The dog barked!!!

This morning's sunrise

1/26/11 Wednesday
It’s a wonderful day. Why? Because I choose to view it that way. There are many things that could be better, like perhaps having a bathroom with a tub and shower installed so we could take a bath. Cherie is still fighting off whatever kind of bug she picked up from me, and it seems to be coming back hard. That and the mess the house is in because of the bathroom fiasco makes it hard for her to be upbeat. When my wife is down I’m down too and work hard to make her feel better. Money is tight, things in our future look bleak, but it’s a wonderful day, for we trust in the Lord. We trust that God will walk with us through all the hard times and no matter how bad it gets we know there are millions around the world who have it much worse than we do. The bible says “The joy of the Lord is my strength” but it’s hard to grasp when the joy we have must often be manufactured.

Last night we heard Buddy (our new dog) bark for the first time. He’s howled a lot, echoing the coyote’s he hears, or just letting us know that he is lonely, (Like he did at 3:00 this morning) but we’ve never heard him bark. It was good to hear because we need him to be a watch dog, warning us when intruders are on the property or something is wrong. Buddy is a happy dog, always grateful for, and craving, pets. He’s a wonderful addition to the family but we worry because he doesn’t have a fear of the highway that has claimed so many of our pets.

I’m planning on going to Odessa today, to attend a Christian luncheon that Chuck Lane holds every week. I’ll stop by GLC to check on if their maintenance guy still needs some help, and perhaps see if I can promote Ron Charles a little so he might get some more air time.

I’ll run by the jail this morning for the jail ministry. While there I want to talk to the sheriff and let him know I’m available should a need arise in the community. They had a situation last week that ended with a man having to be shot. He died but evidently had been mentally sliding downhill for quite a while, was suicidal and paranoid, with guns and booby traps set up all over his house. I suspect that police departments are not encouraged to put pastors in touch with troubled individuals, for all kinds of legal reasons, but if a family member requests it I’m sure it would be fine. It’s just like the guy who shot congresswoman Gabriel Gifford. There is no question that there were clear signs he was sliding into madness and hindsight wonders if anyone could have helped. I’m no psychologist, but my theology degree carries a major in pastoral counseling. Add to that the fact that my personal life experience touches on an enormous range of the things that afflict society, alcoholism, drug addiction, criminal activities, and other aspects of life that tear a person down. Plus I believe I have the answer to all of man’s problems, in the life that comes with Jesus Christ, who came to set us free from all those chains that bind us. Whether I could have helped the man who was shot will never be known, but a life is gone now and I sure wish I could have had the chance to try.

Time to run. Y’all remember, that God is and that He loves us all.