Hope is a hot commodity these days. Everybody wants some...
But more importantly right now... How the heck are you?!? It seems like it's been forever!
Yeah, yeah... I know... It's my fault. I don't even know where to start. We were in Minnesota and Illinois for a little over a week, I was working on rewriting the same sermon into something different every day, it's been hot, I took a long running break - which kind of threw off everything else... You know, some stuff happened. But I still had you in the back of my mind all that time. :)
MINNESOTA
We went to Minnesota June 26-July 2 to help the boy and his wife and son move. They went from a rental house in Minneapolis into their first home-that-they-own (or, the bank, actually) in St. Paul. We drove up on a Thursday - in what turned out to be a 10-hour trip ending in torrential downpours the last couple hours - then rented a Uhaul and moved everything on Friday. From then until we left on Wednesday we 1) got 5 bookshelves and 2 heavy wooden wardrobes at Ikea and put those suckers together. Ugh. They have a lot of books and a king foam mattress all of which went up a tiny, steep staircase! It just about did the two of us in. 2) We also found a used electric mower on marketplace, they bought that, and I spent half of one day mowing over and over and over their lawn that was a little out of control. 3) Then we pretty much just put stuff away and played with the now 9-month-old grandson! Anyway, it was a nice time, and it's a super cute house in a really cozy neighborhood with sidewalks and close to stuff.
BUDA
Wednesday, July 2, we drove the six hours from St. Paul to my mom's house and stayed there until Friday. I did the usual work-around-the-house-and-yard while Jane went over to her brothers house and stayed with him a bit. We did go out to eat with my mom one night in the local watering hole and managed to see several people that we kinda-sorta knew, and several more that my mom was just sure we knew who they were (not). Anyway, we had a nice time but were glad to return home on the 4th of July. The cat was actually happy to see us too! Though the poor little thing was hoarse from meowing so much while we were gone. :(
CARDIOLOGIST
Somewhere along the line Jane has now acquired a cardiologist, and had a couple appointments. She complained to her doctor that her left arm went to sleep now and then, and kind of hurt sometimes. Also, she's had trouble getting back into running - losing her breath so easily. So he referred her to the cardiologist who recommended a CTA stress test with contrast (and something else at the same time but I can't recall the name of it). That test actually showed that her arteries are in good shape - other than there is apparently a 5-5-ish cyst in one of them. They believe that may have been there for some time, and don't think it's a problem, but they're having her do an 'exercise echocardiogram' on a treadmill just to see if that has something to do with the breathing problems. So that's been fun! :/
PREACHING
Oof... I preached at our church gathering this past Sunday. I'd kinda/sorta been preparing for it since late-January-ish... and that is WAY too long to prepare for a single message. Anyway, it went fine (meaning, no one was physically harmed during the process), but it was just one of those totally flat dead-air type days. The entire service just seemed 'off,' the air was unusually warm, and there just seemed a lack of energy about the place. But, whatever, ya know. However, I was reminded of this quote from Bruce Thielemann: "The pulpit calls those anointed to it
as the sea calls its sailors. And like the sea it batters and bruises
and does not rest. To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little
at a time, and to know each time you do it that you are going to have
to do it again." Yep.
MUSIC
This past weekend was a good one for us musically. Summertime in the Fort means 'Rock the Plaza' for us. The local downtown library has free music (with food and drinks) every Saturday during the summer. The time-frame has shrunk considerably over the years (I think it's only 8 or 9 weeks this summer), but we've been doing it since at least 2009, and I believe it started a few years before that. Anyway, this past Saturday was a bit like old times. They had some of the older bands, and there was just a really good vibe in the air. The last of 4 groups was a mix of musicians forming an 8-piece jam band - which we like. They were grooving 'Into The Mystic' (the Van Morrison classic that I walked the daughter down the aisle to), and just as a tear was forming in my eye, the local minor league baseball team's end-of-game fireworks show started! It was a grand way to end the evening the day before I was to preach! Then, like that wasn't enough, Sunday night we had tickets to a concert at the phenomenal Sweetwater Performance Pavillion. The 7pm show started with Yasmin Williams solo, then The Wood Brothers just rocked the house, and ended with St. Paul and the Broken Bones!!! We didn't know it was going to be a 4-hour show, but it was pretty fun if I do say so myself. I was really impressed with The Wood Brothers (our first time seeing them), and especially their drummer who also plays keyboards WHILE drumming! The Broken Bones have blown us away both times we've seen them. It was a fun weekend musically all the way around.
RUNNING
Yeah, so, I haven't really run since the end of May (I think). I've been riding the bike, if anything, and recently started walking more. Last week I did a run/walk thing one day, and again today. I've been nursing my sore left ankle hoping it's not achilles related, and I hope it's on the mend. We'll see. I need to start back into it if I'm going to do another half or four this fall, but the big challenge will be to not start back to fast or hard.
So, I guess that's where we're at. I need to get back into this habit - among a couple others - as well. I'll try to do better.
I hope you've been well! Talk to you later!