If a tree falls in the woods and no one blogs about it, does it make a difference?

It's early and thus far I haven't offended anyone today, in fact, other than to kiss the missus goodbye, I haven't seen anyone yet and that may well have something to do with it, but, hello and welcome to Wednesday, July 20, 2011. I'm getting along pretty well I suppose. Sitting here sipping on a piping hot cup of Community kind of helps to order the blessings that surround our day. Sure, I wouldn't mind trading in this ole diabetes gig and those arthritis pangs in my hips, but, all and all, as a dear old elderly man used to tell me when I asked how he was doing, "Son, if I kicked, I ought to be." Yes. I pray about needs all around in our family, for our children, and others who are near and dear to us. The good news is that I know that God knows and I trust Him to work things out according to His will which means this, "Son, if I kicked, I ought to be." It would be good if those folks in Washington could get their collective act together. It would be great if a dollar would go farther and we all could use a few more of them. It would be wonderful if we could get some relief from these sweltering temps. But all in all, like Paw Paw Mac, "I don't know about tomorrow, but I know Who holds my hand", which means that since God is with us and He has assured us that He will never leave nor forsake us, then we live as our bottom line, "Son, if I kicked, I ought to be." Amen.

I saw a cartoon where one character said to the other, "I have nothing to say." The response: "Then, you should blog about it." Or, the one where the two kids are arguing and one of them says, "Okay, but my dad's blog gets more traffic than your dad's!" Traffic is a big deal, especially to those who make money selling ads on their blogs. There are some rating sites and I've looked at what they propose to be the very best blogs out on the web and I must tell you that most of them did not impress me. Not because they were not well written or well presented. The types that get rated highly are the ones that are considered to be hip, with it, and I suppose they somehow fit the tech savvy reader that gets it. I must confess that I may not be one of those because some of the trashy stuff  I looked at certainly caused me to mumble, 'there's no there, there.' Again, the audience is most likely the key. They may know theirs well. I write because I enjoy writing but I also believe that we all have stories and it is within those stories that we can share a laugh, a tear, a life, and something more, some insights into how we have been able to make our journey. Someone told one of my readers that they get my blog forwarded to them and on many days, based on the subjects talked about, they then forward it to some within their circle who they believe will be helped or encouraged by what I have shared. To me that testimony is both humbling and reassuring because it does fulfill one of my greatest desires, to make a difference for time and eternity with all that God has given to me. I thank Him for that! Amen.

I saw a book title the other day and thought it to be very appropriate: "A Funny Thing Happened to me on my way to the Grave." Now if that isn't a metaphor for life itself, I'm not sure I could come up with a better one. This doesn't mean that life is just one joke after another. There are seasons where we grieve. There are times when we cannot find much to smile about. However, on balance, most of us are exposed to a fair amount of things to laugh out loud about as we go on our way. Some within our circle of conservative beliefs portray the image that somehow laughing is inappropriate. Jesus told some pretty funny stories when He was here. Yes, they always had a spiritual application but I think they also caused people to laugh. How about the word picture He painted with the person trying to remove a tiny little speck of a splinter out of the other fellow's eye, while they had a huge log sticking out of their own eye? (Matthew 7:3-5) The point was serious and it did sting but yet the image itself was comical and no doubt those listening got both the laugh and the point our Savior made. I know different types of funny stuff appeals to different people. I am not one given to silliness but some folks are. They like silly things and that makes them laugh. I like self effacing humor because it reflects the reality of life, my life, your life, all of life. But to each his own and we all do need to smile now and then and when it is all said and done, a hearty laugh now and then will do a body good. Keep it wholesome and clean and know that laughter is a gift from God. (James 1:17)  Amen.            ......More later.