Men's Fraternity Week 21

Men’s Fraternity
Week #21 - Review

Introduction

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Discussion:

When your alarm goes off in the morning do you immediately shut it off and get out of bed, or do you hit the snooze button? How many times do you hit the snooze button?

• The effectiveness of the alarm is in direct correlation to how much you don’t want to hear it!
• We are going to review the journey we have taken through the 33 Series and ask ourselves – Have I pushed the snooze button?

I. Man and His Design

1. God’s call to Every Man!

Philippians 2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, [Rejected Passivity] but emptied himself by taking form of servant, being born in likeness of men. [Accepted Responsibility] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [Lead Courageously] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. Invest Eternally


2. Four Faces of Manhood

Acts 13:36
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep.


• King - Righteous Energy
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!

• Warrior - Courageous Energy
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

• Lover - Relational Energy
1 Thessalonians 2:7-9
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

• Friend - Connecting Energy
Proverbs 17:17; 27:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
3. Seasons

Psalms 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Transitions between stages of Life.

• Spring: 0-20 - Identity
• Summer: 20’s-30’s - Learning and Growing
• Fall: 40’s-60’s - Influence
• Winter: 60’s-beyond - Sage


4. Man and His Story

Psalms 34:4, 6
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Events and Experiences that have shaped your life!


• Look back to make peace with your wounds.
• Father wound
• Mother wound
• Loneliness wound
• Heart wound
• Dealing and Healing of Wounds.


5. Man and His Traps

Jeremiah 2:13
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Looking deep into our heart idols in our lives and the traps we get entangled in.
• Control idol
• Significance idol
• Comfort idol


6. Answering the Alarm

Ephesians 5:14-16
Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

The way we are designed by our Creator is that we are built to live for something greater than ourselves. We are wired to outlive our life!
• Discover the Transcendent Cause – Reject passivity.
• Leverage your influence now – Accept responsibility/Lead Courageously.
• Invest for eternity - Make an eternal difference in the lives of those around you!

Discussion:

Why is it difficult for us to hear and respond to the early warning alarms God puts in our lives?

What alarms sounded off in your life through this series?

As we reviewed our 33 Journey of these past weeks, where have you seen yourself pressing the snooze in your life? What do you need to wake up instead of pressing snooze?

Men's Fraternity Week 17

Men’s Fraternity
Week #17 XXX

INTRODUCTION

• Pornography has a stranglehold on the American Culture!
• Stats from Lifeway Research and Education Database. (Jan 2013)
  
  
  • $3,075.63 is spent on pornography every second.
  • Most popular weekday for viewing porn is Sunday.
  • Percentage of men age 18-34 that visit porn sites in a given month - 70%
  • Percentage of Christian men who view porn regularly - 70%
  • Percentage of men who say viewing porn is acceptable behavior - 67%

Men of all ages, ethnicities, professions and income levels are willingly infecting their hearts and minds with images that are addictive, destructive, and in some cases, criminal.

Matthew 5:27
Jesus addressed this issue: ”You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’”

1. Sexuality is where we are most vulnerable; we experience the most shame and exhibit the greatest secrecy.
2. In the past you had to go our of your way to acquire pornography, today you have to go out of your way to avoid sexual images.
3. Perceived anonymity and pervasive accessibility has made pornography bigger than ever before.

I. SUSCEPTIBLE BRAINS AND DISCONNECTED HEARTS

a. Susceptible Brains

• God designed our brains to be stimulated visually by the beauty of the female body.

Proverbs 5:15-19
”Drink from the water of your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in love.”

• When a man views pornography, pleasure chemicals are released in his brain in amounts that far exceed normal levels.
• You quickly build up a tolerance to the same old stuff you’ve seen and to get the old high you’ll have to push the boundaries.
• You are not alone. This should strike shame at its root because we are all in the same boat and have the capacity for this stuff.

b. Disconnected Hearts

• Pornography is an outward act indicating a deeper need in us. The deep need is intimacy with God and others.
• A man disconnected from God and others is a man either struggling with or extremely vulnerable to sexual temptation.
• A man connected to God and trustworthy men, you will find a man nobly fighting the battle of lust.

II. ACTIVATING THE NOBLE FIGHT AGAINST LUST

a. We’ve got to ADMIT the sin and pursue ruthless honesty beginning with ourselves and with trustworthy men.

• Breaking the hold comes when we remove our mask and provide opportunity for truth and hope.

Psalm 32:3-5
”When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity, I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.’”

• When we don’t share, our hearts are disconnected, we live life alone and in isolation - turn to pornography to medicate our pain.

b. Identify the broken promises (lies) of pornography.

• To change we have to go beyond the “what” of our sin [I am looking at porn] and get to the “why” [porn promises to meet some need in me].

Matthew 15:19-20
”For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.”

c. Move from the broken promises of lust to repentance to something better.

2 Corinthians 7:10
”For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

• Worldly grief – produces death.
  
  • Negative consequences of pornography do not produce change because they lack the ability to affect repentance. Must go beyond saying, “I have sinned.”
• Godly grief produces repentance leading to salvation…
  
  • Repentance is what happens on the inside; it is not an effort to change behavior through a process of steps or muscle training.

Colossians 3:5
”Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.”

• Repentance involves a change of authority, and adjustment in who rules.

John 8:34, 36
”Truly, truly, I say to you everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

• We are so powerless to make change that repentance is impossible apart from God’s work.

Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.

Matthew 5:3
”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

• Repentance is a call for brokenness and a radically inward change toward God.

Psalm 51:17
”The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.”

Discussion:

Reflect on this statement: “Show me a man disconnected from God, from his wife, and from others and I’ll show you a man either struggling with, or extremely vulnerable to, sexual temptation. But show me a man connected to God, his wife, and trustworthy men and I’ll show you a man who has a chance to fight the noble fight.” What are you experiencing? Discuss.

How does the above relate to Proverbs 18:1 “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”?

Have you known “worldly sorrow” or “Godly sorrow” when dealing with sin? Discuss the difference.

Which of the 3 Deep Idols [control, significance, and comfort] is at the root of your battle with sexual temptation? What false promise can lust use to lure you (i.e. escape, validation, power, acceptance, comfort)?

Share with your group one or two strategic moves that you need to make in order to apply what you have learned in this session.

Men's Fraternity Week 14

Men’s Fraternity
Week #14 Empty Promises

Pastor Brian often begins our sessions with short videos. Sometimes they tie in with that week’s message and sometimes they’re just for fun, like this one. This one is for those of us who have had a bad morning:



Review
Idols can be divided into two categories:

• Surface idols.
• Deep idols.

Deep idols are:

• Control – pursuit of security or power.
• Significance – desiring approval or recognition. [If you feel devastated when you don’t receive approval or recognition then this may have become an idol for you.]
• Comfort – driven to ease or consumption. [Seeking comfort in food, etc…]

Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

John 4:13-14
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty again.

To be an Authentic Man is a repenting man, a man identifying the broken cisterns so he can pursue the Life of Christ.

Biblical examples of Men struggling with Lure of Idolatry.

1. Adam

Genesis 3:5-6
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Foundational lie to idolatry:
When we can go around God and away from God rather than TO God to meet our deepest needs.

Control - ”your eyes will be opened”
Significance - ”you will be like God”
Comfort - ”good for food…delight to the eyes”
Like all idols, this idol (the fruit) over-promised and did not deliver.

2. Solomon

[I have read through the book of Ecclesiastes a few times but confess that I never fully grasped what it was all about. Pastor Brian helped put it in perspective, however, when he said that it is basically King Solomon’s labwork; experimenting with various means of pleasing himself or giving meaning to his life, and drawing conclusions on the results.]

PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGH SELF HELP

Ecclesiastes 1:13
I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.

Acquire control of his life through knowledge and trusting in what he has learned.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 1:17
And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but striving after wind.

Knowledge too over-promised and under-delivered for Solomon.

PURSUIT OF PLEASURE

Ecclesiastes 2:1
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.”

Pursuit of comfort through pleasure. Believe that escaping life and responsibility and giving ourselves to parties and leisure is the life.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 2:2
I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

When something good becomes a god, the pleasure it brings dies in the process.

PURSUIT OF ALCOHOL AND STIMULANTS

Ecclesiastes 2:3
I searched with all my heart how to cheer my body with wine…

Turned to comfort of escape through alcohol.

This is fueled by a man who wants escape and immediate gratification, temporary relief, or a buffer between him and the stress of everyday.

PURSUITS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND POSSESSIONS

Ecclesiastes 2:4-8
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

Looking to his accomplishments was going to give him a sense of significance.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 6:2
a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.

PURSUIT OF SEX

1 Kings 11:3
He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

The god of sex offers a counterfeit joy that becomes elusive through time, ever harder to please, ever closer to emptiness.

The god of pleasure is the master of bait and switch, luring us in with images and promises that become the chains and shackles of our mental imprisonment.

PURSUIT OF WORK

Ecclesiastes 2:18
I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,

If you seek significance and control from work, it will not _________. [Brian didn’t fill in this blank for us but I think it should be “deliver” or something like that.]

Paul

Pursuit of Righteousness
I can control my life or find significance in:

• Being good
• Being moral
• Fulfilling the duties of the church

Philippians 3:4-7
though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Questions for discussion:
1. We have looked at some key characters in the Bible that had some battles with idols in their lives that left them empty What are some of the empty promises you have discovered in life?

2. Share with your group what would be your top idol we discussed today that leaves you empty, but you find yourself wanting to go back or going back?

3. Read Matthew 6:19-21 and discuss what Jesus was saying here in relation to our struggles with the deep idols we have discussed today.

4. Discuss this quote “Idols are defeated not by being removed but by being replaced.”

When Things Come Together

So, I mentioned a few days ago that we bought a new car. Okay, it’s an old car, a 1997 to be exact, but it’s new to us, and aside from moving into a new home, getting a new car is probably one of the more exciting moments in a person’s life. We were especially excited about this one because it’s such a beautiful car and the owner wasn’t asking an unreasonable amount of money for it, as many people do when selling their old car.

Joni and I have been together for 11 years now and we’ve always just had one car, my ’99 Explorer. That wasn’t so bad because for the first few years my job wasn’t far from home, only 7 miles, and I could be home in a few minutes if something came up. Then for the last couple of years that I worked for UPS I couldn’t drive because of my failing eyesight and Joni dropped me off and took the truck back home. Then I didn’t work at all for about 4 years and we had no need for a second car. But last September, when I started working at Walmart, it started to bother me a little going off to work in Kearney and leaving Joni out here on the farm 17 miles away with nothing. But we knew we couldn’t buy another car so we just made do and luckily there were no emergencies.

Working in the Walmart parking lot, I naturally see lots of cars every day, and some of them have for sale signs in their windows. I would typically give them a glance and walk on by. They were always too new and therefore too expensive, or old junkers that their owners thought were worth a lot of money. Up until August 6th, that is.

On that fateful day I walked by another car with a for sale sign in the window. On this particular occasion I actually stopped to look twice because it was a really nice looking car, and on that second look I saw that the owner had put a price of $1600 on the sign. Now, even a price of $500 would have been too much for me, but I thought that $1600 wouldn’t be a great deal to borrow as opposed to four or five thousand. So the wheels started turning in my head.

In my previous post I already talked about how I borrowed the money and had my brother look at the car and everything, so I won’t go into that again. Instead, I wanted to talk a little about the greater forces at play here. Some might call it coincidence, or serendipity, but I prefer to think of it as God at work. One of my favorite bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11 where it says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. If we put our trust in the Lord, He will always provide for our basic needs but I also believe that, on occasion, He will provide us with something that we want, as long as it doesn’t go against His plans for us.

Now, let me explain a little bit about how my job works. I’m one of those guys that rounds up shopping carts from the parking lot and brings them back up to the store. Our parking lot has 12 rows that you can park in. The parking lot is divided in half and as cart pushers we work one side or the other. In other words, if the owner of this car had parked on the other side of the lot that day, I would never have seen it. Let’s take it a step further. On August 8th, I was working the south side of the lot, covering rows 5, 6, and 7. One of my coworkers was covering 3 and 4 that day, and rows 1 and 2 don’t really get any carts in them. That man had to park in one of those 3 rows for me to see his car. Also, I only worked a 5 hour shift that day, from 2pm to 7pm, so he had to come during that time. And if he had come during my break, I would have missed him. But as things worked out, he and I both were in the right place at the right time.

Before I bought this car, I really wanted my brother to look at it since he used to be a mechanic. No small task that, because he and I both work and we both have odd days off. I had no idea if there would be any way to coordinate our days off so that we could get together on this. But every detail was already worked out in advance. I saw the car on a Tuesday and, as it turned out, my brother and I both had the day off on Thursday. Also, my brother lives in Axtel, a 20 or 25 mile drive from Kearney and I didn’t know if the owner would be okay with me taking it all the way Axtel to get it checked out. But he had no problem with that at all; he was a very kind and friendly man of 70 years.

On the day we went to the man’s house to look at the car, we noticed right away that the $1600 signs had been changed for $1400 ones, another good portent. And after we got back from Axtel and told him we wanted the car, he agreed to take $1300 for it. A savings of $300, which exactly covered the brake work it needed. I got that brake work done on Saturday, by the way, there’s a shop right next to Walmart where I could drop it off and walk over to work. The whole process just worked out very neatly. Call if coincidence if you want, but I know better. The whole thing brings to mind October of 2011, when after years of waiting, everything suddenly came together and I got the surgery that restored my eyesight.

It really is an amazing thing to see God at work like that. I’m sure that, like me, you’ve tried to do things in the past that no matter how hard you tried it just didn’t seem to work out. And then to see how easily God can put something together, it’s just mind-boggling.

Does God care if we have two cars or one? I don’t really know, but this has been a powerful reminder to me of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. A reminder that we all need from time to time I suppose. And thanks for the car, God, we’ll take good care of it.

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. ESV

Psalms 139:7-8 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. ESV

Endings and Beginnings

Well, here it is, officially fall already. This summer just seemed to whiz by. Our beautiful flower gardens are now mostly dried up and dead, our one and only watermelon has been picked and consumed. The corn fields are dried up and harvest has begun. The pumpkins are still producing but I know that soon enough they will be gone too. I’m at the end of one of the most enjoyable summers of my life and that’s kind of sad as endings usually are.

Let’s do a little catching up shall we?

On Thursday, September 14, I had my checkup with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney. It had been two months since I last saw him and things had been going well so I wasn’t expecting much news one way or the other.

The Doctor’s assistant took us in and tested me out on the eye chart and everything as usual. She put up a line on the chart and I read it, then she brought up the next line and I read that, then she put up a third and I read that one too. Then she said, “Great, we’re all done!” I was thinking “Why are we stopping, I wasn’t even struggling yet?” Imagine my surprise when she told me that was the 20/20 line! Back in July I had been testing at about 20/25 with my new glasses. That was much better than I had ever expected to see again and I wasn’t really expecting more than that. I guess God had other ideas! When Dr. Feilmeier came in he was looking at my chart and said, “Are you just showing off now or what?” I could tell he was genuinely happy for me. Happy for himself a bit too I think at having completed such a successful surgery and recovery, but also genuinely happy for me. Joni told him I had my driver’s license and he seemed sincerely happy about that too. “That’s a big step up from that stick you used to carry around isn’t it?” he commented. Then we looked at some pictures of his new baby boy, who was born around the time of my last visit in July, and we were all done. I remember back in 2008 when we had decided to move up here from Dallas and I had been wondering how I would ever find another doctor as wonderful as Dr. Hargrave, who had been taking care of my eyes for about 7 years. God was in control though, and I ended up with one that I like and trust just as much, if not more. I am reminded, once again, of Jeremiah 29:11 which says ”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

So I’m seeing 20/20 now. With that kind of vision it seems like I should be able to read anything with no trouble at all, but I do still struggle with some things. I still can’t read my comic books, for instance, without my magnifying glass. I guess that’s because the fonts are kind of funny and the contrast isn’t very good, often black on blue or purple or something instead of black on white. I don’t have any trouble at the computer unless the font is very small. I can read books and papers pretty well as long as the print isn’t too small and there’s plenty of light. Still, I’m seeing much better than I ever thought I would and you won’t hear any complaints out of me.

Last Thursday, the 20th, I got call from Walmart for a job interview. I had applied there back on August 27. I went in on the 21st for my interview and it went reasonably well. It sounded like they were prepared to offer me a job pending background and drug tests. I had told them I couldn’t drive in the dark and they sounded like they would be willing to work around that. I was there for a little over an hour and then they sent me out to a place on the east edge of Kearney that does their drug screenings for them. The manager at Walmart had told me that the test results would take a couple of days and that I should hear from them this week. Well, first thing this morning they called and asked if I could come in for orientation. The job is mine! My orientation is on Wednesday. Tomorrow I’ll have to run in and get some clothes; more jeans as I have only one decent pair, and some plain navy blue t-shirts. I suppose I’ll also have to get something warm for the winter sometime soon.

This is not a very glamorous job, I’ll be one of those people who gathers up the shopping carts from the parking lot and brings them back up to the store. Also, it pays minimum wage, which may end up being a little less than I’m getting from social security. But if this is where God wants me right now, then this is where I’ll be and I will do the job for God like it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 ”So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” There is a plus side: I think this will be a nice easy job for me to kind of ease my way back into the work force. And who knows where it will lead. I’m guessing most Walmart employees start out as either cart-pullers or working the checkout. I would much rather be pulling carts than doing checkout. I’ll stick to my old standby here: If you don’t appreciate what God gives you, then you have no reason to expect something more, or something better. If I do this job as well as I can, and do it for God, then perhaps he will give me something better at some point. Matthew 25:21 ”His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much…”

So, I stand here on the brink of the next stage of my life. I’ll admit I’m scared. Endings are often sad, and new beginnings often are scary because you just never know what will happen. The last year of my life has been a happy and comfortable one, recovering from my surgery and enjoying my returned vision. The garden was a lot of fun this summer. Now it’s time to move on to the next thing. God likes to challenge us with new things now and then. That’s what keeps us growing and developing in our relationship with Him. It is my task, and all of ours, to trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. And really, how could I not trust Him? A year ago I was blind, and now I’m seeing 20/20. Last spring I had a 3-month long infection in my eye that left no damage at all. He has carried me through everything, and I’ve never gone hungry, never had to live on the streets, never really wanted for anything. No one on Earth could do all that for me, only God, my provider, my rock, my salvation. Psalms 118:8-9 ”It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

Journal - More Gardening Exploits

So last week was pretty quiet and uneventful. Each day I go out and water all the plants we have growing.

On Saturday, one of our very hot days, I put in a pretty good day’s work. Across the long west side of our patio area I dug new flower beds. In one section I planted some catnip seeds that we picked up last year and never did anything with. And in the rest I transplanted some mint from the south and east sides of the house. So far the mint looks pretty limp and it hasn’t decided if it wants to live there or not but I hope it makes it.

Everything else is doing pretty well. The pumpkins are looking pretty healthy, we have sunflowers coming up in about six different areas. In fact, all the sunflowers I planted are coming up nicely. We also have hollyhocks, zinnias, marigolds, and day lilies coming up in various places.

The only things we’re not having any luck with are the seeds we tried to start in some little dishes. We have dishes of peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and strawberries, but so far nothing is showing. I suppose I’ll pick up some more seeds and just try them directly into the garden.

Sunday and Monday were quite cool and cloudy. We had some pretty good chances for rain, which I was looking forward to knowing they would be good for the plants, but we never got more than a few drops. It was too cold out to do much outside.

Today, Tuesday, it is warming back up a bit so I went out and dug up another section of the garden and started some watermelon seeds. I made five mounds spaced out pretty good so hopefully I’ll have some watermelons to talk about one of these days. I also have some cucumbers that I’ll probably get started one of these days.

Coming up on Thursday is my next eye appointment in Kearney. Hard to believe I haven’t seen Dr. Feilmeier for a month. I’ll be interested to see what he has to say after that length of time. Then on Saturday is Kylie’s graduation. Little Kylie graduating, can you believe it? So we’ll be gone most of that day.

Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. ESV

Jeremiah 29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ESV

Journal - Infection

I guess I have a little catching up to do, so here goes.

I had an appointment with Dr. Feilmeier in Kearney on March 8. Two or three days before that I started noticing some things in my eye. I’ve been down the infection road quite a few times and know most of the signs by heart: a little more redness than usual, a little more light sensitivity than usual. So I was pretty sure there was an infection starting up but since I already had an appointment I decided to wait until then and let Doc take a look at it.

On March 8, Doc confirmed my suspicions and said that one of my sutures had loosened and allowed an infection to set in. We are now five months out from surgery and under normal circumstances the sutures would have probably been out by now, but Doc had told me right from the start that he would leave mine in much longer to give the cornea some extra stability while it healed completely. This being because of my history of problems and the fact that I only have one eye, “Driving on the spare.” As Doc so eloquently phrases it,

Doc gave me two new eye drops to use, Zymaxid and Vancomycin. Zymaxid is kind of a general bacterial antibiotic which I had used for a while following surgery. Vancomycin is a bit more potent and is also used to treat bacterial infections. The Zymaxid is common and can be picked up at most any pharmacy but the Vancomycin is a special solution that has to be made to order. The doctor’s assistant called around Kearney and couldn’t find any pharmacist that could make it but finally found one in Holdrege so we had to drive over to Holdrege to pick that one up.

After giving me my instructions Doc said he wanted to see me again the following Monday (as I expected) which meant a trip to Omaha. I further expected that it would take more than just one trip to Omaha but that remained to be seen.

So on Monday the 12th we headed out bright and early for the big city. Not quite bright and early enough though, we got there half an hour late for my appointment and the doctor had already left the office. Dr. Feilmeier keeps hours at three different offices in Omaha, all Midwest Eye Care locations. Two are in Omaha and the other is across the state line in Council Bluffs. The Council Bluffs location is where he had afternoon hours that day so we made arrangements to go over there and see him. Luckily that office is only another 8 miles east of where we were.

We got there with no trouble and Doc took a look at my eye. He said things didn’t look much better but not much worse either. He made some slight adjustments to my regimen of drops and said to come back on Wednesday. I like Dr. Feilmeier a lot, he always seems so apologetic knowing that these are long trips for us, but he is very frank about the need to get things under control as quickly as possible and I agree with him completely on that. He’s a good doctor and it’s clear to me that he really cares about the outcome of all this.

Wednesday morning we left early again and made it on time for my appointment. On this visit Doc told me that in addition to the cold sore virus there was another spot in my eye and he wasn’t really sure what it was. He took some cultures of it to send to the lab to be identified. In the meantime he gave me a prescription for another drop called Viroptic, the generic form being Trifluridine, which I am very familiar with. The infection that I had a lot of trouble with several years ago was a herpes simplex virus. It’s not the sexually transmitted type of herpes, but rather the kind that causes cold sores. Trifluridine is used to combat that type of virus. As was explained to me years ago, there’s no cure for this type of virus, all you can do is try to keep it from flaring up. Since my surgery in October, I’ve been taking a pill called Acyclovir for that very reason. I was taking 400mg twice a day, so on this visit Doc upped it to 800mg five times a day. So by this time I had four kinds of drops and the pills. Doc said he wanted to see me again on Wednesday so we trudged home knowing that we would be back in two days. On our way, we stopped at the University pharmacy to pick up the Trifluridine. That was only a few blocks from the office.

By then Joni’s back was starting to give her some trouble so I made arrangements with Mom so she could drive me on Friday. On this day Doc said that the herpetic virus was completely cleared up, but the other spot was still there, no better and no worse. He called the lab to see if there were any results on the cultures yet, but so far nothing. He said those can take up to two weeks to show anything. By this time he was thinking that this other spot might be fungal so he gave me two more prescriptions: a drop called Natycyn and a pill called Doxycycline, both of which are for fungal infections. That brought the total up to five drops and two pills, the drops being used 6 times a day each. Quite a regimen. We stopped at the pharmacy again to pick those up and then headed back home with another appointment for the following Monday.

On Monday the 19th there was still no change and still no results from the cultures. Doc reduced all my drops to four times a day and sent us home with an appointment for Thursday.

On Tuesday, the doctor’s scheduler called and said he would have an emergency surgery on Thursday morning and that we would have to reschedule. So the appointment got pushed back to Friday at 11 am.

Friday came and still no change and still no culture results. Doc seemed okay with the fact that the spot was not going away because it wasn’t getting any worse either. As far as the cultures went, even though it hadn’t been two weeks yet, he seemed satisfied that this was probably not fungal in nature and said that it may just be an inflammatory reaction due to my allergies and such, this being allergy season. So out came the old prescription pad once again, this time for Prednisone, which I have talked about before. Prednisone reduces inflammation and is very good for clearing up my lungs, sinuses, and skin, although I’ve never had it prescribed for my eyes before. Since everything seemed stable, my next appointment is for Thursday the 29th.

We always stop at York on the way home for a late lunch or early supper, but since Friday was Joni’s 32nd birthday, she wanted to stop at the York Walmart as well to spend some of her birthday money. We dropped off my prescription at the pharmacy and then shopped for a bit. Joni got herself some flowers to plant outside, and she also bought t-shirts and work gloves for Adam and me. Apparently what she really wanted for her birthday was for me and Adam to be comfortable while we work out in the yard.

So that’s where we stand right now. Through all this God has been with us, giving us safe travels, keeping our aging car running beautifully, and providing financial help for all that gas through family and church. I am confident that he has a purpose in al this, maybe just to remind us that He is always in control, a reminder that I seem to need rather frequently. Whatever the case may be, I know that everything is working out according to His plan and that He will take care of everything as He always does.

Psalms 136:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." ESV

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Blue Valley Creamery

Several months ago, around the end of September this was, Aunt LeeDel, Uncle Butch, and Uncle Marvin all came for a visit. Aside from getting to spend some time with my family, the highlight of their visit was when Uncle Butch presented me with a very special gift. It was an old, old cream can with a small label plate attached to it. The plate said:

Return to Louis Brandt
Gibbon, Nebr
U.P.
In case of loss notify
Blue Valley Creamery Co.

I should mention here that before I went blind I spent several years researching my family history. Also, Louis Brandt was my great-great-grandfather.

So many questions! Where did this time-traveling cream can come from? How did my mother’s brother end up with such a priceless relic from my father’s family? How old is the cream can really?

Well, I meant to do a little research on this and then present an article here on my blog, but a couple of weeks later I found out I would be getting surgery on my eye pretty soon. The cream can got put on the back burner for a while, but I recently got back to it. My research, such as it is, is complete and here’s what I found out.

The Blue Valley Creamery was founded on May 1, 1900. The headquarters was set up in Chicago with the first creamery popping up in St Joseph, Missouri. Before long, the Blue Valley Creamery had operations going all over the place, primarily in the upper Midwest, but stretching as far east as New York City and, as I discovered later, down to West Virginia and all the way down in Texas. And yes, there was a Blue Valley Creamery right here in Nebraska, just a little bit east of here. A creamery opened for business in Hastings, Nebraska in 1911. Apparently Blue Valley also owned the Topaz Dairy in Hastings. I searched the internet but never found much about the creamery in Hastings, only about Blue Valley in general. The photo here is not the Blue Valley Creamery in Hastings, but one in Louisville, Kentucky, circa 1946.

I did, however, find that Blue Valley Creamery was bought out by Beatrice Creamery Company in 1939. Beatrice was, in turn, acquired by a group of investors who purchased the company and then sold it off piece by piece, the last piece going to ConAgra sometime around 1990.

The cans themselves were owned by the farmers, not the creamery, and were typically shipped by railroad. That makes sense because there’s a very busy stretch of Union Pacific railroad that runs directly from Gibbon to Hastings. Blue Valley Creamery commonly attached labels to the cans bearing delivery instructions as pictured here.

In my internet searches I also came across several other pages mentioning cream cans with this same type of label attached. From the descriptions, and a few pictures, they sound identical to mine except for the name and town of the owner. The ones I found were from Memphis Nebraska, McCracken Kansas, Lavernia Texas, DeValls Bluff Arkansas, Dieterich Illinois, and Alderson West Virginia. I also noticed one other difference: the label on my can has a U.P. on it, which I assume stands for Union Pacific Railroad, while the one from Memphis has BURL, probably Burlington Northern, or maybe they were just Burlington back then. The one from West Virginia has C&O on it, Chesapeake & Ohio. One other has what looks like CXI&P. I couldn’t find a match for that, but I did find a CRI&P, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. This was the Arkansas can and the CRI&P did run through Arkansas. The others didn’t mention the railroad identifier.















So as to my questions: Uncle Butch told me that he and my aunt, in the early days of their marriage back in the early 70’s, frequently visited auctions around their home in Crete, Nebraska. He doesn’t remember specifically but assumes that the cream can was probably acquired at one of these. He told me that he brought the cream can around to see if anyone had any interest in it, but at the time no one did. I was born in 1970 and so would have been just a baby. So he took it back to his home where it sat around for about 40 years. My aunt and uncle recently sold their old house, which prompted Uncle Butch to bring it around again, as he did with several other items that he would no longer have room for in the new house. I am now just over 40 years of age and have become very interested in old items like this, especially ones that are from my own family. So in other words, it was pure and simple fate that brought my great-great-grandfather’s cream can to me at a time in my life when I am old enough to appreciate what a priceless heirloom it truly is.

My final question was, “How old is the can really?” Well, let’s see if we can deduce an approximate age. The Blue Valley Creamery in Hastings opened in 1911 and was bought out by Beatrice Creamery in 1939. That gives us a pretty narrow window already assuming that no more labels with Blue Valley Creamery on them were attached to any cans after the buyout.

I came across another interesting bit of Blue Valley history that, I believe, will narrow this window even further. Originally, Blue Valley affixed labels which read “When full ship to Blue Valley Creamery Co.” In 1925, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that these labels were an unfair practice, making it difficult or impossible for farmer’s to ship their milk or cream to a competitor of Blue Valley. Grandpa Louis’ can has the “newer” form of the label, “In case of loss notify Blue Valley Creamery”, so that would place it sometime between 1925 and 1939 when Blue Valley was bought out by Beatrice. This certainly fits great-great-grandpa Louis’ lifespan; he was born in 1863 and died in 1947.

So there you have it. That’s everything I was able to learn about the mysterious cream can. I took an old tooth brush and a little vinegar to polish up the brass name plate a little and it shined up pretty good. I really can’t tell you how happy I am to have it, and it was a lot of fun researching the Blue Valley Creamery as history has become more and more interesting to me. Something else that has become very interesting to me of late is the different ways God works in our lives. For 80 years, God sent that cream can from place to place, only to have it end up here. Maybe He did it to please me, or maybe He did it to remind that He is always in control, even of the little things. I like to think it was a little of both.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ESV

Psalms 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." ESV

Journal - Last Trip to Omaha

And then on Wednesday, it was back to Omaha once again. My appointment was for 3pm, but they’ve always been good about just taking us in whenever we get there, knowing that we have a long drive. So we left at about 10am Wednesday morning, knowing that we would probably get there at about 1 in the afternoon. We weren’t sure what to expect weather-wise; they were calling for possible wind and rain, and I think there was even a slight chance of snow. Luck was with us, however. It was cloudy all the way there, but no rain at all and the wind was blowing but not too bad. We arrived at Dr. Feilmeier’s office right at 1 o’clock.
As usual, we didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes. We went to the exam room, and the assistant pulled up the old eye chart. My vision isn’t really good enough right now to read much on the chart. I can get the big “E” at the top, but that’s about it. But on the pinhole test, I got all the way down to the 20/60 line, my best yet. If you don’t know what a pinhole test is, it’s just where you look at the chart through tiny little pinholes. It makes the letters on the chart come in much clearer. It’s really the only way to gauge the progress in patients with low vision like myself. After that, the assistant checked my pressure, which is still normal, then she went for the doctor.
Dr. Feilmeier was very pleased with what he saw as he examined my eye. He said everything is looking great, and that 20/60 is remarkably good only two weeks out from surgery. He had brought in an intern with him, so they both spent a few minutes checking out my eye while Dr. Feilmeier filled the intern in on some of my history. When they were done looking, Doc said to just keep doing what I am doing: no lifting, no touching the eye, wear the shield at night, no change in drops. I asked him if I could start exercising again, and he said I could as long as I don’t push too hard. Then I asked about my sax, but he said no sax for at least another month. That won’t leave much time for me to practice for Christmas so there may not be a Christmas concert this year. That’s okay though, I guess that’s a small price to pay. The best news of all is that we don’ have to go back to Omaha again. My next appointment will on November 18 in Kearney. That’s good because we are tired of driving to Omaha, and also because he thinks I am doing well enough to go without a checkup for almost a month. Of course, if there are any problems I can always call him up and get it checked out. I’ve been through enough eye problems that I’m confident that I will be able to tell if something is not right.
And that was it. We got in an out, and were back on the road by 2pm. We stopped in Yolk, I mean York, for a bite to eat at Wendy’s, an to fill up the gas tank. By then it was 4 o’clock, so just before we left York, Joni called Adam at home to make sure he got home from School okay, which he did. Then we hit the road again and were home by about 5:30. It was another long day, but it’s a relief to know that we can just stay home and rest now.

Psalms 6:2 "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.”

Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise."

Journal - Peaches, peaches, peaches

Well, it’s that time of year again. At the end of August, Bobbi let me know that her and Mike’s peach tree was ready to be plundered. Joni and I went out one afternoon and brought home about 60 peaches, the tree produces tons of peaches but they’re kind of small. The peaches were already very ripe so I got busy canning them up and ended up with about 2 quarts, plus enough for Joni to make a cobbler.
While I was canning, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to try making some jam, something I’ve never attempted before. I looked at a few recipes online and decided to give it a try. Since I didn’t know what I was doing, I started out with a small amount, about two cups of peaches. It was a good thing I didn’t use a lot because I cooked it too long, and by the time it cooled it was really hard. It tasted okay though. The Hard stuff was kind of chewy and reminded me of eating dried apricots or something like that. I thought that might make a tasty candy so I tucked that idea away for later.
Anyway, I knew the two quarts of peaches I had wouldn’t make a lot of jam so I asked Bobbi if the tree had any left. She said there were a few so we went back and got a few more. Also, Mom had offered to buy me a case of peaches from her store. They were on sale for a very reasonable price so we came home with lots of peaches.
The peaches from the store weren’t quite ripe yet, so I had to wait a couple of days before I could do anything with them. They were really huge though so I was hoping to get several quarts. After two more days of canning I had a total of 8 quarts.
There was a little left over so I also tried another small batch of jam. Well, this second batch turned out great! After it had completely cooled, the consistency was just right for spreading on toast, and it tasted very good. The first batch I had thought was too sweet, so I cut back on the sugar by half and I think that was about right. So I spent a couple of days eating toast and jam and enjoyed it quite a lot.
My first experience with making jam was fun and challenging. When you cook jam, the test to see if it’s done is to let it run off the spoon. They say it should run off in a single clear stream, but of course I can’t go by how it looks. Instead I have to go by how thick it feels as I’m stirring. I’m guessing each batch will come out a little different, but hopefully I’ll be able to come up with several good jars of peach jam
This morning I tried my third batch, a larger one this time with a full quart of peaches. I was happy to find that each quart will make four small jars of jam, about twice as much as I had thought it would make. I canned three jars, and put the rest in the fridge to eat right away. As I’ve been typing this, I’ve heard two of the three jars pop so wish me luck!

Jeremiah 17:10 "“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
“

Matthew 3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Journal - Basement

So we’ve been working hard trying to get the basement cleaned up. It’s a nice basement, lots of space down there and it's divided into rooms very similar to the upstairs. With some carpet on the floor, it would make a very nice living area. Except that it’s very damp.

The basement doesn’t leak at all. We’ve had some pretty heavy rains, and the last month in particular has been very wet, but we haven't had any leaks at all. I guess it’s just the shower down there that makes it so damp. The moisture doesn't have anywhere to go so it just hangs around in the air. All that moisture makes it hard to control the mold.

We’ve spent the last three days scrubbing the walls and floors with bleach to get rid of the mold. Yesterday I did half of the big main room, and today I did the other half. Walmart had some dehumidifiers today when Joni went to do the weekly shopping, so she picked one up. It’s down there right now working, so hopefully that will take care of our problem.

Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Journal - Audio Book Heaven

Well, I see I’m overdue for an update. Where does the time go? May is almost over already.

At Audio Book Heaven, I finally figured out that RSS feed business. I can’t remember if I mentioned that before. An RSS feed allows people to subscribe to your blog or website. A feed is nothing more than the content of your website. Everytime you publish new content on your site, it goes out on your feed. Subscribers can view your feed in a feed reader. By subscribing to the feeds of all your favorite websites, you can get updates on their new material all in one place rather than travelling all over the internet for it. It’s kind of like having pizza delivered to your home instead of going out to eat. You might have noticed the new widget on the right-hand side of this screen that says "Recently at Audio Book Heaven." That is my feed and it updates every time I post something new over there.

Anyway, blogs automatically produce a feed without you doing anything at all. If you choose to, you can sign up with a feed service to activate your feed and make it available to subscribers. That can all be done for free and doesn’t require much work at all, once you know how to do it. I had to do a bit of research on that because it’s fairly recent technology and I knew nothing about it. I activated my feed through Feedburner. I chose Feedburner because it is a Google product, just like Blogspot, and I like to stick with one brand as much as possible. Through Feedburner, you can also set up email subscriptions that allow subscribers to receive your feed directly to their email inbox. So if you want to get my book reviews sent right to your email, use the subscription form at Audio Book Heaven.

For several weeks now, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to link my blog to my Facebook account so that every time I posted something new it would automatically notify all my friends at Facebook. I was unsuccessful at that until I started learning more about feeds. Using my feed, I was able to do exactly that. Every time I post something new, it now automatically puts up a message on my Facebook wall. Pretty slick. Now all I need is some friends.

As far as the book review revisions, I am almost done. Actually the revisions have been done for about a week now, but I still have a few that need to be re-published. I'll probably do the last ones tomorrow.

At the end of April, I set myself the goal of publishing a new book review on every odd numbered day of May. I messed up once, publishing at 11:59 pm on May 4. Other than that I haven't missed a day, and I have enough reviews on hand now to finish out the month. It was a bit of a scramble doing all those reviews, so next month I'm going to slow up a bit and relax with some longer books. Actually, I’m not going to slow up just yet. I'm overdue for listening to Harry Potter. I usually listen to Harry about every four months, but I haven't done it because I wanted to keep posting new reviews, and I already reviewed Harry back in January. So I need to save up some reviews so I can keep posting while I listen to Harry Potter.

Umm, what else? I guess that’s about it. With my revisions done, I’ll probably start spending a lot more time researching. I want to see what else I can do with my feed and also find more ways to increase traffic to my site. I'm seeing some positive results in my stats at Stat Counter, but I'll talk about that later.

Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Journal - Superbowl Sunday

Well, here it is superbowl Sunday already! I’m looking forward to a really good game tonight, but let’s take care of some business first, okay? Business before pleasure as they say.

I called my BCBS agent Monday about those two letters I got. He laughed it off as a mistake, and I believed him. His name is Steve Kielbasa, by the way. I asked him if he’d eaten any good sausages lately, but he didn’t think that was very funny. Anyway, he took the information that was missing from my application and said he would send it along to the underwriters. I asked if I would have to wait another four weeks to hear something from them, and he said probably not. Back to the waiting game, though, for now.

Something else really perturbed me this week. The screen reader I’ve been using, System Access To Go, is going through some changes. I started using SA To Go because it was free, and once I got used to it I really began to like it. In my own opinion, it’s marginally better than Jaws. Friday, however, when I logged in to my SA To Go account, I discovered a really yucky synthesized voice that was difficult to understand. To get the nice sounding voice back, you now have to pay forty dollars. I thought that was kind of a low blow, but it’s still about 1,160 dollars cheaper than Jaws, so I decided to pay. I still didn’t get the good voice, though. Every time I log in it still asks me if I want to upgrade. I did get an email receipt and an invoice number for my payment and there’s a phone number on the receipt to call if you have problems. I have to wait until Monday to call, however, because they don’t keep hours on the weekend. Hopefully I can get that straightened out without any problem. What really worries me is what other features they might decide to start charging for.

Humm, I guess that’s about all the business I have to discuss. It’s been a slow week. I haven’t really been playing my sax lately. I’ve been spending most of my time browsing through the library’s audio book collection and writing book reviews like mad. I’ve been getting on the exercise bike pretty regularly for the last three weeks, so I’m feeling good about that. It always feels good to know you’re doing something that’s good for you, doesn’t it? Now if I could just start eating better.

Since Christmas, the weather has straightened out a little bit with temps in the 30’s and 40’s, but this week we have had another cold snap and more snow. Just a couple inches of snow, though, and no high winds to make it drift. I don’t mind that kind of snow as much. Sure can’t wait for spring, though.

Okay, football! Colts versus Saints. I picked the Colts to go to the superbowl, but I really thought the Vikings would beat the Saints. Or maybe I was just hoping. I like Brett Favre a lot and I know he doesn’t have too many years left in him, so I was kind of hoping he could go to the superbowl this year and cap off his career on a high note. Colts versus Saints will be a good game, though. Since Favre is out, I’d like to see Peyton Manning and the Colts win this one. Should be a good game either way as they are both great teams.

Naturally, I always look forward to the superbowl, but it’s also kind of sad because it will be eight months before there’s another football game. I never developed an interest in baseball or basketball, so I just wait for football to start again. Wait, Wait, Wait, it seems like that’s all I do.

Okay, I don’t normally do this, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a superbowl prediction. Colts 27, Saints 24. See you next year, Brett.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves

We’ve all heard that old saying, right? But what does it really mean? Does it mean that God will only help us achieve something if we are already beating our brains out trying to achieve it for ourselves? Or maybe He just wants to make sure we’re willing to put forth a little effort before He will help us through those last crucial steps. This topic has been on my heart for quite a while now, and it’s been kind of a tricky one for me.

Let’s start by taking a look at the phrase itself. “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is not found anywhere in the bible. I researched the origin of the saying, and found conflicting information. Some people attribute it to Benjamin Franklin in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” in 1757. Others give credit to a British philosopher, Algernon Sidney, who used the phrase in an article titled “Discourses Concerning Government” in 1698. Further research reveals that Algernon Sidney died in 1683, so who knows if that one is true. Yet another source credits the phrase to one of Aesop’s fables from the 6th century BC. The fable, titled "Hercules and the Waggoner", tells the tale of a man whose wagon became stuck in the mud. The man got down on his knees and prayed to Hercules for help. Hercules promptly told the man to get up and put his shoulder to the wheel because "the gods help those who help themselves.” It seems the phrase actually originated in pagan Greek mythology.

That’s all very interesting as a history lesson, but it doesn’t really help to answer my questions. As a Christian, I naturally understand that I must turn to the scriptures for answers. Here are a few passages I came across:

Exodus 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.

Psalms 104:23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

Psalms 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

That certainly makes it sound like God expects us to work. He sure isn’t advising His people to sit around and do nothing, but in all honesty, I’m not completely convinced that those verses apply directly to the topic at hand. I do like that last one, though. Incidentally, there are more than two hundred verses in the bible that speak of labour. Let’s look a little further:

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Psalms 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

I recognize a couple of those verses, I’ve used them in my blog before. Those verses make it sound like we’re supposed to trust God and wait on Him. That last one in particular seems very clear to me. Incidentally, there are also lots of verses that talk about waiting on the Lord.

I have read a few articles that I found on this subject and, surprise, surprise, opinions are varied. Some support one theory, and some support the other, and, depending on your interpretation, you can find plenty of scripture to back up either one. So what’s the answer?

Here’s what I know, or maybe I should say here’s what I believe:

I believe God does not want us to be lazy or slothful.
I believe that God does not want us to suffer needlessly.
I believe that God wants us to help others in need.
I believe that God wants us to have patience, and wait for Him to do things in His own time.
I believe that God will provide us with everything we NEED.

I guess what it all boils down to is faith. We must have faith in God to provide for us, and to lead us where He will. I think it’s okay for us to try to achieve results for ourselves, but let’s face it; if God is not ready for it to happen, It’s just not going to happen, no matter what we do. How will we know whether to work at it, or just wait on the Lord? That part, at least, is easy, ask God. If He wants us to do something, He will tell us. If he wants us to be patient and wait for Him to take care of it, He will tell us that too. It’s all about faith and trust.

Well, I’ve done a lot of praying about this, praying for God to instruct me, and praying for Him to open my heart so I can receive His instructions, and this is what I seem to be getting. Of course, I will continue to pray and will wait to see were He leads me next. In the meantime, I will put my trust in the Lord.

I’m going to leave off with some words of wisdom that Pastor Mike shared with me:

“..…Steven, the Lord is your help in time of need. No one knows what you need more than the Lord and He will indeed either give you the grace to stand up under your difficulties or He will remove the difficulty. Our responsibility is to seek the Lord and leave the results totally with Him. If He gives you the opportunity to have some medical procedure done that will allow your eyesight to be restored He will provide for that as well.”

Psalms 121:1-3 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Memories - Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving is almost here again. What does Thanksgiving make me think of? Food, of course! But more importantly it makes me think of family. As with most families, Thanksgiving for us was about getting together to enjoy good food and good company.

My parents split up when I was 9 and the arrangement we had was Thanksgiving with Dad, Christmas with Mom. I was young enough when this tradition began that it always seemed perfectly natural to me. As a matter of fact, I honestly can’t remember any Thanksgivings before that. I have no idea what we did when my parents were still married.

So we always gathered at Grandma Brandt’s house. She always did all the cooking herself. I don’t think she would have trusted anyone else in her kitchen. Uncle Gary and Aunt Ellen would always come from Des Moines, along with our three cousins Jeff, Greg, and Eric. That was kind of special in itself because Uncle Gary and family only came to visit twice a year.

Those are good memories. The house would smell so good and there would be so many people around. Then after dinner we could go out and show our cousins around the farm. I remember one year we found a lump of some kind of chalky stuff and we used it to write all over an old shed. Then Grandpa Meril Dean saw it and made us clean it off. That was the same Grandpa that got after us for making paths through the corn. What a fuddy-duddy!

Inevitably, there came a year when Grandma said she just couldn’t do all that cooking anymore. I don’t blame her, I know how much work that is, but Thanksgiving just never felt the same after that. Instead of our home-cooked feasts, we started going out for Thanksgiving dinner. And it wasn’t long after that when Uncle Gary stopped coming. His boys were grown and they had gatherings of their own to attend.

We still had our time together with Dad and Grandma and Grandpa though. That tradition held until the mid 90’s. Grandpa died in 1992 and Dad in 1995. And us kids were grown by then too. Brad had a family of his own, and Bobbi had her family out on the east coast. Kevin was who-knows-where by then. That was around the time that I moved away too. It’s a little sad when traditions end and families grow and spread out, but that’s the natural order of things.

After that, our Thanksgivings were catch-as-catch-can. You were never really sure who might show up on any given year. In 2003, Joni and Adam came to live with me and all the sudden I had a family of my own. For the next six years we had quiet gatherings in our little apartment in Dallas. I always missed my family back home, just as Joni missed hers, but I have to admit that I enjoyed the quieter atmosphere and the beginning of a new tradition.

Now here I am back in Nebraska again, and it looks like Thanksgiving this year is going to be something really special. This year marks the first time that my three siblings and I will all be together at the same time since about 1987. I'm only guessing here, but I think Mom is kind of excited about that. I find that I’m a little excited about it too. My daughter, Brenna, will be coming so not only will us four kids be there, but also all of the grandkids; about 10 in all I think. That will be quite a crowd!

That will be on Wednesday since that was the only day we could all get together. On Thanksgiving day, Brad and family go to His mother-in-law’s, and Joni and I have decided to have our traditional quiet gathering here at the house. I find that I am looking forward to both gatherings with equal anticipation.

Traditions are so important in this crazy, ever-changing world we live in. They give us a sense of belonging; something to come home to. I said earlier that it’s sad when traditions end, but maybe they don’t really end. Maybe they just grow and evolve, like our families. The gatherings I am looking forward to this week will involve very different groups of people than the gatherings of my childhood, but it's still family, and it's still Thanksgiving. I will enjoy it while it lasts and look forward to future holidays, whatever shape they may take.

Thanks for reading today. I hope you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition with your own family this year. And if you don’t have a tradition, it’s never too late to start a new one.

Jeremiah 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I shall also glorify them and they shall not be small.

Astri's Story pt 2

Let me see now, where was I? Silly question, I was telling Astri’s story, of course. You probably thought that story was over. Nope, that was just the beginning. You see, it was Astri that eventually brought me to God. So here’s the rest of the story.

Astri’s Story part 2
Or
Help, I’ve Been God-Slapped

So, like I said, after Astri was born I took a week off from work to stay home with Joni and didn’t return until the following Monday.

Now, I should mention here that I never told anyone at work about Astri. In fact I never even told anyone that Joni was pregnant. This was mainly because I didn’t really have any friends at work. I mostly keep to myself and was not in the habit of discussing my personal life in the work place.

I can’t remember exactly what day it was. I know it was either Tuesday or Wednesday of that week but can’t remember which. Anyway, I was sitting in the breakroom that day reading my book. It was always my habit to take my breaks in the breakroom, reading. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have any friends. Food for thought. I had the entire breakroom to myself that day which was a little bit unusual. This was a fair-sized office building and there was almost always someone in the breakroom.

So I was sitting there alone, reading, or at least staring at my book. Probably I was just sitting there thinking. Then a lady came into the room and walked over to the coffee pot. I knew who she was because we had worked in the same department for a while, but I didn't say hi or anything because, like I said, I’m not very sociable. I just sat there with my book while she busied herself pouring coffee and getting sugar and creamer and all that. Then she came over to the table where I was sitting and started talking to me. Ugh!

“Are you all right Steven?” she said. Right away I was wondering if she found out about Astri somehow. I hadn’t told anyone so she couldn’t really know. Maybe I just looked tired or something. I lied and told her I was fine.

“Are you sure?” she said. Now I was really starting to wonder. If she didn’t know about Astri, why would she be asking me if I’m okay? I didn’t typically converse with people about anything other than work. Why couldn’t she just leave me alone? Again I lied and told her I was fine.

Then she said the words that changed my life. I still get goose-bumps when I think about it. She looked me right in the eye and said, “The Lord asked me to come over here and tell you that everything is going to be okay.”

Can you imagine? What on earth do you say to someone after something like that? Well, I was in denial. I kind of laughed a little and said, “He did?” Yeah, I know, that response was just too clever for words.

Well, she left me alone after that, but the damage was done. I drifted through the rest of the day and then went home. I told Joni what had happened and she told me that she had been praying for God to comfort me.

I wish I could tell you that my life took a complete one-eighty right then and there, but I can’t. God slapped me right upside the head and said “Enough is enough, listen up!” but it still took me a while to come around.

The important thing is, the chain reaction had begun. No matter how hard I tried, and I did try, I could no longer deny the existence of God. He knew it would take something extreme to reach me, so he did something extreme. He gave me incontrovertible and undeniable proof. I wasn’t ready to hand over my whole life yet, but I knew there was someone to hand it over to, if I chose to.

So anytime those doubts start to creep in on me in the wee hours of the night, all I have to do is remember that day in the breakroom and I feel comforted. God didn’t go to all that trouble just to leave me hanging five years later. I know He loves me, and He is here to stay!

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.