FCA

I had the opportunity today to speak with several Fairview high school students. It was at the weekly meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It was my first attempt to incorporate my hands-free software on my laptop along with speaking. I clearly need more practice before my next speaking project. Shortly after I started, something that I had planned as a prank on my sister-in-law (Terri Boyer) didn't work and it threw me off somewhat. We started off with the unofficial Scripture of the NFL.
John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son and that whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.
Then we read
Romans 10:9  Anyone who confesses the Lord Jesus with his mouth, and believes in his heart that God has raised him from the dead, will be saved.

Then I asked the hypothetical question-if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Next came Galatians 5:22 that speaks about "Fruits of the Spirit"
Love… A deep, enduring concern for others' welfare.
Joy… Gladness of the heart, a lively emotion of happiness.
Peace… Freedom from hostility or anxiety-worry
Patients… A forbearing endurance of injuries or offenses.
Kindness… Gentle, humble, compassionate
Goodness… pleasant, kind. proper, joyful, agreeable.
Faithfulness… Belief, trust, (faith in Jesus is essential for salvation)
Gentleness… A mild disposition, tenderness, with refined manners.
Self-controll… Calmness, temperance, self disciplined (keeping a tight reign on your tongue)
I had them read Scriptures that dealt with each fruit.

Then I asked the question again, can others tell that you are a Christian by the evidence of Galatians 5:22
much love, Dennis

Whitney Kae

It's official, my daughter Whitney is engaged to Nick Mendez.

 They have been dating for over four years. I find it hard to express my feelings about my daughter preparing for something that I knew would eventually happen. I can't believe that it's been nearly 28 years since she entered/altered my life. It all happened way too fast.

 Preschool, grade-high school, college and respiratory therapy school. How does that happen in such a short amount of time? I'm very proud of Whitney, she makes me happy just by being Whitney.

Nick is her knight in shining armor :-)

Well, it's not that shiny, but it is custom-made.

Sometimes we have different colored skies in our worlds, but she knows that just as Her Heavenly Father has unconditional love for her, so does her earthly father.

Much love, Dennis

My Dr.'s VISIT

I've been working with a very special man, Dr. Charles Shields. He is the Dr. that many of my "office calls" happen through e-mail and Skype. Yesterday Cheri and I went to see him at his office. He had scheduled my appointment for 5:00 PM. I'm very certain that he normally doesn't schedule that late, because I overheard his secretary having to postpone something because she was going to be working a little late today. Dr. Shields, if you're reading this, I truly appreciate your caring heart and Amber I apologize for causing you extra work, but I suspect that your employer has a habit of going the extra mile.

I'm still going through the abdomen pain, the lidocaine injections proved to be useful when we tried them. I was really counting on leaving Enid with very little pain.  Due to the nature of my neural system, it's very hard for any physician to diagnose what is causing the things that I feel. Some people call this phantom pain, not because it's not real pain, it's because the source of the pain can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. The plan for this visit was to inject lidocaine with a small dose of a steroid into the hot spots, (My dreams of Tour de France and Olympic victories would've been tossed out right beside my oxtail stew).  :-)   People with neurological problems can tell you after they've been diagnosed,  the place where you feel pain may not be the source.

What actually occurred yesterday was that I didn't take any pain medication after lunch so that finding the hot spots would be relatively easy. Once the examination began, Dr. Shields expression on his face was telling me that he was puzzled by what he was finding. The short explanation is the area appears to be spreading somewhat and his plan of injections was probably not going to yield very good results. The procedure for finding the hot spots unfortunately leaves that area feeling like a convention of ants at a stinging contest until my medication kicks in. (yes I'm from Oklahoma) The next step will be using a cream that contains several compounds and it will probably start Friday or Saturday. FYI:   I could not find any  good jokes  about ants,  but I would to like to hear one   if  you  find one.
 
This morning, I think I heard God say, " I am the Great Physician, Dr. Shields is a good physician and I should put my trust in God and He will decide which procedure He will use for the healing."

Much love, Dennis

Best Friends

I wanted to acknowledge another birthday of my best friend, although belated, Max Carlisle. We've had fun, fun, fun, and a few bumps along the way. As best as I can remember, we met in 1980. I think we were introduced at the Ford dealership where I was working as the service manager. He came in to buy parts for his wife's car. He had worked part-time in college as a mechanic, so repairing his own vehicles was nothing new to him. I'm not sure how it came about, but shortly thereafter he came to the Blackledge City Auditorium to play basketball. We soon found out that we had many interests in common, waterskiing, motorcycles, and pretty much anything that would trigger a surge of adrenaline. There were a few years in the 80s when we both had Mondays off. A lot of times we would go to the Lake, just the two of us, and ski. Back then, we did a lot of slalom skiing and trick skiing. We learned how to deepwater start bare-footing, start backwards on trick skis, and ski around the boat. The last one was the hardest because we had never seen it done, but we had heard others talk about it. Our families have always shared a lot of time together, and I consider his kids as part of my family and I'm sure he feels the same. Last year at Grand Lake Max taught his boys how to ski around the boat. Even watching it is an adrenaline rush.

The one thing that we never really did much together was flying. Max is a pilot, and so is his youngest boy, Blake. I've been up in the air with Max on several occasions and those produce adrenaline. I know for certain that Max's wife, Debbie and my wife, Cheri even get a dose of adrenaline during a flight, but I don't think they consider it a good thing :-)

As you know, and I like a lighthearted ending to my posts. Here's something that's been around a long time, but it still makes me laugh.

Much love, Dennis

You Don't Know What You're Missing!

　

I was recently reminded of something that happened when Cheri, my mother, and myself were at the TIRR. They had a nice cafeteria on the bottom floor, and patients could order their meals from the buffet and visitors could pay and go through their smorgasbord. One day my favorite nurses, Lela, said today is Thursday, that means fried oxtail. I'm sure that you could hear three jaws hitting floor. Cheri said: what in the world is oxtail?
 Lela: what do you think it is?
Mom: well it can't be the tail from an ox.
Lela smiled and said: Oh No, it doesn't come from an ox, it is the tail from a cow.

Sure enough, Cheri went to the cafeteria and found fried oxtail, and it came highly recommended by their staff.  I'm not sad to say that I missed out on oxtail while I was in Houston. I did a little research and found out that we missed out on quite a delicacy. Even Paula Deen has several recipes for oxtail. I've tried cows tongue, testicles,  liver,  and probably some parts that I didn't even know were on a cow, but I guess I'll never have the worldly pallet that a more sophisticated person would have. 
 THE PERFECT HUSBAND

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club.. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man
engages the hands-free speaker function and begins to talk. In the room everyone else stops to listen. MAN:  "Hello"

WOMAN: "Honey, it’s me. Are you at the club?". MAN: "Yes". WOMAN: "I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It’s only $8000 ,  Is it OK if I buy it?" MAN: "Sure, go ahead if you like it that much." WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2013 models. I saw one I really liked.". MAN: "How much?" WOMAN: " $72,000 ″ MAN: "OK, but for that price I want it with all the options.". WOMAN: "Great! Oh, and one more thing…the house I wanted last year is back on the market. They’re asking ″ $482,000 for it. MAN: "Well, then go ahead and give them an offer of $450,000 . They will probably take it. If not, we can go the extra $32,000 it’s really a pretty good price.". WOMAN: "OK. I’ll see you later!… I love you so much!" MAN: "Bye! I love you, too." The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him in astonishment, mouths agape. He turns and asks: "Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?".. Much love, , Dennis

The meaning of life

I've noticed something in many of the commercials on TV. A lot of them use the phrase or something very similar to it. "That's what life is all about.". Today I saw one where an animal rights activist was able to nurse an orphaned baby seal back to health. I'm not saying that what he did wasn't a good thing or something worthwhile, but "THAT'S WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT." I've seen car commercials, jewelry, recycling, and I'm sure there are many other causes worthy of the effort put forth by those who are involved. I have a different opinion.

It reminds me of some of the many versions that I've heard others speak of about people on their deathbed. How many people have accepted Jesus in the last few days, or even moments of their life. No one that I know of has ever looked back and said, " I wished that I could have only saved one more whale"

　

This guy decides he wants his dog to be able to dance, so he enrolls the pet in dance classes. Dutifully, he takes this dog to class every week, but he sees no improvement. Finally, he takes the instructor aside and says, "I'm spending a fortune here. Why isn't my dog's dancing improving?" "I'm sorry," the instructor replies, "but there's not much I can do. Your dog has two left feet."

Much love, Dennis

DOCTORS ORDERS

I just got back from Enid. My rehab doctor is trying something different to eliminate the pain in my abdomen. To start with he is injecting lidocaine into specific spots to try to find the places that are triggering the pain. These injections are temporary, 3-4 hours of relief. Hopefully, he can find the right places to target and then go in with something that will last much longer. It's been about two hours since the injections and pain is minimal. My doctor is a great guy, but my primary physician is still God. Jeremiah 29:11  I know the plans that he has for me, plans for me to prosper and be in good health.

I know there are some people out there who never seem to age. I ran across this panacea just the other day.

　

Secret Elixir of Longevity?

Gloria, out for a walk, notices this little old man rocking in a chair on his porch and approaches him.

'I can't help noticing how happy you look, 'Gloria smiles at him, 'What is your secret for a long happy life?'

'I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, 'he replied, 'I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods, and never exercise.'

'That's amazing!' Gloria responds, 'How old are you?'

'Twenty-six, 'he replies.

Much love, Dennis