Nineveh Shore #worship #music #praise

Not long ago I received an email from my delightful niece Selena. She shares her uncle's passion for coffee, sci fi and action movies, and music, especially worship music. I thought I'd share that email with you. - Mike
From Selena: Hello Family and Friends,

My band, Nineveh Shore, has released its first album, "From the Depths". 

I cannot tell you what an exciting day this is for me and my family, and my band mates. God has been so good to us these last few years and the completion of this album is just one more blessing.

Please take a look at our website, Facebook page and link to our CD. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts.  :)


http://www.ninevehshore.webs.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Nineveh.Shore

http://www.tatemusicgroup.com/epk/?id=16282

   

#Google Apps Muscling in #Microsoft #Office Territory

The July 16, 2012 Wall Street Journal (I bought the paper, so I don't have a link) headlined Microsoft fighting back against Google incursions. They went to great lengths to show the efforts Microsoft is taking to keep customers, including flying IT guys to their headquarters to impress them with all of their new projects coming online. Microsoft is slashing costs, developing special sales teams, and talking tough.
Reading further, however, reveals that that the IT man flown to Microsoft still chose Google Apps. 2 reasons, savings, BIG SAVINGS!, and "Google is cool".
Closer inspection of the article shows Google Apps is winning 1/3 of new business, far greater than the experts prediction of 20%.
I switched to Google for all my documentation when, after losing dozens of sermons because of incompatibility of Microsoft Operating Systems, I decided to transfer all my sermons and writing to Google Docs. This was in 2009.
I was already impressed with Google because their search could find scriptures more accurately and quickly than Bible websites could.
I later switched from Hotmail to gmail totally when my Hotmail account was hacked and all my friends were being sent pornographic links.
I also started backing up all my photos and then later downloaded my photos first to Picasa when I learned Google automatically and immediately backs up all it's data in a different region.
I started to blog on Google's blogspot rather than Facebook because Google offered larger print size, more editing power, and showed me how to monetize my blog (that's a fancy word for make money).
Google also made massive efforts to tie all their products together seamlessly, so that I could move from one product (like Gmail) to another (like Blogger) seamlessly and effortlessly.
The only surprise I have in reading the article Microsoft Hits Back as Google Muscles In is why it took so long for The Wall Street Journal to write this article.

   

#rmdo Shari Hardway Johnson:The Jesus Chick #inspiration, #humor

Mike's Amazon

After writing blog posts about a couple of friends in ministry, (my niece Selena and blogging/photographer Stephanie) another friend  came to mind.
She has been very encouraging to me, and I wondered if a post would help her ministry. Google Search (and to a lesser extent, social sites Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus), for reasons not entirely clear to me, has been amplifying my content around the world. What a great way to use this new found influence. Certainly it would be an encouragement to her.
As I was considering this possibility this same friend contacted me.  The decision was made.
Her name is Shari Hardway Johnson. A fascinating, bubbly sister in Christ, she is an aspiring geek, internet entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and humorist, and awesome grandmother. So many similar qualities. No wonder we're friends?!

Mike's Amazon: My Favorite Worship and Inspirational Music

Mary and I were pulling in to the South Bend Exit on the Indiana Toll Road. 

Mary: Why so many lights!? Is there a carnival?

Me: That's NOTRE DAME!

(Please forgive her. She's from Michigan.) #rmdo

His Strength is made perfect in our weakness. If we were not flawed, or weak, or missed the mark, our pride would keep us from enjoying His Strength. #rmdo Thanks, Jenna Priest, for your friendship and inspiration.

Inspirational picture taken by my full time photographer and companion, Mary.

a Milestone on my #Blogging Journey #blogspot #googleblogspot

Just hit a milestone on my blogging journey. My flagship blog The Shepherd's Heart Journal, just passed 80,000 page views. God is good. 
Never knew I had so many interesting things to say.
What really takes my breath away is how many people search for me. I know they're looking for me when they use search words like "parables" "mixing redbull and coffee" "dry widow's picnic" "aaaaargh!" "hell" and "I like coffee!".

   

#rmdc I GOT YOUR BACK!! #rmdo #inspiration #naturepic

#rmdc

60% patent #lawsuits involve #Apple: Surprised?! #boycottapple

Here's a good post with a very interesting chart about who's suing who(m?) in the patent world. Don't fall over with shock and surprise: Apple is involved in 3 out of 5.
In one sense, all of the smartphone industry is a winner, because a lawsuit means lots of media attention, so the expenses can be considered an advertising budget.
The biggest winners? Patent lawyers with trial experience can command big salaries.
Losers? Companies with shallow pockets and/or fearful dispositions, making them easy targets for the school yard bullies.

#rmdo Thrive! #rmdc #mountaingoatpics #wisdompoet

In the fragile veneer between lifeless space, hardened earth, we thrive, cherished by The Master. #rmdo

The Volvo #Parable (#God 's Power Revealed!) #miracle #grace #Providence

God revealed His awesome power to me in a simple dream that involved my friend Darrell, and a Volvo. Darrell did every thing he could to keep the dream from happening, and rightly so. Read to the end to find out the surprise ending.
Lynne and I had moved to the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado to attend the Nazarene Bible College. I had an ambition to preach, or a “call”, as they said in church circles. The type of preaching that I was to do was vague and unclear, but the call was very real.

God had put burning letters in my mind twice with the word “preach”. They were fiery and bright red, and they lingered in my mind for a long time, and I can still see them clearly even now more than 40 years later.On my first date with Lynne, she had shared that it was her deep desire to be involved in ministry, and she had dreamed of becoming a pastor’s wife. She was highly supportive of my ambition to preach, and many of the couples in her newly adopted home church in Dolton had moved to Colorado Springs on the eastern side of the Rockies to attend the Nazarene Bible College.

Nazarene Bible College was a unique educational institution. It was designed around the working student who had a call to preach later in life. After we moved there I located a job in a factory called Western Forge, which made Craftsmen hand tools for Sears. I had befriended a man there who had formerly been a missionary for the Navigators, and had been posted for several years in Costa Rica. His name was Darrell Thompson. We took our breaks together.
Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' ". Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The Lord needs it." They brought it to Jesus.
One night I had a dream that I was riding down a tree lined avenue in the front seat of Darrel’s green Volvo, with Darrel driving. In the dream, I turned to Darrel and asked, “Is $800 dollars o.k.?” He responded, “I guess.”
The next day, during my break with Darrell, I told him about the dream, and asked him if he was considering selling the Volvo. He said that he had posted it on the bulletin board at work, but he was asking $1200 for it, and had no intention of selling it for any less.
That really didn’t matter to me anyway, for I felt we had no need of a second car.
A few months later, Darrel moved to Salida, a town on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. During that time Lynne had become restless, for I was working overtime and attending Bible College, and we lived in a house over 20 miles out in the country, with no neighbors. It became apparent that we were going to need a second car.
At the same time, I had missed my friend Darrel, and was looking for an excuse to visit him, when I remembered his Volvo. Delighted to have a reason to call him, I quickly found out that he had given up on selling the Volvo, for he had not had a single inquiry since he had put it up for sale. He was thrilled at the thought of seeing us again, and invited us to stay for a week end.
We drove across the mountains to beautiful town of Salida, surrounded on all sides by mountains. Darrel and I took the Volvo out for a drive, catching up on news, and not really thinking about the car. As we were driving back to Darrel’s house, I realized we had not even discussed the Volvo. I brought the subject up.
I knew he wanted $1200 for it, but all we had saved by that point was $800 dollars. I apologized for the amount I was offering for the car, but asked him if he would consider selling it for $800. He sighed deeply, and said “I guess.” He then remarked that mine was the only offer to buy it that he had in all the time he tried to sell it.

We fell silent for a moment, and then I suddenly realized that we were driving down a tree line avenue exactly like the one in the dream! I had totally forgotten about the dream until that point.
We kept the car for a couple of years after that. Then the car started having things fall off, and I was alarmed to find out that all of the parts that needed to be replaced were very expensive, and included shipping charges from overseas. Lynne and I were thinking about selling the car, when a man approached me at work, the very same Western Forge where Darrel and I had previously shared breaks together.
He asked me if I was still interested in selling the Volvo. I said that I was thinking about it, but I had not posted it yet, so why did he think I was trying to sell it? He informed me that he had considered buying for some time after it was listed on the bulletin board. He was referring to the time Darrel had posted it. He had really liked the car, but had other things going on, and had never gotten around to buying it.
He said he was willing to give me the $1200 that was the asking price Darrel had originally asked for. I pointed out that several items were either broken or falling off. This didn’t alarm him in the least, for he worked part time at a Volvo dealer as a mechanic, and could get the parts at the dealer’s cost, with no shipping charges. We settled for $1150. It was the lowest I could get him, the buyer, to go.
I don’t worry about the future as much as I did when I was younger, for I know that God is in total control, and has intimate knowledge of the future, and the hearts of men. He knows about the future, because He is not like us, bound by the one way direction of time. He knows the future, because He is already there! The need that you have today, He has known about from the beginning! He has perfect communion with all of Himself, the future Omega and the beginning Alpha. He is indeed an awesome God!

Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as Jesus had told them.
More parables are found in the ebook blog, The Gift Parables. Stop by, read, enjoy, and hopefully be inspired. Then shop at my eStore below or hit one of the banners in the right side or top of the blog.

 

#ff @ssjs2009 Stephanie John-Schafer; #Photographer Extraordinaire #photography #blogging #poetry #miracle

 I remember encouraging Stephanie to post on Google Plus. Now I see she has 1600 in her circles. Way to go, Steph!
Stephanie is not only a talented and prolific photographer, writer, and social internet guru, she tells an incredible story of faith, courage, and the miraculous in her blog post Spotlight Into Courage.
Take the time to read it. You will be inspired.

#Google #Analytics Does Not Tell Me The Color of Your PJs

For my paranoid friends, of whom I have quite a few, I have good news about Google Analytics. Google Analytics, a free service to Google bloggers on blogspot.com and blogger.com does not tell me the color of your PJs. In fact, it doesn't tell me any personal information whatsoever.

What it does tell me is what country my visitors to my blog are from, or even city, or what language they are using. Google provides language translation sites, and I have quite a few visitors from those sites. Neat.
A useful tool is the visitor flow chart, which shows what pages were viewed first, how many visitors went on to a second page, and all the way till the last visitor drops off.
What I learned is that the more pages you the visitor views the less likely you are to leave. By the fourth to sixth interaction, the drop offs dropped to zero.
I guess that means there are a half dozen of you folks that have never left my blog at all. You're just rattling around from page to page 24/7 with no inclination to leave and do something else whatsoever.
I never knew I was that interesting.

#ff @TWDittmer Happy Anniversary to my #writer brother Tim (and Chris)

My brother Tim. He's a story teller, a more descriptive way of saying "a writer". Imagine that.
http://twdittmer.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/my-anniversary/

#rmdc The #Pope and The #Lawyer #heaven #jokes

The Pope was disturbed that in heaven he only got a cottage and the lawyer next door got a huge mansion. "But Father," replied his tour guide Saint Peter, "we have so MANY Popes, and so FEW lawyers." #rmdc (not my original material, but part of the Rev Mad Dog Collection)

X shop here X

Charlie WHO!? #drwho #geekhumor

#APPLE SUES #GOD #boycottapple #smartphonewars

For the #boycottapple crowd. Of course, the reason this will be a tough fight for #Heaven is they don't have any #lawyers.

#rmdc You Want Yours Licked or Not Licked?! #humor #funnydog #doglovers

#rmdc

The Parable of the Angry Woman #miracles

My claim that I understand women is outrageous! But being attacked by fierce women is a great motivator for asking for God’s wisdom.
There are three different levels or types of helpful information that can make a difference between success or failure, life or death. Several important ancient authors spoke of this, including the wisest of all Solomon. He spoke of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, each of which stems from and relates to the three levels of human existence, the spirit, soul, and body. He especially implored the listener to obtain understanding.
Before we are saved we desire knowledge. After we are saved we desire wisdom. It was not until I was 55 years old that I desired understanding. 
First came the realization that I was totally lacking in understanding. I was doing things wisely, but had no understanding as to why, or why others were reacting against me.
Wisdom is of the Spirit. Knowledge is carnal, of this world. Understanding, which is of the soul, connects the two areas of our being.
There seems to a deep resistance to understanding, even among believers. "We may never understand why God does what He does!" is almost a mantra! But this excuse for ignorance is total nonsense! "IN ALL THY GETTING, GET UNDERSTANDING!" I am not the originator of this quote. Solomon was. This parable is the before and after of receiving understanding.
I worked with perhaps one of the fiercest women on the face of the earth. She and I had discussed this openly, so this is not back stabbing gossip, but stark truth. Her fierceness in the right circumstances can be a thing of beauty.
This quality of fierceness was brought out in my former colleague (I have since this writing retired) after the father of her child came home drunk, beat her, and marred her with burning cigarettes. She waited till he fell asleep, then carefully sewed him up in the bed sheets. She then took a base ball bat, and proceeded to soften him up until his lung collapsed and his jaw was broken in three places.
Another incident demonstrates her fierceness. New alarms were placed at our work area. The first setting was too sensitive, and the alarms went off repeatedly. When an engineer failed to respond to repeated pages, my fierce colleague took our radio phone over to the alarm, and placed the mouth piece of the phone over the alarm for about a minute, sending the blaring racket over the plant wide public address system.
The engineer showed up almost immediately, and quickly solved the alarm issue. Shortly afterwards they placed a regular phone in our area, and took away our radio phone.
I admit freely that I was not innocent in the conflicts that we had. I was given the name Mad Dog by chance, but I earned the right to keep it for a variety of reasons, one of which was my anger. I rarely lost my temper, but when I did lose my temper I had a gift for sarcasm and belittlement that was an urban legend at work.
Other reasons for conflicts concerned the fact that I am a focused individual, which means that sometimes I lack awareness of what is going on, and mistakes in our area can cost hundreds, and even thousands of dollars.
There is also the structural conflict caused by my third shift personality being tired and grumpy at the end of the shift, and her day shift personality being tired and grumpy at the beginning of the shift.
My constant mistakes were causing this lady a lot of extra work, which in turn were causing conflicts between us.
I was also having conflicts with another fierce woman, my late loving and lovely wife. To say that I was clueless would be the understatement of the century. I was treating both women with old fashioned respect, but my total lack of understanding angered both of them. My only salvation was the blessed fact that they never met and talked, or my dilemma would have been infinitely worse.
My lack of understanding made me assume that whenever our opinions varied, I was right, and they were wrong. In some cases, I would admit that they were right and I was wrong. But in many conflicts, I was unable to see the obvious truth that both parties were right!
The conflicts at work and at home, combined with the real possibility of losing my job and our health insurance, along with my late wife’s deteriorating health were causing a perfect storm of desperation in my prayers, and one day God decided to take me to a mountain top and give me understanding.
My claim to understand women is tempered with the knowledge that my understanding is not a Ph.D., but only beginning class 101. Solomon vastly overreached his God given understanding, and I have made the same mistake more than once, although thankfully I have had only one wife at a time. (Since this writing, Lynne has passed away, and I have remarried .)
The beginning of the unfolding happened when I repented, or turned back to God. Yes, I was already a believer, but I had fallen into a pattern of trying to solve my own desperate problems. I had stopped thanking God and praising God, and my prayer life was a constant whining about how miserable my life was. I had forsaken my original commitment to praise God always, and thank Him in all things and for all things.
I began to worship and praise Him 24/7 and I began to thank Him always. I began to seek to understand God, rather than understand others, or to get others to understand me. As I turned back to Him, and as my thankfulness returned, I began to glorify the Triune God, and my foolish darkened heart was enlightened.
As I renewed my worship of God, and as I sought to understand Him more deeply, He shared with me the key. This key to understanding women is simple and somewhat obvious, so much so that when I share it with you, you will slap your forehead and say “duh!” Yet most men do not have this key!
As I looked more and more at the beauty of God, my understanding awakened, and God gave me the “duh” key for understanding women. I had known that men were in the image of God, but I had thought of women as alien creatures, unfathomable, incomprehensible, a mystery hidden in a riddle inside of an enigma. But God shared with me, His ignorant but inquiring child, that women are also made in God’s image.
Women being made in the image of God explained the incomprehensible fierceness, for God is also a fierce God, with burning passions. I quit treating my fiery colleague and my equally fiery wife as weak and helpless childish creatures, and began to respect them as fellow warriors in the battle of life. I quit trying to help them do their job, and focused on doing my own.
God opened my eyes to finances, and I sought to invest in companies that had the focus of men and the awareness of women. I bought low and sold high, and at the height of the stock market boom, I withdrew all my 401K and spent it lavishly on my now loving and respectful wife.
Her health was rapidly failing, and my spoiling her in her last days was the best investment I have ever made. God’s great grace began to work a spirit of great peace on our area, and the quiet that prevailed among the tower operators was notable in all the plant, and just a little frightening.
If any one came into our area with a false accusation about one of us, my fierce colleague sent them scarred and scurrying. Former enemies began working harmoniously together. People observed and shook their heads in wonderment.
My colleague has been told this whole story, and so far she has not laid claim to any of the money I made in the stock market, nor expected any thing more than what she has always wanted, the towers running smoothly when she arrives.
The real credit goes to the Lord God Almighty, whose great and merciful gift of grace can work wonders in an ignorant man, a fierce woman, and a tumultuous factory. And now you know why my passion for worship has deepened. Praise His mighty name!

#blogspot Views Up 250%: Thanks #googleplus, #googlesearch

Googleplus is winning  on my blog  url referrals, and winning big. Let me explain.
I formerly published 12 blogs, (I'm publishing 3 now) including my flagship blog The Shepherd's Heart Journal. I started posting from it in January 2010, and had 979 views. I posted my links often to Facebook and Twitter, and even repeated some postings, combining my links with my inspirational meditations and humorous observations. I was posting by the copy paste method. I posted so heavily Twitter and Facebook penalized me by either throttling my account or having me pass the weird writing test.
About half way through the year I began to observe the urls of the referring sites that was revealed to me through my membership in Google Analytics . I was noticing heavy referals by Google sites, though I was not an active member of Google Plus. Yay for Google Search !!
By the end of the year 2011 views had risen to over 5000 a month, with more than half of the referrals coming from non Facebook and Twitter referrals.
In 2012 I started posting on Google Plus off and on, and I also started using all 12 blogs. I switched to dynamic views soon after that, and noticed a dramatic rise in views. I also started to share my posts consistantly on Googleplus 
Recently I have only sporadically posted from my flagship blog, and views have dropped. What's interesting is that views still continued from the referrals, even though I was posting very lightly.
Now here are the facts that should make every blogger switch to Google Plus immediately. Out of 2,690 views that came to my flagship blog, 95% came from Google sites, 5% came from Facebook, and none came from Twitter, even though I posted evenly to Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus to my other blogs.
My total blog views has gone from 6000 for all blogs in December to 15387 in April. I am seriously considering posting only Google Plus.
Recent observations show that Facebook and Twitter have gained in power since I originally wrote this post. But the power of Google Search is still unequaled.
In July, I still am not posting my flagship blog The Shepherd's Heart journal on social sites, but the views remain strong, with views as low as 125 but as high as 600 per day. Last month the amount of views was a new record for The Shepherd's Heart Journal. Each of the three blogs that I am authoring are experiencing record views. I attribute this to the power of Google Search and the rapidly strengthening Google Plus.

The Parking Lot of Blond Driving School #blondjoke #funnypic

I HAVE SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES! #miracles

Please understand, friends, I am not trying to start a denominational or theological fracas, parsing over words. All I'm saying is, that when it comes to the miraculous, GOD CAN, FOR I HAVE SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES.
I am not standing alone in this. My late wife Lynne witnessed these events, but she's now gone to heaven. But enough living witnesses remain right here on Facebook for segments of stories that if I were to post all of their names on Facebook right now, Facebook would shut me down for spamming.
Read The Gift Parables.

#Squirrel notice! #rmdc #humor

Hello? The bird wanted me to tell you the feeder is empty! THE SQUIRREL #rmdc

Why do elephants paint their toenails red? #elephantjokes #jokes

Why do elephants paint their toenails red? SO THEY CAN'T BE SEEN IN A STRAWBERRY PATCH!!
No?! Well, let me ask you this: have you ever seen an elephant in a strawberry patch?! Eh?! WORKS PRETTY GOOD, DON'T IT!?

 

#hypocrticalstevejobs quoting Picasso #boycottapple

Liam's New (Hair)'Do

After Liam was in the pool, his girl cousins got the hair dryer out and did some styling on him.

   L

REMEMBERING: a haunting picture of the #Vietnam #Memorial #Wall

I USED TO BE A #JEDI: THEN #APPLE #SUED

More #boycottapple fodder: A Steve Jobs Presentation

I LOVE FIREWORKS, BUT..

Is #JudgeKoh prejudging #Samsung vs #Apple? #smartphonewars

"Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products," Koh wrote on Tuesday.
Has Judge Koh has already decided? Was Samsung allowed to make a counter statement during this decision? Was Judge Koh selected because she has technical expertise or because she lacks technical expertise? (I've since learned she was selected because of her technical expertise.)
Has anybody noticed the #boycottapple trending on GooglePlus? If you have noticed, did you notice it wasn't trending on Twitter or Facebook?
Does any one note that Judge Koh, Apple, Twitter, and Facebook are all from or based in San Francisco? Does this make San Fransisco look a little provincial?
This bodes well for Apple as long as they can keep events in San Francisco, and as long as they have judged the young local Judge Koh correctly, as long as she doesn't morph into an expert on patent law, and as long as the #boycottapple movement doesn't pick up steam.
That's a lot of ifs.

True saying about #men #humor #rmdc

True saying heard on a hot dog commercial: MEN- EASIER FED THAN UNDERSTOOD.

Saw this #funnypic in #boycottapple timeline- #humor #rmdc

Saw this picture in #boycottapple timeline-

#apple uses teams of 3 #boycottapple #smartphonewars

From Hashim Warren on Google Plus

Apple uses small teams of 3 to produce iPhone features.

A designer- make it pretty
a developer..  functional
a lawyer.. sue Android

The Duck Song #funnyvid #humor #rmdc

This song will drive you crazy. You can thank me later.

Mike and mini-mike #funnypic #humor

My daughter took this picture of my grandson and myself and noted the similarities. She called us Mike and mini-mike.

Las Palmas Authentic #Mexican #Restaurant in #PlymouthIN

Mary and I really enjoyed our outing to Las Palmas Authentic Mexican Restuarant on Lincoln Highway, East Jefferson in Plymouth Indiana. It's owned by a family friend.
Mary was delighted by the huge stack of pancakes, light, fluffy, tasty with a dollop of fruit on top, in Mary's case, STRAWBERRIES!!
I love their authentic tamales, and I tried for the first time their legendary minuto soup, which is only prepared on certain days, so call first. It was delicious and filling.
It's a small cafe with a small kitchen, so don't be in a hurry. Another weakness is actually a strength. There's no fountain, but don't order a can of Pepsi or Coke. Enjoy one of their authentic Mexican sodas instead.
Mary and I will be back as often as we can think of excuses to go.

HELLO! #revmaddog1948 @revmaddog1948

Hello! My name is Mike Dittmer aka revmaddog1948 (use Google search!) or William Michael Dittmer, if you're from Homeland Security. I'm currently the author of 3 blogs, including an e book, The Gift Parables, stories of how God orchestrated my life into a living parable through miracles and grace. 
I collect humor and wisdom, and I share my own meditations, observations, and portraits of family and friends. I have a special grace of attracting the very best people to me, including my late wife Lynne, who told me she loved me on our very first date, and Mary, whom I married March 4th, 2010. Attracting the best is why you're reading this right now. May God bless you in the name of Jesus with infinitely increasing GRACE!

http://revmaddog1948.blogspot.com/ A little bit of everything. My original blog. Sermons, essays, observations, adventures, humor, and insanity.
http://myamazingamazonestores.blogspot.com/ I post new material here and also explain about my eStores and what you can purchase there. The side bar has links to my estores. If you want to support my ministry and my efforts to spoil Mary silly, always go to Amazon through these links.
http://thegiftparables.blogspot.com/ THE REASON I am on the internet, the stories I MUST TELL THE WORLD. How God orchestrated my life with a "rain" of miracles and grace into a LIVING PARABLE

 Why THE PARABLES?

You may have asked the question, "Why do you call some of your stories and /or sermons parables?"
It's obvious after observing me that I have some stories to tell. God has taken great delight in leading me along a path where I could be a witness to some miraculous incidents.
He has His reasons.
My dilemma arose when it came time to tell these stories.
First, there was the outright disbelief in many listeners in any thing spiritual. Sometimes God would respond to a listener's disrespect by revealing to me something the listener was desperately trying to conceal. But just as often, God would not intervene.
Then there were also the denominational protocols. If the miracle seemed to endorse a different denominational stripe, there were problems.
It didn't help that I was so easily offended when someone didn't endorse me whole heartedly and immediately. Yet I was also uncomfortable with those who bought in quickly, without any double checking of the facts.
I first responded to these problems with silence, not mentioning these incidents for months and sometimes years. But the stories kept bubbling behind the locked doors of my heart.
It helped that Lynne, my late wife, could collaborate most, if not all, of these stories. With her help, we developed a strategy of one on one sharing, and only when the subject of the miraculous was brought up by others first.
But when Lynne began her final battle with cancer, it became apparent that I would have to tell these stories without her enthusiastic support.
Silence was no longer an option. The spring of what I know see was a divine compulsion was bubbling ever stronger.
When I finally put one of these stories on paper as a sermon, I realized that the story was very much like a parable. A parable is a story that may or may not be true, and teaches a lesson.
I realized that God had been orchestrating my life into a living parable.
In a parable, the facts that verify the story as a document are not important, nor is it vital to grasp the meaning immediately.
The important thing about a parable is the story itself. The story has power built in to bring truth to the surface.
The best example of built in grace within the story is the story of the Cross and the Crucifixion of Jesus. Many listeners have had hardened hearts won by that story, without any debate on the facts.
When the facts are verified, it brings even more power to the story, but the story can stand alone and win the most skeptical heart.
I know this to be true, for the story of the Cross won my heart when I was 8 years old.
I want to thank you, my friends, for allowing me to tell my story, and how my story and the story of Jesus became one story.
And now you know how these stories began to be called parables.

Thanks for the helping hand!

I'm also including my general links to other social sites I'm a member of. Stop by!

http://astore.amazon.com/theshshear-20
http://www.facebook.com/revmaddog1948
https://picasaweb.google.com/106916814136401681601
http://revmaddog1948.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/revmaddog1948
http://www.youtube.com/user/hoosiergrandaddy?feature=mhee

http://myamazingamazonestores.blogspot.com/