The Superiority of the CT

I have lived in Texas for 6 years now. And I have one thing I still affirm after all that time. The central time zone makes for easier living than the eastern time zone for one major reason: shows are on cable or commercial television an hour earlier:

• Monday night (or Thursday night) football ends at a human (or humane) time
• You do not yawn as much the day after a long World Series game
• The late news can be watched while you are alert enough to absorb the meaning of the day's events
• Late night television can be watched while you are awake enough to get the humor

There are some downsides, like the time of your show is always announced second (8pm, 7 central). And the first New Year's Eve with live coverage of the ball dropping in Times Square when my watch said 11pm weirded me out a little. Somehow, watching a tape replay at midnight (when I know it is taped) takes the edge off the new year.

But I will take that when it means I can watch what I want and get a better night's sleep, thatnks to the people who brought us the central time zone.

Another Roadtrip

We are in for Branson, Mo for the weekend. A nice drive to visit some friends, hit a great church at Telos Bible Church on Sunday and a meeting at the Kanakuk Institute on Monday. Only regret is that we are not going to be able to spend more time with the men and women attending the Institute this year.

Oh, well. You cannot have it all, all the time.

As usual, I am enjoying a road trip, it seems to be my favorite mode of travel these days. We have the CD series, The Best of Prof, to listen to. It is a collection of talks by Howard Hendricks, collected over 50+ years of bible teaching by one of the best. Really looking forward to spending a few hours with the Prof on the road.

Flat Stanley is also coming with us. He arrived from our great-niece in Virginia for some time in Texas, and he gets a bonus trip out to Branson as well.

So, a lot planned for a short road trip. But we are looking forward to it.

Zombies

This is a real news story. Someone hacked into a highway sign in Austin, TX and managed to post this message. It is getting some national exposure by the news services.

Others have featured it in their blogs as well. I saw it recently at goodwordediting. I had a good laugh about it myself.

It is one of those funny things that everyone has a laugh over and many secretly admire the drive and ingenuity of those who accomplished it. That they use their talent for God's glory instead.

My question and complaint is why does this stuff always seem to happen in Texas? Can't you guys go to one of the other 49 states once in a while?

Give me a break, I have to live here you know.

The Problem With Texas Weather

clipped from www.weather.com 21 OBSERVED Hi 38°F Lo 24°F Precip (in) 0in. 22 OBSERVED Hi 34°F Lo 26°F Precip (in) 0in. 23 OBSERVED Hi 53°F Lo 33°F Precip (in) 0in. 24 OBSERVED Hi 57°F Lo 40°F Precip (in) 0in. 25 OBSERVED Hi 68°F Lo 37°F Precip (in) 0in. 26 OBSERVED Hi 83°F Lo 65°F Precip (in) 0in. 27 OBSERVED Hi 75°F Lo 44°F Precip (in) 0.14in.

My wife and I have been struggling with colds and sinus issues since we returned from our Thanksgiving family visit back east. Not a commentary on visiting family, another subject for another day. It does speak to the issue I have with the weather in Texas. For one, it is always windy here. We get stuff blowing in here from all over, and we get it all the time. We may not grow bad air in Texas, but we definitely import it. For another, the weather swings all over the place:

I did not make these up, I got them off weather.com. This is what we deal with, weather-wise. Makes for an interesting time. This is what last week looked like. From the 20's to the 80's and heading back down again. (Today is in the 50's)

I could live with either end of the temperature spectrum, but is it too much to ask for some consistency?

Apparently it is.

A Glorious Day

I am enjoying today immensely, a day with family in Virginia. it will probably be in the 40s today(almost Arctic conditions for a guy who has spent the last five years in Texas). A crisp, sunny day.

It was a year ago today that I made the decision to pursue study at seminary based on changes in my business career.

And what a year it has been. I am ensconced in my studies (similar to immersed, but with the arms of a loving God wrapped around you) and getting near the end of the first term. I am heading into a Christmas season soon and looking forward to times of worship and prayer with my Lord. I am tinkering with ministry ideas and am excited about what the future holds as far as the Lord's plans for my life.

A glorious day, all in all.

And I want to share a verse that stuck in my mind a year ago as I read the Word in the morning:

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James1:27 (NASB)

Staying unstained, helping those who would be helpless without others. Sounds like a divine plan to cwork towards on a glorious day.

On the Road

Today we drive down to Virginia for more family visiting and to spend our Thanksgiving holiday before heading back to Texas. We like road trips and look forward to taking them. This one will be relatively short-250 miles-but it gives us a chance to spend some time together without the usual distractions of our daily life.

I think that is why I like them so much. That, and the fact that air travel seems to get less pleasant every time I do it. It probably is not the experience itself as much as it is that my tolerance level decreases in direct proportion to my aging. Another thing to look forward to.

I like visiting family, but I do miss my home. I guess you cannot have it both ways. The one thing that surprises me is that as much as i enjoy my classes at seminary, I really am enjoying the break. I hope the transition back to finish the semester is not too difficult. Makes me wonder how I will deal with going back to the spring semester after a 5 week break. Another issue for another day.

The one thing I am pleased with is that I find the time alone with the Lord that I feel I need daily. I always wonder whether I will be in the Word enough when I am traveling, but God does make sure I stay in touch. I am thankful for that.

I think it is so easy to get distracted when out of your regular routine. I am glad he does not get as easily distracted as I do. That would make life a lot more difficult if He did.

Traffic

It is interesting to see where the traffic on your blog comes from. I do not have all that much, so it is easy for me to monitor and the unusual ones stand out. I do not get much international traffic, which is not surprising given I do not get much domestic traffic either.

Yesterday was different. I had traffic from Hyderabad in India, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia,and Aachen in Germany. (I would have also said Dallas, Texas but since I moved here 5 years ago I no longer consider it an international location as I did when I lived in New York)

I wonder why? My blog is categorized as a Christian site, so I wonder what is making it occasionally come up like this in these out of the way places. Looked over the stats and there doesn't seem to be anything that is attracting them specifically.

Not worried or losing sleep over it, just curious I guess.

I do not think the State Department needs to lose sleep over it either.

We Love Living in Texas, But...

Yesterday evening my wife and I went our church for a meeting and then to dinner with a couple of friends. We wound up being the last table at the restaurant and finally took their hints that they were trying to close. So we left.

We went to a local Starbucks for a coffee. After a while, one of the people who worked there came by and politely told us they would be locking the door in 9 minutes. So we left. Then we talked in the parking lot for a bit.

We love living in Texas, but this would never had happened in NYC.

We closed a restaurant and a coffee house.

We were home, letting the dogs out for the last time that night.

And it was 10:30pm.

Life without Socks

I learned something about myself the first week that I retired. I do not like to wear socks. Texas is a great place to live if you do not like to wear socks, because a good part of the year, you can get away with it, climate-wise. I don't like to wear ties either, but I knew that long before I retired. Wearing a colorful piece of silk, knotted and pulled tight up around the neck so as to slightly restrict airflow, does not seem like the best of ideas to me. I think ties were invented by women to get even for men inventing high heeled shoes. I am not sure who invented socks.
I know my distaste for sock wearing is an outward manifestation of something else. I really did not want to plumb the depths of that part of my fevered mind too much, but I know I cannot leave it here even though I was happy just not wearing socks. My wife is somewhat amazed at the strange concepts in life that now seem to amuse me. Put me in shorts, tee shirt and sandals and I am happy. Just no socks; I am a cheap, although an embarrassing date.

But this isn't really about socks. What intrigues me is that this new persona is so different from the persona of corporate business executive I had to be so many years; way too many years as far as I am concerned. I am done with wearing that particular uniform, both in attire and demeanor. Now I can relax a bit, kick back and do the things that fit me better: study at seminary; look to what ministering to others means in the context of my life; loving on Jesus, wife, family and others. And not wearing socks. People have commented that I look more relaxed (I am), that I have lost weight (not really, I think stress makes you look even heavier than you are; like TV adding 10 pounds to you) and I seem happier (absolutely). This more casual lifestyle is making me relate to people better, and I will keep working on that, I still have a long way to go. God is still chipping away at that granite block of a mind I have. As I look at who I am becoming, I have this mind picture (did I mention it was a fevered mind?) of Andy, sockless and trying to help others. (Did I mention I was amused by strange concepts?)

What will require balance is my belief that God wants me to us the skills and experiences He let me acquire over a 30 year business career to minister to others. Balance in how to turn the success of the secular career into one of more significance in the spiritual realm. I like where I am today, but who I want to be tomorrow requires I keep a lot of what I was yesterday. There is where faith in Christ will come in. I cannot achieve the balance; God will have to do it; God will have to turn my life into that particular three legged stool.

Ironically, Dallas Theological Seminary, the starting place for my training for whatever ministry effort I embark upon, has a dress code that I am pretty sure requires socks. So, as I study I will have to deal with that restriction, as unreasonable as I may think it is. As I look to develop a more Christ-like life, I do not think they would have much of a sense of humor about me developing a more Christ-like dress. No robes and sandals for me until after I walk the stage and get my degree. I will wear slacks, shirts and shoes, adopting a blend of my pre and post retirement personas.
And yes, I promise that I will wear socks. And I also promise that not all posts will be this inane.