Storytelling For A Reason!
Twenty-three years ago ...
John 7:14-24 January 12
123 days 13 days
Stephanie Wilson + graduate wk 9401.12
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 17
Jesus knew that we human beings tend to misrepresent ourselves. This pattern would be hoisted on Jesus as well; though He'd done nothing wrong under Jewish law, He was still suspect by the teachers of the law because they could not explain the miracles and healing that He did. The Jewish people, on the other hand, largely earned their living and were willing to listen to someone who taught from His own experience. Lord, help us today to believe in You and Your miracles; be with Mark and I as we present this lesson, and let those who hear come to know You anew.
I remember a story that Paul, a member of Stetson's custodial staff, told me about what another employee had heard at church last weekend. Carl had been visiting his parents in Gainesville, and when he was at church Sunday, he'd heard about a woman who stopped to pick up an older man walking along the road. They had been riding along for about a mile when the man asked the woman, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" She said that she did, and the man told her that Gabriel was sounding his trumpet, and then he disappeared! A policeman stopped the woman, who told him that he wouldn't believe this story. He said he did -- she was the seventh person in the past ten days to say such a thing. Lord, You are coming, as You revealed (Revelation 22:20), and soon.
After I'd returned to Stetson from seeing Susan off to class, I ran into two of our well-off graduates; Randy Pinder (EH 93) I've already mentioned; he's pursuing graduate work in Wake Forest, and he'll be here until the end of the week. Stephanie Wilson (PSY 92) finished one year as a full-time counselor and is now pursuing her masters at the University of New Orleans, which she's due to complete in May 1995; her doctorate could come in 1997. Over the two years we were both here at Stetson, Stephanie had helped me adjust to the situation of being at Stetson, giving me that pat on the back when I needed it. Before she'd graduated, I wrote her a poem called "close,stephanie" that summed up what she'd meant and means to me. I pray that what the "biker mama" and I have learned from each other is never lost.
Was I just a better storyteller in my twenties, or did I just take more advantage of the time?
I wasn't around posting yesterday because I partly wasn't in the mood for it. Sometimes you just have to take a skip day, high school seniors notwithstanding. I don't know if I should mention this for fear of jinxing myself, but I finally took the time after a three month hiatus to open back up my novel "Victory" and start on editing and final revisions. My goal now is to bring this third novel of my Progeny Cycle -- the three book series I started writing in high school (you can order the first two installments, Progeny and Legacy; just look them up under my name, David Alvin) -- live by the last day of February next month. So it would be available on the eleventh anniversary of Legacy's release.
On our daughter Sarah's 11th birthday.
I keep saying I will get it done but dammit, this time I'm going to do it! Another reason to say that came when Martha wanted to head to work this morning. She had our Lumina after I got home from work and took it to church choir last night and came home early enough after fried chicken dinner that she could participate with us in the game Sarah's class played where Mrs. Perrin thought of a three digit number and the kids wrote down numbers 0 through 9 and tried to guess what it was. Answers would come like "you have one number right and one in the right place", maybe the same one maybe not. Sarah played it with Jeffrey and I while Martha was gone and it only took me three tries at most based on my and everyone else's guesses to get it right!
Woke up to -6 outside and -44 below with the wind chill. (-21 out and -42 wind chill, Celsius.)
With the Lumina not plugged in, which below zero is not a good idea. Our van with the remote starter still runs and that's great ... unfortunately it's blocked in by the Lumina in our driveway. Martha called her parents who live across town and Robert her dad was able to give her a ride to work, Sarah and Jeffrey a ride to school, and me a ride to their house to warm up until I headed to work myself. Robert brought me and is likely picking me up as well, for Martha's got her first bowling league night of the year 2017 tonight and right now the Lumina is sitting with my in-laws' battery charger plugged into it to charge for the day, and afterward we shall (pardon this word, but it's the best I have) religiously plug the car in.
After all, we did get a block heater for a reason!
David
John 7:14-24 January 12
123 days 13 days
Stephanie Wilson + graduate wk 9401.12
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 17
Jesus knew that we human beings tend to misrepresent ourselves. This pattern would be hoisted on Jesus as well; though He'd done nothing wrong under Jewish law, He was still suspect by the teachers of the law because they could not explain the miracles and healing that He did. The Jewish people, on the other hand, largely earned their living and were willing to listen to someone who taught from His own experience. Lord, help us today to believe in You and Your miracles; be with Mark and I as we present this lesson, and let those who hear come to know You anew.
I remember a story that Paul, a member of Stetson's custodial staff, told me about what another employee had heard at church last weekend. Carl had been visiting his parents in Gainesville, and when he was at church Sunday, he'd heard about a woman who stopped to pick up an older man walking along the road. They had been riding along for about a mile when the man asked the woman, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" She said that she did, and the man told her that Gabriel was sounding his trumpet, and then he disappeared! A policeman stopped the woman, who told him that he wouldn't believe this story. He said he did -- she was the seventh person in the past ten days to say such a thing. Lord, You are coming, as You revealed (Revelation 22:20), and soon.
After I'd returned to Stetson from seeing Susan off to class, I ran into two of our well-off graduates; Randy Pinder (EH 93) I've already mentioned; he's pursuing graduate work in Wake Forest, and he'll be here until the end of the week. Stephanie Wilson (PSY 92) finished one year as a full-time counselor and is now pursuing her masters at the University of New Orleans, which she's due to complete in May 1995; her doctorate could come in 1997. Over the two years we were both here at Stetson, Stephanie had helped me adjust to the situation of being at Stetson, giving me that pat on the back when I needed it. Before she'd graduated, I wrote her a poem called "close,stephanie" that summed up what she'd meant and means to me. I pray that what the "biker mama" and I have learned from each other is never lost.
Was I just a better storyteller in my twenties, or did I just take more advantage of the time?
I wasn't around posting yesterday because I partly wasn't in the mood for it. Sometimes you just have to take a skip day, high school seniors notwithstanding. I don't know if I should mention this for fear of jinxing myself, but I finally took the time after a three month hiatus to open back up my novel "Victory" and start on editing and final revisions. My goal now is to bring this third novel of my Progeny Cycle -- the three book series I started writing in high school (you can order the first two installments, Progeny and Legacy; just look them up under my name, David Alvin) -- live by the last day of February next month. So it would be available on the eleventh anniversary of Legacy's release.
On our daughter Sarah's 11th birthday.
I keep saying I will get it done but dammit, this time I'm going to do it! Another reason to say that came when Martha wanted to head to work this morning. She had our Lumina after I got home from work and took it to church choir last night and came home early enough after fried chicken dinner that she could participate with us in the game Sarah's class played where Mrs. Perrin thought of a three digit number and the kids wrote down numbers 0 through 9 and tried to guess what it was. Answers would come like "you have one number right and one in the right place", maybe the same one maybe not. Sarah played it with Jeffrey and I while Martha was gone and it only took me three tries at most based on my and everyone else's guesses to get it right!
Woke up to -6 outside and -44 below with the wind chill. (-21 out and -42 wind chill, Celsius.)
With the Lumina not plugged in, which below zero is not a good idea. Our van with the remote starter still runs and that's great ... unfortunately it's blocked in by the Lumina in our driveway. Martha called her parents who live across town and Robert her dad was able to give her a ride to work, Sarah and Jeffrey a ride to school, and me a ride to their house to warm up until I headed to work myself. Robert brought me and is likely picking me up as well, for Martha's got her first bowling league night of the year 2017 tonight and right now the Lumina is sitting with my in-laws' battery charger plugged into it to charge for the day, and afterward we shall (pardon this word, but it's the best I have) religiously plug the car in.
After all, we did get a block heater for a reason!
David
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