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).

Chimney Point

Over a decade ago, I got a call from a gentleman in Texas looking for 100 acres on Lake Hartwell.  I had been working as a REALTOR in the area for several years and was happy to assist.  That gentleman was Bill McKenzie, founder of Pine Cove Camps in Texas.  Many of his Texas campers came from the Atlanta area, and he wanted to establish a camp in the southeast.  I took him to the Cleveland Plantation property in Westminster that I was very familiar with, and that property worked for them.  Today, Pine Cove Camps is hosting Family Camps at the new and improved Chimney Point.  Family Camps are for parents that get jealous of all the fun their kids have going off to camp.   The whole family attends with joint activities and separate activities for adults and kids.  Take a look at what Chimney Point looks like today and praise God for the lives he is changing.

Max a million (145)

 

I was looking for some new books to read and began researching authors that I have read in the past.   I found Max Lucado's website.  Max is the pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and is known for his poetic storytelling.  His books have been purchased over 145 million times, and I have read several, but I had never listened to him speak until today.  Here is Max's telling of Jesus with his disciples calming the storm.  And if you don't have 12 minutes, Max also has a one minute daily devotional that I have just signed up for.  Prepare to be inspired.

Old Friend

I may have written about C.S. Lewis in the past, but it has been a while.  I would guess it has been over a decade since I last read one of his books.  We studied The Screwtape Letters in one of our church small groups.  My first introduction to him was around 1995 when I read Mere Christianity for the first time.  I fell in love with his ability to describe truth through allegory.  Mere Christianity originated as a series of radio shows for the masses, so his words are simple, but the way he assembles them is a work of art.  I have since read most of his major books, but somehow I have not yet read his most commercially successful series, The Chronicles of Narnia.  That series is appropriate for children, but the timeless message is for adults, too.  I am starting with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe today.  Let me know if you want to read along with me.

Boat Church

 

15 years ago our family had a great tradition of attending Boat Church at Lake Hartwell on Sunday mornings.  Boat Church is an informal meeting on Sunday mornings mostly for families that have full time churches in metro-Atlanta, but wanted to worship on Sunday's without driving back to town.  Someone would bring a guitar, and someone would prepare a short message for the group.  We were pretty consistent for about 5 years, but when grandkids started to appear, it became harder to orchestrate.   My good friend, Luke Crawford, recommended we have Boat Church this past Sunday at our dock, and we ended up with 36 in attendance.  People arrived by car, pontoon boat, ski boat, fishing boat and kayak.  Luke's dad, John, and his brother, Jon Jon, led music and another good friend, Stephen Byerly, brought the message.  It was so much fun seeing old friends, making new friends and worshiping together.  I am not in a position to commit to this for every Sunday, but I sure hope we are able to do it more.   "For where two or three are gathered in his name, there am I in the midst of them."  Matthew 18:20.