Magic Shoes

Its amazing to me how we take shoes for granted. They can literally make or break a person's workday. Mine recently died, they split at the heel and toe. Cheapskate that I am I decide to wait a few days to get a new pair. Not a good Idea.

Especially since I am on my feet eight to ten hours a day either waiting tables or tending bar.

I literally started having lower back spasms. The little man with the cheese grater on my spine was back. My feet hurt like maniacs in a padded room, and my shoulders and neck muscles started cramping. Of course observant fellow that I am didn't put two and two together until last night.

I went and bought me some new Wal-mart Magic shoes!

We'll see how today goes.

Larry

Around that Time

Holy cow, I went back and read all of my blog posts from beginning to end. Three things really stood out to me.

1. I was really inspired.

2. It was easy to see the slide into and out of recovery.

3. Its been four years since I started Hallelujahs.

This is amazing to me. At times I have felt like my blog was an unattended and ungroomed pet. I am so glad to have a record of where I was, where I went, and where I am going.

I feel ashamed that my level of spirituality is nowhere near where it was. The previous post explains some of that. I have developed a blogging routine now. I get up earlier, have coffee, listen to music and just write. It feels pretty good. Next up, visiting my neighbors again!

Larry

The Journey

Once a man has made that first move, once he has cast off his moorings, his associations, broken with his school, his church, his village store, and his relatives, it is easy to continue on. It is always easier to travel than to stop.

As long as one travels toward a promised land, the dream is there, to stop means to face the reality, and it is easier to dream than to realize the dream.

Louis L'amour

In the two years since I cast off my moorings and came to school I have found it hard to connect and to put into practice what I have learned.

Finding a church.

Finding a Celebrate Recovery to get involved with.

Finding a ministry to become a part of.

Friendships have been real but semi-shallow.

Focus. (I wanted to throw in another word that begins with F.)

My little family; Lisa my wife, and Alexis my daughter, changed everything to come up here to LeTourneau, and it has been a blessing, and a strange fogged, surreal dream. Our lives are better in most ways but shaky in others.

I have learned much but am adrift. Am I afraid to live the dream? I am realizing it but not living it.

Is it time to stop and face reality, that my calling is going to be messy and dangerous?

Engage or stay safe?

Larry

Where is it?

Oh where oh where, Has my Creativity gone? Oh where oh where can it be?

Nice huh? Thats all I could come up with this morning.

Have to blame my wife, she didn't tell me we were out of coffee creamer.

Its a proven fact that Coffee Mate Original Flavor in the liquid form, has it all over milk 2-1.

At least I can have some cereal.

Hope everyone is having a great day! It has been beautiful here in Longview all week.

Blessings!

Larry

Backed Up

I have this issue. You could call it an OCD thing but it is this quirk that I have had as long as I can remember.

I hate eating in a restaurant and having my back against the wall. Like an aging gunfighter from the wild west, it gives me the creeps to not see who is coming and going.

There is no rational reason for this. It is what it is. My wife always has to sit on the side of the booth not facing the door. Mabe I read too many stories of how Wild Bill Hickok died or something when I was a kid.

So today I am watching the history channel, they have this program where they do a segment on all 50 states. The portion I caught was on North Carolina. They spoke of tobacco, banking capitols, and how Greensboro was the beginning of the sit-in movement during the civil rights era.

These four African American guys walked into a segregated diner in Greensboro, bought some school supplies, and sat down at the lunch counter and asked to be served. They were asked to leave and they wouldn't budge.

The narrator of the show I was watching said the sherriff stood behind them and smacked his billy club over and over in his hand. It hit me that these guys were some of the bravest people I had ever heard of, and my flesh crawled at the thought of not being able to see what was going on behind me; and what must have been going through those guys minds.

The result? A huge following grew behind the sit-ins and eventually Woolworths desegregated.

Felt kind of foolish after I watched that show.

I think next time I'll sit facing the back of where-ever I am eating.

Larry

Out With the Old

Wow, its been a while hasn't it?

I must say this semester has been brutal. My time has been limited and the stress of writing papers, and memorizing Greek paradigms has sapped my strength like a child and a pixie straw.

It is good to be back.

I have learned great things this semester, heck this whole year.

A sampling,

1. How to write a pure research exegesis paper.

2. I articulated my Framework of Youth Ministry (Helping hurting youth)

3. And learned How Greek grammer shows us the proper translation of the Bible

4. How intricately cool the human body is on the microscopic label and that there is no way that we crawled out of the primordial ooze.

Awesome eh?

However I find my thoughts are still scattered like shotgun pellets chasing skeet, and enormous discipline is required to get me through.

Over the next few weeks I am going to revamp and retune this blog.

The appearance will change as I bring it up to date, and I will be writing more.

I hope to return to a daily posting.

To all of you out there who have hung on and kept checking every day thank you!

Larry

My Mother-in-Law

I know, I know, I said I would start posting at least once a week. But as usual the best laid plans do not always come to fruition.

My mother-in-law, Aletha, had a massive stroke about 12 days ago. All three of her arteries were blocked and she suffered massive damage. My wife has been traveling back and forth to Alexandria, Louisiana and we have been juggling job, school, and baby sitting.

I ask for your prayers. Right now the care she is recieving at the hospital itself is not so great, and Aletha is in a lot of pain, and she is suffering. Please pray for her.

Also, please pray for My wife Lisa, her sisters Gail, Carol, and Debbie, and her Brother Bubba. This is a really tough time for all of them. Let God use this time for his purpose.

The other issue is that my laptop died, and for the first time in as long as I can remember I do not have a computer. It will take some time to buy a new one.

So for now I am relying on the computers at school, which is no problem but access is going to be sporadic.

I will post when I can.

Please pray for Aletha, and our family, for peace, strength, and wisdom in this time.

Love you all

Larry