Sunday, January 13, 2008

Fun, Fellowship,Food and Canasta!



Sunday in Miramar Beach! A time for reflection and football. Life is good!

This is the Cross at the entrance to Destin Harbor. It welcomes fishermen home and guides them as they leave.




We sent David and Estelle off Friday after a trauma that only duct tape fixed! RV's are quite complex...there is always something breaking! He'll have to tell you his story when he recovers! I did remind him that Woody and I had to duct tape a window in when it fell out....so welcome to the family!

Estelle and I had a great religious debate about the phrase "God helps those who help themselves"...she's right, those exact words are not in the King James Version of the Bible but the message is in the new age versions! Ben Franklin based his statement on something in the Bible! The following is open for your interpretation!

"He who does not work shall not eat." Yet we hear that some of you are living in
laziness, refusing to work, and wasting your time in gossiping. In the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ we appeal to such people--we command them--to quiet down,
get to work, and earn their own living. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12TLB
And being still a bit Catholic, Ignatius of Loyola said,"Work as though everything depends on you, Pray as though everything depends on God."God gave us gifts so that we may use them, we should not simply pray and then refuse to use the gifts that God has given to us.

There is the story of the preacher in the flood. The water was up to the top of
the church steps when a National Guard truck came by. "Get in, Preacher! The
water's rising."And the preacher said, "No. I trust in the Lord."The water rose
and flooded the church. The preacher climbed up on the roof. Two boys came by in
a John boat."Get in, Preacher! The water's rising."And the preacher said, "No. I
trust in the Lord."The water rose higher, and the preacher climbed up on the
steeple. A helicopter came by and dropped a sling."Grab the sling, Preacher! The
water's rising."And the preacher said, "No. I trust in the Lord."The water rose
even higher, and the preacher drowned. In heaven, he said, "Lord, I had such
trust in you. Why did you let me drown."And the Lord said, "Dummy! I sent you a
deuce-and-a-half, a john boat and a helicopter!!"
So I stand by "God helps those who helps themselves" in an interpretive fashion is in the Bible, even if the exact words are from Ben! Brother Barker, one of my favorite pastors and college professor, would be proud that I remembered from my college Bible class that the Bible in its many translations and forms is inspirational, open to interpretation, but always to be read! BUT....God helps the helpless...So we're both right! And you've had my sermon for the day!!!

Now...the rest of the story! We had a great week and lots of fun,
fellowship and food! And canasta! Unfortunately, Estelle and I lost the tournament but finished strong! At last count I think it was 5-2 in favor of the boys. I tried to make if 5-3 but Woody corrected me! Just wait til next year! Yeah! I was right. Estelle just emailed me and verified it was 5-3!

Tomorrow we're going to Cape San Blas and Appalachicola...one of our favorite places. We'll take Andy so he can run on the beach....they like dogs there! Not here...too high falutin...is that a word? Is it spelled right? I do have to go work on a paper from Japan! Always the Editor...and working! Go Colts and Go Giants! My life would be complete if Peyton played Eli in the Super Bowl!

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