The 2009 F's Annual Memorial Day Reunion

Here is the photo of the six of us together on Friday evening. This is the first time that all six of us have been together on Friday. We also figured that the first Memorial Day Reunion occurred in 1994, so this is the 16th year we've gotten together on Memorial Day. We also recalled that myself and Warren are the only two who have never missed a reunion. All of us at one time or another were roommates while we were living in Lynchburg, VA. At different times we all attended Liberty University in Lynchburg which is the school that was founded by Jerry Falwell.

From right to left here is the breakdown of the above friends:

Dale Johnson, married to Marienne. They live in Richmond, VA where Dale works for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as a Youth Specialist/Teacher. Basically he is the youth pastor to missionary kids.

Kevin Smith, married to Susan (yes, I introduced them to each other when I was Susan's Adult Bible Fellowship Teacher at Heritage Baptist Church in Lynchburg, and they were married one month after Janice and I). They have 2 kids, Nick and Darby. Kevin is a pastor at Washington Heights Grace Brethren Church in Roanoke, VA. He also works part time as a philosophy professor for the Distance Learning Program for Liberty University.

Warren Wagner, married to Martha. They have 2 kids, Tyler and Caleb. Warren is a Virginia State Trooper who works in the Motor Carrier Division of the Virginia State Police. We usually meet at their house in Manassas Park, VA for the reunion as it is the central location for most of the guys to travel to and they have room for everyone.

Thomas Smith. Tom lives in Myerstown, PA and works for Teen Challenge as a Counselor/Instructor. Teen Challenge is a residential, long-term, drug and alcohol treatment center.  Tom also volunteers with On Fire Ministries in Myerstown as a teacher for the junior high kids. On Fire is a para-church ministry that reaches out to un-churched kids in the Myerstown area.

Ken Lightner, married to Amy. They also live in Myerstown, PA and Ken works for T.W. Ponessa and Associates Counseling Services as a Counselor/Therapist where he works with youths and there families that have behavioral issues. He also volunteers with On Fire Ministries in Myerstown where he teaches the high school kids.

Book Review of Invitation To The Jesus Life by Jan Johnson

What caught my attention when I first saw this book was that the foreword was written by Dallas Willard, author of The Spirit of the Disciplines.  As Willard points out in his remarks, this book takes the question of, “What would Jesus do?” and expands it to, “How would Jesus do what Jesus would do?”

Chapter by chapter Johnson takes several topics that are relevant to us today and she gives us substantial answers on how we can practically live like Jesus.  Some of these topics include:

• Being an attentive listener
• Having compassion that flows
• Cheerfully going the extra mile
• Being a hidden servant
• Dying to self

The way that Johnson walks us through these topics shows us that transformation in our lives is possible and when we live a transformed life we will have an effect on those people around us.

At the conclusion of each chapter, Johnson gives us a list of things we can do that she titles, “Experiments In Connecting With God,” which is where she gives even more practical advice on how to achieve a life of living like Jesus.

I would recommend this book for a personal/devotional read, but it could also offer up some great discussions in a small group setting.  This book is a welcome addition to my library and I expect to reference it many times in the years to come.

The Release of Khan

On May 9th, Janice and I went to Hartsburg to see Khan released back into the wild. Khan is a bald eagle that was found in the Hartsburg area in February. He was unable to fly due to some muscle damage and he was covered in a thick, sticky substance. After a few months at the University of MO Raptor Rehabilitation Program, he was ready to return to his home along the Missouri River in the Hartsburg area.

This video was taken with my BlackBerry, so the quality is not great. Even though we couldn't get that close and the actual release only lasted a few seconds, this was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Along with the release, the program had several of their permanent residents there at the release that we were able to see. The permanent residents are birds that cannot be released due to injuries they have. Included among these birds was a Red Tail Hawk and a Great Horned Owl.

Jerseys Jerseys Everywhere!

Today during my travels in the Macon area with my co-worker Heather, we had a few minutes to kill before a lunch meeting. We stopped by a doctor's office to see Heather's sister where she works as an MRI technician. In the office the doctor had numerous autographed sports jerseys on the walls. It was a collection better than many museums. I took a few pictures of some of my favorite players. Here they are:

Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. Did he really have to go play for the Jets? 

John Elway, the great Denver Broncos quarterback. I know as a Chiefs fan I'm not supposed to like the Broncos, but Elway was one of the best ever. I even saw him whip up on us once at Arrowhead Stadium.

It's not that I'm a huge Casey Wiegmann fan, but he is a Kansas City Chief so I had to take this photo.

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. OK, again not a huge fan but my buddy Ken will be jealous when I show him this picture.

Marshall Faulk of the Indianapolis Colts and later the St. Louis Rams. One of the great running backs and someone I always liked to watch.

Wayne Gretzky. Need I say more? This is a Phoenix Coyotes jersey that he has signed. He has never played for the Coyotes, but he is their General Manager. I was fortunate enough to see Gretzky play in North Carolina against the Hurricanes when he played for the Rangers, and I also got to meet him and see him practice in 1986 when he played for the Edmonton Oilers.

The Man in Black in the Fischtank

Even if you're not a country music fan you know who Johnny Cash is. His life is an interesting story and this past week John Fischer had an interesting story about him in one of his daily emails. I thought it was worth sharing so here it is. I also included Johnny's last video he did before he passed away. It was a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song called Hurt. This song has quite a message to it and to hear Johnny sing it and to see this video is pretty incredible. Read the column and watch the video and let me know what you think.

Catch of the Day

Johnny's dogs
by John Fischer

Yesterday's mention of black and white Christians reminded me of an interview Johnny Cash gave in Rolling Stone magazine after his "American Recordings" came out in 1994. Towards the end of the interview, Johnny turns the tables on the interviewer by asking him, "Don't you want to ask me about the dogs on my album cover?" The cover is a black and white photograph of Johnny standing out in a field with a dog on either side of him.

"Ah… yeah… sure, Johnny," said the interviewer, "tell us about the dogs on your cover!"

"Well, you'll notice that one is mostly black with a little white on him, and the other is mostly white, with a little bit of black. That's because even the worst of us has a little bit of good in him, while the best of us still can't seem to shake that bad streak. That's why we all need to be redeemed."

What a simple way of pointing out that our relative goodness or badness is irrelevant to our need for salvation. And what a great way to show how the gospel puts us all at the same level.

It's not how good we are. It's never how good we are. What unites us all is simply our need for Jesus. There are no black and white Christians. Only Johnny Cash's dogs. 

Camp CUMCITO Here We Come

Last Saturday a group of us met in Overland Park, KS for Camp CUMCITO (City Union Mission's Camp in the Ozarks) 2009 Supervisor Training. This is one of the steps we take in the Spring to prepare for camp every summer.

This summer I will once again serve as the Staff Director for pre-teen camp from July 12-18. The Staff Director is responsible for the counselors. I will be serving 6 counselors and 6 assistant counselors for the week. Each cabin will house up to 8 boys ages 11 and 12. It is my job to serve the counselors by keeping them motivated, informed and sane during the week as well as making sure they are getting their 2 hours off each day. We try hard to protect their time off as they are on duty 22 hours a day.

Travis Bradburn, the guy in the red shirt, is the Camp Director and he works full time for City Union Mission. He ran our Supervisor Training last Saturday.

Janice will be a counselor this year for the first time. This is the 4th year we have served together at camp and she has done a different job each year. She is nervous about going into a cabin, but I know she will do great.

If you are at all interested in serving at camp with us please let me know. The application process takes a few weeks and you would need to get started fairly soon. Be on the lookout for updates as we get closer to camp. I'm sure I will be posting several photos when we're finished with our week.