A Good Day!

Sunday was an 'awesome' day at Harmony Church. It was "Biker Sunday" - and it was a gas! All the 'biker' church members rode in for the Sunday morning service, and some friends from the community joined us too. The weather was perfect!

At 12:15 we had a Bike Blessing where prayer was offered for a safe riding season, followed by a time for CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association) members to pray over individual bikes. I have been to a few of these things, and I am continually amazed at the response of fellow bikers. I suppose we all know (deep-down) that motorcycles are dangerous. My paramedic friends used to call them "murder-cycles". And God knows I have seen my share of hair, teeth, and eyeballs on the streets. Its no laughing matter.

The mid-day activity was capped-off by a short ride to the Town of Camden and a stop at The Helm for lunch.
It really was an AWESOME day!

Five from "g"

1.  A new planet has just been discovered.  And you get to
name it.  What name do you choose and why?
Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides ... This is
the longest scientific name for something, and this planet
will be a 'long-long way' away from earth. Fits well, don't
you think?

2.  What would be your 3 main laws (rules) if you ran your
own country?
1) Worship God 2) Love your fellow man  3)Honor the
President (even if you didn't vote for him) 

3.  What villain from literature or history do you relate
to the most? Frodo; Lord of The Rings.  
Why? He represents people who try really hard to live up to 
their calling in life, but find it difficult at times.

4.  What, if any, is the value of optimism? At the very
least, it helps one keep a positive outlook on life.

5.  What annoys you most about technology?
All the 'stuff' one needs to remember. Especially where
software is concerned. I do alright with things I do on
a consistent basis. But remembering codes and things a year
from now ... NOT LIKELY! If I don't write it down somewhere
(& remember where I put it), then I'm in trouble. 

Me Mudda & Brudda

Well, I'm feeling very connected to my family once again. Seeing my kids (& grandson) last week got me thinking about my dear ol' Mom living in South Florida. And my mind went back to my last visit with her before moving to Maine. That's when this picture was taken.

She is such a WONDERFUL mother! She knows how difficult it is for me to come and see her right now, so she made plans to visit me in Maine ... all the way from South Florida. I almost can't believe it! She's going on 90 years old and has chronic back pain, but she is still willing to attempt the trip.

My older sister and her husband are making the trip too. Mom is flying to my sisters in Virginia, then they will be taking a road for several days visiting other family in New York. The big trip ends with us in Maine. I feel SO blessed, and I can't wait to see my mother again!

Words of Wisdom

Last week I took a few days to visit my kids in Virginia. Josey and I took my grandson for an afternoon, and decided we would go to the new Marine Corps Museum (www.usmcmuseum.com) at Quantico. It actually opened a few years ago while I still lived there, but I never got around to visit it. I passed it every Thursday morning as I went on base for a Bible study, but never stopped in until now.

Something I heard there really stuck with me as I listened to a video of an old WWII veteran. He served in the infantry (a foot-soldier on the front lines) and was telling about a particular time when his company was fighting a very tough battle. He said they were low on food and ammunition, and they feared for their lives. And then he said something profound. He said, "But we did what we had been trained to do, we moved toward the sound of enemy gunfire."
WOW, can you imagine?

As I have given that more thought, it dawned on me that there is great wisdom in those words. Not just for warfare, but for life itself. Not many people I have known would square off with formidable opposition. And I confess it would not be my first inclination. But what a difference it would make if we all disciplined ourselves to move toward the challenges in life - as these Marines moved toward opposing forces. What courage! What bravery! What guts! What heroes!

MI-5

Assuming you must pick one:

1) Motorcycle or Jet Ski? Why?
Motorcycle - for sure. Even though I grew up breathing 
two-stroke smoke from boat motors, I'm still drawn to 
the open roads and the rumble of straight pipes. Yesterday
I road over 100 miles with a fellow church member whom 
also enjoys motorcycling ... LOVED IT! 

2) Fruit pie or cream pie? Which kind? Why?
I always seem to choose the fruit pie. And I'm partial to
a fresh Maine blueberry pie. Although a cream pie with 
mar rang (sp?) piled high is tempting, I guess I have been 
disappointed in them too many times. 

3) Book or magazine? How come?
I choose books. I'm somewhat of a thinker, and I find 
many magazine articles to be shallow and too ethereal.
I like to read something that causes me to ponder. 

4) Hot beverage or cool drink? What's your fav?
Hmmm - I drink mostly hot beverages these days. Maybe
because I'm a 'southerner' and not totally acclimated
to cold weather. I have even begun ordering coffee before 
ordering a meal when I'm out. But will I continue in the 
warm summer months? ... I don't know.

5) What's on the grill on Monday--beef, pork, or fowl?
What's the specifics?
Well, I have no plans for cooking on the holiday. In fact,
I have made no plans at all for that day. I have a possible
community speaking engagement, and that's it. Josey and I
fly out Tuesday for Virginia and a quick visit to see the
kids (young adults) and the Grand-baby, Ethan. I think we 
will spend the day 'packing' and closing down the house.
I might even eat cereal for lunch - just to get rid of milk 
that is sure to sour while we are away. I know, "What kind 
of celebration is THAT"! 

Billy The Rhythm-Myster's 5

We got a new phone system at my office this week. This
MI-5 is inspired by that event.

1) When you answer the phone, do you say anything
special?
No. Since I typically answers calls at my home and not 
a place of business, its just, "hello".

2) Other than "Bye" or "Bye-Bye," do you say anything
else when you end a conversation? Do you ever use any
other closing?
Usually just "bye-bye". But occasionally I say, "Talk
with you again soon."

3) How about your cell phone... Do you use a lot of
minutes, or do you hoard them? Love your cell, or just
a necessity/tool?
I used to use my cell phone exclusively. In fact, Josey 
and I talked several times about doing away with the 
expense of a house phone. Then we moved out onto the
peninsula. The tower service is SO BAD there, last week 
I had to call a guy back 4 times during a 20 minute 
conversation. The cell phone I once cherished I am 
quickly growing to loathe.  

4) Is your answering machine message funny? Cute?
Straight ahead, all business?
Our answering machine message "straight ahead" and
dry. Thanks for asking ... I think we need to spice
it up a tad!

5) What phone habit do you find annoying? People who
return calls based on their caller ID? ("Someone from
there called me.") People who talk on their cell in
the car? People without answering machines? What?
Maybe the most annoying thing for me is following
someone in a car while they talk on their phone.
Not everyone mind you, but those who get so involved
in the conversation that they can no longer drive well.
Granted, there are times when someone gets a disturbing
(distracting) call while driving. But I would think
even in that situation common sense would say,
"Hey, I better pull over - before I commit vehicular
homicide". But unfortunately, common sense does not
always prevail.  

Prayer & Fasting

OH YEA! I want to talk about FASTING!

Of course there are people in third-world countries that have
never eaten a hot-fudge chocolate brownie sundae ... its true!
In fact, many in those places go without food for long periods
of time. So the fact that our bodies CAN go without food for
extended periods is well documented. But somehow we
'civilized' people are above all that. And we can't 'stand'
missing a meal. Except for a few nutritionists who are into
homeopathic treatments for the body, its unthinkable among
most Americans in the 21st Century. Sadly, that goes for the
church as well.

Throughout recorded history, believers in God have
recognized spiritual benefits of fasting. Biblical characters
of the Old Testament abstained from food to commune with
God. And Christ taught his disciples that some spiritual
conflicts could only be won through prayer & fasting combined.
Other heavyweights in a more recent times like Martin Luther,
John Calvin, and John Wesley made it a reoccurring part of
their personal disciplines. I remember reading that Mother
Teresa, known for her tremendous humanitarian work in of
Calcutta, required nuns serving in her convent to take a vow of
poverty - including certain dietary limitations.

I'm not a nutritionist, and don't pretend to be. But I have read
some on the subject, and know that most would name several
benefits of going without a meal or two - especially when
accompanied by drinking plenty of water. And God knows
many Americans could stand to lower their caloric intake for a
while. But physical benefits are not what interests me.

As a pastor and follower of Christ, I am interested in the
spiritual value associated with fasting. In times of intense
physical hunger God speaks to me in crystal clear tones.
And the deepest need of my soul is satisfied in Him.
There is something about denial of basic need that helps me
be better focus. And THAT kind of intensity with God yields
big spiritual dividends.

From this pastor's perspective, our churches need the fresh
wind of God to blow. We need the collective affect of His
undeniable presence. So if fasting makes God more real to
us (in a sense), why the aversion to it among believers today?
I'm thinking maybe we can't handle the intimacy. Maybe we
don't want God speaking AT ALL! I hope its not true.