"Distractions in church services are common and can stem from several sources, ranging from modern technology like cell phones and digital glowing screens to situational factors such as latecomers, wandering children, excessive noise, or even erratic crowd movements." ~ copied

I get it. Yesterday's twenty Bible verses made it longer than most days, HOWEVER, those verses give hope and they give life, therefore, those twenty verses are worth all the time necessary to read them, take them into our hearts, and to then meditate on them as we go about our living the life God has given to us. That's why I will not make any apologies or excuses whenever I include God's breathed out truths. Are we clear on it now? Just messing with you, even though it's the truth, on this Tuesday, June 16, 2026. I am aware how we have mutilated our attention spans in these media saturated days. We have. Me too! The man of God climbs into the pulpit and announces how he feels led to read a long passage. The response might include a few 'amens' but underneath there is a shifting of individual tectonic plates as the groans can be heard far and wide. I know. People don't have tectonic plates. It's an illustration. Okay? Why do we knee jerk respond like that to the presentation and reading of God's Word? First of all, even as believers our old man nature, (Ephesians 4:22), is still there to wreck anything spiritual. Secondly, the deceiver of this world, he doesn't want us to grow in the grace and knowledge or our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, (2nd Peter 3:18). Lastly, we have our minds on other things. If we are dealing with anything on the electronic screen, our average attention span drops to an average of 40 seconds or less. Me too! A few years ago a wonderful church-lady spoke to me about our services and she said this: "I don't like it when the worship pastor reads from the Bible. We hired him to do the music and reading the Bible is the senior pastor's job." I rest my case, your case, all our cases, and, I recommend we seek God's help today. Now would be a good time. It would. It really would. 

 

Yes. I am aware there are those who are not very good at reading period, much less, God's Holy Word. I recall something I read about the respected man of God, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, (1834-1892). He had a seminary for would be preachers in the Church he pastored. He had a strong viewpoint about his students learning to read well from The Scriptures. He believed God's Word was what people needed to hear from the pulpit, therefore, for those who were poor readers, they were to receive special attention in order for them to clearly present the truths from The Bible. That's not so much of a problem in today's world. While we may want to find excuses for not paying attention to the hearing of God's Word, the problem is mostly much closer than we would like to admit. Yes. I know. I use it perhaps way too much but as our pastor likes to say, "If the shoe fits buy a pair in every color." The saying I'm talking about is this one from the song that was first published in 1925 in the Book of American Negro Spirituals: "Not my brother, Not my sister, but, it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer." I can tell you this, by experience, my friend: With God's help that's one excuse we can do something about: me, myself, and I. Amen.

"I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days but whatever." — Unknown

Hello everybody and welcome back to this episode of the long running series which at times has been summed up as, "Really?" Thanks for showing up on this Monday, June 15, 2026. I am a little late climbing the stairs today because I accompanied the wife of my youth for her CPAP breathing apparatus fitting. They have made quite a few improvements since I was fitted for mine around 10 years ago. She essentially got a brand new Cadillac Escalade and I believe the one they gave me had to have been a used 1960's VW. Ha! The technician said I was due a new unit if I needed one. That caused me to think some. If I get a new one and I use it as much as I do the old one, well, I might not want to create any waves. Just saying. However, here's where I am coming from. I need to use one. I do. I really do. However, I need it to be 100% without any requirement on my part. I'm not trying to be difficult. I am expressing my need here. So, please be kind. I need one that pretty much does everything it should do without me having to do anything. Period. Nothing. Zero. You say they don't work that way even with the newer models, and, I say, why not? Surely there's a market for people like myself. You what? You hope not. I asked for understanding and kindness. All those face fitting adjustments and having to sleep a certain way, come on, man! At any rate, the wife should see some good results because she is much better at following instructions than I am. I did learn a few things from the technician working with her. For instance, the unit and its components need to be cleaned weekly. I didn't know that. I was following my own instinct. You know when the distilled water container turned green I knew it should be rinsed out. Ha! The way he described the weekly cleaning protocol, well, it's enough to keep one awake at night. Know what I mean? Good!

 

And, I quickly add how I am not poking fun at those who are helped to get much needed rest while sleeping. I was just laughing out loud, mostly at myself. I do that. A lot. In fact, the older I get it is the more material I find right here in my own skin. I share some of it, but, if I were to reveal much more, well, you would think I most likely need professional help. And, you would be very much correct in that assessment. I do need help. I need help every second of every minute of my time here on the planet. In short, I need the Lord God of Heaven. What say you? Here are twenty random verses that pertain to God as our Helper:  Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." /Deuteronomy 33:26 "There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty." /Deuteronomy 33:29 "Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs." /2 Chronicles 14:11 "And Asa cried to the Lord his God, 'O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.'" /Psalm 37:40 "The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." /Psalm 40:17 "As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" /Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." /Psalm 60:11 "Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!" /Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." /Psalm 118:7 "The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me." /Psalm 121:2 "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124:8 "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." /Isaiah 41:13 "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you." /Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'" /John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." /Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" /1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." /Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." /Hebrews 13:5–6 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" /1 Peter 5:10 "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." (Quoted from the English Standard Version ESV) One thing I am sure of, the words I write may be fallible BUT those from the Word of God, the Bible, they are always infallible, always and forever. Amen.

"I prefer radio to TV because the pictures are better." - Alistair Cooke

New photo of my blog assistant.

We made it folks. We did. Give your self a round of applause because we made it to Friday, June 12, 2026. Those who have followed me for any length of time know how much I enjoy listening to old time radio or as they say, ear paintings from yesteryear. On our way back from Louisiana the wife was able to use her phone to tune in to some recorded series from back in the 1940's. She put them on the radio in the car and the ones she chose were back to back detective programs from popular series back in the day. I do get into listening and seeing what I conjure up as the program progresses. I even enjoy the commercials, typically, for products that no longer exists. I did become so focused on one episode of the show starring the master detective Nero Wolfe that I nearly ran through a red light. I did stop but I will admit I was slightly jutting out into the intersection. That prompted my riding partner to take immediate action to end my listening enjoyment. I will have to dream up my own ending to that particular program because she informed me that running red lights was not to be tolerated. She did. She really did. I was so nice about it. I don't think I even reminded her of her recent black out spell where she actually hit another driver. I was so kind not to even mention it. The radio programs cause an interesting thing to occur. One has to think and imagine the action taking place. Orson Welles called it the theater of the mind. And, that it is. There are literally hundreds of preserved recordings of old time radio programs on a variety of streaming platforms. Check them out. I leave the subject with this comment: "I have long thought, and still think, that radio is magic. Television is OK, but radio is magic. If television had been invented first and then radio had come along, people would think, 'What a wonderful thing this radio is! It's like television except you don't have to look at it!'" ~Charles Osgood, 1989

 

I visit by phone with our eldest nearly every day. We talk about all that's going on in his world including the work world where it is always challenging. One of the things I gather from our daily discussions is how the more things change it is the more they stay the same. Technology may change but people issues which are still the heart of any operation, well, they are just that, people issues. So much of what he deals with seem to be identical to things I've dealt with in the past, you know, been there and done that. One of the things I try to do is to input some learned wisdom since I no longer deal with the workplace. What kind of wisdom? For me, it has to do with me being more understanding, less judgemental, and, perhaps being more flexible. People have been people since God created Adam. And, I quickly add they have been fallen people, born sinners, since Adam chose to listen to Eve. That's just the truth, period. (Read the first three chapters in the Book of Genesis.) Because of that, I think perhaps in my many years of managing people I could have offered a more caring spirit when dealing with people issues. I also could have remembered me, myself, and I, when others failed to hit the mark, so to speak. You know. Live and learn. I can't go back and change some of the ways I handled things, but, I can pass down some of what I have learned. One example. I told him the other day what a fellow manager said to me one day, "Buddy, I like you and you have a great reputation, but, sometimes you need to think about this: Who died and left you in charge?" That helped me. Humility will go a long way folks. It will. It really will. And, it happens to occupy much within the pages of God's Holy Word. It does. It really does. Y'all enjoy your Friday, Saturday, and, make an effort on the First Day of the Week, Sunday, to show up at the meeting place where believers gather to worship the Lord and learn more from His Word. Amen.

John Knox, Scottish minister and noted Christian writer, (1514-1572), uttered these piercing words and then died, "Live in Christ, die in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death."

Well, surprise, surprise, I am back here at the ole blogger ranch where me, myself, and I, along with Lil Miss Biscuit are doing our best to embrace this new day, Thursday, June 11, 2026, and, being sure to thank God for it. We had traveled to the east side of Shreveport, Louisiana, to visit a dear friend of the wife who is nearing the end of her journey here on the planet. The story of how they became friends is somewhat convoluted, but, I will give it a short overview. This lady's husband and I began working together in the early 1970's. Somewhere along the way, the wife met his wife, and, that was it. It was. It really was. They became bosom buddies and while he and I worked on many projects together, our relationship was predominately business and professional. He and I worked together for over twenty years. He left the company due to a medical issue and life continued for both our families. She is now 89 and he is 85 and our time with them yesterday was something heart wrenching but also very special. I had not seen them in over 30 years, however, the wife had been stopping by occasionally on her way back from visiting and helping to take care of her brother. It was hard for the wife to say so long for now to her dear friend and we were able to pray with her husband as he is the caretaker and the situation is very challenging. There's so much more to our story because of the long association but it reminds us all how that this life is fleeting and we all should make certain we are ready to go at any moment, and, we do that by giving our heart and life to God's provision for salvation, His one and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

We came back home because looking at the amount of time it was only about an hour more to cross over into Texas and travel down through east Texas to get back home. In fact, we were able to make choir practice since we were passing by that way. How does all of that impact old people? I woke up this morning sitting straight up in the recliner with my glasses and my boots still on. The wife said I was sleeping so soundly she didn't have the heart to wake me up. That is where we came up with the saying, "I will not need to be rocked to sleep tonight."  At any rate, I woke up feeling a wee bit achy but refreshed and ready to get out there and go again. Well, not too far this time. Please. We do have the old people's choir practice this morning and then we will be meeting many of the other old folks from our local assembly to have lunch at that wonderful place for old people to gather, that's right, Luby's. And, don't tell anyone because it will be a huge surprise, there just might be a spontaneous song being heard at that gathering. I think they call it a flashmob, but, we will have to show up to see. Remember, I wrote about the importance of showing up a few days ago. I did. I really did. Take care now, you hear. And, may God add His blessings. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ GOD’S WORD Translation ~ "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this."

Good morning and welcome to the early edition of today's insights into this, that, and the other. Thanks for showing up on this Tuesday, June 9, 2026. I will not be publishing a blog tomorrow or on Thursday because the wife of my youth and I are traveling to Louisiana to visit a very ill lady who has been a special close friend to the wife for around 50 years. Please pray for this dear lady and her husband at this most difficult time. God knows all about it. We had our men's Bible study at 7 a.m. this morning. I have my first actual physical therapy exercise visit at 10 a.m. Hey, I remember it well when they said, "Hey, go ahead and retire, you've done your 60 plus years, enjoy all that free time." This afternoon we leave for our travel. It's around a six hour drive which used to be nothing, not even a drop in the bucket. These days we break it up if possible so we will stop at the wife's sister's place and spend the night and then get up early Wednesday and travel on. On the way back we will do the same thing.  

I will close up shop early today since my physical therapist has plans for me. I have been doing some of the exercises she gave me and it has actually helped my mobility some while at the same time it hurts like ole billy heck. Yeah. I have heard that one, no pain, no gain. Oh well. It is what it is, and, we will see how it all goes. I will keep you posted. While I am at it, thanks so much for all of you out there who stay in touch by reading my daily postings. I do appreciate the feedback and the support. I do. I really do. In our early Tuesday morning men's Bible study we are going through the letter written by the Apostle Paul to the local called out assembly meeting in Ephesus, Greece. Ephesians. We covered the first part of the first chapter today. Wow! It tells about how believers are guaranteed a certain future in Christ, and, we have the Holy Spirit living in us to make sure it all comes to pass. And, as Mark Lowry likes to say we all love the 'it came to pass' because it means it didn't come to stay. Amen? Yes and Amen. Have a great rest of the day and I will see y'all, Lord willing, come next Friday morning. Amen.

 

 

"What’s the secret to having a smoking hot body in old age? Cremation." ~ Readers Digest online

Good morning and welcome to the second day of this brand new week that God has allowed us to wake up and seek Him and His provision on this Monday, June 8, 2026. One of the things you hear much about from older folks is their experiences as they seek to interact with those providing their health care. I've been writing these blogs since the summer of 2007 and I betcha that truth could be validated in my own writings. By comparison, I most likely wrote very little about health care earlier in my sojourn. At the same time I have killed a lot of keystrokes writing about my nearly 25 year battle with Type 2 Diabetes. Today, as I near the road sign marked 80, I spend a fair amount of my waking hours chasing down a variety of medical specialties, and, that gives old people something to talk about. It's like two ladies in the waiting room sharing all the gory details of their most recent surgeries. My primary care for several years recently retired. I have a new one. My old primary care told me that getting my prescriptions authorized by the new doctor should not be a problem. Wait just a cotton picking minute! So, today I get to meet, live and in person, my new primary care because they want to see me before rubber stamping my prescription renewals. No problem. I don't have a need to see him but they have a need to see me. See? My wife has seen him already and she has already built a rapport with him. They had a follow up via teleconference the other day and I heard them laughing it up. Really? The first challenge will be to get his name even close. Dr. Phetsamong Nhonthachit is his name. My pulmonologist told me to think about it like 'no-touch-it' said together, Dr. Notouchit. Oh well, I mention all of this because it is how days are often defined for older people. It seems we find ourselves always getting ready to get ready....and so it goes. Welcome to my world. 

 

I mentioned that stereotypical comment about the two ladies sharing their surgery stories, well, move over ladies, because older men, (full disclosure requires me to say I are one.), they are not in the least bit reticent when it comes to sharing their medical stories. I will say this about how things go in today's world. I spend a fair amount of time in waiting rooms. That used to produce a plethora of stories in the wide ranging conversations being exchanged. Not so much anymore. Why? If there is a WIFI signal, everyone is looking at their phone screen instead of blabbing stuff to their neighbor. I still get some great material from time to time as the wisdom of Yogi Berra helps, "You can observe a lot by watching." If you don't know who Yogi Berri is, maybe you should try one of those blogs devoted to pets. Joking only. I've said before and will say again, being in the waiting room often reminds me of how blessed I am. My heart typically breaks for the little ones who appear to be dealing with serious health challenges. Look the other way? No. Pray for them as you see them and seek God's provision on their behalf. Sure. There's some funny stuff too. Old people going to the wrong door when they hear their name called, the elderly wife mothering her husband can produce some gems, and, then, I saved the last because it is the one I know the most about. Me. I actually have thought about who it might be that will look at me and find something to write about in their blog. I also get to see the joy on many faces when I hand them one of my Santa Claus photo cards. Kids. Yes. But, I quickly add, kids of all ages. Okay. That should be enough, already. Right? Y'all have yourselves a great day and may God add His blessings. Amen. 

Early in my Santa journey I learned a universal truth: You cannot please everyone, no matter how hard you try!

 

 

Flashback to Friday, June 5, 2009 (My thoughts some 6,209 days ago.)

Admit it, we are all swimming in the deep end of the culture pool!

 

What’s your all time most memorable commercial? No doubt you have one that sticks in your mind. It may be dated since many new ones come on the scene each year but we all have been inundated with hundreds of thousands of video, print, voice over, signs, and every form of advertisement imaginable, that is, if we have breathed air on this planet. While we might like to think this bombardment has not influenced us, we would be kidding ourselves to try and defend that position. This particular feature of the culture war is what I have before me on this Friday, June 5, 2009. Not surprising, a recent top ten vote for most popular commercials by USA Today included two beer commercials, three cola ad spots, the famous “Got Milk?” promotions, and the burger “Where’s the beef?” campaign.

However, the ad chosen number one by a wide majority was not that familiar to me. It is one put up by Monster.com in 1999 that runs black and white footage of children talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Each child in the commercial speaks about a particular underachieving goal as their passion in life and at the end the punch line is how that Monster.com has a better job and future for every person. I watched the ad and remembered it but it certainly would not have made my top ten. My list would include the recently resurrected “See the USA in a Chevrolet!” by Dinah Shore, (Sadly, it is being played now as a swan song for the GM bankruptcy.); the “Plop Plop, Fizz, Fizz, oh what a relief it is!” Alka Seltzer ad along with another one where the fellow says, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” (These ads may have appealed to me because it was back in the days when we didn't know that indigestion needed some very expensive medication for an ailment called acid reflux!) These are all from the past and I am too, but, brand identity does end up being a part of the life we live especially in this commercialized world.

Jesus told us to be in this world but not be of this world. (See John 17 and 1st John 5.) That’s one of the toughest challenges you and I will ever face. The incessant drumbeat of all things worldly surrounds us and our children every second of every day. To say otherwise is to do the proverbial ostrich head in the sand maneuver. We may think it cute for our little ones to be able to sing the latest beer tunes and quote the less than wholesome memorable lines from TV ads but there is a corrosive element to all of this and as the old saying goes, “The steady knock does wear the rock.” Seeing it for what it is goes a long way in beginning to form a response to try and fulfill the admonition of our Lord. We can’t escape the deluge of commercialized media but we can do all we can do to offset it, to reduce its influence, to change the channel, or whatever is needed to deal with this issue. I’m not saying you can do what the old Pepsodent ad proclaimed, “You will wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!” But you can do what you can do with God’s help. This is some food for thought as we enter our Saturday and Lord’s Day Sunday. May God help each one as we deal with the life we have! Amen. ….More later.