Well, I'm glad to report that our garden has been fully planted. Our evening service was canceled so I took advantage of the extra time to finish planting. As usual, it took much longer than I anticipated, but at least it is fini.
Of course, now that the garden is in and all our plants have been planted, there's a possibility of frost tonight. Yes, you read that correctly. June 1st we have to wake up and check to see if we had a *frost*. So where's this global warming we're hearing so much about? I could use some warming right about now (not much mind you, I don't enjoy the hot weather, but a chance of frost? in June?)
Oh well, such is life.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
It's that time of year again!
Apparently, I get the urge to start blogging about this time every year. I didn't realize this until I decided to check in and make a new post, and saw the topic of my last post. It's amazing how fast time slips past!
We've had a busy year, and are continuing to remain busy. Work is pretty steady, and as usual, I've got more hobbies than I know what to do with. I've been working with Drupal, hoping to learn web design as a potential job. My goal is to be able to work from home. I'm tired of spending my life away from my family. I get home each day and feel like there's barely enough time so say hi to them, and then everyone is going to bed.
As part of my goal to learn Drupal, I've been using Linux more, since most servers these days run on Linux. Of course, my other goal has been to find an alternative to the beast in Redmond (also known as Windows). I tried a beta of Windows 7 which is just Vista with a few tweaks. The reality of the matter is, Vista has some security features that Microsoft is finally trying to incorporate, but as usual, they took a good job and have worked their hardest to screw it up until the original good idea is no longer identifiable underneath all the security holes and bugs they added in. In my quest for a solid Linux replacement for Windows, I stumbled across Kubuntu (a variation of Ubuntu that ships with KDE rather than Gnome). It is hands down the most user friendly Linux distro that I have ever found, and the level of sophistication found in Linux software has made huge advancements over the last few years. You wouldn't beleive what is available for free.
I have also been picking Greek back up. So far I've only been revisiting my vocab words, and trying to follow along in Church, but at least that's something!
The other activity that has been taking my time is finally trying to teach myself guitar. I don't know how long it has been since Gail got my guitar for me, but to my shame it has spent most of the time gathering dust in the corner. Recently, however, my shame caused by it's neglect and layer of dust finally overcame my innate inertia, in what I hope is going to be a continuing habit, I've been trying to practice for 10-15 minutes a day.
Well, I'm going to wrap it up for tonight, hopefully this will be something else I can be more faithful to, and more regular with. If not, I'll see you next year!
We've had a busy year, and are continuing to remain busy. Work is pretty steady, and as usual, I've got more hobbies than I know what to do with. I've been working with Drupal, hoping to learn web design as a potential job. My goal is to be able to work from home. I'm tired of spending my life away from my family. I get home each day and feel like there's barely enough time so say hi to them, and then everyone is going to bed.
As part of my goal to learn Drupal, I've been using Linux more, since most servers these days run on Linux. Of course, my other goal has been to find an alternative to the beast in Redmond (also known as Windows). I tried a beta of Windows 7 which is just Vista with a few tweaks. The reality of the matter is, Vista has some security features that Microsoft is finally trying to incorporate, but as usual, they took a good job and have worked their hardest to screw it up until the original good idea is no longer identifiable underneath all the security holes and bugs they added in. In my quest for a solid Linux replacement for Windows, I stumbled across Kubuntu (a variation of Ubuntu that ships with KDE rather than Gnome). It is hands down the most user friendly Linux distro that I have ever found, and the level of sophistication found in Linux software has made huge advancements over the last few years. You wouldn't beleive what is available for free.
I have also been picking Greek back up. So far I've only been revisiting my vocab words, and trying to follow along in Church, but at least that's something!
The other activity that has been taking my time is finally trying to teach myself guitar. I don't know how long it has been since Gail got my guitar for me, but to my shame it has spent most of the time gathering dust in the corner. Recently, however, my shame caused by it's neglect and layer of dust finally overcame my innate inertia, in what I hope is going to be a continuing habit, I've been trying to practice for 10-15 minutes a day.
Well, I'm going to wrap it up for tonight, hopefully this will be something else I can be more faithful to, and more regular with. If not, I'll see you next year!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Nine Years!
Nine Years!! I can't believe the time has gone so quickly! Nine years ago today, I was exchanging vows with my best friend. I am truly blessed, because in all that time, we have only grown to love each other more every day. I am amazed that she can know me so well and still love me - I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to love. I marvel at how well God has created each of us to complement the other.
As I think about the wonderful relationship that we have, I am truly saddened at the state of the family today. Divorce, dead-beat dads, abuse, neglect - the very fabric of our society, the family, is being destroyed before our very eyes, and we hardly realize it. Apparently, Obama gave a stirring speech on Father's day (Is it truly a speech if it's delivered from a pulpit on Sunday? Isn't that preaching? Where is everyone who screams about the separation of Church and State whenever a child prays in school? I digress.) about just this issue. Do you know what his solution was? He wants more government involvement in the family! Of course! The government has done such a good job fixing all the other issues it has touched, why not set them to work on the family as well! I highly doubt that the Founding Fathers ever had something like this in mind when they were working to create our government. In fact, I'm sure that they had a much different view. They worked very hard to preserve each state's independence, to say nothing of the independence of the family or the individual. I'm sure they would all roll over in their graves if they could hear the "solutions" that have been posited by the illustrious Senator Obama. (It just goes to show you how wise we Americans were to select him as the democratic candidate for the White House. Every time you turn around, you get to hear another breathtaking example of his wisdom. And to think, we were able to determine his ability to lead based on almost one full term in the Senate! Before you know it, we're going to be nominating people for elected office based off snatches of conversation overheard in the hallway. Again, I digress)
Unlike Senator Obama, I believe that the absolute worst thing that could happen to the American family would be to get the government more involved. In fact, I would argue that it is possible to trace many of the problems that we are currently having with our families, and with society as a whole, back to the very government that the Senator from Illinois wants to solve our problems. We are in a vicious circle. I don't know how it started, but I can describe it for you. Weaker families leads to parents abdicating responsibility for their children, allowing the (government-run) schools to raise them. The schools indoctrinate them with meaningless tripe such as, "It's not your fault!" "There are no right or wrong answers!" "We all evolved from primeval goo, so life is essentially meaningless, do what feels good!" "All eleven year-olds should have access to birth control without their parents' knowledge, we can't stop them from having sex, so we should at least try to stop them from having babies!*" These children, who have not truly been exposed to actual parenting, accept the mindless blather of the schools without question. They go out, end up having children of their own, and with no real knowledge of what to do, they repeat the cycle. We need to take back the raising of our children! Child-rearing should be done by the family, and no-one else! It does not "take a village". It takes a family!
Another major contributor to the weakness of our families today is the broken home. When parents divorce, it is the children who suffer. This is not meant to censure single parents in any way. It is also not my intent to discuss the finer points of divorce, or to criticize any who have had a divorce. It is merely meant to point out that children from broken homes, especially those with deadbeat dads, are less equipped to deal with life than those who have a father involved in their lives.
I think one of the main reasons we have so many broken homes in this world today is due to so many people not understanding what love is. I would like to conduct a test sometime. I would like to survey people and ask them to define "love". I'm sure most would start something like this. "Love is that feeling...." Wrong! Some may start, "Love is the intense attraction..." Wrong again (that's lust, by the way). I feel safe in suggesting that greater than 90% of the people asked to define love would get it wrong. I am making this assumption (yes, I know what they say about assuming,) based on the evidence I see around me each day. If people truly understood what love was, divorce would be a much rarer occurrence. Love is not an emotion. It is not an attraction. Read I Cor. 13. Love is a commitment. We are not "in love" we choose to love. However, once we have chosen to love, we cannot "un-choose" it. Days will come when we don't feel like loving. Trust me, there are days when those in your life don't feel like loving you! We are none of us the easiest people in the world to get along with. However, having made the choice to love, on those days when the feeling isn't as strong, if we act on our choice, the feelings will follow.
Well, I've rambled on for decidedly too long. I just have one more thing to say. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the wonderful wife He has blessed me with. I don't deserve her love, but I am so grateful that she has chosen to love me. Our relationship is truly special, and I am eternally thankful for it.
*Don't take my word for it, read all about it here. Sickening, isn't it?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What is our nation coming to?
Wow, time does fly. I can't believe how quickly the past weeks have gone. Things are still busy, but at least it seems like they may be settling into a normalized pattern. Thankfully Daniel's teething has abated somewhat. I think he was hit with a doubly whammy, of teething and a cold, making him miserable for a while.
Well, tomorrow California becomes the second state to legalize same sex marriage. As far as I know, Massachusetts is the only other state to legalized it. Vermont and New Hampshire both have laws permitting "civil unions" not same sex marriage. Oddly enough, the law in California did not come from the legislature, rather it came from the courts. The state had actually banned same sex marriage, but the courts stepped in and vetoed it. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the purpose of the legislature to create the laws, and the purpose of the courts to uphold them?
There are some who may try to construe what I have just said, and the comments I am about to make as bigoted, or hate speech. Let me clarify. I have no problem with homosexuals. I do not condone hate crimes or discrimination against them. I do believe they are sinners, and living in sin, but as the Bible says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Rom. 3:23. That means that we are all of us sinners. We also know that God hates all sin equally, so it doesn't matter if you've told a lie, murdered, committed adultery, live a homosexual lifestyle, or have over-eaten (gluttony). It's all equal in God's sight. We as humans try to put a different degree on different sins, but we shouldn't. Sin is sin, we are all sinners, and we all have access to the same forgiveness in Christ.
That being said, I do believe homosexuality is a sin, and as such should not be promoted or condoned by our government. There is a huge difference between "not discriminating against" and actually condoning. Ensuring that homosexuals are afforded equal employment opportunities, are not the objects of hate crimes, etc. is totally different from coming out and advocating homosexuality as an "alternative life-style".
All that to say that I think we as Christians today are really missing a golden opportunity that has been given to us by the rise of homosexuality. The current popular belief is that homosexuality is a "genetic pre-disposition" and that we have no choice in our sexual orientation. This is diametrically opposed to another popular belief - the theory of evolution! To sum up the current philosophy, we are told that mankind and all living things are constantly evolving, and becoming better and stronger. Mankind is viewed as innately good and getting better. However, if evolution is true, and if homosexuality is genetic, the very process of evolution would have weeded out that very homosexual pre-disposition. For obvious reasons, homosexuals do not usually procreate. This should mean, if the evolutionary world view is correct, that we would see a downward trend in the number of homosexual people, because those who have that disposition would not procreate, and therefore the genetic code would die out.
However, this is the exact opposite of what we're seeing. In fact, we are seeing a rise in homosexuality. While this contradicts the evolutionary world view, it is actually predicted by a biblical world view. Biblicists see man as innately sinful and getting worse each day. We understand that God created a perfect world, but since man introduced sin, it has been consistently degrading. We also call homosexuality by its real name, not an "alternative life-style", but rather sin. Starting with a perfect world created by God that was damaged by sin, viewing mankind as sinners in need of a Savior, and calling homosexuality by its real name leads the Biblicist to draw the following conclusions - Mankind are sinners. Sin is increasing. Homosexuality is a sin, therefore homosexuality is increasing. Unlike the popular (albeit mistaken) world view of evolution, a biblical worldview explains the data.
Well, I apologize for any grammatical errors, it's late and I'm falling asleep, so I'm going to have to proofread at a later time
Goodnight!
Well, tomorrow California becomes the second state to legalize same sex marriage. As far as I know, Massachusetts is the only other state to legalized it. Vermont and New Hampshire both have laws permitting "civil unions" not same sex marriage. Oddly enough, the law in California did not come from the legislature, rather it came from the courts. The state had actually banned same sex marriage, but the courts stepped in and vetoed it. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the purpose of the legislature to create the laws, and the purpose of the courts to uphold them?
There are some who may try to construe what I have just said, and the comments I am about to make as bigoted, or hate speech. Let me clarify. I have no problem with homosexuals. I do not condone hate crimes or discrimination against them. I do believe they are sinners, and living in sin, but as the Bible says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Rom. 3:23. That means that we are all of us sinners. We also know that God hates all sin equally, so it doesn't matter if you've told a lie, murdered, committed adultery, live a homosexual lifestyle, or have over-eaten (gluttony). It's all equal in God's sight. We as humans try to put a different degree on different sins, but we shouldn't. Sin is sin, we are all sinners, and we all have access to the same forgiveness in Christ.
That being said, I do believe homosexuality is a sin, and as such should not be promoted or condoned by our government. There is a huge difference between "not discriminating against" and actually condoning. Ensuring that homosexuals are afforded equal employment opportunities, are not the objects of hate crimes, etc. is totally different from coming out and advocating homosexuality as an "alternative life-style".
All that to say that I think we as Christians today are really missing a golden opportunity that has been given to us by the rise of homosexuality. The current popular belief is that homosexuality is a "genetic pre-disposition" and that we have no choice in our sexual orientation. This is diametrically opposed to another popular belief - the theory of evolution! To sum up the current philosophy, we are told that mankind and all living things are constantly evolving, and becoming better and stronger. Mankind is viewed as innately good and getting better. However, if evolution is true, and if homosexuality is genetic, the very process of evolution would have weeded out that very homosexual pre-disposition. For obvious reasons, homosexuals do not usually procreate. This should mean, if the evolutionary world view is correct, that we would see a downward trend in the number of homosexual people, because those who have that disposition would not procreate, and therefore the genetic code would die out.
However, this is the exact opposite of what we're seeing. In fact, we are seeing a rise in homosexuality. While this contradicts the evolutionary world view, it is actually predicted by a biblical world view. Biblicists see man as innately sinful and getting worse each day. We understand that God created a perfect world, but since man introduced sin, it has been consistently degrading. We also call homosexuality by its real name, not an "alternative life-style", but rather sin. Starting with a perfect world created by God that was damaged by sin, viewing mankind as sinners in need of a Savior, and calling homosexuality by its real name leads the Biblicist to draw the following conclusions - Mankind are sinners. Sin is increasing. Homosexuality is a sin, therefore homosexuality is increasing. Unlike the popular (albeit mistaken) world view of evolution, a biblical worldview explains the data.
Well, I apologize for any grammatical errors, it's late and I'm falling asleep, so I'm going to have to proofread at a later time
Goodnight!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Teething! :-p
These last few days have been rough - Daniel's teething, and possibly has a cold on top of that. He's been running a fever, and not sleeping well at night. Gail and I have been trading nights with him, so we've both been feeling exhausted as well.
We went shopping today for plants for our garden. I'm really looking forward to planting one again, and having fresh veggies this year, especially with how expensive everything is getting. We didn't go overboard, especially as it's our first year. We thought we'd start small and get an idea of what we can do.
Daniel and I will probably be staying home tomorrow, at least for the morning service. I hope and pray that he'll be feeling better soon.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Pray for the Chapman family
I just heard about the loss that the Steven Curtis Chapman family experienced yesterday, and my heart goes out to them. To lose a child that way must be horrific, especially for the older brother. Join me in praying for this family who has brought so much blessing to the Christian community.
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