thoughts on the news of the day: traffic

hmmm…..

            “Carmageddon” has begun.  The Interstate 405 corridor in the Los Angeles area is being  shut down for 53 hours while construction crews struggle to begin road work on a 10 mile stretch.  This construction is intended to widen the freeway and lessen the traffic load into L.A.  Commuters were warned of the shut down days ahead of time.  Rooms were made available to local hospital workers to insure they would be on time for work.  Helicopters are on call for transport of patients and an airline has even offered budget fares for planes flying across the city between airports.  They sold out almost immediately.

            Recently, several European cities have closed thoroughfares to automobiles in an effort to curb congestion and limit pollution.  The streets in most European cities were built long ago and are very narrow; so opportunities for widening are limited.  Travelers are now encouraged to take trains, busses and/or ride bicycles.  The upside of this inconvenience is that roads are completely open to foot traffic and a new relaxed ambience has overtaken whole areas of the cities.

            I wonder where we will be on the traffic dilemma in the next ten years.  Will interstates become wider and wider until they overtake our cities.  Will we finally begin to really embrace mass transit in this country?  Will it even matter to folks in rural towns like Mountain Home, where, as one transplanted Californian remarks, it is heaven to pull out on Hwy #178 and not see a vehicle driving in either direction?   

            “Carmageddons” may come and go, which is why I love my Mountain Home where the roads are hilly and curved but nevertheless almost devoid of travelers.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: drought

hmmm…..

                  Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma asked the people of that state to pray for rain this weekend.  She said, “The power of prayer is a wonderful thing, and I would ask every Oklahoman to look to a greater power this weekend and ask for rain.”  Rick Perry, Governor of Texas also asked for prayers for rain earlier this year because of the extreme drought in that state.

                  Last summer a member of our congregation asked for prayers for rain and they were spoken during our Prayers of the People portion of our worship service.  Later on that week we experienced a downpour in the area.  Coincidence?  Maybe you could say that, but I believe that there are no coincidences in God’s world.

                  There is a story about a preacher who asked the people of her congregation to come to a prayer meeting to pray for rain because of an extreme drought in the area.  A large assembly came, but only one little boy brought an umbrella.  Now that’s faith.

                  Do you believe that prayers can make it rain?  Do you believe in the power of prayer?  I believe that something happens when people pray that doesn’t happen when people don’t pray.  I believe in the power of prayer to change things.  Sometimes it changes the surroundings or the circumstances.  More often, it just changes our perception or attitude about a problem or a situation.

                  I believe in the power of prayer.  After all, it can’t hurt and it might help.

                  hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: stethescope

hmmm…..

            A friend of mine shared a cool youtube video called, “Stethoscope”.  There are several versions of this video circling the planet and they basically all go something like this: 

            A man is walking down a sidewalk and he sees a stethoscope just lying there.  He picks it up and places the ear buds in his ears.  Then he listens with it.  He rests it on a cookie and to his surprise, hears the song, “Sugar, Sugar”. Next he places it on a stop sign and hears the Supremes song, “Stop in the Name of Love”. It emits “Lean on Me” as he leans on a light pole.  A water hydrant is next and it plays, “Who Let the Dogs Out” And so on ….

            Then he gets the idea to place the stethoscope over his heart and the Halleluiah Chorus from the Messiah bursts out.  He has discovered that Christ lives in him.  The Scripture reference then shatters the screen:  “The mystery is this:  “Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory.”  Colossians 1: 28

            What would you hear in that special stethoscope if you put it to your heart?  Would you hear mumbling and grumbling, or would you hear heavenly voices?  My prayer for you today is that you experience the relief of knowing that God is within you and that all the joy and happiness are yours to discover.

            hmmm…..

                  Note: to view the video, go to: http://www.northarkansasliving.com/ 

             

           

thoughts on the news of the day: savings bonds

hmmm…..

            Whatever happened to good old U.S. Savings Bonds?  I was thinking about them the other day and was wondering if they were even still in existence. It seems like you never hear about them anymore.  Then, this morning, there is an article on the USA Today website.  Apparently, after Dec. 31, we will no longer be able to purchase savings bonds – at least on paper.  The whole program has gone digital and bonds will no longer be available at banks and savings and loans. 

            Seems like every momentous event in my early life was marked by a savings bond.  You could purchase them for about ½ the face amount and in about 7 years or so, they matured.  So when I received them for first Holy Communion, they would mature about college time – handy, wouldn’t you say?  My Dad bought savings bonds through work and used them as a sort of college fund for my brothers and sisters and I.  I won several 4-H awards during high school, and they always came with a $25 or $50 bond.  When my daughter was born, I began to save nickels and dimes and gathered up enough for a $500 bond.  I think she cashed it in to buy her first house.

            But all of that now seems like a thing of the past.  There are so many other much more profitable ways to invest money that savings bonds are pretty much last on the list.  Maybe we should start a revival of them, though.  It’s a good way to support our government at a time when it needs our help. 

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: friends

hmmm…..

            Having a friend used to mean something completely different.  A friend was someone who was close.  They might just be close in location; or they are close because of emotional investment.  Perhaps they are close because they were family first.  My two sisters were both family members way before they became my close friends.  A best friend was someone you had known for years, had confided in on numerous occasions and shared good and bad times together.

            Today a “friend” is someone who knows someone, who knows someone who knows you on facebook.  “Friend” has a completely new meaning and that comes with new uses of the word.  For example, “will you ‘friend’ me?” means can I add you to the limitless list of people on my facebook friend list.  “I un-friended him today” means you broke up with your boyfriend and no longer want him to know what is going on in your life. 

            The new definition of friend is not all bad.  I have reconnected with two of my best friends from childhood whom I would probably never know about except through facebook.  I can keep up with my nieces and nephews and what is going on in their lives.  And of course, it’s great to learn how my daughter’s new business is doing by the photos she distributes throughout the social network. 

            Whether it’s by facebook, email, telephone or even regular postal mail, I recommend you attempt to contact friends you left behind from childhood, high school and college.  You can learn a lot about them, and more importantly, you can learn a lot about yourself.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: echo boomers

hmmm…..

            Yesterday we had a guest preacher at our church service.  While she is not of that age herself, she spent some time during the sermon talking about the Millennial Generation – also known as Generation Y or – I love this one – Echo Boomers.  This generation is the category of young people who are ages 18-29.  Our speaker’s contention, based on her research, is that this generation is different than the ones before it and that they have a desire to give in a way that others before them have not.

            We started our Vacation Bible School last evening.  A piece of the program is that four young “Echo Boomer” counselors from our area’s church camp are leading and implementing the program with us “oldsters’ merely being support staff.  And these four are not just USA kids; one is from England and one is from Ecuador.  Most definitely these four fit the qualities described by the research being done on their generation.  They are college-bound, interested in serving others and are civic minded.  They are articulate, techno-savvy and have a very optimistic outlook in spite of the conditions they see around them.  They are our hope.

            I am looking forward to working with each of them this week.  I want to pick their brains, learn what interests them and how they see the world and their lives in the future.  I want to know their vision for the world and their place in it.  Like my daughter, who also fits this age category, I am guessing that they are very willing to share their thoughts, ideas and plans – that’s what Millennials do.   They are not “sitter-arounders”.  They are do-ers, and we need them very badly.  There is a future for our world, and it lies in the hands of these young ones.  God bless them all.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: tomatoes

hmmm…..

            There’s nothing tastier than a fresh, vine ripened Arkansas tomato in the summertime.  That is, unless it is a cheese and tomato sandwich.  Someone once asked me what my favorite meal was.  I answered, “I’d have to say that a cheese and tomato sandwich with a cold glass of fresh iced tea with lemon is the best.”   

            Before I went to seminary, I worked for a company that published crafts instructions and recipe books.  My job was to design crafts and to edit and proofread the directions for recipes and crafts.  I learned how to write a recipe in a thorough and concise manner.  Now, I am sure you want my tomato and cheese sandwich recipe, so I am going to share it with you:

            Ingredients:

            2 slices whole grain bread (I love “Woodstock” bread from Neighbor’s in Harrison, AR.)

            2 T. mayonnaise (I like Hellmans)

            1 vine ripened Arkansas tomato, thinly sliced

            2 Velveta cheese slices

            Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

            To assemble the sandwich, lightly toast the bread.  Spread the mayo generously across both slices of the bread.  Place cheese on 1 slice of bread.  Place tomatoes on top of cheese.  Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on tomatoes.  Cover with other slice of bread. Slice sandwich diagonally in half.  Serve with iced tea. 

            That’s my recipe.  I heard once that tomato and cheese sandwiches were Lady Bird Johnson’s favorite also.  Since she grew up in East Texas, close to Arkansas, I guess that would be logical.  But it is kind of amazing that with all of the opportunities she had for exotic foods, she would choose that.  Then again, they have pretty good tomatoes in Texas, too.

            hmmm…..