I like understanding everything around me and obviously that is not going to happen. So then, I switch into observation mode and ponder until I do. Some things I may well never understand but I do the motives of man and so those are less of a mystery as I can write them off as to the corruption of man.
I dined at IKEA the other night, first time in years I think, and I had the usual: smoked salmon, as well as, smoked salmon with root vegetable salad. Add some additional hard tack crackers, two bowl of awesome split pea soup, all washed down with lingonberry juice and we have a great meal. Sigh ... :)
Then slowly toured the store. Stopped to buy some cinnamon rolls but the guy ahead of me bought the last ones (grrrrrrrrrrrr!). So, off to the movies across the street to see the latest from the Night In The Museum series.
I did not expect much from the movie, I do like Ben Stiller, especially after The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, so hoped it would be good. It was great!
Set all of the clocks back, then off to an early bedtime. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick .....
12:30 am and I am VIOLENT ill, again.
And I thought on this randomly happening to me this year, about once every two weeks, sometimes twice a week.
I ate nothing I was allergic to. Have sniffed no laser toner fumes lately. Nothing new, again. And for 1.5 hours as I sat in the bathroom, another half hour sitting in my office chair sipping Powerade ... I thought and analyzed everything.
I had a cough drop after breakfast, something had set off my throat.
I analyzed probable ingredients to everything I ate. Could there have been chilies in the soup?
I had popcorn during the movie. Corn a problem again? Its hasn't been for 20 years.
Was it nerves? Gaelic Girl and I had crossed swords earlier.
But other times this year:
One was a write off due to my allergy to SPLENDA - yes, it is broken down by the body.
One was due to a surprise jalapeno, unexpected and then mourned. :(
And that leaves a whole lot of unknowns.
Obviously, the answer is to go an allergist ... seems the one I had in the 1980s has now retired, was not replaced by anyone and that is the end of allergist within quite a driving distance! Well, I did find one, as long as I have a car that day, but they can not see me for testing until June ... and well, yeah, I expect to be in traction by then. Sigh.
I hate allergies. They seem to come and go, for no reason and can not be predicted at all. As my allergist had said in 1980, "Kris, you are so lucky! You can have all of the beer and shrimp you could ever want!"
Well, I had to watch the shrimp because of the fat content and as for beer, well all alcohol is out of my if I want to take my heart medicine at night. And so yeah, I will eat a few shrimp this year - never more than just a few in any given month. As for beer, I am more of stout man, but that is at most two or three times a year.
But, I think if I want to die it will be by jalapeno poppers and rum ...
Just kidding! :)
March 9, 2015
March 7, 2015
Musical Saturday Morning
I do not believe we NATA Brats ever heard a single song by the Who while I was in Europe, simply given no air time on the US Post radio stations. This song was from 1967, this video shot at New Year's Eve, it was easily well into the 1970's before I ever heard the song. I heard other kids, recently from either the US or England, talking about the Who but was utterly clueless as to whom they were.
Years later, when I was in college, licking my wounds from my first girlfriend and I went, "Oh yeah ...", when I first heard this song. I understood this song all to well in retrospect. (I was with Mark Lindsay, of the Raiders fame, as he was spinning platters for his weekly radio show, so he had lots to share about the Who as the song played!)
Interestingly, this song was considered a bit of a curse. The song was literally built in pieces, in various studios around the world. Thus the drumming was almost impossible to duplicate, the vocals were hard to replicate on-stage, when performed by the Who it was always mimed!, and the album was dead on arrival in Europe. It was considered too "heavy" ... whatever that means! LOL!
Years later, when I was in college, licking my wounds from my first girlfriend and I went, "Oh yeah ...", when I first heard this song. I understood this song all to well in retrospect. (I was with Mark Lindsay, of the Raiders fame, as he was spinning platters for his weekly radio show, so he had lots to share about the Who as the song played!)
Interestingly, this song was considered a bit of a curse. The song was literally built in pieces, in various studios around the world. Thus the drumming was almost impossible to duplicate, the vocals were hard to replicate on-stage, when performed by the Who it was always mimed!, and the album was dead on arrival in Europe. It was considered too "heavy" ... whatever that means! LOL!
March 6, 2015
TV
I do not watch TV, there is simply nothing on which even intrigues me in the slightest. I will sit and work on my computer (which I have done far too much of this year, just to keep it up!) while Youngest Daughter watches any of the bevy of programs which do capture her attention. Not in any order: The Voice, The Bachelor, Cake Boss (?), Big Bang Theory, and on and on the list goes.
She got me somewhat hooked on Alaska State Troopers, the show is so appalling in it s look as to what the population, or maybe just the seedy underbelly of Alaska looks like. I have been to Alaska and marveled that there simply appears to be no one living in Alaska whom is not of the criminal ilk. Sorry Sarah, I have to wonder about you as well.
And occassionally, Big Bang will have accidentally hired a writer whom is capable of more than Hollywood sexual innuindo culture and will be witty - but by and large that show is utter - well, its not Scottish as my great-grandfather was prone to say ... sorry Mike Meyers, you did not invent that phrase either!
But, I did watch The Batchelor this week. I have no idea what YD sees in this show but she is rivetted to the TV with her box of kleenex and booing want-a-be farmer boy. Sorry I grew up on a Danish farm, so if this is farmland USA's best product ... no wonder we get most of our agriculture from New Zealand and Chile! Gees! Personally young women of this country - you really need to discover what values are, so that you can spot a poser when you see one! GEES!
Then I also watched The Voice. YD is hooked on Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, Sam Hunt (?) and Blake Sheldon - and in that order. Yes, she is sold out on country western - uhm - music but not as much as she is in highly muscled quaterbacks - LOL. Some people on that show actually had talent and you have to assume that they are either professional and trying to get ahead or might actually have talent. But, the line up of "judges"? Pompous posers, the lot of them. Closest to what might be a normal person is Blake, but I know nothing about him and really do not care to either. But, the other three - whom I also know nothing of - avoid at all cost! BLEECH!
Thankfully I was gone almost all of yesterday so did not have to be subjected to anymore of her horror shows she watches ... except for Alaska State Troopers ... almost addictive, if you let it.
She got me somewhat hooked on Alaska State Troopers, the show is so appalling in it s look as to what the population, or maybe just the seedy underbelly of Alaska looks like. I have been to Alaska and marveled that there simply appears to be no one living in Alaska whom is not of the criminal ilk. Sorry Sarah, I have to wonder about you as well.
And occassionally, Big Bang will have accidentally hired a writer whom is capable of more than Hollywood sexual innuindo culture and will be witty - but by and large that show is utter - well, its not Scottish as my great-grandfather was prone to say ... sorry Mike Meyers, you did not invent that phrase either!
But, I did watch The Batchelor this week. I have no idea what YD sees in this show but she is rivetted to the TV with her box of kleenex and booing want-a-be farmer boy. Sorry I grew up on a Danish farm, so if this is farmland USA's best product ... no wonder we get most of our agriculture from New Zealand and Chile! Gees! Personally young women of this country - you really need to discover what values are, so that you can spot a poser when you see one! GEES!
Then I also watched The Voice. YD is hooked on Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, Sam Hunt (?) and Blake Sheldon - and in that order. Yes, she is sold out on country western - uhm - music but not as much as she is in highly muscled quaterbacks - LOL. Some people on that show actually had talent and you have to assume that they are either professional and trying to get ahead or might actually have talent. But, the line up of "judges"? Pompous posers, the lot of them. Closest to what might be a normal person is Blake, but I know nothing about him and really do not care to either. But, the other three - whom I also know nothing of - avoid at all cost! BLEECH!
Thankfully I was gone almost all of yesterday so did not have to be subjected to anymore of her horror shows she watches ... except for Alaska State Troopers ... almost addictive, if you let it.
March 5, 2015
Blessings
We live in a warped Christian culture, tainted by poor Biblical knowledge, poisoned by Satan's usage of men whom appear to be the best of the best of the best in Christianity! Only problem? They are so far being Christian that there is no hope for them - short of God doing a smack down on them. And there is another problem, lots of Christian flock to them because these men of lies tell them what they want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Do I need to give you examples? Pick anyone in the Health and Wealth gospel road show, Blab It and Grab It, Positive Confession, Motivational speakers and on and on and on. There is almost no end to the contortion Satan is willing to raise up men of free tongue and questionable ethics to literally fleece the flock ....
Yes, one of my favorite topics from defunct but still around Thoughts From The Little Apple. And those posts generated the attacks which brought down Blogger and the Little Apple numerous times! Yeah, I backed off naming names just to not bring on any more attacks.
But, locally here are people such as Casey Treat, long ago labelled a heretic in the media and books. Does not seem to matter where you go, they are already there, dishing out their swill and calling it Christianity and their superiority to those "unknowledgable losers". You know Christians like you and me, willing to wait on God and serve Him, not ourselves.
Turn on the TV and there they are Treat, Copeland, Hickey, Hinn, on and on the list goes, national and local figures are serving up the poison of Satan - placing ourselves before others, going for the outrageous, anything to stay new and relevant as Christians are pushed further and further from Jesus.
You remember, Jesus, the one whom was the willing servant to all men and even died for them. Broken body, deserted by all, dead.
Think about Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, any of the apostles. Yeah they were real overcomers as they lived in poverty, served their fellow man to their dying day! All they overcame was death, through Jesus ......
And all of the Christians of the first and second centuries. Yeah, lots of healthy, wealthy, knowingly smug Christians fed to the animals ... NOT! They were the poor, the broken, but Christians will to sacrifice their life as their Jesus had.
No Blessings are none of these things ...
That car that might have hit you and missed - God's hand and blessing?
That money you found just at the right time - God's hand and blessing?
That call or visit when you were down and needing - God's hand and blessing?
That high pressure job loss, just before you heart acts up - God's hand and blessing?
etc ...
Getting the idea here? God can use material goods, wealth and health - but they are not necessary for or of any value to Him. In our suffering for Him is found our witness to a lost world.
You can love your Joel Osteen's and his ilk, just do not rely upon his teachings to lead you to Jesus or to strengthen you in Jesus - those are unpopular concepts with this crowd.
And well, Jesus is the goal, He is the one whom counts in the end and the more you know of Him and are able to emulate Him, the closer you will grown in Him. And that is only possible in and through study of the Bible.
Got the Book, open it! If not get a Bible, open it and study ... like your eternal life depends upon it!
March 4, 2015
Bad To Worse
It is a sick way of looking at things, it is almost humorous at how bad Friday was and how it all went even further downhill from there ...
So, Friday, completely and utterly conquered by misery and anger. Yeah, I was able to repent and know I was forgiven for failing Him whom I am sworn to serve. And it is not like all aspects of my life are negative, it is just that the negative is so great that it flattens a great many gold stars continually. I do have one positive in my life. Sigh ...
And as expected, my heart began failing, it took quite a few nitro pills to get me through the weekend. The angina, preceding an attack really is not very pleasant. Anger or Angina? I am not sure which is worse - at least anger can be overcome with prayer, not so much angina that I have found.
Sunday, still suffering from the continual angina and guessing I was going to have to go to emergency soon, I just held on and waited to see if it would abate. I kept it a quiet day, well as quiet as you can have babysitting a four year old grand-daughter whom is addicted to My Little Pony. I know why people go psychotic - they have to watch 3.5 straight hours of My Little Pony!!!! Kill, must kill, all ponies in the world!!!!!!!!
Okay calming down did not go so well it seems on Sunday, LOL! But, it really did not matter, during the afternoon, I was filling my little pill box with all of my heart pills for this week. When I bent to pick up another bottle ... "click" ... my back went out. First time in I think 5 years! And Kris was down on the floor. No feeling below the waist, all nerves gone, very unpleasant in oh, so many different ways! Just imagine your entire lower body has been set on fire and there is no nerve control what-so-ever! Yes, one does scream at such moments.
So, eventually, I was able to get several vertebrae to pop back into place, but the pain was so horrible beyond description! I took a codeine and checked out from reality ...
From here I am not sure what happened but for some reason I have the feeling that my back going out was actually a blessing from God because I did not have to face Gaelic Girl. I do not know what all went on after I was out for the night. It is just an impression and yes, if I did have to face Gaelic Girl Sunday night it probably would have pushed me over the top. So, I would rather recover from back injuries than another heart attack and all of those darn needles!
So, Friday, completely and utterly conquered by misery and anger. Yeah, I was able to repent and know I was forgiven for failing Him whom I am sworn to serve. And it is not like all aspects of my life are negative, it is just that the negative is so great that it flattens a great many gold stars continually. I do have one positive in my life. Sigh ...
And as expected, my heart began failing, it took quite a few nitro pills to get me through the weekend. The angina, preceding an attack really is not very pleasant. Anger or Angina? I am not sure which is worse - at least anger can be overcome with prayer, not so much angina that I have found.
Sunday, still suffering from the continual angina and guessing I was going to have to go to emergency soon, I just held on and waited to see if it would abate. I kept it a quiet day, well as quiet as you can have babysitting a four year old grand-daughter whom is addicted to My Little Pony. I know why people go psychotic - they have to watch 3.5 straight hours of My Little Pony!!!! Kill, must kill, all ponies in the world!!!!!!!!
Okay calming down did not go so well it seems on Sunday, LOL! But, it really did not matter, during the afternoon, I was filling my little pill box with all of my heart pills for this week. When I bent to pick up another bottle ... "click" ... my back went out. First time in I think 5 years! And Kris was down on the floor. No feeling below the waist, all nerves gone, very unpleasant in oh, so many different ways! Just imagine your entire lower body has been set on fire and there is no nerve control what-so-ever! Yes, one does scream at such moments.
So, eventually, I was able to get several vertebrae to pop back into place, but the pain was so horrible beyond description! I took a codeine and checked out from reality ...
From here I am not sure what happened but for some reason I have the feeling that my back going out was actually a blessing from God because I did not have to face Gaelic Girl. I do not know what all went on after I was out for the night. It is just an impression and yes, if I did have to face Gaelic Girl Sunday night it probably would have pushed me over the top. So, I would rather recover from back injuries than another heart attack and all of those darn needles!
March 3, 2015
Thinking On Prayer
Someday, I would like to do a real study on prayer, but I fear it would turn into a book! There is so much in the Bible on prayer, it must be important to the believer and so why not just look at prayer and Jesus ....
Take a peek at Mark 1:35 as a starting point.
Jesus is praying prior to moments of POWER in His ministry
Matthew 14:22-33 - Jesus is walking on water!
Prayer must play an important part in our ministry!
Without it, yes God will still know our needs, but with no communications we may well not know His desires in our ministry!
No communication will yield no power in our efforts at ministry.
Find a dead body of believers (there are everywhere!) and you will find no prayer!
Prior to TEACHING
Luke 11:1-4
And in answer to a question on prayer, Jesus give us a model to consider ...
In moments of struggle (TEMPTATION)
Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus is struggling with what He know must come to pass.
In like fashion I am tempted, you are tempted, if you call yourself a Christian you are tempted as well! It is only with prayer that we will be able to stand and not fail.
It is only with prayer that when we fail, Jesus will rebuild us (yet again!) and continue to stand between us and His father's fury (God) at our rebellion (sin).
In moments of SUCCESS
Luke 5:15-16
Jesus has plenty of ministry moments, uncountable, and yet he had to take time to pray!
Likewise, we must force ourselves and our busy schedules to allow for prayer, plenty of prayer!
For all of the reasons above and to just THANK God for His faithfulness to us, because He knows we are faithless to Him ...
In times of big DECISIONS
Luke 6:12-13
You are going to read this and go, "What decision?"
And Jesus had made a choice of some type, and what was to follow in His teaching that day was extremely interesting in what he had to say. Continue reading through verse 49 to see what I mean!
In our lives, big decisions require big prayers.
That means you pray as long as it takes for God to answer you!
Yes, you might missed your nightly soap but your life, your ministry, those whom look up to you are too important for you to make ANY choice without knowing God is backing you!
Slightest hesitation in your spirit and it is time to rethink your activities!
Consider these points:
Jesus most likely grew up saying the Shema and the Eighteen Benedictions twice a day.
Jesus calls the Temple a "House of Prayer".
Jesus was faithful in attending Synagogue, "as was His custom". (Luke 4:16)
Prayer played a important part in Jesus' life and it should in yours as well.
Take a peek at Mark 1:35 as a starting point.
Jesus is praying prior to moments of POWER in His ministry
Matthew 14:22-33 - Jesus is walking on water!
Prayer must play an important part in our ministry!
Without it, yes God will still know our needs, but with no communications we may well not know His desires in our ministry!
No communication will yield no power in our efforts at ministry.
Find a dead body of believers (there are everywhere!) and you will find no prayer!
Prior to TEACHING
Luke 11:1-4
And in answer to a question on prayer, Jesus give us a model to consider ...
In moments of struggle (TEMPTATION)
Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus is struggling with what He know must come to pass.
In like fashion I am tempted, you are tempted, if you call yourself a Christian you are tempted as well! It is only with prayer that we will be able to stand and not fail.
It is only with prayer that when we fail, Jesus will rebuild us (yet again!) and continue to stand between us and His father's fury (God) at our rebellion (sin).
In moments of SUCCESS
Luke 5:15-16
Jesus has plenty of ministry moments, uncountable, and yet he had to take time to pray!
Likewise, we must force ourselves and our busy schedules to allow for prayer, plenty of prayer!
For all of the reasons above and to just THANK God for His faithfulness to us, because He knows we are faithless to Him ...
In times of big DECISIONS
Luke 6:12-13
You are going to read this and go, "What decision?"
And Jesus had made a choice of some type, and what was to follow in His teaching that day was extremely interesting in what he had to say. Continue reading through verse 49 to see what I mean!
In our lives, big decisions require big prayers.
That means you pray as long as it takes for God to answer you!
Yes, you might missed your nightly soap but your life, your ministry, those whom look up to you are too important for you to make ANY choice without knowing God is backing you!
Slightest hesitation in your spirit and it is time to rethink your activities!
Consider these points:
Jesus most likely grew up saying the Shema and the Eighteen Benedictions twice a day.
Jesus calls the Temple a "House of Prayer".
Jesus was faithful in attending Synagogue, "as was His custom". (Luke 4:16)
Prayer played a important part in Jesus' life and it should in yours as well.
March 2, 2015
Bad Day
Friday was just a plain bad day.
I woke up due to a dream I was having wherein I had a computer monitor which displayed all of the computers in my domain I was responsible for. My monitor would warn me when one of them was about to go down or had suddenly crashed. My job then was to go and fix the computer, if it had not crashed, or rescue it if it did crash. It was then I realized that the computers were all people and the warning light on my monitor was one of my friends in trouble and I really did not want them to go down hard!
Prayer, lots of prayer, but a very troubled spirit.
So, I hopped on Blogger to reread some of my old posts. Utterly bummed me out because I remember all too well the details behind some of those less than detailed postings.
So, I hopped from the Apple over to my story blog of my father's life. And I tell you, I went straight into depression big time!
I so desperately needed someone ... I was one of those computers about to crash I fear. And I did. Nose dive straight into self pity and anger ... I do not do well with anger, it is Satan's major access route into me.
Once I had calmed downed, I wrote what is tomorrow's post on prayer. It helped. But, I have been badly damaged internally from this - three nitros in 24 hours and my heart is still not stable. No doubt I will end up in the hospital at some point this week if this episode does not stop - for now I fear that stress is winning.
And if stress wins, then my foot and leg reconstruction surgery will be pushed back even further than June. Sigh, there is just no winning when you are me.
I woke up due to a dream I was having wherein I had a computer monitor which displayed all of the computers in my domain I was responsible for. My monitor would warn me when one of them was about to go down or had suddenly crashed. My job then was to go and fix the computer, if it had not crashed, or rescue it if it did crash. It was then I realized that the computers were all people and the warning light on my monitor was one of my friends in trouble and I really did not want them to go down hard!
Prayer, lots of prayer, but a very troubled spirit.
So, I hopped on Blogger to reread some of my old posts. Utterly bummed me out because I remember all too well the details behind some of those less than detailed postings.
So, I hopped from the Apple over to my story blog of my father's life. And I tell you, I went straight into depression big time!
I so desperately needed someone ... I was one of those computers about to crash I fear. And I did. Nose dive straight into self pity and anger ... I do not do well with anger, it is Satan's major access route into me.
Once I had calmed downed, I wrote what is tomorrow's post on prayer. It helped. But, I have been badly damaged internally from this - three nitros in 24 hours and my heart is still not stable. No doubt I will end up in the hospital at some point this week if this episode does not stop - for now I fear that stress is winning.
And if stress wins, then my foot and leg reconstruction surgery will be pushed back even further than June. Sigh, there is just no winning when you are me.
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