The Photos – Apr. 19, 2009

Here are some of the photos I took while on my adventure on the 17th.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out (digital photography can make the most inept look good!) mostly because the little, I mean tiny, video screen I can’t see in the best of times and the sun was so bright the only thing I could see was my reflection. So what I did was point the camera at the object I hoped to capture and pushed the button. Here are the results. I hope these will entice you to setup a time to go hiking with me sometime!

 

Here is a picture of Indian Creek right off the main path.

You can see the beautiful sky and if you really squint, I mean really squint, you can see the moon. (It’s the white speck right in the middle of the picture) The day was so incredible the moon stuck around to take it all in.

One week ago Pastor Bryan and I followed this same path and the green you see in this picture was all black from he burn they did. Maybe not so impressive until you realize that it was black less than seven days ago! God’s creation is so amazing!

You can see one of the snobbish musk rats in the picture. He likes the limelight and so I got him in the middle. He was not so amiable when I asked him to tea. How rude!

Here we have the curious Mr... Turtle. He is just one of four that I saw and he was watching me as closely as I was watching him, in fact I think he may have had a camera too as I swear I saw a flash once in awhile. I’m probably being posted on his blog as we speak. (If you run across it let me know. I’d like to see if he got my good side.)

Here we have the melodious red wing black bird. Although not overly friendly, they were curious.

These are the last three photos I will submit for now. This has become one of my favorites. It is a wetland down in a little valley and at this time of year, has an abundance of water. It is just a peaceful and beautiful area.

Let me know know if you would like to see these up close and personal. I would be overjoyed to take you on an in-person tour!

For now…

BYE!

Trying Something New – Apr. 19, 2009

Since it’s been awhile since my last post I decided to go big and try something new. I decided to do a photo journal.

On Friday the 17th, I took our digital camera and my binoculars; my walking stick and notebook and hit the Indian Creek Nature Trail.

It is not unusual to see walkers on the path but I thought, I had hoped, I would not see many people this day because I wanted to be able to catch some wildlife. I also intended to get some scenery shots but it was not as important for there to be less people because the scenery seems to be not quite as skittish around people.

The day was absolutely perfect. Mid 40’s upheld an almost spotless blue sky with just the hint of a breeze. I could not have asked for more. Well, maybe one thing more…

As I parked the car and got my equipment together I could not keep my feet in line as they were most excited to get on the trail. (I had a hard time keeping up with them!)

As I got closer to the tributary path I that would take me to the prairie I started hearing a sound that caused the sun to dim and blue sky to fade to a bright gray…construction work. At this time I had come to the hard decision to not let this…this…noise…ruin my day, but it was not easy. In fact, I was surprised that this little thing had hit me as hard as it had. I finally talked myself into growing up and stop acting like a baby!

I found my turn off and wandered down the path and found to my horror, that the construction was actually taking place on the prairie!

There was a bulldozer tearing up the ground and two lumbering dump trucks waiting to remove the carnage, all the while aiding to the trampled affect. I consoled myself with the story that they were probably adding a pond…

I’m afraid that I can’t tell you how much area this prairie covers but it makes for a good walk. There are ground hog mounds and other areas of concern that one should endeavor to avoid so that the ankles and knees can maintain their created functionality without the aid of man-made supports, you know, sprained ankles, twisted knees, and varicose  veins. I have flexible knees and ankles, plus an implanted GPS system so that I am able to skillfully avoid these pitfalls. Nevertheless, there are enemies on the prairie that the most skillful of outdoorsmen fall into or step into…In all of the vastness of the prairie I found and stepped in, the only pile of doggie pooh within a hundred leagues. Of course…

One thing I like to do is try and keep track of the critters that Gods puts in my path. I love the discoveries that are within three miles of my house. Very cool!

I saw: A turkey, not just a turkey but a turkey in flight, that is almost frightening, two deer, four vultures (YES, Virginia, Iowa does have vultures! How do you think all the dead animals get cleaned up?), a myriad of birds, including one of my local favorites, Red Winged Black birds! The colors are so vivid, and their songs are enchanting. I was privileged to encounter two musk rats, they were not as thrilled with the encounter as I was as they swiftly swam away, four turtles, and three red headed wood peckers. These guys have a wonderful voice as well. I saw four painted turtles, and to my delight, they were almost as interested in me as I was in them. It was most delightful and peaceful to just look for the awakening of nature.

Now recall my rant about the people and technology that I discovered and forget about it as I share with you one oddity in this regard. There are train tracks that run just to the south of the prairie area. These tracks are the self same tracks that run through downtown Ames, IA which gives me an unusual connection to my home town!  BUT the odd thing is that as the trains go through, they seem almost as natural as the vultures or musk rats. I don’t know why this is so but I do not mind the trains and the wildlife seems ok with it too.

Well, I have broken the rules of blogging and created a monster but it was so much fun!

I will do a second posting and post the pictures, or at least some of them, in that post.

If you want to go hiking with me, let me know! It is one of my greatest joys to take people around this area and spend time in fellowship. Let me know!

Bye!

Opps! Forgot One Item -- Mar. 15, 2009

 

One last note I forgot and then I promise I'll leave you alone. I have an immense amount of work to do in the next three weeks so I might appear to be falling off the wagon again (which could be the case!) but it also might just be the strain of a enormous application roll out we will be doing on March 29th. So far testing has gone well but the opportunity for trouble always exists with such a large roll out as we are planning.

So long!

Bye!

Mercenary Writers! -- Mar. 15, 2009

Or, writers for hire! (I just like the sound of the title! :-)) Freelance writers, to be precise!

One thing I have always wanted to do is to have a business of my own. It does not have to be fancy but something I can feel proud of and maybe make a little extra money.

Kim and I have looked into a lot of options over the years and have made some bad mistakes in times of over zealousness but we have never really got any idea to take. To be perfectly honest, we have not put into our desires the effort it takes to start even a small little business so the blame falls squarely on our shoulders but not for lack of ideas, just effort. I think it was Thomas Edison that once said something like, "Invention is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration", we fall squarely on the 10% side...so far. I have discovered I am a slow learner but one thing that I have learned is that beginner's luck works fine when playing a new game but not for business. It takes planning and clear thinking to get up and running. A dose of courage can't hurt either!

We have friends (no details because I don't have permission to write about them) that are starting a new business and I can't think of better people to to do this task. They are brave and smart and have a double portion of creativity! They love the Lord and I know they have put in a lot of prayer to this business, as have a lot of us, and I am excited for them and hope the Lord will bless their socks off with this new endeavor!

Well, having said all of that (you can see I have come out my lax state!) I would still like to get a business started and what I would like to do is freelance writing. I have been reading about it and it sounds like something I could do. I just don't know how to get from here to there. One thing I need to stop doing is procrastinating! Though, on second thought, one of the ways one can make some side money is to write informational reports on subjects you know and I DO know procrastination, so maybe I could write a document on "The Ten Steps to Becoming A Professional Procrastinator". It could be a best seller! I know a lot of people are good at procrastinating but my ten tips would take these folks to the next level, a professional level! I'll have to put some real thought in on that...but not today.

So, though I have little to nothing planned and the only asset I have right now is a desire to get something started, I do have one step I must take. The father of a friend of mine used to do copy work before he retired. I have been told he would be glad to talk with me about this dream of mine but, as noted above, my professionalism will not yet allow me to try and setup a time to meet with him...yet. This just strengthens my position as a professional procrastinator but does nothing to further my dreams.

Next, I know a lot of folks who are in a number of businesses in the area that I could try to hook up with through networking and possibly land some freelance work. But...

But what if I can't do it? What if the person who hires me doesn't like what I've done? What if I fail?

None of these questions are valid because they project worry onto the future in which I am not privy to know. In the vernacular of the Bible, I need to have faith that God will direct my paths if I leave my plans in His hands.

This does not mean that I will be successful in this world's eyes but that I will be successful in God's eyes. He knows what H e wants me to do and if I feel led in a certain direction it does no good to worry about the "what if's" they are irrelevant if I am trusting God. It does not mean that they won't be painful but how do I know what will work and what won't if I don't step out in faith and take a stab at it? I can only speculate on what could go wrong and that can lead to unfounded worry. Sinful worry. What is "sinful worry"? Worry is sinful worry. We are taught to trust and not to worry. Worry says that we don't think God will take care of us and fear of the future causes us to focus on our circumstances instead of God's provision.

Ok! I get it! If I think God has called me in this direction I need to move. It is no less sin to not do what God has called us to do than it is to do things we know we should not do. Sin is sin.

Though I do not have a solid plan I will move forward with what I do have and let God fill in the details. Sounds like a plan to me! Hey! That's exactly what I need, a plan! Praise the Lord!

I will now, finally, bring this to a close. I'm so glad to be writing again and I enjoy sharing my heart with all of you. As always, feel free to contact me and share your heart with me!

Bye!

Filler -- Mar. 15, 2009

Yes, I know...The last post was dated Feb. 20, almost a month ago! I hate that but I have been  very busy and also a bit lax in keeping up so this is just some fluff until I get my blogging feet under me again.

My alma mater, Ames High School, played one of the local high schools in the Marion area, Linn-Mar, last night for the Iowa 4A High School championship basketball title and it was a great game! I was excited that Ames got there in such grand fashion, 25-0 season, but I had to cheer for Linn-Mar because I know some of the players and their families.

Though Ames won, Linn-Mar gave them the closest fought game that Ames had had this year only losing to Ames by ten points and, a good half of those points were due to the fact that Linn-Mar had to foul to try and get the ball back. It was a great game!

In most of the other Games Ames has played they have been forced. out of courtesy to the other teams, to take out their all-star, Harrison Barnes, to keep the game within a merciful amount. You see Ames has beaten most of the teams they've played this year by an average of thirty points, thus, Barnes has only averaged eleven minutes of game time. The play of Linn-Mar forced Ames to keep him in the game the entire time and Linn-Mar was down their top scorer due to a "misjudgment" on his part that caused him to lose his spot on the team for the remaining games of the season. It could have been a different game. No doubt that Ames was tested. It was a great game and Ames looked really good! I understand why they are number one in the state. Wow!

One of elders at my church happened to see Harrison Barnes play against West Des Moines Valley a while back and reported back that he was not as impressive a player as everyone thought but I must respectfully disagree, I thought he was outstanding and every bit deserving the press he has received. Not only that, but rumor has it that he is an excellent student and leads a morning Bible study at the high school. This kid seems to be in good shape all around.

It was a really good game, and even though Linn-Mar lost, they played like champions and have no reason to hang their heads though I understand the disappointment. There is no room for shame though! They played a real titan of a basketball team and turned in a better performance than any other of the twenty-five schools that faced Ames previously. Great job guys! And congratulations on a fine, fine season, Ames! It makes me proud that I was once black and orange follower too!

Logan was sick ALL of last week with what we believe was Influenza B but on Saturday he was fully recovered and could not wait to get out of the house. It was good to see him back to full strength!

Alyssa competed at state for speech yesterday and, though I don't understand the whole process, she got all one's which means she did really well. Now she just waits until tomorrow to see if she makes All-State. She likes the idea of all one's but she says she would be content to keep the one's and not go to All-State. She has been so impressive in my mind and it appears the judges think a lot of her performance as well. We'll see...Stay tuned.

Bye!

The Mormons All Over Again! -- Feb. 20, 2009

After I submitted my post last night I spent some time in deep thought. One thing I have learned about myself is that when something burns my heart like this web site did I jump in to make some sort of comments. Often these comments are "spoken" in the heat of the moment, so after I pressed "SUBMIT" I spent a long time thinking about what I wrote.

One thing I have learned from my wonderful pastor, is to be objective and fair. When I jump in with both feet I loose that objectivity and can become somewhat legalistic myself. So to take time and meditate on God's word, seeking wisdom and understanding from God, is a good thing!

This weighed on my heart so I went back out to the web site and did some more reading. One thing I believe is that these people are Christians, born-again believers bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Beyond that, I lose connection with their thinking. They did have some good points, I cannot deny that at all. But the overall tone is pride and arrogance which I cannot tolerate.

At this point, I closed down my laptop and tried to sleep but he Holy Spirit kept the wheels spinning and I found I had to get out of bed. I grabbed a No. 2 pencil and a pad of paper and started to ask questions. When God says "seek and you will find..." I believe I found some things. I am not going to share them now because I want them to be more coherent than they are now but I will say I felt great peace at spending some in-depth time with the Father. It was not a new "revelation" or audible voice but felt the hand of God guiding me.

Here is the bottom line: And just before I went back to bed about 0100, one more thought entered my mind, "This is just like your encounter with the Mormons the other night. What you have read tonight challenged what you thought you believed and forced you into God's word for guidance. What a great blessing!" Right, wrong, or indifferent, going to God for answers is always the right way. You may not like what you find, and to be sure I do not have all the answers packed away as nicely as I wish I did, but I truly believe that there are some points within God's word that one simply has to take on faith. They can't be puzzled out. There is no earthly answer. There is simply the belief that God does know what He is doing, He does love us and all will be revealed in time.

I know that I do not have the market cornered on truth nor is everything I believe today so solid I can't be taught a different lesson later, but God does not change and His love toward us endures forever.

I am excited to learn more and to post what I learn. Please pray for me that God would give me good wisdom to know His truth.

Thank you.

Bye!

Rebirth- The Return of The Pharisees -- Feb. 19, 2009

The Pharisees were so busy trying to "do" God's law that they missed the most important part: People. They were so caught up in in themselves that pride became the alter at which they worshipped. Jesus stated that these people honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. They were legalistic and considered anyone not of their class to be beneath them. There is no room for love in their puffed up hearts. The pride they felt as they "served" God was all-consuming. This is the story of some modern day Pharisees. It is a tale of sorrow and woe.

In modern times it seems there has been a rebirth of the "Pharisees". Their only purpose on this earth is to dig under every rock so as to discover anything that might resemble sin. One misspoken word, one foot out of step and they are there to set you straight, to warn you against that teacher or organization. How does the saying go..."Brushing aside the dollars to find the dimes". Perfection is theirs!

One thing that gives me great comfort is the fact that the authors of this web site have removed the log from their eye so as to be able to get the speck out everyone else's eye; you know, so we can see clearly. "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men...like that tax collector over there..."

You will see, if you are bold enough to venture to this web site, that there are few ministries that have not felt the wrath of these modern day Pharisees.

To be fair, they do have a lot of known cults and misguided people on their lists, and we do need to be aware of them, but the pride they have in their "ministry" is blinding them to the fact that God's word has a second side to it: love. God is love, He is just, to be sure but He is also love. They highlight "justice" and conveniently leave out love.

Probably the most disturbing part of the web site is their stance on salvation: You must believe and repent. Jesus is not good enough, what He did on the cross is not sufficient, you must act as well. This is a lie and fits in perfectly with the rest of their "work". The sour, scowling faces I see in my mind (oops! I said, "mind", that is complete whacked out heresy in their...minds???) epitomize what so many think about Christianity that it is no wonder people don't want to listen to us! Their message is only a heavy, legalistic yoke to burden the masses, the very ones Jesus came to free. The very sin of the Pharisees. The truth belongs to them.

My heart does not feel much better but I wanted to get this out on "paper". By the way, in their estimation (notice I did not use the word "minds" here..OOPS! I said it again!), journaling, writing in a journal, is a sin too. Don't ask, I have no clue! I am really freaked out about this web site!

I try not to rant too often but this web site has my hackles up.

I don't know why I'm posting this here but check it out if you want to:

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/

We are created in God's image, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We have been given...m-i-n-d-s...to...t-h-i-n-k...with. To learn, to study, to grow. It is not a sin to learn. Man has taken learning and twisted it to try and squeeze God out of it but learning in and of itself is not wrong, even if we are trying to learn about the mind. We are not robots. We, like God, have the capacity to think, to learn, to love, to choose, to imagine (another wicked sin, apparently) but I think we honor God when we use these things. He certainly was imaginative when He created this wonderful world! Can we go too far? Yes! But to exercise our minds and imaginations is not wrong. What I can't imagine is the world in which these authors must live. A one room shack with a non-scented candle as the only source of light, digging in God's word for one more way to condemn another ministry! Do I sound angry? I am angry! This causes more damage to the cause of Christ than any act of sin ever could! What would happen if these men channeled their energy to reaching out in love to the lost and let God deal with the rest?

Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because of their hardness of hearts. they clung to their traditions and their perceived righteousness more than they did to God's truth. They rejected Jesus and they put Jesus to death. What I see is that the "religious zealots" caused more grief to God and did more to hinder what God was trying to accomplish than all the sinners and tax collectors combined! Jesus was hard on those who did not love but tender with the lowly. Did He condone sin? Absolutely not, but it was not with the sinners that He contended, but it was their so called teachers. 

If you go to this web site you will not find love, for there is none there, it is not welcome. What you will find is a dry and barren wasteland, you will find the heart of the Pharisees.

I am far from perfect, Any of you who know me know this for a fact, but my heart burned within as I read the garbage found on this web site!

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feed back.

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