The Long Day

Tuesday – left work at 515. My last day of free nacho fries at Taco Bell. Got home and went out to gas up Ceil’s car. Stopped by High Country in The Avenue East Cobb.  Supper was a beef tip dish, which is never good.

Ceil was going to spend the night at W&MC’s, but messed around doing everything except getting ready and leaving. She was cleaning the kitchen when I would’ve done that. She didn’t leave until 9 pm, when it was dark. I took Winnie to the car. W&MC wanted to go to bed, since they had an early flight.

After she left I packed some items in my car. Was in bed by 10 pm.

Woke up 2 minutes before my 4:15 am alarm. Slept good – up till then. Made it to W&MC’s house at 5:20 am. Dropped them off at the international gate at 5:55 am. 

Made it to Candler Park by 6:15. Had to wait for the sun to come up. There were two young Korean ladies there to play golf, snapping photos of each other. I teed off at 6:45. Since I had to leave space in my car for W&MC’s luggage, I didn’t bring my little pull cart, so I had to lug my big bag around for nine holes. Not good, with my sciatic pain making it hard to swing. Should’ve taken a pill.

1. Hit what I thought were two good drives. Saw my mulligan fly off toward the left side of the fairway, but never found either ball. Hit 2 approach shots left of the green. Two chips, one better than the other. Two putt. “Bogey”.

2. Must’ve topped one of my two 6 irons off the tee, but my first shot settled on the fringe. Two putt for a “par”.

3. Hit one good but left. Second into the right bushes. Then two flubs. Chipped down to the fringe, then chipped to 2 feet. “Bogey”.

4. Hit two tee shots left, plus a third low and short. Chipped 3 balls onto the green. Three putt. “Double”.

5. Hit one tee shot long but slightly left, that I would never find. Mulligan was low but rolled onto the green. Missed the first putt, but sank the mulligan for a “birdie”. As I was walking over to the 6th tee I noticed that I was missing the nice headcover for my 3 wood – even though I hadn’t used it the entire round. Strange.

6. The hybrid I hit off the tee felt good, but it must’ve drawn into the brush on the left. Tried to hit a hybrid off the fairway without success. Hit four approach shots, but only one made it close to the green. The sprinklers were blasting around the green, so I moved on. Give me a “bogey”. As I was headed off the hole I chatted with the greenskeeper.

7. Hit a good drive, most of the way up the hill. The greenskeeper was driving past, so I waved him down to tell him to look for my headcover. He went off like a man on a mission. I hit two fairway shots. Found the worm burner. Hit three approach shots: one left, one right, and a third that rolled off the back of the green. My lag putts were short. “Triple”.

8. Hit a decent drive. Didn’t see it, but found it down in the middle of the fairway. When I got to my ball the greenskeeper drove up – and handed me my headcover! I thanked him profusely, but had no money to tip him. I hit three approach shots – all three settled short of the green. Hit three good chips. Missed the first putt but sank my mulligan, for a “par”.

9. Hit what I thought was a good 3 wood off the tee, but found it halfway up the hill in the left rough. Flubbed one chip, rolled one to the front fringe, and one too low that rolled off the back of the green. Chipped close, but it took me four tries to sink the 5 foot putt. “Double”

Today I drove…

…from East Cobb to Mozely Park, then on down to the airport.

…up to Candler Park.

…up 85 north, 285 west, and Peachtree Industrial to work.

…retraced those steps down to Waffle House in Buckhead.

…up 400 to 285 east, to Peachtree Industrial to work.

…west to East Cobb, then 75 south back down to Mozely Park.

My high-tech coworker out an “air tag” in his wallet, so if he loses it, he can find it with his phone. Guess I need one of those. With my Apple Watch, I can hit a button and my phone beeps, so I can always find my phone. I got Ceil an Apple Watch, and she uses it to beep her phone.

What to do when you have one day in New York City. Not sure if this is the daughter of a high school classmate (who now lives near me in East Cobb).

One Day in New York City: Layover Itinerary (sarahbtravelin.com)

DENISON: the Paris Olympics were successful in large part because 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers, and 22,000 private security guards protected the games from terrorists driven by jihadist ideology. The teenage terrorists who allegedly targeted as many as twenty thousand Taylor Swift fans in Austria were motivated by the same resurgent ISIS ideology now threatening the West. China’s autocratic leader, Xi Jinping, is enabling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in order to vindicate Marxist doctrine. Israel’s jihadist opponents are motivated by an ideology that paints the Jewish state as the enemy of Islam.

How a young mother survived a grizzly bear attack (denisonforum.org)

Braves Bits

The Braves have rotated through a whole host of outfielders this season, not just Laureano and Duvall. I’ve listed them before: Forrest Wall, Brian Anderson, Eli White, Michael Harris, Ronald Acuna, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Kelenic. Ten different guys. Maybe more. They need to move Nacho out there. The good news is that Michael Harris is currently rehabbing at Gwinnett. Batting leadoff, he slapped the first pitch he saw into left field for a hit.

Braves GM AA deserves to be named MLB executive of the year just for the Chris Sale trade. Getting the All Star / Cy Young favorite for a minor league shortstop AND having other teams paying the vast majority of his salary. In Boston Vaughn Grissom has hit .148 in 23 games. Steal of the century.

Everyone is so quick to call athletes the greatest of all time (GOAT). Usually a complete disregard for history, those that came before. The GOAT may not win all the time, but doesn’t lose out in an embarrassing fashion, in the first round, to an unknown. Doesn’t make a mockery of the game. Doesn’t wear a little goat figurine around their neck after barely winning half the events they were entered in. Doesn’t beat themselves. Tiger wanted to win so bad that he hurt himself in the process, more than once. Tiger was dominant, a force, but Jack still edges him as the GOAT.

Other GOATs: Wayne Gretzky. Michael Phelps. Michael Jordan edges Kobe and Kareem. Hard to pick a GOAT QB, but I pick Brady over Montana. Barry Sanders is the GOAT RB. For receivers its hard to pick between Rice, Moss, and Calvin. Mickey Mantle was too injury riddled to be the GOAT hitter. Ted Williams may edge Joltin Joe, the Iron Horse, Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe, Hammerin Hank, and Ichiro. The GOAT pitcher is Greg Maddux.

Stayed after work Monday finishing several things up. Then C called to remind me of her women’s zoom call. I decided to drive up toward Cumming to eat at Red Robin. They offer “bottomless” fries and other items, but usually the service is so slow it’s hard to get the refills you want. But this time I got great fast service. I ordered the bottomless root beer float, and finished one off before my burger arrived. The waiter brought out a second float just as I was finishing the first  The steak fries came with the burger, and the waiter quickly brought out a second basket – which I couldn’t quite finish. I was too full to get a third float. A Coke Zero float might’ve been a little less filling.

By the time I was able to log onto the Elon Musk / Donald Trump interview, Ceil was already engrossed in a Hallmark Channel movie - so we didn’t listen to much of it. I’m hearing that it was a huge media win for Trump. He spoke coherently the entire time on a wide range of topics. Musk would love to do a similar equal time interview with Kamala to let her talk about whatever she wants.

I finished the novel “The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers”, by Samuel Burr.

Now reading “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion” by Jonathan Haidt, an agnostic professor of human psychology. I’d read another of Haidt’s books on how smart phones are causing mental illness in teenagers and young adults, which was spot on. In The Righteous Mind, Haidt shows how a person’s brain is wired determines whether they’re liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. Heavy stuff. I really have to concentrate to follow all this.

Conspiracy theories…

1. the Minn governor was hand picked by China to be Kamala’s running mate. You heard it here first. What government official takes 20+ trips to China?

2. the Trump shooter was recruited by the CIA, who set up the whole thing. CIA sharpshooters took the shots.

3. the riots in England, what is happening in Venezuela, the immigrants in Europe and the US - all part of an overall plan that will lead to the demise of the US and an eventual one world government.

Article: a story that so many aren’t hearing.

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Burger Weekend

Friday: left work at 515. Cut the grass. Was dark by the time I finished. Watched a little of the Falcons game, and went to bed.

Saturday: up early to golf. As usual my playing partner was running late. Spent the time chipping balls on the practice green. Almost lost a ball in the high grass around the green. Teed off at 650 am. Only played one ball, with a few exceptions.

1. Decent drive off the tee. Flubbed a couple of shots. Finally flipped a chip onto the green. Two putt. Double.

2. Popped up my tee shot. Fairway shot to the fringe. Two putt. Bogey.

3. Hit two terrible 8 irons off the tee. Miraculously found both. Sailed my approach across the fairway into he left rough. Chipped was stopped by the high grass on the right fringe. Three putt. “Double”.

4. My tee shot was short and right. Chipped across to the left rough again. Decent chip out of the high grass. An okay long lag putt. Double. Poor Paul struggled all morning.

5. Hit a decent 6 iron off the tee, that stayed left. Couldn’t find it in the high grass. Decent chip onto the green. Two putt for “bogey”.

6. Didn’t see where my tee shot went, but it turned out to be great – past the 150 yard marker. Hit an okay fairway shot. Hit three wedges – two were long and low and rolled off the back of the green. Third stayed short of the green. Decent chip and two putt. “Double”.

7. First drive ricocheted off a tree. Mulligan missed the tree and continued into the adjacent fairway. Decent 5 iron up the hill. Chipped to the fringe. Three putt. “Double”.

8. A good drive off the tee. Hit two passable wedges, but both were short of the green. Found my wayward tee shot from the previous hole and decided to hit it – a beautiful shot onto the green. Sank the putt. “Birdie”.

9. Hit a pretty good tee shot, but they never go as far up the hill as they seem. My chip was low, and rolled to the back of the green. Tricky 48 foot downhill putt to the front of the green. My first attempt was decent – but it still rolled past the hole and off the front of the green. Flubbed a second attempt short and right. I had one more ball in my pocket, so I putted it – into the hole 48 feet away (I stepped it off). Shot of the day. Even hitting several shots, I don’t think I had ever “parred” that long uphill hole.

I have never broken 90 on a real golf course. Candler Park has five par 3 holes and four par 4s, so playing it twice would be a par 62. No par 5’s. I’m sure Lang’s course was like a par 72. Plus since I’m just trying to practice I will hit several shots from the same location. That’s why I say I made a “bogey” instead of making an actual bogey.

Stopped by RaceTrac and Goodwill on the way home. Lunch at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. A decent burger.

Cleaned up all afternoon. Had on the Olympics: modern pentathlon and the men’s basketball final. Set up the new gas grill that Ceil had bought. Ceil baked another pie.

Matthew was first to arrive, then A&C, then Will (from work), followed closely by MC and the girls. Caleb grilled the burgers while Will, Millie, and I supervised. A great spread: corn on the cob, tossed salad, grilled potatoes, apple pie, and ice cream. Burgers under the foil.

The girls took turns on the “balance beam” – a rolled up area rug.

Millie has learned how to make a cute face.

We had a great time. After they left I promptly fell asleep on the couch. Woke up and went to bed at 11 pm.

Sunday School with at least 29 in attendance. Call it 30. Then worship. Stopped by Publix and Sprouts on the way home. Earlier Ceil had made us eggyboys.

Ate two leftover burgers for lunch, and later one for supper – sandwiched by leftover apple pie and ice cream. Stayed plopped on the couch all afternoon. Did some laundry. Watched the closing ceremony, then some Cowboys@Rams and Bears@Bills. Stetson threw 4 interceptions, then threw the game-winning TD pass.

Ate the last piece of apple pie this morning before heading to the gym. Tonight Ceil had a zoom call, so I cashed in my birthday burger at Red Robin - with refills on fries and root beer float. Great service.

DENISON: a society as secularized as ours should not be shocked by the mental health crisis our teenagers are experiencing, a worsening epidemic of distress tied to political turmoil and social isolation. Or by our declining birth rate due in large part to a loss of meaning, prompting many young adults to forego childbearing. Tom Cruise does "jaw-dropping" stunts at closing ceremonies (denisonforum.org)

Sermon Notes: Spiritual Gifts

JFBC Clay Smith

Knock Off: don't settle for less sermon series 

Romans 12: 1-8 Knock offs are less than the real thing.

The world is all about being served. God wants us to live a life of service, to move from just being a member of the crowd to the congregation and then part of the core of the church, being all in with the mission of the church in service to Christ.

How to discover your spiritual gifts. We all have direct access to God. All believers have God's spirit in our hearts.

Three questions:

1. What is a spiritual gift?

It's any ability empowered by the Holy Spirit that is given to empower the church to be used in ministry until Christ returns.

Nonchristians don't have spiritual gifts. They may be good at teaching or speaking or leading, but not in a kingdom way.

V 1 present your body as a living sacrifice. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Brought into a right family relationship with God. We are gifted with God's spirit.

V 3 our various gifts should lead us into unity, one body in Christ.

V 6 God's grace is more than forgiveness. God gifts his grace. Every church is a charismatic church, where God's spirit is working and moving.

Resource: understanding spiritual gifts by Sam Storms. He wrote a book about spiritual warfare as well.

The spiritual gifts lists in Romans 12...

Prophesy: definition: reporting to others on how God worked. Prophesy requires a response. Prophesy is important, is on all three lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible.

Service. People who see a need and know what to do.

Teaching - explaining the scriptures so others can understand. Defending scripture from attacks.

Encourager - ministering to those who hurt, calling out sin with gentleness.

Giving. Not about how much you have or give

Leadership.

Mercy. Compassion for those hurting.

Do you know your spiritual gift?

Do you know why you have your spiritual gift? It's not to serve you, but others.

How to use your spiritual gifts: three scriptures

1 Cor 12:4-7 and 8-11

Eph 4:11-13

1 Peter 4:10-11

Using your spiritual gift is a responsibility. Are all spiritual gifts from Biblical times still available to believers today? There are different schools of thought. Clay thinks all gifts are still available, though rarely seen. He is open but cautious. We need to come together in the body of Christ to use God's gifts.

2. How do I discover my spiritual gift?

A. Reflection. Take a spiritual inventory, like at JFBC.com 

B. Ask other believers who know you well.

C. Look for opportunities to serve. Where is there a need?

3. How to I develop my gift?

A. By trying

B. By seeking greater gifts 1 Cor 12

C. By being content with the gift God gave you. Use it.

Clay pulled a young volunteer from the congregation, a 10 year old girl to run across the stage, then hop on one foot, then grab grab both feet. Impossible to do. God would never ask us to do something we aren't able to do.

Sunday School notes: Dan Rice

Five realities from Hebrews 3:12-14

1. Sin…rebellion against God…something I do or not do…preferring anything over God to satisfy my needs and desires.

2. Deceit…is there anything more desirable than God? Sin is a lie.

3. Hardening of our heart. Making it hard for us to be touched by the truth of Jesus.

4. Leads to unbelief. God's truth becomes undesirable.

5. Evil captures our hearts. Christian fellowship must step in, led by the Holy Spirit every day. We lie to ourselves.

Encourage others in the Lord. This is our duty as a follower of Jesus. We need to be honest with each other, and honest to God. Take risks. Share and be open about what you are going through.

Place to Call My Own?

Good news (but long story). Over the past through years Ceil has been trying to renovate our house, slowly but surely. New siding and gutters, a new front walk, new garage doors, new windows and French doors. Next up is a “built in” cabinets in our living room, and then a new back deck. Yesterday C had an old design coworker over to discuss the projects…

…Right now there’s no space for me to have as an “office”. No basement or bonus room. We’d like to keep the two upstairs bedrooms as guest bedrooms, if we can clean out all junk. When I work from home I work at the kitchen table or in the dining room. Not a good long term solution. Ceil uses the “extra bedroom” downstairs as an “art studio”. In typical Ceil fashion, every wall in the small room is crammed: three tall bookcases, a short bookcase, chest of drawers, and a desk. Two rolling carts, a cart for her sewing machine, plus the window.

But the good news is that Ceil MIGHT let me have the room as an “office”. She really doesn’t like to work in there. We’ll see how it plays out. I won’t hold my breath. Would be nice to have a place to pay the bills.

Sometimes when you listen to corporate bigwigs talk, they sound a lot like a politician on the campaign trail. They use a bunch of big words, but when you stop to think about what they are saying, its hard to understand how all these lofty words translate into the real world of entering orders and pulling and shipping the product. In a “down market” we have to “cut costs” while at the same time “improving on time delivery”. But how? If the head count of the people who actually pull and package the orders is reduced, then machines can’t run to capacity and orders don’t ship. If purchasing can’t place orders for more stock material, there’s no way sales can do anything but drop. I’ve heard this called the “death spiral”. Things just get worse and worse.

Seems like during the last downturn some used an opposite approach: shelves were stocked to be ready to fill any orders that came along. An upward spiral, if you will. The downturn was survived in glorious fashion.  But hey, I’m no business wiz. Get me another beer.

What’s frustrating is when you have to do one task over and over to get it done. Seems like so maybe people aren’t sure what to do, and you have to prod them along. The corporations have teams of people set up to do various tasks (that have little idea of how coworkers dealing with customers and working orders are pushed for time), but require you to jump through their hoops to get what you need. When you work for a team that does things differently than everyone else, others may forget that you are stuck doing twice as much work then you used to do.  

I don’t consider myself racist, at least in the traditional sense of the word. Am I? I have lived and worked around people all many various ethnicities for most of my life. Black. Hispanic. Gay. Straight. The people I have a hard time with are lazy people, people who try to get out of work, people who think they are more important or more special or think they deserve better treatment than others. Drivers who cut others off in traffic. People who don’t use the cross walks to cross the street. Sure some people didn’t grow up in this country and weren’t taught these things growing up. I like free things as much as the next person, but I don’t think that I am entitled to a life paid for by the government. I am fine with working for a living. Things may be tougher these days, but that’s not excuse to be lazy.

Hoka Clifton 9

My new Hoka Clifton 9s are not bright white, but a slightly more subdued “Nimbus Cloud / Steel Wool”. Now I’m freaked out about getting my new white sneakers dirty.

In general I can wear any pair of shoes for years and not get them dirty. I don’t go places that are dirty or muddy unless I’m wearing Crocs or sneakers that are already dirty.

About had a cow this week when I found dirt on my year old black Cole Haans. My 5 year old Puma RSXs have a tiny black spec that drives me crazy. My 4 year old Vans have a spot.

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Thursday wasn’t going great. The things I was having to resolve didn’t really dovetail with the cheery reports I was hearing. Helps to type out my feelings. I’m continually trying to dial back on the pressure.

Worked until 530 Thursday afternoon. When I got home I realized I needed gas to mow the lawn. Supper was ready: spaghetti & meatballs.

With my niece’s wedding still 5+ weeks away, the timing way off for a haircut. I just wanted C to trim the hair off my ears, but she spent 30 minutes clipping the sides and back. As she hacked away I was thinking how that now that I am 65, I am getting the old man treatment.

Skipped the gym Friday morning, due to pain but also since I’ll be cutting grass this afternoon. Rodney brought in apple fritters. Just what I needed.

 A social media story that dovetails with Denison’s devotion this morning –late last night out of the blue a guy had gone back several months to attack two of another guy’s old posts. One on how Christians are being persecuted. Not sure what prompted him. For some reason he feels personally attacked when people post things he doesn’t agree with – even though the post wasn’t directed at him. He also went back to lament on another lady’s old photo post that he wasn’t in. Not a good look. He must’ve been having a bad night.

DENISON: regardless of whether your side wins or loses, God will still be on his throne, America will most likely continue to exist. Most importantly, your highest calling—to share God’s good news in service to God’s kingdom—will not change. Fulfilling that calling will be far more difficult if you’ve burned bridges and spoken or acted in ways that diminish your witness between now and November. So the next time you’re tempted to prioritize politics over your higher purpose in Christ, remember that this world is not our home. Our ultimate allegiance belongs to God. Will Governor Tim Walz win over undecided voters? (denisonforum.org) 

Speaking on Walz, the rumor is the VP candidate might be played on SNL by Steve Martin.

Back To Candler Park

Tuesday: messed around at work until 545. Ceil fixed black beans and rice. Also some chicken.

Wednesday: played golf for the first time in over a month. A little pain to start, but have felt good the rest of the morning. Found a Tylenol in the pocket of my shorts, so I took it before teeing off at 631 am.

1. Hit 3 drives off the tee. They all felt good. Grass in the rough was super high. Only found one of them, but did find 3 other balls. Got decent distance on my approach, then flipped three nice chips – 2 stuck on the green. Two putt for “bogey”.

2. Hit one 6 iron off the tee. I thought I saw it, but never found it. First chip got knocked down by a tree. Decent second chip. Two putt for a “double”

3. Hit 2 good 9 irons off the tee – both to the fringe. One of my putts rolled close. “Par”.

4. My first tee shot was short of the green. Chipped onto the green. Two putt for “bogey”.

5. Hit a 6 iron too good, and it rolled off the back of the green. Mulligan to the fringe. Three putt for “bogey”.

6. Hit two bad, then an okay third drive. Fairway shot hit the big oak, but got a good richochet down the fairway. Then the shot of the day – a long low 8 iron onto the green. Two putt for “bogey”.

7. Hit two cruddy drives, then a good one. Hit two cruddy fairway shots, then a decent one. Hit two cruddy approach shots, then a decent one. Hit two okay chips. Two putt for a “double”.

8. Hit a pretty good drive off the tee. Saw my pal GT playing the 7th hole, so I waited for him to join me to play 8 and 9. He had just returned from China. While waiting for him and looking for my tee shot, I found two more balls. Hit a terrible approach, then hit one on the green. Two putt for “bogey”. For the record on most of the holes I was leaving my ball about 2-3 feet away from the hole, leaving me a “tester” putt to finish the hole. I made all but one of them.  

9. Hit a pretty good 3 wood (for me). But then two cruddy chips. Three putt for a finishing triple bogey. Finished at 8 am. Made it to the office at 9 am.

Lunch at ‘Cue, the BBQ place. Eric treated me and Brad. Pork sandwich and lots of fries. Very good. Left work at 440 pm. Stopped by Taco Bell for my free small order of nacho fries but they gave me a larger order of loaded fries. Drove home to pick up Ceil. We left out around 550. To avoid rush hour traffic  I took Lower Roswell to Johnson Ferry through Sandy Springs, then south on Lake Forest down past Chastain to Roswell Road, then Peachtree down to pick up Anna. Decided to skip Grindhouse. Instead we ate at Jaliscos.

Anna & Caleb usually eat at Taqueria, but she enjoyed Jaiscos. I got the #1 combo plate: taco, two enchiladas, and rice (above). C usually gets a chalupa, but figured out what she really wants is a tostada. It was huge (below).

Ceil and Anna both ordered sangria. A great meal, but after BBQ for lunch and the loaded fries snack, I was stuffed.

Stopped by the new High Country store in Peachtree Battle shopping center. Anna was like a celebrity there, since she works up the road at High Country headquarters. We stopped by to see Goose. Caleb’s regular Friday morning Bible Study had changed to meet on Wednesday night, so we missed him.

Going home I took at right from Steven Long onto Peachtree Hills Avenue, then right on Lindburgh, then right on Garmon, then right on Piedmont, then right onto the Buford Highway Connector, then right onto 85 south, then right onto 75 north, then right onto the 120 south loop, then right onto 120. Hardly had to stop all the way home. The only left I had to make was onto our street. Much easier than stopping at light after light to turn left.

Then Ceil wanted me to taste the apple pie she had made me, with all natural Tillamook vanilla ice cream. I asked for a small serving. It was great. Didn’t sleep well, probably because I had eaten so much.

Thursday: up early to work out at the gym. Wore the new white Hoka Clifton 9 sneakers Ceil had given me. She bought them at the  High Country, but didn’t use Anna’s big discount. Drives me crazy.

Article: The Fuse Of The Gog-Magog War Is Beginning To Burn

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DENISON: according to various reports, Generation Z has the poorest mental health of any generation in America. They struggle with alarming rates of loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. They are also our nation’s least religious generation. By contrast, actively religious people are: (1) more likely to describe themselves as “very happy”, (2) Healthier, with greater longevity, better coping skills, and less anxiety, depression, and suicide, (3) more psychologically resilient with a higher quality of life, and (4) better able to handle economic uncertainty and downturns. This AI-powered necklace will be your friend for $99 (denisonforum.org)

$20,000.00 sweepstakes.

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Acura SUV sweepstakes

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Next summer the Braves and Reds will play at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Dangers of Isolation

Clay Smith: JFBC

Sermon series: Knockoff - don't settle for fake 

Clay uses the New American Standard Bible

We often settle for the fake thing instead of the real thing Jesus wants us to have.

The dangers of isolation

Genesis 2:18 If we get isolated from the pack, bad things can happen. A lifestyle of isolation has a similar risk of death as a heavy smoker, increased risk of heart disease. Phones make us more connected, but also much more isolated.

Gen 1:26-28

Three relational truths…

1. The triune godhead exists since before creation. One God in three persons.

2. As humans we are made in the image of God. We can think, have morals, have dominion over animals.

3. We were made to have relationships with God and others.

Being Made in God's image Grounds our behavior. Gen 9:6.

Most Christians are pro life because every human is made in the image of God.

Gen 2:18-25 helper means "ideal partner". Adam named all the animals.

Not just a relationship with a spouse, God made us to have relationships with God and others - even the hard charging type A seize the world types. We must depend on God and others.

The church is a different kind of community. We're here together experiencing God's love. We pursue God together. We talk about family, the Bible, kids, diet, football, doctor visits, our workouts. We talk about life. …but we rarely talk about our struggles, our failures. We need to go deeper than just surface level - this is real community.

Dangers of isolation

1. There's no help when you fall Gal 6:1-2 bear one another's burdens.

2. You are vulnerable to deceptive thinking. Leads to depression. Heb 3:12-13 encourage one another.

3. The church is weakened. It's easy to hide in a big church. 1 Cor 12:12 God desires us to belong to the body.

When it comes to community, what's your next step?

Sunday was JFBC fall kickoff Sunday. Lots of kids wore jerseys.

Sunday School notes 2 Timothy 4:7-8

1. Be sober minded.

2. Endure suffering - you never know how God is going to use this.

3. Do the work of an evangelist, look for opportunities.

4. your ministry, don't quit. Wolves - people among you - will still your sheep.

1 Cor 9:24 run the race as if to win. Strive, push on, with the power of Christ in me.

Heb 12:1 the example of those who came before us. With God all things are possible. "Let it be to me" - Mary had faith, and while carrying God's son she suffered greatly. Life can be a battle. So hard to trust God in tough times.

Acts 20:24 my kid is to finish the course that God set up for me. Paul's suffering is an example for us, an example to Ephesus, Corinth, etc.

ME: it's okay if I die. I've lived a full life. Sure, I want to live a long life. I have more things I want to do. I want to be there as my kids and grandkids grow up. But if it doesn't happen, I am at peace.

Read "Life Together" by Deitrik Bonhoeffer

Look back at your life. Have I fought the good fight? Have I finished the race? Have I kept the faith?

A. Truth: is the word of God present in my life? How?

B. Belonging: do I engage in the community of the church? How do I need to grow in this area?

C. Purpose: what ministry has God led me to? Am I fulfilling it?

What changes do I need to make?

#MaxStrong

Last night Freddie Freeman returned to the lineup after missing time to tend to his ailing son Maximus. In the first inning he received an extended standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd. The Phillies catcher went out to the mound to let Freddie have the moment, which was a classy gesture. Other Phillies doffed their caps in tribute. A touching moment.

The "greatest gymnast of all time” fell off the balance beam, and appeared in injure herself warming up for the floor routine. Considering that she had backed out of the previous Olympics, perhaps people should’ve waited until after the Paris competition was completed to crown her the GOAT. That girl from Brazil won gold on beam, and could very well make people forget all about Simone. But that’s how it goes in our society, as Scottie Scheffler mentioned on Sunday. Biles was correct when she objected to a reporter asking “what’s next?” mere seconds after securing an Olympic medal.

Serena Williams inaccurately tweeted out that she was “denied access” to “a empty restaurant”. Fact was the exclusive restaurant was booked out, and Williams didn’t have a reservation. There were two empty tables, but they were already spoken for. The restaurant responded with the true story. Serena has yet to post a retraction.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://people.com/serena-williams-says-she-was-denied-a-table-at-peninsula-hotel-restaurant-in-paris-8690701__;!!AE29DT8V!SHGeQacT48XLiKeq5oGMtLbe8vIWbs8iWlLu5MFl6BMMUzdTTAI9QLuGwHPiXQc5C_fsHt8K34dzbgB8qhw$

The stock market is doing so bad that my coworker who retires last Friday was back pounding at the front door of the office today, trying to get his job back. This was a joke, of course. I hope.

Man this pain I have comes and goes. I can feel great for hours, then start hurting all of a sudden. Sunday night was pain free, but last night painful. What’s taking years off my life is the poor sleep. Didn’t sleep well Sunday night, so Monday morning I pounded a diet Mtn Dew, with the caffeine. Hope I can sleep tonight.

For the past month I’ve been taking a Tylenol before bed. I do take lots of vitamins. A low dose aspirin, multivitamin, fish oil pill, vitamin D, a zinc + vitamin C chewable, CoQ10 (whatever that is), an immunity gummy, a calcium + magnesium gummy, a cranberry pill for urinary tract support, ginkgo biloba for circulation, and a Tums for more calcium.

Friday I heard from retired coworker Randy. He’s moving again, at least his 11th move: Wisconsin, Seattle, Tampa, Birmingham, Lake Lanier, Buckhead, Jacksonville Beach, Seattle, Sedona, Cape Coral, and now to Brunswick. They survived the hurricane a few years ago in Cape Coral. Hurricane Debby just passed north of them today in Cape Coral – but was headed straight for their new house in Brunswick.

They say southeast Georgia will receive the most rainfall ever from Debby. What about that hurricane that hit Savannah and came inland up through Statesboro toward Macon and Atlanta, some 20 - 30 years ago? Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Monday: worked past 515. C fixed ham & cheese sandwiches on her sourdough.

HUGH DUFFY [SABR Bio] put up the highest average ever recorded, hitting .440 in 1894 with Boston’s National League team. He was the first player to have a string of more than five consecutive seasons with at least 100 RBI. Duffy did it 7 times in a row, from 1893-99 - with 118, 145, 100, 113, 129, 108, & 102. He didn’t lead the league even once in that run, but had in 1891 with 110. ,Manager Cap  Anson said, “He plays the outfield carrying a crystal ball. He is always there to make the catch.” Anson once rejected Duffy earlier because he “…looked more like a batboy than a player."

The USA women’s basketball team continues to win all their games. The area not as dominate is the lack of offensive production from their guards.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://athlonsports.com/nba/indiana-pacers/all-pacers/news/team-usa-caitlin-clark-diana-taurasi-paris-olympics-indiana-fever__;!!AE29DT8V!TMDCC4lmCcpuyI6xtWPusoquxuTdDXGuTsITHl98MBs5L3qkxXgdQvTyrHkH6b31pTECOYaEFxE3CjNZPAM$ 

DENISON: ISIS-K is escalating a terror threat against our homeland. Analysts warn “the terrorism warning lights are blinking red again,” echoing the run-up to 9/11. Undersea cables that conduct 99% of the world’s internet traffic are especially susceptible to sabotage. AI-made bioweapons can be easily smuggled across borders and deployed with devastating consequences. I report all of that to ask this: if the threats against Israel were threats against the US, how empathetically would you respond?

Will Iran attack Israel today? (denisonforum.org)