CATCHING ON

One of the three dogs that dwell at our house ran away last night. I've tried to catch her five or six times but she always walks off. I'm too slow to catch even a walking dog! This morning I tried to lure her by feeding two other dogs some food. They were begging for it so much so that they were jumping up for it. While she watched what was going on, she chewed on an artificial bone while the other two dogs had the real stuff. Beats me! She is a stubborn dog with a mind of her own which says to me, "I'll let you catch me when I'm good and ready, old man!" News flash! Even while writing this my wife just informed me that the dog is in her crate! She simply walked up to her and she held up her wet paws as if to say, "I surrender! Don't shoot!" Maybe I need to stop trying to catch these dogs whenever they take off on me. They sure don't let me catch them! Maybe I'm catching on! Now I need to catch some rest after all I've had to do already this morning. I just hope my wife doesn't catch me before I can fall back in bed!

COLUMBIA, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

My Father will turn 95 next Monday. His Father was 94 when he died. Dad has a younger sister who lives across the hall from his room the retirement home. Dad expects his four sons to show up Monday to celebrate his birthday in Columbia. Columbia, we have a problem! Two of the four can't be there then due to circumstances. And the two of us who live in Bowling Green can celebrate Dad's birthday on Dad's birthday. So, we will spread out the celebration. It seems to me that Dad would like that since he’ll have more visits over more days. One son's daughter is to deliver a baby either on Dad's birthday or close to it. One son's wife works and can't get away on Monday, so they will see Dad on Sunday. All in all, all of us will celebrate in Columbia the birthday of someone who will just have to wait awhile longer. Columbia, the problem will go away before Dad can blow out 95 candles. That's what I would worry about if it were me turning 95!

WARNING: GUARD DOG!

I think I'm going to attach a sign to our back door, WARNING : GUARD DOG! When I walked in the back door after doing some yard work, I saw something small and brown. Our daughter's dog, Derby, was snuggled up sound asleep with his head on her shoes. I wish I had a picture of it that I could post it on the outside door with words of warning: GUARD DOG! There are two Huskies outside but all they do is bark and lick. Lots of help they are! Derby is like a shadow. He wants to go wherever you go. We had a cocker spaniel named Rusti several years ago who went wherever we went. She was a shadow too! Derby brings back many memories of Rusti as he romps around the house right at your feet. Derby has learned to jump up on the couch and chairs already and even jumps from one into my lap whenever there's a snack of some sort. It may take awhile before the little feller is jumping up onto the bed but I have an idea he will do it before we want him to do it! So, if you drop by to see us, be on guard for the guard dog. Don't trip over our sleeping guard dog. He might bark at you and then lick you to death! You've been warned!

SETH

I have a new four-legged cane to walk with as of this morning. I think it will give me more of a
secure feeling when I'm walking. I've named it Seth. Cain and Able had a younger brother named Seth. Seth represents a new start. That's what this cane means to me. It is a new start
in seeking to walk more and better. Cain and Able may not see as much action since Seth has shown up. I may keep the three of them in different places so that I will always have one wherever I go in and around our house. I just hope I can remember where I put them. They have a tendency to hide from me. I'm just going to have to do better now that there's a new boy in town! Seth seems to be glad thus far with walking with me. He did have his feelings hurt on
our way home from Nashville when I left him in the back seat and took Able with me into
Subway. He didn't get after me when I had him walk with me into our house when we got home.
I think things are going to be fine. In fact, I'm going to have him walk me to the bedroom so I
can take a nice nap after a very busy day thus far. That's a great start for Seth!

IT'S A TOSS UP!

If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be tossing a frisbee at a puppy when I was 63, I would have laughed at them. But today I was doing just that! I was tossing the top of a coffee container like a frisbee for Derby to run after. He loves to chase after it as it floats in the air above his little head. Then he loves to take off with it so that I have to try to catch him. I can't! What I can do is walk towards him and pick both the puppy and the freebie up. Then I try to catch something, my breath! I am hoping to drop some weight as Derby and I play in the back yard from time to time. He has a buddy named Sandy next door that he likes to play with too. I have to keep Derby on a leash or he and Sandy would take off down the street. That would really take my breath away. The two huskies would love to get in the game if they were not held down. Talk about something I hope I never see, that's it! I nicknamed the two of them: Dirty Dog and Dancing Dog. Goes right along with Derby Dog, doesn't it? Derby Pie is his name but I tend to call him Little Bits. But not much longer. Derby Pie is getting heavy as he grows up. He can already jump up on the couch or chair in the family room and he is getting taller and longer almost over night it seems. Having him around is almost like having a grand child. After all, Derby is a grand dog!

FROG LEGS

My wife and I enjoyed being with some friends last night at a restaurant near where we live. We were not too impressed with the young woman who was our waitress. She seemed to be out of sorts the whole time we were there. That got us to talking about waiters. Bob told about a waitress being asked if she had frog legs. She started lifting up her skirt saying, "Let me look and see." He then told about asking the waitress if he could get something off by paying cash. She told him, "I'll take everything off but my ear rings." We laughed so much that we could hardly talk! I told them I always give a big tip to the waitress. Like: Brush your teeth daily. Wear clean shoes to work. “Thank the Lord, I have yet to be slapped! By the way, the waitress got a good tip.

SPEAKING OF MYSTERY

Spring will be here before I finish reading a book about Spring. Spring starts Tuesday evening and I need to start re-reading this book I started a few weeks ago. What happened was that I put the book about Spring back on the shelve and started reading a mystery by Stephen White. Whenever White comes out with a book, I have to have it. I like to read his books before going to sleep at night. His mysteries get my mind off of things that I usually read (spiritual stuff). I like to try to solve the mystery before coming to the end of the book. I also like to read what White has to say because the wife of the main character has MS. In Dry Ice, she is struggling with what it's doing to her as stress builds up in her work. While I don't like the language that shows up every once in awhile, I like the way White writes. I am about half way through this new book and I'm finding that it to be one of his best. I love a great mystery and one of the greatest mysteries of all is how the drab, dark days of Winter can come to life with so much color when Spring springs forth in all it's glory!

GONE TO THE DOGS

My niece brought her dog, Tucker, to our house last night for us to watch over for the weekend. Tucker is a large dog beside Derby. Tucker is a large dog next to two Huskies. Taking Tucker outside this morning, he leaped forward and got away from me. The good news about the bad news is that Tucker was fenced in and couldn't get out. He had Derby, Memphis and Keyara barking as well as two other dogs next door. It was something else! I knew I didn't dare try to catch and hold Tucker by myself. I may be dumb but I'm not stupid! So I waited for the troops to show up to get Tucker back in the house. Tucker and Derby are sleeping as I write this post and the other dogs are outside wondering where did that great big dog go? I know where I've gone, I've one to the dogs. I also know where I'm going next, back to bed! Good night from the place where I keep hearing, "You're in the dog house now" in the back of my mind. I wonder why?

MY MISTAKE

I made a big mistake last night when I got up to lead a Bible study for a friend. This pastor had his wife introduced me after a meal together of forty to fifty people. She told the people that her husband told her to tell them, "Don't believe a thing this man says." After she sat down, I made a mistake in not saying, "I think your pastor's wife is the best looking of all the preacher's wives’ and, Jesus didn't die on a cross and come back from the dead!" But I thought of what I should have said after it was too late. Paul knows that I love to kid and tell jokes. I think he was trying to warn them to buckle their seat belts because I was such a hoot. He is right, of course. While most of what I said was very serious, I just had to throw in humor every now and again. They responded well to what was said and we all got out alive. I doubt that Paul will ever use me again or that they would want him to do such a thing, but I will be ready next time. Make no mistake about that!

CLIFF-NOTES

During these days of Lent I'm reading a cliff-note edition of The Gospel According to Mark. It is a well written book by a member of the church I attend. It is called, Mark Each Day by Wendell VanValin. Today I'm reading how Jesus was rejected by his family and friends because they wondered how He could be the Messiah. He was one of them. There's a song I used to hear a number of years ago that points out, "I've grown accustomed to your face..." Well, that may be the problem those people had with Jesus. And, that well may be our problem too. We've grown accustomed to God's grace. The song Amazing Grace is heard almost everyday being sung by someone. We know it by heart, but do we know it in our hearts? Amazing Grace each day may be an over-dose. We've heard it so much that it doesn't mean much to us anymore. Indeed, we have grown accustomed to God's grace, so much so that we take it for granted. Mark Each Day is helping me daily to deal with what God's grace is really all about. This cliff-note edition is filled full with ways of shaking our sleeping souls and awakening us to a new day with Jesus.

WHAT TEN WORDS?

I am doing a Bible study at State Street UMC tonight for a friend who has to be out of town. It is nice that Paul asked that I teach tonight because I love to teach and I love to get a great free meal. I have tossed around several topics in my head and heart and come up with what I want to do. I'm going to ask those there, "What ten words would you use to describe yourself?" Also, "What ten words would someone else use to describe you?" Since I'm asking this of others, I'm also asking it of myself. With these thoughts in mind, what words would you use to describe yourself? St. Paul used ten words to describe someone in the Scriptures. While we're taking a look at these ten words and this person in the study tonight, I hope we will see if we're similar or not. I wish it could be said of me that I am. But, I have my doubts. There is time for improvement if I will take advantage of it. The real question for me right now is, will I? Will you?

Look What I Found

I always go to bed and read for awhile before going to sleep. Last night, I had read a couple of chapters of a new book when I got up and went to the bathroom. When I returned to get in bed, I scooted my legs across the bed and felt something. It was my daughter's dog Derby. She had slipped into the bedroom and put Derby beneath the bed covers. I took Derby back to his owner and told her I had found her missing puppy. Then, I went back to bed and got a good night's sleep. Now I have to come up with something to get even with you know who for doing you know what! I wonder if one of our two Huskies will fit beneath her bed covers! Maybe the two of them. I've got to train them to be still until she gets in bed. I doubt that it will work, but a man has to do what a man has to do.

Practice Makes Perfect

Every Thursday for the past ten years, I have given myself a shot in one of my legs. The shot is to help me with my M.S. Beside each date is a check mark noting that I have shot myself. Don't you wish! Wrong shot! The shot doesn't hurt me, it helps me. This Thursday exercise is seldom missed by me because I know the importance of it. It has become a healthy habit. What healthy habits do you put into practice? "You can't have this if you want that" are words I ready many years ago and haven't forgotten. What do they mean? Well, if you want to drop a pound or two, you can't eat your cake and have it too. The cake is off limits if the weight is to come off. So it is with things spiritual. There is no right way to do wrong. When we put into practice the things that are meant to help us spiritually, the results are different than if we do the opposite, aren't they? Lent is only a short length of time, yet these days of discipline help us in the long run if we allow the holy habits to have us instead of letting unholy habits have us. I know from personal experience, don't you? We need to give it our best shot and see what comes from it. All it takes is practice. Lots and lots of practice. After all, practice makes perfect. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect as I am perfect." What are you waiting on?

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

Tonight I gave up American Idol for Lent. I heard praise music that thrilled me from head to toe. We stood and sang. We sat and sang. We worshipped the Lord with our voices and with our hearts. "I was glad when they said unto me, "let us go into the House of the Lord." I didn't miss the idol because I worshipped the true and living Lord! Talk about talent! The Praise Team was faith-tastic! Our spirits soared as we sang. We experienced the Holy and the human as the human directed our attention to the Holy and, the Holy touched our hearts. In giving up American Idol tonight, I gained so much more than anyone can imagine. I could care less about who wins American Idol. What I do care about is my soul and the souls of every American and everyone else because "Everybody Ought to Know Who Jesus Is." He alone is worthy of our praise and worship.

DID YOU SEE THAT!

One of my favorite places to park is in the Kroger parking lot. I love watching people going in and coming out of the store. Today while watching, I watched an elderly woman get out of her car, close the car door and walk towards the entrance. What astonished me was that she didn't look to the left or to the right. The good thing is that there wasn't any traffic at the time. I know because I took a look when I saw that she hadn't. I left before she came back out. I hope she made it home safe and sound.
Another thing that caught my attention was how many shopping carts had to be brought back to the store after so many people used so many of them. The person pushing them got a good workout out there pushing several at a time. It looked like a train coming down the tracks. In less than a minute or two she was right back at it. I got so tired watching her do all that work. One other thing is that it amazes me how many men stay in their cars while the woman of the house hold goes and gets the groceries. I just can't understand why would a man do such a thing as that! Excuse me, I have to pop the trunk for my wonderful wife who just walked across the parking lot with a load of things. I wonder what she bought me?

ARE YOU AWARE?

I am awaiting an alert at 9:00 a.m. today from the National Weather Service. "This is a test. It is only a test." Zap! Our "All Hazards Alert Weather Radio" just sounded! It works! So did the radio station I have on. The test works. We passed! Just now I'm hearing sirens going off outside warning of community to be "on guard."

I remember when we living in Louisville a number of years ago that there was a test by the National Weather Service. When I heard it, I ran around the house to tell my family to go to the basement. I even ran outside and yelled to the man washing his car across the street that there was a tornado. That's when he informed me, "It's a test. Only a test", and went on with washing his car. That's when I walked back in the house and told the family what had happened. I was embarrassed but also alert. Some people don't pass the test because they go on living like it doesn't mean much of anything at all. Tell that to the citizens in Alabama and see what they say. Are you alert this morning? Don't be like me when I left my coffee up on the roof of my car. Don't be like me and leave your zipper down. Be like me though in what matters most. Your life! Your soul! Don't desert the alert! Be on guard!

SPIRITUALLY SOARING

In March of 2004, I read a book entitled, Running On Empty: Contemplative Spirituality for Overachievers by Fil Anderson. Anderson shares about a conversation between himself and another Minister in which he asked Anderson a very intense question. Anderson was asked point blank, "Tell me, what is the condition of your soul?" Anderson shared that he was fatigued and empty spiritually. He then was told, "...you seem dreadfully close to losing touch with the Jesus you so desperately want others to know." Ouch! The statement pierced his heart. I think it would mine too had that been said to me. Maybe that's why this book means so much to me. I'm reading it for the fourth time today to help me examine my spiritual life during Lent. It is too easy to do so many spiritual things that the one thing that matters most isn't even done or hardly done at all, spending time with Jesus. We are too much like Martha and not enough like Mary. St. Paul said, "This one thing I do..." Jesus told Martha, "Mary has chosen the better part." Don't experience burnout while leaving Jesus out! Don't let your soul shrivel up and die. Instead, soar spiritually with the eagles. By the way, what is the condition of your soul, my friend? Don't just live in this world but in Christ.

A JANICE MOMENT

During worship this morning, the woman in front of us stood while the Praise team was singing. I whispered in my wife's ear, "She is having a Janice moment." About that time, others began to stand up too. That's when we stood as well. It was our way of celebrating Christ through music and adoration. Why did I call it a "Janice moment"? A number of weeks ago my wife, Janice, stood during the singing because she was so caught up in the moment through the music. I looked around and over 700 people were still seated. But Janice didn't care. She was doing what she wanted and needed to do, praise God. That's why in the service today I alluded to a "Janice moment" taking place. It really was wonderful to sense that the Holy Spirit had awakened something within worshippers that brought them to their feet. Thus, it was a Janice moment, a John moment, a Fred moment, a Nancy moment, a ____________moment... I wish more would seize the moment because it's an inner feeling that one is standing (sitting) on holy ground and they just have to do something beside just sit there. We all need to rise to the occasion even if we "march to the beat of different drummer."

GOOD INTENTIONS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH

I'm over-do in taking our car in for an oil change and a couple of other things. Good intentions aren't good unless you make good on them. I've waited and waited until I know this is a must-do. No holding off - no excuses - no no's! What has me frustrated is that we're under a tornado watch until 6:00 p.m.. My appointment is 2:00. It's not that I'm afraid as much as it is that I could of - should of - would of done this before today but I didn't. Do I call and cancel? Do I see if my wife will do it? "Hey! Let Mikey do it!" Do I do it? I will do it, that's what! Tomorrow. Exodus 8: 10 is an excellent example for putting things off until tomorrow. Moses told Pharaoh he had to let the people go. Pharaoh told Moses he would do it "Tomorrow." But Moses meant what he said and said what he meant! Tomorrow is too late! It's now or never! Pharaoh let the people go after God gave a demonstration of His power and purposes. So, I think I will go on and do what needs to be done before I find frogs in the back seat of our car! Good intentions aren't good enough! I better be driving on off before it's too late. By the way, what's in your way from getting things done? Today is a good day to do it to it! p.s. The do- job is a job- done! Good isn't good enough, it's great!