Life Review: Hearing again

 It is 20 July 2021. This AM, early, I reported to the VA hospital where I received my first ever hearing aids. I have been amazed at all I can hear--and ruing the loss of a quieter world.

I can hear the auto turn signals--which I used to call "blinkers" when I could hear them. But I also hear random car noises that I was happier not hearing.

Likewise I can hear lots of little squeaks, creaks, and groans--and many are emanating from my own joints. Didn't need to hear those.

My microphones for the hearing aids are on top of my ears, so every time I move my glasses, I hear this odd noise.

Even my voice sounds louder and different, because I am hearing more through the air and less through the bone.

These are light weight with control from my cell phone. I like them, but now I see there were some advantages to hearing less. So if you are losing your hearing, know that it isn't all bad.

Blessings,

More Joys from the Little Lake

 As I have noted before, we searched and searched to find a home on some water. We looked on Lake Tuscaloosa and Hurricane Creek. We considered the Black Warrior River, and rural homes with ponds. G^d provided us our present home that combines great location with 5 acres of serene lake, right on our back yard.

Brenda and I have enjoyed sitting out on the upper back porch in the cool looking at the lake. As I write, from that very spot, it is only about 73 oF, despite that it is 16 July! I just saw 7 Canada geese land in front of our dock. Seems odd time of year for them to be passing through, but we will enjoy their brief visit with us.

Last night, beginning at 7:15 PM Andrew and I launched the canoe to fish until full dark. We fished a bit, saw a beaver swimming in the lake, and caught more than 2 dozen bass and bream. The little puffs of cool air added to our pleasure. It is a great convenience to walk to the backyard, launch the canoe, and be fishing immediately. And, having learned where to catch the fish, it is great fun. And, those fish taste great.

I know this is getting redundant, to keep sharing the joys of lakeside living, but at least I am not complaining!

Speaking in the Prophetic Voice

 As I have mentioned before, I have the gift/curse of prophesy. As I have also clarified, prophets speak to the church, and only on occasion do they speak into the future, most often speaking instead about where the Body of Christ--the Church is falling short. Prophecy is seldom well received (see Matt 5:12). And, of course, like any gift, it can be applied at the wrong time. I confess to this from 11 July communion.

We give a brief teaching from an assigned Scripture, before we administer the elements. The Scripture I was assigned came from I Thess 5: " 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."  The part I messed up was, "...whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him." Now, that's a pretty positive phrase referring to our being with our L^rd whether we be alive or dead. Hard to mess up, right?

Well, except, speaking prophetically, I reminded the congregation that Jesus was always with them.

Nothing wrong with that, you observe correctly.

But then I applied that Scripture as a threat, that even in our sinful acts, Jesus is there watching us. Whereas that is true, I had prophetically taken the great news of Christ with us and truned it into a guilt-inducing threat attempting to induce better behavior.

Welcome to the gift/curse of prophecy.

You're welcome.

Reaching China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Vietnam, Thailand and Iran, without leaving home...

 "We know that roughly 75% of the world population that does not yet know Jesus lives in around 12 countries, through some research done by Jesus Film Project®. These countries are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Vietnam, Thailand and Iran. What can we do to help change the dynamic in these countries?"                                                                                                                                        Steve Sellers, President, Cru

Who among us regularly visits China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Vietnam, Thailand and Iran?  My guess is nobody.

But where do folks from these countries visit often and for years?  US Universities.

I encourage all readers to:

1) Host a visiting student from one of these countries.

2) Encourage faculty and staff at your nearest college or university to invest in these students with intent to share the Good News of Jesus the Christ.

Now, that's a lot easier than getting on a plane, eh?

Paraprosdokians

 Winston Churchill loved paraprosdokians, figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected.

1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

6. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting

it in a fruit salad.

7. They begin the evening news with 'Good Evening,' then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

9. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out, I just wanted pay checks.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put "DOCTOR."

11. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

12. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street...with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

13. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

14. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

15. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

16. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

17. There's a fine line between cuddling and...holding someone down so they can't get away.

18. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.

19. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

20. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

21. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

22. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

23. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

24. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but now it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one.

All the above taken from FaceBook, 3 Jul 2021.

Finally: A rap for a wrap

 I have been thinking that in ordering a wrap sandwich, there ought to be a rap.  Here it is at long last:

" I am not a Shitte, not an Uyghur,

Gimme a sandwich, but not a burger.

Gimme a sandwich, but I don't wanna get fat, 

Gimme some bread, but make it flat.

Gimme a sandwich, and don't be slow,

Make it like a bur-ri-to.

Gimme a sandwich, or gimme a slap,

Either way I'll end this rap.

And, here's the Chick-Fil-A addition:

Gimme a wrap and even mo,

Not just a sandwich but a full combo.

Here's ten bucks, and I need change,

About two bucks--in that range.

Puerto Rico Cru Ministry

 A couple weeks back I made a trip to Puerto Rico with Cru Faculty ministry. Brenda and I drove over and visited with David and Doris, and then on to Canton and spent the night with Barbara Ann. Sunday morning Brenda drove me to the Leckman's in Marietta and I rode with them to ATL. We stood in that long line I wrote about, and then flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico.  What a terrific US territory!

In the course of this trip, G^d enabled us to:

Be in contact with 2 University profs in PR and encourage them to get some profs together and MINISTER in the 32 Unis there.

Meet and cultivate one Ph.D. student in the dissertation stage and one who hasn't started his Ph.D. yet.

Meet Matt Cayton, the PR Cru National Director and 2 of his new campus staff, Hector h and Joel P.

Meet some Cru Staff and undergrad students in PR on Summer Mission, including the daughter of two staff, Emily Scott P.

Spend time with Cru FC colleagues Barbara and Glenn L, and IUPUI Cru student staff member, Phil F.

Visit the Morro Castle in old San Juan.

Prayer walk the UPR-Rio Piedras campus.

Describe the FC ministry briefly on three occasions.

Write a chapter for a Christian Exercise Sci book for coaches.

And, I even got to rest a bit.

It was a terrific trip.

REAL Independence Day

 Most of you had some sort of celebration yesterday and a few may be celebrating today, but 4 July is one of the biggest holidays in the USA. We celebrate it, like all major holidays by overeating. But for most of us we ought to take a little time and recognize that we are not really all that independent. Our country might have declared its independence from England, but most of us are still quite dependent. In fact, I argue we are all dependent, we are simply depending on different things.

We might be dependent on our job. We devote lots of time and energy--more than we give anything else--to "earning a living".

We might be dependent on our spouses. I don't mean dependent for money or food, but dependent on another person for solace, comfort, assurance, worth.

And, speaking of worth, we might even be dependent on our children. What? Yes, some folks draw their "raison d'etre" from their kids. They dote on their kids, invest extremely deeply, and depend on their kids to demonstrate how great their parents are and how the kids' sport prowess or academic achievement shows how worthy the parents really are.

I could go on and on about our dependence, and I do want to encourage a degree of dependence and independence. Ultimately the only dependence that is worth relying upon is dependence on our relationship with G^d enabled by the sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ. Our only real independence from the world, from work, from others (including our spouse and kids) comes from dependence on G^d.

I am encouraging us to be good workers, spouses, parents but we achieve this best by being good Followers of our L^rd Jesus.

So celebrate Dependence Day--Dependence on G^d for our real independence from fear and from death.