The Favor of God: revised

I cannot hold my joy and thankfulness any longer. Cheri and I have been basking in God's favor and blessings recently. A longtime friend (who recently lost his primary job) called to let us know that he was having a couple of cows butchered and one was for us. "Praise The Lord"

I was given the OK to order a new power chair. What I needed and what Medicare deemed necessary were miles apart. The minor differences were many dollars apart.

My best friend (Max), stopped by Sunday afternoon to deliver an envelope with the amount of money needed to satisfy Medicare. He said that several of  my friends, (Who wanted to remain anonymous) found out about the monetary deficit and went together to make it disappear.
"Praise The Lord"!

 Max and my dad are still working on the automatic doors and ramp, but I continue believe ( Philippines 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. )

Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus

Much Love, Dennis

Public Speaking

There was an old country preacher who had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought along the line of choosing a profession. Like many young men, then and now, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do- and he didn't seem overly concerned about it. 

One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. What he did was, he went into the boy's room and placed on his study table these three objects: a Bible, a silver dollar, and a bottle of whiskey.

"Now then," the old preacher said to himself, "I'll just hide behind the door here, and when my son comes home from school this afternoon, I'll see which of these three objects he picks up. If he picks up the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be! If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be o.k. too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a drunkard - a no-good drunkard and Lord, what a shame that would be."

The old man was anxious as he waited, and soon he heard his son's footsteps as he came in the house whistling and headed back to his room. He deposited his books on the bed, as a matter of routine, and as he turned around to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table.

With a curious set in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. What he finally did was, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink...
"Lord have mercy," the old man whispered, "He's going to be a politician!"

I have friends who are politicians and I hope they don't think this is directed at anyone in particular.

I am beginning to feel very comfortable speaking in public, sharing my faith and explaining my circumstances. There are occasions when my voice will become very weak and I really don't understand why. Fortunately, I have never had a problem on the occasions where I publicly share. A couple of times at our weekly FCA meetings, my voice has diminished. That is not too much of a problem because I am in a secondary leadership position. Linda is the sponsor and the primary leader.
I recently spoke at an event sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It was a collaboration of several FCA groups from different towns and it was also open to the public. The day before I was to speak, my voice began to deteriorate. I prayed that I would be able to be understood and just before I was introduced, my friend Max prayed over me, asking for my message to be heard and understood.
As I began to speak, my voice was not any better. I can normally stringing together 4-6 words before taking a breath. That night for most of the time 2 words were all I could put together. I had to cut short much of what I had planned on saying.
I really felt like I had let down the Lord, the people in attendance and those who are part of the group that I help with in Fairview. When Cheri and I returned home, I told her that I was very disappointed in myself.
I'm very thankful to have a wife who listens to God. She reminded me that as Christians we have an enemy, Satan.
 John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that you may have life, and have it to the full

I was actually allowing Satan to steal my joy and it was my decision whether or not to accept my attempt at speaking as a success or a failure. I had spent many hours composing and revising what I had planned for that evening. I did my best and that is what God was expecting me to do.
It was kind of like I was standing at the edge of a tall building, getting ready to jump into a huge pity party. I thank God for my wife and her advice in this situation. There was no pity party that night or any time since then. I did my best and I am counting on God to handle the things that I could not do that evening. I am going through the valley, but I'm not setting up camp and staying in the valley. I continuing my journey on through.
Much love, Dennis

An Unexpected Treasure

I received a DVD in the mail this week that was recorded in April of 2006. My accident was May 7, 2006. In this video I went out riding with 3 young men who were finishing their junior year in high school. The DVD was a school project for Jed Young. He needed to get video for a computer class.

Jed built a motocross track near his home and named it 358 motocross track because it was 3 miles from Highway 58. Kory Reimer shot the video, Jed and Corey Cofer were the other 2 riders. Corey is riding the orange KTM bike number 887. Jed is riding the blue Yamaha number 358, I am riding the red Honda wearing the black and white gear on number 365.

Yes, that is Brett Cue’s number. I just purchased the bike from him and had not changed the numbers, mainly because all the graphics were brand-new. Brett is very particular with his bikes. He had just bought a new 2006 CRF 450. I bought his old 2006 CRF 450. We spent 3 hours putting the forks, rear shock, rear wheel with brakes, , front wheel with brakes and several other pieces from the new bike onto the old bike. What a deal, other than the motor, most of the parts were brand-new.  :-)

If you'll look closely you will see a long black mullet hanging out the back of my helmet. (Not my real hair)

I raced some Arena Cross under the name "Joe Dirt". The long hair attached to the helmet drew attention away from how slow I actually was. Yes, I was am a goofball. We did some goon riding on the ramp and played around on a set of double doubles. Fortunately Brett’s old bike did not remember how to go upside down off of the ramp.

There's nothing like the feeling of hanging in the air and coming down to a smooth landing.

It was really neat seeing myself ride at a time that was close to my accident. Man, those were fun times.

Thanks Jed Young for the video and Corey and Kory for the invitation to ride that day. I can still remember grinning all of that afternoon.

Much Love, Dennis

Two of My Motorcycle Buddies

I'm leading off with a joke today so as not to detract from the seriousness of my post.

I am asking for prayers for 2 specific friends of mine who are both motorcycle enthusiast, just like me.

FYI, I know that this is not a picture of a Harley engine :-)

A mechanic was removing a cylinder-head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known cardiologist in his shop.

The cardiologist was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike when the mechanic shouted across the garage "Hey Doc, want to take a look at this?"

The cardiologist, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and said, "So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new.

So how come I make $39,675 a year, a pretty small salary and you get the really big bucks ($1,695,759) when you and I are doing basically the same work?"

The cardiologist paused, smiled and leaned over, then whispered to the mechanic................................

"Try doing it with the engine running."
*********************************************************************

Greg Karber is a friend of mine from Houston.

We had never met until August 2006. He has family and friend ties to Fairview. Greg came to TIRR out of the goodness of his heart and offered any help that he was capable of giving. As it turned out he was an Angel sent by God to help us facilitate my departure from Houston. Greg was a tremendous asset and Christian friend when I was at TIRR in Houston.

Greg and his wife Jeannie

He was in an accident on May 10, and I am asking for prayers for his quick and complete recovery. He has a long road ahead of him, but I know that," He can do all things through Christ, who strengthens him".

This is a Facebook update from his wife, Jeannie.

5/28/14 Update on Greg:
First of all - Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers you have sent our way. They are still working.
I am back working most days now depending on Greg’s schedule. He was released last night after 17 days in the trauma unit at Memorial Hermann Hospital, downtown. We will still have a lot of doctor appointments and more surgeries on the foot later on, but for a couple of weeks, rest and healing.
For those who may not be aware, on May 10, 2014, Greg left work on his motorcycle around 5:30 p.m. and was hit by a car in downtown Houston. The major injuries are on his lower left side. He has now had 6 surgeries that I've sent updates on. His open wound is similar to what our military men and women come back with when they are hurt in the war. Greg has signed on with two different studies to help them study the surgeries he’s had done and how it can help these veterans.
The follow-up doctor appointments will start at the end of next week to determine how much damage is in the foot and what and how many surgeries it might take. We’re not “out of the woods” as they say, but he is in good spirits and wants to thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.
God is good! We are blessed.
Love to all, Jeannie

*******************************************************

James Marshall before his accident

Another friend of mine also from Houston is going through some tough times. He was a professional Supercross racer and suffered a spinal cord injury at the San Diego race in January of 2006. He was a roommate of mine at TIRR in August of 2006. James was 21 when he had his accident, He recently turned 30. Over the course of the last 8 years he has grown spiritually and is giving back to the sport that he loves. He has many YouTube videos, most of them concerning his nonprofit organization called "The James Marshall Project". He helps raise money to aid riders who have gone through SCI and Brain Trauma. Right now he is in need of financial support for his living circumstances. Here is the link to his story. The James Marshall Project

Will you help us get James to Project Walk? Please contact April Sutton at (832) 892-8202 or email at projectoutlaw@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

 I also believe that the greatest gift is prayer. Thank you for the prayers for Greg and James.

Much love, Dennis

EIGHT YEARS

Today is the eighth anniversary of my accident. I thought about it several weeks ago, but had forgotten until Cheri posted about it on her blog   http://cheri-scicaregiving.blogspot.com/ 
I remember everything from that morning up until the time that I landed awkwardly on my head. Many times I thought that so unfair because I was traveling only about 5-6 mph.

I look back now with a different attitude. There were so many situations in my life prior to that accident that could have turned out tragic but didn't. I don't believe that God was responsible, it was my decision to ride that day. I do believe that it was God who kept me alive throughout the five months that it took for me to be well enough to return home. It was God who allowed my mother to accompany Cheri and I to the TIRR (Texas Institute for Research and Rehabilitation) center in Houston for 60 days.
It was God who arranged for my mother-in-law (Darla) to move in with us while continuing to work from home. It was God who touched the hearts of all the people that prepared my house to be wheelchair accessible and create a second master bedroom for my in-laws. It was God who sent a Chrysler Entervan to TIRR two weeks before my release. He touched the hearts of my friends to purchase that van. He has been with me for much more than eight years. My hindsight is much better today. I can say that what happened to me was a mess that God has turned into a message. He has opened doors and closed doors. I know that all things work together for good to those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I'm doing things today that I would never have done if I had not been through this trial.

My Outlook on life is now: Live your life as if every day were the last one here on earth, it very well could be.

Today I am sitting in a room specifically designed for me. Utilizing a brand-new computer while watching the birds and a squirrel hanging out in the shade of my backyard. I have an opportunity to soon have a part-time job. A beautiful wife who loves me and has stuck with me in "Sickness and Health".
I have friends who do things for me and would never even think of receiving anything in return.

I've done more thinking about this anniversary in the last hour then I have in the last two years. I am blessed beyond all I could ever imagine.
Today is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it  :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Much love, Dennis

Old Friends and New Friends

It's been a good week, I've had several visitors and as always enjoyed each one. A longtime friend and Christian man, Vinton Baker stopped by for a short visit. He would have stayed longer, but unfortunately I had a doctors appointment in Enid. I went to school with his daughter Delia.

My mother-in-law and I both had appointments dam the St. Mary's medical complex in Enid on Thursday. She got a very good report on her shoulder and they are just continuing with rehab for now.
I am down to one skin breakdown on my left ankle. It is slowly healing and I'm looking forward to the day that those pesky breakdowns are a thing of the past.

On Friday Dan and Gwen Willits stopped by and brought with them Mike and Patty O'Brien. Dan and Gwen are part of my group of special people, and my Brother and Sister in Christ. It was an honor to meet two of their good friends. Those four were on a tight schedule and so they were unable to spend very much time here. I did manage to brag about my computer and coax them into a picture just before they left.

I have a group of "Special People" and I love them dearly. They know who they are because over the last 7+ years I have learned to tell them. It was not something that I was accustomed to or comfortable with, but I have changed a lot over the years. Saying  "I love you" is much easier than putting it into practice. Right now the Lord as been teaching me to practice love. I'm not talking about the easy kind of love, but kind of love that we are to have for those that we don't even like.


Matthew 5:42-48  Amplified Bible 
42 Give to him who keeps on begging from you, and do not turn away from him who would borrow at interest] from you.
43 You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy;
44 But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?
47 And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?
48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Here is a quote that I think my friends understand about me. :-)

 "A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

Much love, Dennis

Pressure Sores

Since I have my weight down to 150, I no longer have a lot of excess padding when I'm sitting down. Last Saturday my wife and father noticed a red spot on my tailbone. Many people have this problem and if left untreated all open sores can be devastating. I already had an appointment with my wound care Dr. on Monday. She prescribed bed rest except for three times a day when I could spend 45 min. in my chair. This came as an unexpected blow and felt like another attack. I talked to Dr. Rogers and the nurses about specifics and options that may be available. We agreed that I could spend a couple of hours with some great friends New Year's Eve. I'm very thankful for the time that I get to spend with my "Special People"

  I can use my laptop while in bed, and that makes the days go by much quicker.

I have five more days of antibiotics and I'm looking forward to an infection free body. For those of you who are not familiar with a pressure sore, I have posted a link that shows what my tailbone looks like. As I said it's not bad and is looking better. The picture has been cropped so you don't have to worry about me exposing myself   :-)
I wanted you to read his popular quote before you look at the picture.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/baboon.jpg

Much love, Dennis

Psalm 23

The last 7-10 days have been a roller coaster ride. I really enjoyed speaking to the FCA and meeting an amazing young man, Tyler Zander. He talked about his faith, forgiveness, and what he is doing now.

I've also spent some time pondering several situations currently on my mind. I won't go into specifics, but it seems like Satan has been working overtime in the lives of my family and friends. There are some things that all I can do is pray and there are other situations that make me want to retaliate in some form. I know that we are to cast our cares to the Lord, but sometimes I just want to go back under the Law and say "an eye for an eye". It's very hard when someone you care about has been wronged but I know that the battle belongs to the Lord.
In this world we will have trials and tribulations. I just have to remember that we are going through the Valley and not setting up camp.

A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

And now for something completely different
A couple had two little mischievous boys, ages 8 and 10. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons would get the blame. 

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed and asked to see them individually.

So, the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon. 

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open.

The clergyman repeated the question. "Where is God?"

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.

So, the clergyman raised his voice some more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "Where is God!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room. He ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?" 

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied: "We are in real BIG trouble this time! God is missing, and they think we did it!"

Much Love, Dennis

Vacation Time

In my last post I talked in general about the bombing Memorial and our lunch at a well-known and highly recommended restaurant. Today I'm going to give some specifics and I know that some will say or think that I am a religious fanatic or a holy roller, but believe there is a God in heaven and there is Satan and evil that oppose anything good here on earth. He tried to steal our joy, but it did not work!

First of all we had planned on going to OKC Monday or Tuesday. The weather outlook was not in our favor, so we decided to shoot for Thursday. Once again last-minute changes, but Friday morning we loaded up with the many essentials that I have to travel with. We were still in the driveway when my pacer battery alarm went off. Normally the first warning gives you six hours until the second warning and after the second warning  2-4 hours before it runs out and quits. (Meaning no stimulation to my diaphragm). We always carry a second pacer with a new battery and a spare battery in my backpack. Therefore we weren't too concerned about the alarm.
We met with Rubena  (family friend) and went to the restaurant. Cheri's mother was staying the weekend with her.
You have seen the ADA ramp, actually it was not a problem for me. We were seated and had a super nice waitress take care of us. We all ordered and the food arrived quickly. Cheri and I were anxious to get to the museum, so we skipped the coconut cream pie,

however Cheri's mother decided that she needed to try it. To make a long story short, she had a bout with food poisoning for about six hours. I'm so glad we skipped dessert.
Once we arrived at the museum, we unloaded the essentials and stored the extra pacer in a secure spot. The inside of the Memorial starts on the third floor and you navigate down through the second floor. There are many hours worth of exhibits. We went through the third floor, took the elevator to the second floor and my pacer alarm went off. No big deal, we've got several hours to view the rest of the Memorial before getting to the van and changing it out for the new pacer. 10 minutes later the alarm sounded. We stopped at a spot where Cheri could sit down and just change out the battery with the spare. Spare was changed and immediately the alarm went off…battery dead. I'm able to breathe on my own for a few minutes, so battery changes are not a big deal. She put the old battery back in and headed for the van.

 Once we were at the van Cheri discovered that she did not have the keys. Fortunately we always have a spare key on the van for just such emergencies. We surmised that when she was changing out the batteries on the second floor that the car keys were misplaced on the bench. We did get in the van, started it up and replaced the entire pacer with the spare. Once she retrieved the spare pacer, the keys were laying near it. PTL 
I'm sure I left out a few details, but throughout this whole ordeal neither Cheri or I lost our cool and allowed Satan to steal the joy of each moment. The only drawback is at some time we will need to return to finish our tour.
Much Love, Dennis

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It's been a while since my last post, but that is because I have been busy. First of all, three of the four antibiotics have been extended for another two weeks. No complaints will be forthcoming, only positive words and expectations. I'm still practicing and learning the Pool Studios software. I've got the basics down, but there are some hurdles to overcome due to the way I operate this computer.

I am preparing for a couple of doors that had been opened for me to speak about my faith.

This week Cheri is off for vacation and we had plans for a couple of day trips. The weather has altered our plans somewhat, but we have been on the road every day except today.
Tomorrow we will probably go to OKC and see the Bombing Memorial, I have never been there.


Here is a picture of a freestyle ramp owned by a friend of mine, Kenny Bartram.

Over last weekend, I tried out some software similar to Photoshop. Here are a few of my artistic renderings.

 This picture of a riding buddy, Brett Cue and myself

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

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

My Hometown

 I've been a little focused on the tornadoes lately, and the devastation that they leave behind. Today I want to change gears. Let's go back to my yard. Right now I'm watching two young squirrels frolicking in the grass about 20 feet from my window. They really get energetic when the dogs are in the house. Occasionally one of them will go over to the Ronald McDonald toy and wrestle with it, rolling around and then throwing it up in the air. My mother brought over a block of squirrel food that is approximately a 10 in. cube. It took about three days, but the squirrels have now decided that it is "purdy good grub". Yep, I'm an Okie.

The 2 Starling babies are now flying, catching their own food, but returning to the birdhouse porch to eat their prey. They are pretty much full-size, but their light gray color makes them easy to spot.

 Here is a link to the Fairview Chamber of Commerce, there are some nice pictures of some of my favorite place on Earth.

http://www.fairviewokchamber.com/index.php/site/home

The video and information is several years old, but since then, Fairview has become a better place to live. Many of the people in the video are my friends.



Here are a couple of pictures from Google Earth.

School is out and our fairly new aquatic center is one of the main attractions for kids of all ages. Since we live close, our dogs spend a lot of time barking at those walking or riding a bicycle on their way to the pool.

I have a pretty good view of the big slide and the diving board. Google Earth is a free download and will zoom in much closer than this. These pictures were taken August 8, 2012.
This year things are much greener and the baseball and softball fields can easily be spotted. The baseball field is in the bottom center of this picture.
Much Love, Dennis

"Almost God" :-)

I had an opportunity on Friday to celebrate a birthday / anniversary of a long time and great example of a "Godly Man". Marvin Martens, he was celebrating his 80th birthday in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of his homegrown manufacturing business, BRAMCO. Marvin's son Brad and I went to school together. In our junior high days, I spent the night at their house several times. I've had many opportunities to observe Marvin up close and personal. I've also been living in the same small town and watching many of the projects that he has initiated, spearheaded, and promoted. Some people are visionaries, able to come up with positive ideas and convince others to carry out those ideas, and we need those types of people. What sets Marvin apart from most visionaries is that when he has a project, not only does he convince others to go along but he is first in line to get his hands dirty and the last one to leave to make sure that everything is done and done properly.
Something I noticed Friday on my tour of his manufacturing facility was the placement of the equipment and the tools. It appears that every workspace was set up and arranged in a precise and specific manner. Most of them were equipped with a peg board set up with the tools specifically outlined and labeled so that there was no doubt as to where each tool was to be stored. (A man after my own heart). I'm convinced that Marvin didn't hire people who already practiced that type of efficiency, but taught each one how to discipline themselves this way in order to get the most out of each day's work. If anyone can produce more in a days work than Marvin, even at this time in his life, they are gifted.
I firmly believe that the reason he is able to do what he does is because he has a very close relationship to the Lord. He is blessed and walks in favor because of that relationship. I consider myself fortunate to know Marvin, his wife, as well as his children and grandchildren. I know that there are many people who feel the way I do, one of them, when referring to Marvin, uses the phrase "Almost God"  :-) 
If you've ever had the opportunity to shake hands with Marvin, then you understand what physical strength feels like. It makes me think of *Samson from the Bible.

I always like to close with humor, even though sometimes I may be the only one who gets it, this one is for Marvin.

*Samson is said to be the best actor in the Bible because he brought down the house.

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

"That's What She Said"

I'm sending you to my wife's blog, (Thus the title), because she took the pictures and I was taught, "Ladies First".

My dad is an excellent carpenter and a very clever man. This squirrel maze is a really neat addition to my backyard wildlife sanctuary. The Plexiglas on the front is hinged on the right hand side and has a latch on the left. This makes it very easy to restock the squirrel treats. Cheri has some really neat pictures, but I'm hoping we can capture some video soon.

http://cheri-scicaregiving.blogspot.com/2013/02/squirrel-maze.html

Much Love, Dennis

Training

I received some sad news today. My friends Sterling and Lori Krysler will not be able to return to Fairview anytime soon. We met through a computer software course. Sterling and Lori have been doing these types of things for over 20 years. They teach alternative computer skills such as "Dragon Naturally Speaking", Magic Cursor, and Tracker Pro-mouse controller.  

Lori and Sterling have become much more than teachers, they are friends and Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We will continue to stay in touch through Facebook, e-mail, and probably some Skype. These two have been a tremendous boost to my faith and a great example of how to deal with adversity in this life. They are on my prayer list, and will continually be there. Sterling is always up for a good joke, I am hoping these will work :-)
　 　

Fixing broken computer

An office technician got a call from a user. The user told the tech that her computer was not working. She described the problem and the tech concluded that the computer needed to be brought in and serviced.

He told her to "Unplug the power cord and bring it up here and I will fix it."

About fifteen minutes later she shows up at his door with the power cord in her hand.

Much Love, Dennis

 

 

 

Grand Lake- now and then

Grand Lake vacation was awesome this year. This is Tyler, with his child. I think Tyler was 5 yrs. old the first time we met him. He is Max Tillman's (the owner) oldest son.

This time next year there will be two more grandchildren on the Carlisle side. Grant and his wife Dianna are expecting as well as Blake and Haley Wedel.

Starting at the left Jami McAdoo --Cheri Boyer--Charlotte Webb--Kourtney Childers--Debbie Carlisle--Haley Wedel--Dianna Carlisle. It's kind of fun to think back to the first few years at Grand Lake. Whitney, Grant, Blake C. were all preteens and I think that Haley was 13 or 14. Blake, the youngest of these 4 is now 25 and has a daughter of his own, Ava.

One of the things that I remember from the early years at Honey Creek is Haley marching up to the cabins and with a very stern look on her face. She exclaimed: "I'm going to ring the necks of two little boys on the dock! They have been calling Blakey FOUR EYES." Back then Blake wore glasses. From the look on her face, I think she was serious.

I was a little sad that Whitney couldn't make it this year as well as Dan and Gwen Willits, but there's always next year.

Much love, Dennis

Wednesday

I am so thankful for the wonderful weather and good health that I'm experiencing this year. It brings to mind Romans 8:28. It is God who causes all things to work together for good to those of us who love him and who are called according to his purpose. Wednesday was a typical morning, relaxing around the cabins and picnic table for a while and then heading down to the dock. I don't know exactly why it is, but the dock is my "HAPPY PLACE". Maybe it's because it is close to part of the 23rd Psalm where it talks about green pastures, still waters, restoring my soul, no fear and a banquet table.

Blake Wedel arrived in the afternoon. I think that brought the total of our group to 17. This was not the first time for Haley's husband Blake to join us at Grand Lake. Many years ago, I'm not exactly sure how many, Haley and Blake were dating and Blake spent a couple days at Honey Creek.

There is always a lot of joking around, trash talking and an occasional practical joke at the lake. It has become a tradition. For several years Cheri and Grant Carlisle had a running joke. Grant would tell Cheri that he needed a sandwich or something to drink and Cheri would reply "Do I have MAID tattooed on my forhead?" Occasionally somebody still brings that up and it gave me an idea. Here's a picture Of Grant and Diana Carlisle at the Lazy Parrot Restaurant.

HEY CHERI, CAN I GET YOU A SANDWICH? Since Grant has been known to occasionally misspell a word or two I thought that maybe two versions might be good.

You know I love you, Grant I also had something else in mind when we were at the Lazy Parrot restaurant.

Much Love, Dennis

The Feast

The picnic table is to the right of the Philips 66 sign.

Tuesday afternoon our group numbered, 16. We weren't sure just yet about our new chef - Blake Carlisle. He brought his outdoor wok and began preparing what turned out to be the best meal "in my opinion" of the whole vacation. We gathered at the picnic table and watched, listened, and smelled the preliminary steps to a feast. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I definitely pigged out!

Before anyone was allowed to dig in, Kaiser led us in prayer.

We also had a member of the group celebrate a sixth birthday. I'll let you guess which one.

If you guessed Kaiser, try again.

Preston Webb celebrating 6.  He also became a member of the Honey Creek Wakeboard Team. Way to go Preston!

I am so thankful to GOD for the pleasant weather and my continued healing. I know that  sometime soon I will be enjoying life from an upright position.

Much love, Dennis