Wednesday, October 28, 2015

October 28 – “Reconnaissance”

Chris and I took a bike ride last night.  It was a pretty long one for us – probably a couple of miles all told.  We rode down Pine Street to the road that leads to Weis Middle School.  At least I think that’s what it is.  The school district has used it for several different things over the last few years.  To me it will always be Weis Jr. High, where I spent three of the angstiest years of my life.  Hey, everyone’s jr. high years are angsty, whether they care to admit it or not.  It’s just something that comes with being 12-14 years old.  Now when I went (back in the day), junior high covered 7th, 8th, and 9th grades.  6th graders got to be top dogs at the elementary school.  9th graders didn’t have to enter the daunting world of high school.  That was put off until they were “mature” sophomores.  I know the educational jury is still out on that one, but in my experience working with youngsters, 6th and 9th grades are pretty tough formative years in a teenager’s life.  The question at hand is, “Is it better for those ages to be is a position of dominance suited to learning responsibility or one of absolute subservience suited to learning … life ain’t easy?”  Seems to me the former makes more sense.  But no one has asked me lately.

Back to the bike ride.  We wheeled our way through the streets of Colony Park, Gulf Village’s upscale neighbor to the Southeast.  We noticed that their Halloween decorations were quite fashionable.  Matched the very nice homes.  The decorations in our neighborhood aren’t quite as expensive, but we tend to do a great job with what we have.  I’m especially fond of the gigantic spider standing in one yard down the street from us.  Literally takes up the whole yard.  I heard he got bit by a human who had been exposed to nuclear radiation.  Not one of those blow-up plastic things, either.  This one is homemade.  He’s really cute.  You ought to drive by and say hello.  I’m trying to think of a good spider-y name for him. 

We finished our ride by completing a swing through all the streets in our neighborhood.  That in itself is one mile, so if we add in the Colony Park experience, surely we hit two miles.  Hey, we might be ready for a seawall ride pretty soon.  One thing though.  I gotta get a different seat for my bike.  This one is really uncomfortable.  At least one of the fat boy seats I have seen.  Or better yet, maybe one of those saddle jobs I saw at WalMart the other day …

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”


Father, thank you for some time with Chris on our bikes last night.  Exercise with my best friend.  Hard to beat that one.  Amen.

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