From the archive: 5/8/2003 - F-14 on the deck of the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point. No idea who the kid is, but at least he gives the picture some scale.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
From the archive: 6/5/2004 - Jeff the poison-ivy pulling machine. I pulled out at least 3 or 4 garbage bags full of poison ivy & roots last summer. I did a pretty good job at avoiding The Rash, except for weeks my right forearm kept breaking out. I figured out that it was my arm brushing against my pager & I was fine after I wiped it down with alcohol.
From the archive: 4/25/2003 - Maple sap pipeline in Northern Maine (or Canada?). There are like miles of this stuff going out into the woods. Apparently they tap the trees and then feed small tubes from the tree into trunk lines, which tie into this pipe. The building in the distance is the maple shack where all the sap ends up for processing. I saw this on a men's retreat that was organized by the Calvary Baptist Church in Warren Maine.
From the archive: 5/8/2003 - A jellyfish washed up on the beach on Edisto Island in South Carolina. We took several trips to this beach while we lived in SC and enjoyed every one. We liked the beach because it was a "families and fat people beach." Now don't laugh, you know exactly what I mean. We also found some really great shells while we were there. Sweet memories. Maybe we'll get to go back someday and take our kids.
What I believe, Part 2
See part 1 here
There is something deeply wrong with every man.
In His revelation, God records man's original defiance of his Creator. This disobedience brought three main consequences: a cursed creation, physical death, and spiritual death. The curse on creation meant that man was no longer in harmony with his surroundings. Physical death meant that man would begin aging and someday die physically. Spiritual death meant that man's close relationship with his Creator was destroyed. God separates himself from anything that is contaminated or contrary to His character, and this now included the most precious of His own creatures.
Why? Read Genesis 3
God desires fellowship with man so much that He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to restore this fellowship.
Since the beginning of mankind, all men have inherited a fallen nature from their parents. This means that all men are pre-disposed to rebellion against their Creator. In God's eyes, the only just punishment for such rebellion is physical and spiritual death. But God loves man so much that He crafted a plan to satisfy the punishment for our rebellion and at the same time restore our fellowship with Him. He would send His Son (one of the three persons of the God-head) to take the form of a human. He lived a perfect life and yet was sentenced to die by the ruling government at the time. In an act that only God Himself fully understands, God effectively placed the sins of man on His own Son. This resulted in His Son's death and separation from His Father.
Why? The Bible is loaded with pictures, analogies, and explanations of this truth. Read the book of Romans for a start.
There is something deeply wrong with every man.
In His revelation, God records man's original defiance of his Creator. This disobedience brought three main consequences: a cursed creation, physical death, and spiritual death. The curse on creation meant that man was no longer in harmony with his surroundings. Physical death meant that man would begin aging and someday die physically. Spiritual death meant that man's close relationship with his Creator was destroyed. God separates himself from anything that is contaminated or contrary to His character, and this now included the most precious of His own creatures.
Why? Read Genesis 3
God desires fellowship with man so much that He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to restore this fellowship.
Since the beginning of mankind, all men have inherited a fallen nature from their parents. This means that all men are pre-disposed to rebellion against their Creator. In God's eyes, the only just punishment for such rebellion is physical and spiritual death. But God loves man so much that He crafted a plan to satisfy the punishment for our rebellion and at the same time restore our fellowship with Him. He would send His Son (one of the three persons of the God-head) to take the form of a human. He lived a perfect life and yet was sentenced to die by the ruling government at the time. In an act that only God Himself fully understands, God effectively placed the sins of man on His own Son. This resulted in His Son's death and separation from His Father.
Why? The Bible is loaded with pictures, analogies, and explanations of this truth. Read the book of Romans for a start.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
A Katrina hero
I heard a really neat story on NPR the other morning on my way to work and I thought it was worth sharing.
They were interviewing this guy who had survived. Apparently he had put his wife on his shoulders to protect her as the floodwaters were rising. When the waters had risen above his head, he was walking along, jumping up to get breaths of air as he walked. He told God that if He would spare his life, he would do whatever he could to help other people. Before the water rose high enough to drown him, a boat pulled up & pulled him & his wife from the water. I don't know where he was given refuge, but wherever it was he dedicated himself to being the janitor for the place. He spent his time cleaning the toilets, emptying trash, etc. I guess he had been offered quite a bit of money in tips for doing what he did, but he didn't accept any of it. He said it was something he wanted to do and money wasn't any good to him in a destroyed city anyway.
Hearing this guy on the radio really choked me up. To be honest I didn't have a lot of respect for the people of New Orleans. Mardi Gras has to be the most immoral holiday celebration anywhere in the US, and the "when the going gets tough, the tough go looting" attitude of so many of the residents really disappointed me.
But here amidst all the bad news I found a hero. When his world fell apart he thought first of protecting his wife, then once she was safe he dedicated himself to helping others. Wow.
They were interviewing this guy who had survived. Apparently he had put his wife on his shoulders to protect her as the floodwaters were rising. When the waters had risen above his head, he was walking along, jumping up to get breaths of air as he walked. He told God that if He would spare his life, he would do whatever he could to help other people. Before the water rose high enough to drown him, a boat pulled up & pulled him & his wife from the water. I don't know where he was given refuge, but wherever it was he dedicated himself to being the janitor for the place. He spent his time cleaning the toilets, emptying trash, etc. I guess he had been offered quite a bit of money in tips for doing what he did, but he didn't accept any of it. He said it was something he wanted to do and money wasn't any good to him in a destroyed city anyway.
Hearing this guy on the radio really choked me up. To be honest I didn't have a lot of respect for the people of New Orleans. Mardi Gras has to be the most immoral holiday celebration anywhere in the US, and the "when the going gets tough, the tough go looting" attitude of so many of the residents really disappointed me.
But here amidst all the bad news I found a hero. When his world fell apart he thought first of protecting his wife, then once she was safe he dedicated himself to helping others. Wow.
What I believe, Part 1
A couple weeks ago I declared that I'd begin posting "thoughts on current issues and other things". I'm seeing just how hard it can be to find time to do that!
Before I begin posting my philosophic thoughts regarding politics or current events to this blog, I thought it would only be fair to start by revealing my worldview. Our basic beliefs--who we are, how we got here, and why we're here--always define where we stand on major life issues. So here is the first in a series that will outline my core beliefs.
All of my core beliefs have their foundation in the Bible, but I won't necessarily be quoting verses for every point. I'll try to include links at the end of my posts so that you can read for yourself why I believe what I believe.
This won't be comprehensive coverage of each point, but hopefully enough info so you understand where I'm coming from.
This world and everything in it was created by an intelligent being.
For me to believe otherwise, I would have to ignore the huge body of evidence that surrounds me. A brief illustration to convey my point: Apple unveiled their now-popular iPod a year or two ago. Products this good elicit one thing from someone who appreciates new technology: praise for the engineers that produced the product. From the smallest particle we can detect to the greatest ocean, this world sets us up for but one honest response: for us to be in awe of the supreme engineer that has produced this product.
This intelligent being has revealed Himself to mankind.
He has done this in words, and we possess this revelation in book (really a collection of books) commonly called the Bible. In His revelation He reveals His many names, his three part nature (God's mystical three-part nature includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and His plans for His creation.
Man was created for fellowship with his Creator.
God created the original man and woman as perfect beings and gave them the will to either obey or disobey Him. This first couple enjoyed close fellowship with their Creator, in perfect harmony with both Him and their surroundings.
Why? Read Genesis 1 & 2
Before I begin posting my philosophic thoughts regarding politics or current events to this blog, I thought it would only be fair to start by revealing my worldview. Our basic beliefs--who we are, how we got here, and why we're here--always define where we stand on major life issues. So here is the first in a series that will outline my core beliefs.
All of my core beliefs have their foundation in the Bible, but I won't necessarily be quoting verses for every point. I'll try to include links at the end of my posts so that you can read for yourself why I believe what I believe.
This won't be comprehensive coverage of each point, but hopefully enough info so you understand where I'm coming from.
This world and everything in it was created by an intelligent being.
For me to believe otherwise, I would have to ignore the huge body of evidence that surrounds me. A brief illustration to convey my point: Apple unveiled their now-popular iPod a year or two ago. Products this good elicit one thing from someone who appreciates new technology: praise for the engineers that produced the product. From the smallest particle we can detect to the greatest ocean, this world sets us up for but one honest response: for us to be in awe of the supreme engineer that has produced this product.
This intelligent being has revealed Himself to mankind.
He has done this in words, and we possess this revelation in book (really a collection of books) commonly called the Bible. In His revelation He reveals His many names, his three part nature (God's mystical three-part nature includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and His plans for His creation.
Man was created for fellowship with his Creator.
God created the original man and woman as perfect beings and gave them the will to either obey or disobey Him. This first couple enjoyed close fellowship with their Creator, in perfect harmony with both Him and their surroundings.
Why? Read Genesis 1 & 2
Monday, September 05, 2005
I promise this pictures isn't fake. I was fooling around casting a rusty old lure from shore Saturday afternoon and I'll be darned if I didn't catch the biggest smallmouth bass I've ever seen. The biggest factor was luck but I still felt pretty good about it. :) It was 17 1/2 inches long & at least 3 lbs. We weighed it with Josh's scale but he figured it was heavier than 3 b/c his scale is really old.
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