Spring 4

The temperature here got up to 78 Fahrenheit Degrees. I was really excited and happy about that. We had a cookout, and ate hot dogs and brats outside on the deck. I raked along the fence line and under the Rhododendrons, and picked up the yard as well. I set out the hammock and we flew the flags, the Stars and Stripes in the front yard and the Grand Union/Union Jack in the backyard.

It was a great way to celebrate the warm Spring weather in early Spring.

Spring Two

I am working on a Press Release for the Step It Up campaign that is happening here in Holland. My Pastor has an unique sense of humor, and wants to create a slogan based on TULIP, the 5 points of Calvinism. I like Calvinists; I do not care for Calvinism. The five points are:

Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints

We are working on our own version of this. He has seen a writing gift in me and is encouraging me to write news articles and press releases for our congregation.

If you believe in an election of the damned, the reprobate, then you see no problems in TULIP. If you believe that God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth then you might have a problem with TULIP.

The Step It Up campaign is a nationwide rally to stop Global Warming. Al Gore started it. You know the former Vice President. He served with Bill Clinton, Hillary's husband. You have to remember him. I know, most of you have short attention spans, but you can remember more than eight years ago, can't you? The film is called An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore was doing his Power Point slide presentations around the world when a documentary director thought it would make a great film. An Inconvenient Truth won The Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Well maybe all you homophobes didn't watch it because Ellen DeGeneres hosted it. That is just sad if you did. So what is she is a lesbian? There have been lesbians since before Sappho wrote her poetry. How did I get on this subject?

Oh yeah, Al Gore at the Academy Awards. There is a seriousness about Global Warming and we should do something about it. So here in the Tulip City we are, and a group of Lutherans are making it happen, and we aren't homophobes either.

First Day of Spring

A cold and wet raining morning is how Spring welcomed us today. The pour down hard for about two hours. No thunder just the heavy wet drops falling thick all around us.

Then in the afternoon it stopped and the outside smelled like a nursery. I love that smell; it is the scent of green life and healty soil.

The days are now longer than the nights and perhaps all the winter depression will finally fade away. I haven't felt very depressed this winter, just tired. The time changing early didn't help much either.

Spring is finally here. It is a good reason to celebrate!

Wine Drinking

Last night I drank a whole bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I gave the younger two boys a bath.

Before that, my eldest son and I went for a walk to Barnes and Noble. I did not buy anything, but found something I can put on my birthday list. My Mom always asks me for birthday gift ideas for myself. This has been an ongoing tradition since my early childhood days. Sometimes I think it would be really funny if I asked her for a cap gun, Tonka Truck, and a G.I. Joe.

My wife says that if anyone reads these blogs they will think I am an alcoholic. Well I hope it gets some attention. Please, if you ever do read this, don't think I am in this for attention. I am doing it as an ongoing writing exercise. If I don't write often I will lose my edge and my writing will weaken.

The younger boys are participating in a Pine Wood Derby. I am glad that I finished their cars. They should make it to the end of the track. I don't think they will win, but they should have fun. Unfortunately, I won't be there. I have to work tomorrow.

No no no...I won't say where I work. I don't talk about that. Shhhh.


Church Newsletter Deadline is coming up. One of my fellow council members strongly suggested I submit the devotion I gave on Tuesday in the Newsletter. I want to expand it slightly.

Anyway, the wife seems impatient and wants her turn at the computer again.

Council Tonight

I am tired and feel like I could sleep right now. I went for a walk. Is my life boring or what?

I am preparing my devotion and report tonight.

I really have nothing even slightly interesting to post.

Dorkfish!

OK, I e-mailed my co-worker, Wendy, the link all of my sarcastically existing blogs.

She and I keep each other sane in a sea of insanity by making dorkfish jokes. Bill Engvall put the Dorkfish on the map with his corn dog eating dorkfish routine.

The time change has really made me tired. I really have only myself to blame, drinking one, OK it was three or four, too many glasses of wine the night before the time change was not the smartest thing I have ever done.



But the wine tasted really good and I had a great time and was laughing throughout the night.

I guess I could talk about work, but work is nothing worth writing about.

Right now my dream is to become a massage therapist.

Weekend

If truly the weekends were made for Michelob, then I am certainly in the collective right to be drinking one right now, and I am!

It was in early September 1999 that we had Nathan's baptismal party at our house. It was a beautiful warm late summer day and I served Michelob. I knew it was the one beer all the beer drinkers, and there were a few of us, would all enjoy.

My Step Dad liked Bud back then, my sister's husband likes heavier imports, my wife's father likes richer micro brewery lagers, my wife's brother likes a variety of beer but at the time Rolling Rock and Foster's were his favorites. I like the Canadian beers, Molson and Labatt. Yes, Labatt is a Pilsner and the only North American Pilsner at that.

I miss the old shaped bottle as seen in this photo, but it tastes just as good as it ever did. Although, I did find two six packs at the Wesco station that had more traditional shaped bottles.

I took all three boys to the pet store and they delighted in seeing all the animals and petting the resident cat there, Tuxedo. After our brief visit we ate lunch at McDonald's in Zeeland and the younger two played in the tube maze they have there.

While they played my eldest son walked around outside and I read the first chapter of a study book on the Psalms and read several Psalms.

The depth of Psalm imagery comes alive in the Revised English Bible. Several images found in the New Testament, especially in the book of Hebrews come from the Psalms. It shows how the Psalms truly connect us to the past, present and future.

It greatly enjoyed my time there reading, studying and praying while my children played. My wife was able to have some quality quiet time at home.

CRC Group and a Martini

In less than 30 min we will be going to a CRC mom's group for dinner and cake. I drank a hefty Vodka Martini and am feeling pretty good.

We Lutheran's are smart by serving wine at our social functions and then coffee with dessert so we can drive home. Lutheran's understand that just because we are family in a spiritual sense doesn't mean we will all get along. Wine certainly helps those situations.

The CRC won't serve any alcohol so we have to drink at home first.

Dysfunctional

The original title for this post was "Putting the Cart Before the Horse." But that old trite proverbial phrase has been so over used that there was no one who would read this post. Ha! I can sure make myself laugh--no one is reading these now. Well, maybe someday. I can always dream.

In any system or group there is room for improvement, and in a work place improvement is necessary for profit. In a church congregation improvement is about spiritual growth. The worst action any leader in either a business or congregation can take is to tell a department or committee to stop and wait until a new improvement is in place. Telling them to wait is dysfunctional and is putting that proverbial cart before the horse.

The better method is to tell them to keep going as they are until the new change is implemented and then train or teach them the better way. Never stop. Moving forward if even in the old and lousy way is better than stopping and waiting for the new and improved way.

Stopping because the method you are using needs improvement is like going naked waiting for the new style of clothes to come to your favorite store.

Being Right Doesn't Help

Today at work I encountered, first hand, how self-importance, and wanting to prove yourself, hinders, hurts, and opposes progression. We had a Quality transfer to our department who has about a year of service in our division. He wants to make a difference and make improvements, but with a very tricky catch, he want them done his way.

From my perspective, I have worked with him for the past year, he wants to show how much he knows and wants to prove that he is right. His instance on being right slowed us down by more than 74 per cent. We hardly got anything done today.

From the events of today, I learned that just because I may be right about something doesn't mean that I have to nor that I should hinder all those around me. I may be right about how to correct something but that doesn't mean I should stop other's progression or speak hurtful words about it.

In the world around me I see all to often how one person who insists that he is right will make the situation worse.

Ego has no place in a collective.

Lent

When I was a child I thought it was strange that about three months after celebrating Jesus' birthday we were talking about his death. Two "schools of thoughts" seem strange to me those congregations that don't pay attention to the Church Year and those that emphasize it to the extreme.

There are congregations in my home town that hardly mention Lent and then suddenly they tell everyone to really celebrate because it is Easter. They might as well be handing out chocolate bunnies to everyone on Easter Sunday rather than having a Communion Service.

On the flip side of this proverbial coin are the congregations that take it too far. These are the ones that fill the baptismal font with sand and dress in purple to match the paraments.

Lent is a time of releasing all the obstacles in your spiritual life. It is a time to think about all the excesses in your life and to let go of them. Lent is a time to think about your personal relationship with God and how to improve it--this also includes the relationship with God who dwells in all His children.

The more attention to pay to your spiritual life during Lent the more you will appreciate the joyous festival of Easter. If you are like those who only attend church on Christmas and Easter then you might as well go to church on Easter Sunday wearing your nice clothes and eats a pound of chocolate.

If you are on the other extreme then you will go to Church and revel in the joyous music and white paraments but don't expect to grow spiritually because all you have done is paid attention to the calendar and decorations and not your spiritual growth. Remember, religion and faith are not the same.