Thanks for joining me on this Sunday Night Update, just a chance to catch up and share a few things going on in my world. The above picture was from a good while back on a part of the Edgewater Trail I have not revisited. I did enjoy a visit to Black Bayou early last week and posted most of those photos in a post called A Walk in the Woods (now the most popular post on Hope Remains!). It’s been a rainy weekend and I doubt I’ll be back to Black Bayou for a few more days. So, I’m glad I have older photos to look back on. Here are a few more from that same walk on the Edgewater Trail. That was a really beautiful day.
Today at Forsythe we started off early with a men’s prayer breakfast. We had some great food and an excellent message by Keith Roberts. Keith has been preaching at Calhoun for 43 years…and counting! He challenged us to grow from the inside out, paying attention to spiritual matters in our lives. In the morning service, we continued on our journey through Mark’s Gospel with a message from the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain called Listen To Jesus. Next Sunday, Lord willing, we will be in Mark 10.
Of all of the good things today, my favorite thing was greeting my friend Jim McConnell and his wife Sally back to Forsythe. They have been in Germany for two months on a teaching mission and I have missed them so much! Looking forward to some time with Jim when he can tell me more about his trip.
Thunderstorms rolled through today, so we canceled our GriefShare meeting. By the time of the meeting, things were fairly calmed down - but more storms may be on the way. Between the weather and the Super Bowl, our chances of having a quorum didn’t look good.
Super Bowl Picks? I guess an effective way for me to communicate my interest in the Super Bowl is to tell you I just googled to see who was playing this evening. But I don’t disparage those who do love the game.
My answer to the above poll is Reba McEntire, and I haven’t even heard it yet. Reba’s new book is Not That Fancy. I’m sure it would be an interesting read. She made a great judge on The Voice and she is returning at the end of the month as that show kicks off again. American Idol will return about the same time.
Tomorrow (Monday) I’ll be speaking at a preacher’s meeting in Bastrop, held at the Naff Avenue Church of Christ. I’d rather speak to any crowd of 500 than 15 preachers any day. I’m thankful for Travis Arrant’s positive welcoming spirit. And he always has donuts (if you think cops love donuts, you’ve never seen a preacher dive in!) I’m going to do an overview of the class I’m teaching on Wednesday nights on The Lord’s Supper. That class continues this Wednesday, and as always, notes are forthcoming on Forsythe Sermons Substack.
I continue to have good interaction and readership on The Holy Lens, a daily photograph, passage, and prayer. This week’s posts will be from the Psalms.
WATCHING
This week we watched season five of FARGO. This series has had it’s ups and downs. None of the seasons are as good as the movie. But the first series was very good, then not as good for 2-4. Season Five, though, was on fire. Fantastic cast, fine Minnesota accents, and a squirmy story made for a fun watch. The Coen brothers are involved, so if you are squeamish, just pass on by. It is an FX show, so there is the obligatory foul language that I could do without. Beyond that, a great story - which they affirm is actually a true story.
LISTENING
This week’s audiobooks include finishing Margo Hunt’s The Guests. That was a tense thriller. Now I am not too far from finishing Between Black and White by Robert Bailey. It’s the second in his series featuring characters McMurtry and Drake, both lawyers. The first book, The Professor, sets up the series quite nicely. It’s an enjoyable series and a fast-moving plot that makes it perfect for treadmill time at the Planet.
READING
I’m finally reading Louise Penny’s second Inspector Gamache novel, A Fatal Grace. I’m glad my friend Mignon Riley pointed out this series to me. There are currently 19 books in the series - and I believe a 20th is nearly upon us. I found it interesting that Chris Cillizza wrote about Penny’s series this week in How A Fictional Town in Quebec Saved Me. According to my Kindle, I am 35% through this novel. This week I also received Transforming Encounters by John Mark Hicks. The chapters on the Lord’s Supper will help with my studies, and the other chapters will no doubt be informative. Next up on my ‘to read’ list is The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus by Fleming Rutledge. In my Bible reading, we will be reading the book of Acts this week.
I have a couple of dear friends in the hospital, one improving, and one is not. Also, a minister friend and his wife lost their adult son last week. They have been on my mind this past week. Another preaching friend’s wife has been diagnosed with malignant brain cancer. All of this reminds me of how important prayer is in the Christian journey. I don’t mean that prayer is answered the way we would like. I am assured all prayers are answered one way or another. But prayer is a reminder to my heart that we do not walk through these valleys alone. Keith Roberts reminded us of two passages this morning (and many more) …
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. … Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:26, 34
STACKS
There were many great posts on Substack this week. Just to share a few…
Tommy Dixon’s God Has Got the Rope was so encouraging. I sent it to some friends who were hurting and in need of God’s assurance.
Adsum’s reading list is a little higher level than mine, but interesting to read about in his post The Best and Worst of My January Reading. I also liked his post Fighting My Sin of Least Resistance.
Chris wrote about How to Keep Negativity at Bay (At Least Most of the Time)- and it’s something I work on myself.
Scott’s daily devotionals are consistently challenging and interesting.
Mark’s photos give us new perspectives and cool angles.
Josh Brake calls out the future of computing in Our Slovenly Willingness.
Rob Stephenson’s photo journals of New York City neighborhoods are fascinating and well-researched.
There are many more, of course, but all good things must come to an end. And this post has to come to an end as well. Thanks so much for reading. I am going to send this out as an ‘afternoon update’ rather than a Sunday night update… mostly because… it’s ready now. Have a great week friend. Work hard, rest well, and stay connected. The world needs you.
I love your photos and Robs photos too!
Beautiful photos! Love the birds! This weekend is the National Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count for anyone who’s interested.