Kilwin’s

Another Franklin Adventure

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

I think my new motto should be “pet all the cats.” That seems to be whatever I find myself doing whenever I’m anywhere near felines.

I found one lounging outside a small record shop I’ve been meaning to check out in the downtown Franklin area. Unfortunately, the store itself was closed (even though it was still 10 till 6 and the sign said they were open until 6), but the cat was friendly.

From there, I made my way over to McCreary’s Irish Pub, my favorite place to eat in the entire world. I had a most excellent meal of corned beef and cabbage, replete with sweet iced tea (this being the South and all).

I put in a fair amount of walking (and profuse sweating and possibly a touch of wheezing) up and down the sidewalk in the July humidity for which I rewarded myself with some most excellent double peanut butter pie ice cream from Kilwin’s.

I took my usual stroll down my favorite street, fantasizing about what it would be like to win the lottery and to be able to live in one of the houses on this street. Every single house is like something out of Anne of Green Gables combined with a George MacDonald fairy tale.

I ended up with over 17,000 steps. My feet hurt a little, but I’m the good kind of tired. I’m thankful that I’m able to walk that far (and hopefully burn off some of the delicious calories I consumed).

I’m thankful for yet another day that I lived to see and to tell the tale. Never again will I take for granted that privilege that is denied to many. I’ve known way too many who died way too young to still buy the illusion that I’m guaranteed anything beyond today.

Thank you, God, for this life, and forgive me if I don’t love it enough and live it with unending gratitude.

Amen.

One of Those Nights

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

“When trouble surrounded me, I cried out to the Eternal;
    He answered me and brought me to a wide, open space.
The Eternal is with me,
    so I will not be afraid of anything.
    If God is on my side, how can anyone hurt me?” (Psalm 118:5-6, The Voice).

So here I am at 10:30 with a mild headache and absolutely no idea of what to write about. It happens on occasion. So I supposed I’ll just make stuff up as I go.

It was a good night. I visited my usual favorite places in Franklin: McCreary’s Irish Pub, Kilwin’s, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. I got my 10,000 steps in. I took in all the fresh night air allowed by law and then some.

In St. Paul’s, I set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes of silence. I didn’t check my Facebook feed or any of the NCAA scores. I prayed some and sat in the dark some. It still amazes me how long 15 minutes can seem without some sort of distraction or amusement.

I walked down my favorite street and once again wished I could win the lottery or run into an inheritance so that I could buy one of those old houses. I just love old houses with character. Plus, I’d be so close to all the aforementioned favorite places.

It’s comforting to know that there’s nowhere I can go where God is not already there. There’s nothing that I can confess that He does not already know. There’s no fear or regret that He isn’t already aware of. There’s no future possibility that God can’t turn to my ultimate and lasting good. There’s not a time even in the darkest places and the loneliest times where God does not see and know where I am.

That’s a good thought to end this Saturday night.

 

 

 

Taste of the Goodness of God

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

“When I needed the Lord, I looked for Him;
    I called out to Him, and He heard me and responded.
He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid.
Look to Him and shine,
    so shame will never contort your faces.
This poor soul cried, and the Eternal heard me.
    He rescued me from my troubles.
The messenger of the Eternal God surrounds
    everyone who walks with Him and is always there to protect and rescue us.
Taste of His goodness; see how wonderful the Eternal truly is.
    Anyone who puts trust in Him will be blessed and comforted.
Revere the Eternal, you His saints,
    for those who worship Him will possess everything important in life.
Young lions may grow tired and hungry,
    but those intent on knowing the Eternal God will have everything they need” (Psalm 34:4-10, The Voice).

He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid.

Those were the words I read as I sat in solitary darkness in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on a very autumn-esque Friday evening.

I could not have asked for a better night after a long week of working and not sleeping well. It was refreshing to breathe in the October night air and take in the sights of one of my favorite places to visit.

I managed to hit all my usual haunts– McCreary’s, Kilwin’s, St. Paul’s, and Frothy Monkey. I even took a stroll down my favorite street and donated a few books to the very tiny portable library.

It’s now 10:02 pm and I am pooped. Maybe that means I’m old. At this point, hitting all the clubs and bars until 3 am doesn’t appeal to me in the least. It never has. Not even when I was in my early 20’s.

My most appealing fantasy right now is the thought of being able to turn off the alarm and sleep in tomorrow. No 5:30 am wake-up call, no setting off for work in the dark, and especially no rising before I am good and ready.

So there you go. My life is good, because God is good.

The end.

The Long and Winding Road

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to” (Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings).

I had another good night in Franklin. I hit all the usual places– McCreary’s Irish Pub, Kilwin’s, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. I had to cut it short when it started to rain.

I also had to improvise a bit for my drive home. Franklin Road going north was blocked off for the Pilgrimage Festival, so I tried a new way. More accurately, I started to try a new way and resorted to GPS when my way led me into unfamiliar territory.

When you’re not sure where you are, i.e. lost, nothing feels better than finding a familiar landmark or street.

When I turned on to Berry’s Chapel Road, I knew I was finally heading in the right direction. It was literally the long and winding road that led me back home.

The faith journey often takes us into unfamiliar territory. Usually, God does that to increase both our awareness of dependence on Him and to grow our faith as we discover new aspects to God’s ability to come through in the clutch.

Sometimes, I’ve been guilty of viewing God as my GPS, a sort of last minute back-up plan in case my own way of getting home fails. Too many of us have prayer and God as a last resort after every other effort has failed.

The lesson from tonight is to start off with prayer. It involves less stress in the end. It also will save you from a lot of heartache and disappointment and distractions that your own “short cuts” inevitably lead to.

One other note: I’d have probably done better if it hadn’t been dark and raining. I probably missed a street or two from not being able to see street signs very well. I think sometimes when you’re tired and frustrated, it’s best not to figure things out because you can’t always see everything properly. And definitely hold off on those emails and posts until you’ve had a good night’s sleep. Just FYI.