Summer Madness

Summer vacation has arrived, the kids are out of school, and things just got pretty crazy.

This summer, my daughter has the opportunity to serve as an intern at American Indian Christian Mission, serving the White River Apache Nation in Arizona. Our plans originally were for her to drive out with a couple of very close friends of our family, who would get her settled in and then they would return home. They know AICM as well as we do, having gone with us more than once on short term mission trips there.

However, do to a tragic loss in their family, they are unable to go as planned. So today, I am headed out to Arizona with my daughter and then flying back home later this week. I’m hesitant to let her travel all that way alone, and I feel like it would be safer for her to have someone traveling with her.

I return home on Saturday, only to reload my suitcase and head to high school week at our church camp. That will also be a great week, but I wasn’t quite ready to have two busy weeks back to back.

So, for the next couple of weeks, things will be pretty quiet around here. Saturday’s quote posts are scheduled and ready to go, but most of the rest of what I do will be on hold until after I get back home. I hope to post an update or two in the meantime, much like this one, but I’m not sure just how possible even that will be.

Thanks for understanding, and for hanging out with me on this wild ride we are taking together. I appreciate you more than you know!

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Coffee Break – 05.28.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration - Memorial Day Edition

Each year, in the United States, the last Monday of May is celebrated as Memorial Day, a day to remember the sacrifice of those who have given all for the sake of our country. Originally called Decoration Day, this observance began in 1868 as a day to decorate the graves of those who were killed in the Civil War. After World War I ended, these remembrances were expanded to include all those who fell in any American war.

Coffee Break - Memorial Day Edition

Memorial Day was officially declared a national holiday by Congress in 1971, and placed on the last Monday in May each year. It is a day that many use to visit cemeteries and graveyards, honoring those who have served. Since it includes an additional day off for many Americans, other traditions have grown up around the weekend, including cookouts, float trips, and much more.

It is good to be reminded of the sacrifice that many have given to ensure our freedom. In honor of Memorial Day, here are a couple of statements made by past Presidents of the United States.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

“For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” — James A. Garfield

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.” — John Adams

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones defending the American Way.

If you are interested in finding out more about Memorial Day, here are a few resources:

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The Family Tree Of Jesus

Matthew 1:2-17

One of the very first things that Matthew does in his account of the life of Jesus is to trace his heritage back to Abraham, through a listing of the line, or genealogy, of Jesus. And while many simply skim these verses, or skip them all together, there are some critical elements here that can help us understand the gospel of Matthew much more clearly.

The Family Tree Of Jesus - Matthew 1:2-17

Two of the four Gospels contain genealogies, Luke and Matthew. Luke 3:23-38 was written for Gentiles, and goes all the way back to Adam. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, and Jewish history begins with Abraham. Some see this as contradictory, but it is not; the two lists were written for completely different purposes and completely different audiences. And typically, genealogies are focused on the first name of the list. Matthew reverses that trend and makes the focus the last name, the name of Jesus Christ.

He begins with Abraham. God had promised Abraham that through his seed all the world would be blessed in Genesis 22:18: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

So Matthew begins with Abraham and traces the lineage of Jesus down through the ages, naming some of the greatest of the ancestors of Jesus, Abraham and David. Both of these important people had received promises from God that the Messiah would be their descendant. This may or may not be a complete listing of the lineage of Jesus. Some generations may have been skipped or condensed in order to fit a pattern, or to summarize a series of generations. Either way, Matthew gives forty-two generations in three groups of fourteen each. They cover 2000 years: the first group covers 1000 years; the second covers 400 years; and the third group covers 600 years of time.

Matthew seems to count David twice, first as a patriarch, and second as one of the kings. It could be argued that David could fit into either category, and Matthew inserts him into both, as sort of a bridge between the two, and as recognition of David’s critical importance as part of Israel’s history.

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Coffee Break – 05.21.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1471, King Henry VI was killed in the tower of London. Edward IV took the throne. In 1542, Hernando de Soto died along the Mississippi River while searching for gold. In 1819, bicycles were first seen in the U.S. in New York City. They were originally known as “swift walkers.” And in 1927, Charles Lindberg completed the first solo nonstop airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip began May 20.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Memo Day!
Did you get the memo?

The Confusion Of Expensive Coffee – Just because a specific coffee is pricier doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better.

8 Tips To Keep Your Desk Clutter Free – I had to replace my computer last week, and it threw me off for a few days, as I got it situated and organized. In the process, I reorganized my desk and removed a lot of stuff that was just in the way. Here are some great tips for achieving a clutter free work area.

Slavery In The Modern Era – We tend to think that slavery is a thing of the past, and that it doesn’t exist anymore. But it does, in many forms, and as difficult a topic as it is, this is a very interesting story.

The Bobbit Worm – This is a small sea worm found in Indonesia, and it’s the stuff nightmares are made of. I’m kinda glad they are super small…