Be Afraid...be kind of afraid...

...for many are the blog entries percolating my anesthesia/old age - addled mind. *smile*

But seriously...what do you want to talk about now? *huge grin*

We made it home through the Gustav-hammered woods of S. LA. Rest assured, a "minor hurricane" is sort of like a "minor surgical procedure": it happens to someone else & therefore it's minor to me. Much, much prayer and mercy mission work is needed in S. LA. We saw homes flooded & w/ trees in/on the house...businesses torn up...power lines down...roads washed away...such a journey is depressing! And we were quite a ways inland...one shudders to think of life down on the coastal areas of SW LA.

We saw one store at a crossroads in the woods of LA that was pumping gas. The enterprising store owner had apparently purchased one of those big generators. They were cooking food & selling it as fast as it came out of the fryer. We were just grateful for the gasoline, as there were very, very few places up & running, and all of them had very major lines of cars & trucks awaiting. While in the line to pay at the store, I had a very pleasant chat w/ a guy wearing LSU stuff. (I was wearing Crimson Tide stuff) Anyway, as I say, a very pleasant chat.

Hurricanes bring out the best (usually) and the worst (occasionally) in people, don't they?

I have now officially taught each of my classes. I remained more or less coherent through both (students may privately supply their own punch lines here), and felt good in the process. Thus far, I am 2-for-2 in days walking. Not far, mind you, but walking still. Sam the dog helps. Sort of. He also provides major nap temptation by just making a nap look and seem like such a great idea.

Anne's all bummed out, because it seems I'll be able to drive my self to & from work beginning Monday. Thus, only one more day of "Driving Mr. Dad" for her. Beginning Monday, she'll be able to (a) leave at her regular time in the morning, and (b) eat lunch with her friends with abandon, not having to worry about coming back to WCU to fetch me. Somehow, she'll just have to make do after tomorrow...*smile*

I even went to church Wed. night--which was great! I also participated in a committee meeting. (Important note: our pastor search committee is disbanded, praise God! The goateed one is here with us now. Full time. No further searching required. So this was not the pastor search committee...)

Got to spend a little time enroute to church and at church with my buddy Tim Carley & his lovely bride Mary Margaret and their daughters. (Despite having 4 kids to corral, they still came to give me a ride to church...) Prior to January, I think I had allowed myself through sheer inertia to forget how vitally life-giving it is (to me, anyway) to spend time with close friends. If you're a close friend, (a) forgive me, and (b) prepare to drink coffee & eat meals & chat & watch football & go fishing/hunting & watch football & such with me in the days, weeks, months, years, decades to come. Among the many huge blessings of this recent wilderness is being reminded again and again how very blessed I am in terms of friends who love in prayer, word, and deed. Thanks to all of you who have helped re-teach me that lesson!

Was chatting with a friend earlier this week--a fellow melanoma survivor--and we got to this sobering reality. "Cancer-free" really means "cancer-free-at-this-moment-in-time." And only God Himself knows how long "this moment" will last. There, ladies & gents, is the reality of the shadow that will haunt for the rest of my days.

So, does that mean all of us with the scarlet C on our medical chart live in fear? Not on your life!! Instead--in my case--it makes me all the more mindful of life's brevity, which is a great thing to be mindful of now & then. It also compels gratitude in a totally refreshing way. As cliche as it may be, the C word with its lifelong shadow calls forth thanksgiving throughout each day. This is, of course, as it should be. We ought to live lives full of gratitude! When's the last time you found yourself being thankful for the following?

--rain (we've had a bunch lately, but isn't everything nice & green?)
--the engineering reality that says "put a key here, turn it, shift gears, and drive anywhere you want"
--whomever it was that taught you to read
--gifted writers
--phones--many in our pockets--that enable us to stay connected with loved ones at a moment's notice
--your friends
--your family
--your extended family
--the mere existence of God and His presence in & around your life?
--a cool drink of water
--a front porch with chairs on it
--clouds
--sun
--technology that allows us to be somewhat sure ahead of time about where a hurricane is likely to go, even when it's still out in the middle of the Atlantic
--coffee
--popcorn
--TV, even with the vacuous drivel that occupies so much of the weekly schedule
--the reality that in a couple of months we will elect a new government, and a couple of months later, that government will be installed without gunfire or bloodshed...look around today's world--this is truly a remarkable thing!
--as friends of ours used to sing, "I am free...I've been redeemed..."
--a printed Bible of your very own...this was not the norm for 1500 years or so
--food (is it bad to have a healthy turkey burger & then chase that with ice cream? Just wondering...)

C-word & its lifelong shadow aside, a day is coming when this life will cease for every one of us. So, if you've had perfect health for decades, rejoice! And be ever mindful that it's a certainty that "good health" doesn't mean "this life will last forever." So live in the present tense and enjoy today, for this is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!

A favorite song that was on my mind driving through the woods of S. LA Tuesday...that definitely called forth thanksgiving!
(lyrics excerpt starts)
...1 day...2 days...3 days had passed...Could it be that Jesus had breathed His last? Could it be that His Father had forsaken Him? Turned His back on His son, despising our sin? All Hell seemed to whisper, 'forget Him! He's dead'...

Then the Father looked down at His Son and said, 'Arise, My Love...Arise, My Love...the grave no longer has a hold on You! No more death sting! No more suffering...Arise, Arise My Love'...

As dead men, the guards stood there in fright, as the power of love displayed its might...then suddenly a melody filled the air, riding wings of wind, it was everywhere...the words all creation had been longing to hear...the sweet sound of victory, so loud and clear!...'Arise, My Love'...

Sin--where are your shackles? Death--where is your sting? Hell--has been defeated! The grave could not hold the King!"
(lyrics excerpt ends)

That song...those words by Newsong..."Arise, My Love" has been making my throat & eyes fill up for years now...and I am so thankful! (saw Newsong in concert years ago, and when they fired up "Arise, My Love," it was one of the all-time great concert moments that I have experienced!)Living under a shadow? Sure! Like all of us do. But fear? Not when I remember the reality captured in the last lines of that song. Pray with me that we all would live in the glorious shadow of the brevity of our lives and of the truth about Who has the last word on all of this. And pray also that I'd always live with an overwhelming sense of joy and thanksgiving, wherever the road may lead in the future.

I'm off to make coffee for my beloved (OK...I'll have a couple of cups myself...) and enjoy the morning with thanksgiving. May it always be so, Lord!

Selah.
Mike