Food for Thought

“And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it:
It will be for those who walk in that way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
Everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.’
Isaiah 35: 8-10 (NIV)

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”
Psalms 107:2 KJV

My bride and joy shared Isaiah 53 with me.
Strange how we can read something and it doesn't connect and when we read it later it's like the first time.

Shalom, Y'all

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
James Baldwin (Writer)


Shalom, Y'all

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
George Orwell.

The detractors of our president are many, especially in regards to the current war on terror.

They either don't want to understand that it is a much greater war than what is happening in Iraq or, in their quest for power, care less for the security of our citizens than they do about obtaining that power.

The president visited today.
A plackard held up by a women read: re-reject Bush..
Get over it, lady.

What an incredible sight waching those big Hercules airplanes as they come in for a landing.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
Pray for the safety of our soldiers and the land they are fighting to defend. (In the final analysis it ain't Iraq.)

Shalom, Y'all
Charlie

When I got into the car Sunday for the return treck the girls followed me out.

So many hugs, so many I love you's.

They are indeed my favorite fourteen year old and favorite sixteen year old.
I love them both so much.
I am blessed. (And there are four more!)

Ain't God Good?
Shalom, Y'all

Did you ever start to say something and then not?
Me too.
Now is one of those times.

Shalom, Y'all

The four hour ride was uneventful.
Hated to leave Mamabos, with her newly rebuilt knee, behind.

Had a great time with my favorite soon to be fourteen year old.
Went to the mall, bought CD.s for her birthday and had lunch at Burger King and Starbucks.
It's kinda nice to go on a "date" with a teen-ager and I do love her so much.

The one hour ride through the country to watch the crew races was nice.
At the river it was organized chaos.
Hundreds (it seemed) of teen-agers lounging, milling around, playing cards and otherwise amusing themselves while waiting their turn to row.
Favorite sisteen year old filled in for coxwain on another team, replaceing an injured colleague. Came in third, won praises from her coach and the referees.
Cool.
The wind on the river got worse, her race was cancelled, but it was OK cause she had already raced anyway.
What a glorius day!
Ain't God Good?

Today will be confirmation day for the favorite almost fourteen year old.
Then it will be; climb into the old Maxima and point it south, back to my bride and joy of almost forty two years, the daily grind, etc.
Before then I must figure out how to slip away with my favorite eight year old for a short "date" with him.

MATURITY IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
1 Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)

That ain't entirely true. There is still a lot of "kid" in this old man.

Shalom, Y'all

Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed yo us, and received by faith alone.” David Brainerd, born April 20, 1718 in Haddam, Connecticut. Died October10 1747 in the home of Jonathan Edwards.

Carol did well through the night.
The pain has decreased.

Shalom, Y'all

A quote from an “Ancient Landmark”


In the early 1600’s John Bunyan was born.
He began his preaching career in 1655 as a lay-preacher.
He suffered many years in prison because of his unwillingness to stop preaching, suffered much and wrote many books.
The last book he wrote was “The excellency of a broken heart.” This is a quote from that book.

“Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men may seem to think………It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of hearts, but without wounding there is no saving…Where there is grafting there is a cutting, the scion must let in with a wound; to stick it on to the outside or tie it on with a string would be of no use. Heart must be set to heart and back to back, or there will be no sap from root to branch, and this I say, must done by a wound.”

Shalom, Y’all

Nearly forty-two years ago Carol and I vowed to continue our lives together.
Throughout those years have mingled joy, sadness, pain, sorrow, jubilation…………..
Three “children,” (the youngest is now thirty-six) one of whom conquered cancer, though the doctors removed her left hind leg in order to get rid of the tumor. Not to mention six grandchildren who I call my "incredible edibles."

What does one do all these years later when the body of the bride and joy begins to deteriorate?
If she were a car the answer would be simple; replace her.
It ain’t that simple with your wife, so we decided to have one of her parts rebuilt and this morning she had arthroscopic surgery on the knee of her right hind leg.

There was more damage than had been thought, but the outcome is predicted to be positive and I think she is worth the investment.
Besides, what does the bible say about a virtuous woman? “ ….her price is far above rubies.” (Proverbs 31-10)

I thank God for her.


Shalom, Y'all

LEADERSHIP

"Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve."
Tom Landry

"Let no man despise your youth; but be an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity in spirit, in faith, in purity."
1 Timothy 4:12

Shalom, Y'all

"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes will himself be refreshed."
Proverbs 11:25

In the King James it reads: "he that watereth shall be watered himself."

Shalom, Y'all

"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
1 Peter 1:15-16

C. S. lewis said, "How little people know who think holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistable."

Shalom, Y'all,
Charlie

Recently, at the fortieth birthday party of our son, several people ate some of my ho-made salsa
Some wanted a recipe
Since some of it comes from the garden, I'm not sure they can duplicate it.
Actually, it's never quite the same from one time to the next, but here is the closest I can get to a recipe.

PAPABOS SALSA


This is the way I do it.
You do it however you want.

Put the little grinder thing on the blender.
Chop up three or four tomatoes (2 ½ to three cups?)
(You may need to cut off the funny part on the end if someone is watching.)
Grind‘m up in the grinder thing.
Dump‘m into a bowl.

Cut up one or two green peppers (Maybe a cup?)
You may need to remove the seeds and cut the funny thing off of this too. (Depends on who is in the kitchen with you.)
Put that into the grinder thing.

Chop up some cilantro (1/2 a cup?)
Put that into the grinder thing too.

Pull a couple’a onions, cut them up (1/2 a cup?)
Add it in with the pepper.

Pull some leaves off the oregano plant (two - three tablespoons?)
Pull some leaves off the Basil plant (‘bout the same amount as the oregano?)
Wash them off first. They can add too much grit to the salsa.
If you drop some on the floor while you are cutting them up, throw them in quick or else you may need to wash them again. (Sometimes other people just won’t stay out of the kitchen.)
Add it in with the pepper and onions.
Alternate to the above: Use the ground up stuff if you don’t have the plants.

Add a couple’a cloves of garlic (more or less) to all that.
Throw in some salt, grind in some pepper.
Shake a little cumin in too, if you like.
Add a few leaves from a stevia plant if you have one. If you don’t, maybe swirl in a little honey, maybe not.

Grind up all that.
Add it to the bowl with the tomatoes

Mix it up real good. (I use a whisk.)

Some like it hot. If so, grind up a jalopena pepper or two with the rest. (You figure out how to spell this, my dictionary ain’t got it.)

Alternate to the jalopena peppers: Squirt in some Tabasco ‘til it seems right. (A little Tabasco goes a long way)

Somehwhere in the process add salt to taste.
Kinda depends on how salty the chipa are, etc.

I also grind a little pepper into the mix, you caan too, if you like.

Dip in a corn chip, and chow down.
If some of it drizzles down your chin, Who cares?

TEAMWORK
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up.......Though one may be overpowered, two can defend tehemselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Food For Thought?!

Shalom, Y'all

I have been inspired by Christen to resume blogging.
Christen is a young college woman who lost her dad two or three years ago.
She is a very special young person who loves the Lord and isn't ashamed to tell it.
God Bless you, Christen!

These Bloopers are borrowed from another "Food for Thought" site.

Church Bloopers
Below is a compilation of actual church bloopers and service bloopers:

Don't let worry kill you - let the church help.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

This afternoon there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.

Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the carpet will come forward and do so.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Christen, the offer remains to you and a friend.
We live near white sandy beaches, the everglades and a lot of the Florida "stuff."

Our little church has a food outreach called "Manna."
Yesterday I delivered food to a single woman who has two children and no job, a monthly occurrence.
It was my third attempt this week, (once with my wife) because I wanted to personally invite her little girls, five years and ten years old, to a church picnic.
Otherwise I could have left the food in the house.

Her big burly boyfriend cried, so did she.

They have agreed to come to the picnic!
I'm excited!
I love little girls so much!
As I have said before, I do more with the grandsons than grandaughters, but other grandfathers I have talked to agree: "There's something about a little girl."
Maybe they will continue to come and learn about Jesus.
That is my prayer.

I also delivered to another single mother who has two children. The first time for this family.
They are comeing too! Ain't God good?

Shalom, Y'all