The context of this passage was speaking to Christians in a church and learning from people of all ages. But the same truth applies to other places. We can learn something from everyone we meet. It takes humility to have that perspective but it is a perspective I want to have in my life. There is not a single person that I can’t learn something from. I need to be willing to listen and hear. Pride will keep me from being able to do that.

You could see the determination and grit of my son ten years ago as he climbed up a slide on a playground. He has continued to display that same determination in pursuing the things he wants out of life. He did it two years ago when he applied for a presidential fellowship at Murray State, which has allowed him to study graphic design there.

And he has shown the same determination as he sought an opportunity to study at Elisava School of Design and Engineering in Barcelona this spring. He had to work so much of it out for himself as he pursued a program that others from his school had not done before him. He has had many challenges along the way. Several have occurred right as he is on the cusp of seeing that dream become a reality.

I am so proud of my son and the determination he has shown. I am praying that the final obstacles that stand in his way will fall and that he will be in Barcelona a week from today starting his educational adventure.

This post was inspired by my wife’s Facebook post. She used the picture and talked about my son’s determination and grit.

I saw this on Mastodon this morning.

After seeing Godzilla Minus One earlier this week, we watched Shin Godzilla tonight on Prime. This movie had a fascinating perspective as it centered on the government’s response to the monster’s appearance and its planning for when it returned.

There was political intrigue both with individuals and with other countries. We watched the original Japanese version with English subtitles.

This came up in my Readwise feed today. I had just read the chapter that came from the day before. Such a good reminder of God’s care.

I saw Godzilla Minus One tonight with my son. I was not quite sure what to expect. I appreciated the meaningful story of this movie. I remember watching Japanese monster movies at summer matinees or after school. There was a local station that would have monster weeks and show several of these films over a week or two.

I thought this film was very well done. It’s not the cheesy type of movie I remember from my childhood. And yet music in the movie reminded me of those movies. I am unsure if it was the same theme or something similar.

I didn’t come in with a lot of expectations but came away thinking it was probably one of the better movies I saw in the theater this year. Teenage Mutant Turtles was similar in that I didn’t have high expectations but thought it was very well done.

One of my favorite takeaways from my current reading of the book Trusting God. I am rereading it for the fourth time. This thought stands out and I am trying to keep it in front of me regularly. It came up in my Readwise feed today.

This Kindle highlight came up in my Readwise review today. It is a great reminder of what the struggle is.

I enjoyed watching Kansas play Indiana this afternoon. KU was down by 8 at the half and as much as 13 points at one point in the game. They came back in the second half and won 75-71. They looked a whole lot better in the second half. Better shot selection and continued to play great defense despite having key players with foul trouble.

This passage from Living Life Backwards came up in my Readwise highlights at the end of last week. I was convicted by the thought of how I approach the Bible each day when I read it.

Do I approach it expecting to be surprised or to learn something I didn’t already know? Sadly, I have to say the answer to the question is no.

I don’t want familiarity to keep me from coming with an expectant attitude. The Bible is living and active. I want to approach it with an attitude of expectation. I prayed over the weekend that God would help me to develop this attitude and outlook in the coming year.

And just on Sunday, I learned something new about the episode where God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It was a brutal age and human sacrifices to “gods” were common. God tested Abraham to teach him that God does not require this of us. He is different. And the moral of the story is that God will provide.

I got to visit my ‘happy place’ for lunch today. I fell in love with Culver’s Restaurant on our first visit to Murray, Kentucky in March 2022. We don’t have one in Chattanooga so the only times I can get it is when I visit Murray, where my son goes to college, or in Nashville when I visit my daughter who lives there.

My favorite things are the Mushroom & Swiss butter burger, cheese curds, and the turtle sundae.

This is one of my favorite baseball moments. When the Royals won the 1985 World Series. I love this video because it uses Denny Matthew’s call on the radio, which is how I experienced the championship moment. I listened to the game on a headphone radio next door at Arrowhead Stadium.

My soccer coach, who was also a Scout leader, needed some help cleaning up Arrowhead after a Chiefs-Broncos game earlier in the day. His scout troop did not have enough manpower so several of us from the team helped out.

We were told that if we finished cleaning before the end of the Royal’s game they would allow us to go over and stand in the concourse to watch the conclusion. But that did not happen as we were near finishing the cleanup when the final out was recorded next door.

Denny Matthews had started the countdown with every out from the seventh or eighth inning on. After a very dramatic comeback win the night before, it was nice to have a game that the Royals were in control of very early on.

I remember hearing the sound of the fireworks going off after they won the game and catching a glimpse of them through one of the section entrances (we were working the side nearest to Kauffman Stadium.

We had a lot of fun celebrating with other fans as we made our way through the parking lot to go home after a long day. I would have rather been next door watching that game but I am glad we were right there so close when they claimed their first championship.

That moment happened 38 years ago today.