New Family Member

Please say "hello" to a new family member, Timothy (he's the one in mother's arms). Tim was born and lived in China, but as of last week lives in New Jersey with my niece, Pam. Her and her husband, Dennis have opened their home to this little fellow whom REALLY needed a family.

We are excited about Tim's arrival, because we believe God gave Dennis & Pam vision for this adoption, as well as all the grace needed to love him unconditionally. And as you can see, he has a few new brothers that love him too.

Its a beautiful thing to behold when God gives someone vision for such a thing. A burden started the process of investigation. And investigation fostered a desire to help. Now after three years of prayer and preparation, we see that vision become reality. ITS AWESOME !!!

I just LOVE this picture because it reminds me of my youth. I had a '57 Johnson (35 HP) just like this one - on an aluminum Lonestar boat of the same vintage. It was an unusual boat for South Florida where the extremely salty ocean eats up everything metal. Obviously it was somebody's lake boat from the north, because it was still in great condition by 1970.

I had SO much fun running up and down the Inter-coastal Waterway in that boat. I remember the battery often going dead so the electric starter would not work. Having to crank it by hand was a real chore. Those old motors had some SERIOUS compression, and I was a little kid then.

Sun-up to sundown we burned all the gasoline we could buy. I went through hundreds of gallons (really cheap gas) as we water skied and explored Florida's waters. It was WONDERFUL ... wish I could go back to that time.

Mission, According to Jesus

Reading some interesting stuff on the internet concerning the church in contemporary society. One author points out : "Jesus Christ used salt and light as metaphors of the influential characteristics of His church in the world. Historically, salt has always been a valuable commodity used, among other things, as an antiseptic to withdraw infection. ... Likewise, the presence of the church in the world is Christ's antiseptic to sin, an influence of God's righteousness that tends to displace the infection of evil."

This is a fresh perspective on a very old metaphor. And as I think on it, I believe the writer is right. I have seen examples where a healthy church that is influencing its community has a real (often measurable) affect upon it. In addition to things like repaired family relationships and restored marriages, there are other more "social" changes. The least of these was a reduction in crime rate.

One may choose to argue about such statistical changes and attempt to attribute it to something other than the influence of a church. But when many of those former criminals are discovered IN the church ... that is having become an active member, the reason behind change becomes quite obvious. This is 'regeneration' in its most primitive form.

So are we (the church) salt and light? Take a look around next meeting. Who's sitting next to you?

1913 Bi-Autogo

For all my biker friends in cyberspace, you just gotta check this one out. Its gotta be the most bizarre looking motorcycle ever built. And "yes" it has retractable training wheels (wood) for stopping at those pesky intersections -when you can't easily slide over to get a foot down.

In original condition, its pretty rough - but all there. This machine is definitely a work of artistic design and craftsmanship. It was a prototype, so as far as I can tell "its one-of-a-kind." And in "the day", it was SOME KIND of hotrod! Somebody wanted to go fast, cause they slipped the biggest motor they could find in it. That's something like putting a blown hemi in the trikes of today. And on wooden spokes and tire rims ... no less!

This ride is currently on display in the Owls Head Transportation Museum (www.ohtm.org) in Owls Head, Maine - along with lots of other choice antiques. The museum has an AWESOME Vintage Motorcycle Meet the first weekend in September, and people come from everywhere. The area literally becomes a biker-town over night, with a good deal of old stuff running up and down the streets.

September is my favorite month in Maine ... EXCELLENT riding on the coast that time of year. If your interested in coming up, put that scooter in gear! Join hundreds of bikes and go for a scenic ride ... and DEFINITELY check out the Bi-Autogo.

Pray for New England

Reverse the Order

Awesome Architecture

The Burj Khalifa is twice as tall as the Empire State Building and towers above the City of Dubai. This "world's tallest building" is nothing short of an architectural masterpiece. And to think it is right on the ocean and will have to withstand all the maritime winds and foul weather is truly amazing. As one whom has dabbled in construction work, I can only begin to comprehend what went into building this monumental structure. Its really beyond me to imagine it.

With that I would say, these workers pictured below must have nerves of steel! The title of the picture was "The Last Panel". Boy! ... the pucker factor must have been high that day. Those yellow safety belts might have been to keep them from floating off into space instead of falling to the ground. And I'm surprised they didn't need supplemental oxygen up there.






















There is a restaurant on the top floor being advertised. I would think the view is quite good. The question I have is, "Could I get over a queezy stomach to enjoy a meal up there"? AND ... can I see the Space Shuttle's docking station from my table?