HH enters the terrible 2's

Monday marks the 2 year milestone for Hoosier Happenings...oh yeah, and the lesser known 40th anniversary of the moon walk. The first post written on July 20th, 2007, was more of a statement of purpose for this on-line collection of thoughts highlighting not only my fondness of our State, but also to question how we typically see things politically and religiously.

http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2007/07/on-being-hooiser.html

While I know I have an audience.....my thoughts here are just that. This isn't a platform, nor does it have an ulterior motive. I enjoy writing and it assists in developing that skill, which I believe is uniquely and at times comedically me. I chose the name "Hoosier Reborn" to reflect a substantial change in my perspective on faith and politics. It has a religious connotation....which is intended....I believe God has had a most remarkable impact on me, and continues to shape me to where I am "reborn" all the time...anew. And, while some may find it odd, I love being a Hoosier...whatever that is.

While some, at least one, has suggested I hide in anonymity because of my views...it simply is not true. If that were the case I wouldn't so willingly send out the website address on our Christmas cards and e-cards...or hand out Hoosier Happenings business cards, or own up to it to the press. I don't believe I have ever hesitated to make my opinions known (which isn't so good, I know). I am protective of my kids and due to the fact I use a lot of pictures, using a pen name seems wise. Make no doubt; anyone in river city or republicania county who views this knows exactly who HR is; there is no great "revelation", especially since I use a picture of myself for the profile-duh! And as a side, I find the thought that I somehow hide behind anonymity or misrepresented issues really quite amusing coming from the politburo when they engaged in creating both an anonymous political newsletter and incredibly misleading ads during the election cycle of 2007. Somehow that's different, I am sure.

Finally, I so appreciate anyone who is willing to follow along this life's journey with me by reading and commenting on the posts. I have regulars and blog-stalkers, folks that I've met through the cyber world and family and friends. Many of you have challenged and encouraged me which is great. My hope is that you've found the cultural stuff interesting and/or amusing and that you are also challenged by my own struggles in coming to terms with faith and politics.

At almost 500 posts I've had over 3,000 profile hits.....maybe I have more of an audience than I thought! I got a facebook message from one of our 20x class who is studying in London last night that had me cracking up; for your amusement:

Subject: Hoosier Happenings

So I was sitting in my international journalism and economics class today and we were talking about blogs. I brought yours up and everyone (by everyone, I mean the dept. of media communications at the London School of Economics most of whom work for Channel 4 and the BBC) LOVED it. I even had one ask for your link in an email after class.

Just thought I should let you know that, despite the conflict of the class having no idea what a hoosier is (do you?), your little small town Indiana blog was a huge hit.

HH has gone international.....because everyone wants to know what a Hoosier thinks, right? lol. Nice way to complete a good 2 years...and so, so much more on the way.

Thanks for reading!

you might be at the 4-H fair if...

the only thing that outnumbers bib-overalls are the hogs

pork chops are a side with any entree'

politicians are wearing farmer's caps

& no one asks "what's that smell?"

It was 4-H Fair week and for the first time since I was a kid, we were a 4-H family again. My son took junior 4-H "gardening" and "forestry". We made the pilgrimage through each of the livestock barns, ate some stuff that's bad for you and enjoyed local musical talent. I think it's a wonderful thing to have something to remind us of our agricultural roots and the increasingly smaller number of folk who still get their hands dirty.

slum-lord millionaire

I have a post rattling around in my head about blessing your enemies....thanks a lot Francis Chan! As I was reading Crazy Love and it mentioned this, I started to ask myself, well, what enemies do I have? Oddly enough, or maybe not, I have made a number of enemies over time here in river city. I tend to wear it as a badge of honor. If you run down a list of folks who really don't like me you'll find a common thread I think.

Developers. During my time in city government I held true to my convictions of responsible development and careful planning to ensure a sustainable infrastructure and wise use of our limited resources. Land is a limited resource, by the way. This led to some pretty intense meetings with outcomes unpopular with, well, primarily just one family. I sat down for coffee with their public "face" and commented that we can find some common ground...taking off from a sermon preached on blessing your enemies. I see the way we do things as a very backward, archaic and wasteful mindset. But then, I also look at who is calling the shots and they are of another generation.....which is why I believe we seem to lag behind everyone else. Oh sure, we like to think of ourselves as progressive, but we point to ideas of the 1950's for proof.

the de facto Politburo. Either by accident or design, river city and republicania county suffer from weak leadership. With a vacuum of not only qualified but visionary folks to lead, we've ended up with a handful of big money guys who call the shots but don't have the courage to run for office themselves....they just put in people to do their bidding. These guys and their enablers view anyone who can think for themselves, don't toe the line, and likely disagree with their personal agendas as a threat. I can't help but view my undoing and loss as a response to that threat.

Slumlords. I think I am most honored by this. River city suffers from a rental rate of nearly 50%. There are a few landlords who own huge numbers of properties.....and a few landlords who can legitimately be called slumlords. These guys don't live in town and they are making it so that no one else wants to live in town either because of their properties. I pushed and pushed for better accountability and an effort to clean up the town.....regardless of who owned the properties. Two of these guys have made significant money off of rental housing; the one I certainly would consider a slumlord. The other, I don't think so, but others have told me differently. One of these guys pledged $10,000 to whoever ran against me when I considered a run for mayor. The other couldn't wipe the smile off his face the night of the election in which I was ousted.....he also sold some poor kids a house in a floodplain without disclosing it and often his homes are sites for meth-busts.

Badge of Honor.

But, do I bless these guys? Is that right, really? I'll get to that later. I found this bumper sticker..how funny:

shadow walking

Do you remember as a kid trying to walk on your shadow? Or maybe you were afraid of it and tried to run away only to find that it found you? I remember standing in the path of the sun and doing crazy things with my arms and legs to watch the resulting formation in the shadow cast on the ground. I also remember the cartoons when the caricatures would discover their shadows then become at ease only to realize it wasn't their shadow at all.

It seems I've lost my fascination with shadows as I grow older, except for a few times lately while I had my camera in hand and was attempting to be acutely aware of my surroundings. I started to think then, what are the shadows I'm leaving against this world? Are they of security, strength?

Then I was reminded of this passage:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1,2

Shadows are all around us. Shadows from our past, or other people's past. We see the results of past wounds and victories in our lives; we see the hand of those who have helped to shape our lives. We hear from time to time about "standing in the shadows of those who came before us" as an honorable and appreciative way of acknowledging those who had the forsight to make for us a better life.

Imagine how big God is to be able to cast a shadow large enough to cover us. Can you see a history of His hand at work in your life? Has God cast a shadow in which you now stand? Are you resting in the shadow of the Almighty?

starting a Movement

HH is coming up on an anniversary next week...which caused me to go back in the archives and check out what was happening after a year of blogging. Good stuff, if I do say so myself. I had one post on which Pastor Jeremy from St. Louis commented....I used to check out his blog all the time but haven't in awhile, so I went there and found one of the most inspirational posts I think I've ever seen that included a youtube link from the 2009 Sasquatch Music Festival.

So, before you go any further, go to his site and watch the youtube link. Seriously. Do it. Now.

http://jeremywpastor.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-is-how-movements-start.html

My wife and I were on our way home from a night out Friday and as we talked about church and our pastoral search, the 20x class and the book we're reading by Francis Chan "Crazy Love"...and reviewing our own lives in it all.....she said "I know I can't stay where I'm at....something needs to change." Something has been stirring.....stirring in a big way with me and it was great to hear this affirmation from my wife.

Chan asks "what are you doing today that requires faith?" Chan is taking on complacent Christianity and as I told 20x this past Sunday, with every chapter I read it becomes more convicting to the point where I'm realizing.......something does need to change.

What am I doing today that requires faith? Some might say everything....particularly being on my own just shy of a year now. Fact of the matter is not much of anything I'm doing requires faith. God's already more than proven He's got my back with work....and when He wants to change things, or shake things up, I already know He's got it covered.

So, starting a movement. How many of us are waiting for a movement of God that we can join in? What if you're the one being called to be the crazy dancer guy at the Sasquatch? The catalyst to start a movement rather than join in? Did you see the enthusiasm with which people responded to crazy dancer guy? After the second guy joined him, it began to snowball!

A few weeks ago in 20x we were having a conversation about stepping out of our comfort zones and responding to those called out in Matthew 25 needing ministered to. Responding to the hungry, the oppressed, the poor. A thought came to me that I spoke outloud before I could really "think" about it. What would living like a true missionary here in river city look like for a period of thirty days? Now, I'm not talking about 30 days of service or 30 days of prayer. I'm talking about treating river city like a missionfield for 30 days.....going Mother Theresa on it. This same thought came back yesterday in class. What if we are being called to start a movement?

God....you've given me plenty of opportunities to be comfortable. The church in America is the epitome of comfort and lukewarmness. But the cool thing is the times when I've been uncomfortable, applied a little faith and you've proven yourself in a huge way. But, Faith for a movement?

God, I'm thinking I want to be that crazy dancer dude....

the monolith: muscle vs. mass

When we bought our house in 1998, there were two back doors, which were essentially our front doors because of the orientation of our house. The one door was pretty crappy, and was accessed by a failing concrete porch on deteriorating concrete block. So, after nearly losing our dog beneath the porch one year, we had the old porch taken off in 2003 and replaced by a new stone porch and new wood entry door. But it had makeshift steps.....because I do most construction on my house slowly to be certain I am satisfied with the ultimate design decision.

Late this spring I came to the conclusion that I would order solid, rusticated limestone steps. Rusticated means made to look old. When we removed the concrete porch we found one very old, large limestone step that I used to step up to the terrace level. It only made sense to continue with limestone for the porch. So I had two steps delivered.

The top step is 3' x 1' x 6" and almost 245 lbs. The bottom step is 5' x 2' x 6" and 815 lbs. The place I ordered it from recommended I take down a section of fence and a post so that they could bring it in with a skid-loader. Frankly, that sounded like more work than moving the steps. So I asked how many guys on the large step and they recommended no less than 6. No problem, I could come up with six guys.

The steps were delivered last Tuesday and the family anxiously awaited their installation. The bottom fella looked intimidating, but I rounded up six guys on Saturday to move the monolith. I summoned two neighbors, another buddy in town and two guys from the 20x class. My buddy and I walked the smaller step up to position, only 122 lbs each. My thought was to get some pipe and roll the big one up the slightly inclined sidewalk and then we would only have to carry it about 5' on the terrace. My buddy suggested using heavy straps he had in his truck to carry it. My neighbor, an engineer, was the brains behind the move. As the four of us waited for the guys from the 20x class to show, we decided to attempt to move it ourselves.

And we did. With the straps in a loop over our inside shoulder and on the count of three, we moved the big one 12" at a time to its final resting place roughly 30' away. 203.75 lbs each. My neighbor and I both had bruises where the strap dug into our shoulders and I definitely felt it in my legs Sunday morning.

It was an undertaking of ancient proportions.....and just like we speculate on how the pyramids were constructed and how Stonehenge was set into place......I hope future owners of our house wonder just how we got that stone there. Probably a skid loader they'll say. THANKS for the help guys!

Mentors needed: no experience necessary

One thing I was fortunate to see begin over the last year with our youth group was a mentor program that paired up willing kids with older guys and gals. I "officially" mentored two guys and it seemed a third just kind of naturally happened. The paired groups read through books, met for coffee, baked together......my guys and I always ate. Pizza Hut, Wendys, DQ...one of those three usually. We heard great stories at a wrap-up session at the beginning of the summer from kids and adults alike concerning what they had learned and how they were blessed.

Truly everyone is cut out to be a mentor in some capacity. With so many single parents out there today....all the more reason to step up and fill that role. Maybe to a kid in your neighborhood, church....maybe to a younger guy/gal where you work. There really is no age limit....even I could use a mentor, although I'm sure I'd frustrate the heck out of 'em.

In Titus the older men and women of the early church were instructed to teach the younger men and women....because we can all learn, and we can all teach. And, outside of the kids, I only have to step out into my backyard to be surrounded by a lot of other "mentor opportunities".

The one guy I mentor is going to be a senior in highschool this fall. The cool thing about this kid is that initially he signed up and I just paired him with me and another kid, but then his dad encouraged him to seek out somone that could be his "go to guy", and he chose me. We get together a fair amount and since he's a hard worker, I've even taken him along on some jobs for which I need an extra hand. The fact of the matter is that he's constantly challenging me. He asks questions that I really have to think about......."dang" I'll say....."I've never had to think about that one".....it's good for both of us.

I never had a mentor. I started to get tight with my youth leader and he left, then by the time I got to know our next youth leader well enough to glean wisdom from him, he left. Never underestimate the influence for good that you can have in a simple conversation with a kid....just encouraging him to do better, stick with it....or that he's got what it takes to make it. And listen....above all else....listen.

Resolution accountability

At the end of 2008 I posted my New Year's Resolutions for 2009: http://hoosierhappenings.blogspot.com/2008/12/3-rs-of-new-years-regrets-rewards_30.html. With the first half of the year down, let's see how I've done.

Resolution #1: Read more. I started off well with this one. I finished two books by the end of January, which is pretty good for me. I read Traveler's Gift and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day....which I've yet to post on. Books that I have started: Abraham Lincoln a Man of Faith and Courage, Ideas Have Consequences by Richard Weaver, and Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere. One book I was given but haven't started: Mike Huckabee's Do the Right Thing. Books I am currently reading and am certain to finish: Francis Chan's Crazy Love and Wild at Heart by Eldridge. So, I give myself a B- for this resolution.

Resolution #2: Pray more. Not so good with this one. I've had my moments, but by and large, and possibly due to reading Crazy Love, I'm realizing that I'm really failing in this one. I have gotten out my "prayer book" a couple of times. And since this spring I try to make it outside first thing in the morning to talk to God. One thing that has shifted my thinking on prayer has been Chan's challenge to imagine actually having a conversation with God, that He is right in front of you....and then practice listening. This has taken a foothold and has turned these times upside down. So, maybe a C on this one, but improving.

Resolution #3: Action. Initially I thought I had really failed on this one....then I started thinking about all of the casual mentoring, youth work and week of service and realized maybe not so bad. Still by no stretch has this become habit in my day to day life.....so, I give myself a C-.

Resolution #4: Spend better time with the kids. Not good at all.....I think I started strong but have really waned in the last several months. Like I said in the resolution post, I need to be deliberate about this...schedule it if I have to. I give myself a D.

Resolution #5: Killer abs. Well, I can honestly say, until the last couple weeks, this has been really good. Workouts from January through the first of June were great and the abs were cutting in fine. About mid-June I got off my routine and am struggling to get back into it. I'll give myself an A for abs and hope that it doesn't slip to an F for flab.


Make any New Year's resolutions? Do you remember them? How are you doing?

thoughts?

We had a new visitor to our backyard this week. Can anyone identify this butterfly or forward this to someone who could? It is nearly as large as a Monarch and I can't quite seem to place it from any of the websites I've visited.

Last stop: Shades

Shades State Park is just around the corner from Turkey Run State Park. It has a number of things going for it: 1) it also has Sugar Creek 2) it has immensely less visitors and 3) the trails are rated #1 for state park trails in Indiana.

I've camped at Shades probably a half-dozen times because it is just around the corner from Clement's Canoes on Sugar Creek. Many of the trails are marked rugged, with some requiring ladders not unlike Turkey Run. Only taller. My experience with our kids has been the more difficult the trail, the less bored they become....and less they complain.

Again, it's a great place for a hike or camping....no inn at this park. It also offers a long backpacking trail and back country campsite. May have to try that!


We ended our get-a-way with a family canoe trip down Sugar Creek. My daughter's first time in a canoe. 20 minutes into the trip both kids wanted their dad as their partner. We were told to watch for an eagle's nest, but we did not find it.

I stared at a lot of rocks looking for river glass

There's this great old 1840's house for sale along Sugar Creek, near our vacation destinations. Seems like it would be a sweet vacation house....and retreat center. We drove up to it and looked around and I could sense the nervousness of my wife thinking I might actually buy it.

Next stop: Turkey Run

Turkey Run State Park. What can be said about this wildly popular state park that hasn't already been said? The park has top-notch trails and nature center....whose naturalists allow the kids to help feed the birds first thing in the mornings. Our kids always take part.

Turkey Run, with Sugar Creek flowing through the middle of the park, offers some great fun for families who enjoy searching for shells, fossils and river glass and taking hikes up moss covered canyons gushing with cold streams.

I made reservations to stay in the family cabins, which were ok, but we typically stay in the inn. Those rooms were booked when I made the reservations several weeks ago. When we arrived I asked if we could upgrade to the inn and because of the state budget situation they wouldn't allow new reservations OR upgrades. Grrr.

Of course, we were told we would possibly be asked to leave the state park at midnight if a budget had not passed. At 5:15 we got a call from housekeeping asking if everything was in order. I said, sure, do we know anything about the budget? They said they thought that it would be signed in time for the 6:00 news. Grrrrrrr...again.

Like McCormick's Creek, Turkey Run was largely developed by the Works Progress Administration. While most Republicans think of FDR as the devil, I have heard an awful lot of my party compliment the work that came out of the New Deal....and wish that President Obama would do the same.

Short stop: Cataract Falls

Once we left McCormick's Creek and headed north to Turkey Run, I realized we would have a little time to kill. Having passed by the sign for Cataract Falls State Recreation Area several times on Highway 231, it seemed only justifiable to stop this time. It was only about 5 miles west of 231 and I'm glad we made this stop.

Cataract Falls is billed as the largest waterfall in Indiana. Not the tallest falls, that honor goes to Williamsport. Cataract Falls has the largest volume of water pouring over it....and it also appears to be the widest falls that I have seen in Indiana. There is an upper and lower falls. The lower falls appeared to be a popular fishing spot.

Another feature of the small area is the covered bridge designed by the Smith Bridge Company. Evidently a rarity, the truss system is constructed of a series of "X" members, a technique more popular in steel bridge design. Isn't there something about a covered bridge that just demands you stop and walk across it?

I also found this Mail Pouch Tobacco sign interesting. Seems like a natural way to advertise your product, nail your sign to a covered bridge timber. Has anyone ever seen one of these?