The Friends of George Wagstaff

My friend and brother in Christ who I have spoken about before blogged the following:

obituaries. Perhaps a morbid topic to discuss but I have had a few ponderings. I subscribe to the Indianapolis Star. In the Metro+State section, on a daily basis, there are ~50, count 'em FIFTY obituaries to read. All are written similarly Born on date, date they expired, Civic organizations, etc etc etc. Many have a Church they were a member of, never mind the fact that they hadn't attended since D-Day, or their tithing over the course of the last Quarter Century wouldn't purchase a Happy Meal. Nothing negative is EVER written. It's as if we bury nominees for Sainthood on a daily basis. I've come to the conclusion that one's obituary is written by the living for the living; one last chance to say good-bye. I mean the deceased don't care what is written. It's as if the living write it to give their loved one a boost through Heaven's door. Never mind the fact that the deceased, when living, didn't accept what one is deemed we accept for entrance into the Kingdom of flowing milk and honey. No, we'd never read about that.

You can follow his blog at The Sunday News at http://sundaynews2.blogspot.com/ check out his ponderings every Sunday.

BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME PEOPLE WHO NOT ONLY WROTE A GREAT OBITUARY BUT WHO ALSO STOOD BEHIND WHAT THEY WROTE.

I officiated a graveside service last week for an 88 year old man who had served in the United States Marine Corp from 1942-1946 and was a member of the "China Marines" ( if you don't recognize that term google it be amazed). Anyway the man raised Angus cattle, had been married for 62 years, worked a huge garden and was loved by a lot of people. I know he was loved because the graveside service was held in the pouring down rain, one of the worst rains I have ever been in. There were about 15 Marines present and another thirty friends and family all stood in the down pour as we had this "short" service.

All those present were thinking about this man's "Dash" or his life between the time he was born and the day he died.

I look around me through the rain, oh and it also hailed on us during our time there, and I noticed no one acted as though they wanted to leave, they were just proud to stand with others and honor their friends. I was honored to be a part of it.

To the friends and family of George Wagstaff I can only say "Semper Fi"

Remembering Mom,

I grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri and I member a lot about my mom, she was like no other mom in the world. To begin with her name was "Oma" I have never hears of anyone who had that name, so to me she is one of a kind. She was a cook, first at the grade school I attended and then at a restaurant, so to say the least I eat well. When I was in grade school I got in a lot of trouble but was never sent to the principles office... I was always sent to the cafeteria to my mom...trust me it was never a good trip.

Mom taught Sunday School, worked with the Girl Scouts and led a women's missionary group in church. She helped me learn how to behave.

She was unselfish, I remember one time when we had a little lamb that was nearly frozen and she turned on the oven and opened the door, wrapped the little lamb in a warm towel and laid it on the open oven door until it warmed up enough to take back out to it's momma. My mother taught me how to ride a horse and how to trim rose bushes, she made me do my home work every night.

My mother signed for me to go to the Marine Corps but she didn't really think they would actually take me. She "Never" wrote me a letter when I was in the marines but dad did.

My mother favored me and gave my brother a lot of grief.

When I grew up we never really got along .... maybe it's because we were just too much alike.

My mother died a long time ago and some folks wonder if I miss her.

Yes.

I Have A Friend

I have a friend, Don is his name....No I have a brother, Christian brother that is. I had the pleasure of baptizing Don when he and I worked together at the Topeka Police Department in Topeka, KS. How long ago was that? A few years.

When Don moved to Indiana I felt as though I lost a dear friend for ever, but then comes the creation of the "Crawfordsville Sunday News Online" which I highly recommend to you for you reading. It's located at http://www.sundaynews2.blogspot.com . be sure to check it out and tell him Lee sent you.

I hope you have a friend like Don, if not maybe you can claim him as your friend like I do...or if you are a Christian just be excited to know that here is another "brother" of yours.

Easter Sunrise Services 2009

"POST" SUNRISE SERVICE

EASTER SUNDAY

APRIL 12, 2009

8:00 am

White Lakes Mall East Parking Lot

Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast to follow.

Topeka, Kansas

Sponsored by:

Family Dispatch Church & Law Enforcement Family Training Foundation

45 Uses for WD-40

I came across this and just had to let others know about it:

Here are some great ways to use WD - 40

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.

2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.

3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.

4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.

5. Keeps flies off cows.

6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.

7. Removes lipstick stains.

8. Loosens stubborn zippers.

9. Untangles jewelry chains.

10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.

11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.

12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.

15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.

17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.

19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.

21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.

22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.

23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.

24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.

25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.

26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.

27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.

28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.

29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.

30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.

31. Removes splattered grease on stove .

32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.

33.. Lubricates prosthetic limbs. 34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).

35. Removes all traces of duct tape.

36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.

37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'

38. The favorite use in the state of New York, WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.

39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.

40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.

41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.

42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!

43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

44. Removes pricing labels adhesive, and tape adhesives. 45. Removes the adhesive from a bumper or window after taking off the bumper sticker.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Tools have always been a part of my life. When my Father passed away I got a huge foot locker full of tools, some of them were pretty old. When my Father-in-law died my son got a small tool box again with some old tools. There is something about tools and men, we have got to have some tools to make us feel like real men. Get this, I even have a tool belt to hang my tools on.

Now if I just knew how to use all those tools I have.

Police officers have this belt they wear with lots of stuff hangin off it, like hand cuffs, a gun and who knows what else. They are trained in how to use everything they have and some they hope they never have to use.

Most Christians have access to a bible and many have their own. The Bible is a valuable tool that will allow a believer to do his job of living like God wants him or her to.

How about you, are you a believer and do you use the most important tool God has given you?

WHAT A WINTER

The 2008/09 winter in Kansas has been mild when you look at some other parts of the country. But to say the least it's been unusual here, in the 60's one day and 8 degrees the next. We just bought a puppy and the poor little thing doesn't have a clue about what the back yard will be like when we put her out.

This winter weather kind of reminds me of life in general, one day everything is just perfect, nothing could possibly be better and the next day everything falls apart. It's as though no one including God really cares about me anymore. Of course I know that God really does care, but the devil tries to tell me that God has turned His back on me.

I know God is there but it's really hard to see Him when he's right up in my face, right up close and personal. It reminds me of a time when there was some people providing special music on Sunday morning at church. They couldn't stand still, they wiggled and jiggled and just totally distracted me from what I thought worship should be like. I was frustrated and I ask God how am I supposed to worship in this situation, he simply said "close your eyes and you won't see them, you'll only see me". I did and it worked.

Winter... cold today, hot tomorrow... the bottom line? Both days belong to Him..

God is good ... all the time ... all the time ... God is good.

A New Puppy

My adult children and I bought "momma" a new puppy dog. What were we thinking? Oh wait maybe we weren't thinking at all. Well it's not as bad as it could have been, we were going to get her a Labrador but instead settled on a Bichon Frise.

If you ever wanted a reason to pray for us, here's it's picture.

The Learning Curve

The last few months I've had the opportunity to experience a lot of new things.

1). Expanding my use of blog sites... trying to keep up with a daily or at least week routine of writing.

2). Preaching a series of sermons at church on "Basic Doctrines" ...discovering that they aren't so "basic" after all.

3). Raising a new Puppy ... Believe I'll never complain about my grandkids again.

4). Running a "Coffee Shop" ... Even on the days when no one comes in it's still pretty hectic.

5). Trying to do power point and videos on the computer ... A rebuilt computer that out of date just doesn't do the job.

6). I just got a Blackberry "curve" phone with all the whistels and bells ... I have no idea what I'm doing with this thing, but I'm learning.

I guess what I'm learning out of all this is that you can teach an old dog new tricks, just don't expect him to run a race and win. Shoot I'll be lucky if I finish.

Am I the only one who find it really difficult to get past the learning curve?

60-60 EXPERIMENT

I like experiments. I like doing things that come close to adventures, things that I've never done before and things that challenge me to do better.

The other day I was reading a book entitled "Soul Revolution" by John Burke, pastor of Gateway Church in Austin TX. and he asked those reading to take this "60-60 Experiment". The idea is simply this, set an alarm that Will go off every 60 minutes reminding you of God's presence.

So I asked my wife to teach me how to set my cell phone alarm and I'm now off and running on every 60 minutes reminding myself that God is present. It's quite a challenge.

How about you? want to join me? You could start by getting the book or you could go to the web site located at http://www.soulrevolution.net

Come on join me in this effort.