Authentic Voice

Yesterday, sitting at B&B’s, a friend and I ate bagels and talked. We spoke of a lot of things, including writing. My friend is a writer of both prose and poetry as well as a painter. It was a pleasant time for me. As I was dropping him off at his home, we spoke a bit about the perception of those who die being “up there” looking down on us. He and I agreed that it’s not really how it works. I said that was one of the things I’ve in mind to right about one day. We discussed briefly why it is people believe the dead are watching us. It’s comfortable. Many people who don’t believe in a Biblical Heaven still believe in a life beyond, where everything is perfect, beautiful.

So this morning I began to think about why I haven’t contradicted the thought of friends and relative, my own parents, not being in Heaven at the moment looking down on me, cheering me on from afar. It’s clear they’ll be there one day. It’s clear they’ll be at the Feast. But in the meantime? Why haven’t I written about them sleeping, waiting? Perhaps I, too, can’t let go of them all. Or perhaps it’s just not the right time.

This led me to thinking about filtering things that I write. Just how much do I purify my words according to some sense of learned and internalized standard? Do I wish not to offend? Or at times, born out of frustration and anger, might I actually wish to hurt?

If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him. John 7:38

So the words are water that flow from within a person. I think of spring water, which has a great taste, and it differs from spring to spring, too. But once it’s filtered, totally purified, it loses it’s spring taste and becomes uniform. Blah. It’s no longer authentic water. Yet we all agree some filtering even of spring water may be beneficial to remove bacteria and other harmful living things.

In the introduction to the Gospel of John in The Apologetics Study Bible, the editor writes about the style of writing and the audience to whom John wrote. I infer that John didn’t simply transcribe the Words G-d breathed into him, but wrote empowered by the Spirit of G-d in a style that the non-Jewish Believers would understand, to which they would easily relate. “Christian belief [is] in the full trustworthiness, authority, and inspiration or inerrancy of the text. . .” It seems to me that the Holy Spirit provides not only the inspiration, but the correct amount of filtering to produce an authentic, inspired voice.

. . .Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15

Authentic Christian writing–and Authentic Christian Voice– that comes after the Apostles is, then, writing that is filtered through scriptural admonishments, through prayer, through guidance by the Holy Spirit. It is writing that builds up, rather than pulls down. It is writing that conforms to that of the Words of Messiah Y’shua and the Apostles He sent to the world. And yet, this authentic Christian voice does not restrict itself to worldly standards of politeness or correctness. An authentic Christian Voice may be a balm that heals just as easily as a whip that scourges. It is a voice that cries in the wilderness, a voice that calms the inner waves. But in all, this Voice is born from a deep relationship with our G-d.

It occurs to me that my recent, prolonged silence was born from a fear. I titled this blog JonahzSong, and want very much for it to be an Authentic Christian Voice. Yet how can I presume to write words inspired by G-d? Yet King David was human, meaning he was a sinner, and still he was a man after G-d’s own heart. So there is hope that there is something in the words that come forth that will have a positive affect upon someone, offering conformation, encouragement, or correction. In all, I think the best any Christian writer can do is offer up something of himself, as closely as possible to what G-d would have him do. In the end, it isn’t what a Christian writer writes that counts, but how those words are used. This is to say, that in all things that are read, regardless of the source, the reader must not ask only if it is an Authentic Christian Voice that speaks, but also if the words are meant for that particular reader. Or listener, for that matter.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and yours.

Falling into a pile of fertilizer, coming out smelling like incense

Ever known someone who could totally mess up, yet come out of it all way better off than when he or she started messing up? Well, check out King David. Before becoming King, David was hated by King Saul, who ended up pursuing David, wanting to kill him. David fled to enemy territory, to live in a city under the rule of King Achish, a Philistine. And in so doing, David incurred an obligation to King Achish.

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” 1 Samuel 28:1,2

So David’s in a bit of a pickle here. He knows he can’t fight against Israel. He also knows that he has lived under King Achish’s rule; David owes the Philistine king. Here’s what Matthew Henry says:

“[In] verses 1-6 here is, I. T he design of the Philistines against Israel. They resolved to fight them, v. 1. If the Israelites had not forsaken God, there would have been no Philistines remaining to molest them; if Saul had not forsaken him, they would by this time have been put out of all danger by them. The Philistines took an opportunity to make this attempt when they had David among them, whom they feared more than Saul and all his forces.II. The expectation Achish had of assistance from David in this war, and the encouragement David gave him to expect it: “Thou shalt go with me to battle,’’ says Achish. “If I protect thee, I may demand service from thee;’’ and he will think himself happy if he may have such a man as David on his side, who prospered whithersoever he went. David gave him an ambiguous answer: “We will see what will be done; it will be time enough to talk of that hereafter; but surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do’’ (v. 2), that is, “I will consider in what post I may be best able to serve thee, if thou wilt but give me leave to choose it.’’ Thus he keeps himself free from a promise to serve him and yet keeps up his expectation of it; for Achish took it in no other sense than as an engagement to assist him, and promised him, thereupon, that he would make him captain of the guards, protector, or prime-minister of state.”

Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” 1 Samuel 29:1-3

David’s not going to be allowed to fight against his own people. Here’s how Matthew Henry explains it: “It is strange if those that associate themselves with wicked people, and grow intimate with them, come off without guilt, or grief, or both. What he himself proposed to do does not appear. Perhaps he designed to act only as keeper to the king’s head, the post assigned him ch. 28:2 ) and not to do any thing offensively against Israel. But it would have been very hard to come so near the brink of sin and not to fall in. Therefore, though God might justly have left him in this difficulty, to chastise him for his folly, yet, because his heart was upright with him, he would not suffer him to be tempted above what he was able, but with the temptation made a way for him to escape, 1 Co. 10:13 .II. A door opened for his deliverance out of this strait. God inclined the hearts of the princes of the Philistines to oppose his being employed in the battle, and to insist upon his being dismissed.”

The lesson to take from David’s experience is to stay out of the enemy camp. Yet, we’re Christians, and we’re being made perfect, but we’re still waging a war on the flesh. We are going to become enmeshed in some affair or other that has the potential to drag us into sin. It is at that point we must remember David’s response to King Achish, and not commit ourselves further. That gave David time to wait upon the Lord, and the Lord rescued him from a grievous error.

Thinking about what King Achish was asking of David–a promise to fight for the Philistines, against Israel–I wonder how many times I’ve made a promise about something that I had no right to make. Perhaps it seemed innocent enough at the time, but how can I know what may occur in the future. How many promises have I made in nearly sixty-five years that I’ve broken? Perhaps rather than saying, “Sure I’ll do” this or that, it may be more ambiguous a response, like David’s, to say “Let’s see what happens,” or “I’ll see what I can do.”

The thing is, we, as Christians, need to be more shrewd in our dealings with the “world.” I think often that we are too gentle, too naïve, too willing to accommodate without thinking through exactly what it will cost our souls.

What do you think?

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Can’t Believe it’s Spring Already

The past four months of my inactivity on JonahzSong was unplanned. As the winter holiday schedule became hectic–kids and wife home, things to do, places to go, people to see, et cetera–I thought, “I’ll start back up on January First.” That day came quickly. . . and went. Then February and March and finally I aimed for April First, which didn’t happen either. Oh, well. . .

One thing I did do is to start back on a regiment of exercise. Mostly I’ve been riding a stationary, recumbent bicycle, which I’ve enjoyed. It’s different than a normal, upright bike. My legs got immediately back in the groove–muscle memory built from years of bicycle riding and touring. A lot of folks at the gym listen to music while they ride or run. I started listening to podcasts. I found a great one from Israel National Radio that is a talk show, Life Lessons with Judy Simon. She researches a subject, then thoroughly introduces it prior to bringing in people to interview.

The other thing I’ve been up to is a lot more reading. In addition to the Bible and various commentaries, I’ve read a lot more fiction. Detective novels and science fiction. Some good, some very good, some excellent. And I’ve spent some time with a story I began a few years ago. It’s still not finished, but I have a better understanding of where it’s going. Guide Gold tells the story of a man that discovers his wife really doesn’t know him at all. The deeper theme is one of failure and redemption.

Hummmmm. Failure and redemption. That’s the theme of all our lives, isn’t it? Yesterday we were suppose to be celebrating the only real redemption there is: redemption from death as demonstrated by the resurrection of Y’shuaJesus.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Luke 24:1-12

Here’s what Matthew Henry wrote about Luke 24:1-12: “See the affection and respect the women showed to Christ, after he was dead and buried. Observe their surprise when they found the stone rolled away, and the grave empty. Christians often perplex themselves about that with which they should comfort and encourage themselves. They look rather to find their Master in his grave- clothes, than angels in their shining garments. The angels assure them that he is risen from the dead; is risen by his own power. These angels from heaven bring not any new gospel, but remind the women of Christ’s words, and teach them how to apply them. We may wonder that these disciples, who believed Jesus to be the Son of God and the true Messiah, who had been so often told that he must die, and rise again, and then enter into his glory, who had seen him more than once raise the dead, yet should be so backward to believe his raising himself. But all our mistakes in religion spring from ignorance or forgetfulness of the words Christ has spoken. Peter now ran to the sepulchre, who so lately ran from his Master. He was amazed. There are many things puzzling and perplexing to us, which would be plain and profitable, if we rightly understood the words of Christ.”

We fail. We fail in our lives simply because we forget. Muscles don’t forget, but they do get out of use. My muscles didn’t forget how they work the pedals of a bike using my ankles to add spin. They were out of practice, though, which is why a daily workout is necessary to maintain their optimum abilities. It’s like that with our life in Messiah. While listening to what others have to say is nice, we can be led astray too easily in these days of deceptive practices within the Church. We need daily a refresher, a reminder of the Lord’s Words.

From the five books of Moshe (Moses) to the writings of the minor and major prophets, and of the disciples themselves, we are shown how to listen to and how to live at peace with G-d. It is through the the scriptures that we come to understand our place in Y’shuaJesus. We must, as Matthew Henry put it, “rightly understand the words of Christ.” Then we avoid the pitfalls of misunderstandings, we stay out of petty disagreements, we see snares before being caught up in them. It’s the Words in Red, the Words of Y’shuaJesus, and it’s the whole of the Bible that we delve into, with prayerful consideration, from which we will grow and live gainfully in Messiah.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

A Life’s Mission

Those CNN stories of women who “died” and “returned” all seemed to have the idea of a life mission, whether it was a commitment to find one or continue one. So I was thinking. Many years ago, a member of the church group in which I ministered said he was waiting for a sign to begin his ministry, his mission. I think I was a bit harsh, not as pastoral as I’d once been, when I suggested that the Bible provided the all that we needed to hop to it, to go. I recall saying that he was like a pilot awaiting landing instructions from a small field that had no particular flight control center but relied upon written protocol. This fellow was awaiting a word, yet Y’shuaJesus, I’d said, already provided the word:

Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

Mark 16:15

As I write this, I think about how I’d responded in a way that wasn’t characteristic of me. I described it as a bit harsh, not as pastoral. . . There are time when I revert to a pastoral way with people. But just as often I find myself just speaking out what I find in me to say. Things change. Our calling doesn’t but perhaps what changes is the way we approach our calling, or how we perform.

This subtle change is exemplified a friend who ministered in a church that utilized the five-fold ministry of Apostle, Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist, and Teacher–an Apostolic Church similar to the one founded during or after the Welsh Revival in 1904-05, in Pen-y-groes, Wales. My friend had served in a position of Prophet, as it suited his personality. But the Apostle of the church was reassigning him to a pastoral ministry, which my friend found quite a challenge. My friend, however, agreed that it was necessary for his Christian growth, and good for the Church as well. The difference, I believe was in the way in which he was to relate to those to whom he was called to minister. He wasn’t just speaking the word of G-d, as when he was a prophet. Now my friend would speak to word, yes, but often in a different manner, staying around to pick up the pieces. He was also called, now, to comfort people going though hard times, struggling to stay afloat amid life’s drama.

Here’s the thing, I’m not so sure we have one specific destined task that we’re to complete in our sojourn upon Earth. We are all strangers in a strange land. We all relate to one another in some way. Perhaps our mission is very broad: to relate to each other in a righteous, Messiah-centered manner. At times this may mean we are to be good listener and ask appropriate questions that allow the other person to find his or her direction to Y’shuaJesus. There are other times I know that we are to be like a stone that sharpens a knife by grinding off rough edges.

Perhaps, then, our “mission” is our relationship to Messiah extended into our relationships with those around us–each day, every day.

Lord lead us into Your Truth. Lord extend Yourself through us. Lord let us lead others to You. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

Letting go; Moving on

Last night, on a CNN program my wife watched, several people told of their experiences with death. One individual was sent back to finish her work, to finish the mission she’d been sent to Earth to complete, she said. She’d spoken to Y’shuaJesus. He sent her back, though she didn’t want to go. Another woman, dying of cancer with only a few hours to live, was visited by relatives that had died, and told to forget all that she’d been through, let it go, and complete the mission for which she’d been sent to Earth. In this particular case, she stated that she’d allowed the cancer to eat at her and that her body immediately healed itself once she came to some resolution about herself. There were other people, with other stories.

My wife asked me if I believed the stories. I said something like the people thought they’d experienced the events, but that I though it was more of a dream, an intense dream, that felt real. Even in the moment in which a heart stops beating, the brain is still alive. Why not continue dreaming. Then if the heart is revived, the person recalls the dream and thinks it happened.

That is my explanation.

One thing that rings true that one of these women said: we must forgive ourselves of our past sins. Y’shuaJesus died that we be forgiven. We are made new, so why not let go of the past mistakes, the past sins, and move on with our lives. If ever an enemy wished to defeat us, then that enemy would constantly remind us that we are sinners, we will always be sinners. Okay, so that enemy may be half right. We are sinners. But aren’t we also saved? We are saved by the mercy of G-d, through Y’shuaJesus. The enemy will fail to remind us of that part.

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead

Phillipians 3:13

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Mission

Michael Connelly’s character, Detective Harry Bosch, continues to develop throughout the series, especially his mission. Early on in the series, Bosch says, “Everyone counts, or no one counts.” His investigations into the truth are important regardless if the murder victim is someone well known politically or socially, or an unknown street person. Bosch’s own life’s story comes into play here: his own mother, a woman of the night, was brutally murdered, the killer never found. Bosch’s life, then, becomes a crusade for truth that often pits him against people who’d just as well let the truth slide, covering up the death. Bosch’s clashes with superiors cause him to be suspended on occasion, and even be demoted in his position.

As Bosch’s character develops we learn different views of his mission. For instance, we learn that he is becoming a voice for the dead, the murdered, he investigates. Always present is that Bosch is constantly on the edge as he looks deeply into what he terms the abyss where the monsters of our society abide. There is danger in chasing monsters, for it is all to easily to become a monster while deluding himself that he is speaking for the murdered. So Bosch must maintain a high standard in his operating practices. The humanity of Bosch the hero is revealed when he breaks the rules, so to speak, and causes damage to himself as well as others. In one instance he is responsible for the death of a man simply by using that man’s name to get information he wanted but knew he was not authorized to obtain.

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

John 18:37

While the Character of Detective Harry Bosch does not believe in G-d, he does have one thing in common with those who do: his search for truth; his desire to truth be made known; and his battle against evil. For isn’t that precisely what our general mission is in our life here on Earth? Are we not to search diligently for truth? Are we not to make known that truth? Are we not constantly in a battle against evil?

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Murder Book

Michael Connelly writes crime thrillers. The desire to write was born while attending the University of Florida. He studied journalism and creative writing. After working on several newspapers in Florida, on the crime beat, he moved to Los Angeles to cover crime for the LA Times. After three years there, his first novel was published, Black Echo. It introduced the character Harry Bosch, who would become a main character in a series of books. There are now twenty books in that series.

In the first book of the series, the main character, Harry Bosch, is already a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, with many years on the job. We learn Bosch’s background early on in the series: Born in 1950 in Los Angeles to Marjorie Phillips Lowe, Bosch was named Hieronymus Bosch after the 15th century Dutch artist and nicknamed “Harry.” He became an orphan at 11 when his mother, a prostitute, was murdered. He grew up living in a youth hall and foster homes. He joined the army and did two tours in Vietnam. Harry returned to Los Angeles and joined the LAPD in 1972. He became a detective after five years in patrol.

One of the key pieces of an investigation, we learn from Connelly’s Detective Bosch, is the Murder Book. It is a complete record of one particular investigation. We learn that not only does the book contain interviews with witnesses, records of evidence discovered, and reports from scientific analysis, but it contains comments by the detectives. These comments are invaluable, according to Connelly’s character Bosch, as they show the detectives’ minds, tie the evidence together, and give direction to the investigation.

In one of the novels, Connelly’s character Bosch describes going through a particular murder book from a four-year-old unsolved case. He goes over and over the book letting the facts and analysis of the case soak into him. Bosch tells us that the key to any case lies within the details of the Murder Book and doesn’t readily just pop out. He says that the more familiar he is with the book, the easier new pieces of the investigation will fit together. The end result is a moment in which he, the investigator, understands the significance of various details in the book and is able to come to a conclusion about the case.

It occurs to me that this is exactly what we as Followers of Y’shuaJesus do when we read and reread the Bible on a daily basis. I know for myself there are days in which I simply read a book. Yesterday I read Obadiah. It’s not a long book. I wasn’t “studying” it, looking for anything particular. I was just reading. But like Bosch’s Murder Book, the more I read, the more familiar various pieces of the whole work of G-d become to me. It seems to me that throughout my daily life, I’m confronted with new situations. The more familiar I am with the situations and the lessons gleaned from the Bible, the better I am at handling the situations encountered daily.

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Esra 7:10
Additionally, there is something that changes within me the more I engage with the Bible. It’s no accident that it is called the Living Word. For the Bible, to those whose names are written in the Book of Life, is food that we consume and digest and it becomes part of us. Now that doesn’t mean I’m done. For every day is a day in which I know I am a work in progress. The Lord is our Potter, making us into the person we are to become. And one day, Thank You Lord Y’shua, we will feast with Him at the Great Supper of the Lamb.

In the meantime, we are here and one of our missions is to absorb the Word of G-d so, as the Ezra put it, do the Word and teach it.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Retrace Our Path

Our journey is to take us forward with Messiah pointing the way. We are on the Pilgrim’s Progress. Though to some we appear to wander about, we are blown by the Spirit. We are as the Earth, in constant motion. As one old sailor put it, “If I rest, I rust.” Certainly we linger once and a while, here or there, to help someone or to recover some malady, or even to rest. It’s all spelled out by King David in Psalm 23:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

In John’s Revelation, (2:4,5) the Lord points out to us, however, there are times in which we must take a few steps backward. We must retrace our path, our steps.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

“Remember – Consider the state of grace in which you once stood; the happiness, love, and joy which you felt when ye received remission of sins; the zeal ye had for God’s glory and the salvation of mankind; your willing, obedient spirit, your cheerful self-denial, your fervor in private prayer, your detachment from the world, and your heavenly-mindedness. Remember – consider, all these.

“Whence thou art fallen – Fallen from all those blessed dispositions and gracious feelings already mentioned. Or, remember what a loss you have sustained; for so εκπιπτειν is frequently used by the best Greek writers.

“Repent – Be deeply humbled before God for having so carelessly guarded the Divine treasure.

“Do the first works – Resume your former zeal and diligence; watch, fast, pray, reprove sin, carefully attend all the ordinances of God, walk as in his sight, and rest not till you have recovered all your lost ground, and got back the evidence of your acceptance with your Maker.”
–Adam Clarke (1760 or 1762 – 1832) British Methodist theologian and Biblical scholar.

There are times when I really want to escape the “modern” life. I want to go back to the Good Ole Days, to return to the Life of Riley. I read Revelation 2, the letter to the Church at Ephesus, and immediately recall the tough yet glorious days I spent in overseas ministries. Nothing about my life then was routine, ordinary. There was struggle, but there were inner rewards. As The Reverend Clarke wrote, “blessed dispositions and gracious feeling” surrounded me. I think back the trucking ministry over the road, traveling the highways of America, meeting people, ministering. Tough, hard. Yes. But oh so wonderful.

Ah, but it’s so easy to forget that retracing steps taken to get me to where I am at this minute doesn’t necessarily mean physical steps. There are spiritual steps taken that have removed me somewhat from the reasons for the glorious feelings of past times. Have I failed to take opportunities each day to do something simple such as pray? When was the last time I sat simply waiting for the Spirit of G-d to fill me, changing my heart? The Reverend Clarke wrote “Resume your former zeal and diligence; watch, fast, pray, reprove sin, carefully attend all the ordinances of God, walk as in his sight, and rest not till you have recovered all your lost ground, and got back the evidence of your acceptance with your Maker.”

It’s not the occupation in the former ministries that brought me closest to G-d, it was the way in which I approached G-d. It was the way I loved and responded to Messiah. The Apostle Paul found the same satisfaction in his Lord, our Lord, in times of terror and imprisonment as he found in times of blessed respite and fellowship. He was content in all things. Contentment isn’t a product of things external, but of what’s going on within.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Another Broken Egg Cafe

It’s mid-morning in an up-scale and growing part of Georgia north of its big city, Atlanta. I came down here to pick up new glasses, ordered after an exam several weeks ago, but adjustments are necessary and the lab technician won’t be in until later. Rather than make another trip, I figured I’d hang out. I like breakfast. And I like hanging out in coffee shops. There are few places that I frequent, though, so I’m always up for a new experience, if the price isn’t outrageous, which is getting to be the norm these days, and if it looks like I can get an omelet that is without meat but more than cheese, I up for it. Too many places serve a veggie omelet that is just pepper, tomato, and onions. So here I am at Another Broken Egg Cafe.

I sit down at a table with a view of the coffee station, which is okay. There are lots of windows that look out into the parking lot that surrounds the small shopping plaza in which this cafe is located, just down from the optometrist’s office. WiFi is available, so I set my MacBook Air next to my Bible. The Bible is the one that I keep on the dash of the truck that is in a nylon cover proclaiming “This Book is Illegal in 53 Countries.” I ordered unsweetened ice tea. I stopped drinking coffee several months ago, and don’t really miss it, which is a bit odd. While sweet tea is a southern specialty, unsweetened with lemon suites me just fine. I ordered the veggie omelet: spinach, tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, and goat cheese, served with seasoned potatoes and an English muffin. All this at an acceptable price. The service is great here, the folks friendly. On the walls that aren’t windows, there are various framed posters that copies of floral paintings. There are a few framed posters with spoon collections displayed, and one that has a fork and a spoon enclosed in a deep frame that must be four-feet tall. I suppose the decor is Chic Country. There are a number of tables that have couples with older kids. School hasn’t begun here, as it has where I live. Several business-types are here, too, one with others that could be clients or perhaps just friends. At least four tables are crowded with women. They could be on their way to work, or just having a meal out after dropping kids at a pre-school or day camp. For the stay-at-home moms, next week will be the beginning of their real summer break.

The omelet is served quickly. It is good. The seasoning is subtle, lacking the zest of other places. But it’s good. The potatoes are mildly seasoned, and though they are okay, they are really just frozen potatoes heated. The eggs did taste real, though. I was totally disgusted at an IHOP one day when I learned that the omelet is made with batter from a carton, not actually made from eggs broken and stirred. I only learned this when I asked the waitress if I received the wrong eggs–my wife had ordered the fake eggs with her omelet. We’d eaten at IHOP several times, and this was the first time the omelet was so bad. It may have been a new change, or just the way it was cooked. It was not good.

That reminds me of this ma and pa diner outside Oklahoma City. It wasn’t a fancy diner, but served good eggs and great homemade hash browns. The woman behind the counter of the small place was the owner. I suppose it was her husband back in the kitchen. We got to talking and she told me that one time she hired a cook to help out. It didn’t work out, though. The guy came from the fast-food school of cooking and hadn’t a clue how to cook a real egg. It makes me wonder about ordering eggs over easy at a chain restaurant. Do they come frozen, too?

It feels like I fit in here in Another Broken Egg Cafe. I’m wearing western-style boots and a long-sleeve, plaid shirt. It’s not that there are others dressed this way. It’s the diversity of patrons. Some are plainly dressed. Women in shorts, and some guys in a beach-style attire. There’s two men in suits. One guy has a camo hat on, and looks like he drove up in his hunting truck. Only a glance in the parking lots says that others clearly drove an audi or BMW or something more fancy. A person’s car is no indication of wealth, however. The guy in the truck probably owns it, while many folks with fancy cars just rent them. Oh, yeah, it called “leasing.” While one couple with a baby sits by the widow, eating with strained faces and not really talking, all the rest look happy, smiling and talking with their breakfast friends. Ordinary people on an ordinary day, in more-than-ordinary restaurant in northern Georgia.

And not one person has read the cover to my Bible, or given any indication of having done so. And not one person has asked me about it. It’s time to go.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

A Wonderful Sail Yesterday

Yesterday, I went out to the lake to sail. I stopped on the way to pay a bill. When I arrived at the marina, despite forecasts of wind, there was nothing. Then I realized my phone dropped from my pocket while paying that bill. I drove back to the place, retrieved my wallet, and thought, “No wind. Why bother going all the way back out.” I drove toward home, yet turned on to the highway toward the marina without even realizing it. So I figured, “Okay, let’s try anyway.” On the way, I did see some tree tops moving and some waves forming on the lake. The wind was coming up.

That’s not the first time things like that have occurred to me. I’ve taken the “wrong” highway, ending up in the same place I was suppose to be, only by a different route, and only realizing it when I entered the destination from a different place than I’d recalled from the last time there. I knew it was the right “wrong” way, and wondered what was on the other route that I was prevented from taking: an accident that might delay me? an accident waiting for me? Don’t know. Some things just work out the way they do. Things happen.

At the dock, Cassandra, a Cape Dory Sailboat, was looking pretty good, despite needing her teak oiled and some yellow jackets buzzing around the mast. I’ve sealed off the places they used to build nests, but now they’d found a place under the mainsail cover that apparently suited them. Without ado, I cranked up the motor, cast off the lines, and backed out of the slip. The slip is located deep within a cove, off the lake. The water was calm, mostly clear, and I really wondered if it would be worth it going out. I motored slowly toward the mouth of the cove, rounded the shoreline, and was surprised to see another sailboat on the water, full sails, and moving along just fine. As I entered the lake, I could feel the wind now, coming out of the west. The cove is well protected from that direction, which is why it appeared not to be any wind at all.

Soon I shut off the motor, removed the sail cover, which made the few remaining yellow jackets take fly to another haven, and went forward to the mast where I raised the sail. Returning to the cockpit, I sheeted in the mainsail and began to slowly move ahead. Unfurling the jib to it’s full size, I gained further headway. Though the wind was light, under ten miles an hour, I easily made between three-and-a-half to four mph heading southwest about forty-five degrees off the wind. The light wind had very little gusting, and I easily trimmed the sails to point high enough to clear two small islands off to port, my left, and proceed up the lake toward Three Sisters Islands.

The wind began to vary in strength, and Cassandra responded, heeling about 15 degrees and leaping forward nearly to full hull speed of six miles per hour. This lasted five minutes or so and she would settle back down as the wind slowed. This process repeated many times along our route. An occasional gust or change in the direction of the wind did little to disturb Cassandra’s drive toward the islands, though it had me pulling in on the sheets to trim the sail a time or two. We went on this way, remaining on the same tack, that is with the sail to port and wind to starboard, to the right off the bow, for nearly two hours. Finally, we changed direction, tacking and rounding about near the island, then steering a course back toward the marina.

The entire time we were out, dark clouds moved slowly overhead, with only a few gaps where the sun could pop its head through to say, “Hello.” Only a few fishing boats hung around the shores, and one family towing kids on a tube behind a small powerboat sped happily past. One large cruiser moved quickly across my bow, leaving a large wake, which Cassandra bound over as if she were a horse jumping a fence. Or perhaps Cassandra was dreaming of the ocean, and the waves offshore. I think she wants to sail the seas, and only hope she’ll take me as her crew. The other sail boat I’d seen earlier came nearby once and we exchanged greetings as he rounded a buoy I’d just pasted, perhaps preparing for a race or just having fun. His two small children, bundled in life jackets, stood along the stern rail, and waved.

The sail, yesterday, was peaceful. It’s often like that during the week days, unlike the weekends when so many boaters are out. The clouds made it feel a little cooler, too, blocking the intense rays of the sun. It was a nice morning. I like the water, both lakes and ocean. I like being on the water and I like being in the water. I always have. There’s something soothing about the water. Water is unpredictable, too, untamed. Yet it brings me back to a peaceful place where I find a measure of refreshment. Spending some moments such as those yesterday, sailing, open my ears to hear what the Lord would speak to me through the His words recorded by the Apostle Paul so long ago:

I [Paul]therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of

the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .