Sharing My Wife's Creation

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R.'s site is www.godsdesignnotmine.blogspot.com this is her design - hope you like it ...but please come back....

Setting Things Right

It is odd that R. and I watched "The Godfather" over the weekend and then this morning, my Bible reading brought me to the second chapter of the book of 1 Kings.

Do you remember those tense last few moments of the 1972 hit movie? The mantle was passing to Michael Corleone, and he was setting things right by ordering the almost simultaneous assassination of all his families enemies.

Solomon - the wisest man... ever ... was something like Michael when he came to his throne.

It almost seemed as if David had reserved vengeance throughout his lifetime, but on his deathbed turned the job over to his son.

And chapter two is a bloody chapter. But as I read that chapter today and thought on it later, I realized that David was not just fulfilling some vendetta against those that had "crossed" him. He was trying to protect his son and to establish his throne by getting rid of these enemies that would surely destroy Solomon if given the chance.

The action also yielded a new respect for Solomon from his people ... maybe even fear. I once attended a management seminar in which the speaker said that the best way to earn the respect of those around you - is to fire someone.

As crude as it may sound, I think there is some truth to that.

As I reflected a little on what I know of Solomon's subsequent reign - it was not characterized by war, like David's kingdom. It was, for the most part, peaceful - a very rich season.

As parents we can help ease the path for our children in much the same way David did.

No, I don't mean to bump off the little bully that waits to steal little Junior's milk money - but we can foresee some of the obstacles in their path and help them to clear them away.

The Forgotten Man

At the behest of my brother-in-law I have only just completed the reading of a book he loaned me over the holidays ... the Christmas holidays... okay so Evelyn Wood would not be proud of me!

Anyway, it was a book I was truly anxious to jump into and it has lived up to my expectations. The book is "The Forgotten Man", the author is Amity Schlaes - an economist and columnist.

The subtitle indicates that it is a "New History of the Great Depression". My brother-in-law indicated that there are a lot of parallels between our present day - which some are now referring to as "The Great Recession" and that tragic event that drug out the 1930's.

Other than the stuff my parents and grandparents told me about the Great Depression - and what I saw on "The Waltons", I more or less skipped over that decade of American history. I always seemed to have been enamored by the following decade - the 1940's.

I have decided that Barack Obama is FDR - only FDR isn't what we thought he was. In many ways, George W. Bush was very "Hoover-like". George W. Bush started us down the road of government takeovers with his "TARP I"; Hoover began to open the door to collectivism - the idea that some things were too big to be handled by business or individual states - they needed be organized by a larger hand - the hand of government. Hoover just opened the door. Roosevelt tore down the door and the entire structure in an attempt to remake everything.

My Dad is not and never was - a Roosevelt man. My grandfather, Dad's father-in-law could never leave his allegiance to Roosevelt. I heard Dad argue with him many times, that it was FDR that got us into all this mess with so much government spending; my Papa (grandfather) would respond with something like: "Dav-O, you just don't know ... he got us out of some terrible trouble!"

That was always the story. No matter how much of a Socialist - or even Communist - Roosevelt was, he got us out of the Depression.

In the book, Schlaes builds the case for the fact that by manipulating money, attacking big business in the courts and in the newspapers, and proposing and passing legislation that so favored Unions that it hamstrung business - Roosevelt worsened and prolonged the Depression.

It seems to me that FDR just revelled in his power and played with it like a game - pitting his own people against one another; speaking in favor of something one day and against it the next.

His first term was very "Utopian" , his "brain-trust" was all made up of ideologues many of whom adored Marx, Lenin and Stalin.

It seems that FDR's first term might have been somewhat like Obama's - massive changes. In fact, his popularity - like Obama's was on the downward slide. That's when FDR shifted and began a practice of favoring specific coalitions with funding or with favorable legislation. In doing so he built up a solid block of votes.

Somewhere in that first term, Roosevelt left many of his ideals behind and followed his first love - politics.

That modus-operandi got him through three more elections.

Some things stand out to me about this history:

• While I am in no wise, a Roosevelt fan (unless were talking about Uncle Teddy), my impression of him has always been somewhat favorable; now it is less.


• I believe that the period of the 1920's have been grossly mis-characterized. My impression was that it was a decade of debauchery. People spent money they didn't have, speculated, and lived wildly. But rather, the 1920's was a remarkable decade - a Renaissance of Capitalism. It was an age of invention and industry... Ford ... Edison.... etc. And while the prosperity of the day did lure some people into spending what they did not have, many people went from rags to riches through honest, hard work and smart dealing.


• I thought the term "jobless recovery" was something Rham Emanuel invented to try and keep the wolves at bay until the Obama administration could complete it's U.S. make-over; instead I learned that FDR's administration used the same term to describe the "recovery" of the early thirties. . . a recovery that wasn't really materializing.


• I had a better impression of Hoover before reading the book. He seems to me to be a great manager. He was best when there was a crisis and he could pull in talents and resources and manage a solution. But his policy on tariffs hampered the economic downturn and as mentioned earlier, he winked toward collectivism and the idea that the government might be the solution after all.


• I am amazed at the government entities that we take for granted today - that once were private enterprises or considered shockingly Socialistic at their inception. Like Social Security and the TVA.


• Finally, I think it was Stalin that really turned this country around: when he started executing many of his former political allies - many of the eggheads in the Brain-trust saw the light.

Their new found allegiance to the country coupled with the diligent patriotism of "The Forgotten Man" made up the Greatest Generation.

It's not a real difficult read if you like American History - I highly recommend the book ... especially for these times.

Created on Purpose

It's a point we have been trying to emphasize with Ab and AA lately - the fact that God specifically designed them for a purpose. He created them to do something that no one else in His creation would be such a unique fit for.


I firmly believe the biblical account of the Creation. Others may see things differently as far as how long the creation took to bring about or how it all looked, and I'm okay with that. I just like the simple story that we learned as children in Sunday School. I even believe the six literal days with one day of rest - version.


As I look around and I see all the ways that western culture seems to chafe against a biblical worldview, most of them stem from an improper understanding of Creation.


Abortion and euthanasia are practices based in a need for convenience. It is not difficult to arrive at the conclusion that one of these solutions is viable, if you discount the biblical creation account. If one believes that we all arrived here just because some random atoms started linking up, it is easy to decided that nothing really matters much but "me" and the moment I am in right now.


On the other hand, when I recognize the obvious - that every minute detail of nature loudly declares the presence of an intelligent Designer - it becomes plain to me that there is a structure, a plan, a reason for every living thing.


Order. That's one of God's trademarks. The fact that planets don't go crashing into one another and we don't pluck baby kangaroos from apple trees shows me that Someone is in charge, keeping everything in it's proper place.


Take the man-made global warming bunch - it appears to me that this thinking that creatures like us can actually destroy this planet, is flawed because it ignores the fact that God created the world and He will decide when and how it will end.


I do think that humans have a responsibility of "taking care" of the place in which we have been given to live. I'm okay with a Teddy Roosevelt sort of view toward conservation; I am not okay with the apocalyptic-"chicken-Little"style-panic that we get today. It is clearly politically motivated with an aim toward limiting liberties and curtailing capitalism.


I was greatly influenced by a book I read a number of years ago called, "Trashing the Planet" written by the former Washington State Governor, Dixie Lee Ray (now deceased). I believe her statement was that the earth was "marvelously rejuvenative". In other words God created it and set processes and cycles in motion to correct problems.


So a lot of my political thinking stems from a belief in the biblical Creation account.


I think such a view also affects things like self-esteem and compassion.


It is why R. and I feel so strongly about having our children understand that they were created by God, and He had a specific purpose in mind. They are here for a reason.

This truth also reveals something about the nature of God - He is intentional.

Our pastor recently conducted a teaching series on "Worship". Having only recently begun wading into the Reformed Tradition, I have much to learn about it and I was captivated by the teaching. Everything about a worship service in the Reformed Tradition is intentional: every ceremony, song, symbol, liturgy - even the arrangement of the furniture - is all deliberate. It is all there to point to Christ and to proclaim the gospel.

That sense of order and meaning in worship seems right to me.

Incidentally, I like that my pastor is also very intentional in that he never wastes a single opportunity to create a teaching moment, "this is why we do this..." he says.

Finally, what does all the purpose mean to me?

It means that, like my pastor, God never wastes a teaching moment. Every event, every person, every thought that I encounter has been created and allowed to come my way at a particular time for a deliberate purpose. The triumphs, the failures, the pitfalls, the peaks, they are all placed in my path by a loving God Who longs to use them to teach me or to wear me down to the point that I become teachable.

"OW! that hurt! You did that on purpose!"

It is common to hear that phraseology among any set of youngsters... sometimes if you could hear the quiet inner voice of most struggling adults, you might hear the same exclamations:

"OW! God, that hurt!... You did that on purpose!" - His reply may very well be -

"Well... yeah... but its a good purpose!"

Miss Me Yet?

The mystery billboard News Cut Minnesota Public Radio

I have added the link in order to properly credit the guy, but I'm posting the picture among my photos on the left column....

This is soooooo rich!

Mighty Men of Valor

As I finish up reading 2 Samuel, I have come to a list of guys. I really like the old KJV at times because of the colors of the antiquated language. It refers to this list of guys as "Mighty Men of Valor".

That is so cool.

I have been stringing along a series of posts on the Leadership Model of David and one fact that I have been re-awakened to is that David was very human and very fallible. I think that is what folks like about him so much. He tugged at God's heartstrings but he messed up like most of us - sometimes he messed up really big!

The leadership maxim that we can learn from David and his Mighty Men of Valor, is that a strong leader surrounds himself (or herself) with a strong team. It's a good idea to select people to serve under your leadership that may be smarter, stronger, or better than you.

If David was anything, he was a man of war, I mean after all he was the original giant killer, right? Now listen to some of the tales that surrounded the men that served under him.

One of his top three warriors once killed 800 enemy soldiers in a single battle. We're talking hand-to-hand combat - no improvised explosives - just knives and spears and stuff... 800 men.

Another fellow stood alone and defended a patch of beans against an army of Philistines that had already sent all his com padres packing... they must have been Luck's Giant Lima Beans...

And these fellows were fiercely loyal - and mean.

When David was fleeing the palace because his son was trying to take over, some yahoo by the name of Shimei came out to watch. Now Shimei's only claim to fame was that he was a distant kin to the former king Saul and so he walked his raggedy ole' self out to see David and gloat. He cursed David and threw rocks at him.

Walking alongside David was one of these "Mighty Men of Valor" and in a matter-of-fact manner - much like the manner in which one would discuss the weather - he said to David, "Say the word and I will remove his head".

Fiercely loyal.

David was not intimidated by the power of these men, he knew they were loyal and would follow him. In turn, David could be found serving alongside these men in the battle. He didn't usually send them, he lead them.

In one last telling example, Eleazar was the number two Mighty Men of Valor - he was among an elite force known as the top three. In one certain battle with the Philistines, things went bad and it was time to retreat and fight again another day. But Eleazar stayed ... he kept fighting. When he looked to his side who would he find but David fighting alongside him.

It was a glorious day! David and Eleazar fought side by side until every last enemy soldier was dead or had fled.

Eleazar fought so hard that he couldn't open his hand to remove his sword.

The rest of David's army did not return to the battlefield until it was time to go and pick up the spoils.

A good leader needs great men and women to surround him; and a good leadership inspires such followers.

Sabbaticals

It has been two weeks since my last confession here.

You know, I kinda' like the scholarly professions in which people are encouraged to take an occasional sabbatical. I think I am wired for taking time away from the normal routine every so often - some folks do it for an entire year.

I think in most professions that involve the need to make a profit - most folks would be concerned about being deemed unnecessary if they could take off a year and the business not suffer.

Anyway, I said all that to say that I haven't been on a sabbatical over these past two week when I was AWOL from my SoJourn posts.

I'm not sure where I've been. I will say that with the exception of the "snow" weekend, every other weekend in January was taken... January is now the official "retreat" season and I had two to attend, we had a birthday weekend for Ab and it has just been a busy month.

When I was considering going into bloggery a year and one-half ago, I looked around and discovered that all along the way there were blogs that sat vacant... they were started with a lot of excitement and then they fizzled. I did not want to be the purveyor of such a blog.

So along with my penitence for being derelict in my duties, I will try and explain how other things have taken precedent.

I have picked up a couple of things that I had laid down. Not bad habits necessarily - actually good ones - just some that had fallen into disuse: reading and learning guitar.

I am not an avid reader but have, for the past 15 years or so, set a goal of reading 20 books each year (sometimes more). It is a goal I seldom reach but I usually will make a respectable stab at it. (This comes as a slight embarrassment as I realize that my wife has mentioned on her blog - God's Design Not Mine - that used to read 30-40 books per year).
Last year the numbers did not look pretty. I won't say how many I read but it was less than 10 ... I take some satisfaction in the fact that I cannot give a completely accurate account since the computer where I kept my official list has met an untimely demise.

So my brother-in-law (whom I hazard to guess - IS an avid reader and reads some "heady" stuff too) loaned me a book over the holidays and I am plodding through it now. The book is "The Forgotten Man" by Amity Schlaes. Perhaps I will write more about this later but it is a winner!! I had to go back and check the copyright date to be sure it wasn't written after the onslaught of the Obama administration. The parallels between our present day events and the Roosevelt administration are scary!

I am also involved in some other reading - AA and I have taken to reading Robert Louis Stevenson's' "Kidnapped" at a rate of about one chapter per night.

And finally, since I am trying to learn all I can about Calvinism and Reformed Theology - I am reading a tiny little book about Calvin by John Piper.

Over the holidays, I took a renewed interest in picking a little on the guitar . . . AA and I usually work on his Christmas songs for the annual Music Recital and then we get some opportunities to pick a little with families. A friend at work (who is a pretty accomplished artist) recommended that I just pick it up and play about fifteen minutes a day. So I've tried to do that.

Then there's Upward Basketball. Both our kids are involved. It's been about three years since Ab played Basketball and then she was more interested in the pretty lights on the scoreboard than the game.

At this point I should note that R. and I have focused on becoming involved in less for a number of years now. It is our hope to keep our lives in "big chunks" as Dave Ramsey would say.

This minimalist perspective means that adding the one night of basketball practice and one Saturday each week for games - throws our life into helter skelter.

I really have a lot of regard for the Upward Basketball program and appreciate both the discipleship portion of the program as well as the fact that they are learning some fundamentals of the sport.

So that's what I've been doing. It's not a semester in Paris but it is proving to be somewhat enlightening.