Sunday Filler John 3:16 share while busy with our family

| February 18, 2024

Closing in on Christmas, so why am I not in the right mood?

| December 20, 2023

Ok, so I’m not focused this year on “the reason for the season” (or frankly even the secular celebration of Christmas) … therefore it is really time to do something about it. We didn’t even write our Corbett Christmas Letter!  Thankfully turning to Truth For Life and Alistair Begg’s teachings and message “It is HIStory” […]

The Israel-Hamas war has intrigued Bibical map reading

| November 19, 2023

Panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee in 2006 (click for larger) After a brief discussion and look at current and previous maps of Israel and the area Christians study (the Holy Land)  … prior to … and during the life of Jesus, I noticed that the Sea of Galilee as well as most landmarks […]

Sunday Thoughts

| October 22, 2023

Take a peaceful walk on the beach with me …

| October 15, 2023

Who doesn’t need a little peace in their lives after this past week of unrest in the Middle East? Thankfully Brenda and I had a chance to escape reality, unwind a little bit, have a banana (photo right) … and walk along a sandy beach. We came across a Stand up Paddler #SUP enjoying a […]

Enlightening Biblical thoughts for the times in which we live

| October 8, 2023

While doing a short devotional last week, few verses from chapter 4 of 2nd Timothy resinated with me. As with most Christians who spend time studying and reading the Bible, there are chapters and verses that often speak to us in the moment … or  perhaps it just “wakes us up?”   For those of […]

A “feel good” story from Clint Edwards’ book “Fatherish”

| October 1, 2023

Make America Great Again, one parent at a time (not political). Here’s slightly different take on MAGA with an uplifting lesson and message for fathers; pay attention to your role in your family.  When I asked my 11-year-old son to help me unload dirt from our small pickup into his mother’s new garden boxes, his reaction […]

Books: Started my birthday book as a Sunday devotional read

| June 6, 2023

The above subject line of this post needs to be clarified a bit as I “only started” to read my birthday present book on Sunday … but it will be excellent. The new birthday gift book, “God’s Bible Timeline: The Big Book of Biblical History” from Katelyn, Drew and family should be an enjoyable one […]

“Where, O death, is your sting?” Happy Easter 2023!

| April 9, 2023

Easter is a time for celebration, a time to reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and a time to rejoice in His victory over death. It is the day that we Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ; His resurrection is the foundation of our faith. The crucifixion of Jesus was a sign […]

Truth For Life – Alistair Begg Sermon Series on Jude

| March 19, 2023

Although I always enjoy the Truth For Life website as a daily devotional, I am especially enjoying the archived sermon series on Jude by Alistair Begg. Since it is an ongoing series in 2023, I’m looking forward to the next message as the last three weeks have been so applicable to current events … and […]

Unhealthy Aging graphic and my granddaughters in church

| March 15, 2023

While reading a health related social media post this past week, a graphic struck me as interesting since it highlights many of the ailments that most doctors and aging humans eventually face. Just to keep it personal, I’m noticing the hair thinning, vision and hearing loss as well as my high cholesterol needing some work […]

Proposing our family listen to a podcast on Christmas Eve

| December 24, 2022

Jane Wells has been a reporter for CNBC (“Janie” as the late Mark Haines called her)  that I’ve followed for years while watching business news channels (or should I have said, “is a ‘has-been’ reporter?” – hopefully a little humor that she would appreciate!). Anyway, I always smiled when watching her “quirky” stories and reporting […]

Thanksgiving 2022: “Out of the mouth of babes …”

| November 24, 2022

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Our family together for Dave Schneider’s Celebration of Life

| November 15, 2022

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U.S. Supreme Court ruling changes abortion in America

| June 26, 2022

Friday’s Supreme Court decision has us all pondering where our country is heading? We’ve had 65 million legal abortions since 1973 and now after 50 years of “abortion being a protected right” since the Rowe v. Wade ruling, we breaking new ground. As some have said, “science and sonograms have enlightened most people on the issue […]

Sunday thoughts: A rainbow photo and delicious fish dinner

| June 12, 2022

Thank you Drew for sharing this amazing backyard rainbow photo from last week! “I set My rainbow in the cloud … and I will remember My [promise to] … every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh … that is on the earth”  — Genesis […]

In all of God’s magnificent creation, mankind is unique #TBT

| June 9, 2022

There are days we humans need to be reminded that we are small in relation to the universe, but unique (Genesis 1:27) and loved (John 3:16) in relation to God’s magnificent creation. TIDBITS: Voyager 1 continues into heading into our outer solar system as the space probe continues to communicate with the Deep Space Network […]

Buttercups photo and reflecting on another school shooting

| May 28, 2022

We are enjoying my late mother-in-law’s transplanted Buttercups (Ranunculus) that we brought home from the Jamestown, NY farmhouse (winter pics). Initially, Brenda’s sister Chris asked me to bring her some home for her since I was the one driving back and forth to western New York to clean out, take care of the property and […]

Something to think about – Truth For Life

| May 16, 2022

See “Loving Community Part 3“ — Truth For Life

Another colonoscopy and laughing at my old heartbeat theory

| May 3, 2022

My dad was known for saying he was planning to live to 160 years old and I’m following in his ridiculous longevity theories and his questionable medical advice (he died at 86 in 2015). Years ago I jokingly theorized that when Jesus told us that “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered” (Luke […]

Thought: The debt of sin. Paid in full. Completely and forever.

| April 15, 2022

Pondering the suffering and sacrifice our Savior made for us nearly 2000 years ago – Good Friday 2022. “I am wholly deserving of all the consequences that I will in fact never receive simply because God unashamedly stepped in front of me on the cross, unflinchingly spread His arms so as to completely shield me […]

Archive: My mom saved way too much stuff … and so do I #TBT

| April 7, 2022

While clearing out a few more old boxes and tossing junk in preparation for new floors in my office (and guest bedroom) last weekend, I just couldn’t throw this 1963 “fine artwork” colored by yours truly without taking a photo and archiving on my blog. A digital image take up far less space then paper […]

New Alistair Begg Devotional content is now on my blog

| January 16, 2022

It has been a little over a year since the syndicated Truth For Life page was added to my blog … and although I’ve not been “daily-diligent” in reading the Spurgeon Devotionals … I’m hoping having Alistair Begg’s devotionals in place of them might help? The new Truth For Life feed has recently been approved […]

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father

| January 2, 2022

The lonely looking train left to rust somewhere in Russia had me pondering a Bible verse – Matthew 24:36 having to do with knowing not only how long “we personally” have on earth, but “not knowing” the end time for humanity. With that in mind, will you be “caught on the tracks” without accepting Christ […]

Not the Christ you want, but the Christ you need

| December 24, 2021

It is not easy to follow Christ, but His teachings, AND gift of salvation, are what we sinners need. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  – Matthew 4:19 While mailing out our Christmas cards, decorating our Christmas tree and reflecting on this past year, I listened […]

Music Monday: Michael W. Smith — Worship Forever

| September 20, 2021

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Books: “Brave By Faith” – The winds have changed and appears to be blowing hard behind the forces of secularism

| August 24, 2021

On Sunday night to escape from the distressing domestic politics of the day as well as the Afghanistan debacle … and partly wanting to get my mind on my faith and my attention on what I can control in life … I turned off the TV and put aside the pile of secular topical books […]

Books: Brave By Faith by Alistair Begg

| June 13, 2021

The current pile of books to read is too high for my nighttime side table;  I think I need to move a few to my office … or better yet, finish reading them! Since Alistair Begg is a favorite teaching pastor of ours (Parkside Church was our home church when we lived in NE Ohio), […]

Music Monday: Mercy Me and their “Say I Won’t” music video

| May 17, 2021

My Desultory Blog‘s Music Monday does not include enough music from the Christian music genre and after hearing the story of Gary Miracle last weekend, I had to include Mercy Me‘s “Say I Won’t.”  

Happy 35th Birthday to our daughter Katelyn today – 5/14/2021

| May 14, 2021

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Happy Mother’s Day: Revere, respect and honor your mother. Who knows how many days either of you will have.

| May 9, 2021

I probably should be quoting from Leviticus 19:3, but I can’t help but remember Ferris Bueller commenting that, “Life moves pretty fast …” when thinking about respecting and honoring mothers today. So for Mother’s Day 2021, focus your attention on your mother before it is too late … because from experience, “life does move pretty […]

Happy Easter 2021 – He is risen. He is risen indeed.

| April 4, 2021

For Christians, there’s no more celebrated day than Easter … for without a risen Savior, no other day in Christianity would matter. He is risen indeed!  BUT … why does the day always change? I mean, we’ve assigned December 25th to celebrate Christmas and most other holidays on our calendar at least fall in the […]

An etymology share: “What Time Is ‘Noon?”

| March 31, 2021

When was ‘noon’ a time that was later in the day … like 3PM? Let’s check with merriam-webster.com: There’s something aesthetically pleasing about the word noon. Its palindromic spelling feels appropriate for the middle of the day, when the sun is directly overhead and the hands on the clock are pointed upward in a straight […]

Sunday Filler: Thinking about our path as Christians

| March 7, 2021

As someone who enjoys using tools and building things, the reference to pendulums and plumb lines in a Stand to Reason post speaks to me. It is also a good reminder to stick to the “plumb line of Scripture” rather than the prevailing … and often skewed … Christian and non-Christian worldviews. "Align your views […]

A Sunday filler post for those willing to pray for our country

| January 24, 2021

"if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." — 2 Chronicles 7:14

An interesting #book: EPIC – An Around-The-World Journey Through Christian History by Tim Challies

| January 10, 2021

Thanks to my daughter Katelyn and her family, I’m in the process of reading the Tim Challies book, “EPIC – An Around-The-World Journey Through Christian History.” It is the new book I mentioned in my 2020 Christmas wrap-up post … and it has been challenging to put down. BUT … I’m sort of using it […]

Thankful to have a long time friend like Jeff – #TBT photo

| December 31, 2020

I had lunch “out” this week with my good friend Jeff, although this routine has become very infrequent compared to previous years. Still, we had a chance to catch up, talk about politics (Ugh), the old-days backpacking in North Carolina (an old scanned photo for Throwback Thursday #TBT) … and I opened his cool gift […]

Love the audio Bible reading on the Truth For Life devotional

| November 28, 2020

Although I’ve worked with my friend Pastor Keith Thomas on his GroupBibleStudy.com site for years, I’ve been happy for him that his daughter has taken on the volunteer job of webmaster. As I warned him, be careful when it comes to maintaining the day to day site management … as once the new design ambition […]

Adding Truth For Life Devotional link to MyDesultoryBlog.com

| November 8, 2020

The menu “navigational links” just under the header of My Desultory Blog are primarily there for my own short-cuts … and I haven’t changed them for years. A few aren’t really used much anymore, with improved browser bookmarks – one click bookmarks are just much more convenient. This past week I made a change. I […]

Ellerie was dedicated at Waterville Community Church

| October 27, 2020

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Most parents and grandparents have room for improvement

| October 11, 2020

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The Good News – “He is not here; for He is risen..”

| April 12, 2020

Although Brenda and I have been regularly listening to pastors share audio messages on their podcasts or watching church services online during these trying Coronavirus days, we like many Christians, are finding it challenging to be thinking and planning for Easter? Nevertheless, the calendar indicates it is Easter Sunday 2020, so a proper “He is […]

Prayers for medical issues have been on my mind this week

| February 7, 2020

The week started with heartache. A  funeral for our neighbors son. That was followed by my friend Jeff heading to be with his dad’s wife Thelma in Orlando after a fall. (his dad is 93 and she is 90). It looks as if Jeff with be soon trying to figure out their care and living […]

For 2020, how about less focus on self and more on others?

| December 29, 2019

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Friday Filler: Count your Blessings #video

| December 13, 2019

When you see something like this, you realize how suddenly life can end. Thankfully, in this situation, all survived … but it is a good reminder to thank God for each day and be sure to tell those in your life how much you love them.   Yet you do not know what tomorrow will […]

Do improvements in technology change views on abortion?

| October 29, 2019

It has been 26 years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided on Roe v. Wade. In 1973, our nine justices decided that pregnant women should have the right to legally choose an abortion (would it be different today?). Our national debate has continued non-stop for decades, but the call is getting louder to re-address the issue […]

Personal thoughts on recent events in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio

| August 7, 2019

Way too often our citizens in cities and communities across the country suffer at the hands of criminals and most notably disturbed individuals in our society. The topic rises to the top of the political news when there is a mass-killing and the weapon is a semi-automatic firearm and the target are ordinary people living […]

Our culture has accepted two huge lies … a Rick Warren #quote

| August 4, 2019

Rick Warren has one of the more fitting quotes for our current cultural divide: “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are […]

Wrinkly-Nosed Tooth-Faced Shark – accurate, but not polite

| July 28, 2019

Who wants to go swimming?  The Great White Shark can detect blood in the water up to 3 miles away! Just look at those expensive teeth. I watched several science programs regarding space and the Apollo 11 moon landing these past couple of weeks … and one the other night explaining the Big Bang theory […]

Technology, communication, parenting and The Lord’s Prayer

| July 7, 2019

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For those who pray, would you pray for my niece Sarah Gerber

| June 1, 2019

For Christians, who pray for wisdom, for the health and safety of our families and the stressful issues we face daily, prayer is something most of us have been taught to do from an early age. I’d like to think that this daily “practice” of prayer prepares us to be great “prayer warriors” for others […]

Shuttle launch observed from the International Space Station

| April 21, 2019

Happy Easter … He Is Risen. He Is Risen Indeed! The resurrection of Jesus and His “ascension” to heaven is a vision we can only imagine. When I’m too busy to blog, a beautiful photo from space works well as an Easter post. Here’s a photo from the International Space Station (#ISS) just after a […]

The weather is not to my liking, but it is a “Good Friday”

| April 19, 2019

After a first cutting of the backyard, the flowering phlox and Redbud trees make even a cold and gloomy “Good Friday” worth taking a panorama photo. But let’s keep our focus on what Jesus did for us and the reason we refer today as “GOOD Friday” – I like what Rev Franklin Graham shared on […]

The Notre Dame de Paris burned – April 15, 2019

| April 15, 2019

One of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in Paris, France was gutted as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris France burned. The entire roof and main spire collapsed (below) along with what looks like significant damage to the rose windows. The heart wrenching images and video flooded social media streams and newsfeeds at […]

Happy Birthday to our 2-year old Annalyn, the “Apple of MY eye”

| March 5, 2019

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Work, play, responsibility and aging: Finding the sweet spot

| January 5, 2019

This “finding the sweet spot” post was started as I was closing my books on 2018 and winding down the year. The New Year’s Day mark was still a couple days away and while contemplating what 2019 would surprise me with, I wrote down a few goals (and resolution ideas).  A few of the thoughts […]

Happy New Year – Make the most of each day this 2019

| January 1, 2019

This year our our 2018 Christmas letter included a quote by the Dalai Lama and it reminds me that our time on earth is finite. Once a grain of sand has passed through the hour glass, it is gone … so make each day count this 2019. There are only two days in the year […]

It is time to hand over control of GroupBibleStudy.com

| July 31, 2018

I’ve mentioned GroupBibleStudy.com before as a website I work on and have helped develop for my friend Pastor Keith Thomas, but didn’t realize I’ve been doing it for 7 years — shocker. It is now time to hand it over to a new volunteer … and I’m finding it difficult to relinquish control, but also know Keith would love […]

Music Monday: The song “I Can Only Imagine” and recent movie

| July 2, 2018

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A discussion of Muslim coverings required a little research

| May 17, 2018

I had a discussion early this week regarding the protests over the opening of the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Israel – Jerusalem. The embassy’s move has been promised by the last few presidents, but finally followed through on by President Trump. For all his bloviating and questionable behavior, he does seem to prioritize […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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