The past, the present, the future. God knows. The good, the bad, the ugly. God knows. Our pain, challenges, and sorrows. God knows. And, best of all, HE CARES! Read all about it in the 139th Division of the Psalms.

Yep. I did make it back and I am thankful to be able to bring you greetings from my back-to-work workstation here on this Monday, August 14, 2017. I've shared my grandfather's saying before that he used when he felt maybe a little worse for wear, "I feel like I've been dragged through a rat hole backwards." While I couldn't find anything concerning the origin of that little saying, that doesn't mean that it hasn't been used as slang in the past. It is used in at least one song and in a number of books. When I Googled it, my blog came up twice as a reference. Those were several years ago, therefore, I think it is okay to use it today. No. I do not have an illustration for that one. At any rate, we are able to get up and go and for that I am thankful. Having seen that ability lost to a number of individuals close to us over the past several years, I can assure you, I do not take it for granted. Sometimes as I drive down the country road leading up to my workplace I just have to blurt out to the Lord how grateful I am that He has provided me the strength to do what I am doing. I am reminded of Job's response from Chapter 12 of the Book that bears his name: "Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?" (Verse 9-10, NASB) Amen.

I read where the sale of underground bunkers is spiking out in California. Supposedly, this is directly connected to the North Korean threat of launching a nuclear attack against certain locations in the United States. I found a company out there that sells these survival shelters. That photo is from their advertising website. They have 14 models with an entry level price of $9,999.00. They say their shelters are buried at least 10 feet deep and can be installed in 3 to 5 days. Wow! Who knew? They also claim to be the only manufacturer to have actually tested their units. I have no idea how they did that. The design is essentially a huge corrugated thick pipe with life support systems installed. My guess is these units will do a much better job than our drills at school when I was a kid. That's where we all got under our desks, as best we could. I grew up. I saw the photos from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I don't think getting under a school desk would offer any protection at all. I'm not being critical of the people who purchase these units. That is their choice. At the same time, I do know, we all know, that fear sells. My choice is to trust God. Sorry, I do not have a Plan B.

I suppose some have noticed that I do typically work without a script. Some would add, without a clue as well. And, believe it or not, I'm not sure it would ever resonate much at all if I attempted to do it differently than how it more or less falls out each day. I know I have to be careful using the word fall out having just mentioned the nuclear threat. I read where the late night TV people are blaming President Trump for what North Korea is up to. Really? One of them called on President Trump to shut up before he gets us all killed. That kind of stuff may get the knee jerk expected from the people who watch them, but, I, for one, think it is time for the peace loving nations of the world to deal with a rogue regime that has enslaved its own people and constantly threatens to nuke anyone they don't like. I don't know exactly what should be done, but, this look-the-other-way strategy over the past many years hasn't really accomplished anything. Just me. Not you perhaps. Just my thought about it. I think we are still allowed to have our own opinion. Thanks for finding me on your dial today and may God protect us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.