Beautiful Leaves

Bre and I drove up to Annapolis recently. We caught the leaves at near peak color I would say. Some of them were magnificent, and the bright sun magnified the effect.

We had a little color south of B’ham. The color got better and better all the way to our detour in NC. From there northward it was terrific. This same time last year we were driving between Charleston, SC and Eu Clair, WI. We had great leaves that trip too.

G^d made a beautiful world indeed. Who would have thought to hide these colors under green chlorophyll, and make the reds come alive with the waning sunlight. I have heard it said that one of the most frustrating things for atheists is to feel grateful and have no one to whom to express it.

Well, Thank you L^rd for the beautiful Fall colors.

Beautiful North Carolina

In October we had the pleasure of spending a day and a bit with good friends Pete and Nancy. They have a condo at Sugar Top, NC. These are dear friends and we always enjoy being with them. We had a great time on this stopover on our way to my 50^th reunion in Annapolis.

This area is a MAJOR tourist destination, and we can see why. We visited Blowing Rock, NC, which was the real town described as “Mitford” by Jan Karon in her Series of books. The town was full of old tourists because those with children are back at school.

We also drove to the top of Grandfather Mountain. It was cloud-covered at the top, but was still great fun. We went to Boone, where Appalachian State University is located. We also visited Banner Elk, NC where Lees-McRae University is located. The high winds made it cold, but the great friends made it warm.

We hope to return for another visit—it was definitely worth the detour!

G^d made a beautiful world indeed.

Another Season Another Hunting Friend

Mark and I immediately bonded over deer hunting. We were in the same small Christian Church congregation and discovered each other’s love for deer hunting. I am unsure of where we first hunted together, but I recall a lot of our hunts.

The best I can recollect, Mark and I hunted just east of Moundville, AL. We then hunted near Panola, AL. From there, I recall us pursuing bucks in Demopolis, AL and over near Uniontown, AL. When Mark moved to Kingman, AZ, I managed to make a trip out there for—you guessed it, pursuing deer with my bow. After he left AZ, he made a great move to eastern West Virginia.

We have hunted some great spots, and some not nearly as good. We have plotted strategies, and followed blood trails together. We’ve drug out each other’s deer and put quite a few in the cooler.

On one of our last hunts in VA, a few years back, Mark had shot an 8-point. We typically bow-hunted together, but that day we carried rifles. The deer had immediately dropped, and particularly because I was in a stand nearby, Mark had just sat in the stand after the shot. When He finally slipped down to get it, it was gone.

Meanwhile, in my stand I had heard Mark shoot. This was a pretty good spot, and Mark always scouted thoroughly, so hearing him shoot was no surprise. But, it was a bit of a surprise when I saw a buck ambling along the edge of the woods almost due south of me. I didn’t think the deer was a shooter, so I didn’t get too excited. The deer was slowly working north, down the edge of the woodlot. He turned west and broadside to me. Then I saw it.

There, just below his spine was a huge hole, almost as big as a soft ball. There was no decision to be made, I had to take this deer down. I was amazed it was on its feet and seemingly unfazed by the gaping wound. A shot to the spine put him down on the spot.

That deer was very educational. It didn’t dawn on me yet that this was Mark’s deer. The deer had taken a big hit, just below the spine. The shock to his spine had put him on the ground immediately. Some time within the next few minutes, the buck had recovered enough to stand up and slip away without Mark noticing. Subsequently, the deer had wandered into my view. Again, when I first saw the deer, and during the time it took him to wander down to me and turn broadside, I had not detected even so much as a limp. Wow! Whitetails are tough!

Mark and I had scheduled another whitetail adventure for the beginning of November of 2022. I had packed my gear for another great bow-hunting outing. Just before leaving home for the long drive to Mark’s, he texts me to say that his Chemo for his cancer had really set him back. His pain was also intense. The hunt would have to be postponed to later. I was disappointed, but I new how much Mark loved hunting. If he felt so bad he cancelled, I knew he had to be really sick.

Mark and I have many a joyous hour together. It is sad to see him so sick. But, G^d is sovereign and He is the one true Physician. Mark trusts in G^d, and so do it.

Get well soon Mark.

Wordle!

 

Yes, Bre and I have been bitten by, or bit, the Wordle bug. I you are one of the few who haven’t heard Wordle is a NY Times game that shows up each day. In Wordle the object is to guess a 5-letter word based on the game showing you which letters are in the word (yellow) and which letters are in the right place in the word (green). It takes strategy and thinking and it most commonly takes 4 guesses to get the word. Some of these words are not common in English—though I admit they are legitimate words—with only one exception (glyph).

We typically do the puzzle first thing in the AM to share with our son in Japan who gets to do it 14 hours earlier than us. He does it most every day and posts it late in the afternoon before we get access the net morning. It is fun to share it with him—and also fun to be challenged to think of the right word.

I probably take it a bit too seriously. A few months back I created a “wordle” doc wherein I often write down the potential words in order to be able to pick the one most advantageous. I have words that start with each letter, and words that end with certain letters (e.g. “e”). I also have words excluding certain letters and including others.

It’s fun and I guess it keeps us mentally exercising…but mainly it is fun.

Grace Men’s Retreat

We had our Church men’s retreat the first weekend in November, right in the middle of the deer archery hunting season. We drove an hour west to Timberlake Camp, where we have had several retreats. I rode with Mark and Danny and we had a nice chat all the way over.

The Camp is a very nice setting with a large lake and totally surrounded by woods. The Burns family operates it. The dining hall is HUGE and our first meeting was in there. I was the first speaker, and despite my dislike of speakers, after my first few words were lost in the open air of the high, high ceiling, I had to use the sound system. It was not properly set up and I still sounded bad. Afterword the sound expert told me that you always, always want the microphone behind the speakers. Thanks, but your advice is 30 mins too late!

It was great and rare to have time chatting with other men. We had a nice roaring bonfire Friday night, and the steady rain for much of Saturday gave us even more. Men seldom get these relational times. Men have a harder time with relationships than women, and many men have few-to-none friends they can relate to on a deep level.

And, this was the joy of this time. I talked to as many men as I could. I rode back with Keith, who I have known a long time. Our ride back together was a good conversation and good bonding.

Men, let me encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to spend quality time with other men. The opps are not common, so they can’t be wasted. G^d made us for relationship—with Him and with others.

Let’s relate!

Another Deer Season

Each Autumn brings along another chance to enjoy the outdoors. Fall is the season of leaves turning, and the start of another deer season. Archery season began 15 October, as always, but we were in the midst of a month of travels not ending until the beginning of November.

For one reason or another, I only did three archery hunts this fall. I was supposed to hunt with my great hunting buddy, Mark, but his Chemotherapy derailed those plans. To be honest, my enthusiasm is the weakest it has been—ever. I am not sure why. My right foot/ankle problems have continued, and that has detracted some. We had our Grace Men’s retreat, and that took up a Friday and Saturday. I think too, retirement has made me a bit lazy, and that combined with the loss of energy consequent to old age has taken some wind our of my sails.

But, I write this blog from a beautiful spot in Greene county, where I have seen scores of deer through the years. And, yesterday afternoon I got to hunt with my grandson, J. AG hunted with Andrew and that family hunt was a lot of joy.

The stillness of the early morning, and the quietness of these fields and woods are a rate treasure in this day and age. And, there is always the thrill of high expectations. This could be the year I kill my biggest buck ever!

Hope springs eternal. What is your hope?

A Happy Veteran's Day

 I am a bit perplexed by how Veteran's Day has changed in the last few years. Today I started with the FIRST in modern times Veteran's Day Parade in downtown Northport.  It wasn't too big, but was a nice thought. Then it was a FREE carwash at OverFlow. About 1 PM I took granddaughter Hazel and we went first to Texas roadhouse for a coupon for a free meal, then for 10 Wingbites, plus fries and soda for free for veterans. We couldn't eat it all. From here we went to TCBY for a free 6-oz yogurt that was delicious.  Then we swung by Krispy Kreme for a free donut and coffee.  Our last stop was at Smoothie King where we got a very good 20oz mango-papaya smoothie.  Whew, I couldn't eat it all.

And, whereas we enjoyed the feast, the thought was even sweeter. It is always nice to be appreciated, and this seems a massive ramp-up in gratitude. And, that has a message for us all. We all ought to DISPLAY gratitude as deeply and often as we can. Robert Winfield McKenzie said that, "We are closest to G^d when we show gratitude."

Indeed!

It's a small world isn't it?

 I have a Faculty Commons friend, John B, whose wife, Steph has a brother Tim. Tim was a youth pastor near the University of Alabama. Tim married a UA alumna named Shelly, and after several years moved to Sumter, SC.

Across the Atlantic, I have a Cru friend, Courtney, who grew up in Sumter and ministers in Roma, Italy. During my recent mission trip to Roma, Courtney related this story.

One sunny summer day Courtney is visiting her family in Sumter and takes her kids to a local park. She marvels that the park is almost empty, but there are two women nearby chatting.

Courtney overheard a few words from the women and is surprised to hear a conversation about Christianity. Courtney politely enters the conversation.

The lady speaking, Shelley, relates a story from her undergraduate days at the University of Alabama. She recalls hearing a professor speak on the topic of "How to make better grades and have more fun." Courtney recognized the title of this talk because she had heard it a few years earlier given by Phil Bishop to some students in Rome, Italy.

Shelley goes on to say that for some reason that Christian talk really impacted her life. Furthermore, after I contacted Shelley, she told me that she knows my daughter Kelly. They lived together ~ 97-98. Shelley heard the talk the fall of her freshman year, which was 1994.

Most likely the speaker who had given that talk was Dr. Rae Mellichamp or me.

So I have just heard a story in Roma, Italy about a talk given years before in Alabama, told by an alumna who is sister-in-law to one of my friends.

It's a small world isn't it?

Here's a little more to the story as related by Shelley.

The lady I was chatting with at the park has two high school sons who she homeschools. She was sharing that they struggle with getting their work done and being able to be involved in other activities. So, I shared about the how to make better grades and have more fun talk because it really helped me order my schedule in college! I told her I bet we could find a YouTube video of the talk ! Then this other mom (Courtney) whose kids were playing near by interjects that she is on staff with Cru and that they still give that talk, we ended up having a great conversation about the Lord

And just an added cool part of the story ,my friend and I had invited another lady, who is not a believer and has young kids, to the park. A few days later I was talking to her and she was really amazed how God could use a talk about making good grades to connect people. She said, I didn’t really think God cared about small details in our lives like that! Which of course has lead to some great conversations. She has not become a believer but we can see the lord working!

Beautiful Leaves

Bre and I drove up to Annapolis recently. We caught the leaves at near peak color I would say. Some of them were magnificent, and the bright sun magnified the effect.

We had a little color south of B’ham. The color got better and better all the way to our detour in NC. From there northward it was terrific. This same time last year we were driving between Charleston, SC and Eu Clair, WI. We had great leaves that trip too.

G^d made a beautiful world indeed. Who would have thought to hide these colors under green chlorophyll, and make the reds come alive with the waning sunlight. I have heard it said that one of the most frustrating things for atheists is to feel grateful and have no one to whom to express it.

Well, Thank you L^rd for the beautiful Fall colors.

And yes, we got NO photos of leaves!

Just Another Honeymoon

Bre and I just did two trips back-to-back. We think of these trips as “just more honeymoon”. As I have recounted before, we travel a bit more than most, I’d say. We are right now driving back from Annapolis, which was preceded by a trip to NC, which was shortly preceded by a trip to Panama City Beach. Before that we were in southern OH, and before that in Milwaukee.

But, if we look back we have many, many more trips as part of our honeymoon. What prompted this was driving by Sweetwater, TN where is the “Lost Sea” and underground lake. We went there on our first honeymoon.

We do love traveling together. We both feel our favorite travelers are each other—and after 50 years that’s pretty sweet! Mostly we drive these days. Rather, mostly Bre drives and I work on this laptop. But we both enjoy it and make the most, pretty much, of what G^d has given us.

After 50 years of marriage, we know how to honeymoon much better than we did right after our weeding. Heck we were total rookies. Now we are veterans!

So, here’s to many more honeymoons.

50th Class Reunion

 Wow! I went to US Naval Academy with a bunch of OLD guys! Indeed, I could recognize about half my company fellow alumni. We had a lot of good events at our 50^th college reunion. Quite a few of them—in fact most—had been to previous reunions. For us, likely our first and last.

It was great to see our classmates and learn about where they are and what they are doing. It was a little sad that about all we had in common was USNA and our brief service afterwards. It was great seeing these old friends, with whom I had endured Plebe summer tortures and Plebe year annoyances. And, that is not an insignificant bond.

On the other hand, with only a few exceptions, I have had very little contact with them over the ensuing 50 years. Together 4 years and apart 50 years means that I felt pretty distant—surprisingly so. But what would you expect?

It was great to see them and also to see the grounds and buildings in which I had studied and learned much. We shared that our time there had impacted the rest of our lives for the better. I had to fight back tears on couple of occasions. Memories are a very good thing—when I have them still in the “file”.

Beautiful North Carolina

In October we had the pleasure of spending a day and a bit with good friends Pete and Nancy. They have a condo at Sugar Top, NC. These are dear friends and we always enjoy being with them. We had a great time on this stopover on our way to my 50^th reunion in Annapolis.

This area is a MAJOR tourist destination, and we can see why. We visited Blowing Rock, NC, which was the real town described as “Mitford” by Jan Karon in her Series of books. The town was full of old tourists because those with children are back at school.

We also drove to the top of Grandfather Mountain. It was cloud-covered at the top, but was still great fun. We went to Boone, where Appalachian State University is located. We also visited Banner Elk, NC where Lees-McRae University is located. The high winds made it cold, but the great friends made it warm.

We hope to return for another visit—it was definitely worth the detour!

G^d made a beautiful world indeed.

Note, yes, these are from USNA, but we didn't take many leaf picts on the highway.

Speaking to a Responsive Audience

I’m guessing that I have written about this before, but for speakers, the audience can make or break the experience. Recently I had the joy of speaking 6 times to a good, reactive audience. They made eye contact with me, they smiled, they laughed at the jokes. I may have mentioned this, but I once had 52 Professors from the University of Herat, western Afghanistan in an audience for several lectures. I was shocked at their responsiveness. Likewise I was surprised, pleasantly so, at this latest group.

I taught undergraduates for many years at UA. In most every class (except one) there were a couple of responders, but it was rare to have a whole class. In fact, I only recall one such group in 33 years of professing.

Zoom seems much worse than live speaking. In Zoom, even the normally responsive folks are subdued. So, if you are in a ZOOM audience, give a big smile—bigger than usual—and gives a thumbs-up or other indications. Be a friend to the Zoom speaker—respond!

So, the next time you are in an audience—respond! Smile, nod, clap if appropriate. Respond!

“How much time have you spent preparing for forever?”

Steve Douglass, former President of Cru (2001-2020), was once invited to share the gospel with a young lady's father. Steve began to "engage her Dad in conversation and soon shared his story of how he had come to faith in Jesus. Steve then pulled out a little booklet, called “The Four Spiritual Laws.”

Her Dad quickly responded that while he meant no disrespect – he was not interested. So Steve put the booklet back in his pocket and continued to engage the man in conversation. He discovered that he had just retired at age 65 and had started saving for his retirement at age 22 and had been very disciplined in putting money aside every month and wisely investing it. Steve commended him for his efforts.

Steve then asked him how long he expected to live.  He said he hoped to be at least 85.

Steve then asked him, once you die how long do you expect to be dead? The man smiled and said, “I think that will be forever.”

Steve then asked him this question: “If I understand correctly you prepared for 42 years for your retirement which you hope will be at least 20 years. Am I correct?” The man confirmed that was true!

Steve then asked him this profound question: “How much time have you spent preparing for forever?”

The man was silent for quite a while. He then asked if Steve still had that little booklet, “The Four Spiritual Laws,” handy – as he was now interested in hearing!"

Think about it!

This post was adapted from a blog post by Cru staff, Bob Tiede.

Wellness Week #5

 

Here were the Wellness Week talks for 2022.

22 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on  Communicating Better

21 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on Problems and Possibilities of Pain

20 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on Reducing Stress

19 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on  Following the Christ, or Just Good Church Member

18 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on Better Beach Bodies

17 Oct Spoke at LBAV Wellness Week, Panama City Beach, FL on Leaving a Legacy that Lasts

The talks seemed to go over better than usual this year. These were new talks with just a hint of previous talks. I enjoyed doing them, though giving this many talks is a bit tiring. Even as a professor, I seldom gave 6 talks like this in one week. It was a good week, and I hope that many happy habits and memories result.

Authentic Italia

 

Authentic Italy 2022

The Birmingham airport was deserted! I had caught it in a rate lull between crowds and walked up to the ticket desk, then breezed through TSA without a pause. Thank you Lord!

But that was the end of the peace and quiet. For my flight to Rome they were overbooked by 3 seats and I was sorely tempted to take the $1400, free dinner and hotel in Atlanta. The packed plane was preparation for the packed streets of Rome and Florence. I don’t think I can recall such crowds even in summer months. But that didn’t slow us down. The excellent preparations that Ceil Wilson had done meant that the entire trip went smoothly.

Our Group was Matt and Melissa, Vickie and Scott, Justin and Marit, Trey and JK, and me and Ceil and Daryl Wilson. Kenneth from Agape Italia Bologna traveled with us. We experienced the reality of the Refugee Ministry in Rome where we heard Tori tell us about his life after fleeing Afghanistan. We heard about the family life ministry in Italy, and I had the joy of filming a video for them on Family Wellness and on investing in people. One of the highlights of Rome wasn’t the Pantheon, but a terrific lunch in the apartment of Amy and Joel who lead the Agape Italia campus ministry in Rome.

From Rome we took the train to Florence where not only saw the beautiful sights, but got to meet the beautiful Agape staff of Florence. I spoke to the Psych student at the University of Florence on Time Management.

From Florence we made a day trip to Bologna where most of our super group got to work with the super team of Agape Bologna. I gave a professional talk on Exercise in the Heat at the oldest European University, the University of Bologna. Some of these team members were here when Bre and I made our first trip to Bologna in 2013.

The Authentic Italy group left on Saturday and Sunday the Wilsons and I journeyed to Trento to meet a Christian Prof there who chairs the Dept of Economics. We took the prof and his wife to dinner and he was genuinely blown away by the thought of impacting his University for the Christ. It was exciting to see him slowly catch a vision for ministry where he had great impact. Please pray for Prof. G in Trento and Prof N in Florence. It’s tough when there isn’t a team ministering with you.

My last talk was to a group of Medical and Pharmacy students at Tor Vergata University in Rome. In this program I met students from Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Iran who live and study together and support each other through lectures and exams. Because of the stress of their school, I spoke on Wellbeing in the University. The group was large and receptive and we planted some seeds for Christianity. Pray that the Lord provides the increase.

The history of Italy in the Scriptures is large. The sights in Italy are amazing. Perhaps you know someone who would like to travel with a Christian group and see Italy through a Christian ministry lenses. Invite them to investigate Authentic Italy, 2023.

Italia Bologna

 The first place Brenda and I visited in Italy was Bologna in 2013. I wrote about it back then, but in review, we were living in Botswana and got an invite from Cru to visit Italy. The Air Traffic Controllers in Europe had just gone on strike and we prayed intently whether it was wise--in any way--to embark on air travel with a known major impediment to travel.

But after a rather enjoyable delay in Charles De Gaulle airport, we made it just a few hours late to Bologna airport where there was no one to even check our passport. And, we had a delightful time then and in 2021 and a few weeks back.

Bologna is the "city of porticos" because the streets are covered over much of this city. As is my habit, I arranged through my Univ. of Bologna buddy, Sandro, to give a professional talk to Grad students and profs at the University. The group was very responsive and I really enjoyed speaking with them.

After the talk we went over to the streets of Bologna where our team was passing out tracts to students. I got to talk to two room mates--both "Julias". Neither were Christians. We had a nice chat and tried to plant the seed of the gospel.

I didn't get to see very much of Bologna, but enough to bring back sweet memories of the 6 or 7 visits there. It is a beautiful quiet, University town. Make a visit.

Italia Firenze

 Roma was packed with people this year. I had hoped that Firenze would be a bit less crowded, but not so. It was every bit as busy. Our Agape Italia staff spent a lot of time with us.

These two guys are Gianlucca (from southern Italy) and Trey (from southern Texas). Gian works with our friend Baldwin (Gino in Italy) with Athletes in Action. As Gino explained, sport is a HIGH priority in Italian culture.

And, speaking of Italian culture, this is the most famous site in Firenze--Il Duomo. I have said before, this, in my view, is the most beautiful building ever constructed. Although I have been inside it many times, I couldn't resist another visit. It was built, like most everything in Italy on the foundations of a previous church.

Likewise, we as Followers of the Christ, are built on foundations of those who have gone before us. Those first Christians, the first martyrs, the first missionaries, the first reformers--we have benefitted greatly from all of these. May the L^rd make us as beautiful as Il Duomo.

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  Isa 52:7.

Italia Dolce

The final course in a five-course  Italian meal (we left off the apperitivo) is the dolce--the dessert. One of my favorite aspects of this trip--really my favorite, were the great people we met. I have known Joel and Amy since at least 2014, maybe 2013. They have two beautiful children and lead the student ministry in Roma. Amy is on your left.

The amazing thing was they invited us over to their home and served us a wonderful lunch. It made us all much appreciate that we are semi-post-COVID. Now, that being said, almost the entire Firenze Cru team came down with COVID right as we were leaving Firenze!

Here are two more members of the Roma Agape team who are so, so sweet. They are Mateo and Loren (spelling?).

One more sweet thing was the Euro. I think I have paid ove $1.50 per Euro in the past. This visit it varied from $.97 to $101. That gave us a small discount on everything.

Taste and see that the L^rd is good; blessed is he who trusts in Thee!  Ps 34:8!

He is dolce (sw
eet) indeed!

Italia Secondi Piatti

 We need to move on to Firenze, but before we do, I did want to share one of the most famous of all sights in Roma, the Pantheon. The engineering to build this open dome is/was amazing.

The hole in the dome, the "oculus" admits light and vents heat and humidity, and I guess smoke at times. They say that only a small amount of rain comes in because the current of escaping air reduces its entry. And that is good because if you look down, you see some of the most beautiful floors in all the world.

There are two small drains in the floor, but they are small and don't really detract from the beauty of the marble floors. And speaking of beauty, the Italian painters set the bar. Below is one of the favorite paintings in a church of course. Brian Evans, national co-director loves this work by Carvaggio. It depicts the martyrdom of the disciple Matthew. As often happens, the artist painted his own face into one of those portrayed.

And this ought to be a good reminder for us. We carry in our pockets the nails that hung Jesus on the cross. We are guilty sinners saved solely by the grace of G^d.

Thanks be to G^d for His grace and mercy.

Italia Primi Piatti

 We had a great start in Roma. Among the things we did was hear the stories and testimonies of Afghan refugees which are a key part of the Agape Ministry.Once again they fixed us a delicious meal from their homeland.

These guys are an inspiration. That they are alive and in Italy is remarkable.

A surprise of this trip was running into the young lady in the above photo. She was on our trip last year and wanted to return to Italy where she had lived before. Well, she got her wish, as she is now Agape Italia staff working in Roma.

A third surprise was this guy. This is Jan and he was our tour guide in 2021 when we, along with Kathy R booked him to guide us through the Coliseum. I was thrilled to see him again, as he is a super tour guide. He lead us around Roma near the Pantheon, and several of our group remarked as to what a great guide Jan is.

We"ll talk about the Pantheon in the next post.

Italy- Antipasti

It is 8 Oct. and I have spent the last 8 days in Italy working mainly with Agape Italia. We started in Roma, and this is my last night in Firenze. I leave tomorrow for Trento, in extreme Northern Italy where I have never visited. After that I will head for Roma again for a couple more talks and then finally head for home.

This is part of an annual tour of Italy first begin in 2019. I have been on all three of these demonstrating as best I can what American Profs can do on foreign Universities. The tour group this year was excellent. They came from Portland, New Braunfels (TX), Dallas, and Houston. They seemed very engaged in missions and asked lots of great questions.

 I have more photos and much more to say, so hang with me.

Magic in the Airport

 I was traveling to Italy by myself for two weeks of ministry with Cru Faculty Commons. Bre, Andrew, Jem and Hazel had gotten me there early. I said my sad farewells and walked into Birmingham airport. I had never seen it like this--deserted. I walked straight up to the Delta agent without stopping. In a couple or three minutes, I was walking up to the TSA security guard with no one in front of me. Wow! How did that happen?  I'll tell you later.

I flew to Atlanta and after only a short wait, our plane started to board. I had, upon arriving, asked the gate agent if he could move me out of that dreaded Row 47 middle seat! He said that he couldn't do anything because the flight was sold out--in reality they had sold three more tickets than they had seats. So three lucky folks got $1400 each, plus a free supper and hotel.

Well, I glumly boarded the plane and made my way back to that dreaded seat, arriving first. I stowed my baggage and sat for only a few minutes when my row-mates appeared. It turned out that they were newly weds and asked if I might be willing to take the aisle seat and let they new bride sit in the middle next to her husand.

Would I? Absolut!

And, all this came about because of the prayers of G^d's people. I was on a two-week mission trip when this happened and I had requested prayer.  Thanks be to G^d!

Fact vs Faith

 As a scientist I can say, there are very few things of value "proven". Sure, a few basic things in physics, and in math, but very little in physiology, psychology, philosophy. 

Physics has "proven" kinetics and kinematics, but also shown that those don't work on a subatomic level. We have some other basic laws of electricity and magnetism, and fluids and thermodynamics and a few I am sure I am forgetting. In math we have some "proofs" that are logically consistent.

But when you get beyond these there are few "laws". I am a bit appalled that in human physiology we don't have any independent, consistent, verificable laws (the Frank-Starling "law" of the heart isn't exactly independent of logic and physics). Give me one? 

Likewise, in nutrition, beyond some very basic principles, things seem to change from time to time. In the more complex sciences, like human psychology, name one law. I am not an expert in human philosophy, but I have never heard one principle that is wholly consistent.

I say all this to suggest that ALL of us are people of faith. We fly in aircraft, we cross bridges, we drive at high speeds--all on faith. So those who claim to live by "facts", or by science, or some other way are simply putting their FAITH in something--without option.

This means that ALL of us exhibit FAITH in something. I'll put my faith in Jesus. How about you?

Great Time In Guatemala--via Zoom

 One of the GREAT joys of our ministry are the terrific opportunities that come our way. What would you think if someone contacted you and asked, "Would you like to make a Gospel presentation to a University class in Guatemala City, Guatemala?"

     "Would I?" Absolutely!
     I (Phil) jumped on the opportunity to speak to a class on Translating to English, on Saturday morning via Zoom. The professor who teaches two sections of this class is a Christian. She contacted my great friend in Guatemala City, Cristobal (Athletes in Action Staff who has been organizing with his wife, a Professor, a Faculty Ministry there).  Cristobal sent out an invitation and two of us responded.
     I had 40 minutes for my talk and translation. I spoke on "Why Logic won't let me (a scientist) be an Atheist". The professor had translated for me several times before, and it was a joy to work with her. A dozen students were tuned in throughout the talk and had some nice comments and questions afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the students seemed to enjoy our time also. Afterwards I endeavored to pave the way for future collaboration. here is a meme that summarizes my talk.