In reading through the Gospels,, we find stories of a people that had unusual encounters with Jesus. They were unusual in that Jesus was able to do what no one had ever done before. He healed lepers of their dreaded disease. He caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak and the crippled to walk. He even caused the dead to come back to life!Pretty incredible stuff!The people that were touched by His miraculous ministry couldn't help but tell others about it. The crowds followed after him seeking more great signs and to listen to...
Monday, 26 August 2013
Saturday, 24 August 2013
This weekend is little bit less active than the past few have been. Chris is working today (one of those few Saturdays that she gets scheduled to work) and I'm hoping that she can get an early shove.I did manage a quick trip into the farmer's market in Springfield, a fill up on the del Sol (39.9 mpg) and a few errands. Now to spend some time finishing tomorrow's sermon notes.It's been a little while since I've been to Charity Baptist is Springfield. I'm looking forward to being there again, although it does mean that I'll miss the concert at Hopedale...
Monday, 19 August 2013
It's nice to be able to sit on the deck with my coffee and computer and reminisce about the weekend. I really enjoyed my return to Zion Baptist Church (ZBC) in Cainsville MO. We were trying to figure out how long it had been since my last visit; I was thinking around eight years. One of the members said that he knew exactly how long it had been because I visited his wife in the hospital after the birth of their little girl--she is 6.Although this was only my third trip to ZBC, it really does feel like a sort of homecoming. It is a small congregation...
Friday, 16 August 2013
It's a rare Friday morning that I get to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. On most Fridays, I'm just getting off of work after a mid shift and ready to take a 3+ hour snooze. I used a day of leave and didn't work the mid last night. After a day of moving Hannah back to Columbia for her senior year of college and with travel for a weekend event ahead of me, I figured a good night's sleep was in order.So now I am getting ready to get things going for the day and really don't have the time to be on the blog and sitting with my coffee, but...Sometimes...
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
I have a pretty good great life.You probably have a pretty good life, too; maybe even a great life.However, I have found that I can take my great life and turn it into a crappy life by changing nothing more than my outlook. I don't have to give up any of the things that make my life grand. I don't have to work at a harder job, nor do I have to lose the job that I have. I don't have to give up my health (which isn't perfect but free from anything major) and I don't have to worry about a daily food provision--as a matter of fact, I still get...
Monday, 12 August 2013
Most of you have heard of or experienced the "trust fall" where one person falls backwards, trusting another person or persons to catch them. We did a few different exercises to demonstrate trust this past weekend at our youth retreat.It got me thinking about trust--Who we trust? Why we trust? What does it take to earn our trust? Am I trustworthy?On the surface, most of us would say that it's better to trust an honest person or one that always does the right thing: but is that really the case?What if somebody does something that is wrong--anything...
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Last Sunday, I once again issued the challenge to tell somebody that needs to know Jesus as Savior that God loves them and Jesus died for them.Sometimes the conversations can take different turns. When you begin to talk about your own personal relationship with Jesus, you also find out about other people's personal relationship with Jesus. I like this. It helps me to get to know my brothers and sisters in Jesus and it helps all of us to get more comfortable in telling our story.Have you told your story lately?It is your story.Not every story has...
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Have you ever had that experience of family coming to visit--it could be grown kids coming home, parents coming to visit, siblings or other relatives--and then experiencing the quiet and almost lonely feeling when they are gone?I'm talking about people that you really love and really miss and really don't want them to go--or you don't want to have to go.I realize that there are families that don't get along. Families that rarely, if ever, keep in touch with one another. When they do call or visit, it's more out of a sense of guilt or obligation...
Saturday, 3 August 2013
As a follower of Jesus, how does your walk draw people to Jesus? Do the things that you (we) do and say help or hurt the advancement of the kingdom?Shouldn't the belief of a Christian (that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone) compel us to share the gospel with urgency? Shouldn't a follower of Jesus be a student of the things that He teaches in The Word? Didn't Jesus say that we can know a tree by its fruit?Just things running through my mind this morning...John <>&...
Friday, 2 August 2013
I spent some time reading some of my past posts the other day. It started as a project of finding some past information that I've posted and ran into a hour or more of just enjoying some of my past reads. In one post from last month I linked to four previous posts that are about me. In re-reading them, I noticed that I'm a pretty good guy. Feel free to go read them. There is a lot of good stuff there. There is also plenty of stuff missing.Truthfully, I'm not all that grand. We seldom come clean about our dark tendencies in self evaluation. If given...
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Given that I've been working on getting a little bit of exercise lately (and I want to emphasize the little bit part of that), one might think that this is going to be a post about the health benefits of walking......it's not.It's a post about the adage of not criticizing somebody until you have walked a mile in their shoes.Perhaps it's age, or perhaps it's being more aware of people around me that are finding themselves in situations that they once...
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
It was a really good weekend!Other than the initial drive of about eight hours in various states of rainy weather, it was a grand weekend of seeing the whole family! We got things started with a casual get together on Friday night.One of the newest members to join our group is expecting the first great-grandchild in the Jerry and Leticia family. Naturally, somebody came up with the idea of a surprise baby shower! After eating sandwiches, chips, fruit...
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Blogging on the road this morning...I'm enjoying coffee and oatmeal in the hotel breakfast area as the kids sleep in for a while. Today is the Hill Family reunion.We all arrived in central Illinois yesterday and had a great evening together. Today's outdoor gathering looks like we will be blessed with sunny skies and temps in the mid 70s!Only Chris is missing from the gathering as she has to deal with one of those jobs that is a 24/7 kind of deal.Dad, Mom, six kids with their spouses/significant others, seventeen grandkids from 35yrs down to 8,...
Thursday, 25 July 2013
In the Blogosphere, we say Happy Blogoversary!It was seven years ago that Out of My Hat made its first post! This is my 857th post.Over the past seven years I've had my streaks of writing and not writing. I've posted rants of things that drive me crazy and shared things that I hold dear. I've written things that are funny and things that I find interesting. I've told my readers about me and the things that are important to me and written posts just as an exercise in writing.The most incredible thing that I've found through writing Out of My Hat,...
Monday, 22 July 2013
Recently I have read several articles that are about a study that shows a decline in conservative Christianity and a rise in the Christian Left. Here is one. I think that there is a blending of definitions that creates a great misunderstanding between the difference in conservative politics and conservative Christianity. I am a conservative Christian. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God; that it is in his death, burial and resurrection...
Saturday, 20 July 2013
It's Saturday morning and I figured that I should throw something out there. Writing this morning is a bit of an exercise in forced writing since I don't necessarily feel like writing or have anything that I want to write about. It's as good excuse as any to continue to sit on the deck and finish another cup of coffee before getting around to doing anything meaningful.Another work week has come to an end and I find myself thinking more and more about retirement--still working out the fiscal numbers to make that work without handing over a...
Friday, 12 July 2013
I will be busy for the rest of the summer!It has been a little while since I updated the Coming Events section of the right-hand column. Mostly because I really haven't had anything to update about. Although, I've done a few things, none of them really had to do with preaching or magic, but it does appear that the rest of the summer will be pretty busy.When it's been several weeks (or months) since I've done a magic show, it does take a little bit of time to work on the old effects and get ready for another performance. When it's been a little...
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Tonight I'm wondering just how often a younger, more arrogant John managed to look like a real jerk by offering an opinion that was neither requested nor welcome on a subject that he knew little about. I see that happening fairly often--in the work place, at social gatherings, even church groups. It seems that some people always feel the need to appear to have some special insight about matters that don't concern them and they are completely ignorant about.Is it just something about youth and immaturity that causes us to want to appear to...
A recent political conversation has me wondering...Given the number of conservative GOP governors that were once very much against ObamaCare but now embrace it because of the money it brings to their states and their states' economies;And given the number of times the Republican controlled House has voted to repeal it, knowing that it will never pass in the Democratic controlled Senate;What would happen if just enough Democratic senators voted in favor of repeal that it would take every Republican senator's vote to pass?Would it pass?Or what if...
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Dictionary.com defines an enigma as: a person of puzzling or contradictory character.And conundrum as: anything that puzzles.I've been called both of these in the past. While I understand that I fit into few boxes, I find it interesting that so many of us still try to put people into a nice, neat, descriptive box. I say us because I am also sometimes guilty of making broad assumptions based on little information about a person.I can sort of understand...
Thursday, 4 July 2013
I suppose that I should be posting something about today being the day that we (in the US) celebrate the anniversary of our independence. Since I'm certain that there will be numerous patriotic post to read about that, I'll take a little different patriotic path.Several weeks ago, my dad made his way to Washington DC as a part of the Greater Peoria Honor Flight that pays tribute to those that have worn the uniform and served our great country. A part of the tribute is a mail call that allows for family and friends to write letters that are presented...
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
As is often the case in ministry, the ones that are serving are also richly blessed. This was true for me (and those that were with me) on our recent trip into the coal mining area around Harlan County KY.One of those unexpected blessings came from getting to know the members of my own church family a little bit better. Even though I knew them as members of my church, I really only knew them in that context. Travelling, dining and working with them allowed me to get to know them as the people that they are and not just as the one that sits a few...
Sunday, 30 June 2013
I hardly know where to begin to share the many stories that took place on our mission trip last week. We were in small groups that worked at different sites through most of the week. Many of the stories are stories that belong to the other members of the team and I can only share them as I remember having heard them. I guess I should just start with my own stories and experiences.As an unskilled laborer in the areas that involve construction and remodeling, I knew that I was going to be more of a gopher-boy than anything else. My jobs mostly involved...
Friday, 28 June 2013
I know that I've missed posting for a couple of days. It's not because of having nothing to report. It's more about limited access with my phone and limited time to write.There have been some great moments this week that I'll share when I'm able to sit at a full keyboard. I'm really looking forward to sharing stories of the people we've met and the blessings we've received.I'd better get some breakfast before it's gone.Have a great weekend!John <>&...
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
I'm back to our base a little early today.Today I went with the team that is working at the middle school.In both cases (yesterday and today), I find myself way out of my own comfort and calling. While I expected to be doing exactly what we are doing, the evangelist in me wants to put down the tools and the sporting equipment and start telling people about God's great love for them and how He has demonstrated his love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.I'm looking forward to hearing what the other teams have accomplished today....
Monday, 24 June 2013
Though today was our second day in Cumberland, it was our first day on the job. An old carport with a rotting roof was taken down and rebuilt. A huge project that involved the demolition and rebuilding of a porch is underway. A bathroom project is almost completed and a kitchen pantry is being rebuilt. These projects took place in neighboring Lynch.In addition to our building work, we have a group working at the Cumberland Middle School during their summer school.It was a busy day and plenty of work was done. Tomorrow will be another work filled...
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Today we arrived at our destination, set up our rooms, prepared and had our first meal together, went to evening worship and received our work assignments for tomorrow.There are a couple of other mission teams that are also working with us or along side of us.Cell coverage is limited and WiFi is available in our boarding facility near the office. I'll try to post when I can and offer apologies in advance for the typos that go with phone blogging.John <>&...
Friday, 21 June 2013
It's pretty amazing. Our bodies are designed with the incredible ability to adapt to the challenges and invasions of living in a dangerous world. While many of the assaults on our bodies come from outside, there are dangers that come from within.We can often (knowingly and unknowingly) aid these internal attacks through the lifestyle choices we make and chemicals that we add to our bodies through diet and exposure. Sometimes, our bodies can turn on ourselves through auto-immune diseases or some other form of self-destructive attack from within.Sometimes...
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
I hesitate to write the following words that condemn actions and attitudes that I have been guilty of in the past. As I have grown older, it would appear that I have accidentally matured to the point that I no longer want to be the negative, hateful, complaining person of the past. Oh, I still have my moments to be sure; I just no longer want to live that miserable life in general.And I don't want to be around it, either.How do you protect yourself from the negative people that worm their way into your life? Some of them are hard to avoid. Some...
Monday, 17 June 2013
Next weekend will find two groups of Hopedale members (around 50 in all) in the fields of services. One group will be headed back to Nicaragua with Project Hope and one group will be headed to Harlan County, KY in the Appalachian Mts. I'll be with the latter group.Harlan County is one of the poorest counties in the country with a per capita income of less than $12,000/yr. (that's less than half of the per capita income of my home Christian County, MO). The 2000 census had the median household income at $18,665.The work that we'll be doing...
Saturday, 15 June 2013
Well it's one of those things that happen when a not so computer savvy guy tries to do something new with anything that has to do with computers.In tying my blogs to my other Google accounts, I also failed to check the box that would allow non Google+ people to comment. I think that problem has been fixed.If you've tried to leave a comment over the past few weeks and were unable, please accept the apologies of a bumbling blogger. Also, please go back and make whatever comments you may have--other than the obvious--"You're a bumbling idiot and shouldn't...
I like apples. Growing up it was mostly Red Delicious. I think that apples were mostly divided into eating apples and baking apples. As a kid, there were red apples and green apples. I'm note sure how old I was when I realized that some apple were always green. I thought it was just the ones that weren't quite ripe.Today there are many new varieties of apples. Several years ago, I read an article that talked about the genetic engineering of red delicious apples and how they had managed to produce a larger, redder, more crisp apple, but in the process...
Saturday morning, the 15th of June.I figured that I'd write a quick update on how the "new John" is progressing.On June 1st I weighed in at 258# and (once again) decided that something has to be done to get some of this weight off. Since I recently shaved the grey beard and mustache off, I have a daily reminder as I look into the mirror and see a fat, round face staring back at me.I'm not trying to overdo the weight loss by hitting it with a quick loss--been there, done that in the past. I am trying to develop some good habits around eating and...
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Well I have successfully managed to put another year in the history books--not that anything historical happened, it's just that I am another year older.For those of you that are Facebook friends, thank you for all of the birthday wishes that I received. For those of you that are not, you can find me here or on Twitter, here.I have celebrated the passing of another year by: sleeping about 3 hours after working the mid, watching an afternoon Cardinals' baseball game, spending about an hour on the phone talking to my kids, wasting the afternoon...
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Our weekend Children's Camp is now history--and a life changing history for some of the kids and adults that were there.Every year that I've been blessed to be a part of Hopedale's camp, there have been kids that have made professions of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. This year was no different. I frequently tell people the main reason for our success in this endeavor is that we arrive at camp fully expecting God to be with us, to work through us, and to accomplish great things.This year's camp was a little bit different in a couple of ways.For...
Friday, 7 June 2013
Hopedale's Children's Camp begins in a few hours. As I am finishing up preparing for my part of the weekend, I was once again thinking about how I ended up as camp pastor for the past decade+ of a children's camp. For those of you that haven't been following Out of My Hat since its beginning, here is a post from seven years ago (just after I started blogging) about how I feel about working with kids. If you are a parent of one of the kids going to camp this year, you might want to wait until next week to read it.The post that followed was also...
Thursday, 6 June 2013
In spite of my desire to write each day, I find that I'm too busy to write here. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm not writing; just that you're not seeing it.On the blog list for next week: Dad's Honor Flight, children's camp (both pre-camp and camp stuff), fitness goals (again), and of course any other random thought that comes to mind.Camp starts tomorrow.John <>&...
Monday, 3 June 2013
Two nights of three of poor sleep. A rare occurrence in my world. I know that Friday night was my own fault and was due to too much evening caffeine. Last night was mostly due to allergies that kept interrupting my rest. The good news is that I feel rested enough and since I didn't have to get up for anything (either morning), sleep in a little later worked out well.Now, on with the day (and week).Most of what would normally be free time (breaks at work, baseball watching time at home) will be devoted to getting ready for Kids' Camp. Messages are...
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Sunday mornings always provide a few quiet moments to read my favorite blogs and make a check on Facebook. I'm usually able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee, review my Sunday School lesson and keep up with my daily Bible reading.This morning I'm also taking a little time to force myself to to write--even if it's only for a brief moment.After returning from a vacation in Mexico, I shaved off my beard and mustache. I was going to shave it before we left, but opted to wait since my passport photo (and every other photo for the past decade+) has...
Saturday, 1 June 2013
June first seems like as a good a day as any to get back to blogging.Truthfully, I think about writing often, but usually just don't feel like taking the time to think out a good post. I need to get back to my original intent of this blog and just write to write. It's much easier to write for self and share than to try to write what others might want to read.Since Out of My Hat began about seven years ago, I've followed a number of blogs that have faded into oblivion. I know how life circumstance, desires and demands change and alter our daily...
Thursday, 2 May 2013
I've been working on spending less time on the computer or online via my phone. I am keeping up with fewer blogs and reading less in the way of polarizing news stories. I am continuing to read educational articles and articles that are of interest to me.And I've also been writing less. Of course, the writing less is more a lack of discipline rather than by design. This week's morning computer time has been given over to preparation for Sunday morning's message.I am really looking forward to Sunday. If you are in the area, I invite you to...
Saturday, 27 April 2013
...some were born to sing the blues.These lyrics from Journey's Don't Stop Believing are going to prove true for all of the government agencies and for all of the people that are affected by the sequester cuts.After the week of delays that resulted from the FAA cuts that caused air traffic controllers to be furloughed, our Congress has instructed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to find the money someplace else. So here's the deal in a nut shell. The FAA cuts it programs back as far as it can and still needs to furlough ATC one day per pay...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
