Where's My Wallet?

Politics is full of fun and interesting twists. I think it was in 1992 when Bush was running against Bill Clinton. Clinton said he wanted to tax the rich, however he defines "rich" as anyone who has a job. I'm sure you've heard of the separation of powers. "My opponent practices a different theory," Bush declared, "The power of separations" said Bush, "Government has the power to separate you from you wallet."

What My Doctor Said

I met with Paul Sunde today, my Doctor. He said I have high blood pressure and I should take this special medication for it. I told him I've been exercising regularly, eating right, my weight is down, and I'm not chasing fast women. So, what's the problem? (On my last visit he did one of those "special" examinations where he had to wear gloves. Afterward (craving a cigarette), I told him that according to Tennessee law, we're now married). I wish he had a better sense of humor.

At any rate, I have to take more pills. I hate pills. Nancy has me taking all these vitamin pills. I can't remember what I've taken or if I need to take something more. It won't be long and I'll have to take a pill to help me remember to take a pill. How will I remember that? I know, I'll put it in my computer and it will remember! But how will I remember the password to get in? I have no less than 6 passwords to get in here.

Dr. Sunde said many people have high blood pressure because of genetics. Dad used to teach genetics at NAU. Maybe I should have taken his course. I suppose if I just keep at it with the diet and exercise, then maybe I can get off these pills. Dr. Sunde said not to overdo it with the exercise. I didn't tell him I've been running up and down the steps at Red Rocks.

I don't mean to sound negative, but I'm a little discouraged. Growing old isn't all it's cracked up to be. A good friend of ours from Memphis died a few weeks ago and he was younger than me. Dale was over at our house all the time. What a great guy. He died of a heart attack. I guess it's probably a good idea to take care of your garden. You just never know. (see a previous post)

The Road I Drove

Yesterday I drove from Medford, OR to Klamath Falls and back for meetings in both places. The pass going over the mountains is just above Lake of the Woods, pictured below. It was snowing there at the 5,000 foot level. It wasn't sticking on the road but there were thousands of beautiful little blankets of snow captured on the ends of each branch. It was very nice. The photo below is from the ODOT and will change several times a day.

Take Care of Your Garden

It's the time of year to plant a garden. But what about your spiritual garden? Unless you take care of your spiritual garden it will grow unruly. Here is a quote from Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.

"Hath seized the wasteful king. O, what pity is it
That he had not so trimmed and dressed his land
As we this garden! We at time of year
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit trees,
Lest, being overproud in sap and blood,
With too much riches it confound itself.
Had he done so to great and growing men,
They might have lived to bear, and he to taste
Their fruits of duty. Superfluous branches
We lop away, that bearing boughs may live.
Had he done so, himself had borne the crown,
Which waste of idle hours hath quite thrown down."

Being Humble

Being humble is important when it comes time for healing to take place (that is, healing between two people). Arrogance is the polar opposite of being humble. Jesus was truly humble. He left his heavenly world which was perfect and filled with Angels worshipping him, and he came to earth as a pauper to give everything to man, including his life. He gave everything and took nothing.

Arrogant people on the other hand are usually very difficult because they always know the "right" answers. I've been watching this at work for years. Arrogance comes across as self-righteousness, it's condescending or judgemental and it alienates people. It takes things away from people, not physical things but emotional things.

I think when you work to live with humilty it means you grow in your ability to see yourself in the actions of others. Another person can become a mirror for you. Asking questions is a great way to find out what you don't know and a great way to start on a path to humility. I think this is the beginning of humility, not to mention it's honoring to others. You take nothing from them.

Nancy Pets A Big Horn

Today, Nancy and I went for a walk up Waterton Canyon. I never thought we would ever be this close to a Big Horn Sheep, mangy as it was. It has been a hard winter. I think it came down the hill looking for a free handout or a few granola bars. Ahh!! Colorado. 80 degrees, fish jumping in the Platte River, and not a cloud in the sky. I think we'll grill tonight...not the sheep.

What Is Man Face To Face With Infinity?

I enjoy camping and backpacking in the Colorado mountains. As I hike around and see nature, sit and watch a bird feeding it's family, or an ant carrying a morsel of food five times it's weight, I am amazed. I think it's wise to consider God's creation. The earth, the flowers, and all God made are truly remarkable. Instead of forgetting about God, consider this. According to Pascal, "The pettiness of our existence hides from our site the infinite."

I really like what SK says here; "God's providence is great precisely in small things; whereas for men there is something lacking here - just as lace seen through a microscope is irregular and unlovely, but the texture of nature under the same scrutiny proves to be more and more ingenious." II A 657 n.d., 1837

Colorado Politics

Today I had lunch and a meeting at CACI (Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry). I met with 8 other members for lunch and discussed the politics of Colorado as it relates to business and industry. One of the members is Chuck Berry who at one point in his career was the Colorado Speaker of the House for 8 years. We discussed the upcoming health care reform and climate change and what we can do. We also talked about the labor issues, unions in Colorado, and the Blue Ribbon Commission on transportation, and alternatives to gas tax.

The real question out of all the discussion centered on this question: Do we want incentives for market forces to make things work or do we want government mandates? I think the group was in agreement as to the answer. See my previous post on my opinion of government.

I am being placed on the Green Committee at CACI. I am excited to assume a leadership role in this area. Our company is moving full speed ahead as a leader in the green industry and I see great opportunity to affect other Colorado businesses and move them in this direction.

Rain Rain Snow Rain Rain

It rained all night last night. It rained all day today. According to the news this morning they said a foot of snow was predicted for today as low as the 6500 foot level. I got a call from my friend Steve Sumption this afternoon. He said he had a foot of snow at his house in Parker. Here it is, April 24 and we continue to get heavy weather. Okay, it's 7:00p and now it's snowing at our house, in fact it's sticking to the lawn. I love Colorado!

Growing Up With Coleoptera

Nancy and I were walking the trail near our house yesterday, the one that goes up the side of the hogback. It's about 3+ miles long and offers some great views and is rarely used. While walking Nancy called my attention to the black bugs scampering along the trail at our feet.

This reminded me of my years growing up. Most boys quickly learn the difference between a deer and an elk from the fathers, while out in the woods with him or camping. Some will learn the difference between a trout and a perch while fishing with Dad. Not me. I learned the difference between a predacious ground beetle and a tenebrionid. Nancy still thinks I'm making these things up when I tell her things like, "Oh, that's a tiger beetle." I think the green Tiger beetles are the most beautiful of Coleoptera. Beetles are one of the most diverse groups of insects. Their order, Coleoptera (meaning "sheathed wing"), has more species in it than any other order in the entire animal kingdom. Forty percent of all described insect species are beetles (about 350,000 species), and new species.

My Dad is an entomologist. He studies insects and taught entomology, among other things at NAU. In fact, he's discovered and described many new species. I certainly don't know all the insects, but I can still tell you quite a few of them, thanks to Dad.

Immortality

We've been studying heaven at our Church on Sundays lately. When we think about heaven, we're also compelled to reflect on our immortality and what that means. This is especially true since the events of last week bring death to the top of our minds. It is, after all is said and done, the final and most impressive thought. In a way I think, it even gives unbelievers a sense of morality. SK says, "The person who really grasps his immortality or that an eternal life awaits him will learn quickly enough to flee to grace."

Virginia Tech, Prayer Needed

Todd (a friend at my office) has a sister who works at Virginia Tech. She works at RUF on campus, wrote this letter and she is requesting the following prayers. Feel free to e-mail her with words of encouragement and by all means pray for them.

Hello All,I just wanted to quickly say thank you to all of you who have been praying for the community of Virginia Tech. I've told my students about the number of emails and phone calls I've gotten from all over the country and it's a comfort to them. It has been a long and exhausting few days as I'm sure you can imagine. In some ways, the horror of what happened has yet to sink in. A campus that was full of life is now subdued and the effects of grief are everywhere. Most of the Freshman have gone home for the rest of the week, however many of the upperclassmen have stuck around. During the week RUF has tried to provide various ways for students to gather, express their pain and their faith. My hope is not only to remind them of God's promises, but also equip them that they may be able to support their peers. Although no one from RUF was hurt, everyone has been affected in a personal way, whether it be a friend of a friend, a professor, or an acquaintance. One student told me, "I feel as though our campus has been raped." There are so many ways to pray for the students, too numerous to name, but I will give a few suggestions.

1. Leadership on campus. Students are proud of Tech and they love their school. It is hurtful to them the scrutiny the media has put the President of the school and the police department under. They also have a lot of decisions to make for months to come.

2. Victims and their families. There were over 62 people shot, of those 29 survived. In addition there were several students who were in the classroom and not shot. One of those students actually attends RUF. Pray for them too as they are tormented by the amount of violence and death they witnessed.

3. The Christian Community to have a voice and an impact. Both Christians and non-Christians are searching for answers, hope and someone to grieve with them. Pray for Christians as they are faced with questions they may have never asked. Pray for them as they wrestle with their faith, God's goodness and his providence as they suffer.

Thank you again for your love and support. praying with you,

Mackenzie--
Reformed University Fellowship Intern Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University m.l.skaer@gmail.com

Worrying

As humans I think we put ourselves through unhelpful, and unnecessary imaginings. My mother used to worry all the time. Whenever I went out to play as a youngster and then in later years when I would drive somewhere or go on a trip she'd worry. But she came by it honestly, my Grandmother was worse. She would sit around and wring her hands saying things like, "what's becoming of the world?" and "everything is so terrible it will all end soon, don't you think?" Someone once defined worrying as "suffering in advance." I read somewhere about the human mind being like a pendulum. It swings back and forth from the future to the past. Sometimes we remember what happened last year or the year before and all it's events and what it meant to us. Sometimes we look to the future thinking about what things could be like. When the pendulum hits bottom, it's the present.

I don't think it's too helpful to focus too much on the past (unless you're old and sentimental), until retirement years. Recalling the past and brooding over regrets or negative things serves little purpose. When I think about the future it's just not healthy to think about what might happen and worry over things out of my control.

Andre Gide said, "In order to be utterly happy the only thing necessary is to refrain from comparing this moment with other moments in the past, which I often did not fully enjoy because I was comparing them with other moments of the future." I see this in meetings at work. It's not uncommon for everyone to get paralyzed over things both past and present. Solutions are right there when we focus on the here and now and everyone is engaged in today's answers. I think it's important to live right now and minimize the distractions which are mostly out of my control anyway. When I pay attention to the here and now, then solutions usually present themselves. Of course, that calls me to some sort of action which is relevant and helpful.

Lake Powell Anyone?

I was thinking about Lake Powell again and ran across this photo of Rob. If his lights go out, I get two of those puppies!