Tryin' to Storm... and Other Random Thot's

Just had a couple teensy storms out here.  Kinda like a toddler gets when he wants to impress you with how intimidating he is.  Lotsa noise but not much else.  Hmmm... sounds alot like most of the BadBoyz out here in ATL.

Glad I ain't in Detroit; they don't strut and chest-thump like here in ATL, they just pounds on ya to make their point.

Anyways, last night (this morning really) I had my second dream in a month about tornadoes.  Even in my dreams, I can't get a picture.  :P

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Not enjoying the phone part of my new Android.  Keypad locks up within seconds and I haven't yet figgered out a way of turning it off.  Maybe that's a "feature".  A real nuisance when I call a computer-b4-person number.

I do like the Apps section of my phone, tho'.  Especially the reader.  NOOK for Android is great.  Can't wait to listen to some tunes.  Bought a new set of earphones just for that.

Headsets are still a problem.  The one I bought is not much better than a decoration.  Can't afford a custom molded phone so it stays in.  I'll just have to go to a truckstop and buy one of those on-the-ear headphones.

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It's been quiet around here lately.  New neighbors are quiet.  Life is good.

Random thots is dun fer now....   :)

Wilting in ATL??

Saw a headline today about how horribly hot it is - "sweltering" was the word used.  With temps mostly in the low 90s, the headline tries to conjure up visions of sunbaked cattle bones (altho' here in ATL, they would be zombie bones), desert grass and circling vultures.  The author obviously hasn't been to Laredo, TX where 100+ temps are normal and 95 is considered almost sweater weather.  (I miss taking loads down that way.)

I love the way marketers try to sensationalize everything.  My frozen pizza is no longer hot when it comes out of the oven, it's "delicious and hot".  So I have to wait 5 minutes before eating.  Hmm...  I reckon other brands are hot but unsavory.

My all-time favorite is the stoopid advert about smartWater when it first came out.  The label literally said the water was "engineered" to go directly where it was needed in the body.  I can see it now, MHT's (Molecular Hydration Teams) using ATSD's (Advanced Technology Sensing Devices) to determine where the body is most dehydrated, then advancing toward those coordinates at size-equivalent speeds exceeding those found at Bonneville Speedway, these MHT's deliver their refreshing, rehydration product before the subject succumbs to catastrophic hydraulic depletion!!

And you thought you were just drinking a bottle of water.

(That's funny...  this blog started out as a fun poke at the news about how hot it's been here in ATL.)

Spiritual Power

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

~  Jesus Christ

Recently, I've started trying to practice the first three Beatitudes found in Matt 5:3-5 and made a major discovery:

God is giving me the ability, by His grace, to say no to a sin that has plagued me for 40 years.

I have tried to "just say no", memorize scripture, be accountable, fast, pray, plead, grit my teeth and fight it but, in the end, gave up and accepted that this was my "easily besetting sin".  I became a casualty of spiritual warfare.

But God writes the final chapter...

God's grace is so wonderful, words are inadequate to describe it.  As I am, finally, making feeble attempts to practice being a disciple of Jesus, God is blessing me with the desire and power to resist temptation.  Even the ability to take these steps is coming from Him.  I know this because I've tried many times before and failed.  My previous failures came from trying to do spiritual things in the power of the flesh.

Will I fall again?  Possibly.  Will I stay down?  By God's grace, I will not.  As I keep seeing that without Him, I can do nothing but sin;  as I continue to be grieved with the sin in my life;  as I try to remember that offenses toward me are nothing compared to my sins against God, He will increase my ability to live a life honoring to Him which will, in turn, lead to stronger manifestations of these first three Beatitudes.

This is what I am experiencing as last night I could almost physically feel the craving of my flesh for sin.  Even as I began taking steps to satisfy this craving, God's power was working in my spirit and I began to see the struggle for peace in my soul was too great to throw away.  Praise be to God that He won the victory!!

By now, you may be wondering what this sin is.  A wise man once said that if he revealed what his sin was, others who had no problem with that particular sin would be less motivated to deal with their own struggle.  Sin can be as gruesome as murder, as vile as perversion, as silly as drunkenness or as "harmless" as little white lies, but it is all treason against God, the end of its work is death and must be overcome in the power of the Spirit.  So keep guessing, if ya wanna waste yer time.  I ain't tellin'.

I will, like my grandson William will be doing soon, probably stumble many more times before I finally get the hang of walking.  But God, in His great mercy, has given me a teensy glimpse into what He is doing in my life for which I am deeply grateful.