Problems arise in the life of faith when we begin to regard the salvation experience as our destination. When this happens our personal experience with the Holy One can easily become the standard that we lay upon other persons. Unknowingly, the salvation moment evolves into a goal to be achieved. This is an enormous error of faith, because salvation is something God offers to all persons; it is not a personal achievement. As a gift of the Divine, our lives after the salvation experience should reflect our efforts to live faithfully to the way of love and peace that God intends for all people.
Author: Dan Acree
Death of the Dollar Movie
“Sherlock Holmes” was a movie I wanted to see. I even considered paying full price (gasp!). But before I could make the decision, it was off the screen at the Cinemark 24. It was pushed off the screen so that another film could be put on 8 of the 24 screens. Within a week “Holmes” was on the screen at the dollar movie. Before the week was out I cruised over to Movies 7, paid $1.75 and sat down with eight other bargain hunters for a night at the movies. No matter that there were about 300 empty seats for that performance.
Texoma Regional Blood Center
An average man of 180 pounds has about 10 to 11.5 pints of blood in his body, the average woman, a little less. If you live at high altitudes, you have more blood, as much as 4.7 pints more. A greater volume is needed as the air at higher altitudes holds less oxygen. A new-born baby weighing eight pounds only has about eight ounces of blood.
Garrett Patton
The economy may be slowing, but peoples’ hair keeps growing, and stylist Garrett Patton is glad of that. “I used to say we were recession proof—now I say we’re recession resistant.”
No News; Good News
If you are a regular watcher of the nightly network news or listen to Rush Limbaugh too much, it is easy to think the world is going to Hell in a handbasket. (One of my favorite American alliterative locutions.) Seriously, you can overdose on bad news delivered in 20-and 30-second segments. That’s why every few weeks I have to go into a news blackout mode where “no news is good news.”
Recognition for Mr. Haddock
It is easy to forget how important an influence teachers can be in our future lives. Today’s society has largely become disrespectful of the teaching profession— mostly without reason.
TV Star Among Us
For at least ten years I have watched Dennis McCuistion’s talk show, The McCuistion Program, on KERA-TV Channel 13. I had no idea that he was a local resident.
Hey, don’t I know you?
I was in one of the home stores a while back and the young lady at the check out recognized me from the VIP Cigar Party picture page (Nov-Dec 2009)—a one-inch wide photo!
Potluck Jackpot
Four new recipes to add to my file! Thank you for the Potluck Favorites article.
No-Kill Animal Shelters
City and county run animal shelters—the pound—don’t euthanize animals because they like it. They are doing the dirty work for people who get pets they get tired of, or who refuse to spay or neuter, and people who just dump animals without any thought at all. No-kill shelters like Arfhouse and the Texoma SPCA provide an alternative, but they need support from people who do give a damn about homeless animals.