The North Coast

Just looked  back over things and it has been 9 days since I've typed anything, i have had lots on my mind just never made time to sit down and type. 

 I had an elder preach for me yesterday,(Sunday)  it was nice to just sort of sit back and take notes.  After church I made my usual trip to Rallys, they have 69 cent hamburgers, hot dogs and 12 oz. shakes on Sundays.  It was a warm sunny day and I just felt like the usual drive would not cut it, so after about 2 minutes of consideration I grabbed my GPS and was headed to Port Clinton on Lake Erie, know by some of the locals as "the North Coast"  It was an interesting drive, I burned a CD just for the drive and had a lot of time to think about life as I drove the mostly rural route.  

I've made this trip many times, I have friends who spend weekends up there, some who own businesses. Some things never change but you see them in a different view. I drive about 20 miles on a major highway, 23 north then its back country roads from there. As I drove I went through several small towns, the kind where the speed limit slows to 45.  One that has had only a small bar and a drive through had a sign in front of the drive through boasting they now had an ATM.  Its remarkable how times change.

I drove further up the road I passed an area where they grow tomatos, probably plant thousands of acres.  They had begun planting and I noticed they had changed the way the rows were laid out.  I also noticed  groups of house trailers, one had 8 in it, all probably where migrant workers would stay when they came to pick.  I kept driving, passing many roadside vegetable stands that would later open for the summer, an airstrip that the pattern for takeoff and landing crosses the road --they  have low flying aircraft signs and I have seen how low they fly.  Sometimes I think the pilots also see how low they can fly.

As I began the final 15 mile to the lakes I went through a very heavy retail area and thought about stopping for dinner on the way back. As I drove into the town I saw the lake and was kind of anxious to get out, I found a parking spot and went into a pizza shop owned by some friends.  They asked if I wanted the usual, told them yes but in a bag.  So they made my sub, threw it with some chips in a bag and I was out the door.  It is about a 2 block walk to the waterfront where lots of head boats dock, also a good place to just sit and watch the world and the water go by.  Kind of like the song "Sittin' on the dock of the Bay"  You are probably now thinking, "can Ralph ever blog without mentioning a song"  the answer is probably not.  

Desperado....

Was leaving work after a long day last week, turned on the radio to hear the Eagles singing Desperado .  Got me to thinking about what they were saying, I had heard the song many times before and the verse  that always seemed to catch my ear was 

Desperado oh you ain't gettin' no younger

Your pain and your hunger they're driving you home

And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'

Your prison is walkin' through this world alone.

As I started typing this entry the first though was just what is a desperado, you know the dictionary definition.  So I clicked on the dictionary widget (it's a MAC thing) and looked it up.  As expected it said it was a noun,  a desperate or reckles person, especially a criminal.  Made sense, then I read on down to a part  on derrivitives.  Said it came from desperradoism a 17th century alteration of the obsolete Spanish word desperate.  It said that desperate and desperado both both denoted someone in dispair or a desperate situation.  Hence someone made reckless by despair.

English and History classes over, Philosophy and Religion to follow....

When I listen to this song, I normally listen to it from a single persons persppective...

Desperado you ain't gettin' no younger....

And freedom, oh freedom thats just some people talkin'

You prison is walkin' through this world alone

Being single we think, a lot about the first 2.  There are some definite freedoms to being single, we never have to ask "honey do you mind if I ..."  And those who are not single can remind us of those freedoms.  Also sometimes we can feel imprisoned by being alone. 

But as I was driving home the other day I must have been in the preacher mode and got to thinking about salvation and if you have not figured out yet the Lord has given me a burden for the hurting and lost.  Not just what I'd call the ordinary lost and hurting but those who most would not reach out to, those who some churches would not even reach out to. 

I find I spend a lot of time in hospitals, funeral homes and even mental health units. Obviously one thing I do find is that people are not getting any younger, even myself. But its not about getting old, I think its more about what we have done with our lives. Many do not learn of Jesus gift of forgiveness until they are one deaths bed.  They think they are free to do as they please and have all the friends they'll ever need when in reality without Jesus they are walking through this world alone.  

And then there is what I find to be ironic about the song and my present thoughts is the final verse.

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?

Come down from your fences, open the gate

It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you.

You better let somebody love you, before it's to late.

Many of us have road the fences, some still do.  And if you look hard enough and give them what they want  you can usually find somebody to "love you."

My guess is that most who read this know Jesus, his gift of love and eternal life, my question today is what are you doing to pass that love on to that person we pass everyday? On the streets, at work, in the mall, at the hospital ....

Dire Straits ....

Twenty two years ago today I took my 1974 Dodge Challenger for my last drive for maybe 6 months and began a  journey that would change my life.  With my dad, brother and brother-in-law  in tow  I drove roughly 45 miles to the MEP Station (Military Entry Processing). It was early, I had been out late trying to see all my friends one last time and my dad reminded me not to speed -- I'd wind up in the brig before I hit boot camp! I parked the car, handed my dad the keys, grabbed my bag and as I was doing all of this my dad shared those common words of wisdom I'd heard so many times in the past 25 years "keep your nose clean"

I crossed the street and began a long days journey to  U.S. Air force Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.  Something interesting happened that day, I didn't just join the Air Force.  My dad, my uncles, and many of my cousins-male and female, became my "Brothers in Arms".  

Life takes on a whole new meaning and if you've never been in the military you would not understand. the day you leave for basic is one you never forget.  You remember it as the day you retired or the day you could have been retired.  For me it was the could have been, and trust me it was very hard to get up and go to work today.  When people ask how long I was in I quickly reply " 6 years, 7 months, 14 days" Knowing they think it must have been pretty bad to know that detail I add "was the best time of my life"

So why were they the best days?  Well I  got to see a lot of the world, pretty much all during peace time, got to meet a couple presidents while working with Air Force One, had bologna sandwiches with a First Lady.  

Yes if I'd have stayed I could be retired, also could have been killed but the bottom line is I  did not stay and nothing will change that so why let it get me down.  One thing I do know is that I feel I can say without a doubt that I am right where God wants me to be doing what he wants me to do. I'm gonna get out of here for now.

$31.88

Was a pretty busy weekend of doing nothing it seemed.  As I ran around I noticed gas was down to $3.13 a gallon, part of me thought I should grab it before it went up and part of me just wanted to get home and get to bed.  I finished all of my running and I drove by one last gas station with $3.13 on the sign and went on home. 

Monday morning I got up and went to work suprisingly the price was the same but I'm not a morning person and get to work right on time.  I  knew I had to go to the city for a meeting and would have no choice but to buy gas.  I stopped at the last gas station and the sign said $3.07.  I was happy, no more than that, I felt like I'd won the lottery.  But wait there's more!  (Imagine hearing this in my infomercial announcer voice) Like many places, this station has their customer card and it was good for another 3 cents a gallon off.  Talk about a blessing!  If you know me you know what an important part of my life the occasional road trip is  gas this cheap  is truly a blessing. 

So by now you may have figured out $31.88 is how much it cost to fill up, I did not worry about looking poor, actually it was a serious fill up because there was not room for another drop in the tank.  

Healing Rain....

I was at work the other day, kind of thinking about what to write.  I asked the Lord to give me a song, a Christian song.  So for the past few days I've been running around with Michael W. Smiths Healing Rain on my mind.  (lyrics) 

All I could remember was the outro...

Healing Rain is Falling down

Healing Rain is Falling down

I'm not afraid

I'm not Afraid

So as usual I found the lryics online and even found the video on youtube.  I find the first verse really gets me thinking about life.  

Healing Rain is coming down

It's coming nearer to this old town

Rich and poor, Weak and strong

It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

Seems like the past week has been very long, and to be honest I feel pretty beat down right now.  I think God gave me this song to remind me that the healing rain is indeed on the way and in his timing his mercy will rain down.  I'm ready for the healing rain, and like the song says, I'm not afraid.  

When it rains it pours and the rain is not coming just for me so I ask are you gonna stay inside or you gonna come out and play? Are you afraid? I hope not.

Can't Stop Dancin'

Well I was at work yesterday and another song came to mind, from like 1978, Can't Stop Dancin', by Captain and Tennille.  I guess the part that stuck with me is the chorus...

And you can't stop dancing

just because the musics gone.

Can't stop dancin' yeah yeah

just because the band has packed it up and gone home

Cause if you keep on dancin'

If you keep on dancin'

If you keep on dancin'

You're gonna turn the music back on.......

I was having one of those mondays yesterday, as usual I get song in my head and as I thought about this one several things came to mind.  The Bible tells us that the evil one comes to steal, kill and destroy and at times i think what he is after most is our joy.  As I went from place to place singing this song it hit me that just like dancing we got to keep on praising the Lord, sometimes we lose our joy but if we just keep praising Him, like the music being turned back on we'll get our joy back.  

Has your band packed up and gone home?  Lost your  Joy?  

Keep on Dancin'!!