Minister's Study

As of this post, I'm moving all of my blogging activity to another location, also called Minister's Study.

 

All of the relevant posts from this blog have now been transferred over there.  It doesn't have all the features that this space does -- but the features that it has seem to work (unlike, say, the upload photos option here).  I understand that there are ways to add loads of features to it as I learn how.  I'm going to leave this space with its content at least for the time being (I haven't finished setting up my links and whatnot there yet), but I'll only be updating on the new one.

 

One of the nice things about the new location is that anyone can comment on posts; you don't have to have a hotmail account or anything.  So I hope to see all of you over there.  Drop on by and leave me a comment!

 

 

My delightful wife sent me out on a couple of errands the other day.  Really, they were both just drop-offs.  Not pick-ups.  But, see, one of those drop-offs was for the library books.  Now, I don't know about the rest of you out there, but it is really, really hard for me to walk out of a building full of books empty handed.  I really just can't help myself.  So I walked into the library with those three children's books to return and heard the siren call of the books for sale.

 

I just kind of drifted over to the shelves of used books for sale, figuring, "Hey, it's just a quick look.  And hey, if I happen to bring back just one or two books, it's no big deal."  And then I saw it.  Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in three volumes.  For $10.  Hey, you couldn't help grabbing them, either, could you?  So don't go getting all judgmental on me!  And then, how could I turn down The Oxford History of the Classical World?  You couldn't either, could you?  Okay, maybe most of you could have managed to do without that one.  In that case, we'll just skip over the two Patrick O'Brrian novels, the book by Nancy Farmer, and the couple of kids' books.  No wait, we will mention the kids' books!  Those two weren't really for me at all!  Complete act of selflessness, me buying those books.

 

Yeah.  My wife wasn't really buying that either.  But at least she's just reached the eye-rolling stage when I stagger in beneath another load of books for which we must find shelf space or box space.  I'm just afraid that one of these days she'll just make all the library runs herself.  And then where will I get more books?

Tuesday night we went back to the Goodwill rescue mission in Newark, NJ.  The gentleman who usually preaches was not there, so Dr. Stagno got to preach.  We took a good group, including a couple of ordinary church members who went for the first time, my wife, and daughter.  It was cold here Tuesday night (okay, frigid is probaby a better word), and that meant a good crowd at the mission.  Nobody wants to be on the streets when it's that cold.

 

I played the piano, except for one song for which they brought in their in-house guy -- he doesn't read music well enough to play any variety, but he sure tore the keyboard up on that one.  Dr. Stagno preached, and this is a format in which he excells.  He preached with real power, and you could sense the working of the spirit.  A number of people came forward on the invitation, and Paul Funchess got to lead one to the Lord.  Terrific evening.

...really hurt.

 

Over Christmas, I caught myself needing to take out an extra notch in my belt.  Not good.  A couple of months off from wrestling and running was taking its toll.  Then I went back to wrestling practice a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't last more than a full-length match against a high school kid (tough kid, but still!)

 

So I've gotten serious about getting back in shape.  My part-time job at the bookstore is back to being actually part-time (as opposed to Christmas time, which means "all the time you possibly have, plus another two hours.")  A gentleman in the church with a couple of teen sons is also taking some time off of work, so he and I have started running together (occassionally with one or more of his sons).  Those first couple of runs, rather like that those first couple of wrestling practices, were pretty painful.  The good news is that you always get it back faster and easier than you gained it in the first place.  I'm already starting to feel pretty good on the runs, and wrestling shape can't be too far off either.  The offseason program starts back up this week, with freestyle on Tuesdays and Greco-Roman on Thursdays.  I plan to try to make both as often as I can, which, coupled with the running, should put me back in shape in just a few weeks.  I still don't know about trying to go to the Empire State Games again this year, but if I do, I've got to get in shape.  And even if I don't, it's a lot more fun being in shape than not.

 

Another great benefit of this new running program with the man in the church is that I've been able to build something of a connection with him.  We talk while we run (okay, for the first mile or so, until we're gasping for breath too hard to communicate).  He's become much more consistent in attending church, and he's even planning to come with us to the rescue mission in Newark tonight.  I'd love it if we can really get him involved in the church and draw his kids in as well.

It's been far too long since I've updated this, as I've been searching for a new blogging home.  But since I haven't finished setting up my new one, I'll post here, and then transfer it all over there when I'm done.

 

Sunday afternoon, we had our Bigger and Better youth activity for the church.  Coming into it, I was afraid we weren't going to have any kids, maybe four or so tops.  Kind  of discouraging.  But when the time came to start the event, there were ten kids there!  They included at least one first-time visitor.  Just a hair on the low side of average for our youth activities, but still very pleasing.  We actually had to scramble to get a third vehicle so that we had enough cars for the kids.

 

The idea of the activity is that the kids are split up into teams, and placed into a car with an adult driver (a very responsible, mature adult driver!)  Each team is given a toothpick.  They then take the toothpick and trade it for something bigger and better.  Then repeat with that item.  The team to return before the deadline with the biggest and best item wins.  They can trade with anyone they like, family, friend, stranger, business, whatever.

 

I should have known better than to let one team go out with a pickup truck while the others just had a car and a minivan.  Paul Funchess' team returned with a working washing machine.  Another team had been offered a working dryer, but couldn't fit it into their vehicle.  I guess it's no surprise that the washing machine won.  If we go by and pick up that dryer, the church will then own a complete set for the parsonage, in case we take ours with us when we leave.

 

 

Well, I'm pretty fed up with the problems with the msn spaces.  Obviously my space looks a little odd -- msn made some changes.  But more annoyingly, I can't seem to post pictures in any kind of way.  My wife is having the same problem.  I suspect I'm going to have to try to find a new place to blog.  It's a pity, after putting in the time to figure out so much of how they do things here.  I may post here until I figure something else out, though, so we'll see what happens.

Edna Pearson's funeral was held yesterday morning.  I ended up leading the singing (we sang some of her favorite songs).  Not the easiest song-leading I've ever done, trying to lead a group of people, half of whom can hardly keep from crying, half of whom don't know the song at all, and all without a piano or anything to keep us on pitch.  Notwithstanding all that, the service went well.  Edna's great-grandaughters sang a duet, and one played the flute (Edna really loved music -- shucks, I shouldn't put that in the past tense -- I'm positive she still does.)  Our deacon, Ron Biller, did a superb job of eulogizing, including a poem that he'd written himself the night before.  Dr. Stagno always seems to have the right words for any occasion, and he did again.  Those who did not know the gospel heard it clearly and gently.  I suspect Edna was pleased by the service.

 

Anna was present both for the viewing Monday and the funeral Tuesday, but didn't really grasp what was going on.  The body in the open casket rather confused her, so we tried to keep her away from it and keep to a minimum the loud and inappropriate remarks that toddlers are so good at providing.  It was hard on both my wife and Anna, since both of them were close to the whole family.

 

Yesterday afternoon I went to wrestling practice for the first time in at least a couple of months.  All I've really got to say is, "Ouch."  I'm getting older, and those kids are getting tougher.  Two or three months off was plenty for me to lose my conditioning almost completely; a few little running excursions just don't keep you in shape like steady wrestling will.  I wound up paired up with an up-and-coming kid who won his weight at the event Sunday.  We wrestled pretty much two entire college-length matches.  I was rusty but okay for the first half or so of the first match.  After that, it was just my experience trying to stave off his energetic abuse.  Like I said, "Ouch."  I've got to get back out there regularly and get back in shape.