Old and New

There are umpteen-dozen quotes out there about old things, and new things, and old things becoming new... and that's not even including what the Bible says about it.  One of my favorites is "That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done.  So there is nothing new under the sun."  Ecclesiastes 1:9.  It's always fun when that comes in the form of renewing old friendships.  I got to hang out with my friend Rick Gonzalez last night.  However, this time it was in my living room instead of at Kanakuk Kamps or a restaurant in Branson MO on a night off from kamp.  We talked about old stories, and old friends, and about newer things.  There should have been several ears burning last night... TR, West Brazelton, Al Thomas, Skipper, Leslie Tijerina, Whit Roberts, Lee Roberts... and various others.  For the record, I'm totally enjoying renewing this friendship (as if there were any doubt about that).  

Also, there have been multiple times in the last few weeks that I've found myself writing side notes tying past things to current things going on, especially what I, and others, call "Kitchikomo verses". Point of clarification for those who may not know the term, the girls who work in the dining halls at Kanakuk are called Kitchikomos; and the verses are about serving God by serving others.  

Pastor Bob's sermon today at Northside Church Austin, included a Kitchikomo verse: " Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9. Sometimes it's easy to get frustrated and give up, but we shouldn't.  We should ask God to help up continue to do what He has for us to do.  This is something that was ingrained into me in the Kanakuk kitchens, usually while washing pots and pans.  That's what made it easy to make the connection between old and new.  I'm thankful that Kanakuk stays with me even years after I stopped working there.

So my lesson of today is that since there is nothing new under the son, we should not become weary, and keep doing good as we used to.  

Slow on the Uptake

Have I really not posted anything since last November?!?  Kinda fitting for today's topic.  I had an epiphany during church this morning... well, actually I had 2 of them.  But let's go backwards... second epiphany first.  By the end of today's sermon on Psalm 23, I found myself thinking, "Wow, I am really slow on the uptake!"  Let me be clear, this is not an indication of Pastor Bob's preaching... this is me.

Now the first epiphany that lead to the second.  As Pastor Bob was finishing the sermon, and addressing the first part of Psalm 23:6, he commented that King David could write "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" with confidence because he had seen how God had worked throughout his life.  At that moment, I remembered something that my college pastor, Tom Westbrook, told me 25 years ago in response to a question about how do you know that God is working in your life.  His response has stuck with me to this day.  He told me "I know He will because He has".  Only today did I make the connection between that response and Psalm 23:6.  I don't know if he was intentionally paraphrasing that verse, or if the verse was just ingrained in him so much that it was a natural response.  Knowing him, I suspect both.

Yes, it took me 25 yrs to connect his response to scripture, just phrased so that a semi-clueless college student could understand it.  Oh, and another point of clarification, this is not an indication of Tom's teaching either.  Like I said, it is me being slow on the uptake.  He will probably shake his head if he reads this because he always told us to check everything against scripture.  In my defense (jokingly, facetiously, sarcastically... take your pick), he didn't say to do that immediately, but I'm sure he meant quicker than 25 years.

So, yes, I really am slow on the uptake.