Sleepless Ramblings....

It's 5am on Christmas Eve, and I have yet to sleep a wink. I'm sick, but I don't have time to be sick. My body is just responding the frantic pace that I have been running at for the last month. I woke up yesterday with a bit of a cold and a sore throat from post-nasal drip, which was completely exasperated by leading the hymns at church this Sunday. Now I am sitting on my parents couch writing my farewell sermon for New Life, (actually blogging about writing my farewell sermon). My throat is raw, my head is pounding, and I am so tired that I cannot sleep.

I have so many things going through my head right now. I have so much packing left to do before Thursday when we load the truck, but I won't be going home until Wednesday. I can't stop thinking about all the things I have to do at the new house before Marianne and the boys arrive. And I just saw a coming out Christmas card from my cousin Liz and her girlfriend Mandy. I'm surprised, but not all that surprised. I love her and I hope she knows it.

My boys just woke up and they think it's Christmas, and they're so excited, but it's not and now I have to break it to them. But it made my morning to see their excitement and joy. I love Christmas, probably because I love Christ.

Merry Christmas everyone.

This is my personality....I'm so surprised

"Where's Joelo?"

Sorta like "Where's Waldo?"

This is a mosaic from an Newspaper ad that ran in Iowa just before the Iowa straw poll. The pictures which make up the ad are of ardent Ron Paul supporters. Can you find me? (Hint: In my picture I'm holding up a Large Mouth Bass...LOL...what did you expect?)

Here's a link:

http://ronpaulmosaic.com/ad/ames_ad_ron_paul_140dpi.jpg

Spurgeon got it....

“A Welsh minister who was preaching last Sabbath at the chapel of my dear brother, Jonathan George, was saying, that Christ was the sum and substance of the gospel, and he broke out into this story:—A young man had been preaching in the presence of a venerable divine, and after he had done he went to the old minister, and said, "What do you think of my sermon?" "A very poor sermon indeed," said he. "A poor sermon?" said the young man, "it took me a long time to study it." "Ay, no doubt of it." "Why, did you not think my explanation of the text a very good one?" "Oh, yes," said the old preacher, "very good indeed." "Well, then, why do you say it is a poor sermon? Didn't you think the metaphors were appropriate and the arguments conclusive?" "Yes, they were very good as far as that goes, but still it was a very poor sermon." "Will you tell me why you think it a poor sermon?" "Because," said he, "there was no Christ in it." "Well," said the young man, "Christ was not in the text; we are not to be preaching Christ always, we must preach what is in the text." So the old man said, "Don't you know young man that from every town, and every village, and every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London?" "Yes," said the young man. "Ah!" said the old divine "and so form every text in Scripture, there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And my dear brother, your business in when you get to a text, to say, 'Now what is the road to Christ?' and then preach a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis—Christ. And," said he, "I have never yet found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it, and if I ever do find one that has not a road to Christ in it, I will make one; I will go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there is a savour of Christ in it." Now since you say amen to that, and declare that what you want to hear is Jesus Christ, the text is proved—"Unto you therefore which believe he is precious."

(From “Christ Precious to Believers” - a Sermon (No. 242) Delivered on Sabbath Morning, March 13th, 1859, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.)

My stress reliever.....

At our last men's home fellowship I was talking with some guys about what we do in our free time to relieve stress. Bass fishing is my stress reliever. It's just good quiet time to reflect on life and liberty and to enjoy Our Father's world.

And since Castaic Lagoon is only about a half hour away that is my usual spot. It's a tough lake, but it is open 24 hrs so I can fish even after the boys go to sleep. So I usually end up there at least once a week. Here are some recent pics for those of you who were interested. I take pictures because I never keep the fish. I practice catch and release with bass. I want to be able to catch them again another day. Some recent pics all in the 3-4 lb range.

Ron Paul 2008 ~ For the Love of Liberty

A good overview of what distinguishes Statesman/ Congressman Ron Paul from the rest of the pack.

Lovin' Life at the Lagoon...

Okay, it's another fishing post. But that is what Blogging is all about right? Things that you love. Well, I love my boys and I love fishing, and I really love fishing with my boys. And this was a special trip because it was Ben's first trip out, and we could not have picked a more perfect evening.

It all started this afternoon when I decided it would be a good evening to take them up the the lagoon. So I went by Sports Chalet to pick up some mealworms thinking that we might hit some bluegill. Unfortunately when we got to the lagoon I realized that the mealworms were dead. So we were left to fish for trout.

Fortunately, our friend Tony was at the lake and had been slaying trout for the last hour. He let us know that they had just stocked and that the trout hadn't really spread out through the lake yet. Well, I put on a gold Kastmaster and the hit was on. The boys caught 10 trout between the two of them. I allowed them to keep 3 each for dinner tomorrow night, the rest we left to catch another day (or to be food for the Bass that daddy will catch another day).

The best part of course is just watching their faces as they are reeling them in. Ben caught the first one and was so excited. (Above is a picture of Ben with his first fish: A proud moment). Of course when they are 4 and 5 it's a lot of work for dad. I tried at first to give them each their own pole. That was a nightmare. I was just putting out one fire after another. After about half an hour I decided this was gonna drive me crazy. So we moved to a spot where the boys could run around a bit, while I fished. Then when I would get a bite, I would call one of them over to catch it for me. They had a blast. Every time they touched the pole they had a fish on.

I can't wait for the day when Nate is old enough to go. I think 4 is just about right for the first fishing experience. They are old enough to reel in a fish and hopefully they are old enough to remember it forever. The day I am really looking forward to is when they can all handle their own rigs, tie on their own lures, and cast for themselves. I'm really going to enjoy fishing with them then.

Ben's Bunch

Sam's Stockers

The Fishing Crew

Dinner!