Computer Trouble

Little Cora in a Big Chair

Good morning! I am still alive. The problem is my main computer is very very sick and may not make it. I have an old net-book but it is slow and outdated, so much of my regular work is taking a lot longer. My daily thoughts have been on hold for that reason. This blog too, but I thought I'd better check in.

I hope you are doing well during all this cold weather. I find that I'm adapting pretty well. I ran yesterday and it didn't seem too bad. You know you are in the midst of a cold winter when 12 degrees feels pretty good. I am hearing rumblings of a really big storm next week. There is plenty of time for that to change.

Little Cora is as sweet as ever. If you are looking for me, then go find her little finger. There I am firmly wrapped. ha ha. She is two weeks old now. It's hard to imagine life without her. Kedra and I are trying to show restraint and not show up at Lester and Maddie's all the time. When we moved our bed over there and they frowned, we knew we had gone too far. Just kidding. They have handled the constant company really well.

Endurance life is moving along pretty well. I am maintaining well in all three disciplines, and that's exactly what I want to do. I am going to a swim workshop on Saturday, which I think will help me a lot. It comes at a good time, a time when I am gaining a good deal of confidence in the pool, along with more comfort in the water. It has been a most remarkable journey.

Church is going well, even though the weather has been a challenge. Things are busy with new ideas and creativity. The year is off to a good start, which is very encouraging.

Thanks for checking in. I will try to be a bit more regular here. I have found a way to make this old machine work by using a different operating system. My usual way was not working.

Misreading Signs

A state trooper pulled over a car going just 19 miles per hour on the highway. As the officer approached the car, he noticed it was two elderly women and they both looked very pale and wide-eyed.

"Good afternoon ladies. Do you know why I am pulling you over?" asked the trooper.

"I'm terribly sorry if I did something wrong but I know I was not speeding" said the driver.

"Well, that is true, you weren't speeding . . . but you were going entirely too slow on a highway and that is equally as dangerous."

"No, Officer. I was going exactly the speed limit . . . 19 miles per hour!"

The trooper laughed a little to himself. "Ma’am, this is Highway 19. That is not the speed limit, but simply the name of this highway."

Very embarrassed, the elderly driver grinned and thanked the trooper over and over for informing her of the mistake.

"But before I let you go, I have to ask . . . are you ladies feeling okay? You both look awfully shaken."

"Oh sure, we will be fine. We just got off of Highway 120."

* * *

There’s a lesson in there somewhere about misreading signs. I’ll let you come up with it. That’s your homework for the weekend, and I hope you have a great weekend! Go to church for Heaven’s sake.

Living and Learning

I’m sure you’ve seen the following. From what I can gather it originates from a woman named Dorothy Law Nolte. There have been various modifications made to it, but the message is still the same.


If a child lives with criticism, she learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility he learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule she learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame he learns to be guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance she learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise she learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness he learns justice.

If a child lives with security she learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval he learns to like herself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship

she learns to find love in the world.

Clearly, all of this works in the adult work also. What do those living around me experience? That’s worth thinking about.

Burn the Bible?

Many years ago a preacher shocked me during a sermon. He had an old Bible in hand, and the next thing I knew, he literally was ripping pages out of it! Everyone watching was surprised, if not shocked, by his actions, knowing the preacher deeply respected God and his word.

It reminds me of this scene out of Jeremiah 36, where the king burns, piece by piece, a scroll containing God’s word.

The king was sitting in his winter quarters in front of a charcoal fire. After Jehudi would read three or four columns, the king would cut them off the scroll with his pocketknife and throw them in the fire. He continued in this way until the entire scroll had been burned up in the fire.

My preacher friend was making a point by ripping pages out of the Bible. He said, "While we would never rip pages out of the Bible, when we choose to ignore what is says, then we might as well go ahead." He went on to say we often pick and choose the parts we want to follow and then ignore the rest, in essence, ripping them out.

Give credit to the king for his honesty, he certainly did not hide his disdain and defiance! We are a little more secretive and subtle perhaps?

I’m not sure what you think about all that. I’m not sure I know myself, but I am aware of the need to take seriously what God says. All of it. Not just the parts I like and find easy to follow. I wonder what I am ripping or cutting out and burning?

Wednesday a.m.

Good morning! Hello Wednesday! I want you to know I just got the 3rd degree. It was 1 degree when I got up, and now it is up to 3. I know it is likely to fall again, but that's life. I will venture out for a run once the sun comes up. I did not make it yesterday morning. The conditions deteriorated so quickly, plus I could not get to town. I had two unsuccessful attempts to get up the hill by my house. I didn't try the third time, forgetting it was the charm. Oh well.

I am not terribly concerned about running everyday right now. I am more concerned about doing something everyday that points to a good Ironman in November, meaning if I don't run, then I ride and/or swim. So last night I rode. I do like it when I get the run in, but with a hamstring that is almost totally healed, I don't feel the need to push it. I don't want to get reinjured, so missing a day occasionally is not going to bother me and in the long run (pun intended) may help me.

This month I have been focused on better eating. Specifically I cut out all desserts, soft drinks (I don't do hard drinks), and butter on my nearly nightly popcorn (my weakness). Those are the unholy trinity of my dietary life. I picked up about 5 pounds during the last 2-3 months of the year, so I want to get rid of that and maybe a little more. I want to hit official Ironman training in April at a good weight.

OK, enough of all that. I will say I feel pretty good about where I am, trying to balance it all without overdoing it, leading to injury and/or burnout. It's a long, long training cycle for a long, long day in November. All the endurance stuff really helps me in all the other areas of my life, and everything is going pretty well there too. It's a busy time but things are good and getting better.

The Joseph story is my preaching focus right now. I'm really enjoying it/him. There is so much to learn from him. His story is very instructive and easy to see, I think.

Today should be good, and it will be long. I got a good night's sleep, and after a couple of cups of good Honduran coffee, I think I am ready to roll. Here we go...

Tuesday

I was telling her about my next sermon.

Good morning! It was a late notice, but there is a 2 hour delay. That's better than calling school off totally. The temp is dropping fast with the wind howling in.  I am thinking of trying to get a run in very soon, before it gets really cold and windy. We'll see.

Let's see, what can I talk about or tell you this morning? Hmmm. Well, I had a good day yesterday. I got lots of stuff done, and the weather was a bit of a surprise. It got warmer than the predicted high. I had my day all planned out, so I wasn't able to get an outdoor bike ride in. The only negative about riding outside would have been the possibility of lingering ice/slush patches on the roads.

I did get a good 5 miler in yesterday morning before the sun came up. The sky was red, so this sailor knew to take warning. No sailing across the sea for me. I did get in the pool last night and swam a little more than a mile, which is the farthest I've gone. I saw a woman there last night. She did not swim last year but did 2 years ago. I was thinking back a couple of years...

Two years ago I had not started swimming. It was in February that I got in the pool and looked like a scared cat that had been thrown in. Rand H. watched and with a deeply concerned forced smile said, "OK..." And that began the long slow painful journey. I am still not there but I'm getting close. Ironman is in November. Before then I want to do a few other triathlons, including some without a wetsuit. I believe I will make it.

OK, I guess I better get some running clothes on and get going. Thanks for stopping by.

Moving On

I’m working through the Joseph story, found in Genesis 37-50. It’s quite a story, a compelling read! You would be blessed if you took the time to read it. Go ahead.

You will find Joseph, a not very likable 17-year-old, changing into a very powerful yet humble man. He forgives all kinds of people of all kinds of things along the way. He doesn’t seem to consider himself a victim, which would have been an easy thing to do.

I found this by Henri Nouwen. It describes what Joseph did and maybe what you need to do:


Sometimes we have to "step over" our anger, our jealousy, or our feelings of rejection and move on. The temptation is to get stuck in our negative emotions, poking around in them as if we belong there. Then we become the "offended one," "the forgotten one," or the "discarded one." Yes, we can get attached to these negative identities and even take morbid pleasure in them. It might be good to have a look at these dark feelings and explore where they come from, but there comes a moment to step over them, leave them behind and travel on.

Joseph was able to step over stuff and move on, mostly, it seems to me, because he had an awareness of God’s redemptive ability to change bad stuff into good. As he forgives his brothers, he says this:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. – Genesis 50:20

I believe that too, and it has helped me get through lots of stuff in life. God is good and faithful.

Step over and travel on!

Loving Again

As many of you know, we became grandparents for the first time last week. Our oldest son and his lovely wife had a little girl, Cora Jane. I know I am very biased, but I think she is absolutely beautiful!

All of kinds of thoughts and emotions are running through my head and my heart. Trying to harness or harvest them has been difficult so far. I know, consistent with the comments of many, I have entered into a new phase of life some call the "best" and the "happiest."

The birth of a child is simply amazing, and the love that surrounds the birth is hard to describe. I think the feeling that has risen to the top, amongst all of the others, is the feeling of being blessed, specifically blessed by God with a loving family.

We tried to embrace God’s love, seen in Jesus, as we raised our four children. We failed a lot, but God is good and full of grace. He blessed us over and over again, based more on who he is and less on what we did. Additionally, we have had a wonderful "village," comprising church, friends, and extended family, who have helped raise and bless our children. Now it begins again.

Having a chance to love a baby again, at an older age and at a different time in life, is probably the essence of that "best" and "happiest" thing. Wisdom that comes from age and experience can be brought to the new relationship with a new life. My desire, more than ever, is to love as God loves.

To say I am thankful is very inadequate, but I know God listens to my heart more than my words. He understands my love for a new child more than I do, because he feels that way about all of us.