March 3, 2021
Leadership Notes
- Sometimes I Was Born A Ramblin' Man -
We're coming up on the one year anniversary of "14-Days of Shutdown to Flatten the Curve." Do you remember that? An important lesson I've learned during this pandemic is it's easy to shut down someone else's livelihood when you're still drawing a check. My wife and I are getting our vaccines as soon as we are allowed. People need their businesses and jobs back.
Here's a headline from MLive from last week:
When will I get vaccinated? The No. 1 pandemic question that's
making Michiganders nervous.
Seriously? Making us nervous? I just love the mainstream media.
As we've been saying for the past two weeks, we're planning on two Easter worship services - 8:30 and 10:00 on Sunday, April 4. This is a good thing as more people return to in-person worship.
Lori and I have been watching the "WandaVision" miniseries on Disney+. While we are neither "Marvel Universe" nor "DC Comics" aficionados, we find the series to be entertaining, thought-provoking, and emotionally satisfying in ways that surprise us. If you have Disney+ and haven't checked it out yet, you might want to give it a try.
On another entertainment front, we also watched the movie, "Nomadland." It more than lived up to the buzz. Neither cynical nor depressing, it's an honest look at struggles people go through during economic changes. Capitalism is neither the hero nor the villain. It simply is. I wonder about what people are going through during the current state of economic upheaval.
Just last month, with the stroke of a pen, tens of thousands of jobs were ended as people and communities were upended. What happens next? "Nomadland" gives a glimpse into the resiliency and grit of the working men and women of this country.
Apparently, Dr. Seuss was left off the celebration of "Read Across America Day" this year. It's funny how, just six years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated the day with someone in a "Cat in the Hat" costume as well as other "Seussian" reference points. We've come a long way, baby. I'll leave it up to the reader to decide the goodness or badness of it.
There are some mightily discomforting and disquieting illustrations and characterizations from older Dr. Seuss books. They make me cringe. It would be wise to practice discretion and perhaps not read those to your kids. But isn't the point growth and change? There is so much to be applauded from his later work, which I'm sure is what Michelle Obama rightfully celebrated.
If you really want to be uncomfortable, Google the Mickey Rooney character from the 1961 movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Yikes! And don't even get me started on John Wayne's portrayal of Genghis Khan. Times, they have been a changin', often for the good.
Here's a great Mr. T quote:
To us Believers who are redeemed, Christ is All; That is,
He is everything…He is what matters most to us! Christ is in all; that is,
He dwells in all Believers.
This was shared in worship last Sunday:
Judging a worship service based on how it made you feel may be
an indicator it wasn't God you were going there to worship.
- Jared C. Wilson
And finally, your Spurgeon Moment:
I would never believe that we were on the Lord's side if all men were on
our side.
- Preached on February 3, 1861
With Much Love and Affection {Always Steady, Never Rambling},
Richard