Wintah is back!

Yuh, 'wintah' is back! Its one of those days (weekends) in Maine when I pace around the homestead trying to keep from thinking about the fact that I am pretty-much "encarcerated" for a while; giving up the freedom to come and go as I please. The walls start closing in and the house feels 'smaller' this time of year.

I remember when -in years gone by, I longed for an unexpected day off like this. The demands of two jobs and requirements of a good deal of volunteer work kept me running steady. And there was the challenging responsibility of parenting my three children. That was in South Florida where the weather never really changes your plans, and days run into weeks with a constant and uninterrupted flow of the time line.

But all that has changed now. The kids are grown and out on their own (thank God). And now Josey & I call the extreme Northeast; "home". So I spent the morning digging out the vehicles and clearing the driveway of snow - just in case there is a pressing reason to risk my life out on the roads. Funny thing is, its so often redundant. The fact is, its supposed to snow all day and I'll probably be digging again in a matter of a few hours.

On the positive side, I can get caught-up on some of the unfinished tasks. As a pastor, "planning" for the church is a constant need - but one in which I never seem to feel content. Along with weekly sermon prep and othere regular responsibility, there is an on-going requirement to envision the future and put actions plans into place. Then there is the requirement of planning how to communicate and motivate for action. All this 'stuff' requires a tremendous amount of energy (unnoticed by most people) and a good deal of time. I suppose I could ignore most of it and still draw a paycheck. But that's not me ... and its certainly not good leadership.

So, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" ... and PLAN! ;-)

An Old Connection

Today I got re-connected with some wonderful memories of the past.

Back in the 80's I had friends in South Florida who were native Jamaicans. On a vacation and visit to the homeland, they discovered one of the orphanages was is in tremendous need of help. Upon their return they rallied a few of us to return with them and help out.

A small group (I think 8) made a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica with this couple, and made our way in a rental van up the mountain to Blossom Gardens. What we discovered was nothing short of emotionally"devastating". Somewhere I have a VHS video of our arrival, and every time I watch the video brings me to tears.

During our stay in Jamaica, we were able to repair plumbing (fix toilets), rebuild a gate (to keep free-roaming livestock out), and install their very first electric clothes washer for all the diapers (previously washed by hand). We made about 60 children and a few staff workers very happy. People there were not resistant to our help like the typical American. They welcomed us with open arms (literally). We all cried several times during our visit. It was a life-changing experience. And I will never forget it!

A Special Visit

Yesterday I had a new friend over for lunch. This beautiful fox stopped by to dine on apples in my back yard. Since the house backs up to lots of undeveloped acreage, we often see deer passing through. But this was the first visit by a fox. And "boy" was she hungry!














After lunch I asked if she could stay a while. Mrs. Fox made herself right at home and found a comfy place against a warm rock. Though she wouldn't let me near, I'm wondering if she may have been a pet at one time. She didn't seem to mind me checking on her and taking a few pictures ... as long as I kept my distance.














She must have felt at-ease. She moved over to some taller grass and curled up for a nice long siesta. As the sun went down she could still be seen curled in a ball and snoozing away. It wasn't until late at night that I shined my flashlight and noticed she had moved on. It was one of those simple events in life that does the heart good.
"Thank you", Mrs. Fox.

The Existence of God

Virginia Visit

We had a WONDERFUL TIME gathering again for the Thanksgiving holiday at Doug & Michele's. As usual, the food was FANTASTIC and there was plenty of it. I know full well there are many families suffering a financial crisis right now. And knowing too - many military families are separated for the holiday, I feel "We are truly blessed".


















Josey and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our son and daughters ... and I was back with my little buddy (Ethan) again. Being a grandfather is much more fulfilling than I ever expected. I can't explain it! I am so excited about it, I had to grow a gray beard to be authentic. There's just 'something' about seeing my own flesh and blood reproduced in a second generation that brings great reward. And my daughter, Faith is SUCH a good mother.


















Then there is my fishing protege', Cassy. She "whooped" all the guys in a fishing contest at the pond behind the house - by cranking in two beautiful Largemouth Bass. My daughters are both gorgeous gals that know how to bait a hook, and are not afraid to get their hands fishy. I love that my girls enjoy fishing. That was a family activity we often enjoyed while they were growing up. And they are good at it!

Big Bang some more ...

So, once again the Hadron Collider is coming back on line. I blogged about this about a year ago because I was quite excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately, some flaws in the prototype showed up the first few times it was fired up.

But after a year's worth of repairs and a 'bizzilion' more dollars, many in the scientific community are 'buzzing' again. There is also great interest among scientific theologians who seek to merge their belief in God with geological evidence for an "old earth".

Specifically, the interest among these scientific theologians is in what has been called, "The God Factor" within Big Bang Theory. Consistent with classic Design Theory, the God Factor would suggest that a Designer (capital D) hurled the heavenly bodies into space with such precision so as to survive millions of years without major collisions and eminent destruction. Questions about THAT have perplexed many astronomers and mathematicians for a while now.

I'm no physicist or mathematician. In fact, I wasn't sure I could spell "physicist" until just now. But an answer to this question about the precision of the cosmos points to what is called by people like me, a miracle ... certainly something "supernatural".

So, will these experiments produce undeniable evidence for God? We shall see! For me, it would just be one more evidence for what I already believe to be true. God exists ... OH YEA!