An Old Friend

Hey, Pallies,
Is there anything better than an old friend? Uncle D. says no! That's why I've been
spending some time with the Heidelberg Catechism recently. In the book of Isaiah,
chapter 49, verse 13  declares "Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice , O earth!!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His
people, and will have compassion on His afflicted.
My old friend asks,"What is your only comfort in life and death?":
That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong
unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who with His precious blood has fully
satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and
so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall
from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, wherefore
by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily
willing and ready, henceforth, to live for Him.
I think Jesus would have you introduced to this good old friend of mine.
D.

We Didn't Start The Fire

HiYa Pallies,
Uncle Donnie has been hearing this phrase alot lately,"are you on fire for the Lord?"
Maybe coz I heard a sermon on Rev. 3 regarding the church at Laodociea, who was
neither hot or cold, you remember it right? Anyways, I've been thinkin  how hot is  this
fire supposed to be with Jesus? Is it supposed to be smelting hot like steel melting or
campfire hot for hot dogs or maybe candle hot, you know wax melting hot, I dunno!
Somebody smarter than I can help me, but I don't think I've ever read from the Scriptures
about being on fire for Jesus. Call me crazy, call me goofy, whatever; just explain to me
where this terminology comes from! I hear phrases like "be fervent in spirit, devoted to
one another, serving the Lord". I read about the refining fires and the fires of hell and of
judgement; I get all those, you know what I mean? I know how many saints were in history
literally on fire for the Lord in their martyrdoms, and I know that one of the fruits of the
Spirit is not being on fire for Jesus. Nothing in the Sermon on the Mount about it , and
where is being on fire for Jesus found in the epistles? Help me out here?
What I do know is that even a smoking flax(Isa.42) he will not quench!
I know that if I love Him I will keep His commandments.
I know that these commandments are not burdensome.
I know the two greatest commanndments.
I know that to Love is the fulfilling of the Law.
I know to be an imitator of Christ as a little child.
I know if I confess Him before men, He will confess me before His Father in heaven.
I know that greater love has no man than to love his neighbor as himself.
That's probably enough, although much much more could be quoted from Holy Writ
regarding our responsiblities communicated in concrete, and tangible terms.
I'm not sayin....I'm just sayin, leave us keep our speech Bible speech! You know
what I mean?

Zealously,
Uncle Donnie

Don't Put Kepitch On Your Busgetti

When Uncle Donnie was just a bambino and not to familiar with human communication(makes
you wonder about non-human communication, doesn't it?) he was used to words like kepitch....
"hey could you pass the kepitch, I need it for my hangaber". Just figured that everybody put
kepitch on their hangeber, know what I mean? My mom would often open up a can of Franco-
American busgetti and we would eat it with peanut butter toast....I can still taste it after all those
years. Ocassionally she would make us busgetti and meatballs...we ate it, you know what I mean?
If any of us kids got sick we were accustomed to hear this diagnosis, "Oh my, you gotta bad
case of rectopupilitis", better get you to the Dr. quick! To this day that term makes me sick and
laugh at the same time. They(my parents) often told us not to worry about the dog licking us in
the face, because as everyone knows a dogs mouth is cleaner than a human mouth. Which always
bothered me coz I would often see our dog lick himself, lick his own vomit, lick other dogs, lick
other animals poop, lick anything vile and repugnant! That dogs mouth shoulda been quarantined,
capisci, mi! For all I knew the dog had rectopupilitis and thats why all the unholy licking, right?
Don't let that dog lick you! He might have rectopupilitis! Then you'll get it and start licking
things that you shouldn't be licking. Hey sonny whats wrong with your dog there? Don't worry
Mister, he's just a poop licking sufferer of rectopupilitis!
Whattayagonnado, is there any wonder why Uncle D. ended up being a few fries short of a
happy meal?
Later,
Don

It's All Good.....Right!

So Uncle Donnie went to the grocery today and came out with seven lbs.
of ground beef, two bottles of cabernet, eight packages of taco sauce mix,
and one box of mini Haagen-Dasz bars; very eclectic wouldn't you say?
It's like a beautiful thing when I hafta go to the grocery store, you know
what I mean? Uncle D. is, let's say very Ecclesiastes like, you know that
right? "Go eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart;
for God has already accepted your works."  "Live joyfully with the wife
whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the
sun"....."Here is what I have seen: it is good and fitting for one to eat and
drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun
all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every
man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of
it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor---this is the gift of God. For
he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy
with the joy of his heart."
Uncle D is a very  busy guy! You know what I mean?
And the conclusion to this whole matter is this:
"Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing.
Whether good or evil.
A Dopo,
Uncle Donnie
P.S. Happy Birthday H.

The Hatfields and McCoys

O.K., so here it is the last day of May 2012 and Uncle Donnie is waiting to see the finale
of The Hatfields and McCoys on the history channel. Kinda reminds me of  the volcano
(New York City) back in the day when you had two families competin for primacy, if you
know what I'm saying. Drinkin, smokin, killin, thievin, corrupt officials and corrupt lawmen,
gamblin, payoffs, extortion, you name it, it happened. Doesn't matter if it was the eighteenth,
century or the nineteenth century, the twentieth too...this stuff has been happenin for a long
time and more than likely will continue till the day of judgement. Am I right, or what?
Anyways, Kevin Costner plays the head of the Hatfield clan and Bill Paxton, the head of
the McCoys, and both do a real believable job in their portrayals of the heads of two very
pathetic families. I mean these two families could give the Manson family a run for its money,
you know what I mean? I mean there was no toleration of the intolerance each had for one another!
Did I just say that? Should I tolerate the intolerance of others, or not? WhattamIgonnado?
Whattayagonnado? I'm confused; me too! HELLLLLLLLLLLP!
Maybe June will be better!

Later,
Don

I Make No Apologies

Hiya pallies,
Let's talk Espanol . I know your thinking,"I deent (that's Spanish for didn't) know that
senior Donnie liked to cook Mexican food"! Au contrair, Uncle D. loves this sort
of cuisine, and so does his trophy wife Betty. This girl could eat Mexican almost like
she can eat Italiano, you know what I mean? Why just this past week Betty made this
killer chicken tortilla soup. Maybe I shouldn't use the term killer; anyways the soup wassa
so good, and I have had it about tree, four times this very week, fuggetaboudit! We like
Mexican, what can I say! But last night after our card game with the Woods, now this is about
10:00, she asks if I would make her this frittata(back to the Italiano), right. So whattamIgonnado,
not make it, I made the thing, right! Only she wants like broccoli and swiss cheese,and ham, and onions
in it. The works, right? I'm honored, right, that the master would ask the apprentice to do
this thing. Did I mention the peppers? So I chopped all this stuff up and put it in the fridge
and got up this morning, before church and made her this thing. We hadda nice Sun. breakfast
and I think we enjoyed it. No, I know we enjoyed it, every Sun. morning is like this, only most
times we have a mimosa or three, just to get things workin, you know what I mean?
It is what it is. I make no apologies.

Ciao,
Uncle Donnie

Sweaty Bettys And Fresh Hot Brownies

Uncle Donnie has about three maybe four good books he's been reading lately, and
surprisingly, some have been written by guys who are still alive. Will wonders never
cease? I mean for D. to read somebody who ain't dead is quite rare, you know what
I mean? I even had a friend tell me recently that I read too many Puritan authors.
Fuggetaboudit, as if that were possible. Anyways, he recommended a book entitled,
Renovation of the Church; What Happens When A Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual
Formation, by Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken. They tell their story about changing from
a 'consumer' ministry to a discipleship ministry and all the fallout and blessing that ensued
therein. Uncle D. hadda read about a hundred pages before he got some personal application
but like a ton of bricks it hit me and was made very personal to the point of asking some
threatening questions. Uncomfortable, but necessary, if you get my meaning.
I also reread a book by O. Palmer Robertson, entitled The Israel Of God; Yesterday,
Today, And Tomorrow.(My trophy wife Betty just brought me a freshly baked, still warm
brownie, delicioso B., Oh, did I tell you about the best beer to come out of Colorado?
Sweaty Betty is the name, Mamma Mia......goes widdout sayin, right?) This book answers
the question, what part if any does ethnic Israel play in the culmination of history, It has
always been of help to me concerning eschatology. You should get a copy!
Now to my favorite, Gospel Revelation; Finding Worth In Knowing Christ, by Jeremiah
Burroughs. We have our identity, our heritage, and our future in Christ. I'm thinkin that
the seeker church leaders mentioned earlier shoulda read this Puritan dead guy, and maybe
they did, I dunno. If Christlikeness is possible and is the result of a pursuit of holiness; and
it is, then this is the book for spiritual transformation. This is a must read, period!
Gotta go,
Uncle Donnie