You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder

James 2: 1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder."If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Faith and Deeds 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Hey! Why Not?

When I was a kid I always wanted a Mohawk haircut. It was that or a Davy Crocket coonskin hat. I got the hat! Well, talking to my son Jason the other day revived my childhood dream so I asked Joy to help me out. Pretty cool!

Truth or Consequences

Growing up after World War II my mom was sick of war and decided to raise up her children without violence. "Don't fight" she would say. "If someone wants to fight you, just run the other way." And so I did.

Until I moved to Iowa in the 5th grade. The first day we moved to Iowa, I took my bike out for a ride and immediately became the target for a snow ball. From that day on, I was chased every where I went. And wouldn't you know, the kid that chased me lived across the street! He always wanted to beat me up, but true to form "I ran the other way". I hated going outside every day and surely didn't look forward to school letting out. I only lived 1/2 block from school, but most days ran several blocks out of the way so this bully and his friends wouldn't catch me. Boy! what a life! My days at school were thinking about how I could avoid getting beat up.

One fateful day, my guard was down and the bully got my back up against a fence at school, ready to beat my face in when to my surprise my left hand got a mind of its' own and smashed my fist into his face! Now you have to realize that I lived months in fear of this guy and avoided confrontation in any way I could. Yet, I still remember 55 years ago the look on his face when my fist "had a mind of its' own" and broke his tooth. He cried, he looked shocked. "You broke my tooth", and guess what? He never bothered me again! That was a fateful day that I learned that if you don't confront a problem it will hound you and make your life miserable until you give in or deal with it.

I've tried to analyze the reason so many people hate our President. Most don't even have the respect to call him by his name (Mr. President, or President Bush) but just "Bush" or worse. Now, I can see disliking someone but when it gets to extremes, like it has, you know there's something else at work there. Here's my opinion: Religious extemists in the middle East are people some don't want to deal with. No one likes confrontation, including me. We're sick of fighting and so some take the tact, "leave them alone and they'll leave you alone". "If someone wants to fight just run the other way". Or, like the hippies used to say, "You do your thing and I'll do mine". That all sounds good except if the other persons' thing is to wipe you off this earth. And if you don't think that's the goal, you need to read up on what's happening in the world. There are people that won't be happy until you and I are dead or agree to follow their mis-guided religion. They're like that kid that made my life miserable. At first not so much, but the more I avoided him the worst it got to the point that my every waking moment became a living hell.

But it goes even deeper than that. You see, we don't like that fact that we are held accountable by God for what we do. The history of mankind shows that to be true by all the shenanigans we've done to avoid him. It started in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and knew it and hid (from God! what a joke that you could hide from Him). It continued when the people couldn't handle talking directly to God because He knew everything people did, so they demanded to have a human king of their own so they could pull the wool over their eyes. I believe people elect people that agree with them. It's only natural you want to be in your comfort zone. If you don't want to be accountable for things you do, then you elect people that don't want to be accountable themselves. Can you think of a past President that got along with everyone? I can. He was the perfect "You do your thing, I'll do mine" kind of person. But his attitude had consequences. All choices have consequences - good and bad. By making wrong choices we have his consequences. Now we have to face a worse bully and I'm hoping our "arm has a mind of its' own" before long and knocks out this tooth so we can get on with life.

Face the truth now or have the consequences later. It's our choice, but I'll be glad when it's over!

Thank You Jackie

Son, I know you're not looking for thanks because you do what you do because you love your country. Thanks for protecting us and thank your buddies. This country takes for granted the freedom that is paid by others' sacrifices. I'm not sure I can comprehend why you do it, but I'm thankful that you do.

Love, Dad, Sher and Joy

What is it?

I was listening to a commercial the other day about dust, pollen and dander and thought, "hey! just what is dander?" I've heard the word many times through the years and haven't stopped and said what is it? That's crazy to hear something and never wonder what it means, but it's said so frequently that it never registered. Pretty bad, but I finally decided to look it up. I asked Sher and she knew right away. Guess my brain needs exercising. Anyway here it is:

Dander: Etymology: alteration of dandruff1 : DANDRUFF; specifically : minute scales from hair, feathers, or skin that may be allergenic

"Don't get your dander up".....! Here's another explanation http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/289.html

GET YOUR DANDER UP - "Many of the early Yankee humorists - Seba Smith, Charles Davis, Thomas Haliburton - used this Americanism for 'to get angry,' and it is found in the 'Life of Davy Crockett.' It is one of those expressions with a handful of plausible explanations. The most amusing is that the dander in the phrase is an English dialect form of 'dandruff' that was used in the Victorian era; someone with his dander up, according to this theory, would be wrathfully tearing up his hair by the fistful, dandruff flying in the process. Another likely source is the West Indian 'dander,' for a ferment used in the preparation of molasses, which would suggest a rising ferment of anger. The Dutch 'donder,' 'thunder,' has also been nominated, for it is used in the Dutch phrase 'op donderon, 'to burst into a sudden rage,' And then there is the farfetched theory that 'dander' is a telescoped form of 'damned anger.' And if these aren't enough, we have the possibility that 'dander' comes from an English dialect word for 'anger,'; from the Scots 'danders,' for 'hot embers'; and from the Romany 'dander, 'to bite.'" From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

Whit-A-Knee!

Talking to my grandson Spencer the other day, he was telling us what the name of the baby was going to be. "Wes - a - Lee", Wesley. Well, surprise, the baby was born yesterday and it was Whitney! A beautiful baby girl! 4 lbs, 12 oz, and 18 inches long. Full head of hair and sooooo tiny, but so beautiful!

We went to see her and she was wide awake only a dozen hours after she was born.

Congratulations to Shane and Holly, and welcome Whitney Bernadette!

I wish I had a recording...

Years ago I worked in a machine shop. As I sat by my desk and listened in on job interviews, a man came in one day for a job....

It seems this man was a Hungarian trained as a machinist in Hungary. He was a very humble person, I could tell, as he answered questions by the foreman. "You'll like the working conditions here", the foreman said. "I don't have formal training in the United States" he said. "Oh, I'm sure you'll fit in after a few weeks. A machine is a machine regardless of where you're from" "I don't think I can do the job. I don't know the new ways of doing things." "Oh, I'm sure it will be all right. Just go to the clinic and get an exam and you can start tomorrow".

"I don't think I can" the man said. "Why not?" said the foreman.

"You don't want to hire a blind man do you?"

By that time I was rolling on the floor. It seems this man just needed to prove he was looking for a job, not to get one.

The foreman was so patient and sensitive to this man's needs, but didn't know what to say when he told him he was blind!

If I could have recorded the conversation, it would have been the funnies I've ever heard. For months we went around the shop saying "You don't want to hire a blind man do you?"

Walking is Easy...

...when the road is flat

The Heart of a Child

I was coming home from church today and got a call from Scott. Since I just talked to him the other day it was an unexpected surprise. "Just a minute, someone wants to talk to you..." There was a short pause then the sweetest voice came on... "hello papa!". Two words that can melt the heart of a grandpa. Lauren is growing up before my eyes. I'm so thankful for blogging as her mom, Susan, keeps us up to date on their growth. Anyways, my little grand daughter is growing up. I tried to get her to say something else, but that was enough.

When we got home, Sher said she didn't check the mail yesterday and came up with a card from 3 of my grand daughters telling me they love me!

As I think of how grand the Lord has made things, it warmed my heart to think of how He cares for us, even in little things. It's not a rocket ship ride to the moon, or an around the world tour, but a simple little, "hello papa", or an "I love you" that is worth millions to me. Actually, it's priceless.

Thank you Lord for reminding me once again of how you care for us, and thank you grand daughters for the little things that are priceless jewels in the treasure chest of life!

Pass it On... well at least most of it!

Every parent who has been a parent for some time realizes some things they've done to help their children grow up to be fine young adults. They also realize some things they haven't done so well with. As a young adult, we sometimes throw out everything we've learned and "do it our way". That's a slap in the face to our parents and really a slap in the face to God who gave us those parents. Regardless of how your parents were we are commanded to treat them with respect.

The Bible says in Exodus 20 verse 12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. " And yet, what if your parents do not honor God in the things they do? On the one hand God commands us to honor them, but on the other hand, we need to obey God rather than man as in Acts 5:28

(Acts 5:28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! ")

What a dilemma! Realistically thought, most of us have parents that did something right, whether it be stayed married to one person, or had a good work ethic, etc.

The way I can reconcile this is to take the things that I've learned from my parents, the good things that coincide with God's teachings in the Scripture and continue to follow them. That brings honor to your parents name. The things that do not follow God's commands, well, we follow God. By doing what is right, we also bring honor to our parents because we try to bring honor to God.

Keep the things that are right (plant the seeds in their life) and build on it, I guess you'd say.

That is what I'd like my children to get out of my life. By doing what is right, they honor God and thereby honor me by following the good things my wife and I taught them. My hope is as they go through life, they build on the good parts and pass it on to their children.

The great thing is that as a Christian, even if we don't know why our parents did what they did, God has left a model in His Word, the Bible, for us to follow. It's a standard that surpasses all parents, cultures, economic stations in life, philosophies, etc. It's beyond the "gold standard" it is THE STANDARD of living... you can bet your life on it!

Daily Times Paperrrrrrr!

My sister Cyndy and I were reminiscing the other day about J.L. Hudson's downtown Detroit. It was a different era, and a different way of doing things. When my dad was going to college in Iowa to become a Chiropractor, there was a store called Peterson Harned Von Maur. You might know it now by the name "von Maur". It was a fancy store with several floors. The clerks would follow you around when you walked in. (I guess so you didn't steal anything). That was a time when you were waited on and when you purchased an item it was put in a nice white box and tied with string.

Well, that memory led me to when I was about 11 or 12 on my first job. I went to work for the Times-Democrat, a local newspaper in Davenport, Iowa. My job was to pick up newspapers after school, take them and then go and stand on the corner and sell them. The papers cost 5 cents and my pay was 2-1/2 cents! Every day I'd go downtown, pick up the papers at the printing office. Boy, there's a certain smell of printers ink that permeated the place. It still brings back memories when I get the Sunday paper and get a whiff of it.

Anyway, I digress. I'd stand in front of the drug store downtown and yell at the top of my lungs "Daily Times Paperrrrr!" and try to sell newspapers. Some days went by quickly as I sold newspapers, and some days just dragged along. We could sell the newspapers wherever we wanted so I'd move around town trying to find a better place. Davenport, Iowa is right on the Mississippi River directly across from Rock Island, Illinois. Once in a while I'd take a ferry for 25 cents and go across the river and try selling in Rock Island. Never did any good, but it was a fun adventure anyway!

That summer was spent with the smell of newspapers, standing on the corner, spending my newly earned money on candy, and going home wondering why I was in that business. It was a fun time.

A Glimpse of His Glory

Ever since I've been attending Community Baptist Church, I've been trying to put into words what it's like to be part of this dynamic ministry. Our church members have heard me say often that "I feel like I've re-found my first love" and so on. There's something special about coming here, it's a joy that is hard to express, but you just want everyone to have the same joy that you do.

There is so much disappointment in life - sure there's a lot of joy - but it's tempered with discouragement too.

Last night I was reading an article on "The Glory of the Church" by Bruce Miller, and he was talking about the body of Christ (a subject I just taught on a few weeks ago) and he said "...we are to be a preview of the kingdom to come....The Church is to be the preview of God's coming attraction.."! And it hit me! Yes, that's how I feel. Being a part of this church, it's love and joy for being alive and being a Christian is a little taste of what it will be to be with God one day! And even though life doesn't always turn out the way we want it, the good part, the part I look forward to being part of this church is a glimpse of the Glory God has in store for us and we NEED to let others know of it and we need to live the life that would honor Him just to show others that life is worth it, and God has a plan for us and He cares for us.

When I think of how little I do to show His love for me, yet want to do more, but then I know that He loves me for who I am because I love His son Jesus Christ.

If you're reading this and don't know Jesus personally and you want a glimpse of His glory then read this...and obey....

The Worlds Biggest Aquarium

I was watching the globe trotter... travelogue and saw a commercial for I don't remember what, but it showed a beautiful underwater scene. I thought "that is a beautiful aquarium", then realized it was the ocean. Hey! wait a minute... who takes care of the chemistry in the ocean?

Commercial: Q. Name an animal that doesn't drink water. Answer at end of this blog

Thinking about salt water aquariums, everything thing I've heard about taking care of them is negative... "they're too hard to maintain, they're expensive, they need a lot of attention", etc. etc. It's almost like asking someone what they think about motorcycles.

At the pet shop a few months ago, I saw a 15 gallon salt water tank with a few fish for 500 dollars!

Now, looking on the internet to find out about the worlds largest salt water tank... the ocean, I find that there are about... 352 trillion gallons! (and about 7 trillion gallons of fresh water).

Let's see...

352 trillion gallons/15 gallon fish tank times $500 per 15 gallon tank

would work out to more than I earn in one week!

not to mention the chemicals, fish, etc.

Sounds crazy to think like that, but if you think about it, we have more faith in man and his science who struggles with little, and give no credit to God who maintains 352 trillion gallons not to mention that he created everything in it! God knew what He was doing in spite of what we think.


Q. Name an animal that doesn't drink water.




A. The desert rat and koala bear are two animals that get their liquid from the food they eat. Although they don't actually drink, they still need water from their food.

Cute and Funny

It's been a while since I've added anything to my blog... Brain freeze will do that...
But while it's thawing out I just had to share 2 other blogs with you.

One is cute

and the other is funny (sorry PETA)

See you after the thaw!

What a Change He has wrought in his life!

I think that it was nice they decided to establish the first day of summer on my son Jason's birthday! Happy birthday son!

Dolly and I decided before we were married that when our children were born, she would have them at home. Of course, that was shocking to many, but that was a natural choice to us. The great day arrived and we were all set! We had everything we thought we needed and had practiced up on the breathing techniques. Breathe Breathe relax.... breathe breathe relax. Yep, we were ready. But minutes turned into hours and hours turned into anxious moments. At the time we lived upstairs from my parents. My dad was sleeping on the couch downstairs waiting and I went down to talk to him. "Dad" I said, waking him up from a sound sleep. "Dad, I'm not sure but I think something is wrong, we're going to take Dolly to the hospital". "She's probably not ready yet", he calmly stated. But we went any way. Better to be safe than sorry. Hit every red light along the way and got to the hospital. "We'll take her and you fill out the forms" the nurse said as they whisked her away. Nervously I started filling out the forms and before signing read the small print on the standard entrance forms. "...knowing that medicine is not an exact science..." What! That's all I needed to read. "....the hospital may at its' choosing take tissue samples.." I rushed up the stairs with the form to find Dolly. "She's doing fine and is about ready to deliver", they told me. What a relief! "Dolly, they said you were about ready to deliver and you are doing okay". "Let's go home, I want to have it at home", she said.

As we got her up, there was a flurry of activity. The nurses running around trying to find the doctor. "You can't just leave! Your wife is about to have the baby". But we were determined to go. "You have to sign a release as we can't be responsible for what happens". It's funny, but on the same form to release them from damages and to leave the hospital there is also a release for them to do surgery! Looking back I realize that it's a standard thing as the release information is just a paragraph or two and so it just saves paper to have multiple releases on the same page.

Back to the story, so we got Dolly in a wheelchair and left. A half hour later Jason was born at home! Our first born and the first grand son on dad's side.

What a joy to be blessed with a fine healthy boy. We were so proud of him and enjoyed being new parents.


As Jason got older he grew to dislike going to school. He didn't like studying the traditional way, but whatever he set his mind to, he did very well. He had lofty goals, but to be honest, I couldn't figure out how he would achieve them without schooling. But he was so determined you couldn't help but encourage him. He liked doing rugged things and playing sports and he could learn quickly by doing, but school wasn't on his plate. We were happy the day came that he graduated from high school!

Being self-employed Jason worked for me in the office as my receptionist. At the time (early 80's I also did computer consulting on the side and had AutoCad (computerized drafting software). While he worked for me he played with AutoCad and seemed to enjoy it. But he didn't really like working in the office. Working for your dad though, you don't have a choice! Jason wanted more than that. Many times he would tell me that he'd like to try out new software and hardware and test new things.

When he graduated from high school, a friend of mine who owned his own business, was looking for someone to work for him. The person he was looking for was someone who had some experience working with people, answering the phone, and using computers (which at that time for PC's was still in its' infancy). So Jason fit the bill, got the job and was earning a couple dollars an hour more than the typical high school graduate.

He enjoyed drafting, but his heart was with the new technology and it wasn't long before he was in charge of the computers. Web sites were coming into being, but his company wasn't interested in it at the time so he took off looking for something that would fit the bill. Eventually he ended up working for his present company. Now he had an opportunity to hone his skills, which he did. You'd think a guy like that would have a hard time making it, being in a profession that had a very steep learning curve, but you don't know Jason! When he came up to a task that required greater expertise, he'd find someone who did and delegate the task to them. He was a born administrator! Instead of getting stuck in the mud trying to do it all himself, he delegated and as a result helped grow that division of his company.

Nowadays he's in charge of designing websites that cost in the 10's of thousands of dollars or more. ... arranging meetings with executives with large corporations... problem solving...and because his company does every thing first class, he gets to try out the latest and greatest.

I'm so happy that he's achieving this part of his dream but wait there's more!

The best part is that after Jason moved out of our house after high school, he fell in love, got married and the Lord got hold of his heart and turned him around 180 degrees. And what a difference the Lord made in him!

There is so much good that happened in his life, that I think I'll have to devote another article to it. Maybe I'll ask him to give his testimony.

But to give you the short version.... Jason became head of Information Technology at his company... married a sweet wife Elizabeth.... they have 4 great children, he gets to try out the latest and greatest hardware, he loves the Lord, and to top it off, believe it or not, started attending Seminary to become a Pastor. Yes, he went back to school!

It's been a joy to see him and Elizabeth grow together, and make an active effort to serve the Lord and to consistently raise their children the way the Bible teaches.

I know his mom would be so proud of him, as I am, and thankful to the Lord for our first born!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

The life we live, and the things we pass on...

A Letter to the sons, daughters, and daughter-in-laws whom God has given me the privilege to be part of my life.

Note: The picture on the left is the most recent I have (Hint. Hint) but only part of the quiver the Lord has given me.

For quite some time my thoughts and prayers have been with you daily and have burdened me much.

I'm writing this to you who are witnesses of the grace God has so richly given you and to whom God has given to be over others and influence their lives.

As a dad this is my appeal to you. Take care of the family God has entrusted you with. Watch over them willingly, not just because it's your responsibility. Watch over them not because of what you will get out of it, but because I know you are eager to serve God and show it by the life you live. Lead your family by your good example.

While you are young and have the opportunity, you need to give respect and listen to those that are older than you. Submit yourselves to them as hard as it may sometimes seem. Put the needs of others before yourself in your family and extended family. Do this with a knowledge that what you have in life is not because of what you or others may have done, but because of what God has given you and is working through you. Try to attempt to look at your life as God might. In God's timing, which is perfect, God will honor you for it!

God wants us to give whatever worries we have to Him BECAUSE He cares for us.

Life doesn't always go the way we plan, but you need to be careful you don't give up or give in when it doesn't. Always be on the alert! These are times that Satan our real enemy, is actively looking for someone that just "lets go". When times get tough, or our pride makes us think that we've got it all together. God commands us not to just let things happen, we need to actively take a stand against him.

You've been raised in the knowledge of the Lord and you've all made professions of faith. Be strong in that faith God has given you. If you start feeling sorry for yourself, know this, that there are Christian brothers and sisters ALL OVER THE WORLD going through the same kind of problems you are. So you're not alone!

God didn't have to, but He loved us so much that he called you to put your faith and trust in His son Jesus Christ. And get this, He did something that is "amazing", unfathomable, and undeserved....! After you've suffered for a little while God Himself will make you "strong, firm, immovable, and not subject to change". The comfort for us as Christians is knowing that ALL POWER is God's not just for a little while, but FOREVER!

I'm writing this because of the encouragement His Word has given me. My purpose is to try to encourage you and give you the assurance that God's grace is with you NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!

Love, Dad

I Peter 5 - paraphrased

Time Flies

I was talking to Scott the other day and he mentioned something about his kids. His kids!?! Wow! It seems like only yesterday that Scott and Susan got married (actually it was about 5 years), and now they are the proud parents of 2 children.

When Scott and Susan moved away I thought I'd never know much about their lives or be able to see their children grow up. But thanks to Susan and blogging, she's managed to capture her family on film and put it on the blog. Even Scott has put a few videos on to show us how big the kids are getting.

Hopefully, they will be coming up to visit soon so we can see them and hug them.

I've watched them in the last several years (from afar) growing up as fine young adults and have been pleased with how the Lord is working in their lives.

Happy Anniversary Scott and Susan! Have a great life!

Bloom where you're planted

Happy Anniversary to Shane and Holly!

What makes a couple buy a home in the country just so they can have a large enough place for their family to grow up in? As I said in "Oh It's Nothing", they are a humble couple, with a heart for hospitality, and serving the Lord in the garden where the Lord has planted them.

Over the years, I 've seen them mature and grow into a couple that any parent would be proud of.

Thank you Lord for Shane and Holly.

Ties That Bind

Listening to the radio today for some reason reminded me of a time my wife, Dolly and I got involved in making ties. Back in the early 70's when we were first married and I was finishing up my last year in Chiropractic college in Iowa. We so enjoyed doing everything together and were involved in making things. One day we were talking about what we could do to make money to help promote Chiropractic. I have no idea what gave us the idea, but we decided we would make ties and sell them at a Chiropractic convention where hundreds of Chiropractors would be attending. We would then give the money to promote Chiropractic.

At the time, we were living by the college in Davenport, Iowa. We were renting rooms upstairs and became friends with some of the roomers. The next thing you knew, Dolly, Larry (one of the roomers), and I were going downtown to the fabric store to look for material. We came back with all sorts of patterns, conservative, loud, Mickey Mouse, Three Stooges, Woody Woodpecker, and whatever else was on sale and tickled our fancy.

If you've ever watch The Three Amigos, there's a scene where the good guys asked the towns people what was the one good thing they could do and that maybe could be used to fight off the bad guys. They answered with "We can sew".

And so we did! We "sewed like the wind". Feverishly we worked through the night (as usual we had the idea a day or two before the convention in Georgia) and ended up with a few hundred ties to sell!

It was a lot of fun, and work, doing something we thought would help.

Those were crazy times. Making them together and laughing about the whole thing was pure enjoyment.

How About Spats?

'''Spats''' are a type of shoe accessory worn in the late 19th and early 20th century. They were stiff fabric covers attached to the top of the shoe and extending up the lower part of the leg. Spats, especially white ones on highly-polished black shoes, form part of the stereotype dress of a wealthy young man of the era, along with a top hat and a cane. Other common colors were gray, tan, and black. Though often a fashion accessory, wool felt spats were also worn to keep the ankles warm.
Spats were an evolution of the 18th century "Spatterdashes," a version of the similar (but strictly practical rather than decorative) articles known as [[gaiters]] that are still worn today, to prevent mud getting into walking boots. In their heyday, spats served a similar function in dressing up shoes even if they got dirty.

I've never worn spats, but have seen them in some old movies we watched a while back. They evidently had a purpose in the beginning, but later became a "fashion statement" for wealthy men.

Recently, my friend Bob got hired in another state and within a week he was off to work. It was quite a shock to me from which I'm still recovering.

He was buying some new clothes for his new job and I e-mailed him to tell him I thought he should buy some spats to make an impression on his new job! With the return e-mail he replied .... "Dan, Your suggestions are always appreciated…and quite frequently rejected." :)

Bob and I go back about 20 years or so where we found our first love - Jesus Christ - in Taylor, Michigan. A few years ago, I started attending a church in the area and before long, Bob and his wife Suzette started attending also. We became close friends and spent many happy times sharing our faith, "solving the world's problems", and just enjoying each others' company (esp. at Famous Dave's Restaurant where we ordered exactly the same thing almost every week!). In life, you may have a lot of friends, but you only have a few close friends, and Bob was, and is, one of them. As much as we got together to encourage him and Suzette, to be honest, they were an encouragement to me. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll remember the Mother of all Rummage Sales we went to. I still laugh when I think about that.

You go along in life trying to do right, trying to make a difference, and then Whop! things change and the next thing you know you're saying good bye. We did have one last lunch at Famous Dave's (and ordered the same thing!). It was hard to say good bye, almost like a loved one dying. My uncle would just say, "deal with it", and I will, but for now I want to think about how fortunate I was that God brought Bob and Suzette in my life. They made a difference. Suzette and Sue B. brought our age group together with our "Friends" get togethers.

Among the many areas of service Bob gave to our church, his passion was and is our Growth Partners for Men that he started. When Bob got saved, another church member came along side him and discipled him and helped him get a good start in his Christian life. Bob never forgot that and when he came to our church (Community Baptist Church) he wanted to do the same for others. The last time I talked to him I think Bob said there were over 40 people involved in helping one another grow in Christ!

On the last Sunday he was here, the night before he left for his new job, Bob arranged for two men to get together and get in involved in that ministry! You know he loved that ministry because everyone had said their good byes and he was still working to get people together!

We wish Bob and Suzette well as they start their new adventure. I'm hoping they find a good church and continue their minstry there. They'll be a blessing there as they were here.

With today's technology we will continue to communicate via e-mails and such and keep up on each others life and our families, but it won't be the same. When I drive past Famous Dave's it will remind me of them, and thank the Lord for the good times we had together.

Jack and Jill

..er Jonathan and Isabelle.

Tonight I went to see Jonathan and Isabelle graduate from kindergarten. When I got there and looked at the list of graduates there were several children that we knew from our church.

So, congratulations, Jared, Susannah, Jordan, Isabelle, Jonathan, Sydney, Ava, Marissa, Ben, Michael, Keith, Hope, and Joshua! The future is ahead of you :)

But getting back to my grandchildren.... They were so excited to be graduating. It is simply amazing watching them how much they learned.... They sang several songs, had several lines to say, did the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, To the Christian Flag, and to the Bible. They recited the 23 Psalm by heart, and did a little play about "Little Bo-Peep". Each child was well rehearsed and really did a great job, but getting back to my grandchildren...

Jonathan and Isabelle ran off to the back of the auditorium during the play and on queue they came skipping up the aisle and well....

check out the video

Isabelle (sunflower) is at 1:24
"Jack and Jill" are at 2:00-2:20 and 3:14 to 4:01

Note: no children were injured in filming this movie!

Children bring a freshness to life that adults seemed to have forgotten. It was well worth the time we have on this earth to raise them up according to God's teachings, to love them, and to share in their excitement also.

What I Want To Do

Romans 7:14-25

We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Sigh!

Guess What Dad!! ??

Yesterday I was walking on the grass by the baseball field where my grandson Zach was playing in his little league game. There was Isabelle standing behind the crowd waving me over. With a big smile on her face she gleemed, "Guess what Papa!?" You knew she had something important to say because she couldn't wait for me to guess so she told me, but just telling me wasn't enough. Her mom let her call her dad who was in Los Angeles on a business trip. Boy she was beaming! "Dad" ,she said with a big smile on her face, "Guess what?" "I lost a tooth!" Then she went into great detail about how her tooth was loose and she asked her mom to buy her an apple to help get it out, but it didn't work. "I felt something sticking out, so I just pulled it out!", and there it was in all its' glory... a missing tooth!

As an adult you deal with all sorts of "important" issues of life. I'm not sure what kind of trip her dad Jason had in his whirlwind 1-1/2 day trip. Times like that trying to make connections, put your best face forward for your boss, or client. Sometimes presentations don't go so good, then rushing off to catch the next flight and then you get an "important" call from someone you love. Someone who wants to share the most important thing in their life that day with their dad.

If you watch TV you'd think the best thing a person could have is a 3 star diamond ring, or a new elegant classically styled luxury car, or to win the lottery. On and on the commercials go pushing whatever they think we need. It's little wonder that in God's eyes the heart of a child is precious to him. In Matthew 19, verse 14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

With so many complicated things in life, it's the simple joys that make me stop and thank the Lord for how good He is to me. It reminds me that even though He is the Creator, that he is interested even in the little things of life. He knows when even a sparrow falls to earth. Matthew 10:28-31 says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

What more could we ask!

Thank you Isabelle for the sweet reminder!

Oh! It's Nothing....

In 1983 our family lived in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. At the time it was the fastest growing city in Oklahama. (In spite of the fact that their annual festival was the "Rooster Day" ??? .... no roosters around that I saw). We had a big yard that joined in the back with the other neighbors yards and no fences. That year we were into model rockets. We (er the kids!) had a lot of fun shooting them up then chasing them. But not Shane, he was off to the side building his own rocket. Now I'm not sure if you've ever seen a model rocket go off, but they're fast, scary, and they go high, really high. So here's Shane with some gift wrap tubing making a super-duper rocket. He puts one long tube on top of the other in the center and 3 or 4 shorter tubes around the bottom. Then he takes masking tape and wraps it all up. (Have you ever seen the Red-Green show?) The center tube is not quite straight where the extended tube meets, but hey, the masking tape holds it all together. Some of the neighborhood kids are enjoying the fun when they notice Shane building this "rocket". They start laughing and kind of making fun of him. "That homemade thing will never get off the ground!" Smirk, Smirk, Chuckle, Chuckle!

But Shane's not one to care, he's too busy building his rocket. Finally, it's done and it's time to shoot it off. Everyone gets serious as when these things take off they really fly, and this one, well, this one looks like it may go in any direction! Shane puts the rocket on the launch pad hooks up the rocket engine to the wires that lead to a launch button about 20 feet away. We all get behind garbage cans, or garbage can lids and wait for the count down. Now the kids are starting to laugh again, but then it's time. "....5, 4, 3, 2, lift off!" Whoosh! The unlikely rocket shoots up above the trees as we all look in awe.

"Wow!" Smiles break out on everyone's faces. "Did you see that" All of a sudden the heckling turns into admiration. Shane has the biggest smile on his face. It actually worked!

That's the way Shane's childhood was, always thinking, always inventing. Now cut to his adulthood. Shane falls in love with his soon to be wife and decides to make her a present. His brother Jason had gotten some carving knives for a present and Shane asked him if he could use them. The next thing you know he was carving an ornate Victorian style photo album out of wood!. Never having carved anything before it looked like a piece of art when he got done with it. In fact it was so good that it was accepted into a national Woodworking Show held in Detroit where it was displayed with only about a dozen other pieces of woodworking art under glass!

Last year I was over their home (Shane and Holly's) and Holly says to Shane "did you tell your father?" "About what?" he said. "Your patent". "You got a patent?" I said. "Oh, It's Nothing..." "Nothing! You're the only person I actually know that got a patent!" Since then he's applied for several patents and have received 4 so far. Here's the name of one of the patents: "Lean burn engine control nox purging based on positional loading of oxidants in emission control device" That's a mouthful.

Shane is a humble guy. He's a hard-working father, deacon at his church, a loving father, and still an inventor. College came hard for him. He worked his way through college and graduated on his own. Amazingly he graduated from a Christian college (unrecognized in the workaday world) competed against engineers from some of the finest college in the U.S. and today he is rated as one of the top research engineers at Ford Motor Company!

Shane and Holly haven't forgotten their roots and still remain humble.

Once again, I'm blessed by the Lord to have a son like Shane.

Oh, Happy Birthday Shane!

My Hero

Dad (Dr. Ray Elwart, 1926-1999) was one of those rare men of history. The ones you wish your kids would grow up to be, but who seldom gets the credit they deserve. Like most young boys, I grew up thinking my dad was the smartest, greatest dad alive. Dad was a person who wasn't satisfied with life unless it was for a purpose. And when he did something, he put his all into it. He had a zest for life that I've seen in few people.

When you grow up like that, you (meaning me) take that for granted. I thought that's the way all dads were. Dad was a family man, a tool and die maker, a cabinet maker, an usher at church, a builder for his church, a woodworker (built several houses), a boater, a boat-maker for Chris-Craft wood boats, an inventor, a hunter, the first in his family to go to college, an airplane/helicopter pilot, late in life (36) a college grad, a Chiropractor, the first in his family to become a doctor, a defender of free choice, a giver.

Dad had to work hard for everything he had. Nothing came easy for him. Try to imagine going to college after being out for 18 or more years, with a family of 5, going to school for 7 hours per day 5 days per week, working 30 hours a week, studying for those 35 hours of classes per week, plus raising a family! He became a Chiropractor because after making the rounds in the medical arena with no success with his sleeping sickness, he finally found something that helped him. And dad's response to his being helped, he wanted to help others.

Looking back now, helping others was what dad did. Maybe because he grew up poor, or maybe because he had to help raise his youngest brother (his mom died when his brother was born), but whatever it is, he did it for the rest of his life.

When I was a child, kids my age played "war". It was only a few years after World War II, so that was what we did. When I asked about what dad did in the war, he would say with a somber voice, "the war was nothing fun, and nothing to talk about". Boy that put a damper on me. I wanted to know about all the exciting and dangerous things that went on! But I was never to know until....

... my children got older... maybe in their early teens. One day one of the boys were talking about how grandpa was in the war and he did...."where'd you hear that I said?" "from grandpa." "When?" "He told us about when he was in the war." Boy was I surprised! That had to be 30+ years since the war before he even talked about it. Come to find out, dad's job in the army was to go with some guys at night time and pick up the dead bodies and parts and bring them back to be taken care of properly! No wonder my mom would tell me that dad use to wake up sweating with nightmares! All my life I thought my dad was a Private. It wasn't until I went to look at the stone on his grave that I found out he was a Corporal!

There was a lot of things I didn't know about him, but what I did know could fill volumes of books. Things like how he would give shelter to his relatives when they were having problems at home, or when they needed money, or how we went to an out-of-practice Chiropractor to encourage him to get back into practice with an offer to help him in any way (including financially) to get back into practice. This Chiropractor did go back into practice, became very successful, bought a beautiful home in an exclusive area of Farminton Hills, travelled and eventually retired in the Virgin Islands. Dad would spend his waking hours, taking care of patients who came to him as a last resort after everyone gave up on them, and helped them to regain their health (often for little or no money), and going to other doctors to encourage them to let the world know about chiropractic. Whatever would help others, dad and mom were there.

Time after time, I would see patients get well after other methods failed, only to have the patients benefits denied (meaning the payments to dad) because the local MD didn't like Chiropractic. But dad still took care of them. He'd get so disgusted with close-minded people. "don't confuse me with the facts", he'd say. He cared more that people would get help than if he got paid. Many times he would tell me, "you take care of the patients, and you'll be taken care of".

When I was in college there was a couple years (at least) that I had to be an embarassment to them. I looked like a "hippie", and when mom and dad came to visit me, they just loved me like I was the best thing that ever happened to them. Looking back now, they remind me of how God loved me even when I was awful. There was nothing that I did for them to be like that, but they just loved me anyway. All the time I thought I knew better than dad.


I wish that I would have spent more time trying to find out why he did the things he did. I wish I would have supported him more during my stupid days.


Fortunately, as I got older (a lot older) dad got wiser :) and I became, well, a kid again, he became a great man to me again. The last several years of his life were a blessing to me. We had a good relationship together again, finally.

You know, they say that Babe Ruth became great because of his home runs and his record lifetime batting average of .711 , but he also struck out plenty too. Dad had his strikeouts too. When he was down, unfortunately, many of his friends abandoned him. Like Babe Ruth, at the end of his career playing in Yankee Stadium ("the house that Babe Ruth built"), Babe Ruth was offered a job as manager, not of the Yankees, but as the manager of a farm club team! When dad died after having a massive stroke (I think it was a broken heart), many people came to honor his life. I wish they would have been there for him when he was alive. (for that matter, I wish I would have been there for him all of his life).

What did dad bring to this world? A loving dad, a husband who believed once married always married, a giver. Because of him we have about 25 Chiropractors in our family and friends who by this time have given care to tens and tens of thousands of people so they can live a better life. He gave me many of my values, and my childrens, and my grandchildren. He in part was responsible for keeping Chiropractic alive during times when Chiropractic "wasn't cool".

Dad was a giver... and that's why he's my hero!

Don't Be a Myth Truster - RATR

It seems like most have heard about that great little song we used to play, "Ring Around the Rosie", it turns out the myth says that this cute little song is about the bubonic plague !

Ring Around the Rosie
Where did the children's rhyme Ring Around the Rosie come from? Does it have any meaning? Or is it just a nonsense rhyme?

Ring around the rosie

A pocket full of posiesAshes, ashes

We all fall down

The common folkloric explanation is that this is a rhyme about the bubonic plague. "Ring around the rosie" refers to buboes on the skin. "A pocket full of posies" refers to flowers kept in the pocket to ward off the disease. "Ashes, ashes" is a reference to death, as in "ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The common variant of the third line, "Atishoo, atishoo," is a reference to sneezing and sickness. Finally, falling down is a representation of death.

A neat tale. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support it.

The earliest printed version of the rhyme is from 1881, some 225 years after the last great plague struck England, and some 550 years after the Black Death of the 14th century--the outbreak most commonly associated with the bubonic plague. For the folkloric explanation to be true, the rhyme would have to have remained underground for over two centuries, defying the efforts of numerous recorders of folklore, and then finally appear in the form of a children's nursery rhyme. Words and phrases can remain underground a long time, but not that long.

But the most convincing evidence against the plague explanation is that the earliest versions of the rhyme are different, and are less subject to the plague interpretation. The earliest recorded version of the rhyme appears in Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose from 1881:
Ring-a-ring o' roses,A pocket full of posies,Hush! hush! hush! hush!We're all tumbled down
This version appears not so much as a story about death and disease, but rather about falling asleep after a day of picking flowers.

The rhyme appears almost simultaneously in America, published in an American book of children's rhymes in 1883. In that book, Games and Songs of American Children, William Wells Newell claims, that the following version was common among the children of Massachusetts in 1790 (although he provides no evidence to support this earlier date):

Ring a ring a rosie,

A bottle full of posie,

All the girls in our town

Ring for little Josie

Newell also published a different version of the rhyme, one that explains the falling down line and he provides some commentary on how the children played the game and what the words mean:
Round the ring of roses,Pots full of posies,The one who stoops last Shall tell whom she loves best
Newell comments:
At the end of the words the children suddenly stoop, and the last to get down undergoes some penalty, or has to take the place of the child in the centre, who represents the rosie (rose-tree; French, rosier).

Many other early variants exist. Few, if any, can be interpreted to refer to the plague.
OK, so if it's not about the plague, what is it about? Well, most likely it is simply nonsense, like Hickory, Dickory, Dock or the cow jumping over the moon.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to Ian Munro, who has compiled most of this information in his own web site. That site contains a lot more information on the subject, including a more complete list of variants

Check this site out for a Myth that was Trusted turns out to be a Myth that is BUSTED!

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/amroth/RATR/ring.html

Not sure if you knew this...

I was over Shane & Holly's last night with the girls. Shane & Holly invite us over or come over almost every week. It's such a joy to spend time with them and with their boys. The other day they asked me to come over as they were having a yard sale. As I pulled up the boys were sitting in a little wagon hooked to the lawn mower. "Papa, would you give me a ride on the lawn mower?", little Spencer said. How could you deny him, so we did and had a fun time riding around the yard bouncing around and hearing them laughing.

Often you hear grandparents say how they really enjoy their grand children, sometimes even more than their kids. It is true that grand children are... well, GRAND!, but to be honest with you, I've always loved my kids as much. For some reason, today was thinking about a construction project years ago. We were adding on a bathroom and laundry room and I was nailing plywood decking on the floor. Now my boys were running around watching me, and said, "dad can we nail?" Well, I was trying to get the job done, but they asked again, "dad we want to nail". So I stopped what I was doing and said, go get a hammer. Boy were they eager and all ran to find a hammer or some blunt object to help me out with. They sat on the decking and just started nailing away! There was one problem, they didn't have a clue on how to hammer a nail and were bending the nails, and before you knew it we had a dozen or more nails in various stages of nailing on the deck. I don't think one of them was over a stud!

"Whoa! Let me show you how to hold a hammer. Don't put your hand close to the head, put it back down the handle further. Keep looking at the nail and then try it." I'm thinking that I need to get back to work and get this done, but then an amazing thing happened. They started learning how to hammer correctly, and before long they were actually "hitting the nail on the head" and helping me finish the floor. You could see in their eyes the satisfaction they had of learning a new useful thing. I wouldn't have traded all the gold in China for that experience.

I miss those times and many others when we worked together on various jobs around the house.

Anyway, if you're married and are contemplating the right time or circumstances or financial accumen to determine when a good time to have children is.... let me just tell you... the time is NOW. If you are privileged like I am to have children of your own, you will be blessed beyond compare!

Thank you Lord for my quiver full!

As They Say...

years ago, I started using the phrase.... "As they say".... and filled it in with whatever seemed appropriate, such as:

"As They say in the pants factory... let her rip!"

or "As They say in the glass factory ... let's get crackin!"

or "As They say at the eye doctors ... I'll see you later"

and other such memorable phrasess like that :)

So, not to let you be devoid of that pleasure, you'll see them on the top of this blog from time to time. But not to have you be left out, how about leaving a comment with one of your "As they say" phrases?

And one more thing, I need a word or words for these types of phrases. Maybe you could suggest one and I'll post them here

Thanks!

A while back I wrote about my baby daughter Joy.
I have to be careful not to overdo it so the rest of my children don't get upset! Of course, she's not a baby anymore. I pretty much gushed about her in the previous article, so read that to see what that's all about.

When Joy comes in to the room, it lights up. She has that outgoing personality that makes you just want to know her. She has a real love for missions work and is working now to get the money to go on a trip to Mexico. I love her bubbly nature.

Joy and Sher continue to remind me each day that God is good, He watches over us and takes care of us.

God bless you Joy, and happy birthday!

Leeeenda

After Linda was in China for a while, I asked her if she could speak any Chinese. "Leeeenda", she said is the way you pronounce my name!

Tomorrow is my oldest sister Linda's birthday. I wrote about her in a previous article: http://delwart.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-could-i-forget-joy.html

I was in Chiropractic practice with her for about 4 years until I retired and she moved to Zigong, China to practice in a hospital there. I always looked forward to going to work with Linda. As a brother I especially enjoyed giving her a hard time. "Just trying to keep you humble", I'd tell her. But actually she humbled me. When I got real sick a few years ago and was in the hospital and unable to work she just said, "don't worry about your patients, I'll take care of them for you and just give you the money like you were there"! And so she did for several months.

We enjoyed our work and discussing Chiropractic and life in general. I sure miss those times, but I am so happy for her! She has an astounding practice in Zigong. People wait in line for her office to open. They push and shove to get in first. Since she has been there she's been on TV a few times and have been followed around for a documentary honoring her work there. You see, the Chinese people see her as something of a folk hero. Someone who has come to China not for financial success, but to actually help them get well. From the people I've met, the Chinese people are all about financial success, so when someone comes along that isn't in it for the money, it makes big waves.

Whenever I think about how her life has turned out, it makes me smile. I'm so thankful for how the Lord has worked it out in her life.

I look forward to seeing her when she comes home to visit this winter.

Happy Birthday Sis!

I have to give her credit!

This coming week is my daughter-in-law Amy's birthday. I remember when Amy and her sister used to come to church with their own unique dress style. They had a unique look, and to tell you the truth, they were way ahead of their time.

It wasn't long before Joshua decided that "she's the one for me" and told me he was going to ask her to marry him. They seemed to be a perfect fit and I was glad for them. Now if you're a Christian parent you know that you want your child to marry another Christian. Okay, they passed that test (not that it was our decision to make), but if you know the Elwart's they come from a family of Chiropractors (25 or so and counting!). Our kids were all born at home, never had any medications at all except 1/2 aspirin when Sher had a high fever, and I think an antibiotic for Joy when she had a tooth problem. So the next thing was what will she think about Chiropractic? After all, they will probably have children and how will they be raised?

My older boys sat us down and told us not to "lecture" their girl "friends" on Chiropractic, so we didn't. But after they got married, guess what?... They had to talk about it. Amy came over to our house and we talked to her about Chiropractic and she went home and thought about it. I don't know exactly how she came to accept Chiropractic, but she did.

That's a tough decision to make in a society that has blinders on about anything other than the "way we always did it". It took a real paradigm shift to look beyond what you've always known, and look at the facts and not the myths.

Accepting Chiropractic as part of her life was a good thing to me, but the greater thing was that she looked at the facts and made that decision. Why is that a good thing? Because with that mindset I know she will look at life not through a filter, but look at it honestly, look at the facts and make a decision based on it. That will be good for her and her family.

Amy and Josh have 3 daughters and are consistent in raising them up in the way they should go. It's a lot of work raising children in a Godly way, but it's worth it, and you can see the results in their girls.

Happy Birthday Amy!

Isabelly!

She's so cute! Isabelle's 6th birthday is Monday. When you see her you just want to hug her! She's sweet and quiet around me. This summer her and her family went to her uncle's farm in Kentucky. Her uncle taught her and her family how to ride a horse and even back it up.

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

He's All Boy!

Zachery turned 8 this week. His dad tried to bring him up tough. Always throwing the ball at him at full speed, not letting him slack off. He does have great talent and is a fast runner. He catches, throws, runs like you'd want a guy to do.

But when he's around me, he's polite, quiet, and respectful. When he was real little, I think about 3 years he and one of his sisters were kidding each other. Now I have 15 grand children, but I had never seen a little kid kid! I didn't think they were capable of comprehending kidding, but they did!

Zach's mom Liz told me that he tried out for Little League and wanted to play in the outfield so he could "dive for the ball".

As Zach grows up, I'm looking forward to see what the Lord has in store for him. The path he's going, and the way his parents are raising him, I believe he'll be a blessing to us all.

Right now, though, I'm looking forward to seeing him play in little league!

The Good Guy Won!

When my boys were living at home (6 teenagers at once), we used to watch games together. They would be for the team that was the most proficient, and I was for the team with the best attitude. The most proficient team usually won. Alas, it's not right, but that's the way it was.

Last night the end of American Inventor awarded a million dollar prize to the person I thought that had the best attitude. The show was about a bunch of inventors that worked their way to the top 4. Each one had an opportunity to develop their product and present it to the judges each week. Each inventor was passionate about their invention. But as the end drew near, the attitude of each person became clear. One man invented a game (a pretty cool one... Word Ace), and the man developed it because he was trying to help kids learn to spell. But it seemed that as he drew closer to winning he got a little cockier. A few weeks back you could see a little cockiness start coming out, but hey what do I know. Last week when the announcer asked him how he was doing, the guy came back with "Well, wouldn't you like to know!?" ???? hmmm, well, okay, then when the guy asked him to announce his commercial he had made, the inventor said, "Wait a minute, it's not my commercial, it's our commercial" ??? But hey, he was probably under a lot of pressure and just wanted to express that it was a team effort, right?

On the other hand, one of the young inventors had made a bike that a 2nd person could ride on. It was an interesting invention, but the inventor responded to questions by saying pretty much that it was all about me.

The guy that won though was the one I thought should have won. This man had lost his daughter in a car accident, and it troubled him so much that he invented a car seat that swiveled in a crash. His attitude through the whole thing was humility. It was all about saving lives. Every time he spoke, it was "thank you", "please help save childrens lives", "it's up to you America", etc.

Well, at the awards last night, the Word Ace guy came in 2nd and he really revealed his real attitude. He was ticked! You could tell that he thought he had the prize, but was a sore loser. One of the cool things I liked about this show was that all 4 of the finalists actually won. Each one, had some company that came out and offered to let them work on their invention. The Word Ace guy had the vice-president of Hasbro (you know, Monopoly, Scrabble ) offer the inventor to come to their company and work with their development staff for several months. Now that was a great consolation prize but the Word Ace guy was not the same enthusiastic guy gushing with praise on every one he met. I saw that and I was glad he lost, but I think the guy didn't have a clue why.

The winner, of course, was very happy. They asked him to say something. He stopped, thought for a moment and said in his humble way, "Thank You America".

It was a perfect ending.

...neither are your ways my ways

12" = 1 yard
4 quarts = 1 pint
125 inches = 1 mile
2 + 2 = 5

I was getting a haircut today (3rd one in a year!... a record for me), and I was listening to a man in the chair next to me. He was telling the barber that he was glad that they finally came out with the Judas book. "Finally a book that gives Judas the break he deserved. Even Jesus told him it wasn't his fault as he didn't have a choice"!

... "if I were god, I wouldn't punish people for bad decisions" is the attitude some have. It seems like we always know better than God, how to be God. I think it's our sin nature, it' our rebelliousness talking. What we may really be saying is that we won't hold anyone accountable for wrongdoing because we don't want to be held accountable for our own wrongdoing.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

If we only could run the world, "we'd all get along".... right! Each one of us using our own standards for what is right and wrong would be a disaster. Imagine building a house with everyone have a ruler that measures different. One ruler is 5" to a foot, another is 8" to a foot, etc.

It doesn't really matter though, because the only standard that matters is God's standard. He's not taking a poll to see how we'd do it!

Happy Mother's Day

Proverbs 31

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate

Complimenting one another

Now if you know the Elwarts', you know we're wild, loud, and crazy people. Hearts of gold, but impulsive and quick-decision makers. That's a good thing sometimes, but other times, well.....

In our month of birthdays (10 so far), today it's Jennifer's birthday. Jennifer came into our lives when Sher, Jacob, and Scott were going to Inter-City. Whenever their group would get together, they'd go to the "Orchard house". One day Scott didn't join them, and Jacob "made his move" and started seeing Jennifer as more than just a "friend". Eventually they got married.

Jennifer is quiet, Jacob is not. Jennifer is a careful planner, Jacob was (notice I said was) not. Jennifer was a careful buyer, Jacob WAS not, etc. Now that they've been married about 7 years you can see how they've "worn" on each other. It's pretty cool really. I've seen some positive changes with Jacob as he pursued his degree in accounting, and now as he pursues his Master of Divinity. Jennifer has been good for him! ... and hopefully vice versa.

I believe they compliment each other, and that seems to be the makings of a good marriage.

Happy birthday Jennifer!

"Glorifying God by training men to fulfill the Great Commission"

Last night I went to the commencement exercises for the Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in Allen Park.

It was great to see some of my friends graduate from a long and arduous task. That night the wife's were also honored and stood alongside in the greeting line after the services. Congratulations to Ben E., Jay S., Matt O, Jeremy P., John A.!

Now I only knew a handful of the graduates and it was kind of awkward going through the line congratulating people that I didn't know and they didn't know me. After congratulating one of the graduates, he looked at me puzzled like "who are you?". Reading his mind, I quickly assured him with, "I'm with the bride's side of the family!" :) Phew! That went right over his head, but that's okay, as I was helping prepare him for his ministry with people like me that didn't have a clue!

Another blessing of the night was to talk with some of the seminary professor's. They are a rare, dedicated breed of people. Working at Inter-City a few years back, I had the privilege to get to know some of them. They are serious about their work, but amazingly are still personable. I consider it a joy to know them and appreciate them allowing the Lord to work through them.

My Chinese sister

er... my sister in China.

My sister is a practicing Chiropractor of 25+ years and is now in practice in Zigong, China. China just had a 1 week national holiday so she went to Tibet on vacation. It was good to hear from her. I've posted some pics of where she went. Boy is it beautiful!

Here's some excerpts of us on instant messenger

Linda: It was so breathtaking and beautiful!
Dan: Where'd you see the Panda?
Linda: At Wolong Panda Center. I have over 400 photos. I took these with my Nikon camera that I bought before I left. Words don't describe God's magnificence. How beautiful it was!
It was great to have a snowball fight. I was over 4000 meters in the mountains
Dan : I'll bet the air was fresh
Linda: Oh fresh plus I could see blue sky, and the stars at night were a treat also.
Dan: How was the food?
Linda: Good because a lot was Tibetan
Dan: Which is what?
Linda: Lamb, beef not as spicy. Mountain food.
Dan Mountain food?
Linda: Yes they need protein to live on the side of the mountain.

She'll be posting more info on her blog.. http://360.yahoo.com/drlindama

Austin

Austin started out as a wee little baby. He was way undersized when he was born. There were some tough times for he and his parents, but lo and behold, today he turns 7 years old!

Austin's dad is an inventor and Austin is just like him. It was funny going over their home and Austin would be walking around with a pencil and notepad before he could even read. Jotting down his ideas and inventions.

One day Austin said to Shane, "hey dad, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" And he proceeded to talk about some invention in his mind. Always thinking, always asking questions. I've never seen a boy like that.

It's pretty cool watching your children raise their children. It's really a blessing to see.

So, I called Austin today to wish him a happy birthday and asked what he was doing. "Oh, we're just riding our bikes, and we made a hovercraft!" A hovercraft, I said, how'd you make that? "With wood and paper and plastic" he said matter of factly. "We used all the duct tape up"

I'm looking forward to seeing what life's adventure will bring him. :)

p.s. Just came back from Emily's birthday party and found out that the hovercraft REALLY worked! Shane found the plans on the internet. Somehow he hooked up a leaf blower to it and it held Shane up! So I guess they all tried riding on it..... You can't buy that in a store! The thing that cracks me up is that Austin and Brandon were so nonchalant about it. "Oh, yeah, of course we built a hovercraft... doesn't every kid?" :) :)

Emily

My son and his wife took a job in Delaware several years ago and after the job was over, they moved back to Michigan with their daughter Emily.

Emily and her mom Amy spent a lot of time together, as they were in a strange town and so when they returned, little Emily was quiet, soft-spoken, but talked like an adult (not in a bad way, just used to talking with adults). It was hard to get her to talk to you as we and she didn't know each other very well.

Time passed and little by little she started talking to me without being told to. She's such a sweet grand daughter. It's such a joy watching her grow up into being a young lady, playing piano, watching her get through school. I'm grateful for the love and care her parents have given to raising their 3 daughters.

This week Emily is 11. The years have passed quickly. We're looking forward to seeing how the Lord will work in her life.

Happy Birthday!

Love, Papa

The Mother of all rummage sales

My friend Bob emailed me and wanted to know if I wanted to keep him company today while he took his wife to a rummage sale. Sure, I answered back. So we went to the biggest rummage sale I have ever been to in my life. It was in a Methodist church in Birmingham. First of all, this was a HUGE church and I mean huge. There were multiple floors of stuff, and people scurrying around with garbage bags overflowing with who knows what. I was awestruck!

After I had enough, I sat down by the front door to relax. The next thing I knew people were bringing us their bags and trying to hand us money and having us watch their bags. One of the workers on the other side of the door came over and told me to help this lady put her clothes in a garbage bag! So, I got up and started putting her "deals" in the bag, and the lady said, "hey! if you're going to do that, I'll just go get some MORE stuff", and left me to finish stuffing her bag!

Bob and I had a good laugh as people were trying to get us to work there. We had a good time about it, and finally left after Bob made sure everyone had the bags we were watching. Who would have ever thought I would have spent some of my day working at a rummage sale!

What a laugh! :)

Thanks Bob & Suzette!

Oooh Rah!

I remember walking into the room seeing my dad after he got out of heart surgery several years ago. My first impulse was to wrap my arms around him and tell him that I loved him. He was so vulnerable and we needed him so much! It was a rough road he had to haul after that, but dad was a fighter.

It's funny how the things we have in life are so much more precious when you know you may lose them at any moment. Your day begins and ends thinking about it.

One of the great memories I have is the times when my dad use to take Jackie around and spending time with him. Dad was proud of him and would be even more so as he served our country. They did have a lot in common.

Tomorrow (May 2nd) is my son Jackie's birthday. He's the Marine in our family and for us guys represents the "good guys" we always pretended to be when we were kids! He's everything good about America... strong, independent, patriotic, and yet when he's with his family, sensitive and caring.

You hear the words recklessly thrown about on the news... "we support the troops"... what does that mean? Does it mean were behind what they do? Does it mean we're behind the people that command them? Does it mean that we don't begrudge funding them with whatever is necessary to do their job right? Does it mean that we're not constantly 2nd guessing their leaders at every chance we get? Does it mean that we are doing everything we can to help them achieve their objective with as little casualties as possible? I hope so.

My teenage years were the start of Vietnam. Although my draft number never came up, I wonder what my life would have been like if it did. Today while I was at home enjoying the freedoms that I barely appreciate, I had no fear of going out and being blown up, or shot at or for some getting beheaded. Yet, while you and I were at work or at home, my son was at work practicing what he needed to do to help keep that freedom. Some of his conversations were probably on some of his buddies that had just returned from war, or were just going into war, or it may have been about someone that was lost in battle. It seems so strange that as we go about our "normal" lives, his life and the lives of millions of others who have gone before him dealt with putting their life on the line.

It was only a few months ago, that he was constantly in our thoughts and prayers as he served in Iraq. Many nights I was burdened for his safety and the safety of his buddies that were there to bring freedom to a people that were killed and tortured by their leader. Our family travelled down to North Carolina just to welcome him and his buddies back. It was such a joy just to see his face as he got off the bus to return back to the base. You could tell it must have been bewildering to be one day being shot at and being aware of every little creak or groan, or suspicious face, or new dug up dirt in the road, to ... "hey, let's go have breakfast at Ihop!".

But lest I digress, Jackie, like the other Marines always downplayed the importance of what he did. "It's just my job", he'd say when you tried to make him out a hero (like he is).

Jackie being in the Marines brought into focus how fortunate that we live in a country where there are people that put their life on the line for our freedoms....and ask for nothing in return.

I'm thankful for Jackie, for his service, for being my son, and for the privilege of knowing him.

Cheryl, Sharon, Sherri....no.. it's Sher!

Little did we realize when Sher was born, what a blessing she would be in our lives! Now we had 9 children and each one is special in their own way. There's not one of them I could live without. Read How Could I Forget Joy? to get a little background.

Sher is a one in a billion person. She has qualities that any person would desire. She's loving, loyal, selfless, generous to a fault, longsuffering, humble, quick wit and much much more.

It's hard to remember when Sher ever asked for anything. She was a hard one to buy presents for as she never "wanted" anything for birthdays, or Christmas, etc. To prove that, last Christmas my daughter-in-law, Holly, brought Sher a present after Christmas. She said, "I just had to get this present for Sher as it's the only one I think I've ever heard her ask for"! And what was the present? A Nintendo game. The latest XYZ super-duper gotta have the best one? No, not Sher, she wanted one of the original ones to play Mario brothers!

A lot of us like to do things for others as long as it doesn't take a lot of time or effort. But Sher, is not like that. When Sher was in her mid-teens her mom got very ill and required a lot of hands on care. This became a full-time devotion. I say devotion because she never looked at it as a "job". If you've ever cared for a loved one you know what I'm talking about. After the company has gone home, and you've been praying for a person for a week or month or two, we just want to go on to something different. But not Sher, she wasn't in it to fulfill her good deed for the day (although she did). She just stepped up and did whatever it took to take loving care of her mom. Never complaining. Never bitter because she didn't "get" to go out like other girls her age. She wasn't looking for the "praise of man".

I talked to her about that a few times (the fact that she might have been "missing out" on her teenage life) but by the look on her face and what she said and what she did, you knew that that thought never crossed her mind. I think she looked at it as a privilege to be able to care for her mom. She did this day in and day out for years and watched as her mom's illness progressed knowing the only thing she could do was to pray and help her get through these times.

As time passed so did her grandfather, mother, and grandmother (all within 3 years), Sher was steadfast in her giving and selfless love through it all. Some years after that as things started settling down, and she could start focusing on her own life, I got seriously ill. I was forced to retire and being self-employed and not the best business man, was unable to take care of myself. There was Sher again to pitch in and do what she could to help. "Dad, we're just paying you back for our diapers", her and Joy would tell me. Boy, when I say "who am I, that God is mindful of me?", you may get a small glimpse of why I say that!

Anyhow, words cannot express how humbled I am to be a part of her life. I wish you could know her like I do. She is a most precious jewel, not only in my life, but in many others who don't even stop to realize what she has done for us. If they had a reality show called "Extreme Love Edition", Sher would be my nominee. I'd love to see the TV crew come and show how she sacrificied for others, and then fulfill all her wildest dreams, as thousands of onlookers cheered her on! The better thing though is that the Lord knows what she has done and must be happy to have a child like that.

Thank you Sher, for being "one in a billion"!

Happy Birthday and Love,
Dad