I spent last Friday evening at our church's youth and men's camp out. Since I did not want to fish all night as was the plan of most of the guys, I left when the Park gates were closing and returned home to sleep in my own bed rather than in a tent. After supper, when the first round of fishing commenced, I found myself in camp with our church's youth pastor, Joe Yosten. As the sun set, we were adoring the absolute beauty of the lake and sky and the beauty of the campsite and park. As we commented on the great job someone did in marking this spot for a campsite and also for making this park so beautiful, it struck us how important a role God gave mankind in fashioning this earth into a thing of beauty. It was a moment of relaxed enjoyment in the stillness and beauty of the night.
In stark contrast to this experience, a couple of days later I found myself watching a news video of several Chicago youth beating another youth to death. It was horrific to watch - the ugliness of the scene played out before the world thanks to us by a cell phone video camera.
Two experiences. One so beautiful. One so hellish. Both brought to us by the choices men made.
Everyday we have choices to make. And those choices will result in our creating a beautiful, desirable environment or a hostile, ugly environment. The choice of order or chaos. The choice of beauty or trashiness. The choice of peace or discord. On and on, each day presents us with choices. What will your choices today produce in the world around you?
On a different subject. I purchased a bike yesterday. Several men in our church are bike riders so I thought I might join them on a trek some day. One of the men told me I needed to get in shape and build up some stamina so I would not bail out after a quarter mile into our trek. So now I must start a conditioning plan. Here is my plan. Two miles down the road is the nearest convenience store and I figure if I make it that far I will reward myself with a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. After all, I do need calories in order to make it back home! After three weeks of this daily program I will be ready to go all out to the Pizza Hut!
Blessings
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Eight Years Later
The date 9/11 will never be forgotten in America or the Muslim world. It will be remembered for wildly different reasons. The loss of lives on 9/11 was shocking to observe and mourned because of their innocence in all things related to the event. This is one of the fundamental things about America and the morality which it embraces. America mourns the loss of innocent life. The pictures in the Muslim world were vastly different. Rejoicing over the loss of innocent lives seems to abide in their embraced morality. Seldom do we find Americans gleefully celebrating the loss of life of the innocent. We see this as tragic and seek to avoid it as much as possible. Even in war, civilian causalities caused by American firepower is surprisingly low because of our desire to spare the innocent. America is set apart in this aspect.
Throughout history most nations/empires made little effort to make a distinction between the enemy and the innocent and so all became pawns to be expended serving the goals of the leaders. Whole civilian populations were killed or enslaved as a routine part of warfare. This was the norm. And then along comes America. She has led the world in setting a standard in protecting the innocent. Have we done this perfectly. No. But the intent and effort in cherishing and protecting the innocent, even in wartime, is remarkable in light of past history. It is a tribute to the Judeo/Christian moral base which underpins our morality. Our moral underpinnings, based on Biblical truths, were greatly revealed in the aftermath of 9/11 compared with other cultures.
One side note on the above morality of sparing the innocent. The disturbing nature of abortion is the complete abandonment of this principle which America has so long cherished. To embrace abortion so easily, as America has done, is truly an open attack from within rejecting America's earnest desire to protect the innocent.
Yesterday's Personal Saga
I survived the visit to the oral surgeon yesterday. Actually I did pretty well considering my history of such endeavors. Praise God for his gift of nitrous oxide (or whatever it is). A few highs and lows of the visit, literally, were: my normal blood pressure is around 118/80. Blood pressure when first sitting in dental chair: 180/121. Yes I can literally feel my blood pressure increase as I walk into the dentist office. Nitrous oxide relaxes me to 121/? during the tooth extraction. After everything is over, I relive in my mind all that has happened and begin to get light headed and "white as a sheet" (though never completely fainted.) So while lying on the chair 'recovering' they check my blood pressure again: 77/51. At this point they told me to take my time and not feel rushed to leave. Ha, at that point I could not have crawled out of the building if I wanted to. But eventually my blood pressure returned to normal and I walked out like a champ - minus one wisdom tooth. But it was an hour of highs and lows!
Blessings
Throughout history most nations/empires made little effort to make a distinction between the enemy and the innocent and so all became pawns to be expended serving the goals of the leaders. Whole civilian populations were killed or enslaved as a routine part of warfare. This was the norm. And then along comes America. She has led the world in setting a standard in protecting the innocent. Have we done this perfectly. No. But the intent and effort in cherishing and protecting the innocent, even in wartime, is remarkable in light of past history. It is a tribute to the Judeo/Christian moral base which underpins our morality. Our moral underpinnings, based on Biblical truths, were greatly revealed in the aftermath of 9/11 compared with other cultures.
One side note on the above morality of sparing the innocent. The disturbing nature of abortion is the complete abandonment of this principle which America has so long cherished. To embrace abortion so easily, as America has done, is truly an open attack from within rejecting America's earnest desire to protect the innocent.
Yesterday's Personal Saga
I survived the visit to the oral surgeon yesterday. Actually I did pretty well considering my history of such endeavors. Praise God for his gift of nitrous oxide (or whatever it is). A few highs and lows of the visit, literally, were: my normal blood pressure is around 118/80. Blood pressure when first sitting in dental chair: 180/121. Yes I can literally feel my blood pressure increase as I walk into the dentist office. Nitrous oxide relaxes me to 121/? during the tooth extraction. After everything is over, I relive in my mind all that has happened and begin to get light headed and "white as a sheet" (though never completely fainted.) So while lying on the chair 'recovering' they check my blood pressure again: 77/51. At this point they told me to take my time and not feel rushed to leave. Ha, at that point I could not have crawled out of the building if I wanted to. But eventually my blood pressure returned to normal and I walked out like a champ - minus one wisdom tooth. But it was an hour of highs and lows!
Blessings
Thursday, September 10, 2009
T - Minus 6 Hours
I wonder what the "T" stands for? After a short night of sleep in which I awoke every hour on the hour waiting for this day to arrive I finally got up to jot down my random thoughts during the night about going to the dentist in 6 hours. Spend a moment with me as I write because you will see what a wimp I am when it comes to dentists.
** What is the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon? The dentist pulls teeth while the oral surgeon does tooth extractions.
** Pain-free dentistry? Surely this is an oxymoron. In reality I can say I have never been in physical pain because of dental work. However, the emotional anguish more than makes up for the lack of physical pain.
** I remember the time I passed out in the dental chair before the dentist even touched me! Yes, I was an adult at the time.
** Back in the old days when you were required to get a blood test before your got married I decided that I would distract myself from the mandated needle work by reciting scripture verses. After the alcohol rub and with the approach of the needle I started to recite John 3:16. I didn't even make it though the verse before I was out cold!
** Irrational fears are real. Praise God I only have just this one. And roller coasters, heights, snakes, blood, needles, missed free throws, missed 3-foot putts, cottage cheese, lima beans, broken bones, lack of cookies, and maybe one or two more that I may have overlooked.
** Random thought at 3:15 AM - "I wonder if the oral surgeon is sleeping better than me?"
I am listening to Maurice Ravel's Bolero as I type this post. Bolero is my all-time favorite classical piece of music. I first heard it while watching Torvel and Dean (Canadian figure skating couple) skate to this music at the world championships. They scored perfect 10's. Everyone was astounded at their performance. It was the first time a perfect score had been given in the pairs competition. The music had much to do with the dramatic and fantastic routine. Ever since hearing this piece in the early 80's I have loved it.
Last nights President's Address: How convenient it is to have DVR. Last night I had activities at the church to attend to so I was did not get the chance to watch the real-time teleprompting session from President "O". Catching up to it later I noticed we have gone from 47 million uninsured to 30 million uninsured. If we hold out another 90 days perhaps he will lower the figure to 15 million which is about where most authorities say the true number lies.
The census figures show that there are 13 million poor children not covered by insurance. Yet every state has some variety of a CHIP program. How can we still have uninsured children? Studies have shown that there are about 6.5 million children enrolled in a CHIP program that did not report this fact on the census forms. Children who have not enrolled in a CHIP program but go to the hospital for treatment are enrolled in the program by most hospitals (so as to be reimbursed for their services) during their stay at the hospital. In effect this means that there is no poor child not eligible for insurance unless the parents absolutely refuse to avail themselves of this program.
My reflections on President "O" calling for civil discourse on health care reform. In his mind, civil discourse translates into "agreeing with me." Any disagreement, by his definition, means that one is mean spirited, uncivil, and should not be listened to (shut out of the discourse.) Of course this will not happen so it will be a bumpy ride until some form of reform is forced upon use from the Washington Cartel.
Bolero is finished and I need to get some errands run before I head to the dentist/oral surgeon/Armageddon. Next time you read my blog I'll have one less wisdom tooth!
It is now T - minus 5 hours.
Blessings
** What is the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon? The dentist pulls teeth while the oral surgeon does tooth extractions.
** Pain-free dentistry? Surely this is an oxymoron. In reality I can say I have never been in physical pain because of dental work. However, the emotional anguish more than makes up for the lack of physical pain.
** I remember the time I passed out in the dental chair before the dentist even touched me! Yes, I was an adult at the time.
** Back in the old days when you were required to get a blood test before your got married I decided that I would distract myself from the mandated needle work by reciting scripture verses. After the alcohol rub and with the approach of the needle I started to recite John 3:16. I didn't even make it though the verse before I was out cold!
** Irrational fears are real. Praise God I only have just this one. And roller coasters, heights, snakes, blood, needles, missed free throws, missed 3-foot putts, cottage cheese, lima beans, broken bones, lack of cookies, and maybe one or two more that I may have overlooked.
** Random thought at 3:15 AM - "I wonder if the oral surgeon is sleeping better than me?"
I am listening to Maurice Ravel's Bolero as I type this post. Bolero is my all-time favorite classical piece of music. I first heard it while watching Torvel and Dean (Canadian figure skating couple) skate to this music at the world championships. They scored perfect 10's. Everyone was astounded at their performance. It was the first time a perfect score had been given in the pairs competition. The music had much to do with the dramatic and fantastic routine. Ever since hearing this piece in the early 80's I have loved it.
Last nights President's Address: How convenient it is to have DVR. Last night I had activities at the church to attend to so I was did not get the chance to watch the real-time teleprompting session from President "O". Catching up to it later I noticed we have gone from 47 million uninsured to 30 million uninsured. If we hold out another 90 days perhaps he will lower the figure to 15 million which is about where most authorities say the true number lies.
The census figures show that there are 13 million poor children not covered by insurance. Yet every state has some variety of a CHIP program. How can we still have uninsured children? Studies have shown that there are about 6.5 million children enrolled in a CHIP program that did not report this fact on the census forms. Children who have not enrolled in a CHIP program but go to the hospital for treatment are enrolled in the program by most hospitals (so as to be reimbursed for their services) during their stay at the hospital. In effect this means that there is no poor child not eligible for insurance unless the parents absolutely refuse to avail themselves of this program.
My reflections on President "O" calling for civil discourse on health care reform. In his mind, civil discourse translates into "agreeing with me." Any disagreement, by his definition, means that one is mean spirited, uncivil, and should not be listened to (shut out of the discourse.) Of course this will not happen so it will be a bumpy ride until some form of reform is forced upon use from the Washington Cartel.
Bolero is finished and I need to get some errands run before I head to the dentist/oral surgeon/Armageddon. Next time you read my blog I'll have one less wisdom tooth!
It is now T - minus 5 hours.
Blessings
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Day After
Fearful to fall asleep last night due to the uncertainty of what may happen in the night after President "O" teleprompted our public school children during the day, I stayed up till 12:30 AM. Finally, with a dash of HOPE that no CHANGE would occur I closed my eyes and slept soundly until . . . the sun came up! Yes, the sun rose in the east just like it has been doing since day four of creation. God is still in charge. The early morning news had no reports of public school children being beamed up to the motherland called Chicago. Now, hopefully the sun will arise tomorrow morning following the teleprompting to the nation of "Obamacare, version XIII."
I'm enjoying watching the hummingbirds suck up the sweet liquid of the feeders. I used to exasperated watching the aggression of the hummers toward one another as they guard their feeder with great jealousy. Then, eureka!, I discovered why this is a good thing. The hummers expend a whole lot of calories chasing off one another and so they have to keep coming back for more food. This in turn lends itself to my enjoyment of watching those marvelous little birds. So as for me and my household, I say fight on!
The phone call just came and the countdown has begun. The receptionist was confirming THE APPOINTMENT. 27.5 hours till Armageddon. Actually it is 27.5 hours until the dentist but for me it may as well be Armageddon. After 17 years, I am now down to hours! The "laughing gas" better be as advertised or . . . I can't imagine what. But I am pretty certain the sun will rise the next morning.
I so enjoy hearing people laugh. Labor Day found about 30 souls here at the house for burgers and hot dogs. During the course of the evening a group decided to play some "charade" type game which brought out the screams and laughter from the porch. Music to the soul.
Today, as is everyday, is a good day to be joyful for tomorrow is . . . the dentist!
Blessings
I'm enjoying watching the hummingbirds suck up the sweet liquid of the feeders. I used to exasperated watching the aggression of the hummers toward one another as they guard their feeder with great jealousy. Then, eureka!, I discovered why this is a good thing. The hummers expend a whole lot of calories chasing off one another and so they have to keep coming back for more food. This in turn lends itself to my enjoyment of watching those marvelous little birds. So as for me and my household, I say fight on!
The phone call just came and the countdown has begun. The receptionist was confirming THE APPOINTMENT. 27.5 hours till Armageddon. Actually it is 27.5 hours until the dentist but for me it may as well be Armageddon. After 17 years, I am now down to hours! The "laughing gas" better be as advertised or . . . I can't imagine what. But I am pretty certain the sun will rise the next morning.
I so enjoy hearing people laugh. Labor Day found about 30 souls here at the house for burgers and hot dogs. During the course of the evening a group decided to play some "charade" type game which brought out the screams and laughter from the porch. Music to the soul.
Today, as is everyday, is a good day to be joyful for tomorrow is . . . the dentist!
Blessings
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Running, Teleprompting, Golf
Wow, I ran last Friday without pain in either of my knees! This is the first time in 4+ years I have been able to do such a feat. Granted, I only ran 100 yards but it still counted as running. It all started in February 2005 when one day I noticed this sharp pain when I tried to bend my knee. After putting up with this for about 2 years, an MRI revealed torn cartilage in my right knee. Shortly after the MRI and before a visit to the orthopedic doctor the knee quit hurting. So surgery put on hold. Shortly after this I was lugging a washing machine up to a 2nd floor apartment for a friend who was not helping a whole lot when, trying to protect my right knee I hurt my left knee. Now after much prayer and time I have returned to pretty much doing anything I want to do without pain in my knees! God is so good.
If you can't impress the adults, aim lower and go for the young skulls full of mush . . . President "O" has taken it upon himself to save the states a whole lot of money. He plans to impress the public school children with his oratory skills next Tuesday. This has prompted many parents to plan on holding their children out of school that day. Now I know the NEA will have fits with this action but I believe the parents still have some vestiges of control over their children. Now on to the fiscal side of this story. Each state pays the local school districts money per child based on attendance. If the child does not show up, the local school district does not get state money for that child on that day. So states will actually save money due to President "O" reading his teleprompter to public school children on September 8. This is probably the only act President "O" has done which will actually cut spending of taxpayer's money.
I am golfing with 3 friends Thursday morning. This will be good for the soul as it is a time of much laughter amid periodic flashes of brilliance. It is also a rare time to trash talk. You don't trash talk when you are getting whipped, so when I play with my brother I remain silent. But Thursday morning - let's just say I will get to trash talk some. And I plan to leave Mabel at home during this round of golf.
Blessings
If you can't impress the adults, aim lower and go for the young skulls full of mush . . . President "O" has taken it upon himself to save the states a whole lot of money. He plans to impress the public school children with his oratory skills next Tuesday. This has prompted many parents to plan on holding their children out of school that day. Now I know the NEA will have fits with this action but I believe the parents still have some vestiges of control over their children. Now on to the fiscal side of this story. Each state pays the local school districts money per child based on attendance. If the child does not show up, the local school district does not get state money for that child on that day. So states will actually save money due to President "O" reading his teleprompter to public school children on September 8. This is probably the only act President "O" has done which will actually cut spending of taxpayer's money.
I am golfing with 3 friends Thursday morning. This will be good for the soul as it is a time of much laughter amid periodic flashes of brilliance. It is also a rare time to trash talk. You don't trash talk when you are getting whipped, so when I play with my brother I remain silent. But Thursday morning - let's just say I will get to trash talk some. And I plan to leave Mabel at home during this round of golf.
Blessings
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
O Glorious September
September is such a beautiful month. One of the simple reasons for this is because it follows August. Now August would not be too bad except it is always hot. There is a reason people use the phrase "dog days of August". Yesterday saw the end of August and today is the beginning of September and guess what? The temperature here is cooler by 7 degrees with this holding true for the week! Now we can enjoy being outside again! Even our plants can see the light of day knowing the worst of the temperatures are over.
August was actually a very good month with many great things happening in the lives of those making up Cross Timbers Church. How awesome it is to hear the testimonies of God touching lives and speaking to individuals. Just a simple word from Him changes lives! I daily revel in the goodness of our Lord for His sweet spirit that is so evident in our church body.
Reputations do make a difference. Sunday afternoon I was watching the PGA golf tournament. Tiger Woods had made up 4 strokes and needed to make birdie on the final hole to force a sudden death playoff. His approach shot was great and he stood over a 6 foot birdie putt which he has made many, many times before. Then he did something that left everyone (including the announcers) stunned. He missed a very easy putt. Not only did he not make the putt, he was not even close. He missed the hole completely! Because it was Tiger Woods who never misses putts like this, it was a stunner to see him miss. The missed putt most likely cost him the tournament. What is amazing about this event was the announcers could only say that he missed it. If it was a 'mere mortal' missing this putt in this situation everyone would have said he "choked" on the pressure of the moment. But no one is going to say that Tiger Woods "choked". Why? It is because he has demonstrated his ability to consistently make these putts. He has a reputation of not folding under pressure. And because of this reputation Tiger Woods missed the putt but he did not "choke".
I love David's psalms in which he speaks of God laughing. One of David's undeniable truths which served him so well over the years was his knowing that God delighted in him. I have observed over the years that the person who has truly understood this basic truth is the individual most happy and free. God is so very wonderful and good. I can only feel sadness for anyone who does not know or believe this God who is so good.
Psalm 2:4 references God laughing at ruler's attempts to set themselves apart from God. All rulers seem to do what is right in their eyes with or without God's input. Yet in all reality even rulers are ultimately dependent upon the God of the Universe. It is so good to know that He is good.
Blessings
August was actually a very good month with many great things happening in the lives of those making up Cross Timbers Church. How awesome it is to hear the testimonies of God touching lives and speaking to individuals. Just a simple word from Him changes lives! I daily revel in the goodness of our Lord for His sweet spirit that is so evident in our church body.
Reputations do make a difference. Sunday afternoon I was watching the PGA golf tournament. Tiger Woods had made up 4 strokes and needed to make birdie on the final hole to force a sudden death playoff. His approach shot was great and he stood over a 6 foot birdie putt which he has made many, many times before. Then he did something that left everyone (including the announcers) stunned. He missed a very easy putt. Not only did he not make the putt, he was not even close. He missed the hole completely! Because it was Tiger Woods who never misses putts like this, it was a stunner to see him miss. The missed putt most likely cost him the tournament. What is amazing about this event was the announcers could only say that he missed it. If it was a 'mere mortal' missing this putt in this situation everyone would have said he "choked" on the pressure of the moment. But no one is going to say that Tiger Woods "choked". Why? It is because he has demonstrated his ability to consistently make these putts. He has a reputation of not folding under pressure. And because of this reputation Tiger Woods missed the putt but he did not "choke".
I love David's psalms in which he speaks of God laughing. One of David's undeniable truths which served him so well over the years was his knowing that God delighted in him. I have observed over the years that the person who has truly understood this basic truth is the individual most happy and free. God is so very wonderful and good. I can only feel sadness for anyone who does not know or believe this God who is so good.
Psalm 2:4 references God laughing at ruler's attempts to set themselves apart from God. All rulers seem to do what is right in their eyes with or without God's input. Yet in all reality even rulers are ultimately dependent upon the God of the Universe. It is so good to know that He is good.
Blessings
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