Pilgrimage

Thirty-seven of us will be departing Friday for Israel, for a Holy Land tour. Twenty-two of us will continue on to Egypt to view sights, including one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the giant pyramids.

This is my sixth trip as a host and faculty member for Dehoney travel. It's always a blast to see people's faces as they see the sights they've read about in their Bibles since they were children.

The blog will probably be quiet until after January 14 when we return. I'm not taking my laptop. If I am able to get internet access, I might make an update. But from previous travel experience, when there is any down time, I'm basically down!

So until next year, Happy New Year to you all.

See ya around!

Digital Nativity Adventure

Merry Christmas,

See ya around!

Ready for Christmas

Our first pastor, Ben Bissell, shared the following at Christmas years ago.  I have used it every year since at some point during the Advent season.  The piece is attributed to Alice Mortenson.

Ready for Christmas

"Ready for Christmas," she said with a sigh,

As she put the last touch to the gifts piled high.

Then quietly sat for a moment and read,

Til soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.

Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream,

"Ready for Christmas?  What do you mean?

Ready for Christmas, when only last week, 

You wouldn't acknowledge your friend on the street!

"Ready for Christmas, when only today, 

A beggar lad came, and you turned him away,

Without even a smile to show that you cared?

The little he asked could have been spared.

"Ready for Christmas, while holding a grudge?

Perhaps you had better let God be the judge.

Why, how can the Christ child come and abide,

In a heart that is selfish, and filled with pride.

"Ready for Christmas?  You've worked, it is true.

But just doing things that you wanted to do.

Ready for Christmas?  Your circles too small.

Why, you're not ready for Christmas at all.

She woke with a start, and a cry of despair, 

"There's so little time and I've still to prepare.

Oh Father forgive me.  I see what you mean.

To be ready is more than a house swept clean.

"Yes, more than the giving of gifts and a tree.

It's a heart swept clean that he wants to see.

A heart that is free from bitterness and sin.

Ready for Christmas.  And ready for Him.

Time to get ready!

See ya around!

Anticipation . . .

Advent is not Christmas.  It is a season of preparation.  It is a season of anticipation.  It is a season of waiting.  It's still not Christmas.

So we wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . .

See ya around!

Oh my . . .

So let's just say, we have now moved Moira land to Lexington, Kentucky.  Granddaughters are absolutely amazing. . . especially ours!!!!

See ya around!

Moira

Enough said!!!

I Know the Answer . . .

A pastor was telling a story to a group of children in Sunday School.  It went like this.

"I'm going to describe something and you tell me what it is.  It has a furry tail.  It's really good at climbing trees.  It hides nuts for the winter when it's cold outside.  It's . . ."

A young boy quickly raised his hand and said, "I know the answer's Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

Isn't that how this season seems to be coming at you.  In all the business, craziness, zaniness, we know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like the cultural junk of the season.

A friend recently commented, "If Jesus were here, would he wonder what the heck we were doing?"

I have no doubt.

See ya around!

Surprised by Grace!

Well it happened again today.  Out of the blue.  Surprised by grace!!!

We had a fairly heavy snowfall overnight.  The roads were covered and slippery.  Sidewalks and driveways displayed about 4 or 5 inches of the the powder.  Schools were closed throughout most of the commonwealth, at least the eastern part.

Aunchalee and I went to the store to get some items in preparation for Moira's visit.  Grandma wants to buy everything she sees in the store.  Don't get me started because it's a least a week's worth of blogging.  Needless to say, she told me Baby's R Us is her new favorite store.

So driving back to the house we noticed about five people converging on driveways on our street.  Aunchalee commented, "I wonder what they would charge to clean our driveway?"  As most men do, I grunted, and pulled the car into the garage.

As we were bringing in Moira's treasure trove, I heard Aunchalee shout, "Wow, they cleaned our driveway already!"  I ran to the living-room window.  I couldn't believe it.  We hadn't been home ten minutes and our driveway and sidewalk were totally clear.  I asked, "Did you hire them to do that?  She said, "no."  And she quickly grabbed her coat, a can of cookies, and ran out to greet the workers.

It turns out it was one of our neighbors from up the street, whom we know by waving and shouting hellos as we drive by their house or as they walk by ours.  The three sons, a daughter and the mom had decided to offer the neighbors a gift and clean their driveways following the frigid snow.

Aunchalee said, "They take that love your neighbor stuff to another level."  Yes they do!

Surprised again by grace!

See ya around!

Funny posts . . .

There are some funny things that pop up on Twitter and Facebook.  I hope this is not offensive, but my friend Bo Warren, whom I believe experiences ADHD, recently asked, "So . . . is ADHD like having ADD with better picture quality?"

See ya around!

The Long and Winding Road

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon.  I thought it a time to reflect a bit.  A few weeks ago, iTunes was able to open The Beatles song library to it's customers.  Within hours, Apple's online music store sold tons of their music and made tons of money.  It's been 46 years since The Beatles debuted on the Ed Sullivan show.  I remember my mother, who was a diehard fan of Glen Miller and swing music, say, "This music will never last the test of time like this big band music has."

No doubt, people still listen to Glen Miller.  But generations listen to The Beatles.  It's been a long and winding road for them and for us who have followed them.  We marched through Woodstock, Viet Nam, Watergate, a resigning president, a peanut farmer elected president, gas prices out the roof, a movie star elected president, the collapse of the Berlin wall and the Soviet states, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the internet, Twitter, Facebook, marriage, children, and grandchildren.  We live in a world that is a mix of sanity and insanity.  And the thing we all really need though don't always want is love.  Which, in the words of John Lennon, is all you need.

So after 46 years, she still loves you and wants to hold your hand.  Please please me and tell someone you love them.  Twist and shout to the people you meet, and when you see him, tell him I said, "Hey Jude!"

See ya around!

Dysfunction Palooza

Ah, it's the holidays.  Wow.  I remember my father's large Italian family and holiday gatherings.  I used to really love them.  No seriously!  I really did.  Not because of the food or the festivities.  It was the fights I loved!  Uncle Joe and Uncle Rocky (his Italian name was Rocco) were both know-it-alls.  They were masters in their own minds of every subject imaginable.  After I was a seminary professor, one of them began to tell me about what Baptists believe.  Mind you, he wasn't a Baptist nor had he ever been in a Baptist church.  Such is the luxury of being a know-it-all.  You just know all things.

Some of the family used to get so disgusted at Joe and Rocky's antics.  I enjoyed listening to them banter about golf, baking, turkey, the Eagles, Glen Miller, the weather--you name the subject and they would argue about it.  Our family gatherings during the holidays were a mass of confusion, misunderstanding, and mayhem.  In the words of Raymond (whom everybody loves), commenting on the gathering of his family for Thanksgiving, it was dysfunction palooza.  And I loved it.  Hey, it was family.

So, when your family gets together this year for the holidays, and things begin to get out of control and go awry, just go with the flow, enjoy it.  Name it dysfunction palooza.  Shout with all joy, the words of Clark Grizwold, "Hallelujah! Holy s _ _ t! Where's the Tylenol?"  


See ya around!

Who Brought the Gorilla?

Remember, I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It's the home of the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the most aggressive hockey teams in the NHL.  It's the place where famed Rocky Balboa grew up in a rough area known as Kensington, where he learned to eat Pat's steaks and box.  So needless to say, I was not used to passive aggressive personalities.  Aggressive perhaps.  Passive, never!

That background sets the stage for my question.  Have you ever noticed how pseudo-polite and passive aggressive some people can be?  Whether it's the proverbial elephant in the room or 800 lb. gorilla sharing the space,  in their "politeness" they just won't talk about it.  There at least.  As soon as they leave the room, they begin to spin the yarn, and the gorilla becomes 1,600 lb.. and the rumors about the gorilla begin to flow.  But once back in the room . . . "Gorilla?  What gorilla?"

Wouldn't it be nice if mature people could just say what they mean, mean what they say, and get to the heart of matters without playing their little games?  I like the approach of  Robert De Niro's character in taxi driver.  He wouldn't allow the gorilla to sit without being addressed.  "You talkin to me?" he barked!

Why am I bringing this up?  Well, it's the holiday season.  Families are and will be getting together.  Perfect opportunities for a gorilla to appear.  Let's agree.  Let's disagree.  But let's do it openly and with love.  And maybe, just maybe, we'll create a little more peace in the room, and no one will bring the gorilla.  Just sayin'!

See ya around?

Hurry up! . . . and wait!

When I was in the Air Force, during basic training, the mantra was, "Hurry up and wait!"  No matter what we were doing.  Where we were going. Or what we anticipated doing.  We were always rushed to the next location only to wait on whatever it was we were supposed to be rushing to.

The holiday season is a lot like that.  Hurry up.  Let's go shopping.  Only to find the roads clogged with cars.  Wait, wait, wait.  Did you ever notice that traffic lights never change quickly when you are in a hurry?  Then you get to the store, and it's hurry up to buy, only to wait to pay!!!!

I have sworn--yes, sworn--that one of these years, I'm going to slow down and let the holidays come to me. I have sworn--yes, sworn--that one of these years, I'm going to enjoy Christmas and not have to run around like a madman, scurrying from one demand to another, one church function to another, one worship experience to another, one mad moment to another.

Guess what?  This is that year!!!!!  As the great theologian, Frank Barone, once uttered, "Holy crap!"  Yep, I plan to enjoy this Christmas.  If you want me to rush over for some Christmas cheer, give me a week's notice, because this year, I'm not hurrying.  I'll wait.  Because that's what Advent is about.  But hurry?  Not this year.

See ya around!

Facebook addict? Really???

Do you find yourself groping for your smart phone or lunging for your computer just to see what the recent posts might be?  Do you find yourself stalking some of your friends to see if they are having fun than you are?  Do you find your self asking the question, "Should I hide or de-friend?"  Do you try to have your photos tagged often so your friends will see what an amazing life you have?  If you can answer yes to any of these questions, or myriad others, you are probably an FA.  That's right a Facebook Addict.

Currently there are no FA meetings available in your area.  But, you can do what I and of my closest friends have done . . . you can do a Facebook Back Away.  That's right.  First you compose a nice note.  And send PMs to your friends letting them know that you are performing an intervention on yourself, and you are backing away from Facebook for a time.  That way when you de-friend them, they'll feel good that they are helping in your recovery!!!  Then de-friend those folk whom you think you can de-friend.  Only you know who they might be.

Now your friends list is much shorter.  That's step one.  With a shorter friends list, that's fewer updates.  And the need to check so often will begin to abate.  You'll always want another Facebook hit, so be careful.  Going back just a few times a day can hook you all over again.  Remember once an FA, always an FA.

Hope this post today has helped.  Oh, crap, my phone just said someone wrote on my wall . . .

See ya around!

So Maybe this is Church...?

As you can only imagine, I've been thinking a lot about church in recent days.  It seems to me that perhaps we have put too much emphasis on all the trappings that only look like church but aren't really church.  I came across this video recently.  It was just made a few days ago.  I wonder?  Is this the way church might just supposed to be?  I mean, with the church people out there among the other people, rubbing elbows, and just making a little difference here and there.  I wonder?  I wonder if the Lord wouldn't be way more excited about Hallelujahs in a mall than in a cathedral.  See what you think . . .

It Must be in the Attic

Well it’s that time of year.  I bet you’re thinking that I’m thinking about buying a Turkey and planning that big meal for next Thursday.  Nope.  I’m actually talking about finding Christmas decorations. 

Remember that Aunchalee is from Thailand where they don’t celebrate Christmas or the trappings of the season.  But since she’s been “commercialized” by the Christmas gremlins, we typically do Christmas in a pretty big way.  She has rule and regulations as to how things must be.  She’s almost a Christmas trapping Pharisee if I might.  (You know those are the people that have to have things exactly their way or it ain’t right.)

While folk are out shopping on Black Friday, we are putting up decorations and maybe even the tree for Christmas.  The rule about the tree is that if it’s real, I might be able to hold her off a few more weeks.  But now for the hitch.  We never know exactly where all the decorations are.  We have several places and multiple red and green boxes where stuff is kept.  When you can’t find something, the pat answer is, “It must be in the attic.”

“Where are the automated reindeer?”  she ponders.  “Bet they’re in the attic,” I retort.  Actually, I hate those stupid automated yard things.  I hid them in the attic once.  But she found them.

One of the major rules according to this Christmas decoration person is that it all must come down on the day after Christmas.  She says, “Well Christmas is over.  Time to take the tree down!”  And down it comes.  More about that on December 26. 

Well, I better go help her get stuff down.  It’s Saturday.  I used to be able to say, “Sorry, I wish I could help.  But gotta get this sermon done.”  Oh well. . . .

See ya around!

Reilly the Band

Worth a listen . . .

Meeting Folk at the Cusp of LIfe

So, after visiting Monty Carter and Mosaic Community Fellowship in South Carolina, I decided to take his lead.  I'm at a place now where, without the demands of the church machine, I can get with people and begin to see where they really live and what their lives are really like.  Monty loves coffee and spends time, everyday, at one of the fastest growing religious places in the nation, Starbucks.  Aunchalee and I talked about it and decided it might be a way of networking and being with people I don't currently know.  (Hmmm.  It also may be a way of her having me out of the house to give her some breathing space. . . . Nah!)

So, this week I have given it a try.  I started at Coffee Times on Regency Road.  So, packed with laptop under tow (you have to have a laptop if you wanna look like your gonna hang around and not act as a stalker) I headed out for coffee shop ministry, day one.  The place was packed.  I got some coffee.  Found a seat.  Opened my laptop.  And . . . . hoped nobody noticed me.  Yeah, I'm one of those people who is supposed to really act like I never met a stranger.  But that's not me.  I grew up an only child.  I'm basically shy (ish).

Guess what?  It worked.  I did some chores on my laptop.  Had coffee.  And just looked around to see other people looking around too.

Yesterday, day two.  As I'm writing the blog entry, a fellow comes up and sits in the couch next to me.  He knows me.  I don't know him.  He begins to chat.  He asked me how things were going.  He hadn't heard that I retired.  He was visibly envious.  Then he asked if I had heard from a mutual acquaintance.  I hadn't.  He said he'd been having a hard time since his wife died.  He would really appreciate a call from me.  He needs somebody who might understand.  He's not used to asking for help.  Would I give him a call?  Day two, and already I'm meeting people at the cusp of life.  Of course, I'll be in touch with him this week.

Today is day three.  Don't worry.  I won't make this a running commentary of everyday in coffee land.

I really need to do decaf today though.  With as much coffee as I drank on days one and two, if I kept going at that pace, my cardiologist would require me to begin meeting people at a bar instead of a coffee shop in order to avoid the caffeine.  At this point, I can handle coffee shops.  I'm not sure about bars yet . . . afraid I might run into Jesus there!

See ya around!