The quest continues. I’ve made it through the first five doctors in the classic series and am now finally up to the sixth doctor, Colin Baker. Though I was sad to see Peter Davison depart, change and regeneration is what Doctor Who is all about.

I confess this one took a bit of warming up to. He’s a bit like a hybrid of the first and second doctors, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, in that it takes a while to get used to his eccentric, sometimes arrogant, always alien ways. Thankfully, he has the ever lovely Perpugilliam Brown, better known as Peri, to keep him grounded.

For a change of pace, they decided to make this companion American, although sometimes a little Britishness slips through.

I’m almost a little sad that I’m over half way through all the Classic Doctor Who episodes. Again, they don’t always have the most top notch special effects and budget, but there’s something to be said for escapism with bits of morality and social commentary thrown in.

It may be a bit of a spoiler to know that the doctor will survive, but it can be just as suspenseful trying to figure out how.

There will be more to come later. Stay tuned.

“For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king” (1 Peter 2:13-17, New Living Translation).

Honor the king. Another translation puts it as “Honor the emperor.”

As believers in Jesus, we’re called to a higher standard. That includes honoring those in authority, including the President. Note that it does not say to honor only those in charge whose policies and beliefs match yours. Remember that Peter was writing to believers living under the rule of Nero, who was certifiably insane and whose atrocities are well-documented (and way worse than any President we’ve ever had).

For me, that means I need to remember that even politicians are made in the image of God and are included in the people that Jesus died for. Even the Obamas and Trumps of the world. To denigrate and demean someone made in the image of God is to insult their Creator.

It’s still every believer’s duty to speak out against injustice and wrong, but we’re also called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We’re still called to honor our leaders, whether we agree with them or not.

Ultimately, we need to realize that what’s wrong with the world won’t change by replacing one ruling political party with another. You can’t solve spiritual problems by political means. You can seek to make a difference in a thousand daily small ways in your home and in your community.

My hope isn’t in a President or a political party or any kind of policies or platforms. My hope is in Jesus. May we be as willing to extend grace and mercy to others as He was to extend it to us.

Peanut has the right idea when it comes to Saturdays, better known in her world as Caturdays.

She’s not the World Champion Cat Napper that Lucy was. Yet.

As you can tell, she’s making strides toward learning how to nap at anytime, anywhere, for any reason at all. Or for no good reason at all.

I do think she’s on to something.

There’s a reason God instituted the Sabbath. Every one of us needs a day off and 24 hours to rest and recharge.

No one was ever designed to go 24/7 for long. Eventually, you burn out and your health gives out.

So I think Caturdays and cat naps are something I might incorporate into my own life more often.

Even at 18 months old, Peanut is teaching me stuff.

Honestly, I do think this would be a stellar way to spend the weekend, accompanied by much binging of cookies and Netflix.

I just might have to take on this challenge, and sooner rather than later.

Hopefully, it will inspire your wild and crazy Friday nights.

You’re welcome.

As I type these words, I can rest in the knowledge that I finally have a place for Spongebob to reside in my car. As of this afternoon (after five failed attempts), I now have a rear view mirror that is actually attached to my windshield.

I took the Red Sled to Safelite Repair on Cowan Road in Nashville where the nice bearded man was able to get my mirror  back on in way less time than it took me in any of my previous five attempts. Apparently, reattaching rear view mirrors is not my spiritual gift. But in this case, the sixth time was the charm.

I don’t know why this particular mirror was so difficult to reattach. All my other cars haven’t given me this much trouble. And yes, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of having my rear view mirror fall off the windshield of every car I’ve ever owned thus far.

It’s a task I don’t wish on anybody. Hopefully, I won’t have to experience it again at least  until my next vehicle. You don’t appreciate something like a rear view mirror until you’ve been without one for a bit. Now I think whoever invented it should get his or her own holiday, complete with no work and lots of chocolate.

It’s Wednesday, September 12, 2018, and it feels like my brain has been pureed into mush. I’ve been wracking my brains to come up with something witty or creative, and I got nothing.

It was just another day. Another day in which I was blessed to wake up, drive to a job, have more than enough food to eat, and feel contentment at the end of another productive day.

It’s nothing that I should take for granted, but I still do sometimes.

Not today.

Maybe instead of TGIF and living from weekend to weekend, I’ll start using TGFED (Thank God For Every Day) and try to treasure each day for the gift it really is.

Not bad for Hump Day.

I often do my best thinking while I’m walking. Tonight, it was me getting in a few extra steps after a fine dinner at Chick-fil-A.

I started thinking about Colin Kaepernick and him kneeling for the national anthem before football games. I thought about Nike starting an ad campaign featuring him, and how people are now burning their Nike apparel (which in my opinion accomplishes nothing).

I admit that it bothered me quite a bit. I was offended. I had to ask myself what it was that brought out such a response in me.

I don’t pretend to know everything about this dilemma, but here’s what I’m learning so far. I speak not from a position of authority but from someone who’s trying to understand.

I still am not a fan of kneeling for the anthem, but I also believe that standing for the flag is more than just something you do at football games when the Star Spangled Banner is sung or played.

The truest way you can show respect for the flag is to respect what the flag stands for. In the Pledge of Allegiance, it says that the flag stands for “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice FOR ALL.”

Perhaps, a greater offense than kneeling for the anthem is to remain seated and to stay silent in the face of any kind of oppression or injustice.

The pledge reminds us that liberty and justice aren’t just for a select few. They’re not for a certain race or ethnicity or socioeconomic status. They are for all, and any kind of oppression or justice anywhere in this land is a threat to liberty and justice everywhere.

When faced with these issues, the best thing I can do isn’t to point a finger of blame, but to look in the mirror and realize that the start of any change begins in me. If I’m to cast any blame, it must be into that mirror, but better still is to begin to do what I can to be a source of light instead of criticizing the darkness.

Jesus promised that one day everything wrong will be made right. One day, oppression and injustice will cease to exist, and true liberty and justice will prevail. Until then, He calls us to be salt and light to help people see a little what the Kingdom of God looks like.

I had a little bit of church in the car on my way from work to Radnor Lake and from Radnor Lake to home. I had Aretha Franklin and The Southern California Community Choir singing Gospel music like it was meant to be sung.

It’s the Queen of Soul at her absolute best. I’m convinced after hearing this album, entitled Amazing Grace, that she was absolutely the best female singer ever. And she never sounded better than on these recordings from 1972. The title track alone is worth the price of the entire album.

As for Radnor Lake, it was as magical as ever. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening for a hike with the fall-like temperatures. I’m still amazed that more people weren’t out there taking in the perfect weather.

When I’m at Radnor, I feel a kinship with ol’ Thoreau. I definitely could get used to living in nature away from the constant overload of noise and electronics and general business that prevails these days. Some times, I yearn for the peace and quiet of earlier times when there was less concrete and more green.

But I got in 20,000+ steps and saw six deers, so I’m not complaining. I’ll take my peace and solitude whenever I can get it.

One of my favorite annual events that I always look forward to is the Greek Festival held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

This year marked the 31 years since they started. I haven’t made them all, but I’m positive that I’ve been to at least 7 or 8 in a row.

They have Greek food and Greek dancing. What more could you ask for?

And to clarify, I’m strictly a spectator when it comes to the Greek dancing. I’d probably hurt myself and/or take out an entire row of the audience if I chose to participate. It would not be pretty.

Greek food is always a win. Any ethnic food that has baklava and gyros and hummus is guaranteed to be good in my book.

Rain put a bit of a damper on this year’s event, but I can still say that I was there. Thankfully, they had tents set up as usual, and both the food and dancing were great.

Next year, I plan on being there for Festival #32. A good time will be had by all.

“‘The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’ (John 4:14).

We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as ‘rivers of living water’ in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving. Whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

I couldn’t agree more.

If all you do is receive and never give back, there will come a saturation point when you will cease to be able to take anymore in. It will all become just words and sounds.

Maybe if you feel like you’ve lost the ability to hear God speak, it’s because it’s time to take what He’s already told you and pour into the lives of others. In the life of faith, it’s always better to be a sharer rather than a hoarder.

I think I remember reading once that when you hear a sermon or a lecture, you retain a very small amount. When you hear it and write it down, you retain more. When you listen with the intent to pass it along to someone else, you retain much more. Best of all, when you listen and then put it into practice, you will not merely retain knowledge but be transformed, which is far better.

I think I’d do well to take some of my own words to heart more. I hope that you and I will continually find people in your life that we can pour into.