Paul Was In The Slammer

 

This afternoon I, and everyone else in Florida, am waiting for Hurricane Ian to come - and go.  

In Vanessa Echols' book, We're in Heaven, and I Have Some Questions, she profiles the Apostle Paul.

She reminds him, You were beaten, stoned, sent to prison, and shipwrecked at least three times.  And Paul was arrested (or as Vanessa says), You were thrown in the slammer.

Paul wrote several of his books while he was in prison.  This got me to thinking about many of the people who've written great words of wisdom while in prison, how their words have deeply affected my life.  People like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr.  

But the first person to help me get to the bottom of the question "Why am I here?" was Viktor Frankl.  His book, Man's Search for Meaning, was not written in prison but a short time after he was released from Auschwitz, the Nazi Concentration Camp.

He described why some men and women lived through this atrocity.  They found meaning and purpose.  We, including me,  still chase after material, temporary things, But my search for meaning continues. 

I agree with Dr. Frankl's words:  Our deepest desire is the find meaning and purpose. And I think we here in Florida will have plenty of opportunities to rediscover our our purpose.

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I Wish I'd Written This Book

 

Vanessa Echols was a well loved and respected television newscaster for Channel 9 here in Central Florida for 30 years, prior to her recent retirement.  

I've just finished reading her book, We're in Heaven, and I Have Some Questions. Have you ever been in Bible studies where no questions were asked, where you were required to accept someone else's interputation of The Word?  "No questions allowed."

It's clear from the beginning that Vanessa is a strong believer but she uses her own cultural colloquialisms to tell the stories.  The book is very funny and entertaining.

Vanessa Echos

Vanessa has profiled 41 characters in the Bible.  They are presented alphabetically. (Since I'm a little OCD, I appreciate this.  Also, each chapter is no more than one or two pages long.  However, she leaves room for our own comments.  

Writers need structure and encouragement to let our words flow.  Vanessa Echols has provided this for me.  She begins by saying "If you don't have a sense of humor, don't read this book."

She asks David, when he was dancing before the Lord, if he was doing the Electric Slide.

There are many stories in the Bible - and in all of history - where folks experience a reversal of fortune.  Jacob in the Old Testament was a trickster.  But then he was tricked by his father-in-law, Laben.  In the book of Esther, the evil Hamon experiences this reversal of fortune. 

But Vanessa says it this way:  "The playa got played."  And she describes Esther  doing "a total boss move."

Thank you Vanessa Echols.  In a way I did write a little of your book but only because you invited me to do so.  

See Ya!

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Working Babies

 Netflix  now has new episodes of "Call the Midwife," the wildly popular British series.  I love this show.  It deals with hard issues, but the characters; nuns, nurses and others,  are extremely kind and calm throughout.  They are excellent examples of how we should all behave in times of crisis. 

Because it's about bicycle riding midwives, from right after World War II up through the sixties,  we get to watch multiple babies being born in every episode.

I've often wondered about where they get these babies.  They come in all sizes and colors.  Do they hire them?  What do they pay the babies?  

A couple of days ago the Orlando Sentinel published an article on babies and toddlers working in a nursing home.  The director, when taking her own wee one to work with her, was surprised at how the patients enjoyed her child.  So she's now arranged regular visits from babies and toddlers. 

The article said they're paid in formula and diapers. 

I have a fantastic little great-grand baby.  She's now a toddler and even more adorable.  Relatives line up to get to spend time with her.  So my question now is:  should she get a job?

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