Inspirations

                                                        Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~ Thomas Edison   I Love this quote, To me, it is a reminder that everything has a price tag; At work, we may want a good paycheck, but we don’t want to work longer hours. In sports, we may desire to play on a team, but we lack the desire to practice Or in music, we may wish to be a Mozart, but lack the persistence it takes to become more than an enthusiast. Likewise, we may want to paint like Rembrandt without putting in hours of learning and practice. Our desire does not match our drive.   We all, at one time or another, have had things we wanted to do, but the desire did not consume us.  So at some point, we gave up the dream, the yearning....

Friday, I heard that 7,000 people from the company that I work for are going to be out of a job. A man was shot and killed for not holding a door for a lady at McDonalds (true story). 2 correctional officers shot in the lobby of California county jail, a suspect in custody. DEADLY SHOOTOUT: New Mexico police officer, suspect shot and killed after an exchange of gunfire. Two USC football players under investigation for sexual assault, documents say. It doesn’t take long to realize that our world is in chaos.  If you don’t believe me, turn on the news.   After about 5 minutes of news, I get a knot in my stomach and, if I’m not careful, panic can set in.  I start to worry about things like:  whether my children are safe If I’ll have a job (I’ve already given up on retirement) If I’ll have enough money to pay the bills So today I want to encourage you.  I want to remind you that God is in control. In fa...

I don’t wash dishes now.  I used to wash the dishes after every meal, well once a day at least. But I have decided that I no longer need to wash the dishes for them to be clean. I don’t wash my clothes either.  I used to wash them all the time, but lately, I just don’t have a chance to wash my clothes.  I’m too busy, so I’ll wash them when I have more time. I also stopped driving my car.  There are so many bad drivers on the road that  I decided it is way too dangerous to drive.  I save a bunch of money on insurance, gas, and upkeep on a car too. I don’t pay for electric either.  I mean I do not need lights.  When it gets dark, I just go to bed.  Electronics is evil.  I’ve decided to avoid it at all costs.    I used to have a television, but I saw some questionable commercials, so I concluded that it was bad. I also don’t use water.   Nope, it’s not necessary.  I’ll be just fin...

Sunday, I was up early and ready for church.  The sun was shining; it was going to be a beautiful day.  Then, out of the blue, it happened.  I read a post on Facebook. By now you all suppose it was something negative or obscene, But it wasn’t. It was a simple picture with the words “God loves it when we make time for him, but it started a myriad of thoughts:   I thought of my grown children and how much even a simple phone call can mean to me because I know they are busy, so I appreciate their willingness to make time for me. I thought of how much time I spend with God.  I won’t lie; it is appalling.  ~5 minutes in the morning, A quick prayer at noon, ~30 seconds Another quick prayer at supper, ~another 30 seconds Scripture time at night, ~ 5 minutes Oh and let’s not forget a prayer right before bed.~ 10 minutes (I'm being generous.) I was ashamed and immediately resolved to do better, and I have. The ...

On Thursday, I went to our church camp.  My plan was to attend a meeting and then go to a service afterward.  As the time drew near for the meeting, I got distracted with taking care of some business on my cell phone.  Without warning, it was time for the meeting.  So I grabbed my nearly- dead phone and hurried to the building where the meeting was to be held proud of myself for not being late.  As I sat down, I realized that I forgot a pen.  However, since I did not honestly need to write anything down, I was in beautiful shape.  The meeting went long, and the service had started by the time the meeting ended.  Now, it was raining.  Since I hate wet clothes, I ran from one building to the other trying desperately not to get soaked.  I congratulated myself on succeeding in my endeavor to stay dry, as I took the one open seat with the rest of the family.    We sang another song or two and then the pastor said, ...

If I had to choose one word that described the last month, the word would be "trust".   I have different responsibilities in which I know that if I succeed, it is because God helped me.  It has been a good learning experience, but one that has forced me to rely on God to help me in making right decisions.  So far, most of the decisions I have made have been good and have worked out well.  But that is because I have a good teacher God.  When I am not sure which direction to go, I ask God, and he shows me what I need to know.  I often come home shaking my head and saying, “I have the best teacher, God.”  What a confidence booster to know that I have the one person who does know everything, giving me counsel.  I can’t go wrong with his advice.   I only have to follow it.  I know that on my own, I am helpless. But with God as my helper, I have all the resources I need to succeed.  He's as close as a whisper.

Photo is  a Bruce A. Pratt original and used by permission Pokémon Go, it’s the newest rage.   It’s a video game that you download the app for on your phone.   You walk around and try to find the creatures that are on your phone.   The problem is that people are getting so focused on the game that they forget to pay attention to where they are or what they are doing. They walk into the middle of the street without watching;  accidents caused by Pokemon Go It has caused traffic accidents; People walking off a cliff. Now I’m not going to tell you the game is bad or good; that’s not the point of this blog.  I am amazed at how focused people get when they are playing the game.  The players are so focused that they forget everything else. Imagine: walking off a cliff because you didn’t know where you were; or crashing your car into a tree because you were trying to get a Pokémon; Better y...