MikeJustice's Xanga

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:54:04 GMT

The Little Princess

My wife has always really enjoyed teaching children around the kindergarten age, but my preference is more on a one-to-one basis with them, from the time they begin to talk fairly well, until they are in early elementary school. The curiosity and imagination of the yung child is a real delight to me. On our recent trip to Alton, Illinois with our granddaughter Tristen, we stayed at the Holiday Inn for two days, and the common indoor area that had a sun roof all the way up to the fourth floor, was of special interest to Tristen. Our room was on the fourth floor, and our patio style window had a view to that area below. There were tables for the buffet food service , an indoor fountain, ping pong tables, a swimming pool, and a hot tub all in this large area. When we arrived in our room in the evening noise from the area below was noticeable, so I opened the draperies enough to let Tristen look out. She said, "Grandpa, there are people eating down there, can we eat too?" Grandpa: "Maybe tomorrow honey, it's almost time for bed now." Tristen: "Can we see the fountain too, Grandpa?" Grandpa: "Grandma will probably let you see it tomorrow." Tristen: "Can I get in the fountain Grandpa? Mommy won't let me." Grandpa: "Well, I don't think you will be able to get into it here either."

The next night when we were in the room, Tristen decided it would be fun to "disappear" behind the draperies, and tell Grandpa that she was all gone. Of course, Grandpa went along the long window, feeling the draperies, and saying to Grandma that it looked like Tristen was lost. Wehn I went past her, not acknowledging that I touched her, and continued to the end of the window, she was silent. But when I told Grandma that it looked like we had lost our Tristen, she said, "I'm right here Grandpa!" Then she made her normal remark for things she enjoys, "Let's do it again Grandpa!"

After we were back in Ohio, Tristen was with us for several more days before we returned her to Mommy. When I would try to get some work done at my computer, she often would come to the side of my chair and say, "Grandpa, you be my Prince." If I would tell her I have "homework" to do, she accepted that with the proviso that I be her Prince when I'm done. Whenever I would relent and say I would be her Prince, she would go just a step or two away, lie down on the floor, and say, "I died." That is my cue to come over and kiss her on the cheek, to break the spell so she can get up again. Ah, the influences of fairy tales in movie form.

Thank you Lord for this precious little girl. May she find Jesus to be her Prince, because He is the one who will truly give her life everlasting, and that is no fairy tale! Hallelujah, Amen.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:55:17 GMT

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

The Lord of Glory is asking this question right now, because when we meet Him after our physical death, the matter will be already firmly and unchangeably decided. So while it is still called today, what do you say about the most important question you will ever answer: who is Jesus of Nazareth?

“21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no God else besides Me, a just God and a Savior. There is none besides Me. 22 "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by Myself; the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall one say, `In the LORD have I righteousness and strength. Even to Him shall men come, and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed.” (Isa 45:21-24 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The LORD God alone is the Savior from sin to eternal life. All those who are against Him, and refuse to receive Him shall surely be ashamed when eternal life eludes them forever. There is only one God, and one Savior!

“13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said unto them, "But who say ye that I am?" 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in Heaven.” (Mt 16:13-17 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The truth of scripture is revealed to each person by God, not discovered by any of us because of our own ancestry, our training, or our intellect. Peter was a fisherman by trade, not a religious leader, but he was familiar with the Old Testament scripture as a Jew. He did not come to his declaration about Jesus solely on his own, and neither will anyone else. Through the Lord's will, Peter became an apostle for the church, but even the most seemingly insignificant person who becomes a Christian does so by accepting the truth when it is revealed to them as it was for Peter.

“25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said unto him, "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" 27 And he answering said, "`Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.'" 28 And He said unto him, "Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live."” (Lu 10:25-28 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The Lord will require each of us to be responsible for our acceptance of the truth of scripture, as he asked the lawyer in the passage above, , "how do you read it?" As the passage goes on, we find that this man who was very learned in the Old Testament law was still seeking to justify himself, rather than to accept the gift of eternal life from God through faith in Christ Jesus. Those two great commandments can only truly be followed after receiving the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus.

“41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, "What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said unto Him, "The son of David." 43 He said unto them, "How then doth David in the Spirit call Him `Lord,' saying, 44 `The LORD said unto my Lord, "Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool"'? 45 If David then call Him `Lord,' how is He his son?" 46 And no man was able to answer Him a word; neither dared any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.” (Mt 22:41-46 KJ21)

COMMENT: Jesus posed a question that pointed to himself. If David was speaking of his Lord who was the ever-existing God, how then could that one also be a descendent of David? The Bible scholars of the time were unable to answer this mystery: God would become a man to provide the perfect sacrifice for all our sin. they did not recognize that Jesus was that man because they had nullified the law by elevating their traditions above faith. Many over the centuries have also missed this essential point that was realized in Christ Jesus because they have allowed unbelief in many forms, and the traditions of men, to close their hearts to the message from the Holy Spirit.

“24 Then came the Jews round about Him and said unto Him, "How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and ye believed not. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me. 28 And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. 30 I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works have I shown you from My Father. For which of those works do ye stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because thou, being a man, makest thyself God."” (Joh 10:24-33 KJ21)

COMMENTS: In chapter 10 of the gospel of John, Jesus speaks clearly enough for those who will believe, but the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus for blasphemy that only seemed to be a legitimate charge because in their unbelief, they could not accept the truth that He is God. This attempt to stone him took place before he later surrendered himself to them at the proper time as predetermined by God. Then to fulfill prophecy, they held court to judge Him, then handed him over to Pilate for execution on the cross.

“63 But Jesus held His peace. And the high priest answered and said unto Him, "I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said unto him, "Thou hast said; nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, "He hath spoken blasphemy! What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy!” (Mt 26:63-65 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The Jewish high priest had no doubt that Jesus claimed to be God, even though there are critics today who disclaim that fact. Therefore, he declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy, because his own unbelief blinded his heart from seeing the fulfillment of prophecy right before him. No amount of education, tradition, or position of high authority could bring the high priest to the truth that only God can reveal to the heart that is not hardened.

“67 "Art thou the Christ? Tell us." And He said unto them, "If I tell you, ye will not believe. 68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer Me nor let Me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God." 70 Then said they all, "Art thou then the Son of God?" And He said unto them, "Ye say that I am." 71 And they said, "What need we any further witness? For we ourselves have heard it from his own mouth."” (Lu 22:67-71 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The passage in Matthew 26, and the one in Luke 22, both are couched in such a way as to allow the skeptic in any age to continue in their unbelief, just as did the religious leaders who actually fulfilled scripture by their rejection and their condemnation of Jesus to death. Because all have sinned as scripture declares, There is no living person who has the ability in any way within himself to become fully justified before a Holy God. We MUST accept the sacrifice that God himself provides the only means to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE

“67 Then Jesus said unto the twelve, "Will ye also go away?" 68 Then Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, 69 and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."” (Joh 6:67-69 KJ21)

COMMENTS: Some speak of Jesus and seem to be following, until various reasons cause them to turn away. but those who follow in authentic faith have the same attitude as indicated in Peter's answer. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

“30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through His name.” (Joh 20:30-31 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The apostle John wrote his gospel from a heart of devoted love to his Savior, to present truth of salvation to eternal life, that many readers might be saved by faith in Christ alone. John declares that much more could have been written, but an ever increasing volume of truth will not penetrate a heart hardened to the LORD.

“And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and Eternal Life.” (1Jo 5:20 KJ21)

COMMENTS: The apostle John wrote a letter with the same earnest desire as that carried in his gospel, and that is clearly expressed in the verse above. Jesus came that we might have an understanding that He is the true God and Eternal Life. My prayer for anyone who read this while yet outside of Christ, is that the Holy Spirit will open your heart to the truth of scripture, not any system devised by man, and thereby that you receive eternal life to be forever secure in Christ!
Glory to the Lord Christ Jesus, amen.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:18:19 GMT

The Hurrieder I go, the Behinder I Get!

Just when you think the schedule has no more room, several other items crowd their way into your life. Between special family needs, and increased needs at our local church, I have changed priorities several times over in the past few months. Xanga has not been near the top of the list, and since the list is much longer than the time available, there has been no Xanga entries from the blind guy. I do appreciate some of the people I have become acquainted with through Xanga, so I will slide in this entry after a long absence. I automatically receive daily Email updates of my subscription list, so I have been able to at least quickly scan the entries of others. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is my highest priority in life, though many other things distract me in my weakness, I do not like to make an entry without drawing some attention to the Savior. A dear friend of over thirty years has permitted me to publish her devotional book on a section of my MPNHome.net website, and below I share one of her meditations from that Ebook.

** The Garden Gates to God's Rest **

Hebrews 4:11 (Amplified)
Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest (of God, to know and experience it for ourselves), that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience (into which those in the wilderness fell).

Jesus has been showing me more of the garden gates that lead into His Rest. These are incredibly lovely gates hidden among boughs of rose bushes and clematis vines. Each one is unique yet each leads into that bountiful garden of God's Rest.

Today's gate was engraved "Praise in All Things." It was a rugged wooden gate seldom used--as evidenced by my difficulty in finding it there among the untended fields of my soul outside God's tended Garden of Rest. Yet He had been telling me of its existence for quite some time and I had even successfully sought it out a time or two before.

Wading through the weeds and thorns, swatting at the gnats and flies, I discovered the Sword in my hand served as an excellent scythe.
Then, there before it I stood. A gentle touch was all that was needed to lift the latch. Obviously the Gardener kept the hinges well lubricated so that, in spite of infrequent use, the gate swung open with the slightest nudge of praise. This success birthed more praise until, before I knew it, there I was in God's Rest again.

The Gardener Himself was there to greet me and lead me farther along the garden paths, eager, as always, to show me more of His Promised Land and to remind me of how capable He is of being the Caretaker of everything.

Lana Waters Liu
November 2004
You may contact me at
simplydevoted@yahoo.com

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:07:57 GMT

Protective Padding!

The other day Carolyn and I were having a conversation in the kitchen as I was rinsing a few dishes at the sink. I made a quip in response to something she said and she immediately reached over to pinch me for my remark. Then she said, "That's not fair, your bill fold got in the way!" That little exchange lead my thoughts back to the late 1950's when I was in the fifth grade. This was a period when a majority of parents in our community endorsed corporal punishment in the schools; in fact, many of them encouraged it to maintained disciplined respect for adults.

Another boy and I had not done well on either a test or an assignment (I can't remember which), and the teacher's judgment was that this capped a pattern of rebelling against authority because she believed we could perform well above the level at which we produced. The teacher, Miss Leffel, sent us into the hallway to wait for her to come out and apply "the board of education to the seat of learning." I had my billfold in the left hip pocket, and I placed some small note pads in the right one, thinking I would minimize my pain. When this veteran of many years of teaching came out to administer my "cracks," she gently used the paddle to pat my billfold, and said "take that out of your pocket." She did likewise to the pocket that contained the notepads. Her experience in dealing with elementary school students impressed me, and the paddle she used made a little more of an "impression" on me as well since the padding had been removed!

The next year when sixth grade started, I actually went to her classroom bulletin board first, hoping to find my name among those students assigned to her class. I held no grudge for her methods of discipline. My sixth grade was assigned however, to a new male teacher, Mr. Hayden. I believe I profited very much from this male role model, and his controlled, yet less strict manner of dealing with students. Experiencing the variety of personalities, and styles of conduct among teachers and other staff, are very valuable, though probably not programmed parts of the public education system for children.

"Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying." (Pr 19:18 AKJV)
"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Pr 22:15 AKJV)
"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame." (Pr 29:15 AKJV)
"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge: but he that hates reproof is brutish." (Pr 12:1 AKJV)
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that listens to counsel is wise." (Pr 12:15 AKJV)
"The ear that hears the reproof of life stays among the wise. He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding." (Pr 15:31-32 AKJV)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:31:27 GMT

Christmas and Shepherds

The gospel of Luke tells us that shepherds near Bethlehem were visited by angels, and subsequently went to see the new born Savior for themselves. "8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard [it] wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." (Luke 2:8-20 AV)

David had been a shepherd near Bethlehem (much like those shepherds near Bethlehem who were told of the Savior's birth), taking care of his father's sheep before he became the king of Israel. "But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem." (1Samuel 17:15 AV) And even as the king of Israel, David used the metaphor of sheep to refer to those under his rule, thus identifying himself as their shepherd who bore the responsibility for their lives. "And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house." (2Sa 24:17 AV) The LORD forgave David for his sins, and even promised an everlasting kingdom to a descendent who would sit on David's throne. But the inspired pen of David also declared that God is the true shepherd. "A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalms 23:1AV) And another psalm also tells us that God is himself the shepherd of His people. "To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." (Psalms 80:1 AV)

Many generations after King David, a prophet wrote again of the shepherd and king who was yet to come for the care of his flock. But this coming shepherd would also need to be the Lord God in order to fulfill scripture. Prophecy declared, prophecy fulfilled, and prophecy verified give absolute veracity to our faith, because there is nothing too hard for the LORD. "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd." (Ezekiel 34:23 AV) "And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. (Ezekiel 37:24 AV)

When Jesus presented himself before Israel, he was the shepherd preparing to give His life for the sake of His sheep. King David had been such a shepherd well before the time he became king, as he risked his life to defend his father's flock against a bear and a lion. David had related those events to King Saul, and Jesus spoke these words to Jewish leaders. "11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.” (John 10:11-14 AV)

Our great shepherd loved us so much that He gave His life in our place, but He rose from the dead to demonstrate his power over death. We can live in that victory today, because we have a sure hope that we will be the sheep of His pasture, and subjects in His eternal kingdom! "20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21 AV)

Merry Christmas to all who have hope by grace through faith in Christ.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:45:16 GMT

Giving of Thanks: "Shout for Joy! and Enter into His Rest!"

Foreword - Some very early USA settlers were mindful of the mercy of the Lord - giving rise to our national holiday. In that context, I offer my prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

LORD, I come to you with joy, which wells up inside of me, as I consider that you alone are that solid rock of personal salvation! I offer praise for my passage from death to life, thanksgiving for the mighty works of nature which declare your glory as they provide wonder and enjoyment, and I confess that all righteousness comes from you. You LORD are the unsurpassed, incomparable, God, and a great King, the sovereign of your people, above all else that would be called god in the foolishness of men. In your hand are the fields, valleys, and dark recesses of the earth; as are the hills and lofty peaks of the mountains. Every body of water is yours, for you made them, and your powerful hands formed all dry land. I must come, and encourage other believers, to worship and bow down: to kneel in praise before you LORD, our maker. For you are our God; and we are the people of your flock and the sheep of your providential hand.

Today, and each day, may I hear and obey your word: exhorting other believers as I myself strive against Hardening of the heart through the deceitfulness of sin, as can easily happen in both times of plenty and times of want. Thank you for your exceeding forbearance with me, as you stabilize the vacillation in my heart and make me a partaker in Christ as I become more steadfast in faith. Lord grant me your grace that I not be counted among those who test you, proved you, and see your work with no change of heart. Guide me to labor and be always abounding in the work of the LORD, until I enter into that promised rest. Amen.

NOTE: The above was the closing prayer from the Bible study on Psalm 95
Published on MPNHome.net 2 June 2004, First issued 25 October 2002

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:44:11 GMT

Replacing A Wall-mounted Light

A few weeks ago we were preparing to host our friends from India and their mission coordinator from Missouri. We have known Kailas for about thirty years, and after she went to India as a single missionary she met and married Jayaraj in 1982. We have kept a close relationship with them over the years, hosting them whenever they were in our area in the U.S. for visits. Since our downstairs "apartment" is occupied by our son Tom and his wife Amber, I needed to move some extra bedding up from the basement to transform the living room into a temporary sleeping area. As I brought the queen size mattress up the basement steps, the wall fixture suffered a fatal encounter. This is how one job turns into several. I told Carolyn "I never really liked that light," which is a way of minimizing the loss and setting me up for a replacement job.

So, Carolyn and I went off to our favorite local hardware store to find a sleeker wall fixture (one that has smooth edges and hugs the wall better) and a few small 'fix it" accessories. I asked Tom if he would like to do the job, and he said he didn't especially like to work with electric circuits, but he would be glad to help me. When I was ready to begin installation, Tom watched another light on the same circuit while I tried different circuit breakers until we found the right one to de-energize the circuit. First I removed the defective fixture. Next, Tom held the flashlight while I used the wire nuts to match the wires (black to black & white to white) by Tom's instruction, then I mechanically attached the wall fixture with the hardware and secured the bare wire ground to the grounding screw. The entire time Tom was holding the flashlight, it was for his benefit to observe, since I could not even tell that there was a light. I do all my disassembly and assembly work tactually, and I enjoy doing small handyman jobs. Once all the mechanical work was done, I screwed a light bulb in place, and Tom switched the circuit breaker back on. Yes, it works, and it is a safe installation; installed in the same manner as it would have been by a sighted person!

Since the time many years ago, when I accepted my blindness as a gift from God, I concentrate on the many things that I can do, rather than on the things that I cannot do. My eyesight loss was very gradual, but now I am at the point that even my light perception is not reliable. And if you'll excuse the intended pun for the passage below, that passage also has very significant comfort when applying the proper contextual meaning of the word light.
“17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2Corinthians 4:17-18 AKJV)
I praise the LORD that He opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel, to make my hope sure and steadfast in Christ, as I determined to abandon my rebellion against God! Having eyes that do not see the truth is great loss in eternal matters.
“1 The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, you dwell in the middle of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 12:1-2 AKJV)

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:55:36 GMT

Tristen's Active Imagination!

Tristen is now about five weeks past her third birthday, and she is 3 feet 3 inches (39") tall and 31 pounds. She has a very active imagination: she saw some little bolts on my computer desk as we were sitting together, and asked what they were. When I told her they were bolts, she said the very small ones were babies, and the larger ones were the mommies. She had a baby and a mommy hug each other and play together. Then she said the mommy was sick, and two other bolts on the desk suddenly became her doctors, to help her get better. It is very common for her to personify the inanimate. In a past visit she pretended to take small animals out of a picture book that grandma was reading, so she could pet them, and even take them over to grandpa so he could pet them. Then she placed them back into the book before grandma went on to the next page.

During this visit I began to teach her that grandpa is blind, a concept which she has not really grasped, although sometimes she has let me "see" things tactually. She has a large picture book at grandma's house that includes buttons to play music for some short children's songs that we sing together. When she asked about some of the pictures in the book, I told her that grandpa could not see the pictures because my eyes are "broken" so grandma would need to help her with the pictures. She said in a very determined voice, "grandpa's eyes are not broken." So we went back and forth with that type of routine for the remainder of her visit, sometimes talking about grandpa being blind, and sometimes just saying that grandpa could not see things. But I would say that grandpa could hear things and touch things and smell things; and I gave some demonstrations like smelling my food and identifying it by the aroma. Grandma also directed a brief game where Tristen would find various objects to place into grandpa's hands so he could feel them and then tell her what they were. Gradually she began to say grandpa can't see but he can hear, etc. We also exchanged several times that we could sing together, and play together, and tell stories to each other, and dance together. she likes to have some music playing so she can dance with her daddy, and now with her grandpa. I really enjoy the young inquisitive mind, and it is extra special to me when it is in my granddaughter!

“Children are an inheritance from the LORD. They are a reward from him.” (Ps 127:3 GWV)

The Miniature Cupcake Caper

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:43:14 GMT

One of the most delightful aspects of dealing with pre-school children is the unexpected actions and reactions that develop spontaneously from them. Our granddaughter Tristen loves chocolate, but she is very willing to share even her coveted treats. After lunch when she was staying with us several weeks ago, Carolyn gave Tristen some bite sized Oreo cookies for her dessert and she quickly offered one to grandpa. I accepted and thanked her for sharing, but told her I didn't want any more of them. Then grandma gave grandpa a packet of Hostess chocolate miniature cream filled cupcakes for his dessert. They come three in a pack, and are good for one to two bites each. When Tristen saw what grandpa had, she very politely asked for one, so I gave her one, and took one for myself. I placed the remaining cupcake on my left, which was the opposite side from where Tristen was seated. Tristen took a bite (half of her little cupcake, then said "here grandpa" as she handed me the other half. Then with very little hesitation, she said "I want the other one grandpa!" With surprise I picked up the third cupcake and asked if that was what she wanted, and she said yes. Grandma got quite a chuckle out of this little exchange, as I could only be impressed by Tristen's shrewd technique and timing, while at the same time wondering how she knew how to divide three equally by two when she was not quite three years old! Isn't this innocent act great fun, as it leaves one wondering just where the baseline understanding of a little one leaves off, and the happenstance picks up.

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 19:14 AKJV)

"2 And Jesus called a little child to him, and set him in the middle of them, 3 And said, Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 18:2-4 AKJV)

The Tooth Doctor & the Computer Doctor

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:01:18 GMT

I had not expected the summer break in Carolyn's teaching schedule to parallel such a change in my weekly routine, but posting on Xanga has become even more sporadic than previously for me. The weekend of August 18th, I developed a progressively worsening toothache that kept me from church all day Sunday. Monday I was able to see our dentist, but he could not determine which tooth was causing the pain, since there was no surface evidence, and the location of the pain proved to be elusive. A specialist in Columbus (about an hour's drive for us) worked for nearly an hour before he pinpointed the back molar of my bridge to be the culprit, even though the pain seemed to be at the front of the bridge. Vicodin and Percocet had not touched the pain; my only relief had been to drink sips of ice water every five minutes for over 24 hours before seeing the specialist. After he was confident about the molar as the problem, he gave me enough local anesthetic that I felt nothing in that area. I even fell asleep briefly as he worked on the bridge molar for another 2.5 hours of root canal. The tooth is no problem now, and my local dentist replaced the temporary filling with a permanent silver filling.

Just after my birthday on September 3 (thanks to those who left greetings here and on Carolyn's blog) my Desktop computer began to have problems with intermittent loss of the speech facility. I am temporarily using the laptop computer that Carolyn uses for her student during school days, while my Desktop is at the computer doctor. Even though my JAWS speech program was resident on the laptop, other software such as the Online Bible program needed to be downloaded and installed for me to do my routine work. I also access my various record files from the jump drive that contains backups from my Desktop computer. I spent several days attempting to correct the problems with my Desktop before I finally deferred that task to someone with more expertise. The greatest difficulty I have in troubleshooting is that my speech access does not function in "safe mode" and often the speech is lost when the computer goes to a fault screen. My son Tom gave me "sighted assistance," but alas, it seems the only sure solution was a trip to the Hackery in nearby Urbana. So, until my familiar machine returns, I will continue acclimating with the laptop to achieve a more "blind friendly" environment.