A Lavish Life

Clothes 3

2009-10-17T18:51:00.004-04:00

So maybe the “Parable of the Wedding Banquet” is a portion of scripture that indicates that we need to watch what we wear in the presence of God.

Matt. 22:1-14
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."

This is a very rich parable with much that could be studied (i.e. who are those who were invited but refused to come; who were the servants who were mistreated and killed). But focusing on clothes, is this saying that if we aren’t clothed appropriately before God we will be rejected and thrown out of his presence? Yes! However, this parable is of the coming judgment. We are the second group of people that were invited (good or bad). But the “clothes” we must wear to be welcome in His presence are not physical. The only thing that will make us acceptable before God is being clothed in the righteousness of Jesus that became available with his victory over sin and death. We shouldn’t be so worried with having on a nice suit of clothes but we need to be very concerned with whether we are clothed in righteousness, which is free and available to all. With that covering us, we will be welcome to stay and enjoy the wedding banquet.

Clothes 2

2009-10-05T14:29:00.004-04:00

More on what scripture says about clothes...

Matt. 6:25 - 34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is a great promise that God takes care of our needs. Jesus uses clothes as an example of one of our basic needs that he will meet (along with food and drink).

This passage tells me that I shouldn’t worry about my needs being met. That is all clothes are – a need – and because of his love and generosity, he will provide. I shouldn’t fret about God providing me clothing and furthermore, I shouldn’t worry about or seek to have “nice” clothes to wear. When clothes become a fashion statement or are used to show my good taste or affluence, that is sin. However, if I am seeking his kingdom (promoting or doing the things demonstrated by Jesus) and I’m seeking righteousness through Him alone (and not because I’m well dressed), he will take care of my needs. In some cases, out of his love and generosity, he may even provide beyond my basic needs.

Having nice clothes isn’t a sin but seeking anything before his kingdom is. I need to guard my heart because seeking nice clothing is easy to pick on for me (have you seen the way I dress?) but there are plenty of other areas where I need to seek his kingdom first.

Clothes 1

2009-10-01T15:17:00.002-04:00

So what does scripture say about clothes? This may seem a trivial topic but I’m following a string from my “Reverence” post which was derived from concerns about how people dress at church.

Here are the first couple of New Testament references (not in exact order):

Matt. 3:4
4John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Matt. 11:7 - 9
7As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

These two sections of scripture are references to John the Baptist. Now I’m not sure the quality of camel hair clothes but my impression has always been that this is a fairly rough cloth. Matthew 11 confirms that he wasn’t a finely dressed man, yet Jesus had a very high opinion of John: he was “more than a prophet”. Jesus also stated of John, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist."

Apparently, John didn’t have to dress to impress. His clothing wasn’t taken as a sign of irreverence. In fact Jesus’ comment that “…those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces” was a knock of the wealthy and powerful. Jesus is stating that fine clothing doesn’t make a person important or more reverent. Fine clothing was the attire of the leaders of this world whereas God’s servant was a wearer of common clothing. John was commended for his zeal and faith in God – his clothing selection didn’t seem to fit into God’s opinion. Can that relate to what we wear during services or other church-sponsored events?

Reverence

2009-09-28T14:57:00.004-04:00

Main Entry: ¹rev·er·ence

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reverentia, from reverent-, reverens respectful, reverent

Date: 14th century

1 : honor or respect felt or shown : deference; especially : profound adoring awed respect
2 : a gesture of respect (as a bow)
3 : the state of being revered

This happens to be on my mind lately - comments that some people need to show more reverence during church services. This includes concerns about talking, texting, and getting up to use the restroom (as you can guess these were primarily aimed at younger people). It also includes concerns about how people are dressed: should shorts be allowed in the Sanctuary? How about the need for a coat and tie to serve communion or preach?

Is God mindful of what we wear? I would think that for some people, wearing a coat and tie would indeed be a gesture of respect toward God - though the reverence wouldn't be from the quality of the clothing but the intent of the heart. We on the other hand cannot read the intent of the heart to know if someone's fine clothing is truly an act of reverence or just a chance to impress others. Likewise, someone wearing a t-shirt and jeans should not be assumed to be irreverent.

Jesus did have a few things to say about clothing but nothing as to if it demonstrated reverence of God. However, in the Book of Matthew (Matt 22:27) Jesus is quoted:

"...you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

This he said to the Pharisees and Teachers. I guess he wasn't that impressed with their clothing and other outward expressions of "reverence".

Should we, on the other hand, wear nice clothing out of respect for others' sensibilities or tradition? That is a different question.

Malachi 4:2 "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall."

Mooo!

Not Quite a Year...

2009-09-28T14:40:00.002-04:00

Well, I almost made it a whole year without blogging. I probably should have just shut down the blog entirely. Didn't feel much like writing and still don't know that I do. I should have put something together last weekend to commemorate my Huskies' victory or USC but I didn't think about it at the time. Now its too late, they lost this week to Stanford and expectations have returned to earth.

Environmental Protection - An Issue for Christians?

2008-12-12T07:46:00.008-05:00

What is a Christian's responsibility toward protecting the earth? According to scripture, the earth and all that is in it is God's creation and he said it was good - at least before the fall of man. It seems that since the time when Adam was kicked out of the garden he was originally charged to tend, the environment has been seen more as something to be used rather than something to be sustained.

Many Christians reason that God gave us dominion over the earth so we have the right exploit it however we choose. Still others think that its "all going to burn" in the end, so why worry about the environment; God will take us out of here before its entirely ruined. Many people just fall into the category of "out of sight out of mind". Once something goes into the sky or the river, it just magically goes away. Just this week, I had to stop someone at work from hosing his waste material into the river. He was very irate that he couldn't do that. This type of person thinks that people who administer environmental rules are just a pain in their backside who keep anything productive from happening or make things more difficult than they need to be.

The Reverend Richard Cizik, of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) provided these thoughts: http://www.thegreatwarming.com/revrichardcizik.html . Of course NAE recently fired Rev. Cizik. To be fair, it wasn't for his stand on environmental issues but for being too agreeable with certain gay rights issues (he supports Civil Unions).

Certainly God loves people but do you think He also has an interest in the earth He gave us to dwell in?

Go Beavs!!!

2008-09-27T17:10:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't catch the game, un-ranked Oregon State University (my alma mater by the way) upset the No. 1 University of Southern California Trojans 27 - 21 on Thursday night in Corvallis.

I usually don't follow the Beavers too awful closely. When I was at school there, I think I only went to one football game - they were terrible back then. They were more of a basketball school. The UW is still my team - as awful as they have been the past few years.

Whether you are a Husky or a Beaver, either way USC is the team you love to hate. So this game was especially fun to watch. The Trojans were run over by a freshman running back who stands significantly under six feet. The defense shut down Southern Cal's offense.

Well done...GO BEAVS!!!

Guess Who Is Back

2008-09-27T16:52:00.002-04:00

Well I think it lasted about two months, but Bryan brought Austin back last week. Bryan is now living near Jacksonville Beach and couldn't keep the dog at his new place.

So now we have the dog that we never petitioned for custody of back for about the third time and Laura has her shadow to follow her around the house.

Banff Trip

2008-07-30T12:16:00.011-04:00

Here are a few of the photos that we took while in and around Banff.

First a couple of shots of our hotel - or "Canada's Castle in the Rockies" as it is called:

Banff is situated in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, within Banff National Park - Canada's first national park. It is a very scenic place. We had beautiful weather most of the time we were there - highs in the low to mid-70's. We did have one drizzly day. Here are a few of the sights that we caught on camera:

If you would like to see more, don't worry. We have 248 photos that we have had developed so others can share in the sights of our trip. Family members are expected to sit through the whole pile and act interested.

Wonderful Children

2008-07-28T12:49:00.007-04:00

We had such a great time at Banff! One of the most memorable parts was walking into our room and seeing an assortment of chocolates and a plate of cheese and crackers waiting for us on our table. The tray with the chocolates was hand decorated in chocolate and also contained edible decorations made out of chocolate. In addition, there was a bottle of champagne on ice. Our first thought was what a wonderful hotel.

We were informed upon our arrival that our room had been upgraded to have a better view. Our room was on the eighth floor facing Mt. Rundle and we could see the Bow River and the Spray River from our window - what a wonderful hotel!

However, we noticed that there were note cards on the table too. The first note was from Chrissy, Bryan and Andrew wishing us a happy anniversary. The chocolates cheese and crackers were from our children - what wonderful children! Chrissy had called to set the whole thing up for our anniversary trip. Because she told the hotel that we were on our anniversary, they upgraded our room and provided a bottle of champagne courtesy of the Regional Manager. If Chrissy hadn't called, we probably wouldn't have had such a nice room with such a nice view.

Anyway, when Laura learned that our children had set this up, she spent the next 10 to 15 minutes crying and insisted on calling all three to let them know how wonderful they are and how much we love them. You can see Laura on the photo below teary-eyed as she talks to Chrissy.

Its wonderful having children who are so thoughtful and who remembered us on this special anniversary trip - we love you guys!

The New, Less Aerodynamic Hyundai Sonata

2008-07-16T20:59:00.005-04:00

Now that a few days have passed and the shock has subsided, I will report on the devastation perpetrated on my lovely new car.

Was it pure accident or perhaps something purposeful - something deep and dark in her soul? We will probably never know for sure. All I do know is that in backing my car out of her mom's driveway, Laura turned, bringing the right front fender into contact with the bumper of Phil's truck (actually, I think it really is Sally's). Fortunately, there was no damage to the truck and most importantly, no one was hurt. Phil wasn't even in his truck, though he was able to watch the whole thing.

So why would I even suggest that it might be anything other than an accident? Maybe because of the pattern. I refer, of course, back to March 1987. Back to the only other time in my life that I owned a new car. Back to a time when I first met Laura. At that time, when we were dating, she also tried to scar my lovely new car by tearing the arm rest off of the door. I know she did something else to my new car during that time but my mind has blocked it out - a repressed memory.

So, what to do? The insurance company can arrange to fix my car, but what will fix the anxiety I feel?

Two Down, One to Go!

2008-07-06T15:44:00.003-04:00

Or is that three down three to go?

A week ago, Bryan moved out of the house to live with three friends in a house in Fruit Cove. In case you are curious, no it isn't any closer to his work at Jacksonville Beach than here at home. But he is living with friends and at least he doesn't have to cross the River to get there. Oh, and he also took Austin (the dog) with him - making three down. Now we just have Andrew and two cats to go - three more.

Bryan is living in a very large, four bedroom, three and a half bath house that his friend Steve is purchasing. So far, it sounds as if the guys have it made - or should I say maid? They have a number of girls who are friends of the guys who come over and clean house. One even washed Bryan's clothes. He didn't have it that good at home.

Then there was the question about the square cut out of the carpet in Bryan's bedroom. We noticed it after he moved out. It really made me curious. The square had been hidden under Bryan's bed. It turns out that some time ago, Bryan took a bowl of chili mixed with BBQ sauce into his room to eat and spilled it on to his carpet. He couldn't get the stain out so he cut out the carpet and covered the hole with carpet that he cut out of the back of his closet. I'm sure he didn't say anything since we were often telling the boys to be careful with food and questioning them about stains on the hallway carpet leading to their rooms.

Now we will begin to change the room into my Northwest room/office. We'll move the computer desk in there from the kitchen so we have more room for cooking and eating. There may be a problem however. Laura wants to make the room for Emma when she comes over - book shelves full of her children's books, bed, etc. - we shall see...

Andrew Graduates!

2008-06-05T21:01:00.011-04:00

On Wednesday evening, June 4th 2008, Andrew graduated from Edward H. White High School at a ceremony held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. This culminated twelve years of schooling starting with Crystal Springs Elementary, Trinity Christian Academy (Middle School and part of High School), home schooling (Junior year), and Ed White (Senior year).

Andrew's entire family (including grandparents) and Jamie attended the ceremony - Chrissy drove up from Pompano Beach, my Mom and Dad flew in from Washington State, and even Bryan came after he got off work. We are all very proud of his accomplishment (I touched the diploma to ensure that it was real!)

Bryan is Sworn In

2008-05-21T21:55:00.013-04:00

Bryan was sworn in this afternoon and received his badge in a ceremony at the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. Chief of Police Bruce Thomason led Bryan and Sandra, the other rookie officer, through their oath of office and then Laura was invited to pin on Bryan's badge.

The Chief made a short speech, emphasizing that the new officers need to embrace and live the values of the Department which were posted around the room - both as police officers and in their private lives. He also welcomed the rookies into the family of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.

Bryan's first day on patrol will be Sunday. So far, he has been going through orientation - human resources stuff, touring the facilities, getting outfitted with equipment.

Tuesday night, Bryan brought home all of the stuff that had been issued to him (except for his gun) - rain gear, flashlights, uniforms, handcuffs, and riot gear. It was like Christmas in May. I think Laura got as much or more of a kick out of it than did Bryan.

"A Day of Love" Outreach Event

2008-05-16T07:51:00.012-04:00

Here are some photos that I meant to post earlier this week. As you can see, the event was quite well received - clothes give away; blood pressure check; fish fry; snow cones; drinks; big inflatable toys; etc... Just to show the community on Franklin Street that they aren't forgotten and that somebody cares.

As great the amount of clothes given away, it sure didn't seem to put a dent in the amount remaining. Funny how that keeps happening. We'll need a warehouse soon to house the clothing ministry.

The fish fry was also a major hit. It helped that the fish was awesome tasting (the grits on the other hand were still grits). One man made about eight take out plates of fish and fixings and took them with him - I guess when you don't know where your next meal is coming from you take what you can when it is available.

Officer Bryan On Duty

2008-05-14T07:51:00.002-04:00

Monday morning Bryan reports for his first day on the job with the Jacksonville (Jax) Beach Police Department. Since graduation, Bryan passed the State law enforcement exam, had a final interview with Jax Beach including the Chief of Police, took a physical, and qualified on the firing range.

He will start out in the Patrol Division. Check here for more information about the Jax Beach Police Department: http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org/index.asp?nid=17

Last Monday was his last night with UPS, where he has worked for several years. Now he will have to get used to working days and sleeping nights.

Bryan Graduates from the Police Academy

2008-04-27T19:40:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday, April 24th, Bryan graduated from the Police Academy at St. Johns River Community College (actually it is called the Criminal Justice Training Program). Laura and I are very proud of him for how hard he has worked at this. He has been commuting to the campus in St. Augustine, about an hour each way, every day for about nine months. Class usually let out about 10:00 p.m. at which time he had to rush back to the westside of Jacksonville to get to his job at UPS.

Bryan earned both "High Academic Honors" and "High Liability Honors", the only one in his class of 35 to do so. Bryan has been single-minded about going into law enforcement for many years now. This shows what he can accomplish in an area he is passionate about.

Next week he will be taking his State Exam down in Deland, Florida. The following week he has an interview with the Chief of Police with one of the local police departments - the last step in their hiring process. We are praying that all will go well with both the exam and the interview. I'm confident that Bryan will make an excellent police officer.

Washing Feet

2008-03-21T07:45:00.003-04:00

Last night at our Maundy Thursday service we included Foot Washing as part of the service. I must admit that I was very curious when this was in the planning phase about how this would go over with the congregation. Its been years since we've done foot washing at West Jax.

Obviously, many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of someone handling or washing their feet. Because of this, we didn't push to have everyone participate. Twelve volunteers were identified prior to the start of the service to have the elders and pastors wash their feet - all others present were also invited to participate - which several did. One of the children even asked if they could come back for a second time. A number of people came forward and asked to wash the feet of the pastors and elders - this was a very humbling experience for me.

It's even more humbling to think how Christ, God incarnate, was willing to wash the feet of His disciples. The Son of God performing the task that in His day was only done by a servant. But I guess that is the point. This is quite a contrast to "leaders" today.

While foot washing might not be culturally relevant today, I wonder what menial tasks are. What seemingly lowly acts of service might come my way that would give me the opportunity to serve someone else - to love another as Christ loved - sacrificially. I pray that I would never think so highly of myself that I would miss the opportunity to show Christ's love in this way.

Please Forward This To Everyone in Your Email Address List…

2008-02-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

Chain emails are something I can’t stand. They show up from co-workers, family members, and especially fellow Christians warning against some great evil that is about to happen. You are implored to pass it on to everyone you know. Of course the people who send them usually don’t forward this type of thing, but “this one is different”.

Its not that I can’t just delete them – I can. However, at best, it makes me wonder about the gullibility of people; at worst, I think it is very damaging to the Kingdom of God.

There seems to be a very predictable formula for concocting a good email rumor. You start with a good serving of some group we know and distrust/dislike (e.g. liberals, ACLU, politicians). Add to that a subject that either pulls at our heart strings or gets our blood boiling (e.g. religious freedom, our troops, the flag, little children). Include an impending deadline and some people with some official sounding titles. End with a plea to send the story forward to everyone you know. Enjoy, your chain email rumor is ready. I’m not sure what people get out of creating email hoaxes, however, if they use the standard recipe they can be pretty much assured that people will pick it up and run with it.

So how can this be damaging to the Kingdom of God? Its not just about passing on slander and gossip, which I believe the Bible clearly defines as sin, but I think at the heart of it is the issue of credibility. The rumors make their way into discussions or sermons or even calls to action at church. As Christians, we are called to tell people some pretty incredible news – The Son of God came and died and rose again. If I was not a Christian and I knew that Christians commonly passed on untrue information and stories, I would never believe them. I would not believe what they said about Jesus nor would I believe anything they had to say about answers to prayer from God. Trustworthiness is something that should describe the character of all Christians. It is import because it is the nature of God – it is import to God being able to use us for His purpose.

Lastly, people have asked, “How am I to know?” as an excuse when passing on one of these hoaxes. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is true or not – but I believe if we are passing something on as true, we should be fairly sure that it is. Did it come as an email chain letter? That is a good indication right there that it may be false. You can also check out such web sites as snopes.com or truthorfiction.com. These sites might not be faultless but at least they do provide some background documentation.

By the way, please don’t forward this to anyone! ; )

Biblish

2008-02-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

During church services, my mind often wanders to the question of whether visitors understand the message due to the words being used.

Organizations, industries, and cultures adopt terms and words that the group understands – often shortcuts to more complex ideas – but that others outside of the group don’t readily use or understand. In addition to facilitating communication, using this jargon helps people feel like they belong, that they are part of the group. The Church is no different. We’ve adopted words and developed phrases to express Biblical truths and meanings that are often gibberish to the community around us. I call this Church Speak or Biblish. I’m as guilty as anyone in using Biblish.

Years ago, this wasn’t such an issue as it was fairly safe to assume that in America, most people had a church background and were “schooled” in the use of Church Speak. Today, this is a fairly poor assumption as a large percentage of the population is un-churched. In his book “Evangelism That Works”, George Barna reports that in one study, only one-third of those questioned knew what the phrase “The Gospel” meant – and that’s one I would think most people would know. What about other words and phrases such as “washed in the blood”, “lamb of God”, “hedge of protection”, “testimony”, “Great Commission”, “born again”, “in the flesh”, “witness”, or even “sin”.

Should we care?

I believe we should be a missional church (that’s probably another example of Church Speak). By missional, I like Tim Keller’s definition of, “adapting and reformulating absolutely everything it did in worship, discipleship, community, and service--so as to be engaged with the non-Christian society around it.” Keller says a couple of things regarding communication and being missional:

“The missional church avoids 'tribal' language, stylized prayer language, unnecessary
evangelical pious 'jargon', and archaic language that seeks to set a 'spritual tone.'”; and

“The missional church avoids ever talking as if non-believing people are not present. If you
speak and discourse as if your whole neighborhood is present (not just scattered Christians),
eventually more and more of your neighborhood will find their way in or be invited.”

We are seeing more and more new people from our surrounding community attending services Sundays and Wednesday evenings. Many of these people don’t have a church background. We need to be intentional about the language we use so that they can understand and feel part of the church.

The Business of Business is...Greed

2008-02-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

Exxon Mobil Corporation announced the largest annual profit ever by a U.S. company - $40.6 billion! (they also held the previous record of $39.5 billion, which Exxon Mobil reported for 2006). This all at a time when record fuel prices are pushing up the cost of everything else - including food, heating, and transportation.

The quote, "The business of business is business", supposedly stated by Economist Milton Friedman, is drilled into Business majors in college. I certainly heard it when I was working toward my Masters Degree in Management. It goes along with the belief in a free market and capitalism. But how far should that mantra extend? Does business have any obligations or duties to the society in which it flourishes?

For many years, I've considered myself a conservative Christian and tended to vote Republican. Lately, I've become very uncomfortable about the strong ties between Republican policy and big business. Republican politicians seem to think that what is good for business is good for everybody. It bothered me that the first place that Mitt Romney visited upon arrival in Jacksonville during the Florida Primary campaign was Gate Petroleum. Republicans talk about conservative values and expect Christians to fall in line behind them. Is greed a conservative value? If it is, I guess I need to rethink the idea about being conservative. My Lord certainly spoke out against greed and taking advantage of the poor.

I'd probably give up on Republicans except that Democratic politicians leave me cold too.

"Christian" Candidates

2008-01-31T18:56:00.000-05:00

In his book "God's Politics" author Jim Wallis states:

It is important to remember that the particular religiosity of a candidate, or even how devout they might be, is less important than how their religious and/or moral commitments and values shape their political vision and their policy commitments. If one's religious and ethical convictions don't shape a condidate's (or a citizen's) public life - what kind of commitments are they?"

What do you think? I tend to agree. I think a lot of politicians snooker Christians into voting for them by playing the religious card. But it is one thing to talk about it during the campaign and another to do it when in office. A Christian politician's efforts in office should reflect the image and values of Christ - ALL of them - not just a couple select Christian hot-buttons intended to get them re-elected.

Otherwise, I'd rather vote for a non-believer who is committed to fighting poverty, bringing justice, strengthening the family, the sacredness of life, being honest, and protecting the environment, to name a few. Things I think my Lord would be interested in.

A Tragedy?

2008-01-25T17:14:00.000-05:00

So who the heck is Heath Ledger???

Of course by now I know. I guess I had heard the name before when all the flap about the movie "Brokeback Mountain" came out and I remember him now from "The Patriot". But this is getting ridiculous. In the last couple of days I've seen articles about how his massage therapist found him and called Mary Kate Olsen before she ever called 911; what Jack Nicholson had to say when he heard; how playing the character "the Joker" emotionally drained him; how Mel Gibson had distanced himself from him; and how Daniel Day-Lewis had paid tribute to him on Oprah. And that was just on FoxNews.com.

Maybe Joseph Stalin was correct when he said, "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."

How many thousands died today from preventable diseases such as malaria or AIDS; malnutrition; unclean water; exposure to the elements; or war. I didn't see one article on those people today or even this week on any of the news sites. Yet Hollywood and the press are going crazy over the death of this one man from a suspected drug overdose.

Uncounted numbers of people have their lives torn apart or die every day in this country due to drug dependency problems. Yet, unless their name is Lohan, Spears, or now Ledger no attention will come to it.

Heath Ledger's death is a tragedy - a waste. It's just too bad that the thousands of people who die each day from preventable causes have become a faceless statistic. Maybe death on such a large scale is beyond human comprehension. I probably couldn't handle the enormity of the tragedy. But I do know the one who knows and cares for each life lost, for each life caught up in the entanglements of this world. May He break my heart daily for those who go through life's struggles unnoticed and uncared for by our society. That is a tragedy.

A Dog in the Fight

2008-01-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

I probably shouldn't use that title with what went on with the Michael Vick scandal and all, but...

Recently we've been hearing alot about HIV/AIDS in Africa at church. A week ago, Children of the World presented a concert at the church. Some of the children were orphans due to AIDS. They presented some very moving videos and testimonies about the ravages of this disease. Today Paul and Pastor Sam are leaving to travel to Africa with World Vision to see first hand the impact that AIDS and poverty are having there. The Advent Christian General Conference is moving towards a partnership with World Vision as part of our denomination's outreach strategy. World Vision is a Christian-based organization that is much more knowledgeable and capable than us when it comes to addressing hunger, lack of clean water, lack of education and opportunities, and health issues around the world. I especially like World Vision's strategy of addressing the needs of the entire community, including health, clean water, and agriculture. When the opportunity arises and after trust has been gained, they also address spiritual needs, but in a low-key way. They treat communities in a holistic way.

The focus on AIDS is because of the enormity of the problem. AIDS is killing off the leadership of families and communities. A whole generation may be wiped out leaving the elderly and children to care for themselves. Why specifically Africa? Because of the 3.1 million deaths worldwide reported yearly by the Yale AIDS Watch, 2.2 million of the deaths are in Africa. Thinking of it in terms of the tsunami that devastated parts of Indonesia -150,000 lives lost to that disaster and the world couldn't stop talking about it. There was an overwhelming response. But in Africa, over 150,000 lives are lost every month to AIDS. A tsunami every month, and hardly a word.

As Rich Sterns, head of World Vision, notes, the lead in the fight against HIV/AIDS and in showing compassion to its victims has been from "the homosexual community, Hollywood, rock stars, political liberals, the U.S. government, the United Nations, secular humanitarian organizations, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation." Where has the Church been? I think the Church has been caught up in the blame game - that people are reaping what they sow. The Church disapproves of behaviors such as drug use, promiscuity and homosexuality - behaviors that can lead to contracting HIV. Some even believe that this is a judgement from God on sinners. Therefore, the Church is less than compassionate about people who contract this disease. The question of prejudice also come to mind in regard to Africa. People have questioned whether the loss of life that is occurring there would be tolerated in any other area of the world.

The Church does have a dog in this fight! Our Lord has called us to be the light of the world; to take care of the widows and orphans, the hungry, sick and the naked. To show compassion, love and grace to people. As Pastor Sam stated last Wednesday night, just because we didn't cause it or just because we don't see it doesn't take away our responsibility to do something. I am encouraged that more and more evangelical Christian churches and organizations are catching a hold of that idea. I applaud the leadership of the Advent Christian General Conference for taking the step of sending representatives to Africa to better understand how we can fight against this evil and to show the love of Christ.

AIDS in Africa or elsewhere may not be the fight that pulls at your heart. Maybe that is not where God is leading you to give or to serve. There are plenty of other needs out there in this dark world - plenty of other fights. The important thing is to pick a fight and jump in!

Clothes Giveaway

2007-12-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from the Clothes Giveaway at Triumph Church last Saturday. What a day - and to think we almost cancelled it due to bad weather! In fact, I ended up with a sun burn it was so bright out. This event certainly met a need in our community. People were carrying away loads of clothes (many times we had to help them carry bags they were so heavy). But the point was to get these clothes into the hands and onto the backs of those who can use them. Pastor Moses' son announced over the loud speaker several times for people to take as much as they could and to call friends and family to let them know what was going on. Even with all of the clothes we gave away - and we were still pulling out clothes to sort and put on the tables up to the end of the day - we still had some left over. Many people were touched that everything was free - clothes, shoes, toys, and food. There were many smiles from children who may have received their only present they will get this Christmas. Some of the kids (probably adults too) were back several times for burgers and hotdogs.

This is what being the church is all about - two very different churches from different parts of town getting together to give hope and show God's love in a practical way to people who are in need. I'm looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us next (Spring Fling? More than one Back to School Bash? - only He knows).

Happy Christmas

2007-12-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

In Mexico and Honduras you will hear “Feliz Navidad”. In India it will be “Shub Naya Baras” while in Japan you may hear “Merii Kurisumasu”. “Maligayang Pasko” is what is said in many parts of the Philippines and in French speaking countries of the world, “Joyeux Noel”.

To me, one of the great things about Christmas is that it is a world-wide celebration. Unlike our other America holidays, Christmas knows no ethnic or geographical boundaries. In North America, most of us celebrate Christmas in a very traditional western style. But let us remember, the very first Christmas was celebrated in a small town in Asia and Christianity wasn't orignially a western religion. Even though Christmas may be observed in other cultures with different traditions and even on other dates, Christmas unifies the world around an astounding event – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

For followers of Jesus Christ, Christmas should be a reminder of the unity we have in Christ – “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6). The believer in Malawi is part of the same body as the believer in New Zealand. The same Spirit that guides the Christian in Indonesia into all truth is the same one that guides you and me. Our Father in heaven is over all – over the United States, over Croatia, over Africa, and even over those churches in our town that worship so differently than we do.

In light of this truth, this Christmas, let’s pray that we be reminded of our unity in Christ throughout the coming year and that we strive in the power of Jesus not just to live in peace with our Christian brothers and sisters wherever they may be, but that we support them in any way we are able.

Have a Happy Christmas!

Great Expectations

2007-11-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

Though I sometimes talk about and pray about having great expectations of how God will reveal Himself during the Sunday morning worship service, this Sunday morning I realized that I've been lulled into low expectations. After "going to church" so often without seeing any real tangible, exciting revelation of Christ at work, I just come with low expectations. I'm not talking about someone speaking in tongues or falling out in the Spirit as a revealing of God's presence. Neither do I think I am looking for better entertainment. But it's the same thing week after week. Enjoy the singing, challenged by the sermons, good to hear praises, etc... but seldom anything new or exciting in the service. The greatest anticipation is whether or not someone will be playing the drums during Praise and Worship. I tend to expect and experience Jesus' presence more "outside of the church".

Probably one reason I don't see any more frequent or greater expression of God at work in our services is there are a whole lot of the congregation that are just like me - low expectations. Everyone should just put in their time Sunday morning, don't disrupt the service in any way, and the Pastors had better not get us out too late. Also, just as bad, when He does show himself I probably overlook Him or squelch the Spirit.

This Sunday, I was in my usual Sunday morning ritual - sitting in the front pew, lack of anticipation in hand, thinking about my part in the service and other church issues - when one of the Deacons brought a young girl to me. He asked me to talk to her and pray with her as she wanted to accept Jesus as her savior. My first reaction was continued low expectations (Are you sure? What makes you think she really wants to do that? She probably doesn't understand what's going on.) But as I talked to her and asked her questions, I realized she knew exactly what she was asking. This was actually going to happen - in church before the service even started! She prayed to receive Jesus and God allowed me to be part of it. I was so excited!

I'm so thankful that God will shake up my world every now and then when I get too complacent. I'm going to start expecting more during the services. Probably just as important, I'm going to look and listen closer for what He is doing. Its not always going to be in the big and obvious things. Sometimes the expressions of His love and grace may be hardly noticeable. Also, I'm going to make myself available to be part of it. Great expectations not for a great church service but of a great God.

Honduras Visit

2007-10-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on the trip to Honduras. I meant to do this right when I got back but with having to make preparations to go to Washington this afternoon for Grandma's funeral, the blog went to the back burner.

Anyway, it was a great time to get away. Quite a small group - just eight of us (nine whenever Ledy was with us). We got a lot accomplished in organizing, storing and distributing medicine and medical supplies. The clinic continues to be improved with each visit. They have new cabinets since the last time I was down and air conditioning in a couple of the treatment pods. Dental equipment (beds, x-rays, etc..) had arrived but we weren't able to set them up yet - probably in January with two dentists coming.

Ray arranged for some local workers to start on the dining porch at the Farm. This is really needed as the current eating area cannot hold the large teams that have and will be coming. God provided us a builder who is a Christian and very enthusiastic about his work.

One of the things that caught my attention was the total contrasts you see in technology and wealth. For example, seeing two men driving down the road in an ox cart - very primitive. But one of them was talking on a cell phone! Actually, cell phones are everywhere, even with the youth. I'm told they buy cards with minutes on them when they can afford. It was also incredible to me to see some of the beautiful new homes being built in some of the small towns. Money must be coming in from somewhere (USA?) or business must be really good (smuggling people into the US?).

Crystal and I left last Monday with the rest of the Team staying through until Thursday. The day after I left they were to hold a clinic day for women. Only dealing with women's' health issues (pregnancy, etc...). David V. had set up appointments with a few dozen women so that it wouldn't be a crazy mess the day of the clinic. I understand that they have gone to this appointment system and that the locals are catching on and cooperating. It doesn't mean that they won't treat someone who has a serious problem who walks in. Several were seen over the week I was there and several more had their medications refilled. Pat H. and Jan were the nurses for this trip and are the ones that will examine/treat the women patients.

One of the items that I'm excitedly waiting to hear about was a visit the Team was to make after dropping me and Crystal at the airport. They were to visit a home in San Pedro Sula for young pregnant girls (12-15 years). These girls have been kicked out of their homes for getting pregnant and have nowhere else to go. Some may even be victims of incest or rape. The Team had prenatal vitamins to provide plus other supplies. Pat says this is really on her heart so hopefully they were able to find the home. Definitely a chance to show God's love and mercy.

The January trip to Honduras is full (33 scheduled for week two) so if someone would like to go it will have to be the April or July trip. I can help make the connection so let me know.

In the Heat of the Night

2007-10-08T16:23:00.000-04:00

Just when you think nothing more could go wrong, think again. Yesterday I came home in the afternoon after making some visits with Logan and Robert H. The first thing I noticed when I entered the house was that the temperature was warm and the humidity was up. The thermostat showed a temperature of about 82+ degrees.

My indoor unit was humming, not running. Outside, the line had frozen up. I let it all thaw and then tried running the system again but it immediately started to freeze again. Time to call the AC service people. Fortunately many advertise 24-hour service, seven days a week. I called my normal company first and got their answering service - she would pass the message. After about two hours, I determined that she really hadn't or whoever got the message didn't want to come out on a Sunday evening. The second number I called said it was out of service. With the third company, I got a message saying that he was on another line or with a customer. I kind of doubt he was since he never called me back. Well, it got to be late so I decided that I would try again in the morning. So much for 24-hour service!

Following a rather warm and humid evening in the house, I did get someone to come out in the morning. I have a bad "card" in my unit. However, as I have been aware, my unit is about 14 years old so putting a bunch of money in replacing electronics didn't seem a wise investment. So we have opted to replace our air handler. Its not like we have something better to spend money on...

So Laura and I spent a warm day painting in the bathroom - part of the repairs following our broken pipe.

I love, errr... like my house, I like my house...

High School Update

2007-10-03T10:20:00.000-04:00

Andrew is finally out of AP English Literature – yes! I had to go to the top – the school principal - to get it accomplished but he is out. Reading Oedipus and sitting around discussing it was not a good fit for Andrew – nothing against the class or the instructor. He is now in regular English IV and he is happy about it.

I was concerned about his schedule from the time he first received it. Actually, before he received his schedule, they had given him a 9th grade schedule. A computer glitch I was told. Plus they lost all of his transcripts. His classes prior to the change were: Physics, Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, AP Human Geography, AP English Literature, Spanish III, World Religion, and PE. That is quite a heavy schedule – one I wouldn’t have attempted when I was in high school. The thing is, he will have more than enough credits to graduate, he doesn’t need all of that science and math for graduation, and he is working half time. I don’t want him to be overwhelmed or discouraged with school. I tried to get him out of some of the classes before the school term began. I called the councilor twice and left voice mails with my concerns and requesting a return call. Laura left a note at the office – but we never received any response. School started and Andrew wanted to let it alone.

But it became clear that AP English Literature was not for Andrew so last week I started trying to get in touch with the councilor again - three phone calls with voice mail messages asking for a call back. I probably made about 12 calls to her number but it became very clear that she never answers her phone. After three days of no response, I called other councilor numbers and the office with no answer. Finally I found the principal’s number and he actually answered. He was very professional and polite and said he would look into it for me. A day later, Andrew was called in and told they were trying to work something out and within a week he was in his new class. I still haven’t heard from the councilor.

Now the question as to why he was put in all of these advanced courses, especially AP courses, when it wasn’t requested and they don’t know anything about him is another issue. It seems to me from talking to others that either Ed White High School or the Duval County Public Schools is trying to pad their statistics by putting as many students in these classes as possible. It’s good for the school or the District but not necessarily for the student. Maybe I’m just being too cynical though.

Like the Sound of Rushing Water

2007-10-02T07:58:00.000-04:00

I had just turned out the lights when I heard a bang and then like the sound of rushing water or was it Laura's fan - maybe it had tipped over. So I followed the sound back into the bathroom, turned on the light and behold...it was rushing water, coming out of the wall behind the toilet! We had a painting on the wall above the toilet. It had fallen to the floor, snapping off the supply line to the toilet. The toilet shut off valve was on the wrong side of the break so I had to turn off the water outside. Of course, making my way in the dark out to the front door was quite a challenge in itself - I had forgotten about the two plastic tubs that I had set out last night - right in the way. Once the water was off, we had to clean up a couple of inches of water in the bathroom. Only a little had come through the bathroom door onto our bedroom carpet. With the water to the house off, the water cleaned off of the floor and all the hardware stores closed, we decided to go to sleep and get an early start on the repair when Lowes openned in the morning. All was well.

Or so we thought. Laura got up in the night - about 3:30 a.m. - and the carpet from the bed to the bathroom was soaked. As we discovered, even though the water supply valve to the house was closed down as far as it would go; and even though water would not come out of any other faucet in the house, it was still dribbling out of the broken pipe. Though the trickle was hard to see, it actually was flowing at a pretty good rate - enough to flood our bedroom carpet. More clean up, cutting out of soaked carpet and pad - its turning into quite the morning.

I made it to Lowes when it opened at 6:00 a.m. Of course at that time of the morning, the Lowes employees are right there to help you - not! So I fumbled with getting what I needed, picked Laura up a coffee at Dunkin Donuts and headed home. The actual repair only took about ten minutes - if only I had had the valve last night.

So here I sit waiting for the CPVC glue to dry before turning back on the water supply for a pressure test. Laura is napping until then. We are debating what to do with our bedroom carpet with a third of it cut out. Plus the bathroom linoleum is ruined - I guess I'll be tiling that this week even though Laura had promised a break from home repair projects.

I love my home...I love my home...

Cultural Relevance - In the Church of All Places...

2007-09-18T16:01:00.000-04:00

The Christian comic joked that all you have to do to become a Christian is tithe, buy a gun, and join the Republican Party. This drew laughter from the congregation due to the absurdity of the misconception by many non-believers about what the Christian “culture” is all about. Many on the outside of the Church see Christians as a mono-culture – conservative and driven by a few select moral issues. Part of the problem is that the Church contributes to the misconception in many cases by insisting, whether overtly or not, that those who join with us must become like us. They must act like us, dress like us, talk like us and certainly worship like us.

One of the reasons I believe that the Body of Christ is currently growing so fast in third world areas such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America is because, for the most part, the Church there is culturally relevant. Believers in these areas are able to incorporate their own culture and customs into the way they live their Christian lives and in the way they worship. Mission organizations learned a long time ago that they can’t successfully export the North American church to other parts of the world, though at times it has been tried. We would never try to force North American attire on believers in other parts of the world. Nor would we expect worshippers in Africa or Latin America to sit quietly and reverently through a worship service.

If we don’t try to push our North American church culture on believers in other lands, why then do we push it on seekers in our own country? To many non-believers in North America, the church has become irrelevant. Many Christian authors have written about the decline of the North American church – both in numbers and in significance to our society. We are in danger of losing a whole generation and it isn’t because they aren’t interested in spiritual matters, it’s because they don’t see anything relevant to their “culture” from within the church. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22 that he became “all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some”, what he is talking about is being culturally relevant. In a lesson from the mission field, we must study the culture outside of the church and connect to seekers through their customs and needs. Then the Church will once again be relevant to those in our community.

This Old House

2007-09-18T15:19:00.000-04:00

Why is it that my parent's home that was built 25 years before mine seems to have aged so much better? It seems like the list of things needing replacement continues to grow at an ever increasing speed. Flooring, door knobs, appliances, windows and furnature. Maybe its just that I didn't notice all the work and repairs that my parents did over the years. Sometimes Condo living seems so inviting but after having lived in dorms/apartments while I was in college and condos when we were first married, I don't know if I would want some other family living on the otherside of the wall.

I just finished an almost three month project to redo the boy's bathroom which was in really bad shape. Of course if I wasn't learning as I go, it probably should have only taken me a couple of weeks. Hopefully the boys won't destroy this one before they move out. Now we are on to replacing living room and dining room carpet with wood laminate flooring. Seemed simple when I took the do-it-yourself class - I estimated three days. We'll see how long it really takes me to get it right. However, the carpet in the family room, as bad as it looks, stays until the kids and the pets are gone.

New Wine Vs. Old Wine Skins

2007-08-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

A recurring theme throughout our meetings with the Missions Advisory Committee this week relates to the verse (Luke 5:37) in which Jesus says "...no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined." (NIV). That verse confused me for many years as to what it is referring to but I think I'm beginning to understand it now. I think that in many ways, it is referring to the gospel (good news) that Jesus was bringing, it just didn't fit into the box that the religious people of his time had built as to who God is and how He relates to us.

In the same way, no one can box in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will move where it wishes and the way in which the Spirit works tomorrow may be very different than how the Spirit worked yesterday.

One report this week is that the Christian church in one Asian country had gone from approximately 1% of the population 20 years ago to approximately 0.5%. Our established churches in that country are characterized as good people but very much caught up in tradition and protocol. They are having a hard time relating to or accepting many of the new ways of reaching people for Christ that are beginning to be successful.

I think there is a lesson here for the Church of North America - and me specifically. May I never try to set walls in which the Holy Spirit can only work. How ridiculous; God must see that and laugh.

I don't want to be negative about the meetings. There were so many wonderful examples of the Holy Spirit at work throughout the world. People being served, healed, and saved in amazing ways!

You Know You're From Washington...

2007-08-21T21:56:00.000-04:00

Washington State that is! I stole this from a Sonic's blog from someone named "sea dawg" and shortened it.

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. Use the statement “sun break” and know what it means.
4. You have never visited the Space Needle.
5. You buy your seafood from a grocery store and not Pike Place Market.
6. You know what Wa Mu stands for.
7. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
8. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
9. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal.
10. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
11. You freak out when it snows less than an inch and call in sick.
12. You have yet to visit Underground Seattle.
13. You make fun of tourists who ride the duck.
14. You know there's no such thing as sasquatch.
15. You refuse to sell your house to someone moving from California.
16. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Tulley's and Folgers.
17. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.
18. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Bremerton, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette. Also…Snohomish, Fall City, Skykomish, Swinomish, Squamish, Squaxim, Steilacoom, and Skookumchuck.
19. You are not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”
20. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
21. You notice “the mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
23. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
24. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall)
25. You use "pop" and not "soda" or worse yet, "coke" to order a beverage.

I pass on everything other than the coffee items. Laura is much more a Washington native when it comes to knowing about that. I haven't been to the Seattle Underground and the one and only time I ever went up in the Space Needle was with people from out of town.

Baptisms

2007-08-20T14:23:00.000-04:00

I love this picture that John G. took of a woman being baptized near Ensenada, Mexico. That day 19 people were baptized from three different churches. I know these churches and pastors and they are all about reaching out to the hurting people of their city. It just reminds me of what baptism is all about - a demonstration of death to sin and the celebration of new life in Christ. And celebrate they did, swimming, eating, singing, spending time together, etc... not just a few minutes tacked on to the end of a service. The picture makes me imagine what baptism might have been like in the early church - crowds of joyful believers out in the open where the whole world can see. Of course if we tried it around here, a gator might get you...

Eight Things

2007-08-20T12:52:00.001-04:00

Okay, so the only reason I'm doing this is because Allison tagged me - so I'd look like a wimp if I don't respond - or could it be that I've been waiting for years for someone to ask me about myself?

Anyway, here goes...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don't have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read their blog.

My eight random facts - in no particular order of importance:

1. I think I was born without smile muscles...
2. My greatest fears are speaking in public, heights (especially in elevators), and tight enclosed spaces (very claustrophobic).
3. I want a red-haired granddaughter - though none of my children have red hair.
4. I believe that lemon, garlic, butter and salt are the basis of the best recipes.
5. I hate chain emails and the stories and urban myths that get passed on that way.
6. I only sleep with one leg in bed at all times (you might could guess why).
7. Fried Oysters are my favorite food - though see item 4 above to see what I like on them.
8. I would like to live somewhere where the average summer temperature is about 72 degrees and I can see mountains out my window (guess that kind of excludes where I live now!).

Okay, now I'm supposed to list eight people who I've tagged to repeat this process. Believe me, I entirely understand if any of those listed do not wish to follow through. Remember, this is Allison's doing not mine...

Tagged are: Robert and Joene; Josh; Katie; Kathy B.; Steve E.; Marcia T.; and Elishia W.

Hope you have fun with it - maybe we'll learn a little about each other.