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More Summertime Nostalgia

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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I went to a job fair today in the Nashville Public Library branch in Antioch. As it turns out, this library is located right next to the old Hickory Hollow Mall, now known as the Global Mall at the Crossings.

Back in the day, I used to spend summers in Middle Tennessee with the fam and at least once or twice during every summer, my Mom, my sister, and I would make the pilgrimage to this mall.

I took some time after I was done checking out the very underwhelming job fair to walk around the mall.

It was sad. There are so few stores open that it’s almost like a ghost mall. Still, as I walked, it was like the smell of the mall brought back so many memories for me. I don’t know if this certifies me as mental, but for me there is a special mall odor.

I remember I always had to check out Zondervan Christian Bookstore. I had to investigate the latest musical releases at the record stores. And the mecca of any good mall is always the food court, and I did spend some quality time there.

I remember hoping I would see the members of the Christian group dc Talk waking around the mall, like all they did when they weren’t recording or performing was hang out together in malls.

I remember losing track of time more than once and dear old mom having to hunt me down because I got sidetracked by a book or a CD or possibly the pet stores they used to have at malls.

I used to think how neat it would be to be locked in a mall overnight. In my version of reality, all the stores would be open (especially the toy stores, book stores, and music stores) and I could go from store to store until I finally crashed in one of those stores that sold mattresses.

Then I saw the movie where zombies overran the mall and I got over that fantasy. But I still look back with fondness over this particular mall.

Ah, those were good days.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

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According to the Mayan calendar, the world ends tomorrow. Or more accurately, according to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar, the world will end tomorrow.

I seriously doubt that. Or as the English might say, “Balderdash!”

I’m 98% certain that Friday, December 21, will be just like any other December 21 in recent history. The streets around the malls will be ridiculously crowded and the lines in the stores will be out into the parking lot. As with any other day, Nashvillians will be out in force, driving badly and generally ignoring most of the traffic rules and regulations (and stop signs and red lights, etc).

I remember the famous words that Jesus spoke once that people have also tended to ignore. He said, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake.For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32).

No one knows. Not the Mayans. Not John Hagee. Not Pat Robertson. Not any of those TBN preachers. Not you or I or anyone. No one.

Jesus said, “Be ready.” Live every day like it were the last one and like Jesus could come back at any moment.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Don’t leave any conflict unresolved. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t leave words to loved ones unspoken, thinking you will have another day to get all these things done.

Write that letter. Send that email. Make that visit. Speak the words, “I love you,” as often as you can to those who need to hear it from you.

Yeah, these predictions about the end of the world make as much sense to me as the lyrics to that old REM song “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” I just know there’s a part in the song where everybody yells “Leonard Bernstein” for apparently no logical reason. We should all randomly do that tomorrow. For fun.