Simple Life

I'm sitting at the coffee shop around the corner from the kids' place and enjoying the morning. I can't really say that it's quiet because there is a steady stream of traffic on the cobbled road that is right next to my sidewalk table, but there is a certain serenity in the morning noise.
I've noticed a young woman that passes by me each morning as she makes her way back from the small neighborhood store. She has a bag with several eggs (no carton) and whatever vegetables she needs for the day. Apparently it is a part of her morning ritual to walk to the store and buy whatever they will eat for that particular day.

You can buy seven or eight eggs if that's what you need.
If you are making soup and need two stalks of celery, you can buy two stalks of celery. 
If you are looking at avocados, the owner will ask if you need them for today or tomorrow and then she'll pick out the ones that will best serve your need.
There is fresh produce being delivered and sold every morning as I walk past on my way to the coffee shop. 
There are many neighborhood kids walking to the nearby school. I have seen some being dropped off, but most walk, solo or in small groups. I haven't seen any school buses.

But a simple life doesn't mean it's an easy life -- at least not by the standards I am used to.
Many homes have no central air-conditioning and are lucky to have mini-split units in the main living area or sleeping areas.
Tap water is generally not potable, so bottled water must be purchased or a separate filtering system of some kind.
LP is delivered where gas is used since there don't appear to be underground natural gas lines in most areas.

The city is pretty walk-able and so I walk here -- a lot more than I do back home. Traffic is a completely different thing and I think I would have to be here for quite some time before I would be comfortable driving anywhere. I don't know if I'd ever be very comfortable on a motorcycle here. 

The people here work hard.
There are a lot of small business owners that work very hard at making things work for themselves and their families. 
There appears to be much more manual labor available and the laborers work hard. I don't know where the idea of "lazy Mexicans" came from, but it wasn't from anyone that actually watched them work!

I think that much of the living that I have observed here is harder than most people from the US would want to endure on a daily basis. But there is also a peacefulness that is rare in the US. It would be interesting to see if people would be willing to trade a little comfort for a lot of peace.

Just thinking...

John

People

What do you like about people?
What don't you like about people?
And -- be honest, now -- which of those characteristics and traits describe you?

How often are we the people that we don't like?
How often do we do the things that aggravate us when other people do them?
If you weren't you, would you like you?

I'm curious.
If I want you to like me, what should I do or avoid doing?

Just wondering

John

No Wisdom on this Wednesday

It's a pretty slow start to this Wednesday morning and the day is warming up nicely. We may decide to turn the A/C back on.  Or maybe not. Mid 80s (29c) isn't too bad for a couple of hours. We have ceiling fans and an attic fan and generally get a nice breeze with the windows open in both the front and back of the house.

I should have jumped on the outdoor work earlier, but I'm not a big get it done early kind of guy. My mornings are slow and easy. I may find myself working at cleaning out the basement since it is generally cooler down there throughout the day. 

I was thinking that I need to offer a nugget of wisdom for my typical Wednesday Wisdom posting, but I don't really have any wise words or thoughts to share. My daily contemplation (inspired by my shamanistic readings) has me thinking about who I am and when it is appropriate to wear masks. 
Wearing masks isn't always hiding who we are or being deceptive to others. Sometimes it's just being the appropriate you for the moment.

It is perfectly natural to be a different person at work than you are when you are out with friends. It is okay to be different as a student than as a son, daughter, or even parent. While our character and morals may not change from one situation to another, altering our behavior depending on the situation doesn't mean we are fake or manipulative. A work Christmas party and a family holiday meal are very different types of celebrations and it is reasonable to expect different personas. 

An accurate answer to the question -- "Who am I?" might just be -- "It depends on the situation."

I have far fewer roles than I once had.
I am no longer an air traffic controller or employee.
I have left the world of evangelicalism and preaching. 
I no longer entertain groups with magic.
I still have familial roles as husband, dad, brother, son -- but husband is the only one that I really do on a day to day basis.
I guess I am mostly just a reclusive retired guy that likes flowers, and occasionally smokes cigars and sips a little bourbon or tequila.

Maybe the big deal with masks is if we use them to hide who we are. 
Am I a different person than I want people to think I am?

Are you the person people think you are?
Or have you deliberately fooled them with a mask that disguises the person you really are?

John

A Story for Memorial Day

More than a decade has passed since I heard this story. I was traveling from Springfield MO to Wichita KS with my boss. We were going to a labor/management meeting at our hub facility. I can honestly say that I have no recollection of the meeting, nor the rest of the trip. But this man's story is something I will never forget.

It was the 60s. Vietnam was in full swing. My boss, wanting to serve his country, lied about his age and joined the Marines at 17. He made it to Vietnam and was assigned as a machine gunner on a rescue helicopter. I heard incredible tales of the rescue missions they flew, being pinned down in combat zones and having to wait for offshore cover from battleships at sea. He told me of gun battles with the enemy as the helicopter flew in to evacuate the wounded and hearing the thwack as bullets hit and killed his buddies sitting right next to him. 

I don't remember how long he spoke. It was probably about an hour into the 5+ hour drive when he started and his story lasted most of the drive. I was driving and I remember looking over at him. He was looking straight ahead, but not really looking at anything. His voice was even and steady as he spoke. Although there was no emotion in his voice, I could see that his eyes were moist and I imagine it took great effort to keep the tears from spilling out. He'd pause occasionally to collect his thoughts or steel his emotions and then he'd continue--like this was something he had to do.

When he finished, he thanked me for listening and told me that he had never told this to anyone before.
He said, "John, I made a lot of promises to a lot of dying soldiers and marines. 'Tell my parents I love them.' 'Tell my wife I love her.' 'Promise me,' "
He told me that even as he made those promises, he knew he could never keep them. Even though more than 30 years had passed since he made those promises, he felt like it was time to do his best to fulfill them. He wanted to start telling his story--to men's groups, to churches, to anyone that would listen. He wanted the people that had lost sons or husbands to that long ago war to know that they were in the last thoughts of their dying loved one.

I was honored to be the first one he chose to tell his story. I had a pretty unique relationship with that boss. Once, when we were having a full facility evaluation, the evaluators interviewed us together. They were wanting to know what kind of relationship we had as Union rep and Manager. They asked my boss if he would characterize our relationship as a good one. His answer surprised even me.
He said, "John and I have a common belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Everything else flows out of that, so yes, we have a good relationship."

Today, if you have lost someone serving in the military I want you to hear this story and know that they were thinking of you. Today, as we remember them and honor them, I want you to know that they remembered you.

John

Introverts and Extroverts

I saw a post yesterday (Twitter, I think) that got me thinking about introverts and extroverts.
The post questioned why it seems quite common to challenge the behavior of introverts -- You need to get out more, You need to socialize more, Why are you so shy?, etc. -- but it's rarely done to extroverts.

But is that really true?
Maybe I just don't see that part.
Personally, I'm more likely to get the -- You're not an introvert! -- than I am the others. And I think that's weird. I don't know that I'd be so bold (and arrogant) to tell an extrovert that they're not really an extrovert.

So, to the extroverts out there:
Do people tell you (often) that what you really need is some alone time?
Do you often feel criticized for always wanting to be around other people?
Are you ever made to feel bad for being an extrovert?
And are you guilty of challenging the behaviors of your introvert friends?

Just wondering...

John

Conversations

I don't have too many conversations with people, much less unplanned, random conversations. I had a couple of those this week -- one with someone I knew and one with a stranger. Both were a little surprising; like I said -- I really don't talk much with people.

As you might expect, the conversation with the stranger was pretty casual. He was a little older than me, retired, and like me -- looking at stuff to work in his yard. I'm not sure why he decided to converse with me, but sensing he just needed to talk to another guy, I went along with it. He is relatively new to the Ozarks, having moved here from central California four years ago. He and his wife relocated to help his son and daughter in law by taking care of their kids while they finished college and got started in life after college. After spending a couple of years living in the kids' basement, mom and dad bought their own home and they now have the house with the worst yard in their neighborhood. 
I was buying mulch and cow manure. He (Warren) was buying sod. In addition to the personal story, I was informed of some of the differences between life in CA and life in SWMO. All-in-all, it wasn't a bad experience; just something unexpected and out of the ordinary.

The other conversation was with a pastor friend that I have known for a number of years. In addition to pastoring a church, he serves as the Chaplain at two rural Mercy hospitals and oversees us volunteer chaplains. I really did enjoy sitting for an hour or so talking shop with him. We talked a bit about the job of serving as chaplain and some of the challenges we face in dealing with patients, staff, and hospital protocols. We also talked about life in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), non-denominational churches, and religion in general. 
In my own experiences I am finding God to be a lot less confusing when I am able to relate to God alone rather than trying to figure out how people view God and try to relate to (or manipulate) their own idea of God. I sometimes wonder how important it is to God that we love him back.

As a dad, I love my kids. I started loving them long before they were able to even understand the concept of loving me back. Today I would continue to love them even if they didn't demonstrate that they returned my love.
We always say that God's love is unconditional and then we turn around and say that we're going to hell if we don't love God back and follow all of his rules. I've come to the conclusion that most of those rules are a bunch of crap that religion made up to control us rather than conditions set forth by God.

I know this is heresy to my SBC friends, but I think most of them are full of themselves, their idolized denomination, and a bag or two of the cow manure I bought for my garden -- but I suppose that's a conversation for another day.

John

Who Are You?

Are you the person you want people to see?
Do you put on a figurative mask to hide the real you from others?

People have been losing jobs or suffering consequences from being at the US Capitol last week. Their presence there, and their beliefs demonstrated by their actions have surprised some people that now want to disassociate from them and their beliefs. Some of the people in DC have themselves tried to disassociate from the riotous part of the mob by scrubbing their own social media from anything that would connect them to the racist, conspiracy theory followers that stormed the Capitol, broke laws, and tried to stop our legislators from performing their constitutional duties. And still others are embracing their identity as Q-anon following, racist radicals. 

If someone were to study your social media habits, would you look like the person you publicly claim to be or would your posts betray that you hide a darker side? 
If you were to run for a public office, how much of your past would campaign handlers want to scrub?
If you were to apply for a new job, would your social media help you or hurt your chances of success?

Are you more of a "what you see is what you get" kind of person or do you always generally present a persona that is more acceptable to whatever audience you are in front of at the time?  
Is your social media the real you or do you use it to present a more desirable you online?

How "clean" are you?
Does your influence go beyond your circle of like-minded people?
Do you want it to?

These might be questions some are wishing they would have considered prior to their actions of last week. 

John

An Empath?

I've never really considered that I might be an empath -- until recently.
When I look at the characteristics of an empath and examine myself through that lens, I actually have more of them than I would have guessed. I wonder if they've always been there and I've just ignored them or hidden them, or if maybe I'm growing into those characteristics as I age -- kind of a gentler, wiser, old man kind of thing.

I feel like I need to examine this a bit more carefully and I'm not sure why. My current reading/learning focus is more introspective. Perhaps that is what has me thinking about this. I'm certainly not someone that feels (literally) another's physical pain, but I've noticed more of an awareness of the energy of other people and the effect that being in their presence has on me. It could be that being aware of that energy as well as the motives and attitudes of others is more of a defensive, self-preservation skill than an empathetic one. 

Because this is pretty new to me, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it. I'm certainly past the point of looking for a career where being an empath would serve me (or others) well. I don't really know how being an empath (or just being aware of it) might change how I interact with people. I don't know if being an empath is just a characteristic that one has like having brown eyes or a dark complexion. 

Maybe somebody that is an empath or has some more information on it can offer some counsel to a guy that is still trying to figure out who he is and how he fits (or why he often doesn't fit) into society.

Just some random thoughts on a Saturday morning...

John

10 Year Challenge

Last night our Bar Church message was on being our authentic self. It wasn't some kind of self help message but a lesson that we are created in the image of God and reminder that we are to be like him. But are we really bold enough to be like Jesus?

Social media usually paints a pretty picture of what life is like. We tend to post good things that are happening and usually select the most most flattering pictures. I'm not much of a selfie guy and don't usually post photographs of myself.
Facebook currently has this 10 year challenge where you post a pic of yourself from the beginning of the decade and one of your current self. Right! Like we all need the reminder that we're getting older!

But just like social media -- the pictures (that we get to choose) don't really say much about who we really are. I found this post from a few years ago. It says a bit about how I (and others) might have perceived me back then. It also had links to four other posts from the beginning of the decade that described things about me. They were fun to re-read.
I hope that current me has grown some since then. I hope that today you find a kinder John than the John of 10 years ago. I think that you will certainly find a more authentic John than the guy that hid behind the blog of a decade ago. Perhaps the most freeing thing I've discovered over the past decade is I am much less concerned about how others feel about me than I once was.

If you want to see what I looked like 10 years ago, feel free to search out the internet for pics of me from the past. If you want to know what I thought about 10 years ago, my blog is here with a thirteen year archive of bs ramblings. If you want to get to know me now, hit me up for a cup of coffee or a beer and we'll talk. I'll be me and you are free to be you.

John <><

Regrets...

This is a post that I thought about a few weeks ago. The reason that I didn't write it at the time is because one of the people that I wanted to tag so she could read it was in a medically induced coma at the time. Last weekend she died.

I never met Rachel Held Evans (RHE) and really haven't been following her for very long. I just finished reading her book Searching for Sunday and had already read her book Inspired. I think I would have liked her.

The reason that I wanted to write about her and a couple of other women that I follow on Twitter is to offer my apologies and regrets for having been a part of the male dominated evangelical clergy that often ignores and dismisses the contributions of women. I could blame the religious culture for shaping my thoughts on women in ministry, but that would be unfair. My thoughts, views, and opinions are mine and I have to accept the responsibility for them. I'm not sure where conservative religion got the idea that we (men) cannot learn biblical truths from women. I know that the standard response will be -- it's in the Bible, but I think that I can safely say that is a pretty skewed point of view.

Do you know that over the past couple of decades I have never read through a Beth Moore bible study or book?
I somehow believed that she was a good women's teacher but would have little to offer me. I have been following her on Twitter for a few months (thanks to RHE) and have benefited from her wisdom and insights. I'm going to have to make time to read some of her stuff (recommendations are welcome).

Another woman that I have recently started following (also from following RHE) is Rev. Jes Kast. I enjoy her encouragement and posts and think I'd like to listen to a few of her sermons and learn about life, love and Jesus from her.

I'm finding that growing spiritually and learning through areas where I've been wrong isn't as hard as one might think. Admitting that you are wrong and need to change your thinking is the hard part. Realizing that you have taught bad ideas to others is incredibly disturbing. Knowing that I have been a part of failing to recognize the gifts that God has given to so many women is cause for personal shame. It's really weird that I didn't have a problem with women supervisors or bosses, but somehow managed to believe that church was different.
(smh)

I know that I am less harsh on people than I once was. I'm learning to recognize that I have no idea what others are going through. I am looking for commonalities with others rather than focusing on differences. Rather than becoming a grumpy old man, I am becoming more introspective and thoughtful. Don't get me wrong -- the grumpy old guy is still in here; I'm just working on keeping him locked up with Ugly John.

I really am ashamed that there was a time in my life that dismissing others was so easy; when judging others by my own bigoted standards or standards borrowed from others was so much easier than seeing them the way God sees them. Sometimes I think to myself, "Damn! I was an arrogant, egotistical ass."

If that's the way that you know me or knew me -- I am sorry.
In reality, I know that those that I have been that ass to are not reading this, so feel free to share it around. It may be difficult to believe that John is becoming a decent kind of guy, but I'm working on it. It probably isn't a good idea for an evangelical preacher to admit that he struggles to walk with Jesus, but that is my truth. That is my life.

Lately, I've been thinking of the African proverb -- If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with someone. 
So I'm walking with this guy, Jesus. I'm learning some stuff, too. If you find yourself racing through life alone,
slow down.
Walk with us.
We can use the company
... and we have a long way to go.

John <><

Speaking of safe places...

Last night I got to attend midweek church at The Venues Downtown. It was the first time connecting with my Venues community in a couple of weeks and I needed it. I met a few new people. One was new to The Venues and a couple of others were just people that I hadn't met yet.

This morning I saw this tweet screenshot posted on Instagram

This is what I love about The Venues.
For many people, it is their safe place.

Today I met with my Venues community and served breakfast to our homeless friends. When I left, I needed to stop for gas. Actually, I could have made it home to my neighborhood gas station, but stopped at a gas station not far from where we serve breakfast. There was no particular reason to stop there; I just did.

I pulled up to one of the pumps and was next to an old station wagon. A guy got out of the passenger side of the vehicle as I was getting out of my car.
"Excuse me, sir. We are out of gas and I just need enough to get my daughter to her doctor's appointment. Can you please help us with a couple of dollars?"

A quick look into the backseat and there was a child's car seat and a woman (mom?) next to it. A second man was in the driver's seat and I figured him to be the friend with a car, but no gas.
It shames me to say that the grumpy John of not too long ago might have offered an excuse or maybe a couple of bucks ... maybe.
Today, it was no problem. I swiped my credit card at their pump and told them to go ahead and fill it up, then I went about my business filling up my own car. The dad had the car owner stop the pump at around $15.00. They both looked at me and he said, "We'll just stop it here. Thank you."
I told the owner (he was pumping the gas) to go ahead and fill it up. He nodded, said, "Thanks," and filled it the rest of the way. He was nearly empty and the total was more than twice the $15 they had stopped at originally.

I had to chuckle at their contrasting expressions of gratitude. The driver said, "Man, thank you so much. God bless you -- a lot."
I said, "God bless you, too."

The dad, getting into the passenger seat, said, "Man, you are a badass dude. Thanks!"
I laughed and said, "You're welcome. Take care of your little girl."

That was my morning. That was pretty much my day.

A few months ago, I wrote that my eyesight is getting better. I think there is more to that than just the physical refraction of light and focus that is taking place in my eyeballs. In addition to seeing better, I am seeing more.
I am seeing how much people are hurting.
I am seeing how much I have missed because of being focused on my own life/stuff/problems/self.
I am seeing that my indifference adds to the hurt and isolation of others.
I am seeing that I can do simple things to show people that they have value as a person; that they are worthy of my time; that they are worthy of love.

Hanging around the people from The Venues has really helped me with this new vision. Everything about The Venues is to show and share the love of God; to love like Jesus loves; that every life be driven by love.
I've got a long way to go, but I'm in a community of great coaches and encouragers.

John <><

Humility

In the past few days, much has been said of the humility of our 41st president.
His "kinder, gentler nation" didn't always sit well with those that use power, fear, and intimidation to control others, and yet he is remembered as a diplomat and respected for his foreign policies.

Naturally, I thought of that today when I read this quote from Mother Teresa:

Perhaps wishes of peace during the holiday season are futile if they are not accompanied by true humility.

John <><

Nov 8: National Adoption Awareness Month

Did you know that November is National Adoption Awareness Month?
I know several wonderful people that have expanded their families and enriched their lives by opening their hearts and homes to children that needed families. I am honored to know them.

One friend recently posted this saying with pictures of her kids.



When I think of adoption and the great need to belong to something greater than ourselves, I usually think of this song by Chris Rice.



John <><

Community

I've been thinking (and writing) more about community lately. It might have to do with my (slowly) changing community or it might just be a recognition that I've not really had much of a community and we all need to have (at least) a core of people that we feel comfortable being with.

There are things that unite us -- interests, beliefs, politics, race, culture, economic status, etc.
Those things are often the same things that divide us.

Since southwest Missouri is largely a Republican stronghold and in the middle of the Bible belt, I am often confronted with political differences in any subset community. Since politics has become the divisive topic that it is, even once solid relationships have become strained when there are political differences and new relationships are difficult forge. My world is a constant reminder that I am a blue dot in a red sea. Even with my small core of politically centrist friends it feels like a tiny island in the deeply red sea.

Neither is this area racially nor culturally diverse. Any subset group -- church, biker, writer, sporting, etc. -- is made up of white, middle class, working people or small business owners that have spent most of their lives within a hundred miles or so of their Ozarks Christian (or pseudo-christian) home. Finding diverse ideas and beliefs (or acceptance of diverse ideas and beliefs) is quite the challenge in a non-diverse society.
I feel like Democrats need a secret handshake or Democrat friendly churches and businesses need a secret symbol to identify themselves as such. It may sound strange to say that churches are unfriendly to differing political views, but as a person that has been ridiculed for political beliefs and basically shunned by a church, I can assure you it is true.

I could be that my community is starting to grow because I'm finding more people like myself.
Not that we all look alike, act alike or believe the same things; but that we are willing to accept and talk about the differences.
I still spend most of my time alone and I'm okay with that.
But I'm starting to enjoy being with some people -- some of the time.
And I'm okay with that, too.

John <><

Who is my neighbor?

The Gospel of Luke -- according to John (that's me).
If you were at church with me on Sunday morning or if we were having a simple conversation, I would probably use the more familiar title of Story-time with Pastor John.
As it is, I'll try to lay this simple story out the way I would tell it in preaching or in conversation. It's a story that most people have heard in some form or fashion. If you'd rather read it for yourself, you'll find it in the tenth chapter of the Gospel According to Luke.

Jesus is doing his thing and teaching about how we should live and a lawyer (probably a Pharisee since they were the ones that were all about living by the 613 laws of the Torah) asks the simple question, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "You're a lawyer. What does the Law say?"
The lawyer responds with an answer that Jesus has given, "Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as yourself."
Bingo!
Jesus says, "That's right! Do it and you'll live!"

Although the answer seems simple enough, the lawyer asks for some clarity. I mean if we're talking about eternal life, we need to make sure of the details, right?
So the lawyer asks, "Who is my neighbor?"

That's when Jesus tells his story:
There was a man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. While on the way, he fell among thieves that beat him, took his clothes and all of his belongings, and left him badly beaten and bloodied at the side of the road. A priest passed by but saw the man and passed by without stopping. Later, a servant of the temple passed by, looked at the man and then crossed over to the other side of the road and continued on.
Finally, a man of Samaria passed by and took care of the beaten man. He cleaned and bound his wounds, and transported him to a nearby town. He left him in the care of a local townsman and paid for his care. He also promised to return to pay for any additional charges.
Then Jesus asked, "Which man was the neighbor to the man that had been robbed?"
It's a no brainer, but even the lawyer's answer reveals something about the story. He said, "The man that showed mercy."
And Jesus said, "Yep! You be that guy!"

It's pretty easy to read that, glean a simple lesson about being kind to strangers and move on.
But there is much more to the command "You be that guy!" than just be kind to others.

The Samaritans were a people of mixed race and despised by the Jews.
To understand why this was so, one needs to go back to the divided kingdoms and the rebuilding of the southern kingdom at Jerusalem. Those Jews felt that they had kept their race pure while the northern kingdom (Samaria) had lived with their captors, intermarried with them, and corrupted the Jewish way of life. The Samaritans were considered to be unclean, unholy, and a people to be avoided and despised.
When Jesus asked, "Who was the neighbor?" the lawyer didn't even acknowledge the man's race. He simply said, "The man that showed mercy." It's like he purposely avoided saying the Samaritan was the good guy.

And the command of Jesus wasn't to show mercy to people you don't like. It was to show mercy, even to people that don't like you!

This Samaritan traveler stopped to care for a man that would likely have left him to die if their positions were reversed. Even the priest and Levite (servant of the temple) wouldn't stop to help one of their own. A person's dislike for us is no excuse for our treating them poorly.

There are many people that are applauding the actions of a DC restaurant owner that asked the White House press secretary to leave based on the poor morals of the current Administration.
Some say that they (the White House staff) deserve it.
Many say that if a baker can refuse to bake a cake based on moral differences, a restaurant owner should be able to refuse service based on moral differences.

I think that Jesus would hold us to a higher standard. I'm pretty sure that he would tell us to love those that hate us, to be kind to those that are unkind to us, and to show mercy to those that disagree with us.

I wonder how different things would be if the owner of the restaurant had taken Ms. Sanders aside and said, "Listen, I want you to know that I really disagree with what is being done by your boss. I honestly don't know how you can work for him and do the things you do. Having said that, I want to thank you for choosing to eat in my restaurant and I hope that you and your party enjoy your meal and choose to comeback in the future."

Martin Luther put it this way --
"The Christian shoemaker does his duty, not by putting little crosses on shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship"

How we treat others shouldn't have anything to do with how they treat us.
Ms Sanders comment about the owner's actions saying more about the owner than about her were spot on.

It's funny how easy it is to see the right and wrong of the actions of others and how difficult it is to see our own misdeeds.

Who is my neighbor?
You are.
You are even if we disagree ...
on religion
on politics
on social issues
on civil rights
on economy.
You are my neighbor based on my choice to follow Jesus.
You are my neighbor even if you don't consider me to be your neighbor.

sigh
This following Jesus thing can be difficult.
Please be patient with me.

John <><

More on Legacy Living

Life has a funny way of bringing situations together. I'm not a big fan of coincidence as an explanation for those happenings. One church I visit occasionally defines coincidence as a happening in which God chooses to remain anonymous.

In any case...
Yesterday I wrote on Living a Legacy. I was still sitting with my computer and reading when I got a phone call. The number was a 314 area code which I recognized as the St Louis area. I don't usually answer calls from numbers I don't recognize, letting them go to voice mail. For some reason, I answered this call.
It was a voice from the past, an old friend calling to tell me that his mom had died. I wrote about his dad ten years ago in a post I entitled One of My Favorite People. Three years later, I linked to that post in something I wrote about Unsung Heroes, and again about three and a half years after that when I shared my Testimony.
Now here it is, three years later and I'm sharing it again.

I read each of those posts yesterday and spent some time remembering my friend and his family. We have seen Glenda (his mom) a few times in the past several years. Gene and Glenda sort of adopted me and Chris when we first moved to St Louis, so we spent plenty of time with their family for the few years we were in the area. I spent much of yesterday afternoon remembering those times.
Later this week, I'll make the trip to St Louis to pay my respects and honor the life of a woman that simply lived a life that honored God and set an example for those that wish to live a life that will be remembered by others as a life well lived.

John <><

Coffee Conversations and Getting Organized

It's Saturday morning and I've been up for a couple of hours. I woke up around 4:30 and was still awake 30 minutes later so I decided to get up and get the day started. I've read a couple of blogs I follow, had a light breakfast, finished a game of Scrabble on a phone app (I won), and am indulging in my morning coffee.

I decided to go with one of the recipes in my Christmas Coffee Concoctions notebook -- Thai Coffee. As I read through the simple ingredients I thought that I'd have to substitute heavy cream and stevia for the sweetened condensed milk, but Hannah (and Daniel) were all over that and included a can in the gift bag of spices!
It's simple and tasty--coffee with a little cardamom and a little sweetened condensed milk. It has a flavor like a chai tea latte. And since I'm using the Christmas mug from Jenny (and Aaron) it's kind of like having Christmas in February!

--While relaxing on the beach last week, I was reading a book about Louis L'Amour and his daily writing habits.

--One of the guys in our small group is a writer/musician. Over coffee one morning, I asked about his daily routine.

--I was also asked to do some magic, but really wasn't prepared for that. Two things play into that -- I don't normally perform close-up magic and so I rarely practice it, and close-up magic takes a lot of practice.

The result of these things is that I've decided that perhaps I need a little structure in my routine.
Although I have been more intent on writing this year, I haven't set a time or daily writing goal. I need to do that. I'm going to have to evaluate just what I want to accomplish in writing so that it can have some purpose or goal. I also need to set aside a time to read. I've been doing a little more reading and am enjoying it. I need to be more purposeful about setting aside time to read and to write.

I also want to work on some close-up magic regularly. I felt bad about not being prepared to perform a few effects for friends, but hate to perform badly worse than I hate to let people down. I tend to think of myself as a stand-up magician -- meaning small stage performance with no large props. However, when people hear "magician" -- they just want to see a trick. If I'm going to be around people, I need to be prepared for that. (Or I could avoid being around people.)

I also want to work on my Spanish. I have a "listen and learn" course on my phone and have transferred it to my Google drive so that it is also available on my laptop. I want to spent a little time listening (and learning) on a regular basis as well as using some flash cards to increase my vocabulary.

When you throw in exercising, motorcycle riding, and household chores it sounds like an awful lot of stuff -- too much to do without being organized. I think I'll work on a weekly schedule with some things done on a daily basis and others done less frequently.

Since I'm not a very organized guy, I'm asking for your help.
How do you get things done?
How structured is your routine? Daily? Weekly?
Do you use lists?
What inspires you to do what you do?

Help a brother out, would you?

John <><

Road Trip, a few of the people I met

Several years ago, I was looking at some random blogs (something I haven't done in a long time) and ran across one that was written by a fellow air traffic controller. I started following his blog and found out that he is also a minister!

He was active in his NATCA (our controller's union) local (Boston Tower) and I had also been pretty active in NATCA. It turns out that Tom (TC) and I have been to several NATCA events, but never met each other. After retiring, Tom returned to full time ministry and now pastors the oldest Congregational church in the US. It was founded in 1623!
We have been friends on Faecbook and he has been one of several NATCA people that I was looking forward to meeting.

We did!
I managed to make it to Boston in time to experience the afternoon rush hour.
OH JOY!
When I left Steve's place in Vermont it was 56 degrees (13.3C) so I opted for a light shirt and left the lining in my jacket. By the time I reached Boston, the temp was mid 80s (30C) and I was regretting the lining -- especially with traffic moving slowly or not at all.

Imagine for yourself:
It's almost 90 degrees (32C)
You're in a long tunnel filled with cars and trucks adding engine exhaust to the heat of the day
You're wearing a lined motorcycle jacket, heavy denim jeans, and a helmet
You're sitting on a hot running engine
And YOU'RE NOT MOVING!

It was pretty brutal.

But I made my way to Weymouth on Boston's south side and met up with TC at his church office.
He took me out for a wonderful dinner of pan seared scallops and lobster risotto. We visited like old friends and it didn't feel at all like this was our first time to sit down and visit over a meal. He took me back to the church where I reloaded the bike and made my way on down the road another hour or so before stopping for the night.

The following day I was on the road to meet with yet another long time blogging friend in the DC area of northern Virginia. Bill has met a number of his blogging friends and added me to his growing list. I don't have as many followers and have cut down on the number of blogs I follow, but I have managed to meet a few of you and would love to meet more.
I met Bill at a little diner at the Springfield Mall -- Springfield VA, that is.

One might think that two guys that met for the first time would have a difficult time with conversation, but that just wasn't the case. It was an enjoyable respite from the road, especially when you consider that I also managed to hit DC for the evening traffic!

We managed to get our waiter to take the picture and it turned out much better than if I would have attempted another selfie shot.

Then it was back into traffic for another hour or so to move a little further down the road.

I'll post more from the road trip tomorrow. If you're a reader and want to meet, let me know. I'm sure that there is a highway that connects us and a future road trip to be planned.
(And if there is a major or minor league baseball team nearby the odds of a visit increase dramatically!)

John <><

Morning coffee...

I decided to take my morning coffee at the Starbucks on S Campbell in Springfield this morning.  I did finish off the iced coffee in the 'fridge with a little cream and chocolate before taking a shower and getting on the road. It's a beautiful morning for a ride, but will be much hotter later in the day.
Of course, the heat doesn't bother me too much and I often ride on hot, sunny days.

Starbucks is really buzzing with activity this morning. As always, there are a few people with laptops or tablets out, but there are many more people that have chosen this as their morning meeting place and are talking -- some with loud voices and great animation.
For me, it's kind of like being around people without having to interact with anyone. That may just be an introvert's way of feeling connected to humanity without having to actually deal with people.

Just an observation --
I've never really thought of coffee as a health food or part of a healthy lifestyle, but the demographic of people making their way through Starbucks is definitely more fit and more slender than the general population of Southwest Missouri.

Sorry about the mental interruption.
Now, where was I?
Oh yeah...

I've actually noticed that I tend to let people slide when it comes to most things nowadays. I don't know if my patience has grown or my expectations of humanity have diminished. I suspect it's the latter. It may be that I've finally realized that getting mad only serves to hurt me and really doesn't matter to anyone else. Being thought of as the grumpy old man isn't exactly something that appeals to me. I'm not sure that it bothers me a great deal, but ... well, you know...

I used to watch morning cable news shows while drinking my coffee at home. Since we dropped our cable contract and picked up SlingTV, I've been doing more reading for news. I think I'm spending less time on the computer and on my phone apps. Maybe not, but it feels like it. Sometime ago, I disabled most notifications to my phone and that has helped. A guy can only watch so many funny pet videos or read so much political crap before really trashing his mind.

I think I'll finish my coffee (venti 5-shot Americano) and hit the road.
Be safe out there.
And watch for us retired guys on our motorcycles!

John <><

Another moment to remember...

Earlier tonight, Chris and I went out to eat. One of the simple side effects from Chris' chemo treatments has been a loss of taste, so when Chris gets something in mind that she'd like for dinner, I'm all for accommodating her desire.
The two things she wanted tonight -- a restaurant with outdoor seating and a particular dish from Houlihan's.

When the waiter brought the bill at the end of the meal, the only two items on it were what we ordered for dessert. He said the rest of the bill had been taken care of, but wouldn't say by whom. We were both very touched by it and a little emotional.
I don't always think of Chris as a cancer patient and have gotten used to her wearing a cap or hat instead of a wig. When he brought the check back for me to sign, Chris was still feeling the emotion of the moment and he hugged her and shook my hand. He said, "I feel you more than you know."
Chris asked if it was him and he just said that he really couldn't say anything more but that he would be praying for us.

So...
If you happen to stop by Houlihan's on the south side of Springfield MO and have a server named Devon, treat him well for me.

John <><