I am soon to be 64 years of age. Luckily I feel healthy and relatively young.
I thought I had seen and heard just about everything. But I was wrong. Again.
Richard Dawkins, one of the Smartest People around - at least in his own mind that those of his admirers - said one of the absolutely Stupidest Things I have ever heard.
What he said was, "... that somebody as intelligent as Jesus would have been an atheist if he had known what we know today.”
Really?! The arrogance of some men simply knows no bounds. Maybe Mr. Richard Dawkins is the Nimrod of our day - full of himself even when standing before God (see Genesis 10:9).
One request: Mr. Dawkins, please don't be a Nimrod (again), you are just a man no matter how smart you are, while Jesus is God.
Deal with it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
What is it like?
What is it like to die?
What is it like to be brought back to life?
What is it like to live in a coma for 10 days?
What is it like to be in recovery with instructions to always try to “do more,” but not “too much?”
What is it like, days later while walking about, to see the one, “I take one look and know the man, as well as I know my brother. This man was my “respiratory therapist.” His was the first face I saw on waking from my coma.”
One of his thoughts, “To say what you feel towards these people and all the others of your friends and family is a sense of "gratitude" does not even begin to get on the scale of what you feel.....”
This is Gerard Van der Leun's story. It happened to him. You may read his story/essay here. It is a great read - as are the comments.
More importantly though after reading Gerard's story, wonder how it be when we finally recover from this life and meet Jesus in the eternal next life.
The author of the above article gives us a glimpse of what it will be like to meet the man who gives us eternal salvation.
Perhaps, (paraphrasing) “To say what I will feel towards the people and all the others, friends and family, who never stopped praying for me and my salvation is a sense of "gratitude" that does not even begin to get on the scale of what I feel. After all, I am in heaven and could have ended up in hell."
My gratitude? Boundless.
What is it like to be brought back to life?
What is it like to live in a coma for 10 days?
What is it like to be in recovery with instructions to always try to “do more,” but not “too much?”
What is it like, days later while walking about, to see the one, “I take one look and know the man, as well as I know my brother. This man was my “respiratory therapist.” His was the first face I saw on waking from my coma.”
One of his thoughts, “To say what you feel towards these people and all the others of your friends and family is a sense of "gratitude" does not even begin to get on the scale of what you feel.....”
This is Gerard Van der Leun's story. It happened to him. You may read his story/essay here. It is a great read - as are the comments.
More importantly though after reading Gerard's story, wonder how it be when we finally recover from this life and meet Jesus in the eternal next life.
The author of the above article gives us a glimpse of what it will be like to meet the man who gives us eternal salvation.
Perhaps, (paraphrasing) “To say what I will feel towards the people and all the others, friends and family, who never stopped praying for me and my salvation is a sense of "gratitude" that does not even begin to get on the scale of what I feel. After all, I am in heaven and could have ended up in hell."
My gratitude? Boundless.
Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up!
Letter to my Dear Daughter,
You don’t know (maybe you suspect) the number of times I have hoped and prayed you would quit and give up your dream of making a living from handmade jewelry and hand dyed yarn.
Tonight is a different story. Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up! I was wrong. I think I knew I was wrong in my heart of hearts (you know – the place sealed by the Holy Spirit) and that’s probably the reason I never voiced my concerns to you. Now I won’t be voicing them, except to say (with a great deal of humility), “I was wrong.”
Just watched two videos on “made by hand” and the first one was on handmade kitchen knives (kitchen knives!) of all things. Something gritty inside me really responded to that video. Maybe it was time spent around machinery in a machine shop, working in my Dad’s garage a few times, or working in my own garage when I used to do my own automotive maintenance.
Maybe it was something else. I don’t know.
I do know something in me responded deeply to the video.
Then I watched the second video on a startup micro distillery. It was part way through the second video I began to understand you and your passion for almost anything handmade.
To tell the truth, I still don’t get all of it. But I get enough of it now to say to you Dear Daughter, “Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up!”
I love you and as always wish you the greatest success in your endeavors. Now fill up your website, DaharaDreaming.com, with handmade products ready for the market.
Love you,
Dad, nwJ
PS: One day you may have to give up, but only after you have tried your best and your hardest.
(h/t americandigest.org for initial links)
You don’t know (maybe you suspect) the number of times I have hoped and prayed you would quit and give up your dream of making a living from handmade jewelry and hand dyed yarn.
Tonight is a different story. Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up! I was wrong. I think I knew I was wrong in my heart of hearts (you know – the place sealed by the Holy Spirit) and that’s probably the reason I never voiced my concerns to you. Now I won’t be voicing them, except to say (with a great deal of humility), “I was wrong.”
Just watched two videos on “made by hand” and the first one was on handmade kitchen knives (kitchen knives!) of all things. Something gritty inside me really responded to that video. Maybe it was time spent around machinery in a machine shop, working in my Dad’s garage a few times, or working in my own garage when I used to do my own automotive maintenance.
Maybe it was something else. I don’t know.
I do know something in me responded deeply to the video.
Then I watched the second video on a startup micro distillery. It was part way through the second video I began to understand you and your passion for almost anything handmade.
To tell the truth, I still don’t get all of it. But I get enough of it now to say to you Dear Daughter, “Don’t Quit! Don’t Give Up!”
I love you and as always wish you the greatest success in your endeavors. Now fill up your website, DaharaDreaming.com, with handmade products ready for the market.
Love you,
Dad, nwJ
PS: One day you may have to give up, but only after you have tried your best and your hardest.
(h/t americandigest.org for initial links)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Seven Billion
Sometime on Monday, October 31, 2011 a human being was born increasing the number of living humans to 7,000,000,000 or seven billion on planet earth.
Now one billion is a big number (really big as one billion seconds is approximately 31.7 years) and seven billion is obviously seven times greater.
Many people are already in despair and claiming the sky is about to fall because we now have seven billion people on our planet. They are asking, "What are we going to do about this incredible population explosion before we are all lost and drown in this sea of humanity."
First of all a little perspective is called for here.
Let's just answer one question first, "Where in the world could we put so many people?"
Answer: "How about Texas? It is the second largest state in the USA with 268,820 sq. miles which computes to 7,494,271,488,000 square feet (sf) or about 7.5 Trillion sf."
A little division and that comes out to about 1,071 sf available per person in Texas alone for all (every single person) seven billion.
Imagine that, everyone in Texas and the rest of the world vacant, empty, devoid of mankind.
But few people will live alone in their 1,071 sf (lots of folks, like married couples and families) will share 1,071 sf or a bit more. If apartment buildings are used for most people, then half or more of Texas would be vacant as well. Or would it be vacant?
Probably not. The rest of Texas would be full of roads, shopping centers, restaurants, manufacturing and anything else 7,000,000,000 people might be interested in.
Heck, if the apartment buildings for all seven billion are Texas sized (many stories high) and made available for most people, then all 7 billion people could fit in less that 33 percent of Texas leaving 67 percent vacant ... along with the rest of the world.
So, forgive me, but no cries of despair here.
However, there is one question that keeps bothering me, "How is the world are we to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to all 7 billion people on this wonderful earth of His?"
It would surely be easier if they were all in Texas.
Now one billion is a big number (really big as one billion seconds is approximately 31.7 years) and seven billion is obviously seven times greater.
Many people are already in despair and claiming the sky is about to fall because we now have seven billion people on our planet. They are asking, "What are we going to do about this incredible population explosion before we are all lost and drown in this sea of humanity."
First of all a little perspective is called for here.
Let's just answer one question first, "Where in the world could we put so many people?"
Answer: "How about Texas? It is the second largest state in the USA with 268,820 sq. miles which computes to 7,494,271,488,000 square feet (sf) or about 7.5 Trillion sf."
A little division and that comes out to about 1,071 sf available per person in Texas alone for all (every single person) seven billion.
Imagine that, everyone in Texas and the rest of the world vacant, empty, devoid of mankind.
But few people will live alone in their 1,071 sf (lots of folks, like married couples and families) will share 1,071 sf or a bit more. If apartment buildings are used for most people, then half or more of Texas would be vacant as well. Or would it be vacant?
Probably not. The rest of Texas would be full of roads, shopping centers, restaurants, manufacturing and anything else 7,000,000,000 people might be interested in.
Heck, if the apartment buildings for all seven billion are Texas sized (many stories high) and made available for most people, then all 7 billion people could fit in less that 33 percent of Texas leaving 67 percent vacant ... along with the rest of the world.
So, forgive me, but no cries of despair here.
However, there is one question that keeps bothering me, "How is the world are we to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to all 7 billion people on this wonderful earth of His?"
It would surely be easier if they were all in Texas.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Rebuild - Part II or Why My Weight Loss Program Is Working
I have written before (June, 2010) about wanting to get my weight down to 202 lbs. on a eat less and do more (EL&DM) program. It didn’t work then, it is working great now, but with a difference.
Things changed in July 2011 when I began breaking down, which I wrote about here. I also wrote about my initial rebuild efforts here. Progress was being made, but I was circumspect in my reporting then.
Not so now. I started out 67 lbs. overweight. That was stage one obesity and I was at the high end of stage one, headed straight towards stage two. Things were not good. Today, I am no longer obese, but I am still overweight – 16 lbs. overweight. I have lost 51 lbs. in just over 12 weeks.
How did this happen? In the second week of the Part-1 Rebuild I was walking across the Great Miami River on the Main Street bridge and stopped midway across. It was then I realized my efforts were doomed to failure.
Even though I had my weight going down and was doing what was necessary I had not asked God to guide my efforts. I am able to do a lot on my own, God has given me great strength of will, but I believed that would not be enough for the task at hand – a return to real health.
My thoughts were guided by a study of Genesis and the trouble Abraham got into time after time when he went off on some direction or action either without involving God in the decision making or not seeking God’s approval. This turned out to be true for his offspring as well until Joseph. My thoughts were also guided by Matthew 12:43-45 where by strength of will a man drives a demon out of his house (out of himself), but the man does not bring God into his heart – the demon returns and brings along seven others. Things end up worse than where he began.
So in the middle of that bridge on a hot (very hot) afternoon, holding on to the railing, looking over the river, I prayed God would involve himself in my seeking for spiritual strength to pursue the weight loss and health as He would have me pursue them and to change in such a way the effort would focus on Him and remain focused there.
God has been faithful throughout the process. I have tripped a few times as I have moved forward on the “Eat Less and Do More” program, but with God as my partner in all I do I have not fallen down. He has always been there to help me avoid eating a single sweet in this time period. He has also provided me with an incredible helpmate – my bride, Sharon. She has walked with me almost every morning and evening.
The program itself has me eating fewer calories than needed to maintain my weight (sufficient to lose some weight) and also to walk 2 to 4 miles of a morning and 2 to 4 miles of an evening. And in my (our) walks, I have reinterpreted WWJD from “What Would Jesus Do” to something new and wonderful “Walk With Jesus Daily” and it works and continues working.
I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful it feels to have His strength when sweets are placed in large number before me. The season for snacks and sweets is upon us now. My likely failure during this season is turned into an expected success with the Dietician I am working with day in and day out.
Bottom line: include God in your efforts and let Him give you the strength and ability to succeed. What do you have to lose (literally)?
ADDENDUM
On our walks together Sharon and I normally hold hands, building intimacy over our normal three or three and a quarter miles. It is an amazing blessing to us. Lately however, I have taken carrying a 10 lb. barbell in each hand for two to 4 mile. Now the blessing is a real increase in muscle tone and strength in the arms and shoulders. Not bad for 63 rapidly approaching 64. God is Good – All the time.
Things changed in July 2011 when I began breaking down, which I wrote about here. I also wrote about my initial rebuild efforts here. Progress was being made, but I was circumspect in my reporting then.
Not so now. I started out 67 lbs. overweight. That was stage one obesity and I was at the high end of stage one, headed straight towards stage two. Things were not good. Today, I am no longer obese, but I am still overweight – 16 lbs. overweight. I have lost 51 lbs. in just over 12 weeks.
How did this happen? In the second week of the Part-1 Rebuild I was walking across the Great Miami River on the Main Street bridge and stopped midway across. It was then I realized my efforts were doomed to failure.
Even though I had my weight going down and was doing what was necessary I had not asked God to guide my efforts. I am able to do a lot on my own, God has given me great strength of will, but I believed that would not be enough for the task at hand – a return to real health.
My thoughts were guided by a study of Genesis and the trouble Abraham got into time after time when he went off on some direction or action either without involving God in the decision making or not seeking God’s approval. This turned out to be true for his offspring as well until Joseph. My thoughts were also guided by Matthew 12:43-45 where by strength of will a man drives a demon out of his house (out of himself), but the man does not bring God into his heart – the demon returns and brings along seven others. Things end up worse than where he began.
So in the middle of that bridge on a hot (very hot) afternoon, holding on to the railing, looking over the river, I prayed God would involve himself in my seeking for spiritual strength to pursue the weight loss and health as He would have me pursue them and to change in such a way the effort would focus on Him and remain focused there.
God has been faithful throughout the process. I have tripped a few times as I have moved forward on the “Eat Less and Do More” program, but with God as my partner in all I do I have not fallen down. He has always been there to help me avoid eating a single sweet in this time period. He has also provided me with an incredible helpmate – my bride, Sharon. She has walked with me almost every morning and evening.
The program itself has me eating fewer calories than needed to maintain my weight (sufficient to lose some weight) and also to walk 2 to 4 miles of a morning and 2 to 4 miles of an evening. And in my (our) walks, I have reinterpreted WWJD from “What Would Jesus Do” to something new and wonderful “Walk With Jesus Daily” and it works and continues working.
I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful it feels to have His strength when sweets are placed in large number before me. The season for snacks and sweets is upon us now. My likely failure during this season is turned into an expected success with the Dietician I am working with day in and day out.
Bottom line: include God in your efforts and let Him give you the strength and ability to succeed. What do you have to lose (literally)?
ADDENDUM
On our walks together Sharon and I normally hold hands, building intimacy over our normal three or three and a quarter miles. It is an amazing blessing to us. Lately however, I have taken carrying a 10 lb. barbell in each hand for two to 4 mile. Now the blessing is a real increase in muscle tone and strength in the arms and shoulders. Not bad for 63 rapidly approaching 64. God is Good – All the time.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Bad Move
There is a lot of talk about a vote coming up at the UN to create a new state, a Palestinian state. Much of this is happening because President Obama endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state. Bad move Mr. President.
Just how bad?
Ask yourself how many Jews live and work in the area that wants to become a Palestinian state? Take your time, actually look it up.
Okay, time is up. The answer is zero, none, nada.
If you are a Jew in Egypt it is not as bad, but you are actually subject to attack at any time. And if you are attacked because you are mistaken for a Jew, the response is, "Sorry, we thought you were a Jew" as if that explains everything and makes it alright.
It doesn’t .
Since turnabout is fair play, let’s ask how many Palestinians or Arabs work and live in Israel, homeland of the Jewish people?
The answer is approximately 20% of the population of Israel is made up of Arabs or 1.5 million. They live in freedom under the protection of the Jewish state, they and their families living in peace.
And it is Israel that is reviled, not Palestine.
Bad move Mr. President.
Just how bad?
Ask yourself how many Jews live and work in the area that wants to become a Palestinian state? Take your time, actually look it up.
Okay, time is up. The answer is zero, none, nada.
If you are a Jew in Egypt it is not as bad, but you are actually subject to attack at any time. And if you are attacked because you are mistaken for a Jew, the response is, "Sorry, we thought you were a Jew" as if that explains everything and makes it alright.
It doesn’t .
Since turnabout is fair play, let’s ask how many Palestinians or Arabs work and live in Israel, homeland of the Jewish people?
The answer is approximately 20% of the population of Israel is made up of Arabs or 1.5 million. They live in freedom under the protection of the Jewish state, they and their families living in peace.
And it is Israel that is reviled, not Palestine.
Bad move Mr. President.
“Retreat, Hell!”
Not too long ago my bride and I watched a movie at home that was so bad we almost wanted too … well I don’t want to say, but it was really, I mean really, badly done. I posted on Facebook about it and our son agreed, but recommended Battle Los Angeles.
So to get the last movie out of our minds/heads, we decided to watch Battle Los Angeles. Not bad, not great, but real entertainment with real (albeit fictional) heroes. We enjoyed it on a few different levels. Especially the acts of heroism within the film, but they seemed somewhat overacted.
Still, we learned a new wartime phrase, “Retreat, Hell!” In the movie it was explained as a USMC motto, especially for the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines according to Wikipedia, when a Marine officer was ordered to retreat and replied “Retreat? Hell, we just got here!”
“Retreat, Hell!” and the movie theatrics had me looking at the movie as a recruiting film for the US Marine Corp and a bit for the US Air Force. The real focus of the movie was clearly on the USMC throughout and the brotherhood of the Marines. Was it overdone? I thought so then but no longer.
Why not any longer?
Well, this past week I read about a real life USMC soldier who has become the first living Marine in 38 years to win the Medal of Honor. Sergeant Dakota L. Meyer while a Corporal serving in Afghanistan, from his citation, received this Medal “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 28, Regional Corps Advisory Command 37 in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September, 2009.”
That doesn’t tell the half of it, read the citation here or here and find out what conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty really is.
One thing that jumps out at you in reading the facts within the citation is an understanding of why no living Marine has received the Medal of Honor in 38 years. It is nothing short of a miracle that Sergeant Meyer is with us today. The facts of going into battle solo against overwhelming odds three times, the last two while wounded, in the same battle with three different vehicles, gun trucks, saving two dozen Afghan soldiers, is almost too much to believe.
Corporal Dakota Meyer is an incredible embodiment of the spirit of “Retreat, Hell!” I hope you take the time to read the full citation.
So to get the last movie out of our minds/heads, we decided to watch Battle Los Angeles. Not bad, not great, but real entertainment with real (albeit fictional) heroes. We enjoyed it on a few different levels. Especially the acts of heroism within the film, but they seemed somewhat overacted.
Still, we learned a new wartime phrase, “Retreat, Hell!” In the movie it was explained as a USMC motto, especially for the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines according to Wikipedia, when a Marine officer was ordered to retreat and replied “Retreat? Hell, we just got here!”
“Retreat, Hell!” and the movie theatrics had me looking at the movie as a recruiting film for the US Marine Corp and a bit for the US Air Force. The real focus of the movie was clearly on the USMC throughout and the brotherhood of the Marines. Was it overdone? I thought so then but no longer.
Why not any longer?
Well, this past week I read about a real life USMC soldier who has become the first living Marine in 38 years to win the Medal of Honor. Sergeant Dakota L. Meyer while a Corporal serving in Afghanistan, from his citation, received this Medal “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 28, Regional Corps Advisory Command 37 in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September, 2009.”
That doesn’t tell the half of it, read the citation here or here and find out what conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty really is.
One thing that jumps out at you in reading the facts within the citation is an understanding of why no living Marine has received the Medal of Honor in 38 years. It is nothing short of a miracle that Sergeant Meyer is with us today. The facts of going into battle solo against overwhelming odds three times, the last two while wounded, in the same battle with three different vehicles, gun trucks, saving two dozen Afghan soldiers, is almost too much to believe.
Corporal Dakota Meyer is an incredible embodiment of the spirit of “Retreat, Hell!” I hope you take the time to read the full citation.
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