JULY 2004 ATTIC ARCHIVE
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Ø On Intravenous Krispy
Kreme…
This won’t be good for my diet: Drinkable Krispy Kreme's
I’m holding out until I can simply
ingest them intravenously.
Ø On Hepatitis VS. Pot…
Apparently, there was a worker at Wendy’s
in Marion, Indiana who has been diagnosed with Hepatitis. Normally this would not be a big deal. I was born in
WARNING – Now that you have read this
contagious blog please wash your hands vigorously and digest a quart of
globulin to boost your immune system.
Also stock up on Penicillin just in case. Please make a valiant attempt to refrain from
kissing me for 50 days as well.
Somehow I wish I lived in
=
?
Ø On Being a Slacker…
I’ve been a slacker lately in the
following ways:
1.
I haven’t been posting to this blog enough – took a
little “vaycay” from it, as my young interns would call it. I’m back in the saddle now.
2.
I haven’t worked out in 20 days. I now must move my belly slightly to the left
in order to see the bad news on my scale in the bathroom. New diet with Kathy started. I’m already slacking on that one.
3.
I haven’t pursued the writing leads I have on the
Being Dad book. Great opportunities but
no time or initiative yet from me to pursue them.
4.
I haven’t read enough in July – bummer – I had hoped
to complete about 5 books that I’m really just beginning.
5.
I haven’t spent enough one on one time with Kathy
since our anniversary on the 6th.
Will Friday night. Must correct.
6.
I haven’t posted Kathy’s writing on our www.drurywriting.com. She has some stuff done I just haven’t loaded
it. Thursday!
7.
I haven’t spent enough time in the Bible – I always
love it when I do… on Monday Psalm 107 just blew my head clean off for about an
hour – but on Tuesday and Today my Bibles have just been books on the
shelf. Must correct.
8.
I haven’t met with my accountability partner in
almost a month (Steve Deur) – so I guess I’m confessing to the blogger world
here instead.
But I’m guessing you’re a slacker
too. So shame on us. Moving on…
I got the memo already!

Ø On the Amazing Response
to my Narrative Message…
I’m thinking up a response to my recent experience
doing a 25 minute first person narrative message at SLWC. Look back here for my thoughts by the
weekend. I’m still stirring the pot in
my brain on it. Hard to get my mind
around. Biggest preaching risk I’ve ever
taken – nearly wet myself with fear. And
I NEVER get nervous before preaching.
Then I got the most overwhelming response I’ve ever received, at least
150 individual calls, e-mails or conversations where people have been
embarrassingly praising of the thing.
Wow. I’ve got to process this
baby out loud. Soon. Slacking on that too I suppose. Gotta go – must prep for doing a funeral
tonight. Will post my manuscript from
the message soon too.

Ø On Beating Blue Black and Blue…
At a birthday party for little Ella Lans
(click here for article about her family) they
had a monstrous piñata made in the graven image of a children’s character from
the show Blue’s Clues… it’s a little blue dog which is profoundly
named “Blue.” In the show, “Blue” gives
“Clues” (I know, it’s hard to follow) to his owner, a real life dark-haired 20
year old that spends time talking to an animated talking dog. He remains unmarried. However, he solves lots of mysteries about
what kind of condiments his dog wants with his hamburger.
Above is a picture of Max wacking Blue in
the can at high velocity. He is
physically doing what every parent has wanted to do since they heard their
1,500th episode of “Blue’s Clues.”
All SpongeBob Squarepants Piñatas have been sold under this parental
motivation as well. Happy Birthday Ella (Whack, to Blue’s kneecaps)!
Ø On the Publisher’s
Response…
If you know me you know I love writing –
and there’s an ongoing saga below in this blog about my contacts with a
publisher. As he and I thought, the team
at his publisher didn’t snatch up my Being Dad manuscript. However, the senior editor really liked my
writing and gave me two editor names at two other publishers that better fit
the book – and told me to use his name with them as a reference. Hopefully I’ll get time next week to send out
queries to those publishers.
Ø On Narrative…
Preaching a 1st Person
Narrative Message on Sunday – from the perspective of the Philippian Jailer in
Acts 16. Gotta memorize my script
now. Must go!
Here’s Kathy and I on our Anniversary
trip up to
Boyne Highlands in northern Michigan
(Up North = around here):

Ø On the Second Contact from
a Publisher…
Well, the publisher I mentioned about a
month ago in my blog did end up reading my manuscript. Originally he sent an e-mail saying he didn’t
think it would work for them, but he’d still like to read it. At least that was a foot in the door. Now he just wrote back and though he’s still
not confident they could publish it—he liked it a whole lot and is bringing it
to his colleagues at the publishing company (he’s the senior editor, so that
means something.) He also added some
encouraging stuff about my writing and mentioned another publisher I could use
his name as a recommendation with.
WRITING BTW = nearly my whole family is
now publishing online at this server.
Click here: www.drurywriting.com
is LIVE – and Dad even moved his massive quantities of verbiage off the IWU
servers to here. There is some awesome
stuff in there. Even Kathy is getting
into the game – as soon as I reformat and post the things she’s already sent to
me. You can go direct to my stuff at the
“Writer’s Attic” link above.
Ø On Preaching Prep…
I’m preaching this Sunday (tomorrow) in
our 59 West services. Still prepping
today. I’m late in the ball-game. Too much going on to get in the kind of prep
routine I’m comfortable with. So I’m in
the office today like so many other ministers, polishing proper points,
thinking through transitions & imaging interesting illustrations. Time to stop blogging – “Gotta make the doughnuts.”

Ø Rants On Being a
Elderyoungster…
WARNING
FROM BLOGGING WEATHER SERVICE – PARTLY CLOUDY RANTING AND SHOWERS OF DISTAIN LIKELY
IN BELOW PARAGRAPHS
I haven’t really concerned myself much
about birthdays in general. I always
figure it takes very little work to get older – so why celebrate? We should give people prizes and parties for
the amount of years they’ve served something, or give credit and recognition to
people for wedding anniversaries – now THAT takes some work (especially with
some spouses!). But birthdays? Come on!
Just for getting one day older?
Who deserves a cake for that?
Whoopie!!! You’re older now!
So my solitary meaningful reflection on
turning 30 is the same one everyone has: every major decade change looks a LOT
older on the front side than the back side.
For obvious selfish reasons you already know this. Your current age is always younger sounding
to you once you achieve it. 51 year olds
think turning 50 is no big deal. 49 year
olds think it’s worse than Chinese water-torture. But for a more subtle reason this is also
true. You think that when you reach a
big decade change like 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 that people will treat you
different – as though you’ll get some kind of “respect I didn’t get before” card sent to you in the mail by the
Social Security Department of America.
You think that it’s bad for sure to get older—but perhaps now people will
see you in a different light.
Actually, they are either surprised you
are only the age you turned = “Oh, I though you were way older than 30!” (Think about how bad it is to hear that for a
minute and you’ll know how I’ve felt the last two weeks.) OR, they think you act way younger than the
age you just turned (which just means they think you are immature.) Neither of these is a good option. They don’t respect you more; they just came
to eat your cake.
So, I’ve changed my mind – I’m going to
celebrate my birthdays as they come just for the simple stupid sake of
celebrating ME! All I did was not die
for another year – but give me some cake and ice-cream and if my wife threw a
party then get me a card – cause I know I’m not getting anything else outta this
aging thing, other than a sore back.
Off to write thank you notes and shop
for Metamucil,
DD

Ø On Film Patriotism…
Today is the 4th of
July. It was a bit surreal last night
watching the last half of Mel Gibson movie “The Patriot” on television. Even on TV it was a bloody affair. I was thinking two things: 1) Now that church
people so roundly suggested people see “The Passion of Jesus Christ,” excusing
it’s bloodiness because it portrayed, “reality” are we going to be okay with
other portrayals of “reality” in film.
I’m guessing The Patriot movie has realistic violence. But Kathy still had to leave the room, I was also thinking: 2) Is it weird to have
Mel Gibson, an Australian, as the star of an American revolution movie? I suppose he was the star of the Scottish
revolution movie (Braveheart). Does this
mean that Mel is an interchangeable heroism unit that might be applied to any
culture and people? Will he soon star in
the re-make of Shaka Zulu as the title character? Maybe he could play Mikhal Gorbechev in a
movie about the end of the cold war? How
one on the exploits of one man’s fight for Aboriginal independence – with Mel
as the REAL Aussie aborigine? Anyway –
random, I know – but that’s what I was thinking.

I love the 4th of July and
thinking back to revolutionary times.
I’m a bit of a history buff when it comes to Adams, Jefferson, Franklin,
Washington, Hamilton & Madison (in that order, actually). Best book on the period I’ve read: Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. It’s phenomenal. And it won the Pulitzer Prize as well, so
it’s not just me talking. Best Bio of
those guys: David McCullough’s of Adams – what fun that book made Adam’s quirky
and intense life. A great study in
leadership, pride & power.
Our nation was bought with a price –
I’m not a gun-totin’ right wingin liberal-hatin flag waver – but I’M PROUD TO
BE AN AMERICAN. Even these days. Of course, I don’t have to live in the Middle
East either. I might be quietly proud if
I lived there.
Ø On Preaching…
I’m up to preach the next two Sundays
at SLWC. Believe it or not – this is the
first time I’ve preached on successive Sundays in two years. After 4 years of every week preaching
(sometimes multiple times each week) it’s been a change. It’s been good for me to focus most of my
energy on the non-speaking parts of ministry.
But it’ll be fun to get in somewhat of a groove the next two weeks out
of Luke 5 & John 21 for July 11th (“Big Fish”) and Acts 16:1-16
for July 18th (“One Man’s Adventure Story”).
Ø On Our Anniversary…
Kathy and I leave tomorrow morning for our
vacation up to Mackinaw Island. We’re
getting two nights without the kids thanks to a couple in our church who
offered to watch them!!! (Steve & Becky Gray!) Monday will be our first night away from
Karina (15 months) since she was born.
We CAN’T WAIT! It’s our
anniversary (8th) on July 6th, and it’ll be a blast to
celebrate!
©2004 David Drury
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