Another Couple of Hours and I Can Go Home!

Today has been a good day so far. I was up early, finished my reflection paper on Ephesians and its relationship to evangelism. Actually, I very much enjoyed writing that paper. Then I went to breakfast and finalized my presentation for Evangelism class this afternoon, and now I am sitting in class relaxing waiting for class to start. I used to be able to go back to my dorm room and take a short nap before afternoon classes, but they have rearranged the dorm rules and I have to be checked out before noon, so that means that I might have to take a nap in class:)

Now all I have to do is give my presentation and drive home, and the rest of the week looks pretty normal so far. Of course we all know that can change in a moment so I won’t be too surprised if the week suddenly becomes crazy.

Oh well, I guess I should get ready to pay attention here, or maybe I will close my eyes for a few minutes, I hope I don’t snore :)

Blessings

Do I Need To See A Doctor?

I think that I am beginning to come down with a serious health condition. My symptoms seem to be an overall lethargy about anything related to seminary, an inability to focus and concentrate on the papers that need to be written, and a total lack of desire to read anything that someone else tells me that I have to read. I went online and discovered that my symptoms were identical to a condition called senioritis. It seems that the only known treatment for this condition is to graduate as soon as practical, and I will tell you that May 23rd can not possibly come soon enough right now.

The best news is that I only have to make 7 more trips to Ohio. When I look at it that way, I might just make it yet:)

Blessings

A Clustering We Will Go….

One of the key programs that is being initiated with the merger of the North and South Indiana Conference is an opportunity for the churches to work together in Ministry Clusters. Last night we attended the meeting which was designed to begin this process. I have to admit that I was very proud of the turnout from Crothersville and Cana last night. Between the two churches, we had 8 people representing our congregations, I’m not sure that even the larger churches did better than that.

We had the opportunity to meet with Bishop Coyner and discuss what was expected of our congregations, and also to get an understanding of the vision that is being created for the new Indiana Conference. It was very much a party atmosphere, with each church bringing signs like a political convention. It was all very exciting.

Ultimately, Crothersville and Cana have agreed to work with 5 other churches right up and down the I-65 corridor and I think that we have a good blend of larger churches and smaller churches which should be beneficial to everyone.

On the personal side of last night, I couldn’t believe how many people came up to me to congratulate me on my acceptance by the Board of Ordained Ministry. I didn’t know that so many people were even aware of it. On the other hand, it was definitely a little intimidating as well as humbling to hear two different District Superintendents tell me that my name has come up in the Cabinet Meetings with the Bishop. (I wish I knew what they were talking about.) I’m glad that I gave up on the idea of having control over my life a long time ago. I think I will just sit back and see what God has planned for me.

Beware of the Ides of March...

For those of you who remember your Shakespeare, this was the warning given to Caesar by the soothsayer just before his unfortunate date with the Roman Senate. Unfortunately, for Caesar, he didn’t listen. The Ides of March would have been an excellent time for him to have gotten out of Rome and taken a Mediterranean Cruise, but instead I guess he figured that he should stay home and get some work done. (Big mistake)

As for me, I am following in Caesars footsteps and staying home trying to get some work done, although I am really thinking that a Mediterranean Cruise sounds like a lot more fun. I have to admit that I haven’t heard any specific warnings, but I still think that caution around this time of year might not be a bad idea, one can't be too prudent you know. I for one have no intention of walking into the Roman Senate anytime in the next couple of days, nor am I nearly as bold as Caesar to tempt fate by reminding the soothsayer that the Ides of March have come, to which the soothsayer replied, “Aye Caesar, but not gone.” (You think he would have taken the hint)

So, as I think about all the work that needs to be done over these next couple of days, I think that I will have to put some serious thought into the Mediterranean Cruise instead, and if not a cruise, then maybe a paddle in my kayak around Hardy Lake. Either way, the idea of work, just doesn’t sound like the way to go, it sure didn’t seem to work out for Caesar :)

Blessings

GO MEAT!

Today is an exciting day in the Higdon household, we are awaiting a new addition. No, not another Grandchild, and we certainly aren’t getting another dog. Sometime after 1:00 PM today the man from the used furniture store will be delivering a new freezer, well new to us:) This is actually a big day for us. We have been married for 28 years and this is our first freezer, well, not including the ones on top of the refrigerators. Come to think of it, I don’t think that my Mom and Dad ever had a freezer and I don’t think I ever remember seeing on at Karen’s parents house either.

I still have to laugh when I think of one of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes when the family freezer is not working well, and poor Gomer tries to fix it and almost gets asphyxiated. (I love Gomer) To this day when something needs to be repaired around our house and I say that I can fix it, Karen looks at me without a hesitation and says “Just call the man” which is what Andy tried to get Aunt Bea to do the entire episode, just call the repairman to come and fix it. Andy ultimately solved what was becoming a real problem, which included Aunt Bea being chased down the street by a pack of dogs, by simply replacing the freezer with a new one, which brings me to the reason that we are getting a freezer in the first place.

We are very blessed. Our church family at Cana UMC had a “real dilemma,” they had an “extra” side of beef that they just didn’t know what to do with, so they wondered if Karen and I could take it off their hands:) I have never been surrounded by such a group of kind and generous people in my life as I have been with the folks from Cana and Crothersville. Of course there is one catch, actually 2 catches. The first catch is that I have to be up and out by 7:00 Saturday morning to go help process the side of beef. This is actually one of the coolest operations I have ever seen, the family works like a well oiled machine processing a side of beef better than any meat packer could in just about an hour or so.

I have helped the family several times in the past, doing everything from running the meat grinder for hamburger, to scraping the fat off the meat. (They don’t trust me to use the saws or the sharp knives which is probably smart of them) The one thing that I did have to request was that I not have to help kill the cow, I’m afraid that if I had to look in those big brown eyes I might not be so excited about eating him, well, that might last about as long as it took for the smell of those 1 ½ inch T- bone steaks on the grill to start filling my nostrils:) (sorry to my vegetarian friends, but what can I say, I love meat) The only thing that I have done so far that has made me squeamish, to the point that I had to leave, was when they started running the livers through the meat grinder. I think that it must have been a combination of the sounds that the liver made, and what it looked like when it came out of the grinder that made me say, “Well, if you don’t need me anymore, I really need to get home and work on my sermon for tomorrow.”

The other catch was that we didn’t have room in our freezer for a side of beef, so after 1:00 this afternoon, that problem will be resolved, and by the time I get home tomorrow afternoon with the meat, the freezer will be all ready to put it in. For some reason this morning I feel like the guys in the Hillshire Farms Commercial: “GO MEAT” I can’t wait!

Blessings

Friends are Friends Forever

I had an excellent day yesterday. I had the opportunity to have lunch with my oldest friend. Well, let me rephrase that, he is actually only one year older than me, but we have been great friends since our first week in Chiropractic College together which would have been in 1979. Here we were, the two youngest people in our class of 130 people, I think that we just naturally migrated to each other.

I have always said that Rick single handedly got me through Chiropractic College. I still remember the countless hours of studying (some of it by the pool of his apartment complex) and the even more difficult task he had of listening to a friend who was often sad and homesick, living 981 miles from home. (The exact miles from my apartment in Marietta, Georgia to my home in Moline, Ill) It’s funny that after nearly 30 years, that number is still etched in my mind. Rick was always patient and understanding, and definitely the better student.

As we talked yesterday, it brought back a flood of memories such as when Karen and I had to flee from our apartment and move in with Rick for a couple of days because of a flea infestation. Or, the hours of waiting for the mailman to bring the results of our National Board exams. I still remember going to school that morning and listening to everyone as they shared whether or not they had passed all of the parts of the Board exam, and then rushing home to be sure to be there when the mailman arrived around 1:00PM. The time seemed to pass so slowly until I finally saw him coming down the street. He paused for a moment at my mail box and then continued on his way. I almost ripped the screen door off the hinges rushing outside to get that priceless envelope. I had been told by my classmates that if the envelope was thin then it was good news. If it was thick, then there would be additional information about retaking the exams.

I reached in the mailbox and pulled out…… the electric bill. Wait a minute, there must be a mistake, everyone else had gotten their results. I turned and chased after the mailman, who must have been momentarily concerned for his safety with this frantic young man running toward him and yelling. I asked him if he was sure that there wasn’t something else in his bag for me, which he diligently searched and said…. “Oh here is a letter for you, I’m sorry, I must have missed that one.” I grabbed the letter, without even remembering to say thank-you, went back to my apartment, sat down and slowly opened it, praying for the best, but fearing the worst. Thank-goodness I was put out of my misery quickly, the first word was congratulations, whoooo hoooo.

It’s funny how priceless those moments are in our lives. I am so grateful to Rick for everything that he did for me then, as well as for the closeness of our friendship over the past 30 years. I once heard a motivational speaker say that there are two things that will make the greatest difference between the person you are today and the person you will be 5 years from now. The first would be the books that you read and the second would be the people that you meet, and while I think that he makes a very good point, I beleive that I will add a third one to his list and that would be the friends that you continue to hold dear.

I pray that each of you take the time today to call an old friend and let them know how much you appreciate them. We simply can’t make it on this journey alone. Where would Frodo Baggins have been without Sam Wise Gamgee? (Lord of the Rings)

Blessings

Just Let It Go...

Learning to navigate all of the protocols of the Facebook phenomena can be rather challenging if not totally daunting. I mean, it’s easy to comment on something or to someone who is truly your friend, but what about someone that you really don’t know all that well? Once again, it is easy if you agree with them, everyone likes to hear a, “way to go” or “I like that,” but what do you say if something they have posted is fraught with inaccuracy, rude or just plain wrong? This becomes even more of a problem, when you know that you hold a significant minority opinion among your “friends.”

It never ceases to amaze me when people use words like inclusive and diversity as their mantra, but then post articles that ridicule groups of people or individuals who disagree with their world view. It amazes me when I watch and listen to people as they throw around the phrase,”this should be banned!” I really worry that my friends haven’t paid attention in their history classes. Perhaps they were spending too much time twittering and facebooking. (is that a word?) Because, if they did pay attention, they would have learned that the first steps to dehumanizing someone or a group is to marginalize them, make fun of them, start spreading information about them that isn’t accurate, blame them for what is wrong with society and once you have an audience, call for boycotts and bans against them. If these people did study history, they would recognize that this was the same behavior used by the Nazis’ to justify the murder of six million Jews. I have frequently thought of this quote by Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

In Germany they first came for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

So what do I do? Comment and know that I will be thrown under the bus? Perhaps ask a few thought provoking questions and hope that they can recognize their own hypocrisy? Or, just let it go? For now, I think I will put my head down, keep my mouth shut, and just graduate. Then maybe some of these problems will take care of themselves.

Blessings