Nerd post alert! If you’re not into things like Doctor Who and sci-fi and old British television, you might not want to read on.

You little rebel. I like you.

Yes, I have started back at the beginning of Doctor Who, way back in 1963 with the first Doctor, William Hartnell. It’s an interesting bit of trivia that the very first episode was set to broadcast on the very day that President John F. Kennedy was assasinated on November 22, 1963.

If you’re into the new Doctor Who, the old episodes take some getting used to. The special effects and sets aren’t quite as polished, but they give the old series a quaintness (at least in my opinion). Plus the old episodes are story-driven rather than special effects-driven anyway.

I love that first Tardis team of the Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara. They made a great team that worked well together.

I still think it’s a shame that so many of the early episodes have been lost to history, but I’ll take what I can get.

Back to your regularly scheduled blog posts tomorrow.

“The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life” (Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest).

Let that sink in for a moment.

I’m thankful that it’s Friday Eve. That means of course that tomorrow is Friday. That means that I have nearly survived yet another week of life.

I’m tired. Coming back to a five day work week after a week of vacation and a four-day work week before that is tough. Especially when you have fresh memories of the beach and the faintest scent of ocean still lingering in your nose.

But tomorrow’s Friday. And Monday? That’s the official first day of fall (although I imagine it won’t feel much like fall with all the hot humidity still hanging around). But the day on the calendar means that cooler weather isn’t far behind.

I say TGIF, but I really mean TGFED, which stands for Thank God for Every Day. That’s how I feel more and more these days. Thank God for every day I get in this life.

“O my Father, give me eyes to see, a heart to respond, and hands and feet to serve you wherever you encounter me! Make me a billboard of your grace, a living advertisement for the riches of your compassion. I long to hear you say to me one day, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ And I pray that today I would be that faithful servant who does well at doing good. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen” (Max Lucado).

I would only make one addition to this prayer:

“Help me to live in the freedom for which you died to set me free. Help me not to fall back into the yoke of slavery to approval-addiction or bitterness. May my life display your lovingkindness to everyone I meet today and every day. Amen.”

Mondays are hard. Especially after vacations.

But I found this little quote from Thomas Brooks that is a helpful reminder that God doesn’t abdicate His throne on Mondays. He’s still in charge.

I’m thankful that some Mondays are only 24 hours long.

I’m thankful that nothing that happens on any given Monday can take away my identity as God’s beloved child.

I’m thankful that when my eyes are fixed on Jesus, even Mondays can be good days.

My old boss used to say that any day without a toe tag is a good day.

I say any day when I’m covered by the grace of God is a very good day.

As much as I love going away on vacation, I equally love coming home to my little tortie furball. This time, she seems more grateful than ever to have me home for a while. She’s been more affectionate and cuddly than usual.

That’s the best part for any pet owner (in my opinion)– coming home to your pet, whether it’s at the end of the day or after being away for a while.

I love my little rescue feline. As I get older, I’m becoming more and more passionate about rescuing pets. Not that I’m completely opposed to buying a dog or cat from a breeder, but when you rescue an animal, you know they will be forever grateful. They usually end up being the best pets.

I don’t plan on going away any time soon, so little Peanut will have me around to make sure her food and water bowl are full and her litter box is empty. Also, she likes the occasional belly rubs. Basically, I’m more her servant than her owner.

But it’s a good gig. I think I’ll keep doing it for at least 15-20 years more.

I’m home in my own bed. As happy as I am to be home again, I’m always the tiniest bit sad when my vacation is over.

I’ll definitely miss those salty ocean breezes and the feel of wet sand between my toes. I’ll miss the sound of waves crashing on the beach at night and the blueness of the ocean water (except for the first day when it was full of seaweed).

But I’m thankful to have had the chance to spend time in a place and enjoyed it enough to miss it. Plus, it’s not like I’m never ever going to any beaches ever again.

I’m old enough and smart enough now to understand that you can’t live your entire life on vacation. Eventually you have to go back to reality and the routine.

I heard once that you need to cultivate the life to where you don’t live exclusively for holidays and weekends. Where you don’t need a vacation from your life but more like a vacation to compliment your life.

I have a good life. Yes, it’s good to get away periodically, but I’m content with where God has me and who I am becoming. Plus, I have plenty of photos and memories if I ever get the ol’ beach withdrawals.

This whole week has been a kind of time machine trip to the past. I’m staying in Panama City, the place where I made so many memories with my high school marching band and with my college and career group.

I absolutely recognized the Edgewater Beach Resort condos where I lodged over 20 years ago. They still look the same (at least to me they do).

The best part was going back to Captain Anderson’s where we always had the last meal of the trip before heading home. I half expected to see some of the friends I knew back then.

As far as actually going back in time, they’re still working on that one. I haven’t found any Tardis or Delorean that can take me back 20 years ago.

Still, I have memories and the places to revisit from time to time. I think that’ll do nicely.

If you want to show Christ to people instead of merely preaching Him at them, these are some good ways to do that. It might even start a gospel conversation or two.

You never know where a random act of kindness will lead. You never know who is watching. You never know when it will be you on the receiving end of a kind act. Most of all, it is how Jesus lived.

Preach absolutely, but let it be more than words. Let the good deeds prove that the faith you proclaim is genuine and the kind acts show that the person is more than a conversion quota but a human being who bears the Imago Dei, the image of God.