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My blog A place for random thoughts |
| I fell in love with the English language in ninth grade. It was because of my teacher, Professor J.D. Huggins. I even signed up for an alternative course, “Business English,” because he was the teacher. In addition to opening up the language for me, Mr. Huggins constantly affirmed my good qualities. He would make occasional comments on what I was doing right…in life as well as in the class. In my senior annual he wrote these words, “Bob, I have a great deal of respect for you.” To this very day, those words are like precious trophies, lovingly placed in the chambers of my heart. |
| I have a friend who did two hours of volunteer work for another friend. He was gathering up his tools. “Now what can I pay you?” He answered, I’ll tell you exactly how: go and sit down with our other friend for a cup of coffee. He’s discouraged, and that would mean the world to him.” I don’t know about you; but to me, that’s the spirit of “Pay It Forward.” |
| What is your area of expertise? What is your passion? Everyone has one. Einstein said that everyone is a genius. But if we judge a fish on his ability to climb a tree, he will go through life thinking he is stupid. What is your area of expertise? Do you embrace it in some way? Can you apply it in your career? If so, you are among the truly fortunate. My passion has always been people. I touch and heal a hurt. That was my career. (It still is.) I am one of the truly fortunate. |
| I just finished watching “Family Weekend.” I honestly can’t remember when I’ve been more deeply moved by a film. And I helped raise Kristin Chenoweth back in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Actually I didn’t help too much. Her mom and dad were doing a fairly decent job. Tender memories for me. |
| Candlemaker’s Weight Secret First of all, love yourself just the way you are. Are you listening? Love yourself JUST the way you are! That’s exactly how God has designed you up to now. If you can’t handle that one, you can stop reading. You’re wasting your time. Secondly, eat anything you want, any time you want it, and no more. That’s pretty simple, wouldn’t you say? ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| A husband and wife are shopping in their local grocery store. The husband picks up a case of beer and puts it in their cart. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ asks the wife. “‘They’re on sale, only $10 for 24 cans,” he replies. “Put them back…, it’s a waste of money”, demands the wife, and so he does and they carry on shopping. A few aisles further on along, the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket. “What do you think you’re doing?” asks the husband. “It’s my face cream. It makes me look beautiful!” replies the wife. Her husband retorts, “So does 24 cans of Miller Lite and it’s half the price!!!”‘ "Clean up on aisle seven: dead husband." Just Saying  |
| My mother died in 2009, a few weeks short of ninety. There was no forgiveness to be asked by anyone. There was nobody who urgently needed to tell her we loved her. We all knew that. She died at home with her family. It was the best of possible deaths. (The same was true of my daddy who had died in 2005, also at the age of ninety.) We lived in Washington, D.C. in the mid-forties when Daddy was off at war. One day, a car cruised slowly down the road in front of our little house. The guy had his window down, and he was taking a long, smiling look at my mother. Later, I asked her if that had made her uncomfortable. She grinned. “Nope, I had your daddy’s little thirty-two pistol in my pocket.” |
| In the mid-1940s, I was a little toddler when my daddy came back from the war. He was shopping, one day, with three little toddlers in the car. A pretty lady, in the store, asked him for a ride home. He didn’t have any objections to that. On the way to her house, she was telling him how lonely she was; her husband didn’t make it back from the war. My daddy always had impeccable integrity. Looking back, I wonder how it might have turned out without three little toddlers in the car that day. I wonder how it would have turned out if I had been the daddy that day. |
| Hi Candlemaker. I don't know much about blogs, but if you want to change the order of items in your portfolio you need to go down past the 'Highlighted' items in your port to where it just says 'Portfolio'. Directly across from that on the far right side it'll say 'Show Manager'. When you hit that it should be pretty self-explanatory. That's also where you can move items from one folder to another or just back out to your main portfolio. Hope that helps! Angus For blogs, you can try the "Manage" tool which allows you to reorder entries in a book... but I *think* blogs will always default to newest entry first since they're blogs and not books. You can certainly give it a try though, you can't hurt anything by trying it. Best, ~~SM |
| Here’s an intriguing fact I learned a long time ago: if you spend intense hours with friends, you never come back the same. There is a fresh bonding that can last for years. A few of us drove up to north Mississippi for a brief retreat. We spent two and a half hours going up, two and a half hours on the ground, and two and a half hours coming back. Each one of those friends wanted to run up and hug me this Sunday morning. It was wonderful. Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. |
| Dante wrote, “Midway along the journey of our life, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off from the straight path.” I’ve been there. How about you? |
| One should not tear his hair in frustration, as if frustration could be reduced by baldness! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I served in a church with Pastor Paul Burleson in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He made the second most profound statement that I have ever heard: He asked us, “What is your Sunday best? Is it the clothes you wear? Or is it a heart that seeks after God?” Oh—are you asking me what the most profound statement was? I’m glad you asked. It was made by the youngest pastor I ever served with, Chip Henderson, in Brandon, Mississippi. He said, “Whenever you come to a passage you’d like to read, be it long or short, come asking just two questions. What can I learn about God today from this passage?” And then, “What does God want to say to me today from this passage?” In all my theological education and experience, this is the most powerful scriptural principle I have ever learned. What do you think? |
| Richard Potin is winning the eternal love and devotion of Westminster members, one person at a time. I had a slight fender bender. I got a salvage fender and tried to put it on myself. I got about twenty percent into the project and realized it would take a professional. A professional told me it would be about $140. Richard said, “We can do it.” We just finished doing it, and it looks as good as new! During the project, we got to a point where it looked impossible. Richard said, “It doesn’t matuh, if you’re determined.” I don’t know about you, but, for me, that’s a pretty good attitude for life. |
| Note: Before using this Tutorial, you might want to open a different tab or internet window so you can actually create a Group while referring to these steps. To open a separate window right-click on the Writing link in the main navigation to the left, and select "Open in a New Window" or "Open in a New Tab" so you can have this tutorial and the "create" windows open simultaneously. Now, click on Group to open a window entitled Create a Group Item. |
| I walked down to the mail box this morning to drop a letter in the mail slot. I decided to walk all the way around my apartment complex, just for the joy of it. As I approached the corner next to the street, I heard the sound of hammering. As I got closer, I heard the sound of the hammer striking a nail and driving it in. When you grow up around carpenters, you can make this distinction. I was instantly transported back to rural North Carolina. I would get off the school bus wherever my dad was building a house. This was my part-time job whenever his work was in the community and on my bus route. This put a few shekels in my pocket and gave me a background in woodwork. As I walked on, I heard the sound of an electric skill saw cutting through a piece of wood. Sweet memories. |
| I’m a long-standing foodaholic. I enjoy experimenting, preparing, sharing, and—of course—eating. So here is my latest. By the way, opinions vary on eggs. Now it is believed that they have very little, if any, effect on cholesterol. In my case, they have no effect. So enjoy some eggs! And if you call me a sissy for sharing a recipe, I’ll hit you with my purse! The Anti-Omelet (Measurements are entirely up to you.) Ingredients: Quick grits Butter Eggs Ground sausage, cooked Grated cheese Salsa Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Cook the grits. A great chef once told me how to prepare quick grits that are just as tasty as the old fashioned grits my mama used to make. Add salt as you boil the water. Stir the grits into the boiling water gradually. Cover and let simmer for three or four minutes. Uncover and stir in butter. Set aside. Scramble the eggs. Add sausage to the eggs. Stir into the grits, adding salsa to taste. Sprinkle with grated cheese, salt, and pepper. (For me, I only use sharp Cheddar.) Enjoy! |
| Most of my dear Christian friends would go into cardiac arrest if I suggest that the Ten Commandments could be referred to as the ten suggestions. So I won’t say that. I’ll be the first to agree there are absolutes—though, perhaps not as many as we think. For me, some of the Ten Commandments put me in a grey area. For instance, the sixth commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill.” That’s pretty direct, wouldn’t you say? Is it an absolute? Picture this: I’m sitting in my home with my family. There is fear in the community because of a marauding gang of thugs breaking into homes. They kill everyone present and then rob the home. They have red swastika tattoos on their foreheads. I’m sitting in a chair facing the door; I have a twelve-gage shotgun on my lap, pointed at the door. The door bursts open and a young man rushes in. There is anger and insanity in his eyes. He has a red swastika on his forehead and a gun pointing at my family. Do I obey the sixth commandment and watch him kill my family? Does the sixth commandment require this of me? I wouldn’t sit there; I would shoot him! I believe that the sixth commandment puts us in a grey area. |
| The ninth commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” This raises a question in my mind: is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth justified in ALL circumstances? Let’s say you come smiling up to me and ask me how I like your new dress. If I had to speak the honest truth on that day, I’d have to say, “I think it’s ugly.” I prefer shades of truth. I’d rather say, “It’s not my very favorite, but you always look nice.” |
In Bette Midler’s song “I Believe in Miracles,” she makes the statement, “I don’t believe that black is black, and white is white.” How do you feel about that? Do you believe there is an absolute distinction between right and wrong? First of all, I don’t like the word, absolute. An absolute opens one door and slams all other doors. A question or an honest doubt opens many doors. I believe there are a lot of grey areas, especially in the matter of right and wrong. But that’s just me.  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Do you have a posse? A friend suggested to me that everyone needs a posse of at least five. For families of one (like I am), this is very significant. Your posse consists of the friends you can call on and be sure they will come to your aid. It’s pretty easy to identify them. They are probably the people you would rush to help in their hour of need. |
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