I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.

Michelangelo's statue "David" has been on loan to various U.S. museums and was just returned to its home in Florence, Italy. But the Italian authorities are angry, claiming that while in this country the statue was allowed out of the museums and taken on field trips to McDonalds and Burger King.
Why would they think that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|


I think we had a good morning at Pathway, but I'm not the Decider on that one.
I counted as the kids were dismissed for Children's Church. Seventeen little bodies left the room. And that doesn't include those in the nursery. How great is that?!

We still have a Monday night game to include in the scoring, but already my fantasy team is living down to the levels of previous years. Gonna be a long season.

Pam went to a baby shower for one of the gals at church this afternoon so I went out with another woman. I hadn't taken her out for close to two months so she took some convincing.

OK, the potential for totally inappropriate double entendres is too long and too dangerous, so I'm going to stop here before we're both sorry.

I drove Gerta to the driving range. It took awhile to get her started because all the gas had drained from the carb and the lines, but once I got her going...
No, wait. I said I wasn't going there.

A common theme in traditional Black gospel music is crossing the river, an analogy that sees Israel's crossing of the Jordan River as symbolic of the believer's death. In each case God's people go to the Promised Land, but in Black gospel music (and Black preaching) our "other side" is glory.

One of my favorites is "Cross that River" by the L.A. Mass Choir. The chorus:
One of these days gonna cross that river,
Sit down by the Master's side.
Forget all of my heartaches and troubles.
I'll be satisfied.

That analogy - crossing the Jordan as a symbol for the believer's death - isn't drawn anywhere in the Bible, but I don't think there's any problem with it, either. It's not unbiblical, IMHO.

I got to thinking about that song and the analogy behind it as I drove into church this morning. Specifically, I was thinking about my folks. Like Israel when the Book of Joshua opens, they're camped just this side of the river. They can all but see the Promised Land. Given their age they understand their crossing is imminent; they only await his call to come on over.

Our assumption too often is that we only arrive at the river's bank after seven or eight decades of living. But we're wanderers, never knowing exactly where we are. Life has no trail markers. Many younger believers have been walking merrily along only to suddenly find Jordan's eastern side right there in front of them and the Lord's call, "It's time to cross."

But perhaps the bigger problem is that we get to enjoy wandering in this wilderness. We begin to see it as a perfectly pleasant place to live and set down roots. Instead of focusing our attention and hopes on the Promised Land we invest ourselves in life on this side. Then, if we find ourselves on Jordan's banks we fight the call, we resist leaving the wilderness to enter the land of milk and honey.

I certainly believe we are each stewards of every day God has given us, and the urge to live as many of those days as possible is both natural and proper. But when the river is clearly before me I'll be more than ready to cross over. I'm eager to see that Promised Land!

Sorry. It's just that all that ran through my head on Dysart between Bell and Northern and begged to be let out.
I'll climb back in my box now.