After going through some of the initial coursework on the new Leadership Course, my mind has been thinking about the various aspects of leadership that we deal with in this life. Every one of us has been under the leadership of someone; most notably God, our parents, a boss at work, teachers, etc. Many of us have had the opportunity to lead in some way, whether by being a manager at some company, or just taking a lead role on some class project... Maybe even being a parent or an older sibling. In the Leadership Course, we're learning the proper way to becoming a leader. But in the course of our life, we come into contact with managers, bosses, and other types of leadership that can anger 0r frustrate us. I've read Paul's admonition in Ephesians 5 and 6 about the parent/child and master/servant relationships and how they apply to us. Simply put, leaders, don't abuse your power because God is your master, and servants, don't slack or give your boss less than you would Christ. Don't bicker and complain. But how do we apply that in everyday situations?
Have you ever worked for someone who's too proud of their position and gives you a lot of grief for it? Are they always reminding you of their role and power? I've almost found it laughable in some situations. I worked at Pizza Hut for 5 years in high school and a little over the summers in college. I decided during my 3rd year of college to get a job at the local Pizza Hut in my college (po-dunk) town. You should have seen the tiny kingdoms these folks set up for themselves. "I'm the waitress in charge of the salad bar." "I'm the lead assistant manager here." "Mike, you need to do your job the way I do it." Mind you, I've been doing this type of work as long or longer than many of them. But I found that by laughing about that type of behavior to myself, humbly smiling and saying, "Oh, okay, I'll be sure to do that," I tried not to start any fires. I only stayed at that job for 4-5 weeks because of class work overload, but by week 2, they were asking me for help, directions, etc. Mind you, I wasn't perceived to be in a leadership role there, I just knew what to do and people saw that. I was willing to help, or be a listening ear or whatever, and people appreciated that. They didn't feel underneath me. In fact, they befriended me as an equal, which was all I really wanted.
I'm trying not to brag here, but it was just one example that I was reminded of. Truthfully, I didn't know anybody there when I started, and my introverted side comes out when I'm uncomfortable, which makes me become quiet and courteous, even if it's a tad faked at times. :) What's stupid is when I got around people I felt comfortable around, THAT'S when I started complaining about others in the store, or talked about how I know more than others. Stupid, I know... So I need to learn to continue to be courteous and humble to everyone at all times, whether in a role of leadership or servitude. It's definitely shown me that work can be a lot smoother if we all get along.
One aspect of leadership that Mr. Millich discussed was being able to continually analyze ourselves. I think it would do us a great service to have a gigantic mirror held up to us so we can see how we really look and sound to others. Perhaps that's the beginning of God's present judgment on us and His future judgment on the rest of the world. "Here's what you're really like, Mike." Yikes! But it's only when we see what's wrong that we can do something about it. I occasionally pray for people who are completely oblivious to their abrasive personality and annoying or sinful habits, as well as my own. And I have many! When it comes to overcoming sin and our problems, it really comes down to whether we're thinking about ourselves or others. I think back to Isaiah 59:2 where it says, "But your iniquities [SELFISHNESS] have come between you and your God, and your sins [SELFISHNESS] have hidden His face from you, from hearing." We're often too busy doing our own thing to notice that we're not living God's way of service, kindness, gentleness, timeliness, patience and love. And once you've sampled the fruits of the Spirit, selfishness doesn't taste so good.
Along those lines, Mr. Ames has a great sermon out there on the church web site titled "God's Greatest Creation" that discusses how to build better character. In it, he talks about how he'll go over to someone's house and they'll be eating dinner. He might want some butter for his bread and before he can ask for it, the hostess is already offering it to him. He stated that's an example of actively looking for how we can serve others. It's a complete reversal from thinking about our own needs or priorities or pride. When you really think on that small example for a bit, you can really see thousands of instances where we can apply that principle: Do I clean up after myself, especially in other people's homes? Am I being courteous on the road or at the grocery store or even to my spouse or parents? Do I send cards to the sick? Do I pray for other people's sinful nature so they stop hurting themselves (as opposed to doing it so they'll quit hurting me) and live God's perfect way of life? That last one, isn't that the attitude behind the Work of God, making people's lives better?? Even taking the time to put yourself in someone else's shoes is serving someone because you may not like what they're doing to you, but you can at least sympathize with them. You're not retaliating because you've been there, done that. I think that's similar to one of the many reasons Christ emptied Himself to become human was to see what it was like on our level. Hebrews 4:15 - "For we do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."
So anyway, these are a few things that I've learned in my life about some of the everyday issues with leaders and followers. Leader's and followers must ask themselves, are we trying to serve ourselves or others? We might see a lot of pride, ego or even jealousy with worldly leaders and followers, but unfortunately those aspects are a part of this world's nature that we must destroy in our own character. And these are the kinds of things that the Leadership Course is trying to address. Then we might learn what being a (servant) leader really means so we can do a better job. Or so we can sympathize with the difficult jobs leaders have. What kinds of things have you been learning from the Leadership Course?
Friday, January 19, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Superstar
Has anybody else found Yanni and his Greek-goddess-of-a-wife to be this hot?? (Only minor touch-ups done to facial hair and fat cheekbone line...)
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Yippee!
...And on a far less serious note...
...And on an even lesser note: "No, Mr. Richardson, I don't believe that was me talking about your momma."
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Lessons from Romans
I finished up reading Romans yesterday... It's kind of interesting to note some of the major themes running through the latter parts of the letter and how those relate to both Mr. Meredith's recent messages on being a welcoming church and the situation with ministers leaving over "doctrinal" differences.
One of the themes I found became evident when I read about how brethren deal with differences in judgment on certain practices or habits. In chapter 14, Paul uses the examples of choices of diets (i.e. vegetarianism) and the importance to some of specific days of the year to point out a bigger character flaw. In the past, I would read that section of scripture and try to disprove that it was a chapter on allowing all Christians to eat unclean meats and foods. Well, I've moved beyond that and realized that, hey, there's actually some pretty serious lessons to be gleaned here. Not that it entirely escaped me before, but it became more evident with the recent examples of attitude which directed my thoughts more to this particular problem. In essence, Paul was saying that some people among the Roman Christian community were vegetarians, similar to those who may come from a Seventh Day Adventist or Jehovah's Witness background today, and that in and of itself, is not wrong spiritually. Neither were specific days that were kept by their peers, either non-pagan civic days or Jewish festivals outside of God's Holy Days, just as we might keep a day of Thanksgiving or 4th of July today. But apparently, some of the congregations of that area felt otherwise and pressed the issues into an flare up that required Paul's attention in his letter. Paul points out that this is an interpersonal issue rather than a doctrinal issue, otherwise he would have made a judgment for them to stop being vegetarians or carnivorous flesh-eaters.
One modern day example of this problem is make-up. I understand the vanity problems that arise in today's world and just how important how we look has become. I understand just how much pressure is coming from the world to look hot. I've had some of my female friends tell me they make themselves up sometimes more for the impression they make on other women than they do for looking good for the men. Men will drool just the same, I told them. :) And when it leads to a woman adoring herself in the mirror all day long and becomes a god, yeah, it's a problem. But is it really a problem for everyone at that point? Or just something that's been misused just like alcohol or video games or working out?
How often do interpersonal issues of opinion tear apart the church or send new people with good intentions packing? And it's not like those with the difference in opinion have bad intentions every time necessarily. They may hold themself to a different standard of dress, or of keeping the Sabbath, or speech, education, or whatever than you or I do. But it's when these differences are interpreted to be strict "doctrines" of the church that so-and-so enacted way back when and an argument arises over it that the tension can boil over and make it a church-leaving problem.
Sure, I've noticed things in people that, if they would only change, they'd be a whole lot happier... in my opinion. And sometimes keeping that to my ever-so-blunt self can be very difficult. So here are some things that help me to step back and deal with these issues:
One of the themes I found became evident when I read about how brethren deal with differences in judgment on certain practices or habits. In chapter 14, Paul uses the examples of choices of diets (i.e. vegetarianism) and the importance to some of specific days of the year to point out a bigger character flaw. In the past, I would read that section of scripture and try to disprove that it was a chapter on allowing all Christians to eat unclean meats and foods. Well, I've moved beyond that and realized that, hey, there's actually some pretty serious lessons to be gleaned here. Not that it entirely escaped me before, but it became more evident with the recent examples of attitude which directed my thoughts more to this particular problem. In essence, Paul was saying that some people among the Roman Christian community were vegetarians, similar to those who may come from a Seventh Day Adventist or Jehovah's Witness background today, and that in and of itself, is not wrong spiritually. Neither were specific days that were kept by their peers, either non-pagan civic days or Jewish festivals outside of God's Holy Days, just as we might keep a day of Thanksgiving or 4th of July today. But apparently, some of the congregations of that area felt otherwise and pressed the issues into an flare up that required Paul's attention in his letter. Paul points out that this is an interpersonal issue rather than a doctrinal issue, otherwise he would have made a judgment for them to stop being vegetarians or carnivorous flesh-eaters.
One modern day example of this problem is make-up. I understand the vanity problems that arise in today's world and just how important how we look has become. I understand just how much pressure is coming from the world to look hot. I've had some of my female friends tell me they make themselves up sometimes more for the impression they make on other women than they do for looking good for the men. Men will drool just the same, I told them. :) And when it leads to a woman adoring herself in the mirror all day long and becomes a god, yeah, it's a problem. But is it really a problem for everyone at that point? Or just something that's been misused just like alcohol or video games or working out?
How often do interpersonal issues of opinion tear apart the church or send new people with good intentions packing? And it's not like those with the difference in opinion have bad intentions every time necessarily. They may hold themself to a different standard of dress, or of keeping the Sabbath, or speech, education, or whatever than you or I do. But it's when these differences are interpreted to be strict "doctrines" of the church that so-and-so enacted way back when and an argument arises over it that the tension can boil over and make it a church-leaving problem.
Sure, I've noticed things in people that, if they would only change, they'd be a whole lot happier... in my opinion. And sometimes keeping that to my ever-so-blunt self can be very difficult. So here are some things that help me to step back and deal with these issues:
- Think about whether I do the same thing in question... That usually gets me (except in make-up).
- Think about whether the issue is really a matter of salvation or just personal preference.
- Ask the question, "Can I prove from the Bible that it's a sin?"
- Talk to a minister about the general issue, not naming names.
- Let God work it out with the individual(s).
I find with the last one that He usually does, which leads to me learning a tad bit more patience. Often times, when we butt in where we don't belong, it quickly can turn into a problem. If a person is truly converted, God will eventually show them their shortcomings and help them to overcome them just like He is in our life. If we want others to know when we're overcoming and growing in grace and knowledge, we should focus more closely to find positive change in our family, friends and brethren as they grow, too.
The other side of chapter 14 is finding out what might offend our friends and family and going out of our way not to. All to often I hear (or think to myself), "So?? That's their problem, not mine!" when we're made aware of an offense we caused someone else. Sometimes our first reaction is, "They don't like that? Well, I'll show them just how bad I can be!" It used to drive my wife nuts when I popped my knuckles, and when she'd complain, guess what ol' Mikey did? You know it... I was like a bowl of Rice Krispies for the next 10 minutes. :) But in truth, I should have been far more considerate of her poor ears. So if you know that something makes another member uncomfortable or upset, try to tone it down a bit around them. Be considerate of others and be willing to go above and beyond to promote peace with those you know. If you find out that you've possibly offended someone, you might try apologizing or cease doing the action around them. Being a peacemaker is a difficult job, but it's worthwhile in the end if you can bring the church closer together or draw in new people by your example.
In conclusion, I base what I've learned in Romans 14 on two simple lessons: Try not to get offended over non-salvational issues, and try to not be offensive unless others are offended by the Truth of God! You can't always help what people think if they're not called... Romans 12:17-18 also sums it up pretty well: "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."
Monday, December 04, 2006
Updates and stuff
Okay, so there are a few more updates for those who are still thinking about coming to the KC weekend. We definitely (defiantly?) have a hall for Friday night Bible study and there will be plenty of time for fellowship before and afterwards. For those Googlers out there, look up Oak Grove Civic Center in Oak Grove, MO on Google Maps. It should begin at 7:30, but feel free to get there an hour early. Saturday, we have the Lee's Summit Recreation Center in Lee's Summit, MO . Church will begin at 1:30 and there should be plenty of room this year as opposed to the crampedness of previous years in the elementary school. We'll be having a covered-dish meal (i.e. potluck) after services, then the dance will begin around 7 and last until 10. I guess New Years weekend probably isn't the best time of year to be out driving late... Again, it is an international themed costume dance, but don't just feel like if you're not wearing liederhosen, you're not dressed appropriately. I would probably accept Hans und Franz for Germany, too. On Sunday, we're having sports from 10-2 at the same place as church and the dance. We'll have 3 courts, so we're planning on 4-on-4 half-court basketball and two courts of volleyball... One for competitive and one for recreational. So if you have people in mind you want to play with, call them up and get a team in mind. If you don't, show up and join a recreational team. Since the weekend extends to Monday for many of us, feel free to stick around (just check with your host family to make sure it's cool... They may have to work). If you need housing, contact me at my email address listed on my profile.
In other news, my Chiefs suck again... My toenail is still gone, but the toe is healing... Peder is this close to getting a good job... Marshall's house is large, but 16 people is pushing it... Karl, it's just a monitor with fruit, get over it... :) Annette, Lambert's is why America is great. Where else in the world can we deep fry everything and waste so much food?? Chicken fried steaks as big as your head?! What a country... Sunset at 4:55pm is killing me... Then again, I'm getting more telescope stuff this week, so I guess it's cool... And finally, turn off that stupid Christmas music!!!
In other news, my Chiefs suck again... My toenail is still gone, but the toe is healing... Peder is this close to getting a good job... Marshall's house is large, but 16 people is pushing it... Karl, it's just a monitor with fruit, get over it... :) Annette, Lambert's is why America is great. Where else in the world can we deep fry everything and waste so much food?? Chicken fried steaks as big as your head?! What a country... Sunset at 4:55pm is killing me... Then again, I'm getting more telescope stuff this week, so I guess it's cool... And finally, turn off that stupid Christmas music!!!
Friday, November 17, 2006
This Little Piggy...
...Went to the podiatrist. My left foot's second toenail was removed today after having an ingrown toenail for 6+ weeks. Removed!! I'm gonna miss you, l'il guy. <*sniff*>
Monday, November 06, 2006
KC Family Weekend Plans
Alright, I have more information concerning the winter KC get-together. The KC plans are mostly set up. Dec. 29-31. We are still tentative on a hall for Friday night Bible study, but there will most likely be one. Church, potluck, dance and sports will all be at the same place, the Lee's Summit Recreation Center, same as the hall for the dance last year. The dance is an international theme, but if you already have a costume, then it should be okay (we'll call you "American"). Kazahkstanian outfits (i.e. Borat) will be considered questionable in taste. There will be sports on Sunday from 10-2, and of course, Monday is the holiday, so I'm sure people will be hanging out then, too. Contact us or the Milliches if you have any further questions!
Friday, November 03, 2006
Random Thoughts
I haven't done a stream of consciousness blog entry yet, so here goes:
- It has already been three weeks since the Feast, yet I feel like I'm still learning daily...
- My Chiefs are finally starting to pull it together. Will they show up this week? I got to go to last week's game against the Seahawks, and all I can say is at least we're entertaining.
- It's crazy the things you notice when you're not involved in something. It's even more nuts how blind we are when we're knee-deep in a situation. However, it's the fast track to wisdom and knowledge if we can learn and grow from both.
- I think music is one of the coolest gifts from God. I can jam to just about anything. And I really love it when a striking chord change sends goose bumps up my spine.
- Does anybody else notice the same kinds of pointless minutiae that I do?
- When I was young, I just tried to pass the time until the next time I could have fun. Now I find that contentment is a great gift... Quiet moments by yourself, noticing the beauty of a tree, the night sky, the way the shadows play on the ground. Being thankful for all that I have. Being willing to give it all away in a heartbeat (okay, that part will probably be harder said than done, but still...).
- I drew Homer Simpson will his head back drooling on my markerboard at work this week. It still cracks me up.
- When will this election junk end already?!?
Well, there you go. 10 minutes in the mind of Mike Keesee. Have a great Sabbath!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
From Copper to God's Mountain
<*Crack the knuckles...*> Okay, let's dive into the Festival edition of Too Many Es in KEESEE. To summarize, Atonement, our pre-trip and Feast were awesome! Those of you with Internet ADHD can now go back to YouTube.com. For the rest of you... Oh, there's only one of you. Okay, you can keep reading.
Okay, so we flew out Sunday morning bright and early. Peder drove Rachel and I to the airport. We drank a 24 oz. cup of coffee on the way there, then got a huge bottle of water and two things of orange juice at Starbucks (that's right, we drank coffee from home and water and OJ from a coffee shoppe). Immediately after finishing the juice and water, Frontier Airlines decides to start boarding 45 minutes early. No bathroom break for Mikey. We weren't even through security yet. I always get picked on for wanting to be at the airport an hour early and that day it should have been 10 minutes longer. Oh well. So we strip down to our skivvies for the usual airport strip search (or so it feels anymore). "Do you have any toothpaste to declare?" "No, only this C4 compound and these copper wires." "Proceed." Once we're in the air, the coffee-OJ-H2O has completely bypassed my stomach and intestines kicked my kidneys for good measure along the way to my bladder. So I get up 5 minutes after take-off to hit the head. "Sorry, sir, you're not supposed to be up yet. The Fasten Seatbelt sign is still on." When isn't it still on?? Anyway, I figured I'd waste an entire paragraph with this pointless story since that's what modern news and advertising is like these days.
So we meet Marshall up in Denver and fly into Phoenix where my ears simply won't pop. This is a recurring theme the whole time we're gone. We stop to get a somewhat quick bite to eat before deciding to look for the airline we're connecting with to fly up to Prescott, AZ (that's press'-kit for you natives, press-SCOTT' for you normal-talkin' folks). As it turns out, as we're walking around looking, we inadvertantly leave the security area. That begins the fun of the Pa-ho-nix aero-complex, complex being the key word here. So we talk with Information and they say we're supposed to go to another terminal. Mind you, we thought we'd have to walk somewhere, take a tram, maybe, so we saved all of 30 minutes to get there. "There's a green bus that will take you to Terminal 2." So we go outside, and as with every airport, there are 10,000 green buses. Airport shuttles, Enterprise Rental, Alamo, etc. So we walk across the road to where some buses are at and a security guy tells us the terminal buses are on the other side. We walk across the street again. Another individual tells us the buses are on the other side of the road. This continues three times before Rachel starts interrogating minivan drivers with the word Prescott on them. We finally see two green buses coming at us on, of course, the opposite side of the road. They have wildly cute names like Roadrunner and, had we ran in front of it, Roadkill. So we finally pick one and we're on our way.
5 minutes later (T-minus 15 minutes to take-off), we realize we have to go get our boarding passes and go through another security area. Marshall already had his pass, so he bolts on ahead. The airline calls ahead and tells them we'll be late. Running to security, we strip down again only to have some very confused older couple in front of us not sure which way to go in a security line. I generally prefer going forward, but that was just too complex for these folks. Apparently, Marshall had the "hoop lady" in front of him with 4 hoop earrings in each ear, multiple necklaces and bracelets on. Naturally, she was completely oblivious to the fact that metal detectors even exist and had to take each one off as slowly as humanly possible. We run to the terminal in the wonderful Arizona sun, since this terminal was outside. I began to understand why they called them "terminals" cuz I felt like dying after that run. We get there, and, hmmm... No Marshall. His boarding pass said "Gate 1", which didn't exist in Terminal 2. No one at Pa-ho-nix seemed to know where our airline was. After we were informed that the tiny little two prop plane outside was refueling and we had time to catch our breath, we see Marshall booking it towards the building. As it turns out, everybody was waiting and we didn't need to rush so much.
We board the plane and notice that there is only one seat on either side, 10 rows total. We, naturally, have the back-most row with 3 seats across. Marshall joked with the stewardess/luggage attendant/co-pilot about weight limits, to which she replied that she needed four of us big guys up front. Yikes! So the little plane takes off and soon we're flying over the mountains. About 30 minutes later, I look down and notice we're only 300 feet above the mountains. As I thought, hmm, that's strange, the plane turns 90-degrees and dives like one of those old WWII planes. After I almost wet myself, the plane straightens out about 3 seconds before touching down on the runway. As we get out, we notice a bunch of old, well, WWII planes out there and an F-18 warming up for departure. Now I understood where our pilot got his training. Actually, it was pretty cool to see them all, especially since we didn't have to run off to some other destination. So we got our soccermommobile and booked it out of there towards Biscuit, I mean, Prescott.
Atonement was nice since a lot of the Phoenix brethren drove the hour and a half up there ("You mean you flew up here??"). We listened to Mr. Lujan and Mr. Nork give offeratory and the sermon and were well fed. After that, we went with some of the local brethren to their apartment and talked with them for a bit. I had recently contracted an ingrown toenail and by now, it was throbbing for the 3rd straight day. So Jan, our hostess, gave me a nice epson salt bath for it in her foot massager. We found out that epson salt is good for many things besides infections, like being a diuretic. So I started calling it "poop salt". We left Jan's and drove towards Sedona into the mountains, but headed back so we could grab some dinner. After dinner, we shopped for a bit, then headed for Williams, AZ, just south of the Grand Canyon.
On Tuesday, we drove up to the Canyon and looked around. After snapping many pictures, we decided to hike the paved trail to get more scenery pictures. There were a few places appropriate for climbing down to ledges so we could get a better view. Yeah, it was a tad risky since it was a precipitous (big words are fun) 1500-ft. drop straight down if our foot slipped. As Marshall and I got out to the edge of one cliff, we could hear school kids all mocking us for our stupidity. Rachel, who was the designated stunt photographer, didn't seem to realize that we had completed our daring task. So we were shouting her name when it began to rain. Great, now we have to deal with slippery rocks. Oh good, Rachel notices us and takes awhile to figure out Marshall's camera. No problem, we'll just stay out here. Okay, picture taken, the rain dies down and we make our way back. The rest of the hike along the South Rim is super quiet and peaceful... Well, with the exception of Marshall crackling his water bottle. After a few pictures of a gnarly "Tim Burton" tree (for the reference-challenged, see Sleepy Hollow and the Nightmare Before Christmas, but not Edward Scissorhands) and a fat squirrel, we complete our hike and start driving out of the park.
That night, we drove to Durango, Colorado so we could ride the Durango-Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad (or neatly summarized by the acronym DSNGRR. Did someone say "Designerrrrr"? I felt so fashionable!). Wednesday, we boarded the steam engine train and got underway. Durango was beautiful as we saw aspen trees changing colors and spent most of our time next to the Animas River. Soon, we were climbing steadily into the mountains along cliff-side tracks and looking straight down 500 ft. to certain doom. No, those rock slides just beside the tracks didn't bother me. Pretty soon, everyone tired of the scenery and started discussing relationships, jobs, budgets and frisbee golf. Nevermind the huge towering masses of rock just over our heads and huge boulders that came right up to the track. I wondered how recent they were... Pretty soon, we were in the rustic old Western town of Silverton. It was kept in it's 1890's glory. We ate and shopped and I even grabbed a drink in the Shady Lady Saloon while a tinny piano was played in the background. Pretty cool. What wasn't cool was the mannequins sticking their heads out of the upper floors of the now-understood meaning of "Shady Lady" Saloon. Yeah, I knew what they were simulating, and Mr. Meredith wouldn't have let that slip by in one of his sermons, let me tell you
We took a bus ride back to Durango in order to cut some time out of the trip. The bus driver apparently didn't have enough to do navigating a 40-foot bus around steep mountain curves, so he talked to us the whole time through the buses' speaker system. We learned all sorts of useless information about this resort and that mountain over there and why the car he almost hit should have gotten out of his way. It was fascinating.
Aftewards, we thought we'd try one of the local frisbee golf courses. Finding it, however, proved to be difficult. Apparently, someone thought a couple of rocks lined up made a suitable tee-off point and some rocks and dirt holding up a 3-to-8-ft. sticks were suitable "cages". Some locals finally helped us find a few holes, and we finally tired of the silliness before heading back to the hotel.
On Thursday, we drove to the Royal Gorge, which was rather anticlimatic since it closed roughly 15 minutes after we got there at 3:15. So we got to take a quick tram-ride to the bottom of the gorge to get a close-up of the Colorado, no, Rio Grande, no, ARKANSAS River! I should shut up before acting like I know anything (so I changed my story a couple of times). Then we walked across the World's Highest Suspension Bridge (1,053 feet high), which was built because... um... they wanted a... um, tourist trap?? Yeah, the road we came in on had signs pointing to the south and north sides of the gorge, so it really wasn't necessary except to risk losing your car on a rickety bridge. I had an eery recollection of Robin Hood: Men in Tights, "See, you got the north side. You got the south side. I'm on the east bank. I'm on the west bank." I guess it was the principle of the thing. They had signs all along the bridge, including one that said No Fishing and one for each state in the Union. Why, you ask? So you could take your picture next to your home state even though you were probably nowhere near it! This just screamed "Hey, look at us rednecks!"
Anyway, we drove to Colorado Springs that evening and ate at the Melting Pot for dinner. Delish! Later, Marshall and I sat in the hot tub, but not before gashing my already sore toe on a metal drainage grate in the pool area. I didn't think the Courtyard Marriot would mind one bloody towel. Oops...
Anyway, on Friday, we drove up to Denver and dropped off Marshall at the airport so he could get his rental and pick a bunch of other folks. We journeyed to Copper Mountain by ourselves enjoying the climb from 5,280 ft to 11,800 ft at the Eisenhower Tunnel, and back down to 9,317 ft. at Copper. From that point forward, I couldn't drink enough water. Even my teeth were dry 90% of the time. The boys (Marshall, Peder, Mike Novotny, Charlie, Charley, Karl and Jared) were in the same building as we were, so that made things easier, as far as get-togethers, for the rest of the Feast. Opening Night and the 1st day were nice with messages from Mr. Meredith, Mr. Whitfield and Mr. Monson(s). I got the opportunity to play offeratory (I was told it was "pathetique", which it technically was... 2nd movement). Rachel and I also sang in the choir this Feast.
Honestly, the rest of the Feast went so fast, it ended up being quite a blur. I was fairly tired and dehydrated most of it, but didn't manage to get sick. We played three rounds of disc golf at a really cool course in Frisco. We ate out at Breckenridge. We rode ATVs with a large group without any supervision (which was only a problem for some of us). We had a nice dinner dance with good food. We even had a movie night in which The Privileged Planet was played. A definite must see, even if it is a bit technical in places. I have a copy, for you KC locals. I even got talked into playing a round of tackle football with the younger 20-somethings and Karl. I didn't put Karl in there, mainly because he's old, but also because he and I were being weenies at the onset of the game and wanted to play two-hand touch. Silly us.
From a spiritual perspective, I got to meet a lot of you in Bloggerland. And I even got to tackle some of you! The messages were terrific with themes such as True Government, Fear and Trembling (not just awe) Towards God, Having the Mind and Heart of God (as did King David), the Power of God and the Kingdom, and Kingly Leadership. That sermon, given by Mr. Ames, caused some ruffians to stand up and yell at Mr. Ames. Unruly youth... Here we were, sitting stationary at church services, and they're telling this distinguished minister in God's Church to get out of their way and "Drive! Drive! Drive!" Such impatience. Oh wait, that's misrepresentation, isn't it? Okay, so try the 7 Laws of Success (and many other helpful magazines and booklets at http://www.tomorrowsworld.org... We were also instructed to help spread the word about the Kingdom).
On the Last Great Day, Mr. Ames was speaking in the morning and told us that someone gave him a flashlight that morning at breakfast. He said that it was a reminder from the 1987 Feast in Tulsa when the power went out on the Last Great Day and he was given a flashlight and got asked to speak after the satellite feed went out. Needless to say, in the afternoon, 10 minutes into Mr. Meredith's sermon tape, the power goes out, the video is dead and the whole congregation is sitting there laughing. About 10 people hand Mr. Ames a flashlight, Rachel yells at him that she hopes he has another sermon prepared and on and on. Someone even gave him a little pocket "Froggy" light from their kid's play set so he could see his Bible. He spoke for a good 30-40 minutes, impressively enough to a crowd of 550 without a microphone. It was about 2 minutes into that I thought those 19-year time cycles are a strange thing (LGD 1987-2006).
Good stuff. Well, that was the Reader's Digest version of the Feast this year. Please come out to KC this winter break so we can share more stories in person...
Okay, so we flew out Sunday morning bright and early. Peder drove Rachel and I to the airport. We drank a 24 oz. cup of coffee on the way there, then got a huge bottle of water and two things of orange juice at Starbucks (that's right, we drank coffee from home and water and OJ from a coffee shoppe). Immediately after finishing the juice and water, Frontier Airlines decides to start boarding 45 minutes early. No bathroom break for Mikey. We weren't even through security yet. I always get picked on for wanting to be at the airport an hour early and that day it should have been 10 minutes longer. Oh well. So we strip down to our skivvies for the usual airport strip search (or so it feels anymore). "Do you have any toothpaste to declare?" "No, only this C4 compound and these copper wires." "Proceed." Once we're in the air, the coffee-OJ-H2O has completely bypassed my stomach and intestines kicked my kidneys for good measure along the way to my bladder. So I get up 5 minutes after take-off to hit the head. "Sorry, sir, you're not supposed to be up yet. The Fasten Seatbelt sign is still on." When isn't it still on?? Anyway, I figured I'd waste an entire paragraph with this pointless story since that's what modern news and advertising is like these days.
So we meet Marshall up in Denver and fly into Phoenix where my ears simply won't pop. This is a recurring theme the whole time we're gone. We stop to get a somewhat quick bite to eat before deciding to look for the airline we're connecting with to fly up to Prescott, AZ (that's press'-kit for you natives, press-SCOTT' for you normal-talkin' folks). As it turns out, as we're walking around looking, we inadvertantly leave the security area. That begins the fun of the Pa-ho-nix aero-complex, complex being the key word here. So we talk with Information and they say we're supposed to go to another terminal. Mind you, we thought we'd have to walk somewhere, take a tram, maybe, so we saved all of 30 minutes to get there. "There's a green bus that will take you to Terminal 2." So we go outside, and as with every airport, there are 10,000 green buses. Airport shuttles, Enterprise Rental, Alamo, etc. So we walk across the road to where some buses are at and a security guy tells us the terminal buses are on the other side. We walk across the street again. Another individual tells us the buses are on the other side of the road. This continues three times before Rachel starts interrogating minivan drivers with the word Prescott on them. We finally see two green buses coming at us on, of course, the opposite side of the road. They have wildly cute names like Roadrunner and, had we ran in front of it, Roadkill. So we finally pick one and we're on our way.
5 minutes later (T-minus 15 minutes to take-off), we realize we have to go get our boarding passes and go through another security area. Marshall already had his pass, so he bolts on ahead. The airline calls ahead and tells them we'll be late. Running to security, we strip down again only to have some very confused older couple in front of us not sure which way to go in a security line. I generally prefer going forward, but that was just too complex for these folks. Apparently, Marshall had the "hoop lady" in front of him with 4 hoop earrings in each ear, multiple necklaces and bracelets on. Naturally, she was completely oblivious to the fact that metal detectors even exist and had to take each one off as slowly as humanly possible. We run to the terminal in the wonderful Arizona sun, since this terminal was outside. I began to understand why they called them "terminals" cuz I felt like dying after that run. We get there, and, hmmm... No Marshall. His boarding pass said "Gate 1", which didn't exist in Terminal 2. No one at Pa-ho-nix seemed to know where our airline was. After we were informed that the tiny little two prop plane outside was refueling and we had time to catch our breath, we see Marshall booking it towards the building. As it turns out, everybody was waiting and we didn't need to rush so much.
We board the plane and notice that there is only one seat on either side, 10 rows total. We, naturally, have the back-most row with 3 seats across. Marshall joked with the stewardess/luggage attendant/co-pilot about weight limits, to which she replied that she needed four of us big guys up front. Yikes! So the little plane takes off and soon we're flying over the mountains. About 30 minutes later, I look down and notice we're only 300 feet above the mountains. As I thought, hmm, that's strange, the plane turns 90-degrees and dives like one of those old WWII planes. After I almost wet myself, the plane straightens out about 3 seconds before touching down on the runway. As we get out, we notice a bunch of old, well, WWII planes out there and an F-18 warming up for departure. Now I understood where our pilot got his training. Actually, it was pretty cool to see them all, especially since we didn't have to run off to some other destination. So we got our soccermommobile and booked it out of there towards Biscuit, I mean, Prescott.
Atonement was nice since a lot of the Phoenix brethren drove the hour and a half up there ("You mean you flew up here??"). We listened to Mr. Lujan and Mr. Nork give offeratory and the sermon and were well fed. After that, we went with some of the local brethren to their apartment and talked with them for a bit. I had recently contracted an ingrown toenail and by now, it was throbbing for the 3rd straight day. So Jan, our hostess, gave me a nice epson salt bath for it in her foot massager. We found out that epson salt is good for many things besides infections, like being a diuretic. So I started calling it "poop salt". We left Jan's and drove towards Sedona into the mountains, but headed back so we could grab some dinner. After dinner, we shopped for a bit, then headed for Williams, AZ, just south of the Grand Canyon.
On Tuesday, we drove up to the Canyon and looked around. After snapping many pictures, we decided to hike the paved trail to get more scenery pictures. There were a few places appropriate for climbing down to ledges so we could get a better view. Yeah, it was a tad risky since it was a precipitous (big words are fun) 1500-ft. drop straight down if our foot slipped. As Marshall and I got out to the edge of one cliff, we could hear school kids all mocking us for our stupidity. Rachel, who was the designated stunt photographer, didn't seem to realize that we had completed our daring task. So we were shouting her name when it began to rain. Great, now we have to deal with slippery rocks. Oh good, Rachel notices us and takes awhile to figure out Marshall's camera. No problem, we'll just stay out here. Okay, picture taken, the rain dies down and we make our way back. The rest of the hike along the South Rim is super quiet and peaceful... Well, with the exception of Marshall crackling his water bottle. After a few pictures of a gnarly "Tim Burton" tree (for the reference-challenged, see Sleepy Hollow and the Nightmare Before Christmas, but not Edward Scissorhands) and a fat squirrel, we complete our hike and start driving out of the park.
That night, we drove to Durango, Colorado so we could ride the Durango-Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad (or neatly summarized by the acronym DSNGRR. Did someone say "Designerrrrr"? I felt so fashionable!). Wednesday, we boarded the steam engine train and got underway. Durango was beautiful as we saw aspen trees changing colors and spent most of our time next to the Animas River. Soon, we were climbing steadily into the mountains along cliff-side tracks and looking straight down 500 ft. to certain doom. No, those rock slides just beside the tracks didn't bother me. Pretty soon, everyone tired of the scenery and started discussing relationships, jobs, budgets and frisbee golf. Nevermind the huge towering masses of rock just over our heads and huge boulders that came right up to the track. I wondered how recent they were... Pretty soon, we were in the rustic old Western town of Silverton. It was kept in it's 1890's glory. We ate and shopped and I even grabbed a drink in the Shady Lady Saloon while a tinny piano was played in the background. Pretty cool. What wasn't cool was the mannequins sticking their heads out of the upper floors of the now-understood meaning of "Shady Lady" Saloon. Yeah, I knew what they were simulating, and Mr. Meredith wouldn't have let that slip by in one of his sermons, let me tell you
We took a bus ride back to Durango in order to cut some time out of the trip. The bus driver apparently didn't have enough to do navigating a 40-foot bus around steep mountain curves, so he talked to us the whole time through the buses' speaker system. We learned all sorts of useless information about this resort and that mountain over there and why the car he almost hit should have gotten out of his way. It was fascinating.
Aftewards, we thought we'd try one of the local frisbee golf courses. Finding it, however, proved to be difficult. Apparently, someone thought a couple of rocks lined up made a suitable tee-off point and some rocks and dirt holding up a 3-to-8-ft. sticks were suitable "cages". Some locals finally helped us find a few holes, and we finally tired of the silliness before heading back to the hotel.
On Thursday, we drove to the Royal Gorge, which was rather anticlimatic since it closed roughly 15 minutes after we got there at 3:15. So we got to take a quick tram-ride to the bottom of the gorge to get a close-up of the Colorado, no, Rio Grande, no, ARKANSAS River! I should shut up before acting like I know anything (so I changed my story a couple of times). Then we walked across the World's Highest Suspension Bridge (1,053 feet high), which was built because... um... they wanted a... um, tourist trap?? Yeah, the road we came in on had signs pointing to the south and north sides of the gorge, so it really wasn't necessary except to risk losing your car on a rickety bridge. I had an eery recollection of Robin Hood: Men in Tights, "See, you got the north side. You got the south side. I'm on the east bank. I'm on the west bank." I guess it was the principle of the thing. They had signs all along the bridge, including one that said No Fishing and one for each state in the Union. Why, you ask? So you could take your picture next to your home state even though you were probably nowhere near it! This just screamed "Hey, look at us rednecks!"
Anyway, we drove to Colorado Springs that evening and ate at the Melting Pot for dinner. Delish! Later, Marshall and I sat in the hot tub, but not before gashing my already sore toe on a metal drainage grate in the pool area. I didn't think the Courtyard Marriot would mind one bloody towel. Oops...
Anyway, on Friday, we drove up to Denver and dropped off Marshall at the airport so he could get his rental and pick a bunch of other folks. We journeyed to Copper Mountain by ourselves enjoying the climb from 5,280 ft to 11,800 ft at the Eisenhower Tunnel, and back down to 9,317 ft. at Copper. From that point forward, I couldn't drink enough water. Even my teeth were dry 90% of the time. The boys (Marshall, Peder, Mike Novotny, Charlie, Charley, Karl and Jared) were in the same building as we were, so that made things easier, as far as get-togethers, for the rest of the Feast. Opening Night and the 1st day were nice with messages from Mr. Meredith, Mr. Whitfield and Mr. Monson(s). I got the opportunity to play offeratory (I was told it was "pathetique", which it technically was... 2nd movement). Rachel and I also sang in the choir this Feast.
Honestly, the rest of the Feast went so fast, it ended up being quite a blur. I was fairly tired and dehydrated most of it, but didn't manage to get sick. We played three rounds of disc golf at a really cool course in Frisco. We ate out at Breckenridge. We rode ATVs with a large group without any supervision (which was only a problem for some of us). We had a nice dinner dance with good food. We even had a movie night in which The Privileged Planet was played. A definite must see, even if it is a bit technical in places. I have a copy, for you KC locals. I even got talked into playing a round of tackle football with the younger 20-somethings and Karl. I didn't put Karl in there, mainly because he's old, but also because he and I were being weenies at the onset of the game and wanted to play two-hand touch. Silly us.
From a spiritual perspective, I got to meet a lot of you in Bloggerland. And I even got to tackle some of you! The messages were terrific with themes such as True Government, Fear and Trembling (not just awe) Towards God, Having the Mind and Heart of God (as did King David), the Power of God and the Kingdom, and Kingly Leadership. That sermon, given by Mr. Ames, caused some ruffians to stand up and yell at Mr. Ames. Unruly youth... Here we were, sitting stationary at church services, and they're telling this distinguished minister in God's Church to get out of their way and "Drive! Drive! Drive!" Such impatience. Oh wait, that's misrepresentation, isn't it? Okay, so try the 7 Laws of Success (and many other helpful magazines and booklets at http://www.tomorrowsworld.org... We were also instructed to help spread the word about the Kingdom).
On the Last Great Day, Mr. Ames was speaking in the morning and told us that someone gave him a flashlight that morning at breakfast. He said that it was a reminder from the 1987 Feast in Tulsa when the power went out on the Last Great Day and he was given a flashlight and got asked to speak after the satellite feed went out. Needless to say, in the afternoon, 10 minutes into Mr. Meredith's sermon tape, the power goes out, the video is dead and the whole congregation is sitting there laughing. About 10 people hand Mr. Ames a flashlight, Rachel yells at him that she hopes he has another sermon prepared and on and on. Someone even gave him a little pocket "Froggy" light from their kid's play set so he could see his Bible. He spoke for a good 30-40 minutes, impressively enough to a crowd of 550 without a microphone. It was about 2 minutes into that I thought those 19-year time cycles are a strange thing (LGD 1987-2006).
Good stuff. Well, that was the Reader's Digest version of the Feast this year. Please come out to KC this winter break so we can share more stories in person...
Friday, September 29, 2006
...And Away We Go!
Well, this will be my last post before the Feast, blogheads. We leave on Sunday to fly out to Prescott, Arizona for Atonement, and then we'll make our trip back across the Southwest to Colorado visiting various sites along the way. So we'll have plenty of pictures when we get to the Feast... That is, unless Marshall, Rachel and I all forget our cameras everywhere we go. Oh well, we're not good at that sort of stuff, anyway. We're even taking a train ride in the mountains, so that should be fun. Everyone drive or fly safely and be sure to annoy the person next to you on the plane. I sure will, but that will be my wife... Take care, all!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The Air Up There
Well, kiddies... I just checked the Weather Channel online for the temps for Copper Mountain over the next 10 days. It's averaging about 51 degrees for a high and about 28 for a low. There's snow showers predicted for 2 out of the next 10 days, too. For those going to warmer locales, stop laughing. For those of us braving the high altitudes, remember that the Rockies still rock. For those of you going to Paducah, well... Enjoy the quilting hall of fame. :) Kidding, of course. Those going to Scotland, all I have to say on Talk Like a Pirate Day (today) is Ayrrrrr! There's also the new Scotland... Nova Scotia for the monolinguals among us. And New Zealand. So anybody from there, are you really that zealous or iz eet a land for zee zlippery zea creaturez zealz? Okay, no more dumb puns... for now. And yes, I realize that was more of a French accent, not Kiwi. I would do a shout-out to the rest of the Feast sites, but I can't remember them all right now. But you know where you're going, so enjoy. It's less than 2-1/2 weeks away! Have a great Feast of Trumpets and Atonement while you're at it, too.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Feasts A-Plenty
Ahhh... The Fall Festival season is getting closer and in Missouri, it sure does feel like it. I can just walk outside in the morning and smell fall in the air.
So how am I going to keep the Feasts this year? Well, for those who know me, I'll be in Colorado this year. For those who don't know me, I'll be in Colorado this year. So I look forward to meeting up with new and old friends. Come out to the disc golf course by the Eagle lift and hang with us nerds. For those of you who are headed elsewhere, take care and we'll look to spend time together next year.
As for this year, I have a few goals that I'd like to stick to, if possible (silly comments and reasons in parentheses):
1) Stay away from mob mentality (a term I've used a lot lately after watching the inner moron come out of my friends and me when we get around a large group of people we haven't seen in a while).
2) Eat out with less than 30 people at dinner thus keeping waiting times below 3+ hours (so I can HAVE a Feast).
3) Forgo buying ridiculous gifts for myself and take some little old ladies or less blessed families out to dinner (the Bible focuses on serving and spending money on whatever food or drink I desire, not a new stereo or car).
4) Get enough sleep so I can pay attention in services (the real reason I'm there).
5) Serve others every day (there are plenty of self-service churches I can attend to if I'm not up for that).
6) Have one-on-one, in depth spiritual conversations rather than small talk in a crowded condo (I think that's pretty self-explanatory).
7) Remember the sick folks who aren't able to attend this year (send them a post card, even).
8) Enjoy nature rather than the mall (although Cinnabon does smell good, God's Creation is soooo much better).
9) Get to know a lot of new people (if I'm spending eternity with you people, I'd better get to know you).
10) Pray and study (this one can be tough, but it can be done and it's far more important than drinking with friends well into the morning hours - see #4).
11) Thank God every day for where I am, what I've been given and what I'm becoming (there's no silly comment for that).
I probably won't be able to do them all, but it's slowly becoming something I'm trying to do a little better each year. This is the first time I've written them down, so maybe I'll hold myself more accountable. Feel free to borrow any or all of them for yourself. Just remember, some people out there actually think that God's Holy Days are a burden! My job is to make sure I'm not making it one for myself and especially for others... Rather, let's make them true feasts.
Ahhh, that's the smell of the Kingdom coming...
So how am I going to keep the Feasts this year? Well, for those who know me, I'll be in Colorado this year. For those who don't know me, I'll be in Colorado this year. So I look forward to meeting up with new and old friends. Come out to the disc golf course by the Eagle lift and hang with us nerds. For those of you who are headed elsewhere, take care and we'll look to spend time together next year.
As for this year, I have a few goals that I'd like to stick to, if possible (silly comments and reasons in parentheses):
1) Stay away from mob mentality (a term I've used a lot lately after watching the inner moron come out of my friends and me when we get around a large group of people we haven't seen in a while).
2) Eat out with less than 30 people at dinner thus keeping waiting times below 3+ hours (so I can HAVE a Feast).
3) Forgo buying ridiculous gifts for myself and take some little old ladies or less blessed families out to dinner (the Bible focuses on serving and spending money on whatever food or drink I desire, not a new stereo or car).
4) Get enough sleep so I can pay attention in services (the real reason I'm there).
5) Serve others every day (there are plenty of self-service churches I can attend to if I'm not up for that).
6) Have one-on-one, in depth spiritual conversations rather than small talk in a crowded condo (I think that's pretty self-explanatory).
7) Remember the sick folks who aren't able to attend this year (send them a post card, even).
8) Enjoy nature rather than the mall (although Cinnabon does smell good, God's Creation is soooo much better).
9) Get to know a lot of new people (if I'm spending eternity with you people, I'd better get to know you).
10) Pray and study (this one can be tough, but it can be done and it's far more important than drinking with friends well into the morning hours - see #4).
11) Thank God every day for where I am, what I've been given and what I'm becoming (there's no silly comment for that).
I probably won't be able to do them all, but it's slowly becoming something I'm trying to do a little better each year. This is the first time I've written them down, so maybe I'll hold myself more accountable. Feel free to borrow any or all of them for yourself. Just remember, some people out there actually think that God's Holy Days are a burden! My job is to make sure I'm not making it one for myself and especially for others... Rather, let's make them true feasts.
Ahhh, that's the smell of the Kingdom coming...
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Happy Hall Hunting
For anybody who's ever tried planning a large activity and finding ideal locations, you know it can be pretty tough. Such is the case with the annual Kansas City Family Fun weekend that's usually held in December around the Saturnalia weekend (or Christmas and New Year's weekend for those of you who are not schooled in ancient paganism). Anywho, finding a single location for 500+ people that will support a Bible study, church, dinner, dance and sporting activities over three days in KC that the church can actually afford is quite a challenge, to say the least. That said, we're well on our way and hopefully will have something before the Feast this year. So start thinking about that weekend even though nothing official is ready yet. And pray that a hall comes available for the most convenience and accessibility (and one that's cheap!).
Monday, August 14, 2006
Fun Pix
Well, life is running smoothly and I don't feel like ranting today, so I figured I'd share some pictures I've collected.
How can we solve terrorism with him in charge???
Nerds... What are you going to do with them?
Ah yes, my new-found hobby of disc golf. Check out that amazing form...
...And see the results! "I think it's back there by that huge poison ivy plant."
How can we solve terrorism with him in charge???
Nerds... What are you going to do with them?
That has got to hurt...
Why is it that pictures of Bigfoot are always so blurry??
Ah yes, my new-found hobby of disc golf. Check out that amazing form...
...And see the results! "I think it's back there by that huge poison ivy plant."
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Outside the Box
I heard a Dilbert-esque joke once about a guy who worked in a large corporate office... The kind with the small cubicles. Well, I guess one day in a one-on-one meeting, his boss told him that he should become more of an abstract thinker. "You know, Bob, think outside the box," he told him.
Bob infatically replied, "But Jim, I spend all day IN a box, for cryin' out loud!"
One thing that I've noticed as I talk to various people or drive around town is that most of us are definitely in our own little box. I will overhear some conversation about "what I deserve" or "my idea". I'll be driving and some maniac on their cell phone tries to change lanes at the same time I'm occupying it and drive on like I don't exist, which is probably true in their little piece of reality. I catch myself only thinking about me a lot, too, how "I don't talk or drive like that."
I mean, technically, that shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how we're all stuck inside our bodies. Our brains only process things from our point of view. There are ancient philosophies from Plato and others stating that life is just our perspective, a mere shadow or one side of the totality of reality. Later philosophers slightly changed that to the "brain in a jar" ideology that electrodes could be triggering senses, thoughts and emotions to where we aren't really controlling our lives physically, but being driven by some sort of puppet master, a la The Matrix. This led to the ever insightful statement by Descartes: Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am... Why is Latin always in italics?). In other words, I may be a brain in a jar or a real human being, but the fact is, I must exist because they're my thoughts, not someone else's.
But I digress to make one simple point: we are a very self-centered creature. So how do we overcome this in order to be more peaceable, loving, humble humans? Well, my thought on this (pun intended) is that all of our senses may give feedback to our central nervous system, but they are mostly pointed outward away from us. This is by design. You wouldn't want to have your eyes pointing back inside your nasal cavity... That would be gross. But you'd probably blow your nose a lot more. I digress again. These senses are are made so we can understand the world around us better by interacting with God's creation.
But more specifically, the Bible spends a lot of real estate on how we treat our neighbor. Those five senses (six, if you're Haley Joel Osment) can be directed towards other people we come into contact with every day or once in a blue moon. God wants us to get to know one another and see how they think, feel, understand the world around them. We need to get outside of our own little world more often and try to see things from other people's perspective. This goes especially when we're angry, as was stated in a recent Living Church News article, "Watch Out, I'm Angry!" So how do we do this? Communication for starters... Be willing to put aside the anger long enough to humble yourself in order to talk to the individual. See where they're coming from. If repeated, you'll eventually start seeing that people rarely go out of their way to make you mad. Most likely, they're either completely ignorant of the fact they offended you, they had a different outcome in mind, or they made a terrible mistake and are ashamed. Talking to them will clear the air on one or both sides and help your relationship to go back to a more normal one, maybe even a friendlier one.
When we are able to put ourselves in other people's shoes, in their box, we may better see why they've made the decisions they have. Then we may very well see how God is using that person's personality, thoughts and actions to lead them down the path toward His Kingdom... It just happens to be different than the way we would do it.
The more I try to look at the world through other people's eyes, I can see what's motivating a person's thoughts and it removes the instinctive "THEY WERE TRYING TO ANGER/HURT/KILL ME!!!!" reaction that initially gets us mad. Perhaps when that so-and-so cuts you off in traffic, he was avoiding a dog in the road and didn't see you in their blind spot. When someone makes a rude comment to you, they may have been cut off by a dog-avoiding driver earlier in the day and are still tense from it. And every once in a while, I see someone going out of their way to help someone else, but they just happen to get in my way in the process. I've had to change my internal monologue from "Jerk..." to "Oh, that was nice" more than a few times. However, a lot of times, I just see that people are just living in their own little worlds just like I am. I guess that makes it easier for me to understand where they're coming from. It makes me pray that God will open up our minds to the way He sees all situations and help us to think more about our neighbor so we can be more courteous, hospitable, loving and forgiving... Like He is.
Bob infatically replied, "But Jim, I spend all day IN a box, for cryin' out loud!"
One thing that I've noticed as I talk to various people or drive around town is that most of us are definitely in our own little box. I will overhear some conversation about "what I deserve" or "my idea". I'll be driving and some maniac on their cell phone tries to change lanes at the same time I'm occupying it and drive on like I don't exist, which is probably true in their little piece of reality. I catch myself only thinking about me a lot, too, how "I don't talk or drive like that."
I mean, technically, that shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how we're all stuck inside our bodies. Our brains only process things from our point of view. There are ancient philosophies from Plato and others stating that life is just our perspective, a mere shadow or one side of the totality of reality. Later philosophers slightly changed that to the "brain in a jar" ideology that electrodes could be triggering senses, thoughts and emotions to where we aren't really controlling our lives physically, but being driven by some sort of puppet master, a la The Matrix. This led to the ever insightful statement by Descartes: Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am... Why is Latin always in italics?). In other words, I may be a brain in a jar or a real human being, but the fact is, I must exist because they're my thoughts, not someone else's.
But I digress to make one simple point: we are a very self-centered creature. So how do we overcome this in order to be more peaceable, loving, humble humans? Well, my thought on this (pun intended) is that all of our senses may give feedback to our central nervous system, but they are mostly pointed outward away from us. This is by design. You wouldn't want to have your eyes pointing back inside your nasal cavity... That would be gross. But you'd probably blow your nose a lot more. I digress again. These senses are are made so we can understand the world around us better by interacting with God's creation.
But more specifically, the Bible spends a lot of real estate on how we treat our neighbor. Those five senses (six, if you're Haley Joel Osment) can be directed towards other people we come into contact with every day or once in a blue moon. God wants us to get to know one another and see how they think, feel, understand the world around them. We need to get outside of our own little world more often and try to see things from other people's perspective. This goes especially when we're angry, as was stated in a recent Living Church News article, "Watch Out, I'm Angry!" So how do we do this? Communication for starters... Be willing to put aside the anger long enough to humble yourself in order to talk to the individual. See where they're coming from. If repeated, you'll eventually start seeing that people rarely go out of their way to make you mad. Most likely, they're either completely ignorant of the fact they offended you, they had a different outcome in mind, or they made a terrible mistake and are ashamed. Talking to them will clear the air on one or both sides and help your relationship to go back to a more normal one, maybe even a friendlier one.
When we are able to put ourselves in other people's shoes, in their box, we may better see why they've made the decisions they have. Then we may very well see how God is using that person's personality, thoughts and actions to lead them down the path toward His Kingdom... It just happens to be different than the way we would do it.
The more I try to look at the world through other people's eyes, I can see what's motivating a person's thoughts and it removes the instinctive "THEY WERE TRYING TO ANGER/HURT/KILL ME!!!!" reaction that initially gets us mad. Perhaps when that so-and-so cuts you off in traffic, he was avoiding a dog in the road and didn't see you in their blind spot. When someone makes a rude comment to you, they may have been cut off by a dog-avoiding driver earlier in the day and are still tense from it. And every once in a while, I see someone going out of their way to help someone else, but they just happen to get in my way in the process. I've had to change my internal monologue from "Jerk..." to "Oh, that was nice" more than a few times. However, a lot of times, I just see that people are just living in their own little worlds just like I am. I guess that makes it easier for me to understand where they're coming from. It makes me pray that God will open up our minds to the way He sees all situations and help us to think more about our neighbor so we can be more courteous, hospitable, loving and forgiving... Like He is.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Ahhhhhhh...
For those of you sports fans in big baseball cities with teams in the pennant race, I can only say this: I've endured the worst team in baseball for far too long. Yes, the Kansas City Royals, once again, are living in the MLB basement, apparently accustomed to the darkness and moldy smell. Change is certainly not a part of the dank air down there, either.
But alas, there is hope for us Kansas City fans... A time of year that brings a smile to our faces and a smell of tailgating barbecue to our noses. Yes, the Chiefs football season is merely a few short weeks away. And with New York newcomers Herm Edwards and Ty Law on board along with most of the same players that brought us a winning season last year, we in Cowtown are ready for another one. Bring it on!
But alas, there is hope for us Kansas City fans... A time of year that brings a smile to our faces and a smell of tailgating barbecue to our noses. Yes, the Chiefs football season is merely a few short weeks away. And with New York newcomers Herm Edwards and Ty Law on board along with most of the same players that brought us a winning season last year, we in Cowtown are ready for another one. Bring it on!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Missouri Weather
Mark Twain once said that if you don't like the weather in Missouri, wait 5 minutes. Well, the last 5 days were 100+ degrees with all the humidity that we in Missouri have come to love. Wednesday and Thursday were particularly fun with temps around 105 and a heat index of 120. I now know what a rotisserie chicken feels like. Today, however, is a high of 71 degrees. The low temperatures of the last 5 days didn't even get that low. Gotta love it...
Monday, July 17, 2006
Global Warming and Disc Golf
So I'm sitting here with my legs itching all day. I got poison ivy while looking for a disc in a patch of vines and trees after a terrible throw on the hardest hole on our hardest local disc golf course here in KC. This is only my second major infection with poison ivy, so I'm not as psychologically annoyed or worried about it as my first one in March (also due to disc golf). I read somewhere that global warming is causing the poison ivy to be really bad this year, but I also heard that on MSNBC... The average article there reads something to the effect of "Bush Rejects Global Warming Caused By Bush".
In the news lately, global warming is taking the blame for all sorts of things: melting ice caps, rising seas, flooding, disease, hurricanes, and now poison ivy. Global warming is something that I thought was made up by scientists trying to get more money from the government. But with each new report supported by more leading experts, the data seems to suggest otherwise. I wonder now about how much of these trends are a natural occurrence that's cyclical and how much is caused by man. My guess is somewhat of both, but I have a theory. (DISCLAIMER: my theories are thought experiments in my head. I may or may not believe them fully, but I don't necessarily hold on to them as definite, as I'm somewhat willing to be proven wrong. Some of you are laughing hysterically.)
Since most of you reading this blog believe that God made the universe, created the laws and balance within it, and even foretold of a time of complete disorder and chaos near the end of the existence due to man's sins, why would He not make the cause of our own destruction our sins? So when we act selfishly and stupidly, things get out of balance in the world. The more we screw up, the more things get worse. So every selfish act is counter-balanced not only by some quick or eventual punishment to ourselves, but to others, to other creatures, plants, trees, soil, and finally the sky, oceans and weather. This makes sense as we become more industrialized so we can be less dependent on the soil, animals and weather for our needs. We make artificial versions of everything natural so they are less biodegradable. We put the waste from making these products in the air and water or bury it. God's design in nature makes everything break down nicely, yet another incredible feature of His work. Ours just slowly destroys everything. Wow, 10 years ago, I would have called myself a tree-hugger for writing this.
The cyclical side could be just as interesting... Scientists note all sorts of cycles, including cycles for El Niño, 11-year cycles of solar activity, 17- and 13-year cicada and locust spawnings, the Atlantic Heat Conveyer (see the movie Day After Tomorrow), ice ages, etc. They have statistical data supporting average time frames between volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, earthquakes, tsunamis and on and on. Wouldn't it be interesting if a lot of these cycles, some every few years, some every few centuries or millennia, all managed to converge in, say, a time period of less than 3-10 years?
This would be a very natural means to explain a very dramatic turn of events in the near future. Worldly thinkers would still try to blame nature and avoid any need to obey some god. Some will know better and turn to the Creator.
All of this from a poison ivy allergy...
Stupid itching.
In the news lately, global warming is taking the blame for all sorts of things: melting ice caps, rising seas, flooding, disease, hurricanes, and now poison ivy. Global warming is something that I thought was made up by scientists trying to get more money from the government. But with each new report supported by more leading experts, the data seems to suggest otherwise. I wonder now about how much of these trends are a natural occurrence that's cyclical and how much is caused by man. My guess is somewhat of both, but I have a theory. (DISCLAIMER: my theories are thought experiments in my head. I may or may not believe them fully, but I don't necessarily hold on to them as definite, as I'm somewhat willing to be proven wrong. Some of you are laughing hysterically.)
Since most of you reading this blog believe that God made the universe, created the laws and balance within it, and even foretold of a time of complete disorder and chaos near the end of the existence due to man's sins, why would He not make the cause of our own destruction our sins? So when we act selfishly and stupidly, things get out of balance in the world. The more we screw up, the more things get worse. So every selfish act is counter-balanced not only by some quick or eventual punishment to ourselves, but to others, to other creatures, plants, trees, soil, and finally the sky, oceans and weather. This makes sense as we become more industrialized so we can be less dependent on the soil, animals and weather for our needs. We make artificial versions of everything natural so they are less biodegradable. We put the waste from making these products in the air and water or bury it. God's design in nature makes everything break down nicely, yet another incredible feature of His work. Ours just slowly destroys everything. Wow, 10 years ago, I would have called myself a tree-hugger for writing this.
The cyclical side could be just as interesting... Scientists note all sorts of cycles, including cycles for El Niño, 11-year cycles of solar activity, 17- and 13-year cicada and locust spawnings, the Atlantic Heat Conveyer (see the movie Day After Tomorrow), ice ages, etc. They have statistical data supporting average time frames between volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, earthquakes, tsunamis and on and on. Wouldn't it be interesting if a lot of these cycles, some every few years, some every few centuries or millennia, all managed to converge in, say, a time period of less than 3-10 years?
This would be a very natural means to explain a very dramatic turn of events in the near future. Worldly thinkers would still try to blame nature and avoid any need to obey some god. Some will know better and turn to the Creator.
All of this from a poison ivy allergy...
Stupid itching.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Thanks Karl!
For those of you who were referred from Karl's Korner, welcome! Take a look around, make yourself at home. Thanks, Karl! You'll notice that so far, I tend to split time between writing goofy entries and the occasional rant based on trends that I see. Karl noted that I'm halfway interesting, but I'm only feeling about an eighth interesting lately. So enjoy and I look forward hearing from you if/when you feel like commenting. (And no, I'm not French...)
Mike
Mike
Friday, July 07, 2006
One Down, One to Go
It was on the way home from Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, somewhere around Joplin, MO ("God's country", according to Mr. Meredith, Mr. Smith, not Texas) that Peder asked when we were planning on leaving on our camping trip Friday. Yikes... One long, and good, weekend followed immediately by another. So Rachel and I didn't feel the need to unpack, we just shuffled some clothes around and kept most everything in the car for our next trip. That said, let's dive into the previous weekend's activities...
So we took the "short route" to Dallas, which took roughly 7 hours, much better than the usual 8-1/2 going I-35 through Oklahoma City. And this way, we get to drive through Chekotah, Oklahoma, home to Carrie Underwear, or whatever her name was that won American Idol (Jesus didn't take MY wheel). Of course, every town in southern Missouri or Oklahoma has a "Home of..." sign for some astronaut, country singer or founder of some Follies thingy. Not that anybody but me was paying any attention to that in the car...
So we get down to Marshall's expanse around midnightish and the female-deprived boys came out and gave us what I called "explosive hugging". The first round of explosive hugging only cost Charlie a toenail, which naturally went unnoticed as he bled all over the carpet. This was some few seconds after Rachel uttered something to the effect of: "So how long do you think you'll be able to keep this carpet clean?" This was the beginning of the calamity that befell (befalled? befulled???) us.
Fortunately for us, church is now at 2:00 in the afternoon which allowed us to sleep in a bit. The boys made breakfast for the girls and afterwards we all took off to church. Emily and Myra sang for us just after Mr. Chrisman got ordained as an elder, and Mr. Bryce topped off the services with a sermon on "Personalities in Prophecy". Here's an excerpt from my notes: Beast, Anti-Christ, King of the North and King of the South, bad; two witnesses and Jesus Christ, good. It was excellent insight to the end-times, I'm not trying to be a smart aleck. That night, there was much card-, board game- and video game-playing, something that would be a major theme throughout the weekend. Marshall and I went to pick up Leigh from the airport and got back close to 1am. Apparently, there was another round of explosive hugging that caused one of Marshall's Hard Rock cafe glasses to gloriously explode on the floor. But wait, there's more...
Sunday was frisbee day. We played a giant round of disc golf in the early afternoon after eating burgers and dogs on the grill. Well, not on the grill. That would take a real man. Disc golf was followed by more card playing at Marshall's somewhat emptied apartment, the lone source of internetiness (I'm creating all sorts of new terminology with this post... Quote me, Mr. Bush!). This allowed Marshall to research the float trip the next day. It really started to present all sorts of logistical issues, but we pushed through. We had our short bus reserved and had to get up at 6am to head to the airport in morning Dallas rush hour to get it. That wore us out just thinking about it, so naturally, we went and played ultimate frisbee. I, being the fat, winded slob that I am, was traded from Marshall's team for David so the other team "could be more athletic". This, naturally, led to many long throws from David to Marshall, Marshall to David, Dashall to Marvid, etc. In essence, they won, but only by one or two goals. Yes, Karl, Peder and I stayed winded on "defense" while Lacey and Emily ran the field trying to score. Later that night, after a perfect 10 dive (on the Scale of Hilarity) from Peder onto the couch, which made an eerie cracking sound, we avidly discussed the next day's road trip after Marshall declared that the estimated distance to New Braunfels was approximately eleventy billion miles away. Some didn't care about the distance, others preferred renting a pontoon boat on a nearby lake. So that night, after much fanfare, it was decided to stay nearby... Until Marshall declared we were floating. So I went to bed hoping to get 4+ hours of sleep, after which, the "awake ones" decided to stay put. I was awake at 5:45am wondering why nobody was as ready to go as I was.
Monday was a lazy day in the morning and afternoon. Cards were again dealt and controller buttons clicked furiously while color marbles were shot at other colored marbles which were destroyed as tiny gear-turning dragons cheered and a small chick tried to fly. I'll never understand the Japanese... We got around to reserving a pontoon boat in the early afternoon. After leaving, we noticed that all of Dallas appeared to be heading toward the same lake we were. So it took roughly an hour to drive 20 miles or so. But boating was fun after we kicked off Lacey, Diana and Jessica. Apparently, boats have this silly Max Persons Allowed law. So we drove over to a nearby sandy area and swam around the boat. Bets were jokingly hedged on what part of the boat would be damaged first. I had 10-to-one odds and came out on top when the ladder mysteriously disappeared on our second swimming session. That was one competition I wish I hadn't won (there was no grand prize, let me tell you). But we had an enjoyable time on the lake and finally departed for home around 9:00 for pizza and margaritas.
Tuesday was recovery day. A small group went and played disc golf (frolf) again. Then the afternoon came and we ate at Chili's while the stage-3 drought that was affecting the Dallas area was swept over by an impressive downpour. After that, Leigh had to leave us (sniff). That afternoon is when the random singing of the Star Mangled Banner began, but I'll leave that story to Karl's blog. That evening's theme was Cards and Casablanca. Old movies are strange to us modern folk. See, they have this thing called "dialogue" and it generally extends well into periods longer than, say, 20 seconds. This may bore some people (see my post two down), but it certainly takes some getting used to when you're expecting an explosion or some sex scene to come out of nowhere. Overall, I thought it was a good movie. I loved Humphrey Bogart's repeated line to Ingrid Bergman: "Here's looking at you, kid." What exactly does that mean, anyway? I mean, I guess he WAS looking right at her when he said it. That crazy 40s lingo, I tell ya.
Overall, it was a great weekend. We enjoyed staying at the Marshall Mansion, and I highly recommend the rooms and service if you are traveling through the Dallas metropolis in the near future.
So we took the "short route" to Dallas, which took roughly 7 hours, much better than the usual 8-1/2 going I-35 through Oklahoma City. And this way, we get to drive through Chekotah, Oklahoma, home to Carrie Underwear, or whatever her name was that won American Idol (Jesus didn't take MY wheel). Of course, every town in southern Missouri or Oklahoma has a "Home of..." sign for some astronaut, country singer or founder of some Follies thingy. Not that anybody but me was paying any attention to that in the car...
So we get down to Marshall's expanse around midnightish and the female-deprived boys came out and gave us what I called "explosive hugging". The first round of explosive hugging only cost Charlie a toenail, which naturally went unnoticed as he bled all over the carpet. This was some few seconds after Rachel uttered something to the effect of: "So how long do you think you'll be able to keep this carpet clean?" This was the beginning of the calamity that befell (befalled? befulled???) us.
Fortunately for us, church is now at 2:00 in the afternoon which allowed us to sleep in a bit. The boys made breakfast for the girls and afterwards we all took off to church. Emily and Myra sang for us just after Mr. Chrisman got ordained as an elder, and Mr. Bryce topped off the services with a sermon on "Personalities in Prophecy". Here's an excerpt from my notes: Beast, Anti-Christ, King of the North and King of the South, bad; two witnesses and Jesus Christ, good. It was excellent insight to the end-times, I'm not trying to be a smart aleck. That night, there was much card-, board game- and video game-playing, something that would be a major theme throughout the weekend. Marshall and I went to pick up Leigh from the airport and got back close to 1am. Apparently, there was another round of explosive hugging that caused one of Marshall's Hard Rock cafe glasses to gloriously explode on the floor. But wait, there's more...
Sunday was frisbee day. We played a giant round of disc golf in the early afternoon after eating burgers and dogs on the grill. Well, not on the grill. That would take a real man. Disc golf was followed by more card playing at Marshall's somewhat emptied apartment, the lone source of internetiness (I'm creating all sorts of new terminology with this post... Quote me, Mr. Bush!). This allowed Marshall to research the float trip the next day. It really started to present all sorts of logistical issues, but we pushed through. We had our short bus reserved and had to get up at 6am to head to the airport in morning Dallas rush hour to get it. That wore us out just thinking about it, so naturally, we went and played ultimate frisbee. I, being the fat, winded slob that I am, was traded from Marshall's team for David so the other team "could be more athletic". This, naturally, led to many long throws from David to Marshall, Marshall to David, Dashall to Marvid, etc. In essence, they won, but only by one or two goals. Yes, Karl, Peder and I stayed winded on "defense" while Lacey and Emily ran the field trying to score. Later that night, after a perfect 10 dive (on the Scale of Hilarity) from Peder onto the couch, which made an eerie cracking sound, we avidly discussed the next day's road trip after Marshall declared that the estimated distance to New Braunfels was approximately eleventy billion miles away. Some didn't care about the distance, others preferred renting a pontoon boat on a nearby lake. So that night, after much fanfare, it was decided to stay nearby... Until Marshall declared we were floating. So I went to bed hoping to get 4+ hours of sleep, after which, the "awake ones" decided to stay put. I was awake at 5:45am wondering why nobody was as ready to go as I was.
Monday was a lazy day in the morning and afternoon. Cards were again dealt and controller buttons clicked furiously while color marbles were shot at other colored marbles which were destroyed as tiny gear-turning dragons cheered and a small chick tried to fly. I'll never understand the Japanese... We got around to reserving a pontoon boat in the early afternoon. After leaving, we noticed that all of Dallas appeared to be heading toward the same lake we were. So it took roughly an hour to drive 20 miles or so. But boating was fun after we kicked off Lacey, Diana and Jessica. Apparently, boats have this silly Max Persons Allowed law. So we drove over to a nearby sandy area and swam around the boat. Bets were jokingly hedged on what part of the boat would be damaged first. I had 10-to-one odds and came out on top when the ladder mysteriously disappeared on our second swimming session. That was one competition I wish I hadn't won (there was no grand prize, let me tell you). But we had an enjoyable time on the lake and finally departed for home around 9:00 for pizza and margaritas.
Tuesday was recovery day. A small group went and played disc golf (frolf) again. Then the afternoon came and we ate at Chili's while the stage-3 drought that was affecting the Dallas area was swept over by an impressive downpour. After that, Leigh had to leave us (sniff). That afternoon is when the random singing of the Star Mangled Banner began, but I'll leave that story to Karl's blog. That evening's theme was Cards and Casablanca. Old movies are strange to us modern folk. See, they have this thing called "dialogue" and it generally extends well into periods longer than, say, 20 seconds. This may bore some people (see my post two down), but it certainly takes some getting used to when you're expecting an explosion or some sex scene to come out of nowhere. Overall, I thought it was a good movie. I loved Humphrey Bogart's repeated line to Ingrid Bergman: "Here's looking at you, kid." What exactly does that mean, anyway? I mean, I guess he WAS looking right at her when he said it. That crazy 40s lingo, I tell ya.
Overall, it was a great weekend. We enjoyed staying at the Marshall Mansion, and I highly recommend the rooms and service if you are traveling through the Dallas metropolis in the near future.
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