#1 Turkey Trotter!

My firstborn just called to tell me about her morning run! She, and her husband, signed up for a charity 5K run dubbed the Turkey Trot because of its being held on Thanksgiving Day. She was excited to report that she had run her best time ever, 27:12, and had beaten all the females in the race! She was most proud of the fact that no teen, no 20 something, no 30 something had beaten her. She is 40, and now the title holder in the Turkey Trot!

Way to Go!

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Trying To Be A Godly GrandDad!

We were excited in the summer of 1992 to find out that we were to be grandparents for the first time in a few months. And when my wife and I attended a workshop a few days later, we were drawn to a class on grandparenting conducted by Stafford North and his wife. One of the things the North's challenge us to do in that class was to come up with some idea that would be a way to demonstrate to our grandkids how much we valued them.

As a result of that brainstorming session, I came up with a plan that I have been practicing now for nearly 16 years. My grandson was born on 14 January in 93. On the 14th of each month, he receives a card from me telling him how much he is loved, and picturing for himself a special feature I see for him. I also enclose a five dollar bill that is to be put into his mission fund, so that when he is 16 he will be able to go on a mission trip with me to the Caribbean.

I now have four grandchildren, and each of them receives a card each month on the date of their birth. I create the cards on the computer these days, so there is a personal touch even to the cards. I don't how much the cards mean to the kids, but it helps me express my deep love for them and I have a sense of connection that I might not otherwise have through these efforts. And next summer my first grandson will be old enough to take his first trip to Dominica with me!

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Second Guessing

Sunday we went to eat at Esteban's after morning services, and I did not get home in time to see the hit on Matt Schaub's knee. But he was surely hobbling around as he tried to play through the pain. He was obviously not able to all his strength into his throws. That fact cost the Texans dearly, as Schaub threw an interception rather than completing a pass to a wide-open Vonta Leach, just before halftime.

I found myself second-guessing the head coach, Gary Kubiak, for leaving his injured QB in, and not putting in the backup, Sage Rosenfels. My perceptions of seemed to be confirmed when Rosenfels started the second half and led the team on a nice scoring drive in their first possession.

However, near the end of the game, with a chance to tie the score, Rosenfels threw up on the unwise pass that resulted in an interception that essentially iced the game for Minnesota.

I said all that to point out that we, all too often, love to second-guess God, supposing that we know better. We want to dismiss some directive that seems to clash with society or "apparent" mitigating circumstance.

But the fact is that we don't know nearly enough to replace God's wisdom with our own. It is not in man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).

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As Election Day Approaches

I read these quotes in the October issue of Think Magazine. I thought I would post them here for your consideration and to hear your observations.

James Garfield—20th President--“Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these qualities to represent them in the national legislature.”

Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress--“If the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow. These considerations should lead us to be religiously careful in our choice of all public officers and judge of the tree by its fruits.”

As you vote, I urge you to implore God to grant you wisdom and a blessing upon this momentous day.

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

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Serendipity

Happiness is something we find, almost by accident, when doing something worthwhile. The days that you awake and say to yourself, "I'm gonna be happy today if it kills me", usually turn out to be the worst days.

It is on those days when you are actively doing something beneficial and you find yourself most happy. God intends His people to be happy, but self-gratification is not their prime motive.

Psalm 40:8 "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart."

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Worst Breakfast Ever!

Jellen is one of my favorite bloggers. She recently asked about the worst breakfast we have ever eaten. This is my entry, but let me preface it with a bit of background. I am a pretty picky eater. I can eat anything, but there are a lot of things I do not like.

I was on a trip to Dominica, staying with a local, eating whatever the lady of the house prepared. I had eaten pig snout soup, and pumpkin stew, and other indigenous dishes. I had been served a plate that had two small fish on it, whole fish that were about the size of bait back home, fried very crisp. When I asked my host how to eat them, from his plate he picked one up by the tail and bit the head off. I did the same.

After I had been there a week, my hostess announced that she was going to fix something American for my breakfast. She boiled some hot dogs--I don't like hot dogs. She sliced one of local small breads to use as a bun and put mustard on both sides--I do not like mustard. Next she took a tomato and sliced it. Half the slice was placed on one side of my hot dog--I really do not like tomatoes. The she sliced an onion and put half the slice on the other side of the hot dog--I detest onions. To top it off, my hostess drenched the whole thing with Thousand Island dressing--I do not like Thousand Island dressing at all!

When I took the first bite, it was all I could do to chew it, much less swallow it. Dressing was dripping from my wrist. It would have been better if I could have eaten it in one bite, but I had to struggle through the whole thing. It was the worst meal of my life!

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Pets

I have always been a dog lover. My dad got a collie about the time I was born so I would have a pet around. Lad was not very healthy and only lived till I was about four, and I only have vague memories of him beyond the stories Dad tells.

We next had a solid black mixed breed named Jet. He was a good dog to take into the woods behind our house. He loved to chase rabbits and squirrels, and he always warned us when a snake was around. He was eventually bitten by a snake and did not survive the bout.

When my grandpa started raising beagles, he had an award winning bitch named Bingo. I was given one of her pups when I was about 13. I named her Belle. I loved to hear that little girl bark and she would run all day. As a teenager, I did not pay her as much attention as she deserved, but my little brothers took good care of her. Belle was still apart of the family when I moved away for school.

We have had a few dogs over the years, but for several years we had no pets because we were so busy and away from home for days at a time so often, it would not have been fair to any furry friend.

But about four years ago we took on the task of raising our two youngest grandsons. I think all boys need a dog, so I tried to find out if I could trace out any of the beagle bloodline from my grandfather’s work. The AKC told me they could not give out such information because of privacy matters. That was about the time Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast, and there were lots of dogs in need of a boy or two.

We went to a local shelter and rescued a big yellow lab that we named Buccaneer. He looks a bit like Old Yeller in the Disney movie and he acts about like him too. I have seen the boys tackle him and him tackle them. I have seen them lying on the ground with one’s head on the other’s belly. Buc loves to fetch, especially when we take him to the creek at the back of our neighborhood and throw a stick or a Frisbee in the water. It is exactly as I hoped it would be, for the dog and for the boys!

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