On Planning Your Work and Working Your Plan

It's been a couple of days on the road with my thoughts. I often drive with no radio or CD, just the steady hum of the road and traffic. I don't generally think about anything in particular, nor do I seem to stay on any thought for very long. All-in-all, I like the mindless interlude that a long drive provides. I'm not one to look at the surroundings too much. I'm happy to just drive along with the back window down (even in freezing temps) and pay momentary attention to what ever fleeting thought graces me with its presence before giving way to something else.

I often make use of the road time by catching up with somebody on the cell phone. I avoid talking on the phone in heavier traffic or in unfamiliar areas, but cruising down the interstate offers little distraction and a phone conversation does pass the time.

Mostly, I just think of some things that I need to do--write more often is one of them.
Not blogging, more serious writing. I've said that I need to write more as I study the Bible; even prepare sermons for a future date that I may get to actually preach them. Book--yeah, that's still on the table, too. I would also like to look for an outlet for just some simple articles or something like that.
Just thoughts...

I also have some specific magic that I'd like to work on--close up stuff. With that, I need to develop a forum for presenting it since most of what I do is more of the stand up variety of magic.
Again, more thoughts without a specific plan...

Maybe I should just get started by writing out a plan...
Hmmm....

Okay! That's what I'll do.
Time to go now. I've got a plan to write a plan!

John <><

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UFC on Fox 6

I've been told that it's out of character for me to be a UFC fan. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's because I'm old and fat and could never actually participate in a mixed martial arts competition of any kind. Maybe it's because it's such a violent sport and a preacher shouldn't have anything to do with watching or promoting that kind of brutality. Maybe it's just the most base level of human competition and we should have managed to evolve past the point of determining the best hand-to-hand combatant.

What ever the case may be, I happen to enjoy watching the fights.

It has been different since Aaron moved away. We used to enjoy fight nights at Buffalo Wild Wings. Sometimes Jenny would join us. Later, Hannah (and maybe a boyfriend) would watch the fights with me. I'm not sure that they really wanted to watch the fights with me, but it was a cheap date with dad buying all of the food, soft drinks and desserts for the several hours of the fights!

Maybe I'm just too old to be a fan since none of my contemporaries are ever interested, just the younger guys.

Well this weekend, I'm in Chicago to go to the UFC on Fox 6 with Aaron! It was my Christmas gift from Aaron and Jenny and I am really looking forward to it. I drove from Springfield MO to Chicago today and made it in time to go to the weigh-ins with Aaron. I left right after working the mid and grabbing a quick breakfast and a Starbucks Americano with an extra shot of espresso. I stopped for gas and White Castles (that's fuel for the car and ...well, if you're familiar with White Castles...) in St. Louis, caught a 20 minute nap and another Starbucks about an hour into Illinois, topped off the tank again before hitting Chicago and we made the 4 o'clock weigh in just before the first fighters came out!

We'll catch all of the preliminary fights tomorrow, too! The Facebook fights, the Fuel TV fights and the main card on Fox! I am really looking forward to this!

I don't know if I'll be blogging any more this weekend or not. I didn't bring my computer and I'm using one of the kids' computers while Aaron is out to pick up Jenny from a work party. I may text a status to Facebook from my dumb phone...then again, I may not.

I hope that you have a great weekend. I know that I will.

John <><

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Self-Promo Time!

I know that it seems to be the habit of many church organizations to wait until the last minute to think about booking preachers/entertainers for their annual events, but you'll have a better chance of getting the persons you want if you start early. Plus you'll have the added benefit of the person you call being better able to meet your specific needs by adapting to your theme and you'll be able to better promote your event.

I've booked several events for the coming year, but most in the winter/spring.

I know that I will get calls for an Upwards Awards Night or two as that season ends and AWANA closing programs in May. I generally tend to get these just a couple of weeks before the event even though the events are on the calendar now.

The same is true for summer camps. If I can be of service for an daytime program or evening service, please call as early as possible.

In addition to revivals, crusades or other evangelistic events, I can teach classes on sharing your faith or beginning classes on apologetics. For preachers that already have vacations planned for the summer, now would be a good time to schedule a supply preacher for the Sundays that you'll be gone.

It's funny how my calendar fills up. I can be heading into fall with nothing scheduled and end up being as busy as I can stand to be. And that's okay. But I feel like everybody is happier with the end product when I have more time to plan and prepare and I have a better chance of being able to make the date when I have time adjust my work schedule.

My contact info is in the "About Me" section to the right.

John <><

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Radical Christianity: What does it look like?

I recently read an article about radical Islamists and started wondering what radical Christianity might look like. I'm not talking about the crazy, Westboro, Crusades or Inquisition kind of radical. I'm talking about the follow the teaching of Jesus kind of radical; the Mother Teresa, give your all for love kind of radical.

How much would the daily life of today's church going Christian have to change to be a radical follower of Jesus? What are the changes that I need to make to become a radical follower of Jesus? Does it mean that I tell everybody what Jesus teaches in the Bible? Or does it mean that I need to learn and practice what Jesus teaches in the Bible?

As a radical follower of Jesus, how much would my Facebook posts have to change?
Would my blog posts need to change?
What about my everyday speech, language and conversations?
How would my financial habits need to change?

I think of what I have saved towards retirement. Though it is not a great amount, it is a nice little nest egg. Somehow that story of the rich man that built bigger barns to hold his wealth when his life was about to be taken comes to mind and I wonder if I should have been doing more about sharing my blessings with those in need and less about storing up my stuff for the future.

I look at how we treat those around us that have different beliefs and behaviors that model their beliefs; how we treat "the sinners" and the "unclean" around us, and I see Jesus forgive without condemnation and touch a leper.

WWJD

It's been a few years since What Would Jesus Do? was a popular question to ask. Maybe we should get serious about asking it again.
The book In His Steps was written more than a hundred years ago and examines what could happen if we became such radical followers of Jesus that we experiment for a year, always asking, "What would Jesus do?"
It's a good read. You can download it for free here.

Even if you are not a follower of Jesus, I would encourage you to read what He teaches in the Bible. Just read the first four books of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; these are the books that follow His life and record His teachings. (The links take you to chapter 1 of each book. Use the next arrow > at the bottom to advance to the next chapter.)
If you have questions, feel free to e-mail them to me. My address is in the "about me" section to the right.

Let's start being radical followers of Jesus!

John <><

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So Much in the News This Weekend--But Not Here

It's been a couple of days since I've had time to sit and read the blogs that I usually follow. Naturally, that also means that I haven't had (or at least taken) the time to post on my own.

It's been a big weekend for things in the news: Inauguration weekend, MLK Day, Sanctity of Life Sunday, Gun control protests on a day when 5 are injured from gun accidents at gun shows, the NHL opens its long delayed season, Baseball great Stan "The Man" Musial dies--so many things to write about. If you've done much reading of news articles or blogs over the past 48 hours, you've been reading about these things.

Personally, I'm more interested in writing that I had a great visit with my daughter this past weekend and am looking forward to visiting with my son and daughter in-law next weekend. The weekend visit with Hannah wasn't an exciting time or anything. It was a pleasant time to see her in her college environment. The campus was quiet. Due to the long weekend, many students went home. The visit was short but we managed to replace a headlight on her car, eat out a couple of times, visit the bookstore at the mall (and buy her a book, of course), catch a movie, go to church together on Sunday and even managed a stop at Starbucks. One more year and my baby will be out of college and on her own.

Wow! How did that happen?
My baby is a great young woman.

Next weekend I'll be in Chicago with Aaron and Jenny. I am really looking forward to going to the UFC fights with Aaron. I'll get to go to church with them at HTC and I always look forward to that, too. I'll stop and visit my folks on the way back home and am hoping and praying for good travelling weather.

I write about these things because life matters and life goes on.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned with political or social issues. I'm not saying that we shouldn't feel free to voice our opinions on gun rights, pro-life, pro-choice, gay rights, taxes, spending, or the state of our country.

I'm just saying that we all have lives to live in spite of what happens in Washington D. C.

In many ways the above discussions have divided us and pitted us against one another. But in spite of the things that tend to divide us, we are not so different. We want what's best for our kids--and our parents. We want opportunities for them. We want to live in a safe environment. We want to live with the freedoms that citizens of The United States are supposed to have.

I know that there are people that have to be more passionate about social, political, religious or environmental issues because they are directly impacted on a daily basis. I know that there are activists that stand for them that would say that I'm making light of those issues when I choose to ignore them in favor of writing about personal things because I'm tired of reading about, writing about the things that are dividing us.

I'm not ignoring them with the expectation that they will go away. I'm ignoring them here, today--to give you a break, to give myself a break. It is only for a moment, I know. But it is a break.

Pause.
Breathe deeply.
Whisper a prayer for a loved one.
Call a friend.
Smile.

I enjoyed the weekend without TV. I missed having my computer handy (remember, I don't have a smart phone) but could get used to less of it. I can see that I didn't miss anything important by not reading Facebook for a day.

Maybe I'll see you again tomorrow.
Maybe tomorrow will be your day to take a break.

For today, be well. Be kind. Be a blessing to somebody.

John <><

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Out of My Hat(s)!

In an internet meme that was going around my blogging circle four years ago calling for Ten Honest Things About John, I wrote that I like hats--not caps, hats.

For post number 800, I thought I would write about my hat--my favorite hat. The idea for a post about my hat came to me last Saturday at our Writers' meeting.

I stopped for a coffee at Starbucks on the way and the girl at the drive-up window made a comment about how she liked my hat. When I arrived at the meeting, one of the members also made a comment about it. Of course, I like getting compliments on my hat--especially from strangers, and I get them pretty often. Maybe the compliments are extra nice since Chris doesn't really care for my hat.

It is unusual in that it is a whole-hide leather cowboy hat. I bought it in Mexico over a decade ago and I have never seen another hat like it--even on subsequent trips to Mexico.

It is not a summer hat. One of the few things that I look forward to as fall approaches each year, is breaking out the "awesome hat" (a name given to it by one of Hannah's friends).

I have a variety of summer hats, too. They range from the rough, wear to the lake (and in the lake!) hat...

...to the everyday keep the sun off my face...

...to a little nicer straw.

I also have a winter felt dress hat.

And of course, the show prop wool top hat!

As always, thanks for stopping by at Out of My Hat.
And now you know what my hats look like!

John <><

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A Good Habit; A Not so Good Habit

Many years ago (about 25), I had a standing monthly order of cigars from the Thompson Cigar Co. While I have always enjoyed a good cigar, over the past many years I have very rarely had one. Sometime before Christmas I saw an internet ad for a sampler pack of 12 cigars, a small cherry wood humidor, lighter and cigar cutter for $19.95. It was a pretty good deal--about $90 worth of stuff for 20 bucks...and it was from Thompson, a company with which I was familiar.

It became one of my presents...and an old habit was renewed.

On the more positive side of that habit, I don't smoke them in the house and a good cigar takes about 45 minutes or more to smoke. So I've been walking while I enjoy a cigar. I can't say that I've had one every day or that I've had one every walk, but I have been walking nearly every day and usually it's to justify smoking a cigar.

Is that a bad thing?

On the down side, it does add a cost to the otherwise economical exercise of walking as the price of a decent daily cigar can start to add up. Thompson usually has some good deals and I've discovered their auction site. I managed a $126 retail buy at $39 and an $18 deal for $3.

I'll keep up with the walking. I guess the cigar smoking will continue for a while, at least. Below are pics of the humidor and the current cigar stock.

John <><

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