Your thoughts of God may not be God

I wish this were not true, but the Bible is quite large and presents many different images and ideas about who God is and how he relates to us that it is entirely possible that you have developed an image of God in the deep seat of your soul that may not reflect God's character and attitude toward you, your neighbor, your enemy and the world.

Just browsed through the current issue of Charisma Magazine which has a huge following among American Charismatic Christians, and they have whole heartedly accepted the prophecies of a really speculative book and are frankly shaming anyone who is not preaching the absolute fulfillment of major prophecies on a particular day and even just weeks away. That's bold brother.

I am not sure I have a completely correct view of God, but I have looked at many views and many aspects of the way in which evangelicalism has defined God and the Gospel and many views are so far apart they cannot be right. The answers are there, and the time is right to see history in a healthier way and learn to see a more beautiful Gospel begin to find a new voice that reaches the old original voices.

A Jesus shaped gospel, truly good news, truly life changing, truly life valuing, truly compassionate, truly peaceful. I am looking for it.

Blood to tongue in zero seconds

A view from Oak Creek at the Circle K in Sedona.

Twice this week I have had intravenous injections of the dye that helps the diagnosis of heart disease. Once in the hand and once in the elbow. Each time as the dye was injected I tasted it in my mouth in less than a second. I am wondering how amazing that reaction is for something to be injected and reach the sensitive taste buds that quickly. Any other possibilities? The techs tell me they get that reaction all the time.

This quote from a wise FB friend resonated with the yesterday.

"The bad is that FB frequently exposes us to a "mob mentality" where we, following a hostile accusation made by another on their original post, then enter into their proposed social stoning of another's thoughts, beliefs, motives and actions. These types of toxic threads can engage in such malicious mocking, brutal belittling, and sarcastic scoffing, that one has to cauterize his or her conscience to then pick up a written "rock" and join in the social stoning.

Let's do the braver thing! Let's not allow ourselves to be recruited as rock-throwers but instead aspire to be Rock-knowers, standing on the firm non-condemning foundation of our Christ. Resist the temptation to cruelly condemn another. Jesus certainly did the same with the woman caught in adultery, and so can we." Richard Murray.

The Giver

Why was I not exposed to this novel before it became a movie. I missed the decades when it was required high school reading, being an adolescent book and me being a mature man. I was moved by it and picked up a copy last week to rewatch. Very well presented and powerful reminder that with all the evil and things that go wrong in the world there are so many positive experiences of love and beauty and truth that life is worth the risk.

Great message. Enjoyed the extras about how it took almost 20 years to get the book to the screen. And blue eyed Odeya Rush has such a bright acting future ahead.

Heart health Test Day

Testing the macro function on some flowers with my new Ricoh. Good contrast and depth of field for a small lens.

Stressed out about my stress test this afternoon, which I lovingly call the longest nine minutes in the world. I need to know about how my arteries are doing every year and this is the current best way to find out.

Update- Stress Test went well, got my heart up to almost 150 beats per minute in five minutes and will know the results in a few days.

No one should name their child Dow

The very daily mention of Dow Jones each day can cause people to contemplate jumping off buildings.

The Bible tells us to correct our children and the Dow corrections are frightening and not always producing happy futures.

Who wants to be average, and that's all Dow is, an average.

The only other Dow I know is Dow Finsterwald, a golfer of decades ago.

It only takes one letter for Dow to become down.

If the world ends next month, it won't matter anyway.

If the world does not end next month, lots of people need to change lots of things that are going wrong in the world anyway.

This silly post is brought to you by Don, whose name is only one letter away from Dow, and by Monday.

Ms. Laura is a hard worker

All week long Laura handled a classroom of first graders, an avalanche of emails, three or four new computer programs, a 15 mile commute, too many meetings and too early up and too much homework to grade.

Then the weekend, when she becomes the maid and does a ton of laundry and always finds something to clean and repair. Yesterday she got a medal on fitbit for walking 15,000 steps, which is over 7 miles in a day, and we found time to take a swim so I could play with my camera underwater.

This pose is what we lovingly call Kathleen's daughters pose, where they always bend on knee. We find that so endearing and wonder if women with long legs do it naturally or all models learn the bent knee pose.

We enjoyed a lovely meal with a special friend at Ruths Criss Steak House, which is quite a dining experience.

She deserves it all and I am most blessed and happy to become more of a meal preparer to give her a bit of a break when she gets home after a nine hour day at work. Today I chopped and mixed a salad that weighed 2 and 1/2 lbs. with cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, raisins, strawberries, green and yellow peppers, avacado, calamata olives, purple onions, and of course mixed greens. yum!

Ricoh Redux

Swimming with Manta Rays with my Canon in a pouch. Why did I just hit the movie button that evening?

When I began my ministry I began to enjoy 35mm photography, first with a Viewfinder and then a SLR that I saved for. I bought a Ricoh and enjoyed it for three years until my infant son innocently pulled it off a table to its untimely end.

Yesterday I got a Ricoh WD 30 which is an outdoor and underwater camera designed for rough treatment when hiking, swimming, skiing or etc.

I like the fact that I am owning a Ricoh and look forward to advancing my skills at underwater photography while snorkeling. My first effort two years ago with my Canon in a plastic case turned out poorly. This should be better. Headed to the pool later to play with it.

Yikes moments

A great breakfast on vacation is one of life's pleasures, and this one has grits!!!

I bought some moldable ear pieces recently. You heat them in water and after a moment of cooling they are malleable enough to mold into your eardrum. Very nifty and they worked great. They warned me not to leave them exposed to heat and I forgot, so they are temporarily part of the front seat upholstery. Yikes.

If I get a large bird feeding platform for by backyard with the 20 plus doves have a hawkish war over who gets to feed on it? Yikes.

If I believe that The Donald is going to sink the hopes of the Republican party and no one agrees? Yikes.

If I believe in the unconditional love of God without the condition of profession and no one agrees? Yikes.

If I rip the upholstery trying to get my earphones unstuck? Yikes.

It's official...I am an active Senior!!!

I love driving on those days when the cumulus clouds are so brilliant they take on a life of their own.

Week three Fitbit report tells me I walked 29.5 miles, over four miles a day. They say many people lose interest in activity trackers after several months...I hope not because this is really working to set a daily walking/exercising goal and see that it is happening and your fitness and energy level are up and the scale is nudging ever so slowly down.

The Doves are ruining the finch tiny bird experience for my new bird watching hobby by hanging on the the feeder and raiding it and funning the tiny birds away. I have resorted to throwing seed on the ground to keep them from hanging onto the feeder. I can buy a flat feeder for bigger birds but am not sure I want to see the doves acting so hawkish all them time.

The world is falling apart with division and bombings and racial tensions and so I will not sweat the bird feeder wars but enjoy watching them enjoy the new found bounty in my backyard.

Dove Wars

Bird Watching at the Cozy Cactus.

Since I enjoyed bird watching at the feeders outside my room in Sedona I decided out large Palo Verde would be perfect for the same activity so I bought a finch feeder and five pounds of seeds and a new hummingbird feeder, and we waited and nothing happened for the first day.

Now, my backyard is bird central and I am discovering that birds have a fallen nuture and are very territorial and selfish when free food is offered. I should have known.

I am also seeing a definite pecking order of who is scared of who. The Quails will not back down to the doves and the doves bully the finches and land on the feeder even though they are too large. They are all shaking the seeds lose so at any given morning or even a dozen or so birds are pecking around on the ground under the feeder. Only a few hummers so far but I am hopeful.

This is all good fun and Laura is now worried about budgeting for bird feed at they rate they are chowing down!!!Picture to follow.

Medicare bumps in the road

Both Sides of the props at Sea World Water Show.

Just a month into my new medicare relationship and they have changed two medications and refused to pay for part of the blood work ordered by my physician. Are these refusals done by doctors or pencil pushers?

When you have preexisting conditions, and at our age who does'nt?, it does not bolster my confidence to have them meddling with my health care costs this early in the game.

Still thankful for life and health as we experience a very hot August afternoon.

WWII no show

The Oak Creek Canyon is a wonderland of hiking and beauty that extends upward from Sedona to the Grand Canyon plateau, a must see for visiting AZ.

One evening in Sedona we ate at a local café that was offering entertainment by a trio of nice aging artists. The lead singer has been a backup singer for Tony Bennett and others decades ago, and she was sweet. She planned an evening of music from the 40s to honor the greatest generation and she had invited WWII agers from a local care home who were going to come on a van...and they were a no show. Which reminds me that almost all that generation is late 80s and early 90s and before long just a few will be left.

I have been blessed to have quite a number of WWII vets I have known in my time in Sun Lakes, and that decade before and during the war had great music.

Back Home from Sedona

I drove down the mountains early this morning after three nights and two days in Oak Creek and Sedona. It was quiet and restful and fun and sort of productive in a started but not yet finished way. I love getaways and what they feel like and produce in my heart.

This highly rated Bed and Breakfast has such a charming back patio for resting, viewing birds and hummingbees galore, and the vistas that were breathtaking. I thank God for a good friend who shared his blessings with me this week.

Sedona Quiet Time

I love this picture

This year I am staying close for my prayer retreat. The Cozy Cactus Bed and Breakfast thanks to my good friend Jack who is caretaking the place while the owners are out of town. It has been a long time since I have been there and then only for an hour of sight seeing. It will be nice to have some extended time to hang out there and some beauty to photograph and some time to listen to God.

Laptop Saga

Hawaii on my mind.

Electricity is a great blessing in the modern home.

I currently have access to five laptops! How did this happen and why? One is very old, over seven years,and is being used to drive the the projector in the Bible Study Room. One is three years old and had enough problems to be replaced, but was repaired and is in use near my relaxing chair.One is my office computer being used for daily tasks and chores in my office. One is running the multimedia projectors in the church and goes home with me on the weekends to show the hymns and texts on Sunday. One is Laura's new replacement for her old box which is over nine and being replaced.I am helping her get used to the nightmares of Windows 8 and the junk that comes with new computers when you bring them home, not to mention getting them to hook up with all our sites and passwords and printers.

That's a lot of computers and chords, and when you add our two smartphones and Laura's tablet and my two Kindles we are an electronic family big time.

One Sony, One Toshiba, One Asus, Two HPs. One HTC One, One Apple I Phone, One Motorola Xoom, Two Kindle Fires, one Apple IPOD, Two Flat Screen TVs, assorted speaker devices for playing music around the house and outside, and two rechargeable fitness wrist bands, and a rechargeable earphone with noise cancelling.

No way I go off the grid without major withdrawal and lifestyle adjustment. Still have quiet times and lots of personal reading and meditation the old fashioned ways. Just in case you wondered.

Fit Bit Update

This is one of my earliest and most favorite of my dating picture of Laura.

This fitness tracker has been very fun for the first week and you get a summary email each week showing your activity. i walked 23 miles last week.
I have started using the food tracker which integrates quite well.

Why is sleep interrupted at times?

One of our neighbors back yard faces a lake and three large pines that had died were removed and our HOA planted replacements, with some new soil, I plan to take a picture every six months or so to record their growth cause that's the way I roll.

This Fitbit fitness tracker is so much fun at this time in my life. It is also a sleep tracker as its sensitivity to heart rate and motion can tell when your asleep or restless and of course when you plod to the poddy in the middle of the night. So you sleep with it and end up with some good idea of how much you need, are getting and what kind of night you had.

What it cannot do is explain why I woke up last night at 2 pm and sat there thinking and not able to go back to bed. Finally I flipped the channel of my TV for an hour and watched the last fifteen minutes of the movie Seven Pounds which was a downer and a tear jerker.

So today I try to start another week with a less than revved up engine.