Good Monday morning. It's time to get up and get going on this July 12, 2010. I'll soon click over the age clock to 64. People who are in the age bracket 60 to 64 make up only 3
.8% of the total US population. That category is next to the smallest segment following those who are 85 or older who make up 1.5%. I suppose this gives me some good news to start off my work week. Or does it? Nothing like some meaningful statistics to get your day started off on the right foot, right? Come to think about it, I suppose for some it could get you started off on the left foot and if that is your preference, then go for it! You can tell I like perusing statistical information. It's always interesting to me to see where the United States ranks among the world's countries. Today some 150,000 people will die all over the world. In our country we lose approximately 8.3 per 1,000 people. That's very respectable compared to the death rates that existed in ancient times where it averaged 40 per 1,000 people. However, it's always surprising to see so many countries that have much lower death rates than we do. A place like Costa Rica has a death rate that is roughly half of ours here in the states. Most of the Arab countries are in the 2's and 3's and I would guess it's because of their prohibitions against alcohol and smoking. But we could be worse off. The Russians have a rate more than double ours and the war torn countries are even higher still. What does this tell us about our life? It certainly confirms that the death rate per individual is exactly 1 for 1, eventually, 100%, just like the Scriptures tell us, "It's appointed unto men once to die and after this, the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) These stats also tell us that how we take care of our bodies does make a difference, but for believers we come away from these computations understanding that our life is in God's hands, and He is Sovereign, and when He calls us home, it will be on His schedule, at the right time. Amen.
I suppose what got me started on thinking about thinking about all of this was a phone call I received the other night. It was actually a phone call in a vivid dream I had. It was from a dear relative th
at has already passed on to the other side. It was a dream, okay? But, the uncanny thing about it was the clarity of the voice and how it seemed so odd at the time. It had been raining and raining and this person called me to let me know he was going to try and make it back to Louisiana even though there was some flooding. In the middle of our conversation the line went dead and a few minutes later I was awakened from sleep. Shortly thereafter my wife woke up because she thought she heard a noise and I told her about my dream. Weird? Sure, sometimes dreams are like that. Please don't send me your interpretations about what this dream may mean because I am not really into that sort of thing. But, it was a memorable experience, and I think it's true this happens most often when you are awakened shortly after having had a dream like this, because typically we do not always remember much about our dreams. No, I did not set out to give you my own personal episode of the Twilight Zone but we all have things that happen from time to time that cause us to pause and reflect. Right? That does happen to other people, doesn't it?
I don't know if you remember it or not but I did predict this spy swap deal. It was in my last Monday's blog. Who knows? This event could spur interest in spy thrillers again. Back in the day when I did do quite a bit of reading books, this was by far my favorite genre. I suppose my favorite author is Len Deighton from Britain who specializes in the minute details of the spy trade. My favorites of his books from his huge body of work was a three novel series featuring a character named Bernard Sampson who was, of course, a master spy. I might have to revisit some of his work
since I can recall enjoying it so much. However, I more or less gave up reading these types of works, not because of there being anything wrong with reading them, but mainly because of prioritizing my time around reading other things I felt to be more important. So there you have it. Today's Menu: Some life and death stats, an unusual dream, and some spy intrigue thrown in for good measure. You may miss some substance when you tune in to this dial on my radio blog but you will have to admit that you rarely lack for variety. And, supposedly, it is the spice of life. But that reminds me of my Gastroenterologist who told me to stay away from spicy stuff, but of course that's another story for another time. Until then, may the Good Lord, and He is good, may He take a liking to you and yours. Amen. .......More later.
.8% of the total US population. That category is next to the smallest segment following those who are 85 or older who make up 1.5%. I suppose this gives me some good news to start off my work week. Or does it? Nothing like some meaningful statistics to get your day started off on the right foot, right? Come to think about it, I suppose for some it could get you started off on the left foot and if that is your preference, then go for it! You can tell I like perusing statistical information. It's always interesting to me to see where the United States ranks among the world's countries. Today some 150,000 people will die all over the world. In our country we lose approximately 8.3 per 1,000 people. That's very respectable compared to the death rates that existed in ancient times where it averaged 40 per 1,000 people. However, it's always surprising to see so many countries that have much lower death rates than we do. A place like Costa Rica has a death rate that is roughly half of ours here in the states. Most of the Arab countries are in the 2's and 3's and I would guess it's because of their prohibitions against alcohol and smoking. But we could be worse off. The Russians have a rate more than double ours and the war torn countries are even higher still. What does this tell us about our life? It certainly confirms that the death rate per individual is exactly 1 for 1, eventually, 100%, just like the Scriptures tell us, "It's appointed unto men once to die and after this, the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27) These stats also tell us that how we take care of our bodies does make a difference, but for believers we come away from these computations understanding that our life is in God's hands, and He is Sovereign, and when He calls us home, it will be on His schedule, at the right time. Amen.I suppose what got me started on thinking about thinking about all of this was a phone call I received the other night. It was actually a phone call in a vivid dream I had. It was from a dear relative th
at has already passed on to the other side. It was a dream, okay? But, the uncanny thing about it was the clarity of the voice and how it seemed so odd at the time. It had been raining and raining and this person called me to let me know he was going to try and make it back to Louisiana even though there was some flooding. In the middle of our conversation the line went dead and a few minutes later I was awakened from sleep. Shortly thereafter my wife woke up because she thought she heard a noise and I told her about my dream. Weird? Sure, sometimes dreams are like that. Please don't send me your interpretations about what this dream may mean because I am not really into that sort of thing. But, it was a memorable experience, and I think it's true this happens most often when you are awakened shortly after having had a dream like this, because typically we do not always remember much about our dreams. No, I did not set out to give you my own personal episode of the Twilight Zone but we all have things that happen from time to time that cause us to pause and reflect. Right? That does happen to other people, doesn't it?I don't know if you remember it or not but I did predict this spy swap deal. It was in my last Monday's blog. Who knows? This event could spur interest in spy thrillers again. Back in the day when I did do quite a bit of reading books, this was by far my favorite genre. I suppose my favorite author is Len Deighton from Britain who specializes in the minute details of the spy trade. My favorites of his books from his huge body of work was a three novel series featuring a character named Bernard Sampson who was, of course, a master spy. I might have to revisit some of his work
since I can recall enjoying it so much. However, I more or less gave up reading these types of works, not because of there being anything wrong with reading them, but mainly because of prioritizing my time around reading other things I felt to be more important. So there you have it. Today's Menu: Some life and death stats, an unusual dream, and some spy intrigue thrown in for good measure. You may miss some substance when you tune in to this dial on my radio blog but you will have to admit that you rarely lack for variety. And, supposedly, it is the spice of life. But that reminds me of my Gastroenterologist who told me to stay away from spicy stuff, but of course that's another story for another time. Until then, may the Good Lord, and He is good, may He take a liking to you and yours. Amen. .......More later. 
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