Can't Stay Away from Dangling Bait

Sometimes people ask you a question or make a statement that is cryptic and veiled. They do that so that when you respond you are caught unaware or perhaps trapped into admitting something you might not otherwise reveal. It is a passive-aggressive form of communication rather than just a straightforward speaking of the mind. When lulled into one of these conversations you are often embarrassed, surprised and not often allowed to offer any deeper answer. In our sound-bite world this seems to be ever-more true. Journalists and political pundits are looking for that shocked, surprised answer or just a strange reaction so that they claim a "Youtube" moment.

I don't like being baited. But you know, I can't seem to lay off that dangling bait either. Some years ago when I was in elementary school I talked too much in class and the teacher assigned me sentences to write. What did the sentence say? "My mouth gets me in trouble when I talk too much." One of these days I will take that lesson to heart.

What I Did This Summer, Part I

This summer I did what I have done every year for the past few -- I chaperoned our church youth group on a brief but meaningful mission trip. We went to Cincinnati this summer for the trip and we worked with a wonderful organization called Matthew 25 Ministries. They treated us very well and we filled up several gaylords of goods and products to be shipped where there is need. I don't usually go head over heels for organizations with which we work, but, this one was tempting.

We went to Newport on the Levee and had a nice dinner on the balcony. We watched a Cincinnati Reds game that was a lot of fun. We spent a whole entire good day at King's Island riding every roller coaster they rolled out. It was a LONG day.

Then there was Vacation Bible School that went very well. It too was mission oriented. We invited guest speakers in and we looked at the mission field in our neighborhood, our city, state, country and around the world. The kids seemed to be having a good time and the content this year was outstanding.

After that it was on to the summer camp management job that I work for Christian Church in KY. Each week I would meet counselors, directors and campers at Camp WakonDaHo, invite them to fun and spiritual growth and shoot a couple hundred pictures of these children and teenagers having an unabashed good time. Camp WakonDaHo is so much more than a place.

And that was June.

Cooking With A Flame

I like to cook on the outdoor gas grill. I like cooking over a flame. It's primitive. It's tasty. It gives me satisfaction.

It doesn't matter what is to be grilled, I enjoy cooking it all. From zucchini slices to corn on the cob, baking potatoes, steaks, salmon, hamburgers and hot dogs. All good.

But, it's Labor Day weekend and thus the traditional end to summer and the summer grilling season. It won't stop me. If my tank has propane then I will cook with a flame. Even when there is snow on the grill I am up to putting on a coat and cooking outside; especially if it's a steak from Critchfield's.

I just like cooking with a flame no matter what the season. Labor Day may be a national celebration to celebrate, "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," but it certainly doesn't mean grilling is over.

September

Officially summer may not be over for three more weeks but, it's September 1 and that means fall to me. College football starts this week. The pools close this weekend. The sailboat is telling me the wind is about to shift in her direction. It's fall.

Fall is always a low time for me. I don't really know why. I just seem to dip a little as the days get shorter. And I miss playing football. After all these years have passed by I can still smell the dust and the grass of Oklahoma; the long evening practices; the sounds, the sights of it all. And who could ever purge that locker room smell from their memories? It stings the nostrils.

A couple years ago the alt band Green Day wrote and recorded a great song about September and with a shout out to their biggest fan, Wyatt McDanald, here's the lyric to the song.

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

like my father's come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when September ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends

like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends



Indeed.