One time a while ago I heard a radio preacher talking about the difference between God's perfect will, and God's permissive will.  I'm not going to even try to explain it or expound upon it. I think there have been enough books written on this topic.
   He said God's perfect will, leads to more blessings than God's permissive will.  He used many examples and stated that obviously God's perfect will is for a husband and wife to have children, not a boyfriend and girlfriend.
  But what I found interesting was what I heard at a wedding recently.  Now I'm sure the preacher telling the story was telling it for amusement. And not as a 'what others should do'. 
  The minister (also the father of the bride)... told the story.... that the bride's older brother sat his younger sister down and went through all the guys in the youth group; analyzing them one by one. And when the 'dust settled and smoke cleared' there were 2 guys left standing. One of them turned out to be her husband.
  It's a sweet story.
  Then a thought crossed my mind.  That doesn't leave a lot of room for God to work now does it?

  Questions:
How much do you let God lead in relationship decisions?  And how much do you control and hope that it is ok with God to do it that way?
  I understand common sense is to be utilized, I'm all for that. But some of the theories people use, some of the statements they say, really don't make sense.
  I had an older gentleman tell me, "You got to snag the good ones while they're available."  Makes it sound like a deer season, and whoever asks the girl first wins. 
   I've heard some people say statements like "I'll never date that person, because he comes from 'that' type of family."  .... but what if the guy isn't like the rest of his family?
  Some say that "When you meet 'the one'; you'll know."  Don't tell my mom that.. she told my dad 'NO' the first 2 times.
"I can't choose between these two guys" - hhmm... did 2 guys ask the girl out?  Or does she already have it narrowed down to 2 guys, and if a 3rd guy asks. He'll get turned down because he wasn't one of the 2?
 
What do you think when you see really young couples? I mean couples who you know won't be getting married for another 4 or 5 years.  Is that 'awww.. how romantic!' .. or "wow, what a waste of emotions, great job on adding baggage to future relationships.

  How much do you let feelings control your decision making when it comes to opposite gender relationships?
  Does age change the way you let God work in relationships? -
I understand there are times when you may have to be bold, do something that would be considered 'going out on a limb.' 
  Take Ruth and Boaz. What would have happened if Ruth had not 'initiated' the relationship? 
 
So, I'll leave with this question.
  What's more important in relationships? Finding God's perfect will .... or God's permissive will?

  The baseball season is over. The Phillies put a valient effort forth, and came up short.  But for $200 million, shouldn't the Yankees be in the World Series every year? 

But in other news, the state of Maine... yes, in the liberal New England corner of the U.S. - repealed the law passed earlier this year, by voting 53% to 47% in favor of traditional marriage between one man and one woman.  that's 31 for 31.  31 states put it to the public polls, and 31 states have passed it.

With all the bad news, the doom and gloom you hear about the economy, let's look at the bright side every now and then.
   I like how the media puts a spin on the news.  "Unemployment claims are down"   As in... there are still 300,000 newly unemployed people this month, but that is down from the 500,000 last month..  This is a sign that the economy is turning around."
  No it's actually a sign that just about everyone that can be unemployed... is now unemployed.  We are running out of people to unemploy. There are some jobs that just can't be lost. Think of education, the teachers, bus drivers, janitors, professors,etc. Think of the healthcare and medicine - doctors, surgeons, nurses, secrataries and insurance discount hagglers.  Speaking of insurance.. when is the government going to take them over?  There are a lot of people who will never be out of a job. Food transportation will always be employing people.  
  some jobs just always will be, so of course the new unemployment claims are going down.

  In the Great Depression of the 1930's - unemployment was almost 1 in 5 workers.   The total population of the U.S. was 122 million in 1938.
In 2007 there were 138 million taxpayers (workers in the U.S.) Of a population of 300 million people.  So, if we use the same theory of tax payers to total population....
 You are looking at 56 million workers/taxpayers in the U.S. in 1938.
  A 20% unemployment rate meant that 11 million people were unemployed..  
In 2009, a 10% unemployment rate means that 13.8 million are unemployed.
  So, you can say "look the unemployment rate is only half of what it was in the Great depression!"
  Or you can say "People seeking unemplyment benefits hits an all time record high!"

It all depends on whether you want to put a positive or negative spin on it.  The news media decides what it wants to do.. depending on whether it is for or against their agenda.

~ * The Countryboy * ~

 *I'd have to say the last joke is my favorite...*
Sisters Out of Gas
Returning after traveling a great distance by car to get
medical supplies for their small clinic, the nuns ran out of
gas quite literally "in the middle of nowhere." They knew
the area well; no gas for miles in either direction. Not
wanting to leave the supplies, and not wanting to be
separated, they began to pray. Just then a gas tanker
stopped, and the driver asked, "Sisters, what is wrong?"
They explained their gas gauge was stuck and they had run
out of gas.

He replied that his tanker was empty and he was on his way
to load fuel for one of his routes. But on inspection he
found he had a little in one of his lines; however, he had
no bucket to catch the remaining tidbit of fuel.

"Bed pans," replied one sister. "We have bed pans!" With
that, they got out the bed pans and gratefully caught all of
the last little bit of gas in the tanker. Then the driver
said, "Sisters, I am short on time I must go!" The sisters
thanked him and poured the gas into the car.

As they were pouring in the last little bit, a highway
patrolman pulled up got out of the patrol car and stared in
disbelief. "Sisters, I've no idea what you have done, but I
sure admire your faith!"

Favorite Candy

Our phone rang late one night, and my wife Nancy picked it
up. She said, "No," and slammed it down.
 "Who was that?"
 "Some boy for Carolyn," she said, referring to our daughter.
 Then it rang again. Nancy listened, said, "KitKat," and hung up.
 "What now?" I asked.
 "A boy plans to ask Carolyn to the prom and wanted to know
what her favorite candy is. He's going to put the invitation
into a candy basket."
 The next morning a basket of candy was on our porch. "But,
Mom," our daughter protested when she heard the story,
"KitKat isn't my favorite candy."
 "I know," Nancy said. "It's mine."

Kissing a Nun

A taxi cab driver got a call to pick up someone from the
airport. When he got there, he was surprised to see a nun
waiting for the taxi. As she climbed into the car and gave
the driver the address, the driver noticed how beautiful she
was. As he drove on, he kept looking into his rear-view
mirror at her. The nun couldn't help but notice him looking
at her. Finally, the cab driver said, "You know, Sister, I
think you're really quite beautiful."
 "Well, thank you," she answered.
 The driver went on, "I've always had a fantasy of kissing a
nun."
 "Really?" she asked. "Well, then, pull over." The driver did
so. Then the nun asked him a few questions. "Are you
married?" she asked.
 "No," said the driver.
 "Are you Catholic?"
 "Yes," the man nodded.
 "Well, all right then," she said and stepped out of the car
and gave him a big kiss on the lips.
 The driver felt so ashamed that he decided to tell her the
truth. "Sister, I have to tell you the truth: I AM married
and I'm NOT Catholic."
 "That's okay," smiled the nun. "My name's Henry and I'm
going to a Halloween party!"

Moral of Story: It never pays to lie.

*Kenya Elephant*

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after
graduating from Northwestern University.

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull
elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The
elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it very
carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot
and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As
carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked the wood
out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant
gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the
man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at
him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking
of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant
trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Peter never
forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Over twenty years later, Peter was walking through the
Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the
elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked
over so it was close to where Peter and his son Cameron were
standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted
its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The
elephant did that several times and then trumpeted loudly,
all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter couldn't help
wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up
his courage, climbed over the railing, and made his way into
the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared
back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its
trunk around one of Peter legs, and slammed him against the
railing, killing him instantly.

It probably wasn't the same elephant.

*Apprehension*

After booking my 80-year-old grandmother on a flight from
Florida to Nevada, I called the airline to go over her
special needs. The representative listened patiently as I
requested a wheelchair and an attendant for my mother
because of her arthritis and impaired vision to the point of
near blindness.

My apprehension lightened a bit when the woman assured me
that everything would be taken care of. I thanked her
profusely.

"Oh, you're welcome," she replied. I was about to hang up
when she cheerfully asked, "And will your grandmother need a
rental car?"