Meriwether Blogger

A couple of months ago I finished a Undaunted Courage, a biography of Meriwether Lewis. Probably the heaviest reading I've done in a while. It took close to 2 months to finish, reading it slow to somehow grasp the arduousness of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Much of the record comes from the journals kept by the captains and one private. Letters were a second source to gain insight on Capt. Lewis' life. I guess journals were more common in past times. And the messages from the post were valuable goods that brought news of loved ones' health, activities, and thoughts.

Today, a majority of our letters has been reduced to e-mails and facebook. They fly as electrons through processors and waves in the air. Your inbox becomes full and you delete it all. A text message can be instantly responded to. Facebook lets everyone who cares to look know what your status is. Why send a postcard from your adventure when you can just email the photos you've taken. Letter writing has been resigned to the hopless romantics. So, much of today's communication is lost, deleted because of the glut of information.

Journaling has taken on a new life though. This blog is a journal. Through it I relate my thoughts and you might be able to extrapolate what is happening in my life. This all so public information may never die. Unless the internet crashes. In a hundred years or more, the historians will be fishing through these blogs, try to figure out exactly who was the author to gain perspective of life as we entered the 21st century. They will sift through travel journals, political commentary, and social commentary to try to explain why we did or didn't destroy the environment, pass a bill or two, and why we drank so much caffeine. They will read one guy's blog about his affair with a Native American and then wonder why his wife left him. Maybe, they'll see a moral collapse amidst all of this data that is being stored, and wonder why we didn't see it ourselves since the words were right in front of us. Those generations will see a wistful people of non-absolutes in the name of political correctness, a disposable trendy culture that didn't bother to save correspondence and instead bank collective anonymous journals that recorded far out thoughts that no one reads or even matter.

namaste
vaya con Dios

I'm a statistic

So I was watching the usual liberal-bent media shows. And, the politicians and talking heads are bringing up the old battle that basically began the "permanent" (thank goodness) majority. That's right health care reform is being waved as a banner over the heads of the tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free. While others parade and drag it around like .... well this part was going to include a not so obscure reference to a terrible time when American soldiers corpses were displayed behind moving vehicles. On second thought even as terrible as some people are arguing health-care reform its not worth desecrating the life of someone's son, brother, friend.
Sorry about that.
Some people talk about health-care reform as if it is a way to score points politically. And, here's where it hit me... I'm in the news. Now the only times I've been in the news are as follows: I read the 2nd most books of anyone my age at the local library one summer, I was a cub reporter at Riverbend two years in a row, my classmates and I did a study on fish"deaths" (moronic reporter) in the N. Oconee River, and I worked in the Botanical Garden wetlands with a class. But back to the point.

I don't have healthcare. Let me put that a different way, I don't have an insurance company to go to bat for me in the hospital. I could, while riding my bike in the bike lane, wearing a helmet, and obeying all the traffic laws, get hit by a car, break a bone or two (if I'm lucky) and then owe someone $50,000.
I am looking for coverage so that I'm not uninsured for long. But, when I get it I'll be paying the most of any country for 15th rate coverage. Yeah, America isn't even second-rate. That goes to one of those pinko-socialist countries that has "horrendous" healthcare.
In the meantime, there are some doctors who, out of charity, don't take the copay from their patients because they don't have money, yet need the care. Why can't we socialize our system so that we all get good, fair healthcare. We cannot leave anyone behind and we will help our fellow man instead of seeing him as a drain on society

I'm a statistic and I was on TV tonight.

namaste, vaya con Dios

Seasons of Mentors

As I look back on my life, I realize there have been men of God mentoring me at the right times to guide me where to go. And, as they come in like a mist they are gone.

Chad always wrote his lessons on the white board in the teen room. The bible lessons became more art, painted with different Expo markers, they flowed across the board, connected by sweeping arrows pointing the order of the lesson. He introduced me to the deeper meanings of those Bible stories I learned in Sunday school. More importantly, he cared about us the students. We each felt like we had our own unique relationship with him.

Steve's sermons were always didactic. He had great command of vocal dynamics. Crescendoeing towards his point with his hand drumming the podium. Forget finding the meat of Scripture, he sucked the marrow from the bones of the gospels, epistles, and prophets. Spending several weeks on the profundity of Jesus being a priest in the order of Melchezdik.

Jack spoke in more relational terms, preferring common sense and using did-you-knows to accent his lessons. Always using the Word as a two-edged sword to pierce to the heart. He never intended to make you cry, but you did anyway, and sometimes he did too. Mentoring me as one who always asked questions and not liking simple cop-out answers. He would show me any tidbit he would come across. I can ask him, "What have you learned recently?" and I will get an amazing lesson on God and life. When I asked what he thought of my desire to be a full-time minister, he didn't ask if I had thought this through. He gave me sound advice on how to be gracious and prepared. To this day, I think of him when asked for a reference because I know what he thinks of me.

Uncle Bubba has always been by favorite uncle, and he only grown more important. He stands in shaded contrast to the other men. He is one of the people I wish to emulate, because of his understanding of people, and more specifically my family. I can talk to him when I need an outside opinion on how to deal with my family because he knows our warts and hidden scars. His honest desire to meet people as they are impresses me.

Barrett took me as a frightened freshman and let me see the freedom God offered in His word. Through him I met Jim and Jake, who led me through that tumultuous first year away from all I had known. I remember the day I knew GCSC was where I would stay. I had a rough day, went to the center, and asked if they could pray with me. Each dropped what he was doing and we prayed together. The General opened his apartment to let me escape my roommate and his girlfriend, and introduced me to CS Lewis. Troy brothered me through Fiji and learning to engage people to lead them to Jesus, and ultimately took me as a friend.

Donnie asked me if I wanted to have a Bible study with him. We went through Luke and discovered that the Bible is all about Jesus, even the stuff about Jesus... is about Jesus. (I know it doesn't make sense, maybe that's another blog post). We spent an hour each Monday in Luke like a cotton gin, combing through it. But before that, we spent an hour talking out our weeks in our booth at Barbarito's where we were recognized as regulars.

But this entry was not brought on by any of these men. Each worthy of a solo entry, but the next man is honored because he won't be around me much longer. Yeah, there are influences I haven't put here, my dad, Chris, Mr. Ingram, Watson, and others. Many of those above did not recieve the review they deserve. But, I want to save the last space in this post for ...

Fred came to the GCSC at the right time. We wanted to delight in sharing with others, but we had no clue how to do that. He took me and increased my view of scripture. We rubbed the wrong way sometimes, and we called each other on the carpet. I could tell him he upset me and he could do the same so that we could work it out. He showed me how to disciple people and the importance of looking outside the church of Christ for growth spiritually and numerically (what a revolutionary concept). Fred never let us be lazy as a ministry, he knew we could keep going and had more energy than we thought. He always made sure to validate the way we felt even if that feeling was irrational. If he read this he would say that it God who did this and he was only a conduit of the LORD's blessings. But, I think God is proud of Fred and would want him to take a little credit for saving souls and lives at UGA. Fred, Alison, Ian vaya con Dios I hope God blesses your work in Amarillo and you are a blessing to that church. (Sentimental post over)

vaya con Dios
namaste