“Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.” ― Joni Eareckson Tada, The God I Love

Now we turn the page and find ourselves on this one, Thursday, July 23, 2015. The federal government has been studying the words used in the workplace. They have determined that when men supervisors use the word 'good' when complimenting another man it has one meaning. When the men supervisors use the word 'good' when complimenting a woman it has a different meaning. Different in that it really does mean good when used with a man but not as good when used with a woman. We can see this coming. That's not fair. We need to educate men on making sure that when they say good to another woman it has to be the same good they use when talking to a man. I used to wonder out loud is there any end to all of this but I'm pretty sure there's not an end. I'm not saying that treating anyone other than the way they should be treated is right but when I read stuff like that I have to wonder is there any end, oh, but I've already answered that one. These people will not be satisfied until every person is identified as a victim of some sort for some reason. I can tell you right now that I'm a victim. I know the culprit all too well. That would be me, myself, and I, and he's the one I need to be working on. Every single day. All day long.

People are pretty much the same. Our youngest son posted the account of a young man who worked his way through college by cleaning up-scale homes. What he found in those homes left him with a prayer that he might not place his future hopes and dreams in wealth and prosperity. Illicit drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs and all kinds of other things was enough for him to see that money is not everything. I've been reading some pretty gut wrenching items posted by those who play Santa. Some have dreaded diseases. Some have lost their spouses. Some are selling off their stuff because they can't make their mortgage. Some espouse religious and political ideas that are scary to me. Others come across as being filled with hatred for those who hold office today. We have very dear friends who are going through seasons of challenge and distress. Their problems weigh heavy on our hearts. My point is that we really are all a part of the exact same family. The human family. Flawed, exposed, and in need of a restored relationship with our Creator. It is that relationship that keeps many of the folks who are struggling going. All are separated from God but when one places their trust in God's answer to this commonly shared need, that being trusting in His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the Cross. "....for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." (Romans 10:13) It's as simple as that. It really is. Amen.

We do tend to fret over how things go sometimes. Right? When many of you read this I will be on my way over to Louisiana to fetch the wife's car. She left it the other day because it was having a problem and she didn't trust driving it. Since then we've had someone check it out and it is now running and I'm going over there to drive her back. Last Saturday we replaced our washing machine with a used one that had a warranty. We are going to need the warranty. It's a dud. It looked really great but it is a dud or lemon or piece of junk. You can choose the one that best fits your own idea. This week we had the garage door fixed where it had been damaged from a run in with a car. (Lesson: Always make sure the door is up before you back out.) The wife's sister is a widow. She's having trouble with her dryer at home. While she's been here with us she received a call saying her huge deep freeze had quit working. It was probably caused by a power outage/surge. Fortunately, those there were able to move all of her food to another freezer nearby. The two sisters were recounting all of these different inconveniences forth and back and my sister in law made a statement about how these were very trivial when we think about the blessings in our lives. Perspective. Rooted in the big picture. Grounded in faith. Something we all can learn from as we continue our journey as fellow strugglers here in this sojourn that God has given to us. Amen. ....More later.