Trip Home

Christmas was great. Enjoyed the evening with the Dennis's then Chirstmas day we went to Brian and Bridget's. Enjoyed the time there ... good food and got to see more Family. Barbie and Mike were there, David Brown, Eric, our kids (Kelly and I of course), the Rexroth kids, and a couple Barbie sits with. The chefs did an excellent job with all the food. Good thing I'mnot counting calories (although I probably should).

We were thinking about heading out Saturday evening for home - maybe take advantage of one more trip to Dollywood. However the weather was going to be quit chilly, so I was reluctant to try that. Ended up going to Columbus, trying out the Spaghetti Warehouse and then going to COSI for the afternoon. So we stayed at Eric's and left out this morning. The trip is suppose to take 8 hours of driving, but we usually can count on 10 hours. Kelly started driving and traffic was pretty good. I took over somewhere in WV and all was good 'til we can out of the 2nd tunnel and in VA. People just need to learn how to drive! I was ready to experience some road rage. I realize the holiday traffic will cause some congestion, but there were no accidents or construction delays. So people were just braking to see red lights like they were missing Christmas already! Come on ... learn how to drive. It was stop and go, 70 MPH. then 5 MPH all the way through VA. I get mad just thinking about it.

Thankfully that was pretty minor and the only "problem" we had over the holidays. Had a great time with my brother and it was the best traveling our family has done in quite some time. COSI was really cool. Hate that Seth was sick over the week end but we got to do Christmas together. Hope he really enjoys his Penn State chair.

Merry Christmas

I'm sitting here at my brother's computer - it's almost 9 on Christmas morning and no one else is up. I laid in as long as I could - maybe 7:30. We exchanged gifts yesterday, so maybe everyone is wore out from the excitement. Come to think of it, neither one of my boys took a nap yesterday. But I just feel better in the mornings, so I'm up and ... actually thought to blog.

For the trip up here, we packed most of our clothes the night before. Then, I got up around 5:30 to load up the van, and amazingly, we were on the road by 7:40! I was able to drive the entire way, so Kelly and the boys could rest, read, or entertain themselves with a movie. The boys also had their games (Leap Frog & V-Tech). The past year or two the trips to Ohio have been extremely long and/or aggravating. Not this time thank the Lord! Maybe I can convince Kelly to always leave this early - she hates the early morning but she did pretty good this time.

Christmas Eve we opened presents at Eric's house. He got the kids the night before so we were able to spend some time with them. Eric & Kelly started breakfast, I started getting Ericca's kitchen set laid out for assembly. Then we ate and Eric & I put the kitchen set together. The kids had a little time to play, then we ran to the store and then to Annette's. Eric usually does Christmas Eve with the Dennis family so we crashed the party this year. They fed us good and then surprised us with gifts!

I had to order Seth's gift - he is decorating his new room with Penn State and you can't find much in NC or OH with PSU. Since I ordered it late I had it shipped to Eric's and it came while we were at Annette's. I ran over to Eric's twice to see if UPS had delivered yet. It was a blow up chair with the PSU colors and logo. It cam with a small foot pump and several of us worked to get it pumped up. Seth seemed to enjoy the chair - he sat in it the rest of the night. A couple of the kids jumped all over him but Seth handled it very well. We hung out for 8-9 hours, then back to Eric's.

Seth & Ericca went back to their mom's for Christmas day. They will be back tomorrow. We are going to chill at Eric's and then go over to Barbie's house this afternoon. I like not having to run around so much. This is nice. I would like to see if we can catch Uncle Roger before we head back to NC.

Merry Christmas to all my blog followers. I think there are 1.5 of you out there - LOL. Maybe when I get my new phone I'll post more ... maybe.

What doth the Lord require of thee?

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

There are many creeds, doctrines, and beliefs that bring human reasoning into the question "What doth the Lord require of thee?". First, our human nature typically spins the question to "What doth the Lord require of ________? (fill in the name of someone else). Another spin we typically put on it - figure out what we want to do then find scripture to justify what we want to do. Yet another spin is to do what we want to do then ask "Where can you find thou shalt not ________ (fill in the blank) in the Bible?".

Micah specifically lays out three three things that the Lord requires of us. A requirement is not a suggestion. A requirement is needed, essential, and is a condition for meeting a goal. If heaven is our goal, we are required to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Let's take a look at them individually:


Do Justly

The human tendency - make excuses for our actions, blaming our reaction to other events/people. However, this requirement requires a lot of self examination. No finger pointing is allowed here. The word just means lawful - God's Word is our law and we are to abide by the Word. If someone else breaks the law, we still have to follow the law. If we break the law, we have to correct the problem the lawful or Biblical way. For problem solving, see Joshua 22 & Matthew 18.

Love Mercy

It is way too easy to become self righteous and lift ones self up above others. We put on our "robes of righteousness" and think that our wardrobe gives us judicial authority. With gavel in hand, you can bang on the old sounding block, making a lot of noise and giving out guilty judgments against anyone who doesn't see things the way you do. This is not mercy!

Mercy can be defined as not getting what you deserve. God sent his Son to extend mercy to the lost - you and me. By accepting Jesus, we are accepting the mercy of God on our eternal soul. As true Christians, we are striving to be Christ-like, and should be extending mercy to people even though we may not think they deserve it. A great example in the Bible is Jonah who finally went to Nineveh to preach but then expected God to pass judgment even though the city repented of their sins. God used a gourd to help Jonah see the error of his way.

Walk Humbly

Humility is often missing from the Christian walk and many are led astray because of their own pride. Looking at current conditions in congregations, I sometimes reflect on what might be different if men had humbled themselves and made minor corrections. If the element of humility is missing from your walk with God, then it seems to be impossible to do justly and love mercy.

Webster defines the word humble as expressing a spirit of submission, ranking low in a hierarchy or scale, and not being proud or haughty. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another. 1 Peter 5:5 instructs us to be subject one to another.

To help us really grasp the words of Micah, we need to be asking our self this question - What does the Lord require of me?

Took a weekend trip to the New River in WV. Good time, great laughs ... what a blast. You'd have to see the video to beleive it. Peeling out in a rafting boat was not suppose to be so scary or so fun. I'm so glad everyone is safe - I think I was the only one that came out up stream and I couldn't tell if everyone was OK or not. Jump Rock was another experience - I wasn't scared until my feet left the rock. Not being in the water very often leaves me a little skeptical and tense when I do get in the water, especially when your floating down or jumping into a body of water you are not familiar with. But like I said, it was hilarious and a great adventure.

I'm really wanting to get more involved in the Haiti mission. I've been looking into various sources where I could make an impact. The financial needs are great and oversight of such a project is critical. I don't want to throw money into random insanity. I want to make a difference in the lives of the people. I'm not for spending all my time at a convention, as some are already filling that need. My burden is to help the people with their daily needs. I want to support a medical team in the orphanage. If given the opportunity to go back myself, I'd like to use my hands to make a difference in someone's life. Not sure of God's plan for me in this mission, but I'm needing to hear from that still, small voice. It takes a group of people to make everything happen, and unfortunately church groups in America are so splintered that they can work with their own neighbor, let alone an overseas mission. God's plan might be hindered by our failures, but God always finds a way to get the job done. Lord help me to do my part.

After the recent news rants concerning Sgt. James Crowley arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr., I couldn't help but chip in myself. I guess what really stirred me up was President Obama's comments about a subject he failed to look into. What kind of leadership was shown by commenting in this manner? And then to pile on racial comments!

Now the president is the head of the Executive Branch of our government. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. Sgt. James Crowley was enforcing the laws of the land - from the information that is being reported. So I guess if you are doing your job, you are "acting stupidly" from BHO's point of view. For those of us who still have a job in this economy (thank the Lord I do), are we to slack up so we don't act stupidly? Only if we want to further jeopardize our employment status. What about those who see Obama's policy decisions as "acting stupidly"? Oh - were are not suppose to criticize him.

Let's take a look at the racial element that has been heaped on this subject. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called this "every black man's nightmare." Obama gave us point #3 - "No. 3 — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact." I thought he was going to unite the country, not divide it - specifically along racial lines. It is tough enough to try and unify two political parties, and it would seem the President has enough work to do in the occupation he chose to pursue. He holds an elected office which is appointed to serve all Americans. Not just his friends, not just his political party, and definitely not one specific race. Mr Gates is a highly educated man, and possible has endured some racial issues in his life. But that does not appear to be the case. I can't find anyone pointing out specific acts of racism against Mr Crowley.

So why was Mr Gates arrested after showing ID? Based on the reports I've read - it was because of his attitude. I can image any cop of any race being called to a situation not knowing if he/she will be shot at, and trying to maintain a calm composure in spite of the unknown. The officer checks out the scene, finds out it is not a burglary (in this case) and then has to deal with a bad attitude from an innocent person. That would make me upset. I'd guess a lot of people are arrested just because they displayed a bad attitude to the officer. I beleive some officers will actually give you the benefit of the doubt just for cooperating. There have been several times I've been pulled for a speeding violation and the officer either 1) issued a warning, or 2) told me how to take a safe drivers class to keep points off my insurance. I don't think they would have been so understanding if I was bad mouthing them.

In this case, Mr Gates displayed a bad attitude. Cooler heads could have prevailed, but they didn't - and the bad attitude is overlooked by Mr President. Thank you Mr Crowley for doing your job.

My Visit to the Dentist

Our nephew Randy spent the night with us. So this morning they are playing dentist and guess who had an appointment - me! They actually were very accurate - in some regards. I had to wait in the room and did not get to see the dentist until I fussed to the first assistant (Garrett) and the dentist (Randy) who kept telling me I had to wait half and hour! There were however, some things I've never experienced at the dentist. First, the second assistant (Levi) jumped on top of me! I can say that is definitely a first and I am still laughing about it. Next, I finally persuaded the dentist to take a look. The first thing he wanted to do was check my temperature and informed me that my temperature was "average at 102". After getting a shot and prescribing some vitamins, I was cleared to go by the dentist and told to stay 8 days and ten nights by the first assistant (thankfully the second assistant was not asking me to spend the night - LOL!) Well, I got out of there as quick as I could. Next time, I hope to have my teeth checked!

Blah Blah Blah

What is it with me posting at this time of night? I'm fighting to get some internet time (like I need more) since I don't have to work tomorrow - at least not in the office.

My finger is still numb and gets irritated from time to time. Still can be very painful if hit just right. Thankfully that does not happen often.

I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my Grandma before she died. We were able to go up and see her for a few days. I'll remember her responding to my voice by squeezing my hand. When I kidded with her about not hurting my fingers, she immediately let go. Her hands were very warm, and at times she would rest them for a minute, then go searching for my hand resting on the bed beside her. I had hoped to get up and see her on mothers day, but she passed about a week before. I'm glad my last memories of her were not of her suffering.

The job is going great - but you can still see signs of the economy hurting the industry. We had a company outing with a big customer and it was pretty cool - fast go carts, good food, and a live band. Of course, I had to deal with the beer that others thought was necessary - but it is nice to not need an extra buzz to have a good time. I left early but it sounds like everyone kept things under control. It seems sometimes we are taught as a church going person that we should avoid such gatherings, but if we can't be in the world but not of it, then we are in big trouble as Christians.

I finally got my storage building/workshop and am working to get my tools cleaned out of the basement and organized. There are a few of my bigger tools that were a haste to use so I just let them collect dust rather than tangle with them in the basement. Now maybe I can be a little more creative - and not have any more accidents with sharp tools. Lol

We had a great weekend. Left out Friday for the Ravenswood All Day Meeting. Stayed the night in Ripley, then went to the first service on Saturday. I originally want to go and see Bro Nathan Dieudonne, but through our email correspondence, I found out he would be going to Haiti instead. They need a lot of prayers for the conditions in Haiti. Besides the poverty within the country, there are several forces at work here in the US that are working against the people there. In some cases, it is spiritual warfare, in others it is hindering the medical outreach - how sad. Any ways, I thought it would be good to go and support Bro Cummings and the congregation. Seen a lot of people I have not seen in a long time - many I can't even remember their names, I just smile and ask how they are doing - sorry.

Well ... gotta go make a to do list for this rainy week we are suppose to have. I'd like to have some sunshine to mow and work on outside projects. But at least the garden is getting the rain!

Answered prayers

Both fingers are healing really well. I was worried about the one that had stitches. The doctor pulled them after nine days - they were in-grown and it hurt as bad as the day I cut them. It is still numb and very sensitive.

Update on the prayer requests I mentioned before. God really worked some things out for us. I got back from Guatemala on Feb 3rd and my job was terminated on February 5th. Very bad timing I thought. We were so blessed to have been able to make it through almost 2 months without any income. According to everyone I've talked to I should have been able to draw unemployment but because it was an out of state employer, there is some extra red tape to trip through. So we are still waiting for the results of that headache to come in.

Started my new job on March 30th, and am enjoying it so far. I am back in the office/plant daily, and enjoy being out of the house more. However, there are some things I miss about working from home. The boys seemed to adjust well considering they both were used to me being home all day, almost every day. At least they are excited when I come in the door each day.

New prayer request - please pray from my grandma in Ohio. They believe she had a stroke today. Not too many details are know at this time. Pray for my parents and sisters as they travel up to visit and we plan on going up for the weekend as well.

Update

It's almost been one week since my accident. The wounds are starting to heal, and I have not had much pain since last Sunday. The wounds are starting to draw up - I guess exposing them to the air and the typical healing process cause that along with a little extra pain. They're doing fine. I'm just thankful that I can still count to ten instead of 9 + some change.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers!

Mike's fingers

I was making some cuts with my circular saw - needed a table saw. I knew better than to cut the way I was. But after successfully making the most dangerous cuts in a 1X3 (cutting a notch the length of the board), I started to rip the board into a 1x1-1/2 piece. The saw grabbed the board and pulled my hand into the saw, seriously gashing two of my fingers. Kelly drove me to the ER and x-rays showed no damage to the bones. Thank God! All the way to the hospital I was thanking God because I was in a room by myself with the door closed. I could have blacked out and lay there bleeding until someone found me.

They put 6 stitches in one finger and the other one they just wrapped up - said it was not bad enough for stitches. The pics don't show it but both fingers were wrapped up the same way. I am also thankful this is not my mouse hand!

If you don't like to see cut up flesh, don't scroll down.

Levi at worship service

Here is Levi worshiping the Lord!

What did Faith get us into? Why is Casey just watching while Anthony works? LOL

I should have known that Casey would ask me to get involved in a project that was bigger than expected. Casey will have to go back tomorrow with Anthony and finish up. You would think after all the enormous furniture Casey asks me to help move that I would learn to say NO.

Levi getting a haircut. He does so well sitting still and cooperating.

Just trying to blog from

Just trying to blog from my phone. Let's see how this works.

A message in the song

We all face troubling circumstances and from time to time it seems like everything hits at once. In these times, I typically have a lot of songs running through my head that bring encouragement - yep, I'm posting a couple more songs. It has been one of those weeks where difficulties keep arising, and I'm constantly in a battle. Thank the Lord for peace of mind - oh that's another song. "Peace of mind, that's what I find, in Jesus, when the world comes crashing in ...".

The main song I was think about as I sat down to blog was "God Likes To Work When Nothing Else Will". The ending says what is on my mind - "So they'll be no mistaking, when He blesses and heals, God likes to work, when nothing else will". Looking forward to giving God all the glory as He works things out.

I had a great time with Mariano, Wendy, Aydan, and Sis Becky in Guatemala. Spent 5 days meeting Mariano's family and site seeing (and a little shopping as well). Hope to get some pics up soon. We got back home around 12:30 Wednesday morning. Please pray for the Pacheco family.

Wednesday I tried to address some on going issues we have been in for some time. Thursday, some new bad news hit, and God knows what that is. We are trusting God for direction, not understanding His timing for everything. But that brings up another song "Isn't it great, when He's four days late, He's still on time". Lord, help me to work on your time clock and not my own.

He Still Rolls The Stone Away

There is another song that says "He still rolls the stone away". I am thankful God can soften our heart, and break the bondage of sin. If your bound by sin's prison, you don't have to stay. Thank the Lord for victory regardless of circumstances that are out of our control!

A Miracle In Every Pew

There is a song titled "A Miracle In Every Pew", most notably sung by Karen Peck and New River. As I reflect on my struggles with church problems, I realize that often times I find a hypocrite on every pew, and miss the miracles.

P.S. - if you attend a church with no problems, then you must be lonely.

Shaving

I took this rough photo today just being crazy. I tried to fluff my hair up and have not shaved in a couple of days. Actually, I have become quit lazy when it comes to shaving. Sunday morning and Wednesday are about the only days I shave. My lack of interest in shaving began when my wife informed me she like me with a goatee. At first I was not crazy about it, but it has grown on me. What made me really like the goatee was no more slicing and dicing of my chin. Something about the contour of that part of my face attracts the razor blade to cut extra deep. I rarely cut myself shaving now.

Since I started working from home in 2007, daily shaving has become a thing of the past. The home office has it's benefits. Showering without shaving is much more gratifying. Some say they can not stand a few days growth because of itching, but I don't really seem to be bothered with that. My neighbor mentioned that I should just let it all grow out, but I'm not sold on that idea yet.

Well, I just wanted to post this picture so that those of you who would like to see me on a wanted poster can have a preview of what my mug shot would look like! Enjoy.
_______________________________________________________

Mariano is very excited about seeing his Wendy and Aydan again (and they look forward to seeing Mariano also). He seems to be encouraged and stays somewhat busy working for his brother-in-law (I think). I've talked with him from time to time and just received an email from him too. I am looking forward to visiting Guatemala in the near future. Not sure I'll ever be able to call him Juan. He has always been a hard worker, and volunteers his time to help others. On top of that, he puts up with Wendy! We have been praying for them daily and trusting that the Lord will reunited them permanently as soon as possible.

I Will Do My Part

What am I doing up at this hour (3:30 on a Sunday morning)? Well, I took a 45 minute nap with the boys yesterday and for some reason, naps throw me off. I had trouble going to bed in the first place. Then, for the first time since I installed the wood stove, I actually got up in the middle of the night (had to set an alarm) to add wood to the fire. There are three reason why I did this: #1, it has been very cold, #2 I do not want the oil furnace running any more than it has to, and #3 the wood I have right now is very dry and burns a little faster. So after laying back down for 1/2 hour, I got up and here I am. Keep this in mind if you find any typos here.

Thinking back over my recent posts, I wanted to explain I am not trying to be negative towards any one person or any group of people. Just putting out the thoughts that I've had in general over the circumstances I face in life. To point some of this in a more positive direction ...

I sometimes find myself looking at others and questioning "what are they doing"? If your in the work place and someone isn't doing their part, it really is frustrating. It can also be experienced in our homes, places of worship, and just about anywhere that two or more people get together.

Didn't one of the disciples of Jesus ask about what one of the other disciples was going to be doing? I need to find that scripture.

Anyhow, going back to the thoughts from Heb 12:2, "looking unto Jesus", instead of looking around at others. If I am doing my part, then that is all God asks of me. He may ask me to help bear someones burden, but I need to be careful not to forget I am doing it for God, and not let my thoughts get caught up in "I have to pick up the slack" mentality.

An old hymn came to my mind. Have not heard it in years, ,but for some reason it has been playing in my mind with the repeat setting on.

I Will Do My Part

1. It may be little that I can do,
   Nor may I have much to say,
   But in that little I mean to be true,
   And do what I can today.
   • Refrain:
     From the depths of my heart I will do my part
     With a ready and willing hand;
     And I will not shirk, I will faithfully work
     In the place that my Lord hath planned.
2. The work He giveth may lowly be,
   It may not win man’s applause,
   But if I do what He chooses for me,
   I know it will help His cause.
3. In vain no service that love may give,
   No matter how small it be;
   In God’s remembrance it ever shall live
   To shine in eternity.
4. In that fair day, when the crowns are brought
   For those who have faithful proved,
   There will be one for each soul that has wrought—
   For all that have worked and loved.

Click here to listen to the tune (same with title above).

Luke 17:32 and Heb 12:2

Luke 17:32 - Remember Lot's wife.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

These two scriptures came to my mind at the same time today. I did not study out what Luke was trying to say - just had these two scriptures come to my mind.

Often times we become careless and have our focus on the things behind us. We take our eyes off of the prize and like Peter we begin to sink into the sea of despair.

Or like Lot's wife, we turn into a pillar of salt. Nothing wrong with salt in the correct amount. A little bit adds flavor, too much makes you want to spit it out. A little salt can help heal/clean a cut but I won't pour a whole jar in an open wound.

Looking unto Jesus ... if we are looking in the right direction, our words and our actions will most likely reflect what we are seeing. If we are looking backwards, well, our words and our actions will most likely reflect what we are seeing.

There is a time for reflection, but you better keep your eyes on the road you plan to travel.

Mat 5:44

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Sometimes we forget to live by this scripture. We find out someone is talking about us or something seems chaotic because others are not doing their job and we immediately become angry and sometimes we respond in anger. God help me to pray for those who are so miserable and looking for company to share their bad news with. Help me to say nothing when I have nothing nice to say. (especially when I may not know what I'm talking about)