Trying to find something to smile about in a world filled with tears.

Here it is, Tuesday, September 27, 2011 and I've been busily in search of some funny material to share and one would think it would be fairly easy to find given the trillions of bits of information stored out on the world wide information highway. Right? Sometimes, but not always. Today's humor seems mostly to end up with a twist that we used to not be allowed to say because it was deemed inappropriate.  Here's one I found that is a little corny but it gave me a chuckle and maybe you will smile also: ~ A duck walks into a feed store and asks, "Got any duck feed?" The clerk tells him, "No, we don't have a market for it so we don't carry it." The duck says, "Okay," and leaves. The next day, the duck again walks in to the feed store and asks, "Got any duck feed?" Again the clerk says no and the duck leaves. Next day, the duck once again walks in, and asks, "Got any duck feed?" The clerk says, "I've told you twice, we don't have duck feed, we've never had duck feed and we never will have duck feed. If you ask me again, I'll nail your feet to the floor." The duck leaves. The next day, the duck walks in and asks, "Got any nails?" "No." "Got any duck feed?" ~ Here's one that can also bring a laugh, at least to someone out there:: ~ George was a thoughtful husband. He wanted to give his wife something special for her birthday which was coming up soon. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he watched his wife turning back and forth and looking at herself in the mirror. "Reta," he said, "What would you like for your birthday?" His wife continued to look at herself and said, "I'd like to be six again." George knew just what to do. On the big day, he got up early and made his wife a bowl of Fruit Loops. Then he took her to an amusement park where they rode all the rides. Five hours later, Reta's stomach felt upside down and her head was reeling. Never the less, George took her to McDonald's and bought her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Next, it was a movie with popcorn, soda and her favorite candy.As Reta wobbled into the house that evening and flopped on the bed, George asked her, "Well, Dear, what was it like to be six again?"Reta looked up at him. Her expression changed. She said, "I meant my dress size!" ~

We do need to have a laugh now and then because life can be tough. I've been keeping up with the financial collapse underway in Greece. There has been rioting there by ordinary folks. There are reasons to believe it is going to get worse, much worse. Greece did what many European countries did. They ran up the national debt to astronomical levels to pay out benefits to people who had worked for only a few years to get them. Before the crisis came they were already drowning in red ink. The kind of cuts they need to make will essentially move them back into a third world country status. Serious. Very! Some say it is a warning shot across our bow telling us that we had better get our house in order. The mayor of New York City recently said something had better be worked out soon regarding financial relief before rioting starts in his city. (There's some going on even as I write this in the Wall Street area of his city.) Another commentator advised the rich to go along with paying up in order to protect themselves from angry citizens. It is hard to fathom that we are even hearing these kinds of comments here in our country. But we are. And, yes, we are also in crisis. Sadly, the most important thing to those who are in office is making use of the crisis to score political points, on both sides. Greece has slashed their budgets and laid off thousands but those who lend them money have said it is not even the beginning of what they must do. I pray that we will see folks rise up who will put politics aside long enough to do what needs to be done so that we will not face that type of crisis, for the good of our children, for the good of our nation. Amen.

I hear a common theme from folks waking up each day. "I never dreamed I would live to see such things." Of course we have plenty still here who lived through the Great Depression and were around during WWII and most of them went through some pretty rough challenges. But for those of us who have for the most part lived in the modern era, so to speak, it looks like everywhere one turns the foundations are weakened and many are crumbling. As parents we all will do what we can to protect our children and grandchildren, but it is obvious there are limits to what any of us can do. I can't get out of my mind that image of the Prime Minister of England several years ago when he proudly announced that Great Britain had officially become a secular nation, and he beamed that they were no longer a religious nation. Considering this causes me to remember what God has said in His Word: "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." But America is not headed there, right? I take no joy in saying this but from where I sit I would say, "Not far behind my friend, not far behind." One of the things that is clear is how this current administration would like nothing more than to be able to make that same announcement for our nation, to proclaim that we have joined the enlightened peoples of the world, and that we are no longer a religious nation. Forget about the founders rolling in their graves, because the day we make that proclamation, we had better prepare ourselves for God's response, and we might just be already seeing Him respond in places all over the globe. It's never hopeless for those who put their trust in God. We need to be reminded that regardless of what happens we still belong to Him and He will take care of us, either here or there, and that's a promise we can count on. Amen.      ......More later.