Rainy Day

Weekend rain has put a damper on getting any exercise, except for walking through parking lots and to the refigerator for leftovers. The diabetes rate will triple in the next 40 years in America, unless diet and exercise are taken seriously. You think your insurance premiums are high now? Just wait.

Didn't the Roman Empire end this way? Not with a bang, but with a belch?

Double the Fun

This Thanksgiving dinner was missing trumpet fanfare but little else as we sat at tables spread to the max with all sorts of traditional scrumptiousness. Robert and Becky hosted our small gathering of family and friends. Partly potluck, the goodies ranged from pecan and honey-glazed brie to Costco tri-tip. Even Angel had fun playing with the kitten and the piano. Not too many pictures taken, but I was having too much fun talking (listening) and eating. God has so abundantly provided, and we thanked Him for it.

I noticed that for the first Thanksgiving celebration in my long history, almost everyone was using an electronic device of some kind or another. Phones, cameras, iPod Touch, computer, even a Canon Selphy printer. It's all about making sure you're entertained during the entertainment, I guess.

Happy Thanksgiving–Old Style

 

Let’s switch gears and nudge the nostalgia button. Our great-grandparents probably gave and received Happy Thanksgiving cards just like these. They were from a simpler time that shared a simple message with simple artwork.

 

Most of these cards picture children. Children with smiles. Children having fun. Children being children. May this Thanksgiving week bring back the wonderful memories of family and friends from bygone years as you make new memories with loved ones this year! May God's riches blessings be yours!

What is Truth?

Today's sermon provides an unvarnished look at "Truth." Using Paul's second letter to Timothy, he unfolds II Timothy 1:13,14 in simple language, emphasizing the Biblical idea of singular, moral, spiritual and cultural truth. The sermon is entitled: "Retaining Sound Words"

We live in a world where most people invent their own truths based on subjective feelings, cultural norms and peer influence. But Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Do you know what that truth is?

Dr. Steven Lawson pastors Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama.

Asking the Questions

I think my Grandfather Skinner had a love for the sea. Born in San Jose, growing up in Templeton and raising a family in San Luis Obispo, he worked as a delivery truck driver for Union Oil and often traveled to company storage tanks in Avila. He was a member of the San Luis Yacht Club and loved taking us grandkids to the beach.

He died in 1951, long before I'd even think of asking him about his life and what was important to him since I was only 5 years old. What was his favorite song? Where was the best place to fish? Did he read his Bible every day? Did he know the mayor? What was his greatest regret? Would he like to live anywhere else? How did he and grandma meet? What were his memories of serving in WWI?

Have you asked the questions yet?

Universal Off-Color

With students meandering the sidewalks, skateboarding and walking here and there, the University of the Pacific in Stockton proved to be a great place to capture some fall color --- and a crime perpetrated by local neighborhood skater hoods who loped their merry way through the center of the campus.

Of the half dozen miscreants, one needed a quick hero fix. Spying a freshly poured concrete sidewalk repair, he pulled a quarter out of his pocket and wrote his tag line: BB W$, which probably translates into West Side Bad Boyz or some other inane moniker. He threw the gritty coin into a garbage can nearby, while one of his buds couldn't believe it and started dumpster diving. I got a shot of the graffiti and 'boyz', wondering if I needed to hurry to the car. A girl with a ready phone witnessed it also and called the authorities. Such is our brave new world where there will always be small mob/dare you mentality.

I should mention that most of us, including truly yours, were guilty of the same foolishness when we were young and stupid and needed someone else's approval and praise. And the difference now is . . . ?

Unfinished Symphony

Many have dubbed former and next governor Jerry Brown's portrait in the state Capitol as an 'unfinished' work. Others say it is the best political portrait of the 20th century. I think it only fitting that he adds a second painting to the wall of governors. Something more realistic and detailed. Something to reveal every wizened wrinkle in his aging face. Something to reflect his hand-wringing trepidation after receiving the admiralty of a sinking ship.

May God direct his every decision and show mercy to us all.