First Month

     Today marks the last day of the first month of 2011. Like many people, I set some goals for the year.

• #1 Start a blog called Everyday Thankfulness to encouraging thankfulness.
• #2 Start a blog called Pupperville Ponderings where I can post all my puppet stories with some added thoughts to ponder.
• #3 Finish making the rest of my unfinished puppets.
• #4 Finish studying out the book of Revelation

      As of today I've been able to make progress on all of my goals

• #1 I started this blog and have been able to keep up on it everyday for the first month - only 11 months (334 days) to go.
• #2 I started Pupperville Ponderings and have made 4 posts to it.
• #3 No new puppets finished, but have started figuring our what I need to finish them
• #4 Collected some resources and broke down a few more chapters

      How have yo been doing on your goals...

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the ability to set goals to work towards
• For making progress towards fulfilling them

The Battle Belongs to The Lord

In heavenly armor we'll enter the land,
The battle belongs to the Lord.
No weapon that's fashioned against us will stand,
The battle belongs to the Lord.

And we sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord,
We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.
He'll raise up a standard, the power of His blood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.

And we sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord,
We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

When Your enemy presses in hard, do not fear,
The battle belongs to the Lord.
Take courage, my friend, your redemption is near,
The battle belongs to the Lord.

And we sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord,
We sing glory, honor, power and strength to the Lord.

by Jamie O. Collins

Dear Lord, Thank you

• That we need not fight the battles of life alone.
• For the victory that comes from You.

Polly Pockets

     At least once a week, if not more, one of my daughters is bringing me a little doll and some little rubber clothes wanting me to dress it. Another set of toys that my young ladies enjoy playing with are something called Polly Pockets.

      Like their ponies, they have collected quite a few and still want more. They love to play with them on the kitchen table, the deep freezer, and in the bathroom tub.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Polly Pockets to play with

My Little Ponies

      I'm not the only one in my house that is thankful for things they have. To end this week I would like to share some things that my younger daughters are thankful for. On the list today are ponies.

      Over the last several years, between birthday's and Christmas, Emily, Melissa and Laura have obtained quite a collection of My Little Pony ponies. They love to play with them, especially when someone clears a spot on the table, deep freezer or piano, and they still want more.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For my little girls

• For My Little Pony ponies to play with

Curiosity

     When his first story, Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys was published in France in 1939, he was named Fifi but we know him better as George, Curious George, the little brown monkey that lives with the man with a yellow hat. Written by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey, the books feature the adventures of George and the troubles that come from being a little over curious.

      It is often said that curiosity killed the cat, and while curiosity has and still does lead to all kinds of trouble, can you imagine what life would be like if no one had ever been curious? Think of some of the great scientists and inventors and where we would be today had their curiosities never been aroused. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't be sitting here blogging.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For our curiosity / our desire to learn
• For the many blessings that have come about because of the curiosity of others

Home Early

     Tonight is AWANA night in Warroad which makes for a busy night for our family. It's also a work night for me as this is my week on the night shift. Since I'm one of the leaders that gets to sit and encourage kids to memorize Bible versus, I decided to take time from work to help out and than take the rest of the night off and go home with my family.

      Last week when we got home from AWANA we had a pizza party since I didn't have to get up the next morning, maybe we'll do the same tonight. Whatever we do, it'll be nice to be home with the family.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the ability to take time off from work
• For the time spent working with kids at AWANA
• For time with family

After Hours

     Have you ever heard some one complain about having to work weekends or nights. I wonder if those people have ever thought things through. Just imagine a world where no one had to work nights and no one had to work weekends.

      As you head home from work at the end of the week, you realize your car is almost out of gas so you pull into the gas station to fuel up but... since no one works nights the station is closed and you find yourself walking home at minus 10 degrees.

      An hour later and nearly frozen to death, you stumble into your nice warm house except it's no longer warm, because the furnace quit working and the forecast says it's going to get colder. You call the repair man but he can't come until Monday because he doesn't work weekends.

      In an attempt to try and warm up your house you decide to start a fire in the fireplace which works for awhile and then the house catches on fire because you forgot to fix the chimney. You call the fire department and an answering machine answers your call "If you need a fire put out please call during working hours Monday thru Friday. Have a good day. - Beep"

      With a little bit of help from your neighbor, you get the fire out but burn yourself bad in the process. Your neighbor says he'll drive you to the emergency room to take care of your burns but you'll have to wait till Monday morning since they don't work nights or weekends either.

      As you try to pass the time away till Monday morning, you turn on the radio - but there's nothing but static, you turn on the TV but again there's nothing but static, you sit at the computer but the internet is down and then the power goes out.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For people that work nights and weekends

32 Hours

     It's that time of year again, the time when things slow down at work and today we start a new schedule at work, a schedule that cuts our working hours from 40 a week to 32, which in turn will reduce income by 20%, and while many may complain, there is much to be thankful for

      For starters, we still have jobs. Many company's similar to where I work have not only laid off people but have had to close plants or even go out of business, and with no job you have no income. Marvin Windows and Doors strives to keep people on the pay roll and working even during the slow times.

      Second, the shorter hours means getting home earlier - which is really nice when working the evening shift. Instead of getting off at 2:20 in the morning, we'll be getting off at 10:30 in the evening and I know my wife likes that.

      Thirdly, since we are coming home earlier, we have more time at home and while I do enjoy working I also enjoy my family and blogging and studying and sleeping and....

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the fact we still have jobs
• For Marvin's keeping us employed
• For the extra time at home.

Life

• This past week marks 22 years since my wife's sister Krista died in a house fire.
• This past week a couple from work lost their unborn child.
• Life is so fragile

     Did you know that ...

• 1.2 to 1.4 million abortions are performed in the United States every year? That amounts to 4,000 every day, 3 every minute, 1 every 20 seconds.
  
• The United States has one of the highest abortion rates among developed countries?
  
• Every fourth baby conceived in America is killed by abortion?
  
• For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. - Psalms 139:13-16 (NAS)
  

      "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, - Deuteronomy 30:15-19 (NAS)

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Life

Veggies

If you like to talk to tomatoes (While there sitting on a sandwich)

If a squash can make you smile. (Usually make me frown)

If you like to dance with potatoes. (I'd rather mix them with gravy)

Up and down the produce aisle....(How about the snack aisle)

      Sound familiar? Today marks the release of "Happy Together" the latest compilation DVD from Veggie Tales. While I haven't decided if I'll be getting this one or not, every one that I have gotten in the past I have thoroughly enjoyed.

      While Veggie Tales may be for kids, I find that some of the humor they use is something only us older folks would understand. When I do buy them I usually do it for me though my kids do enjoy them too.

      Dear Lord, Tank you

• For Veggie Tales and the lessons they teach
• For the creators of Veggie Tales
• For all that make Veggie Tales possible

Hand Warmers

     Last week, my wife had stop on the way home from work and pick up a sale item - a 24 pack of hand warmers.

      When living in Minnesota in the winter time, a person needs away to keep one's hands warm when out doors. There are many time when temps can reach 30 or more below zero and that doesn't even count the wind chill factor. At those temps, hands can get cold. To keep one's hands warm you can put your hands in your pockets, put on some mittens or gloves, start up some hand warmers or all three if you want.

      My first remembrance of hand warmers were some metal ones that my Dad had. Each morning during deer season, he would takeoff the lid, remove the wick and fill it with a flammable fluid, put the wick back on and light it. After a few minutes the lid would go back on and it would be put into a pouch to keep hands warm while out in the deer stand.

      Now days, you buy a disposable pack that last for several hours after you start a chemical reaction in the sealed bag. During our recent ski trip the kids used almost all 24 keeping their hands and feet warm.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For warm gloves and mittens.
• For pockets to stick our hand in when they're cold.
• For hand warmers to warm them even more.

Slippers

     I'm sure many of us have heard the saying "Open mouth - insert foot." As you can see, I do that often, especially during the winter months.

     When it comes to slippers, I like to wear the rather unusual ones. I got this pair of lion slippers several years ago for Christmas. Over the years I have had slippers that look like Bear feet, Tasmanian Devils, Apes, etc. Hopefully I can find some more before this pair wears out.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the many slippers I've had to enjoy
• Thank you for keeping my feet warm

Junk

      It is said that one man's junk is another's treasure. This post was inspired by a post I saw on F.B. awhile back.

      Once upon a time the government had a vast junk yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said someone may steal from it at night, so they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.
     Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning position and hired two people: one person to write the instructions and one person to do time studies.
      Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Q.C. position and hired two people, one to do the studies and one to write the reports.
      Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a timekeeper and a payroll officer and hired two people.
      Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative position and hired three people: an Admin. Officer, an Assistant Admin. Officer and a Legal Secretary.
      Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost," so they laid off the night watchman.

     So, what do you think of, when you think of junk? A Chinese ship? Something of poor quality? Useless clutter? Your closet or a drawer or your kids bedroom floor? Do you think of stuff you should probably throw away but don't because you might need it someday?

      Sometimes the "junk" we tend to collect tends to over run us and we may wish it gone yet sooner or later, somewhere in that pile of junk is what we are looking for or need.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• That we don't have to throw everything away
• That much of what we call junk may one day have a use

Lamp Light

       It sits there on top of my desk next to the printer - a little round lamp that drives my wife nuts. I'm not sure why it drives her nuts but I enjoy the little lamp and not because it drives her nuts. I like it because it cast light in a rather dark corner.

      The other day when I turned it on, it took my picture or should I say the bulb burned out with a bright flash. Over the next couple hours, I lost count of how many times I reached up to turn it on only to remember the bulb was burnt out and it wasn't going to come on no matter how hard I tried to get it too.

      How often do we take for granted the lights in our house, always expecting them to turn on, never giving them another thought.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the little lamps that brighten dark corners.

Dreams

     Today is a federal holiday, a day set aside by congress in 1983 to honor the man Martin Luther King Jr.

      King was born in 1929 and eventually became an African American Baptist minister and is considered to be the main leader of the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950's and 1960's. He had a magnificent speaking ability, and his eloquent pleas won the support of millions of people-blacks and whites-and made him internationally famous.

      Under his leadership, the civil rights movement won wide support among whites, and laws that had barred integration in the Southern States were abolished. and in 1964 he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for leading nonviolent (which he based on Christian teachings,) civil rights demonstrations. In spite of King's stress on nonviolence, he often became the target of violence and in 1968 he became the target of an assassin who shot and killed him.

      In 1980, an area including King's birthplace, church, and burial place became the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. In 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum opened at the site of King's assassination in Memphis.

      It was Martin Luther King, Jr who on Aug. 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. gave the famous speech "I Have a Dream," a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."

      What kind of dreams do you have?

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the dreams you give us
• For the hope they bring

You Are My All In All

You are my strength when I am weak

You are the treasure that I seek

You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel

Lord to give up, I’d be a fool

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame

Rising again, I bless Your name

You are my all in all

When I fall down, You pick me up

When I am dry, You fill my cup

You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

Dennis Jernigan

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For being my strength when I am weak
• For taking my sin, my cross, my shame
• For picking me up when I am down
• For filling my cup when I am dry

Going Down Hill

     Each winter, usually in January, the kids spend the day going down hill. Me? I sit in the chalet and take care of little ones. That way I'm safe from falling down and destroying my body. For the most part, it's a fun day for the homeschoolers in Northern Minnesota to get together and try out their skills at skiing and snow boarding down the slopes at Buena Vista near Bemidji, MN.

      While our trip down this year went great the trip home was a bit scary as it had snowed and was snowing bringing our driving speed down to 30 mph at times. Anyways, we made it home safely and the kids had an enjoyable time.

      This year Tracy decided to do the snow board thing and other than feeling a bit sore at the end of the day, enjoyed it. Aaron just did skis but had to warm up his hands frequently. Jason skipped out on skiing while Emily hit the bigger hills. The youngest two girls mastered the bunny hill with my wife's help and David stayed in the chalet with me and Grandma where I took care of him and tried to read, but mainly I took care of him.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For safety on the roads to and from skiing
• For safety on the slopes for each of the kids
• For the friends we got to be with

A Few More Books

     Between the last weeks of December 2010 and the first weeks of January 2011 I've been adding books to my home library. Some were for Christmas which I found used at Amazon and some were new form CBD (Christian Book Distributors)

      From Amazon I picked up 3 books dealing with apologetics which are making for some very good reading, at least what I've been able to get through so far.

• The Young Earth by John D. Morris
• Thousands Not Billions by Dr. Don DeYoung
• Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft & Ronald K. Tacelli

      From CBD I picked up several books which I'm hoping will give me a little help in my studies of Revelation in the bible (one of my new years goals), along with some other tidbits.

• Systematic Theology by Norman Geisler. (4 books)
• A Popular Survey of the New Testament by Norman Geisler
• Revelation by Marcus Maxwell

     Now to enjoy some reading.

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Amazon and CBD for providing books at lower prices
• For the publishers that do the work of printing the books
• For the Authors that take the time to write the books

AIG

     Often times when I see the letter AIG in print or hear AIG being talked about in the news, AIG is referring to an insurance corporation called "American International Group." AIG however stans for more than just an insurance corporation, it also stands for "Answers In Genesis."

      Started by Ken Ham in the 1990's, Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry, dedicated to enabling Christians to defend their faith and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. They focus particularly on providing answers to questions surrounding the book of Genesis, as it is the most-attacked book of the Bible.

      Over the years I've purchased many resources from AIG in book, VHS and DVD along with downloading many free resources form their web sight.

     Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Ken Ham and others who got AIG going.
• For the many resources AIG provides
• For those who continue to work hard to help us defend Your Word.

Siblings

    Unless you're an only child, chances are you have at least one brother or sister. If you were the child of one of these men found in the Bible you had lots of siblings. We are told that:

• Gideon had 70 sons - Judges 8:30
• Ahab had 70 sons - 2 Kings 10:1
• David had 19 sons and 1 daughter 1 Chronicles 3:1-9
• Rehoboam had 28 sons and 60 daughters - 2 Chronicles 11:21
• Heman had 14 sons and 3 daughters - 1 Chronicles 25:5
• Jair had 30 sons - Judges 10:3-4

      My parents only had 3 sons and 3 daughters leaving me with 5 siblings which is rather small in comparison yet large by today's standards. And while we may not have always got along perfectly we had a lot of fun playing together. One of the things I remember is playing wiffle ball against my brothers in the backyard, two against one and a lot of fun.

      Today one of those brothers has a birthday and though he may not see this - Happy Birthday Tim!

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For my brother Tim
• For the fun times we had growing up

On The Radio

     The Italian electrical engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited with being the inventor of radio. Building on the work of people like James Clerk Maxwell and his theory of electromagnetic waves, German physicist Heinrich Hertz who actually created such waves, British physicist Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge who created a device to detect radio waves, and others

• In 1896 he transmitted signals for a distance exceeding just over a mile and applied for his first British patent.
  
• In 1897 he transmitted signals from shore to a ship at sea 18 miles away.
  
• In 1899 he established commercial communication between England and France
  
• Early in 1901 he sent signals 200 miles, and later in the same year across the Atlantic Ocean.
  
• In 1902 messages were regularly sent across the Atlantic,
  
• By 1905 many ships were using radio for communications with shore stations.
  
• About 1910.Experimental radio broadcasts began
  
• WWJ in Detroit and KDKA in Pittsburgh became the first commercial radio stations in 1920.
  
• The Golden Age of Broadcasting began in the United States about 1925 and lasted until the early 1950's. During this period, radio was a major source of family entertainment.
  
• Today we can still enjoy the radio.
  

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For radios that we can listen too wherever we go.
  
• For Christian Radio and the encouragement it brings.
  
• For those that work to keep the stations on the air.
  

David Said Hat

     They are called among many things, a bandanna, a barret, a beanie, a bonnet, a brim, a busby, a cap, a chapeau, a coonskin, a cowboy hat, a deerstalker, a derby, a dunce cap, a fedora, a fez, a hard hat, a helmet, a hood, a lid, a Panama, a shovel hat, a snap, a sombrero, a stocking cap, a stovepipe, etc... What are they? They're hats.

      Besides the things that are actually hats, there are many things that get turned into hats, like a bucket, a box, a newspaper, a coat, a plate full of food, yes you read that right, a plate full of food.

      Several days ago while we were sitting at the table eating, David (who is 13 months old) took his plate of food, and tipped it upside down while he placed it on his had and said "hat." While a plate may not be a very practicable hat, it made for a rather humors moment, one that may be remembered for years to come. What a great joy little ones can be as they learn.

      As for the real hats that I have, I enjoy using them in the winter to keep my head warm and in the summer to keep from burning and at other times, I just enjoy wearing a hat.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the joy little ones can bring
• For the hats we have and the purposes they serve

Being Me

Smallest Cog In Machine

We all have a place in the world it is said

And some are the leaders and some are the led.

We all are the parts of a great big machine

Where wheels, great and small, work with places unseen.

Consider your watch - Which part would you choose

As the most necessary - the springs or the screws?

The nuts or the bearings, the large cog, the small -

Which one makes it go? Which part most of all?

Take your car - could you do without wheels, without tires?

The batteries, magneto, the spark plugs, the wires?

If you'd take off the steering wheel, take off the clutch

Or remove all the brakes - would it then be worth much?

No, the greatest fly-wheel could not spin without grease

And it's held in its place by one small, simple piece

So don't be dismayed when you seem in a rut,

You're important - though you may only be a rut!

Richard Maxwell

      "It's Not Easy Being a Bunny" by Marilyn Sadler tells the story of P.J. Funny Bunny and his desire to be something other than a bunny. As the story proceeds, P.J. tries to be a bear, a bird, a beaver, a pig, a moose, a possum, and a skunk. In the end he realizes that what he really wants to be is a bunny.

      Each one of us are made by God to be just who we are and not someone else.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For making me to be me

Spell Cheque Her

I halve a spell cheque her,
It came with my pea see.
It plainly marks four my revue
Miss steaks I dew knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait aweigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the era rite
Its rarely ever wrong.

I've scent this massage threw it,
And I'm shore your pleased too no
Its letter prefect in every weigh;
My checker tolled me sew.

      I don't know about you, but my spelling and typing skills are less than perfect and I'm often misspelling words and hitting wrong letters as I type in my word processor. Thankfully most all mistakes are caught and fixed before I save and publish or print my work.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For word processors to help me type
• For spell checkers to find my mistakes
• For those who worked hard to make them all possible.

Payday

     A restaurant owner had a waitressing position open at his diner and asked job seekers to fill out an application. Under "Salary Expected," a woman wrote "Friday." 

     Yesterday was one of those days that most people I know look forward to. A day when all of one's hard work (ahem) is rewarded. A day we like to call Payday.

     At my place of employment, Marvin Windows and Door, payday doesn't come on Fridays but every other Thursday. On those days, I'll get my check, take a glance at it, see how much vacation time I have built up, turn it over to my wife, and let her spend it. I think it's a pretty good system.

      Because of my wacky work schedule during the past few weeks - taking time off because I had too much time and time off for Christmas - I didn't collect my check two weeks ago so today I brought home two. As I was bringing them home my wife was bringing home the groceries after finding some great deals and sooner or later I'll get to eat some of those goodies.

      How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you. Psalms 128:1-2 (NAS)

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Payday
• For the ability to work and provide for my family
• For Marvin Windows and Doors for providing jobs.

Cold Starts

     When you live in Northern Minnesota in the winter you can expect to see it get cold. A year ago this week we hit 35 below zero, this week we hit 25 below zero, last month we had a couple days at 27 below zero and this morning it's 18 below as I leave for work and winter has just got started. Some may think you'd have to be crazy to live up here, I'd say you'd have to be crazy not to be able to plug your vehicles in.

      Knowing how cold it can get one should always be prepared to plug in their vehicles yet until Wednesday, we had three vehicles with no block heaters in them. Our biggest van now has a block heater installed and can be plugged in on those cold nights when we need to use it. The small van still needs the use of a magnetic heater attached to the bottom of the oil pan and the car..... well, let's just say it has a good battery in it and hasn't failed to start yet because of the cold.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For block heaters to help cars start in the bitter cold
• For cars that start even with out them.

Stocking Stuffers

     Since I talked about clothes yesterday and how less than perfect many of mine are, today I'd like to make mention of some that - in my eyes - are perfect

     Every year at Christmas we have a tradition of hanging stocking on the fireplace mantel, and than stuffing them full. Most years they are stuffed with little things like candy, candles, pages colored by a little child, tooth brushes, magic wands, writing utensils, cars, etc.

     This year as I was unstuffing my stocking I found these two new shirts made especially for me by my wonderful wife. I'd say they were the best present I received.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the my wife's ability to sew.
• For the shirts she made me
• For all. the gifts I received this past Christmas season.

Popped Button

     Sometime in the later part of 2010, I popped a button on one of my pairs of dress paints. (I think it had something to do with gaining weight) Any ways, I asked my wife if she would move it over when she sewed it back on but I forgot to tell her which way to move it. What I was hoping for was a loser fit, what I got was a tighter fit. Needles to say, I was unable to wear the pants and when we realized what happened, it made for a good laugh. Maybe someday the button will get moved or I'll lose some weight or both.

      While I was blessed with some new shirts for Christmas, many of my clothes are in less than perfect shape. Like the pants,buttons have popped off, and never been replaced, some are covered with stains, some are full of holes, some no longer fit properly, but that's okay, I can be content with what I have.

      Matthew 6:28-30 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So you can be even more sure that God will clothe you. Don’t have so little faith! (NCV)

Dear Lord, Thank you,

• For the clothes I have, imperfections and all.
• For my wife who mends them for me.

Linux

     The other day my Mom called to say Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. - What did I do? I overhauled her computer.

     Up until Christmas time when I did the work the computer had been running Windows XP, lot's of bloat-ware from when it was purchased, and had several other programs slowing it down that various grand kids had been putting on it. It was taking close to 10 minutes (In her terms) to start up and than it took a long time to do anything on it once it was ready. Furthermore, it was no longer communicating to the printer.

     To fix the problem I reformatted the hard drive and installed a different operating system on it. What I installed was UBUNTU - 10.10. As a result it boots up in about a minute, run much quicker, it communicates with the printer Does everything she needs it to do and no-one can install windows programs on it and slow it down.

     With this in mind I have several things to be thankful for.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For the Ubuntu community and all the work that goes into making Linux.
• For making Ubuntu free to use.
• For the ability to make it work.
• For computers and all the marvelous things we can do with them.

Emily Christine

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalms 127:3 (NAS)

January 2,2002 was a very special day

• It was a cool morning as we packed to go to the hospital delivery room
• We left our kids with a friend of a friend who would later take them to the first friend's house
• The first friend traveled with us.
• As we pulled on to the highway, around 2:00 in the morning, we met a train going the same direction and with both our lights on high everything was lit up.
• We were tired from the New Year's party the day before and someone took a picture of me sleeping in the delivery room - I don't remember falling asleep.
• The doctor told the intern (his first birth to be in on) that this would be an easy one.
• At 10:03 Emily Christine was born. weighing in at 9lb 1/2oz
• The ER went crazy so we were left alone with our new baby girl
• We received around $500 in gifts as Emily was the first baby of the New Year

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Emily Christine and the 9 years we've had her.
• For all 7 of the children you have given us

Potential Problems

     As I entered the new year, I did so at home. I had planned on celebrating with friends 2 1/2 hours away but with a potential blizzard in the works I decided not to go. Potential problems (like a blizzard) have a potential to mess things up. While we do experience problems from time to time, one could only wonder home many potential problems never come to light because we have a loving God watching out for us.

Dear Lord, Thank you

• For watching over us and keeping problems from coming our way
• For helping face the problems that you let come our way