Questions, Reflections and a Joy

TREK BIKE AND BROKEN TANKS

2008-05-28T04:33:00.002-05:00

My Trek Bike looks wonderful next to the tanks in the tank graveyard.

Why Waste time and Energy on Worry?

2008-05-02T12:20:00.004-05:00

Therefore do not worry about tommorrow for tommorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Easter 2008 Southwest Asia Worship Service

2008-04-10T23:38:00.005-05:00

Worshiping the Risen Lord in a far away country.... What a joy and celebration in the midst of a suffering land.

In some powerful way, this kind of event pushes back the felt darkness that has existed for so long in a part of the world rarely encountered by Americans.

He is Risen! He isRisen INDEED! So, what are the options?

That is the question that must be answered every time the Resurrection of our Living Lord comes to mind. What does that event in history mean for my life and my daily travels?

Central Asian Village - From the Air

2008-01-20T14:34:00.000-06:00

What can I say? I am simply away from home, doing my duty, for the next year. I pray that I will be up to the task, to honor God. I took a photo of a small village just before landing. It is amazing how people fill the country side here . It is not urban. It is a rural country, with signs of life observed in places that are quite surprising, such as on mountain sides with only goat trails connecting. Amazing to behold.

The Library of Congress

2007-08-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

So, what do we do with only two hours to visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.? If there is anything that frustrates me more, it is not having enough time to enjoy visiting a place like this. We walked around a little and took in a few of the sights, but there was so much more to do and to see.... The facility is cared for scrupulously and serves as a center of cultural learning. Written on the ceiling of a rotunda is a quote, "A LITTLE LEARNING IS A DANGEROUS THING DRINK DEEP OR TASTE NOT OF THE PIERIAN SPRING." We drank very little from that spring.

What Price is Paid?

2007-07-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

What price is paid for the freedom to blog, to visit libraries, to worship one's god, or to walk without absolute terror of surprise death in a mall? That is a question to ponder.

I took this photo a few months back and put it into a "photo album." At first glance, one might say that the photo hearkens to an earlier era, because it is a Sepia print. Yet, don't be fooled; this photo is only a few months old. Many such photos are being taken daily as American men and women give their lives sacrificially accross the globe. Families and friends stand comforting one another as departing words try to help broken hearts; then the remains are placed under the soft earth. The nation should ever be thankful for their service and dedication. TAPS is an organization designed to assist family members in grief over such loss. I highly recommend it.

Why Celebrate Freedom?

2007-07-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

I thank God for life, liberty and hapiness - a free nation's gift to its citizens. I am also thankful for those who choose to defend this freedom, often paying a price that most would not.

Wren Cross Controversey? What's up?

2007-03-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

The Wren Cross controversy at
William and Mary has quickly been resolved, apparently.

I took this photo a few days ago as a reminder of the power of media pressure. I wanted to take the shot before they put the cross back, this time behind a glass door. My opinion of the fracas revolves around the concept of symbol and substance. I would rather see a vibrant community of faith on this campus, influencing men and women to walk with Christ and turn from a life leading to nothingness and tragedy, than win a mere symbolic battle. After all, the cross as a symbol can mean many things and has, for many people. Building a community of faith is what matters most. Such substance will always trump the symbolic. The symbolic is nice to have, but it is not always a sign of health. Indeed, God can do great works without the trappings of traditional Christian symbols. In truth, the creation of new symbols is often a sign of renewal. What new symbols are out there today in the Christian community?

InterVarsity

2007-01-30T19:57:00.000-06:00

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is one of my all-time favorite resources for information about my faith in Christ. The resources available are not only highly relevant but practical.

William and Mary - Here we are.

2006-12-21T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here we are! The opportunity to complete another academic program at a local school, the College of William & Mary was enjoyable. My wife Josephine stands beside me. Of course we can all see who the beautiful one is. It ain't me.

Berlin 1978

2006-05-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

Here I am, such a long time ago. I was an American living in the fascinating city of Berlin, West Berlin, working on top of a hill made of rubble in a forest named Grunnie. I had a fascinating adventure as a very young adult in my late teens.
This was one view of Berlin I experienced, perhaps one that should never be forgotten. I learned to love the city and its wonderfully diverse people, despite the ever present reminder that humans are able to perform great evil upon each other. My fear if one can call it that, is that the people of this great city will quickly forget the cost paid to bring freedom, indeed, to scorn the price paid by others for their freedom.

Leadership - Secrets of Jumping Toads

2006-05-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tips for Jumping Your Toad!

One of the earliest memories I have of life in California is of the time honored Calaveras County Frog Jumping Contest.

The Nineteenth Century American author, Mark Twain, told a fictional tale about the competition occurring in the 1840s. The contest has become an actual tradition and continues to this today as a tourist attraction.

As a young boy, my family attended this yearly event when we lived near Sutter Creek, California. Mike, my little brother entered a toad into the race. Needless to say, his toad didn't qualify when examined and jumped by the contest official, who said, "Son, this is not a frog."

Unfortunately, there was no toad competition at the frog jumping contest either. So, we simply watched from the sidelines, with no frog of our own to "jump" and our toad resting quietly in the tin bucket. For years this incident was a comical "hoot" in our home, and I imagine my brother never forgot the experience. I haven't and I never let him. Yet, it holds beautiful lessons about life.

Jumping that toad was not a wasted affair. Indeed, it demonstrated initiative, faith, and character.
I believe applying this story to other situations in life is useful. A toad offered in ignorance as a jumper in life's frog jumping contest is better than a toad or even a frog passing the day in a tin bucket.

If you have tried to do a good thing and someone tells you, "Friend, Your toad is not a frog." Don't be bothered too much by the put down, for you have accomplished something. You have gained the useful knowledge that your toad is not a frog. You have also learned that leadership initiative learns from mistakes. You have taken a worthy risk. And next year, you will return to the jumping contest, enlightened by the earlier encounter, but with a frog in hand, ready to jump. On that day, you will confidently pull the frog out of that tin bucket and present it to the contest officials.

This was true for my brother Mike. We returned to enter his frog the following year. Friend, trying to jump a toad is better than doing nothing at all. Jump that toad! If things don't work out, you were still a leader of initiative. Good leaders are wise risk takers and all of them jump toads at some point in life. If every leader kept his or her toad in the tin bucket, nothing would get done. Jump them toads!

This story also shows us that life is never a perfect journey. We will all face obstacles, perhaps a difficult individual or a discouraging environment, pointing our hearts toward cynicism and dejection. Yet, it is possible to find one's way even in such conditions. It takes faith, the willingness to be vulnerable, and the decisiveness of a leader.

You may have brought a toad to that frog jumping contest. Your toad may have been denied entrance. But you did the right thing. For now, watch the race and learn; then get your frog in shape for the next event.

Educational Opportunities and Resources

2006-01-03T21:10:00.001-06:00

Select Places of Learning Changing Lives
http://www.regent-college.edu/ Regent College in Vancouver, Canada - A great place to ask questions and meet thinking and reflective believers
http://www.gcts.edu/ Gordon Conwell in Mass. - A great place to learn about practical ministry as well as learn
http://www.vanguard.edu/ Vanguard Univ. in Southern California - Small Christian Liberal Arts School with supurb faaculty
http://www.globaluniversity.edu/Great Internet Resource for learning online

Let's Go Out to the Movies

2006-01-03T20:59:00.000-06:00

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/index.htm
http://www.filmscouts.com/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/

News

2006-01-03T19:54:00.000-06:00

Drudge - Shocking and Fascinating News on an Hourly Basis from the Iconoclast Matt Drudge
Fox News - Fair and ballanced, so it is claimed, but I have my doubts
Washington Times - Right Leaning
Washington Post - Left Leaning
Singapore Straits Times - Very Fine Paper

SARS Season: Friends in Hong Kong

2006-01-03T19:12:00.001-06:00

We Are All Wearing Masks in Hong Kong. (I'm the giant; my wife is the short one; and my son is the leaning one with a colorful shirt. We were able to get very cheap rooms in the Conrad Hotel during the SARS outbreak of 2003. The Conrad.... Many people walked the streets with masks like this, and of course we joined in. Such an adventure....

My Chocolate Love or "I Was Only Hungry"

2005-12-29T16:08:00.002-06:00

My Chocolate Love or "I Was Only Hungry" <http://www.allchocolate.com/>
I have a secret. A few days ago I finished the bag of rich tasty chocolate <http://www.allchocolate.com/> my wife bought and shipped to me while deployed to Afghanistan. I know that I shouldn't have eaten everything in the bag, but nevertheless, I have done so; and it felt and tasted fine, so very fine. Each piece tasted tremendous; and I might even do it again.
My gluttonous deed leads me to wonder and ask a question. Is this a momentary individual weakness or a root character flaw? Will the practice be demonstrated in other areas of my life? This love for placing chocolate piece by piece into my mouth, could it be an addictive gene? I must have eaten the last fifteen heart sized chocolate morsels in the bag, all within a four minute time span. The horror of it all!
What would I look like if I did it every day? How would my loved ones feel? Do you face similar temptations only to lose the battle, time after time? What can we do?
This leads me to an important observation about life. One of my top movie choices is Disney's "A Bug's Life" (1998). My favorite character is the worm, Heimlich. Heimlich is a green fat fellow. I believe the character Heimlich has spoken profound words explaining much of life.
Heimlich's words, at least, make life more comprehensible for me.
On one occasion, justifying why he ate something from a garbage can, Heimlich said, "I was only hungry." That is it! Those words are the secret to so much that happens in this universe. Someone simply was hungry. They wanted it; and they sought it. They took it. Their desire
turned to action. So do our desires.
Friend, if every one of our desires becomes action we are all going to be in trouble. At some point we just have to say "No" to our desires.
This is called "self discipline" or self control." And self control is what greatness is built upon.
Some people go to great lengths to get what they want. They will literally run you over to feed their desire. Such can become destructive enough to consume their lives. We must turn away from desires like that, but it is oh so hard. We must make the hard right choice and say "no!" If we don't we will be like Heimlich, continually savaging around trying to meet an out of control need.
In the fifth chapter of the letter to the Galatians in the Bible, the Apostle Paul points out that things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are practices leading to spiritual success. I truly believe self-control is placed at the end of the list because it is so important and contributes to the others.

My Blog's Start

2005-12-28T21:52:00.002-06:00

This is the Start of my first Blog. I doubt it will ever match the creative skill and hard work evidenced in the links I post on this site, but if I do stimulate thought and reflection upon the ultimate (God), it will have served its purpose.
If you do stumble upon this site, feel free to respond. If I can encourage any ideological disequilibrium leading to reflection upon God, It will be a happy day for me. That is a major part of what I am all about, gently nudging people to think about God. Thank you for spending a few moments. I hope and believe that my approach will help someone to consider inching closer to the One who died for us all. "Live for the One," to quote one of my favorite television shows. Please forgive my constant revisions. DonAlive.