Path thith on and make a differnth.

I didn't know what was going to happen first: I thought either the floor would cave in or the dog would bite him. Poor dog and I don't even know who Justin Beiber is but poor Justin Beiber.

5 years

Alot of things can happen in five years. I know Rome wasn't built in a day but I'm pretty sure after five years they had a pretty good start on it. The Empire State Building took about a year to build. The Golden Gate Bridge took about four years. The whining about New Orleans has lasted five years with no end in sight.

I saw in the Star Telegram this morning that the residents of New Orleans and the Ninth Ward in particular are complaining that not enough has been done to help them rebuild. First, and I know this is crazy talk, how about let's all live in places that are above sea level. You know, just in case something bad should happen like another big storm or something. Secondly, how much help do you people want? The word "help" implies that we are going to do this together. Having been to the area three times since Katrina and having busted my hump tearing out walls, roofing houses, using a chainsaw to remove limbs and trees and cleaning up in every way I'm wondering what the problem really is.

Don't get me wrong. I was glad to help and would go back in a flash if and when I'm needed but in my experience it is time for New Orleans to put on its big girl panties and get to work. Pity parties get old pretty quick and I'm tired of bringing the cake. Many times I was sweating on top of a roof using a hammer and nails while the able-bodied homeowner was below me on the porch working a 40-ounce. I tore out walls of a house while the owner watched tv in his government-provided FEMA trailer parked on his lawn. I traveled at my own expense to get there and work on houses that were owned by people I did not know and would never see again while all the men of the neighborhood sat in lawn chairs and watched. Pardon me if I'm not as much the "Helpy Helperton" I used to be.

C'mon Nawlens! It's time to cowboy up. Nashville had horrible flooding recently as well and it barely made the news because the citizens immediately went to work helping each other. Emphasis on "helping" in that sentence. They worked together instead of complaining that the government and everybody else owed them something. I know times are hard but it has been five years and yes, more should have been done by now. Much more, New Orleans.

Flying Circus

I wonder if Monty Python was flying this plane as well.

I will be doing this...

Guys, hunting season is fast approaching!

I found this on a female friend's blog and wanted to share it. She says:

My sweet husband invited me to go hunting with him this year.
I Couldn't believe it...the first time ever!
I never thought he'd be willing to share his 'guy time' with me
And being the thoughtful man that he is, he even gave me an opening day present.
He calls it 'The First Timers Lucky Hat'. I'm so fortunate to be married to him.

I have attached a picture of me in my lucky hat.


h/t Random Thoughts

This just in...

My former pastor just put this on Facebook and I thought it was so appropriate to my last post.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

h/t Pastor Jim

Some brief thoughts on today

Church was good this morning but I think we are making this more difficult than it has to be. Since I left my old church (more on that to come) I have visited around to several local churches and I believe that instead of having a traditional service and a contemporary service that maybe I need just one good worship service. Is this what the first church did in Acts? One service for the young people who have no musical talent and one for the old folks who have no energy left? There's too many rules in church today. I'm not talking about moral issues, I'm talking about the rule that says church has to be an orderly show where everybody is comfortably entertained. Church has to be over by noon EVERY WEEK so we can go eat. Church has to be led by professional leaders. Church has to be in a church building. Church success equals the number of members. These "rules" need to be rethought if Christians are going to remain relevant around here. Two thousand years of "church" and now we need to get back to basics and quit making this thing so difficult.

Hello my new trusted friend!

I just got this email response from a post I put up here over a year ago and wanted to share it:

"Hello!

I'm new to this , but I guess I shall be spending quite a bit of time here as there seems to be so much going on! I'm hoping to make some new friends
Peace out, Dennis from [url=http://www.*******payday.com]Payday Loans[/url] website!"

So, let's see...Dennis from Payday Loans Website wants to be my new friend because there is so much going on. Interesting.

Dear Dennis my friend, It's so good to meet you and since we are now friends and since you assume I am as brain-dead, no brain cell-having, drooling on the short bus stupid as you are I'd like to welcome you to this exciting, fun-filled blog where you can be loyal reader #2. I also can't wait to go on your website even though I'm sure you hadn't planned on that and maybe I can spend some money there or at least catch a nasty virus. And I'll tell all my homo blog friends about how great you are, Dennis, and maybe we could all meet at the Texaco bathroom in stall 3 at midnight and swap url's and recipes. Thanks for making the effort to find me, Dennis and peace on you too.

XXOO--Todd

Caption this.

Actually, Colonel, since I'm omniscient I already know your secret recipe.

The Secret Life of Todd

"Young man! Another Mai Tai, please."

He knew he would never drink it but the girl would and it helped to convey the "tourist" look. He was wearing plaid bermuda shorts, a loud, flowery shirt and a floppy cowboy hat and mirrored sunglasses. His flowing blond hair was tucked into the hat. The oversize shirt helped hide his muscular frame and the comfortably concealed AMT .380 in his waistband. The girl wore considerably less and yet was still appropriate for the Brazilian beach.

"Tot, oh, Tot...", said the girl.

"It's Todd. Todd." he said.

Her language was as beautiful as she was but she had trouble with words ending in "d".

"Yes, Tot. Please to rub more lotion on my back. Don't want burn." She turned her already bronze back toward him and scooted closer between his legs on the chaise lounge and pulled her long black hair over one shoulder expectantly. Todd was looking over that shoulder and not paying attention to the leggy native. His attention was focused on the man with the briefcase walking casually in their direction down the beach. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt on the beach and carrying a small, plastic briefcase, all of which made him stand out to Todd's trained blue eyes. He was looking nervously around but trying to act casual.

When he got to what Todd estimated to be twenty feet away he set the briefcase on the sand.

"Hold your ears", Todd told the girl.

"What?"

"Put your fingers in your ears, quick!"

By the time she had reluctantly put her fingers to her ears Todd had pulled the .380 from his waistband and sighted in the man's thoracic cavity at the same time the man pulled a large-frame revolver from the briefcase and was bringing it up with both hands toward Todd and the girl.

Shots rang out across the sand.

"Yap, yap, yap" said Dori. "Yappity yap, yap."

The dog was looking up at Todd expressing her desire to get back in the car. The other two dogs were also ready to go and standing by the car patiently. Todd realized where he was and walked toward the car, his feet dripping from the Lake Worth water. He glanced back over his shoulder at the sun going down over the small beach area but continued toward the car.

All four hopped in. Todd slowly eased the car out of the park toward the street.

"Bo, get back. I can't see. Sarah, you ok? Dori, don't roll the window down, baby. Good girl. Good girl."

Open Carry

My Dad sent me his thoughts on Open Carry. I concur on everything except Miss Kitty. I think she's hot.

Why I am Against the Open Carry Law
I have my license to carry a handgun. However, I object to the Open Carry Bill.
I carry a pistol almost everywhere I go but I am very much against an open carry law. I have a license to carry, but do not want everyone to know that I am armed. Why? Here are some reasons:
1. Some of my Christian friends would argue that I should not carry a gun. I am a Christian but I am not a pacifists. I will defend myself, or others, if necessary. However, I do not want to openly carry a gun and get in arguments about why I carry it. I simply do not want to have to defend my position for carrying a gun with just anyone.
2. Wearing a gun openly would certainly provoke questions and a lively discussion. I do not want to use my firearm as a topic of conversation. I do not know a lot about guns and would rather talk about other things. There are certainly other topics to talk about other than why I carry a pistol.
3. I do not want someone to ask to see or examine my pistol. It’s too dangerous and I don’t want to have to say no to a friend.
4. I do not want some half-drunk jerk to think I am a smart aleck, or trying to be a big shot, and attempt to goad me into an argument or fight.
5. I do not want some child, mentally disturbed person, or someone strung out on drugs to come up to me and try to grab my gun.
6. I am not a law officer. I fear that someone upon seeing me wearing a gun may expect me to come to their aid when I am not qualified to help them.
7. I am fearful that if the law is changed to allow a person to openly carry a gun, that some people will use their gun as a device to bully or intimidate others, whether they ever draw the gun or not.
8. I also fear sitting with my friends in the coffee shop and a couple of armed punks come in rob everyone. If my gun is openly visible, and they decide to shoot someone, I would be the first person they will shoot.
9. It seems possible to me that if a carry bill passes that our culture could slip back into what it was in the late 1800’s. The legends of Fort Worth’s Luke Short and Jim Cartwright are fascinating but I am not longing to be a cowboy trying to get one up on the bad guy in front of the local saloon. I have no interest in Miss Kitty and I find riding a horse all day to be mighty uncomfortable.

XXXChurch

Grace?

"Grace? She passed away thirty years ago." No, not that Grace, Aunt Bethany. God's grace. I was thinking about it this morning and was thinking about how amazed I am by it especially in relation to my own sinfulness. When I realize my own "badness" it makes God's goodness even "gooder". But then I realized that God's goodness has nothing to do with my "badness" and conversely my relative goodness does not make me deserving of God's grace.

I don't understand it either.

Hello Allah!!

They never heard the shots but two Taliban machine gunners in Afghanistan felt the sweet relief of death from the hands and rifle of Craig Harrison in November 2009. According to American Rifleman and several internet sources, this British sniper set a new world record by "dispatching" two insurgents from a distance of 2,707 yards. Yes, that's over 27 football fields and yes, he made that shot twice! Two shots, two kills, two world records. And by "dispatching" I mean DRT Dead Right There. He was using an Accuracy International AWM in .338 Lapua Mag. That shot is over a mile and a half with a weapon with an effective range of about 1500 yards. Breath, squeeze, wait 6 seconds, dead guy. Breath, squeeze, wait 6 more seconds, another dead guy.

"Hello, Allah, we are ready for our 72 virgins! Hey, wait, you're not Allah..."

My week, my life

Since my life is turning into a country western song I think this one sums it up best. Not every word is appropriate but it's surprisingly close.

David, Tristan and Goliath

Sometimes even big kids can be scared and being alone seems to make it worse. David was often alone and tonight was no different. He was a shepherd and shepherds had to take their sheep to where the grass was green and tall and that often meant taking them many miles from home and family. There was no soft, comfortable bed or warm fireplace. There was no hot meal. There was only sheep and the huge night sky filled with bright stars.

Alone on the rolling hills and open prairie David often had to scare off or even kill wild animals that were threatening his flock of sheep. When a lion or bear tried to take one of the sheep he would use his slingshot to protect the sheep and himself. It was never easy and he was often scared. What if he missed? What if he hit the animal but didn't kill it? It might come after David and try to kill him and David had no one else to turn to. He knew he had to protect his flock and he knew nobody else would do it.

"God", David cried, "I'm scared! I'm not even grown and I have so much to do! What if I can't do it? What if I mess up?"

"Don't be afraid, David. I'm with you."

David always felt those words in his heart whenever he got scared. He knew God was speaking to him and it never failed to make him feel better. David often looked up into the huge, starry night sky and wondered how and why God cared for him so much. He would look around at the sheep and the goats, the grass and the trees, the huge mountains and the wide open spaces and he always felt very small. He didn't understand why the creator of everything would care about him but he knew God did care and it gave him courage every day.

"David! Hey, David!"

His father called to him early one morning.

"David, I need you to go check on your brothers. I'm worried about them. They've been in combat with the Philistines for a long time and I haven't heard from them. Go make sure they are alright."

So, David left immediately to check on his brothers. He, too, was concerned about them but he began to sing as he walked. He made up the music in his head as he went along.

"The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid. Yes, He is with me. I will not be afraid!"

He sang loud and long and soon the long trip was over. He saw the two armies lined up for battle and he ran closer until he found his brothers. Just as he was about to ask them how they were doing he heard a man from the enemy army yelling. He looked across the open field to the Philistine army and saw the man. His name was Goliath. Everybody knew Goliath. He was the biggest man David had ever seen. He was a warrior over nine feet tall with shoulders as wide as a table. His head was as big as a cows' head and not much better looking. He carried a spear and a sword and just his armor weighed more than David did.

Goliath yelled across the field at the men. He made fun of them and called them names. He said they were chickens and that even their God couldn't save them this time. David couldn't understand why nobody would challenge Goliath. Yes, he was big but he was saying horrible things. David couldn't let him continue.

David told the men around him that he would kill the giant and defend his country and their honor. The men laughed at David and told him to go back to town with the other kids and the women but David didn't listen to them. David looked again across the open field. He felt the warm breeze and saw the sun slip out from behind a cloud. Maybe this was too much. Maybe he should just go home and let somebody else fight Goliath.

"Don't be afraid, David. I'm with you."

He felt God's words again in his heart and knew what he had to do. He looked once more at Goliath. Directly behind Goliath stood four other huge Philistines and the rest of the Philistine army. They were all massive warriors but David had a plan. He found five smooth rocks laying on the ground and put four of them in his pouch. The fifth one he put into his leather slingshot and took off running toward Goliath. Goliath laughed at the young boy running his way and started walking into the field toward David.

Goliath was furious now as he saw David, just a kid, running toward him swinging a slingshot over his head. He was screaming at David, calling him names and making threats to kill him if he came any closer. David was close enough now he could see Goliath's black eyes. He could see the sweat coming down from under Goliath's huge helmet but all David could hear was the swish of his own leather slingshot whirling over his head. One end of the slingshot was tied around his wrist. He let go of the other end at just the right time just like he had done against wild animals to protect his sheep. The rock that was in the middle of the slingshot flew like lightning and hit that huge head of Goliath's right between his eyes with a thud every man on the field could hear.

David's hand reached for another rock in his pouch but it was not necessary. Dust fell on David's sandals as Goliath hit the ground in front of him. The stunned Philistines backed up several feet as David approached the big man. Without waiting, David grabbed Goliath's huge sword out of his scabbard and lifted it with both hands high over his head. The razor sharp blade reflected the sunlight across the field as both armies watched in amazed silence as David swung the weapon down and cut off Goliath's head, ending the battle for everyone.

David's eyes were wide. His heart was pounding and he realized he was sweating. He glanced first over to the Philistine army and saw them running away. He then looked toward his brothers and heard a loud shout coming from the men on his side. Still holding the sword, David saw his brothers and the other men running toward him. They ran to him and hugged him and thanked God for protecting him. They crowded around him, laughing and celebrating, congratulating David on his bravery.

In the crowd, David found his young friend, Tristan. Tristan had run with the men to congratulate David and as they all shook David's hand and patted him on the back, Tristan hugged David and told him he was glad he was alright.

"David, weren't you scared? He could have killed you!", said Tristan.

"I have to admit, Tristan, that I was a little scared at first but I remembered that the Lord is with me and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" David smiled at Tristan and hugged him hard. The men in the crowd around them grabbed David and put him on their shoulders and carried him back to the camp laughing and celebrating. Tristan walked with them laughing and singing out loud, "The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid. Yes, He is with me. I will not be afraid!"

It's useful again.

For some reason my wife forgot to take her wedding dress when she left. I guess it can still be good for something. Perfect for a table cloth. What else do you think I could do with it?

Thank you

I might could try to explain or describe or amuse or depress with lots of words, facts or quotes. I will not try to press the fact that I am serious or that what I say comes from the heart. Nothing I can write will do justice to the picture. To all the servicemen and women who have fought and died for my freedom I just say "Thank You".

another good day!

I'm trying to figure out exactly where this fits in the top three days of my life. It was fun to ride in the cars, alot of fun! But even better was seeing my old man getting into that car and even better still, seeing him get out with a huge smile nearly as big as mine! We talked, we laughed, we made fun of people, we prayed for people. We discussed theology and dogs and women and other stuff we don't understand. I just hope I'm there someday when "Just act like you know what you're doing" gets us into a lot of trouble! That'll be a hoot! Thanks, Pop. My best stories will always have you in em!

Unheeded warning

Many years ago I went with the girl I was dating at the time to her parents’ house for Thanksgiving and a family reunion. My girlfriend’s whole family was there. She had brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews all there laughing and having fun with everything for which to be thankful. I remember her grandmother and grandfather were sitting on the couch next to each other when somebody set the grandfather up with a loaded question.


“Gramps, if you had to do it all over again, would you marry Grandma again?” they asked with a smile.


Gramps didn’t blink.


“No” was his simple answer.


There was some uncomfortable laughter but it was quickly obvious that Gramps was not kidding.


“But, Gramps, I mean…you wouldn’t have all your kids and grandkids. Wouldn’t you do it over again, you know…” they asked encouragingly.


“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Well, why not?”


“Too hard.” said Gramps. “Too hard.”