Depression

Top Ten Ways the Bible Would Be Different If God Was A College Student
10. The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning - cold.

9. The Ten Commandments would actually only be five, double-spaced, and written in a large font.

8. New edition every two years in order to limit reselling.

7. Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.

6. Paul's letter to the Romans becomes Paul's email to abuse@romans.gov

5. Reason Cain killed Abel: They were roommates.

4. The place where the end of the world occurs: Finals, not Armageddon.

3. Out go the mules, in come the mountain bikes.

2. Reason why Moses and followers walked in the desert for 40 years: They didn't want to ask directions and look like freshmen.

1. Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, we would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.

 

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I want to talk about something that is new to me. I am seeing a doctor for pain management. I have learned that many of the drugs that are typically used to mask pain also carry a significant risk of depression. I thought that depression was just a feeling like "The Blues".

I was definitely misinformed. Unfortunately I experienced depression firsthand. I am typically a happy and joyful person. The side effects caused me to think of nothing but bad thoughts including suicide. The more you think about it, the worse it becomes. I think that my dad was the first to notice. One morning he asked me what was wrong. He said that he had not seen my countenance look so down.. My wife and mother-inlaw noted that I was going to bed earlier and earlier each evening. The next weekend we went to a good friend's house for burgers and a small pool party. I had thoughts of suicide dancing back and forth in my mind. I was trying to figure out how to leave my circumstances without the aid of someone close to me. I didn't want anything bad to happen to them just because I couldn't handle my circumstances. At a certain point I decided that my best option was to drive down towards the deep end, 10 feet. Square up my chair and drive off into the deep water. 

There would be no way that anyone could get me out of the water before my lungs filled up with water and my diaphragm pacer ceased to work. As I pondered these things, I was engaged in conversation with my good friend. Fortunately God knew my thoughts and my possible actions and drew my attention towards an outward conversation instead of the self-centered satanic influence caused by the side effects of a commonly used source of pain relief.

Since then, I've met with my doctor, explained my thoughts and he discontinued that source of depression and we started with something else.

I am able to talk about this now only because God saw my thoughts and intentions and engaged me in a conversation with my closest friend.

I now know that depression is much deeper than someone having a bad day. I've been trying to look for signs of depression not only in my life, but in the lives of others.

After this experience, I ask that everyone look for the signs in your family and friends. Engage them in conversation and look for ways to help.

I do want you to know that I am no longer being influenced by those satanic thoughts.

Much love, Dennis

Max Lucado

It's been a while since I have posted anything. It's kind of a lazy issue. I ran across this message today from Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors. I have shared it on Facebook and apparently it moved me more than it did others. I'm going to post it in this venue because I really feel like it's something that God had for me and something I should tell others. Here is a link:
http://contentz.mkt4731.com/mson/2015/07/02/O8QFMKyoNF21/index.html

Much love, Dennis

A.D.

An older preacher told the story of a young minister interviewing for his first pastorate. The Pulpit Committee had invited him to come over to their church for the interview. The committee chairman asked, "Son, do you know the Bible pretty good?"

The young minister said, "Yes, pretty good." The chairman asked, "Which part do you know best?" He responded saying, "I know the New Testament best." "Which part of the New Testament do you know best," asked the chairman. The young minister said, "Several parts." The chairman said, "Well, why don't you tell us the story of the Prodigal Son." The young man said, "Fine."

"There was a man of the Pharisees name Nicodemus, who went down to Jericho by night and he fell upon stony ground and the thorns choked him half to death.

"The next morning Solomon and his wife, Gomorrah, came by, and carried him down to the ark for Moses to take care of. But, as he was going through the Eastern Gate into the Ark, he caught his hair in a limb and he hung there forty days and forty nights and he afterwards did hunger. And, the ravens came and fed him.

"The next day, the three wise men came and carried him down to the boat dock and he caught a ship to Ninevah. And when he got there he found Delilah sitting on the wall. He said, "Chunk her down, boys, chunk her down." And, they said, "How many times shall we chunk her down, till seven time seven?" And he said, "Nay, but seventy times seven." And they chucked her down four hundred and ninety times.

"And, she burst asunder in their midst. And they picked up twelve baskets of the leftovers. And, in the resurrection whose wife shall she be?"

The Committee chairman suddenly interrupted the young minister and said to the remainder of the committee, "Fellows, I think we ought to ask the church to call him as our minister.

He is awfully young, but he sure does know his Bible."

I have really been enjoying the miniseries called A.D. It is on Sunday nights at 8 PM CST on NBC. I think this would be a good miniseries for everyone.


For many years I assumed that A.D. meant After the Death of Jesus. It came to mind one day that if BC was Before Christ and A.D. meant After the death of Christ then there was a gap of 33 years. It didn't take long to find that A.D. actually had a different meaning. A quick search of Wikipedia revealed the following:
Anno Domini (AD or A.D.) and Before Christ (BC or B.C.) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term Anno Domini is Latin,
translated as "In the year of the Lord", or "In the Year of Our Lord": It is occasionally set out more fully as "Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (or Jesu) ti (In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ").

A.D. The Bible Continues. Here is a short clip from one of the episodes.
https://youtu.be/B8NqbrQ0LCk
I urge you to check it out.

Much love, Dennis
 

　








　



　



　

God endorses laughter

When I read my Bible sometimes I find myself snickering.
Like that time when the main event at Mount Carmel brought out 450 idolatrous prophets on one side…

and Elijah, all alone, on the other.

You remember the story (1 Kings 18). Baal vs. Jehovah. Big altar, prayer for fire. The One who "answers by fire" Will have the one true God.
From morning until noon the prophets of Baal called on their "deity". Those guys got so anxious that they "leaped about the altar which they made."

Elijah became amused at their antics and started mocking them, possibly the 1st recorded case of talking trash: (Jacob Diesselhorst) "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened" or Baal may have "gone to the bathroom." "snicker snicker" Come on, :-) smile; it's okay.
 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.
³² And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
³³ And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.

³⁴ And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time.
³⁵ And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
³⁶ And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
³⁷ Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

³⁸ Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
Much love, Dennis  

Graduation

I have been helping out with our local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) about 2 1/2 years. It's great to see these teenagers put their faith on display at such an early time in life.  They have been a source of energy for me, mainly because when I was that age I had Jesus as my savior, but there was very little evidence. Congratulations to the graduating seniors of Fairview High School and especially those that were in the FCA. I will not have much face-to-face contact with them, but we can stay in touch through Facebook and emails. I look forward to the newcomers next semester.

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It was the kindergarten teachers birthday and the students decided that they would each buy their teacher a gift.

The first student, whose parents own a florist shop, gave her a present. She held it and said "I guess that it is flowers". "How did you guess?" asked the little boy. She laughed and thanked him.

The second student, whose parents own a candy store, gave her a present. She held it and said, "I guess that is some candy."

"How did you guess?" asked the little boy. She again laughed and thanked him also.

The third student, whose parents own a bottle shop, gave her a box which was leaking. The teacher touched the liquid with her finger and tasted it. "Mmmmm is it wine?" she asked.

"No," said the little girl.

So she tasted it again. "Is it champagne?" she asked.

"Noooo," replied the little girl, "It's a puppy."

much love, Dennis

Dr. Frank Crowe

A good friend of mine Dr. Frank Crowe changed his address earlier this week.   He passed away quietly in peace at his home on Sunday.  I didn't know him very well other than a couple of visits shortly after he began practicing in Fairview. I actually don't even remember why.
 When my circumstances changed due to my accident I spent 60 days in Houston. During that time my mother and friends established a Care Pages account that allowed updates on my condition and permitted others to leave messages for my mother, Cheri and I who were many miles from home. Dr. Crowe and his staff left several messages. They were always compassionate with a genuine feel of warmth and love.

When I received this computer it enabled me to read and post on Care Pages and set up a Facebook account. It wasn't long before Dr. Crowe and I became friends online. Dr. Crowe soon became my good friend Frank Crowe.

Frank was a master of the art of laughter. He always had the best one-liners and comebacks along with posting of other funny material. Whenever I see something related to Walmart, I have to smile. If you were friends with him on Facebook you know why.

 Frank and I grew closer through private messages. We talked about faith and prayers.

He was not without problems of his own, but I don't remember him ever mentioning it. There were several occasions when you knew things were not well with him because he was a daily fixture on Facebook. He has moved on, but will not be forgotten. I look forward to greeting him in heaven.
Much love, Dennis

Mother's Day

 This is for all of the hard-working moms, grandmas and aunts.  But especially for my wife who does all of these things plus all of the yard work.

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed." She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
She then put some wet clothes into the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the newspapers strewn on the floor, picked up the game pieces left on the table and put the telephone book back into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse. Mom then creamed her face, put on moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and trimmed her nails. Hubby called, "I thought you were going to bed." "I'm on my way," she said. She put some water into the dog's dish. Then made sure the doors were locked. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out a bedside lamp, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks in the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework. In her own room, she set the alarm, laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her list of things to do for tomorrow. About that time, the hubby turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular "I'm going to bed," and he did.

No need for a joke with this post. The story is funny enough on its own, especially in my circumstances.
Much love, Dennis