1/10 Of A Long Shot

From Notes I Took At A Conference~~~
If a rocket were launched to the moon and it left Cape Kennedy only 1/10 of a degree off course, it would miss the moon by tens of thousands of miles. 
Can the decisions we make today, if they are not what God wants, also miss the mark of His [...]

Pickle People

Recently I volunteered at our local hospital. The occasion was a celebration for the 2000 hospital employees. The celebration theme was a carnival and there were games, caricatures, a dunking booth, a rock climbing wall, and plenty of food in the serving line. It was a typically hot, July day with temperatures in the 100’s.
All [...]

How To Stop Being a Big Baby

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.” —Dale Carnegie

All the rationalizations do not seem to work when I try to “help” a complainer. “Help” is in quotation marks because it was/is my intention but it is not perceived as such.
It is perceived by [...]

Re-Soul-ing My Shoes

This week, the divot on Jim’s work shoes broke, leaving the shoes unwearable, unusable. As a virile custodian of XY-chromosomes, this shoe breakage represented a 25% decrease in Jim’s overall shoe inventory.
In contrast in my shoe inventory, a similar incident of shoe breakage would represent a .00090 decrease. I prefer the “more is more” custodial [...]

Jim and Helen Watch the Stanley Cup

A Dialogue:
Announcer: Detroit is the best with the “face-off”
H: What’s the face-off again?
J:   It’s how they start the game
H: Oh, the puck-off
J:  No, it’s called the “face-off”
H: Tamaato-Tomahto
J:  No! Wrong! Tomato-Eggplant!
H: Well, at least there is some evidence of wardrobe planning. I like the coordination of Home/Away uniforms and the player named Nordstroms
J: (eye roll)
Announcer: they’ve [...]

Jim and Helen Go To NASCAR

NOTE: Posting this entry in a timely manner, necessitated an abbreviated shorthand of sorts in the form of this acronym: IANMTU which means, “I am not making this up.”
 *************************
Jimmy first proposed to me at a car racing event so I was eager to return to the glory days when he asked me to go with [...]

58: Does That Come with an AARP Discount?

We’re 58! Our little town has just been named #58 on Forbes Best Small Cities list.
Here’s to #58 and the city where:
1.) Commute to work: 5-7 minutes during “rush hour”
2.) Traffic congestion is greatest at Starbucks
3.) When we say, “we’ll be right over,” we really mean it.
4.) We know our Neighbors’ names AND the names of their [...]

Pink Vitamin March 27: Grace in Beaumont

 Grace in Beaumont
“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” Ecclesiastes 3:12
If you were the man who stayed in Room 323 of the Courtyard Hotel in Beaumont, Texas, then I owe you a huge thank you.
I was eating breakfast today minding my own business [...]

Pink Vitamin March 22, 2008: Storms

  Storms
You probably saw and heard about the storms of this week. I was in DFW airport the night before they had to cancel 550 flights. I was so fortunate to avoid an overnight on a cot. When searching for statistics on the weather this week, I found a story about a turbulent storm and [...]

Daily Vitamin, 3-4-09: Risk…The Fertilizer For Our Fruit

I have heard it said that faith is going to the edge of everything you know, and taking one more step. Why do most of us shutter at taking that one risky step? We can easily travel to the edge and look out at the unknown, but taking that one risky step of faith seems impossible.
God has provided [...]

Pink Vitamin February 28: Who’s In First Place?

 Who’s In First Place?
Recently, I heard a courageous young woman talk about her spiritual journey. She told of feeling worthless and unimportant. She said that for many years she would put herself down when given a compliment. She would talk negatively to herself when she was alone. She refused to believe the good and blessed [...]

Pink Vitamin February 14: Be Not A Slave to Your Own Past

 ”Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
I copied this from the Word Ferret blog at http://elizadashwood.wordpress.com/  and I thought it [...]

Pink Vitamin February 4, 2008: The No-Complaint Zone

The No-Complaint Zone
Last year, the Rev. Will Bowen of Kansas City, Mo. gave a sermon challenging listeners not to complain for 21 consecutive days. He says 21 days is the length of time it takes to form — or break — a habit. He handed out purple bracelets as a reminder for them.Bowen encouraged people [...]

1-27 Daily Vitamin: I just took down our Christmas tree.

 I just took down our Christmas tree. Really. A few minutes ago the last of the ornaments descended from their perch overlooking our living room. Previous Christmases visitors should know that the tree was quite a bit bigger this year since Jim and I liberated a tall, proud spruce from my mom’s “attic of holiday [...]

Daily Vitamin – 1/23/08

There is a lot of talk these days about the “Law of Attraction.” The most common definition goes something like this…
“Individuals experience physical and mental manifestations corresponding to their predominant thoughts, feelings, words, and actions; and that they thereby have the ability to control the reality of their lives through thought alone.” (Thanks Wikipedia)
I know this [...]

Pink Vitamin 1-17-08: What will be your lasting impression?

Pink Vitamin 1-17-08:
What will be your lasting impression?
From our friend, Rick Meyers’ tennis column, which runs weekly in our town paper:
On a recent “Center Court” interview on the Tennis Channel, Chris Myers featured Pete Sampras. The entire interview was interesting, but Pete’s answer to the last question is something that every athlete needs to ponder.
The [...]

Daily Vitamin 1/8/08

Do This in Remembrance of Me
I took communion for the first time in April of 1974, and over the years I have gone through various phases of “remembrance”. From overwhelming emotions to going through the motions. In thirty-odd years I have been from one end of the spectrum to the other, but in the summer [...]

Pink Vitamin January 4, 2008: New Year’s Resolutions in 6 Words

 
My New Year’s Resolutions in 6 Words:
Observe
Renew
Nest
Thank
Connect
Nourish
 
 
What is/are yours?

Housecalls

Housecalls
I am sharing my home with another man today. And this is not the first time. I did it two weeks ago too.
I am letting him dictate the day and time. I have structured my whole day around his appearance. I am accepting less than forthcoming details on when he will arrive or when he [...]

1-2 Pink Vitamin: Weight Loss

 Weight Loss
Were the holidays good to you? Are you wearing more than the sweater from Uncle Fred? Here is a sure-fire weight loss strategy guaranteed to take pounds off immediately, if not sooner.
Forgive Yourself! Then forget it.
God has forgiven you, but better even than that, God has forgotten about what He forgave!
Jim gently reminded me [...]

12-31 Last Words/First Words

So what will your last words be for 2007? Hooray!? Yippee!?
What will your first words be for 2008?
It matters, you know…consider it.
Consider also beginning a new tradition tonight…
As you are thinking about your resolutions, consider writing four: one resolution for your family, one for your vocation, one for your avocation, and one just for yourself.
Tonight, [...]

Best Quotes We Found in 2007 Part 2

Today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions. Today’s jealousy is tomorrow’s temper tantrum. Today’s bigotry is tomorrow’s hate crime. Today’s anger is tomorrow’s abuse. Today’s lust is tomorrow’s adultery. Today’s greed is tomorrow’s embezzlement. Today’s guilt is tomorrow’s fear. Today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions. Can that be why Paul writes, “love…keeps no record of wrongs” 1 Cor. [...]

Best Quotes We Found in 2007

“Every decision you make – every decision – is not a decision about what to do. It’s a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came [...]

Pink Vitamin: December 26, 2007 Left Side

 I Will Be Your Left Side
A story for you on true giving:
http://www.insightoftheday.com/quotetext.asp?msgid=925

Pink Vitamin December 12, 2007:Add Your Light to the Sum of Light.

When I am on the road, I get to check in with cable. The other night’s late, late show featured the movie called “The Year of Living Dangerously.” In one scene, two characters, Billy Kwan and Guy Hamilton are speaking about the overwhelming needs of the poor in Indonesia. Hamilton grows disenchanted and overwhelmed by [...]