6.27.2008

The Venus Williams of Badminton

Our small group from church had a cookout this week. It was at Heidi’s house & everyone brought fixins and we grilled up some hamburgers and hotdogs and tofu (yes! We have another tofu lover in the small group! Sharon actually has a funny story about how she became an ‘accidental vegetarian’ for 3 years! Now she's a carnivore again.)

The best part of the evening, though, was the badminton. Yes, Heidi & Shane have a badminton set in their backyard& we played all stinking night long. I am thrilled to report that the girls dominated the boys (well, technically, Heidi dominated the boys- she’s really good! She's the Venus Williams of badminton.) Badminton is funny- I feel like I should be in a long ruffled skirt with a white pirate blouse and my hair in a bun. You know, like in those old, black and white photographs from the 1800’s. No? Anyone? Bueller?

Anywhoos, the night was refreshing and it was so good to just be together and visit and laugh. You know, life is serious, sure. And we’re going to walk through difficult and challenging times together, true. But I highly value simply having fun and enjoying a 70 degree summer night with other believers. And hitting around the badminton, of course. I think Jesus and his disciples may have done that a time or two…

5 comments:

Danny Lucas said...

I think David was the shuttlecock flier-expert in the Bible. Badminton was his forte long before rocks and sling shots.

Jesus tended toward fishing and golf. His fishing skills are as dynamic as Adam's (Camille's guy, not Eve's). Eve's Adam was more of a gardener aficionado.

Jesus muttered from the Psalms, "Yea tho I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil".

This is clear reference to a golf course in the Middle East, maybe even Mesopotamia while on vacation.

And that "carry a staff or rod" was either a 9 iron or a seven wood, the angle reference is not clearly interpreted from the original manuscipts. This was the first Biblical reference to caddies and the Biblical sanctioning of letting someone else do your work for you.

Disciples Peter and Andrew were both avid badminton fans, though Peter tended to play close to the net.
Andrew was the bringer of the loaves and fishes kid and he brought Peter to meet Jesus too (what are brothers for?). The rest of the disciples soon learned when they hit the shuttlecock out of bounds, Andrew would bring it back. Life was good!

Today, it is more of a "Verily, Verily, I say unto you....I will smite thee on the court. YOUR serve!"

Lora said...

OK-WHEN DAD & I COME BACK TO ERIE-WE WANT TO MEET THIS PASTOR DANNY-GUY! MY KIND OF HUMOR!

GO TO BEACH!!!!!!!!!!

Danny Lucas said...

Well Lora,
I will have to meet the kiddos first! Then, it is off to meet the parents.

We came close last week.
I was buggin State Street last Friday and antique autos were lined up and down the street for blocks,.. and in the middle of the street as well. Pick any decade and the autos were represented well.

I was astonished at how much I forgot existed on cool autos of the past. Perhaps you will recall there was a time when your high beam-low beam was not on the turn signal handle by the wheel. I forgot.

It used to be done by stepping on a button on the floor, with your LEFT leg, as high in the corner as you could reach in the dark with a foot!

The upgrade caught my attention a block away. On the outside of the auto, above the headlight, a small beam-light was located. This novel approach simply detected oncoming car lights and immediately lowered your high beam to a low beam when light was detected. It returned YOU to high-beam after the oncoming car was gone.

"Look Ma, No feet!"

Soon traffic increased on our highways and byways. This meant more cars; more lights coming at you. That beam detector worked like a charm in lowering your high beam repeatedly, with the approach of a car.
Indeed, it began to work like a strobe light and drive you berserk as it flipped up and down.
I had one of those and STILL blink at the girls as a result of strobe-effect eye malfunction....a medical malady that none of the girls believe. :)

Anyhoos, as they say here at JSS, the flashing of a camera was to my right and I looked to see a Tall Texas gal flashing her camera at what looked to be some kind of John DeLorean contraption in black.
It may have been the Batmobile, but it was surely the least photographed car in the State of PA. I found it curious that Brooke would take so many pictures of this auto with so many dy-no-mite automobiles nearby.
(Lotsa Mustangs in every color and even a quaint Chevy Nova,.....the car that failed to sell in South America as the Edsel of all time, since "Nova" in Spanish means "Won't Go". American autos went into decline thereafter.

Camille was in a hurry to move down State Street (our city center avenue). Brooke was starting to look like the high beam detector by flashing her camera over and over at this goofy "winged" version of some car.

Adam, of course, is light footed when he is scalpel free. He bounced from auto to auto like a little kid in a candy store......or else he was looking for a bathroom.

I almost did not recognize Freeland. His head was upside down and he seemed to enjoy the underside of cars as much as the top sides. If the Pope ever visits and you are with Freeland, it is adviseable to NOT let him take in the Popemobile as it goes by.

Security frowns on that looking underneath stuff. He came up for air after a long submersion and I said to myself "Yep! That one must belong to Brooke!"
Two flashers-in-a-pod in our wonderful town on a balmy summer night. Lovely additions to our community too.

I wanted to say hello, but figure these folks get bugged on State Street enough.

The lady I was with is not into online writing and knew zip of this foursome from Texas. She likes dance and the main show for Marguerite's Dance was performing at the Warner Theater.

Women (mostly) from age 3 to 90 practice a dance routine all year, and a show is made for about 3 hours two nights a year out of the routines learned. Jazz, ballet, Acro, everything possible and impossible in dance.....we have a mini-Rockette show every year here. Indeed, Erie has produced real Rockettes in NYC.
I popped in for a program as I had my daughter Karli on stage years before. This is a marvelous activity to develop self esteem for guys and girls...sort of a Dancing With The Stars, but your child is the Star.

We must connect at some point.
These Erie-ites from down South go to the right spots (and miss a lot of local secret fun spots too, btw) but always seem to go at the wrong time of year.

Chatauqua...too early. Take in a Friday or Saturday all day walk at the Institution grounds in mid-summer. Eat, shop, and take in a show in the Round Theater at night....sit in back under the stars. Best spot.
They all get extra points for eating at Italian Fisherman....get the Portobello Mushroom for a palate dazzler.

Panama Rocks is for August. It gets too hot then, and the cool caverns have actually had traces of snow in the midst of summer. It is so deep and sun-inaccessible that the huge snowfall of some winters have minute snow amounts still there to throw at your kid.

Perhaps we can take in a badminton game Lora.

Tho I am not a pastor, the Lord rarely lets me win at golf with anyone. He says THAT would take a miracle! Nice to meet ya!

Best regards,
Danny Lucas

Obsessive Foodie or Food Addict....You Decide said...

I used to play badminton all the time growing up.

I was a vegetarian back in my 20's...no funny story and I still HATE tofu.

perhaps a disguise is in order???

Deb said...

Badmiton is a blast! I just love it.

Accidental vegetarian...please tell us that story.