Rachel Wednesday #4
You know, I was thinking. When last we left Doug and Rachel they had just finished a very interesting dinner date at Chili's in Novi. The week following this time was filled with a number of emails and phone calls. In fact the phone call that post ceded that following Monday evening lasted for two hours! I can't remember the last time I spoke to a woman on the phone for that length of time. As I recall it I brought up the fact of how special that night was and felt that we had really connected. She felt the same way about the evening. Now, the up coming week was going to be the last week that Rachel had before she was going to be involved in some full blown play rehearsals. It wasn't going to be long before she was going to be very busy, so I had to make sure that I kept myself on her mind a little bit. Now, as I had said in previous posts, Rachel was moving with a great deal of caution still. She hadn't found out if I was being straight forward with her or if I was some raging lunatic (be careful here) just waiting for an innocent woman to prey on! So I didn't have her phone number yet, what kind of car she drove and I had no idea of where she lived other than somewhere in Waterford. So I made sure that I emailed everyday (sometimes several times a day) and she made sure we talked a number of times on the phone that week.
The day finally arrived when we got to get together again. Saturday March 18, 2006. The date was set for 6 p.m. this time because of her play rehearsal that afternoon. I knew that we would have to make it through dinner quickly and get right to the theatre (I believe it was a 7:15 show) so I left the house early and stopped by the theatre to pick up the tickets on the way to our next restaurant "On The Border" in Novi (not far from the Chili's that we had been to the previous week). I arrived at just after 5 p.m. and waited for a while before I put our names in. She arrived promptly at 6 p.m. and it only took about five minutes before we were seated (man I am good). Dinner was wonderful. It was filled with conversation and of course she returned the DVD I had let her watch (I knew that plan would work)!
After dinner it was off to the movie. Driving separately we got to the theatre to see "Madea's Family Reunion" and enjoyed it thoroughly. I kept fighting the urge to put my arm around her at the movie. I didn't want to move too quickly and let's face it; I had not been in this situation in a lot of years so I refrained (better to err on the side of caution). After the movie finished we still wanted to spend some time together. We checked out a couple of places right by the theatre and one of them was too "bar like" for coffee and conversation and the other was about an hour wait. So off we went to Starbucks! We talked about a lot of things that night including her checking out and making sure that the place I said that I went to church was legit! She was taking nothing at face value and I personally respected that! We ended the evening around midnight! Just before we left she informed me that her plan was to show up at church that next day and surprise me! I responded positively to that proposal.
The next day I was hyper all the way through service. I kept wondering if she was going to make it or not! I kept sneaking a look toward the back of the auditorium every now and then but no Rachel. The service had finished and she hadn't shown. I didn't think anything negative but was reasoning in my mind that we had simply been out too late the night before, I was sure that everything was fine. As I was putting chairs away and doing what I normally do at the end of service, here she comes down the aisle! She had just arrived and was so apologetic about how long it took her! I didn't care, I was just glad she was there. I introduced her to a number of people and we had a small group of us that went to lunch together. What a great day. I really felt that this was going to turn into something great. There was a momentum here and I just couldn't wait until the next time that we would see each other. The plan was set, the connection had been made, and I now even knew what kind of car she drove! I thought that what had been started was well on its way to becoming something great! What neither one of us knew was that in the next 24 hours we would thrown the biggest curve ball that neither one of us expected. That story and more next week! Be blessed beyond belief today.
What A Fantastic Weekend
You know, I was thinking. It is not often that I can have the opportunity to do so many things that I love on any given weekend, but this last one did encompass a number of great things for me. First of all it started out Friday night with a little trip to Waterford to see "you know who". We basically just hung out and had dinner and then watched (most of) a movie before she had to go and pick up her oldest son and I had to head home.
Most of Saturday was spent doing yard work and getting the compound in shape for the upcoming Monday festivities. You may think it is strange but I love spending quality time with my mower! It is one of those simple pleasures that I have come to enjoy. Later on that evening Rachel arrived to spend a couple of nights with us. She and I have both been looking forward to this and she got to see me in my "natural habitat"!
Sunday morning meant getting to once again go worship with the family at NewSong. Rachel had her first taste of the NewSong experience and really enjoyed it. She also stayed to assist us in praying over each and every seat at the Civic for this Friday's community concert. After this she and I went to Dundee to take a quick look around Cabela's and to meet the Bodman's for lunch. What a wonderful time that was. Then it was back to the compound to change into some shorts and then off to the driving range. The plan was that Rachel was to play in the Memorial Day Open so she needed to get some swings in. That's all I am going to say about it except that we did have a good time.
Saturday night did bring a disturbing phone call from Rachel's son. Her mother had to be taken by ambulance from the nursing home to the hospital. Long story short, it didn't sound good. Rachel had to head back home immediately to take care of this situation.
Monday morning I called Rachel and once again long story short, things weren't as bad as we believed with her mother! Praise God! ONOM and his family showed up and then he and I were off to Tecumseh for the Open! This is already going too long so let's just say the number 75 and leave it at that.
The big shin dig was great. ONOM beat me to the punch by posting about yesterday so quickly but trust me when I say that all 69 people at the Compound yesterday had a great time. I want everyone to know what a blessing it is for us to have had all of you there. God has blessed us richly with great friends and family. Like Jay said in his blog, you only get invited until you come. From that point forward you just get reminders. We hope to break the 80 mark before the summer ends.
Well, this has been a long post today, but it makes up for no post yesterday. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Friday Feast - An Ode To Eggs
You know, I was thinking. There are few things in life that are as versatile as the egg, specifically the chicken egg. This little gem has been around for centuries and is used in so many ways that a person can only reflect for a short time on its importance. Now can you imagine being the first person to decide that this thing is edible? Think about it, a few thousand years ago somebody saw an egg and made the decision "I don't really know what's in there but I am going to crack that sucker open and eat it"! I am sure that they had no idea of the discovery they were about to make. Eggs are everywhere! You can't hardly bake anything without them and let's face it what would potato salad be without eggs? Just a bunch of potatoes rolling around in well what? You wouldn't even have mayonaise! Potatoes and pickle relish that's what you'd have! YUK!
So to honor the pre birth chicken here are my five favorite ways to enjoy eggs:
5 - Poached eggs - on toast (rye) of course. Great way to start a day.
4 - Fried egg sandwich- preferrably with cheese and mayo (seems redundant huh). This can be the perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner.
3 - Scrambled eggs - this is best cooked with cheese, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and even a little ham, bacon, or sausage. The perfect high protein (high fat) start of the day.
2 - Hard boiled - how could we celebrate Easter without them? This is a common breakfast for the Pudgeman along with a V8 juice.
1 - Sausage mushroom and swiss cheese omlet - by far my favorite way to enjoy eggs. The best ones are served at the Uptown Coney Island on Jackson road! Drop in and have one some time.
There you go, try some eggs this holiday weekend. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Another Thinking Thursday
You know, I was thinking. We are on the brink of the first summer holiday weekend of the year. I know that there a many things that our family does on Memorial Day but I don't want to forget the important stuff. Granted I love the golfing and the BBQ and having a ton of family and friends together, but this holiday is about more than that stuff. My dad was an army veteran who trained troups and I do have an uncle who is still alive that was there on D-Day in France. These two men put it all on the line for me to enjoy the freedoms that I have today. I don't take any of that for granted. They are not the only ones either. I remember a few years back when a bunch of us went and toured Valley Forge and the next day visited ground zero in NYC! Talk about bringing the past and the present together! Both of those visits will stick with me for the rest of my life. This year I will have the privilege to go and tour Historic Gettesburg and I am truly looking forward to that.
The old saying that "all gave some and some gave all" still holds true today. Anyone who has ever served in any of the armed forces whether in war time or peace deserve to be honored. I would like to personally thank everyone who has ever said "sleep well Doug, I've got you covered tonight".
Here is my tribute to them:
As I live and work and breath, I know that I live in freedom
Men and women are watching over me to keep me safe tonight
While some may protest and call them names, yet I will throw no stones
For God made some of us businessmen, while others He gave the call
To go and fight for this great land, all gave some and some gave all
I take this life for granted and my freedoms that were won
I don't always give the thanks to those who decided to go and fight
They live in tents and shacks and mud to sleep among the groans
While some stand firm and hold their ground and some of them may fall
When on the battlefield they will brothers band because all gave some and some gave all
Many wars are won and battles lost based at our God's desire
He is the one that bless them all by the light of day and dark of night
As the soldiers are trained with sweat and blood and moans
I want to stand up amongst them now to thank them one and all
I for one will recognize til my last breath I take that all gave some and some gave all
God bless each and every veteran out there and for everybody, be blessed beyond belief today!
Rachel Wednesday #3
You know, I was thinking. I know that all of you have been hanging on the edge of your seats to find out about the date that would change my life. I thought about writing on and on before I got to the point, but some of the other bloggers do that enough. When last we left the saga of Doug and Rachel we had finished our first dinner and movie date and had decided that we wanted to see one another again that next week. Because of our schedules, we hadn't nailed down a day and time yet. Now at this time Rachel had begun to get very busy with a musical that her church was doing for Easter. I (unknown to Rachel) had another date planned for that Saturday with a different match from eharmony! Don't judge me now, things hadn't gotten serious yet and I had to keep my options open. As the week progressed she and I emailed a few times and had a couple of phone conversations. Things were just not looking good to schedule our third date, but suddenly on Thursday afternoon the person that I was supposed to see on Saturday cancelled our date! I was not overly surprised about this but I immediately sent an email off to Rachel. The next day we made plans to meet at Chili's in Novi at 6:00 on March 11.
Now, this was probably the warmest day of the year thus far, we hit temperatures in the low sixties if memory serves me correctly. I got to the restaurant a little early to get our names on the list (around 5 p.m.) because Rachel had a deadline to be heading home around 9:00 that night. She had to be back to pick up her youngest son from a church function. When she walked in at just a couple of minutes after 6 and I've got to tell you that I was impressed. She had her hair pulled back and was decked out in a very lovely dress! WOW! Now, let me tell you that a woman's commitment to God and her basic personality are the most important things to the Pudgeman, but when she's got all that and looks great at the same time, then we call that a bonus. I immediately complimented her on how she looked that evening (I may not have dated much, but I know how to be smooth) and we began talking as we waited only about 10 more minutes for our table. We sat down and began talking again (she holds up her end of a conversation very well). We knew that we had plenty of time at the restaurant because there were no plans for anything afterwards. We talked about everything imaginable (this is the night that I found out that she was fond of men with beards) and because one of the movies that we had considered seeing the previous week was "Madea's Family Reunion" I just so happen to bring the DVD of "Diary Of A Mad Black Woman" for her to watch at home. My thoughts we two fold. First if she had a DVD of mine, then she would have to see me again to return it. Secondly, if she liked this movie, then I was a shoe in for another date! I am a man of several plans some times.
We sat and talked and really began to connect that night. I left there knowing that I really cared about this woman. She was spiritual, funny, caring, thoughtful and beautiful. But what impressed me the most (beyond all reason) was that she seemed to like me! I guess you could say that I was smitten! After that date I knew that I had met someone special and that I wanted to see her again. Just before we left the table I asked her if she wanted to get together for another date. She responded positively to this proposal and we tentatively planned on another dinner and movie night the following Saturday.
What would happen over the next two weeks would prove to be both exciting and heart wrenching, but you'll have to wait until next week to hear more of that story. Be blessed beyond belief today.
My Anniversary!
You know, I was thinking. It was exactly one year ago today that I posted my first blog article! Much has happened during this time but one thing remains a constant...................I am the Pudgeman. I have done a little digging through the archives and decided that I would once again share with you that very first posting from May 23, 2005:
The Wonderful World Of Pudge
Well it was bound to happen and it finally did. Doug E. Pudge is now blogging. My goal over the next few weeks is to give you thoughts from an original Pudge point of view. Remember that posts on this blog are absolutely the opinion of blogmasterdoug and are by no means meant to do anything except to make you think. So, you might want a better definition of what is the original Pudge point of view. Let me give you a ferinstance. If some liberal starts whining and crying about the mistreatment of animals and yet supports the killing of inocent babies. They will be called out on the table and given a Pudging. If someone is out there preaching another gospel other than that of Jesus, they will be given a Pudging. You may disagree with me, dislike me, disrespect me and disallusion me but you will never discourage or disuade me from printing what is my version of the truth. Today is the day that the Lord has made, what have you done with it? Have you testified today of God's goodness? Have you shared with someone God's plan for their life? Have you told a friend, family member or co-worker that you love them? Hey, being a Jesus freak is a full time job. One that needs to be taken seriously. Remember "that neither height nor depth, neither angels or demons, niether government taxes or battles with your neighbor, neither your boss or your co-worker, nor anything present or future can ever in any way shape or form separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:31 ff that has been Pudged for your enjoyment). Be blessed today.
I have made a couple modifications over the past year, as you can see this very first posting did not have the traditional "You know, I was thinking" introduction, and I have changed the salutation from "Be blessed today" to "Be blessed beyond belief today". All in all I do believe that I have stuck to the original intent of why I began blogging in the first place. I wanted to make people think. I want people to think about what is going on in the world around them and what is going on with their relationship with the Father. Not every post this past year has quite hit the mark that I set out to hit, but the majority of them did and I am glad that I wrote them.
I will leave you with this thought, "you don't have to be crazy to read the stuff that I write, but you will understand it better if you are"! Be blessed beyond belief today.
Why Is It?
You know, I was thinking. There are a l0t of things that make me go hmmmmmm! Things that just seem to defy most logical explanations! So since it is Monday and I am just in one of those moods again, here are some of my thoughts for today:
Why is it that I can go and work out at the gym five days a week and do great, but then when we have one two hour softball practice my knees are so sore that I can hardly move?
Why is it that about the time that you actually think you have figured out the rules to a new game, somebody else comes along who has actually played it and changes everthing you thought you knew.
Why is it that they put an expiration date on sour cream? Will it turn sweet again?
Why is it that when you change the oil on the car, the drain pan is never exactly where you need it to be?
Why is it that women speak to each other in a special code that men cannot understand? And then laugh at us when we try?
Why is it that on the Sunday I am the most tired, the service goes longer than usual? Good, but longer than usual!
Why is it that no matter what I do, God still continues to love me?
Just a few Monday morning thoughts to get you week off right. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Friday Feast - An Ode To Juice
You know, I was thinking. For the past couple of months I have been trying (and mostly suceeding) to live a healtier lifestyle. I have been doing a lot of things that just make me feel better. One of the areas that I have changed is what I drink. I was always a huge coffee drinker. I mean the strongest most caffinated stuff you could find! I also liked my pop pretty well also. I would drink sometimes up to three pops a day. Now, I have one cup of regular coffee each day and I will drink mostly water and juice. I have discovered some wonderful things about drinking juice. First of all it tastes good and secondly I get a lot more vitamins from it. Here are my top five that I drink regularly:
5 - Apple - Not my very favorite but it is readily available in most places and it does taste good.
4 - Cranberry - Not cranapple or crangrape but regular cranberry. This is also a good mixer!
3 - Grapefurit - They have this in the vending machines at work and I just plain like the taste of the Ruby Red made by Dole. If the label is correct, I get 100% of my vitamin C in one bottle.
2 - Orange - Don't give me any of that tart stuff. Orange juice should be sweet and have lots of pulp!
1 - V8 - By far my favorite juice. Great taste but if you have to watch sodium closely (I don't) this might not be the best selection for you. My usual breakfast will include this with a couple of boiled eggs! Great way to start a day.
I hope all of you have a great weekend and are blessed beyond belief today!
Thinking Thursday
You know, I was thinking! God is indeed good in all things. I have shared numerous times on this blog about both the challenges and victories that the Pudgeman has had over this past year. I have been learning to rejoice in all things and to give glory to God no matter what my current circumstance might be. I often think about what my life might be like if it weren't for the direct intervention of the Father or His people in my life. What if I didn't believe in an all knowing and all caring creator? What if I believed that it was indeed all up to me to acomplish anything in my life? I cannot even fathom the depths of the depression that would envelop me! The fact is that if it weren't for the love of the Father and His people, I probably wouldn't even be alive today! If I were, the likelihood is that I would be either misserable or in prison or both! I am so selfish without the love of the Father! My life has been a great one so far (I haven't always been able to say that) and I am looking forward to whatever God has in store for the rest of it. What about you? Where would you be if it weren't for the Father? Or even better since I do not know every reader of this blog, is the Father a part of your life? The most quoted verse in the Bible is also the most powerful: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (KJV for you know who). God bless you beyond belief today.
The Second Rachel Wednesday
You know, I was thinking. Here we are it is time for another edition of Rachel Wednesday. The last time that I had written about this absolutely facinating woman we had planned a date for March 4. Now what I haven't told you is that when we left Starbucks, we hadn't decided anything but dinner and a movie. During the week Rachel and I had spoke a couple of times, at this stage of the relationship Rachel was being very cautious and wanted to be the one calling because, well let's face it we did meet on the internet and you never know what kind of person you'll meet (insert pun here)! So she called me on Thursday evening for us to plan our date. My first mistake was asking her where she wanted to meet for dinner. Usually a woman would at least clue you in on some of her likes or dislikes with dinner locations, but not Rachel. She really did not have a preference. At first I thought that this was a simple courtesy, but I have now figured out that this very bright (way smarter than me), spiritual, attractive and articulate woman hates to make decisions unless she absolutely has to! So, because I am organized and usually have a plan together, we (I) decided on Red Lobster. The one over by the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. That was another good half way point for us. The movie had been narrowed down to either 16 Blocks, Madea's Family Reunion or something else that for the life of me I cannot remember.
It is now Saturday March 4, 2006! I have been busy most of the day. Our date was set for 5:00 that evening. I got ready to go that evening and thought I had left in plenty of time, but the traffic jam on 275 was more than enough to put me behind schedule. Fortunately for me, Rachel called me on my cell to let me know that she was running behind schedule as well! Great, I am now off the hook. So I arrive at the restaurant at about 5:15 and get my name on the list. They said it would be about a thirty minute wait so I thought this is working out well. At about 5:40 Rachel arrives and she only has about a five minute wait for us to be seated. I thought to myself "this really worked out well". So we sat there and chatted for a few minutes and then ordered. When the salads arrived I noticed that she began picking out the red cabbage (ah, information to place in my mental file) and although we were both obviously nervous the conversation flowed nicely. We talked a lot about our relationship with Jesus and about how neither one of us has had a lot of dating experience since our divorces. I found out she can really hold up her end of a conversation! Now that was important.
So, dinner is finished and we are off to see a movie at the theatre down the street. Final decision was to see 16 Blocks (great flick, I would suggest seeing it). Nothing of great consequence from this point on until after the movie. As we were walking out I asked "would you like to go out again next week"? She responded positively to this proposal, but we kind of left it open and decided to talk during the week! I had no idea at this point how much that next date would end up changing my life! But, that will be next week's post. Until then, be blessed beyond belief today.
Riding The Wave Of Praise
You know, I was thinking. During the past few weeks we have been in our 40 Days Of Praise. It is funny how when you concentrate on praising God many other things just kind of fall into place. Between reading the scriptures, being in the services and just taking some extra time out to thank the creator of the universe, I haven't had nearly the time that I used to have to stress out about things. Now, there are a lot of reasons that God wants our praise but I think the main one is to take the focus off of us and put it back on Him.
A couple of months ago I was in a very dark valley. I became inwardly focused on what was happening in my life. From my perspective there was nothing positive happening and I was indeed hurting and stressing out over the most basic things. I was becoming short tempered and constantly irritated! Once my focus switched from me to HIM, I started coming out of the valley. It is funny how most of the things that stressed me out are still hanging around and are one by one being resolved, but they don't impact me like they did a few weeks ago. Why? Because I made the decision to change my focus! God gets all of the glory for this and not me. He taught me (mostly through other people) that I just needed to let it go. It was alright to make a prayful plan, but to be open to His will and obey His Spirit! Strange how things are working out.
Spend some extra time today praising the Father. For what you might ask? Just start saying thank you and the rest will come naturally. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Customer Service
You know, I was thinking. Spending the day at Cedar Point on Saturday was a great time. To spite some intermittent rain showers we had a wonderful time. Most of the rides were open long enough to get some good coaster action in, but we did just miss out on the Millenium! It has been about 17 years since I have been to the park so this was an awesome trip for me. The fact that we took a bus down and I had to do zero driving was another bonus. Rachel (who doesn't usually ride coasters) braved it out on several rides that she had never tried before. I am not sure how much you get out of a great ride with your eyes closed that tightly but she said she really liked them once they got going.
If I were to make one criticism about the park on Saturday it would be that there seems to be a need for some customer service training amoung the park employees, especially in the consession booths. I try to be pretty easy going about things but there seems to be something that bothers me when I am ready and willing to spend some money on something to eat or drink and have to actually get someone's attention to allow me to do that. A greeting and a friendly smile would really go a long way to motivating me to pull out my wallet. But that's just me I guess. I would recommend that all of those wonderfully energetic college age employees get a little more training in this area.
But that makes me also think about how we are presenting the Gospel to the lost of the world. I believe (speaking personally here) that there are a number of times that the lost of this world come to us ready to receive something and we treat them like they are a bother or that we would rather do something else then to share with them the Good News of Jesus! Are we actively greating people with a smile and saying "how may I serve you today"? Are we ready, willing and able to provide for someones spiritual needs at the drop of a hat? Do we send people away thinking "man I don't know why it has to be so hard to find out what I need"? Or do we make sure that people get what the came for? I guess it's just all about perspective and meeting or exceeding expectations. Remember that Jesus came here to serve, that needs to be our mind set as well. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Finally Friday
You know, I was thinking. It has been a pretty good week this week. A busy one once again but nice. I have lots of weekend plans including a trip to Cedar Point tomorrow (please pray about the weather). I will get to spend a great deal of time with "you know who" and will even be blessed to attend Sunday services at her church this weekend. I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time.
Just one quick Pudgism for you today: Life is sometimes like a bad case of gas. It can be painful and uncomfortable. It can make feel like you want to puke and it even smells bad. But when it is over with and you don't have to deal with it anymore everything becomes wonderful! Just remember that this life is just a warm up for things to come. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Thursday Thoughts
You know, I was thinking. In Romans 8:28 the Apostle Paul writes: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". That verse preaches so well! It is so easy to believe this when all things are going well in life and when we see and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit so strong that we think we're going to bust! But what about when things in our lives are being challenged? How abuot when we feel as dry as a desert? How do we feel on those days that it seems like everything is going wrong? Do we still have the same faith and confidence in God? Do we still have that little pep in our step and proclaim with a loud voice "God is good, all the time"? Now I am not suggesting that we pretend that nothing is wrong when things are rough, but I am saying that walking by faith means that we trust God regardless! That we have confidence in Him no matter what outside forces that are coming against us do.
Most of you who read this blog know about the struggles that I was going through a couple of months ago. Most everthing in my life felt like it was crashing in on me. I had several tense moments in prayer with the Father! I shared with Him exactly how I felt. I shared with some very close brothers the struggles that I was enduring. While I was still deep in that valley I began to see and feel God again! My life has been an amazing journey over the years and I am sure it will continue to be just that.............AMAZING in the years to come. There are always going to be ups and downs but God remains constant. His love, His forgiveness, His blessings and His salvation are always there no matter what I feel inside! May God bless you beyond belief today.
The First Rachel Wednesday
You know, I was thinking. Most of you who know me are aware that there is somebody that has come into my life recently. Rachel and I met about 2 1/2 months ago after being introduced to each other on eharmony.com. The two of us have had a very interesting journey so far. We believe that we have seen God's hand in our relationship and as that continues to grow, we are hoping to see the leading of the Lord even stronger. Because Rachel has become such an important part of my life right now, I thought that I would give all of you a little insight about this woman. So today I will begin part 1 in an open ended series of posts concerning Ms. Rachel!
Rachel and I began corresponding sometime in early February of this year. If any of you have ever experienced what it is like meeting through a dating website, you will understand how absolutely mind boggling it can become. Each person is given a questionaire with about 500,000 questions on it that have to be answered. A personality profile is then produced that gives some insight about you, and a summary of that is placed on your introductory page. Each person has the option of whether or not to put their picture(s) on the page as well. By the way I had four, she had only one! After reading the person's profile summary, you then decide if you want to find out more about this person or not. After reading about Rachel, I saw that God was a very important part of her life and decided that I wanted to find out more. Without going into great detail, there are then about four steps where both people have to ask and answer questions. Either one can stop the communication at any point for any reason what so ever. Well, long story short, Rachel and I reached the point that is known as open communication. Open communication is where you use the website to talk about yourself and to ask and answer any questions that you like. It's very similar to sending and receiving regular emails but you don't have to divulge any type of personal information (like your email address or phone number) unless you wish to do so.
On or about February 23 I asked Rachel if she would like to meet for coffee, she responded favorably to this proposition! So, the date was set. Tuesday February 28, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. Rachel and I were scheduled to meet at a Starbuck's on Telegraph road near I-696! You see, Rachel lives in Waterford so that was a pretty good half way point. Just a side note here, this was also the day that my great niece Emily was taken to the hospital because she had swallowed a barette! This played a key part when I received a cell call half way through our date. We weren't even 15 minutes into our first meeting and I had decided that I was going to ask this woman out. After about an another hour we both needed to get going, so I asked "would you like to go out sometime"? She responded favorably to this proposition as well. So it was set, dinner and a movie for Saturday March 4, 2006 at 6 p.m. at the Red Lobster near the Twelve Oaks Mall.
That's enough for now, besides I don't want to make this too long. Next week I will share with you some more about this facinating woman. Be blessed beyond belief today.
It's A Beautiful Day!
You know, I was thinking. Back in my days at Michigan Christian College there was a tradition. Every spring and fall there would be one day out of the semester (one that looked much like today) when the college president would stand up at the end of chapel and say "have a beautiful day"! Upon that statement the entire student body (and most of the faculty) would stand up and cheer! What this meant was that all the afternoon classes were cancelled and the entire student body, faculty and staff would change cloths and head down to boomer park for a day of great fun and a big picnic! It was a wonderful tradition that I wish would still happen. I would love it if the president of Autoform would call a plant meeting and at the end would say "have a beautiful day"! Wouldn't that just be great! But welcome to corporate America! Time is money and money can't buy more time so you have to use what you have wisely!
God has blessed us with some absolutely fantastic weather lately, I was blessed to enjoy much of it over this past weekend and have been thanking Him ever since. In conjunction with yesterday's blog, take some time for God today. Just thank Him for all of the blessings in your life (trust me, you won't even have to think hard to come up with some). If all you thank Him for is the sunshine then that's a start. "Being thankful in all things" means even thanking Him when things are not beautiful! It means to be thankful even when life is tough and you don't know what to do next! "God is good and His mercies endure forever"! He is always there for each of us and loves us unconditionally! Be blessed beyond belief today, and of course have a beautiful day!
Trying To Do It All
You know, I was thinking. This morning I was talking to ONOM on my way in to work. We were discussing how our weekends (especially Sunday's) have just gotten jam packed full of activities! We made an executive Mollette decision that we were going to go to God and ask Him for an eighth day during the week so that we could fit it all in! We're gonna wait for His response on this. We all realize that God took one day during the week of creation to rest! God took a break from it all. Was God tired? Did He need to play a little golf? Why did God need to rest? In my humble opinion the only purpose that this day of rest served was to set an example for all of us carbon based life forms! God wants us to take time to relax and recooperate! He wants us to take time to think about Him and to reflect on what He has done for us! God knew that in the year 2006 there would be this Pudge guy talking to another guy named ONOM and they would hit on this topic!
I personally have to remember to keep perspective on things. What is really important right now might not be so important six months down the road. What is not important right now could turn in to something that is extremely important overnight. It's all about what is happening today. I think this is why the "live one day at a time" philosophy is so important! I know that I must work to earn a living. I also know that I must be involved in the work of the Father. He has called me to do certain things and I need to be obedient! Then there is family and friends that want and need my time. Then you throw in spending time with Rachel, yard work, going to the gym, softball practice, worship service, small groups, fixing the car, etc..... Pretty soon it's Monday morning and the weekend has gone by in a flash! Can you believe that it is May 8th and I haven't even swung a golf club this year? Please don't get me wrong, because I am not complaining. I really love my life! God has blessed me tremendously. I just need to make sure and keep the main thing the main thing.
Pastor Tom's sermon yesterday about praising God with community was a timely one for me. Relationships are the key. I find myself working on many different relationships during the week and knowing that they are all important. Keep perspective, make priorities, take some time to rest and refresh. Most importantly remember that "God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath". Be blessed beyond belief today!
Underestimating The Father
You know, I was thinking. For over a year now I have been asking many of my close friends and family to be praying for me in the area of my personal life. This all led to me sharing my feelings in our Sunday night group back in December. At that time the group gathered around me, laid hands on me and prayed specifically that God would change this area of my life. I then began to pray specifically for God to show me the path that I needed to follow to meet the type of women that I wanted to date. It's funny, but God did exactly what was asked of Him! He opened several doors along the way, but most importantly forced me to deal with some deep rooted personal issues that dated back almost 20 years! That was extremely painful for me and was a large part of the valley that I was in back in March! I don't want to ever go through that again!
Last Friday marked the two month point since I first met Rachel. Many of you have met her by now, but none of you have had much time to get to know her yet. She and I have been seeing a lot of each other and that trend probably isn't going to slow down any time soon. It has been a very long time since I have been in a relationship like this so it was a little frightening at first. God has calmed the storm and things have been moving at a perfect pace for us.
I know that I usually try to give some Spiritual insight in the postings that I have, and although this one is more personal there is still application. Why is it that when I called on God's people to pray and began to pray specifically myself, I really didn't have confidence in what I was doing? I know that God can change things and even work miracles, but I really didn't see Him delivering exactly what I was praying for! Shame on me for not having confidence or faith, but praise God that He worked me through it. I underestimated the power of prayer! God knew that from the start and decided to build my faith through His answer! Will I ever doubt again? Probably, I am after all a human being. But I must say that I won't doubt so easily! God does indeed give you the desires of your heart. It is funny how many times I have quoted that but never made it personal and applied it to me. The key in this one was that I was seeking a Godly woman for a Godly relationship. He has blessed me beyond my ability to reason!
Trust God with everything. Go into every decision that you need to make with prayer and share your prayers with others so they can pray also. You might just get the surprise of your life! Be blessed beyond belief today.
HE IS LORD!
You know, I was thinking. Music is something that is very near and dear to my heart. More and more it seems like I am constantly listening to something. Most of what I choose to listen to is contemporary Christian. It is just better stuff to be putting in my head! One song is on my heart today that I would like to share with you:
He is Lord, He is Lord
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
The words of this song are so true. One day everyone will recognize Jesus as the one true living son of God! I had a college professor once that said "you will either bow on your knees now or you WILL bow on your knees later". That may sound a bit harsh but it is true. Christianity is not about rules and regulations, but about relationships. Recognizing Jesus as Lord isn't just lip service but a way of life. A new life! Jesus doesn't just want confession, He wants surrender! He doesn't just want us to talk about Him, He wants us to live for Him! Many people in the world don't know what they are missing when they don't surrender to Jesus' Lordship! It's a win win situation. Is He lord of your life today? Is He in the driver's seat? When was the last time you hit your knees and confessed Him as Lord of your life? Today is the first day of the rest of eternity, use it wisely. Be blessed beyond belief today.
