HARMLESS THOUGHTS

We just paid our kids out of Halloween. We were on our way home and we were dreading the Trick or Treating thing.  We have never really disliked it, but we just weren't in the mood.  (And I had a feeling that they weren't really in the mood either...)  So, we made them an offer.  My wife said, "How much would we have to give you to NOT go trick or treating?" Youngest son (with no concept of money), "A Hundred Dollars!" Oldest son, "Um... What exactly do you mean?" Me, "Well, we aren't in the mood for trick or treating, what else could we do instead?  Understand though, if you really want to go trick or treating, just let me know.  I don't want you not to go if you are going to feel sad about something." My wife, "How about a toy, a pizza and a movie?" Both sons (spoken with excitement), "Yes!" Me, "sold."

Here is a great article: (Warning: you need to have some level of intelligence to understand this one...) You Can't Soak the Rich (The Wall Street Journal) [HT: Finger Toe , who also wrote this little piece: Nobody gets it, Rich do not pay taxes ]

Not that anybody who has made up their mind is even listening... Not that anybody who has made up their mind would even find this to be a bad thing for a leader... Obama vs. Scott and Janet Willis Reverend Scott and Janet Willis, whose six children were killed in a tragic accident involving a truck driver who had obtained his commercial drivers license through bribery, drive three hours to the state capital in Springfield to testify in favor of a “Choose Life” license plate; proceeds from the specialty license plate would be used to help fund adoption expenses. Echoing pro-abortion groups, Obama calls the issue “contentious.” NARAL calls it "aggressive propaganda," and the vice president of the Illinois National Organization for Women calls it "a violation of free speech." Reporters fill the hearing room, eager to record the expected emotional Willis testimony; Obama calls only his friendly witnesses, ignores Scott and Janet Willis, and then abruptly adjourns ...

In January 2007, I was in desperate need of a job... A second job.  I had just been praying for an overly flexible job when a guy from the church called me up.  I can still remember it, I was standing in the backyard raking (and burning) leaves when he called. I, of course, said yes to his job offer.  It didn't pay much, but it was really flexible, and just about the number of hours that I needed, without being too much. It was a great job, and I have to say, it never really felt like a job.  It always felt like I was just serving at the church.  Especially when the paychecks started getting direct deposited... Then I didn't really see any of the pay. My boys came to work with me almost 50% of the time.  Most of the time they would just hang out, but I would always try to give them a little job or two to do.  My oldest was really turning out to be a good worker.  He had learned how to do almost every job that I did.  He was such a good help that when I brought them with me, it ...

[ht: Kelli Jones]

A Note from our Pastor This morning: Dear church family, This morning at 8:45 Monica Pryor went to be with Jesus! Her family surrounded her bed and sang and prayed as she slipped peacefully into eternity. God's empowering favor has been so strong in and through Monica and continues to rest on her family Please keep praying for them. Visitation will be Wednesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at  NHCC , and her home going service will be Thursday at noon, also here at  NHCC . A few hours ago, as Monica's family gathered in her bedroom, 2 Corinthians 5 filled our hearts with hope: "For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we should be unclothed, but that we should be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us ...

It is official.  I cannot get caught up. The gods of chaos are working against me.  At the moment that they see that I am almost getting caught up, they bring about some new method to sway me away from my goal.  Somebody needs help getting moved, someone needs some computer assistance, there is a special school function that requires my presence, something, always something... They know my greatest weaknesses.

So, last week was not a good week . To top it off, we temporarily lost the dog.  I don't want to talk about how it happened, because it was my fault.  I also don't want any lectures about keeping his tags on him at all times.  I get it!  I know.  And it was my fault that he didn't have his tags on! But, we lost the dog.  We even did the whole canvas the neighborhood thing... with posters!  I was actually driving around the surrounding neighborhoods putting posters on telephone poles!  The whole family was in the van.  I was armed with a staple gun and a handful of flyers. It worked though.   Some guy saw my poster, then realized that he had already seen a poster saying, "Dog Found" just down the street.  What a nice guy!  He actually went back to the first poster and got the number off of it and called me.  (Must be a dog-person...) Sure enough, Milo had been picked up by a nice lady (who actually ran a dog obedience school) and she had been keeping him for the ...

We crawled into the cab of the truck, the boys and I.  We had walked out into the parking lot at a pace that was a little slower than normal.  They had their reasons for shuffling, I had mine, but we shuffled out there together. I hadn't told them the news while we were in the school building, because I knew it would make that walk feel just that much longer.  So I allowed them their own thoughts on the way down that 'gravel mile' and kept my thoughts to myself.  The opportunity to mull those thoughts over one or two more times wasn't such a bad thing anyway.  So we shuffled to the doors and hauled ourselves in. I stuck the keys in the ignition, but hesitated to start the truck.  I wanted to get going -- to drive home right now -- to arrive at my destination.  I wanted to turn that key... but I knew that would only be postponing the inevitable.  Sure, I needed to start the truck and get going, but they deserved to know where they were heading.  So, I hesitated. "I ...

A friend at the school sent a pie home with us today.  It was pumpkin, so I was pretty excited about it... But then I saw the pie!  Now I am really excited about it!

I was talking in class the other day and strayed into a mini-soapbox-rant about effort and grades.  (I couldn't be a teacher if I didn't do that every so often.)  I was saying something about how those students who are doing well were really working for it, as opposed to those students who were not doing well...  There is actually quite a bit more to this speech, so please don't take me out of context... When I reached my first lull in my rant, one of my students, with a smile on his face, says, "...maybe we could take some extra points off the top of those high grade students and give them to those students who don't have as many points.  In my neighborhood, that's called fair." He's a sophomore.

Here is a new quote.  I love it.  I just love it.  It says so much.  I think that I can attribute it to John Wayne, but I haven't googled it yet to find out for sure. "Stupid should hurt." Love it.

Just to make sure you think twice before that e-mail.  (Or maybe to make sure you're thinking...) Mail Goggles by Gmail [HT: Sunday School Thoughts ]

I am passing along this post:  Some thoughts about costumes on Halloween . I have always liked Halloween.  I have several good memories associated with this holiday, but I had to agree with the tone of this particular post.

My linksys wireless router just died today. Why? I have always been good to it. It hasn't been mistreated in anyway. It just quit working. So, I have been without internet all day. This is bad for a guy who does 90% of his work on the internet.

This guy goes to my church.  I didn't even know that he went anywhere else to do his dramatic scripture recitation thing. [HT: Rebecca Writes ]

I never thought that I would be able to own a piano.  I just never thought that I could afford one. Well, my lovely wife found an awesome deal on Craigslist and informed me on Wednesday that I would be driving to get a piano on Saturday.  I was a little nervous about trying to pick a piano up and set it in my truck.  I didn't have a trailer that I could borrow and I didn't have any people that I could haul with me to get this thing, but my wife said that we were going. Sounded like a good opportunity for me to point out that this particular furniture mover had never been able to purchase any straps for his old truck.  There was no way I was hauling a piano in the back of my truck without it being securely strapped down.  The accounting committee in my house (also known as my lovely wife) granted permission for the strap purchase. The piano moving bill passed, along with my little bit of pork barreling , (didn't know what that was until this week ...

If you go to the sidebar, you can become a "follower" of this blog.  What does that mean?  I haven't got a clue.

I listened to the entire VP debate.  It was really interesting. I think that this is the first time that I have really listened to a debate.  I have heard debates before, but I don't think that I have ever really listened.  It was really intriguing.  There is so much that I could say about it, but the thing that bothered me the most was the disagreements over the basic facts (like voting records).  In my mind, that wouldn't be debatable.  Facts are facts.  They are black and white.  We can't really debate a voting record, because it is... well, a record .   I was wrong.  Those two kept going back and forth over who voted for what.  Now, I can agree that we could debate the meanings behind why someone would vote a certain way, but I kept hearing differing numbers and statistics, I didn't know what to believe.  Those disagreements were never truly settled.  Unfortunately, I don't have a staff to find the truth for me.

I have to say, this was a weird one.   The number 27... The first number on the moon?

Alright. I waited to post this on the blog, but here you go: Number four is on the way.  I didn't have an available scanner, so I snapped this shot with my phone, but you can see the little bud. To answer your question, No.  I didn't plan this.  Yes, I am happy (how couldn't I be?)  Yes, my wife has had morning (and afternoon and evening and night) sickness for several weeks now.  Yes.  I am tired, but not regretful.  Yes,  I am hoping for a girl.  Yes, I am holding back some of my excitement because of our most recent experience, but that hesitation is quickly fading.  It almost faded away when I saw the heartbeat last week.  This shot is from this week.  Yes, I am 36 years old.  Yes.  I am already wondering how this will affect my future.  And Yes.  I love it. Isn't it amazing how you can love your child before you even see it?  From the moment you see that little flutter on the monitor.  ...