...Anyway

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From Mother Teresa:

.....People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway. If you find eternity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them ... anyway.

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Empty-Nester

I don't mean to diminish what parents of the last child going off to college are feeling, but I've felt maybe .0001% of what those parents feel -- I took my Bobcat to the Nashville airport yesterday (7-29-09). While Pat Murphy and I seldom crossed paths, the house really felt empty last night, knowing that nobody was going to be coming in at 10:30 pm, or even 1:30 am from an away game. I've tried to analyze it ... haven't come up with much. It does drive home the fact that we're meant to live in community, and I think I've lost ground in coping with living alone. Also, I'm the same age as Pat's dad, so maybe there was just a bit of a sense of having a "child" at home, and now that's gone.

.....I've always thought I've been interested/concerned about what parents of college-bound kids feel when school starts. I think I may have just a tad more understanding for what you feel. Sure, my "child" was only home 10 weeks, compared to 17-18 years. But, hey, you probably welcome any bit of understanding, right? So parents, we'll be praying for you with a special focus in these next few weeks and months. Rest assured -- you've done a good job; God can redeem even what you fear were failures in your parenting; you're entrusting your kids to God, not to the college faculty and staff (no matter how good they are), and therein must lie your/our peace. But, if you need an extra hug, or a listening ear, just come and tell me you miss your "baby," and I'll be there!

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"Empty-Nester" Wayne

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Update Your Resumé!

.....Did you hear about the Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation for a young Bostonian being considered for employment? The Boston investment firm couldn't say enough about the young man. His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and others of Boston's first families. His recommendation was given without hesitation.

.....Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not interested in using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work!"

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.....Which, in an off-hand way, reminds me that none of us are going to be on the way to heaven because of the faith of our ancestors, no matter how strong a Christian they were. The question is, will we "work", i.e., do we believe for ourselves?

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The Golden (Fallen) Arches

The lectionary Gospel lesson for a few weeks is from John 6 -- and we addressed some of that in the July 26 sermon. I thought I'd continue that today with a few words about food.

......First up: A guest in a posh hotel's restaurant called the headwaiter over one morning and place the following order. "I'd like one egg undercooked so it's runny and one egg overcooked so it's tough and hard to eat. And I'd also like grilled bacon that's a bit on the cold side, burnt toast, butter straight from the freezer so it's impossible to spread and a pot of very weak, lukewarm coffee."

....."That's a complicated order, sir," said the bewildered waiter. "It might be quite difficult."

.....To which the guest replied sarcastically, "It can't be that difficult -- that's exactly what you brought me yesterday!"

h h h h h h

.....The second item is much more serious: You may be familiar with Morgan Spurlock who did his experiment of eating 3 meals a day at McKevorkian's ... er ... I mean, McDonald's, for 30 days. At the end of those 30 days, he was 24 lbs. heavier, and his cholesterol had shot up 65 points. In his own words, here's what Spurlock learned from his experience.

.....Over the course of my McDiet, I consumed 30 pounds of sugar from their food. That's a pound a day. On top of that, I also took in 12 lbs. of fat. Now, I know what you're saying. You're saying nobody's supposed to eat this food three times a day. No wonder all this stuff happened to you. But the scary part is: There are people who eat this food regularly. Some people even eat it every day. So, while my experiment may have been a little extreme, it's not that crazy. But here is a crazy idea: Why not do away with your super-size options? Who needs 42 ounces of Coke? A half pound of fries? And why not give me a choice besides french fries or french fries? That would be a great start. But why should these companies want to change? Their loyalty isn't to you, it's to the stockholders. The bottom line: They're a business, no matter what they say. And by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions. And no company wants to stop doing that. If this ever-growing paradigm is going to shift, it's up to you. But if you decide to keep living this way, go ahead. Over time, you may find yourself getting as sick as I did. And you may wind up here [in the Crittenden Health Systems] emergency room, or here in [Mapleview] Cemetery.

Pray On The Full Armor of God

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Daily Victory Prayer
(based on Ephesians 6:10-18)

Lord, I'm reminded that my "struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (v. 12). Therefore, I pray that You will once again equip me with the full armor of God so that when evil comes, I may be able to stand my ground (v. 13).

Equip me, Lord:

• With the belt of truth (v. 14). May Your truth rule in my heart and be in my mind and on my lips today.
  
• With the breastplate of righteousness (v. 14). Apart from You there is no righteousness, but through Jesus I have been "born again" and made righteous in Your sight. May I live as a righteous person.
• With feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace (v. 15). May I reflect the Gospel in my words and actions, that through me, with my every encounter, others may be drawn one step closer to You.
  
• With the shield of faith (v. 16). May I take You at Your word concerning promises about the present and future -- promises of everlasting love, abundant life, and so much more.
• With the helmet of salvation (v. 17). Remind me that nothing can separate me from Your love and that by grace I've been saved. In Your grace, help me to say "no" to all ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:12-13).
• And with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (v. 17). May Your Holy Spirit reign in my life and bring to my mind just the right Bible verses to be in my heart and on my lips. May I be "filled with the Spirit" and ready with Scripture as You were, Jesus, when the devil tempted You.
• Finally, keep me in an attitude of prayer (v. 18). Remind me to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions." Cause me to be alert and always praying for the saints; to be joyful and to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
  

Thank You that You hear the prayers of Your people, and that I am Your child. Help me to be Your person in this world today -- salt and light, moment by moment.

From The Pray! Prayer Journal, by Dean Ridings

Here a chuckle, there a chuckle....

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....."He's great on the court," a sportswriter said of a college basketball player in an interview with the boy's coach. "But how's his scholastic work?"
....."Why, he makes straight A's," replied the coach.
....."Wonderful!" said the sportswriter.
....."Yes," agreed the coach, "but his B's are a little crooked."


.....Dave irritated everyone in his office. Whether it was the tone in his voice, or his condescending attitude, everyone steered clear. He must have suspected he was annoying because he asked a co-worker, "Why does everybody take an instant dislike to me?" Responded the co-worker, "It saves time."


.....And some more of "Life's Imponderables":

• I used to eat a lot of natural foods ... until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
• The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
• Ever notice that since everybody has a camcorder these days, no one talks about seeing UFO's like they used to?
• In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now, the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
• Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?"
• If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

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Ever Higher Expectations?

Recently in Dallas, a Husband Shopping Center opened, where women could go to choose a husband from among many men. It was laid out with five floors, with the men increasing in positive attributes as you ascended up the floors. The only rules: Once you opened the door to any floor, you must choose a man from that floor, and if you went up a floor, you couldn't go back down except to leave the place, never to return.

A couple of girlfriends went to the place to find men. On the first floor, the door had a sign saying, "These men have jobs and love kids."

The women read the sign and said, "Well, that's better than not having jobs or not loving kids, but I wonder what's farther up?" So up they went.

The second floor said, "These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, and are extremely good-looking.

"Hmm," said the girls. "But I wonder what's farther up?"

The third floor: "These men have high-paying jobs, are extremely good-looking, help with the housework."

"Wow!" said the women. "Very tempting. BUT there's more farther up!" And up they went.

Fourth floor: "These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, are extremely good-looking, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak."

"Oh, mercy! But just think what must be awaiting us farther on!" So up to the fifth floor they went.

The sign on that floor said, "This floor is empty and exists only to prove that women are impossible to please!"

Doubtless a similar story could be set up to poke at that same characteristic in guys. But the question we Christians must ask is not about which gender can't be satisfied, but what are our expectations of God? We can NEVER expect TOO much from God in terms of his power or of his love. But do we expect TOO much from God, wanting Him to act in ways that are inconsistent with his nature? Do we merely want what He can give us, without ever seeking the great/greatest gift of Himself?

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Another Approach to Aging

No Nursing Home for Me
(Author Unknown)

.....A few months ago some friends noticed an elderly lady always sitting alone on a Princess Liner. All the staff seemed to wait on her constantly. We finally decided to chat with her. "We understand you have been on the last five cruise trips!" "Oh, yes! You see, it's like this: Luxury Cruise Ships average $150.00 a day, nursing homes are more than $200 a day. I have checked on reservations on a Princess and I get a long term discount and senior discount for $135.oo a day. That leaves $65.oo a day for gratuities, which will only be $10.00 a day.

.....I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have breakfast in bed; Princess has three swimming pools, work out room, free washers and dryers, good shows every night, free razors, soap, shampoo and toothpaste. They treat you as a customer, not a patient. And an extra $5.00 tip will have the entire staff at your beck and call. I will meet new people every 7-14 days. TV broken? Light bulb needed? New mattress needed? No problem! They FIX everything, and apologize for your inconvenience. Clean sheets and towels every day. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip, you are on Medicare with possibly no one to care. If you fall and break a hip on the Princess Ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life if you promise not to sue them. If you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Alaska, Australia ... just NAME where you want to go. Princess or some other cruise liner will always have a ship ready for you. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore-to-ship.

.....P.S. Don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side, no extra charge!

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My Name Is Rose

This is one of those rare e-mail forwards -- worth passing on! I do so here. WG

My Name is Rose

.....The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being . She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?' I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze. 'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked. She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...' 'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. 'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.' As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older! That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.' She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.' She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

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The Bead-Attitudes

During our 2009 Mission Trip, Julie Jones came to the Mission House at Edge Outreach to share a devotion with us. Julie does glass-bead making for a hobby/avocation. She has designed a devotional talk which she shares as she makes the beads, comparing the heat and stresses on the glass which eventually produces a thing of great beauty. So many times, it's what we go through, with God redeeming the suffering, which makes us a thing of beauty in His eyes, and very often, in the eyes of the world we seek to serve. Here are some pictures of Julie at work, and the finished product of her labors. (She made enough that night that each team member could have a bead, and she does that for each team that comes through Edge Outreach.) Click on the picture for more detail:

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Notice the glass rods to Julie's right. These rods are heated in an oxygen/propane torch, and the melted glass is applied to thin rods coated with a clay compound (which later softens in water, allowing the beads to be removed from the rod.) The gray paddle is used to shape the bead, and maintain its roundness. A special type of lens in the glasses enables one to see through the flame and see what you're doing. (They also protect the eyes!) Julie says some people are a bit "smart" with her and say, "I can get those at WalMart." Her answer is, "Yes, and no. What you get at WalMart have been made by little girls bent over a torch 8 or more hours a day, paid mere pennies for their labor. Plus, the beads have not been annealed, a process in which the beads (created in 1200 degree temperatures), are held at 940 degrees for a half-hour. This allows any tensions in the bead to relax, so that it won't explode or break at the merest tap. What looks like a wad of aluminum foil is NOT a baked potato, but an asbestos-lined pouch in which Julie places each bead fresh from the torch, so that it won't cool too quickly.

Julie can be contacted at: Simple Grace Jewelry, julie926@insightbb.com, or 502.387.0759, and her website is at simplegracejewelry.etsy.com

People of Marion United Methodist Church ... TOO Good!

Sunday, July 19, found a host of "relatives" gathering around me to have a "family reunion" and birthday celebration. With lots of new found cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas (and a long lost "identical" twin sister, we talked, laughed, and had some stories told on me.

This was a special treat, as for most of my family reunions, I just look in the mirror, and there we are! But it was a great day for me, and your generosity IS just "too much." I'm going to have to tell people I'm not really spoiled (I just smell that way!) Seriously, the MUMC congregation is TOO good to me. That's not in the sense of TOO meaning "too much," but TOO meaning "also" -- because you are ALL SO good to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also appreciated the special signs made for me:

Is It About Time for Some More Funnies?

• Watching television these days often involves violence and bad language ... and that's just deciding who is going to operate the remote!
• The state highway department has announced that 5,000 road workers will lose their jobs by the end of the year due to the development of a new, technologically advanced piece of equipment. It seems that a new shovel has been invented that will stand up by itself.
• When you offer two cents for some peoples thoughts, you should get change back.
• Two political candidates were having a hot debate. Finally, one of them jumped up and yelled at the other, "What about the powerful interest that controls you?" To which the other guy screamed back, "You leave my wife out of this!"
• And here are some life lessons:

-People who believe "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" never let that dog get hungry enough.

-The line beside you always moves faster until you move into it.

-Anytime you're late, everybody else is early ... and vice-versa.

And, huh? ...

Maury visited his friend Joe and found him playing a game of Solitaire. After watching him for awhile, he saw that Joe was cheating. "Wait a minute! I just caught you cheating yourself," said righteous Maury. Joe said quietly, "Don't tell anybody, but I've been cheating myself at Solitaire for years." Surprised, Maury said, "You don't say. Don't you ever catch yourself cheating?" To which Joe retorted, "Naah, I'm much too clever."

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Cycles of Cyclists

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It's been an unusual year for cyclists riding cross country and stopping here at the church to ask for lodging. The church has been doing this for a number of years, even before I came to Marion, but what is unusual this year is the number of cyclists coming through at the right time of day to call a halt here.

While the Marion Mission Team was on its trip, overflow mission team members TO Marion were housed in our church. And wouldn't you know it ... some cyclists came asking for shelter, and there was none. But faithful members of MUMC took the cyclists over to the Bed and Breakfast, and they were thrilled with the accommodations. A short time later, I had a call from that group of cyclists asking if one of their lagging members could stay at the church. He had flown home for his grandfather's funeral, and was now trying to catch up to them. It turns out he was unable to get to Marion for the night, but we had breakfast, and I learned the group was a bunch of college grads out for one last adventure before settling down to "real life." (I also learned that he was from a family with Methodist circuit riders in their past, with collections of sermons and poems those men had written in the saddle.)

Next, a fellow showed up asking for lodging, and we learned he was from Spain. He had taken a year's sabbatical from his job (credit analyst) to work through how he wanted to spend his life -- not in the rat-race, but finding a way to live while giving and serving. But, he was called back to Madrid on business, and I took him to the airport in Nashville (at the same time, picking up Kent Underwood, and continuing on to a July 4th celebration with the whole Underwood clan). But Raul was very patient and allowed me to practice my Spanish, even though his English was quite good. (By going home for business, though, he was able to be at his nephew's baptism. And he e-mails that he is now cycling in Italy!)

Then, a group of five (4 cyclists and a support vehicle driver) from a Wesley Foundation in Valdosta, GA, came through headed East. They're project is to hold meetings in churches as they ride through, sharing how they can become involved in breaking cycles of homelessness and poverty. One of the five is beginning school soon to be trained as a missionary. He's 28, and a little nervous about hitting the classroom again!

They left one morning, and that very night, in the midst of a thunderstorm, the phone rang at the parsonage. An uncertain voice said, "This is James. Can you help us?" A new college grad and his (still in high school) sister from New York were biking westward, and needed a place to stay. They had come by during prayer meeting, but saw we were in service, and did not bother us. By the time they came back, I had left the building. But we got them in, and dry, and secure for the night. Since then, Keith Bast, John Watson, a young lady named Mary, and Phil Foster have spent the night with us.
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I want to thank our congregation for having "Open Doors" to cyclists passing through. Sure, they could camp out one more night. They could get by. But they always thank us again and again for the place to shower and rest before heading on their way. It's a good thing! And to think ... this is only ONE way you minister to people! Amen!

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P.S. Another way to minister is to pray for these young people and their safety on the roads.

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F.L.I.G.H.T. -W.

Our FLIGHT-W (That's Feeling Loved In God's House This Week) experience began aboard an old cargo plane which we adapted for passengers. Unfortunately, we hit a time warp, and were thrown back in time. Fortunately, we were able to adapt our controls to help us travel to when we wanted.

Our first stop was at The Garden of Eden. This beautiful idyllic place was spoiled by an evil serpent who tempted Eve and Adam to try to be like God. We also see here Adam and Eve in their new FALL wardrobe. He may have look like George Burns in the movies, but the Almighty appeared to US in the guise of Charles Brantley. (One little girl, seeing Charlie behind a screen, said, "I see God!" Undeterred when told it was Charlie Brantley, she said, "God smiled at me!" I hope all the children felt God smile at them during this week.)

Our next stop was that perenniel favorite of kids, the story of Noah's Ark. We couldn't find any gopher wood, so our ark was constructed as a "bubble tent" from two huge black drop cloths and inflated it with two window fans in the corners. The children donned animal masks and we marched into the ark while singing "Arky, Arky," the favorite experience of the week for some of the kids.

Our next visit was to Jacob and that rabble of raucous boys, and how they treated their brother Joseph. Joseph had quite a time in Egypt, trying to fend off the advances of Mrs. Potiphar and ending up in prison. From there, though, he rose to great power, and saved not only Egypt, but also his own family who came there seeking food. A chance to get even with his brothers? No, he had forgiven them, and brought ALL the sons of Jacob to Egypt to live.

We returned to Egypt when all the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great .... great-great- grandchildren of Jacob were slaves in Egypt. We learned about the burning bush, old hard-headed (and hard-hearted) Pharaoh, the plagues, the ten commandments, the tabernacle, and when water came from a rock!

Each night, we explained how these events pointed ahead to the coming of Jesus Christ, or how they foreshadowed the work He would do for us. A million thanks to ALL the GREAT Volunteers, and especially to Allison and Christie Hughes, our VBS directors. We had a great week and a great time.

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Another Long Absence

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If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I guess my path to perdition is smooth as glass. I just realized I hadn't been here since May 26. Lots has happened since then, but what got me out of the habit of blogging THIS time was the kidney stone ... after a blessedly easy recovery from that little setback, there came the 2009 Mission Trip, and then our FLIGHT-W Bible School.

The Mission Trip was a wonderful experience. If those we went to were even HALF as blessed as we were, they aren't able to find their socks (as in "blessed their SOCKS off"!) Our team eventually was composed of 5 adults (James and Wendy Dunham, Julie Stout, Tony Belt, and the pastor), and 8 youth/children (Cody, Shelby, Ryan & Matthew Dunham, Adam Watson, Alex Kirby, Abby Whitney, and Savannah Peek. This 13 was certainly blessed, not unlucky!

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.A couple of days were spent at Christian Communities Center, an assisted living/nursing home complex in Louisville across the street from Spaulding College. In addition to visiting and interacting with the residents, we washed buses, furniture, lawn chairs, and fountains. Here, Shelby Dunham gives a nail polish treatment to a resident ... and even some of the guys on the team got into the act (and did quite well, I might observe.)


From there it was on to Country Lakes Retreat Center for Camp Freedom, a weekend camp/retreat for special needs campers. Some were so high-functioning, we wondered why they were there. Four were totally dependent on their counselors for everything. But the joy in it for me was seeing that, once we got past the superficial things that were "handicaps," it was just like very other session of church camp I've been in ... learning individuals, idiosyncrasies, etc. The most wonderful difference from other church camps is, the LOVE QUOTIENT was even higher than usual! Here's a picture of Cory, with whom Cody worked last year.

The interesting thing for you parents is, the adult volunteers from last year all remembered our kids, and spoke of them in glowing terms. They've really appreciated our involvement with them at Camp Freedom.

I believe many are already planning to return next year! And again, a big THANKS to all of you who supported us in prayer, at fund-raisers, and all aspects of our going. May you be blessed, even as we were!

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