Hi folks! I'm looking ahead at the calendar, and I'm coming into my heavy traveling season. May is usually conference month, and I'll be in Rome and then Assisi for most of June. But I will still plan to do a live session of The Journey every week, though on some Saturdays I might need to change the time a bit. And speaking of Rome, just a heads up for those who might be interested, the 2024 Rome pilgrimage will likely be in the second half of May a year from now. So here's what we're looking at for the next two months:
May 6 - The Journey
May 7 - The PIAZZA (time TBD)
May 13 - The Journey
May 20 - The Journey (time TBD)
May 27 - The Journey
June 3 - The Journey - LIVE FROM ROME
June 10 - The Journey - LIVE FROM ROME
June 17 - The Journey - LIVE FROM ROME or ASSISI
June 24 - The Journey - LIVE FROM ASSISI
And I will try to do some other things from Rome as well - maybe we'll have The Piazza from an actual Piazza!
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
The problem with us men is that often we don't have the wisdom to be a father until we're a grandfather.
This may sounds like some ironic statement that makes you nod your head in agreement but shrug your shoulders in resignation, thinking, well there's nothing we can do about that. But the practical application of that is that it demonstrates how important it is for kids to grow up around their grandparents. But as in our culture the family becomes ever more fractured and spread out, that is harder and harder to do.
Lately I've been thinking that part of the problem is the whole concept of college. It used to be that everyone thought a person had to go to college to make a good living. Not only is that not the case (truck drivers make more money than I do) but now college has gone from useless to actually ruining our kids. But when I went to college, what you were supposed to do is figure out what career you wanted (as if anyone knows that at age 18) and then go away to the college ...
And don't forget, if you would like to read my latest novel:
The Sword and the Clover - just let me know by email.
I'm happy to send you the PDF version, even if you haven't been a monetary supporter of the community - all I ask is that you don't share it with anyone else.
My email address:
Keep in touch!
JIm
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