My God is Mighty to Save!

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow- Matt 6:34

Matthew 6:25-34 is a portion of scripture I have read many times over my lifetime. As I read it again this morning oh how I needed to be reminded of it. The future in our country seems to be the darkest of any time in which I have lived. We are constantly being bombarded with negative news not only from our State , but our Nation and the world in which we live in. I have to admit I have thought about my economic future more in this last few months than I have in the last several years combined. I have to admit also that at times I have caught myself sinning as I have dwelt on some of these possible scenarios. That is why I guess I need to read this portion of scripture at least once a day. It reminds me that I am not to worry about my future because when I do I am not trusting the very God who has promised to take care of me. How foolish of me to think I can trust God with my eternal destiny but think he can not provide for my needs during a downturn in the economy. As a matter of fact I need to concentrate on the positive spiritual effects this downturn could bring not only in my life but in the lives of many who may now turn to Christ and His Church for help in a time of need. I have heard it said that a revival of God's people has never taken place in a nation during times of prosperity. We can look back at our nation during the Great Depression of the 1920's and realize that was the last great awakening in the last 100 years here. 2009 may be a very difficult year for many in our nation ,but it may be a time like you and I have never seen in our lifetimes, of seeing our mighty God work in a way only He can. Because of that I am optimistic as I look to the future and can't wait to see what our great God is going to do through and in me, and His Church!

How long do we have?

I received a forward this week and found it very interesting so I thought I would post part of it and see what you think about it.


How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.'

'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.'

'>From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.'

'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years'

'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage'


Could the United Staes be toward the end of this cycle?

Monthly blog report

Yes it has been over a month since I have posted anything on here. In my last blog I told you I was back to work and I am still working up toward Port Huron. It has been a difficult time as my body continues to remind me that I am closer to 55 now than I am 25. I have been sick for over a week and did not go to work today to try and get over whatever it is I have had. I feel like I am close to getting back to normal, whatever that is. ha
I only have a few more weeks left on this job and I hope I can endure until the end. I am thankful to have a job during this time when so many people have lost their jobs or can not find work. Living in Michigan during this economic downturn can bring a person down with it if you allow it to. So much negativity throughout the media does not help. I find myself turning off the news station on my radio on the way to and from work each day and listening to my New Testament tapes or good Bible preaching and teaching on the one station we have that carries them.
I am so thankful for all the blessings God has given me during this point of my life. I am thankful for a great group of people at our church that care for one another. I am thankful for a wonderful wife who shows her love for me in so many ways. I am thankful for a son and daughter-in-law who keep in touch with us even though we are separated by many miles. (Yes cell phones and the internet are a great help in this.)I am thankful for a purpose to live here in this sinful world that has so many problems. I have to admit I do get sidetracked from this purpose (to honor and glorify God with everything I have or do) at times but am grateful that God is patient with me and still uses me for His honor and glory in many different ways.
Please pray for my Aunt Mickey as she is dealing with a very difficult health issue at this time. Also pray for my and Benita's family members many who do not know Jesus Christ yet as their Lord and Savior. Hopefully it will be sooner than a month before I post again. Lord Bless!

Back to Work!

Well my loooong summer vacation is finally over. I go back to work starting tomorow. I was hoping to get a job closer to home but felt I better take this one up toward Port Huron. I will be working 6 days a week 10 hours a day and it should be good for 6 weeks or so. With the drive time I will be leaving the house at 5:45 in the morning and getting back home around 7:30 in the evening. Guess the overtime will help pay for the gas to get back and forth each day.ha
I am not complaining just stating the facts. I am thankful for my job and that it pays me more than I am worth. It puts food on our table, allows us to pay the bills and helps support our church and others that are in need.I think that makes me a very rich man.
While I was getting a hair cut today I overheard a lady across the room say "I am sure glad I am poor, because I do not have any money in the stock market so I did not lose anything yesterday when it dropped some 500 points". Well, I do have some small investments in the stock market but that does not make me rich. What makes me rich though is all that I have been given in this life and the life to come by my great God. Praise to Him from whom all blessings flow!

Songs from my Past

My Pastor loves to quote old songs from the past during his sermons or during his teaching times. I remember times he has quoted songs like "Lord I'm a Rambling Man" by the Almond Brothers (or was it the doobie brothers?), "You are so Vain" by Carly Simon and even the Rolling Stones song, " I can't get no Satisfaction" (LOVE THE DOUBLE NEGATIVE!). I am always amused how people respond to him when he does this. Sad thing is there has not been a song yet like these that was new to me. A matter of fact I tell him often when a song is mentioned I keep singing it in my mind long after he has made his point with the lyrics of it. I know this is not a good thing!To me this illustrates what a powerful medium music can be.

Today at Men's Leadership meeting Pastor Ken used a song that came out in the late 70's by a Christian singer by the name of Dallas Holm. He quoted one of his songs to illustrate a wrong concept of salvation and heaven. As soon as he started quoting it (not singing it) the tune imediatly came to my mind and the song started playing in my head automaticly, even though I can not remember hearing the song for over 25 years. I could even heard another version of the song I believe B.J. Thomas recorded.
Well tonight I looked for the song on Youtube but could not find it. I was going to email it to Pastor as a joke. But while looking for it I ran into some other songs by Dallas Holm during this same period of time. So I posted the one that I used to listen to over and over again while driving around in my triple black cutlass Supreme. I still think this song packs a powerful message about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even though His name is never mentioned in the song. Hopefully this song will be in my mind tonight as I go to sleep instead of the other one! Good Night and Lord Bless.

Rise Again - Dallas Holm

Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderella

Steven Curtis Chapman Interview

This morning on the way to work I listened to a powerful interview on Focus on the Family. It was the third of a three part interview centered around the death of the Chapman's young adopted daughter. I am not a big fan of very many of the contempary music writers and singers, but I have always had a lot of respect for SCC. After listening this morning I have a lot more respect for him. The three programs were called "The God of All Comfort" which is the title of a sermon I have preached many times myself. If you would like to listen to this interview here is the link. Th esong that he sings at the end is very moving.Let me know what you think.

http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001490.cfm

Being in the Right Place at the Right Time!

Today was an interesting Day. Started out when I went to the school we met at last year and picked up 3 signs for someone to change for our upcoming Kids 4 Truth Wed. night program. While I was there the secretary game me a soft sided briefcase someone had left at the school a few months ago. It was mine and thought I would never see it again. Left there with the signs and told the person who needed them I would drop them off at his place of work in an hour and a half which just so happens to be right next to my hiring hall. Kill two birds with one stone I figured. With time to spare thought I would drop by our current school we are meeting at to try and see if I could talk to someone about rectifying a major storage problem we have there. Pastor decided to meet me there are we talk to just the right person at the right time and solved our problem quite easily. Thank you Lord and Mrs. Principle of the school.
This takes a little longer than I planned so I start over to Dearborn with the signs about an hour later than I had planned.Drop the signs off and stop in at the hall and find out it may be another month before I will be sent out on a job. After being there about 5 minutes the phone rings and a short job needs 6 guys starting in the morning. My business agent asks me if I want to go out there in the morning and I say sure. I don't know how many hours I will be working , or how many days it will be good for ,or if I am going to be the Stewart or the Foreman, but I do know it is close to home! Some days it just seems you are in the right place at the right time!

Olympic updates

As I sit here watching the "Redeem Team" play (blowout 24-4!) Argentina, I am thankful the Olympics are only every four years. I am also glad that the Olympic year always falls on the same time as our Presidential races are heating up and that they are only every fours years too. (That's a subject for another time.)
I was up late last night watching both Men's Beach Volleyball (gold medal) and men's regular Volleyball (won Semi- final).I finally went to bed at about 2 o'clock.
The best thing I saw last night though was a report on girls gymnastics. It seems that the use of the underage girls by China may cost them some medals. I think this story is even sadder than some of the drug discoveries that always seem to come to light during the games. This is worse to me because a whole government is involved in the "AGEGATE" cover-up while the drug ones seem to be the wrong decisions of individual athletics. I hope the USA and other countries will continue to stay on this issue until the truth is brought out and China is stripped of all medals they have won by blatantly cheating. I will not be surprised though if China gets away with it!!

Olympic Overload

I guess one of the things that makes the Olympics special is that they only take place every four years. After not planning on watching much of them, I have spent much time watching them over the last week and a half.Because of that I am glad they only take place every four years. I am currently in between jobs as a Boilermaker so I have some extra time on my hands. With the 12 hours difference in time between China and here there is an abundance of live events that are available to watch on TV. So far I have watched almost all the "Redeem Team" basketball games that come on in the morning hours. I predict a gold for these NBA players. I know I am really going out on a limb here.ha
I have also watched a lot of Women's Gymnastics, (hate that these are decided by bad human judges) and Men's baseball. Don't know why I have watched so much baseball as our team is made up of a bunch of minor league players.They kind of remind me of the Tigers with a better Bull Pen!
I have watched a lot of volleyball, but my favorite match was today's Men's 5 set match that ended in a win for them.
I have watched very little track and field with the 100 meter being the exception. Lighting Bolt could have lowered the world record even more if he would not of let up. I will go out on a limb again and predict he will win the gold in the 200 also.
Finally the most intriguing events were all the swimming matches that Michael Phelps was involved in. Eight gold records and eight world records (thanks in part to the new high tech swimming suits) is unbelievable. Enjoyed watching his mom too, even though she reminded me of RAYMOND'S mother on his TV show.
So far my favorite moment was Phelps seventh Gold medal win. It looked like he had lost but caught his rival right at the end by 1 /100th of a second. I still do not believe what the pictures show. It looked like the silver medalist just stopped cold as he reached for the wall.
I think I just heard that the USA Basketball team gold medal game will take place at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Oh Well, I guess I may have to stay up to watch that one! GO USA!!!

Forida Trip

Ten thoughts about our Florida trip. We will be here 3 more days before we fly back to beautiful Michigan.

1.Florida is a nice place to visit but I am glad I do not live here.
2.Scrabble is a crazy game and I still can't believe I lost so many games in the tournament.
3.It has rained almost everyday since we have been down here. Glad we do not come down for the beaches and the sun or we would be very disappointed.
4.Sorry we missed being in Michigan for the birth of a new nephew, Mason James Kowalski. He and family are doing well I am told.
5.Glad to visit the Tigers spring training facility in Lakeland for the first time and watch a few innings of the Flying Tigers class A game.
6. Looking forward to seeing the Tigers play the Rays on Friday night.
7. Glad to get to see Uncle Jim this week and see him enjoying his retirement down here.
8. Glad Benita , Jared, and Melisa got to see some manatees this week at the dock in safety harbor.
9. Glad to get to spend time with our kids in their nicely decorated home.
10. Glad we did not go with Jared and his friends to see Chris Angel escape an imploding building. (Jared did not get home until 2 o'clock because of all the people and traffic at Clearwater Beach)
10b.Glad to hear we had 223 people at church on the Sunday we were absent from CBC!

Off to Florida

Thursday Benita and I will be flying down to Florida for 9 days. Half of our time there we will be in Orlanda as I play in my 4th National Scrabble Association Tournament. While I am doing that Benita , Jared and Melisa will be doing what people usually do in Orlando. They already have plans to visit Sea World. When we get back to Clearwater we have plans to go see the Tampa Rays play on Friday. What makes this special is the team they will be playing is our beloved Tigers. Hopefully the Tigers will not fall out of the pennant race before then.
If you would like see how I am doing at the tournament here is the link. http://www2.scrabble-assoc.com/sublinks.asp?id=58&sid=186

2008 family reunion

We did not take many pictures at the reunion this year, but the ones we took are posted toward the bottom of the blog. Thanks again to the Green Family for hosting the event.

Speak Oh Lord

Facebook

I am using Facebook to try and connect with many friends we have lost contact with over the years. I started a new group called "Liberty Baptist Church , Calgary, 1980's" . So far after one day there are five members in the group. I have done searches on Facebook for several of the people from that time of our lives. It is interesting that I am mostly finding the kids from the church back then that are now in there 20's and 30's. I figure if I can find them then maybe they can tell their parents about Facebook and help them find our group! I will keep you posted on how it goes.

It Is Well With My Soul

i

Happy 232nd Birthday America

The 4th of July is a good time to reflect. I am glad God chose for this to be the place I would be born. Acts 17:24-26 is a reminder of this.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

I have lived here all my 54 years except for four while I was Pastoring a church in Canada. America is most likely where I will die. I have not been to many other places outside of this country, but when I have it was always good to get back "home". Now I know our country is not perfect and we have many problems that the Republicans or Democrates can not solve, but I would rather live here that any place else in the world. But I still am often reminded when I read the Bible that this is really not my home. As the old song says I remember singing as a child,


This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Chorus
O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Words and Music by Albert E. Brumley
© 1965 - Albert E. Brumley & Sons

Heaven is my real home and after my days are through here on earth I will be home throughout all eternity.


Hebrews 11:16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

July HAS Arrived!

Yes it is July. Jared and Melisa left today after spending 11 days with us here in Michigan. We had a great time together and look forward to going down to visit them at the end of the month. The weather up north while we were there was perfect. The only negative was the huge mosquitoes that came out every night and sometimes during the day.The high lite was our one day visit to Mackinaw Island. We all rented bikes and did an eight mile trip around the Island. I will put a few pics from it on in the near future.
Now we are gearing up for our annual Warman Family Reunion which will be held in Michigan again on July 5th. Yes I am happy July is here!!

Odds and Ends

Not a whole lot going on to write about. I have been off work now for a few weeks and have been staying busy with Church ministry. Summer is the time we start gearing up for the fall and I am involved in several ministry decisions that must be made. I am trusting the Lord will provide direction for all these decisions.
Jared and Melisa will be celebrating their first anniversery on June 16. This time last year we were down preparing for the big event. They will be coming here for a visit next week and staying for 11 days. We will be spending about 5 days of that up at the bridge attending our church family camp. Long range forecast is calling for highs only in the 60's so I hope our floridians make it through the cool temps.
We will be stopping on the way back in Flint and spend the night there. On Friday we will all go to the golf tournament there in which Tiger Woods is supposed to be playing in. We will also try and work in a Tiger game during that weekend. Anybody have four tickets available for any of those games let me know!

Connie Talbot

This little girl can sing!

odd and ends

*Finished up my job today at Conners Creek Power House.
*Worked there 40 hours a week for 18 weeks.
*Looking forward to a little time off.
*Leaving for Chicago tomorrow morning to visit with Benita's family and play 20 games of scrabble at a tournament there.
*Looking forward to see how much gas money it will cost to get there and back.
*Jared and Melisa may be coming for a visit in June. They will fly not drive (has to be cheaper) and plan on going to church family camp in Mackinaw with us.
*Hopefully they will stay long enough to attend the Warman Family reunion here in Michigan
*Hope the Pistons can beat the Celtics tonight.
*Looking forward to the Wings playing in the Stanley Cup Finals against Pittsburgh.
*Wish the Tigers could play all their games against the Mariners (won 3 straight from them)
*Do the Lions really start training camp in just a few weeks?Tell me it aint so!!

My Brother the Blogger

Last night I was surfing through some of my favorite blog sites when I discovered what I think may be my Brother, Tim's, first blog post. It was a tribute to our Mom that he wrote on Mother's Day. Well it made me cry the first time I read through it and then I had my wife read it out loud and I cried again. I did not know Tim had such a way with words. I thought I would post the link to it and let you see what I mean. Of course I told him I could not wait and see what he was going to write on Father's Day! Love you brother!! http://kowalskikronicles.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading this.
My Mom has been gone now for almost 32 years. It does not seem possible it has been that long.Benita's Mom has been gone now for over 40 years. Mother's Day is always a little bittersweet for us as we do not have our Mothers around to thank for all they did for us.Nevertheless we both are very thankful for the mothers God gave us and for the time we had them with us. We cherish our memories of them and a day does not go by that we do not think of them!
"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.. blessed be the name of the Lord."

I owe my mother a big thank you for my formative childhood years!!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION .
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC .
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out off that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6 . My mother taught me FORESIGHT .
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY .
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

9. My mother taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

10. My mother taught me about WEATHER .
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

11. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY .
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

12. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

13. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

14. My mother taught me about ENVY .
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

15. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home."

16. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

17. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE .
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

18. My mother taught me HUMOR .
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

19. My mother taught me about my ROOTS .
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

20 My mother taught me WISDOM .
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

21. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."

Author Unknown

In Honor of Mothers Everywhere.

View and Listen

The slide show below was created to have the Superman Theme song to play while viewing. So go to my video bar and click on one of the superman songs and view the slide show which is my attempt at some political humor. With still over 180 days until election day we will need a few laughs to get through it!

a little political humor

No More Flicker

No this is not B posting another bird story. This is M posting the latest Flicker story because B is to angry to write anything. Last night when we came home a starling was seen taking up residence in the hole in our maple that the flicker had worked on for two days. Mild mannered B was so mad she told me if she had a bb gun she would eliminate one of her least favorite birds. Thankfully the only gun we have in the house is an old rifle I got from my Dad years ago and I don't even know where the bullets are for it. I tried to calm her down and told her it was not her place to settle this bird dispute, but she is still mad. Her last comment when she got home from work a little while ago was how she was going to "fill the hole with, cement,or sand or some other substance" that would close the home to the foul bird. And here I thought birding was supposed to be a non-stressful hobby! Maybe she needs to take up scrabble as her hobby and give up birding!What do you think?

My Friend Flicker Youtube Video

"My Friend Flicker"

The title is not a spelling error, my story is about a bird, not a horse!
Exciting birding news at the Garner house. Our large maple in the front yard will soon be home to a pair of Northern Flickers.(woodpecker family for you non- birders :) Mike and I have decided they must surely have headaches by nightfall as they have been diligently excavating a perfectly round hole in our tree the past two days. We have a great view right out our den window... making it perfect for watching the soon to come young.
If the books are right they could have 5 - 10 eggs. I think they better keep excavating for now because that would be a big family for such a small home!
We have posted one picture to the right and if you scroll down you'll see the 2 larger pictures. I love birding and my goldfinch feeder on the same tree is so much fun to watch as many of my goldfinches are now year round residents. What an added attraction to now have flickers sharing the maple this summer!
I'm so thankful for a God who gives us such wonderful creatures to enjoy....and friends and family with which to share the stories.

It is Official

Yes it is official. As of today we do not have a home phone. No more sales calls during dinner. No more answering machine messages to check. No more wrong numbers in the middle of the night. I have to admit it does feel a little weird not having a home phone after having one for years but I think I will get used to it. If someone is reading this and do not have our cell phone numbers and would like them, leave us a post and we will get them to you.

This is our Story to God be the Glory

Ernie asked a question in one of his emails about knowing more about our lives sense we left Calgary in 1986. I remembered a time several years ago that Benita and I told our stories at CBC and thought this may be a good way to answer his question. I sent him the link and then thought I would post it here in case someone else would like to listen to it. http://www.communitybaptist.to/cbcaudio/073105s.mp3

Have a good and Godly day!

Permission to post

Thanks for the kind words Ernie. I shared our exchanges with my Pastor today. He preached a message last Sunday on the subject of Suffering and It was a great message that I think you may find interesting. You can find it here http://www.communitybaptist.to/media.htm and then click on "Happiness Happens". Later in the day my Pastor asked me to share a short testimony to the church about Patrick and your contacting me these many years later. Of course I told him I would. I do not know exactly what I will say yet but I trust the Lord will give me the wisdom to say what needs to be said and that it will be an encouragement to the members of our church.
Also I want to know if you would mind me posting your last email on my blog? I would post it just as you wrote it. I believe it would be a blessing to some others to read it. Let me know your answer. If you don't want others to read it I will respect your privacy. Lord Bless Mike
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike, I am the one who should thanking you because your kindness, love and interest in Pat and our family is more real now than it was 25 years ago simply because I didn’t have an understanding of what or how you related personally with Pat at that particular time in your life. Of course I knew that you were being treated but –

I wish I could be there when you speak at your church service it would definitely be good for me as well to share in it. You can share any and /or all of my e mails as you see fit. Sometime when you have a minute please fill me in about how you got to go to Calgary and when you went back. Along with what you do as a boiler maker as I don’t really have a clue. How active are you as a Minister in your church?

When will you be sharing with the members of your church? Let me know please.

I have shared your blog/e mail with many people on my mail list and look forward to sharing it with more in the next few days.

Please say Hi to Benita from us and I think Shirley will be sending you an email shortly.

Kindest regards,

Ernie

Email from Ernie

Mike, I was going to respond on Garner’s Gazette but I couldn’t figure it out so now I have to get Chris to explain to me how to do it. You have touched me immensely through your words. They are very much appreciated and after lots of tears I decided I needed to respond. I have made several phone calls to friends and family to let them know that I am forwarding this to them.

I didn’t realize that you were just 30 years old when you took on the roll of friend to Patrick, to us and you shared with us at his memorial service. When I started my search for you and Steve I wasn’t sure if I would be able to locate the two of you 25 years later or what I wanted or expected to happen if I did locate you. I didn’t realize how you meeting and knowing Pat (better than many), would impact your life as it obviously has. You have touched my family in such a special way and your comments on how your life has been interchanged with ours and Pat’s is significant. This special Blog makes my decision to locate you and check in with you very worth while and I hope we can share more in the future.

I was just 33 and Shirley was 30 at the time of Pat’s passing and we didn’t know what might come our way next nor could we find the answers we were looking for and like you today we are no closer to answering those question’s. We thought that our lives had to get better because loosing Patrick was the worst possible event in our lives. Yet God continued to challenge us each day of our lives when we made life decisions, when Chris was diagnosed, when I fell off the roof, when that car accident happened and when I lay on the floor in the bank robbery.

Yes, Mike, you did make the right decision when you moved to Calgary to take over your post as Pastor and if there was anyway to make up your pension (like if I win the lottery!!) I would happily do it. You had what it took to do the job that God put in front of you and you faced it –the Church and your personal battle with cancer. We are very happy that you moved to Calgary because I know that those discussions you had with Pat made a difference to him and he is sitting there watching us reconnect and smiling down at us as we go through this and share in what occurred a quarter century ago. IMAGINE!!!!!!!!

Thanks for sharing your “GOD MOMENT” with all who may read your blog.

I will be sharing this with Steve and all my friends on the computer

Best wishes,

Ernie

A God Moment

Last week I had what I have heard called a "God Moment". A "God Moment" is a time when God works in a way that you realize something is just not a coincidence but a direct result of God working in your life. It all started at work one day last week when I was looking over my retirement readout with another fellow boilermaker. He was helping me figure out all the fine print in the papers. After we finished that it started to sink in that I would probably not be getting a big enough pension to be able to retire in November when I turn 55. As I examined the numbers I realized if I would have stayed boilermaking in 1982 instead of going to Calgary to Pastor a church I would probably have had enough hours and money in my pension to retire this year. Then I started wondering if I done the right thing back then.
A few moments later while checking my email on my phone, my Pastor told me someone had written him an email asking if I was the same Mike Garner who pastored in Calgary in the early 1980's. Pastor forwarded me the email and I contacted Ernie Callow. Ernie did a search on the web to see if he could find me because he wanted to thank me for something. That something was my part of the memorial service for his then 6 year old son Pat. Pat and I had cancer at the same time in 1982. We both lost all of our hair from our treatments and we would talk about that and other things during times at church on Sundays. I remember well Pat's spirit during that time and I never heard him once complain or ask "why me?". He just took what came his way and did the best he could with it. In the fall of 1983 Pat went home to be with the Lord. That same year my cancer went away and has never returned. Why did God heal me and take little Pat at such a young age? I still do not have the answer to that question to this day. I do know it was not because I was more deserving than little Patrick. I also know that little Patrick's life and death were and still are an inspiration to me and I am thankful that God allowed our life paths to cross.
Then came the "God Moment". I realized if I had stayed in Michigan longer in 1982 I would have missed this experience and many more important ones as well. God's timing is perfect. After 25 years God used Ernie to find me, thank me, encourage me, and confirm to me that I made the right decision in 1982. I may not be able to retire this year but that is O.K. I know I made the right decision then and I look forward to boilermaking a few more years if that is what the Lord has for me! Thank you Ernie and Thank you God.

My 100TH Post!

I just noticed when I went to post that this is number 100. So I thought I would celebrate by talking about my 3 favorite sports teams that all happened to play tonight. First my Tigers beat Clevland tonight by a big score. It was over before I got home from church after a big grand slam in the 5th inning. I was hoping we would win this one so I would not have to take anymore grief from my boss who is an Indian fan. We are now tied for last at 5-10. Not good!
My Pistons also beat a Clevland team tonight as they won their last regular season game. Bring on the 76ERS.
Last but not least are the wings. It looks like they may lose tonight to Nashville and come home Friday for game 5 all even.
Oh by the way the Lions did not play today thank the Lord!

The Oprah Cult?

I have said for years that I believed Oprah would start her own church someday. It seems that that is happening now with her new web casts she is doing with an author of her favorite book she has ever read. Watch the Youtube video and see what I mean. Thanks to Deanna for letting me know about it.

What is Oprah Teaching?

Change

If you know my wife very well you know she does not like change. I have been trying to talk her into doing away with our phone land line ever sense we went to cable internet access. We do not get many calls on that phone anymore and I hate dialing numbers so much I even use my cell phone when I am home. Well finally she has come around and we will be stopping our service in the next week or so. If you do not know our cell phone numbers and want them let me know and I will give them to you.

Church Announcements

Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (Summer, 2006 Release).

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.

Scrabble Video

Opening day in JAPAN?

I am sitting here watching a replay of the first baseball game of the 2008 season and it is a replay of a game that was played this morning our time in Japan. The Red Sox with two players from Japan seem to be the favorite of the huge crowd.
In my lifetime it has been interesting to see so many of our professional sports leagues branch out to other parts of the world. Baseball, Football, and Basketball have all played league games in other countries. I believe it will not be to long before we see our leauges expand to other places outside of the U.S. (other than Canada which already has Basketball and Baseball teams). This could be a sign that we are in the last part of the last days before Jesus Christ will return. We live in exciting times! Maranatha

Why Does the Date for Easter Change Each Year?

At church this morning someone asked me why the date for Easter changes each year. After fumbling around for an answer I decided I better look it up so I would know for sure. I knew it had something to do with the moon.The following is one of a few responseS I found on the net. Don't forget CHRIST IS RISEN! - CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!!

Believe it or not, Easter was not celebrated by the church until the 2nd Century. It was nearly always followed by 50 days focusing on the resurrection. There were two ways the date of Easter was celebrated. In Asia Minor, Christians celebrated Easter on the Jewish Passover, (14th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar) no matter what day of the week. Others used the Sunday after Passover. In 325 A.D., the church declared that Easter was to “be on the Sunday that followed the first full moon after the spring equinox.” That means Easter can be as early as March 22nd and as late as April 25th.

The date for Easter for the Orthodox churches, which still use the Julian calendar, still differs from Western churches, which use the Gregorian calendar. As a result, the Easter date is usually one to four weeks later than in the West.

Wall to Wall Basketball

College Basketball junkies are in their glory this weekend. 64 teams are playing in the big tournament and only 16 will make it through the weekend. I have watched my share of games but after awhile they all start running together. My pick for the winning team this year is Memphis. They should not be to excited about that as I never pick the winner.

Ok Anybody out There?

I have been posting here now for over two months. A matter of fact I am proud to say I have not missed a day during that time. I can tell by my counter that several people have given my blog a look. I have also had a few people tell me about seeing something I have posted here. It would be nice to hear a comment or two from you. I welcome positive and negative feedback. Some topics you like and some you could do without. Thanks in advance.

All 101 Scrabble Two-Letter Words

If you are a beginner and want to improve in scrabble the first think you need to do is memorize all 101 two letter words. You probably know 75% of them so there is only about 25 you will need to learn. Here is a list of all of them.

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN
AR AS AT AW AX AY
BA BE BI BO BY
DE DO
ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EX
FA FE
GO
HA HE HI HM HO
ID IF IN IS IT
JO
KA KI
LA LI LO
MA ME MI MM MO MU MY
NA NE NO NU
OD OE OF OH OI OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY
PA PE PI
QI
RE
SH SI SO
TA TI TO
UH UM UN UP US UT
WE WO
XI XU
YA YE YO
ZA

What a Great Day!

We had a great day at church today. We had over 300 in attendance with many of our people serving in various ways. This was the best baptism I have ever been a part of. We are so blessed to serve with such a great bunch of people at CBC. I have added a few pictures of todays activities for your viewing.

Ordinance Sunday

Tomorrow is ordinance Sunday at our church. Three Sundays a year we have a communion service and baptism service. In the past we have done our baptisms at our parent church, Huron Baptist, during the afternoon hours. We also do a celebraton dinner after the baptisms in which we invite family and friends of the baptism candidates to attend.
A few months ago the leadership team saw that we had the potential to have a larger than usual number of people getting baptized and we were questioning wheather Huron would be big enough to house the event. As we were brainstorming about possible alternatives one of the fellows mentioned the swimming pool at the middle school we currently meet at. After some further discussion we decided to look deeper into this possibility.
Well tomorrow 8 adults, 1 teenager, and 3 children will be baptized in the swimming pool at Brownstown Middle School. Also we will have over 100 guests between them all, who will be witnessing this event and joining in the dinner celebration that follows. It is very likly we will have close to 300 people gathered aroung the pool watching the baptisms. A lot of planning and the work of many of our members will go into making this all happen, but it is the kind of work that is well worth it. I look forward to many more special days like this one in the days to come at Community Baptist Church.

Can it Really Be?

Wow, can my little guy really be 26 years old today? It does not seem possible. It seems like only yesterday that his mom was giving him a bath in Aunt Lane's bathroom sink. From this picture you can see where he picked up the nickname, Michelin Man. Have a great birthday Bud!

Happy Birthday Jared!

Tomorrow is my son's 26th birthday. As I was driving home from work today I thought back to one of my favorite memories of his past birthdays. It all started when Jared was about 3 years old and we lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During that time I liked to golf, and Jared would ask often if he could go with me when I would go.I would always answer him the same way, "I will take you golfing when you turn 8 years old". Why I picked that age I do not know ,but I remember repeating it often over the next few years. When Jared was four years old we moved back to Michigan to live. The Christmas before his eight birthday his Mom and I bought him a junior set of golf clubs. At this point the story had changed to me taking him golfing on his eight birthday if the weather would allow it. Well, low and behold March 14th came that year, and to my surprise it was a near record high for that day of the month in Michigan. If I remember correctly it was in the low 70's. Not only that but it was dry enough that a par three golf course by our house was open. We golfed together that day and had a great time. I still often look at the picture that Benita took of us that day on our front porch with both of us holding our clubs and remember what a great day it was. I don't golf much anymore but when I do get to go I would rather go with Jared than anyone else in the world. Happy Birthday Jared! I love you.
(3-15 after looking at the picture today only Jared was holding his clubs.Sorry about that)

Indescribable - Chris Tomlin

40 Five Letter Scrabble Words

I found this on the net and thought it was interesting. All 40 of these words are in the official scrabble dictionary. The two blanks are E and S.

I may sartt witirntg my bolg tihs way.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

Once in a while I will get a forward that I really like. The following is one B and I got a nice laugh from. See if you have ever said or heard any of these before.
I know B has never used any of these with me before! Well maybe one or two.. Whatever..
(Author Unknown)


(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" ... that will bring on a "whatever").

(8) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying "Kiss my butt"!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Daylight savings time.

I just looked up at the clock and thought I had not gotten my post in on time to keep my consecutive blog post streak alive. Then I realized my wife had just set the clock ahead for the hour we lose tonight. I am on set-up tomorrow at church so it will be a short night of sleep.
I heard a good idea about daylight savings time yesterday on the radio. It was suggested that the spring daylight savings time clock change should be moved from early Sunday morning to early in the afternoon on Friday. That way everyone would get out of work OR school an hour early. Now of course in the fall it would be best to keep it early sunday morning so you would get that extra hours of sleep.

Things My Mother Taught Me

I owe my mother a big thank you for my formative childhood years!!
(Author Unknown)


1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION .
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC .
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out off that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6 . My mother taught me FORESIGHT .
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY .
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

9. My mother taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

10. My mother taught me about WEATHER .
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

11. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY .
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

12. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

13. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

14. My mother taught me about ENVY .
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

15. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home."

16. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

17. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE .
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

18. My mother taught me HUMOR .
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

19. My mother taught me about my ROOTS .
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

20 My mother taught me WISDOM .
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

21. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."

Friends

We have a great bunch of folks at our church that make up our "Friends" group. "Friends" is a fifty (or there-a-bouts) and over group that get together for fellowship twice a month usually over a meal. Tonight 22 of us met at the Lakes of Taylor Golf course were they have a senior special each Thurday. There are several meal choices to choose from at a very reasonal price.Tonight my wife and I were the first ones there, so the waitress quickly brought us a menu. Then she gave us a very nice complement when she asked "You are not seniors are you?", to which I quickly replied "Yes we are." But then I realized they were using the age of 55 not 50 as their dividing point, so I gladly ordered off the regular menu. Now, I have to admit this is the first time I have ever been "carded" for the senior discount rate. Of course it will only be a few more months and I will be able to order off the Senior Menu with the rest of my "Friends".

Pistons -Celtics

Sitting here watching the Pistons- Celtics. This is like watching a playoff game. As a matter of fact many believe, with me being one of them, that this will be the Eastern Conference Final's matchup. Brings back memories of the old Bad Boys vs. Celtics in the late 80's. Bring on the Playoffs!

Overtime and Snow

Two of my least favorite things happened today. I had to work 12 hours because of an emergency repair at River Rouge Powerhouse and it is snowing again. Forcasters are calling for 4 to 7 inches and it should be an interesting drive in to work tomorrow. Also I am supposed to work 12 hours again but will leave after 10 so I can teach my Bible class. That is unless the snow cancels our evening services tomorrow.How many more days until opening day?

You Think You Had A Bad Day?

Scrabble Friday

I played in a 15 game tournament this weekend. I only won 5 games and lost 10.
I still had a good time despite my poor outing. My favorite bingo I played was PRECLEAN.I also played 4 other 8 letter bingoes.
FRAILEST, REPOURED, DOMINATE, and GLITTERS.

Funny Anagrams Answers

GEORGE BUSH: H E B U G S G O R E


DORMITORY: D I R T Y R O O M


PRESBYTERIAN: B E S T I N P R A Y E R


THE MORSE CODE: H E R E C O M E D O T S


SLOT MACHINES: C A S H L O S T I N M E


MOTHER-IN-LAW: W I T C H H I T L E R


SNOOZE ALARMS: A L A S! N O M O R E Z’ S


A DECIMAL POINT: I’M A D O T I N P L A C E


ELEVEN PLUS TWO: T W E L V E PLUS O N E

FUNNY ANAGRAMS

Try and fill in the blanks to make a funny anagram phrase. I will post the answers at a later date.


GEORGE BUSH: H _ B _ _ _ G _ _ _

DORMITORY: D _ _ _ _ R _ _ _


PRESBYTERIAN: B _ _ _ I _ P _ _ _ _ _


THE MORSE CODE: H _ _ _ C _ _ _ D _ _ _


SLOT MACHINES: C _ _ _ L _ _ _ I _ M _


MOTHER-IN-LAW: W _ _ _ _ H _ _ _ _ _


SNOOZE ALARMS: A _ _ _! N _ M _ _ _ Z’ S


A DECIMAL POINT: I’M A D _ _ I _ P _ _ _ _


ELEVEN PLUS TWO: _ _ _ _ _ _ PLUS _ _ _

You Are My Hiding Place

IC vs. BP

Stopped by for the 2nd half of the Inter-City - Baptist Park District Basketball game after church tonight. This rivaly goes way back to the mid - seventies and I have been on both sides of it. When I got there tonight BP was up by one. A very close game ended with IC pulling out the win. It was good to see so many familiar faces from both sides. Guess I will go back for the District final on Friday.

High School Basketball Tournament Time

Last week the girls started off the High School Basketball Tournament season. The boys start their's this week. This is the first year the boys and the girls have played during the same period of time. I am sure it kept the athletic directors at each High School up late at night trying to schedule all the practices and games.
The Inter-City girls team won their first district in five years. They play a very good team tonight in Warren, so it looks like their season could end tonight. The boys drew a bye so they do not play until Wed. night. They are the favorites in their district but anything can happen.
This time of the year brings back fond memories of when our son played at IC. They won a district his senior year and won one regional game before losing to Detroit City in the regional final. I may have to bring out and old tape of one of those games and watch it this week. I will also try and get out and see one of the games and support our son's old school.

Anagrams with my Own Definitions - Final

SLEAZO AZOLES (shoddy chemical compounds)

DREADING READDEING (you won the scrabble game by one, and now a recount)

ENDEARED DEADENER (I love but I do not feel)

ADHERED REHEARD (sticky echos)

MADDENS DEMANDS (John Madden’s contract stipulations)

DOWNLOADS WOODLANDS (likes to save computer pictures of forests)

DEPARTEES DESPARATE (headline about the New Orleans evacuation)

DEPARTEE REPEATED (I am leaving one more time)

ENFRAMED FREEDMAN (innocent man found guilty)

Watching "Lost" on a Computer

Some 25 years ago, when Benita and I were first married, we got hooked watching the TV series "Hill Street Blues". It was a continuing story that left you hanging each week. After that we tried to stay away from those type of programs because they took up to much of our time. That was until our son had us start watching the first season of "24" two years ago while we were down visiting him. Benita has now watched seasons one, two, three, four, and five so far. I have watched some of them but not all of them. She bought season six on DVD but has not started watching it yet. The reason being when our son came home a while back he brought his DVD's of the first season of "Lost". Low and below Benita started watching all the reruns of those on DVD. She has now caught up and has starting watching the show each Thursday night. The only problem is Thursday nights are a busy night for church ministries. So I discovered we can watch the show the next day on our lap top computer. Hopefully our son will not get us watching his latest favorite continuing show, "Prison Break". Or at least not until these other shows go off the air!

Hill Street Blues

Two Saturdays - Two Weddings

We went to our second wedding in two weeks today. As I have said before, weddings are not one of my favorite thing to do. Last year I only went to one wedding, and it was my son's. I just could not get out of going to that one!ha
So let's see if I have to attend any more this year or if this will be it.
I have included a picture of B and me from tonight.

Scrabble Friday

Daniel Stock is a scrabble player from Ohio. He is known as Stocky and likes anything purple. He also is know for making up sayings using all 100 tiles of a scrabble game. The picture I have posted was taken by me at the beginning of a tournament we both played in. He used all 100 tiles and made eight seven letter words and four 15 letter words. The playing board will not allow a player to make a longer word than 15 letters. I have posted a larger picture at the bottom of the page.

Songs from the Past

I found this video tonight and thought I would post it. It sure does bring back some fond memories and tugged at my heart again just like it used to. The first song is one I listened to many times in my car. The second one is my prayer and I trust it it yours also. No matter what comes my way I will trust God in it for He is worthy of all my faith, trust and love. Lord Bless

Twila Paris -The Warrior is a Child/I Will Trust Him

WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CHURCH START?

Have you ever been asked that question before? Years ago most churches that I knew of , had the traditional Sunday starting times of 10 AM Sunday School , 11 AM Worship Service , 7:30 Evening Service. If you wanted to visit a different church you could be confident that most likely those three times were the times for each of the Sunday services. Now days it seems no two churches are alike with their starting times. Churches today that have multiple services may meet as early as 8 am and even have a Saturday evening service. Some churches hold Sunday afternoon services because they share a building with another church. Many evening services now start as early as 5 pm with some churches choosing to not meet together at all or meet in small groups in various members’ homes.

WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CHURCH START ? At Community Baptist Church that question has several different answers depending on who you ask. For many members of CBC, church starts well before they arrive at Brownstown Middle School on Sunday morning. Some prepare sermons and lessons during the week while others make sure all the ministries are covered for the upcoming Sunday gathering. Early Sunday morning several make coffee at home to bring, while others pick up bagels and other goodies for Café community. Someone else strategically places the guest parking signs at various locations around our meeting place.

Church starts for others at 8:30 a.m. when the doors are opened for the preparation of changing a school building into a church meeting place. Some are there every week at this time while others join in once a month for their rotating set-up responsibility. At this time tables and chairs are moved into position, sound equipment is set-up and tested, and video screens and monitors are put into place. Other activities include Children’s Ministry rooms being organized, needed supplies being transported from the storage cabinets to their proper places, an information table is created, and all the food and drink preparations for Café Community are completed. For other members Church starts at 9:00 when the Ensemble starts to practice the songs for the morning, the nursery and two and three year old classrooms are prepared for the children’s arrival, and the greeters and ushers prepare for their important ministry of the day.

But when someone asks the question WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CHURCH START, what they usually want to know is “when does the actual worship service begin?. The answer to that question at CBC is 9:30 a.m. That is the time Pastor Brown begins our service with announcements. After that we sing together, pray together, give our offerings to the Lord, and hear God’s Word so wonderfully preached and taught each week. So if you want to be on time for the 9:30 AM morning worship service at CBC I have a suggestion for you. I would walk through the front door of Brownstown Middle School no later than 9:15. That should give you time to greet the many friendly folks at CBC, place your children in either the nursery or two and three year old classroom if need be, look at the materials and information sheets on the book table, receive your bulletin from an usher, and find a seat for the 9:30 start. So what time does church start at CBC? I think the best answer is to start thinking …no later that 9:15!

Now I can hear the next question coming, WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CHURCH END? That is a question that will have to wait for another day!

Recession?

On Saturday after attending a wedding Benita and I attended the Boilermakers Dinner -dance. There are several things that make the dinner-dance so appealing to attend.It is a chance to see many of the guys in a suit and without a hardhat on, good food, and it is free! This is the first dinner-dance we have had in five years and it was the largest attended of all the other ones I have attended. Over 230 people were there I was told. It took place at the new MGM Grand Casino Hotel downtown and was very classy. Benita and I arrived just in time to eat and left before the party got to wild. We parked in the Casino parking garage and had to walk through the gambling area to get to the banquet room. One thing that was very evident during our walk through was it was packed with people putting their money in machines and on gambling tables. It sure did not look like there was any kind of recession going on in Detroit by the size of the crowd.I have included my favorite picture from the night.

Anagrams with my Own Definitions Part 4

BOOMERANG BOOGERMAN (he keeps coming back to scare me!)

BASHER REHABS (goes to a place to learn not to bash anyone anymore)

SNAKEBIT BEATNIKS (an unlucky nonconformist)

OBTAIN BONITA (get beautiful fish here!)

DECAF FACED (still sleepy eyed)

INCASED CANDIES (M&Ms)

NINETIES EINSTEIN (smartest man of the 1990s decade)

HAPPIEST EPITAPHS (here lies Les Moore – no less no more)

OVERIDLE EVILDOER (idle hands are the devil’s workshop)

RAMMIEST MARMITES (a large ram like soup kettle)

IDOLISE DOILIES (make a great fuss over little napkins)

Bad Weather Sundays

Today was the fourth or fifth bad weather Sunday morning in a row. This along with the strain of sickness going through our church has really been hurting our attendance. The good news is we only have one more Sunday left in Feb. meaning March is just around the corner. Another great sign is the Tigers have reported to spring training down in Lakeland Florida. I am looking forward to spring this year. Can you tell?

Weddings

Today our friend's daughter is getting married. I have observed over the years that weddings tend to be a big deal for the women and not that big a deal to the men. Personally I am not a big fan of weddings and all the trappings that go with them. I think a more simplictic approach to weddings in our culture would be wise. Often lots of time, money and energy are spent for such a short celebration. I have talked to many people about their past weddings and most would have done things differently. I have heard some say they wished they had the money that was spent on the wedding and put it toward the start of their new life together. Those sentiments often get lost in the moment though as people prepare for the big event. Congratulations Trisha and Paul and Lord Bless.

Lost in the Moment

geek quiz

I went to my friend Larry's blog(Geekbert) today and found out about a geek quiz he took. Now we often accuse Larry of being a geek for his expertise with computers (or macs more specificly). Our Pastor lovingly calls him our "professor of geekology". Larry posted his score on his blog and it was 64%.Now no one has ever accused me of being a geek so I thought I would take the quiz and see what my score was. It turned out that my score was a whopping 13%. Now to prove how correct this score was, I attempted to place the quiz into my blog like Larry did and was not able to do it. So, If you want to take the quiz I think I know how to copy and paste the link to his blog here so you can go there and do it.
http://geekbert.blogspot.com/

Happy V Day?

Today is Feb. 14. A special day to many people, but just another day to my wife and me. We are a little different when it comes to these made up holidays. We call them "Hall-Mark Holidays". That means they are holidays created and advertised by those who want you to buy their over priced products. We have discovered that if we do want to buy each other something the better time to do this is right after these "Hall Mark Holidays"... when everything is 50 to 75 per cent off!

A Lesson Learned

As I posted on Saturday I preached on Sunday at our church. I filled in for Pastor Ken who was suffering from the effects of the flu. I decided to preach a message I first preached some 25 years ago. Now over the years I have refined, improved, and added to this sermon. What lesson did I learn on Sunday? When you add to a message it can get to long to give in the alotted time! While I was preaching Sunday, I discovered very quickly I had to much material for the 35 minutes I had to preach. So I did what I had to do. I started making decisions on what I would preach and what I would skip over.
Preaching is a very dynamic exercise that I throughly enjoy doing. If you would of told me when I was in High School that I would one day in the future stand before people and talk about the Bible I would have said you were crazy. As a matter of fact I remember taking a zero on an oral report because I was afraid to get up in front of a class full of my peers. I credit this change in my life to the grace of God and I thank Him for it. If you are interested, the link to my message on Sunday can be found on this page.

thttp://www.communitybaptist.to/media.htm

Benita Sees her First Golden Eagle

After hours of bird watching this year Benita finally saw her first Golden Eagle. Golden Eagles migrate late in the year so she saw many other raptors fly over before she spotted the Golden Eagle. Of course this was the high lite of her birding year. The video below is not the one she saw but gives you an idea of what they look like.

Benita' Loves Eagles

Anagrams with my definitions part 3

GRANDAM GRANDMA (what the teenage grandson says he wants for Christmas)

SEAWATER TEAWARES (undrinkable tea service)

GATEWAY GETAWAY (computer theft)

MARGINAL ALARMING (just slightly alarming)

AGAINST ANTISAG (double negative?)

MARITAL MARTIAL (person who looks out for married couples)

AIRMAN MARINA (where the airforce keep their sailboats)

ANAL ALAN (derogatory nickname)

RAMPANT MANTRAP (marriage??)

BLACKLIST STICKBALL (another sports scandal)

Who am I?

I watched this video for the first time last year. In 10 months it has had over 1,700,000 views on Youtube. If you can not figure out how the visuals are being done, wait until the end of the video and you will get the answer.

Who Am I?

Preach the Word.

Last night my Pastor called and told me he was sick and was thinking he may not be able to preach on Sunday. I told him I could get something ready to preach if he was not better by then. 2 Timothy 4:2 came to my mind after our conversation.

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

As a preacher of the gospel I should always have a message ready to share whenever the opportunity arises. I immediately started going through my sermon files to see what I could preach . My eyes quickly went to a sermon I had first preached over 25 years ago! I then remembered that it was the sermon I had preached as part of my ordination service on Mother's Day, 1982. Now I have revised, updated, and added to it several times over the years, but the outline is still very similar to the one I used in 1982. My Pastor e-mailed me this morning and told me he thought it best that I preach tomorrow. Although I wish Pastor could preach tomorrow, I look forward to the opportunity to "Preach the Word"!

Ancient Words

Last Sunday we sang a song we had never sung before at our church. It is called "Ancient Days" and was written by Michael W. Smith. The song is a great reminder of what the Word of God is. I look forward to singing it many more times. Below is a version of the song as sung by Steve Green. The words are included in the video. The word of God may be old, but it is not old fashioned, It may be ancient ,but it will endure forever, and it may talk about things that happened many years ago but it is more relative than any other book that has been written or ever will be written. Read it, Study it, Memorize it, but most importantly Obey it!

James 1:22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Ancient Words

A Little Thursday Humor

Thought it was time to post a Youtube Video. This is one I catch myself singing at times. I do not eat Krispy Kreme donuts anymore but I used to enjoy them. Maybe they ought to use this song to promote their product in the future.I know it makes me want to go buy some.

Tim Hawkins

Cutthroat Scrabble

Back in 2005 Benita and I visited Reno Nevada. I went to play in the National Scrabble Tournament and she went to see some of the sights. After I got back home I did an interview with our local newspaper about my experiences at the tournament. The lady who wrote the article called me on my cell phone while I was driving in my car. (Something that I get upset with other people doing when I see them on the road driving 20 miles an hour under the speed limit!)We talked for about 20 minutes as she asked me many questions.Several weeks later the article, with Benita and my picture added, were included in the paper. It was funny how I was qouted saying some things I did not say, and how she added things that were not true. For instance she talked about us playing with wooden tiles. Although most scrabble games are played this way, tournament scrabble games are played with plastic tiles so people cannot feel for the smooth wooden tiles as they search for one of the two blank tiles. Despite all of this it was kind of neat to see our pictures in the paper and have several people we known contact us and let us know they saw it too. In case you missed it I have posted a picture of it down below.
This years nationals are in Orlando in July. Not sure yet if I want to be in Orlando in July! We will see.

Favorite Web Sites

I have a lot of Web Sites I like to visit. One I have found recently is called oneplace.com. It is a site where you can watch videos of sermons that have been preached. Tonight I watched a sermon by one of my favorite preachers, John MacArthur. The sermon had two parts and was called "Children and the Kingdom of God". In the presentation the speaker deals with the question "What happens to children when they die?". At the end of the sermon there was an interview shown of a couple who lost a young child and how they are coping with it. If you have lost a child in the past or know someone who has I would highly recommend watching this. Just go to this web site...

http://oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You_Video/

Then go to Archives and look for dates Jan. 6, and Jan. 13.
"Children and the Kingdom of God"

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment.Thanks

More anagrams with my definitions

BLASTEMAL MEATBALLS (embryonic cells that go with spaghetti)

SAXTUBA SUBTAXA (a scientific classification of a bass sax horn)

HEADRACES SCAREHEAD (but I am afraid of water channels)

HARDCASE CHARADES (a difficult party game)

CANVASED ADVANCES (to examine thoroughly as you move ahead)

REATTACK ATTACKER ( a multiple offender)

HAIRCAP CHARPAI (place for a hat to sleep)

SATIRICAL RACIALIST (makes fun of people that are different from him)

PACKMAN MANPACK (everyone wants one of these to carry stuff in)

AMTRAC TARMAC (where the train goes before it takes off)

Let My Words Be Few

So much for the BIG snow storm!

Well this morning, after about only 4 hours of sleep, my alarm went off at 5 am. The last time during the night I remember looking outside it was 2 o'clock and it had still not started snowing. At five there was just one or two inches of snow on the ground. I left at about 5:20 and arrived at work at 6 o'clock, one hour before our starting time. After putting in my 8 hour day I had an easy drive home as the roads were in good shape. At least all the school kids had a day off from school. I do not think I will have a hard time going to sleep tonight!

Only two more months until opening day!!

Let it Snow , Let it Snow!

I am sitting here watching the forcast for tomorrow and it looks like snow is a sure thing. I start work at 7 and only have about a 20 mile drive to work. The weather man is forcasting 6 to 10 inches starting at midnight and lasting until 2 in the afternoon. So what time will I need to leave in the morning to get to work on time? I think I will get up an hour earlier and try to leave by 5:15. Hopefully it will not take me very long to clean off my car and dig myself out of the driveway. It is times like this I wish we had a garage and a four wheel drive vehicle.Thought I would post a picture of Benita filling her bird feeder during our last snow storm.

How Big is Our Earth?

I am teaching tonight on the Triune God. I am hoping to use this as an illustration to show how big God's creation is. If I can not show it I will have to ask the class to view my blog to see it.

The Size of our World???

Anagrams with my Own Definitions

An anagram is two or more words formed from the same set of letters. Like GOD and DOG both are made from the letters D - G - O . A while back I was studying some anagrams for my scrabble addiction and came up with my own definitions by defining the two words together. Here are a few of my favorites.

GIMPY PIGMY (short limp)

SPIKING PIGSKIN (What football players do after scoring a touchdown)

SLIPCASE SPECIALS (two for a dollar)

MACRO CAROM (huge rebound)

CHIEF FICHE (head of microfilm department)

LAMED MEDAL (hebrew award)

COMBO COOMB (jazz band playing in a narrow valley )

OUTSLEEP EELPOUTS (fish don’t sleep do they?)

BACKCAST SCATBACK (a fishing football player)

BACKWARD DRAWBACK (e c n a r d n i h )

HALFBACKS FLASHBACK (a football player remembers)

Ask the Geese

I received this slide show in an email from a friend of mine at work. It is about the lessons we can learn fron geese. Of course Benita has already forwarded it to several people because of the bird content.I have included the link to this slide show for you to enjoy.
http://www.slideshare.net/guest784303/ask-the-geese

Fool Prove Way to Lose Weight

A Drop in the Bucket

I was recently talking to someone about the many sayings we use or hear in the English language that have their origen in the King James Bible. This discussion took place after my friend used the phrase "a drop in the bucket". I had been reading Isaiah chapter 40 that morning and I came across that very phrase. That prompted me to see how many other sayings trace their beginnings from the Bible. I did a google search and came up with an interesting web site called "The Phrase Finders". I decided to cut and paste a page of the site into this post. I will also post the link to this web site at the end of my post.

The King James Version of the Bible has been enormously influential in the development of the English language. It ranks with the complete works of Shakespeare and the Oxford English Dictionary as one of the cornerstones of the recorded language. After Shakespeare, the King James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible is the most common source of phrases in English. The King James in question was James I of England and James VI of Scotland. He didn't write the text of course, he merely authorized it, hence the name that the book is best known in the UK (King James Version , or KJV, being more commonly used in the USA).

The King James Version was translated by 47 biblical scholars, working in six committees. It was first printed in 1611 and was by no means the earliest English translation of the Bible. It was pre-dated by several other partial or complete translations, notably John Wyclif's translation in 1382 and William Tyndale's in 1528 - the latter forming the basis of a large proportion of the KJV.

What raises that version above other versions of the Bible in terms of its linguistic impact is the fact that the language used has persisted into the present-day. Many of the phrases used are still commonplace. Here are some of the many phrases that originated in the Bible (most, but not all from the King James Version):

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A drop in the bucket
A man after his own heart
A multitude of sins
A thorn in the flesh
All things must pass
All things to all men
Am I my brother's keeper?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
As old as Methuselah
As old as the hills
As you sow so shall you reap
Ashes to ashes dust to dust
At his wits end
Beat swords into ploughshares
Bite the dust
Blessed are the peacemakers
Born again
By the skin of your teeth
Can a leopard change its spots?
Coat of many colours
Eat drink and be merry
Faith will move mountains
Fall from grace
Fight the good fight
Flesh and blood
For everything there is a season
Forbidden fruit
Forgive them for they know not what they do
From strength to strength
Get thee behind me Satan
Give up the ghost
Good Samaritan
How are the mighty fallen
In the beginning was the word
It's better to give than to receive
Lamb to the slaughter
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let there be light
Living off the fat of the land
Love of money is the root of all evil -The
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Man does not live by bread alone
Many are called but few are chosen
My cup runneth over
No rest for the wicked
O ye, of little faith
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
Physician heal thyself
Sour grapes
Spare the rod and spoil the child
The apple of his eye
The blind leading the blind
The bread of life
The fly in the ointment
The fruits of your loins
The powers that be
The root of the matter
The salt of the earth
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
The wages of sin is death
The writing is on the wall
Thou shalt not kill
Three score and ten
To cast the first stone
What God has joined together let no man put asunder
Woe is me

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bible-phrases-sayings.html

Hulkamania

My son Jared has been a fan of the WWE (formerly WWF) since he was a kid. I would watch it with him then and enjoyed many of the colorful characters. I do not watch it much anymore for reasons I will not go into(Even though my brother, Tim and I attended Wrestlemania, I forget what number, at Ford Field year before last.) Jared was into Hulk-a-mania back when Hulk Hogan was the big draw of the WWF. Some of you may know that Hulk has his own reality T.V. show now and that he and his family live in Clearwater, Florida ,the same place Jared lives.
A couple of years ago Jared got a call from a friend who told him that she had spotted Hulk shopping at the Target right by his apartment. Jared jumped in his car and took off to see if he could catch a glimpse of his boyhood idol. When Jared arrived he found Hulk sitting at the check-out line waiting for his wife who had two shopping carts full of stuff to pay for. Jared pulled out his camera phone and asked Mr. Hogan if he could take his picture. Hulk said "Go ahead brother", and Jared snapped the picture. Jared sent the picture to me and now I am posting it at the bottom of the page for you to see. I chuckle everytime I look at this picture and think of the story behind it.

"Amazing Grace" Preview

I found this link to a preview to the movie "Amazing Grace". It will give you a good idea of what the film is like. This is available on DVD now.

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

Amazing Grace

Someone sent me a link to this video several months ago. I went to Youtube and looked it up and was surprised to see that it has been viewed over 2 million times on that site.
Benita and I recently watched the movie called "Amazing Grace". It is a movie about the life of William Wilberforce. He was one of the leading English abolitionists, heading the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade, which he saw through to the eventual passage of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. Also in the film Wilberforce seeks advise from John Newton, the writer of the words to the song "Amazing Grace". I highly recommend the movie, but if you are like me you may have to listen to it closely. I had a hard time understanding the English accents.

Amazing Grace - Wintley Phipps

My Mom

It is hard to believe it has been over 31 years since my Mom died. She died of what was later discovered to be a brain tumor. I still miss her very much and look forward to the day I will be reunited with her in Heaven. I thought I would post a few pictures in her memory.The first one is a picture of her while still in her teens. The second one is a family picture taken less than a year before she died. Also in the picture beside the long haired guy, (yes that is me),is my sister Peggy and her first husband Terry, My sister Kim and Brother Tim, and my step dad, Eddie. I know it looks like a picture out of that "70's Show".

Turning 40

No not me! We attended a friend of ours 40th birthday party on Friday. It was a nice party with some great food. In honor of our friend, Janet, I decided to post a video clip of Mark Lowery and Bill Gaither on turning 40. Mark is a singer and comedian who graduated from Liberty University the same year I graduated. A few years later he was a guest of the church I pastored in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Hope this brings a smile to your face on this snowy, winter day here in Michigan.

Mark Lowery

Scrabble Time

As some of you know I play tournament scrabble. I have been competing for over six years now and have played 546 rated games. I only need 3 more wins to reach 300. I have enjoyed playing board games as far back as I can remember. I played scrabble off and on over the years but did not find out about the tournament part of scrabble until 1999. That year while working on a long boilermaker job my fellow-worker Danny Kidd asked me to play during our lunch breaks. He taught me much about the game during those times and prepared me for tournament scrabble. I learned the importance of knowing all the 2 and 3 letter words, tracking the tiles to help know what tiles are left toward the end of the game, playing with a clock, and most importantly the advantage of knowing as many 7 and 8 letters words as possible for bingoes. A bingo is when you use all seven of the letters on your rack and earn a 50 point bonus. Danny and I probably played 600 or more games during our time on that job. Today Danny is still one of my favorite people to play during tournaments. We have a great time and enjoy trash talking with each other as we play. Below,I have added a picture of the board of one of my favorite games with him.I needed a bingo on the last word to win and found the word NAVIGATE using the N already on the board. You may also want to look and see if you can find the two Phonies (a word played that is not in the scrabble dictionary but that was not challenged off by the opponent)on the board.

Another Time Another Place

Thought I would post another of my old favorites . Two good friends of ours from a past church used to sing this song together. I always loved when Matt and Karen would sing this song at Woodhaven Bible Church. Now, Wayne Watson was never one of my favorite singers, but he does a good job singing this duet with Sandy Patty. Lord Bless

Another Time Another Place

Stuart Townend

I have talked about Keith Getty before and his part in writing the music for several modern hymns.I have not mentioned Stuart Townend. Stuart is responsible for the lyrics to several of the Getty songs. "In Christ Alone" and "The Power of the Cross" are two of these songs. Below is a Video of Stuart Townend leading the singing of the latter song in a church worship service. I personally like the Getty versions of these songs better, but thought I would give Mr. Townend the credit he deserves for writing such powerful lyrics. Which version of this song do you like best?

Power of the Cross Video

I Love some of the old songs

Today I ran across an old song that I had not heard in many years. I first heard this song at College in Lynchburg Virginia when Sandy Patty sang at one of our services. Our services were shown on T.V. back then and I was able to tape it with my first video recorder. It was a beta machine that cost me 600 dollars used. Benita and I played that song many times on our recorder and were blessed every time we watched it. Watching the video today it is hard to believe some 25 years have come and gone, but that song still tugs at my heart even today. I could not help but think of my friend Jim, whose Dad passed away last night after a long bout with cancer.Jim's Dad was a believer and I envy what he is experiencing right now. I long for the day when I will see Jesus face to face in all His Glory!! May this video be a blessing to each of you who watch it.

We Shall Behold Him

Some things don't make sense to me.

Well we are back in beautiful Michigan after our trip to Florida. This weekend here is supposed to bring lows down toward the zero mark. BRRRRR. Now as I am writing this Jared and Melisa are in a church van traveling 11 hours from Tampa to North Carolina for a youth group ski trip they are helping to lead. Now, why would anyone want to leave the warm climate of Florida to travel where it is cold enough to go snow sking? It makes more sense to me to find a nice lake in Florida and go water sking all weekend! Oh, well I guess I just don't understand young people anymore.

Cletus take the Reel

Youtube Parody

The last few months I have discovered Youtube. It is amazing what videos you can find there.Our friends the Castles recently told me about a guy who does parody songs. I looked him up on Youtube and found some pretty funny stuff he does.I thought I would put one of our favorites on the blog. The song is a parody of the country song "Jesus take the Wheel" by former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. It is called "Cletus Take the Reel". Enjoy.

Time to go back home

Well our time with Jared and Melisa is coming to an end. We have had a nice time but we are looking forward to getting home and getting back to a normal schedule. Mike will probably start a new boilermaker job on Monday. It is one we have been praying for and will be 40 hours a week for a few months. We think it might be a little cooler when we get home tonight!ha

Saturday evening on the Gulf

Benita took this picture yesterday at Clearwater beach. It may be our last sunset as the weather has changed and it as been cooler and overcast all day. We can not complain though as we have had great weather every day we have been here.