July vacation to Minneapolis

We are getting tired and overwhelmed by information. We have seen three presidential libraries, two caves and one Indian archaeological site.

So now we are in Emporia, Kansas. We are going to head pretty much straight home. But maybe not too many miles a day.

Fallen Angels by Noel Coward at Main Street Theater July 2014

I admit not to know a lot of Noel Coward plays but I have seen a few over the years. With Noel Coward you expect a sophisticated living room (drawing room) comedy. It could sneak up on farce right?

When I got there I got most of that. I forgot I would also get British accent. How could I forget that? Well this had the accent and added a French "bad guy". Perhaps you shouldn't call him that. There was lots of speaking French by these sophisticated English women.

I was going to say the one thing I was wrong about was the sophistication. Well maybe the sophistication was all the French spoken. Maybe the maid was supposed to make it sophisticated. But I didn't buy it at all. This play was not sophisticated.

The play was funny in spots, awkward in spots, just plain slow in spots. I thought the acting was fine, the play just doesn't seem to have much to help them. The jokes were attempted, they were often dumb. They just did not work.

The maid might have been the most interesting character. She steals the scenes and her time alone on the stage were pretty funny. She reminded me of the maid in Clue, the Movie. The play attempted to be sophisticated fun (I guess) but pretty much failed. Sometimes it bordered on farce but I do not think that is what they were going for. I was disappointed.

Big Bang Theory plot advice

This has probably been said but I have not read it. So far Raj has not gotten a steady girl. I think for equal distribution of romance they need to give Raj a girlfriend.

But I had forgotten. It hit me the other day they have already introduced the perfect girl for Raj, Sheldon's sister. I forget her name. I suppose I could look it up. But now that Raj can talk to women it is time to reintroduce her.

We found out when she was staying at Penny's that she found Raj to be "the cute one". He missed out because his medicine wore off. I forget how he came to be able to speak to women. But he can now.

She can move out to CA, stay with Sheldon for a few days, that won't work, then move in with Penny again. From there we can work on the relationship. That should give the writers plenty of fodder for misdeeds and jokes about Raj's ineptitude. I like it. But this is so obvious it has obviously been though of before.

special treatment

Has God ever treated you special? Did it embarrass you a little? Or a lot? Did you accept it or even try to reject it because you were so embarrassed? Now that I read this back I've got to give this some background. The other day a little boy who I try to teach chess out of the blue gave me a book. How did he know? But it was a book I would really love to have. But it is an expensive reference book. I have seen copies of this book and some like it in libraries. But even most libraries will not have this specialized reference. I checked on a used bookselling site and the one copy that was available was going for $141. That's what I thought. How did this boy have this book? How did he know that I would love to look at this book? It's not about chess. I could not accept this book from this child. But I did enjoy spending an hour perusing it.

I was embarrassed that he would offer me such a book. I did not deserve it.

The disciple Thomas had an experience like that. (John 21:24+) Thomas blurted out a statement. He was disappointed that he was not there when Jesus came calling. Did he truly mean it? He was mad that he missed seeing Jesus. He wanted to be included. He certainly felt left out. Perhaps he was overstating his true feelings. Jesus called his situation doubting. Whatever it was Jesus heard his cry. He felt compassion on him.

Jesus met him right where he was. I suspect that Jesus coming to him specially, giving him a special gift embarrassed Thomas a lot. Thomas did not mean to be such trouble. Jesus came with compassion. And he told him to no longer doubt. I think Thomas was flustered. Nevertheless Thomas made the right response: "My Lord and My God!" I think this was a response of worship, of gratitude. I can vision him kneeling or bowing in awesome worship. He thanked Jesus for the personal gift.

Jesus uses this opportunity to speak prophesy to the ages, to us, to me: "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed." Brothers, sisters he is speaking about us. We have never seen Jesus face to face or touched his wounds and yet we believed.

I feel that since I have taken the leap of faith or step of faith I have seen enough to believe in a way like Thomas did. I feel I have touched God through other Christians along the way, in the body of Christ, in the community of saints, in the presence of the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. My weak faith has been strengthened by what I have experienced. I identify with being personally encouraged as Thomas was. It should not embarrass us. God is glad to do it, he loves us that much.

Do you have personal experiences like Thomas did that keep you going, that are anchors for your faith? How has God specially loved on you this past week?

Timeless truth

I just finished a class on speaking about God. I will take away one important thing, "Find the timeless truth in a passage and apply that to modern life."

Timeless truth: If you seek God with all your heart God will be found. He promises that. Jeremiah 29:13-14. I only cry over sports movies. But that is what tears tell God. That is often what tears tell us about a person.

Jeremiah 29:13-14. So God promises to be found by those who seek him with all their hearts. You can trust in this about God. It is what's at play with Mary at the tomb (John 20). She has been there, goes and gets the men. And then she comes back. The men get enlightened. But they do not talk to her. They are still processing. So Mary is left standing by the tomb weeping, confused.

So God wishes to be found. Her heart reaches out to God. She looks into the tomb and sees two angels. None of the men saw anything. The angels say, "Woman, why are you weeping?" This is a time for joy, not weeping. Her response has a tinge of anger to it, don't you think? "They have taken my Lord and I do not know where to find him." Jesus feels compassion for her. She is seeking with all her heart. God promises to be found by all who seek with all their heart. I find it hard to do that, through all my pride. Yet it happens for me where I am unconscious of trying. Surely Mary is not conscious of trying. She is just feeling her pain, letting it happen.

So Mary turns and there is Jesus. Jesus appears first to Mary. It is because Mary is seeking and confused. Jesus repeats what the angels said. "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?" God lets us process. Jesus helps her to figure it out. Mary has still not looked up into his face so she does not recognize him. Then Jesus calls her name, "Mary!" At that point her life is changed. God has allowed himself to be found. She responds with a word not translated, "Rabboni!" It means teacher but must mean more than that, perhaps "my teacher" is more accurate.

God promises to be found when we seek with all our heart. Lord give us the grace to seek you with all our heart.

1 Samuel 12

What a wise thing Samuel did written about in 1 Samuel 12! He was retiring, having his last all Israel meeting and sacrifice. He was retiring.

He took this final opportunity to challenge the people, saying, "Has anyone any claim against me? Have I done anyone wrong in all these long years that I have judged you? If so, make your claim now!" This was a bold thing to do. Being a judge involves hard decisions. Some people surely lost and went away angry. Would I be willing to be so daring?

And everyone said in the midst of witnesses, "We have no claim." I am in the midst of retiring from a family business and have operated it until its dissolution for over ten years. I do not think I would be so bold to ask that of my siblings. Not that we ever get together in one place. I think I am as innocent as Samuel was. And I suspect my siblings would have nothing definite to accuse me of. Though they may not be willing to openly call me innocent. Yet if asked like this, I do not think they could come up with definite charges.

Yet I know my siblings harbor misgivings. They wonder if there is something that they do not know about. So many people in Israel harbored doubts about Samuel. All that power surely might have corrupted at one time or another. But nobody knows about it. Nobody has come forward. Nobody accuses Samuel. This is like a courtroom, here is front of witnesses, all the people have sworn that Samuel goes to his retirement without any claims against him. Surely that would be a wonderful assurance for Samuel.

Judging people, being in a position of power like that surely makes some enemies. Some people felt they got the raw end of the deal. Or to heck with justice they wanted to be found innocent even if they were not. But no one could claim that Samuel did not judge impartially, without taking bribes or preferring certain people.

Some people bore grudges but in the light of day nothing was really wrong. Samuel had defrauded no one. He had taken no bribes. He had judged as fairly as possible. So Samuel was acquitted before all the people with all witnessing their admission of innocence.

What a wise thing Samuel did. Surely no author could make stuff like this up?

Psalm 38

Reading Psalm 38.

I notice he did not mention being perfect. He mentions desiring to follow God. "Psalm 38:9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you."

I seek the Lord. I love God. I want to do right. "Psalm 38:15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer?"

David is saying he seeks God. This seems to be enough. God forgives sin. He loves those of us who seek him. God is so merciful. And he loves it when we know that about him and have faith in his forgiveness.

This is a time in all of our lives when circumstances seem to overwhelm us. We see enemies attacking us, doing us evil for no reason. They return evil for our good. (Maybe we are not perfect. Maybe we might have provoked some of this. But we do not deserve this.) God will be our protector and shield.

David cries out to God. "Psalm 38:21-22 Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!"

This is how David concludes this psalm. We trust God answered. Let us cry out too, expecting mercy. David was far from perfect, neither are we. But God saw him as a man after his own heart. We are too when we seek God in faith.