Fighting on the High Seas with Wenches & the 5 P's

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO....P!
Growing up, my little brother would recite the alphabet starting at the top of his head, moving his pointer finger downward on his body, ending with roaring laughter when he came to "P" as he landed on his, well, I'm sure you get the picture.

Personally, I thought it was stupid.
Bathroom humor.
There was always plenty of that going on around my house.

One of the jokes I always found most funny, because I'm a reader, was the fake book titles.

Do you remember those?
"Behind the Bleachers," by Seymore Butts.
"Sliding down the Flag Pole," by Dick Burns.

And my absolute all-time favorite,
"Yellow River," by I.P. Freeley.

I'm sorry.
I still think that's stinkin' hysterical.
Childish and immature, I'm aware.

A friend once told me about the 5 P's.
Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
And I've been thinking about that a lot lately.
It was probably originally said by some motivational guru who's now making a trainload of money from properly planning.

While I sit here, giggling out loud about I.P. Freeley and Seymore Butts.

Mmmh....The 5 P's.
Recently, I was re-reading the story about the 10 virgins from Matthew 25.
5 were foolish, 5 were wise.

It's the story about a bunch of girls who were waiting on the bridegroom to come. 5 of them were prepared and had oil in their lamps as well as some extra stored in jars, the other 5 did not.

The 5 unprepared, told the 5 who were prepared to give them some of theirs.
Basically, they replied, "No, go get your own."
(If I were Political, there's Probably a Principle I could go off on here.)

Anyway, while the women were out getting more oil for their lamps, they missed the midnight coming of the bridegroom.
The banquet doors were closed and they could not get in.

This has always baffled me a bit because I've wondered why they wouldn't share.
We are clearly called to meet the needs of others.

I read further under the study notes and found out that this was a parable that really wasn't about oil at all.
It was a story about our own individual spiritual states.
"Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed," it says in the footnotes.
Each of us must privately prepare.
We do not know the time that the bridegroom may come and we must ready ourselves at all times.

Since I've been thinking so much lately about being prepared, I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to implement the 5 P's in a state of emergency this past weekend.

While out on a giant fishing boat, we suddenly heard an announcement over the intercom that the Coast Guard had issued an SOS.
They were asking that any boats in the area were needed immediately to offer assistance to a downed vessel nearby.

So, as we headed to the bow, I quickly realized that this was in fact, not the case.
We were about to be attacked by an approaching Pirate Ship!!
The crew showed us a tub of super soakers for our personal protection and I proceeded to load up not one, but almost the entire barrel where they would all be within reach.

Then, as the Pirate Ship came closer and began shooting at us, I quickly leaned over, grabbed the ammo I had been stockpiling and put several shooters under my arms at once.

I probably had 7 guns stashed, so when one ran out, another was ready to go and very easily accessible.

Through proper planning and preparation, I was able to perform quite well for a common wench against a band of pirates and scalawags.

So, I took a bow.
On the bow.

On days when I'm not sentencing myself to walk the plank, I prepare for my day by reading some devotions, a story or some verses, then prayers of thanksgiving and praise!
Followed of course by my, Things to Do for Tina list that I offer up as well.

Ya have not 'cause ya ask not, right?!
I need to be prepared.
I never usually see the cannon ball coming at me until it's too late.

And since I can't be trusted with large knives, I rely on the sword of the spirit to get me through each day.

Some days I win, some days I don't.
But before I go to bed at night, I read.
Just to relax and prepare myself for what may come.

Right now, I am reading a book by Ken Davis called "Fully Alive".
That's pretty much how one feels when battling on the high seas against One Eyed Willy and his crew.

I'm also reading one that keeps me preparing, day after day.
It helps me stay strong, even when I feel like sharks are swimming circles around me.
The title is, "Treasured Possession," by I.M. Redeemed.