Easter 2011

This Easter has been the best I have ever had!  For the first time I spent my Easter weekend working at church.  I don't know if I should call it "working" as each service was a blessing.  I got to spend many hours with some amazing musicians listening to them worship the risen Savior.  I only wish I could do what they do I am envious of their talent...but since I can't sing and don't play an instrument, I sit behind a sound board playing with buttons and dials and other things. I feel so amazed that in working 6 services I got to see numerous people making first time commitments of follow Jesus.  I know that there will be people in heaven spending eternity with their Saviour because of the people of Salem Alliance Church. I can think of no better way to spend an Easter then helping others worship and some coming to Christ.  I am forever changed by this experience!  HE IS RISEN!

It seamed like a good idea at the time...

For some reason I spent a lot of time today thinking about the stupid things I have done and thought it might be a good idea to share a few.  At age 2 (this story comes from my mom, she might be lying about what happened) After hearing she needed to clean the carpet I decided to help... with the garden hose.  When asked why I flooded the living room I told her the hose worked at cleaning the car.  I have always been very helpful.  I have been told this story MANY times some people need to learn to let go.  At about 10 I learned that a couple gallons of gas, a lighter and the front lawn don't mix.  I remember watching the lawn burn and hoping the parents wouldn't notice.  They noticed!  Oh and water only spreads the fire!  Fricken hose got me in trouble again!  At about 12 I figured out model rockets could be launched from a piece of pipe and if you add one farmer working on a tractor and it turns into target practice.  The farmer wasn't so happy with me.  Sorry dad....I do think I should say I never hit him, just the tractor, and no damage was done.  Being raised on a farm out in the country had some advantages.  Especially since we live so close to the make out spot "Popcorn" hill.  I learned the primer of a shot gun shell makes all the noise of a shot gun so if you smash it between two rocks it sounds like a shot gun being fired.  So...one couple making out in a parked car...a friend as my partner in crime and a handful of primers.  We would hide in the bushes and wait till things got going in the car.  My friend Brian would sneak over to the car and jump on the back bumper while yelling "get off my daughter!!"  at that moment I smashed the primer and made the shot gun boom.  It was amazing how fast they sped away!!  So much fun!  There has been so many other stupid things but this is probably more then enough for now.   ~Rick

Powerful Practice

Last night was the first rehearsal for the Easter service at church.  As the band worked on getting the songs just right, a group of middle schoolers came in the sanctuary.  The kids went to the cross on the stage and a group of them nailed ribbons with there names on them to the cross.  At church this is to signify a first time commitment to Christ.  As the band played worship music the kids nailed there ribbons, the sound of the nails being driven into the cross was powerful.  The kids began to dance around the stage with hugs, high fives and tears of joy.  I was amazed at the power in this moment.  I began to wonder if the angels in heaven joined in the song and danced. 5 more people said yes to Christ, yes to follow him and yes to eternity.  These young people have radically changed their lives and I got to see it happen.  To feel the power of the moment.  I am sure there was singing and dancing for joy in heaven.  This is going to be a great Easter!  The power of God is working and is alive...

 HE IS RISEN!!  

Dance me Daddy

I have found the greatest thing ever!  It's a two year old girl who want's me to dance with her.  There is nothing better then when my daughter asks me to dance. "Daddy I want the Cinderella song, dance me"  The  song she is talking about is Steven Curtis Chapman "Cinderella"  Chapman sings about his daughter growing up and her asking him to dance.  First she is little and says she was invited to a ball and needs to practice dancing.  The song then changes to the daughter is going to the prom and needs to practice her dancing and then finally before her wedding.  The end of the song is "I know something the prince never knew, one day the clock will strike midnight and she'll be gone"  I love this song, I love it even more that my daughter wants me to dance with her and listen to it and I too know at some point I will have to give her away.  On July 26th 2008 I started praying for the boy that will one day marry my daughter.  Until then she is my princess, and as long as she will let me, we will dance.  I do recommend the song for any daddy with a daughter, it's a good tune!

A good neighbor

This is something I will never be accused of being.  I don't think I am antisocial. I know I like some people, but yesterday I learned that I suck as a neighbor.  Yesterday was nice - the family was gone to church and I was home alone working on projects.  (For some strange reason I feel I should mention I went to church Saturday night alone.  OK, now that I got that covered...)  I was cleaning my truck when I noticed a vehicle coming down the driveway.  This doesn't happen often so I watch as it approaches the driver looks familar but not sure where I have seen her.  She pulls up, hops out and has a box in her hands.  The boxs looks very familar to me kinda like all the other boxes that have my cigars in them.  Oh I think so that's where they went. I think to myself..."thanks UPS you guys rock! delivering my cigars to my neighbors house."  So she comes up and introduces herself and hands me my shipment of stoggies.  I thank her and we start to chat about living in the country and coyotes.  We have a lot of them around here!  My neighbor asks about my chicken coop and the chickens.  I give her a dozen of my freshest eggs, she seemed excited to get real farm eggs.  So we chat for about a half an hour; it was nice!  I was being social.  It was a nice visit.  When she told me that they love living here and it's been great four years, it hits me.  Four years!?! They have lived by me for four years and I have never said hi and introduced myself.  Like I said I will never be accused of being a good neighbor.  We did have a nice chat, I look forward to waving hi as I drive by...I just wish I could remember her name....

Blessings and Rocks

One Sunday as I sat in church listening to another great message I heard God speak to my heart.  What I heard was....Do you know how many blessings I have given you?  Are you thankful for what I have done and am doing for you?  Give thanks for what I have done for you...I asked how?? How could I ever give enough thanks or praise for what has been given to me?  Rocks. Go to the rock wall in the back yard name each rock with a blessing and give thanks for each.  I have to admit I thought this sounded kinda nuts giving thanks to God by naming rocks as blessings.  I figured if I was going crazy I should invite my family to join in my journey.  I tell Melissa and Vince what I fell I was led to do and asked them to join me.  I thought for sure we would get a few rocks in and that would be that, a nice prayer but nothing special.  As we started praying we covered the "big" stuff, family, friends, jobs and health.  Then we really got going we were each taking turns after a dozen rocks it became..."that's my rock!" and the prayer got very cool after what seemed like a no time at all we ran out of rocks..."Dad we need more rocks!!"  Since there was some more pressing things to give thanks for we went up the hill and gather more rocks for the wall.   It has been a few years since we did this and there are so many new blessing to give thanks for....Ananda needs a rock.  I need to get more rocks!  I think this wall will never be completed, at least here on earth.  After this cool time of prayer I asked God why the rocks??  Psalm 18:46  

Jingles

It was my first shift with at the sheriff's office, I did not know what to expect or what to think of the place.  I had met a few of the guys, they seamed nice enough and it appeared the place was cool.  This first shift I was to spend the shift with a patrol Sgt so he could go through the policy and procedure manual with me.  After a while of sitting in the Sgt office there was a call of a possible burg in progress. Cool a hot call that will get us out of the office!  So we go jump in a car and on come the lights and sirens.  I had never gone so fast in a police car, it was exciting!  I could tell the Sgt was a good driver and the speed did not seam to faze him at all.  After a five minute drive at 100 mph we arrived on scene...The primary unit beat us there and was already looking for the bad guy.  I got out and assisted in the search, then it happened....A deputy I had never met come up to me and in a serious tone asked me what was with my janitors keys hanging from my key ring.  "you know we are looking for the bad guy right"  "the bad guy that can hear your jingling keys a mile away"  I was shocked I never thought about the noise my keys were making, I guess thinking back they were loud.  Then this deputy asked the Sgt to get "Jingles and his janitor keys" out of there.  I was devastated I thought I was doing things right and to hear other wise sucked.  And...he called me Jingles??  What the heck was that all about?  Was this guy mean to every one or am I special?  After we cleared the call and got back to the sheriff's office it became painfully obvious that I now had a nick name one that to this day sticks with me...Jingles   Maybe not the coolest name but it's me.  In the 4.5 years and thousands of hours worked at the sheriff's office jingles became a fixture...I think some of it was the guys could not remember my real name so I was and am today to some people Jingles.  A very special thanks to the deputy who gave me this name he is a close friend who means a lot to me.