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of Bonnie & Louis Rushmore |
January 30-31, 2010
Saturday, we worked all day at the house, preparing the living room walls with plaster repairs, getting ready to paint. Somehow, I had envisioned being further along than actually occurred. I dared even to think we might begin painting, but Bonnie knew better. Little things interfere, sometimes. We had to extend the coax cables for the television/cable box/VCR/TV Guardian because they were tethered so tightly to each other and to the wall that access to the wall was denied. Plaster and sand, plaster and sand, plaster and sand. I should have cut out one or two sections of damaged walls, but opted to plaster it instead; one wall area in particular may end up being smooth, though it may curve inward some (attempted to bridge too big of a void).
Sunday was a different kind of labor—for the Lord. For a.m. Bible class and worship, we were in Charleston, MS where we are always royally received by the small congregation there; brother Robert Rawson newly labors with this church after serving 32 years with the Batesville, MS church of Christ. It is a rarity for brother Rawson and me to be on the same venue as more often I speak in his absence. During Bible class, I presented my PowerPoint presentation, Because of the Center Cross, and for worship I spoke my lesson, What Is the Mission of the Church? We enjoyed a chili fellowship meal with brethren afterward in their attached annex. In the evening, we worshipped with the Batesville church of Christ, whereupon I presented, Because of the Center Cross. We were enthusiastically received there as well. Among other reasons, it was good this weekend to be with brethren relatively close to where we call home these days, as opposed to driving hundreds or even a thousand miles or more; we drive about 3,000 miles monthly, permitting me to inform brethren about our mission work and preach or teach on a variety of biblical lessons.
January 29, 2010
I will be printing the back side of the postcards that I mentioned yesterday. First, however, many minutes must be devoted to assisting with the snafu of getting a digital file to the printing company for the upcoming Spanish edition of The Voice of Truth International magazine. The snafu is producing a PDF file that does not have the fonts embedded within it. By phone and email I attempted to give directions on how to do this for a PDF file making program with which I am not familiar; we may need to purchase an additional copy of Adobe Acrobat Pro (which we use in Winona) for brother Mainor Perez (living in Missouri), who is doing the layout work for the Spanish edition. Brother Rafael Barrantes (living in Tennessee) is the Editor. World Evangelism team members are scattered throughout the states and around the world!
I made corrections yesterday and today to the upcoming issue of Gospel Gazette Online. Then, having received an updated manuscript from a brother for his upcoming booklet to be published, I formatted it and converted it to a PDF file and sent it back to him for his review. Now, I will begin working on a simple cover for the booklet.
A church in Georgia requested 135 copies of my book, Beverage Alcohol, which we shipped today. We shipped another package of books today, as well. We have less than one pallet of this title remaining; over recent years, we have distributed around 12,000 of Beverage Alcohol of the 14,000 we printed, through the generosity of Victor Durrington (now deceased). I readied a couple of other packages for shipping, which we will mail, probably Monday versus tomorrow (Saturday).
A little while ago I finished the printing of the postcards; I'll have to cut them apart Monday. Bonnie and I are about to leave the office, probably heading to one of the sit-down eateries in Winona; there are three that we especially like (Chinese, Mexican and a little steakhouse); all are local establishments. Once we arrive home, tonight and tomorrow I expect to resume repairing walls in preparation for painting and some other areas needing attention. Of course, the laptop will afford me opportunity to continue formatting my book, Biblical Companions, readying it for publication, even at home. Goodnight.
January 28, 2010
Today, I printed one side of what when printed and cut apart will be 3,000 postcards. We will send these ahead as advance notice of the upcoming distribution of the new issue of Global Harvest. One primary purpose sending the postcards first is to correct the mailing list at the less expensive cost of a returned postcard versus the cost of a returned Global Harvest magazine. Three thousand copies of Global Harvest will be mailed free to churches in several states to acquaint them with the fairly new magazine; two issues have been printed already. Global Harvest carries news and pictures (in full color on glossy paper) of mission works overseen by various congregations of the churches of Christ—not just efforts with which the World Evangelism team cooperates. Thereby, the Lord's church can more easily know what is being accomplished as well as to deduce what remains to be done respecting evangelism around the world. Global Harvest is encouraging and uplifting.
I began reformatting my out-of-print book, Biblical Companions: Bible Geography, Bible Archaeology & Sacred History. Since the book is several pages over 200 in length, it will take a little while. Besides, converting the digital file from a word processor program to the new (to us) InDesign program has a few learning curves tucked away for me. Ugh!
The automatic backup of the office computers to an external hard drive, unfortunately, isn't always all that automatic. It needs a supervisor, because if for some reason it meets with a problem, it doesn't do its job (and doesn't tell anyone). Sometimes we just assume the backing up of our files is occurring—not a safe assumption since hundreds of precious files to the overall work we do are involved.
We left the office for home while it was still light outside! Routine affairs occupied our time: two visits to the Post Office, incoming and outgoing phone calls, packaging books for shipment, accounting (Bonnie's bailiwick), etc. At home, I made minor repairs on ceilings in five rooms. Bonnie and I watched a little television and played a computer anagram game before retiring for the night. Oh, yes! A subscription to Gospel Gazette Online from Nigeria came in, and a prepaid order for mission books arrived over the Internet (on my phone). Further, Betty Choate called me to apprise me of difficulties getting the digital file for the next issue of the Spanish version of The Voice of Truth International magazine to the printing company; tomorrow's task list is already being amended to include these items desiring attention. Goodnight.
January 27, 2010
At 9:00 this morning, Bonnie and I had our eyes examined by a good brother in Grenada, MS. Previous to a year ago, we had not had our eyes examined for a number of years, and had been experiencing no significant problems. However, since last year and now, I have of late had difficulty, especially at night driving home from evening appointments; the road signs are getting blurry! Unsure whether the source of the bluriness correspondes to general health (e.g., blood sugar, blood pressure, fatigue, etc.) or other unforessen issues, the first step was to consult the eye doctor. My left eye is my weakest eye, and it is the chief offender presently in my recent complaint. Apparently, there is no immediate problem of any serious nature, other than the againg process and some of the details that go along with that; I'll check back with our brother in about 45 days, during which time I will give better attention to my health (lose some weight) and see if a little better overall health has any positive affect. Bonnie's eyes are unchanged, for which we are pleased. After buying groceries at Wal-Mart, back to Winona we headed (30 minutes away).
January 26, 2010
Yesterday in the barrage of mail held by the Post Office in our absence was acceptance for health insurance coverage for which we had applied. This appears to be the best offer for us as we are seeking something we can afford the premiums and a policy that resembles the hospitalization plans of yesteryear (except for the $5,000 per person annual deduction & 80/20 copay). For me, a sour note was that the quoted premium has been elevated by $100 over the quoted price, because my body mass is too high, they say. That's a polite way of saying, "You're fat! And we're going to make you pay for that!" I'm five pounds less than what I specified on the application, but I'm still five pounds too much to merit a better rate. Now, I'll have to jump through hoops and juggle to convince the company to lower my rate even after I lose some more weight. One thing that erks me is that the calculation is based on a height of 5' 8" though I'm about 5' 8 1/2" tall; I would have hoped that a formula so important as to adversely affect the premium would take into consideration that I'm halfway already to 5' 9". There is a greater likelihood at this stage of my life that I'll get some shorter rather than grow another half inch. I've always been thick; I was probably a thick newborn baby. Well, for my health, if not also in pursuit of a better insurance premium, I will reduce! The mild irritation provided by this episode is just the extra needed encouragement to do so.
Shortly after arriving at the office, one short phone call enabled me to fill a void on my calendar for Sunday, February 21 in the morning. We will be making a return visit to a small congregation outside of Memphis in Mississippi.
The day was occupied by phone calls, preparing Thank You cards for mailing, a local team meeting in the middle of the day and finalizing the February edition of Gospel Gazette Online. It's after five now, and shortly we will be headed for the door! Our laptops, however, follow us home, providing for mobile office work there, too.
January 25, 2010
Back in the office, though we take our mobile office with us stateside and abroad, Bonnie and I both worked on articles for the upcoming February issue of Gospel Gazette Online. I almost have the next issue of GGO ready; it takes some effort to transform the word documents into html pages for the Internet; it was the case once more that I was reminded, "I love computers; I hate computers!" Some things just do not work as advertised, and sometimes invisible computer program glitches threaten to lessen the hairs on my head.
Bonnie updated accounting for us personally as well as our evangelism program. She made thank you cards for those who showed us hospitality while we were on the road, as well as for the generous Christians and congregations that sent us support recently; I will sign them and prepare them for mailing. We've got to stop doing this, but we didn't leave the office until 7:00 p.m., and it was dark outside again when we headed to our cottage. We have a better likelihood of leaving the office during daylight as the days grow longer and the nights grow shorter with the coming of spring and summer than we do leaving hours earlier than we often do. We bought a gallon of milk and went home. Bonnie did laundry, a never ending job, of course, but more important especially now since we used up most of our clean clothes over the past eight days of traveling. Other than that, we did nothing profitable—just relaxed a bit.
January 24, 2010
This long day dawned for us in a dorm room on the campus of Heritage Christian University in Florence, AL. Happily, the all-night rain subsided so we could load our bedding and luggage into our car without soaking our Sunday-Go-To-Meeting clothes. Despite the best of intentions, we departed the campus about 20 minutes later than I had hoped for what we estimated was about a 35-minute drive to Leighton, AL. Last year, we had stayed with an elder and his wife on Saturday evening, who we followed to the meetinghouse on Sunday. Today, it was up to our GPS and me to get us there; now there's the rub, as the GPS and I had a slight disagreement. The GPS led us to Leighton, AL alright, but when it had us turn to the right I was fairly sure we should have turned left; though the GPS wanted us to go west a bit further, I turned back and within half a mile found our morning destination. Now there was little time for advance preparation of materials and equipment prior to the Bible class (though when we arrived there was only a car or two in the parking lot). Suddenly, as often is the case with churches, the assembly arrived—at the same time.
During the Bible class hour, I presented my PowerPoint, Because of the Center Cross, about our 2009 fall trip to India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Burma); for worship, I preached, What Is the Mission of the Church? One of the most impressive missionary activities that I have ever seen was already occurring on the fourth pew on the west side of the building. The very young and handsome preacher family, having three little children of their own, brought three additional equally young ones with them. They ranged in age from 2-years-old to 6-years-old, and they were model angels—well-behaved, attentive and pretending to sing from songbooks, though they neither could read nor did the sweet noises issuing forth from their lips correspond to any known language. One of these little jewels gave a hand-drawn and colored picture to Bonnie. As if sweet childhood could not be any more excelled on that occasion, a 10-year-old girl hugged Bonnie and me, exclaiming that she had missed us since we were there the year before.
One mature brother thanked us for what we do both with words and generosity. An elder and his wife, as they did last year, too, treated us to a good meal in the best (only) restaurant in downtown Leighton. We always note this companionship mixed with good vittles as a joyful pause in our busy schedules. I had meatloaf (I love meatloaf).
Next, we pointed the silver nose of our Town & Country minivan toward Decatur, AL for our evening appointment. About an hour or so later we had arrived, way too early, of course, for the five o'clock worship time. We walked around a mall for awhile that was near the meetinghouse and gassed up the car for the trip later back toward Winona, MS. While parked at the church building, a member arrived early and granted us access inside. We laid out some Global Harvest magazines and copies of my tract, The One True Church of the Bible, for free distribution; the clipboard for signing up for our newsletter and free subscriptions to Gospel Gazette Online was on the same little table along a wall, under a mirror, near the water fountain. On the other side of the foyer, I stacked some of my newest book, No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please! Some brethren purchased a copy or two, the proceeds of which go back into printing of future books and other literature for stateside and abroad, much of which is distributed free.
Whereas in the morning, I used my laptop and projector to shine the PowerPoint lesson on a front wall of the auditorium, in the evening, the church building was outfitted with two projectors and screens. I just handed off my jump drive to the audio/visual brother and I was set. The only slight snafu was that I had used a font that the church computer did not have, and my checkmarks in some boxes turned into the number four in the boxes.
We were received well and encouraged greatly by this congregation and its members. Now it was time to launch out into the night, westward toward Winona, MS—about four hours into the darkness and rain. At about 11:30 p.m. we pulled into 705 Devine Drive, unloaded the minimum of things and got into bed before midnight. Another long day bit the dust, and finally after eight days gone, home again—for now! (There was an old trucker song about eight days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight!)
January 23, 2010
Today, Saturday morning, Bonnie and I were a part of a group that gathered on the campus of Heritage Christian University in Florence, AL for an annual Burma Meeting. At 8:30ish, we convened and compared notes on experiences the past year in Myanmar (Burma) and shared plans for the upcoming year. Brethren from several states, including West Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi were present. We concluded around noon.
Afterward, Bonnie and I did a little shopping. I settled on the best size I could find for a Bible cover to house my Dickson Bible; our daughter Rebecca had given me a nice leather case in December, but later she exchanged it for me, trying to find one that fit well. As it turned out, I opted for the original one she had purchased, as none of what we could find fit well. At least the one I settled upon accepts the Dickson Bible without being exceptionally large, though I cannot get the cover in the sleeves inside the case. If Bonnie cannot make some adjustment, I'll just zipper it in without placing the cover into the sleeves. I hope that my Bible lasts as long as I do; I have been using it for decades, and I don't want to think about losing my friend (though the binding and some of the pages are showing signs of wear—but so am I showing signs of wear!
A day or so ago, we discovered that Bonnie has literally walked out of her shoes—wore them out so that the steel arch is showing on the sole and she got her feet wet recently. She has such a hard time finding shoes, and when we find them, finding shoes we can afford. Ideally, Bonnie wears a 5 1/2 narrow, but depending on the style of the shoe, she can keep a 6 medium on her foot. We found a casual leather shoe (6 medium) with a plastic sole at a price we could stomach, reluctantly. (However, of course, she's worth the price and much more!)
We are staying one more night in an empty dorm room at Heritage, since tomorrow my first preaching appointment is only 30 minutes away. No television! No refrigerator! What ever shall we do? A little work on our portal office (two laptops), and maybe we will turn in for the night a little earlier for a change; we certainly could use a little extra rest. Bonnie's dad in his day went to bed when it got dark outside and arose in the morning when the sun came up, as did many generations before. What societal changes came about over time with the advent of electricity, television, etc. Goodnight, and we'll visit a little again tomorrow. (About eight days on the road this time, and we hope to be back in Winona, MS late Sunday evening or on Monday.)
January 21-22, 2010
Bonnie and I arose (reluctantly) from our slumber, hastened to load the car and get a bite of "Continental" breakfast at the Inn before resuming our journey to Florence, AL. It was dark and rainy, and we were a little damp around the edges after loading the car and getting to and from the lobby area (where breakfast was available). We were on the road again a little before 6 a.m.
Sometime within the first hour, we and all the traffic immediately around us (except one tractor-trailer coming up from behind) had to come to a sudden stop in the road or barely off the four-lane highway, hugging the guardrails. The rain was so intense that we could barely see outside the car; it was like we were in a vigorous carwash. Moments later, we continued in the wind and rain toward Florence. We hit Birmingham, AL during morning rush hour and lost several minutes travel time. Hours later and hundreds of miles beyond where we had lodged for the evening, we arrived at Heritage Christian University in Florence, AL for the J.C. School of Evangelism session—one hour late for the beginning of the class. Throughout the day into the evening, punctuated with breaks and meals, Bonnie and I enjoyed the fellowship of brethren with whom we share our interest in international evangelism. Friday, we resumed our classes—and meals! Thursday, Friday and Saturday we are staying in an empty apartment on the campus of Heritage; Sunday morning we will leave from here to our morning and evening appointments with churches in Leighton and Decatur, AL.
Last night, tonight and probably tomorrow night I turn my attention to preparing the next issue of Gospel Gazette Online. Waiting for their turn toward which to direct some attention are books (mine and the books of others) that need preparation before bringing them to print. For now, we say goodnight and God bless!
January 19-20, 2010
Lectureships are a time for edification, networking and renewing friendships with dear brethren, which though they are separated from us often by distance, they are close to our hearts. Bonnie and I attended six lectures on Tuesday and three lectures today. Though we didn’t especially need much sustenance, we nevertheless enjoyed good food and the companionship of Marilyn and Miles Peebles at lunchtime yesterday, plus equally precious time with Bob and Martha Noland at the supper hour. It was our good pleasure yesterday and today to converse with preachers and elders from many congregations in several states; we renewed old acquaintances and made new friends.
Bonnie and I manned two tables and a floor display between lectures. One table depicted the overall World Evangelism work and offered free copies of Global Harvest and Voice of Truth International magazines, as well as my book, Beverage Alcohol. The second table of Choate/Rushmore Publications offered about a hundred good books, mostly in English but some in Spanish. We donated to Florida School of Preaching a case of Beverage Alcohol and a dozen of my newest book, No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please! In addition, I gave the latter title as a gift to some Gospel preachers who are capable of making a critical review of it or who may find it useful in their labors. Overall, we gave away hundreds of books and magazines as well as sold numerous other titles at a discount. Sales of books either make it possible to give books and literature away stateside and abroad or help offset some of our stateside travel expenses.
Our floor display was extended to the two-thirds height since the low ceiling would not permit full extension. Highlighted, though, was the long standing work of J.C. and Betty Choate as well as our association with them for the purpose of continuing their labors.
Following the three morning lectures and a quick lunch today, we loaded our covered wagon, harnessed the horses and pointed their noses north. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there! Tomorrow morning by 10:00, we are supposed to be attending the J.C. School of Evangelism, transpiring this month at Heritage Christian University in Florence, AL. We will take a motel along our route of travel; after a night’s rest, we will continue our journey early in the morning.
Last night and tonight, I added articles to the upcoming February edition of Gospel Gazette Online. Bonnie used her laptop computer to work on The Voice of Truth International in the car as I drove today. We are about to turn in for the night at a Quality Inn (in this instance, the word “quality” hardly applies, but it will do) in Alabama about 30 miles west of Columbus, GA. God bless and goodnight!
January 18, 2010
Despite two 5-minute stops (one for gasoline), we made it to the Lakeside Church of Christ in Orange Park, FL 15 minutes before evening worship was to begin—at which I was to speak. We managed to bring in tracts, copies of Beverage Alcohol, Global Harvest magazines and Rushmore newsletters for free distribution, but we did not try to bring books for sale, owing to the short time before worship was to begin. It was delightful to be a part of the worship that evening, at which time I made my PowerPoint presentation, The One True Church of the Bible. We were well received, and I found in brother Jim Stutts another train-crazy soul—just like me! We talked much about especially steam trains, and doubtless, we will be spending some time exchanging emails, and we may do some visiting of trains, life-sized as well as model trains, on some future visit to the Jacksonville, FL area (could be as early as February).
Our host and hostess, Mike and Sheila King, treated us royally as we were their guests for the evening meal following worship, and we are indebted to them for their hospitality, literally—bed & breakfast (eggs, biscuits, bacon and sausage, not to mention fine companionship). We could have talked the morning away, but we broke away and made our way to Lakeland, FL for the Florida School of Preaching lectureship. We arrived in time for the free lunch, after which we set up two tables, one for books and one for the display depicting World Evangelism. We attended the three afternoon lectures before checking into our motel. For supper, Bonnie and I were pleased to dine out for supper with Bob and Martha Noland as well as their son, Brian (dear friends for many years). Bob and Martha serve a congregation in eastern Ohio. We ate at a good southern barbecue chain with which the Nolands were familiar.
Back at the room, we spent some time with the Nolands, and I worked on various office duties by phone, Internet and on my laptop computer. Among other things, I attended to making appointments up into March. Bonnie and I plan on watching a television show that we like before turning in for the night. Tomorrow we will make our way back to the lectures, as we will each day through Wednesday. Goodnight and may God's blessings be yours always.
January 16-17, 2010
Louis and I reluctantly dragged our bodies from bed to be greeted by a dark, rainy morning. We were on the road by 7:39 a.m. The overcast skies and the movement of the car contributed to a lonely drive for Louis since I slept on and off most of the trip. At 10:00 a.m., we stopped at McDonald's (two miles off the highway!) for a Bacon & Cheese Biscuit. Somehow, our 10-15 minute stop added an hour to our overall travel time, according to the GPS. It was cloudy and rainy most of the the trip. Seven hours later, we arrived at the home of Harold and Rita Bigham in time for supper. We enjoyed a pleasant evening of conversation before turning in for the night. Ashley (Harold and Rita's daughter) graciously relinquished her room to us for the night as she did when we visited last year.
After breakfast, we traveled about 15 minutes to the Liberty Church of Christ where Louis taught Bible Class and preached for the morning worship service. Following Bible Class, a young girl brought Louis a picture drawn during Bible Class reading, "We are praying for you on your journeys," and signed by all the students. These small acts of kindness are an encouragement to us as we work for the Lord. Unfortunately, we did not have time to linger following services as we have a slight scheduling snag. While traveling Saturday (and confirmed after our arrival at the Bighams), we realized that De Funiak Springs, FL is in the Central Time Zone and our Sunday evening appointment at Orange Park, FL is in the Eastern Time Zone. We knew that these two appointments were about 4 1/2 hours apart. Not a problem—until you throw the clock jumping an hour due to the time change into the mix. Needless to say, lunch is cheese and crackers and other snack food in the car. Services for our evening appointment are at 6:00 p.m., where Louis will preach for our supper and a night's lodging with brethren.
January 15, 2010
I (Bonnie) spent Friday morning tying up loose ends at the office in preparation for being out of the office for the next eight days. I placed a new book to be printed by Choate Publications in InDesign for Betty to format and prepare for the printing company. Since InDesign is a new program to all of us at the office, I prepared a template for future books. Louis finalized packing books and display material for our trip. One box of Louis' newest book, No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please!, arrived by UPS from the commercial printer Friday morning. I processed Rushmore Evangelism accounting, and Louis went to the bank before returning to the office after lunch. We went home for lunch (usually we eat at the office), and I stayed at the house to do laundry, pack clothes and clean in preparation for an early Saturday morning departure.
Later in the afternoon, we traveled an hour north to Batesville (half way between Winona and where Rebecca works) for supper and to pass off books and tracts for her to deliver. One set of books went to a Christian brother for his prison ministry, another set of books for another brother in Christ conducting home Bible studies and tracts for her congregation. We returned home, finished packing clothes, loaded the car, gave Louis a haircut, he trimmed my hair for the first time ever, we took showers and went to bed about midnight.
January 14, 2010
This morning when about to leave the house for the office, we received a phone call inquiry about my book, Beverage Alcohol. Upon arriving at the World Evangelism building, I filled out an order form and passed it off to Jerry Bates who filled the order for mailing (cost = shipping only). Victor Durrington had made it possible to print 14,000 of this title for free distribution, and we have about 2,000 left.
The minister for one of the Tennessee congregations that supports the overall work of World Evangelism as well as Bonnie and me in particular called. We worked out the details for about 16 young people and about five adults to make the daylong trip to Winona for a week in June to help the World Evangelism team in various tasks on site; in so doing, we will not only be able to accomplish more of many of the things that get neglected over have to tasks, but the youth in particular will become better aware of behind the scenes work that makes print evangelism, etc. worldewide possible among the churches of Christ.
Bonnie is busy working, along with Paula, on preparing Betty's newsletter for mailing. One would not believe the amount of labor involved in such an undertaking. This is not a frivolous use of time, but a necessary component of keeping brethren abreast of the ongoing progress of taking the Gospel of Christ to the world.
Bonnie and I packed the Gospel Chariot (that's minivan to you) for visiting two congregations this weekend, tables for three days at a lectureship and two congregations the following weekend at each of which we will offer good, Bible study books for sale. Included in the packing thus are five cases of my book, Beverage Alcohol, cases each of Global Harvest and The Voice of Truth International magazines, and the Choate Publications Catalog—all for free distribution. We have left to place in the cargo hold book racks, luggage, hanging clothes, our bed pillows (in the states, we take a piece of home wherever we go via our familiar pillows—Christian home or motel alike) and a case of my new book, No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please! that will arrive tomorrow. Finally, we will add a little food and some cold drinks, two computers (a projector, collapsible projector table, screen, map stand with maps and advertising displays are already loaded). Maybe I should go by the dry cleaners and pick up my suit!
Betty found a deal at the grocery store the other day, and she's cooking up a storm, I suppose. Supper for the local team (Betty, Theola her mother, the Bates and the Rushmores) is at 6:30—maybe 7 p.m. or later. I must go before it's too late to pick up my suit. Goodnight.
January 13, 2010
Bonnie spent from arriving at the office until we departed for our Wednesday evening appointment working on Betty Choate's newsletter (to be finished tomorrow, hopefully); she operated two printers simultaneously (when the printers didn't argue with her). Betty was busy signing her name as fast as Bonnie could get the last report page to her. The stuffing envelopes, labeling, sealing and preparing postal forms remain for tomorrow.
Phone calls to and from various parties, preparation of a handful of packets describing our work, stuffing a few of our newsletters with an insert (Bonnie did the lion's share of that task yesterday) and cutting some printed work in the print shop consumed my morning. I have a vague memory when at other times in my life the hours dragged on endlessly with no relief, it seemed, in sight, but these days, there is never enough time in the day (or night, often) to attend to everything that calls for our attention (yesterday!); reference the new train sign mentioned on January 1 about a freight train.
As these words are put to paper computer screen, Bonnie and I are sitting in a classroom for a congregation outside of Booneville, MS. We're very early, but we would much rather be early than late (or unable to find the place when going somewhere for the first time). Sometimes, we travel up to four hours on Sunday between churches where I will be speaking, and that can be pensive; I was late once, and they were singing before we walked in. This evening, I will be making a PowerPoint presentation, entitled: Because of the Center Cross; this lesson concerns our 2009 fall trip to India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Burma). Afterward, we will travel down the Natchez Trace, carefully scouring the horizon of our headlights for deer, arriving home, we hope, before the new day officially begins.
We love this life. We love meeting Christians before now whom we have not met; we love the traveling stateside and abroad. We hope to glorify God and edify all we can with whom we come in contact, today, tomorrow and as long as we draw breath. We hope to plant and water, trusting that God will provide the increase. God night, and may God's richest blessings be yours now and eternally.
January 12, 2010
The first task of the day (besides answering the cell phone as I was about to leave my house for the office) was to fold Bonnie and my newsletters and some office materials, plus make ready for folding Jerry and Paula Bates' newsletter (which Jerry and I folded later in the morning). I proofed Betty Choate's upcoming newsletter so that it can be amended before being printed and mailed. This morning, we received some requests for free subscriptions to Gospel Gazette Online (which I processed) and a request for a copy of our Global Harvest magazine (which I prepared for mailing). Attending to additional emails of sundry sort and fielding some phone calls intervened on my day as well.
Trying to manage an appointment calendar and persuading some congregations to permit a missionary to address the church is a little bit (I think) like doing dentistry work on chickens (and as I understand it, they don't have any teeth!). Others, of course, knock me over with exuberance, a joyful disposition and more than willingness for Bonnie and me to visit. Truly, some of our most cherished moments these days is spending time (often in homes) with brethren with whom we previously were unacquainted.
Today Bonnie worked on our newsletter as well as Voice of Truth International accounts with Paula. Bonnie worked on Rushmore Evangelism accounting, too. Bonnie and I prepared and mailed Thank You cards to recent contriutors.
The day is winding down (at the office, anyway). Let me leave you with this, some pleasure writing—for my own amusement. I can't think of another venue where this little article might manage to find an audience of even one person. For what it's worth (if anything), take a quick look at: "How Complicated Can It Be?"
January 11, 2010
First thing in the door, I got the printing equipment ready for Jerry to finish printing the final side of the sheet for his next newsletter. Then, I took care of printing overnight and morning book and magazine orders that came over the Internet and transferring the funds to the bank account. I made appropriate annotations of upcoming speaking appointments to my calendar and emailed others to inquire about additional appointments. Next, it is time to work once more on Gospel Gazette Online, and I hope to upload it to the Internet today and advise subscribers that it is ready. The primary function remaining before GGO is ready is to answer questions that have been submitted, which can take some time. Tim Childs sent me the audio lesson for this edition; he has a public speaker's voice to envy (if envying were permissible), and he always does a stellar job on preparation of material and presentation. His skills for sure are under the radar, and he has more potential that the Lord's church is utilizing presently.
Late in the day, I uploaded the January issue of GGO to the Internet and apprised our 930 subscribers; a handful of bad email addresses bounced back, for which I made appropriate adjustments to the subscriber list. At the house, I began working on the February issue of GGO (just barely, enough, I suppose, to say that it's started).
Intervening between office and house, daylight fading fast and Bonnie and I both having diligently worked the day away, we opted for the wonderful, little Mexican restaurant in Winona. It's nothing fancy, and I always order the same thing—a large burrito with refried beans and rice (I wish they would leave the rabbit food off the top). I rarely try something different at a restaurant when I find something I like; to change the course, I almost have to change restaurants, where again in each I've found something I like, and I won't risk trying something else once I found something I really like. (Two of our holiday gifts were gift cards to Cracker Barrel restaurants.)
January 10, 2010
A short Sunday trip for us today, we drove about 25 minutes to a little country congregation where I was scheduled to make my PowerPoint presentation (Because of the Center Cross) about our mission work. Due to the unfortunate automobile accident of the 80-year-old preacher the Sunday evening before, etc., I preached at the worship hour also (What Is the Mission of the Church). Bonnie and I enjoyed a fellowship meal with the congregation following worship.
Later in the day, Bonnie and I were back at work, sanding and painting bedroom #2. We packed it in that evening, satisfied that we had painted one more bedroom. A little latex caulk between the ceiling and crown molding on two walls and most of the work on that room will be complete. I still need to install sliding closet door guides and replace the damaged door to the room (as well as damaged doors to a number of other rooms). One challenge will to be to square up the doorframes that have shifted over the decades; I've convinced myself that I can do that as well, since I have installed doorframes and doors before.
Between 11:00 p.m. and midnight, Bonnie and I consulted on some questions received by Gospel Gazette Online and how I might proceed to answer them (directly or publicly in the pages of GGO). I answered one question before retiring for the night.
January 9, 2010
Bonnie and I slept way late (for us), stirring, but not rising to meet the day until 9:00 a.m. this Saturday. Imagine that! Felt good and fairly refreshed. Rather than cereal or a nutra bar, today we had eggs, bacon and toast. Our self-assigned task for the day is to sand and paint the second bedroom. First, though, I went to Sherwin Williams and picked up some stirring sticks (Bonnie had picked up some paint yesterday but the staff hadn't given her any stirring sticks) and some other items. Back home, of all things, we can't find the paint roller pan—another false start! Bonnie suggested I look for a paint roller pan at the office, since a few months ago volunteers did some painting in the office building; but, alas, I found none there either. Then, I had to return home to get my driver's license, debit card and cash because I forgot to take them with me. Off again, this time to Wal-Mart to pickup a pan and some related materials. Finally, after some sanding, we start painting the ceiling, before breaking for a light lunch (vegetable soup). Then, we painted the walls a dusty-rose color. We had never painted rooms so dark before as we did in this room and a couple of weeks ago in our bedroom. I can see the colors, despite my color vision impairment! It took less time to do the painting than the preparations. Maybe tomorrow afternoon or evening we can paint the baseboards and crown moldings. We are about to go out of town for over a week (Florida School of Preaching Lectureship in Lakeland, FL; J.C. School of Evangelism this time in Florence, AL and speaking appointments in both Mississippi, Florida and Alabama); further repairs and painting may have to wait for a while.
January 8, 2010
Morning and late afternoon, allowing ink time to dry in between, I helped my co-worker, Jerry Bates, prepare and print his newest newsletter. Monday, we'll finish the printing in the morning, and maybe by afternoon it can begin to be processed for mailing. This morning, I also folded 500 tracts, a 100 of which were going out the door to fill a request for them.
Paula Bates had a hunger for Chinese food for lunch and suggested that the four of us go out together for lunch, which we did. The No. 1 Chinese restaurant in Winona, MS (there is not another Chinese restaurant in Winona) is my favorite Chinese restaurant among others in the states, India and Myanmar. It was pleasant to enjoy good food and good company, and a pleasant surprise appreciated, too, that Jerry Bates bought Bonnie and my lunch as well as his and Paula's lunch. The ladies in one car headed for the paint store and back to the office after lunch, while Jerry and I in another car headed for the Post Office to mail packages and letters, before returning to the office.
I divided my time besides the above between making phone calls to schedule appointments and preparing articles by various authors for inclusion in the January issue of Gospel Gazette Online. The last thing Bonnie and I did before leaving the office was to apply for hospitalization insurance; we have not had hospitalization insurance for the past seven years, though we had supplemental insurance for a time until we couldn't afford to keep it up. Steadily but slowly, we are building monthly and occasional financial support to enable us to serve as evangelists and missionaries; we think that we can afford health insurance now, due to the generosity of individual Christians and churches of Christ who financially support us. It is a balancing act to distribute available funds between our livelihood, domestic and foreign travel, printing literature, etc. We are not funded well enough yet to permit us to be as effective or to travel abroad as often as we would like, but slowly we are beginning to approach the goals toward which we strive.
At home, it was time to sand four walls and part of the ceiling, as well as to reapply plaster patch to some especially pesky spots. Maybe by the time we are done fixing and painting walls and ceilings we will near some degree of proficiency in repairing plasterboard. Before the sanding, though, I needed to make more phone calls, trying to schedule appointments, since many of the persons I need to contact are unavailable until in the evening. Midnight crept up on me and is now history, but I was able to write an editorial for the January issue of GGO and make this blog entry. Off to bed we go for some much needed slumber, with visions of sanding and painting in the new day.
January 7, 2010
Morning and late afternoon found me in the print shop printing 1,500 tracts, newsletters and book order forms. Between visits to the dungeon, I worked on the January issue of Gospel Gazette Online, preparing articles by various authors for publication. I also made some phone calls, trying to schedule speaking appointments to update congregations about our mission work.
Bonnie and I shuffled furniture around the next bedroom scheduled for a facelift. It is almost like one of those little games in a square with tiles that must be moved in some fashion to spell something or follow some sequence of numbers or letters. Let's just say it's tight to move furniture to the center of the room and still try to get around it all to patch wallboard walls and ceiling with plaster.
January 6, 2010
Several hours were spent upgrading features on Gospel Gazette Online respecting the addition of a blog and converting the site search engine to advertising free. Whereas adding the blog was a simple procedure (after deciding to ignore both the advertising laden free sites and the paid sites) and removing the advertising from the search engine was as quick as paying for the privilege (a year in advance), tweaking the static pages associated with GGO and preparing the individual upcoming January issue mastheads to reflect the new search engine button and the addition of "blog" was time consuming, only made more so by some missteps on my part. We do as much as we possibly can ourselves as opposed to paying to have it done, which often uses the tried method of trial and error; over the years I repeatedly have become painfully aware of the so-called, "learning curve." Another case in point is the self-taught approach to learning the new program (InDesign) with which Bonnie and I prepare for publishing The Voice of Truth International magazine and class books.
Bonnie and I prepared end-of-year acknowledgement letters for individual Christians who graciously contributed funds in 2009 for our mission work; we will complete that preparation and mail them tomorrow. I printed business cards for us and finished printing tracts for two congregations, and I did some in house printing for us at World Evangelism. Earlier, we folded and packaged tracts printed yesterday; one package was shipped, and Bonnie and I delivered the second package to a congregation not far from Winona.
I scheduled two upcoming appointments, one at a congregation in West Virginia in March and another appointment at a school of preaching lectureship later this month; I need to schedule more appointments with churches over the next three months. Another time consuming activity was lightening pictures on several pages of the next The Voice of Truth International, converting them to different document formats and sending them to the FTP site of the company in South Carolina that prints the magazine and books we publish (hundreds of different titles). Likewise, I made similar corrections to the title page for my new book (No Hermeneutical Gymnastics, Please!) and sent it to the printer.
Finally, just before 5 p.m., we rushed to the dry cleaners to drop off the suit that has been hanging in the car for days for that purpose. Next, it was off to Wal-Mart to buy some saw blades to adapt a table saw into a milling machine to rough the spines of books before perfect binding them; we have three books in-house that are waiting to be completed. Then, we rushed home for a fast supper of warmed leftover Spanish rice and a salad before scurrying off to Bible class about 20 minutes away.
January 5, 2010
Barry Baggott stopped by for lunch of chili, homemade bread and pumpkin cake with Jerry and Paula Bates as well as Bonnie and me. The purpose for his coming, though, was to load a 3/4 ton pickup truck with cases of French language books (many hundreds). These will be distributed in various African nations.
Of lesser highlight, Bonnie and I folded a 1,000 tracts for distribution by two congregations, one in Mississippi and one in Ohio. In addition, I printed one side of tracts headed for two other states, Tennessee and West Virginia. Bonnie and I readied Thank You cards to contributors who sent funds recently.
January 4, 2010
Bonnie and I spent the day at the office today. I fulfilled an order for PDF book files, printed 500 tracts (The One True Church of the Bible) each for two congregations; they will go out this week. I attempted to get information about setting up tables at an upcoming lectureship, but I was unable to get a hold of the right person. One table will be for a display about World Evangelism, and the second table is for some of the hundreds of titles of books for sale from J.C. Choate/Louis Rushmore publications. (Through the latter, we sell books to those who can afford them, providing us the opportunity to give away good study books to those who cannot afford them in this country and abroad.)
January 3, 2010
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! More importantly, this is the Lord’s Day. Bonnie and I worshipped with a small country congregation not far away, and the men agreed to let me report on the work the following week. This little church is friendly and enjoys nice, comfortable facilities. The mobility of our nation and the fact that the community is removed from primary highways of today, unfortunately, has led to a diminishing attendance. Though few in number, I think the church is big in the eyes of our Lord.
Sunday evening, not on the road this weekend, we worshipped with a congregation, one of our supporters in mission work, about 30 minutes away. Bonnie and I will still travel most weekends to usually two congregations where I will speak, combined, three or four times; two of those speaking appointments will be to address world evangelism to which we have dedicated ourselves.
January 2, 2010
Recently, Bonnie and I jumpstarted our interest in improving the house in which we are living. Formerly, we enclosed half of the double carport to make a woodshop, and we replaced the falling lattice walls with more substantial walls for an exterior, attached storage shed. In addition, we had rejuvenated sink, shower and tub facets throughout the home, and we had done some this-and-that here-and-there. Besides ordinary maintenance, many families going through this residence over the decades, including some rough renters, contributed to the need for extra attention to what essentially often has been a parsonage.
However, winter weather providing a break from outdoor responsibilities (especially the yard work), Bonnie and I have begun to repair and prepare walls, etc. for painting, and I am changing out the electrical outlets with three prong or GFCI outlets to compensate for the lack of grounding. We have replaced some light fixtures, and I moved a light switch from the hallway into the bedroom for the ceiling light it operates. We have the master bedroom about done; today, I replaced outlets in a second bedroom. I just may have more house than I have winter!
January 1, 2010
Today begins a first for me, a blog. Maybe it will be somewhat therapeutic for me, as well as appealing to those who may have an interest in the day-to-day activities of Bonnie and me, in our efforts to serve our Lord Jesus in world evangelism.
Today, Bonnie, Rebecca (our daughter) and I returned to Winona from an eight-day trip into snow country (in this case, Ohio). We left Mississippi on Christmas Day in order to be with our son, Raymond (and Rebecca’s brother), Vanessa (our daughter-in-law), and Eli and Nate (Bonnie and my grandsons) during the holidays; Raymond was off work Saturday, Sunday and Monday after Christmas and invited us to visit. We embarked on our journey in between snowstorms on either side of Ohio and a week after substantial snowstorms blanketed the northern USA from coast to coast. The “weatherman” promised us good weather, but the opposite weather came to pass, making for several inches of snowfall, cold temperatures, semi-arctic roads and frozen windshield washer fluid.
Every excursion is a working trip, too. While away, I made PowerPoint presentations at two congregations about our six-week mission trip in October and November to India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar (Burma). In addition, I worked on the January issue of Gospel Gazette Online; yet, as the month begins, though, the new edition is not nearly ready. It could be worse, of course, because once some years ago I had gotten about six months behind before I brought the Gazette current.
I part this evening with notice of two pleasant occasions on our journey home. First, we stayed overnight going and coming at the Super 8 motel in Cave City, KY. The General Manager is from Bombay, India and is a quite friendly fellow; he provides good lodging for a reasonable rate. We have stayed there on numerous occasions. A week ago, I gave him the most recent issue of The Voice of Truth International (VOTI), and upon our return, I gave him volume one of my book, The Parables of Our Lord. He remarked that I had an article in VOTI whereas I wrote the latter book. Although he admittedly is Hindu religiously, he expressed an interest in Christianity. He remembers us each time we come, and I look forward to visiting my new friend whenever I pass through along Interstate 65 and need lodging.
Second, we drove along our pathway homeward past time for lunch, just so we could stop at Casey Jones Village (Country Store, Restaurant and Museum) in Jackson, TN. While it has always been a respite from the mundane, we discovered the new and improved model. It has expanded once more, and a new, brick museum train station has been built, accompanied by even more rolling stock from the steam era. The buffet meal was grand, except for the instant mashed potatoes (and I told the cashier so). I judge salad bars, in part, by whether they sport real bacon bits and deep red salad dressing, which this one did; the potato salad was exceptionally good as well. Our breather from our weary pilgrimage was prolonged by my perusal of the wares inside and out of more than one building. Years ago, I told my family to stop buying me train paraphernalia, but sometimes I occasionally succumb, as I did today, buying two metal signs. One reads: “Railroad Crossing, RR Parking Only, Violators Will Be Derailed.” The other reads: “Warning: The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is an Onrushing Freight Train!” Finally, I asked Bonnie and Rebecca to take me by the hand and lead me to the car, whether I resisted or not!
We logged about 46 hours in the car and traveled over 2,000 miles on this adventure. Typically, we drive around 3,000 miles monthly, permitting me to preach to a couple of different congregations each Sunday or meet with up to four elderships. In addition, our car must sigh in relief when we fly 25,000 to 30,000 miles annually on foreign mission trips. It’s good to be home, out of the car, into the easy chair and anticipating sweet rest in my own bed.
The Weather Channel indicates that we escaped snow country just in time, ahead of still another big snow. We had been to our sponsoring congregation on the shore of Lake Erie, now receiving lake effect snow and northeast of Columbus, OH, also buried under several inches of that white stuff. Scraping hard ice from the windshield and side windows a couple days ago, I uttered my reluctant willingness to convert into a Southerner. Betty Choate, though, reminded me earlier this evening that I have yet to perfect the Southern Accent! It is 2339 hours; good night, and may you enjoy a happy new year in 2010.