I suppose it's better to have a pain in the neck than to be one!

Welcome to Tuesday, here in the land of the free and home of the brave, on this, the 12th day of July, 2011. Yesterday was one of those 'pain in the neck' type days. No. It wasn't the vicissitudes of life that caused me to wince with every movement, it was my neck. I woke up with one of those big knots right at the base of my neck in the back and let me tell you, it was one of those hurt so bad it made me angry type of pains. You've never had one like that? Congratulations! I do hope and pray you can keep it that way. I felt just like the main character from the Life of Riley series, "What a revolting development this is!" Yes. I am well aware that it is self inflicted and I am well aware that it came about due to how I slept, and yes, I do remember that I used to tell the boys that you could not complain about self inflicted injuries. However, today I'm just reporting the facts, not complaining. You doubt that would have worked when they tried to say the same thing. Were you listening in on our family conversations, or what? At any rate, it made for a miserable start to my day. I nearly had a chill before I left the house it hurt so bad. I hate it when it goes like that. But, I've always believed that if you will get up and go, it can either get better or worse, and then you can deal with the results. You say you don't think that it takes a genius to figure that one out? Missed my point. My point is that when you are hurting so bad your teeth are crying, you still get up and go. Why? You can always deal with the outcome when it becomes the outcome. See what I mean? By the way, it did get better, not much better quickly, but it did get better and I am thankful for that. I must have a frank discussion with my three, count them, three feather pillows, some of which carry feathers that may be vintage 1940's, to figure out which one of them may be the source of my neck problem. I know it's a delicate balance but I do need their full cooperation. I'll let you know how it goes.

I heard the other day that psychologists have discovered that people who reminisce about days gone by with good and positive memories do better in life than those who don't. Duh! They needed a study to confirm that? If you have been a reader of my stuff for anytime at all then you are aware how thankful I am for my growing up days. And, I can say that without having to change any of it. Sure. There was plenty of anguish and heartache with so many tragedies that we dealt with back then, and since, however, for the most part it is a blessing to reflect upon the little things that God gave us to enjoy in our family, and in our hometown, and in our environment. I thought about this when my eldest son called me Sunday evening. They had gotten the bug to get one of those electric ice cream makers and he had called a couple of weeks ago to see if we still had Granny Mac's recipe for her version of homemade vanilla. It took a while going through my wife's thick and tattered cook book but we found it and keyed it in and sent it to him in an email On Sunday they had finally put it together and made a freezer full. He said when he tasted it he was immediately carried back to those days when we used to make it as part of a time of fellowship with friends in our Church back in the early 1970's. He said every bite reminded him of those times. Times of fellowship and feasting. He even remembered that his job was to keep the drain open as the freezer spun. He concluded that Granny Mac might be the source of Blue Bell's inspiration for their Homemade products. A bowl of ice cream brings back a bowl full of memories. Folks, I just can't see how you could improve on that. And, that is something to be thankful for. Amen.

We've being doing a verse by verse study through the Book of Exodus in our Sunday morning Bible Study time. As the teacher I have attempted to share the truth as it is presented while also connecting it into our experiences today. God inspired Moses to collect these words and preserve them for all generations to read and study, therefore, He, the Lord God of heaven, has something to say to us all as we take in His truths. As we are finishing up this great study we are currently looking at the building of the Tabernacle based on the precise instructions given to Moses while he was up on the mountain communing with God. Constructing this special tent with all of its unique articles and artisitc works was a mammoth undertaking. The first thing Moses did was to receive an offering for all the materials needed to build this place where God's presence would reside. The outpouring from the people of God was so great they had to put out a decree to stop the giving because they had too much. No. That wasn't put in there for TV evangelists to use to beat people over the head. It is an example of what happens when people give from the heart instead of from their head. My point to my class was to think about the cast of perhaps thousands that were involved in this great project. The overseers are named but there were all types of skills used in the metal working, the setting of precious stones, and intricate weaving required, and so many other abilities that were a part of this great work. What about the helpers? What about those who did the food preparation? What about those who maybe stood in someone's place while they worked on this project? Bottom line: We all have something we can do in the the Lord's Kingdom work. Everyone can do something. Maybe not the overseer, maybe not the metal worker, or the skilled perfumer, but each and every person has something to contribute from their resources, from their time, their talent, and their treasures. That's a good reminder to us all as we go about prioritizing our busy schedules! A mini sermon never hurt anyone. May God bless. Amen.          .....More later.