End of the year blog

I can sum up my year in visits that I made Thursday night. One visit was to Legacy Emanuel children's Hospital, the other was to the Multnomah County Justice Center.

My nephew, Warren Mattox had "Finished with Chemo" party in his battle with cancer. Please see the link on the side that says "Warren". That link will take you to his website.

We went to visit my sister-in-law, Lydia, who is waiting for her trial on aggravated murder. We took my cousin from Norway to visit her also. Please be praying for Lydia so that she can continue to grow and heal.



THE NEW YEAR 2006

I do not make new year resolutions because they are doomed to failure if not backed by will and commitment to follow through. An external motivator such as the "new" year is not going to help us maintain our commitment.

Instead of new year resolutions we should realize the following is always happening to us because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

1. We are new creation in Christ!

2. We are to train ourselves to be godly!

3. Because God is at work in us!

May God bless you in this New Year.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation......."

1 Timothy 4:7-8
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed; not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence; continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Darwin Awards

Yes, it's that magical time of the year again when the
Darwin Awards Are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.
Here then, are the Glorious winners:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his
intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach,
California, would-be robber James Elliot did something
that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the
barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it
worked...

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger
in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little hopping
around, submitted a claim to his insurance company.
The company, expecting negligence, sent out one of its
men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine
and lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a
space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago
returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken
the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a
Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental
patients he was supposed to be transporting from
Harareto Beltway had escaped. Not wanting to admit his
incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and
offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then
delivered the passengers to the mental hospital,
telling the staff that the patients were very
excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The
deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital
recovering from serious head wounds received from an
oncoming train. When asked how he received the
injuries, the lad told police that he was simply
trying to see how close he could get his head to a
moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20
bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the
clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and
asked for all the cash in the register, which the
clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from
the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the
counter. The total amount of cash he got from the
drawer...$15. (If someone points a gun at you and
gives you money, is a crime committed)

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty
badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block
through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and
run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over
his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back
and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him
unconscious. The liquor store window was made of
Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience
store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk
called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give
them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within
minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put
him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief
was then taken out of the car and told to stand there
for a positive ID. To which he
Replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I
stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a
man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan,
at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk
turned him down because he said he couldn't open the
cash register without a food order. When the man
ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't
available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked
away.

A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER!

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a
motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much
more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the
scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a
motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman
said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline
and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's
sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle
declined to press charges, saying that it was the best
laugh he'd ever had.

The English Language

If you ever feel stupid, then just read on. If you’ve learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius! This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave. Peruse at your leisure, English lovers. Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France (Surprise!). Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? Doesn’t it seem crazy that you Can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If teachers taught, why don’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up and down at the same time and, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And while we’re at it, why doesn’t “Buick” rhyme with “quick”?

Do not......

Do not eat natural foods. I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.

If quitters never win, and winners never quit, then who is the fool who said, "Quit while you're ahead?"

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather: it pays no attention to criticism.

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?

In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

AND THE #1 THOUGHT: You've read about all these terrorists -- most of them came here legally, but they hung around on expired visas, some for as long as 10-15 years. Now, compare that to Blockbuster: you are two days late with a video and those people are all over you. Let's put Blockbuster in charge of immigration.

I am unable

I am unable to call Jesus Christ my "personal Lord and Savior". To me, calling Jesus my "personal Lord and Savior" puts Him on level with my personal bank account, my personal car and if I had one, my personal chauffeur. It puts Jesus in position of service to me.

Jesus says in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.

He calls me to obedience as a slave to him. Jesus is my Lord and Master.

I would much rather call Jesus my Lord and Master and admit to him that I have not obeyed him because I have sinned already than to make Him a personal "object" in my life and misunderstand my relationship to Him.

Yes, He does call us to be his brothers, but He does the calling and we do not earn it.

John 13:1- 17 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

In the Eyes of God

In the Eyes of God

Bible Thought: "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine." (Psalms 33:18-19)

In the eyes of some people, I am a failure. This is because I don't drive the "right" car, own the "right" house or have the "right" job.

On the other hand, in the eyes of other people, I am a success. That's because I own a car, I own a house and I have a job.

And depending on which way the wind is blowing, I can either feel really bad about myself or feel really good about myself based on how I categorize myself in the success or failure category.

Thanks be to God that he does not treat us according to our successes and our failures.

The Apostle Paul in Romans 3: 22-23 states that "…there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Paul goes on to say in verse 24: "…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus".

Let us spend our time not thinking in terms of success or failure but about what God has given us to enjoy our relationship with Him.

October 26, 1994

I promised to post this letter:
October 26, 1994
Matthew has a rare genetic disorder called Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (E.B.) There is something missing in the molecular structure of his skin. Because of this, heat, friction and trauma to the skin causes blisters.
Under the category of "junctional" there are two types; mild and severe. Both involve similar symptoms on the outside of the body but with the most severe of the two, blisters form on the inside (esophagus, intestinal and urinary tract, eventually taking the child's life.) Symptoms with both types to be expected include dystrophy or permanent loss of the fingernails & toenails, blistering - leaving large raw areas, early loss of teeth and anemia.
The focus of our care will be on keeping Matthew from dehydration, secondary infections of the blistered areas, and reducing heat, friction and trauma to his body. (This includes keeping him cool, special clothes and gentle handling.) If a child with Junctional E.B. lives past the age of 1 year, the disorder sometimes lessens in severity. If blistering occurs on the inside, there is nothing the doctors can do.
We went to the Children's Hospital in Seattle this last weekend, one of the few research centers for this disorder. We were hoping that from their examination of Matthew they would be able to tell us which of the two types he has.
The results were not what we wanted. Matthew has the severe form of Junctional E.B. - the blisters that occur on the outside of his body are also on the inside. He has less than a 10% chance of surviving to one year of age (unless God decides to intervene). If he follows the typical pattern, the doctor says Matthew will die between 4 and 8 months of age. (He is two months old now.)
People ask us what we need. We need and covet your prayers and encouragement. We have much that lies before us and two things we need to remember. And those are: Romans 8:38 through 39: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." and Ephesians 6:12 which says: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Please pray for Matthew, our relationship as husband and wife and our relationship with our children and our church family. We need to be reminded that God is in control and that all things will be done to his glory.

Anniversary

On a personal note, it was 23 years ago today that I was in the "accident." I was living in Fresno California at the time. On Sunday, December 12th, 1982 (12-12-82), Melinda, Steve, Sandy and I got in a car very early in the morning to go to Morrow Bay on the coast. We never got there. Near Riverdale on Highway 41, Melinda fell asleep at the wheel, crossed the center line and hit a semi-truck head on. The impact tore the right front tire from the truck. Melinda died instantly and Steve died of shock. Sandy spent three months in intensive care and had a stint placed in the back of her head. I came away with a green stick fracture in my left leg and a broken scapula.

I have no answers about why this happened. I take comfort for Steve and Melinda for they now know God.

I use this day as a day of reflection and thanksgiving. To reflect on how brief life is; in thanksgiving to realize how precious life is.

God Bless You.

It's so funny it hurts

I was talking with my coworker Carol and she was sharing about her current struggles. Her mother passed away in June and Carol had to set up her disabled brother in his own apartment. (Which still continues to be a struggle). Her husband has had a series of medical problems so much so that Carol is retiring at the end of this year to care for her husband even though she knows she can't afford it.

I shared with her our struggle 11 years ago with our terminally ill son, Matthew. He eventually died on June 1st, 1995. The most difficult week before that was in October of 1994 when Matthew as 2 months old. My wife and I had gone up to Seattle to confirm his diagnosis of Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa. On Monday, October 24th, the Dr. confirmed the diagnosis and told us that Matthew had a 10% chance of making to his 1st birthday. We came back to Portland with that news and shared it with friends and family. (I will post the letter in the next blog.) Lee Anne's father, who discovered he had colon cancer in January of 1994, died on Friday, October 28th.

What made that week from hell a little more bearable was what happened with the "Tooth Thief" in our house.

Our oldest son, Jonathan (age 7 at the time) had a loose tooth. I offered to tie a string around it and a door knob to facilitate the process but I received a negative response. On Tuesday the 25th, the tooth came out. I told Jonathan, "You know the drill, put the tooth under your pillow, in the morning, there will be a quarter. (Cheap, Cheap). We all went to bed. About five minutes later, my wife whispered, "Did you remember the quarter?" I jumped out of bed, grabbed a quarter and went into Jon's room and lifted up his pillow. No tooth! So I looked under the bed, around the sleeping kid and could not find the tooth. I then put quarter under the pillow and went back to bed.

In the morning, I asked Jonathan, "Where is your tooth?" He says: "I don't know". His brother David (age 6) pipes up and says: "I got it!" I replied: "What do you mean "you got it"?
"Well, I did not have a loose tooth and I wanted a quarter so I took his tooth and put it under my pillow!"

Mine!

Abortion - a nasty issue if I ever saw one.

A continual fight over a woman's "reproductive rights" and her body.

I think the whole conflict would come to a screeching halt if we took to heart what C.S. Lewis says in "The Screwtape Letters" about a "legitimate claim."

"Men( and women) are not angered by mere misfortune but by misfortune conceived as injury. And the sense of injury depends on the feeling that a legitimate claim has been denied.

The sense of ownership in general is always to be encouraged. The humans are always putting up claims to ownership which sound equally funny in Heaven and in Hell and we must keep them doing so.

Much of the modern resistance to chastity comes from the men's belief that they 'own' their bodies-those vast and perilous estates, pulsating with the energy that made the worlds, in which they find themselves without their consent and from which they are ejected at the pleasure of Another!

And all the time the joke is that the word 'Mine' in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father or the Enemy will say 'Mine' of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end, never fear, to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong-certainly not to them, whatever happens. At present the Enemy says 'Mine' of everything on the pedantic , legalistic ground that He made it: Our Father hopes in the end to say 'Mine' of all things on the more realistic and dynamic ground of conquest."