Monthly Archives: July 2014

Wayfarer's Journal

Fourth of July 2014

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Wendy and I have enjoyed a gorgeous Fourth of July weekend at the lake. We’d been working from the lake last week, but took Friday off to enjoy getting out in the sun. There were a bunch of boats tied up in the cove with lots of people swimming, floating and sunning themselves. We blew up a couple of mats, threw on some music and floated in the sun for a few hours. Wendy forgot to put on sunscreen and got fried, but we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon nonetheless.

Wendy’s sister, Becky, and her husband Court, arrived around 7:00 p.m. They live in Denver and are headed to a visit back in Iowa, but stopped to spend the weekend with us. Becky is pregnant with their first, a girl, whom they’ve named Lydia. It was a lot of fun to see her pregnant and we’re excited to meet Lydia later this fall.

We cooked burgers on the grill Friday night and sat out on the deck to eat and chat. Captain Ron’s had their annual fireworks display planned for Saturday night but it seemed as if everyone in the cove had purchased their own at one of the 3,248,489 fireworks stands that dot Highway 5 every quarter mile or so. It was kind of fun to just sit on the deck and watch them going off all around us.

We got out for a boat ride on Saturday morning, though the traffic on the lake was already so heavy that the water seemed a bit more like being on the ocean. We slowly made our way around some of the nearby coves and let Becky and Court see the sights. In the afternoon we went down to the dock. Court and I got in the water while the ladies sat on the dock chatting.

Saturday evening was a wonderful dinner of grilled chicken and sweet corn on the cob. As it got dark was took the boat and anchored out in the cove to enjoy the fireworks. Becky and Court got up on Sunday and headed for Pella to spend some time with Suzanna. It was great to have them with us for a few days.

Chapter-a-Day

Honestly Flawed

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confessionThen David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 1 Chronicles 21:8 (NIV)

I have spent many years coaching professionals. My job is to help them become a better communicator on the phone. We listen to the employees calls together and then I help coach them on strategies for improving the customer experience in that call.

Coaching has taught me a lot about human nature and behavior. There is a stark contrast between those who are willing to admit that they have a lot to learn and those who refuse to do so. When listening to their own calls, most people are quick to hear things they could have done better and will admit it. There are always a few, however, who will cross their arms and steadfastly hold claim to perfection while blaming me for suggesting otherwise. I have been cussed out, yelled at, given the silent treatment and threatened by individuals who refuse to admit that they might be less than perfect and might have a thing or two to learn about communicating with customers.

One of the things I’ve learned about David, what marks him as a “man after God’s own heart,” is his honesty about himself and his own blind spots. He could be stubborn. He could be foolish. He could make tragic mistakes. Yet every time he was confronted with his mistakes or realized the error of his ways, he immediately confessed his wrong doing to God, asked God’s forgiveness, and sought to change his ways and make it right.

Being honest about your own shortcomings and failures is the first step to rising above them.

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Rockets Red Glare

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2014 07 04 Fireworks over the deck 035

Yesterday Wendy and I welcomed Wendy’s sister, Becky, husband, Courtney, and baby Lydia (waiting to make her official entrance in October) to the Playhouse. We see Becky and Court far too seldom and it is good to see them. They arrived in time to throw some burgers on the grill. It was a GORGEOUS Fourth of July evening and we ate on the deck, then sat and enjoyed the company and conversation. The official fireworks at Captain Ron’s isn’t scheduled until tonight, but since fireworks are legal in Missouri there were plenty of fireworks going off all around Buccaneer Bay. We enjoyed a non-stop display of fireworks late into the night.

I caught this shot of Court and Becky enjoying the view.

We plan to make a short visit to Bear Bottom today and then back to the Playhouse to enjoy this evening’s “official” fireworks. Beck and Court are on their way through to Iowa to visit family and we’re glad it worked out for them to spend a few days with us.

Chapter-a-Day

Uncles and Aunts; Nephews and Nieces

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Wendy with our nephew, Solomon.
Wendy with our nephew, Solomon.

In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
1 Chronicles 20 (NIV)

FYI… polydactyly (Greek for “many fingers”), is a rare but known genetic mutation that happens with one in every 500 live human births. The mutation is also found in certain animals. If you ever go to Key West, Florida, be sure to visit Hemingway’s house and his fabled six-toed cats which still inhabit the house and grounds.

I came from a relatively small family. My mother was an only child. My dad had one brother. I had three first cousins. It was pretty simple to keep track of who was who. I have only three siblings and one of my brothers has not married and does not have children (that he knows of 😉 – sorry, Tim, couldn’t resist). So it is fairly easy to keep tabs on nephews (2) and nieces (2).

Wendy comes from a relatively large family. There are seven siblings and to that you add a few spouses and children. Between her immediate family and extended family, it took me a few years to figure out who everyone was. To be honest, with the extended family I’m still confused on a regular basis.

We have friends who have twelve or more siblings. I can’t imagine the spreadsheet you need to keep track.

The truth is, despite my limited family extensions, I’ve come to appreciate in recent years how important the role of uncles and aunts can be in family dynamics. Uncles and Aunts are usually about the same age as parents, but they aren’t responsible for their nephews and nieces so I notice that it’s easier to extend a little more grace. Uncles and Aunts grew up with one or both of our parents and have a lot longer experience living with them, so they provide nephews and nieces what can sometimes be a much needed context in understanding the parental unit. Aunts and Uncles can be fun to hang out with. They can be appreciated, admired, and enjoyed without a lot of the relational entanglements that come with parents.

I thought about that when I read of Jonathan, David’s nephew, who killed the six-fingered man from Gath who dared to taunt Israel. I can imagine Jonathan hearing the six-fingered man’s taunting and thinking of his Uncle David, whom he’d always admired and of whom he’d always heard the family legend of the killing of Goliath. “If Uncle David can do it,” Jonathan thinks to himself, “So can I!”

This morning I’m grateful for uncles and aunts, nephews and nieces.

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Chapter-a-Day

New Places, New Faces: Wisdom Required

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meredithWhen David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” 1 Chronicles 19:3 (NIV)

I’ll never forget seventh grade. That was the first year of what used to be called Junior High School and is now generally referred to as Middle School. All of the local elementary schools fed into Meredith Junior High. For seven years I had attended school with pretty much the same group of kids. We knew each other. We’d grown up together. Now, we were all dispersed among four or five times the number of kids from all over town.

I can remember the anxiety that came with those early days of seventh grade. You feel awkward enough as it is when you’re twelve or thirteen years old, but then to be placed in a new school with a host of new kids you didn’t know could feel disconcerting. I met all sorts of new friends. Some were positive influences on me, others not so much.

I thought about those days as I read inexperienced Prince Hanun taking the throne and filling his fathers shoes. I have no idea how old Hanun was, but I pictured him as a young man suddenly thrust into leadership and his commanders all jockeying for favor with the new monarch. They whispered in his year during a time of anxiety and fear. Hanun proved ignorant, or foolish, or both. He listened to the wrong advice and it cost him his crown.

Being in a new place can be a scary time. Whether it’s living in a new community, attending a new school, or working at a new job, there is a certain period of time it takes to get oriented and learn the ropes. You also tend to meet a lot of new people who have a whole lot of advice for you emanating from their own self-serving agendas. This morning I am reminded that wisdom and discernment are greatly needed during these stretches of life’s journey. New “friends” you meet in these situation often prove the great wisdom I learned from Looney Tunes as a kid: “With a friend like that, who needs enemies?”

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