We had our first snow of the season last night. But I am too lazy right now to dig out the camera and take a picture so this one was taken in January this year. Yvonne absolutely loves snow. Me, not so much but I put up with it for her sake. We have lived here for more than ten years now but I still very much appreciate this view out one of our windows. Continue reading First Snow…

In a recent exchange of comments with a reader of this blog he made the comment that I was demeaning other Christians when I say we are not doing a very good job of following Christ’s examples and words. By pointing out a supposed weakness in someone’s walk with Christ am I putting them down? Am I demeaning them? I think not. Am I possibly making them feel a little uncomfortable? I certainly hope I am. We should all be somewhat uncomfortable in our walk with Christ. Jesus told us as much several times in the red letters and I … Continue reading When you tell someone that they could do a better job of following Christ are you demeaning them?

This post is going to be about illegal aliens. No, I’m not talking about those who might be in the U.S. now. I am going to talk about those aliens who started coming here five hundred or so years ago. Those of us who have native American roots in our bloodline  know our ancestors were the real citizens of this country back then. When Christopher Columbus stumbled on our shores along with him came hordes of uninvited aliens who  eventually took over our country. They robbed us of our land with promises that were never kept. It took a few … Continue reading Illegal Aliens…..

  Here is another picture from our October trip to northern Wisconsin. We added about 40 barns to our photo inventory on that trip.  This is one of the more interesting ones. Continue reading Barns of Wisconsin

  Thank you Island House hotel for providing us with quality accommodations during our recent stay at Mackinac Island Michigan. Your one hundred year plus hotel is awesome. Continue reading Island House Hotel

I believe that to constantly harp about our sinful state is more harmful than anything it might accomplish. I believe that we should teach our children that they were made by God and God does not make junk. I believe that God means for each of us to accomplish certain distinct things while we are here on his earth. I believe that God is very displeased with the way we have trashed his kingdom on earth. Continue reading I Believe…

I celebrate the peacemakers of this world. One of those groups is certainly the Society of Friends known as Quakers. As a matter of fact they have even won a Nobel Peace Price for their efforts. According to Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize should be awarded to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. That is certainly an apt description of Quakers and their journey in following Christ’s words. While the Nobel committee has … Continue reading I Celebrate the Peacemaker…

Here is one not too many people have probably seen. It is a small lighthouse in Neenah Wisconsin. The picture was taken in 1986 but it still looks the same today. Continue reading Lake Winnebago Light House

A close member of my  extended family died yesterday after a long and agonizing downward spiral.  For the last two years she was no longer of her own mind and became a very spiteful person. It was totally sad to see her in that state for so long.  It is not that she was a superhuman before that but she was not unlike many today in her very self-centered world view. I am relieved that she finally passed and went into our Lord’s arms. She can finally enjoy some peace. I know I have read several treatises about suffering in … Continue reading A Long and Agonizing Death…

I believe that God does not view us, his creation, as worthless miserable pieces of snot. I believe that God wants us to live to our full potential that he created us to be. I believe that God wants us to be perfect as he and Jesus are perfect. I believe that given our sinful nature we can never be perfect but that does not excuse us from even trying. Continue reading I Believe

  Here is a picture with Yvonne and I that was taken at Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York in the early 1990s. Continue reading Fort Ticonderoga

  I, like most senior citizens have my share of health related issue. Probably more than most. It seems that every time I go to the doctor lately he has diagnosed me with yet another condition! The last time he notified me that my blood sugar is on the high side of normal so he added yet another prescription to my list. I also can’t seem to get out of a chair without grunting anymore. In other words, I am falling apart! If I were to become fixated on all these conditions I would likely never get out of bed … Continue reading Don’t worry about whether you are healthy enough to do something… just do it!!

As mentioned in the last post I am in the initial process of building a slot car track in my old paint room. One important part of being retired is that I now have time to pursue things that I have enjoyed doing in the past.  In my youth I built many a model car and airplane. It seemed to feed my ingrained engineering fever.  Now that I have time I want to bring back some of that joyful time but with a different twist. I was surprised to see that slot cars are still an active hobby. They came … Continue reading An Inspiration….

  I seem to be hobby deficient lately so have been looking for yet another hobby. Slot cars are on my mind. I have cleaned out a room in the barn to build a track. Of course I won’t look like the White Lake track about that that is a beautiful inspiration for mine. Continue reading Slots….

My wife Yvonne’s maiden name is Wierschke. Of course that is very German in origin. I am going way way back in the photo archive to pull out the above picture. According to the note that was attached to it the picture is of her grandfather and the corresponding brothers and sisters. I don’t know exactly when it was taken but it was probably around 1900 or so. Since Yvonne is from Wisconsin which is the beer capital of the U.S. it is not surprising that she has a strong German background. Continue reading German Heritage

  Here is one of the many barn pictures we took on our recent trip to northern Wisconsin. Given the state of the barn this might be the last picture ever taken of it. Continue reading This Old Barn..

In many Bibles, some words are set apart with a red font. Why is this? It is to remind us that when God became Man and personally gave us words that those words are probably something we cannot afford to miss. So why don’t many churches today take the “red letters” to heart? Why aren’t we doing more to be Christ’s hands and feet to the poor, the disenfranchised, the weary, the ill, the fatherless, and the prisoners? It’s all there–in red letters. Why has the Church shirked its responsibilities, leaving the work to be done by governments, rock stars, … Continue reading Why Red Letters??

  Since the Christmas season is quickly approaching I thought I would pull this one out of the archives. This is a picture of me and Yvonne’s first Christmas together. It was taken during my first visit to the “crazy” in-laws in 1987.  We both had a lot more hair and a lot less wrinkles back then! Continue reading Our First Christmas Together

I believe that all of the Bible must be viewed within the life and words of Jesus Christ.  No other standard is acceptable. I believe that although well intentioned by their authors many of the words in the Bible are a distraction from the true messages of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus actually intends us to do what he said. I believe that the last part of the Great Commission should be the focus of our life. We must teach others to do as Jesus commanded. That is what this life is meant to be about. Continue reading I Believe…

A few posts back I announced that I have given up on following or participating in politics. It has just become to grinding for me. Last night I was reading a book called The Essential Thomas Jefferson and I came across the following quote in his letter to John Randolph dated August 1775 My first wish is a restoration of our just rights (he was talking about the British government’s unjust laws for the colonies) ; my second, a return of the happy period, when, consistently with duty, I may withdraw myself totally fro the public stage, and pass the … Continue reading In Good Company…

Nothing better than a county fair. The kids have fun and there is lots of greasy food to eat :) Continue reading County Fair…..

Here it is 9:10am and all my clocks except for the computer say it is 8:10am.  I guess we forgot that Mr. Bush decided to go it alone again and change the date when the time changes. The rest of the world changed but I guess we didn’t. Long story short.. we missed church. But I think God will forgive me on this one. So, I will repeat the process again next week. Continue reading Going it alone….

In questioning this claim, my wish is not to diminish the life of Jesus, but to honor it as fully as I can by asking whether his elevation to divinity is something he would have wanted. One telling clue to Jesus’s self-awareness can be found in the tenth chapter of the gospel of Mark when Jesus was approached by a man who called him “Good Teacher” (v. 17). Jesus’s response was immediate and startling, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (v. 18). I have heard some say Jesus was, in a clever way, … Continue reading Did Jesus Ask Us to Worship Him??

   I live just a couple of counties south of Parke County Indiana. To those who know it Parke County is covered bridges.  Here is a picture that was taken in the fall of 2001. Continue reading Fall in Parke County…

I believe that too many Christian denominations today spend far too much time idolizing Jesus and far too little time actually doing what he commands. I believe that those who think that getting into heaven simply requires saying that Jesus is my savior are flat out wrong.  Many of these will find out that Jesus will not recognize there words without backing them up by actions. I believe that  many Christian denominations totally ignore or rationalize away Jesus words in the Lord’s prayer that we will be forgiven by God in the same degree that we forgive those who sin … Continue reading I Believe…

A Personal Peeve…. One of the things that constantly peeves me off is related around my wife and I eating at restaurants. For the most part when the waiter/waitress discover that I am deaf the check almost always goes to my wife instead of me. This seems to peeve my wife all even more than me. She often gives the check back to the waiter and tell him/her to give it to me. I want to give a hint to all you waiters out there that it is probably better from your point to go ahead and give the check … Continue reading Attention Waiters….

I am going to start a new category called “Don’t Sweat It” It will be primarily based on the books by Richard Carlson one of most popular is entitled DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. With all the myriad of books that Carlson put out I am surprised that he missed one major group. So, starting with this post I will be pulling out some of the topics from a couple of these books and try to put a senior citizen twist on them. No, I am not a Ph.D. or as motivational as Carlson but I am a senior citizen … Continue reading Don’t Sweat It…

  I believe that the Bible is a collection of documents created by man for man. I believe that some of the words and overall messages in the Bible were inspired by God. I believe that much of the words attributed to Jesus accurately portray is overall message of living and salvation. I believe that the Old Testament text became mostly irrelevant to a Christian’s life when it’s prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus through his death and resurrection. Continue reading I Believe…

Don’t under spend your income/savings I know this is the opposite of what all financial planners espouse. Since many seem to enter retirement with too little savings under spending their money is just not possible. But for those of us who saved throughout their pre-retirement years we have, if no major health emergency hits us, more than we need for the absolute necessities. If you managed to be part of the second group don’t leave all your savings to your heirs. You sacrificed throughout your life to put money aside so go ahead and spend it. I am one of … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts

Here is a picture from our 2009 trip west. It was taken at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka Kansas. The picture was taken during when the federal government mandated school integration in the 1960s.  The pure hate showing in the face of the girl on the right scared me when I say it then and scares me even now. That girl is now a senior citizen; I often wonder if the hate showing here consumed her life or was she able to overcome it? Continue reading Brown v. Board of Education..

  With Fall now in full swing here in the Midwest I am looking back on summer. Continue reading Butterflies and Flowers