In early August I got to go to New York City with my family and enjoy "Grease" on Broadway. Just saw a video of opening night activities and thought I would share it. http://www.broadway.com/Gen/Buzz_Video.aspx?ci=551839 It was such a fun show and a great memory with my family.
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It's the beginning of a new school year. My wife, Diane, who is the head cook at a middle school, and our youngest daughter, Emily, who is a high school sophomore this year, headed off to school this morning...bright and early. Ah, new beginnings...a fresh start...a brand new day! Who knows what will lie ahead for them this year...or for me for that matter. But summer is coming to an end and it is time for a new season of life. This weekend our oldest daughter, Rosie, will head for college for her second year. Meanwhile it is time for studies, work, dramas, and more. For getting up early again, which allows for the possibility for an occasional nap. So venture on all of you students, parents, and school staffers out there...it's time for a new year of friendship, study, and school lunches. (And did I mention the chance for a nap after getting everyone off to school?)
Yesterday my backup computer broke...went down...bit the bullet...bought the farm...anyway, it froze up and stopped working. My backup computer mind you, the one I use when the other one isn't working. Yep it is sure good to have backup..."send in backup"...but even backup can disappoint. The good news? Gary fixed my main computer this week so late afternoon he hooked up my main computer and took home the backup computer to fix. The moral of this story? Computers aren't our real backup, people are our backup. Computers are nice to have. But a good friend, a co-worker in serving others, gives true meaning to the phrase, "I need backup." I sure do.
I'm back to work after visiting with family over the weekend. We drove to where my Dad and step-mother live and my brother and his family drove there also. I also saw a nephew, his wife, and another nephew's wife, and a lot of my three nephew's children. It takes a lot of energy to get together with family these days. But it's worth it. The connections last a lifetime...and beyond. Getting together with family reminds me how fortunate I am to have people who want to get together. I am a lucky man. I am not alone.
It's easy to forget, or at least not pay attention to, how much God has given us. Check out this video called "God Pie." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upmyrinWq64 We try our best to pay our bills so we can have "things" and a place to live and a car to drive...even some extras that we just "have to" have. But where does it all come from?
Not long ago I got to sit down with different people and just video them sharing miracles that had happened in their lives or the life of someone close to them. It is amazing to hear about God touching someone's life. One of the stories was by a Mom who had a child who died. It's worth watching. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq3ZMN1sRSg In some very special ways, God lets us know that we are loved and that everything is going to be OK. That doesn't mean that life isn't hard, just that we will get through as we keep trusting God. And if you like to see and hear stories, search for "richnjesus" at www.YouTube.com
Today I tried to hook up the backup computer at Friendship Community Church to use in worship this weekend. I thought I could do it, but I couldn't. Oh I switched around some connections but that didn't get the job done. Finally, I just admitted to myself that if it was up to me and my computer skills, there wouldn't be a computer in use for worship this weekend. Admitting it led me to calling the person I knew who could fix things. I did. He did. And now the tech guy will have a computer to use this weekend to put up lyrics, sermon notes, announcements, and videos. I was reminded once again how much we all need others, I know I sure do.
Back to work today after a week off. It was nice to be on vacation with my family but I also enjoyed going back to work today. I like my job and the people I work with. However...today I wasn't loving my computer. It went out again (I had trouble just a month ago) and I spent too much time trying to get it to work, unsuccessfully. I am glad for a backup computer. Never had to use it yet to run lyrics and sermons for weekend worship but this may be the time it gets used. And I had actually backed up what I needed (after last month's problems) from the "broken" computer to the backup one. Good timing. When our days don't go as planned and things fall apart, it's good to have a backup.
Just got back Saturday morning, about 2 a.m., from our family vacation in New York City. It was great to spend time with my wife and our two daughters in the big city. We saw Times Square, took in a musical--"Grease"--, rode the subway, looked around some stores including Tiffany's, FAO Schwartz (toys), Toys-'R-Us, Macy's, and more...saw the sites from the observation deck on the Empire State building, rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty...and then saw Ground Zero, the World Trade Center site. All in all we laughed, were amazed, moved, and really enjoyed seeing New York City. No great insights here...just was incredible how good it was to spend time with family in a place that we all enjoyed together. But then, that's always worthwhile to remember.