25 Things
I
apologize to all the people who have tagged me and I refused. I especially apologize
to my grandson Ray, whom I also refused early on. But you cannot continue to
say no to grandchildren and when James tagged me, that was dirty pool, for now
I have to sacrifice my petty principles—not my big principles, for I do know
the difference. But to maintain a tiny bit of integrity, I have not tagged
anyone else. You have to draw the line somewhere. But this is for both Ray and
James. This is it, though, just as I played Santa once for a good friend.
Rules:
Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random
things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged . You have to tag the person who tagged you.
25 reasons why God loves people. In
no particular order. If you look beneath the reasons I know the love of
God you will discover some important things about me. Far more important than
the fact that in the bottom of the last inning I hit a grand slam home run for
the Central Point Rinky Dinks in the summer after my
8th grade which tied the game an enabled Punky Monroe
to hit a home run after me that won the game. I also fancied myself in love
with various girls since the 7th grade, but we must be thankful for unanswered
prayers.
1. He made wives in general and mine in particular.
2. He made flowers of all sorts. He made the world in color.
3. He gives the gift of old age including the knowledge that all the people you
felt you needed to prove yourself to are all dead. You feel no need to impress
the young and that’s a good thing because you can’t anyway.
4. He made a hell for people who do bad stuff to people and don’t repent. Hell
is also for people who ask too many questions. Ps. 131:1. Little ships must
stay near the shore.
5. He made rain and mothers, sunsets and sunrises, and
families. I was especially fortunate.
6. He made all sorts of weapons like guns and sling shots and clubs, stealth
bombers, and nukes for us to defend ourselves from the people in No. 4. The
best weapon is the truth, which He also is.
7. He does not let the bad people prosper using the weapons in No. 6 [Isaiah
54:17].
8. He sent His Son to obey Him and die for our sins.
9. He will complete all believers in the image of His son. [Romans 8:29] Even
those who have been mean to me.
10. He created music and J. S. Bach. I am not certain about Rock and Roll or
the women who sing over the sound system at Safeway.
11. He gives us grandchildren. I am not certain about your grandchildren but
mine are really cute.
12. He gives us dogs. I am not certain about cats. I have had many pet dogs,
one pet cat, a pet rabbit.
13. He made Colorado and Oregon. I am not certain about California.
14. He made all kinds of ice cream. I am not certain about tofu or chitlins. Grits are borderline.
15. He made football. I am not certain about pokes and tags or 25 random
things.
16. He gives us friends who tell the truth. He gave us water-boarding for the
others.
17. He makes a liar of Al Gore and all prophets of doom and gloom. Ps 100:5 For
the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all
generations. Ps 135:3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto
his name; for it is pleasant. Ps 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender
mercies are over all his works. Ps 121:6 The sun shall
not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
18. He gave us the Bible. [We know what the assignment is and don’t have to
figure it out for ourselves. Rom 10:8 But what saith
it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the
word of faith, which we preach;] I read the Bible through many times before I
was out of high school. I was also a bad sinner especially in high school. I
still am, but the Lord keeps that part of me mostly out of sight, even to me.
He not only forgives me for what I have done, but more importantly for what I
am. He loves me for what He is making me.
19. He gives us sleep. Ps. 127:2 I was far too late in life before I discovered
this was a blessing.
20. He sends us faithful pastors like St. Augustine, John
Calvin, AW Tozer, F. Turretin, Witsius,
C. Hodge, and L. Berkhof, and a host of others.
I am not certain about television evangelists.
21. He sends us the Holy Spirit to make sure that every believer gets to
heaven. [Rom. 8:14; John 14:16] Thus He sends trials to toughen us up. The Holy
Spirit has been with me since before I remember. I didn’t know that until much
later in life. One of His greatest gifts is conscience and the desire to know
the Bible.
22. He gave America President George Washington. I am not certain about the
others.
23. He gave us churches. Mine, anyway. It is terribly important that you be in
a good church. The size of the church doesn’t matter.
24. He has infinite wisdom and goodness to go with infinite power. Thank
goodness!
25. He gave us fried potatoes, Santa Claus, Christmas Eves with the Arthurs,
Christmas Days with the Powells, Easter bunnies, BB
guns, Julia Satran, tooth fairies, Dr. Aquila,
baseball, jack o’ lanterns, The Katsenjammer Kids,
basketball, Mexican food, the Simers who gave me a
wife, Catfish Hunter, pop sickles, Gilbert and Sullivan, scalloped potatoes,
Red Ryder, cotton candy, P. G. Wodehouse, Pink Panther, circuses, Pee Wee
Reese, animals, stars, Pogo, Uncle Euty, ocean waves,
Mozart, Gene Autry, birds, Ardith Brophy,
fish, jicima, Star Wars, autos, Roy Rogers, Jean and
Shirley McClay, Pikes Peak, Roy Campanella,
Trigger, biscuits, Isaac Watts, my wife’s lasagna, candy canes, Greg and Kate Uttinger, Christmas trees, Bill Cosby, flashlights, Snuffy Smith, General George Patton, George Gershwin, clam
chowder, John Elway and Jerry Rice, Beethoven, cucumbers, my corned beef hash,
J. R. R. Tolkien, Shakespeare, Panther Martins, onions, Larry Bird, my mothers
doughnuts, wine, spiders, humming birds, Chinese food, moose, quail, rising
trout, tomato soup, Wendys, trucks, Clint Eastwood,
Red Skelton, Victor Borge, Michael Jordan, tractors,
Raymond Burr, Babe Ruth.
I am not certain about Elvis, George Carlin, Alan Alda,
Jimmy Kimmel, Star Trek, Stephen King, people who get mad at my list, Jim
Carrey, Alec Baldwin, Pete Rose, Seinfeld, the Beatles, or Richard Simmons. [I
want to put Veggie Tales, but the love of my life won’t let me], Maybe He gave
us Barbra to test our faith that He does indeed rule the world and for us to
shut up and endure stuff we don’t understand.
