Hmmmm.... That's interesting....

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

You may think that I have burst forth into a festive Spring mood and have honored the season with a lovely re-design in

_green... Green... GREEN!!!

Please...

Here's why that isn't so:

A) I'm blue/gray/green colorblind, so I wouldn't dally too much on anything green for fear of what it would look like to others,

B) All of my taste is my mouth, so I generally try to find something that looks either formal or stuffy or conservative and stick with others' ideas of what looks good, and

C) [furtive glance to the right!] [furtive glance to the left!]
Pssst! C'mover here close so others can't hear this....
_{The only thing I really care about is that the cross and Jesus is the most prominent thing on the page. After that, I'm not really that concerned about how it looks.}

Here's the deal:
For some reason the blog template I've been using is now putting a dark background into the body text. It has also removed the "background color" control from the edit options for that template. You can't see the text for the dark background (and it has been doing something funky with the later posts on the page.)

I don't have any idea why. (Looking very, very innocent!)

This new look was the quickest template available that didn't create conflicts left and right. That's why I threw it up, I mean, used it. (That was an ironic choice of words!)

I'm still not sure it's going to handle archived posts properly, but it will have to do for tonight.

Would you please be so kind as to post a note and let me know if this is displaying properly on your computer? If the green is really hideous, you might want to let me know that too...

Thank you for visiting!

Holy Cow

Y'know, I've lightened up about a lot of stuff in the last 3 years. I mean, about A LOT of stuff! And frankly, I always believed that some parents are too hung up on sheltering their children from understanding the world. (That's just my take.)

But today I came across something that dropped my jaw. Take a look:

This was featured in an email ad from Toys-R-Us that I received. (I had to go take a look at it on the Toys-R-Us web site and that's where I snatched this picture.)

It's called the Nerf Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster. It shoots foam "bullets" (and it looks like it should be gas-recoil operated.) It's yours for a mere $39.99 (on sale this week!) and it's ready to ship direct to you right now from Toys-R-Us.

My first thought was an image I have seen of a young African child holding an AK-47 and the tragic use of children as soldiers that's common in so many third-world conflicts.

My second thought was that, if I were 7 years old, this would be the Holy Grail of all toys! At 7 years old I would be longing for a Nerf Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster with all of my heart and soul!

(And even today, now that I think about it, I could have some fun with one of these on the corner of my desk here at the bank...)

Yes, folks, I probably need professional help.

I definitely need your prayers...

(...and looking at this toy, I'm thinking maybe we all need prayer.)

Yesterday's Manna

I just learned that one of my favorite bloggers has decided that they may stop writing their blog. It made me genuinely sad. I have a real affection for this lady and her husband and her family.

My first instict was to say, "No! Please stay!" But I know that she's trying to follow God and I trust her and I trust God. God has used her in my life and she has been a blessing to me. The funny thing is that, being human, when it comes to "God's Blessings" I often want to cling more to the "blessings" and less to "God".

It reminds me of Manna...

"That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.
Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell."

- Exodus 16:13-20 NIV

Manna. You got what you needed at that time. If you tried to depend on yesterday's manna you ate from a bowl of corruption. (I like that phrase "...a bowl of corruption..." that'll preach!)

Yesterday's manna = Today's filth.

A life following God is scary. Too often we think we just have to let go of our sins. That's sometimes scary. But often it is more scary to let go of yesterday's blessings. But if we cling to yesterday's blessings rather than Our Lord who gave them those blessings become today's rot and corruption.

We must cling to Him and to Him only. We have to surrender each day to His full provision.

Father I believe... ...Help my unbelief.