The Last Will and Testament

In the tradition of our Restorational Fathers, today I am writing the last will and testament of my blog. After much consideration and dealing with personal guilt, today will be the last entry in this blog.

Though I have enjoyed writing this blog and have appreicated the many comments it has received, I feel that right now to be most effective in my job I need to stop blog writing. Currently it's impossible for me to give "the blog" the attention it needs. But more importantly at the moment I need to be giving other areas of my life and mission more time and energy.

So thanks for reading.

Show Jesus,
Bruce

I finished reading Bill Hybels book Just Walk Across The Room. It was very motivational and shared helpful information on how to become active in sharing your faith. Hybels believes its as simple as walking across the room. Hybels may be one of the best one on one "sharers of faith" I've ever encountered. If you are interested in developing your capacity and desire to become more outreach oriented, this book is extremely helpful.

I will be preaching about personal outreach in mid January.

This past week has been an emotional rollar coaster for many of us, especially me. One of our members and a dear friend, was diagnosed with cancer. His name is Bob Roth and he's the father of five children 12 and under. Bob is the picture of health, but a jogging injury sent him to the doctor and the doctor sent him to have an MRI and what was thought to be a tendon injury turned out to be something far worse. The initial reports are extremely hopeful, but please pray for Bob, Teresa and their children. Bob, age 42, will have a hip replacement this week and then begin chemo therapy as soon as possible.

Hallel was here this past Sunday and theh energy and worship was inspirational. It was a great day of worship. Thanks to Murray for having the vision to bring them here.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Back at work

It's aways a humbling experience to return to work and see how things went so well in your absence.

But it is good to be back in my yellow office. And the weather is spectacular and fall is just around the corner. Life is good.

I'm reading two books right now I'll let you know about as soon as I'm done with them. One is by Bill Hybels on evangelism called Just Walk Across the Room and the other is by Les and Leslie Parrott (yes that this their real names) called Your Time-Starved Marriage.

I watched the new Matthew Perry show Studio 60 on Monday night. I liked it.

I've already given up on the Redskins.

I think it's going to be an all New York World Series (Mets vs. Yankees).

My dad a graduate of Oklahoma University is still grieving about what happened to OU at Oregon this past Saturday. In case you don't know what I'm referring to, consider yourself blessed. Dad and my mom are visiting my Granddad and his wife in Oklahoma City this week. Dad told me that this football fiasco has not just been on the front page of the Oklahoma City newspaper's sports page, but was on the front page of the newspaper and all other "world and national" news was relegated to inside the paper. Think college football is important in middle America?

I hope you have a great day.

More later...

Life after the knife

Well I wish I could make my recent surgery into a bigger deal than it actually was.

But I can't.

Last Thursday, I had umbilical hernia repair surgery. Which basically means that my "innie" had turned into an "outie" and it needed to be fixed. Nothing macho here. (It is a hernia that typically pregnant women and infants get!)

It looks as though the surgeon made a small incision under my belly-button (it's still covered up with a bandage), then he pushed back in what was sticking out, sewed in some mesh and finally stitched me back up. It took less than 30 minutes. I was home less than an 90 minutes after the surgery started.

I was told to do nothing for five days (which I've done) and I go back and see the Dr. tomorrow for my "follow-up" appointment.

I've had this condition for several months, but learned in August from a good friend in the medical profession that it could turn ugly fast. (Mention of softball size protrusions coming out of my belly-button got my immediate attention.) So I scheduled the procedure and now it's done. Hopefully it was stay done.

This tiny surgery has made me have great sympathy for people who have real surgery (which I have been spared up to this point in my life). I will be a much more attentive and compassionate when I talk with people who undergo surgery of any kind.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, your encouragement and your surgery stories. They helped (and scared) me into getting better.

Happy Hump Day

If you can make it over "the hump" of Wednesday it's downhill for the rest of the work week.

I was just reading an article out today about the rightness or wrongness of studying the Bible in public school. Since the article was in a USATODAY Blog I was able to read through many of the comments given to the article (and responses to other blog comments). Those were the most interesting. No matter which way you slice it, the Bible causes people to take sides. People may not read it and may not believe in it, but they can't leave it alone.

I'm having some minor surgery tomorrow. It's an "out-patient" thing. "Out-Patient" seems to be like dry cleaning..."In by 11 out by 5." I'll tell the nurse, "Light starch please." Maybe it will help my posture.

Though it's minor surgery, I've been told that I have to do nothing for five to ten days. And I can't lift anything of any weight for six weeks. My thought is that forced to watch day time television, the doctor knows any patient will take it easy to get better as soon as possible.

My mom's birthday is tomorrow. I've been blessed to have her as my mom. Her love for God and his people, her love for her family, her sense of humor and her great cooking have been a blessing to my life. Happy birthday mom.

More later...

9.11. and beyond

I made it through the 9.11 weekend. How about you? Sunday morning we had a great worship service that included honoring and appreciating our local fire fighers and police officers. I think our small effort of thanks made them feel good. And I have to think they're going to enjoy the grill and the plasma TV, as well as all the goodies that went with them.

Sunday night, Jeanette and I were crashing on the couch as I flipped channels. We turned to CBS and were stunned for 90 minutes as we watched video footage of a 9.11 documentary that we had never seen before. Evidently the documentary was to be the maturing of a brand new New York City fire fighter. The fellow they were chronicling had started his fire-fighting assignment just days before 9.11 in a station that was near the World Trade Center. It was mesmerizing and brought back a lot of buried emotions.

Yesterday on the actual anniversary, I just went about my day. No real emotional ups or downs.

But there was one great blessing that happened yesterday. The Redskins lost to a team they were supposed to beat. Since it looks like another losing season, I can disengage early. It frees up a lot of Sunday afternoon time. If they were good I'd feel like I had to watch and follow them. If they're lousy, then it is so much easier to just release and simply root against the Dallas Cowboys.

Hope you have an uneventful day.

Lou Holtz On Life

I recently finished Lou Holtz autobiography, Wins, Losses and Lessons. Throughout the book Holtz (who is deeply religious) shares his thoughts and reflections on life.
Here were a few I underlined:

• Material goods are never a substitute for a family's love.
• The most important important decisions a man makes in his life are what kind of relationship he has with God, whom he marrieds, where he lives, what he does for a career, and what kind of example he sets for others.
• Successful people adapt to change, even thrive on it, while those who dread and resist change, have trouble.
• What I thought was a terrible setback turned out to be one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.
• Jimmy Durante said, "If they're laughing, they ain't gonna shoot you."
• I learned at an early age that it's not what you have but who you have that counts.
• At the end of the day, commitment and determination triumph every time.
• Great acheivments require great sacrifice.
• It's always better to face the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, then to continue coddling a lie.
• If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans for the future.Coach Burns liked me and appreciated all the things I did for the program. I knew this because he told me so as he was firing me.

Hope you enjoyed some proverbs from Lou.

More soon.