Our plans are fluid closing out this week. We've changed plans, made better plans and discussed several pending decisions. Nothing big but just those day to day, month to month and year to year decisions. Just life in general.
About a month ago I read an essay by V Raymond Edman. Well, I read several of his essays on life, the encounters that come upon us and knowing when to let go of certain things. But, I will get to him in a little bit. I've been watching the news out of Houston concerning Second Baptist Church. We were members there when H Edwin came in 1978 because our apartment was nearby. We were probably the only members that left after a few months, because we bought a townhouse across town. Even if we hadn't bought a home we probably would have left anyway. H Edwin was a tough cookie and he laid down the law of how the church would be run as well as his personal idiosyncrasies that came with his pastoring. He brought nine staff members with him from his former church, leaving his former church in the midst of a building campaign. Through the years news of the church would pop up in our lives from friends who attended. Once they tried to change the name of the church, forerunner and ahead of the times, to The Fellowship of Excitement. Several marketing memories but only will mention the tag line, "you'll just feel good inside." While First Baptist was looking for a pastor, taking about five years to do, heard through the grapevine that Second had made the offer to First of becoming a satellite campus of their church. I will say that we appreciated Second during the year or so that Roy was on a project that required Sunday work hours, so we went to Saturday night church at Second. Again, a forerunner of the times. We were thankful for the opportunity for Roy to be in church and we usually met friends at Escalante's for dinner after church. Sometimes we joked that Saturday night church kind of felt like a circus. The baptisms were done during the choir special in a streamlined production. Last year H Edwin retired, right from the pulpit and read a letter announcing such and putting his son Ben as the pastor. I've read that the next morning when H Edwin came to the church his son told him to vacate his office and he was he was not to have anything to do with the church. There has to be some kind of story there. H Edwin was 87 years old and even though he seemed to be doing an okay job, you just begin to lose thoughts and points and what in the Sam Hill did I just say. Not comparing myself to the esteemed pastor but just teaching Sunday School this past year I see myself struggling to remember and make the point. When I was younger I used about three words then an arrow to the next point. Didn't use detailed notes. So our sister church and some members have filed a lawsuit over all the goings on, business meetings poorly promoted and the like. I hear that several have come over to the FBC side of things... It is a good study of human nature.
I mentioned the book I had been using for some of the study of Exodus but I found the essays and devotions relevant to this present time. This book was published in 1948 and Ray Edman was the President of Wheaton College. He was concerned for those studying and the lack of purpose or plan in their lives. Ray just might be a little upset if he could see today. His advice of declining days is spot on. After vibrant young ages once the 60's and 70's hit age wise, he saw too many hang on for dear life not ever wanting to give up a position or an honor or prestige. "To grow old gracefully and graciously is a triumph; not to do so is a tragedy. There are those who will never admit to themselves or to others that they have passed the period of their effectiveness and service; and with hard hand and harsh voice they insist on their place and position." He uses Samuel in the Bible as an example mentioning that Samuel had difficulty and adaption to demands of a new day. He includes a story about a professor at a seminary who realized he could better serve the Lord and students if he retired and that his concentration and wisdom could be used in an unofficial basis. Samuel opened a school of the prophets and he was able to train the young men no longer bothered by the problems of the present. He could pray for the future. "When days of active service are done; when prominence becomes obscurity; favor, forgetfulness, solitude, service, silence, ...it is comforting to know and challenging to experience newer kinds of service." One thing I told Roy is, I enjoy teaching, love the research, love the Word and love to have laughter in our classroom but for sure when the time comes, I will graciously step aside.
Ruth Buzzi died today and her passing will leave a little less laughter on the former Twitter now named X. Sadly, many times her humor was so dated or there were times she took a recent joke and made it hers thus receiving rude comments from younger readers that she stole the joke. Others would say, she's old, let her have this little bit of fun. It seemed that she truly wanted to make others laugh. Others that come to mind who should have stepped back gracefully is Bob Hope, Milton Bearle and Lucille Ball. Ruth Buzzi was hilarious on Laugh In and her other endeavors through the years.
We left early this morning for Troyer's in Limestone to pick up the antibiotic free organically raised chicken breasts. We love the ground beef, pork chops and steaks we've ordered from there. Roy got some Amish beef baloney for sandwiches. It is really good. Because we had seen the back up of traffic on the other side of 26, we took the back way over to Erwin. The way we know has a couple of bridges out so we meandered and wandered while taking in some of the most beautiful and scenic farmland. The barns along that route are picture worthy, although we didn't stop to take any pics. Think we will make that drive in the fall and Roy will use his camera and not our phones. Along with the beauty is still the ongoing cleanup from the Nolichucky river banks. One church we saw completely flooded and they are building a new church a little down the road. The new roadwork and replacement is a nice drive on 81. The river is certainly wider and there were many homes for sale. The resilience both in east TN and here in the WNC mountains is remarkable. Lunch from Pals, a quick trip into Food City, then back to the great state of NC and a stop at TJ's for strawberries and tomato plants.
Our neighbors gifted us with two big bulldozer buckets full of compost. Until we both over did and it got hot, we were spreading that stuff from tomato beds, to blackberry bushes and to flowerbeds that are just waiting for some plants and some seeds. We need to get our bean trellis together and get those seeds in the ground.
Well, I should quit writing and get to work on the lesson for Sunday. Preliminary notes taken now to put it all in teaching form. Oh, our class has a new slogan...Sunday morning we were talking to one of the guys who stopped by to say hi and ask if we were behaving. When we feigned innocence one of our class remembers responded to him, We're The Joy Class! We're full of it. Haha! Of course we're full of joy...no, really we are.
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