Month: July 2006 (page 2 of 2)

We have a good friend to whom we affectionately and only half-jokingly refer as Mr. Know-It-All. Why? Well, because he knows everything, it seems! (Why else?)

Anyway, Mr. Know-It-All has been a real friend, an encourager, and a butt-kicker when necessary for 15 years or more. I really don’t remember exactly how we became friends, but I do know that his advice and encouragement and prayers have been the only things that have kept me going at times.

Last week, Mr. Know-It-All had a biopsy, and 2 of the 6 scan points (or whatever – I’m not real sure about such things!) came back showing cancer. He’ll go next Tuesday to have some other tests to determine whether the cancer is localized or spreading, and to determine what course of treatment will be best.

If you get a minute, would you lift up a prayer or two for my friend, Mr. Know-It-All, Warren? And you might lift up a couple for Mrs. Know-It-All and their three grown kids, too.

Thanks…

This happens a lot around here, but apparently it’s a mighty big deal in the home of Starbucks.

Check the first comment from one of the baristas…

This is a regular occurrence at our DT. We’ve had mornings when one person will start it and it just spreads all the way down the line–sometimes for hours. It’s a lot of fun. In my town it’s been popularized by pastors of a local church who are some of our best regulars.

Pretty cool, and you really will be amazed at how it touches people at Starbucks and other places, too. Try it!

OK, right on the heels of Gary’s post, Marty Duren steps up on the tee box. Good shot, Marty!

My buddy, Gary Lamb, tees it up, takes aim, and hits it 500 yards down straight down the fairway, when he talks about “the vision thing.”

Same friend, different issues. Things of which my friend’s afraid, and which are really paralyzing my friend’s life…

• That there won’t be enough of God’s provision to sustain my friend and my friend’s family in a time of deep need and crisis.
• That once my friend’s wasted an opportunity, there is never another chance.
• That God does for others but not for my friend.
• That age is a limit to usefulness and fruitfulness.
• That there is no hope, no future, no point.

Since yesterday, I’ve been a sounding board of sorts for a friend, someone pretty close, who’s asking questions and looking for good answers. Questions like…

• It says at least twice in the Bible that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Does this mean that everything that seems right to me is in reality the wrong thing? If I’m torn between two courses of action, and one seems right, is the other one automatically the correct choice – no matter how impractical or imprudent it may be?
• In light of the Gideon story, is it ever legitimate to ask for confirmation with a “fleece?” In what types of situations is such confirmation advisable or acceptable?