What's the point?

OUTATIME?

2011-01-06T10:12:00.001-05:00

Mmmm...

2010-12-13T18:34:00.000-05:00

Where have you been all my life?!

Maybe for when it gets crowded?

2010-10-02T20:22:00.001-04:00

I saw this sign posted in a Cincinnati mall kids play area...

My First Habitat Build

2010-09-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

Today I got to sweep the garage out; help cut, bend, & install
flashing around the porch beams; trim Tyvek; and install aluminum
columns on the front porch.

Ezekiel 22:30

2010-09-04T08:19:00.001-04:00

"So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. "

See it at YouVersion.com:
http://read.ly/Ezek22.30.NKJV

Welcome to the Family!

2010-08-22T18:31:00.001-04:00

Any suggestions for a name for this little guy?

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-08-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

After 130,000 miles and countless roadtrips together, I'm saying a sad
goodbye to Black Beauty today. The Honda dealer is writing up the
trade paperwork as I type this...

She took great care of me, getting me back and forth to West Lafayette
for years and now countless trips to Louisville. She never
complained, even after I brought her from her garage-kept life in
Cincy to the icy cold of UK's parking lots. When an 18-year-old ran a
red light in 2001, she kept me safe at considerable cost to her health
and ego.

Here's to you, Beauty... I hope your next owners appreciate you as
much as I do.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2010-08-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

Morning Baseball at Fort Lupton

2010-08-14T11:18:00.000-04:00

Go Vandals!

More Breckenridge...

2010-08-14T01:15:00.000-04:00

Breckenridge Slopes

2010-08-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

Ski rentals are CHEAP today for some reason...

Marketing Genius

2010-07-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

A Lamborghini in Lexington?

2010-07-20T13:06:00.001-04:00

Wish I'd been faster on the draw with my camera phone...

Farewell, Mildred's B&B

2010-07-07T00:14:00.001-04:00

Thanks for being home base for a few days.

Volunteer Park

2010-07-07T00:13:00.001-04:00

This park was right across from the B&B I stayed at. There was a water
tower observation deck that had a view of the downtown area.

Do you know who Frederick Law Olmstead is? He was a 19th century
landscape architect who designed Central Park, The Biltmore Estate
grounds, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair fairgrounds, ... and this
little park here.

Argosy Harbor Cruise

2010-07-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Well worth the $22... Our guide Christopher was informative and
entertaining.

Did you know that Seattle actually gets less rain than New York? It
lives in a Rainforest Somethingorother. (I forgot what it's called,
but it basically is the Olympia mountains wringing all the water out
of clouds before they hit Seattle.)

Ivar's Fish Bar

2010-07-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Waterfront Park

2010-07-06T17:03:00.000-04:00

Pikes Place Market Bookstore

2010-07-06T16:09:00.000-04:00

I'm intrigued...

Public Market Center

2010-07-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

This public market was created in the early 1910s in protest of the
huge mark-ups wholesalers were charging for food and other goods.
Think fish market meets flea market...

Pike Place Chowder

2010-07-06T14:56:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge chowder fan, but this was pretty good....

Space Needle: Night

2010-07-06T03:09:00.002-04:00

There were lots of better pictures on my real camera, but these are
the best from what the phone would take.

You might be able to make out Mt. Ranier in the background of the
third/skyline picture.

Mmmm...

2010-07-06T03:09:00.001-04:00

I was craving pizza all day, so thankfully we were able to find
Pagliacci Pizza not far from the Space Needle. We enjoyed a leisurely
dinner while we waited for the sun to go down...

Space Needle: Day

2010-07-06T03:02:00.000-04:00

For a few bucks more, you could get a two-visit pass that would let
you go both during the day and at night. Here are the pics from my
first visit.

The Space Needle was constructed as part of Seattle's successful
World's Fair bid in the early 1960s....

Mildred's B&B: The Lace Room

2010-07-05T18:49:00.000-04:00

I feel pretty...oh, so pretty...

Stickin' it to The Man

2010-07-05T17:33:00.001-04:00

Did you know that you can't pump your own gas in Oregon? I hear it's
supposedly to prevent spills and help the environment, but I'm
guessing some service station attendants' union lobbied the state
legislature so that everyone in the state would be forced to deal with
that awkward "tip or no tip" scenario.

My goal was to not have to buy gas in Oregon in protest, so I filled
up in Kelso before I drove south. This picture was taken when I
declared victory and filled-up--with my own very-capable hands--back
across the line in Vancouver, Washington.

Fireworks on the Waterfront

2010-07-05T01:42:00.000-04:00

Happy 234th Birthday USA! You don't look a day over 120...

Multnomah Falls

2010-07-04T19:51:00.000-04:00

This is one of the highlights of the trip so far. The first picture is
of the falls from the visitor's center entrance. The little bridge
with people on it is part of a paved trail all the way to the top.

The second picture was taken actually looking down from the very top
of the falls, after making the 1.4 mile hike over the 11 switchbacks
to get to the top. Way Cool...

Bridal Veil Falls

2010-07-04T18:08:00.000-04:00

Latourell Falls

2010-07-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

Vista House

2010-07-04T14:29:00.000-04:00

Seriously...

2010-07-03T20:58:00.001-04:00

...when would this ever be appropriate? For guests who were only
slightly exhibitionist?

Lan Su Chinese Garden

2010-07-03T19:18:00.001-04:00

An oasis of serenity in the middle of old-town Portland....

VooDoo Donuts

2010-07-03T19:01:00.000-04:00

Definitely worth the 40 minute wait...and empty calories.

Dinner at Pastime Saloon

2010-07-03T00:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it was recommended by the pilot of the helicopter tour place,
but it was more of a dive than a restaurant...

Still, the Pastime Burger and Bottomless fries was pretty good, even
if I did enjoy it over the story of how the bartender served her
community service this week...

Um...Oops

2010-07-02T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's not like they're monitoring anything important anyway...right?

1980 Mt. St. Helens Eruption Facts

2010-07-02T21:04:00.000-04:00

Tens of billions of tons of ash...in a column 12 miles high.

Ash circling the globe in a few days. Twice.

Gas and pumice traveling at 300 miles an hour.

Buried groundwater superheated to form spontaneous guysers--some
creating craters a quarter of a mile wide.

Think about that.

Don't Look Down

2010-07-02T20:45:00.000-04:00

This one's for all my engineering friends...

Sounds Plausible

2010-07-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

From the Mount St. Helens visitor center: Legends of the Volcano....

On the Road to St. Helens

2010-07-02T20:39:00.000-04:00

Not bad for a self-portrait...

Black Beauty Stumbles in the Stretch

2010-06-15T18:47:00.000-04:00

She's still a great car, though.

Let's hope the folks at Freedom Dodge can get her healthy again...

Are They Being Serious About the Name?

2010-06-10T16:59:00.001-04:00

Doing My Part

2010-05-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

Last week my normal, regular, run-of-the-mill reusable Kroger shopping bag had a blowout and came apart at the seam. So tonight I decided to ask at the customer service desk if they'd replace it. "No problem...just find another bag and I'll keep this one."

The problem was that there were no bags like the one I had, and the customer service guy didn't seem to feel empowered to give me a nice insulated one to replace my regular $0.99 bag. After calling back to check the stocking room, a manager returned and reported that they still had some of the pink Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness bags and that I was welcome to exchange for one of those.

Eternity seemed to pass while the three of us men stared at each other to see who would speak first.

I finally agreed to take the pink bag. After all, was I supposed to say I wasn't in favor of healthy breasts?

This Hardly Ever Happens...

2010-05-11T18:45:00.001-04:00

Serious Rain

2010-05-02T10:32:00.001-04:00

Contentment

2010-04-26T09:06:00.004-04:00

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV, emphasis mine)

A good friend recently reminded me that contentment is being thankful for what we have, rather than spending time thinking about what we don't have. Well said...

Discipline

2010-04-20T08:20:00.000-04:00

Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”a

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)

Conscience

2010-04-17T16:34:00.000-04:00

This passage has taken on a whole new meaning for me recently:

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.a Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.
4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

I've spent a considerable amount of time over the years trying to get my thoughts and actions to line up with Scripture--to examine what it says regarding the things I encounter in life, and to try to live in a way that demonstrates consistency with what's taught there. But I'm beginning to believe I've taken a responsibility as my own that was never mean to be--namely, the shaping of my conscience on the basis of truth.

I never noticed it before, but in this passage Paul doesn't really focus on what is true and what is misunderstanding. He states rather matter-of-factly that idols are nothing; therefore, eating food sacrificed to them is no real issue: nothing we eat makes us closer to or further from God. But these statements are almost an aside--a parenthetical "taken for granted" statement that isn't the focus of what he wants to communicate.

Paul doesn't suggest that a believer who knows this should try to convince his friend who does think it's wrong that it isn't; rather, he suggests that causing this person to do anything contrary to his conscience--even in light of what is true--is causing them to sin. The focus is on being faithful to that voice within us--that red warning light that goes off when we are about to do something that we think is wrong. We're not to exercise liberties based on truth if it runs over someone else's conscience.

This gets really interesting when we think about how we relate to our own conscience, particularly in matters where Scripture isn't very clear. Do I let how others interpret a passage of Scripture determine how I will act? What actions do I take when there's no way to weigh all of the passages relating to a topic and come up with a clear set of principles? In other words, in the matters of faith where believers around the world have differing opinions, how do I know what Jesus wants me to do?

The solution, I'm beginning to think, is to be diligent to understand what Scripture says--both to the audience who would have heard it then and to me living today in my culture--but to ultimately be at peace with my conscience. I have to trust that in time Jesus will mold my thoughts and heart as I walk with Him so that my conscience leads me to walk as He wants. This makes sense; it allows believers of all spiritual ages to participate in walking by faith--not just those who can afford the time and expense of seminary training. Walking by faith becomes an exercise in listening to His Spirit speak to mine and being obedient in what he asks me to do...and all the while, the truth of his Word matures me and shapes the direction and path my conscience leads me to follow him down.

Some will say I'm advocating we follow our emotions rather than live by the hard black-and-white truth of Scripture, but that's not what I'm saying. Anyone who's had to follow the advice of conscience in spite of what our emotions want will know exactly what I mean...

Must Be a Shriners' Convention in Town

2010-04-10T20:10:00.001-04:00

Northview 30 days: Wait

2010-04-07T07:49:00.003-04:00

I think there's a reason I stayed on the Northview e-mail list when I moved. This 30 Days of Prayer initiative has been sending me very timely and encouraging e-mails every morning...and I've needed them. I'm re-producing another one here, but it will be the last; sign up here if you want to see the rest.

REFLECT

Wait?! What do you mean by wait? I have things to do, places to go and commitments to meet. Being productive is not only is required of me, it is how I have been trained since I first started getting an education. I hate long lines, traffic jams, inconveniences and other things that slow me down and get in the way of me getting my things done.

And, for heaven’s sake, why did Jesus after His resurrection tell the disciples to go to Jerusalem and “wait” for the promised Holy Spirit? The key disciples were all right there; He had their attention. Why didn’t He cut loose with the “tongues of fire” right then? Let’s get this over with and get the show on the road. Times a-wasting.

Some things take time. Stop it with these platitudes! I don’t have time. I am not going to wait. If someone else won’t step up to the plate, I’m just going to have to take the bull by the horns and get the job done. If I want something done right, I have to do it myself. Time waits for no one.

I, I, I. Who is in control, as depicted in the thoughts above? “I” is. (Excuse the bad grammar.) But who is really in control? Who holds time in His hand as a servant? Who started the clock, and who will draw time to an end? The great I AM.

PRAY

Lord, may I see things your way and be willing to come to You on your terms. May I be willing to wait for your timing, your order. May I delight in your purposes and in your plans. May I believe and hold on to what You have said and do things your way, for your ways are perfect. Amen.

READ

LAMENTATIONS 3:21-26 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Obedience

2010-04-02T20:14:00.003-04:00

Good Friday is great for perspective.

I've been upset a lot lately for having to do something recently that I absolutely did not want to do. It's easy in these circumstances to focus on the discomfort of not getting what I want. I took an unpopular stand (at least unpopular with me) and seemingly am missing out as a result...

But today reminds me that Jesus faced a decidedly unfair situation and was obedient to a level I can never imagine--letting himself be killed when it was completely in his power to end it. If anyone had a right to shout "Unfair!" it was He.

Now there is no comparing the excruciating pain and perfect obedience of Jesus to my mild discomfort at not getting all I WANT along with all I need...don't misread what I'm saying. I'm just glad to spend an evening getting my attitude lovingly adjusted in the presence of other brothers and sisters in Christ as we reflect on His death and resurrection. His perfect obedience and loving sacrifice reminds me that He really does care for me and want the best for me.

Jesus, thank you for loving me and giving yourself so I could be with you. Help me with your strength be a man of obedience after your heart.

Have a Happy Easter everyone! I hope you experience His perfect love and acceptance in a real and meaningful way.

Despair and Hope

2010-04-02T16:22:00.001-04:00

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:9)

Instead

2010-04-02T08:35:00.002-04:00

(The following post is an e-mail I received during Northview Church's 30 Days of Prayer campaign. The original can be found here.)

REFLECT

You have been down many paths. All of them have taken effort and involved choices. Some paths you took with other people; some paths you walked alone. You will never pass that exact same way again. And you have brought something back with you from those places.

You have memories of these paths…some pleasant, some unsettling. You gained experiences from these paths and choices…some precious, some traumatic and some you now wish you had avoided. You brought back beliefs and impressions of how things are and how things work.

Did you know that God wants to redeem the hard things you have been through? Did you know that He can transform the results of the bad choices? Did you know that, despite the limitations and pain you feel, He is still in control and He is love?

Did you know that, in all of this, you are the prize of God, meant for the eternal display of His splendor? There is something much bigger going on here than what you see.

PRAY

Lord, I don’t understand why things have turned out this way. In many ways, I don’t see how you can fix things or make my life have meaning and true value. However, you have told me that you have this all worked out, and that you have my eternal best interest at heart, that you have a purpose and a plan specifically for me. I surrender my right to understand and my desire to control. May I simply believe, trust and follow. Amen.

READ

ISAIAH 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Confusion

2010-04-01T23:44:00.001-04:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Disappointment

2010-03-30T20:34:00.001-04:00

It's tough to give thanks in all circumstances.

I know that it's a natural part of life to be disappointed--either in what happened that you didn't want to happen...or in desires that never seem to materialize. Add to this the regret that comes from poor decision making or the despair of missed opportunities, and I think everyone finds themselves in a position to feel sorry for themselves and choose to think about what's wrong with life rather than all the blessings they experience.

It's at times like these that I tend to hold The Person Responsible's feet to the fire to explain himself: Why is this happening? Why didn't you do something? Why did you let this happen to me...don't you care about me? How is this fair? Will this pain last forever?

I think these are all fair questions. The real problem comes in WHO these questions are directed to...

If I choose the direction of my life, I am The Person Responsible...and I rarely have good answers to the questions of my heart. I don't have the power or perspective to say it's all part of
some master plan that is for my best interest long-term. This "responsible person" can't get out of bed and to work on time most days...

But if I've given my life over to Another who is all-powerful and has the perspective of eternity, and I follow his lead, then my questions are met with love, understanding, and the promise that it will all turn out to prosper me...that even my mistakes fall under his authority and sovereignty. I may not see the final result, but He does, and I can trust Him when he says it's going to he OK.

I've lived my life both ways...but the latter is much easier; I have the freedom to just be broken and ask the questions...and let someone else carry the weight of responsibility for the answers.

Gotta Love Live Music

2009-11-05T19:24:00.001-05:00

The Friends of the Library held a fundraiser tonight at Busters, and a friend and co-worker filled in at drums. Good job, Mike!

Here's to live music everywhere! I forgot how much I enjoyed it...

Hidden Among Us

2009-11-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

I just spent the last hour talking with and listening to two men in our church who work with the homeless ministry, and I'm trying to digest what I've just heard.

They described streets and whole neighborhoods of homeless shanties in Lexington--where they congregated, who all was helping serve the homeless, and what issues they face. One man was on staff with the church, but the other was an engineer by day who spends his weekends among the homeless, even leading a church under a bridge downtown.

They talked about mental illness, the challenges of getting transient patients medicine, and how even after doing due diligence in how they give money and resources to those in need, these two street-wise men still get taken and see their gifts resold for money. With smiles they described double-checking doors to make sure none of their men didn't unlock one so they could sneak back into a church or meeting place after the all left. One told how hard it is to identify and get help to homeless women; they are often leary of shelters, having been taken advantage of by the largely male homeless subculture. They were both excited to get a few recently-purchased tents into the hands of a few men they knew were seeping in the elements.

I was most amazed that they seemed to know all the same people--that the network of those helping meet needs is so small in a city of a quarter million people. I think I need to know more about a problem that has seemingly hidden in plane sight from me all these years...

It's A Filling!

2009-11-02T12:49:00.001-05:00

Born Nov 2 at 12:26 pm. Papa and filling are resting comfortably...

Cape Carteret Vacation, Day 3

2009-10-22T17:15:00.001-04:00

Day 3 was very relaxed--I spent the afternoon at the beach, reading The Language of God by Francis Collins.

The one big highlight was Herman getting his bath that morning...

Love that dog...

Cape Carteret Vacation, Day 2

2009-10-21T19:35:00.001-04:00

Day 2 was a day of exercise. I was still sore from the marathon, so I wanted to walk around and see some of the goings on at the beach. We drove down to the Emerald Isle beach and took a walk out on the peer.

The 'spot' were running. No being a fisherman, I didn't know exactly what this means, but I found out later that spot are little bluegill-like fish that school in the thousands. They run the gauntlet between the ICW and the ocean at certain times of year, and the fisherman line up boat after boat to pull them from the water as fast as they can put their lines in. It was fun to go up to a random person and ask, "Are the spot runnin'?" and have a conversation like I know what I'm talking about, though!

While we were there, we saw someone catch this black drum...at least that's what they said it was.

From the lookout station above the end of the peer...

The water was so clear and still you could see amazingly deep. I think this is a skate, but we weren't sure.

I've never been a fisherman, but I admire the determination. It was fun to be around when something was on someone's line; everyone seemed to get excited and root for one another. I guess I wasn't expecting it, but it was cool to see.

Cape Carteret Vacation, Day 1

2009-10-20T16:00:00.001-04:00

We hit the ground running on day 1 with a quick trip to Harker's Island and (hopefully) Cape Lookout lighthouse. My aunt Sharry and I had tried this trip last year, but the water was too rough and the ferries weren't running. It was my one "must do" item on the vacation list.

The weather was amazing, so we stopped in Beaufort to walk around and check out all the big boats.

Next, we grabbed a burger at the Royal James' Cafe downtown.

I sneaked a few pictures of its unique ambiance with my phone ...

When we got to Harker's Island, we bought our tickets to the Calico Jack's Ferry and sat down to enjoy the great weather. This momma dog was kind enough to let me pass the time giving her head a scratch.

The captain of the ferry got us going...

...while Momma Dog kept watch. Notice how her ears are blown back by the wind.

The ferry captain wasn't sure the Shackleford horses would be out since the tide was high, but we saw several. These are wild horses that have lived on the Shackleford banks for generations. Contrary to popular belief, no one *really* knows where they came from. But during hurricanes and violent weather, the older horses form a circle around the younger ones like a wagon train and protect them from the strong winds. Amazing.

And despite efforts to control the population with birth control...well...nothing is 100% effective. This little guy is only a few months old.

After a few minutes watching the horses, we turned south and continued on to the Cape Lookout lighthouse. The diamond pattern is unique to Cape Lookout (other lighthouses have spirals, stripes, etc.), and since the white diamonds face West-East and the black diamonds face North-South, an approaching captain can easily get his bearing during the day. (At night, the various lighthouses each have their own period for their blinking light, helping identify them from one another.)

We spent the rest of our time there walking on the beach. I got to put my Hobbit feet in the ocean for the first time this trip.

In all it was a great first day!

Thanks, Columbus!

2009-10-18T16:50:00.000-04:00

Today I finished the Columbus Marathon in 3:43:13, a personal best in my third (and probably last) marathon.

I was originally going to run Chicago last weekend, but it filled up before I got around to registering. Now I'm glad it did, because I was really impressed with how well Columbus was organized.

There were a bunch of aid/water stations, and the volunteers were amazing--cheering and encouraging everyone. The organizers printed runners' first names on the bib above the number, and it made a big difference; it's always cool to hear perfect strangers cheer you on by name!

At the finish, there was a lot of great food (and FREE MASSAGES...see earlier post), and I had two volunteers come up to me out of the blue to offer to help--one was making sure I was OK and lead me to the massage table and one let me into the finish area (where I took this picture) to cheer and wait for my friends to finish. It was really impressive how they could be so servant-oriented with 15,000 people in need.

Thanks again, Columbus, for enabling me to end my marathon career on a high note.

God Bless 'Em!

2009-10-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

These massage therapy students were giving FREE MASSAGES to anyone needing one after the race! What an amazing service!

The Pre-Run Expo Experience

2009-10-17T13:20:00.001-04:00

Before every race I've ever done they've organized a pre-race expo where all sorts of vendors, service providers, and race organizers show off their stuff. Often some local youth group also offers a pasta dinner as a fund raiser.

Imagine any product a runner would want and it's at the expo: clothes, shoes, misc accessories (headbands, cold weather gear, gels, drinks, lubricants..), vitamins, massage therapists, chiropractors, and loads of other race representatives giving away free entries and keychains or magnets promoting their upcoming event. (It works, by the way--I've run in more than one race I'd not heard of until some expo somewhere...) I've even seen car manufacterers showing off and giving away a new model.

It's neat to see all experience levels come together, get some free stuff, and get jazzed for the race. It's also where I begin to get nervous a bit and begin visualizing a successful race.

Here we go...

Quarantined

2009-10-16T21:36:00.001-04:00

Slight change in plans...

My running buddy and host Brian came down with something pretty nasty this morning, so for safety-sake I'm staying in a hotel for the weekend and taking extreme measures to stay healthy--soaking everything in the room in Lysol and chugging OJ. It's for the best, I guess...he needs to get lots of rest, and I need to not take the flu to my aunt in North Carolina this week.

I know it's all in my head, but my throat is starting to tingle a bit...

Please pray for health and recovery for all involved.

Vacation Begins!

2009-10-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

For my first official meal of vacation, I punched "sport bar" into my Google maps app, hoping to find a place in Columbus to catch the baseball playoffs and grab a burger. I think the motorcycles in front of the place should have tipped me off that this was more 'bar' than 'sports'.

I paid $8 for a pizza sub and drink while listening to the guy next to me complaining about having too may kids and a wife that complains that he spends too much time at the bar...go figure. The sandwich wasn't half bad, but I didn't get to see any baseball.

The Power to Unite

2009-09-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

The pastor played this video during the service this morning to demonstrate how music unites us in a supernatural way. (He was preaching from Revelation 4-5, describing Songs of Praise and our role in them.)

I have to admit, I've always thought of music as one of those things that make no sense from an evolutionary point-of-view. What advantage to survival of the species could it possibly display?

This isn't a leap for me; I've always viewed mathematics as proof of a Divine Engineer, and given the mathematical basis for much of music, it follows easily enough. Anyway, the world got a bit smaller for me this morning...

Eternal Perspective

2009-09-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

I love this image.

Maybe it's simply a practical solution for collecting the offering on the way out when the service is running long, but I like to think there's a message communicated in the choice of receptical.

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:8 that all things are 'rubbish' compared to knowing Jesus, and the truth is I'm not taking anything with me when I finally go to my real home.

I appreciate the reminder that money and financial blessing can 'trash' up my heart and life if I ever put it at greater value than Jesus and His people.

Rock 'n Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon Results

2009-08-02T09:57:00.000-04:00

A new PR! I finished in 1:39:47 (unofficial), almost 2 minutes ahead of goal!

It was a beautiful course through the city, and the "wave" start made it easy to start out well...and naturally that meant I started out too fast. Anyway, all that matters is the final result.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and support!

Amazing Statistic

2009-07-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

I have Dr. G: Medical Examiner on in the background, and she gave the statistic that 800,000 Americans go missing every year.

Eight hundred thousand...that's thousands a day...

And more than 80% of these are people who go missing on purpose... Wow.

Training and Faith

2009-07-27T17:16:00.000-04:00

As I ran today in preparation for the Chicago Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon this weekend, I began to think about the faith lessons that training for a race teaches. I'm not talking about the sort of stuff you'll read if you Google "running spiritual lessons"; I appreciate the ideas of "running to obtain a prize", perseverance, and heart, but I'm thinking of more tangible lessons of trust--trusting an author and the plan he has for you.

Race training is about managing the balance between pushing yourself and allowing your body to recover; consequently, most modern marathon/half-marathon training calendars never have you running race distance at pace, and often if you're running close to race distance, it's at a much slower pace. A body simply needs certain time to recover, and pushing yourself every run and/or running too much can wear you out, cause injury, and leave you exhausted and hurt on race day.

In this environment, you approach the race having never run even close to the race distance at pace--and this fact is in your thinking the entire time you train. Consequently, you have to make a choice every day to either (a) trust the training schedule and run your allotted miles and pace, or you (b) over-run out of a fear of not being prepared. As a recovering perfectionist, it's often hard for me to relax when there is an opportunity to "prepare more". It's often hard to truly enjoy and embrace a day of rest, especially if I've missed a run during the week. So-called 'easy' runs close to race-day are opportunities to overdo it and practice race pace.

But if I trust that the author of the training schedule knows what he's doing and has my best interest and success in mind, I can take the needed rest day "in faith", knowing that it will be for the best. If I'm willing to trust, I can enjoy a leisurely short run rather than calling an audible and adding distance or trying to cut time. My training calendar becomes a budget; I can make advance decisions about how I'll spend my running 'dollars', knowing I'll have the resources I need when the 'bill' comes due. I surrender the responsibility for my training to the author of the calendar, and I trust his experience and expertise that he's allowed for and balanced my need to challenge myself and my need to recover.

Training also mimics faith in that it is about keeping the end goal in mind while celebrating progress and the little victories along the way. Every small step--insignificant in itself--is a manageable application, a course-correction from where I am to where I want to be. In this way, training is less "something to do" but a focus on "who you are". The runner I am at the beginning of training couldn't--on his best day--run the race at the goal pace. Unless there is development and growth, the goal remains out of reach; on the other hand, the runner I am at the end of training sees the goal pace as reachable.

Shrewd Little Saleswoman

2009-07-26T20:09:00.000-04:00

As I exited Krogers yesterday, I saw a lemonade stand just to my right on the way out. Since I have a Life Principle that states "Never bypass a lemonade/bake-sale stand without buying something; it encourages the seller and is often quite tasty.", I took a few minutes to check it out.

A group of about 4 girls (forgive me, but I think they were in the 8-10 yr range...I'm not good with approximating kids' ages) were selling lemonade to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF). My dad used to go to great lengths to support the JDF fundraisers at his former workplace, so I always recognize the fundraisers and have a soft spot for them. The lemonade was only a quarter, so I thought it a small price to encourage the girls, given they've given up their morning to do such an others-centered thing. (BTW, it wasn't until later that I began to think about the whole sickly-sweet lemonade/diabetes irony, so if you're already there, kudos...)

When I gave the young cashier my dollar, she asked, "Do you want any change?"

With one question she basically put me in the position to choose between my measily 75 cents and the eventual cure for childhood diabetes! Of course I said no.

Either (a) she was coached to always ask that by some adult, (b) she had so many people say "keep the change" that she began to ask, or (c) she's naturally got the makings of a successful sales/fundraising career.

Brilliant.

A Tender Moment

2009-07-18T20:03:00.001-04:00

I just witnessed a man negotiate getting food at the street festval with his wife, a woman who seemed to be suffering from some sort of dementia. From the way he patiently negotiated the crowd and kept his arm around her, it was clear she was dependent on him, easily relying on him for direction.

It was clear that she was a bit lost in the commotion of the crowd. I was concerned for her when he stepped away for a moment to ask a question of one of the food vendors. When he returned, the relief and comfort of having him near was clear from the embrace they shared.

I can't remember when I've witnessed such a tender exchange. Maybe I'm making an assumption, but I think I got a glimpse of what their lives together have been in better times.

May we all experience such events in our lives...

In Von's Window this morning

2009-07-18T09:56:00.001-04:00

Celebrating Freedom

2009-07-04T20:34:00.001-04:00

I can't remember the last time I held a sparkler.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Bluegrass 10K Results

2009-07-04T17:01:00.000-04:00

This was my first 10K road race, so I was actually pretty pleased with the results.

I ran it in 45:33 (7:15/mi pace) and finished 35th/213 in my division (male, 30-34). I finished 284th out of 3304 finishers overall...

A Slight Miscommunication...

2009-07-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

Last January when I came back from Tyler and Arpitha's wedding in India, a friend asked if I would agree to share some photos and stories from the experience to his Methodist Men's group meeting this summer.

He recently smiled and handed me this month's newsletter. Apparently the secretary got a bit confused about the subject of my presentation...

Let the good-natured ribbing commence.

Book Review: "The Know-It-All"

2009-06-25T18:17:00.000-04:00

While I was reviewing A. J. Jacobs' most-recent book, I became aware that his previous book had been about a project to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. So when I found a used hardback copy in Von's a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance to read it. (Take that Amazon: $9 in hardback, even cheaper than the Kindle version)

Jacobs approaches his task of reading the entire encyclopaedia as a way to measure himself against his successful attorney father. Feeling that his pop-culture jobs as writer/editor at Entertainment Weekly and Esquire had diluted his Brown education, he decides to complete a task his father never finished--all forty-four million words. Along the way he shares humorous stories of becoming a Mensa member and attending a conference, competing in a crossword puzzle tournament, and auditioning and appearing on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". As he journeys through the alphabet, Jacobs makes connections and highlights the commonalities all cultures and times share, as well as pointing out some very shocking (and often humorous) differences. We see the facts from his reading connect in often unusual ways to his daily life and watch Jacobs struggle with reconciling, remembering, and digesting his growing body of knowledge. Sometimes he does so successfully...and sometimes...well...

As with his last book, I really appreciate Jacobs' transparency, and I can identify with his foibles, social awkwardness, and borderline obsessive-compulsive behavior. After reading two of his books, I feel I know him, and I'm inspired by his willingness to immerse himself in his work--to let the process of discovery change him, rather than just writing to make a buck.

I highly recommend the book (the short chapters/sections make it the perfect bathroom book)--it's informative, funny, and touching.

Book Review: "Perfecting Ourselves to Death"

2009-06-25T00:37:00.000-04:00

I'd read this book a year or so ago, but when packing up my bookcase I came across it and decided to give it another read. I'm glad I did.

As the title of this blog alludes, I suffer from this particular ailment, although I like to think I'm in recovery. I can relate to author Richard Winter's quote of Paul Tournier when describing a fear of making mistakes--a common symptom of perfectionism.

"Fear of making the wrong decision makes it difficult to give up any options that are available....perfectionists want to do everything, but choose nothing, and so never get started. Living means choosing one thing rather than another, but these people will give up nothing, and so lose everything."

For me, a black/white mindset makes it tough to see life's middle ground. Life is growth, and growth is often messy--lived out in the tension between black and white. It's not that I think I'm able to be perfect; I'm not sure any perfectionist would think they could be. It's just that a "wrong" choice risks missing out on the "best" option, and so even a "good" option seems like loss. Life becomes avoiding future wrongs and regretting the past mistakes...

Winters also does a great job at reaching the heart of perfectionism's utility: control. The idea is "if I can be perfect, and make the situation perfect, then there is no risk that I'll get hurt". The natural result of working through perfectionism is facing that you're finite, not in control, and learning to live in the tension of the unknown. It's a process of openness, vulnerability, and facing disappointments as inevitable but not fatal.

Winters writes that the antidote is contentment...a functional trust that Jesus is good and in control, and that we don't have to be. Contentment is hard for perfectionists, as they are always dissatisfied and pursuing more. Giving Jesus control is a scary proposition.

Toward the end of the book, Winters quotes The Velveteen Rabbit when describing the process of becoming spiritually and emotionally mature:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender...
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. " You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

The choice is pretty simple, really. We can choose to remain in the toy box in our packaging--protected from being broken and scratched and bruised and scarred by interactions with the world. Or we can let Jesus and others love us and in the process mature and be come Real.

Another Forgotten Treasure

2009-06-23T23:20:00.000-04:00

I remember when David Hasselhoff was cool.

I always dreaded the end of a weekend--even in primary school--but the one thing that made it worth it was Knight Rider on Sunday nights. Who can forget that amazing theme song...

But I remember one tragic Sunday in October when K.I.T.T. went head-to-head (grill-to-grill?) with Goliath and was almost destroyed. Part of the suspense leading up to this season 2 premier was the opportunity for fans to send in a postcard and request a "KITT Kit" schematic of the modifications to K.I.T.T. that would be coming...and would you believe I found mine in a box of old keepsakes during my last move!?

My memories of the document was that it was much more technical than it really is. Also, I don't know if it was just me or the nature of these mail-in things, but I remember being so jazzed when it came in the mail; this was back in the day when I *NEVER* got mail, much less anything so cool as to be KR related, and enough time had passed between sending in my postcard that I'd forgotten it was coming.

Anyway, I hope kids today have such things to look forward to, but I'm guessing the web and instant downloads have eliminated them...

In the candy isle at Sam's

2009-06-02T17:12:00.000-04:00

I guess if you want to skip the middle man...

Now THAT's Intelligent Ad-ware

2009-05-15T10:30:00.000-04:00

Best in Show

2009-05-03T16:32:00.001-04:00

Barrett has been taking voice lessons for the last few months, and I have given him no end of grief over it. :)

The truth is I admire him being willing to step out of his comfort zone and perform in front of others. He's gotten pretty used to someone asking him to sing songs when we have friends over, but getting up in front of strangers is a whole new level of bravery. In my opinion, his was the best performance of the afternoon.

Fortunately we remembered to take a camera for those of you who weren't able to make it...

Great Job, Barrett!

Book Review: "The Year of Living Biblically"

2009-05-03T14:16:00.001-04:00

A friend recommended I read A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically, and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I expected I would. As the author himself acknowledges, the book idea began as his effort as a secular person of Jewish heritage to expose what he considers the ridiculously-slippery slope of literal Biblical interpretation. As someone who takes the Scripture personally and literally, I was prepared to be insulted throughout most of the 341 pages.

On the contrary, I felt the author truly attempted to connect with the God of Scripture, or at least to understand the perspective of those who do. I think Jacobs does a good job of trying to understand the various and sometime radical sects of Judaism and Christianity, find meaning--and humor--in their views of life and scripture, and expose the really tough questions that any Biblical scholar has to face. What do we do with the passages of scripture that make us uncomfortable? How do we handle the seemingly contradictory images of a vengeful God in the Hebrew Bible with the grace-giving and life-affirming message of Jesus in the New Testament? To what degree to we allow culture--both of the times the Scripture was written and our current culture--affect how we hear the message of Scripture?

Along the way, Jacobs shares sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking stories from his personal life and how his newly-created Biblical persona "Jacob" handles them. I related to his tendency toward obsessive-compulsive behavior and his struggles to follow through on his intentions to do good to his neighbors. I was humbled by his commitment to the project--how whole-heartedly he pursued consistency and integrity in following all manner of Levitical laws and tradition, even when he didn't understand the 'why' behind them. And it was encouraging to hear him come away with an appreciation and understanding of religious groups and people that he had judged in the past.

In the end, however, I think Jacobs exposes the problem with focusing on the Scripture outside of a personal relationship with God; the Bible itself becomes an idol and stumbling block on our spiritual journey rather than a love-letter urging us into a committed relationship with the Author.

Advertising

2009-05-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

It just occurred to me how strange it is to advertise a new television on....television.

I'm watching the new Samsung TV Commercial with the little light-speckled hummingbird and flowers, and I guess the point is to show off how great of a picture they can produce. But there are only two possible outcomes:

1. The picture looks like garbage on my 13" TV/VCR combo, so I'm not impressed with any of their fancy images, and I don't want their TV.
2. The picture looks great...in which case I don't need a new TV at all.

Either way it's a waste of money.

A New Personal Record!

2009-04-12T15:55:00.000-04:00

This weekend I ran the University of Illiniois mini-Marathon, finishing with a personal-best time of 1:45:04, just over an 8:02 pace. I was originally shooting for a pace of 8:15, but since I was feeling so good at the last I decided to step it up a bit. I was actually a bit disappointed that I couldn't shave another 30 seconds or so off my time to break the 8 minute barrier...

Here's me and Bryan at the starting line.

As you can tell, Bryan was anxious to get started!

The finish line/post-race food situation was pretty cool--they had the finish at the Memorial Stadium 50-yard line, so you actually got to receive your finisher medal and have post-race pictures made on the field.

And finally, the obligatory "happy finishers" picture...

In all, I think UIUC did a great job with their first event. Thanks to Bryan and Johnny for hosting me, and a special thanks to Bryan for giving up his morning to spend it waiting for me to finish.

Cute Viral Ad Campaign

2009-02-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

I heard an ad on the radio where the supposed owner of a web site was complaining that his site was being confused with the site 'comparethemarket.com'. Wondering if the ad agency was smart enough to carry this all the way out I decided to check...

At The Corner of Memory and Forgotten Lanes...

2009-02-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I mentioned a roll of film that I'd found while moving into the new house. I had it developed at Wal-Mart a few months ago, but since my scanner has been busted, I was just today able to scan a few.

First of all, I guess real film development is something Wal-Mart isn't used to dealing with anymore; they wanted to charge me 50% more than the posted price for my roll of 24 exposures. I had to walk a manager over to the sign to show the discrepancy before he discounted my tab to the appropriate rate.

As best as I can tell, the first pictures are from a ski trip to Colorado I took in December 1998.

Here's a picture of Brian that--honestly--is one of the few things that confirm to me that I did, in fact, make this trip. I don't remember much else of what took place.

I have no idea who these people are, nor why I could take their photos:

The final pics are from an IEEE International Test Conference in Spring of 1999. I'm traveling with two other graduate students and my two faculty advisers--Dr. Marty Emmert and Dr. Charles Stroud--who did all the work.
Part of the trip was a meeting with our research counterparts from Bell Labs. The second gentleman on the back row is Dr. Miron Abramovici, author if what is lovingly referred to as the Testing Bible. I have an autographed copy (no joke).
The conference was in Atlantic City, and if you've never been to Atlantic City...don't bother; it's a pretty depressing place with opulent casinos surrounded by "gentleman's clubs", pawn shops, and lots of homelessness...
I do remember that I learned how to play Paigow poker especially for the trip...

It's somewhat depressing that I don't remember the context of all the photos so few short years after they were taken, but it was fun to relive the parts I do remember. I really did enjoy college and my graduate years, and I don't often take the time to be thankful and appreciate what a really great time it was.

At Least He's Got Taste

2009-01-21T13:53:00.000-05:00

Forgive me for being ignorant, but I didn't realize that Coolio sampled Stevie Wonder for his Gangster's Paradise. I think Wonder's version is much better...

Thanks to The Geoff Show for pointing this out.

What's Wrong with Us?

2008-11-21T00:22:00.000-05:00

I'm so stinking frustrated with what I'm seeing these days. It seems if you're dishonest, greedy, or a 'victim', you make out well in our country today. If you live within your means, save for a rainy day, and try to take responsibility for yourself, then you get stepped on.

This article in the Irvine Housing Blog made me sick this morning. Now that everyone's made--and spent--a fortune getting way over their head in mortgages they knew they couldn't afford, they're lining up to have these loans written down so they won't have to pay them back. Executives and stock-holders in these major financial institutions reaped huge windfalls during the rise of the bubble, and now they come with hat in hand expecting taxpayers to bail them out? Most houses featured daily in IHB are the result of people spending all the equity in their appreciating home 'value' over the past few years on cars, vacations--consumer 'stuff'--and now are leaving the banks holding up to 1/4 million dollars each while they walk away with a slap on the wrist, having lost nothing but their credit rating because they were $0 down loans.

Meanwhile, my parents have lived a modest lifestyle well within their means for 40+ years they've been working. They bought a modest home (which they actually paid off), drove used cards, and never took extravagant vacations. We always had food on the table and clothes to wear, but you would have been hard-pressed to find designer labels or name-brand appliances in our house growing up. No boats, campers, or RVs sat in our driveway. My parents paid their taxes, gave to charity, and managed to help me get through college in spite of having little or no retirement savings to pull from.

My parents are part of the forgotten generation as far as retirement goes; they didn't retire soon enough to have a traditional pension plan, yet they haven't worked long enough since the advent of the 401k to have enough saved there for retirement. The companies that they spent the biggest part of their lives working for managed to somehow legally pay them a pittance for their pensions, and now the sagging stock market is eating up what little they've managed to put away after the last few years of rising gas, home heating, and food costs have taken larger slices of their budget. Is anyone offering them help? Nope. They'll pay more taxes to help pay the bills that the deadbeat mortgage holders leave on the bank's doorstep.

This afternoon the transmission on my car went out. As I drove home from Wal-Mart in second gear the whole way, I wondered why I shouldn't play the same game. Why shouldn't I go to a dealership, sign a loan for the most expensive car I can qualify for, and just never pay it back? Sure, they'd come get the car eventually, but I'm guessing with some legal maneuvering and outright lying I could manage to drive a new car for free for six months or so. (I'm sure I could put all of the maintenance and fuel costs on a credit card...and just not pay it back either.) Don't I deserve to drive the nicest car, regardless of what I can afford? Isn't that the new American way?

I used to be amazed that some of the students I knew simply could not see themselves as accountable for the decisions they made. Now I understand why they couldn't...I'm guessing they've never seen anyone really held responsible. I'm afraid we're missing a great chance to do exactly that.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

2008-11-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

With work being so crazy these past weeks, I've been working a lot of hours and haven't bothered to take the time to cook much or get to the grocery; consequently, I'm eating out a lot.

I'd heard Barrett mention that they'd ordered Jimmy John's subs for a meeting at work last week, and during the conversation he mentioned that they'd ordered on-line rather than calling. I knew Jimmy John's delivered (you can see their delivery folks dashing all over campus in cars and on bikes), but I never knew you could order using the web. Somehow this option seemed more appealing; I could browse the menu at leisure, check out any on-line specials, and pay by credit card without having to scrounge up the cash to pay a delivery person. (I haven't been to the bank either these past few weeks...)

I tried this on-line ordering a few times this week for lunch and was amazed at how fast they were. Last night, Barrett and I started a stopwatch when I pushed the "Submit Order" button on the web page...

... and the sandwich was in my hands in less than 8 minutes!

This includes the communication from their web server to my nearest store, processing of the credit card, making the sandwich, and--lets not forget--actually delivering the sandwich! I can't warm soup in 8 minutes, and I get to work through the entire time they're making and delivering my sandwich. As someone who appreciates efficiency, this is remarkable.

Comp Update: Latin Results

2008-11-15T18:38:00.001-05:00

We made semi-finals in Bronze Latin cha/rumba and samba, and we finished 4th in my least-favorite dance: jive. How anyone enjoys that dance is beyond me, and I run marathons...

Update from Purdue Comp

2008-11-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

Amazingly enough, Chrysa and I made all American Rhythm finals, placing 4th in swing, 4th in mambo, and 2nd (tie) in cha-cha/rumba.

Interesting Observations on the Election (Don't worry...not mine)

2008-11-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

While I've never met Barrett's cousin Josh, I'd like to; his blog is always good for a laugh. Check out his observations on inconsistencies in how various events have been portrayed in the media over the past several presidential elections.

Update on Shammy

2008-11-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

It's been three months, and she's going strong... (I wish I'd taken a picture earlier while it was light out so you could see her leaves open.)

Growth

2008-11-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown." -- Author Unknown

Year 35 Looms Large

2008-11-10T02:58:00.000-05:00

Those of you familiar with my regular birthday ritual will no doubt be expecting a post regarding my Year 35 Theme. But before we get into that, let's review this past year.

Some highlights/accomplishments:

I competed in my 2nd marathon and my 2nd and 3rd mini-marathons (and these on consecutive days!)
I took my first business trip to Southeast Asia, staying in the Philippines for a week and getting to see the sites and experience the local culture.
I finished/re-read several books (following up on my Year 32 Theme): Abba's Child, Spiritual Authority, The Making of a Leader, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, In Cold Blood, Living a Life on Loan, and a few others...
At work I've been able to implement some of the tools I've been receiving in SystemVerilog training and am beginning to develop proficiency and to see some payoff in the investment.

But this year has also brought some challenges that I'd not anticipated...periods of intense anxiety and immense loneliness and isolation. I spent considerable time this summer examining my life story, recognizing how my life has evolved through various leadership development phases, and honestly evaluating my character and growth needs. Several things became quite evident:

I have no clearly-articulated life and/or ministry philosophy; my approach has been sharpened and shaped by life's circumstances, and I operate daily on the convictions I've developed, but I've not taken the time to state it explicitly such that I could communicate it to someone else when asked.
I've viewed much of life as a course down a single path, an inflexible vision that--should it not come to pass--leaves me in the posture of considering my life a failure. This doesn't give Jesus much flexibility to direct me where He wants me to be.
I've spent much of my adult life out of touch with my emotions, choosing to live factually and empirically. This is great for making decisions, but lousy for having authentic relationships.

So to that end I've reached a decision on my theme for Year 35:

To develop and maintain and written Life Philosophy--a working document that describes the significant events and seasons of my life, captures the lessons learned, and distills them to a list of principles by which I can make decisions that are in line with where my life has been and is going. I agree with Dr. Clinton that any Life Philosophy that I could embrace must: honor Biblical leadership values, be practical in engaging the challenges of today, and fit my unique gifts and development.

If the saying "the past is prologue" is true, then the best way to see where you're going is to know where you've been. If I want to see where Jesus could use me in the future, it would help to--at any point in life--be able to recognize how he's used me in the past.

In some ways, this theme is the logical next step from the themes of Years 33 and 34--"Learning to manage unending projects" and "Becoming a person who faces each day head-on"; The hope is that by taking a pro-active stance in planning and entering the next phase of life head-on--armed with the lessons learned to date--I can best manage and optimize the eternal experience that is Life.

Martha Stewart, Eat Your Heart Out

2008-11-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

Last night Barrett and some friends organized a fondue party for my birthday. We had a muenster/swiss cheese mix, followed by an amazing chocolate fondue. The cheese was a little...um...more solid than we'd have liked--and we did almost catch the kitchen on fire--but a good time was had by all.

If you weren't here, you should have been. It was "Iron Chef meets Martha Stewart Living"....lots of chaos and creative destruction. Really cool.

Thanks to all who came for making my birthday really special!

Seeking Justice

2008-11-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I attended All Campus Worship at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and the featured speaker was Larry Martin from International Justice Mission. This is an organization of attorneys and social workers that work to bring justice and the release from oppression of victims all over the world. On a daily basis, Larry and his colleagues work to battle human trafficking, illegal property seizures, forced prostitution, and other systematic systems of abuse. At any point there are 27 million slaves in bondage in the world today....

I guess I've known that abuse occurs all over the world and in ways I couldn't imagine. I can remember speaking with a student at Eastern Kentucky University years ago who had survived the Rwandan genocide--losing her mother to a machete attack--and hearing her speak of the amazingly overlooked luxury of personal safety that Americans enjoy while most of the world doesn't. She described being present during gun battles and taking shelter while bullets whizzed around her.

But what stood out to me last night was Larry's definition of injustice as an abuse of power--of using position and influence to rob and harm others rather than to protect and nurture. He quoted a World Bank statement that the biggest threat to most individuals living in poverty is abuse at the hands of the local police--being extorted or wrongly imprisoned at the whim of men who abuse power given to protect and serve.

All of this abuse and injustice can be overwhelming, but as we considered what we--as the light of the world--could possibly do in response to this huge need, Larry left us with two questions that Jesus asked of the Twelve when faced with the daunting task of feeding the 5000+ men and women who had come to hear Jesus speak:

What do you have?
Will you give it to me?

Jesus could have fed the 5000 with manna--he'd fed more than that in the desert--but he used the lunch of a little boy and gave him and the Twelve the privilege of being part of the solution to the hungry masses' needs.

The only hope the world has is if we, individual members of the church, are willing to give the little we have back to Jesus to use in this way. Jesus did said, "You give them something to eat..."

George Boole Would Freak

2008-11-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

I had to take a picture of this sign at a rest area I stopped at along the way during my recent drive to North Carolina. (Sorry, I can't remember what the offending state was--I passed through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina, so take your best guess...)

Since I'm careful to obey all traffic laws, I spent the next few miles thinking through the nuances of this sign and why it might have been worded the way it was. Good thing I'm a digital logic designer...

I reduced the sign to some variables...

P -- overnight parking
C -- camping

...and recalled a few boolean operators...

v -- AND
| -- 'inclusive' OR
^ -- 'exclusive' OR
~ -- NOT

So, we can re-write the sign as:
        P | ~C
assuming the OR in the sign is an inclusive OR, meaning that either or both could be true. So in English, this sign is admonishing us to:
        Park overnight, or
        Don't camp, or
          Park overnight as long as you don't camp.

If it was referring to the exclusive or, it would be
        P ^ ~C                            -- which we can rewrite by definition as
          P v ~(~C) | ~(P) v (~C)    -- and reducing...
          P v C | ~P v ~C               -- and factoring out the negation...
          P v C | ~(P v C)
which in English would be "Either park overnight and camp or don't park overnight if you're not camping."

I guess I should have studied something else in school; I have two engineering degrees and I can't even read a simple traffic sign...