Something about the Holidays

There is something about the holidays that makes you feel special. You look forward to time with the family. You think about home. There are the smells, the traditions the time together that make the holidays special. We spent Thanksgiving with Janelle's sister and her family in Florida and stopped in Georgia for a brief visit with one of her uncles and her grandmother. Family. We will go to East Tennessee for Christmas where my mother and my brother and his family live. Again family. I look forward to going home, spending time with family, spending time with people who love me.

I also have a similar feeling when I "attend Church". I have a feeling of being home, being with people who love me, being with family. It may be a bit of a stretch but every Sunday should be a holiday...because we share in a special time with family. What about you, do you feel at home when you are with your brothers and sisters? Is the Church a place where you feel loved? Do you worship with family? I hope so! I don't want to seem preachy or like I have it all together; I don't always get that feeling and that makes me sad...but I try. Won't it be cool when we get to heaven and have a big family reunion and every day will be a holiday?

In Him,

David

Tough Getting Back

This Thanksgiving was full of firsts, we went to Jacksonville where Janelle's oldest sister lives to spend Thanksgiving with her family. So this was the first Thanksgiving at Tammy's, the first spent in Florida, Jacob's first trip to the beach and my first trip to St. Augustine.

We spent Friday combing the mall and lifestyle centers for Christmas bargains. Since I met Janelle I have done black Friday shopping in Delaware, Gulfport, Maryville, Knoxville, and now Jacksonville, FL.; for a guy who hates shopping, that's a lot of different places to shop. I do enjoy getting a good bargain, so I cannot complain to loudly.

It is kind of hard to get back in the swing of things today. On Saturday is was in shirt sleeves, dining on a patio in St. Augustine, enjoying near 80 degree weather; today it is cold and wet and yucky. Isn't that true about life? One moment everything is sunny and fun then in the blink of an eye everything can seem yucky. The yucky of today though makes me appreciate the beauty of Saturday even more. Sun, sand and time with my family. Enjoy the day.

In Him,

David

Seasons

Spring is my favorite season of all. I love when the flowers bloom, the red bud trees and the dogwoods splash us with color. I love fall with all the colors. Even driving to work today with a gray sky I could look at the trees and see oranges, yellows, browns and reds in all different hues. Even in death there is a beauty. There is a promise of life again in the spring. A promise of hope and renewal after a long winter of rest.

I was privileged to be at the church building yesterday at 5:00 to see Jian be baptized. A person of science who did not believe in God now confessing that Jesus is his Son. Walt's sermon reminded me that while I live in a microwave society, there is still a need for sowing, growing, watering and then a harvest. Praise God and Happy Thanksgiving.

In Him,

David

Birthday Balloons

Yesterday the boys went to a birthday party for a friend who was turning 1. When they left, Christopher was given two balloons filled with helium. They were pretty and fun to play with. When he got up from his nap the first thing he asked was "where the balloons daddy?" Of course, when we got up this morning the balloons would no longer float and weren't fun to play with nor were they as pretty since they started to shrink so we threw them away.

Satan puts party balloons in our lives all the time. He says "look at this, see how pretty they are, think how much fun they would be, who would it hurt if nobody found out about it." And just like those balloons, those temptations soon become not so pretty, not so fun and we wish we had just thrown them away. What started out with so much promise in pleasure ends with hurt and disappointment.

I have to remember that what I have is so much better than a few party balloons.

In Him,

David

In-law update

It is unique having in-laws living halfway around the world and behind the ??? rice curtain??? We tried to set up a blog site for them but their access there has now been blocked to that site. We have to be careful what we say on the phone. But their work there is bearing fruit. They have had 50 new members join the team. I have not had 50 people that I have taught in my lifetime and the work there has seen 50 since the end of August. It proves that God is still in charge and he can move in the lives of men no matter what geographical borders are set up.

They said it is cold and rainy there now and most of the public buildings, including all of their classrooms, do not have heat. Here we get upset if the thermostat at the office or in the auditorium are set too high or too low....not a problem there. If its cold outside you bundle up inside. Another difference, they are getting custom draperies made for each window at less than $20 per window. A package was sent to them in mid-October and still has not arrived. The more updates that we hear from them, the more I know that I need to pause and thank God on how he has truly blessed us.

In Him,

David

Could we have saved them?

Man, with the passing today of Mike Matheny, Joey Jones back in August, a few years back of Mary Morris and even further back with my dad the question comes to mind "what more could we have done to save them?" In my selfish, human mind I want to keep friends and loved ones around as long as possible. I want people to pour millions of dollars into cancer research so others don't have to go through what they went through, so that other lives can be saved. In reality, all 4 were saved and it had nothing to do with cancer research or dollars spent... it had everything to do with the lives that they lived and the one life sacrificed so that we all might truly live. Instead of dwelling on this loss, which the apostle Paul would call gain... I need to focus on those that truly need saving. Those without Christ. Those in the daily battle to maintain their faith. On me, my family and my faith. We are all the ones that need more done...for we have not finished our race. Let the angels stand up and rejoice for Mike, Mary, dad and countless others and we can all say "well done, well done."

What do you know?

Let me start by saying I am not a doctor, I have never studied medicine and I did not sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Most of my adult life I have been told not to eat eggs as they are not good for you. If you are going to eat eggs then eat either Egg Beaters or just egg whites. Now according to Liz Applegate Ph.D., author of The Encyclopedia of Sports and Fitness Nutrition those claims are being debunked. Much of the best stuff is in the yolk- the part missing when you eat Egg Beaters or just egg whites. Eggs supply micronutrients such as choline, which is essential for healthy brain and central nervous system functioning and zeaxanthin and lutein, coratenoids that protect your eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. They also boost vitamin K, which helps build str0ng bones, guards against cell damage and encourages healthy blood clotting.

So while people were telling me to engage in a behavior that they said was "good for me" and would "help me live longer" they were actually unknowingly keeping things from me that were good for me. Hmmmm. They weren't doing this to be malicious or mean, they were doing it in good consciousness for my benefit. Turns out though that they may have been wrong.

I wonder if I have ever "corrected" someone or asked them to cease an activity that was "harmful to them" when in fact my opinion of that activity was in error? I wonder how many things I have avoided because of "danger" when in fact they could have promoted my growth? I'm not advocating change of any type, instead I am advocating studying what we "know" and make certain that what we "know" is in fact TRUTH. Guess that puts the responsibility squarely on me to study... as soon as I finish my eggs.

In Him,

David