That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown

I receive a daily email from the nice folks at Flocknote.com, through which several of us all over the world are reading through the four Gospels in a year. We just completed Mark and have begun the nativity readings from Dr. Luke. Chapter 2 is so familiar, as we recited it each year at the Greenfield Peace Lutheran Christmas pageant - from memory, and in front of a gymnasium full of well-dressed moms, dad, aunties, uncles, and grandparents.

As I read it again this morning, it brought a tear to my eye; partly because of the fond Christmas memories I have from childhood, partly because this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a nutshell, and partly due to the amazing boldness of Linus Van Pelt fifty years ago.

Thank You, Lord, for the little things in life that bring so much joy to our hearts. Thank You also for the Big Thing: Your mercy and love expressed through Your dearly beloved Son.
Praise name of the LORD!
To God be all praise and glory!

Lovin Touchin Squeezin or Na na na na nana na nana na na

Thanking God this morning for providing us a more reliable vehicle for Moni to get to work and back in; the Bull has been traded, the Grape will now park under a shade tree in downtown Brighton on weekdays.

The Bull - the taupe 2004 Ford Taurus with 188k miles, a broke cd player and an excellent air conditioner, which we got from brother Dean - we traded in, along with a small chunk of cash, as a down payment.

The Grape - our 2004 purple PT Cruiser purchased  in Detroit in 2010 - will now be my day-to-day transportation. It clunks some when you hit bumps, and the driver side brake light is held on with duct tape, but it's got a (relatively) new engine, timing belt, tires, and struts. And it's got tinted windows, which in 2010 while spending several hot days camping along Lake Michigan with our old puppy Sierra, we found to be a very practical retarder of the heat.

The new vehicle, which has not yet been named (although I have one in the works...), is a blue 2009 Dodge Journey SE SUV, with about 54,000 miles and one previous owner (per Carfax). Very clean inside and out and the dealer is even going to bump out a couple of dings for us tomorrow. But the most important thing - THE most important thing of all - is that mama is quite happy with it.

Period.

Thank You, Jesus!

Wonderful Wednesday

Dear LORD, I come to You this morning with praise in my heart - the beauty of another morning is upon us, and I am thankful!

For the sunshine, the blue skies, the songs of the birds, the cool morning breeze - I thank You.

You alone are worthy of praise! 

I praise You for Your Creation
I praise You for Your Son
I praise You for Your Spirit
I praise You for Your Church
I praise You for Your plan
I praise You for Your Word  

All glory to You, Lord of Hosts!

 

68 and cloudy, with a nice breeze blowing

Tuesday morning after an eventful Memorial Day weekend...

Thankful for this great land that we live in, thankful for the freedoms that so many have fought and died for. Thankful for the men and women who have made this Country what it is to-day, and thankful for our kin' who were courageous enough to come here on a large boat to start new lives.
Thankful they settled in our neck of southeast lower Michigan, and I wish I knew more about them all.

I spent much of Saturday planting and weeding and pruning, built another planter box for a shade area north of our deck, and cleaned up and filled all the bird feeders. Sunday I recovered from the sunburn and sore back. Monday I watched the Tigers with a buddy at the local watering hole, while helping him with storing some large files on his laptop.

My fantasy team lost a close one last week, even though I was happy with many of the performances. This loss was to a very involved fantasy Owner who did well in the draft and has kept up on his drops and adds (remember university?!?). The prior week, I lost to someone who has not updated his roster since the draft in March, and it was a painful setback. Currently I am 4-3 and tied for second place (actually IN third place due to a lower points-for this year than the other guy who is 4-3 in my division), as the smells drift in my open window from the coney dog joint directly below us...

During the summer, and with our windows open, the smells from Coney Joes are able to affectionately assault my olfactory nerves 

Here's a quickie:

A priest, a rabbi, and a pastor walk into a bar. The bartender asks: 'What is this, a joke?!?'



Sorry. Peace!!