Philippians 3:13-14 ~ "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you."

Good morning and welcome to today's flashback edition. Today is Friday, July 18, 2025, and I bid you welcome to a rerun from June 5, 2007. What were you doing 18 years ago? I obviously was writing about the stuff found in this blog. I mention Lexie in the blog, our granddaughter who was seven back then but now has graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, and she has a job in that area today. My how quickly time gets away from us all. Have a great weekend and may God help us all is my prayer. Amen.

 

                Looking for laughs in all the wrong places!

 

On this June 5, 2007, I’m going to confess something that may shock some of you. I find the state of regular television programming so absolutely void of entertainment value, I’ve resorted to watching televangelists and presidential debates in order to enjoy a good laugh. Some might think the first to be offensive or sacrilegious and the second may be less than patriotic. However, I will attempt to explain why these forms of presentation strike me as being humorous even while I recognize them to be deadly serious. This void in having anything to watch happened to be more so with my wife out of town because if we watch TV together, you can be sure it will the Game Show Network, which is her most favorite, and I watch it with her because the Bible teaches I am to love my wife even as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for the Church. I sure hope there are special points for giving yourself up as it relates to watching black and white reruns of “I’ve Got A Secret”!

I must make a few obvious exceptions by stating that I do watch quite a lot of CSPAN, some news programming, anything relating to NASCAR, some History Channel documentaries, some PBS programs, and maybe the Home Alone movie, which I’ve only seen at least 100 times. The reason I watch it is because I have an entire crew of grandchildren that have grown up seeing this movie and when I watch it now I remember when each of them began to ‘get it’ and how funny it was to them when they did. I do have one young lady who ‘got it’ much earlier than the others, our little Lexie, and she’s been laughing at that movie since she was about two. I know exactly what you are thinking. Old people are nothing but drooling sentimentalists! I plead guilty in the first degree with premeditation.

The televangelist’s deal is just too good to pass up. I know their teachings for the most part are absolutely foreign to any common sense reading of God’s word, and I know they have led, and or leading many people astray. I certainly do not find this fact to be humorous in any way, but when you watch them as entertainers and use even a lick of the sense God has given to you, it just turns out to be funny. It’s like my granddad used to say, “Son, are you going to use your head for something other than a hat rack?” I hasten to add that when I use the word televangelist I certainly am not talking about many wonderful faithful Bible teachers who have television programs.

I remember one night watching this fellow who felt compelled to explain why he had purchased a private jet to travel in. He had not really wanted the jet but his people had insisted on him buying it in order to protect the special anointing that was on him, whatever that means. He actually said this with a straight face and as always the people clapped and went wild in their approval. To me this was hilarious. Let me see if I’ve got this right? I would suppose this special anointing came from God, and God is Supreme, but you need to travel in a private jet to protect this anointing which was given to you by God Who is in control over all things. You might not think this is funny but I do, sorry, I do. Now as for the millions the plane cost and as for the millions who are deceived by this type of idiotic rationalizing, I feel sad for them and my prayer is they will someday begin to read the truth as God has given it to them.

Now for the political stuff that also can be very entertaining at times. On Sunday evening our Church had fellowships planned and since my class did ours after morning service, I was at home and able to watch, as much as I could stand, the democratic presidential nominee debate from New Hampshire. Okay, I’m a conservative, registered republican, who considers himself to be entirely independent in terms of choosing someone to represent my point of view. But on that particular night it was so much fun to see who could out bash Bush. He was blamed for everything except hemorrhoids and I’m sure that would have been called out but it was only a two hour program. The other thing was to see them try and touch every interest group that might be watching and hit them all in one sentence. I’m certainly not saying the republicans do it differently but they were not on that night.

It is said that during one of the elections involving General U. S. Grant, that his opponent said this about him, “Among pygmies he is a giant, among giants he is a pygmy”. I had a similar feeling about the democratic hopefuls, to me they came off as all being pygmies among pygmies, period, end of story. Yet, I do appreciate the entertainment value but to tell you the truth I could not envision one of these characters being the commander and chief of our great republic. However, if one of them does become our next president then I will pray for that individual because this is exactly what God has told us to do. (See 1st Timothy chapter 2 and Romans chapter 13)

Until then, forgive me for looking for laughs in all the wrong places! More later…..

"What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claustrophobia!" ~ copied

Running just a wee bit late this morning since I was up early and away to take care of some old people tasks. It is Thursday, July 17, 2025, and I do bid each one a hearty hello. Yep. I was over at the doctors, (that's what they used to say back home, I had to go to the doctors today), did some lab work and then I had a session with my pulmonary physician. He is really a great doctor but can be a tiny bit of a grouch whenever I'm not taking or following his directions. With my face full of hair I am in a constant battle to get the cpap apparatus to work properly. Forget about getting a good seal. I do need a new mask. The one I'm using is pretty much shot but I didn't know the name of the one I wear until the doctor told me this morning, it is a Dreamwear Nasal Mask. I put that there so I can refer back to it when I am arguing with the people who provide me with medical supplies. He checked me over. Listened to my breathing. And, he reminded me of the tiny little nodual on my lung and how I needed to get a chest scan so we can see how it's doing. Hopefully, the same with no noticeable development. Right? I had actually put that one in the nothing burger stack but he told me it was his job to remember even if I had forgotten about it. He and his staff were really happy to hear that we had decided, Lord willing, to go for our 16th season delivering joy as Santa and Mrs. Claus. I think my pulmonologist sees it as an opportunity for me to get up and be more active. He also mentioned that long after I'm gone there will be photos of me put up on the mantle at Christmas time. I hadn't planned on hearing that one, but, he was very accurate in that prediction. We've seen some of the photos turned into paintings of us and children that people proudly hang on their walls, one said she loved hers so much she leaves it over the fireplace year round. There you have it. Go to the doctor and end up talking about the photos I will leave behind when I breathe my last. One last thing: I am so thankful for the doctors I have including a number of specialists. They work hard to keep this soon to be 79 year old able to wake up, get up, and get going. Thank You Lord. Amen.

 

There's derivatives of a quote from yesteryear that frequently makes its rounds when talking about watching our government at work. Otto von Bismark, 1815-1898, Prime Minister of Prussia and founder and first Chancellor of the German Empire, said this, "Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made." I hear the sausage making analogy quite often from various politicians. I like sausage. I have in my younger years participated in the making of sausage. I get the idea behind his quote. Most people who enjoy sausages likely would never want to see them made. The problem I have in Bismark's quotation has to do with the end result. Yep. Sausage making because it is very messy and yucky isn't all that pleasant and watching local, state, and national government going through their endless gyrations isn't at all pleasant. The end result of sausage making is typically something good. The end result of all the government endless gyrations when completed and signed into law can be very distasteful and a source of downright frustration and anger. We have the paid YouTube channel so we can watch our fill of sausage making within government function on a 24 hour basis. I'm not recommending it, just, telling you it is available. My wife is most happy to not see any of it. I watch too much of it because I feel it necessary to be informed and as a result I am often infuriated. That was my little bit of Paul Harvey's trademarked, "Now you know the rest of the story." (Never heard of Paul Harvey. You missed out on a great one. Look him up, listen to some of his recordings. It will be well worth your time.) At the end of it all I can rest in knowing that God's got this! And, we can count on Him to always do right. Amen.

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." ~ John Lubbock, (1834-1913), an English banker, Liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist

I took a photo of our card, contact info on the back.

Good morning and welcome. Today is Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Whew! Just back from getting the ole truck inspected and renewing the registration, the process is better known as the money collection pyramid scheme run by the State of Texas. I know. Pay my taxes. And, we thought it was tough when it was taxation without representation. Now we have the representation and taxes have never been higher. I'm not really upset about it, I was just throwing some red meat out for some of my readers. The inspector is a fellow believer and I always feel blessed to have that connection. The ole truck has right at 218,000 miles on it and I am just thankful that it gets me from point A to point B. That's right. I am not just thankful in general but thankful to God from whom all blessings flow. (see Psalm 100) The registration place here in Montgomery county stays plenty busy and I got my ticket out of the machine and after about 30 minutes they announced that I was next up. I went to the lady matched on the display my ticket number and she quickly handled my renewal. "I need your ID please." "That will be $76.75, check or card?" Me, "Check." I wrote out the check and she printed out my new renewal tag, (to be self installed). As we got ready to conclude our time together I told her I had a souvenir for her. I handed her our Santa Enterprise card and for the first time, get it, for the first time she actually looked at me with a grin as big as Texas. My point? How often do we deal with and interact with people and never really see them? Okay. I confess. Me too. There's likely a lesson in there somewhere. I'll let you ponder while I do the same and we can know there's a lot of pondering going on. Right? Right.

 

The back of the card has only this on it: the_realsanta@yahoo.com. She was reading that when she looked up and what to her wondering eyes did she behold? None other than "that jolly ole elf himself". She was essentially shocked because she was immediately struck by her recollection of whether she had been naughty or nice. I had been nothing more than a number to this late 40's lady until she had reason to consider me as a person. At least she will have something to tell her family about. Guess who I saw today? I recall what Jesus thought when he saw people milling about. We are told His response was one of compassion and he summed up their need, they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew Chapter 9) I won't go into the IQ level of sheep but let me put it this way, they emphatically need a shepherd to see after their needs and their well being. I am a long way from seeing folks like this as much as I should because the haunting inspired admonition given to us through the Apostle Paul goes like this, from his letter to the Philippians, Chapter 2, verses 4-5: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:...." Well, well, that should be a heaping serving of conviction, enough for us all. And, the people agreed with a hearty: Amen! As we go on our way today may God help us to actually see those who happen to be in our path. May He add His blessings. Amen. 

“Where I'm from, we believe in all sorts of things that aren't true... we call it history.” ― Gregory Maguire, Author

Me, out on the sun porch of our old home place. One of the last times I was there back in 2017.

Hello out there in the internet realm where bits and bytes fly around at speeds almost beyond comprehension. Unless you are a networking guru. I am not, but, it is good that we can communicate like we do on this Tuesday, July 15, 2025. I don't know the exact context of the quote in the today's title but I can identify with it in terms of my own personal experience in relationship to the place I grew up. It wasn't Mayberry but in many ways it attempted to be a facsimile. Yeah. I grew up seeing and hearing from those near and dear to my upbringing only to learn later they were not completely right about quite a lot of things. At the same time, I, for whatever reason, never really held them accountable for their misunderstandings of the realities I later came to embrace. I remember a month long management course I took at LSU where one of the instructors was a professor who grew up in rural Mississippi. He talked about how his parents were obsessed with the need for racial segregation and they brought up their family with this uppermost in their minds. When the bus came to pick up those headed to college, it was standing room only. The now professor who was then a recent high school graduate found himself sandwiched between two young black fellows. Suddenly he had to face a reality he would have never expected. His upbringing caused him to believe that close contact with a black person, well, the smell alone could kill you. Sorry. But, this is what he told us. On that day, on that bus, reality hit him like a ton of bricks. Not only did he not suffer immediate death but he also noticed there was no smell. This caused him to have to evaluate, update, and change what he had previously been led to believe. There are a number of areas I learned that differed from the things I had been told growing up. Some, having experienced this separate themselves from and lambast their folks for their wrong thinking. Me? I tried to understand how they thought the way they did and I loved them anyway, I respected them, and, I continue to appreciate all they sacrificed to provide for me growing up. I actually thank God for all my folks even though they were very imperfect in some areas. Aren't we all? Sadly, many of us find information that changes our way of seeing things but we neglect to seek out the truth, the whole truth, and, nothing but the truth as found in God's Holy Word. I highly recommend it. I do. I really do. Think about it. Factual information can update your thinking, but, God's Word can alter your eternal destination. Now that's really something to think about!

 

I actually still keep up to a certain extent with the goings on back in my old stomping grounds. (Here's some insight into the stomping grounds usage as provided by Michael Shapiro in his 'Language Lore' blog:  The contemporary American phrase stomping ground, in the meaning of ‘a place where one habitually spends/spent much of one’s time’ is the product of folk etymology in two respects. First, the form of the verb, viz. stomp, is an American dialectal version of the English stamp, which has replaced the original in most meanings. Second, the original meaning of stamping ground(s) referred to a place where animals (esp. cattle) habitually gathered, as in this example from the OED: “1862 Harper’s Mag. June 34/1, I found myself near one of these ‘stamping grounds’, and a simultaneous roar from five hundred infuriated animals gave notice of my danger.” A dwindling minority of speakers of American English still preserve the original form of the phrase, but its complete replacement by the newer one is inevitable.) I know. You weren't interested in any word origin input today, but, I enjoy using figures of speech and I also enjoy finding out where they came from. You can enjoy whatever it is you like and then share that in your blog. The keeping up for me involves reading the local news in the area I was raised up in, the obituaries, and, of course, the shenanigans going on in the political realm since after all, it is Louisiana. I know some leave, shake the dust off their feet, and work hard never to return again. Not me. I am still fond of that place, fond of the memories there, and, fond of the people who helped to shape me into who I am today. Well, I can see my word count is a wee bit out of control today, therefore, I will stop right here. You get out there and have yourself a wonderful God-blessed day. You hear? Just do it in Jesus Name! Amen.

“There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.” ~ John G. Lake, Canadian Missionary, (1870-1935)

Good morning folks and welcome to another edition of my version of this, that, and the other. Today is Monday, July 14, 2025 and we continue in our thanks to God for His provision in the good outcome of the cancer related surgical procedure performed on the wife's sister here in what is commonly known as the Houston Metroplex. Don't let anyone fool you, that metroplex name is just so it won't be called the Houston Area Gridlock. At any rate, we do thank so many who prayed for the wife's sister. Today's title captures the essence of the difference between prayers of the mouth versus prayers of the heart. And, as many preachers like to say, "The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart." Prayer in many ways is a mystery or at least it is to me. While we do not have a biblical record of Adam and Eve praying, we do know it was God's desire to communicate with them. Here's the record from Genesis chapter 4, verses 25 and 26: "Then Adam knew his wife again; and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has set for me another seed in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” And to Seth, to him also, a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of Yahweh."  (From the Legacy Standard Bible, a literal translation, my bolding.) My point? Calling on God is ancient and we know from the template of Scripture that prayer is a part of God's plan and purpose for His created human family. Some point to Abraham's communication with God as the first recorded prayers in the Bible, however, I think the Book of Job is remarkable in this communication aspect. Well, I'm not going to be able to go into a lot more about this other than to say this: Prayer Works. Many say the outcome would have been the same whether you prayed or not. The outcome is much more than just the result of the matter being prayed about. Praying Your will be done and believing and accepting that as the standard of our prayers, well, it works on those doing the praying. Have I ever prayed for something that did not come out the way I wanted it to? You betcha! Why do I continue to pray, to seek God, to intervene on behalf of others? I trust God. I believe what He said. And, He is worthy regardless of the outcome, period. There's so much more. But, for today, I will leave you with this Holy Spirit inspired invitation, Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (You can find out more. You can. Read about the model prayer in Matthew Chapter 6, read about the Lord's prayer is John Chapter 17.)

 

Please don't send me letters about my labeling of the Jesus' example format prayer as the model prayer. I am fully aware that it is commonly referred to as the Lord's prayer. I don't have a problem with that but I choose to call it the model prayer and I use it often. I do. I really do. What about you? May I also quickly add how well aware I am that it can either be a recitation memorized set of words OR a prayer from one's heart using words chosen by our Lord Himself. I was at the huge Promise Keepers gathering at the Hoston Astrodome back in the 1990"s. At that session attended by over 40,000 men, John Maxwell, a noted pastor and conference speaker, introduced the concept of praying back the Scriptures. Out of all the things shared, that one session spoke to my heart and I have actually did exactly that, praying to God from the Scriptures many, many times. I have. I really have. My favorite prayer from the Scriptures, and there are so many, is praying back to God Psalms 145-150. It might be a little awkward as you use the words as your own and address God from these inspired lyrics. Hey! When it's just you and God, messing up is no big deal. Work on it. Make it your own version of these praise and worship lyrics, from your heart to the heart of God. Isn't that what prayer is about? I hear many of you saying Amen. For the rest, well, I will speak to you another day. Just joking around. However, you might want to keep tuning in just to find out. May our Great God continue to be honored as we seek Him from our hearts. Have a great day and may God bless each one. Amen. 

Thank You, Durwood, Wherever You Are!

Good morning. Today is Friday, July 11, 2025 and I was thinking about the near misses I've experienced in my life where I could have been absent from this body, if you get my drift. Some call them near death events and I've actually had a few. What about you? This blog was written back in 2007, the year I started my blogging experience. 

 

~ When I came to the big company in 1969 it was still trying to digest a much larger company it had just purchased. That company was located in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the people there were certainly not excited about leaving that place for a growing metropolitan city in Texas. Because the company in Shreveport was much more advanced in the use of computing, many of their data processing people became leaders in the merged operations. Many of the down line folks were given relocation assistance and transferred into the Houston metro area.

One of these people was a computer operations shift leader by the name of Durwood. He was a native Louisianian and moved under protest but settled in and made the best of it. He and a few other guys used to car pool with me when they were available. I worked straight days and they rotated shifts so I got a new crew every few weeks. I’ll never forget the first time I met Durwood. The fellow introducing us told Durwood we should have something in common since I was from Louisiana also. Durwood asked me what town I was from. I told him Hornbeck. He said, “What’s that, a disease?”

Since most of us were young and had young families we used to park about ten blocks away from our workplace. It didn’t cost anything to park there but it was quite a jaunt to our building through some pretty rough neighborhoods. Most of the time we had a pretty good group so we had the safety that comes in numbers and the price was exactly what we needed to pay for parking. I did park in that same place more than once and worked until midnight and my walks to my car in the middle of the night produced a few memorable stories on their own. I’ll save those for another day.

I mentioned in an earlier blog about how I used to get myself all stirred up on my way into work anticipating the day’s schedule and events. The closer I got to our building it was the more focused I was on what I had to do that day. On more than one occasion I was preoccupied to the extent that I wasn’t watching where I was going and either fell because I stepped into a hole or ran into an unsuspecting soul. These were bad enough but it could have been worse, much worse. One very bad habit I had was whenever we would come to a traffic signal and I would be in deep thought and when the signal turned green, I would dart out into the street. While that sounds okay, it’s not if the signal turned green was the wrong light for through traffic instead of the green for you to walk. I did this more than once and was fortunate to only have people blow their horns at me.

One day several of us were walking from our parking area. I was doing my thinking deal and probably beginning to be mesmerized by all I had to do that day whenever we came to a major intersection. I am sure I was still moving as we waited and I anticipated the green light and when it changed I took off. Suddenly, a bus anticipating the same light which was his light, not mine, accelerated and brushed my tie and stomach as it whizzed by. I had been jerked back from sure death by Durwood. I’ve been in a number of accidents where I could have died. I’ve been injured a time or two. But, this is the one and only time where I knew for sure that a particular individual saved my life. That day my legs went weak and I nearly fainted. I was probably more careful after that, at least for a while.

About six months later Durwood was in a horrible accident on his way home from work. A driver in the middle of the night ran through an intersection and broadsided Durwood at over 80 miles per hour. Durwood was mangled. He survived and made what many said was a miraculous recovery. His accident left him permanently damaged, his anatomy completely rearranged, and with health issues that would be with him forever. Our company found a spot for Durwood in a technical support area and he came back and the last I knew many years ago he was still chugging along.

Thirty five years later I still think about Durwood. He didn’t want to come to the big city but he did. He didn’t want to live in an apartment until he could find a house but he did. He didn’t want to park 10 blocks away when before he was able to park near the entrance door in Shreveport. God had a plan for Durwood’s life and on a very eventful day his life touched mine in a split second early one morning. I’m thankful that Durwood was there that day to reach out and grab me and pull me back. Thank God, and thank you Durwood, wherever you are. More later…………….. ~

 

That incident happened nearly 50 years ago. And, that, my friend is a true story. I know. I wasn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to being careful. Tomorrow is surgery day for the wife's sister at MD Anderson. Thanks for those who have been praying for her. I do hope y'all will have a blessed rest of today, Saturday, and then, as you find a place to gather on Sunday, the first day of the week, (a good start, right?), with God's people to hear from Him and to build each other up in the faith. Okay. May God bless each one. Amen. 

 

"The best way to get something done is to begin." ~ copied

Today. It is Thursday, July 10, 2025, and, to be honest, it's the only one we can deal with at this time. Today. Let's do our best to get out there and git-r-done. Those are some pretty encouraging words of motivation coming from a proven champion of procrastination. According to many of those who observe and closely watch after me, well, they think I should have reached legendary standing in this category. I started to say category of performance but that doesn't really fit since it follows the old adage of not doing anything today that can be postponed until tomorrow. I exaggerate some here but I do know there must be some truth to it since I do hear about it quite often. I do at times ask for the hearing about it to be postponed until a better time, but, I think I get the picture and so do you. ~ I thought about putting together a rule book for procrastination but I haven't gotten past the first page, yet. ~ One of these days when I get around to it I'm going to read a book about how to not procrastinate. ~ When I feel an urge to procrastinate I typically just put off thinking about it. ~ I heard they held a conference for those prone to procrastination, sadly no one showed up. ~ I sometimes feel bad knowing the best time to have planted that tree was 20 years ago. ~ When it is all said and done I find myself squarely achieving mostly the said portion of that statement. ~ If putting it off until tomorrow puts too much pressure on you, try using a long range planning calendar instead. ~ I've heard the cost of procrastination can be seen in never having lived the life you could have, however, I'll think about that later. ~ I hope you enjoy my little thoughts about procrastination because I worked on it for some time. Time I could have been using for something much more productive. Okay. I am joking here but it is an issue I do personally have to deal with, therefore, I thought I would throw it out there for any and all to consider. The bottom line is this: Procrastination is not good. I should know.

 

 

I am, however, pretty doggone good as a last minute kind of guy. I should have done it already but look what I can get done right at the buzzer. I will give a caveat to my procrastination inclination. I tend to never procrastinate when it comes to my Bible study and Bible lesson preparation. And, that priority in the use of my time is rarely compromised. I haven't come up with any type of ailment that I can blame my behaviors on other than my sin nature. There you go. Wait a minute. Doesn't the Bible tell us that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world? (1st John 4:4) Yikes. But the Apostle Paul also tells us that we are in a battle with our old man nature, the flesh itself. The good news is after having confessed the issues that occur when we yield to our old man nature, Paul ends up giving us all the way we can overcome and be victorious. Get up earlier each day and pray more? That might help but the victory can only be found in and through our yielding ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is found in Romans Chapter 7. When you read it, pay attention to verse 25 because it does provide the way victory can be experienced. Well, I'm pretty tired right now. I think I will make a list of things I need to do and then take a nap. How about you? Until next time, may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen.