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She Died! But Three Days Later,………. New Life!!!

Trying To Explain How I Will Die, But Then Live Forever

Ole Sally Sue Died.  She was a good chainsaw. My pride and joy, my helpmate, my “dancing partner” of the past five years, finally bit the dust.  She kicked the bucket, she expired, she croaked, she’s gone to meet her maker.

Sally Sue chainsaw is survived by her family;  Buzz saw, Rip saw, Hack saw, Skill saw, and her eccentric aunt from Florida…….. See Saw.

Sally Sue was with me for three years as I did volunteer work at Horn Creek Christian Church Camp.  She turned many storm damaged trees into railings, braces, and various log repairs to the camp buildings.  Good ole Sally Sue was also with me from the beginning of the log home project.  She cut the first log, she cut the nine foot log walls (all of them), and she was there cutting the very last log needed.

She died peacefully.  Actually I think I flooded her trying to crank her.  I pulled and pulled on the starter rope.  I yanked and yanked but no purring of the motor I was used to hearing.  She dead.  She gone. I’m gonna miss that loud noise she was always making.

Sally Sue was laid to rest at Robby’s Small Engine Repair.  See, I heard that these guys can work miracles on dead lawnmowers and chainsaws. After three days.……………….

I don’t understand a lot of stuff.  I know how to use a chainsaw.  But when the saw dies and won’t crank, then I’m stuck,  my hands are tied, I’m in trouble.  I’m helpless.  I don’t understand how a chainsaw can be brought back to life.  But these guys at Robby’s did something.  They replaced a sprocket, adjusted the carberator,(I can’t spell it much less understand it).  Cleaned out filters, replaced a spark plug, on and on.  And Sally Sue has a new life.  She runs!!!  She cuts!!!!  She basically has a BRAND NEW BODY!!!!!

John 11:24-25  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

OK, ok, I know it’s a chainsaw.  But my story hopefully helps to understand what I believe as a Christian.  I want you to see that I believe  Jesus will “do something” that lets me have life.  I don’t understand, (nothing says I have to), I just have to believe.  I don’t understand what Robby’s Small Engine Repair will do to my “Sally Sue”.  I just have to believe.  This belief causes me to walk in the door to their shop and say “fix this”!

So, friends, I believe that I can bring my life to Jesus and have Him “fix this”.  He can fix my life.  He can give me a new life while here on this Earth.  He will give me a new glorified body when it comes time for this ole body of mine to “croak”.  My new glorified body will live forever in Heaven.  Can’t explain it.  I’ve come close to having “panic attacks” thinking too deeply about how I will spend eternity.  I just can’t grasp in my mind how I live for thousands and thousands of years.  So I’ve decided to live a day at a time.  Enjoy life.  Enjoy the life my Lord and Saviour has given me today.  Enjoy the life I will be given for thousands and thousands of years. And even more.    HAPPY EASTER! my Christian friends!!!!

I think Sally Sue and I will go out and celebrate her new life.  I think we’ll carve a cross from one of the stumps.  I just hope I don’t “flood” her this time when I try cranking her up once again. 🙂

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher,  celebrating New Life one day at a time!!!!!

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Experiences make you,……well, Experienced

Why most jobs want you to have experience

During the making and construction of the log home, I used 5 gallons of chainsaw chain oil, wore out 5 pairs of jeans, destroyed three pairs of gloves, reduced 7 chains on the chainsaw to “nubbins”, obliterated a pair of knee pads, tattered two shirts, ruined a hat, severely cut my finger, and I wrestled with a double case of tennis elbow.  (A doctors term is tennis elbow, I think in my case it should be called chainsaw elbow.)  I also had my dancing partner for the last year to die on me.

That’s right.  Ole Sally Sue, the chainsaw, she “up and died on me”.  It was a challenge to see who would go first, me or her.  See, together we “danced” through many a tree, log, post, and beam.   I whooped it, she didn’t whoop me! (Read her obit here next week!)  First, I’d like to share this week’s blog.  Join me as I share part of my life.

 

The experiences that took place over the past year have led to one great experience of my building a log home.  I experienced a lot of learning.  I experienced a lot of frustrations.  I experienced a lot of situations that actually required thinking my way through.  I experienced the pride and joy of accomplishing a task.  I experienced the satisfaction of using my own hands to build something that I will call my own.  I experienced the total failure when MY chainsaw refused to crank for ME!!  I experienced the heavenly taste of a cold glass of sweet tea.  I experienced working while sick as a mule.   I experienced the highs, the lows, the temporary failures, the success of two cuts fitting together.  I experienced SO much that these experiences can only be summed up like this.  I am an experienced log home builder.

Yep, I am having so many experiences building this log home (and I wouldn’t have it any other way), that I can’t tell them all.  I enjoy reading a book that teaches me how to do something.  Better yet, I enjoy actually doing what I’ve just read and learned to do.  But this learning process,………..  these experiences that give me experience,…… this learning and gaining knowledge (at least in my case) seems to come from the mistakes, the boo-boos, the slip ups, and the downright failures.  I guess what I’m saying is that I learn from my mistakes.  I learn much more from MY mistakes than I do from other peoples’ successes.

One big thing I’ve learned from all these experiences??     A mistake is not a mistake if you’ve learned from it.  It’s now called a “learning moment“!   You’ve now heard that from a guy “with experience”!

A wise man (my father) once shared with me these great words of wisdom.  “Son, you’ll know what you are doing by the time you get through”.

I bet I will Dad.  By the time I get finished I will have experienced a lot of experiences!  That will make me experienced!  (Tire of that word yet?)

 

The job market out there in today’s world has a lot of requirements.  Whatever careers, job titles, or occupations, I’ve noticed one thing.  While most require some type of education (college degree), there seems to be a rushing wave of jobs out there that require someone with experience.  I’m beginning to realize what these job openings are asking for is this.  We need men and women who have encountered mistakes (oops, I mean learning moments) in their lives.  This type of experience is vital in this world today.

What about your experiences you are having in your spiritual journey right now?  Can you say that you are seeing a lot of “learning moments”?

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25: 4-5

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth  Experienced wilderness preacher,  experienced log home builder, experienced sweet tea drinker

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Would You Eat Here?

God's Love (spiritual food) is a Gift to All

Yep, there are 3 fly strips above the salad bar!   Flies, gnats, bugs, … critters of all kinds are stuck on the sticky tape and……….. Staci and I just lost our appetite.

We were traveling somewhere in the middle of nowhere west Texas when I got hungry.  I really enjoy driving off the beaten path.  It’s a great way to enjoy the scenery, see small towns, and even meet new people.  Most of all, it’s a great way to find small “Mom and Pop” restaurants that 9 times out of ten are exceptional with their food.

Uh Oh. This was the 10th out of ten.

We opened the door at 10:58 am.  Lunch is served, starting at 11.  Immediately upon entering we are greeted by (Vern), a man in his 50’s who is mopping up a mess.  “Come on in” was his welcome in a friendly voice.  But he quickly resumed mopping and discussing and cussing his current situation of having to clean up a mess that he himself had caused.  I’m guessing that his day wasn’t going smoothly.  Course, I really didn’t need to guess as he was diligently telling me how he hates cleaning up “messes”.  In between his cussin’ and discussin’ Staci inquires as to what food tastes good in his place………….  It couldn’t have been easier, or harder, if we had been FBI agents conducting a raid and investigation.  Every question she asked, (Vern) would beat around the bush, talk about his other foods, and continue to complain about the mopping.  What was puzzling to me was how he kept saying that we were early and that the “normal” lunch crowd would be there  any minute.  He also said that they sat at “THOSE TABLES” there.  (I can read body language, he was telling us we couldn’t sit in THOSE 5 tables because they were for the normal people, not us)

This was getting interesting.  There were three items for lunch listed on the hand written sign.  We both picked “Southern Fried Catfish”.  He said “Good choice! Now give me a few minutes to go catch ’em, then clean ’em, then cook ’em so you can then eat ’em.”  I started to volunteer to help “catch ’em”, but I was afraid to leave Staci by herself.  Ok Ok, I’ll admit it.  I was afraid to go anywhere alone with this guy.  He was beginning to give me the “Heeby Jeebys”.  This decision (mine mostly,) to stop and eat here was beginning to look like a bad idea.

The fish must not have been biting, cause it took a long time before our meal was ready.  (It’s now 11:20…. still waiting……, oh yea and there are no “normal lunch crowd” there yet.  none, nada, zip)  (Vern) does come out after a while and asks if we would like a salad while we wait.  “Sure thing” we both say.  Might as well eat a salad WHILE WE WAIT!!!

I tend to get amused when things aren’t going as pictured or planned.  Staci, well, she is welling up inside (I can tell) and will pretty soon be giving someone(VERN) a piece of her mind.  Uh oh.

Vern proudly takes us over to the salad bar.  It’s empty.  “S%&#” he yells. “Forgot to put the stuff out”.  He quickly comes back with the containers of salad bar entrees.  Salad, beans, carrots? maybe?, cole slaw, and some kind of liquidy green substance that wasn’t stirred up very well.  AND………and it all was only half filled, as  it appeared to be left overs from the night (or week) before.

First time I ever saw Staci pass on a salad!  Me, I filled my plate up with lettuce and cole slaw.  I passed on the liquidy green substance because, well it reminded me of the pond scum and moss where I had fished two days earlier.

“Not hungry, sweetie?” I asked, relishing the moment, knowing that I wouldn’t hear the end of this for a long time.

Staci had a look of dismay and disgust on her face.  “Did you see it?” she asked.  “What the pond scummy stuff”? I wondered.  “Nooooo!  The fly strips under the salad bar cover”  (time out)  Under the “sneeze guard” of the salad bar, there were three lights.  Wrapped around the lights and hanging down, were three fly strips.  They obviously were hanging down, because they were loaded, weighted down with flies, bugs, gnats, and…….. I think I saw  a grasshopper!!

No salad for her,……….. I think I’m gonna pass on that cole slaw now.

11:40  Here comes (Vern) with our fish plates.  Staci is already looking pale, nah it’s more of a bluish color.  I begin to eat the fish……….. or at least try to.  But Vern wants to know where we are from, what we are doing, who we voted for, why are we where we are.  I can’t eat for trying to talk.  It’s then that I realize Staci is striking up this conversation just so she DOESN’T HAVE TO EAT!

The fish wasn’t that bad.  At least mine wasn’t.  Staci’s pretty much remained on her plate.  She did pick at it.  Looked like a 13 year old  picking at broccoli.

I’m normally scolded by my wife for eating too fast. But today, she is quickly up from the table headed for the door, (still talking to Vern).  I stop to take a quick picture of the fly strips.  (I’m hoping (Vern) doesn’t see me).  He doesn’t, he’s too busy telling Staci how he does this, that, and the other.

I meet him at the counter to pay.  (Staci is doing her stretches which means she’s fixin’ to bolt out the door).  I wanted to ask ole boy Vern where the “normal lunch crowd” was and why we couldn’t sit at their reserved spots. (It’s now 11:50 and we are still the only ones here!!!!)   But, I knew that might be opening a new can of worms……. and in this joint there apparently were plenty of cans of worms.

Staci and I literally run out of the doors  to our car.  (Forrest Gump would have been proud).  We exchange looks at each other while sitting in the car and both of us burst out laughing.  What had we just experienced?   Dunno!

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  … James 2

What did this event teach me?  Well, the 10th out of 10 restaurants is not a place to go if you are hungry.  And friend, also this.  You yourself are on this Christian journey.  You yourself will meet others who are “spiritually hungry”.  My hope and prayer is that you (and I) will always be willing to share this Christian way of life.  I hope we don’t become “obsessed” with the mopped up messes and the critters and flies in our lives.  If we are obsessed with all the bad around us, then we can’t give the “good spiritual food” that you and I could be sharing with others.  That’s what this event taught me.

Oh, and one more thing this event taught me.  I didn’t know Staci could still run as fast as she did running out of the cafe.  40 plus years I’ve been chasing her,……… and I still can’t keep up.

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher