Ale for the Soul

How lovely is your dwelling place,   O LORD Almighty! M y soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD;  my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,  where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty,  my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house;  they are ever praising you. "Selah" Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs;  the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;  listen to me, O God of Jacob. "Selah" Look upon our shield, O God;  look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in ...

I let it fall, my heart, And as it fell you rose to claim it It was dark and I was over Until you kissed my lips and you saved me My hands, they're strong But my knees were far too weak, To stand in your arms Without falling to your feet But there's a side to you That I never knew, never knew. All the things you'd say They were never true, never true, And the games you play You would always win, always win. But I set fire to the rain, Watched it pour as I touched your face, Well, it burned while I cried 'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name! When I lay with you I could stay there Close my eyes Feel you here forever You and me together Nothing gets better 'Cause there's a side to you That I never knew, never knew, All the things you'd say, They were never true, never true, And the games you'd play You would always win, always win. But I set fire to the rain, Watched it pour as I touched your face, Well, it burned while I cried 'Cause I ...

Recently I discovered several spiral notebooks containing hand written journal entries dating to the mid-1990s.  The journals must have been lost in the shuffle upon my last move to this apartment.  However, I quickly began the process of typing the entries and saving them to my computer.  I was fascinated by life all those many years ago: places I've been, friends I had, issues I faced.  The foremost characteristic I saw in myself through the journal was how full of life and energy I was.  Seems like I was always on the go, either to see a friend or travelling.  To this day I continue to journal.  What I have to watch out for is to not merely chronicle events in my life, but to explore the emotions and backdrop of what is happening.  To simply make a chronology of events loses the essence of who I am.  I must capture what my thoughts were, to explain how I was feeling during the time of the journal entry.  Every night, when I sit down t...

This previous Thursday (Thanksgiving), the early morning silence was broken by the ringing of the phone.  Usually phone calls during this time do not bode well, as was this particular instance as well.  The family was alerted to the passing of my uncle, my mother's brother, Lynn Crain.  He was the eldest son out of his parent's children, having several brothers and sisters to follow in birth.  Each of the children possessed various and starkly different skills in life.  Lynn's gift was to become very mechanically oriented, having innate knowledge of how to repair cars: both in regard to engine and body work.  He worked on restoring a Chevrolet Blazer I would own a few years later.  Through the years I, of course, had much interaction with my uncle, mainly at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We would also see each other at various times sprinkled throughout the year.  On the day of the news, Mom stated she thought about her brother several times t...

Kudos to whoever thought of this holiday.  Yep, today is devoted to letter writing.  Unfortunately this is a lost art in the day and age of text messages and emails.  However, keep in mind not everyone is connected to the information super-highway or social media.  Every week I have anywhere from two to four people I write a letter to and mail via postal service.  The recipient, in turn, responds with another handwritten letter.  Thankfully I have very good penmanship, but my hands tend to cramp after only a few minutes of writing.  As a result, I usually type my letters on the computer and print them afterward.  Is this cheating?  Maybe so, but it does keep the art of letter writing alive and well.  This lost art does wonders for the brain.  First it helps with idea development and, in a sense, story-telling as the author paints a literary story of what is happening in his/her life.  Second, the letter offers a more personal, ...

The five day vacation in the Yoakum/Victoria area has come to an end.  The time away has been very restful, refreshing, and restorative to my mind and soul.  Now the time has come to return to the land of exile in Fort Worth.  The Thanksgiving holiday has also been bittersweet as I learned of the passing of Mom's brother...my uncle.  Each one us has processed the news differently.  I remembered the good times of the family in which he played a part.  Now he stands before God Almighty in Heaven, the place of eternal rest.  Time is short as I strongly desire to make the most of family and friends.  That seems to have been the theme of this recent trip as I was able to reconnect with people I haven't seen or talked with in many years.  In proper perspective life is good.  But if I get tunnel vision, so focused on the wrong priorities, then life can become a living hell on earth.  The Bible states my life is but a mist, a passing vapor....

Sometimes the night was beautiful Sometimes the sky was so far away Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close You could touch it but your heart would break Sometimes the morning came too soon Sometimes the day could be so hot There was so worth much left to do But so much you'd already done Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise you Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise you And I will seek You in the morning And I will learn to walk in Your ways And step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days Sometimes I think of Abraham How one star he saw had been lit just for me He was a stranger in this land And I am that no less than he And on this road to righteousness Sometimes the clime can be so steep I may falter in my steps But never beyond Your reach Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You I will seek You in the morning And I will learn to walk in Your ways An...

Today is Thanksgiving!  Most holidays, including this one, have become too commercialized.  For instance, Thanksgiving has become a mere precursor or stepping-stone to the Christmas season.  However, I would like an attempt at returning the holiday to some semblance of its roots.  No, I won't talk about Pilgrims and Indians, but having a year-long attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude.  I have so much to become grateful for, both blessings and difficult times.  It is easy to have an "I am blessed" attitude during easy times, but what about the hard times which lends themselves to times of growth and maturity.  Surprisingly it is during those times I look back upon with nostalgia.  How am I a better man because of the refiner's fire?  (Not only to myself but in regard to those around me.)  Life isn't fair and doesn't owe me a damn thing.  I must continue to forge ahead making the most out of every situation.  The pain of growth...

This afternoon I was able to re-connect with a friend I haven't seen in over nine years.  In fact, we met at the very same restaurant we last saw each other all those years ago.  Fellowship over lunch at Chili's was wonderful.  The time together was as if we had never had an absence of interaction in our friendship.  Most of my relationships are like that.  Regardless of how often or not we see or talk with each other, we are able to pick right back up where we left off.  I am so thankful for the friends God has blessed me with.  These previous four days in the Victoria and Yoakum area have been great in bringing about a restoration of long-term friendships.  Allow me to encourage each of my readers to value and cherish the friends and acquaintances you are blessed with.  Time is short and we are but dust and clay.  People won't be around forever.  Take advantage of each and every day and relationship.  To my friend, James Mohr...

Day number three of my vacation has expired.  Oh my how the time flies whenever I'm out travelling, having fun.  The time spent was exhausting, but necessary as I invested the day restoring friendships.  Seeing people who I haven't seen in years was exhilarating.  Many hours were spent catching up on lost time and fond memories.  We are all getting older as I see the passing of the torch from the old guard to the next generation.  My desire is to take on the mantel of those in whom I have called mentors and friends.  With every generation that passes, some things are lost which can never be recovered: old-world values, integrity, etiquette, and so on.  Hopefully these friendships have not been formed in vain as we bridge the generational gap, sharing timeless truths with each other.  I still have one more friend I need to re-connect with, but that will occur in due time.  Until then, I am content with those people with whom I spent time ...

So far it has been a very busy two days on my holiday vacation.  First, I dropped off the vehicle at the local mechanic for a tune-up and a front-end alignment.  As it turns out, I also need four brand new tires and ball joints.  This explains why I thought the vehicle's front-end was out of alignment.  I'm glad to find out now versus breaking down on the highway out in the middle of nowhere.  While Mom was at work till Noon, I was able to visit the local cemetery where my father is buried.  Every time I'm in town I try to pay my respects.  Once she was off work, we made another trip to Victoria for a late lunch and some shopping.  I was worn out by the time we made it back to Yoakum.  To try something a bit different, I didn't bring any cigars but only my pipes for the trip.  Doing so has helped with the budget while still allowing for something I enjoy.  The evening was capped with quality time on the back porch smoking the pipe....

Yesterday morning at roughly 3 a.m. I left Fort Worth for Victoria.  I was super-excited about the trip as I hadn't been to Victoria in over nine years.  The only incident of the trip was hitting a dog square on as I was cresting a hill on the highway.  There was slight damage to the right corner of the bumper, and of course the accident could have been a lot of worse.  For the dog it was worse as it is now dead.  Quite unfortunate, but that's what you get for playing out in the street.  (Insensitive?  Oh well!)  Upon making the city limits I could tell Victoria hadn't changed much.  I took a few pictures of the local community college I attended decades ago.  Then I made my way to Northside Baptist Church in order to visit with quite a few people who I haven't seen in a number of years.  Everyone was glad to see me.  I didn't stick around for the worship service as I wanted to make my way to Yoakum so I could attend church th...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23) The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.  (Isaiah 11:2) The stuff I think about at times can be rather odd and come out of nowhere, but lately I've been thinking about the spiritual gifts believers are given upon conversion to a salvation experience.  Each person who knows Jesus Christ is given a gift or gifts, and he or she is expected to use those gifts.  (Refer to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30.)  Along the way, as our relationship with the Lord and Savior grows, the fruit of the Spirit will manifest themselves.  Of course I strive to live as such, but my humanity and sinful nature usually offers roadblocks and hurdles to ov...

Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues In the middle of the pouring rain W.C. Handy Won't you look down over me Yeah, I got a first class ticket But I'm as blue as a boy can be Then I'm walking in Memphis I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale Walking in Memphis But do I really feel the way I feel? I saw the ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue Followed him up to the gates of Graceland Then I watched him walk right through Now, security did not see him They just hovered round his tomb But there's a pretty little thing Waiting for the King And she's down in the jungle room When I was walking in Memphis I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale Walking in Memphis But do I really feel the way I feel? Now, they've got catfish on the table They've got gospel in the air And Reverend Green, be glad to see you When you haven't got a prayer But boy you got a prayer in Memphis Now, Muriel plays pia...

With a year in the making, I have finally accomplished one of my goals.  The direct aim was to have a hitch installed on the vehicle so I could finally install the bicycle rack I received a year ago.  Some of the nuances of the project were a bit challenging to overcome, but I finally did it.  Today I mounted the bicycle on to the rack and took a test drive around town.  The next test is to take it on to the open highway at an increased cruising speed.  With that in mind, I may take it with me on the road trip to Victoria and Yoakum next week.  Should I?  Of course!  I am super-excited about the next level as I mainly wanted the apparatus so I could take the bicycle on future camping trips.  This new opportunity also allows for making day trips to state parks simply to experience nature via my mountain bicycle.  Thank you God for the blessing of this new experience and the potential opportunities which are waiting for me.

Beginning in the late 1970's, one day each year is devoted to not smoking in the hopes people will choose to forever give up the habit.  The premise and goal of the day is noble and honorable.  As much as I support this worthwhile cause, I choose to not participate in the campaign.  (Unless it is to cause people to give up the nasty habit of smoking cigarettes.  In which case, all the more power to the effort.)  Working in a cigar and pipe shop, I advocate strongly the smoking of the kind, which is far more healthier than the chemical-filled cigarettes I see people smoking.  As a cigar smoker for longer than I can remember, especially in light of the nine plus years I have currently abstained from alcohol, I believe each and every person should have something in their life they enjoy.  Does this make it right?  That may be up for debate, but for the time being I will celebrate the Great American Smokeout with a premium cigar.

Sometimes I have to question these holidays you won't find on the calendar.  This doesn't mean I am intolerant by any means; however, the question that must be answered at this point is what exactly does tolerance mean.  Does it mean anything goes?  Is it accepting the unacceptable at the risk of violating the standards by which I live my life?  Certainly we as Americans living in a free society have a vast amount of freedom, but I must challenge the idea that I can act out without any regard to how my behavior affects those around me.  Yes, I do believe I am a very tolerant person from the viewpoint I don't have to condone or agree with what others find acceptable in how they live their life while letting them be.  I also believe there are objective standards of right and wrong.  Often I observe other people's lifestyles and can't help but comment on how that very mode of living is literally harming them.  Individually and as a society as a whole...

I'm Gonna Make A Change,  For Once In My Life It's Gonna Feel Real Good, Gonna Make A Difference Gonna Make It Right . . . As I, Turn Up The Collar On My Favourite Winter Coat This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind I See The Kids In The Street, With Not Enough To Eat Who Am I, To Be Blind? Pretending Not To See Their Needs A Summer's Disregard, A Broken Bottle Top And A One Man's Soul They Follow Each Other On The Wind Ya' Know 'Cause They Got Nowhere  To Go That's Why I Want You To  Know I'm Starting With The Man In  The Mirror I'm Asking Him To Change  His Ways And No Message Could Have  Been Any Clearer If You Wanna Make The World  A Better Place (If You Wanna Make The  World A Better Place) Take A Look At Yourself, And  Then Make A Change (Take A Look At Yourself, And  Then Make A Change) (Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,  Na Nah) I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish  Kind Of Love It's Time That I Realize  That There Are Some With No ...