The Sunday morning country club.

     If I had to distill the experience of an outsider visiting the modern American church into a 3 minute video, this would be what I would choose.

    Despite the best of intentions most modern churches are primarily places to socialize on a Sunday morning.   I recently visited a church and my primary impression was "I'm not cool enough to be here".  No one did anything to make me unwelcome but this club was clearly the realm of the pretty and popular crowd.  I can't imagine what a poor single mom would feel when they walked in wearing goodwill clothes and worn out shoes.  There is a reason that I refer to the modern church "the Sunday morning country club".

    I've been applying for membership to this club for most of my life.  Every time I've tried to find a church family I've found myself on the outside looking in.  When people tell me "you just have to find the right church" I used to believe them.  However I've been ignored and forgotten falling through the cracks at the last 5 churches I've attended and I simply can't take that rejection again.  Our family attended a church in East Texas for 4 years but when we finally gave up, no one noticed.  When my wife died unexpectedly, and made the national news, I heard from so many random people but no one from Mobberly sent so much as a text message.   

    After 45 years of having the church doors slammed in my face, I can only conclude that that is where God wants me.  I will never understand why God didn't want me to have a church family like everyone else but God is God and I am not.  

    I know that the church is made up of flawed and imperfect people.  I certainly don't expect every church to be a perfect fit for every person.  I'm perfectly happy serving in the engine room of the church.  However the opposite of love isn't hate, it's apathy and my kids have been forgotten by every church I've ever attended.  I honestly believe that there is not a single person in any church that knows or cares about my children exist much less know the Lord.  

    The most galling thing is that while growing up in the church I saw the church caring for each other like they are supposed to.  When my father's refinery union went on strike in 1989 I remember sitting in the principles office filling out the forms for free lunch.  My dad's friend put him to work at his auto shop.  One night after the Sunday evening service we met at one of their friend's house.  I walked in to the biggest pile of groceries I had ever seen. Every family in their small group had brought a bag of food for what was once known as a "pounding".  I remember driving home buried under loaves of bread and seeing Madeline Wright shove some folded cash into my dad's hand.  Those families saw a brother and sister in need and stepped up.

 If you want to see what the church is supposed to look like here it is.

    The church is supposed to be a place where the injured help the wounded, a place where the lost can find shelter, a place where the family takes care of each other.   I wish that someone would prove me wrong but I don't expect that I'll ever fin 

Second year of Aerobatics

    This is such a fun niche of the aviation world that I have only begun to discover.  

 

    I completed my 1st year of aerobatic competition in my Citabria flying at the contests in Hondo and Edna TX in the primary division.  I was the only pilot in primary in those two contests and won by default, but the trophies are nice.  My scores improved each time and I learned a lot more in the process of  being apart of these events.  My goal for the first year was to win the Texas series championship in Primary which I was glad to receive a trophy at the following year's Lone Star Aerobatic Championship.

    After having a lot of fun the first year, I set my 2nd year goal of being able to fly in the Sportsman division.  This division is more challenging for pilots flying high performance airplanes and the sequence is basically the most I can do with the 118hp Citabria.  I spent the spring practicing the more difficult sequence and got relatively comfortable with the figures I would have to fly.  Each practice run would leave me out of breath and exhausted.  I never got the chance to have another pilot judge my flying so I had no idea of how good or bad I was flying.

    Finally May rolled around and I was happy to be a part of the 2024 Lone Star Aerobatic Championship and compete in the higher division.  I enjoyed meeting the other pilots and flying the more exciting sequence.  My main goal was to fly three clean runs and let the scores fall where they may.  My scores weren't high, but I was happy with them considering the equipment I was working with.  At the end of the weekend I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had placed 8th out of 13 pilots.  

    Unfortunately the next competition in Kansas City was canceled due to weather and I suffered from maintenance issues over the summer so I didn't get to practice as much as I would have liked.  However with the slow schedule at work I made the decision to enter the two remaining Texas competitions and sign up for the IAC Nationals in September.   I knew I was hopelessly outclassed in airplane, but I just wanted to go an enjoy the experience and learn from the other pilots competing at that level.

    In September the contest at Hondo was a great warm up for the Nationals.  I got to fly against several pilots and really work on improving my scores.  I got some good advice on how to fly the more difficult figures so they would look better to the judges.  When I got back I immediately got to work cleaning up the airplane as much as I could.  I knew I would have top scores, but at least I could have a nice looking aircraft.  I was able to get my parents to come down to Ft Worth to help watch the kids for the week and Saturday  morning I was heading North before the sun was even up.

    Once I arrived in Salina KS I went through the usual paperwork and inspections that I had done before at every contest.  The only difference was the scale, Nationals had ninety pilots competing this year.  Just like any big operation it was a lot of hurry up and wait.  I was excited to meet the younger kids on the college teams.  I managed to fly the last practice session before a heavy storm rolled in.  Once I landed I discovered I couldn't make the turn off the runway with the strong winds pushing my tail around.  I had to shut down, jump out, physically push my plane off the runway, realign it into the wind, and then hop back in to taxi to the hangar.  Once I got to the hangar doors, about ten kids from the college team grabbed the wings and tail to push it into the hangar.  

    The rest of the contest flew by.  I was assigned to help judges who were scoring the intermediate and primary divisions.  I had never seen the gliders fly competition aerobatics before so that was a new experience.  My first two flights went ok, but the judges were strict and I didn't score as high as I would have liked, but my third flight scored about as well as I could expect.  One thing that was really nice about the nationals was that every flight was videoed and live-streamed on Youtube.  I actually got to watch myself fly the sequence right after landing which was great for learning from my mistakes.  Most importantly my boys got to watch me fly from home.  

    At the end of the week I was ready to fly home.  I had met my goal of three clean runs, and finished 2nd to last.  I had approached this event as one where I would be competing against myself and was generally happy with my scores and what I had accomplished.  Three weeks later I flew again at the Texas 2 Step in Edna which should be N86594's last contest.  Earlier this summer I had purchased a Pitts S1C and next year I won't be limited by the airplane I am flying, I'll only have myself to blame.  

    Flying aerobatics has been so much fun and has made me a much better and confident pilot. 

"We're praying for you"

Please stop.  

    The phrase "we've been praying for you" is yet another cheap platitude that is more insulting than reassuring and does nothing more than to make you feel good.  I honestly take it as more an insult than a blessing.   All that tells me is that you want to make yourself feel better without actually doing anything. 

    First, I don't believe for one second that you've given me or my family a second thought much less have been pouring your heart out to God on our behalf.  If you don't know any details about me or my family (such as how many kids I have) then I have zero belief that you are constantly praying over us.  Truth be told, I don't believe that there is anyone in any church, anywhere that even knows my kids exist.  I do know for a fact that no one in the church cares about my kids (or at least not enough to reach out to them).

   

    Second, the Apostle Paul said "5Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

See prayer is an expression of faith but just like faith without works it is dead unless it is followed up by practical action.  I'd much rather have your help than your prayers.  Most single parents are drowning under the crushing load of work, chores, bills, errands, doctor/dentist visits.   Before you pray for me, help me catch up on laundry, dishes, mow the grass.  

If I need real help, the church is last place I search for it.  My first call is to my unrepentant heathen brothers in the military.  I never have to wonder if they will come through for me.

  

  Third, prayer request time is usually a thinly veiled act of gossip, victimhood, bragging, and virtue signaling.   Some of the requests are genuine but far too many are nothing more than a way to grab attention and sympathy.  It gets quite ridiculous at times. 

    Prayer has real power.  To quote a USAF survival manual "Regardless if a deity is actually listening, there is a real impact in stating you needs and fears out loud."   Speaking aloud what we are afraid of, grateful for, worried about, and hope to come has both psychological and spiritual real effects.  However as James noted those prayers need to be followed up with real action.

    So if you care about me and my family at all, please stop praying for me and come fold my laundry.