Monday, March 19, 2012

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rains have come and dumped a lot of water, but we needed it.  We are about 6 inches below annual rainfall for the year.  But, I don't like it when it comes down in buckets!  Oh, well.

Last week, I just wanted to get out of the house.  I had felt so cooped up, as I didn't get outside when I was sick and not feeling well.  So, we went to several movies.  On Monday we saw two movies, back to back, in the early afternoon matinee time period.  First we saw "Safe House" with Denzel Washington, and we thoroughly enjoyed the action and suspense.  Well, because of time, Sondra said, "Let's see 'Act of Valor' while we are here."  We then walked in the next theater door and watched "Act of Valor," a movie about the mission and exploits of our Navy Seals.  It was action-packed, but the movie was not as well-crafted as "Safe House."  We still enjoyed it, however.

Because we "sneaked" in to the second movie, immediately after the film I walked over to the manager's desk at the front of the theater to pay.  I told the young lady that my wife had wanted to see the second movie, but because the movie was just getting ready to start we went in without paying first.  I said, "I want to come and pay for that second movie now."  She responded, "Well, that is so very nice and honest of you.  Not many people do that."  She went over to the cash register, getting ready to ring up the sale, and I followed her.  Then, she stopped, looked at me and said, "You know what?  I appreciate your honesty and I am not going to charge you.  Have a great day!"  That was so nice of her, and I thanked her profusely.  Honesty does pay!

I had a birthday coupon for Famous Dave's BBQ that I had not used yet.  So, we ate and went home.  It was a fun outing.

The next day (Tuesday), Sharon and Lorn Harrison (our longtime friends here in Rialto) wanted to go to the movies, and we went with them.  We watched "The Descendants" with George Clooney.  It is a movie about life and death and relationships.  It was very thought-provoking and well-done.  Sharon and Lorn then took us out to dinner, to Lucille's BBQ.  I love barbecue, so I didn't mind at all.  They said they were "treating" because of our recent birthdays!

On Wednesday, we took little Bailey to a place called "Pretend City" down in Irvine (Orange County).  It is a fun place for kids up to ten years old.  It has everything in miniature -- bank, doctor's office, grocery store, farm, gas station, etc.  Bailey had a wonderful time, and we loved watching her play and enjoy the experience.









Sondra made homemade chocolate chip cookies that evening, and Crystal and Shawn enjoyed them with us!

Thursday morning, I spoke at the 8 am devotional time at the Coronado Stone manufacturing plant in nearby Fontana.  The topic I was given was "The Many Trials of Jesus."  As we approach the Easter season, different speakers are given the topics that lead up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

On Friday I had several meetings at Coronado to discuss the Sober Living Program for parolees that I am involved with there.  One of our guys, a man named Dave, had just been released from jail after getting busted for a minor drug charge while driving a Coronado vehicle.  I argued to bring him back into the program and give him another chance.  He has been working for Coronado for some time and has proven himself valuable in the workplace.

Yesterday, Sunday, this man Dave came up to me after the worship service and said, "Pastor, I want to get baptized today."  I told him that I needed to sit down and talk to him about commitment and the meaning of baptism.  He said, "I know about that.  I want to get baptized in a stream!"  We agreed to talk today after he gets off work!  What a joy!

After church, we went out to lunch at Sundowner's Restaurant with our Praise and Worship leader Dan and his fiance Pam.  He and Pam are planning their wedding soon, and we talked at length about that.  It was a great day.

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