What's Wrong With The World

What's wrong with the world...is becoming the slogan for 2013.  Truthfully, there's nothing wrong with the world.  God created this a perfect world and then made man in his own image -- also perfect.  As his highest and most valuable creations, God gave man free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong.  Perhaps, that's where He went wrong!  Unfortunately, man choose the wrong and rebelled against what's right -- and that my friends is what's wrong with the world.  Can God fix mankind?  You bet He can.

That's why he sent Jesus!

A Good Laugh for the Over 50 Age Group!!

When I bought my Blackberry, I thought about the 30-year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grand kids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting World.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-u-lating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn instead. Well, it was not a good relationship. When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have to run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, No, but I do fart a lot."

P.S. I know some of you are not over 50. I sent it to you to allow you to forward it to those who are.

Us senior citizens don't need anymore gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door remote are about all we can handle.

(Thanks to my sister-in-law for sharing this with me via of email!)

God's Phone Number is Never Busy

Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own...
I need your love to guide me
So I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you, please, to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You, too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
P.S.  Please bless all my friends and family too.

A Happy New Resolution

Every January I make a list of resolutions, things I hope to change about my life. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. 

We all have 'heartaches by the number and troubles by the score' so, letting go of these things and letting God take care of them is my resolution for 2013.  My second resolution is to vow not to break the first one!  The days are already looking brighter but, then again, the New Year is only 3 days old! 

The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas in Bethlehem town

Creatures were stirring from all around

From the outer limits to the town's square

People came for the census from everywhere

Activity was bustling at the towns largest inn

So many people there was no room for Joseph to enter in

What would he tell Mary--it had been such a long day

Where would they go where would they stay

Mary with child was tired from such a long trip

All she wanted was to lie down and rest

The inn keeper felt sad to turn them away

He sent them to the stable with a bed made of hay

And there it was that a miracle took place

with angels singing of His mercy and grace

In the dawn of a heavenly Christmas morn

The baby Jesus, savior of the world was born!

Christmas What's it All About?

Are you one of those people who find yourself stressed at Christmas?  The shopping, the wrapping, the baking, holiday parties – putting up and taking down the tree…wondering, what’s it all about? Maybe the problem isn’t Christmas, but the way you look at it.

This year as we usher in the holidays, I am vowing to take a different approach.  I want to spend more time reflecting on the “real” meaning of the season – a small baby in a manager, a savior who came to rescue a dying world.  I want to take a different path this year, perhaps one that follows a star…in the bustle of the holiday; I want to take time to talk with Him, to tell Him that I love Him.  I don’t want to get so busy that I drown on the glorious sounds of Christmas—the songs the angels sing.

 

Most important, I want to take time to kneel before the King of Kings like the shepherds did…I want to feel connected to the nativity and all that it means, to be reminded that Christmas isn’t about bright lights and tinsel on a tree…it’s not about shopping, buying gifts or making sprinkled covered brownies and infinity fudge…it’s not even about merriment, sentiment or sensationalism–it’s about humility, reverence, peace, joy and love – it’s about “Christ” who is Christmas.

This article firs appeared in His Banner Christmas 2006

 

 

 

 

Lunch with the girls over the years

A group of 15-year-old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner.
Finally, they agreed to meet at the Dairy Queen next to the Ocean View
restaurant because they had only $6.00 among them and Jimmy Johnson,
the cute boy in Social Studies lived on that street.

10 years later, the group of 25-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the beer was cheap, the restaurant offered free
snacks, the band was good, there was no cover and there were lots of
cute guys.

10 years later, the group of 35-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the cosmos were good, it was right near the gym
and, if they went late enough, there wouldn't be too many whiny little
kids.

10 years later, the group of 45-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the martinis were big and the waiters had tight
pants and nice buns.

10 years later, the group of 55-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the prices were reasonable, the wine list was good,
the restaurant had windows that opened (in case of hot flashes), and
fish is good for cholesterol.

10 years later, the group of 65-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the lighting was good and the restaurant had an
early bird special.

10 years later, the group of 75-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the food was not too spicy and the restaurant was
handicapped-accessible and had an elevator.

10 years later, the group of 85-year-old girlfriends discussed where
to meet for dinner. Finally, they agreed to meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because it sounded nice and they had never been there
before. 

I just had to share this.  Hey, I'm just saying...:)