Another day of hiking

Nancy and I went hiking up at Roxborough Park the other day. The weather was great and we enjoyed hiking up and around the red rocks in the area.

On the way back to our house we spotted a few deer lounging around in some farmer's field. We are very fortunate to live so close to so much wildlife and beautiful hiking areas. The entrance to the Park is in the canyon behind the deer in the photo.

Thanksgiving

Somewhere I read, "Ingratitude dries up the springs of compassion, but gratitude opens them up." It's probably a good time to reflect on what God has done for you. And, I don't mean the material gains and benefits you might enjoy, but God's example of service and love toward others. And this perhaps shows the most gratitude towards God...imitating Him.

Sacred Classics

Nancy and I don't get very good radio reception at our house. I don't know why, except maybe we're too close to the Dakota Ridge. At any rate, we enjoy listening to the Sacred Classics program on KVOD on Sunday mornings before we go to Church but the reception is poor. All we get at Church any more is contemporary music, so this is pretty refreshing. We simply stream the music into our house through the computer and turn up the speakers. It works great. Click on KVOD and try it.

Blessed are the meek

A good friend asked me the other night what I thought about Jesus words, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” He asked me what I thought meekness means. I had to think about it a little, so I did some research. Meekness I think is probably anti-American. Americans want to be strong, battle hardened, and we want to win by our strength. I’m sure in Jesus day as he went up the mountain to preach these words, his followers were expecting him to set up his kingdom on earth and be powerful in battle, win and beat the Romans. This is what men were looking for. Instead they get this meekness stuff. What was Jesus after?

Jesus did not begin in the material realm and build an army; he came to teach men that character comes before conduct. He came to teach the spiritual before the material. So I think the beatitudes have a lot to do with character. What kind of character does God want us to have? The word “blessed” is used over 40 times in Jesus sermon. Normally we would think of the word as something which is bestowed upon a person from God. Instead, I think it has more to do with a consciousness or condition we are in. Blessed refers to a condition or what he wants us to be. Really he wants us to be happy. Jesus described characteristics such as poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, etc. These are the characteristics that go to make the perfect “character.” The ultimate purpose is to bring multitudes of people into the kingdom of God and for them to be blessed and happy.

“Blessed are the meek” are those who are obedient to God and his rule, meekness is a submissive spirit, the spirit of true humility, and waits for orders. The meek inherit the earth. In other words they will find rest for their souls. According to G. Morgan, “The men, poor in spirit, mourning over failure, comforted by the One great Comforter, are meek; and “they shall inherit the earth,” for they have partaken of the very spirit of the King Himself.” I also think Jesus teaching was in contrast to the Pharisees (Jewish leaders of the day) who were proud and arrogant.

When you read the Sermon on the Mount you see the depth, the breadth, the beauty, and the supreme wisdom of God and how he teaches his people.

Too many rules

A few weeks ago I was in Williamsburg, VA for some meetings. Some of us stayed over the weekend and enjoyed the colonial village. We walked around town and took a very nice guided tour. The next thing you know, Ed and I have been arrested!


Here we are doing time for our crime! I guess I'd been watching so much baseball, and I was chewing gum and well...you know...expectorating, and it just seemed like the thing to do. The next thing you know, they'll tax our tea.

God

I ran across one of my favorite quotes from SK today. It goes like this: "It takes more courage to suffer than to act, more courage to forget than to remember; and perhaps the most wonderful thing about God is that he is able to forget men's sins."

I find it interesting also the way in which God creates the universe. Does he use the same method with man? God creates everything out of nothing - and all God is to use he first turns to nothing. Have we really come to grips with what God has done?

Football

The Broncos aren't doing so well this year. For the Broncos it's eleven men who spend hours trying to move a small object 100 yards. It's the same as the post office! They have a lot on the ball. Unfortunately, it's never in their hands.

Intelligent Design

This book is very good and I highly recommend it. While there will no doubt be some controversy surrounding it, I don't think it's wise for believers to stick their heads in the sand either or just compartmentalize their thinking. This book will cause you to think about what you believe through an inerrant Bible and yet enable you to still come to grips with the idea of an old earth. Fictionalizing some weird new science isn't the answer for a hard thinking Christian and it's certainly offensive to a mainstream well educated scientist. You can order the book on Amazon or on the link above.

The Grand Canyon Evolution and Intelligent Design

My father's new book is now available. Go on Amazon to order it or click here. The title of the book is The Grand Canyon Evolution and Intelligent Design.

The book is about how he believes a Christian can reconcile the scientific notion of an old earth with the Genesis account written in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Craig and Kathy

I was in Phoenix over the weekend and visited Kathy and Craig on my way up to Prescott. It was good to see them and get caught up a little. We have a lot to talk about with everything our kids are doing. It was nice enough outside that Craig and I went for a swim in the pool. The water wasn't especially warm, but it felt pretty good to be swimming outdoors in the warm air.

Contemplating on God

As Christians, we believe that we're completely dependent upon God. Ordinary life tends to cover this up though. The details of daily living cause us if anything, to depend on ourselves, not God. My good friend in Albuquerque mentioned to me recently the importance to him of a contemplative life. By that I assumed he meant the importance of contemplation upon God rather than just using my imagination or my brain as I go through life and reflect on God. Mmmm, contemplating God, being dependent, thankful, etc. vs. using brains? In other words, contemplation probably means this: A sense of gratitude and dependence... which is the whole point. It's reality. I have so much to be grateful for. Do I recognize it? GK Chesterton said, "He who has seen the whole world hanging on a hair of the mercy of God has seen the truth." And, "He who has seen the vision of his city upside-down has seen it the right way up." This is more than just thinking about God and his plan.

Rossetti makes the remark somewhere, bitterly but with great truth, that "the worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank. The converse of this proposition is also true; and it is certain that this gratitude produced, in such men as we are here considering, the most purely joyful moments that have been known to man." Now that's a paradox.

GK Chesterton also said in his biography of St. Francis of Assisi, "The great painter boasted that he mixed all his colors with brains, and the great saint may be said to mix all his thoughts with thanks. All goods look better when they look like gifts. In this sense it is certain that the mystical method establishes a very healthy external relation to everything else. But it must always be remembered that everything else has for ever fallen into a second place, in comparison with this simple fact of dependence on the divine reality."

I think what Chesterton is saying is, it's a discovery of an infinite debt. In fact, it may be said that we are transported to joy at the discovery of how great our debt really is. Contemplate on this! We're grateful to God for the forgiveness of our debt and dependent upon him for everything because we cannot begin to erase the debt. "Debt and dependence" says Chesterton become the pleasures of unspoiled love. Why be gloomy, there is so much to be happy about.

What now for the Rockies?

Down 2 games to none the Rockies find themselves in a terrible batting slump. I heard that Clint Hurdle held a special batting practice session. It seemed to be of no value. The players could only dribble the ball on the ground or, after a healthy swing, pop it about 20 feet into the air.

Hurdle grabbed a bat, ran out of the dugout, and said, "Let me show you guys what I want." The pitcher threw the ball. Hurdle missed by a mile. After a dozen swings in which he didn't manage to hit one ball with authority, he threw the bat to the ground and said, "That's what you've been doing. Now get up there and hit the stupid ball."

ROCKY HORROR 13-1

Maybe 8 days off is too much. Who knows? The Rocks lose 13 to 1. Of course I started getting emails this morning from my company "friends" back East who now want to place bets, etc. Tonight they'll face Ibaldo Jemenez, an overpowering pitcher who throws great, but he's a rookie, and now in the World Series.

Independence beginning in Virginia

My meeting this fall was in Williamsburg, VA. Nancy flew out with me to Williamsburg, VA and we enjoyed the culture and the history of our past. It was 1775 and Patrick Henry had a better vision for Virginia and the Colonies. Freedom was the call and we enjoyed a recreation of the revolutionary events played out in the streets of Williamsburg. The Colonial music and street performances were exceptional. I only wish we'd had more time.

We also enjoyed some fine dining at the Kings Arms Tavern in Williamsburg. I had the wild game pie.

We also toured the area on Saturday and visited the many Colonial recreations of living over 200 years ago in America. Here is a dress factory (store) where you could be fitted exactly for the dress you need. Or, if you're a man you can buy a hat here.

We also toured the Governors mansion and witnessed the original method of brewing beer. It was all done in a big copper kettle like this, over an open fire. The amazing thing was the aroma. The hops and barley cooking over the stove...well it was more than just beer, it was liquid bread.

A good time was had by all, and we hope to do it again sometime. It's pretty interesting to see the the history of our country lived out this way. You can interact with the participants and see life the way it was over 200 years ago.