Out near the bus staging area in our resort was this landscape arrangement that looked stereotypical of the Deep South bayou/lagoon look. A water feature, Spanish Moss hanging from the trees, some grass, some peat moss. I liked the way it felt, which I am sure was the goal of the designer.
Here is a look back at the entrance to Magic Kingdom from a man-made lagoon on our way to another of the resorts. I took several shots as the entrance and castle played hide-and-seek behind trees and the dock structure. I liked this where I could see both of them between trees and without blocking each other.
I don't know what happens during your showers, but mine is usually one of two mental activities. One is a morning prayer wherein I spend the time during the rote activity of showering in a brief prayer. Are those days characterized by the needs of the prior day? I'm not sure. My shower is before I read through my morning devotional, so it is not prompted by the Scripture of the day. Anyway, the other is when I wake up with a song in my mind. The range of songs is from Christian to Folk to Broadway. I have no clue where those come from. Today mental activity was the Elton John song 'Where To Now, St. Peter'. Why that song? Are you listening to me? I just said that I don't know. That song, though, brings up strong memories of a morning paper route that I shared with Architect Bro. The song features lyrics where Elton John would jump up an octave into a falsetto. AB and I would try to copy him and would frequently miss the octave (it was around the point where our adolescent voices would break, making the octave a challenge). Between that and it being 4am, we would each laugh uproariously and looked forward to those days when we would hear that song on the radio (this was in the days before cassettes or CDs).
Do you have those types of memories triggered by a song? Not too long ago, I played a song (I do not remember what it was) and my mother said that reminded her of a time when her father would sing it. Maybe it was something by Sinatra? Those triggers are interesting.
Today's devotional was based on Ecclesiastes 7:11-14. As the author notes, "Solomon is comparing two powers that offer their possessors the ability to defend themselves against many of the vicissitudes of life. On the one hand is money and on the other, wisdom. Money can help one avoid and even preserve a person from many of life's difficulties. Wisdom, however, can give him something no amount of money can—life." These verses invite us to evaluate what is more valuable to us, wisdom or money. I don't like that question. It is too close to home. I know what the answer SHOULD be, but I also know that I would more often land on the wrong side of the equation. And that is exactly the type of personal introspection that I want a devotional to ask of me. They often bring a familiar Scripture to mind and then demand that I meditate and evaluate on how I actually live the values espoused. So, what will I change to align with what the verses say to me? I think verse 14 should be my guide, "In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him."
One of the links that I saved from late last year was about a portable chair that can fold down to the size of a beer can. It is also recyclable when you want to dispose of it. It is still in the Kickstarter phase, so do not rush out to buy it yet.
In 'So you're telling me there's a chance?' news, a company is going to build 300 replica DeLorean DMC-12 cars, just like the one in Back to the Future. While I do not think it include a Flux Capacitor, they are still quite eye-catching vehicles. At almost $100K each, though, I will probably not be looking to own one.
I normally would not order an appetizer with my meal, but I know the family likes things like mozzarella sticks. Guess what? You can get them at McDonald's. Oh, with one difference from the ones you often get at your local sit-down restaurant. They may or may not contain cheese. Yes, yuo read that correctly. Check out the story.
Oh, one more thing.
I have a conference call in 20 minutes, so I had best go earn my money for today. Uh oh, should I have not mentioned that after today's devotional? No, it is OK since Col 3:23 does say "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." Have a Thrilling Thursday, my friends.
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