Clays For Commerce

Friday: good to get out of the office. Our fabricator helps sponsor a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser at the gun range they own, and they invited us down to take part. Over 170 in attendance. Pastries for breakfast. Opening speeches and instructions with a God honoring opening prayer and playing of the national anthem, followed by everyone shooting their guns at the same time (below). Lunch was cooked on site by Outback Steakhouse, with several choices: burgers, grilled chicken, Philly steaks, macaroni & cheese, cookies, and cokes.

I was to shoot ten shots with the beginners at noon, but I was the only one there when the 11 am group finished. The guide gave me one on one instructions, and I knocked out ten shots in just a few minutes. Didn’t come close to hitting the flying clay targets. My three coworkers were shooting at the same time, so I went over to watch them finish (top: Brad, Eric, & Alex). Got back to the office by 2 pm.

Interesting that some on social media were using NY Times columnist David Brooks to slam Trump and the National Day of Prayer, while Denison quotes Brooks praising Trump (below). For sure many times prayer should be a personal, private time between me and God, though there are times when two or three should agree in prayer together, and entire congregations should indeed lift God up in prayer corporately. Prayer should never be for show, and for sure there are blowhards of all political persuasions that try to use God to further their own personal and political ambitions. This is not new.

In a related note, I also found Andy Stanley’s recent quote to be interesting: “I wish I’d discovered earlier in my faith journey that it is not good enough to be good. I must be seen doing good. Otherwise I am good for nothing”. Then he quotes Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.

What are your thoughts?

Denison: columnist David Brooks, a longtime critic of Donald Trump, wrote a recent New York Times article surprisingly titled, “Trump’s Single Stroke of Brilliance.” Brooks credits the administration for its energy: “It is flooding the zone, firing on all cylinders, moving rapidly on all fronts at once. It is operating at a tremendous tempo, taking the initiative in one sphere after another.” In his view, those opposed to Mr. Trump need to match his “clarity of purpose” with a “one-sentence mission statement” and a clear strategy for implementing it.

Pet Peeve: so many on social media never take a stand on a topic, never offer an opinion, but just throw out questions in an effort to get comments and views. I try to avoid most of those folks.

JOHN OLERUD [SABR Bio] is the only player to hit for the cycle in a season where he had only one triple – and he did it twice. On 11-Sep-1997, Olerud hit for the cycle for the Mets. The triple in that game was his only one of the season. His previous cycle had come 405 games earlier, on the final day of the strike-shortened 1994 season. Then, playing for Seattle on 12-Jun-2001, he again hit for the cycle again. That triple was also his only one of the year—and came during a five-season span in which he hit no other triples (1999–2003). Olerud's pitching record at Washington State University was 26-4 with a 3.17 ERA over his 3 seasons. He also threw 241.1 innings, setting multiple PAC-10 & PAC-10 North records. ME: Olerud's story about Rickey Henderson is legendary, though supposedly not true.

Luke 24:1-12 the Resurrection of Christ: 1. On Sunday at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2. They found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 3. When the went inside they did not find Jesus’ body. 4. Two angels appeared in dazzling glory. 5. This frightened them. The angels said “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” 6. He is not here. He has risen. Remember how he told you, when he was in Galilee 7. that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise on the third day? 8. They remembered these words. 9. Returning from the tomb, they told all these things to the disciples and others. 10. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told the apostles 11. who did not believe them. 12. Peter rose and ran to the tomb, and looked inside. He saw the linen cloths, and went home marveling at what had happened.