There are a couple of subjects I try not to write about in this column, and one of them is the weather. I’m going to break that tendency today.
The thing that is really getting to me are some texts I’m getting from a couple of bike-riding buddies who have moved to more southern climes. On the surface, their comments are innocent enough. Like my buddy from Nashville who said, “I had to mow my lawn for the first time today after going out for a great ride.” Or the guy in San Antonio who texted me at 11 o’clock one morning and said, “Had to start my ride at 7a.m. today before it got too hot to ride.”
Honestly, I don’t know how to respond. I mean which emoji do you use…Is there an emoji that expresses something like, “I’m very happy for you, but could you please keep that to yourself?” Or maybe one that illustrates “thanks for sharing.” Fortunately I’ve been friends with both these guys long enough for them to know what I’m really thinking when I say, “that is nice.”
Now usually at this point in my memo, I might put on a good face and go on about how our faith teaches us to grow in our ability to be genuinely happy in the good fortune of others and not to sink to passive-aggressive expressions of our feelings.
Or I might less reverently but just as importantly reflect on the thought that sometimes you know who your best friends are because as another friend says, “You’ve got to take your shots when you get them.” And who else but a buddy would dare say something that might conjure deeper sentiments about a snow-storm in mid-April. But I’m not going to do that today…
No, I’m just going to say four things: I’m grateful that the predictions for the latest snow and ice storm of the decade are for Saturday night and not Sunday morning. Second, we have a great team on our trustees that as much as is humanly possible is making sure the parking lot is cleared and the sidewalk shoveled by 10 a.m. on Sunday. Thirdly, we anticipate a great Sunday here at EPUMC. The baby Jesus of Christmas 2017 is being baptized. Asher has family driving through this storm from Iowa, so pray for them.
And finally, weather, in spite of appearing to raise differences, is often a point of common ground. I am planning on being an equally good buddy to my two friends when the opportunity arises. I’m waiting until mid-July to respond when my buddy in San Antonio cannot ride because it never gets below 90 degrees even at night. And as for my buddy in Nashville…I just heard he’s moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan this summer…Just sayin’….I’m looking forward to commiserating with him.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
The thing that is really getting to me are some texts I’m getting from a couple of bike-riding buddies who have moved to more southern climes. On the surface, their comments are innocent enough. Like my buddy from Nashville who said, “I had to mow my lawn for the first time today after going out for a great ride.” Or the guy in San Antonio who texted me at 11 o’clock one morning and said, “Had to start my ride at 7a.m. today before it got too hot to ride.”
Honestly, I don’t know how to respond. I mean which emoji do you use…Is there an emoji that expresses something like, “I’m very happy for you, but could you please keep that to yourself?” Or maybe one that illustrates “thanks for sharing.” Fortunately I’ve been friends with both these guys long enough for them to know what I’m really thinking when I say, “that is nice.”
Now usually at this point in my memo, I might put on a good face and go on about how our faith teaches us to grow in our ability to be genuinely happy in the good fortune of others and not to sink to passive-aggressive expressions of our feelings.
Or I might less reverently but just as importantly reflect on the thought that sometimes you know who your best friends are because as another friend says, “You’ve got to take your shots when you get them.” And who else but a buddy would dare say something that might conjure deeper sentiments about a snow-storm in mid-April. But I’m not going to do that today…
No, I’m just going to say four things: I’m grateful that the predictions for the latest snow and ice storm of the decade are for Saturday night and not Sunday morning. Second, we have a great team on our trustees that as much as is humanly possible is making sure the parking lot is cleared and the sidewalk shoveled by 10 a.m. on Sunday. Thirdly, we anticipate a great Sunday here at EPUMC. The baby Jesus of Christmas 2017 is being baptized. Asher has family driving through this storm from Iowa, so pray for them.
And finally, weather, in spite of appearing to raise differences, is often a point of common ground. I am planning on being an equally good buddy to my two friends when the opportunity arises. I’m waiting until mid-July to respond when my buddy in San Antonio cannot ride because it never gets below 90 degrees even at night. And as for my buddy in Nashville…I just heard he’s moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan this summer…Just sayin’….I’m looking forward to commiserating with him.
Keep the Faith,
Pastor Dan
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