T’Rex and Buttons

A friend gave me a cute button the other day. Now, I didn’t say he was as cute as a button, although I’m sure his bride thinks so. But the button was cute.

It has a simply drawn fish facing another simply drawn fish that happens to have feet. The first fish has the word “Jesus” printed across it, and the second fish with feet has the word “Darwin” printed across it. They are facing each other, like two fish kissing and hearts are bubbling up from their embrace.

The message of the button is pretty clear to me. Christians and Evolutionists embrace each other. I’ve never considered either to be exclusive of the other. Mind, heart, and faith go together for a wholly complete life. Yes, I am interested to from whence I came to be. Yes, I’m a believer.

What is all the fuss about? How come so many folks have this tendency to choose up sides? I just don’t accept the “us versus them” mentality. (Mayhaps, when it comes to football, but that’s a different story. Go TCU Horned Frogs!) I don’t want to be one of those Christians with a chip on my shoulder and looking for a fight, or worse a crusade. Let’s face it, Godless Evolution vs Creationism are labels for fighting positions. We should just take off our labels and dialogue.

I drive an automobile. My car does not run on corn syrup, it prefers petrol gas. That gasoline comes from decayed T’Rexes and numerous other dinosaurs. I cannot find one dinosaur named in my Bible, but I’m pretty sure they existed at one time. As a matter of observance, if you go by the way the Bible describes time, history only goes back so many thousand years and that just doesn’t give enough time for dinosaurs to turn into petroleum oil.

I believe God measures time on a whole different level than the way I do. I’m not so sure that a day as written by the ancients in Genesis equals one of my 24 hour days. I’m not limiting God, but I’m just sayin’ as another song writer once did, “there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on!”

Let’s talk sometime about from whence we came.

With a song in my heart.
SoulSongWriter

Chapter Two

Well, a friend told me yesterday they had read my blog, which reminded me I should probably make a new entry. Funny how time flies. My last entry was back in April. So much since then. My daughter had back surgery. My grandkids are at their dad's for summer break as the divorce decreed. I've had a week of vacation. Here it is almost the Fourth of July and I'm still addicted to Dr. Pepper.

My friend also said that he understood my problem with Dr. Pepper because he has been working on giving up smoking. I had not made a connection with D.P. and cigarettes. At least that's one addiction I don't suffer, smoking. We all know there is a physical addiction to smoking called nicotine. There's nothing like nicotine in Dr. Pepper.

But there is Sugar! Well more precisely, corn syrup. Maybe the old formula is better with cane sugar. I like that form of D.P. too. And I've been told by many friends that the stuff in diet drinks is more harmful than sugar. But then that all feels like rationalizing.

I guess there are worse addictions than D.P. At least I've moderated my D.P. drinking. Only twice since April have I gotten a refill. Okay, three times, but other than that I'm limiting it to just one 12 oz. serving.

Does sweet tea count against me?

With a song in my heart and sweet tea in my cup.
SoulSong Writer

No More d.p.

It all started 10 years ago when I woke up from a coma. I was thirsty, I mean really, really thirsty. They gave me popsicles. Like that relieves a guy's thirst. They knew what I wanted, and as soon as my voice recovered from the intubation tube, I'd let 'em know. IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? i want dr. pepper and i want it now!!! I vowed then that I would always have a dr. pepper ready and waiting. I fully recovered from my illness but d.p. had it's vicious hold on me. Frequently I would say in my whisper of a voice, "Did you ever dance with the Devil by the Pale Moonlight?" Now I know that devil's name, d.p.

Breaking News, this just in. My blood test results. I'm .2 below the acceptable amount for glucose. In a year, maybe two I could become another American statistic: obese and diabetic. As my good friend Mr. Bill used to say, "O NOOOOOOO!" So I must give up d.p. i Must give up d.p. i must GiveUP d.p.

With a song in my heart, and a glass of tea in my hand,
SoulSongWriter

APRIL NINETEENTH

April 19, 1995. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was getting ready to turn off the morning news and head out the door. "Breaking News!" "A bomb or some explosion in downtown Oklahoma City" "We think it is the Federal Courthouse." I take mental family inventory. Wife - at work at the eye doctor's office. Daughter - at school. My secretary had just served on jury duty at the Federal Courthouse. I pick up the phone. We talk about the absurdity of a bombing in OKC.

OKC, my hometown. Why would anyone pick downtown OKC?

"Breaking News" "We've confirmed that some kind of explosion has occurred in downtown Oklahoma City. All emergency personnel are requested to report to work."

"Breaking News." "St. Anthony Hospital is on full alert. The first victims are being brought their."

St. Anthony Hospital? I was born there.

My wife calls. My daughter is on a school bus in OKC. They have a field trip to the science museum. She is fine. Saw the explosion from the Interstate and thought it was a lightning strike. When they got to the museum, all children were held on the buses. By noon they were on their way home. She called from McD's where they had stopped.

Watching CNN News in the afternoon. "The first rescue team to enter the basement of the Murrah Building has just come out. Here's one of the firemen, we'll interview him."

There he was, my childhood best friend. His Dad had been a Fireman. That's Boone on CNN. I've got to talk to him. I'll call his mom and get the phone number.

APRIL 19 - REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS, THEIR FAMILIES, AND THE RESCUE WORKERS!