GIVE GOD PERMISSION TO BLESS YOU

May I suggest we start our day by blessing God so that he then has permission to bless us. 

There is an instruction manuals that we don't pay much attention to and yet it is life and death important.

In Matthews book about the life of Christ there's a section, highly regarded, as the sermon on the Mount. 

I found that I have to take the initiative and not be a lazy bum in making the beatitudes work. 

If I want the creator to bless me, in a sense I release him to do so by blessing him. 

We have an overly high expectation of random events and expect every one of them to follow our way and sometimes we get angry and quit trying to put in the work that releases success survival and sufficiency in our relationships. 

I was challenged to try a different approach which seems to line up with some of the great teachers of the Bible. I came across a book and I don't remember the name but it challenged me to be thankful in every circumstance including and this is a tough one boys and girls when I had a flat tire or when something really frustrated me such as illness or adversity. 

I decided to enter or sign up for the lifetime class of praise and Thanksgiving 101. 

I don't have a perfect score in this class but every time I slip up I decide to get back in the class and thank God he doesn't grade on the curve. 

One of the things that I put into practice and it earned me the reputation of being fearless in a tough environment was my habit of saying I LOVE MY JOB! I started that way everyday even though sometimes I came into a disaster because that's how factory work is and it became kind of like a mantra like something that you act out to the point where you actually begin to feel it. 

I won't bore you with a success and the blessings I received at that job but I credit it to the power of God's word and the holy Spirit and the help of friends. 

Now to the sermon on the Mount and the beatitudes and the first is possibly the most difficult, but you cannot live in life without something being taken away that you dearly love. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Applying this principle of releasing God by blessing him that sort of gives him a blank check then to do whatever blessing he chooses. 

Before you run off all excited and start blessing everything everyday all the time let me give you a word of warning. Life is dangerous, and people get jealous when you are blessed and when forces beyond your control and yes I believe there's a spiritual adversary who gets disturbed if God is blessing you and the first thing he does is bring trials your way like Job was persecuted just because he was greatly blessed and smart and wise and worked hard and was loyal and generous. May I suggest that sometimes we experience loss through no fault of our own other than God was blessing us. 

This is my favorite subject and I could rattle on forever but as my brother would say I think it's time for me to shut up now. Later Gators.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Now I understand why your humor makes me laugh loudly in my favorite mental health club. I believe our heavenly father is orchestrating events. Malachi 4.6 is seen clearly through the lens of Revelations. The place of safety for both the church and Israel in the Americas or more properly Murica is now understood. The importance of the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man and the world's most powerful nation and the transition from The powerful Democrats to the even more powerful Republicans and the amazing coincidence of the birthday of Donald J Trump, flag Day, the 250th birthday of the US army is clear. Later Gators.

THE JOY OF INTRODUCTIONS

I take great joy in making introductions. 

May I introduce you to Tim and Vicki Gates? 

Tim is the lead pastor of the ONE CHURCH of the Nazarene in Kokomo, Indiana. 

Vicky is his faithful, gracious, skilled, and may I say gorgeous? wife.

I met Tim in the district youth camp where we were part of the camp counselors. 

I was the night watchman. No surprise there. I also hustled cold pop after the afternoon sports. 

Tim was home for the summer from Olivet College. I don't remember all of Tim's duties but I'm sure they were extensive and all day long. 

At the end of the day in the dark cool of the evening after the evening evangelistic service or worship service we were relaxing sitting together when some flirty and silly high school girls came up to say hi to Tim and giggle. 

After they left, Tim sighed, rolled his eyes, and said quietly... I wish I could meet a serious girl. 

I knew just who he was looking for. 

Rebecca, Lynne, and I were called to Clinton Church of the Nazarene in the summer when it was just the three of us. Lynne and I were a tag team and frankly the oldest youth pastors on the Illinois district. I loved having fun. Lynne kept me grounded and she also remembered all the names, which is why I am in music and not a scholar. 

Our first Wednesday Bible study at the parsonage The kids all sat in a circle. I was so bad with names I used the crutch of calling all the girls by a male name like Ralph or Bob and they would always protest and say their name. 

The kids all introduced themselves one at a time and gave their names very clearly. The next week they wanted to test Lynne. Lynne pointed to each one gave them their full name then pointed to where they sat the week before. She was my incredible helper. 

Sometime during that first year we went for dinner to Vicky's house. Her dad was a farmer. Her mother was an awesome cook. At the end of a delicious meal while Lynn and I talked with her parents, Vicky graciously got up by herself without being asked and started to clean the plates and take them out to the kitchen. Lynne had always done the same thing and that struck me very pointedly that like my lovely wife Vicky has a servant's heart. 

I won't bore you with the rest of the details. But now you know the rest of the story. 

I also worked with the bus because I was a devoted follower of the Jack Hyles bus ministry in Hammond Indiana. I loved it and loved also calling door to door because it gave me quite a few opportunities to introduce people to Jesus, which gives me even greater joy. 

I think that's enough for now. Later Gators. 

Incidentally, Wendelyn, my youngest daughter, was born in Clinton although actually it was Decatur.

WHY THE RAIN PARABLES?

The strange math of friendship: my friends multiply my joy, but divide and lighten my sadness.

Today is Saturday, June 7th, 2025. It's. All. Set. Up. These are the last four words that I received from upper management who has exceedingly blessed me to the point where some people are a little jealous, but I'm going to speak less and less about the spiritual world and more and more about the reality of this world. We are now in the era of the 47th president of the United States, and God has answered my prayer of a president that has a deep financial understanding according to the story of the Lord Jesus Christ instructing a disciple to go to the Sea of Galilee and catch a fish and pull the gold coin out of its mouth and then explained the priorities of finances for nations. 

Now some of you are very well acquainted with my anointing, although I would rather just say I'm just a factory worker who was also voluntarily a preacher of a small church called FAMILY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. 

During my last segment of ministry which started during that historic year that Da Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986, I had been gently trained and disciplined by upper management on how to have God answer specific prayers and the starting point was farmers insisting that I pray for rain. 

This happened not once but twice and I explained that completely In my book THE RAIN PARABLES. 

This is all I need to say for now, and it appears that I will probably post this not only in Don's substack, but the shepherd's Journal, both on substack and blogspot and Facebook. I'm also active on X.

My full name is William Michael Dittmer Jr but if I'm in a coma my name is Mike ditmer, 2 t's and a capital d, and revmaddog1948 for internet search. 

That's all for now. Later Gators.

WAIT... MICHIGAN HAS A CAR INDUSTRY??

Yes it does, and my second wife Mary was deeply involved in it along with her son and dead husband. Ford was his employer until they had a better idea and laid him off and replaced him with Indian, the country, engineers, which only lasted for 6 months, but by then my stepson had found first a job designing headlights for a XYZ, no I don't know the name actually, in Austria, and then later a headlight trim company headquartered in Taiwan and the owner who may be no, probably is a multi-millionaire came over to hire him. My stepson also worked 6 months for Elon Musk in California, and also the other stainless steel electric car company called Fiskar. Coincidentally, my stepson's name is Don, and because for a period Fiskar of 6 months he was down to 12 employees and one of them was my stepson Don he is personally acquainted with fisker and can introduce you at the Detroit Auto show if you so choose. There is also a hamburger place in Austria that makes American style hamburgers and one of those that's on the menu is called the Detroit Don. This XYZ? Company also hired and fedded veted feted six high ranking Mexican officials from their factory in Mexico but they got thrown out of the country because their interpretation of borders is a little loose. Hopefully, that will change in the next decade. And now you know why I love Donald, the Donald, because one time, because the Taiwan company had to open a factory in the Detroit area, my stepson got in the car blathering that Donald Trump is the best president ever because he made the Taiwan company move a factory to Detroit. You're welcome.

WHY I'M CALLED MAD DOG

As usual I'm reversing my thank you by saying it before I read the next awesome blog by my hero Don. I like to do a lot of things back asswards. 

I also have gotten into the habit of praising the Lord before the experience which I do on a daily basis. I would actually go to work even though I was tired and grouchy saying I LOVE MY JOB! This brings to mind a workplace story that will partially explain why I am called MAD DOG. Later Gators.

THE STORY OF THE GOLD COIN IN THE FISH'S MOUTH AND JESUS

821 a.m. I'm sitting on the side of my bed. I finished my first cup of coffee. I don't think I'll post this on Facebook. I'm enjoying our friendship and mutual support and a little bit of privacy so I can talk about my personal life a little bit more open way than I can even on Facebook. 

Briefly, I not only voted for this, but I also clearly see God's providential hand in this and an answer to my specific prayer which may have happened after our company moved to Mishawaka and we brought assembly back from Mexico, but I don't remember the specific year other than it was after possibly 2000? Somewhere in that time period it dawned on me that the story of Jesus instructing one of the disciples to go fish and bring back a gold coin to pay for the temple tax was actually a heavenly hint on how to run our finances as a nation. Also, although I had fallen into the trap of thinking every president needed to be as smart as a lawyer or in the case of George Bush Jr well never mind but he was able to get everybody on board for the midterms of his first term in office. I've said enough and I take it back I am going to put this in the shepherds Journal blog but not in substack. Unlike my friends nobody shuts me up they just hide me or block me we're ignoring me until they're ready to talk me to me. I just got into a rant with a liberal friend on Facebook and I'm still not blocked or warned. It's a gift but then I have to hide a lot and either small churches or third shift or I have to be married as in my first wife who took all the black slack flack silly AI but she's cheaper than a third wife. Later Gators.

GUARDIAN ANGELS?

To my international friends... No messenger phone calls! I love you guys but I don't want to talk to you on messenger. It is 12:47 a.m. or after midnight anyway. I finally talked the cat into sitting on my lap without jumping off even though there's chicken close by and she wants to run and get into that but she'll also settle down and let me pet her. Carl should be headed home soon Charles pardon me while I correct my silly AI secretary my Google pixel phone. I'm learning to use my secretary more and more in my blogging life. I feel compelled to share the story of Jesus but in my typical stealth mode where you don't suspect I'm a preacher and so I bring up all sorts of interesting things to talk about as I sneak around behind you and get ready to introduce you to Jesus. So anyway I'm very happy with the responses I get with several blogs. It's obvious that God wants me to tell this story because he has anointed me but I claim no special privileges I'm no longer ordained I just tell my story but you do have to admit it's pretty cool that God answers my prayers in such spectacular ways. Some of them aren't in my book, for example the young lady by the name of Sarah who was almost killed by her husband and I had to run to the hospital to find her and I knew she was there but that doesn't stop a preacher from finding somebody in the hospital and so I found my way into the room and the family was terrified that the numbnuts husband was going to attempt to try again and I could see there thinking in that. So I prayed the very specific prayer that God would place two guardian angels by her door. Now she was in a coma for some time but when she slowly came out of it and started to speak which by the way the doctors at first thought that that would never happen, she's lifted her hand up and was whispering and her handsome brother but don't tell him. It'll go to his head. Anyway her brother leaned in close and she said quietly in a whisper there's two men in white at the door. I don't take credit for that I just say that from time to time God answers my prayer very specifically and for some reason he's still gives me insights into what's going on and hence I keep telling stories and some people are starting to believe them. Later Gators.

TRUMP'S FAULT

I just texted my oldest daughter. 

Also I need to get some more linisopril. I've reordered but it won't be here till May 14. Probably Trump's fault. 

Happy birthday to my only remaining son in law. Last man standing. My ex son-in-law is as romantic as a brick. Not taking sides. It is what it is. 

ISRAEL NEEDS A FRIEND

My comment today on substack. 

As per my normal? Form I will say good morning first and thank you all for being part of this amazing Mental Health support group. It's 10:25 a.m. and I am so thankful that God answers specific prayers for I pray for this and it's all set up. What I see is as my favorite President has said a golden age coming although not without some birth pains, and I'm not sure where the judgment of Babylon fits in, for we, the builders of this super corrupt city on seven hills certainly qualify and we as it's being revealed have driven the economies of not just ourselves but the world. But for now, Israel definitely needs a friend and my favorite President certainly qualifies. Even the very confused opposition called the Democrat Party agrees, although their help has been very tepid except for my favorite Democrat John Fetterman. 

This is enough for now. As usual, you guys inspire me and this will become a post, first on Facebook and then on blogspot and hopefully with time on substack. Later Gators.

ABOUT SUSAN COLLINS, SENATOR FROM MAINE

I would even say a kind word about Collins, who under extreme pressure came through with a reasoned treatise and a deciding vote on Trump's impeachment. 

On the other hand, there are a few living pieces of garbage that I would not throw a lifeline to if they were sinking in a cesspool. May I mention again Bill Gates, Mitch, Adam Schiff, Hillary Clinton, and the CBS Network executives that canceled after 3 years Star Trek.

DEEP SPACE NINE

HE WHO HAS THE GOLD MAKES THE RULES 

As stated by the infamous Ferengis, on the best Star Trek series Deep Space Nine led by Avery Brooks who also costarred in Spencer for Hire as a hit man and was coincidentally an excellent jazz pianist. 

The cast of characters that co-starred with them are iconic and memorable. 

My oldest daughter and I were so moved by their characters that we decided to attend a Star Trek Convention in nearby South Bend. We came in normal attire and were extremely underdressed. Klingons in full attire were speaking Klingon. More later.

U-2 banned?

Recent discussion on my Surber Nation Mental Health Group. 

Jeremy: U-2 the band? 

Don: it was never banned. It just didn't get much air time. 

Don't forget U-2 was shot down over the Soviet Union, being piloted by Gary Powers. There was a cute cartoon of two pilots with parachutes looking at each other, and one says U-2? 

You're welcome America.