Why do we serve?

That was the topic for the sermon today. We had a guest speaker from Frazer UMC in Montgomery, AL. He spoke on the importance of volunteering within the church.

As his message, he started with scripture and gave three reasons. First, the scripture.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

-1st Corinthians 12:14-20

Second, the speaker said that we are all gifted. We all have ways that we can serve in the church. This is shown in the scripture. Third, all forms of service are equally important. Each person serving in their own way is important. As he used as an example, the people who clean the sanctuary are equally as important as him giving the sermon. If God calls us to do something, let's do it. Let's not waste time in committees deciding which are the most important. It is meets the requirements for ministry, then do it. Fourth, serving creates excitement. When people are filled and excited in church, they invite others. In closing, volunteer to further your spiritual journey.

While I think his points are correct, it really misses what I feel are the most important reasons to serve.

Before we get further, as you may know I have been recently evaluating the effectiveness of the United Methodist church, particularly in teaching the Gospel. In one post, we looked at some quotes from John Wesley, including one that said in all sermons, the preacher must preach the gospel and invite people to respond to Jesus. I believe that the speaker made an assumption that the people in the pews were Christians. While one would think that this might be a fair assumption for a church, it is far from true. While I am certainly in no position to judge the salvation of another person, I believe that it is fair to say that not all in the church are saved. If they are not Christians, then serving in the church is of no value. Paul tells us in Ephesians that salvation comes from grace, not works. So in terms of salvation, works are of no value. Christ tells us in chapter 7 of Matthew that many will call upon the name of the Lord in the end and say they performed acts in His name. He also says many of those he will cast away as he never knew them. James tells us in chapter 2 that faith without works is dead, and likewise, works without faith is dead. We know that works will not affect your salvation, but it certainly is meant for Christians. It is our response to God's grace and mercy for us. As we see in James, true faith will lead to good works.

So if not all in the church are Christians and good works are for Christians, we have a problem telling all people to do works. I believe that first, we must do what we can to help them know Christ. How do they come to know Christ if it is not preached? Yes we have bible studies and small groups, but not all who attend church participate in these. Christ must be preached in our pulpits, sunday school classroom, and throughout the whole world. Blessed are those who preach the goodness of Christ! That from the beginning of time, God has desired to have a relationship with us. However, he is perfect and we are not. This prevents us from being in relationship with God, both today and in the afterlife. However, in his love for us, God sent Christ Jesus who came to earth. He lived a perfect life to teach us how to live, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Our belief in Christ's redeeming power is all that is required from God's grace to cleanse us of our sins by the blood of Christ. Once we are cleansed of our sins, we can enjoy fellowship with God both now and forever. This must be taught in our churches and by those of us who are Christians.

So first, before we can even talk about performing good works in God's name, we first must belong to God. This then brings us to the reason for doing it. The most important reason for doing it is because God tells us to. We saw in James how our faith leads to good works. James uses the example of a Christian seeing a person in need of food and clothing and instead of providing for the person, the Christian says to "Go and I wish you well." This clearly does not help the person. John in 1st John tells us that we love because God loves us first. We are to love each other as a response to God's love for us! By living in love for each other, we will know that God lives in us, and us in Him. Jesus tells us in the story of the goats and lambs that by serving others, we serve God. In the story, Jesus separates the goats from the sheep. The goats are cast into hell while the sheep are brought into heaven. In both, they ask Christ when they saw him hungry or thirsty, naked or in jail. Jesus responds that as you do unto the least of these, you do unto Him. By loving others, we show our love to God and share God's love to others.

Serve in the church! Not as a means of gaining salvation, but as a means of sharing God's love!

Terrorists at the Tea Party

I recently read an article in National Geographic Adventure (August 2008) called Terrorists at the Tea Party. It was about how our body responds to emergency situations and how to improve our reaction.

School fire alarms are a common occurance in schools. These are done regularly as drills, occasionally on accident, sometimes as a prank, and, on the rare occurrence, in an emergency. As a small child, I feared the fire alarm. In preschool, I would often cry when the alarm went off. This same fear was in my body when I met police officers. However, as I grew older, I overcame this fear. When an alarm goes off, I immediately think of where the nearest exit is. When I see a police officer, I do not fear them, though my attention is drawn to them. These changes in my reaction came as a result of conditioning my body. As a child, I was not aware of how to condition my body, this came as a result of repeated interactions with the source of fear. I began to understand what the source of the emergency is in each situation and how to properly respond. This sort of reaction is extremely important in life and death situations.

There have been numerous studies on people in survival situations and what makes some people give up while others persevere. In these studies, the most important characteristic isn't strength but mental ability. When an emergency situation arises, it often times enters our brain and is immediately processed before we have time to think about it. Our brain switches into survival instinct, releasing hormones, changing the chemistry of our blood, restricting our blood vessels, and increase our blood pressure and pulse. These actions help to protect our body and give our muscles extra strength, but at the expense of our rational thinking. As the situation develops, some people often times experience tachpsychia, the changing of our mind's perception of speed. Often times people experience the heightening of some senses and the weakening or tunneling of others. As time progresses, our mind has time to analyze the signals it is receiving and the evaluate what the threat is and how to appropriately respond. The longer we have to respond to the situation, the better. Though in situations such as shootings and wrecks, we have little time to respond. We must find ways to cope with the situation to increase our ability to respond appropriately and to increase our changes of survival.

One way of improving our odds is by experience. The more times we encounter emergency situations and survive, the more self-confidence we have in ourselves, and the more knowledge we have in how to respond and how our bodies respond. By hear the fire alarm and evacuating the building, my body was conditioned in what to do when the alarm sounds. Just like Pavlov's dogs. One of the most powerful ways is by breathing. Soldiers and police officers are often taught breathing techniques to use in hostile situations to calm the body and maintain a level head. This breathing strategy works by bridging the gap between our somatic nervous system and autonoic system, the parts of our body we can consciously control and the parts we can not. By slowing our breathing, we are able to reduce the fear that comes from our primal survival instinct. A common recommended pattern for breathing is inhale four counts, hold four counts, exhale four counts, hold four counts, repeat. Laughter is another activity that reduces our stress and allows us to think clearly.

Disturbing News about the UMC

These statistics came from a recent poll by the Pew Forum. The survey was the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. The snapshot below of the United Methodist Church is disturbing.

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3829

96 percent are “absolutely” or “fairly certain” that God exists 42 percent say they attend church at least once a week; 14 percent say they seldom or never attend church 59 percent say they pray at least once a day 15 percent say their prayers are answered at least once a week; 28 percent say their prayers are seldom or never answered one-fourth believe the Bible should be taken “literally, word for word;” 21 percent say it’s written by men, not God; 44 percent say it’s the Word of God but probably shouldn’t be taken literally 82 percent believe there is more than one way to interpret their religious teachings 85 percent believe many religions can lead to eternal life 51 percent believe “Homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society” 39 percent disagree 59 percent believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 29 percent say it should be illegal in most cases 42 percent believe the U.S. should be active in world affairs; half said we should focus more on problems here at home 29 percent say stricter environmental laws would hurt the economy; 63 percent say it would be worth the cost 47 percent lean toward or are Republican; 42 percent lean toward or are Democratic

There are some good things. Some things that are good are that 96% are positive that God exists. A majority of United Methodists pray daily. A majority feel that taking care of God's creation will be worth the cost.

There are also some disturbing things. A majority of United Methodists do not believe that the Bible is the literal Word of God. A majority of United Methodists believe that abortion should be allowed in all cases. A majority believe that many religions can lead to God. A majority believe that there are multiple interpretations to the Bible.

These trends lead me to the conclusion that the United Methodist Church needs to lead a revival in small group Bible studies. When the Methodist Church was in its infancy, it focused very heavily on small group Bible studies and holy living. Now a days, in most churches, this does not happen. Most United Methodists are not active in small group Bible studies where they are challenged to read and study the Word of God. Where they would be challenged and strengthened in their holy living by others. Instead, they attend church on Sunday morning and call it a week.

By studying the Bible, some things would clearly be found out. One, while there are many applications, there is only one interpretation to the Bible, and that is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

John 14: 16-17a "16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. "

The Spirit is the spirit of truth. He does not lie to us.

John 14: 26 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

He teaches us and reminds us of things that God has taught us.

1 Corinthians 2: 9-12 "9However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. "

God has and continues to speak to us. One of the ways God talks to us is through the Bible. He does not contradict Himself and so will not contradict the Bible. He has spoken by the Spirit through man to write the Bible. His word, revealed by the Spirit. The same Spirit continues to illuminate our understanding of the Bible. We cannot understand it outside the Bible.

Ephesians 4:18 "18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts."

It is very dangerous that people believe that there can be many interpretations. By allowing the idea of multiple interpretations, we open the door for false teachers to take hold in our churches.

Another thing that a Bible study would show is that there are not multiple paths to God. Jesus is very clear on this.

John 14:6-7 "6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.""

John 14:11a "11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me"

John 11: 25-27 "25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.""

I believe that the United Methodist Church must ensure that solid, Biblical sound teaching from every pulpit and that all churches have small group Bible studies. John Wesley would agree.

Let's look at a few quotes from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.

"I love plain dealing. Do not you? I will use it now. Bear with me. I hang out no false colors; but show you all I am, all I intend, all I do. I am a member of the Church of England; but I love good men of every Church. My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small."

How many United Methodist pastors follow John Wesley's advice for teaching? "1. To invite. 2. To convince. 3. To offer Christ. 4. To build up. And to do this in some measure in every sermon."

How many United Methodists would be able to tell you where the name Methodists comes from? Except for when I was in VBS, I do not ever remember hearing it. It comes from a derogatory term used at Oxford against Wesley's holy living club. He took hold of the name, later explaining it as "one that lives according to the method laid down in the Bible."

We must return to our roots in the United Methodist church of everyone being in small group Bible studies where they study the Bible and are strengthened and held accountable by their fellow group members.

And Subdue It

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

1 Praise the Lord. 2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Psalm 148

I love being outside. I love going hiking, backpacking, bike riding, walking, ..., just being outside. Being outside allows me to see and be in God's creation. I love being in the beauty of nature, seeing wildlife and plants, camping in wilderness, breathing in the clean air.

Being in nature, I often reflect on God. In reading the Genesis 1 account of creation, we see that God gives us the earth, telling us to subdue the earth and to rule over the animals. This declaration does not come without great responsibility! We see in Psalm 148, and indeed through the whole Bible, that God loves his creation, and his creation loves him. In Psalm 148, the earth shouts praises to the Lord right next to man! Together, we praise our creator. We have a great responsibility, given to us by God, to take care of his creation.

He gives us food and shelter by his creation. All that we need to live is given to us by our Creator in his creation! We lack for nothing. Jesus reminds us of this during his sermon on the mount.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6: 25-34

We need nothing else besides what God has given us. Because of that, it is our responsibility to not waste what he has given us or to abuse it. Just because we have an abundance of things does not mean we can waste it! God gave us his creation as our responsibility. Our responsibility to protect it, conserve it, preserve it, and to use it for our needs.

How often I think we take the term subdue to extreme. Subdue according to the dictionary means to bring under one's control. We have subdued the world. We have colonized all 7 continents, sent humans to the moon, grow enough food for almost 7 billion people, and have certainly left our mark on the earth.

But do our building shout praise to God? Do our streets sing his praises?

The only thing to do

I am at the Anchorage airport, waiting for my plane to Houston. My three weeks in Alaska is coming to a close. It has been a great trip. I have gotten to see a lot of new things and try new things, like kayaking. I am really excited about kayaking and want to continue to do it when I return home.

One of my favorite authors is Lawrence Millman. In one of his books, he writes that when you complete a journey the only thing to do is start another one. So when I get home, that is exactly what I will be doing. I will be heading for Montana via the Badlands of South Dakota. Last year, I read several books on Crazy Horse. I became quite interested in him and am wanting to visit the black hills where Crazy Horse lived. I will also be visiting the fort he was killed at and the battle field at Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn). I will then be going to Montana. I will spend time in Glacier National Park as well as the mountains around Bozeman. I am looking forward to my next journey.

Even greater will be the one after that.

Get Off the Bus!

On the 17th, I went hiking at Denali National Park. I didn't know any of the places to go hiking, so I picked up a trail guide from a bookstore. I found a hike for a place called Stony Dome. To get anywhere in Denali, you have to take the bus. The bus sytem is great and anytime you want to get off, you just tell the driver. When you want back on, you flag down a passing bus and jump on. i rode the bus out 63 miles to a place called Fish Creek. I then hiked Stony Dome, a 4 mile hike with 1,500 foot elevation gain. It sprinkled part of the time and the temperatures were in the 30's on top with a strong wind.

Summit of Stony Dome

Creek along base of Stony Dome

When I got back on the bus, I was reading the introduction part of the guide book. The author says he wrote the book to help people get off the bus. He wants people to not just see the park from a bus, but to experience the weather, to feel the tundra under their feet, to smell the tundra, and feel the cold wind on their face. It reminded me of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitude. In that book, Abbey wrote that a man can see more in a mile on foot than hundred miles in a car. He is absolutly right. From the bus, I saw moose, caribou, and grizzly, but on the hike, I saw grizzly, felt the cold rain and wind, got my feet cold and wet, and smelled the smells.

Moose

On the bus, a family got off at Polychrome Pass, before we got to Fish Creek. A gentleman asked the driver what they were doing, as if there was nothing else to do in the park besides ride the bus. The driver said they were going hiking and the gentleman responded "wow!"

Being outside is being free. Being on a bus is restricting. Get off the bus!

Black Bear Wifi

I am on the internet thanks to Black Bear coffee shop in Denali Park. We have been on shore for two days now. My cousin and her husband flew back home yesterday. It was nice for them to be with us when we were on the cruise ship.

This was really the first time I got to meet my cousin. She lived only 4 hours away from me when we were growing up, but our families never did anything together and we haven't seen each other since we were very young. We got to learn about our different families, swap all the family gossip, and just learn about each other.

In previous posts, I wrote that for me, my family is just my direct ancestors. I will add a second cousin to that list of family members. She is the first family member my age that I have had any type of connection with. Any one else in my family even close to my age I have either never met or haven't seen in years. Perhaps for me, family isn't as much the relationship as in family connection, but the relationship in knowing the person who happens to also be family.

A Violation of the US Constitution

I am pretty sure that one of the bill of rights is that if you are paying for a service from a company, and that company also offers wireless internet, you get the wireless internet for free. Perhaps because we are in Canadian waters right now, the cruise ship has waived that part of the constitution. Last evening, I used my computer to connect to the router for the ship's wireless network, but wasn't able to connect to the internet. This morning I found out why, it is $.50/minute. That is obscene.

A Big Airplane

That is how I feel about this cruise ship, it is just like a big airplane. I see it as a means of transportation from Vancouver to Alaska. I have found refuge in the library. It has plenty of books to read and a big window I can sit by and read. I have also enjoyed the gym. I went this morning for a good workout. That is about all I have liked about the cruise. I feel almost trapped in it and can't wait until tomorrow when we pull into Ketchikan and I can get off. It is like when you sit on an airplane for a few hours and you are stared out the window all you can stare and you just need to stretch your legs!

Weigh Anchor!

We are currently weighing anchor.

We boarded the ship, Coral Princess, a little bit after 12. We got our rooms. I am on the Dolphin Deck, starboard side. We ate lunch at the Horizon Court. It is a buffet that is open 24 hours a day. I had a salad, chicken on rice, salmon salad (salmon, potatoes, and mayonnaises), zucchini, and a slice of bread. After lunch, my aunt took us for a tour of the ship, showing us where the theatre, casino, gym, restaurants, and lounges were. The only thing I plan on using is the gym and restaurants. I may venture into some of the lounges as well, provided they have free wifi!

We depart from Vancouver in a few hours, sailing for our first port, Ketchikan. We arrive in Ketchikan on the 11th at 6AM. I will be hiking Deer Mountain that day in the Tongass National Forest. I read about the Tongass in National Geographic a few months ago and really wanted to see it. This 5 mile out and back hike will be all I can see. I am looking forward to the hike though. It will be much better than the bus tour the rest of my family will be taking.

I am reminded of the writings of Lawrence Millman, one of my favorite authors. In A Journey in the North, he writes that given the choice between a fast boat or a slow boat, he would take the slow boat. Given a choice between walking or driving, he would take walking. I certainly agree with him. I like to ride my bike around Midland, though do not do it as much as I should. Instead of the cruise I am on, I would prefer to take the ferry. Mainly because the ferry goes to every single town along the inner passage. I read on article about using the ferry when hiking. They will let you camp on the deck and you can just disembark at any of the towns to go hiking. I would love to spend a week in each of the towns we visit, instead of the 12 hours they give us.

It is almost time for our safety drill.

Rule #1 of Gambling, I Always Win

I am not the house, but I won BIG today. We went to the River Rock Casino for dinner. The hotel had free coupons. The coupons were amazing, they were for a free $5 bill! I went, got my money, then ate at the restaurant. I had a bowl of chili for $4.50, pocketing the left over $.50. I won!

Papers Please

When passing through immigration, do not answer "I don't know" to their questions. It slows things down and raises suspension. I didn't know the name of the boat I am boarding tomorrow and also didn't know what hotel I was staying at tonight. When he asked how I would know where to go, I told him I was with a group that went ahead of me. Well, none of them claimed me when going through, so he questioned me on why noone said I was in there group. I made it though, but it took a while.

T - 12 hours

In 12 hours, I will be boarding a plane to Vancouver. I will stay in Vancouver for about a day before boarding ship and sailing to Alaska. I have no idea what I will do in Vancouver during the day.

Today I drove to Kline to stay with my aunt and uncle. I am traveling with them to Alaska. I went to a near-by middle school to work out. They had the gate to the track open. I ran and also did my normal workout. While there, I saw killdeer on the football field. When I ran by, one did the fake broken wing dance. I then noticed three little ones that she was trying to lead me away from. I am sorry I disturbed the birds, but it was neat to see the little ones.

One Bread, One Body

This morning we took communion at church. I wish my church did it every Sunday. I believe it is very important for a Christian to not only participate in it, but to also understand it. These are a few thoughts of mine about communion and the United Methodist understanding of the real presence. First, it is a mystery. Paul mentions several mysteries of the faith, some revealed, some not yet revealed. Many we have some understanding of, but not all understanding. An example of that would be in Ephesians 5 when he speaks about marriage and it representing the Church and Christ. He says it is a profound mystery. We are given the idea, but not the full understanding of it. Communion is the same way. We are given a lot about it, but we are still unable to completely grasp it. But Christ will give us full understanding when we share the meal with him at the heavenly banquet. Part of the mystery is that Christ shares the Last Supper with his disciples before he is dead. He gives them bread, calls it his body, then gives them wine and calls it his blood. The bread being his body and the blood being shed for our sins. He has not died for our sins on the cross yet, but he gives his blood to the disciples. Christ tells them to do it often in remembrance of him. So we do communion as a way of remembering. This is similar to things we have seen in Exodus, where God tells the people to take the bread as a remembrance, or erect stones as a remembrance. God gave specific rules for these remembrances. He does so also for communion. Paul expounds on these, particularly in 1 Corinthians. He tells the people that if we take communion in an unworthy manner, we profane Christ. It would be hard to profane Christ if it was just bread and wine. He tells us that when we take the cup and take the load, we are participating in the blood and body of Christ. Now it is still bread and wine, and we do it to remember Christ's death, but somehow we are also sharing in that supper with Jesus 2,000 years ago. We are sharing in his death. We do not see it has a requirement of saving salvation, but it is certainly something that is good for followers to do. Christ tells us that he is the bread of life, that is being represented in the loaf. We know his blood is sacrificed for our sins, represented in the wine. When we take communion, we take bread and wine to remember Christ, we join with him and all followers in his death, and we partake in his body, the bread of life, and the wine, the blood spilled for our sins. Christ is with us in communion. We take symbolic bread and wine and somehow are sharing a meal with Christ many years ago and remembering what he has done for us.

Ft Davis/Davis Mountains Loop

Today, I went hiking. It was about 7-8 miles. I did a figure 8 loop between Davis Mountains State Park and Ft. Davis NHS. The loop began in the state park and followed the trail north next to the Interpretive Center. (A map can be found here). The trail follows a canyon and makes a quick climb up a ridge.


From the ridge you can see the McDonald Observatory. The picture below shows Limpia Canyon heading west from the park toward Mt. Locke, the home of the observatory.



It then closely follows Skyline Drive to the edge of the state park. Along the way, it swings by a couple of scenic overlooks and even a restroom. At the edge of the park, the trail crosses the fence line into the NHS.

Inside the NHS are several trails that form a loop. When entering the park, I followed the North Ridge Trail to the Tall Grass Loop. Along the trail, you can begin to see the fort.

View of fort from North Ridge Trail Note the parade grounds in the
center and Officers Row to the right.

Post Hospital from ridge trail

Upon reaching the fort, I followed a short trail to an abandoned military cemetery. When the fort was abandoned in 1891, the graves were dugup and moved to Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. I then went to the visitors center to pay my entrance fee. At the visitors center, they show a short video on the history of the fort narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

I walked the grounds of the fort, seeing the post chapel and some of the officers quarters before heading toward Hospital Canyon. The trail in hospital canyon meets up with the North Ridge Trail just before reaching the state park.

Post Chapel

Officer Houses

Back inside the state park, I finished the figure 8 loop by following the mountain bike trail to Keesey Creek. This trail drops over the ridge and slowly descends into Limpia Canyon before it turns up Keesey Creek and back to the main park road.

During the day, I saw several mule deer, tons of birds including a pair of quail, squirrels, and even a few flies. It was a great day of hiking and a good trail to follow if you are ever in Fort Davis.

4 Days Left

Only 4 days left in the school year. We have tomorrow off for Memorial Day. When we return on Tuesday, we start our final exams. We have 3.5 days of final exams. Noone knows what is going to happen Friday afternoon as we have a 4 hour period between the last final and the last bell.

Tomorrow I am going to go hiking in the Davis Mountains. I will be hiking between Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis. I have been to the state park before, but only when I was a little kid. I was at the fort just about 2 months ago. I do not think I have hiked between the two before though.

7:00 AM is NOT too early!

Last summer, I went to Nevada. I was in the town of Baker, Nevada eating breakfast at the only restaurant in town. I was ordering breakfast (french toast) and the waitress asked if I wanted a beer with my meal. I opted for the coffee. Turns out that 8:00 AM is not too early to start drinking in Baker. This morning, I was in a coffee shop in Midland and the cashier asked if I would like a piece of cheesecake with my coffee. I politely declined. Turns out 7:00 AM is not too early for dessert in Midland!

Take me out to the ballgame

This past weekend I went to Fort Worth. On Friday, I went to Dallas to take an aptitude test for the Navy. On Saturday, my brother and I went to the Rangers - Astros baseball game at the Ballpark at Arlington.



The starting pitchers were Padilla for the Rangers versus Oswalt for the Astros. The game began with a flag presentation honoring military personnel and their families. It included a speech from a Major General in Iraq.

The game began with the Astros batting first. They got off to a 1-0 start in the top of the 1st. The following picture is of first pitch.



However, the lead didn't last long as the Rangers scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st to take the lead, which they did not give up. The picture below is of Oswalt's first pitch in the bottom of the 1st.

Despite getting the loss, it was fun going to the game and getting to watch the Astros. I have always been a 'stros fan and pulled for them long before they won the pennant. It was, however, my first game to watch in person in which Biggio was not in the lineup.


The final boxscore.



The game did conclude with a concert by Robert Earl Keen. I hadn't seen him in concert in a few years. I think the last time was at a concert in College Station at Wolf Pen Creek.

Wrap it up

I took my ASTB yesterday for the Navy and my scores were good. My application as been sent off and now I will just wait until I hear back, around July 1.

Tying a knot of internet bullies

The boy scouts are well for tying knots, camping, and doing good deeds. They have updated it to now include reporting bullying. Here are the new requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class.

Tenderfoot: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.

2nd Class: Explain the three R's of personal safety and protection.

1st Class: Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to the use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one.

In case you are wondering what three things you should avoid on the web, they are: Whenever you go online: (1) Don't respond to inappropriate messages or Web sites. If you stumble across information or images that you don't understand, it's OK to talk about it with your parent or guardian; (2) Don't share information such as your address, telephone number, school name, or your parents' work address or telephone number, and never send any photos via the Internet unless you have permission; (3) Never agree to meet anyone who has contacted you online unless your parent or guardian goes with you.

And I thought it was to never pay for wifi!

The Boy Scouts of America started in 1910. Back then, scouts had to learn important skills like how to pack an animal and how to signal using semaphore. When I was in Scouts, semaphore was long gone, but I still learned it and use it in writing form. I learned nothing about the internet and it has caused much trouble when I am on the trail and I run into an internet bully at 10,000 feet and I am cooking my oatmeal or some rice and beans.

One upping Amos Moses

If you don't know who Amos Moses is, he was a character in a Jerry Reed song by the same name. He would hunt for alligators in the Louisiana swamp by hitting them on the head with a stump. Well, this guy does better than that, he wrestles alligators and then drives around with them in his car!





"Texas Highway Patrol officer Steven Stanfield stopped William Johnson, 30, along State Highway 35 after Johnson made a U-turn and almost hit another vehicle. It was then that Stanfield noticed an alligator in the back seat of Johnson’s blue Buick, with no restraints on it."

"they learned Johnson had followed the alligator into a ditch and wrestled it into the back of his car."

"Johnson also is accused of attempting to steal his boss’ large-screen television on the same night. The plot allegedly was foiled when his accomplice saw the alligator in Johnson’s car and dropped the TV, damaging it"

This guy is now a personal hero of mine.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351565,00.html#

He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease

I think this may be the news story of the year.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3799493.ece

Hopes were fading last night for a Brazilian priest who floated aloft on Sunday tied to 1,000 giant party balloons and has not been seen since, though several of the helium-filled balloons were found floating at sea. Father Adelir de Carli, 41, soared into the sky from the southeastern town of Paranagua, sitting in a harness attached to the white, red, yellow, green and pink balloons, and wearing a thermal outfit and helmet. He was trying to draw attention to his campaign to provide rest stops for long-distance truck drivers, and to enter into Guinness World Records. A known adventurer, he had already made a previous similar flight with 500 balloons in January that reportedly took him as high as 5,000 meters (16,400ft). But bad weather this time pushed his makeshift contraption out to sea off Brazil’s southern coast, and in his last contact with police on Sunday night he said that he was encountering problems. Parishioners in his church were praying for him.

What a crazy story.

Teacher of the Year Award

I got something BETTER than a teacher of the year award, I got the Mr. Woods special at Whatabuger. One of my students from last year is working at Whataburger. Today, he was at the fry station. I ordered a #8 (2 piece chicken strip dinner) and yelled at him "Lupe, take care of my #8!" He nodded and smiled. When my box came out, I opened it and low and behold, 3 strips! He gave me an extra strip! This teaching gig is finally paying out!

Why I remain chaste

I do not write this to judge anyone, but to share my reasons for remaining chaste. I hope to be able to encourage other people who are choosing to remain chaste and deal will the same problems I do.

First, I am a graduate, never married, and am still a virgin. Seems a rarity in society today. Movies and TV shows seem to stigmatize virgins as if something is wrong with them. We hear in daily conversation that "you just need to get laid." As if that is the ultimate solution to our problems!

I remain chaste because God tells us to. I do not use saving myself for marriage as my main reason. The reason I do not is because I may not get married. It seems that if saving myself for marriage was my reason, I might remain chaste for my entire life and never receive "my prize." Saving for marriage is certainly a valid reason, and is one of my reasons, but is not my main reason. On Dave Ramsey's show one day, he was talking about a saying he uses with his children about premarital sex. He tells them to not ruin the great things with the good things. Meaning, yes sex can be a wonderful thing, even outside of marriage, but is even better in marriage. My main reason though is because God tells us to.

We see this idea of remaining pure for God in a lot of verses. First, Jesus tells us to be holy as our father is holy. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of God. He explains this as including sexual immorality. This shows that to be holy like God, we are to remain pure. We are to not conform to this world, but to prepare and live for God's kingdom. We are shown in movies and tv shows that having sex outside of marriage is normal. As members of God's people, this is not normal for us. We are called to live a higher lifestyle. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but he didn't save us so we could remain sinners. God's great love for us demands a response beyond our faith, and that is to live a holy life. Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to the law but slaves to righteousness. We are a new creation, called to live for God. How can we do this if we live sexually immoral lives?

Another reason is the reason God gave us sex. Obviously an important reason is procreation. Another reason though is to join together a man and woman. In the bible, we see that a man and woman become one flesh in marriage through sex. The old testament repeatedly shows two people becoming joined together through sex. It often uses the phrase of a man knowing his wife. He is knowing her in a way no other man should know. Their flesh is uniting as they become one. Clearly, this should not be done outside of marriage. The law says that if a man sleeps with a woman, that woman has become his wife. I do not want to be married right now, so I will not participate in the act of becoming one with a girl.

This purity does not extend to just our physical actions, but also our hearts and minds. Jesus says that sin is committed not just when a man has an affair with a woman, but when he lusts for her in his heart. This introduces a hardship on people who are trying to remain pure. Our daily life is full of sexual images. Seeing these on a daily basis creates a struggle for me. It is often said that noone is hurt if both people consent to having sex, but this is not a valid reason. While noone may be physically hurt, our spirit and heart is hurt. God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we commit sexual sin, we are not loving God through our strength, our mind, our heart, or our spirit. Our actions reveal our heart. I hope to share some things that help me in times of struggle.

First, fleeing the central. This is a saying I heard at Breakaway many years ago. The speaker was saying that if you cannot be on the internet without looking at sex sites, then stay off the internet! If being with a group of friends causes you to sin, stay away from that group. Flee what is tempting you to sin. Jesus says the same thing by saying that if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it out and cast it into the fire. In high school, I had friends that wanted to go to the strip joints as soon as they turned 18. This never really appealed to me, so I chose to not go when I turned 18, and still haven't been. I choose to not watch movies with a lot of sexual scenes, as I know if could easily lead me to sin. If I feel tempted while on the internet, I try to get off and go for a walk or do something to get away from the temptation. I have some friends who used internet blockers and had someone else setup the password.

Another thing that helps me is to be around like-minded people. Now I certainly have friends who had premarital sex, and being chaste isn't a requirement to be my friend, but my closest friends are people who I am in agreement with. I do not think that I would be able to date someone who does not share in my ideas of being chaste while single. This is not to rule out anyone who had sex before, but it would be important that they are now of the same mindset. This is because of the importance of sex in marriage. We saw the importance God places on sex. How could I potentially marry someone who does not agree with how God binds us together? Most of my friends are of the same mindset as me, which is a great encouragement. It is a great help to be able to share my struggles with a friend who understands and supports my decision.

Finally, prayer. God does not expect us to be able to do this on our own. I must often ask God to give me strength to help from falling into temptation, both with my body and on my heart.

I will also add in the benefit this can have in a marriage. I cannot speak from experience, but have heard many people say that sex is more rewarding when it is reserved for marriage. As Dave Ramsey mentioned, don't ruin the great things with the good things.

I hope that my thoughts are clear and can be of encouragement. I invite anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this topic. I often think that it isn't fair that I miss out on something enjoyable just because I am single and struggle with remaining pure. It is only because of God that I have been able to remain chaste. I will end with a message of hope that Paul gives us. This will not be an easy task, but will be worth it. Living for God is not without a promise.

quote:

---

3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

---

Romans 5:3-5

Walking Away

Last month, my principal called me into her office. She wanted to talk about a possible promotion. It turns out that she wanted to offer me the department chair position at the school for next year. It is quite an honor as a second year teacher. I do not even meet the minimum requirements for the position (3 years of experience) and my principal wants me to take the job. Just this past week, the resigning department chair at another school in town said he wanted me to apply for the department chair at that school.
Instead of taking these promotions, what if I just walked away from it all?

Standing on the Promises

This morning, we had a guest speaker at church. The speaker was from a program called Walk Through the Bible. He spoke about their program and walked us through the Bible from creation to the birth of Issac. One of the things he focused on were the promises given to Abraham. God gave Abraham one command, to leave his country. But God promised 7 things. He talked about how we often view the Old Testament as being a bunch of commands. But he said that it is a book of promise. Indeed the Bible is a book of promises. If we follow the commands of God, he will bless us.

Often times, we talk about being saved by faith and that works are not required. This is true for receiving the promise of eternal life. The Bible is very clear that believing in Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. However, if this is all we ever do, we are denying ourselves of the many other promises God wants to give us. By trusting God and following his commands, we will find that God is faithful to us and will fulfill his promises.

Will you follow God and accept his promise?

Return to Service

Today was the first day back after Spring Break. The students were good today. We were studying the amplitude of waves. Tomorrow we will be studying earthquakes. Our primary focus will be on waves produced by earthquakes. I am hoping it will be enjoyable.

Tonight I am eating dinner at Schlotzsky's. I didn't plan on it, but they have free wifi. I planned on having internet at my place tonight, but I still do not. I got rid of my cable internet and attempted to buy an aircard from Sprint today. However, the network is still not updated, so it would be as fast as dial up. I will remain internetless for a while longer.

Return from the Caprock

I returned yesterday from the Caprock. I ended up spending the entire trip at Caprock Canyons State Park. I felt there was too much to do there to cut it short by a day to go to Palo Duro Canyon.

Click to see a map of Caprock Canyons and the Trailway.

I arrived at Caprock Canyons Sunday afternoon. I got my permits and hiked back to North Prong primitive area. I spent the night camped there. That evening, I first heard the howls of coyotoes which I would hear for the rest of the trip. The next morning I got up, broke camp, and began hiking along the Upper Canyon Trail. I reached Fern Cave, which turns out is an overhang with a natural seep that waters the ferns growing on the wall. I then hiked out the Hayes Ridge overlook trail. It was incredibly foggy, but I did see several mule deer along the trail. I then drove to the north end of the Eagle Point trail. I wanted to hike to the natural bridge on the map. I got to the location, but didn't find the bridge. I continued searching until I came to where the trail crosses the creek, knowing that I was too far. I went back to where I thought the bridge was. After standing there a little bit, I realized that I was standing on the bridge! It was under the trail, about 50 feet long and 8 feet high. I then drove to the trailway, specifically a trailhead called Monk's Crossing. I hiked about 5 miles south past Clarity Tunnel and set up camp. I would be spending two nights at this location. The next day I hiked 12 miles to the South Plains Terminal in the town of South Plains. I then turned around and hiked back, making it a 24 mile day in 40 degree weather and strong panhandle winds. I was tired when I got back! On the way back and spotted a bobcat down the trail. The next morning I broke camp and hiked the 5 miles back north to the Monk's Crossing trailhead and headed home. It was a great 4 day trip, doing about 45 miles. If you are heading to the panhandle soon, I recommend Caprock Canyons State Park.

Evaluation Day

Today I was appraised by my principal. We had a lesson on simple machines, focusing on lever types such as levers, pulleys, and wheel and axles. After class, the principal said it was one of the best lessons she had ever seen, but that isn't the point of this story.

A few weeks ago, a fellow teacher of mine, who is also a black belt in karate, mentioned that he would like to break coconuts in my class one day. Since we were doing a lesson on levers, I invited him to come today during his conference period. After I invited him, I received notice of my impending appraisal this week. I went to both assistant principals and invited them to come and watch the other teacher break coconuts. My AP mentioned needing to appraise me. I said it would be a great time to appraise me since she could also watch coconuts break! She said OK. I immediately told the other teacher that I was being appraised "so don't mess up!"

Today, we started class with the breaking of coconuts. Quite a crowd gathered, with principals, teachers, and even a police officer in attendance. With 6 different adults in the classroom, those students weren't going to get away with anything! The coconuts were broken and pieces of coconuts were passed out to all the students. They loved it and so did the AP.

The moral of the story is when you are being appraised, find someone else to teach your class.

I am a slave

I recently read an article in National Geographic Explorer about the Komi people. You can read the article here. It was an awesome article and made me want to get outside. So yesterday, I hiked Slaughter Canyon at Carlsbad Caverns NP.

Part of the article talked about why the people choose to continue to live the life they do. One of the reindeer herders was quoted as saying

"They have given up living all the time with their reindeer. We Komi are still vödzyny—nomads. I'm proud that I speak Komi. I prefer this way of living—always moving with the animals and our families. I lived in town once and worked. I know what town is. Living with the oleni, making everything we need, and requiring very little else—that means we are free."

I found his last line very interesting, being free. Because they make everything they need, they are completely free.

I am not free. I live in a city, am dependent on farmers for my food, am dependent on factories for my clothes, am dependent on the city for my water. I would love to be more independent. Growing up, one of the only skills I learned was hunting. I can take an animal and process it into meat. I have not learned how to tan the hide. I did not learn how to make clothes, but can sow on a button. I would love to grow vegetables and herbs, but do not have a yard. I would love to be able to tan a hide and make clothing out of it. I would love to be free.

Just an Ordinary, Average Guy

Joe Walsh sang a song about being just an ordinary, average guy. A guy who has to pickup dog do, drinks beer with friends, and drives a Dodge. This past Sunday, the preacher at my church talked about being Average, and how that is a good thing. Sadly, our closing hymn was not Joe Walsh.

In the sermon, the pastor said that it is OK for us to be average. That God called average people, like Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah's, to do his work. In part of his message, he said that it is OK that we may not read the latest Max Lucado book or attend the latest spiritual conference. That perhaps it is better that we look to the tax collector than the pharisee for how to approach God. However, I felt that he ended his message short. I will continue with my thoughts.

God does call ordinary people. Few people who are called by God are called because of their righteousness or greatness. Moses was called after killing an Egyptian and running from his home. Levi/Matthew was called despite being a tax collector. Paul was called despite being in his words, "the biggest sinner of all." Peter and James were called despite being fishermen. These ordinary people became followers of God and become righteous by the grace of God. Not because of what they did, but because they put their faith in God and trusted him.

But these ordinary people didn't stay ordinary! They did extraordinary things for God. Moses led God's people across the desert to the Holy Land. Paul, Peter, James, and Matthew became leaders of The Way, taking the Word to new places and were willing to become martyrs for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus tells us that we will not be ordinary people. People will hate us, we will have to leave our family behind, we will do things greater than he did. But we do not do it on our own or alone. Jesus sent us the Spirit to dwell in us and to guide us. This promise to the Disciples applies to all who place their faith in Christ and pick up their cross and follow.

However, even though we are called to something higher and are made righteous with Christ, we are not to boast of what we have done. The tax collector is still our model for how to approach God. Humbly approaching God saying "God be merciful to me a sinner." We are only saved by the grace of God. We must approach God with the knowledge that our extraordinary life is a result of Christ's work on the cross. An act of selflessness and love we could never even dream of matching.

So being average is good. God calls average people. But don't stay average! God calls average people to do above average things by their living below average lives.

Ground Control to Major Tom

Tonight, I saw the space station and space shuttle. They passed over Midland tonight, moving from northwest to southeast. They were visible for 5 minutes. It isn't much, just a bright light in the sky, but it is neat knowing that there were 10 astronauts in there looking down at me.

Hit the road, Jack!

That's just about what my principal told me! I am being sent to Austin for two conferences this coming week. I will be in Austin from the 20th through the 27th. The first conference is called Inclusion Works! It is a workshop on special education. Inclusion means including special education students in regular classroom environments. I am playing a part in that. This year I am co-teaching. Meaning I have a special education teacher with me in my classroom. We have no direction in what we are doing. We asked for training at the beginning of the year and this is our training. The second conference is called Change Summit II. I am not sure what is meant by the name. It is a conference for Title I schools. Title I means that we have a large population of students who are low-SES. It is measured using the free or reduced lunch forms. My school is 40+% free or reduced lunch. It is three days with each day focusing on a different topic. Day 1 is The Role of Assessment in a PLC. Day 2 is Building Background Knowledge for Academic Acheivement. Day 3 is Discipline and Working with Parents. I am not sure what either conference will entail, but I am looking forward to them.

All in the Family

All in the Family was a TV sitcom in the 70's. I don't think I have ever seen it.

The dictionary has many definitions for family.

1.	parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.

2.	the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.

3.	the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week.

4.	any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.

5.	all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.

Family has many different connotations that are used by people. People live with their family (1). People often marry to start a family (2). People work to support their family (3). We gather for dinner with family (4) on holidays. And of course, the family (5) reunion. When I think of my family, I usually only think of the first definition. My family consists of my parents, grandparents, and brother. These are the people who I grew up with, who took care of me, and continue to care for me.

When I think of my extended family, I don't really use any of these definitions. My extended family would be the reverse of fifth definition. My extended family are the ancestors of me. These are the people I am directly related to, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc... I do not consider aunts and uncles and cousins to be my family. My uncle is part of my dad's family, but he is not in my family. Is this harsh?

I do not think so. I think it is a reality. A reality for me at least. I did not grow up with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I grew up with my immediate family. I had to talk to aunts and uncles on Christmas and saw them once every fews years. I do not know these people.

Recently I spent some time with my grandfather. He was showing me an old photo album. I enjoyed seeing the photos of my dad when he was younger and my grandparents when they were younger. He then moved into the old photos and news clippings from the family in Iowa. His family (and my grandmother's) lived in Iowa for over 100 years and continue to live in southern Iowa. I really did not care much about people who were aunts, uncles, or cousins. But when he showed me pictures or articles about my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, I was facinated. I am sure this is because of my views of "extended family," but I noticed that family really is important to me, but I have a different definition than some people.

My family is a direct link to my past. I know that each member of my family has a family that is not the same as mine. But my family is my family.

Who is in your family?

Don't do as I do.

In a previous post, I talked about how I often make observations about people in my professions doing things I do not like and make note of these things. This is to not be nit-picky, but so that I do not do the same thing in the future. This started in college when I attended a valve distributors show at A&M. The show was obviously designed for the vendors and clients, but my professor was in charge of the show and wanted us to attend. He registered us and we had official name tags and everything. Upon arrival at the show, vendors would see that I was a student (it was on the name tag) and immediately have nothing to do with me. I had no money, so no attention was given. We were there to get to learn about the industry since we would be working with these people in just a year or two. I only had one vendor who would even give me the time of day. I spoke with my dad about this and he told me "Remember how it felt, and when you are in their position, act accordingly." That was some sound advise.

Today, I added a few tidbits of etiquette to my toolbox.

• If you are in a position of leadership and meeting people you have never met before, introduce yourself

• If you are in a position of leadership and need to know some information about people below you, go to the people who know the info. Don't waste everyones time by demanding the answer from those who don't know.

• If you are in a position of leadership and upset with someone else in leadership, don't try to sabotage everyone else's work just to "get back" at that person.

• If you are in a position of leadership and assign people to do a job, give them the information they need to complete their task.

Remember how it felt and when you are in their position, act accordingly.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

I am continuing building my portfolio of experiences in my professional career. This week, it was attempting to continue working on a team project when the person overseeing the team changes. This assignment began last semester. The assignment would primarily affect 2 campus, but 2 other campus would only see a minor change. The two campus that would not really be affected by the change did not feel that it was major enough to need to join the team. They gave their consent to any decision we made. The team was made up of two people from the two main campuses and a date was set to meet and complete the assignment. Before that date occurred, the district person overseeing our team was transfered and no one replaced the position. We canceled our date until we could find out what was happening. We met with the former overseer who said that as long as both campus agreed to the changes, no district approval was needed. We set today as our date to meet. Subs were arranged and everything seemed ready to go until yesterday afternoon when someone from the district was found to oversee our team. They wouldn't let us meet until people from all campus could meet. This was unnecessary and had already been resolved. When we left yesterday, we were "on hold." We arrived this morning, and thanks to some last minute phone calls by my boss, we were given the green light. The reason we couldn't meet was because the overseer had several questions that they wanted answered, but never bothered to ask the team members! Today, while working on the assignment, several people stopped by asking why the other two schools weren't there. We told them that this was taken care of several weeks ago. The two schools were not going to be impacted and already gave their consent. The assignment was completed, and I added a new experience to my portfolio. So overseers, if you have a question about your teams, ask them!

Life Mimics Art

Two friends of mine are going on vacation to Bangkok. This morning they were in Seoul on a layover. I was talking to him on the internet and he was joking about people walking the wrong way on moving sidewalks. I told him that I had seen a Donald Duck cartoon about this. While searching for the cartoon, I found that life mimics art.



Now that's funny.

For Dust You Came And To Dust You Shall Return

Psalm 51

1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is a time to reflect on our mortality and the necessity of a Savior. I attended a service tonight at the United Methodist Church I am a member of. The pastor's sermon centered on Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 12. In 2 Samuel 12, David is confronted by Nathan about David's adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. After being told a story of a rich man stealing from a poor man, David says the rich man must die. Nathan then says "You are the rich man!" David realizes what he has done and acknowledges his sin before the Lord. God grants mercy on David, but the child of David and Bathsheba dies. While the child is sick, David fasted and wept. Upon learning the child dies, David rises, dresses himself, worships the Lord, and eats again.

All of us have and continue to sin. Our sins are against other humans and against the Lord. We deserve death for our iniquities. Tonight on Ash Wednesday, we acknowledge this. But the story is not over! Jesus Christ came to Earth to die in our place. By His sacrificial death on a cross, Christ opened the lifegates by dying in our place. Our sins, though many, are forgiven by God because of what Christ did. All we must do is repent and believe the gospel. Gospel, meaning good news, is that Christ died for us, while still sinners, so that we may be reconciled with God, become one of God's children, and live a life for his glory.

When we become God's children, we are changed. The Holy Spirit, the very spirit of God, enters into our heart. We are called to live for him. Your sin is no longer who you are. You are free from it. Repent! Turn away from the sin! It is a hard battle, but one worth pursuing. Oh to long for the joy of not having sin in my life!

During the imposition of ashes, when the pastor places ashes on your forehead, the traditional saying is "from dust you came and to dust you shall return." However, my pastor said "Repent, and believe the gospel." What welcoming words! My sins, though many, can be forgiven. Just repent and believe the gospel! Praise the Lord for granting to me grace daily, so that I may forgive myself for the sins that he has already forgiven.

Time keeps on tickin'

Time is always marching on. It is hard to believe it is already February. In just 4 months, I will be preparing to leave for Alaska. In 3 months I will be wrapping up another semester of teaching. In 2 months, I will be another year older. In 1 month, I will be getting ready for a hiking trip during spring break. In 30 minutes, I will be asleep.

Remember this at your Super Bowl Parties!

Beware the bowl: Double dipping spreads bacteria

Story Highlights

• Clemson students examined effects of double dipping
  
• 3-6 double dips spread 10,000 bacteria from eater's mouth to remaining dip
  
• Research didn't get into the risk behind bacteria transfer

"I like to say it's like kissing everybody at the party -- if you're double dipping, you're putting some of your bacteria in that dip," Dawson said.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/02/01/double.dipping.ap/index.html


So only double dip if you are at a party of hot people and you want to kiss everyone there!

Trying to get better

I am working really hard at getting healthy. I had a relapse of a nasty cold. Sunday - Tuesday were the worst days. I am getting better and hope to be fully healthy by the weekend. Under the recommendation of my mom, I bought some Campbell's microwave soup for work. It does not taste very good. I do not recommend it.