Simple and Ingenious

This guy probably either has a lot of small children or came from a family of many brothers and sisters. Or, perhaps he's just the engineering type that loves to solve inefficiency problems. In any event, he's found a simple, ingenious way to roast these tube steaks. I'll be keeping this in mind as grandchildren multiply.

Burial Or Cremation?

In 2005, I lost my wife, Kim, to a long, agonizing battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Consequently, at that time, I was forced to give careful thought to the question posed in this post: burial or cremation? Below is a summary of how I personally resolved that question.

What is the Christian position on the burial versus cremation issue? I believe it to be summarized in these six principles:
1. Per the Scriptures and the light of nature, burial is clearly the preferred means for laying loved ones to rest after their death;
2. It is ideal to bury our loved ones and less-than-ideal to cremate them;
3. It is always better to bury and always worse to cremate;
4. It is not always right to bury and always wrong to cremate;
5. Burial or cremation is not ever and always a black and white issue, it’s an issue that requires discretion per each circumstance that presents itself;
6. Sometimes the acceptance or pursuit of a less-than-ideal option is necessary, understandable, and responsible amid the complexities of life.

Note: If you'd like to see how I arrived at these six conclusions, biblically, click on this link: Burial or Cremation?

Our Alaskan Cruise - Highlights

Well we didn't see any pesky pirates, but we did have a blast. We saw a lot of unbelievable scenery, and we all really enjoyed the escape. Below are some sample pictures and video clips of our trip.

Lumberjack Show In Ketchikan

A Beautiful Evening Whale Watching

Whale Sitings

Glaciers in Tracy Arm

Waterfalls in Tracy Arm

Other Cruise Boats Passing By

Zip-lining in Juneau

Train Ride In Skagway

Salmon Swimming Up Streams

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C., Canada

Re-entry: From Cruising To Real-Life

Yesterday I returned from an Alaskan cruise, so now I'm re-entering the heat and turbulence of my real-life. It seems to me that it's kinda like leaving zero gravity and re-entering the earth's atmosphere. I've sure been missing the ole Star Princess cruising-life.

An Unbelievable Gift

This photo (by artist Oprisco) is entitled “Unbelievable.” I like it for a number of reasons, but I especially appreciate its ironic, unbelievable yet believable complexity (click on the picture to enlarge it).

While this picture does reflect an ideal scene, it is, nonetheless, a scene that any one of us could potentially witness or experience in the world we live in everyday. The photo’s beautiful, natural setting and the obvious human-to-human intimacy are believably part of our real world.

Those who have fallen in love know that such an experience of ecstatic intimacy doesn’t last forever between lovers; nevertheless, it is unquestionably and romantically real for a season. Conversely, while such an experience is indeed real, it truly feels—at the time—like a dream world, unbelievable.

Think about how much time and energy most human beings expend in their lifetimes dreaming and yearning and seeking the feelings captured in this picture. We all long for these feelings because they make us feel more alive, whole, bonded, and complete. In and of themselves, these are good feelings, a gift from God.

Money Management: Magical or Mathematical?

We live in an educated society, and an American education (even if one just finishes high school) includes much math. Compared to the rest of the world, our math skills—at least—should be average. Nevertheless, all over our country there are countless Americans who couldn’t tell you the true balance of their checking accounts. Moreover, few Americans seem to engage in the process of simply comparing their incomes to their expenses; that is, maintaining a simple, household budget. When it comes to managing their money, many Americans just shoot from the hip. This is one reason why the average credit card debt, per American household, was $8,329 at the end of 2008 (Source: Nilson Report, April 2009).

Clearly, a lack of math skills isn’t the primary American problem. When it comes to managing money, many Americans simply prefer to listen to the subjective voices of denial and desire rather than the objective voices of discretion and truth (mathematical truth). In their financial decision-making, they simply prefer to believe the magical over the mathematical. In time, this catches up with households, and, in the end, it impacts the stability of our national economy.

Wise people know that a true sense of mathematical reality must periodically temper their spending; otherwise, they will assume they have more money than they really do. In my experience, if a person doesn’t maintain a true balance status in his or her checking account, nor a simple budget, he or she will likely over-spend. Moreover, until they start doing these things, they usually can’t be helped by financial counsel or advice. Hopefully, the current recession will force this issue with more American households, and our nation will economically benefit from a return to simple math.

When Technology Crosses The Line

In this high-tech age, one must maintain some personal boundaries; otherwise, one can get naively coaxed into utilizing high-tech "improvements" that cross the line. If I walked into a public bathroom with one of these in it, I'd go check to see if the stalls had also been upgraded. If the stalls were similarly furnished, I'd be looking out back for an old-fashion bush.

A Pastoral Paradigm Worthy Of Emulation

Francis Schaeffer has made an enormous impact on me. While some value his intellectual contributions most, I prize most the way he communicated his intellectual contributions—pastorally. He unusually dignified all people he encountered by the way he treated them. This is rare among Reformed intellectuals, even Reformed pastors. Dr. Schaeffer understood that sincere love and keen pastoral skills were foundational to every truth he offered to every person. Anytime I read something he’s written (or something written about him), these noble virtues in his ministry always seem to seep out of the pages. He was as skilled at caring for people as he was at knowing truth, because he believed—as a point of orthodoxy— that both live together in true spirituality. Below are some quotes that exemplify the manner in which Dr. Schaeffer engaged people. They reflect a pastoral paradigm that is worthy of emulation.

Dorothy Woodson (a L’Abri worker) wrote (recorded in the book Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life):

“When Mr. Schaeffer would talk to you, there was nothing else in the world that was going on. He was totally focused on you and what you were talking about and was very involved, very interested. It wouldn’t matter who the person was. It could be from the most simple person to the most intellectual—that focus and interest and involvement was the same. I saw it time and time again. I experienced it myself, and it wasn’t anything false. He was really interested in people, and it was something that was very, very striking. I’d never seen that degree of concentration and having that kind of attention, I don’t think, with anybody else. That enormous personality that he had, it would be all focused on you. And he never forgot anything that you ever told him. For instance, he went way back with my family. He would remember all the little details of the family and my brother and my sister—various things over the years that he had learned. It was part, obviously, of that phenomenal memory he had for everything. But it was his memory for these personal details that made his talking with people enormously effective.”

Edith Schaeffer (Francis’s wife) wrote in her book L’Abri:

“Rather than studying volumes in an ivory tower separated from life, and developing a theory separated from the thinking and struggling of men, [Dr. Schaeffer talked for years] to men and women in the very midst of their struggles. He has talked to existentialists, logical positivists, Hindus, Buddhists, liberal Protestants, liberal Roman Catholics, Reformed Jews and atheistic Jews, Muslims, members of occult cults, and people of a wide variety of religions and philosophies, as well as atheist of a variety of types. He has talked to brilliant professors, brilliant students, and brilliant dropouts! He has talked to beatniks, hippies, drug addicts, homosexuals and psychologically disturbed people. He has talked to Africans, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, South Americans, people from the islands of the sea, from Australia, and New Zealand and from all the European countries as well from America and Canada. He has talked to people of many different political colors. He has talked to doctors, lawyers, scientist, artists, writers, engineers, research men in many fields, philosophers, businessmen, newspapermen and actors, famous people and peasants. . . .

In it all God has been giving him an education which it is not possible for many people to have. The answers have been given, not out of academic research (although he does volumes of reading constantly to keep up) but out of this arena of live conversation. He answers real questions with carefully thought out answers which are the real answers. He gets excited himself as he comes to me often saying, ‘It [Christianity] really is the answer, Edith; it fits, it really fits. It really is truth, and because it is true it fits what is really there.’”

See this link to read additional thoughts Francis Schaeffer had on these matters: Truth and Love

Why Women Out-Live Men

It begins early, and then it's all down-hill from there.

Summer Heat

Well, it's definitely Summer now, and the heat is on. My old dog "Bear" (a German Shepherd) was feeling the heat big time, so I took him up for a major haircut.

His dignity had to be set aside in the interest of his health and comfort, but he could have cared less. In fact, he came home and celebrated like a young pup.

First Full Mimosa Tree Blossom

Today our Mimosa tree is at the peak of its first, full blossom (it's about 4-5 years old now). It looks just like I hoped it would when I planted it! A Southern tree, It loves the HEAT and thrives in it.

Gear-head Art

Christ’s Church: Manifestly Loving or Constantly at War?

The Christian walk of faith isn’t always based on simple truths; sometimes the truths Christians must walk by involve complexities that must be thoughtfully worked out.

For instance, in the Scriptures we are told that Christ’s church is like a living body that is to build itself up in love (1 Cor 12:1f), as it endeavors to keep the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:1f). Moreover, the Bible teaches that love is to be the hallmark of the Christian church; that is, it is to be what believers are well-known for in the world (Jn 13:34-35; Gal 5:22). This is what most people expect Christ’s church to be, but, in real-life, actually manifesting and experiencing these truths can prove elusive.

Even a quick survey of both the Scriptures and the history of the church unveils that internal turmoil and schism have ever plagued Christ’s church. After all, Jesus’ and the Apostle’s most adamant enemies were leaders in the visible church (many of them “conservatives”). These same leaders stoned Stephen (Acts 7:1f). During the Reformation, the Reformers, faced very similar circumstances. It was the established religious leaders that most vehemently opposed Luther, Calvin, the Puritans and others. Moreover, in the OT, we read of subverters of the church like Balaam and the false prophets, and in the NT there is no shortage of false and erroneous believers, leaders, and teachers (e.g., 2 Pet 2:1f; Gal 2:11f), In fact, throughout the church’s history, there have been thousands of Judas Iscariot-like betrayals, and Apostle Peter-like errors. Christ’s church is constantly at war, and its primary adversaries are people and perceptions in its own midst (Matt 13:24f; 2 Cor 10:1f). This is what most people don’t expect the church to be, but, unfortunately, it’s the inevitable fruit of remaining sin amid Christ’s earthly people.

So, how should you and I shape our expectations of what life in Christ’s true church should be like? Is the church suppose to be manifestly loving or constantly at war? The answer: expect that Christ’s church will be both, simultaneously. These truths, my friends, constitute a Scriptural paradox, wherein two seemingly contradictory assertions are, nevertheless, both true. If we take the pursuit of God’s truth and the manifestation of Christ-like love seriously, both of these realities will define our experience as Christians. We must accept living with this paradoxical reality, as it’s a complex truth that God expects us to act upon by faith. The days when Christ’s church will be ever-loving and never at war are in the glory of her promised future (Rev 21, 22).

Cool Pet

Smart Bird - Einstein
by boomersooner

American Ingenuity

I like this young man's ingenuity. If he keeps inventing, someday he'll help us get this economy producing again. Detroit is going to need him.

Nedry And The Nice Dinosaur

Like most people, I have several movie moments in my mind that are memorable, and this posting includes a link to one of them. Hollywood is not well-known for being a great source of wisdom; nonetheless, occassionally she yields a great life-lesson via a movie scene.

Have you ever been surprisingly and viciously ambushed by someone (or something) that first manipulated you with a "nice + friendly" ploy? If you have, you'll relate to this video clip. If you haven't, then God's wisdom (via His general revelation) is knocking at your mind's door. There's a laugh and a lesson in this one. Jurassic Park Video Clip click here)

Plane Crazy!

Some Musings Regarding Modern Art

In my reading this past weekend, I ran across this quote from Francis Schaeffer, “. . . we must realize that the final message of modern art is the uncertainty and un-relatedness of all things.”

I don’t consider modern art evil, but I don’t like it much. I’ve seen a few paintings that drew me in, but not very many. I would even concede that there is some obvious skill in painting some of these pieces (e.g., in colors or patterns). It just isn’t for me. However, modern art reflects how real people see the world, and that is something that, ironically, does make it of value to me.

Many people today think and feel that the cosmos is a random, impersonal coincidence. This is tragic—although it's certainly nothing new in human history. When life gets rough (a guaranteed experience for every single one of us), such a view offers one very little to hang onto, navigate with, or to hope against.

Amid the increasing secularized social-air that we breathe, much of life today seems to be more fragmented, evacuated of meaning, and chaotic—and this is also how modern art makes me feel. If the walls of my abode were exclusively adorned with such inordinate abstraction, I would feel uncomfortable in my own home. It’s contrary to my sensibilities, because it’s contrary to my sense about what is true and real.

Gearing Up For The Big Cruise

My sister and I have been planning an Alaskan cruise for almost two years now. Six of us are going, and my Mom is going $ on us (a gift for her 70th birthday). We've got most of the preparations covered now. We leave for it in early August. I’m really looking forward to it, as I haven’t been on such a vacation for several years. The picture below is our boat; they call her the "Star Princess."

To be honest with ya, I kinda wish it had some 6" guns on it, given the recent pirate attacks. Oh well, not to worry, my big-sis, Helen, can handle any pirates that climb aboard. After all, when we were kids, she held her own with four younger brothers that were kinda like junior-pirates. Unless we get boat-jacked, the map below reflects the Captain's coordinates.


Next time I look into a cruise, I may have to check out this modified cruise boat below. I call him the "Star King." Forget concealing any defensive capabilities, as this bad boy’s got guns that any pesky pirate can see with a monocular 5 miles away. That’s my kind of boat! If I was on a vacation cruise aboard this rascal, I'd be secretly hoping that some pirates showed up.

Goliath of a Nemesis

The Scriptures teach that death involves much more than just the expiration of our physical bodies, although physical expiration is certainly our most daunting encounter with death. Per the Bible, death involves four facets of mankind's experience: alienation from God, self, others, and nature (Genesis 3: 1-18).

Adam and Eve didn't immediately die physically when they fell in the garden, but they did start experiencing death immediately—just like you and I do everyday (via what I’ve come to call “death feelings”). For example, when we follow our innate inclination to shut God out of our consciousness, we are experiencing death firsthand, and when we feel empty inside because we don't know our purpose in life, we are processing death's ill effects. Moreover, when we are estranged and hurt by others we love, death is presenting itself in our worlds, and when we go to the doctor because we have pain or sickness, death is reminding us of its nagging presence. Death is rude, invading our lives everyday, in innumerable ways, whether we like it or not. Death is, in fact, the enemy of all our enemies, and it is ever and always, like a pesky bully, in our faces.

Essentially, this is why I'm a Christian. Through Christ, God offers a satisfying answer to my agonizing encounters with this goliath of a nemesis. In Christ, substantial healing is available, in this life, from my alienation from God, self, others, and nature—and comprehensive healing is promised by God (via a blood oath) in the hereafter.

This, my friends, is the core of true Christianity. Consequently, everyday I strive to realize these God-given truths more and more, as such is the only way that the promising experiences and hopes of life I have, in Christ, can become as real to me as the pressing and daunting realities of death.

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

Sobering Lesson In World History

A while back I was reading the book, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany," by William L. Shirer. After reading it for a while, I went to the internet to search for video/audio footage of Adolph Hitler. I wanted to get a feel for what he was like in real life, and this clip was the best one I found. It's a sobering lesson in world history.

Contagious Laugh

We all need some more of what this ole guy is drinkin (this is probably what I look like when I laugh).

A Plug For McDonalds

One of my vices is soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones, and now that Summer is upon us, I've been found in line for them often at McDonalds. McDonalds can't be beat. Consider: where else can you go to get an ice cream cone for $1.00, without even getting out of your car, amid a major recession? There's a McDonalds around every corner, so they're always accessible. I can't resist them, and since I'm averaging 1 per day, I guess I need to add a line item for these in my budget.