Needs some sugar

I bought my first watermelon of the season this week. Although you can get them year round now via the local supermarket, they are not grown locally and do not taste as good. And the ones now at the produce stands and markets are not actually grown here, I don't think. I am no expert at fresh produce, but I suspect they would be from south of here. At any rate, this is the time when you typically buy the watermelons. Cut them in half, put them in the refrigerator, and allow to chill. Then pull them out, slice them, and eat. Wow, I can taste it now!

My wife had already bought one last week at the produce stand, so this was not actually our first. It was pretty good. I stopped by the local supermarket yesterday for milk, coke, and bread. I saw the stack of watermelons and happily put one in the cart.

I will confess to you that I have sinned. I did the unthinkable. I bought produce from the supermarket, and not from the produce stand. Trish (wife) thinks you only get fruit and vegetables from the produce stand. When I arrived home yesterday morning I unloaded the milk, coke, and bread. And I cut the watermelon in half. More about my sin in a moment...

Zach, our five year old grandson, was spending the day. He never had a taste for watermelon until this year. As a matter of fact he only discovered last week that he liked watermelons. So he waited with anticipation, as I did, for the watermelon to chill. He announced we would have it for dessert, after lunch. So when lunch came, we made our sandwiches and ate. Zachary announced afterward that he was ready for dessert- watermelon. Happy to oblige, I was ready for a slice, too, figuring it was good, cold, and tasty.

When I cut the watermelon in half I didn't pay too much attention to the color. But when Trish began to cut the slices for me and Zach, she announced that the watermelon wasn't ripe. Taking a bite of mine, I said it was ok. After eating some of it, I told her that she was correct, it wasn't ripe, and wasn't eatable. But I didn't say anything to Zach. I didn't want to disappoint him. He was in the kitchen, and I had whispered to Trish that it wasn't good. But my sin was revealed to Zachary. I had picked a green watermelon.

He came into the living room where I was sitting and announced to me and his maw maw "This watermelon needs some sugar." Zach had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. It needed some sugar. It wasn't sweet.

I know some people like the green watermelon... not sweet. Bitter, mean spirited, selfish, bad attitudes. Rude, unkind. People who are not pleasant to be around. Like my watermelon, they look ok on the outside. But inwardly, their fruit is not pleasant. It may be because of situations they are facing, adjustments they have made. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear- they need some sugar in their lives.

I want to be sweet, not bitter, don't you? I want my life to have the fruit of the spirit, which is always ripe and always sweet. If you pick on or from me, I hope you get some sugar.

Blessings,
Pastor Ronnie

Stuck in the mud

I had the trailer hitched to the Tahoe, going to do some yard work. A pile of concrete that had been busted up in order to repair the lines going to the swimming pool needed to be moved. My plans were to load them on the trailer and haul them to a gully in the back of the yard. Going around the back in behind the pool, the vehicle began sliding down into the nearby trees. Attempts to get unstuck only made the situation worse. The frequent rains of the last week had made the ground softer than I anticipated. And now it is raining again.

How long it will take to get the Tahoe out of the back yard is still to be determined. As I sit here there is a heavy rain. I am waiting to see if my son is able to get the vehicle out with the pulley on his Jeep. I sort of doubt it. Dwayne has also mentioned getting the fork lift from the family business, about a quarter of a mile down the road. If neither of those proves feasible, I will call a towing service.

It is not a pretty sight. Stuck in the mud. Mud all over the vehicle where my efforts to get unstuck only made matters worse. Carried from the outside to the interior of the vehicle as I got in and out, in and out, trying to rock the truck back and forth. Still stuck, I await.

Have you ever been like my Tahoe? Stuck in a situation in life that it seems you cannot get out of? Stuck in a marriage that isn't working, in a job that is non productive, in a career that doesn't interest you. Stuck with a disease, with fear, with doubt. Stuck in sin, a habit. We can get stuck in all sorts of things can't we? Like the man laid daily at the gate of the temple when Peter and John passed by, we sometimes get stuck at the gate.

Don't know about you, but I want to be unstuck. Gotta get out of the rut, out of the mud. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. And Tahoe-ally :)

The good news is that Jesus delivers us from the stuck ness of our lives. Allow him to free you today!

The Kitchen Sink

I am not sure where the expression originated, or exactly sure how it goes. What I remember is "everything but the kitchen sink." From my understanding, the saying implies that the situation is pretty severe. "The devil threw everything but the kitchen sink at them" implied they were under a great onslaught and needed our prayers.

I have known people like that, haven't you? People who endured difficult times of testing. And while mine hasn't been as severe, I have felt the kitchen sink coming at me the last few days. As a matter of fact, it began with the kitchen sink. Or actually, a leaking faucet. It had been leaking for a while, and I decided to fix the problem. Great plumber and jack of all trades that I am, I went into Wal Mart and bought one of those little box of washers that costs a couple of bucks. The problem was, it was the wrong kind of washers.

By the time I figured this out, it was getting late. Wednesday night prayer service would begin shortly, so I decided I would make a trip to Lowe's the next morning to get the correct set of washers. Problem was, that when I put the faucet back as it was, it would not cut off. And my house, which was build in the mid seventies, had no cut off valve for the kitchen sink, so I had to leave the main water supply shut off.

Next day, my wife decides she wants to change the faucets rather than repair. OK by me. Faucets fixed, now on to the next problem... A little late opening my swimming pool, I began the process only to find the motor was locked up. Bought a new motor, only to find when taking the motor off the pool pump, a bolt was rung off. So another trip to the pool supply store for the pump. A grand total of $450 dollars and about two days of running around, getting washers, gaskets, and putting the thing back together. There was still a problem. A leak had developed under the concrete from the pump to the pool. Had to bust up about eight feet of concrete to replace the two water lines going into the pool. Finally, the pool is running. It has rained ever since, and I need to pour new concrete where the old was busted up.

Find out I've got a problem with a leaking hot water heater. In the process of getting it repaired, but I've got another problem. Cleaning around the yard last week, I got into some poison oak. Itching like crazy. Can't stand the discomfort.

How am I doing? Oh yeah, I didn't even mention the church problems, did I? Can't think of them right now, dealin' with my own stuff. It began with the kitchen sink :)

Feeling naked

I am missing a part of me that I have grown so accustomed to that I hardly notice it any more. It is an article I have proudly worn for thirty eight years of marriage. I am speaking of my wedding ring. I took it off today. The moment I did, I felt somewhat naked.

I tried to think of other times through the years I have taken off my ring, but could not think of an instance. And yet, I know I have. I have had several different wedding bands through these years, all from the same wife. She bought the one I now proudly wear probably eight to ten years ago.

My reason for taking off the ring had nothing at all to do with a decision on our part to terminate our marriage. And no, it is not because of an argument we are having. The decision is based entirely on comfort. I had poison oak on my fingers, and the ring is in a place where there is irritation. So for the next few days I will be without the ring.

Walking into Wal Mart today, I became aware of the missing ring. I wondered if anyone noticed I was not wearing it. I thought of what kind of signal it would send. I felt a little naked.

I am thankful for my ring. More importantly, I am thankful for what it represents- a union that is cherished of a marriage that makes me complete. Yes, I am happily married. And missing my ring... and feeling a little naked in the meantime.

A donkey by any other name

Colin Powell has taken to the news talk shows to defend his stance against what he calls the "extreme right" of the Republican Party. While denouncing conservative views, he challenged both former Vice President Dick Cheney and talk show host Rush Limbaugh on their thoughts that he had already left the party. He states that Limbaugh's elitist right wing stance has been the downfall of the party, and encourages it to shift back to the "middle". Powell also states that his decision to vote for and endorse Obama for president had nothing to do with color, as suggested by Limbaugh, but on policies.

I try to avoid making personal statements concerning the political environment of the nation. However, I feel compelled to make this statement. A donkey is a donkey, no matter what you call it. You can call it an elephant if you want, but it is still a donkey.

God is up to something

I believe the Lord is up to something BIG. I sense an awesome squeeze from heaven of Divine Grace. God is good! I encourage you to get plugged into the presence of the Almighty. The word of God tells us that "in his presence is fullness of joy."

Breaking up is hard to do

I am old enough to remember the line and the tune to the hit song by Neil Sadaka, "Breaking up is hard to do." The words to a verse... " Don't take your love away from me Don't you leave my heart in misery If you go then I'll be blue Cause breaking up his hard to do." Obviously, it was a love song written from one lover to another who had decided to no longer be so.

Breakups are usually hard, aren't they? The break up of a marriage, the break up of friendships, the break up of partnerships in business or ministry. There are all sorts of splits in the world, and they usually carry some degree of pain. The fact is, we get used to things as they are.

Breakups are not always a bad thing. They represent change, restructure, transition. They are sometimes necessary because we get stuck where we are. We need something new to challenge us. Yes, to go to a new place sometimes requires a new paradigm.

I am in the process of thinking. What can I do to be most effective for the kingdom? What is it that I am doing that is not productive, not beneficial? What areas of my life, if any, need a "break up?" What takes too much of my time, my focus, and my energy?

One of the things for me is the use of the very thing I am at now~ the computer, the internet. It is a valuable resource, but I sometimes abuse my time here. Posting on my blog, facebook, and twitter. Checking what others are saying. Idol chit chat. Yes, it allows me interaction with friends. But I sometimes fail to discipline myself. What if I were to give the time I do to social networking simply to prayer and the word of God? Not that I am not praying and studying, but that would definitely be more time before Him.

I'm just thinking... not saying. But in case you don't see me for a while or if I just go off completely, it's not about you- it's about Him! Not saying I will, but not saying I want...

Breaking up is hard to do-- (but there's got to be less of me, and more of Jesus)

Love and Prayers,
Pastor Ronnie