AMAZING GRACE CUP SONG

A few months ago, somebody posted a video on facebook showing four young people singing The Cup Song (When I'm Gone), at a table in a park. It was an impressive performance.

 

Then I learned that the song had been performed in a movie called Pitch Perfect.  That performance was also impressive.

 

After watching the cup movement in those performances and practicing it a few times, I thought it might be fun to use the same tune in singing the most popular hymn in the history of the church:  John Newton's 1779 hit single, Amazing Grace.

So here you have it.  The Amazing Grace Cup Song:

WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE

Debra and I moved into our current house nearly sixteen months ago.  We left The House on Hybiscus and took up residence in The House on Oak Valley in December 2012.

Most of our children, grandchildren, siblings and parents have not seen our place.

So, here it is:

A SATURDAY IN THE LIFE

Today was a typical Saturday, a mix of work and play.

 

The day began with my routine Saturday morning meeting with a friend.  We are accountability partners and we meet every week at Noble Coffee to check up on each other and to encourage each other. 

 

After our meeting, I returned home and took Debra to an early afternoon movie in Ashland.  We ate afterward at a place we've never tried before and left with sufficiently satisfied stomachs.

 

When we got home, Debra left to spend the afternoon with Ashley and I went to The Home Depot to buy a dog door for Koda.

 

Now that the dog door is installed, I'll probably watch some TV with Debra tonight before turning our clocks back an hour and going to bed fairly early.

 

That's pretty much how my Saturday has unfolded.



 

The morning began at 8:00 a.m. at Noble Coffee with a friend.  The leaves aren't really on the trees this time of year.  It's just an illusion.

Debra and I saw Nebraska at the Varsity Theatre (shown behind us) in Ashland.  It was filmed in black and white, which provided a great effect for this particular plot.  Aside from some language, we enjoyed it, we laughed and we'd recommend it for grown-ups like us.

We've been to the Varsity Theatre a few times, but have never seen a movie in their main building, but have only seen shows in either theatre 4 or 5, which are located in an alley behind the main building.  It seems a bit strange, because these two theatres are always locked and a theatre employee needs to walk down the alley with you to unlock the door and let you in.

Across the street from the Varsity Theatre is a basement restaurant called The Deli Downstairs.  They make great sandwiches.

I practiced taking a selfie at The Deli Downstairs.  I'm not very good at it, as evidenced by the blurry right arm and the blurry everything else.

After lunch, we walked back to our car and tried taking another selfie with the sun in our eyes and the Ashland Springs Hotel behind us.

Debra left the house to hang out with Ashley and I contemplated the installation of a dog door before heading to The Home Depot.

I bought a dog door.

Koda kept me company while I launched into my project.

The fairly-easy-to-install product is an Ideal Pet Patio Door.

Koda no longer needs human assistance to relieve himself.

GUY TIME

Ever since moving from Medford to Talent over a year ago, and establishing ourselves in a church closer to our new home, I have made a renewed effort to get better connected.  Last summer, I decided to sacrifice some sleep on a weeknight in order to attend a Thursday night men's group at our church.

 

I recognized my propensity to withdraw and to isolate myself, so I joined a group that studied what the Bible says about building friendships.  I made some good friends in that group and most of us decided to stay together as a group in studying the next topic:  Understanding A Woman's Heart.

 

Then, the church announced a men's conference in Redding that would be attended by several churches in Northern California and Southern Oregon. About 45 of us boarded a chartered bus at 4:45 a.m. this morning and left for Redding at 5:00 a.m.

 

I had to get up early, at 3:30 a.m., to make the trip, but it was worth it.  Four pastors shared from Psalm One, two meals were provided, and the bus trip allowed me to retrieve some lost sleep both going to and returning from the conference.



 

Leaving the house at 4:30 a.m.

We arrived at The Little Country Church on a rainy, Redding morning, in time to register and to eat breakfast.

Several hundred men stood in line to register.

After breakfast, the conference started with high levels of testosterone-enhanced worship.

After Session 1, dealing with Psalm 1:1, we took a break to re-caffienate or to de-caffienate or to do both.

Returning to the auditorium, we continued with Session 2 (Psalm 1:2) and Session 3 (Psalm 1:3), before breaking for lunch.

Our pastor, Mark Anderson, chats betweens sessions.

One of the things I learned at the conference is that I need to learn how to take better selfies.

Breaking for lunch before returning for communion and for the final session.

Getting ready for communion.

Pastor Mark Anderson concludes the conference with Session 4 (Psalm 1:4-6).

While cruising back home on the bus, we passed a metal cow along I-5 that has been mooing in the same spot for as long as I can remember.