BOOK CORNER
BOOK CORNER could be filled with reading reports. It’s been almost a month since the last report. The more significant book in recent weeks has been “The Man Who Loved China” by Simon Winchester about the life and adventures of an eccentric scientist named Joseph Needham. He was a noted scholar who did most of his work traveling in China, researching and writing numerous classic volumes on the history of science in China. His travels, his adventures, his discoveries, his achievements are immense. Even his love life is notable. I don’t know how I have missed hearing about him. I was greatly impressed by his 10 page listing of scientific discoveries in China dating back to the 15th century B.C. It is just a remarkable story that changes most of our presuppositions about China.
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A LONG TIME FRIEND stopped in for an afternoon visit. We had tea on the deck. He had been doing some teaching at a Tacoma church. We had some church talk which was out of my realm. I’ve been out of the loop too long.
He was teaching a course on “Reading the New Testament Backwards.” It took me a second or two to catch on. He was teaching the New Testament in the order in which it was first written. That moves Matthew and Mark and Luke and John out of first place. It doesn’t matter to most people but it makes an immense difference in understanding the unfolding of the Christian story. Anyway, though happily retired, my friend Don
Payne emerges from time to time to engage the church in his thoughtful probing. He reads and thinks out of the box.

MOMENT MINISTRIES
September 7, 2008
home address:  25921 SW Airport Ave.
Corvallis, OR 97333   541-753-3942
email at a-morgan@peak.org
I SAILED THE DEVIL WIND today. Jean encouraged it. I was pessimistic. I’ve gone out during those early breezes with high hopes that were soon disappointed. Convection winds tempt sailing but leave sails luffing. I’ve been tempted by them before, so resisted temptation. For a while. The water still had a ripple after lunch and tell-tales on the boat were flying. OK, I’ll test the devil wind. In fact I found a neighbor to go with me. It was one of my best sails of the summer. When the devil wind of temptation proves not to be a devil wind, who gets the credit? I have to admit that Jean was right. Don’t let devil thoughts prevent a great moment.
YOU NEVER KNOW where circumstances may lead. I knew this family for about 5 decades. Solid Republicans. We worked to elect Al a Judge. We were there when he died and with Betty Ann doing her life during treatment for colon cancer. Her upbeat spirit continued through the end. She wanted everyone to say that “Betty Ann says ‘Get a colonoscopy!’” According to daughter Margaret (Peg), Betty Ann also had another endorsement. She endorsed Obama for President. Peg decided to honor her memory by designing and marketing T-shirts “Another Mama for Obama…Yes I am a Hope Monger.” So Peg developed the product and a web site for marketing. In fact she was at the convention in Denver marketing the T-shirts. She was keeping faith with her mom. We don’t endorse candidates, but we endorse initiative taken by people like Peg. Her web site is http://anothermamaforObama.shopping.officelive.com
THOUGHTS AT SUNSET stretched across the land to folks on our list in New England and along the East coast who have been baptized heavily by the remnants of hurricane Hannah. We think of folks in Florida who were missed by this hurricane and have an eye out for Ike as it enters the Gulf of Mexico. We wonder about one in New Orleans who surely was evacuated and now must deal what the unknown destination of Ike. Don’t take tranquility for granted. On the other hand, when the whole world seems swallowed in disaster, remember that “trouble don’t last always.” And it isn’t happening everywhere. There is no safe place always. We take our turns being grateful for where we are and being prayerful for those in trouble’s way.
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THE LAST LECTURE
Randy Pausch
With Jeffrey Zaslow
       Last summer, on August 15, 2007, 47 year-old Randy Pausch learned that his pancreatic cancer had spread into his liver. This cancer is essentially untreatable with 50% of patients living approximately 6 months and 96% living less than 5 years. The doctor told him that he was no longer working to save Randy’s life but to extend his life with the highest quality of life possible. Randy lived until July 25th, 2008. There are no training manuals for how to receive such news.
       Wanting to leave something of himself for his three small children he prepared a “Last Lecture,” with them in mind. Professors at Carnegie Mellon University had a tradition of offering a “last lecture” when leaving the University in which they considered their life’s end and what matters most to them.  Although it came on his wife’s birthday and they were cherishing each minute of his limited time, he decided to do the lecture. This book is made from that lecture, presented by Pausch with a Power Point that included his main points and photos of life along the way.
       He called his presentation, “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” A great number of his stories come from his childhood during which dreams were planted that steered his life.
       Over 400 showed up at the lecture hall. His introduction after a few humorous comments was a gripper. He began with “the elephant in the room,” what everyone knows but isn’t talking about. He names the elephant – pancreatic cancer – even showing the CT scans with the 10 tumors on his liver pointed out with red arrows. He still looked healthy and generally felt healthy and spoke with clarity and humor. “If I don’t seem as sorry and morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you…I am in phenomenally good shape right now…In fact, I’m in better shape than most of you.”  He stepped to the center of the stage and got down and did some push ups!
       He had his audience where he wanted them. I can’t think of a more captivating introduction to a talk.
       His talk was a series of brief stories, each telling of an imprint made on his life, almost always with a simple lesson. This collection of lessons is worth keeping and reviewing. Embedded in these stories are occasional glimpses of how a person – how a couple – deals with living with a terminal illness.
       Randy was an educator. He remembered the things that helped him and included them in his teaching process. Personality issues were included in his instruction. He was teaching skills for making a living and skills for living a life. No wonder the book released in April has sold almost 2 and ½ million copies in 29 languages.
       This is the kind of book one could use as a daily devotional, reading one brief section a day, followed by some moments of reflective thought. It could be a life-changer. It is also the kind of book that could make its way to one of those flip over day calendars to be read a day at a time.
       I think that people who live with a bad diagnosis will value this book. Pausch has a perspective that is helpful. Many will have already thought of some of the things he articulates so well. His humor is inspiring. Like when one of his doctors told him: “It’s important to behave as though you’re going to around for awhile.” Randy was already ahead of him and told him: “Doc, I just bought a new convertible and got a vasectomy. What more do you want from me?” He balances optimism and realism.
       Caregivers and surviving friends and loved ones will find counsel in Randy’s words. It is not a book about dying from cancer; it is a book about living the fullest possible life in what time you have.
       *I heard on the morning news that another 47 year-old had died, the author of the book “100 Things I want to do before I Die.” He died from a head injury in some kind of an accident. He had done 50 of the things on his list.
─ Art Morgan, August 26, 2008