Many people loved Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. (Televised 1963-2011) One fan indicated his recollection of a memorable quote: "I'll keep the helicopter warm while Jim wrestles the alligator."

Hello and welcome to Tuesday, the 4th, in the brand new month of October 2016. This slight weather change does something within the wild animal world. They act as if they could hardly wait for the cooler weather too. Not that it has been that cool. Frisky. And, they tend to run around like they are happy or something. That causes them to not pay so much attention to those heavy metal objects moving down the road at a pretty fast clip. I know you might think this to be an exaggeration but I think I saw what I am going to tell you I saw. Just before 4 a.m., I made a right turn onto a street and I saw up ahead what I thought was a couple of deer. They were leisurely making their way across. It was not deer. It was two huge coyotes. (They looked more like German Shepherds.) When I approached, they picked up their trot speed ever so slightly. I slowed way down. I had my window completely down. They stopped and started towards my truck. Hello? I don't know how they became so well fed and I don't want to make people feel bad, but, for those who are missing a pet, these guys might have a clue as to where they might be. At any rate, I decided since my arm was out of the window, it might be a good time for me to get on about my commute. Who said driving to work had to be boring? These coyotes were not the only animals out and about. That same day I saw several deer, some racoons, and the eyes of a number of different species I couldn't identify. It was like I was in a dream and I woke up to find myself doing a commercial for Mutual of Omaha.

A fellow I worked with back in the late 1970's is now a Facebook friend. He celebrated his 68th birthday this week. That seemed odd to me. I'm only two years older than him but when he worked for me it was like he was one of my kids. I was his supervisor. Maybe that was it. He was single and tended to be a wee bit wild. I would have guessed him to be a whole lot younger than that. The mind does tend to get itself into tangles from time to time. It's like me thinking I know exactly where I am going. I don't even check the address because I know where it's located. I can even see the building in my mind's eye. Come to find out, my mind's eye must have some serious cataract issues. I find myself exactly where I determined to go, but, it turns out to be exactly the wrong location. Fortunately, I typically can exercise the call a friend option. I call my eldest and inquire if he is at his desk. I ask him to put in the address and tell me where it is located. Sometimes I tell him what I have done and at other times I just ask. You know. I don't want to waste his time. What? You think he probably knows exactly what I've done? Again. I bet he would have thought those coyotes looked like German Shepherds too. That is, in case you are interested, my story, and I am sticking to it.

Our nephew, Michael

This past Sunday evening our nephew Michael was ordained as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had a special service over in Louisiana to lay hands on him as he embarks on this new journey for the Lord. Michael does not come to this calling as a young man but God is the one who does the calling, therefore, we thank Him for using people of all ages to announce the good news of the Gospel. Michael is currently a senior officer in the fire department at Fort Polk. He is a gifted singer and has sung with his family and traveled to carry the message of Christ in song. In his work as an emergency responder, he is determined to do what he can to save people from the danger they are in. At heart, Michael is a servant. In his work as a minister of the Gospel, he will be doing his best, with God's help, to share a message that will save lives eternally, not from a fire in this world, but from the eternal fires of hell itself. We are thankful for Michael, his wife, and two boys. I ask that you pause and join me in praying God's provision and protection as he seeks to honor Him with the calling He has given to him. Amen. Be blessed and stay tuned. May God help us all. Amen. ....More later.