Head-dibs

"troubles are followed by troubles." In Japanese, they say, “when crying, stung by bee.” The point of these expressions is to capture an unfortunate reality of life: that what can go wrong will… and often all at the same time. So during this COVID-19 quarantine, things are just that.  I've lost my job after 19 years I am no longer a doctoral student. The State has removed our niece from our home after yet another suicide attempt and has put us in a horrible position. Good thing we have friends and documentation of her history. Stay-at-home orders are in effect. We can't control the storm but we can control how we respond to it.  Yes, I mourn a little every day, but only when I'm not busy and start dwelling on what I can't control or change. God has me in a place where I have nothing or nobody to depend on but Him. I can now update my resume and my office is clean. I know who my real friends are (trouble has a way of sifting people). M

What a week. My wife is taking her second Disney class at the University (required in her major) which included a study tour to all the Disney parks in Orlando. I got to tag along. Yes, CIU offers a class that does this. We even got to do a 5-hour walking tour behind the scenes at The Magic Kingdom. Amazing! The short version: got sick Tuesday and spent all Wednesday and part of Thursday in hotel room so we missed many attractions we were supposed to see. The professor was good to work with us and let us rest when necessary. We left Orlando the day the park closed for COVID precautions. Regardless, here are a few pics from when we arrived and later ventures out: The Polynesian Lobby. Space Mountain, where I almost died! Haunted Mansion. Best. Ride. Ever. Get that song stuck in your head! Mission Mars Orange. I nearly died. No, really. The ride was designed with NASA scientists. Barf bags at every station. Look it up.

Walked 7 miles today. And it's only day 1. We are now officially old.

Sanders, J. Oswald. 2007. Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer . Chicago: Moody. “It is perhaps surprising that in the century that saw around 100 million people die because of the lunatic beliefs of political ‘leaders’, people in our time should have become obsessed with leadership and its applications in diverse fields—religious, military, political, entertainment, sport, arts and more.” (Spillane and Joullie, 2015, viii). Blackaby and Blackaby agree, indicating that “bookstore shelves overflow with leadership theories” (Blackaby and Blackaby, 2001, x). How has Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders maintained for so long in the presence of boundless leadership material? First printed in 1967, Sanders’ book is among the first in present-day literature to make an impact. The present volume under review exists as the third reprinting, last revised in 2007. Regardless of the publication date, this work has contributed to the works of many Christian

Nehemiah met opposition head-on, giving it no chance to get a foot-hold nor give it any room to grow. His response was swift and direct. He was able to do so because:  Nehemiah defined his mission. Nehemiah came to repair a wall. “Let us rise up and build” (2:18). When the opposition came casting doubt asking, “what is this thing that you are doing?” (2:19), he was able to answer them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build.” (2:20b) Nehemiah narrowed his focus. His critics have no heritage, right or memorial in the city (2:20c) but with a defined mission in mind, Nehemiah focused on his target and let nothing distract him from hitting it (3:1-32). Nehemiah’s focus was so narrow that he was able to name those who were rightfully there to support the mission.  Nehemiah set a guard. Nehemiah protected his workers and their work. (Neh. 4:9-23) Any difficult endeavor tends to weaken just after the half-way mark. Strength