Super powers are hard to give up.

It has been a struggle letting go of something that has been apart of me for so long. I'm talking of my super powers. We all have them, or think we do. We all somehow know what other people are thinking or are going to think about us. We stay up late making contingency plans for the events that will take place in the future. Sometimes we get so mad at the people involved with future events that we take preventive action and cut them out of our lives. Sometimes we get disappointed at a person when they don't react the way we had envisioned. Yes, super powers are not always reliable.

This week our refrigerator quit working. There was a time when events such as this would cause me to stress out, yell, cuss, and kick whatever was handy. This time my response was simply to tell Kim "this really isn't blessing me". But in a way it is blessing me. I have the opportunity to marvel again at how God is changing me from the inside. It is also amazing how the change in me is reflected in Kim's attitude as well. She didn't have to watch me drink and obsess over something beyond both of our control, and knew everything would work out just as it is supposed to. So I searched the internet high and low looking for the new refrigerator that would just fit in the space available, (not as easy as you might think), and found one at Lowes. Then, she asks me if it is available in black, so as to match our other appliances. So the sea ch began anew. Last night I looked at the Lowes website, found the brand we wanted, in black, and the right size. Oh yeah, it was now on sale 10 % off and they will deliver, setup, and take away the old one for no additional charges over the purchase price. We also calculated that the icemaker will pay for the new refrigerator in about two years by me not buying ice 2 to 3 times a week.

God is so much better at being God than I am. The more I trust Him, the more I am blessed. I'm really going to try and trust Him with other stuff this week, and if He does a good job with that, I think of something new while trying not to take back anything. Progress not perfection is good enough for me right now.

Today I've been sober for 1,493 days.

Both of my grandsons are awesome.

My wife and daughters are simply amazing, and God is always good.

Keep the shiny side up

Busy week

Monday's post was pregnant with upcoming events, whether they were mentioned or not. The "have not because ask not" will be the topic of this Sunday's Bible study; Ryder Cullen Bricker, #1 grandson courtesy of Whitney and Jeremy came into this world on Tuesday, July 13, (excellent job you two). Jon and Benjamen saw to it that Kristi made it back from Illinois in plenty of time for the birth. Friday morning I cooked a ton of food for the kids, and whoever else is hungry, and was just about worn out, when neighbor David invited me to go walkabout via motorcycle. After checking with Kim, it was determined that my usefulness was pretty much over when I delivered the food, so be careful and have fun.

Twenty four hours and 450 miles later, a blog update is in progress. I have pretty much experienced all the great things in life this week. I saved money for the family with ATT, doubled the number of grandsons, my kids are all safely where they belong after journeys and hospital stays, my wife loves me and is honing her spoiling skills to new levels, God has shown me great and wondrous things in His Word and His World, and my bike got 49 miles per gallon on the way home. Oh, I almost forgot today is 1,472 days sober, Wow. It just gets better and better.

Keep the shiny side up.

you have not, because you ask not

My modem died last week. I bought a new one at the AT&T store. While there I asked if I could save any money by canceling my land line. I was told yes, I could save some $40.oo a month. Since this was on Saturday, we had to wait until Monday so as not to interrupt my Internet service when the phoneline was canceled. Monday, the local AT&T rep got me in touch with the "official" AT&T customer service rep. This lady said I could keep my landline and increase the speed of my internet and save $37.65 each month. When asked why I wasn't getting the services for this amount before, she simply explained that I had not asked for it.

A couple of months ago my sister got a motel room for a lot less than Kim and I got ours for. When we asked her how, she said that she asked for a cheaper rate.

This has got me to thinking about James 4:2 which says we do not have because we do not ask. Jesus said ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened.

Can it be really that simple? Can I just ask and expect to receive? One thing is certain, the odds of receiving are a lot greater if I ask than they are if I do not. I had always assumed that asking, seeking, and knocking were just between me and God because it was "in the Bible". Asking, seeking and knocking seems to be about life on planet earth. Another thing I noticed as I thought, and that was sometimes when I ask I place limits or conditions on the prospective giver. Before I got sober, I prayed every night that God would take the desire to drink from me, and I would make various offers of my services and behaviours in return. It was not until I prayed in desperate surrender for God to make me sober with total willingness to do anything it took, that He did for me what I couldn't do for myself.

This train of thought is going to require some more mulling before it is concluded.

This promises to be an exciting week. Yesterday I receive my "Freedom Cross" for 4 years of sobriety. Today I did the ATT deal. Friday, Ryder (newest grandson) will arrive, unless Whitney goes into labor before then. I can't imagine anyone being more blessed than I am. Life in the Light is good.

Keep the shiny side up.