Summer Fun w/ the Guys

Big Brother Levi taking care of his baby brother Eli!


Big brother Isaac giving his baby brother Eli some love


Papa Ger reading a bedtime story up at the lake

Levi and Isaac spraying water all over their backyard - it was a very hot day, but it was fun in the shade

Eli recently discovered the joy of sticking out his tongue

Nothing like lunch on the patio during a lazy summer afternoon

Eli finally enjoys bouncing in his saucer, though I think he sometimes gets overstimulated...

Eli on his four month birthday

Guess who likes to be on their belly?

Isaac and Levi going for a spin on the fast boat up at the lake...they like it fast!

Daddy, Isaac and Levi on the carousel at Fun Spot

Isaac the bikerider

Give'em a smile Eli!

Relaxing after a fun day at the lake

Levi showing Eli how to play with some of his new toys

Happy Anniversary #12!

Today, August 12, is anniversary #12!

In the old days we'd take a whole week off during August 12; but now that school starts on the 13th, and now that we have four children age four and under, and since we already took a three week trip to California earlier in the summer, we just took the weekend off. The last couple years have been either a weekend at home with no kids, or Tara on the couch pregnant with no kids around. This year we took the kids up to the lake Thursday night and slept in on Friday. Then Tara and I headed up to Kendallville to the Elks golf course there where Jamil is the Head Pro. We played eighteen holes and had lots of fun; it's the first time since Emma was born that the two of us have played golf together. We love playing golf together!

We headed back to the lake, grabbed Eli and headed for home before the older three woke up from their naps. Once home, I ran out to get carry-out Chinese and rented the four Harry Potter movies out on DVD. We've yet to see the fifth movie in theatres. We stayed up late watching the first two, and then spent the morning and afternoon watching the next two; it was very relaxing and fun.





After mowing the yard we three went back up to the lake for supper and a pontoon ride around the lake. Then we did bathtime, got the kiddos in the pjs, and made for home. So this morning, we slept in till 8am, ate blueberries with our cereal for breakfast, and then headed to the FW Children's Zoo! It was fun and hot. We were ready for naps, all six of us. We spent the evening eating watermelon, riding bikes on the sidewalk, killing Japanese beetles, playing basketball, watching our wedding video while munching on popcorn, and then a late bedtime. And so Tara and I end our anniversary - she's feeding Eli while reading through the Deathly Hallows...she's reading the chapter of the Battle for Hogwarts...she can't put it down...and I'm watching Sportscenter while typing this blog. Oh happy bliss! Really!

The King and Prophet Comedy Routine

2Chronicles 18

This is one of my favorite chapters in the book, a smart and fascinating dialogue between two kings, a bunch of false prophets and one true prophet of God.

The context: Evil King Ahab of Northern Israel has invited Good King Jehoshaphat of Southern Israel over to his palace to plot war against Despicable King of Ramoth Gilead. Ahab is a pagan king, little regard for Yahweh but lots for the gods of Sidon and Tyre, he's particularly fond of the prophets who tell him what he wants to hear. As the two kings conspire, they come to a conclusion: attack; but before they announce it the Good King inquires, "First seek the counsel of the LORD." So Ahab brings in four hundred prophets who tell the kings to go for it (they are very affirming, encouraging, uplifting, positive prophets). For some reason, the good king has his doubts and asks, "Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?" Ouch. How did Jehoshaphat know the difference?

Ahab, now insulted and shamed, explains his disdain for Micaiah the prophet: There is still one through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad." It struck me when I read this, that Ahab was one of those men who deep down wanted to be known for doing good, but was compelled to do what he felt like doing, which always took him down the wrong road; he had enough of a conscience to feel pangs of guilt for doing wrong and hated to be told of his wicked deeds, but he also didn't want anyone to stop him from his desired course of actions. Poor guy.

The good king, upon hearing this confession, responds with shock: The king should not say such a thing!" One can imagine King J scooting over to escape the thunderbolt about to smite the defamer. So, here they two kings are, all dressed up in their royal garb, sitting outside the city gates where throngs of people are exchanging goods, loitering, traveling, etc; up comes one false prophet who holds up iron horns and declares that Abahn will gore the enemies unto victory; and the other four hundred prophets chime in resoundingly. The messenger who retrieved Micaiah whispers in his ear as they approach the kings: Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with their and speak favorably." Micaiah wisely, and predictably responds with the standard speech: As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says.

Ahab leans forward as Micaiah walks up...anticipating that finally he will get a good word from the LORD, especially since King J is sitting next to him...finally an affirming word from God (reminds me of the emperor's son in Gladiator...). King J sits back, stroking his beard, wondering what this prophet will speak. King A poses the question: Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not? One can only imagaine that Ahab asks it in such a way that the desired answer is palpable.

Micaiah tiredly responds: Attack and be victorious, for they will be given into your hands.

The king explodes out of his throne, hands in the air, exasperation in his voice: How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

Ha ha ha ha! How many times did they do that dance?

Ahab wants the truth, but he doesn't. He wants to know the LORD's will, but he doesn't. He wants to obey, but he doesn't.

Oh that I would speak as Micaiah, and that we would request truth like King J, and avoid the shallowness of Ahab.

Barry Bonds & Homerun #756

Over the right field wall, I witnessed the historic and controversial homerun in the bottom of the fifth, a 3-2 count, against the Washington Nationals in San Fransisco. He crushed it to the deepest part of the park, so says ESPN announcer Rick Sutcliffe. Tara and I have mixed emotions about it all; we love homeruns like most people, but the steroids scandal seems to sap some of the thrill out of this homerun achievement. We also had mixed emotions about the fanfare around the homerun...maybe a bit over the top...they stop the game, family rushes on the field for hugs, Willie Mays comes out for an announcement, Hank Aaron provides a digital video congrats, Barry speaks... and there are still two outs to get in the bottom of the fifth. Just go on with the game, and do the special congrats after the game is finished. But no one asked my opinion.

The anonymous fan was escorted by a thick cavalcade of police officers, the camera quickly panned to him as he was carried along by the police. He was all grins, slapping hands of fellow fans, the ball likely clutched in one of his trembling hands. It was a funny clip; the second one showed him wearing a Mets jersey! Which reminds me, while we are handing out congrats, here's one for Tom Glavine, for 300 wins!

Maybe now the controversy will get resolved; either Bonds will go away in a month after the regular season ends, or the MLB will efficiently and effectively settle the case and serve justice for the game and its fans.

Dr. Paul Hiebert's Final Message to Students Read at TEDS Commencement

One of the main reasons for choosing to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is the professors, brilliant, godly, engaging men and women. Dr. Paul Hiebert was one of those men whom I hoped to be able to take a class with, and it worked out the fall semester of 2006. The Anthropology for Missions class was stimulating, challenging, and rewarding; and Hiebert did not dissapoint. His teaching style was almost laid back, but he was very intense, very knowledgable and wise, and very interested in us understanding his lessons. He was a good model, as a Christian man, as a teacher, as a missionary, as a leader. I was saddened by his death, though he is much relieved; he joins his wife Frances who died almost a decade ago. He still had so much to teach, his Anabaptist voice is now diffused amongst his students; I hope to be one who can apply what he taught to my life, my ministry.

The commencement address that he prepared, but was unable to deliver, is classic Hiebert; simple to grasp, poetic, and true. I've reread it several times, and wanted to share it with others, that they might enjoy a small sample of Hiebert's lessons.

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The late Dr. Paul Hiebert, a renown missiologist, missionary to India, and distinguished TEDS professor of mission and anthropology, was invited to deliver the Commencement address for Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Trinity Graduate School on May 12, 2007. Dr. Hiebert died of cancer on Sunday, March 11, 2007, but his message was read at Commencement by his close friend and colleague, TEDS Academic Dean Dr. Tite Tienou.

TEDS Academic Dean Dr. Tite Tienou reading Dr. Paul Hiebert's Commencement address on May 12, 2007.
Graduating Class of 2007:

We, your families, churches and colleagues at Trinity, gather to celebrate your completion of this major step in your lives. There have been steps before, and will be more, but today we want to rejoice that God has given you the strength and wisdom to complete your degrees and is sending many of you out in your life ministries.

Take a minute as you gather and celebrate, and look at your fellow graduates. Yes, you see a joyful crowd of new graduates. Look deeper and more carefully, and you see the leaders in the global church in the 21st century. But, you say, we are such ordinary people. God needs extraordinary people for extraordinary times. But down through the centuries God has chosen ordinary people like you to accomplish his extraordinary ministries around the world, because God's mission and ministry is ultimately God's work. So stop and look, really look around at your colleagues. You are God's leaders and coworkers for the coming years.

A Rapidly Changing World
The world in which you minister is radically different from the one Frances and I entered in 1960. Then it took us three months by ship to reach India; three weeks for mail to go and return, and three days to book an underseas cable to phone the U.S. People returned once every seven years on furlough. Today transcultural flights and instant communication have become routine.

Every few centuries, we seem to pass through an "Alice in Wonderland's mirror" and enter a world radically different from the one we left. In the past we adjusted old theories and methods of ministry to a changing world. Today we do not need old theories and methods. We need new kinds of ministers and missionaries who learn to think in new ways, to exegete their social and cultural contexts as well as others, and faithfully communicate the Gospel to our new world. Most of us leave seminary with a deep understanding of the Gospel, but with few ways to exegete humans. The message we preach often touches the surface of people's lives but does not transform them deeply. We must develop more effective methods of understanding and go deeper to understand the central questions people are facing. We need to show them that the Gospel provides definitive answers to their felt needs and their deep theological needs. In other words, we need theologians and missionaries who do both theological and anthropological reflections on the human scene more deeply and who learn how to incarnate faithfully the Gospel in contemporary human contexts.

Our Unchanging Lord
In our fractured, changing world, the great news is that Jesus Christ, the lord of all history, and the commander in world mission is the same today as he was with Adam, Moses and David. He is the Lord who took on human flesh to bring us salvation, and a new creation.

We who have walked before, commend you into God's hand. We have lived in changing worlds, and have experienced our Lord's faithfulness and constancy throughout our lives. If you asked us: if we had the chance would we live differently, I know most of us would say no, not at the deepest levels of our lives. As we grow old, we can look back at the story, "the plot" of our lives, and see that God has been writing a drama in our years of living. When we were young we sometimes saw our life stories as detective stories, as mysteries, as tragedies, possibly as comedies, but in looking back we realize that these are great Love Stories. He who created us is coming back to bring us home as his bride.

Our Challenge to You
We who have gone before today charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus: be ready to minister in season and out of season; reproving, rebuking and exhorting with complete patience and teaching. Like Paul we encourage you to share the Gospel you have heard among us at TEDS and TGS with the world. YOU are already the leaders of the world church in the 21st century. Remember, central to your task is to train leaders who will, in turn, train leaders—not followers. Remember that God is writing a story in your lives as you minister in his kingdom, but your story takes on meaning because it is part of an eternal story. Paul received that Gospel and passed it on to Timothy, who passed it on to those who followed . That Gospel has come down through the centuries through our spiritual genealogy, and we must pass it on to those who follow us. When Christ returns, he will continue establishing his eternal reign of peace, justice and love over the universe.

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Paul G. Hiebert was distinguished professor of mission and anthropology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He began teaching at Trinity in 1990. He went to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 11, 2007.

After spending three years as pastor, Dr. Hiebert served for six years with the Mennonite Brethren Board of Missions and Services in India. During that time he was principal of Bethany Bible School and College. Since then, he has taught anthropology at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and anthropology and missions at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Hiebert also taught as a visiting professor at Mennonite Brethren Seminary and the University of Wisconsin. He was Fulbright visiting professor at Osmania University in India for one year.

Dr. Hiebert earned the Doctor of Philosophy and the Master of Arts in anthropology from the University of Minnesota; the Master of Arts in missions from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary; and the Bachelor of Arts in Bible and history from Tabor College.

Dr. Hiebert's areas of expertise include anthropology, missions, South Asia, folk religions, urban ministries, anthropological research methods, and Hinduism. He is a member of the Association of Asian Studies, the American Anthropological Association, and the Association of Professors of Mission.

Dr. Hiebert has published numerous articles, book reviews, and books in both anthropology and missions. Among his books in anthropology are Konduru: Structure and Integration in a South Indian Village (Univ. of Minnesota Press) and Cultural Anthropology (J.B. Lippincott 1976). Among his books in missions are Case Studies in Missions (written with his wife; Baker 1987), Anthropological Insights for Missionaries (Baker 1985), Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues (Baker 1995), and numerous chapters and essays in other volumes. Most recently, he coauthored Incarnational Ministry with his daughter, Eloise Hiebert Meneses (Baker 1996).

Be Diligent In These Matters

1Timothy 4-6

Paul has some strong words for his son in the faith, his young pastor friend in Ephesus. Timothy seems to have loads of potential, is favored by Paul for great ministry, and is the recepient of stern reprimands. There are three main themes in these last three chapters of this brief letter, Preaching the Truth, Handling Widows w/ Compassion, and Generosity w/ Money. Very modern issues that pastors must wrestle with today.

Timothy was exhorted to teach the Scripture truth, clearly distinguishing it from faddish beliefs that float around as novel ideas or popular slogans. It's hard to say it as it is in such a way that people will hear it, there aren't bonus points for ticking people off with truth, the point is that they get it inside of them. And it seems that Timothy was on the timid side, he let people look down on him because he was young. But Paul will have none of it...if you've been called by God, filled with his Spirit and you follow Jesus faithfullly, then be diligent, work hard, trust unwaveringly, preach boldly, pray always, serve skillfully.

The Church in Ephesus, like most churches in the early church, were located in large population centers where one was likely to find high concentrations of widows and orphans, the diseased, disabled, and dying. If enough of the Christians followed Jesus, they would eventually feel a compassionate obligation to care for these men and women in dire straits. And after awhile it would be necessary for some guidelines to be established for care that is sustainable, empowering, and practical. Paul has shrewd insights into the human nature, how people tend to treat each other, and what arrangements need to be made for successful, ongoing ministry. Pastors would do well to be people-wise like Paul; towards widows, the elderly, leaders in the church, and sinners.

Money will always be a central issues for churches; the gathered assembly of believers need it for their daily lives and for the ministry of their calling. To care for widows and orphans, they need money; to bring healing to the sick and broken, they need money, to help families out in tough times, they need money. Yet a preoccupation with money won't bode well, for then our eyes are taken off of God and the true help they need: compassion, generosity, love, truth. The members of the church deal with money issues every week, and whatever individual ideas of it they have, they bring into the ministry; thus Paul urges us to teach the truth about money, the truth about God's generosity and providence, and the truth about godliness and its benefits; to teach it by how we live as well as what we say.

But I Have Calmed Myself...

Psalm 131

I've read through the Bible before, and I've read through the Book of Psalms before, but this morning's reading struck me as new, as if I'd never seen it before. It's a brief hymn, though potent:

My heart is not proud, LORD;
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed myself
and quieted my ambitions.
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

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Not only does it seem as if I've never read this poem before, it is one that strikes me between the eyes...I need the truth of this song in my life both now and forevermore. The other day I was reflecting on my pridefulness, how it was darkening my soul. This was coupled with a deep level anxiety that continues to push itself into the forefront of my life...which has sparked numerous comments to others that I need to calm down.

I am so worked up over being a good pastor, of teaching and leading a church towards grace and peace; over becoming more holy and making a great big difference in this brief and turbulent world. I worry, I fret, I obssess, I ponder, I fear...and on it goes with my life. I used to think that I was a calm person, unrattled, cool and collected; I may be on the outside, but on the inside...well I've not yet learned to quiet my ambitions.

My counselor friend Dan Boen once asked me why I wanted to make a difference in the world. At the time of the question, I thought it was connected to the death of my brothers Matt and Ben. They lived brief lives, and I may have a brief life; so in the time I have left (however short it may be) I want to make a difference in this world. But when will it be enough? And what kind of difference can I make motivated by fear?

One of my immediate tasks, if I am to make a difference in the world, is to not despair of God (which has been a struggle...), and to trust his desires for my life, however brief it may be. I must trust him today, now, in the moment; I tend to always focus on the future, and I end up missing the joy of today. So here and now, I calm myself...put to rest my ambitions for now...and trust God with all my life for this morning.

The Way of Anchor and Newbigin's Thoughts - Part Three

Newbigin, a thoughtful, wise and compassionate missionary asserts that the only interpretation "of the gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it." He comments that, "Jesus did not write a book but formed a community." It is thoughts like these and others that compels him to write in his helpful book "The Gospel in a Pluralist Society" about six characteristics of this kind of community that believes Jesus and lives by his words and deeds. The first one I wrote about in a prior post: it is a community of praise and thanksgiving.

The second characteristic: it will be a community of truth.

This seems, as the author also notes, an obvious point to make. However, earlier in the book he takes pains to outline for the reader what he calls a "plausibility structure", core beliefs by which we define reality and thus base all of our knowledge upon. Truth is then understood as that which affirms your core beliefs, even if you can't articulate them. Our society constantly sends out "ideas, images, slogans and stories which presuppose a plausibility structure radically different from that which is controlled by the Christian understanding of human nature and destiny."
But most people don't consider how bland acceptance of these messages builds up a plausibilty structure, a form of interpreting reality that may or may not align with God's truth on reality. Consider the commercials created in New York; does the reality they portray stem from a plausibilty structure that takes seriously God's concern for the poor, God's interest in shalom for all, in Gods' desire for people to live free from greed and envy?

Newbigin goes on: "A Christian congregation is a community in which, through the constant remembering and rehearsing of the true story of human nature and destiny, an attitude of healthy skepticism can be sustained, a skepticism which enables one to take part in the life of society without being bemused and deluded by its own beliefs about itself."

Our society is based upon secular ideals heavily influenced by the plausibilty structure of the Enlightenment. The public square of politics, economics, warfare, entertainment and culture are discussed in secular terms. Much room is made for all sorts of religious ideas, as long as none of them claim superiority.
So how to be a Christian community of truth in a land where many other religions and secular organizations declare their way to be right and true? Live it. Live out what we believe, what we understand of Jesus; and communicate the truth of Jesus like he did: out of deep love and wisdom.

Last Night (well...more like early this morning) I Finished Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If you've not yet read the book, then don't read this post.

It's a good book...good not meaning an average, acceptable book, but good in the profound sense.

There is lots of death in the book, it was hard to accept...except that the author intentionally brought the issue of death to the forefront of the whole story.

Two major pieces of Scripture become central to Harry's understanding of how to complete his task. And some significant Christian theology themes take centre stage: the one who dies for others also has had evil placed upon him, thus when he dies, the evil power begins to weaken; the one who dies this death is brought back to life to complete the victory of justice and mercy over wickedness and cruelty; a trinity of friends are bound together to complete the task of overcoming evil with good; the journey of the trinity is essential to their ability to complete the task given them for saving/delivering/rescuing their world.

The final epilogue is almost underdramatic, but then it is also satisfying...though it is hard to envision Harry Potter living a normal life for the next fifty years in light of his thrilling and terrifying seven years at Hogwarts. And what about Draco...what an interesting character...and then there is Snape...the other understated hero of the story. The revelation of how Albus and Severus worked together to direct and shape Harry...insightful, fulfilling, and inspiring. Philosophically, the reflections on power, greed, envy, utilitarianism, friendship, death, sacrifice, remorse, repentance, forgiveness, love and kindness were good prompts to me as I considered what I would do in the situations of Harry, Albus, Ron, Hermoine, Severus and Riddle.

In a couple of years I'll read through all seven straight through...it'll probably take a whole summer though... wouldn't that be delightful?!

Jesus Tells It As It Is

Luke 20

Four major stories fill up this gospel chapter, the theme centered on Jesus' authority being challenged.

Story One: the chief priests, teachers of the Torah, and the elders publicly demand to know Jesus' source of authority, but Jesus responded as a brilliant rabbi with a question which they refused to answer.

Story Two: Jesus tells a story which hurls the truth into the public arena, the real motives for this authority-challenges by the religious leaders. A result is increased rage and commitment to arrest Jesus.

Story Three: These corrupt leaders send spies to trick Jesus into offending the Roman governor, but Jesus is to wily and wise for them.

Story Four: some Torah teachers try to baffle Jesus with a complicated and thorny theological issue, but to no avail. Jesus reveals their shallow grasp of the Scriptures and their distance from God.

Jesus ends the gospel chapter with a warning against God-workers who display their position and possessions in order to garner favors and fame. Jesus tells it as it is in this chapter to the religious power-brokers, it was the unclean and simple people that Jesus was sticking up for. Jesus was angry because the God-followers were not doing what they claimed, they were not helping people follow God, but rather making it impossible to get to God. The prevailing Scripture-teachers did not proclaim good news, but rather new burdens; they crushed the spiritual inquiries of the masses by lifting up a complicated and impossible standard for pleasing God; they focused on miniscule nuances that added nothing of substance to the nations work of blessing the world; they used God and his Torah for their own common greed and pride.

Have you found a proclaimer of God's gospel that tells it as it is? One who helps you trust and follow Jesus? Ones who help you grasp the Scriptures? One who helps you live in loyalty to God and patient love for fellow humanity? One who sows seeds of grace, truth, kindness and strength?

Who would you be in this story? How much would you like it if Jesus told you what reality was for your? What if the truth was too much to handle, no matter how gentle and brilliant Jesus was in his revelation? Do you want to know the truth about yourself? Do you want God's truth to prevail in your life and world? Do you want God's freedom, beauty and love to overcome all that is enslaved, battered and isolated in your life?
I do.

Happy Two-Month Anniversary Rick & Jamie!

This afternoon I was going through notes and sheafs of papers on my desk. I found the notes from Rick and Jamie's wedding on Friday June 1st. Instead of filing it somewhere in obscurity, I thought I'd post it here - a way for me to remember them and God's beautiful work in their life together.

Congrats Rick and Jamie, may God bless our world through you!
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Eleven years ago I became Jamie's youth pastor. She was a cute middle-school girl, quiet yet thoughtful, fun-hearted and kind. There are many fond memories of hauling Jamie and her friends and brothers around town. She could turn into quite a chatterbox, such that I'd get so distracted and stop at green lights and run through red lights!

Jamie played a key role in the start-up of our church. She was a core member of Anchor's new youth ministry; she invited her friends, she took the lessons seriously, she rolled her eyes at my jokes and let out exasperated sighs at my crazy games we played. She and her family were there for me when my brother Matt died, and Tara and I have been there for Jamie and her family when her family has had to cry.

Jamie - Tara and I care deeply for you, we are delighted with you, we smile when we think of you and thank God for how you've let Him guide you and now lead you into the arms of Rick.

Song of Songs 8 (TNIV)
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame

7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one's house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

I ran into Chuck Marseilles the other day. He reminded me of how you and Rick first met, and your first project together: the "in-tents camping trip". You are here today with a new assingment with Rick, not to create a multimedia project for a in-tents camping trip, but to create a marriage that brings glory to God and joy to you.

Proverbs 3 (TNIV)
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and humankind.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

I charge you, Jamie Lynn Knuth, to pitch together with Rick an in-tents marriage.

I charge you to love Rick best by loving Christ more.

I charge you to always believe Rick when he tells you that you are beautiful, intelligent, savvy, compassionate, and fiercly loyal.

I charge you to be one with Rick, to complete him, to be God's help to him. Often, when Rick asks God for help in life and ministry, He will answer the prayer with, "Listen to your wife."

I charge you to learn from your past, to gain wisdom from your mistakes, to forgive Rick and all who sin against you, and to never stop living by God's Word.

I charge you to revel in Rick, God's Gift to you.

I charge you Jamie Lynn Knuth to become a wife to Rick that brings glory to God and joy to all.

Tonight I Begin Reading the Deathly Hallows!

It's Friday night, Eli is in bed, the other three are at the lake, Tara is getting ready to scrapbook and I am about to begin reading the first chapter of the last book of the one and only Harry Potter series. I am smiling as I type, knowing that I am about to reenter into an imaginary world that has captured my imagination for many years.

Tonight we three went out on a date, a late dinner at Flat Top (which was yummy), and then a slow saunter over to Barnes & Noble to get our prized book. Then it was brief stop by Starbucks to get our Frappacino's; the barista said that one of the girls there bought the Potter book the night it came out and stayed up to read the whole thing! She also said that it's all over the internet, how the book ends! Yikes! It's that kind of stuff that compels me to read it now, before someone spills the beans. I never skip ahead and read the end of a book to find out how it ends, but I'm also tempted on this one...but I think I'll take the risk.

So here goes...

Sunday Sermon Notes - 7.22.07

1Peter 2

Peter's letter reads like...well...a letter; it is personal, but in a subtle, thought-provoking way. Peter is writing to friends in the faith, sending them words of encouragement, direction, and instruction; he is passionate about his content, and really wants them to get his point. In reading through this letter, one gets the sense that he goes over the main themes over and over again; we belong to God, we live in hard times, our conduct should honor God and each other. In one sense, it is refreshing to read a letter that stays with a few themes; it is good to soak in a message, let it seep into your soul.

An interesting aspect of this letter is its density; it is chock full of Scripture references - the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and Paul's writings. In one sense, Peter is saying very little; he is bringing a full range of Scriptures to bear in on the condition his friends face. He says nothing new, but rather collects for them what has been said already about who they are and how they should conduct themselves in hard times.

What makes this letter additionaly interesting is how Peter weaves his story into the letter, how his story with God becomes a spur for them to let their story merge with God's as well. Chapter two is a fine example of this: it opens with a list of vices to avoid; the very ones that Peter was guilty of as a disciple. Then Peter writes about being a rock of God - which hearkens to his appointment by Jesus as a rock upon which He would build His church; Peter calls his friends "rocks" as well, stones that God has shaped for building a home of shalom out of which praises and gifts are given to God which bless the world.

Peter goes on to cite Scriptures from Isaiah and the Psalms which are a reflection upon how Peter stumbled over Jesus the rock, and how unbelievers stumbled over Peter the rock. And so it goes, Peter reflecting upon the variety of names God has given his people, and Peter both identifying himself as part of that story, and exhorting his friends to stay in the story.

In regard to conduct, Peter again speaks from experience. He knows what it is like to be at odds with governing authorities; based on his experience and the teachings of those before him, he advises them. Likewise for being under the master of another, it is doubtful that Peter ran his own fishing business, bur rather worked for another master. Peter ended up trading a fishing-master for a Jesus-master; and so he advises his friends, though you live under an earthly master, you are truly servants of God, so live in that freedom and bless others. Peter also understands very well the suffering that Jesus endured, and what that means for forgiveness of sins, freedom from unrighteousness and power to do good in God's name; and so he calls his friends to stop wandering and come home to God.

Jesus invited Peter back into the flock, to come under the Head Shepherd and Overseer of Souls; Peter is inviting his friends to come under the same Shepherd and Overseer. And Peter invites you too. Are you straying or staying?

God Our Saviour Desires All People To Be Saved

1Timothy 1-3

Paul is writing to Timothy, one who he considers as a son, one who has grown up under his ministry. Timothy is currently a pastor in the Turkish port city of Ephesus, a major distribution center for the area's rich agricultural and quarry industry. It was a wealthy town with powerful men directing the affairs of the region; this was Rome's economic heart - from this region they financed their Empire. And here is Timothy, in over his head, overwhelmed by the pressures, desperate for Paul to come in and take over; and he gets the first of two stirring letters.

First, Paul is charging Timothty to lead, to be the authority needed to quell quarrels, to halt hypocrisy and heresy, and to set the standard for ministry: truth in teaching, holiness in character, love in all things. Maybe Timothy was feeling that it was impossibe for his church to thrive in its location, maybe he felt like his church was unable to really live out God's will, to save people.

Paul's second point in this letter is that God desires all people to be saved; Timothy can rest assured that no matter where he was leading a church, it would be amongst people whom God desired to be saved. Timothy may have countered: but you don't know how bad these people are, how opposed or ignorant they are of God. And Paul patiently reminds Timothy: I was the chief of sinners, of all the sinners surrounding your sanctuary, they are not as bad as I was - if God can save me, he can save anyone.

Paul actually describes the kind of people who might be frightening Timothy:
the lawless and the disobedient
the ungodly and sinners
the unholy and profane
those who strike their fathers and mothers
murders
the sexually immoral and men who practice homosexuality,
slavetraders and slaveowners
liars and perjurers

And then Paul writes:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, fo whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe him for eternal life.

Know any sinners in your life? A characteristic of a sinner is a denial of the character of their actions, most sinners don't admit that their deeds are sinful. Or sinners are in denial that they are sinning, or they know they are sinning and choose to do it anyway out of rebellion or helpless addiction. What about the sins in your life, think they could keep you from Christ?

Paul goes on to write:
God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and people, the person Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all.

God is always at work in the world, working to rescue sinners from their deadly ways. All have been ransomed, set free from the ownership of the Devil, and thus are now free to be adopted by God - if they desire it. So our task is to seek God's Kingdom first, his righteousness, His Way, and as we go that route, he will bring us across people - we as his instruments of grace and faith and love - whom he is at work in, people that are ready to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For some this happens early in life, others very late; for some it is a quick conversion, for others it takes a lifetime. But if God is patient with the world, so should we; and if God is lavishing mercy on the world, so should we; and if God is speaking truth into the world, then so should we; and if God is working to love the world and rescue it, then so should we.

Sinners are not to be hated, despised, scorned, mocked, sneered, ignored, forgotten, or despaired of. Sinners are to be loved in truth and grace, in mercy and patience, with salt and light; for that is how you need others to handle you, and it is how God handles you. God saved you from his wrath, and God wants to save everyone else in your life from his wrath; so stay open to his promptings so that you can be his instrument of salvation and truth.

Give Thanks to the Good LORD!

Psalm 118

One of my favorite songs, a gut-wrenching, trust-dripping, beautiful poem from a messed up sinner who won't give up on a God who won't give up on him.
"Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free."

What do you do when the distress is self-inflicted? When you've made mistakes that have messed up your life?
"It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man."

What about when others are making a mess of your life, when others are ruining what is good and beautiful for you?
"I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me."

What of God's work in your life, God's refining work as a Father correcting and directing a son/daughter who strays, forgets, and ignores what is good and right?
"I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death."

There is something potent about opening up yourself to God and letting him redeem what is wrong with you, and letting him redeem others through what has been made right in you.
"I thank you that you have answered me,
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone."

That inspires me; I know what it is like to feel rejected, I know what it is like to be rejected. It hurts, it hurts moreso when you feel like you had something to offer, when you wanted to make something good happen - and rejection is the response. But God can take any kind of stone and make it a crucial part of his work - any kind of stone that is willing to yield to his craftsmanship and blueprint.
"This is the LORD's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!"

It is an act of faith, it is an act of worship, it is an act of defiance towards all that is wrong in the world:
"You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever."

I needed this poem, I needed these words - thoughts of despair, feelings of frustration, dulled senses about the future, uncertainties, anxieties...all have been ebbing and flowing with great strength. Where it comes from, I'm not sure - which only adds to the grief. Yet God, I will give you thanks - though it may be solemn; and I will praise you, though it may be tentative. Yet who else is like you? And for what others need from me, who else would I rely on to do what is good? Thank you for Steadfast Love that Endures Forever.

Quotes on Crisis, Difficulties, and Problems

Crisis refines life. In them you discover what you are.
- Allan Knight Chalmers, pg 51

To be mature means to face, and not evade, every fresh crisis that comes.
- Fritz Kunkel

The Chinese write the word "crisis" with two characters. One means danger, and the other means opportunity. Together they spell "crisis".
- Saul D. Alinsky (and others), pg 50

Sunshine without rain is the recipe for a desert.
- Arabian Proverb, pg 60

A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentials.
- Charles De Gaulle, pg 61

There is no education like adversity.
- Benjamin Disraeli

The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them.
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater one. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
- William Hazlitt

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.
- Horace

Adversity is the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free from admirers then.
- Samuel Johnson

He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity.
- Ben Johnson, pg 62

People don't seem to realize that doing what's right is no guarantee against misfortune.
- William McFee

Ninety-nine percent of problems are like sparks; they will burn out if they are not fanned. The early approach of leaders should be to keep conflicts calm.
- Leith Anderson, pg 164

Most problems have either many answers or no answer. Only a few problems have a single answer.
-Edmund Berkeley, pg 165

All cases are unique and very similar to others.
- T.S. Eliot

Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by hitting back.
- Piet Hein, pg 167

The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small.
- Lao-Tzu

Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.
- Henry Kissinger

* quotes come from: Never Scratch a Tiger with a Stick, and other quotes for leaders, by Gordon S. Jackson

Sunday Sermon Notes - 7.15.07

We start a new sermon series on Sunday, we'll explore Peter's first letter to the scattered exiles of what is now the northern and central region of Turkey. There are three basic angles of Peter's letter: he is reminding these Christians whose they are and what they are, he is reminding them of how they are to live based on whose and what they are, and he is instructing them on how to believe and obey God in the midst of ongoing various trials and sufferings.

These Christians live in a region of several hundred thousand miles, terrain that includes mountains, steppes, trade routes and port cities. These Christians have Christ in common, but not much else: life in a lively port city is different than in a prosperous trade town which is different than a tribal village of the highlands. Some Christians are Jews, some are God-fearing Gentiles, and some were Pagans; some have been Christ-followers since the Day of Pentecost almost a generation earlier, others are recent converts who know nothing of the Scriptures, Israel's covenant, or Yawheh's work in the world.

The whole region was under the rule of the Romans, their Empire had engulfed the area completely. The Romans required allegiance to the Emperor - a kind verging on worship. This kind of pressure was more predominant in the port cities and trade towns. The highlands, though within the confines of the Empire, were relatively unfazed by the beliefs and requirements of the Romans - instead, they stuck to their rural, ancient, unbending traditions. Christians in cosmopolitan Nicomedia faced the pressures of "atheism" if they didn't pay homage to the Emperor; Christians in prosperous Laodecia could lose business if they didn't toe the Roman line; Christians in the tribal steppes of Cappadocia could be beaten for offending the native gods. These pressures are on top of the various trials that come from being alive in an unjust, unmerciful, world.

I suppose Peter could have said stuff like: grin and bear it; get over yourself; oh yeah, you think that's bad, wait till you hear my problems; stuff like that. But instead, he patiently reminds them over and over again - you are God's chosen children, and though you live as Exiles in a harsh world - you will be resurrected just as Jesus was, and the effects of that future new life are coming into effect NOW! So you can smile as you suffer, for you know that just as Jesus suffered for our sake, we can do so for him. Through his suffering we found redemption, through our suffering Jesus redeems others. We belong to God, and for this we can be glad no matter how gaping the wounds in our life. And because we belong to God, because we are redeemed Exiles, because we rejoice in our hardships, we choose the following acts: we choose self-control, we choose holiness, we choose reverence, we choose love.

We could let the world tell us how to live, but then what would we have? So we live and love in a world that will someday pass away, but our lives and our love will endure, for it is a love born of adversity, for adversity, a love that will sustain us through adversity. And we know that we don't suffer alone, we suffer alongside God, and we suffer with one another - the very ones who we live amongst and love deeply. We love as Christ loved, we love because Christ loved.

Who Else Did God Pity?

Jonah 1-4

The LORD's last line in the Jonah story:
"You pity the plant, for which you did not labor,
nor did you make it grow,
which came into being in a night
and perished in a night.

And should not I pity Nineveh,
that great city,
in which there are more than 120,000 persons
who do not know their right hand from their left,
and also much cattle?"

The LORD's first line in the Jonah story:
"Arise [Jonah], go to Nineveh,
that great city,
and call out against it,
for their evil has come up before me."

It seems that all nations would have some kind of evil come up before the LORD. This is a similar phrase God used with Abraham when he personally came to visit Sodom and Gomorrah, also with the Amorites and other people groups who dwelled in Canaan prior to the Exodus of the Israelites to their Promised Land. With the Sodomites, God sent a delegation to see if there were enough righteous people amongst them - ten would've prevented the disaster. With the Amorites God waited over four-hundred years before he brought judgment upon them for their wickedness. And here with Nineveh, God sends Jonah to proclaim their coming punishment for their evil - unless they repent.

So I wonder, how often did God send Israelite prophets to foreign nations to call out against them for their evil? How many of them repented like Nineveh? Is this Jonah/Nineveh story included because it is the one success story, or is it included as a representation of all the other nations that responded similarly? God's covenant with Abraham included a strong missional component - I will bless you, I will make you a blessing, and through you the whole world will be blessed. This Nineveh story is another example of how God's blessings upon Israel resulted in a blessing upon a foreign nation.

This story is hard to date, for the Assyrians (Nineveh being the capital city of that empire) destroyed the Israelites in 722BC. The Assyrian Empire was crumbling such that the Babylonians came to power, and then enslaved Jerusalem in 586BC. So either the Jonah story happens prior to the 722BC assualt, or sometime well after it, several generations later. Be that as it may, Nineveh was a despised city, a mortal enemy - Moscow in the 1960's, Tehran in the 2000's. It is not surprising that Jonah was reluctant. But what other cities recevied this kind of hope? How far did God send his prophets? There were tribes inhabiting all parts of the globe: North America, South America, all of Asia and Africa had people groups - did they also receive Jonah's?

The story ends with God reminding Jonah that people are more important than plants; babies are more important than blossoms. Nineveh was a great city, with 120,000 infants; there must have been close to a million people in that city. They repented. If Nineveh could repent like that, so could any other city that a prophet was sent to. The key was that their evil had come up before the LORD. Maybe we don't see prophets (coming from Tehran, Cairo, Havana, etc.) coming to cities in America like this because our evil isn't that great? Or maybe the prophets have already come and gone? Or maybe the prophets have gone down to Joppa?

We Speak, Not to Please Man, But to Please God

1Thessalonians 1-5

Paul is reminding his friends in Thessalonica of his ministry attributes and habits. It's been awhile since he visited, and he wants to jog their memory concerning his work amongst them. Lest they reinterpret his motives and actions, Paul makes a point to reassert his authority and his love for them. Central to this reminder is the authority over him, and the love that motivates him: God and His Gospel.

I'm sure that Paul's maxim for speaking got him in trouble often; it would get lots of people fired if they applied this rule at work. What if you spoke the truth - even in love - to your boss concerning what you really thought about their management style? What if you spoke plainly to the fasttalking cubicle mates, avoiding all over-generalizations and thus being a lousy conversationalist? But then, speaking to please God and not man may get you a raise, since you'll be more trustworthy, more reliable, more loving, more encouraging, and more redemptive in your work and words.

For all of Paul's faults, he worked hard to speak only according to the Gospel. He wasn't out to make up new truth, but rather to proclaim it, and encourage others to live by it.

Petra has a great song from their 1982 album "Not of this World" called "Godpleaser". "I want to be a Godpleaser, don't want to be a manpleaser". I've grown up with this song, and thus this truth, in my ears and head for a long time. Doesn't mean I live by it as often as I should. But I do remind myself often, since I end up speaking alot - maybe too much (pastors can be prone to verbosity), to speak to please God first, and through that men and women may or not be pleased.

This maxim partly explains the instructions he writes to the church for how to conduct themselves: admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Think about how counter-cultural, how subversive that list of commands could be for you at work and school, even at home or church. To silently, but steadly speak only to please God; this would unnerve those grasping to project a particular image (which is rooted in pleasing people, hence in opposition to your strategy), and this would irritate those seeking to assert power in order to accumulate unjust gain (pleasing themselves at the expense of Imago Dei's).

Oh how easy it is to speak and serve in order to please others - in order that they may be pleased with me. It's a trap, to live dependent upon the fickle pleasure of others. It can be a trial seeking to please God, since he is invisible and incomprehensible. Yet, like Paul, faith in God propels me to please Him first, to seek his coming kingdom first, to desire his righteousness first, to delight in him first. And he'll take care of all the rest.

So Judah was taken into Exile

2Kings 19-25

It's the year 586BC, more than half a millenia yet before the coming of God in the flesh, and his chosen people have been Exiled. No more kings, they are done. The next king to arrive will be Jesus, descendant of King David on bothi his father and mother's side. Israel's exile will not end until they become their own sovereign nation in 1948AD. That's a long time to go in exile. Yet even in that state, in captivity, under foreign rule, God still has mercy on his people. Within four decades the exiled king of Judah is shown mercy by his captors...a powerful symbol of God's steadfast love to his punished people.

This last book of the kings ends with fascinating stories of King Hezekiah, his son Manasseh, and his descendants...stories that reveal the impending collapse of God's covenant nation.

Hezekiah starts well but ends poorly.
Manasseh starts horridly but ends well.
His grandson Josiah starts well but is killed in battle - by God, so to speak.
And the few remaining kings start bad and end bad.

As went the kings, the leaders - so went the nation. Though there was always a remnant of faithful followers, even they were swept up into exile. I wonder what they thought as they trudged to Babylonia, shackled and bedraggled. How did they feel - justified? morally superior? humbled? sorrowful? steadfast? Did they wonder why it seems that so few follow the Father? Did they wonder if being a remnant still mattered, seeing as they were being exiled as well? Most of their kings failed them, most of their priests failed them, and most of the prophets failed them. Would their ever be a prophet, priest and king who would not fail them? Does God fail?

Christians today still ask hard questions. Believers in Sudan trudge bedraggled, feeling abandoned. Christ-followers in China face fierce opposition from family and friends. Obedience is difficult in secularized, greedy, dirty-handed European nations. We feel like we are living as Exiles, for God seems more absent then present; our captors have the upper hand at most times; grief and groans seep through the bloody and dying streets of most urban centers. We are Exiles also.

The Central Message of the Scriptures

Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the psalter, it is the shortest chapter in the First and Second Testaments, it is the middle chapter of the whole 66 books - vs 1 ending the Original Testament, vs 2 beginning the Fulfilled Testament.

Hallelujah - Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!

This is the central song of the Hebrew Scriptures, it was the hope of God for all Creation. Through Adam, God wanted all his progeny to praise Him all their days; through Abraham God blessed him that all nations would be blessed - and all peoples would extol him. What prompted God's crushing disappointment in his people was their obstinate failure to bless the nations, to sow seeds of worship around the world. The Torah tells the story of God's Creation - of the world, of a nation, of a covenant; the History remembers the sad rebellion and rare obedience of His people; the Poets utter honest accounts of reality, of redemption, of hope, of grievances, of justice and mercy; the Prophets call God's people to the covenant of blessing: obey God so that all the world be blessed through you - so that they can join you in the Great Song.

For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Hallelujah - Praise the LORD!

The central song of the Early Church was a continuation of the Teachers, Poets and Prophets: God be praised for his incomprehensible yet incredible mercy towards those that will receive it from Him. It was clear that God's chosen people had failed to convince the whole world to worship Yahweh...their exile was the public sign of their inward condition. It was also clear that other nations were coming to know the LORD apart from God's covenant nation. God wants all peoples to sing Hallelujah, so much so that he would come amongst us to teach all peoples the song, walk on the Earth in the flesh to demonstrate his steadfast kindness, to eat and drink and make merry with the world to reveal his loyalty to Creation, to heal and hear and help the wounded and angry and oppressed to reverse the curse which he promised to do.

The first word of this song is the last word: Hallelujah. Creation prompted a Hallelujah out of Adam; it does of us two when we see the birds soar above the woods, when we walk amongst the mighty crags, when we feel the pounding of the surf, when we touch the soft dirt of Spring...all peoples feel a joy that God wants them to put words and music to. The Restoration of All Things prompts a Hallelujah out of John the Revelator - he peers into the realm of God's presence and he is assured that Jesus the Righteous King will make all things right. Justice and Mercy will come and dwell amongst us, Peace and Delight will make its home with us, Love and Life will blossom within us.

God knows full well the hearts of the nations, of the peoples, of the tribes and clans and families and individuals. And he is always at work to teach them His Song: Hallelujah. And so those of us who have sung this song become God's primary music instructors for the world. But the teaching of this tune comes not from formal classrooms but in the everyday flow of the day, in the checkout line - sing the song, at the gas pump - sing the song, dinner with the family - sing the song, mowing the yard - sing the song, visiting your brother in jail - sing the song, consoling a greiving widow - sing the song, feeding the hungry - sing the song, helping the single mother - sing the song, forgiving those who hurt you - sing the song: Hallelujah.

There is much that happens in this world to make me cynical, anxious, critical, annoyed, cringing, angry...at times I am reluctant to whisper Hallelujah...it can be an empty song. But I ask myself: what other song would I sing? If not God, who? If I don't understand, what do I gain by ending my part of the song? What is life with out the Great Song reverberating in my home? So I keep singing, sometimes tentatively, sometimes triumphantly.

What keeps you from singing God's Song for All Peoples in Your Life?

What keeps you from helping the Peoples in Your Life sing God's Song with You?

Home from Vacation

We pulled into our driveway at 7:46pm, home from vacation! It was an arrival of mixed feelings: we are glad to be home, but we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation to Monterey California - and all the stops along the way.

Sleeping in this morning till 9am, we woke up just in time to rush down for breakfast. Jerm and Maria left by 7am to go visit the Field of Dreams, so our caravan rolled out around 11am from Iowa City, destination Fort Wayne. It was a fairly uneventful trip through the cornfields of Iowa and Illinois. We crossed the mighty Mississippi, skirted the south end of Chicago, and stopped north of Valpo to stay goodbyes to Jerm and Maria and family.

I was eager to get home and see how my flowers were doing; it rained once in three weeks, so stuff was might dry. A few days of watering should revive most of my stuff. The kids were eager to ride their bikes again, Emma ran upstairs to get her doll Mary, and the boys just ran all over the place with more toys from S&F.

Now, after getting the kids in their own beds, getting groceries, putting some stuff away, we're ready for bed.

It's been good to be away with our Hallman clan, we'll never forget Faye's Monterey and her brilliant idea to whisk us away to the town of her childhood. Now we're back home, ready for the rest of the summer and trading thousands of pictures.

Fun at the zoo and the eternally long dinner

The Henry Doorly Zoo of Omaha was jampacked with vacationing people, but it was a wide, spacious and beautiful animal sanctuary. The first activity was the carousel - Emma really wanted the horse with the red roses on it, and she got it! Next was the bears and the gorillas. We really enjoyed the gorillas, they were walking about, playing, eating, relaxing and other stuff. It was also fun seeing the wrinkly old elephants and the docile rhinocerous. Aunt Faye really liked the monkeys and Emma really wanted to see the birds. It was so hot and humid that Eli needed to be carried, to get some fresh air and catch a breeze. But because we didn't have any suntan lotion for him, I had to find shadowy places to walk - in the grass, on the sidewalk, on the street, up along buildings, wherever trees cast their shadows.

For a late lunch we squeezed into a nearby McDonalds, it was packed in there but we found enough space to munch our food. Then it was off to Iowa City for our last hotel stay. We made really good time there, got stuff unloaded quickly and got ready for dinner. The adjoining restaurant seemed nice enough, but once again, the place was mostly empty. We have noticed this pattern very often...on the upside, we thought that we could get quick service, get in and out and into the pool for a long time - and maybe even get the kids to bed early so that we'd be rested for our last travel day. Alas, it was the longest meal ever. We waited thirty minutes to place orders for our drinks and meals. We waited another twenty minutes for our drinks. Another thirty minutes for our salad and appetizer, and another twenty minutes for our main dish. It was ridiculous. There was one cook and one waitress for three families, and two of the families were our whole clan. When the Iowa ribeye did come out, it was very delicious. But we scarfed our food because it was 9pm and we were very hungry, and because the pool was calling our name.

Emma went all the way under the water with her goggles on! She did it so many times that she made herself sick and had to get out of the pool for a couple minutes. But then she was ready to jump back in again! She's a fish! Levi, Isaac and Eva had fun sharing the goggles and playing the pool as well. Now we're in bed and getting ready for the last day of vacation. We're ready to be home, since we miss home - but we've loved being on vacation with Aunt Faye and the clan, and we'll miss all the fun - but we'll never forget the memories. Tara has taken over a thousand photo's of the trip! We'll have lots of fun remembering our trip for decades to come.

Thru the Arches and over the road, to Omaha we go...

Lots of driving today, lots of driving through Wyoming and Nebraska. The land got flatter the further east we drove; more settled, more farms, more rivers and more traffic. Ugh. But the kids did fine for the eight hours of driving that we did today.

We made a stop in Kearny, Nebraska at the Great Platte Trail Stopover point thingy (I don't have the title in front of me right now...), a museum that arches over I80. It is a convergence point of several trails: Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, Overland - so the museum paid tribute to the families that pioneered through Nebraska. They had a tasty cafe there - we actually thought that maybe this cafe overlooked I80, but alas, once we got there we were informed that it was not the case. At that point Faye remembered maybe it was Chicago. Oops.

Tara drove the rest of the way to Omaha from Kearney, so I sat in the back with the kids to keep the peace while I read my Michener book - Centennial. Good stuff. Once we arrived at our hotel, we got changed, let the kids run around to let off some steam, and then went downtown. Very impressive. We at the Spaghetti Works Factory something - it was in a huge renovated machinery mill. Great decor, funny waiter, a balloon artist was delighting the kids, and the food was scrumptous. We all agreed that Ft. Wayne should redevelop some of their aging industrial buildings in the downtown area like what Omaha did.

Once back at the hotel, Tara had the rare privilege of taking the kids swimming while I played with Eli in the room and got the beds and stuff ready. Lucky her. Now the kids are sleeping (bedtime was about midnight), and we are planning on visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo in the morning. If we wake up at a reasonable time.

Caught in a Wyoming Thundershower

What an unusual day it was in Wyoming.

The kids slept in late this morning, though we were late getting to bed - we had too much fun with room service. Our goal was to leave by 10am, which means we will leave about thirty minutes after that set time.
Since we're in a hurry, Levi and Isaac help me with the luggage.
I was bound and determined to get some Starbucks to start the day, and I could see one from our parking lot - just through the trees and by some distant buildings. I told Jerm and Shirley to head on out to I80 and I would just swing through the drive-thru and swiftly get my coffee and catch up with them. I couldn't find the stupid Starbucks. I could see the sign one minute, I'd look down at where I was driving, and then look up and the sign would disappear. Very frustrating. The more wrong turns I took the more I needed the coffee. This was supposed to be a real quick diversion. It wasn't; so I gave up, and just as I turned onto a street to get onto the highway, we saw the actual Starbucks building. But it was too late. My wife wisely let me stew in my grief for a few minutes before she laughed.

For lunch we stopped in Saratoga, which is on the North Platte River. We decided that Mum would pick the restaurant, so she picked Mom's Restaurant. We were a little leery of the joint, since two bikers roared out of there as we pulled next to the little white building. But once inside the empty diner, we were greeted by a kind and warm hostess aka Mom. I was full from our room service breakfast of omelettes (which, by the way, were THE BEST omelettes I have ever devoured...), so I ordered an iced tea and bided by time to order desert: Banana Foster Ice Cream Pie. Ahhhh...vacation food tastes the best.

We took a side trip to Medicine Bow National Forest: Snow Cap Mountain. What a splendid park, with thousands and thousands of evergreen trees crowding the moutain slopes. And then we saw it: mounds of snow on the side of the road, on the cliff edges - and it was only sixty degrees outside.
Shimmering lakes that must of have been icecold dotted the landscape as we drove through. Just one more delightful experience in the Wyoming territory. The land would be flat and green, hemmed in by cloud-shadowed hills. Then the hills would morph into mini-mountains and the ground would be these myriad of mounds rolling along, like storm swells of earth rippling outwards.

Once through the forest, we arrived at our next tourist destination: Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie. All I knew about it was that Butch Cassidy had been jailed there for about a year. It turned out to be a well-put together, well-financed, well-researched museum of that prison - its affect on the city and territory, as well as the forces that created it and the penal system it was promoting. Jerm and I spent a long time together reading almost everything, they had alot to read. Throughout the recreated prison were enlarged photographs of the inmates, with their story and name below. It added a very human touch to the place. Along with these pictures were many large plaques with insightful reflections on different elements of the prison, how it ran, how it developed, how it failed/succeeded. One insight: the prison was influenced by the belief that jail time was to be rehabilitative and redemptive. However, only one person out of the two-thousand inmates was rehabilitated. That one man went on to be a successful businessman in the area. This apparent lack of success was addressed in one plaque which critiqued some of the foundational philosophical and religious beliefs that created this system of imprisonment.

Emma, Isaac, and Levi enjoy prison life, Eva isn't so sure about it...

As Jerm and I walked out of the museum, we say that a huge storm was rolling in fast - drops of rain were already hitting. We walked briskly to the visitor center where everyone else was milling about, anxiously awaiting us because they had already seen the storm coming in. We hurried and got the strollers packed up, the kids piled in, and the vans on the way when a fierce prairie storm dumped on us. As we get on the drenched highway, Tara asks me if I got her wallet out of the stroller. No, I didn't; I didn't know to look for it. Did it fall out? No, I didn't see anything on the ground. What if it did fall out? What if we get to Cheyenne and we don't have it? We'll have to drive all the way back. You need to pull over and check to see if it is in the bottom of the stroller. WHAT? Arrgghhhh. So we pulled over at the next exit and find a side road, hoping for a break in the storm...which I get...it goes from torrential downpour to normal downpour. I jump out, open the side door and then jump on the back of the van to open the storage unit on top of the van where the strollers are stored. I was hoping that I could stand on the ledge of the open side door and just quickly reach my hand into the bottom of the tightly folded up stoller and extract the missing wallet. No luck, I couldn't even see it in there. Which meant I had to take both strollers out of the storage unit...while it is pouring rain. Fortunately (or unfortuantely, depending on who is wet...) the wallet was in the bottom of the stroller. Tara wisely waited a few minutes before she laughed at the soaked and bedraggled husband sitting next to her. We eventually both laughed...

Once at the hotel, we got changed and Tara and I went on a date with Eli to the Cheyenne Cowboy Club for authentic Wyoming meat. Neat place, but hardly anyone in the restaurant...which I will say again, annoys me. Anyway, the buffalo ribeye was delicious - I was happily full, and dry. On the way to the restaurant we drove by a Starbucks, which we planned on stopping at after dinner. As we drove back, we couldn't quite remember what street corner it was on - it being on a one-way main artery. So we drove around for ten minutes, finally finding it...today was not my day for quickly finding my coffee shop.

Now we're getting rested for our long trip to Omaha...eight hours of driving!

Fort Bridger and the Oregon Trail

What a neat day for my Mum - she is a fan of the Macintosh game Oregon Trail. We played it alot as kids, on our old Apple IIC - with a green screen. The game was a very simple DOS program, but oh the hours we would spend on it. Especially my Mum. So it was a special treat to stop by old Fort Bridger in Wyoming, a key supply point on the famous Oregon Trail.

We left Salt Lake City a bit later in the morning than we planned, and then it took us about thirty minutes to find a gas station...there must be some ordinance against having refueling stations in convenient places. Once on our way, we wound through some impressive and breathtaking scenery. The climbing hills were more gentle than the Rockies and Sierras; the fields more lush and some of the cliffs more jagged.

Wyoming is not Utah. It's amazing how crossing state lines is obvious, even without the street signs. Wyoming is flatter, though it still has its share of hills and crags. It just seems wider, more open, bigger. In no time we were at the town of Fort Bridger, population: 150. For being in a remote place, the actual fort was in good condition. All of the other national parks we visited were beautiful, and lots of money had been spent on them. Fort Bridger is a state park, but it wins the award for the most love being poured into it. Not all of the fort is still standing, some of it was auctioned off decades and decades ago, but most of it is still there: the guard house, the school house, the milk house, the commissary, the general store, the ice house, the stalls, the wagon house, and so much more. There wasn't much of a crowd. The most interesting people there were historians who travel by covered wagon and horses; they travel all the trails - the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, and many others. They had just arrived to the fort the day before, so their horses were getting a break while the travelers/historians relaxed by their tents and talked with the visitors. Aunt Faye, Tara and Isaac spent some time with them - which is how I know this stuff.
Isaac taking time to watch the horses munch and frolic in the fields.
Isaac and Levi patting the horses on the nose - they were thrilled to be so close to these proud beasts.
The museum had a thoughtful kids section, which included this mechanical horse which Levi thoroughly enjoyed.

For lunch we ate in a local restaurant across the desolate highway. Good food, neat place, friendly hostess and locals. Only a short drive later through stunning buttes and rolling ranges, we arrived at our hotel in Rock Springs. They had an awesome pool there: a kiddy pool,
a big pool with a curtain of water raining down, and a hot tub. It was alot of fun playing with the kids in their little pool - they loved it, even Eli.
They also loved going through the water curtain; Emma went through it a thousand times. She says that Eva taught her how to swim with her face in the water. So Emma spent about thirty minutes of our time swiming with her face in the water. She was so proud of herself. We were very proud of her!

We just finished up a delicious meal served via room service. Nothing like the family hanging out with good food and lots of laughter.

Tomorrow is Cheyenne and the Fourth of July Fireworks! Yee haw! Happy Birthday America.

Stopping Over in Salt Lake City

Today was a simple day: wake up in Winnamucce and drive to Salt Lake City in time to swim while it is still warm outside. So that is what we did. Except that we stopped at a Pizza Hut in Wendover, Nevada for lunch. It was supposed to be a quick stop. We had mixed feelings as we pulled into the empty lot...like I said earlier, I'm suspicious of restaurants without a crowd. The door to the restaurant was locked...at 12noon...another clue to turn away. But no, we really wanted to order a Taco Pizza (Eli doesn't like it when Tara eats red pizza sauce). We walk in to a very empty restaurant, with the classic PH sign: Please Wait To Be Seated. We seated ourselves, pulled a long line of tables together and waited. And waited. The lone employee came over to us, and we felt sorry for him. And the other three customers who walked in a few minutes after us. He did admirably well, but it was not a quick lunch break. And we didn't get our Taco Pizza. Oh well.

The rest of the trip to Salt Lake City was uneventful, other then our awe at the salt lakes. As we came over the hill and Wendover came in view, we were in awe at the vast salt plains. As we approached Salt Lake City we were in awe over the vast amounts of water that existed in this saltland. As a city goes, Salt Lake is fairly unremarkable. Not much of a tourist trap coming into town. Tonight we sleep just off of the Temple Square, we went swimming soon after arriving, but the pool was in the shade and breeze made it chilly - not that the kids minded.

Tara, Jerm and I just came back from a short walk around the square which is impressive. In it is a walled in area containing the Temple, the Tabernacle, various statues, gardens and offices. The block also has an enormous building dedicated to Joseph Smith, the home of Brigham Young, a gigantic office complex, and very pretty flowers everywhere. The whole area was very impressive, immaculate, imposing.

Tomorrow we head into Wyoming and plan to visit Fort Bridger and the Oregon Trial. Mum will love that, she used to be addicted to the game.