Teach your children well......

My first job.
Yes, that is me in the Easter Bunny suit.

I have been amazed in the last couple of weeks at all of the things the GOVERNMENT has to say about raising our children.  First, Newt says we should allow our 13 year old children to be janitors in our schools and pay them for their work.  I can say Newt is not my favorite person but I totally agree that it never hurts to teach your child the value of work at an early age.  Before anyone writes me to say it is breaking child labor laws, let me say perhaps you should be looking at the “seasoned” people in your family and ask them about their first job and how it benefited them.  I began working on a special work permit when I was 14 as the Easter Bunny in a department store in my town.  I was the bunny for 2 years - 1964 and 1965.  Since my father died when I was 11 years old, I considered this job a means to purchase some items I would like to have, which helped our family budget.  My Mom had 4 daughters at home and Social Security benefits from my father’s passing was the same amount for 2 children as for 4 children.  Can you imagine the government feeling you could raise 4 for the price of 2?  We didn’t get Medicaid or Aid to Dependent Children.  We didn’t even receive Food Stamps.  She only got Social Security.  It’s the truth.  So having that information, I knew I could help myself and my Mother.  Having that special work permit also allowed me to work during the summer and holidays plus weekends.  Had I earned money before?  You bet.   At that time there wasn’t a kid who hadn’t been taken to the blueberry patch in the summer to pick blueberries for money.  Fast forward to 2012 and how many Americans would take their children to the blueberry patch to pick blueberries for money to buy their own school clothes? 

My husband was from a family of 8 kids and he not only pick blueberries for money but also deliver newspapers door to door – every day – 7 days a week – 365 days a year!  We both lived in Muskegon, Michigan – the snow capital of Michigan.  Then to make things worse, he had to go back to every home he delivered a paper to and collect money for their subscription.  Imagine that! 

Neither Mike nor I feel we were abused.  We feel fortunate that we had a way to earn our own money as young people. It gave us the feeling of accomplishment when we received our money.  It taught us how to tithe, how to manage our money.  We had to learn to decide if one item we wanted to purchase was more important than another. We learned we couldn’t spend more than we had in our pocket.  My Mom always said you can’t spend money more than one time!  Stop and think about that statement.  WE DIDN’T USE CREDIT CARDS!!  We saved for our first cars because – shock of shocks as I say this – parents did not give their children cars, we had to buy them ourselves.  Cars were not an automatic present when you turned 16.  We drove our parent’s cars, which made us very aware we needed to drive conscientiously because none of us wanted to have the dreaded talk to tell the parents we wrecked their car.  At that time families had only one car so if you had an accident, you took the FAMILY car out of commission.  It was not a constitutional right to own a car, or a cell phone either, for that matter.  My daughter, Holly, and I were talking as I was preparing to write this article.  She reminded me that she wanted KEDS sneakers.  The white ones, the actual KEDS with the blue tag on the back, not the knock offs for $5.00 a pair.  We told her that if she wanted KEDS she would need to earn the money and purchase them herself.  She bought several pair over the next few years.  She took such good care of them, kept them white as long as she could and then washed them and made them white again.  When you invest your own money in something, you take care of it better than if you are given something just because you want it.

Grandma and Greg

When I was going through my Mothers things after she passed away, I found a newspaper article in her Bible.  It was written about her grandson, Greg.  The article was written when Greg was about 16 years old.  He had started his small business at a much earlier age with one lawnmower.  He cut grass in the warm weather and shoveled snow in the winter.  He had grown his business by the time he was 16 to having employees, scheduling appointments and was paying taxes.  He is amazing today in everything he does,   He has drive – he has focus – he likes having a paycheck.  It was instilled in him as a young man.  His Grandmother was so proud of him.  When he was about 12 years old Grandma had a small accident with her car.  Greg was certain he could bump out the dent and repair the damage.  At 12 years old he had confidence because someone was willing to let him try.  He did a great job, by the way.  It wasn’t perfect but it was done well.  As parents and grandparents we need to start listening to God instead of a psychologist who thinks we should not have expectations of our children.  Expectation develops drive and focus.  Yes, I know you can go overboard but I believe that we can, with God’s help, bring out the best in our kids.

When you think about what I have written, you have to ask yourself, where did we go wrong?  Can we make a change back to a simpler time when we only spent what we made?  Sure we can.  Currently 40% of Americans live above what they earn. There are programs like Financial Peace University that teach you how to live within your means.  It isn’t easy if you are already upside down but it can be fixed honorably.  You can also begin to teach your child the value of money.  Mom was right.  You can only spend money – whether a penny, a dollar or a hundred dollar bill – one time!  Money doesn't grow on trees, either, much to my dismay.  In 1 Kings chapter 1 it talks about Adonija, son of King David, and says in verse 6 that his father never asked why he behaved the way he did.  He was an arrogant young man who thought he should be King.  Today our kids think everything should be handed them on a silver platter.  David didn’t teach him the value of anything.  When we understand what it takes to work for something, we appreciate it far more.  Give some consideration to teaching your child or grandchild, niece, or nephew the value of working at an early age.

My Lunch with Ronald Reagan

I have a friend who has encouraged me to write.  I must say, when this topic was chosen, having lunch with someone in history, it was a little disconcerting for me.  I had no idea how I would accomplish it.  I went through several people, including my grandparents, before I decided on my person to interview.  I looked at it as a time to really learn about a man I have long admired but really didn’t know much about.  I only knew he was a great president who came in and helped bring the country out of a modern day depression.

I felt in order to really do justice to the man, I needed to study about him.  I bought the book “God and Ronald Reagan, a Spiritual Life” by Paul Kengor and a new book that was released last year called “Ronald Reagan The Notes”  I didn’t use anything from “The Notes” in this article but wanted to give you a brief description of how the book came about.  Last year the Ronald Reagan Library was undergoing renovations.  They really wanted to have some NEW things to put on display and sent people to go through the hundreds of boxes of Reagan information.  In the basement of the library a box was found that said RR Desk. They found a wooden box of 4x6 cards with quotes and jokes written on them.  From a very early age, Ronald Reagan began keeping 4 x 6 cards in his pocket.  When he would hear a joke or a quote he would write it down on a card, including the person’s name who said it.  Many of the cards contents are in this book, but not all of them.  I understand that if he used a joke from the card, or a quote, and it bombed, he threw it away, never to repeat that bomb.

I loved doing this piece.  It gave me a great education and was truly fun putting it together.  Remember, Ronald Reagan is dead so he couldn’t give these answers.  The bolded writing are actual quotes by Ronald Reagan from books or from the internet, I then posed the questions that fit the quote.  I make no apologies that he agreed with me in everything.  These are really personal questions and answers which are my beliefs expressed in a unique way.  I hope you enjoy reading it.  Before you write and ask - yes, I did make Nancy Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese for my family when my girls were young.  They still love it today.

Julie

My Lunch with Ronald Reagan

JJ -“Mr. President, I am really thrilled that you accepted my invitation to lunch at the Columbia Restaurant in St Petersburg on the Pier.  Not only is the Spanish food excellent but the view is fabulous.  I highly recommend the Mahi Mahi, a favorite of mine. Although Macaroni and Cheese isn’t served here, one of my family favorites is Nancy Reagan’s recipe that was published when you were Governor of California.  That was years ago but we served it all the time at our dinner table while our girls were growing up.  We must have some favorite foods in common.”

RR - “How wonderful of you to remember that I too love Nancy’s Macaroni and Cheese.  I have always said that all great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

Actual view from
Columbia Restaurant,
St Petersburg Pier

JJ – “Mr. President, you and I agree on so many things.  I think that at the time you were in office my biggest concern as a Mother to small children was abortion.  I believe it is a woman’s right to choose – by that I mean it is a woman’s right to choose to have sex or not, after that, we are dealing with consequences of your actions.  It is too easy to wipe away the consequences.  We are now reaping the consequences of it being so common place in society.  In any event, there are thousands of children dying in our country because we no longer value life. A song by Annie Herring says it so well – "My God, they’re killing thousands, killing thousands without blinking and eye – believing a lie.”

RR – “I agree.  Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.  Once the Supreme Court decided to rewrite the constitution, we ourselves, as a nation, became the consequences of this ruling.  My desire would be to go back to valuing life. 

Terrorism is at the forefront of people’s mind now and we just celebrated the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 so for a few months people will remember the devastation brought upon us by outsiders who hate America.  Abortion, however, is brought about by American’s killing American’s, many times every day, and our nation sits back and closes its eyes.  Their view is the Supreme Court said it is okay so why should I feel guilty.  There are many men and women who have taken this view; aborted a baby; and are now living with the consequences of their actions.  A very wonderful woman, Pat Layton, has begun a ministry to those who have this secret that they need to surrender.  They need to tell someone so they can gain their freedom back. Pat Layton is actually from Tampa.”

JJ – “I remember when my husband and I were researching sex education in the schools in Michigan in the mid 70s.  There was a school system in Iowa that was selling to schools a K-12 curriculum for sex education saying it lowered the teen pregnancy rate.  When I called the health department in their city I found that since the program had been instituted, the teen pregnancy had actually sky rocketed. Our school system gave our group a copy of all of the textbooks they were going to use in grades K-12.  Mike and I read the one we were given to review and we had no problem with the book.  Our friends had been given the teachers text for the same book.  One of the questions in this first grade text book asked “How many sperm enter Mother’s body during intercourse?”  Planned Parenthood was proposing this program and yet, even at this early date, they were calling abortion Retroactive Birth Control.  Here we are about 35 years later and we wonder why teens are having sex and aborting babies.  They are babies themselves.  We are trying to teach adult behaviors to children who don’t have any understanding of right from wrong at this age.  They are desensitizing our children. These are facts and based on my experience.”

RR – “Don’t be afraid to see what you see.  Facts are stupid things.”

JJ – “To me, it just seems that people have changed values when it comes to home, children, family, love, commitment, even ethics.  I could go on but it is difficult to even put into words what I see happening in the world today.”

RR – “I know in my heart that man is good.  That what is right will always eventually triumph.  And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.”

JJ – “I agree.  I just don’t always see it.  I was raised by a Mother who believed in being truthful at all cost.  She was the most ethical person I have ever known.  She told me to always take responsibility for my actions.  It is what I have tried to do all of my life.  I believe people need to think about the other person rather than themselves.  After all, it isn’t all about ME.  It should always be about what I can do for someone else.  With things the way they are today, I feel like people are out to eat others alive just to put themselves at the top of the heap. ”

RR – “I understand.  To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will.  We are in an age where people don’t value intelligence or learning.  We “dumb down” everything and eliminate teaching kids that competition is okay.  Schools don’t even have valedictorian’s any more.  They were eliminated to allow everyone to feel special.  I believe there are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.

I was also raised by a Mother, Nelle, who led me to love God.  She held prayer meetings and healing services in our home. When I was 10 or 11 years old my Mother gave me Harold Bell Wright’s book “That Printer of Udells” and I read it cover to cover. When I completed the book I went to my Mother and asked to be baptized.  My Mother spoke all over the state and our town in Kentucky.  If it hadn’t been the day and age it was, I am sure my Mother would have been an ordained minister. 

Nelle welcomed hitchhikers on long drives and ministered to prisoners in the jail in our town.  Some of those men were released from jail with no where to go so Mom would welcome them into our home.  Color of skin was never an issue in our home.  Prisoners weren’t the only ones Mom welcomed into our house.  Once we had a visiting basketball team and two of the players, both black, had no place to stay in town.  I brought them home to spend the night and have breakfast.  The two visitors stood hesitantly at the door, fearing what would happen when Mom opened the door; worried that Mom would change her mind when she saw their skin color.  When Mom saw the three of us at the door, she simply said “Come on in boys.”

JJ – “How can people today deny God when there is so much of prophecy being fulfilled in our present day?”

RR – “People today try to “reason” Christianity; looking for the things they can dispute but science really supports Jesus coming to earth.  Professor Peter Stoner authored a book called Science Speaks. The book was first published in 1958 and republished in 1976.  Dr. Stoner was chairman of the mathematics and astronomy departments at Pasadena City College until 1953 when he moved to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.  There he served as chairman of the science division.  At the time he wrote this book he was professor emeritus of science at Westmont.  The forward in the book was written by Dr. Harold Hartzler, an officer of the American Scientific Affiliation.  He wrote that the manuscript had been carefully reviewed by a committee of his organization and that “The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound.“  The book is written in three sections.  The first section gives several scriptures that prove things found in science centuries later.  For example, the shape of the earth is mentioned in Isaiah 40:22.  Gravity can be found in Job 26:7.  Ecclesiastes 1:8 mentions atmospheric circulation.  A reference to ocean currents can be found in Psalm 9:9, and the hydraulic cycle is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10.  The second law of thermodynamics is outlined in Psalm 102: 25-27 and Romans 8:21.  And that is only a few examples of scientific truths written in Scriptures long before they were discovered by scientists.”

Professor Stoner also tells that the probability of just 8 prophecy’s concerning the birth of Jesus coming true in one person are 1x10²⁸.  Dividing this number by an estimate of the number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies (88 billion when Stoner wrote about it) produces a probability of all 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidently in the life of one person.  That probability is 1 in 10¹⁷ or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.  That is one in one hundred quadrillion!  Stoner illustrated the meaning of this number.  He asked the reader to imagine filling the State of Texas knee deep in silver dollars.  Include in this huge number one silver dollars with a black check mark on it.  Then turn a blindfolded person loose in this sea of silver dollars.  The odds that the first coin he would pick up would be the one with the check mark are the same as 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidently in the life of Jesus.  Keep in mind Jesus didn’t fulfill just 8, he fulfilled 108.  The chance of fulfilling 48 prophecy’s in one person is is 1 in 10¹⁵⁷  Can you count that high?

When I gave the inaugural address when I became Governor of California I used the words of Benjamin Franklin “He who introduces into public office the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.”  In my second inauguration as President I declared that God is calling upon Americans to pass that dream of human freedom to a waiting and hopeful world.”  

JJ – “That is an amazing answer.  I can’t understand how people can decide they don’t need God in their life. They ignore prayer, or don’t feel the need for prayer.   Of course, prophecy tells us we are in the end times, and people are going to turn their back on God. Even some people who know God, can’t find time to give him an hour a week, willingly, much less study the Bible on their own. People don’t realize that the Bible is comprised of 66 Books written over a period of about 1,500 years by over 40 authors from all walks of life, with different kinds of personalities, and in all sorts of situations. It was written in three languages on three continents, and it covers hundreds of controversial subjects. Yet, it fits together into one cohesive story with an appropriate beginning, a logical ending, a central character, and a consistent theme.”

“Let’s go on to another topic.  I can’t help but ask.  You were a great football player who went on to become an equally great actor.  You had some pivotal roles.  Why did you leave acting to seek politics?  Did you have your eye on the White House from the beginning?  You weren’t a spring chicken when you entered politics and even older when you ran for president.” 

RR – “Thomas Jefferson once said ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works and ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.”

JJ – “Seriously.  Why politics?”

RR – “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession.  I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. I really care about people that are why I went into politics.  I am not arrogant and think I know everything, which is why I surround myself with people smarter than I am.  I had people that knew government, economy, freedom, military.  No one person can be the government.  It takes the people to make the government.  We are the people.  Politics is not a bad profession.  If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”

JJ – “Let’s talk a little about the economy.  The United States is really struggling.   Individuals are struggling.  Businesses are struggling.  My friend and her husband own a glass company.  They are struggling.  They do perfect work, so perfect that they work on showers for large yachts but the yacht builders are struggling because they can’t sell high prices yachts, which means those that supply their needs are also struggling.  What words of wisdom do you have for them?”

RR – “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.”

JJ – “I understand this concept but our current government is regulating everything from light bulbs to toilets to how old the car you drive should be, what you eat and what you feed your children.  They are attempting to take everything away from the individual parent and regulate parenting.  Hilary Clinton actually began this thought process when she wrote “It takes a Village.”  It only takes a village if you don’t want to really be a parent.”

RR – “I don’t believe in a government that protects us from ourselves”

JJ – “All of the regulations are cumbersome to business.”

RR – “The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:  If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

JJ – “I have heard that said before.”

RR – “Remember, the best minds are not in government.  If any were, business would hire them away.”

JJ – “Again, I agree.  Yet government says they know how to help us better than we know how to help ourselves.

RR.  - “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

JJ – “9/11 plunged us into a war.  We didn’t declare war, the group that crashed planes into three buildings and one field in Pennsylvania declared war on us.”

RR – “History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.  Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.  It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.”

JJ – “You can’t make someone WANT freedom.  You can show it to them but you can’t make them desire it or even see it as obtainable for them.”

RR – “We live as examples to others of what a free country can do for them.  Our lives show them everything.  Coercion, after all, merely captures man.  Freedom captivates him”.

JJ – “As I said before, it feels like we are giving up so many of our own freedoms today.”

RR – “As I said earlier, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.”

JJ – “If asked, how would you describe freedom?”

RR – “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.  No arsenal…is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

JJ – “What can we do?”

RR – “The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas – a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.”

JJ – “People are rising up today.  The TEA Party is trying to protect the economy and our freedoms.  They are asking the government to live within the money they are taking in, not more than they receive.  You would think this would resonate with the entire country since we all must live within our means. That, however, isn’t the case.  People like the government giving them something for nothing.  While I have never been to a meeting of the TEA Party, I really believe they have the best interest of the country at heart – for all Americans – without regard to race, creed or religion.”

RR – You and I have a rendezvous with destiny.  We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness.  If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we are justified our brief moment here.  We did all that could be done.  If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside.  The people of this country are ready to move again.

JJ – Have you ever said anything you really didn’t mean to say?

RR – Once, during a microphone test, I said ‘My fellow American’s, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever.  The bombing begins in five minutes.’  Some people do not have a sense of humor.

JJ – My husband suggested I write about lunch with you.  This has been a great time and I really look forward to telling him about my visit with you.  Do you have anything to say to him?

RR – I am sure he is a nice person.  I always say you can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.  Have you seen him eat jellybeans?

JJ – I am sure that after reading this, he will let me know how he eats jellybeans but I am pretty sure his answer will be that he never eats jellybeans.

What is Love ? This is My Husband's Answer

I have been married for 40 years and 9 months.  That is important to know because when I had been married 25 years and 8 months my husband wrote me a letter and told me about his love for me.  Love comes from God – which I am sure you know.  The vow we took on our wedding day was before God.  We knew God had brought us together and now, more than 40 years later, we constantly see God in our lives.  Please enjoy reading this love letter from husband to wife.  I hope my girls see how much their Father and Mother love them.  They are part of the love we had for each other. 

Julie

As I looked back over the last 25 years 8 month I realized that there are some things that I believed from that first time I took you for a ride in my car.

I believed from the time that I dropped you off at home that first night that my plans were being changed by something far greater than me.  In my plans marriage, or even thoughts of it, were at least 5 years into the future.

At that time I was not walking with the God that I had been exposed to and taught about for my entire life, yet that very God prompted me to ask you, after I had known you for only two weeks, to be my wife.  I had barely had enough time to learn your full name and I was preparing to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me.  When I was trying to make sense of what I was hearing, it was more than I could ever imagine.  I certainly wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with someone like me so how could I expect you to do it.  I asked in spite of my doubts because I was told to.

To my surprise, and I imagine to yours also, you said yes, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Another thing that I had always thought to be a lot of hooie was the idea of love at first sight.  God has shown me that there is such a thing.  It is not between a man and a woman where, at best, these may be interest at first sight.  The love between a man and a woman is a process that takes an entire lifetime.  True love at first sight exists only with God because he knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb and loved us enough to sacrifice His Son for us.

The only other time that I am personally aware of love at first sight was when I first caught sight of my girls.  Yes, I know that they are our girls but at that moment they were my girls and the love at that first sight was mine.  You were having your own “love at first sight” experience. 

I just want you to know that this journey has been one that I wouldn’t have missed for anything.  I have a deeper love for you now than I could ever have imagined and I hope and pray that as we go through the next 25 years that as we grow closer to God, we will continue to grow closer in our love and commitment to each other.  You mean more to me than life itself and I love you!

If not for you, I wouldn’t be me.

Thank you!

I ask you, the reader, how could any wife not melt at the words in this letter, even more than 15 years after it was written?

February 3, 1912 - 100 Years Ago My Daddy was Born

Daddy and Me

February 3, 2012 is a bitter-sweet day for me.  For the last year I have watched this date grow closer and closer.  My Father would have been 100 years old on February 3, 2012.  I wish I could say I have tons of wonderful memories but I really only have a few.  The most important memory that my Dad passed on to me is always buy a Ford.  I hope that makes you smile.  I drive a Ford and have for years.  My Mom believed my Dad had it right and she preferred a Ford over any other brand of car. 

My Father had two sisters that I remember. Esther Walker lived in Milford Michigan and I loved to visit her house. They owned Walker and Son’s Honey.  Their company was the first to have a bear with honey in it on the store shelves and they were the first to come out with whipped honey. They raised honey bees and my parents lived over the honeyhouse at one point, but that was before they had me.  They had moved back to Muskegon by the time I was born.  Every year my Aunt Esther would make a wreath of wrapped candy and send it to us along with honey and honeycomb and whipped honey.  I looked forward to the box every year.

One other dear memory was one my Mom talked about many times over her lifetime.  She talked about how we drove to Detroit where Dad’s sister, Henrietta Pepperman, lived.  (I love saying her name).  She had animals and I was allergic.  We tried to make it work but in the middle of the night, when my Dad thought I couldn’t breathe much longer if we stayed, he loaded the family in the car and drove back across the state.  By the time we got home I was doing really well with my breathing.  We never visited her house again. 

I know my Dad had a brother, Richard, but I don’t remember if we ever met.  Both of his parents passed away before my Mom met Dad.  I can’t believe it, but his mother’s name was Allie Boop.  No kidding!  I don’t remember his father’s name.

 I remember my Dad spent much of his time across the street from our house at the gas station.  He loved working on cars.  Other memories are quite vague.  I remember attending the Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan with my Dad and Mom.  I remember traveling to a wedding from Dad’s side of the family.  It was in Ohio, but I don’t remember the city.  I remember that when one sister, Ranae, was sick, I got to sleep with my Dad.  He always let me put my feet between his legs to warm them up.  I always felt safe and secure with him.  He had blood vessels that bulged in his forearms.  I still can see his arms when I think of him.  I find that very attractive.  When I was working at Calico Cat there was a customer that came in a couple of times a year.  He shocked me every time I saw him because he looked exactly like my Dad when he died.  Exactly.  It was so startling that I couldn’t wait on him.  I would conceal myself so he couldn’t see me watching him.  By then Dad would have been in his late 70s or early 80s.  This man looked like my Dad when he was 49.

August 14, 1938

My very favorite memory was within just months of when he passed away.  I was 11 years old at the time and we had just moved into a new home on Seminole Road in Muskegon.  They purchased the home and we moved in during June of 1961.  He passed away in November 1961 so this took place between these months.

To give a little background, my bedroom was done in knotty pine.  It was a Cape Cod type room with sloped ceilings and storage behind the walls.  The window was one that, when opened, was a flat piece of glass.  The room was small but it was mine.  The only other room upstairs was unfinished but twice the size of my room.  I believe the idea was it would be finished and used as another bedroom.    Since we had just moved there, my friends all lived near our old house.  I was allowed to invite my best friend at that time, Dona Jarvi, to come and spend the night on a Friday night.  On Saturday morning we woke up but didn’t go downstairs very early.  At some point my Dad came up carrying a small basket.  He started picking up the sheets and blankets and looking underneath them.  I asked what he was doing and his reply was “with all of this cackling I thought there must be some fresh eggs laid up here.  I am preparing for breakfast of bacon and eggs.”  We giggled and giggled about my Dad when that happened. That is my very favorite memory.  Even when I think of it 50 years later, I still smile at this thought.  I really would have loved having more years with him.

While I have 11 years of memories, I have lived nearly 51 years without any new memories.  Dad brought home a used television when I was about 10.  It was our first TV.  He wasn’t alive to have color TV, computers, and other new technology.  The new Fords would delight him, I am sure.  He also wasn’t here to meet his son-in-law, Mike.  Remember, he had 5 daughters so a son-in-law would have been a blessing, but Mike loved working on cars so that would have been common ground for them.   My Dad wasn’t there to walk me down the aisle (my fabulous Uncle Milburn did that) and he wasn’t here to meet his granddaughters, Holly and Missy, or his great grandchildren.  I think they would have loved him and he would have adored them.  In one month we will celebrate another special day.  On March 5^th my Dad’s namesake, his grandson, Max, will be three years old.  I wish they could have known each other.   You can’t go back and change your life, but sometimes you can’t help but wish you had more memories that include someone you still love 51 years later. 

Are you thankful?

When are you truly thankful?  What are you thankful for?  Is it a flat screen TV?  A new car?  A big house?  Or are you thankful for a roof over your head and a vehicle that takes you from point A to point B.  What kinds of things are truly promised to us by God?  What things are guaranteed to us by our state and our country?  When do needs become wants and a line is crossed where you are no longer content for what you have but discontent because you WANT something you don’t really need?

I can truly say I live a very contented life knowing that God watches out for me and has always provided for me.  I have a husband that God gave me and we lead a close life as a married couple.  For 40 years he has treated me like a princess.  He still opens the door for me when we go out to the car.  I love him more than life itself. 

I am thankful for two daughters and the differences between them.  Holly is the oldest and she was the most challenging of the two girls to raise.  She has a quick wit and has never had to study to get a good grade, just like her father.  She likes to write like I do.  Missy, however,  is more like me, contented with what she has and more than willing to wait and save for what she wants.  She loves crafts and making things herself.  I always say Missy can pinch a buffalo nickel and turn it into a quarter.  She is amazing.  Holly works very hard but always tells me “don’t work harder, work smarter” and she works that way every day.  Her computer knowledge is unbelievable and even my boss has been known to call her for help on a project.  When Missy started high school she went to the school office everyday from August until January asking the counselor to allow her to advance and graduate in two years instead of 3.  Her determination and confidence in herself is marvelous.  They finally got tired of her asking every day and let her excel on her own.  She finished all three years in two years.  She did 7^th period optional, took classes in night school and summer school.  All of this, plus Missy played in the marching band.  Missy was always on the move.  How can I not be thankful for the two daughters God allowed us to raise?  They are exceptional adults, both of them, yet they are so different from each other.  I look at my own 4 sisters and see how different we are but there was never a closeness between us like with Missy and Holly.

Would I ever want more than I have?  I could say yes but it would really not be true.  Every time I have wanted more, even before I realized it myself, God has provided it.  Until about 5 years ago we only had a 19” television.  Mike entered a drawing and won  a 51 inch television.  It ended up being a $1500 gift certificate.  We bought a 32 inch TV, more than large enough for our home, a new microwave, a new dishwasher and several other items.  It actually took us 2 years to spend it all because we really didn’t NEED anything at the time we won the Gift Certificate.  Another time Mike won a cruise for us thru AAA.  We usually spent our vacations going to Michigan so going on a cruise, just the two of us, was a blessing we had never had a NEED for and really not a want so we were once again blessed before we had a desire.  One year later, at the same event, Mike won Gift Certificates from all of the restaurants in our area of Tampa, there were about 15 of them.  We like to eat out but never at expensive places.  We were blessed with opportunities to share the certificates with others and use a few ourselves.  Again, we were thankful for a blessing we didn’t even know we had a desire for. 

What is promised to us?  God says “I wish above all that you prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.”  During the worst times of my life, I turned to finding more of God.  Those times were filled with blessing after blessing.  They have made me content with the things I have.  I drive an 12 year old car that takes me where I need to go.  I love purses but would never spend $3500 for one.  I could buy a car for that and it would have 4 wheels and a motor.  What one person thinks of as a need, another thinks of as a desire of their heart.  We are in such a sad economy but people can’t live without a cell phone or cable TV and the internet, can they? I work very hard and am so happy I have a job and I enjoy the people that I work with.  What are the real needs in life?  Food, air (not air conditioning, although in Florida it truly feels like a need) clothing and a roof over our heads. 

In today's age and mentality, people are willing to just sit and wait for the government to provide.  The government is not our provider, God is.  Yes, I believe that you need to give to Caesar what is due Caesar and I believe that if you lose your job you should get unemployment.  These are umbrella's.  They are not meant to be your primary source of income.  God wants us to contribute to others and He wants a relationship with us.  When we start thinking of the government as our primary provider - we stop depending on God. 

When you understand blessings and can be content with your life, it leaves you free to give and help others.  If you ever have some time, take out a piece of paper and look around you.  Write down all of the ITEMS God has blessed you with.  Once that is done, give God thanks.

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matt 6:31-33

WE ARE CALLED TO BE SELF FEEDING

A BOOK REVIEW OF THE DIVINE MENTOR

By Wayne Cordeiro

“Your words were found and I ate them;

and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;

for I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”  Psalm 119:24

This verse in the book "The Divine Mentor"  was the most striking and hit my heart with major blows.  First of all I could see myself in the “I’m not being fed here” scenario.  When Mike and I were first married we went to my home church.  It was where I was baptized at the age of 9 and had remained a member and where we were married.  Mike gave up his home church because staying at my church meant so much to me.  After we had our first child I began attending a Bible study with women from another church.  It is the Bible study I would most like to recreate today, if I had the chance.  This Bible Study was where God first opened my eyes to His word.  I had read scripture before, of course, and knew all of the stories that had been taught to me through the years.  I knew them but they really didn’t know me! The first study I was in with this group was a “Neighborhood Bible Studies” series book called Four Men of God.  It took us through Adam, Abraham, Joseph and David.  There is no doubt that this time was the turning point in my life.  I ate up God’s word.  I could hardly wait until we met again because I was learning so much from our time together each week.  Most of the other women all attended the same church – Jesus Fellowship – that met in the Holiday Inn.  Before long I was being fed so much in that Bible Study that I was overflowing.  My desire was to teach others and I had the feeling I was no longer being fed in my church.  What are we to do when this happens?

As The Divine Mentor is showing us in it’s chapters, the church isn’t to be our prime feeding source.  We are told to not forsake gathering together as a body but I believe the church is to be the place where people hear the “milk” messages that lead them to a greater desire for the “meat” messages that are in God’s word.  We want others to do what only we can do.  Make us grow!

Psalm 32: 8-9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.  Do not be as the horse or as the mule which has no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near you”

95% of what we do – anyone can do.  Only 5% of what we so is something no one else can be responsible for

·         Only I can be a husband/wife to my spouse

·         Only I can be a father/mother to my children

·         Only I can grow myself spiritually

·         Only I can keep myself healthy

·         Only I can keep myself disciplined

God sends the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth because truth needs a guide.

John 14: 16-17 says “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, and He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth” then John 16:13 says ”But when I, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you in all the truth”

We gain all-important wisdom only as The Divine Mentor instructs us through a living interaction with and understanding of God’s word.  Our need for such a guide becomes increasingly vital as we get closer and closer to the end of history when spiritual deception will become most rampant.  Paul warned of false prophets.  He cautioned that many people living in those days will have a strong tendency to be “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Tim 3:7).  We should always be careful in how WE lead others as well.  Not being foolish in our speaking to others about scriptures or mislead by what we read in secular books or novels.  What you may read and have no problem seeing as fiction, may cause someone else to question or to be lead away from God’s true word.  This is why we need the Holy Spirit to be our guide.  He acts as our coach – just as an athlete needs a coach, we need a coach.  Athletes know that they cannot become and remain the best at what they do until they understand and apply the crucial essential of becoming coachable. 

Good Lessons and Bad Lessons

The Bible is filled with good and bad mentor /coaches.  We can learn from both of them.   Proverbs 24:30-32 says “I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; it’s surface was covered with nettles, and it’s stone wall was broken down.  When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked and received instruction.”

Our biblical mentors are caretakers who steward your inheritance until you come of age.  They teach, advise, tutor, mentor, coach until we receive the fullness of what God intends for us.  This is our divine inheritance.  What kind of inheritance do you seek and how soon do you want it?  The influences in our lives reflect how soon we want to receive our inheritance.   Proverbs 13:20 says “He who walks with wise men will be wise but the companion of fools will suffer harm” Our mentor, the word, says we become like the people we hang around with.  Wisdom is contagious.  It’s something you catch more than something you comprehend.  Physical death of our biblical mentors did not terminate their lives.  God gave them eternal assignment to tutor future generations of His children. 

A friend gave a cross necklace to his son and fiance at their rehersal dinner.  He explained that there were two words that lead them to the rehearsal dinner where he presented his gift.  His son had said the two words “Will you” and the fiance answered with two words “I Will”.  What he had inscribed on the back of the cross necklaces were two words “I Choose.”  In this case it was making the choice, daily, to be a husband and wife.  This father was a wise man.   

We make a choice daily on how our relationship with God will be that day.  Will we spend time with him and learn from the mentors he has provided in His word?  Daily we choose if we will become wiser.  Will we discipline ourselves to close out all else or will we go on with life as usual?  Each of us has to make our own choice.  What do YOU CHOOSE?

Is making the right choice today enough?  No, it is a daily choice we need to make.  Look at King Solomon.  He was considered one of the wisest men ever yet when he forgot where his wisdom came from and he began to think of himself as more than he really was, he became foolish.  How can we avoid this pitfall?  Stay DAILY in the word.  Talk to God.  Build the relationship He desires to have with you.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10, Psalm 111:10) and Proverbs 1:7 goes on to say “fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

There are many jobs, vocations, hobbies and talents that take daily practice.  Can you think of a few?  How about athletes, musician’s, physician’s?  Even a physician must have a mentor / coach to continue his learning process.  When I thought about this I was amazed.  I think of athletes and musicians as having coaches or lessons or practice that keeps them at peak performance but other jobs require this as well. Not just physician’s because I am a secretary but if I stopped typing or using the computer I would loose my skills.  I would slow down in my typing skills, wouldn’t I?  New programs would come out but I wouldn't want to learn how to use them.  I need my mentors on my job just like everyone else.  I need to be teachable.   I remember when we got our first computer and I thought it would be just the thing for my Mom to use to write letters to her brothers.  She had said writing letters was a slow process for her anymore and she didn’t enjoy it.  She had been an accountant so she used a typewriter daily.  I thought this would be a piece of cake yet her response to me was “I am 77 years old and I don’t have to learn anything I don’t want to anymore!”  This was in stark contrast to the woman who got her college degree at age 47 and her high school diploma at 67. 

Think of all you have just heard.  How many mentors from God’s word are you really familiar with on an intimate level?  Do you try to read the Bible daily?  Do you journal what you read?  Perhaps you are content to read without really getting intimate with God daily?  I submit that until you can find someone that you will be accountable to on a consistent basis you may not be the self feeder you could become.  Are you afraid to begin on your own?  Find a Bible Study of others that really want to learn.  Make a commitment to never miss a meeting – be accountable!

The new year of 2012 will begin in just a few hours.  What kind of New Year resolution can you make that would be more fruitful in your life than having daily time with God?  Spend time reading his word, journal things that you come across, pray for others and perhaps even keep a log of your prayers so you can see how God is working.  As I have said before, my experience builds my faith which becomes my testimony!

What is it like to be married to Santa Claus?

Almost 40 years ago Mike, my incredible husband, was asked to be Santa for a friends daughter.  He loved it. He loves children and our family knows there is a “three foot rule” when Dad is around.  If he sees someone under 3 feet tall, he must stop and talk to them.  Mike teaches Special Ed and his favorite class is the one with the severely handicapped children.  He LOOKS for ways to help them learn.  That is probably why he is a great Santa. 

At church

Jump ahead to just a few years ago when Mike's beard came in gray and he really began to look like Santa.  He begins growing his beard in late August, early September.  One year he was helping out after church in November and there was a little boy and his sister playing in front of the table where Mike was standing.  The little girl had spoken to Mike several times.  I brought a Santa Hat over and put it on his head and the little girl stopped, her mouth dropped open and she said “I want to be a Princess”  She no longer saw the guy that was talking to her about the book she was playing with, she saw Santa.  Another time he was just talking to one of the kids outside of church and a line formed to talk to “Santa”  He doesn’t wear a Santa Suit to church, nor does he wear a Santa hat.  In fact, Mike is usually known as the guy in the flag shirt because about 90% of the time he has on a flag shirt.  I must say, my heart melts a little each time I see a child stop and see Santa in Mike. 

Our oldest grandson, Holden, age 14, has always called Mike “Bumpa”.  Now that he is older he shortens it frequently to Bump.  We now have a 2 ½ year old grandson, Max.  His name for Mike is “Ho Ho.”  I have to tell you, shortening that is not a good idea!  Holden says, “Hey Bump.” Just think about what Max will say. He is so cute when he runs his fingers through Mike’s beard and says “Ho Ho” 

And a line forms

One of the groups Mike works with is called “YES”  It is a charity that works with special needs children that was begun by a woman who is blind herself.   The first year he was Santa for YES he was amazed at the items the “children” asked Santa to bring them.  One “child” is over 50 years old and wanted a friendship bracelet.  She had never had a friend give one to her and it was what she wanted most.  One “boy” came to see Mike three times and brought him a list with each visit.  He was higher functioning and he wrote out his list.  Still, the list contained things you would never see on your child or grandchild’s list.  He wanted new sheets, toothbrush, underwear – only necessities of life – nothing frivolous – not even a toy.  Items you and I would just buy as we need them, certainly not ask Santa for them.

Last year my sister invited Mike and I to a concert of Transiberian Orchestra.  They got their start in Tampa so their concert is doubly exciting.  We first went to dinner at Outback.  When you sit in their booth, the windows are just about shoulder level.  Mike was sitting next to the window.  Outside there were bushes under the window.  We had finished our meals but were enjoying coffee before we went to the Forum for the concert.  All of a sudden this boy climbed over the bushes,  pressed his face against the glass and yelled “SANTA!”

Bumpa/Ho Ho with
Max and Holden 2010

Recently we attended a party that included his high school students from last year.  There was another guy there playing Santa and Mike was in regular clothes.  Several of the students came over and said “Mr. Mike, there is a guy here playing you!”   These kids are 14-21 and in their minds, there is no question that Mr. Mike IS Santa.   His students all know that Santa does other things all year long and he won’t talk to them as Santa from January until October.  On October 1 the kids all begin writing letters to Santa and asking about the reindeer and elves. 

I have never dressed as Mrs. Claus.  I have a red cape my daughter bought for me, and I do have gray hair.  It wouldn’t take much.  Perhaps I should join him.  No – this is his time of the year, I am not going to spoil it for him. 

Gosh I love this time of year.  Don’t you?