More Pollock Painting....
More scattered thoughts as I sit in central Nebraska...
Ten more baptisms. That makes 17 so far with several kids announcing they intend on being baptized when they get home to their families this Sunday. After each baptism the kids leapt to their feet screaming with joy, pumping their fists, applauding like mad, stomping their feet. Wow! After. Every. Single. One. It didn't matter if they knew the kid or not -- the kid was choosing the Jesus side of the battle and so the whole group cheered them on.
Duncan started going through the security clearance process. He swears in -- we're told -- at 1:00PM EST on Monday.
War is an un ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important to him than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. [John Stuart Mill]
Tomorrow I'll get up before 6AM and drive to Omaha to catch a plane to Minneapolis. After waiting there awhile I'll catch another one to Detroit. Duncan and Kami will be there to meet me. Happy day! Is there anything more wonderful than a family that loves you? Second only to salvation, the greatest gift God ever gave me is my precious, precious family.
It took me over an hour to get away after giving my last talk. I ended it by giving them a charge and an admonition -- St. Patrick's Prayer [I put that on Tentpegs some months ago]. Afterwards, kids came up for my autograph (!) so I signed about 30 of those. Over a hundred wanted pictures of me with them. This is unusual, to say the least. How does a 49 year old man rate this kind of affection from teens?
A girl comes up to me, crying. She is praying for Duncan and asks for my prayers, for she is leaving for the Marine Corps in a few months. She is pumped at the chance of testing herself and serving her country. And she is frightened, too.
You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth. And the amusing thing about it is that they are. [Father Kevin Kearney, Chaplain, 1st Maine Division, Korean War]
I just talked to Duncan on the phone. He was laughing, digging through my toolbox for implements of destruction. He and a friend are helping one of our older members tomorrow. She has three sheds that need torn down so Duncan and Curtis are going to do it. He laughs as he tells me it will be good practice for him. He reminds me of the bumper sticker that says "When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight -- call the Marines"
Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars. [General George Marshall]
Sunday, I will preach at a black church in Detroit. Their minister will preach for Rochester. We hope this will be the first of many pulpit swaps. In August, we are calling all black and white churches to meet together for three days at the Southfield Convention Center. It's time the church looked like heaven's going to look -- a full pallet of colors!
Maybe I'll get some rest after Monday. I'm headed to New Jersey the second week of July. The first week of July I'll do something I've never done before. Usually, I kid people that my side was the losing side two hundred years ago and that their playing with fireworks just rubs it in.
This year, I'm flying the flag. Your flag. My flag, now.
Ten more baptisms. That makes 17 so far with several kids announcing they intend on being baptized when they get home to their families this Sunday. After each baptism the kids leapt to their feet screaming with joy, pumping their fists, applauding like mad, stomping their feet. Wow! After. Every. Single. One. It didn't matter if they knew the kid or not -- the kid was choosing the Jesus side of the battle and so the whole group cheered them on.
Duncan started going through the security clearance process. He swears in -- we're told -- at 1:00PM EST on Monday.
War is an un ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important to him than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. [John Stuart Mill]
Tomorrow I'll get up before 6AM and drive to Omaha to catch a plane to Minneapolis. After waiting there awhile I'll catch another one to Detroit. Duncan and Kami will be there to meet me. Happy day! Is there anything more wonderful than a family that loves you? Second only to salvation, the greatest gift God ever gave me is my precious, precious family.
It took me over an hour to get away after giving my last talk. I ended it by giving them a charge and an admonition -- St. Patrick's Prayer [I put that on Tentpegs some months ago]. Afterwards, kids came up for my autograph (!) so I signed about 30 of those. Over a hundred wanted pictures of me with them. This is unusual, to say the least. How does a 49 year old man rate this kind of affection from teens?
A girl comes up to me, crying. She is praying for Duncan and asks for my prayers, for she is leaving for the Marine Corps in a few months. She is pumped at the chance of testing herself and serving her country. And she is frightened, too.
You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth. And the amusing thing about it is that they are. [Father Kevin Kearney, Chaplain, 1st Maine Division, Korean War]
I just talked to Duncan on the phone. He was laughing, digging through my toolbox for implements of destruction. He and a friend are helping one of our older members tomorrow. She has three sheds that need torn down so Duncan and Curtis are going to do it. He laughs as he tells me it will be good practice for him. He reminds me of the bumper sticker that says "When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight -- call the Marines"
Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars. [General George Marshall]
Sunday, I will preach at a black church in Detroit. Their minister will preach for Rochester. We hope this will be the first of many pulpit swaps. In August, we are calling all black and white churches to meet together for three days at the Southfield Convention Center. It's time the church looked like heaven's going to look -- a full pallet of colors!
Maybe I'll get some rest after Monday. I'm headed to New Jersey the second week of July. The first week of July I'll do something I've never done before. Usually, I kid people that my side was the losing side two hundred years ago and that their playing with fireworks just rubs it in.
This year, I'm flying the flag. Your flag. My flag, now.
posted by PatrickMead @ 6/23/2006 08:14:00 PM
3 Comments:
At 6/24/2006 06:58:00 AM ,
reJoyce said...
We had the good pleasure to be in Scotland one year on the 4th of July. It surprised me how many people said "Happy 4th of July" to us once they heard our accent. The same thing happened when we were in Ireland the year after that.
I wondered if perhaps there was some sense of kinship in the fact that we had all struggled to get out from under the thumb of the British royalty.
At 6/24/2006 11:02:00 PM ,
Anonymous said...
Every nation is important to God and He has used symbols to identify us, too. Even little things remind me that we were made in His image. I'm thankful you identify with us and we are honored your son is serving on our behalf, and God's. God landed you here for a purpose, too. I'm just glad you didn't do a Jonah and run away from us! Spending three days in a fish wouldn't have been much fun. Those airplanes might seem nice after that!
At 6/26/2006 09:27:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Is today the day your son swears in? God bless you all.
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