The following was written by my friend Mark Pope (here's his website: http://www.markandrewpope.com, where you can read the following and other enlightening and inspirational thoughts; check out his songs and music; and listen to podcasts featuring him and his friend Aron discussing a lot of things that usually make me go "AMEN!"). This spoke to me in ways I thought unfathomable. I'm sharing it with y'all in the hopes that it speaks to you in much the same way. Happy reading!
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Revision...
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been going back through some old music and revising it and editing it to try to get it out to people. The problem is that I’ve found that the older the song, the harder it is for me to revise. I’ve been looking at music that is maybe 15 years old. I don’t know that it was all that great to begin with, but even as I look at it again after all of these years, I find myself reluctant to change a note or rhythm. There’s something about those tunes, melodies and harmonies that just get ingrained into my head. When I start to revise, I feel like I’m just chopping up ideas and confusing the form, etc... But, the truth is, that at the end of the process, I usually find a better piece of music in place of the old. Also, I find that I’ve been much more conservative in my revision than I thought I was at the time that I was revising. Changes that I thought were HUGE sometimes make very little difference to the overall feel or sound of a piece of music.
But, as I sit and do this day after day, I start to realize that I approach a lot of things in my life like this. There are habits and traits that have been around for a very long time. As far as I’m concerned, they are just on the shelf and part of who I am. But, in times of crisis or when I can feel ol’ Satan creeping in, I have to re-examine who I am. And, I see the old me and realize that I need to revise. Sometimes, I need some serious revision, actually.
So, I set on revising - through prayer and scripture and help from my spouse and friends... and I think that I’m making huge strides. But, sometimes my revisions don’t make a big difference in my overall person. And, unlike my music, when I make self-revisions, those revisions can slowly work their way back to the original. One step forward... ______ steps back. Ever felt that way?
Here’s the lesson that I have to learn over and over and over.... I can rely on scripture, prayer and just about who or whatever else I want to, but God is the Master Revisor. Until I give my life to Him and allow God to be the Editor in Chief of my life, all of my self-help and self-evaluation is like the tiny revisions that I make to some of my old music. It is still my old music - just all polished up. That’s the best I can do for myself. I can take my old self and polish it up. Make it look good on the outside - and feel good, for a short while, on the inside. But only God does complete overhauls.
I just pray that God writes a new symphony with my life. Not to take all of the old material and patch it together differently - but to constantly make me new through Jesus - to continually renew, refresh and strengthen me in His Word.
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Amen, brother, and thanks for letting me share it here.
In Him and around the corner (and thanking God for such groovy neighbors),
Al
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
On companionship...
This past Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday. The Gospel reading was from the ninth chapter of Mark, where Jesus takes Peter, James, & John up a mountain and is transfigured before their eyes.
Ever wonder why Jesus took these particular disciples with Him? Times like this make me wish the Bible had recorded the conversations that took place during this walk up and down the mountain:
"Hey guys, y'wanna go for a walk with me?"
"Sure, why not!"
And off they go. I wonder if Jesus told them to get ready to see something spectacular. You gotta figure it was a pretty long walk; wonder what they talked about? Of course, being guys, they might not have said anything!
Then, once they're up there, how long were they up there? A few minutes? A half hour? When Jesus was transfigured, and Elijah and Moses showed up, Peter asked if they should build three shelters. Were they running around trying to find tools, supplies, wood, etc? And then they hear the voice of God and it's all over.
And Jesus looks at them and says, "Well, shall we head back?" You can imagine how stunned the disciples looked! And then, to top it all off, Jesus says "Don't mention any of this to anyone when we get back!" HUH??? Who can keep a secret like that? Thankfully, the Bible does indicate that the four of them talked a lot on the way back.
But getting back to my original curiosity: why did Jesus take these guys with him? Certainly not to prove anything to them; they were his closest friends. Perhaps to prepare them for things to come. But I have to wonder if Jesus just wanted someone to go with Him? If you've got a long journey ahead, don't you want some companionship? The road is a lot less lonely when there's more than one.
I like having people around; I love having my friends around. Why wouldn't Jesus also feel the same way?
Thank you Jesus for being my friend and for showing me what a true friend is and how a true friend acts.
In Him and around the corner (and trying to figure out a way to write BEFORE midnight),
Al
Ever wonder why Jesus took these particular disciples with Him? Times like this make me wish the Bible had recorded the conversations that took place during this walk up and down the mountain:
"Hey guys, y'wanna go for a walk with me?"
"Sure, why not!"
And off they go. I wonder if Jesus told them to get ready to see something spectacular. You gotta figure it was a pretty long walk; wonder what they talked about? Of course, being guys, they might not have said anything!
Then, once they're up there, how long were they up there? A few minutes? A half hour? When Jesus was transfigured, and Elijah and Moses showed up, Peter asked if they should build three shelters. Were they running around trying to find tools, supplies, wood, etc? And then they hear the voice of God and it's all over.
And Jesus looks at them and says, "Well, shall we head back?" You can imagine how stunned the disciples looked! And then, to top it all off, Jesus says "Don't mention any of this to anyone when we get back!" HUH??? Who can keep a secret like that? Thankfully, the Bible does indicate that the four of them talked a lot on the way back.
But getting back to my original curiosity: why did Jesus take these guys with him? Certainly not to prove anything to them; they were his closest friends. Perhaps to prepare them for things to come. But I have to wonder if Jesus just wanted someone to go with Him? If you've got a long journey ahead, don't you want some companionship? The road is a lot less lonely when there's more than one.
I like having people around; I love having my friends around. Why wouldn't Jesus also feel the same way?
Thank you Jesus for being my friend and for showing me what a true friend is and how a true friend acts.
In Him and around the corner (and trying to figure out a way to write BEFORE midnight),
Al
Friday, February 20, 2009
Another look in the mirror (it still ain't pretty)
We've lived in this house for over eight years now. We've slowly gotten to know our neighbors over the years, but the sad fact is that some of them have lived here longer than we have and I've only taken the time to get to know them over the last few months.
We have this one lady on our street who is a talker. Sweet, sweet lady. But she's a talker. The first day we were here, I was in a hurry to get Amanda to a volleyball game and Janet came running over to our car to introduce herself. When we were leaving, we had a half-hour before the game started with about a ten minute drive ahead of us. We hardly said a word and we were still fifteen minutes late! Of course, we learned a lot about Janet and the history of the neighborhood that day. Unfortunately, we let that scar us into avoiding her, and over the years, the only time I've talked to her is if she happens to see me. Sure enough, I (or anyone else in my family) woulde be stuck for at least a half-hour, and even then the only way the conversation would end would be for me to say "Bye" at least five times and keep walking.
I apologize for the blunt tone; to try and put any of that nicely would be an insult to Janet and a lie to God and y'all because there was absolutely nothing nice about the way I've acted these last eight years.
However, the Lord gave me a view from the other end of that mirror recently. Lately, I've been a pest to people, and not in the good way I wrote about earlier (meaning when I get together with people, I always end up doing most-if-not-all of the talking, and barely letting anyone else get a word in edgewise). I started thinking about Janet and how I was pretty much getting a taste of my own medicine.
I'm having a neighborhood campfire next Friday night and have all the invitations delivered except one (Jake, I'm gonna get yours to you this weekend, I promise! You guys are definitely invited!). I approached Janet's house with no small amount of trepidation, but I wanted to show God that the lesson He tried to teach me was not in vain.
Sure enough, Janet answered the door and off she went! Let me tell you right now about what a wonderful feeling it was to stand there, listen, maybe say a few words every now and then, and above all to GET OVER MYSELF. I mean, I still had to end the conversation (had to get home, make dinner, get back up to work for a few hours); but not once did I wish I wasn't right there talking/listening (actually, more listening than talking, but then I need that. A LOT!)
God, thank you for being patient with me, for giving me a second chance, and for allowing me to see You in yet another unlikely place. Thank you for forgiving me, because I sure need it for this one and deserve it even less than I usually deserve Your forgiveness (which is to say, not at all).
In Him and around the corner (and all ears),
Al
We have this one lady on our street who is a talker. Sweet, sweet lady. But she's a talker. The first day we were here, I was in a hurry to get Amanda to a volleyball game and Janet came running over to our car to introduce herself. When we were leaving, we had a half-hour before the game started with about a ten minute drive ahead of us. We hardly said a word and we were still fifteen minutes late! Of course, we learned a lot about Janet and the history of the neighborhood that day. Unfortunately, we let that scar us into avoiding her, and over the years, the only time I've talked to her is if she happens to see me. Sure enough, I (or anyone else in my family) woulde be stuck for at least a half-hour, and even then the only way the conversation would end would be for me to say "Bye" at least five times and keep walking.
I apologize for the blunt tone; to try and put any of that nicely would be an insult to Janet and a lie to God and y'all because there was absolutely nothing nice about the way I've acted these last eight years.
However, the Lord gave me a view from the other end of that mirror recently. Lately, I've been a pest to people, and not in the good way I wrote about earlier (meaning when I get together with people, I always end up doing most-if-not-all of the talking, and barely letting anyone else get a word in edgewise). I started thinking about Janet and how I was pretty much getting a taste of my own medicine.
I'm having a neighborhood campfire next Friday night and have all the invitations delivered except one (Jake, I'm gonna get yours to you this weekend, I promise! You guys are definitely invited!). I approached Janet's house with no small amount of trepidation, but I wanted to show God that the lesson He tried to teach me was not in vain.
Sure enough, Janet answered the door and off she went! Let me tell you right now about what a wonderful feeling it was to stand there, listen, maybe say a few words every now and then, and above all to GET OVER MYSELF. I mean, I still had to end the conversation (had to get home, make dinner, get back up to work for a few hours); but not once did I wish I wasn't right there talking/listening (actually, more listening than talking, but then I need that. A LOT!)
God, thank you for being patient with me, for giving me a second chance, and for allowing me to see You in yet another unlikely place. Thank you for forgiving me, because I sure need it for this one and deserve it even less than I usually deserve Your forgiveness (which is to say, not at all).
In Him and around the corner (and all ears),
Al
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Feelin' the Spirit
From Edwin Plass' What Luther Says, regarding the Holy Spirit as mentioned in John 14:23-31:
(The Holy Spirit is) the counsel of a man who has been accused, to a person who espouses his cause, who defends him, straightens his affairs, and serves him with counsel and aid, admonition and encouragement, when he is in need of them. This (says Christ) is to be the work of the Holy Spirit after I leave you and you will have no comfort and no assistance in the world. All the world will be against you; and the devil will be at your heels and with his venomous, blasphemous tongue will say the worst about you and will accuse you and decry you before all the world as cheats and rebels. Besides, your own conscience and heart will plague and frighten you with the fear of God's wrath, with sadness and heavy thoughts of your own weakness, so that you well may and must despair if you were to be left without comfort and strength in this predicament. (emphasis mine)
I don't know about y'all, but I sure am grateful and thankful that I don't see even a tenth of the stuff from which the Holy Spirit protects me and hides me.
In Him and around the corner (and realizing that blissful ignorance is not always a bad thing),
Al
(The Holy Spirit is) the counsel of a man who has been accused, to a person who espouses his cause, who defends him, straightens his affairs, and serves him with counsel and aid, admonition and encouragement, when he is in need of them. This (says Christ) is to be the work of the Holy Spirit after I leave you and you will have no comfort and no assistance in the world. All the world will be against you; and the devil will be at your heels and with his venomous, blasphemous tongue will say the worst about you and will accuse you and decry you before all the world as cheats and rebels. Besides, your own conscience and heart will plague and frighten you with the fear of God's wrath, with sadness and heavy thoughts of your own weakness, so that you well may and must despair if you were to be left without comfort and strength in this predicament. (emphasis mine)
I don't know about y'all, but I sure am grateful and thankful that I don't see even a tenth of the stuff from which the Holy Spirit protects me and hides me.
In Him and around the corner (and realizing that blissful ignorance is not always a bad thing),
Al
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Comments! I love comments!!!
They're like birthday presents for me! "Someone actually read your blog! Go see if they're still breathing!" A Goddess left a comment on my last post, and I just wanted to run out, find her, and give her a big hug for validating my existence!
This is what a hilariously pathetic freakazoid I am: I crave the spotlight so much, I actually get bummed when I find no comments after something I wrote. I mean, I who am filled with wisdom and knowledge beyond my mortal body, am just brimming over with insights and observations, just waiting here for you to peruse and be amazed; the LEAST you could do is comment! By now, I should be transparent enough to everyone who reads this (all four of you) that not only am I lying about this being an online journal just for me, but that I really really really really really REALLY hope a whole bunch of people are reading this!
As much as I try to deny it, it really is all about me. I could give Terrell Owens lessons about loving me some ME! I check in with God every day to make sure our schedules match and I give Him some suggestions about how I'd like the day to go. And then I walk out the door and onto my stage that is the world. Do I look okay? Which way is the camera? Cue the music, world, cuz here's your sunshine!
But enough about me. What do YOU think about me?
Here's what I think: I get tired of suppressing the above on a daily basis. I want so much to NOT be like that, that it becomes a chore NOT to want to grab the spotlight and be the center of attention.
This is what I mean: Paul says about his own personal struggles, in 2 Corinthians 12, how God had given him a thorn in his flesh: a messenger from Satan. Three times Paul pleaded with God to remove it, and three times God said "no." Instead, God told Paul "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
So many times I have asked God to take away these selfish feelings. And yet I can't let go. There's my weakness: no real desire to change. It's all an act. At least, that's how it feels in my darkest, most cynical moments. It's a vicious cycle: at once I'm struttin' my stuff for all to see, and the next I'm beating myself up for being such a self-centered twat.
God, I do believe Your grace is sufficient for me; please help me when that same "thorn in my flesh" tries to, or rather succeeds at convincing me otherwise.
In Him and around the corner (and eager for the day when His grace is fully manifest in my soul),
Al
This is what a hilariously pathetic freakazoid I am: I crave the spotlight so much, I actually get bummed when I find no comments after something I wrote. I mean, I who am filled with wisdom and knowledge beyond my mortal body, am just brimming over with insights and observations, just waiting here for you to peruse and be amazed; the LEAST you could do is comment! By now, I should be transparent enough to everyone who reads this (all four of you) that not only am I lying about this being an online journal just for me, but that I really really really really really REALLY hope a whole bunch of people are reading this!
As much as I try to deny it, it really is all about me. I could give Terrell Owens lessons about loving me some ME! I check in with God every day to make sure our schedules match and I give Him some suggestions about how I'd like the day to go. And then I walk out the door and onto my stage that is the world. Do I look okay? Which way is the camera? Cue the music, world, cuz here's your sunshine!
But enough about me. What do YOU think about me?
Here's what I think: I get tired of suppressing the above on a daily basis. I want so much to NOT be like that, that it becomes a chore NOT to want to grab the spotlight and be the center of attention.
This is what I mean: Paul says about his own personal struggles, in 2 Corinthians 12, how God had given him a thorn in his flesh: a messenger from Satan. Three times Paul pleaded with God to remove it, and three times God said "no." Instead, God told Paul "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
So many times I have asked God to take away these selfish feelings. And yet I can't let go. There's my weakness: no real desire to change. It's all an act. At least, that's how it feels in my darkest, most cynical moments. It's a vicious cycle: at once I'm struttin' my stuff for all to see, and the next I'm beating myself up for being such a self-centered twat.
God, I do believe Your grace is sufficient for me; please help me when that same "thorn in my flesh" tries to, or rather succeeds at convincing me otherwise.
In Him and around the corner (and eager for the day when His grace is fully manifest in my soul),
Al
Monday, February 16, 2009
Gotta love God's timing!
So I'm reading my devotion this morning, and the reading is Deuteronomy chapter 2. In it, Moses and the Israelites travel thru various lands and are told by God to not engage in war with any of them, even though it's implied that these are hostile folks. One of the lands they travel through is Mount Se'ir, which is the land of Esau.
So I got curious and wondered where Mount Se'ir was and did a Google search. I ended up at this website whose web address might lead you to believe that it's a resource for Christians to research various origins of the Bible. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. What it is, in fact, is a collection of articles written by the website's author proclaiming how everything in the Bible is false, that Jesus is not the Messiah, blah blah blah. I didn't spend too much time there, as my only curiosity regarding this site was wondering WHY someone would devote such a lengthy diatribe to prove something doesn't exist.
So, back to my devotion and prayer time, and the following Bible verse was waiting for me:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising
lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness in the earth.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24, emphasis mine)
It truly amazes me when God foresees my distractions and plans for them!
In Him and around the corner (and just wanting to say, "HA!")
Al
So I got curious and wondered where Mount Se'ir was and did a Google search. I ended up at this website whose web address might lead you to believe that it's a resource for Christians to research various origins of the Bible. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. What it is, in fact, is a collection of articles written by the website's author proclaiming how everything in the Bible is false, that Jesus is not the Messiah, blah blah blah. I didn't spend too much time there, as my only curiosity regarding this site was wondering WHY someone would devote such a lengthy diatribe to prove something doesn't exist.
So, back to my devotion and prayer time, and the following Bible verse was waiting for me:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising
lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness in the earth.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24, emphasis mine)
It truly amazes me when God foresees my distractions and plans for them!
In Him and around the corner (and just wanting to say, "HA!")
Al
Sunday, February 15, 2009
25 Things
Inspired by Jacob's post over at the Kaylor blog. More of a personal inventory than anything else:
1. I play bass, drums, and guitar, in order of ability. I am mainly self-taught, with the exception of the guitar, in which a friend of mine showed me how to play basic chords. I've never had a formal lesson on any of those instruments.
2. I love to watch things spin. Especially a washing machine.
3. One of the happiest things that happened to me recently was buying a record player and being able to listen to all my old records again. And not only listen but watch THEM spin as well!
4. I've lived in Texas my whole life but didn't buy my first pickup until a few months ago. To put this in the proper perspective, my parents and my in-laws, who are from Chicago and Michigan respectively, owned pick-ups before I did.
5. I love working with children. Nothing puts a smile on my face like the laughter of children, even if (and sometimes especially if) they're laughing at me!
6. I have been blessed that I have not lost a close family member in the entire time I've been alive. Both of my parents are alive, my sister's still alive, I still have my wife and both children, and her parents are still alive.
7. And yet I still grieve the loss of one who I'm related to but never met: my brother-in-law, Cyndy's brother, who died in an auto accident years before Cyndy and I ever met.
8. I own more CDs and LPs than I'll ever have time to listen to, and yet my collection is small compared to some others I've seen.
9. I've never done drugs, smoked pot, or anything like that, but I accidentally got high at a Foreigner concert from the second-hand smoke, when I was 15. That scared me from ever doing drugs.
10. For reasons I'm not proud of, I can remember every dumb thing I ever did while drunk. I wish I could be like others and NOT remember.
11. I led the Little League in batting average when I was in 6th grade. That was also the only team I ever played on that made it to a playoff game. We lost.
12. I've never had a broken bone. The closest I came was when I took a bad hop off the tip of my middle finger in a softball game that actually flattened the tip of my fingerbone. The doctor said that, because of that, it was technically broken.
13. I've been stitched together more than Frankenstein. Thank God society wasn't as paranoid back in the early 70's as it is today, otherwise I'd have been taken from my parents' home before I was five, because by then I'd sliced various parts of my body through my own clumsiness.
14. I got hit in the head with a baseball bat when I was 8. The doctors had to strap me in a papoose to keep me still while they put the stitches in my forehead, right between my eyes. This would be the last time I got stitches for anything. (However, that nightmare would replay itself almost 20 years later when Nathan smacked his forehead on the edge of the fireplace when he was 2, and the doctors had to strap him down as well. Thankfully, Nathan remembers none of this. Lucky dawg!)
15. I go to church with my third grade homeroom teacher. She still loves me despite all the grief I gave her!
16. I am a Christian. One of these days, I hope to act like one as well. The closest I've ever come is being a hopeful fatalist.
17. I hate pickles. People are actually surprised by this.
18. I've only been married once, and I have every reason to believe this will be the only one. (like anyone else would want to put up with this destructive concoction of OCD, depression, arrogance, and various other neuroses and eccentricities)
19. I don't have a very high opinion of myself. This is just in case you didn't pick this up from earlier items.
20. I also don't have a very high opinion of the human race. Individual people I love; I'm pretty cynical towards everyone else.
21. And yet, for reasons known only to God, my first instinct with everyone is to want to treat them with kindness and trust. I've been burned by that many a time, but hey, I like having friends and more often than not will take the chance with anyone new and let them hurt me.
22. Of the four voices in a choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), the only one I can't sing is soprano. If the alto part is within my range and more interesting than the tenor part, I'll sing with the altos. I get this from my mom, who would sing along with the "men only" verses in church when I was a kid.
23. I love old black-and-white movies, especially comedies. Marx Brothers, WC Fields, the Hope/Crosby "Road" pictures. And old-time radio shows, especially Jack Benny.
24. I love it when someone wants to talk about jazz from the 50's and 60's. It rarely happens, but when it does I become like a little kid.
25. I try to live my life according to what Jesus said: "Unless you become like a child, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3) This explains why I prefer to associate with children than with grown-ups. At parties, if there are kids there, that's where you'll find me. Grown-ups were a drag when I was a kid; I want to be the grown-up who isn't a drag!
Thanks for indulging me.
In Him and around the corner (and all about me),
Al
1. I play bass, drums, and guitar, in order of ability. I am mainly self-taught, with the exception of the guitar, in which a friend of mine showed me how to play basic chords. I've never had a formal lesson on any of those instruments.
2. I love to watch things spin. Especially a washing machine.
3. One of the happiest things that happened to me recently was buying a record player and being able to listen to all my old records again. And not only listen but watch THEM spin as well!
4. I've lived in Texas my whole life but didn't buy my first pickup until a few months ago. To put this in the proper perspective, my parents and my in-laws, who are from Chicago and Michigan respectively, owned pick-ups before I did.
5. I love working with children. Nothing puts a smile on my face like the laughter of children, even if (and sometimes especially if) they're laughing at me!
6. I have been blessed that I have not lost a close family member in the entire time I've been alive. Both of my parents are alive, my sister's still alive, I still have my wife and both children, and her parents are still alive.
7. And yet I still grieve the loss of one who I'm related to but never met: my brother-in-law, Cyndy's brother, who died in an auto accident years before Cyndy and I ever met.
8. I own more CDs and LPs than I'll ever have time to listen to, and yet my collection is small compared to some others I've seen.
9. I've never done drugs, smoked pot, or anything like that, but I accidentally got high at a Foreigner concert from the second-hand smoke, when I was 15. That scared me from ever doing drugs.
10. For reasons I'm not proud of, I can remember every dumb thing I ever did while drunk. I wish I could be like others and NOT remember.
11. I led the Little League in batting average when I was in 6th grade. That was also the only team I ever played on that made it to a playoff game. We lost.
12. I've never had a broken bone. The closest I came was when I took a bad hop off the tip of my middle finger in a softball game that actually flattened the tip of my fingerbone. The doctor said that, because of that, it was technically broken.
13. I've been stitched together more than Frankenstein. Thank God society wasn't as paranoid back in the early 70's as it is today, otherwise I'd have been taken from my parents' home before I was five, because by then I'd sliced various parts of my body through my own clumsiness.
14. I got hit in the head with a baseball bat when I was 8. The doctors had to strap me in a papoose to keep me still while they put the stitches in my forehead, right between my eyes. This would be the last time I got stitches for anything. (However, that nightmare would replay itself almost 20 years later when Nathan smacked his forehead on the edge of the fireplace when he was 2, and the doctors had to strap him down as well. Thankfully, Nathan remembers none of this. Lucky dawg!)
15. I go to church with my third grade homeroom teacher. She still loves me despite all the grief I gave her!
16. I am a Christian. One of these days, I hope to act like one as well. The closest I've ever come is being a hopeful fatalist.
17. I hate pickles. People are actually surprised by this.
18. I've only been married once, and I have every reason to believe this will be the only one. (like anyone else would want to put up with this destructive concoction of OCD, depression, arrogance, and various other neuroses and eccentricities)
19. I don't have a very high opinion of myself. This is just in case you didn't pick this up from earlier items.
20. I also don't have a very high opinion of the human race. Individual people I love; I'm pretty cynical towards everyone else.
21. And yet, for reasons known only to God, my first instinct with everyone is to want to treat them with kindness and trust. I've been burned by that many a time, but hey, I like having friends and more often than not will take the chance with anyone new and let them hurt me.
22. Of the four voices in a choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), the only one I can't sing is soprano. If the alto part is within my range and more interesting than the tenor part, I'll sing with the altos. I get this from my mom, who would sing along with the "men only" verses in church when I was a kid.
23. I love old black-and-white movies, especially comedies. Marx Brothers, WC Fields, the Hope/Crosby "Road" pictures. And old-time radio shows, especially Jack Benny.
24. I love it when someone wants to talk about jazz from the 50's and 60's. It rarely happens, but when it does I become like a little kid.
25. I try to live my life according to what Jesus said: "Unless you become like a child, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3) This explains why I prefer to associate with children than with grown-ups. At parties, if there are kids there, that's where you'll find me. Grown-ups were a drag when I was a kid; I want to be the grown-up who isn't a drag!
Thanks for indulging me.
In Him and around the corner (and all about me),
Al
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