No right to speak out against Obama

Just watch the video, and you'll see what I mean.

The way things ought to be.... (No intent to rip off El Rushbo)

This is the best mash-up of video I've ever seen. Gotta love Jack Webb!

Why am I not finding this on the Mainstream Media?

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/56631092.html

This is an article talking about how solar cycles affect the earth's temperatures. The story seems to indicate that minor fluctuations in the sun's brightness (read: 0.01%) can cause a wide swing in global temperatures. Somehow, the two "known" phenomena discussed in the article have never been included into any climate models -- until now.

Hmmm.....  Why no mention of this from any mainstream media source?

 

(Also, notice the article states that the sun creates ozone. I think that the sun is far more powerful than man. Maybe that's why we don't hear about the "ozone hole" any longer?)

God is so Good!

God is always faithful to bring about His plans. And His plans cannot be thwarted by the works of man! How glorious!

Coming back to my home.

I've been thinking today, and if I'm going to continue to blog, I should blog from this site. It just makes more sense. So look for my posts to come from here, and no longer from blog.digimot.net

So, I found a grand way to keep the "Blog Of Ice" going...

It will be both here, and on this blog's sister site at http://blog.digimot.net.

Check them all out!

Ok...

I'll post a link to every post I make on my new Blog here for a few months. Then I'll stop posting here all together, and delete this blog.

Sorry that's the way it goes.

Here's the new post!

It's been a month

I really want to make sure that you're going to my other blog from now on. And please, bug the crap out of me so that I post more... I really enjoy doing this, but I'm sometimes at a loss as to what to post... My life is pretty boring... my opinions are rather not....

Since you asked...

I was just politely reminded by someone very special in my life that I've not posted in quite a while... Well, here's for you!

I just started working on a new website for myself... http://www.digimot.net. Visit if you wish, but don't expect much. I've not fully fleshed out what I want to be there.

It's great to finally see some color in the trees, though once they leaves turn, they seem to fall... Who knew?

I am SOOOO glad that today is Friday! I can't wait to see my kiddies again!

Well, that's it for now... I promise to post more soon...

What's "Fred'08" all about?

Ok, so you've obviously seen my nice banner ad for Fred'08.

I have read his platform (and you should, too) and I really think he's the man to vote for in the next election!

He makes sense. He speaks well. He's really well known, moreso even than Ronald Reagan!

(For those who don't recognize him, click here!)

Click on his banner, and really listen to what he says, and read what he stands for!

You'll see why he gets my vote this year!!!

And now, a word from our sponsor(s)...

Ok, so you all see the ad thingys I've got all around my page.





They're there for a reason...





You see, I get paid for each time someone clicks on one of them... And it would be nice to get a little extra...

I promise I'll post more, and more worth reading....


Just see my next post!

Things are much better now

Alright, I know that I scared a few people with my last post, but...



The BW and I had a long, hard, honest, loving conversation last night. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I was glad I did. A ton of feelings that I just, as I am wont to do, "stuffed" and never mentioned, I expressed, and with that a whole bunch of emotion was released on all sides. This is what really made it probably the best talk of our lives.

I hope I can continue down this path with my BW. I love her with all I think I could possibly love a human being. It's because of this, that I know we're destined to last.

Thank you, all who prayed for me.

What in the world...

Boy, talk about not having a good day coming home.

After a long and busy day at work, I come home... And let's just say that things were not as I expected them.

I'm not going to get into what I was expecting, because that's not important. But this was the first time I said what I felt about something like this to my BW (Beloved Wife, for those who do not know the lingo.)

Anyway, now I have to temper this with the fact that the family had 2-3 appointments to go to today, and many were stressful on them all, but I had these expectations, (darn you, expectations!) and they just didn't happen.

So, after being just overwhelmed with too much attention all at once, and things going on...I went into the closet to cool down, and not react out of pure emotion. I stated my grievance to my BW, and playfully added to the mix a bit of annoyance at our lovely pooch, Calvin. Well, I got my head chewed off for "blaming" him for anything. Not a good showing for actually discussing what was bothering me right away, even after quelling the emotions tied with it.

So, all this to say, what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks did I bother saying anything? I say that I don't want to bring up things because I think I know what'll happen, and then I'm told not to, because I really don't. SO I do just that, and it turns out pretty much as I expected.

Ok, I'm a bit far-reaching there. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I end up feeling like the bad guy for doing what I thought was right...

Life just sucks that way most of the time.

So suffice it to say, I'm more confused than ever about how to deal with this stupid thing called life... God, help me, but I think I'm going nuts!!!

Talk about getting gun shy! And so, do I do it again? What's the flippin' point?

Hey, what do you know!

I just realized/remembered, I can blog from my e-mail address! How cool is that?

 

So this just a test, of sorts, making sure I can do this, and do it properly.

 

So…. Hi! Howya doin’?

 

 

IRAQ - It's not about oil!!!

I can prove the above statement...

To do so, I ask this question: If America is the kind of nation that would go to war over oil, why haven't we invaded Canada?

The vast majority of oil imported by the U. S. is from Canada, a country of 10 million people or so, with very little military to speak of. We could invade them easily, right? So why bother with the difficult fight in Iraq for oil if Canada is sitting just to our north, ripe for the pickings?

And if it's all about oil, why are we not drilling for oil in our own country? Why not allow it in ANWR and the Gulf of Mexico? Then we wouldn't have to fight in Iraq?

So maybe it's about something other than oil...

Maybe it's really about freedom, like the President says!

This is not about me, but it's my responsibility...

Now, hon. I know you're going to read this, and think that you made me feel guilty or something. While I was listening to you this morning, your despair, I felt my heart break. But I also started to understand what it meant to be the head of the family. What the responsibility of that is, and that it means if something is going wrong, it's me who's ultimately responsible.

Yes, that means if you find yourself unable to do something around the house, it's ultimately me who's responsible, because I should be making the decisions to help you along that path. If we have problems disciplining our kids, it's my concern, because it means I've not been taking leadership in talking about how we do it, there's no plan.

I don't know I'm going to do it, and I probably can't do it alone, but I will find a way to be the husband, father, and man I'm supposed to be.

I know that God supports me in this, but that the Adversary will try hard to keep me from this, as he knows that my kids, as well as everyone else's kids, are the next generation that could be fighting his reign on this planet.

Please pray for my family as we learn the roles we need to learn.



"GOD,
I know that I'm trying to take the right path. But I also know that the enemy of my soul and my family and Your Kingdom doesn't want this to happen. Please help me to resist temptation, and to work for what is right, despite how frustrating things get. Give me courage, and patience, and wisdom, to move beyond this into what you have predestined me to be.

Amen."

Sometimes I think I'm just a big failure...

Today has not been a good day.

It started off with me getting only 2 hours of sleep. But then after that, I found out I'm a disappointment to my wife, and probably also one to my kids.

The problem is, I know it. I suck, royally. I can't get this thing called "life" right, it seems. If something is going good, I always find a way to make it bad. And I hate it that I can do nothing about the situation. Or at least that's the way I feel.

Thing is, I get comfortable, I make mistakes. And the more comfortable I am, the bigger the mistakes tend to be. I really feel like an idiot when I forget important dates, and disappoint my wife. Or when I could simply do what I know needs to be done, but I don't do it, because I'm lazy, or preoccupied, or whatever. It's like I stop thinking, and just let myself forget all that I've done to get me to where I was.

Right now, I suppose you could say that I hate myself, at least somewhat.

I wish I could be someone else, because I don't really like who I am now. GOD! I need to be done with this life and move on to something where I can't screw it all up...

Maybe this is just the lack of sleep talking, but right now, I wish I could fall asleep and not wake up. Maybe it'd be better for everyone involved if it ended like that.

So, I guess, I really asking anyone and everyone who reads this to pray for me. Heap upon me your prayers, and help me to recognize an answer, because I honestly don't know if I can keep praying. I'm apparently not asking for the right things.

GOD, please, PLEASE! I'm sick of who I am! I'm worthless, and I have no idea what you could possibly see as worthy in me! I've become a useless thing, taking up space even in my own life! I've almost given up on fighting, because fighting only leaves me hurt... I'm sick, and I'm broken, and I'm wounded, and I'm scared... I'm finished. Make me, mold me, form me, break me down and build me up again!

Sound words about "Scientific concensus"

I think it is quite ludicrous that there has been so much on-going debate on "Global Warming." What really gets my dander up is this notion that "scientific concensus" equals proof that such a thing actually exists.

In an article I found on Financial Times (via a link from Slashdot), Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus openly declares his frustration with a scientific community whose primary purpose is no longer to seek truth, but is to enact global social change through not hard data, but "scientific concensus" based on woefully inadequate sources. I urge you to read his piece, as I am afraid I'll do it no justice. Suffice it to say, that I whole-heartedly agree with it, and hope someone gets the cohones to take the scientific community to task and ask for truly hard evidence, rather than near-religious faith in quite sketchy speculation based on data which they have twisted and bent to fit their own socio-political agenda; state what their political affiliation is and demand that we know what might be their motivation for such religious fervor about something that has no substantial proof.

Link: Financial Times Article by Vaclav Klaus

Great quotes

I have to thank my mother for this great set of Quotes from great minds about the "wonders" of Government....

Remember these as the elections draw nearer, and see what you're doing...

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
- Mark Twain


"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself."
- Mark Twain


"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
-Winston Churchill


"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
- George Bernard Shaw


"A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man ....which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."
- G Gordon Liddy


"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."
- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)


"Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries."
- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University


"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. "
- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian


"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)


"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it s tops moving, subsidize it."
- Ronald Reagan (1986)


"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
- Will Rogers


"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!"
- P.J. O'Rourke



"In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other."
- Voltaire (1764)


"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!"
- Pericles (430 B.C.)


"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session."
- Mark Twain (1866)


"Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it."
- Unknown


"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other."
- Ronald Reagan


"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery."
- Winston Churchill


"The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin."
- Mark Twain


"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)


"There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress."
- Mark Twain


"What this country needs are more unemployed politicians."
- Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)



"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
- Thomas Jefferson

Spring is in the air...

Just had my first really nice riverside walk...

And I love kissing my wife!!!!!!!

And I geek out...

Ok, so I'm really psyched about this. One of my =favorite= MUDs around is Imperian by Iron Realms. For those who don't know what a MUD is, it's an online game where many people play it together... Right up my alley, for those who *do* know me, right? Anyway, they've just announced their first MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) called Earth Eternal. And if they do this game half as good as their others, it's going to be the best one out there!

There. I'm excited!

Be back soon!

(P.S. Honey, I love you!)

Yay! My first post of 2007!

Happy New Year!

Well if you've seen my wife's recent blog post, you'll know that she is planning on running a half-marathon this year... Well, I'd like to help her in that, and the only way I know how to do that is to train right along with her...

:O

You guessed it, good ol' sedentary me is going to train for a race... What in the world has gotten into me, you ask? Many things... I'm sick of doing things the same way over and over again, knowing that nothing will change unless I start to make one. Ok, I take that back... I started praying more often after a sermon I heard on New Year's Eve Day, and I believe that's what has spurred this change in a great many things in my life... So, thank you, God, for listening... :)

Anyway, so now, what am I going to do? I guess I'll just have to walk, and do whatever else I can do so that I can do this crazy thing.... All to support the most wonderful wife a man could have. You're worth it, Angel Baby!

What an answer!

OK, how's this for an answer?

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

What am I supposed to learn?

Today is perhaps the crappiest day I've had, apart from the day my dad died.

As I was on the way to take my daughter to school, we hit a patch of ice, and slammed, pretty hard, into the curb...

Long story short, a trip to Tires Plus gave us the damage, two bad wheel bearings, two bent wheels, and an alignment needed at the least. Almost $900 to fix it... Guess we're not driving anywhere real soon.

So we limped home, safely. No one got hurt, but...

Still, we have the night together, and we have other ways of getting where we need to go.

But in all of this, I know that God will make it work out for the best for us and our kids. I don't know how it'll happen, but I wait for it.

I can't feel my knees!

Lord, have mercy!

It'll be dropping to probably below zero degrees tonight, or maybe even below! I just walked home with the wind in my face.... BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

The things I do to get around cheaply in this state. Half-a-mile walk in sub-zero wind chills... I'm stupid, or brave, or both... (Probably the latter!)

__________________________________________________________

My old band mate is tempting me with some recording equipment... Once I can afford to build my own PC, then maybe I can afford the recording gear...

__________________________________________________________

I'm so waiting for the "Heroes" episode I missed because apparently the cable in our condo doesn't like cold weather. Stupid coaxial cable...

__________________________________________________________

I'm home, I warm, my kids are beautiful, even when sleeping, and my wife loves me.

Life is good!


(P.S. I was so happy seeing you doing yoga when I got home. I hope you saw my smile. I'm proud that you did it on your own, under your own initiative. See, you don't need a gym to do yourself good... ;) )

I'm gonna do it!

Thank God for decent Jury Clerks!

I called her this morning, and explained why I missed my jury selection, and she was so understanding! I was so happy! My next date... well I guess I shouldn't post that here, so no biggie. But I'm not really in trouble. *YAY*

I'm getting a new schedule come March, and I thought it'd be better, and it is, but not as good as I thought. I'll be working from 10:30am t0 7:30 pm M-F! The only problem is with bussing. Even that early, I'll get home around 9pm... >:( But, if I work just a half hour of OT each day, it'll only be 20 minutes to wait for the bus... Go figure...

___________________________________

I heard something last night on a repeat of the Bob Davis show on one of the local Talk Radio stations that I like to listen to when I can. It kind of intrigued me. There was a study that people with more money were happier than people with little money. But Bob asked the question: "Is it that money buys happiness, or that happy people just draw money to them?"

That really got me intrigued. Could my outlook on life be causing me to fail constantly? Can I really put that much faith in the Biblical adage, "As a man thinks, so is he"? Could God mean that litterally?

I think I'm going to put that idea to the test. I'm going to honestly try to be thankful for everything that happens to me; to see the good in all things. I'm going to count how God has blessed me every day. I'm going to praise Him for the good in my life, and stop dwelling on the bad. I'm going to try to keep my mind on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...anything...excellent or praiseworthy". I'm going to see if God will bless me for this contentment. Not to test Him, because I know He's able, but to test me, and see if good things come to me.

Hey, it's worth a try...

(P.S. Thank you for being such a great mom to my kids, my darling wife! You are the reason we have such good kids, my love!)

The panic of the masses

...Why does everybody seem to think it's the end of the world when something bad happens to them, and it's really funny when something bad happens to someone else? Wouldn't the world be a better place if those things were reversed?

Think about it...

Jury Duty

...If it's so blamed important, why don't they do something to remind you, like the library does when you have a book in... A simple automated call couldn't hurt, could it?

Ok, now I'm truly a geek

Ok, I must admit that I was sort of skeptical about this blog. Who would think that good Wil Wheaton would have a blog open to just everyone? But there it was, WWDN, in all it's glory.

For those of you who don't know, Wil Wheaton was the star of Stand By Me and a was in a little TV show called Star Trek: The Next Generation as the young Wesley Crusher. Now I'll warn you, he sometimes uses a bit of coarse language, but what do you expect from an ex-to-hopefully-future-Hollywood star? But he's genuinely putting down his thoughts, and gave a wonderful review to my favorite TV show, Heroes! The man likes good TV, at least!

Anyway, if you know of the guy, you might like to check it out....


________________________________________________

And for some depressing news...

I missed Jury Duty because I was sick. That's not the depressing part, but I forgot to call to let them know I was sick!

I'm really stressing about it, because I don't want to go to jail because of Contempt of Court or anything... I honestly wanted to go, but did just about everything wrong... I don't want to go to jail, or pay a huge fine or anything... I worry...

*sigh*

I suck at life...



(P.S. My wife is the greatest! I'm so thankful because she keeps an even mind, even when I'm freaking out... Thanks, Hon!)

My late Thanksgiving list

I Thank GOD for:

My awesome mother! She's the best cook in the world, and she means more to me than I can ever say... And even if I could say something, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

Thanks for Broadband! Makes life so much easier.

Thanks for "Heroes" on Monday nights on NBC, because it's one of the only shows my wife and I have in common...

Thanks for "Doctor Who" for the same reason...

Thanks for my kids, who always manage to make me smile, even when I don't want to...

For my great job!

For the people I deal with every day, because with out them, I'd not be getting paid at all...

For Woodland Hills Church, who has directed me in the right direction for going on 4 years now...

For Ken and Dawn Kelly, for opening their home to our family...

For music, and all it can express that words cannot...

For true and honest love, without which my life would be meaningless, (and without which, I'd probably be somewhere I don't want to be.)...

For sunflower nuts!

For cold winters and unbearably hot summers to help me enjoy Spring and Fall all the more...

For hot chocolate...

For big Thanksgiving Turkeys...

And more I can't think of now...

Sorry...

maybe more to follow later....

Why doesn't "Climate Control"...

...really control the climate? Seriously, right now I'm burning up, and when I was previously sitting elsewhere, I was freezing!

«¡Feliz cumpleaños, mi princesa!»

Well, today is my daughter's 7th birthday, and she, unfortunately, couldn't spend it with her friends. She has a fever, and a bad cough, so we're making her rest, and loading her up with good things, like fluids and vitamins, and good rest to boot.

But her day started great. Her daddy (ME!!!) played my guitar and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She then opened up her gifts, some wonderful clothes, and a brand new tea party set. We also had our first family tea party. It was great, although the little boy crashed into the tea table, and spilled milk all over himself. Oh well, we still had fun.

For more info (and probably pictures to boot) visit my wife's blog. You can find the link to it in my links section. The one that says "Kim's Blog".

But then I had to work, and on this, of all days, I wanted to stay home. But duty called, and I went to work anyway. It sucked a little more than normal, but, hey, what can you do?

Why won't fall just come?

I've been waiting for it since July 31st, and I'm sick of waiting!

I want it cold. I want to wear more clothes. I want to have to cover up in my bed to stay warm, and not have to kick off all covers because I'm sweating up a storm! I want to see the trees bare. I want to get ready for the snow to fall. I want the other end of summer!

A new "Obsession"

I have found the greatest TV show, at least in my opinion, in a long time.

And no, it's not Doctor Who, though that is one of my favorites.

It's Heroes on NBC. I'm hooked after only the first two episodes. Already a twisted, complicated plotline, obfuscated by a man who can shift time. Anyway, I'm glad to see that they replay the episodes on the website, each day after the night's episode. Since I work 1p-10p every Monday, I would usually miss it. But this way, I can watch it whenever I can!

That and the DVR, I can record it, and watch it later.

Anyway, I can't get enough of it. Check it out!!!

PB & J...

...makes the best comfort food, I think... At least when that's all you've got around. But it tasted so yummy tonight, after a long day, and far too much coffee just to stay awake at work.

Think I'll have another tomorrow...

Naw, tomorrow is turkey and cheese, with pickles!

The end of the week...

Well, it's the end of the week. YAY! was the first thing I thought of when I got done with work tonight. It's been, for some reason, an extrodinarily long week for me. Nothing bad happened. In fact, it's been about the best week I've had in a while. But the week really took it out of me.

But it's the weekend, and tomorrow is the right way to start it! I spend the whole day with my kids, out of the house, enjoying their minds. What a treat!

Ok, so it's good night for now.

God Bless y'all!

It always rains when you don't think you'll need an umbrella

That's what happened to me today. As I got off the buss on the way to work, I step off the bus, and a cold rain started falling.... I hated that...

Alright, where were we...

Ok, so I've been gone. Sorry. Too much to explain. But life... I won't say how it's going, because if I do, it'll all get messed up, even if it's bad. So I'm not going there. I don't want to jinx it.

But I do have a wife, who I love dearly, and two darling children, who constantly fill my reserve of love with theirs. I'm making a go of it, but they'll always cheer me up. I'm proud of my girl, so smart... Ah, the joys I'm having right now, despite anything else, my family is the best thing to happen to me.

Thank you, God, for my Family. They're a most wonderful blessing regardless of Life's happenings.

Amen.

I'm such a ogre when I'm tired

Ok, I admit it. I'm a real ogre when I'm tired. I expect too much and get frustrated when I don't get what I think I want. Then I somehow turn that back on those around me.

I stink when I need sleep. I say the stupidest, most petty things, and expect others to take them seriously. How did I become such a creep? I don't know, but I don't like it one bit.

So why do I have a family who loves me? God is gracious, that's all I can say. He blesses me most richly when I least deserve it.

I'm sorry. Those for whom that was meant for know who you are. But don't accept my words. I hope my actions can say I'm sorry better than words, because I'm a big talker. My words are as cheap as the air I breathe. I'd rather just shut up, not say a thing, and at least stop from making things worse...

Thank you, family, for loving your ogre...

My new *other*blog

Did any of you see that new link over ----> there?

Wait, not there, but -------> here!

Shoot....

Wait a moment...
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somewhere THERE! --------------------------------------------------->{

the one that says The Musings of the Iceberg? Well, that's a less serious blog for me. Just random thoughts. Insights. Whatever. Mothing really personal. Just more general thoughts and random ideas. It's not going to be nearly as in depth as posts here are, just questions and brief observations. Thanks!

Potty Training

Why does the first part of Potty Training feel more like the child training the parent, rather than the other way round?

A great day to be alive

Today was a good day. Not because something really great happened, (though just being with my family for any part of the day is great) but just because God continues to smile on me and my family. Didn't get much chance to pray today, but I did read God's word, and learned new things that I'd probably heard before, but forgot, about Joseph. (You know, the guy with the amazing technicolor dreamcoat?) Work wasn't overly stressful, and I made it home safe to my family once again (this time without missing my bus stop!)

This almost seems like a time of rest, but I can't take time to rest too long. If I rest beyond what I should, I get complacent, and don't do the work I know needs to be done. So God, grant me my full measure of rest before giving me the will to do the task set before me.

My wife went back to the gym today (YAY!) but didn't get a chance to stay long, because our son, still potty training, had a messy diaper, and my wife forgot to bring in the "equipment" to change him... But I know she'll go back... I think she's getting addicted (yay!).

Anyway, it's late, and we're going to see family tomorrow. So it's off to bed for little old me.

As always, keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers!

Getting cold fast

I told everyone after the hot snap we had back in July that there'd be frost in mid-September. Most people laughed at me. Well, it's now only 63-64 degrees out, and we are going to have the next few days be below 60 for a low... Sounds like global warning to me! That frost sure seems more likely tonight thatn it did 3 weeks ago... Oh well, we'll see who's right in the end...

The mystery of God's way...

How is it that God can fulfill needs without us even asking for them? And why would He do it anyway? Ok, this is a weird one for this blog, but, hey, I figure, it's a musing, it goes here...

I couldn't be more proud...

...of my wife, that is!

What a marvel it's been to be her husband these past few days! God is speaking to her in a great many ways, and I love to see the change that He's bringing about in her.

I've often been told by her that she doesn't know how to change, but by God's own grace, she is changing even so! We may not know what we need to change, but God does. He fills in where we fail, if we let Him. And my wife is living proof! Oh, how I love to see the transformation God has begun, and will complete in His time. I'm beginning to see that it's not always what we do, or what we planto do, but by what we allow God to do in our lives that really matters when change needs to take place. A simple act of submission and surrender to Him can make all the difference.

Bless my wife with your prayers the rest of this week, and next week, if you can spare the time. (I can never do it enough myself!) Lift her up, so that she can see that God's will is beginning to show in her. You can also pray for me, that's always welcome, but I need help in putting into action what I see in my wife.

Thanks for listening!

Is this weird weather, and am I wrong?

Ok, by everything I'm seeing, what with the unseasonably cool weather we're having here, (in Minnesota) and me hearing the frost bugs way early this year, I think we're going to have the first frost this year about early- to mid-September. Do you think I'm nuts? And we're beginning to have to close up the house at night. That's just plain wrong...

A heart-warming morning

I had the great pleasure this morning of having my prayer time with my daughter. Hearing her sincere prayer and childlike faith made the whole time so much more meaningful. It reminded me of the faith that God talks about, that childlike faith. Not assuming anything, just glad to talk to Him.

Thank you, sweetheart, for teaching me what God wanted to teach me today...

Random thought...

I was just wondering if any aspiring physicists or astrophysicists could answer me this:

Could Gravity be nothing more than  the EM attraction of a larger mass upon a smaller one? 
Or maybe the attraction between opposing strong forces? 

Just a random theory I came up with last night...


Discuss...

The Weight of Glory

I was told recently, by a friend, that the word "glory" also means "weight." I believe I am beginning to feel the press, the weight of God in my life, and I'm so glad for it. I've made it two mornings in a row now waking long before my kids, and before my own wife, and praying and reading the Bible. While the reading has not spoken to me, yet, (because I fully expect God to reveal Himself to me this way at some point. I wait on Him.) The prayers are becoming a craving, a passion. Everytime I do pray, I am beginning to feel God press into me. I feel Him aching to keep talking to me. Well, more importantly me talking to Him. And I really think I see that God craves our voice as much or more than we crave to hear His. When we pray, He draws nearer, catching us in His arms, drawing us near to Him, wrapping us in His boundless love. That is the press that I'm talking about. Right now, my heart is aching because of that brief moment of coming to Him "just as I am". I've short-changed God for too long. And though I don't know when the deep meaning of His word will speak to me again; rather, when I will understand again what it's always been telling me, I know now that I will continue to hunger and thirst for God's time with me in the morning.

A spot for random thoughts.

I have another blog called "A Huge Blog of Ice". This is not the same thing. This is where I'll post my random things. Thoughts, humourous or not. I just need a place to get my mind out and see the world! So if you liked my other blog, see if you like this one. THANKS!

God is so good

Don't ask me why I titled this post this way. Suffice it to say that I'm seeing why this is the case everyday, more and more. He is always faithful!

I don't know what this day, or even this very hour will bring. I only know that God knows my name. I only know that He loves me. I only know that He is forever patient with me. I only know that He has not forgotten me, nor even given up on me. God's greatness is always seen in our pettiness. His strength found in our weakness. His love evident in His ever-enduring love and patience toward us.

God doesn't look at our past failures and use them as excuses or reasons not to love or not to bless or not to comfort us. God loves us even when we have failed Him at every turn. Or at least when we feel like we have.

"What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" I may never know the answer to that question untilI see Him face to face. Obviously more than I give "man" credit for. What are we that we deserve such a precious gift? Actually, I'm not sure that He loves us because we deserve it at all. He just does.

I may never know the answers to these questions while I'm here, on this earth. And, you know what? I'm not all that bothered by it. In fact, I don't want to know. Because in knowing, I'd lose that awe, that amazement in Him. I'm sick of leaning on my own foolish wisdom. I want to truly reflect His glory. I want to show...whoever...God's beauty. Maybe I should start that right here at home, since that's where He probably wants me to start. Yeah, maybe I'll do that...

Ok, ok, ok... I get the point

Ok, so I haven't posted here in ages. I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me... Oh, yeah I do... That little thing called life.

It's funny how that little thing keeps popping its little head up whenever it wants to, and steals all your time. But I'm back to say that things are...well, if not looking up, at least looking level for a while. I like that feeling. Things going steady for a change. I hope that this starts a gradual slope up, which would be really good. God continues to bless me and my family even when we (ok, I) don't deserve to be. Ok, at least I don't feel like I deserve to be blessed much of the time, but of course, that's why He's God, and not me. If I was God, well, I'd have scrapped the whole thing long ago and wrote it off as a bad idea. But then again, that's why I'm glad I'm not God.

So, anyway, that's how life's been in my world. And, yes... I'll try to be a good boy and let you all know what's going on more often.


By the by, have I ever told you all how proud I am of my dear wife? She's awesome in that she has somehow found out how to change without really knowing how to change. She used to say to me, "How can I change if I don't know how to?" Well, apparently you do it by changing... What a circle, and what a concept! Just start doing something different! That's cool, and before you know it, things will have changed, too. Hopefully for the better, since the reason you changed was probably because you didn't like where you were in the first place.

Sweetheart, I love you! You inspire me on so many levels! God continue to bless us as He blesses you more!

Just when I thought life was going well

I hate it when life just takes all the wind from your sails, just when you think you're doing well. I write this, late tonight, because I can't sleep, and I just don't know what to do. I wish I had an easy solution. Those who know me know what this is probably about. Those who don't, well, I just don't want to say, because I'm sure I'll feel worse for it. If any of you believe, pray for me. My family just decided on a change in direction for life, and this happens. I know God will help us through, so I thank Him for this challenge, and pray that he gives me the wisdom, grace, patience, and courage to trust him for everything.

It's really out of my hands. But He knows best. He sees how it will turn out. He knows how it will benefit the kingdom, even if it doesn't benefit me. I don't want to take the Job point of view on this ("Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheles I will argue my ways before Him.") I'm done arguing my ways, because I know I'm not in His will. I have nothing to argue. I trust Him simply because I know he won't slay me. I have to trust in Him, because I have really no choice.

Please pray for me. Pray that I will see God's wonder worked in my life.

Amen.

It's not mine

As I continue reading It's Not About Me, by Max Lucado, I keep realizing the truth about life. The chapter I was reading today reminded that everything that I have, that I call mine, isn't really mine. What I have, came from HIM. What is currently in my posession, is from HIS hand, given to me. Why has it been given to me? So that I can give Him all the glory for it.

Then why do I have pain? Same reason. If we are healed, it showcases HIS power. If we suffer for HIS sake, it highlights HIS sovereignty. If we show the joy of the LORD, even in our sufferings, take on HIS peace, we point to heaven and shout, "HE is LORD above all, through all, and in all!"

Looking back, I see the greatest example of this in my own life. My dad passed away four years ago, a victim of Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). You may have heard of this before, or you may have only become aware of it now that some more well known have been diagnosed with it. (Bill Bright and Jerry Lewis are the two that come to mind.) But through it all, my dad's faith remained firm. He knew he was assured of glory. He was frustrated with the disease, but never cursed God for it (as Job was asked to do by his "friends"). The thing he said that made the biggest impact to me was related to me by my mother as he left Mayo Clinic after being told the chances of his survival of the disease: "Well, you have to die from something."

Even now, writing those words, I see that GOD's peace was in my dad. He didn't argue, didn't complain. He accepted what would later prove to be correct. But he attended church each Sunday, and prayed and read GOD's word every day. He glorified GOD even unto his death. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what he was showing me until recently, looking back. It wasn't about him. He wasn't cursing GOD at his death. He never lost his faith. And heaven was rejoicing when he finaly was home with his LORD.

With that image in mind, I go out and thank GOD that I live this life for HIM, and hope that I seldom forget that.

Peace to you all.

We are like ants (sort of)

As I was walking from the bus stop to work today, I came upon a strange gathering of animals. Ants, litterally thousands of them, were congregated in a line about 10 feet long along the sidewalk. I glanced at them, smiled at this odd behaviour, thought of how many I could kill with a single step of my size 13 foot, and then walked on by. Then a thought occurred to me.
Isn't God alot like that? Or at least, couldn't he be?

He looks down at us, like ants, but, oddly enough (or perhaps not odd at all), He doesn't have those same thoughts about us. As a matter of fact, He did something completely opposite. He tried, for millenia, to show Himself to us, to tens of thousands of us at times. And when that didn't get our attention, he did something even greater, nobler, humbler... He became one of us! He didn't have to, but for His glory, He did.

At first, I thought how it would be similar for us to become one of those ants. But then I realized, it's a similar, but not even close to perfect, comparison. First of all, the differences between man and ant are infinitely smaller than between God and man. Second, man did not create the ants, but God created both ant and man. It is infinitely more impressive that a God so big that He completely astounds the senses, so infinite that most just dismiss Him as fantasy, or worse, a crutch. We are all so inclined that the universe revolves around ourselves (thank God it doesn't!) or at least that is the deep, inner thought of it all. Just imagine that the whole of everything exists for you, and that you have full control of it all as well. That's too much for my poor little brain to comprehend.

I also came into the understanding that everything I could take pride in, I have no claim to. My brain, my talents, aren't mine at all, but just on loan from God so that I can point to back to Him. They're His, not mine. They never have been mine. I can't take credit for my humour, my voice, my intellect. Without Him, I'd be goo, nothing more.

If you all are wondering where all this comes from, I'm reading a wonderful book written by Max Lucado, called It's Not About Me. And the message it has, I never thought I'd be so thirsty to hear. It takes the burden off of trying to be good, and allows me to focus on Him, and behold Him, take Him in with all my senses. Experience Him. Then I can go out and fully reflect him, like the moon does the sun. Like Moses did after he caught a glimpse of the back of God on Mount Sinai. I can then stop caring about what others think, and where the money will come from, and just get out of the way so that God can be God.

Yes, I know that sounds an awful like giving God permission, and He never needs permission. And getting in the way seems alot like we can stop His plan, which we can't. But God, even though we are really vastly unimportant in His plan, and I mean that in a good way, loves us and gives us the choice to do what He wants now, or learn out why it's not good to not do what He says later. We cannot hinder His plan, but we can put ourselves on the outside, for a while, while He teaches us by or mistakes and pain, which is ,of course, also His plan.

Right about now is where I start to get absolutely dizzy about who God really is! I cannot fathom His nature. And when I do hear it explained, rather than clarifying things, it leaves me more in awe. Finite man CANNOT fathom God. He's just too......everything to be comprehended. And the great thing is, we don't have to! We just have to know enough about Him to realize that there is no other word for Him than God.

When the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament called Him "holy", they were using the word qadosh which means "cut off" or "seperate". He is not just seperate from us, he is seperate from everything. Nothing else is like Him! He always speaks of Himself in the present tense, whether speaking to us of the past or the future. While we were, He says, "I AM." When we will be, He again says, "I AM."

Even the way Jesus spoke of himself when he tells the Sanhedrin, "Before Abraham was, I am." declares that he is not only God, but also speaks that while we may know hours, days, years, decades, centuries, millenia, and epochs, God is before them, and after them, and throughout them. There really are no days or years for Him. All times are the same! Try to even begin to imagine that!!! It's impossible!

I cannot even begin to tell all of the riches I've mined from this book here. The more I read this book, the more I'm moved to...to something I don't even have a word to describe! It's all in His word, the Bible, but I've only caught the briefest glimpse of it before! Oh, that I could go back and see it all this clearly when I was still young and bypass all the pain that my years have shown me! But even in the pain, God is showing me the greatest love! He is moulding me, forming me, shaping me, creating me into the tool He wants me to be. And not for my joy or my pleasure, but so that I can rejoice in Him and point to Him as the beginning and ending of everything!

I feel as if I could write on this for hours upon hours, but I feel I have to come back to this later. But let me leave you with this, from Paul, to comfort you if you are troubled or in pain.

In 2nd Corinthians 4:17, Paul writes of the reward of heaven, but also explains how he feels about the trials of this life. He writes that all our struggles are "...our light affliction, which is for but a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (NKJV). Paul had been "beaten times without number, often in danger of death." He was given the "thirty-nine lashes" by the Jews five times. He was even stoned and left for dead outside the city. In addition, he had been shipwrecked three times, and spent at least a day in the middle of the sea. And yet he called it "our light affliction, which is but for a moment!" this was the rest of his life, and it ended in his execution. That is what looking "full in His wonderful face" can do for you. This life is "but a moment" in light of the glorious eternity to be spent with Him.

I'll be back, I'm sure, to toss all of this out there. Thank you Max Lucado, for being a tool for God to reach me on the message I needed to hear the most. But then, it's not about you or me, is it?

Oh, the joys of parenthood.

Yesterday night, after bringing my kids home from a friends home, because my wife went out of town with our church group, was a lovely night. The kids slept really well. We had fun in the morning, and set out to water our garden before heading to the Children's Museum... That was before Our Dear Son had an attack of the Terrible Threes...

While at the garden, while my daughter and I were watering the plants, he decided to start watering himself. Ok, I know that sounds like nothing, but he was watering himself, not the plants. Fortunately, he didn't pull any weeds this time... Last time, he pulled up one of our bean plants. Oh, well. He's three, after all. What can I expect?

Well, after we got home, I placed him and his sister in the bath to wash off their feet and hands, only about an inch or two of water in the tub. I turn my back for a moment, and what does the boy do? Sits down in the water and starts playing, fully clothed... So, it's time for a bath. Now I still hope we can get to the Children's Museum, but with having to pick up my wife about 4:30 pm today, I don't know how long we'll have... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

God,
Give me patience with my son. He's learning just who he is, and I have to help him as best I can. Help me to be gentle when dealing with him.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

The ever-life-sucking diversions of life....

Man, how I hate them! Phones, computers, TV. They all take away from the things that are really important in life. Like family and friends. God especially! And yet each and everyone of us fall prey to their nearly irresistable pull. But tomorrow, I'm going to try to change that.

Tomorrow is my son's birthday party, and I don't want anything to interrupt it. I'll avoid the TV and not bring any books or handheld video games. Tomorrow, it's just me and the kids, the way it should be.

Of course, tomorrow morning, I'll be back at the garden, planting what remains of this first year's crops. (The flowers were already planted, compliments to my dear wife and children.) Hoping to get in onions and garlic, as well as belle peppers and hopefully some chillis, for salsa and things. I need to make sure we pick up sets for them and also some cilantro as well... can't have good salsa without cilantro! ;)

There's just so much more to plant. This year won't be so scientific as I suppose it will be in future years. But at least we'll get our hands dirty, and enjoy what we grow! (Even Nasturtium, that lovely edible flower and leaves! Great for a very pretty salad!)

But after that, and a quick shower, it's of to my mother's house for my son's birthday. Yeah, I know tomorrow is Sunday, but I'll be celebrating the Sabbath with God in his creation. I'm sure I'll be singing praises to the LORD and praying as I garden. (Don't worry, Mom. Jesus and Paul both spent time alone and were still with God. ;) )

So, here's hoping that tomorrow is a successful day.

Oh, by the way! I have a new schedule starting tomorrow! No more weekends working!!!!

LORD

Thank you for this day. Thank you for a hope for tomorrow, that it will be better than today! Thank you for my loving wife and family. Thank you for the joy that they are in my life.

Amen

Test blog for posting pictures

This is my lovely wife. She is having a bit of trouble posting pictures on her blog. It's not that it's not working. However, it's not working the way she wants it to. SO that's the reason I'm making this post; to see if there's something that she might have been doing wrong. Well to think that there could be so much trouble in a blog would be understandable if there were an easy way to fix it.

So this is the good part. One can do what she wanted to do. The bad part is that if you want to do this, you have to directly edit the HTML itself, and that's a pain.

(Oh, by the way, the picture you see is from my favorite PS1 game, "Final Fantasy VIII".)

Ok, so back to the painful HTML editing that needs to be done. It can be done, hon. But needs effort.

So there you have it. A blog about blogging, and the trials of blogging! Wasn't that fun???

Adventures in Gardening!

Today, my family and I had our first taste of Gardening. Since we live in a Condo, we rented a community garden plot for the growing season this year. I wasn't able to do much, but we did get our areas staked out, and I planted 2 tomato plants, 8 Sugar Snap pea plants, and 9 Kentucky Blue Pole Bean plants. My wife and kids planted so much more after I left. I can't wait to see what happens in the coming weeks! Tomorrow, if I can swing it before I have to go to work, I may nip on down there to plant some more. But we'll really have to wait until Sunday to do any more planting. Wish us luck!

Educators weigh in on "Unschooling"

My wife just read to me an article from the May 22nd issue of People about the "new" tradition of "Unschooling" children. More often refered to in Homeschooling circles as "Child-driven learning," it's method is letting children learn what they're interrested in, not what some institution or parents think their children ought to learn.

In this article a homeschooling mom said this about unschooling:

"I'm just trying to get out of my kids' way, and let them learn what they love." - Ren Allen, Unschooling Mom

Their father says this:

"Our philosophy is that it doesn't matter if a kid learns to tell time when he's six or when he's ten. If he learns what he's interrested in, it will stick." - Markus Allen

And that, from my experience is crucial. I can attest to the fact that while in traditional school, if a subject just didn't interrest me, I didn't learn it well at all. When something grabbed my interrest, I learned it better than the teachers did! (Just ask my Mom!)

Another unschooling mom, who's daughter, Aidin, was taking college credit courses at Harvard at age 15, and now attends on a full scholarship, said this:

"If they're allowed to be themselves, and develop themselves, children do amazing things." - Maureen Carey

But what do educators and education professionals have to say about this?

Frederick Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute:

"It's true that schools are immensely boring for some kids. But for disadvantaged kids, or those who don't have a stable family or community support to help them master basic skills, unschooling can be a recipe for anarchy."

Ok, so he's got a point. But the fact is, most homeschooling parents don't educate their kids because they're poor, and those who have "disadvantaged" kids find alternatives for "traditional" homeschooling, and find them the help they need in other ways.

People magazine's own staff writers said this:

"There have been no studies on unschooling's long term effectiveness and whether it works for kids who are less gifted or motivated than Aiden (Carey) is what worries educators."

My problem with this statement is this; what about homeschooling doesn't worry educators? If more people homeschool their kids, they'll be out of a job. So finding problems with it would be a really good thing for them, wouldn't it? I know, and have read about, several homeschooling families and their kids. And my unscientific research shows me that these kids are far better at handling academics than their traditionally schooled counterparts.

Now, I may no longer be the best person to talk about this, (my daughter will be attending public school this year, but that's due to the great opportunity as it is a Spanish Immersion magnet school, where she'll be bathed in Spanish, and be better for it) but we have homeschooled our daughter for her kindergarten year, and she has done just wonderful! She's learning maths and reading quite well, and does a great job (when not under pressure to read aloud to us ;) ).

Fact is, if push comes to shove and we don't like where things are going, we'll take her out again just as quickly, regardless how great an opportunity this is. We want her to have the best education, and if she starts struggling, or falling to the horrid effects that we have seen growing recently in public schools, she comes home to finish her education. End of story.

"We're just extending the same freedom to our children that we have as adults. To learn what we want and when." - Ren Allen, Unschooling Mom

And we agree as well.

"The lunatic is in my head."

If any of you know any Pink Floyd, you know the song the title comes from. Well, today is a full moon, and you could have guessed it.

In my job, I get calls from all kinds of people, but today, I had more people who were nuts, looney, daft, potty, or just plain crazy calling me. It really made me a believer in the whole "lunatic theory." I can't remember a day when I had more unreasonable people calling me. I had a headache beginning in my toes, and finally made it to my head about 20 minutes ago.

Oh, well. At least I go home soon. I can't wait to see my family... Ok, they'll be sleeping (hopefully) but I can see them. And tomorrow is the last Sunday that I have to work on Sunday! (YIPEE!) It's Mother's Day, too. I just hope I get it right this year.

Anyway, here's hoping that tomorrow is far better than today.

God,
Don't grant me patience. Rather, help me deal with my impatience. I need you, and I see that more and more. It should be obvious by now, but I always forget. Help me to never forget just how much I need you.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

My amazing wife

Ok, I have the endorsement of my wife on this one.

I'm so amazed on the progress that Kim's made recently. She says the same about me, but I don't see it. But maybe that's the thing about growth; the one doing the growing seldom ever sees it.

But for Kim, I mean, for the longest time, she made sure I always slept closest to the door, just in case someone broke in, I'd be that buffer for her. But the other night, she fell asleep there, no problem! I was amazed, but didn't tell her until later. Mind you, I was really tired, and I don't think I was really that capable of rational thought.

Anyway, She says that I've grown so much, and I'm so much different that I used to be. I honestly can't see it, but since she's a better mirror of me than I am, I think I'll take her word for it.

God, Thank you for the love you've seen fit to give me in Kim. She is a blessing, a lesson, and a partner in everything.

Amen!

What a difference a day (or two) makes

Man! I love exercising, now! My wife and I have been attending a class called BodyFlow© at our local YMCA's, and let me tell you, my abs have never hurt so good!

It's a class combining yoga, tai chi, and mat pilates. The only objection I can even come up with in the class, is the slight,very slight use of relaxation and meditation techniques from yoga. (The word namuste makes me cringe, but that's usually said at the end of the class, and I ignore it as best I can.) During the relaxation time, instead of "finding my center" and stuff like that, I just begin reciting "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." What better thing to meditate on than that?

The biggest thing about it, I thought it would be an "easy" class, as Tai Chi and Yoga are slow, controlled disciplines. Yes, but that's where the work comes in...

Try doing the "crocodile pose": Similar to a push up, but with elbows at your sides, and your body in the lowered position. Hold it there for about 10-15 seconds. "Flow" into "upward dog": Lift your chest and torso off the ground, but don't let your upper legs touch the ground, only hands and feet touching the ground. Hold it for 10-15 seconds. Then "flow" into the "downward dog" position: without letting your body touch the ground, lift your butt up in the air, feet and hands on the ground, straight back and legs. Hold this for about 10-15 seconds. Then flow to the "bear position": Bend your legs at the knees, don't let them touch the ground, and shift your weight forward over your hands. You guessed it. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Repeat the whole cycle 3-4 times. I'll admit, I'm sweating at this point, and this is only about 1/4th of the whole program.

It's really relaxing, but it's also a great form of exercise! At another local Y, they're giving a 7 week class on Tai Chi, which I really want to try!

I'll try to update you all on my progress as the days go by. Get out and excercise!You're body'll thank you.

Getting a handle on this thing called life

Have you ever been in a car that was out of control and you were the driver? That's a tough position to be in.

Now imagine that car was an aircraft carrier on wheels, going about 100 MPH. That's what trying to control an out of control life is like. But what options do we have when trying to gain control? Try to do it ourselves? Yeah, that's how you got in the mess in the first place. Ask someone else. That only works partially, because they can tell you how they got control of their life, but that doesn't necessarily apply to your life.

The only way I know of that is foolproof in gaining control is... spending time with the Creator. God says that the fruits of the Spirit are, among other things, self-control. Self-control, mind you.

If I could ask of any of you who read my blog to do one thing, it would be to pray that I would tap into the lifesource of the Universe, and cultivate the fruits which I and my family most need. Pray that we will make a determined effort to move closer to Him, so that we may bear the good fruit he wants us to.


Lord,
I need you, not to fix everything, but to fix me. Help me to seek you every day. Help me to cultivate the good fruits, and pare away the bad. Help me grow closer to you, to fill in where I am deficient. Be my God, and help me to love you more.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Lean on me

Who would have thought that making a change in your life would be so hard? That the rewards aren't always immediately evident, and that discomfort could result from said changes, and that the "good things" would not be immediately apparent?

Ok, you know I'm being facetious. But no wonder most people don't want to change anything. Change is difficult. It's chaotic. It throws a wrench into all one's plans. But I'm fortunate in this life. God has granted me a partner to lean on, in the words of the classic song.

Of course, we ultimately lean on Christ, our Brother and Friend. But I cannot count the times I would have fallen to pieces were it not for my beautiful wife. Regardless of what she's going through, if I'm beginning to fall apart, she has a mysterious and wonderful way of helping me hold together. She is an ultimate blessing.

Lord
Thank you for the wife that you have given me. Thank you for her strength when mine falters. Thank you for her compassionship, and her love. I could not endure this life without her.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Another lapse

I am so bad at this whole blogging thing right now. I have so much else on my mind that I forget to put anything here. Such is life.

I'll get to making more regular posts....eventually.

Anyway, the family and I have had a good past few days. I've spent alot of time with the kids. I'm trying to enjoy my family, instead of seeing them as an interference, which, when I get selfish, I do. (Sorry family. God's working on me in this.)

I don't feel that way conciously, obviously. And I don't say it to my family. But when I get snippy, I feel it afterward, and I'm so sorry.


Lord
Help me to see what I have as a gift, and not a hinderance. Help me to enjoy every good thing you have given me. May I always feel your blessings in all that happens.

In Your Son's Name,
Amen

Inspiration through tears

Honey, I love you for how God teaches me through you.

Who am I, thinking that I have anything to offer God? How egotistical for me to say, "God, use me." Me, who has been as as inconsistent as the rain, faithful to Him as rain is to the desert, trusting as a lone wolf. I have nothing to offer Him. No talents. Nothing special. Only me.

What does a man need to change? He needs to see that he is really nothing in himself. He needs to realize that, in the words of Socrates, that "true knowledge lies in knowing that you know nothing." He needs to cry out to God, saying, "I am yours, do what you will with me!" He must understand that God never uses the stength of a man to do His will, but his weakness. God never relys on the foolishness of man, but His own wisdom through our ignorance. God used Moses, who, by all accounts stuttered, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He used Peter, (who I really identify with) who always talked big, but seldom followed through. (I'll never deny you, Lord! Hey, Peter, is that the rooster crowing for the third time?) He used Paul, who was ugly (so would you after being stoned many times) and such an "exciting" speaker that someone fell asleep while he was preaching, and fell out of a window!

The great men of the Bible? They weren't great because of themselves. They were normal, pathetic men, made great by God.

That's what I want to be. I want to be God's tool, poorly crafted but used in the skillful and masterful hands of God to bring about His will. I am Yours, God. Here am I.

God,
I am Yours to do with as You will.
Make me.
Mold me.
Hold me in the fire of Your love until You see Your reflection in me.
Cast out all impurities.
I have nothing to offer, but myself.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Still true, 25 years later

This is one of the first clippings I found in my dad's folio. It went back to the old debate back before the Brady Gun Bill was law.

Brady gun bill wouldn't have stopped John Hinckley

James Brady is misleading when he claims that a handgun waiting period would have stopped John Hinckley Jr. from shooting him and Ronald Reagan in 1981 (commentary, April 5). Had Hinckley not bought the handgun he used, he could have used one of several he already owned, or purchased it on the black marked.

Anyone who will break a law against murder is not going to be deterred by another law saying he can't legally own a gun. (Just for the record, such a law wouldn't have stopped Stockton schoolyard killer Patrick Purdy either -- he passed a background check and a 15-day waiting period in California.)

Brady then goes on to claim that his namesake legislation, known as the Brady bill, is endorsed by every major law enforcement group in America and by rank and file law enforcement officers as well. In truth, only the political leaders of some of these groups support him. The rank and file don't support more gun legislation.

He also knows better than to say that "concealed" handguns, especially assault pistols ...are increasingly the weapons of choice for crack peddlers and drug addicts." What he doesn't say is that drug dealers are more likely to kill with a baseball bat or a more conventional (and probably stolen) handgun like a Colt, a Ruger or a Smith and Wesson. Use of legally acquired "assault weapons" by drug criminals is and always has been a minor fraction of weapons used. Brady also doesn't say that many responsible gun owners own and use those listed "assault pistols" for legitimate target shooting and self-defense. Such would be my weapon of choice, if I could afford one, for protecting myself and my family.

Worst of all, Brady implies that the bill would stop criminals who, by their actions, and by the very definition of the word "criminal," wouldn't obey or be affected by such a law. At least five out of every six guns used in crimes are not legally acquired anyway. Usually they are stolen.

The Brady bill could, however, be used to create lists of legitimate gun owners, lists which have historically been preludes to confiscation of those guns. Recent events in Lithuania demonstrate the legitimacy of this concern. The Soviet authorities knew who had any capability to resist military repression with force.

In the United States, the Bill of Rights was designed as an insurance policy against government tyranny, foreign and domestic. Because gun owners are a key part of this insurance policy, they have every right to object to a waiting period or background check, and should do so.

Gun control has a long and black history of political repression and tyranny abroad. Promoted as a tool of crime fighting, gun control has been a spectacular failure. James Brady is using disinformation and misguided emotions to argue his case, because the facts don't give him the results he wants.


Joon Stignani, Lindstrom, Minn. Civil servant for the city of St. Paul.

-Taken from a Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial, ca. 1990


I don't know about you, but I don't remember a single statistic purported recently that would back the claims that the Brady bill, or any "gun control" law has ever stopped violent crime, or even violent crime involving a gun of any sort. As my dad always said, "Criminals don't obey the law anyway." So here, over 15 years since the editorial, and 25 years since the actual shooting, and where are we? We are living in a country where it's more dangerous to live in the Nation's Capitol than it is to serve in the Armed Forces in Baghdad, Iraq, a city that is supposedly decimating our troops. We live in a country where the criminals are still getting guns, illegally, where law-abiding citizens have great difficulty buying them to protect themselves from said criminals.

It didn't make sense then. It doesn't make sense now. It will never make sense. Laws only work with those who choose to obey them. For the law-breakers and criminals, they can only add to a sentence if they are caught.

Bottom line, get rid of these stupid laws. The states with some of the loosest gun control laws (Texas and Florida) have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. Go figure.

Agree with me or not, the facts are there. Find them for yourself. I did.

Tidbits of wisdom from a great man

My mom was going through things at her house, cleaning up and stuff. She found an old photo album that my dad had filled with newspaper clippings, editorials mostly, that he read over the years. I thought I'd take my next few posts, post a few of those clippings, and post my own comments on what was said.

I do this as a tribute to my father. You see, he passed away 4 years ago on March 2nd, due to Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a rare, but fatal disease, of which there is no cure. It effects the lungs by slowly filling them up with fibrous material, depriving the victim of oxygen. It's a horrible disease. Not one a son likes to watch his father go through. More recently, it's become more known, with the likes of Rev. Bill Bright and Jerry Lewis both having the disease, but still, nothing can be done for the people with the disease, and most die within 5 years of diagnosis.

Needless to say, I really miss my dad. So, in the coming days...


Here's to you, Dad.

Looks like a fish. Moves like a fish. Steers like a cow.

That is a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by the late Douglas Adams. He uses the phrase to describe a particularly nice looking spaceship docked at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. But it is also an apt description of a "planned out" life. It looks like everything will go smoothly, until you have to make a sudden change, and then it's nearly impossible to turn.

Fortunately, I have a couple of secret weapons for this. A good, loving family, and a God who knows the path better than I do. All I can really do is what I can, and leave the rest to God. I must be faithful and just accept that I can only do what I can.


God,
You are the Author and Perfecter of our faith. That's what it says in Your Word. I pray that you would write my faith stronger, and more consistent. Help me to have faith to know that even though I don't know what's going to happen, You do. Help me to make the sensible choices, and leave what I cannot change to you. You are a God of miracles, and I long to see one, now.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

In Loving Memory

It was a sad day today as our beloved pet, Mr. Whiskers, passed away. He was our first family pet, and lived to the ripe old age of 3 and a half years. He passed away in his sleep and will be fondly remembered.

He is survived by our "girls", Violet and Cookie, who have also given us much joy in their time with us.

I hate to be a pest...

...But I'd like to ask you who visit my blog to click on the ads. It's a small thing, but if you see something you like, and you click, it can subsidize what I'm doing here. It's a little bit of your time, and you might like what you find.

I just found a site called Meant4More run by Campus Crusade for Christ International. They were very instrumental to my growing up in the Faith while I was in High School, and I hope that one of my dear friends is still involved in their ministry. They are reaching for the hearts of our young people, which I feel is a most noble goal.

I also wish they would put in an ad for Tecate Mission. And since they probably won't, I will. Tecate Mission is where my wonderful wife spent about 5 years of her life while growing up. It's on the American side of the US/Mexico border in Southern California. Please check out their site as well.



Ok, enough plugging. Taxes were good this year, but not as good as last year. But all in all, things will start off well this year.





Lord,
Thank you for the wondrous works you are doing in my life, and the life of my family. May you keep it growing strong and safe in this dangerous world. May we always feel you presence in all that we do. Be our strength where we are lacking it, and our support when we feel we have none. Thank you for loving even the least of us, even after you have created all of the wonders of this galaxy and the entire universe. Your creation speaks of your love for us.
In the Blessed name of Christ,
AMEN!

A Long Time

...That's how long it's taking me to learn life's little lessons. I talk a great talk, but when I try to walk it, I stumble like I did when I was 10 months old. I have all these grandiose ideas, but none of them ever come to fruition. I wish there were a "magic" little something that I could do or take that would allow me to focus, be responsible, and do what I say, and say what I do.

What I really need is prayer.

I'm alone in my inner struggles without God. I need Him to grant me wisdom and the ability to deny myself. I need to overcome this pervasive disease called life, and live the true life He has for me. But I keep going back to the "easy" path I've been following so long, though I know it's broke. I believe I feel comfort knowing what I'm dealing, rather than wanting to go into something new, that will be hard, but will be infinitely more beneficial.

Dear Lord,
I pray that I will have a change in attitude, and do the right thing, for myself, and my family. I know that the life I'm now living is not the life you want for me. Give me the courage and strength to take a bold new step and do what I know I'm meant to do. Grant me wisdom and the resolve to put the wise thoughts into action.

In Christ's name,
AMEN!

The Hardest Thing

Man!

Sometimes life tries its best to get you down. It's doing it's darnedest to do that just now. We are sadly faced with having to put our daughter into public school next year. Mainly because we have...I take that back. Mainly because I have not been taking the required care of our finances, we are unable to make ends meet without Kim working.

It, of course, didn't happen overnight. It's been a pattern of inaction over a few years. So, tonight, after our Condo Owners Association meeting, we will talk and pray about what to do until then. If you read this, and fear God, lift us up in prayer. He is able to do immesurably more than we could even dream, but sometimes, that means we have to do something we don't want to do, in order to achieve what he wants for us.

Dear Father,

I come before you broken to the soul, a hollow pit in my stomach. I cry out to you! Hear me! I've lived too long without your counsel, and I now know what I have to show for it. Give me peace, grace, and surety that what Kim and I decide tonight is in your will. Give me the peace you gave me that I was not going to die after my accident. Help me to know your mercy and grace. Help me to love your correction, so that I may walk with you always.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

The Best Laid Plans

Well, unfortunately, because of some unexpected goings on, Kim and I were unable to go dancing on Saturday night. But such is life, eh? Life has it's own way of disrupting all of our plans, but it is up to us to make the best of them.

So instead of dancing, the whole family went to see "Dreamer", a great movie starring Kurt Russell (my vaforite actor) and Dakota Fanning. That was such a Daddy/Daughter film. I caught myself crying at least five times during that film. It was the best story I've seen in a long time. I'd like to read the true storry off which it was based. A family on the verge of bankruptcy, a lame horse, and a dream that works out. Going from nothing to winning $14 million in the Breeders' Cup? That was utterly amazing. It's a movie our family will own.

I urge you all to see it if you can!

It's Just Makes Me Feel Like Dancing!

Well, the anniversary dinner my wife and I had last night at the The Olive Garden was PERFECT! It was so very romantic, and we talked like we haven't in a long time! It's amazing what a difference a year makes! And my mother and her husband were so wonderful taking our two lovely children for the night. I am so in love with her, and it feels the same as it did when I married her four years ago. (Not five, and you know who you are who didn't remember.) But tonight is a whole different story!

WE'RE GOING DANCIN'!!!

I'll tell you about it when I can!

Anniversaries

It's amazing that we've just had our 4th Wedding Aniversary yesterday. It was no huge deal, as it was the middle of the week. But we are going to make the best of the next few days. Diner tonight at our favorite date restaurant, and dancing to-morrow night at a new club neither of us has been to.

The funniest thing about this year was that everyone thought it was our 5th year. It must be a big year, because everyone is getting it wrong. It feels like a much bigger year than the last three for some reason. Almost like it's a milestone, rather than the way point that 5 years sounds like.

I for one really look forward to this new year. Today is day 2 of our fifth year together, Kim, Faith, Josiah, and I. (Well, only two and a half years for Joe-Man.)

Well, here's to another year, praying that it is much better than this last year.

In Christ!

A New Start?

Hello! Well, today is going to be a good day, it seems. I have the famous 2nd interview for a new position within my company. Now this will be the first move I've made since coming here, but it is definately in the direction I want to go. This will be a great move for me, with the possibilty of more income, and a chance to move up faster in the company.

Wish me luck!


UPDATE:

Well, the interview went fine, but was a bit difficult to read. We'll see what happens in the next few days!

Sorry I've been gone.

Ok, I'm back, and a big "Sorry" to those of you who have been waiting to hear me rant once again.

I've been doing other things as many of you understand. But I tend to be a person who starts many a thing, but always gets interrested in a new thing when it comes around. So I started another blog at MySpace, but I figure I'll keep that one more as a diary than a blog. This is where I'll come to post the absurdity of the world around us.

So, starting with the New Year, I'll try to post here at least once a week, if not more. I thank you to anyone who visited me recently, and ask you to look forward to more!

See ya!

It's a Happy Day

It's a happy day, and I thank God for the weather.
It's a happy day, and I'm living it for my Lord.
It's a happy day and things are going to get better.
Living each day by the promises of GOD'S WORD.

Man, that's a song from my past, and it means so much to me, especially since the weather is turning colder here. It was below freezing yesterday morning, and we're supposed to be getting snow over the next three days. But I have to remember, as I told my beautiful wife this morning, that every day is a brand new day. Mistakes made yesterday are gone forever, though we have to live with what they left us, but we should not have to repeat them if we have learned from them.

Thomas Edison once said that in all of his time experimenting on creating the electric light bulb, he never had a single failure. He went through about a thousand different designs, all of which failed until he found one that wouldn't, yet he said that he never failed. He said that he had succeded in finding 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb! What a wonderful way to look at life! You can't fail if that's the attitude you take!

So, if anyone ends up reading this, I hope that you take to heart that you can never fail, even if you think you, as long as you can turn that failure into a success. If you end up hurting your wife's (or husband's) feelings by something you said or did, please remember that you succeded in finding a way not to please her/him. If you're practicing your, say, trombone (dear to me because I played it before) and you sound like a goose, you've succeded in finding yet another way not to play the trombone! That's called learning. If you can find out what you're moving toward, and can focus on that, even "failures" can be part of your success story!

Couldn't have put it better myself...

In Wednesdays Pioneer-Press, one of my favorite columnists, Joe Soucheray, put forth a vastly convincing arguement for taking a very deep look at Education in MN. (And probably a full audit of Education Minnesota as well!)

"I think we spend enough on education, there being no evidence that we don't or any reasonable explanation where all that money goes, almost half the state budget."

I knew we spent a ton of money on Education in this state, but "almost half"?!? That's absurd! Especially considering there is little to nothing to show for the expenditure. Twelve billion dollars in the coming biennium will be spent on education. Twelve Billion Dollars? Can you imagine what that could be actually used for in the state? Of course, in Minnesota, if we aren't spending tax dollars of education, we're spending it on welfare, or MNCare. But $12,000,000,000; look at that! That's a whole bunch of money! Per year, that is over $7500 in tax dollars per student! That is about as much as the tuition at a local community college. And every taxpayer doesn't have children. So, they are paying for somebody else's kids to go to school. Some are paying extra to send their kids to private school, and they are paying for somebody else's kid as well. Still more are homeschooled, like my kids. And I'm still paying for somebody else's kid to go to public school!!! That's outrageous! Since I do not partake of the public school system, I would prefer to have that money that I paid back, please. Get the rest from those using the system. If school is going to be fee based, don't cover it under the guise of taxes. Start charging tuition at all state schools, and not just the post-secondary schools. While we're at it...

Why are we paying for a full rennovation of a section of the UofM that will only be used by a tiny percentage of the students there? Half a Million dollars to tear up an old tennis court, and put in a lush new garden? Please!

Minnesota tax-spenders...uh..."Lawmakers" should think twice before continuing to screw the Average Joe out there. Soon, they won't be there to spend the taxes any more...

The hard times...

My wife and I have been recently beset with the "hard times". Money is tight, mainly because we were "careless" (to say the least) with our purchasing. We know we can get ourselves out, but these first few months are going to be the hard ones. Getting back on top, and then staying there can be a hard thing to do. But for those of you in similar situation, the alternative is far worse, even though it may not seem so at some times.

I know that most people that we know would probably say to just file bankruptcy, but I can't allow that. I know what that would really do to our lives. The sense of accomplishment alone will be enough for me, but more importantly will be to be in a position where days like this will be few and far between. The ultimate goal is to never let ourselves get into this position again, and thereby eliminating the need of the same Spartan lifestyle. Living within our means will be our goal, and not mortgaging our future.

And I thought it was illegal

Well, another Fourth has come and gone. Last night, as I and my family watched the fireworks at the closing of the Taste of Minnesota, a large food and fun festival (check out the alliteration!) that happens in the state capital of St. Paul, I was amazed to see several thousand, and perhaps million dollars of potential tax revenue all around the city. Everywhere I looked, hundreds of supposedly "illegal" fireworks being sent up all around this great city of ours. And I'm not talking just little bottle rockets, but I mean full fledged mortars, 100-shot repeaters, everything the State Congress thinks are "too dangerous" for the public to be allowed access. And as far as I could tell, very few people had gotten hurt. I did see a few ambulences and police running about, but seeing the zoo that was downtown, I'm sure more of it was due to assaults and fights because of the wide range of "diversity" that appeared for the show. And to my recollection, most of them were going away from all the "illegal" fireworks that were being set afire in the sky. Looks like there are far more dangerous things happening on the Fourth than a few SWOOSHES and BANGS.

Happy Independence Day!

Today is the day we celebrate our hard fought independence from a harsh government, with a ruthless king. It is, therefore, quite ironic that we have gone from having a king, to having an elected oligarchy, and living under much of the same rules we had with The Crown (England, for the historically challenged). We fought for no taxation without representation, and now again, we have taxation without representation. Who can actually call Congress our representation, when all they do is represent whoever gives them the most money? We fought for religious freedom, and now you have freedom to publicly practice any religion you choose...unless it's Christianity. We fought against The Crown taking land without fair compensation, and now we have our land stolen daily in the name of "Environmental Protection." We fought for the right to keep and own firearms in order to protect ourselves, and that right is slowly being eroded. We fought against tyranny and corruption, and yet now we find ourselves once again in the same state with a bloated, over-reaching government, no king, but a legion of kings deciding our fate. And the sad thing about it, we put them there! This country has gone from a land of freedom, to a land of "what's in it for me?" This country fights for freedom on foreign soil, whilst our own liberties are being taken away by the outspoken few. I was once called part of the majority. I am a white, lower-middle-class, Protestant Christian, heterosexual male. Since the rest of the "minorities" outnumber us, that makes me a minority.

Here we go again...

Once again, the Congress of Minnesota has shut down state government because they could not come to an agreement of how to best spend the funds obtained by the legalized theft of income (otherwise known as "income tax") on such noble ventures as Education and Health Care. To many, or more likely only some, this is a crying shame. I, for one, think that if Education Minnesota wants another dime, they need to start showing results, and not just on test scores. For me to get a raise, I have to prove that I am doing my job; that means results. Teachers go on strike, and gripe and moan until they get what they want. (Sounds like children rather than adults to me.) They get paid more for working nine month out of the year, than I do for working the full twelve months.

And Health care? When has government funded health care ever improved the life of people who really needed it? Why do you think that countries like Sweden are moving away from Socialized health care in favor of private insurance? Truth is, most countries know that if you really want something done, you go to America, because you can get the care you need, when you need it. Sure, you may go to Canada or Mexico for the drugs, because they're much cheaper. But I'd never go there if I had a serious disease, like cancer or IPF. I'd be dead before I was treated. For a common cold, fine. But for serious diseases, I'll take private health care any day.

Despite of this, however, I think the shutting down of state government could the best thing that could happen. It might prove to all of us that, yes indeed, we can live without government. The longer the better, I say. The longer we go without big government interference, the more we will realize that we don't need big government to survive...