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.