Keep on Truckin'

  

I don't really know from trucks.  Aside from financing some old beaters back in the day for some good ol' boys to haul hay down from Nebraska & South Dakota, I don't even know anything about prices and values.  Heck, I just learned a couple of weeks ago what a 'glider' is.

But, if I had a ton of excess money, I'd probably buy one of these. If a big rig can be called 'sexy', this one is:

Apparently Volkswagen agrees with me, as they're trying to buy the U.S. truckmaker.

Not so sexy?  My Dad's 1966 Scout 800 that he had when I was a kid.  But I learned to drive a stick shift at the deer lease in it, and we pulled FJ-40s out of the Trinity River bottoms over by Telephone Pole Hill back in the day.

(Representative pic - not Dad's actual Scout)

Stayin' Alive

A tribute to Robin Gibb, who isn't, that was sent to me:




h/t: Cathy

The Next Generation

Part of the Summer Series, in which Pastor Brandon proves he is not cool, dogging on his father-in-law's appreciation of The Beach Boys, and admitting he listens to...Bieber.  Bieber!  That just ain't right.  And he derides those who think quality music ended with the '60s.  It didn't, of course - it ended with the '70s.

The message that Brandon was trying to get across was about our responsibility to pass the faith from generation to generation.  Of course, not being cool, he totally missed that this was exactly what Messrs. Buckingham, Fleetwood, and McVie (with the missus), and Ms. Nicks had chronicled regarding the chosen people's recognition, after crossing the Jordan River, God's promise of faithfulness the next generation, namely: "I can still hear you saying you would never break the Chain."

Well, I suppose Fleetwood Mac in the late '70s got its inspiration more from a mountain of white powder than from the Mount of Olives, so the above paragraph may [duh!] be largely fanciful.  Nonetheless, the point is valid that in accepting God's gift, we are obliged to teach and share it with the next generation.


Summer Series - Next Generation from Keystone Church on Vimeo.

Back to seriousness.  In the dialogue between Brandon and youth pastor Rob Patterson (begins @ 30:00), Rob shares the heartbreak of an 8th grade girl whose mother drops her off at the mall, saying "Get out of the car, whore!" (33:00), as well as the hope that that girl will hear an entirely different message, surrounded by Christ's love, at Keystone.

Let us be the salt and light to the broken world.

Fellowship & testimony

This weekend, a good friend had a get together for some friends who are moving out of state, to one of those places that has snow from November to March, being near a Great Lake.  Yuck!

Luckily, they are originally from that area, so it won't be a total culture shock.  One of their sons, who lives there, is a single father of two, and their being nearby will be an immense blessing to him and his daughters.  But, they will be missed by the friends they made in Texas.

Although most of us didn't need an excuse to eat Mexican food - the spiritual nourishment of the fellowship we shared was much more important.  Dew, with his lovely wife, and good looking kids (they get it from his wife) was there, as was Todd the Pastor Blogger (but Dew gave the blessing).

Todd gave testimony about his recent mission trip to Nicaragua, during which he - I am not making this up - taught them to speak English.  He wasn't sure how much of our language they really learned, but I can tell you that he is the consummate storyteller, and no matter what language he spoke, he had their complete attention.  Of course, the main message was that of God's love - which is not dependent on any particular idiom.

He also reported that his experience gave him new appreciation of the infinite character of God, and of his own minute-ness.  While I understand the awe and wonder of our Heavenly Father, I think Todd's selling himself a bit short (no pun intended, at this time).  Sure, compared to God's majesty, we are but specks - but we are important to the One who created us, as the Bible teaches that not a sparrow falls from the tree without God's knowledge, and that He knows the number of hairs on our heads (this last may not be the best analogy in the instant case).

Dew also gave testimony about his week serving at a church camp in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) - detailing utter exhaustion from the frenetic pace of activities, paired with the adrenaline rush and spiritual high from seeing God's work in the lives of the youth.  Clearly, he'd been deeply moved by the experience.  I tried, with my best interrogative skills, to get him to confess that the exhaustion had been the result of post-curfew beer-and-poker parties, but he was resolute.

Toni, our evening's coordinator (she has an app for that - she has an app for everything!) did a great job arranging the time and place, and had her hands full with her 9-month old grandson - Thanks, Toni!

Marilyn & Art, wishing you the best on your move, and blessings always - you will be missed!

Re-mount

As noted in Friday's post, I've recovered sufficiently to attempt mowing.  So Saturday I mowed my yard, as well as most of a relative's yard (about three times the size of mine).  With a 22" push mower.

• I found that the best methodology for starting the machines was to hold the pull rope with my [mending side] hand, and push the mower away with my left.  My mower (Honda-powered), and the other Briggs-engined, both started on the first pull, for which I was most grateful.
• This morning after church, I returned to finish another 50'x60' area, plus a bit of bar ditch.
• This evening, informed by RPM's cautionary tale comment, inspired by every 'get back on the horse and ride' motivational speech, and unfettered by common sense, I dusted off and mounted (don't get your pulse racing, Dew) the two-wheeled machine of death.
• My goal today was to condition myself to favor the rear brake and build that into 'muscle memory'.
• Having already pre-programmed 9-1-1, Lucas Funeral Home/Laidlaw Waste Services into my cellphone, I cautiously started my ride.  About a block from the house, the loop of my right shoelace meshed between the chain and drive sprocket - but with the cool and calm of Charles Bronson, I back-pedaled, coasted to the curb, and double knotted the laces to keep them  out of the way.
• I rode within a quarter-mile of the creekbed where I'd wiped out last weekend, but on account of the two still functioning brain cells, opted to keep [mostly] on pavement today.  During the ride, I passed through about 3 ginormous 'clouds' of gnats - yielding me as much protein as a Whataburger Double-Double, but without lettuce and tomato.
• Keeping in mind how much I could safely carry on the handlebars, I stopped by the grocery store for some odds and ends on the return trip.  While I was there, I went to the restroom - wiping off about three dozen gnats that I hadn't ingested from my face and neck.
• About a block from the house, I realized that out of the 15, 18 or 21 gears, I'd used exactly one for the approximately 5 mile ride.
• Give me the yellow jersey!
• Or Sheryl Crow...

Snoop Dog in da house of God?

Well, that ought to get the Heavenly host of angels talking.

But it's not exactly like that.  This is actually from last week's sermon, on Father's Day.  Some technical gremlins on the Vimeo server kept it from being available earlier in the week.

'Uncle' Brandon reminds us that God has done all the work, through the life, death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ, to redeem us despite our brokenness, and create a living relationship with our heavenly Father.  Baptism is the outward manifestestation of our acceptance of God's gift.



Summer Series - Baptism from Keystone Church on Vimeo.

He even surmises that if Snoop Dog came to Keystone Church, he would get saved.

Retractions, errors, omissions, corrections and updates

Or, just general miscellanea.

• East of Jackistan¹, between Wizard Wells and RAB, there are a couple of lovely ponderosas - one on the south side of 114/380 (closer to Vineyard), and the other on the north, nearer RAB.  Both appear to have clear, spring fed tanks.

• Now that the Shiner dad who dispatched his daughter's rapist has been no-billed, and the Penn State assistant coach has been convicted, maybe child molesters will get the message that that kind of stuff isn't well regarded by decent folks.
• The Startlegram reports that a well connected woman helped someone dispose of a body.
• Well, duh!  Everyone knows the old axiom: "Friends help you move - Good friends help you move bodies."
• Supply your own caption:

• I don't think "Transition" refers to the photochromic lenses.
• Update: Regarding the hawt [married] blonde who emailed me awhile back about being inattentive for not noticing her in her black Corvette convertible - Daughter and I saw her [and her husband] at the home center last weekend (she came over and gave me a hug) - and finally, I saw her a couple of times in the Corvette on the way home this week, and waved.
• Ya suppose Bo, Sara, and Dori Belle are enrolled here?:

• Neither is Sienna.
• Correction: I recently wrote that I thought Grant Stinchfield may have attended my high school.  I meant Brendan Higgins.  And I still don't know for sure - I didn't attend reunion weekend earlier this month, so didn't get to ask anyone.
• I sort of think I understand internet cookies and the notion that the interwebs track interests in order to push advertising they think will interest you.  What doesn't make sense is that my IQ-challenged phone sends me crawlers about helping Barack Obama get re-elected or downloading the latest Nicki Minaj track.  Hop-Sing, Sam-Sung, or whoever built my phone - are you really paying attention?
• When I first saw this, I thought maybe it was one of those laundry places that attracts customers by serving beer, as in 'Laumdronat' could be the slurred pronunciation of Laundromat.  But it doesn't say anything about beer.

WWDHS - "Give Us Dirty Laumdry"?

• Not sure the [Free Admission] Washing Machine Museum's gonna make my bucket list.
• (At the MW Vietnam Veterans Memorial) This is the hugest walking stick insect I've ever seen.  Daughter, who is never afraid of anything, was reluctant to pick it up:

Stick, you're in the Army now.  Try to blend in...

• From about three weeks ago - One of the first graduates from BNHS:

Congratulations!

•  Out near PK, we saw some deer wandering through an RV park.  Though I missed the exact moment, this one came up and licked Daughter's hand:

The deer whisperer

¹ h/t RPM