January, 2000

Something New Is Happening

Pray

Experience Joy

Picture Perfect

God Loves You

All Things Are Made New

"The Mind of God" (Version 9, January 10, 2000)

(January 31, 2000 5:24 AM CST)

Yesterday I met Kevin at the Garden Cafe
on 12th and Harney.
He was very nice.
Excellent service!
We were at table 39 on the south windows,
as you can see on the seating chart .
The writing was done by Liz.
She is a very beautiful special person, (Love you!)
but she is still in "1999" apparently.
(I made the same mistake back on 1-6-99/1-6-00.)
2000 takes a while to get used to.
She came with us to the "rock concert"
at the church.
The two people with me want to return next week
to "rock" some more.
If you find God there, go for it.
God is all over the place.
It was cool to see the woman "signing"
the words for the deaf people.
Some words like "Jesus" and "Alleluia"
are beautiful to watch.
They sang the song by Ray Boltz "The Anchor Holds" .
That song is cool to "watch" also.
The word "hold" is two hands tugging an imaginary vertical rope
and it stays in place.
I could be wrong, but I think they also sang
"Heaven Is Counting On You".
Before you are even in the church you can hear the music.
There was applause after almost every song.
There was even applause for the sermon.
What affirmation!
What love!
That is great.
The choir is different than 4 years ago.
Back then every solo singer "blew you away"
with tears in your eyes.
They let everyone sing now whether you are a professional
or like me barely can project your voice.
Neat...sing on to the Lord.
If you want to sing...sing!
I love it.

This is from my friend Annette via email this morning
(a)live and direct to you:

"Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the Lord, who has mercy on you."
Isaiah 54:10

Hold on!
Hold on to Jesus.
He is your anchor.
He is your song.
He is the mountain of strength.
He is mercy to make you cry your eyes out.
He is love over love.
He is song over song.
Seek that vertical rope...hold on for dear life.
Jesus Christ will save you.
See the sign.
Live the "signing."
What year are you living in?
It is year 2000...
a fresh start... (MKM, 1-18-00)
a new initiative... (DTB, 1-18-00)
new life... (Jesus, timeless, John 10:10 )

(January 30, 2000 5:50 AM CST)

Want to see something beautiful ?
Isn't that cool?

Could you pray for me?
I will be going to California next month.
I wonder if I should put an advertisement
in the Los Angeles Times .
Sunday circulation is 1.3 million.
Not too bad.
The rate for Sunday National edition is $460.75
per inch, if I'm reading it right.
I'd put that advertisement from January 1st
in their paper with a line like:
"I'm visiting your city today. Hi!"
So like I say...pray for me to do what God wants.
Thank you very much.

Yesterday lots happened, much of it personal things,
so I can't write about that.
I can tell you my car has passed the 97,000 mile mark.
I went to the Target Food Center at 129th and Maple yesterday.
I bought way too much stuff, since there is food and
regular Target items there.
Christina was the check out person.
She says there are lots of people with her name
or some variation of her name that work there,
so when it comes time for break for "Christina"
they sometimes miss her.
It is a problem they need to resolve.
I'm sure they will come up with something.
We loaded up my grocery cart and Christina asked
if I wanted a "car pickup."
I could drive to the front door and
they would load it for me.
I had claim number 1012 which I turned in
to Alisha (spelling?).
It was her first time doing "???".
I forget the word she used, but there was a word
for loading the things in cars,
like "distribution", I'm not sure.
It must be a Target term.
And it's Super Bowl Sunday here in the USA,
so I set up the JVC VCR to record all the commercials
for 6 hours.
Like who cares about the game?
I don't even know who is playing (Tennessee and St. Louis).
Today I will be going to church at
22nd and Binney just north of downtown a few miles.
It's like going to a rock concert there at 10:30 AM.
You have to get there early to get a seat.
It is standing room only.
I have not been there since October 20, 1996 ,
when Mary Kay Mueller was the choir director.

"Together they devoted themselves
to constant prayer."
Acts 1:1

Are you part of a praying community?
Do you pray with others?
Are you by yourself trying to find God?
The "constant" of the universe is Jesus.
He is there.
We are to worship him side by side.
Some people find God at the "rock concert"
and some people find the Lord with no music.
Talk to God...that's what prayer is.
Tell him everything.
If he wants you to go to L.A.,
off you go.
He will lead you.
It definitely helps to have friends...
someone to hold your hand and stand together
and praise the Lord.

(January 29, 2000 5:45 AM CST)

I have to type "quiet" this morning, since Snoopy's twin brother
is sleeping on top of my computer terminal.
He arrived in the mail on January 27th.
E-commerce time start/stop was January 22/27.
Not too bad.
I captured the UPS Tracking Information for you to see
the route that Snoopy's twin took to get to my house porch.
No one was home when it was delivered.
It just sat at my front door for hours until I got home.
The return address on the box says Garland, Texas.
It was a long trip for Snoopy.
No wonder he is tired.

Yesterday afternoon I was up on 15th floor for the first time
in my 14 (15 on May 21st) years with the company.
It's pretty fancy and nice.
It has very big expansive rooms and spaces.
I was a little scared (that's the way "adventures" are).
I went to see Tim, but of course he has a secretary
to "protect" him.
Linda is her name.
I wanted Tim to sign a birthday card
for someone that I work with.
Linda asked if the card was for Dola.
Yes.
I had sent an email to Tim the day before
inviting him to the birthday party on
Monday, January 31st at 10 AM on 5th floor.
(We will have 3 cakes baked by me and Kayti.
I will be busy later today baking.
This is fun!
I had a lot of compliments from the cake for
Rachel's birthday last week.
Even my Dad liked it.)
Linda has put it on his schedule to attend.
Sounds cool!
Tim was not there but Linda said to come back at 4 PM.
When I returned he had signed the card.
That was very nice of him.
I asked Linda how were things here at "the top."
Very busy and hectic (as she ran off to another room).
I got back on the elevator to return to 5th floor
where I belong.

Here is that seating chart from January 27th.
To read it your have to imagine that you
are below table 16 looking up and
the table is glass.
In real life it is not glass,
but in TMOG it soon will be a glass table.

"Beloved,
grow strong in your holy faith
through prayer in the Holy Spirit.
Persevere in God's love,
and welcome the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
which leads to life eternal.
Correct those who are confused;
the others you must rescue,
snatching them from the fire."
Jude 1:20-22

There are some people that you can "see through."
They are fake.
They are confused.
It is hard to read them.
Pray for them with the power of the Spirit.
Love them.
Reach out to them.
Point them to life eternal.
(Notice the arrow and "N" on the seating chart).
We need something to reference from.
Can you find true North?
Can you find true life?
The "arrow" points to Jesus Christ.
He is your reference point.

(January 28, 2000 5:55 AM CST)

The word is that Snoopy is doing fine
in that house with the two cats.

Cristina and Allene went home to Seattle.
I had lunch with them yesterday.
Cristina and her husband Garth (not Brooks)
are going to Belise in Central America soon.
I told her to send me a picture or two of their trip.
It looks like paradise.

Kayti and I had dinner at Applebee's on 75th and Dodge.
We sat at Table 16 .
Our server was Katie (she likes the spelling Kayti)
and she was wearing a gold cross (of course).
Where do you go to church?
Cathedral.
I go there too sometimes.
She has only been in Omaha 1 month.
She is going to school at Wayne State College
and took time off to earn money for a trip to....
Prague in the Czech Republic .
She does not know the language yet.
It's just to explore the people and culture.
Neat.
Maybe I'll get a postcard someday from Prague (hint, hint).
And Lisa (the manager) was great!
She handed me a laminated copy of the seating chart.
How nice of her!
It is so large the scanner could not handle it.
I'll have to find a copier machine to reduce it in size.

Then I went to a girls basketball game at 66th and Sorenson Pkwy.
That was different.
At halftime I met Bill that I went to grade school
and high school together (at Cathedral).
We have not talked or seen each other for about 30 years.
There is a large group of us that went to school
all those years together.
Bill is married and has 5 children.
Wonderful.
His wife was in our class also.
Anyway Bill does wallpaper,
and mine in the bathroom needs replacing,
so he will give me a call to take a look at it.
The bathroom looks so nice now
that I'm afraid to use it.

Joe went to Fort Myers, Florida to see his sister.
She had a stroke last year,
So pray for her and for Joe to have a safe trip.
Thanks.
I've been to Fort Myers at least 3 times.
It's nice and warm and humid.
They predict a high of 70F (21C) degrees today.

"Do not render service for appearance only and
to please men, but do God's will
with your whole heart..."
Ephesians 6:6

Really I shouldn't let you see/read the things
that I do.
It should be just between me and the Lord
and those people I'm trying to help.
In doing that I get a "reward" in this life,
instead of the next.
But I'm trying to teach you about living
a life of grace.
I'm trying to encourage you to do great things!
If I can do it, you can do it.
I'm just a computer programmer in middle class America.
(You don't get more "middle class" than Omaha.)
I guess it's "teaching by example."
Anyway there is so much happening
I can't write about it all.
There is not enough time.
Bye...time to go to work.

(January 27, 2000 5:23 AM CST)

Yesterday...it was the day I stopped to talk to Louis.
For a few years I have seen him around the church
at 19th and Dodge asking for money.
I just ignored him all this time.
So I stopped to talk to him at about 12:25 PM.
I asked why he needed money.
To get something to eat.
Well, lets go get some lunch.
Manhattan's sandwich shop is a block south of there.
I told him to wait outside and I went in and
filled out this form with the name "Louis" entered at the top.
(I'll scan it in later.)
They called the name "Louis" and I claimed the sack
and took it outside to the real Louis.
He wanted to talk to me about going to a bookstore
a few blocks away name "Read All About It."
I was trying to pick up every word he said.
It was difficult.
He said something about the World Almanac,
but I'm not sure what he was getting at.
He talked about the grades he got in school also.
I did find out he was born in Raleigh, North Carolina .
He is 63 years old and
has lived in Omaha the last few years.
He has no family in this world.
He is all alone from what he says.
He had no place to stay.
He did say that when it gets really cold
(like the last few days)
he stays somewhere out of the cold.
He was not very specific on these points.
Today I'm thinking about finding him an apartment
downtown somewhere
(since I'm soon to be a millionaire...).
I will doing some research.
Allene did the same thing in Seattle one day.
A 12 year old kid that should have been in school
was asking for money, so she took him to breakfast...
Pick out anything you want.
Anything? (With eyes wide open.)
Anything.
Shouldn't you be in school?

Jesus said,
"I assure you,
this poor widow has put in more than all the rest."
Luke 21:3

We have much...so much to learn from the poor.
Stop and talk to them.
I asked Louis to pray for me and
I will pray for him.
The prayers of the poor are very powerful.
"God hears the cry of the poor."
(Maybe Psalm 34:7 .)

(January 26, 2000 5:45 AM CST)

(Update at 7:20 PM:
The poster for "The Truman Show" arrived today.
Not too bad for e-commerce of January 22 to 26.
Here is a close up scan of the upper right corner .
This is copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.
It will be on display
outside of my cube at work tomorrow.
The bathroom looks great now that
Sean finished the grouting.
Tomorrow morning someone else will install
the new silver shower doors.
)

The bathroom is 100% improved today.
Here is a piece of the 602 French Provincial tile .
You can't see it in this, but there is a pattern
on the surface as you reflect light off of it.
There are 3 of these pieces left over
sitting in a box and 20 of the square
4.25 inches pieces.
Sean did a great job.
He still needs to finish the grout.
I get the feeling I'll be selling this house.
I'm not sure why.
The woman that sits next to me is building a new house
and she says that in March she will be selling
her current house.
I wonder if I should buy it.
I do need room for a ping pong table.
I asked her what was wrong with the house.
Nothing.
They just wanted to build a new house.
It is one of their dreams.
I have 3 days of meetings at work this week.
Two people (Allene and Cristina) flew in from Seattle,
so at lunchtime I showed them my poster of Seattle .
Both of them were pointing here and there
saying where they live.
I've been to Seattle at least 4 times in the last 15 years.
One lives on Bainbridge Island and one in West Seattle.
One takes a ferry across Puget Sound to get to work.
It takes 30 minutes.
Now that is different...take a boat to/from work.
The other one can drive across two bridges to get to Seattle.

(Note: I've been writing too much and main.html
was getting so large that I moved a lot of it to
the previous events for January, 2000.)

As I drove into the driveway at USWEST yesterday morning,
a woman was coming up the sidewalk at the same time,
so being the nice guy that I am,
I waved to her to cross in front of me
on the driveway.
And then 5 minutes later here we are riding
the same elevator to 5th floor.
I told her jokingly that it was "destiny"
that we run into each other twice that morning.
I've seen her on 5th floor before, but never talked to her.
She took the place of Joan that retired last year.
Destiny...a very interesting word.
Susan is her name.
I wonder where she fits in to God's plan.

The Lord says,
"I will place my law within them,
and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God,
and they shall be my people."
Jeremiah 31:33

As we walk through this life,
many events happen to us.
We wonder about God's plan for us.
If we could only step back,
and see the "big picture."
That is why I write these daily events for you.
In time I will see God's plan for me
and you will see God's plan for me also.
It is fun!
It is amazing to see things unfold each day.
But you will only "see" the plan,
if you are walking with the Lord.
Yes, step by step.
Get the sin out of your life.
"There is no happiness in sin."
(I heard that on January 8th at Boys Town.)
Ask for forgiveness of your sins.
Buy a notebook and start writing down
the things that happen to you.
Many Christians do this writing---journaling.
God's scale of time is wide...very wide.
That is why you have to write things down.
Then you will see a pattern of love
that is out of this world.
Your heart will know.
My late sister Joan did this writing.
It definitely helped her to grow closer to Jesus.
I read some of her writings the day after she died
sitting in her apartment in Ralston on Main Street.
I wonder where those writings are now.
Reflect with the "light" of God.
See the hidden pattern.

(January 25, 2000 5:52 AM CST)

(Update at 9:30 PM:
I just saw Kayti down at Richard Young Center.
She says that this picture of the
start of the 40-story building in downtown
is a postcard.
)

Could you pray for two people (Rod and Margaret)
that need a job?
Thanks.

This week I have a bathroom project going on in my house.
Sean (like Sean Connery )
from McKean's on 108th and Harrison
is working on it.
I'm having the tile on 3 walls replaced.
So pray for Sean and his family.
God bless them today.
I took a shower down in the basement this morning
for the first time in the 19 years that I have lived here.
The "H" and "C" are backwards for Hot/Cold water.
I did remember that from some "incident" in the past.
I should fix that.
I talked to Mike and Kendall last night.
They are investment people.
In a few years I should be a millionaire
from what they say.
Interesting...I can remember in 8th grade
telling people I would be a millionaire by age 21.
Well, I was only off by a few years.
To me I say, "O so what",
like on that Jeep the other day.
Here today...gone tomorrow.
Money is not that important to me.
I'd like to give it all away and live:
TSL (The Simple Life).
Saint Anthony did that.
He gave all his money away to the poor.
Also, if you use money to build the kingdom of God,
that should/would be something worth doing.

"All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what fails to satisfy?"
Isaiah 55:1-2

Some of you have the H/C backwards
in your life.
You get "burned" and wonder why.
What is truly important in this life?
What are you searching for?
You can buy anything you want,
but are you happy?
There is always one more "project"
to work on in your house.
It is never "done."
Come to Jesus.
He is your joy.
He is pure joy.
He is the source of life-giving water.
Are you thirsty?
Come and be refreshed.
He is an expert on remodeling (your life).

(January 24, 2000 5:50 AM CST)

(Update at 9:07 PM:
I should be asleep, but you have to see these pictures:
Here is the nursing home I visit sometimes.
Next is a poster of Seattle, Washington
at sunrise looking west.
I posted this outside of my cube at work
to show people this view of the Olympic Mountains.
It was taken with a 48-inch lens.
I bought this poster in Seattle about 13 years ago.
Take a look at the license plate on this Jeep
parked in downtown Omaha.
This is a picture of the Kiewit Center downtown.
This is where Mark Kay Mueller had her seminar January 18th.
I took the picture as I walked over there on
the 13th Street bridge.
Here are the pink roses I gave to Barb.
This is in my cube at work.
The "Joy" is from my cousin Rita in Dayton, Ohio.
The two items with "Daniel" on them are from ABQ.
Do you like the way I have my Compaq computer
turned on its side?
Sometimes I listen to CDs at work and
when I hit the eject button
the CDs roll off the desk surface onto the floor.
These are the peach roses I gave to Josephine.
This is in my kitchen at my house.
Notice the Monet calendar on the wall
and those purple wild flowers that Jennifer picked out.
Here is the AAA Travel Agency
I went to on Saturday morning.
Notice the "Cubs Fan" car.
Yes, someday I will make it to Chicago.
Next is the Charleston Restaurant
where Art works at north of Boys Town.
And here is the
Burger King at Exit 75 on Interstate-29 .
This is north of Omaha about 30 miles.
I usually stop here almost every Sunday afternoon.
You can see Highway 30 in the picture.
On the left there is a motel with all kinds
of cars with Nebraska "15" county on them.
I have never been able to explain
why they are there week after week
in the same motel.
One theory is that they work for a railroad.
)

Please pray for Barb.
She was on oxygen and not feeling well yesterday
when I went to visit her.
She asked me to leave.
She was not well enough to have company.

And Snoopy is gone...
I'm going to cry.
He went to stay with another family
that lives near a lake.
Rachel (my niece) and I stuffed Snoopy
in their mailbox yesterday at 2:53 PM
with a card that had the line:
"Never give up hope."
There are two cats in this house,
so I'm a little worried about Snoopy.
I'll have to call later today to check up on him.

Yesterday was Rachel's birthday #15.
Cool.
I took her and her best friend
in the whole wide world Mary
to the Olive Garden on 75th and Dodge.
Our waiter Jeff was great.
We introduced ourselves and ordered
what else... the seating chart .
We were sitting at table 204 by the north windows.
Mary wrote in Jeff's name and the date as you can see.
Rachel and Mary split a dish of fettuccine alfredo
between them and I ordered the "Tour of Italy"
(a sample size of fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, chicken parmigiana).
I'm getting hungry.
All 3 of us are part Italian, so it's no wonder
we like their food.
Mary's relatives are from Palermo, Sicily
and our relatives are from Carlentini, Sicily .
(This link is an ISP that serves Carlentini.)
If we only knew how to speak Italian...
It looks like "Gennaio" means January in Italian from these links.
You can see the cinema listings in Palermo.
I did rent "Life is Beautiful" last night.
All the dialog is in Italian
with English subtitles.
Great.
I was falling asleep at 8:30 PM watching it.
Closing your eyes when watching a movie with subtitles
just does not work,
so I went to bed.
I have the movie for 4 more days to "read" it.
I thought you were to "see" a movie.

Jesus said to her,
"Daughter, it is your faith that has cured you.
Now go in peace."
Luke 8:48

Jesus, we ask you today to heal Barb
and all those at the nursing home.
Be with them.
Comfort them.
Give them hope.
Give them your peace.
You are our doctor.
We turn to you.
Make us well again.
We are sick and in need.
Restore us to life.
We ask this all in the most holy name of Jesus.
Amen (so be it).

I prayed one Our_Father/The_Lord's_Prayer with
Josephine yesterday for Barb, Charlotte, Mary,
Annette, Mary, Rachel, Mary, Kayti, Liz, etc.
I just about started to cry,
then I recovered (if that is what you want to call it).
These people need so much love.
Jesus bless every one of them today.

(January 23, 2000 5:57 AM CST)

(Update at 7:33 AM:
I just heard this song on the radio by Martina McBride
called "Love's The Only House" .
Very interesting lyrics,
like: "Don't you know that more is less".)

Happy Birthday, Rachel!
God bless you always.
WAML (With all my love, Charlotte taught me this),
Uncle Daniel

"May the Lord bless you more and more,
both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth."
Psalms 115:14-15

Yes, God bless you today.
God bless your family.
I am so happy for you and your children.
What a blessing they are!
The Lord Jesus loves the little children.

Find a copy of Life Magazine Special Edition,
January 2000 and look at the picture on pages 70-71.
It is a A/F-18 Hornet fighter jet flying 740 mph
just as it literally breaks the sound barrier.
Cool! Take a look.

This morning I'm listening to music by John Denver .
He died on October 12th, 1997 (has it been that long?)
just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean
at Pacific Grove, California.
I copied a 33 rpm record "Greatest Hits Volume 1"
to cassette tape yesterday.
I bought it on Friday, May 9, 1980 according
to the note on the sleeve.
I love his music! I do.
"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy."
"Far out"...he loved to say that.
I miss him.
I listened to the tape as I drove all over Omaha yesterday.
I guess I was in mourning.
I never mourned his death back in 1997.
I just put it out of my mind.
So if I'm a little choked up today when you meet me
you will know why.
Far out...

(January 22, 2000 6:39 AM CST)

(Update at 5:43 PM:
This morning we went back to Bakers on 132 and Center
for breakfast.
Our server was Amanda who hangs out with
Rachele that we met last week.
I could not read the table numbers on
the seating chart ,
so Amanda helped me write in the numbers.
We were sitting at tables 3, 4 and 5.
Gary gave me a critique of my story TMOG.
He had some very good points to make.
I think he wants me to write a 200 page book though.
I asked him if he gives roses to his wife on
Valentine's Day .
(Note: "Je T'aime" is French for "I love you.")
Not always.
I told him that it is "unthinkable,"
if I was married that I would not
give my wife roses on V-Day.
(Of course, what do I know,
I've never been married.)
After breakfast I went on the east side of the building
to the AAA Travel Agency and talked to Deb about a trip.
I'm going to California in February.
(I wonder if I will ever make it to Chicago!)
My friend Mary that helps edit Spring To Life advertisements
lives out there.
Plus, it is warm in Newport Beach, California all year-round.
How can they stand that every day?
We'll see...life is full of surprises.
I can see it now...
"Hello, from the beach, ha ha ha,
I see it's freezing cold back in Omaha today."
Then I went down to Toys-R-Us on 76 and Dodge.
This was the first time I have ever been in the store.
It is a miniature Disneyland for kids!
Ron started to talk to me out of the clear blue sky.
Did I know this guy or what?
I guess he's just a friendly guy.
His boy was trading Pokemon cards with about 30 other kids
in the front of the store on the floor.
Ron says he gets paid $10 to watch the kids for 2 hours.
I asked him where the stuffed animals were.
He did not know, so we talked to Deb.
(Deb is a very popular name, isn't it?)
She said go to aisle 11B and after I searched high and low
I found almost what I wanted.
It was Snoopy, but he was only as big as a Beany Baby.
I was looking for something bigger.
I wanted the same Snoppy I had in ABQ (Albuquerque).
I miss Snoopy! Snoopy come home.
So I bought the little guy from "Q."
Yes, that is her nick name "Q".
She was running the cash register and having a great time
giving the kid in front of me a hard time by
showing every one his Pokemon underware
that his Mom just bought for him.
I told Q that she was the symbol of the
QWEST stock on the NYSE.
I think she said her real name was LaQuinta (spelling?).
Snoopy is on top of my computer terminal
watching me type this.
He's so cute.
I think I will take him everywhere,
since he fits in my shirt pocket.
There are 2 Internet sites I need to check out:
www.unitedmedia.com (Snoopy is here) and
www.irwin-toy.com (forget this place)
to find Snoopy's bigger brother or cousin or relative
or twin (I've flipped out, haven't I?)
Snoopy just flipped on me and is on his back
staring at me upside-down.
I just ordered a big Snoopy from the United Media site.
Then I ordered a Jim Carrey
poster of "The Truman Show" from www.ricksmovie.com .
The poster is a mosaic of little photographs
that create the larger picture.
It is neat.
I saw it at the Westroads at Suncoast Pictures
about a year ago and should have purchased it then.
This week I went to Hy-Vee on 78th and Cass for groceries.
Nice place and nice people (Jason, Andy, Becky, etc.)
I definitely will return to the place.
I bought some Italian style flat bread called Focaccia.
The guy at the bakery told me how they made it.
I asked Jason about it, but he does not care for it.
It tasted alright to me.
It would go great with some Italian dinner.
Remember I am half Italian (Mom's side).
I tried to find my favorite Betty Crocker frosting
"Sour Cream White," but I found "Cream Cheese".
I guess it's close to the same thing.
I will let you know how the taste test comes out.
)

This morning I had email from Chattanooga, Tennessee,
Tulsa, Oklahoma, Santa Ana, California and Omaha,
Nebraska.
Hi to "you all" (said with a southern accent)
and welcome to spring2life.com USA!

Here is a sympathy card
for Steve Doll.
He lost two children in the last few weeks
in two different situations.
So pray for him and if you want to write to him:
Steve Doll
7103 South 130 St
Omaha, NE 68138 USA
This is going right into the mailbox in a few minutes.
I will write more in a few hours...

(January 21, 2000 6:05 AM CST)

Did you see it last night?
Yes, that lunar eclipse !
Now was that cool or was that cool?
I went to bed at 8:30 PM and
then I got a phone call from a friend at 9:15 PM.
The Lord did not want me to miss this event
in the sky.
I could not believe how red the moon became.
Now I see why the ancient people thought
it was the end of the world or
some evil sign of destruction.

Jesus said,
"All this I tell you
that my joy may be yours
and your joy may be complete."
John 15:11

Joy...
that is my prayer for every one of you today.
(As I write this the keyboard is blury for some reason.)

(January 20, 2000 6:00 AM CST)

Good morning on another beautiful day here in
God's creation!
You know what I'm listening to now?
It's a song by NSYNC .
It's called
"God Must Have spent a Little More Time on You." .
It's a miracle...
the heart of a child...

Here is what I have on my kitchen table:
"Count your garden by the flowers..." .
(Notice it should have 4 clips on it, but it is "defective."
It is missing a clip.
I bought this in Millard Plaza in the fall of 1998
at a Hallmark store maybe Geni's. I'm not sure.
I'll have to do some research.)
(Update at 8:20 AM:
I drove over there and checked it out.
The address of 13910 S Plaza matches,
but it does not say Geni on the door.
I talked to Bob next to me,
since he lives in Millard.
He buys his cards there.
He says that the lady that owns the place might be Geni.
Then I drove the length of Omaha down Millard Avenue,
"L" Street, Interstate-80, Interstate-480
all the way to 14th Street exit downtown.
You get a "feel" for Omaha when you do that.
It is a cool feeling.
The sunrise was neat too.)
I gave this same thing to the people in Albuquerque, NM
when I left on August 28th, 1998 .
(I wrote about my travels a little on the September 4th
and before that.)
I said "Bye Bye" to them and
for them to look for "The Colors" in life.
I wonder if I could get a copy of that letter?
I will work on that.
A phone call to Rena or an email should do it.
And I left them a Snoopy stuffed animal
to keep them company also.
I kept Snoopy over my Directory Assistance terminal
to inspire me and give me hope and comfort me.
Snoopy would do flips...it was so much fun!
The woman on the right of me had Tigger.
Snoopy and Tigger were best friends.

A special friend says that the Bible verse yesterday was/is:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17

Thanks.
Be thankful today.
Our Lord Jesus is so good to us.
Just the simplest thing...
like breathing or blinking your eyes...
it is all gift...
the gift of life offered to us each day over and over.
Sometimes before I get out of bed in the morning
I just pray "Jesus" over and over in my mind
in sync with my breathing.
It is a comfort to me.
I thought I'd share that with you.
I'm not sure why,
maybe you need something to comfort you today.

(January 19, 2000 5:47 AM CST)

Good morning!
This morning I'm listening to the song
"Wide Open Spaces" .
If you don't like country music, I'm sorry.
I like all kinds of music...
Christian, rock, pop, classical, country, etc.

Yesterday I met Angela!
Yes, Angela from TMOG.
She works at the Crossroads Mall (72nd and Dodge).
She just celebrated birthday #17 on the 17th day of the millennium.
Cool!
She wants to study computer programming.
Sounds good.
She wears a gold cross.
She loves the Lord.
Wonderful.

Yesterday from 9 AM to 4 PM I was at a seminar of
Mary Kay Mueller at 14th and Farnam downtown.
She is wonderful.
You have to see her in person sometime in your life.
She says we need to take risks...
branch out to the wide open spaces.
Take a chance.
Yes, you will make mistakes.
Would you live life the way it was meant to be lived?
She recorded the entire day,
so signup to get a copy of the tape.
There were so many surprises!
At lunch time I went to talk to Lori at the flower shop
two blocks west.
There was a dog in the flower shop barking at me.
And what was its name (you ask)?
Precious.
Yes, it was.
Only one person in the world will understand this "coincidence."
Of course, Sam now gets a dog...with the name Precious!
I counted the people in the seminar in my mind
and ordered 3 dozen roses.
It surprised even me.
I was surprised.
Mary Kay was surprised (a little).
She asked me if I had seen the movie,
"Life is Beautiful" .
No.
I've heard about it, but never seen it.
I'll have to go rent it.
At the end of class everyone received a rose to share
with their loved ones.

I told them that this was a gift from the God of the universe
to them and those they loved.
"All good gifts come from heaven above."
(I'm looking for the Bible verse,
but can't find it at the moment.)

Could you pray for Cindy and her husband?
They have one 3-year old daughter and
are hoping, wishing, praying for another child.
Thanks.

(January 18, 2000 5:32 AM CST)

Yesterday at 12 Noon I had a stress test for my heart.
I was on 6th floor of Methodist Hospital .
The first person I met was Jo (as in Joann,
not Josephine (her Dad called her that as a joke sometimes,
he is gone, so she misses being called that now)).
She asked me lots of questions.
Then Julie wired me up to this machine.
(Julie did not like her name, since other kids
made fun of it when she was young.
I told her it was a pretty name...I like it.)
There was about 8 sensors attached to my chest.
Then Dr. Olson took my blood pressure.
My pulse was in the 90's, which is high for me.
I guess I was a little excited/nervous,
because I had never had a test like this before.
Next I had to get on a tread mill and walk.
The idea was to gradually get my heart going faster and faster.
They got me up over 170 beats per minute.
(I tell people they had me going 170 MPH.)
The first few moments when I got off the tread mill
I was a little faint...like I was going to pass out,
but that went away quickly.
The result? Nothing...no problems according to Dr. Olson.
(He went to school at UNL just like me.)
Then I tried to contact my friend Patty
who works at Children's Hospital.
(The two hospitals are connected side by side.)
Patty was no where to be found.
I called her several times.
I looked around the employee cafeteria on 2nd floor,
but still did not see her.

"For God knows the secrets of the heart."
Psalms 44:22

We all need a heart test.
Where are we at in relationship to God?
Do we love God with all our heart?
Is he number 1?
Do we think about Jesus often?
Is he our focus?
Do you tell him the secrets deep in your heart?
Do you share your dreams with him?
He will listen.
He will comfort your broken heart.
He will restore you to wholeness.
He is the tester of hearts.
He is the healer of hearts.
He is the maker of hearts.
Start walking.
He is right beside you.
He is monitoring every beat of your heart.
He is searching for you all over the place
and will never give up.
You are connected to him and...
he promises that he will never let go .
("..." is a code here from God to you saying 3 words.)

I forgot to tell you about Travis on January 15th
at Bakers on 132 and Center.
He helped me get my groceries to my car.
I showed him the 3 peach roses for Josephine
and he said they were not real.
What!
He does not know me very well, does he?
I told him to smell them.
They were as real as real can be.
Smell the roses today.
The love of Christ for you is...
as real as real can be.

(January 17, 2000 5:34 AM CST)

Yesterday afternoon I was at Richard Young Center
on 26th and Harney.
I went to visit my niece there.
While I was there her friend Liz came to visit.
She is great!
She brought my niece some clothes and two posters.
How thoughtful!
That was really nice.
The young man that marries her
will find a real treasure.
Liz likes the Beatles and I'm an "expert" on the group.
She asked me, "What is Paul McCartney's middle name?"
I did not know, so this morning I looked it up.
The answer is in his biography .
He was born June 18th, 1942 in Liverpool and was named James Paul.
Be sure to note this in case Regis Philbin asks.
My favorite Beatle song?
There are many... "Let It Be" is one of them.
And the story behind the song (if you can believe this).

(January 16, 2000 6:28 AM CST)

(Update at 12:03 PM:
No, I did not get to do the readings at church,
so I sat in the 3rd row and prayed for the woman next to me
with a bad cold.
We have many, many people sick in our community.
So pray for her (I don't know her name).
Later today I might drive to Kearney to see that arch
and take some pictures of it.
Right at the moment I'm making a cake:
Betty Crocker SuperMoist Devil's Food Cake Mix with
Betty Crocker Sour Cream White Rich & Creamy Frosting.
I bought that at Baker's 132 and Center yesterday.
Each week I change grocery stores that I go to.
It gives me a feel for change.
I want to feel the frustration of trying to find something.
I want to be lost and yet struggle through it.
Sometimes I can't find things, like this cake mix,
and I ask a total stranger for help.
This helps my brain,
because of the newness of life.
Life keeps changing...it is dynamic.
I get to meet lots of new people.
Not every one runs their store the same.
You would think that a carrot tastes like a carrot
from any store, but some have more flavor.
Maybe they are fresher or come from another part
of the country.
Try it.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Get lost!
Go make a cake today.
Opps...I think I just burned the cake a little.
I usually bake it for 33 minutes, but it was 36 minutes
when I just pulled it out.
It does smell great in the kitchen though.)

I have my suit on this morning.
I think the Lord wants me to do the readings
at church this morning.
So I better get out my Bible and practice ahead of time.

Yesterday morning I met Rachele for the first time.
She is a waitress at the restaurant at Bakers at 132nd and Center.
She made me a copy of their seating chart .
We had a group of 8 at tables 22 and 23.
These are some men that I pray with at Boys Town
on Saturday mornings.
We pray for our families, friends, neighbors,
peace in the world, an end to abortion, etc.
You name it...we probably pray for it.
Rachele is a student at Creighton University .
She is a writer and for a while had her own web site.
She loves to visit people in nursing homes.
Her Mom works at a nursing home in Kearney, Nebraska .
(185 miles west of Omaha on Interstate 80.
That is where The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is.
It is an arch across the roadway.
People slow down to see it and take pictures and cause accidents.)
Rachele has volunteered to go to Ecuador to help the poor in May.
God bless her!
That is wonderful.
After breakfast I went to the flower shop in the store
and talked to Jennifer about getting 3 peach roses.
She suggested and some thin purple wild flowers
to accent the display.
Beautiful.
Later that day I made a special delivery
and gave them to Josephine at the nursing home on 67th and Maple.
Josephine is from Lithuania .
There were 3 children in her family of 11 children
that came to the USA.
She was born on Monday, May 29th, 1911.
She used to be a secretary at Northern Natural Gas
(now Enron) on 24th and Dodge.
I told her that I even worked in that building
on 5th floor back in 1991.
USWEST had rented that one floor.
She really enjoyed the flowers.
She needs a Bible, so I need to buy one for her.
Near the nursing home I got out my camera and
took a picture of it to show you all what it looks like.
As I returned to my car across Maple street,
I found a Social Security card in the street.
So I guess David (the name on the card) needs prayer today.
And pray for Josephine too.
She is on oxygen around the clock.
I told her she had an accent, maybe a British accent.
She is very special.

"The Lord called to Samuel,
who answered,
'Here I am.'"
1 Samuel 3:4

(Note: the main character in TMOG is Sam (aka Samuel)).
The Lord calls each of us.
He says "come here", "come closer."
Come visit with me.
Get to know me.
Come travel with me (maybe to South America!)
Whoever said that being a Christian was boring,
does not know what they are talking about.
The Christian life is very exciting.
New surprises every day await you.
You meet new people all the time.
To be lead by the Holy Spirit is very interesting...
never a dull moment.
And then there is JOY.
Joy that is out of this world.
I wish and hope and pray that you could feel
what I feel.
Jesus is real.
He is alive in 2000.
He can be part of your life.
He is calling you...

(January 15, 2000 6:13 AM CST)

Yesterday was a magical day.
A lot of really neat things happened.
Like the Stock Market took off flying.
Our company stock (USW) went up over 4%.
One of many blessings from the Lord.
He is very good to me.
The only problem is that it is in a retirement account,
so I can't touch it.
And I met Tim in the front lobby of the
building where I work downtown .
(On the left in the picture is the parking garage
where I park each work day.
Another blessing! I only have 50 steps
to walk from my car to get inside.
This really helps when the wind chill is 30 below zero.)
I shook Tim's hand and told him to read my email
that I sent him.
In my email I told him to come visit this Web site.
Later in the day I sent him another email
to encourage him to work with community leaders
to place people losing their jobs at Inacom in new jobs.
I know we have openings in the group where I work
for example.
At 4:45 PM I ran across someone holding a sign
at 42nd and Woolworth.
Veteran's Hospital is just south of there and
the man's sign said something about helping a Veteran.
I was driving west to my sister's house.
I didn't have time to stop and chat with him,
but I did slow down and gave him a few dollars
and I said, "God bless you."
Would you pray for him?
You know...whatever he needs today.
May God provide it for him.
Maybe you'll see him today in Omaha.
This song I heard this morning on the radio at 4:44 AM by
Steve Green talked about true Christianity
when you help those in need.
It has some words like:
"When you help the homeless that is true Christianity."
A good thought here on day 15 of this special year.
I feel that this year will be noted in the history books
as the start of the millennium revival.

Jesus said,
"People who are healthy do not need a doctor;
sick people do.
I have come to call sinners,
not the self-righteous."
Mark 2:17

Come to Jesus.
Be healed.
Be made well.
People need the Lord.
You are sick.
You need a miracle in your life.
Come and see the glorious things the Lord is doing.
He loves you.
He wants to heal you.
Come and make an appointment.
The doctor is in.

(January 14, 2000 4:45 AM CST)

"This is the day the Lord has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it."
Psalms 118:24

Today is the day.
I got out of bed at 3:33 AM this morning.
I have lots of things to do today.
It is exciting.
It should be fun.
I'm going to meet a few people for the first time today.
Like Tim that is being transferred to Omaha
to work for our company (USWEST) downtown.
I sent him an email of welcome yesterday
and told him to come visit my web site.
Hi, Tim!
It is no coincidence that Tim is moving to Omaha.
I'm here to tell you today ---

there are no coincidences in life.

If I did not meet Tim today,
I would have met him maybe a week or year from now.
Yesterday I sent an email to Kate who is losing her job
in two weeks at Inacom here in Omaha.
I told her that God will open new doors to her.
I will try to work with her to find her a job
at my company.
That is no coincidence that I know Kate.
And later today I'll meet Annette.
She's a friend of Kate's.
Annette and I have written to each other for 2.5 months
across the Internet.
That is no coincidence.
Annette is a great writer.
She loves to write...I love to write.
I'm sure you will see her writings here
in the weeks and months to come.
Actually, you've already seen some things
that she sent to me.
I'm searching all kinds of search engines
this morning for "The Best Things In Life" .
This link is not it, but it is the same idea.
This link has the line by Emerson:

"Great hearts send forth steadily
the secret forces that incessantly draw great events."

I will find the link from Annette, so...
stay tuned...

Today I want to tell you about Alpha Centauri .
It is in my story TMOG.
It is no coincidence that I put it in my story.
It is very intentional!
First of all Alpha Centauri cannot be seen from Omaha.
You have to go south of the equator to see it.
If you look at the plane of the solar system,
it is below us somewhere.
If you lived in Antarctica, you would have it made.
You could see this star with your own eyes.
This is the closest star to our Sun.
It is our next-door neighbor in space.
God designed it that way.
It is no coincidence.
The only "problem" is that it is not just one star...
it is 3 stars!
It looks like one, but it really is 3.
Interesting.
It is a marker, a sign in the sky of the Trinity:
3 persons in one God.
Amazing!
I propose today to set the year 2100
as a goal to reach the Alpha Centauri star system.
I'm giving you 100 years to figure it out.
Going to Mars is nice,
but let's shoot for the stars!
It is an attainable goal.
One of the 3 stars is the same type as our Sun.
To me it's obvious that there are planets
circling these 3 stars.
It must be an awesome sight!
To have a sky with 1 or 2 or 3 suns in it
at different times of the day would be cool.
You know: The heavens declare the glory of God.
I believe with all my heart this can be done.
It is possible.
Let us dream those "impossible" dreams.
With the Lord all things are possible!
You might be reading this today
and you are 15 years-old
and you will work on this project.
Go for it.

Do you understand the double-meaning of the code "..." now?

I forgot to tell you...
I checked the Post Office Box yesterday morning
at 17th and Capitol Ave.
There were 3 letters in it.
So is it a coincidence or not
that 3 people wrote to me?

(January 13, 2000 5:37 AM CST)

What is the password?
If someone asked you that question,
what would your answer be.
I'll give you two days to consider the correct answer.

One of my thoughts as a possible answer would be "Jesus."
That's a Christian answer I have heard before.
Another possible answer is a song:
"You Are My Sunshine" .
(Kind of a corny song for a password.
That MIDI music drives me crazy after about 30 seconds.)

Anyway...
at lunchtime yesterday I went to the flower shop
south of 16th and Farnam.
I told Bobbie (not sure of spelling) that she was
in the right business of making the world a beautiful place.
She knew Dr. Higgins that pulled my wisdom teeth.
She says his first name is Lyn.
I did not know that.
I knew it started with an "L".
Her flower shop used to be on the first floor
of the Medical Arts Building (17 and Dodge).
I'm not sure, but I think Dr. Higgins was on 3rd or 4th floor.
So I purchased the 3 beautiful pink long stemmed roses
and then I had to get back to the office somehow.
You do not know how "dangerous" it is to have
3 beautiful roses in your hands for all to see.
I definitely did not want to make eye contact with anyone.
They might ask me that question from TMOG:
Are those for me?
Scary thought.
I delivered the flowers to Barb at about 7 PM.
Mary (the nurse) went in Barb's room first and
Barb asked her, "Is Dan back?"
How did she know I was there?
Even now at 6:04 AM, I don't understand that.
I don't think I said I was coming back,
well, maybe I did.
Here is the card I signed for her.
(Note that it contains what I call "The L-word."
Talk about dangerous.)
Her birthday was January 10th.
She is child #14 of 14...the baby in the family.
She has two daughters.
Her husband left her for a younger woman.
I tried to find the birthday card with that Bible verse again.
It was in the wastebasket...how ironic!
(If I was writing the script for a movie,
I could not have done any better job.)
It was unreal.
I told Barb I would have you pray for her
to give up smoking and to get over pneumonia.
Thanks.

From 3:50 PM to 5:30 PM I was at Dr. Dunning's office.
They ran every test they had on me.
I had shortness of breath (SOB) earlier in the day.
I don't want to get pneumonia, so I went in before
it got too serious.
Another guy that sits near me had SOB (a medical
term written on my chart in two places that I saw).
He could hardly talk yesterday.
Barb, Mary and I had a good time
laughing about that medical term.
How could they say that about me in a medical examination?
Jenni took my EKG reading.
(Warning: do not ever call her Jennifer.)
I'm not sure of Dr. Dunning's first name.
It might be James.

"My brothers,
what good is it to profess faith without practicing it?
Such faith has no power to save one, has it?"
James 2:14

Yes, you believe in Jesus,
but is there any evidence of it?
Are there any visible signs?
If someone followed you around today,
would they find "an evidence of faith"?
(Sounds kind of profound.
Let me think about that one.
Was there a book with that title? Neat phrase.)
Live your faith.
Be real.
(Even if life appears to be a movie.)

(January 12, 2000 5:35 AM CST)

Have I ever told you about how Spring To Life
got started in Spring, 1982?
At that time I attended a prayer group at
St. Margaret Mary's on 62nd and Dodge,
just north of UNO.
One Saturday night it was a very noisy session.
These people were all joyful and happy and excited
and jumping around.
I thought they were getting a little carried away,
so I in so many words or less told everyone to calm down
and be quiet and listen to the Lord.
That killed their joy right there.
It got very quiet.
So afterwards about 5 people formed what I call
"a conspiracy of prayer."
They focused their prayers on me to receive
the same joy that they had.
I'm not sure how many weeks passed, maybe 2 or 3.
It was not long.
I'd be driving along and find myself crying
for no reason.
I could not sleep at night.
I felt joy like you would not believe.
I tell people that "God blessed my socks off."
I got blown away.
I think this happened on February 14th, 1982.
Yes, I just checked. It was a Sunday. I was in church.
I'll get out the camera and take some pictures.
Then I find out later about this conspiracy.
They were watching and waiting to see how long it would take.
Amazing...the power of prayer.
Like right now I'm doing the same thing.
I'm telling a lot of people that I know
to pray for this one person.
She's aware of it.
I've told her what I'm doing.
Never under estimate the power of prayer!

Yesterday I was on another adventure this time at a nursing home
on 67th and Maple.
I think my friend Mary (she is a nurse there)
wanted to introduce me to everyone on the top floor.
I "maxed out" after 10 or 15 people.
I love to meet new people,
but I think I was overwhelmed.
There are a total of 176 residents in this place.
There are so many people to tell you about,
but I'll just focus on one.
She had 3 beautiful long-stemmed pink roses in her room.
She had just received them from someone or some group
or maybe her church that she used to attend.
I'm not sure.
And she had a birthday card with a Bible verse
on the front.
I tried to sniff the roses and guess what?
They were not real!
It's another "sermon."
Right?
They looked so real...but they were fake.
When I give people flowers
I give them something that is real and alive.
It is a double-meaning (like everything in the story TMOG).
I'm alive...the flowers are alive.
I was created my God...flowers are one of God's awesome creations.
I'm real...the flowers are genuine...they are the real thing...
a rose is a rose is a rose...
I am dynamic and changing and unpredictable and fragile
and etc.
Her name was Barb.
I predict that sometime today she will get a "special delivery"
from me of 3 beautiful pink roses.
(I hope I didn't put all you artificial flower people
out of business. Sorry about that.)

Here is what was on the front of the of the birthday card:

"The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!"
Psalms 129:8

Receive God's blessings today.
Share God's blessings.
Go find those "treasures" out there in the nursing homes.
Be their friends.
Adopt one of them.
Visit them.
You have no idea what you are missing out on!

One of my dreams is to go to Paris one day.
I think I might be there on Sunday, December 31st, 2000.
I wonder if they will have the same display of fireworks
at the Eiffel Tower ?
Did you see the fireworks on December 31st?
I have it on videotape, if you want to see it.
I cannot imagine being there in person for that.
That was cool!

(January 11, 2000 5:31 AM CST)

I was up writing at 3:33 AM this morning
with more ideas for Day 8.
I'll try to expand on Day 8 when I get a chance.
Today will be a very busy day.
Say a prayer for me and all the people I meet.

Yesterday afternoon I set out on what I call an "adventure."
(Every day is an adventure anymore.)
My goal was to find my niece at the eating disorders program (EDP)
at UNMC and see how she is doing.
I parked at Clarkson Hospital near 42nd and Dewey.
I walked through the new tunnel/walkway that connects to UNMC.
Once inside the UNMC building I must have looked lost.
The people were very nice and very helpful.
God bless them...they were wonderful.
Kris and Greg didn't know where the EDP was either,
so we went into this "secured" room and asked other people.
Tressi knew where it was and even led me through the
maze of hallways to a door that led west across a street.
It was in another building called the GRU
(whatever that stands for).
I thanked Tressi and said, "God bless you."
When I got across the street to the GRU
I found out it was moving day.
My niece might not ever be there.
Great.
But once again this woman at the front desk there
called around to find my niece.
She was still there and they sent me up to 3rd floor.
Yes, it was moving day.
Everything was all over the place.
You could call it a disaster area.
I ran into some more people to help me.
They even found me a chair to sit and wait on.
Most of the furniture was gone.
Another woman arrived with her daughter and
I offered them my chair,
and went down the hall to find another.
After maybe 3 more minutes my niece arrived.
Surprise.
She showed me her room.
All the furniture is gone of course, just suitcases were there.
I asked her if she had read my story yet.
We found a computer with Internet access and printed off a copy.
This took forever because their connection was so slow.
Once again people that worked there helped me out.
She had to go do exercises, so she could not talk long.
I gave her a hug and I tried to find my way back
through the maze of buildings and disaster areas to my car.
The sign on the bank at 42nd and Farnam made me laugh
as I drove away at 3 PM:
"Life is full of little surprises..."
I was surprised!
What an adventure!
That's why I love to live in Omaha,
these are some of the nicest people you will ever meet
in this life.
And of course pray for all those kids there at EDP.
Thanks.

Jesus told the parable/story which has the line:
"When did we visit you when you were ill or in prison?"
Matthew 25:39

Would you go on an "adventure" today?
Would you get out of your comfort zone?
Would you give someone a hug and talk to them?
These people are hurting.
They need some love.
Be surprised!

(January 10, 2000 5:49 AM CST)

(Update at 7:51 PM:
You might want to read this story,
which was sent to me by my friend again:
"The Day I Met Daniel" .
I met several people today for the first time:
Kris, Greg, Tressi, etc. at UNMC around 2 PM.)

(Update at 11:58 AM:
Here are 3 more pictures from December 31st, 1999
in downtown Omaha:
This is Pat Persaud of Channel 6.
I said, "Hi, Pat."
I think I surprised her.
This is John Anderson of Channel 3.
This is Amy McLard of Channel 7.
The person with me said that Amy
was all upset about something.
I reviewed the videotape of Channel 7 for that evening.
She was on over and over reporting the events
and every time she was all smiles.
He must have been mistaken.)

(Update at 10:57 AM:
This morning I "discovered" the name of Sam's sister in San Diego.
Her name is/was/should_be/has_to_be Tracey.
I was at the dentist office on 114th and Davenport at 8:30 AM
getting my teeth cleaned when I figured this out.
It's a long story...
and it keeps getting longer...
BTW my perfect record of no cavities continues.
Well, I did have one cavity, but that tooth was pulled,
so it does not count against my record.
It was one of 3 wisdom teeth pulled by Dr. Higgins
on Friday, March 19th, 1993.
They put me "under" with an IV.
I thought I was going to die.
I thought that I would go to sleep and never wake up.
I thought I was checking out.
I'm happy to report that I lived through it.)

Yesterday afternoon I made a "special delivery"
and dropped off an autographed copy of TMOG
to Art at the restaurant.
I shook his hand and said, "Here it is."
He's a great guy.
Then I headed east on West Dodge Road.
It was about 1:45 PM and as I crossed
the intersection of 114th and Dodge
I saw something I will never forget
for the rest of my days.
(The picture shows you looking east,
so I was driving from right to left.)
A homeless man had dropped/spilled his backpack
almost in the middle of the intersection on the east side.
How in the world did he do that?
If you don't know Omaha,
let me inform you this is one
of the busiest intersections in town.
I prayed, "Lord, surround him by angels to protect him."
I thought about calling the police to help him out,
but I didn't want to get him into trouble.
I should have circled round and went back to help him
(which I have done on occasion to talk to them
and ask if I can help or give them a few dollars.)
I wasn't going to risk my life to help.
So I'm wondering this morning,
should I have gone back to help him?
Did I make another mistake?
In a sense I envy him.
Here were all his earthly possessions there on the street
for all the world to see.
He could put all that he owned in one backpack.
And me...I have a house, car, etc.

"For he will give his angels charge of you
to guard you in all your ways."
Psalms 91:11

It was a "sermon" right there in the street.
Something I will never forget.

(January 9, 2000 5:52 AM CST)

Yesterday at about 4:30 PM at UNO
I met two people for the first time.
They are from Dayton, Ohio and came to Omaha for
the United States Collegiate Taekwondo Team Selections.
I asked you to pray for them way back on January 21st, 1999 .
They appear to be doing well.
On January 20th of last year
Charles' wife and Christina's mom
was killed in a car accident.
So continue to lift them up in prayer.
Thanks.
And Christina qualified for the team,
so she gets to go to Taiwan in March.
I kept telling her Congratulations!

Yesterday at about 12:30 PM I went to lunch with my friend, Mary.
We went to the restaurant just north of Boys Town.
Our waiter's name was Art.
We "ordered" all kinds of things that weren't on the menu.
First we ordered a pen and 2 pieces of paper.
Art was great!
He provided them right away.
Then we ordered a copy of the seating chart .
Within 30 seconds it was there.
What service!
He must have thought we were crazy.
Art circled our table on the seating chart,
as you can see.
We were at table 45.
Mary wrote in the date of 01/08/00.
The "00" was supposed to be two crossed-eyes.
I wrote in the "N" for North and Art's name.
I explained to Art that I was writing a story on the Internet
and I wanted to see what a real-life seating chart looked like.
Later I told him that I'd print a copy of the story
and drop it off at the restaurant,
so I'll stop by to see him this afternoon.
I tried to explain to Mary all that was happening.
It was hopeless.
There is just to many things happening.
She does not have Internet access.
I should just print out his page and give it to her to read.
She has not read TMOG.
I should print it for her, also.
It is 5 pages when printed using the Netscape browser.
And she has been sick for 3 weeks with pneumonia.
Art made the "mistake" of asking us how we were
and we told him we were both sick.
Would you pray for her to get well?
She did live at one time in Chicago for 3 months,
but does not remember visiting the Sears Tower.
And BTW (by the way) Art is now part
of Version 8 of TMOG on Day 4.

"Make no mistake about this,
my dear brothers.
Every worthwhile gift,
every genuine benefit comes from above,
descending from the Father of the heavenly luminaries,
who cannot change and who is never shadowed over."
James 1:16-17

Every day God pours out his gifts.
Receive God's blessings.
Open your hands to receive.
Open your hearts.
Praise the Lord for his goodness.
He is a loving God.
He wants to give you many things.
Are you ready to receive them?

(January 8, 2000 6:00 AM CST)

(Update at 9:44 AM:
I forgot to tell you about the "wrong number"
phone call I got yesterday at 9:17 AM.
This man was telling me about someone in a car accident.
He went on and on about this person
could not make it in to work on time.
He must have been emotionally upset,
because he dialed my number twice.
On the second time he asked,
"Is this the Oak View Mall?"
I told him No.
I know that feeling...you can't think straight.
I told him, "I'm sorry to hear that.
I'll pray for them,
but you have the wrong number."
They must have really needed prayer right then.
Normally I would have been at work at that time,
but because I was home sick,
I was able to talk to him and
tell him I was concerned...a complete stranger.)

I don't know where to begin.
There is a lot of things happening.
My head is spinning.

It's day 8, so I better work on day 8 in
"The Mind of God" today.
I need to at least make a first attempt at it.

I was wrong.
I know that is hard to believe,
but I made a mistake.
What can I say?
I wrote down 1-6-99 on that piece of paper
yesterday, instead of 1-6-00.
See, it proves I was sick.
I guess I'm not perfect.

And I took that piece of paper
and I put it in my Bible to mark the following verse,
which I received yesterday from a very special friend.
(I told her she should have her own Christian Web site.)

"For I know well the plans
I have in mind for you,
says the Lord,
plans for your welfare,
not for woe!
plans to give you a future full of hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

I wrote about this verse back on May 25th, 1999 .

(January 7, 2000 6:14 AM CST)

(Update at 3:23 PM:
A writer does not write in a vacuum.
I am influenced by other writers
like the story "The Gift" .
I read this maybe a year ago in a Chicken Soup book.
That probably is why I wrote about the 3 roses in my story.)

Welcome to another exciting day!
It's day number 7 of this millennium year.
And I'm at home sick.
Surprise.
Here I have all these things to do
and I'm home sick.
I don't understand.
It is interesting to note that Sam in the story
"The Mind of God" was sick on day 7.
Coincidence?
Also, as I was writing this story over the last few weeks
my Mom has been undergoing medical tests.
I did not know it, just like in the story with Sam
and his Mom.
My Mom was "a nervous wreck," she said.
They thought she might have cancer,
but more tests showed that she did not.
Another coincidence?
It's getting hard to keep track of what is fiction
and what is real life.
I'll be glad tomorrow when I can get back to my normal dull life.
This is the last day for the advertisements,
until next time...maybe in Chicago.
You never know.
It might happen.
Sometimes dreams come true.

Here is documented proof that that song
I wrote about yesterday
is number 1 on the charts:
Tops in Adult Contemporary (music this week)
This was in the newspaper last night.
Also did you know that German calendars
have 14 days per week?
This is the Kalender on Arlis' desk at work .
(This picture is copyrighted by Fotoverlag Huber.)
Am I missing something?
Don't answer that question.

And guess what?
I got the pictures back from the Millenium Lights celebration
of December 31st.
This is how close I was to the choir
and I could not hear them.
Figure that out.
It's one of those mysteries of the universe.
I was standing on the grass on the left
side about where the 3rd person from the left side
is sitting on the wall.
I was standing there for 1 1/2 hours.
This is a picture from the roof
of the parking garage where I park my car
each work day (not today of course).
This is 14th street between Douglas and Farnam looking south.
The time is maybe 4:30 PM for this picture before everybody
invaded downtown.
The "singing" started at 6:18 PM.

"In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress."
Psalms 71:1-3

I'm joking around a lot today,
but maybe you are really hurting.
I want you to know that God loves you.
He cares for you.
He is concerned about you.
He is your refuge from this world.
I'm praying for you to be strong.
I'm praying that you can make it.
The Lord Jesus will deliver you from all harm.
Trust in the Lord.
Lean on him.
He will save you.

(January 6, 2000 5:43 AM CST)

(Update at 3:18 PM:
I just drove home from work and what are they playing
on the radio?
Fun, fun, fun (words) by the Beach Boys.
Fun, fun, fun (midi music)
Why did I drive home early?
I don't feel good.
I have a fever.
Poor baby...
And I heard another song that I like on another radio station:
"I knew I loved you (before I met you)" .
which is number 1 on some charts this week.
by Savage Garden.
(I had to use Internet Explorer to access this site.)
I had to call my nephew to get the name of this group.
It is a nice love song, since I'm writing about love today.

At lunchtime today I ran into the infamous Mr. Jones.
I used to work with him at another company downtown.
Mr. Jones is the main character in
"The Bridge is Out" .
I'm only kidding.
He saw the advertisement in the Sunday paper
and went right out to read it.
He asked me how I thought of all those things.
It's that inspiration.)

Since we had pictures from the east coast yesterday
according to the "equal time rule"
today we have to have pictures of the west coast of the USA.
So without further ado (whatever that means)
here is my favorite picture of all time (I think).
I just scanned it in this morning.
This is an 8 X 10 picture in my front room.
It is San Diego Bay Sunday, January 19th, 1992 .
Note the 3 seagulls spaced perfectly with the sailboats.
Perfect symmetry.
Do you see it?
My brother and I took a boat ride out on the Pacific Ocean
just a few hours before we caught the plane home.
And here is another picture of the same day .
I should make an 8 X 10 of this also.
I'm getting sea sick just looking at them.
And here is a picture of
me at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco .
I've been there twice and walked across it twice.
It takes a long time to do it,
since the bridge is 1 1/4 miles long.
On one of the walks I saw a submarine going out to sea.
That was cool!

You would not believe (or maybe you would)
how much fun it is to have your name
in the paper for 7 days in a row.
I've never done this before.
People at work come up to me and say,
"Are you that Dan Boeckman in the newspaper?"
I think there is only one person in Omaha with my name.
Yes, it's me.
Yesterday at lunchtime I stopped this guy
that I've seen many times downtown
at 15th and Douglas to see who he was.
I went to the same high school that he did.
He was two years ahead of me.
He is related to my next door neighbors when I was a kid.
And he read the thing I wrote in the newspaper.
Yep, I wrote it (with some inspiration from God of course).
Tom...that's his name.
Now I can say "Hi, Tom" from now on when I see him.
He only lives a mile west of me.
You go up to people that you know to say "Hi"
and they say "Someone told me you have something in the paper."
It's fun, fun, fun here in the USA.

You know what I read each morning...
without fail.

"Love is patient;
love is kind.
Love is not jealous,
it does not put on airs,
it is not snobbish.
Love is never rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not prone to anger;
neither does it brood over injuries.
Love does not rejoice in what is wrong
but rejoices with the truth.
There is no limit to love's forbearance,
to its trust,
its hope,
its power to endure."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

(I read this whole chapter every morning.)

Love will never fail you.
God is love.

(January 5, 2000 5:35 AM CST)

Here are some pictures from a trip to New York City in May, 1986:
This is me on Wall Street .
I'm the person standing in front of the left door.
Can you see my visitor pass on my suit?
George had slapped it on me and I had not even noticed.
Then he asked me later about
how did I think I got past security so easily.
I don't know.
My relative George (on Mom's side of the family)
worked on the floor of the NYSE
at that time and gave me a tour that day.
I don't know if he still works there or not.
I asked him what stocks he invested in and
he did not invest in any.
He was into real estate buying and selling.
Speaking of Wall Street they dropped about 3 or 4% yesterday.
So what will it do today?

This is a picture of the people at the New York Times .
I'm sorry I don't remember their names.
It's only been 13 years.
If you know them, write to me.
They helped me put the advertisement
"Spring To Life In 1986" in their paper.
Notice the calendar behind them.
The advertisement was in the paper on Sunday, May 25th.

Here is a picture of Alberta
in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
I drove down there and stayed with her for one day
on this same trip in 1986.
She passed away on November 21st, 1999
in Georgetown, South Carolina.
She will be missed.
Pray for her family.

The following was read on the radio KGBI 100.7 FM yesterday:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?"
Micah 6:8

Walk with the Lord.
Be humble.
God gave you the talents that you have.
Give glory back to God by doing his will.
Be fair with others.
Treat them as you want to be treated
(like when you are driving).
Be kind.
Be the kind of person that people are drawn to
and then tell them about love.
God is love.

(January 4, 2000 6:21 AM CST)

(Update at 5:02 PM:
Here is another attempt to show you
my favorite color (blue green):
the borders of my Monet calendar

And here are some pictures I took of Oregon
in July, 1993:
Sunset Bay on the west coast

Crater Lake with the boat dock

Crater Lake with Wizard Island on the left

This is the most blue lake I've ever seen.
I wanted to go for the boat ride ,
but my brother did not want to walk down the trail
700 feet and then back up.
There is only one boat on the lake,
since it is so hard to get to.
Some day I will return and go for a boat ride.
To me Crater Lake is one
of the most beautiful places on earth.
It is.)

On Christmas Day, 1999 (a long time ago it seems)
I went to church at 10:30 AM at Holy Cross Church
(48th and Woolworth) and heard Heidi Joy sing.
She was great!
What can you say?
She has a gift from God.
Her schedule says that she will be back on January 23rd.

Here are some examples of my favorite color:
February, 1994 color of water off coast of Ft. Lauderdale,
right below the sand on the right
and
February, 1994 color of water off coast of Ft. Lauderdale,
below the sailboat and to the right
Does that help?

Here's another Scripture passage that my story TMOG
is based on:

"Husbands, love your wives."
Colossians 3:19

OK guys show your wife that you love her today.
Get her a gift (i.e. flowers, candy, etc.).
Go for it.
It does not have to be a special occasion.
It is a new year.
Give her that first gift of the millennium.
At minimum call her up right now and tell her
that you love her.

Yesterday I called Sandra at the Chicago Tribune
to see what it would cost to the advertise
in their newspaper for 7 straight days.
Are you ready for these numbers?
$710 per column inch in the Sunday paper.
$254 on weekdays for first day and
$200 on weekdays after that.
Does anyone have $12K just sitting around somewhere?
They are way out of my price range.
I'd have to sell my house...

(January 3, 2000 6:05 AM CST)

Did we win the football game last night?
I only watched the first half at my brother's house...
I just checked ESPN
and it says we won (of course).
That's the school (UNL) I went to many years ago.
Did I ever tell you about the time I spent an entire day
at the student union asking people their favorite color?
The people that liked yellow were very special.
It was a very interesting day.
I'll see if I can did that page out of the archives
down in the basement.
My favorite color? blue-green
I'll see if I can find something with blue-green
and show you.

Here is another Scripture that TMOG is based on:

"God will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins."
Micah 7:19

Corrie ten Boom once talked about God's forgiveness.
She said that when you confess your sins
God throws them into a lake
and puts up a sign that says:

No Fishing.

(January 2, 2000 7:24 AM CST)

The advertisement is in the first section today
on page 11-A.
This advertisement matches proof #1
which I corrected on December 29th.
We have a misunderstanding.
The advertisement today should have matched yesterday's ad.
I guess I will have to call the newspaper and see what went wrong.
But then again...
God works through all things.
Even though to me it is not perfect,
it will reach different people than yesterday's ad
because it is slightly different.
I can watch the statistics and see which is the more effective ad.
Maybe I can even get partial credit for the incorrect ad.
That will help pay for it.
Anyway pray for all the people that read this today and all week.
Prayer makes all the difference.
May they find Jesus in this millennial year.
(I still have to research what a "jubilee" is.
The dictionary says it goes back to the Hebrew law 2,000+ years ago
and was observed every 50 years.)
Would you believe I stayed up until 12:30 AM last night?
I worked on TMOG for 3 hours fixing all kinds of verb tenses
and adding more content to day 6.
The words "is" and "was" are very hard at times
to know which to use.
First of all God is timeless.
He is beyond time.
At times I'm writing from God's perspective
which is eternity.
At other times I'm writing from Sam's perspective.
Sam is alive at his present moment,
but since he is linked to God's mind it complicates
how to word it.
Like the mystery man crying in the hospital,
do you say "the man was crying in the hospital" or
do you say "the man is crying in the hospital"?
See, it is complicated.
Yesterday, when I talked to Patty after church
we discussed January 1st which turned out to be
just what I wanted: a world day of peace.
(See what I wrote back on December 27th .)
Peace for one day.
It is possible.
How do you capture whatever that is?
What is it?
How do we replicate it?
It is fascinating to think about it.
Peace is possible --- we proved it.

"For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness
toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us."
Psalms 103:11-12

This is one of the main scriptures that TMOG is based on.
The Lord Jesus forgives us and forgets.
Once you are forgiven, your sins are gone...poof!
We might remember, but God does not remember them.
It is a mystery.
We do not understand the mercy of God.
We do not understand the love of God.
We do not comprehend it.
He is different from us.
This Psalm talks about how high God is.
You have the Sears Tower, Mt Everest, etc. in the story.
He is awesome.
He is magnificent.
He is way more than we can ever imagine.
If you do not know Jesus,
come and see.
You will be Speechless .

(January 1, 2000 6:25 AM CST)

(Update at 8:42 PM:
Happy Birthday, Patty!
There I was sitting in church thinking
God bless that Patty on her birthday
and there she was with her family the next moment.
My parents and brother watched the fireworks
from one of the ConAgra buildings.
That is not fair.
They had the fireworks right over their heads
and here I was about 5 blocks away.
And here are 3 pictures (my favorite number)
from the previous millennium (December 19th).
It was a winter wonderland that day.
This is a picture along Regency Parkway .
Here is a work of art in the trees .
And some Canada geese at Boys Town
that look like the space ships in
the movie Independence Day.
(I know...more pictures of birds...sorry)
I also went for a walk at the Westroads today.
I bought a calendar with Claude Monet
paintings for each month.
I always wait until after Christmas when it is 50% off.
I had seen it for weeks and there was one left for me today.)

Wow!
Cool!
This is more than I could have ever dreamed.
Happy New Year from Omaha, Nebraska in the USA.
There is hope for the world.
There can be peace in the world.
I have about 20 hours of video tapes
from yesterday that I've seen pieces of.
I am excited.
How about you?
What is a Jubilee year anyway?
Bono from U2 had it on his shirt
as he performed in front of the Lincoln Memorial last night.
This morning on CNN at 5 AM the Pope was blessing
the people in this Jubilee year.
That advertisement...
it's on page 48 of the newspaper today.
It's on the page with all the movie listings.
Excellent!
A lot of people will be going to the movies today.
Here wait a minute...
let me scan it in and show you...
Sorry it took so long.
I'm washing clothes also this morning.
Here is the advertisement on page 48
in the Omaha World-Herald this morning.
I just called into work.
We are testing all our computer applications this morning.
My application runs across the Internet,
so I downloaded two files and it worked OK.
Then I called into Larry to report that my test worked.
Now I have to drive way downtown and test my PC on my desk
and test my email, etc.
I had Larry test spring2life.com to see if it is Y2K compliant
and it passed the test.
I do have a problem on my computer with a software FTP package.
It says that the file I just built (advert.jpg)
was last changed on "0/0/10".
It is not Y2K compliant and I knew that ahead of time.
It still does the FTP transfers of files OK,
but the date is screwed up.
I can live with that.
Maybe I can figure out an algorithm how to translate it.
I forgot to mention last night I saw our mayor
carrying this trumpet around with him all over the place.
After he gave his speeches he joined the band to play with them.
My boss was singing in the choir on the north side he told
after the event was over and I was heading home.
I could not believe all the people waiting for buses
as I drove home.
The paper mentioned this also today.
They needed more buses.
It was interesting where I was watching last night.
They turned on the "million" lights and then started the fireworks
and someone immediately said,
"Turn off the lights" so we can see the fireworks.
I walked over to Douglas street in front of USWEST
and watched the fireworks from the middle of the street.
At some point the blocked off Douglas street during the evening.
I didn't see when.
And I took a roll of film (24 pictures),
so I will post the pictures in a few days.
Many people had cameras.
A few had camcorders.
If you have some pictures to share with the world that you took
of this event at the Millennium Lights Celebration
send them my way on email
and I will make a page for all the pictures
or if you have a URL to your home page,
that would work also.
Speaking of work...
I'm going into work now.
I promise to write more later today.
Say a prayer today.
Thank the Lord for a beautiful peaceful welcome to the new year.