All in the Family featured the curmudgeonly Archie Bunker. Archie was television’s most famous grouch, blunt, blustering, straightforward and untouched by the PC crowd. He was the archetype of the conservative male. Michael desprately tried to reeducate him, but he persisted in his breviloquence.



Looking back at the last 40 years, we realize: ARCHIE WAS RIGHT!

5/29/2015

GFF-Mango Man

"The poor you will have with you, always".

Sometimes we take it for granted that there will be bums.  We call them bums because, well because that's what they are.  No job.  No place to stay.  No, no lots of things that we think "normal" people should have.

Not having and doing "normal" stuff tends to make other "normal" people uneasy.  A label helps categorize and marginalize and prioritize them right out of our life.

Except sometimes and some people don't.  The Mango Man, as he was nicknamed, was one of those people.  He wasn't a beggar.  He was just one of those guys that sat around.  Not clean cut.  Not "respectable" not a lot of things that people generally try to be.

In his neighborhood in Hawaii they could have called the cops.  They could have run him out.  They didn't.  They let him stay.  They'd drop by his bench and say hi, and after he got hit by a car they pitched in to buy him a new walker.

Hawaii Neighborhood Rallies Together To Save Beloved Homeless Man

"The poor you will have with you, always".

It's true, we will always have poor.  It doesn't mean they don't count.  It just means they are poor.  Sometimes we are richer for having them, because it gives us a chance to give.

5/27/2015

Electrical Bleg

I know we have some smart people on here.  I have a problem that I'm trying to work out and could use some help with.

I'm looking at getting a propane powered generator to supply electrical power for my up coming moose hunt of a lifetime.  I am going this route for a couple of reasons.  The first is my gas powered generator is old, heavy and very noisy.  The second is that propane is safer to transport and store in a wilderness camping situation. These are on sale thru the end of the month. 

I intend on making a purchase before the sale is over and doing a couple of "dry runs" to ensure everything is in good working order before I spend a couple of weeks hunting this fall.  My first dry run will be in June.

I have determined the appropriate size for my needs based on power generation and fuel consumption and have decided on a model.  I have also been in touch with the manufacture of the generator for their assistance and advice. 

Here is the problem: Portable power generators don't do a good job of delivering good clean AC power to run potentially sensitive electronic devices.  Because of that I'm going to have to install inline surge protection and some form of line conditioner/filter.  Does anyone have a suggestion of a good quality product that would work for this application or advice on how to go about this project?

USMC Goes to College

A Marine was attending a college course between missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The professor, an avowed atheist, shocked the class one day when he walked in, looked toward the ceiling, and said loudly, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."

The lecture room fell silent and the professor began his lecture. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God - still waiting."

It got down to the last minute when the Marine stood up, walked toward the professor and threw his best punch knocking him off the platform and out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat down.

The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you did that?"

The Marine calmly replied, "God is busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to behave like an idiot and say stupid stuff. So He sent me."

5/26/2015

Home at Last

We returned home Saturday evening.  I took the family to enjoy a long weekend in Colorado.  It always seems difficult for our family to get together around the holidays.  We've only done it a couple of times in the last 20 years.  The last time we had everyone together at thanksgiving was a couple of years ago.  The trip was long and exhausting and by the time we were done with the driving it was more than I wanted to repeat.

We decided to try meeting up at a different time of the year.  Last year we went camping and that seemed to work out pretty good.  This year we rented a house in Colorado.  The kids got to play with their cousins.  The rain and snow lasted almost the whole time.  When we got a break in the weather we managed to take a short hike in the mountains.

I managed to spot some bighorn sheep, both times while driving.  The traffic thru Denver was only slightly awful.  I should qualify that.  By big city standards it was fine.  I've now lived away from that kind of mess long enough that more than 6 cars on the interstate at a time is too crowed for me.

I had to be back to work on Sunday.  Last night my coworker pointed out that I hadn't taken that much time off (4 whole days) in a few years.  Which is true, I've been doing 6 or more days a week straight for some time now.  It was nice.  I'm going to do my best to take the rest of my time between now and August.

I saw a quote this last week:

"Common sense is now so rare it should be considered a super power".

5/22/2015

GFF-New Zealand

I learned something this week.  While I consider myself to have an above average knowledge of world religions, I've never devoted much time to the minor groups found in India.  I had heard of Sikhism before but never learned much about it.  Which may seem odd since it is the 5th largest organized religion in the world.

On of the tenets of this religion is a belief that they must wear a turban.  This belief, while perhaps odd to the western mind, is held in earnest.  The Sikh does not remove his turban in public.

Sikh puts religious rule aside to help boy
Man removes turban and places it under head of injured child hit by car outside primary school.
Harman Singh did not think twice about removing his turban to cradle the bleeding head of a 5-year-old who had just been hit by a vehicle on his way to school.
Mr Singh, 22, was at home when he heard car wheels screeching, and then a commotion, and ran outside to investigate. "I saw a child down on the ground and a lady was holding him. His head was bleeding, so I unveiled my turban and put it under his head."
Members of the Indian community last night praised Mr Singh for his action, considered a hugely significant act of humanity by breaking strict religious protocol to help a stranger.
Mr. Singh, my hat is off to you sir.  Your effort to help a small boy is praise worthy.   Good on you sir.

5/20/2015

GOOFY BOOK TITLES AND THEIR AUTHORS

"Chest Disease" by T. B. Cough
 
"Lung Cancer" by Iwanna Smoke
 
"Johnny Appleseed" by Seymour Trees
 
"Scratchy Sores" by Ivan Awfulitch
 
"The Cat Burglar" by Jimmy Windows
 
"Crazy People" by Yurin Idiot
 
"The Heaviest Load" by Linda Hand
 
"Conceit" by Ima Snob
 
"The Dairyman's Dilemma" by John Utterlost
 
"Irritating People" by Yura Pest
 
"Archery Lessons" by Amy Arrow
 
"Fruity Deserts" by Barry Flavor
 
"History of Plastics" by Polly Ethylene
 
"How to Make Orange Juice" by Squeeze M. Dry
 
"The Awful Wreck" by Bob N. Weave
 
"The Final Decision" by Will E. Provit
 
"The Great Escape" by Buster Clink
 
"Cut to Pieces" by Sam A. Rye
 
"The Trumpet Solo" by Willie Toote
 
"First Chinese Phone" by Walkie Talkie
 
"Police Weapons" by Billy Club
 
"The Great Explosion" by Dinah Mite

5/19/2015

Joe Mac

The book from the last post was "Last of the Breed" by Louis L'amour.

Louis "L'amour was a prolific writer of westerns and pulp fiction.  He was a "formula writer".  The stories were mostly along the same line, tough hardworking guy goes on an adventure, meets desirable female, romance or at least inexplicable feelings develop, man finishes the job he set out to do.

The stories weren't complex.  Soul searching was at a minimum.   In L'amour's world the good guys were good, the women were worth having and personal responsibility, honor and commitment were par for the course.  His characters may have been predictable, but that predictability was American manhood at it's finest.

"Last of the Breed" was unique for L'amour in that the story took place in the 1980's.  The protagonist is a 3/4 Sioux Indian who is employed as a major in the United States Air Force as a test pilot.  As a young man Joe Mac was brought up partly as an Indian and partly as a white man.  That ancient Sioux training becomes essential when the Soviets execute an elaborate plan to kidnap him in order to extract American military secrets. 

Joe Mac manages an escape from a top secret military prison in Siberia only to face the hard Russian winter in the wilderness.  The GRU and KGB search relentlessly for him, each eager to find him first.  To complicate his escape effort, a Yakut tracker named Alekhin hunts him with a vengeance.

The final scene in the book is when the man who ordered his abduction, Col Arkady Zamatev, receives a package of a carefully tanned animal skin.  Inside the skin is the scalp of the Yakut native Alekhin and a note:

THIS WAS ONCE A CUSTOM OF MY PEOPLE.
IN MY LIFETIME I SHALL TAKE TWO.  THIS IS THE FIRST.

Louis L'amour never intended a sequel to the book.  The abrupt ending was a literary device to impart the emotional impact of Joe Mack's return to his savage warrior heritage.  None the less, L'amour fans still inquire about the sequel frequently enough that an explanation that there isn't one is included in the FAQ's on the official website.

5/18/2015

Literary Cliff Hanger Trivia

I just finished rereading a book tonight.  It was published in 1986.  The book is a work of fiction.  The author is very successful in terms of numbers of books published, and has a dedicated following of fans.  I can't say that the author has ever been particularly original or innovative, but the ending of this book is a true cliff hanger that leaves you looking forward to the sequel.

For blog bragging rights answer the following:

1. Who is the Author?
2. What is the title of the book?
3. Why is this book unique in the authors repertoire?

These are the last three sentences of the book:

THIS WAS ONCE A CUSTOM OF MY PEOPLE.
IN MY LIFETIME I SHALL TAKE TWO.  THIS IS THE FIRST.

No fair Googling.

5/17/2015

Prenuptial Agreement

Every marriage has its ups and downs, as anyone who has been married more than month can attest.  If you thought marriage was going to be bad, I mean really bad, you'd just avoid it, right?

Isis wedding certificate shows jihadi bride demanding right to be a suicide bomber as condition of getting married

I don't think America's culture of easy divorce is good thing.  Given a choice I'd go with no fault divorce over unhappy wife killing other people to get out of her marriage.

5/16/2015

In The News

Date line: Monmouth County, New Jersey

In a judicial ruling that contains so much common sense that it probably will be over turned by the Supreme Court before you finish reading this blog post, Judge David Bauman delivered a ruling so shocking that I can't believe it happened this century in America.

Judge Pulls Atheists Head Out of His Ass, Explosion Rocks Eastern Sea Board

A Matawan-Aberdeen school district student who cannot be named (apparently because he sufferers form an extreme form of social autism) sued his school district because he didn't like the phrase ‘under God’ in the pledge of allegiance.  The suit claimed that atheist students suffer an indescribable amount of butt hurt just form hearing other students recite the words "under god".

Among other things the judge said in his ruling:
“As a matter of historical tradition, the words ‘under God’ can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words ‘In God We Trust’ from every coin in the land, than the words ‘so help me God’ from every presidential oath since 1789, or than the the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787,” he wrote.
And one more note the judge made: Even the New Jersey state constitution references God, he said, pointing to the fact the “very constitution under which” the student tried to obtain “redress for perceived atheistic marginalization could itself be deemed unconstitutional,” he wrote, the blog reported.
I thought that Roy Moore was the last bigoted hater in America.  At least he was from Alabama.  Who would have thought a Yankee state would have a judge that had a brain?  I'm sure Chris Christie in consultation and full agreement with the Obama (lack of) Administration will dispatch a SWAT Team to take Judge Bauman to a FEMA reeducation camp shortly.

Still Alive

Believe it or not, I'm still around.  It's been a trying week.  With a little luck I'll have some posts ready for you for next week.  Sorry about the lack of blogging focus.

5/13/2015

We Like KOA


My friend is a rather old-fashioned lady, quite elegant and delicate, especially in her choice of language. She and her husband were planning a weeklong camping trip, so she wrote to the campground for reservations. She didn't quite know how to ask about toilet facilities. She didn't want to write toilet in her letter.

After much deliberation, she thought of the old-fashioned term "Bathroom Commode." But when she wrote it down, she thought she was being too forward, so she rewrote the entire letter and referred to the bathroom commode as the B.C. "Does your campground have its own B.C.?" she asked in her letter.

Well the campground owner wasn't old-fashioned at all, and when he got this letter, he couldn't figure out what she was talking about. The "B.C." business had stumped him. After giving it much thought, the owner decided that she must be asking about the location for the local Baptist Church, so he wrote the following reply:

Dear Madam:
I regret very much the delay in answering your letter but I now take the pleasure of informing you that the B.C. is located six miles north of the campground.

It is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I will admit that it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly. No doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it.

The last time my wife and I went was six months ago and it was so crowded that we had to stand up the whole time. Right now, there is a supper planned to raise money for more seats. It will be held in the basement of the B.C.

I would like to say that it pains me that I am not able to go more regularly, but it is not for lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, especially in cold weather.
If you decide to come to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time that you go, sit with you, and introduce you to all the other folks. Remember, that this is a very friendly community.

The Campground Owner

5/08/2015

Countdown Complete

Tonight around 12:30am I met one of my intermediate fitness goals. 
 

This is the power rack at my gym.


This is what 3-45lb plates on each side looks like.
One of my fitness goals is to get to a point where I can lift 5 sets of 5 reps each at 405lbs.  That would be 4-45plates on each side.  Tonight I hit a milestone.  I finally made it the point where I am lifting 3 plates on each side.  6 plates X 45lbs each plus 45lbs for the bar = 315lbs.  Not too shabby for an old fart.

What about the next goal the 4 plates per side for 405lbs?  All I had to do was add two plates to the bar.  Could I do it?
Yes, I could add the extra weight to the bar.  That was easy!  How many reps could I get?

Exactly one.  Lifting 405lbs after doing 25 total reps at 315lbs was HARD.  But I nailed it for a 1 rep maximum of 405lbs on a squat.  I won't be trying that again.  I'm going to stick with the slow and steady strength building program I'm on till I get to 405. 

In case you were wondering.  At 405lbs on the bar if there is any air inside your body when you reach the down position on the squat, its coming out, fast.  I'm pretty sure I caught the tail end of a chili wet burrito I ate back in 83.  Fortuitously no one else is working out at 12:30 in the morning.

In other news:

2015 License Draw Results
License Type
RESIDENT MOOSE                              Successful
RESIDENT BIGHORN SHEEP             Unsuccessful

I've wanted to hunt moose for at least 30 years and I've been back in Wyoming for the last 15 years putting in for tags.  This year I finally drew a bull moose tag.  For those of you down in SW WYO, I'll be coming through town a time or two before season starts to so some scouting.
 
I'll explain the clues:
 
Two of them are nearly identical.I had put in for two hard to get hunting licenses.

The first thing to happen chronologically should happen shortly after midnight.
The only time I have to work out is after work which means I don't get to the gym till 12am.

The first thing is related to the other two things but is independent of it.
My desire to get fit has a lot to do with being able to enjoy my hobbies fully.  I'd still work out even if I didn't get any tags.

The second two things are depend on events outside of my control.There is nothing I can do about getting a tag in the draw its based on points and random chance.

 All three things will make me happy.
I'd love to meet all my personal goals.

One of the things I don't want to happen.
I didn't want a bighorn tag this year.  I don't have the money to do the hunt with an outfitter and I'm not in good enough shape to do it anyway.  I still need to lose a lot of weight (I'm down 22lbs since March 1).  I'm no where near in good enough shape in terms of cardio to do a physically challenging high altitude hunt.  Plus if I get a sheep I want at least a full shoulder mount and those are big bucks.
 
So now that I'm doing fairly good on my workouts and I have a moose hunting trip to prep for, I'll try not to blog all fitness and all hunting all the time.  I'm sure its still going to come up a time or two.
 
  

5/07/2015

Mothers Day Sale

I'm going to have to start carrying a digital camera with  me everywhere I go so I can get pictures of some of the stuff I see.

I went to town today to run some errands.  I needed to run into the grocery store.  In Wyoming stores that sell alcohol have to be separate from the grocery store.  At our Albertsons the liquor store is right next to the main store. 

Today must have been stock day for the liquor store.  The Budweiser truck was there and had unloaded nearly an entire semi load of beer on the side walk.  It was stacked neatly into large displays.  On top of the largest display was a sign that said "Mothers Day Sale".

Because nothing captures the spirit of Mothers Day like a case of bud.

5/06/2015

So Why Sex?

When you think about it, why did God give man sex?  He didn't have to.  Other creatures reproduce asexually. God didn't have to give us sex the way he did either.  There are animals that reproduce sexually that only do so during certain seasons.  Sex didn't have to include a component of pleasure.  Sex didn't have to be something we enjoy.

Characteristics of Human Sexuality
  • Produces offspring
  • Pleasurable
  • Is both logical and emotional in nature
  • Both carnal and spiritual
  • Available any time of year
  • Does not automatically or even reliably reproduce 
  • Progressive in nature
    • man sees women
    • they touch
    • more frequent touching/caressing leads to greater physical intimacy
    • greater intimacy leads to giving and receiving erotic pleasure
    • which will lead to copulation
  • Addictive
    • minor sexual stimulation leads to a need for greater stimulation
    • once a person discovers orgasm they will need it repeatedly
      • orgasm releases powerful chemicals in the human brain
      • biochemical mechanism is similar to that of additive substances
    • Creates feelings of euphoria and well being
    • Creates desire to re-experience
    • Creates dependency on the source of the pleasure
  • Creates uniquely bond pairs
I'm sure there are more things that can be added to the list.  So what does sex accomplish?
  • Creates a basis for life long partnership
  • Establishes a bonded pair
  • Provides for biological reproduction
  • Physical pleasure
  • Fun
  • Emotional intimacy
  • Serves as a platform for revelation of spiritual truth
    • creates a comparative example
    • revels multifaceted truth  
The Christian perspective on sex should incorporate both the scientific and  biological aspects as well as revealed biblical truth.  Going back to Genesis, God created things as He wanted them and then He pronounced His evaluation.  God said, "it is good".  That incudes human sexuality, and all its facets. 

Because God created it, He is best able to tell us how to use it.  Therefor the one man, one women model is valid and can be expected to give the most satisfying results.  Also the very fact of a man and women having sex was enough to create the "one flesh" reality.  If we accept the implications of Gen 2 on the nature and purpose of sex, then we must also accept that the same passage indicates that couples engaging in sex are engaging in the marriage relationship. 

Count Down

Just two more days after today.

I've been adequately pestered by Mrs Ipsa to give some hints.  There are three things that should/could happen on Friday.

Two of them are nearly identical.

The first thing to happen chronologically should happen shortly after midnight.

The first thing is related to the other two things but is independent of it.

The second two things are depend on events outside of my control.

All three things will make me happy.

One of the things I don't want to happen.

I'm sure that this is now as clear as mud.

Things My Mother Taught Me

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside -
I just finished cleaning!"
 
My mother taught me RELIGION
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
 
My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL
"If you don't straighten up,
I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
 
My mother taught me LOGIC
"Because I said so, that's why."
 
My mother taught me FORESIGHT
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
 
My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep laughing and I'll give you something to cry about."
 
My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"
 
My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM
"Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck!"
 
My mother taught me about STAMINA
"You'll sit there 'til all that spinach is finished."
 
My mother taught me about WEATHER
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
 
My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS
"If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you;
would you listen then?"
 
My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times -
Don't exaggerate!!!"
 
My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
 
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
"Stop acting like your father!"
 
My mother taught me about ENVY
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world
who don't have wonderful parents and good things to eat
like you do!"
 
My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION
"Just wait until your father gets home."

5/05/2015

Sex and Marriage

Susan made a couple of comments back on the posts on marital rape that have got me thinking.  I don't know if this will turn into a series type thing or just a couple of posts, probably its just going to be a few posts.

Turn your bible to the book of Genesis if you would please.
 Gen 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Gen 2:24-25 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
There are several points that we could take away from these verses.  Before I do that, I think its important to point out an obvious fact concerning men.  We men are visual orientated.  That means that we tend to be excited, enticed, drawn to, desirous of, evaluate, pass judgment on, etc things when we see them.  I believe that Adam was no different.
 
Another point I'd like to bring out is that we aren't sure how much time elapsed between Gen 1 and the end of chapter 3.  What I mean by that is we don't know if the events surrounding Adam getting a wife and sin entering the world took place on day 6 of creation or if it was days, weeks, months years etc before Eve showed up.  We aren't told.  We are told that Adam was 130 years old when his first son was born.  That gives us a time frame of one day to 129 years 3 months to contemplate. 
 
As the story goes Adam gets a wife.  He sees her and the first thing he says, in fact the first thing any man says in the whole Bible is a speech about how amazed he is over the whole deal.  The very next thing, right after that, keep in mind this is in the Bible, THE VERY NEXT THING is an explanation that the whole reason, is to have sex.  Look it up its in the Bible.  Granted the Bible doesn't say something like "do the hanky panky" or "make whoopee" or anything we'd recognize as "make love".  What it says is "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."  That "one flesh" business, that's Bible speak for "do it".

So I don't make this post too long, I'll highlight the important points:
  • God made man and gave him a visual orientation
  • God made women so she could "help" man
  • God made sure that when Adam and Eve met they were butt naked
  • Sex was God's idea
  • God's fist positive command to Adam was to "be fruitful and multiply"
  • Scripture teaches that a man should leave his parents and be united to HIS WIFE
  • Eve didn't birth any children till Adam was 130 years old
    • We don't know how long both of them lived together
    • We don't know when they sinned
    • Assuming Eve was created shortly after Adam say within a year or so and they didn't sin right away, that means God gave them potentially over 100 years of happy, romping around naked in paradise, sex, and they could have had more
  • God's ideal is one man, one women, having sex with each other for a lifetime
Not in tonight's post but equally important is another concept in scripture that I want to bring up but I'm not going to exegete.  That concept is that a husband and wife are scripturally unable to deny each other sex.  Paul only allows for one exception, and that only by mutual agreement, and only then for a limited period of time for a specific purpose.

5/04/2015

Count Down

Time marches on.

4 more days to wait and see.

Mrs. Ipsa actually called me three different times at work to ask me what is going on.  I told her it was a surprise.  Maybe I'll come up with some hints.

Of Jobs

Not everybody loves their job.

A job after all is something we exchange our time, efforts, etc to in exchange for money.  Most folks, I think, would quit showing up everyday at work, if the pay checks stopped showing up at the end of the week.  I think everybody in an organization understands this fact.

Some people have jobs that they are uniquely suited for.  The person who gets up everyday and is thankful that they get to do what they like with their time is unusual. The employee who tells folks that he is lucky they get a paycheck for doing what they love is even more rare.

When you don't have a job and you need one, desperation can set in.  Sometimes you take a job, just because its a job you can do, and they are willing to pay you to do it.  I think that everyone has probably done that at some point in time.  I know I have.  I'm doing that right now.  I get it.

One thing you should never do is let people know you hate your job.  Seriously this is a bad idea.  The only thing worse is letting people know you hate your job, before you actually start doing your job.

Woman Fired Before First Day Of Work Over Facebook Post
She posted on Facebook, "I start my new job today but I absolutely hate working at a day care. I just really hate being around a lot of kids."
The day care found out about it, and decided they didn't need her "help".

There are jobs a person can't do. Either they are not qualified or not capable of doing them.

There are jobs that a person would hate to do.

There are jobs that a person would love to do that fit into the category of "I'm so lucky they pay me to do this".

Someplace in-between are the jobs that most people will likely get.  The trick is to do the job you have until you find the job you want.  Never be ungrateful for an employer who thinks enough of you to hire you.  Never let them think, even for a second that you believe you are not suited for the job they hired you to do.  Because if you are, you shouldn't be there, and the economy is so bad, that they get rid of you today and have your replacement by the end of the week.

5/03/2015

Count Down

5 days and counting

5/02/2015

Count Down

6 Days to go

5/01/2015

GFF - Luke 21:1-4

First United Methodist Church in  Charlotte, North Carolina has what they call a "Muffin Ministry."   Before church on Sunday they give out muffins to anyone who drops by.  Most weeks they feed about 150.  The area the church is in, has a high number of homeless people.

Lots of churches do similar things, soup kitchens, second hand stores etc.  That's not really surprising or unusual.  It's also not something most people pay attention to.

Every once in a while something heart warming happens in one of these ministries.  Maybe its an addict that decides to get clean, or a teenager who turns it around and goes back home.  When that sort of thing happens its easy to reach into your wallet and fork over $50 to keep the "Muffin Ministry" going.

What if you're touched by the "Muffin Ministry" and the work they are doing but don't have an extra $100, or $50 to give?  Well that's O.K. even an extra $20 will help.  What if you don't have an Andy Jackson?  Hey that's all right $5 or $10 is good.  What if you don't have that? 

What if the reason the "Muffin Ministry" touched your heart, had nothing to do with someone getting off booze or drugs or helping a run away find their way back home?  Maybe the "Muffin Ministry" touched your heart today because you hadn't eaten.  Maybe that muffin and coffee was the first decent thing you put into your stomach in days.  It touched your heart because they helped fill your belly.

It's just a muffin.  That someone cared enough to give.  To you. Because.  Because, you might need one.

You don't have $100 bucks or $20 or even $1, if you did you wouldn't be eating free muffins in the church basement.  Its a really good muffin and these folks did it for you and you want to give something back.

You don't have much but you give what you have, and a note explaining why it wasn't more.
“Please don’t be mad, I don’t have much,” someone penned on the outside of the envelope, left in a collection plate at First United Methodist Church. “I’m homeless. God Bless.”
18 cents and a note left in a collection plate.  With inflation I suspect that's about the same as a widow and her two mites.