BREAKING FREE

We are free in ways we never should be, sweet release from the grip of these chains

Here we go.....

My last day on the job is Friday, August 1. After 12 years, and the only post-college job I've known (as in started the day after graduation), and the absolute source of my identity in river city, God made it really clear to me.....it's His timing to move on. The obvious question is "move on to what?"

And that's the beauty of it. I don't have the slightest idea. But I couldn't be more confident in the decision. It is a leap of faith, no doubt. Side note: wife is firmly behind this.

We're staying in river city....we see too much potential in areas I believe He is calling us to. I may strike out on my own; it is clear to see God's providing already for this at least in an interim basis. Long term? Well, we'll just follow His lead.

About a year ago I was reading a book entitled "Discover your Destiny" in which the author portrays a mighty elephant tied to a stake to train it into submission. After some time the trainer removes the stake, however, the elephant, still thinking it is chained, remains captive. The author asks......"what are the imaginary stakes in your life?" My immediate response was "my job". Then I thought, no, that's too obvious. But, it is obvious.

There has been much thought spent on this. It began about 2 years ago and has an amusing thread of irony woven into the story-maybe I'll share in the future. I know this: if I do not activate my own pursuits now, then when? It is a strange feeling indeed, both for the remaining days and for what lies ahead come Monday morning. It is as much about spiritual freedom as it is in pursuing the desires God has formed in my heart.

God has been at work on this piece of clay over the last two years. The foggy lake was like a death....a death of my own reason, a death of who I thought God was supposed to be. He's opened my eyes to so much around me, transforming my mind and soul; I recognize now it isn't at all about seeing to the other side!

Another blogger often affectionately calls God "ridiculous" because He is so much bigger and knowing than we allow Him to be in our lives, that when He does move........we're left dumbfounded. I think God's been looking down with a big 'ol smile on His face.........saying, yeah, ok buddy, you think putting on 22 lbs of muscle is an accomplishment.........WATCH THIS!

All that is within me cries, for you alone be glorified....Emmanuel, God with us. My heart sings a brand new song, the debt is paid, these chains are gone....Emmanuel, God with us.

prelude to the major announcement

Going through some files, I came across some words I penned in November, 2006, when I had found myself at about the lowest point in my life....full of doubt and unable to reason confidently to make clear decisions.

As I read through them today.....I thought they would make a beautiful prelude for a significant announcement I plan to make next week........and some of you who read my wife's blog already know what's coming. We're off to Holiday World for the next several days; be back on Wednesday with the announcement! All I know is.....God is faithful.

State of Haze

I was at a meeting this afternoon, in Culver. It was damp & cool-typical for November. I wanted a warm-up and stopped by the coffee shop across from the town park on the lake. I took my coffee across the street and wandered down to the lake shore. The mist clouded my glasses so I removed them. Of course, no one else was to be found in the park-completely alone.

The fog was intense enough over the face of the lake to prevent a view to the other side. In fact, the cloud appeared to join as one with the lake with little or no distinguishable line. It appeared as if the flock of ducks bobbing in the water were hanging in mid-air. You could see to the left and right side of the lake, but they quickly evaporated further down the shore.

I could not see the other side. I knew it was there. I knew that what appeared to be an abyss really had definition. More than a veil covering the far shore, this was bleak, heavy in the face and all consuming. All encompassing, enclosing.

Why has this decision, once so obvious, been clouded with what is an indiscernible "other side". Is it really a step of faith or is God choosing to remain silent? Is the answer yes and yes? Yes- He will walk with me, in either decision made. Or is it that my eyes only see the abyss? Is it of my own making-did I place the cloud there? Am I listening to my heart or mind? Is this my answer to what I prayed for when I asked God to make it obvious to step aside before it was too late? How can this be an answer?

I am walking in an all encompassing, all-consuming haze. I cannot see the other side, only hear doubts of its existence. And when assurances come by those I am close to-I direct them again to the abyss. It's easy to call it stepping out in faith when you're not the one responsible for making it to the other side. Was it like this when Peter stepped out of the boat?

God-you're going to have to make the answer incredibly obvious to me. If You can't speak to me because I have been so overtaken by the cloud, speak through my friends and give me the courage to trust You in them.

Rochester, on the Michigan Road

My friend over at "Down the Road" is doing a remarkable job documenting sections of the Michigan Road through the state and I believe a collaborative effort is in the future. I thought I would throw in a few pictures of my own and some history on Rochester, Indiana.

Third Fulton County Courthouse-1895-96

Newly listed on the National Register of Historic Places, here is an excerpt on the early history of Downtown Rochester from the application for historic status:

Rochester was established initially as a trading post, for use including the Native Americans, in 1831 at the crossing of the Michigan Road with Mill Creek two miles south of the Tippecanoe River. Mill Creek flows between Lake Manitou on Rochester’s east side to the Tippecanoe River. Alexander Chamberlain operated the trading post, along with one in Logansport, another Michigan Road town to the south. Chamberlain and Lot Bozarth filed a plat for the town of Rochester in Cass County in 1835; it was not until 1836 that Fulton County was formed from the northern part of Cass County. The original plat straddled the Michigan Road from Mill Creek (or at present day 3rd Street) south to South Street (now 8th Street); Chamberlain built the first tavern-hotel at 516 Main Street in 1835. In 1836 Lot Bozarth and a man by the name of Caldwell were licensed to sell groceries for one year in Rochester for the licensing fee of $25.00, and the charge applied to “each license hereafter issued for each tavern”. This appears to be the beginning of formal commercial enterprise in the town of Rochester.

Bailey's-a step back in time

Excerpt on the Michigan Road:

Along with the decision to make Rochester the county seat, its location on the Michigan Road also further created commercial activity in the town. The Michigan Road, Main Street in Rochester, was Indiana’s first commissioned road linking Madison, Indiana on the Ohio River in the south to Michigan City, on Lake Michigan in the north via the new state capital of Indianapolis. The State Legislature established funding for the road in 1824 and finalized treaties with the Native American tribes to purchase lands for construction in 1826. In 1828 surveying was completed along the route with construction beginning shortly after. The original plans for the road would have kept the road further to the west, but to avoid the Kankakee wetland areas, the road made a northeasterly route from Logansport to Rochester, and then began a more northerly route to South Bend before heading west to Michigan City. In 1831 William Polke was appointed commissioner for the Michigan Road and brought his family to Fulton County and built a cabin between current day Rochester and the Tippecanoe River. Polke was the first non-Native American to settle in the county. The Michigan Road brought settlement and enterprise to the north central part of the state with weary travelers utilizing the businesses in the established towns along the road such as Rochester.

Rochester's Times Theater

Excerpt on Historic Advertising (I love this story!):

A Mail Pouch Tobacco sign (c. 1930) approximately twelve feet wide by fifteen feet tall is located on the left side of the building (north end of historic district), but an earlier advertising sign (c. 1900) was painted on the same wall for a cigar brand not commonly seen. The sign, approximately sixty feet wide by twenty feet tall, is bleeding through the Mail Pouch sign and advertises 5 cent Henry George cigars with the slogan “I am for men”. It uses yellow-gold and red and white highlights on lettering with a black background. Henry George was a popular political activist and economist during the late 19th century and sold over three million copies of his book “Progress and Poverty”. A cigar brand was named for Henry George around 1900.

This building and its adjoining buildings are some of my favorites in Rochester because architectural they are so intact from their original construction. Great, great grandad operated a saddle and tack shop out of the building with the historic advertising painted on the side....and very well may have been responsible for having it painted.

Fair Fix

Living in Indiana, your options for good entertainment venues are few and far between. So, of course, when the county fair opens.......you simply have to go. It is what we do. We go to the county fair....kinda like eating green bean casserole.

Typically we go on Thursday night because that is when they have the antique tractor parade....several old guys driving their tractors down the dirt concourse, it is also when the sounds of Glen Miller echo from the performance tent by a local big band orchestra. This year we went on Wednesday night and the only entertainment provided was the steer showings and some activity at the horse arena.

We checked out all the animals....turkeys, rabbits and chickens too and I told the kids, "hey, that's the kind of chickens your dad had in 4-H", but I don't think they cared. We went through the exhibit barn, entering through a colonnade of cornstalks in 5 gallon buckets. Regarding a goofy poster board display, I said to my wife..."how does that qualify for a project? " It's amazing what they allow for projects nowadays.

Eating our elephant ears, we watched an old guy in suspenders that now I wished I had taken a picture of near the pork producers tent. Then watched some of the horse shows with one of our former youth group kids who was trying to pick up a girl using his younger cousin as bait.

The 4-H Fair.

Summer Drive

Being inspired by Indiana Poet Laureate, Norbert Krapf, and our drive home from the county fair last night, I decided to try my own hand at mixing words with artistry......

Summer Drive

Ah, the aroma of corn tassels flooding
Down the road,
Into my open car window
It distracts me from the bumpity bump of
Tires on the old pitted road
Lined with great forests of straightly planted
Tightly packed dark green stalks.
Between me and that wilderness
Kept at bay by rusted wire
Clouds of Queen Anne’s lace appear as though
They hover just above waves of grasses
And bouquets of blue chicory and pink sweet pea.
Bumpity bump, slowing down
Barely crawling
Watching the sun set through the tassels
Making planted rows shimmer nearly ruby red
A little slower, bump-
ity

Bump.

Artistry in Stone in Argos

Foker's personal house in Argos; notice the "wheel" and star designs in the chimney

There is a humble little town in northern Indiana, straddling the Michigan Road and long bypassed by U.S. 31. The little town's main identity these days....particularly THESE days.....is the Marshall County 4-H fair. But this little town also boasts of probably the finest collection of stone crafted homes and porches in all of Indiana, executed by probably the finest stone mason the Hoosier state has ever known.

William Foker was born at the dawn of the Civil War. Making Marshall County his home from early on, Foker became enamored with the building projects at the University of Notre Dame and applied himself to the masonry trade working under expert stone masons the university brought from Italy.

Becoming an expert with the pick and chisel, Foker began creating intriguing fieldstone porches, both dressed and undressed (meaning hand cut or not). His fame quickly grew locally where he began to receive projects in a thirty mile radius of Argos including Culver, Plymouth, Bourbon and Tyner. Foker created an identifying trademark he called the "wheel of life" based on his personal religious beliefs. The "wheel" can commonly be found in the large cut stone fireplaces of his commissions. His most important works spanned from about the turn of the 19th century to some of his last projects for the WPA, including the Izaak Walton League Building near Argos.

I would place his stone work up against any other mason in Indiana. It is remarkable both by the craftsmanship of stone fitting against stone, but also by the design work involved in creating the porches and homes.........appearing as though they grew out of the earth themselves.

An oriental-inspired bungalow with Foker's handiwork

My great, great grandad was a contemporary of Mr. Foker's and tried his own hand at stone masonry creating many of the smaller pebble stacked porches and walls in the Lake Maxinkuckee area. Still, no comparison to Foker. And Argos is the richer for having the master craftsman's hand applied to her history.

McCain-same old, same old

Evidently, since I'm such a die-hard Republican ("they" know....just by looking at your primary voting record.....I'm considered a "Hard R"....I know these things because I was in the trade) I received my free McCain bumper sticker along with a lengthy letter asking for money.

I used to like McCain....I voted for him in protest over Bush in 2000.....but he's sold out to the republican power mongers which really hurts my respect for the guy. Then I get this letter spouting off the same rhetoric we've been hearing for years from my party....here's some excerpts:

"His (Obama's) idea of change is to raise your taxes, radically expand the size and scope of our government........."

"Now that the Democrats' battle-tested fundraising machine-fueled largely by liberal special interest groups, Big Labor, .........is focused on defeating me........."

"....the voters want more than petty partisan bickering. They want real answers to the real challenges we now face-not empty rhetoric or hollow promises-and I am offering bold solutions to our challenges, not politics as usual."

"(Obama) has championed a long list of pork-barrel projects for his state..."

"That kind of careless spending in not change: It is business as usual in Washington, and it's all a part of the same wasteful and corrupting system that we need to end."

"they would impose-overnight-the single largest tax increase since WWII"

"you can be certain your tax rate will increase across the board"

"reckless and dangerous move that would threaten the long term security of our country."

I firmly believe Obama's liberal and naive vision of change....."

I've taken the liberty of highlighting in red the common rhetoric we hear during the campaign season, rhetoric Senator McCain says the other side is guilty of producing. These excerpts were from a 4-page letter outlining the evils of Obama and McCains ability to make real change.

Doesn't everyone know this is just garbage? Don't his strategists know we're on to them? I think I saw a reference somewhere in the letter to Al Gore........they forgot to switch his name to Obama from 8 years ago! I'm not saying Obama isn't guilty of this stuff too, but c'mon, are there really still people out there who get all up in arms over this stuff? Haven't we gotten a little smarter than this?

If I ever run another campaign.....it's going to be like nothing no one has ever seen before. I'll say things like this............"Well, I PAY my taxes" and "I'VE never beat an old lady for a parking space" and "MY dog never poops in the neighbor's yard"........and if it gets really tight, I'll claim to deliver pizza to everyone free of charge or rid the world of cats or something else ridiculous.

Because it isn't at all about what can be done, or how to lead a city, state or nation......it's all about power-brokering and making up stuff to get people to hate you less than the other guy. Simply stated, I think our democracy is broken folks. I don't know how else to say it.

train up a tree in the way it should go....

I have this love of sycamore trees. I'm not sure why....it could be the fond memories I have of a handful that grew around my grandpa's woods, or the stark contrast they present against a woods or blue sky.

In 2003 we had an unexpected pregnancy that ended sadly. We decided to plant a tree....of course, a sycamore tree would do fine. We found a sapling growing along the road within eyesight of the farm on which my grandpa was born. I jumped out of the car with a bucket and shovel and brought it home.

The poor thing had a rough start. The sapling was gnawed off at the base by a rabbit during the first winter. In the spring, it shot up so quickly that it soon became an unstable shoot that whipped violently in the wind and split it down the center. So, we started over again....a little more nurturing this time until the tree in the picture above (Father's Day, 2004) now stands3x its height and is as wide as it is tall.

But I never pruned it and its branches were terribly low to the ground. So, Sunday, I got out the loppers and pensively, carefully......and in some ways, sadly removed three lower branches. I know a little more pruning is going to come soon. But I just couldn't help but think of the little twig, having gone through so much, to have to endure some pruning. But it is for the tree's own good should I want it to be a strong and healthy tree some day. And pruning produces growth....another awesome thing to see as the tree, only 5 years old, continues to climb higher into the sky.

The comparison between our little sycamore and our kids is obvious here. Some tough love has been required lately to see some new growth that will ensure a strong man and strong woman in the future. Meanwhile, I keep the loppers handy.

whadaya mean not for adults?

Baking in the heat wave from the last week and fortunate enough to have my son pick out a slip and slide for his birthday......Sunday seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a little wet in the backyard.

I did not plan to take part. This is how it started. The boy was convinced the slip and slide wouldn't work because our hose had a hole in it. He tells Grandpa who bought him the slip and slide and grandpa drops off a new hose. There is no leak in the hose by the way. The boy still isn't satisfied (this happens a lot), but my daughter still wants to slip and slide. So she wants dad to help make her go faster. Quickly becoming familiar with the engineering of the slip and slide, I realized it need to be put further down our small hill in the backyard to allow proper water sprinkling across the slide and provide for greater velocity of slipping by having a greater distance of running toward it.

It works! But now the daughter hasn't truly mastered the slip and slide and so I was trying to explain without getting wet how to make it work for you. Now she wanted ME to do it. Hmmm....oooookkkkaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy. I went in the house and got my athletic shorts on and came out and swoooooooosh! I launched over the end of the slip and slide.

WHOAHAAHAHAO!!! That was kinda fun. I realized though the soaked shorts might have been a little too revealing for the neighborhood. But at this point I was having too much fun to care. Then the boy comes out and thinks "wow-this works". So he gets his trunks on. Now we're having a blast slipping and sliding. Then we holler for mom to come out. Mom says "you know that says it's not for adults? It may cause neck and back injury" aww, mom!

Then not to be outdone by dad acting like a kid with the kids.....mom gets on her suit. I imagine the neighbors were thinking.....it's time to move away, bunch of rednecks! Especially after we hung my boxers on the line to dry.

It could be my non-acceptance of the approaching 4-0 will get me into trouble. My neck was a little sore afterward. Well, there goes my $900+ chiropractic and massage charges.....down the.....er, uh.....slip and slide.

knee deep in James

One of my favorite books of the Bible is James. There are a number of key phrases that come from the 5 chapters of this book I've found myself quoting from time to time. One verse....that never made it worthy of my black felt tip underliner is James 3:18, I'll through in 17 for context.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

For some reason, 18 really has me baffled.......rereading and rereading it. I think I've read through all of James five times now since the beginning of May. I've probably read 3:18 50x. So, I'm asking for help out there in understanding this verse. Is it as simple as the "righteous" work we do is to be done in a peaceful loving way? If that's the case, then I know of a lot of people speaking loudly and pushing righteousness that must be a false form of righteousness because it isn't being done by "those who make peace".

Does that make sense? If the Bible is true, then righteousness cannot be delivered by those doing so in a non-peaceful manner.

The short of it is.......I'm baffled......what is God trying to get through my thick skull?

wow.

I couldn't think of a better way to start off a new year of blogging than to send you to one of the most powerful things I've seen on line.

Check out the youtube post called "Cardboard Testimonies" on www.lnorsworthy.blogspot.com

Pretty amazing.

geesh-will the madness ever end?!?!?

Well, time to celebrate......it has been a year now since I've started blogging.......and I've got a stack of ideas for more posts about life here in the Hoosier State.

From the first post on HH:

I have found over the years, being a native born Hoosier, it takes a great deal of patience and character to dig your feet into the dirt and choose to love a place you often find yourself rolling your eyes in disbelief over. Outrageous, humorous, and often pathetic things that make me scratch my head sometimes, but then, heck, that's what being a Hoosier is all about.So this will be my tool to express my deep fondness of living life right here in small town Indiana. It will include ponderings on faith, politics, the great outdoors and my day to day life as dad and husband.We have something special here in the heartland.......it's a way of life that I have chosen to find endearing. The reality is.........well, life is good here.

Have an awesome weekend everyone-get out and enjoy the heat!

At just the right time.

Do you know how God can use someone at just the right time, to say just the right thing?

There is a lot going on in my life right now.......with a lot of uncertainty ahead. I am trusting that God has used the adversity of the last two years to culminate into something quite remarkable on the other side. My beautiful wife certainly believes this to be the case. It was the case for David and I can see parrallels in his life and mine.

My sister forwarded this snipet from Joel Olstein. Not that I'm a big JO fan, but the words were encouraging and came at just the right time.

Seeing Adversity The Right Way

Anytime God is about to take you to a new level you're going to face opposition. There will be new battles to fight and new obstacles to overcome. It's easy to get discouraged and think, "Why is this happening?" But we have to change our thinking and focus on the fact that on the other side of those challenges is a new level of victory--a new level of success.

David would only be known as a shepherd boy if it weren't for Goliath. David's enemy became the tool that God used to promote him. And God will do the same in your life today. He'll use those challenges and difficulties in your life to catapult you towards success! If you are going through a hard time today, if things look impossible, don't give up now. Change your perspective and believe that God is working behind the scenes. Put a smile on your face and stand in confidence knowing that you are a child of the Most High God.

When all is said and done, you're not just going to come out of that difficulty, but you're coming out stronger, wiser, and better than you were before! That problem is going to be the catalyst for God to open supernatural doors of opportunity for you! Stand strong in the Lord today and trust that what the enemy meant for your harm, God will turn around and use to your advantage. He'll take you places you never dreamed and cause you to rise higher and higher in every area of your life!

Joel Osteen Ministries

revolution

I'm out with a buddy last night and he needs to pick something up from a store and the store manager and I begin a conversation about ordinances in our beloved river city. The store manager told me that a client of his and well respected (sort of) business man told him and the client's employees that in no way was he going to abide by these new ordinances.....that he gave a lot of money to the current mayor's campaign and it didn't matter how much he racked up in penalties for non-compliance, he wouldn't pay it and wasn't complying with the ordinance. My guess is that the mayor will look the other way. Maybe.

Yet another breakdown of sanity, let alone civic ethics, in river city.

I know I've been a cynic and a grass is greener guy...........but I think I'm about at the point where I throw caution to the wind and begin a revolution. Or at least be very LOUD.

I mean, come on, from national to state politics.......how many times do we get lied to, particularly in this election year? Have you seen all the claims that Mitch is making in his ads? Could it be any more transparent what is happening with oil companies vying for Iraq and off-shore drilling with the Bush administration? And local politics in the county and city reek of scandal, puppetry and selfish ambition.

And who gets the short end of the stick?

I don't know what it would take to begin a change........certainly a revolutionary approach to engaging in politics. Possibly honesty and integrity....but they don't get you very far. Again, I may be on a rant and within a few weeks you may more fully understand why. What's that quote, oh yeah, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Alas, everyone is too lazy to care.

by the way.....the new jibjab is pretty funny. http://www.jibjab.com/

the garden

I just hated working in the garden when I was a kid. Our soil was a hard clay and the benefit we received from the low production of produce was hardly worth the effort. Our "job list" always consisted of hoeing or weeding 1 or 2 rows. If there was a punishment to be handed out, it would be double that.

Now that I have my own small victory garden, I long for the expanse that my parents had to stretch out potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and corn and everything else. We've got great soil in town, just not a lot of room to plant things. That, along with the thought we were going to be gone over a chunk of the summer led us to plant a much smaller garden this year. We're calling it our "salsa" garden. Due to a small section of volunteer cone flowers, we were pushed to get everything into a 8' by 5' space. Tomatoes, cilantro and bell peppers. Unfortunately, the narrow rows are causing a problem for weeding. And with the head start the weeds had while we were our West, I'm not sure our garden will be very victorious this year in producing salsa.

What I'd really like to do is move the garden to a sunnier spot in our backyard. However, my wife feels like we need someplace for the kids to play; still, I could quadruple the size of the garden and have enough room to get my mower between the rows like my dad does! Speaking of dad, my son kinda stands like him.

did you feel the earth move?

Something went terribly wrong yesterday. Did you sense that something, somewhere was out of whack in the Hoosier cosmos? That the order of the universe was somehow off-kilter?

I think I know why. It was the green bean casserole-less family reunion I attended yesterday. On our 1 1/2 hour drive to Ockley, Indiana the tantalizing thought of someones great aunt Betty's scrumptious green bean casserole landing on my taste buds was nearly impossible to put aside and concentrate on my driving.

And then, upon arrival in the wooded glen surrounded by corn fields, to find on the tables spread out in the garage...........no green bean casserole. Once I got to the end of the line, I looked back in confusion as to how I could have missed it. But no, it was not there. Leaving with my baked beans & potato salad, like a kid who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas, I looked back once again in bewilderment.....no, no green bean casserole.

How could this be? Everything else was in place. The old people, the masses of kids whom I do not know, the tent for shade, the horse shoe pit, even the flies.

My sad countenance was hardly changed by the dog who kept jumping into the creek and shaking off, getting all those around him wet.

I looked at my wife enjoying her paper plate feast on a blanket in the shade and in my head thought....."how can your family call themselves Hoosiers?"

I bet there will be our official state dish there next year, if not three or four.

Join us on our Westward Trip!

I have set up a sister blog with pictures and short stories from the recent vacation out West.

Go to http://www.westwardhovacation.blogspot.com/

And I'll get back to Hoosier Happenings soon. Enjoy!

to Own a Dragon

Another great book by Don Miller and unlike his other books. Purchasing it to give a friend, but wanting to read it first, I had half of it done before we left on vacation and finished it in the last two days between South Dakota and Minnesota.

Don reflects on his growing up without a dad.....certainly a growing trend in today's society....and how that has affected his maturation during adulthood. Employment, finances, sex & relationships, relating to other guys and relating to God as our father all find a place in this quick read. He quotes incredibly high statistics of men in prison who grew up without dads and men who leave their wives, who also grew up without dads.

But 5 short years of youth ministry also point me to another major problem in the American family and that is of the absentee dad. The dad who might as well not be home because he's too busy at work or on the golf course, or hanging with his buddies. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer that guys need guy time. I'm talking about ignoring the family, wife and children, because of either being sucked into corporate ladder climbing or selfish ambition. Their kids may be just as likely to suffer from the same fate Don speaks of in his book.

I would encourage any guy to read it who might relate, or who has kids. I think the most profound thing I am realizing is that based on the eroding concept of "father" many people, particularly guys, have a hard time grasping the concept of what God as father means. God isn't walking around with a stick to beat us, He isn't bothered by us when we want to talk to Him and He certainly doesn't leave us hanging. The bible says He "delights" in the prayers of His kids, and His plans are to make us secure..........just like a real dad. Miller does a much better job than I on explaining this. Highly recommend it!

For better or worse....I'm back

4,020 miles........13 days..........8 states........and God only knows how much cash......later, I'm back home again in Indiana.

Man, I wish I were still out west. I've already been told "the grass is always greener". I'll hit some high lights from the trip and maybe create a link for photos. Been catching up on all my blog reading........and work......this morning.

All things considered, I'm glad to be home.

Happy 4th.....from our front porch to yours

Have an awesome 4th of July......I'll be thinking of all my family and friends back here in the Hoosier state while I'm gazing at the stars high in the mountains of Wyoming.

Thanks for the well-wishes and prayers for safe journey.........and sanity.

why people hate Christians

1. Jerry Falwell

2. Pat Robertson

now,

3. James Dobson

Something deep in my stomach always started to turn a little when I would hear Dobson speak, or read some of his literature. It's not all bad......but if I had an audience with Dobson, I'd shake him until all the political crap fell out of his head and he could just go back to being an effective minister of the gospel............and reach hurting people.

Evidently Dobson is wanting to throw his political clout around by taking aim at Obama over some comments he made a few years ago.

Specifically, Dobson is saying Obama is misinterpreting the Bible based on his statement that maybe America should be practicing Jesus' words from the Sermon on the Mount. Somehow this has become a "fruitcake view of the constitution" according to Dobson. How is this wrong Dobson? Hello?!?!? It seems Dobson is also bothered by Obama's question that if we were to deport all of the nonChristians.........whose Christianity would we follow? Dobson's or Sharpton's? Dead on! Of course it would seem that Dobson believes only his is correct.

Is there any possible way we can take these guys who give Christianity a black eye and deport them? I may suggest Dobson read unChristian.........I've tried to muster some respect for the man, but now I've lost it all. The news story is at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25343812?GT1=43001.

the Great Westward Ho vacation

I'm not usually one for being gone over the 4th. But arranging our summer this year placed vacation squarely on the Fourth of July. Ordinarily I'd be taking in the fireworks over some small town.......views are always spectacular with a corn field in the foreground. And we always take in the parade in Bremen, land of my ancestors, land of my birth.

But this year finds the family traveling west. I have always had a great affinity for the West. Our family vacationed there a lot.......my parents even worked it into my full name. It must be the wide open spaces.....the pure wilderness......or wildness of the place.

So, we'll be hitting the road soon with stops in the Badlands, Wall Drug, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, the Tetons and Mount Rushmore for fireworks over the Fourth with 30,000 other Americans. And I'll be back to blogging soon. Until then, I threw in some patriotic music for your holiday.

There are few places in which I have stood that the shear history and depth of the place wooed me into a sort of revered and somber state. Such was the case upon my visit to Independence Hall, several years ago.

I happened to be in Philadelphia with family and encouraged a visit to both Valley Forge and Independence Hall. I tend to be a lingerer......that is, someone who stays back after the tour group moves on to the next room. I did this in the chambers where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was a hot July day and my younger cousin was anxious to move on, but I insisted we hold back......we wait until everyone was out of the room. Then, in the silence.....close your eyes and imagine what happened in that room over 200 years ago. Breathe in deeply........now open your eyes.

Remarkable really. Treason for sure.

Revolution.

Happenings

the Happening.

Friday night was supposed to take me to Chesterton, but since that fell through and my buddy had the night open anyway.....we got dinner and caught a flick. The Happening, by Shayaman or Shaylaman or something like that. It was kind of strange....as I'm told his films are. I'm not sure what I felt.....mostly disturbed I guess. First, Mark Wahlberg shouldn't be trying to make environmental statement kind of films. I like Mark......his work is normally really good. He wasn't the right fit for this film. It bordered on corny sometimes.........but I do appreciate the fact that it made you think, or wonder, or something. In short, the film had more potential than it lived up to. C'mon, plantlife killing people? We do a good enough job of that ourselves.

_____________________

the wedding Happening.

We've had the great pleasure of attending now 3 weddings of our former youth group kids. The last two were for guys I had gotten pretty close to, so I've gotten a little choked up at times. It also makes me feel dang old........until.......the bride's mother mistakes me for one of the groom's medical school buddies. That took 15 years off! I like the fact people think I'm young, but I have to wonder if it hasn't helped to thwart some of my political plans. I mean, why would they put a 20 something in charge of river city? Thinking about dying my hair gray now.

_____________________

the Target' Happening.

After the wedding we stopped by Target to get some supplies for the great westward ho trip this week. We also needed a birthday present for my son who will be turning 8 in Iowa. How exciting could that be?!?! We kept running into people from river city.......and one said to me, hey, I've heard this rumor............

The rumor my friends? I think about everyone in river city has heard it..........

Keep 'em wanting more I've always been told. What a teaser.

15 years ago

It was 15 years ago that we had our own wild ride with a tornado. It affected the family business, our home and my grandfather's farm. I remember standing in our restaurant with a front row seat to the storm. It happened so quickly, we didn't even think to duck and take cover. The sky grew black and we watched the wind madly ripple across the wheat field; and then we could see nothing for the rain and wind out the windows.

When it cleared I could see in the distance my parents' house, once surrounded by woods, now with light streaming in where trees once stood. Power was out, but we were able to call and they had taken cover in the bathtub...no basement. Dad said to go check on gramps.

I drove down the road to grandad's house where a tree was laying on the barn, on the house and on the garage. I went in the house expecting to find my 82 year old grandfather motionless from heart failure. Instead he was sitting still in his lazy-boy, near the large picture window that now had a tree through it.

It was a weak tornado that did minor damage over a 1/2 mile path. We lost 14 trees in our woods alone. The picture is from a tree that was twisted off about 3' from the ground.

a rather UNreMARKable location

There used to be a line on the Dukes of Hazzard that said "Hazzard is a place where three little southern states come together". So the geography nut in me set out to finding where Hazzard County was. I never found it.....I had a hard time separating reality from make-believe when it came to the Dukes of Hazzard.

But there is a place where three Midwestern states come together. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio come together in the northeast corner of the state and a granite marker is located at the exact location. Once while visiting Pokagon State Park, we wandered to the location and the picture included is what we found....the marker, or what is left of the marker. Rather unremarkable.

We did take the opportunity though, for a picture with my daughter in Michigan, son in Indiana and myself in Ohio. wow.

Jesus probably looked like a terrorist

I thought that would get your attention.

So, was Jesus lily white? Did he really look like our American, WASP image that adorns our Sunday School classroom walls across the country? Did he have long flowing hair with an effeminate air about him?

This may be speculation on my part, but I bet Jesus looked like he could kick ---. Think about it. His dad was a carpenter and Jesus probably helped his dad around the shop. It takes some muscle to carry around lumber and push tools through a piece of wood. My guess is that Jesus was ripped, or at least had some big guns. Still, his eyes of compassion probably melted the hearts of those around him. Wow-to have that combination!

And he probably looked a little "Mideastern"........because, uh, he was from the middle east. So, he probably had more of an olive to darker skin tone than what we grew up with in Sunday School. So, if Jesus went walking downtown in river city today, he would probably have a lot of nasty stares cast his way......along with some anxious looks and possibly calls to either INS or Homeland Security.

My reason for believing this? Because it is exactly what we do to people who don't look like us here in the Midwest. Fact of the matter is when we pass by someone who looks a little different than us immediate suspicion and/or intolerance sets in. And how do we know it isn't Jesus walking the streets of river city?

my Fortress of Solitude

While I may have wished I had superpowers as a kid, I was realistic enough to know that my undercover character, the "Tomahawk Kid" had to rely on his own wits to defeat bad guys. Of course, the Tomahawk Kid had to have a hideout......like the Bat Cave, or the Fortress of Solitude. So I started with a simple log structure built in the Circle of Trees (see the David Tree) borrowing from the techniques of early pioneers I learned about in Indiana History. The structure was too temporal, so, after a remodeling project at the family business I got a stock pile of lumber and built this more substantial structure...."the Fort". I put a rusty nail through my knee while building it...which led to a brief tetanus scare with my mom.

The fort had to be raised off the ground because a few weeks out of the year the Circle flooded. It had a draw bridge style ramp.....to keep the bad guys out. It had a warming mechanism........a large old enamel bowl in which I would start fires, complete with old stove pipe. It had a series of wires running from the bowl around the inside perimeter of the walls. No, it didn't work, but I pretended it did and considered myself rather ingenious. It had a hatch in the roof and wood steps nailed to one of the four supporting oak trees so that I could climb to the "observation deck" and watch for bad guys. It had a back "porch" (a piece of plywood on raised earth I dug myself and piled up). This is where we'd put our sleeping bags if we camped out. I also found a huge coil of copper wire which I put on insulators and ran from the fort all the way to our backyard, sometimes on poles or trees....a distance of probably 1,000 feet. I pretended this was a way to communicate back to home base (aka, my bedroom). Often I had to share the fort with field mice.

Dad bought a gallon of brown paint and insisted I paint it.......I think because when the corn was down, or if gramps had beans or wheat in the ground, you could see it from the highway. My dad was all about "blending in"......of course, I considered it camouflage. The structure lasted several years.....it certainly outlasted my character of the Tomahawk Kid (wish I had kept the t-shirt and utility belt). Finally, in junior high, I figured it was time to raze the old fort. I shot this picture before I did. Only a wood step or two remain on the tree along with the raised earth under the former porch from those glory days.

I tell my wife often that a boy has to have a woods he can explore in, a field he can run through, or a swamp he can get muddy in. I'm glad my folks are still on the homestead.

Why men are men: Briefly on Father's Day

I started my Father's Day with a shout from downstairs by my wife. COME NOW! she said. Evidently the creepy crawly in the picture happened to be in her towel as she was drying off in the shower. My first instinct was to grab the camera....this will make an excellent post on my blog. Then I told my son to get a shoe, a big shoe. Smash. Only later did I regret killing it. The drain is 3" across, the spider, although the angle is goofy, was a tad bit larger than the drain. My wife used to make fun of me for seeing "Bitey" as I like to call him in the barn....she didn't believe he was that big. No making fun of hubby now.

Any ideas what this big guy is?

I taught a 30 minute lesson in about 15 minutes in adult Sunday school.....about the attributes of God we recognize as a loving Father....and then how those attributes are an example for us guys to display with our kids. I checked one off this morning......"protector".

My daughter asked me what I wanted for Father's Day and I said "world peace". She said, "dadddd......it has to be something we can buy". Not sure I like that response. I got a best of John Denver cd, pickles, and a card with "world peace" drawn on it.

We did a short hike at Potato Creek then went to have supper with mom and dad. We picked up a pizza and while we waited for it to be done.....I shot a few pictures of the storm that rattled northern Indiana yesterday. My wife was insisting we get to cover, but I was enthralled by the circular motion of the tornado-colored cloud. I shot video-which if I could figure out how to load, I would. You would hear my wife in the background saying I think the pizza is done, we need to get outa here, while the radio is beeping with storm warnings.

I love watching storms roll in....must be a guy thing. I trust you all had as an eventful Father's Day as I did.

Hoosier Happenings has gone Multi-Media!!!

Thanks to my beautiful wife, who likes to feed my blogger addiction-but thinks it's getting a little "kooky", I got my playlist up and running on Hoosier Happenings. Welcome to Hoosier Reborn's music. It is definitely eclectic, just like me.

Feel free to scan down the playlist and click on whatever might be your preference. I firmly believe that these will be the songs I'm singing in heaven one day..........while playing my bagpipes..........and chillin' with John Denver and Mellencamp.

One song you have to play is the state song, "On the Banks of the Wabash" by Byron Harlan. It is a recording of an original performance of the song in 1897. You'll have to listen closely, but what a great piece!

Bird Log 6/15/08

Another active bird weekend around the 'ol homestead. A new visitor along with a turkey, yes, that's right, our turkey friend returned.......keep in mind we're one block from downtown river city. And with Tom, we broke our old record of number of species seen in a week. It now stands at 26.

Red Tailed Hawk
Great Blue Heron 3
Red Bellied Woodpecker MF
Downy Woodpecker 3
Black Capped Chickadee 5
House Wren 2
Blue Jay 5
Blue-Gray Gnatcather
Chimney Swift 8
Robin 5
Chipping Sparrow 4
House Finch 4
Gold Finch 4
Starling 3
Grackle 5
Hummingbird 2
White Breasted Nuthatch 2
Mourning Dove 2
House Sparrow 3
Cardinal 4
Catbird
Crow
Canada Goose 3
Tufted Titmouse 2
Wood Duck
Tom the Turkey

A number of these appeared to be males and females with their young. The Chickadees were especially fun to watch as they fed their little flock. The herons were really impressive as they flew overhead to the river early Sunday morning....they were calling to each other just as the sun was catching them in the sky. Really cool.

Old Glory

Tomorrow is flag day and I would encourage you to get the stars and stripes up. The flag has always been a sincere symbol of pride and honor for me.....been known to get a little teary-eyed as she passes by.

It has taken on a new meaning for me lately though. I can't help but look at it without a profound sense of sorrow that turns to hope and optimism for the possibility of a changed nation. The flag resonates these qualities as we think of the flag raising at Ground Zero and each time it is handed off to another war widow.

I find myself turning more to prayer when I see our flag. I can't understand waving it in some one's face in defiance.........and I can't understand wrapping myself in it like so many politicians and churches do. I revere it. And I understand the blood spilled on its behalf, not always being justified.

We have three large American flags we drape from our front porch on main street in river city. I'll be out bright and early securing them in place. My thoughts are on 2016 when Indiana celebrates our bicentennial......I have an enormous state flag that was used in a ceremony in the State House.......I'll be hoisting it in great Hoosier pride.

the low point of my adventure in Fatherhood

An early happy Father's Day.

Only recently did I have my low of lows in fathering.....it is both humorous and heart-wrenching and ends with a valuable lesson for the younger dads out there.

Occasionally I get into the "let's move" mode and start to ask the kids where they would like to move to. This discussion started around the supper table a few months ago. My son didn't want to entertain the idea of moving (although now he thinks Bourbon, IN would be a swell spot). My daughter's interest, however, was piqued. And soon she began contemplating moving out by some friends of ours in the country. Further into the conversation I told her maybe we would just move into their basement. That seemed to suit my 5 year old just fine. Then I said, well, I don't want to live in their basement, but if you want to move in with them, that's fine with me.

She smiled.

The next day at lunch I encouraged her to ask this friend (he's our family doctor & she had an appointment after lunch) if it would be ok with him if she moved in. The doctor played along with the joke and told her, sure, you can move in.

That night at supper she reported that our friend said she could move in, so, I said, "well, I guess you better pack your bags after supper".

She disappeared upstairs. Mom went to find her and she had pulled all of her belongings out of her drawers and was packing. She told me I needed to deal with it.

I went upstairs. My daughter was hiding behind her door when I found her. I said, honey, you can't move in with our friends! Dad was just teasing...........I'd miss you, don't you want to live here?

She bursted into tears. She cried for a half hour while I held her in my arms.....then mom took over.

The worst part was when my 7 year old son came into her room, upset over his sister's tears, and told me......."Dad, sometimes your teases turn into lies".

Ouch.

I didn't get a manual when my first kid was born. To this day, I don't know what the heck I'm doing raising two kids and fret that I will scar them for life. Kids are a great gift from God, and since I can especially see myself in my son, I want to encourage him and my daughter to live to their full potential. I don't ever want my words to break their confidence, or their trust in me.

And I'm learning that in enjoying my heavenly Father's love for me.........I am better equipped to extend the same love to my kids. That's what I'm teaching about on Sunday. We'll see how that goes.

Tippecanoe & Prophetstown too

Battle of Tippecanoe Monument (top) and restored farm at Prophetstown (bottom)

Our family traveled to Lafayette recently for a graduation ceremony and while in the area, decided to visit "Indiana's newest state park" Prophetstown. There was a bike path, a playground, a restored farm and a portion of the village of Prophetstown recreated. I think the intent is to also give the park more of a recreated prairie feel. Something didn't seem quite right about the whole experience.

And I'm not sure why that was......

We left there and went to the Battle of Tippecanoe State Historic site, just down the road in Battle Ground, Indiana. I wish river city had a cool name like Battle Ground. We hung out at the memorial for a while, then made our way home. I give the experience a B.

Short history lesson: the Battle of Tippecanoe was fought in 1811 between Tecumseh's growing Indian confederacy, centered out of Prophetstown, and Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory. The battle essentially squelched the dream of unifying Native American tribes into a nation. Indian forces were outnumbered 2 to 1, although losses were heavier on the U.S. side. The battle led to Tecumseh's and the Prophet's, place in history. It also propelled Harrison's presidential campaign to victory with the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too".

For more info on this great piece of pre-statehood history, visit

www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1017.html

the end is near!

Have you stopped to consider all of the natural disasters, war and economic hardships thrust upon our country over the last several years?

It seems guaranteed that if the war in Iraq & Afghanistan doesn't bankrupt us, surely the bail out of the mortgage debacle or stock scandals (remember Enron?) will. And if they don't, certainly the devastation of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, record tornadic devastation or flooding will. Maybe it will be the energy crisis that finally breaks the backbone of the nation. Seriously, have you given thought to the financial impact of the last seven years?

Seems like only the oil companies are set. Record profits and plenty of tax credits. Yeah, good job Republicans, be sure to keep those tax credits in place for oil companies........we wouldn't want them to go under.

Maybe this is just a random post about random, unrelated unfortunate events in our country and state. Geesh, poor Central Indiana! Still, in my 40 years, I don't recall such a string of events. Time to plant those victory gardens!

LH's Heminger Travel Lodge

Here's some good news for Lincoln Highway enthusiasts. The Heminger Travel Lodge in Plymouth, Indiana received a second lease on life thanks to some clever thinking by a local non-profit group called "Turning Point". The former Lincoln Highway travel lodge was restored recently with Transportation Enhancement funds and will become a home for women and children in crisis situations.

The building had been a flop house for the last several decades. An eyesore, turned restored gem, along the Lincoln's 1928 realignment in Marshall County. See the LH marker on the brick light pier?

John Heminger first built the "Avon Inn" on "the point" about a mile to the east of Heminger about 1928 when the Lincoln Highway first came through Plymouth (green building above). Heminger and his wife separated....he remarried a German woman and built the Heminger Travel Lodge down the road in 1937. It later became the Pilgrim Tourist Home. It's been reported that a former mayor once hung out with his friends there, playing hookey from Sunday School, because Mrs. Heminger didn't follow Indiana's Blue Laws.

Heminger was listed on the National Register in 2000.

Me & the Border Patrol

I tend to look a little "ethnic". Which, I am German/Irish, but have a slight Middle Eastern look about me, which also led to some interesting post-9/11 moments for me. Because of this appearance and my Amish roots some friends in college would refer to me as "examisha", meaning formerly Amish but middle eastern sounding in the way it rolls off the tongue.

My ethnic appearance is heightened when I go a few days without shaving.....and showering.....and wearing a turban (ok, I'm being funny on that last one). I believe this mix led to a run-in with Border Patrol at a remote crossing in North Dakota a few years back I thought I'd share for your amusement.

A buddy and I wanted to attend a friend's wedding in Red Deer, Alberta Canada. We also thought it would make a great road trip in my new Mustang. We hit the road planning to drive straight through. As I looked at the Atlas, the quickest route seemed to be a smaller connector highway in North Dakota. The problem was a tremendous amount of construction delayed our drive and detoured us onto dirt roads. My 'stang was a wreck. We looked a wreck.

We arrived at the border crossing into Canada and waited a short time in line. Each car would have a guard in uniform ask the driver a few questions and off they went. Until we got to the front of the line. A few questions were asked......reason for travel, visit, length of stay, etc.. Then we were asked to get out of the car. We were asked essentially the same questions again adding questions about firearms, explosives, etc. while other guards approached. Then they asked us to step inside their offices where we went through a lengthier interrogation and had to fill out paperwork including contact numbers............which they called and checked on. Out the corner of the office window I could see dogs sniffing around my car.

Over an hour passed. I said to Randy........is this normal? Are we going to be sitting in a cell in nowhere, North Dakota? Finally we got the all clear, but I felt dirty, like I had done something wrong. I'm about as hoosier & american as they come.......maybe they thought too much so.

The good news is that on the way back into the country re admittance took about 10 seconds. Isn't that comforting? I plan to stop and shave and shower before any future border crossings....I can only assume my examisha groove-on was my problem.

then the sky opened up....

Dinner with the kids and a good friend last night: $16.00

Purchasing a storm door at Lowe's: $104.00

The gallon of gas running to the restaurant and store: $3.89

Having that good friend accept Christ in the parking lot of Lowes: priceless

After he said that prayer, having the sun break through the clouds and shine through the cab of his pickup truck: really quite remarkable.

With all the uncertainty & disappointments lately, it was awesome that God reminded me last night of what really matters in life and that my stuff doesn't add to all that much. And that He can use a short prayer and the sun to let us know He's there.

the sky above

Pictures from the storm rolling in Wednesday night. It seems that Crayola ought to introduce a new color called "tornado" given that so many people talk about "that eerie colored sky". No color/photo enhancements on these. Predictions for some rocky weather in northern Indiana this afternoon too.

the storm in Moscow

Does it seem we've been dealing with tornadoes too frequently this year? As the tornado siren sounded last night in river city, like any other good redneck, I went outside and shot some pictures of that eerie colored sky I'll upload soon.

I couldn't help but pass these pictures on to you from the tornadoes that went through central Indiana destroying some important history in the Moscow community of Rush County. One picture is a before of the covered bridge, the center piece of their festival each year, and one of the remains of the bridge in the river. Has there ever been a covered bridge destroyed by a tornado before....what's the odds? Our hearts go out.

recovering cynic

Living with some extreme ironies has over the last few months made me a bit of a cynic. A good friend pointed that out, so, I've decided to admit I have a problem in the first step to recovery.

Now, always feeling the need for self-justification, I want to defend my cynical tendencies, however, that's probably not the life of humility I should lead. So, I'll admit my cynicism involving politics, business ethics and spiritual leadership is likely more of a coping mechanism for the frustration I feel over the inability to change or control the process. And that control issue is another area God has been sanding off the edges of.

How to cope???? Well, acceptance of things being the way they are is probably a healthy approach only to some measure. I know that politics is an ugly unethical system. I guess there is no beneficial reason to stand back and point my finger and call it such....it knows it is. What, am I to be the moral conscience of something amoral? No. But I do believe that there must be a healthy approach to public service, in supporting spiritual leadership and in engaging in business. Some of these approaches seem more clear than others.

So, it isn't about accepting things as they are, or ignoring shortcomings. Coping must be a reasoned and constructive approach to engagement. Coping is probably not shooting off my mouth, or keyboard, with smart-alic remarks. My apologies.

Sad news from Route 66

I went web surfing yesterday and was disappointed to learn one of our most memorable stops from the family's trip down Route 66 in 2003 was destroyed by fire. The Rock Cafe' in Stroud, Oklahoma was a fun lunch stop for our family where we had some of the best homemade chips and salsa this side of the Rio Grande. There was a dining patio with a small rock garden/pond we sat near. The waitress told us that a sneaky snake hung around the pond looking for toads. Snake? Needless to say we kept our eyes on the ground below our feet during lunch.

Evidently the owner provided inspiration to one of the characters in the movie "Cars" a must see for young and old.

This sad news reminded me of the passing of another 66 icon. My first trip on 66 was in my Mustang with a college buddy. Our plan was to do the Illinois portion and stay over night in the Coral Court Motel in St. Louis (picture inset). The Coral Court was a great glazed tile and glass block art deco motel built during the 40's. I had seen its picture in several 66 books and it was our destination for the first night. But once we reached the Dixie Truckers Home and were looking over their collection of 66 memorabilia, we noticed one unfortunate display-that of a glazed tile block of the FORMER Coral Court Motel, demolished earlier that year.

We ended up staying the night at another vintage 66 motel further down the road in Missouri. Hotels were booked so we got the last room in a dive with one bed. This made Chad very uncomfortable, especially when I dropped a quarter in the vibrating bed.

I join in a quiet salute with my 66 brothers.......and hope to not lose another icon from the Mother Road.

holiness just creeps up on you

sort of.

A question came up during adult sunday school yesterday regarding holiness. If we can never obtain holiness, what's the point of striving for it? Well, because the bible says so, and that should be good enough. Right?

Let me tell you........I gave up striving for it a few years back. That's right.......and it has brought me closer to God. I had lunch with a buddy a few months ago and we were talking about struggles and I told him I'm no longer pursuing holiness.

His eyes got huge. whaaaa? Immedialey he quoted scripture..."be holy as I am holy!" Then I said, whoa, wait.....I've decided to pursue God instead.

You see, I don't think it is striving to be holy that pleases or draws us closer to God, rather, it is in striving to be closer to God we find ourselves moving toward holiness. The more our heart desires God, the more it squeezes out the junk that separates us from Him. And I'm not talking about legalistic ideals of holiness, I'm talking about stuff that really matters.

I used to beat myself up over the many struggles and shortcomings I had...and then, over a period of time, I realized God was more interested in me, in loving and forgiving me, than I was. And that changed the object of my pursuit. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Bird Log-6/1/08

With a few unusual feathered visitors over the last week, I thought our bird log might be of interest to some readers. Particularly interesting were the pair of Swainsons Thrushes that hung around for about a week and the Wood ducks who roosted briefly in the big tree at our rental cottage behind us.

Swainsons Thrush 2

Goldfinch 4

House Finch 4

Cardinal 4

Mourning Dove 2

House Wren 2

White Breasted Nuthatch

Starlings (!$%&*! - eating my suet!) 6

Downy Woodpecker MF

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Chipping Sparrow 2

Robin (!$#%*! - eating our strawberries!) 4

House Sparrow 6

Blue Jay 2

Tufted Titmouse 2

Chimney Swift 8

Grackle

Hummingbird

Catbird 2

Wood ducks MF

Great Blue Heron

Canada Goose 2

Turkey Vulture 3

I realize the picture of the thrush is a little grainy-kinda like Bigfoot footage, but it's for real. My folks and us are in competition as we phone anytime we have a new or unusual sighting. I finally trumped them when I said we had a Bald Eagle on our suet cake......I don't think they believed me. We particularly appreciate the return of the Chimney Swifts because they keep down the mosquito population. They nest/roost in a large brick chimney on an old brick Italianate house two houses down and they are fun to watch.