Aww…some Monday

Dani

A couple of months ago I began volunteering at our local animal shelter. Once a week I go over to the shelter and walk a dog or two. I take them or a walk of about a half mile. There is a park bench along the way and we usually stop and I deliver my new friend a few snacks and we watch people riding bikes, walking and others walking their dogs. Last week I met Dani. Dani is a shepherd mix who has never met a stranger and is friendly to everyone. She has only been at the shelter a week and I would love to see her find a new home very soon. I really like my new adventure. I have made some very good furry friends along the way. As much as I like my new friends, I really would prefer not to see them again. I would prefer that they all find a furever home. I mean, who can resist this face?

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is a freedom of choice week, so I get to pick what ever songs move me. When November rolls around, my wife and I will be going to a Joe Bonamassa concert. I can’t wait and here is why. Keep in mind, he’s been playing like this since he was twelve years old! Have a blessed week.

Summer Blooms

Aww…some Mondays

Thoughts on 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Consider this; We are told that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. While we may give credit to Paul, David, Moses, and John for writing various books in Scripture, the words are not theirs. These are the words God inspired the men to record. Therefore the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

We are also told that all Scripture is profitable. Every word is for our benefit and may be used for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. While those passages that contain the linage of the saints may seem boring to us, they are profitable for history and linking our Savior to David and affirming God’s promise to the former shepherd and king.

The Bible is the Book of Life because it instructs us how to live a meaningful life. Proverbs instructs parents to raise their children under the influence of God’s Word. The purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to make us complete and fully equipped for every good work. God has a plan for our life and we cannot properly execute that plan without appropriate training. A person may enlist in the military and that makes them a soldier, but they are not a complete soldier until they have been through basic training, job specific training, and mission specific training. Over the course of their career they will be assigned hundreds of missions and each one requires mission specific training, so their training is never complete.

Likewise, when we accept Christ as our Savior, we become a Christian but we need training and our training is never complete. The person who claims to be a Christ follower yet never opens their Bible cannot possibly be fully equipped for every good work. We are soldiers of the Lord and our assignments will change over the course of our lives, therefore our training is never complete.

Bible study, prayer, corporate worship with other believers are all a part of our ongoing training. Our mission is to give evidence of the presence of the Savior in our lives so that others may be drawn to Christ and experience His love and the gift of salvation. Our goal is to step into eternity and hear our Commander and Chief say, “Well done good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme this week is summer vacation time. Robin from SongbirdsCrazyWorld suggested that we have songs about vacation – destination, activity, transportation, anything related to vacation.

What are some of your favorite vacation memories? A few Years ago my wife and I flew to Hawaii then boarded a ship for a 7-day cruise of the Islands. It was one of the most memorable vacation trips we have ever taken. So the appropriate song would seem to be the Elvis classic, “Blue Hawaii. I captured this image of our cruise ship from a helicopter ride we took while on the island of Kawaii.

We have also been on an Alaska cruise and I would go again in a heart beat. You could just leave me and my camera in the wilderness for a month and I would be a happy camper. If you need directions, the song simply says go “North to Alaska”.

My wife has traveled with me on business trips that seemed like mini-vacations. One trip found us at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO. It was some of the most beautiful accommodations and landscape we have ever seen. The image is from a jeep tour week took to the mountains behind the Broadmoor. That is The Broadmoor in the foreground and Colorado Springs beyond. It is a magnificent place to spend a few days.

The obvious song that comes to mind is “Rocky Mountain High”. Have a blessed week.

Recently our great-grandson spent the day with us. Nana decided to bake some cookies and X-man’s first question was, “Can I help?” He makes the fourth generation in the kitchen, Nana, our daughter, our grandcrew, and now the great grand! Life is Aww…some!

Don’t forget to lick the paddle. The finished cookies were pretty good too. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is a freedom of choice week at 4M which is a perfect transition into Independence Day. I going to feature a few tunes about freedom and independence. I am reminded that, in spite of all of our troubles, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. The grand experiment of a Democratic Republic has taken a beating lately, but it has still proven to be the best form of government devised by man. So in honor of this nation’s birthday I will let freedom ring.

God bless America indeed. Have a blessed holiday celebration.

Lake Time

We spent a few days before Father’s Day at a lakeside condo near Branson, Missouri. Our oldest grand daughter, her husband and their newly adopted son (our first great-grandchild) were able to join us for a day at the lake and in the pool. It was a special day for us.

There is a special story behind X-man coming into the family and all I can say is, “It was a God thing.” He is five years old and a very happy, easy going, full of energy…okay, he’s all boy! But that’s not the end of the story. Our grand daughter has been trying to get pregnant for a several years and there have been disappointments and challenges along the way, including our grand son-in-law being diagnosed with testicular cancer! Well, here is her story in her own words.

For those that have been following our story for the last 3-4 years or so I’ve been so eager to share this part of our story…

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017, and in 2022 we found traces of PCOS in my right ovary. I was told early that I would likely need intervention to become pregnant. After a couple of surgeries and minor procedures, we were told we would have to endure fertility treatments, likely IUI or IVF.

In 2021, Blake was diagnosed with testicular cancer. We were immediately moved to a fertility specialist and we were so anxious for the future of our family. Infertility and fear controlled a lot of our months to come. Thank goodness we found our doctor.

In 2022, we experienced 5 failed fertility treatments and 1 suspended IUI treatment. In March of 2023, we received news that we were experiencing a heartbreaking loss after we had just shared our news with family and friends. We were devastated. I was ready to be done with fertility for awhile and take a break. Grief was and sometimes still can be suffocating. After a loss, you feel so alone and for me, I had so much anger.

But God. He paved a way for us through that season of life. In late April, we were floored when we found out we were expecting, again. We conceived with no fertility drugs, no bi-weekly scans, and no intervention whatsoever. The Lord has made His presence known daily through this sweet baby and we can’t wait to experience this season of life together, with Xavier.

Please continue to pray for us on this journey. There are so many unknowns and we are being monitored closely. But we know we serve a BIG God.

Words cannot express the joy that my wife, myself and the whole family is experiencing. YES!!! It is a God thing! It is a glorious prayer answering God thing. There is no other way to say it, “Thank you God for all that you do.” What a glorious Father’s day week-end we had.

Before we move on the Monday’s Music Moves Me, I would like to say a few final words regarding Father’s Day. Being a father is the most important job in the world along side being a mother. In other words, parenting is the most important endeavor that any couple can undertake. Children are like any living thing in that they survive and even flourish under certain conditions. The ideal growing conditions for human children are found in God’s Word. The ideal family unit consists of a loving mother and father working together, under the instruction of God’s Word to raise children to be responsible adults. Again I say, the Bible is life’s instruction book. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Where are you going to find better advice than from the Creator of life. The epistle further states that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The purpose of Scripture is for the man of God that he may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Solomon, the richest and wisest man who ever lived and wrote Proverbs, was inspired to write to fathers, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” It is the parents responsibility to raise responsible children, not nanny, preschool, public or private school, and certainly not government agencies. God gives us a special gift in the life of a child and we should care for that life with our very lives. A couple of songs come to mind.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week the theme at 4M is The Beatles. We are to select songs by Beatles as a group or the members after Beatles. I was a teen when the Beatles hit the shores of America and the “British Invasion” was on! Like many groups, the Fab Four started as a boy band with song like, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”. The group matured and so did their fans, by the time the group broke up The Beatles were the biggest band in the history of Rock and Roll. Their list of No.1 songs is legendary. I have to admit that I was not a Beatles fan in the beginning. My tastes leaned more toward The Rolling Stones and The Animals, The Beach Boys, Temptations and Four Tops. Like many converts, the Rubber Soul album was the release that turned me on to The Beatles. Here are a few of my favorite tunes. Have a blessed week..