Work Matters

 Most people work to earn a living.  We need income to provide basics like food, clothing and shelter and most of us that are reading this have discretionary income for products and services to make life "better".   Those things include recreation, entertainment and travel, among others.  I also believe we work to give back.  It starts with the Bible's instruction to give 10% of what we earn to support the local church, and Caroline and I have some other ministries that are important for us to support as well.  All that being said, work doesn't have to be all about income.   We might work at some things for no money, and that work could be the most important work we do.  Whether we are working for money or working for free, we can always choose to work in a way that is honoring to God.  When we do that, He is pleased.  Happy Labor Day.

Solid Game Plan

 

Most college football fans probably saw that David Pollack was released from his duties at ESPN's College Gameday show recently.  And there aren't many UGA fans that have forgotten Pollack's introduction to the college football universe when he made this interception in the endzone for a touchdown at the 2022 GA/SC game.  My roots run a little deeper with Pollack, as he was from Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County, where both of my kids attended.  I don't know him personally, but I love what I see and hear about him.  He is a man of faith and is not shy about sharing it with others.  I saw this podcast posted on social media about how he is dealing with the career change that he is currently in the midst of.  It's no surprise that he is taking his time and listening to what God has in store for him next.  Praise God for His leadership in Pollack's life.

Passion for Living

 

While I was growing up in Columbus, my dad met Frank Fuller at the Springer Theater.  Frank was an elementary school teacher by day, but loved being on stage in the evenings.  Frank was single and became a fast friend of the family joining us for dinner most nights for several years.  He was like an older brother to me and was singularly responsible for teaching me to play tennis.  Frank also loved volleyball and dancing.  So you can see that Frank led an active life, but what I remember most about him was his passion for living.  He always seemed to love whatever he was doing and whoever he was with.  We got to see Frank in May at my nephew's wedding.  I don't know Frank's exact age, but in his 70's, he not only made it to the dance floor at the reception, he owned the dance floor.  Frank passed away yesterday after suffering a sudden massive stroke.  This makes me really sad, but knowing that he lived every day to the fullest is an inspiration to me and everyone that knew him.

Comeback Kid

 

I just finished watching the Netflix limited series, Quarterbacks, last night.  The series follows three quarterbacks through their 2022 seasons with up close and personal footage of them on the football field and at home with their family and friends.  One of the featured quarterbacks was Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings.  Kirk had a great 13-4 season, but the highlight of the season was overcoming a 33 point deficit to defeat the Indianapolis Colts, earning bragging rights for the biggest comeback in NFL history.  Some of the sideline and locker room comments were pretty raw, and in typical Netflix fashion, there was no bleeping the f-bombs.  But you never heard Kirk drop one.  Instead, there was footage of him singing hymns and praying with his kids at bedtime.  It was so refreshing to see a high achieving celebrity unashamed of his faith.  I found this video with a little more of his story.  Praise God for Kirk and others like him who are helping to build God's kingdom here on earth.

AI Jesus

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be in the news almost every day.  Faster computing engines allow large volumes of data to be searched to find solutions to complex problems.  AI is used in medical treatments, to help solve crimes and 100's of other very positive situations.  AI is also being condemned for misuse including cheating on school assignments and scams involving computer generated false identities.  I just learned that Jesus has made his way into the AI world.  A computer generated Jesus answers random questions from users at this site.  I watched for a while this morning and saw Jesus respond to great questions from random viewers like, "Why did you die?" and "When are you coming back?" and also watched him respond to one bordering absurdity, "what do you think about when you are on the toilet?"  Surprisingly, AI Jesus responded with humor and thoughtfulness.  I'm not sure AI Jesus is something that I will use regularly, but I do love that there is a chance someone seeking to understand Him could find this and be encouraged to know and fall in love with RL Jesus (Real Life Jesus).