I have to do this, don't I?!
Yes, I do. Especially since I already have all the parts except the brake line, which I can get for about $2 from NAPA. If I can figure out a way to strap my 21 gallon air compressor to my back I am READY!
When we had DIRETV in AZ the TV came on to whatever channel we were watching when we shut it off. I understand any cable provider is keeping track of what I watch as I watch it, using the same connection that allows me to download data like a program schedule to upload my viewing details. What I find fascinating and slightly freaky is that DishTV, our provider here on Baker Rd. uses that information to predict what I want to watch at any given point during the day. I'm usually up between 3 and 4 a.m. but have determined not to turn on the TV until 5:00 when I check out the day's early news, usually on MSNBC. No matter what Pam was watching when she turned the TV off the night before, I get that channel when I turn it on in the morning. Except that after a few days of watching the French Open on the Tennis Channel a few weeks ago DishTV noted the change in my viewing habits and took me right to Channel 400, even for three days after that tourney had ended. Then it was back to #209. If I want political coverage during the day the TV will come on to one of the music channels we sometimes run in the background while we're working inside.
Push technology. Maybe it makes my life easier but I'm not a fan of the snooping behind it.
DishTV is the one I know about because they're so obvious. Add in Facebook, various internet ad services....
George Orwell would tell me that whatever private enterprise knows the govt. knows.
OK, now I'm officially freaked.
I'm currently going back and forth in the a.m. between the aforementioned MSNBC and NBCSN, their sports channel, so I can watch the Tour de France. As a cycling fan I'm well aware of that sport's drug related credibility problems, but that event is amazing. They race every day except two for almost three straight weeks, with each day's stage typically over 100 miles long, and much of it in the French alps.
I've done a few century rides and can tell you that spending 100 miles worth of riding on a bike is brutal. I can not imagine doing it every day for three weeks. And the peloton (the main riding group, minus any riders on a breakaway) did today's first 50 miles at over 30 mph! I have gone that fast going downhill with the wind at my back, and it's scary. These guys will fly down a very twisty mountain road at 50 mph.
Impressive.
I've said it before...the people are the best part. As I look back on 42 years of ministry, by a wide margin the richest blessing was the people, each individual with their own unique story I got to hear and sometimes be a part of.
This week, because of the sermon we got on Sunday, I've been thinking about JR and Emily. JR is in the Air Force and was stationed at nearby Luke AFB when we were in Phoenix. Because he's in the intelligence services he spent most of his time on assignment in the Middle East while our troops were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Emily and their daughter Eloise came to Pathway.
I don't remember the official diagnosis, but Eloise, who was about 4 when they started attending, was born with several severe problems, both physical and cognitive. She could not sit upright without support, could not speak, feed herself, crawl... Even as she grew physically, developmentally Eloise remained a few months old.
I won't try to explain how much Emily obviously loved Eloise. Her care for that little girl was impressive, especially because it required so much patience and perseverance. Like any child, even the very young, Eloise knew what she liked and didn't like, including foods, sitting positions, and toys.
I looked into the faces of our two sons who were, objectively, pretty cute little boys, with pride and hope for their future. Emily looked at Eloise and saw a misshaped face, crooked teeth, and atrophied limbs with at least as much love and devotion.
JR got transferred to JBLM just south of Seattle and that family of three moved north. I was sure sad to see them go, in large part because I benefited so much just watching Emily love and care for Eloise.
A couple of years after the move I got a call from Emily. Her dear little girl had developed a resperitory infection that required hospitalization and the doctors' best efforts weren't enough. Eloise had died. Would I consider coming up to do the funeral?
I was honored to do so. And spending time with JR and Emily over those three days, watching their very deep grief, remains one of the rich experiences of my time in ministry. I now have a bond with them that keeps us in contact (yay, Facebook!) even though they're now in Wash. D.C.
OK, back to the sermon. The (substitute) preacher spoke from James 1 about perseverance through trials in life. He did a fine job, especially given that preaching is not his profession and he's never had a single homiletics class. But as he talked about that dynamic I thought about his age (he's young) and how little he's probably seen of life. I suspect he's never met JR and Emily or their kind. Having been young myself, a long time ago, I remember preaching passages like that. Then I spent time with people like JR and Emily, or Danny & Candy Boss, or.... (their tribe is too large) and discovered how little I knew of perseverance in trials.
The people are the best part. And any contribution I made to their lives was more than repaid by what I learned from them.
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