Stepping into the rhythm of someones life

Drinking coffee overlooking a parched Kansas cornfield with a houndog on the left and a kitty on the right, the siilence of the country air fills me with a sense of God's presence.

After lunch and some morning reading I play surrogate grandfather with Peter while his mom and dad work. We fish, twice in the pond behind the office playing catch and release. I have not made a cast in decades but the practice returns to me and I win the fish catching prize, which is the joy of gloating.

We go to the golf course for a lesson and some practice in the midst of a threatening storm, and then enjoy another evening of conversation, in which our friendship flows as if it had never stopped when we moved away so long ago. You see the children that resulted from the union and the joys and struggles of helping them learn and grow, and its exhausting and frustrating and the very essense of what is good.

Road Trip Day 1

Steve and Michale  practice Dentistry in Wichita KS, and we spent the day conversing
 about life and experiences over the last 25 years since I performed their wedding ceremony on the Gulf Coast.

We saw their kids when they were small and now they have a house full of almost adults. I really enjoyed the flights from Phoenix and the airport security routines were not too bad.

Change of location for a few days

Marilyn Monroe found dead 50 years ago today. Here she is larger than life. I find it very hard to see her as an 86 year old, I am sure given a chance she would have much preferred aging to celluloid immortality.

My farewell study leave begins early in the morning. The midwest corn field tour of parts of Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Two new books and lots of others to finish on Kindle, some sights and sounds to discover, some old friends and new friends to connect with, and a new fall season to think about. Some sermons to hear and songs to sing with other believers as well. And, photos of interest, of course.

Today I spoke about our desire to see the kingdom of God come and the fact that we live in a broken world that is part of the plan of our testing, and growth and service to this world. Good government and helpful laws can make the world function better, but it will not ever become the visible Kingdom of God that we would hope to see.

On the other hand, I believe it is truly possible to see the upward movement of culture and civilization in a positive direction, we can grow, we can make peaceful coexistence happen when we value human life and live with good laws, opportunity, and freedom. In that sense we and many other countries have been "a city set on a hill, a new jerusalem".

Puzzling Diversity

This is the field looking at Tumbleweed gym where I practiced the art of "grounding", or walking barefoot last week. Bet you outlanders did'nt know we could grow grass in the desert, it takes a soaking from groundwater weekly to keep it looking like this.

One of the issues that has most affected my adult life is agreement or disagreement on doctrines. Some major, some minor, all problematic when full fellowship is disrupted or denied over said teaching.

As I have been a searcher and a tester of truths all my life there have been some major areas of belief where I have taken minority opinions or variations. Its a bit like putting a puzzle together where you turn the ideas around to see if they fit and how they fit and how they affect the look of the puzzle once inserted in place.

One summer I was asked to explain my teaching on "wrath", and I really studied and put together a good defense of my views, and they were well received and I won the brother to my emphasis, mostly.

This week I was asked to defend my teaching on the word "aionian"  from which our bibles get the word eternal. That is why its called a study break, and I look forward to my dear brothers inquiry and the articles he gave me defending the traditional understanding.

One reason I love Biblical theology is that the doctrines grow from the texts rather than doctrines developed by groups or sects trying to make a peace of the puzzle fit by artificial force or tradition.

Though the times of conflict were painful and too often personal, I think it important not to lose sight of the benefits of these puzzling issues, and the progress that can be made when we take a fresh look at the picture we present to the world.

Study Leave

Fathers Day Conference 2007 Peculiar, Kansas, a tiny suburb of Kansas City named a hundred years ago when the town leaders told the Judge they wanted to name the town with a unique and not common name, something different and....peculiar?

Several years ago I desired to expand my understanding by spending time with some Christian conference outside my own family of faith. It has been a yearly time to think, read, pray, see another part of the country and because Laura has a short summer, it has been a solitary trip. She always complains gently that she does not like to be alone that long, so I have agreed that this will be my last bachelor trip and she will begin to go to conferences with me, Lord willing. Most of next summers vacation will be back to our southern roots so I will be looking for a meeting in June or July in the Bible Belt.

Here is my list of places and events since this quest started.
Renovare in Denver, followed by a private retreat on the Salmon River-many changes in my life from this
Fathers Day Conference in Kansas City a very ecumenical group from all over emphasizing God's love for all
Presence in Colorado Springs Group that left the Church of Christ over eschatology
Presence in Little Rock  (It took me two years to understand where this group was coming from.)
The Nazarene Pastors Conference at Point Loma San Diego.  Ah the ocean coolness and a group of godly people.

This year the Christian Missionary Alliance Mission Conference in Okaboji Iowa,  never been to Iowa, no ocean coolness, but I am looking forward to it and some visits with friends along the way. I always do a bit more photography when I am traveling alone which is fun.

Strange Things are Happening

Hey Dr. Spock, have the Klingons been using my old blog posts.

My title today is actually the title of a song by Red Buttons that played repeatedly from a 78 record disc when I was growing up. The song is hilarious. I went back to see when I started this blog to celebrate the date and I noticed seven comments on almost every post.  While I appreciate your comments this blog is really not designed for anything more than just a daily sharing of a thought to connect with you during you time of browsing.

Turns out those comments are all in Chinese, all the same length and they have a few english words interspersed that refer to engineering parts.  Is my blog being used by someone? Anyone ever hear or see anything like this?

So, happy blog birthday a bit late, I actually started on July 24th 2008 so I am in year five. I have been thinking about starting a theo blog to share more in depth the things I believe about God and the gospel more deeply. I want to join the growing conversation about the role of truth in our strange world. Strange things are happening all over, strange things. Janet, do you remember listening to that record with me in the basement of the home on Ceperly Dr. Oneonta NY??? What a memory to pop into my head today?!!

Masonic Rites?

I caught that magic moment between sunset and evening at the mall with the mall lights competing with the evening sky on my android camera.

 My father was a mason, and never once did he mention it. He wore the ring, and had a masonic ceremony when he died. I have observed a number of them including yesterdays funeral. It is clear that they have a departing ritual and that they use lots of scriptural and christian phrases in their service. I especially was struck by the idea of moving from the lodge to the celestial lodge.

It seems to be mostly an aging group, and I struggle to understand the draw.  They have all kinds of names they give each other to honor achievement.  Is this a grown up boy scout organization with religious overtones? It's ancient linkage seems to carry it back to a time when it exerted a more pervasive influence in the world.

Decades ago one of our presbyteries tried to enforce a rule that no man could serve in the masons and be an officer in the church. There was lots of heat stirred up over that fight.

Was my fathers silence based upon the fact that he did not see me as masonic material? If it played a role in his life in the past why continue the outward wearing of the ring if it meant little to him? Is it a type of works righteousness organization where you need to feel superior morally by working up a ladder?

I don't think it sold that well to the crowd at the funeral,