Got to do God's job for Him?

Psalm 37
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD ;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes...
9b but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

My Part:
1. Trust in the Lord
2. Do Good
3. ENJOY safe pasture
4. Delight in the Lord
5. Commit my way to the Lord
6. Trust in Him
7. Be still before the Lord
8. Wait patiently for Him
9. Do not fret
10. Hope in the Lord

God's Part:
1. Provide safe pasture
2. Give me the desires of my heart
3. Cause my righteousness to shine like the dawn
4. Make the justice of my cause shine like the noonday sun
5. Give the inheritance

David certainly knew pain, stress, fear, betrayal, disappointment... and so on. He knew very well that this life wasn't easy and that one thing you could count on was a challenge around the many corners of life. But David had learned that there was something else he could count on or should I say someone he could count on. David is referred to as "a man after God's own heart." He had learned the secret to "remaining." When times got tough and uncertain he retreated to his "refuge" and "ever-present help." He went to the God of certainty in uncertain times. God was his life-line. How did God know the desires of David's heart? He knew because David spent time delighting in, waiting on and enjoying God. David had mastered the art of "Being still before" the Lord.

And then there was Dan--the thinker (Don't laugh), the dreamer, the worrier, the quick fixer, the doer, the think-out-louder, the emotional roller-coaster...Not to be confused with David the worshipper, the prayerer, the be-er, the truster...

Could it be that the panic attacks, moments of fear, frustration and anger are from my attempts to run ahead of God, right out of the safe pasture he's given me today, and try to do God's job for him? Let's look again at God's part vs. my part. Am I so busy running around trying to produce a safe pasture for tomorrow that I've not taken the time to delight in, wait on, enjoy and just be with the God that loves me and has my best interest in mind? Have I sat down with him long enough for him to know the desires of my heart. I don't know if I've sat down long enough to even know the desires of my heart.

Lord, help me to be like David.

Tapping into the Spirit of Expectation

Romans 15
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

hope
( P ) Pronunciation Key (hp)v. hoped, hop·ing, hopes v. intr.
To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
Archaic. To have confidence; trust.

May the
God of Expectation
fill you with all
joy and peace
as you
trust in him,
so that you may
overflow with expectation
by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 2
13 "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

John 7
38Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says."

Peace Like a River

The following information was copied from www.erasofelegance.com.

In our modern age of uncertainty, anxiety and often fear, we can be encouraged by words of the beloved and timeless hymn, "It is Well with My Soul." Written during a tumultuous time in Horatio Gates Spafford's life, the hymn continues to provide peace and comfort in the midst of struggle. Spafford was born in 1828 and spent his early years in New York. He later moved to Chicago and became a successful lawyer and businessman. Spafford was also a deeply religious man, active in his Presbyterian church as a Sunday School teacher and lay servant, as well as in the Young Men's Christian Association. Beginning in the 1870s, Spafford's faith was tested by a series of tragic events. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed real estate located along the shores of Lake Michigan, which comprised a tremendous portion of the Spafford's investments. In 1873, a physician counseled the Spaffords to take a vacation for Mrs. Spafford's health and the family's well-being. Knowing that a dear friend, Dwight L. Moody would be preaching in an evangelistic tour in England, the Spaffords decided to leave for a vacation in England. Subsequently, Spafford's wife, Anna Lawson Spafford, and their four daughters-Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie-boarded an American ship named the S.S. Ville du Havre. Detained due to business, Mr. Spafford stayed behind but intended to follow his family in a few days.
On November 22, 1873, the S.S. Ville du Havre, sailing off the coast of Newfoundland, was struck by an English ship, the Lochearn. The Ville du Havre sank in twelve minutes. Two hundred and twenty-six lives were lost, including the Spaffords' four daughters. After hours of floating in the turbulent waters, Mrs. Spafford was rescued. Arriving in Wales, she cabled her husband with the message, "Saved alone." Receiving the horrifying news, Spafford left immediately to join his wife. He asked the captain of the ship on which he was sailing to notify him when they approached the approximate area where the Ville du Havre went down. Notified that the area was near, Spafford went down into his cabin, and near the scene of his daughters' tragic deaths, penned the words of "When Peace Like a River," better known today as "It is Well with My Soul." The hymn refers to Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The Spaffords eventually met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly, "the will of God be done."
The words of Spafford's beloved hymn follow:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."
It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul.

Thou Satan should buffet, tho' trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin... O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" - it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul.

When I say the word "peace," I can't help but think of an afro-haired, dope-smoking hippie with a tie-dyed shirt and large, round sunglasses. Is that bad? I think the hippies were on to something. Not so much the dope and dress, but the search for a state of mind void of conflict, tension and fear. Here's the problem...you'll never find true peace through a drug induced euphoria. You might have a wonderful, relaxing evening full of statements like, "What the Hell? and Who cares?," but after years of this kind of so called peace you wake up one morning and realize you've fried one too many brain cells, you've got a precription for Valtrex and a teenager shows up on your doorstep and says, "You must be my Father."

True peace is not found in trying to be in control of every aspect of your life or allowing your state of mind to be determined by daily context of your life. We love to say, "God is in control" until his control lets us down and doesn't line up with our plans for his control. We quote Jeremiah 29:11 which speaks of God having a plan for our lives, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. The problem is that we don't understand what "prosper" looks like and we equate "harm" with any kind of pain or difficulty and we get all discombobulated because God promised and he's breaking that promise because we're going through a difficult time. I bet there's a lot of children who are feeling harmed when their parents crack their butt because they didn't look both ways before they crossed the street. Do the parents love the child? How could a loving parent deliberately cause their child pain? Could it be that pain/discipline is the only way to get the child's attention and lead that child into a safer, more prosperous future?

Here's the rub. Did God cause the ship the Spafford's were travelling on to sink to somehow teach the father a lesson or discipline him in some way? I don't think so. But I do know that God was faithful in the midst of that tragedy. In the storm of great grief God showed up throught the power of the Holy Spirit. Peace like a river flowed through him and ministered to him as he grieved the loss of his daughters and dealt with his inability to pull his grieving wife into his arms and care for her because they were seperated by the Atlantic Ocean. So, why did God allow it to happen? I don't know. Could be the result of a fallen and hurting world struggling with the pains of labor, waiting to give birth to a world without sin. Could have been the result of two prideful captains neither of which were willing to give the other the right-of-way. Children die everyday as a result of their parent's sin. Is it the punishment of God? No, it's a cause and effect relationship. If you pee into the wind, you're probably going to get wet (unless you're wearing a rain suit).

The biggest thing that wrecks our peace is an unwillingness to trust God. The birds of the air said to the lilies of the field, "Why do you think those humans worry and fret so much?" To which the lilies of the field replied, "Because they must not have a loving Father in heaven as we do to take care of them." We have a loving Father, but do we trust him? Are we more concerned about the things of this world, that our concern and allegiance is here rather than in heaven where it should be? Is that why we have so much difficulty living by faith and not by sight? Is that why we smoke a joint or do a shot instead of taking our life to the Lord in prayer?

Romans 15
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace, be still!

"And He arose, and rebuked the wind,

and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm"

Mark 4:39

When sounds the world's threatening cry,

And roaring of their thunder.

When you feel the heaving of your life,

And see the foaming water.

Then from the midst of this swelling sea,

A voice so calm and clear.

Twas, "Peace be still," that reached my ear,

Calmed my heart, and allayed my fear.

Oh, words of a Savior that gave me Peace,

Though the world round me roar.

Safe in Him, my peace complete,

There for evermore.

David Stewart

Have You Ever Tried to Pass a Grapefruit?

John 15
4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.5"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.

Philippians 4
6Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Galatians 5:22-25
22But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, 23not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. 24Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good--crucified.25Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.

Matthew 6:25,33
25If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
33Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

What does it look like to be in step with the Holy Spirit? To be on God's wave-length? To have your heart beat with His? I believe John speaks of it as he describes Jesus walking with his disciples and teaching them the idea of "remaining." I imagine he probably grabbed a bunch of grapes on the vine to give them a mental image of the kind of relationship he was describing. I think Paul understood it when he penned the words concerning contentment and anxiety. How does he tell us to respond to life? Don't be anxious! Instead...Remain/Pray..."And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." PEACE--a fruit of the Spirit Paul mentions in Galatians 5:22 is ours through remaining in the Vine. We're told not to worry, but to pray and watch God do His thing!

In all honesty, I stink at remaining. Most days I feel like a sick and twisted gardner took me (a branch off of a plum tree) and somehow grafted me onto a grapefruit tree. Each day as I try to "remain," I struggle. You try to pass a grapefruit when you've been used to plums! The fact of the matter is that the Gardner is not sick and twisted. He knows what He's doing and he knows how to do this thing called life.

I'm Blessed?

Matthew 5 "You're Blessed"
1When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.8"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12You can be glad when that happens--give a cheer, even!-for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.Salt and Light13"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.14"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Someone at Bible study last night pointed out that the way to understand the joy-filled life is to understand the beatitudes that Jesus preached in Matthew 5. These are so counter-cultural and yet that makes sense when you look at the statements that come later concerning living according to the Truth, being witnesses, being salt and light and being "useful." We're called as Christians to a different standard. We're called to swim upstream against the current of our culture. I'm blessed with the privilege of being a child of God, knowing the Truth and suffering for the cause of Christ.

Just Around the Corner

1 Peter 4
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4 (The Message)
12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job.13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

suf·fer ( P ) Pronunciation Key

(sfr)v. suf·fered, suf·fer·ing, suf·fers

v. intr.
To feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment.
To tolerate or endure evil, injury, pain, or death. See Synonyms at bear1.
To appear at a disadvantage: “He suffers by comparison with his greater contemporary” (Albert C. Baugh).

v. tr.
To undergo or sustain (something painful, injurious, or unpleasant):
“Ordinary men have always had to suffer the history their leaders were making”
(Herbert J. Muller).
To experience; undergo: suffer a change in staff.
To endure or bear; stand: would not suffer fools.
To permit; allow: “They were not suffered to aspire to so exalted a position as that of streetcar conductor” (Edmund S. Morgan).

Call me crazy, but I find myself facinated by suffering in this season of my life. I've definitely encountered some farm fresh grade A crap in my current situation, but I don't know that I can call it suffering. People in Sudan are suffering. Matt Maupin's family is suffering. Homosexuals wrestling with an inner conviction that tortures their mind while living in a world that's trying to convince them that their torment is from without, are suffering. I've spent the last five years trying to inflate a balloon with a hole in it and every time we would get one hole patched another one would appear. It was a church plant that began with a lot of sick church people and a mismatched pastor for this community. Then it was a sick worship leader that began to control and manipulate the leaders. A prophet claiming my wife and I were causing division in the church came next. Then my existing leaders decided God wanted them somewhere else so they left immediately and complained that I didn't release them with comfort and dignity. They then managed to talk the family who said, "We're here as long as you're here!" into leaving (again, blaming God for the immediate departure). Oh, did I tell you this gentlemen left a message on my voicemail on Wednesday saying they were leaving and would not be able to fulfill his responsibilities on Sunday. Keep in mind that these were all people who swore they were my friends and would do anything for me. They were people who said, "We have grown so much under your ministry." I know I need some healing. I can't stand to go to Krogers for who I might run into.

Someone asked me how I deal with difficult circumstances. I could lie to you and rattle off some formula that includes deep breaths, counting to ten in Spanish and taking it to the Lord in prayer, but I'd be lying. It really depends on the context, my physical, emotional and spiritual condition, the alignment of the planets and whether I had Mexican the night before. Fortunately in every experience of pain whether I remember to call on God or not, He finds some way to say, "Hellllllllllllllloooooooooooooo. I'm here. I Am Here. I Am Loving--I have your best interesty in mind. I will not waste this experience of pain you're going through. I Am Strong--Nothing is impossible with me, and you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!

1 Peter 4
12Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. 13Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

God is on the Job! I'm in the refining process. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner!

Pure Joy....Really?

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.
Thomas PaineUS patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)


Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. William Ellery ChanningUS abolitionist & clergyman (1780 - 1842)

James 1
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Consider it pure joy when I have to deal with annoying people on a regular basis? Man...that's a hard one! I find myself thinking, "I don't want to be mature that bad. I think I'm ok with lacking a thing or two." I know that's not the right thing to think, but it's my blog and I'm just telling you what really goes through this crazy mind of mine. I know it's scary. You ought to be me for day. Scary? It's a scary, exciting, frustrating, heart-pumping, pants-wetting experience in the art of clinging to the life God has gotten me into. Everybody I talk to concerning ministry seems to be the expert. Their idea is the best one. Their opinion is the right one and obviously the one that counts! I guess it's just a dose of what God goes through on a regular basis with our ideas of what's best, right, Biblical, and "God's will."

Help us Lord! For we are in dire need of your help.

Honesty is our only policy!

I love Junior High kids. No...Really... I do! They're so honest. Last night I had my first "youth night" at a church I've stepped in to help as an interim. It's a ten hour a week position I'm doing in addition to my current ministry. I told the kids I needed their help getting reacclamated to the teenage life because I had been hanging out with adults for the past five years. I asked them to get in groups and make a list of everything I needed to know. I was walking around the room to see how they were doing and I stopped and asked two boys to tell me what they had. They said, "Three Words! Short Attention Span! We don't want to study the Bible for 5 hours." I said, "Deal! I don't want to either." They said, "We like games. Lots of games!" I was looking over their list a few moments ago and discovered they like "Vilent Games!" I think I know what they mean.

"He went that way." 

Why go populate the earth when we can impress you with this God? 

Surely we know better!

Philippians 2
3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[3] the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.


Paul, demonstrating the maturity of his faith by considering the needs of this young church in Philippi even as he sits in a jail cell chained to a Roman guard says, "Do as I do! Live lives that are outward-focused." Consider Jesus who did not consider equality with God as something to be held onto, but he left it all behind to bring all of us with him. That's outward-focused living! That's being others-minded! Jesus said, "Go make disciples of all nations." He didn't say gather your friends, build a club or fortress that serves your own needs and to hell with the rest of the world. That was the problem with the people of Babel. God told them to go forth and multiply and move out into all the world. Instead, they decided to hangout, drink a bud, and build this great tower into the heavenlies. I wonder what they thought God was going to say when they got up there? Did they think he would rescind his command because they obviously came up with something bigger, better, and certainly more impressive than God's stupid idea of leaving the comforts of home and their friends to go and populate the earth? "Surely we know better than God!" Sounds like something I said about my parents at the age of 16, with all of my wisdom.

I Dare You to Move!

Philippians 1
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[4] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

The Church in Philippi must have been freaking out, "Paul's in jail! What do we do now? What if they kill him? How can we do this without him?" I imagine their feelings may have been similar to that of the disciples when they crucified Jesus. "This wasn't part of the plan." How many of the followers were riding on the coattail of Paul's enthusiasm and courage? A storm like they had never seen had erupted in their lives. Questions of doubt, fear and failure were buffeting what little resolve they had left. Paul, sitting in a damp and cold jail cell, chained to a Roman guard, demonstrates the maturity of his faith by writing a letter to a young church answering their fears and encouraging them in their faith-walk. He meant it when he said he had learned to be content in all circumstances. He answers their personal insecurities by saying, "God's going to finish what He's started in you." He answers their feelings of helplessness towards Paul's captivity by saying, "You're sharing in God's grace with me...you're my partner in this struggle...be encouraged...I am in chains for Christ." And he answers their questions about their next steps by saying, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." What were they to do? Keep loving, growing, serving, trusting! Keep moving in step with the Spirit of God with their eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith! The band Switchfoot sings a song called "I Dare You to Move." Redemption is here. Salvation is here. See it! Receive it! Live in it! I believe Paul's message to this church struggling with captivity (both Paul's and their own) was "I dare you to move!"

2 Stories and an Update

For those of you who are following the ministry saga at my church we had 31 in worship on Sunday. At 10:30 am we had just 15 adults in the room. That's tough! I'm still not sure what God's up to, but I'm just along for the ride (trying not to fall out of the boat at times). I appreciate the words from track #9 on Steven Curtis Chapman's CD "All Things New." He talks about the tendency to look all the way to the other side for the answer to the storm on the sea, when God may want to bring an unexpected (both in time and fashion) answer right in the middle. In looking for the answer t0 the storm we're currently weathering, I know all of the answers I see as options are "other side" options. My prayer is that I don't miss God's answer because I'm so busy looking beyond the here and now.

Here's a funny story or two...

1.)
I got a call from another church saying that they had received a call from the local newspaper concerning a complaint that a local pastor had posted a political sign in the yard of his church owned parsonage. This person claimed that the pastor was in violation of a nonprofit law that forbids a church from endorsing a candidate. For starters, what kind of a hemorrhoid goes to that much trouble over an election sign? After contacting the Secretary of State's office and my District Superintendent, it was determined that the sign was ok. I immediately wanted to go out and get six more signs, but my wife talked me into getting some bumper stickers and leaving our cars in the driveway. I'm still considering a 4x6 banner to hang on the front of my house. People?

2.)
My second story involves a gentleman in my congregation who arrived at Bible study this morning sharing about the bruising he suffered as a result of the hard time nurses had inserting a catheter while he was in the hospital this past week. I could not stop crying I was laughing so hard. I apologize for the traumatic mental image.

And the greatest gift is... 

I can't really call the events of my life suffering. 

One Bad Pig! 

Look Out World!

Stop the madness! I figured out how to post pics on my blog.