J. Randal Matheny

Preacher, elder, teacher: When was the last time you read a book about evangelism? How many books have you read on all kinds of topics since you last read a book on evangelism? What is your mission?

Great article by Aaron Cozort on God's forgiveness, with a solid illustration:

When we make mistakes or are dealing with problems in life, we like to think our situations are unique, when in reality: “You haven’t done anything someone else hasn’t done before.”

Be sure to read the whole piece here.

The latest and greatest GoSpeak missions ministry report is now online here.

Another prayer is up, based upon (is it good to say, inspired by?) an eighth-century prayer by an unpronounceable name. (The whole line got linked, a bug in Posthaven, but the easier to click upon.)

Soon, as in today, maybe, another Corollaries segment on TFR. Keep clicking.

Say a prayer for a friend today who is facing a tough moment. All I can say.

The Maiden had an interview yesterday at a Big Name Company and goes back for another on Monday with the HR head. Looks like the Monday interview may be a formality to wrap things up before she's admitted to the position. Pray she'll get it if this will be good for her and good for the kingdom.

I thought I had plugged it here, but apparently not. Go read my article on Biblical Notes, "Should evangelism include mention of the church?" Phil Sanders said it was well written, so I guess I got a star.

I mentioned in my report (see first paragraph) that, inspired by (oops, prompted by, maybe?) a Mashable report on creative uses of Pinterest, I got creative with the board "Mission Needs." Perhaps the greatest inspiration were ... tires.

Also in said report, mentioned acima (pics on personal blog), we fixed — we hope — a bad leak problem in a wall of the house. Not mentioned in the report: we had mushrooms growing in the corner of our living room. But the idea of starting a profitable mushroom farm never occurred to us.

More protests today, I'm told, in town and across the country, a general strike of sorts. I've had my nose to the grindstone and cleaning up all the blood and cartilage from that that I hadn't heard until The Missus called to warn me this morning. The restaurant where I went for lunch was closed, presumably because of the demonstrations, so I did an about-face and munched on cheap Chinese. All is quiet around us here. Downtown and spots on the interstate Dutra are percolating, say reports.

Few things can't be solved by a solid night's sleep. I worked from home yesterday — 'twas a state holiday and the cleaning lady swiped down the office — and took a nap on the couch for a bit. I woke up with a pinched or dislocated nerve in my arm. It bothered me a bit for the rest of the day. I didn't take any meds — that's a no-no in my book — but I figured a night's rest would take care of it. And it did.

Two tires on the car are very worn. One is down to the metal, we noticed last night. When we bought the car, it had tires a bit larger than the original specs. Now, price demands we go back to the original size. So that means we'll have to buy four right now, if they can be found on the market. Ouch!

This right before we'll have to leave money to pay two months' worth of bills, before our trip to the US in mid-August.

Another short devotional today on my personal blog, "The Lord gives knowledge." It starts: "Who am I to judge anything? Who are you as well to emit opinions about what others do?" Isn't that what the world loves to say?

On Wed., nights, right before our small group study at the house, I'm doing premarital counseling with Wash. (who was baptized earlier this year). His fiancee is in another state, and she sought out someone there for the same. Doing it with just one of them isn't ideal, but it's far better than nothing.

Prayers, please, for The Maiden with what looks like a good job opportunity.

Way past time to get out a GoSpeak newsletter. Way time.

We enjoyed a meet of men and of women, then a cookout, with a birthday cake for Rodrigo and Cibelle, at whose house we met.

"I am not young enough to know everything." —Oscar Wilde

Ouch! I am old enough to know enough reasons why something cannot be done.

Each age has its flaws and strengths. May I be aware of mine in my stage of life.

Over on ZenHabits, Leo Babauta gives five tipos on "How to Keep Habits Going During Travel." All are good. I especially like this one:

Try to do the minimum. Keeping with your flexible mind: if you normally exercise for 30 minutes, try 5-10 if you’re pressed for time or low on energy. If you normally meditate for 20 minutes, try 2 or 5 minutes. It’s better to keep it going with the minimum, than to only do it if you have the time/energy for the full session.

Christopher Smith writes,

... in our speed, we are rapidly losing the capacity to be attentive to and present with others, as God was present with the Israelites throughout the Old Testament and as Jesus was present with his disciples and followers. A pressing question of our times therefore is: how do we begin to imitate the presence and attentiveness of Jesus in a culture that is marked by rampant inattentiveness?

For me, poetry is a practice that is helping me begin to slow down and become more attentive.