Have you been bragging about me again, God?

 In the Book of Job, Job's friends secretly think that Job must have done something wrong to deserve all the calamities that fell on him so spectacularly and dramatically. They were unaware of the big picture.

Our calamities happen, I think, because our Creator brags on us. Mostly. There is also our stupidity. And arrogance.

In THE beginning, even before Genesis, God created a menagerie of Eternal, Invincible Beings. Angels.

We can guess that God gave them the basics. Who He was, is and will be. Infinite. All powerful. All knowing. Alpha and Omega. That means He knows the ending because... He's already there!

They were to be witnesses to what God was going to do. And they were going to assist Him in His greatest project... us!

God spoke, "Let there be light!" And light exploded into existence. Spectacular!! Yada, yada all the way to the Garden of Eden. Then He made us.

Wait a minute! Sir, do you realize how weak these creatures are? Here, I'll show you. And Lucifer went down to Eden, started a whispering campaign against God (Hath God said?) and just as he thought, Adam and Eve fell. Hard. And the calamities began!

So, why did God do this? To show a better way.

If you would be great in God's Kingdom, learn to be servant of all.

There is great beauty in weakness, such as a baby. Or a sunset.

When trials come, God says "My grace is sufficient for you."

I suspect God has been bragging about me. Satan appears to be after me.

My name is William Michael Dittmer Jr. My father had polio. William Michael Dittmer the 3rd died in infancy. William Michael Daly also died an infant.

My youngest daughter Wendelyn (my late wife wisely intervened when I wanted to name her Willimina Michelle) had a tragic car accident. She should have died. Her mother's prayers intervened.

My first helpmate and strong right arm died of cancer too young. My second wife has early onset severe Alzheimer's. I am caring for her, with an immense amount of help and Hospice, even though I am now disabled.

And yet I am smiling, partly because I suspect God is using me to help others.

God, are you bragging about me again? Thank you for using me to upset your opponent and reveal how powerful your grace is.

God's most powerful moment was when His Son Jesus was at His weakest, dying on the cross.

Running

RUNNING:
I am 71 years old. I like to run.
I use toe strike running to avoid pain.
So far, so good.
I am slow.
I run one direction, jogging, perhaps 600 feet, (???) then I turn around and push myself to run as fast as I can.
I am improving. As soon as I turn around, I push myself to move my legs faster, stride bigger, and bounce on my toes higher. As I get to my starting point, I push myself more. I go till my legs turn to jelly or I run out of of breath.
I run past my starting point, still at top speed, trying to find my exhaustion limit. It is encouraging to run at my utmost for a while and realize I am not yet exhausted. So I run a little farther both ways each day, trying to find my limit.
Because of that, I look forward to running each day.

Very Good! #meatheals #zerocarb #Carnivore

Today, I felt good. 
So I ran. Also good. 
I did not die. Very good!
#70yearoldrunner
#meatheals #zerocarb #Carnivore

Easily Distracted!

Ceaselessly pray! - Paul 
(Working on this. Extremely helpful to me, but a long ways to go! So easily distracted.. SQUIRREL!)

Spectacular Mistakes #rmdo #maddog

Spectacular mistakes humbles a proud, handsome, talented man - me, and blesses me with Grace. #rmdo

My brother, Ted, and me, on the right.

Extreme Night Owl

After a lifetime of shift work, I remain an extreme night owl married to another night owl. I look at it as a gift. I can't sleep until everyone else (in this case Mary) is asleep. 

This was very useful when baby-sitting, chaperoning youth groups, staying in high crime areas, or anticipating practical jokers. Walking up quietly behind someone who is hiding in my room and me scaring the Bejesus out of them are treasured college memories. On the downside, I did not well in classrooms. Fortunately, I was always a speed reader with a high retention rate. I also listened while I slept, which frustrated teachers who tried to sneak up on me or ask me a question. My late wife said I was snoring when the teacher tried to surprise me with a question. I woke up, recited the question, answered it, then went back to sleep.

With low carb, and no caffeine, I can go to sleep after Mary does, which is early in our book, 2 am. Lately, I've sleeping 3 to 5 hours, then supplementing it with 3 to 5 power naps of half an hour. Mary likes to lay down with me and sometimes will sleep maybe 9 or more hours per day, which seems to help her. She has advanced Alzheimer's.  

Noting the pre-industrial hunter gatherer sleep efficiency rate of 81 to 86%, I may actually be doing better than that, so I am happy with it. It helps that I am retired. I am also unsafe to socialize with in the morning and I like it that way. #maddog #alzheimers #AwesomeGod

A Good Hair Day

At 70 years old, a good hair day is when I look up and it's still there.
A few unruly hairs is a cowlick. A head full of unruly hairs is a fashion statement.

Reassuring #runforrestrun

Reassuring to have Mary cheer me from the balcony while I ran, knowing she'd call 911 if I collapsed. #70yearsold #runforrestrun

It Was 96 degrees. I am 70 years old.

It was 96 degrees. I am 70 years old.
I ran today. I ran faster and longer than I ever have before. I normally run till I am winded or my arms and legs feel like jelly.
But today I did not get winded, nor did my arms and legs turn to jelly.
I felt good when I started to run. I felt good while I ran. When I stopped, I was not winded or tired, and I felt good.
I felt so good that I looked forward to running again.
But not today.
For it was 96 degrees.. and I am 70 years old.

My New #KJV #Bible

My new Bible. It has 12.5 print, large enough to see while standing, and NO extra references, printed on onion skin paper, (made from linen or flax fiber?) so that it remains portable even though it's the whole Bible.
It is, of course, King James Version. The KJ is OK. The KJV is OK for me. I believe the study of the KJV and the study of Shakespeare sharpens minds, similar to learning a foreign language. The best actors have studied Shakespeare.
The KJV is not the only version, but I think it conveys the Majesty of God as well as any version. There is no patent on King James version, so the Bibles are less expensive, and there is a treasure trove of Scripture songs in the KJV.
There was a joke on the chalkboard at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs back during it's earliest days in the late 60's and early 70's. I was in the the third class. My Dad was in the 4th.
"The King James Version! If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me!" Permit me to point out the statement is historically inaccurate.
I also liked another joke on the NBC chalkboard that was anti Baptist, anti Catholic, anti Pentecostal and not edifying to the Body of Christ: JESUS WAS A NAZARENE!
May I mention one more from the ancient NBC chalkboard? I came in one morning to see this on the chalkboard: CAN ANY GOOD COME OUT OF KANSAS CITY? (a retake of the Scripture "Can any good come out of Bethlehem?" The Church of the Nazarene is headquartered in Kansas City)
#Nazarene #Shakespeare #NazareneBibleCollege #KansasCity

No Voices During Meals

I am a counting freak. I got punished in Kindergarten because I was counting all the students when I should have been singing. I once detected a $5 error in the running tab at the grocery check out while I was reading a magazine without paying for it. You should have seen the cashiers face. I loved music because you always have to count. I have a voice in my head that counts all the time. I run the voices in my head by Robert's Rules of Order. Don't speak unless spoken to. No new ideas until the current one is dealt with. NO VOICES DURING MEALS! 

Industry Leaders Who Lie #LCHF #Keto #meatheals #zerocarb

I have tested all the nutrition forces, elimination of contamination, micro nutrients, probiotics, phage therapy, silica, organic, and have found that macro nutrients ratios is the big one, ie. carbs, protein, fat, or Low Carb, High Fat. It is doable, even if you're poor, and yields the best result in well being.
Which leads me to conclude: Don't sweat the small stuff. Avoid being fearful. And have industry leaders who lie lined up and shot. This last point is optional. ;-)
(I would like to include in that list Monsanto executives, the Low Fat movement, the cigarette industry, and TV executives who prematurely cancelled the original Star Trek, Sarah Connor Chronicles and Firefly TV series.)

Do you smell ice cream?

My mother encouraged me to stand up to bullies. When I stood up to them, even if I got beat up, Mom gave me a bowl of ice cream. I cashed in twice. 

I went to Gary Emerson High School in Gary Indiana, a very rough school. Half black, half white. All mad.

I started standing up for myself in the 7th grade. I remember losing 26 times. 

In 1960 I stood up to a bully 8th grade teacher who made a cute straight A girl cry, Tina. I stood and said, Mr. Kaplan, this has got to stop. A big black kid came up, grabbed me, and took me out. Mr. Kaplan yelled Don't come back, then flunked me. That summer they changed my grade to a D and relocated the teacher. Different days then.
In 1961 in choir a bigger athletic kid was picking on my little brother. I told him to pick on somebody his own size. You're about my size, he said. Touch me and see what happens, said I. He did. I popped him in the eye, he hit me, teacher broke it up before he beat me up. I planned it that way. She took us to Principal. I got one day off, he got swats, we became friends.

After those two incidents nobody bothered me. They probably thought I was crazy. Different days.

Tim and I went to judo classes. We slapped box each other for practice. We crept up on each other to test our reactions. We became fearless.

Mom hated bullies.
She was not alone. My Aunt Velma coached my cousin Sam, when he was a little boy being beaten up by an older bigger bully. 
She cheered and coached him like a wrestling coach, until Sam fought back, got the upper hand, and fought till the other guy gave up. His little brother Stevie saw it.
I went to Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee Illinois. Older kids gave younger kids swirlies, sticking their heads in a toilet and flushing. 
They tried to give me a swirly. They quickly changed their mind. Pain is a wonderful motivator. Pressure points from judo.
The sophomores challenged the freshman to a brawl. The freshman recruited the fearless students from Gary (one was from Michigan, another from Chesterton.)
The sophomores came charging out of Hills Hall like Viking Ravagers. The freshman all fled. Except for the fearless kids. One tussel. I was pinned by a wrestling champ. I surrendered. He didn't let me up. So I made him let me up. Pain is a wonderful motivator. Pressure points.
I worked for Ristance/Echlin/Dana/Standard Motor for almost 20 years. One of the workers was screaming at me to get out of his area. He was 6 foot 5, 245 pounds, immensely strong. 
He was just behind my back, screaming. I decided to around, put my toes to his toes, my nose to his nose, and I smiled. After a few moments of face off, he walked away, cursing and grumbling.
I smelled ice cream.
Right now, politicians are acting like bullies. One party will throw you in jail and let out the criminals. The other party backs down like panty waists.

But some are standing up. Truckers seem to be fearless. Elections are coming. Pain is a wonderful motivator against bullies.

My favorite President stood strong.

Maybe his mother gave him ice cream when he was younger.