Hope And Change

Good Morning Fellow Joes;

 

I wanted to end this weeks thought with a short devotional on Hope and Change.  Over the last three years those words have taken on a different meaning for many people no matter who you voted for in the last presidential election.  Today I would like to make a small attempt to not let the liberal crowd change or add to the meaning of words again.  (They have a propensity to take a commonly used word and give it an opposite or radically different meaning, aka. gay.)

 I just wanted to say that I have great hope for the year ahead and am looking at ways to make changes in my own life to more closely follow my savior Jesus Christ.  Below are a variety of verses on hope and change from Gods perspective:

 ·                                 Job 4:6 NIV

Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?

 ·                                 Ephesians 1:18 NIV

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

 ·                                 Ephesians 4:4-7 NIV

4 There is one bodyand one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5 one Lord,one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all.7 But to each one of usgracehas been givenas Christ apportioned it.

 ·                                 Romans 5:5 NIV

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us

 ·                                 Romans 1:20-32 KJV

 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen , being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; sothat they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened . 22 Professing they to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: 25 who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retainGod in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient ; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

 ·                                 2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 So hope and change can be good or bad depending on your eternal destiny.  I pray that you have the assurance of eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If not I encourage you to make that change in your life in the year ahead.

 Looking forward to seeing you in the year ahead

 Regular Joe

 

Happy New Year!

As the last posting before the New Years I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog.  To make sure that you are able to continue in the year ahead I would like to leave you with a few safety reminders for New Years Eave and beyond.

 As you head out on the roads to that party let me remind you that not everyone out there is sober, level headed and the most expert driver in the world.  Some people live in a totally different reality than we do.

I suspect that they don’t have seat belt laws where ever this was taken. Be sure to drive and ride safely, and use your seat belt! 

 Remember the Drivers Ed teachers tips for measuring your following distance. Don’t follow to closely!

Don’t Drive when you are overly tired

And most importantly… Never Leave Home Without The Duct Tape!

Have a great weekend and I will see you in the New Year

Regular Joe

New Years Safety Tips

Realizing that many of you guys are already getting ready for New Years Eve I thought I would put a few safety tips in over the next couple of days.  Having survived on this planet for close to 60 years I can tell you; YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO SAFE!

Whats wrong with this picture?  Never start your Jacuzzi tub motor without securely mounting it to the side!  Also make sure that the gas tank does not leak or is too close to an open flame.  You don’t want that Hot a Hot Tub.

 

 

Be careful and pay attention to where you set your drink down.  You may not be able to get it back!  Not to mention potential hostilities with male guests and your party. 

 

 

 By all means be careful which relatives you invite to your New Years party.  If you wake up on New Years day and Uncle Bob is in the front lawn with his trailer… Well I’m just sayin dinner with the missus is going to be a little chilly for a while.  (And your grocery bill will go up.)

Redneck Joe

 

Couch Potato Resolutions?

December 29,

 Are you tired of making resolutions every year and then feeling frustrated when you fail?  I have a couple of different directions that I will cover today.  One has guaranteed results and involves almost no work.  The second method requires more work and does not have guaranteed results but will give you a better shot at accomplishing the goals you choose.  The first approach I like to call the Couch Potato.  It’s pretty simple; just pick 5 to 10 things that you know you can achieve without any work. Keep them simple, things that you are positive you can do.  Here are a few examples.  In the next 12 months I am going to:

1. Break at least one traffic law
2. Start at least two projects but not finish them
3. Procrastinate more…starting tomorrow
4. Gain 10 pounds  this year
5. Sit in my recliner, watch TV and wait for opportunity to knock.
6. Go farther in debt
7. Spend one day a month playing with my guns
8. Yell at the TV news anchor about stories that I can’t do anything about.
9. Drink more coffee with lots of special creamer, (helps with resolution #4 too)
10. Spend more time on the internet, (especially at 5 G’s and a Cup of Joe)

Anyway you get the idea.  Results are virtually guaranteed if you just spend a little time in the next few days thinking about the last year and what you did.  By the way you should not read 2 Peter 3:10-14 if you are using the Couch Potato Plan.   The Holy Spirit will probably be bothering your conscience enough anyway.

 If you are interested in the second option, boy are you ambitious!  When choosing or setting my own goals (anytime of the year), I try to use an acrostic, SMART to make my goals as achievable as possible;

Specific – Narrow your goal down to very specific terms, i.e. I want to lose 15 lbs in 15   weeks; not I want to lose weight

Measurable – Have a way to measure whether you are progressing to your goal, i.e. I will   lose 1 lb a week.

            Achievable – Can you make the time, do you have the resources?

Realistic – Setting goals that you can not achieve dooms you to frustration and failure. It      is better to set a small goal, achieve it and set a new goal.

            Timely – Is your goal going to be completed by the time you need its result?

Actually on reading these again they will also help you if you change your mind and use the Couch Potato Plan above.  Looking at the top ten resolutions from yesterday’s devotional, a good example would be #9. Spend More Time With Family.   One more hour?  This is not specific enough.  A better example would be I will spend one date night with my wife every second week or I will spend one evening a week playing table games with the whole family.  Just a side note, you might want to make sure whatever you chose is something they enjoy!  My resolution a few years back to spend one night a month cleaning guns with my wife didn’t work out that well.  It should be measurable, i.e. looking back at the month of January you can see that you played games as a family 3 out of 4 weeks.  Is the goal achievable?  Are you willing to play table games with the kids once a week or would every two weeks be better?  Is the goal realistic?  Remember your other time commitments and evaluate priorities, and remember to look back at 2 Peter 3:10-14 once in a while to keep you on track.  Lastly is your goal timely?  It may be a little late to sit down and play table games with the kids if your wife just took them and moved back to her moms.  At least you may have some bridge building before you get back to the table games.

Think of New Years Resolutions as promises, either to yourself, loved ones or God.  If we pray and seek Gods will in our lives he will direct us in making the changes that are pleasing to him.

Psalm 87: 7 Show us your unfailing love,O LORD, and grant us your salvation.8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peaceto his people, his saints– but let them not return to folly.9 Surely his salvationis near those who fear him, that his glorymay dwell in our land.

Holy  Joe

(a term coined during World War II for chaplins)

When Did It All Change?

Good Morning;

Oh… before I start let me run into the kitchen for another cup of Joe.  Maybe a little Chocolate Macadamia Nut creamer, or do I have time to grind some beans from Borneo? …..  uhhh, oh yes my blog readers await….. I saw an article the other day on the internet that said coffee could cure ADHD, I wonder if …  Oh, I forgot!.

When did coffee become so complicated.  I can remember as a kid, mom and dad had this aluminum percolator with a glass knob on top that the coffee bubbled up into when it perked.  I can see a can of Maxwell House coffee sitting on the counter in the morning.   I think a yellow or red formica top table with chrome legs and matching chairs.  I vaguely remember seeing Folgers and Sanka coffee cans but there were probably a few other brands at the grocery store.  ( I admit I didn’t spend any money on coffee back then.) 

Probably sometime in the late sixties I actually began drinking coffee.  I remember an avocado green coffee pot that we got for our wedding in ’72, then the Mr Coffee machines came along….. and then suddenly, I am not sure when, maybe 15 years back…..  Suddenly getting coffee became a BIG deal!