I have a new job!  Actually, a new part-time job.  Turns out, located in the same building as the medical missionary supply group where I volunteer is the national printing center for the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry.  They were getting short-handed and came over to Kingsway to see if they knew of anyone that is reliable and might be interested.

Well, as it happened, I had just been relieved from another volunteer job (providing short-term help for folks who can't pay utility bills and such), apparently due to my "defensive attitude".  That's a whole 'nuther story.  But, point being, that I now had extra time on my hands.  And since no one else recognized said attitude, I was recommended for the job.  It was unclear as to whether the job was volunteer work or a paid position.

I interviewed the same day, and one month later, after many forms and a background check, I got the job!  10 to 15 hours per week.  Flexible schedule, so I can still do my other volunteer work (medical supplies, Meals on Wheels, music at nursing home, etc), and the job pays.  Win - Win!

Now I'm starting to feel that I'm no longer retired.  Just tired.  But it's a good tired.  I'm doing things I want to do, not things I have to do.  I told a friend recently that "when [old volunteer job] closes a door, God opens a window."  I know that's not the actual saying, but it's what came into my mind.

I wasn't looking for the job.  The job found me.  Or, better yet, the Lord found the job for me.  I'm thankful that he still works in "mysterious" ways.

Lord, thank you for the job, for letting me know that you still work in my life, and for giving me more opportunity to meet new people and continue to share the love of Christ.  Amen.

HOME AGAIN --- Two years ago we moved to another area within the same state.  It didn't work out, so we're back.  It feels good, but bittersweet.  One of the reasons we had moved was to be close to our youngest grandchildren.  I miss them.  But other circumstances made it necessary for us to return to the city we had lived in for over 30 years.

We have resumed activities that we were previously immersed in.  Same church, same dentist, same mechanic, etc.  I believe that God uses us where we're at.  So why did I move back?  God gives us people to walk with us on this journey --- relatives, friends, co-workers, spouse.  Not all people are in the same place on the God-uses-you-where-you're-at theory.  Feeling and emotion trump logic most every time.

God STILL works with us where we're at --- even if our decisions are not in line with what he wants for us.  That's what makes repentance so important.  Every moment of every day we are given a new opportunity to act better, do better, BE better.  That was Jesus's message:  Stop doing that.  Start doing this.

We can create a home wherever we are at, because, wherever we are at, God is there.

WALKING - It's good for you. Helps you to lose weight. I haven't seen that part yet, but it probably is keeping me from gaining weight. It's also good for your dogs (if you have any). It's sad, however, to walk by other dogs, chained up in their yards, wrapped round and round, so that they don't have more than a couple of feet to move in, on a freezing day. I hope God has something special in store for irresponsible pet owners.

RETIREMENT - One year ago today I said "so long" to the man. Actually, I'm still working for the man part time, but things are so different now. I can charge a consultant fee, work my own hours and get paid mileage. But the greatest benefit is that there is absolutely NO STRESS. Lois's retirement check is coming regularly now, and I can walk away from the part time job at the first sign of stress. Sweet!

JAIL BUDDY GONE - No more trips to the county jail. My felonious friend has been transferred to the other end of the state. The location is too far for me to negotiate a visit, so I will try to be more diligent in writing. Regardless of the crime, he's still a human being and God's child. And this next part of his journey has to be both intimidating and depressing. I realize that, given his medical condition, I will never see him again in this life.

VETERAN BENEFITS - I have finally been approved to become a patient at the local veteran's center medical complex. Boy, do I have a shopping list for them! On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to the battery of medical tests that they may want to perform. I've come to realize that not knowing what might be wrong with you isn't so bad. When the doc listens to your heart, then goes "H-m-m," you begin to plan your funeral. Been there, done that. Maybe I should just lie low.

BIBLE STUDY - Two things that I've learned about the Methodists: they love announcements; and they're not big on discussion. While we absolutely adore our lady pastor, the Wednesday night "studies" are 80% fluff and 20% stuff, with 0% serious interaction. And this is with a small group --- eight people total. We have prayer requests, combined with praise items (called joys), then announcements, then the actual prayer, followed by reciting the Lord's Prayer. In the time remaining she reads from a book about the Bible passage; we rarely open our Bibles. Most of the others don't even bring Bibles! The same thing happens in Sunday school (different teacher). Even when you answer a question with a comment that might prompt further discussion, you get "Uh-huh. Thank You," then on we go to the next paragraph. Makes me miss some of the fundamentalist Bible studies. But if I had shared then what I know now, they would have invited me to leave.

We took the dogs to the vet today. They are so different from each other. Jasper started shaking as soon as he saw the building. Jada immediately made friends with all the dogs and cat, as well as their owners. And she couldn't wait for her turn to see the doc. Even after he gave her two shots, she was still okay with him. We took Jasper for Dr. P to look at his joint problem. He recommended an anti-inflammatory, starting with a shot, followed by pills.

Dogs are great companions, so much better than cats. Someone once said, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." So true. Dogs are sensitive to your moods and always ready to please. However, I do believe that Jasper needs some anger management. He doesn't play well with others.

_____

Boy, you sure can accumulate a lot of paperwork over a short period of time. I thought that I was all set to do my 2010 taxes, but I couldn't find the previous year's return and the online ID/password. I also wanted to see if the VA would accept me as a patient this year, but I couldn't find the criteria paperwork. Over the past several months I have been on a paperwork reduction campaign. I used to keep every receipt that was generated. Now I've streamlined my life --- sort of. I document transactions, reminders, retirement and VA analyses, etc. on the computer and saved the files to a flash drive, which I remove (safely) each night when I shut the thing down. All receipts, after they have been recorded, are pitched. Any receipts, pay stubs, or paperwork (old) that had account numbers or personal info gets burned. But it seems that every time I peek in a closet, more paperwork!

_____

We just received a flower arrangement from our neighbors, along with a condolence card. Earlier today Lois received a phone call from her best friend in high school, also a call of sympathy. It feels good to have people who care.

What to write about? I know this is supposed to be a daily journal, but some days are just not journal-worthy. Eat, go to work (part-time), eat, watch TV, write Framed By Faith, read, etc..

Speaking of reading, I just finished a good book. Not The Good Book. I read a little of that one almost every day. This book is called Honor In The Dust, by Gilbert Morris. I generally select new books from the library because they're not so nasty. I have read older books, particularly if I like the author's style, but, seriously, I have no clue what some people put in their mouths, because it is totally unrecognizable by the time they have dripped or smeared it on the pages they were reading. Yuck!

Back to Honor In The Dust. It was set in the 16th century, when William Tyndale was going underground in order to translate (and print) the Latin Bible into English. While this was going on, King Henry VIII was hanging and burning those who aided the translation, as well as those who smuggled or owned the newly-translated books. The reason, of course, was that the Church had proclaimed that only the priests could translate a verse or passage at a time, because only they were ordained by God to know what it said or meant.

This book tells the story of two brothers, set against each other by the greed of the elder brother, who wants to inherit the estate. The gospel of Christ is presented about 2/3 of the way through, and you see the determination of those who are willing to risk their lives in order to have a first-hand look at the Bible in their own language. The title was taken from Psalm 7:5 (KJV). It was a good read, and would make an equally good movie.

For any that are wondering, I haven't stopped praying. I am just experimenting on how to construct this journal, and I'm giving the prayer-at-the-end a break. Thank You, Lord, that I'm still praying in my head.

On the fourth Sunday of each month our pastor leads a combined Sunday school class. Yesterday morning she shared what the Methodists are all about, in the brief time that she had. She emphasized the openness of the Methodist church, which often draws criticism of the Methodists being middle of the road, or too liberal.

She also introduced the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. While John Wesley himself did not name it, or categorize it, the four squares contain references to sources (Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience) that he drew from for his teaching. I sent Rev. Barbara an email after church about how we liked the lesson. She wrote back that she was pleased and added that Wesley did not give all four sources equal weight; he put Scripture at the top, with the others working in relation to interpretation of Scripture.

I think the Bible is an amazing collection of writings, but I am not able to put it on a pedestal, as many Christian denominations do. I fully realize that all I know about God, Jesus, etc. comes from the Bible and that those who have taught me over the years also use the Good Book as their source. Still, I'm interested to see just how open this church is, and Barbara in particular. She focuses on the love of Christ, demonstrated in our service to others, and I like that.

Jill (my daughter) put a profile picture of me on my Facebook page, and it's already gotten a positive comment. It looks like a newborn shot of my 5th grandson. Fat grandpas make great baby beds. :)

*****

I learned an interesting thing on our walk yesterday. We have two dogs, Jasper and Jada [they gave me permission to use their names], mixed labs. We walk them using 16-ft extended leashes. I had noticed this before, but I paid more attention this time from the start. When they circle each other, they always circle counter-clockwise. In other words, whenever I had to untangle the leashes from crossovers, it always followed this pattern. They may begin a clockwise routine and reverse it, but they never completed a clockwise move. This pattern remained throughout the 2 mile walk. Interesting. I'll have to test this some more, but not call out each time they complete a circle (like I did yesterday), because it may annoy Lois. I'll get back to you. Like you care :)

*****

Lois and I had a stimulating 3-way phone conversation with Jill yesterday morning, regarding my recent article on an "alternative salvation plan." What made it interesting was that it wasn't a debate. A debate is a system in which one side attempts to win the argument. None of us were in it for that. We three have different takes on the Bible and Biblical doctrines (Lois and I are more in line with each other), and it was enjoyable discussing the reasoning that we each have on various spiritual matters. Of course, all of this is prompted by our (Lois and me) sudden exit from Christian fundamentalism and my pithy ramblings on framedbyfaith.com. I particularly like to have my thoughts challenged, and Jill makes a good sparring partner.

A large part of the discussion centered on the reliability of the Bible. How much of it is God-breathed? Is it dangerous to pick and choose some verses, yet hold out other verses for closer scrutiny? Can some verses be lost in translation, or were God's words interpreted incorrectly? How much can be taken literally, and what should be regarded as symbolic? Good stuff. It's in this interchange of ideas that I have come to realize that I was unable to discuss calmly spiritual matters when I was a Christian fundamentalist. I'm learning so much more now, and I am eager to continue in this fascinating dialogue.

Another thing I've learned over the years is that, in order to make the dialogue effective, both parties must keep their answers or comments short. I don't mean just one or two words, nor do I mean just one or two sentences. But some people (not you, Jill) can go on and on, re-stating the same position. That could be due to the fact that, while you were talking, they were forming a lengthy response in their mind, not really hearing what you said. Another is that they believe that an overwhelming response gives credibility to the perceived truth embedded in that response. Also with lengthy comments, the speaker will often hit several points that you need to respond to, but, by the time you get your turn, you've either forgotten some of them, or you wish that you had taken notes. I am willing to accept the fact that I have a simple mind, and I need to process things in small bites.

_______________________________________________________

Lord, thank You for days off, dogs and discussions. All things are beautiful when received in love.

Amen