Yesterday was one of those days where you wonder what is going on inside your head.
Here's want I mean. My little Ranger had the transmission rebuilt about 3 weeks ago, along with the cooling system and the timing chain. All was good for the three weeks then the "O/D OFF" signal kept coming on and the transmission would slam into each gear. Not what you really want in an old rebuilt truck. It got especially annoying while running to the store. So I decided to take the truck back in to the shop.
My bride is back in the groove at work, it was her first day, she didn't need me calling and trying to work this out. I'm a pretty resourceful guy, so what do I have at hand that I can use to get this truck to the shop and me home. Hiding in the garage is a bicycle that my bride had bought not long ago. So it seems to me that I could toss the bike in the back of the Ranger, take my Ranger to the shop, and cycle home. I see folks riding around all the time in our corner of the world. How hard could it be?
So I aired up the tires (by the way, how much psi is there in bicycle tires? Apparently 30lbs is too little) loaded the bike in the back of the truck and headed out. At the shop they were assured that it was a minor adjustment and wanted to know if I could leave the truck.
"No problem, I brought my bike and will just cycle home."
A look of amazement mixed with skepticism.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" I love surprising folks.
"Well, be careful there are some nutty drivers out there."
So I hopped on the bike only to have the pedals go spinning without providing any forward traction. Hmm. This is interesting, I'm going to have to learn this whole "gear" thing while heading down the road. When I was a kid the "gears" were simply a matter of how fast and hard you could pedal. I didn't have these problems with my old stingray with the banana seat. Steering and balance are no problem, but as I look at the front tire it looks really flat...I needed more than 30lbs pressure.
Here are some observations about riding a bike on the access road to a major freeway.
The sign on the back of gravel trucks is wrong. It says "Stay Back 200 feet. Not responsible for broken windshields." Okay, the truck is responsible for broken windshields, the gravel doesn't just jump from the side of the road on its own and crack the windshield. It falls off the truck and bounces about head-high to a bicyclist, or a windshield. The sign should read, "Stay back 200 feet. We will not take responsibility for broken windshields"
Second observation: there are a lot more hills between my house and the shop than I would have guessed. And apparently my house is a lot higher elevation than the shop. Who knew?
Thirdly, yesterday was the hottest day since summer of 2008. 107 degrees. I didn't decide until after lunch to go. So in my cargo shorts, tee-shirt, and golf hat I managed to get a pretty good work out in the 3.7 miles from the shop to my house. Legs were fine..air intake a problem.
Finally, cars and trucks are mentally set up to cut as close to a cyclist as they can get without actually scratching up their vehicle. I tried not to think how far into the pasture I would be boosted if those nuts blasting off the highway onto the access road had misjudged their distance from me. But they all blew on by and missed me by at 6 inches or so.
So the truck is being fine-tuned. I survived the cycling adventure. The temperature today is only supposed to be 99 or so.
Godspeed out there. Isn't it nice to know that 40 years have not diluted my ability to make the same decisions that came so easily to me as a teenager?
Don
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Wedding Day
This past Saturday I "officiated" a wedding here in Texas..outside. Okay, it was supposed to be at 10AM (which became 10:20AM) and was in the cool part of the day. The evening before we ran through the rehearsal and were assured that the big pecan tree would provide shade for one and all. I looked up at this old giant of a tree and felt somewhat assured that the ceremony would at least be tolerable.
The rehearsal was almost normal, but the bride's family are all actors and singers. Let me just say that they have both a different standard and a higher tolerance for the practicing of the event. We ran through it three times and were going for a fourth time with soundtrack, but the sound tech couldn't get everything working and the 100 degree heat was taking a toll. And the BBQ was getting cold.
Day of wedding, I'm there early in my long-sleeve shirt and tie. The mother of the bride is flying around trying to get things done, my sweet wife and our friends are trying to help, doing whatever needs to be done. The father of the bride is greeting guests, running around getting whatever needs to be done. As the officiant I am sitting stoked up on pain killers because of my back and patiently waiting for 10AM.
At 9:40 I take my place on the front row..and waited..and waited..and waited. Finally the groom takes his place at the front and we watch as the mothers of the bride and groom are seated. Then the groom and I take our places and realize only in that moment that the only sunlight getting through that big, old pecan tree is a shaft of light directly on the groom and I. As the attendants took their places, all were in the shade. The bride made her entrance took her place..in the shade. The temp had now soared well over 95 and the groom and I slowly cooked. In that 30 minute ceremony I paid for all the sins of igniting fire ants on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass as a kid. The sweat ran down out of my hair, past my glasses, onto the my notes. The groom was having the same problem. I thought about telling him if he can't stand the heat..etc. Seemed like the wrong time.
They were married in fine fashion. My bride and I accepted the invitation to spend the rest of the day in our friend's swimming pool. Had some great peasant pasta that evening and crashed as soon as we got home.
So why do we place such pressure on the event of a wedding? Every time I perform a ceremony there is a little trepidation. There is simply no way to tell the couple how hard/unexpected/fun/trying/fulfilling/frightening this entire marriage deal is. They wander into it thinking theirs will be the one that will fall into the health/wealth/goodtimes side only. It isn't until later that they usually get a lot of sickness/poor/hardtimes that test their core. Part of the ceremony speech was trying to convey that love will not save their marriage..commitment will be the only thing that will save them. Most folks don't agree with me, but I am telling you love comes and goes, is good and is absent. If you do not have the mindset that you will dig your heels in and fight, then you will not make the entire journey together. I am filled with trepidation because I feel a responsibility to them. I want them make it. I want them to have some sense of what it means to live faithfully with one other person for 10 years and 20 and 30 and 40, until only the inevitable end in death can pull your hands and hearts apart.
Will they make it? I don't know, it depends on how tough they are. I have put words in their ears, I hope those words sink down to their hearts.
Godspeed, if you have traveled this road for years with another, hug them, it is rare these days.
Don
The rehearsal was almost normal, but the bride's family are all actors and singers. Let me just say that they have both a different standard and a higher tolerance for the practicing of the event. We ran through it three times and were going for a fourth time with soundtrack, but the sound tech couldn't get everything working and the 100 degree heat was taking a toll. And the BBQ was getting cold.
Day of wedding, I'm there early in my long-sleeve shirt and tie. The mother of the bride is flying around trying to get things done, my sweet wife and our friends are trying to help, doing whatever needs to be done. The father of the bride is greeting guests, running around getting whatever needs to be done. As the officiant I am sitting stoked up on pain killers because of my back and patiently waiting for 10AM.
At 9:40 I take my place on the front row..and waited..and waited..and waited. Finally the groom takes his place at the front and we watch as the mothers of the bride and groom are seated. Then the groom and I take our places and realize only in that moment that the only sunlight getting through that big, old pecan tree is a shaft of light directly on the groom and I. As the attendants took their places, all were in the shade. The bride made her entrance took her place..in the shade. The temp had now soared well over 95 and the groom and I slowly cooked. In that 30 minute ceremony I paid for all the sins of igniting fire ants on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass as a kid. The sweat ran down out of my hair, past my glasses, onto the my notes. The groom was having the same problem. I thought about telling him if he can't stand the heat..etc. Seemed like the wrong time.
They were married in fine fashion. My bride and I accepted the invitation to spend the rest of the day in our friend's swimming pool. Had some great peasant pasta that evening and crashed as soon as we got home.
So why do we place such pressure on the event of a wedding? Every time I perform a ceremony there is a little trepidation. There is simply no way to tell the couple how hard/unexpected/fun/trying/fulfilling/frightening this entire marriage deal is. They wander into it thinking theirs will be the one that will fall into the health/wealth/goodtimes side only. It isn't until later that they usually get a lot of sickness/poor/hardtimes that test their core. Part of the ceremony speech was trying to convey that love will not save their marriage..commitment will be the only thing that will save them. Most folks don't agree with me, but I am telling you love comes and goes, is good and is absent. If you do not have the mindset that you will dig your heels in and fight, then you will not make the entire journey together. I am filled with trepidation because I feel a responsibility to them. I want them make it. I want them to have some sense of what it means to live faithfully with one other person for 10 years and 20 and 30 and 40, until only the inevitable end in death can pull your hands and hearts apart.
Will they make it? I don't know, it depends on how tough they are. I have put words in their ears, I hope those words sink down to their hearts.
Godspeed, if you have traveled this road for years with another, hug them, it is rare these days.
Don
Thursday, August 5, 2010
What's The Point
My daughter left a book at our house over the past few weeks and I have picking it up, reading a few chapters, putting it down, picking it up again. I'm almost through with the book now and she would like it back. She had asked if I had read and she seemed surprised when I said no. I will say that the book articulates in general what I feel about the religious world in America today.
There are a lot good points made in the book, but one quote in particular sums up what I think strikes at the problem:
Here is the quote,
" We must realize that slight tweaks, new music, creative lighting, wearing hula shirts, shorts, and flip-flops won't make doing church more attractive. Church must not be the goal of the gospel anymore. Church should not be the focus of our efforts or the banner we hold up to explain what we are about. Church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the way of Christ." The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.
Church as we know it is losing ground. And it is not just the young adults who are walking away. My bride and I meet contemporaries all the time who have decided to take a time out from activity of church. The senior middle-aged are not tired of church, we desire spiritual community more than ever before. I would guess my group is more involved in random bible studies, prayer groups, spiritual disciplines than almost anyone, but we are finding the outlets in non-traditional settings. Why?
Because the "organizational church" has squelched the "organic church" almost to extinction. Reflecting on the pain we and others have suffered over the past decade, it is always the organization that has inflicted the pain. The organization fires the ministers, revamps the programs, silences the dissenting voices, and looks to sustain itself at the expense of community members. The organization is a terrible monster to feed, but it has outgrown the intent of the faith community. As such, it is being rejected by young and not-so-young.
We are probably pretty good examples. We "attend" church regularly, but we garner our spiritual nourishment from a variety of places. We have lost the zeal to "do church" as we used to. Instead, we meet with our smaller group as often as we can. We share life with them, travel, heartache, kid concerns, job upheaval, struggles and joys. We watch around us for those who need help and manifest our ministry through random acts of kindness. We develop friends, then as we get to know them we all share with each other our spiritual journey, without condemnation, without religious superiority, without "church" We don't find ourselves asking for prayers from the organized church, we feel they are no closer to God than we are. We do find ourselves being ministered to by the those who care for us and vice versa. Spiritual walk for us is more around us, than trying to bring people to a certain place or understanding. It is more next door, than next Sunday.
I suspect this attitude is driving the church leaders nuts. It can't be helped. What should really worry them is the defection of the Boomer crowd, not the "roaring Twenties" This deceleration is going to be faster than they suspect. I feel sorry for the organizations that hold big mortgages, the money isn't going to be there. God rewards ministry, not mortgages.
Anyway, Godspeed out there. If you want a warm and open spiritual conversation, help with a problem, or a prayer, you are welcome, we have no intent to take away your history or your money.
Don
There are a lot good points made in the book, but one quote in particular sums up what I think strikes at the problem:
Here is the quote,
" We must realize that slight tweaks, new music, creative lighting, wearing hula shirts, shorts, and flip-flops won't make doing church more attractive. Church must not be the goal of the gospel anymore. Church should not be the focus of our efforts or the banner we hold up to explain what we are about. Church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the way of Christ." The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.
Church as we know it is losing ground. And it is not just the young adults who are walking away. My bride and I meet contemporaries all the time who have decided to take a time out from activity of church. The senior middle-aged are not tired of church, we desire spiritual community more than ever before. I would guess my group is more involved in random bible studies, prayer groups, spiritual disciplines than almost anyone, but we are finding the outlets in non-traditional settings. Why?
Because the "organizational church" has squelched the "organic church" almost to extinction. Reflecting on the pain we and others have suffered over the past decade, it is always the organization that has inflicted the pain. The organization fires the ministers, revamps the programs, silences the dissenting voices, and looks to sustain itself at the expense of community members. The organization is a terrible monster to feed, but it has outgrown the intent of the faith community. As such, it is being rejected by young and not-so-young.
We are probably pretty good examples. We "attend" church regularly, but we garner our spiritual nourishment from a variety of places. We have lost the zeal to "do church" as we used to. Instead, we meet with our smaller group as often as we can. We share life with them, travel, heartache, kid concerns, job upheaval, struggles and joys. We watch around us for those who need help and manifest our ministry through random acts of kindness. We develop friends, then as we get to know them we all share with each other our spiritual journey, without condemnation, without religious superiority, without "church" We don't find ourselves asking for prayers from the organized church, we feel they are no closer to God than we are. We do find ourselves being ministered to by the those who care for us and vice versa. Spiritual walk for us is more around us, than trying to bring people to a certain place or understanding. It is more next door, than next Sunday.
I suspect this attitude is driving the church leaders nuts. It can't be helped. What should really worry them is the defection of the Boomer crowd, not the "roaring Twenties" This deceleration is going to be faster than they suspect. I feel sorry for the organizations that hold big mortgages, the money isn't going to be there. God rewards ministry, not mortgages.
Anyway, Godspeed out there. If you want a warm and open spiritual conversation, help with a problem, or a prayer, you are welcome, we have no intent to take away your history or your money.
Don
Monday, August 2, 2010
A Better Me
Just a few days ago I was reading an article and the author was reminiscing about her life and at the ripe old age of 39 she decided that she really liked her life. For a moment I stopped and reread the sentence, folded the article shut and leaned back and took inventory. Do I like my life?
First I ran through all the blessings that I thoroughly enjoy, my bride, my kids, my kids-in-laws, my grandkids. I like what I do for a living (although I would like to get back at it) I am settled spiritually, I am at peace with my world.
Secondly, I wondered if this were true of most folks? Does everyone hit this stage in life and find that, by and large, it has turned out better than we had dreamed of in our early days? I don't know. I find people who hit my age and are bitter and angry, stressed and spiteful. It seems that they can't seem to find a moment of quiet likability in their lives. So I wondered what everyone on the plane with me would say..
It occurred to me as well that we only get a chance to live our lives, not someone else's. We have a dear friend that I joke with and tell her it must be an adventure living inside her head. She comes up with the funniest stuff, and I cannot for life of me figure out how she got there. Of course they all give me a hard time about all the voices in my head, but by and large all the voices in my head all agree, or at least get along.
I think, though, there is part of us that will not let us settle. I don't know if it is the pounding we have taken over the years in church about what worthless sinners we are, or if it is a need to constantly look ahead. There was a guy that was raised in West Texas who said all he remembered from church growing up was, "Jesus loves you and you are going to hell." This tends to make us a little gun shy about feeling good about who we are. There is also the issue of always trying to peek over the next hill. I know that I have spent a great deal of my time living for the next stage and not really being "present" in this one. Finally at my age, I can stop and talk to my 7-year-old grandson and not be antsy that the adults are up to something significant. It is easy to waste time with that boy and feel that it was absolutely the best way to expend that portion of my life quotient.
Do I like my life? Yes, a quiet yes. It is better than I imagined it would be. The coming years are only bonus for what I have already received.
Godspeed out there, take a moment, enjoy the only life you were given.
Don
First I ran through all the blessings that I thoroughly enjoy, my bride, my kids, my kids-in-laws, my grandkids. I like what I do for a living (although I would like to get back at it) I am settled spiritually, I am at peace with my world.
Secondly, I wondered if this were true of most folks? Does everyone hit this stage in life and find that, by and large, it has turned out better than we had dreamed of in our early days? I don't know. I find people who hit my age and are bitter and angry, stressed and spiteful. It seems that they can't seem to find a moment of quiet likability in their lives. So I wondered what everyone on the plane with me would say..
It occurred to me as well that we only get a chance to live our lives, not someone else's. We have a dear friend that I joke with and tell her it must be an adventure living inside her head. She comes up with the funniest stuff, and I cannot for life of me figure out how she got there. Of course they all give me a hard time about all the voices in my head, but by and large all the voices in my head all agree, or at least get along.
I think, though, there is part of us that will not let us settle. I don't know if it is the pounding we have taken over the years in church about what worthless sinners we are, or if it is a need to constantly look ahead. There was a guy that was raised in West Texas who said all he remembered from church growing up was, "Jesus loves you and you are going to hell." This tends to make us a little gun shy about feeling good about who we are. There is also the issue of always trying to peek over the next hill. I know that I have spent a great deal of my time living for the next stage and not really being "present" in this one. Finally at my age, I can stop and talk to my 7-year-old grandson and not be antsy that the adults are up to something significant. It is easy to waste time with that boy and feel that it was absolutely the best way to expend that portion of my life quotient.
Do I like my life? Yes, a quiet yes. It is better than I imagined it would be. The coming years are only bonus for what I have already received.
Godspeed out there, take a moment, enjoy the only life you were given.
Don
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