New Company Car

It's a sad day here at the Tate house (I suppose I can call it that because of all the junk mail that I get that's addressed to "The Tate Family").

I had to say goodbye this week to my Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Manufactured in Texas in 1992, I started driving her back in November of 2000. Once convinced of the inadvisability of going ahead with the thousands of dollars worth of prescribed repairs - I traded her in on Friday with an odometer reading of 275,500 miles.

She had many names: the ghetto sled, desert sled, u.s.s. John Isaac - I called her Betsy. She wore plates from four states - Georgia, Vermont, Connecticut, and Arizona. She carried me safely and always without incident to countless camps and other ministry opportunities. She's skipped up the San Jacinto Mountains, skated through the Vermont backwoods, and raced across the Sonoran Desert. She was such a blessing and I thank God so very much for such a wonderful car. I'm going to miss that most sweetest of rides.

My new company car is a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. This one was manufactured in Canada - I pray she see just as much and even more than the Chevrolet!

"I am neither proud of what I have done nor of what I am now doing."

Ok - according to Muslim legend - only ten animals have entered Paradise. I'll give you the non-biblical five and see if you can get those five mentioned in the Protestant canon.

Here are the revealed five:

The Cuckoo of Belkis
The Camel of the prophet Saleb
The Ox of Moses
The Dog Kratim of the Seven Sleepers
Muhammad's Ass

Here's a hint:
Two are from Genesis
One is from the wisdom literature
One is from the minor prophets
One is from the historical books

Lapidary

"By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich."

- Democritus (Of course this is only true when concerning material things. It would be a wretched statement if made concerning the blessings of God.)