End Times?

The “End-Times” are a lot of fun to speculate about but we can never really know for sure. The idea begins in the Gospel according to Mark 13:26-27 with the promise of Jesus for a dramatic return but an added injunction in verse 32 states that no one but God knows the day and time.

Over the last 40 years I have listened to many preachers predict the coming last day and some still do. The prophecy book of Revelation has been quoted and miss-applied so many times I have lost count. I remember in 1999 the air waves were full of doom for the world when mid-night of December 31^st came around. What a big flop that was.

Speculation abounds as to what the last days will be like. Almost each generation since the time of Christ as applied the events of their times to the signs of the last days. So many evil leaders of countries [like Hitler] have been called the “anti-Christ” over the centuries and it wasn’t true. People are reading into the scriptures the things they want to see.

I believe that one day Jesus will return as promised and the faithful church will be taken up. I am ready for that day if it comes in my life time. It may come in my life time and it may not only God knows that. I am also very much aware that my personal last day will come, as it comes to all of us. I have faith in my Lord Jesus for that last day as well. One of the two events will happen to me and it doesn’t matter which one for my faith in Jesus prepares me for both.

We Christians need to be living a Christ like faith that keeps us ready at any moment to meet our Lord. If we do that it won’t matter if the Judgment day comes for all of us at once or our individual last day comes first. Our focus should be living the way of Christ in love rather than living in fear of the punishment that will come to those who do not live the way of Christ.

True Friendship

My blogs and Facebook allows me to click a computer button and make “friends.” I have made a lot of “Internet Friends” over the years most of them I have never met face to face. I read their blogs and they read mine and we establish a connection. On the old Journalspace I made that connections with some dear people whose writings touched my heart. I have only met one of them face to face and what a delight Summerwind turned out to be.

On a personal level I make a lot of face to face connections that can be considered friendships. They are people I know and like but they come and go in my life so that their friendship is tenuous at best. They are important but it is not a heartbreaker when they are no longer in contact.

I make a few really close personal friends whom I love dearly and would miss if they disappear from my life. Some of them have taken many years to touch my heart in that way and others made the connection in an instant. A true friend is a friend for life in my book and even though we have distance between us that connection is strong and powerful. I am much the better person for these friendships.

What Harm Can It Do?

Small choices can often make a big difference;
Enjoy this

It Is Fundemental

My darling and I are avid readers sometimes we each have more than one book working. Our idea of a pleasant outing is to spend the afternoon in a big book store. It is not so surprising then that our darling daughters are both in love with books.

At bed time they always requested that I read to them. I would read a bible story and then from one of their books. Then I would make up a story for them. To my great surprise they have remembered those stories better than I do.

Reading is fundamental to a developing mind so as adults we need to do everything we can to encourage young minds to develop a love for reading books,  papers, and stories.

Trail Ranger

I was on Duty as a Volunteer Trail Ranger at Jefferson Memorial Forrest today. We were way back in the forest scoping out possible new trails for hikers.

In an area where he should not be was a 12 year old boy on a motor bike riding rough shod through the forest. He knew he was caught and it was not his lucky day. We took his picture and his bikes picture and told him if we found him or his friends there again citations would be written and the motor bikes confiscated.

ATV's sure mess up the forest.

November 11 @ 11:11 AM

Most of the World War I vets have died and the memory of that great war is fading into history fast. So November 11 at the eleventh hour and the eleventh minute carries less and less meaning for us as the end of World War One or the war to end all wars. We now know it wasn't the end of war.

The name of the day even changed from Armistice Day  to Veterans Day to honor all  veterans.

We are still making veterans every day so hug a vet today and say thanks.

AAADD ???

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D.
Age Associated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table,
put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
and notice that the can is full.

So I decide to put the bills back on the table & take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox
when I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,
and see that there is only one check left. 
My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
so I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,
but first I need to push the Pepsi aside
so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Pepsi is getting warm.

I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi,
a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye.

They need water.
I put the Pepsi on the counter and
discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter,
fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote
someone had left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs..

But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers.
Quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table,
get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of
Pepsi sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,
and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.