The Tail of Summer

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Summer doesn't feel 'done' unless we've taken a trip up north to see our family.  Last year, that didn't happen (thanks very much covid.  Not.).  But the reunions and such that we usually went home for didn't happen anyway.

This year we managed to make one of them.  Since everyone has been vaccinated, we felt fairly safe going up to see the fam.  

And did we ever.  Kids, spouses, baby, girlfriends...we all went.

It wasn't a visit...it was an invasion, lol.

But we visited the Indiana State Fair and ate WAY too much fair food...and the best there is  is in the agricultural association facilities: the Pork Producers, the Cattleman's Association, and the Dairy Producers (a 12 oz chocolate milk for fifty cents.  Best. Deal. Ever.).  If real fairs are a thing where you are, be sure to look for those folks.

NOT the best deal...a ridiculously expensive ride in the Giant Wheel...

But, what the heck, it's vacation, right?  It was also the only ride we did, lol.  And the cars were air conditioned...which was NICE.   The rain in the distance dodged us until just as we left.  We hit a deluge as we were driving out of the fairgrounds.  Perfect timing.

Family picnic,  a drive to Elkhart and church with family...and the next day, a visit to the Hall of Heroes...a comic book/ superhero museum located on Cassopolis Street.  'The only one' of its' kind.  It has some pretty crazy stuff...like the screen-used Captain America shield (visible over The Actor's shoulder...I gotta come up with some more up to date monikers for the kids), signed by the MCU actors, Adam West's personal Batman costume, and a BUNCH of Hanna- Barbera memorabilia that reminded me of the Saturdays of my childhood.  The kids enjoyed it.

Back to central Indiana, and a day at Turkey Run State Park.  One of my favorite places on the planet.  Where Middle Earth meets the Midwest...

We even managed to get to Thorntown for dinner and the World's Best Onion Rings.

Seriously.  They are SO GOOD.

We headed home a week ago today, which is hard to wrap my brain around that it was a WEEK AGO already.

I miss the quiet and the green already.

But...life goes on.  We came home and the Florida Son headed back south, dropping his girlfriend off in the Birmingham area on his way down.  We headed into the small group sign up season and I suddenly wondered what I have gotten myself into for this fall...

We are, God willing and the virus don't rise, doing a Christmas production this year.  I auditioned before we left, really not thinking there would be a part for me but, what the heck, it's fun to perform, even if it's just for a table of adjudicators.  I had fun.  And I made call-backs, which are Sunday.  So I may end up with a speaking part after all.  But regardless, I'll at least be an extra/ background singer.  And there will be costumes to sew.  Lots of costumes (I will be discussing that over on the sewing blog, Sew Random). 

But, having completed the ministry school, it's time to put it to work, right?  So I signed up to teach my Bible Study for Beginners class on Wednesday nights, in which I go over the three Bible study methods I taught to teenagers over the years...and cover Ephesians MOST thoroughly in the process.  AND...My Sweet Babboo and I decided to do a home group to watch the first season of The Chosen. Just for fun.

I didn't think about how much commitment that all adds up to.  Yikes.

It's gonna be a busy fall, y'all. 

So I'm not sure I'm going to do a formal study until I get through it.  But I will try to drop in on Fridays with at least an update on things...and maybe a Nugget of the Week thought or two, lol.

How's your fall looking?

Hello August!

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

A pretty much unrelated pic of Miss Friss lounging about; kinda my feelings for the last few drops of summer...

School has started in these parts, but, since all the young 'uns are long past school days, we don't have to finish summer just yet...and we have summer-ish things left yet on the calendar.  So I'm not going to try and start a new study just yet; I've still got stuff left from the wedding to take care of and some other things on the burner that are just going to need some attention, so posting will likely be rather sporadic for the next two to three weeks.

I will talk just a bit about a book I read whilst I was on the blogging break.  I finished about three books that had been sitting on the nightstand for forever; unfortunately I let too much time go by between starting and finishing the books that I really don't feel like I could do them justice in a discussion (although I do want to go back and re-read at least one of them).   But I read Jeremy' Riddle's The ReSet in about a week and want to go back and look again at a couple of chapters that really resonated with me, just to get the insights in deep.

Our worship pastor recommended it and it sounded especially timely, so I snagged one from The Big Bookstore That Now Sells Everything.  It is aimed at worship leaders, but honestly it also applies to anyone who is creative or who leads others and struggles with walking it out for God's glory....not letting the whole thing go to one's head, so to speak.

The chapter on dreams is one that I am going to go back and re-read; he wrote sentences almost identical to some of my journal entries, which was kinda chill-inducing, if you know what I mean.  

Ultimately, everything has to die to the whole idea of personal ambition so that it can be reborn as response to the love and mercy of God...including the dreams that originate with heart desires.  Jeremy expresses concern over the performance mentality that has pervaded church ministry...that we perform on a stage (ok, 'platform' is the accepted term) for the approval of folks in the audience (erm....congregation).  How do we stay on the side of true worship without wandering over into concert performance?

He pointed out that some of the purest forms of worship recorded in the Bible (e.g., David dancing before the Ark; Mary of Bethany pouring her bottle of nard on Jesus) were met with disdain or even disgust from others who were present.  He's right, of course, but I had not thought of it in exactly those terms.

He wrote that worship that is pure in heart but imperfectly executed will be far more pleasing to God than that which is marvelously performed from wrong motives...so, who is the true audience of all worship?  If it doesn't please God, is it even really worship?

When you take into account that worship is how we live, not what we do on a platform with a microphone, that gets real for everyone...not just folks who are 'leading worship'.

I found the book easy to read and personally challenging; if you're looking for food for thought on the subject...highly recommended.