"I'm thankful for the incredible advances in medicine that have taken place during my lifetime. I almost certainly wouldn't still be here if it weren't for them." ~ Evangelist Billy Graham

That would be 'yours truly' with mom and dad.

Howdy and welcome back. We land on top of the day before us and find it to be another Monday, and according to the calendar it's August 4, 2014. We had ourselves a weekend worthy of turning on the Occupied light on our door. (You know, like on the airplane.) Up at 4 a.m. and on the road by 5, we ran over to Louisiana to personally wish dad a happy birthday on Saturday. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with him and mom. After enjoying lunch with them at the restaurant we concluded our much too short visit and then hit the road, arriving back home around 7 p.m. Sunday was our regular busy day involved in the various activities alongside our beloved brothers and sisters at the local assembly where we meet. NASCAR and snoozing some was on the menu for Sunday afternoon, and then our regular Bible study Sunday evening, and then back home to get ready to get ready for a brand new work week. Last Thursday when I went to the doctor he said it was time for me to have an ECG, (EKG), since I had not had one in a while. His nurse at one time would run it right there in the examination room. But, this time they sent me to the heart center where this skinny little girl, (I could have sworn she was not a day over 13 or 14), put that dozen or so monitor pads on my chest and hooked me up. She stuck them on and then hooked up the leads, walked over to the computer and hit a button and walked back and said we're done. Hello? That was it. Hooked up and done. She then proceeded to give me the unrequested wax job ripping all those little pads off. No more machine noisily etching all those little up and down lines, just a fraction of a second and the capture was finished. She murmured not a word about the pain she was inflicting in her pad removal technique and now we await the reading which I guarantee will take a week or longer to get the report. Before, my primary care looked at it and gave me the result in the exam room. Now, we wait and as we wait we can bask in the progress we are making. Okay. I was wrong. The results from the ECG have already been published. According to the ECG I have some problems: Sinus bradycardia + Left axis deviation + Right bundle branch block = Abnormal ECG. According to my doctor's note, based on prior comparisons, this appears to be normal for me. That's slightly confusing but I'll take it. Look each of those up and they do sound scary. I now have it in writing. Abnormal = Normal when it comes to me, myself, and I. How many times have I told you that being me is not a tip-toe through the tulips? Enough said!

As you can see, I didn't return without anything to say or share. Speaking of scary stuff, you know by now that I am not a fan of how the current Executive Branch operates. The world, both globally and here at home, is in about as much chaos at the moment as it has been in a long time. Here's what's stunning about how the supporters in the press are attempting to spin the performance of this administration: They are now saying the not knowing, not doing, not being involved, and essentially becoming inconsequential is part of a grand design. They actually see some brilliance here. You know. Scary smart. They, in my opinion, got only the scary part right. The rest of the world who is not in the business of covering for this upside-down 'nothing' of a policy approach, well, they see it quite differently. Their take is one of being alarmed since the United States has always had enough influence to help shape and manage world events, and they see us as currently missing-in-action especially in the critical area where we have traditionally provided a deterrence and shield against bad actors on the world scene. Scary smart? I don't think so, but what say you?

That doesn't mean there is not good news to report every single day that we breathe air on the planet. That news comes to us when we look up. Up to the God that is Sovereign over all things. I remember my Granny and Paw Paw Mac and how they clung to and lived by this Bible verse: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 from the New American Standard Bible) This verse is often misunderstood. Some read it and somehow think it pertains to the good things that happen in life. However, it is clear that it pertains to the ALL THINGS that happen in life. ALL. Good, bad, and everything in-between work together for good. There is a qualifier. That has to do with this becoming a reality in the life of an individual who gives themselves over to their faith in God. The ones who do this reflect those who 'love God' and those within whom God is calling, working through, and using 'according to His purpose.' This is not a catch all feel good verse. It is a specific, clear, and non-negotiable promise that in ALL THINGS God is at work and for those who can embrace this truth by faith, they are the ones that can report good news every single day. No. I do not have any cassettes of this message and no, I do not sell any prayer cloths. You know I am joking, but, not about Romans 8:28. Check it out, pray over it, take it in, claim it as your own, just like Granny and Paw Paw and so many others throughout history. Take care and may God bless each one! Amen.  .....More later.