It is clearly out of sympathy

that I can't stop watching this!

Blessed

Lucinda Williams' new album Blessed includes the song Blessed.



At Thanksgiving, it is a good time for us to remember all that we have been blessed with, including those times that we may not even known it.

What happened?

I have no idea what happened. And neither does my computer.

Once is enough

I posted this song back in July 2010, though the topic was much different.

Here is Lyle Lovett singing Once is Enough.



This morning my wife and I went to eat breakfast at a restaurant that I had heard about on the radio, Gary's Hamburgers. The morning radio talk show host advertises for them, so I had wanted to go try their breakfast, though once is enough. The grits, my wife loved them, but the cheese was just a slice of cheese they laid on top. The eggs, she said, were only good with cheese on them. The hashbrowns were downright greasy. But the chicken on the chicken biscuit, very moist and delicious.

Advertising worked on me, but once is enough.

Song of the week

This is an amazing number by Tyler Barabas, Laura Cheek, and Ian Latimer called I Know I'm Home.

To the head of the line

I flew first class today.  It was an upgrade because of my skymiles, not because I like to fly in style.  The seat was bigger, there was an electrical plug so I could play unlimited Angry Birds, and my coffee came in a mug.  Nice, but do people really pay for this?

Change for the better

Not too long ago I was single. I traveled where ever I wanted to. I spent days and weeks on the trail climbing mountains or exploring the country.

Now I have a family. I'm married with two kids. I still travel and I still explore. But now, I have three wonderful people to join me in the journey.



And I wouldn't change it for anything.

How can you do that?

One night I was hanging out with a group of people from church when a girl asked me, "if you are a Christian, how can you justify being in the military?" Fair question. Just a few months prior when I joined the Navy, an officer told our class that we have to be OK with the idea that we may directly or indirectly be responsible for killing someone. Certainly not something that seems too Christian.

Any Christian in the military should be able to answer this question. In talking about it with others I work with, most are of the opinion that is against Christianity but are still OK with it. For me, I feel justified that Christianity and military service are not inherently conflicting.

First, I think it is necessary to look at commands that say that killing is wrong. The most famous of these is the 10 commandments which states "You shall not murder." Another one would be Matthew 5:38-41, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." While these passages would seem to indicate that killing is wrong and that military action, even if in self-defense, would be unChristian. But I think taking these passages in context with the entire Bible will prove that these are commands on an individual level, not a government level.

Service in the military does not entitle one to act upon his own in taking a life, but only while serving as an instrument of the government. As seemingly insulting as it seems, the US military is only a bureaucracy, serving at the whim and pleasure of the President. Any action one takes is an action taken not of their own volition, but on behalf of the United States. Any action taken otherwise is subject to punishment.

Romans 12:16-13:7 tells us "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Here, Paul makes it clear what we should do on an individual level, verses what is appropriate on a government level. As instruments of God's will, governments can carry out justice and punishment, even to the point of death. And as Christians, we know justice is a good thing. Micah 6:8 says "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Of course no government will always act in accordance with God's will, but Paul does tell us that they can carry out justice and we should submit to them. As Christians in a democracy, this makes our job as voters even more important. We must insure that our government officials seek God's guidance and act in noble and righteous ways, so that our country acts in accordance with God's will.

Can a Christian be in the military? Absolutely.

I'm a man!

I spent a few hours today working out in the yard, moving dirt, digging in the flower beds, mowing the yard, and the like. When I walked into the house, my wife said that I smelled like a man. I turned and yelled, "I'm a man! I spell M A N!" She was not impressed, so I continued to yell it periodically for the next 30 minutes.

The Place to Be

My first job was working at Whataburger. I was a cashier. It paid minimum wage, but I got my meals half off and free drinks. A nod to the cook would get me a #5 at the price of 1/2 a Whataburger.

Now before I worked there I went to Whataburger regularly. After church on Sundays, lunch was at Whataburger. Before school, Whataburger was the breakfast of choice at least once a week in high school.

After I worked there, I continued to go to Whataburger. Many people say they wouldn't go back to eat at a place they worked because they've seen behind the scenes, but I was not that way to Whataburger.

I now live in a place with no Whataburgers, so going on a trip somewhere that has a Whataburger requires a visit. On a four day trip to Corpus Christi, I took my family twice. On a trip that has lasted two days to Florida, I've been twice.


#1 w/ cheese, ATW, grilled onions

Whataburger, just what a burger should be. Unbeatable, unbelievable, bigger better burger, Whataburger.

Sharpening the Saw

In Stephen Covey's Book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he recommends that we continually sharpen our saw. He defines it as taking care of our physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.

The other day on the radio I heard about a new puzzle by Google called A Google A Day. Now this is my sharpening the saw! It may not take care of my physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual needs, but it is certainly taking care of my practicing my googling skills. If only it wasn't banned at work!

http://agoogleaday.com

Always anew

A year ago I was headed overseas.  Now, I'm a married man with two kids. 

Less than a year ago I met a wonderful girl, now she is my wife.

A year ago I was thinking about what it would be like to single for my entire life.  Now I'm a family man.

Who can know the future, not me!  I can't see a year in the future.  But I'm glad I am here.

Speaking the same language

I was recently flying from Germany to the US.  As we neared America, the flight attendant came over the speaker to talk about customs forms.  She began with "Just some.information about your plane crash in America." I think something was lost in the translation.

Come fly the hungry skies

Recently I flew through Charlotte.  I was told this is one of the top airport restaurants in America.  I tested it out with brisket, potato salad, and green beans.  A beer to wash it down and a Cinnabun for dessert secured my vote for one of the top airport restaurants.

Friday

It's Friday!

Watch "Rebecca Black - Friday (OFFICIAL VIDEO)" on YouTube

Life is tough and then you die

In high school, I had a teacher who always told us that "life is tough and then you die" to express her of concern when we questioned the fairness of something. Her point was that bad things will happen to you so get over it.

Her philosophy is similar to that of those who say "it is what it is." And also those who express it in a more colorful manner that "crap" happens.

Sometimes it is not a bad philosophy. It is a great starting point for accepting the situation you currently find yourself in. But do not let that mean you have to accept that had to be in the position in the first place. To do so makes you a passive actor in your own life.

Do not accept that you have to be placed in a bad position because of others. Hold them accountable for their actions.

Do not accept that certain things will happen no matter what, stand up against it. Push for what the right thing is.

In order for the right thing to happen, someone must do it. That might just be you.

It is what it is, so find out what it should be and make what it is what it is suppose to be.

Necessity is the mother of all invention

At the T F Green airport I bought a USA Today.  While checking out the lady asked if I wanted anything else.  Perhaps a drink? Have you seen our new texting dictionary?

Texting dictionary?!?! I'm fairly certain that if you need a texting dictionary you shouldn't be texting anyway.

To tell the truth

I was posed an interesting question today, if you should always be confident, how do you know when to make something up on the fly and saying it in a believable manner verses saying I don't know.

I saw this question played out soon after, a guy was asked a question which he didn't know the answer to. He made up an answer and said it confidently.  Someone retorted, "yeah? How do you know?"  He didn't have an answer and was found out. 

I've had times in my own life when I didn't know and made something believable up.  Sometimes I got away with it, but it seems that I usually got caught.  Maybe those are just the ones I remember.  Usually some research could result in an answer, but I chose another way.

Maybe the answer is to just know all you can, then it isn't an issue, right?  If only that easy!

I can't possible know everything, but I can anticipate what I might need to know and focus on those topics.

Perhaps that is the answer, learn all you can, guess on what you need to know.

The final chapter

We've been following Dave Carroll's saga of attempting to right a wrong United Airlines. In the first song, he sung about how they broke his guitar and would not replace it. The second song focused on a developing relationship with Ms. Irlwig of United. The third song, a country breakdown, puts the issue to rest with the realization that lots of people have issues with United and the only one who can fix it is United.

Follow the Leader

I'm reading a book by Steven Covey called Principle-centered Leadership. A most excellent book with lot of great ideas and thoughts on how to be a leader and how to get people to follow you. But how does one follow? Few people are leaders in business without a leader themselves. How do you follow that leader? What if the leader does not follow proper leadership techniques? Are you allowed to not perform to your best if the leader doesn't perform in a way that encourages and draws others to work at a higher level? Does knowing that you are capable of performing at a higher level mean that you are required to perform at that higher level, even if hampered by your leader? How do you follow? That would make an interesting book.

Responsibility

What am I responsible for? I have a job description that says I am suppose to do my job. Sometimes I notice that others who do not work for me but work with me may not be doing their job correctly. Do I have a responsibility to correct it? If I notice it after they started doing it wrong, am I responsible to tell them? Am I responsible for not telling them earlier? If I notice something, it is right for me to tell them, but it might not be my responsibility. If it is right to do something, am I responsible to do it? This is why I can't sleep at night.

Mind your thoughts

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

Our mind is very powerful. It controls our body. The thoughts that we have control our actions. If we let our mind focus or allow certain thoughts to stay in our mind, that is who we will become. When we allow ourselves to focus on things that are not of God, we will soon find that our actions, our being, will reflect that. If we allow ourselves to focus on things that are of God, we will soon find that our actions, our being, will reflect that. Focus on the world and we will remain of the world. Focus on God and we will become one of His children.

Listen to the radio

Drew Kennedy has a song called AM Radio. Anyone who has been driving late at night, spinning on the radio for some music, only to find that the one good station you find faded to static 5 minutes later will appreciate it. In the chorus he says “say a prayer to save me from static, thank God for AM radio.”

In college, I would often drive from College Station back home to Corpus Christi. Just south of the halfway point along the drive was Victoria. In Victoria was arguably the greatest radio station, certainly that I've ever heard, 98.7 KTXN, Steve Coffman's Texas Mix. He called it the 100,000 Watt blow torch broadcasting Texas music up and down the coast. In high school this station came on the air wave and I was lucky enough to have spun across it on the dial. I found that late at night or early in the morning I could tune in this station in Corpus. I also found oddly enough that as I went south on Padre Island that the station came in clearer. Around Big Shell the station came in as if I was in Victoria. One day my Senior year of high school I over heard my English teacher talking to another teacher about a radio station he found that would only come in late at night or early in the morning, but was really good. He was speaking about Texas Mix. Old and young alike would shift their sleep schedule to listen.

On the drive between Corpus Christi and College Station I would look forward to listening to the Texas Mix. I would begin trying to tune in as soon as I crossed the Harbor Bridge out of Corpus and usually could get the station by Refugio. I would spend the next several hours listening until I reached the dot on a roadmap of Swiss Alps, just north of Schulenburg. It was at this point I would lose the station. Jut as I crested a hill by some antennas I would lose the station. My joy of listening to great music would turn to fists shaken in anger a I would spin the dial, trying to find a descent radio station to listen to, only to be met with static.

Run away!

Dr. Tim Walker, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, once said in his sermon that he found that when he talked to people at previous congregations that they never remembered what the subjects of his sermon's were, but they always remembered his stories.

In one of his sermons, the subject escapes me, he told a story a football coach and how to make decisions. The coach said that when faced with a 3rd or 4th and short situation that he found the best way to call the play was to turn around and get a drink of water and not look at his quarterback. This way the quarterback would be forced to decide the play on his own and the coach escaped having to make the call.

I find that when a tricky decision is needed to be made immediately or a task is about to be handed out that I don't want to undertake that it is a great time to take a coffee break.

I am Burj Khalifa

Today we will explore the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.



First we must get tickets at the Dubai Mall. They are 100 AED if you buy them early.


The entrance to the Dubai Mall


The store on level LG where you buy your tickets and begin your tour

Now that we have tickets, we can begin our tour.


A model of the tower
Stats on the building


Moving walkway to the Burj Khalifa from the mall

The elevator is the fastest in the world at 10m/s, yet you feel almost no movement. It will take us up the 124 stories to the observation deck in about 60 seconds.



The view from the top.









There is also a store here, that sells clocks, polo shirts, and travel locks to remember your trip by.

Time to return to the ground.

Our Kind Shall Not Pass This Way Again

Lawrence Millman wrote a book called Our Like Will Not Be There Again. The book is about rural Ireland, but I have always liked the title and associated myself with it, especially in the outdoor setting, though I usually get the title wrong and call it Our Kind Shall Not Pass This Way Again.

I worked two summers at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I was a Ranger, preparing scouts for their trek, teaching them wilderness survival skills, camping techniques, and going with them on the trail for the first few days. Philmont had been a scout ranch since 1938 and I enjoyed looking at the old photos of scouts, hiking in their uniform, though they were usually posed.

Perhaps easily impressed by their sharp appearance, I acquired a 1960's scout uniform and began wearing it on the trail. I would only hike with an external frame, usually opting to not use the waist strap, trying to mimic the ruck sacks the scouts use to use. I would often read about life at Philmont in the early days and would often times go hiking to explore some of the earlier camps.

Wearing 1960's Scout uniform and an external backpack while working on orienteering with a crew. Note bedroll instead of a sleeping bag and lack of use of chest strap.


Posing with black bear in 1960's Scout uniform

On one of these expeditions, I went to a place called Stony Point. Stony Point had been a day camp, a hiking destination for the scouts, back when Philmont was called Philturn. The only thing remaining of Stony Point is some old firepits and tin cans. While exploring the area, a Rocky Mountain Big Horn walked out. These were known to be in the area as the state of New Mexico had released some in the Wheeler Peak area just west of the ranch,. According to the Camp Director however, this was only the second sighting of one on the ranch he knew of. The big horn ewe came out, saw me, walked a half circle around me, and settled on a spot about 10 yards away, drinking water from the rocks. I sat there with the big horn for 15 to 20 minutes before I spoke to it, half expecting it to speak back to me with some message from these scouts of old. The ewe just looked at me, so I got up, walked a half circle around her, then departed from Stony Point, following the path of an old Jeep trail, back to the modern era.

The area was also home to several towns that were centered on mining or lumber. One of these towns, Ponil Park, exists today only as a ghost town. There are a few foundations left, the bed of the old railroad, and the graveyard. I often times visited the graveyard, studying the stones, taking pictures, and thinking about the people who lived there. Another graveyard existed in a canyon appropriately named Graveyard Canyon. I visited this graveyard, photographing it and mapping it. I once took a group of scouts to another other graveyard in the Valle Vidal near Seally Canyon that existed, though I know not what the place was called. After doing so I felt as if I had disgraced the site and verbally apologized to those who remains laid there, as if they needed it or could hear it.


Railroad bed in the North Ponil Canyon


Gravestones in Ponil Park

The land was also home to the Anasazi. There was a cave that was well rumored to exist in a box canyon that contained several artifacts from the Anasazi. I set out on an expidition to find the cave, taking information with me from those who claimed to have been there before. The expedition failed, I never found the cave, but did feel as if I was closer to these people who once called the land home.


Anasazi Petroglyphs

Wearing these clothes, choosing to not utilize the gear that modern technology offered us, and hiking in their footprints, I felt connected to a group of scouts I had never met or even seen. Perhaps connected to the people who lived on the land before the UU Bar ranch was created. Perhaps to the people who lived here before the Europeans arrived. Knowing few would tred in these footsteps again, I felt like I was the last of a people passing, as if our kind would never pass this way again. I felt I was a member of a group of people, as if only time separated me from them, as if I was born too late.


Grassy Creek in the Valle Vidal


Little Costilla


View from Mountain Lion Canyon Meadow

Our kind will not pass this way again, or perhaps our dreams will not create this reality again.

What is sin?

What is a sin? The question came up with the classic question, if you were harboring Jews and the Nazis came to your door, would you lie? We both agreed that lying in this case would be justified, but for different reasons. His justification was that while the person was sinning as the Ten Commandments say thou shall not lie, they would be able to repent in the future. So by sinning, lives would be saved and the person could repent for their sin. I argued that the person did not sin in lying. My justification for this is that while the Ten Commandments do say to not sin, Jesus reminds us of what the goal of the Law was, to love God and to love your neighbor. Jesus broke several commandments, for which he was called out on. He justified himself, in one instance saying "is it better to do good or evil?" Perhaps by not lying I could feel that I had not sinned, but I did evil by allowing innocent lives to be taken. But if I lied, I would be doing good by protecting the innocent lives.

So what if a person was on trial, and I knew that this person was evil, that if they were not in jail that they would harm people, and that they were on trial for something that they were innocent of. Would I be justified in bearing false witness to make sure this evil person did not do harm? I would be saving innocent lives, but I would not be justified.

Micah 6:8 tells us that we are to love justice, give mercy, and walk humbly with God. To lie in this situation would not be loving justice. This does make an assumption that our justice system is just, we will operate under that assumption. To intentionally lie in this case would be against justice. While this person would get what was coming to them, we would not be justified because we went against justice. We should instead stand up for this person who was falsely accused, for then we would be supporting justice. But in doing so, we would have to find a way to protect the innocent lives we know are at risk.

To lie in the first case is justified because the government was unjust. To lie in the second case is not justified because the government is just. I think. We must ensure that we love justice, give mercy, and walk humbly with God for this is what he desires.

So given this, how was Rebekkah justified in telling Jacob to lie to Isaac that he was Esau?

Who do we follow?

My freshman year of college I had a professor who recommended that we read biographies. I'm sure he even had us read one, though I don't recall what it was. He said we should read biographies because people before made mistakes and we might as well learn from them instead of repeating them.

Based on his recommendation, I read the biography of Ben Franklin and Nelson Mandela. Learning from the mistakes of others made sense, and I saw the principle applied in my work. In teaching, I would seek out the research of others, those who had tried things in the classroom, in order to see what techniques worked and what did not. In the military, I often read the reports of others to gain ideas about what to put in future reports or recommendations to make about operations. Little work is of my own, perhaps the processing part, but the ideas come from others.

In life, when faced with a new problem, it is easy to find someone else who has gone through the same thing and seek their advice. But what happens when you go through something and can't find that person? What if you were doing something you knew many others had done before you, but you didn't know any of them and no one else you knew knew them. What if you had to do something and had no idea what was about to happen?

Perhaps in the future someone else will follow this same path and I can lend them my map, the path that I took to arrive at where I am now. It won't be perfect, I made mistakes. So did those before me. I tried to avoid their same mistakes. If you are coming behind me, heed my stumbles, find another way around. Perhaps we are meant to go alone sometimes.

At least we're all OK

One morning at Sunday school at a United Methodist church, a lady talked about how a local Methodist school was having to reduce its services because their donations had decreased with the recession. The class all agreed that it was a shame this was happening. One member commented that it was a shame that people wanted us to send our money overseas when we had such a great need at home. Most agreed. The church was about to start an $8 million construction project to build a new sanctuary, a local Methodist school reduced its services due to lack of funding.