Apologetic Thursday

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Giants game at 7:30 tonight. GOOOOOOOO GIANTS, THE DODGERS ARE EVIL !

Wednesday Take On The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

Ever wonder what prayer would be like if it was answered during
the prayer? Would you be shocked, embarrassed, annoyed,
thrilled, or speechless?
Think about how you might respond if this were to happen:

Our Father, Who Art In Heaven.
Yes?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
But... you called me!
Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who
art in Heaven...
There... you did it again.
Did what?
Called me. You said, "Our Father, who art in Heaven."
Well, here I am. What's on your mind?
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my
prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me
feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right. Go on.
Okay. Hallowed be Thy name...
Hold it right there. What do you mean by that?
By what?
By "Hallowed be Thy name"?
It means... good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the
world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way,
what does it mean?
It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Ah, that makes sense. I never thought about what hallowed
meant before. Thanks. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven...
Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
What are you doing about it?
Doing? Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be good if
you got control of everything down here like you have up there.
We're kind of in a mess down here you know.
Yes, I know; but have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church.
That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper?
You've really got a problem there, you know. And what
about some of the language you use and the stuff you talk
about? What about your impatience with others and
thinking that you're better than they are? What about the
people you've judged? Remember, that's MY job, not
yours.
Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm just as
good as some of the rest of those people at church!
Excuse me? I thought you were praying for MY will to be
done? If that is to happen, it will have to start with the
ones who are praying for it... like you, for example.
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some issues. Now that you
mention it, I could probably name some others.
So could I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would
like to cut out some of those things. I would like to... you know,
be really free.
Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together,
you and me. I'm proud of you.
Look, Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is
taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread...
You need to cut out some of the bread. You're a little over-
weight as it is.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I am doing my religious
duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my
problems.
Praying is a dangerous thing. You could end up changed, you know.
That's what I'm trying to bring across to you.
Remember, you called me; and here I am. It's too
late to stop now. Keep praying.
................
Well, go on.
I'm scared to.
Scared? Of what?
I know what you'll say.
Try me and see.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us...
What about Susan and others who have done you wrong?
See... I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, Lord?
She's told lies about me and spread stories. She never paid back
the money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!
But... your prayer. What about your prayer?
I didn't, you know, really mean it.
Well, at least you're honest. But it's quite a load carrying
around all that bitterness and resentment, isn't it?
Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her. Boy, have
I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never been born!
No, you won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge
isn't sweet. You know how unhappy you are. Well, I can
change that.
You can? How?
Forgive Susan. Then I'll forgive you; and the hate and sin
will be Susan's problem, not yours. You will have settled the
problem as far as you are concerned.
OK... you know... you're right. You always are. And more than
I want revenge, I want to be right with You. (Sigh)... All right,
all right... I forgive her.
There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?
Hmm. Well... not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty
good! You know, I don't think I'll be going to bed all uptight
tonight. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, you know.
Yeah, I know. But you're not through with your prayer, are
you? Go on.
Oh, all right.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...
Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.
Yeah, I know.
OK. Go ahead and finish your prayer.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
Do you know what would bring me glory and what would
really make me happy?
No, but I would like to know. I want to please you now. I've
really made a mess of things. I want to truly follow you. I can
see now how great that would be. So tell me... how do I make
you happy?
You just did.


Stolen (borrowed) from: http://www.reflections-online.net/en/prayers_4.php

Can't Win 'Em All Monday

OK, so the Giants lost today to Seattle. On the + side, it was a beautiful day, not too hot and no wind like yesterday. Very pleasant watching the game and chatting with good friends from San Francisco.

We have good friends here in Sun City, many of whom are recent cancer survivors or are still fighting the good fight. I don't think I would call this a cancer cluster, but probably more of an "age cluster". This include me as most of you know, but I'm optimistic that my next PSA reading will be 0.00000000. That's what I'm praying for of course.


Devotions for couples: Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you."

Forgiving turns off the videotape of pained memory. Forgiving sets you free. Forgiving is the only way to stop the circle of unfair pain turning in your memory. Forgiving means you no longer allow what has happened in the past to influence you. You are free, the person who hurt you is free. You are both free to love each other.

Tomorrow will be a great day.

Please feel free to leave comments or be a "follower". It's the only way for me to know whether I'm doing something worthwhile or not. Thank you.

Scottsdale Sunday

I wonder if I can keep up with the alliterative post titles. Maybe tomorow should be Maudlin Monday or ??

8AM this morning found Mary and I at our church, Southwest Community Church. SCC has an interesting and vibrant history. Started with 15 members in 1970, it has outgrown 5 different venues and is now bursting the doors of our present site. When we first moved here in November, 2002, the Senior Pastor had just resigned with no replacement in sight. We had a monstrous mortgage of $13, 000,000 on the property consisting of one large building and 42 acres of prime Indian Wells property. It took over 2 years to find a new Senior/Lead Pastor and we finally found a real gem . Bob Thune is the older brother of John Thune the junior Senator from South Dakota,(or is it North Dakota?) Bob was called from Omaha Nebraska where he had pastored for 20 years. To make a long story short, SCC was able to completely pay off the $13MM last summer. God truly blessed the ministry of SCC, and Mary and I have been truly blessed through our now 6 year membership. Current attendance, in season, runs close to 4,500 persons.
The drive here to Scottsdale was very, very boring, only surpassed by California's I5. But here we are in a very nice rented condo and tomorrow is GIANTS BASEBALL.

Today's Daily Bread:

My life is a painting created by God,
And as such I've nothing to boast;
Reflecting theimage of Christ to the world
Is what I desire the most

Sper

Sunny Saturday

Well, heck, it's always sunny in the desert. Not quite true, but it sounds good. Today was Couples Putters here in Sun City. Mary was attending a cancer seminar with a good friend of hers who has cancer, so her husband and I "paired up" as a couple. We couldn't participate in the sweeps since were weren't members as a couple, But, very ironically, the two of us had a great score. For those of you who do not live in SCPD, we have an 18 hole putting course with par 2s, 3s, & 4s. It's straight putting with no gimmicks like windmills etc.

Today's devotional for men: Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend are better than man kisses from an enemy". Harry Truman said: "if you wanta friend in Washington, DC, get a dog. While women seem naturally to acquire and maintain close friendships, most men find it difficult to do so. Men seem to settle for acquaintances and colleagues, and friendships remain undeveloped.

The time will come when support, encouragement, counsel and help are in short supply. In Washington and elsewhere, a dog is okay--he will lick your face and bring your slippers, but only a friend will deliver what you really need.

Today's devotional for couples: Ephesians 4:30,31 " Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger. "

Anger is bound to occur between 2 imperfect people. But the Scriptures are talking about the type of anger which lingers, is never resolved and drives people further and further apart.

First Blogging Day

Was I too ambitious to start this? Do I really have anything interesting to write about? Will I take the time to do it right or will it go the way of some of my other projects. Hope not. So let's see. What did Desert Dave do of interest today?

Well, I created this blog for one thing. I took Mr. Scooter out twice today. Mr. Scooter is a rescue dog who has been with us since late October. He is part Lhaso Apso and part ???maybe poodle??. It took me 27 years to convince my beloved wife that we should have a dog and finally she reluctantly agreed. Guess what folks. Right, she fell in love with this little guy and now he's more hers than mind. Everybody loves him. People stop us on the street to ask us what he is. Guess I'll have to post a picture when I get the chance.

I didn't do much else today other than packing some stuff for our trip to Scottsdale next week. Why Scottsdale? On come on! The spring training headquarters for our beloved SF Giants. We'll be there until Sunday the 29th, attending 3 games in Scottsdale and 1 in Peoria. We'll be seeing our friends, Norm and Marilyn Bunas and other Giants fans, mostly my BFF Giants fan, Hank.

I fully intend to keep this up while we're gone, but we'll just have to see.