Today, we took a trip to Isabel, KS for a funeral. Now, that’s quite a distance from Wichita just to go to a funeral, but this was the mother and mother-in-law of special friends, and we went. Following the funeral, we were scheduled to travel cross-country to central Kansas for a pre-Easter dinner with the wife’s family. We would be taking roads we hadn’t traveled in awhile, and it would be good to see that country again.
On the way, we encountered a detour on Highway 42, and had to take a side trip down a gravel county road. That part of the state to the west of Rago is really pretty in the spring with rolling hills, pastures that are green and lush, and oil and gas wells dotting the landscape. A new feature we saw was windmills (the modern electric wind turbines) off in the distance to the south and southwest of Highway 42. That’s part of the new Flat Ridge wind farm that stretches across three counties in that area.
We arrived at the town about a half hour before services started, and the little church was already mostly filled upstairs. Being friends and not relatives, we willingly went to the basement where we knew the overflow crowd would be. They had a video down there, so we could be part of the services.
The church was one of the “old” kind…the kind you remember from your young years. We sat on wooden straight-back chairs that were rather haphazardly placed around the basement. The area was cool and damp. The basement showed its age and the effects of many, many kids and adults using it in the past. As time passed, more people joined us and the basement was pretty much filled by the time the service started.
The family was laughing at times and enjoying their time together before services started. The crowd was noisy also, shaking hands, visiting, and renewing friendships. The service itself was truly a time for celebration. The time was spent in a fitting and honoring tribute to a woman who was the matriarch of a large family that seemed to truly love each other and her. We sang congregationally, and even we in the basement were able to keep with the folks upstairs in acappella renditions of several older songs (Jesus Loves Me, It Is Well With My Soul, Life’s Evening Sun, etc).
After the services, we bugged out and north on a county road to catch the highway into Sterling. Again, beautiful country and a trip on a road we hadn’t been on in a long time. But we made it to the Easter dinner and had a great feast of ham, scalloped potatoes, “pink stuff”, Jell-o, green bean casserole, corn, pasta salad, and lots of great desserts…homemade apple pie, homemade scratch angel food cake, and other goodies.
There was lots of family there and it was good to re-connect with them. And the grandkids and younger ones had fun hunting Easter eggs outside. This meal on top of the cookout last night has put me way over my calorie count for these two days. Ugh.
All in all, a good Saturday. A trip down memory lane for part of the day…reconnecting and enjoying the day for the rest. Blessings.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Good Reporting
Well, it’s the first real spring storm of the year to hit Wichita…you’d think from listening to the radio it was the end of the world. Yes, I know some people got hail, and some even got rather large hail. And there was rain and lighting. But it’s a spring thunderstorm, folks. There isn’t much danger of a tornado (although I also know that one can form any time out of a thunderstorm), and we have people driving around in this stuff talking on their cell phones to the radio station about how bad (or not) it is.
I don’t know what possesses people to go off the deep end when they see a few raindrops or some marble to golf-ball size hail. Now, if it would hail as it did a couple of years ago and the stones made dents in the ground I could put my size 12’s into completely, now THAT’S a storm. That one really made the news as it happened in October instead of the spring of the year. And there really was a LOT of damage.
I will give a pass to those folks who get nervous when the lightning and thunder come that have gone through the throes of a tornado first hand. There’s nothing quite like it, I’m told, and you’re forever changed after you’ve huddled with the dog and kids with a blanket or mattress over your head in the bathtub or a closet while your home and everything you own is blown to kingdom come. Kind of brings life and everything related to it into a more proper perspective.
In any event, I guess we’re in for another season of the weather guys and girls trying to out do one-another for ratings and advertising. I know the weather centers in these television markets are high-tech and high-expense. Do you have any idea what it costs to have at least three meteorologists on staff full time and a suite in the studio packed full of computers, monitors, radar, and all the other? Three to five hundred thousand a year is probably somewhat in the ballpark. That’s a lot of car commercials. I know they have to get their money back somehow. And I do appreciate good reporting on these events.
But let’s hear GOOD reporting this year. I’m not holding my breath, though…
I don’t know what possesses people to go off the deep end when they see a few raindrops or some marble to golf-ball size hail. Now, if it would hail as it did a couple of years ago and the stones made dents in the ground I could put my size 12’s into completely, now THAT’S a storm. That one really made the news as it happened in October instead of the spring of the year. And there really was a LOT of damage.
I will give a pass to those folks who get nervous when the lightning and thunder come that have gone through the throes of a tornado first hand. There’s nothing quite like it, I’m told, and you’re forever changed after you’ve huddled with the dog and kids with a blanket or mattress over your head in the bathtub or a closet while your home and everything you own is blown to kingdom come. Kind of brings life and everything related to it into a more proper perspective.
In any event, I guess we’re in for another season of the weather guys and girls trying to out do one-another for ratings and advertising. I know the weather centers in these television markets are high-tech and high-expense. Do you have any idea what it costs to have at least three meteorologists on staff full time and a suite in the studio packed full of computers, monitors, radar, and all the other? Three to five hundred thousand a year is probably somewhat in the ballpark. That’s a lot of car commercials. I know they have to get their money back somehow. And I do appreciate good reporting on these events.
But let’s hear GOOD reporting this year. I’m not holding my breath, though…
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saving The World
My cousin, who lives in Arizona, has posted a link on Facebook to a blog written by someone else that talks about the Gulf oil spill, conservation, and how we utilize the natural resources available to us. Now, I know that some of these folks are pretty much out in left field when it comes to this topic, and many are just plain hypocritical, using the very resources they rail against in a way that is neither productive or conserving.
Others consume, consume, consume, never giving second thought to the ramifications of that kind of lifestyle. They poo poo any idea that we should conserve and use our resources wisely, and discredit any notion that we may be running short of this resource or that resource. There really is a middle road. And there is a spiritual principle to apply as well. And that’s where I’m going with this writing.
Judicious use of resources is not only wise insofar as conservation, environmental change, and cost are concerned. Wise and prudent use of resources is being a good steward of what we have been given, and that’s as much a spiritual principle as it is economic, environmental, and practical.
For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s communication to mankind, we know that God expects us to use the things He has freely given us; that He expects us to use moderation in all things; that we are to be good stewards; and that we are to not be covetous, selfish, or greedy.
My personal opinion (and that’s about all it’s worth) is those principles apply even in such mundane arenas of life as driving habits (gas mileage, wear and tear, etc), thermostat settings, dealing with trash and garbage (no illegal dumping, littering, or polluting), purchases, saving, and consumption. We’d better at least think before we mash the pedal to the floor to jerk around some guy going two miles an hour slower than we are on the road. Do we really need our house to be 68 degrees in 100 degree heat? Won’t 74 work just as well? Why not throw away that Wendys sack properly instead of letting it float out the window on the road? Do we really need the latest and greatest TV, pickup truck, shoes, or electronic device? Shouldn’t we be saving at least a few percent of our income?
I know those things in and by themselves won’t save the world. However, nowhere in scripture does it say we need to do that. It just tells us to be modest, moderate, and good stewards. If we’d only take the Bible at its word and not try to read too much into it or rationalize it away…but that’s fodder for another blog another time.
Others consume, consume, consume, never giving second thought to the ramifications of that kind of lifestyle. They poo poo any idea that we should conserve and use our resources wisely, and discredit any notion that we may be running short of this resource or that resource. There really is a middle road. And there is a spiritual principle to apply as well. And that’s where I’m going with this writing.
Judicious use of resources is not only wise insofar as conservation, environmental change, and cost are concerned. Wise and prudent use of resources is being a good steward of what we have been given, and that’s as much a spiritual principle as it is economic, environmental, and practical.
For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s communication to mankind, we know that God expects us to use the things He has freely given us; that He expects us to use moderation in all things; that we are to be good stewards; and that we are to not be covetous, selfish, or greedy.
My personal opinion (and that’s about all it’s worth) is those principles apply even in such mundane arenas of life as driving habits (gas mileage, wear and tear, etc), thermostat settings, dealing with trash and garbage (no illegal dumping, littering, or polluting), purchases, saving, and consumption. We’d better at least think before we mash the pedal to the floor to jerk around some guy going two miles an hour slower than we are on the road. Do we really need our house to be 68 degrees in 100 degree heat? Won’t 74 work just as well? Why not throw away that Wendys sack properly instead of letting it float out the window on the road? Do we really need the latest and greatest TV, pickup truck, shoes, or electronic device? Shouldn’t we be saving at least a few percent of our income?
I know those things in and by themselves won’t save the world. However, nowhere in scripture does it say we need to do that. It just tells us to be modest, moderate, and good stewards. If we’d only take the Bible at its word and not try to read too much into it or rationalize it away…but that’s fodder for another blog another time.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A Couple of Eyes
It’s a great day outside! Well, maybe not for most of the human population in this part of Gods’ creation, but certainly for some of the living plants and creatures out there, the rain, drizzle, fog, and cool temperatures are just what the veterinarian ordered (so to speak). And even the humans can rejoice that the earth is being washed, spring growth is being watered, and we are back to more realistic temperatures for this time of the year.
Speaking of the living creatures out there, a few evenings ago I was sitting on the back patio and noticed something floating in our little fish pond in the back yard. It looked like a pair of eyes floating just above the water line. At first I thought it might be a frog, but the eyes were fairly far apart for it to be a frog. It was about dark, so I moved in for a closer look and the eyes disappeared into the water.
Not wanting to confront whatever it was until I had daylight on my side, I went on into the house. I kept looking for those eyes every time I went near the pond, but never found them floating on the water again.
Last night as I was watching night fall on the back patio, I looked at a rock that was partially submerged in the pond water. Somewhat submerged as well, but on top of the rock was the biggest frog I think I have ever seen. I’m thinking that if he was stretched out all the way, he would easily beat a 12 inch ruler for length. His eyes were about as far apart as the eyes I saw in the water, so I’m comfortable that I saw him a few nights before.
American bullfrogs, which is what this guy is, I think, will hibernate under water during the winter, partially submerged in the muddy bottom. They don’t burrow all the way down in order to maintain contact with water and thus a source of oxygen, which they can absorb directly through their skin. My guess is this one wintered on the bottom of the fish pond, as I don’t clean it out and there is a layer of muck on the bottom of the pond. He probably relatively recently became active again as the weather warmed up.
We usually can hear the call of frogs, not all of which are bullfrogs, in the spring and summer. I wonder if this dude will attract a mate or two and use the pond for a hatchery later this spring and summer. If so, we may well have tadpoles in our pond sometime this summer. That would be kind of cool.
I’ll keep you up to date on the frog situation, if there’s anything additional to report. Happy frog-watching!
Speaking of the living creatures out there, a few evenings ago I was sitting on the back patio and noticed something floating in our little fish pond in the back yard. It looked like a pair of eyes floating just above the water line. At first I thought it might be a frog, but the eyes were fairly far apart for it to be a frog. It was about dark, so I moved in for a closer look and the eyes disappeared into the water.
Not wanting to confront whatever it was until I had daylight on my side, I went on into the house. I kept looking for those eyes every time I went near the pond, but never found them floating on the water again.
Last night as I was watching night fall on the back patio, I looked at a rock that was partially submerged in the pond water. Somewhat submerged as well, but on top of the rock was the biggest frog I think I have ever seen. I’m thinking that if he was stretched out all the way, he would easily beat a 12 inch ruler for length. His eyes were about as far apart as the eyes I saw in the water, so I’m comfortable that I saw him a few nights before.
American bullfrogs, which is what this guy is, I think, will hibernate under water during the winter, partially submerged in the muddy bottom. They don’t burrow all the way down in order to maintain contact with water and thus a source of oxygen, which they can absorb directly through their skin. My guess is this one wintered on the bottom of the fish pond, as I don’t clean it out and there is a layer of muck on the bottom of the pond. He probably relatively recently became active again as the weather warmed up.
We usually can hear the call of frogs, not all of which are bullfrogs, in the spring and summer. I wonder if this dude will attract a mate or two and use the pond for a hatchery later this spring and summer. If so, we may well have tadpoles in our pond sometime this summer. That would be kind of cool.
I’ll keep you up to date on the frog situation, if there’s anything additional to report. Happy frog-watching!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
I Feel Much Better Now
So I’m driving down Kellogg Ave. in Wichita. It’s s six lane road all the way through town. I’m driving the speed limit, or close to it (really). I see someone toodling along behind me (is toodling a word?) not tailgating, seemingly content to follow along behind me at a comfortable distance. Because I’m only driving the speed limit, there is usually a rather considerable empty space in the lane ahead of me, as everyone else is rushing off to something important.
I change lanes getting ready to exit the road down the way a piece. Almost immediately, the driver behind me who was content to follow me at a comfortable distance going the speed limit accelerates by several miles an hour in an effort to close the gap between him and the driver now in front of him a quarter mile or more. This happens with such regularity I could bet on it and make money.
I don’t get it. Why is it a bad thing to have empty lane in front of you? What’s wrong with continuing to drive the speed limit?
Another thing I don’t get is when I’m in the middle lane and another driver comes up from behind. He signals (maybe) to change lanes to the left, passes me, then changes lanes again to the right all the way to the exit lane and exits the freeway. Couldn’t he have just gone to the right and gotten off at the ramp? Couldn’t he have just followed me for, oh, maybe an eighth of a mile, then get off at the ramp? No, he has to go around me, then drive in front of me as he exits, I suppose to show me that I’m not going fast enough.
No, I don’t drive “just the speed limit” all the time. If traffic is very heavy, I’ll go along with the flow. It can be dangerous to drive the speed limit if everyone else on the road is going ten miles over and the lanes are all full. I do try much of the time to give myself a decent following distance between me and the person ahead. That doesn’t always work, however, and my wife sometimes will hit the floor with her brake foot in a vain effort to slow down the car. (At least she doesn’t suck in her breath audibly any more.) Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I’m not the best driver in the world. I make mistakes. I mistakenly pulled into a lane from a parking lot this morning in front of another car that was closer to me that I like…no real danger and he saw me coming and slowed down. But it’s not what I like to do, and in addition, I didn’t know he was there until I got into the lane. That’s what I don’t like…I missed seeing him all together until it was too late.
So I’m not perfect, and know it. And I really do turn my head and look, twice if possible, and turn my head to check my blind spot when changing lanes. I also look both ways before driving across an intersection on a green light. Some things are just practical, no-nonsense things to do. And still I miss things. I need others to be defensive drivers sometimes. And I appreciate them doing that.
And I don’t mind being a defensive driver most of the time. But if a knothead is going to go around me at 20 over the limit, then a half mile later ask me to be a nice guy defensive driver for him, I’ll do it to avoid having to farkel an accident, but won’t like it.
By the way, farkel (or farkle, no one knows for sure how it’s spelled) is defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows:
The term is well known in the sport motorcycle touring community.
An enthusiast may be in the process of "farkling". The completed motorcycle would be all "farkled up". Radar detectors, Global Positioning System receivers, heated grips, and satellite radios are some of those farkles. Other accessories could be aftermarket seats, side and/or top cases or bar risers, which make the motorcycle more suitable for long miles.
F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive
So I’ve said my piece in this blog, defined a term, and feel much better. There ya’ go (this term is the topic of yet another blog wherein a sales clerk, upon completing a sale, instead of saying “Thank you, come again,” will say “There ya’ go.” Sheesh!)
I change lanes getting ready to exit the road down the way a piece. Almost immediately, the driver behind me who was content to follow me at a comfortable distance going the speed limit accelerates by several miles an hour in an effort to close the gap between him and the driver now in front of him a quarter mile or more. This happens with such regularity I could bet on it and make money.
I don’t get it. Why is it a bad thing to have empty lane in front of you? What’s wrong with continuing to drive the speed limit?
Another thing I don’t get is when I’m in the middle lane and another driver comes up from behind. He signals (maybe) to change lanes to the left, passes me, then changes lanes again to the right all the way to the exit lane and exits the freeway. Couldn’t he have just gone to the right and gotten off at the ramp? Couldn’t he have just followed me for, oh, maybe an eighth of a mile, then get off at the ramp? No, he has to go around me, then drive in front of me as he exits, I suppose to show me that I’m not going fast enough.
No, I don’t drive “just the speed limit” all the time. If traffic is very heavy, I’ll go along with the flow. It can be dangerous to drive the speed limit if everyone else on the road is going ten miles over and the lanes are all full. I do try much of the time to give myself a decent following distance between me and the person ahead. That doesn’t always work, however, and my wife sometimes will hit the floor with her brake foot in a vain effort to slow down the car. (At least she doesn’t suck in her breath audibly any more.) Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.
I’m not the best driver in the world. I make mistakes. I mistakenly pulled into a lane from a parking lot this morning in front of another car that was closer to me that I like…no real danger and he saw me coming and slowed down. But it’s not what I like to do, and in addition, I didn’t know he was there until I got into the lane. That’s what I don’t like…I missed seeing him all together until it was too late.
So I’m not perfect, and know it. And I really do turn my head and look, twice if possible, and turn my head to check my blind spot when changing lanes. I also look both ways before driving across an intersection on a green light. Some things are just practical, no-nonsense things to do. And still I miss things. I need others to be defensive drivers sometimes. And I appreciate them doing that.
And I don’t mind being a defensive driver most of the time. But if a knothead is going to go around me at 20 over the limit, then a half mile later ask me to be a nice guy defensive driver for him, I’ll do it to avoid having to farkel an accident, but won’t like it.
By the way, farkel (or farkle, no one knows for sure how it’s spelled) is defined in the Urban Dictionary as follows:
The term is well known in the sport motorcycle touring community.
An enthusiast may be in the process of "farkling". The completed motorcycle would be all "farkled up". Radar detectors, Global Positioning System receivers, heated grips, and satellite radios are some of those farkles. Other accessories could be aftermarket seats, side and/or top cases or bar risers, which make the motorcycle more suitable for long miles.
F.A.R.K.L.E. -- Fancy Accessory Really Kool Likely Expensive
So I’ve said my piece in this blog, defined a term, and feel much better. There ya’ go (this term is the topic of yet another blog wherein a sales clerk, upon completing a sale, instead of saying “Thank you, come again,” will say “There ya’ go.” Sheesh!)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
I Don't Even Know What to Pray For
You look at that headline and you think, “OK, this is a religious blog that is filled with scripture and high-sounding words…I don’t think I’m ready for this right now.” That’s OK for you to think that, but this blog really isn’t going to be that way. Instead, it will be more about frustration and dissatisfaction than anything else. Are you still with me?
What do you do when it seems that one family you know and love has more than their share of heartache, illness, trouble, and problems? When that family is doing the very best it can to be Godly and live life appropriately, but still suffers? When that family seems to always be coming apart at the seams? How do you encourage when this has been going on for years? How do you respond when the next crisis arrives? How do you pray when you’ve run out of ways to pray and things to say?
This isn’t the first time I’ve had the helpless feeling that I really don’t even know what to pray for in this situation. When our niece was going through critical stages in her battle with anorexia, I truly had no clue what to pray for, knowing there really was no cure and she would pretty much always have to fight this fight. And now another family I know just seems to have on-going issues that never end. One crisis on top of another; multiple crises at the same time. Single mother (who adopted, by the way, relatives of hers that had no place else to go) who has to juggle work, school issues, kids with emotional disorders, a mother who is not healthy, a home that needs constant repair, and all under the same roof.
My thought this morning was, “If God is merciful, he wouldn’t let this happen to her.” Then I thought, “Maybe God IS being merciful.” He’s provided a loving home environment for several teens and pre-teens who would have been separated and in “the system” long ago if not for her. He’s provided a mother (Grandma) who can stay with the kids while she works. He’s given her a job where she can take off most of the time when needed. He’s kept her from being laid off or terminated. He’s given them a church home where people love on them and encourage and help them. I could continue, but you get the idea.
So maybe we look at these things in a way that is a little selfish at times. Maybe we need to start looking at life through a different lens. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to be frustrated at times, dissatisfied at times, and feeling thoroughly incompetent at times as I go through this adventure called life with you all.
By the way, I now have another blog. It’s on the church website and the posts are different from those on this site. You can go to www.riverwalkchurchofchrist.org and click on “Blog” to see all posts by all ministers, or you can scan the left side of the page under “Ministers Blogs” to see the titles of the individual blogs. As of right now, there is no way to get just my blog, but I’ll ask the webmaster to provide one under “Leadership”, then “Ministers” and have a link under my picture and name.
What do you do when it seems that one family you know and love has more than their share of heartache, illness, trouble, and problems? When that family is doing the very best it can to be Godly and live life appropriately, but still suffers? When that family seems to always be coming apart at the seams? How do you encourage when this has been going on for years? How do you respond when the next crisis arrives? How do you pray when you’ve run out of ways to pray and things to say?
This isn’t the first time I’ve had the helpless feeling that I really don’t even know what to pray for in this situation. When our niece was going through critical stages in her battle with anorexia, I truly had no clue what to pray for, knowing there really was no cure and she would pretty much always have to fight this fight. And now another family I know just seems to have on-going issues that never end. One crisis on top of another; multiple crises at the same time. Single mother (who adopted, by the way, relatives of hers that had no place else to go) who has to juggle work, school issues, kids with emotional disorders, a mother who is not healthy, a home that needs constant repair, and all under the same roof.
My thought this morning was, “If God is merciful, he wouldn’t let this happen to her.” Then I thought, “Maybe God IS being merciful.” He’s provided a loving home environment for several teens and pre-teens who would have been separated and in “the system” long ago if not for her. He’s provided a mother (Grandma) who can stay with the kids while she works. He’s given her a job where she can take off most of the time when needed. He’s kept her from being laid off or terminated. He’s given them a church home where people love on them and encourage and help them. I could continue, but you get the idea.
So maybe we look at these things in a way that is a little selfish at times. Maybe we need to start looking at life through a different lens. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to be frustrated at times, dissatisfied at times, and feeling thoroughly incompetent at times as I go through this adventure called life with you all.
By the way, I now have another blog. It’s on the church website and the posts are different from those on this site. You can go to www.riverwalkchurchofchrist.org and click on “Blog” to see all posts by all ministers, or you can scan the left side of the page under “Ministers Blogs” to see the titles of the individual blogs. As of right now, there is no way to get just my blog, but I’ll ask the webmaster to provide one under “Leadership”, then “Ministers” and have a link under my picture and name.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
They Believed in Me (Part III)
I am continuing my blog talking about people in my life who believed in me in some way or another and helping me on my way. I may conclude with this blog…I don’t know just yet.
I recall the chief engineer at the radio station where I worked in Goodland who thought enough of me to assign me the responsibility for maintaining the equipment and transmission facilities for the station. During this time I also coordinated a move to new facilities overnight, with the station being off the air only a few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and the work I did…some of the best working years I’ve ever experienced in part due to the confidence Wayne had in me.
I remember very well a woman in Ardmore, Oklahoma who, after a very difficult two-year tenure at a church there (I should never have taken that position), quietly and with no fanfare picked my wife and I out of the ditch, washed and dressed us, and got us going again in life. She graciously offered to pay all tuition and any other expenses I could put onto my account at either of two universities where she was sitting on the Board of Trustees. Of all of the people I will have mentioned in these blogs, she stands out as one of two of my heroes. Thank you, Carrie Lou.
After we moved back to Kansas, due to illness striking my mother, there continued to be those people who believed, encouraged, and mentored. The church we attended helped us with financial aid at a time when we couldn’t find a dime and a nickel to put together. Those who made that decision to help us are special people, and I thank them.
My mentor in health care was also my administrator. Somehow, he saw in me the makings of a white collar worker while I was doing a blue collar job. He took chances on me, mentored me, taught me, frustrated me, and took blows for me in allowing me to do some things others only dream about. Vern is the second of my two heroes. I haven’t a clue where I would be or what I would be doing were it not for him.
The editor of the Hays Daily News took an interest in my writing and encouraged me by giving me space in his newspaper twice a month. I’m indebted to him for letting me express myself and get immersed into that world.
And the mentoring and encouraging doesn’t stop with more advanced age. Even past age 55, I continue to find people who encourage and teach me. Chris in Topeka was one such person. Although I didn’t work with him long, I learned much from him and continue to maintain contact with him and in turn encourage him in his work.
And so it goes (to borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee) and so it continues, even to this day. Those I work with now are much, much more astute in the work than I. I have a lot to learn and trust I can fulfill my responsibilities while leaning on them. May God bless all who have had a part in my development and education in life and living.
I recall the chief engineer at the radio station where I worked in Goodland who thought enough of me to assign me the responsibility for maintaining the equipment and transmission facilities for the station. During this time I also coordinated a move to new facilities overnight, with the station being off the air only a few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and the work I did…some of the best working years I’ve ever experienced in part due to the confidence Wayne had in me.
I remember very well a woman in Ardmore, Oklahoma who, after a very difficult two-year tenure at a church there (I should never have taken that position), quietly and with no fanfare picked my wife and I out of the ditch, washed and dressed us, and got us going again in life. She graciously offered to pay all tuition and any other expenses I could put onto my account at either of two universities where she was sitting on the Board of Trustees. Of all of the people I will have mentioned in these blogs, she stands out as one of two of my heroes. Thank you, Carrie Lou.
After we moved back to Kansas, due to illness striking my mother, there continued to be those people who believed, encouraged, and mentored. The church we attended helped us with financial aid at a time when we couldn’t find a dime and a nickel to put together. Those who made that decision to help us are special people, and I thank them.
My mentor in health care was also my administrator. Somehow, he saw in me the makings of a white collar worker while I was doing a blue collar job. He took chances on me, mentored me, taught me, frustrated me, and took blows for me in allowing me to do some things others only dream about. Vern is the second of my two heroes. I haven’t a clue where I would be or what I would be doing were it not for him.
The editor of the Hays Daily News took an interest in my writing and encouraged me by giving me space in his newspaper twice a month. I’m indebted to him for letting me express myself and get immersed into that world.
And the mentoring and encouraging doesn’t stop with more advanced age. Even past age 55, I continue to find people who encourage and teach me. Chris in Topeka was one such person. Although I didn’t work with him long, I learned much from him and continue to maintain contact with him and in turn encourage him in his work.
And so it goes (to borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee) and so it continues, even to this day. Those I work with now are much, much more astute in the work than I. I have a lot to learn and trust I can fulfill my responsibilities while leaning on them. May God bless all who have had a part in my development and education in life and living.
Monday, February 27, 2012
They Believed in Me (Part II)
I will continue my theme of telling of those who have helped me in some way develop myself, encouraged me to do better, or provided some kind of assistance to me in some aspect of life. We tend to think we can do things ourselves, but if we stop and think, we know that others have given to our success…sometimes given a lot.
It’s the same with our Christian faith. We can’t do it on our own. It’s only by the choosing of God to bestow grace and mercy, and provide other people to help and encourage us that make us what we are.
I think of the man who hired me in my first job out of tech school. My first day at work at the TV station where I was hired on as an engineer, Keith (the head engineer) met me in the early morning hours, and we went through the opening of the station and the sign-on process. We were the only ones there, and were responsible for getting the station on the air and operating for the day. The second day, I showed up when I was supposed to, but Keith wasn’t there. I waited a little bit, but determined that he probably wasn’t going to be there in time to get the station up and running. So I did my best to recall everything we did the day before. And the list was a long one. Turning on switches here, punching on the transmitter to warm up in a certain sequence, loading the sign-on slides and film (this was back in the late 1960’s, folks), and pushing the right buttons to get things on the air was no small task. I was nervous as all get-out.
I succeeded in signing on and getting things rolling, and Keith showed up about 30 minutes after sign-on. I can’t recall if he said anything about being late, and whether he knew it or not (or whether his lateness was intentional or not), but by his being late, he made me realize that I could take instruction; I could do things that I had to do; I could function in the world. I’ve never forgotten that morning.
I think of a young woman I met back then who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. She encouraged me, loved me, and believed in me. We’re still married after all these years. I couldn’t be where I am without her.
I think of Bob out in Goodland when we moved out that way who took me under his wing, so to speak, and taught me a lot about how to work with people, and how NOT to work with people. We also discussed God, faith, and all that goes with that. He was one of the hardest-working preachers I have known. We produced a local weekly fifteen minute television religious television show (I mean we did it all, as I was now an engineer at the TV station in Goodland and we taped the show after hours. I was the engineer/director and Bob was the producer/on-air talent.), and he produced a daily radio announcement in addition to everything else.
That’s enough for now. I’ve only begun. More next time.
It’s the same with our Christian faith. We can’t do it on our own. It’s only by the choosing of God to bestow grace and mercy, and provide other people to help and encourage us that make us what we are.
I think of the man who hired me in my first job out of tech school. My first day at work at the TV station where I was hired on as an engineer, Keith (the head engineer) met me in the early morning hours, and we went through the opening of the station and the sign-on process. We were the only ones there, and were responsible for getting the station on the air and operating for the day. The second day, I showed up when I was supposed to, but Keith wasn’t there. I waited a little bit, but determined that he probably wasn’t going to be there in time to get the station up and running. So I did my best to recall everything we did the day before. And the list was a long one. Turning on switches here, punching on the transmitter to warm up in a certain sequence, loading the sign-on slides and film (this was back in the late 1960’s, folks), and pushing the right buttons to get things on the air was no small task. I was nervous as all get-out.
I succeeded in signing on and getting things rolling, and Keith showed up about 30 minutes after sign-on. I can’t recall if he said anything about being late, and whether he knew it or not (or whether his lateness was intentional or not), but by his being late, he made me realize that I could take instruction; I could do things that I had to do; I could function in the world. I’ve never forgotten that morning.
I think of a young woman I met back then who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. She encouraged me, loved me, and believed in me. We’re still married after all these years. I couldn’t be where I am without her.
I think of Bob out in Goodland when we moved out that way who took me under his wing, so to speak, and taught me a lot about how to work with people, and how NOT to work with people. We also discussed God, faith, and all that goes with that. He was one of the hardest-working preachers I have known. We produced a local weekly fifteen minute television religious television show (I mean we did it all, as I was now an engineer at the TV station in Goodland and we taped the show after hours. I was the engineer/director and Bob was the producer/on-air talent.), and he produced a daily radio announcement in addition to everything else.
That’s enough for now. I’ve only begun. More next time.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
They Believed in Me (Part I)
I was thinking today (yeah, that’s dangerous) as I was riding back from Hutchinson where a friend and I went to a meeting. We had been talking at the meeting (a meeting of ministers) about the grace and love of God. As I pondered the comments made at the meeting, my mind wandered just a bit. I began thinking about times in my life when someone believed in me and helped me in some way. Many times we think that we make our own successes, and we certainly have a lot to do with it; but my guess is that most of us can not say that we have made our success without help from someone, somewhere, some time.
When I think about those times, I think about Mr. Nixon, who invited me to play my tuba solo as a high school junior at a recital at Emporia State University (then it was Kansas State Teachers College). My older brothers attended there as music majors, and I’m sure Mr. Nixon was trying to recruit me. I didn’t attend there, but he gave me a much-needed boost in my self-esteem at the time and prompted me to make some decisions after that I probably would not have made otherwise.
I think about Mr. Davis, the Vice Principal of the high school I attended, who would sign me back into school as excused after an illness or being away helping Dad on the farm just on my word…not requiring a signed note or phone call from my parents (which was the policy to avoid an unexcused absence). I quickly learned what truth, reputation, and dealing straight meant, and carry that lesson with me even today.
I think about Mrs. Groves, my vocal music teacher in grade school, who would place me beside other kids who couldn’t sing quite as well, or in a section that wasn’t doing so well because she knew I could help those around me learn the music and sing the notes correctly. I didn’t understand what she was doing until I was well into the sixth grade (I was rather dense then as well as now). But when I understood what she had been doing for several years, I worked even harder for her.
I think about my Dad the first time he asked me to drive the pickup from one place to another on the farm, and the first time he asked me to take the tractor out to the field and disk about a 20 acre patch. He was taking a chance…and didn’t say anything to me about it…just told me to go do it. But we both knew those events were a milestone in my development.
I also remember when Dad told me to go to the pasture and bring the cattle into the lot. I had never done it by myself before, but had been with him many times when he did it or we did it together. It took me awhile to get ‘em all going the same direction, but I knew that there was one or two “leaders” in the herd, and that I needed to get those leaders going the right direction and find the cattle path they and other herds used to go to the corral. I was successful at that, and when the lead steer found the cattle path, he settled in and led them all to the corral…my taking up the rear. I was so pleased (and relieved).
There were others in my younger years…these are just some. More in a later post.
When I think about those times, I think about Mr. Nixon, who invited me to play my tuba solo as a high school junior at a recital at Emporia State University (then it was Kansas State Teachers College). My older brothers attended there as music majors, and I’m sure Mr. Nixon was trying to recruit me. I didn’t attend there, but he gave me a much-needed boost in my self-esteem at the time and prompted me to make some decisions after that I probably would not have made otherwise.
I think about Mr. Davis, the Vice Principal of the high school I attended, who would sign me back into school as excused after an illness or being away helping Dad on the farm just on my word…not requiring a signed note or phone call from my parents (which was the policy to avoid an unexcused absence). I quickly learned what truth, reputation, and dealing straight meant, and carry that lesson with me even today.
I think about Mrs. Groves, my vocal music teacher in grade school, who would place me beside other kids who couldn’t sing quite as well, or in a section that wasn’t doing so well because she knew I could help those around me learn the music and sing the notes correctly. I didn’t understand what she was doing until I was well into the sixth grade (I was rather dense then as well as now). But when I understood what she had been doing for several years, I worked even harder for her.
I think about my Dad the first time he asked me to drive the pickup from one place to another on the farm, and the first time he asked me to take the tractor out to the field and disk about a 20 acre patch. He was taking a chance…and didn’t say anything to me about it…just told me to go do it. But we both knew those events were a milestone in my development.
I also remember when Dad told me to go to the pasture and bring the cattle into the lot. I had never done it by myself before, but had been with him many times when he did it or we did it together. It took me awhile to get ‘em all going the same direction, but I knew that there was one or two “leaders” in the herd, and that I needed to get those leaders going the right direction and find the cattle path they and other herds used to go to the corral. I was successful at that, and when the lead steer found the cattle path, he settled in and led them all to the corral…my taking up the rear. I was so pleased (and relieved).
There were others in my younger years…these are just some. More in a later post.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Happy LIstening!
Sometimes, I get online and go to YouTube. Many times my reason for going is to hear a song that has been in my mind for awhile, and I’d like to hear it on the speakers in our home. I have my computer audio connected to our audio system, so it’s easy to do. While I sometimes listen to an older song out of the 1960’s or some such, often I turn to the masterpieces such as the Hallelujah Chorus or The Heavens are Telling (the Glory of God). When I do, I often peruse the comments that YouTube allows on the page.
I am struck by the passion with which many of those who are anti-religion talk of a non-god or doing just fine without a god, or some such. And the passion is equal on the other side, with folks glorifying God and giving praise to His glory.
I never enter into such conversations. It’s OK if others want to do so, but those kinds of interactions, it seems, never really accomplish anything and just get folks worked up. I’d much rather people saw a changed life (mine) and made the decision that it was a result of God living in me and my desire to be like Jesus.
And to me, that is much more difficult to do than writing something on YouTube. Living that changed life is impossible without God and difficult at best, at least for me, even with God. As a sort of perfectionist and as one who holds myself to high standards (impossibly high, many would say), I find the concept of grace, acceptance, and forgiveness rather difficult for me to accept when it comes to my own failings.
I’m getting there, however. It’s better than it was. As I mature in years, I think I’m maturing some in other ways as well. And the very idea of grace and forgiveness is such a freeing concept. I wonder why it wasn’t taught with more clarity and with greater emphasis in my earlier years. But the past can’t be relived. The future is uncertain. Only the present can be lived.
So, if you’re in the mood sometime, go to YouTube and take in the Hallelujah Chorus done by a flash mob at Macy’s. Or one of many other gems to be found on that site. I’ve included two or three URL’s here that you can use if you like. Happy listening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5BaOGTmGs&feature=related
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2010/11/awesome-pop-up-hallelujah-chorus-at.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2PMMBIPXEY
I am struck by the passion with which many of those who are anti-religion talk of a non-god or doing just fine without a god, or some such. And the passion is equal on the other side, with folks glorifying God and giving praise to His glory.
I never enter into such conversations. It’s OK if others want to do so, but those kinds of interactions, it seems, never really accomplish anything and just get folks worked up. I’d much rather people saw a changed life (mine) and made the decision that it was a result of God living in me and my desire to be like Jesus.
And to me, that is much more difficult to do than writing something on YouTube. Living that changed life is impossible without God and difficult at best, at least for me, even with God. As a sort of perfectionist and as one who holds myself to high standards (impossibly high, many would say), I find the concept of grace, acceptance, and forgiveness rather difficult for me to accept when it comes to my own failings.
I’m getting there, however. It’s better than it was. As I mature in years, I think I’m maturing some in other ways as well. And the very idea of grace and forgiveness is such a freeing concept. I wonder why it wasn’t taught with more clarity and with greater emphasis in my earlier years. But the past can’t be relived. The future is uncertain. Only the present can be lived.
So, if you’re in the mood sometime, go to YouTube and take in the Hallelujah Chorus done by a flash mob at Macy’s. Or one of many other gems to be found on that site. I’ve included two or three URL’s here that you can use if you like. Happy listening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN5BaOGTmGs&feature=related
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2010/11/awesome-pop-up-hallelujah-chorus-at.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2PMMBIPXEY
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Hope
One of the members of our church passed away yesterday. Jim had been chronically ill most of the time we have been here, and we didn’t have the chance to get to know him really well. I did have him in my classes from time to time and know that he appreciated in-depth study in the Bible and enjoyed being with his church family.
Jim passed from this life in peace, with those who loved him and those he loved around and near. The journey was made difficult by his illness, but was anticipated and embraced due to his love of God and Jesus Christ.
I have witnessed many deaths over the years I worked in EMS and in hospitals. Some were young; many were older. Death didn’t seem to care. Some were friends. Some were relatives. Some were folks I didn’t know. Many times I witnessed heroic efforts to save that person’s life. Often, I participated in that effort. Sometimes I was just there as there was no point in taking heroic action, or the person or family asked that it not be done.
Sometimes I arrived on scene after someone already had died. Perhaps it was old age; maybe it was an accident of some kind. More than once it was self-inflicted. Again, it seemed that death wasn’t partial to any one group of humans; young, old, male, female—all were equally touched.
For some folks, an old M.A.S.H. episode may describe their view of death. Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse on the old television series M.A.S.H., is in the operating room in one episode. Someone she has been caring for has just died. She says, “It never fails to astonish me. You’re alive. You’re dead. No drums. No flashing lights. No fanfare. You’re just dead.”
For others, death is a spiritual experience on the highest order. I am one of those people. There is something about the process, about the emotion, about the finality, about the reality of the experience that is unmatched in any other venue. Something beyond what we can see or know is happening, and we know one day it will happen to us. No matter how often we witness death or how often we comfort and serve, we know no more about the process itself than we did before.
I am grateful beyond words for the hope I have that is in Jesus Christ. And I pray when my time comes I will embrace and hold to that hope as I too make the journey.
Jim passed from this life in peace, with those who loved him and those he loved around and near. The journey was made difficult by his illness, but was anticipated and embraced due to his love of God and Jesus Christ.
I have witnessed many deaths over the years I worked in EMS and in hospitals. Some were young; many were older. Death didn’t seem to care. Some were friends. Some were relatives. Some were folks I didn’t know. Many times I witnessed heroic efforts to save that person’s life. Often, I participated in that effort. Sometimes I was just there as there was no point in taking heroic action, or the person or family asked that it not be done.
Sometimes I arrived on scene after someone already had died. Perhaps it was old age; maybe it was an accident of some kind. More than once it was self-inflicted. Again, it seemed that death wasn’t partial to any one group of humans; young, old, male, female—all were equally touched.
For some folks, an old M.A.S.H. episode may describe their view of death. Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse on the old television series M.A.S.H., is in the operating room in one episode. Someone she has been caring for has just died. She says, “It never fails to astonish me. You’re alive. You’re dead. No drums. No flashing lights. No fanfare. You’re just dead.”
For others, death is a spiritual experience on the highest order. I am one of those people. There is something about the process, about the emotion, about the finality, about the reality of the experience that is unmatched in any other venue. Something beyond what we can see or know is happening, and we know one day it will happen to us. No matter how often we witness death or how often we comfort and serve, we know no more about the process itself than we did before.
I am grateful beyond words for the hope I have that is in Jesus Christ. And I pray when my time comes I will embrace and hold to that hope as I too make the journey.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
More Tidbits
More tidbits on the universe we live in from the “Instant Egghead Guide…The Universe.”
Fusion in stars is the source of all elements heavier than lithium, number three on the periodic table, they say.
The large, super-cooled magnets in an MRI machine make hydrogen atoms in the body wobble, and consequently emit radio waves which the machine can detect.
A light year is the distance light can travel in one year…5.9 trillion miles. Our national debt is about three light-years-worth of miles.
An attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second.
Due to the quantum uncertainty principle, alpha particles are able to tunnel out of the nucleus of an atom due to radioactive decay even though they shouldn’t have the energy to break out.
According to quantum physics, a particle behaving in a certain way on one side of the universe determines the behavior of an “entangled” particle on the other side of the universe, with no communication link between them.
In a 2008 experiment, researchers found that if the entanglement principle doesn’t work instantaneously on the two entangled particles, it operates at at least 10,000 times the speed of light.
The human body can withstand inertia of about 16 g forces for about a minute.
Light has momentum. Solar sails are not science fiction.
If you could travel to the earth’s core, you would find zero gravity at the very center of the earth.
Fusion in stars is the source of all elements heavier than lithium, number three on the periodic table, they say.
The large, super-cooled magnets in an MRI machine make hydrogen atoms in the body wobble, and consequently emit radio waves which the machine can detect.
A light year is the distance light can travel in one year…5.9 trillion miles. Our national debt is about three light-years-worth of miles.
An attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second.
Due to the quantum uncertainty principle, alpha particles are able to tunnel out of the nucleus of an atom due to radioactive decay even though they shouldn’t have the energy to break out.
According to quantum physics, a particle behaving in a certain way on one side of the universe determines the behavior of an “entangled” particle on the other side of the universe, with no communication link between them.
In a 2008 experiment, researchers found that if the entanglement principle doesn’t work instantaneously on the two entangled particles, it operates at at least 10,000 times the speed of light.
The human body can withstand inertia of about 16 g forces for about a minute.
Light has momentum. Solar sails are not science fiction.
If you could travel to the earth’s core, you would find zero gravity at the very center of the earth.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
The More I See
A week or so ago I ran across the name of a woman we knew while we worked at the girls’ home several years ago. She was the director of the counseling center on campus and did a good job at her profession. I was looking at something on the Internet and happened upon her name. Curious, I Googled her to see if I could find out where she was now and what she was doing, as I knew she was no longer at the girls’ home. (My spellchecker says “Googled” is not a word. I just now added it to the dictionary.)
I quickly found her. She was in the Wichita area and was the director of a maternity home not far from our church. I called the number and left a message. She returned the call a couple of days later and we made arrangements to meet.
A couple of days ago I went to the maternity home and we re-acquanted and visited for an hour or more about her work and the home. I was struck by some things she said.
Many women who come to the home are homeless. Many women who come to the home have some kind of addiction. Many women who come to the home already have one or more children. Many women who come to the home are part of a multi-generational string of such women. Many women who come to the home have no familial, church, or friend support system of any kind.
I quickly determined as I listened that I had absolutely no concept of living in the world that most of these women live in. I cannot fathom being homeless, pregnant, alone, on meth, with few positive societal life skills, and with three kids under the age of six. I found myself in much the same situation as I did several years ago when I confronted the reality of my niece’s eating disorder. I couldn’t relate to that…I cannot relate to this in any meaningful way.
As men are wont to do, I was running through my mind possible ways to “fix” the problem and immediately zoned in on breaking the cycle. I also quickly found out that the “fix” (or any fix, for that matter) isn’t nearly as easy or as black-and-white as it at first appears to be. I was, as I increasingly find myself, dumbfounded, stunned, and stumped. My friend, on the other hand said something to the effect that, “We love ‘em, provide for ‘em and model for them what life should be, and hope something sticks.” Bless you, Julie, for your love and perception.
We constantly hear thirty second sound bytes from presidential candidates, legislators, mayors, religious folks and others who spout fixes for problems such as this as if it’s blatantly obvious and simple to do. The truth is that women in the situation I’ve described above may well be in an intractable position and will never be released from it until they die regardless of the money, counseling, programs, and effort thrown their way.. And they have already assured society that it will have to deal with the situation for at least one more generation by having kids who are now growing up in this same world and will, in all likelihood, end up the same way.
The women who come to this home must agree to adopt the newborn out. The one saving grace in all of this is that the newborn will probably have the best chance possible to break out of the cycle of homelessness, poverty, and despair. Even those babies who have deficits due to Mom having smoked crack or used meth will have a better chance to succeed by being connected to a family who goes into the relationship with that baby with eyes open and decides still to love unconditionally.
The more I see, the less certain I am that I have answers. The more I see, the less I tend to believe anyone who says THEY have answers. The more I see, the more I perceive the brokenness of the creation and the desire of God to redeem it. The more I see, the more I understand that He expects me to be a part of that redemption process. The more I see, the more I can appreciate the overwhelming and all-encompassing work of the Eternal Son of God…redeeming even these pregnant moms…desiring the abundant life for both them and their offspring. Soli Deo Gloria
I quickly found her. She was in the Wichita area and was the director of a maternity home not far from our church. I called the number and left a message. She returned the call a couple of days later and we made arrangements to meet.
A couple of days ago I went to the maternity home and we re-acquanted and visited for an hour or more about her work and the home. I was struck by some things she said.
Many women who come to the home are homeless. Many women who come to the home have some kind of addiction. Many women who come to the home already have one or more children. Many women who come to the home are part of a multi-generational string of such women. Many women who come to the home have no familial, church, or friend support system of any kind.
I quickly determined as I listened that I had absolutely no concept of living in the world that most of these women live in. I cannot fathom being homeless, pregnant, alone, on meth, with few positive societal life skills, and with three kids under the age of six. I found myself in much the same situation as I did several years ago when I confronted the reality of my niece’s eating disorder. I couldn’t relate to that…I cannot relate to this in any meaningful way.
As men are wont to do, I was running through my mind possible ways to “fix” the problem and immediately zoned in on breaking the cycle. I also quickly found out that the “fix” (or any fix, for that matter) isn’t nearly as easy or as black-and-white as it at first appears to be. I was, as I increasingly find myself, dumbfounded, stunned, and stumped. My friend, on the other hand said something to the effect that, “We love ‘em, provide for ‘em and model for them what life should be, and hope something sticks.” Bless you, Julie, for your love and perception.
We constantly hear thirty second sound bytes from presidential candidates, legislators, mayors, religious folks and others who spout fixes for problems such as this as if it’s blatantly obvious and simple to do. The truth is that women in the situation I’ve described above may well be in an intractable position and will never be released from it until they die regardless of the money, counseling, programs, and effort thrown their way.. And they have already assured society that it will have to deal with the situation for at least one more generation by having kids who are now growing up in this same world and will, in all likelihood, end up the same way.
The women who come to this home must agree to adopt the newborn out. The one saving grace in all of this is that the newborn will probably have the best chance possible to break out of the cycle of homelessness, poverty, and despair. Even those babies who have deficits due to Mom having smoked crack or used meth will have a better chance to succeed by being connected to a family who goes into the relationship with that baby with eyes open and decides still to love unconditionally.
The more I see, the less certain I am that I have answers. The more I see, the less I tend to believe anyone who says THEY have answers. The more I see, the more I perceive the brokenness of the creation and the desire of God to redeem it. The more I see, the more I understand that He expects me to be a part of that redemption process. The more I see, the more I can appreciate the overwhelming and all-encompassing work of the Eternal Son of God…redeeming even these pregnant moms…desiring the abundant life for both them and their offspring. Soli Deo Gloria
Monday, January 23, 2012
Universe Tidbits
Interesting (at least to me) information about the universe we live in (Credit Instant Egghead Guide to the Universe by J.R. Minkel). I’ll have more of these tidbits as time goes on.
Electrons are elementary particles. They cannot be broken down into smaller particles. Protons and neutrons, on the other hand, are made up of smaller particles called quarks.
The most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and helium.
You can actually buy samples of most of the elements on line, even some radioactive ones. http://www.elementsales.com is just one place they can be obtained.
A single air molecule at room temperature collides with other molecules more than a billion times per second.
When helium is chilled to nearly -459 degrees F, it loses all viscosity and becomes a superfluid, capable (among other things) of climbing up the sides of a container.
When you stretch a rubber band, it heats up. You convert mechanical energy into heat, which warms the rubber band. Sometimes you can feel the heat by touching the band to your lips after you stretch it.
No one violates the second law of thermodynamics, which is the law of entropy. Simply stated, it says that entropy can never be reversed…that disorder in the universe continues to increase. Even living things don’t violate the law. They (we) are highly-ordered, but we derive our order by creating more disorder around us than we contain within us. (Right now, I’m thinking of Pigpen in the Peanuts comic strips.)
If a hydrogen atom nucleus were the size of a common marble, it’s corresponding electron (hydrogen atoms have only one electron) would lie about 100 yards away. All the rest is empty space.
Neutrons are unstable outside of the nucleus of an atom. Left to themselves, they would decay into protons in about 15 minutes average.
In nuclear fusion (that’s what powers stars), the helium atom created from the fusion of two hydrogen atoms weighs 0.7% less than the original two hydrogen atoms. The missing mass was converted into energy. Einstein was right. Mass does equal energy and energy does equal mass (E = mc2).
Electrons are elementary particles. They cannot be broken down into smaller particles. Protons and neutrons, on the other hand, are made up of smaller particles called quarks.
The most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and helium.
You can actually buy samples of most of the elements on line, even some radioactive ones. http://www.elementsales.com is just one place they can be obtained.
A single air molecule at room temperature collides with other molecules more than a billion times per second.
When helium is chilled to nearly -459 degrees F, it loses all viscosity and becomes a superfluid, capable (among other things) of climbing up the sides of a container.
When you stretch a rubber band, it heats up. You convert mechanical energy into heat, which warms the rubber band. Sometimes you can feel the heat by touching the band to your lips after you stretch it.
No one violates the second law of thermodynamics, which is the law of entropy. Simply stated, it says that entropy can never be reversed…that disorder in the universe continues to increase. Even living things don’t violate the law. They (we) are highly-ordered, but we derive our order by creating more disorder around us than we contain within us. (Right now, I’m thinking of Pigpen in the Peanuts comic strips.)
If a hydrogen atom nucleus were the size of a common marble, it’s corresponding electron (hydrogen atoms have only one electron) would lie about 100 yards away. All the rest is empty space.
Neutrons are unstable outside of the nucleus of an atom. Left to themselves, they would decay into protons in about 15 minutes average.
In nuclear fusion (that’s what powers stars), the helium atom created from the fusion of two hydrogen atoms weighs 0.7% less than the original two hydrogen atoms. The missing mass was converted into energy. Einstein was right. Mass does equal energy and energy does equal mass (E = mc2).
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
You probably don’t know Katie Davis. If you don’t, you need to find out about her. You can find her and what she does at http://www.amazima.org/katiesstory.html
Katie is a 23 year old woman who cares for orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda. She has created an organization, staffed it, and actively works in Uganda with those she cares for. She has adopted thirteen children of her own. She tells this story about one of her girls, an 11 year old.
“I just want to remember,” she says matter-of-factly, and she pulls the covers right back up over her head.
It is well after our 8 o’clock bed time. I have been sunk deep in the couch and in the Word knowing that 13 pairs of feet were tucked snugly in 13 beds. But as I make my way from the couch to my room, something catches my eye and I peek my head in the girls’ bedroom.
There flat on the cold, hard tile floor is my 11 year old with her blanket pulled tightly around herself. It doesn’t look as if she has rolled out of bed; it looks intentional. I nudge her awake. “Honey, what are you doing on the floor?” Why would anyone ever choose to sleep on this, the hardest of surfaces, with a comfortable bed just inches away?
“Remember,” she mumbles sleepily, “I just want to remember. Some people don’t have a bed, mom. I didn’t have a bed, mom. God gave me a bed. And I wanted to remember what it was like to not have one.”
This young girl is wise beyond her years. She has much to teach those of us who have always had a bed; always had food; always had shoes; always had clean water.
I don’t know what it will take for you to remember those who have no bed; no food; no shelter; no shoes; no clean water. Maybe it will take you sleeping on the floor. Maybe you will have to spend a night under a bridge. Or maybe you can just remember and do your part without all of that. I don’t know.
What I do know is that we can’t do everything, but we can do something. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. What will I do? What will you do?
Katie is a 23 year old woman who cares for orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda. She has created an organization, staffed it, and actively works in Uganda with those she cares for. She has adopted thirteen children of her own. She tells this story about one of her girls, an 11 year old.
“I just want to remember,” she says matter-of-factly, and she pulls the covers right back up over her head.
It is well after our 8 o’clock bed time. I have been sunk deep in the couch and in the Word knowing that 13 pairs of feet were tucked snugly in 13 beds. But as I make my way from the couch to my room, something catches my eye and I peek my head in the girls’ bedroom.
There flat on the cold, hard tile floor is my 11 year old with her blanket pulled tightly around herself. It doesn’t look as if she has rolled out of bed; it looks intentional. I nudge her awake. “Honey, what are you doing on the floor?” Why would anyone ever choose to sleep on this, the hardest of surfaces, with a comfortable bed just inches away?
“Remember,” she mumbles sleepily, “I just want to remember. Some people don’t have a bed, mom. I didn’t have a bed, mom. God gave me a bed. And I wanted to remember what it was like to not have one.”
This young girl is wise beyond her years. She has much to teach those of us who have always had a bed; always had food; always had shoes; always had clean water.
I don’t know what it will take for you to remember those who have no bed; no food; no shelter; no shoes; no clean water. Maybe it will take you sleeping on the floor. Maybe you will have to spend a night under a bridge. Or maybe you can just remember and do your part without all of that. I don’t know.
What I do know is that we can’t do everything, but we can do something. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. What will I do? What will you do?
Monday, January 09, 2012
Toys and Games
Saturday we had our grandson’s fourth birthday. Of course, we had the cake, the ice cream, the candles, and the gifts. And since he’s a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan, pretty much all of the gifts were things having to do with that toy series. He has track, cars, engines…you name it, he’s probably got it right now.
They’ve been doing toy series for many, many years. The big ones I can recall are Barbie and Tonka trucks. You might say that Tinkertoys and Erector sets were series as well since you could buy more pieces for the sets or put sets together. Later on when our boys were small, it was Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As a kid, I remember Lincoln Logs and something called American Bricks. Both were sets one could build structures with. Lincoln Logs are with us today in some form or another, but I believe the American Bricks became Legos. I don’t know that these were toy series, but the idea is the same as Tinkertoys.
Since I’m in the reminiscing mood, I’ll remember board games…Monopoly, Sorry, and others. Many of those games are still with us in some version or another; others have disappeared. There are a slew of newer games, many of which have the participants answer questions or demonstrate some skill. Some I don’t mind; others I could never play and never miss it.
Games have been part of cultures the world over and in all times and eras. We enjoy being with each other and engaging in diversions to the mundane and routine of life. Some take games more seriously than others, but if taken in context and good spirit, games can be a source of fellowship and community.
I don’t know if you like cards, board games, games of strategy and skill, or games that are more on the mindless side. My bet is that you like something, though, and would miss it if it wasn’t available. Try something new down the road. New games can be fun and who knows? You might just find the next game you just can’t live without.
They’ve been doing toy series for many, many years. The big ones I can recall are Barbie and Tonka trucks. You might say that Tinkertoys and Erector sets were series as well since you could buy more pieces for the sets or put sets together. Later on when our boys were small, it was Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As a kid, I remember Lincoln Logs and something called American Bricks. Both were sets one could build structures with. Lincoln Logs are with us today in some form or another, but I believe the American Bricks became Legos. I don’t know that these were toy series, but the idea is the same as Tinkertoys.
Since I’m in the reminiscing mood, I’ll remember board games…Monopoly, Sorry, and others. Many of those games are still with us in some version or another; others have disappeared. There are a slew of newer games, many of which have the participants answer questions or demonstrate some skill. Some I don’t mind; others I could never play and never miss it.
Games have been part of cultures the world over and in all times and eras. We enjoy being with each other and engaging in diversions to the mundane and routine of life. Some take games more seriously than others, but if taken in context and good spirit, games can be a source of fellowship and community.
I don’t know if you like cards, board games, games of strategy and skill, or games that are more on the mindless side. My bet is that you like something, though, and would miss it if it wasn’t available. Try something new down the road. New games can be fun and who knows? You might just find the next game you just can’t live without.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
The New Year Rut
The holidays are over and the grind of short daylight hours, cold weather, and holiday bills begins. Some of us will recover nicely from the holidays; some never will. For some the holidays were everything they thought they would be and more; for others, they were yet another time of unfulfilled expectations.
The year-end holiday season is a mixed blessing, it seems. Yes, I know that Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus during this part of the year truly enjoy this time and deepen their faith and relationship with God. It’s the other part of the holiday season, though, that can be a mixed blessing. Family get-togethers and the expectations of gifting are the mixed blessings, at least in my mind.
Many families can come together and enjoy the company, the visiting and re-connecting, and the fellowship. Other families come together and fuss, fight and fly the fur. Many people give and receive gifts with thanksgiving and gratitude. Others indulge their more greedy and selfish side.
In any event, for those of us who live life in a comfortable rut, we are shaken out of that rut for a couple of weeks and now are only too happy to get back into it as soon as possible. There’s an indescribable comfort in a rut. It’s predictable. It’s satisfying. And it enables folks to tackle the things in life that come unannounced without having to also worry about the routine.
So, 2012 is here and the world gets back to work today. In many ways, things will continue as they always have. The sun will rise; the sun will set. It will rain; it will snow; it will be warm; it will be cold. Spring will come and nature will burst out in bloom and life. There is a continuity in the creation that is predictable and satisfies just as a person’s rut is predictable and is satisfying. Enjoy the year and enjoy your days.
Have a blessed new year.
The year-end holiday season is a mixed blessing, it seems. Yes, I know that Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus during this part of the year truly enjoy this time and deepen their faith and relationship with God. It’s the other part of the holiday season, though, that can be a mixed blessing. Family get-togethers and the expectations of gifting are the mixed blessings, at least in my mind.
Many families can come together and enjoy the company, the visiting and re-connecting, and the fellowship. Other families come together and fuss, fight and fly the fur. Many people give and receive gifts with thanksgiving and gratitude. Others indulge their more greedy and selfish side.
In any event, for those of us who live life in a comfortable rut, we are shaken out of that rut for a couple of weeks and now are only too happy to get back into it as soon as possible. There’s an indescribable comfort in a rut. It’s predictable. It’s satisfying. And it enables folks to tackle the things in life that come unannounced without having to also worry about the routine.
So, 2012 is here and the world gets back to work today. In many ways, things will continue as they always have. The sun will rise; the sun will set. It will rain; it will snow; it will be warm; it will be cold. Spring will come and nature will burst out in bloom and life. There is a continuity in the creation that is predictable and satisfies just as a person’s rut is predictable and is satisfying. Enjoy the year and enjoy your days.
Have a blessed new year.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The New Year
I suppose it’s fitting to again write something for the end of one year and the beginning of another. On the one hand, there’s nothing magical about January 1. Our year could just as easily start on October 10 or May 22. We have chosen (or rather someone has chosen for us, and we have not changed it) the stroke of midnight between December 31 and January 1 as the beginning of the New Year.
There is something to be said for the length of the year, however. It approximates the time it takes to travel around the sun on planet earth. And the length of our day is also something that probably should remain as it is as it approximates the time it takes the earth to make one rotation on its axis. But the notion that January 1 should be the start of the new year is an entirely man-made idea.
Not that there’s something bad about that. I suppose the year has to begin some time. I’m not sure it deserves all of the attention it gets, however. It seems to me it’s an excuse for us to spend money, stay up late, and over-indulge.
I’m not really a Grinch, although I am wearing my Oscar the Grouch shirt today. And I’ll gladly be part of the Plank gathering here later tonight. There will be food and drink, games and talk. And we’ll celebrate the New Year, clean up, say good-bye, and head for bed, wondering what this next year has in store for us.
If I can be serious for a moment, I’d like to say what you already know. We haven’t a clue what the new year holds for us, or if we’ll even be around for the entire year. We don’t know what funerals will take place, who will get married, who will have a child. We don’t know the state of the economy, nor do we know what various people in power in the world will do militarily or through terrorism.
What we do know is that there will be enough evil and mayhem in the world this coming year, that we would do well to live at peace with all men insofar as it lies within us; to offer a cup of cold water; to visit those who are sick and in prison; to give a coat, a meal, and a safe place to sleep. We would do well to offer a kind word, encourage a child, pick up someone else’s trash, slow down and drive more civilly, and hold a door or an elevator for someone. We would do well to remember the God who made us; to visit the teachings of Jesus and absorb and practice them. We would do very, very well to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We can’t fix everything; neither do we have to contribute to the mayhem. We can do our part to civilize our sphere of influence. And we can work to make the lives of others better even as we ponder our own frailty and mortality. Have a blessed 2012.
There is something to be said for the length of the year, however. It approximates the time it takes to travel around the sun on planet earth. And the length of our day is also something that probably should remain as it is as it approximates the time it takes the earth to make one rotation on its axis. But the notion that January 1 should be the start of the new year is an entirely man-made idea.
Not that there’s something bad about that. I suppose the year has to begin some time. I’m not sure it deserves all of the attention it gets, however. It seems to me it’s an excuse for us to spend money, stay up late, and over-indulge.
I’m not really a Grinch, although I am wearing my Oscar the Grouch shirt today. And I’ll gladly be part of the Plank gathering here later tonight. There will be food and drink, games and talk. And we’ll celebrate the New Year, clean up, say good-bye, and head for bed, wondering what this next year has in store for us.
If I can be serious for a moment, I’d like to say what you already know. We haven’t a clue what the new year holds for us, or if we’ll even be around for the entire year. We don’t know what funerals will take place, who will get married, who will have a child. We don’t know the state of the economy, nor do we know what various people in power in the world will do militarily or through terrorism.
What we do know is that there will be enough evil and mayhem in the world this coming year, that we would do well to live at peace with all men insofar as it lies within us; to offer a cup of cold water; to visit those who are sick and in prison; to give a coat, a meal, and a safe place to sleep. We would do well to offer a kind word, encourage a child, pick up someone else’s trash, slow down and drive more civilly, and hold a door or an elevator for someone. We would do well to remember the God who made us; to visit the teachings of Jesus and absorb and practice them. We would do very, very well to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We can’t fix everything; neither do we have to contribute to the mayhem. We can do our part to civilize our sphere of influence. And we can work to make the lives of others better even as we ponder our own frailty and mortality. Have a blessed 2012.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
End of Year Musing
Today is Tuesday. Two days after Christmas Day. Hopefully, things “out there” will at least begin to become somewhat more normal so I will feel like I can venture out to the store to pick up a few things we need. I don’t participate in the frenzy of buying and shopping this time of the year, and don’t even like to go pick up the ordinary things (milk, fresh fruit, canned goods, etc) that we need from the supermarket this time of the year. However, it appears I’ll have to go shortly as we’re running low.
I did get several books for Christmas that I’ll enjoy. Also a sweater, portable clip-on light, and the unusual gift of a personal geo-cache. Haven’t found it yet, but am planning to do so later this week. I have an idea where it generally is located and am looking forward to finding it.
The weather promises to be mild and sunny for the next several days, so I’m thinking about taking down the outdoor display on Friday or maybe Saturday of this week. It was kind of fun to put up and enjoy from night to night, but even with good things, there comes a time to put it back into the boxes.
The train is up and running in the garage. Hopefully, there will be some who stop by during the mild weather and run it. The garage tends to heat up in the afternoons when the sun shines on the west doors and it’s downright pleasant in there during that time. I have a propane heater that takes the chill off, but often don’t have to run it because of the solar heating.
These days after Christmas and before the New Year seem to be similar, in many ways, to what we used to call the slow days of summer. Of course it’s cool out and not hot, but these days for those of us who don’t work over the holiday break are gifts of time that at once stretch for a couple of weeks, yet all too quickly seem to come to an end.
I hope your remaining days of 2011 are pleasant and 2012 will be kind and gentle to you and yours.
I did get several books for Christmas that I’ll enjoy. Also a sweater, portable clip-on light, and the unusual gift of a personal geo-cache. Haven’t found it yet, but am planning to do so later this week. I have an idea where it generally is located and am looking forward to finding it.
The weather promises to be mild and sunny for the next several days, so I’m thinking about taking down the outdoor display on Friday or maybe Saturday of this week. It was kind of fun to put up and enjoy from night to night, but even with good things, there comes a time to put it back into the boxes.
The train is up and running in the garage. Hopefully, there will be some who stop by during the mild weather and run it. The garage tends to heat up in the afternoons when the sun shines on the west doors and it’s downright pleasant in there during that time. I have a propane heater that takes the chill off, but often don’t have to run it because of the solar heating.
These days after Christmas and before the New Year seem to be similar, in many ways, to what we used to call the slow days of summer. Of course it’s cool out and not hot, but these days for those of us who don’t work over the holiday break are gifts of time that at once stretch for a couple of weeks, yet all too quickly seem to come to an end.
I hope your remaining days of 2011 are pleasant and 2012 will be kind and gentle to you and yours.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Renewal & Hope
The winter solstice is hard upon us. On December 21 at 11:30pm Central Standard Time, the earth will be tilted at the maximum away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that the days will generally become longer after that date.
I always enjoy it when the winter solstice comes because I know that there is an end to winter, cold, ice and snow. I know that spring is coming and things will again turn green and start growing. I also know that it will be a long haul from the winter solstice to the warm days of late April. There will be plenty more ice and snow storms…times of zero degrees or lower, and almost endless cloudy, dreary days and nights. But the solstice brings hope. Hope of renewal, refreshment, and the beauty of the creation as it grows and flourishes.
And isn’t that really what the hope that Peter describes in his first letter, chapter 3 and verse 15…isn’t that really kind of what that hope is? Not some kind of wishful thinking, but rather a longing and looking forward to, with the assurance of things present that what is hoped for will come to pass.
When the solstice comes this year, rejoice in the hope that is within you as you hope for the warmth and renewal of the spring to come.
I always enjoy it when the winter solstice comes because I know that there is an end to winter, cold, ice and snow. I know that spring is coming and things will again turn green and start growing. I also know that it will be a long haul from the winter solstice to the warm days of late April. There will be plenty more ice and snow storms…times of zero degrees or lower, and almost endless cloudy, dreary days and nights. But the solstice brings hope. Hope of renewal, refreshment, and the beauty of the creation as it grows and flourishes.
And isn’t that really what the hope that Peter describes in his first letter, chapter 3 and verse 15…isn’t that really kind of what that hope is? Not some kind of wishful thinking, but rather a longing and looking forward to, with the assurance of things present that what is hoped for will come to pass.
When the solstice comes this year, rejoice in the hope that is within you as you hope for the warmth and renewal of the spring to come.
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