Had a bit of sun shining through the clouds this morning, unfortunately it didn’t last, but not as foggy as yesterday AND it looks like the sun is trying to shine through.

I think Carla is learning from our children. 

Last night I had bbq’d steaks, cooked apples and an apple carrot celery salad, used cranberries because I didn’t have raisins.

Our packages from Rose’s beef come for two people.  There were two steaks in the package.  It used to be Carla and I would have one each, a salad, baked potatoes and whatever else we decided, however, now we just share a steak and set the other aside for another day. 

I told her she needed to do an applesauce cake from some of the leftover cooked apples.  She said, not YOU need to make a fresh apple cake.

I said, never made one before, do you have a recipe – first, yes you have, you made at least a half dozen cakes last year.  Now, either I did so and can’t remember or she is doing a number on me like I swear the kids do, they ‘remember’ things about me that I sure don’t, and since they can be ‘creative’ in their giving me a bad time, I don’t know if it happened or not......

The cake is out of the oven, cooling.  Ribs are in cooking and we will have more salad, some coleslaw, cooked apples AND fresh apple cake for dinner tonight.

I tried to explain that the recipe she has that probably came from her great great grandmother or beyond, was out dated.

In my canning classes I learned that the it was important to can according to the latest Ball Blue book and/or extension office recipes rather than using our mother’s recipes.  Reason being is that fruit and vegetables have changed through the years and the old methods may not be safe.

She didn’t buy it and gave me that old-time recipe, something about it not the same as canning, or some such nonsense.....

“At the base of all true Christian experience must lie a sound and sane morality. No joys are valid, no delights legitimate where sin is allowed to live in life or conduct. No transgression of pure righteousness dare excuse itself on the ground of superior religious experience. To seek high emotional states while living in sin is to throw our whole life open to self deception and the judgment of God. "Be ye holy" is not a mere motto to be framed and hung on the wall. It is a serious commandment from the Lord of the whole earth.” -  AW Tozer

Leviticus 19:1-2 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

² Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

As I look at Tozer’s quote this morning and these verses, I realize I have a long way to go to obey God’s command to be Holy. 

As a Christian, I falter and fail in so many areas, fortunately, I have the Holy Spirit to help and guide me.

AND God is forgiving.

Later, Art (-:

I am ‘white.’  I was in law enforcement for most of my adult life.  I am a conservative, I am a Christian.  What I am writing is just my opinion, I know many do not share it, but I am just trying to explain MY view of what is currently happening.

I know full well it is a complicated issue, I cannot possibly address everything.  Mainly because I am not in everyone else’s shoes or minds and while there have been times I felt ‘discriminated’ against I know it is nothing like some have experienced. 

I am not trying to trivialize anything or any body’s feelings, they are real and must and can be addressed.

I believe one must stand up for what is right, but I also reject the feeling that one must commit crimes of violence in the process, it just isn’t acceptable – innocent people get hurt and the community, as a whole, suffers.  I believe in the justice system even though I know it is often flawed – it is made up of human beings and none of us is perfect.

This country is not now, nor has it ever been perfect.

We are in constant change.  Some good, some bad.  But overall it is by far the best country for us to live in.

We have many angry people who feel disenfranchised.  They feel that Trump is going to turn things around, so much, that their lives are in danger. 

But how did Trump get elected?  Part of it is because many people, mainly those living in more rural areas and those in larger cities opposed to the current administration’s decisions but their city isn’t listening, feel disenfranchised. 

They believed that the government did not listen to them, attacked them and had completely shut them out of any meaningful discussion.

How do we resolve the conflicts?  I don’t have a lot of answers, but threatening people and destroying property is not a good start. 

Some people believe marching and chanting will make a difference, and it very well may, non-violent protests have worked in the past – however, when those that say they are protesting peacefully allow a small minority to take over their protest THOSE people need to act.

They say they do not approve of the behavior.  Prove it.  The rioting in the Portland area, and probably those that occurred nationwide were done by a few anarchists who kidnapped the cause for their own benefit.

Might ask them why they think they need to carry around baseball bats if they want to join a peaceful protest.

They damaged personal property; they threatened other people with violence and committed other crimes in the name of the protesters.  Estimated costs now appear to be around one million dollars – who do you think is going to eventually pay for the damage?  That is if some of the businesses can stay in business.

I congratulate those that volunteered today to clean up and those that donated money to help businesses; it is a start, but many hundreds of thousands of dollars short.

How many of those anarchists that hijack the protests are from these communities or those close by; how many were deliberately imported to cause problems?

How many came in to cause chaos and commit violence, mostly for the sake of committing violence, thinking they can get away with it?  How many were sent in by YOUR chosen, or even unchosen, leaders to cause this chaos?  They are criminals, hoodlums and not worthy of protecting other than that provided by law.

If they are not part of the peaceful protesters then the protesters should report them, video them, turn them into the police, let them know that you cannot be used and allow crimes to be committed in your name.  Separate them, point them out, expose them to the light.

You outnumber them.  Do not be bullied; or your cause is severely tainted.

I congratulate those that volunteered today to clean up and those that donated money to help businesses; that is responsible citizenship.  From the donation figures I saw, however, probably don’t come close to the actual damage; but, it is a start.

How much of a jump is the insurance company going to make in the policy charges of the businesses involved?  Who is going to help them pay the higher charges?

Most of these protesters are Democrats.  I would venture to say that if you look hard at that party you will find the real reason Trump was elected.  The leaders have been using their followers exactly as the anarchists are using these peaceful protests.

You want to make a difference?  Go into the big cities where crime is rampant and become the eyes and ears of justice.  Watch and report the widespread oppression caused by gangs, drug dealers and other elements that have dominated the neighborhoods for decades.

Neighborhood watch DOES work and citizens can make a difference when they band together to stop crime.

The energy being used now to protest could go a long way in helping those people who have lost hope and feel they have no voice – many can be helped by teaching them, by showing them how to conduct their daily business and properly raise their children.

You want to change things?  Look harder at the leaders who talk a good case, but haven’t gotten into these areas to really help them, teaching others to help them and instead throw money into the pot which has not been effective – a lot of it being misused.

Get involved in your local precinct committees, become a member, make your thoughts heard – participate in the state and national meetings - while many decisions are made in ‘back rooms’ you can shine light on them and keep what happened in this election from happening again. 

You will have more impact on the agenda and choice of candidates.

Look hard at the news media, many of which had their own agenda and made sure their thoughts and ideas, not the facts, were foremost in their reporting. 

Just one other thought.  I heard one of the protesters here in Portland tell a reporter, who asked if he realized he was inconveniencing people, state – we have been inconvenienced in the past they will just have to put up with it.

The heavy majority of the voters in Portland area are Democrats, they feel much the same way you do about the election.  However, ‘inconveniencing’ them, keeping them from being able to work and make a living for their families, or keeping shoppers out of the city which means businesses lose money, which means employees’ hours are cut back or even worse they are laid off, is not a very good tactic.

Right now they may be inclined to be sympathetic, but if you continue to prevent them from making a living, if you continue allowing anarchists to hijack your cause, that sympathy is going to disappear.

There are ways of taking control of your Democratic Party and it can be done legally.

You are upset with Trump.  He is not my favorite person; neither I nor do most of the people I know defend much of his actions.

However, Trump didn’t hold to the party line.  For the most part his campaign was not influenced by large corporations, nor the news media, most of which obviously hated him, nor the Republican Party whose leaders denounced him.

He was elected by a ground swell of people who felt that the nation had gone too far away from both the constitution and the rule of law. 

Can we as a nation do better?  I sincerely hope so, actually I know so, but if you want to make changes you need to start with the leadership of your party and make sure they understand what you are saying, neither party has in the past.

Yes, I may be naïve, but this IS America and unlike many countries we really can make a difference in the way our government operates. 

As a final question, you state you are not endorsing the violence, you are condemning it; how about your elected leaders?  Why aren’t we hearing their condemnations!

Later, Art

Got up this morning to a thick blanket of fog.  It was so thick I couldn’t see the trees a couple hundred feet away.

Cleared up a mite and the sun came out, bathing the hills around us – but not enough to show us Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Carla was asked to come in to work today but should have Friday free for more outside work.  The church she has babysat at for eons was in a ‘pickle’ and asked her to babysit Saturday morning, she agreed. 

Hard to believe that this year is almost over.  It has been a long and a short year for me.  I often lost track of time as I dealt with one issue or another, such is life.

Glad the elections are over.  Hopefully, we can settle down and get things done, soon.

“Preparation is vital. Let this be noted by everyone. We can seek God today and get prepared to meet temptation tomorrow; but if we meet the enemy without first having met God, the outcome is not conjectural; the issue is already decided. We can only lose.”  AW Tozer

1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. KJV

Both come from one of my devotionals this morning. 

One of the things every leadership class I ever took pointed out was:  failing to plan, was planning to fail.

I can remember a budget committee member stating, as we went over the Sheriff’s Office budget, Art, you always expect the worse.

He was not too far from the truth, what I responded with was that I HAD to plan for the worse.  I had to be ready for the worse to happen so we could properly respond.  I didn’t necessary think that it would happen, but by planning I could reduce the risk of it happening or getting out of hand.

You learn what may likely happen based on past history and what is happening all around us.

When I became Sheriff we had an Emergency Manager who had retired from another job and was working part-time in that position.  HIS emphasis was on nuclear war and how to prepare for it.  Not really relevant any longer even at that time.

However, between some of his scenarios and training from other sources, I learned how to handle a major problem. 

The main thing I learned was that if I train for one scenario, earthquake happening, and how to set up a command post and all that goes with dealing with the situation – I could apply that to almost any other serious situations, such as flooding's, or fires.

While the training might be for one disaster, it could be applied to almost any disaster.

David was prepared.  His live experiences, his time in meditation and communication with God prepared Him.

He had experiences he could draw from where God had delivered him from the lion and the bear.  He knew that God would be with him in facing Goliath. 

He had never faced a man, especially such a large powerful man, in a fight, but the experiences and training God had given Him could be applied to the battle with Goliath.  He, of course, won.

Sometimes we are lucky, we get by or get away with something that should have destroyed or at least hurt us.  But we cannot depend of ‘luck.’

Every successful General, Admiral, leaders of commerce, even down to the local high school football coach has a plan to lift his ‘army’ up and on to victory.

Not always do the plans work, sometimes they get blindsided by something totally unexpected.  The leader then has to drop back and reconsider what needs to be done.

But the leader that goes into a scuffle without planning his options is doomed to failure if not immediately, then soon.

As Christians, we are not only soldiers and servants of God, but we are to be prepared to be leaders for Him if/when the time comes. 

We must prepare ourselves with both His Word and in prayer then accept the challenges He places us in and stand for Him.  We learn to rely on Him and to know that whatever comes upon us is something we can learn and build upon for the future.

He tells us how to do just that:

Ephesians 6:10-12  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Then He tells us what those weapons are.

But to use them effectively we must train with them and do so before the battle not after it has begun and we are so inundated with the sin around us that we lose hope.

While we can and should plan things out, we can also rely on the fact that there is a master plan for the Universe – only God knows what it is – but from the beginning of the world God already had it in place.

Any plan we have must be based on that fact, He is in charge and He will honor those that follow and obey Him.

As His servants, we need to learn to do exactly what He tells us and be as faithful to Him as we possibly can.

We can look at many of the ‘small’ men and women who became great leaders for God.  Gideon, Daniel, David, Moses, Abraham, Peter, Paul, John, Ruth, Ester and so many others who’s dedication to God and HIS plan enabled them to accomplish great things in HIS name.

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

God’s plan may not be totally revealed to us, but His Creation and the intricacies involved in it shows us HE KNOWS what He is doing.

Later, Art (-:

I just want to be the first to declare and remove all doubt:  I will NOT be running for President of the United States in 2020!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

² For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

About half the country is ecstatic because Trump won.  They need to pray that he accepts guidance from the Holy Spirit and appoints people who will make American stronger and heal those that are hurting.

About half the country is in mourning because Trump won.  They need to pray that he accepts guidance from the Holy Spirit and appoints people will make America stronger and heal those that are hurting.

Prayer matters.

There is and will not be a perfect solution for this world until Christ comes again to take over His Kingdom here on earth.

As Christians we need to understand that people are in need of the love and compassion only the Holy Spirit can give them.

Our mission never changes, no matter what the political situation is – and you can talk to Christians of many countries where Christianity and speaking of Christ is a crime – we still have the obligation to tell others of His saving grace.

This country has been in crisis for several years, it was amped up over the past decade.  There is a division in the country that hasn’t been as great since the Civil War.

It is time for Christians to get their heads out of the sand and see what they can do to help heal the country. 

The void is great.  Most of us have been vocal about the unGodliness of the current state of our country and are still afraid that the cesspool we have fallen into may be too deep to fight our way out.  There is no guarantee the tide has been turned or even stopped.

However, we cannot give up on our quest to alert people to the impending doom for which this country is heading. 

Whether we agree or not with Trump, the one thing this election should have told us is that just because the world says one thing, it doesn’t mean that a determined effort and cooperation cannot change the outcome.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Later, Art :-)

I look out my window today to see a cherry orchard shining bright orange in the sun, yellow leaves on some of the trees, red on others and others have already given up their covers and lay bare for the winter to come.

Bright sun, blue skies; I can see the crown of Mt. Adams gleaming in white, but Mt. Hood is hidden behind clouds.

Warm day, with a promise of fog coming in this evening.  The earth is still sufficiently warm enough to keep it from freezing, but that too shall pass and no clouds will mean colder nights.

We free feed our animals, so they can eat at any time – thus the impact of the change from daylight savings time to standard and vice versa has little impact on them. 

Blaze listens to the radio and when Christa or her substitutes says it is 7:00 he decides it is time for him to go outside for a few minutes then come back in and received is twice daily “tooth treat” I give him to help clean his teeth. 

Since the time given is the time it now is, he doesn’t create a scene like many pets do when their meal is an hour later than it was yesterday.

Was given this quote today in one of my devotionals and it got me to thinking:

"The author of Scripture is also the author of Nature: and this visible world, by types indeed, and by symbols, declares the same truths as the Bible does by words. To make the naturalist a religious man – to turn his attention to the glory of God, that he may declare his works, and in the study of his creatures may see the loving-kindness of the Lord – may this in some measure be the fruit of my work…"  William Kirby, the “Father” of entomology.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I have always considered this verse meaning studying the Word of God.  But I now realize it is more than that.

God used metaphors on plants, insects, sand, stars and animals – in one form or another - to illustrate a truth or promise in God’s Word and in His teachings. 

In studying them – as well as His Word – we get even a clearer grasp of the magnificence of our God.

Proverbs 6:5-8 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

⁶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Matthew 6:27-29 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

²⁹ And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 10:30-32  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Scientists are learning new truths, every day, about God’s Creation.  If it isn’t about the way the human body works and what we can do to protect or heal it, is how animals do what they do to live, how the planet moves upon its axles and how it relates to other things in the universe.

When we look at the intricacies of God’s Creation we become more in awe of Him.

The problem is too many modern day scientists have swallowed the pill and are now priests and worshipers in the religion of evolution.

Instead of recognizing God’s incredible power, they attribute these master pieces of design and construction as having come about by chance, over billions of years.

The truth is before them, but they just can’t see it.  They have been blinded by those teaching them that there is no Creator, there is no God. 

So, what they learn they credit to the theory that we are evolving, the animals are evolving, the earth is evolving and we have little say in it.

Oh, we can do little things, we can study – but must come to the same conclusion these preachers of evolution have drawn; we can work with and learn first-hand how animals do what they do, but we cannot attribute that to a Creator with a plan.

But, as with the Word of God, those that believe in God the Creator find Him in every speck of dirt, every seed, every egg, every baby, everything all around us.

And as the scientists learn more, the more God shows Himself to them – and we can have even more reasons to Praise Him.

AND we thank HIM for His gifts to us.

Later, Art :-)

Let’s see if my mind, while still fuzzy, can function this morning.

Tuesday, 11-01-2016, was a day I have forgotten, almost literally.  We went to the hospital in the out-patient wing to have the GI exams.

In the middle of the nurses gathering information from me, the doctor came in talked with me briefly and asked if I had any questions – I asked, “Since there are two of you doing this will you be doing both at the same time.”  She said no, the endoscopy (through the mouth) would be done first.

I said “I thought maybe one of you would do each scope, meet in the middle and wave at each other.”  She said, no.  The nurse said ‘THAT would mean you have many problems since it is impossible for them to meet under normal circumstances.”

I said, just thought I would ask.

After going through the normal prep procedures – part of which was the do not’s because of the ‘knock-out’ meds that would make me woozy - I was taken into the exam room where they sprayed some foul tasting ‘stuff’ in my throat to help them with the Endoscope going down easier – I was told the bitter taste wouldn’t last long as the anesthesiologist injected something into the tube.

She was right, I didn’t feel a thing.  The next thing I remember was hearing the nurse tell me to wake up – several times as I came out of my induced ‘coma’ in my original room while laying on the cart.

The next thing I remember is getting into the front seat of the car.  Then, Carla telling me she had my cane to help me walk into the house.

Several hours (I guess) later I awoke to find myself in bed and having a difficult time focusing.

I made my way into the bathroom, started falling to the side, tried to correct myself and ended up on the floor.  Hard.

All I could think of at that time was I had to get up before Carla came in, scaring her, and tried to help me up.  Not sure how I did it, but finally got up, did my business and went back to bed.

Drink lots of fluids they told me, kinda hard when you are sleeping. 

I have never experienced this kind of response in my system despite the numerous times I have gone ‘under’ anesthesia.  I would be groggy for a day or two, but never completely out of it as I have been that day and days after.

As I write this it dawns on me, while this is my first such experience, others have had it done several times, only by ‘self-medicating’ themselves with over indulgence of alcohol or other drugs.

I don’t drink alcoholic beverages.  The one time I did it was in front of local TV cameras to help demonstrate the affect alcohol works on the system.  It was done for the Crime Prevention Unit of The Dalles Police Department.

There were four of us, I was asked to participate because ‘everyone knows you don’t drink.’  While many of my fellow Christians were upset that I did it, it was important to get the word out that a person should not drink and drive.

We were of different ages, body weight and sexes.  Scott, the coordinator, wanted to get a good cross section of people to show how it affected us.

There is a reason why pilots must not have any alcohol in their system AT ALL when flying.  While some would say ‘that’s different they have hundreds of passengers to care for’ even one death caused by an impaired driver is one too many and the damage done, even if someone isn’t killed but ‘only’ injured, can be catastrophic.

In my opinion there should be zero tolerance, if you have one drink within the last hour you shouldn’t be driving – and now that marijuana is ‘legal’ in our state it is imperative that a person doesn’t get behind a wheel within several hours of partaking.

It always irritates me when I hear ‘the person was driving with twice or more times the legal limit.’

THERE IS NO LEGAL LIMIT!  PERIOD!  IN ANY STATE IN AMERICA.

In Oregon, and most other states, if a person has a blood alcohol level of 0.08% then they are ‘presumed under the influence.’  That, in and of itself, means they are under the influence.

However, they can be deemed under the influence with one drink, or even no drinks if they are on drugs – INCLUDING – marijuana.

AND it doesn’t have to be a prescription or illegal drug, it can be an over the counter medication; for instance, antihistamine alone can make one drowsy and impair their driving and other actions and when mixed with alcohol the effect is multiplied.

THAT is why there is no ‘legal limit.’

Each person’s system is different, and that was what the program was showing.  They gave me vodka and orange juice in an appropriate amount for a normal drink, every 30 minutes or so, and then monitored my actions.

The others had similar concoctions, one preferred beer, another wine and I am not sure what the other had.  All had the ‘normal’ size drink for their beverage.  The reason was to show that the different sizes were comparable in strength.

We had a breath sample taken on the breathalyzer 15 minutes after each drink, to show what the percentage of alcohol was in our blood stream.

The more alcohol we drank the more our conduct changed.  I don’t recall all that we did during this time, but it was to show the viewing audience how our actions, even with just a drink or two, changed.

There was one individual who was really acting the fool.  The man was a leader in the community, selected for that reason – and the police knew he liked to ‘party’ as did probably half the town.

After a few drinks he was cutting up and not doing what the moderator was asking.  I became upset with him – I remember one of the officers putting his hand on my shoulder and saying “It is okay, Art, just relax.’

Even under the influence I ‘followed the rules.’  Frankly I think I would be a mean drunk – since I don’t drink, and don’t intend to start I will never know.

The highest I blew was a .04%, but I knew I couldn’t drive.  I was definitely under the influence.  Scott made sure we each had a ride home so it wasn’t a problem.

A few days after it was first shown, Scott called me.  He said the person who had been acting the fool wanted the tape to be taken off the air, it wasn’t a pleasant view of him.  However, it was a good example of what some people do under the influence.   Scott asked me what I thought.

I told him that I had agreed to the show because the message was important, even though I knew many of my constituents were not going to be happy (and weren’t) and I was taking some flak for it.  I remember my Pastor calling me and telling me had received some calls from upset members (I was a board member of the church and a Sunday School teacher among other responsibilities in the church and some didn’t feel I should remain in those positions – he told me that he understood why I did it and was supporting me.)  I told Scott that if I could accept it for the ‘cause’ then the complainer could very well accept it also.

Since we didn’t have cable TV I never viewed the episode, but from reactions I got, mainly positive, and the ‘community leader’s’ response, I heard it was effective.

We all know the reasons people imbibe.  Most are responsible and don’t over indulge.

However, with very few exceptions, almost every single family disturbance I went to alcohol or other drugs had been abused, usually by the husband or boyfriend, and it had definitely affected their actions.  Trying to reason with them was always difficult and often ended in a violent reaction that caused them to be arrested.

Most people don’t go out to get drunk, but they don’t count their drinks either.  Most drunk drivers, when asked by the officer ‘how many drinks have you had?’ reply, ‘two beers.’

It is absolutely amazing; it is like they are following a script.  Most really don’t know but think they are safe with just two beers.

Getting back to how I feel, right now.  Still groggy, but I think I put together a cohesive line of thought.

The one thing I still don’t understand is why ‘social drinkers’ allow themselves to over indulge to the point of not remembering what they did.  It is not a pleasant feeling, at least to me, to lose that time.  And many, like my fellow demonstrator, make fools of themselves and don’t realize it.

I do want to thank everyone who did lift me up in prayer and for the kind thoughts during the past few days.  It is going to be a while before I can catch up on all my ‘correspondence.’

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

One of my devotionals used these verses this morning.  As I read them I felt they fit right into the theme of my writing today.

We get into habits, we make decisions without considering the impact they have on our relationship with God and our witness to others, both Christians and non-believers.

When we have habits that interfere with our relationship with God it doesn’t make any difference what it is, whether drinking, using language or making statements that are unacceptable, doing things we know are not pleasing to Him, they all are those sins which doth so easily beset us.

It is hard work putting those sins aside.  It takes determination, it takes concentrating on what we have done and what we need to do to put them aside.  On our own it can be extremely difficult, especially the older we get.  They become so ingrained in our brain and reactions that they become automatic and we do them without thinking.

We can correct that behavior.  Just as an athlete trains their bodies so their muscles have a ‘memory’ of what is required of them, so their reactions to the sport they are engaged in are automatic and done without thinking, so too can we change our inappropriate behavior.

AND the beauty of all of it is that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us.  We don’t have to rely on our own pitiful abilities, we can rely on Him.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

WE but have to submit.

Later, Art (-:

Still very woozy, tried to do some writing, but couldn’t put cohesive thoughts together.

 

Been through a number of being put to sleep so they can work on me, first time it has lasted this long with such intensity.

 

Do appreciate the well wishes from you.

 

Later, Art (-: