Permission slip

Patience, the painful teacher, has permission to chisel on my heart to turn it into the image of Christ. #wisdompoet #maddog #Alzheimers

A Note to my daughter

Thanks for adding a delightful social hour and your sound counseling. You get both of those from your mother who wisely restrained my wilder impulses but supported many others because she loved adventures too. 

Your father 

Chuck Mate

Hoosier accent

How my mind works

If at first you don't succeed, try 26 times!!

This post will take some time to complete, so check back.

Persistence is a life long lesson for me. I am convinced, although I won't know for sure till I get to Heaven, that the Holy Spirit has been my coach in this, gently whispering and nudging me along to be more persistent or patient.

There are plenty of examples in the Bible.

A king was approached by a prophet and told to shoot arrows into the air. The king complied and shot three arrows into the air. The prophet expressed dismay. "If only you would have shot 6 arrows instead of three, your kingdom would have succeeded". The king failed to take this lesson to heart and the kingdom later fell to the enemy. Google it.

Abram, later called Abraham, was praying that God would spare his nephew Lot when he found out that God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot lived. "Would you spare the city if there were 50 righteous people found in it?" God said He would. Abraham persisted and negotiated God down to 5 instead of 50. There were not 5, but God still separated righteous Lot, along with his wife and two daughters, dragging them out of the city.

There is also the story, told by Jesus, of the widow who lost her home, and went to appeal to an unjust judge. Her persistence led the crooked judge to rule in her favor, because he knew she would just keep coming back.

There are multiple examples in the Bible. Now I will tell you a few of my own.

When trying to get back on our feet, I spent a week in Colorado Springs looking for a job. My last effort was Hewlett Packard. It was Friday afternoon. I was hot, tired, and hungry. I went up to the glass door, but wearily turned around and drove home. We moved to California a little later.

Some time later I came back to Colorado Springs for my Dad's graduation from Bible College. I decided to look up my friend Harvey Kroll, who had been the personnel manager at Western Forge. He had hired me after interviewing me for 3 hours where we did nothing but shoot the breeze about music, because Harvey was a fervent music lover. I found out Harvey no longer worked at Western Forge, but was now the personnel manager for... Hewlett Packard. Harvey's office was just around the corner of that glass door that I never knocked on. Since I had taken management training classes, Harvey said he could have gotten me a management position. Lesson learned.

On the positive side, I once called on a family 26 times, not every day, but once a week. I would inquire into their welfare, make my visits brief, and do my best to not wear out my welcome. After 26 calls, they started attending church.

Jesus said for us to go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that "my house may be full."

I've had a couple of comments about my character that have both honored me and humbled me. One high ranking supervisor worried that I would be overwhelmed at some of the problems I was facing at work. My friend spoke up for me. He said I would never give up.

When Mary's illness with Alzheimer's began to deepen, her son worried that I would divorce Mary. My daughter honored me with her comment. "My dad would never divorce and abandon her." I hope to earn that kind of respect from my children

Why Good People Go To Hell

 Why Good People Go to Hell

My purpose in writing this book is NOT to condemn good people, nor does God now condemn anyone. My purpose is to warn good people: Don't rely on your goodness to get you to heaven, for our goodness is not dependable. 

Rely on God. HE IS DEPENDABLE!

There is a destructive dangerous myth. If you believe this myth, your destination is Hell.

The myth is: A good God will not send good people to Hell.

(The problem is not in doing good. We need more people doing good. We have too many people doing bad, causing great destruction on innocent lives.

The problem comes not in doing good, but in relying on that goodness to get into heaven.)

Because many people believe this myth, A good God will not send good people to Hell, because they are destined to spend Eternity separated from God, beauty, rest, friends and in Infinite pain and regret, God did an INTERVENTION!!

The INTERVENTION was God sending His only begotten Son to be born of a virgin, do the Will of His Father by teaching, miracles, and healings, and to allow Himself to be falsely accused, tried, tortured, crucified, and buried.

The heavenly Father completed the intervention when He Resurrected His dead Son, revealed to Him to hundreds of witnesses, thirteen of whom wrote books about it, and took His resurrected Son Jesus back to heaven, again, in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses.

The story of the INTERVENTION destroys the myth A good God will not send good people to Hell.

The story of the INTERVENTION tells us... it was good people who brought about the Crucifixion.

It was His good friends that abandoned Him to His enemies.

It was good religious people that falsely tried  Jesus.

It was good heroic people that Crucified Jesus.

Are you a good person? Are you a friend of Jesus? Are you religious? Have you ever done or would like to do a heroic deed?

None of this will guarantee you a place in Heaven. 

If you believe the myth that A good God will not send good people to Hell, Hell is your destiny.

You have defined yourself as a good person. 

God does not define anyone as a good person. We have not listened to His Words. Not listening to His Words is why good people are headed to Hell.

Listen to God's Words. "There is none righteous, no, not one!"

"All we like sheep have gone astray!"

 "Our righteousness is as filthy rags!" 

"Why call me good? There is only one good, and that is God!"

Not listening to God's Words is why we die, and are headed for Eternal death. Adam and Eve disobeyed God's simple command, and chose knowledge rather an intimate friendship with God. For that, they brought death on all of mankind.

Listen to God's Word. Jesus said, "I am come that you might have abundant life."

Defining ourselves as good is not listening to God. Listen to Jesus as He says: "Two men prayed to God. One was openly religious, thankful, a giver, not an extortioner, or an adulterer. The other WAS an extortioner, who bowed his head humbly and privately and said God be merciful to me A SINNER! God heard his prayer!"

It is always appropriate to pray the prayer of the extortioner (tax collector or publican). Let's pray this together!! Lord be merciful to me- a sinner! 

When you agree with God that you are a sinner, you are listening to God, you don't believe the myth A good God will not send good people to Hell! and you have allowed God to INTERVENE or to SAVE you from a destiny of Hell, and put you on a path to Eternal life.

By agreeing with God that you're a sinner, you have turned or repented from your sinful, errant, destructive direction, and turned towards God, wanting to hear, to understand, to obey, TO LISTEN to God's Words, to seek Life, Eternal Life, from the source of All Life.

Call upon the Crucified and Resurrected Jesus to save you, and He will keep His Word, His Promise to save you, to give you Eternal Life, and you will become born again.

Keep listening to God's Word, my newborn brother or sister in Christ. Stay on the path by listening to His Words and I will meet you in Heaven.

My young brother in Christ.

Don't be reluctant or too proud to supplement your income with a part time job or a small business. Your making money won't stop me from giving to you. I helped a man in Pakistan once and he was a millionaire that hit a rough patch. I believed in him and I believe in you. Do whatever it takes to survive and succeed as long as it's honest work.

I am called Mad Dog because I would do any job no matter how hot, dirty, or stressful, and I did this while raising a family, pastoring a church, and caring for a home. I've worked low paying jobs when that was all that was available. 

I went from a large church to a small church out of necessity. I worked as a bi-vocational pastor, starting off with less than minimum wage, then stepping stoned my way up to a plant that made automotive wire that worked alot of overtime. Since other men wanted a break, I cross trained on every line everytime I had the chance. We had heavy medical bills because my late wife fought cancer for 15 years. God sustained me with His strenghth and taught me the great lesson of amazing grace.

Looking forward to working more with you in the future. God bless you with infinite grace, my young brother in Christ.

July 8, 2022: Mary's Alzheimer's and Good Samaritan Protocols

First a word from our sponsor, The Living and Written Word: NOW is the day of our Salvation! Call upon Jesus while He may be found! Draw nearer to God  and He will draw nearer to you.

Note: all my posts may be continuosly edited.

I was up at 5:45, asleep last night at 1am. Our night owl circadian rhythm is moving forward, probably because of the long summer days.

Later today I will help my beautiful wife Mary, who has advanced Alzheimer's, change her wet pajamas and adult diaper, then I will change the wet bedding. Humorously I will say, caveman style SHOW OFF IN FRONT OF PRETTY WOMAN. ME STRONG LIKE BULL as I lift the heavy mattress to change the top sheet. She smiles and I continue, in the voice of Larry the cable guy I GOT 'ER DUN!!

I've been using what I call the Good Samaritan protocols. You know the story. A man was robbed, and beaten badly, left to die beside the road. The religious man passed him by, and the educated man passed him by, too busy with their own lives to stop and  helpd a dying man.

The Samaritans were despised by the Jews and were not supported by the Jewish institutions. Hence, to make an honest living, they had had to hustle. Hard work, paying your dues, long hours, going beyond what others expect, were common place. Because of that, this Samaritan prospered.

Continuous was their slogan. Continuously improve, continuously organize and clean, continuously build momentum (that's where the money is made!) continuously communicate is how you, to quote Larry the cable guy, Get 'er done! Are you taking notes, boys and girls!?

  

The Battle Hymn of the Republic and a Sermon

Wow! I get started preaching! I also sing The Battle Hymn of the Republic!

Good Samaritan Protocols and Mary's Alzheimer's

 Today I woke up at 5:45 am. Since I am a lifelong night owl, my first sleep is 3 to 4 hours, followed by either a second sleep and/or power naps of an hour or more. The early summer time dawn hours wake both Mary and I up. This is a good time to change Mary's wet clothes and bedding.

I organized everything necessary for the change. I covered the bedroom chair with a puppy pad, and laid out fresh adult diapers. I turned the heat on because the wet clothes taken off cause Mary to be chilled. I have started putting her fresh PJs or bedclothes in the dryer to warm up. I turn the light on in the bathroom. I line up her drink of lemon lime pop along with a dash of lemon and cranberry juice and a 1/2 ounce of spiced liquor, with cloves, fever tree, and other helpful spices.

I escort Mary into the bathroom where she takes off her wet clothes and I put the warm pajama top on her right away. She comes back to the queen's chair and I help her get into underwear (diaper), pajama bottoms and slippers. I put the wet clothes in the washer filled with warm water, Lysol, detergent, and Oxyclean. I give her a dose of Pepto Bismol and a lorazapam to calm her tummy.

I keep up with the busy schedule of caring for Mary by using the example of the good samaritan. He ministered to the wounded man on the way of doing his business. He wasn't afraid of enlisting help from his innkeeper. I used the Good Samaritan Protocols. I organize,  get momentum going, and communicate constantly. I break all my choirs and tasks into small  parts and work continuosly on them every waking hour. i pray constantly asking God for wisdom moment by moment. I've always been very busy, pastoring, working jobs, working on the house, raising my family. God gave me a wonderful helper in my late wife Lynne. I like being busy. It keeps my restless mind engaged.

I will write more about Good Samaritan Protocols in a future post.

May the 4th be with you. Yoda

 Happy Fourth of July and God bless America!! May the #4th be with you. #Yoda #maddog #alzheimers #amazinggrace

Mary's PJs and bedding has been changed and she's back to snoozing!

We're doing mostly good. Mary misses her parents and I gently remind her I miss my parents too but they're in Heaven with Jesus. If I tell her directly her parents are dead she either argues or breaks down with crying. She also worries that I'm leaving. I reassure her frequently that we're sticking together which always makes her happy.

 It helps to stay busy with fixing food, eating together, watching YouTube and sci-fi, sitting outside with our 90 year old neighbor, singing while I play the piano, napping.  

We use the best McKesson ultra adult diapers which is what Hospice started us with. We also use McKesson pads which means I only have to change the top sheet. 

If we cut back on fluids early she gets thirsty and her blood work indicated her kidneys were shutting down. She sometimes makes it all night with dry bedding and PJs but if she says she's thirsty I give her something to drink.

July 4th Advice and Dynamite

My Dad used to say IF YOU WANT TO BE ALIVE ON THE 4TH, DON'T DRINK A 5TH ON THE 3RD!!

Dad always took us to the best fireworks, put on by professionals. Oddly, as a very young man, perhaps 15 years old, he and his older brother, John Dittmer, had a business together removing tree stumps from farmers fields, with a Caterpillar bulldozer and Dynamite. Yes, Dynamite!!

Dad knew how dangerous dynamite was from 1st hand experience. He told me you could easily blow a stump with just a half a stick, but dynamite was cheap, so Dad and John would would load half a box under the stump for a Hollywood special effects explosion that would turn even the biggest stump into toothpicks. There was purpose in this madness. The deafening explosion would echo for miles and alert the farmers that the Dittmer brothers were in the area. You could say business was booming!!

I'm sure John was the boss and owner of the Caterpillar bulldozer, but both he and his much younger brother Bill were both expert dozer operators, explosive experts, and welding and cutting torch experts. I'm certain that John enlisted Dad because they were both excited about the work. As a boy my father had polio which withered one leg badly. He loathed being thought of as a cripple and was anxious to prove he could do any job as good as any man.

This partnership was broken up by the start of World War II. Uncle John enlisted in the Navy as a Frogman, the forerunner of today's Navy S.E.A.L.s. He had the necessary skill set as an expert in explosives, welding, and on a cutting torch. He went on to be a decorated war hero. He was on the beach of Normandy the day before D-day, and was miraculously protected when he was commanded to operate a bulldozer the next day when the previous drivers had been shot and killed by German snipers.

Dad was too young to enlist, and he wouldn't have qualified with his gimpy polio leg.

Now comes the part I'm fuzzy about. After Dad graduated from high school and Uncle John returned from the war, they moved to Springfield, Illinois and restarted the business. This is where both men met their future wives. I've heard Aunt Velma testify how John won over her stubborn father to approve their marriage. 

My Dad met my future mother in a construction supply store that he frequented, probably on purpose. Carol had excelled at the business courses in high school and was the first of her 8 sisters to work in the professional world. She was a whiz at short hand and could type 120 to 140 words a minute.

Dad had a limp from his childhood polio, but he walked with such confidence it looked like a John Wayne swagger, according to Mom. He had a cherub face like Roy Rogers and a beautiful singing voice. The Springfield Church of the Nazarene put the couple to work singing duets for special music.

I think Uncle John was saved before or when he went into the service. My dad, however, had a wild streak. 

The business partnership ended when the bulldozer caught fire and Dad couldn't put it out. Instead of getting in touch with his brother, my Dad went to a bar and started drinking. This greatly upset Uncle John, who went to the bar to chew Dad out. My Dad shrugged his shoulders and said, "There wasn't anything I could do about it."

Uncle John went on to study for the ministry under the G.I. bill for veterans. He went on to pastor successfully at several churches across the Illinois District.

Dad and Mom eventually bought a trailer, and moved to Hammond, then a small town in Manhattan,Illinois, then to Jimmy the Greeks Trailer court. Somebody told the ambitious church that Mom and Dad used to be Nazarenes, and the church invited them to attend. I remember that visit in our little trailer, I was the first one in the family to "hit the altar" and get saved, followed by Mom and Dad.

Our family sang trio for a while, and after we moved to a real house in Aetna, Dad bought an old piano, and payed for very expensive piano lessons with Clarence DeMass. I became the church pianist, and my friend Butch Moreno, who also took lessons from Clarence DeMass played the organ. Our family began singing as a group with me playing the piano and making the arrangements.

This is where Uncle John reenters the story. He encouraged our family to come down to his church and sing. The Dittmer brothers were a team again.

God loves it when His plan comes together, and He doesn't even smoke a cigar, (Hannibal from A-Team)