Mike Tremblay's Weblog

There are four season in the year. In Florida, where I currently live, the season are here too but not like in New Hampshire where I'm from. Florida has HEAT. I remember visiting my parents back in the 90s at their winter home in Wachula around Thanksgiving. We already had snow before our drive south. As we hit Virginia and North Carolina it was apparent we were no longer in the frozen tundra. My parent's mobile home had two bedrooms. It wasn't big enough for us and our two sons. They did, however, have a pop-up trailer under the carport, so it was fine. To stay in a pop-up in Northern New England in late November mas near impossible. You would begin to shiver in about 5 minutes. Nights would reach a low of 0°-20°F. But not so in Florida. After a great Thanksgiving feast we went shopping at the local Walmart. They no longer stay open on Thanksgiving. As I walked into the store I was hit with culture shock. The store was in festive colors and lighting for Christmas but one t

Welcome to the new reality. It's everywhere in our world not just our country. It's been a path we've been on since before the turn of this decade.  Before 2000, it was called untruthfulness but today it has taken many forms. And it escapes from many mouths of people no matter what their stance in this life. News reporters, politicians, store owners, restaurant owners, etc have all adopted the terms. You may even have a co-worker who has adopted the new normal.  Another word beside untruthful has slowly taken center stage in the era we live and that word is "lie". It appears we tell people what they want hear rather than what is truthful. So we hear statements which may include untrue components and when called out about it we hear words like misinformation or disinformation . There's also unverified or unsubstantiated statements. I see there is more claims like these are made by those twisting words to make the subject they spin is true. Reality in 2024 is

Morality in America is going the way of the countries of the world. We've been on this downward slope for a while. It has even sucked into its grasp some believers of the truth of Christ. As a pastor, I began to see this slope toward unrighteousness in the church around 2005. I was in New Hampshire and most people I encountered (including the churched and unchurched) had strong family and character morals. But slowly the demise began. My State at that time was on the lowest tier of the listing of states that had the lowest church attendees. Being a church attender doesn't make you moral. Being a devoted Christ follower in most cases does that. And morality finds itself in various stages.  What people witnessed on the Friday night telecast of the Olympian summer games opening ceremonies had some evidences of this moral decline. Some will see my words as being judgemental. I don't mean to be. I'm just stating what is allowed in 2024 were totally rejected more than 20 year

Today is July 20th. August is upon us and so is the 6th month of unemployment. Correct. After many applications and about 6-7 interviews I am still without work. I was interviewed twice (two different companies) in person this week and I'm waiting on their call back. Both indicated there must be a second interview with others involved. The last offering (Part 2) eluded to a humbling lesson learned. When I walked out of my last job on February 7th I made a to-myself-statement. Essentially I said I'll never work for this company again. But that was before my first humble pie piece I had to eat. So I put in applications with the company's other stores close by. Also I used a second email address so I wouldn't be tied to the store I worked at. I must have been hungry because I began to eat another piece of that pie. I finally reapplied at the store I exited 5 months earlier and yes, used my regular email address to do so. The first part of On Hold revealed my money from my

MMB 7-1-2024 I have an app on my phone that reminds me of my daily Scripture reading so I can complete reading the Bible in one year. That completion date for me was yesterday June 30, 2024. The app I use suggests three chapters a day except for Sunday which is five chapter readings. I completed an inspiring read through the Book of Revelation yesterday. Many avoid Revelation because of its many "Sevens" that appear confusing. Seven Angels, Seven Bowls, Seven trumpets, Seven Scrolls ... they're there. Then there are descriptions of certain creatures with multiple heads and faces and horns which can shock anyone. But Revelation mostly explains the confusing terms as you read on. You can't give up. You can't fear the terminology. You can't avoid those unknowns because they are soon revealed.  I've decided to re-read the Book. I've done two years of reading through the Bible and I will take a break from that now. But I won't stop reading Scripture. I

  This is the update of what’s going on. In the first part of On Hold, I told you of the difficulty I’ve been having difficulty Finding a replacement job. So after many more applications and searches I’m still … Unemployed! We are about to enter the 5th month of unemployment in July. I’ve had many lessons to learn along the way. In my recent daily Bible reading the Lord revealed somethings about myself. I am arrogant for one. I was hired at my most recent job in two days. It’s been two months of applications with many rejections, one interview and that being rejected as well.  But I was not a 70 year old man when last hired. I also did not have a termination on my record. So there it is. I even told a family member I’d never work for that company ever again. In comes the Lord with a scrumptious piece of humble pie. He put on my heart that if it’s His will for me to work for that company I better comply. And so I did, I thought. I put an application into a subsidiary company with a

I kinda feel my life is on hold. I was given walking papers on my job of nearly 10 years in February and I used the time off unwisely. I made detailed lists of things to do around the house and to this day may a third of those have been completed. I waited a few months before taking action toward reemployment as February, March, April and May had visitors dropping by. Most importantly some were family we hadn't seen in many years. And the ones who weren't family members were very close friends that felt to us like family. First there was a newly wed couple from our home town in New Hampshire. He was a new acquaintance for us while she was a close friend whom we discipled in her spiritual walk since 1979. Her husband passed a few years ago and now she remarried. The next was my wife's older sister and her husband. We usually see them every time they come to Florida from New Hampshire as their daughter lives near Tampa. We are all getting older so it's good to reconnect w