Sunday

Held at the high school

This picture was taken while they warmed up.  Pictures are not allowed during the performance.

 

A friend and I attended the first concert of the Bemidji Symphony.  It was  Nordic Celebration.  This the 75th Concert season.   It began with Finlandia.  I have always wanted to hear it preformed.   It was directed by Dr. Thomas Swanson.  He had directed Finlandia 5 or 6 times during the time that he directed the orchestra.  The rest of the selections were conducted by Dr. Beverly Everett.  The pieces featured Michael Hanson on the Sax.  He was wonderful. All in all it was an amazing afternoon.

homeless

 

 

 

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek (pictured above) transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service... only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food....NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation... "We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek". The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.  The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle, the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him as he walked up to the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were fully informed on this) and paused for a moment and then he recited:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the “righteous” will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning.  Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.

He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples.  When will YOU decide to become disciples?”

He then dismissed service until next week

visitors from Beach

My best friend stopped in this weekend for a visit.  We have camped, motorcycled, and fished together for years.  It was fun catching up on all the things in our lives that have changed.  They had a wedding in Duluth that they were t. o attend.   As it is with best friends you  pick up your conversation as if it was just yesterday that you last saw them.  It was funny that we wore the same color.  Then just as fast as they arrived they were on their way to Duluth.  Safe travel my friends.

Wednesday cruise

My Grandpa Fred Kaupp

This sign is in the LAZYJjACKS BAR

My motorcycle group met at Lazy Jacks for supper and talk.  It is funny, but none of us rode our cycles.  It was raining, but I had the only great excuse.  Mine was in the shop getting its break-in oil changed as I have rode it for over 1000 miles.  I am glad to get this oil change just before putting it away for the winter.  The pictures of the M & I Club were interesting to the my friends.  They called themselves the Ugly Mugs.  My Grandpa was an engineer for the M & I  for years.  He had a triangle route to International falls to Duluth and back again.  Dad said when he came in he would slow down so that he and his two brothers could hop on the train and ride to the terminal with him.  They lived in Nymore on 3rd.   I do remember grandpa talking about the logger and I think that trees and people  were what he hauled. 

quick thinking

If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman.

He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer's credibility ...

Q: 'Officer --- did you see my client fleeing the scene?'...

A: 'No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.'

Q: 'Officer, who provided this description?'

A: 'The officer who responded to the scene.'

Q: 'A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?'

A: 'Yes, sir. With my life.'

Q: 'With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?'

A: 'Yes sir, we do!'

Q: 'And do you have a locker in the room?'

A: 'Yes, sir, I do.'

Q: 'And do you have a lock on your locker?'

A: 'Yes, sir.'

Q: 'Now, why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?'
A: 'You see, sir, we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.'

The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called.See More

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Defaced money

 A LADY IN MONTE VISTA, CO HAD THIS DOLLAR BILL. THIS IS HER STORY.
AFTER DINNER SHE TOOK A 1 DOLLAR BILL OUT OF HER PURSE AND SHE...SPLAYED IT ON THE TABLE. UNDERNEATH THE WORDS "IN GOD WE TRUST" SOMEONE HAD STAMPED THE DOLLAR BILL IN RED INK--- NO GOD BUT ALLAH.
WE ASKED HER WHERE SHE HAD GOTTEN THIS DOLLAR BILL. SHE SAID IT WAS PART OF HER CHANGE IN ALAMOSA, CO. WE TOOK A PICTURE OF HER DOLLAR BILL.
THESE ARE STARTING TO SHOW UP ALL AROUND OUR COUNTRY!
IF ANYONE TRIES TO GIVE YOU ONE OF THESE DOLLAR BILLS AS CHANGE, PLEASE REFUSE IT AND ASK THEM TO GIVE YOU A DOLLAR BILL THAT HAS NOT BEEN DEFACED.
 

benefit

Two benefits down two to go.  This was held at the Becida Bar. A teacher who was cut to half time and didn't get  insurance had an injury which is requiring multiple surgeries.    There were four money makers going on at the same time.  First was the ticket drawings at a dollar each.  They had a live auction for the bigger things.  There was a separate ticket drawing for the wheel barrow full of booze. Those tickets were five dollars each.  And lastly the entire night of pizzas which were 10 dollars each went to the cause.  I have heard unofficially that 26 thousand was raised Saturday night.  I haven't heard what my donation of a quilt brought as I went home before the live auction started.