she was not guilty and figured the investigation would show that she was innocent so she didn't act the way one would think she would behave. 
   Perhaps if she had been investigated in the United States of America  she would never been charged much less tried and convicted   but she was being tried in the court system of another country and their laws and investigative techniques are different than ours.  Even under our system innocent people get convicted and sometimes the guilty go free.  Most often the unthinkable happen because of shoddy police work and prosecutorial misconduct.  There are, of course, other reasons for false convictions.  mentally incompetent defendants, shoddy lab work, unreliable eye witnesses, and sometimes just plain misinterpretation of the facts.   An example of that was a case the famous doctor Lee was hired to consult on.  The angle of the bullet entering a car clearly showed the defendant was lying and was guilty of murder.  At first Dr. Lee agreed but after talking with some other people he realized that he had  checked the car on level ground when in fact the shooter was standing on a hill.  When he had the true facts it was easy to see that the accused was innocent. 
   Even though the American system of justice doesn't always get it right I would rather take my chances here than   in another country, especially in one I didn't speak the language and wasn't fully emerged in their culture.   I believe the Italian courts have made the proper decision in deciding not to seek to retry her or to uphold her conviction. 

It's Over

Our revival services are over.  The messages were good even though I wasn't pleased with the style of preaching the man still delivered God's word and I am thankful for that.  I would much rather be among God's people than any where else. 

Community policing

    I live in Randleman and we seem to have more police officers than we do criminals and I am certainly not complaining about that.  I see an officer ride through my neighborhood on a regular bases and I suppose that's a good thing.  They are quick to respond if you need one and so far all I have come into contact with have been really nice people.  They seem to be doing a descent job of policing the town but the things that really bother me doesn't seem to concern to police. 
   I've got neighbors with junk cars scattered on their property and one buys and sales autos and auto parts but the worst thing is they are souped up mustangs he deals in.  They are loud, disturbing, and disruptive.  I have another neighbor  who is operating an illegal daycare center.  The people were ran out of Asheboro because of the excessive traffic their operation caused and now it is my problem. 
   The police chief of Richmond, California seems to have the right idea.  He addresses the small problems that concern the citizens and in turn the citizens are more helpful in aiding the police with the bigger problems.  It goes back to that old saying "People don't care what you know until that know how much you  care. 

Night One is Over

      I love good preaching and I heard some last week from Rev. Savage from Concord, NC but the preaching at tonight's revival was simplistic delivered by a lot of sorry dancing and a lot of yelling and screaming punctuated by hacking and amens.  In case you don't know what hacking means it is a form of preaching in which a sentence is ended with a loud sound, usually an uh added to the last letter of the last word.  In the case of the last sentence the word would be worduh or wordaa, I guess depending on the preacher and the hearer to some extent. 
    The message was preached on a level intended for seventh and eight graders or people who have never been to church before but held as much interest for a mature Christian as an art exhibit of sixth grade coloring book drawings. 
   One man took his niece to Greensboro to buy a record of a particular song and he had a running fit for 7 or eight minutes over that song and her rendition of it.  She's a good singer but neither her performance nor the song was worth getting excited about.  If you like that old fashion hell and brimstone type of preaching you would have enjoyed tonight.  As for me I like the word of God expounded on so that I will learn or be drawn nearer to God.  I don't go to church to be entertained which, to me, is what this style of preaching is geared to do. 
   

Revival

Revival services are being held at One Way Baptist Church in Randleman tonight through
Friday.  We'd love to have you visit the church.  Services start at 7 pm. 

North Korea Has Another Temper Tantrum

  North Korea says if the United States of America attacks them they are ready to respond as they have nuclear missiles.  The United States of America has no reason or desire to attack North Korea.  If North Korea ever fired one of it's nuclear missiles the missile would prove to be a bigger danger to North Korea than to the United States of America. 
   North Korea reminds me of the story about the country that started a war but no one else came.  "The Mouse that Roared" or something like that.  A little fellow was picking at a big, big man, wanting to start a fight.  The big fellow told him "If you hit me and I find out about it you'll be in big trouble."  North Korea's leader reminds me of a fat three year old who holds his breath and rolls around the floor kicking his legs.  It's all for show. 
   I'm not sure what the man is trying to accomplish by his tactics. Maybe it is a show for the average citizen  to convince them that he is a brave leader and that their poverty is the fault of American policy and not the fault of the North Korean leadership. 

I couldn't believe he did this

       He purchased for gift cards and the verses in the cards were from an unauthorized version so instead of writing an authorized verse in place on the one on the card he changed the version.  I mean like he is giving cards to preachers wives and thought if he changed where the verse came from they wouldn't know it was wrong.   If it wasn't so pathetic I'd be upset. 

When Things Upset Me

      March is Pastors wife appreciation month.  We showed our Pastor's wife appreciation during Pastor Appreciation Month.  I don't know who makes these things up but I do know there was never an apostle appreciation day.  Anyway my wife is not a pastors wife.  She doesn't need, want, deserve, or appreciate being given recognition for something she is not and she told the Deacon that but he claims he spoke to God and God told him to honor her and that the pastor approves. 
    I don't think God would put his blessings on earthly honors and I seriously doubt that God would speak to this Deacon.  he God di one would think he wouldn't have to cheat in Sunday School and wouldn't be stealing from the church.  I'm rather tired of his antics.

A Sad Thing

              I grew up in a different time than you did, most likely.  When I was conceived WWII had not been over long.  Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President of the United  States of American the year I started first grade.  For most of my adolescent years dope was a soft drink, grass was just that, grass, and weed was anything that wasn't a flower, grass, tree or a vegetable that grew in your lawn.  Blacks and whites went to separate schools. 
     I remember taking a speech class in college one time and one fellow did his speech about a person he had meet and had made a recording of on cassette tape.  This person drew a great deal of interest from the other students so many years later after I lost my business and I was struggling financially and was single  and lonely and broke, I thought maybe I could find something interesting to write about that would not only garner me some attention but make me some money.  Writing a novel was difficult, writing a true story harder still, but selling it to the public was a skill I did not have.   But through the researching and writing of the book I learned a valuable lesson. 
    After I graduated high school I went off to college.  The Vietnam war was starting to affect young lives by then but it wasn't something I really paid much attention to.  It wasn't until my junior year when I transferred to a larger school that I got a close look at how the war was affecting people.  A few of the students were addicted to hard drugs like LSD and they acted really weird.  I didn't much care for the way it effected them so illegal drugs had no lure for me.  By the time I got my draft notice drugs were ingrained in the youth culture along with "free sex".  Terms like "Hippies" and " Helter Skelter" made the news along with the Black Panthers,  student protests and anti-war activists.  For the first time in history people know where Hanoi and Saigon were.  Real war was broadcasted right into our living room during the evening news. 
    The war finally ended but by then drugs and an antiestablishment mentality was firmly ingrained into our youth and it is a battle that is still being waged today.  Our youth know longer remembers where Hanoi is and there is no Saigon.  The Vietnam conflict has given way to many more conflicts and wars.  America has discovered that wars fought with guns and bombs is easier to win than wars fought with ideas.  And so it is with our domestic war: the War on Drugs.  We cannot eradicate the sources and there are just to many users to deal with.  eliminating the suppliers is the hardest battle of all. 
   Writing my book gave me a first hand look into the underground of the sellers and the hard core users.  To many of them drugs offered freedom:  cash to buy what one wanted, freedom to escape poverty and the hurt of being abused, and a chance to live life free of any ones control.   The saddest part is the harder one tries to gain freedom from ones past and to garner freedom for ones future, the more enslaved they  obey is your master.  Drugs do not offer freedom but only serve to enslave you.  The same with sin.  The saddest thing of all is the person who rejects Christ because they falsely believe following Christ is giving up freedom when following Christ is the only way out of slavery.    
 

Taxes are complete

     The CPA just finished my taxes.  The bank usually does my taxes and because I'm old they do not charge but the bank refused to do my taxes this year because my wife inherited some money.  It cost $170.00 to get the tax forms prepared but that is far less than others charge for the same service so I'm not complaining.  It is the first time in over fifty years I've paid ; the last time it costs me $35.00.
  The biggest surprise about this years tax returns (Federal and state) is that the total on both forms is zero.  If it wasn't for inheriting some stuff, I probably wouldn't have to file again. 
   My wife and I tithe 50% of our taxable income ( before deductions) and not counting offerings.  In case you don't understand, a tithe is 10%  of ones gross income and an offering is hat is given above that.  In addition we give another 10% of our taxable income plus an amount that is even larger in labor and other gifts.  For example, I purchased a riding lawnmower, a weed eater, a push mower, and a chain saw, mowed the grass ever week that it needed mowing for the past four years, purchased chemicals and grass seed, cleared half the property of trees and over growth, purchased outdoor carpet and installed it  on the steps and handicap ramps to make them safer to walk on, and have done almost all the regular maintenance on the property.  That equates to over $4000.00 a year in free labor and materials for maintenance on church property, or a total considerably higher than my  taxable income . 
   I'm not writing this to brag on my giving but on God's generosity.    During the last 4 1/2 years God has given me back my wife and even made it possible for me to pay off all my debt and even double my savings in one year after my wife had to give up her job and faced with thousands of dollars worth of hospital bills.  So even if I give back to Him all that I have it pales in comparison to all that He has given me. 

Pinto Beans

We are have a fund raiser with having a pinto bean supper at $6.00 per person.  If interested in buying a ticket please contact me.

Getting ready for spring

      One really doesn't get ready for Spring as it comes whether we are ready or not, just like "it" in hide and seek but there are things one does in Spring that one doesn't do any other time of year. 
   One thing we do is "spring forward' which we will do this weekend in honor of daylight savings time or the end of it, I never can remember.   But there are more personal things for me.  One is my ponds.  I take my pumps out I the fall and have to reinstall them in the Spring.  since my neighbor has an Oak tree I can't take my netting off   until all the old leaves have fallen off his tree.  Having the netting on makes it much more difficult to put the pumps back in.
   Other things I do is open all the vents around the house.  Open vents keeps the house cooler in the warmer months and closing them keeps the house warmer in the cooler months.  My neighbors don't understand this concept as they never change theirs.  It only makes a few dollars a month difference but a few dollars more is better than a few dollars less. 
  I  have my lawn care equipment serviced in the fall so its ready to go.  I just have to take Mom's stuff back to her house.  This Spring I'm going to sow grass seed as well as till my garden space and fertilize my fruit trees and begin preventive spraying.  I hate having to spray but if I don't my tress get diseased and I have no produce. 
   Of course it's still winter and half my front yard is under water and a deep freeze will cause my yard to be a sea of ice.  it hasn't happened yet but with all the saturation from the recent snow and the all day rain we have had it is just possible with temperatures down to at least 20 tonight.  I have at least twice as much water standing in the front yard as I have ever  had and that is even after I unclogged the drain hose. 
   I'm ready for Spring, for real, even if I do have to work harder. 
 

Spock WAs Right

    A bi racial girl wrote a letter to Spock asking him how he handled being bi-racial when he was growing up.  I really never thought of being bi-racial along the same lines as being the fat kid, the tall kid, the ugly kid, the poor kid, the nerdy kid, or anything else that sets us apart from others.  Perhaps being of a different color makes one a target to a wider group of people but it really doesn't matter.  The problem and the solution is the same. 
   In a nutshell, what Leonard Nimoy told the girl was she had to make the decision to either seek popularity or to be true to who she was.  He pointed out that if she sought popularity and found acceptance your friends still could turn on you.  No, it was best, he believed, to be the best you could be at who you really were. 
   Excellent advice. 

Church was awesome yesterday

      I always enjoy church but yesterday was one of those really special services.  I'm not going to discuss why yesterday was so special as there are so many unbelievers that whatever I say will be met with skepticism and ridicule.  Those that know Jesus would understand  but even those that only call themselves Christians would think I was fanatical,  yet to me it was normal and natural to let God have His own way in His house.   
    At one time I was just like most people, never giving Jesus much of a thought, feeling better about myself when that rare occasion came that I went to a church service and yet wishing that it would soon be over.  Not many years ago I would have thought a person insane who went to church every time the doors were opened and actually believed that Jesus was as real as anyone but yet that is exactly who I am today.  I am that religious nut I always wondered about yet I feel neither religious nor foolish for I have discovered that Christianity is not religion.
   Some,  things are hard to explain, at least they are to others, yet to me those things are reality.  I have experienced to much to ever doubt again and yet I can understand why others don't see what I know but yet I still can't for what I know is truth they still can't  accept.  But the only way to really know is to believe yet they want to really know before they can believe  yet if I could prove it then it would no longer be of faith. 
         

Looking for trouble: Road Rage Killing

           The initial story said that a mother was teaching her daughter to drive when a man became upset that she was driving too slow and passed them, somewhere bumping the two cars together.  The angry driver followed the mother/daughter home and then shot the mother in the head, taking her life.  It seems the original story isn't accurate at all. 
     It seems that the mother was driving after the lesson and a man passed them at a higher than posted speed so the daughter, from the passenger seat,  tooted the horn.  The mother and the other driver exchanged words. 
      The mother drove home, dropped her daughter off, picked up her adult son who had a weapon, and went looking for the other vehicle.  They found the car and it's driver.   What happened between then and the shooting wasn't made clear but what is known is that there was no collision between the two cars and that the driver of the other car shot and killed the mother. 
    I'm sure the daughter wishes now she had never tooted the horn.  I'm sure if the mother were still alive she would say that she should have just let the other car go on it's way.  After all it was just a brief, momentary encounter that most likely would never happen again.  I'm almost positive the son wishes he had been mature enough to tell his mother to just let it go, that no good would come from  incident, even if they could find the other driver.  And I would hope that the man who pulled the trigger regrets doing so and has learned that patience is a virtue.  Even id the car in front of him was driving to slow for his taste chances are it would have made only a minute or two difference and the delay could have enriched his life just as easily as it delayed his plans. 
    People are going to do stupid things and situations are going to arise in which we feel disrespected.  Sometimes others are going to think we were wrong when we were not and sometimes we think we were right when we were wrong.  In other words, things happen.  But in most cases the situation is over in a moment and it is best to just let it go.  If the situation  escalates or threatens to become a recurring problem it is best to let the authorities handle the problem.  I know we like to channel the John Wayne inside of our selves and believe we will be okay because we are in the right and God is always in the side of right. 
   Well life doesn't always work that way my friend.  it's best to just let it go.   
  
   

A Lasting Marriage is Like Shampoo

A Lasting Marriage is Like Shampoo

It is an assumption of this article that the reason for the marriage was love. People get married for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is from desperation, sometimes convenience, sometimes for money, sometimes to seal a deal or to fulfill family obligations. Have you ever washed your hair when it wasn't dirty? Of course you have.

Many mornings I awake with bedhead so I wash my hair to untangle the mess so my hair doesn't appear matted down. Sometimes it gets washed just because I happened to be taking a bath anyway. The point is sometimes we wash our hair when it isn't necessary and truthfully, washing our hair may not be the best thing for it. Sometimes two people just shouldn't be married.

A young couple just got married. One old lady said “it won't last.” Maybe she's jealous. Maybe she thinks the couple may have gotten married for the wrong reason. I'm not sure what was her motivation for saying that. After all, the couple have been an :item” for five years now and have made their father's house their home. But it seems, where they live is the problem. The father has a leadership position in church and he was given the option of getting his house in order or resigning his position.

This mans first step was to tell his son and his girlfriend that they either had to get married or move into a place of their own. That answers the question of why they choose to get married now but it does open up another question: did they get married because they love each other or because they need a place to live? Why is it important that the couple get married at all?

The answer to that last question is simple. The world doesn't care but God does.

Remaining unmarried hurts the testimony of the father and is also a hindrance to his son and his girlfriend accepting Christ. It was a necessary and an important step in their relationship, in the stability of their home life and for their relationship to Jesus.

I know that he loves her. Some people have the money, the looks, the talent, and/or the personality to attract another to them as does poop to flies. But to others finding a suitable mate is a once in a lifetime option. This couple falls into the latter category so finding each other may be their only hope of finding love.

For them, remaining married may be easier than for the most attractive people for surely they have less opportunities for romance outside of marriage. Still, who wants to be stuck in a loveless marriage?  It is important to get that love fresh and alive. 

One must approach marriage just as one approaches shampooing their hair.

I hope it's obvious that on the day he proposed he was in love. I know that on the day I first met my future wife I was nervous and excited and was hoping I'd like her and that she would like me. I took a bath, shampooed my hair, cleaned my car, put on clean clothes and made sure I had my wallet with plenty of money. If I was attracted to her I wanted to impress her.

My wife and I have been married 10 years now. It doesn't matter if we are going out for a date or just to Hardee's for a burger. We could be going to the grocery store or to church. Regardless, I make sure my car is clean. I make sure I am clean. It is just as important to me now to impress her as it was the very first time we met. I am just as excited to see her in the morning as I was to see her on our second date. Making her happy is just as important to me today as it was the day I asked her to marry me.

There was sometime about me she was impressed with enough to fall in love with  and want to spend her life with me. I always want her to keep that impression. Whatever I did that caused her to love me is something I want to keep repeating. The directions on the shampoo bottle say wash, rinse, repeat. To keep a love strong, follow those directions: whatever you did that made someone fall in love with you, just keep repeating.

What is a basic girl?

I saw a headline state says" 35 Tattoos Every Basic Girl Wishes She Had"  Sponsored Brainjet.com

  What exactly is a basic girl?  I didn't know they can in different models.  How does one tell if his girl is a basic, a standard, or the deluxe model?  You tell your girl she is just a basic model.  I'll keep telling mine she is special. 

To Give or Not, That is the Question

     I'm a generous tipper.  My wife and I give 10% of our total income to church plus we give extra for the evening and mid-week services and for all the special needs offerings plus we buy a lot of things for the church, especially things that have to do with maintenance plus I take care of the mowing, lawn care, and just about any project that comes up.  Last month I purchased carpet and carpeted the two handicap ramps and the two flights of stairs.  All I'm saying is I'm not cheap nor am I opposed to giving.
     In October we had a family in need and my wife purchased $80.00 worth of food for them.  In November when my mom moved I gathered up all her food and gave to them.  There was at least $500.00 worth of food not counting what was taken out of her upright freezer.  We have given generously to everyone who needed help even when they haven't asked for help. 
   One lady who comes but has  to depend on others to get her there has asked for help for the fourth time, and this time she wants us to bring it to her.  She has an adult son who lives with her but he is too lazy to bring her to church so she has asked for rides from every member of the congregation.  Patsy quit the church because this woman would call twelve to fifteen times to make sure she is coming.  One elderly couple almost split up over this woman and another couple actually moved to avoid her.  She doesn't give a dime to the church, never says thank you to anyone who gives her a ride nor offers gas money or a lunch as a way of showing gratitude.  The only time her family comes is when they can get something for free from the church.  At a dinner the church put on they took 17 plates of food home with them.  At Christmas they take as many treat bags as they can garner. 
   And now the lady is asking for food again.  She hasn't been to church is several months because no one wants to give her a ride.  I am one of the first to step up if there is a fellow congregant  in need. 
Ever now and then we all get into a situation we need help.  A few years ago my wife had a brain aneurysm so the church brought us a chicken dinner that was enough for four meals for each of us.  Families get sick, suffer fires, auto accidents, lose jobs, and suffer losses that leaves them needing a little help getting by.  I am eager to help. 
   Where I draw the line is when I am expected to provide for some ones upkeep.  I pay taxes and give to charities for that.  My family budget doesn't provide for supplementing someone else upkeep.  Am I wrong?
  

No Drone Fly Zone

No flex drone! They knooooow better! (Thinkstock)

As anti-drone sentiment spreads, a new organization has risen to help individuals secure the blue skies above their properties. 

NoFlyZone.org lets you register your address online, letting drone manufacturers and fliers know that their machines are not welcome near your business or home, according to a report from TechCrunch,

Asheboro HUB

Former Courier-tribune editor Ray Criscoe has begun his own publication called the Asheboro HUB.  the first issue was released today and it's free, so far.  I suppose he is hoping to sell enough ads to cover printing costs and leave a little left over to support himself and his family.  I wish him well.

Ryder plays fetch

It doesn't seem like such a big deal that a pet would play fetch except that Ryder is a cat.  She is a tortoiseshell cat no one wanted but she is my baby.  She has a little blue mouse and a green mouse she prefers.  We have other colors but she all but ignores them..  She carries the mice between my room and my wife's room trying to get us to play fetch with her.  It isn't something we taught her but something she taught us to play. 
    She wants to play every day and often several times a day and she will play until either she is exhausted or our other cat Smokey has her attention drawn to the mouse.  For some reason Ryder always defers to Smokey yet they are about the same age and Ryder is the heavier of the two cats (although Smokey looks bigger because of her extra long coat). 
   Ryder always likes to be near someone.  In fact she is sitting on the back of my chair as I write.  She loves to be petted but don't even think about picking her up.  I did post a video on you tube but I have idea how to access it. 
 

ISIS beheadings

Another type of crime has been in the news lately and that is the beheadings and killings of hostages by the militant group known as ISIS.  Beheadings were shocking enough but it seems that with the burning of the Jordanian pilot, ISIS has sunk to the level of the Catholic Church. 

Trouble comes in three's

     When I was growing up people were fond of saying "Troubles come in three's" and it did seem like there were a bit of truth behind that statement.  Now it seems we would be fortunate if we could limit troubles to only three. 
    Work places shootings, shootings at school, and murder and murder-suicides at home seem to dominate the news in bunches.  Yesterday it was a family of four and today it was a mother and her 10 year old daughter.  It seems like an almost daily occurrence here recently.  I wonder if stories like this motivate others to commit similar act of violence.  Not copy cat killings per se but an encouragement to act on ones demented passions.
   I always wonder why the killer ends his rampage by taking their own life.  Is it a mistaken attempt to escape  blame or punishment or embarrassment for their irrational acts of violence?  Unfortunately we can't ask why because the killer is dead.  Sometimes though, the perpetrator fails to kill themselves and if pressed to give a reason for their actions they just say they don't know why.  Even they don't understand their own motivations behind their despicable actions.   But I'm like the vast majority of people, both bad and good that just wish these tragedies never occurred and that the rash of them will stop at the latest one. 
   
 

Check engine light in on again.

A few weeks back when it was nice, warm and sunny outside I washed by van.  Under the hood was covered in willow oak leaves so I made the mistake of washing them away.  Later when I went to drive the van it wasn't wanting to act right.  The check engine light came on so I took it to the shop but they found nothing wrong.  About three days after getting the van back the check engine light came on again and my mechanic still could find nothing wrong.  today coming back home from Hickory I was halfway to Randleman from Archdale when the check engine light came on again. 
   It is either a reaction to a fill-up in Thomasville  or there is something wrong under the hood. 
The first test showed a possible fouled plug in cylinder number six but it wasn't conclusive.  The second test showed absolutely nothing.  It did seem that sometimes when I needed to accelerate the engine wanted to bog down a bit.  It seemed that if I let off of the gas pedal and then accelerate the engine would pick up speed.  The van seemed as if it ran a little rougher at times.  maybe I do have some fouled plugs. 
   I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Cold lingers on.

On January 28th I reported the signs of my first cold.  I started with zi-cam as always.  This cold was a little different as most often my cold starts in my head then goes to my chest but this on started in my chest.   I never did develop a full blown chest cold.  it moved into my sinuses and after a few days I developed the hacking cough.  I started sucking on cough drops  and then I purchased some nasal spray.  Monday was the only day I ran a slight fever.  today was the best I've felt in awhile.  Mostly I've stayed home and inside but today I ventured out for a road trip to see Mom.  I was a little stuffy when I got home but a cough drop and a squirt of nasal spray cleared me right up.  I think I have this cold whooped now. 

I'm not understanding it

    I love my savior and I love reading and studying the bible and I love teaching.  What I don't understand is how people you don't study scriptures and ignore the circumstances around when and why a particular scripture was written, believe what they have been told and will attempt to destroy a man's ministry or break a church apart while refusing to view any evidence that might show that just maybe they didn't understand the scripture correctly. 
    Why are some people who are so ready to claim their love for Christ are so ready to condemn their fellow brother in Christ.  I am beginning to understand why people who quit going to church refuse to come back.  Christians can be so cruel to each other.  They will nod in agreement that they fully understand how to handle conflict as Christ has taught us yet they act as though their feeling and their ideas are so superior to other people that they can't possible be wrong and Christ's way is good enough for other but my indignation is to pure to be handled God's way. 
   I'm just not understanding this at all. 

How long to use a razor blade?

    It seems there have been attacks on the multi blade shavers of today. Oh, they are good but they are expensive.  For some reason disposables leave me bloodied and red so I only use them in cases of extreme emergency.  Because of the expense of the blades and, the irritation of my skin I tend not to shave everyday.  Now that I'm retired I could shave every other day.  When I worked I had to shave 5 days during the week and if I worked 3 or more days in a row my skin would be almost raw from the irritation. 
     I'm not about to go back to using the old style double edge blade.  One had to keep a stock of septic sticks and band aids handy when using those things.  I liked the Atra razor but there are no blades for them any more. 
    With the multi blade razors I could get about 10 shaves from one.  That was a pricy shave but with my coarse beard I dared not push it beyond that.  Then I discovered baby oil.  Go to the dollar tree.  don't look where the baby stuff is.  In my local store if you go to the register then turn right and walk all the way to the back of the store  one can pick up a ten oz. bottle for $1.00.  In the baby section the 6.5 oz is sold.  Walmart sells a 2 oz bottle for over $2.00.  Anyway, after your morning shave put a couple drops of baby oil on your blades, back and front.  Doing that I've stretched my comfortable shaves to 4 weeks. 
     In Oct 2014 the nearest K-mart closed in doors and I purchased a cheap electric shaver, battery operated for half price.  it doesn't give a really good shave but using it is better than not shaving at all.  Now I shave with a razor on Wednesdays and Sundays every week (for church).  I shave with the razor every other Tuesday (for church visitation days) and on any other day when looking ones best is required.  I use my electric shaver   one the other days.  It works out to be about half and half, electric vs. manual shaving.  What I have found though is that if I use the electric shaver first then my manual shaver later and continuing to us the baby oil I can use my razor blade for a much longer period of time.  it fact I just installed the first new blade since I purchased my electric shaver.  That is 5 1/2 months on one blade.    
   Now shaving isn't expensive any more. 

My two cents worth on the Super Bowl

     I haven't watched a football game in several years now and it's been 5 or 6 since I've seen a Super Bowl game.  Even so I know the score and who won and how the game ended.  The coach was thinking that the opponents were expecting a run so a pass might have a higher than average chance of working.  If it had he would be called gutsy and brilliant.  The play didn't work  and the play is being heralded as one of the worst decisions in history of professional football.  That is a little harsh but some decision has to be the worst one and this decision certainly has some qualifications.  At first I thought it might have been just sour grapes over a favored team losing but then I remembered a game I played in as a youngster.
    The team I was playing for was a few points behind and the ball was about a foot or less from the goal line and we had a first down.  The game was almost over.  I was playing a position I don't believe exists anymore.  It was called right half back then.  I was supposed to take the handoff.  The right end was supposed to drive his man to the right and the tackle was supposed to drive his man to the left and I was supposed to drive my way through the hole.  The only problem with the plan was the tackle on defense was a monster,  He was not only big but he was tall and he moved really quick.   I got back to the line of scrimmage and that was it.
   We called the same plan and had the same results.  We tried it the third time and I ended up in the same spot.  The quarterback was frustrated.  No one knew what to do.  It was a fact that if I couldn't get the ball across the goal line no one on our time could.  The decision was made to call a different plan but I said "no".  All three times we ran the play we had the exact same results.  I had memorized everyone's reactions.  "Let's run it again," I begged, "I saw something and I know I can score."  My plea prevailed.  I took the snap and the linemen made contact with their men just as before.  The hole opened up just as it had in the previous three plays.  As played I cut to my right to drive through the hole and just as it has previously the hole began to close.  Their big man was about to do to me what he had done three times before. 
  Immediately after I had cut to my right I made a quick turn to my left, jumped over my   lineman into the space vacated by their big man.  We won.
   The point of this story is not that I was the team hero that day but that when the game is on the line the best play is to do what you do best and use your weakness to your advantage.