Innerdriving

Proper 25C 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 October 27, 2019 St. Matthias I have finally given up on my dream of becoming a professional basketball player.   It started when I was 13 years old and grew 7 inches in 1 summer.   I thought surely this would mean that I would be the one to break the 5 foot 7 inch barrier in my family.   Surely I would be 6 foot 3 or maybe even 6 foot 7 inches tall.   And then I could be a pro basketball star.   But as you can see – it did not happen.   So I think it is time to move on from my NBA career. I have also given up on being a movie star, winning an Olympic Gold Medal, owning a yacht, or landing on the moon.   I have decided to give up running just 1 more marathon – my knees are too old – Brussel Sprouts – for reasons obvious to me – and growing roses again.   I did grow them once many years ago but it’s just too much work.   Now you may be wondering why I’ve decided to share all these things I ...

Proper 24C Luke 18:1-8, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 St. Matthias October 20, 2019 This morning we have heard 2 of the more unusual scripture readings we will have all year.   One’s a reality show and the other a medical condition.   And they have to do with 2 of the most important parts of our spiritual lives – prayer and scripture.              Now I am going to call today’s parable from the Gospel of Luke - the Biblical edition of the Peoples’ Court.   Technically, you could name it after any of those unrealistic reality court TV shows that come on in the daytime.   The Peoples’ Court was on a couple of weeks ago while I was sitting in the dentist chair and wasn’t exactly in a position to ask them to change the channels – so I watched it.   And our parable is just like that episode.   There is a judge who seems to think rather highly of himself.   Luke says that this judge doesn’t r...

Proper 22C Luke 17:5-10 October 5, 2019 St. Matthias            There are certain things you can just always count on.   The earth rotates 1 full turn every 23 hours and 56 minutes.   If 2 balls are dropped from the same height, they will both hit the ground at the same time even if one is heavier or bigger than the other.   I know because this was my 3 rd Grade science project and I must have dropped those balls a hundred times trying to make one go faster than the other.   Old Faithful in Yellowstone erupts every 76 minutes on average, there is no end to Pi, and it takes exactly 77 seconds for the stop light at the end of our street to turn from Red back to Green.   It does not matter what time of day, the season of the year, or how late I am, that red light always lasts 77 seconds.   I know – I’ve timed it a hundred times.            N...

Proper 21C Luke 16:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:6-19 September 29, 2019 St. Matthias            How do you know WHAT is the right thing to do???   I tend to ask myself this question when I read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus and then AGAIN when the person on the street asks me for money.   This happened last Tuesday on 4 th Ave N in downtown Birmingham where I was waiting for Phyllis.   We were going to our weekly Rotary Club meeting and I had parked on one end of the block and she on the other.   If you are familiar with Rotary, you may remember that our motto is Service Above Self. A man passing by said, “You look very Dapper today!”   He hit me right in the EGO, and as I was standing there being quite pleased with myself – he asked me for money.   Suddenly all my defenses went up.   He wasn’t dirty and he didn’t smell.   Actually, he was nice looking and he smiled when he told m...