“I've always been famous, it's just no one knew it yet.” ― Lady Gaga

Good morning world and most especially all of those who tune in each day. I appreciate the time we have to spend together. It's Monday, January 18, 2016, and the first half of the first month has blown by. I try to keep up. I read a lot. I attempt to be informed. I knew that David Bowie existed. I knew he was a British pop or rock singer. I knew he had been in movies. However, I had no idea that he was some kind of icon to so many in the world. I remember him singing on a Christmas show with Bing Crosby back in 1977. I guess that's why I am culturally disconnected. I'm not upset about it. Just surprised. I actually couldn't remember even one of his songs except for The Little Drummer Boy from the Christmas special. I saw some footage of a huge crowd in London where a makeshift tribute had been put together. Some of the people were openly weeping. Who knew? Not me. Here's a quote attributed to Bowie: "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise you it won't be boring." While that may sound interesting to some, what we can be sure of is what God tells us about life after we leave this world. God's truth will be in effect for David Bowie and it will be in effect for me, you, and for the entirety of His created human family. "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (Hebrews Chapter 9: 27-28) Amen.

Do you have things that really annoy you? Some call them aggravations and others refer to them as pet peeves. Pet peeve is also called pet hate and according to Wikipedia it is defined as typically meaning a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to himself, to a greater degree than others may find. The designation finds its root in the 14th century where the word "peevish" reflected the meaning of ornery or ill-tempered. It took many years for the singling out of a particular annoyance with the first use of the added 'pet' found in a publication from 1919. Coming up with a single pet peeve is pretty hard. Most of us can likely think of many without too much straining. But, what about the one that really gets to you? Many report that poor manners especially while eating to be sources of annoyance. Bad driving habits. Need I say more? People who use the wrong words when talking. Those who litter. Uncontrolled, impolite, and misbehaving children. Cell phone related stuff in more categories than could be named. Those who constantly find fault and complain. People with bad breath. Those who share way too much information on social media. There are numerous other areas that likely make our list but it might be good to remember that you and I may do some things in a way that annoys others. I still haven't shared my number one pet peeve. As soon as I prioritize my list of thousands I will get back to you.

I was going to talk some about personal preferences but all of that information about peeves has given me a headache. Maybe not a headache like in a real headache but a headache in a metaphorical sense. In other words, the subject has worn me down. They say that things that most annoy are seen in those who are very close to each other. Like husbands and wives. That reminded me of this little story. I know I shared it sometime in the past but in case you missed it, here it is: ~  A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office. After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, "Your husband is suffering from a very severe stress disorder. If you don't follow my instructions carefully your husband will surely die." "Each morning fix him a healthy breakfast. Be pleasant at all times. For lunch make him a nutritious meal. For dinner prepare an especially nice meal for him." "Don't burden him with chores. Don't discuss your problems with him; it will only make his stress worse. Do not nag him. Most importantly make all of his needs your first priority." "If you can do this for the next 10 months to a year, I think your husband will regain his health completely."On the way home the husband asked his wife, "What did the doctor say?" "He said you're going to die," she replied. ~ It's just a little funny story. Don't get all worked up over it. Try to enjoy the rest of your day and maybe we all might do well to be a little less sensitive to the annoyances that we encounter. I think that's what Jesus would do. Amen. .....More later.