Hard to believe, but at the very same moment it was 85 degrees at home while snow was falling in big flakes and accumulating on bushes and the lawn at our house. That seems like an impossibility, but it's true and both Karen and I were witnesses to it. Many of you might have the apparent dilemma figured out, but for those who don't, the answer is: it was 85 degrees at our "motor" home in Arkansas where I am, and snowing at our house in Colorado, where Karen is on "sabbatical" for medical appointments and being with Her sister, Jinny, who had surgery yesterday.
Words, when not fully explained or taken out of context, can lead us to wrong conclusions, cause confusion or anxiety and if passed on before being substantiated, can lead to fear, panic, mass hysteria and action being taken which cannot be reversed or undone. The "War of the Worlds" radio panic of 1938 is very easily revisited in our time by the ability we have to rapidly disseminate "news" by a wide variety of mass media, social media and broadcast media sources. We have the very real capability of jumping to conclusions too quickly based on what may be unreliable, fabricated or even intentionally repeated false information.
The facts of our 85 and snowing story: both situations are true and in the area between Arkansas and Colorado at that very same moment was violent weather, including tornados, thunderstorms and heavy rain and hail in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. That system is the tail end of a system which brought that same weather as far north as Wisconsin yesterday.
We live in difficult times, but probably no more difficult than any other time in history. Opinions are strong, people are on edge with all their different beliefs, prejudices, pet peeves and social agendas. There seem to be any number of straws which can break your camel's back and we face tipping points at every turn. We all need to lighten up, take a deep breath, cool our heals, look at the glass half full, turn off the national news and talk radio for a while, chill, relax and be thankful for all we have and know that there is a better tomorrow waiting for us......God is not surprised by what's going on, never was surprised by what has already happened and has the future in His complete control. And all we need to do is seek His Truth, and.........Rest In Him.
Sent from my iPad
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Thursday, May 18, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
May 15, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. No News is Good News
The expression is supposed to mean that when we don't hear from a friend or relative, there is no bad news to report, so we will get good news from them sometime in the future. After listening to this evening's national news, I think the expression really means that no news on the broadcast was good news and we have to wait until tomorrow to maybe hear something good.
The reports tonight were about possible leaks of confidential security information to the Russians, repercussions of the firing of the FBI director and possible recording of conversations, cyber ransom demands on hundreds of thousands of businesses, interruption of medical procedures in England caused by hackers, a plane crash, a bus crash, police shootings of young people, protests and counter-protests over a Robert E Lee statue, a large family killed in a possible arson fire, North Korean missile tests, Syrian humanitarian abuses and possible mass executions, and a drug seizure harming a police officer. The broadcast ended with a 101 year old WWII veteran skydiving as a follow up to his skydiving on his 100th birthday and looking forward to a repeat jump on his 102nd birthday next year.
I guess that last story qualifies as good news, in light of all that preceded it. But then again there was a lot of good news within the stories reported. Our government with all its flaws is still the best in the world. First responders ran to the crashes including a group of police cadets in a bus behind the one which crashed. The plane hit three buildings, but no one on the ground was killed, There is sufficient good computer protection to prevent large losses of funds and interruptions caused by hackers. The seized drugs did not find their way onto the streets. Relief agencies are available and trained to help people in virtually every tragedy or dangerous situation. Yes, there was good news in spite of the "headlines". But, above all.......the truly Good News is that God is in control and when we rest in Him, the best is yet to come. I can listen to that Good News all day, every day.
Sent from my iPad
The reports tonight were about possible leaks of confidential security information to the Russians, repercussions of the firing of the FBI director and possible recording of conversations, cyber ransom demands on hundreds of thousands of businesses, interruption of medical procedures in England caused by hackers, a plane crash, a bus crash, police shootings of young people, protests and counter-protests over a Robert E Lee statue, a large family killed in a possible arson fire, North Korean missile tests, Syrian humanitarian abuses and possible mass executions, and a drug seizure harming a police officer. The broadcast ended with a 101 year old WWII veteran skydiving as a follow up to his skydiving on his 100th birthday and looking forward to a repeat jump on his 102nd birthday next year.
I guess that last story qualifies as good news, in light of all that preceded it. But then again there was a lot of good news within the stories reported. Our government with all its flaws is still the best in the world. First responders ran to the crashes including a group of police cadets in a bus behind the one which crashed. The plane hit three buildings, but no one on the ground was killed, There is sufficient good computer protection to prevent large losses of funds and interruptions caused by hackers. The seized drugs did not find their way onto the streets. Relief agencies are available and trained to help people in virtually every tragedy or dangerous situation. Yes, there was good news in spite of the "headlines". But, above all.......the truly Good News is that God is in control and when we rest in Him, the best is yet to come. I can listen to that Good News all day, every day.
Sent from my iPad
Friday, May 12, 2017
May 12, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Life Goes On
Roll with the punches. Turn the other cheek. It's better to be right half the time, than half right all the time. If I were in charge. That's not what I said. It just came out of nowhere. Get a handle on it. Or else. Look both ways. There is more than one way to skin a cat. That's not what I ordered. The dryer shrunk my clothes. I can't believe I just said that. Life happens. Life goes on.
Expressions we use say a lot about us and our attitude toward the events we face on a daily basis. There's not much we can do to affect someone's opinion or long-held belief, or turn them from a view contrary to ours and get them to agree with and support us. We just have to make the best of every situation, admit that I may be the person with the wrong answer, the wrong outlook and the wrong attitude. Life is so much easier when we determine to just along, let the insult go past us and leave the outcome in the hands of God. Learn to say grace before eating crow and be grateful that crow need not be a regular part of our diet, if we learn to "let go and let God".
Life goes on. God will even it all out, in the end, and we can enjoy the journey a lot more, knowing He is faithful, fair and still on His throne.
Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Expressions we use say a lot about us and our attitude toward the events we face on a daily basis. There's not much we can do to affect someone's opinion or long-held belief, or turn them from a view contrary to ours and get them to agree with and support us. We just have to make the best of every situation, admit that I may be the person with the wrong answer, the wrong outlook and the wrong attitude. Life is so much easier when we determine to just along, let the insult go past us and leave the outcome in the hands of God. Learn to say grace before eating crow and be grateful that crow need not be a regular part of our diet, if we learn to "let go and let God".
Life goes on. God will even it all out, in the end, and we can enjoy the journey a lot more, knowing He is faithful, fair and still on His throne.
Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
May 9, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. 10,000+
Since we started our website, there have been 10,137 visitors to the site. We haven't exactly gone viral or caused any major national or international controversy or uproar, but we have some loyal fans and we are glad you keep coming back and follow our exploits for The Lord.
Today I finished my eleventh journal notebook (each is 9"X11" with one hundred pages, written on both sides, with about 30 lines per page) of my prayers, praises, thoughts and devotional notes for the past 14+ years. That represents about 66,000 hand-written lines and nobody has read a single line of it. In fact, I have read only a handful of lines because I rarely reread anything I have written, including the blogs I post on the website.
I enjoy writing, certainly enjoy reading scripture and devotionals every morning, and read an occasional history book or biography, but don't read my own stuff once it is on paper or in print.
Maybe someday my journals will be "discovered" and become the Fort Collins/Eureka Springs/Madison "Scrolls" for someone to analyze and see how a Jewish boy born in Brooklyn and raised in Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, New York came to know and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 53 and spent the rest of his days in service to Him. I pray my blogs are an encouragement to others in their Walk with Him, and my personal journals are deepening my Walk with Him. I Write On.
Sent from my iPad
Today I finished my eleventh journal notebook (each is 9"X11" with one hundred pages, written on both sides, with about 30 lines per page) of my prayers, praises, thoughts and devotional notes for the past 14+ years. That represents about 66,000 hand-written lines and nobody has read a single line of it. In fact, I have read only a handful of lines because I rarely reread anything I have written, including the blogs I post on the website.
I enjoy writing, certainly enjoy reading scripture and devotionals every morning, and read an occasional history book or biography, but don't read my own stuff once it is on paper or in print.
Maybe someday my journals will be "discovered" and become the Fort Collins/Eureka Springs/Madison "Scrolls" for someone to analyze and see how a Jewish boy born in Brooklyn and raised in Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, New York came to know and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 53 and spent the rest of his days in service to Him. I pray my blogs are an encouragement to others in their Walk with Him, and my personal journals are deepening my Walk with Him. I Write On.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, May 6, 2017
May 6, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. The Amphitheater
Eighty steps down, eighty steps up, eighty steps down, eighty steps up. That's the routine each morning after a Passion Play performance. Pick up paper, plastic bottles, coffee cups and pop cans, pick up food wrappers, spilled popcorn and uneaten food which the birds, skunks and squirrels don't find appetizing. Sometimes there are articles of clothing, wallets, cell phones, money, dirty diapers, ticket stubs, sunflower seed shells, travel brochures and the weeds which sprout in the cracks.
I usually carry a large black garbage bag and a small broom for the popcorn and seed shells. I don't mind the task and since I work by myself with only the birds watching and commenting, it gives me time to enjoy the early morning and ponder the imponderables. I think about those people who clean the big athletic arenas or theaters and what they think about the things they find and the people who leave their trash for others to pick up. Do the litterers complain when they walk into a messy venue, and cuss out those who have not picked up after themselves, not realizing that they are to blame themselves for the stuff they themselves have left behind?
I've been blessed to see that some items are able to be returned to their owners. The "key and lock" story from August, 2014 has "preached well" , having a valuable spiritual message for all of us. The amphitheater has been a very rewarding venue for me, where a menial task provides some profound answers to many of the things we do in service to The Lord.
One down.......81 to go. More lessons to be learned and stories to tell. As for today...no money...no items needing to be returned or placed in lost and found...one dirty baby bib.....and a lot of spilled popcorn.....maybe tomorrow there will be a story beyond this story....
Sent from my iPad
I usually carry a large black garbage bag and a small broom for the popcorn and seed shells. I don't mind the task and since I work by myself with only the birds watching and commenting, it gives me time to enjoy the early morning and ponder the imponderables. I think about those people who clean the big athletic arenas or theaters and what they think about the things they find and the people who leave their trash for others to pick up. Do the litterers complain when they walk into a messy venue, and cuss out those who have not picked up after themselves, not realizing that they are to blame themselves for the stuff they themselves have left behind?
I've been blessed to see that some items are able to be returned to their owners. The "key and lock" story from August, 2014 has "preached well" , having a valuable spiritual message for all of us. The amphitheater has been a very rewarding venue for me, where a menial task provides some profound answers to many of the things we do in service to The Lord.
One down.......81 to go. More lessons to be learned and stories to tell. As for today...no money...no items needing to be returned or placed in lost and found...one dirty baby bib.....and a lot of spilled popcorn.....maybe tomorrow there will be a story beyond this story....
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
May 3, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. T minus Two
We begin the season on Friday. A lot of projects are still in progress, we're not sure, yet, who is on board for many of our regular jobs, some of the roles in the play have only a few "understudies" and we used the dress rehearsals the past two evenings to accustom people to new roles they can work their way into. One of our new "Jesus" donkeys did well, but the other was a little temperamental and bucked Scott off. That was the second year in a row Scott was bucked off during dress rehearsal. No damage done.
Regardless of the uncertainties, we will start our season at 10am Friday with Dick teaching in the Tabernacle for the 29th year and looking forward to his 90th birthday in August. There is a lot of history in this place and we will be getting closer to welcoming the 7.9 millionth person to see the Passion Play since 1968.
We had another day of rain today, but we should have good weather the rest of the week and into next week. The rain has really filled out the greenery, but too many places in the area have streams and rivers that are over-filled and need a break from the rain. Not much we can do but keep the drains unclogged and fill in the places that wash away. Like most other projects, drainage is a work still in progress. In God's timing, we'll get all the projects done......and then find some more. The cow never stays milked.
Sent from my iPad
Regardless of the uncertainties, we will start our season at 10am Friday with Dick teaching in the Tabernacle for the 29th year and looking forward to his 90th birthday in August. There is a lot of history in this place and we will be getting closer to welcoming the 7.9 millionth person to see the Passion Play since 1968.
We had another day of rain today, but we should have good weather the rest of the week and into next week. The rain has really filled out the greenery, but too many places in the area have streams and rivers that are over-filled and need a break from the rain. Not much we can do but keep the drains unclogged and fill in the places that wash away. Like most other projects, drainage is a work still in progress. In God's timing, we'll get all the projects done......and then find some more. The cow never stays milked.
Sent from my iPad
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