Not a New Place, But a New Face...

   We returned last evening from our Thanksgiving trip to Arkansas to be with our daughter and her family, and we are thankful to have been able to go and thankful to be home, sleeping in our own bed.

   Trips are fun.

   Trips are long sometimes.

   Trips make you appreciate home.

   Not that trips are bad. Family times are great, and when family lives far away, they are necessary. They are just not as easy as they used to be.

   But no matter if we travel the same roads, see the same scenery, and even make the same stops along the way, they are different.

   Our trip to Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas to be exact, takes us through south Georgia, a diagonal up through Alabama, across the top part of Mississippi and half way across "The Natural State" to Donna's home town.

   We try to stop, rest and walk around, every two or three hours.

   Last Tuesday we were moving up through Alabama and decided to visit Union Springs. It is always nice to be in someplace new.

   But, as we turned into the main street, we noticed a monument in the middle of the street.

   We had been here before and did not remember having done so, but the bird dog on top made us realize our mistake.

   We had also taken a picture of the old courthouse, which we are prone to do.

   As we walked into the county seat building, speaking to the sheriff's deputies at the metal detector by the front door, we asked where the rest rooms were located. (A practical note: restrooms at courthouses are usually better and cleaner than those at convenience stores..remember that.)

   Taking the elevator to the basement level, and while waiting for my wife to emerge from her pit stop, I noticed a young man, dressed in a white outfit that had State Prisoner written across the back, as he was straightening up a break room area.

   Engaging him in conversation, I found out he was serving time at the State Prison just south of town, and that this was his work assignment five days each week. I also learned that he would be getting out of prison in February.

   After talking for a few minutes, we went on our way, and he went back to work;

   Nothing profound was said, just an opportunity to affirm that he was a real person and to encourage him as he finished his sentence and went back out into the world. No doubt we will never see him again.

   Stopping at the deputy's desk at the front door on the way out, I mentioned the young man in the basement and told the officer that this guy was doing a good job, and to pass this along to those in charge of his detail.

   A chance encounter?

   I think not, but as I think about this boy, I stop to pray for him, praying for his time left to be full of meaning, and praying for his future.

   And I think back. We visited a town that we had been in before. We thought it was new to us, but wasn't. We had a conversation with a man we did not know and would probably never see again.

   Perhaps we were supposed to be there.

   I pray we handled it well...

Reflections on Light

   One of the most photographed buildings on our Island is:

The oldest standing Church building on St. Simons Island, Georgia is Lovely Lane Chapel. Formally named St. James Union Chapel, it was built by Norman W. Dodge in 1880. Repaired following a hurricane in 1897, the chapel was deconsecrated in 1911 to be used as a recreation center, and was re-consecrated in 1949 after the Methodist purchased the property. Lovely Lane is named after the site of the 1784 Founding Conference of American Methodism in Baltimore, Maryland.

   Our daughter was married here in the 90s.

   We were driving through the Epworth community the other day, and the light from the setting sun seemed right for another shot of this chapel.

          Here is the picture as I took it that day.

   How about as it might have looked in an old postcard?

   How about at night with a moon in the western sky?

   And under a deep blue sky.

   The constant in these pictures is the sameness of the actual building. The differences are due to the amount of light.

   Is not my life the same characterized by the same thing?

   Jesus says, " I am the light of the world".

   How much of that light is reflected to my world?

 

Too Soon….Too Late

   This from the Brunswick News for this morning 11/18/15.

   I believe this is the 6th year for the McGladrey (now RSM) PGA tournament here on St. Simons. I say I believe, because I count 5 shirts in the closet from my time of working these days in the past.

   The tournament will have to get along without me this time around, so, no 6th shirt right now unless I want to buy one at the shop.

   When the call came in April, via an email, for volunteers to step up again and sign up to work the event, I did so. After all it is fun for me to be involved, to watch good golf, to be up close and personal with the players, and to just be on the course, moving around and getting some good exercise walking.

   But as the time neared, I sensed some unease at being away from home so much, for 6 or more hours per day for the 4 days, and thought maybe this was just not the year to do it.

   You know, there are just some things that require a lot of thought and prayer about which way to go on a certain decision, and there are some that jump out and say "no" or "not now", and this was one of those.

   So, I opted out while there was still time for them to replace me and find someone to take my time slots. Evidently it was not too difficult as they replied to my email almost within the hour. "We understand", was the reply "and we'll look for you next year".

   I walked this morning around 6:30. The sun was getting ready to appear. The sky was a bright orange, and I realized that, if I was working, I would already be at the course, waiting for my assigned group as they begin the pro-am this morning. (the first tee time was 7AM)

   But I knew that my place was at home, watching the event on TV with my wife, not out there plodding around 18 holes with strangers.

   And the right decision is not always to do what I would want to do, but what is the right thing.

   Two choices: one with the emphasis on "I" and the second on "right".

   Too soon old, Too late smart.

   And thanks to God for letting me hang around long enough to get one right.

   Amen

Not Just a "Normal" War

   Like many of you, we sat glued to the TV last Friday when all the Paris stuff came down. We were astonished, appalled, and saddened by all that went on. I think maybe the world changed right as we watched.

   Then I woke up Saturday morning and just wanted the world to go on as usual. I think I had spent so much emotional capital Friday on the situation that I just wanted to play tennis and watch football and spend a "most usual" Saturday.

   All through the weekend we talked about those events of Friday and wondered out loud what it would all mean to us and our family in the years ahead. We also expressed the desire to hear what our favorite worldview person had to say on the subject, but since he is a weekday person, we could not get his take until this morning.

   Dr. Mohler is here:

http://www.albertmohler.com

   just click on The Briefing and hear a 20 minute or so analysis of the news.

   I could wish that all of our nation's leaders could hear and understand all that is behind this horrific story.

   And I pray that Christians will be found faithful and…

   That God Would See Fit to Bless America

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

   Amen

Break Out The Hymnal and Sing Along...

   It seems that so many times, it is the conjunction of two ideas that form the topic I spend my time thinking about, and most of the time it is from either a Bible passage, or a devotional, or something I've read.

   And most of the time it is definitely Christian, and that is good. That is the basis that I want to live my life on and that I want other people to see in my life, even when I know there is much more there, incriminating stuff that no one needs to know.

   So this morning I am reading a devotional on the Internet from Our Daily Bread, and it talks about being thankful. Now I like that and try to be quick to have that attitude of Thanksgiving every day. I know I have been blessed, and I know where those blessings originate. God has been so great to me and to my family all through my years.

   I guess that is why my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It just fits the way I feel (most of the time).

   After reading some this morning, and as I began to get breakfast ready for us, I clicked my way onto a YouTube video of Best Loved Hymns. I don't know about anyone else (except my wife), but the old hymns have a way of catching my heart and taking me where I want to go.

   I like some of the newer Christian music, especially the softer and reverent pieces, but it is the old songs that have a way of speaking to me. I also like some newer hymns, such as:

      In Christ Alone

      How Deep the Father's Love for Us

   Maybe it is because it takes me back. Maybe it is nostalgia. I don't know, but when we sing an old hymn in church, it moves within me.

   As the hymns were sung on the Internet this morning, one of the amazing things to me was the fact that I knew the words. Not just the first stanza, but the second and the third, and the fourth. Those songs had been imbedded in my mind, and they flowed out as the music played.

   Songs like:

      Amazing Grace

      He Leadeth Me

      Fairest Lord Jesus

      The Old Rugged Cross

      All Hail the Power of Jesus Name

      When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

   So, I can be thankful that my parents had their three boys in church, and that these words and melodies are still in my mind.

   The words still have a powerful meaning in my life today. I know that the older we get, the more we look backwards and love what has gone on before. We can even worship the past and hold it up as the standard, but that is not my point.

   It is the standard of Love, Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness that resonates in my heart as I listen.

   Jesus is faithful, He is guiding, and He is constant.

   That makes and keeps me Thankful

   Break out the hymnal and sing along…

 

Little Things Matter, Condo Style...

   When Mayre Lou and I moved back from Virginia in 2008, we decided to buy a condo instead of a freestanding home. We had never lived full-time in a condo and, in the back of our minds, wondered how it would be.

   You know when you sign up for condo living there are quite a few things that come into play.

   Sure, there is a pool in your back yard

   But there are other things also:

      You don't pick your close neighbors

      There are many more cars in your garage

      There are pets around, even when none belong to you

   When we purchased and moved in, we had our choice of units. Only one other had been sold, so there were 41 to choose from. There were 3 floor plans, and we decided not to buy the expensive one, and not the smallest one, taking the middle range in both price and space.

   That decided, we needed to choose which one. We took one on the bottom floor, near the elevator and the trash chute. The first floor of condo units is actually the second floor, because the garage is on the ground level.

   Seven years later, I found another reason to be where we are:

   Our garbage is picked up each Tuesday and Friday. The truck pulls in and stops at the side of the building. The driver gets out, moves the trash container out of the room on ground level, pushes it out on its rollers to the front of the truck, activates the "grabber thing" that picks up the container, hoists it over the cab and dumps it in the garbage collection area. After shaking it a couple of times, the driver lowers it and gets it back in the room before driving off to get the other building.

   This is a noisy process with a lot of metal-on-metal banging around. It also happens around 7AM on those pickup days. Luckily the master bedroom is on the other side of the condo, and we really can't hear it well from there.

   This is also a pretty rapid operation. Once you hear the truck, the garbage is out of the room and into the collection area and the container back into place in a very short time.

   It is good if you are trying to sleep in one of the front bedrooms, and it does goes quickly, but it is bad if you have something in your forgotten trash bin, and it really needs to go out, now.

   This morning, as I sat in my study area, I heard the truck pulling in. Oops, I realized I had not taken our garbage out last night and put it down the chute. I had a lot of stuff in my trash that did not really need to percolate in the container for another 3 or 4 days, so I rushed (slowly) into the kitchen and pulled the trash can into my room, got the bag out, tying it up without waking my wife.

   Then out the door, but then what? I knew if I put it down the chute and the container was already out in front of the truck, the bag would just fall on the trash room floor, and the container would cover it when the driver pushed that bin back into the room. Not good..

   I saw the top side of the truck on the other side of the landing. The driver was just hoisting the container up to dump when I had an idea. Going to the railing I noticed the open top of the truck body where the garbage had been spilled from our container. Without waiting to see if anyone would see me, I tossed the bag over the rail and down into the truck.

   Alas, I had found another advantage to living next to the trash pickup area, an added advantage to condo living that was not mentioned in the brochure.

   No way you could accomplish that task from your own house. The truck would be long gone.

   And I can still be in tune with that old Kazakh saying: (see 2nd blog post back)

   "If you ever have to rush in life, rush slowly"

   And I'll know the next time I hear that truck just how much time I have.



 

 

More This…More That

   I admit, I have enjoyed these political debates that have been on TV these last few weeks. Sometimes it has been pure entertainment, and sometimes I actually learned something about the various candidates, and that could be a good thing.

   Last night there was another Republican one, and I woke this morning thinking about all that. Eight candidates (down from the 10 of the last one), and, since we have had a few of these on the Right side of the aisle, I thought I might give them grades like this:

MORE (a simple grading scale)(Just put a MORE in front of each descriptive term)

Trump        Mild
Carson       Punctual
Rubio        Articulate
Cruz          Passionate
Bush         Passive
Fiorina      Feisty
Kasich      Interruptive
Paul          Constant

And to add one more MORE to one who was not on the stage

Christie     Missed

   I deliberately stayed away from any news or analysis of the debate on this morning's Internet so that these might be mine and uninfluenced by other's thoughts, so it will be interesting to hear what others have to say.

   And to think that we still have another whole year before an election.

   Will it be an entertaining 12 months

           or

   Will it be a LONG year

If You Ever Have to Rush in Life...

   In our family, when some or all of us are gathered together, we like to play games. Card games, board games, any games.

   I believe that it was during one of our family Christmases together, after the smaller ones had gone off to bed, the adults played a board game, one either given as a Christmas present or brought to the beach house by one of the families gathered there.

   Wise and Otherwise is a game of sayings. From around the world they have been gathered and put in a box. If you have not played, it goes like this. One person draws a card and reads the first part of the saying, or proverb, telling from which country it originated. The reading leaves out the ending, and each player completes it on his own. There is a right answer on the card that only the reader can see.

   Each person writes their completion on a slip of paper, and the reader writes the real answer on one also. They are shuffled and read out loud with all of the players voting for the one that they think is the correct one.

   At times, the answers come out so hilarious that the designated reader can hardly get them out from trying to stifle the giggles and outright laughter. What begins as a serious attempt to get it right turns into a "roll in the floor" adult silly party.

   Some of the answers become household sayings of their own. The right answer is quickly forgotten but the made-up one takes on the mantle of a legend. Take for example the beginning:

   "Darkness hides…….."

   and in the subsequent attempt to gather votes, a player writes:

   "the fools shoddy workmanship"

   Realizing that this inside joke may not seem outrageously funny, except to those who were there, you might think we had all gone nuts, as we could not stop laughing (all except the writer of the ending who was wondering why it was so funny, when he wrote it in all seriousness).

   It got zero votes, but the legend was born and is still spoken of today anytime the game is mentioned.

   That is a long introduction to a book I am reading:

   A story of an Australian man taking 3 years to follow in the tracks of the famous Genghis Khan on horseback, from Mongolia through Central and western Asia (i.e. the old USSR) and into Europe at the Danube River.

   As the author moves through Kazakhstan, interacting with the locals along the way, he is given some advice by a man named Baitak, sounding like a saying from our board game.

   "If you ever have to rush in life…"

   "Rush Slowly."

   Isn't it true, maybe especially for me, that when I am rushing around, it is because there is something else that I want to do, and I am about to lose any time for doing it?

   I do not have to look farther back than this morning, as I began to read some things in my quiet time. Near the end of one section was a link to a video that went along with it. When I clicked on the link, I realized that it was 34 minutes long.

   How would I ever get to all the other things I planned to read during that time if I stopped to watch and listen?

   But I did, and it was a message I needed to hear.

   A God Thing?

   I can't say for sure, but I knew it was for me.

   So I rushed slowly through it and was glad I did.

   An old Kazakh proverb, up to date in the 21st century.

We Are Blessed…For Sure

   I spent a lot of time this morning just thinking over the things I have seen and heard over the past few days.

   Each morning we listen to Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He has a podcast that tries to make sense of events in the world of today, in light of a Christian worldview.
(I would recommend it to anyone who wants a distinctly Christian take on current events). It is here:

http://www.albertmohler.com         (just click on The Briefing)

   At the other end of our daily spectrum there is always the evening news on the TV. In spite of agreement or disagreement with the bias in which it is delivered, it does let us know the things that are going on in our world.

   So this morning I thought about:

   Political Elections

   LGBT Issues in this country

   Virginia Tech and its legendary Football Coach, Frank Beamer, as he retires this year.

   And all of the above in a 30 minute walk in the neighborhood..

   Here is what a verse from today's reading has to say..Psalm 127:3

   "Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a reward from him."

   Now there is the important thing to consider.

   Mayre and I have been blessed by our Three (and their's)

   Dwayne in his Woodlawn School mode

   Donna with her daughter in "just look at that!" time

   Doug with his wife Dawn and their "circus troupe".

   We are Blessed (with a capital B)

   Thank You God

   And, lest I forget, They all could not do all they do without :

   Karen, Noel and Dawn

   3 winning combinations, and we are blessed to have them all.

   and I'll think on those lesser things tomorrow...

Ybor City, FLorida

   There is a transformation taking place right before our eyes. Brunswick, GA is becoming Ybor City, FL.

   No, they did not move the GA/FL state line farther north, but someone did decide to film a part of a movie here.

   The movie is Live By Night, and part of the film is being shot in downtown Brunswick. The time is Prohibition, 1930s, in the make-believe town of Ybor City.

   They will be filming this week, so last night we decided to go downtown and see what they had done to make it into the 1930s. The area used is blocked off, and security was everywhere, but this is what we saw.

   With the exception of a new cantina, all of the other structures were there. The only things changed were the dirt streets and the signage and window displays, on and in the buildings.

   I am assuming that, not knowing how many of the buildings will be used for indoor shots, most all of the views from the street are just a few feet deep, that almost all of the stores have their working contents hidden from the street, ready to be used once the shooting is over.

   The buildings are there to create an impression. They were one thing just a few days back, and now they are supposedly new, at least in purpose.

   Isn't that what I try to do sometimes. I look one way on the outside to all who would view my life, but inside I'm just the same old person. Just an old life with a new facade.

   I don't have the information on what they will do once the filming is over. Will all of these structures revert back to their old uses and looks?. Will the area become a tourist destination, or the same as it was? It will be interesting to see.

   The way it looks right now is for the cameras. It is only make believe.

   God wants my life to reflect His changes.

   Not just a facade to fool everyone else…

   Stay tuned...