It's Been Raining A Lot

Perhaps a break from rain on horizon soon

Driving along Interstate 75 in downtown Dayton this morning, I saw that the waters of the Great Miami River have risen significantly. I know that in Cincinnati, the Ohio River is at flood stage at 52 feet, via a marker along the Roebling Suspension Bridge.

I am unaware of how it is determined in Dayton that the Great Miami River is at flood stage. The Miami Conservancy District was formed in 1915 after the great flood of 1913. The Flood Protection System is an interesting page to view. Also worth reading is the "Who We Are" page.

ACME Laboratories

What a fun site! Look for the license plate on my GeoCities pages soon!

Blogger's Cycle

Funny cartoon by Cox and Forkum. Link via Victor Lams.

It's Be Nice to New Jersey Week

I did not know this, but we are knee-deep in "Be Nice to New Jersey" Week, according to the July 7th press release from U.S. Newswire. I wonder if Kate knows.

26 Things | Monument

This Blue Star Highway monument is located at the rest stop along Interstate 75 just north of Monroe, Ohio (Exit 29).

Mind Change through Bible Study

I decided yesterday that I really needed a mind change. I was feeling so much angst, which you could probably tell from yesterday's post (see "A Collection of Negative Emotions"). So I decided to spend some time in my Bible:

Others Who'd Suffered

First, I read through the story of Joseph, in the book of Genesis. Next I read through the first few chapters of Judges. Then, I realized that what I really needed was the encouragment found in Romans 8. The entire chapter is very encouraging, because there are several different thoughts conveyed there.

Suffering In Perspective

As I read through the chapter, I stopped when I found verse 18:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

I began to meditate on the "future glory," and that helped me to get a little bit more perspective.

Praying About It

Also, it's been hard to pray about this. There is so much going on that I often don't know what specifically to pray. Then I read this passage:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

So that helped, too.

Waiting for God

After this, I read through a number of the Psalms, and I noted that the recurring theme of "waiting for God" was present. How hard it is to wait! I feel like I've been waiting for so long for things to get better. To some extent, they have; but, in another sense, they haven't. I find myself asking, "How much longer do I have to wait, Lord?"

Feeling Entitled

I guess I also have been struggling with this concept of entitlement. I feel that I should be entitled to have a good credit rating, that I should have a successful job, that I should be able to pay all my bills on time, that I should be able to pay on our mortgage and not lose our house. But God never promises any of that. I'm realizing that, the only thing I need is Him. I get to have my wife, daughter, and mom live with me. We have food, shelter, clothing. All of these other things that are typical in our Western lifestyle are not guaranteed by God.

Give and Take

He is also showing how easily he can take all of it away. It's revealing much about where my heart is, to say the least:

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Answered Prayers

I remember, as a young Christian, praying to God, "Give me more faith!" along with other things. At the time, I just wanted a more godly character. I had no idea that God would answer my prayers in this manner. Would I have still prayed the same prayers? Probably.

That Song I Wrote

I'm reminded of a song I wrote back then, based on struggles I was going through. It still applies. It's called "Tough Enough To Bend."

Why We Love Kids

These little snippets come forwarded by Mom via email from Karen (Thanks!)

• NUDITY
• HONESTY
• OPINIONS
• KETCHUP
• MORE NUDITY
• POLICE #1
• POLICE #2
• ELDERLY
• DRESS-UP
• DEATH
• SCHOOL
• BIBLE

NUDITY

I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, "Mom! That lady isn't wearing a seat belt!"

HONESTY

My son Zachary, 4, came screaming out of the bathroom to tell me he'd dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. So I fished it out and threw it in the garbage. Zachary stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to my bathroom and came out with my toothbrush. He held it up and said with a charming little smile, "We better throw this one out too then, 'cause it fell in the toilet a few days ago.

OPINIONS

On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, "The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents."

KETCHUP

A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup to come out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. "It's the minister, Mommy," the child said to her mother. Then she added, "Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."

MORE NUDITY

A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"

POLICE # 1

While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, "Are you a cop?" "Yes," I answered and continued writing the report. "My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?" "Yes, that's right," I told her. "Well, then," she said as she extended her foot toward me, "would you please tie my shoe?"

POLICE # 2

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. "Is that a dog you got back there?" he asked. "It sure is," I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then the back of the van. Finally he said, "What'd he do?"

ELDERLY

While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"

DRESS-UP

A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."

DEATH

While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said:

"Glory be unto the Faaaather, and unto the Sonnn ..... and into the hole he gooooes."

SCHOOL

A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"

BIBLE

A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages.

"Mama, look what I found", the boy called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear.

A Collection of Negative Emotions

Frustration. Despair. Anger. Bitterness. Impatience. Hopelessness. Faithlessness.

So, how is your day going? I'm not liking my circumstances one bit, and I'm impatient for the things that are beyond my control to change:

Here are some related posts to other journals:

• The Check Was Not In The Mail
• Why The Check Was Not In The Mail
• Letters to God for 08 July 2003

One thing I've realized is that, by having no money, I feel powerless to do stuff. That's what an income is. You have purchasing power: power to pay bills, put gas in the car, grab a cup of coffee with someone, and so on. I'm struggling with this form of greed, I suppose.

I've felt down nearly the entire day, and I couldn't get to sleep last night, even though I retired early. I wound up heading upstairs and falling asleep on one of the couches up there. I've been taking my Lexapro and Valium.

I am so glad I have psychiatrist and therapist appointments this Thursday.

I'm going to go spend some time in my Bible. I don't even feel like going to church tonight.

Pray for me.

Cincy Trip Recap

I forgot to mention that one of the highlights of Sunday's picnic was that I got to go to the re-opened rest area just north of exit 29 on Interstate 75:

Re-opened Rest Area

This rest area had been closed for a very long time, probably about three years. The Ohio Department of Transportation completely redid it. It looks good, too. A lot more room for tractor trailers to park and stay overnight. Two bathrooms for men, two for the women, and one family bathroom.

26 Things Pictures

I also took a couple pictures related to the 26 pictures project. As we were driving along I-75 just south of downtown Dayton, the tool rental place had a crane dangling a U.S. flag in the wind. I pulled off to the side of the highway and took the shot. I caught the picture just as a car was breezing by. Hopefully it will be a cool mixture of the flag blowing and the blur of the car.

A Potential Move

Another thing... we stopped by a Kroger store in the Cincinnati area to pick up an apartment guide, which means that we're considering moving back to Cincinnati. I've lived here in Dayton for almost 9 years, so it will be a little hard to leave, if it comes to that.

Five Rivers MetroParks - Dayton, Ohio

We're planning Keisha's birthday party for the 19th, to occur at Island MetroPark.