I started the morning later than I expected, as I did not set an alarm and I rose around 8! Not my usual too-early waking and rolling over, but I was back from Seattle by train, and my legs are still stiff from all the stairs and hills, and I must have needed some rest. I had made coffee and started the blog. I had to pick up Bill S early for church. He makes the coffee and sets up the goodies for before and after church. I managed to get the blog started, shower, and all that, call him, and was in the Air VW the Gray, now purchased for an extra $150 a month, and taking Nav to his house.
I crossed Cooper’s Mountain to get to the other side of Beaverton using the back roads, missing most of the photo camera; no need for expensive driving-selfies today! I drove right past Bill S, turned around, and then he and I headed to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I arrived an hour before Emmus Church was done. After letting Bill S out, I parked in the lot (most spaces next to the church were full). I then walked to Ava Coffee with my laptop, ordered a London Fog with an apple strudel, and enjoyed it while I recalled and recorded Saturday’s events.
The line for coffee and goodies was always long, and one church person showed up but abandoned his quest when he saw it. I wrote until 10:40, then packed up, the tea and strudel now comfortably inside me, and marched to the church. It was more of a march with my stiff legs and my leather “preacher shoes”, what a friend from India, Rev. Dr. Yesu, once called them when I replaced his footwear here in the USA.
I ushered at the church service while Dondrea ran the service and even preached. I was drafted to help with the AV that wasn’t working this morning. Calls were made. Pictures taken. I removed and plugged in cables in various orders. No change. After the service started, I even pushed some mic buttons, and Z discovered the HDMI was unplugged from the box that routes out to the projectors. I found the place for it and plugged it in, which made a difference. Soon, Z made other changes, and the projections came back. All was good.
I counted 35 people, and there were 5 online. Not a busy day for church, but not empty either. We also found that there are online views all week. Likely 50 or so watch or attend weekly.
Philippians 4:1-9 is about Paul in jail writing to the faithful. Dondrea picked up this story from last week and reminded us of the Apollo 13 story, when their oxygen tank exploded. Like Paul, and as often happens to us, the future we plan sometimes disappears, and we must learn to accept a harder future, she explained. Dondrea covered that Apollo 13 never reached the moon, and the mission became getting the three men back to Earth alive. Not the future they wanted. She told us that NASA and the astronauts had to live in the moment, accept their new present, and work with their different future. Dondrea then returned to Philippians and got a laugh when she said, “And we return to Paul, who is still in jail.”
Dondrea said that she was not happy with “rejoice…[d]o not be anxious in anything” and said it makes her want to slap Paul. But what it means, she told us, is that while we cannot enjoy suffering and sudden, awful changes that remake our future, we can, with faith, accept them and maybe even rejoice.
Brian, our organist, blew us away with his performance of Vincent Lübeck’s Prelude and Fugue on the church organ. I had coffee and then stayed while Bill S did his serving and clean-up. I finished the blog while waiting and posted it. I then returned Bill S home after adjusting the seat in the EV. They pushed it back when they serviced the VW last week.
I stopped by Taco Bell and had their Mexican Pizza (which is really neither) with some tacos and a drink (number 5 on their menu). I ate it in the shade in the parking lot. I talked to Deborah while I sat in the shade and ate. It was another sunny day, but the nights are cold now, 44°F (7°C).
I rested for a bit, finished my Sherlock Holmes book, watched the end of Season 4 of For All Mankind, and got ready for the evening game. I called Deborah while driving, and we said good night.
I tried not to be too early and was there at 5:15. I also gave away the leftover physical indulgences I made for another game. I played in a group game at Rune & Bone and made some as gifts for the other players. They were well received.
Jack was filling in for Scott, but he and Karyn were a bit late. I was going to recap the adventure, but I cannot cover this material. No spoilers. I will say I talked down a raging knight and got thrown into another player by a huge tentacle. In other words, an excellent time playing D&D at M@’s. He has the best toys!
I returned home and watched some of the next season of For All Mankind. I returned to Erik Larson’s excellent book on the start of the American Civil War, The Demon of Unrest. Again, I like the short chapter structure; this lets me stop at a natural place, instead of marking the page where I nodded off.
I slept through the night. It was 66°F in the house (my usual night setting), but it was the first time I could remember the house reaching this low since the Spring.
Thanks for reading!
