Month: May 2016

Car Wreck

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, Uncategorized2 Comments

JayLenoIT WAS NOT MY FAULT THIS TIME!

Saturday around 6:30 PM Micah came over and parked behind my car. I hate it when people park behind me. So, I said to myself, “self,” I said, “I’ll just take his car. The Miata is more fun anyway.”

Amanda and I were needing to leave early Sunday morning to get to Phoenix for her week at Barrows Neurological Clinic, so Jo and I thought we would slip away Saturday night for some dessert. JoLynn slid into the passenger’s seat, and I took a few minutes -maybe 20 or so – to fold myself into the driver’s side of the Miata. We went East on Cabazon, then North on Unser and into the left hand turn lane to get some after-supper ice cream at that place by Discount Tire. I was looking ahead in traffic to find a break to turn left when suddenly there was this huge crash and we took off like a rocket.

The next thing I knew there were two tires on the median, two on the road, with the bottom of the Miata scraping the curb at about 70mph. My first thought?

I didn’t just hit the curb again like I did in Shawna’s car, did I? When we finally stopped, Jo was shaking, her neck, back and foot hurting. But, do I check to see how she is doing? Do I stop and check to see how I am doing? No.

Instead I rip open my door and look at the back of the car. The trunk was shoved all the way to behind JoLynn’s seat. That was the best thing I saw all day. It wasn’t my fault!

We later found out a drunk driver came around a corner, flew up Unser, nailed us in the rear – then went across all lanes and took down a light pole – then made it up to Southern and took out another three cars.

All I know is we are all safe, Amanda and I were still able to go to Arizona the next morning, and Micah will never park behind me again.

Wreck or no wreck, healing or none, merger or not, God is good – all the time.

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Stealing the Pope

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, UncategorizedLeave a comment

We only borrowed him, really.

It’s Saturday, and we have been in the hospital since Monday waiting for seizures. Amanda is constantly hooked up to an EEG, with 28 electrode things glued to her head, limited by a 15 foot umbilical cord. Life is dull.

So, on my way back from purchasing a junior bacon cheeseburger and fries, the very last thing she remembers smelling when she had her first major seizure, i noticed the Pope in the lobby. And, i said to myself, “Self,” i said, “He looks lonely, and Amanda needs a pastoral visit, and there is no one here on the weekend to stop us.”

After the failed attempt to resurrect a seizure with a cheeseburger and fries, I zipped down six flights of stairs, and checked out the lobby. There were a few nurses wondering through, and a someone cleaning up the place. Once things looked clear, the Pope and i made our way back upstairs. People normally use the elevators here, so i figured that was safest. I was wrong.

There must have been half a dozen people staring at me on their way down, watching the Pope and i go up. I tried to look important and like i was too busy to stop. Besides, who would steal a Pope and go UPstairs? We made it unscathed.

John Paul is back down in his normal spot now – glad, i believe, to have been able to get out of the lobby for a change. Thankfully i only got a couple odd looks bringing him back home.

Still no seizures. Maybe if i brought up the baptismal font…

3 Lessons from the Storm

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week Howard Hendricks gave three terrific observations about the storm in Mark 4:35-41. It’s when Jesus told the disciples to cross the lake at night, and the storm came up, and they were afraid they would all drown, but Jesus calmed the storm. OK, here we go…

  1. We don’t develop faith by listening to lectures (they had been listening to Christ all day). We develop faith in the laboratory of life.
  2. Fear and faith are like oil and water. They do not mix.
  3. When Jesus Christ — is in my boat — it will not sink. Or, another way he put it was, “When Jesus says, ‘Lets go to the other side of the lake,’ He is not saying, ‘Lets go half way across and drown.'”

Another thought from the end of the lesson: Jesus wants what is best, He knows what is best, and He will do what is best.

Good stuff.

AllBks

 

3 Loves, 1 Huge Disappointment

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Watching the first week’s course was a mixed bag. First my 3 loves.

3 Favorite Quotes:

  1. The Bible wasn’t written to make you a smarter sinner. It was written to make you more like the Son.
  2. There is no growth apart from the word of God.
  3. This book will keep you from sin – or sin will keep you from this book.

That was good stuff. But now for the disappointment.

I was disappointed these lectures were not recorded directly from the classes. They were SO GOOD! The change is a bit like my memory of watching the first, original Star Wars movie (is it #1 or #4 now? way too complicated). Everyone gasped in wonder when the light-saber came out, gasped in horror when Obi Wan died, and cheered at the end. It’s not the same now watching it with my grand-kids after hooking up the old VHS. It has the same great content, but somehow loses it’s soul in the presentation.

This course is still worth it for the content, but i miss its soul. Still, I’ll keep watching one a week this month.

I need the content in my soul.

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Take My Favorite Seminary Class With Me

On By danielcooleyblogIn Confessions of an Idiot Pastor, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I went to Dallas Theological Seminary, Western Seminary, and Moody Seminary. After taking a zillion hours due to moving and switching schools, my favorite class was…

My first class. And my first class was…

Bible Study Methods – but DTS called it Hermeneutics. That’s because they are a seminary, and the class cost $900 back in 1985. No one in there right mind would pay close to a grand for Bible Study Methods. But for Hermeneutics it was a steal. And you can get an even better deal.

FREE!!

And, there may be no more important class than Bible Study Methods. So Take a Class a Week for the Month of May with Me – sign up here!

This class was taught by Howard Hendricks, and I took it on Thursday nights. I was bummed, because The Cosby Show had just started, and it was really funny, and we didn’t know that we shouldn’t like him back then.

But a strange thing happened – I liked Heremeneutics even better than The Cosby Show. Thankfully, it’s still OK to like this.

The truth is – you won’t get the whole class for free – but you will get the four key lessons that all Bible Study Methods are based on. And did I mention this was my favorite class from three seminaries? And – these are the four best lessons of my favorite class.

DON’T MISS THIS!

Sign up today and let me know on Facebook Message or email dan@danielcooley.com. I’ll do the first class tomorrow and we can start posting our comments.

AllBks