Act of kindness

Sometimes an act of kindness comes your way in unexpected ways. This 4th of July I was with my family down in Naples Florida enjoying the beach, the Gulf, grandkids, kids. I was going down to the water and as I entered the water a rather gentle wave got me off balance and down I went. Two young men quickly came to my aid and brought me back to my feet where I reach the depth to swim and move. I went from feeling like a beached whale to a confident swimmer.
I really appreciated their help and even tossed a football around with them on overthrows. I have to say I enjoyed my sun shirt, played all day in the sun without a burn.
Later that day sitting in a chair that wasn't meant for the beach broke, a family behind me loaned me a

chair for my size. I fella with broken English said to me "happy 4th of July." I was able to see the sunset and fireworks. I returned the chair upon leaving to a family I did not know but gave me an act of kindness I will not soon forget.
Having Cerebral Palsy can be very humbling at times. I hate it to have a need of others, I would rather give. But there are times when people bring out their best.
I was 8 years old at a camp for CP kids when I was promoted to help other kids more disabled than myself. It was in the water again where I was helping kids enjoy the water. I still remember a girl about 16 who was so tight she could hardly move. As I remembered her she had the face of an angel. She passed away later that summer, but on that day I helped her she had a smile on her face.
I must have played in the water for two hours. So thanks fellas for picking me up and thanks again to strangers for the use of a chair. I know they won't read this, but I won't forget. Keep walking  

When I say we had a cool vacation, I mean cool

Barb and I took a week to do a fall color tour in West Michigan. We stayed in a bed and kitchen place one half block off Channel Lake in Pentwater and a block off Lake Michigan. There at Meers State Park it had about a mile of paved bike and walk trail to take in the wonderful views. Our time there was cold and windy, bundled up the walks were beautiful. Our trees this year are turning late and everyday there was more color.
Each day brought different trips based on the weather. Somedays

we explored Manistee National Forest, found a paved bike trail and some cool places to eat. One day we traveled up to Ludington, Michigan and went to the State Park there, great views. I was surprised by the downtown being really upbeat with several good restaurants. Another surprise was a visit to White Pine Village and reconstructed village from the past. I thought it would be a short visit but in had many things of interest to see.
Every night we continued our virtual Tour of the Holy Land with Wayne Styles, creating a retreat as well as vacation. Caping the night listening to mystery as we fell off to dream land.
We had two clear nights to star gaze. The best part of all was sleeping in and being with Barb. Keep walking

Springtime, brrrr!

I was having a thunk which is half way between a thought and a yawn. On one side I am glad I am not coaching spring sports any more. My poor son coaching girl soccer it is cold this spring. His team this year has a chance for success for the season and later state competition. Cold or not it is fun to coach when kids have talent. But where he is at is even a few degrees colder near the Wisconsin boarder. Go Pretzels.
Skyler, my four year old grand-daughter is quite the athlete. She is already a seasoned mid-westerner oblivious to the cold. Kendall is competitive with grades, she is doing well in honors classes at JT.
I was hoping this week to be biking some of the trails, but it has been little cold for Barb and in truth I would be dressed like an Eskimo. Spring is coming, but I hope it comes before June.

Skyler & Daddy going
to a dance

Some of my explorations this year will be stargazing, camping, biking, bird watching and fishing. For my birthday not yet here I have treated my self to continued studies in Biblical Greek. I am almost done with my studies in Hebrews and I am looking forward to writing about the effects of unbelief in the life of the believer.
My weight is still moving down the BMI scale and my indoor biking keeps my body in motion. There  are other opportunities opening up to serve the Lord and I am thankful.
I have done a lot of reading related to weight and age issues as well as aging issues related to the brain. But right now I am glad I am not coaching - too cold. Keep walking

How do you live a century and be married for 80 years? Some clues are in the writing

Vivian & Donald Hart

I can still hear David's big laugh.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Two 99-year-olds celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary on Sunday, making them the longest-living couple in the state, according to their family.

How did this couple live so long? I think there are clues in the story.

Isn't that remarkable to live 99 years and be married someone for eighty years. It doesn't happen that often. They were born in 1918 or late 1917. World War I was in progress. They are married in 1937. The country was still in the grip of the depression. Grand Rapids was the city of churches where people did attend.

Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan formed an alliance  that would soon put the war at war. What were their stories during the war? 

Donald Hart and his wife, Vivian, reminisced about the eight decades they’ve spent together while looking through old photo albums Friday in Grand Rapids. But for the couple, the albums are only the tip of the memory iceberg. They are still living at home. They have the health and strength to still be able to do this.

The Harts today

The Harts’ relationship blossomed in the 1930s. Donald Hart was leaving church when a group of “gals from out of town” needed some help home. But just giving out directions wasn’t his style.

“We said, ‘Aw, shoot. Why don’t we just walk you there?’ So we ended up walking them way across town,” he said. “We were just going to [walk] a little ways and then quit, but we ended up going all the way.”

He served in the Air Force and was drafted in World War II before spending more than 20 years at American Seating.

David Hart a Friend and brother from
GRSBM still has hair 

Vivian Hart, a chalk artist and avid reader, is most known for her unwavering love her family — especially her kids.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with the Harts’ oldest and youngest sons, who both touted their parents’ strength, forgiveness, and commitment to their family and church.

For the  Harts, having faith and living it out may be one key in their longevity. They were committed to bring their family up for Christ. They lived out their faith as well as they shared it. They were poor but not impoverished. They were provided with blessing where one of the cornerstones of their home was fun. 

David was one of the early morning crew at the Commons (GRSBM cafe on Campus) having coffee and debating the fine points of theology. David was one who interjected a lot of laughter. He had a good sense of humor. I believe he shared his families' faith and commitment to challenge their children to live for the Lord.

“When I look back on it, I think, ‘Boy, we were really poor,’” eldest son Don Hart said. “When [my dad] first got out of the military, I was 7 years old. We lived in a dinky house — it had been a chicken coop. We didn’t have things, but we had a lot of fun.”

In a life well lived we see that they were creative, reading and art. They cared for their family throughout their life. Words like commitment, strength (to pull through the hard times) and lived out forgiveness (I take it to mean they did not hold grudges and anger.) These are good principles that definite lead to a longer, healthy lives. Even nearly 40 years ago their children were loving their parents and I am sure they helped care for them as Vivian and Donald got older. Love that is returned always is good for our health. Keep walking

The black print is the article from the Grand Rapids newspaper. The blue ink are my musings.

Working on Consistent

Working on being consistent concerning diet and exercise. The two activities for me feed into each other supporting each other into actually doing them. Moving increases flexibility and one thing about doing different walk programs with Leslie Sansone improves balance. I have an ongoing program where I walk 3 to 5 minutes on my walk breaks, with the goal walking a mile and now working to mile 2. Biking while listening to a book changing the resistances as I go really helps.

It is a lot harder getting more aerobically fit and flexible. My

Leslie Sansone

number one goal relates to healthier arteries and endurance. The process is more like therapy then conditioning. Each day I wanted to see this through for better weight loss and health. I feel better not giving up, I fighting back.

I have been enjoying my virtual travels to Israel with Wayne Stiles. We traveled to Capernaum this month. The possible location of Peter's house in the first century has a church over it now with the glass floor. I preferred it out in the open.

Wayne Stiles at Capernaum

Wayne gives an excellent tour of Capernaum with a theme of living intentionally as Jesus did at Capernaum. To enjoy these virtual travels there is a cost. The productions are first class.

In my graduate class Hebrews through Revelation with Dr. Stanley Toussaint. I am going through at a snail’s pace doing an inductive study of the book. Fun for me, is reading Drs. W. H. Griffen Thomas, J. Vernon McGee, Dwight Pentecost, Zane Hodges, Radmacher, Charles Swindoll, Thomas Constable all have taught at Dallas Seminary through the years. With this study I am also looking at the Greek New Testament and a few other resources  to challenge my old mind. The study for me is first and foremost inductive based on observation where the book of Hebrews is a book that shares Christ revealed is superior to angels, Moses, Aaron, the Tabernacle and Offerings with Maturity in Christ being superior to any model of superiority you can attempt to live by. The life of Christ is lived out by faith and there are five warnings in the book of spiritual sickness that can be a terminal in our life where we have become fruitless and ineffective. The warning relate to wood, hay and stubble in the Christian life and not the life of an unbeliever. The message to the unbeliever is always trust the Savior. 

Keep walking

https://walkingthebiblelands.waynestiles.com

Thanks to my Russian Readers

I see a wonderful development that is occuring with my readership. Throughout my writing most readers are from the US. But I have had readers from the Philippines, Germany, Britton, France, Liberia, and often from Russia. This month I have noticed a surge from Russia.
There are many things we have on this blue planet that we share. One of them would be we are trying to live healthy and are trying to hang around a little more in a good way.  The impact of exercise, diet and lifestyle can have a huge impact on our health as we age. We can control these things and they can trump genetics.
For example Dr. Ken Cooper has lived to his eighties by attending to health skills as running, strength training, flexibility and walking. Parents and grandparents did not fare so well.
We might not live to 105 like Robert Marchand from France medicine free. We may have to fight heart disease, diabetics, and cancer. But all need a strategy to overcome what we can to live and older independent life.
Thanks for reading my blog my oversea friends.

The fatman on politics, ouch!

I am staying a bit today into the realm of politics. Follow my exploration of a need for political health of finding good ideas from those we disagree with, our need to be flexible and work to the common good. I think it is safe to say our partisan politics needs to be challenged.

We need to take time between the elections to examine our political health. We need a time of political creativity to move the American experience forward and with practicality work together. 

Right now we are living in a time where are political health is becoming so narrow that we cannot see common ground to work for the American people. In our partisan politics we have become so harden we are no longer flexible. Our ideas are becoming restrictive.

I would like to develop a metaphor of political health like into cardiovascular health. Our views have become like plaque on the artery walls. Over the years we have repetitively put on the same old patches of ideas on the walls of our political ideology that it looks more like graffiti and globs of cement that is built-up so that we have less space to live in the freedom of options in life. Instead the crude builds up to some kind of mindless conformity of less choice and opportunity.

This political hardness is moving increasingly to a political heart attack. We are losing sight of our political health and we are showing signs of political heart attacks and strokes.

It is time that we go to political doctor? We need to be put on a diet and exercise program. Our goal should be to serve the American people to improve the American experience. Our quest for political power is likely (A type personality who is unaware the drive is pushing toward a widow maker. This power quest leads to early death and upheaval in a political world with no insight at all. (Very deadly to the common person)

To develop more flexible arteries we need some omega-3 and good cholesterol to help patch our walls of life. We have been trying to patch this mess with partisan ideas and only serve the people of power. My diagnosis is that both parties have done this. 

Right now we maybe so hard we are not listening at all. Or we are in critical condition because we'll listen to argue. If we did this during the Great Depression or World War Two we would have fallen. Instead we showed tremendous flexibility as we shifted from social to capitalistic answers to meet our challenges.

What diet do we need right now? We need a good diet of ideas and possibilities. They are out there. They may take a little more time to cook and acquire a taste for, but we can change to good ideas. What is the exercise that we need to do now? We need to work for the common good. We need to put people over ideas. Political ambition (political type A personality) isn't the goal that we should be shooting for. 

One exercise every political person should do is to find five good ideas from there opposing party line. Politics cannot always be partisan, one of the criticisms has been the stagnation due to partisan politics. We have to develop stronger areas to work together. The possibility that there are hundreds of ideas that politicians can work together on should lead to a greater political health. The politicians can look back at the good things they did together and have a real legacy that everybody can see. Each politician should be able to come up with five ideas worth bringing up for the public debate for the American people to decide about. Could it be possible there are ideas of difference that in the debate some ideas move forward. 

The skill of the politician who is healthy is able to compromise for the common good people. The skill of the politician is to listen particularly to the opposite point of view, and find away to serve all the people. 

I am not naïve. We live in the most partisan times in the American experience. We have a political hardness of the heart where we have just about become two countries. Our political arteries are almost plugged. We are trying to ram into these rigid spaces agendas that give know room for one another. All parties are guilty of this, so we don't need to point fingers. 

But we really needed time of listening, exchanging good ideas, working together to continue a better fight. 

Sometimes it takes a little work to have joy

I posted earlier on Facebook as we get older, we need to re-examine our home to prevent falls. An ounce of prevention here could mean volumes in regard to your health. 

Two articles from the Chicago Tribune may help.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-fall-prevention-tips-health-1123-20161122-story.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-fall-prevention-health-1123-20161121-story.html

Politics rarely gives satisfaction. This is a specially true to diehards invested every day with hours of detailed study. “Vanity is vanity”

If negative emotions out of control are harmful to life? How can we move the dial a bit to the positive? Perpetual happiness or delirium may be unattainable, but having joy, experienced in our day I think is entirely possible. 

For my friends who are political junkies consider for a moment how the media plays with your emotions. I think it's similar to the local news drawing you to a dramatic soundbite that in December we may have a snowfall. Snowfalls brings challenges but they're not unusual. The same is true in political stories. Whatever you're sensitive to the media has you hooked. Somehow consider the phenomenon that you may be manipulated. Right or left it happens all of us. We have that in common.

Chuck Swindoll from Insight for living shares 7 ideas to improve the beneficial effects of joy.

http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=qdwmdvwdmw&r=ibmmhnvddvzm&s=cphjdqtljhjtmlngrzkvktqmprrmhctkddn&q=1480501513&a=view

Last week I was reading an article that shared a heart attack can happened when we work harder and carry along a negative emotion like anger. It seems work and anger are two stressors that don’t go together. 

Joy can occur in an outcome from a life trial or battle. We may not feel it when we are in the middle of it, but it will happen afterwards. Somehow God uses bad things for our ultimate benefit. 

Psychologists tell us the ultimate loss is our own lives. We experienced the fear of losing from the temporal things, pets, friends, family, spouse, to the ultimate personal loss of our own life. Can we say the bad things happen to good people?  Resoundingly yes. 

Okay I started this article with politics and then I moved on to the old ultimate bummer, death. As Fred Sanford would say, “I’m a coming Elizabeth!”

How can we develop joy? Psalms 103:2 “My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.”

Skyler Joy

In Swindell's article I like the idea of keeping a journal and putting peoples photographs in the Journal that give you joy. Don't put everybody there because some people are sourpuss’s. 

Surround yourself with happy people. Include music that helps you worship God. Over the years I've had many people tell me how much the songs that they learn when they were kids encourage them.

If you never learned to appreciate hymns, take time to hear them played well or sang well. Give yourself time to get an ear for it.

Each night come up with something that gave you joy. If you can’t think of something, you can laugh at yourself for becoming a grumpy old man or woman. Picture your favorite grumpy person. Something there will make you smile.

Go for a walk when is known to boost moods and take a deep breathe and enjoy it. Keep walking

Confessions from a dysfunctional Cub Fan

Kyle Schwarber return is huge

The last couple weeks have been a wonderful vacation. I have been closely following the Chicago Cubs this year. From last year and this year it's been fun to see real good baseball. All year the Cubs have been favorite to win the World Series but being the favorite doesn't mean that you're going to win. The playoffs were a whole different season. At each level the Cubs had to come back to win the series. 

The mental stress was interesting because at each point you can think that we have been here and lost. You can remember points where the Cubs failed. (Confessions of a dysfunctional cub fan) This year's team took us to a new experience the World Series. Losing the first game and then coming back to win the second, emotions of the fans were extreme. Then we went down two games. You can cut the tension with a knife.

In game five the young team rebounded with an impressive win. Do you remember in Mary

Julie Andrews 1964

Poppins when there was a wind change and Miss Poppins came in to change the direction of a family in trouble. Between game five and six there was a weather change from the cold weather to baseball weather in late October early November. The bats game alive again and we won games six and seven. The last game another weather change gave us a chance to reboot to win the final game.

It took all of that to win hey World Series. 

As a Cubs fan we are now in a new experience. No more being reminded way too much that it has been 108 years since we last won a World Series. My father serving in the Navy in WWII was listening to the Cubs the last time they were in World Series. I wasn't even born until seven years later. 

I am glad I took time to enjoy the good baseball in the whole process of the Cubs success this year. Seeing great defense, good pitching, young power hitters an overall dynamic play was fun. Listening to Madden talk about baseball was a lot of fun to. 

The whole story line brought baseball back to the national pastime. We have to find away for baseball to play its best games in early October. The fans will be more excited and the players will play better. 

It has been zero years since the Cubs were in the World Series. Do you have a favorite team? Enjoyed the play regardless of the outcome. There is a life metaphor in there somewhere. Each day we're alive can be part of a good season. Take time every day to enjoy the ups and downs and being alive. Keep walking

Walking the walls in Jerusalem

 Today they made this a park. When I was there is was a dig and some of the things you see were not uncovered yet. We walked along the wall and that gives you a different perspective.

Wayne Styles  shares a little bit about the view.

https://www.waynestiles.com/echoes-of-rosh-hashanah-at-the-place-of-trumpeting/#respond

I know the walk was against the rules but I was glad we could do it. 

Ah to be young and daring. 

Barb walking the wall and I was asking her to pose for a shot.She did not like being high on the wall. Keep walking

Can we accept who we are?

I was writing a devotional from my book "Walking with Jesus, a walker's view". I was thinking about gifted and ordinary people. They all begin the same way as babies. We have the idea of unlimited potential with each little one. That's a good idea but as we see life unfold most of us wind up ordinary.  What do you think?
"How God works with each of us includes weather we are ordinary or gifted. Every child can play the game of sports, but not every child is going to be a professional player. Every child hopefully goes to school, but not every child is a genius. Every child is beautifully and wonderfully made, but not every child will have stunning looks. We need to understand that God does not look at the ordinary the way we do. God loves ordinary people that is why he made so many of them."

"People often throw away the gifts that God gives and they live selfishly and even stupidly. But an ordinary person who walks with God whether we ever recognize it or not, we will find out in heaven God's value of that ordinary life." 

Can we accept who we are? Can we value ordinary?

Connecting the land and the Bible, a hobby of mine

Photo I took as we walked along the walls 1976
Jerusalem

Do you have hobbies? Maybe interests that seem to stay with you overtime. I like to share with you one of mine.
Ever since I took a Study tour in Israel in the summer of 1976, I have been fascinated with connecting the land of the Bible to the Bible and my walk with God. One of the layers of the inductive Bible study is just trying to get a sense of the first readers of the Bible. There you find the primary meaning and application. History, Geography, Archaeology and the locations themselves help unlock what the Bible teaches. When we bridging the time-gap to our own time will become easier.
Here are some web sites to follow if you like to travel back in time where the story of the Bible took place.
http://blog.bibleplaces.com
https://ferrelljenkins.wordpress.com
http://www.waynestiles.com
http://www.bibleplaces.com
http://www.lifeintheholyland.com
http://blog.ritmeyer.com
https://holylandphotos.wordpress.com
Keep walking

Having a good day and learning about listening

A Frederick Remington Painting

Today has been a beautiful day outside. Nice blue sky, about 21° a good temperature for this time year. I have been sitting in the sunshine doing all the good things for a healthy day. Before I got up at 7:45 this morning I thought through what I would like to do today. I got up got a couple coffee and listened to a nice devotional from Radio Bible Class. Visited Facebook and twitter and then went for a mile walk. Had another couple coffee, read my newspapers, got up for three fitness routines. As I had a yogurt with three servings of fruit. 

I don't know about you but I have to take several medicines. One thing that I have learned is that if you drink a lot of water after you take the medicines it helps your body to processed the medicines and your liver. So what without really given it much thought I have a huge mug of water that I sip on during the morning. 

Back to my good day, every half hour so I've been getting up using my body exercises and suspension training. After lunch I will go for another mile walk and do a little flexibility. The afternoon for me will I will take up writing and texting since it seems very few people really want you talking to them on the phone. Let me know if you like me to call you. It would be more unique if I could take a blanket and smoke and send you an Indian messages, the very few people speak in the old languages.

The Boy Scouts still teach to send smoke signals. Three short puffs mean you are in trouble in wilderness. It also can be seen by others that you are there, so be prepared.

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on improving your listening skills. Truth was, I had to read the article twice to understand it. My reading wasn't listening too good. I think the main thing is to turn off all distractions and turned to the person you're listening to like your spouse and say and feel, "I care about you I want to hear what you say." It is been my experience in marriage I am not always the easiest listener. And poor Barb she has heard my rantings for years. 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-active-listening-makes-both-sides-of-a-conversation-feel-better-1421082684?tesla=y&mg=reno64-wsj

My Greek studies have never been better. The resources on the Internet had just blown me away. In the Greek New Testament there are just over 5000 words that you have to learn. If you learned the most occurring 300 words you have learned 80% of the New Testament. The remaining 20% now that can be a challenge. But I think is doable. I have read several places where language study can really be good for the aging brain. Would you like to learn Klingon, or the languages of the Lord of the Rings. Or maybe you would settle for something like French, Spanish, or Chinese. There are tools available today that can make this a good thing.

By the way did you know that the Klingons have their own Bible.

We have a new soup recipe in the crock pot today. It fills the room up with a great aroma. Just so you know since I need to work on my phone skills you can call me anytime. If I'm sleeping I won't hear you probably but I would be glad to hear from you. Well, it's time for lunch and a walk and then some writing. Keep walking

"Sh*t happens"

One thing we have today is health. What ever we did yesterday is gone. Tomorrow hasn’t happen yet. Jesus said, in Matt. 6:34 “Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” So today we have to deal with the trouble of the day.

"Life happens, while you're busy making other plans.” John Lennon

Forest Gump apparently started many legendary trends. The movie credited him with the phrase “sh*t happens” 

Life that happiness is what we got to get onto. I am looking at a winter day coming to a close on a winter day. My cactus plant is sharing it’s winter flowers. Today the sky is clear. These are all good things just here to be noticed. Got up and got a cup coffee while I was waiting for the microwave I did push-ups, Dips and squats, and heal raises. I notice my breathing got a little deeper. My coffee tastes good. These are just observing moments in the present. But being aware of them my body is relaxed and mellow.

What do I have planned today that is healthy for me? “Five is fine, nine is divine” referring to the fruits and vegetables serving today. While surfing the net yesterday I came across two articles from the BBC about how the Mediterranean diet can reverse cell aging. I am eating an apple right now. Having a couple coffee, eating an apple I know helps against heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The fact that it taste good is a bonus. I already had a good day sleep and I will get my walks in. I will do some suspension training for strength training and stretching for flexibility. Knowing that I'm doing these things helps me feel good that today I do good things for my health.

“Life happens,” I think we usually think of bad things that might happen long way (“sh*t happens”), but it is possible then we can also take note of the good things that happen or even the simple things that give gentle responses that make up a good day. Jesus referred to “life happens” as “each day is trouble of its own”. Trials come, difficulties jump at us. Sometimes this is our job, let me explain. When I work and school my job usually kicked in when problems happen. No, I could think, “Man my life is going so smooth. I was coasting along everything was easy and now bam, I got to work.” But over the years I began to see that this is why I was there. I would use task analysis and other strategies to anticipate problems and maybe solve them before they happen, but the happening wasn't my fault. Nearly every day I would talk with my co-workers about the things that happened and how best to deal with it next time. Now is an opportunity to work through it, to  help the student or students to a good outcome. That attitude eliminated a lot of frustration for sure.

I recently read an article that said that now is the best time to begin a walk program into exercise today. We actually may get the most benefit from exercise and lifestyle changes that we do right now. We cannot change the past but we can do something about today. If you were somewhere between 50 and 70 you can begin a walk program where your probably walking aerobically within 12 weeks. If you are over 70 you're walking can really benefit you, even if they are short walks. You know the health challenges that you face and your doctor knows, but making smart lifestyle changes and beginning to include walking, strength training, flexibility can help you deal with painful joints, improve your immune system, help getting the blood flowing through head to toe and if you have to start off small, so be it. Recovering from injuries that are serious illness may take a physical therapist. There has been several times when physical therapy helped decrease my pain and increase my movement. It works. In my life plenty of restarts, life happens, but restarts are far better then giving up.

In the area mental health there is again the idea “life happens”. For me it has been an opportunity to work on the whole gamut of things. Right off the bat I can tell you that I feel better and mentally, I feel like I've healed. My medications have been reduced along the way I've gained a lot of confidence. In mood swings I experience, I now look at each opportunity the same way. I have an opportunity to work towards a good outcome. I am really not as frustrated with it now that I expect it. I don't draw on the past and let the abuse rule me, I let that go. Now I give myself time and effort to work through the moods, choosing to do the good things for me and the ones in my life. I want to own up to my mental an emotional life. It is on me and not others (Particularly Barb) to take care of. 

Making plans is good but taking time to catch “Life happens” makes the day better. Keep walking

Picture of Barb and where we had a honeymoon - Pt. 2 of secret disciple

Barb looking back as we walked the wall of Jerusalem, I can
tell you she walked closed to the wall. What a trooper!

John was the youngest, the rest being in their thirties, were able to follow Jesus, walk with him which included great distances.  Many of their walks were over 100 miles.  They had to sleep with him outside with just outer garment being their blankets.  It is not spelled out for us but I think each had their job as they move is a group.  Not everybody that became a disciple could follow the same task.  I think that’s true today, what I could do when I was younger I really can’t do today.  I would describe my life of faith as more than being a disciple.  Knowing what I do today and my study of the bible, for sure I would like to be able to do what the disciples did when they were here when Jesus was on earth.  To spend time with Jesus would be the dream come true.  But for practical concern I would be left behind.  I think Jesus would tell me I’ll be back this way, see you then.  When I was younger I wanted to volunteer in the navy, but with my CP I was disqualified.  I went to serve but my disability may prove a problem when it counted.  Instead I serve the Lord in Africa and lived in the jungles in under primitive conditions.  I did quite well there and today I am not so sure. That brings me to Joseph of Arimathea who is described as a good man, fair and a secret disciple, Luke 23:50, John 19:38.

We know that he stood up when it counted; he disagreed with the proceedings that put Jesus to the cross. 

Outside the church of the Holy Sepulcher another possible
location of Calvary and the tomb.

There is no record during the trials of his protest, only Luke 23: 51 reports his disapproval.  I am of the opinion that he wasn’t there during illegal trials of Jesus by Caiaphas and Annas and their supporters in the Sanhedrin.  Caiaphas has long plotted for Jesus’ death and I think they gathered the ones they needed for the illegal trial.  Whatever was a quorum for them I think that’s who they called on?  I also think they were politically aware not to invite members who were supporters of Jesus, and even if they were secret; I believe the wiles of Caiaphas and Annas knew how people would vote.  In the accounts I just don’t see the protest like you see in Acts 5: 34, anyway Scholar Leon Morris cites 22:70, "They all ask" Mark 14:64, "They all condemned" This brings us back to observation. All were in agreement at the Jewish trials. Nicodemus and Joseph and other sympathizers were not there. They did later voice their opposition, Luke 23: 51. But they did far more than that; they cared for Jesus’ body.

19 century painting of 1st century Jerusalem-
What it may have looked liked.

Most criminals who were crucified their bodies were just discarded.  Yet once Jesus died, we see only loving hands cared for him.  Nicodemus and Joseph were given the task to take down his body.  The ugliness and shame of the crucifixion and the nakedness they would have to deal with.  Unlike the legalistic Pharisees of the day they took care of the dead body during the holy week the Passover.  They didn’t delegate this to others but they did it themselves.  They were willing to become unclean and deal with what was important rather than focus on the small minds of others.  They went ahead and put Jesus in linen, prepared the body with spices and place the body in a tomb that Joseph bought for himself.  Despite various claims as to where this body was laid, we don’t know.  After caring for the body, they sealed the tomb by rolling the fitted stone into place.

These old men were leaders who forever in history will stand out because they stood up and did the right

This is where Barb and I had one week of our honeymoon. The sisters of the
Rosary served us wonderful meals and they were delighted we had our
honey moon there. The nuns were from Lebanon. We prayed with them for
peace there. 

thing.  So far in my investigation I don’t know how they fit into the future church.  Their relationship to Jesus and service almost goes under the radar.  I believe it’s the same today.  On the Larry King show, He asked Billy Graham about his handling reward for all the great things that he had done.  I am paraphrasing here but Billy Graham answered “his standing in heaven, he would not be the most recognized believer there.  In Graham’s view he believed he was the “least of these” and there would be many who are humbled today would be great in heaven.  Billy Graham thought that greatness was measured differently by God than the way we do.

There are many secret believers behind the crescent curtain; there are many secret believers in China, in Africa, and places of persecution.  There are many people who make it possible for someone to be a spokesman, the public person, who support and live a life that pleases God.  We would do well remember that believers come in all shapes and sizes, personality types, disabilities, weaknesses, and are often the poor.  We may think of them a secret, but they’re not a secret to God.  The famous are always the rich, the beautiful, intelligent and successful.  God values the heart.  Keep walking

Take a look yourself - Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:43-45; John 19:38, 39, 40 Luke 23: 50-54.
What happened to these secret believers? part 3

care more about others at holiday gatherings..Laugh a little

Laundry room excellent place to air family laundry
Scene from Dan in Real Life

Holidays bring friends and family together. But if your friends or family include two or more people there is likely to be disagreements in issues, or philosophy, behavior, attitudes, beliefs and the list goes on. A family or circle of friends may include different political parties. If your family includes young people they may be independent and indifferent to our two party system.
I can remember back in the day when kids and parents didn't agree, most of that turned out to be not as important as family, friends, and caring. I have been to many funerals where regret was stronger than the argument.
I was thinking of a thought by Nelson Mandela where he felt it is easier on humans to love than the opposite. Paul shares great ideas about love and its healthful effect on human relationships in 1 Corinthians 13
Get out your Bible and Consider:
13:1-3 It is easy to be divisive in relationship to things we experience vs. 1, things we know, vs. two and things we practice vs. 3. Being older I have knowledge and experience, the kids being younger are keen to their learning and fresh experience. Both sides can claim superiority.
In verses 8-11 we see our experience, knowledge, and practice is incomplete at best. In verse 12a I like the KJV, "For now we see through a glass, darkly". In modern translations, "dimly" used the most, "imperfect" in the TLB. So many things we know more but we have a lot more to learn. Think in the medical terms what we know about heart, cancer, and diabetes; we know a lot but we haven't cured these things. There is a feeling by many that we are just beginning to learn. We draw lines in the dirt and it matters but we are still learning. What we experience, know and learn is important but we all see things from our point of view. We have limits so we should give ourselves some slack.
The solution is seen in vs. 4-7 and vs. 13. What matters the most is love. Love is not romantic here. Vs. 4-7 define love. Love is that which seeks the other good above oneself. It is the Gk. word "ἀγάπη" referring to God's love for us. Love is...
Friends and family who have in front of them "love is" will work through the knowledge, experience and practice issues we have and some how embrace one another in the process.
Two thoughts...I (old guy) need to listen as the Grandpa it is easy to preach, but I have more fun listening; and all of us need to respect, trust, forgive and care for each other. Laughter seems a good idea in all of this as well.
Laundry problems in life don't belong on a talk show for others to laugh at and they don't belong in our holiday gatherings as well. Laundry seems best when private and personal. Personal agendas will be played out selfishly and usually backfire. I always told my kids I am not going on Oprah, Jerry Springer and the like. They can go on, but I am not watching. Family laundry isn't somebodies entertainment in a modern gladiator stadium or studio. And at the family gatherings it is not the time either.

Funny scene

There is a scene in "Dan of Real Life" where mom and pop talk to Dan about his issues in the laundry room. It is a great scene as mom and dad reach out for his best. That is a private moment. Parents with intelligence and a sense of humor. Besides the shower scene it is the best scene in the movie.
yesterday shoveled for 20 minutes. Dry snow and cold, the best. Doing stuff around the house, putz workouts are healthy.
Keep walking

Perfect grandchildren - I'm not lying! Happy 4th

Yesterday I played a round of frisbee golf at Freeport, Il. With my son's family. There is a great park and course there that will be a challenge for any disc player and walking the course is challengeging for any old man. The kids grilled a great meal and my grand children were perfect. It was a good day.

Today I was a little under the weather but I am perking up.
Looking at my twitter contacts I looked a feed on body language and the speaker shared using a power position for two minutes can change the chemistry in our brain to an outgoing person willing to take risk and face challenging situations. You can check out the science of it.
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html?source=facebook#.Udio0HgoumA.facebook
At the hotel I walked to a Leslie Sansone video on YouTube. Yesterday I used my walking stick to walk the disc golf course. I am rehabbing my knees and I don't want to fall. The walking stick helps a lot for me to reduce my risk. I was reading a Holmes mystery and he and Watson use walking sticks for defense and walking the 19th century streets when I think about it would have been way more uneven that our walkways. Myself I have always found the cracks. I have seen people use poles to include a full body workout. Maybe I should get a stick with a sword inside. OK that may be a little over board. I know I can use a walking stick better on soft trails than paved.
I was looking at a full page ad to have freedom from all religion in the Chicago Tribune. I imagine the foundation that sponsored the ad did so in major papers through out the country. What is not stated is the idea that group wants everybody to adhere to their point of view. In a real sense a lack of freedom. Anybody who has God in their thinking and reason will be outside the lines. The founding fathers could not have been more diverse. Who today would not love to be in a local pub with those guys to listen and debated the wonderful ideas they discussed. Excluding God is not the answer, infact keeping the dialogue open may lead to bigger and better ideas. The old boys quoted in the articles had read the Bible more and heard more sermons than most people today attending religious services.
What I like about many of them were their ideas on walking, fresh air and exercise.  They debated these things too. Keep walking

Everyday living to health

Here we are in Long Beach, California in a taffy
shop, that was a good day. We walked 4 miles that
day and we didn't walk off the taffy.

What a beautiful day today. Last night was quite a storm front through the Midwest but today was awesome. I was sitting out today reading a Longmire mystery, painting trim for our bedroom feeling what we used to say "pretty groovy". Walking and loosening up this ole body, feeling good.
Restocking my tools and doing some rehabbing in the house gives me plenty of stair climbing. My grand son wants to earn some money cutting grass so their goes a workout. Turning my energy to home renewal may be a trade off.
Do lists are great way to get more steps in your day and may include movement involving your whole body. If you are aware of a step conversion charts you may see a healthy angle to the shores of life.
It has been over a year since I added sit ups, push ups and squats to my daily routine. If

Yep, a pretty good day

you start out with modified movements it works. Things like getting up from chairs, getting in groceries, doing stuff that takes muscles is easier. These workouts used later at night have helped me actually get to sleep faster. Part of that is helping my CP and relaxing and stretching out the muscles. Moderate or easy workouts in the evening can be very helpful with sleep. Dr. Oz has a PM workout that you can look up at Real Health.
Long summer days I think get all of us active. Hot days look to walking early or late. I know many friends down in Florida who walk before day light. Retired consider a pre-dawn stroll. When I am in Florida I like to swim.
Ice treatments really helped, recovering very good from a fall earlier this week. I think everything I have written in the blog is the stuff of everyday life we can do. Eating right, moving, getting pleasure out of what we do all adds up to a good day.
Dr. Cooper, Leslie Sansone and others have share if we decide to do one thing for better health it often leads to other things and in the end we feel pretty good. Keep walking