Pondering

Of course as a hard-core Pinkie and the Brain aficionado, the title of this post immediately evoked the image I added.  However, this post is intended to be a tad more serious then perhaps the image suggests.

Over the last year we have dealt with a lot of "circumstances" in our lives.   I know that these experiences has had a profound impact on who we are.  This is one of those posts where I will meander through my memories and do what I can to chronicle things without making any real effort to explain, analyze or bring closure.  I hope that you, the casual reader, will indulge me for a bit....

My oldest daughter got married last year in October.  While she wasn't the first wedding among our kids, it was the first time I walked down the aisle with one of them.   It was a stark reminder to me that the my relationship with my children has changed over the years.  I went from a dad to a "distant dad" to the father of the bride to grandpa.  The marriage of my daughter Sarah this month (to an amazing young man named Dale) underscored that this is the next season in fatherhood.  My family is growing and becoming more complex. I am watching my children move on and develop their own families.  This is a bittersweet experience, to be sure.  [The specter of my own mortality first appeared when I was diagnosed with cancer for my 48th birthday]

Last fall I finally confronted my addiction and struggled to deal with the impact to my marriage and my relationships.  I have spent time in Celebrate Recovery and am currently part of a very strong accountability group.  After 35 years on the roller-coaster, it is time to get out of the park.

This spring we decided to sell our house and move.   This was not a trivial decision as that house was the one that was our first real home.  Noah was born there, we worked through most of the blended family issues and melded 10 dysfunctional human beings into a relationship that will last.  We developed friendships in that house that have blessed us beyond belief.  We spent immeasurable hours (days, weeks, months...) modifying, customizing, decorating and landscaping.  Now we get to start over - start over with neighbors, start over with decorating and start over with landscaping.

It is easy to get lost in all of the "stuff" and lose sight of our purpose.  It is easy to get distracted and forget who is in charge.  It is easy to get discouraged and forget that this is just "schooling" to prepare us for eternity.  It is easy to lose sight of the blessings that have been in all of the circumstances of the last year.

Today is a day of reflections and gratitude.  Blessings on your day.

Stoopid Computer!

Over the years I have collected quotes from various movies.  Most of the movies are goofy or cheesy Sci-Fi.  One of my favorites came up recently when someone complained about their computer.

Can you name this movie?

It's a machine. It doesn't get mad, it doesn't get happy, it doesn't get sad, it doesn't laugh at your jokes......IT JUST RUNS PROGRAMS!

VOTD

 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

~ Proverbs 4:23, NLT

That's Cheating

Whether it is dieting, driving, doing our taxes, playing games or being in a relationship America is in an epidemic.  Finding someone who has never cheated in any way is, for all practical purposes, impossible in this country.  Is it any wonder that we - like Israel of old - cheat on God?

We are a people of divided loyalties.  We worship at the alter of Hollywood, Madison Avenue and the local Auto Mall.  We put the observance of the high holy days of "Superbowl-Sunday", "Opening Day" and "my kid's soccer game" ahead of Sunday worship.  We take our first fruits and invest in Coach, Nike and the house of Nordstrom rather than give to the church.  We compromise our politics, our principles and our morals on a daily basis.

We ignore sound doctrine and theology to chase after the lure of the Prosperity Preachers, the Feel-Good Crowd and the teachers who tell us we don't ever have to feel guilt, shame or accountability.

The time is coming when we will be called upon to choose.  Will we follow our Lord no matter what the cost or will we follow the crowd of comfort seekers and cheaters that seem to populate most of our world?

Ladies and Gentlemen

I present to you: 

Mr. and Mrs. Dale Wooten

I Cried

I cried walking her down the aisle.  She was so very beautiful.

Pretty Maids, All In A Row

Are you ladies ready?

(Heather, Rachael, Hannah, Sarah, Hanna)

How Do I Look?

Let's get these pictures over with before the guests arrive....

Getting Ready

It is almost time

QOTD

The "quote-of-the-day" was one of my all time favorites this morning.  I am a huge fan of Lewis Carroll (did you know he was a minister and a renowned mathematician who specialized in logic puzzles?).

It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward.

Painted

They finished the exterior painting on the house.  Yesterday they installed the cabinets and the baseboards (in the rooms that have carpet).   The tile is in the downstairs bathroom.   Next week they will be starting to lay the floor tiles.   It is amazing how fast they go.  We went from framed & wrapped to cabinets in a month.

A Time for Reflection

Friday afternoon we head down to Dos Palos.  The 3rd of our girls is getting married.  Sarah and Dale actually live in Fresno but his family is from the Los Banos area.  The wedding will center around Dale's family home.  Friday night we are staying with Andy and Rachael.

Weddings are always bitter-sweet for dad's - especially the weddings of their girls.  It is a time when we formally let go of them and bless their binding to another.  I am sure the weekend will be an emotional one for all of us.  I will see if I can post a few pictures when I get back.

blessings on your day

Delaware Election

It is pretty rare for me to mention politics IRL let alone on this blog.  The recent comments by the GOP, however, are simply crying out for a response.   Oddly enough, only a few days again, the GOP was crowing over the opportunity to retake control of the senate - largely due to Tea Party upsets.  Some within the GOP apparently thought that the Tea Party victories were some sort of  mandate and endorsement of the Republican party.

They just don't get it.   Much of America - the heart and soul of this country, the middle class, conservative majority - are fed up with politics and politicians.  The fact that many of the Tea Party candidates are labeled as Republicans is incidental to the movement.  Once we gain enough support, I am quite sure that the Tea Party will split entirely from the GOP.  When we do, it will shatter the current political landscape.  I am sure that the result will be a divided 3-party system that will - in the short term - see the Democrats on top.  They will rejoice, throw parties and declare loudly that they have the "mandate."  2-3 elections later when the defectors from both the original parties flock to the Tea Party is when you will finally start to see some real politcal reform.

Wake and smell the coffee  tea!

VOTD, 09/14/2010

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?...

~ Isaiah 43:19, NLT

That's One Down

Well this morning, I put my head down and pounded on the keyboard - fighting with the system until finally I won the battle.  I have been trying to migrate (and upgrade) one of our systems for over a week now.  After several false starts and a long conversation with the tech support guy, it looks like the migration worked.   I turned over the development system to my team mate who can now go forward with his testing.

Not a huge victory perhaps, but still one to celebrate.  It hasn't been often of late that I even get the opportunity to take on a system without ending up compromising the solution in the name of expediency.  It felt good to be able to tell my boss that the issue was resolved and closed out.   Of course his response was "so you are ready for the next project?" which wasn't the one I was looking for but it works :)

Looks Like a House

It is starting to look like an actual house.  The stucco is done and the outside trim is in place.  You can see where the tile goes around the front entry.  They poured the exterior concrete today and are supposed to put the stair rails in today as well.   Pretty soon we will need to get a construction key to get in.  Next week they paint the inside and deliver the cabinets.

VOTD

"Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."

Psalm 19:13, NLT

Do You Burn?

I am not going to post a link to the news stories (feel free to Google it) of the church in Gainesville that is hosting a book burning simply because every news wire on the net is running the story.  I will try hard not to blast the pastor and the congregation.  What I do want to say is that this is a bad idea on too many levels to even list.  So rather than try to touch on all aspects, let me focus on the one that counts.

Does the Qur'an contain the Word of God?  Not as far as I am concerned.  Is the book particularly holy?  Not to me.  Have some Muslims been guilty of terrorist attacks against my country?  Absolutely!

Does the Word of God support this type of a response?  On occasion it does.  Always in the Old Testament, always at the direct command of God, always for a specific situation and always as a means of purifying the Land.  Regardless of the televangelists claims to the contrary, America is NOT God's Promised Land.  We have not been commanded to tear out root and stalk everything that is incompatible with that.  We are not in a holy war against Islam (or Muslims).

In fact, the Word commands us to leave judgment, vengeance and justice to the Almighty God.  We are commanded to love our enemies and pray for those that abuse us.  We are told to turn the other cheek and to reach out in love and compassion.

Please explain to me Reverend Jones, how this shows the love of Jesus to a lost and hurting generation?

Can't Buy Me Love

We are all (well anyone over 35 at least) are familiar with the Beatles tune in the title of this post.  And for many years we have been told that money can't buy happiness either (although counterfeits of both are available on the street corner or through mail order).

Now, according to researchers at Princeton, you can, in fact, buy happiness.  And in case you were wondering, it costs about $75,000 a year.  While I don't dispute the findings of the research team, I am greatly discouraged and saddened by this.  Ultimately, this is an indictment of our society in general and the advertising industry specifically.  I recognize that there are basic needs that people have that can be best met with money. At the same time it drives home the point that we find our security in the balance in our bank account, the size of our house and the type of car we drive.

Even in the Christian community, I see more and more people who are reckless with their money and are constantly battling insolvency.  Yes, I readily agree that God sends trials our way - especially when it comes to how we handle our money (or allow it to handle US).  I agree that we are not to be hoarders and misers.  The Word is very clear, however, in the instructions to be careful and wise stewards of the resources God provides us. 

God has "instructed" Emma and I more than once on the value of finding security in money as well as provided a number of lessons on wise spending.  I find it prudent to take these lessons to heart and practice them diligently.  While God certainly encourages us to enjoy the blessings He pours out on us, He also wants the focus to be on the Giver and not on the gifts.

blessings on your day

Prayer Request

Today a little 2 year old girl wandered away from her house, went through an open gate and fell into a pool.  She was found later and pronounced dead at Sutter Roseville Hospital.  Emma sat with the family as they dealt with the whole attempt at resuscitation and the failure to revive her.  The story is HERE.

Please pray for the family as well as Emma.  Apparently the grandmother is also a nurse at the hospital.  This is a stark reminder that the lives of our children are on God's Hands.  No matter how good we are as parents and how vigilant we are, sometimes accidents happen.

Pray for your children

Design It!

We spent 3 hours at the design studio last night. We picked tile, laminate, carpet (2 kinds), counter tile, back-splashes and liners.  Every room will have a slightly different feel.  We worked hard to keep from a generic feel to the house.  A lot of people just choose an option package from a list.  We wanted things that made a statement and expressed our personality (while still staying neutral and flexible).

This should about conclude the modifications to the house (at least the ones that roll into the mortgage).  Next up - pendant lights, ceiling fans and window treatments.  Oh and we still have to hand-select our granite for the kitchen counters.

Couture Cakes

Check out my step-daughters website. She has started baking cakes :)

http://couturecakes.shutterfly.com/