The buzzards are circling? What makes you think my blog has anything to do with it?

Man, the animals do get used a lot when we are frustrated. Here we are, smack dab in the middle of the dog days of summer, wishing it might start raining cats and dogs, but we wouldn't want to have a black cat run across our path or be found to be dealing with the pink elephants that haunt some people, (That's what some folks used to see when they had taken in too many adult beverages). None of this has anything to do with anything important but it flashed into my center of consciousness and I felt compelled to share it with you on this Thursday, June 17, 2010. The fellow at the Whataburger this past Saturday morning told me that I might make a good Santa. I told him that according to my business card, I am the 'real' Santa. He was impressed with my stories about my first season as the jolly old elf and had some recommendations about particular movies that might help me prepare for this year's excursion into fairytale world. It makes me wonder if I am beginning to actually look more like the character I am playing. But then that would beg the question, which character? He called me dude one too many times to be taken seriously but I must confess that I have trouble remembering my age. Not literally, I know I am one of those first-fruit war babies born in 1946, but I do have trouble as it relates to category identification. I love old people. They are very special to me. But being one has yet to register on my radar screen. This can be rather embarrassing when I treat someone who is only a few years older than me like they are my grandfather. For some reason they don't always see this as a compliment. I know my body reminds me from time to time that the stubborn thinking apparatus is certainly stronger than the doing part. I guess I can fall back on the comment mentioned to me one day in my Bible study class where a fellow said he had heard that the new middle age was 60. This being true, then I have no right to be considering myself as a senior citizen.

The dude calling me dude offered to discount the coffee for free and I suppose this to be because of him thinking me to be Santa, and that would qualify me for the senior's discount but as I pointed out to him the coffee already came with the sausage biscuit meal. Remind me not to recruit him as a potential Elf helper. I did watch the World Cup Soccer match between the USA and England last Saturday. I know many folks would be ashamed to admit watching this since a majority still thinks it to be dull and boring as a spectator sport. It would seem the majority of the 7 billion folks who inhabit the planet would beg to differ with this assessment. I will tell you this. If you watch any of the matches at the world cup level you can never come away thinking this to be a 'sissy' sport. I don't know about the reputation for soccer being the sport for weenies where everyone wins and no one loses, let me assure you the kinds of pain inducing shenanigans I saw going on would make the toughest NFL star wince, especially if he's out there with no pads for protection. When I watch a match where the USA plays I am for the USA, period, end of story. I am not one of those purists who claim to love the sporting exhibition and enjoy seeing the best athletes. No way. I am for waving the American flag and rooting on our team and our way of life regardless of who the opponent happens to be. The American team fought England to a 1 - 1 tie which was like a huge victory since England is supposed to be one of the elite teams in the world. Go USA, Go USA!

At the same time I fully realize how that my patriotism toward our great country should never equal my devotion to my true homeland, yes, that land where I will live forever and ever. Amen. We can, and often we do, get so focused on the here and now that we lose connection to that land that Abraham was looking forward to living in, that place, that city, whose builder and maker is God Himself. Being loyal to the country of our natural birth is taught in the Scriptures. Being even more loyal to that land connected to our supernatural birth is even more encouraged as we see ourselves for who we really are, temporary residents of this world, on our way to our permanent abode in arriving at that place where Jesus said, that where I am, you may be also. It's okay to wave the American Flag but we should never neglect holding up the banner of truth that calls attention to our eternal homeland. The song is so true: "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through, My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the Angels beckon me from heaven's open door, And I can't feel at home in this world anymore." Wow! We do have something awaiting us that is special and the song writer said it this way: "I've got more to go to heaven for than I had yesterday!" Amen, Hallelujah, Praise our Great God! .....More later.