Wood Cook Stove

When we were building the house we acquired a wood cook stove. The elderly lady was still using it when it was removed for a remodel. We wanted to incorporate it into the house but insurance and fire code requirements made it to difficult. So for the last 20 years it has sat in the corner as conversation starter, decoration, and storage unit.

I finally gathered all the necessary components and set it up on the side porch that has become our outside kitchen. Now, we have a 3 burner propane stove, a 4 burner BlackStone Grill, a green egg grill, and now the wood cook stove.

First fire after set up.

Struggling Bees

The last couple years I have struggled with keeping bees. I entered spring with one very strong hive with plans to harvest honey. That hive box was damaged so I moved the bees into a new hive in the spring. I had another young hive, and added 2 new packages.

Everything was looking up until the rains came. Over the summer the strong hive left. Then the young hive and one of the new ones followed.

Going into winter I have one new hive of Russian Hybrid bees. I have ordered a package of Italians and another package of hybrids for this spring. I may order more but haven’t decided on that yet.

The plan is to baby the new hive through winter and next spring to focus on the bee yard and orchard.

The Root of our Failing Society

Far too many parents, grandparents and great grandparents fail to hold the younger generation accountable. Some are worried about maintaining a “good” family relationship. Some use the excuse of looking out for the grand or great grand children. These are all signs of weakness and excuses to hide it.

When family relationships are the most important thing they fail to be good. You enable bad behavior, at best and evil into the relationship. Discipline and accountability can be hard but they encourage growth. Enabling prevents growth because it prevents someone from suffering the consequences of their actions.

If you are raising or otherwise caring for your grand children because their parents won’t you probably need to look in the mirror for the root cause. Maybe you have and that is the real reason you are an enabler. Don’t let guilt of past failures prevent you from stepping up now. To do so just keeps dooming generation after generation. You can provide for your vulnerable grand and great grand children with out enabling the bad behavior’s of their parents. You can make sure the kids have what they NEED without bailing out the parent.

That is true Love.

Didn’t have to end this way

Last week 1819 News posted an article outing the Smith Station Alabama Mayor and Lead Pastor in a Baptist Church for his online transgender profile. The profile contained sexually explicit content.

In the interview he said that it was just a private personal hobby to relieve stress and it didn’t interfere with his job as Mayor or Pastor. This is not true. First, anything posted on the internet is not private. Second, there is a credibility issue from both a Christian and Political perspective. You can not stand and preach the Bible with any credibility if you are living a lifestyle that is contradictory to the teachings. Do as I say not as I do carries no water with people. As a politician, your values just came into question.

When this all came out he should have resigned from the church and as Mayor. Let the citizens of Smith Station, with the new information, decide if they still wanted him as their Mayor.

Sadly this didn’t happen. I can only imagine what his life may have been like after being exposed in todays social media life. I imagine the hate that filled his social media pages was unbearable. The disappointment and betrayal felt by some and disgust felt by others probably overwhelmed their compassion for a fellow man. I could be wrong on these assumptions but anyone who spends even a little bit of time on social media knows I’m probably right.

There is no sin that will not be forgiven by God, if asked. As a pastor he should have known this but his alter life makes me wonder if he believed it. I wish he would have stepped down and turned to his family to work through this. Tragically he chose to end his life.

Pray for his family and friends as they struggle with first the exposure and then the loss.

More Information has come out. Here and here. Keep praying for all involved.

Hamas is a Terrorist Organization

Is there any doubt? When you target civilians rather than military and government people and institutions. You are a terrorist. When you hide among civilians including tunnels under hospitals and refugee camps, you are a terrorist. Hamas looks for mass civilian casualties for both terror effect and news headlines. Terrorist organizations need to be eradicated.

I have sympathy for those who do not support the terrorist and just want to live their lives but are caught in the middle. I have no sympathy for those who support, protect and enable the terrorists.