Saturday, June 26, 2010

Saturday Morning

This is an unusual Saturday morning for me. Normally, my weekend begins on Friday morning after completing the Thursday night/Friday morning midshift. This week, so that I could have a long weekend last weekend and so that a co-worker could have the Friday night/Saturday morning mid off, I traded shifts and worked the additional mid at the end of the week.

I stopped at Starbucks on the way home and then stopped to visit with some friends at an Estate Sale. It was quite nice to visit with Pastor Joseph and his wife Kaye. It's been a little while since we've talked and it makes me think that I need to have a lunch with Joseph or perhaps have them over to dinner sometime soon. I always enjoy talking with Joseph. He is a unique individual.

One wouldn't normally look at a man that is legally blind and say that God favors him. Nor would you see a man that now walks with a cane or a pronounced limp and count him as one that has been blessed abundantly. His childhood was not a good one. He ran away from home and was on his own as a young teen. Born blind in one eye, he lost sight in his other, regained it for a time only to lose it again. Somehow, this displaced Montana cowboy was guided to Evangel College (now Evangel University) in Springfield, MO and managed to get scholarships and grants to secure an undergraduate degree.

In spite of his tremendous education (I believe that he now hold four Doctorate degrees--I don't even know if that's the right way to say that!), he is as humble a man as I know and very easy to talk with. I consider myself blessed to be numbered among his many friends.

Check out his website and you'll see that he is an author, play-write, teacher, actor, pastor, and much more. I encourage you to consider his books for your personal reading (I like I'm Not Really Blind, I just Can't See the best.) and if you are ever considering the Ozarks as a relaxing getaway, you need to look into the Serenity View Lodge Bed and Breakfast.

All-in-all, my short visit this morning was a grand way to start the weekend. Now for a little sleep and the weekend can continue sometime around noon!

John

Just a note about the statement "He is a unique individual."

I had to change this from my original "He is a very unique individual."

I recently read that since the "uni" in unique means one and that since unique means one of a kind; very unique is an improper phrase. Some thing can be somewhat unique (meaning that there are few like it) but nothing can be very unique.

JH


2 comments:

Mike said...

"I had to change ...." I'm sure Bilbo will appreciate that.

Claudia said...

Nothing but God in Christ can be very unique, is my pick for yet another way of expressing accurately "very unique." Joseph and Kaye's place looks fabulous--the perfect retreat for a preacher struggling for inspiration!