Tag: Portland Oregon

It Is a Blessing to Spend Time With Your Family.

April 24, 2023 / Butch / 0 Comments

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Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I am having a hard time with my right hip. I am told I will need surgery soon. If it takes the pain away. Let’s do it!

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Went down to California to see my granddaughter’s College graduation. It was a very special time, as my wife, daughter-in-law. My daughter, son-in-law, And another granddaughter were there. We all stayed in the same condo.

Sure brought back memories of when I graduated from college. That was many moons ago.

I was able to be placed in the handicapped area near the football field. There were a whole row of us. Got to meet new friends that day. All very good people.

We left Portland, Oregon with 43 degree temperature, and got to the college with 86 degree weather. Huge difference. I decided I may want to live there.

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I heard that there was an actor that said he loved to play soldiers in the military. He said it made him feel patriotic. There are thousand of soldiers who go to the front and get shot at with real bullets. Some never came home. Now that is patriotic.

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My son, who is a retired Colonel from the Army, has been diagnosed with a brain disorder of some kind. They are still testing him to see what it may be.

Your prayers would be appreciated.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Failure Shouldn’t be Anything Bad in Our Lives, Move on

January 22, 2021 / Butch / 0 Comments

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The election is behind us, and we have a new president. I did not vote for him, but my prayers are with him each day.

President Biden is in a big hurry to wipe out everything the President Trump accomplished. On his first day he signed over 25 executive orders to change many things President Trump had done.

We will have to wait and see how the people respond to all this change.

There were massive rioting on inauguration day in Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. President Biden has his hands full.

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Have you every failed? Did you attempt something and it all went south? You certainly are not alone. Here is a quote by arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

” I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I lost lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan.

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Her is an example of failure in the Bible. Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends failed.

He told Jesus He would never betray him. Jesus, said, “This very night before the rooster crows you will deny me three times. Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you, and all the disciples said the same. Peter then denied knowing Jesus three times. Later, after the rooster crowed, Peter remembered what he had said and he wept bitterly.

Many people today point to Peter as an example of what not to do, such as, speaking before you think, having little faith, being impulsive, and shrinking back denying things.

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In our own lives this is what we need to do:

Admit it

Be open and admit when you fail. Trying to hide sin doesn’t work. God already knows what you have done.

Forget it

Once you have admitted it let it go. Stop thinking about it in your mind. God doesn’t give you a list of things He has forgive you for so neither should you.

Get Back in it

Once you are forgiven it is over. Don’t waste any time. Get back in the game! God wants you to live fully, without being weighed down by shame and guilt. Use your failure to fuel your future success. God has too much to accomplish through you to be burdened by past failures.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never foraken,

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Three things to Do to Cope in This Not so Friendly World

November 23, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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Another Monday! Like the lyrics says, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” It is raining and it is Monday. Any Questions?

Actually I am doing fine. There is nothing about Mondays that should be any different since I am retired. Every day is a Saturday for me.

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Now we have to wait and see what the world has in store for us today. Should be very interesting with all the clamor going on around us. The pandemic, the unknown out come of the election in the United States, and of course, the ever popular rioting.

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I have taken all of those on with incredible courage and valor. Let’s look at each one.

The pandemic is the hardest one for me.

I have been on lock down since March. I have some health issues that the virus would love to attack. But why should I pout and scream?

Jesus, was going through an awful lot more than I can even grasp in His life time. He never pouted or screamed. He kept loving the people no matter what.

The election outcome is not known yet.

“When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.” Another lyrics that is a very sad song. This election years has been a nightmare from the beginning until now. Constant attacks on our president from the Democrats. Then the election it self seems tainted. What should we do?

Always remember, God is in Charge! He will allow the right person to be elected. It may not be who you or I really wanted, but God knows what is best for us.

The rioting has started up again.

In Portland, Oregon rioters attacked the homes of the council that voted to not defund the police. This is beyond wrong. They aren’t rioting because no justice, they are rioting to bring our country down. What should we do?

Stand very strong against violent rioting. God knows what is going on, and He has a plan. We just have to be patient, and let Him do the right thing.

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Through all of this turmoil, how are you doing? Do you have problems coping?

Pray for God to guide you each and every day. Take His hand and hold on tight. He loves you, and will not have you face anything that you can not handle.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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Be Strong and Ask God to Lighten Your Burdens

October 14, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I have been struggling with things that are happening around me. The Pandemic, wild fires, rioting, election coming up, etc.

A bit overwhelming to say the least.

Why am I struggling?

I am on lock down with the pandemic because of health problems.
The wild fires got way too close, and several towns near me were completely destroyed.
The rioting is still bad in Portland, Oregon. They tore down two statues, and broke many business windows. The statues they tore down didn’t make any sense. One was Teddy Roosevelt, and the other was Abraham Lincoln. This is not rioting because of Black Lives matter. It is just straight Anarchy.
The election for president is near, and the attacks from both sides are getting to me. All the negativity is sad.

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How can I overcome all this turmoil?

I have to always know that God is in charge! He controls what happens. He has a plan through all this mess. We don’t understand, but He knows what is best.

I need to be strong for my family. I am getting up in years. (I’m old!) I need to continue to lead and share positive vibes to my family and friends. They need it just like I do. I find when I am positive around family it rubs off on me and makes me stronger.

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How about you? Does it seems like the whole world is on your shoulders? Do you wish you could spend all day in bed to avoid things?

You certainly are not alone. People are frustrated and depressed. You may not have the same issues I have, but you may have much more.

Be strong! Don’t let the dark side overcome you! Head to the light! God is by your side 24/7. He will hear your pleas. Lean on him with all you burdens and He will lighten the load.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Bad Things Happen When you Least expect it.

September 19, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

Had a very intersting weekend. Went and stayed in Portland for my niece’s wedding. Yes, that is the Portland that has had 101 straight days of rioting. Well, we hit it lucky. The smoke from the wild fires in Oregon was so thick, the rioters were too much of cowards to come out and play. Of course they were back in full force today.

Ted Wheeler, (Weak Man) told the Portland Police they couldn’t use tear gas anymore because it was too harmful. So the Federal Agents protecting the Federal buildings used it instead. I love it!!

I know this all sounds harsh, but people have died; businesses have been destroyed, and many police were hurt.

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Let’s move on to happier moments.

Like I said, we were there for my niece’s wedding. It was a very beautiful wedding held in a very small church that is a histroical meusum. It had the old wooden pews with carvings on them. The walls were wooden, The platform was very small, but fit for this small wedding.

My grand Nephew carried the rings. He released the tension a little by dropping the rings not once but twice. His mom just laughed and kept doing her vows.

My wife lost one of her diamond ear rings, so there was some panic for a while. As I was out to the car checking there, I asked the lord to guide us to the ring.

When I got back one of the attendies found it outside in the rain. My wife was overwhelmed with joy. Thank you Lord.

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Then we went to the reception

It was held at the top steak place in town called, The Morton’s. There was much relaxing, and laughing during this time. People who didn’t know each other mingled, and we all were one by the time it was over.

There were some interesting things that happened during the gathering. I was the center of two of them. About half way through the toasting I knocked over my champaigne glass, and it went all over my shirt and suit pants. That was extremenly imbrassing, but my wife was very kind and consoled me.

Then a few mintues later, I knocked over my water glass. It spilled all over where the wine had spilled. I joked, ” I did that on purpose to wash out the chanpaigne!” I was very silent much of the rest of the time, because I felt so badly about what I had done.

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We eat the wedding cake, said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel.

I was beyond exhausted at that time, and got ready for bed immediatley. My wife was busy getting cloths back to her sister we had stored for them.

Finally got into bed and concked out fast. Half way through the night I fell out of bed and hit my head on the end table by the bad. Got a bump on my head, but I am OK now, because I am back in my lovely home resting up.

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Have you been through sudden stress like I went through heavy stress three times in one day?

Have you wondered why me? I did. I kept asking the Lord to help me through everything, and he did. Everytime I had a crises someone came to me to give me encouragement. When I fell out of my bed, Charlotte was right there helping me.

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We all face stress.

There will be stormy days where it seems nothing is going right. You may even feel like you should have stayed in bed on those days.

God is always there for you.

He never leaves you. He is just a prayer away. Don’t be discouraged. God will not let you go through anything He feels you can not handle.

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Be strong. Do not let the dark side overcome you. Seek the light at all times.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Are You Driving Between the Lines in Your Life?

September 8, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

I am at the age where is am not sure I should be driving anymore. When I drive my wife keeps telling me that I have crossed the center line, and I also cross the solid line for the other side. Not a good pattern.

I got to thinking about that. Are we as Christians driving between the lines? Do we sometimes go across the line and face danger? As Christians we have to be careful because the road for Christians is narrow.

I hope you are doing well in your driving. It is hard, at best, to maneuver through the storms of live. You have to be very alert all the time.

Remember though that God is in control. He will guide you if you let Him. He knows what roads you should driving on. Use Him as your GPS.

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Still violence in Portland, Oregon. Another shooting, and fires everywhere. it has been over 100 days of rioting and no end in sight.

Here is a hard fact that God is telling us. Pray for even those who have no thought of following the lord. I posted the other day asking if we could pray for those who set businesses on fire; shoot people, and there are tons of beatings going on?

My thoughts on that was, yes we should. All of these people are God’s children, like it or not. We can’t discriminate as to who we pray for and not pray for.

I am sure you have some people in your life that do not like you. I sure do. That’s who you pray for. Pray for understanding and love towards them. It may not always work, but you are free of guilt, and have taken a step in the right direction.

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God didn’t promise us a rose garden, plus there are the thorns. Life will turn against you from time to time. That is when your true character comes out. When you fall, do you get back up or give up?

Never give up!

Stand with courage in the love of God. He is there for you. With Him on your side, who can be against you?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

It is Pretty Depressing to be in This World Right now

September 4, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

It has been hard times here in Salem, Oregon. I live very close to Portland, Oregon, and it is breaking my heart to see all the violence and looting going on there. Another person has been shot and killed.

We are living in very different times. In Portland, there was a time when they closed the streets to go to church. Now they close the streets to rioting.

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We need to look beyond the struggle. We need to seek what ahead of us.

I was fearing for our country, and yet my fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand with God’s love. It seems we are all broken at this point. We need healing.

Every night before I go to sleep I pray the following prayers:

I pray for the leaders of our country.

I pray for the local leaders of Oregon.

I pray for my children and their spouses.

I pray for my grandchildren.

I pray for my wife.

I pray for all my relatives.

I fall asleep in the hope of the Lord.

We need to have important people in our lives to also give us hope. This is needed in case we fall. We are better together. We can not take on this world on our own.

There are some who are happy, some are sad. Some are healthy, and some are ill. There are many who are poor and others who are rich. This is the main reason we need to come together as one. Reaching out to each other. Giving support to those who need it.

Does it seem too hard in our world today? We need to get back to when it wasn’t hard.

Do I love the rioters? Am I really concerned about their well being? If I truly follow Jesus, I do love them and are concerned for them. If we don’t have God as our center piece we will fail.

We need to find encouragement in discouraging times. It is hard, I know. We need to seek it, and we can find it in the Bible. It has a complete guide for encouragement.

I thought about all of this and it honestly sounded pretty depressing. Again I remembered that God doesn’t purposely take us down the worst path, He takes us through the best path possible for us.

He knows there are good things coming. He knows that we will be freed from our burdens. We can’t think that God has turned away from us, we will lose all hope. He is there with you each and every day.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

Our Hope is Not Found in a Political Party

September 3, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

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It is getting to that time of the year. I have been hearing so much back and forth attacks from the two political parties saying they are the best people to run our government, and help the people.

Let me make something very clear. Our hope is not found in a political party!

I have seen so much turmoil the last six months that it is hard to think positive. Rioting in the big cities. People killed there. The pandemic is taking many lives. Anarchy is rampant in our country.

How can we depend on a political party to “save us?” We can’t. We need God in our lives to withstand all of this. We need to let people know HE is in charge, not any political party.

I live near Portland, Oregon. The rioting there has gone on for 90+ days. Has the political party there been able to stop it? No, it has actually gotten worse. A young man was shot and killed last night. It used to be that they closed down the streets of Portland so they could go to church. Now they close down the streets to let rioting happen.

My heart is aching for all the people who are being terrorized. They hide in their homes and hope the rioters do not come near them.

People do not seem to be fed enough.

I tell a story about when I went to a restaurant to eat. When they brought out our portions of food, I thought my portion was too small, and it was, because I was still hungry after I was done. Well with God you get a full portion of love. You will not be hungry anymore.

We have to face trials during the pandemic and rioting. We have really learned what trials are. Then, I think of Paul. He had more trials than most people could handle. He was ship wrecked. He was bitten by a snake. He was beaten in prison.

Could you think you could have comfort and peace if all that happened to you? Well Paul did. He rejoiced with his followers when he got out of prison, thanking God for all the afflictions he had received. Why on earth is that?? It is because all of the afflictions were because he loved the Lord and told many people about Him.

So we can’t find hope from a government to help us and protect us.

We have to rely on God to give us hope. We need Him to protect us.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

How Many Times Should We Forgive Someone?

July 27, 2020 / Butch / 0 Comments

I have been watching the movement of Representative John Lewis from his hometown to the Capitol Rotunda, to be put on display.

This man was a furious warrior fighting for the black community. He marched with Martin Luther King. He was beaten many times, and was arrested 40 times for his support for the black community.

No man, since Martin Luther King, has done more for civil rights in our country.

He spent over 16 years in Congress.

Was he a Democrat or a Republican? DOESN’T MATTER!

He fought for what was right.

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We need to find more leaders like him. Dedicated to helping others and fighting for what is right.

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I am switching to some negative things to bring up another point.

Portland, Oregon has had 60 straight days of rioting. There are many fires, many beatings, many arrests, and many people hurt badly. Many of those hurt are police officers, trying to keep the peace.

The Federal Government has come to help. We will see how that works out.

There is widespread rioting in many other big cities. Interesting in that all of those cities are run by Democrats.

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So, should we forgive those who are rioting? If so, how many times should we forgive?

Jesus told a parable about forgiving. It started when Peter asked him how many times should he forgive? Seven times? (That was four more times than the Jewish acceptable number.)

Jesus rebuked him and said, “No! 70×7!” That is 490 times. (Matthew 18: 21-34.)

Some things to remember:

As longs as there are issues, there is an opportunity for forgiveness.
Our God is a forgiving God. (How many times have you asked Him to forgive you?)
Forgiving others is a must to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
We must mirror God’s love and forgiveness.

Some other thoughts:

God has help mend any hearts that are broken.
My sin was great, but God’s love was greater.
For God so loved the world that He sent his only son, so that we may have eternal life.
Pray for our leaders in the nation, and in your home state, to make decisions that are for the good of the people, and not themselves.

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Think on these things, and be at peace knowing that God is watching over you and protects you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forskaen.

You are never unloved.

And above all, never, ever, give up!

Tag: Portland Oregon

It Is a Blessing to Spend Time With Your Family.

Bad Things Happen When you Least expect it.

Are You Driving Between the Lines in Your Life?

It is Pretty Depressing to be in This World Right now

Our Hope is Not Found in a Political Party

How Many Times Should We Forgive Someone?

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