I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack, Sons of the Desert)
Music
(Click on Track 2)
Lyrics
(February 26, 2001 4:43 AM CST)
S2L will be "on hold" until Monday, March 5th.
This morning I'm checking the weather in
Denver
and
Las Vegas
.
I've done all this preparation for this trip.
Usually on these long trips I gain about 10 pounds.
Yesterday I made it to the Rock and Roll church.
Well, time to go catch an airplane.
I will not be able to make changes until then.
Pray for me and all the people I meet while I am away.
God bless you!
Thanks.
(I'm intentional putting these links here,
so when I'm in Denver at class I can just call up S2L
and click on these.)
It looks like snow and cold for 2 or 3 days in Denver
and Las Vegas should be in the 60's for the weekend.
I've done the planning.
I've planned to meet with people,
like Cousin Ron tonight for dinner.
But I usually forget something.
It always happens.
I have all these lists and still I forget things.
Within 24 hours I will know what I forgot,
but at the moment I don't know what it is.
Then I was thinking about how much planning
do people do for the "journey" to heaven.
Maybe you think you can get there without planning.
No...that is not true.
It takes planning.
It takes effort.
Your guide is Jesus.
Is he there in your planing?
He is on your team?
And he knows the way!
You need him.
You cannot do it by yourself.
He says he is the way.
Yes, that is it.
He is the way.
Follow him.
Stay close to him.
He will bring you home safe and sound.
Getting to heaven will not "just happen."
You have to prepare for it.
Being a "good person" will not get you to heaven.
You need Jesus.
I will report back to you on this.
I took all these pictures to show you.
The only problem was...
there was no film in the camera.
I can't believe it!
So I guess I will have to return there in 2 weeks
to get the pictures for you to see it.
The Freedom Choir is great!
They are great.
Oh, my they are good!
Jim Boggess is the director.
To me he looks a little like
Russell Crowe
.
Go see for yourself next Sunday at 10:30 AM
22nd and Binney in Omaha.
Go listen to them.
They put on a good show.
The guy giving the sermon (Tom) is cool too.
I like him.
The setting is so neat.
It is an old church with choir lofts.
They don't build them that way anymore.
And I knew about half the songs.
You know me...I talked to all kinds of people.
Ron was sitting on my right and Jenny/Jennie on my left.
Ron has been going there for 3 years
and Jenny/Jennie for just a month.
One person 2 rows ahead of me said, "Hi Dan."
She knew who I was.
I wrote her name down and will have to research
where I know her from
(church, tennis, work, old neighborhood, college, etc.).
My good friend Darryl was there.
He said that he saw me at NFM yesterday around 5:30 PM,
but he did not have time to stop and say hi.
He was on a mission, so I replied jokingly:
"You were on a mission from God."
He is why I am working for Qwest today.
He invited me to a retreat back in 1985
where I met my future boss John.
It's one of those long stories.
They call it the "mosaic of life."
Darryl was there and that's why I'm here today where I am.
And why I'm flying to Denver for a class for my job.
My job was "a gift" from God.
It just happened back on May 21st, 1985.
One thing they do in this church is they meet in people's homes.
I signed up with Peg to meet with 8 other people
at someone's house near 91st and Center during Lent.
Peg is a good friend.
Small groups in homes are very powerful!
In fact I should do that now that I will have some furniture.
All churches should do this in the homes.
That is where your faith flies.
It just grows and grows with people that close to you.
I've done it before in various churches and groups.
That is how the early church got started in people's houses.
If your church does not do this,
maybe you should check it out.
Bye for now.
Pray for me.
Thanks.
6:00 AM time to go.
(February 25, 2001 4:03 AM CST)
In the last 2 days I read a week's worth of newspapers.
At breakfast at Bakers yesterday
Yesterday I bought a little basket of flowers
Then I went to
Then since I was "rich" I stopped at
Nebraska Furniture Mart
.
Then I went to
Best Buy
.
"We walk by faith,
We can't see heaven, but we believe it is there.
They were just stacking up higher and higher.
I finally got to them.
I was talking to Larry.
He was telling me about last year.
On May 3rd his wife was found to have cancer
and the next day one of his sons died.
I listened to his words and think to myself:
my problems are nothing compared to his.
Would you pray for him and his wife and family?
God be with them.
from Sarah at Bakers.
She is all better.
That last time I saw her (February 10) she had a bad cough
and could hardly talk to me.
I told her that I asked you to pray for her.
I missspelled her name though (Sara).
Sorry about that.
I took the flowers and cake over to my sister's house.
You know...my favorite sister.
There were so many flowers that she said,
"You would have thought I died."
She made a comment about no black flowers being given to her.
"Let them eat cake,"
as I always say.
(Or was it Marie Antoinette that said it?)
The cake
(Super Moist Devil's Food Chocolate,
Sour Cream White Icing)
was perfect, as always.
I use a 9 by 12 by 2 inch pan.
I bake it for 33 minutes.
I put all the icing on the cake.
Sarah, you now have no excuse but to make the perfect cake.
not one,
not two,
but three casinos across the river
in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
That is a first for me.
Look
what I won
.
(Note: The bottom chip is from Atlantic City, New Jersey.
I went to the casino there in 1986 with
Alberta
.
She is/was Doris' Mom.)
It took forever to scan these chips in this morning.
And then there was 400 quarters,
which I did not carry home with me.
It is like stealing.
They are no match for me and my watch (a long story).
I won about $140 which I will give to
that
Rock and Roll church
today.
But now you are wondering about
what I said on February 16th, 2000.
I told you to stay away from the evil casinos
and here I am going to them.
Now I do give my winnings away.
Does that make it alright?
Write and tell me what you think.
I'm not too consistent, am I?
Would you believe I worked with salesperson Joan
to pick out 3 pieces of furniture for my "bare" front room?
I gave my furniture away on November 13th, 1999 to Adopt-A-Family.
Has it been that long? 15 Months!
Good excuse not to have parties at my house.
They will deliver it on March 7th, 2001.
Joan had a husband that had a gambling problem.
I told her about winning at 3 casinos before coming there.
He lost a fortune gambling and destroyed their marriage.
I told her I was sorry to hear that.
So pray for Joan and her husband.
Could it happen to me?
Could I get addicted?
It is possible, but I don't think so in my case.
If I win I give it away, so there is no incentive
for me to return there.
And bought that CD of the song
"I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack and Sons of the Desert.
(
Music
(Click on Track 2) ------
Lyrics
)
At 5:52 AM Sweet 98 (FM 98.5) just played this song.
I didn't know that they played country music on that station.
I like the line in the song:
"Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance."
not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7
We trust in God's promises to us.
He is the truth.
If we give our lives and hearts to Christ,
he will take us home one day.
Ask Jesus to forgive your sins today.
Lord, increase our faith!
See yourself in a mirror as you are,
but picture yourself in heaven forever.
Yes, one day we will see the face of God.
(February 24, 2001 4:59 AM CST)
Happy Birthday Mary!
It is raining this morning on all the snow and ice
Yesterday at lunchtime I was talking to Tom.
On Monday I get to go flying with yet another Tom and Rod.
One of my thoughts this morning is
The muffins?
Tomorrow at 10:30 AM I am planning on going to
I'm working on
"To be a success in 2001"
.
Pray for Joe, Jim, Joe and Mark that are sick.
"The fervent prayer of a holy man (or woman) is powerful indeed."
Prayer changes things.
God bless you today on your special day.
around my house.
At least it's a "warm" 34F outside,
so it is not freezing.
It's 30F in Denver. I just checked.
And 41F in Las Vegas.
(This is a different Tom than the Tom from Boys Town
that sells insurance.)
Anyway Tom has been trading email with my friend Mary in California.
We all knew each other way back in 1979 at
that church at 62nd and Dodge.
Tom, Rod and myself go back over 16 years to
UPRR
.
We all worked there.
Now we all work for
Qwest
.
They are both great guys.
We should have a really nice time together.
if I go to California, I might not come back.
I think everyone in Omaha feels that way.
It is chuck hole city.
There are craters in the streets.
It is dangerous to drive around town.
I got a "thanks" from Steve's wife.
She must work there also in the office.
It's a bigger team than I thought.
the "Rock and Roll" church at 22nd and Binney (3000 N) in Omaha.
I love that place!
The music and setting is very cool!
Can you read it and give me feedback?
Thanks.
It will be in the newspaper March 27th, 2001.
The flu is going around.
I better "hide" today.
I don't want to be sick on my trip.
James 5:16
Prayer is very important.
This is communication with God.
You make contact with the infinite.
As small as we are, conversing with pure holiness,
we should do it.
Powerful prayers are the simple ones.
They are said from the heart.
Jesus, heal my broken leg (as Jimmy would pray).
Hear our prayers, Lord.
You are so good.
(February 23, 2001 6:02 AM CST)
Good morning Kristene, John, Steve!
Yesterday I also met Julie.
This is a Christian web site,
"I am sure of this much:
I see the 3 of you working together.
(I talked to them last night at State Farm Ins. near 108 and Maple.)
Kristene, the check is almost in the mail.
I will mail it when I get to work shortly.
Happy recent birthday to all of you!
(Very interesting number...3 B-days at once.)
Thanks for always sending me a B-day card each year.
That is very thoughtful of you and I just toss it.
Sorry about that.
Now I have to tell everyone that Steve and Kristene "tortured" me.
They had me put this saliva test thing in my mouth for 2 minutes.
I think it was more like 5 minutes.
I might have to talk to a lawyer (just kidding!).
Kristene, send me an email of your Dad's name.
I might know him since he retired recently
after 30 years from the
company where I work
.
If I don't know him, I bet others around me do.
And can you help me with my spelling, since you are so good at it?
If you see a missspelled word in spring2life.com, let me know.
(Right at this moment I have another Netscape session going
and I'm reading about
Disney's California Adventure
.
I'm trying to figure out how to buy advance tickets.
I will have to call their number 800-225-2024 later.)
Anyway did you know that
my favorite muffins
are right next door to you all?
In fact I bought a package of 4 before stopping in to see you.
What? I'm sorry I didn't share them.
Someday I will bring you some.
One is gone. Do you want the other 3?
I had one for breakfast.
I might send you all a postcard.
Tell you what... I'll put the muffins and check
at your front door on the way to work.
Is that safe?
I put a note on it:
"Please don't steal this!"
Life is full of risks!
I'm one of them risk-takers. That's me.
How about you all?
Get out there and live.
Every morning she sees me,
but I can't see her because of the dark glass.
She knows my car and face well.
(Julie...that is such a pretty name.)
It think someone should "fix" that glass
and replace it with regular glass.
so I write about what I believe.
My goal in life is to get to heaven.
I want to be with God forever.
If I don't achieve my goal, all will be lost.
I don't want to fail...no way!
My second goal is to bring some friends along with me.
I don't know if you believe in Jesus Christ or not.
We didn't talk about that.
I say to you all: check him out.
He is great.
He is the greatest.
He is awesome.
Then I usually go searching through the Bible
for some related verse to what I've been saying.
It can take 5 minutes sometimes, but usually a minute or so.
that he who has begun the good work in you
will carry it through to completion,
right up to the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6
I like your teamwork.
May God bless your efforts
to protect/help families when "disaster" strikes
and comfort them.
You provide a wonderful service to our community.
Thanks.
Enjoy the muffins.
Have a wonderful day.
(February 22, 2001 4:44 AM CST)
I made the cake last night for my sister's birthday.
I talked to the Vice President of S2L yesterday.
Yesterday I talked to about 10 travel agents.
What would S2L be without pictures?
Here is
a picture of a picture
taken last week.
Next is a picture taken last week of
Next is a picture of the
All the next pictures were taken on Sunday, February 18th, 2001.
This is
Anakin and his starfighter (?)
.
This is your
postcard picture
of the museum.
This the
front of the museum
glass panel.
This is an
SR-71
. Need I say more?
Next is
a car just sitting among the old planes
.
On the way back to town we stopped at the BK
Jesus said,
Here I am trying to impress all of you today.
It is in the refrigerator right now.
Her birthday is Saturday, February 24th.
I tell her she is my "favorite sister."
She is my only sister (that is alive).
(Doesn't that sound impressive?)
We had an executive meeting (me and Arlis).
We agreed to redesign the S2L home page for 2001.
I will buy some software to help me create it.
I think all my trips are set
except I need a place to stay in Santa Ana, California.
I'll probably stay at the same place as before.
Put that on my list of things to do today.
Well, I just talked to Amy/Amie/Amee/Aimee in Omaha
at Radisson Reservations.
I had to run to the other bedroom to get my "platinum" credit card.
Now you are impressed, right?
I love their phone number 1-800-333-3333.
You know 3 is my favorite number (Father, Son, Spirit).
So now I have a place to stay.
Check that off the list. The list is huge.
It pays to call at 5 AM in the morning.
You get right through with no wait.
Next week I get to see my niece and husband and Austin.
They live in Henderson, Nevada.
I can't wait.
Austin is 3 months old and he's smiling now!
He is so cute. Just ask VP Arlis.
I show people at work a 20-second video of him smiling.
I better delete that off my PC or I will get into trouble.
I'll just keep it on a floppy disk.
It is 2 by 5 feet in size. It is awesome.
This is on the first floor of the Woodmen Tower in downtown Omaha.
It is in a little elevator lobby near the west doors.
Almost every weekday I stop
to admire this work of art for a few seconds.
What can I say? Go see it yourself at 18th and Farnam.
91st and Harney
looking west.
This is the location of where I spun my
1991 Camry
around
a few years ago on the ice.
I was driving west.
I ended up facing east on the wrong side of the street
near the mailbox on the second driveway.
Thank God that noone was coming the other direction.
I was speeding up going downhill
to make it up the next hill.
Big mistake --- do not ever do that.
tallest building in Nebraska
taken last week.
This is downtown at 16/17 and Douglas/Dodge.
The Woodmen tower is no longer the tallest building.
Change, change, change, etc.
Doesn't anything stay the same?
I went to visit the
SAC Museum
with my brother and parents.
This is a display of
Anakin Skywalker
from the movie
Star Wars Episode I
.
The kids on the right were very polite
and moved to one side to let me take this picture.
I watched the movie the last 2 evenings.
Yes, I know I'm little behind on watching movies.
Is that young Anakin again in this picture?
east of 180 and Center.
This is the
Super Target
they are building there.
20 years ago I lived in west Omaha.
Now I live in central Omaha.
"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled,
but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:12
I get to go on 3 trips in a short timeframe.
So what?
We try to bring glory on ourselves.
We try to make ourselves look good.
"We are better than you" attitude.
The glory should only go to God.
Something for me and you to consider.
We should --- change.
(February 21, 2001 4:43 AM CST)
Here is one of my favorite pictures ever:
The Stock Market? 6 of 7 after yesterday.
Good morning.
F/A 18 Hornet hitting the sound barrier
.
It was in Life magazine last year.
I just checked "S2L history".
I wrote about it on January 23, 2000.
Remember?
It is here in my house somewhere,
but I can't find it.
Where could I have put it?
If I find it, I will bring it into work.
OK, I found it.
It is 2 pages wide. Cool!
I will bring it in.
Stop by my desk to see it.
I found the book I was looking for a few days ago by
Briege McKenna in this latest search.
2 for 1.
Interesting how God works.
You can't win them all.
There's always next week.
I'm planning 3 trips at once,
so I'm really busy as you can imagine.
Pray for me and all the people I will meet.
It will be the S2L Tour 2001.
It will be so much fun.
I will write from here and there as I get a chance.
(February 20, 2001 6:12 AM CST)
At the healing service last night
Yesterday I found out that
"Jesus showed amazement on hearing this,
Call on Jesus.
this was in the sermon:
"You can't outdo the Lord in generosity."
I've heard/read that before somewhere.
There was about 50 people there and
I knew all the songs except for 1 or 2.
I prayed for all the sick people that I could remember.
When it came time for individual prayer
I asked the priest to agree in prayer with me
to heal a friend.
He prayed to Jesus recalling the story
of someone who came to Jesus to pray for someone else.
The sick person did not have to be there to be healed.
Jesus can heal them right where they were at 8:27 PM last night.
Around 15 years ago I used to go to healing services
every Tuesday night at the church at 62nd and Dodge in Omaha.
Every week I would go and take Doris who did not have a car.
She still does not have a car.
Doris and I used to go all over Omaha to hospitals
and pray with specific people that requested prayer.
The good old days.
God is going to send me flying next week to Lakewood, Colorado.
I have not traveled for business in a long time.
A complete surprise.
Cool.
My first reaction was I did not want to go
and came up with all kinds of reasons,
but this morning I see it all differently.
If God sends me, I better go, right?
Hopefully I can write entries from Colorado
where I am staying at.
Mark who I work with has a laptop computer.
Maybe he will help me update spring2life.com remotely.
We'll see.
and turned to the crowd which was following him to say,
'I tell you,
I have never found so much faith among the Israelites.'
When the deputation returned to the house,
they found the servant in perfect health."
Luke 7:9-10
He is the healer.
All we can do is ask.
We trust in Jesus to hear our prayer
and restore our friend to health.
We ask this in the holy name of Jesus.
Jesus is amazing.
He is everywhere.
(February 19, 2001 5:56 AM CST)
I found out yesterday at Boys Town after church
My sister is having a B-day
I talked to 3A yesterday at a
different church
.
"Your love must be sincere.
He talked for at least 45 minutes on this.
Time for work. Bye for now.
that a friend of mine Lou has cancer.
His wife told me.
I'd see Lou at church all the time
and we always waved to each other.
I could not even talk after she told me.
I'm all teary eyed now.
I just don't understand why people have to suffer so much.
Lou loves Jesus as much as anyone I know in this life.
I don't understand.
So pray for Lou and his wife and family.
Thanks.
with a zero at the end of it this week.
She is about 10 years 10 months behind me.
So I gave her 3 pink roses yesterday.
(Last week she said, "Flowers are a waste of money."
That is a direct quote.)
I gave her a B-day card also.
So God bless my sister this week and her family.
I will also make her a cake this week when I get a chance.
And you know the type I make.
I should copyright it.
I met Barbara at the door. She was the greeter.
Troy, Heather and Tammy I met were sitting near me.
I was in row 3. Same place as last week.
Becky and son I met after the service.
They helped me find the slot to put the envelope
for ordering a videotape of last week's baptism.
Becky said she would pray for Lou. Thanks!
To me Jesus is all over the place.
He is in all Christian churches.
I feel "at home" as long as Jesus is there.
Pastor Tony was preaching about this:
Hate what is evil,
cling to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection;
outdo one another in showing honor."
Romans 12:9-10
Order the tape or just watch it on TV.
I like Tony. He is OK.
He had all kinds of excellent points.
We are taught not to hate anything,
but the Bible says to hate evil.
I "hate" the F-word for example.
We hate abortion, killing, violence, abuse, war, etc.
There is no need for it.
We should love each other.
May our love be sincere.
May we love our brothers and sisters in other Christian churches.
Yes, we are different,
but we have a lot in common.
We all have Jesus.
Hey, I'm going to the Healing Service at 7 PM tonight
at 27th and Leavenworth in Omaha.
I plan on being there to pray for
Lou, Jacob, Lynn, Mary Ann, Barb, Josephine, etc.
They all need a miracle.
See you there. Have a wonderful day.
(February 18, 2001 6:36 AM CST)
"If life was a garden,
Yesterday in my search for one song I found another.
What am I thinking about this morning?
"There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
May today be a time for you to dance.
you would be the sunshine."
(I love that line.
I wonder who said it.
Maybe I did.)
It is called "I Hope You Dance."
It put the links to it at the top of this page.
I just listen to it over and over.
God bless Lee Ann for recording such a beautiful song!
I need to take a one day trip to Des Moines, Iowa
to search for someone I met
February 12th, 2000
in Omaha.
Maybe put a little advertisement in the
Des Moines Register
and tell them to call me collect.
a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
Ecclesiastes 3:4
May God's joy be yours.
May you be happy.
May you laugh and smile with friends.
May you share all this with those you love.
(February 17, 2001 6:22 AM CST)
There is so much happening now that I can't write about it all.
"He emptied himself
Jesus gave up everything he had.
Like W17. (What is that?)
Like yesterday I went to lunch with a friend Tom
that prays with our group at Boys Town on Saturday mornings.
He was downtown and we went to 5th floor of the Woodman Tower.
There is a cafeteria there.
Tom had just received a commission check for $17K. Cool!
He sells insurance.
I asked him how often that happens --- not too often.
He is getting blessed too, just like me.
A blessings epidemic.
Tom and I will be praying in an hour or so this morning.
I asked him about Valentine's Day with his wife.
He bought her a rose ($4.50 each this year)
and Hershey's heart shaped box of candy
and dinner at Tony Roma's.
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men."
Philippians 2:7
He became one of us.
Why?
Because he loves you.
Tom and I and others will be praying for you in a few minutes.
May you receive the love of God with an open heart.
Time to pray.
Bye.
(February 16, 2001 5:57 AM CST)
Yes, it's 6 for 6 in the stock market.
This morning I'm copying a cassette tape
Jesus said,
A good question for me today.
of a talk from December 12th, 1981 given at Creighton University.
The speaker is
Sr. Briege McKenna
originally from Ireland
and who now lives in Florida at last report.
She was healed one day of rheumatoid arthritis by Jesus.
The tape is her testimony of God's healing powers in her life.
I dig out this tape and listen to it about once per year
to remind me of the power of God to do amazing things.
"Wherever your treasure lies,
there your heart will be."
Luke 12:34
Is my heart in the stock market and making lots of money?
Is my heart in beautiful works of art?
Is my heart in loving and caring for people?
Is my heart in serving God and doing what he wants?
Is my heart in reading the Bible and applying it to my life?
Where is my heart?
Where is my treasure?
I have so much to learn.
Heaven help me.
(February 15, 2001 5:42 AM CST)
My car (1997 Lexus)
As I write this I'm listening to
The Beatles "1" CD
The stock market results?
I pray that whatever happens today in the stock market is fair.
"Christ pardoned all our sins."
The greatest healing is spiritual healing.
parked in front of my house (I wish).
Notice the "In Transit" sticker is still on it.
And another angle of
my 4 year-old car
.
It is nice.
The house is in the center of Regency in Omaha
at about 99th and Harney maybe.
It looks like a library instead of a house to me.
on my CD Sony walkman.
I can remember the first time I heard "She loves you."
I was riding a bus on Burt Street by Creighton University.
I think. That was a long time ago.
Qwest stock
went up 1.59 per-cent today.
At one point it was up 4.4 per-cent...
so close and so far away.
Not too bad for one day.
)
That the trading is honest and there is no fraud, etc.
It should be interesting.
You should not buy Qwest stock today just because I did.
You should understand the company first before investing.
Do you homework before buying anything.
(At 7:38 AM EST CNBC has 3 green arrows. So far so good!)
Colossians 2:13
You need your soul to be healed.
Ask Almighty God to forgive your sins.
Be washed clean.
Start all over again.
Lately God is blasting Omaha with bad weather.
People's heating bills are very high.
God is doing a number on Omaha.
Here we are freezing cold dead in our sins
and God sends us spring to melt our hard hearts
and bring us new life.
(February 14, 2001 6:05 AM CST)
Happy Valentine's Day!
"Grace be with all
The love of God appeared in the world 2,000 years ago,
Thanks for stopping by spring2life.com.
I write something every morning.
I share a little of my life with you each day.
God is the "true love" that you seek.
Jesus loved you so much that he died for you.
May God bless you today my friend.
Yes, God is love.
who love our Lord Jesus Christ with unfailing love."
Ephesians 6:24
but you can't see it. Can you?
It takes faith to see it.
It takes trust.
You have to decide if you believe in Jesus or not.
I tell you he is there.
He is real.
He will change your life.
He is the best thing that could ever happen to you.
(February 13, 2001 5:25 AM CST)
Here are some thoughts this morning running through my mind.
The centurion sent friends to Jesus to tell him,
Is that how you feel?
There is no Arizona
(by
Jamie O'Neal
).
(I am taping 94.1 FM to get it on tape right now.)
Shoveling the snow downtown.
Which car should I drive today? (The 1997 one.)
"Sir, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter my house."
Luke 7:6
You feel that you are not worthy.
You feel uncomfortable with Jesus in your life.
None of us is perfect.
That is why we need Jesus.
He is the healer.
He is the doctor.
Welcome him just as you are.
As you draw near to him,
he will teach you many things.
He will teach you all about Arizona.
Yes, there are people in this life that will lie to you.
It is sad.
It does happen.
But the truth comes out one day.
Truth is so important.
Trust is very important.
Jesus is the truth.
Believe in him.
Trust him.
He will never disappoint you.
He will never let you down.
He is there for you...
forever and ever.
(February 12, 2001 5:43 AM CST)
As you can see from the timestamp,
Katie hurt her back falling on the ice Friday,
I did make it to Westside Church yesterday.
"Now may the God of peace,
The "forever and ever" was in one of the songs that was sung.
I'm not doing too well adjusting to my new timezone.
so pray for her. Thanks.
I witnessed the 2 children being baptized.
I was a wonderful time.
Before the service I took a little self-guided tour of the place.
I was carrying a vase with 3 white roses and baby's breath.
I noticed people staring at me and the roses.
I did not blend into the woodwork.
In the 3rd grade classroom the message on a wall said:
"God is Love."
I wrote about that on February 10th.
The classroom was empty except for the man instructor.
I think his name was Tim, but I could be wrong.
He was waiting for the next class of kids to show up.
I told him I was from Spring To Life, etc.
and I was here for the baptism.
It was just a little conversation and I told him,
"God bless you for helping these kids," or something like that.
My tour continued and I found the main door and chandelier
where Annette and family would meet me afterwards.
I sat in the 3rd row just right of center.
Stacey who was praying for Beth a Jewish friend
(you can pray for Beth also,
I told Stacey I would ask you to pray for her friend)
was right of me in the 3rd row next section.
I was surrounded by little kids.
It must have been the kids service, I'm not sure.
Someone guy to my left about 20 feet away looked like my brother Tom.
It was unreal.
It was a very close match, but Tom does not have any kids
(that I know of).
And Tom looks just like me, so it really was a strange feeling
"watching myself," like a vision of what life could be for me.
The music was great.
They even sang 2 songs that I knew from
when I attended a prayer group years ago.
All the other songs were new to me.
I felt right at home.
It was just a huge prayer group meeting to me.
Instead of 50 people it was 700 people.
I really wanted to get up and talk to the audience.
I did want to.
I would share with them some of my Spring To Life thoughts
that I share with you each day.
Pastor Tony was good.
He kept my attention.
He preached on:
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
equip you with everything good
that you may do his will, working in you,
that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:20-21
The whole thing was videotaped.
A young woman was running a TV camera right in front of church.
I imagine it will be on KETV Channel 7 at 9 AM next week.
Or maybe that is the live 9 AM service.
I'm not sure.
A young woman solo singer named Jessie (spelling?) was awesome.
(Maybe have Bryan play the guitar and Jessie would sing I thought.)
She was good.
Time to go... I'll write more tomorrow.
(February 11, 2001 6:38 AM CST)
Today is going to be a magical mystical day.
They asked Jesus:
It is the children.
Andrew and Amanda are getting baptized.
They will profess their faith in Jesus.
I will be there to celebrate the occasion at Westside Church
at 150th and Dodge at 11 AM.
God bless them!
God bless their parents Annette and Paul.
It will be a special day with lots of joy.
"Who is of greatest importance in the kingdom of God?"
Matthew 18:1
They love the Lord Jesus.
Their love is so pure.
They trust the Lord.
They are so innocent.
They smile a lot.
They find life a joy.
It is something to think about.
How important do you think you are?
Be a child.
(February 10, 2001 10:14 AM CST)
Here is a scanned image of that
butterfly
Pray for Sara at Bakers on 132nd and Center.
"Beloved,
God is love.
I told you about a few days ago.
Lynn let me borrow it.
She thought it was a birthday present,
but I told her it was a Spring To Life Award
for a life well lived.
She has a bad cough this morning.
I told her to go home and rest,
but does anyone listen to "Dr. Dan"? No.
let us love one another
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten of God
and has knowledge of God.
The man (or woman) without love
has known nothing of God,
for God is love."
1 John 4:7-8
What more can I say?
(February 9, 2001 6:13 AM CST)
Today is Randy's last day at the World-Herald,
"Happy the men (or women) whose strength you are!
Yes, let the rain fall!
so pray for him as he moves to a different job.
Last night I was at the Westroads mall for a walk
and they closed the Mall at 6 PM because of the weather.
I was cut 10 minutes short of my 50-minute routine.
I AM addicted to walking, see.
There was freezing rain outside at that time.
This morning it is just windy and snowing and cold.
When spring gets here I am going to go bonkers (if that is a word).
I saw that golden butterfly award yesterday.
I gave it to Lynn over a year ago in January, 2000.
Wow is it pretty.
their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage:
When they pass through the valley of the mastic trees,
they make a spring of it;
the early rain clothes it with generous growth.
They go from strength to strength."
Psalms 84:6-8
(Note: Rain is a sign. It is.)
Let the growth begin.
We pray for strength today, Lord.
We are on a journey to you.
Bring us all safely home.
Renew us this spring.
Bring us back to life.
We are dead in our sins.
Forgive us, Lord.
Heal our cuts.
Comfort us.
Bring us closer to you every day of our life.
Thank you, Lord, for the rain.
(Read all of Psalms 84. It is great.)
(February 8, 2001 6:47 AM CST)
Jesus said,
Live a life of love.
"As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Live on in my love."
John 15:9
I hope and pray that you love the Lord Jesus dearly.
Pray to him every day and tell him so.
I love you, Jesus.
You are everything to me.
You are amazing.
I give all that I am to you today.
I give you all my hopes and dreams.
I give you my pain and suffering.
Thank you for another day in your creation.
Thank you for loving me.
(February 7, 2001 6:55 AM CST)
Yesterday I got a new post office box for Spring To Life
"Jesus told the royal official whose son was ill,
Pray for those you love.
in downtown Omaha.
They moved the boxes from one location to another.
The new number is 211 and is located
between 16th/17th and Farnam south side of the street.
This spring I'm thinking we will have at least 2 advertisements
in the newspaper on 2 consecutive Sundays,
maybe March 18/25 or April 1/8 or 22/29.
Easter is April 15th this year.
Pray that I do what God wants me to do
to reach those in need.
Thanks.
'Return home.
Your son will live.'
The man put his trust in the word Jesus spoke to him,
and started for home."
John 4:50
Lift them up to Jesus.
Trust in his words.
He is the healer.
He changes lives.
He restores us to health.
Come Lord Jesus and renew our lives.
Refresh us.
Give us new life which comes from you.
Heal us, Lord.
Thank you for hearing my prayer.
(February 6, 2001 6:51 AM CST)
Yesterday?
There are 3 people
"That is why a man leaves his father and mother
I see the 3 of them preparing for their wedding day,
It was a typical day of blessings.
I think I will bring in bagels
from Panera's Bread today to celebrate.
(Dave (April), John (September) and Chris (October))
within 50 feet of me at work
that are getting married this year.
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one body."
Genesis 2:24
but that is only one day.
Life goes on after that day.
Life continues.
Pray for them as they prepare for that commitment.
Pray that they will be faithful to their vows.
God bless their love for each other.
May it grow every day.
(February 5, 2001 6:56 AM CST)
I don't know what to say today.
"Search me, O Lord, and try me;
When a coincidence happens to you
All the years that I have known the Lord...
There is so much to learn!
He is so immense and unfathomable
and I am so tiny and insignificant.
It is frustrating...
the more you learn --- the more there is to know.
I don't know if I'm making any sense,
but I thought I'd share that with you this morning.
Yes, life is full of surprises,
like the
7 of hearts
in the movie Groundhog Day.
This is my favorite movie.
If I was going to make a movie, this would be it.
Rita and Phil were tossing cards in a hat to pass time.
I never noticed that card before yesterday.
I pulled that card out of a deck of cards a few days ago
and put it on a table in my front room.
An amazing coincidence!
test my soul and my heart."
Psalms 26:2
do you "test it"?
Is it a sign from God or is it nothing to think about?
Coincidences do happen and it is amazing when they do.
Ask the Lord to search you today.
Invite him in.
He will teach you many things.
He will show you right from wrong.
He is light that exposes evil in ourselves.
He changes our heart.
Our hearts must be pure.
We start to understand instead of hate.
We have so much to learn.
Don't give up.
He is a gentle God.
He is patient.
Take his hand...
he will lead you home...
day by day.
(February 4, 2001 7:29 AM CST)
Look, for the first time
Yesterday it got above freezing
You cannot outdo the Lord in generosity.
"All men (and women) are now undeservedly justified
Christ died for us.
you can see the
church in Zermatt
today.
Interesting.
and the streets were flowing streams from the snow melt.
I drove my old car around town and it looks bad.
Spring is near.
Can you wait?
I'd like to go to California or Florida, if I could.
It is hard to wait.
Like the other day I sent something to help those in El Salvador
and God blesses me with my investments in the stock market.
I am at plus 8.3 per-cent at the moment for the year.
If you do God's will, you will get blessed.
You cannot outdo him.
He is a generous and loving God.
by the gift of God,
through the redemption wrought in Christ Jesus."
Romans 3:24
He gave everything.
He gave himself away.
He emptied himself.
The result...
We get eternal life.
We get blessings on top of blessings.
Christ is so generous.
He is so giving.
We thank the Lord!
(February 3, 2001 5:49 AM CST)
Hi.
Yesterday at 1:04 PM I went to the ??? Credit Union.
"When you look for me, you will find me.
God is love.
Good morning.
It's me.
I'm still getting up early as you can see.
I imagine I will fall asleep this afternoon.
At least I'm not at work.
They changed their name for some reason.
I met with Jennifer and she had me sign my name about 20 times.
This was for a home equity loan to buy my car.
Somehow we got talking about what church we go to and
she goes to some of the same ones that I do.
I told her I like to go to the Boys Town Chapel,
since the sermons are geared for kids and I can understand them.
The message of Jesus is not that complicated.
Yes, when you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me with you, says the Lord..."
Jeremiah 29:13-14
His love will change you.
(February 2, 2001 6:52 AM CST)
Jesus said,
Jesus is out of this world.
"You belong to what is below;
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world ---
a world which cannot hold me."
John 8:23
He is beyond us.
And yet he came to visit us.
He became one of us.
He walked with us.
I ask Jesus to hold you in his arms today.
You must be very special to him.
(February 1, 2001 7:16 AM CST)
You notice by the time I'm late.
"See I make all things new!"
Change is difficult.
Well, I'm trying to change "timezones."
I'm going to bed 1.5 hours later now,
so my life is shifting little by little.
For the first few days I still got up early
and that does not work.
I need about 8 hours of sleep.
I was trying to keep my eyes open
in the afternoon and evening yesterday.
I was getting into work at 7:30 AM, but not anymore.
So pray for me in my new timezone.
Revelation 21:5
God calls us to change.
Come closer to him everyday.
He draws us.
He pulls us in.
He is newness (if that is a word).
