Rich's Rants

What's my problem...

2006-11-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

What's my problem...

I am sorry I do not write very often but I am not very good at writing and when I think of something, it usually sounds dumb.

Anyway...I did not have a very good Sunday. My wife works night shift and she worked this weekend 7pm-7am so she sleeps during the day. Therefore I had to take my 2 boys to church by myself. Ok I know what you are thinking. Big Deal..many people do that everyday, which is true. I have a good friend who has 3 kids under 5 which she takes out to parks and events much more than I do. And our pastor's wife takes care of 5, yes, 5 boys. So why am I whining. I did not want to be a stay-at-home dad but this is where God has placed me and I love my boys.

After church came lunch time and then nap time. Ahh naptime!! Now I could watch football!! Redskins and Cowboys at 1pm. Great rivalry. As a Cowboy fan the game started out well. A great defensive stand at the 1 yard line to prevent a Redskin touchdown. But on the next play the Cowboys gave up a safety. I was so excited after the defensive stand and then later when Dallas scored a touchdown. It was then I realized something. I was more excited about this "game" than my kids or other things in my life or even God. Don't misunderstand me. It is just a game and I do love God, my wife, and my kids more than football and I do not believe emotions should rule our decisions but I just wondered why I was feeling this way.

As the game progressed, my mood went up and down until at the end when the Cowboys lost, I felt empty and frustrated...but it is just a game. Something that made me feel a little better, sadly enough, is when so other teams that I did not like lost. How mean is that!

Just when I am in my pity party, God reminds me of how lucky I am and how thankful I should be. I was reminded of a friend of mine who's father was in a car accident earlier this year. She is a strong Christian and her dad is too. He suffered a lot of injuries including a damaged spinal cord. He is paralyzed from the waist down. He is mostly bed bound but is going through rehab. You can read about his story at:
http://chrisblaise.com/index.asp

Well just the summerize, I am grateful for my life even though my emotions do not always show it. And we should not be ruled by our emotions.

Rich

9-11

2006-09-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

5 years ago my life was very different. I lived in New Jersey near Philadelphia. I had a job. I had no kids--our first was on the way. My wife and I watched the days' events on TV. We shared feelings of disbelief, horror, sorrow, and anger. I personally need not know anyone who died or who had family that died.

After 5 years I guess I still angry. This does not directly affect me, but our country, my country was attacked--harshly. Any beef these people had with the west or the US or whoever is irrelavant now. A song by Toby Keith speaks to me an this day. Some of the lyrics may be crass and raw but I would agree.

Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)

American Girls and American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free.

Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin' in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

As I write I realize I should forgive though I am not sure who I should forgive. However forgive but do not forget. And prepare and be watchful. We should all pray for peace but that peace will not come till Jesus Christ returns to finally settle things.

The Star

2006-09-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

The Star.---

I am a football fan. And no matter what, for some reason I am a Dallas Cowboy fan. I first started watching football in 1980 when I was 9 years old. My grandad is a big sports fan and his favorite is football--the Washington Redskins which is the closest team to where I grew up in Virginia. Now the most logical and most popular reason to pick a favorite team is because of proximity which is the way the team makes money--local support. Well not me, my grandad was happy to have me watch football with him but he did not pressure me into liking a certain team so I was on my own.

Some people pick a team for very subjective reasons, a team's color, a spouse or a friend's favorite, well I have a more base reason, one which I am not very proud of but it is true none the less. When I started watching football I noticed something, not on the field but on the sidelines---the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. As a 9 year old beginning the transition between boyhood and manhood, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders had made up my mind.----plus I have always liked stars.

I think my choice was good, they have had some good coaches-Tom Laundry, Jimmy Johnson, The Tuna, also not 2, 3, or 4 but 5 super bowl wins(record) tied with Pitt and San Fran. The most Super Bowl appearances 8. Most points total in the Super Bowl with 221. I am no band wagon fan though. I have been through the 1-15 season and I have known the good times. So the question remains what will happen this season. There is always the phrase "Any given Sunday".....Of course now we have Sat., Mon., and Thursday games.

Rich

Silly Parents

2006-08-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

This week my 4 year old son started preschool. This made my wife and i very nervous. She had to work 3 days straight, 12 hr night shifts (she is a RN) so she didn't get to see him off to school. The preschool is through HeadStart and the county so there is bus service. However we were told it would not be available to us. Therefore Tues (the first day of preschool) I loaded the kids into our jeep at 7:30am and the bus pulled up. After discussion I took him to school and the next day (today) he rode the bus.

My wife and I were nervous for him as any parent would be, but we have extra stressers. Our 4 year has been diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. The preschool is for special needs kids. At first glance he seems pretty normal and he is smart--letters, numbers, colors, he talks all the time, no big physical problems. He does have some social problems interacting and playing with others. His fine motor skills are not up to par, like writing. He likes to quote tv shows. The preschool is very group oriented where there is a lot of group interaction which is what he needs.

Why we are silly is because we expected him to cry or refuse to go the school, even though he has been in daycare two different times (just for a few months total). He went to school as was fine, some first day jitters, but today he was on the bus which climbed right up into. We have been praying for him. We do often. But we couldn't sleep well. I guess every parent goes through this but I believe I need to rely on God more--His strength, His peace.

Well that is all for now. I know God will work it out in the way He wants it and to His glory.

Free Movie

2006-08-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have had writer's block for a while but here is something interesting that happened to me a week ago. A friend of mine and I went to see the movie "Lady in the Water". we went to the theater, bought our tickets, sat down and waited for the movie to start. The normal pre-movie ads were on. The movie was supposed to start at 9:40p. At 9:45 the ads were done and we waited. Then the previews came. Three previews rolled by each promoting kids movies which I commented as being strange. Then the movie started...the movie "Monster House". Only about 20 people were in this theater but we were all upset. Are we in the wrong theater? What's going on? Someone found a manager and the movie stopped. Then the manager came in and gave all of us free tickets to any movie. At 10pm "Lady in the Water" started with appropriate previews. So this is the end of the story right...wrong.

In the middle of the second preview, the picture shifts so that the bottom of the picture was at the top of the screen. We thought it would get fixed before the movie started but....it didn't. Soon we were missing vital plot points and my friend said he could not watch any more.

When we left, the manager was handling out more free passes and we got two more. Overall A good financial investment......The next night we saw the movie at a different theater with no hangups.

Great Chapters

2006-07-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some cool chapters from the Bible that I read from time to time. Enjoy!

Great Topical Chapters

From Willmington's Book of Bible Lists by H.L.Willmington

Bible Search

The Ten Commandments Exodus 20
The Reassurance chapter Joshua 1
The Faithfulness of God chapter Joshua 14
The Shepherd chapter Psalm 23
The Confession of Sin chapter Psalm 51

The Praise of God chapter Psalm 103
The Word of God chapter Psalm 119
The Wisdom chapter Proverbs 8
The Virtuous Woman chapter Proverbs 31
The Majesty of God chapter Isaiah 40

The Great Invitation chapter Isaiah 55
The Beatitudes chapter Matthew 5
The Lord's Prayer chapter Matthew 6
The Sower and Seed chapter Matthew 13
The Protection of the Sheep chapter John 10

The Comfort chapter John 14
The Abibing chapter John 15
The Justification chapter Romans 5
The Sanctification chapter Romans 6
The Glorification chapter Romans 8

The Marriage chapter 1 Cor. 7
The Gifts chapter 1 Cor. 12
The Love chapter 1 Cor. 13
The Resurrection chapter 1 Cor. 15
The Fruit of the Spirit chapter Gal 5

The Faith chapter Heb 11
The Chastisement chapter Heb 12
The Tongue chapter James 3
The Reason for Suffering chapter 1 Peter 4
The Fellowship chapter 1 John 1

Today's projects

2006-07-13T11:13:00.000-05:00

Today I have two projects lined up. One is to install a small fence around my shed so my kids will not go under it. The other is to put the center console back into my Plymouth Neon. Why is it out you may be thinking?
For about 3 months I worked as a rural mail carrier and I used the neon to deliver mail. I sat in the middle of the car and leaned out the window. It is a tough job. A lot tougher than anyone realizes.
Basically when you arrive at your Post Office you start sorting your mail. Each route has a desk and shelves with slots to put the mail into. Each slot matches an address and you have to file your mail into a slot. Depending on the volume of mail this could take 4 or 5 hours. Then you pull the mail down into bundles in the order of your route. Then you load your vehicle and deliver the mail. Some routes use the postal trucks and some require your own which mine did.

I no longer work for the U.S. Postal Service because the hours were to long and I could not consistantly work the days they wanted me to. Though I would recommend the job, it is hard work. The Postal Service is a very professional organization.

As I finish this blog I have finished putting up the fence but the car will have to wait.

Beyond Belief

2006-07-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

I gain a lot of spiritual wisdom from Christian music. This is one of my favorites:

Beyond Belief

Words and music by Bob Hartman of Petra
Based on Hebrews 6:1a, Romans 1:17, Philippians 1:6

We're content to pitch our tent
When the glory's evident
Seldom do we know the glory came and went

Moving can seem dangerous
In this stranger's pilgrimage
Knowing that you can't stand still, you cross the bridge

(Chorus)
There's a higher place to go, beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau, beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow
Towards the center of the flow
Where He beckons us to go, beyond belief, beyond belief

Leap of faith without a net
Makes us want to hedge our bet
Waters never part until our feet get wet

There's a deeper place to go
Where the road seems hard to hoe
He who has begun this work won't let it go

And it takes so long to see the change
But we look around and it seems so strange

We have come so far but the journey's long
And we once were weak but now we're strong

Happy Independence Day!!

2006-07-04T22:23:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate our independence day, July 4th, fireworks, patriotic songs, picnics, loud noises, flag waving and the like. As well we should celebrate. We have a great deal of freedom in this country thanks to what happen on July 4, 1776. Back then the fireworks were real with real cannons and bullets in the air. On that day the Declaration of Independence was signed; those who signed it were branded as traitors to England and a bounty was put on their heads. Signing that paper could have resulted in their death. Today we can wave our flags, shop at our stores (which I did way too much of today) and shoot rockets into to the sky thanks to men like Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and others.
Throughout our country's short history there have been many people to thank for perserving our freedom: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few--and especially the military who sometimes give up their lives.
Thanks.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. --John 15:13

2006-06-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

2006-06-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

Hello, here is my first blog. Not sure what to say. Just trying to figure out how this thing works. A friend of mine suggested that I try this so here I am. First of all, I suppose you may wonder what a "soaring eaglet" may refer to. Well I am a Christian-meaning a follower of Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead to save me and everyone from eternal separation from God. The choice is mine and everyone else's. God does not force us to choose Him--to love Him; He loves all, even those who hate Him. As a Christian, God is always trying to guide me, to make me better-more like Him. I have always liked eagles and I see many similarities between the life of a christian and the life of an eagle. As a child of God then, I would be an eaglet-"a baby eagle". A great book by Kenneth Price called The Eagle Christian talks about this. Well that is all for now.