NONAME

We're moving!

2011-01-30T20:52:00.004-05:00

I figured it'd been so long since I posted that the government had already impounded this blog, and I hate dealing with the government. So, I just decided to create another one. You can find it here- http://herpatheocarpentry.blogspot.com/

And don't say I didn't warn ya.

Uncategorizabibble...

2009-11-04T06:06:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I go into the Home Depot looking for something, and I just can't think which aisle they would put it in. And then there's sometimes that they stock stuff in weird places that I don't understand. They must have a team of engineers working on these things, otherwise it would all make sense. But really, sometimes there just isn't a category for what you're looking for, or for what you have to say...

Take this little link for instance:

Now maybe I would have chosen to place it in "PETS" as well, maybe not, but it struck me a bit funny.

Oh, American Me...

2009-09-25T23:01:00.002-04:00

I was just reminding of how typically American I am the other night when I was filling out some personal info for a download. I was pretty ticked off that I actually had to scroll down and find "United States" in the list of countries. I actually thought it should be at the top of the list, we are so special...

I guess it was just a taste of life as a dude from Uganda.

Now I'm just offended at myself.

Only in Homeschool...

2009-09-10T18:25:00.004-04:00

Here is a curious example of my children's artwork. Currently learning about ziggurats, the tower of Babel, ancient culture, etc. my "dark one" as I like to call her, produced an altar complete with slain human sacrifice. Note the tell-tale juvenile reality alteration: blood is green, altar is purple, but the person is white. I don't know what that means. But being the emcouraging father I am I did say "Wow, Em, that's a really great human sacrifice."

She'd probably be in therapy if she was in public school. Maybe we'll work on toning it down a bit before she hits that point...

A Footing for Kingdom Thinking

2009-09-08T20:26:00.005-04:00

"Man was created to know God. Every fact in the universe speaks of its creator and is open for us to discern. In addition, the image of God in us means that we know ourselves only as we know God, and know God only as we know ourselves. God's eternal power and divine character can be discerned from nature, which includes humankind. Man in the image of God communicates by word, and this reflects the fact that God is one who communicates by word. The first word of God to man indicated the relationship that God established between himself and man and between man and the rest of creation. (Gen. 1:28-30). God spoke to Adam and told him what he needed to know about himself and his relationship to God. Thus, every word from God to man interprets the meaning of reality."

Graeme Goldsworthy explains the basis for Christian Theism in his book "According to Plan".

Click on the Monergism link to the right if you'd like to buy this excellent book.

The Perfect Bedtime Story

2009-09-07T19:55:00.008-04:00

For bedtime tonight, the kids and I sang "Create in Me a Clean Heart" by Keith Green, and you should have seen their faces when I told them the story behind the song. Read it here and here.

It went something like this:

Dad- "The guy that wrote that song was King David, and he wrote it after he did something really bad."

kids- "Oh yeah, David. We know him, what did he do?"

Dad- "He killed somebody. He saw the guy's wife and wanted her to be his, so he took her and killed the guy."

*thorough horror on all faces present*

Dad- "And this song is right after the prophet came to him to tell him that the punishment was going to be that the baby David had with the lady was going to die."

*continued horror and utter silence... somewhere in the distance a dog barks.*

Dad- "But they had another baby, and his name was Solomon. And he had a baby, and then they had a baby, and so on, and so on, and so on... and then there was a very special little baby born that came from David and his stolen wife Bathsheeba. His name was Jesus. And He was the reason that God could forgive David for wanting that woman more than he wanted God."

Gospel discussion with a seven and two five-year-olds ensues.

I can't simply tell my kids to "go, be like David", because he was an adulterer and a murderer. And even worse, if I only show them the David who killed lions, bears and giants, by the time I get to the cross I may have galvanized them into works-righteousness so deep that they don't know why they need Jesus as anything more than another good example to emulate. But oh, the beauty of raunchy David is that he screams the mercy of God. David is not just a character to idolize, but one in which we can find ourselves even if are little kids. I got to preach the Gospel to my kids tonight, and it was not by saying "we should all go be like David", but by saying "we already are all like David, and we desperately need someone to save us from it". That's what my kids need to hear.

Magical land pollution

2009-09-07T07:32:00.002-04:00

You'd think that I would do more posts related to carpentry, but this is my happy place, where I get to live in a magical land dancing with faeries and sprites, jokingly dubbed "the other woman" by my wife. So far, construction has not been given a key.

That is, until now...

Thanks to the regime change in the oval office, and in spite of the economy being in the crapper, the government has money to burn on tax incentives for energystar qualified home improvements. Just goes to show you that you always have money to spend on what you really want.

The tax credit goes like this: credit for 30% of unit cost for certain windows, doors, heat pumps, water heaters, and there's even a roof that qualifies in certain colors.

You can get the rebate until the end of 2010, which still seems like the distant future to this child of the eighties. So get saving, let's all join hands and save the polar ice caps.

Learning to Cope- A Technical Tutorial

2009-08-29T08:11:00.006-04:00

Finally, I have decided to post about something I actually have some knowledge in: carpentry.

In the past couple of years, I have been asked by several people something like "Have you ever seen trim that isn't just cut on angles? It looks like they did something special? What is that, and how do you do it?"

Here's the answer: It's called "coping", and though intimidating at first, it's very simple once you know how. Coping is only used for inside corner joints- baseboard, crown moulding, chair rail, etc... and in this post I'm going to show you how to cope with trim so you can impress all your friends at dinner parties. Chicks dig it, too...
Step One (above): Cut an inside 45 degree bevel with the trim lying flat on your miter saw. You should see a pretty profile of the moulding's curvature, but don't get too impressed with yourself yet, we're just getting started.

Step two (below): Using your coping saw (guys, I know you all have one, though you may not know what it's used for), begin to saw, following the curvature of the trim. Notice I am not cutting 90 degrees to the piece, but instead I'm using some back angle to ensure the face is the point that meets the other moulding. TIP: Have patience, let the saw do the work, or you'll have tear out or cut into the face.

Step three (below): Notice that there is still a little natural wood showing on the cope. That's intentional. Now you need to get out your rasp (a file for wood) and make this joint a work of art. I use a rasp that has both flat and convex edges. The flat side is used for flat filing, and the convex for curves. Again, notice the back angle of the cut.
Finished product (below): We are now ready to fit the pieces, which is another thing entirely. But you can see how the profile has been cut so that our little guy will fit sweetly over another piece of the same moulding. You can see that tools involved: coping saw and rasp.
Below: A coped joint when done well, is indistinguishable from a miter joint and far superior because you can get better nailing and it won't open up as easily. A good carpenter should almost always use this method of running trim; it's a tell-tale sign of them not being a hack.

A Question for Ya...

2009-07-17T18:01:00.002-04:00

If "necessity is the mother of invention", does that mean that lack of creativity is the bastard child of prosperity?

Irrefutable Apologetics

2009-07-08T06:15:00.002-04:00

Humans couldn't possibly have invented the Bible story, it's too dumb...

Dr. Gordon Fee

They didn't teach me this approach in Bible College, but I will call it the argument from Idiocy. People couldn't have thought up something so insane as Creator dying in the place of creation, it's just nuts. A god invented would certainly be more sensible about things.

Gloucester Town Hall

2009-06-30T23:07:00.005-04:00

Here are some cool pictures of a cool project that I was fortunate enough to be involved in. It was very fun... and very high. 160' to the top, I think. I actually had to work on that little ball thing under the weathervane, which means that I have, at one time, been the tallest man in Gloucester, MA. The company running the project needed someone adept at jerryrigging, so they called me in. I put on my top hat and went to work.

If you look at the detail pictures, then at the finished pictures closely, you can pick out where each of the zoomed in sections are located.

These finial are solid mahogany, and almost three feet tall. Notice the glue bottle. The unpainted siding is spanish cedar. You can get a feel for how big the tower really is by finding them in the finished picture up top.
Funny little windows, eh?

This is the balustrade close to the top.
This section is to either side of the clocktower.
The above column bases are roughly 42" tall, and weigh about 60 lbs. They are made out of Mahogany. Notice my hammer in the middle bottom for a size reference. We weren't quite finished with them in this picture.Here is the same section after we finished and while the painters were working their magic.
This one is the very bottom most gable in the first picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself doing this work. It challenged me daily, and helped me gain confidence as a carpenter. Maybe I' m not a hack after all?

Name that Nagaina

2009-06-30T06:53:00.004-04:00

The deal has been struck, the virgin sacrificed, the gods appeased. I await my new carpet python to eat two more meals, then I can pick it up. That should be roughly two to three weeks from now. So, I have time to think of a name... or for other people to think of a name. I have already picked the one I want, but they change looks so much as they grow, I might change my mind when I pick it up. But if I get the one I liked on Sunday, it will be a girl. So let's hear some suggestions. (The above photo is something close to what it will look like. I will update with an actual pic when I get mine.)

What's the prize, you might ask? Well, it's simply the satisfaction of knowing that you have named something that will live for twenty to thirty years, and I will say it's name lovingly every day as I try to get it not to bite me. It would look something like this:

"Easy, now, easy, come on girl... you sure do have an evil smile on your face today. OK, I'm just gonna reach in and slowly pick you up, so... $@%&* (insert your entry here), you legless worm! I'm gonna make a belt out of you if you do that again!"

Sheesh, what will they think of next?

2009-06-29T07:08:00.002-04:00

OMG my BFF, I'm speechless, You have to watch the whole thing, just for the end.

Poem of the day

2009-06-04T07:15:00.002-04:00

The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky
Puts camels through a needle’s eye.
And if his wisdom see it mete,
He will put worlds inside a tweet.

John Piper

Read the background behind this poem here.

The Little Black Dog

2009-06-03T06:33:00.001-04:00

I wonder if Christ had a little black dog,
All curly and wooly like mine:
With two long silky ears and a nose, round and wet,
And two eyes, brown and tender, that shine.
I am sure, if He had, that that little black dog
Knew, right from the first, He was God;
That he needed no proof that Christ was divine,
And just worshiped the ground where he trod.
I'm afraid that He hadn't, because I have read
How he prayed in the garden, alone;
For all of His friends and disciples had fled
Even Peter, the one called a stone.
And, oh, I am sure that the little black dog,
With a heart so tender and warm,
Would never have left him to suffer alone,
But, creeping right under his arm,
Would have licked the dear fingers, in agony clasped,
And, counting all favors but loss,
When they took him away, would have trotted behind
And Followed Him quite to the Cross.

by Elizabeth Gardner Reynolds

I post this poem not so much because I like poetry, but because I like dogs.

2009-06-02T06:29:00.000-04:00

"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it."

-Robert Frost

Which half are you?

Spring clean-out

2009-06-01T06:53:00.009-04:00

I was rummaging through the dusty attic of my inbox the other day to clean it up a bit. Ya know, organize, erase, and otherwise... And I came across an email I sent to a good buddy of mine. He had suggested I post it months ago, but I thought it might offend. I guess I wiser back then...

Hear now the final word on the Egalitarianism vs. Complimentarianism debate:

Egalitarianism= BAD Complimentarianism= GOOD Here's why...

Do you know what egalitarianism means? let me break it down for you...

E- stands for the internet, spreader of bad things in general: Porn, Wikepedia, Disney email chain letters, Joe the Plumber, etc.

Gal- indicates a heavy connection with the fairer sex, another sign of trouble.

I- and you know anything that puts I in the center can't be all good. There's no "I" in team whatsoever...

T- the one bright spot here, hopefully Irish Breakfast. I prefer mine with a little cream and sugar. My wife thinks it's gay, so I drink it with shot of vodka to give some man balance.

Arian- We all know that's a bad word.

Ism- That's just how you end such a big, complecated word that no one knows the meaning of. It lets you say, "Hey, I bet you don't even know what E-Gal-I-T-Arian- is, M?

And on the other side, everybody likes a compliment...

Case closed, have a nice day.

An End to Possibilities

2009-05-31T07:08:00.005-04:00

On this last day of the month of May I feel as though some great hope is being squashed. The past thirty days have been a blur of optimism and opportunity, but tomorrow will be different. Likely, it will rain, I will get up late, spill my coffee and my dog will get ran over, and I don't even have a dog. Why?

It's simply because the May is all used up, and we have crossed into the dark, dank month whose name has no alternate meaning at all.

June O what I mean?

The Dirty Right Hand of Fellowship

2009-05-24T21:03:00.002-04:00

Why should you wash your hands after using the bathroom?

Because at least at my church, there is a designated time where we are asked to "get up and fellowship with one another", wherein I shake hands with about fifteen people.

What are the chances???

2009-05-21T22:00:00.001-04:00

that I would get behind a funeral on the interstate, and that funeral would be behind a front-end loader, and the whole thing would be slowed down by three parked Prison work vans?

Slight, I thinks, but it did happen to me. It's funny, when you see a funeral on the interstate, you don't know it's a funeral until it's too late. Tacky, but true.

The Business of War

2009-05-21T05:43:00.007-04:00

"It is not a good fancy" said the lama. "What profit to kill men?"

(and then he is answered):

"Very little--- as I know; but if evil men were not now and then slain it would not be a good world for weaponless dreamers. I do not speak without knowledge who have seen the land from Delhi south awash with blood."

from Kim, by Rudyard Kipling

and that's a Tibetan Lama, not a furry llama, just to head you off at the pass.

On this Memorial Day weekend, may we weaponless dreamers remember those who fought that we may be so...

Yodeling makes everything more enjoyable

2009-05-19T06:46:00.004-04:00

This video is by Martin Sexton, a guy that used to sit on the streetcorners of Boston and sells cassettes out of a suitcase. He's not the only singer I love with that kind of background. Patty Griffin used to be a waitress Boston before she could sing and pay the bills with it.

It really showcases his vocal range and songwriting abilities, but the real reason I posted it is because it's a magical song. This song casts a spell over me, and it's all because of the "chorus". It don't know why, but it reaches inside of me and makes me #1- try to yodel with him (ouch) and #2- feel deeply and be encouraged that the things I don't like about myself can be changed. It's all because of the chorus, and therein lies the magic.

Listen to it, and tell me you weren't singing with him by the end...

Must listen sermons #3

2009-05-14T20:50:00.001-04:00

Here is our next installment of Must Listen Sermons. You can find the others, which I affectionately call Must listen #1 and Must listen #2, by clicking the pretty purple words.

I was exposed to the preaching of Arturo Azurdia III almost two years ago, and God has used him immensely in my life. In a world so immersed in itself, a preacher who's goal is to "preach an irresistible Christ", who adheres ruggedly to the text, and would fit right into the Core of Old Testament Prophets is a very refreshing thing.

I've already included his website in a list of good resources, but let me give you a few suggestions from the list.

A Clarion Call to a Worldly Christianity- Three parts on being in the world but not of it. Oh so good..

The Transformation of a Working Girl- I'm not going to give you anything on this one, just listen to it.

There are many more from Dr. A, but this should be enough to wet your whistle.

One wet cat too many

2009-05-13T06:05:00.006-04:00

I love Limericks in general, they are just so rhythmic, and fun to say in one's best Paddy'O accent. Here's my favorite. I don't know why it's my favorite, maybe because only Irish cats would be so stubborn as to fight til they were nothing but tails n nails. I just liked the picture, and the reasons should be obvious. Who doesn't think a wet cat is funny?

There once
were two cats
of Kilkenny,
Each thought there was
one cat too many;
So they fought and they fit,
And they scratched
And they bit,
Till excepting their nails
And the tips of their tails
Instead of two cats
There weren't any.

Do you have a favorite Limerick?

Told ya so...

2009-05-11T06:17:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my kids could do the entire "Hoedown Throwdown" by Miley Cyrus. Well, I now submit to you proof.

Think about this one...

2009-05-04T07:03:00.003-04:00

What do you think happens between our mouths and the ground that makes spit suddenly so disgusting? Seriously, our mouths are full of it our entire lives, but when we spit, it grosses us out.

Is it because it's cold?

Well, that's all I've got, folks. I just hope no one gags when they read this...

Shutup and Bootup

2009-05-01T21:15:00.006-04:00

Having recently achieved total marital bliss, I have decided to share one of secrets of my success:

It's a little thing I like to call "The Daily Download"- I walk in the door at days end, and at the first free moment (usually hours later), I let my wife "download" the day to me. I hear about discipline issues, shoolwork, van tire pressure, the weather, the bills. Then there's the world news, church, extended family, skin rashes and the snake that lives in our kitchen wall. Yeah, I think the snake thing's cool, too...

Bottom line, dudes, we must listen to our wives, and be genuinely concerned about their world. Mine washes my clothes, cleans the house, teaches my children and puts up with me every day. But most of all, my interaction with her mirrors Christ and his chosen Lady, and in the analogy, I play the role of Christ.

He didn't clutch onto Godhood, but died at the hands of His creation to redeem it. So to me, it's a small thing to let her spill verbally. It's just one small way I can love her as myself.

Just try it. Give her ten minutes of real, true, hard listening, and watch her reaction.

What the Nail???

2009-04-27T18:43:00.003-04:00

Here's something that just doesn't happen every day.

My question is, how can he not remember that thing flying up there??

And above all else...

2009-04-22T22:07:00.006-04:00

There are a lot of things I consider important for me to do. Work, love my wife and kids, be honest, be on time, blog...

But in my teaching through I Peter, I've come across some funny language. With more commands per verse than any other biblical book, I Peter has a lot to say, but I was struck recently by this:

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly", and I can't overlook the qualifier- "since love covers a multitude of sins".

It made me think that there must be a multitude of sins to be covered, or the qualifier wouldn't make sense. And isn't it true, even among the Bride of Christ?

But you say, "You just don't know, this guy is an idiot!" Yeah, you're probably right. Just remember that you're an idiot too.

Look to the Cross and you can forgive any idiot. He who has been forgiven much, can forgive much. This is Kingdom life, a bunch of idiots having to constantly forgive other idiots because they have been forgiven the ultimate idiocy. If you can't forgive and let love cover, you're out of touch with the covering of your own sin. Focus on Christ and what He did for you, who He is, and how much you deserved a royal buttkicking.

Just take a few minutes to think about that, then go and lay down your life for your brother, even if he's stinker.

Hermeneutical Criticism

2009-04-22T06:47:00.003-04:00

Here's one way to predict someone may be getting ready to misrepresent the Scriptures:

Any time they try to make a point using only the "b" part of a verse.

Poetic Magic- I think...

2009-04-16T20:41:00.009-04:00

Not knowing exactly what falls within the limits of "poetry", I'm going to include this one because it's the total package. The primitive elegance of the banjo and the eery fiddle tones really accent this song about the last great cultural taboo- death. Making it more powerful is the fact that the When I go album was the last to ever be recorded by Dave Carter. Spooooookyyy......

My favorite line is: "a twistin' pillar spun of dust and blood up from the prairie floor", but it's really hard to choose from the rest. The video is a little different from the cd version, and not quite as flowing, but still excellent.

The simple tune and masterful lyrics have captured my ear for years now, and have yet to grow old for me. Today, I listened to it on my Ipod for forty straight minutes on the way home. If I could write stuff like this, I'd be a happy man... actually, no, I'd just want something else possessed by others I don't have. So I'm going to go be content as a dusty, balding carpenter with three beautiful kids, whose Creator did the nuttiest, most insane thing in the history of the world, and that's prettier than any song I've ever heard.

But Lordy, this one is good...

Miley Cyrus - How to do the Hoedown Throwdown

2009-04-14T22:29:00.005-04:00

My kids can do this whole dance. I don't know whether to be amazed or horrified. What do you think? ( I have a six year old and five year old identical twins, all girls.)

Must listen sermons #2

2009-04-13T22:07:00.004-04:00

Meet Dr. Don Carson. I truly think he may be the smartest Christian on earth. I listened to a two part lecture by him on how the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament, and it gave me a headache. Shoot, I didn't even know what he was talking about for ten minutes. But don't let that scare you, he's normally very understandable, clear and practical. Carson also has to be the most gracious and fair speaker I have ever heard. He did about 7 hours of lecture on Open Theism and not once resorted to name calling or character defamation. He was very respectful the entire time, if you can imagine that.

If ever I am asked a theological question I don't know, I am sure I will say "Whatever Don Carson says...".

On a lighter note: I once heard him speak at a conference, and my friend and I bumped into him before a session began. There we were, I could have asked him anything, said anything, maybe had that nagging question answered that has been haunting my mind for years. So what did I say?

"Can we bring coffee in here?"

His answer? A truly humble giant, he responded- "I don't know. They say speak, and I speak."

And then we moved on, the life-goal of chatting with Carson realized. Now for the sermons. I'll focus on End Times, because the subject is so blown up and theoretical for most that Carson is a clear and needed voice on the topic.

Apocalypse Now- He brings it all back down to earth.

How to Wait for Jesus- Again, the beauty of Carson is that he so wisely keeps it to the main point and very practical.

The Doctrine of Last Things- A five part series, immensely encouraging, and gets my biggest vote.

Enjoy.

Must listen sermons #1

2009-04-07T06:53:00.007-04:00

Let's begin with Dr. Tim Keller. Why? Because he is a rarety to my mind. He seems to see what the culture needs now, rather than being oblivious to the now while fighting culture from twenty years ago. Oh, and he is helping to reclaim the authentic Gospel... a very good thing. On a personal note, God has used Tim Keller to change fundamentally the way I look at Christianity, both personal and corporate. So yeah, I like him. Plus, he's pals with D.A. Carson, just icing on the cake. Here are the must listens:

Smashing False Idols- A three part series on Evangelism. He talks about how to impress sinfulness on modern folks, since many don't believe in the same set of norms as older generations. It'll kick your own pious butt, too, so don't say I didn't warn ya.

Prodigal Son series- Keller in a nutshell. You can get a better idea of what he's about here quicker than any other earcandy. And to those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

Take up thy phones and follow me...

2009-04-01T05:57:00.009-04:00

I've been told for years that you cannot be a successful Christian without a regular personal study time in God's Word, and I believe it's true. But I don't think it necessary be in written form any more. With the world domination of the mp3 player, the listening limits of folks like me have been reduced big-time.

I work by myself most of the time, so I get to listen to stuff all day long. Last year, I listened to the whole Bible in two weeks. I highly recommend it for everybody at some point.

So, to the point. I just want to begin to share some of the best stuff I've listened to over the past two years since I got an Ipod. Let's start today with some good sites where some good stuff resides.

The ESV Study Bible- The one with David Cochran Heath is my favorite. He actually sounds like a normal person.

Don Carson lectures and sermons- Probably the smartest Christian on earth. Seriously. If ever I get a question to which I do not know the answer, I'll just respond, "I agree with Carson.".

Desiring God- The most comprehensive source on the internet, or so I say... God used John Piper to get me out the funk I caught while in Bible College.

Spirit Empowered Preaching- Arturo Azurdia III. The dude's a powerhouse, he kinda reminds me of an Old Testament Prophet, in pants. Try the stuff from Isaiah first.

Monergism.com- If you don't know what Monergism means, you probably wouldn't like it anyway... But there's a mountain of stuff to listen to there.

Tim Keller- You can find his stuff at Monergism, but this is his site. The Prodigal God stuff is mind-altering, and he's got his head on straight when it comes to the Gospel and culture.

That's enough for now, I don't want to hurt anybody.

Famous Family

2009-03-26T21:00:00.003-04:00

I'm probably going to get in trouble with someone about this, but here I go anyway:

My sister-in-law looks EXACTLY like the girl in the Twilight movie. You be the judge.

I don't know how she found the time, what with three kids and all...

The world must hear this...

2009-03-25T09:15:00.003-04:00

I had some special time reading with my twin girls yesterday. They are kind of like little snow leopards, very shy and elusive, and no one besides their mother and I get to see how magical they really are. The thing that shines in this video is their voices. They are taking turns reading pages, and I can help but wonder if there could possibly be two more adorable voices in the world. I know I'm kinda partial, so judge for yourself...

Psalm 103

2009-03-19T05:59:00.004-04:00

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!

There is some poetry that commenting will only get in the way, and this is one of them. I shut my dusty mouth in awe and reverence.

The dawn of a new era

2009-03-15T07:26:00.005-04:00

This is the first of a new direction that the Noname blog is going to be taking. My blinker is on, and you have fair warning, so be prepared to turn with me and watch the speed limit.

I will be periodically sharing some of my favorite poetry, accompanied by a brief description of why I like it so dang much. What I'd like to see from my three consistent readers is what you like, and the why. So here's the first. It's called "Queen", and it's written by a Chilean poet named Pablo Neruda. Click his name below to check out more of him.

Queen

I have named you queen,
There are taller ones than you, taller.
There are purer ones than you, purer.
There are lovelier ones than you, lovelier.

But you are the queen.

When you go through the streets
no one recognizes you.
No one sees your crystal crown, no one looks
at the carpet of red gold
that you tread as you pass,
the nonexistent carpet.

And when you appear
all the rivers sound
in my body, bells
shake the sky,
and a hymn fills the world.

On you and I,
only you and I, my love
listen to it.

Pablo Neruda

I just love how he admits that there may be "better" ones than her, but she is still the queen. Everyone's lover can't be the prettiest, smartest, tallest, but she can be the queen. I'm for ending the pressure on women to perform, measure up, and be better than others, beginning with my own wife. She's my queen, and that's the truth. We dance to a music that plays for our ears only, and no one can compare with that.

A situation I never thought I would be in:

2009-03-14T19:38:00.003-04:00

Lying on the bed, surrounded by three little girls debating over how deep my bellybutton is.

(They never did figure it out.)

Fire or Stones? What say ye?

2009-03-11T06:26:00.006-04:00

I've tried to hold myself back for days now, but my will has succumb to my inner smartass. Don't worry, if there is anyone out there actually waiting for the next Pan's Labyrinth post, it's simmering, and will be ready at the appointed time.

I read THIS the other day, and couldn't help be a tad skeptical, especially at the exhortation to stock up on non-perishable items. Just imagining God saying "Buy canned goods, beans, and don't forget deodorant and toilet paper." just doesn't jive with me. Although the thought of living without good toilet paper is enough to make me tremble...

As funny I think this stuff can be, there is a seriousness here that I can't avoid. I, on the one hand, could be making fun of something I shouldn't. The other, and far more likely one to my mind, is that 25 years will go by, and this message will be forgotten. The question is, when will there be accountability? I think this is a fair question given the cornucopia of predictions given by Christian leaders in the past fifty years. They used to stone folks who prophesied falsely, but we just keep buying the books.

My final opinion? Listen to it, Christian, test it with past INSPIRED prophecies, and if it doesn't come true, at least stop giving these guys a platform. Don't worry too much about the future, it's already been sealed. If we escape bad times, then super, if we burn, then to God be the glory and may we die not marring our Lord's name. Realize that all our needs have been met in Christ, and when He appears, we will appear with Him in glory. Stop being scared and start living like your life is hidden with Christ in God.

As a safety measure, here is a response by someone far more reputable and measured than myself:

Here ya go

On a more positive note, it could always be worse.

Parental choices and their offspring

2009-03-09T19:31:00.004-04:00

The decisions we make can have long-lasting effects that we never could have foreseen. Here's an example of just one such effect.

What do you get when you (a) live in a house full of women and (b) feel the strong need to be open and honest with your children about all sorts of things and (c) think that if they are old enough to ask the question, they are old enough to have it answered?

Answer: You get kids who know the fundamental differences between girls and boys, and also know just where to put that extra snowman pipe...

Personal Taboo?

2009-03-09T12:27:00.003-04:00

There is not enough soap in the world to make this not feel just plain wrong:

Making homemade cookies right after unclogging a toilet.

Maybe it's just me...

In defense of the grotesque- Part 1

2009-03-02T22:08:00.006-05:00

I love books, I love poetry, I love movies. But A life-long pattern of choices has convinced me that I am drawn to the dark and sinister. I don't know why exactly, but having my eldest be the exact representation of my nature has really opened my eyes to my own character... mostly the bad stuff. I really knew where my tastes lay before she was born, but now I am forced to consider that it's not a product of my upbringing. Maybe I'm just wired that way.

I love werewolf stories, the balrog is one of my favorite characters in LOTR (however teased I feel with the lack of info about it), I like the troll more than all three Billy Goats Gruff put together, and I totally rooted for that little green dude in Cat's Eye to win.

Bear with me, there's a point to all this...

So when I saw this poster for Pan's Labyrinth at the theater, I knew I just had to see it. I realize that I am probably the only Christian on the planet that will say this, but...

I thought it was a piece of total genius. You should all see it, but not with your kids. You will likely be greatly disgusted and offended (I was), but you should see it any way. Then and only then will you be ready for my next post...

Covering all bases

2009-03-02T06:46:00.003-05:00

How do you say you're sorry for both everything and nothing at the same time? Here's a little example from everyone's favorite witch they used to hate but now they love and just totally understand:

"And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for"

Miss Elphaba sings from the song For Good, from the musical Wicked

2009-02-27T06:56:00.003-05:00

“I cannot too strongly celebrate the publication of this book. Owing in part to several decades of dispute over justification and how a person is set right with God, we have tended to neglect another component of conversion no less important. Conversion under the terms of the new covenant is more than a matter of position and status in Christ, though never less: it includes miraculous Spirit-given transformation, something immeasurably beyond mere human resolution. It is new birth; it makes us new creatures; it demonstrates that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. All the creedal orthodoxy in the world cannot replace it. The reason why ‘You must be born again’ is so important is that you must be born again.”
D. A. Carson,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois (and one of the smartest Christians on earth.)

Wanna learn how you were born? You may find it from the Monergism link on the right side of the page.

I just got it the other day, and I'm terribly excited to read it, right after I finish Peter Pan.

Elephant Cartography

2009-02-26T07:23:00.001-05:00

"Are all the religons of the world like the blind men describing the elephant, each one sensing only part of the elephant, but no one sees the whole truth? Or are all religons like the road to the top of the mountain, taking different paths, but everyone reaching the same summit? The only way you could say all the the religions of the world are like blind men only seeing part of the elephant is if you assume you can the whole elephant. There's no way to say all the religons of the world can only see part of the truth is if you can see the whole truth..."

Tim Keller, quoting somebody else quoting somebody else

Dou you believe in Magic?

2009-02-24T07:29:00.001-05:00

"All the terms used in the science books, "law,"
"necessity," "order," "tendency," and so on, are really unintellectual,
because they assume an inner synthesis, which we do not possess.
The only words that ever satisfied me as describing Nature are the
terms used in the fairy books, "charm," "spell," "enchantment."
They express the arbitrariness of the fact and its mystery.
A tree grows fruit because it is a MAGIC tree. Water runs downhill
because it is bewitched. The sun shines because it is bewitched.

All the towering materialism which dominates the modern mind
rests ultimately upon one assumption; a false assumption. It is
supposed that if a thing goes on repeating itself it is probably dead;
a piece of clockwork. People feel that if the universe was personal
it would vary; if the sun were alive it would dance."

G.K. Chesterton

So which one is it? Clock or magic tree?

thank you: Magic tree

An apology- of sorts

2009-02-23T18:56:00.005-05:00

OK, I had wonderful intentions, I really meant to quit. I just got tired of working in a very "concrete" world of construction, then coming home and feeling guilty that I hadn't blogged in a week. Why would I feel guilty? I don't know, but I could probably blame it on my parents. I also don't like feeling pressured/encouraged by "dude, the world needs to hear your message" propaganda. Come on, I'm not that dumb... or arrogant. So does this mean I'm back? I can't say that for certain, since I would have had to have been here in the first place...

But this is just too strange to pass up:

I was in the grocery store tonight, and the check out girl couldn't talk properly. I don't mean she had an accent or a lisp, but she may have been deaf. That's just what it sounded like to me, but I couldn't understand her no matter how hard I tried. Here's how it went down:

Kevin places food on conveyor belt, wonders just how many stories they can run on that poor Jean-Benet girl.

Checkoutchic: "Thun yu ham unghhard?" (Do you have a card?) That's a rewards card...

Kevin, exercising his foreknowledge, almost answers question, but so caught off guard by someone who's job it was to talk to people not being able to talk, has to reply:

"Heh?"

Checkoutchic: "Thun yu ham unghhard?"

Kevin has the nerve to be surprised at the indecipherable nature of the second round, makes a bold move:

"Well, I have one, but not on me..." Averts eyes to the bagger gal, hoping he guessed right.

Checkoutchic: .......... (I guess she knew I didn't speak Mumblese.) Proceeds to ring stuff up.

Checkoutchic: "Tahnoo thahn thith?"

Kevin, utilizing all his mental capacity, cracks the code, helped by the credit card receipt shoved at him, signs the slip.

(No eye contact, there may have been a "thank you", but how would we know?)

Now, I'm no Mumblophobic, but firmly believe that a job requiring understandable speaking would be held only by those who can perform such a task. Call me crazy...

And don't get me started on Dunkin Donuts, who seems to put the only straight-off-the-boat-er on the drivethrough.

Have you ever had something like this happen to you, or seen someone working a job that they just couldn't do?

Signing off...

2009-02-10T20:17:00.004-05:00

I've come to a decision. Aside from my wife's enthusiastic cheerleading, I see no reason to continue to operate a blog. I really don't even know why I started in the first place, other than every one else has a blog, so I must as well. Shoot, I can't even think of a pithy name for it... I'm just not going to leave my virtual trash around any more cluttering up the internet super-highway. Let's leave that up to the pros, or at least folks with something interesting to say on a regular basis.

Should I think of something profound to say, I will write it in a diary and Becca can publish it after I die. Be on the look out.

It's been a long time coming, but please consider my last post to be my best, maybe just because it is my last...

2009-01-21T06:08:00.003-05:00

In one of those nighttime conversations only possible during cuddles, my children bring up Lord of the Rings. (Yeah, I let 'em watch it. So call DSS) I actually don't mind them seeing something like LOTR, even though it considered over their age range, and has some dark stuff in it. But you know, this world has even darker things in it, and Middle Earth isn't even real. (I have endevoured for years for my kids to always know the difference.)

Resident girly-girl Nora Smith, age 5, explains to me why she likes Legolas so much:

#1- He's so sewious!

#2- He's so expewienced!

#3- I want to watch Lord of Da Wings because of Legolas, I just can't stop thinking about him. Ohhhhhhh......!

A woman of simple tastes, Hannah Boo says she likes Legolas because of his hair. ( It is very well kept.)

Emma, who loves things dark and sinister, prefers the Uruk-Hai, all the goblins, and is especially fond of the "D-warf", Gimli. The Balrog scared the badoody out of her, because he was "ginormous".

Me? Seems clear to me that the real hero of LOTR is none other than our own Mr. Samwise Gamgee. He did what no one else could do, remained true the whole time doing it, and everyone else's labors would have been in vain were it not for him. To me there is no question.

What about you, all two of you? Who's your favorite, and don't forget the why, it's as important as the answer.

An Almighty Nickname

2009-01-13T20:54:00.005-05:00

Now that the twins are five, I decided it was time to get some real learnin' in their heads before bed. So much of what we teach them today is about the individual stories of the Bible, and we never tie them in to the big picture, so I began a Bible overview, focusing on the Metanarrative.

Another goal is to teach them to interpret Scripture by asking interpretive questions. So in the first session I was mentioning the purpose of everything, and citing Eph. 1:10- "to unite all things in Him..." I asked, "who's the 'him' there?" Of course, someone said "God", but I was fishing for the more specific answer. So I said, "But there's another name..." And immediately Emma says:

"Well, His real name is I AM, but we just call Him God." The burning bush thing, you know.

I guess "God" is just a nickname.

2009-01-11T20:55:00.004-05:00

This is a video I took on a backpacking trip in late spring. I put it on here because my soul is yearnin' to be there again. There's just something about Creation, when it's untainted by us as far as the eye can see. Yahweh really is the best painter...

What fools we are...

2009-01-03T06:36:00.002-05:00

"Can't you see what fools we are? We preach a man-made, plastic gospel. We get people to come forward to `the altar' by bringing psychological pressures that have nothing to do with God. We `lead them' in a prayer that they are not yet convinced they need to say. And then to top it all off, we give them `counseling,' telling them it is a sin to doubt that they're really saved!"
- Keith Green

Welcome to New England...

2008-12-20T07:24:00.004-05:00

One day last week it was 65 degrees, another it 20, today it is 10 with 8" of fresh powder.

The New England winter toys with its residents, kind of like a cat toys with a mouse- You know what the end is going to be, but it often looks like the victim will escape. But when the toying is over, you know it. The toying of winter may have stopped for this year.

Another storm is forecasted for Sunday, a heavy, wet one, maybe more inches as well.

PS- In case you chronic readers are wondering, I am wearing pants now, because the only thing I hate worse than wearing pants is having wet feet all day. The pants keep out the snow. But though winter may take my outer shorts, He cannot take away the shorts of my heart. I wear my pants defiantly.

Friends in unexpected places

2008-12-17T19:48:00.005-05:00

When I'm out backpacking the most remote peak in the White Mountains, what do I expect to see?

I keep an eye out for bears, moose, beaver, crazy old people, birds, squirrels, maybe even a sasquatch if I'm really lucky. But I never expected to see this:

We were hiking right along the Bondcliff trail, when I noticed a couple of large, gray and white birds I couldn't identify.

"Hmmm..." I thought, "Those are cool, I wonder what they are."

Several minutes went by, and it seemed they were flying from tree to tree, keeping just ahead of us. Enough time had passed that I felt certain it was on purpose, and then I realized I had lost sight of one of them. A strange feeling crept over me, ya know, like someone or something watching... kinda like those weird cut scenes from Predator where the view is kinda Rhasta-alien vision.

I looked to my right, and there, uncomfortably close, was the Little Mister, and it began to feel like a mugging...

Fortunately, my traveling companion was swift of thought, and said, "Try to give him some trail mix, Kevin.".

So I reached into my bag, and held out my hand. He gave me one look with that bird-neck-twist thing, and flew right down and perched on my hand. For the next thirty minutes or so, the two birds (spouses, as I would come to find out in subsequent conversations), kept a frequent caravan from tree to hand.

The whole group got into the act. We used our hands, our heads, and I even put a cheerio in my mouth, and he landed on my beard and took off with his prize.

Wierd and unusual, I thought. That is, until I got home and did a little internet searching. Turns out they were Gray Jays. And our experience was nothing unusual. I guess they are just a personable bird in general, and humans is one of their normal food sources.

So if you're out hiking and you get that weird feeling, pop some peanuts (they don't like M&M's), and do it quick. Because I still see that face in my sleep and wonder what would have happened had I refused to share my lunch...

Behold the Lamb of God

2008-12-10T19:59:00.004-05:00

The above video is a sampling of what I saw on Saturday night.

I drove (actually rode, thanks James) 3.5 hours to see a Christmas concert. Well, it wasn't really a Christmas concert, it was more of a Christ concert. And it was the best one I've ever seen, and that includes the same one that I saw last year.

Professional, Gospel-centered and humorous, The Behold the Lamb of God tour is worth the drive to Connecticut, for most anybody.

I laughed at an Andrew Osenga song about Canada, sniffled at Ben Shive's God-centered song about fireworks, almost lost it while Bebo sang Nothing Without You and then gave up trying to hold it back during the entire Behold the Lamb of God album. That's a long time for a grown man to cry, but I did it, with some brief breaks...

But when the weight of God's final sacrificial lamb gets laid on you, how can you do anything else? Here's a quote from a reputable person that applies. Just stop, and think about the death of God Himself to secure your pardon, just for five minutes. Let it sink in, and don't shut it off when it starts to feel like a truck on your chest. Let it crush you this Christmas, and may you never heal.

If you can make it to this concert, please go. You will not regret it.

Green shorts and Man

2008-12-08T07:08:00.007-05:00

This is the sight to which I awoke yesterday morning. Well, actually, it was the ceiling, but shortly thereafter, I saw the temperature. So I checked the web, and it said 11 degrees. Fortunately though, it also said it feels like zero.

It's days like this that challenge my manhood, or at least my stubbornness (which are easy to confuse sometimes).

I am a wearer of shorts, and that because I do not like pants. Hmmmmm...

Would I like them in a tree? Would I like them next to me?

Would I like them with a ham? Would I like them, Sam I am?

I would not like them in a tree, I would not like them next to me.

I would not like them with a ham, I do not like them, Sam I am!

Sorry, I have little kids. At least that's my excuse.

I consider it a personal challenge to laugh in the face of winter for as long as possible, so every year, I avoid wearing pants to work for as long as possible. My goal this year is to make it to the new year or in-my-shoes-deep snow, whichever comes first.

Maybe I should consider wearing shorts for charity, or maybe just for money.

Life lessons from the herpatorium

2008-12-05T21:23:00.006-05:00

This our chameleon, Mr. Tumnus gettin' wild and crazy in his cubicle. The speed you see him moving in this picture is about his usual speed. Yeah, that's right, he's still. Very observant.

He was always so frisky, at least until I caught him mistaking his own tail for a cricket. He was wrapped in a large circle around a branch, just holding it. I guess he thought it would eventually tire, and then he could eat it.

Weeks went by, and I noticed while watering him that almost all of his tail was shriveled and black. "Hmmm..." I thought, "I don't know if that looks good.".

Two days later his tail fell off. "Problem solved", I thought.

Well, that wasn't really accurate, because a few weeks later he was dead. I don't know if it was some kind of infection, or that he gave up living because he couldn't hang any more, but I tend toward the latter.

So what's the point of all this? Is there a moral to this story? Oh Yes, there's a moral to every story. You just have to be creative enough, and something will always pop up.

So here's what I've come up with so far:

"Those who chew their own arses may have it come back to bite them in the end."

I think that's pithy enough, don't you? Are there more?

A Shameless Plug for Your Own Good

2008-11-22T22:47:00.003-05:00

If you would care to turn your gaze right-ward, you will notice a cool little linky-thing that says "Monergism- High on God, Low on Price". Don't worry what that word means right yet, just click on it and buy an ESV Study Bible. You can get free shipping until December 15th by entering "gratia" in the coupon code when you check out.

They came out a couple of months ago, and I've already bought four of them, one for my wife, two for friends, and finally got myself one. (That story below)

Never a Dull Moment

2008-11-22T22:04:00.008-05:00

So I've been promoting shamelessly the recently released ESV Study Bible, which I believe to be the best Bible ever produced. It's not the point of this post to tell you why, and I don't have time to do a proper review anyway. Besides, if I only posted things I could discuss well, I would never post. When our story picked up, I had bought two of them, neither for myself. So...

Completely unintentionally, I moved to a spot in New England roughly 45 minutes from the CBD warehouse. I actually don't know if it's THE warehouse, but that's just what we call 'round here. They have a sale three or so times a year where you can get some killer deals on Christian books and whatnot. I'm not interested in the whatnot, but cheap books make giggle...

I knew a sale was coming up, so I decided to attend with one purpose: Acquire myself an ESV Study Bible. Normally, you can get a genuine leather Bible for about $20, so that's what I expected to find. This is the overly drawn out tale of my journey and the fruits thereof.

The doors opened at 8, so I got there at 7:30, with 250 people in front of me. I felt bad about that until 8, when there were 1000 behind me...

I immediately rushed to the Bible section, finding about 75 others milling around. The eight tables full of Bibles were labeled by version, so I thought my job would be quick and easy. I immediately sought out the ESV section, but it took up only 2 feet, and my prey was nowhere in sight.

I was actually after another thing or two, so I found them and came back to get serious. Under every table, stacked two high, were boxes full of Bibles. For about an hour, I looked through every one of them. This was made more difficult than imaginable by the 250 people stuffed around the tables like a European soccer match (without the suffocation).

Do you know what happens when you put 250 Christians in a room made to hold 50? I'm sure it changes as time goes on, but if B.O. were water, I'd have drowned...

After my fruitless search in the Bible area, I decided to go to the scholastic area to look for a Greek NT I need. While standing in the mass, I noticed a guy next to me had what I was looking for in his hand. I smiled at him and said "Did you get that on the Bible table?" "Yes" he said. I smiled again and said "You lucky devil!"

This was not right thing to say...

He looked very offended and growled "First of all, there's no such thing as luck."

I tried to not look like anything and move away as quickly as possible. As my "luck", or should I say providence turned out, that wasn't very far in the subway-like atmosphere of stinky-Christian-bargainhunterville. So I resumed my search for anything that would let me never talk to that guy again.

No exaggeration, about two minutes later, I heard a voice in my ear- "And I'm not a Demon either..."

I just kept looking.

By this time I had been sweating to Steven Curtis Chapman for about two hours now, so it seemed time to pack it in and concede defeat. Things didn't really change for a while since all I could really do was turn the opposite direction and wait.

While trying to not pass out from the fumes, I noticed some warehouse gents with hand trucks wheeling out some more books. As "luck" would have it, they got stuck in traffic right next to me. I didn't have anything else to do, so I stole a peek into the box... Bibles! Could it be?

Top box, third book down, was an ESV Study Bible. I'd recognize that loveliness anywhere by now. So I told the dude with cart, "I need to follow you." He said "OK."

So with another change of directions, and a CBD lead blocker, Hand-truck Bill and stinky tired Kevin made our way over to a safe zone. It was there I met the love of my life: A black calf-skin ESV Study Bible. Retail- $158, CBD sale- $48.

Needless to say, I'm still trying to calm down.

Now when you look at the picture, you may be asking yourself: "What's that gold bar on the cover?" I'm glad you asked. It could either represent how much money I saved, or it could be the thing covering the engraving that they either messed up or had sent back, take your pick.

What can I say? I'm just one "Providential Son of the Most High", and my Daddy is good to me.

Another bad day, or a good for that matter??

2008-11-18T06:45:00.004-05:00

Check this out then

Praise God for the glorious Gospel of Christ, for in I find At-One-Ment, and the strange ability to feel both aweful and wonderful at the same time.

Aweful in myself, that I come up short every second. Wonderful to the degree that I feel aweful, in that Christ loved me and died for me anyway.

How can I have a bad day after this?

Why I love my wife- Reason #437

2008-11-15T21:04:00.007-05:00

Times bein' what they are- tough, and me bein' what I am- a lowly carpenter, the little woman and I were talking about Christmas the other day. I was suggesting that we get one family gift, and keep the cost down because winter in New England can be scary for the self-employed tradesmen. At any given moment, I am not guaranteed to have something to next month, or even next week. Even when I do, weather plays a large part, so I plan on losing several days due weather each winter. Here's a paraphrase of the conversation:

Me: Let's keep Christmas simple this year, maybe get a family gift for everybody.

Wifey: And you don't have to get me anything...

Me: And I don't need anything.

Wifey: So don't get me anything either.

(Wifey thinks seriously, the clock ticks, tides ebb and flow, then says, matter-of-factly)

" We should at least get each other gaiters."

Me: *SMILE* Oh, I do so love you.

She is a multi-faceted diamond, of infinite beauty, and I am still noticing how she shimmers in new and exciting ways. One of the newest sparkles is that for her, if we trade no other gifts this Christmas, we simply must get each other gaiters, a waterproof, knee-high boot and shin wrap designed to keep out the water and snow while hiking.

She is unique above all others and I wouldn't trade her for 50,000,000, and I really mean that.

Parental advice

2008-11-13T17:15:00.004-05:00

Excerpt from "How Not to Raise a Pagan"
“One of the reasons we are raising a generation of pagans in our midst, is that we are faithful as parents to talk about God, but the God we talk about is not the God of the Bible. Many Children growing up in Christian homes simply don’t know the God of the Bible. They know the god of popular culture, the god of popular piety, they know the user-friendly god of Amercian consumerism; they know the god who doesn’t require much of them; the god who is kindly and sweet and remote; the god who is like an indulgent grandparent; the god who doesn’t take sin too seriously; the god who doesn’t take his people’s allegience too seriously; the god who fits in the gaps where necessary; the god who shows up at a blessing at a meal — hurried and rushed to get to the main purpose of the meal; the god who shows up at a crisis and someone remembers him and speaks of him. There is no wonder, when we think about it, that we are raising pagans, because the god they have come to know in many Christian homes simply isn’t the God of the Bible. He is himself an idol.”

“Too many of our children are innoculated with this false and artificial understanding of God, because they think of God’s Word as something like a greeting card….Do your children know that God kills people?”
-Al Mohler
You can catch the rest of it here.

The Great American Backyard

2008-11-12T22:21:00.007-05:00

Nothin' like a good game of hackey in the fall, with the leaves falling all around, and the crisp chill of winter coming on. You just don't laugh at that dark-haired gentleman when he drops the ball, or he may eat your leg.

A work in progress

2008-11-12T06:49:00.004-05:00

I don't normally take too many pictures during construction, but here a few. The above is a locker system: drawers below and coatracks with doors above, which I still have to do. The upper part will have rosettes and fluted trim between the doors, with a large crown above.
The center cabinet is for pc towers, desk space on either side with pencil drawers, then lower cabinets/open shelves above. The big ones are pull out shelves on the left one, and a kind of coat pantry with shelves on the right. Everything has a beadboard back, and will be painted a creamy color, then antiqued. Rosettes and fluted trim will be on the bookcases, and crown will wrap the entire thing.

So just in case you've been wondering, this is what I do to pass the time while I listen to Arturo Azurdia III's Hebrews series.

Need I say more? Nope.

2008-11-06T07:06:00.004-05:00

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In God We Do Not Trust

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Oh the Excitement!!!!!!

2008-10-29T19:05:00.003-04:00

How excited am I about the recently released ESV Study Bible? Perty dang excited, that's how excited. Here's a story to illustrate:

Last night, we were having over someone who I felt would benefit greatly from this resource, someone whom I did not know I would see again very soon. So, I...

went to two Christian bookstores that are out of business, one that only hablas espanol, one Borders, one Barnes and Nobles and a Target (as a last desperate measure). This all too over an hour, and much backtracking, and I didn't even find one.

So, I went home, asked them their preferred color, and ordered that sucker online. I've already bought my wife one, the notes are EXCELLENT, and the ESV translation is a lovely and faithful translation.

Get one, as soon as they print some more. You can check out the book of Matthew here.

You can buy one here, and while you're at it, pick up something else to read as well.

Dern good kids music

2008-10-22T08:48:00.008-04:00

What my kids are singing:

Oh God, there's none like you
in all the earth, in all the earth

Oh God, who could compare
to you, to you

Only you have no beginning
Only you could make the skies
Only you are truth unending
Only you are always wise
Lord there is none like you

For you are holy
You are holy
For you are holy
Lord you are holy

Oh God, there's none like you
in all the earth, in all the earth

Oh God, who could compare
to you, to you

Only you are never sinning
Only you have never lied
Only you cannot be tempted
Only you could never die

For you are holy
You are holy
For you are holy
Lord you are holy

Lord you are holy
Lord you are holy

Simple, yet deeply profound. Kids music that I pray will help tattoo God's holiness on their hearts for life. From Sovereign Grace Music's Awesome God kid album.

What we sang when I was a kid:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let's all praise the Lord.
Right arm!

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let's all praise the Lord.
Right arm, left arm!

Do you notice a slight difference in the theological content?

Praise Him for Sovereign Grace Music. They make every day of my life better by reminding me of the Gospel through their God-saturated lyrics. Again, you can find them here

I can personally vouch for the Psalms album, the Awesome God album and the Come Weary Saints album. You will not be disappointed, or I'll eat my hat.

Having a bad day? Well, here ya go...

2008-10-22T08:46:00.003-04:00

Here's a fine example of the God-centered music being produced by Sovereign Grace Music

A "Workin' Man's Hands"

2008-10-14T20:12:00.005-04:00

My latest war wound, obtained today on the battlefield of the Cirome driveway, not fatal, but it sure stings when I get soap in it. Vinegar smarts right much as well, and it's none of your business how I know that.

Why do I post this picture?

Because as uninteresting as it may be, isn't a blog a little window into the life of the blogger?

So welcome to the life of my hands. From wrist to fingertip, today I counted eleven "boo-boos" in various stages: "almost scars" all the way to "oozing that weird clear liquid", like this newest one. Depending on what type of work I've been doing, I may have twenty or so. Many times, I have looked down to find a 1/2" wood splinter sticking in my hand. Sometimes I just leave them.
What are they gonna hurt, I'm probably 10% wood by now anyway. My dad always said I had a wooden head.

Just in case you're wondering, this is what it looks for a brand new cat's paw to slip off a nail while your hand is on it. At least I still have all my digits, even the double ones...

Check out my company project blog to see what I have been doing for the past week. I'm doing an update on it tonight as well.

My other personalities favorite poem:

2008-10-07T15:12:00.005-04:00

I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.

Gelett Burgess

It don't have to be long to be purty...

Later, after being known mostly for the above little gem, he wrote:

CONFESSION: and a Portrait, Too,
Upon a Background that I Rue!

Ah, Yes! I Wrote the "Purple Cow" --
  I'm Sorry, now, I Wrote it!
  But I can Tell you Anyhow,
  I'll Kill you if you Quote it!

-- Gelett Burgess

Me @ 33

2008-10-07T00:52:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I turned thirty-three years of age. What's that mean?

More than even I know, most likely. But there are a few things that are for certain.

It means I am fatter than ever, balder than ever, crustier than ever, my teeth are crookeder (yeah, I know) than ever. I have wrinkles and the makings of man-boobs.

My body aches more in the morning, and is stiffer in the evening. Right now my back is killing me from hard labor all day, and that familiar icepick in my middle back has come home to roost again.

I know more than I ever have, but I know that there is more to know than ever, so it's really just knowledge of how much little I really know. Yeah, that was hard to even write.

Every day the weight of my own failings confronts me. I am impatient with my kids, think myself smarter than my wife and ignore those around me. I speak too fast and shutup too slow.

I find it increasingly difficult to spend so much of my day trying to make money, but yet not focus unduly on it.

The allure of success and sex that pervades our society smells worse than any time in my life, but it does still temp.

And it is more than ever that I feel a longing for home, to be with my Lord. He's the One who knew ahead of time all those things I've just mentioned, and that I will wake tomorrow and struggle with them again tomorrow, and yet, He still bought me. That's a circuit-breaking thought. Go ahead and take a minute to trip it back...

Before I ever looked at one sexy commercial, thought one mean thought, coveted one ability, Jesus Christ had already planned to buy me. But the amazing thing is that I'm even covered for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day... POP, there it goes again...

Maybe it takes a wrenching away of abilities and achievements to make us realize where true treasure is. Maybe, just maybe some of that wrenching comes with age.

So tomorrow, I will rise slowly, try to make my right shoulder work right, crack my neck, stretch my legs and ride around trying to make the money that I don't want to be mastered by.

By God's grace I will be mastered less by that money, fret less about those pains and the world will be a little more tasteless to my palette, because I know that this brutal, sorrowful, embattled day I live will bring me one step closer to REAL LIFE.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Oh, that's good...

What's it gonna be like for you on the day after Kevin's birthday?

Inspiration

2008-10-01T17:11:00.003-04:00

My favorite poem, all the more powerful when you know that he wrote it while confined in a lunatics asylum, where he spent most of his life.

I AM

I am: yet what I am none cares or knows,
My friends forsake me like a memory lost;
I am the self-consumer of my woes,
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shades in love and death's oblivion lost;
And yet I am, and live - like vapors tossed

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life nor joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteems;
Even the dearest, that I loved the best,
Are strange - nay, rather stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man has never trod;
A place where woman never smiled or wept;
There to abide with my creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept:
Untroubling, and untroubled where I lie,
The grass below - above the vaulted sky.

John Clare

Makes me wonder wht I would write if I were in the looney-bin. Maybe I would just fling poop at visitors.

Mound of Mice- Part 2

2008-09-30T18:08:00.004-04:00

Let me first answer some questions:

"And also, were they stuck together? As in, are they in a nice little conglomeration of death? Or are they isolated corpses? Also, were they found exactly as they are pictured, or was the evidence tampered with by suspect #1 (aka Kevin Jack Smith)?"

Stuck? I wouldn't call it stuck, but yes, a nice little conglomeration of death they were. They were found exactly as pictured, for in the picture they are exactly as found.

Further info:

There were 10 mice and 2 moles, all obviously very dead. Not tied together, but neatly stacked.

Time: App. 10 AM

Upon further inspection, we found that some, but not all noses were bloody.

Many of the subjects fur was damp, but it had not been raining.

All bodies were flexible and not yet rigor mortised or cold.

Feel free to click the picture to glean other facts not yet noticeed by the investigators. And we welcome any help you might give in solving this crime.

Sovereignty on a First Grade reading level Part 2- Double Predestination

2008-09-30T17:09:00.006-04:00

Emma: " We're like God's toys, He can do whatever He wants with us, right?"

Dad: "Yes, Em, He can do whatever He wants with us."

Dad: "You know Emma, you know when you play with your toys and have them fight wars, you make some good guys and some bad guys? Well, that's kinda like how God does with us. The only difference is that we ALL start out as bad guys. God chooses some to stay bad guys and some to make into good guys, and it's all because that's the way He wants it. Does that make sense?

Emma: "Yeah Dad, it does."

If a six year old can handle God's complete and total sovereignty over EVERYTHING, then why is it so hard for us adults?

Please let my love and concern for people be clear when I say: If you should read your Bible objectively and thoroughly and still come away convinced that God does not choose, then so be it. But God forbid you despise the doctrines of grace because you will not bow the knee to a God who chooses, for it may be there that the idolatry of the self has its strongest grip on your life.

Ask yourself, "Am I prepared, if convinced the Bible teaches it, to accept that God chooses life and death, heaven and hell, prosperity and poverty, every second of existence, and that to HIS pleasure and glory?" If the answer is no then ask why, because you may have a very serious problem on your hands.

Sovereignty on a First Grade reading level

2008-09-28T15:59:00.005-04:00

Emma: "Dad, God picked me special, didn't He?"

Dad: "Yes Emma, God picked you special.
Emma: " We're like God's toys, He can do whatever He wants with us, right?"

Dad: "Yes, Em, He can do whatever He wants with us."

Dad: "Emma, is there anything that you can do to make God love you any less or any more?"

Emma: "No Dad."

Dad: "If you died right now and went to heaven, and they asked you why they should let you come in, what would you say?"

Emma: "Because I believe in Jesus and He's my King."

Things are so simple when we're kids, huh? I hope she never grows up to the point that these things offend her sense of self-worth, self-image or self-esteem.

God grant us the grace to fall on His merit, and crush every speck of self that rears its ugly head, especially the self that puts itself in the center of redemption, history and God's affections.

A Gateway to Camping

2008-09-25T06:33:00.005-04:00

Behold my wife's last minute list for our camping trip this weekend. Normal food stuffs, mostly. However, the top item in the middle row looks a little suspicious to me...

I don't know how she's planning on using it, but I'm not eating any brownies just in case.

Half a' Pemi Loop '08

2008-09-20T23:41:00.017-04:00

A vigorous young couple sets out on a journey of self-discovery and a weekend in the White Mountains. Little do they know that tragedy lay ahead. Obviously, just look at their faces, folks...At first, the way seems clear and the sun is shining. Birds chirp, branches sway, and the cares of life flow away with the water over the moss covered rocks. The trail is level and smooth, and their muscles twitch with anticipation of every step ahead.

But as in all stories, the trail doesn't stay smooth for very long... after an abrupt left turn, their way begins to lead up, up and up again. The ground is no longer friendly, but now large rocks dot the path, making it difficult to walk unhindered. Every step must be chosen correctly, for to turn an ankle would almost certainly end in cannibalism.Yet still, our intrepid travelers had high spirits, relishing every rise in elevation, anxious to behold the scenic view that would be payday for all their hard work. Difficulty defines their trip now, when each step rises more than it moves forward. The rocks are boulders now, large enough to climb, and a fall could mean broken bones, or even worse, embarrassment.

All this just fuels their desire to climb, their bodies yearning for tomorrow's soreness, the evidence of the epic struggle with nature today. Every cut and bruise, every pained breath quickens the senses and the mountain air drives them onward. Do you see the happy pain? Look closer... closer...

At last, after hours of climbing, they conquer Flume Mountain, its panorama a delight to the giggly children inside them. Still they know they must continue on, for one more crest and the steep descent to camp lie yet ahead.

Yes, even heroes need a break... for mashed potatoes and 14 hours of sleep are a magical combination.

The next morning, our travelers rise with the dawn and embark on day two, stiff but hopeful of what the day holds. From time to time, they arrive at crossroads, and must choose the right of the left. And it is not always the road less travelled that makes all the difference. Sometimes, there is just a good reason why it is less travelled...

At first, the trail climbs steadily, promising trials similar to yesterday. But then suddenly, the path evens out and the quiet smell of Christmas wafts through the air. Flat trail makes them want to run, and day two finds hiker and pack melded together to form an unstoppable traveling machine, ready to take on anything.

It is now that all their hard work begins to pay off. When the crest of Little Haystack is finally reached, they are an island in a sea of fog. Mystery shrouds the valley below, and even their own B.O. is lost in the smell of accomplishment.

When on top of a beautiful mountain with a beautiful woman, even the most insecure man forgets he is wearing spandex leggings and can pose without shame.

The Object of all their hard work and toil is now in their sight: Franconia Ridge, 1.8 miles of totally exposed ridge high above the surrounding wilderness. Strangely, it's an experience that makes a fellow wish he'd packed his kilt after all, for this of all places, would be the place to wear it.However small or large one's wife may be, it is nearly impossible to distinguish her from a rock when at the proper distance:

It is at this crucial point our story takes a fateful turn, for I remind you that this story is a tragedy after all...

because here the camera died.

Murder Mystery???

2008-09-20T23:34:00.005-04:00

It's a question of Whodunnit, or for that matter, whattheheckdidtheydo? I will give a brief description and a few details, and then you finish the story, with as much explanation as possible. Over the course of the next week or so, I will periodically update with more facts, until the collectively we can take a vote and decide what fate befell these poor rodents.

#1- Approximately 6 miles into our backpacking trip, my wife and I looked down to see the above picture: a pile of dead mice right in the middle of the trail. What happened to them? How did they get there?

just one of those thangs...

2008-08-19T17:23:00.003-04:00

Here we have a picture to analyze, taken on my morning commute down I-95.

ok, so disregard my NASTY windshield, but take a close look at the far left car.

That, my friends, is a Massachusetts State Police cruiser. Notice all the cars in front of the cruiser. They are ALL cars that our little group is overtaking. They used to be farther away. Now notice all the cars BEHIND the Trooper. Those are all the cars that are not willing to pass a policeman on the interstate, especially since we are going about 75 mph already...

You're gonna have to take my word for this, but if it doesn't seem that funny, just know that I number five in a line of app. 30 cars that are not willing to pass him...

This isn't the first time I've noticed this little "law of the universe", it's just the first time I've had a camera in hand.

How 'bout u, ever seen something like this?

2008-07-31T22:44:00.009-04:00

Rescue me from the lies of advertisers who claim to know what I need and what I desire

From the lies of entertainers who promise a cheap way to joy

From the lies of politicians who pretend to instruct me in power and morality

From the lies of psychologists who offer to shape my behavior and my morals so that I will live long happily and successfully

From the lies of religionists who heal the wounds of this people lightly

From the lies of moralists who pretend to promote me to the office of captain of my fate

From the lies of pastors who get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following religious fashions

Rescue me from the person who tells me of life and omits Christ

Who is wise in the ways of the world and ignores the movement of the Spirit

-Eugene Peterson

A gift idea- quick...

2008-07-19T23:32:00.005-04:00

If there is anyone out there in the blogosphere who loves me and has been searching for the just-oh-so-perfect gift, and you have no budget limit, well here's your chance...

I drool when I think about it, and it's on sale, but hurry, it goes off sale tomorrow (Sunday 7/20).

Gud Preachin'

2008-07-19T22:13:00.005-04:00

Being a carpenter who largely works alone, I have plenty of time to listen to whatever I want, and think about whatever I want. Well, I've been listening to a stockpile of sermons by this guy for a while now.

I am right now listening to a series called "The Family in Perspective" by him. What he says is excellent and absolutely unsaid, in my experience. So, I think it's time for a post about it.

I don't know who, but somebody has said that "in every generation, the Church is to some measure a reflection of the culture in which it lives".

My theory on culture and theology is that in every generation the church must look at itself in society, notice the over and under-emphasized, and correct accordingly. Also, like a bent coathanger, whatever is out of form must be corrected to a greater degree or the abnormality will continue to exist. The problem is, most aren't looking for the bend, and almost no one corrects accordingly. We walk away from the mirror unchanged in relation to the family.

Well, hopefully I have some sense, and perked your interest enough that you will go to the extreme of clicking here, then listen with your brain, and allow room for something either refreshing or offensive. Either way, may God use it for His glory and your sanctification, eh?

Listen, think, study the Word on it, and then give glory to God for the grace given to the likes of Arturio Azurdia III.

PS- Once you finish the link to the first sermon, you will have to go here, where you can scroll down to the very bottom to find the other three in the series.

Wierd Wednesday- murderous marketing

2008-07-02T15:53:00.005-04:00

The American way of life has killed the English language. If their is any disagreement, please see the above photo.

Yeah, that's what I thought. To explain further, can we all agree that "legendary" is definitely one the words that should NEVER describe a cheeseburger sub? Especially such a skanky one...? "Inedible" seems far better to me.

So why do they use this word? When truthfulness and accuracy are replaced by the plain and simple motive of peddling more of the same "cheaper and crappier than yesterday" product, there is no limit to the adjectives you can use. If it helps sell, then it is a proper description.

The questions that come to my mind are:

Can we really have any idea what a word really means when it describes both the above photo, and some of the amazing feats performed by heroes in WW2? Eyeshadow and a sunset? Sneakers and Mt. Everest?

A football player and Almighty God?

Don't we get much of our practical definition of words from everyday contextual usage? So how can we find our balance with "real" definitions to anchor our words when the practical usage has become so broad?

Oh, and the real big one...

can we do anything about it?

** Don't ask me how I got to the cheeseburger sub, but a special thanks goes out to my good buddy and fellow toast lover Mr. Smith, whose ponderings on book-buying led me to a small rant on the evils of dustjackets, which led to the evils of marketing in general. Who knows where we will be led next? I for one, am glad that I do not know...

Now off I go to comment on Sam's latest post, where I identified with the term "reflexive beast".

Bush's war

2008-06-14T14:32:00.003-04:00

I'm not one to keep up with politics or world events, but as providence would have it, I watched most of a Frontline episode called Bush's War. I don't want to spoil it for you, but what I came away with was this: Rumsfield and Cheney should be in prison, and Colin Powell should be running for the White House.

'Nuff about that, let's go play whiffleball...

Another Life-goal realized

2008-06-12T22:26:00.003-04:00

First there was getting to see Garrison Keillor, then Michael Card, then a a quick re-evaluation where I ruled out shooting a grizzly bear with a bow and arrow, but then on to one of my two favorite female singers: Natalie Merchant. (Patty Griffin, the other.) I thought I had missed the train, since she doesn't seem to tour any more, but during my tri-yearly net search for everything-musical-I'd-love-to-see, I Found tickets to Natalie Merchant with the Pops in Boston. So I scarfed 'em up right quick, it being a personal life-goal and all.

For you poor unfortunates who are thinking "Natalie who...?", here are some of my favorites:

"Wonder"- a song about impaired folk who go farther than anyone think they can.

"Life is Sweet"- For those in dead-end lives, there's a choice to be made.

"Break Your Heart"- No special knowledge on this one

"What's the Matter Here"- About a kid she used to live near who was not treated well

"Beloved Wife"- One of my favorite favorites. I can't imagine the pain...

To illustrate that she can sing ANYTHING and make it sound wonderful

Just listen and love her too...

Food for Thought, and a question to chew on

2008-06-12T21:19:00.004-04:00

Back in "the good ole' days" when I was growing up, we had three channels on tv (PBS being the best one), no vcr, cable, pc, cell phone, internet, and really very little that plugged in at all. My parents are still boring (sorry guys, but you are, if this miraculously makes its way into your hands).

Now I have all those things, and more...

My oldest takes drama, just finished t-ball, and is thinking about soccer. She's not even six yet, and there would be more to do if the other two weren't deathly afraid of everyone else on the planet. I run my own business, teach a class at church and I'm on our condo board as well.

So here's the question:

Where does all the Blogtime come from?

Did they add an hour to the day since I was a kid? Has technology made me that much faster, that I have an extra hour that my parents didn't have?

WWMPBD- What would my parents being doing? Actually, at 9:47 pm, my dad would still be working, and I still have no idea what my mother did at night...

We are busier than we have ever been, and yet this hobby seems to be enjoyed by so many, and curiosity being my defining characteristic, it do make me wonder...

Is everybody out there a scheduling genuis who blogs for theraputic benefits, or are you like me, who should be polishing my lesson on parables for church on Sunday, but who can't seem to organize their thoughts, so blogging is easier????

Wierd Wednesday- Are you a catbirds kitten?

2008-06-04T20:27:00.007-04:00

I grew up on a farm. Birds were everywhere, and my father was the king of strange enigmatic sayings such as "Don't know him from Adam's housecat!", "He's tighter than Dick's hatband" and "He's sure cuttin' a rusty!". When wanting to point out someone's uniqueness, he would say "He's a catbirds kitten.". Now, I have understood the point for decades, catbirds are birds, they don't have kittens, so a catbirds kitten is extremely unique. But the real question was, what the heck's a catbird?? Do they really exist? And if they do, why are they called catbirds? Do they eat cats? Do they look like cats? Did God make them just so my dad wouldn't have to say "He's unique" literally?

Is the catbird legend one of those bigfoot , jackalope kind of things? Well, a few years ago, I began to see these interesting birds around the yard. They were gray, with a dark stripe atop their noggin. I thought they were some kind of mockingbird variation.

Being as dense as I am, the light finally broke through to me one day a few weeks ago when I walked out one early morning, only to hear a sound and think, "that poor little kitten must be stuck in a tree, or lost, or hurt"... only to realize that a life-long journey was about to end.

The elusive catbird had finally made itself known to me...

Sometimes in the great epic searches, the frustrated searcher, exhausted from their fruitless endeavors, gives up any hope that they will see the goal of all their labor. It is just then that magically, that being sought seems to recognize the tenacity of their pursuer, and consents to be found.

Ponce De Leon had the fountain of youth, and I, the catbird. Only I actually found mine. (He did become the governor of Puerto Rico, which may be better, I don't know). I guess now I have to find something else for my life to revolve around...

(If you don't know about catbirds, then click here, and don't listen to the bozos taking the film)

I hope I win...

2008-05-21T22:57:00.003-04:00

Cool giveaway, and won't hurt you a bit:

Wierd Wednesday

2008-04-22T20:25:00.004-04:00

Ello, in the spirit of blogging perpetually for no terribly good reason, just because it's now expected somehow, so as to not disappoint my "fans" (thank my wife for this advice), I have decided to share some of the weirdness that comes to me as I fight insanity while working completely alone all day, every day. (If I work for you, the fact that my mind is rarely on what I am doing for money should in no way shake your rock-hard confidence in my abilities, in fact, you really should be more impressed... but back to the subject)

Parameters:

#1 The post shall be animal, mineral, vegetable, experience or idea that I think is weird enough to share with the world, and that will somehow boost my stats to at least one tenth of my wife's, who sometimes doesn't even write any words, but yet has dozens of hits per day.

#2 The post itself shall be utterly and completely true, unless primarily my own ideas or opinions, in which case it shall probably be almost mostly incorrect.

#3 The post shall appear sometime between the hours of 8pm Tuesday and 7am Wednesday.

I may add more hedges later as this is a precedent-based blog.

Now, without further ado...

Installment #1

As I do entirely more often than is natural, I was driving down the road the other day when, I reached a rural section of backroad. I noticed that two wood ducks had seen my approach and flown from the small pond on the side of the road. Within a few seconds, both fowl were flapping madly directly in front of my truck, and about twelve feet in the air. "Ah!" I thought to myself, "What a lovely and scenic experience... it's not everyday that one gets to watch ducks fly close-up."
And while that it true, it is even more rare to see one of those same ducks lift it's tail and take an extended whizz directly on my driver-side windshield.

Wipers squeaking and ducks still flying, I thought to myself, "Well, there's another first for me..."

Slice o' Heaven

2008-04-22T20:11:00.007-04:00

Question: If you mixed a pound and a half of Marscopone cream cheese, 2 cups heavy cream, a cup and a half of sugar, dark chocolate shavings, natural cocoa, espresso and rum-soaked lady fingers, what would you get???

If you ask me, it's darn near perfection...

Please observe with me a moment of silence for the above Tiramisu piece, who happily gave it's life to make me fatter and happier.

I salute you, my friend! (burp)

2008-04-12T07:16:00.004-04:00

So, I was making breakfast the other day, and I turned around to see this: A sixteen foot line of "hard animals" stretched out the entire length of my future basement trim.

The first question that came to my mind? Where ARE they all going?

I thought it necessary to give proper credit to the fearless leader, rippling muscles, head erect and proud, and owner of the most dangerously poofy hair in the whole toy tub: Barbie horse.

Why was this animal chosen to lead her people to the kitchen? I think the reasons are obvious.

2008-04-12T07:01:00.005-04:00

This is the situation that forced us into an internet research session to find out exactly who "Mr.T" was.

Thank you, auntie Michelle, for the dress-up jewelry, ALL being worn by Emma.

I did not know that, according to my wife, dress-up jewelry MUST be gaudy. That's a connection I'm still trying to understand...

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

2008-04-02T20:16:00.009-04:00

A gift from my wife, who read from a friend, and then bought from a store, and gave to her husband, who giggled with glee, and then read with excitement, this new book of fantasy.

You who are too boring to like anything not true, please do not read this book, but those who spent their childhood running through Narnia, climbing the cliffs of Mount Doom, flying through time with Gaudior, sorrowing with the Wild Thing, then please put your kids to bed and come with me to the land of Skree.

The thing I hate so about reading a brand new book is that I have to wait whoknowshowlong to have a stab at the second one. That stinks.

It's nice, though, to read a book that's not all bound up with powerful ethical analogy blah, blah, blah, but is just fun to read. That I can comfortably know the author isn't writing an entire series just so he can kill God at the end is super fun as well.

Well, if I haven't mysteriously alluded to too many other fantasies to bore you stiff, then I sum up:

Forget about the mortgage, your sick aunt Lois, what Sister-stuckupbutt said at church, etc., and read this book. Enjoy, live, make Andrew Petersen money, he is one of the minority that deserve it.

( So click on the post title and buy the book already, silly muffin...)

2008-04-01T19:53:00.007-04:00

Hannah Claire Smith, app. age- 1.5 months, now 4 years

my daughter, in my hand

the owner of the brightest eyes I have ever seen

"Protection of the life of the mother as an excuse for an abortion is a smoke screen. In my 36 years of pediatric surgery, I have never known of one instance where the child had to be aborted to save the mother's life. If toward the end of the pregnancy complications arise that threaten the mother's health, the doctor will induce labor or perform a Caesarean section. His intention is to save the life of both the mother and the baby. The baby's life is never willfully destroyed because the mother's life is in danger."
------------
C. Everett Koop, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General

Folks, don't buy the lie, not for a minute.

Blondie is gone...

2008-03-19T21:09:00.003-04:00

The yellow man has left our lives forever, and in his wake there is silence. SSHHHHHH!

My wife is happier, I am happier, the kids are oblivious, and Pepito is, I'm sure, happier. May he live to an unusually old age for a golden, and fetch sticks til' he's 15.

2008-03-06T22:26:00.005-05:00

Oh, What a glorious day that will be, when no more stupid yellow dog I see...

It's amazing, the things I'll do to make my wife want me...

2008-03-01T18:51:00.004-05:00

My hunny went out with a friend last night to "ketchup", and they stayed later than originally planned. So, in a desperate attempt to make her regret it, I made this:
It's a pesto, tomato, onion, garlic, zucchini, Parmesan italian herb marinated pizza on a homemade crust, lightly basted in garlic butter, all ingredients organic, of course.

And of course, I painstakingly texted all this info to her while she watching a movie. I don't think it worked, though...

It did taste pretty good, but would've been better if I had cheese and more tomato sauce. I will have to plan ahead next time... or maybe next time it will be chocolate, and she'll come right home.

Cheap MP3 Bible!!!

2008-02-22T19:14:00.004-05:00

Here's your answer to finding that cheap mp3 Bible, although I must confess it's actually 15.99 plus shipping. I think it cost me $17.-- total. I have had it for four days, and have listened up to I Samuel. It's very good. I will add more about that later... (Click on the title)

I found two different versions of the NASB on MP3, and this is the only one I could listen to. The other sounds like Leutinent Warf of Star Trek: Next Generation, though that's cool if you like that kinda thing.

Let me again emphasize the point here: If I really believe that the Bible is God's very words He wanted to let humanity know, then shouldn't it's reading and studying occupy a place of prominence in my life? My actions speak louder than my words, ya know?

Mat 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

The point is not merely that he thought the treasure was cool and bought it, but that from the joy of finding it, he gladly sold everything else. Does not the time we devote to other, more urgent things exhibit where our hearts desire truly lies??

I'm not being pious or arrogant here, I'm just trying to be honest with myself, and since I'm just lookin at a pc screen as I type this, honestly transparent with the world at large... I do fail here miserably, but God is doing a work in me to renew me to the knowledge of my Creator. It is He who works in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

That allows me to do two things:

#1 Be brutally honest and open, laying open myself to others because He has forgiven me and works in me.

#2 Be completely confident that I will be a trophy of His grace, and He has guaranteed it, for He is the one working in me His purposes, having been pre-determined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

May we all fall on His grace daily, praise the God who loves today though He knows we fail tomorrow, may we praise Him all the more because of that, and may we wake up tomorrow looking a little more as we should because of it.