Spent a few days at Leavenworth – Washington that is – at the invitation of former The Dalles citizen, Penny Carpenter.

    She is the President of the Leavenworth Rotary Club this year and she invited me to be the speaker last week.  My topic would be on the Rajneesh and its impact on Wasco County.

She and her husband, Tom, took us out to dinner – sharing a few stories - and then a grand tour of the town and the surrounding area.  We sincerely appreciated their hospitality.

    Leavenworth, for those that haven’t visited it, is a town based on a Bavarian theme.  The store fronts are all designed to bring you to those countries in Europe, and you certainly feel that way.

    I know the town’s survival depends on tourists; the stores and employees treat you well, because they want the reputation of being a friendly community.  As we walked the streets they were full of visitors.

    Shoulder to shoulder, with little room to get passed each other, as we went from one store to another.

    The attitude of the visitors was one of friendliness and willingness to smile and get out of each other’s way.

    Everyone stood aside as pictures were taken by the families and friends so they had plenty of time.

    It was as if there was something in the air that made everyone patient; and the businesses set the tone.

    We enjoyed the atmosphere, the good food and the community.  It was a great little vacation.

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    I talked with a friend the other day.  Seems the friend is an employee of a company that needed a door to be watched...all day long.  The employee got two 15 minute breaks and a lunch break as required by law.  But had to sit there, on a folding chair, in the hot sun, 105 degree temperature in the shade, but the employee wasn’t in the shade, but in the sun, much hotter than in the shade, and all day long.

    Now when I first heard this, I had to laugh.  So you go home and your child asks, “what did you do today?”  “I sat down and watched a door, all day.”

    Yep, had to laugh as I imagined the employee sitting there, not allowed to use their phone or read a book, just sit there watching the door.  It had to be worse than a stake out.

    Then I got to thinking – you know me, sometimes I geta bit ahead of myself, and it comes to me a few minutes – or hours later.

    Now it really was more than just ‘sitting there watching a door’ those entering that door had to belong there, they had to deal with hazardous materials and in doing so must be careful as well as dressed in the right clothing – no one else was allowed. 

    It was an important job, even if it was ‘just watching a door.’

Colossians 3:22-23 KJV  “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

    There is no small or unimportant job when we do it as if we are doing it for our Lord. 

    When we do our job, no matter what it may be, when we do it the very best we can, God is honored.  We don’t work for our employer nor any man, oh, someone may be paying our wages, but we don’t work for them, we work for ourselves, and we do it to glorify our Lord.

    That sets the tone, that makes whatever we do important.

    What did you do at work today?  ‘I served the Lord!’

Later, Art (-:

Smokey out there.  I took my knife and fork outside to eat my way to the humming bird feeders.  Didn’t have to worry about them attacking me, they had to swim through the smoke so easier to avoid.  While other birds are walking between the sun flowers and climbing up using feet and beak.

    Visibility is bad, can barely see the top of Cherry Heights about a mile across the valley and Seven Mile and the Klickitats vanished as did a lot of territory between here and there.

    The light is strange, looking outside it actually hurts my eyes, don’t know why, but it is just different than normal sunlight.

    Very difficult to breathe, especially for those with allergies, asthma and other breathing problems.

    By the way, the first time I heard about ‘Smoke Eaters’ was in relationship to the “Smoke Jumpers” that parachute into forest fires and start line breaks, etc.  It is my understanding that the name eventually went to all fire fighters – before they had the breathing apparatus they now go into building fires with.

    I haven’t heard the term in years – although those fighting the wild fires are certainly eating smoke.

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“This is so desperately a matter of importance for every human being who comes into the world that I first become indignant, and then I become sad, when I try to give spiritual counsel to a person who looks me in the eye and tells me: "Well, I am trying to make up my mind if I should accept Christ or not."

Such a person gives absolutely no indication that he realizes he is talking about the most important decision he can make in his lifetime—a decision to get right with God, to believe in the eternal Son, the Savior, to become a disciple, an obedient witness to Jesus Christ as Lord.”  AW Tozer

2 Chronicles 6:2 KJV “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

    I have heard from countless people through the years that they wanted to wait before they made a decision for Christ.  They wanted to have their fun first – is the main reason.

    The problem is that we never know when it will be too late.

    Through the years I have seen children, teenagers and adults that were alive one moment and the next were in involved a fatal accident where they were killed instantly – and it was more than likely far too late to make that decision, and by default they are now suffering the consequences.

    I know that most people, today, prefer the hug and love messages and prefer to share their witness in that way – but the old ‘fire and brimstone’ messages and sharing lets people know that there is a point where a delayed decision can be a fatal – for all eternity – decision.

    We do need to share Christ’s love with others, but some of that love is also demonstrated when we tell the truth about sin and the rejection of Christ.  It doesn’t have to be harsh or accusatory, but it needs to be said.

    There may not be another time.

“behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Later, Art (-: 

First things first, I have been in contact with Julie Reynolds who is compiling a book on the impact the Rajneesh had on local citizens.  She has already spoken to dozens of people that I would speak to and has their stories recorded and some of them transcribed.

    This is a daunting task.  It can be overwhelming when you start on your do to list.  It takes time and energy – both she has already expended.  From all I have heard about her she will do an excellent job.

    So, I offered my assistance but will not be writing on that subject.  If she has not contacted you and you wish to speak to her, please let me know and I will let her know.

    However, after talking with her, I may go forward with a book on the law enforcement activities and perspectives concerning the Rajneesh; she will not be covering the more in-depth parts of that action. 

    For that I will need assistance from those that are, or know of, Officers that were involved in one way or another with the Rajneesh and their shenanigans; or legitimate activities.

    Since I have to shift gears, so to speak, I will have to review my list of priorities on a book, that will take a bit of time.

    Meanwhile, Carla brought up several pounds of cucumbers a couple of days ago – and I canned 18 pints of sweet pickles the last couple of days.  Now, for my doctor friends, I won’t be eating them all, (but a few, I am shure, will join other condiments – and of course I gotta test them!)

    She brought me an early birthday gift.  A canner – we have at least three of the porcelain kind, but this was different.

    It is a stainless steel hot water canner.  It is larger than the others by a few inches high and in circumference, but the real ‘neat’ thing about it is I can use it for cooking acidic food.

    We may not have the tribe here we used to have in the house, but there are times that I need a large ‘soup’ pot to conjure my “potions;” she mentioned that I am always frustrated when brining whole chicken.  So, I now have another large stainless-steel pot to do that and other things like the tomatoes that are starting to come on strong and I will be making salsa, tomato sauce, taco sauce, maybe more pizza sauce, etc. and my regular pots may not be quite large enough.

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    This morning I woke up with the book of Job on my mind.
    As I thought about it I kept asking myself, have I lived my life so that God could say to satan: “Have you considered my servant Art?”

    My answer, sadly, was, ‘no.’

Job 1:8 KJV “ And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

    God was willing to put Job to a test, knowing that He would pass it well.  Knowing that no matter what he would never let God down.

Job 3:3 KJV “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.”

    He lost his children, he lost his animals – his livelihood, his fortune - and still didn’t yield.

    While to begin with God had forbidden satan to test his loyalty by attacking his body – but when Job didn’t yield to satan’s tactics He agreed to allow satan to attach him physically and it was so painful that Job wished he had never been born.

    Even his wife gave up on him:

Job 2:9 KJV “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”

    Friends came to console him, but their counsel was without merit; and only made things worse.

    Job is a difficult book to read, it shows the feelings of a man who cannot understand why he is enduring these trials – yet, he never falters in his faith that God is GOD and deserves Job’s loyalty.

    The problem I was having in my early morning thinking of Job, was that I was trying to compare myself with him. 

    He was a man of God, but, he also admitted he was not perfect, he was a sinner – and on that I can find common ground, but it does me no good to compare my life, my work, my servitude to God with other people.

    God doesn’t, so why should I?

    Each of Christian has a relationship with God, that is his alone.  Each Christian goes through trials and tribulations – sometimes daily or even hourly – while we can use others as inspiration, we cannot understand all that they went through and we cannot compare our experience to theirs.

    Satan knows how we are vulnerable, he knows what enticements to put in front of us to tempt us into sinning against God.

    For some it may be lying, for others stealing, for others lust, for others gossip and the list goes on.  But ALL of us have weaknesses that satan can exploit IF we let him.

    However, we don’t have to dwell on those temptations, we don’t have to yield to them.  And we can rest in the fact that God will make a way for us to be free of that temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

    Those temptation often come up when we are at our weakest, and all to frequently we yield to them.

    However, if we stay close to God, make a habit of walking and talking and LISTENING, daily, our ability to recognize temptation as it starts and cast it away will be enhanced.

    And even if it comes on full bore we know God is with us and will guide us away from it.

    Job is an inspiration, as many men of God have been in my lifetime.  But, it is a mistake to compare myself with them, we each have our own cross to bear and my responsibility is not to compare myself with others to see how I stand up, but to do what God has placed on my heart to do; and do that with the best of my abilities.

Later, Art (-: