Enjoy the cool while you can!

They tell us that we had better enjoy the cooler morning temps because after this two or three day interlude, summer will be here in full force. It's Wednesday, April 28, 2010 and we've been enjoying the low fifties each morning. (It's actually 48 degrees as I finish my blog and that's what I call a blessing to start out the day!) However, they tell us that we will be in the 'feel like' mid-nineties by the end of the work week and for most of us here in this humidity capital of the world, this means that meter affixed to the outside of our house will be spinning like there's no tomorrow. But we get what we get and we deal with it because it is certainly not something we can influence or control. That is, unless we are Al Gore. But whatever it is it doesn't keep us from talking about it, right? I actually heard that Al Gore is so boring that his secret service agents wanted to give him a name that would give him cover, so his code name is Al Gore. Recently Al Gore has said that global warming is actually much worse than originally thought. This is hard to fathom since he had previously predicted that it would eventually melt down the planet. Okay, these are jokes and Al Gore is an easy target. I happen to believe that we should be good custodians of the natural resources that God has entrusted us with but I do not believe in this environmental movement which seeks to empower a socialistic form of control over people's lives. I've been around long enough to know the uncontrolled daily pumping of 35,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico is not a good thing and we should remedy this situation as soon as possible. However, the answer is not to stop all drilling everywhere because we need the oil to fuel our everyday lives.

It seems that somehow just talking about the weather typically gets me to Al Gore. I can't even guess how those dots connect but when you tune in to this station you typically get whatever I happen to be broadcasting on that particular day. I realize that many of you probably think that when I am lost in thought it's probably very unfamiliar territory. It's gets pretty lonely sometimes being me. It's like one of Yogi's quotes: "Nobody goes where the crowds are today. It's just too crowded." Sadly, that makes perfect sense to me. In our Bible study class we have been working through a verse by verse study of the Book of Genesis. Last week we read about that remarkable audience between Jacob and the Pharaoh of Egypt. Jacob must have really looked old because the Pharaoh asked about his age. He told the Pharaoh that he was 130 years old but he certainly had not attained the age of his ancestors. His dad, Isaac, lived to be 180, and his grandfather Abraham lived to be 175. Then Jacob did something pretty phenomenal, he, the elderly shepherd and clan leader, who had just recently been facing famine and potential extinction, now standing before arguably the most powerful ruler in the world, he actually pronounced a blessing on the Pharaoh. Hello? How could this be? Jacob had every reason in the world to be in a position to bless the Pharaoh and reading all about it is very thrilling. You can find this amazing text by beginning in Genesis 12 and reading through to the end of the Book, in Chapter 50.

But being reminded of growing older is always good for a laugh or two. I have always liked this story about an older couple. The old couple were watching TV one evening, and the husband got up to go to the kitchen. His wife told him to get her some iced tea, and knowing that the years had taken their toll on his memory, she told him to write it down. "I can remember iced tea," he protested. "But I want sugar in my tea too," she told him, "so write it down." He told her he could remember iced tea with sugar. "I want a slice of lemon too." she said, "Just write it down." He left the room grumbling to himself. A few minutes later he came back with a plate full of mashed potatoes for her. "Now look what you've done!" she yelled at him, "You forgot my gravy!" None of us know exactly how many years we have left. At the time Jacob confirmed his age to be 130 he still had seventeen more years before he left this world for his true home in heaven. What we do know is that the amount of years is not as important as what we do with the time we have been given. May God help us all to use our time wisely, for His honor and glory, and in helping others along the way. And, maybe here and there, we need to be able to chuckle about it all. I think that would do each of us a world of good. Amen. .....More later.