Facebook friends can be real friends

Most of us use social media to keep up with people we know. Occasionally you let strangers in who have proven that you share things in common and they begin to trust you not to abuse your glimpse into their lives.

Marc and Dixie changed careers, went to Seminary, started ministry while raising three kids. I have loved their authenticity, often zany sense of humor, and over the years have checked in with them, although Canada is so far away, I felt a kinship.

So Facebook develops acquaintance, and empathy, and therefore they felt OK meeting us for an afternoon drive and a good Mexican Meal. We loved showing them the amazing drive up to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat Museum, Store and Tourist trap.

They are several decades younger, but I see our journey mirrored in theirs and I am thankful to be an encourager and long distance friend. I hope we meet again.

Baby Boomers Unite and Leave

We went to acknowledge the retirement of our Dentist Dr. B. We found him in the early 90s and he has taken care of our cavities, crowns, and invisaligns since then. Always a lot of laughter and teasing about his mormon upbringing and my pastoral life. We loved his staff as well. Its hard for a Dentist with this longevity to find a buyer for his building and staff with the hope that his clients will stay. We wished him well. He is a type A who owned an antique Bi plane that he flys in formation with others during air shows.

Laura noted the Congratulations on your retirement section at Target was almost empty. The Boomers are leaving the work force in record numbers. I was the last post war child my parent had when Dad came home from the Pacific. What an interesting time to be born in America when our parents tried so hard to recreate a post war economy and lifestyle. I have been able to come so much further economically that Dad would ever have dreamed, and all his four kids got college degrees, when Mom and Dad were High School romance and right to work and war and babies.

To the Moon

Laura in Central Park.

My evening watching the moon landing forty five years ago this week was unique, a small black and white TV out on a porch surrounded by 150 young campers. I had Tommy Pittman in my lap, the camp's cutest kid, and we all stayed up late for that historic event. It was my first full time ministry, being a counselor and swim and canoe instructor at Camp Alpine.

The next year I was a counselor at a retreat for high school kids and made friends with two teens named Beth. I remember encouraging them to follow the Lord and it became clear over the next years that one Beth did and the other did not. Just last week the faithful Beth found my name on Facebook and thanked me for helping her so long ago as a searching teenager. Now that is personally joyful to me.

I am convinced that any degree of holiness we achieve and practice is a gift from God for our own benefit in this life, and not some sort of way of earning points for heaven. Beth told me the other Beth had experienced a difficult life of relationships. Very sad.

It was so neat to see the teenager in the grandmother I saw in her pictures on Facebook. Life is a journey of faith and trust.

Orley Hood

Found a picture of Mac Nelson, my high school teacher, who just joined my facebook family. Mac worked at Belhaven for a time.

At my college there was a bit of a seperation between the athelets and the other kids. They were rowdy, stayed together on the second floor of the dorm, and many were there on scholarship for sports instead of the Christian influence of the school.

Orley was short, and was a manager type, very likeable although we never had a close friendship. This week he died of leukemia at 65 and I remember his career as a sports writer and columnist for the Clarion Ledger. Turns out he was full of lore and stories of Mississippi. There was some bitterness when the paper fired the high paid folks and went for corporate drivel from another place.

His friends say he was upbeat and never down about battling this disease. Reminds me that I am getting to that age when my generation begins to depart a few at a time, then a flood.

Six degrees of connection

I love this shot of a Sunday afternoon at a beach where the local Hawaiians play with dogs and kids and picnics.

My son Brian has a new pet, a dog named Six, one of those larger short haired black and brown kind of mutts. As a family that never had a dog this represents obviously his desires and choices and this is cool. So far the need to take the dog out for walks has caused him to meet actress Bernadette Peters who had known the dog since it was born, and to be near Chelsea Clinton in some kind of gathering.  This is life in NYC and Brooklyn where so many folks live in close proximity.

We did own a poodle when we were newly weds but her tragic death broke our hearts and we just never got back on the canine wagon.  Our cats came to us through the pressure decisions of our daughter but we have enjoyed our decade plus of having cats around the house.

I have been moving some of my photos from an older computer to my picture back up hard drive and seeing so many photos of our early marriage when the kids were young. I am so happy to have them, but still struggle with getting them organized into some time of system where I can find them in a timely matter to share them on this blog. A project of connection with my story. This new laptop I am using only has this years pics and my Hawaii and California Vacation so I need a better system.

As we plan our summer travel the issue of cats come up again. I feel so bad about leaving Big Kitty in the house with a cat sitter who stops by to check the food and water and litter box, and tries to companion her, but she does not connect with strangers. When Big Kitty goes to sleep we will probably be petless so we can pick up and go a bit more.

Marines for life

Dr. and Mrs. Fetzik will be traveling to San Diego to see their son get his pin shortly. Our time was Aug. of 2001. Matt experienced combat in Afghanistan and a really cool time in Japan between his duties in North Carolina. He has been home for a week preparing to a job change and visiting friends.

We know the ceremony will stick in your mind and heart forever and you will well up with patriotism more than you ever thought you could, and if you are lucky you will see the sqautty mascot waddling around.

An Old New Friend

Randy T and I have participated on an Irish Whistle and Praise Music Blog group for a number of years and met face to face today for the first time. I gave him some Irish whistles to add to those given by other members which will be used as gifts to Christian leaders in Malawi, Africa where he will head with a group to do pastor/leader training for two weeks.

His church, where he serves as counseling pastor, has been growing at a 30% rate for years and recently added over 1000 new members. They made a change from an attractional model to a missional model and God is doing some great things there.

Music for Mercy

Mercy A is a very special friend. She lives way over on the East Coast, and today we met at Sky Harbor, exactly where we met six years ago on the way to a conference.

She was here to visit her family and celebrate the double wedding of her two siblings.

I followed her six month mission trip to Kenya on her blog called Ordinary Daisy. One day she mentioned that She was led of the Lord to give her guitar to a leader over there. And I knew instantly that my second guitar was meant to replace hers.

Today we met and visited and she took possession of the Yamaha 12 string. She plays and sings with such spirit and I know it will be used in many small groups and her church to praise the Lord. It felt real good. God bless you Mercy.

Happy and Sad Day

Bill Shanks was a fine man who made much of his life and career. We played basketball together in High School, taken by a heart attack at 61. Harvard grad, Emory Law School a 35 year career with one firm, a passion for local thearte and the arts. We had a great time renewing our friendship on the golf course and at our 40th reunion. Not an ounce of fat on his body, no figuring this heart issue.

Another friend from college shared her wedding picture with my beautiful wife second from the right. Good memory at Peachtree Presbyterian in Atlanta.

Had a group watch Spencer's Mountain at church tonight, what a special movie about family, hopes, dreams and hard work.

The Renaissance

Sailing and snorkeling on a trip from Maui to Lanai.

Some of our church family live in a luxury apartment complex in Sun Lakes. The commons area was designed to look and feel like a small town, and there are beautiful decorated sitting rooms, gaming rooms, library.

The meals are all served by young waiters, and are elegant. Last evening our date night was with three other couples there. It is always a delight and the food is fine.

It is known here as the home of those who need some care but not at all like a nursing home. Many residents are well into their 80s and 90s.

Good conversation always, and our host was pretty sure that the lifestyle their working life created may not be available for us and our kids and grandkids if things do not improve. Sad but prophetic perhaps.

Internet glitches are a way of life

This is a sharper image of the Napali Coastline from the ocean than the one in my opening page. I should put this one there, or have the courage to change it more often.

There are three computers in my connected life, two laptops, one office, and one home, and Laura's Dell. I can get online with any of them with this WWAN toy I share with the church office. In truth, my Android is a personal computer with Internet as well, so that's four.

I decided to update my personal laptop to the latest Internet Explorer version and now all kinds of things are not working. Picture uploading, final uploading of new blog posts have been accomplished with my cell phone link. I will work and worry until the glitches are ironed out.

It's Monday, my latest recuperation period is over and I am back in our summer schedule, which gives us a Bible Study break until Fall. It allows me to read more and think more and enjoy a short vacation during Laura's quick six week summer holiday which will begin next month.

Our seven week Sabbatical was so wonderful last summer that we cannot complain if this summer will be less ambitious. I hope to see more of the local Arizona sights, which includes a photography trip to the Grand Canyon which I have not visited since moving to a Canon Digital SLR with good lenses.

To any friends or relatives passing through the state, in two weeks we will have a kitchen, and we have a nice guest room with your own Bathroom outside the doors. Stop by for a visit, we mean it y'all, we are not "whistling Dixie".

From Pastor Don, very glad to still be alive and working. Thankful for our country and the apprehension of the 9/11 mastermind.

Don't keep old meds around the house

Yesterday was my day off, and I played a fun tournament with my friend Jack and the Lions Club at Leisureworld.

All day I was dizzy, and when I put my peg in the ground, I would fight a feeling of blacking out. At home my blood pressure was 90 over 50 and thereabouts, so I was concerned.

Everything was back to normal today and I realized that I took two blood pressure meds accidently, so my body was struggling to keep the blood flowing to my head during exercise.

Luis Palau is speaking at a two day festival here. I remember the Billy Graham outdoor stadium events, and this is sort of the same but on steroids, as they have a huge venue with food and sports and games to attract the young families they hope to reach with the message.

Blogging Year 2

This is my 338th post since starting a year ago after returning from my 40th High School Reunion. I found the idea of seeing and hearing the ongoing stories of those of us who graduated High School together to be interesting and fascinating.

I never had the idea of this being a thinking blog or a debating blog or a how to do it blog. It is more of a sharing my daily life blog with hopefully some bits of wisdom and some things I have learned and some issues I would love to see my church address and improve, and by my church I mean the church that exists in many forms, the Christ followers.

I add a picture because it adds interest and I love the captured instant. It allows me to share my hobby and give visual reference to the things I experience. So, I am not going to add a hit counter because I am sure it would depress me. I am just going to spend a few moments each day when I have something to share, putting my words on paper, and spicing it with a recent or archived photo.

I looked back and realized I was dieting a year ago, lost some, gained it back. Month two is crucial for recommitment. A weekend of feasting set me back a bit.

Today I found out a new out of state friend of mine had Valley Fever that settled in his leg. He spent a good time rebuilding a rock river in his yard recently and I always wonder if the exposure to dust when you are a new comer is dangerous. I am thankful I have avoided that desert disease.

I loaded all my four day road trip and wedding pictures on my computer and relived each shot, such fun. Stop by when you get a chance and say hello if something catches your heart.

Support Gabe Redding

The Redding Brothers have performed their original music at the Presence International Conference I attended the last two years. Gabriel is the talented drummer and vocalist who obviously enjoys playing. He also is a cyclist who is undertaking a cross country trip to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Our daughter is taking a daily shot developed by this research which tricks the disease into attacking the contents of the injection instead of the nerve sheaths. Not a cure, but a delay of damage. This is why we need to fund these causes. Type Gabe Redding or go the the MS WEBSITE to give. He is giving reports on You Tube

Beyond Words

Kathy, who blogs at Beyond Words is back after a few weeks rest. When I read about her family, church and community life I sense two things, authenticity and involvment. Visit and enjoy a reflective life in Christ.