Blog Archives

MY ALMOST GIRL 629

11/24/2019

MY ALMOST GIRL 629

Neil Simon wrote poigantly about his "Good-bye
Girl."

When my hairs have all turned grey (of those that remain,
that is) I shall fondly reminisce about "My Almost Girl"....

"Honey, I'm home! I'm starved, is supper ready?"
"Well, almost."
"Almost, what do you mean, almost?"
"The turkey is not quite unthawed."
"Well, this turkey's unthawed and ready to eat."
("You can say that again.")
"What...What did you say?"
"Nothing, deer. Why don't you lie down until supper's
ready?"
"Is the bed made?"
"Well, almost. It'll just taje about ten minutes to
dry the bedding....You still love me though, don't you?"
"Well, almost!"

SCRAM-O 627

11/24/2019

      SCRAM-O 627

  It's time that we who profess
   the Christian faith stop going around
acting defeated, as though Satan
has triumphed, once again,
over a follower of the King.

The scriptures tell us that Christ is
in us and we are in him. And he is Lord
of all. Satan is a defeated foe to each
of us who has accepted the Christ as
our Lord and Savior.

And we have been given the power to say
   "Scram-o! Beat it kid" to that old serpent.
And if we say this in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, Satan has no other choice
but to depart and slither away.

   In the name of Christ, take charge!

(First published on June 3, 1979)

TRAINING CHILDREN #623

11/24/2019

TRAINING CHILDREN 623

"Training is everything," wrote Mark Twain.
"The peach was once a bitter almond.
Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a
college education."

Parenthetically, we might also include:
A prune is a plum with great potential
pathetically gone dry.

Our children are trained by everything we
do or don't. By our every word or silence.
By our every action or reaction. By our
absence or attendance to the duties of
child-rearing, our children will trained.

Plan now for "great" grandchildren.
Train up your children in the way they
should go.

(First published on May 24, 1979)

Humor #622

11/24/2019

HUMOR 622

In this daily drudgery whereupon we trip over
so many of the foibles and fumbles of mankind, perhaps we
shall one day discover the sanest of men are those who have
learned to laugh loudest at themselves.

For after all, "Humor is a sense of proportion"
(Kahlil Gibran). And, while there is time for
seriousness, there remains, on the scale of life, abundant
room for humor.

James Thurber stated that humor was "one of our
greatest and earliest national resources which must be
preserved at all cost."

(Before we leave this article, we do have one final
question.... Has anybody heard any good jokes lately?)

HUMDRUM HEROES 619

11/24/2019

HUMDRUM HEROES 619

We are presently reading the works of Tolkien
in which the heroes are magnificent and the villains
are horrendous.

And while it might be enjoyable to dream
of conquering and defeating those darkened
shadows of another world, we suspect
that we live among and daily meet many
unsung and unheralded heroes of the
daily humdrum.

To constantly, work at a job that is laborious
and tiresome year after year, to feed and clothe
loved ones.... takes a hero of a special kind.

To continually prepare meals and to keep our homes
comfortable and clean while tending young ones
day in and day out, merits the medal of honor
for the humdrum heroes of our society.

Today and always, we gratefully honor and salute
any and all of the unknown, unnamed heroes of the
humdrum who constantly enrich our lives.

(First published on May 15, 1979. Revisions made
on February 11, 2020.)

DISARM OUR HOSTILITY 615

11/24/2019

DISARM OUR HOSTILITY 615

"If we could read the secret history of our
enemies," wrote Longfellow, "we should find in
each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to
disarm all hostility."

It is easy for most of us to love someone,
but it is probably difficult for any of us to love
anyone, all the time.

In a week's time we may find some who will "rub
us the wrong way" by something they do or say."

If their life's history were flashed before us
perhaps we would be less quick to judge harshly,
or condemn severely.

O God, Give us, Thy grace sufficient enough
to disarm all our hostility. In Jesus name, Amen.

THANKSGIVING (1979) 699

11/23/2019

   THANKSGIVING (1979) 699

Our kind Heavenly Father
                                   We have come to the end of another decade.
   We affirm unto Thee that this past decade
   has been one of abundant blessings.
   We are grateful that for most of the past ten
   years, our sons and daughters have been
spared the horrors of war.
   We are grateful for this beautiful, magnificent
   country. We are highly favored to be living in
   America.
   We are grateful, that, in this land, the Bible is
an open book, and the Church has open doors.
   We are grateful for the freedom of speech and
   press, and for the freedom to pursue happiness
   as we please.
   May we bless Thee in the nineties as Thou hast
   blessed us in the eighties.
   We thankfully give thanks for your constant presence
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen

(First published on November 23, 1979 with revisions
on November 27, 2019)

ISAIAH 65:24,25

11/22/2019

ISAIAH 65:24,25

And it shall come to pass,
that before they call,
I will answer

And while they are yet speaking,
I will hear

The wolf and the lamb shall
feed together
And the lion shall eat straw
like the bullock

And dust shall be the serpent's
meat

They shall not hurt nor destroy
in my holy mountain, saith the Lord

AT WINTERTIME 575

11/22/2019

  AT WINTERTIME 575

Perhaps it is not
  Too late to be
Like children again
If we truly wish to be
If our hearts are right
With God
Then our homes
Shall be our havens
And our foes
Shall be our friends
And our doubts
Shall become our hopes
And there shall be
A new spirit in the land
At wintertime

    (First published on January 14, 1979)

AT THE FIRESIDE 241

11/22/2019

      AT THE FIRESIDE 241

"The real empire, wrote Cicero,
is at the fireside."

Would you have an empire
more valuable than a hoard
gold?

Would you have your secret
chambers contain wealth to
unfold?

Would you have a life filled
with joyous memories
as you grow old?

Would you have an empire
that would not be for a day
but for ages untold?

Then start today, to build
for all eternity?

For the wealth of a nation
or a family shall always resides
at the fireside

(First published on November 14, 1976,
with revisions on November 22, 2019)