June 28, 2015

  • Moving to the Countryside

    Dear Folks,  

        We have bought the farm, and are in the process of moving out of town, to a more bucolic setting, where we can raise chickens, rabbits, and fish, maybe even some goats and alpacas.  I have two neighbors who have offered to lend me a trailer.  I do all my trailer hitch trading with Raleigh Hitch.   If I buy a trailer, I will need to use Rigsbee's Trailers down in Knightdale.  They take trailers very seriously, so they are the go-to guys in this area if you are serious about getting yourself a good, sturdy trailer which will last you until kingdom come.  I have my eye on a robust 6 x 10 foot utility trailer that they say they will let go for 1225 smackers. 
     

        I got some help with one load yesterday from our piano teacher.  He was kind to drop by and help with his family of five, though it took a little longer doing it that way.  They could only carry a few things in the back of their car.  They strongly recommended we rent a truck.  They got a 27-footer, they said, for three days at under two hundred smackers, which is a very good deal indeed.  The problem is that they used coupons which you get from the Post Office, and they scheduled it at least a week in advance.

    As Jordan (13) pointed out, the Long Yang Family does everything at the last minute, and then with great vim and verve.  Nothing gets planned.  We just all pitch in and work together with great energy, and hyper rapidly, at warp speed.  It is something to watch, and words fail me when I try to express the privilege I feel from Jesus, the basis of all truth, to be their father and witness their growth.  They are an amazing team, each filling each other's gaps by the endowment of the loving power of the Holy Spirit, which is the sole means of building such teamwork potential that carries into eternity.

    And, you see teams of non-believers who are able to work efficiently for a short time, say to win an Olympic medal in some team sport.  However, their bonds do not last, but fall away like scales, flakes of rebellious hearts. 

         With our piano teacher's family, the efficiency of moving was not important at all vis-a-vis the communion of the saints, wherein we shared a little time in love together.  I enjoyed discussions with our piano teacher about the best way to carry an aquarium.  He is all about maximizing space, and I found it interesting to see the energy with which he tackled this problem, vis-a-vis the casual aplomb with which we theretofore had always just heaved and tied (tossed various cumbersome items of furniture atop our trusty vehicle, Van Gogh, tied them in place with 3/8ths inch nylon rope and took off.  

       About fifteen years ago, my younger brother, Jim, suggested I run for office.  A few days ago, my older sister, Carol, said that I should become a politician, suggesting that it is not enough for me to merely advocate certain things, such as the avoidance of institutionalized theft, undergirding the immoral fundament of our public school system.  I am not interested in "going into politics."

    If I am to do that, then I should get practice in collecting accolades for various ventures and comments.  I should always be sure to get photos whenever I am at a community benefit lunch (not that I have ever been to such an event, nor would ever consider such).  Hence, my confidence that I shall not be running for office any time soon.

         I firmly believe it is more difficult, but more effective and lasting to change culture, one person at a time, pointing towards the truth in Jesus.

    I have greater effect walking with Jesus, loving others while agreeing that sin is always sin, and no matter what type of sin, has the same effect as all sin, which when unrepentant brings judgment from God. We do not want that, now do we? I mean who really thinks he needs an extra helping of judgment from God? Nobody I have ever met. We will all bow the knee to Him when He comes again in Glory and wipes out huge percentages of the population of the earth in preparation for a new heaven and new earth, a very good thing indeed.  

         One family member (who prefers to remain anonymous) just now interjected, "We are all about maximizing the efficient use of time."  I agree; that could characterize our family well. Each member knows we are here but a fleeting time on this earth, and it does not pay to walk anyway but with the Lord, moral architect of the universe.  

         We had best get ready to go to church.  We will need to put the seats back in Van Gogh. 


    Love, Padooker
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