Have a Laugh on Me

Though I am guilty of it, I know it is wrong to have a laugh at another’s expense. In this case, I am giving you permission to laugh at my expense, so no need for guilt.

For those who don’t know me well, I like to keep everything I own looking and functioning like new. I fuss over little nicks and scratches, I don’t like leaks and spills marring the finish of anything. I like to keep everything neat, clean and orderly.

I came to our lake house this weekend to have a little break, and to build a ramp connecting our back yard area to the terraced area where our house is located. The change in elevation is about 2 feet between our backyard and the area in which the house is built. I wanted to build a ramp so it would be possible to drive our lawn tractor up into that section of the yard to mow it. I bought the lawn tractor used, but the owner had kept it in great condition so it looked and good as new. I like it that way.

I worked all day building the ramp. It was a more labor-intensive and time consuming task than I anticipated. I had mis-judged the amount of decking needed, so I had to make a trip into town to get more lumber. I had hoped to fit in some fishing, and maybe a nice walk in the woods, but the ramp job took all the time I had. After driving the last nail I decided to start up the tractor and try out the ramp. After working all day I was anxious to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I had some trouble getting the tractor onto the ramp, but I added an extra piece to the bottom of the ramp and fixed the problem. Just as I was at the top of the ramp almost onto the upper lawn, the tractor hung up. It seems that the transition was too abrupt and the frame hung up on the top edge of the ramp. I jostled and shook the tractor around and it moved off the ramp into the lawn area. I figured I would have to add a few pieces of lumber to the top of the ramp, but was generally feeling that my work for the day was a success. I mowed the lawn area in about 5 minutes. Before installing the ramp it took me 30 minutes with a weed trimmer to do the job. I was feeling like I had done a pretty smart thing building that ramp.

While maneuvering the tractor around the area I found myself getting pretty close to bumping it into obstacles, like trees, the stairway, the fence, etc. I thought to myself “your son will probably smash the front of this tractor into something when you ask him to mow the property, so don’t get all upset when it doesn’t look perfect anymore.” I guess that was a premonition.

I finished mowing the area, then headed down the ramp. The tractor got stuck on the ramp. Wanting to play it safe I shut off the motor, put it neutral, then stepped off to get it unstuck. I lifted and tugged and got it unstuck. Then, it began to roll down the ramp. I grabbed the back of the seat and tried to stop the tractor. It wouldn’t stop. It picked up speed rather quickly. I switched my grip to the rear fenders to try to get better control. I lost my footing and started down the ramp hanging on to the fenders and sliding down the ramp on my behind. I quickly looked left and right, making sure no on saw me (this is an automatic reaction, hard-wired into the genetic code of all men). I popped myself back onto my feet and began running behind the tractor. I was grasping at anything to regain control of it as it picked up speed heading down the steep slope of our backyard. I flailed at the steering wheel and managed to prevent a direct collision with a tree. In retrospect, that may have not been a wise move. The tractor hit a glancing blow to the tree then began barreling down the sharp decline headed towards the storage shed. I was no longer keeping up with the tractor. The redirection after hitting the tree slowed me down a bit, so at this point I was just running and flailing at the tractor, but having no effect at slowing it down or steering it away from the shed. The tractor picked up speed for what seemed about 30 minutes (actually about 0.75 seconds) then after reaching terminal velocity slammed head-on into the side of the shed. The side of the shed deflected about 3 inches, and I think the rear wheels of the tractor came off the ground when it stopped. I heard items falling off the shelves in the shed.

I was moving so fast that I couldn’t slow down before bouncing off the tractor and landing on the ground next to it. I sat on the ground, processing what just happened. Oh golly! Those weren't my exact thoughts. I am certain that if someone had a video camera trained on me this would have made “America’s Funniest Videos.” I am so grateful that no one had a camera.

With great effort I pulled the tractor back off the shed. The sheet metal is bent, both headlights are popped out, and the cowling doesn’t fit right anymore. I don’t have to worry about my son messing up the tractor. I beat him to it.

Freedom and Jugglers

I watched "Braveheart" this weekend. It reminded me that freedom is not free. Actually it is quite expensive. I recommend watching the movie if you have a strong stomach. I think I need to write my congressman and senator more often

Brain Drain

It has been a very, very long time since I have updated this blog and my Spirits Among Us blog. It isn't that there haven't been things to talk about or share, I've just had 100% of my time and creativity absorbed lately. I am grateful that I have not been traveling abroad lately, because it has given me time to work on two very important projects; my next film and a Christian media event.
It might appear to some that I have too much on "my plate" and I question that myself sometimes. But it always boils down to this, I am doing what I believe God is leading me to do, so I can't ignore any one of them, I have to pursue them. I used to use an analogy concerning my work in secular business (engineering) and my work in ministry business (Christian movie production). I likened it to having one foot on the dock (secular) and one foot on the boat (ministry). That was easy until the boat began moving from the dock. Eventually was going to have to either jump onto the boat or onto the dock, because my legs were getting stretched far apart.
I prayed about this often. It has been my desire for quite awhile to have a full-time ministry career. Yet I am still straining with one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat. God revealed to me three truths.
1. It is not a dock and a boat, but two boats, that I have my feet on
2. God is steering both boats
3. God is helping me to grow longer legs

Here is what this means in the real, non-analogy world:
1. I am doing what God wants me to do
2. I am moving in the right direction, His direction
3. He is helping me to manage people and multiple tasks better, without becoming overwhelmed
4. He is helping me to form teams that help me in achieving the goals He has set before me
5. By getting other people (teams) involved, God is able to use these activities to help them grow in their discipleship.

That is it for now. Please visit www.pottersreel.net to learn what we are doing with this conference. Please visit www.spiritsamongusmovie.blogspot.com in a few days to learn about the next movie we are working on.

Have a blessed day, thanks for reading.

Heaven and Hell

I came back from a nice weekend retreat with the church men's group to find out that we had a severe storm while I was gone. Lightning struck near our home and disabled a vcr/dvd player, the x-box, our vonage phone module, and my main computer. So, the mess you see in the first photo is of my office, messier than normal. My old computer is in computer heaven, which left me in computer hell for a couple days.

Our dog Sandy was little distressed. She normally lies on the office floor while I work. She takes little naps, snores, and barks in her sleep. The room was so cluttered she barely had enough room. It is great that she hangs out in the office while I work, it reminds me that life is not all about work. Naps, snoring and barking are important too.

Say "Cheese"

There is not much to this post, I just wanted to share a couple photos I took at the Wildlife Ranch while we were on Spring break. I am dissapointed that this was the best smile these two could muster after I clearly instructed them to say "cheese."

Christian Movies

Today's post is just a question, two actually. I would like feedback from everyone with an opinion relating to these:

Question 1:
"What would motivate Christians to watch more Christian films, maybe one per month?"

Question 2:
"What would motivate non-Christians to watch films that have a Christian message?"

Recreation

We are about half-way through our spring break vacation. It has been very fun so far. We have seen and experienced quite a bit over the last few days. We have seen dinosaur footprints, Bible manuscripts, fish, turtles and animals. It is actually more fun than it sounds. I think just being able to have an adventure with my family is what makes it fun. I am glad that the kids still like interacting with each other and us parents. I don't take that for granted, well, maybe I do sometimes but I don't mean to. Well, we are off to Sea World now!

Oh, the first photo is of my family looking down through the bottom of a glass bottom boat at Aquarena Springs.

Big Feet, Good Timing

We went to the Dinosaur Valley State Park today and saw some dinosaur footprints up close and personal. It was great fun. It was amazing to stand next to a place, several places actually, that a dinosaur walked. I'm glad we waited a several thousand years (or billion if one believe in the general theory of evolution)to visit here, otherwise we might have gotten stepped upon!


Below is a photo of a dinosaur footprint on a human footprint. This and other similar findings are controversial among believers of the general theory of evolution. I was glad to get to see this up close.

Scrolls, Fossils, Celebrities

We visited the Creation Evidence Museum on the day that Professor Gary Zimmeran conducted a seminar on writing and preservation of Hebrew manuscripts. He had numerous scrolls of the various old testament books. He had an original manuscript of the Torah. I don’t study the history of the Bible, so I know that me and my family did not appreciate the significance of being able to see real hand written scrolls retrieved from the Holy land, that form the content of the Old Testament. My wife and I were able to hold the Torah (with the mantle on it). Amazing.

Dr. Carl Baugh gave a presentation about dinosaur and human footprint fossils discovered in the same archaeological layer, and in some cases, together. This evidence supports the idea that man and dinosaurs lived on earth at the same time.

In addition to the significance of the scrolls, and the fossil findings, I am impressed by the devotion that these two men have to using their lives to serve God. They each are living their lives serving God in the manner that they understand He has called them. Most people probably have not heard of these men, but by my definition, they are true celebrities.

Christian Film Database

The Christian Film Database website now has Spirits Among Us listed. Praise the Lord for that! Seriously, praise the Lord. I did not promote my movie to the CFDB staff, they came across the movie at one of the retail outlets and wanted to add it to the database. It is exciting to see God's hand in this movie. I pray that I will continue to understand and follow His direction for each movie I produce.

Talents

My family and I went to the Laff Stop last night to watch our friend, Mary Sarah Gross, perform in a talent showcase event. It was great fun hearing all the various people sing on stage, like American Idol up close and personal, without the snippy comments from judges. We got to spend time with Mary's family and friends, which was great since our schedules rarely allow us to get together. Mary had a role in my movie "Spirits Among Us." She did a great job and was a joy to work with, I am hoping to have her in future productions.

What I thought about as I sat there was, "while many people are sitting around watching television, these people work hard to develop their natural gifts so they can entertain other people. They didn't just let their talents lie dormant in the ground, they put in hours and hours of hard work to develop and nuture them, and then had the guts to get up on stage and perform in front of an audience." I am impressed by people who are driven to develop and use the talents that God has given them. He has given each of us something. His desire is that we figure out what that is and do something worthwhile with it. I love being around people who are doing something good with the precious time and gifts God has given them.

The photos here are a few that I snapped during the event. The first one at the top of the post is of Mary.

Playing "Dress Up"

Finally, while driving to work a couple days back, God revealed to me what the "Armor of God" passages in Ephesians 6:10-18 mean to me. For years I have read commentaries, participated in Bible studies, and watched/heard others "praying on" the armor of God. I never, ever felt like I understood what it meant.

Does it mean that every day you wake up you "put on" the full armor of God by saying to God that you are putting on "shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, etc?" Or do you "pray it on" someone else by loudly and emotionally proclaiming it in prayer as you use your hands to mimic the acts of putting on each piece? Is it something that you just thank God for providing, and remember He provides it all when you encounter a struggle? Is it a magic formula that you "pray on" as needed to give you victory over circumstances? I have heard and/or seen all these and more. None of them "worked" for me. Sometimes it was like playing "dress up." I still was not satisfied that I "got it."

Here is what it means for me:
Belt of Truth: Practice truth in all that I do and say
Breastplate of Righteousness: Do what is right in God's eyes, according to His word
Shoes of Peace: Seek peace, not conflict or conquest, in my relationships and encounters
Shield of Faith: Do not lean on my own understanding, but believe in God's plan, purpose and soveriegnity.
Helment of Salvation: Always remember that I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and as a result I have an eternal relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Sword of the Spirit: Use the power of God's word (truths and promises written in the Bible) to have victory in battles.

So, if I am slack in any of those areas, I have left open a vulnerability to the attacks of evil. If I am faithful in practicing truth, righteousness, peace, etc. then I have strong protection against the schemes and tactics that Satan uses to trip me up. Now I "got it" because God "revealed it."

What does the photograph have to do with any of this? Good question. I just felt like putting up a photo of the Camaro I used to own. I miss it.

An Ark to Build

We watched "Evan Almighty" last night. That movie has some good, and Biblically sound insights. As I watched the movie I realized that we probably each have our own "Ark" to build. Evan, like Noah, decided to embark on a very difficult task which took him away from his own plans, exposed him to ridicule from everyone, and had no guarantee to be necessary at all. He did this all simply because God told him to, so he did what he knew God wanted him to do. I think God has plans for all of us, and some of them will put our love of Him to the test.

At this point I should explain that the photograph is of me holding up what is probably my first of several "arks." Not everyone thought I was completely sane when I took precious time away from my successful engineering career, and most of my recreation time, to start a career making Christian movies. Making movies for God is considerably easier (and easier to explain) than building a huge boat in the middle of a desert, but it is definitely not "the easy way out" for me. It is simply what I know God wants me to do, so I do it. My movie is now in distribution, I have a handful of packaged copies to prove it, and it is available for sale or rent at various outlets. This is very exciting and encouraging to me. I believe you can detect some level of enthusiasm in the photo.

It was hard work for me, but God is making it fruitful.

Right now people can rent it at NetFlix or buy it from PopularChristian. I will post links for the other sites when they get there copies.

True Beauty

My wife and I have been watching a new “reality” show called True Beauty. The contestants are very good-looking young people who think they are vying for the position of “most beautiful” based on physical appearance and how they perform various modeling-related activities. What the three judges are looking for is actually inner beauty, which is largely based on the contestants’ behavior when they don’t know they are being taped by hidden cameras. In judging inner beauty, the judges basically focus on the contestant’s integrity and how they treat other people. It is a simple, fairly predictable show, but I enjoy it and it actually has some redeeming value.

What I am learning from this show is aside from the obvious shallow, ego-centric, self promoting ugliness that is often found in people (physically beautiful or not), that everyone has some unattractive characteristics. I realize that most readers will respond to my last statement with something to the effect of “Duh!” What I am trying to articulate goes a little deeper. True beauty doesn’t come naturally. Ugliness comes easily and naturally. For non-believers, becoming beautiful requires will power, a willingness to make changes to bad thoughts, bad words, and bad actions. For believers, the Holy Spirit continually perfects us, if we pursue Godliness. We also have to exercise will power to make changes, but even the strongest will power is weak when compared to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. I see much of my unattractiveness in the behavior of some of the contestants. This makes me see two truths to a greater depth than before:

1. I need to continually ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me those areas in which I need improvement
2. I need to have more patience with people struggling with their own imperfections

On a funny note, I heard it once said that “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes right to the bone.” That statement is intended to be humorous, but it hits on something which I believe is true. There is some ugliness beneath the surface of everyone, and a preponderance of ugliness will eventually make its way to the surface.

The photo is one of many that I have taken of our children. You can see more by visiting my very old website at the following link: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Paradise/1368/index.html

Conundrum Continues

This post is to provide further information in response to comments made about my previous post, “Controversial Conundrum.” It is important to note that the conundrum I wrote about only applies to Bible believing Christians. It is also important to note that although I have picked scripture references to support the beliefs stated here, that true understanding does not come from a scripture here and there, but a thorough reading of the Bible and the interpreting ability provided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, Corinthians 2:11-14).

So, with that stated, here we go.

In reference to my observation from the Bible that God created the world and all life on it, that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, that death is the result of sin, and therefore there was no death on earth before the first sin.

The comment, summarized:
Maybe the Bible was not meant to be interpreted literally, maybe it is full of metaphors.

My response:
The Bible does contain metaphors, however the beliefs that God created the world, Adam and Eve sinned, and sin brought death to the world are fundamental to the Christian Faith. These are literal Bible truths, not metaphors. The relation between sin and death, and the original sin, are the reasons that Jesus Christ had to die for payment of our sins. Here are the references related to these beliefs:

God created the world and everything in it: Genesis 1:1, Job 38:4-11, John 1:1-3, Exodus 20:11

Adam and Eve were real, literal people: Genesis 4:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:13-14

The first sin came through Adam and Eve: Genesis 3:1-20, Romans 5:12,1 Corinthians 15:21-22

Sin brought death to the world, and Jesus’ death was required to pay for it: Romans 5:12-15, James 1:15, Genesis 2:17, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22

In reference to my following two observations:
1) If one believes that God created the world and all things in it, then any science that does not support that is not revealing truth-so it is flawed science.
2) If one believes that sin and death entered through the first man, then it is not possible to also believe that many years of death led up to the development of man (as held by the general theory of evolution ).

The comment, verbatim:“And maybe God would not appreciate us focusing in on the Bible so exclusively that we discount logical conclusions about the world around us.”

My response:
God gave us brains, and there is nothing in the Bible that indicates we should not use them. The Bible does state we should seek wisdom, but that we have to be careful and not depend entirely on our own understanding. The Bible makes it clear that observation of nature should point to God as its creator, and that people that deny existence of God are not demonstrating wisdom. Here are the references related to these beliefs:

We should seek wisdom: Proverbs 3
We should not depend entirely on our own understanding: Proverbs 3:5
Observation of nature reveals God: Romans 1:18-20, Job 12:7-10
To deny existence of God is not wise: Psalm 14:1

The photo is of an interesting combination of footprints. From my very brief research it appears legitimate, but I want to dig into (pun intended) these types of findings more before finalizing any conclusions.

Controversial Conundrum

I don't usually use big words like "conundrum" but I thought it was appropriate for this post dealing with the situation where people find themselves with "an intricate and difficult problem."

The difficult and intricate problem I am speaking of is encountered when people who are Christians state that they believe in the general theory of evolution as the basis for the origin and development of life. The reason often stated for this belief is “because it is based on valid science.” Before going further, I must admit that I did not see a problem with God using evolution to create life, until I gave it some critical thought.

Before explaining why I believe this is a conundrum, I should explain what is meant by the phrase “general theory of evolution.”

The general theory of evolution holds that our earth and all life on it was created by gradual changes, beginning with non-living matter and leading to the diverse system of life that we see on earth today. The transformation of non-living matter to living organisms and the subsequent gradual changes were driven by a combination of random, undirected activity, mutations and natural selection. This theory holds that there is no evidence that a creator (intelligent life form) directed the origin and development of life on earth.

Why do I believe this is a conundrum? There are two primary reasons.

First, if one is a Christian, then they believe in the God described in the Holy Bible, and that the Holy Bible is divinely inspired-that everything in the Holy Bible is true. Christians must believe that God created earth, plants, animals, and people because it is clearly stated in the Holy Bible.

Valid science involves using the scientific process. The scientific process in its purest form eliminates subjectivity. It uses objective data to prove or disprove the validity of a concept (hypothesis). Valid science reveals truth. Any scientific theory that does not reveal truth is flawed, it is not valid science.

So, if one believes that God (a creator, an intelligent life form) created the earth and all living things, that means they consider it to be a truth. The general theory of evolution does not indicate creation of life by a creator. Since this theory clearly does not indicate what Christians hold to be true, can a Christian consider the general theory of evolution to be true, or consider it to be based on valid science?

Second, according to the Holy Bible, death was introduced by sin. Therefore before sin was committed on earth, there was no death on earth. Adam and Eve committed the first sin at some point after their creation, and therefore after the creation of all living things on earth. The general theory of evolution depends on natural selection. Natural selection is the survival of the fittest, and the death of the least fit. Death had to occur for many years prior to the first sin being committed on earth for the general theory of evolution to be true. Can a Christian believe that the general theory of evolution is true when it contradicts what the Holy Bible states concerning the original sin, and the relationship between sin and death?

Sowing, Destiny

Here some quick food for thought. I don't believe in the "Power of Positive Thinking" in that my positive thoughts have some form of power to transform the physical world around me. I have had people respond to one of my pessimistic comments say something to the effect of "words are powerful, by saying something (negative) you may make it happen." Well, that is not exactly true, but thoughts and words are powerful in that they affect people. For example, I can sit in my office thinking that my client will give me a cherry project in Australia and it won't increase the chances of that happening. But, if thoughts of working in Australia are on my mind, and while having conversations with my client I bring up my interest in it, that will increase the chances of it happening-provided the client has such an opportunity available.

I think this quote from today's commentary from Greg Laurie accurately sums it up:
"Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."

So, I must be careful with which thoughts I sow because it does, through a long chain of events, have the potential to shape my destiny.