Good News, My Friends!

It is another beautiful day in the Ozarks!
It is more like an early autumn day than a late summer day. Although I am not a fan of the fall or winter, I do have to say that I have been enjoying these cooler temperatures. The windows are open. The a/c is off and life is good.

And that's not even the good news that I'm talking about!

I got to spent my lunchtime and the early part of the afternoon with the men that make up the Administrative Team of the TriCounty Baptist Association. These men are servants of The Most High God and truly remarkable ambassadors for the Kingdom. I always come away from these meetings feeling both inspired to work in ministry and a little ashamed of my own small contributions to the advancement of His kingdom.

These guys are mostly pastors of local churches. There are only a couple of us that are at large members of the team and are lay members of one of the association churches. It's pretty easy to see why the other laymen sit on this team. I'm not certain of my roll or why I have been a part of the team for several years now.

The good news is that God is alive and well in the TriCounty Association! Although there are several churches that are currently looking for pastors, there are also churches that are sharing the gospel and reaching out to change lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. We heard reports of successful camps, clothing giveaways, VBS programs, mission trips and testimonies of people of all ages that are coming to profess Jesus as Lord and Savior!

This weekend I will be at the Fremont Hills Baptist Church for a weekend revival. On Friday night I will be giving my personal testimony of how I was called into the gospel ministry and how I came to use magic to share the gospel story. I will share the call and some of the effects that I use when telling people of how God loves them and Jesus died for them.

On Saturday evening I will be talking about the ministry of John the Baptist and how we have a similar ministry of preparing the way and sharing the message of "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Sunday morning will be about the work of Jesus and how He has been our advocate before the throne of our Heavenly Father.
And Sunday evening will be about what happens next. Where do we go from here?

If you are in the area, I invite you to attend. It is my hope that the take away from each service is that God loves you and Jesus died for you.

More than that, I hope that each believer takes away that we are called to share this Good News. We are all ambassadors to the kingdom of heaven.

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter." --Charles H. Spurgeon

John <><

Healthy Living

Something from my other blog ... I've Changed My Mind

Saying Grace vs Being Full of Grace

I saw a sign in a coffee shop this morning that is worthy of sharing. Unfortunately, the booth where the sign was located was occupied so I couldn't get a clear picture to share.

Even so, the words are worth remembering:

Grace isn't a little prayer we say before eating; it is a way of life!

Be gracious.
Live well,

John <><

Stereotypes and Mistaken Identities

Recently my daughter-in-law posted a picture with the hashtag #ILookLikeAnEngineer.
If you go to the link, you'll see that pic along with many others that show the faces of today's engineers.

It's weird how we have preconceived ideas of how certain people should look or how we might look at somebody and make a judgment about what they might do for a living or about their social standing or other aspect of their life.

While walking to my car from the baseball game the other night (I usually park a mile or so away for the walk) I passed nearby the skate park and saw a young woman skateboarding down the street. I smiled to myself because it was the first time I remember seeing a young woman skateboarding as a means of transportation. The next day, I saw another young woman skateboarder.

And those young women could be engineers, doctors, students or anything else.

Our world is so diverse that we really have to stop making judgments based on appearances or expectations. I know that people have voiced their surprise that I am a UFC fan. I guess it's not expected of my "type" of person.

I read Facebook posts from church leaders that disparage Democrats as if none of their church members or friends could possibly be Democrats or as if they think that those friends will believe their gospel of love in spite of their hate.

I know people that do all types of unapproved or unexpected "church" things, have contrary political or social beliefs to the evangelical core and are more loving examples of Jesus than the people that harshly judge them.

I'm slowly learning to be more worried about the person that I am and how I treat people rather than try to put people into a convenient box and determine how to treat them based on that. It's a process.
I hope that your struggles to build relationships with others are less impeded by prejudice and bias than mine are. Or that you are at least making progress in the process of adapting to our diverse world.

John <><

The Real Debate...

I missed the Fox News debate last night.
I was faced with my own personal debate: go to the Springfield Cardinals game or stay home and watch the debate.
I guess you know which side won that debate.

As for who won the televised debate ... well, I really don't care. It's far too early for me to get wrapped up in the antics of the wanna be candidates at this point. I heard very few positive comments about the candidates and even fewer about the debate itself. In a few months when the field has been narrowed, the more ridiculous statements made last night will be brought up as ammunition against the candidates and I can hear all about it then.

I'm pretty much avoiding Facebook today and scrolling through most of my Twitter feed.

The debate of which of these candidates will be the Republican presidential candidate doesn't interest me ... yet.

So what is the real debate of the day?

In the race for the nomination, each candidate is trying to convince the party (and the country) that they are the best person for the job of making the United States a better place. To date, most of them are telling about the mistakes that have been made in the past and are offering little in the way of meaningful conversation about what they will do differently.

On the other hand, we can do something to make our little corner of the world better -- today!

Each one of us can be a positive influence on someone or do something for someone. We can improve our health and we can help others to improve their health. We can reduce the garbage and waste that we contribute to our world. We can make our world better.

In truth, there is little that I can (or will) do today that will have an impact on our standing in the international theater. The same is probably true for you.
But each of us can make the people that we meet today feel good about themselves. We can give them value. We can encourage them and we can help people that need a little help. Sometimes, we can even be a blessing to others by allowing them to help us!

In the past, I have often told people that I have to work VERY hard to be a nice guy. Being nice and doing good things for people is not my nature. I have come to the stark realization that I am a natural born jerk (and that's putting it nicely). For me, being nice is a decision. It is also quite a challenge. But it is doable.

Maybe being nice is natural for you. Maybe you are one of those people that everybody likes and you are always taking care of the people around you. The rest of us are blessed to have people like you in our lives. All of us not-so-naturally-nice people are going to have to work being good to those around us. We can improve our world one relationship at a time.

The real debate is will you or won't you contribute to making the world a better place today?

Be kind.

John <><

Drugs, Strangers and Other Dangers

It seems crazy that the 2015-16 school year about to begin in the United States.
College students are packing up and heading off to campus. High school students are coordinating their schedules with classmates and jobs. Elementary schoolers are still excited about going back to school and many parents (not all) are celebrating the return to a more routine schedule and time controlled life.

A couple of years ago I purchased an elementary school program called Drugs, Strangers and Other Dangers. I had intended to begin marketing it last fall but was unable to get time off from work during the peak time of Red Ribbon Week.
This year, I will have no such problem!

I have already started booking shows for this year's Red Ribbon Week!
I'll be contacting area elementary schools to market this program in the coming weeks. If you are an educator, you may want to book as early as possible to get the date you want -- before, during or after Red Ribbon Week.
I'll be offering discounts to districts that have multiple elementary schools and book multiple shows or to districts that help me book shows in neighboring school districts.

It's going to be a good year!

Be well!

John <><

Healthy Living

from my other blog...
http://unhealthyguysblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/post-100-simple-summary.html

Northern Bias

I'll admit that I've never really understood the fascination with the rebel flag. I haven't always associated it with slavery or racism, but I have always wondered about the loyalties to the losing side of a war to which many seem to cling.

As a proud citizen of the United States of America, I've always viewed the Confederate flag and the sentiments that "the South will rise again" as treasonous.

While I understand that everybody should be proud of their heritage, waving the flag of the side that lost a war more than a century and a half ago seems a little off.

I grew up in Illinois -- the Land of Lincoln. I obviously have a different perspective of the Civil War than those that grew up in the South. Today, I live in Missouri, a state that was often divided in its loyalties. As a border state, there were a number of Civil War battles that took place in Missouri.

Last weekend we visited several of the state parks in southeast Missouri and also revisited the memorial site at Fort Davidson where the Battle of Pilot Knob took place. This battle has been called the Thermopylae of the West by one author, as a small Union outfit took on a Confederate army of nearly ten times its size and successfully delayed their advance on St. Louis and Jefferson City. It is an interesting story and the site, though small, does a pretty good job explaining the battle and its significance to the war.

I know that in any war, it is the winners that get to write the history. The losers always get painted as the villains. The winners get to be the heroes. Because the Union won the war, we are still the United States of America. To this northerner, the Confederate flag, the rebel flag, the Confederate battle flag -- whatever you want to call it -- still represents the treasonous states that wanted to divide our nation.

There are many that still display the Confederate flag in Southwest Missouri -- even a few more since it has become an issue in South Carolina. I just shake my head and wonder if they know that the South lost the war; that the flag says, "I'm a loser!"

Sigh.

John <><

Truth and Perspective

I know that we all have this idea that the truth we know is the real truth and anything else is a deception. But what if truth looks different based on one's perception?
Can two different perspectives define different truths?

I know that there are many people that only seem willing to take a stance based on their narrow perceptions. It doesn't matter whether they are conservative or liberal, theist or atheist, rich or poor. Until we at least listen to what others are saying, we cannot hope to see things from their perspective. It may turn out that we are both right, or maybe both wrong. It doesn't always have to be that I am right and that makes everybody else wrong.

Before you speak,
before you write...
think.

Am I seeing this from all sides?
If I listen to others, will I learn something important about this?
Am I open to changing my own thoughts based on others perceptions?

John <><

Things to do...

It's hard to believe that I've been on this retirement gig for six months, as of today! 

Seems like an appropriate day for a "blue moon" celestial event!

I have to admit that I'm still working on finding an easy rhythm for the day-to-day stuff (maybe working on it is an exaggeration), although I am getting along pretty well without one. The freedom of not having to have anything set in stone is nice, it just takes a little getting used to.

Yesterday, Chris and I spent a couple of hours kayaking on the James River, just east of Springfield Lake. It was a nice day and we could have stayed out longer, but I wanted to keep it pretty short. I figured it would be better to plan a short day and have her like it and be willing to go again than to be out too long if she didn't like it. 

As it turned out, she suggested that next time we pack a lunch and find a place to stop and enjoy it!

We finished the day (and began this one) with an unexpected visit in our neighbor's driveway. It began with going over to tell him about my Chicago weekend and ended with our wives joining us and all of us out talking until 1 am! 

Because of working a day last weekend, Chris ended up with a stretch of 5 days off this weekend. It was something that she didn't realize until she was already a day into and so we didn't make any plans for a long weekend. We do have plans to meet with couple of friends for dinner tonight and are considering what we might do with our remaining three days. 

We may head across the state to hike some of the trails at Taum Sauk State Park. Or we may find something closer to home and return to sleep in our own bed at night. I guess we'll figure something out today. 

I am really a little surprised at the interaction I'm having with some people. We've been doing more things with more people over the past few months than we have in a very long time. I don't think it's just having more time. I think that maybe not working has made me a little easier to get along with. I guess that would be a good thing (unless it means I'm going to have to start being around people again)! I need to find a balance between human interaction and solitude. At least now I have more control over the people I see. 

I found out that another of my controller friends has decided to move his retirement forward a year and will be hanging up his headset soon. I'm really happy for him and his family. I'm pretty sure that in the end, he's not going to be wishing that he worked one more year!  

It kind of stinks for the people that remain. They are already short staffed and working scheduled overtime. I told my old boss that I could help his staffing numbers if he wanted to work out a re-hired annuitant status and bring me back to work a few mids each week. I'd work only mids (limited interaction with anybody) and he'd get a body for the day or evening shift. I don't think he took me seriously, but it is something I'd consider. It would only be temporary since I age out of eligibility in a few months, anyway.

Oh my! 

I have such a good life!

I'd better start figuring out how I'm going to spend my day.

I think I'll start by having another cup of coffee!

John <><