Persistence

RAGBRAI IOWA
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RAGBRAI IOWA

RAGBRAI

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING ALL

Having a nice day in IOWA as our city in Ankeny and Des Moines is preparing for RAGBRAI tomorrow as 70,000 bicycle enthusiasts ride through Ankeny on the way to Des Moines. Then they ride EAST to East Iowa as the 500 mile ride peddles through the 50th year through towns and people riding to the Mississsipi. It is quite an achievement. Every year it picks a different set of towns and area and it is quite an adventure.  KNOW THAT OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH ALL THE RIDERS AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY. It is quite the achievement. I am not a participant but I do respect their journey and the effort it has taken to accomplish..

ME, Mack and Jake

“Who you know is not as important as how you treat the people whom you meet”. dw

I MADE IT THIS FAR 5-20-23
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I MADE IT THIS FAR 5-20-23

GOOD SATURDAY MORNING ALL

As an older Senior and worker still going to work on a part time job as a housekeeper and food court housekeeper at an OUTLET MALL,  I am often asked  at work “HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?”

“I respond I MADE IT THIS FAR”. Most respond “I agree”. The world of my daily living is a day of gifts. It seems as though some projects are challenges of the everyday, others are projects to keep me moving. My most recent challenge is the challenge of SENIOR PHONES.

Not to mention most of the computers that are older than most history lessons. GOD is challenged by my daily frustrations and perhaps challenged by many others opening the new Senior this and that. The challenge of the new world order includes all that comes with it in the newest technology. There is, though, one gift that GOD rewards me and most all of you who find frustration in everyday. There was a day when there were no Seniors of everything, just phones you could take with you. You talked to people on your phone and you finished talking and went about your day. No phones went with 2 year olds. No movies on your phone. Making “IT” this far is a gift to having gotten this far. All by itself I have a world of new classes. Junior classes that once were junior high school but which require more technology than I had in Any High School. Patience requires so much more then it used to take, and GOD must be very busy to make the everyday a new normal day. I can not imagine the new everyday that exists for all of our children and their parents. And their teachers. AND THEIR GRAND PARENTS. What I need now is a 2 year old teacher to teach me the new technology that we now call patience. When we discuss GOD and Jesus and Church and FAITH we need to discover the frustrations we have and our children have more to learn then what I have ever had to learn to survive the technology in my world. What we all have to learn now requires all of us learning patience. And respect for them as well as for us.

“I MADE IT THIS FAR”. And so have all of you. KNOW THAT OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU, AND MAY YOUR EVERYDAY BE AMONG YOUR EVERY DAY GIFTS. GOD BLESS.

ME, Mack and Jake

Bold for Me 4-18-2023
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Bold for Me 4-18-2023

Once again it is a sunny Sprinter day so far. Warming up to Spring and cooling off at the end of the week. I enjoyed today’s WORD “BOLD” as I think of all the gifts that GOD has shared with me and that I can share with others. It has been the vision that GOD shares through being BOLD with the gifts I have been given. There are many times I may not feel I have done enough, and then GOD gives a moment to share. I am not an exception with GOD when He suggests a caring word that doesn’t need greatness, just a BOLD word for a moment. KNOW THAT OUR CARES AND PRAYERS GO WITH YOU AND THAT BOLD IS SHARING YOURSELF WHEN GOD PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY. Enjoy the day.

ME, Mack and Jake

Have A Great Day GOD
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Have A Great Day GOD

A light rainfall in Iowa this morning. Hoping for a break in the clouds so that the dogs can go out. They were out at 5:30 for breakfast and they did their thing for now. The most common conversation in Iowa goes “WE NEED THE RAIN”. I have laundry drying and trying to think ahead. I will have to test exercise for inside like in rehab. I have plenty of examples to utilize.

When I wake up in the morning I meet life for another day. I am grateful to have another opportunity. The things I have to concentrate on is taking time to quietly sit in my chair, take as much time as I can and simply say Thank You GOD. I do not believe that I truly need to say more than that. I like to think GOD smiles when I take the time to say Thank You. I may just say “Have a nice day” also.

In the midst of all the business that surrounds GOD in whatever day, having someone say “Have a nice day GOD” followed by my Aunt Vera reminding GOD “Isn’t that wonderful” can help GOD to break out in a smile and say “Thank You”. Life is the gift I wake up for.

I think I will take some chair time when done with this and share a cup of coffee with GOD. I am sure He (or She or Whatever) will enjoy it. For my everyday friends, Have a wonderful day and KNOW THAT OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU also.

ME, Mack and Jake

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Accomplished

As I was sitting down the other evening, and thinking about just what “Life Is” some 70 years into “Life Is”. Some things came to my attention. I found myself thinking about just what have I accomplished so far in my life?

I thought about my debt to asset ratio after all these years. I have seen many of the retirement preparations shows on the TV and how I have made it to this point. I am in the Social Security part of my life. I still work and probably will for the rest of of my life. The question rambled throughout my head just what have I accomplished?

I explain it to people that I am independently poor.

That word ACCOMPLISHED seemed to jump out at me like I had just entered into a boxing ring. Just what have I accomplished in my life? I have a long list of what I have wanted to accomplish. What I wanted in elementary school, or high school, or college. How about that first job, or the last one.

In the world of religion and GOD and JESUS and BUDDHA, and many more different religious groups and beliefs is UNORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY.

WHAT HAVE I ACCOMPLISHED?

How many of us ask ourselves what have we accomplished so far in this Life? People I have talked to in my life have asked me, religiously, in different ways, what have I accomplished in my life? So I asked GOD for a clarification.

“Just what, GOD, have I ACCOMPLISHED in 70+ years so far?”

As though it was written by an ancient prophet from somewhere, GOD wrote it like this:

“Life is not about all the things you may have wanted to do. Life is about all of the things that you have done. The people that you have met. The opportunities that you have had a chance to help of or be a part of something important or just fun.

Life is not about what I may feel that I have missed in life. Life is about the journey that I and you have been on as individuals. That is what started on the day I was born and won’t end until I have the opportunity to start over again, and again, and again. That has been called eternal life. It is a thief sharing a cross with JESUS that recognized that JESUS should not have been punished for being good, and Jesus’s response was “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. For a thief, It was recognizing that it was not for accomplishing the great things that he may have wanted, It was now about what he had ACCOMPLISHED in the journey. “Today I will be with Him in Paradise”.

The journey starts every day. It is all you have done and enjoyed and what has become your journey. It is about where you may have crossed the path with someone you will forever remember. The smile someone else brought to you face. The bottle of water that came over to you when you were working to help someone next door. It was watching a baseball game of the kids playing next door and the smiles on their faces. It was opening that first box of girl scout cookies.

It is not about me, it is whatever you have done and what it has become. It has become your life, your friends, your challenges. Your decisions. It is your story and your history for you. You have accomplished more than you recognize. You have worked on LIFE since day one. You can sit in your easy chair and smile at the things that have come your way and made you smile, or changed a disaster and met a friend you will only meet once and forever remember.

Unorthodox Christianity is rooted in an opportunity to take a tremendous journey through Life in what has been and is your world. Just what have you accomplished? You are on your way there, everyday.

THE LITTLE THINGS COUNT
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THE LITTLE THINGS COUNT

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING ALL

I have done lots of music in my life from my own music to worship music in churches, on retreats, in Barbershop settings, and on and on. When I think that my memory is fading the WORD for today pops up. One of my favorite retreat songs for kids goes: I’ve got the JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY deep in my heart, deep in my heart…….I’ve got the LOVE OF JESUS, LOVE OF JESUS deep in my heart…..and so on.

As soon as I looked at today’s word “JOY” The whole song bounced into my mind and the pictures of dozens of smiling kids filled my memory. The smile went from left to right and north to south and east to west. Sometimes I feel forgetful and that is when GOD shines a light onto a music folder and the smile appears. Too often we feel that GOD has gone on vacation and forgot to tell us where GOD has been off to. We feel that GOD doesn’t care, or GOD doesn’t exist or GOD is too busy. Then, seeming-lee without paying any attention, GOD drops a little GOD-SHELL to make sure we do not miss all that GOD is doing. We expect great things from GOD, or we do not have any belief in GOD. Great things are too often subtle and we do not recognize all the activity that GOD involves ourselves in. When you find yourself down and out there becomes a song in the background, or a memory to remind you, that GOD is so active that you think that GOD is too GREAT to deal with “just me”? Wrong again.

GOD is more a master of THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy …..Have a wonderful day. OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

ME, Mack and Jake

EACH DAY
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EACH DAY

Each Day

Unorthodox Christianity can cover a lot of ground. When I first started Unorthodox Christianity I followed a typical Church driven idea to tell people what you need to know to follow the scriptures and analyze them and maybe even debate now and then. The more I moved forward with it the more questions I asked myself. What I have written below is a more common writing of today vs then.

The more people I talked with, the more people fell into the category of disenfranchised. The more I heard about their first visit, or return visit, to a church environment was followed by comments similar to “I did not feel welcome”. “I did not feel that I belonged there”. “It felt that I wasn’t ‘their’ type”.

Analyzing scripture left something out for them to grasp and get familiar with. I wondered just what was missing.

The most common desire among most seemed to be a relationship. Not necessarily with the people in that church setting, but the building of a relationship with GOD, and JESUS. A relationship that they could grasp. One day a week for a couple of hours simply was not creating the environment of a relationship that some people would truly find trust in a short term setting.

Most every day I wake up with a relationship. It may be with family, or my dogs and wagging tails that welcome me every day. Not just 2 hours a week. Just about everyday I cross paths with the neighbors. I say hello to, wave at, smile with, talk about the weather. A constant feeding of relationship that builds familiarity. It also builds conversation and a measure of trust.

I feel welcome. I feel like I belong. I feel comfortable. And when life happens, I find the neighbors who help shovel some snow, or help with a problem, or asks me to sit down and they ask how things are going.

When I was very young I did Sunday School and such. I went because my family took me. We finished church and went off to lunch. I forgot all about GOD or JESUS and I remember how good the lunch was. I had the stories about GOD and JESUS in the BIBLE that came with the SUNDAY SCHOOL. I started thinking about GOD. I started to read the books at home. I stared at the night sky and thought about the huge creations before me. I was curious who GOD was. I decided to just ask GOD about why all people weren’t good. And the relationship started. I was never afraid of GOD. A friend asked me what I thought about JESUS. I mentioned that my dad, a sales manger, once said that the secret to sales success is getting right to the man (or female) in charge. I felt that I could just as easily talk to the man at the top. It started small and finally we had built a relationship. We covered a lot of ground over all these years. If you wish  to build a relationship with GOD, go for it. I could keep going on and on about the years we have already built. But it started with my questions and it developed before me. How did it work? It wasn’t magic. You will discover that GOD has ways to communicate with you that you may never understand how, but you will understand by taking it to GOD. You will discover it. GOD will find many ways to talk with you. Many times you will be surprised by it. As far as I am concerned that is the purpose of the relationship with GOD. It is not a weekly event. it happens EACH DAY.

The message below is something I do every day to the people who are most important to me. Sometimes it becomes part of the blog. This idea of relationship can not be built with rules, it is built with trust that comes from familiarity. GOD will establish the relationship with you. You my get mad at GOD. You may thank GOD for something that gets pointed out to you.

This blog today is called EACH DAY. Enjoy it.

GOOD MORNING ALL

Just trying to relax and enjoy a day off. One would think that the older you get and the less “Work” you have to do, the easier life becomes. So far the easier part has yet to appear very often. When I was a young man the idea of a vacation was the goal of life. Today life is the goal of life. Fortunately each day is an achievement. Thank you all for your help, prayers, and encouragement. You have made it all worthwhile. OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

Have a wonderful day.

ME, Mack and Jake

We hear a lot about when we get to Heaven and how our relationship with GOD is going to be something special. You are in Heaven each day right now. Heaven is not a new beginning. Birth was the new beginning. The relationship with GOD started years before your birthday. GOD appreciates you and encourages you. Not years from now but EACH DAY. As my Aunt Vera(my daughters namesake) said over and over again for years and years, “Isn’t that Wonderful”.

Enjoy EACH DAY. It starts that way, every day.

GOD BLESS.

OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

HANDING OFF THE GRACE
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HANDING OFF THE GRACE

GOOD SATURDAY MORNING ALL

A very bright and sunny Saturday morning in Iowa. It started at 9* and is now at 25 on the way to the mid 30’s. The snow is melting from the bright sunshine and I am doing well from the adventure of a prep procedure at the hospital on Wednesday. It is a unique feeling to try and grasp the anesthesia as it wears down and it becomes less and less and then you discover all the things they did in a short period of work. Many people believe that GOD is enough and that belief will carry the day. As I watched the teams at the hospital and the camaraderie of the staff and their attitude of helpfulness they were defining the word GRACE to me.

Nothing is as valuable as GOD’s Grace through the hands of people and our animal companions. GOD requires hands, and voices and smiles and vision. So many times a wagging tail has changed my entire attitude as life moves on. 

When I look back on my life I can remember the times that GOD has handed off the Grace to others to teach me, correct me, and put a smile on my face. When I am asked by GOD to help others, it is often those previous examples of GOD’s GRACE through others that I invoke to put a smile on a face or a lesson from the background. I often get asked how I am doing and I respond the same way, every day and time. “I have made it this far”. Whether young or old, whatever race or culture, whether female or male, blue collar or white collar or no collar, they say they understand and “Yes we have” is a sign behind the smile. Each of you have a wonderful day and enjoy it.

OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

ME,

Mack and Jake (THE GUARDIAN ANGEL DOGS share GRACE with me every minute and everyday. It is a goal of mine to be more like them, everyday.)

TOMORROW
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TOMORROW

GOOD SATURDAY ALL

I always seem to have a Saturday in waiting. Rest is a priority but the list doesn’t stop there. Laundry, vacuum, dishes, food, think.

Tough to think about a full plate. How fortunate to be in a position to move along one project and then another. Maybe miss one to pass along to tomorrow. Tomorrow seems to be convenient, but I have seen that it never seems to appear. What can you do on tomorrow anyway? I have yet to see the calendar that starts with tomorrow. Anyway, off to do things today. Tomorrow will have to wait. Stay safe and warm. OUR CARES AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

  ME, ,Mack and Jake

GOOD MONDAY BIRTHDAY
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GOOD MONDAY BIRTHDAY

GOOD MONDAY BIRTH DAY ALL

Years ago the Dalai Lama was asked how he enjoyed his birthday. He Responded “Why would I celebrate the birth of my sufferings day?”

I personally have been blessed every day of my life. All of you who get this are a most important part of my life. All 70 years of it. Of course I would celebrate it. GOD has been very good to me. I intend to enjoy another bunch of years to share with you.

I have moved forward during the time I have been given every day. It has been a gift from day one. Others in my family made different choices. Some called it hell and made their decisions accordingly. I have outlived them. I have called it LIFE.

I have been blessed by GOD helping others to develop vaccinations and medicines and surgeries to be available to follow the choices of myself and others. GOD has provided the doctors, the nurses, the caring from others. GOD has provided the pharmacists and more friends I could ever count.

We all make choices. I choose LIFE and the opportunities that GOD has provided for every day.

I share with you that your choices are for LIFE. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN is a choice YOU make. The results of YOUR LIFE are from choices YOU MAKE. HOW YOU make your choices affect the LIVES of others whether you wish to accept the results of your choices or not.

LIFE is meant for living. Be the BEST that you can be and share as much of LIFE as you can.

Have a wonderful day and know OUR CARES AND PRAYERS go with you every step of the way.

ME, Mack and Jake