New Prayer Corner Blog!

I recently posted a piece about the prayer walk several of us took on New Year’s Day. I posted the same item on my blog at Blogevolve.com. That is a community blog site that has a comfortable feel, small town feel.


One of the comments I received from the post was that perhaps I should begin a prayer ministry in that blog village. After giving it some thought, I decided to give that a try, but not on my FFF blog there. So I started a new blog on the site called Prayer Corner . I made an offer to post prayers in response to requests I might receive. The reaction has been cordial, and a few requests have been made. I figured it would not hurt to make the site known to those who might read my blog here.


The downside to the situation is that in order to post a request there, you would have to be signed up on the site. So I set up a new email account for someone that might want to have a prayer offered, whether posted on the site, or offered in private. That email address is prayercorner@ymail.com.

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Timid Investor!

I am not a very adventurous investor, probably because I have so little understanding of stock trading and how the market works. I do not feel that I can afford to risk what little I have in something I do not comprehend with clarity. So I have just stuck with a steady investment in a quality mutual fund for many years.

But I have good friends that kid me frequently because I am not participating in online trading. All three of them spend a little time each day monitoring the business pages and market trends. They connect with their online brokers and make trades regularly. They have done very well, better than me, with their investments. But part of their enjoyment comes in having so much control over their financial decisions and their future!

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Book Review of HOUSE, by Farnk Peretti & Ted Dekker!

I love to read, but the horror genre has been off limits ever since I saw the original Psycho in 1960 and was scared to walk the three blocks to my home. I was 12 and I decided then that I did not want anything to do with such movies, stories, books, or even “fun” houses at the fair!

So I was surprised to receive a novel for Christmas, House, by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. My daughter, who gave me the book, knew that I loved This Present Darkness, also by Peretti, so she thought that I would like this one too. She said it was “Christian Horror.” I never knew there was such a thing!

I want to review the book here, and I hate to give away any of the drama in the book, but I am not sure how to give a good review without describing some of the key elements, so if you think you might want to read the book, maybe you ought not read any further in this post.

I entered the book with trepidation. I met Jack and Stephanie as they were on their way to a counseling session to try to salvage their marriage. Things had not gone well for them following the drowning of their daughter a year earlier.
Their trip took a detour that led to their being drawn to an isolated house that looked like an old Southern inn when they arrived. But it turned out to be anything but a place of cordial hospitality. Another couple, Randy and Leslie, also found themselves in the place that night. The four shared a night of unmitigated terror.

As the evening unfolded, the house seemed to be alive, with a mind of its own. It seemed to know the hearts of the four trapped inside by the machinations of the house itself and the villain, Barsidious White.

The story moves at a good pace and helps the reader to get a growing awareness that the personal guilt of the individuals was contributing to the animosity of the house toward the victims. I must admit that I can think of few things that are more horrifying and painful than having to come face to face with one’s hidden sinfulness.

The story allows for redemption and a victory of good over evil only if those trapped inside would indeed acknowledge the sins they had been covering up, while blaming others for their plight in life. Though the word is never used in the book, repentance is an absolute necessity if the sinner wanted to live another day.

Good does win out for some of the four, and though it appears the story is over, we leave the book with an awareness that the evil perpetrators were far from finished with their “game”.

The book has been recently made into a movie, released last November. I promise, I will not go see it. And I hope I do not have images appear in my mind in the night!

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Way Ahead of His Time!

I have my cell phone programmed to call my wife by my voice command. I just used that feature and delivered a message. I have done that a thousand times, but for some reason this time it caused me to think of a guy I had not thought of in over 30 years.

We were in the 8th grade, so it was 1961 I think, and we had to do science projects. That may have been the year I made an anamometer. But John Treichler brought in his project and wowed us all. He had two telephones, remember the old rotary dials? He picked up one receiver and spoke the number into it, and the other phone rang! We were impressed.

Johnny accelerated his education and entered Rice University, an elite institution, while the rest of us were still in high school. I have not seen him since the football game against our biggest rivalry when I was a senior.

I decided to Google his name today and found that he got his bachelor and masters degrees from from Rice adn his PHDEE from Stanford. He served in the Navy in the early 70's, remember Viet Nam?


Back in 1984 he helped co-found Applied Signal Technologies. He now makes over half a million in annual compensation. I wonder how many of his ideas I have used unknowingly over the years?

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Prayer Walk

A number of us from the congregation where I worship live in the same general neighborhood in which my family lives. That represents 15 households. One of the members in that neighborhood invited all those families to open the New Year with a prayer walk. On the evening of the 1st of January, those who were in town met at our home at 6:30. WE read some Scriptures that had been selected and then a prayer was offered for that home and for an element of the ministers at our congregation.

From there we walked to the nearest home of the 15 we would visit for prayer. Again we read from the Bible and prayed for that home and for another element of our congregation. We continued the pattern, walking, reading, praying for the home and an segment of the congregation or community till the circuit was completed. Some very sweet thoughts were offered up by those that led the prayers.

It always amazes me how special times of prayer bring blessing and a peace of mind. It was a good way for fellow Christians and neighbors to start a New Year.

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Honest Scrap Award

I learned a couple of days ago that Malcolm Campbell has honored me with The Honest Scrap Award.

First, I'm sure the word is supposed to be "Crap" and not "Scrap." Second, the honor is dubious in that it invites people to confess stuff so that, if it hasn't been noted in their permanent records before, it will be now.

Anyhow, this confession must include ten honest (fooey) secrets that most people don't know about me along with seven victims whom I want to honor (hahaha). First, the secrets:




1. The first movie that made me cry was Old Yeller.

2. I do not like any peanut butter but Peter Pan.

3. My shoe size is 8 ½ EEE.

4. I have read at least the equivalent of a book a week every year since 1983, and I have a list of all the titles.

5. My middle name is Gabel, my mother’s maiden name.

6. My wife retired on the 19th.

7. I have never used an ATM machine.

8. In my early teen years I stayed summers with my Dad’s people in Arkansas, where I did things like chopping cotton and snapping beans.

9. Two foods that look like they should taste good but don’t are tomatoes and cantaloupes.

10. I am not sure I have seven blogging friends that are not on Malcolm’s list!
Now for the “friends” that I want to tag”

MadameBlogsalot


Jellen

HuttRiver

Jeanne

Elly

Paul Cartwright

Plain Jane

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Christmas Day 2008

Christmas Day began fairly normally, with the 9 & 7-year-old grandsons got up early to discover the treasures Santa had left for them. Each of the boys got a video game system, a movie and a remote control flying disc that is safe to fly indoors. The morning was spent in getting a feel for the games and the flying saucers.
My daughter who lives in Singapore is home for the holidays, so in mid-morning she went to the Pasadena to pick up my mother-in-law, who is 81 and in declining health. They got to the house about noon, as did my youngest daughter, and my oldest daughter and her family.


We decided a few days that instead of traditional Christmas foods, we would have beans and cornbread. There were some other dishes, but the meal was relaxed and very pleasant, not to mention tasty!


Next came the gift exchange between the immediate family members. We took our time and all watched as each present was opened. One of our favorite traditions over the past twenty or so years is the opening or the stocking stuffers that we all get for each other. Some of the most creative and imaginative things show up at this time. For instance, my daughter found a pack of Teaberry gum, which was a favorite of ours in when she was a little girl, but that we both thought was no longer made!


But this is where normal left us today! The little boys and their fifteen-year-old cousin decided to take the flying discs outside to see how high they would fly. One of them got up to around 50 or 60 feet and the wind blew it across the street and into the back yard of the neighbors. Ringing a doorbell and making a request easily retrieved it.


But the other disc, when about 30 feet up, a gust blew it into the top of an ash tree in another neighbors yard. It stuck there and the remote could not dislodge it. So we sent one of the boys to bring his football. We threw the football in an attempt to know the disc free. Before long the football was also stuck in the top of the tree. Then shortly after that we stuck a basketball up there. Then a baseball joined the others. Next we tried tying a rock to a small rope to throw over a limb so we could shake the entire tree. About this time the neighbors came home and found us all “playing “in their yard.


One by one the balls fell from the tree. Then we had to find a way to get the rock down. It took us a while, but we did it. We had spent two hours in the project. Oh, by the way, the disc is still in the tree at this writing!
We went in, played a game, another of our Christmas traditions. We laughed and competed and had a wonderful time.


I always enjoy Christmas day with my family, and I think I will long remember this afternoon’s ordeal!

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