Hi folks - I finally booked my trip to the Philippines to meet up with my family. Leaving on Thursday morning (getting there Friday night - it's literally on the other side of the earth). The plan is for me to stay until about July 7th, and it looks like I'll finally get my vacation! If all goes well, we might all get to come back together. But we still don't know if we'll have a place to live when we get back, because I have not heard yet how long it's going to take to fix up our place. They are still in the process of tearing it apart before they can put it back together.
So the bottom line is that I expect to be back here in the community, and resume our weekly Saturday Bible Study - The Journey - on July 13th (a week later than I had planned, but not too bad considering all the drama).
Thanks everyone - especially our new community members - for your patience while I've been out of the country and dealing with other responsibilities. As our long time members know, I hate to take such a break from the regular gatherings, but I expect to be back in full swing in mid-July. I do hope you all will keep the conversation going over the next few weeks, but in any case, I'm looking forward to getting back to our in-depth journey through the gospels.
I hope you're having a great summer & I'll see you in July!
- Jim
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I'm back, up and running, and ready to go - I should have a new JOURNEY episode within the next week or so - and because you are my loyal peeps, here is an exclusive, just-for-you, behind the scenes SNEAK PEEK into my new office:
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
If you haven't already signed up - this comes to your inbox no more than once a month, and will keep you updated when new books come out, or when we're leading pilgrimages, etc:
https://jimpapandrea.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7c3793af6d238b47f3463784&id=2abdd7219d
