I want to tell you something I thought was funny, at my expense. My stuffing is famous, at least with my children, and no one does it better! I start with home made cornbread and soak it in broth, add sauteed veggies and the rest is history! I don't know why my kids call it stuffing as I have never stuffed a bird with it and don't intend to, so wouldn't it be called dressing? I made it for Thanksgiving and then for Sunday dinner, since everyone raved about it (bragging here). It reminded me of something that happend last year when I finally had stuffing leftovers after making it for Christmas! Next day my children left for Disney and with no one home but my parents and me, I knew we would not finish that stuffing, so I took it to my back yard where there are a variety of birds, including a pair of hawks, possums, raccoons, stray cats, and, I am sure, a few rats, they have to eat too, so to protect my garbage from being ransacked at night, and since it is my duty to clean up the mess, I put food down at the edge of the driveway so they stop and eat there instead of my garbage cans! The birds love bread and crackers and you ought to see them fight over the stale tortilla chips, so I knew they would love the stuffing! I put it out there for them and decided to take my folks out for a ride. Daddy and I were sitting in my car, waiting for Mother to come, watching the birds eat, when one huge black bird swooped down and got a great big mouthful of stuffing and flew off! I was so proud, maybe my stuffing was on it's way to a nest to feed babies! In a moment he came back, stuffing still in place. There was a doggie bowl full of water, well you know that raccoons do wash their hands after they eat,the bird went to it and dropped the stuffing into the water! I couldn't believe it! Was it an accident? NO! he stood there for a minute, reached down into the water, took the bite out, shook out the excess water and flew off with it, this time he didn't come back! Daddy and I laughed so hard, what a statement on my cornbread stuffing!  IT WAS DRY! Sometimes it does seem that as hard as you try, nothing is right, but I have found someone that always knows where I am, is aware of a tiny bird that falls to the ground and loves me just the way I am, dry cornbread and all!  Psalm 8:1.Oh Lord My Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens 4.What is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You care for him? This morning as I prayed, there was a particular thing that I was asking God about, I needed a Word from Him. He gave me Nehemiah 13:14 Remember me O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and it's services! That was it! I knew He had heard me and knew exactly what I needed! What a wonderful feeling that was! Anytime you have a need to know, just ask Him. The Bible tells us that "we have not because we ask not" James 4:2

I won't tell you about my Pineapple Upside Down Cake, that is a whole other story!

Be blessed, I pray you are having a wonderful Holiday Season, and remember as we approach Christmas, that Jesus is the reason for the season, it's His birthday we are celebrating, and the neat thing is this, it is my birthday TOO!

Two tunes have been running through my head today. One is secular and was written by Bill Withers back in the 70's, the other is a hymn written by Joseph Scrivens in 1855 for his mother who was far away from him in Ireland. What is the common thread of these two songs? The first is Lean on Me and the other is What a Friend We Have in Jesus. The one says, "Lean on me when you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on"....the other says "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."  If I had the wisdom of Solomon, and his riches also, I could solve everyone I know's problems, and that's the truth. One needs a job, desperately needing to pay rent and utilities, one has a spouse that is abusive verbally and is afraid that it will turn physical, one has a child that the spouse is trying to get full custody of...then there is the one in a "going nowhere" relationship, but doesn't realize it...and the list goes on and on...did I say if I were rich and had wisdom I could solve all their problems? Well there is no one on earth that do that, although we are gifted with people who have the training to help us sort through our problems and can prescribe a drug that can help you cope..however they cannot solve anything on their own, can they? It takes co-operation from you and then, sometimes, it is not permanent...so where do we go for help? Shall we go back to "casting all your care on Him, for He cares for you?"1 Peter 5:7  My grandfather told me something one time that I will repeat here. He said that in Psalm 23 it says "Your rod and your staff they comfort me"...the word of God is your "rod" and your friends are your "staff"...he said that you need both. Well we know that John chapter 1 says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So the Word (being Jesus) is the rod that we lean on, he holds us up. The rods the shepherds carried were made for their protection in warding off animals or enemies, but also they were made to push into the ground so that they could be leaned on at times when rest was needed. Proverbs 17:17( NLT) says: A friend is always loyal and a brother is born to help in time of need. So now we see the two songs coming together...lean on me when you're not strong, what a friend we have in Jesus, Lean and Friend are the underlined words. I know a family that spent the greater part of yesterday in an effort to keep one of their siblings from committing the ultimate act of desperation, suicide, which is said to be the permanent solution to a temporary problem. If you are willing to die, why not give everything to God in Jesus' name first? There are people who care and will pray...I am one of them.
Be blessed, pray, lean on and carry everything to God in prayer!

My day started so early this morning that it feels like I have been up for two days, my feet are tired...need to unlace these NewBalance shoes… the kitchen is finally clean and the house is settling down for sleep and I am happy. I do believe this was the best Thanksgiving Day I have had in years.  My eight year old grandson, Gabriel, has been working all week on a little project. I didn’t know what he was going to do with it, but he had asked me to sit down with him for an “appointment” and I did. He told me he was making “Thankful Lists” for everyone. He had his little book and with his third grade writing skills, wrote down my list. Today at lunch I realized why. He asked everyone to give him their attention he had something to say. He told us “Today is Thanksgiving, so when I count to three everyone say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! He counted, we loudly proclaimed the day and then he got out his book. He read each of our Thankful Lists! It really made me think, that is what the day is all about and it took Gabriel to point it out. As he had prayed over the lunch he told God that he was really thankful that we had a special day to be thankful and that he wished that God had a special birthday like Jesus has Christmas, then he designated the day August 10! He told God that would be His birthday from now on, August 10! Needless to say we all were shaking with mirth and he took offence to our lack of seriousness…we made it right. Sometimes it takes a little child to point out to us adults, who are so busy with the cares and plans and work of this life, that we are forgetting the most important thing and that is to be Thankful to God for all His goodness to us! Read Psalm 8, which I am placing here: Psalm 8: O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,  all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth!  God is faithful to those of us who love Him and call on His name! I pray you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, now make a "thankful list" of our own!

I have so much to get done, I want everything to be right so that when everyone goes home and I look at the remains of the day, I know that I have done my best to make everyone's Thanksgiving a happy one. First things first and that is my thought of you, the person who might take the time on a Holiday to actually read me. I wonder if you are happy, busy, lonely, unhappy, depressed? God has solutions for us all. Sometimes the loneliest place is in the middle of a crowd. We used to move so often as a preacher's family, that it was hard to make new friends at new schools and at lunch time when everyone was saving places at their tables for friends, I would take something and go sit in a booth, yes on the toilet, and eat by myself. I was embarrassed to approach a crowd of people and young people seldom reach out to someone new. So I know how it feels to be lonely and just wish the time to be over. I have some good news, God loves you and knows exactly where you are, right this very minute! If he knows the number of hairs on your head and sees a sparrow fall to the ground, then you can bet your last quarter that He see YOU!  Isaiah 41:10-13.. 'You're my servant, serving on my side.I've picked you. I haven't dropped you.'Don't panic. I'm with you.There's no need to fear for I'm your God.I'll give you strength. I'll help you.I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you."Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you will end up out in the cold—real losers.Those who worked against you will end up empty-handed, nothing to show for their lives. When you go out looking for your old adversaries you won't find them—Not a trace of your old enemies, not even a memory.That's right. Because I, your God,have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go.I'm telling you, 'Don't panic.I'm right here to help you.' You are never alone, no matter how "by yourself" you are. There are times I feel like the third wheel, but look at this verse. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Those were promises from the Old Testiment, want some from the New? Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So you see you are never alone, no matter what you feel, you have to know that God has sent His angels to keep a guard over you to keep you in all your ways!  Read this excerpt from Psalm 91: Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door.He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go.If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. I want you, family, friend, stranger, to know that I actually care what is going on with you and I pray everyday that God will give me the very word that you need to help you! Be blessed, Pray, Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother!