Psalms 19

1: To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The proof of how big God is can be seen by observing the work of God's hands. The sky, the universe, the natural world.

2: Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

David wrote this to say that the work of God's hands speeks to us to show that God has infinite control in the day passing to day and the night going to night as God made it to be and saw that it was good.

3: There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Everybody can see the witness of God's creation.

4:: Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5: Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6: His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The Day and Night create a place for the sun to shine in it's glory. The sun passes from horizon to horizon and everything feels the heat and warmth that it gives. God has set this in order in the beginning and because of His infinite power it will be there to the end.

7: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

As God created a perfect world by His law, also he can create a perfect man through His Laws. Those who have nothing to hide understand God's witness and and they are wise in their understanding. God is not complicated.

8: The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes.

Our heart languishes in God's statutes. God's commandments give us clear vision.

9: The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.


Our perspective of God is respectfulf and as we honor and worship God for who He is, our honor and worship gives us a clean fear of God that never faileth. God's judgments are true and righteous all together, through and through and they compliment each other without contradiction.


10: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.


David was the King of Israel, and he had much fine gold indeed, and yet he realized how absent his life was without the judgments of God. Back then honey was one of the sweetest things that they had. There wasn't any real way to process foods and make all the different types of candy that we have today. Honey and the honeycomb itself was a rich thing, and to compare the judgments of God as sweeter than honey was a good choice of words.

11: Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

The judgments of God will let us know where the boundaries are, and a servant of God will heed the warning. There is great reward in heeding the warning. Consequences of heedless action are great and long lasting.

12: Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13: Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

God is faithful to show us where we need to measure up. His love for us is so great that He will tell us when we are doing something wrong. We have to make sure that we are honest and WANT God to do that, and if we meet the conditions of an honest heart we will hear God's voice talking to us.

14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be aceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

God is MY redeemer. What a strong statement! God loved me so much that he wants to clean me up and make my life comfortable and happy. God is MY strength. My strength to stand against the devil. My help in hard times. My ability to measure up to GOd's word and enjoy all the benefits that living a clean life gives us.

God will help us to have clean conversation and clean desires. Praise God for everythign that He does for us.

e-mail me: not.a.pipe.dream@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, and stay encouraged.
-David

I'm Gonna Make It Through

I’m Gonna Make It Through

Through so many dangers and toils of this life;
I have already come,
but he keeps on giving the grace and the strength
To just keep pressing on

He’s given a promise, and I'm gonna stand
On every word his word has said
And holding his hand, I’ll never fear:
Whatever lies ahead

I’m gonna make it
He already said that I could,
Ill keep on trusting that he’s working everything for my good;
He walks beside me, heaven is in my view
Oh, Oh, I’m going to make it through

Sometimes there are storms that darken my way
They cause my strength to fail.
But though I am tried and tested
I’m still determined to prevail

Because I remember the promise he made
That in my weakness he is strong
And that’s when I know whatever may come
His steady hand will lead me on. And on and on


I’m gonna make it.
He already said that I could.
Ill keep on trusting that he’s working everything for my good.
He walks beside me heaven is in my view.
Oh, Oh, I’m going to make it through

He walks beside me heaven is in my view
Oh, Oh, I’m going to make it; he said I could
I’m gonna make it through.

Fill the gaps

Circle the wagons. Fill the gaps. Reload the guns. Some have gone on to their final reward, but we are still fighting the good fight.

Dont' get discouraged about this. Even if your best friend has passed away or backslidden, get more friends. Get close to the YP. True Church of God people love each other. We care for each other so much.

Now someone has got to wear those awesome suspenders. Keep trusting in God! Keep loving each other. Don't give up even if you don't understand what God is doing!

Call me if you need me. Random YP have my number. E-mail me at not.a.pipe.dream@gmail.com if you want it too. This space doens't really have much about my true identity and I am trying to keep it that way, but let the chips fall as they might. Take care people.
-David

The Cruise

This is a new Charles, Steve, and Me story. To read the last one go to http://theadmiralsquarters.spaces.live.com and find "A Tale of Unrequited Love" it was posted in April of 2007.

Without further ado:

The Cruise.

The manufacturing company that Charles, Steve and I work for was doing a training operation to further enable it's technical operators to work the equipment in cold environments. So they sent us on one of the company's frieghters into the Bering Strait of Alaska to pick up several thousand tons of Alaskan wood stripped out of the forests.

Early one Friday morning I kissed my beautiful wife and children goodby and rushed out the door and into my new Smart for 4 car and left to pick up my partners in crime. I maneuvered my little car in and out of rush hour traffic headed east on the interstate. My radio was explaining very repetitively that the world as we know it is about ready to crash and burn and that global warming and George Bush was the cause of all the problems. I got tired of hearing about it and switched stations to hear about Neal Boortz talking about his fair tax plan. I heaved a long sigh and switched my stereo to my Veggie Tales Cd and sang along with Larry the cucumber trying to get my mind off the upcoming trip.

When I drive, my brain switches to auto-pilot mode because driving takes the brain power of a one-celled amoeba and I usually end up falling asleep even during the middle of the day. This morning was no exception to the rule. Dueting with Barbara Manatee was just enough to keep my interest up and I barely glanced around at my surroundings just to make sure I wouldn't get sandwiched between some deisel trucks. It was lucky I looked because I noticed my exit was almost there and that I would have to think fast and move quick in order to not go through the gore area and into a concrete barrier. Flipping my right blinker I shifted down into 3rd gear and pulled right hard causing some guy in a red minivan to swerve and start honking...so much for New York hospitality. I honked cheerfully back at him and gunned up the exit ramp.

Charles and steve were two techs that worked in the same department with me. Our job was to know how the machines in our industry worked. Our department had to know how to fix everything from small hand-held sanders to our large Barges that hauled lumber from the North into our shipping dock in New York Harbor. This trip we were going on a training seminar on a freighter called The Lucky Sow. The freighter was leaving port this morning to be gone for three weeks traveling up the coast. I was looking forward to the trip. Sounded like a great vacation to me!

Charles, Steve and I were carpooling in my Smart car to the harbor. I had to pick them up. Fortunately we had a good head start and plenty of time. I pulled into the duplex where Charles and Steve both lived. they had condos on opposite sides of each other, but we had all agreed to meet in Steve's place for a pre-trip conference, then to pile into my tiny car and rush to the harbor.

Some lady was pulling out of her covered spot and I waited patiently for her to go and then promptly parked in there. I waved at her and smiled and she pulled out squeeling her tires. I knew that I would be gone by the time she got back and I had little danger of being towed. I bounced up the steps of #109 and banged on the door...

This ends Chapter 1. Please stay tuned for the next chapter which will be released in the near future!

Thanks for reading Ch. 1! e-mail me at: not.a.pipe.dream@gmail.com
-David

Are you still committed?

It has been several months since the Youth Meeting and this excerpt from Bro. Todd's message "Committed" should be useful in helping us remember a small piece of what happened. Please keep in mind that it isn't entirely possible to type exactly what is being said, but one should be able to listen to the CD and read this at the same time and it will be very accurate. This is long, something like 12.5 pages single spaced so take your time about reading it because there are some very good things hidden in the text.

Bro Todd: Committed

My thoughts today, we've had a good time like I said, and my thoughts are a little sobering today. Because, we've had a joyous time: we've had a good time and everybody is high up on the mountain. Everybody's feeling good within themselves, but tomorrow, this week, we are going to war. We are going to war. We are going to battle. The devil's mad. The devil, he comes in here too. He knows how we are feeling. He knows what Bro. Parker preached; what Sis. Ellen preached. He knows what Sis. Pruitt preached. He knows Bro. Darren's testimony that he gave. He knows that the Holy Spirit blessed us last night. The enemy knows this, and tomorrow every single one of us; he is going to be after our souls. And I know I'm not wanting to put a damper on what we've had, but what I want to do is express my concern and my warning that we are high on the mountain and we have not made it yet.

I tell the young people from our congregation every year: after campmeeting that's when the devil attacks us the most. After revival, after whatever we go through, and we are high up on the mountain that's when the devil is waiting there. He is going to hit us with everything he has. He wants to strip all these feelings that we've had from this campmeeting and young people he wants to take you down and he's going to be there tomorrow, He's going to be there when you step into school and the atmosphere is not quite the same, when you go back to work and the atmosphere isn't quite the same. When that peer pressure starts mounting and you start feeling those feelings inside of you and you want to withdraw yourself, the enemy is going to be there

Just be ready. Turn your bibles please to John 6:61. My message [and] my thought today is very, very simple. Very simple. We trust you'll get something out of it.
"Joh 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."

Will ye also go away? It burdens me when we go through the year and we come back to campmeetings such as this, and there are young people that are supposed to be here that aren't here any more. It burdens me to know that they have sat [in] the presence of God like we have this campmeeting; but yet something happened throughout the year where they went away just as these went away.

You know these disciples that went away…when you read back into the chapter there, they ate of the loaves and of the bread, of the fishes and they were filled up, and they just loved Christ. "Christ is great we're going to follow him, this is the best thing. He gave us all this food and he just filled us up and he's healing people this is just great we are going to follow Christ all the way." And then when they started really getting down and Christ started really teaching them and started to showing them that that's really what's going on, all the sudden they started "wow I don't' know if I could go through that. I don't know if I could continue along that line. I don't know if I could take that."

What did they do? They deserted him. They went back. They didn't have it settled. They weren't committed to God. I want to talk about being committed to God. The only way we're going to make it through this year is if we're committed to God. The only way we're going to make it through this year, if we commit every single thing everything about us to God. We have to commit it all to him. No reservations. We have to commit all. They didn't have it settled. They didn't have it settled; they weren't committed, when the hard times came: just a couple teachings here that they couldn't accept, away they went. And young people as high as you are, as great a time as we've had. If you don't have it committed in your heart you will not be here next year. You might feel just like Peter back there before he was saved and sanctified, before he had committed it to God. He said "Christ I'll never leave you." And everybody probably feels that way today. But if you don't have it committed, if there's something in your mind, if there's something in your heart that you can't get above. The devil's going to come in, and he'll steal you right out.

[The devil will] do it. It doesn't matter how much you think you're going to be able to stand. If you haven't committed it all to God, you won't make it. You will not make it. Take it as a warning: I'm not taking any weight from your salvation, but I just know what the bible says, and if you don't give all, the devil's going to steal you from here. You have to give every single thing when you serve God. You cannot have one reservation. You cannot hold one thing back. You have to give it all. You have to give your boyfriends, you're going to have to give your girlfriends, you have to give your best friends, you have to give your parents, your family, whoever it is, your job, your work. You have to give it all right here. And above all that you have to give yourself right here. You have to give it all you just have to say "God I'm giving you everything. You lead me you guide me I don't' care what you say, I'll do it. I don't care where you tell me to go I'm going to go. That's the only thing that's acceptable to God. That's the only heart that God can truly lead to heaven

A heart that has reservations, a heart that holds back, a heart that holds something in there that they aren't willing yet to give to God: He can't help that someone. He can do so much. He can say, "Come on! He can say saints get behind you and pat you on the back and encourage you come on you can do this you can do this," but if it's in there, it's going to get in your way. Young people if I can't get anything else across to you this morning commit it all to God.

And that's been my burden the whole time since I've been here. I've just thought about you and I thought about the ones that have left and we've had some from Manassas who have just chosen to go to go away they didn't have it all committed. And I just was thinking about all you all here. And I love young people. I love to be with young people I enjoy it so much. But I know what you are going through. I know what you are going to face. I know the trials and the tribulations that you have. I know what I went through. I know the pastors, they feel this way, the helpers feel this way, if we could only just get you to see how important it is to commit all to God.

There's so much depth to that. Just give it all to him. All of it. All of it.

Tomorrow we go to war. Tomorrow we go to battle. We're going to have to fight with all that we have. We're going to have to stand. We're going to have to stand. We're going to have to endure some things. We're going to have to endure temptation. We're going to have to endure hard times. We are going to get into some different things that we're going to have to go through:

Turn to Joshua.24:15. A lot of the helpers, a lot of the ones who spoke this campmeeting stole my scriptures. "Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua made a choice. He said I'm going to serve God and I'm going to serve God with all that I have and every one in here has made a choice one way or the other. You've made a choice whether you're going to serve God with all that you have or not serve him at all.

You've made a choice to serve God now stick with it. Be committed to that choice that you've made. Stay committed to God. No matter what you face, no matter what circumstance what trial, what affliction that you have, whatever comes upon you this year, stay committed to God. Stick with the choice that you've made. Stick with it.

You're going to have hard times this year. We've already said tomorrow this week, this year the devil is going to be after your soul. He knows your weaknesses. He knows what gets to you. And that is what eh is going to use. You know what you went through last year. You know what you went through last month. He's coming. He's coming for you. He is coming for you. And if you don't have it committed if you don't have it all committed to God, you too will go away.


Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luk 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Luk 14:30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Luk 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Luk 14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

If you do not forsake all you cannot be Christ's disciple. You will not truly follow him through the fire and through the flood. Everything that song that they sing, you will not be able to make it through there if you don't forsake all. And this says there verse 26 about hating your father and your mother to love God the less than these, and your own self. Young people if you want to make it to heaven. If you wan to win that crown you are going to have to lay down your life. You're going to have to lay down your life and love your life less than God because if you don't you won't be able to bear the cross. You won't be able to be Christ's disciple.

And I was thinking of different one's through the ages of time who have gone through, heard the scriptures heard the warnings, heard the preaching, and how they sacrificed their lives how they committed all to God. And I was thinking of the apostles, and I looked them all up, just to see what happened to them and most of you probably know.

But I was just so thankful to read that after the Pentecost when they committed it all to God and fire came from heaven and filled them with the Holy Ghost, that they were able to go out no matter what came up against them and never ever let go of this truth that they had. They went through so much and they never let go of it they just took it on. They took this truth on. That's why we have it today. Because somebody back then was willing to stay committed to the cross. They were willing to take it a little bit further. And now here we are. You're going to have to be willing to take this thing a little bit further. We are the ones that have to bear the cross right now. We are the Church of God. And if we don't lay down our lives, if we have reservations we will be the one that lays it down and leaves it up to someone else to call on and take it.

Peter was crucified head down. Committed to the cross. James was beheaded by Herod; committed to the cross. Andrew crucified. Phillip died a martyr. Bartholomew flayed to death. Committed to the cross. Thomas…[they] drove a spear through him; died a martyr. Matthew died a martyr. James the lesser he was beaten, stoned, brains were dashed out. Committed to the cross. Somebody was willing. Someone was willing. No matter what no matter what they were willing to endure pain and mockery and they were set up in front of people and they were made fun of and mocked, but somebody was willing to be committed to the cross to take this on a little bit further. They were willing to share it and [enemies] would say, "be quiet stop preaching the truth. Stop preaching what Christ taught you." "No way! Were not stopping." That's what we're going to have to do saints of God. Were going to have o keep going on and no matter what happens in school and what they tell you down at the jobsite, we have to stand and be committed to the cross.

Every single part of us! Committed to the cross. If they had any reservations, if they weren't fully committed, do you think they could have gone through that? As soon as they were each strapped to the cross or maybe when they had the spear out or maybe when they started to feel a little bit of pain, if they weren't committed they would have given in right away. Young people as soon as you start going through something, as soon as you can't find your way or maybe you get council from your pastor and you don't know how to accept it, or you think you're a little scared about what he's saying and it's bothering you and worrying you, if you're not committed to the cross, that's when you're going to start coming up with another option.

That's what they would have done, if they weren't committed. As soon as they started feeling this pain and these hurts on their body, they would have started looking for other options would they have not? They would have recanted. Jude, he died a martyr, Simon he was crucified. Paul beheaded in Rome. Committed. Willing to go on. I want to read something to you that I read.

This book in AD 1568 there were three guys. Scoblann; Bro. Scoblann is what I like to call him; Bro. Hughes, and Bro. Kumans. These guys had it committed. Just want to share with you. These three men, they were put in prison because they were standing for truth. they were put in prison because they were standing for what was right. And while they were in prison they wrote a letter to some saints. To express themselves about how they felt about being in prison. And I thought this was so good. The were so committed to God. And here's what they said: "Since it is the will of the Almighty that we should suffer for His name, and be persecuted for the sake of His gospel we patiently submit and are joyful upon the occasion. Though the flesh may rebel against the spirit and hearken to the council of the old serpent, yet the truths of the gospel shall prevent such advice from being taken."

They really, really understood what was being said in the Word of God. The really had it committed. "Though the flesh," they said, "May rebel against the spirit, hearken to the council of the old serpent yet the truths of the gospel…" They really had it down in there. They had those seeds down in there. "The truths of the gospel shall prevent such advice from being taken. We are not comfortless in confinement, for we have faith. We fear not affliction for we have hope. We forgive our enemies for we have charity." Didn't they have so much? They were so rich. They had the goods. They have what Christ had taught the apostles and the apostles had it and now hundreds of years later in AD1568 there were some brothers standing for the same truths. The same pure gospel; The same feelings that we have. That same spirit that came in last night. They had it right there in the prison.

They had it. We don't care what's going on; we are happy to be in here. We are happy that we have to suffer just a little bit. Why? Because our Christ when to Calvary for us. We're willing to do anything for him. And that should be the attitude of every one of us in this room. Every single one of us, Christ was committed to the cross too. Did he not pray, so burdened and he said "God! If you would take this cup from me." But then he said, "not my will but yours." Young people not your will but His! Not your will. But His! When the pastor says I don't want you to like that person, not your will, but [God's]. When the pastor says no more My Space, Not my will, But His! Why? Because I'm committed to the cross, Why? Because I'm committed to serving God. When the pastor's wife gets on you says, that skirt's immodest; you need to fix that hairdo. Not my will, God, but yours!

When the pastor gets up and he hammers on you and he's right in your face, and he's telling you [that] you need to shapen up and he's telling you [that] you need to work on this area, Not my will God, but yours. I want to adjust, I want to be measured up I want to be far from the world! Isn't that what you feel young people? I want to be far from the world. I don't want to have any part of it. I don't wan to even be close to what that is. I don't want to dress immodest. I don't even want to look even remotely worldly. Why? Because I'm committed to the cross. Because I'm committed to God and I want to go on and one day I want to win the crown. Thank God one day when he splits the sky wide open how worth it will be to be committed to the cross

The worldly skirts and worldly dress and hairdos how important will that be on that day? It will be…I don't even know how to say it. It will just be so tedious. You ever go through something when all the sudden reality really sets in as to what's going on? And all the sudden you see that alot of the things that you've been battling or going through really is just no big deal. We just need to keep going on. Be committed to the cross. You know you think about what they went through and how they suffered affliction and how they were tormented. What we're going through is not really all that bad. We just need to stay on fire for God. We need to keep the fire burning right here. When the devil tells you not to pray in the morning we need to get down and pray. When we feel tired and we just want to hop in bed, we're committed to the cross. Let's get down to pray to our savior. Thank you for a good day. Thank you for how he saved us, Thankful for how he placed us in the church of God. We have so much to thank God for. We don't have time for even an ounce of worldliness. Young people get away from the world. Get away from anything that is remotely close to being worldly. Get away from it. Let the world go.

I remember one day, I am so thankful for this and I will never forget it. I remember one day when it dawned on me and I just clung to that realization and I said I don't even want the world any more! I want to get far away from it. I was so thankful once I got that settled, that's when I started making progress in my spiritual life. I remember it was so clear in me. I didn't want to dress worldly; I didn't want to go to the mall and even look worldly I wanted to be different. I wanted to be church of God.. Through and Through. I didn't try to dress a little worldly when I went to the mall I wanted to have my shirt tucked in, I wanted to look nice. I wanted to look Church of God! We are the light to the world and if we're not committed to the cross if we're not committed to what's to what's going on. We are hiding our light under a bushel. We are other people's hope to having what we have. We are other peoples hope to what we experienced last night. How many Young People have never experienced what we experienced last night? Millions of young people.

Commit it. Commit it all. Give it all. Just hate the world, that world will offer you nothing. I've seen so many, I've talked to so many at the alter and the world just destroys them. It destroys their mind, it destroys their thinking and like it's been said already, when they come back and they are just weeping and crying at the alter with just remnants, little things of their life that they [have] to put back together.

You don't have to do that. You don't have to do that. Just stay committed to God! Commit it no matter what. No matter what you have, no matter what you are going through commit it all to him. Commit it all.

That's where you are going to find your peace, that's where you're going to find your joy. That's where you are going to find your happiness. You know when we're unsettled and when we are not happy, That's when we haven't given it all to God. But once we do that, once we give it, that's when the real joy and the real peace comes in and if you're struggling with anything young people, If you're struggling with worldly music, you need to commit that. You need to just [say] no worldly music, that's the bottom line. The worldly music destroys souls. Worldly music causes you to think wrong. Causes you to think on things you shouldn't be thinking about. You might think "Oh, it's just a love song." There's lust spirits behind that stuff! We need to stay far from it. All it's going to do is cause you to get your eyes off the cross and start thinking about stuff you shouldn't be thinking about. Any kind of worldliness, anything, music, whatever, we as Church of God, we don't want any part of it. Not one bit.

See here these brothers are down in the old dungeon. Thankful to be there. What a testimony. That's pretty awesome to me. I really like these three brothers. They're thankful to be there. I would hope that if I would ever be in a situation like that, that I would be thankful to be there They really had a vision of what was going on. They really saw the depth as to what was going on. Maybe we need to feel good that maybe sometimes we get made fun of. Maybe sometimes when somebody asks us a question, and I've had teachers do it to me on purpose, ask me out loud, "Why aren't you playing on the football team Todd?" With a little smile. Committed to the cross. I can give him a smile right back and say, "Cause I'm on my way to heaven." Right? Cause I am going on. I don't want to have any part of that.

So here they are. What a testimony. These three brothers really had it. "Be not under apprehensions for us. We are happy in confinement through the promises of God. Glory in our bonds and exalt of being thought worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. We desire not to be released. But to be blessed with fortitude. We ask not liberty but the power of perseverance. In which for no change in our condition but that which places a crown of martyrdom upon our heads." They really had it settled didn't they? Young people get it settled. Get it settled that no matter what, you're going on.

So these guys were brought to trial. Bro. Scoblann was brought first and he said, "I don't even want a friar to come close to me." Don't even get near me. He said. I don't even want him to get close. And he died. They killed him. Brother Hughes he died while he was in prison. And Bro. Kumans, he was the last one. And I want to read to you what he did on his day of in being in trial.

On his trial he freely confessed himself of being of the reformed religion. Answering with the manly fortitude to every charge against him and proved the scriptural part of his answers from the gospel. Proved it with the gospel. [It's] one thing to stand for something but when we have the gospel, we're doing the right thing. That's why he didn't have any reservations because he knew he was in line with God. He just answered, all their questions. He just stood up there, "Yup, that's me!" and the reason why he was doing it is because of this: gave them scripture as to why he was doing it. The judge told him the only alternatives were recantation or death and concluded by saying: "Will you die for the faith you profess? To which Bro. Kumens replied: "I am not only willing to die, but to suffer the most excruciating torments for it."

Bro. Kumans had it settled. I'm not only willing to die judge but I'm willing to suffer excruciating torment for this. Do we have it settled like that? Do we have it settled? That we're not only willing to go though some things, but were willing to go through every single bit of it whether it's the worst possible scenario you could ever imagine in your mind and I know one thing that really bothers young people, and I'm going to say it: Whether God would choose for you to have you not marry someone. That's tough. Are you committed to the cross? Are you committed? We need to be committed. Willing to go on. Willing to say God not my will but yours. Not my will but yours and I'm not trying to scare you young people. I feel like all of you will get married. God gives us so much.

God blesses so much, but what if? We need to be willing to go through it. We need to be willing to go through. "I'm not only willing to die, but to suffer the most excruciating torments for it. After which my soul shall receive it's confirmation from God himself in the midst of eternal glory." Bro. Kumans, he had it settled. Thank God for those saints down through those dark ages that were willing to go through. Thank God that they were willing to take this truth and carry it on a little bit further. Thank God they were willing to just stand up right in the face of the enemy and you read all those stories and how gruesome it was those things that they had to go through. But they had it committed.

Young People commit it all to God. Have it committed in your heart. They were willing to endure anything. And you may think in your mind that was then; But thank God we have people today. Thank God we have people today. Bro. Lowe had it committed. Didn't he? You all saw. Brother Lowe went to every campmeeting for the last hundred years! Every campmeeting I was ever at, Bro. Lowe was there. Thank God he had it committed. He had it committed. Do you have it committed today? Do you really have it committed that your going on no matter what? Thank God!

Sis. Chris, from our congregation had it committed. Here her husband deserted her, left her with three children then she gets a horrible affliction on her body. Excruciating pain. Just like Bro. Kumans. She was willing to go through excruciating torments in her body. Why? For the cause of Christ. She was committed to the cross. We have people today. All we have to do is look around. There are people committed to the cross. Praise God for them Amen. Thank God there is people right here today committed to the cross. Thank God for every one of you. It's an encouragement to me to see young people, to see adults, to see young married's committed to the cross. Thank God.

And Sis. Chris on her death bed at her home refusing to go to the hospital. Thank God. God your will not mine. Pain. Open sores on her body. Committed to the cross. Willing to go through all the way. Willing to hang true. Willing to be steady until God took her home, and Thank God now I believe she would never even think about coming back here. She made it because she was committed. You will make it if you're committed to the cross. You will make it if you're committed to God.

Sis. Wilcoxin. What an example for me! I was in the room,. I was with her. You know saints her biggest fear was to have cancer. That was her biggest fear. What did the devil do? Gave her cancer, a tumor, something we don't know, she didn't go in. Thank God she didn't go in to have it checked out. What an example for me, and I believe for you guys too, that somebody who just held true to God said no matter what I'm going on all the way. Thank God she made it all the way. I watched her from the very first day that she had it all the way to the end, and she never wavered thank God. Never wavered. She never wavered. She had fears of course she would have concerns and she would say, Johnny I don't want to die. I don't want to die. We'd all sit up in her room and talk to her and cry and say, mom we are praying for you. Hang on! And she would hang on. Thank God she would encourage us! More than we probably encouraged her. She had such a glow about her and then that last two weeks I will never ever forget it as long as I live.

It was amazing. I mean, God was so alive in our house. The Holy Spirit…you know the saints of God would come in, and sing songs, and I wish everybody could have experienced what went on in that house. When those songs went forth, and we had unsaved ones there, and every single one of them have been affected, and thank God one of them, he has his family and he's been going out to Mt. Tabor because of it, and I know my mom would go through it again just for that very reason. But they were there and they were sitting in there and they saw all the saints come in and let me tell you when they started singing it was beautiful. I can't even explain how awesome it was. The Holy Spirit would come into our midst so strong that we would all feel it. It was so real to us. And thank God that's because there were people committed to God. Sis. Wilcoxin layed in that room laying back in the bed, Committed to go on no matter what.

She was committed all the way. And then what we had to do: This was the hardest thing, and I really learned a lot about commitment. My mom committed it. She committed herself. I'm not going to the hospital. God your will not mine. What happened was my grandpa came down and he had ever intention of forcing her to the hospital and he pulls up and of course we're all concerned, we all know what's going on when worldly folks start showing up, or people that don't really understand the truths. And here they come, and wouldn't you know that God worked on every single person that came, and every single one of them said, If that's what Jacque wants, that is what we want too. God changed ever one of their hearts. Every single one of them. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Changed all their hearts and they said: if that's what she wants, we want that too. And it was such a miracle, and what we had to do, and this was amazing, my grandpa was concerned, but he had already said, we want this for Sis. Wilcoxin if she wants it.

We all had to get in her room we all gathered around mom. It was a nice room. Big bay window the sun was always coming in, cards all over the walls from all the saints, and we would all sit around in these chairs right around mom, as she lay there, what grandpa wanted to do is to go around the room and ask every one of us, we already know that mom committed herself. He wanted to know if we'd all committed our mom.

So they went to each of the kids. And then it came to me. And I had to search within myself am I going to commit my mom to God right now, knowing that she has only the last days of her life, and if God doesn't move he's going to take her on! That's hard, when you think…the devil never lets up, and there he is, working in your mind…what if she would go and they would remove that tumor and everything would be fine? What if all these What If's. All these options. But thank God there was no option. The only option for me was thank God I wanted my mom to commit it all to God. I wanted her to stay there. I wanted her to commit it. And I committed her to God. God your will not mine.

Your will, not mine! And he took her, he chose to take her, but thank God she made it. Thank God she was a warrior. Thank God she held true! And now she is such an example to me. And when I am on my death bed. When I am laying there I want to be at home with my family with my family sitting all around me, serving God being committed to the cross. The was the best thing that ever could have happened. It was awesome. I will never forget it ever. She was committed. I want to be committed.

I want you to be committed. No matter what happens to you stay committed. Her greatest fear was cancer, a tumor or something, and that is what she got, but thank God she was committed all the way.

Brother Frank. Committed. Young people do you remember him getting up here last year? "Every day is precious," remember him telling you that? He kept saying every day is precious. Every day is precious. Young people Bro. Frank is right. Every day is precious. We don't know when we are going to be called out. That's why it should behoove you to stay committed to the cross. We need to be committed. Just like these saints were committed. Every day is precious. We have so many wonderful examples that have gone on before us. So many wonderful example so people who are committed surely we can dig a little deeper. Surely we can commit. Surely we can commit all to God. Surely we can give up our lives too. You see the depths of what's going on here? One thing I learned through my mom's thing was the depths. How real this really is.

You know how real this is? This is real! This is not just a form of religion this is real. This is IT. This is real. These aren't just a bunch of people who get together and work up these feelings this is real! This is coming from down here. This is coming from right here in our hearts and you know what young people? This concerns me about young people all the time. We need to get it out of [our head] an into [our heart] That's how real it is. That's how real it is. This is more than just a head knowledge of what's going on. This is from the heart. This is a heart change this is giving your heart and your mind and everything about you to God. It is real. It is real

There's not a one bit of fakeness about what we are doing. There is not a single thing; you take every other religion and you look at that at school at work and you talk to them. The don't have what we have. Why? Because somebody, themselves or somebody before them, chose to lay down the cross. And now they're confused and they are in false religion or Babylon or maybe not even going to church at all, but Thank God somebody was there to stand; was there to stay in.

I am so thankful for truth I am thankful for the Church of God. We have a beautiful thing here. Psalms 37 verse 5. Young people, I want you to highlight this or commit this verse to memory. "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." In Proverbs 16:3 "Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established." Commit it all to God. Young People, plunge in with everything that you have. Every single bit of it. How do you commit you might say?

When I was younger we used to go to this tower. Up in the mountains, us boys would go camping. This tower is about 25 feet above the water, and you could climb up this ladder, and this was the most awesome feeling ever. Talk about committing. This is a good example of being committed. When you get out on the corner of this tower and you hang on to these bars behind you, that water looks way down. We'd jump and do all that stuff, but we got this bright idea that we wanted to start diving. So here I stand and I'll never forget that feeling. I'm about to commit to this dive. 'Cause once I go so far, there's no going back, and what I'd do is I'd kind of hang out there and I'd hang on to these bars and then I'd let go and I would start to fall like this, and once I got to a certain point I'd already committed it all. I was going. There was no backing up, because you can't get your body back upright when you are [leaning over]. You better dive right, or you are going to be in a lot of pain. I committed it all. Young People get up on the tower and commit it all.

Let yourself go. Don't try to hang on to the world, don't try to hang on to the bank, don't try to hang on to the tower, let go. Throw yourself to God's mercy. Every bit of it. Throw yourself. Let it go. Fly. Soar. Blind faith. Blind trust. God I'm giving you all my life. You work it out. You supply me with a companion, you supply me with a job you supply me whatever I need, whatever it is, God I'm giving it to you. Let it all go. If there's anything that I want you to do…let it all go. Get to the point where there is no turning back. Get to the point where there is no options. You know, commit it in your mind that there are no options.

Commit it. There are no options. Be committed to that. Let yourself go. Let it go. It will be the best thing you have ever done in your experience, you will never regret it ever. You will never regret it. I've given my testimony so many times, but I am going to give it again just real quick

Ten years ago, and I know a lot of you have heard it…ten years ago I was struggling spiritually, just like some of the testimonies that have already been given. Up and down struggling not doing real well. And I thought to myself, Where Todd, where do you want to be in ten ears? I want all you all to ask yourself that question. Where do you want to be in ten years, and I thought, Todd, I already knew what I wanted. I wanted to be save, sanctified, in the Church of God, I wanted to have a family. I wanted to have a nice job. That's what I wanted. I said that's what I want, in ten years. And I made a choice that day. I came down and gave it all to God. I gave it all to God. "God I am letting you work it all out. I'm committing myself to you. I know those are the things I want God, and I know the only way I'm ever going to have it is if I give my life right now to you." There was no delay, there was no waiting. There was no, "I'm going to do this six months or a year from now." It was right now. If I was going to be what I wanted to be in ten years I had to do it "right now."

And if that is what you want, and I believe that is what everyone of you in this room would want. Who wouldn't want that? If that's what you want, you need to commit it all. Right now today. Today. And now thank God, ten years later, I am saved, I'm sanctified, I'm in the church of God, I am married I have four beautiful children, a beautiful wife I have my own home, I have a good job because God has given me everything that I asked for. Thank God, Why? Because I committed it to Him! I gave it all to him, I said, "God you do with me what you want to do." And thank God he gave me all my wishes. Ten years, thank God I am living my dream. He did it for me He'll do it for you.

But He won't do it for you if you don't give him your life. He won't do it for you if you hold back. Commit it all to Him. Commit. Let it all go. All the worries, all the things that you're trying to work out on your own, give it to God. "God, take it. Take me, do with me what you would have." I get so blessed sometimes just thinking about that. Thinking about that I really sat there and thought in ten years that's what I want to have and that is what I want, and ALL of it came true. ALL of it! That is awesome. That is awesome. God is awesome!

Young People commit it all to God! It's the best thing for you. Sometimes you'll think in your mind "oh I have to hang on!" Let it go. Let it go! I can't say it with any more [emphasis]. Let it all go! Just do it. Just do it.

This is a beautiful way, is it not saints? It is beautiful. We have to have it committed about the world. Young people, this year, this week coming up, next several months, you're going to be faced with a lot of temptations, a lot of trials. Worldliness is going to try to work on you. Luke warmness is going to try to settle in. The devil's going to try to paint different pictures in your mind and going to try to get you to start coming up with some options. We need to have it committed.

The apostles and all those before us, they counted the cost. And one thing about the Church of God ministers, and I'm thankful for this. They don't hide things from us. They tell us exactly what and how we are going to have to live if we are going to serve God. They don't hide one thing from us. They tell us straight and they hold it on us. They don't have little hidden agendas, they don't pull things out later on and say, "oh by the way, you have to do this." We all know what we're going to have to do. Right up front. You already know how your going to have to live this year.

We got to count the cost. We need to be committed to the fact that we are going to have to dress modest. Just get it settled. Let it go! Let it go! Commit it that you are not going to be able to dress worldly. Let it go! Let's just get away from it. Let it all go. It's going to do nothing but destroy you in the end. We need to have it committed how we put our hair. Girls have it committed that we are not cutting our hair. Commit it. We don't cut our hair in the Church of God. Commit it to God. That's the way it is. That's what the bible says, commit it we are not doing it. Boys we can't let our side burns grow real low. We can't have worldly things going on with our hair. Just commit it. If you are going to be Church of God you're going to have to have your hair Church of God. Just commit it! Any kind of worldly twist, any kind of worldly whatever. Just let it go. Just let it go. Don't hang on to even a little bit of it. It will get you.

Commit it. Commit it! We can't date people that are not Church of God. Commit it! You shouldn't even just allow yourself…Like the brother said, "You're not an option." I like how the brother said that. Commit it. "You are not an option." They are not an option They will never be an option. So you might as well not even consider it. Commit it, let it go! I don't care how cute, how pretty they are. Commit it. They are not for you. You know who's for you? Look around. And this is another thing that just comes to mind. We don't need to be running each other down either. We need to be helping each other out. We need to be encouraging each other we don't need to be talking "oh that girls 'this' and that girl's 'that' and boy's 'this'." Let's help each other out here. We all want to remain committed to the cross. We all want to make it to heaven. Let's not be a stumbling block. Let's help each other. Lift each other up. We need to have it committed.

We need to have it committed that we have a dating standard in the Church of God. We have a dating standard. Some things should not go on. And there is one thing about a dating standard that we have is the way we talk. Commit it that there is some things that you are not going to be able to say to a girl or to a boy. Commit it. I know the devil works in those areas. I know how it is to be young. Commit it to God. You want a good relationship with God? You want a good pure relationship with your companion or the one you are dating? You want to be pure and Holy? Be that way. Talk pure. Talk holy. Talk about things you are supposed to talk about. It is a good idea to pray together if you are dating. It's a good idea that when the pastor says I don't want you talking after this hour, or I don't want you doing this, or I don't want you doing that, that is what you need to do! Commit it that you need to obey what the pastor tells you. And you might think in your mind, well this and well that and start coming up with all these excuses. Commit it that we just need to obey 100 percent!

And what my whole purpose of saying it is this here, these are the faiths. And if it's not committed you are not going to be back next year. We had a young man, I love this kid. He goes to the altar, he was interested in a girl from another congregation and he was counseled not to like her. Leave her alone. Don't talk to her. He didn't have it committed. He was a good kid. Real good. So loving. It hurts me to talk about him. He didn't have it committed and all the sudden, you know what happens when you don't have it committed? You start questioning the pastor. You start questioning the council. You start questioning God. All the sudden you start thinking things in your mind you shouldn't be thinking.

And all the sudden, unbelief and everything settles in, and you start thinking that everyone is out to get you. Young People, it's very important to keep it committed. So when your pastor tells you something, you really need to take heed. It is your lifeline. Your pastor is not just out for some agenda, or he's not trying to match you with somebody else. He wants you to be saved and he wants you to marry somebody who is going to be an encouragement for you when you're saved. All of them want that. Do you believe that? They all want that. They just don't want: "Oh, I don't want you to like them because I want you to like that person." It's not that way. They are looking out for your soul. Commit to that. And when you go for council, obviously that was just coming out because that was what he was supposed to do. Let's come with the mind of: "whatever he tells me that is what I am going to be obedient to." We need to be committed to that this year.

No doubt some of you will have to face that. Commit it to God. I've already said this but I am going to say it again. We need to commit it, that we can't listen to worldly music. And I know I talked about it before but this is one of the biggest battles for young people. Commit it that you are not this year tomorrow, next week, next month, in six months, you are not listening to worldly music. And this is what happens a lot of the time, everybody gets supercharged and the pastor or the young people's leader preaches against worldly music and everybody changes all their radio stations and throws their cd's away, and six months later they all have cd's and all the radio stations are back to what they were. Somebody didn't' keep it committed. What's preached today is going to hold true to morrow and the next day and the next day all the way until Christ comes back. We don't listen to worldly music EVER! Commit it. Commit it. It will be the best thing for you because all worldly music does is destroy you.

Commit it that you are just not going to be able to go hang out with who you want to. Commit it. We just don't go hang out with worldly young people We don't do that. We're counting the cost aren't we, that's what we talked about. We're counting the cost. We want to be committed to the cross. See we're not going through things like where we're getting hung and we are getting crucified and all these things. This is what we're going through. Are we committed to the cross? Are we really committed? We just can't go hang out with anyone. And I want to tell you something else about being committed too.

The voice of God doesn't always have to be when the pastor has to get up and beat it down on you for you to listen. What about when you are in your own prayer closet and God tells you something? Are you committed to the voice of God or does the pastor have to scream and holler about it. We need to be in such a way that when we pray and God says stop doing that. Stop doing it! He's telling you that for a reason because he sees danger ahead. Stop doing it! Listen to God be committed to his voice. Listen for Him. Listen when you're praying a lot of times, "God do this do that, God work this out I nee d a new job and I like this person." Maybe we need to say: "God what do you have to tell me?" Let me listen for a little while. What is it that I'm not doing so right? Then when he tells you it may be hard. It may be something that [we say] "Wow God!"

Commit it. God I am going to stop doing that because I know if I want to make it to heaven, I have to be 100 percent obedient to your voice. Just like Sis. Pruitt preached. We have to commit it. Girls, with fashion, commit it. You are not going to look like the world. Commit it you are not going to fit in with the world. Commit it that the outfits that you wear are going to stand out. That is the cost that we have to count. Committing. When you go to the mall people are going to look at you. Thank God they are. Just like Bro. Kumens. He was so thankful that he was willing to go through these things. Thank God because people are looking at you . Thank God that you are a light. Thank God that you have truth. And you know how to dress right, and you know how to dress modest and you know how to dress pleasing to God. Thank God you know! Don't go to the mall with your head hung low and ashamed about how you have to dress. Thank God you are dressing like He wants you to dress. It's not how the world views us, it is how God views us. That is what is important

Commit it to yourself that we are just not going to look like the world and we don't want to look like the world and we don't want to have anything to do with the world. If you get it committed like that that is going to help you so much. We don't want to look like them, be like them, do like them, ANYTHING like them. Commit your time to God. Commit your talents to God. Commit to God's time.

A lot of times as young people we want things to work out right now. We want a girlfriend, we want a boyfriend, we want to get married, we want a job we'd like to move along real quick. As young people we have a lot of energy we're always moving, we're always going around. Sometimes we are just going to have to commit to God's time. If you're looking for that one and God wants you to wait, or he is not working out quite as fast as you want it to work out. Commit it to God. "God I'll wait as long as you want me to wait." Because when He works it out that's the best timing anyways. Why would we want it any other way? Commit it.

Don't be a hindrance to your congregation. Get behind your pastor. Get behind the young people's leader. Be an uplift to the young people your own group. Encourage each other. Help each other.

Last scripture Romans 8. You all know this scripture. Young people be committed no matter what you face. You'll never regret committing your life to God. You'll never ever regret it and one day you will come here hopefully married and you will be able to stand up and tell the young people commit it all to God because it is so worth it. You'll be so thankful that you did. This year I want you to stand on these scriptures and if you have it committed to God you will be able to do just this.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Keep it committed young people. No matter what No matter what you face, no matter what you go through this year. Keep it committed to God and thank God we will see you next year.

Happy Valentine's Day!...I think.

I was about ready to wish that I had a date for Valentine's Day, when the thought came to me...I would have to buy my date a gift, and show some form of appreciation. That is alot of Responsibility! Then I thought well, it is only one day after all, but that obviously isn't true! If I had a date, I couldn't dissapear for a few days like I like doing without telling her. I would have to always be texting and checking e-mail. I would have to be ready to give HALF of my life as I know it to...my date!

So, after this Revelation that I would have to commit myself to a relationship if I had one, I tried to figure out why people do it. You know, why do they willingly bring all of this trouble and expense onto themselves? It seems like it would put a damper on having fun!

Well, I think I have it all figured out. Ladies! Don't read what I am going to say next because it is gauranteed that you will automatically fall in love with me!!!

I discovered that people who are in LOVE don't notice that they are doing stuff, like stopping dead in the middle of a heated basketball game to reply to a text, or stopping dead in the middle of an engaging conversation with a client because someone with the same name as their significant other (herebye known as S.O.) on their name tag just walked by. These people in love (hereafter known as P.I.L.'s) are CLUELESS that they are missing out on life as they used to know it! They don't care! Value has shifted from going about important daily duties to dwelling on a single S.O.'s memory. Crazy ya know?

So what happens? I have tried to observe the change that takes place here...this morphing from just an average guy, or average girl (hereafter known as A.G.'s) into a full blown P.I.L.; Going through some shape-shifting metaphysics and coming out with changed values and a new perspective on life! What sort of power does a potential S.O. have on all those poor A.G.'s out there?

Take Jimmy for instance. Jimmy is a normal A.g.; Totally oblivious to life, just going about his thing. Here he is taking a day at a mall, just hanging out with a few of his friends in the Food Court. He goes up to the window at Orange Julius eyes glued to the menu on the wall, trying to keep all of his saliva in his mouth, and mentally calculating how much a Tropical Fruit Julius with a large Chili Cheese Dog and small fries would cost. He finally gets it, processes all the information and looks down to give his order...and he forgets everything. His name, his phone number, the food he was about ready to savor, EVERYTHING just gone...poof! That saliva that he was so carefully controlling is now sliding out the corner of his mouth and onto his shirt. Embarrasing? Shocking? Dissorienting? WELL YEAH! This A.G. has just become a P.I.L.!

Well the young lady behind the counter knows exactly what is going on. The fact that there is a mentally imbalanced guy staring at her with drool on his shirt doesn't really bother her. She is enjoying it. Girls somehow make the transition from an A.G. into a P.I.L rather gracefully. Once they find the right guy, they know exactly how to change him from a smart, witty individual to a drooling retard, and back again. The problem is that us guys can't resist the metaphysics going on! Some of us recognize it when it happens, and can try to control the neurological breakdown, but the symptoms can't be completely managed. We will still forget what we were going to say, and end up saying something really really stupid, and the duration of the mental collapse is characterised by a perpetual daze.

Alas! Such is life! Well, this A.G. is going to sign off for now. I hope that I was able to make some sense about what was going on in my mind. All you potential S.O.'s out there please be merciful to me! Thanks for reading,

-David

Leave a comment, and/or e-mail me: not.a.pipe.dream@gmail.com

My worst day ever

{This is a true story, somewhat embelished by the author}

So yeah. I woke up Monday (Jim Davis is not the only person who doesn't like Mondays) morning with a killing headache and a craving for coffee cake with sesame seeds. It was barely light outside, and cold enough to freeze the hydrolic fluid in the floor jack in the garage. I stumbled into the bathroom and started the shower because it always takes like 5 minutes for the water to warm up, and I moved down the hall into the kitchen carefully because didn't quite have my balance yet. I started a pot of coffee and went to wake up my younger siblings so I could take them to school.

I opened the door to my little brother's room...he is 4 years old, and found him crying because he had wet the bed in his sleep. Gross. I calmed him down and threw him in the shower (not literally) and started to clean up the mess. I wished my parents were still around. They were refugees from another country and had been deported about 2 months ago. They arrived here in America about 5 years before I was born looking for a better life. They indeed found it, and shortly after they came they had a house and good jobs. My dad was a mechanic, and my mom cleaned houses in Scottsdale. I was born in December of 1990. The first American Citizen in our whole family line. 1 year later, they brought another baby to the family, and 12 years after that they had my baby brother. I know I am skipping alot of time here, but all I want to talk about is my bad day. My horrible horrible very bad day. We had a happy 3 years together as a family. My dad got a raise at work and my mom was able to stay home and raise us kids. We weren't rich by any standards, but the way my parents talked about the old country where they came from we felt like millionaires. But I said all that to say that they got deported on my baby brother's 4th birthday.

So back to the wet sheets and cleaning solution and washing machine. Took me about 10 minutes. I knew we were going to be late, and I wasn't going to make it to work on time. I woke up my sixteen year old sister and told her to get a move on, and then got my brother ready to go. I dashed up some pancakes and while I was doing that I had a brilliant idea...coffee cake...pancake...coffee pancake. Worth a shot. I mixed some coffee grounds in the batter and set it sizzling on the griddle. Time is awasting! I gotta get moving. I turned up the heat a little on the stove and ran to get my sister out of the shower so I could have a turn before the water got cold. An arguing match broke out swiftly because there was a disagreement about how long my sister had been in the shower. What was all that thickness in the air? She really had used up alot of hot water to make even the hall outside steam up... I opened my mouth to add this fresh argument and filled my lungs with...Smoke! Oh no! not my coffee pancake! I dashed back into the kitchen to see that my coveted flapjack had just started on fire. I flipped it into the sink and ran water and whipped around to get the windows open.

My sister finally comes out of the bathroom looking like a fried prune and starts gasping like a beached whale. I whither her even more with my don't-even-say-another-word look and start dashing around getting my little brother ready to go and myself cleaned up. Finally, we are ready. I don't even look at the clock because I didn't want to know how late I was and we dashed out the door into my 1986 Nissan Maxima and we cruise out to do business! My stomach was growling, my head was aching and it looked like I was going to run out of gas. I dropped my little bro. off at daycare, and my sister off at her job at Subway. I worked at Pizzeria Uno as a dishwasher. Yeah, since my parents left, we had to drop out of school and get jobs, but what is a little more heartache on top of a whole lotta heartache ya know?

I get to my work and open the back employee entrance hoping to get to the time-clock and at my place before the supervisor even notices me missing. No such luck. There he is. His big beefy hand resting on the shelf that holds the time clock. He says to me, "I don't even know why you bothered showing up today. I told you last time you were late that if you were late again not to even come to work." Hm, so he did. I forgot about that. How long ago was it that he said that? Oh yeah last week. Well I didn't even reply. I just turned around and got back into my car.

I turned the key and the ignition caught, and the engine fired up. Nothing wrong with this baby. I threw it in reverse and pulled out of my spot. I decided that the last thing that grease pit of a job would see of me is burning rubber and a cloud of smoke. I pushed the stick into first gear, revved it up to 3500 rpms and popped the clutch and my engine sort of sputtered and my car lurched and stalled. What happened? I couldn't have stalled it... I try to start it again, but no such luck. I look at my gauges and find the problem...I am out of gas. So much for that.

Two hours later, my car has a gallon of gas, and I am poorer by the cost of a one-gallon gas can and a sesame seed covered coffe cake. I was going to catch some flack for being out of budget and buying snack food, but I needed alittle comfort. I decide to spend my day looking for another job. I go from one place to another, but most of the good jobs need me to have an i.d. "I don't have a drivers liscense" I keep telling them, "I am not 18 and my parents can't help me." Tough luck...I keep driving past the seedy-looking establishments and crossing my fingers at all the high-end stuff. Nope, nobody needs anything. Fine. I will try again tomorrow.

I pick up my sister from her job, and by this time it is nearly 6 o'clock p.m. I pull out of her parking lot and she is griping about all of the people that she hates at work and how bad of a day she had and I am just sort of distracted by my bad day and I think I see a hole in traffic and gun it. Nope. not a hole in traffic anyway. Bang, Crash Scrape...whatever words you want, is the sound of me making a hole in the side of a green Hyundai. Oh Man. This is the pits. I am ready to scream, but my sister is doing enough for both of us at the moment.

So I am not going into detail about the rest of the day...I don't want to relive that anyways. My car got towed and I have a court date and a big fine to pay. Even worse is that those sesame seeds showed up in a drug test as positive for me doing drugs. Well, such is life I guess.

{The author happened to be the one driving the green Hyundai, so his perspective on the life of the main character might not be accurate as he is not privy to the exact details thereof.}

e-mail me: not.a.pipe.dream@gmail.com

-David