EXERCISE

Every morning!  I learned these from Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the aerobics specialist!  He uses them himself.  He recommends them to maintain your health as you grow older.  I've been doing them for nearly ten years.  I take Sundays off.

• runner's stretches against a door-frame or wall
• extended leg stretches - putting each leg as far forward (while standing) as you can and holding it for a 20-count (I do this beside the couch - for balance).
• two sets of 50 push-ups (from the knee)
• two sets of 100 crunches (knees bent)
• while lying on the floor, draw each knee to your chest and hold for a 20-count (then, both together)
• while sitting on floor cross-legged:  reach each arm (in turn) straight up as far as you can then bring your hand down toward the center of your back and hold for a 20-count.
• while sitting on the floor cross-legged:  bring your feet together and gently press down on your knees to stretch your thighs
• while sitting on the floor, extend your left leg while putting your right foot against your left knee;  in this position stretch your arms out toward your left foot and hold for a 20-count.  Then do each arm separately - holding for a 20-count (then reverse legs and repeat).  
• on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I drop the push-ups and crunches and work with a 25-pound weight.

I have found this plan of Dr. Cooper's to be everything that he promised.  I feel good.  It only takes me twenty minutes.  I am staying strong.  I have maintained good mobility.  It even helps to change my mood! 

Then, of course, I follow it up with a bowl of oatmeal (I add three teaspoons of ground flaxseed, a handful of pumpkin seeds, and blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries)!  Now, you're ready to start your day!  :-)

I also try to walk a brisk three miles every day (this has been hit-or-miss in recent months). 

I Timothy 4:7-8 (TM)
Exercise daily in God - no spiritual flabbiness, please!  Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.

TV GUIDE ROUTE

When I was young, I had a TV Guide route.  I delivered 50 Guides every week to neighbors, church friends, family, and folks all around New Brighton!

They cost $.15 at the time;  I got to keep $.04 for delivering them.

Every Thursday, I would walk down Penn Avenue, down the hill to the second level to deliver a few near the High School, then down the steps to the first level to deliver to my Aunt Peg and a few of her neighbors.

Occasionally someone would give me a quarter and tell me to keep the change!  I would usually stop at the Oak Hill Store and buy a candy bar for a dime!

I would take the money home and divide it up so I could pay the bill.  That usually left about $2.00 for me!

My mom taught me to give a tithe to the Lord!  I did so religiously!  My Dad spoke to our church treasurer and she issued me my own set of church envelopes.  Every Sunday, I proudly dropped my envelope in the offering - with two dimes in it! 

Starting then has made it easy to tithe ever since!  I have NEVER regretted it!  I believe tithing is the cornerstone of living a peaceful, contented, and happy life!

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THE RESOLUTION FOR MEN

"Society is guiding boys to remain boys as long as possible – extending childhood into their thirties – while forcing girls to become women long before they are ready.  Instead of growing up, getting married, and courageously raising up the next generation, millions of young men are staying single, remaining emotionally and directionally dependent on their mothers while becoming addicted to entertainment, pornography, and video games.  They want the privileges and rewards of manhood but only the responsibilities and moral requirements of boys.  So when they become fathers themselves, they don’t know what to do, and they feel extremely ill-equipped."  [The Resolution For Men, p.15]

If the American culture is going to be awakened to renewed moral consistency and spiritual fervor, it will be because men wake up to their place of leadership in the home, church, and community!

Gracious God,
I commit myself to the training of godly men as You give me opportunity!
I will model a healthy marriage:  respect and love for my wife!
I will model appropriate language, avoiding all vulgarities!
I will model a life of intimacy with You - for all to see!
I will invest sacrificially in the men You bring into my sphere of influence!
I will pray for the men I know - to hear from You and obey what they hear!
I will keep my life pure so that my integrity remains untarnished!
I will do all of this out of my love for You - and I will do so for the rest of my life!
This I commit myself to - in Jesus' Name!
Amen.

If you are willing to make a similar commitment, leave a comment with your name!

I LIED

I was about five years old.  It happened at the dinner table.  I don't remember the details, but I lied.  It may have been the first time. 

My father told me to leave the table and go to the living room and sit on the couch.  That had never happened before.  I was frightened.

After dinner, my father and mother came in and stood across the coffee table from me.  My Dad did the talking, my Mom did the crying.  Looking up at them, they seemed like giants!  My Dad pointed his finger at me as he spoke.

He said something like:  "Son, now your mother and I will always wonder if you're telling us the truth!  There'll always be some doubt, 'Is Harold lying again?'"

I could see that what I had done caused them tremendous pain!  I loved them!  I felt bad that they were so disappointed in me!

I decided in that moment to be a truth-teller! 

The power of a parent - especially a father - is remarkable!  Use this authority - with godly wisdom - to shape the lives (and futures) of your children! 

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY!

His disciples would wake up, but Jesus wasn't there.  Where did He go?  The earliest riser would go off hunting for Jesus.  Again and again, they would find Him off somewhere praying - talking with His Father!

Somehow, eventually, they connected the dots:

• He's remarkably calm because He prays so much!
• He has uncany wisdom because He prays so much!
• He is able to perform miracles because of this intimate connection He has with His Heavenly Father!
• He is able to heal because He is one with His Heavenly Father!
• He is joyful and positive because He's always off praying!
• He's consistent and faith-filled because of His intimacy with His Father!

Once they realized this, they asked Him:  "Lord, teach us to pray!"  You see, they wanted:

• peace.
• wisdom.
• to be able to do great works.
• to bless people by healing them.
• to be joyful and positive.
• to be consistent and faith-filled!

Sort of makes you want to learn to pray, doesn't it? 

Our granddaughter, Rylie, is learning to pray.  Turn your volume up all-the-way and click below to hear her:

Lord, if an almost four-year-old can learn to pray - so can I.  Please, teach me to pray!

BETTY PAUGH

She was my first Sunday School teacher!  I loved her and my times in her room.  She was so animated!  She told us Bible stories with energy and excitement!  The flannel-graph board came to life every Sunday morning!

I owe her a debt of gratitude.  She ignited a passion for God in my young heart.  She initiated a love for the Bible that continues today.  Her influence was enormous.

While I was in her class, she married.  Her husband, Andy, was a big guy - kind of scary-looking to us.  He sat by the door in her classroom and helped to maintain attention.  She didn't need much help.

She's still serving today - at 92 years of age - in the same church, the New Brighton Free Methodist Church!  She greets on Sunday mornings and passes bulletins. 

Thank you, Betty!  Your influence has held throughout 59 years of my life!  I still love Jesus;  and I still love His Word. 

And when we both get to Heaven - I'll be hunting for your classroom!

FOUR GENERATIONS

Generally speaking, a generation is twenty-five years.  So, to have four generations living at the same time means that they span nearly one hundred years.  It's a neat thing to happen in a family!

Dolores Elizabeth (Baumgard) Whippo was born in 1931.

Dolores' daughter, Deborah Lynn (Whippo) Haire, was born in 1950.

Deborah's daughter, Tracie Elizabeth (Haire) Kerstetter was born in 1981.

Tracie's daughter, Rylie Grace Kerstetter was born in 2007.

Imagine the differences between these four:

Dolores was sixteen in 1947.

Debbie was sixteen in 1966.

Tracie was sixteen in 1997.

Rylie will be sixteen in 2023.

Think of that in terms of wars:

Dolores grew up during the post-World War II period.

Debbie grew up in the midst of the Viet Nam War.

Tracie grew up with the Persian Gulf War.

Rylie will grow up with the War on Terrorism!

How about music?

Dolores grew up with teen star, Frank Sinatra.

Debbie saw the Beatles explosion!

Tracie witnessed country music becoming mainstream.

Who knows what music will characterize Rylie's life?

Yet, they're all one-family!  A strand of family that connects the past to the future!  Each unique!  Yet sharing many things. 

The blessing of the oldest extends to the youngest. 

And someday, many years from now, Rylie will be the oldest - and her picture may be taken with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter. 

And God smiles!