Happy Birthday, Babe

36 years ago today, Nov. 15, 1969, a baby boy came to stay at our house and changed our lives forever. After being married for 7 years, we were more than ready for a baby. He looked much like Baby Sam, but was a little less laid back. He had the red hair of Maddie, but it gradually faded to a softer red. He had the exuberant personality of Ella which never faded.

Sam and I were both exorbitantly proud parents--faithful to attend every function at school, church, ball park and stadium. Brandon Scott Thomas was bright, so we didn't have to nag much about grades or accomplishments. He had very good moral friends, so we didn't have to worry about bad escapades (at least he didn't get caught). When we recorded his singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star at age 2, we did not know he would grow into his gift for song and worship. When we let him audition for a place in the ACU musical Music Man at age eight, we didn't know he would spend his life producing recordings, Christmas and Easter musicals. When he decided to major in communication, we did not know that his gifts for communicating would greatly outweigh his education. When we took him to church everytime the doors were open, we did not know that he would be such a wonderful man of God and a passionate lover of Jesus. When we gave him his first little red "sports" car, we did not know that he would eventually be driving a white van with three children's car seats attached. As we watched him associate with girls and date virtually every pretty girl in ACU, we did not know that he would eventually find the perfect mate, a beautiful woman who also loves God, parents perfectly, and sings as well--Sheryl Rathbun.

You may have figured out that I am still extraordinarily proud of my son. I love his passion for God and music. I love his exuberance, enthusiasm, panache, and charisma. Yes, I love his hair "do," I love the way he loves his wife and children. I love his care and concern for his friends and family. I love the way he lives--to the hilt in everything he does.

Thank you Babe for being my son this birthday.

The glory of friends

WE had a wonderful weekend with our friends the Lorenzes. We showed off Nashville in all its fall beauty to them with great times of food and discussion in between.
They loved playing with the kids and we loved just being with them. We did get in a trip to the Opyrland Hotel and the Country Music Hall of Fame too with a tour of downtown Nashville.

The Lorenzes are the kind of houseguests who leave the rooms they used in better shape than when they came. Neatniks! My favorite kind of people. What a joy to be with friends who know what you are going to say before it comes out of your mouth and with whom we can practice what we call "memory by committee." There will never any other friends who have done so much for us, who love us so unqualifiedly, and who bless us so much. Thanks to Robyn and Paul and Brooke and Brady for sending them here.

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I received an e-mail today from my freshman roommate at ACU Lawana Benningfield Willhelm. What a long time ago 1957 feels. I was a different person then and the world was a different, more noble, less complex place. At least in Abilene, Texas.
We had a lot of fun in Chambers Hall with Miss Ditto. One of the best memories is the lingerie style show in the big hall after curfew. In those days, I think it was ll:00 p.m. We were all much smaller women then!

It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

Driving around Nashville this morning: huge lawns covered in a carpet of gold, orange, red and yellow leaves--beautiful! My car was peppered by falling leaves--like being hit by yellow, brown, ruby and orange raindrops. Otter Creek Chruch being guarded by twin maples, one yellow, one red--gorgeous. Paint splatters on the hills in all the aforementioned colors. The Bradford pear trees on Old Hickory Blvd. turning themselves inside out from green to red.

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Our friends, Ronnie and Darla Lorenz are coming to visit Thursday. I just hope the leaves will remain on the trees until they come. One can't describe them--words are not adequate, you just need to see the panorama of beauty created by God.

Relating to God and his words

We are spending time in my Sunday class talking about relating more closely to the words and stories in the Bible. Last week we did a bit of imagination as we read one of the stories of the gospels. This week is lectio divina (spiritual reading) and next week will be the importance of study (Foster actually calls it a discipline).

What I have tried to stress is the difference between just reading the words with getting deeply into the words and ideas so that they can bond our relationship with God. William of St. Therry said that the difference between attentive reading and mere reading is the same in warm friendship and a passing acquaintance.

Yes, I know Chris (Fajita) Re: his blog about knowing God outside the Word--there are many ways to know God outside the word. I think I agree with Calvin who said that it is in the Word where God is truly and vividly descibed to us.

Madeline L'Engle has a wonderful story in her book The Rock That is Higher; Story as Truth which will illustrate:

After dinner at house parties which L'Engle attended, people would ofen give recitations, sing songs or otherwise entertain the other guests. One year a famous actor was among the guests. When it came his time to perform, he recited the 23rd Psalm. His rendition was magnificent and there was much applause. At the end of the evening, someone noticed a little old great aunt dozing in the corner. She was deaf as a post and had missed most of what was going on, but she was urged to get up and recite something. In those days people used to memorize a lot of poetry! So she stood up and in her old, quivery voice, she started, "The Lord is my shepherd....and went on to the end of the psalm. When she finished, there were tears in many eyes. Later one of the guests approached the famous actor. "You recited that psalm absolutely superbly. It was incomparable. So why were we so moved by the little old lady?" The actor replied, "I know the psalm. She knows the shepherd."

All Saints Day

Where did this week go????

Last night at Vespers, we celebrated All Saints Day which was actually Tuesday--a day to celebrate and honor that great cloud of witnesses who came before us in the faith.

I have been thinking about it all day and about the great cloud of witnesses who came before me,who upheld the name of Jesus and didn't throw in the towel and give up.

How can I not honor: Paul, Peter and John, Mary, Phoebe, St. Benedict, Martin Luther, John Wesley and Susanna, his wonderful mother, Alexander Campbell, St. Scholastica, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, L. O. Sanderson, Fanny Crosby, Anne Hutchinson, Laura Smith, Evelyn Underhill, Corrie ten Boom, Billy Sunday, John Newton, Barton W. Stone, Lottie Bonner, Maude Fletcher, W. L. Fletcher Jr., John Elkins, Amber Yadon, William Samuel Herndon, Pauline Brandon, Lizzie Belle Herndon Tucker, Sam Thomas and hundreds of others who paved the way for me.

No they were not all members of the Church of Christ, they were not all learned scholars, some had agendas, some fell flat on their faces, but got up, some were wrong about many things--but they did not quit. They kept pushing Jesus and His Way on those surrounding them.

Thank you God for this great crowd. I still hear their voices urging me on.

The season

I have been too busy celebrating Halloween to blog--so fun to watch Maddie and Ella react to the holiday. They made Halloween cards for me this weekend. I used them to decorate my car for Trunk or Treat.

Trunk or Treat was a blow-out event! So many cars, so many kids. What fun. There were toddlers dressed as pumpkins, many spider men, and 4 year old princesses. Pretending is so good for the brain.

So sad to read Stephanie's blog (a link at Brandon's blog) to find out about Kyle Lake. A young man who was just beginning to lead the church to new heights. I just can't figure this kind of thing out.

True or false?

So Libby has been indicted for lying. Sounds like his boss (Cheney) needs to step up and bail him out by telling the truth.

I am so tired!!!!! of wondering who is telling the truth in Washington on a lot of topics. All those proverbs about lying and telling the truth need to be read aloud on a loud speaker at the Mall in Washington--might sink in--or not.

"A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him" Proverbs 26:24-25

Christmas is coming

All the signs are here--Christmas will be celebrated again this year. Even as Halloween fades, Santa appears. From now until January 2, we will all have fun and spend money.

As I viewed the pictures on Brandon's blog today, I thought what a fun time for kids!
And for adults who are watching the kids and their various reactions to this season. It was always my favorite time to read to kids. There are some good ones out there that aren't gory, but scary.

Maddie gets very excited about celebrating most anything. Last night she was wiggling and giggling and couldn't wait to get on stage. She told her daddy that she loved standing on the stage. She and Ella are so much fun to watch. I am soooo glad I am here. Baby Sam will dress up next year, I am sure.

Thank you God for the excitement of children over little things. May we view the things you have given us with such excitement.

Parade of Bible characters

Our parade of Bible characters passed before the congegation tonight. Characters ranged from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to Moses and the burning bush.
Maddie was in a trio of little girls who were spiritual gifts--each wearing one of those huge gift bags with tissue coming out of the top. Ella, unfortunately, is sick tonight. I love it when the church lets children know that they are a part of the community of believers and are valued and loved. Highland often has the "little singers" come forward and take part in the worship. There is a children's musical there too every year. What a big deal! I know it is work for the parents and children's minister, but glory to God for their willingness to let the children come to us.

Soup and Solitude

The aroma of homemade soup spread itself around my house yesterday as I made the first batch of the season. It was one of those let's see what I can find to put in this without going to the store kind of vegetable soup. Luscious, if I do say so myself!

Brandon's description of the stations at his praise team retreat made me want to participate. The noisy room was a good idea. My topic last Sunday was silence and solitude. I read somewhere that we are bombarded by as many as 3,000 advertising message a day. How does one get around that? What is the most obnoxious noise in your life? Someone in the class said the beeping sounds machines make as they are backing up. My contribution was loud TV commercials with raucous music.

How does one get around that? Only intentionally. The intentional twist of the wrist as one turns off the TV and radio (both at home and in the car), the purposeful setting up of a place away from the main area of the house where one can be quiet. Nancy Hutchinson said that John Wesley's mother (Susanna, I think) had a special chair where she sat and pulled her apron over her head. When her many children saw her there, they knew she was not to be disturbed!

Richard Foster suggests taking "little solitudes" like getting up before anyone else and spending quiet time in the kitchen with your cup of coffee, or finding a park for your lunch. I have another friend who sets up shop in a rural cemetery when he needs quiet time. My friend David Wray (who lives outside of Abilene) does not turn on the radio on his way to ACU. Instead, he uses that time to pray and meditate. That is not always possible in heavy traffic, however. Alexander Campbell had a very special study built outside his home (octagonal shape) with shelves for all his books and room for only one person, him. We build bonus rooms, theater rooms, wine cellars, and glass porches on our homes--why not build a place of solitude?

What do you do to turn off the noisy world?

Pumpkin Time

Pumpkins are appearing in yards and porches around Nashville. Pumpkin patches are lying in front of many churches.


Pumpkins are beautiful vegetables which have been around for centuries. Shakespeare mentioned the "pumpion" in The Merry Wives of Windsor. And then there are Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater and Cinderella. 90% water, the orange balls have been touted as cures for freckles and snake bite. The Native Americans cut them into strips, dried them and then wove them into mats. The early colonists cut off the tops, scraped out the seeds, filled them with spices, milk and honey and cooked them in the ashes creating the first pumpkin pies. I wonder who came up with that idea? Today, Libby's Pumpkin Pie in a can will present a delightful version with whipped cream on top, of course.

They are a part of the beauty of autumn, and I thank God the creator for this orange touch in the landscape.

The drugstore cherry coke

What could be better than a drugstore cherry coke? Certainly not the sweet syrupy stuff in bottles now.

Reynolds Drug Store in my hometown served the best cherry cokes--as I remember them they had a slight bite. They were served in a glass which said Coke on it. You had to pull your straw out of a long glass cylinder. Sitting on the vinyl seats sipping a cherry coke was the best experience of the 50's. I will say that a Coke float comes a close second to being best.

Reynolds which was next door to where my mother worked always had several defining smells: at the front where the cosmetics were sold there was the wonderful perfume smell. As one walked to the back where the prescriptions were picked up, the smell began to be medicinal. The Reynolds had several antique shelves of medicines closeted behind glass doors which always made the medicines more mysterious and unusual.

At the front of the store were the magazine racks and the racks which held comic books (remember them?). These were the days before magazine covers were x rated. I always enjoyed seeing all the different titles from venues I never entered. The men's magazines were mostly about hunting and fishing not naked women. The women's magazines were mostly about keeping the home, not about how to satisfy one's partner. And then there were those about travel, home design, etc. One section I always frequented were the movie magazines--I always managed to buy at least one a month after I finished my coke. More about that collection later. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds for the pleasure you gave a small town girl.

Marking a day

My mom died of melanoma 29 years ago today. I still miss her--her smile, the way she loved Brandon, and all the things she taught me. Some of the things that stuck are: The place to be on Sunday and Wed. night is in church.
Cleanliness IS next to godliness. Nothing makes a family happier than being in a clean house with warm food on the table.
Reading and education are important.
Serving others graciously doesn't mean an act that might be written about in a newspaper, but a jello salad or a casserole to a needy family would do just fine.

I am sorry I did not get her long slender fingers and curly hair, but I will settle for these important lessons.

Book club

Our Otter Creek book club had its first meeting today--it was fun! We shared our thoughts on Philip Gulley's Home to Harmony. It got 5 stars all around. It is similar to the Mitford books, but I think better in many ways. For one thing, there are laugh- out-loud stories and characters in the book like Dale, the elder, who knew just enough Scripture to be annoying, but not enough to bring transformation, and or Bob, Sr. who created and led the Live Free or Die Sunday School class who left the church when the preacher called his hand on wanting everything his way. The minister later said, "...I recognized Bob's departure for what it was--a gift from the Lord." We know the people of the Harmony Friends Meeting tha Sam Gardner pastors--they live in our town and go to our church too.

The chapter called Roger and Tiffany recalls the Thanksgiving Sam and his parents spent with his brother and girlfriend. Seems Tiffany was a vegan. Sam's mother was worried that Roger had joined a cult. When the visitors discover that Thanksgiving dinner is to be macaroni without the cheese, small wormy apples(pestucide free) a plate of lettuce, a bowl of kiwi fruit and a glass of herbal tea, there is a quick trip to the store for a turkey breast, potatoes, cranberries and a 2 liter bottle of RC cola. Mom sits down with Tiffany and reads from Acts 10 "And Peter became hungry...." They all rose and ate, even Tiffany.

There are seven other Harmony novels I can't wait to tackle. What fun!

Sam A. Thomas Elementary School

Sam A. Thomas Elementary School was dedicated on this day in 1992. It was a fine Sunday afternoon with many, many friends attending. Sam's sister Dorothy was there. Ronnie Lorenz and I spoke. Brandon sang, and we were all terrifically proud.

Sam, however, would have been embarrassed. He never wanted to be the center of attention, and he could have given you the names of twenty other people who deserved the honor more than he. Nevertheless, his family was proud that his career in education and his life with children was honored in that way.

Keep up the good work Thomas Texans!

What to do with doubt

I know several young men right now who are in the throes of doubt. It is not a pleasant place to be. Resting in God is so safe and comfortable, that when one slips out of it--not a happy place.

What can be said to these fine young men with young families? By the way, they are still holding on to a semblance by coming to church, which I think is a pretty courageous thing to do for the sake of their children. I don't know what to say to them except God is still watching and waiting with his arms wide open and his heart full of forgiveness. I did say to one yesterday that if one expects all questions to be answered, he is expecting something that will never happen. At age 67, I have at least learned that. Yet this whole situation tears at my heart--in prayer for them wholeheartedly.

A Saturday in Tennessee

We made it to Hilmont Camp--the retreat was fine--very nice ladies from the Tusculum church here. The trees are beginning to turn out in the hinterland. As in the Abilene area, it all starts with the sumac tree. Every early fall we drove out a stretch of land between Abilene and San Angelo to see the trees. The sumacs were beautiful. I can't imagine what the next few days will bring. It has been cool--40's at night and 70's in the daytime.

I was so tired, I went to bed at 8:00 last night. It felt really good. We ate lunch at Mere Bulles this morning and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. As always something strange happened to Brandon. A waiter dropped a glass, and a shard of glass hit BST in the forehead and it began to bleed. Of course, the girls were alarmed, but in the end it was harmless.

Thank you God for good times together on your day. We praise and love you and your son.

Rest in Him, but don't get comfortable

Thanks to everyone for the sweet comments on yesterday's blog. Love you all--even bloggers I don't know.

Headed tomorrow for Hillmont Camp to speak to a ladies' retreat. Their theme is Rest In Him. My reply is Rest in Him, but don't get comfortable. I am looking forward to it. My friend Margie Roeder is taking part of her Saturday to navigate the way--I have a great penchant for getting lost. Pray that my words to them will be inspired by God.

Samuel Alexander Thomas 1933-1992

On a warm October evening 14 years ago, my husband Sam Thomas died of prostate cancer. After a valiant effort, trips to M. D. Anderson, doses of experimental drugs and much pain, he went home to his beloved father.

That Sunday had been one of watching and waiting. Many friends had come by to check his progress, the halls of 5th floor Hendrick Hospital were lined with college students and friends, some in prayer vigil. Sam's room was full of those who loved him. His sister Dorothy, his mother, Brandon, Ronnie and Darla Lorenz, Sally Gary, Shellie Braddock, me and others.

A few minutes after midnight on October 13 after being a coma for several hours, he sighed and left. Sam was beloved by students, parents, administrators,and the school board in Abilene's educational community. He had made his mark at ACU's education dept. which often sent students to observe him. After his death, a new school in the district was named after him. Each school where he had served as principal planted a tree in his honor.

He had literally helped build Minter Lane Church of Christ where he served as a teacher, deacon and elder. His funeral was in the building which still holds the nails he hammered. The building was much too small for the crowd.

Sam was famous for his compassion, wisdom, and excellent teaching. He thought he wanted to be a minister when he came to ACU in 1951. However, after watching his niece's and nephew's teachers and Mrs. Gilbreth at the ACU Campus School, he changed his mind, stayed an extra year at ACU, and earned a degree in Elementary Education.

His first job was 5th grade in Port Arthur, Texas where he stayed for five years. After deciding to work on his masters, he returned to Abilene and began work at Fair Park Elementary (now closed) under his wonderful friend and mentor Scott Hays (Brandon's namesake). Later he was appointed principal at Bowie Elementary. He was principal at Austin Elementary when he died. He loved his job so much that toward the end, we would put his wheelchair in the truck, he would drive to Austin. There the sweet custodian would unload the wheelchair, sit Sam in it and push him to his desk where he would stay until 4:40. (He never left before the majority of his teachers were gone.)

Those who knew him are full of "Sam Thomas stories." We are still hearing some today we never heard before. Sam loved jokes and pranks. He would often put plastic snakes or bugs in the back of his teachers' boxes. But, of course, there would always be a piece of candy and an encouraging note there on Monday morning. He kept up with the birthdays of everyone he ever knew. When he died, I got a letter from a Port Arthur student who said he had received his birthday card earlier in the year.

Samuel Alexander Thomas was a wonderful husband and father. He and Brandon had a very special relationship (Brandon's 13th year was a little difficult) which has spurred BST to be the sweet father he is today.

I miss Sam today as I have missed him for the last 5,000 plus days. Hi, Hon, say hello to God for me.

The kingdom

One of the groups at the Zoe Conference tried to define kingdom. I know, the Bible says, "The kingdom of God is within you." We all know the kingdom that Jesus spoke of it is not political. I am from the generation that was told the kingdom was the church and therefore we could not pray the Lord's prayer because "the kingdom has already come." Talk about a misinterpretation. Yet, we could not define kingdom in the group I was in. Is it the Manifestation of Jesus within which causes you to do what he has comminssioned you to do?

Personally I am with Tony Campolo who has written The Kingdom of God is a Party.

Groggy and Full

What does one say about a time so full of information, fellowship, worship, and praise? Actually, I think orgy would be a good description. The Zoe Conference was just that.

While some did not like the new format, others did. I think it depended on what group you wound up in. Personally, I would have liked more of the speakers in the tracks and less of the group. My groups often deteriorated into "my church" doings instead of the personal reflection called for.

Outstanding moments:

Donna Hester's presentation of women in Matt. l
All of the praise sessions
Jeff Walling's Matthew
Zoe Group singing He Was There
Having Maddie lean over to me and say while Sheryl was singing "Living Prayer"
"Mommy is a good singer!"
Watching Ella direct Zoe as they practiced.

And happenings at the Thomas Inn:

The hot water heater did its job superbly
We all got places on time
Everybody said they slept well (Even Hainey whose mattress pump wouldn't work. She used her own trained breath to blow it up)
Kaye and I had a few good hours shopping, talking and fellowshipping before the crowd
got here

Phew! I am tired, but it is a good kind of tired.

Having fun

Kaye and I had a great time today hanging out at David Kidd one of my very favorite places (I HATE that they are moving to the mall--I don't like mall parking, etc.) But I guess I will continue to go anyway.

Just got a call from Abilene and will have one more guest this weekend--making five of us sleeping, and showering in my little house--it will be fun and like a dorm slumber party. Julie Danley is joining Kaye, Hainey, Sally Gary and me. Pray for the hot water heater--it has not been tested to this point yet.

Hello, Nashville

Yesterday, my friend Kaye and I were privileged to have a tour of Nashville led by Linda Giddens. Linda is so vivacious and full of Nashville history and facts. We really got a good well-rounded look at the city with lots of history (which both Kaye and I love) thrown in. Our favorite story was about AnAlisha ? Hayes Cheatham, etc. (she was married 4 times) a strong Nashville woman who gave land, money and her home and the name to Belmont University.

What joy, Linda. Thanks, thanks, thanks. Kaye and and I are having more fun than monkeys on a banana tree.

Autumn

I prefer autumn to fall as the designation for this beautiful season because the word itself sings.

I am a fall and winter person. The pumpkins are appearing everywhere now--bright, golden globes. And orange has taken over the grocery stores. Kroger had a whole, long shelf full of Halloween candy dressed in orange. Gourds and stalks decorated Fresh Market this morning, and I actually found some Honeycrisp apples there--haven't partaken yet, but I hear it on great authority they are Washington's best.

I finally got out all my Halloween stuff last night and enjoyed seeing what I had.
I think schoolteachers have more seasonal decorations than most people--but is so much fun to put it out year after year and to add new things too. I always look for the Oreo cookies with orange filling to put in my glass pumpkin cookie jar. And for the pumpkin and candy corn candies to put in the candy jar (Why are they so good?).

I am looking forward to the turning of the leaves so I can be a true leaf-peeper. I don't have to go to New England, all I have to do is to drive through the Cane Ridge community around the corner.

Happy autumn! And thank you God for your fingertips drenched in color as you made this season.

Looking forward

My blogging will be somewhat sporadic for a while because of Zoe week. My friend and spiritual companion Kaye Price Hawkins is coming day afer tomorrow and staying all week. What a fun time we will have!!! I am so glad cool weather is forecast and that Tennessee can show off its beauty.

Of course we will attend the conference later in the week gathering in all the truly inspirational moments and serendipities that come along. Conferences mean so much more when one has someone of like mind to share with. It will be wonderful to see all our other loved ones too.

Thank you father for happy days and days to look forward to--for the priceless treasure of worshipping you 24/7.

Sing a New Song

Mike's blog today reminds us of the joys of the songs we remember singing as we grew up and matured. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered all those songs suggested by others--While the song leader may have been awful and off-key most of the time, the strong altos and basses made up for his inadequacies; the times spend in those old buildings with wooden floors made the vibrancy of the songs even better. Carpet did not absorb the sound. I can get homesick even remembering the old song board where the number of the songs were posted. The simplicity and blending of a cappella singing just can't be bested by a guitar and a drum and a surround sound system.


But that said, I would never want to give up a good sound system, a wonderful praise team like Otter's, and the messages of the new songs we sing. As we sang Let Us Be You for the first time Sunday morning, I thought of all the churches who will blessed by this song in the future. Of course, it is by two of Otter's gifted ones, Clarissa Cox and Michael Lusk. (and is on Zoe's new recording!)

Thank you Father for the gifted musicians who have helped us praise you for hundreds of years. Help us to encourage those we know and to thank you and give you all the praise.

She's "a-lyric" to it

Man to a caregiver in a rest home: Don't put that water on my wife; she's a-lyric to it."

I began water therapy again today; and I do believe I am a-lyric to water. That shouldn't be surprising, living in West Texas all my life. I do not know how to swim--after taking several sessions of lessons over the years, I still get this chill as I step into water over my ankles. I am very buoyant and tend to float up quickly. At any rate, here I am again conquering my fears trying to strengthen my knees and calves.

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Our small group put together boxes to send to four Otter soldiers in Iraq. It felt good to do this small thing for them. I must pray more fervantly that they return quickly and in good health.

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So thankful to God that Rita mostly behaved herself in Texas. And Texas performed admirably in the wake of the looming disaster. The mayor of Galveston was certainly a contrast to the trash-mouth mayor of New Orleans.

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Otter's furniture ministry to the evacuees of New Orleans is going well--so much furniture donated, that they actually had to cut off taking any more. One of the families moved in last week with every stick of furniture and items necessary to set up housekeeping (even down to Saran Wrap) donated by Otter.

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A group which went from Otter to Picayune(sp) recently got to report about the muck, mud and magic there being wrought by many, many churches working together to help.

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Thank you God for the blessings of another weekend with you and my family. There are great adventures afoot for Otter (see Brandon's blog). I pray Father that you are in the middle of all the adventures.

The coast

I lived all my life in West Texas where a three-inch rain was a cause for celebration. My teen years in the 50's saw a drought unlike any other--we had to bring water into Hamlin by truck.

So I have enjoyed very much getting to know the coast and water through Sam and his relatives who have lived down there since the 40's. Sam taught in Port Arthur which is supposed (now) to get a direct hit. Praying for them.

On my senior trip in Hamlin, we went to New Orleans and had a great time that only small town West TExas kids can have. We ate oysters Rockefeller at Antione's (I thought it tasted a little like green vomit would taste), toured several mansions and hung out in the French Quarter (with chaperones, of course). I loved it. I ate red snapper and shrimp for the first time there.

As a young teacher at a school near Abilene, I took the graduating class ( I was Senior Sponsor)to Galveston for their trip. We had a great time there too--stayed at the Jack Tar, ate lots of sea food and toured the Bishop's Palace (one of the few historic places left by the 1900 hurricane). I do hope there is a Galveston after this weekend.

Lord, please bless those who are in danger's way.

Rita

I am sure everyone is wondering, as I am, what have we done to unleash these storms? Is global warming catching up with us? Have our spendthrift, profligate lifestyles come home to rest? Should we have listened more carefully to the "tree-huggers"?

I do hope it slows down and is not the monster forecast. The previous hurricane in 1900 was truly a disaster. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson tells the story and has wonderful pictures of the remains of Galveston. It was again a failure of the populace to listen.

God, please bless my friends, relatives and others in the path of Rita.

Reading the word

When I was growing up in the church, the Bible was seldom read in the worship service except by the preacher when introducing his sermon or the communion leader when he was admonishing all to be "worthy" to partake.

Thankfully, that is changing. It is a pet peeve of mine to hear the word of God read poorly. In these days of new translations easier to read and of "planned" worship services (as opposed to the song leader planning from the front seat 5 minutes before worship) there is no excuse for stumbling through the verses selected.
So this is for the man or the woman (who slowly, ever so slowly is being asked) who read:

1. Read Nehemiah 8 in which Ezra brings the Law before the assembly made of men, women and all who could understand. He reads it aloud (not with his mouth tucked into his chin). All the people could see him as he read, and as he opened the Law,
THE ASSEMBLY STOOD UP. Ezra led a bit of praise before the reading in which the people responded by lifting their hands and bowing down with their faces to the ground. As the Law was read, the Levites stood nearby to "make clear and give the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read." As they listened to the words of the Law, the people wept. How long has it been since you wept at a reading? Or lifted your hands in praise?
2. Read the assigned scripture over and over until it comes naturally--it may help to read before a mirror--to check on how wide you are opening your mouth and to avoid mumbling.

3. As the scripture comes more easily, the reader can glance up at the listeners occasionally and can also give certain words in the scripture more emphasis and emotion. Avoid at all costs, being theatrical in the reading--don't shout, wave your arms, or mince around the mic.

4. Be sure and give the scripture reference before you begin and if time allows explain anything that may be hard to understand (a la the Levites). DO NOT PONTIFICATE nor adopt the rolling rhythm of an old time preacher.

5. If you wish, ask the audience to stand in reverence at the beginning, and at the end, you could add
"May God bless the reading of his word in our hearts today."

Read Nehemiah 8:1-12.

Encouragement to the ministers

One of the many things missing in our churches today is encouragement. Why is it so hard to pat others on the back, to write notes saying thank you and power to you, to take the church ministers out to lunch or coffee and tell them right on?

We have encouragement cards at Highland and Otter--sitting right in front of each pew; yet few are filled out and even fewer of those are to the ministers. I would hate to see someone quit because they were discouraged, and I did nothing about it.
The ministers at Otter and Highland are the best in the world as far as I am concerned. I'd hate to see where we would be without them--maybe locked back in the 50's where youth meetings were parties after church on Sunday night with no mention of spirituality, where children's ministry was unheard of, youth ministry a dream, and praise ministry so far down the road we couldn't see it beyond the hand of the man "leading" singing.

I have often opened a card of encouragement and found tears in my eyes because of the time someone took to do and get it mailed. And a new fervor for my work flouished with pats on the back and well wishes from parents.

I am going to stop right now and go write a card.

Use of time

Mike's blog is asking how parents deal with the use of time for their children's activities. Let children make all the choices? Just say No to everything? Tough question--especially for parents with more than one child.

As I remember, we pretty well let Brandon choose what he wanted to do within reason.
I remember the family in the newspaper recently who didn't have supper until 9:00 on certain weekday evenings because they didn't want their children to miss out on taking fencing. (Now that is a life-time skill).I am sure the teachers of their children enjoyed waking them up during class so they could teach them math, English and other life-time skills.

Brandon gravitated toward activities for which I believe God gifted him--music, theater, speech, leadership in school government. Gamely, in order to fit into the Wylie culture of cowboys and jocks, he signed up to be a football trainer (I think that is what it was called.) And he even ran track for a couple of years. Those things were not his passion. Nor did they prepare him for his life as a musician, church production supervisor (Easter and Christmas plays) and a life as pastor to his worship teams and Zoe.

Extracurricular activities are important indications of what the child's future may
be. It is hard to forecast how the child may be gifted when the child is taking lessons in everything from pottery to fencing, and playing on all sports teams But my philosophy is that it doesn't hurt to try a lot of things before you find one in which you can succeed.

I do cry when I see a family overbooked and stressed out by activities to the neglect of more important and significant things.

More about candies

After the post yesterday I remembered going to the grocery store in downtown Hamlin and buying peanuts in a little box which promised a penny, dime or a nickle inside for the lucky customer. I never found one that I remember, as I have never found a lucky Coke lid. The only thing I ever won was a sewing machine at the West Texas Fair. It was probably the one thing I had absolutely no interest in owning. However, Sam did find uses for it in his creative projects.

Giveaways those days were much less sophisticated than today. I remember the merchants in Hamlin deciding to offer a sum of money to be given to the lucky ticket each Saturday at noon. One had to be present to win. We never won. This, of course, brought people downtown on Saturdays. From the looks of Hamlin these days, they need another lottery. It appeared to be a ghost town with only the bank looking prosperous the last time I was there.

Old Fashioned Candies

I received my catalog from the Vermont Country Store yesterday. The subtitle is "Purveyors of the Practical and Hard To Find". Near the end of the catalog was a section on candies available which brought back memories. Perhaps it was because our folks couldn't afford much, but anytime Mom came back from the store with candy was a special time. My favorite was the chocolate covered creme drops in assorted flavors (sold in this catalog). As are Charms, (remember them)Clark and Zagnut bars, and Mallo cups. Haven't seen any of them lately, have you?

The catalog also has Evening in Paris cologne and Tangee lipstick. Fun to roam through.

When can we go to lunch?

Back to studying use of time again and ran across this story from the Internet:

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in half an hour?

She would gasp and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday."

She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Go to lunch with somebody you love tomorrow.

Stand in awe of God's Yes

I have been studying Psalm 128 today, getting ready for a presentation next month. I love it. Here is your boost for the day (from Peterson's Message)

All you who fear God, how blessed you are!
How happily you walk on his smooth straight road!
You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming.
Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!
Your wife will bear children as a vine bears grapes,
your household lush as a vineyard,
the children around your table
as fresh and promising as young olive shoots.
Stand in awe of God's Yes.
Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!
Enjoy the good life...every day of your life.
And enjoy your grandchildren.

The Maddie question

No takers on the Maddie question--I can't help but wonder what made her ask the question--was it because the place was so beautiful with lots of "religious pictures" (icons) around? Was it because it was such a contrast from the warm, but bland Otter auditorium? Don't know, and she could probably not tell me now.

I do know that our senses lead our hearts to worship when there is something to sense. If there is nothing to sense, we have to work harder to conjure up awe, mystery, and hallelujahs. Is that why the early Christians could not resist drawing on the caves in which they met?

Where is he now?

On Saturday at the Greek Festival, we ducked into the church--a gorgeous Greek Orthodox sanctuary bright with color and icons. Maddie (age 4) came up to me and said, "Nonnie, Jesus lives here. Where is he now?"

How would you have replied?

Marriage

Tim preached the strongest sermon I have ever heard on marriage today. I think it will go down as a watershed sermon at Otter. He proposed among other things that he will never again marry a believer and an unbeliever. He stated that every marriage at Otter was the business of the congregation and that we must all pledge to help those who are in trouble. Amen! Thanks, Tim

The Brothers Grimm

I wasted $5.25 yesterday and went to see The Brothers Grimm. A children's lit teacher couldn't pass that up.

It was the biggest mish-mosh I have ever seen. Not only did it denigrate the Brothers, but it will give a bad name to their tales, as well. Actually, the story of the brothers is really very interesting without having to make something up. (In the film, they are making a living ghostbusting.)

I think the writer must have been high on meth because he tried to incorporate every tale he could think of into the already burdened script. Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, etc. The writers and editor have borrowed scenes from recent movies shamelessly (Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.). They should have paid more attention to the editing.

I'll stick with Jack Zipes' biography thank you.

The beat goes on

Helping efforts and rescue stories abound==they all make me weep. I was talking to a man who works at the buick place in Franklin today--he had just come back from Biloxi with his church group (Fellowship Bible in Franklin). and was full of stories. Seems that Fema is missing in Biloxi too. The Fellowship group was visiting to help a little Baptist church which had only ten people left and no building. There were a lot of donations sitting on the foundation and debris of the church, but nothing organized. That is what they did first. His group had a hard time finding what to do in the city until they began to partner with the local sheriff who pointed them to three areas in the city that needed help. They immediately went and began clearing streets of debris and bringing food and water to the people who were there. He testified to God's grace working full time there. And I was able to say God bless you! Not a common scene three weeks ago at Franklin Buick.

Thanks for the past eight years

Eight years ago this week I was diagnosed with level C colon cancer. The cancer had spread outside the colon to the abdominal area. This required surgery and weeks of chemotherapy. Thanks to God and medicine, I survived and have had the last 8 years to celebrate:

the marriage of my son Brandon to a wonderful woman, Sheryl,
the birth of my first grandchild, Maddie and the subsequent births of Ella and Sam,
a trip to Hawaii with Brandon, Sheryl, and Maddie,
4 additional years of teaching before retirement,
and a move to Nashville to be closer to dear family.

Although I believe the experience aged me prematurely and I continue to live with the side effects of chemo, I am enjoying my additional years of lfe.

Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Ps. 146:1-2

Working together for good

Is it too early to begin pondering what good can come out of the Katrina tragedy?


Here are some things I have been thinking about:

1. We all appreciate our ordered, blessed lives so much more.

2. Millions of people who never thought of the poor before are now down in the trenches working for them and their benefit.

3. God's hand can be seen in the hands of millions of helping volunteers.

4. TV networks have found that news can supplant the tabloid coverage and survive.

5. Not one word the past few days about Michael Jackson.

6. Thousands of the poor now have a second chance to build a life.

7. Many of the less savory places in New Orleans are forever gone.

8. Churches here in Nashville are working together in an unprecedented effort to help.

9. Those involved in governmental affairs have seen first hand how their cuts and bickering affect real people.

l0. My taxes and federal monies are pouring into helping PEOPLE, not killing them.

Humanity

"The best that any lieerature can teach us is humanity; but it can teach us only if we are willing to learn. It works, but only if constantly reinforced, refreshed and renewed. It will never work if we judge it a luxury instead of a necessity. "
Lloyd Alexander

We are all learning humanity and seeking to be more humane these past two weeks. However, the literature in newspapers and on TV is not helping with the negative reporting. What we need to hear is more stories about the twin 40ish sisters who made it to Nashville after hanging on to each other's arm through dirty water to a highway overpass where they slept for 2 nights until rescued. They kept saying to each other, "Don't let go, don't let go."

Thanks for Sunday respite

Didn't God know what he was doing when he designated the seventh day as the day of rest? We all need a little rest from the disaster, a little rest from CNN, a little rest from guilt and sorrow.

And we must use that rest to become people of thankfulness--for our own homes, jobs, and security. For our cars, food, and water. For those who love us and take care of us. God, help us to never take these things for granted.

And even more importantly, to never take you for granted.

Turnaround

I am so thankful to God for the turnaround today in New Orleans--buses are leaving for other parts, a general has come to corral the troops and get downtown whipped into shape, churches are rallying to help in enormous numbers, and hundreds are still being rescued by helicopters.

I guess that one thing that we proved this week is that the huge bureaucracy we have created does not turn on a dime. Not fair to blame George Bush, we created the problem before he got there. It is really bad that he has had to deal with two unprecedented disasters on his watch. In his visit to the area yesterday, he was very compassionate and did not hesitate to be critical of the govt. response. I know some heads will roll when this is all over.

With the heat of N. O., I don't know how long I could have survived without dying of a heat stroke. I am still asking God to rain blessings there.

Coleridge

I am thinking the Rime of the Ancient Mariner "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." Such a horrendous time--so much good and so much bad being done. I don't believe Homeland Security is working, do you? But we can never be ready for an experience of this magnitude. As we watched yesterday, it was all I could do to contain myself from loading my car with food and water and trying to get there. And I kept wishing for someone (God, George Burns, Morgan Freeman, Yoda--anybody) to come on the Scantron at the SuperDome (impossible I know) and say--Hey, somebody is in charge, calm down, we are coming. Thankfully, things are better today. I do believe the CNN commentators exaberated the situation with their caustic political comments.
But I do appreciate their comprehensive coverage.

Thankfully,Sheryl is ok. and doing well. She should eventually have no more trouble with this problem which has plagued her in one way or another since early childhood.

I am sure sales of water have jumped this week--I am planning to get some ahead for my closet. Until everything is gone, one does not know what is most important. I know God is watching the situation, crying with us, and blessing us in so many ways to get through it.Thanks to Texas, Detroit and others who are taking in those evacuated. My eyes have been opened again to what is truly important in our lives.
Thank you God for your grace, your promises, for your blessings.

To grow or not to grow

I have been doing some study in the area of personal growth in Christ and came across these resources: From The Cloud of Knowing, 1375: "For God beholds with his merciful eyes not what you are, not what you have been--but what you would be." I John 2:2 "Dear friends, now we are children of God. And what we will be has not yet been made known."

Sounds like there is room for growth among people who once thought they had everything right--a besetting problem in my fellowship. If you have everything right there is not need to grow, right? No need to learn more, right? No need to pray for further spiritual formation, right? No need to read spiritual books, and prayers of the saints, right?

The two quotations make room for growth in God and that is good news for people like me who hunger and thirst for growth. Please pray for me as I try to persuade my class on Sunday to hunger and thirst too.

House of prayer

In regard to the Baptist folks mentioned in a previous blog, I have been wondering what kind of prayer I could pray for them? That they see the error of their ways?
(not likely when their overseeing body has not seen its mistakes) That God bring a visitation from a God-filled body in Topeka who can counsel them? (Not likely, I think Topeka is ashamed of them) Is there a church there which can show them the way of love? (Do we do that?) That the Southern Baptist group will remove the preacher? (He seems to be catalyst). I am just praying that the harm they did in Tennessee will be soon forgotten.

Wouldn't it be nice if "my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Isaiah 56:7

The Tempest Is Raging

"Master, the tempest is raging'--we don't sing the song much any more, but we cry out for the "peace, be still" phrase. I am praying this morning for the folks in the eye of Katrina and for those who will help them. Especially praying that the Superdome doesn't collapse. What a terror-filled day and night for them.

Having lived far away from water most of my life, I really can't imagine its ferocity when coupled with wind. One of the family stories in Sam's family is about a hurricane--one of the worst, can't remember which one. It seems that one of the family was in the hospital in Houston, M. D., I think (Sam's cousin). The family in Groesbeck got a call that he had taken a turn for the worse, so they decided against all common sense to drive into Houston, into the hurricane, to be with him. Their description of that drive always raised my hair as I listened. Give me land, lots of land between me and the water!

Father, please bless those of your children who are in harm's way today.

They have no shame.

Things just get worse and worse for those who are in the tribe of "Christians."
First Pat Roberson with his outlandish pronouncement. Then this:

Two local men who died in the conflict in Iraq were buried yesterday. Attending their funerals and loudly protesting was a group from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The church preaches that casualities in Iraq are God's way of punishing America for being dominated by homosexuals.Holding signs that said things like "God hates America" and "God blew up the troops", the group was virtually silenced by hundreds of townspeople blowing horns and shouting them down. The granddaughter of the church preacher said, "They are fighting for a fag country....
what's heroic in that?" Whether agreeing with their political agenda or not, any thinking person can surely see that funerals are not places to protest--in the faces of grieving mothers and fathers. They have no sense or shame. And they certainly have no concept of the love spoken of by Christ.

Nashville pluses

One of the pluses about living in Nashville is getting to hear Donald Miller and Phil Keagy in one week! I was not familiar at all with Phil Keagy, but now I know that he is one of the most accomplished guitarists in Nashville. He has been compared to Jimi Hendrix. He is not country western or classical, but has his own unique songs, some secular, some spiritual. To think that someone missing a finger on his left hand could play like he does is amazing. He was converted by his sister after all the indulgences of the 60's, and while he was playing in a rock band. He is now this gentle spirit full of love for Jesus. He played us a song he had written in honor of his sister. So sweet. I think his next project needs to be a book about his life.

Thanks Phil for a wonderful evening.

The desert ammas

At Sacred Heart Monastery in the arts and crafts room are banners honoring the desert ammas. It always amazes me how little I know about women on whose shoulders I stand. These were spiritual women who went out into the desert to begin monasteries in the 4th and 5th centuries in order to be counter-cultural and serve God. They are known for their wisdom, visions and writings. Many were mystics.
Some of their names were Monica, Hildegard, Clair, and Mechtild.

A mystic who came along later I do know something about is Teresa of Avila. She founded 17 monasteries for women, got in trouble both with the church and the political machine of the era, wrote a fantistic treatise on prayer called Interior Castle. One of my favorite stories about her occurred when she was criticized for the voluptious way she devoured meals. She replied, "When praying, pray! When eating partridge, eat partridge!"

I wonder, are there any mystics today? I think we are in sore need of them.

Sacred Heart Monastery

After spending a weekend with the sisters at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullinan, Ala., I have a few comments:

It is hard not to envy their surroundings and pace of life. What a place to live every day! Not only are their gardens and lake beautiful, but the chapel is gorgeous too. When we ever learn that beauty brings us closer to God?

The Benedictine sisters there are pledged to a life of service through their vows.
Are we not too? Oh, you say, but we have to live life too--so do they. Some of them go out into the town to teach school, practice law, nurse and other vocations.
Of course others are cloistered to serve the Sacred Heart community and those people who visit there. How serious are we about our vows? Do we listen to God's call or strangely go deaf at his voice in our ears?

Does the voice of God speak to them differently because they are nuns? Or do I just choose to respond differently? And to get to the nitty-gritty, do I have an ear for my calling?

Of course the sisters give up so much for their vows of service and cloister--they don't have the freedom I have, the grandchildren I have, the money I have, the opportunities in the community I have. But the promise of being cared for all your life sounds pretty good to me. The monastery has a retirement home attached where they can go at the end of life. Those in the infirmary (also at the monastery) are cared for as in any good hospital and are visited every day by colleagues. They don't have to worry about current fashions (not that I am!). All meals are furnished.Daily prayers are required and growth is highly recommended. They have a library, wide porches for sitting and rocking, and a guaranteed support group.

Our group was welcomed warmly and genuinely. We got some services planned, got to know each other better and ate Blue Bell together. Who can ask for anything more out of a weekend?

Donald Miller

Donald Miller was a delight. Who would have thought that such profound statements could come out of the mouth of a chunky boyish postmodern?

Beginning with the idea that Christians have been sold a bill of goods by the free-market product-oriented world and ending with a very powerful illustration from Romeo and Juliet that Christ's blood has put us in him to stay, the evening flew by.

I especially enjoyed his comments on our propensity to seek answers with books, speeches, etc. which contain numbered steps--5 steps to love, 7 steps to salvation, 8 tips on raising children and our constant asking of "how" questions instead of "why"
questions.

His major point and one that demands exclamation points was that Christian spirituality is a relationship--a being and not a doing. He said that Christian spirituality is more in the realm of poetry than science--it can't be proven and quantified; it is a mystery. Salvation rests on a relationship rather than a list of ideas.

Amen, and amen!!!!!!

It's That Time Again

I got my first Christmas catalog yesterday. I love Christmas, but not in August. Bah! Humbug!

--------------

I'll be off the next three days. I am going with a group from Otter to the Sacred Heart Monastery in Ohio. We will be planning emergent services for Wednesday nights next fall. I am really looking forward to it. My experience at the Pecos Benedictine Monastery in Pecos, N. M. was a delight.

More Blue

Blue Like Jazz is full of little nuggets like:

"Nothing is going to change in the Congo until you and I figure out what is wrong with the person in the mirror."

"The magical proposition of the gospel, once free from the clasps of fairy tale, is very adult to me, vry gritty like something from Hemingway or Steinbeck....
Christian spirituality was not a children's story. It wasn't neat or cute. It was mystical and odd and clean....There was wonder in it and enchantment."

"There is something quite beautiful about the Grand Canyon at night. There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing. (They hang there, the stars, like notes on a page of music, free- form verse, silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz.)"

"The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me....There is no addiction so powerful as self-addiction."

"And may the master pour on the love so IT fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you." I. Thess. 3:12 The Message

Blue like jazz

I finally finished reading Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller. The book was so hard to get into, I almost gave up. The first part of the book read like adolescent pap which needed a lot of editing, but he pulled it out in the last few chapters with statements like these:

"Too much of our time is spend trying to chart God on a grid, and too little is spent allowing our hearts to feel awe. By reducing Christian spirituality to formula, we deprive our hearts of wonder."

"There are things you cannot understand, and you must learn to live with this. Not only must you learn to live with this, you must learn to enjoy it."

"Wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers, our mapped out rules that we want God to follow. I don't think there is any better worship than wonder."

His chapter on Community is worth the price of the book. And his contrast of the time he lived with a hippie community in the mountains and the Christian community he was sometime a part of was funny, sad, poignant, and eye-opening.

I am looking forward to hearing him next Monday evening. Wish you all could come.

A touch of Abilene

The north wind brought me a touch of Abilene this weekend. Jerri and Roland Orr came to a family wedding here, and I got to spend some time with them. It is often hard to realize how much a part of your life people have become until you leave them.

Roland is an elder at Highland, Jerri is retired from the Abilene School District. They have been friends since I placed membership at Highland 14 years ago. They are members of my small group there, plus being just good friends to pal around with. My "group" of friends in Abilene were somewhat younger than I, all married and all linked in some way with AISD. They allowed this widow to tag along with them on trips, events, meetings, etc. I miss that. Often widows get overlooked socially because they don't have an escort and the numbers don't come out right. My friends didn't let this matter. Because they were younger, they challenged me to do things I might otherwise think I am too old to do. I miss that. There was always a place at church to sit beside them--I even persuaded some of them to move closer to the front. I miss that. They consistently thought about me when things came up and always invited me to go. I miss that. I was always included in dinners, luncheons, holdiay celebrations. I miss that.

Thanks to them and my group for many wonderful memories and for good friendships this side of heaven. Sooo glad to see Ro and Jerri and to know that miles do not negate long-time friendships.

Time stands still

There are days when time marches on and days when time stands still. The Aida situation at ACU is such a time. I was so elated when the school decided to do the wonderful musicial because of its call to diversity--and now in an ironic turn of events, the play has been cancelled because of folks who have not crawled out of their color-centric lair long enough to see that ACU has moved on in the last 40 years.

To say that the theater dept. at ACU would even consider "black-face" is ludicrous. The musical for Homecoming is the big event for the department in that thousands of alumni attend as well as hundreds from local communities--it is always an opportunity to present ACU's finest face. I concur with Mike Cope--there is not a prejudiced bone in Adam Hester's body--he personifies Christ in his life and inculcates Him into the students in his department. I am sorry this has happened--it casts a shadow on him and the dept. which is certainly one of the most outstanding in the nation.

Read Mike Cope's blog for more detail.

I am praying for Adam and Donna his wife; I know they must be grieving as am I.

Martha

I got spend time with my friend Martha yesterday--it was so sweet. She is a one-of-a-kind completely open wonderfully Christian woman. She and her husband Keith (also sweet) labor at 10th and Broad in Wichita Falls, Texas. Martha's parents live here and go to Otter Creek. I can't really explain the bond that Martha and I have, but I do know it is very special. She can cheer me up like no other person and is very aggressive about looking after and caring for me. Keith and Martha lost a child to miscarriage recently and I had to tear up as Martha talked about her children: l here on earth (2 years old) 1 in heaven and 1 in her womb to be born this winter.

Thank You God for friends like Martha who truly know you and shed your light where ever they go.

Potential

It shocked me when I heard that Peter Jennings did not finish high school nor go to college--this icon of news journalism. It struck me that we cannot fathom the potential of the human soul.

Marion Wright Edelman, one of my heroes, and president of the Children's Defense Fund has written a book that all teachers, parents and those who work with children should have. Guide My Feet, Prayers and Meditations on Loving and Working for Children inspires me everytime I pick it up. Here's one quotation for today:
"In every child who is born under no matter what circumstances and no matter what parents, the potential of the human race is born again, and in him/her too , once more, and each of us, our terrific responsibility toward human life: toward the utmost idea of goodness, the horror of terrorism, and of God." James Agee

The things we teach in school

Taking off on Craig Fisher's post about school beginning and the value of teachers, I am posting the sermon, um, lecture I always gave to my students on the last day of children's literature class. Most of the students in the class were headed toward teaching.

We teach math so students can function in the real world and creative thinking so they can function in a world to come with things not yet thought of.

We teach four-year-olds who have never seen an indoor bathroom how to hit, how to flush, and to put the lid down.

We teach the 16-year-old girl, who is pregnant and unmarried, the skills she will need to survive as a single parent, and we provide day care for her child when it is born so she can stay in school and succeed.

We provide counseling and non-judgemental guidance for the students who have AIDS.

We bring kids together in teams, whether they be debate teams, football teams or ag judging teams, and we teach them the art of give and take and loyalty and cooperation which will ultimately be used in marriages, in court rooms and in churches.

We know that every child who comes to us is at risk whether he or she is 4 or 18. We teach them that school is a safe place where they can come from 8-4 every day: Where adults are warm and caring, where laughter is pure and clean, where videos and dvds are not rated X and books and magazines do not have obscene pictures. School is often the best place some kids have.

We teach autistic David the pleasure of communicating in sentences over four words long.

We teach music with its mystical power to enrich the lives of children who know more about video games than Beethoven and more about super heroes than Mozart.

The things we teach in school include practical things like the alphabet, the multiplication tables and grammar, but also include things like : keep your fingers out of your food; one match will destroy a forest; and just say no to strangers and drugs. We teach safety like the third grade teacher who took her class to Safety City last year, who lost control of her own little car, ran over a telephone pole and had to miss several days of school.

We teach creative writing so students can learn that their own words count,and that this is an avenue of exploration and imagination which is theirs at the drop of a pen anywhere, any time, any place. With this gift, thay can always say this is my story, my life, my truth.

We provide gifted and talented classes and laureate classes for students like middle-schooler Jason who has spent much of his school life living in a car on the streets of Abilene. He knows his life can change because he is being taught the skills to make it happen.

We teachers on all levels teach truth, understanding and knowledge in a thousand ways everyday in planned and unplanned lessons and conversations, in the way we talk, and the way we treat students and the way we persuade them to interact with each other.

We have put snags in the rivers of children passing by and over the years have redirected their lives.

We celebrate small victories and marvel at changes--we cry when we see children
who come to school in shorts on 20 degree weather days, when a boy comes back to school the next day after his brother dies from a drug overdose, when children come to us with bruises and cuts, when a 6th grade boy leaves the campus in handcuffs because has threatened the life of his teacher.

We teach social studies so we can come to know ourselves and to know each other and to value the worth of every human being.

We teach the lives of great men who confronted povery and won like Abraham Lincoln and Colin Powell.

We teach the lives of great women like Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks who courageously fought the unjust society in which they lived.

We teach physical education and the enjoyment of the human body to children who spend more hours in front of a TV set than they do playing outside.

We teach with joy and optimism everyday so that our children will learn joy and optimism in this often fatalistic world. Teachers are often the only sentries we have against hopelessness.

We teach with energy and enthusiasm and enormous respect for the learner, the science, the literature, and the math that we love so much.

We tell and read stories to students who are falling apart because we believe with Barry Lopez that one should never underestimate the power of a story of repair a spirit.

We teach very carefully the essential elements, cooperative learning, shared reading, and whole language. We get kids ready for TEKS and a thousand other tests.

We dig trenches, climb mountains, and in between we try to help our students know that we are all human, tha it is ok to cry, and ok to dream and that each of us has a special gift and a special place in this world to serve.

Their dreams fell through

From a poem by one of the homeless men (Thomas) at Room at the Inn:

Homeless people are just like me and you
The only difference is that
their dreams fell through.

I have reread Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. In it Nouwen recounts his experience with Rembrandt's painting depicting this story of homelessness. At the time he first saw the painting, Nouwen was suffering from a persistent feeling that he needed to do something else than teach theology at Harvard. He was, in a sense, looking for a home. Ultimately, he joined the L'Arch Daybreak community as a pastor to the retarded and handicapped.

In the book, he says that one of the great mysteries of our faith is that God chose us and will not let us go. From all eternity we are hidden in the shadow of his hands and engraved on his palm (Isaiah 49).Before any human being touches us, God forms and textures us and knits us together in our mother's womb. Psalm 139. He loves us with a "first" love, an unconditional, unlimited love.

And because of this love, God is "looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home." Nouwen concludes the chapter by writing, "(God's)
love is the love that always welcomes home and always wants to celebrate." Even when "all our dreams have fallen through," and we stand before him destitute and empty.

Searching for home

Father Strobel who created Room at the Inn for the homeless in Nashville spoke at Otter on Wed. night. It was excellent--One of his assistants gave the best synopsis of the Odyssey I have ever heard. And the homeless men who accompanied them were inspirations. On any given night there are over 10,000 homeless people on the streets of Nashville.

I am reading Lynn Anderson's Longing For a Homeland; Discover the place you belong.
It is quite an insight into Lynn and his family and very encouraging to all of us who long for home.

Thinking along these lines, what does the word "Home" mean to you? As a fledgling
teacher, it was my duty to direct the one-act play for competition. We did Robert Frost's The Death of the Hired Hand. A famous line from the poem/play is "Home is the place where when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

I guess my longing would be for the house in Potosi before Sam got sick, when Brandon was in his early years in college and bringing kids out to the country, and we were all involved in church, school, friends and each other. Although, of course, my ultimate longing is the home with God spoken of in Psalm 27:4-5 "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling."

Tomorrow

We are so relieved about Sheryl. Thankful it was a speedy, efficient procedure. Please pray for that kidney to function. She doesn't need an operation right now that will put her down.

Brandon refers in his blog to Maddie, Annie and the song Tomorrow. She sang it for me last night. What a joy. I love the lyrics to that song and the hope it offers. In fact, I love hope. I feel that we have sort of lost our way as a nation because we have lost hope in that American Dream that those of us over 50 grew up with. We hear too much doom and gloom and not enough "here's what tomorrow will bring." We are beset by cobwebs and sorrow and think there is nothing to look forward to. Maddie, Ella and Sam are my tomorrow, and I pray they never lose faith in the promises of hope educationally, politically and spirituall.

History

David Rubio spoke at Otter yesterday. He had just taken the youth group to a theme park in Ohio, stopping for a while at the Cane Ridge Presbyterian Church where six reform-minded ministers including Barton W. Stone "killed" the Springfield Presbytery with the document "The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery" in 1804. The document willed that the body "die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the body of Christ at large." The resulting body began calling themselves Christian. Later in the 1800's they united with a like-minded evangelical body led by Alexander Campbell. This uniting fed the roots of what is now known as the Church of Christ.

David spoke about his excitement in learning the history of our movement in a church history class, and then being able to fulfil his dream of seeing Cane Ridge where it all began.I was an adult when I first began to hear about the Stone-Campbell Movement and its significance to my church. Unfortunately there are thousands of believers now who know nothing about it. In fact, those who grew up believing that our church dated back to A. D. 33 who are not comforable with this history.

I am so thankful to Bill Humble, Doug Foster, Richard Hughes, Jerry Rushford, Leonard Allen and others who are lecturing, writing books, and informing our little
group about its history.

Maybe we need to incorporate it into some Sunday School Classes and special presentations so that light may begin to dawn and the next generation can truly see our movement "sink into the body of Christ at large." Someone once said that if you don't know your history, you are like a leaf who doesn't know it is part of a tree.

Penguins

I saw March of the Penguins this week. It is absolutely gorgeous thanks to National Geographic and its freezing crew. I don't know when I have seen such a straight testimony to the creative abilities of God: These beautiful creatures who know at just the right time when to go to the mating grounds after swimming all over the ocean for three months. And when they get there, they meet thousands of others who have also had the call. These birds who swim have bodies created ideally for sheltering their young in that frigid atmosphere. These emperor penguins who swap out family duties so the other parent can go eat. And when the full parent returns, he/she knows where her mate and child are by voice in a din of thousands of other voices.

Thank you God for your creation and the creatures you put in it. Question? Where was Antartica when Adam and Eve were in the Garden?

Men of God

I had the opportunity to hear Don Finto last night for the first time in a while. As always, he was interesting and challenging. Mike is celebrating Glen Owen on his blog today, and I have to stop and think how much these two men were alike. Both (are, were--Glen is dead) way ahead of their peers in grace and world missions. Both feared nothing. Both were sometimes denigrated by their brethern as radicals and "too passionate." Both knew the Bible like no one I ever heard. Both brought light where ever they were and a whole lot of questions too!

Finto spoke last night about world revival--it seems to me that as American Christians, we don't get enough news about what is being done all over the world by God. We hear about what is not being done here and how quickly the church is declining. In fact, we don't even know much about the spread of Christianity outside our four walls. I know Christianity Today has a regular feature on world Christianity. Are there others?

Bugs Bunny

Sheryl and I were talking about Bugs Bunny at lunch today and how much cartoons have changed in the last few years. Turns out today is the day Bugs debuted in 194l. He was patterned after Groucho Marx with a carrot instead of a cigar. And of course, he always won his battles with Elmer Fudd with cleverness and ingenuity instead of violence.

Just comparing that with the Simpsons and what I see fleetingly on the cartoon channel makes me sick. And I might add that I am having trouble enjoying or even looking through graphic novels. I had my young adult classes read Maus! for my course, but there is no comparing today's graphic novels with the beautiful writing of Richard Peck and other young adult authors.

Breaking bread

I ate at the new Panera Bread today. As I sat and watched the people, I thought that this company and others had hit upon a centuries old truth. Breaking bread together is sacred and healing. We have several such companies in town: Bread and Company, The Atlanta Bread Company and now Panera. Panera says in their menu that they believe the universal spirit of bread is sharing. Cash donations given in their bakeries are doubled and given to local hunger relief and other charitable organizations. Any unsold bread is donated at day's end to local hunger relief agencies.

I think even Starbucks is contributing to this bread-breaking culture. A nice thought for today.

Mondays

I love Mondays--I get more done on Monday than any other day of the week. I feel more energized, more organized, more rested. Could it have anything to do with celebrating Sabbath on Sunday? Maybe God had something there.

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Into the West which ended this weekend broke my heart. I think it did show a new generation the sins of their fathers. One of my all-time favorite books about that time is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I wonder where the pictures taken by the Wheeler woman landed? Are they in archives somewhere like Matthew Brady's pictures of the Civil War? It is easy to see how lack of communication (telephones,translators, etc.) barred understandings and incited more violence. Are we not continuing our sins with the Native Americans by giving them back their lands so they can build casinos? I wonder if Spielberg and company will publish teacher's guides and a list of their sources later with the DVD? I would like to learn more about the Ghost Dance. Sounded to me like a missionary gone wrong.

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Father, in our arrogance we have raped your land and its native peoples. We have used the name of religion to further our sins. We stand before you not meriting grace, but desiring it.

"Do not be afraid."

In the small town where I grew up, there was not much crime, no violence, and there was seldom anyone but a drunk in the jail. Therefore, people did not lock their doors. I remember the progression at my house: At first, we did not lock any door. Then, we locked the screen door (with a spindly little crook that anyone could break). After buying a new door for the front of the house, we began locking it too. Finally, my dad installed a porch light near the door.

Today, we may be in the most fearful era in history. We fear terrorism, violence, crimes, old age, the big diseases, losing our jobs and pensions, global warming, the loss of social security. We are in deep pessimism about curing our cultural illnesses, our problems in government, in our schools and in our churches. All of this despite our "belief in God." Somehow our religion just doesn't seem to be able to handle the fears.

I read somewhere that the most oft repeated command of Jesus was "Do not be afraid." I did not check on that, but it is the last thing he said as he left this earth.
In John 14:27 he says,"...my peace I give you....Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." In Matthew 10:330-31, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." In Mark 5:36, he tells Jairus, "Don't be afraid, just believe."

Dear Lord, help us to see the big picture and to believe that you have us in the palm of your hand.

Ice Cream

The ice cream cone was invented on this day in 1904. New ways of serving ice cream are coming out and new outrageous flavors.

I am waiting for some one in Nashville to give a Blue Bell tasting party where everyone brings a different flavor to taste.Yummmm....I want to taste Wedding Cake, but I don't want to buy a whole half gallon. Right now I am stuck on cherry vanilla.

Intercessory Prayer

Someone has defined intercessory prayer as "love on its knees in prayer for others."
In thinking more about our practice of this Christian act, I think perhaps we need to be more disciplined in our intercessory prayers and not make them what Tony Campolo has called "laundry lists." I think we need to be more thoughtful about what is included on our lists, and to be more intentional about praying for these things more than once. I appreciate the "refrigerator list" in the Otter church bulletin which I can cut out and post on my frig so that when I open the door, I see the names of these special people.

As Peter Marshall once prayed: "O, God, forgive the poverty and pettiness of our prayers. Listen not to our words, but to the yearnings of our hearts. Hear beneath our petitions the crying of our need."

Prayers

Maddie, Ella and Baby Sam came to visit today--it was lovely! The prayers of children intrigue me--so forthright, so down to earth (kind of like the Lord's Prayer) and often so funny. At the table at lunch, Ella blessed everything and everybody she could think of and then thanked God for catsup. The girls would never be without the red stuff; I never bought catsup before they came along.

I have been thinking about intersessory (sp?)prayer since I attended a class last night in another church in which 30 minutes of the hour class time were taken up with a "laundry list". Is there an example of this type prayer in the Bible? Some of you scholars out there tell me the background of this type of prayer. I do not wish in any way to denigrate our prayers for each other--so don't go off on that please. I have been prayed for many times in time of trouble and appreciate all the benefits of those prayers. I wonder, do we dodge praise prayers or deeper prayers in which we actually talk to God as our father in favor of these long lists?

Names

I have heard several writers say that they got names for their characters from the obituary columns in newspapers.

Here are several just from the Abilene Reporter News this week: Uradean, Dovie, Jerry Jon, Lura, Ola Belle, Bethel. I guess these names were most chosen over 80 years ago, since the deceased folks were quite elderly. These are better than the odd names being given to children today like Apple and Motor.

Bible names are still among the most popular ones chosen for new borns, but I don't think I would want to be stuck with Hezekiah at any age. Samuel is a good one.

Home to Harmony

I just finished reading a good book Home to Harmony by Phillip Gulley. It is a collection of vignettes set down by a Quaker pastor who has come home to preach. Similar to Karon's books with less plot. Some of the vignettes would be fun to read aloud to a group. I loved the one about what we all learn in first grade. The one called Roger and Tiffany is about the pastor, Sam,and his parents visiting Roger, his brother and his vegan girl-friend for thanksgiving dinner. The pastor's mother thought vegan was a cult. The food for the dinner was marcaroni without cheese,small, wormy pesticide free apples, lettuce, a pitcher of herbal tea and a bowl of kiwi fruit. The parents immediately left for the grocery store coming back with a turkey breast, potatoes, cranberries and a two-liter bottle of RC Cola. Tiffany protests, "I can't eat this. I'm a vegan." Roger's mother whips out her Bible, turns to the 10th chapter of Acts and reads about Peter being told to rise, kill and eat. And so they ate.

It seems Roger was not a total vegan. He had been eating with Tiffany and then stopping at Burger King for a Whopper on the way home.

Pastor Sam's conclusion of the matter was that it is so hard, in this world, to be who we are.

I am ordering the other Harmony books soon.

A Little Culture Goes a Long Way

I have been in two groups recently in which parents expressed fear of our culture and its effect on their children. Books, movies, television, etc.

I wonder if those who "do" Sunday School Curriculum have devised a study to help them and their children out? Rather than teaching David and Goliath for the 1,000th time, could we not address some of the influences of the world in student life in classes at church? Waiting until high school is probably too late. There very well may be excellent stuff out there I do not know about. However, I have never seen, in the adult curriculum, classes to help parents in these situations:

Parents said they would like to have an avenue to handle the hassels of dress codes when "all other" girls in the group were wearing halter tops and short jeans. They would like to have help dealing with R rated movies being shown at some else's home
to a group which included their child. They would like to have help in dealing with cliques which shut out any child who is different. Today's "music" is generally beyond the parents.

How would a joint class with parents and children work? How would we approach it without seeming like dinosaurs who know nothing about what is going on?

I don't know the answer--just posing questions.

Wedded bliss

Jason and Alisha's wedding yesterday was lovely and full of emotion. The Zoe Group sang the prelude, Sheryl sang So Are You to Me as the bride and groom took communion and Brian Randolph sang A Prayer for Home. Beautiful music. Brandon did an excellent job as the minister setting just the right tone of lightness and solemnity.

One of the highlights of the reception was Jason's cake--hundreds of various kinds of Krispy Kreme doughnuts stacked in the shape of a cake. Children of all ages loved it.

Blessings to the newly weds and to the moms and dads who are all glad this glorious weekend is over.

Full of family

We had a feast last night at the rehearsal dinner of Jason McArthur and Alisha Swindle.

The food was excellent. The new Provident building provided a magic atmosphere with all the million dollar records hanging on the walls, a giant photo of Michael W. Smith greeting us, and the grand piano in the entrance (beautifully played by J. V.) to the banquet room.

As with most dinners of that sort, the fun came in the open-mike sessions when friends and family revealed all sides of the honorees. Jason Douglas McArthur was into music from the very beginning of his life and obviously his voice is still entertaining thousands of Zoe fans. Alisha was quite the prankster growing up, and her beautiful green eyes still flash with fun. The night was full of family and grace.

May their union be blessed by God and enjoyed by their family and friends.

This strange thing we call English

In some of the days I spent at ACU, I taught English in Academic Advance. AA is a program set up to help those students who did not do well on entrance tests. Many of the students I had were foreign students. Although they spoke English very well, they did not "get" idioms and other fine points of the language. For example, the verb "to be" just didn't make sense to them. They wrote in very long sentences linked with many "ands". Paragraphs were unheard of in their essays.

My Bas Blue catalog advertises a book called Here Speeching American: A Very Strange Guide to English as it Garbled around the World. Examples from actual signs, menus, advertisements and brochures are used. Some from the review:

Keep all fours in the bus--eyes only out window. (Mexican bus)

Compulsory Buffet Breakfast (Melia Hanoi Hotel, Vietnam)

Foot wearing prohibited (Buddhist temple, Burma)

Go Away (Barcelona travel agency window)

Swimming is forbidden in the absence of the savior. (Hotel swimming pool, France)


I wish I had this book for my class. It would have been fun to have my students decipher the mistakes. I must add too that I would be woefully inadequate if I had to speak any other language but English.

More kitchen items

As you can already tell, I am not a minimalist decorator. Add to the things that have memories yesterday:

Cups hang on a cup holder made by a woodworker friend Bill Temple. Bill also taught for Sam. The holder is made of wood from the old Stamford Hospital where one of my brothers was born.

I have a gorgeous pitcher on my stove done by potter Janelle McGuire, the twin sister of one of my best friends, Jeannean Nichols. The pitcher is cream and has the Chinese character for forgiveness on it. She copied the character from Ed Young's book Voices of the Heart.

My kitchen madonna sits in the corner of the cabinet. It is a painted wooden figure with hands folded in prayer. Painted in gold paint, it is flecked with blue crosses.

A ceramic cross with a heart in the center was given me on my birthday by the Zoe group. It has all their autographs on the back and hangs on the cabinet blacksplash.

The 50's.Com bible class gave me a cross emphasizing faith also hangs there, with a stained glass cross given me by Brandon.

Memories tell us something about who we are. I think I am very blessed.

Memories in the kitchen

Thanks to all who responded to yesterday's titles. Tony's Miss Bindergarten goes to Rehab made me laugh! I can tell he has been reading Miss Bindergarten to his daughter. And Phil's Mr. Match meets Mr. Dryer Lint was good as well as Debi's Tickle Me Where?

In her new summer magazine, Mary Englebreit writes, "Decorating with objects that evoke meaningful feelings and memories is one of the surest ways to stamp a room with your own indelible style." I began looking around my kitchen and saw at the top of the cabinet:

The clear Depression glass "Iris" pitcher from my paternal grandmother, Grannie Dobbins.
The bluebonnet serving bowl Sam bought me on our trip to Salado.
Two crocks owned by Sam's grandmother. I use the bowl (largest in my house) to make dressing for Thanksgiving.
The handpainted pitcher created by my dear friend Pat Phillips.
The antique hand churn used by Sam's grandmother to churn many a lump of butter.
The chocolate pitcher done by my friend Carolyn Hughes, now gone home.
Two apple pitchers bought for me by Brandon.
The dark brown pitcher we early-marrieds bought at Safeway in our first year of marriage. It is now a collectable.

I guess you can see I collect pitchers and memories.

time to laugh

I feel the need of a good laugh. Found this in my file last night. If I have shared it before, forgive.

Rejected Titles for Children's Books

1. You are Different, and That's Bad
2. Dad's New Wife Greg
3. Fun Four Letter Words to Know and Share
4. Curious George and the High Voltage Fence
5. Strangers Have the Best Candy
6. You Were an Accident
7. Pop! Goes the Hamster and Other Microwave Games
8. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Mrs. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?
9. Daddy Drinks because You Cry
l0. If It Feels Good, Touch It
11. Mommy's Got a New Baby to Love
12 The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy

Anybody want to try and add to the list?

John 8

Tim is preaching from John this semester. His sermons in John 7 and 8 have been gems.

Yesterday he focused on 8:27 "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught me." Earlier Jesus says in v. 24 "...if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

These are very bold and convicting statements, and I have to ask myself what would I have done if I had stood there....Would I have picked up stones, laughed, thought him crazy, or would I have just shaken my head and walked away? Probably the last is what I would have done--I don't like violence, laughter is disrespectful, some of his statements made sense so he couldn't be crazy, so I would have probably have shrugged him off.

I shrug off this passionate man every day when I fail to give credence to his teachings, when I forget forgiveness, skip by grace, shortchange prayer. Lord, help me to take what Jesus says to heart, to mind, and to action.

Sam A. Thomas again

Here's another Samuel Alexander Thomas story I don't want to get lost or forgotten.
Seems in the early 20's, the Thomases lived in an old two-story house. Although it had electricity, the wiring was rudimentary. Old Sam shaved in the combination kitchen, dining room with the single light bulb for the room (it dangled with a long cord from the ceiling) clipped over the sink so he could see in his mirror propped up in the kitchen window. It was Thanksgiving and Ollie his wife and other relatives had been cooking all week long for the traditional huge family dinner.

Ollie had the table set, with all the food loaded on the huge table. She called everyone to dinner. Sam was finishing shaving and somehow knocked the light bulb free. It swung over the table, hit the cake stand and broke into a thousand pieces all over the Thanksgiving food. Nobody got to eat that day. Sam was so disgusted, he went out the barn and didn't come back until nightfall. He could be heard saying one of his favorite expressions "I played thunder" and several other strong words as he stomped to the barn.

A Little Family History

I put a picture of the original Samuel Alexander Thomas on the dresser in my entrance today. The dresser belonged to him and was the only furniture saved when his house burned down in 1944. The dresser was saved because it was in his bedroom at his son's house where he and his wife were staying because of illness. I think that might indicate that the couple loved the dresser and wanted it with them wherever they were. I am so pleased to have it now.

Samuel Alexander Thomas (after whom my husband was named) came from a long line of preachers, politicians, doctors, drunks and scalawags. His grandfather, Garland, fought in the Civil War and was captured at Shiloh. "Gar" also fought the Indians with Davy Crockett (as the family story goes). "Uncle Sam" (so called by most of the people in the small town north of Waco where he lived) was a farmer, singer, orator, and politician. He was the County Clerk of Limestone County and served in the Texas Legislature as a Representative in the 1921 session. Sam's brother Ralph served as County Commissioner of Limestone County for several terms and enjoyed writing letters to the newspaper when he left office telling the local government how things should be run.

My husband Sam worshipped his grandfather Sam A. whom he called "Back". The grandparents took Sam and his siblings in when family life got rough. Back advised Sam as he grew up and enjoyed tormenting him with tricks and surprises. I am sorry I never got to meet the old man, but I believe my Sam was very much like him. "Uncle Sam" was highly esteemed in Groesbeck, and he loved going to town every morning to brag about his prize chickens who by reputation "out laid" all other chickens in town. Samuel Alexander Thomas was also a master storyteller and embellisher.

As I look at his picture (a publicity picture for his re-election as County Clerk), I can see him standing before the dresser brushing his thick, auburn curly hair, putting in his collar pins and cuff links, getting ready to go out and campaign. A natty dresser, he was probably checking with Ollie, his wife, to make sure she had pressed his suit and shined his shoes.

And now we have another Sam in our family--will he be a doctor, politician or a scalawag? I pray he will be a man of God and will honor His name as his grandfather Sam and his father Brandon have done.

Rereading

I've been doing a little study about grace lately and so have reread Max Lucado's In the Grip of Grace. Fine, fine book. He loves Romans as much as my friend Margaret Jolly in Abilene.

I don't often reread books even though I keep them for that purpose--there just too many other books to read. I use the ones on my shelves to study from, I guess. It is so nice to go to your own shelf for a book about grace rather than having to go buy one. I have missed getting Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace, however.

Anyone want to volunteer a book you have read and reread over the years and why? The Bible doesn't count--untold readings of it never plumb its deep, deep message.

At random

I got to keep the girls for a little while today. It was fun of course. Ella learned how to make the bottom portion of the recliner work and enjoyed reclining.
They jumped on my bed (don't know if that is permitted at home). Maddie loved watching the live Kathy Rigby version of Peter Pan--especially the flying scenes. She later came to me and said, "Nonnie, I want to fly." Don't we all? And I held baby Sam for a few minutes. What a long little bundle.

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Terrible tragedy in London. Westerners give concerts to raise money and concern for those dying in Africa. The terrorists bomb and kill people trying to disrupt the "8" conference where aid for poverty stricken people will be discussed. Music vs. Death?

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Nashville is beginning to look like Abilene. No appreciable rain in a long while--I don't like the look of dry and dying lawns and flowers. I've had too much of that in my life.

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I am excited to see a copy of the new Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible edited by such names as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard and Eugene Peterson. Reviews say it is too heavy to carry with over 2,000 pages. Some fault the inclusion of the Apocrypha--I think it will be the only Bible I have with that included. Hurry up, Amazon!

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Summer vegetables

As I write today, the smell of cooking black-peas wafts into the study. IMHO there is nothing more pleasing to the palate than fresh summer vegetables.

Sam delighted in planting a huge garden in the front yard of our house at Potosi. He had okra, squash, canteloupe, peas, beans, asparagus, and other things worked in occasionally like Jerusalem melon which tastes somewhat like a cross between a canteloupe and a mushmelon. So sweet!!! Oh, yes, rows of tomatoes. Once, we even tried our hand at blackberries, but it took too much room away from the other things.

Our summer dinners would be black-eyed peas, canteloupe, peeled and sliced tomatoes and cornbread swimming butter. What a treat.

Thank you God for the treasures of the earth you gave us. You understand how our bodies and tongues long for good food and provide.

Impersonators

Time Magazine recently reported that are now over 160 men making their living or working part time impersonating Abraham Lincoln. And there are also 40 women "doing"
Mary Lincoln. In addition to that, there are over 85,000 Elvis impersonators in the U. S. according to Worship Leader Magazine.

What is it that drives these folks to spend their time being someone else? Do they have their own sense of person? Are they driven by that craving for star dust?

Me, I had rather follow II Cor. 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."