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Friday, October 26, 2007

Job Hunting

You may know that I have been talking to the African American woman who works at Planned Parenthood. I sincerely feel for her. When I started talking to her, she expressed the need to pay her bills. She subsequently defended her position there as helping people.

I want you to pray with me this week. I told her yesterday that I would meet her at Wendy's at 5:15 and we could sit and talk and have supper together. We could look for a job together. She was not there. I went in and looked for her, and then (being frightened, really) I waited another ten minutes in my van outside with the doors locked.

I did drive past Planned Parenthood when I left to confirm that she wasn't still at work... She wasn't. She probably has to get home and fix supper.

Next week, I want to be ready with some job offers. Pray with me, and ask me if I have been looking, and if you hear of anything, tell me. I am serious about this. I don't know if she is a nurse or a nurse's aid or what, but I would like to love her with a job. She will not come to me for a meal or help in finding a job. She probably thinks I am a cloud without rain.

13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him

20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

I John 3:13-24

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Don't be so mean, ya mean ol' Meanie!

Mean: What do you mean, "mean."

Today, at Planned Parenthood, I was loitering. A woman went in, alone, and I pretty much left her alone. As she came out and got in her vehicle, she looked at me. Then as she approached me, she stopped and rolled down her window and asked me if I needed a ride or something. I said, no, I'm here to offer people information about children, and abortion and life. I offered her a brochure.

She was repulsed, and the brochure that should have been in her extended fingers when I let go of it landed on her passenger seat. She said, "Oh-h, you're mean! So mean! Let people make up their own minds!" She handed the brochure back to me, and drove away.

Mean? Wow.

She was so kind, to ask me if I needed a ride. Why was I so mean?

Discouraged, maybe, but mean?

There was a guy who brought a girl. He was waiting for her to get out of the car when I pleaded with him to reconsider what he was here to do. Don't kill your child, it does nothing but damage to everyone involved. I exhorted him to take responsibility to to protect them. He ignored me. Then I tried to talk to the girl, who grinned at me and shrugged. They went in. He said something to me, but I can't remember what. He was very flippant and cool.

They came back out to fill out some papers on the bench behind the fence, so I went there and tried to talk to them. I offered her a brochure. She again just grinned at me. He said something about hell. I asked him to repeat it. I heard something about sodomites and hell, but I was still missing something, this wasn't making sense. I finally realized that he said that they were murderers and sodomites, and that they were going to hell. He seemed fine with that. I said, "OK, but would you please not kill your child on your way there."

"Nope, we're going to kill it."

What could I say? Mean? Me? Maybe. Lame is more like it. I don't know.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud

(fast foward to the 4 minute mark if you wish)

11Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
12These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude)


How much of a cloud without rain I am! How often have I chanted with the rest, "Be bold, don't be ashamed of the Gospel!"

More than once, fully aware that I have been guilty of no more than skirting the subject of God; hinting that He is the source of help in times of trouble; I have been brushed aside like an annoying fly...an opportunity lost without actually offering an offense!

These are not lost opportunities of strangers passing on the street or acquaintances sharing air in the office.



I just am very ashamed of myself for missing this:

27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt.10:27&28)

Secrets and Mice

It used to be that no one knew what went on in the Pierson home unless we told. Not so any more!

The last time we had mice, it was a great story to tell...if we so chose. This time, while I suspected that we had a wild visitor, I didn't know for sure until a member of our small group silently mouthed, "Mm-ouw-sss" to another one, and giggled. (sigh)

Later the same Sunday evening while we were engaged in a VERY serious discussion of sexual sin, another of our group saw one running through the rafters, and offered to catch it. (si-igh)

This morning, Glen discarded the seventh mouse caught in the week and a half since that meeting.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Edgewood Marching Mustangs 10/13/2007 Regionals

The Edgewood Marching Mustangs: Taking their awesome show to the Dome.

The Marching Mustangs: State Bound!

This is what I have been up to for the last month and a half...



Awesome!

They perform at the RCA Dome at 3:02 pm. They will be the last of the top ten Class C bands in the state to perform.

(sigh)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Breaking News

Breaking my long silence to bring you this news:
Police: Suspected shooter still in apartment building
Bloomington Police Department Capt. Joe Qualters says police are trying to get communication with the man still in the apartment building; police are sending a telephone up to the apartment.

The apartment building is at the 1300 block of West Arch Haven on Bloomington's west side; the initial call came in after 7 a.m.

9:01 a.m. update

A man fired shots from an apartment building balcony this morning, according to police.

Sgt. Faron Lake told H-T reporter Marci Creps that a man fired shots from the balcony of an apartment building behind the BW3 restaurant on Second Street this morning. Lake said the man shot a rifle numerous times, but did not hit anyone that police are aware of, then went back inside.

Police believe the man is back inside the apartment at this time, and has not come back out.

Bloomington police's Critical Incident Response Team is on the scene, staging next to Stonebelt on Adams Street.

Dave Burnworth, senior director of clinical operations at IMA, said Internal Medicine Associates’ Landmark Family Practice and Landmark Medical Center were both locked down at 7:45 a.m.

“No patients or doctors can leave the building until we get the OK from the police,” he said. “Everyone seems to be fine. They know they are secure if they stay inside the building.”

8:43 a.m. update

Bloomington Police are at the scene of the incident near Second Street at this hour.

Preliminary reports from police indicate a man with a rifle came out of an apartment building on Adams Street, between Patterson and Second Streets, and fired shots.

Police did not say who the man is, or why shots were fired.

The area is sealed off, including Second near Landmark and Patterson and Adams Street.

A news briefing is expected in about a half hour.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.
We are all safe and sound. More later.