The Important Things In Life....

I mentioned to Preacher’s wife in passing the other day, how much we had spent on her little vintage trailer. Looking back that was not a smart thing to do. She reminded me of every little toy, gadget, ipod, and fancy cell phone I had ever owned. And if that wasn’t enough she took off about all the computers on my desk. I said, “wait a minute! I need every one of those. They are for my work.” You would have to know her, but she simply shook her head from side to side, didn’t say another word and walked away. If you think her response was her saying, you are right Ron, you need 3 computers on your desk for your job, well you would be wrong. Her silence and walking away meant she knew she was right and there was nothing else that needed to be said. I continued to protest loud and long but it didn’t get any response from her. That is just the way she is. I don’t know why I ever brought up the subject of her little trailer anyway.

Happy Trails

The cowgirl just finished loading a few last items in her wagon and pulled out this morning for Brownwood. It was her first Sisters on the Fly outing. I was happy for her. Well.... maybe I was happy for me. I am sitting here recovering from giving her trailer backing lessons which I failed miserably. But what really matters is she is happy. She called me on the phone a little while ago to tell me she had hooked up with the caravan of sisters at Johnson City. So happy trails to you my dear, until we meet again.

Lord, Help me not to holler...

Unless you just happened upon this blog you are well aware of Preacher’s wife’s new hobby of RVing in a vintage trailer meeting new friends and enjoying the outdoors. Other than working my tail off helping her get this trailer road worthy, I would say I am very pleased, though tired. For 37 years she has been a wonderful daughter, great wife, loving and caring mother, and faithful preacher’s wife. She was the one who was always in the background at church, raising our children, and taking care of our home. She never asked for anything for herself. She just made sure the children’s needs were met. I couldn’t ask for a better wife and friend. So when she said she wanted to get involved with Sisters on the Fly to travel and enjoy the outdoors, I said that is fine with me. This weekend is her first outing. She and a group of sisters are traveling to Brownwood, Texas. Today, I have one last big project maybe two if you consider getting tires put on the trailer a big project . The last project I am speaking about though is giving her BACKING lessons. We are going to the church parking lot to practice. I suggested the church parking lot because we will need all the help from above we can muster. Please pray!!! I will keep you posted.

I'll be back..

If anyone is wondering where I am. I am still around but just busy in the RGV. Preacher's wife and I came here for a wedding this weekend. I have preached more than usual this week which leaves little time for blogging. Have a great day.

Time Moves On

This weekend will be another one of those moments we all have when we realize we are not as young as we once were. Preacher's wife and I will be in the Rio Grande Valley where I will perform the wedding ceremony of Kelsey Johnson and Charlie Stocker. It seems just like yesterday that I conducted her dedication service to the Lord. Kelsey has grown into a beautiful young lady. Her husband Charlie is a good guy but he is getting one great gal. Congratulations Kelsey, Charlie.

The Law of Responsibility

As you may have noticed I haven’t had much to blog about for a few days, because I have been on the road and been busy. I leave again tomorrow but since I was working on my sermon for Sunday I decided to share some of my thoughts with you. The sermon is called the Law of Responsibility. It deals with the need to set boundaries for our lives. No one can do this for you. You have to be responsible and do it for yourself. And everybody needs to do it.

The words that primarily set the boundaries of our lives are YES and NO. Matthew 5:37 “But let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” We as humans don’t like to say NO or hear NO but they are a must to live a sane life.

They are the words that commit us to something. They are the words that direct us and define us. We seem to have problems saying the right one at the right time. Often, we just give in to the pressure of the moment. Jesus taught that the correct use of these words is vital to human life. You and I must own responsibility for these words because we have this illusion we don’t really have a choice about the way our lives are running. If life is exhausting, unmanageable or out of control, it’s usually because of work, family, financial pressure, or our season of life. But the Bible teaches individual responsibility. You are responsible for your life – nobody else’s. You have enormous power – the power to say YES or NO.

There are times when we all want to say YES but we have to say NO. No one likes to hear the word NO. I have had to learn when people say NO, it is not rejection or even correction it is just someone taking responsibility for their lives.

This weekend I will discuss the four areas where we need clear boundaries: Friendships, Family, Work, and Spiritual boundaries....

Yesterday was a good day.

Every year I try to have a physical to some degree. Yesterday was the Big One. This year it included stress test, blood work-up, and a whole lot of other things that were not that exciting. Yet, I am excited because with the exception of a few pictures that need to come back from the lab, the doctor says everything looks real good. My children say I will probably live a long time because most ornery people do. I think they are right and to this I plead guilty.
My daddy always said, every day above ground was a good day. So yesterday was a good day and today is off to a great start. Phil and I leave for Albuquerque today for the weekend with Eddie and Mary Ann Howard. This is always an enjoyable trip. One, because they are such great people and great host. Two, because Albuquerque has little or no humidity. After the past few weeks in the Texas heat this sounds great to to me. So it looks like it will be a great weekend.

Hooray!!!!

I did it! I did it! It only took me 30 minutes....but I did it! THAT IS ONLY 15 minutes per eye, but I got them in.

Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity...

I decided last week to get contact lenses. I thought I would look much younger without glasses. Preacher’s wife was out of town or she would have lit into me about vanity, and she also would have bestowed upon me some of her wisdom gained from wearing contacts for 40 years. But no, I had to have contacts, and I had to have them that day. Well, I have contacts now and I love them. And I do look younger if I say so myself. However, there is one problem. After I take them out, I can’t get them back in. My sister helped me for 30 minutes one morning and then I slept in them that night just to avoid asking for her help again. This morning Preacher’s wife worked with me for quite a while. I finally had to kneel in front of her while she put them in for me. I have been forewarned that we will not be doing this every morning. So I guess I will be practicing all day.

The end of the pictures..

OK, You've seen enough pictures of Maxine and are ready for me to get back to my charming, witty self. Right! Ha! Well, these are the last of the pictures. I thought I would give you a visit inside and one of Preacher's wife sitting outside with her all set up. I promise no more pictures.

Maxine all dressed up...

The transformation is coming along quite well as you can see below. We dropped Maxine off yesterday to get her decals put on. She really looks a lot better now. It is kinda like a woman with that many miles needs a lot of make-up. Preacher's wife said she would be hitting the road the end of August for Brownwood, Texas if things continue to progress.

Trailer Trash Transformation

The topic or heading Trailer Trash Transformation is not to be taken personally by anyone. The next few days will be dedicated to the transformation of Preacher’s wife vintage trailer. Tomorrow we take “Maxine” to Fast Signs to get her decals put on. The first phase of this inexpensive (ha! ha!) project was getting this 50 year old trailer painted. Now for the decals. Someone ask, “Why the name ‘Maxine’ for the trailer?” Maxine is the name of son of a preacher’s mother-in-law. Every mother-in-law ought to have a trailer named after her, don’t you think? To be real honest I hope preacher’s wife doesn’t put my picture on a vintage trailer after I am gone to remember me. Anyway, here is some pictures before and after paint. Later this week we will do before and after decals.