It’s time for the Sunday Night Check-In! Welcome and thanks for joining me for a few minutes of catching up. Thanks to those who celebrated Maggy’s birthday with me last week. A little humor … no matter how many times I type MAGGY, people still greet her online as MAGGIE! We are not offended, but it is interesting. Even so, all birthday greetings were appreciated.
I don’t want to talk about Louisiana weather. It’s stinking hot. I am so over Summer.
This coming Wednesday, I will be speaking at the McComb Church of Christ, where my friend Jeff Frank is the preaching minister. We always enjoy a visit to McComb. Aside from Jeff and Shari and their girls, we have enjoyed meeting several of the people there. In addition, Maggy’s mom and dad owned a Sonic in McComb in years gone by (before I met her). This is my last scheduled out-of-town speaking engagement this year. That’s not to say I’m unavailable…
That picture of the Waffle House coffee cup above is one I took Friday morning when I met with a fellow preacher for a few hours of talking and sharing. That was a blessing to me. It was fuel for my day and fuel for my soul.
On Wednesday, I was blessed to visit with my brother-in-law and nephew for the first time in many years. AJ is on his way to Samaritan’s Purse to intern for the next few months. He is perfectly suited to this great ministry to the hurting and suffering. He is a compassionate and godly young man. I look forward to hearing great things about his work there. I love his parents and sister so much. The pics include me, Juan and AJ.
FORSYTHE
At Forsythe Church of Christ this morning, we introduced a new series of sermons that will be exploring some passages in Romans 12. The theme is EQUIPPED and the first one recognized that the church is God’s workshop, and we should be available to His work (Notes and Audio). This month, we are collecting items for The Renewal Center: plastic forks, laundry detergent, and coffee. (Whew…have you noticed the price jump in coffee? Wowza.) If you’d like to help with that collection or any other Forsythe needs, our Amazon Wish List is available (Amazon Wish List) for your convenience.
This morning at Forsythe, we were able to see the spreading of the Gospel in action. A few years ago, my friend Jim was baptized and became a part of our congregation. He and his wife, Lara, bring a special spirit to our place. When one of Jim’s friends wanted to know about establishing a relationship with Jesus, Jim invited me into that conversation. Today, our friend Paul was baptized in front of the congregation, and it was such a thrill to be a part of that. Disciples making disciples - God’s plan.
Also at Forsythe, beginning September 7th, two new support groups will begin. If you know of someone who might be blessed with these groups, share the information with them, please. GriefShare will meet at 2:30 and is led by John Dobbs. DivorceCare will meet at 3:30 and is led by Stacie Enlow. Look for our groups/register at GriefShare.org and DivorceCare.org. Links to sign up:
GriefShare - Led by John Dobbs, Mignon Riley, Vera Owens.
DivorceCare - Led by Stacie Enlow.
READING
This week I finished Walt Larimore’s Bryson City Seasons: More Tales of a Doctor’s Practice in the Smoky Mountains. A while back I shared that I read Dr. Larimore’s Bryson City Tales: Stories of a Doctor's First Year of Practice in the Smoky Mountains. These books are similar in nature - stories of a young doctor and his experiences and the people he knew and worked with. Very enjoyable, some heart-touching stories, and always from a Christian perspective. There’s one more book in that series (and other books he has written). I will probably read that third one eventually (Maggy loved them all). I usually do not report on books I haven’t finished, but I’ll begin teaching on Wednesday nights again in September. I plan to use The Shelter of God’s Promises by Sheila Walsh as a resource for the rest of the year. It looks … promising!
WATCHING
A few days ago, in the vain search for something enjoyable to watch on TV, I watched a couple of YouTube videos outlining the best series on Netflix this year. I didn’t care to watch several of them, but a couple of them caught my eye. One of them was The Residence. We watched it this weekend, and I have two reactions. One, it was a fantastic story with a great great cast. Uzo Aduba as “the world’s greatest detective” was fantastic. The murdered character is played by Giancarlo Esposito, with his typical, almost aloof, Mr. Cool persona (remember him as one of the bad guys in Breaking Bad?). I also loved Randall Park’s FBI agent, who just can’t keep up with the detective. It is one of those kind of murder mysteries that I really enjoy, where the suspects are eliminated one by one after making them look guilty. Of course, the final scene is the big reveal. There are so many things to love about this show. Unfortunately, Netflix has cancelled a follow-up (no idea why). I said there were two reactions. My second reaction is a question I keep asking … and that is, why is there such an overload of profanity in these productions? The writers should be docked for padding the script with mindless and uncreative expressions I try not to use! If that’s a deal breaker for you, don’t watch it… because it is a lot. Here’s the trailer.
SUBSTACKERY
Here are some posts I saved from reading on Substack this week.
Resurrecting the Lost Art of Remembering by Sue Deagle at The Luminist.
On Sainthood and Young Parents by Will Norrid
Yet by Anne at Chirp and Moo (one of my favorites)
Do You Know His Voice by Paula Maillett
How Blessed Is—15 Blessings the Bible says the Lord has for all His dear children by Intercessor Todd.
The Bird of the Week is the noisy Carolina Wren by Ben Tonlli
Les Ferguson, Jr. writes about Books and Words, Reading Too.
Intercessor Todd shared this today on NOTES:
I’m enjoying the Our Night Sky podcast (Substack link). Youtube:
Well, that’s it for this week. If you read this far, I’m thankful for your interest and look forward to your comments if you have any! Why not share a couple of your favorite Substacks? I’m sure there are many I do not even know about. As I wrap this up we are under a severe thunderstorm warning, so I’m thankful for the cooling rain an hope that’s the extent of it. The night owl has done his work. Take care, friends. Work hard, rest well, and stay connected. The world needs you. I mean it.
First off, thank you for sharing. There's a lot to unpack here!
Waffle House coffee is the best isn't it?
Congrats on the baptism of your friend.
I watched the preview and wished I had Netflix back. I glanced at the notes of your upcoming workshop, I will keep watch for it.
Another Substack I follow that you may or may not know about is Night Owl Christian.
Have a blessed day!