Five things friday

I had to check my pill dispenser to make sure today was Friday. I guess that's one benefit of being an old man who has to have a daily pill dispenser.

1. Before I put it off any longer... I have a leaky faucet in my tub/shower. I've replaced parts before, and at one point even bought new innards. I have some videos I need to re-watch before I dive in, so I'm going to post them here today as a step closer to actually doing the job! It probably won't take 20 minutes, as long as everything goes okay. It's the thought of things not going okay that's causing the procrastination. I like messing with plumbing about as much as I like going to the dentist (which reminds me...). Anyway, here are the posts and videos: POST 1; POST 2; POST 3.
2. Wednesday night we went to the Clyde Theatre down the street and saw the Warren Haynes Band. Whewee... it was a sizzlin' show! Warren doesn't talk much, and doesn't even have a lot of lyrics, but they assaulted our senses with blistering blues rock for three hours (with a short intermission). It was phenomenal. We'd seen Warren with Gov't Mule, and during the covid craziness I watched a lot of his videos late at night. I'm especially fond of when Dave Matthews has him play on their take of Cortez the Killer (one of my favorite songs). It was a fun night.
3. I have started reading Brian McLaren's 'Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices.' It is the first book in the Ancient Practices Series, loosely based on Jeremiah 6:16: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." I swear one of the first McLaren books I read, while I was still in seminary, was later republished as this book, but I'm too lazy to look for it and can't find any documentation. Anyway, even as an old book (2008), on the one hand it's kind of nice reminiscing a lot of the names of people influential in my faith journey at that time (Willard, Peterson, Foster, Tickle, Jones, Pagitt, Campolo, Wallis, etc.), and also I think it's just good stuff. I'm looking forward to it.
4. Btw, I'm sure you've been missing my insights on politics... Ha! Actually, I'm feeling fairly "whatever" about it. Not that I am disinterested, because I do happen to live in this world, but I've been trying to keep my head a little clearer about things. There is so much wrong - on both sides of the American political aisle (if there even are sides) - that I often wonder if we aren't just rearranging deck chairs regardless of who's in the white house. No one is going to "save us" in that position. No party either. As the meme goes, "Don't follow the donkey or the elephant, but the Lamb." I will say this, though, as much as I would not have seen Harris as a viable candidate even not that long ago, I do see her as a breath of fresh air. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? and why not her? Anyway...
5. The prayer from my morning devotions (Common Prayer: ALFOR): "Lord, thank you for using the foolish to confound the wise and the weak ones to shame the strong. Help us live with the shrewdness of serpents and the innocence of doves. Keep our feet from fatigue, our spirits from despair, and our hands from failing to rise in praise to you. Amen."

 

Rock on... and peace out (and in)!

Hannah coulter

Our son and his wife gave us this book for Christmas several years ago. She wrote on the inside cover: "To the beauty found in things large and small."

For some reason I never got around to reading it until just recently.

I've read snippets of Wendell Berry's works before. I like his writing. I also admire that he's sort of just a normal person living in rural Kentucky and is a farmer by trade. Many of my friends have raved about him personally as well as his books. I suppose I maybe never picked up Hannah Coulter because the title sounded sort of... I dunno... like a woman's book or something. My mistake. I loved it! I'm also told it's a great introduction to Berry's writing if you're unfamiliar.

This book is a novel, and as happens almost every time I read fiction (which is seldom), I tell myself I need to read more of it. Sure, this is a story about a family in a mostly rural setting, but it's so much more. I love books like this that slow me down, and give me plenty to ponder in my own life.

Let me share just a couple snippets to give you an inkling... This is from the beginning of chapter 8:

I need to tell you about my people in their grief. I don't think grief is something they get over or get away from. In a little community like this it is around us and in us all the time, and we know it. We know that every night, war or no war, there are people lying awake grieving, and every morning there are people waking up to absences that never will be filled. But we shut our mouths and go ahead. How we are is "Fine." There are always a few who will recite their complaints, but the proper answer to "How are you?" is "Fine."

The thing you have most dreaded has happened at last. The worst thing you might have expected has happened, and you didn't expect it. You have grown old and ill, and most of those you have loved are dead or gone away. Even so:

"How are you?"

"Fine. How're you?"

"Fine."

There is always some shame and fear in this, I think, shame for the terrible selfishness and loneliness of grief, and fear of the difference between your grief and anybody else's. But this is a kind of courtesy too and a kind of honesty, an unwillingness to act as if loss and grief and suffering are extraordinary. And there is something else: an honoring of the solitude in which the grief you have to bear will have to be borne. Should you fall on your neighbor's shoulder and weep in the midst of work? Should you go to the store with tears on your face? No. You are fine.

And yet the comfort somehow gets passed around: a few words that are never forgotten, a note in the mail, a look, a touch, a pat, a hug, a kind of waiting with, a kind of standing by, to the end. Once in a while we hear it sung out in a hymn, when every throat seems suddenly widened with love and a common longing:

"In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore."

We all know what that beautiful shore is. It is Port William with all its loved ones come home alive.

And in chapter 20...

I was working at the counter by the sink, not daring to turn around. I was brokenhearted, furious, scared, and confused, crying, and determined not to let him see that I was. I was beating the hell out of a dozen egg whites in a bowl. Why I had started making a cake, I don't know. It was what my hands had found to do, and I was doing it.

And was Nathan sitting over there actually reading the paper? Well, I knew he was holding it up and looking at it. For all I know, he may have been reading it. But I knew too that he was thinking of me. My steadfast comfort for fifty years and more had been to know that I was on his mind. Whatever was happening between us, I knew I was on his mind, and that was where I wanted to be. He was thinking of me, I was sure of that, but he had got ahead of me too. He had dealt with what the doctor had told us even before he had gone to the doctor. And now, in a way too late, I was having to deal with it. Looking back, I can see there was something ridiculous about it. There we were at a great crisis in our lives, and it had to be, it could only be, dealt with as an ordinary thing. Nathan had seen that. For my sake as much as his own, he was insisting on it. But I was too upset to see it then.

My tears were falling into the bowl of beaten eggs and then my nose dripped into it. I flung the whole frothy mess into the sink. I said, "Well, what are you planning to do? Just die? Or what?

I couldn't turn around. I heard him fold the paper. After a minute he said, "Dear Hannah, I'm going to live right on. Dying is none of my business. Dying will take care of itself."

He came to me then, an old man weakened and ill, with my Nathan looking out of his eyes. He held me a long time as if under a passing storm, and then the quiet came. I fixed some supper, and we ate.

 Phew... even typing it now brings a tear to my eye. Which happened often, for a variety of reasons, while reading this. I found it powerful good. It made me feel good, and, as someone said in a movie once, "It made me want to be a better man." What more could anyone ask...

Family vacation 2024

I have yet to recover. I'm not entirely sure I want to.

We had a great week together with our kids, their spouses, and the grand kids. We rented a vrbo in Algoma, Wisconsin where the nine of us stayed from 7/13-7/19. This is where I had my morning coffee every day and exerted my only real effort: completing the NYT games I do (Wordle, Connections, Mini Crossword, Strands, Letter Boxed, and Tiles).

 The house was not the largest, but it had 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, so it was plenty sufficient. It was also perfectly located directly across the street from the boardwalk along Lake Michigan. It was sort of the 'main drag' through town, but with only maybe 2000 residents it never got very busy and actually kind of gave us something to do in watching people go by.

Algoma is apparently a sleepy little fishing village that is everything you might imagine in the word "quaint." I did not drive once we arrived Friday afternoon until we pulled out late Saturday morning. We could walk to restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, parks, shopping, and, most notably, the beach.

The beach itself did have some rocks mixed into the sand but they were tolerable, and it was nice that - unlike many ocean locales we have been to - the sand didn't stick to you and get all over everything. The Lake Michigan water was also a tad chilly, but even in 70-degree temps it wasn't something you couldn't get accustomed to. The youngsters certainly didn't mind, and this old man even got in a couple times! It was a perfect place to sit in a beach chair and read or nap or just stare off into a daydream.

We only took two adventures while there. Tuesday evening everyone but Jane and I went to Sturgeon Bay. That is apparently where Door County begins. They went out to eat and visited Target for supplies.

On Wednesday we all went to Green Bay. The boys and the kids toured Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. It was actually quite interesting even though none of us are Packer fans. In the shortest of the tour packages (55 minutes) we went into a suite, under the stands through the players tunnel, and out onto the field. While we were there the other three ventured into town, then we all met up back at the Stadium and ate in their restaurant. Afterward we went next door to Titletown and hung out for a bit. We were only 40 minutes from where we were staying and it was super easy to get to. I had no idea Green Bay was such a small city. It was fun.

The only real "glitch" while there - other than one evening when Jane didn't feel good and one afternoon when Anna didn't - was Wednesday night. I had to be taken to the hospital in Sturgeon Bay. I had another AFib episode after we returned from Green Bay. It started around 6pm and I hoped it would just resolve itself. Finally around midnight, after we all got done watching a movie, and when I started sweating profusely, everyone kind of insisted I go. Fortunately Isaac drove us because while it was only about a half hour away, there were more deer along that road than I had ever seen anywhere. I was there a couple hours and the doctor said he could do a cardioversion (shock my heart back into rhythm) or as long as I felt okay I could just wait it out. I chose to wait it out. I was still out of rhythm when I woke up the next day, but after showering it finally went back to normal around 10am Thursday. I was pretty wiped out, but otherwise felt fine the rest of the time.

Other than that, we spent a lot of time just hanging out together. The kids went to the park several times to shoot baskets and whatnot, we went out to eat a couple times, cooked at the house most meals, played several board games, watched a couple movies, and there was a nice trail for running (which I didn't use as much as I would have liked - meaning, once). Isaac had to teach a couple classes and Drew worked some, but it was one of the most laid back vacations we've all had together. 

This was about as good as it gets for me. The weather was good, the town was great, the house was sufficient, and I rested to the point that I'm having a difficult time bouncing back! I don't know how many more of these family vacations we can all take together, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I think everyone else did too. Well, other than the traffic through Chicago. The trip home took 8 hours instead of 6 1/2. But otherwise... it was a great time, and I am happy about that.

Five things friday

Well, we have survived for another week and made it to Friday. Congratulations! 

1. We are privileged to be receiving a new dryer today! I've been tinkering with our 25-year-old GE dryer for years. It was one of the first things we bought when we moved to the area. We had to replace the washing machine quite awhile ago. The old dryer still works, but I'm afraid the bearings are going out, and Lowes had this GE 7.2 cu ft Electric Dryer on sale, so we took the plunge (or tumble). I am waiting on it to be delivered as I write this. Hopefully it will serve us well too.
   
2. We had the super privilege of seeing the group Band of Horses Wednesday night. Wow, what a show! It was at the Clyde (just minutes from our house), Drew Carrie were there (who actually encouraged us to go), and a bunch of other people we knew - including about a dozen from our church. I also really liked the opener - Curt Kiser/Carriers. It was just him, and I'm not really sure if there is a band or not, but I don't care. He had such enthusiasm, and after he was done stood in the lobby with the biggest grin for the rest of the night. I talked with him briefly and he is such a likeable guy. Plus a really good songwriter and musician! It was a really, really good night.
   
3. I am presently reading Wendell Berry's novel 'Hannah Coulter.' I really like it too. I don't know why I don't read more fiction. This is another one of those 'helps-me-slow-down' books. I like how it makes me feel.
   
4. This week's TFU was written by Syler Thomas, and he started with this: "I forget that God’s primary language isn’t English. I mean, I know that it isn’t (it’s Hebrew, duh), but I love hearing people speak in other languages because it reminds me that 1) English, though popular, is merely one of around 7,000 languages spoken in the world; 2) God knows and understands them all, plus the dead ones like Latin and silly ones like pig Latin; 3) God hears every prayer in every language, all at once; and 4) God does hear my prayers and does care about my problems but… 5) there is a much larger story I’m a part of, and the redeemed will be together in God’s presence one day, and it will be perfect." (I don't know about all that, but I love this image!)
5. "However late, then, it may seem, let us rouse ourselves from lethargy. That is what scripture urges on us when it says: the time has come for us to rouse ourselves from sleep. Let us open our eyes to the light that can change us into the likeness of God. Let our ears be alert to the stirring call of his voice crying to us every day: today, if you should hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." -Benedict of Nursia.

 Need I say more??? Nope. It's not like I'm running for president... or even care who is. ;)

(i forgot the title)

I'm still here. It's just been a peculiar week.

I've had a lot on my mind; I've been trying to deep-clean the house; constantly working on the yard; feeling a little less-than-stellar emotionally; and... I don't know... sort of not knowing what to say or feeling up to saying anything.

This morning I met with a friend and he asked how I was doing. At first I said "fine," but after a pause I finally admitted - not so great. I've been struggling with self-worth. There have been a couple instances lately where someone says, "So what do you do?" Of course they're wondering what I do for a living, how do I make money, what's my occupation... that sort of thing. Last night someone asked and I just said: "nothing." They gave me a high-five. That was nice and all but... it didn't really help.

My friend this morning said, "Dude, I think of you as a life-long learner; you're the person who takes the time to think about things, to contemplate, to wonder, to wrestle with the deep truths that so many take for granted." I appreciated that he saw that in me. That is kind of how I see myself. Still, in a world where worth is measured by a resume and paycheck, it's tempting to not think my lack of income equals lack of value. Plus, sometimes I wonder if I'm just missing the point entirely and I'm really nothing more than a lazy fool.

So... I've been thinking about that.

Also, one morning I jotted down some ideas for a series of posts that seemed to have a direction to them:

• Single-issue voters (do you feel like a sucker yet?)
• "Adults these days" (integrity)
• Living in a wisdom-less world (how did we get here?)
  
• Deadly sins vs. life-giving virtues (values)
  

I keep meaning to write on each of those - because they all seem connected, yet they require thoughts all their own - but every time I start... my mind slowly fades to black. You know how your gaze will drop and pretty soon you find yourself just staring into space? It's not quite hopelessness, or despair, or lethargy... but there's a little of each in the cup.

Do I want to drink this or not? I don't know.

I don't know.

In the meantime, I think I will occupy myself with more chores. Today I'm tackling the basement. And... for some reason, I have a hankering to pick up a guitar again.

. . . 

Five things friday

Whew... and the day after the 4th of July. How late were people making things go 'boom' where you live?

1. We survived the high-holy 'merican holiday - so far. I got up and ran 3+1 miles yesterday morning, then we had brunch at a breakfast place. In the afternoon we kind of lazed around, then went to the minor league baseball game and stayed until the city fireworks last night. The game was actually pretty fun, as Drew Carrie were there and we hung out with them. The fireworks, not so much. There was such a delay between each one, and it was so quiet. I guess we're spoiled by the baseball team having them after each home game (and they do a great job). It was crazy driving home, though, as people were setting off fireworks all over town and it looked like Los Angeles smog from 1970.
2. I didn't sleep for crap last night though. I'm not sure what time we got home - maybe 10:30 or so - but I wasn't super tired. Finally I went in and tossed and turned in bed. Eventually I moved out to the couch... and still just could not fall asleep. I'm not sure if I got any actual sleep, but at least I was resting.
3. And... remember that cleaning job I took last week? Yeah, I decided against it. In the first week they already screwed me over, so before ever filling out the W9 I just gave my keys back. I think I'd logged 3 hours of work. It's not worth it. They're just not nice people. We will still volunteer there for concerts (I guess), but this was going to complicate things.
4. On a more positive note... I finished my first book on the new kindle. Actually, I re-read Henri Nouwen's 'Turn My Mourning Into Dancing: Finding Hope In Hard Times.' It's a nice and short 103 pages. When I started it I'm not sure I realized I'd already read it. I was quickly reminded by the highlighted sections. Can't say I'm a big fan of this reader - especially compared to actual books. I probably should have spent the extra money and gotten the nicer one too. Oh well. It works.
   
5. For the quote today I have an extended piece from Mike Woodruff's TFU. It fit well with the Nouwen book, and I hope to remember to include it in my Death Notes piece. Here it is: "I have a friend “on death’s door.” He is past “ready to go” – anxious to leave this broken world of sin, heartache, and cancer and move more fully into God’s presence. Make no mistake: heaven is not an ethereal, mystical, vaporous never-never land. It is a real place. Indeed, it’s more real than Chicago, Nepal, or Peoria, in part because those places are unlikely to be around in 1,000 years, but heaven will be. My friend is not leaving the land of the living for the land of the dying. He’s doing the exact opposite."

 Alrighty... I've got stuff to do outside before the raindrops come. Enjoy!

The church of us vs. them

I finished David Fitch's book 'The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom From A Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies' a couple weeks ago. I liked it. I thought it really helped inform his latest book (Reckoning With Power), and in many ways I found it much more helpful. I don't know if I was just out of the loop at the time, or if this was another 'covid casualty' (it came out in 2019) but I am surprised I didn't hear more about it. It was really informative as to how and why Evangelicalism is struggling so. Ultimately, I liked this book!

Anyhew, here's part of the blurb from Amazon:

Claiming that the church has lost itself in the grip of an antagonistic culture, David Fitch takes a close look at what drives the vitriol in our congregations. He traces the enemy-making patterns in church history and diagnoses the divisiveness that marks the contemporary evangelical church. Fitch shows a way for the church to be true to itself, unwinding the antagonisms of our day and making space for Christ's reconciling presence in our day-to-day lives. He offers new patterns and practices that move the church beyond making enemies to being the presence of Christ in the world, helping us free ourselves from a faith that feeds on division.

Below I will share just a few highlights for my own purposes...

For some time he's been a proponent of the evils of "ideology." I admit, I never fully understood what he meant. On pp. 30-33 he says:

"...belief minus practice equals (almost always) ideology."

"One sure 'tell' that a distinctive has become a banner is that it stops referring to anything real that affects how we live on a day-to-day basis. Instead, it is now a symbol for who or what we are against."

"They gather people around an idea that no longer has definite, concrete meaning. It does not refer to anything specific. Instead, people can fill that in themselves and rally around it."

"Can this banner make sense apart from describing who or what the banner is against?"

P. 115

"After returning from the refugee camps, Tom saw that the missionary's way of thinking about salvation misses the point [the need to make 'a decision' for Christ]. If Jesus Christ is now ruling over all things, then peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and renewal are breaking out wherever he is recognized. It's not necessarily that people are going to hell if we don't get to them in time; rather, it's that all these people and places are missing out on the greatest possible news in this world of pain, sin, hate, evil, and violence. I must go and be present in their lives so that I can point out to them, when it is obvious, that Jesus is at work in their brokenness and that he comes to save and heal."

"Proclaiming the good news does not make enemies. It reveals enemies."

PP. 144-145

"To say Jesus is Lord is to say he rules over the whole world. His politics is the world's politics too; they just don't know it yet."

"Jesus does rule over the whole world, but he rules through his presence becoming manifest through the witness of the church."

P. 149

"The way God works to change the world is first to inhabit a people with his justice, showing the world what it looks like, and then engage the world, challenge the world, and invite them to do the same." 

***P. 152

"All this means that the difference between Christians and the world is not a spatial one; it's an eschatological one. It's not an us-vs.-them difference. It's a matter of timing. There are not two spaces: the space of the ones who are 'in' and the ones who are 'out.' Rather, the church is already where the world is heading; the world just doesn't know it yet. We are living the kingdom ahead of time. We are the first fruits of a harvest that shall be fully gathered in the future. We are against no one. Despite appearances, the world is not our enemy. We are just ahead of them. This church is the space beyond enemies, the church beyond us vs. them."

***PP.155-156

"The answer to these questions requires that we again distinguish between making enemies and revealing enemies. The very presence of Christ disrupts a social context and reveals enemies. Jesus acknowledged as much when he said, 'I have not come to bring peace, but a sword' (Matt. 10:34). But the sword, we remember, is not a violent sword but the sword of his Word. His very presence, accompanied by his persuasive Word, reveals enemies for the purpose of making space for the unwinding of antagonisms, for presence, healing, and restored relationship with God and one another."

"Antagonisms, chaos, hate, vitriol, and violence are all signs of the enemy at work. They are the source of his power. And yet Satan disguises it all in the name of piety and self-righteousness. But Satan is revealed in the unanxious presence of the living Lord."

"One night, amid the flames and bullets, the violence and hate, the members of Koinonia Farm asked themselves, Is it time to leave? Clarence Jordan answered, 'Shall we go off and leave them without hope? We have too many enemies to leave them.' Jordan was saying, ironically, the enemies of Christ have been revealed through our presence. Now that we know they are enemies, we cannot leave them. We must invite our enemies into reconciliation, forgiveness, restoration, and being loved. This is the way God shall heal the world. This is the space beyond us vs. them."

P. 163

"We will move from churches as efficient and effective organizations to churches as patient places that cultivate the kingdom."

As you can see, there is A LOT of good stuff there. Good, and for me at least, quite difficult. So difficult, in fact, that I'm going to need a huge dose of grace and presence with the Lord to ever be able to muster this myself.

Thus... the need for... the church.

The wallet

I found a wallet yesterday. It had $300 cash, cards, drivers license, social security card, and all the other usual stuff. 

We were out for our 6am jog and it was just laying there plain as day along the greenway path entering Tillmon Park. I'm not sure how we missed it when we went by the first time, but we noticed it on the way back. At first I wasn't sure whether to pick it up or just leave it there ("should we get involved?"). Jane suggested we take it and call the person. So I carried it the 1 1/2 miles home.

So... you know... what would you do? I mean, that kind of money doesn't just appear very often. I could use it! I could at least toss the rest of the contents in the river so no one could steal the guys' identity.

Those were the first thoughts - or maybe the most dominant - to occupy my mind.

As quickly as I could, though, I tried to recall 'the golden rule' - "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you" (Matt. 7:12) - and keep it there. I wanted to silence the voices as best I could.

Once home, I googled the guy online but couldn't find a phone number, so I waited until around 9:30am and just drove to the address on the drivers license.

Before I even got to the door a gray-haired wire thin woman came out. I asked if "Tom" was there, and she immediately went into how "he was out on his bike because he lost his wallet and he's just beside himself trying to find it" - like I knew him or something. So I pulled the wallet out and handed it to her. I honestly wasn't sure what she was going to do next...

She took the wallet and ran into the house mumbling something. Was she getting a gun or what?!? I kind of started backing away towards my car. Finally she came out again, talking on the phone. She was telling her husband she had his wallet, then motions me to come back. She wanted my name and phone number. I was in my car by this time and I told her to just tell him that Jesus found it - but I don't know if she even heard me. She was so excited I was afraid she was going to have a heart attack.

So I drove away. Maybe it would have been kinder to have given my name so they could properly thank me or something. I'm guessing it completely slipped her mind at the time and later they'll wish they had. Although I did hear her say "God bless you" as I was halfway down the street. Anyway, I felt satisfied and drove home with one of those smiles you get on those days when you really do think God is good and life might not suck after all. 

And, please understand, I share this not to brag... because it was very tempting to do the wrong thing, or even just keep the cash and try to justify ditching the wallet as the right thing... But I didn't. I actually did the right thing. THAT is why I share this little escapade. Because if I, even I, can do the right thing, then so can you!

In a world full of piss-ant politics, me-first mindsets, out-for-number-one numbskullness, and every other sort of evil that's taken over society... WE can still do what's right and good and true and kind. We can!! You and me. It doesn't have to depend on Washington or the Supremes or Big Tech or anybody. Just us. 

Justice... from just us. Let's do that. Who's in?

Accord fix

Nope, this ain't about politics. It is not possible for anyone to fix this country and get us all in one accord. 

Last Thursday we took our 2013 Honda Accord LX in for service. The engine light had been on for 2-3 weeks and they've been telling me the valve cover gasket is leaking oil for probably a couple years. So I called to have them change the oil, check the check engine light, and replace the valve cover gasket. While they had it there they also said I really should get the rear brakes done. Ugh. Almost $1100 altogether. So...

What they did:

1. Replaced rear brakes
2. Replaced valve cover gasket
3. Replaced the purge valve (I think) - which is why the engine light was on

Apparently, though, judging by the paperwork, they did NOT do an oil change! It was a quart low when I took it in - which is why I finally decided to have the valve cover gasket replaced - and it is still a quart low. What the heck?

I suppose, in their defense, they were in a bit of disarray because of a national ransomware attack on car dealership software. I'd read about it, and my service tech told me they were having to do all their paperwork by hand. When I mentioned the ransomware he just made a hushing motion with his finger. Whatever.

As usual, they gave me the regular list of suggested items that need attention:

• brake fluid flush (dirty)
• transmission flush (mileage)
• coolant flush (mileage)
• spark plugs (mileage)

 Someday maybe I'll get to those things...

Five things friday

I just about didn't make it. The day has been a doozy.

1. Remember me saying that I hurt my back pulling weeds yesterday? Yeah, I guess it's a little worse than I thought. Ugh. I am not moving too quickly.
2. I was able to bartend last night for an event with the local NPR station. It was pretty low-key and I knew several people in attendance. It was fun.
3. Today I had a lunch date with a group from the Y. There's about a dozen of us and we all got to be friends when I worked there and they all came to work out. I am the youngest, but I always enjoy getting together with them and listening to their stories. They're all way more outgoing than I am.
4. I am supposed to start my next 18-week marathon training session on Monday. I'm shooting for a November 2 marathon - which will be my 62nd birthday. At this point it's not looking good as I can barely walk. Hopefully the back can get back to normal over the weekend.
5. This was part of the closing prayer in the June 27 entry in the devotional 'Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals': "Help us to live with such certainty in your power that we expect miracles in our daily lives. Amen." And amen!

Okay, I'ma gonna hobble back to the couch now...

I got a job (sort of)

I agreed to become the cleaning person at the Baker Street Centre yesterday. It will only be a few hours a month, and roughly four hours following concerts and other events like that. Nothing too spectacular, but it's something. I can vacuum and clean toilets. I still won't get paid for bartending (other than tips) and set-up and tear-down for concerts though. Whatever.

I actually started today by pulling weeds for an hour by the front door. It looks really hideous - which bothers me - and there's an event for the local public radio station tonight (which I will be bartending for). Of course I hurt my back trying to yank a sappling out of the ground. Hopefully it will go away.

I'd be okay with a few cleaning/janitorial gigs like this. Especially when I can basically set my own hours and am not punching a time clock or anything. Now if I can just keep myself from getting to intense about it...

Ablation followup doctor visit - 3 months

This past Monday I had my three-month follow-up visit with the Electrophysiology doctor following ablation #1 on March 5, 2024. We met again NP Matt C. (Dr. Rodriguez is who actually did the ablation).

My blood pressure was a bit high (148/90), as was my weight (158), but my EKG was normal/fine. I'm thinking the bp was up not only because I was nervous, but I also have another case of poison ivy and that makes me plenty tense. The doctor wasn't concerned, plus I check it several times a week at home and keep pretty good tabs on it.

I informed him my last random/wacky heart rate situation was on June 15 - for about 3 hours - and prior to that I'd had one on May 21 for about an hour. Both resolved on their own, and I was otherwise feeling fine. I don't seem to be near as tired as I was there for awhile either.

He said it's hard to tell if those episodes were actually AFib or not, and not to be too concerned about it. He suggested maybe staying on the Eliquis and Diltiozin for another 6 months and then coming in to see Dr. Rodriguez. If things are going well at that point I can maybe go off the blood thinner (Eliquis). That's the goal right now.

The entire visit lasted about 30 minutes.

So, it was pretty uneventful. I was honestly okay with staying on the blood thinner a little longer. If I hadn't had the episode on 6/15 it may have been different, but it hasn't really caused me any problems and I'd just as soon be safe than sorry. 

Maybe the weirdest thing is that six months from now will be Christmas! Geezaroo. Apparently time flies even when you're not having fun. At any rate, I'm thankful to be feeling as good as I do.

Caleb's ten trip

We take each of the grandkids on a weekend trip of their choosing (within reason) for their 10th birthday. The first went to the Cincinnati zoo; the second chose COSI in Columbus; and the third simply said, "Just somewhere in Ohio where we can stay in a hotel - and maybe play putt-putt." I don't know what it is about Ohio but I suppose after the first two it seemed like the place to go!  

So, this past weekend we took the youngest to Toledo from Friday evening until noon-ish Sunday. I had no idea it was such an easy trip now with the new 4-lane route 24 all the way. Traffic was light, it was right at 100 miles, and it only took 1 1/2 hours. 

We booked a room at the Courtyard Toledo Airport Holland on East Mall Drive, and made plans for Saturday to go to Sportway of Toledo on Angola Road for miniature golf, go-karts, and batting cages. 

The hotel wasn't the greatest (mostly because it was just older), but it was right next to oodles of restaurants and shopping centers, and just a hop and skip from Sportway. Some of the staff were very nice, and maybe the best thing: Caleb had the indoor swimming pool entirely to himself twice on Saturday and again Sunday morning! He took full advantage and swam for hours on end. There is also a McDonald's right across the street that has an indoor basketball court, so we had breakfast there both mornings.

Saturday we got to Sportway just after they opened at 10am, and while we weren't the only people there, there weren't many and we could basically do whatever we wanted. We started with a leisurely round of putt-putt, then we all three rode the go-karts (we were the only ones on the course), then we all hit softballs in the batting cage, then Caleb and I rode go-karts again... It was actually a pretty fun time and couldn't have gone any better!

Between the swimming and sportsing, Caleb and I also played catch with the football I brought, and then he was up for shopping at the Target, Walmart, and Dicks Sporting Goods right next to the hotel. He got a new shirt and some basketball cards and seemed pretty pleased. Other than that we mostly watched Nickelodeon in the room, ate, and slept.

I was honestly a little worried this third grand might not be too interested in spending the weekend with us on his own. Seems he usually likes to do things with his older brother. However, it turned out to be a really good weekend and I think he had a lot of fun. So did we!

So now we've got a 10-year gap until the next 10th birthday trip (coming October!). Hopefully we'll still be alive and kicking and he'll be willing to spend time with us too! 

Five things friday

First off, let me say how thankful I am that our AC is still keeping up. It has been in the 90s this entire week, and it looks like next week will be more of the same. I hope people don't start suffering from seasonal affective disorder from having to keep the drapes and curtains closed! Anyway...

1. In case you've been wondering, yes, I am still running. Only 3-4 days a week, and not as many miles. There are several reasons... but mostly I'm kinda just not into it right now. When I'm not training for anything, and don't have anyone to talk about it with... I dunno... It feels weird.
2. I keep seeing this article pop up about 'the most influential podcasters' right now. Um, you know, there are few things I care less about. I've just never been able to get into podcasts (I prefer to read), and I have zero interest in following an "influencer." In fact, I'm turned off by the term itself, let alone people who claim that's what they are. I mean, we used to have a name for people who were always trying to draw attention to themselves. Now it's almost like it's a virtue or something. Crazy.
   
3. Speaking of which, if you can imagine, I am pretty skeptical about the whole AI craze. A lot of investment capital being pumped that way. A lot. And... not only do I not like it, but I just don't see how this stuff is sustainable. Maybe that's just the pessimist in me talking, but I honestly have a gut feeling about this. If anything, I wish I'd have invested more in learning how to farm/garden organically. One of these days Humpty Dumpty is gonna take a tumble (imho).
   
4. Some factoids from this weeks TFU: One American dies of fentanyl poisoning every 8 minutes, making it the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45; 2) The average age of the following populations—from youngest to oldest—is: India 28.4, Brazil, 33.5, China, 38.4, the US, 38.5, Russia is 40.3 and Japan, 48.4; and 3) Per a 1965 episode of the Jetson’s, George was born in 2022, making him 2. Also, have you had a snaccident lately? It might happen like this: “Sorry, I ate all the chips. I didn’t intend to. It was a snaccident.” :)
5. Quote: "Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most." -unknown

Stay cool, and hydrated, friends!

 

 

Naked for all the world to see

Oh, man... I love the way Andy Squyres puts words together. He shared the below on his Instagram on 6/19/24 and a couple points really hit me:

 This has been a very bad year for the Evangelical Christian movement. The wind of truth is blowing on us and our institutions are falling like houses of cards as leader after leader is having their most reprehensible actions publicly disclosed by their victims. This is what it looks like when justice rolls down like a mighty river; “there is nothing that is covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.”

God does not care about our ministries. God does not care about our reputations. God does not care about our claims of moral superiority. He does not care about our zeal. We have wagged our collective finger at the world (we are against whatever “they” are for!) and all the while we were building entire movements in order to deflect having our own sins exposed.

The illusion of our own making has been shattered by reality and we are naked for all the world to see. But take heart and do not despair! Reality is where God lives. Reality is where the mercy of God flows. Our disillusionment is the beginning of the journey to wholeness. We can tell the truth and not be afraid. We can trust in Christ alone. We do not have to be enamored with ANY mega guru. We do not have to concede any part of our lives to any pastor or leader who exerts control. Many of us have had our belief systems completely shattered after experiencing the complete obliteration of the trust between ourselves and our leaders. We now know that the assumed piety was a lie and claims of spiritual superiority was only hubris.

Here is how I am walking through this day of judgement: I am praying for justice for victims, mercy for perpetrators, and humility for all of us sheep who are in need of shepherds. I am not protecting my reputation. I am aligning myself with the losing side. I am taking the beating. I am embracing the scorn. I must take on the burden of a deep inner humility. I’m assuming it’s my own soul that needs salvation rather than fetishizing the seven mountains of influence. We don’t need to become greater. We in fact need to become smaller and much less inclined toward large stage focused movements and events. Let us pray in secret.

 

That "I'm assuming it's my own soul that needs salvation..."... Whew. No shit. Me too! I need more of that kind of humility (nakedness).