I'm self-controlled and alert because I know that my enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But in my lack of self-control I allowed him come close and whisper in my ear. The party that followed was not a "tea party", but a "pity party".  I wasted a perfectly good day that the Lord had made just for me. I'm thankful that my wife refused to participate and did the right thing by telling me to get over it. There is only one person responsible for my mindset and that is me. I know the Scriptures, I have heard them preached and I failed to implement them until late in the day.

NOW,  Love, Joy, Peace, Patients, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control are back in charge.

I have no excuses and I do not want any comments concerning this post. Just know that God is good and His Grace is sufficient for me.

Much Love, Dennis

Mentor/Friend

I have a long time friend that I've never discussed on my blog. We communicate on Facebook several times a week, but in the last year he has stopped by many times. I consider him to be a mentor and a great example of a godly man. He bought my ticket and made arrangements for me to go Dallas, Texas and attend a Promise Keepers meeting in 1994. I think we had seven people in his suburban on that trip. That was a growth spurt in my spiritual life and walk with God. We have been in several Bible studys and have worked on a few outreach projects together. He has gone out of his way on many occasions to help out people in need as well using many of those times to witness. I'm sure that God looks down at him sometimes and says "Atta Boy". 
He brought his grandson, Jake, over last week and we had a good time. Jake got to see some of my squirrels in action.  A couple of days later Garen brought a big block of squirrel food. I've seen three squirrels scrunched together all gnawing on that 8 inch cube.
Garen has a keen sense of humor, a wealth of intellect and a vast amount of wisdom. One of the things that Garen has taught me is how to pick your battles. Maybe I should rephrase that, I understand his teaching, but I haven't mastered the technique [yet].  Having mentors/friends are a blessing.

Did I mention that he has a good sense of humor ?


A young boy asked his grandmother:  How old are you?
Grandmother said:  You're not supposed to ask!
Boy:  Grandma, How much you weigh?
Grandmother said:  You don't need to know that!
Boy:  Grandma I found your drivers license. I know that you are 62 years old, you weigh 160 lbs. And

you got an " F " in sex.

Much Love, Dennis

job training

I have been working at a project called Pool Studios. It is something that I am able to do online. Basically it is a course in computer-animated drawing. It requires specific software that will change two-dimensional drawings into simulated 3-D. It is similar to Photoshop, something that I have a very small ability to perform. I have ran into a few challenges because of the way that my hands-free system works. This is something that the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) has been helping me with. They work with people, like me, to try and reenter the workforce. The people at Pool Studios have allowed me to use a temporary version of their software so that I can train at my own pace.  I am starting to see some of the fruits of my labor, and it is rewarding.

I have something that I would like for everyone to try. It is something that I saw on a program called Brain Games.

Pick a number, 1 through 5
multiply that number by 9… 
That is 1x9 = 9
2 x9=18
3x9=27
4x9=36
5x9=45
Now add those digits together … for example 2+7
Next subtract 5
Now take your number and assign a letter of the alphabet… 1-A ...2-B …3-C  and so on
Think of a country that starts with your letter
Now take the last letter of the country that you thought of and think of an animal that starts with that last letter
Now take the last letter of the animal you thought of and think about a color.
You should now have a Country, Animal, and a Color.
Scroll down to find out your answer!






Much Love, Dennis





Orange 
Kangaroo 
Denmark 

A MERRY HEART DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17: verse 22

After three days of much-needed rain, the sun is out and I am feeling better every day. I've decided to post a list of actual sayings from church Marquis. Some of them have been around a while, but I got a good laugh, hopefully you will too.


"No God-No Peace. Know God-Know Peace."

"Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"

"Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins."

"Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"

An ad for St. Joseph's Episcopal Church has a picture of two hands holding stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads, "For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."

When the restaurant next to the Lutheran Church put out a big sign with red letters that said, "Open Sundays," the church reciprocated with its own message: "We are open on Sundays, too."

"Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons - come hear one!"

A singing group called "The Resurrection" was scheduled to sing at a church. When a big snowstorm postponed the performance, the pastor fixed the outside sign to read, "The Resurrection is postponed."

"People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are."

"God so loved the world that He did not send a committee."

"Come in and pray today. Beat the Christmas rush!"

"When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out alright."

"Sign broken. Message inside this Sunday."

"Fight truth decay-study the Bible daily."

"How will you spend eternity-Smoking or Non-smoking?"

"Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"

"Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."

"Our arms are the only ones God has to hug His children."

"It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."

"Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."

"If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."

"If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."

"Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire insurance soon."

"This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" ---> (U R)

"Forbidden fruit creates many jams."

"In the dark? Follow the Son."

"Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up."

"If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."

Much love, sinneD

The Favor of God continues

This is a continuation of last week's post, so if you missed it I would suggest that you read it first.
 I have told you about how God blessed us with the batteries and how we were in the right place at the right time to receive help changing out a tire that was ruined. There is something new to add to the tire blessing. I found out yesterday that I have a check due to arrive in the mail, any day. It is for the amount of the tires plus mounting and balancing. I don't have the check in my hand yet, but I give all the glory to my God. 
Romans 8:28   And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

 In the last few weeks he has blessed me and my family in many ways. His grace, love and mercy have no boundaries.

 
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wisdom, power and love
Our God is an awesome God

Much Love, Dennis

The Favor of God

Blessing #1
My diaphragm pacer requires a special battery that Cheri has to order. They are normally $15-$20 each and they last 22 days. She thought she would check out eBay to see if anyone sold those specific batteries. She found an auction with the batteries and bid $10 and won the auction and was able to order what she thought was five batteries at $10 each. Her order arrived yesterday and there were 25 batteries. She knew that she had only paid $50 so she sent an e-mail to the seller and he said, what you were bidding on was a pack of five batteries, you had the high bid and you ordered five packages. So now we have 25 spare batteries and they ended up costing us two dollars each. What a blessing from God.

Blessing #2
On Monday I had a doctors appointment at St. Mary's in Enid. My dad and I were on our way home and about 3 miles east of Ringwood. Suddenly we felt a bump and heard a thud, neither of us saw anything in the road. Just as we reached Ringwood the low tire light came on so we headed down Main Street. There is no place in Ringwood for tire repair. I knew that Hamm and Phillips had a tire machine and I still know several people there and was sure that they would help us out. We turned and started for their shop. About three blocks away the tire went completely flat and my dad pulled into a vacant lot with an old driveway and shade tree. We were right across the street from Dee Nightengale, the mother of one of my friends. She saw us and asked if we needed some help. Dad said that we probably could use some help because the jack was not working well. Dee said her neighbor was on his way. Her neighbor is Buddy Briley, someone that I used to play basketball and softball with. Within 5 min. of us stopping Buddy brought over a wheelbarrow with a floor jack and a lug wrench. He had the tires changed out in less than 5 min., however our spare tire was low. He said I have an air compressor, just pull into my driveway and I will air up your spare. We tried to pay, but Buddy refused. We were on the road in less than 25 min. and that included me visiting with Buddy for a few minutes. I told my dad and Buddy that these circumstances are not luck, God put us in the right place at the right time.
 We found out today that all four tires were weather checked and the other three were likely to do the same in the near future. Even though we were not expecting to buy four new tires, we were blessed because this will keep us from being stranded on one of the several road trips that Cheri and I are planning in the near future.

PEOPLE, These things don't just materialize on their own, God orchestrates circumstances.

A man in Arkansas has a flat tire, pulls off on the side of the road, and proceeds to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it.

Then he gets back in the car to wait. A passerby studies the scene and is so curious he turns around and goes back. He asks the fellow what the problem is.

The man replies, 'I have a flat tire.' The passerby asked, 'But what's with the flowers?'

The man responded, 'When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. Hey, it don't make no sense to me neither.'

Much love, Dennis

WHAT A WEEK

This week has been very busy for me. Our dishwasher finally bit the dust and because there are no places locally to purchase one, Cheri, myself, and Darla (Cheri's mother) went to Enid to shop for a new one. We found one that Darla liked (she is in charge of the dishwasher) and it was on sale. They did not have the white in stock so we ordered it. When the clerk rang up the transaction we found out that it had an additional $100 discount. I can tell you from experience that God grants favor much more than most people realize. Some may call it luck, but I know in my heart that God deserves the praise in that circumstance.

My daughter, Whitney was married in Stillwater on Monday. Her plan was for a very small group of parents and a couple of friends to witness the signing of a wedding license and for that to be a secret until she was under less stress. She is currently getting ready for her Respiratory Therapy board examination. She wanted to have a Church wedding in the fall. However, secrets in today's world of social media are taboo. The facts are Whitney and Nick are married. They have been dating for over four years and engaged for about six months. I am very proud to announce that I still have a daughter and now I have a son-in-law.

On Tuesday I had a dental appointment with my favorite Dentist and her awesome staff. Some of you may have noticed that I had a chipped front tooth. June, my dentist, made me pretty again. Those were her words, not mine.   :-)  When I go to the dentist it is a treat, because of the casual atmosphere and joyful attitude that fills June's office.

I got to visit with Andy Shewey Tuesday afternoon, he's an old friend from my basketball days. GOOD TIMES

On Thursday I will be going to a pool party with some of my closest friends. I know that it will be a good day filled with food, fun, and fellowship.
I may have to add to this post later, because there are still Friday and Saturday left in this week.

The family of elderly man with heart problems found out that he had just won several million dollars in the lottery. They were concerned that the shock of the good news might be too much for his heart to handle. Their pastor volunteered to try and break the news to him in a manner that would keep him calm. The clergyman slowly and gently explained what had occurred and the elderly man took the news well. He then said this this is one the greatest things that has ever happened to him. God has truly blessed me and I'm giving half of this to the church, to which the pastor grabbed his heart and fell over dead.
It is, just a joke. :-)

Much love, Dennis