A picture is worth a thousand words.
Yet, it is nothing like being there... thunder rumbling, colors changing second by second revealing a new painting at every glance.
I wish you could have been there.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wish you were there...
No words or descriptions except sunset at the tail end of a thunderstorm. Enjoy.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Yet, it is nothing like being there... thunder rumbling, colors changing second by second revealing a new painting at every glance.
I wish you could have been there.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Yet, it is nothing like being there... thunder rumbling, colors changing second by second revealing a new painting at every glance.
I wish you could have been there.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Rebuilding
God truly is the great craftsman. With the warming temperatures, I decided it is time to get the Goldwing fully fixed up. So, I have been hacking away at it taking bolts and screws out and sanding down the parts in order to get them repainted.
Above is a picture of the Goldwing with various parts and pieces scattered on the floor of the garage. It's amazing how big the pile gets and what a mess it makes when you start taking things apart. The statement is true that things get worse before they get better.
This Goldwing used to be a complete, well working machine. The paint matched and all the pieces were in the right place. Then, there was an accident, causing much damage to the vehicle. Fiberglass shattered, metal bent and paint chipped. Now, as the owner, I have the task of pulling off the bad parts and replacing them with new; taking a hammer and beating bars back into place; sanding and grinding pieces until they are ready to be painted and put back where they belong. One day, the Goldwing will look the way it did before, but it can be a long process.
While working on this project with my dad the past few days, I thought about humans and I think I understand Jeremiah's picture of the potter and the clay a little bit better, except in a different concept.
We (as a human race) were at one time right with God, created good and full of beauty. Then, there was an "accident" and we are now damaged and broken, yet God saw us as valuable enough to take us and work on us as a craftsman fixing, say, a motorcycle. Throughout our lives, God takes the broken pieces of us and rips them off. A few screws loose here; brackets to bend back in place there; sanding, scraping, bending. It, this thing we call life, can be a painful process where, during years of our lives, God may be bending us back into shape. He may be scraping dirt out of our flesh or he may be sanding scrapes and gouges off our hearts. It hurts, but the end product will be so much better. Each day, each year, piece by piece, we will be shined up more and more as God removes our bad parts and replaces them with shining beautiful pieces. In the end, we will all be full and complete again, the way God wants us to be; shining as we stand in the glory of the Son.
The best part is, we are all works in progress and we will all hit the "paint shop" at the same time. On that last day, when the trumpet sounds, and the sky rolls back and the Son of Man descends from the heavenly throne room, I picture him holding a paint gun, smiling and saying, "are you ready for your final clear coat?"
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Holiday
Moon over the lake- 5:15 a.m.
Sleeping by the fire
Sunrise
The biggest holiday in Minnesota happened today: The Walleye Opener. It is a day where every angler of any age heads out to a local lake to try their hand at catching Minnesota's most prized fish. There are many fanatics who will be out on the water at midnight hoping to catch the first fish of the season. Well, we didn't get out that early because of some other details.
Last night, some friends and I helped chaperon the high school after-prom party here in town. It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends, talk with people I hadn't seen for a long time and meet some new people. At the after-prom, there are a bunch of different games for the students to play and we were in charge of running those games and the party lasted from about midnight until 3 in the morning. Since we were up at that time, we decided to go and fish. So, at 4 a.m., we piled in the pickup and headed for the lake.
Above are some pictures from the day. It was a long, but fun day. After all was said and done, we were up all night, with a few naps around the fire.
The worst part: no fish. I did catch a clam though.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Nature amazes me.
Yesterday, I watched as a Robin bounced across the lawn, taking a break here and there to cock his head and listen. He stood as still as a statue and then one more bounce... listen. With a quick jab into the grass, his beak came out with a nice, juicy earthworm. This process was repeated several times.
On the Discovery Channel, I watched part of a show telling about animals and spring time. Two bear cubs rolled around in the grass, wrestling as brothers. One pushed the other over and ran off into the brush, quickly persued by his brother. Two bears so innocent and cuddly eventually will grow up to be one of the most feared beasts in the U.S.; and best fishermen.
Driving home from Bible study, lightening lit up the night sky. All would be dark, then a flash and the texture of height of the clouds would be illuminated for a split second, only to be lost again. More energy is stored up in those clouds than an atomic bomb.
Along with this, the fresh smell of rain. In my opinion, one of the best smells on the face of the earth. I'm convinced that fresh rain smell, is what God smells like.
I long for the day to hear the robins secret, to wrestle those bears, to understand lightening and to smell the fresh rain in the clothes of God Almighty.
Oh what a day that will be!
Yesterday, I watched as a Robin bounced across the lawn, taking a break here and there to cock his head and listen. He stood as still as a statue and then one more bounce... listen. With a quick jab into the grass, his beak came out with a nice, juicy earthworm. This process was repeated several times.
On the Discovery Channel, I watched part of a show telling about animals and spring time. Two bear cubs rolled around in the grass, wrestling as brothers. One pushed the other over and ran off into the brush, quickly persued by his brother. Two bears so innocent and cuddly eventually will grow up to be one of the most feared beasts in the U.S.; and best fishermen.
Driving home from Bible study, lightening lit up the night sky. All would be dark, then a flash and the texture of height of the clouds would be illuminated for a split second, only to be lost again. More energy is stored up in those clouds than an atomic bomb.
Along with this, the fresh smell of rain. In my opinion, one of the best smells on the face of the earth. I'm convinced that fresh rain smell, is what God smells like.
I long for the day to hear the robins secret, to wrestle those bears, to understand lightening and to smell the fresh rain in the clothes of God Almighty.
Oh what a day that will be!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Update and Silence
An interesting 24 hours. That's all I have to say.
Okay, maybe not. Actually, it wasn't that interesting, just a lot of good things.
Yesterday, on Friday, I went to do some more flying. The last 3 times I have gone, all we have done is takeoffs and landings, which is great because those two things are kind of important. Anyway, last night, we did 3 takeoffs and landings. After the third one, my instructor told me to taxi back to the hanger. I knew what was coming... and I was excited.
Well, we got back there and he opened the door.
"All right, now go and fly 3 touch and gos by yourself."
With that, I taxied back to the runway, took off and flew alone for the first time. It was great! I flew the Cessna 150 around the traffic pattern, lined up with the runway and made a perfect landing... 4 times. It truly was a blessed night!
As for today, I slept in, made a table, started another project until the belt sander broke with no parts to fix it, switched my fishing rods back for summer fishing and then went out and used them. All in all, a good day.
I've been thinking about many things, as usual. One of them has been silence. We live in a world of noise. Even as I sit by the computer, the dryer is tumbling upstairs, the fan in the computer hums softly and my fingers press the keys down, but besides that, I hear no sound. Even that, to most people, is too quiet. How often do we have music on or the tv? Honestly, when was the last time you sat in a place where no sound could be heard?
"Is there such a place?" I can hear many people say.
We are conditioned, in our culture, to hate silence. If the silent prayer goes too long before the organ plays "Lord, Listen to you children praying" people start rustling around and a choir of coughs comense. If we are home alone, the radio is always on or the tv, even though we may not be listening or watching. We are conditioned to hate silence.
Silence is a scary place. In this place, our own minds speak louder than we ever could imagine. We visit every conversation and every thought from the day. We think about our problems and are forced to interact with our emotions. In silence, we truly see or hear who we are.
I have been thinking how a lack of silence affects our Christian walk with each other and God Almighty. Some wonder why we don't feel God and why we don't hear his voice and why we don't see people do mighty things in the name of Jesus. I think, much of it comes down to silence. We don't take the time to quiet our minds and our hearts to hear God's voice. We are too scared to enter that space for fear of what my own mind might convict me of and also what God might say to me.
The story of Elijah on Mt. Sinai is the most striking example. There was wind, an earthquake and fire but the Lord was in none of them. "And after the fire came a gentle whisper...Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:12-13).
Stories of silence are everywhere in scripture, but the ones that strike me most are the ones involving Jesus. How many times do the gospels tell us that Jesus went to a place of solitude to pray, or, he got up before the sunrise to go out and pray. My favorite example of this is in Luke 6:12. Read it sometime. Jesus, the Son of God Most High, goes out by himself, and prays all night... not a 5 minutes or 1 minute... but all night! This entire night of prayer is focused on who he should choose as apostles. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, stayed up all night praying about a decision he had to make! He spent hours in silence and meditation seeking the guidance of God, his Father.
What am I missing out on by cheating myself of the time of silence? What is God waiting to say to me, if only I take the time and listen?
Okay, maybe not. Actually, it wasn't that interesting, just a lot of good things.
Yesterday, on Friday, I went to do some more flying. The last 3 times I have gone, all we have done is takeoffs and landings, which is great because those two things are kind of important. Anyway, last night, we did 3 takeoffs and landings. After the third one, my instructor told me to taxi back to the hanger. I knew what was coming... and I was excited.
Well, we got back there and he opened the door.
"All right, now go and fly 3 touch and gos by yourself."
With that, I taxied back to the runway, took off and flew alone for the first time. It was great! I flew the Cessna 150 around the traffic pattern, lined up with the runway and made a perfect landing... 4 times. It truly was a blessed night!
As for today, I slept in, made a table, started another project until the belt sander broke with no parts to fix it, switched my fishing rods back for summer fishing and then went out and used them. All in all, a good day.
I've been thinking about many things, as usual. One of them has been silence. We live in a world of noise. Even as I sit by the computer, the dryer is tumbling upstairs, the fan in the computer hums softly and my fingers press the keys down, but besides that, I hear no sound. Even that, to most people, is too quiet. How often do we have music on or the tv? Honestly, when was the last time you sat in a place where no sound could be heard?
"Is there such a place?" I can hear many people say.
We are conditioned, in our culture, to hate silence. If the silent prayer goes too long before the organ plays "Lord, Listen to you children praying" people start rustling around and a choir of coughs comense. If we are home alone, the radio is always on or the tv, even though we may not be listening or watching. We are conditioned to hate silence.
Silence is a scary place. In this place, our own minds speak louder than we ever could imagine. We visit every conversation and every thought from the day. We think about our problems and are forced to interact with our emotions. In silence, we truly see or hear who we are.
I have been thinking how a lack of silence affects our Christian walk with each other and God Almighty. Some wonder why we don't feel God and why we don't hear his voice and why we don't see people do mighty things in the name of Jesus. I think, much of it comes down to silence. We don't take the time to quiet our minds and our hearts to hear God's voice. We are too scared to enter that space for fear of what my own mind might convict me of and also what God might say to me.
The story of Elijah on Mt. Sinai is the most striking example. There was wind, an earthquake and fire but the Lord was in none of them. "And after the fire came a gentle whisper...Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:12-13).
Stories of silence are everywhere in scripture, but the ones that strike me most are the ones involving Jesus. How many times do the gospels tell us that Jesus went to a place of solitude to pray, or, he got up before the sunrise to go out and pray. My favorite example of this is in Luke 6:12. Read it sometime. Jesus, the Son of God Most High, goes out by himself, and prays all night... not a 5 minutes or 1 minute... but all night! This entire night of prayer is focused on who he should choose as apostles. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, stayed up all night praying about a decision he had to make! He spent hours in silence and meditation seeking the guidance of God, his Father.
What am I missing out on by cheating myself of the time of silence? What is God waiting to say to me, if only I take the time and listen?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
With warm weather, melting snow and a short drizzle of rain yesterday, the grass is gaining a green-ish tint to it. Signs of spring are in the air and it is wonderful. At work, we have been shingling or on the roof for almost 2 weeks. This has it's pros and cons. The pros are we are getting the shingling done before it is 90 degrees. The cons are, well, we are on the roof. Waking up this morning, my body definitely told me what we have been doing.
This past weekend we celebrated Easter and quite often, when reading the stories of the Bible, my eyes fly through them and I don't stop and visualize what is going on. Other books use language to describe the look on someone's face or to describe the scene around them, but the Bible is a story book that doesn't give all those details. We are given the basics. This almost creates, in me, a sense of disconnectedness. It doesn't seem real. Yet, at other times, the story becomes more real than I ever could have imagined.
I've included the lyrics of a song our choir sang recently. It is one of my favorite songs and it helped me visualize the story of Jesus this Easter.
Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day.
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
torn and beaten then,
nailed to a cross of wood.
This the power of cross.
Christ became sin for us.
He took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain written on your face.
Bearing the awesome weight of all my sins.
Every bitter thought. Every evil deed.
Crowning your blood stained brow.
This the power of cross!
Christ became sin for us!
He took the blame and bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross!
Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath,
quakes as it's maker bows his head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life.
Finished! The victory cry!
This the power of the cross!
Christ became sin for us!
He took the blame and bore the wrath!
We stand forgiven at the cross!
Oh to see my name written in the wounds.
For through your suffering, I am free!
Death is crushed to death!
Life is my to live!
Born through your selfless love!
This the power of the cross!
Son of God, slain for us!
What a plan, what a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross!
This past weekend we celebrated Easter and quite often, when reading the stories of the Bible, my eyes fly through them and I don't stop and visualize what is going on. Other books use language to describe the look on someone's face or to describe the scene around them, but the Bible is a story book that doesn't give all those details. We are given the basics. This almost creates, in me, a sense of disconnectedness. It doesn't seem real. Yet, at other times, the story becomes more real than I ever could have imagined.
I've included the lyrics of a song our choir sang recently. It is one of my favorite songs and it helped me visualize the story of Jesus this Easter.
Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day.
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
torn and beaten then,
nailed to a cross of wood.
This the power of cross.
Christ became sin for us.
He took the blame, bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain written on your face.
Bearing the awesome weight of all my sins.
Every bitter thought. Every evil deed.
Crowning your blood stained brow.
This the power of cross!
Christ became sin for us!
He took the blame and bore the wrath.
We stand forgiven at the cross!
Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath,
quakes as it's maker bows his head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life.
Finished! The victory cry!
This the power of the cross!
Christ became sin for us!
He took the blame and bore the wrath!
We stand forgiven at the cross!
Oh to see my name written in the wounds.
For through your suffering, I am free!
Death is crushed to death!
Life is my to live!
Born through your selfless love!
This the power of the cross!
Son of God, slain for us!
What a plan, what a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I'm finding that I don't have a lot to write about. Usually I am thinking about stuff all day, but when I get home, I don't think about sharing my thoughts. They stay in my head. As for events going on in my life, well, there really isn't a whole lot happening. I am doing carpentry 5 days a week and flying as much as possible.
Actually, right now, I have been looking at and thinking about going to flight school this fall. My whole life, I had been enthralled with flying but have never pursued it until a couple months ago. Mission Aviation is something I'm looking at and so, I'm exploring my options with how to pursue that better. Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, WA is an option, but there are a few others around the country.
Who knows what will happen.
Actually, right now, I have been looking at and thinking about going to flight school this fall. My whole life, I had been enthralled with flying but have never pursued it until a couple months ago. Mission Aviation is something I'm looking at and so, I'm exploring my options with how to pursue that better. Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, WA is an option, but there are a few others around the country.
Who knows what will happen.
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