To Tell The Truth

Do you remember the old television show To Tell The Truth?  As I recall they used to have three contestants who all claimed to be a certain person.  One told the truth and the other two lied.  Then the contestants were asked to pick out the one who told the truth.  Maybe this was really the first "reality" show since that seems to be what life is all about today - trying to determine if a person is telling the truth when telling a lie is so common.  If you read my blog of January 13 you know that we were hit by a lady who ran a red light.  She freely admitted to all at the scene that it was her fault.  She was 77 and we felt that she could be trusted.  In fact, when the policeman finally showed up, almost an hour later, after listening to our story he said that he didn't need to file a report unless we wanted one.  Filing a report would probably have gotten this women a citation.  She was upset about the accident and was concerned about her husband who was very ill at home.  She remarked how calm and kind we had been. And I trusted her.  I decided to show some mercy and not have the report written by the officer so that she wouldn't get a citation.  As it turns out, I was really outsmarted by this little old lady.  I first realized that when I had to pay the $500 deductible to get my car back from the repair shop.  Then a friend warned me that they had trouble collecting on an accident when Nationwide was the other person's insurer.  And, sure enough, Nationwide has denied responsibility placing me at 100% fault for an accident which clearly was not my fault at all. So apparently this smart old lady reported a different story and now it is her word against ours.  Now my insurance company is fighting the decision but I suspect we will be out the $500.  So I've learned a few lessons.  First, if you are not at fault in an accident get a written police report.  Second, do not take the word of anyone, especially a kindly old lady, who has much to gain by telling a lie.  Now I am reminded that the Lord is the final judge and despite the $500 reminder, He will honor my act of mercy, honesty and Christian response. She will be accountable to Him for her action.  But telling a lie is so common and accepted today.  The newspapers are full of examples such as the Notre Dame linebacker who lied about his girl friend.  Then there is the "honorable" Vice President Joe Biden who, in an effort to gain sympathy for his campaign to control guns, claims that he was golfing close enough to the Nickel Mines School tragedy in 2006 to hear the gun shots as the students were killed.   Newspapers have checked all the area golf courses and have no record of Biden golfing there and, even so, none of the courses are even close enough to have heard the shots.  And just to think that Biden is one heartbeat away from being our President.    I just read some statistics that show how common it has become not to tell the truth in today's society.  According to Statistic Brain, 1.6 million people have lied on their taxes and 53% have put false statements on their resumes.  According to NBC, 40% say lying is sometimes acceptable.  And 44 of 56 schools is Atlanta were part of a cover up by teachers who falsified test scores (erasing kids' answers and putting in the correct answers, etc.)  Sadly that is where we have come to in this secular society that denies God and won't even allow postings of the Ten Commandments.  So I guess we need to learn not to be so naive, even when dealing with kindly older women.  And that advice won't cost you $500 as it has for me.  And that is the truth!  But the Psalmist has given me the words for my real reaction.  In Psalm 26:1 he prays, "Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering."  And that too is my prayer.

Friends

Over the past two weeks, five acquaintances of ours have passed away - the mother of one of our missionaries, the husband of a friend from church, the mother of a fellow Awana worker, the husband of a teacher that I hired, and a former student. Now they weren't what i would call close friends, but they were people who crossed our paths in one way or another. The older we get, it seems the more frequently we are attending viewing and funerals.  Checking the obituaries has become a daily routine.  I guess this is a part of senior life that nobody warned us about.  During this same time period I've also talked to two widows who are struggling with the loss of their husbands.  And what can you really say to them?  That has to be one of the most devastating experiences of life.  This week is also the one year anniversary of the unexpected sudden passing of my very close friend, Jim Herrold.  We met 54 years ago at Susquehanna University, became college roommates, and were like brothers to each other. He prayed for me regularly and few people have such a faithful prayer partner. But Jim was just one of my very close friends who are now in glory, each leaving a widow behind here on earth.  In 1984 my friend Paul Brosious was called home with a sudden heart attack.  We met while I was in college and I became his tutor and close friend. He went on to earn his doctorate and become one of the early developers of minicomputers for IBM.  During my  college years I also met Norm Zellers.  We sang together in the Gospel Four Quartette in church and each week on the radio.  He was responsible for getting Dianne and I together.  We used his car in our wedding party and we had much in common throughout our lives.  When we moved to the Lancaster area after my graduation, a young man by the name of Gary Varner came to help us move.  He and his wife attended our church and we soon became very close friends.  We sang together in a mixed quartette.  We enjoyed the same things.  We helped start several fellowship groups at church.  Our children and now even our grandchildren grew up together.  He died unexpectedly of lung cancer.  Then there was Ralph Michel.  We also met Ralph and his wife in our church many years ago and we too had much in common.  We vacationed together.  We would have been the guardians for their children if they had died before their kids were of age.  We, too, had so many great times together.  His death was also very quick and unexpected.  Then, of course, there was my brother, Terry.  A star athlete, a godly man, a man with a heart for others, but a victim of prostate cancer. Even though he was four years younger than I was, he taught me so very much about living ... and preparing to die.  Terry, Jim and Norm were the men in our wedding party and all are now home with the Lord.  And that is so hard to believe.  But that is part of aging.  I think a person is blest if he has just one close friend during his lifetime.  I guess I have been blest many times and I thank the Lord for that.  But I do deeply miss these good friends who are now sharing together in the splendor and joy of heaven.  And I have the hope of seeing them again when the Lord calls me home to heaven.  If you have a good, close friend, please take time to thank them and spend time with them.  For those extra special relationships here on earth may soon be gone and then all you will have here are the good memories and maybe some regrets.

Facebook Users

I have talked here before about Facebook.  I now have 71 friends, or folks listed as being my friends.  But over the past year only 34 of these have ever placed a comment on facebook or have even said that they "liked" something that I posted.  And most of these 34 have only done this once or twice, at most, during the past year.  But despite this, I still enjoy checking Facebook each day.  I do hear from a few of my friends and I do enjoy hearing what is happening in their lives.  I don't spend hours there and I don't play games, but I do enjoy exchanging both serious and humorous comments.  It often lightens up my day.  Recently somebody sent me a listing of the 12 Types of People who are on Facebook.  So I thought I'd share these with you and if you are a Facebook user you will probably be able to find friends of yours in each type.  Here goes.  (1) The "Rooster" -- Always tells Facebook "Good Morning" every day.  (2) The "Lurker" -- Never posts or comments on your post, but reads everything, and might make reference to your status when seeing you in public. (3) The "Hyena" -- Doesn't ever really say anything, just LOLs and LMAOs at everything. (4) "Mr/Ms Popular" -- Has 4,367 friends for NO reason. (5) The "Gamer" -- Plays Words With Friends, Mafia Wars,Farmville, and Bejeweled Blitz, and bakes virtual cakes and stuff, etc. (ALL DAY).  (6) The "Cynic" -- Hates his life, and everything in it, as evidenced by the somber tone in ALL of his status updates. (7) The "Collector" -- Never posts anything either, but joins every group and becomes fans of the most random stuff.  (8) The "Promoter" -- Always sends event invitations to things that you ultimately delete or ignore.  (9) The "Liker" -- Never actually says anything, but always clicks the "like" button. (10) "Drama Queen/King" -- This person always posts stuff like "I can't believe this!" or "They gonna make me snap today!" in the hopes that you will ask what happened, or what's wrong ... but then never finishes telling the story. (11) The "News" -- Always updates you on what they are doing and who they are doing it with, no matter how arbitrary, and lastly... (12) The "Thief" -- Steals status updates ... and will probably steal this one ... just like I did!  What type of user are you?

The Hawk

Several weeks ago my wife called me to look out our back window.  There, perched on our wash pole, was a huge bird.  It was at least two feet tall with a huge puffy breast.  We watched it for awhile and then we were able to see enough of it to identify it as a red tailed hawk.  Now we have hawks visit out yard quite often, but never anything close to this size.  We think that the visits of hawks are one reason that our bird population is much smaller than it used to be.  Well we watched this hawk for quite awhile and it just sat there on the post.  Finally we left to continue some jobs we had to complete.  Then later my wife called me once again.  This time the huge hawk was on the ground, near our flower bed.  My wife was sure that it had something in its claws and was chewing at it.  She guessed that it might have been some bird.  When I was watching the hawk stopped chewing and for several minutes just turned its neck about 360 degrees, both ways, scanning all around.  In fact, we think it may have even noticed us despite the fact that we were inside, probably 40 yards away.  This time we could see the hawk's entire body and it was then very easy to confirm our identification.  Finally the bird spread its huge wings and took off.  It was impressive.  I would not have wanted to mess with a creature this huge.  When it didn't return I decided to go and see if I could identify its victim.  Sure enough, I found the body of a large squirrel with blood all over its neck.  I decided to wait until the next day to remove the remains.  But the next morning it was gone.  I don't know if the hawk returned to finish his meal or if a vulture or other animal enjoyed the remains.  Now I would be glad if the hawk returned regularly to feast on our nasty squirrel population.  As you may remember from a previous blog, the squirrels have beaten all my efforts to stop them from invading my birdfeeders.  But they can't beat this new weapon.  If only the hawk would stick with squirrels and forget the smaller, less tasty, birds.    I was never this close to a bird this huge as it completed a successful hunt.  But it was impressive! Once again it made me marvel at God's great creations.  It truly was a stunning experience.

Deja vu? Allmost

On November 6, 1994, my parents were shopping.  On the way home, late afternoon, a teenager ran a stop sign and hit them on the passenger side of their car. My mother was seated there.  Emergency personnel told us that they think mother may have died instantly.  She was 72.  My dad was taken to the hospital where he stayed for a few days under observation.  We were at a Penn State football game and since they couldn't reach us, they called my oldest son who met them at the hospital.  On January 8, 2013, we were shopping and were on our way home, also in the late afternoon.  A 77 year old lady ran a red light and hit us on the passenger side where my wife was seated.  Dianne is 72.  Thank the Lord we were not injured seriously and while we waited to have our car towed we called our oldest son who came and picked us up.  At the time we were very shocked since, like my parents, we didn't see it coming when we were hit.  It was shortly after our accident that we began to see the similarities in the two situations. Deja vu?  But there were some major differences.  The most important of these is that Dianne was not killed or seriously injured.  The impact to my parents was at a 90 degree angle.  Our impact was about 45 degrees, sparing us serious damage and injury or death.  In my parents' accident, the driver, upon the advice of his parents, left the scene before the police could check him for alcohol or drugs.  We still suspect he may have been drinking as well as  speeding.  In our case the driver stayed until our car was towed away.  She just claims that she didn't see us - we don't know if she might have been on her phone or if she just didn't see the traffic light.  She had to just miss a van that must have crossed in front of her seconds before she hit us. None of the many witnesses to our accident stayed to help us or make a report.  But we thank the Lord once again for His protection.  We never know what a day will bring and that is why it is so important to know that we are right with the Lord.  In seconds one could be with Him or even elsewhere if they aren't in God's family.  We always pray for safety when we take longer trips, but I must admit that I don't usually do it for the short ones.  And yet with all the crazy, inattentive drivers on the road, we need His protection, moment by moment.   And it appears that we will get our car back and it won't be totaled as we thought.  We were looking to trade it in or sell it and having it totaled would have made that decision easier, but I guess the Lord has other plans right now for the car ... and for us.

Freedom of Speech

Shah of Iran

It was the mid 1970's when I was informed that my mathematics department was to host a visiting Iranian math educator who would spend about three weeks with us observing our program and our teachers.  This visit was part of a program to improve the Iranian education process and to foster closer relationships between the two countries.  Our guest was to live with one of my teachers who lived just a block away from our school.  As it turned our, our visitor was a member of the Iranian Education Administration.  He frequently reminded us that he was just a poor country teacher who was honored to have won promotions to this position.  It soon became evident that our visitor was finding it extremely difficult to adjust to our country.  When he visited in our home he marveled that we actually had carpet on our floors.  He said that we must be very rich to be able to afford carpet.  He had a very difficult time adjusting to news coverage in which people actually criticized the president and the government.  He couldn't believe that anyone would dare do that and this made him very uneasy during his entire stay.  Unfortunately, at a government reception in Washington, just prior to his visit with us, he got caught up in the meaningless light conversations.  And when somebody joked about not selling arms to Iran, he countered by saying if we didn't sell them arms they wouldn't sell us oil.  He quickly regretted having made that comment and from that day on he was sure that his remarks would get back to the Shah of Iran.  During his stay with us he lived in constant fear that upon his return to Iran he would be taken prisoner and that he would never see his family again.  We thought he was just imaging this, but at times he seemed like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.  On the day of the Shah's birthday he begged me to take him to a Western Union office so that he could send a birthday message to the Shah.  I finally found this small dark office in downtown Lancaster from where a telegraph message could be sent.  The location of the office and the entire experience were like something you would see in a spy movie. But the message was sent. Well his visit finally came to and end and he left with promises to communicate with all of us upon his return to Iran.  He never did.  And based on what happened in Iran we can't help but wonder if his fears actually came true.  Did he become a political prisoner?  Was his family taken from him?  According to official statistics, Iran had as many as 2,200 political prisoners in 1978, a number which multiplied rapidly as a result of the revolution.  A secular Muslim, the Shah gradually lost support from the Shi'a clergy of Iran, particularly due to his strong policy of modernization, secularization, conflict with the traditional class of merchants known as bazaari, and recognition of Israel. By 1979, political unrest had transformed into a revolution which in January of that year forced the Shah to leave Iran. Soon thereafter, the Iranian monarchy was formally abolished, and Iran was declared an Islamic republic. Facing likely execution should he return to Iran, he died in exile in Egypt, whose President, Anwar Sadat, had granted him asylum.  So I guess I will never know what actually happened to our visitor.  But I did come to realize that most folks around the world don't begin to have the freedoms, especially the freedom of speech, that we have here.  And as I view the history of Iran I can begin to understand why our visitor was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of a casual comment made at a reception.  Could we also begin to lose these freedoms that we have taken for granted in this country?

Need A Resolution?

Do you make your bed every morning?   Do you feel productive in your daily activties?  Do you stick to a budget?  Do you generally experience happiness?  I wish that I had a good way to track your answers.  Maybe I should set up some polls on my blog.  Now why would I ask these odd questions? Well they might be appropriate for one of the first blogs of the year.  In a recent article in Readers Digest, a Jackie Ashton examined the relationship of these questions.  She commented about Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit in which Duhigg claims that making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity and stronger skills at sticking to a budget.  It also boosts happiness.  Now can an act that takes about three minutes actually make that much of a difference in your life?  Apparently making your bed and other feel-good tasks, like exercising and cooking your own food, are considered to be "keystone habits", routines that spill over to others and are catalysts for other good behaviors.  Interesting.  I really don't remember if I made my own bed at home when I was growing up - I probably had to.  I do know that we had bunk beds and they were hard to make.  In college I did make my bed.  Fortunately, my roommate for two of those years was very neat and, unlike most college students, we prided ourselves in keeping a neat, clean room.  I guess for most of my working years, my wife took care of the bed making because I generally left early in the morning for work.  But since I am retired, whoever gets there first makes the bed and sometimes we do it together.  Now I have always stuck to a budget but probably because it was the only way to get by on a low income and not because of making my bed.  Productive? - probably yes, but because that is my personality.  Happiness? - generally yes, but not because I make my bed.  Although part of my happiness in life is being able to crawl into a nicely made, comfortable bed each evening.  So does this "research" and these conclusions make any sense?  I don't know, but if you need a good New Year's resolution, why not try making your bed each morning.  Let me know how it goes.

Special Traditions

Like most families, we have numerous Christmas traditions.  Ours include gathering at our house after the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, enjoying a buffet and then exchanging presents.  For years we have read the Christmas story from Luke and prayed before opening the presents.  When our boys were younger we made it a point each year to give them a Bible study book and some tool for their toolbox as part of their gifts.  But in recent years our gift giving has gone a different direction.  Since 2005 I have annually prepared a DVD for each of our families that contains pictures taken throughout the year, highlighting special events such as birthdays, graduations, awards, etc.  I have always chosen background music for the DVD which has a special message.  This year it was "Ten Thousand Reasons".  I also include a special Bible verse for the year. This year it wa Psalm 128:1.  We view this DVD before presents are opened.  But several years ago I began another tradition for my grandchildren.  I have been preparing a book for them, sharing stories and pictures from my life and from the lives of those in our family lines.  I've entitled the book "In His Grip" and the key verse is Isaiah 41:13.  With the six pages I prepared for this year, the total pages in their book is now 106 (many of these can actually be found on the website fbfawana.com)  Some of the highlights in the book are chapters about my dad, my father-in-law, my brother, my grandparents and people who have influenced my life.  Many chapters show how God has worked in my life  in experiences and events throughout the years  There are even some letters from my grandparents and pictures of all the family members I could find.  There are family trees which trace the Herrold line back to 1555 in Germany and the Kauffman line back to 1780 when three brothers came to America.  Realizing that there is so much of  our family history that is now gone with the deaths of our parents, I have had a challenge to pass on as much of this rich heritage as I can.  This year my wife decided to follow the tradition which I have been developing and she prepared the beginnings of a book about her family and background.  This year she shared ten pages which she prepared about her life and that of her mother and father.  Some special family pictures were included.  I'm not sure if our grandchildren appreciate this work now, but I think the time will come - probably after we are gone - that they will value this work.  It is my desire not only to share pictures and details about our history, but, more importantly, details about how the Lord has worked and led in our lives.  My greatest desire is to see my grandchildren learn to love and serve the Lord and trust Him in all that they do.  He has been so faithful to me over the years and my hope is that someday they will each have the same testimony to share.  Traditions are important in family life, but those that point our children to the Lord are vital.

Merry Christmas Seniors!

Today's blog is a special "Christmas Gift" to my senior readers.  And, for the rest of you, just remember, in a few years you, too, will understand and experience the joys of aging that are shared in this song.  Beware - it comes more quickly than you expect!   These words are to be sung to the tune of "Sleigh Bells Ring/Winter Wonderland":

(Verse 1)

Sleigh bells ring? Its tinnitus

What's that pain? My arthritis. 

We're both growing old - You're grey-haired, I'm bald 

Using walkers in the winter once again.

(Verse 2)

When we try watching TV:

"Turn it up! Can't you hear me?"

We don't like the shows, but that's how it goes,

We feel about a century too old.

(Bridge)

In the kitchen: "What did I come here for?"

Guess I'll go ahead and make a snack.

"Have you seen my glasses?"  "Shut the fridge door!" 

"If you use my dentures, could you give them back?"

(Verse 3)

Early on, we retire,

Eating prunes by the fire.

We've had a great life;

We're husband and wife.

"Tell me what your name is once again?"

Copyright 2011 Bill DiGennaro. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.

A Christmas To Forget

It was about 45 years ago.  I had been having bad hip and back problems for quite some time and nothing seemed to help.  Some mornings it was all that I could do to get out of bed.  I finally went to see a neurologist who ordered some tests.  Because I didn't want to use my sick days at school, we decided to have two of the tests, a spinal tap and a myelogram, done the day before Christmas when I didn't have school.  Nobody warned me how difficult these tests would be.  Thirty years later I had another myelogram done and, with all the advances made in medicine, that one was a snap.  But the first one certainly wasn't.  I had to wear one of those gowns that didn't cover very much and I was placed on a cart with a sheet over me.  My first trying experience came when I found out that the assisting nurse had been a student of mine in high school just a few years earlier.  The embarrassment of being practically nude during the tests soon gave way to the pain of the spinal taps.  Later I was taken to a hospital room to recover and wait for the doctor to release me.  Our plans were, upon my release, to head for Sunbury to spend Christmas with my wife's family.  Well the hours went by and the doctor did not appear.  Late in the afternoon, fearing that he may have forgotten me and left for vacation, we called his office.  Finally he arrived to tell me that the tests just showed some arthritis and I was free to go home.  Nobody warned me about the possible side effects of the tests and, to be fair, we didn't tell them about our planned trip that night.  Incidentally, it was years later that another doctor diagnosed my problem as ankylosing spondilitis, a condition that I have learned to live with since that time.  Anyway, we packed up our two small boys, our luggage and our presents, and headed north on Christmas Eve. Our boys were very excited about going to see Gramps and Muz for Christmas.  Dianne drove so that I could rest.  But soon it began to snow and she had much mountain and country driving to do for the next two hours.  Then I began to get sick - terrible headaches, stomach problems, and I needed a restroom.  But since it was Christmas Eve, nothing was open.  We finally found a small dirty bathroom at a gas station in a small town.  It was a long hard trip.  Fortunately we arrived safely.  I spent much of the next few days on my back to relieve the terrible headaches.  Then when it was time to head back home we were hit with a major snowstorm which delayed our departure.  I still wasn't able to drive so my wife had to drive once again.  Her sister and brother-in-law decided to follow us home in their car to make sure that we wouldn't get stuck or have any  trouble.  At the other end, my father and brother came to shovel our driveway and even part of the road so that we could reach our house.  I felt helpless, and sick, and without the help of all of these family members, I'm not sure how we would have made it.  But we did.  And now that Christmas is just a memory and I hope that we never have any more like that it.  But as I look back over my life I see so many situations, like this one, where God has intervened and taken care of me in difficult situations.  Always He provides the strength needed for the day, just as He has promised, and with that knowledge we can face tomorrow.

The Daily News

A female college student kidnapped in Harrisburg, several home invasions and murders in Harrisburg and Lancaster,  a robber beats and terrorizes three elderly Mennonite women near Ephrata, a gunman shoots and kills innocent theater goers, and, very sadly, a young man breaks into an elementary school, after killing his mother, and guns down a host of teachers and first graders.  And that was just part of the news during a recent week.  And the reactions to all of these events included various degrees of unbelief, horror, sadness, anger, and fear.  Parents are afraid to send their kids to school.  Theater patrons look for possible escape routes.  Home security sales increase dramatically.  More folks purchase guns for self protection.  And, ironically, politicians who have chipped away religious expression and liberties, now actually quote scripture as an attempt at comfort.  And, politically, many press for new gun laws, especially longer waiting periods to purchase a gun.  That appears to be the nation's answer.  And every politician is getting soundbites promising to control guns.  But what a waste of time and energy since criminals and mentally unstable folks will continue to find guns no matter how long a legal waiting period may be.  Ironically, the shooter in Connecticut used his mother's guns. He didn't purchase them.  So how would a longer waiting period have stopped this violence?  And since when can morality be legislated?  There is no question that we live in a society where there are many unstable folks all around us and that is a problem.  The government says that 1 out of every 17 of us has a mental illness and less than 1/3 are getting any treatment.  In some cases this is a result of the increase in use of illegal drugs. And if drug control has been unsuccessful why do we think gun control will be any more effective?  It is interesting to note that several states have now made the purchase and use of some drugs legal and the Obama administration refuses to enforce federal drug laws.  Many young people have grown up with "legal" drugs to control their behavior problems - it seems almost everyone has an "alphabet type behavior problem" today.  Who knows what the longterm effect of these behavioral drug treatments will be.  And today our kids are growing up in a violent environment where television and computer games feature violence and killing and nobody seems concerned about controlling this, certainly not even the government or even most parents. And you need to be a little unbalanced yourself if you think these experiences don't effect behavior. Kids today seem tied to their smartphone and computer games. But it seems nobody really wants to talk about the main cause of these problems ... a little word with major consequences ...  SIN! That would not be politically correct.  We are living in a society where you are called intolerant if you believe in Biblical values and truths.  Judges and government officials openly remove Christian principles from everything in the name of "separation of church and state".  As a nation we openly approve of and support abortion in which many more unborn babies are killed each day than the number of first graders shot in Connecticut in one morning.  In the name of tolerance we have taken down the Ten Commandments from all public places, including schools.  And, as I remember, one of the commandments is "Thou shalt not kill".  But we can't talk about that in our schools.  So what more can we really expect in a society that has turned its back on true righteousness and promoted a "do whatever feels right to you" philosophy?   Media and government officials vainly look for "the reasons" and quick fixes, but ignore the truth which should be so clear to all who have open minds.  I think the scripture also tells us that whatever we sow, that we will also reap.  And maybe harvest time is upon us.  In my opinion, the only answers to this increasing violence are a national revival or the return of the Lord.  And since I feel that it may be too late for a national revival, my daily prayer is "come quickly, Lord Jesus"!

Hymns And Carols

It was back in 2008 that I decided to create a weekly blog featuring hymns. I thought that I would try it for a few weeks and see what would happen.  Four years and 225 blogs later, I continue to be amazed at its impact.  During the month of November my blog averaged almost 900 visits each week.  I have only had a few comments left, but these have actually come from all over the world.  I now view this blog as a ministry and pray that my comments and the words might be a spiritual encouragement to those who visit.  This growth also shows me that there are many who miss the hymns which were part of many of our lives for years.  Most church services today use just praise choruses and many of these are great and lead us to worship.  If any hymns are used, often the beat, the words, and the tune has been modified and just not the same.  And this is a hot topic in churches today and I don't intend to get in the middle of it.  I love both.  But I do miss hymns that speak about the blood of Christ, heaven and the Lord's return, and testimonies of what Christ has done for us.  These themes are usually missing from today's praise choruses.  And we now have generations who have never sung "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise",  "How Deep the Father's Love For Us", "Great Is Thy Faithfulness", "O Sacred Head Now Wounded", "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go", "Tell It To Jesus", "It Is Well With My Soul" and many more of these great works that have survived the centuries.  I often wonder which choruses, if any, will survive the decades as the great hymns have done.  How many of the choruses that were sung even five years ago are still used today?  I guess time will tell.  Music has changed over the years.  A century ago most churches did not use pianos.  I have a picture of my grandfather and my step-grandfather, serving together in an organization called the Gospel Heralds.  One of them is using a banjo.  Just a few decades ago, when we still had our family ministry, we had to turn down a ministry opportunity in a church which did not use a piano.   As a teen, my father questioned some recordings I had of Phil Kerr and that music certainly was mild compared to what is aired today.  When my boys were teens our elders passed a policy prohibiting drums in our church.  Today many churches no longer have pianos or organs and now most use guitars - maybe even banjos once again. Maybe someday pianos and even hymns will return to worship - who knows.  There are two reasons this topic has been on my mind recently.  First is because of the growing response to my blog.  Second is because I love Christmas and the traditional carols.  But even many of these are no longer part of church services.  Fortunately, here in Lancaster County, we have radio stations which play them daily during December.  And I love listening to them.  Well, no matter where you stand on this still controversial subject, remember that our desire should be to glorify and worship God in all that we do, even if the style of music being used isn't our preference.  Don't let your mental objections taint your worship.  We serve a great God and there are many ways to worship and praise Him.  I wonder what music will be like in heaven.

Interesting Times

I guess that I shouldn't admit it, but even though I continue to write my blogs, I seldom take time to read the works of other bloggers.  But one of those that I do read regularly is "ApPARENTly Blogging" which is sponsored by Awana.  Recently the blog commented about a book, Artificial Maturity, by Tim Elmore.  His premise is that kids today are growing up faster in some ways, but in more important ways, not being ready to face adulthood.  Now if that premise is true, it is a very sad situation with potentially devastating results for our families in particular and our country in general.  In his book he points our some differences he sees between Generation Y (born in the 1980's) and Generation iY (born in the 1990's).  Here is a summary of his key comparisons.  Highly compassionate ... Low empathy.  Activists ... Slacktivists.  Technology as a tool ... Technology as an appendage to my body.    Passionate about a cause ... Only if my friends are involved.  Civic-minded ... Self-absorbed.   Ambitious about the future ... Ambiguous about the future.   Accelerated growth ... Postponed maturation.  Now that gives you something to think about.  The blog also shared some statistics from Statistic Brain, about teens and shopping.  Here are some of them.  80% of teens listed shopping under "hobby or activity."   75% would choose new shoes over 50 mp3 downloads.   63% would choose a new pair of jeans over concert tickets.   27% of girls said they would break up with their boyfriends for $10,000.   40% said they were regularly saving money -  57% are saving for clothes.  54% for college.   38% for a car.   Total teen spending is more than 208.7 million a year.   Average income of a 12-14 yr is $2,167.  Average income of a 15-17 yr is $4,032.    Interesting world we live in. 

A Sad Ending

IBM has been trying to increase market share by recruiting to more obscure markets for Internet access. They've even attempted to get monasteries connected to the Internet. At one small monastery in France, the monsignor, Father Jean-Paul, was not interested in getting access to the Internet, but one monk, Brother William, tried to persuade him. As an additional incentive, IBM even offered to give them free access for one year. The Father finally agreed but only under strict conditions that the monk would only use the Internet for biblical research.  Brother William started using the Internet and became amazed at the amount of information available. He downloaded texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls and biblical commentaries, and he talked with people who studied the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages. Father Jean-Paul was impressed with the research done and the amount of information available, but he continued to warn Brother William about the temptations of the Internet.  Well, Brother William continued his research, and soon he became a bit of an authority himself on biblical matters. Soon, people were e-mailing him for information on the Bible and spiritual matters. He would answer their questions and even set up his own "Dear Monk" Web site. He even started sending out weekly heartwarming stories about how God was working in people's lives. Eventually he noticed that many people kept asking the same questions over and over, so he created a little booklet of frequently asked questions about God. But now Brother William had a dilemma. He knew that according to human nature, people value information more if they have to pay for it, but he had taken a vow of poverty and did not want any money. So, he decided to set up charity fund for widows and orphans, and all proceeds from his booklets would go to charity. So Brother William set up an Internet business where people would order one of his booklets, and he would send it to them after they sent a small amount of money to the charity fund. When Father Jean-Paul discovered what Brother William had done, he discharged him immediately from the monastery. It seemed that the Father did not like his monk e-business.

Often It Is Hard To Change, But ...

As long as I can remember, we have always done the majority of our clothing shopping at a J C Penney department store.  As a child my parents shopped there regularly.  As our kids grew up we made most of our purchases there.  I would guess that 95% of my present wardrobe has come from one of their stores.  Two of my uncles made their careers with the company, serving as managers of numerous stores in at least four different states.  The founder was a born again Christian who was a great businessman and  provided families with good value at good prices.  We were loyal customers.  But the last few years that has changed. My one uncle told me that the recent changes would make Mr. Penney turn over in his grave.  The store made major changes and I guess has attempted to create a new reputation.  Gone are the regular sales and the special coupons which we frequently used to save money.  They claim that their present regular prices are low enough that you don't need sale prices.  If that is true, I guess I haven't really noticed it.  Their advertising is poor with flashy colorful booklets which appear to include very few products, loads of white unused space and questionable bargains.  They now claim that they are the home of the "square deal", whatever that means, but that hasn't impressed me and apparently it hasn't impressed too many other buyers.  When shopping recently I have found that they didn't have the selection they used to have and it almost appears that they are cutting some of the traditional lines.  When I couldn't find what I wanted I have been told to use the internet.  Now if that is the answer, why even have the store open.  If you must use the internet to get what you need why not just use the internet all the time.  It saves on the gas money.  I had been looking for a particular product that I had purchased in the past in the local store only to find out that they just haven't restocked it.  After being told to try the internet, my wife suggested that we go next door and try Kohls.  I said that wouldn't work because Kohls wouldn't have the quality I was looking for.  But I was wrong.  Not only did Kohls have it, but they had all sizes and colors readily available.  And I have been told by others that this is true of most of the products we used to buy from Penneys.  So maybe even a senior guy like me can change his ways.  Maybe old dogs can learn new tricks.  P.S. - I just stopped in once again today looking for some clothing items that I have always purchased there.  Not only was the store almost empty of customers, I found that they no longer carried the lines that I have bought there for years.  On the way out I said to my wife, "so long Penney's, it has been nice to know you!"

A Dog Named Norman

A few days ago I went out front to do some chores and I noticed a young mother pushing her child in a stroller.  But what caught my eye was that she also had a dog on a leash.  I was sure it was a Boston Terrier, my favorite dog.  I called out to her and asked if her dog was a Boston.  She replied that it was and that his name was Norman.  When I told her that I had  had two Bostons in my life she unhooked the dog and let him run to me.  At first he was just glad to be free and he ran all around.  But then he settled down and came over to me.  It was a special pleasure to talk to him and rub his neck as I had so often done in the past with my Bostons.  She told me how much they loved Norman and how he was so smart and easy to train.  I fully understood and agreed.  During my life I have had four dogs.  I was only one or two when I had my first one - I'm not even sure what kind he was (small and white) but I think his name was Penny.  About all that I remember is that I saw him run in front of a car and get killed while I stood and watched.  I can still picture that moment.  I never really talked to my parents about Penny and now I wish that I knew more about him.  My mother's brother raised Bostons and that is how we got our second dog, my first Boston, Frisky.  I remember quite a bit more about him since I was probably in first or second grade.  When we lived on the campus of Elizabethtown College Frisky had plenty of room to run but when we moved into Lancaster we first lived in an upstairs city apartment.  Maybe that is why my parents decided to give Frisky away.  We gave him to some friends who lived on Mile Hill in Sunbury.  And I understand that he eventually was killed by a car near their house.  Those two dog experiences were enough for my parents.  Many years later, after we had our boys, a friend gave us a Kerry Blue Terrier, named Peanuts.  He was a show dog who had been raised by a bachelor.  And maybe that is why he liked me and often wasn't too sure about our boys. He was a beautiful dog but you had to be very careful with him when people came to visit.  In fact, one time he attacked one of our son's friends and bit through his heavy winter coat.  He had a problem with tumors and we were shocked one day when Dianne took him to the vet and came back without him.  The vet wanted to do more surgery and she decided, rightfully, that we didn't want to invest any more money in Peanuts.  I often wander if the vet really put him to sleep or if he operated on him and sold him to somebody else.  Then a few years later we got the urge once again and went to a farm to see some Bostons.  We fell in love with the runt of the litter and named him Spike.  Spike charmed our hearts and all of us loved him.  He was intelligent and he was easy to train.  He had just two problems.  First, he loved to lick.  But I think that habit was encouraged by some of our boys who loved his kisses.  The second problem was that our mild mannered dog became a different dog when going to the vet.  He began to shake as soon as we came to the vet's driveway.  He would ignore the vet and we are told that he wasn't very cooperative when we put him in the kennel there.  But Spike was a real part of our family and gave us all many years of good memories.  Then one day he had a seizure.  Later I took him out for a walk.  He always stayed in our backyard but this time he got lost and wondered out front.  Then he couldn't find his way back.  We were all sick as we took him to the vet where we learned that all that could be done would be to give him medicine the rest of his life to calm him down.  We knew that this wouldn't be the Spike we loved and with the recommendation of the vet we decided to have him put down.  I just couldn't stay to watch that and walking out of that room was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I can still see him looking at me, with his sad eyes, and that thought can still bring tears to my eyes today.  But Spike was our last - no more vet bills, no more messes to clean up, no more kennel expenses.  Instead, everyday I look at a Boston Terrier calendar that I purchase each year.  And once in awhile I have the special joy of seeing and petting another Boston, just like the Norman I met this week.

Two Diaries

Recently one of my blogs talked about differences between people. I thought about that blog when somebody sent me the following story of diaries written by a husband and a wife.  I think you will see the point after you read both of them.

Wife's Diary:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, "Nothing." I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, "I love you, too." When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep -- I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

Husband's Diary:

Boat wouldn't start, can't figure it out.

Have A Blessed Thanksgiving

Our Beautiful Tree Taken This Week

For the beauty of the earth, 

for the glory of the skies, 

for the love which from our birth 

over and around us lies; 

Lord of all, to thee we raise 

this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour 

of the day and of the night, 

hill and vale, and tree and flower, 

sun and moon, and stars of light; 

Lord of all, to thee we raise 

this our hymn of grateful praise.