The Beloved's Five

The rules are simple: You MUST pick one of the choices.
You can explain your answer in more detail if you wish.
Would you rather:
1. Be able to stop time while you slept, OR Never have
to do laundry?
Since my wife & I both do laundry, its not a big thing 
... especially since the kids are gone. So, I guess I 
would rather "stop time". At least my hair wouldn't 
gray so fast.
2. Hit every red light for the rest of your life, OR
always be wrong?
That's easy, I choose "hit every red light" because I 
do that anyway. It was a running joke between me & my 
father, I inherited that from him.
3. Be debt free (except for your house), OR eleven
years ahead of schedule on your mortgage?
I'll take 11 years off the home mortgage. Since I'm
only 1 year into a 30 year mortgage, that's a given!
4. Always take a cold shower OR sleep an hour less
than you need to be fully rested?
I'll take cold showers. I'm ugly when short on rest. 
Nobody could live with me if I was sleep-deprived
every day.
5. Always have to say everything on your mind OR never
speak again?
Always have to say everything on my mind. Though it 
could be embarrassing at times, I believe most people 
who seldom speak their mind or express what's on 
their heart struggle with emotional health. I have
enough emotional baggage without the inability to
communicate it. I feel sure that would cause serious
trouble for me.

I just LOVE this depiction of Mary, mother of Jesus, in an effort to capture her state of mind after the resurrection of Easter. If the resurrection of Christ really happened (and I believe it did), one should be 'taken' by the impact it would have had upon those closest to him.

The Easter Story of Christ's resurrection has "impacted" people for a few thousand years. I'm glad to see debates about this most astounding historical claim taking place in my lifetime. For it is a pivotal consideration in religion among true skeptics. And smart people are still seeking truth - no matter how difficult it might be.

Its AMAZING to me that such rigorous challenge to spirituality is taking place in the public squares of the USA ... especially when it comes to the truth-claims of Christianity and Easter. It seems that all other world religions are somehow "acceptable" in American culture - EXCEPT the one in which most of the founding fathers of America believed. Were they intellectually weak or something?

My observation is there are some really "brilliant" men and women who believe the story of Easter. And debate over the truthfulness of this event goes on. I think 2000 years of debate and academic energy expended on the subject is a testimony to its importance. For me, the recorded history of people being burned alive for claiming to believe anything is most disturbing to my logic. I don't know why anyone would go through that kind of agony for a lie - or even something they had significant doubt about. But martyrdom seems to be readily accepted as a real part of history in the Ancient Roman empire. Amazingly, there a still people giving up their life for Christian beliefs in our day.

As a Christian, I just LOVE Easter! Here in Maine, the celebration is heightened because the Easter season also welcomes a pleasant change in the weather. But THIS holiday is celebrated by Christians all over the world - in all kinds of climate. And not all of these people are intellectually weak. Is there really something of substance to this holiday? A good place to start looking for answers to THAT question might be this online interview between opposing minds: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6080701868320096275&ei=dqDcSamiJ4bSqQKQ1bTMCQ&q=resurrection%2BHabbermas&client=firefox-a

HAPPY HUNTING!

Billy Rhythm's MI-5

4/3 asks 5 party themed questions and because its April
3rd, I am going to ask you to give 4 answers followed
by 3 details.

WOW ... feeling ambitious eh?  OK, here goes;

1. Just recently I started holding a monthly 'Game
Night' to help give friends an excuse to get out of the
house and get together. We kicked it off with a Murder
Mystery Party which was great fun, most recently we
gathered to play a game of cards called "Bull Donkey"
the laughter went on all night. Tell us 4 games you like
to play and include either 3 things (memories, feelings,
skills, commonalities etc.. related to them).
I must confess, I am NOT a game person. My family NEVER
played games while I was growing up, and I very seldom
played them with my kids. The only game I can remember is
one we played recently when we had company for supper ...
and I only played for the enjoyment of my wife and company.
The game is called, Apples To Apples. It requires no skill
(another reason I played), so people of all ages can play.
I must say, I enjoyed seeing young and old-er playing and
laughing together.

2. When thinking of throwing a party what 4 people are
always at thetop of your list and tell us 3 things about
them that put them there.
#1 on my list would be my wife - the proverbial "party
animal". She loves to party- for any reason. She is very
creative with activities. She does not get drunk and throw
up in my bathroom.
Second would be my friend, Rodney. He always has a joke.
He has a wonderful sense of humor. He has a very distinct
laugh.
Next would be Rodney's wife, Allison. She has a gift for
entertaining. She is the best cook I know. She's a really
sweet lady.
#3 would be Michele ... an old friend from Virginia. She
loves music (as I do). She's a fantastic dancer. She's a 
great dance teacher.
#4 is Donald Trump. The man knows how to throw a party.
He is extravagant. He keeps great company!  

3. Most parties include food, share with us 4 favorite party dishes
but only 3 adjectives to describe each one.
#1 My wife's cheese & scallion spread; sharp, spicy, smooth.
#2 Smoked Salmon & cream-cheese; stinky, smokey, cheezy.
#3 Nachos; colorful, spicy, caliente!
#4 Caviar; fishy, squishy, delicious.

I'LL HAVE TO FINISH THIS ONE LATER ...

Shopper's MI-5

I’ve been shopping a lot this week, so this week’s 5 is inspired by several of the stores I have been to:

TJ MAXX – I have no idea what the “TJ” in TJ Maxx stands for. Do know of someone who goes by his/her initials, instead of his/her full name? What is their full name? Why do they prefer initials? Tell us a little bit about this person. I think it might stand for Tijuana (Mexico) where much of their apparel is produced. BTW; I'm not knocking it, we clothed three kids through school there. I know two individuals who go by "T" and they do not have the same first name. I don't know why ... I suppose I should ask.

TARGET – Tell us a story about target practice, hunting, or some sort of “shooting” activity. I haven't done much target shooting because my wife hates guns. But I found it interesting that the Greco-Roman world used a word for "sin" which also meant "missing a target".

DOLLAR TREE – What’s the best bargain going nowadays? Is there anything you buy that is really only $1.00 (or less)? A "Dollar Tree" ... we might start a frenzy saying those words during these times. NO, I don't know of anything I buy that costs only a dollar these days. And it seems like prices just keep getting higher. O-O-O-H ! I'm feeling old right now.

BIG LOTS – What would your perfect house lot look like? Would it be big? Smaller, with less lawn care? Water feature? Stone wall? Fenced in yard? Wooded? Well, I had it once ... that is, a lot (and eventually a house) that was "just like I wanted". Funny how fleeting satisfaction with 'things' can be. Our perfect homestead once was totally covered by two feet of flood water. We later learned that civil engineers who designed the storm drains had a liquid lunch the day they worked on our street. Massive rain water didn't seem to want to run uphill ... H-m-m-m.

WENDY’S – When you have an “all-day” excursion planned, do you prefer to sit down and eat a meal at a restaurant, or do you prefer a drive-through type experience in order to save more time for other activities? I like to sit and relax for a nice meal - even when I have other things planned. Never been much for fast food joints. Most of that food gives me the "coli-wobbles". That's my mother's word for a stomach ache. I would rather save four trips to Mickey-D's for one meal at Primo. NOW THAT'S LIVIN !!

O-A-E-E-Y-E-A-A-A BOY!

What an awesome day!
The people of Harmony Bible church out-did themselves. Over 50 families came to enjoy a day of fun, laughter, good eats and great music. At the end of a long winter and in the midst of economic difficulties that's a WONDERFUL thing!

I can't hope to say "thanks" to every single person that had a part in this event. Although I have begun thanking everyone I can. That started with the seniors of HBC. These folks gave it their all! No doubt they left that place in pain. Sitting on steel chairs with no padding, or standing on the hardwood floor for hours will tax the most fit. And these folks endured it for the sake of reaching out to people with the love of Jesus.

And then there is the teenagers. I continue to be amazed at how the youth of America are so responsive to opportunities to help others. It was not that way when I was a teen. Truthfully, we were WAY too selfish for that! But what I'm seeing these days is a beautiful thing.


We never know the full extent of such efforts. Sometimes we see new faces at church functions, but I'm convinced most of the results are less obvious than that. At the very least, this kind of reaching out communicates to people of the community that we care. Frankly, some people don't know how to respond to that. They just know how it makes them feel. AND IT FEELS GOOD!

Family Fun

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BLAST!

I'm so excited about this upcoming event. The people of Harmony Bible Church are focusing outward to friends, neighbors, and people they don't even know ... reaching out to everyone. How many churches are doing that? I feel privileged to be their pastor.

This is actually the second such event at this location, and this one promises to be even better. This year all will enjoy the ministry of Jason Holladay as he and his family communicate through music. You can check out Jason's tunes at http://www.athomeministries.com (might have to "cut & paste") for a preview.

I believe God will bless HBC because of unselfish love in action. And I trust the church will discover more ways to live out the teachings of Jesus Christ. He said its the way to wonderful freedom and blessing - AND WE NEED THAT!

Oh yeh ... its warming up in Maine. This winter has been harsh, and today was the warmest day in months. I can't wait to get back out on the road.

I put the battery charger on the V-star today and gave her a crank. She sounded happy for warm weather too. She popped and backfired a few times. But she smoothed out and the pipes were cracklin' in no time.

I actually took a run down the street to go through the gears once or twice. But I have been fighting a nasty cold and didn't want to go far. However, that quick trip really got my blood pumping! I started thinking about some places I would like to go this summer.

I want to make a few more rides for the CMA this season. And one trip I gotta do is up the coast to Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain. The last time I was there in my car, I saw a guy riding a new Indian Chief up at the peak. I thought, "THAT"S COOL" ... I gotta do that. So I say, COME ON SUMMER !!!