Random Thoughts 6/30/05

• Former KU star Wayne Simeon was drafted by the Miami Heat, the only Jayhawk to get drafted. Miami is where Shaq plays. **drums fingers on table out of boredom** Back to college ball, three highly-touted freshmen are coming into the KU program; as blue-chip prospects, some say all three could start. Mario Chalmers, from Alaska, is my early favorite. He was perhaps the most exciting player in the McDonald's All-American game; he handled the ball, shot, drove, passed, played defense, it was great! He seemed like the only one taking the game seriously. He also won the three point contest. I like him a lot.

• I just read Aslan's Call by Mark Eddy Smith. I enjoyed it but don't read this book if you've not read the Chronicles of Narnia yet. It's full of spoilers; it's supposed to be. The purpose of the book is to examine the stories in a spiritual light. And it does a good job of that. I just hope that some of those folks making the movie have some grasp of what these stories really mean. The least they can do is read this book first, to understand more fully and to be able to read between the lines with Christian eyes.
  
• There are new military radios transmitting at 390 MHz. That wouldn't be a problem except that 390 MHz, which the military has owned for years, is the same frequency as garage door openers. If you live near a military base and your garage door opener quits working, or starts working on its own, you may have to buy a new system.
• My kids are now on a lightning bug craze. Every night they insist on going out to catch lightning bugs. They let them go and re-catch them and let them go again. When I was that age, I caught them and smeared them across my shirt. Hmmm, good times, good times…
• I've reached 1500 hits for my website. That's about 10 hits a day. Not a lot. But that's ok. Most of my readers are friends and family. If you read my blog, let me know.
  

Selective Memory, part 2

Here's a response from an agitated blogger: plemeljr said...

Look, the President's conflation of September 11th and Iraq is "driving us batty" because it is clearly a lie and a deception aimed at the American people. Regardless of what Andrew McCarthy says, Iraq is not linked to September 11th - just ask US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Or perhaps every single report concerning September 11th - including September 11th Commission Final Report. Islamofascist terrorist groups very well might be operating in the Iraq theatre, but it is only because the President's foolhardy invasion of Iraq.

You can find more of this rant on their website. It's cynical and jaded and simplistic. It assumes the worst and has no new ideas. But you're welcome to read it.

Here was my response (with a few edits):

Well I looked, (try not to get so upset), and I'm not seeing any of the conspiratorial lies of the Vietnam era White House.

Here's the distinction that you may be failing to see. No one, including the president, has been able to link Saddam Hussein to 9/11. Saddam was not the 20th hijacker.

But, replacing Saddam with a democracy, which everyone agrees was necessary and became official US policy under Clinton (not Bush), IS PART OF THE SOLUTION. And it's a brilliant one.

Police work is not going to prevent future attacks. Being nice is not going to prevent future attacks. Fundamentally changing the culture which breeds and sustains this ideology will do the job.

Why Afghanistan? Because we had to. But the 'stan is not likely to infect its neighbors with democracy.

Why Iraq and not Syria or Iran or someone else? Because Iraq is far and away the best candidate:

• A large, educated, secular, middle class is rare in the middle east.
• Also, Iraq is uniquely a conflation (I had to look that word up) of different ethnic/religious groups and that's a good thing.
• We were already in position (since '91) to finish Iraq off (remember otherwise we'd still be there today getting shot at in the no-fly-zones).
• Unseating Saddam undermines the other Baathist regimes in the area (like Syria, which just pulled out of Lebanon--it's working!).

Here's another way of looking at it. If communist agents had conducted 9/11 (let's say from Cambodia). We'd probably have invaded North Korea instead of Iraq. Not following me? The president's approach is to attack the disease, not the symptom. To undo communist aggression, we would need to free people from the grips of communism. North Korea would be the logical first step, since we have been sitting on its border for 50 years. We would then create pressure on China by establishing a democracy on its border, affecting the young reformers in that country (this is what we're doing to Iran). Some countries you invade, others you let fall to internal pressures. [This analogy is not perfect but there are some striking similarities.]

Also consider the filter that most of us see things through. The Watergate distrust of (Republican) government officials, the assumption that they have hidden agendas and are telling us bold-faced lies, the assumption from Vietnam that all wars are immoral and always wrong, and our side is always more wrong than the enemy -- affects how most people over 30 view President Bush (those under 30 are still watching MTV or are serving in Iraq already).

Thanks, I eagerly await your reply. God bless,
Jared.

Selective memory is a good title here. Because all that some people want to remember is the WMD issue. I remember thinking at the time that too much emphasis was put on this one reason and not the many others. But that doesn't undo the reality, that many other reasons exist and always have.

The pathological distrust of the President is sad. The stone throwing by people who don't have any proactive solutions at all is sad. I have trouble identifying what they're actually for.

Ronald Reagan said it well, "The trouble with our liberal friends are not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."

Selective Memory

I've been hoping that folks have gotten over the hateful Bush-bashing that ran rampant last year. I'm also hoping that the average person will have some grasp on how momentous this period of history is (hundreds of years from now the introduction of democracy into the Middle East will still be having an effect). But, as I said, I'm afraid a lot of people are missing the point. Too self-absorbed? Too partisan? Too short-sighted? I don't know.

The conspiracy theorists have been pushing the "Downing Street Memo" for the last few months. It doesn't amount to anything, Tony Blair (no conservative but willing to do the right thing) says it's bunk, and the cartoon below says it all:


Conspiracy theorists have their own agenda. Driven by paranoia and emotion, they ignore mountains of facts, discern the motivations of people they've never met, and see connections that just don't exist to contrive their stories. There are no accidents; there are no mistakes. Everything is part of the conspiracy. I've also noticed how often conspiracy theorists tie everything to a super-powerful mind-controlling Satanic figure (I'm serious about this). I think that's how they dismiss how unlikely their theories are.

*sigh*

Well, for those who may be persuaded by facts, here's a short article by Austin Bay about why removing Saddam was important to the War on Terror. In short, promoting democracy is fighting terror.

Here's an even better article, "The Day that Binds," specifically enumerating why 9/11 and the War on Terror is connected to Iraq. And more of the same from Andrew McCarthy here.

Foxtrot on Being a Geek

This is too funny! If you don't get it, don't worry. Congratulate yourself on not being a total nerd. That being said, I still think Dustin would be a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings if he'd just read the books!

Just Noticed

**UPDATE 6/29: Well nevermind. I watched the speech when I got home (thanks Tivo). It was still rough in places but was much better than my first impression over the radio. The President was earnest and sincere and his facial expressions/body language made up for his mediocre elocution. And the soldiers there seemed to love him.**

I was hoping for a speech from the President tonight that would be a powerful, persuasive stem-winder that would light a fire under American public opinion. Instead, listening on the radio, I heard a rather boring, disjointed, 28-minute accounting of reasons why we're in Iraq.

Now I know our president is not a gifted speaker. But yikes! What was that? I was reaching a point of frustration: You're not connecting! Stop pausing between each line like you're reading this for the first time! Address us directly! Stop sounding like you're reading the phone book!!! Argh!!!

But then immediately afterwards, ABC radio played several soundbites of the president's speech. And by themselves, out of context (or the lack of context) they sounded alright!

That makes me think that the president was speaking for the sake of the soundbite, not the live audience. That's too bad. A better speaker (like Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan for instance) could do both. Personally, I think if you're being recorded the best thing is to focus on the people there with you. Make communication with them a priority and let the soundbites worry about themselves. Perhaps the President's speech writers feel they must choose one or the other and they know most Americans will not sit through a half-hour speech but will see snippets of it later.

I think history will forget President Bush's speeches but will remember his character and principle.

Of Bedsheets and Blood Pressure Cuffs

I went and had my blood pressure taken at Wal-Mart. I'd been feeling kinda funny the last few months (no surprise, as I'm quite a bit overweight) and then last week I started having little twinges of pain in my legs and then my arms too.

So I went and got it checked. I'm just shy of 29 years old, so I'd like to think that I've got a few more miles left in me. But I also know enough to live as if the Lord is coming back tomorrow, so I'm very content with my life, my relationships, and what I do with my days.

Nevertheless, I have to say I'm a bit shaken with the prospect of serious illness (it's very inefficient you know and not a little uncomfortable). So I've determined that I just have to give up.

You expected "buckle down, straighten up, try harder, work, work, work!" didn't you? You see, my sin of poor physical stewardship is just that, a sin. I could potentially buckle down and make some headway by sheer force of will, but that will only work for awhile and it addresses a symptom, not the problem. In fact, any potential success would only be like pulling on the corner of a too-small fitted sheet only to have a different corner pop out of place. How many times will I keep repeating this? Will I eventually quit and leave the far corner undone, hidden under the bedsheets?

I need the problem itself fixed. And the first step is to give up control. I've been in control for three decades and my track record speaks for itself. I need the One who made me to actually have control. And permanently. For real this time. Or things will never change.

By the way, my blood pressure was 118/79.

Deaths In Iraq

Here's an interesting map that shows where each fatality has been in Iraq. As it progresses chronologically each death flashes onto the map. It's really something.

Though it's true that this war has had fewer casualties overall, fewer deaths per number wounded, and fewer deaths per number of soldiers involved than almost any other war, this map is still pretty sobering.

The 23rd Channel

The TV is my shepherd. My spiritual growth shall want.
It maketh me to sit down and do nothing for its name’s sake,
Because it requireth all my spare time.
It keepeth me from doing my duty as a Christian,
Because it presenteth so many good shows that I must see.
It restoreth my knowledge of the things of the world,
And keepeth me from the study of God’s Word.
It leadeth me in the paths of failing to attend the evening church services,
And doing nothing in the kingdom of God.
Yea, though I live to be a hundred,
I shall keep viewing my TV as long as it will work,
For it is my closest companion.
Its sounds and pictures, they comfort me.
It presenteth entertainment before me
And keepeth me from doing important things with my family.
It fills my head with ideas which differ from those in the Word of God.
Surely, no good thing will come out of my life
Because of so many wasted hours,
And I shall dwell in my regrets and remorse forever.

Thanks Cecil Redway et al. for pointing this out.

Drawing the Short Straw

or

Taming the Feral Children

or

Herding Grasshoppers

We watched my brother's children last night. That's a 3 year old and a 2 year old in addition to our own (4, 3, and 1). A little crazy. But 90% of them slept 90% of the time, so it worked out. We ran them ragged, hosed them off, threw them in bed, fed them breakfast and viola, it was time to go!

We did have a problem getting Cora to go to bed (her last trip downstairs was about 2am). Kelby got up at 6am, rifled through our cabinets, found some fruit snacks, and was ready to start his day. But Shannon did a fantastic job; she's nearly unflappable.

Elders

May God bless our Elders at Wyandotte County Christian Church. They have such profound humility. It's not about their own innate skill or wisdom. It's about the Lord's power working through them. And these guys, as much as any I've seen, are committed to humbly doing the Lord's will in their own lives and in the ministry God's given them. It is inspiring.

Show-Me report

We had Show-Me Christian Youth Home visit church June 12 to present their program to us during Sunday School. We took up a love offering of $1013.91. We support them as one of our missions and we also give $5000 each year to their scholarship fund out of our scholarship endowment.

Pray for the Youth Group

The youth group will be leaving for Colorado in the morning to go to CIY. Fourteen people are going and they'll be gone 'til next Saturday night. Pray for a safe trip and a spiritually challenging week.

Random Thoughts 6/23/05

• Brennan and Tanner and I went out and played in the yard this evening. We found a little toad about the size of a marble, a big toad the size of a baseball, and lots of lightning bugs. The boys were giddy with joy, running back and forth. We caught a lightning bug and, as it crawled over my hand, I asked if we should let it fly away. Brennan said, "Yeah, like the song! *I'll fly away, oh glory , I'll fly away!" And he was on key!
• I'm watching Fiddler on the Roof for the third or fourth time. Classic (won three Oscars, nominated for eight). If you haven't seen it, you need to. If you've already seen it, watch it again with a Christian eye. Did you catch Tevye's misquotes of scripture? Or the elements of Jewish culture that derive from Old Testament passages you know? Does your heart ache for folks who know our God but missed the Messiah when he came?
• I shopped at Sam's Club today for the first time in six or seven years. Cool. They handed me my card in a few seconds (it used to take a lot longer). I'm glad the church is buying stuff there now. It'll save a lot of money.
• Speaking of new places to go, the IHOP down the road just opened (tell Grandma it's just as good as an International House of Pancakes). They're also constructing a new McDonald's with a play area in front of the new theater.
• The new sermon series that is starting this week is on the various names of God. It's fascinating stuff.
• General John Abizaid, a top general of Arab-American descent who has figured prominently throughout the Iraq war, testified alongside Rumsfeld today before the Senate. There may be a lot you don't know about him: His real-life heroics were recreated in a Clint Eastwood movie. Remember the scene in Heartbreak Ridge where Eastwood's Marines took a bridge by commandeering a bulldozer? And later they rescued the med students at the university? That was actually Abizaid and his Rangers. He's Arab-American (Lebanese) and speaks fluent Arabic, but his family is Christian. He's a graduate of West Point and Harvard.
  

Power in the Blood

Tanner, our middle child, asked his mommy the other day, "Does bugs have God and Jesus in dur hearts?"

Shannon smiled and replied softly, "No, sweetheart."

"Yes day do! When I squish 'em, blood comes out!!!"

Needless to say, our 3-year-old doesn't have a grasp on the finer points of theology quite yet. But he's learning. And he's got the cutest prayers you've ever seen: You can't understand anything he says -- he kind of babbles in a whisper -- but he squints his eyes shut, clasps his hands, bites his lip, and emphatically shakes his head as if he were praying to shut the mouths of lions. Every time! It's really something.

Acronym Fever

We love acronyms. Whether it's the military or technology or bureaucracy, we just can't help ourselves.

This last week I was having a conversation about the windows machine we use on Sundays. It flakes out on us, it's cheaply made, rarely works correctly, crashes often, and even our experts seem to have only marginal control over it (kind of like dealing with a federal judge, now that I think of it). We currently have 2 macs in the office, one wintel in the library (which I don't have to use), and the one wintel in the sanctuary. Apparently this fragile, often crashing, Hindenburg of personal computing needs a PCMCIA, which sounds expensive.

Well, I got on the internet and looked up PCMCIA to see just what that means. I went to acronymfinder.com and discovered it means "Peripheral Component Microchannel Interconnect Architecture," which is exactly what I would have guessed. But some clever techie figures it also means "People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms," which I think is more appropriate.

The military is the worst though, as they shamelessly build their acronyms backwards, finding a catchy word first and then finding a description that's within the ballpark. A fun party game: find a good militaristic word and check it at militarywords.com.

SHIELD = Silicon Hybrids with Infrared Extrinsic Long-wavelength Detectors
SPEAR = Selectable Precision Effects At Range
EAGLE = Executive Advisory Group for Logistics Excellence
MARS = Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability
MARS = Multi-Level Analysis and Reduction Suite
TIGER = Tactical Intelligence Gathering Exploitation Relay

Yeah, and that's what you would've called it anyway, right?

Happy Father's Day

Whew, today went by fast (sleeping over three hours in the afternoon will do that).

My best gift by far was actually from my Dad. He mowed while we were gone so I didn't have to do that Sunday afternoon. Awesome.

In Other Words…

I was just thinking of other ways to communicate the title of this blog, The Grass is Not Always Greener.

I mean it to say that we should be content where we're at and not assume that a different scenario would automatically be any better.

Well, I realized that there are several ways to say that. Here's a few (and who I've heard use it), can you think of more?

• "Bloom where you're planted." -- my Mom
• "Dance with the girl that brung ya." -- my Jr. High football coach
  
• "You have to do the best with what God gave you." --Forrest Gump's mom
• "Be like the turtle, at ease in your own shell." -- Bill Copeland, author
  

Week's Wrap-Up 7/18/05

• We got back from a week of camp today (Jr. High church camp at Mission Lake Christian Camp). I preached five sermons on "knowing Christ" from Philippians chapter 3. It seemed really well received and there were several decisions the last two nights.
  
• When we arrived home our yard was freshly mowed. It appears my Dad trimmed everything up while we were gone. Pretty cool, especially since the first pass must have been with a machete.
• The boys absolutely loved camp. Brennan took his toy light sabers and had a duel with anyone and everyone at camp. Tanner, age 3, sang Kumbaya (two whole verses) at talent night.
  
• It was good to get away from the TV and radio and internet for a week. But I missed the whole Michael Jackson debacle. Just think of the migraines I could of had reacting to that mess! Now what am I going to do with my time?
  
• Speaking of strange, the camp was for Jr. High kids. They are right on the divide between children and young adults. Some of them can make adult decisions, some of them are not even close. They are a mess of emotions and hormones and awkward in every single way. They're good kids but, wow, do they leave you scratching your head!
  

Professional Heroes

This article is another must read, written by a surgeon working in Iraq.

What strikes me is the professionalism here that was absent in depictions of past military doctors, such as M*A*S*H. In fact, I keep noticing it every time I read something about the military today. Soldiers today seem more professional and high-speed compared to what we've seen in the past, both real-life and fictional. Sure, we still have Abu Graib perverts and folks who decide they don't want to do their jobs anymore, but look at any other war and you'll find the same.

But now I'm seeing an esprit de corps and a professional ethic like what was once the exception. This is due in large part to the fact that these guys are all volunteers. No draftees here. I think this alone dramatically reduces the number of slackers and foot-draggers. The entire military is now on par with what WW2 paratroopers and submariners used to be: volunteer, professional, a cut above.

Gone for the Week

I'll be gone Sunday thru Thursday next week, so there will be few if any posts during that time.

I'm preaching at Mission Lake Christian Camp. It'll be Jr. High week and I'm taking the whole family. We're looking forward to it!

Apple, Intel, and Other Abominations

There's a fantastic FAQ (frequently asked questions) about the whole Apple/Intel issue here. It's very imformative and comprehensive. Anything you'd want to know is pretty much covered.

My impression is that computer games are the most vulnerable area for Mac users. And it's not that they won't be able to play games, it's just that they might have to temporarily run Windows off a second harddrive to do it. And that's the high end games, not the solitarie-type stuff you play at work for 5 minutes.

I hear future mac gamers saying, "I'm on level 99!!! Wait… no! Please… NO!!! It froze! I HATE WINDOWS!!!"

There, there, we know. We know.

Divorce in the Army

Pray for our soldiers' marriages. This article shows how divorce among our soldiers (especially the officers) is skyrocketing. Several factors contribute: the stress of separation, traumatic experiences, bonding with others, etc.

Idea: What if we sent soldiers and their wives to Family Life's Weedend to Remember? It's perhaps the best Christian Marriage Conference of which I know; some folks enjoy it so much they go every year. It seems like something churches would want to invest in, perhaps giving "scholarships" to military couples or marriages in crisis.

Star Wars Personality Test

I took a personality test that said I'm "Yoda" from Star Wars. I think this means I like to teach and have morals. I'm afraid it means I'm a little anti-social and no one understands me when I'm talking. Hmmm…

G-Rated = Top Rated

Want your movie to turn a profit? Then shun the sex and violence. This article confirms what has been known for awhile.

While the movie industry produced nearly 12 times more R-rated films than G-rated films from 1989-2003, the average G-rated film produced 11 times greater profit than its R-rated counterpart.

"Profit" in this study does not include revenue derived from merchandising, licensing or fast-food tie-ins. If those revenue streams were included, the average profit for G, PG and PG-13 films would rise dramatically, while the average profit for R-rated films would not, because sales of toys and other licensed products are rarely associated with R-rated films

And this isn't a pharisaical anti-R-rated rant. The study says it does "not seek to eradicate R-rated films, and has endorsed select movies that have a redemptive message, including "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," "Amistad" and "The Passion of the Christ." "

The study also says the industry is figuring this out. The number of R-rated films is dropping and the number of G-rated films is increasing.

Meanwhile, I'm waiting with baited breath for the "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." See the trailer here.

Caught Flat-Footed

I'm enough of a news-hound that few things catch me completely off-guard. Until now…

Monday, Apple confirmed rumors (which I'd heard last week and dismissed) that they are switching processors, from IBM to Intel. Intel?! INTEL?!!! NO!!! Why?! Oh Lord, why? **curls into fetal-position, shivering like a leaf and wishing the world to end**

Actually it's not that bad. Not bad at all.

The processor is the part of a computer that "thinks" and for the last ten years Macs have been "thinking" with chips made by IBM. That's right, IBM has been making the brains of Macintosh computers since the mid-90's. But Intel chips have been able to increase their speed to a degree that IBM has lost whatever advantages it once offered. And Intel does it without generating a lot of heat (put my laptop on your legs and feel the burn; it's been described as "wicked" hot). The IBM chips have hit a wall, lagging further and further behind. They can get somewhat faster but they'll keep getting hotter, which means they need to be in larger, louder machines -- not the direction Apple wants to go (although all of the new video game consoles will be using IBM's chip).

So the experts have told us this is not the end of the Mac (see Forbes article). Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, has said your current Mac will be supported for years and new "Intel" Macs (due out in a year or so) will seamlessly run old Mac software. For the foreseeable future, all Macs will run all Mac software. Just as many Mac users never realized that IBM was under the hood, many will not be bothered that Intel is there.

In coming years Macs will get much faster, probably cheaper, and they will run your entertainment world. Someday soon your Mac will integrate seamlessly with your entire home entertainment system. It will manage your TV and movie watching just like an iPod manages your music. Everything will be wireless and high-bandwidth. This is why Apple is switching to Intel, to sell you movies in your home. I wouldn't buy stock in Blockbuster right now.

Everything good about a Mac will still be there; Macintosh lives on! And you won't have to endure a future of a Windows machine freezing and crashing everyday.

Buyer's note: So do you buy a Mac right now? If you're buying something new right away, like an iMac or PowerMac, I wouldn't hesitate. It might be two years before the replacement comes out and you'll be supported in the 4-to-5 year window you intend to use that machine. But if you're looking at a mac-mini, a laptop, or you just have to have the lastest thing off the assembly line, then wait until mid-to-late-'06. That's what I'm going to do with my work computer. I'm still undecided about things at home.

Military Notes

Here's some military stuff:

• JD Johannes, a retired Marine from Kansas, has a pretty good blog as an embedded reporter/observer in Iraq (he just returned to Kansas this week). Read about his "insurance policies" here. Read about Silver Platoon here and a list of Marines in this unit from KC, Topeka, and Columbia here.
• Read "I Dodged the Draft, And I was Wrong," by Mark Helprin.
• Here's an article from Stars & Stripes about a new memorial for the 1st Infantry Division. This statue is in Germany, but when the 1st ID moves back to Ft. Riley in a few years, they'll bring the statue and all other memorials with them. I'll have to make an extra effort to go see it with my boys.
  

12 Step Program

Here's an old piece you may have seen making the circles in recent months, "12 Step Program for Liberals." No offense meant to my liberal democrat friends, I just find it funny. For example:

Step 10: Eat a hamburger.
If God didn't intend for us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat.

Thanks to Jerry Agar for the heads up.

Lion Cut

We shaved our cat yesterday. We left a tuft at the end of her tail, the fur on her legs, and her mane.

Tanner spotted her for the first time and yelled, "It's a naked kitty!"

It's just plain funny. You gotta see it.

P.S. It's amazing how the cat's "depression" improved after we cut a Wal-Mart bag amount of hair off her.

Happy Donut Day

Hmmm… donuts…

We took the kids to Krispy Kreme this morning. They were giving away free donuts hot off the conveyer belt because it was National Donut Day.

It's just wrong how good a piping-hot glazed donut is as it melts in your mouth. Each bite takes weeks off your life and yet no one complains! Surely only drug dealers and cigarette companies could be more conscious of how they're shamelessly killing off their customers.

And, oh yeah, I figured out what Krispy Kreme's secret ingredient is. After searching the internet and finding suggestions such as vanilla, potato flour, and cream-of-mushroom soup, I discovered that the secret ingredient is…

Are you ready?

…crack cocaine. I'm sure of it! My cousin's roommate's sister's best friend knows a guy who used to work next door to a Krispy Kreme and he says it's true. Besides, it just makes sense.

Political Cartoon

Everyone ought to see this cartoon. It says things well. Thanks to Kev Bayer for pointing it out.

Random Thoughts 6/2/05

• Our van is fixed (we just pray that it stays that way for awhile). Thank you!
  
• Yesterday was our 9th anniversary. I sort of had a three day weekend beforehand. I took Saturday off last week and Monday this week (for Memorial Day). Sunday I was free after Noon. So we had a bit of time together, knowing that Wednesday would be crazy.
• Our cat went to the vet (missing fur, strange behavior, etc.). The vet said the cat was depressed and needed to be medicated. "Has she had any stress in her life recently?" Stress? You mean other than sleeping 20 hours a day, eating between naps, never going outside or seeing another animal, and getting the undivided attention of a family of five? No, not much stress for the cat. C'mon!!! The cat will have to get over any stress she may have.
• We saw Star Wars Monday. I'm less impressed each passing day. It was the best Star Wars since Empire Strikes Back, but that's really not saying much. After watching Peter Jackson skillfully craft the Lord of the Rings movies, the whole Star Wars franchise comes off a little 2nd class in most areas. The only area that was top notch: design of the props, sets, costumes, etc. Every kid (and big kid) is going to want the Star Wars toys.
• What was wrong with Star Wars? Well, George Lucas had a great idea. He's an "idea guy." But he should have delegated more of the plot development to people who had talent for such things. Or at least people who could write decent dialog (which all of the movies suffer from, regardless of the actors involved). What did we learn today kids? Don't micro-manage, even if you are a "genius." Nobody's good at everything.
• It was great to see Cordell H. home from West Point. He goes back for training soon (hey, he just got here!) and then on to his second year at the academy. Our prayers go with him.
• Elijah had a doctor's appointment the other day. 13 months, 31 pounds. That's 99th percentile territory folks. Not bad for a baby that had intestinal surgery! Our fat little "halfling" has begun swinging his arms in boredom as he stands around waiting for something to happen. It's pretty cute!
  

Blogger in Iraq

Here's a link to Michael Yon, a freelance author/journalist in Northern Iraq. One good reason to check it out: He has lots of pictures of things you probably don't see in the main stream media, like grocery stores that could be mistaken for American ones and medics helping children and other such stories. Very interesting.

The Lord will Provide

God knows our needs and is faithful to take care of us. Do you trust Him?

I had a root canal that cost me $658. That was about 658 more than I had available at the time. But we prayed and God has worked it out. A babysitting job, a paid position at church camp, an anonymous gift, and viola, God provides $650. None of it came out of the money we live on. And I don't believe in coincidences.

Yes we had to work for some of it. But God never said he'd provide by dropping it out of the clear blue sky. The timing is providential and we're giving glory where it's due.

We've been having van troubles. Our best available option seemed to be to go further into debt and trade up to a more reliable vehicle. We weren't discontent -- we liked our van, but since it seemed to be on the verge of giving up the ghost, we felt we were in a corner. Then we received a phone call from a man we've never met offering to fix the van at his shop… for free. Another anonymous gift, probably from one of our brothers or sisters at church.

If you don't spend much time at church and if you don't slow down and get to know your church family. You are cutting yourself off from this avenue of God's blessing. We shared our needs during Sunday School as we always have. And this time God provided an answer, almost certainly through that class. That can't happen if you won't let it.

God is good all the time. All the time God is good.