Sunday, I was hit with about 10 tons of pine tree pollen in the face. I tried to hold my breath to no avail. It was too late, I knew I was going to die.
So sicker than a dog. Can barely breathe.
And it seems to be in my lungs as well. Sure hope I do not get too ill!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Break
So, I have survived mid-terms at college. Yeah, it was pretty horrible overall. The easiest was my math class where the teacher decided not to give one at all and instead use the grade from our last test - SCORE! I had a 96 on that test and was not real sure how I would do if the mid-term was comprehensive! My (il-)logic class was accomplished with two minutes to spare and I feel good about it. Certainly, I gave it my best shot and earned whatever my grade will reflect (please dear Lord a C at least!). And that leaves my class on building servers..... Not real sure on that one. I completely studied for the wrong test. I concentrated on the how, not the why's and guess what 50 of 56 questions were on. Yeah. So we will see. The instructor likes me and loves my daughter, so maybe I will get mercy points for a daughter whom is pretty sharp and speaks CISCO networks.....
God continues to do the oddest things in my life. I was mentally dead last night when the phone rang and it was son, his bike had broken down and he needed a pick up. Now son and I can not lift that bike of his, and everyone other than daughter and I were long in bed. So, we got to go pick up son. Only, the truck ran out of gas! Yeah, I had filled it earlier to go to the dump..... Someone must have figured out how to siphon the truck and that tank lasted all of 36 miles! Mighty expensive mileage there. So daughter and I got a chance to talk a two mile walk at mid-night. All went well, no muggings, no one hit by a car, etc. Just a chance to walk and talk. And that is how my life has been since January 17th, them most random of moments to be together to talk. I am not complaining but it is so obvious that one would have to be brain dead not notice and wonder at the why He is setting aside time for us to talk - much less actually have something to talk about. Vvvvvverrrrrryyyy Interestink!
So it is early and I think I will work on my to do list for today! First up, call my dear friend in the Tucson hospital. Oh yeah, turns out he overheated, had a heart attack, which set off his silicous lung problem and why they originally thought it was lung failure. But, now he is doing much better and might get out of the hospital this week! Keep praying for his salvation - you will to know him in Heaven, might cool dude and very God-ly non-Christian.
God continues to do the oddest things in my life. I was mentally dead last night when the phone rang and it was son, his bike had broken down and he needed a pick up. Now son and I can not lift that bike of his, and everyone other than daughter and I were long in bed. So, we got to go pick up son. Only, the truck ran out of gas! Yeah, I had filled it earlier to go to the dump..... Someone must have figured out how to siphon the truck and that tank lasted all of 36 miles! Mighty expensive mileage there. So daughter and I got a chance to talk a two mile walk at mid-night. All went well, no muggings, no one hit by a car, etc. Just a chance to walk and talk. And that is how my life has been since January 17th, them most random of moments to be together to talk. I am not complaining but it is so obvious that one would have to be brain dead not notice and wonder at the why He is setting aside time for us to talk - much less actually have something to talk about. Vvvvvverrrrrryyyy Interestink!
So it is early and I think I will work on my to do list for today! First up, call my dear friend in the Tucson hospital. Oh yeah, turns out he overheated, had a heart attack, which set off his silicous lung problem and why they originally thought it was lung failure. But, now he is doing much better and might get out of the hospital this week! Keep praying for his salvation - you will to know him in Heaven, might cool dude and very God-ly non-Christian.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Nook
I wanted to get Gaelic Girl something for mother's day, but what? She has the money to get herself anything she wants - except happiness. I wish I could discuss happiness with her but I know that subject is out of bounds. Gingers really do not handle suggestions much less criticism well.....
So, I thought I could do a computer for her, but when I priced it out, well it was out of my league. ARGH! I hate being poor! Such is the effects of 2.5 years of no work.....
Gaelic Girl reads an incredible amount - and her books might be part of the problem. (No, I didn't just say that!) So, thinking out loud, as I often do, I was sorting out the Kindle, Nook, IPad delima. I finally settled on the Nook. But, there is the very basic black and white and a color one. Which one, which one?!?!?!? Then Yesfir, suggested the Nook Tablet. So I went and checked it out.
Now Gaelic Girl's lives is fairly bland technology life: Spider Solitaire and Maj Jong are her games of choice. On the internet she does email and FaceBook, plus some surfing the web for quilting patterns and ideas. The Tablet does all of these.
I played with the machine a bit at Barnes and Nobles. I liked it. I bought it. Now will she use it? We shall see. She is not exactly talking to me still so.....
So, I thought I could do a computer for her, but when I priced it out, well it was out of my league. ARGH! I hate being poor! Such is the effects of 2.5 years of no work.....
Gaelic Girl reads an incredible amount - and her books might be part of the problem. (No, I didn't just say that!) So, thinking out loud, as I often do, I was sorting out the Kindle, Nook, IPad delima. I finally settled on the Nook. But, there is the very basic black and white and a color one. Which one, which one?!?!?!? Then Yesfir, suggested the Nook Tablet. So I went and checked it out.
Now Gaelic Girl's lives is fairly bland technology life: Spider Solitaire and Maj Jong are her games of choice. On the internet she does email and FaceBook, plus some surfing the web for quilting patterns and ideas. The Tablet does all of these.
I played with the machine a bit at Barnes and Nobles. I liked it. I bought it. Now will she use it? We shall see. She is not exactly talking to me still so.....
Monday, May 14, 2012
Obedience or Death
Sometimes I can be fairly blind to the obvious.
Daughter and I were talking this weekend, over a hot BBQ, about how did we get to where we are today. And, something dawned on me. A discomformity, something that is out of sequence. It has been sitting in the back of my mind for months and I just could not put my finger on it.....
Back in October, when my kidneys failed, the doctor did not have a great deal of hope, but life could be lived on a dialysis machine. And then the liver started failing again - as it had years ago. I now know this may be a genetic thing since my father wrote several times about his in his memoirs. But, I knew in early November that I might not be making it to the end of the year. My doctor of 30 years was very emotional about this.
And it dawned on me - Kris is still alive! His kidneys began function in January, as did the liver again. Cool miracle! Kris lives! Well I am not going to complain in any event. But, that nagging, unspoken question: Why?
Yesfir supplied the answer during our conversation - in January I became obedient, even knowing at the time that my days were very short, I was obedient and fully became her father. When each day is a gift, no matter the pain, no matter the problems, it is a little hard to say that I would not use my last days to be obedient in. Like a dying man needs to fear commitment?
Yet, by the end of January, both kidneys and my liver were functional - again. Yeah, I was in a back brace by then but I was alive! And I did not see the correlation here: My days were up and if I had not of been obedient, then that may well have remained true. But, I did as I was told and never realized that if I had not, I might have been now at peace.....
So, it is all my daughter's fault!
Our goal is not to see how many days we can live, or to even spend our time trying to divine the future, but to live each day as if it was to be our last. I was and had been for three months!
And I am reminded once again of January 14, 1987, the day God told me my remaining life was now His. And since, then there seems to have not been much use for me really at all. Until called Yesfir into my life as family, not just another kid.
Hmmm
Daughter and I were talking this weekend, over a hot BBQ, about how did we get to where we are today. And, something dawned on me. A discomformity, something that is out of sequence. It has been sitting in the back of my mind for months and I just could not put my finger on it.....
Back in October, when my kidneys failed, the doctor did not have a great deal of hope, but life could be lived on a dialysis machine. And then the liver started failing again - as it had years ago. I now know this may be a genetic thing since my father wrote several times about his in his memoirs. But, I knew in early November that I might not be making it to the end of the year. My doctor of 30 years was very emotional about this.
And it dawned on me - Kris is still alive! His kidneys began function in January, as did the liver again. Cool miracle! Kris lives! Well I am not going to complain in any event. But, that nagging, unspoken question: Why?
Yesfir supplied the answer during our conversation - in January I became obedient, even knowing at the time that my days were very short, I was obedient and fully became her father. When each day is a gift, no matter the pain, no matter the problems, it is a little hard to say that I would not use my last days to be obedient in. Like a dying man needs to fear commitment?
Yet, by the end of January, both kidneys and my liver were functional - again. Yeah, I was in a back brace by then but I was alive! And I did not see the correlation here: My days were up and if I had not of been obedient, then that may well have remained true. But, I did as I was told and never realized that if I had not, I might have been now at peace.....
So, it is all my daughter's fault!
Our goal is not to see how many days we can live, or to even spend our time trying to divine the future, but to live each day as if it was to be our last. I was and had been for three months!
And I am reminded once again of January 14, 1987, the day God told me my remaining life was now His. And since, then there seems to have not been much use for me really at all. Until called Yesfir into my life as family, not just another kid.
Hmmm
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The Avengers
How is it that you go to what should be a pretty cheesy B or C grade movie and it ends up being an A-movie? Holy Cow!, what a movie!
Lots of violence but language was all appropriate, girls kept their clothes on and the good guys win! A perfect western, er, Kris movie! :^) Abundant humor, some of it dark, which is always the best in my mind! Most of the characters did any standing job. Cheers for the Loki performance!
It was a good continuation of the Captain America movie which I thought quite good, even if Germans were being killed. Continues the Thor saga, which was also a great movie. Works Iron Man in as well and of course the Hulk. Whomever the bow and arrow guy was, I liked him. I have a feeling he is a real person.
What I was not impressed with was Thor's inability to replicate his performance from the movie of the same name. He was at best shallow and a mega-hunk to keep young girls happy. And Scarlett Johansson? Personally, I have no idea why anyone puts her in a movie, but then I am not normal - I realize this. But she was by far the weakest link and should have been voted off the set very early on.
Other jeers: really horrible CGI which was made less obvious by being in 3-D, the Russian conversations where horrible and the signs in the background where just characters not real words. A Russian consultant for 5 minutes would have cost them what, $1000 at the most? Gees, save money in all of the wrong places!
If you have not seen it, you might consider it. This was an awesome movie. Comes with my son in-laws, Yesfir and my approvals..... Now I have to see it in 2-D to see which version I like the most.
And oh by the way, you have to stay to the very end of the credits to see one of the best gag moments concluded..... Most of the audience had left and so missed a very funny routine......... It was falling out of your seat funny and I had to explain it to those around me because it was so subtle. I love subtle humor.
Lots of violence but language was all appropriate, girls kept their clothes on and the good guys win! A perfect western, er, Kris movie! :^) Abundant humor, some of it dark, which is always the best in my mind! Most of the characters did any standing job. Cheers for the Loki performance!
It was a good continuation of the Captain America movie which I thought quite good, even if Germans were being killed. Continues the Thor saga, which was also a great movie. Works Iron Man in as well and of course the Hulk. Whomever the bow and arrow guy was, I liked him. I have a feeling he is a real person.
What I was not impressed with was Thor's inability to replicate his performance from the movie of the same name. He was at best shallow and a mega-hunk to keep young girls happy. And Scarlett Johansson? Personally, I have no idea why anyone puts her in a movie, but then I am not normal - I realize this. But she was by far the weakest link and should have been voted off the set very early on.
Other jeers: really horrible CGI which was made less obvious by being in 3-D, the Russian conversations where horrible and the signs in the background where just characters not real words. A Russian consultant for 5 minutes would have cost them what, $1000 at the most? Gees, save money in all of the wrong places!
If you have not seen it, you might consider it. This was an awesome movie. Comes with my son in-laws, Yesfir and my approvals..... Now I have to see it in 2-D to see which version I like the most.
And oh by the way, you have to stay to the very end of the credits to see one of the best gag moments concluded..... Most of the audience had left and so missed a very funny routine......... It was falling out of your seat funny and I had to explain it to those around me because it was so subtle. I love subtle humor.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Looming Death
I sit here troubled this morning, one of the best men I have ever known lies in a Tucson hospital right now. Yeah, he is failing.
He was a mine construction engineer, pick the American superfund clean-up site and yup - it was probably his. One would imagine that this is horrible, but he came up with ways of doing things never thought of before. Oh yeah, in the longer term, really bad ideas but in the 1940's through 1970's, no one actually knew the real cost of mining on the environment - nor really cared.
Because he is one of the best men I have ever known, it was virtually impossible to witness to him. His life was what any Christian males should have been! He was involved in a local church, but he had no faith. And that was the problem. His life was what he wanted, he lived to the aspirations taught him by his mother and so really hard to demonstrate need - when he is not being convicted of something in his life!
His second wife is a Christian. She knew better than to marry a none believer, but she did it because he is a heck of a nice guy! Years later she told me through her tears at how his hatred for God was killing her. She wanted him in heaven but he would not even discuss this with her. Yeah, unequally yoked, missionary marriage, how ever you want to call it - it will be devastation on her when he is gone.
So please be in prayer for Richard. I love the guy and I surely would love for him to finally address his need for a savior.....
He was a mine construction engineer, pick the American superfund clean-up site and yup - it was probably his. One would imagine that this is horrible, but he came up with ways of doing things never thought of before. Oh yeah, in the longer term, really bad ideas but in the 1940's through 1970's, no one actually knew the real cost of mining on the environment - nor really cared.
Because he is one of the best men I have ever known, it was virtually impossible to witness to him. His life was what any Christian males should have been! He was involved in a local church, but he had no faith. And that was the problem. His life was what he wanted, he lived to the aspirations taught him by his mother and so really hard to demonstrate need - when he is not being convicted of something in his life!
His second wife is a Christian. She knew better than to marry a none believer, but she did it because he is a heck of a nice guy! Years later she told me through her tears at how his hatred for God was killing her. She wanted him in heaven but he would not even discuss this with her. Yeah, unequally yoked, missionary marriage, how ever you want to call it - it will be devastation on her when he is gone.
So please be in prayer for Richard. I love the guy and I surely would love for him to finally address his need for a savior.....
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Recalling Years Ago
I sort of stumbled, just a little, yesterday. Daughter asked me, "How does one take every thought captive?" And my mind sort of blanked out. I gave her the right answer, just not the best answer. So, I thought this would make a good post, as well as, answer her question!
2 Corinthians
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Indeed, how does one hold one's thoughts captive?
And my mind this morning roamed back to my early years as a Christian. So long ago, so horrible, no wonder I really do not like remembering those years!
I was a very carnal non-Christian, we all are, no matter how well you thought of yourself. For me, not in the context of how this word is used in American Christian circles, but in terms of being worldly and oh so self-centered. And when I became a Christian - that pull of the world did not magically disappear, nor did memories I should never have had. And I struggled with this verse.
How could Paul take every thought captive? Where did Jesus say we had to do this to be obedient to Him? This is just too hard! PERIOD!
And you know, when you challenge God, He is going to give you plenty of opportunities for self improvement..... Christians, people I trusted, led this young Christian down not so good of a path and yeah, gave me plenty of material to work with in trying to take my thought life captive.
How do you do it?
You have to be willing to battle yourself and your mind.
You have to be willing to pray a thousand times a day, for years, if that is that it takes.
Every time an inappropriate thought or memory comes to mind - you turn it over to God in prayer and ask Him to block such things from your mind.
Repeat as necessary.
No, you wail! But, yes, it is time plus obedience in prayer that is going to free you.
That freedom came after two years of solid prayer for me. I was convinced I was the worse Christian on the planet, but I knew I had to rid my mind of the worldliness which tormented me. Eventually, God helped all of those memories fade away, only reappearing within the context of helping others understand where I came from and/or to help them know what worked for me.
Across time you can take every thought captive, but it will not happen all at once, nor be an easy process. Why? I think it has something to do with God helping us to understand the gravity of what it was that separated us from Him. We never view our own sin with the appropriate horror, but when we are faced with killing its memories - mighty darn hard.
Of course, you also have to remember that we have an Accuser whom specializes in bringing up our past in our mind and through just the randomness of life. So, not only are you in need of prayer that God will remove and take captive those parts of our thought life which are in sin, but also to bind the evil one from the freedom to bring back situations, occurrences and memories which are not glorifying to God - nor yourself!
So, two prong attack: turning thoughts over to God for His trashcan, blocking evil from presenting you with your past as a way of stealing your freedom from yourself as a Christian.
If you have confessed your life to God, in Jesus, you are free - but still in bondage until you can free yourself from your past.
Sometimes I would be so angry at God! Why?!?!?!?!? Must I deal with all of the $^#$# from my past life? But, I had to. I am sure God laughed at my anger. He knows each of us from our smiling faces to our dark inner cores, and He still loves us, in spite of what that inner core really is. He wants to set us free from our past, so we can have a future, and think no more of ourselves than we should.
So, my dear readers, I am sure you have plenty to pray about today.....
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