August 9, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Keeping Up With Creation

What God created in six days, created a lot of work for us. I never really thought about it, but when we put out bird feeders, plant flowers and fruit trees, have a pet or two, buy a house with acreage, or have children we set ourself up for a lot of work in making sure all these things are taken care of and maintained.
While animals can find food in nature, many of them rely on their human "parents" to feed them, bathe them and get them treated when they are sick or injured. Right now it seems that we may be the hummingbird feeders for Northwest Arkansas. When God doesn't provide sufficient moisture for our plants, trees and lawns, we have to drag hoses, set sprinkler systems or do whatever is necessary to keep them alive. Karen and I see many of our friends with children they have "created" who have needed a great deal of attention not only in their young years, but after they have left the "nest" and later find their way back to it. Grandchildren, too are a joy for many, but sometimes an added responsibility for grandma and grandpa.
God's "weather" requires a lot of our time to shovel, divert excessive water or make repairs when the conditions get into the severe category or fire gets out of control. Sometimes we move into an area which was first home for bears, deer, raccoons, armadillos, moles, hogs and other critters which come to visit and make it clear that we have intruded on what God originally deeded to them. Loving your neighbor takes on a different meaning.
I'm really not complaining, just realizing that in many ways my time is not my own and I have to spend a considerable amount of it to be a good steward of what God has so abundantly blessed us with. With it all, I still thank God for it all and want to do my best to eventually receive a "well done" when I graduate to the final Home He is preparing for us. Still in His Service.



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August 7, 2021. Eureka Springs, AR. August

> The Passion Play schedule for August is only 10 performance days. Because August is traditionally the hottest and most humid month of the year, the thought is people don't want to spend too much time outdoors. I don't remember the August weather for our first four years at the Play, but the past three Augusts have been very mild, with July being the real bugger.
This year July was a mixed month with some tough days, and some not so tough. And so far the August weather has been been mild with today looking like the start of a rugged stretch. We can't do much to change what is to come, just do our best to adapt to it. It could be a lot worse, as many of our visitors tell us, so take it as it comes, stay hydrated and thank God for seeing us through it. One day at a time sweet Jesus.

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August 4, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. AdLibbing Through Life

Scripts are very much necessary in some jobs we undertake in our life. Rules, procedures, time limits, standardization, quality control, staying within the lines, speed limits, safety protocols. Without these elements in our life, there would be chaos and danger, injury and death. When we "go too far afield" we risk dire consequences.
But, ad libbing , marching to the beat of a different drummer, being spontaneous, being creative, pushing the limits, being the Lone Ranger or a free spirit or a loose cannon sets us apart from the humdrum or mundane and may be fun and exciting, but it may upset the apple cart and alienate us from the scripted folk. I tend to fit in this second group but have a lot of experience in the first.
With the current climate in our country and our world and the uncertainties we face, different "world views", political extremes and so many "agendas" it is hard to determine where we fit, who we rally behind and how many battles we dare to get into and how loud our voice should be. How many petitions do we sign, who do we support with our vote, our money or our time? Who can we trust? What are the facts? Life is more challenging; there are more invasions into our privacy, personal information is so available to hackers and undesirables and the internet is a minefield of way more advice, "how to" and do-it-yourself guidance than we could ever absorb or evaluate.
What are we to do? Will we ever be able to get the "right" answer, find contentment or be at peace with ourself and others? Personally, I have found that limiting my intake of national news, putting in ear plugs from time to time, picking weeds and doing chores at our cabin, avoiding added sugar, drinking lots of water, serving God at The Great Passion Play and praying God's will be done and accepting whatever comes my way as a gift from God and reason to trust Him, follow Him and ad lib my way toward His Kingdom on earth and His Kingdom hereafter. And for all of it, past, present and future.............Thank You, Lord.

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August 1, 2021. Holiday Island,AR. Time Marches On

With exact precision, we move from one second to the next. We can't speed it up. We can't slow it down. No matter whether time "stands still" or "flies by", a second is still a second and there is no difference. How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or years we are "given" is out of our control but what we do with them is really under our control. Time marches on.
We do give our time to others, sometimes being paid for it, sometimes not and our impact on others may be positive, negative or somewhere in between, but our time can be valuable or wasted. When we wait to see the doctor we often think of paying a high price for his time while they don't seem to have much concern for our time and how much it may be worth. But, time marches on, regardless.
In the final analysis, time can be on our side or against us, be the difference between winning and losing, or maybe even living and dying. One thing is certain.......every second we are one second closer to...............



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July 29, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Crank Calls

When we were kids, the telephone was a "toy" we used to harass people by making crank calls. We'd ask a question like "Is your refrigerator running? " and if the person said yes, we'd say "then you better catch it" and hang up. Or, we'd say we had a prize for them if they could answer "who is buried in Grant's Tomb" and hang up. With no Caller-ID we were pretty safe, and rarely, if ever, got into trouble. We thought it was harmless fun.
These days, the cell phone is a constant vehicle for robo calls, spam, people telling you they are the IRS or that your Social Security Number has been compromised; car warranty scams, requests for charitable and disaster donations, people wanting us to take a survey or get a debit card if we will just answer a question; you are being sued, or your Apple account has just been charged for a $1299 purchase, and on and on. And then there is the guy who is constantly wanting to speak to Eugenia.
It's tiring to receive such calls, and unfortunately some people fall prey to the "hook" and have their identity compromised or get taken for a bunch of money. It's scary to think how easily we can be duped and potentially be wiped out financially. Too much of our personal information is "out there" for someone to get hold of and with more and more people doing their shopping, banking, bill paying and communicating on the phone we are targets of those who are far more tech savvy then we are.
Strange how same of our pranks from long ago, are becoming so much more sophisticated and serious as we navigate through a life more complicated and dangerous than it ever has been. It used to be "buyer beware", but it has become so much more than that now. The world has changed................

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July 26, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Olympics

I have always had the dream to be an Olympic athlete. I have participated in a wide variety of sports; some with moderate success, others with no success and still others where the sport I was most competitive was not an Olympic event. I have known, or met a few Olympic athletes and many of my "heroes" have been Olympians.
The 2020 Tokyo games, being held in 2021, is a magnet, which, with the help of the Hopper (DVR) , will probably continue into 2022 since I am recording many of the lesser known events for viewing at a later time. I don't follow sports as much as I once did, and rarely watch hockey, basketball, football or baseball, but I do watch track and field, cycling, gymnastics, and many of the "lesser known" sports which take a great deal of discipline and dedication in order to be proficient and competitive. The list is pretty long and I have tried many of them myself and admire those who can do them, and do them well. Needless to say, with 33 sports and 46 disciplines the.DVR will be getting a workout and I will have a lot of commercial-free viewing in my future. It will probably be until Beijing 2022 when I catch up........or possibly even Paris 2024.......... Happy viewing.

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July 23, 2021. Eureka Springs, AR. Psalm 91

Every day since April 20, 2021, I have made Psalm 91 part of my morning reading and quiet time regimen. Covid was in its early stages and I felt that Psalm 91 would be an appropriate weapon to "arm" myself with in addressing the corona virus. One of our friends from the Passion Play said they were praying Psalm 91, and since we had National Day of Prayer Task Force literature for Veterans and Military Personnel about Psalm 91's impact, I felt it would be wise to read the book again and start praying Psalm 91 every day.
As the virus started to wind down, I thought of not praying the Psalm, but have continued with it as the surge has intensified and particularly in Arkansas and neighboring Missouri. We need more than vaccinations, masks and social distancing to fight this plague. We need a strong faith in an all-powerful God, a return to Biblical principles and moral integrity and humble hearts surrendered to HIM and HIS plan and purpose for each of us. Then, He may heal us and our land. Thank You, Lord.

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