All i want for Christmas are my two front teeth

Last night i bit into something and immediately i had the sensation that something had gotten wedged up in between my two front teeth. You know what i mean. The sensation that there is something there, applying pressure to both teeth. Well, i went and got some floss but it kept shredding. So i get a third piece a look in the mirror to see what it's getting caught on. Imagine my dismay when i see a crack appear in one my two front teeth as pressure is applied backwards to get the floss down in between! Fortunately neither tooth is 'original equipment'. When i was thirteen i was running and missed a step (no wise cracks ;) ), landed squarely on my chin and took of the better part off of both teeth. They were replaced by something pretty hard, but the dentist at the time had said they would have to be replaced when i was eighteen. Fast forward to May of this year and whatever the material was, was finally starting to give out and they both had to be replaced. Not fun, but we have a pretty good dentist who we've been using since '92. Now, one of them has to be replaced already. :( Such is life. :) I am just glad i am not in a lot of pain. Lately i have been 'chewing on' Mark 4 : 14-23:

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” [5] And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” [6] (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV)

I know this verse speaks in the context of food, but i have been thinking about this in terms of our other four senses. This is probably not something i can put together in a cohesive thought in written form, but here is my attempt. Basically i am going to concentrate on sight and sound as smell and touch often incorporate at least one of the other four. We live in a world, at least here in the United Sates, where carnal things assault our senses every day. It is a common notion that "sex sells". Now, is sex bad? Context, context, context. Sex with one's spouse is not bad, but outside of that - bad (i.e. a sin). Jesus was pretty specific, "I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28, ESV). Does that mean you can never look at a woman? No, it means you need to guard your heart about how you "digest" such a sight. It irritates me when i hear "that's the way God made me". Horseradish! That's the way sin has corrupted you! What about the things you listen to? Gossip, music, slander... None of these actually cause you to sin, but how do you deal with such things? Do you put in your own little quip? Or do you excuse yourself from the conversation? What about music? There are a ton of lyrics out there with suggestive content. Guarding our hearts has to be a full time occupation. It is impossible to fully shield ourselves from such input all of the time. We can make good choices to limit exposure, but unless you live in a hole somewhere, it comes at you. I've heard CJ Mahaney say on several occasion, "we need to talk to ourselves, not listen to ourselves". When we take a passive role in guarding and monitoring our heart outside influences wear down your heart. Sooner or later those influences move in and take hold. I was once a TOW gunner. The T.O.W. missile is still in use by the United States military as a viable anti-tank weapon. It replaced the Recoilless Rifle as the primary infantryman's defense against tanks. Why? Because a bullet in flight, even one as big that can be affected by outside influences like wind, but the T.O.W. is wire guided. It takes commands from the controller and actually makes mid-flight adjustments to make sure it stays on target. We need to be the same way in our walk with the Lord. Verse for today: Proverbs 4 : 23-27, ESV Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder [3] the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth

When I was 13 I was running to go get my brother for dinner. You know, back in the day when you could roam a hundred miles from home with just an "I'm going out!" yell as you were leaving. Anyway, I missed a step and landed squarely on my chin. The impact sheered my two front teeth taking the bottom third, and most of the backside of both front teeth. The subsequent trip to the dentist got them fixed up, but the repair was only supposed to last until I was 18. Twenty some years later they finally got to the point I needed to get the original repair job replaced. Nice work for something that was only supposed to last five years.

I have a great dentist. He is nice to talk to, he knows how to give a shot into the mouth without me kicking and screaming (I actually barely feel it!), and his work is top notch. We got to talking about how everyone wants to find a good doctor and dentist. When you're younger you look for some one older with the idea that he/she is more experienced. As you get older, you get set in your ways, and you don't want your dentists or doctors to retire... ever! LOL You want to outlive them so that you know you got the best care your whole life. But alas, the sands of time stop for no mortal man.

I am looking at my calender and I see that I now have a mere 26 total days left in uniform. This includes drill weekends, annual training, and misc. additional "fun days" that I have left. I am remembering these things because Susan recently related in her blog on watching her oldest son reporting for his first drill weekend. Seasons of life. I do not remember my first drill weekend so much as I remember the experience. I was not with the unit I was assigned to, rather it was a training detachment given the task to whip is enlistees into shape and get us ready for boot camp. I remember my basic training experiences... and I remember my first drill with my unit. Maybe I will make a few entries of my experiences in the days to come... but now they are behind me... and I am looking forward to bringing this season of my life to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a National Guardsman, and I am very proud of my service, but it is time for me to bring it to a close... it will be twenty two years when all is said and done.
Verse for today:
Proverb 26:1-7, ESV
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
a curse that is causeless does not alight.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

The arch support

Well, I have a bulging disc somewhere in the lower back. By God's grace I was referred to a wonderful Chiropractor who is not ashamed to proclaim his faith in God. He also is not one to just prescribe medication off the cuff. He worked with me for sometime yesterday. I went home with a back brace that holds cold compresses, a book that goes over the back and the exercises he wants me to perform, and helped me learn why/how I hurt it in the first place. I am still uncomfortable, but I have a better peace of mind. Ok, I don't want this to be all about the back. :) I was able to watch a little TV yesterday and last night. I may have mentioned this before but the FCC rules on profanity on television are confusing to me. You can use the "f-bomb" or the 'primary' word to describe a messy diaper. But they can use the Lord's name in vain without hesitation. It makes me sad. Verse for today: Luke 12:8-12, ESV And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Back problems

It is amazing how much of our daily lives are tied into things in the back. Last Thursday or Friday we had a tire blow out and I had to replace it. As a result I went ahead and rotated the tires on our mini-van. While I was tightening the last lugnut on the last tire I felt something 'tweak' in my back. It didn't bowl me over but it give me "reason to pause". I finished up my task and got on with my day. Well, pretty much since then my back has been going down hill. Over the weekend I drove to visit my brother in NC. Long story short he is getting ready to do a rotation overseas, and his wife was home on a two week rotation. It is essentially my last chance to see the two of them for about a year and a half. Thirteen hours in a car did not really help. Today it is hard to stand up and the doctor's office does not open until noon. *sigh* Well, I will have to wait and see. God bless... Verse for today: Luke 13:1-4, ESV There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”