Coming up for air

Warren has passed from this world into God's care, he was such fun playing his Concertina and enjoying his life in Sun Lakes.
He survived cancer, a long caregiving service to his wife, who had been a Catholic sister growing up. They were both affected positively by charismatic renewal. Loved the first wave of praise music.

Made the point today that if God is about to end the world, then all our prayers are not going to stop Him. But if our own imposed theology demands a bad ending and a soon ending and we are in fact, deceived, then we have robbed a generation of seeking answers by our lust for rapture.

I watch for the way we respond to the threat of terrorism with prayerful interest. Not sure we know which way to go on this. Glad its not my decision.

In other topics, I love womens professional golf, I love the way they turned the Asian invasion into a positive so that we can display respect for those girls who desire to compete in America because its the best and most profitible way to make a living for a lady golf. They girls can play, and they swing like I want and need to swing at this stage of my life. With normal speed and silky tempo.

I love September with its hints at fall, the gradual return of our winter visitors, the beginning of the end of another year.

I am focused on being part of the change agents in the American Church. We are a very specific niche church. We are only open for seniors, so that makes our rules of attraction very different than most regular neighborhood church. It still calls us to be sensitive to the changes that continue to take place in the living and engaging our faith with the world around us.

I am trying to be ready for the results of my heart test, positive or negative. I will not lie, I want to share some years with my wife after she finishes her teaching career in two years.

Defending the Faith?

When thoughts of reformation or renewal lead to questions about the way we have interpreted truth and the reformers begin to publish, then those who dig in and refuse to listen feel that they are defending the faith when they oppose and deny the legitamacy of the questions or the search for better answers.

When they lose and things change, they think all is lost, when in reality their losing was a winning that will assure a better future with a better understand. Even those who refuse to change will profit by becoming a minority instead of a majority. Those who were a minority will become a majority and will be allowed to influence the outcomes and changes needed.

All that might seem like enough gobbledy gook to have lost you, but I am being cryptic for a reason.

We are in some sort of major spiritual shift, reformation, deformation, emergence or what ever you call it. You have to choose when to dig in and when to allow change, and it won't always look like you chose correctly.

I think the values that will keep us on the best track have already been revealed.

Long Labor Day Weekend in progress

Heard they have a new design for the 2015 Mustang, I have been loving them since I saw the 64 at age 14. This white convertible made the big Island a true kick to explore last year.

Up early for a tee time with friends. Enjoyable new course for me, usual joys and frustrations with the game of golf.

Looking forward to the weekend.

Disturbed at the rhetoric from facebook and Fox that we must annihilate all muslims. It's a prescription for the end of civilization.

A belated Blogiversary

Still trying to lift that bar in Toon Town after all these years.

I started this blog on July 24, 2008. I am not good at math but I think I am entering year seven in sharing my daily thots. If it were not rewarding and therapeutic I guess I would have quit.

One of my first posts dealt with heart disease, and I still have it and will be doing another diagnostic test and possible intervention next week. I also spoke of a trip to a conference on my quest for what others have called a new kind of Christianity, that would be an attempt to solve the disjointed types of Christian belief and practice I had lived with for over three decades.

As I have continued to listen and learn and discuss the times in which we live, it has become obvious to me that our culture and Christianity are in a time of major shift, and type of reformation that comes along every five hundred years. The issue can most simply be brought down to one simple but complex question as we face the issues of our day. How do we read and interpret our bible? For Christians, this is the watershed issue that touches so many other tensions in morality, evangelism, Christian life and views.

These were the very same issues that changed the world 500 years ago. It was about interpretation and practice in the church that led to the Protestant reformation, and in our day we will be debating the same issue with the light and understanding that have come into the world in the last several centuries and today with knowledge has been unleashed and access to debate brought down to everyone's computer.

This blog will occasionally touch on these issues, but mainly share the daily joys of this world, family, daily life, and health, and whatever strikes me to share each day. Thanks for stopping by to share it with me.

Heaven is a place on Earth

I have been listening to a friend at the gym as she plans an anniversary trip to Kauai in a few months. I appreciate that she listened to my input on how we learned to explore and enjoy the garden island.

This is one of my all time favorite captures of a special moment in our lives as a couple. It was taken early one morning at Ke'e Beach which is the dead end destination at the northeast part of Kauai. We have spent a few hours there at least five times over the years. Only this time did we have the beach to ourselves for a while.

They shot a scene in a movie their long ago where a priest and his long unrequited love met for an affair. Remember the Thornbirds?
The beach is surrounded by reefs and creates a lovely spot to cool off that is quite calm, and full of fish to see if you have googles. The view Laura is observing is the ocean view of the Napali Coast and the beginning of a very difficult 18 mile hike.

Last time we were there in 2010 the parking was disasterous, the beach crowded, and the sand so hot it was dangerous. You either had coverings or your ran like a crossing on hot coals.

This day, was, a moment of heaven on earth for me, and the lady I love. I am hoping my friend and her husband make many memories like this one, even if they don't take a picture.

Questions are good

This is an air vent in the mountain tunnel in Zion National Park, to bad you can't stop and look out as you pass through.

When religious institutions believe they have all the answers and no room for questions, they have hardened into forces of potential abuse of authority. We see that playing out in the mini drama taking place in the neo reformed movement and Mark Driscoll. He was so sure of the proper roles to be played by males and females in the kingdom that he got kind of kinky and weird about it, and about his own charisma as a leader teacher, and it is exploding around him.

Every reformation of the church has been surrounded by questions about the dogma and authority of those in power, be it ecclesiastical or governmental.

Questions and doubts and good, in my way of thinking, they betray no hatred of authority, just a reverence for keeping it real.

A dark shadow hanging over my head.

Emerging from a tunnel dug through a mountian at Zion National Park.

That was a phrase used by my Cardiology associate Doctor last week after our discussion. She was referring to the reality of the heart disease I live with. It's true, I try to live a normal hopeful future oriented life, but you have to monitor the things that your body is feeling and be ready to call for help in a moment.

Anyhow, we have elected for the fifth time to get some tests to see if anything is clogging. One year from today I will be on Medicare and such interventions will probably no longer be possible. So I wait to schedule another nuclear stress test.

Thinking about the Napa Ca area as they recover, and perhaps live in fear off aftershocks. I know how that feels.