It's so easy to just shuffle some music to the side and kind of ... forget about it.
The music that you used to listen to on perpetual "repeat," and then it got stuffed into a clear vinyl sleeve in one of your CD cases ... and forgotten amid the new stuff ...
I've been re-enjoying it. And it's still good. Really good.
Layton Howerton ("Timothy;" "Grace Under Fire")
Sarah Kelly ("Take me Away;" "With You")
A tribute to Keith Green
Rich Mullins ("The Color Green;" "Hold Me, Jesus")
So ... Sunday was good.
I was late for church (as usual) which was more embarrassing than usual, because we now have a later service ... and I still missed most of worship. Eek. My keys did an unfortunate disappearing act as I was trying to get out the door, then my Bible ran away ...
But I sat with Adrian and Paul (though I didn't actually meet Paul 'til after the service).
Paul, it turns out, works with the Navigators here in Laramie and does recruiting for overseas missions work.
The New Thing I learned on Sunday: You can teach English as an overseas missionary with the Navigators. I thought it was all campus-oriented-type work, like what I experienced here in Laramie -- leading Bible studies and doing on-campus witnessing and discipling fellow students.
Oh, no -- you can be the confrontational weenie that I am and teach English and still tell people about Jesus ... which is cool. Paul started talking about a guy who teaches English in Djibouti (seriously -- when was the last time Djibouti made the news?), and since he's, like, the only person there teaching people English, he knows all the higher-ups in the country, and since the U.S. is eager to form relationships there, they helped him out, too. Very cool.
So that was Paul.
I had McAllister's for lunch with Adrian -- and ate the ginormous-est potato to ever grow in Earth's dirt. I had to take a picture of it. Actually, I found out today that it was likely two potatoes made to look like one, but for five bucks, I got the mondo Veggie Spud with cheese and tons of veggies, complete with friendly service by a thickly accented guy from Georgia who highly recommended the sweet tea (which, it turns out, you can buy by the gallon ...).
And then we went ice skating, which turned out to be a non-terror. I wish I had the on-ice confidence that some of the hockey skate-wearing kids had -- I did the I'm-going-to-fall-ungracefully windmill a few times, but I managed to stay upright and moving forward, which was better than sliding on my arse into the wall ... as I saw one fella do. I kept my dignity and my tush intact and unbruised.
The rest of the day was kind of dull, but considering that my legs felt good for nothing after an afternoon of sliding around on frozen water, dull was OK. I did watch the first installment of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" on Masterpiece Classic, which is a depressing story, but it was also a good Sunday evening. I can't believe it's already been a year since the last installment of Masterpiece Classic, when they started with "Jane Eyre" and then kept us happy with film adaptations of all six Jane Austen novels. This year looks as though it will feature a lengthy tribute to Charles Dickens, so I made a trip to Night Herron to beef up my Dickens collection. I'll let you know how that goes.
"For some, there is no bailout"
That's the tagline for the latest World Vision ad campaign, and I think it's appropriate.
I whine and joke that I wonder when the newspaper industry is going to get its bailout (or when the morons who claim that they "get their news" from news aggregation sites will realize that without legitimate news sources [absolutely including newspapers], there is no aggregation of news)
But seriously, I have to look on the positive side.
I have a job
Granted, my employer had to take some drastic steps for the coming year to ensure that we would, indeed, all keep our jobs, but in an age when newspapers are cutting back, shutting down and dying, we're hanging in there. No one's losing their job here because of the economy. Viva family owned papers.
I'm not broke
I may say that I'm broke on occasion (usually after I've visited the mechanic), but seriously -- I do have a savings account, I haven't overdrafted the checking account, the debt is (slowly) going away ... considering where a lot of others are in that regard, I think I'm doing okay.
I'm still able to help others out
This leads me to the thought that started this meandering of my mind: Despite the rotten economy, despite feeling broke as a joke some days, despite not wanting to eat leftover meatloaf tonight and leftover chicken tomorrow night, I'm still able to use my un-brokeness to help other people out. And on days when I wish I had that extra cash in the account, I look through the profile of the little girl in Ecuador whom I support; I read the letters her dad sends; I read the letters from friends who are in ministry, who live solely on the support of others to remind me why I cut back where I do ... and why I'm happy (or should be happy) to do it.
Which leads me to this:
If you find that you, too, aren't that broke after all; that you're doing alright; that you're able to help someone out, I encourage you to make a New Year's resolution to do it. Give to Interfaith-Good Samaritan (here in Laramie), to the Salvation Army, to the Southern Baptist Kitchens. Sponsor a child. Give a goat to a family that needs it.
A goat! I can't imagine things being so tight that a goat would make all the difference in the world, but there are people in that type of situation. So if you can give a goat (or clothes or a cow or whatever), then do it. Make it your resolution to realize how nice and cushy you really do have it over here, with or without a bailout, with or without a new car, with or without a fancy dinner out every night or a trip to the movies every weekend.
You already know that I advocate World Vision, and that I advocate faith-based organizations similar to World Vision. You can find out how faithfully organizations are using their donated funds at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Web site and make your decision from there.
I was commending Andrea last night, over a fifth (maybe sixth) cookie and a cup of coffee, about how well-organized and highly involved our volunteer force is at the church and how well-organized the church is in general.
She laughed.
"You think so?" she asked, a little unsure.
"Andrea, for most churches, 'advanced planning' is maybe a week in advance. Mostly, they call each other up that morning and say 'hey! How 'bout we do this tonight or tomorrow night?' And then they do it. This? (I gestured around the house we were in, which was full to bursting with people who had just finished caroling and delivering cookies around town at the homes of people in the church who are ill) This wouldn't happen. This kind of planning just doesn't happen in most small churches in small towns like Laramie."
Andrea smiled.
"And we have a HUGE volunteer force!" I continued. "There are chances for anybody to be involved, on whatever scale they like. I can serve Jesus by serving coffee, and that makes me happy."
She beamed. Andrea's our volunteer coordinator. And then she told me that she thinks I'd be a good greeter, which made me laugh.
"I'd hide behind the bulletins ... 'don't look at me!'" I said, still laughing.
She laughed again, then told me I need to grow out of that.
She might be right.
In the meantime, I make some pretty good coffee.
