Peace at the Dinner Dish.

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After four months we have reached an accommodation in our house regarding the supper and water bowls – no snarling, it’s okay to share.

This is a big deal. Stormy still bullies Edzell on occasion. He’s my battered senior from time to time. Not that she physically whups on him, but I find him hiding and the only reason for that is that she’s snarling and snapping at him. To say she has unresolved issues is an understatement. He’s so easy going it’s just easier to find a place to hide and that he does.

The dinner dish was a point of contention for months. And Ed is so blind and deaf that he didn’t even know she was mad at him. Kind of a blessing. But in the last few weeks the nastiness has abated and they share the bowls without an issue. I’m counting the small blessings. If only we could all get along as well.

That’s it. Just wanted to write about the dogs. And put up a picture. I never know if it will be the last one I take of my boy. I’m doing pretty well with that concept but it’s still sad. I shall miss old “Thunderpaws” when his time at the water bowl is done.

Two noses, two bowls, no waiting.

What pet of yours holds a special spot in your heart? Which one was the most adaptable?

Sponsorship Sunday – Week Three – Mayck

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During my trip to Haiti in February of 2013 I had the pleasure of getting to know the people of Healing Haiti. Part of their mission there is an orphanage known as Grace Village. It is my pleasure to present one of the children from Grace Village each week to my readership in the hope that you will take them into your heart and sponsor their care and education.

This week’s child is:

Mayck –

Mayck

Mayck and his twin brother Maycko are orphans and call Grace Village their home. Mayck has a strong faith in God for such a young boy, he loves singing Bless the Lord and other gospel songs. Like any young boy, Mayck likes playing basketball and soccer but he also enjoys school. When asked about his favorite subject, Mayck will tell you it’s adding (math). Mayck wants to be a pastor when he grows up so that he can tell other people about God. Mayck’s prayer request is that he will grow up to respect people and grow up like Jesus.

Mayck came to Healing Haiti in April, 2009. Mayck and his twin brother Maycko, are orphans. Their parents are deceased and they have no family to care for them.
Birth Info

•Birthdate: July 4, 2004
•Place of Birth: Anse a Galet, Haiti

It is my hope that one of you will find your heart touched by this child and take up a bit of Christ’s work by sponsoring them for an extended period. My wife and I are sponsoring a pair of sisters and I look at it this way – I only gave up a fast-food dinner each day to change the life of a child. Healing Haiti will do the right things for these children and I have full confidence in their work. I am not affiliated with them, they don’t endorse this blog, nothing like that at all. I just love kids (can’t be Santa and not love children) and know that Grace Village is the difference between life and death for many of these children. Please open your heart and prayerfully reflect on the opportunity God’s giving us to sponsor these children. Some of them have come out of slavery and have some of the toughest lives you could imagine prior to Grace Village.

Some of the finest people you’ll ever meet. The hands and feet of Christ.

Just click the link and it will take you directly to the page where you can sponsor this week’s child. And if God is particularly good and that child is sponsored when you get there, please grab another smiling face and change their life instead. My goal is to put Sponsorship Sunday out of business as quickly as possible and take that day off each week. Thank you. God bless you for your generosity.

Stories of hope and inspiration abound at this banquet.

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A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the annual gala for Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge. If you are not familiar with this organization it is one of the most respected treatment programs for addiction in the region.

Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir

My friends Peter and Debra had invited us as their guests and it was really nice to break bread with them again. We’d met on our mission trip to Haiti with Healing Haiti. Two of the nicest, most spiritual, people I’ve ever met. My only regret about the evening was that I didn’t win the car in the raffle.

The choir that the group has is an amazing group. Not only do they sound wonderful as a group (about 500 people) but there were several exceptional soloists. And many, many great testimonies about the salvation from drugs and alcohol that an awakening in Christ has brought to the clients of this organization.

Every day of my life I do thank God that I’ve escaped addiction. It’s something that a lot of my friends and family have struggled with in their lives. Some have triumphed, some have lost, some are still fighting. I’m especially proud of the latter group – it’s a battle every day and I love them for their courage. I don’t always get a chance to tell each of them, but I will say it now – “I am proud to be your friend. I love you. I will help in any way I can.” That goes for friends of blood and friends of acquaintance.

Keep fighting the good fight. I will be in your corner if you need me.

Do you have a loved one or friend who fights addiction? Do you struggle? Do you realize that God loves you and you can find a refuge there if only you seek it out?

It’s awfully hard to pick a winner in this bunch.

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I had “one of those days” a few weeks ago. By the time I was safely hidden away from all of the stupid people I could feel the fillings in my teeth melting from the pressure of me clenching my jaw.

Yes, there were multiple contestants in the local derby for the dumbest/most maladjusted twit contest. Let me run them down for you.

1. This aging relic of Woodstock was spotted raking his front lawn on a lovely spring morning. He’d rounded up all the grass clippings, leaves, broken twigs, pine needles, trash, plastic bags, and assorted flotsam from the winter and ushered it into a big pile on the curb. Instead of bagging it up or taking it to be mulched our hero was pushing it down into the storm sewer. Thanks. That ought to break down in a couple of decades with no adverse impact on the sewer system.

2. Moron #2 was doing the exact same thing as moron #1 except he was burning it in a pit in his back yard. No chance the authorities would spot that column of acrid smoke rising into the sky. I wonder how his neighbors felt about the smog that covered approximately 3 city blocks. We quit burning trash in this area in about 1968. I’m fairly sure it wasn’t a recreational burn.

3. Doofus #3 was spotted leaving the Midway Cub Foods at approximately 1945. He and his equally squalid partner in crime exited the store, pulled their shopping bags out of the cart as they were walking along and left it in the driveway of the store. The cart then rolled away and missed a parked car by inches. I complimented him on his skill set as I parked my car. Wisdom produced the proper response in him and he got in his car and drove away without a word. He’s probably wondering who the angry biker dude was and why I would say anything about his God given right to abandon his cart in the middle of the row. Best part is that he was parked two slots away from the cart storage corral.

It is at this moment when I confess that I certainly don’t always embody Christ’s love for men. I’m hard pressed when I see this sort of thing to come up with Hannibal Lecter’s love for his fellow man. Does anyone have a nice chianti?

**this will be included in all posts until further notice. Please subscribe now to Commotion in the Pews and then “like” the Facebook author page. I will be giving away a $100 prize from Walker Farms Honey in May if, and only if, I get 100 new subscribers and 100 new likes to the author page. It stands at 67 today, needs to hit 166 before the prize can be awarded. This helps me when I approach agents and publishers trying to get my books published. Thank you!**

Master Chief’s and Mental Fortitude.

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Tuesday was a strange day in several respects. Remember a week ago when it snowed a little in Minnesota? And last Saturday when it was 36 degrees when I got off work? Today it was 96. And that meant I had to clean the air conditioning system.

I will spare you the gory details, but it comes down to: “Curse those pidgeons with a thousand nuclear sunrises.” That would be coupled with: “The dining room unit fan wheel is completely caked in mold and dust. I have to scrape each of approximately 180 minature blades by hand. Please shoot me.”

I took a break from my moldy wall unit and went to get my pre-surgical physical. Seems they won’t operate on you if you’re too sick to survive. I passed. Barely. Thankfully they don’t inquire too deeply as to your character.

Three significant things happened at the clinic today. Probably most significant is that I am losing my doctor of the last few years. Dang it. She is the epitome of the doctor I want taking care of me and she has been kind, funny, tolerant, most pleasant, and professional. But she’s got some other fish to fry (low-fat oil, I’m sure). It is the loss of her patients here in Minnesota. Best wishes, Dr. Sudha Chadalawada.

One of the staff had a question for me when she found out that I write a Christian Blog (worldview, versus preaching – which explains the ABBA videos and dog stories): How do you keep your spirits up as the world circles the drain?

I had to think about that for a few minutes. The short answer is that I trust in Jesus to take care of the faithful. It’s really the only way you can cope with the current world situation. It is especially helpful to pray and reflect given the downward spiral of the moral and ethical situation in The United States of America. I have to add, however, that I am discouraged on occasion by our prospects for the future. For the first time in my life I am actually glad to be past the 1/2 way point of my time on the planet. I won’t be around to see the truly awful things that are clearly headed this way.

I will not give up the fight here on Earth, because there are still souls that need to know Jesus and be saved. But I’m settled into the idea that the “end days” foretold in The Bible are either upon us or coming rapidly. We win the battle in the end but it will be discouraging to watch evil take over in the meantime. And doesn’t it seem that way of late? Only by looking forward to our reward in Heaven can we tolerate the pain here on this planet in this life.

So the answer is: It’s in God’s hands.

The final event – well, it’s the Master Chief part of the title. And I’ve decided to save it for another post.

I hope your day is blessed with the strength that you can draw from God. Take some time today to pray, listen to Christian music, watch a family movie, pet an old dog, or just have coffee with your spouse. And I’ll catch you tomorrow.