Monday afternoon

I'm thinking about heading home. I think my brain is full, and studying seems futile at this point. No comprende presently, and this is not good. I need to take in carefully Mark 9:14-29, which seems to be talking about deficient faith and insufficient prayer.

The sun is out, but what happened to that warm weather? I went for a run this morning and was almost ill-prepared for what I faced. It turned out to be a good run, but a couple of degrees colder and I would have been cold. Ran some hills out at Spring Mill Park; felt good.

Did you like the pictures of the eagle? Friday I went to Bloomington to take my bike in for an overhaul. Fortunately for me, Pat A was available for lunch, so we met and ate at a little place right across the street from the Bikesmith. They were serving all the fish and fries you could eat. Wow, it was good!

I was really needing a break from things, so I took my camera with me and decided that, since gas is so cheap right now, I would take the long way home from Bloomington, hoping to see some things to photograph. I took Old 37 to Needmore, then dropped down through Peerless. Nothing caught my eye. I decided to head out 450 and then cut over to Stumphole bridge. I had seen an eagle there sometime back, way down stream.

When I came around the curve, I started looking. There he was - perched in a tree about a couple hundred yards from the road. I pulled over and turned my truck off. I leaned over and rolled the passenger side window down and stared snapping away. He sat there long enough for me to get those photos and then flew further away from the road.

It has been a busy day. I did quite a bit before running, and then after running I had some good meetings with various people. This afternoon I went to see I guy that I saw last week. He is a friend of a friend. Last week I went to his place, and he was sitting in the dark, in more ways than one. His power had been cut off. We got that fixed the next day, and today he seems to be doing better. I drove him around to do a few things, including getting some groceries. I talked to him some about God's redemptive love - where God loves to roll up his sleeves and join us in our messes, trying to help us out of them.

That's a pretty good thought to end this on, so see you later! Headin' home for a good supper!

The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

[with thanks to Dale Kendall]

Saturday night

It was a good day today! It really started last night with a quiet evening at home for me. Everyone else was gone doing something.

After being in bed for 8 hours, I got up this morning, did a few things, and then Ben and I headed to Bedford for a run. I went 14 miles this morning and felt pretty good. I could have run several more miles and faster, but I was very content with what I did.

Breakfast at McDonald's with some of my running friends was the next activity. It was nice and enjoyable. The pancakes taste very good after a long run.

Mundane thing filled the middle of the day: trash, reading, and napping. Then we took off for Bloomington. There we met Lester and Maddie, along with several other family members. I think we ended up with a party of 15 at Outback. After that a few of us went for some ice cream.

It was a great day.

An Eagle at Stumphole

Friday

Where did this week go? It has been an interesting week for me. I had some pretty serious counseling things this week, plus an extra meeting or two. Sermon prep got placed to the back yesterday, so today is the day. I hope to be done with all my preparation for Sunday by midday. I learned a long time ago that I cannot rush or force it, so we'll see.

I attended a lunch meeting yesterday put on by the Center for Congregations, which is a Lilly Endowment funded group. They help churches figure out things, AND they supply up to $15,000 in matching funds to make things happen. I have a few ideas...

Twenty-one miles is what I have so far this week, as far as running goes. I plan on doing 14 tomorrow, and now you know why I have 21 so far. That's right! I want a nice 35 miles for the week. Not 34 or 36 - I want 35! I am so predictable.

Today I am going to try get on my bike for a little while. I am going to take it in for an overhaul next week. I think it has been a while, and they have a really good deal going on. They take it all apart and put it back together again, repacking bearings etc. I need to get it ready for RAIN - Ride Across INdiana in July. I plan to do a couple of 100 mile rides between now and then.

Ben got his driving permit yesterday! He HATES Kedra's station wagon, so Kedra got my truck and took it to get the permit. Ben got to drive my truck home from the BMV and did really well. His problem, like my other sons, is going be over-confidence. Ben's been driving all kinds of things on the farm for years.

Rebecca is in the process of selecting a roommate for Lipscomb. They do all that differently these days. They've created a Facebook page, so now all the kids are kinda stalking each other, looking at pics, trying to figure out who is compatible etc. I told Rebecca, back in my day, that I received a letter in the mail telling me who my roommate was and where he lived. It worked out fine.

OK, time to get busy...

Spring is coming!

Last night, as I made my way across the parking lot from the Family Life Center to the original building, right before I went up the 3-4 steps, I looked down at the flower bed. There I saw some flowers that had broken through the ground. It won't be long until flowers are in bloom. [The picture above is from Julio's place. There are things in bloom year-round in Honduras, even though it is the dry season presently.]

Busy, active day head: Sermon prep for a little while, 4 mile run once it gets daylight, Center for Congregation meeting @ 11 (free lunch plus possible ministry funds from Lilly Endowment), marriage counseling @ 3, funeral home visit after that, and who knows what else... It's all good. I do know that I will not get my sermon done today but that's OK.

We had a good class last night. We explored Mark's prologue (1:1-13) plus verses 14 &15. There is a lot made about wilderness in the passage, it seems to me. The good news (gospel) is announced in the context of wilderness. I woke up this morning with this thought:

The good news of God is not the absence of problems but to realize God’s presence in them.

On the way home last night I heard this song on the radio (don't tell me it was coincidental):

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

The song is entitle "Your Hands" by JJ Heller. It is beautiful!

Wednesday a.m.

Yet another reason that I love the Lenca Indians, the people we are working with in Honduras, is that they are all shorter than me. Well, at least most of them. When were hanging the dedication plaque for Butch Parish's house, the family kept pointing up and up, wanting it higher on the wall. Note that I am tip-toeing and my arm is fully extended. I think they were messing with me.

Wednesday morning. Again. Before you know it the day will be over.

Last night Ben and I went to Bedford to run with our friends. Tempo Tuesday. I decided that I would not tempo but just run the course, which is 7 miles. In the end, however, I did tempo slowly with another guy, just hanging with him to, hopefully, be an encouraging presence. We went 8.00, 7.43. & 7.23. Not bad. Ben, who is not getting enough miles in, due to various factors, did well. He went 6.26, 6.31, and 6.42. Once he gets a base, I think he can really speed up. He lacks confidence also but that will come.

I read this article, Death by Ministry yesterday, and I can't say that it was all that encouraging. I mean look at the title (ha ha)! I guess it made me feel better about some of the things that I feel from time to time. A lot of things do weigh on my mind a lot, so I have to be careful to not let them take me down. I am not always successful. I am guessing that some people are critical of the time I spend running and doing other things, but without those releases, I think I would be in trouble.

Not sure why I said all that last paragraph? I guess coming off a week in Honduras, where I pretty much left behind things here, I can see more clearly what it is that I do each week. I am not complaining, because I really do enjoy most of what I do. There is just a lot of it sometimes.

OK, it's time to get focused and really enjoy this day! I have lots of activities/meetings that should be enjoyable, and I look forward to my Wednesday evening class, where we try to figure out what the preaching text for Sunday is saying to us. I gain so much from hearing what others see.

Have a good un!