Happy Valentine's Day to my bride of 34+ years

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Thank you Lord for providing me with a Wife Of Noble Character.

Proverbs 31:10-31

The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
 

 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

Worry-Fear-Anxiety

Worry........ what is it good for?........ Absolutely nuthin.
That almost sounds like a song from 1969.
http://youtu.be/01-2pNCZiNk

Worrying about anything that cannot be changed is a recipe for failure. Worry is assuming that something is going to turn out badly. The world presents plenty of opportunities to be anxious: jobs, kids, finances, health, terrorism, climate change, and an assortment of other things. Worry or fear is the opposite of "Faith in God". There are plenty of Scriptures about "Worry-Fear-Anxiety" and how to deal with WFA.

Philippians 4:4-8
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

When we start to think about God, our brains are swamped with "other things", often things we want such as: A meeting to go well, the new car we’ve been shopping for, vacation plans to fall into place, the new smartphone that’s coming out, the big event you've planned for Saturday. 

It’s not that these things are bad in and of themselves. But they ‘choke the word’ in us. Jesus is the Word. The Word lives in and through us, but when stuff distracts us, when the thorns get our first attention, Jesus gets shoved to the back of our minds and we’re not fruitful. We’re no longer living a life that attracts the curious "outsider" toward the Jesus in us because He’s not evident outwardly. The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control are replaced by worry, greed, frustration, confusion, impatience, anger, envy and exhaustion.

Luke 12: 22-31 22
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 

25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you-you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

These are not things that I have mastered, but things that I'm working on.
Much Love, Dennis

Blessings

This is been a busy time. My heart still aches for Alan, Gavin, and Karley.

Tuesday evening my mother-in-law, Darla tripped over our dog Deacon. The lights were turned off in the living room and Deacon is solid black in color.

He is now up for adoption. :-)  (attempted humor)

When she fell, she dislocated her right shoulder. God was watching over us and I can list a few examples.

1. One of the EMTs (Rita Anthony) in the ambulance is a friend and attends church with Darla. I know that there was a lot of pain during the trip to Enid. Rita prayed with Darla and they sang praise songs throughout the drive. I'm sure that the road trip was a little easier and seemed a little quicker because of Rita.

2. She has persevered, without complaining and is able to do nearly every thing that she was doing before the fall.

3. There appears to be no other damage to her shoulder. She is very sore and there will be some physical rehab, but no surgery.


Psalms 23. Amplified 

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

About three weeks ago my power chair started to act up a little. For about two weeks we were able to just push the reset button on the electrical system and be back in business. My dad called the people who do repair work and described the problem. The chair has a display system that gave us a diagnostic code. They seemed to be fairly certain of the problem and ordered a new part. Last week my chair quit working completely. For the last several long days I have been in my manual chair that I keep as a backup for occasions just like this. That means I can't raise or lower my legs, tilt my chair, recline the back, or move around on my own. This has helped to remind me to be thankful for what I have. You may remember that about a month ago I was confined to my bed for several days. That was also a good reminder.

I'm writing this on Friday at 2:00 PM. The repair man is scheduled to be here between 3:30 PM and 5 PM. Right now I kind of feel like it's Christmas Eve. I'm just waiting for the gift of mobility.

This post is a little long, I wanted to leave you with something I found humorous. Some might take offense, but I look at this "wheelchair thing" as temporary.

I can't stand being in a wheelchair.

Much love, Dennis

Lighthearted Offering

I left my last post without my usual lighthearted closing. Here is that offering, it's one of my favorites.

A married couple, both 60 years old, were celebrating their 35th anniversary. 

During their party, an angel appeared to congratulate them and grant them each a blessing. The wife wanted to travel around the world. The angel waved her hand and instantly the wife had 2 tickets in her hand for a world cruise. Next, the Angel asked the husband what he wanted. He said, "I would like a wife 30 years younger than me." So the Angel lifted her hand and the husband instantly became 90.

Much love, Dennis

FCA

On Thursday I was able to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Christmas luncheon at GB's restaurant here in Fairview. I have been a part of that group since last school year and it is very good therapy for me. I have been unable to attend for several weeks due to a combination of my health and bad weather. I don't know exactly how many members there are but attendance varies from week to week. For the luncheon there were around 30 students and I know there were several regulars who were unable to attend.

                           Looks like I needed to raise my hat.                

 These guys have something in high school that I lacked at that age, basically a willingness to spend time each week to gather with other young Christians and grow their relationship with Jesus. Special thanks to Linda Zimmerman (directly to my left), for allowing me to be a part of this group. Mrs. Zimmerman is the group leader and a very special person.

Because I am unable to drive, I have to make arrangements any time that I commit to outside engagements.
I would like to thank my mother (Jan Boyer) for getting me to and from the restaurant. She has a lot of things on her plate right now and her time is limited. 
I would ask that you continue to pray for my sister-in-law Gretchen. She is home now and gaining strength daily.
No joke today, but it is on the way :-)

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

additional information

I wanted to add a little bit to yesterday's posting. For those on Facebook, I will be working on an update to the Fairview Town Team Basketball group.
I have a short quiz that I sent to a few people yesterday, I thought it was fun. Garen M. is not eligible, so far he has been the only one to get all 12 questions answered correctly. Here are the questions. The answers are below, NO PEEKING.


1.     Johnny 's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May....What was the third child 's name?

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall and he wears size 13 sneakers....What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, ...what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole ...that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English Language ...is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. ....How is this possible?

7. In California , you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. ...Why not?

8. What was the President 's Name...in 1975?

9. If you were running a race, ...and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

10. Which is correct to say,... "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, ....how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?

12. How many of each animal did Moses take with him on the ark?











Here are the Answers

1. Johnny 's mother had three children. The first child was named April; The second child was named May. What was the third child 's name?
Answer: Johnny of course

2. There is a clerk at the butcher shop, he is five feet ten inches tall, and he wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
Answer: Meat.

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
Answer: Mt. Everest ; it just wasn't discovered yet. 

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?
Answer: There is no dirt in a hole.

5. What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?
Answer: Incorrectly

6. Billy was born on December 28th, yet his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?
Answer: Billy lives in the Southern Hemisphere

7. In California , you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?
Answer: You can't take pictures with a wooden leg. You need a camera to take pictures.

8. What was the President's Name in 1975?
Answer: Same as is it now - Barack Obama 

9. If you were running a race, and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
Answer: You would be in 2nd. Well, you passed the person in second place, not first.

10. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?
Answer: Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow 

11. If a farmer has 5 haystacks in one field and 4 haystacks in the other field, how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in another field?
Answer: One. If he combines all of his haystacks, they all become one big one.

12. How many of each animal did Moses take with him on the ark?
Answerer. Moses was not on the ark, it was Noah.


Now, one short joke that I thought was pretty funny.
Why did the cowboy buy a daschund (weenie dog)?

Answer: He wanted to get a long little doggie.

Please feel free to reply with your score.

Much love, Dennis

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Fairview High School FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) program.

 Unfortunately, Thursday was the last meeting until school starts in August. Thank you, Linda Zimmerman and the high schoolers who allowed me in. Hopefully I will be able to attend, starting in August. A couple of the seniors talked about this being their last FCA meeting and they were a little sad about that.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for these young adults. Spiritually speaking, they are miles ahead of me when I was in high school.
Linda had a great idea (more than likely inspired by the Holy Spirit)  for their meeting. She invited Travis Schmidt, the youth minister at the Mennonite Brethren Church to explain communion and then we took the "bread and wine."
I also had the opportunity to meet the pastor of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Marlin Hiett. His daughter is a member of the group.
 I think this is the 4th time that I've been able to be a part of Fairview FCA and I've enjoyed each opportunity.
Since this was my first time to meet Pastor Hiett, I thought I would honor him with a joke.

A mother went to wake her son for church one Sunday morning. When she knocked on his door, he said, “I’m not going!”
“Why not?” asked his mother.
“I’ll give you 2 good reasons,” he said. “#1,  They don’t like me.  #2,  I don’t like them.”
His mother replied, “I’ll give you 2 good reasons why YOU WILL go to church. #1, you’re 47 years old.  #2, you’re the pastor!”
Much Love, Dennis

Happy Birthday, Aunt Betty

Today is the birthday of my Aunt Betty. She is a joy to visit with, we always find something to laugh about. Some people make you feel comfortable under most any circumstance, she can do that. One of my personal favorite posts was concerning her and my Uncle Jim. I don't remember exactly how it went, but this is pretty close.

Betty and Jim were at the breakfast table the morning of her birthday. She asked him about her gift. Apparently he had forgotten that it was her birthday. She became angry and said

 "I'M GOING TO SEE MY SISTER TODAY AND WHEN I GET BACK THERE BETTER BE SOMETHING SHINY AND RED SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY THAT WILL GO FROM 0 TO 200 IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS."

Later that day when she returned, there was a small box in the driveway all wrapped up with a bow on top. Puzzled by the size of the box, she picked it up and took it in the house. When she opened it up, it was a bright red, shiny bathroom scale.  :-)

Please pray for Jim, we haven't seen him in several days. 

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

Good clean humor

When I was younger, I loved to watch Tim Conway. He made me laugh continually, sometimes without uttering a single word. As far as I know he never used profanity or any type of vulgarity in his humor. I think he probably even made God laugh. There are several places in the Bible that deal with your state of mind. Proverbs 17: verse 22 is probably my favorite. It says: A merry heart does good just like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

In Psalms 16:20   He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

Psalm 144:15   Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.

Tim was a regular on the Carol Burnett show, he served two years in the military and three years on McHales Navy, which he said gave him five years of service. But some of his best work was as a character named Dorf. He did: Dorf on golf, Dorf on baseball, fishing and several other sports.

Many of his funniest moments were improvised or planned without the other cast members knowledge. I like Tim because he had a happy heart .

Much Love, Dennis