The Gift of Blessing

When you give something to someone, who is blessed, the giver or the recipient? If Tuesday night is any indication, then the giver is the one who is blessed. Let me tell you my story...

Our church has adopted 4 family's who were evacuated from New Orleans during Katrina. One of the families has been very active seeking jobs (they are both employed now), getting in touch with disaster aid, getting their son in school and making a new home and life for them. As you can imagine, money is tight. I was asked if I would deliver a set of box springs to them on Tuesday (the only free night I had) evening. I agreed. I was wanting to meet the family and besides, I had a surprise for them.

My wife and I drive out to Frisco, Texas with the box springs, bed frame and my surprise. We called them to let them know we were coming and when we got there, I enlisted the help of their teenage son. He helped me maneuver the items up the steps. When we were done, I asked him if I could give him a present. Just as I was about to go down and get it, I notice a laptop on the table. "Oh, I see you have computer. Looks nice!", I said.

The mother replied, "It is just a loner, we cannot keep it." I smiled. "Have your son help me at my truck, I have a present for him."

We went to the truck and I told him I built him a little inexpensive computer out of donated parts. I told him it was not a power house, but it did have a DVD player, word processor and was able to surf the web, once he got internet access. His eyes got big and he and I carried it up to his room. I asked him if he new how to set it up (it was already loaded with Linspire) and he said he was sure he could. He looked very happy.

I left their apartment feeling very blessed to have been the one to deliver those items to them. I wonder how I feel when I deliver the Apple Mac G4 Cube and the other PC's (when they are finished). I hope I feel half as good as I do now.

Another Angel

It is with great sadness that I compose this. Baby Benjamin, the first born child of the youth ministers at our church passed away yesterday. Benjamin was born 3 months early and was doing well until he developed an infection and passed away.

I am very sad. The youth ministers (a couple) are dear to me. They have prayed for me and with me and I cannot fathom their loss.

When this baby was born, I had a vision that it would survive, that God had a greater plan in mind than what we can understand. The only person I told was my wife, who had a similar feeling. What makes that odd is that the baby wa doing quite well until 2 days ago, which was contrary to what I had felt. This was a mixed feeling. Glad at the progress of the child and concerned that my feelings were that strong and incorrect. However, in the end my fears came true as we learned of his passing.

Mega Update

I know I really should post more often. I would love to. I just seems I never have the time. I need to make more time, But it seems so hard with all that goes on with church, work, family, chores...

The weekend of October 15 I was so busy/tired I thought I would crash. It started at 6 AM with my normal dog walk, coffee, and breakfast. I then washed dishes and disassembled my son's old desk that he did not want. I was huge and heavy, so I had to take it apart to get it out. 50 screws and several hammer blows later it was in 10-12 pieces. I loaded the pieces in the truck and hauled them to the dump. On the way to the dump I dropped my wife off at her aerobics class. I was going to pick her up when I got done at the dump but it did not take me as long as I thought so I went to How Depot and got fertilizer for my neighbors lawn (and ours). After killing 30 minutes, I went to pick up my lovely wife.

After a quick lunch, I started mowing the yards, getting done about 3:30. I exhausted so I got a shower and then stripped the bed and vacuumed the house. At 4:30 or so I was done with that chore. Of course I was hungry and the dogs needed a walk...so I did that and was done by 6:30. Full day! After so computer time and TV/wife time, we hit the hay.

Sunday of that weekend we had church and then a picnic afterwards with about 2 hours of sand court volleyball. Our team only lost once. Go team!

Got home and showered and ate a quick light dinner and walked the dogs. It was almost time for Sunday TV (Law and Order: CI) then bed.

The next week was busy with normal activities (work, care groups, walking dogs, dishes, vacuuming, and church) with the added bonus of me working on a computer to give to a hurricane evacuee family. I got it done, fully operational with Linspire (A form of Linux that is very Windows like and easy to use). I also collected some more computer parts from friends, and even managed to get an Apple Mac G4 cube. I just need a keyboard and mouse for it, reload it and then I can give it to another family. w00t!

Saturday I drove to Rockwall to pick up a NEW box spring for a family who needed it. I went with a woman from our church. She is a black belt so I felt safe ;-). That took about 2 hours or so (after a small detour). After getting that done I came back and did my normal chores.

Sunday we were busy with church, dinner with another one of our church sisters, and a visit back too the home of the black belt (to pick up even more stuff for the evacuees). Her black belt fiance was there and we chatted about the pain I am having in my left leg. After describing it to him, he is very sure it is the major nerve that runs from the lower back down my leg. He gave me some books to read about back health. Nice guy.

Ran some errands after that and talked to mom on the phone while we were out and about. Finally got home and walked one of the dogs. The other was not feeling too well. We had a cold snap with some rain and it was not agreeing with her.

Movies this weekend were "Hellboy" (not a great movie, but "OK") and Gladiator. Gladiator was pretty darned good. One to buy!

On the work front, my boss has offered me one of 2 new positions and I nave researched and prayed and talked with others and I have finally picked the one I am taking. This is a leap of faith for me, since I do not have the skills required to do this job. Once I make my selection known to my boss, I will post it.

Oh, I almost forgot...I saw my son yesterday for a few minutes. He had been in San Antonio for Cadre training for the National Guard. I fully expect that by this time next year, he will be a corporal. I am proud of him, even though I am still hurt he moved out.

Well, that should be enough for now. I will try to offer more goodies this week as time permits.

"Hi Kettle, You're black."

This is what I think of when I read Madonna's upcoming documentary, "I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A SECRET". She says we are all going to Hell and this world is the Beast. Oh, all priests are gay, too. All this from the woman who has exemplified sinful behavior just a few short years ago. (Matt Drudge at www.drudgereport.com) .

Madonna has, if you were not aware, converted to a mystical form of Judaism known as Kaballah.

Now we all sin and we all fall short of the Glory of God. However, it always seems odd to me when people who live a openly sinful lifestyle, are telling the world how bad the world (and its occupants) really are.

One thing I have always struggled with is people that are convicted of horrible crimes, go to prison, and then become Christians. The human side of me does not want to accept this, even though the Spirit in me is thrilled that another soul has been saved. I guess because I am a doubter, I do not 100% believe the person is sincere. That is judging and that is a sin. See how this wonderful circle goes on and on?

I honestly should have a bit more compassion and faith, since I was in the category of those who were "bad" and decided to turn my life over to Christ. I guess since walking the Christian walk is hard I have my doubts. No one said that it would be all flowers and sunshine. I have had my share of storms (with more to come, I am sure) that I have weathered.

I once joked that if thinking about breaking any of the 10 Commandments was a sin, then I had most all of them covered (broken). That was the old me. I am glad the new me does not think like that anymore.

I was reflecting on Madonn's comments and I guess depending on what you believe, this world could be considered the "Beast". The Enemy definitely has his hand in our lives, if we give him a chance. Her other comment about priests troubles me. I do not like to characterize people in general, sweeping ways. I am sure not all priests are gay. Maybe she has some baggage she needs to unload?

Reflecting

Our son came by yesterday (1/2 hour before we needed to leave) to pick up the rest of his stuff. He seemed in a good mood. My wife has been talking with him off and on and appears to be handling him moving out better than I am, but for different reasons.

My wife was upset because she took his moving out personally, which I did not. I was not upset at first, but I am now. I am not taking this personally, I am upset I do not tolerate people who react in illogical ways. Our son is doing that, in my opinion.

I broke down and told my wife this and, being the wise woman she is, asked me if I had prayed for God to soften my heart. I hadn't at that time, but made time to do it as soon as I got to the office. I do not want to be mad at him, nor do I want his relationship with me to be like my relationship with my father. My son deserves, better than that.

He managed to take everything but the desk. It is huge, old and HEAVY. It is in bad shape, so I think I am just going to break it down into pieces and take it to the dump, unless someone wants it on freecycle.

When I arrived at work today, I was informed (via e-mail from a colleague) that the support job that I took on as a favor (and was supposed to stop doing in December) is NOT going away. This is frustrating because I support the America's (North, Central, and South) Mon-Fri 8-5 Central time. I usually work holidays, but was hoping to have Christmas break off this year. My part-time helper is going to Belize this Christmas, so I am stuck doing this myself. It becomes more frustrating since I have customers who speak French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese and I can only speak English. Many of my customers cannot speak English well enough (not that I blame them) for me to be able to help them, so a third party has to be recruited to assist. This is time consuming and aggravating...I am not a patient person by nature. However this may be God's way of teaching me some.

Disturbing Trend

We have had several natural disasters over the past 2 years (a tsunami, several killer hurricanes, and many devastating earthquakes). Many lives have been lost. However, a more disturbing trend has become evident in the past few days: bombs found on university campuses.

Today, and "IED" (Improvised Explosive Device) was found at UCLA and 3 explosive devices were found at Georgia Tech. You may remember that in Oklahoma, a "depressed student" blew himself up in a parking lot during a football game. I am wondering why this is not getting more coverage. The bloggers are covering it, but MSM is not. Why? Are they worried that a panic may set in and people will act irrationally?

If this is not the start of a major terrorism wave, then it will only be a matter of time. "Soft" targets are easy to hit because people just are not aware of their surroundings. When my wife and I were dating, my wife used to really get frustrated because I never had my back to a door when we went out. Library, restaurant, coffee shop...it did not matter. I would sit where I could see the door. She does not pick on me anymore. She has learned. I am positive that my awareness of my surroundings will save a life some day. I am also suspect mine will not be it. I keep having a vision of a bomb blast going off and I am between the blast and innocent bystanders. My body creates a "blast shadow" where the damage is lessoned considerably. Do I want this to happen? Absolutely not. However, I have the desire to preserve life. Sacrificing mine to save another is acceptable in my eyes.

Keep your eyes open. Our enemy wants to hurt us in the worst possible way.

Serenity and Such

Work was light the past few days and that has been a good thing. It has allowed me to remain a lot more positive than when we go full throttle 5 days a week. I would like to get into more substantial work, but I am employed and that is important.

Since our son has moved out the house has been rather quiet. Seems a bit odd not having him come home at 1 AM from work. My wife has talked to him a few times the past week, but I have only talked to him once. He has not picked up all his things and he says he does not have room for them at his place. We are waiting on him to come and get the stuff he can take (bookshelf and chest of drawers, plus the contents of his desk). He was supposed to call but has not. He has also not given us the key back so I guess I am going to have to change the locks.

We want him to get as much as he can so we can begin turning that room in to a guest room. Being forming occupied by a teen-age boy, it is filthy. It needs cleaned from top to bottom.

My wife and I (plus two other couples) went to go see "Serenity" last night. We all enjoyed it. It was very well made and according to reports, was made for less than 40 million dollars, which is very low by today's standards. There was a lot of killing and a few surprises, a couple which saddened me greatly. I will not offer any spoilers. E-mail me if you want to discuss opinions.

My wife also wants to go see "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" when it is released. Not her genre of movie, but it is a Christian story...and a good one none the less. The effects look great and the guy who did Shrek and Shrek 2 is doing this one as well. COOL!

My wife and I were invited over to a friends house for brats and such for dinner. We are supply the green beans and rolls. We like these two people a lot. They are so humble. They do not worry about "keeping up with the Jones'" at all.

I an answered an ad in the Allen Freecycle Web Board for some old computer parts and software. I wish the guy would have told me that the thing was a 486-66, was broken and FILTHY (caked on dirt). I took it only because I told him I would. I never would offer something that gross without describing it as such. I e-mailed the guy and asking him and he responded in a very vague way. Oh well. No harm. It had a few usable cables and an old video card. It is not much, but it may be of some use later on. The rest I will just take to work and recycle in our PC recycle bin. The software I will put out for someone to take if they want it.

My hip has been bothering me more and more lately. At first the pain was isolated to my hip, but now it shoots down my entire leg. The pain is so bad that I have to sit down sometimes. I need to get to the doctor and see what can be done.

I still have not heard from my estranged brother. My friend Keith saw him walking to work and offered him a ride and my brother accepted. Keith gave my brother my phone number but he has not called. I do not suspect I will here from him anytime soon. My mom says he lost yet another job. I pray for him. He is such a lost soul.

Music - I have discovered a couple of great Christian rock bands. First is Disciple. They kinda remind me of Linkin Park. Raw and energetic. Powerful lyrics.

Day of Fire is a group that I can relate to. The lead singer was in the band "Full Devil Jacket" and was your typical sex/drugs/rock and roll guy. When the tour was over and it was time to write the next album, he couldn't write anything. He was a heroin addict and a eventually found Christ. He prayed to God to make a difference in his life and to use him to make a difference in other peoples lives as well. After that prayer, the songs just erupted out of him. My favorite tracks are "Cornerstone", "Rain", and "To Fly". Good stuff.

Maybe I will post more later, but I need to call my mom and chat. I also have to put some stuff away.

Time For Me to Fly...

That is what our son said yesterday after we had finished eating dinner and finished up the dishes. Today he turned 18 and decided it was time for him to move out. Part of me is happy for him, the biggest part of me is sad.

Our son has been talking about this for a few weeks and my wife and I knew it was coming. I figured he would wait until he finish his senior year of high school and completed AIT (he is in the National Guard) before venturing out on his own, but I was wrong. My wife is very upset, but I understand why. Men and women are wired differently. Where I am disappointed, she is hurt.

Our son came by today (he is on fall break) while my wife and I were at work and packed up a large part of his stuff. He still has to get his furniture, but 95% of his small stuff is gone. We went up into the attic to get him the stuff that had saved for him (pots, pans, glasses, flatware, etc).

He left a note that he plans on coming by Thursday (again while we are at work) and picking up the rest of it. I think he is avoiding a confrontation with us, or so he believes. I have nothing derogatory to say to him...I wish him well.

He has a punch list still that he needs to do. He needs to sign up for auto insurance, health insurance, and get the cell phone switched over to his name.

As a parent, I know that we have trained him up well. The choices he makes are because of peer pressure (as far as I can tell). As a Christian MAN, he must make his own choices. The covering he had with us is gone, he is on his own. No one forced him out the door. We naturally tried to get him to reconsider, but he would have none of that.

Of course we will always be here, but the training wheels are off...he rides solo now.

Everybody Wants Some

Money, that is. We have a rule that we live by in our home. We tithe (give 1/10 of or pay) to charity. We take care of our church first and then we see what we can give above and beyond to other charities. In the past we donated a bit of money or material items to many charities, but the problem with that was that they called, e-mailed, or snail mailed us donation requests EVERY MONTH. Some charities we only contribute to 1-2 times a year.

With all the natural disasters and the price of fuel skyrocketing, we have had to slow down our charitable giving outside our commitments to church. EVERYONE wants to collect for Katrina/Rita relief. We just cannot afford it. We want to get ourselves out of debt and it is going to be hard enough with gasoline at $3.00 a gallon and the price of natural gas expecting to double, (just in time for the cold season...glad it is not a long one here in Texas!).

I have already talked to my boss about working from home 1-2 days a week when my job role changes. I hope it does. It will save me a ton of money if I do not have to drive to work everyday. I already carpool with my wife 2 days a week and that has helped. I try not to take an out of the way trips unless they are necessary and we already have trimmed down our bills a great deal. About the only thing left to do is have my wife work full time and we do not want to do that. I like having her stress-free (ok, less stressed. No one is stress free).

Am I being unfair with my choices?