Musings in late September

Life is grand!  So many opportunities to learn and grow keep coming my way.  I find myself having to remember something important... there are way too many people my age (and younger) that are done too soon.  I remember a song by Neil Diamond called just that "Done too Soon".  It was on the B side of a single - oddly enough I don't remember the single - and in the song he names all kinds of people who passed away before their time.  The song ended:
    And each one of them
    has one thing shared

    Have sweated beneath the same Sun
    And looked up in wonder at the same moon
    And wept when it was all done
    For being done too soon. 

So here is celebrating (quietly and in a dignified manner) the joy and wonder of being alive.  The world is:
in the words of A. J. Rimmer (fusspot to the world)
   "A place of wonder, amazement and... wonder."
Salut!

Trips in Genesis

This evening I will begin teaching through the book of Genesis to our home fellowship group.  Tonight we will be talking about what was there before the first verse: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Our current society is built upon the premise that science has the answer to every question.  Given enough time and chance to experiment the answer will be able to be displayed.  But even science has some basic pre-suppositions:
     1.  Everything that exists can be proven.  If it cannot be proven then it does not exist.
     2.  We can measure everything and repeat the measurement again.
The current view of our world is that we are the result of 'billions and billions' of years of time and during this interval of time amazing things have happened.  These amazing things have happened by the laws of physics and science and are not the result of any intelligent being called God.

It is this belief is now beginning to bear fruit among the young people of our country:  There is nothing to believe in.  No great cause for which to sacrifice.  The only reality is the relatively short 70 or 80 years of life and so the best thing to do is to experience as much of life as possible.  Don't worry if that experience ultimately leads to your death as you are going to die anyway. "Better to burn out than fade away" was in the suicide note of Kurt Cobain summing up all that is left for our younger generation.  Taste it, try it, explore it... this is the new mantra.

As always, the old generation doesn't get the new one.  What man learns from history is that man learns nothing from history.  Easy to get pessimistic.  But we will see where this series of lessons will go.

A Tenth Anniversary survived

As anyone with access to the T.V. internet or any other kind of media knows we just passed the 10th Anniversary of a terrible day for anyone in the Fire/Police community.  I had the very distinct priviledge of being the person who was designated to preach at our church on that day.  I asked all the men/women in our church who are LEOFF (Law Enforcement Officers/Fire Fighters) and there are easily a dozen and a half from all over the area, to wear their uniforms or Class A uniforms in a show of respect for those who died that day.  Not everyone could do it.  Some felt it would draw undue attention on themselves and so chose to dress normally.  I completely understand.  What really surprised me (and it shouldn't have) was that the police officers who came to church in uniform were armed!  Of course they were!  Once you put on the uniform you identify yourself as a target.  No officer I know would like to announce that to the world without the ability to defend themselves.  It is a lot easier for we firefighters.  People like us.

If you would like to listen to the 'sermon' you may do so at the website of the church.  Just go to cedarhome.org and look for the title "Don't Let Your Heart Be Troubled: You Mean I've Got a Choice?" in the appropriate section.  Let me know what you think.

A Quick Trip

Whew!  I took a quick trip back to the State of Minnesota (where I grew up) for the wedding of my niece.  Flew there on a Friday and back home on Tuesday.  Had a great time though, got to see my three grandsons again, saw three of my five children, saw my parents, saw my second sister and her husband and 2 of their 3 kids, saw some friends from growing up years, saw some fireworks from the Grandstand show at the Minnesota State Fair (not from the fairgrounds but from a house nearby), saw some food I had never seen or tasted before - we went to a Nepal/Tibetan restaurant (it was good!).  I saw way too much of the middle seat of two airliners... why is it that if you pay for a seat some (PC here) 'overlarge' person gets to take 15 - 25 % of your seat too?  I hate the "Tyranasaurus Rex" postition (where your arms are attached to your rib cage) just because somebody is too big for the seat they paid for and have to spill over into mine).  Oh well... it was a great time.  Looks like it might be next summer before I do it again... I hope.