Is it bragging if it is nothing more than stating the facts? Ponder that one for a while.

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, September 19, 2018. I wanted to share how thankful we are for our granddaughter, Lexie Dee. She was named Homecoming Queen at her high school last week. That's quite an achievement when you consider she attends one of those mega schools with over 3,500 students. She is a senior. And, yes, I have trouble even processing that. She has always been a good student and has done well academically. She has her sights set on attending the University of Texas. She is the daughter of our Rodney and wife, Mitzi. We are thankful for the enabling giftedness that God has placed in this child. We are her grandparents. Proud grandparents. At the same time, we pray for her spiritual well-being as she continues her journey. We know that a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the key to a meaningful life. And, to be honest, she reminds me of her MiMi when she was that age. Her MiMi wasn't the Homecoming Queen because they didn't have that program at her school, however, she was Miss Anacoco High School, therefore, I guess it runs in the family. I'm not done yet. And, her MiMi ended up dating and marrying me, the former Mr. Hornbeck High School. We are talking royalty here, or, upon further review, maybe it was Royal Crown Cola, (RC Cola as it was known back in the day.), with some peanuts floating in it for good measure. Talk about good! May God continue to bless our Lexie Dee! Amen.

We made the poster this year!

I was happy to receive an invitation for Santa and Mrs. Claus to participate in the county sheriff's department providing Christmas gifts to needy children. We were there for last year's inaugural event and it was heartwarming to see folks being helped in this way. Donations exceeded expectations last year and needy children received a total of 228 brand new bicycles along with 700 Christmas presents. We will not soon forget the exhilarated facial expressions of the children and the tears in the eyes of their parents. This program is confidential and by invitation only for those who have been identified as needy. Christmas has to do with giving. Christ was God's gift to us all. Christ's name is on the season and what a blessing to see gifts given that bear His name. (Christmas Gifts.) I hope this year they turn the air conditioning system on early. Being in that huge exhibit hall on a warm day made for a grueling session, but, rewarding. If you would like to contribute to this effort this year, they are gladly receiving donations. You can find out the particulars by calling, 936-538-3456.

The fake news syndrome has landed squarely on the weather forecasting community. Let's just say they have been caught making things look newsworthy in a 'fake' sort of way. One reporter from The Weather Channel was shown slipping and sliding around in a very dangerous wind and rain situation. Meanwhile, behind that reporter, some fellows were strolling down the street with no appreciable impact from the elements. The Channel responded by saying their reporter was standing on wet grass and he was also exhausted. That didn't help. It made it worse as a whole new set of criticisms gushed forth from every corner of the social media world. In another scene, one of the main anchors on CNN is shown waist deep with waders on. Meanwhile, his support crew is casually standing on high ground. They had found a ditch for him to shoot the shot. CNN said it was their purpose to demonstrate the danger from the flooding. Recently, the NY Times gladly insinuated that the current Republican Ambassador to the UN had spent over $50,000 on curtains for the ambassador's apartment in NY City. It was a gotcha piece. One problem. A big one. The curtains were ordered by the previous Obama appointed ambassador. But, guess what? The writer knew that and actually buried that fact in the article itself. After much social media criticism, here is the retraction from the so-called paper of record: “An earlier version of this article and headline created an unfair impression about who was responsible for the purchase in question,” wrote The Times in its correction on Friday. “While Nikki R. Haley is the current ambassador to the United Nations, the decision on leasing the ambassador’s residence and purchasing the curtains was made during the Obama administration, according to current and former officials. The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used. The article and headline have now been edited to reflect those concerns, and the picture has been removed.” My reason for sharing this is simple. Pay attention folks! Pay attention! Here's a piece of truth with no fake information: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10, from the New Heart English Bible.)  Amen. ....More later.