Andi's Angle Archives: Articles from Singles Newsletter 1997-1998

 When I was a member of the Singles ministry at Madison church of Christ,  we had a monthly newsletter that we published.  From time to time, I contributed articles to the newsletter.  This post, and the next several, are my archive files.  May you enjoy the trip down memory lane.

October  1997

Driving south on I-65 as I do every Monday through Friday, my mind was in 40 different directions at once:

Did I feed the cat?

Did I remember my beeper?

Andi's Angle Archives: May 1999

I normally don’t watch much television.  If I hear any news, it is on the radio in my car while I am in transit from home to work or from work to a softball game.    I first heard about the shootings in Colorado from Pam when I called her on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the clothing drive.  I have to admit, my first reaction was  “Well, it is that time of year, isn’t it?”  and didn’t give it much more thought.   By the next morning, coverage of the tragedy was on every television station and on the front page of every paper.  

Andi's Angle Archives: June 1999

“Come on, you can do it!”

“We need you right here!”

“Way to go!”

I hear these phrases at least 30 times a week, but where do I hear them?   For those who know me, you know that I’ve heard them at a softball game.   I’ve even said them a time or two. 

Andi's Angle Archives: August 1999

In John 13:4-15, we read of Jesus washing the disciples' feet prior to what is commonly referred to as the “Last Supper”.  We've heard this story countless times, and we all understand the example of servitude that Christ demonstrated.  However, I never full comprehended the humble attitude it involved until I witnessed it for myself.

Andi's Angle Archives: October 1999

Departing Lima I had my first look at the Andes Mountains, courtesy of an insane, yet kind, flash of Shane’s generosity.  He thought he wanted to sit on the aisle and offered to trade seats with me for the flight.  (Thanks, hermano!) I’ve seen mountains when I’ve gone camping in North Carolina, but never have I looked down on any mountains.  While marveling at God’s awesome creation, the song “From A Distance” popped into my head. 

Andi's Angle Archives:December 1999

The clock ticks down to one second, and the coach calls a time out.  His team is down by two points, and he only has time for one play.  He gathers his team together and explains what he wants them to do.  They return to the court. 

Andi's Angle Archives: January 2000

When I first sat down to write my last article of 1999, I began a sappy sounding look back at the last 10 years.  Then I decided that the Singles are not a bunch of sentimentalists.  The group is ever changing, ever growing, and ever full of fun.  In the spirit of great challenges and good fun, I have listed several memorable “experiences” of the Singles in the past years.  You, the reader, have to figure out the year they happened.  All were mentioned in past newsletters, but that’s been ????  years worth of material.  The answers will be at the end.  Good luck and happy reminiscing!

Andi's Angle Archives: February 2000

On a nice sunny Saturday, a family drives into town to do a bit of shopping.  The first stop is Locke’s 5 and 10.  The children admire the toys and books while the mother makes a few purchases and chats with the owners.  The next stop is two doors down—The Dress Shop.  The older child is soon bored with looking at dresses and returns to Locke’s to look at the books again.  Some time passes, and the mother realizes that the child is no longer with her and begins searching everywhere.

Andi's Angle Archives: March 2000

Whew!  Sometimes things look easy until you try them.  Standing on a cable 25 feet above Mother Earth, I was thinking just that—it looked a lot easier from the ground.  In the midst of my frustration with trying to get the cable to stop wobbling, I heard a voice “C’mon, Andi; you can do it.  Grab the ropes higher. It won’t wobble as much.” 

Andi's Angle Archives: April 2000

A little girl about 4 years old caught my attention in the jewelry department.   She was all excited because she was going to get her ear pierced.  From what I gathered, the little girl had both ears pierced about three weeks before.  One of the earrings had come out and the hole had closed up, so she was getting it fixed.   She was sitting on the stool, with her back straight and behaving very well while the lady cleaned and "dotted" her earlobe.   With the mother's approval of the dot location, the lady began putting the earring into the gun. 

Andi's Angle Archives: May 2000

As I was driving back to Alabama, I passed the Forest Mills Church of Christ, just outside of McMinnville, TN.  Normally I don’t pay much attention to church signs, but their sign caught my attention.  It simply said “All Paths Have Puddles”.  I immediately had an image in my mind of a little boy happily playing in a huge puddle, getting completely covered from head to toe with mud.  Isn’t it odd, how as children, a puddle was a great source of pleasure? Jumping and splashing and generally making a big mess was the highlight of a summer shower.

Andi's Angle Archives: June 2000

If you have been to my house recently, then you may have noticed that my roses are blooming.  I really didn’t know much about growing roses when I planted my first ones, but I soon learned about proper watering, preventing diseases, and pruning.   I thought it was odd that, in order for the rose to grow fuller, it had to be cut back, or pruned. 

Andi's Angle Archives: August 2000

As I pondered over what I wanted to write about the Peru mission trip, I went through several experiences in my mind, mostly those that were happy or funny.  Then I thought I about the not so funny things, the frustrating experiences.  I was most frustrated when we ran out of certain medicines quickly in the pharmacy.  Of course, we ran out of items that practically everyone needed, like vitamins or Tylenol.  A great sense of helplessness comes over you when you realize that you have to send them away without what they need.

Andi's Angle Archives: September 2000

Two weeks ago, as my dad and I were replacing a light fixture on my front porch, I decided to quickly refill the hummingbird feeder that had been accidentally knocked off and spilled the evening before.   In less than five minutes I had the feeder back in its proper place, and in less than two, a hummingbird was perched on the side having breakfast.   I thought how it must have been hovering nearby, just waiting for me to show up so it could eat.  Definitely one eager creature!

Andi's Angle Archives: October 2000

Driving home one evening, I noticed several For Sale signs in front of houses along the road.  I began reminiscing about my house-hunting days, especially when I would see a house that looked great on the outside with a nice yard, and then when I would look at the inside, I was shocked.  Hideous "what were they thinking?" wallpaper, poor maintenance, and an impractical floor plan are just a few of the things I remember that changed my mind about moving into several places at which I looked.

Andi's Angle Archives: December 2000

Recently I was entering a requisition at work for a service to be performed by an outside contractor.  When I reviewed the quote, I noticed "Acts 4:12" was printed near their logo.  Not being familiar with that scripture, I looked it up.  It says, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 

Andi's Angle Archives: January 2001

As I perused the year’s newsletters, one word kept popping in my mind- GROWTH.  As a successful singles ministry should be, we experienced a great deal of growth in 2000.  Most importantly, the Lord’s church grew when Sandra Byrom, John Urias, and Tiffany Walker decided to become Christians. 

Andi's Angle Archives: February 2001

It is a new year and with a new year comes resolutions.  I don’t like resolutions; they just seem to be waiting to be broken.  I prefer to give myself challenges, and I would like to extend these challenges to all of our newsletter readers.