Other than that we haven’t done a whole lot lately. Of course it’s been a while since I’ve made an entry so I guess quite a lot has happened but it would take to much thinking to go over the last few months. All that thinking would give me a headache so I’ll not try.

I guess the most interesting thing for me personally is that I have come to enjoy a nice, cool glass of pickle juice once in a while. I originally tried it because someone said it helped prevent cramps. It really don’t matter, it just tastes good. That’s not really interesting more like weird.

Dairy, I’m sorry I wasted your time with this crap.

PROVERBS 17:22 A MERRY HEART DOETH GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE: BUT A BROKEN SPIRIT DRIETH THE BONES.

I AM VONSTEGALL AND I LIKE PICKLE JUICE!!

Dairy, I’ve pulled some long weeks in march and april. And I’ve actually got something to show for it other than a stack of receipts. I bought me a 46″ riding mower. I think it’s actually called a lawn or yard tractor, it’s still a lawn mower. It ain’t top of the line but it ain’t at the bottom either. Instead of shooting to get the yard cut every 2 months I’m gonna shoot for 2 weeks. Hopefully by fall I’ll be able to get a lawn sweeper to get up the leaves too.

Dairy, not only do I have a mower to show for the overtime but we were able to get Kimmie a much needed mattress. It’s so nice to be able to buy something nice for your kids. We bought Jamie one off of craigs list a while back but we may get him a new sometime also. But his is good too so we’re gonna get us one hopefully in a few weeks first.

It’s amazing how good God is; a few months ago we thought it was gonna be another tough year money wise and now it’s looking pretty decent. I’m gonna hit a few more long weeks before gleaning season starts and then just try to maintain.

Dairy, just to clarify God is good all the time even when things don’t seem to be going good by worldly standards. There is not one single thing in this world that can take away the love relationship I have with My Creator; that’s enough to get me through any situation, therefore God is good all the time.

EXODUS 20:7 THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN;…

I AM VONSTEGALL AND IT IS SAD WHEN THE CHURCH REDUCES THIS VERSE TO NOT SAYING TWO WORDS!!!

We worked at the home of an elderly couple who have a disabled son and a grandson living in the house. Our tasks were to replace a sliding glass door that did not work and to tear out the rotting floors in the dining room/kitchen, replace rotting floors in a bathroom, and to tear out some rotting sheetrock in the basement below the rotting floors. We also cleaned out the basement.

Dairy, the old fellow was a real character and I had ball with him and the kids and with my old buddy Jim. We stayed at Jim’s house.

Dairy, Jim sent a box of light bulbs because it was dark in the basement. Well I needed to plug in a cord in the basement and the old fellow was gonna show me where the laundry room outlet was and flipped the switch and the light didn’t come on. He told me his grandson kept taking the bulbs out of the laundry room. He’d put one in and the kid would take it out. I wasn’t sure about this story, he was a real character, but a couple of hours later I went to roll up the cord and flipped the switch and no light. I felt the socket and no bulb. I replaced it and the next morning it was gone. I replaced and it stayed until the dude came home and less than an hour later it was gone. We was tripping on that and wondering and did a little research on-line, we found out that light bulbs can be made into a meth pipe. The lady had told us that the neighborhood was full of meth-labs. The funny thing was that Jim’s nephews church was near this community and they had went door to door giving out light bulbs as a visual for Jesus being the light of the world. How’s that for irony.

Dairy, this guy walked around for two days with a blank look on his face. We figured he would be unreachable. Friday before we left he told me “thank you for doing this for my grandparents”. Maybe a seed was planted or even watered. Hopefully we have made an impact on this young man, who knows?

Dairy, these kids from alabama were from a private school and for some of them this was the first time for them to swing a hammer or use a saw or handle a piece of nasty pee infested piece of wood from a bathroom floor or even see the destitution of others. There are several benefits here for them. 1. Hopefully they saw the importance of helping others in need. 2. Hopefully they saw the importance of staying in school and going to college so that they don’t have to do hard manual labor for a living(not there’s anything wrong with it(I’ve done it all my life and am proud of being able to take care of my family by the sweat of my brow)). 3. If they are ever tempted to do drugs maybe they will think of the guy who walks around with a blank look staring at walls and not give in to the temptation. 4. Most importantlly, I hope that these kids and chaperone’s relationships with Christ have strengthened.

Dairy, I had an awesome week.

JAMES 2:15,16 SUPPOSE YOU SEE A BROTHER OR SISTER WHO NEEDS FOOD OR CLOTHING, AND YOU SAY, “WELL, GOOD-BYE AND GOD BLESS YOU; STAY WARM AND EAT WELL”- BUT THEN YOU DON’T GIVE THAT PERSON ANY FOOD OR CLOTHING. WHAT GOOD DOES THAT DO?!

I AM VONSTEGALL AND GOD IS AWESOME!!!!!

I’m starting to feel more comfortable making decisions and telling the guys what to do. I say telling them but I actually ask. They want me to do the job but they say they can’t pay me for it. I’ve been told that I’m crazy for doing both jobs without any extra pay, but my job depends on the place being successful and my Bible tells me(that’s Mrs. Connell’s phrase), my Bible tells me I’m suppose to do everything as if I’m doing it for Christ. I’m not saying I’m at 100% on that but I’m trying. It’s amazing how once you go from being a coworker with most guys to overseeing them how you change what you think about some of them. It’s not that anyone’s changed it’s just that now their work ethic or lack there of in some cases effects me directly so I notice it more.

DAiry, I’ve also had some of them come to me with petty grievances about each other. I will not get involved in those situations, I refuse to be a babysitter. I’m not getting the pay so I refuse to get stressed out over childish crap.

One upside to not getting the pay is that I’m not responsible if something doesn’t get done. So I put the metal on the table let them know that’s what needs to be worked on and if they don’t do it, who the heck cares.

ONe last thought on work and I’ll shut up. I will be so glad when my workleader comes back and all I have to do is run my machine and not think about anything else. All that thinking is a pain in the butt.

COLOSSIANS 3:23 AND WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT UNTO MEN.

I AM VONSTEGALL AND I WISH I COULD LIVE THIS VERSE ALL THE TIME.

They actually shut the plant down from 11:00am yesterday until 6:00pm tonight. I figured it was gonna be iffy. I tried to get my boss man to let me work over 8 instead of 4 and be off last night. He didn’t go for it and then they shut down. I made up some of the missed time. I hope I can get there tonight. My neighbor is outside right now spinning her tires trying to get out of the driveway. If I do get there I’ll probably be able to work over, I doubt everyone will make it tomorrow.

Dairy, I hate that we had to cancel our monthly fellowship with the assisted living home. We were suppose to play CHRISTmas clearance bingo tonight. I guess I’ll try to get over there later in the week and hand out snacks to make up for it. We hit the clearance sales after CHRISTmas and was able to get a lot of candy and some fleece throws and stuffed animals with out spending a whole lot of money. I’ve been surprised lately I’ve had several people come up and give me money to put toward our monthly fellowships. I’ve not had to spend much the last couple of months, of course I insist on buying the ice cream when we do that that way I can bring home any that is left over.

Dairy, I’m getting tired of working. I’ll be glad when my work leader gets back so that I won’t have to do but one job.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. After they canceled work we just hung out. Me and Lynn and Kimmie always have a good time just hanging out. Jamie can be in the same room with and not really be there. He just stays in his own little world no matter how much we try to get him involved. I guess in some ways that is good for him. But we would really like to interact with him more than he lets us.

Dairy, I really love my kids. I wish things were different with Jamie but they are what they are. I am very proud of Kimmie, she is one of the most caring, discerning, intuitive, and Godly women(even if she is only 17) that I know, she is so much like her mom.

PROVERBS 31:WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS AND CAPABLE WIFE? SHE IS WORTH MORE THAN PRECIOUS RUBIES. HER HUSBAND CAN TRUST HER, AND SHE WILL GREATLY ENRICH HIS LIFE. SHE WILL NOT HINDER HIM BUT HELP HIM ALL HER LIFE.

I AM VONSTEGALL AND MY LIFE HAS BEEN GREATLY ENRICHED!!!!

Guy Who Lives in a Glass House, I can see where the statement I made about someone wanting a day off and the statement I made about the colonoscopy was out of line. I have a real hard time with taking a joke or observation to the extreme, I’m not making an excuse, I’m acknowledging a short coming that I have to work on constantly and fail at constantly. That’s one reason I hardly ever talk to anyone anymore unless I have too, I don’t want to offend anyone or hurt my witness for Christ which I did in the last entry. If I have given you a bad taste of how a Christian should act I am very sorry.
I do appreciate your prayers; please keep them coming.

Dairy, the Bible does not teach tolerance it teaches uncondition love and sharing with others the need for Jesus in their lives. It also teaches that it, the Bible, is to be used for correction and reconciliation with God so that we all will be better people and live according to God’s Word and have a better relationship with God. If we ingore sin whether it is individual sin or collective sin, such as a church, then we are not doing what the Bible teaches and we are hurting our individual and collective relationships with God. We are saved to live holy and seperate lives from the world, that’s God teaching not mine. Some of my statements were not holy or seperate but blended right in with the worlds overall view, again I ask forgiveness for this.

I am sorry but I would like to also say this: My Diary entry is anonyamous; Vonstegall is not my real name. I did not name my church in my anonyamous entry, nor did I name names; just an overall picture of what I see going on(yes I really should have left the afore mentioned comments out). Dairy, I have 2 friends that I know of who read this diary and I would not hesitate to express how I feel to them. I described in my last entry how I currently feel about the direction our church is heading. I am VERY concerned. I may have made a few comments that went a little too far but overall my entry is in my opinion a very accurate portrayal of our church at this time. I pray about the concerns I have for my church; I pray that if it is as I see it then the hearts of others will be changed and our church will get back on the right track of serving God more effectively. I also pray that if I’m wrong that my views of my church will change.

Dairy, I love my church and want us to be actively serving God in a positive way that effects others more than it does ourselves. I want us to show the world that Christ loves them and I’ll make a better effort, myself, to not say unnecesary and nasty stuff, but I will continue to be concerned until our church changes or I change my view. I can either leave and go to another church where I have no connections or stay and pray and do what I can to serve at a church where I have deep roots, it’s just that my roots in Christ are deeper than the roots in the church.

Dairy, one last thing(maybe), this is my diary of my experiences, of how I view the world, and what I think about those views and experiences. It’s also a place I have been able to come and just be silly for my own enjoyment and stress relief(I’ve not done much of that lately though) and I’ll continue to do these things here, with the exception of the nasty comments, hopefully. Thank you Guy Who Lives in a Glass House for calling me out on this. I hope I’ll be more aware in the future how my words reflect my relationship with Christ.

TITUS 2:11 & 12 FOR THE GRACE OF GOD HAS BEEN REVEALED, BRINGING SALVATION TO ALL PEOPLE, AND WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO TURN FROM GODLESS LIVING AND SINFUL PLEASURES. WE SHOULD LIVE IN THIS EVIL WORLD WITH SELF-CONTROL, RIGHT CONDUCT, AND DEVOTION TO GOD.

I AM VONSTEGALL AND I NEED MORE SELF-CONTROL!!!!!

Dairy, I’m so proud of my kids. Here is what they got for CHRISTmas and their responses. Jamie-$50, 12 pack of Yoo-Hoos, and we bought 2 pair of chickens to give to a poor family somewhere in Asia. He was very happy.
Kimber-$50,12 pack of Yoo-Hoos, and a donation in her name to help folks in Asia learn to read. She stated that she didn’t know which was better the $50 or knowing that folks will learn to read and be able to read the Bible. I’m so proud that my kids have learned that CHRISTmas is not about us but about others and most importantly CHRIST.

Dairy, church was cancelled 10 hours before the first flake fell. Sounds to me like someone wanted the day off. Anyway, I’m not too disapointed, I’ve been disenchanted with church as of late. We give too much lip service to trusting, serving and living for God and not enough life service. Don’t nobody take offense(unless you go to my church) I only know what’s going on at my church so I can’t speak about other churches. We’ll pat ourselves on the back and sing our own praises at the drop of a hat and I’ll tell you we like dropping hats. We average about 170 folks for SS(that’s with a padded count on the official records) and maybe 50 more for worship. But like we hear so much numbers aren’t important…then why pad the count? If you look at the parking lot and folks clothes and facebook entries you can tell that we as a whole do pretty good, even those who are “struggling” to pay for big cars and big houses and expenses meals and trips out of town and brand name clothing. Then we make a big deal about collecting 7 buckets of food for Haiti. It’s amazing what little things make us crow. We must of missed our goal for shoeboxes this year; there was no crowing being done about it. I know some of our leaders should never have to have a colonoscopy, the doctor can get some of the folks and a sketch artist together and give a pretty accurate description of what the inside of their colon looks like, at least neck deep anyway. I’m pretty sure that while I can only speak about my church for sure that this is probably the norm for most churches, I conclude that just by observing others who go to other churches(now if don’t go to my church you can offended if you want to). Ok I’ll stop my dour description of sacrificing blind and crippled animals. O’well I got back on my soap box again didn’t I?

Dairy, I’ve heard it said that even a blind squirrel will find an acorn once in awhile and I believe he found one today.

Dairy, I really don’t sit around and sulk all the time. I actually have a good time and cut up and have fun more than it sounds. It’s just that I have a heavy heart and deep concern about some things.

MALACHI 1:13 YOU SAY, ‘IT’S TOO HARD TO SERVE THE LORD,’ AND YOU TURN UP YOUR NOSES AT HIS COMMANDS,” SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHT. “THINK OF IT! ANIMALS THAT ARE STOLEN AND MUTILATED, CRIPPLED AND SICK-PRESENTED AS OFFERINGS! SHOULD I NOT ACCEPT FROM YOU SUCH OFFERINGS AS THESE?” ASKS THE LORD.

I AM VONSTEGALL I’M NOT ALWAYS IN A BAD MOOD……REALLY I’M NOT!!!!!

It’s gonna be an ibuprofen or tylenol kind of night for me. But that’s alright I’ve got some stuff accomplished the last couple of days. Yesterday when I got off of work I got plenty of wood up to the house and picked up another load. So we should be set with wood close at hand for a few weeks. Today I got most of the leaves up in the front yard. Hopefully I’ll finish the front and maybe the sides tomorrow. Whatever I get done tomorrow is all I’ll get done until I go back to work in January. I figure work in the yard mon-wed and take it easy thur-sun. that’s my plan anyway.

Dairy, I’m actually working next week but I’ll be working day shift. I’m not looking forward to that but it was that or get no pay. I know most people prefer day shift but I’ll take night shift anytime.

Dairy, I wouldn’t want to be a supervisor or work leader for anything. It can be as much baby-sitting as anything else. Our safety program that says we are to watch out for each other and point things out to each other is a pain in the butt. Some actually point things out out of concern, others do for a power kick(I speak-you react), and others do it to be a pain in the butt. Then guys get in arguements because the one who points something out does unsafe things all the time. We got to do something unsafe because if we don’t report anything we chewed out and when we do report stuff we get chewed out. It’s all a numbers game anyway.

Dairy, last fri night a guy points out that someone else is wearing the wrong gloves for the job. This is after several back and forths. The guy with the wrong gloves gets mad thows his gloves up in the air and walks off. No big deal except that one of the gloves lands on the track of the overhead crain and the guy has no clue. So I get a telescoping pole and knock it off the tracks. Since I’ve been doing the work leader job I’ve not directly said anything to anyone about anything, except “how about working on this order next” but I figured I needed to in this case. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I’d get; the dude was real mad. I told him later that when he threw his gloves one landed on the crain track. He had no clue. I let him know that if the crain jumped off the track or jammed up it would be real expensive to fix and everything in the shop would all stop(can’t move anything without the crain). I let him know getting mad wasn’t so bad just don’t do something stupid and endanger your job. He took it real well and even thanked me.

Dairy, CHRISTmas is the time for giving right? As CHRISTians aren’t our gifts suppose to represent the gift CHRIST gave us? The gift of everlasting life? I’m not talking about gifts to friends and family, I’m talking about giving like the Operation CHRISTmas Child shoeboxes, donating food to charities, and clothes to the CHRISTmas Burea, and any giving that is connected to the CHRISTian faith. It absolutely drives me crazy when people say “go to the dollar tree to make a shoebox”, or when folks give out of date food to food pantries, or ragged clothes to give to the less fortunate. Dairy, I am all for if the best you can do is go to dollar tree then go. But if you can do better DO IT!! I’m all for good stewardship also but when you are giving something in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ please give the best you can. The shoeboxes for Operation CHIRSTmas Child is the only gifts some kids get all year and it is accompanied with material in their language that shares the gospel. When you tell a kid that this gift represents eternal life and it falls apart in 5 minutes like most dollar tree toys, are they gonna take the printed material about Jesus serious? That’s just my opinion. I’ve helped pack food that is taken up for children’s homes and by law they can’t use it if it’s out of date. I’ve seen things 10 years out of date. Giving like that is basically cleaning out your pantry and I don’t feel that God blesses the givers in cases like this. God doesn’t need us to give Him anything. He allows us to participate in His work and He expects our best. He gave His best for us so we should give our best for Him in everything we do. OK Dairy, that concludes my sermon or soap box(whichever you prefer to call it) for today.

Well Dairy, that’s my excitement for the last week. If you feel you’ve wasted your time reading it I’m very sorry.

MALACHI 1:8 WHEN YOU GIVE BLIND ANIMALS AS SACRIFICES, ISN’T THAT WRONG? AND ISN’T IT WRONG TO OFFER ANIMALS THAT ARE CRIPPLED AND DISEASED?…..

I AM VONSTEGALL AND MY LORD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME AND I THANK HIM SO MUCH!!!!!

The funniest thing is that everyone of them will come in on Sunday night and talk about the football bets and how they either broke even or came out making money. I don’t think they can all come out ahead when they are all betting each other.

One of them asked me if I gambled and when I said no they wanted to know if I thought it was a sin. I told him that I couldn’t recall anywhere in the Bible that says thou shalt not gamble but being a good steward is a major theme all through the Bible and gambling is very poor stewardship so yes I think it is a sin. Now I’m not gonna condemn any of them for gambling because I’ve got my own sins to deal with and overcome. People are always selling raffle tickets and I always say no when asked to buy one. I’ve been asked why not and I tell them it’s gambling and I don’t gamble.

Dairy, I feel better about CHRISTmas this year, I’ve decided not to go around people who don’t give a rip about me and my family and I feel real good about the decision. If anyone has a problem with that then I guess that’s what it is; their problem. It takes a lot of the stress and depression out of it.

Dairy, I’m working tomorrow morning and tomorrow night and then I’m off until the following monday morning. I’ve worked everyday for about 3 weeks now and I’m ready for some time off. So many days in a row isn’t so bad but doing 2 jobs is killing me. The more you try to do to help some people the more they want you to do and then you have to say enough and slack off a bit til they figure out you ain’t gonna be a door mat.

Well that’s all the crap I gots for now.

ECCLESIASTES 5:14 MONEY IS PUT INTO RISKY INVESTMENTS THAT TURN SOUR, AND EVERYTHING IS LOST. IN THE END, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO PASS ON TO ONE’S CHILDREN.

I AM VONSTEGALL AND THE FLIP OF A COIN SOUNDS LIKE A RISKY INVESTMENT TO ME.

Dairy, I’m so proud of my kids. We asked them what they wanted for CHRISTmas and Jamie said $20 would be fine and Kimber said whatever you want to get me. Those were good answers because we had already decided that we were taking care of our kids(and it was gonna be slim at that) and our parents and that’s all. If it was just my decision it would be just our kids but Lynn wanted to do a little something for our parents so she did. THAT’S ALL I’M GONNA SAY ABOUT THAT!!

Dairy, me and Lynn(and occasionally the kids) have “gleaned” all summer. It’s an organization called The Society of Saint Andrew. It works like this, if a farmer has edible but not sellable produce due to size or just ugly then they call the SofSA and they organize volunteers and drivers to pick and deliver to other organizations that feed the hungry. We have picked strawberries, corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, zucchini?, peaches, apples, pumpkins, turnips, parsnips, greens, watermelons and maybe some other stuff I can’t remember. We have taken stuff to a battered womens shelter and home for disabled adults, we also took some apples to some of the seniors in our community. It’s been a real blessing to be able to help meet a very basic need for others.

Because it’s all volunteers except for the coordinators it’s very, very cost efficient. We figured up one time that we put $34 of gas in the tank on the way to a gleaning and based on the current grocery store price me and Lynn alone picked about $300 worth of tomatoes. And when you gave 15+ people picking you are able to feed a lot of people. So it’s very good stewardship.

I’ve also gotten involved in being a field supervisor- you basically greet the gleaners, tell the first timers about the SofSA, and split the produce gleaned between the drivers who are delivering and estimate the weight(the farmers also get a tax credit) of what was picked, and send a report to the region coordinator. Since this is a CHIRSTian organiziation I also get an opportunity to briefly share my faith.

Dairy, have you ever heard of a budha hand? It’s a citron fruit that has a base and butt load of fingers sticking up in all directions. It’s yellow and smells like a real strong lemon. I’d never seen one before. There is a farmer who in addition to farming takes truck loads of produce that are headed to the grocery store and his employees sort through and throw out what is bad. There is a lot of stuff that is perfectly edible but not sellable. Here’s an example-they actually measure the diameter and length of cucumbers and other stuff and if it’s too big or too small they throw it out. He gives a lot of stuff to the SofSA. We went to sort butternut squash and he started bringing out all kinds of exotic fruits; there was the budha hand, bitter melon, ridashio?, chum soy or soy chum, and several other things I’d never seen or heard of. I think the coordinators send a lot of this stuff to a community of vietnam refugees. This is stuff they are use to and know what to do with.

Not only is it good stewardship and efficient but it is a very good picture of the body of CHRIST being one body but many members(that’s scriptural) with CHRIST as the head. It takes the farmers willing to share, the coordinators willing to do the organizing, the drivers, the gleaners, and the other agencies that the food is taken to. It’s a Methodist organization but I’m baptist, and have worked with presbyterians, catholics, and who knows what other denominations. I’ve worked side by side with 6 and 7 year olds and a World War Two veteran. I’ve worked with a man who was 5 weeks out of back surgery(he could not do much but did what he could to help others). I’ve worked with youth groups, retired school teachers, factory workers, even a minister or two.

It’s just been an awesome summer and we are starting to wind down but still picking greens and I’m already looking forward to next spring when it starts all over again. THAT’S ALL I’M GONNA SAY ABOUT THAT!!

Dairy, just when I thought I was gonna get a break at work, my work leader finds out he has rectal cancer and will be out of work for a good long while. He’s gotten a good forecast for his chances of a complete recovery but It’ll probably be a while, so I get to do his job and mine while he’s out. It’s gonna be a rough haul but I’d rather face that than what he’s facing. He’s been out for a few weeks already and being a work leader is code for babysitting. I’m not getting caught up in the petty bickering of others. I’m not gonna ride the lazy guys or birddog break times or all that crap. The supervisor knows who does what and if he can’t or won’t deal with then I’m not going to. I’ll ask someone to do what needs to be done and tell them to work a particular order and even put the metal on the machine or table for them but if they don’t do what I ask or they slack off a whole lot I could care less. I’m not getting paid any extra and I’ll take a little extra stress but I’m not gonna get real stressed out over it. If the supervisor doesn’t like how I’m doing it he can wake up and get his tail out of the office and on the floor and run things himself. THAT’S ALL I’M GONNA SAY ABOUT THAT!!

Well Dairy, I’ve been real long winded today, I’m sorry about about that. THAT’S ALL I’M GONNA SAY ABOUT THAT!!

ISAIAH 53:5&11 BUT HE WAS WOUNDED AND CRUSHED FOR OUR SINS. HE WAS BEATEN THAT WE MIGHT HAVE PEACE. HE WAS WHIPPED, AND WE WERE HEALED! WHEN HE SEES ALL THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY HIS ANGUISH, HE WILL BE SATISFIED…

I AM VONSTEGALL AND YOU TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD; THAT’S LIFE!!