Why Do I Blog?

When we first moved to Arizona in 2012, I attended a teacher clinic with the school in which I was teaching. There, we were challenged by one of the speakers to start a blog. I decided to blog about what God had done in the past, and what he was currently doing now in our lives. It seemed easy at first. I had a lot of things to write about. Being a Christian school teacher for most of my adult life lent itself to allowing (can I say needing?) God to work some crazy things. After a couple years I slowed down and didn’t blog consistently. It wasn’t until 2024 that I finally decided that I would blog every week. So why blog anyway? I did it for several reasons.

• I wanted a record of what God had done so I would not forget.

• I wanted a record for my children because for many of the events they were either not born yet, or too small to remember.

• I wanted to encourage others. If God could do these things for an average guy like me, He could do it for them too.

• I had a goal of writing a book using these stories. It may end up as a devotional instead of a book.

• It gave me something to write on the end-of-the-year teacher check out interview. (Hey, ya gotta put something.)

So how does one get started?

To begin, you need to choose a platform for your writing. I chose Blogger.com because it was tied to my Google account and was easy to use. I wanted a place that probably would not change or close down. It allows me to add pictures and links in my writing. It is also very easy to link it into other media like Facebook.

After that, you just start writing. It can be simple short paragraphs, long essays, or somewhere in between.  It’s all up to you.

It will be easier in the long run if you commit to a plan of how often you are going to blog. This is huge, so settle on a plan that will work for you. After all, it is your blog.

I would recommend that you keep a backup copy of your writings, just in case. I write my weekly entries in Word so that I can edit them quickly and also save them in a folder. I actually keep a copy on a thumb drive also. Three backups is a safe way to go. You could also keep a printed copy of everything, but I’m kind of out of the binder phase now.

I hope this helps! Now go get blogging! It’s never too late to share what God is doing in your life! Also, if you do start, be sure to send me the link!

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A Friend Named John

 

This week we are morning the loss of a friend. The strange thing about it is that I didn’t even know his last name. In fact neither did anyone else. He was just “John”. (We did find out later.) We met him at the food/care ministry my wife and I volunteer at. At first meeting, I could only describe him as the closest thing to a bridge troll I’ve ever met. He was kind of shaggy, grumpy and wore a constant frown. But he was there every day we were open. Shortly after Covid relaxed, we started to see a change. We give gift cards for memorizing the verse of the month. He said every verse. He started helping the kids that came learn it. He often gave the cards to someone else who needed it more. He started volunteering on the days we pass out food. One time he ask me to pray that he could get a car - and God provided. His smile was infectious. The change was amazing. One of my favorite memories was when he gave a short sermon. 

He pulled out a package of rolling papers. (Hey, I would have used a register receipt, but he knew the crowd.) He asked, What is this? Someone from the back answered, “Rolling papers”. He nodded his head. Then he said, This one has a red line on it. What does that mean?” Someone else said, “It means you are almost out”. He looked intently at the crowd and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a red line? Well, we don’t. So close the gap with God now.” <<Mike Drop>> 

He just continued to grow. One Wednesday as he sat at the table with my wife as they were preparing food bags he smiled and said, Who’d a thought a guy like me would be sitting with a girl like you doing this?” About 2 weeks ago, he brought my wife a brass plaque he had found in a box of miscellaneous thinks he purchased. It said FOUND. That’s what happened. God found him, and he was forever grateful. 

Someday John Perrie, someday, we’ll get to sit together at the Banquet Table again. And won’t it awkward or unusual, just friends reunited. RIP my friend!

Maid 0r Helpmeet?

 The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

 

For some odd reason, a song from eons ago while dinosaurs still roamed the earth happened to pass through my head. “Put another log on the fire. Cook me up some bacon and some beans. Go out to the car and lift it up and change the tire…And as usual, it got me musing…

People that I work with have always marveled at my “sack lunches”. Honestly, they are usually just leftovers, but oh, they are good! I’ve never really asked her to make my lunch; she just always has done it. We celebrated 42 years of marriage this June. A relationship this long doesn’t come by accident. It’s work, but it’s worth it. When we got married she said, “I will do the cooking, laundry, and take care of the house work, if you will bring home a paycheck and take care of the house and car maintenance.” In other words, we shared the work. I find we do a better job on our things because we’re grateful for what each other does. I let her decorate and arrange the house as she chooses. She lets me garden and grow flowers for butterflies. We decide about major purchases together. I’m very fortunate that she is even thriftier than I am. We seldom disagree. Two years ago she hired someone to do the landscaping because she thought I shouldn’t have to do that anymore. (I do hate mowing!)

I am truly blessed. In fact I even had one teacher friend tell me. “If you ever start complaining about your wife I’m gonna slap you and tell you to suck it up buttercup”. He is right you know.

 

So, If you want a maid, hire one. If you want a helpmeet, treat her like the jewel that she is. I get to be king of the castle not because I should be a king, but because I treat her like the queen that she is. Don’t be like the guy in the song.

 

“So put another log on the fire babe, and come and tell me why you’re leaving me.”

Put Another Log on the Fire

Shel Silverstein Lyrics © T.R.O. INC. 1976

Retirement is Overrated

This year I had a parent say “sorry to hear that you’re retiring”. Now, that was news to me. I have no plans to retire anytime soon. Most Christian school teachers don’t have the same retirement that public school teachers get anyway. And I’m not sure I want to retire. I think I would rather just repurpose. How many times have you seen someone retire, and then die soon after? I think it has something to do with just stopping. If you have nothing to keep you going, what’s to keep you from just giving up?

I plan to repurpose, redirect and reinvent. I want to keep serving the homeless and down and outers. I want to pour into my grandchildren so they see God work in their lives like he has in ours. There’s still to much to do. Recently my wife and I were tempted to consider winding down our years in the Pismo Beach area. Nice, but with nothing to do, I think we would go crazy. There’s still so much to do!

I found an interesting post on Facebook called The Last Paper Towel on the Roll. (It’s credited to the Erickson Funeral Home wherever that is.)

                 The Last Paper Towel on the Roll

The  last paper towel on the roll. The one nobody wants. Some say it serves  no purpose with all that glue on it. It was the foundation for all the  other paper towels on that roll and now it has no purpose. Now think of a  family member. A grandparent perhaps. For some they’re like the last  paper towel on the roll. We think they have no purpose yet they have  been the glue that’s held the family together for many years. They were  the foundation for who we are. Hold on to those grandparents and make  sure they know their importance. Without the last paper towel of  glue....... we’d all be napkins 🤔

I have decided that I don’t want to just be the last paper towel, I want to be the paper towel tube and get reused for other adventures! 

Strength In The Few...

 

It has often been said, “There is strength in numbers”. As many of you know, I like to follow a podcast called The Daily Race done by Pastor Ryan Nuñez from Palm Valley Church in Avondale, AZ. The main idea comes from Pastor Ryan; the musings are mine. 

While on vacation in Pismo Beach, I was considering all the employee changes that we will have for this coming school year. I was kind of having a pity party and so that I didn’t spoil everyone else’s day, I decided to get away and pray. I found a quiet place on a tree covered sand dune and sat down. I thought about Pastor Ryan’s podcast and started listening.  

It was from I Samuel 13 & 14. Chapter 13 says that, So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. They had only 2 swords with them! Imagine going into battle with only 2 swords. No wonder they were all just sitting around waiting for a plan. Ch. 14 tells how Jonathan and his amour bearer find a group of Philistine soldiers, trust God for the outcome, and kill 20 soldiers. God sent panic and an earthquake, and the Philistines began to flee. The Israelites began to pursue, and the day was saved. The key here is that God did it, but he didn’t need huge crowds or great resources to do it, just one sword. The message to me was so personal and so strong. I had to step back and Thank God for His encouragement. I even took a picture of the spot so I wouldn’t forget. I titled it, Remember. It still is a bit scary trying to work through everything, but it is exciting to remember that God does some of His best work with almost nothing.

“If you do little things like they’re big things,

God will do big things like they’re little things.”

Mark Batterson Author | Speaker | Lead Pastor, National Community Church

 

Bubbles – In the Moment

 As you enter Mickey’s Toon Town in Disneyland, there is a large artificial grass area on the right shortly after you come under the train bridge. It’s the perfect spot for a young child with the ubiquitous Disney bubble wand. Normally I am not a real fan of that many bubbles. They can get irritating while you are waiting for the parade. They seem to aim directly for your face and nose while you are standing in line for a ride or a churro. But here, they’re almost magical. While the bubbles are floating through the air, an amazing transformation takes place. Children of various ages run and play together as if they have been best friends for years. They giggle and laugh; they run and dance. No one is made fun of. No one is rude or mean. They all take turns seeing who can catch the most bubbles. They wave them in the air. They trail them behind as they run in circles. They even make little piles of bubbles for others to admire. I have even seen adults join in. Fathers hold their child on their shoulders so the bubbles can go high in the air. Mothers help pop bubbles in a contest of who can get the most. I heartily recommend the bubble refill if you can afford it. It allows the fun to keep going. It’s called living in the moment. No one is thinking about the prices. The crowds don’t seem to matter. The stress of trying to get to the next ride fades away. You even forget that you have already walked 20,000 steps and it’s only 6:00 pm. It’s magical, heartwarming and cathartic, at least until the bubbles run out. 

We could learn something from these children. When was the last time you did something so wholeheartedly, that you forgot the cares of the day? It doesn’t have to be new or fancy. It could be a sport (like fishing for me) or a nature walk. It could even be a good book. Yes, we need to plan, follow schedules, and be present in our work. But maybe, just maybe, there is still time for chasing a few bubbles… 

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

 

Butterflies

As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with butterflies. I would collect caterpillars and grow them in jars under our picnic table. I would clean the jars and add fresh leaves every day. There were often several different kinds of caterpillars under there at any one time. One of my favorites was the monarch butterfly. I remember collecting many caterpillars while watching my grandfather fly his remote control airplanes at a friend’s farm. I’m sure I watched more butterflies than planes back then.

Caterpillars have a beauty all their own, at least to those who appreciate them, but compared to the final butterfly, many might describe them as drab or just down-right ugly! After a week or so they would mature and stop eating. They would climb to the top of the jar lid and hang head-down in a “J” shape. After about 24 hours they spit their skin and voila!, they become a chrysalis. One to two weeks later, they would begin to darken and the butterfly’s colors begin to show. I remember, at one of my birthday parties, I had one out on display as it began to “eclose”. (That’s the fancy word for the process of coming out of a chrysalis.) They come out with wings that are shriveled and folded. As they pump fluid into their wings, the wings expand and finally stiffen as they dry. It never got old. Let’s face it, I was a science nerd back then also.

The butterfly starts as a tiny egg, spends a few weeks as a caterpillar, changes into a chrysalis, and finally exits as a beautiful butterfly. It’s interesting to note that while it is a chrysalis, it disassociates into a seemly formless “soup” of cells that then reorganize into the final butterfly. That’s pretty amazing for such a tiny creature.

I like to think of this life as the caterpillar stage. We are just getting ready for who we will become. Someday we will be transformed and have our heavenly bodies.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV

who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  Philippians 3:21 NIV

 Ya! We don’t have to be lowly caterpillars forever!