Harry Gates

I miss "Uncle" Harry (I married his niece, so he was Uncle Harry to me). He had more stories in him than anyone I ever met. Eventually those stories filled two books, but he could have filled two more at least with the rest of his tales.
This photo sits framed on my desk at work. I look at it from time to time, and I've always gotten a smile from looking at it -- a smile like the one I'm wearing in the picture. This picture is how I'll remember Uncle Harry, down on a knee in a huddle with his "team." Today I was looking at this photo and thinking about my friend, and how I miss him. It has now been two weeks since he received his summons home to heaven.
Tomorrow it will be 19 years since the above photo was taken, on the occasion of his marriage to June. There we were, a collection of "Gates Men" gathered around our mentor, our friend, our brother, our father, our uncle, our counselor, our coach. Gates was all of these to us. I think about the other men in the picture, some I hear from occasionally, some never. All of us, though, were touched by the life of Harry Gates, and wherever we are today, I'm convinced that we have all been shaped to some degree by our friendship with him. From now on when I look at this picture, I'm going to say a prayer for each of the other six "young" men in the picture, because I suspect that's what Uncle Harry would have done when he looked at the picture. So here's to you Charlie, Mike, Joey, Chuck, Joe, and Dan. I'll be praying for you.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Perhaps my favorite Christmas Carol -- enjoy!

A Tour of the Renovated House

Those of you on dial-up probably should not attempt to click on the video below, but if you have a high-speed connection and are into really bad video productions, then you might enjoy the tour of the recently remodeled house -- many thanks to the peerless team of Joe and Alouette A. for their beautiful handiwork, tireless efforts, and patient endurance.

Almost Done

Quite a transformation has taken place in the last couple of weeks. The house is nearing completion, and even has a family now!
The doors aren't on the cabinets yet, but almost everything else in the kitchen is done.

Kitchen Update

A few pictures taken yesterday, Sunday, August 17:
The biggest achievement, and a real challenge, was installing the long piece of countertop that is along the window end of the kitchen. It really is difficult to describe the difficulties involved, but all I can say is ... you had to be there.
These pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the countertop. The kitchen (and indeed the house) is still quite a mess, but it will look grand when everything is spiffed up.

Here's the kitchen:


Here is a little closet in the hall, across from the coat closet, that will hold an upright freezer:

Here is the dining room, not ready to invite the President and First Lady to dinner quite yet:

A close-up of the new sink. The specs are sawdust (formica-dust?) not a pattern. There are specs in the pattern, but they are small and I don't think you can really see them in this picture:

The Peninsula begins to take shape. It will be rounded off soon and will lose its angular look:

That's all for now. More soon, I hope.

The New Kitchen (In Progress)

Our kitchen is being remodeled by the World Famous Team of Joe and Alouette Anderson! They've even let Brenda and the kids stay at their house while the work is in progress. Much of the work was completed during our recent 3-week road trip across the USA. (If you want to more about that adventure, go to Meredith's Blog).
Anyway -- here are some pictures of the Kitchen:

This picture was taken on June 28:



This picture was taken this morning, July 30:

This picture was also taken today, from another angle. You can see the new window and the color of the new paint:

The stove and fridge are temporarily in the living room:

Everything else that used to be in the living and dining rooms is the boys' room:

Well not everything... some stuff is being stored in other rooms. Also, there is a big surprise that I'm not going to show you a picture of... yet.

Anchors Aweigh My Boys!

Just thought I'd pause to note that today, September 1, 2007, is the day of my official retirement from the United States Navy Reserve! A little over 26 years ago, I raised my hand in front of a Navy recruiter in Atlanta and embarked upon my Navy career. Today, I transferred officially to the "retired list" as they say in the Navy. Here's a picture of that fateful day in 1981 when I was sworn in.

Here I am a few weeks later at Officer Candidate School. The transformation had begun!

Transformation Complete -- my first official portrait, as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.

Here is one of my favorite photos. The Navigator at work. I can't remember what harbor we were entering, but this was a typical pose for me in those days (mid-1980's):

This next one was taken in Boston Harbor at the Commissioning Ceremony for USS Bunker Hill (that's me in front walking with a sword strapped on). Some readers of this blog may remember that day:

This picture was taken in the Persian Gulf in 1987, during Operation Earnest Will.

On liberty in Athens, Greece with my shipmate Udo, a great friend to this day:

Christmas dinner 1991 on board USS Normandy. One of the many holidays I spent at sea or on foreign shores:

This is not a particularly good picture, but it was taken aboard USS Normandy, in New York Harbor, where I spent my last few years on active duty. The World Trade Center is in the background.

Finally, here is a picture of my wife and daughter by my side as I was being promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1993. Thank you to my dear wife and children who put up with my many absences over the years when duty called. I was honored to serve my country, but I'm sure glad to have more time to spend at home.

Blasphemy in the movies

Interesting and thought provoking video clip about Hollywood and Christianity. Think about it.

Jamestown Quadricentennial

Well, the L family attended the Jamestown Quadricentennial celebration yesterday, and it was great fun! There were stirring speeches, picnics, "sword fights," antiquarian book sales, funnel cakes, balloon rides (alas, sold out before we could get tickets), and the highlight -- the dedication of the Jamestown Children's Monument.

The weather was perfect. Jonathan Falwell delivered a speech last night that his father, Jerry Falwell, had planned to give at the event, prior to his untimely passing last month. I had the distinct pleasure and honor of meeting and exchanging a few words with Howard Phillips -- one-time presidential candidate under the Constitution Party banner.

There were thousands of families in attendance, many in period costume. The atmosphere was peaceful and wholesome. Just great!

Here's a picture of the memorial with two of the L boys admiring the new memorial shortly after its dedication.

And later, on the banks of the James River:

If you have lots of bandwidth and time on your hands, you can see more pictures by Clicking on the image below. (Most of these pictures were taken by daughter M)

Quiz Answers (see previous post)

Poet #1
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from The Village Blacksmith

Poet #2
Rudyard Kipling, from L'Envoi

Poet #3
Edgar Guest, from See it Through

Guest, by the way, is not as well known as he ought to be in American Poetry circles. He is looked down upon by the academic elite because his poetry is so sentimental and formulaic, but I really like it (being a sentimental and formulaic kind of guy myself!)
His poem Only a Dad is a great one to read to your Dad on Father's Day, if you want to see a grown man cry.

And now for something completely different

Sometimes around the dinner table we will engage in a fun family activity we call "quiz questions." This is a little game where I get to dream up random questions and present them to the young-uns to see who can answer them. Questions can be on any topic: history, geography, Bible, math, science... whatever. (A perennial favorite is "name the three branches of the federal government." I don't know why, but I just like asking that one.) Since I have to present the questions in machine gun fashion from my little mind, sometimes it's a challenge to dream up questions at a fast pace. Tonight, I asked this question, "who are my three favorite poets?" It's sort of an unfair question -- like Bilbo asking "what have I got in my pocket," but, like the hobbit, I decided to let the question ride. What do you think the answer is? My children answered two of the three correctly, but I did have to recite several verses from one of the poets before they could name him. I was pretty sure sure they'd never come up with the third, so I gave it to them.
So there's the question of the day.
Since you don't know me as well as my children, I'll give you a hint by posting short samples of each poet's work:

Poet #1:

Toiling,--rejoicing,--sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Poet #2

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew!

Poe #3

When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!


============

No fair using Google to find the answers!

For the Ladies

Since my last post was so heavy on the manly stuff, I should mention that one of the men at the Titanic dinner was Matt Chancey, whose wife runs a super website for women called "Ladies against Feminism." My female readers may find it to be a helpful and encouraging resource. I'll put it this way, if I were a lady, I would really love this website. You can make up your own mind by going to http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com if you're so inclined.
Ciao

A Night to Remember

Two nights ago, my son Daniel and I had the great privilege of attending the 11th annual Christian Men and Boys Titanic Memorial Society dinner in Washington DC. This is a group of men and their sons and grandsons who meet each year on or near the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic to honor the men who died that night for the principle of “women and children first.”

It is difficult to describe the wonder of such an event in 21st century America. In today’s society, the idea of “women and children first” is treated at best as a quaint anachronism, and at worst as a scornful misogynistic threat to all things modern and progressive. Yet, each year, the men and boys of The Society spend an evening together to celebrate this foundational premise of Christian Manhood, and to encourage one another to restore and advance the cause of sacrificial love and manly courage.

Clad for the occasion in our finest coats and ties, we shared a splendid meal in a private room at a restaurant on the DC waterfront, and sat for hours talking with each other about the ideals of manly virtue and the challenges of rearing Christian warriors in a society so at odds with the notion of Biblical Manhood. We were entertained by the fabulous baritone singing of balladeer Charlie Zahm. Finally, at 10 pm, our dinner speaker, Mr. Doug Phillips, rose to deliver an inspiring 90-minute stemwinder of a speech honoring the sacrifice of the men of the Titanic and others like them who demonstrated similar manly Christian virtue during the past 400 years of American history.

One interesting element of the speech was Mr. Phillips’ description of what he described as “the most politically incorrect monument in America,” the John Smith monument on Star Island, in the harbor of Portsmouth, NH. Now decayed and broken, this monument to the founder of Jamestown once included a majestic pillar topped by the impaled replicas of the decapitated heads of three Muslim warriors. The story behind this unusual monument is too long to recount here, but is worth reading sometime. If you’re interested, you can click here to read the remarkable story of John Smith’s adventures before he came to Jamestown.

After the dinner speech, we enjoyed more music from Charlie Zahm, including a moving rendition of The Minstrel Boy, accompanied only by his expert playing of the Irish Drum. (I’ve always loved that piece, especially since it was chosen by Teddy Roosevelt as the regimental song for his Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.)

Finally, just after midnight the men and boys of the Society set out on foot for a short stroll down the Potomac River waterfront to the Titanic Memorial. I had never before visited this particular monument. Indeed, it is hidden away in a very obscure corner of the District of Columbia. It was erected in 1931 by the “grateful women of America,” in honor of the men of the Titanic who went down with the ship in order to save the women and children. Whether they were first-class society ladies or third-class washerwomen from the steerage compartments, their lives were placed in higher esteem by the men of the Titanic than own mortality.

The Titanic Memorial is a statue depicting a man with arms outstretched, Christ-like, looking out over the waters of the Potomac river. Inscribed on its foundation are the words:

TO THE YOUNG AND OLD
THE RICH AND POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

As the men and boys, about one hundred of us, gathered in the chilly darkness at the foot of the monument, we sang together, a cappella, six verses of Nearer My God to Thee, while a wreath was laid at the monument, and each boy reverently in turn placed a single white carnation at the base of the statue. Thus strengthened, inspired and encouraged, we each parted to go our separate ways and to return to our homes -- to the women and children who awaited us there.

===================

I didn't take the following picture. It shows the Titanic Memorial in daylight.

The Jamestown Children's Memorial

Those you who heard me speak last week at Fairwood may remember my discussion of the Jamestown Children's Memorial project. If you are interested in more info on that or want to contribute CLICK HERE for the details. If you have children who want to contribute a dollar, I recommend they include a note with their donation. You might suggest they write a sentence or two beginning with the words "I am donating to the memorial because..."
This would be a good social studies/history project for you homeschoolers out there (note to self).
The link provides info on how to donate on line, but if you don't want to hassle with that, the snail mail address for donations is:

Vision Forum Ministries
Attn: Jamestown Children's Memorial
4719 Blanco Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78212

Also, it has been announced that Queen Elizabeth will be travelling to Virginia in May in connection with the Jamestown 400 Celebration (forgive my un-PC use of the word "celebration" in connection with this event). I am hoping our family will be able to travel to Jamestown to see the Queen when she is in the area, not that I have any illusions about being able to actually get as near to her as Karena and her little ones did. If any of you friends want to join the fun, drop me a line and feel free to stay at my place during your travels. We're only about an hour and a half from Jamestown.

If you can't make it for the Queen's visit, you might want to connect with Vision Forum Ministry's Jamestown Quadricentennial celebration in June. Or if you prefer, you can check out the PC "Official Commemoration" being sponsored by the National Park Service. In any case, feel free to visit us and enjoy some Southern Hospitality while you're in the area.

My Amazing Mother-in-Law

For the past couple of months I noticed that my water bill (I’m on the county water system) had been going up… way up. An extra 15 thousand gallons a month up.

Knowing that there were no leaks in my house, and not having seen any evidence of a leak outside, I thought naively to myself, “I’ll have to go down the courthouse and talk to the folks in the water department to let them know there’s something wrong with their billing system. After all, HA!, if I had a leak of 15 thousand gallons of water every month, surely it would be obvious, wouldn’t it?

So I procrastinated.

Then, suddenly something happened. Just in front of my house a little stream appeared. After a little probing of the ground, the stream became a pool. Then, after a little more probing, it became a small pond. Uh, oh… maybe I do have a leak. In the water main. I’ll call the water department, and they’ll come right out and fix it.

That’s not the way it works.

When I called the water department, I was informed that the homeowner is responsible for leaks in the water main that occur downstream from the water meter, as in this case.

After some encouragement and help from my in-laws, who were visiting at the time, I decided to dig down and try to uncover the leak. Pa (my father-in-law) was willing to fix the leak himself if I could dig it out. So I bent to the work with shovel and bucket in hand. Now, of course, this did have to happen during the coldest weather we’ve had in our area for three years. Digging through the slosh and mud proved to be beyond my skill. After a couple of hours, I had barely scratched the surface. The mud acted like a suction against my shovel and lifting it back out took tremendous effort with every scoopful. As I bucketed out the water in the hole, it streamed back in as fast as I could empty it. Soon I was out of steam and realized that it was time to call for a plumber with some heavy equipment.

I called a plumber who agreed to come out and size-up the situation. When he arrived early the next morning, he confirmed the obvious -- the water main had a leak. “That old blue pipe hasn’t be authorized for ten years, it gets brittle when it reacts with the chlorine in the water – no wonder you’ve got a leak.” The plumber pronounced his verdict. “You need a whole new water line dug from the meter to your house.” Estimated cost $3500-$4000. “We’ll dig a trench through your yard to the meter – of course we’ll probably have to take out some of your trees, and your fence will have to come down.”

Ouch! Couldn’t he just fix the place that was broken?

“No,” said he, “the only thing to do is to replace the whole line. No telling where the leak is anyway. That area where the water is pooling probably isn’t the exact location of the leak, and it would be too much time and effort to try and locate the actual break.”

The work couldn’t begin right away, as permits would be needed before work could start, and, anyway, he didn’t want to dig while the snow and ice were so thick on the ground. So off the plumber went, and off I drove to work, with a heavy heart, and no clue where I would come up with the money.

As I was driving to work, my cell phone rang. It was Pa.

“Ma (my mother-in-law) wants to take a shot at digging down to that leak so I can fix it.”

“She can’t do that!” replied I, “it’s 14 degrees outside, and besides she’ll hurt herself – I know. I nearly broke my back trying to dig that hole yesterday!”

“No, she’s really excited about this. She wants to do it!”

It seems that what fueled her enthusiasm was a passing comment from a man from the utilities tracing service. (I had called for a tracer to come out and mark the locations of my buried electrical lines, knowing that some digging would be needed, and not wanting to dig through a buried cables or phone lines). The utility man offered a plausible theory that suggested that the water line could well be located right at the bottom of the little pond.

After explaining all of this to me on the phone, Pa went on, insisting that Ma be allowed to try to dig down and find the leak, and avoid my having to put in a whole new water line.

“She’ll hurt herself… she musn’t do it,” I objected to Pa, “I appreciate her offer but this job is too big.”

“I’m telling you she’s excited about it. She can’t wait to start digging!”

“Look, that mud weighs a ton, and it’s a mess. Uh, you really think she can do it?”

“Yes, the leak is there if she can just dig down to it.”

“Well, look, I don’t want her to get hurt, but, uh, if she really wants to try, then go ahead, but don’t feel obligated. This job really calls for some heavy equipment.”

(I should point out here that dear Pa just had a knee replaced, and has a troubled back, or he probably would have been digging himself. Besides, bless him, he was already installing new custom cabinets at that moment in my laundry room.)

I hung up my cell phone, fully expecting a call back within an hour saying that the job proved to be too much, and she had to call it quits.

The call didn’t come.

Instead, I got a call several hours later from Pa.

“She did it, she’s uncovered the pipe about four feet down!”

“You're joking.”

“No, she did it. I’m going to Lowe’s to get the part I need to repair the leak.”

Another call an hour later.

“It’s all fixed.”

I was dumbfounded, humbled, and, needless to say, extraordinarily grateful.

When I got home from work that night, Ma was all smiles, and there was no more leak.

How can you ever thank people this wonderful. She even (claimed) her back wasn’t sore. How is this possible?!?! Boy, I sure felt like a wimp, but a very grateful wimp.

I wish there were pictures. She apparently was covered in mud and slime so thick her clothes were having a hard time not sliding off, and she sank into mud so deep she couldn’t pick her shoes back up out of the mud. She had handed bucketful after bucketful of mud up to Joe who would dump it out and hand the bucket back down to her.

The most gratifying moment was when the plumber called back that night to discuss the job and I told him his services wouldn’t be needed after all. I wanted to tell him, “my mother-in-law fixed it,” but I thought that might sound mean and too incredible to be believed. And, if you had seen the job yourself, you would have thought it incredible too.

Now that I’ve had a little time to reflect on the whole situation, I see it as a beautiful example of the kind of mercy God brings to those he saves. We are utterly unable to fix our own sin problem. No matter how hard we dig, the sin just washes back into the empty place again. We can’t save ourselves no matter how hard we try. Then along comes Jesus – God incarnate. He says, “here let me do it.” We say, “you can’t – it’s too big – I’ve tried – you’re too special – I’m not worthy that you should do that for me…” and so on. Then, not because we are worthy of it, but because he loves us and wants to do it, Jesus throws himself into the mess, and suffers all the agony himself. What can we say about so great a salvation as this?

Words of Wisdom

"If we drove out a mediaeval tyranny only to make room for savage anarchy, we had better not begun the task at all. It is worse than idle to say that we have no duty to perform, and can leave to their fates the [nations] we have conquered. Such a course would be a course of infamy. It would be followed at once by utter chaos in the wretched [country]. Some stronger, manlier power would have to step in and do the work, and we would have shown ourselves weaklings, unable to carry to successful completion the labors that great and high-spirited nations are eager to undertake.

"The work must be done; we cannot escape our responsibility; and if we are worth our salt, we shall be glad of the chance to do the work - glad of the chance to show ourselves equal to one of the great tasks set modern civilization. But let us not deceive ourselves as to the importance of the task. Let us not be mislead by the vainglory into underestimating the strain it will put on our powers. Above all, let us, as we value our own self-respect, face the responsibilities with proper seriousness, courage and high resolve."

No, these words were not uttered by George Bush during his State of the Union. The above words are excerpted from a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1899. He was refering to the islands taken from Spain during the recently concluded Spanish-American war. (the words in brackets in the above excerpt read "islands" in the original.) How truly these words fit the situation in which our country finds itself today with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan. What a contrast to the snivelling and disgraceful resolution passed by the Senate this week.

Here's another gem taken from the same speech by TR:

"The man must be glad to do a man's work, to dare and endure and to labor; to keep himself, and those dependent on him. The woman must be the housewife, the helpmeet, the homemaker, the wise and fearless mother of many healthy children. In one of Daudet's powerful and melancholy books he speaks of "the fear of maternity, the haunting terror of the young wife of the present day." When such words can be truthfully written of a nation, that nation is rotten to the heart's core. When men fear work or fear of righteous war, when women fear motherhood, they tremble on the brink of doom; and well it is they should vanish from the earth, where they are fit subjects for the scorn of all men and women who are themselves strong and brave and high-minded."

TR believed that abortionists should be given the death penalty, as should any man who forced a woman to have an abortion. It was unthinkable to him that any women would willfully have an abortion -- in his mind the only reason for such a horror would be that a women was forced into it against her will.

What would he think of America today? I can only imagine he would be apoplectic with rage and disgust. Where is the Teddy Roosevelt of our time?

The State of the Union

I give the president high marks for his State of the Union speech tonight. I thought it was his best SOTU address to date. Some of it I endorsed completely, but I can't say that I was enthusiastic about everything he said.

I believe he is overly optimistic about the motivations behind our enemies (the terrorists). He reiterated in his speech his belief that evil tendencies on the part of terrorists will be overcome by the development of democracy throughout the world. In his view, the lack of freedom is what foments terrorism. I believe, on the contrary, that the ideology is the thing. The London bombings, for example, were carried out by Muslim terrorists who were citizens of the U.K. You can't argue that they were frustrated by a lack of freedom in their society. Similarly, it wasn't lack of freedom in Germany in the 1930's that drove the Nazis to power. Evil belief systems are the problem, and they need to be eradicated in order to achieve victory. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean you have to kill everyone who has wrong thoughts. You do have to overcome evil with good, and there are various ways to do that, but they all begin with recognizing evil and naming it for what it is.

I admire the President, and I very much want us to succeed in Iraq. I believe he is right to send additional troops at this time. His plan is a good one, and I definitely agree that a stable Iraq is better than an unstable one, so I am very much in favor of his program on that score.

Time will tell.

I'm Glad I'm Not a Rabid Patriots Fan

But I do feel sorry for my friends up North, who tonight are crying buckets over the loss to Indianapolis. Football holds a passing interest for me. I enjoy watching it, but not enough to go out of my way to watch or listen to a game. Still, I did tune in for the final seven minutes of the Patriots game tonight. I had to coax the radio in my living room to pick up a station that was carrying the game (tuning in my t.v. rabbit ears was a non-starter -- way too much trouble). As the a.m. station faded in and out, I could picture my friend Paul B. biting his fingernails down to the bone with every passing second. With one minute to go, and Indianapolis ahead by 4, the radio announcer declared "For you folks at home, this is NOT the time to go to the bathroom!" Just then I had the evil thought to call Paul on the phone and pretend I didn't know the game was on, but that would have been cruel (fun, but cruel).
So, my New England friends and Patriot fans everywhere, my condolences. I really would have liked to see your team go to the Super Bowl, but there's always next year!

The Cracker Barrel Episode

Back at home after a two-day business trip to New Jersey. On the way home last night, I became hungry and decided to stop for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants – Cracker Barrel! I pulled off I-95 and drove into the crowded parking lot just before 8pm. I had never eaten at this particular Cracker Barrel before, but I was looking forward to a nice plate of meatloaf as I parked my car and walked up to the front porch with all the rocking chairs out front. As I opened the door to enter the restaurant, I was stopped by two CB employees, a young man and a woman in an official Cracker Barrel apron.
“I’m sorry sir, but we close at 8pm tonight for our Christmas Party, we can’t let you in,” the gent informed me.
It must have been obvious to him that I was disappointed, because I don’t think I said anything to him, but I looked at him with a blank stare and open mouth. He went on, “we’ll be opening again at six.”
“Oh,” I said, “That's fine, I’ll just wait then.” And I moved to find myself a rocker on the front porch.
The two employees didn’t know what to make of this and they looked at each other with a puzzled expression.
“Six o’clock in the morning, sir. We open at six in the morning!” the young man explained.
“Oh, I see” said I, (making as if I was just beginning to understand) and I headed back to my car and drove away.

Can you guess where I went for dinner after this disappointment? (Hint: I had a double patty melt sandwich on Texas Toast with a side of hash browns – don’t be alarmed, I had a salad for lunch, so I didn’t have an immediate cardiac arrest.)

Loving Life in VA

As Dorothy once said, "there's no place like home." Life is good here in VA these days. Had a bit of a wild ride this summer, but things are smoothing over now.
Did you have high winds and pouring rain last weekend where you live? We sure did! The only difference is that I was camping with a group of nine 11-year-old cub scouts during that weather. Despite the conditions, a good time was had by all. Friday was Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. Teddy would have loved camping in that weather. He seemed to get a kick out of overcoming obstacles. That's one of the things I admire about that man. As Teddy would have said, "it was bully!"
Well, if I don't post again before election day, let me urge you, gentle reader, to VOTE next Tuesday! (unless you plan on voting for the Dems).

Random Thoughts

Life is beginning to return to normal (if anything can be described as normal anymore).
I returned from Colorado Springs on Wednesday night. My project there is winding down.
The Feast was simply wonderful. Too short -- I didn't like having to leave early to fly to Colorado, but I'm really glad I was able to spend some time at Fairwood. Next time I must make it a longer stay! The highlight was Andrea's testimony Sunday morning (report about the meeting at her house on Saturday night).
So... life goes on. Tomorrow morning I head to the campground for an overnight campout with the Cub Scouts of Pack 21. Should be a fun adventure, especially if it stops raining.
My daughter turned 16 this week. One of us is getting old. We had a fun family celebration at Olive Garden, followed by chocolate cheesecake at home.
I can't seem to find time to keep this blog up-to-date. Should I retire it?

It's been a busy summer...

Been a while since I've done anything with this Blog. I find that life is very busy these days. Between work, family, and church responsibilities, I have precious little spare time for going on-line at all, to say nothing of actually composing a blog that anyone might find remotely interesting.
So, that is why, if anyone cares, there has been a dearth of posts on this blog.
Here are some of the things that have kept me extraordinarily busy lately:
I had a fantastic summer of trips to New England and to California -- I took more vacation time (real family vacation time) than I have in years, and I really enjoyed it immensely. In addition to our annual trip to the family convention, we enjoyed a brief visit with the H family in The Hills.
Then it was off to California for the wedding of Frances the niece. Tremendously splendid visit there with family and friends. The wedding was beautiful, and my dear niece couldn't have married a nicer fella -- I'm thrilled for them both. Someday maybe I'll post pictures of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. I fullfilled one of my lifelong dreams of actually visiting Yosemite, now I want to go back there and do some hiking and backpacking -- if I have to wait another 48 years to get back there, then I don't think I'll be in proper shape for the hike. But then, I still have to finish my hike of the Appalachian Trail. So much to do, so little time! Advice to my younger friends in the blogosphere -- pack in as much adventure as you can while you're young and free. Life gets very busy, good but busy, later on.
What else has been happening. Oh yeah, I did my annual two-week reserve active duty immediately after my vacation, so when I did finally get back to work, the backlog of stuff on my desk was enormous! Then, the bomb dropped. I was handed a consulting task for a customer I'd done some work for a few years ago. They wanted some new work done, and needed the job done in six weeks. It was a job that normally should take 3-4 months, and they wanted it done in six weeks. I would have passed on it, except for the fact that this is a customer that I have such deep appreciation for, and the job is one that has significant impact on our national security. So I said -- gulp-- I would do it.
I'm halfway through the project now, and I haven't worked this hard since I was on sea duty back in the old days. I've been working 12-18 hour days for the past two weeks.
Oh yes, in the midst of all of this, our (home)school year has begun. This year we've started a new system, called HomeSat, that involves beaming classes into the home via a satellite dish. We're not doing all our courses this way, but about half the subjects will be "beamed in." So far, so good, but the saga of "John installs the satellite dish" is one that deserves a full blog unto itself. Suffice to say, it was a bigger job than I expected, full of frustrations that come from trying to do something you've never done before. Redoing work because you messed up an important step the first time, driving back and forth to Lowe's/Home Depot six times in one day to pick up or return something that you needed but didn't realize you'd need. You get the idea. I was up till 2am on that little project.
And then there are all the sundry responsibilities that come with being an active member of one's church. I won't go into the details. Those of you who care about that part of my life already know the score. It's not so much the workload as it is the weight of responsibility and the concern that I have for my dear brothers and sisters. Yet, it is a burden I gladly bear, and without complaint. I love my extended "family" in KCM, and I will walk beside you through all the joys and all the trials that we face together -- may the joys be many and trials be few.
That's it for now from Mr. Busy.

P.S. I've had a couple of calls from folks who wanted to know how we fared through Tropical Storm Ernesto. We came through completely unscathed, thank the Lord. Lost power at the office for half the day, but our home never lost electricity and we suffered no damage. Received several inches of much needed rain, for which I am grateful.

The Last Few Days...

Monday was Memorial Day, and our family recognized it in a special way. After dinner, we gathered together as a family and I took a little time to explain the meaning of chivalry and sacrifice, and the important role men have in protecting and defending women and children. Sometimes this duty means that men must fight in wars, and some of these men don’t come home. They lay down their lives to protect their families, so that their enemies will not be able to inflict harm on their wives and children, and so that their homes will be secure.
After this little discussion, we watched a video called “The League of Grateful Sons.” This is a documentary film produced last year by Vision Forum to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. The video tells the story of several dozen veterans of that battle who traveled back to Iwo last year with their sons and grandsons to tell them about what they did in the war, and to show them the battleground on which they fought.
The underlying theme of the film was the importance of remembering God’s Providences and the necessity of fathers having a relationship with their children, particularly their sons, and to train them to be strong men. The video also did a good job of developing Psalm 78 as a text for encouraging men to communicate with their children and to instill in them a sense of history.
While I was in Florida for THE WEDDING (about which, more later) I took advantage of the fitness center at the beautiful “hotel with the water.” As I was running on the treadmill there one afternoon, the TV in the fitness center was playing the first part of Saving Private Ryan. Watching the first twenty minutes of that movie while running on a treadmill made my workout seem easy! It is a frighteningly realistic portrayal of the D-Day landing at Normandy – very intense and graphic, not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for small children. Yet, the film, like none other I’ve seen, really makes a person appreciate the sacrifice of those who lived through and too often died in truly horrific fighting conditions, all for the defense of their homes and their way of life.
On a happier note, THE W was really special. I don’t know that I can add anything more to what has already been said, but I will say I was very grateful for the opportunity to be there last weekend. Daughter M accompanied me, and we had a great time! Here are just a couple of pictures. (Maybe M will post some more on her blog.)

Why I like Rush Limbaugh

I don't get to listen to Rush as much as I'd like, but I do enjoy listening to his radio program. One of the things I like best about him is that he is the eternal Optimist! He never lets himself be dragged down by life's circumstances. Thoreau wrote that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I've always thought that was a pretty sad assessment of the human condition. Rush proves that it is possible to break out of that cycle of desperation, even the face of political reversals and the madness of the culture wars.
Thanks Rush.

A Feast Report

I had such a wonderful time at Fairwood this past weekend! Daniel and I travelled north to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and we had a great time. There was a little worry at first when the airline misplaced Daniel's suitcase, but they were kind enough to deliver it to the Main House at 10:30pm that night.
The Lodge was quiet and restful, the weather beautiful, and the fellowship delightful! The meetings were rich with various nuggets mined from Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law." I came away with a fresh insight into the ministry of the Holy Spirit -- we need Him because none of the fine character traits listed above come naturally to mankind (not to me, anyway). It is the Holy Spirit's fruit that bears these good results in us, if we let Him.
I was especially encouraged by the bright countenances of the Bible School students. I'm sorry I won't be able to return next weekend for the Graduation exercises, but my thoughts and prayers are with them as they venture forth into the next phase of life's adventure.

Two Men From Virgnia

Today is the anniversary of two separate, but notable, events in the lives of two men from Virgina. On this date in 1863, General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded in the battle of Chancellorsville.
On a happier note, on this date in 1998, ten miles from Chancellorsville, Timothy L was born. Happy 8th birthday Timothy!!

Happy Easter!!

Hope you all enjoyed a glorious Resurrection Sunday with your families and friends.
He is Risen!

A special shout out to my future nephew-in-law Jonathan, who was baptized today! (I guess that's the technical term for someone who's engaged to your niece?)

Humor Break

Here's a joke I came across recently :-)

There was a man who was the sole survivor of a shipwreck. For 20 years he lived alone on an uncharted island in the Pacific. Finally, one day a ship happened upon the island and rescuers came ashore for him. Noticing that the man had built three buildings, the rescuers asked about them.
"Well," the man replied, "this is my house, and that building over there is my church. It's a wonderful church and I hate to leave it." "And what is the third building over there?" a rescuer asked.
"Oh, that is the church I used to go to," the man replied.

My Convictions

In 1985, at the age of 26, I experienced an awakening of my soul. It wasn’t anything as dramatic as a “road to Damascus” experience, but I came to realize that if I really believed that there is a God in heaven, that He really exists, and that His word is True, then this belief should be reflected in my faith, my actions, and my attitude. I realized that I had been living according to the world’s expectations, and not according to God’s. The words of the Bible became very real to me at that time. Jesus said, “what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Those words began to resonate with me.

Yet all I found around me were people who seemed perfectly content to compromise with “the world.” I wanted to be real with God and look to him and not to the “flesh” for my heart's desire. (1) I wondered if there were any people left who were willing to really “buy the whole field” so to speak.(2)

I knew, of course, that such people existed. I witnessed the devotion of my brother, a Franciscan, who sacrificed much to follow the Lord. Yet I firmly believed there was a path, as yet undiscovered, that would lead me through life in this world while remaining fully devoted to the Kingdom of God.

My attitudes and interests began to evolve. Television, which had once been such an important part of my life, now seemed putrid to my senses. Most of what it aired was shallow, licentious, sensual, or distorted. I began to turn away from it. My tastes in literature and music began to change. Before long I was in a deep pursuit of spiritual and intellectual truth.

Above all, I began to realize what eternity really means. It seemed hypocritical for me to expect to enjoy eternity with God, while at the same time living this mortal life on Earth seeking to please only myself and pushing God to the side. If God Lives, then that Means Something!

So there I was -- wandering around this frontier between the world and Kingdom of God. I wondered if there was any place to set up a little homestead in this crazy wilderness of 80 years or so that we call “life.”

One day, I found that I was not alone, that there were other sojourners with whom I could find fellowship. And with them I decided that I would “stake my claim.”

• I stake my claim with those who behave as though there is a living God, and who take the Bible seriously;
• I stake my claim with those who aren’t content to live according to the World’s standards and values;
• I stake my claim with those who dare to believe that there is hope for the Children of Israel and for the Restoration of the Land of Promise;
• I stake my claim with those who believe the kingdom of God truly will fill the whole Earth and that the knowledge of God will cover the world as the waters cover the sea; and,
• I stake my claim with those who pray and pray and pray, and are willing to let God use them, forsaking all to follow Jesus.
  

I do not assert that the way I and my fellow pilgrims have discovered is the only way to live a sanctified life, devoted to the Lord. Far from it! But it is my calling, and I will live it, by the Grace of God, until the day when I meet Him face to face.

Notes:
(1) 1John2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

(2) Mat 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

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