Back in the Posting Business

It has been way to long since my last posting. A whole lot of things have been happening since June 17. Mostly it has been very good. Mostly it has taken up my time so that when I do sit down I either don't want to write or I was too tired to write about my happenings. But this morning is different I want to blog! Maybe if I blog in the morning instead of waiting till midnight my mind would be a little more than mush and things coherent would come out.

As I sit to write this post I am listening to the music of Glen Campbell. Listening to Glen Campbell songs is like watching water rush over a 15 foot waterfall. It is something that you could listen to all day (or as the case of a waterfall - watch all day.) Now I know the younger readers of this blog will ask, "Glen Campbell, who is he?" But it is to their loss that they are so culturally deprived!

I have been asked with incredulity, "You listen to that?" Well, I'll let the secret out. I do listen to music other than Praise and Worship music. However, it is hard to beat what God is inspiring songwriters to put together expressing the wonderful nature and person of the Lord Jesus. So I go back to P&W everyday. So what's in my MP3 player? To begin with, you need to know that my music appreciation range is quite eclectic as you'll notice. It's sort of hard to pin down what my favorite style is so I just call it Eclectic.

My favorite song in my MP3 player is How Much Is That Dogie In The Window. Don't laugh, it was a number one hit sometime in the 1950s. Songs ranging from Roy Orbison to Patti Page, with the Temptations, Glen Campbell, Henry Mancini, Roy Rogers, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Three Dog Night tucked between them give pleasure to my soul. Oh, I almost forgot the classics, every MP3 player must have Maurice Ravel's Bolero in it. This is one for the ages! And of course, my MP3 player would be second rate if it did not have the military marches in it. Appreciation and gratitude always come to mind when you hear the likes of Anchors Aweigh or The Caissons Go Rolling Along or The Marine's Hymn or The Air Force Song.

On to other thoughts. Tomorrow marks the end of my first year of serving on the Pioneer Valley Association Board of Directors. It has been a real trip! I have two more years to fulfill my term. Last year at this time the annual election meeting needed to have the Sheriff's deputy called in to stop a scuffle between individuals. Shortly after things calmed down I was one of three newly elected directors sworn in. (Note: I was elected with one vote as a write-in candidate. And no, I did not vote for myself.) Many good things have been accomplished during the past year. One of them is that the people of Pioneer Valley now talk to each other instead of yelling at each other. That is always an improvement and hopefully will make the coming year even more productive.

One last item to mention. Sunday will see the last of our youth head off to the mission field for this summer. We have had youth serving in Oklahoma, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and now Italy. We also had an adult do mission work in Zambia this summer. Two others will go to Honduras in the Fall. That is 16 individuals out of our congregation of 80. Wow, well done CTC!

Children's camp this week, youth work days next week, youth camp the week after that (along with a conference in California). Then things will settle down in August. At least one can dream.