Golden Arches

Last week I had a procedure done. In preparation for this I had to be without food from Monday evening to Wednesday late morning. Needless to say I was quite hungry. As my I.V. was being inserted into my hand, the nurse asked if I had had anything to eat yesterday or today and of course I said no. I asked her if the facility, as a nice gesture for it's patients, brought in Mickey Dee's. She laughed, said no and told me that she had never, and I repeat never, had eaten at McDonald's.

Not once had a Big Mac, or an McMuffin, or a McChicken, or those tasty fries had ever crossed her lips. I almost got emotional. I had no idea that these kind of people even existed. I don't know how old she was but in all her years of life to have never darkened the doors of a McDonald's is almost inconceivable. I guess I've had it in the back of my mind that just inside heaven's door would surely be Golden Arches.

I know that the odds are probably slim, but I have a feeling that there are many others, even in Elkton, who have never been to a McDonald's and tasted the somewhat good food that is served there.

As far as I know, there are three McDonald's between North East and Bear to choose from.
There are over 100 churches in that same area. I wonder how many people in Elkton have never tasted the goodness of God's grace?

Perhaps, you are like that nurse and have never tried a Big Mac or those tasty fries. I'm not sure, but hey, you might get to have them in heaven. If you or anyone else you know have never tasted of God's goodness, grace, or forgiveness, then their loss is forever. Why not invite them to dine with you next Sunday. They could be "lovin' it" with you.

Forever is a very, very long time without God and it's especially long without a Big Mac and fries.

Just sayin....

Who would have thunk it?

This week not only is Jesus and Mary in the news but also heaven. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the absence of heaven is in the news. First things first. Yep, it's official, at long last Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene have returned. From the pictures and videos I've seen, they have aged marvelously over the past 2000 years. Seems as though this Australian couple are claiming to be the second coming of the biblical figures.

Their following of 30 gullible and deceived disciples has purchased some land and plan to build an international visitors center. If I were them, I think I would have timed it wee bit better to coincide with this Saturday's fictitious event.

Now on to the other news. British Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking is proclaiming what his fellow Brit, John Lennon, once encouraged us to imagine, that there is no heaven. "It is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark" states Hawking.

Dr. Hawking who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which leaves him paralyzed and wheel chair bound, is no doubt a brilliant, gifted and courageous scientist. But what I find admirable is his faith. Yep his faith. Much of his science goes far beyond what can be physically observed in a microscope or in a telescope. That's why they're called theories. Many of the things that Dr. Hawking professes cannot be proven because they are untestable, and believing in heaven is one of them. The existence of heaven is beyond the scope of scientific knowledge, even for Stephen Hawking. That means when Hawking confidently states that there is no heaven he isn't speaking as a scientist but as a person of faith. He is expressing his opinion that is not based on scientific evidence. It is a belief beyond evidence. Hawking has the faith that there is no heaven. He has every right to do this. He might be sincere but he is sincerely wrong. My faith is based on what Jesus said to the thief on the cross, and if He has promised that to him then that promise is extended to me and you also.

What will be next? The end of the world on Saturday? Just sayin'...

I got in but I couldn't get out.

I’m training for my second of five triathlons this season. I normally train and compete in a sleeveless wetsuit for the swim part. I recently found out that the water temperature for the swim portion for my next triathlon is going to be in the mid 60’s, and that, my friends, is a wee bit chilly for this body. So for Father’s Day, which is just around the corner, my gift to myself from Donna was a black Xterra, full-sleeved, Vortex 4 wetsuit.

Not knowing how it would fit, I bought two in different sizes; depending if I want a snug race fit or a regular fit.
The other morning after Donna left for work I decided to try on the one with the race fit. It went on with minimal difficulty; after all I am used to getting into a triathlon wetsuit. It zipped up fairly easy. It was definitely snug, but I had good flexibility in the shoulders. It looked good and felt good. It was a keeper. And then...

I don’t know what happened and I can’t explain it, but for the life of me I could not get the wetsuit off. No pun intended, but I’m home alone. There’s no one around to help. I’m sweating profusely and this zipper isn’t budging. I pull up on the cord. I pull down on the cord. This puppy ain’t moving. Idea! Water to loosen it up. I head for the shower. First I try cold water, then I try warm water, and then I try hot water. Still stuck. Idea! I try shampoo. I try body wash. I even try conditioner. Sorry Charlie. Idea! I’ll call the company. They’re in Miramar, California. Surely this has happened before. It’s 7:45 a.m. here. That’s not going to work either. Idea! WD-40. I soon discovered that the snug race fit doesn’t allow for your arms and hands to assume the kind of position that can accommodate a can of WD-40 and the long red “never lose again” straw. The sweat is poring down my face. My face is red. I’m getting really hot.

I’m beginning to wonder if this brand new black Xterra Vortex 4 full-sleeved wetsuit is going to become a do-it-yourself body bag for the Cecil County Coroner’s office.

But wait, another idea….prayer. Duh. So I pray: “Oh God, please help me out of this situation that I got myself into. I need a way of escape according to 1 Corinthians 10:13.” (Ok, so it’s a little out of context, but hey I’m desperate). I arch my back as much as I can and pull up and down on the cord 10 or 15 more times, and as quickly as it zipped up, it zipped down. I was finally free from the black Xterra full sleeved Vortex 4 body bag.

If God can answer my prayer of escape from my situation, I can only imagine when it comes to the time when I am facing a real temptation, how quickly He will once again provide a way of escape, not only for me, but for you too.

Just Sayin…..

What is that I smell?

The scene was yesterday at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. Having just arrived from Mexico, I was waiting for my luggage at the immigration station when she spotted me. It was Gracie. She walked up to me, looked me over and then gave the person she was with the signal. It was like in the movie the Ten Commandments when the Red Sea parted, the crowd of people that was standing around me did the same thing. All because of Gracie those around me all stepped back. I was alone. What did Gracie want? What would have caused her to single me out from the crowd of 100 plus people? There she was pawing at me, sniffing me, indicating to the person with her that I was the one.

Perhaps you've seen one of those dogs that the TSA has trained to sniff luggage and carry-on items, looking for stuff that you're not suppose to be taking on board or bringing into the country. It would seem that Gracie had earned the enormous cost of her training. I was asked to remove my backpack and allow Gracie to stick her cold, wet, black, Beagle nose into my bag and sniff some more. That not being satisfactory, the TSA officer went through the bag also. Then came the question: Do you have any fruit in your bag? I told her that I had a couple of apples that I ate on-board flying in from Mexico. If Gracie wanted to smell my breath I certainly would oblige.

I am so happy to report to you it was a false alarm. You see Gracie has been thoroughly trained to detect fruit, vegetables and other plants that might be illegally smuggled into our country. The apple scent was still on the bag and she simply alerted her trainer in front of hundred's of fellow travelers that I had contraband. As one of the passengers with me would later say as he passed by me, "I thought you were going down".


In 2 Cor. 2:15 Paul writes, "...God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone." Would to God that our lives would leave a traceable scent that anyone around us, and not just Gracie, would know that we are His. Just sayin'...

Who's is that following me?

I am very happy to report that I have not spent a lot of time in the wonderful judicial system of our county. I haven't needed to simply because I, for the most part, am a law abiding citizen. Ok, so I don't come to a complete and full stop when no one's looking. From what I understand, a restraining order is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. Stay with me....

It seems that Wesley Fitzpatrick of Kansas City was granted a restraining order against a woman who Wesley claimed was stalking him. I quote, "I was scared and in fear for my freedom." I don't know about you, but having someone stalking me would probably un-nerve me too.

However, the restraining order did not last vey long and I'm sure you'd like to know why. It was discovered that the woman stalking Mr. Fitzpatrick was in fact his parole officer who was just trying to perform her supervision responsibilities. Wesley was arrested and taken into custody for failing to keep his appointments with his parole office.

I wonder how many individuals have a restraining order issued against God? They feel and sense His presence, and get this uncomfortable feeling that Someone is watching every move they make. Everywhere they go It's there. They can't hide. They can't run. They can't get away. (Cue the music from "Jaws".

Just as Mr. Fitzpatrick discovered, a restraining order against God isn't going to work either. Does God want you to keep your appointments with Him? Absolutely! In prayer, in His Word, in devotions, and in quiet times. I wonder, if there was a penalty for not keeping our appointments with God what would it be? Just sayin'.....

When It's Over It's Over

I think you'll agree with me that 30 years is a long time. It's especially a long time when you're under the constant threat of attack. In 1944, during WWII, a Japanese soldier by the name of Hiroo Onoda was sent to a small island named Lubang in the Philippines. He was ordered to do all that he could to hamper enemy attacks on the island, including destroying the airstrip and the pier at the harbor. His orders also stated that under no circumstances was he to surrender or take his own life. He faithfully stayed at his post, continuing his guerilla type warfare until 1974. That's right 1974.

Now wait a minute, I thought the war in the Pacific was over in 1945? And you would be right, but it seems that Hiroo never got the message or refused to believe it. On 20 February 1974, Onoda met a Japanese college dropout, Norio Suzuki, who was traveling the world and was looking for "Lieutenant Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman in that order". Suzuki explained to him that the war had ended, but Onoda still refused to surrender saying that he was waiting for orders from a superior officer. That came when the Japanese government located Onoda's commanding officer, who had since become a bookseller, and had him flown him to Lubang Island and ordered Onoda to lay down his arms. Now that's what I call dedication, diligence and dumbness.

I wonder how many of us are still fighting a war that has been won almost two Centuries ago? This weekend we will be celebrating the greatest event in human history: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! One of the last words spoken by Him was this: "It is finished". He wasn't just talking about His own life or the future of His ministry on earth, but the battle over the power of hell, sin, death and the grave. That also includes guilt, fear, doubt, regret, remorse, and sin.

The battle is really over. This is no joke. This is reality. Really. Just sayin'....

Dead or Alive?

Unless you are living under a rock as suggested in the Geico commercial, you've probably noticed that the price of gas is sky rocketing. A fill-up can cost you $100. This escalation has also affected the airline industry. In response, many of the airline companies have graciously passed this increase of the price of gas to the price of a ticket. Thank you very much. As a result, individuals have resorted to some pretty clever ways to ease the pain. I happened upon a news report out of England, where two ladies were arrested for attempting to smuggle something on board an airplane. I know I sometimes forget to take an item out of my carry-on luggage that the TSA had declared illegal, but nothing like this. These two ladies were attempting to sneak on-board a dead relative. Seriously?

The 91 year old man, wearing a hat and sunglasses, propped up in a wheelchair was being pushed through the airport when security got a little suspicious. The article did not say why, but I'm gonna guess it was the difference in the price of shipping a dead body verses an economy seat for a living body. Got to hand it to them for their ingenuity. They were charged with failing to give notification of a death and released on bail.

I distinctly remember reading something in the Book of Revelation, where a church attempted to disguise itself as being alive when it was in fact dead. That didn't work either.

Bottom line? It takes much more than just the appearance of life to make you alive. That is so true whether you're a church or an airline passenger. Just sayin'...