Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Strange Answers

Over the years, most teachers have received strange answers to some of their test questions.   Here are a few examples.

 

1.   Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and travelled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.


2.   The Bible is full of interesting c

aricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"


3.   Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.


4.   Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.


5.   The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.


6.   Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.


7.   Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.


8.   In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java.


9.   Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long.


10.  Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."


11. Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them.


12. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was cannonized by Bernard Shaw. Finally Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same offense.


13. In midevil times most people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile ages was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote literature.


14. Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.


15. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah."


16. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. And Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.


17. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet.


18. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.


19. During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe.


20. Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.


21. One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. Finally the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.


22. Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.


23. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposedly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.


24. Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltaire invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy.


25. Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the autumn when the apples are falling off the trees.


26. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German half Italian and half English. He was very large.


27. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.


28. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened and catapulted into Napoleon. Napoleon wanted an heir to inherit his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't have any children.


29. The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West.


30. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. She was a moral woman who practiced virtue. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.


31. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie discovered radio. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.


32. The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by an anahist, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Sleepless And Discouraged


          It was early last Sunday.  Once again, I hadn't been able to sleep due to physical and mental challenges which have kept me awake at nights for many weeks.  I was tired, frustrated, discouraged and probably depressed.

          My mind raced to the many unsolved physical needs that I had and to those facing my wife.  I thought about the many needs we had for house cleaning and minor repairs that I could no longer handle and I had nobody to help us complete them.  June brought back many memories of my dad and my brother who both had birthdays this month.  Oh how I miss them.  I also miss visits and conversations church members and coworkers and friends who appear to have forgotten us.  Being homebound can be very lonely.

          I knew that my wife was facing knee replacement in the days ahead.  She is my driver, cook, caretaker and the one friend who has time to talk with me. During the next month I have 20 visits/procedures scheduled which I will need to get to.  Somehow I will.

          So after running through all of this, I finally got up and struggled out to my recliner, where I appear to be spending my life recently. I skipped breakfast.  I turned on the television and located a streaming church service from a church which I have been watching each Sunday because of the good inspiring music which they feature.

          Suddenly their choir began to sing a song which years ago I had used as a theme chorus when I led worship at a Senior Saints retreat at Pinebrook. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness!"

          Wow! Thank you, Lord, I needed that reminder.

          Now that didn't solve my physical problems but it did force me to recall God's faithfulness to me over the decades and reassure me that unlike others, He hasn't forgotten me.  I don't know how He will handle my many concerns, but I know He will.

          I then began to recall how good God had been to me over my 83 years. I was reminded that after many months without contact from my former church friends, I recently did receive a call from a former church member and coworker.  He called to offer me a happy birthday and to encourage me.  And that he did.  Thank you, Jim.

          I remembered how a friend came to complete the planting of our flowers. And she also surprised us by bringing lunch.  Thank you. Leslie.

          Three of my medical specialists actually contacted me to offer me visit times when schedulers had informed me that none of them had openings for months.

           I have also been blest by several cousins who are prayer warriors and faithfully pray for me.

          And then I remembered how many blessings the Lord has given me over the years.  Obviously, He has not forgotten me, I do have much to be thankful for.

          "His mercies never come to an end".  I will be watching to see how He provides the cleaning help and handyman needs I have. It will be interesting to see how He provides the transportation and cooking help I may need.  It will be exciting to see how He takes care of our pressing physical needs.  I don't know how, but I know He will.

          "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come t and end.  They are new every morning.  GREAT is Thy faithfulness.",

 

UPDATE:  Since writing this blog, Dianne has been scheduled for knee replacement service on July 31 at LGH.  Please pray that she can endure her pain that long.  I have also begun a series of eight weekly procedures as a final attempt to improve some of my problems.  Pray that I might get some relief.  I also have not been able to get any sleep.

        

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Learning Through The Years


·       I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".
- Age 5

·       I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
- Age 7

·       I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
- Age 9

·       I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
- Age 12

·       I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
- Age 14

·       I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
- Age 15

·       I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
- Age 24

·       I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
- Age 26

·       I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
- Age 29

·       I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
- Age 30

·       I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.
- Age 42

·       I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
- Age 44

·       I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
- Age 46

·       I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
- Age 47

·       I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
- Age 48

·       I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
- Age 49

·       I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
- Age 50

·       I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
- Age 51

·       I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
- Age 52

·       I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
- Age 53

·       I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
- Age 58

·       I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
- Age 61

·       I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
- Age 62

·       I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
- Age 64

·       I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
- Age 65

·       I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
- Age 66

·       I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
- Age 72

·       I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several.
- Age 75

·       I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
- Age 82

·       I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
- Age 90

·       I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
- Age 92 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Lessons From My Dad

Over the years I have been writing life stories for my grandchildren. I have now completed almost 300 pages for them.  Some of them have appeared in previous blogs and I have decided to share others as I am doing today.   



Fortunate is the man who has a godly Father who shows him how to live. I was very fortunate to have a father who did just that, not always with his words but certainly with his actions and example.  This had a profound impact on my life.  As we approach Father's Day I wish that I could thank him again for all he meant to me and all he taught me about living.  In addition, on June 21, dad would have been 97 if the Lord wouldn't have graciously taken him home over five years ago.

     So as I approach these two dates my mind has been going back to some of the lessons that I learned from him.  This list certainly isn't complete but it does include several things that quickly come to my mind.

     (1)   There is no question that the most important lesson he taught me was that there is nothing in life more important than knowing the Lord and serving Him.  He demonstrated this daily in the way he led our family and how he served the Lord.

     (2)   All that we have belongs to the Lord and should be used for Him.  Our home was always open for hospitality and ministry.  Our car was used weekly to take others to church.  As I learned later in life, dad sacrificed financially to keep our young church afloat when church bills couldn't be met.  He realized that anything he had came from the Lord and really belonged to the Lord.

     (3)    He showed us that it is vital to exercise the spiritual gifts that we have been given.  It didn't matter how old you were physically, there was no retirement option in serving the Lord.  He showed this by working to the very last hours of his life completing conference finances and reports.

     (4)    He demonstrated that it is critical to provide for your family even if it meant having to work several parttime jobs to do this.  He worked hard so that mother could be a mother and a housewife and care at home for us.  He knew how to work very hard and how to work to represent and serve the Lord.

     (5)    He showed us how to trust the Lord when disappointments came along.  He grew up in the depression and then had to scrape for jobs following World War II.  And then, later in life he suddenly and unexpectedly lost his job to downsizing.  But he never complained and the Lord continued to provide jobs each day for him until he finally retired.  He knew God would provide.

      (6)  He taught us to live and work with integrity, to be reliable, responsible and honest.  He taught us how to be organized, a lesson that I saw in practice when I served as executor of his estate.  He taught us how to live on a budget and keep detailed records of our expenses, a lesson that has helped us survive adequately in years when teaching salaries were minimal and my wife served as a stay at home mother and housewife as my mother did.

     (7)   He showed us how to take time to help and encourage others who were in need.  Both of my parents gave up many of their things and time to help those who were in need.

    (8)   From him we learned by example that one needs to be faithful in your church attendance, your ministry, your work and your responsibilities as a father and head of the home.

     (9)  He taught me how to speak correct English.  I admit that at times I didn't appreciate being corrected, but he knew how important proper English would be throughout life.

     (10)   He taught us to honor, respect and encourage our pastors.  Maybe it was because he saw how some members treated his stepfather who raised him as a pastor's son.  It was always wrong to criticize and undermine the pastor.  As an elder he worked very hard to see that the pastor was taken care of, especially financially.

      (11)  And a lesson that I've tried to pass on to my sons, treat your wife/mother with full respect.  Don't allow your children to raise their voices, criticize or disobey their mother. Doing so was a major offense. He would never, never allow that and neither have I.  

     (12)   Family is important.  No matter how busy dad was with work and church responsibilities, he always had time for family.  And most importantly, he was a true prayer warrior for everyone, but especially for his family.  He maintained a prayer list and family members were always at the top of the list.  That is a great gift.

     Now some of you may say, Barry that is great, but God didn't give me a godly father.  That may be true, but that gives you even a greater responsibility today to start to be a godly man or a godly woman.  Put Christ first in all of your life and begin a Christian heritage for those who follow you.  Dianne and I have complied a list of things we've wanted to pass on to our family and we've posted that list on our living room wall where we are reminded regularly of our responsibility to them.  There is nothing more important that you can do than modeling godliness to your family.  If you haven't, get started today.rs will appreciate it.


Saturday, June 1, 2024

62

          Have you found that time often flies more quickly than you ever expect?  If not, you probably are too young without many exciting life experiences.
          Today I am recalling 62 years that have passed so fast that I don't know where they have gone.  62 years ago I was a student at Susquehanna University when I made the decision to join Dianne Bickle in matrimony.  It was the beginning of something very special.

     Over the years the Lord has blessed our lives together with three wonderful sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, seven special grandchildren, one great grandson and a second on the way.  We are so thankful for all of them.

         We have had great ministries, a family ministry plus an Awana ministry each for over 30 years, music ministries, writing ministries and teaching ministries. We have been blest.  We have enjoyed over 30 trips to major cities where  we attended and Barry often spoke at major national math conventions.

          We also spent a week in Washington D.C. where we met President Reagan who honored Barry with  the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics.  What a wonderful experience!

          But we have also walked with the Lord through some difficult days.  We almost lost our first child when he was four months old.  Dianne has suffered for years with ulcerative colitis (24 colonoscopies), she has a pacemaker and had a heart valve replaced.  I have had five heart by-passes, three back surgeries, gall bladder surgery and numerous kidney stones.

          Now that we are both in our mid 80's we are finding new physical challenges that have really slowed us down.  But while we need much more assistance and are somewhat homebound and handicapped, God has not failed us and our trust is still in Him. He has not left us or failed us.

          Time has flown and at 2 pm on this Sunday we will celebrate our 62nd wedding anniversary – 62 wonderful years!