Olympic Opening Ceremonies Take Gold

As I watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, all I can say is WOW! The Chinese people know how to put on a show! It is amazing to see the precision of thousands of people completely working in unison. How majestic to witness the mixture of the nations, colors, races and creeds. Is there anyone that does not look at this and wonder what the world would be if we lived together like this every day? Oh but there is a day that this will take place across this planet. If this is just a tiny glimpse of it for a few moments then I can’t even imagine what that will be like for eternity.

A Prayer Request

Whether this prayer comes from Billy Graham which was aired by Paul Harvey or Minister Joe Wright during the opening of a new session of the Kansas Senate, I am not sure. I find references to both. However, I do know the words are our true need…

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Batman

Yesterday afternoon I went alone to see The Dark Knight.

"How was it?", My wife asked when I returned.

"Not sure, I guess it was good but would not call it great."

Something about the movie just never found a place with me. Wasn't quite sure why until reading this tonight. That is it! There was nothing there. A lot of things blew up and there was tension in the air but when I left the theater there was no joy or sadness, no motivation to change or stay the same, no lesson learned and no reason to even talk about it with friends. Nothing.

10 Summer Camp Memories

Yesterday dropped my daughter at Kanakuk K-West Kamp in Missouri. Absolutely the best christian camps and her favorite place in the whole world.

Got me thinking about going to camp as a kid. Ten things I remember about Summer Camp:

1. The List - that long list of everything to take.
2. Night Sounds - Fan spinning and the crickets chirping as I fell asleep.
3. Shaving Cream - Not to shave but for fights or filling sleeping bags.
4. Smells - Waking up to the smell of bacon in the morning.
5. Kids - Thousands of kids. Camp was almost bigger then my hometown.
6. Vespers - First time I remember sitting still long enough to hear God work in my heart.
7. Top Bunk - The only way to go as a kid. Now bottom bunk sounds so much better.
8. Food - The food may not have been great but being so hungry it all tastes good.
9. Girls - At 12-17 years old, nothing like the chance to meet and date girls you didn't grow up with.
10. That Mountain Top Experience - Actually finding myself changed when I got home. Too bad it too often faded away.
    

I pray she finds God around every corner the next two weeks and builds strong friendships with girls from around the country. It is hard to let go for two weeks but I know she is building her own list of summer camp memories that will be with her the rest of her life.

Sleep

I am tired. It has been a long week and face a 10 hour drive tomorrow to take our daughter to camp in Missouri then return home. So going to sleep.

Read this then get some sleep yourself.

Good night!!

Back Home Again

Great vacation in Phoenix. Accomplished very little other then perfecting the art of doing nothing. A little golf, fine food and floating around the hotel's lazy river were the only activities over the six day stay. It was good to get away!!

Playing It Safe

"A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."

Grace Murray Hopper

So what were we built for? Are we here only to play it safe? So much of our focus tends to be on keeping ourselves tightly tethered to the shore.

However, are there plans waiting beyond the horizon that we just can't quite see? Something that may not come easy but a passion burns inside that requires pulling up anchor and setting sail.

Over the past few years I have met so many of the people that have headed out to find what God had waiting for them. No promises, no guarantees, just an over whelming love for God and a deep desire to trust what he had put on their hearts. Some are on the other side of the world while others are just down the street. It is amazing to see the peace and freedom in someone who finds what they were really built for.

God's miracles show up through us when we pursue the things other then those we can do on our own.

Choice

Everything you do in life, every choice you make, has a consequence. When you do things without thinkin', then you ain't makin' the choice. The choice is makin' you.

Mark Steven Johnson

How often has making NO choice become a choice? Riding along with the group. So concerned about self image that my image actually becomes defined by others.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image..."

Genesis 1:26

Vacation 2008

Trying to keep my hands off the family vacation plans this year. Told that I have a bad habit of over engineering the schedule so this year leaving it to the rest of the family. After some early discussions, Los Angeles was the leader but now the jury is in and we will be heading to Phoenix, Arizona.

Arizona, Dessert, July?

I know it is a dry heat but so is my oven and never had any desire to crawl in there to relax. Oh well, wonder if there is any chance of some night golf? Any tee times available around 1:00 AM? Looks like a pleasant 88 degrees as we make the turn. There I go planning again.

Worthy

Some people make you think....