My new *other*blog

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

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

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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!