September 11

NT -- 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
One of my favorite things of all times is ITunes.
I do not listen to the radio any more. If Cole or Matthew have a cool song that they think I will like (and I like a bunch of weird stuff ----), they will play it for me and I usually get it.
I also subscribe and listen to several podcasts each day/week. I listen to On Being weekly and Fresh Air daily.
And then there are the audio books. Oh my.
As an aside, I took Matthew and Cole to school every day from the time Cole was in the first grade. 25 miles there with the HOV lane -- 30 minutes. 40 miles to the office without the HOV lane -- 1.5 hours at a minimum. Most of the time I picked one or the other up from school -- another 40 miles and 25 miles back. I think I easily spent 3 hours a day in the car. Books on CD and cassette saved my sanity.
Audible has enlarged my soul.
In prep work for my teaching of the Beatitudes in Presbyterian Women last year, I listened to The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire. It is a fascinating work and still extremely relevant even 230 years later. The basic premise is that the Roman Empire fell due to barbaric invasions, largely as a result of loss of civic virtue. Civic Virtue to a Roman was an investment in the group as a whole. He also thought that the Praetorian Guard, the special troops guarding the emperor and frequently assassinating him if he did not behave as they thought proper especially in regard to their pay, contributed heavily.
Paul feels the same way about the Corinthians. You don't get to be special in a church. Just because you have seen a vision does not give you license to boast or lord it over others. And Paul offers himself as proof positive. He even went so far as to say he was given a 'thorn' in his side to keep him humble. HMMMMM.
Go check out Inside Nancy's Noodle for her take on the thorn.

Do we have thorns? Oh, I have issues. Body issues, mouth issues, and other issues that I don't want to name much less disclose. Is that why Paul doesn't tell us what his thorn was/is? Is it just too embarrasing to admit you would rather stay home and eat over visiting and caring for others because your clothes are too tight? I know, that doesn't help -- the eating when your clothes don't fit. But it is one of my issues and even at almost!! 49 I still do not have answer to that one. When does it cease to be an issue and becomes a thorn?

And do enough thorns rip apart a congregation? How about a country?