With that said, I believe I am not alone when I wonder aloud what it would be like to enter a time machine and go back to the key times of life with the knowledge and wisdom I now (presumably) possess. The idea of rethinking or changing decisions regarding education, career, interpersonal relationships, etc. fascinates me. But, of course, "you can't turn back the clock", "hind sight's 20/20", yadda-yadda and blah-blah. I know the score, but I still cannot help but speculate during reflective times.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Reflections
I must preface these thoughts with the affirmation that I believe in a personal God who knows my paths and directs them. I might not completely understand now but I am where God wants me to be at this point in my life and it was His will for me to experience everything and everybody that has brought me to where I am today.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
History of the Tymetravelers
The Tymetravelers was a group of guys who enjoyed getting together, making music and having a good time for a nine-year period from 1998 to 2007. (I wanted to document the band's existence from my vantage point while I still had some memory left.) Four guys started getting together and jamming in 1998. They were Richard Johnson on guitar, Lem Yow on bass, Ron Grubb on the mandolin and Bob Burkhead manning the bongos. Richard was sort of the unofficial leader and would often say the band played an eclectic mix of acoustic songs both old and new...some country, folk, soft rock....a little bit of everything.
One day in 1999 I was invited to sit in with the guys. Not having any of my instruments with me, Rich handed me his 12-string Ovation acoustic guitar and I tuned up and joined in. We knew we weren't headed for fame and fortune necessarily, but we sure had a lot of fun and we saw right from the start that a lot of good harmony singing was going to be a major part of our "sound". I don't know how many gigs, if any, these guys had played before I joined, but before I had a chance to settle in and get comfortable, Richard announced one day we would be playing at "Southern Randolph Country Days" (a local annual street festival) in Seagrove, NC in September of that year. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Playing in public was not exactly my idea of "having fun" and my only previous experience with "performing" was singing in church choirs and playing with a gospel group in small area churches and rest homes. We began practicing once or twice a week in earnest to prepare for the event. We would meet in an unoccupied house next to Richard's house which belonged to his wife. This house would become our "studio" for the next eight years. I believe it was around this time the group came up with the name"Tymetravelers". We all had an interest in science fiction in general and time travel in particular and we were fans of the Byrds and even performed some of their music, thus the "Y" in the name. One thing unique about us was the fact we used sheet music and did not memorize our songs. We were not your typical musical group or band, that was for sure. Anyway, the five-member Tymetravelers debuted that September in Seagrove with about an hour set and it seemed to go quite well.
Someone must have thought we weren't too bad as we started getting requests to perform at private parties, wedding receptions, other outdoor festivals and the like. Maybe I was being overly modest, but I thought we were more a novelty than anything else, considering there were plenty of bands around that were much better than we were. We actually got paid money at some of the gigs....others were a "trade off" in one way or another....and others were just freebies for friends. One interesting gig was a private party where a retired local radio personality actually "emceed" our performance in a two room club house. That was a strange evening indeed as one of our troupe was being pursued all night long by an inebriated, elderly lady. That was quite hilarious. During this period I traded Rich's Ovation for my 5-string banjo which gave us an even more unique sound (as the years went by I would trade off and play both my banjo and Martin 6-string guitar, depending on the song). It was also around the year 2000 we began a semi-regular stint at Bailey's Coffee and News....a coffee house in downtown Asheboro. There was a lot of good local acoustic music talent that took turns playing Saturday nights at Bailey's. The Tymetravelers worked their way into the rotation and called Bailey's home for the next few years.
As in most cases, the fun did not last long as problems began to creep into our little musical world. I don't want to go into too much detail here as personal problems and interpersonal relationships played a large part in the break up of the original five-member Tymetravelers. Some people had a problem with making it to gigs on time. Substance abuse and lack of serious interest in the music led to the formation of a new Tymetravelers in early 2001. The trio of Rich, Lem and Tim mostly jammed in the studio and played the occasional Saturday night at Bailey's. That is, until September 11, 2001. The attacks on our country that year had a profound effect on us and some members did not feel like making music for a few
months. Once we got back into the studio, the next couple of years was a "golden" period of growing as we expanded our repertoire, and improved our harmonies.
The year 2003 brought more change as the band lost Bailey's Coffee and News as a venue when the coffee shop was forced out of business by their landlord. That was about the only public performing we were involved in at the time, if I remember correctly. The studio jamming continued. Then in late 2003 or early 2004 enter John Ferree. John (a former radio DJ like myself) was a solo act who was a prolific song writer and was already a friend of Richard's. He began sitting in with us and brought with him a new excitement for music with his songs. With the addition of John we went almost immediately from being a cover band to playing mostly original material. John also had the drive and ambition that the rest of us apparently did not. After six months of practice and hard work John had us headlining a concert at the Sunset Theatre under the name "Purgatory Mountain". The first half of the evening featured local singer-songwriters and the second half was John, Rich, Lem and Tim as Purgatory Mountain performing original songs written by all four members (but mostly John). I look back at that evening as a musical "high point" for the Tymetravelers and me personally.
Shortly thereafter, all three original Tymetravelers voiced to each other a concern that we had become John's "back up band" and wanted to return to the way things were before, with the three-part harmony and no immediate pressure to prepare for public performances. John was (is) a wonderful songwriter, but most of his songs tended to be about motorcycles and the road, which eventually wore on the rest of us. The relationship with John just kind of fizzled and the Tymetravelers returned to their studio jamming and, in retrospect, that was probably the beginning of the end. Except for the occasional private party gig, there was nothing or no one to push us to do more.
Rich had always been involved with other musical endeavors through the years and he began adding on more at this time even though he claimed Tymetravelers' music was most important to him. There also had always been friction between Rich and his wife about the use of her house as the studio through the years. As the year 2006 dawned, Rich began spending more time with a new endeavor known as the "Goodtimers" and less with the Tymetravelers. For one year, Rich convinced Lem and me to join the Goodtimers (an eight-member group when you included Lem and myself) and he promised we would continue the Tymetravelers as well. That was ok for what it was, but Lem and I missed the old times and camaraderie of the Tymetravelers. One quick side note: There was a Tymetravelers reunion of sorts in June 2006 when our old friend Bob Burkhead joined us onstage at an outdoor event which also saw the first and last time I ever played my Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar in public. After the Christmas 2006 concert of the Goodtimers, Lem and I said our goodbyes to that group. The Tymetravelers struggled along until we performed our final paying gig at a wedding reception in June 2007. There have been a few musical "get-togethers" of the original three since then, but they have been few and far between.
I now spend my musical days playing bass guitar and singing harmony in the praise and worship band at my church. Richard still has his many music projects including the Goodtimers and a duet he's had many years with Norman Grey and I even hear he still plays with John Ferree occasionally. I don't think Lem is doing much musically these days although he did have a short stint in a southern rock band a couple of years ago. We talk about getting together and jamming in some form or another, but nothing is happening. When I want to relive old memories, I have cassettes, CDS, VHS tapes and DVDS to enjoy. Whether we ever make music together again or not, I will always look back at the Tymetravelers with great fondness.
Good tymes indeed.
PS: This is only a brief overview of the Tymetravelers' story. Many episodes and details have been excluded. There were the parties at Scott and Corie's, John's homemade Mexican food, the all-night star gazing sessions, the unfinished Purgatory Mountain CD, the Tymetraveler Studio South in Candor, NC and, of course, the many personal stories which probably cannot be told without retaining a staff of high-powered lawyers! Maybe I will write a book someday.
One day in 1999 I was invited to sit in with the guys. Not having any of my instruments with me, Rich handed me his 12-string Ovation acoustic guitar and I tuned up and joined in. We knew we weren't headed for fame and fortune necessarily, but we sure had a lot of fun and we saw right from the start that a lot of good harmony singing was going to be a major part of our "sound". I don't know how many gigs, if any, these guys had played before I joined, but before I had a chance to settle in and get comfortable, Richard announced one day we would be playing at "Southern Randolph Country Days" (a local annual street festival) in Seagrove, NC in September of that year. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Playing in public was not exactly my idea of "having fun" and my only previous experience with "performing" was singing in church choirs and playing with a gospel group in small area churches and rest homes. We began practicing once or twice a week in earnest to prepare for the event. We would meet in an unoccupied house next to Richard's house which belonged to his wife. This house would become our "studio" for the next eight years. I believe it was around this time the group came up with the name"Tymetravelers". We all had an interest in science fiction in general and time travel in particular and we were fans of the Byrds and even performed some of their music, thus the "Y" in the name. One thing unique about us was the fact we used sheet music and did not memorize our songs. We were not your typical musical group or band, that was for sure. Anyway, the five-member Tymetravelers debuted that September in Seagrove with about an hour set and it seemed to go quite well.
Someone must have thought we weren't too bad as we started getting requests to perform at private parties, wedding receptions, other outdoor festivals and the like. Maybe I was being overly modest, but I thought we were more a novelty than anything else, considering there were plenty of bands around that were much better than we were. We actually got paid money at some of the gigs....others were a "trade off" in one way or another....and others were just freebies for friends. One interesting gig was a private party where a retired local radio personality actually "emceed" our performance in a two room club house. That was a strange evening indeed as one of our troupe was being pursued all night long by an inebriated, elderly lady. That was quite hilarious. During this period I traded Rich's Ovation for my 5-string banjo which gave us an even more unique sound (as the years went by I would trade off and play both my banjo and Martin 6-string guitar, depending on the song). It was also around the year 2000 we began a semi-regular stint at Bailey's Coffee and News....a coffee house in downtown Asheboro. There was a lot of good local acoustic music talent that took turns playing Saturday nights at Bailey's. The Tymetravelers worked their way into the rotation and called Bailey's home for the next few years.
As in most cases, the fun did not last long as problems began to creep into our little musical world. I don't want to go into too much detail here as personal problems and interpersonal relationships played a large part in the break up of the original five-member Tymetravelers. Some people had a problem with making it to gigs on time. Substance abuse and lack of serious interest in the music led to the formation of a new Tymetravelers in early 2001. The trio of Rich, Lem and Tim mostly jammed in the studio and played the occasional Saturday night at Bailey's. That is, until September 11, 2001. The attacks on our country that year had a profound effect on us and some members did not feel like making music for a few
months. Once we got back into the studio, the next couple of years was a "golden" period of growing as we expanded our repertoire, and improved our harmonies.
The year 2003 brought more change as the band lost Bailey's Coffee and News as a venue when the coffee shop was forced out of business by their landlord. That was about the only public performing we were involved in at the time, if I remember correctly. The studio jamming continued. Then in late 2003 or early 2004 enter John Ferree. John (a former radio DJ like myself) was a solo act who was a prolific song writer and was already a friend of Richard's. He began sitting in with us and brought with him a new excitement for music with his songs. With the addition of John we went almost immediately from being a cover band to playing mostly original material. John also had the drive and ambition that the rest of us apparently did not. After six months of practice and hard work John had us headlining a concert at the Sunset Theatre under the name "Purgatory Mountain". The first half of the evening featured local singer-songwriters and the second half was John, Rich, Lem and Tim as Purgatory Mountain performing original songs written by all four members (but mostly John). I look back at that evening as a musical "high point" for the Tymetravelers and me personally.
Shortly thereafter, all three original Tymetravelers voiced to each other a concern that we had become John's "back up band" and wanted to return to the way things were before, with the three-part harmony and no immediate pressure to prepare for public performances. John was (is) a wonderful songwriter, but most of his songs tended to be about motorcycles and the road, which eventually wore on the rest of us. The relationship with John just kind of fizzled and the Tymetravelers returned to their studio jamming and, in retrospect, that was probably the beginning of the end. Except for the occasional private party gig, there was nothing or no one to push us to do more.
Rich had always been involved with other musical endeavors through the years and he began adding on more at this time even though he claimed Tymetravelers' music was most important to him. There also had always been friction between Rich and his wife about the use of her house as the studio through the years. As the year 2006 dawned, Rich began spending more time with a new endeavor known as the "Goodtimers" and less with the Tymetravelers. For one year, Rich convinced Lem and me to join the Goodtimers (an eight-member group when you included Lem and myself) and he promised we would continue the Tymetravelers as well. That was ok for what it was, but Lem and I missed the old times and camaraderie of the Tymetravelers. One quick side note: There was a Tymetravelers reunion of sorts in June 2006 when our old friend Bob Burkhead joined us onstage at an outdoor event which also saw the first and last time I ever played my Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar in public. After the Christmas 2006 concert of the Goodtimers, Lem and I said our goodbyes to that group. The Tymetravelers struggled along until we performed our final paying gig at a wedding reception in June 2007. There have been a few musical "get-togethers" of the original three since then, but they have been few and far between.
I now spend my musical days playing bass guitar and singing harmony in the praise and worship band at my church. Richard still has his many music projects including the Goodtimers and a duet he's had many years with Norman Grey and I even hear he still plays with John Ferree occasionally. I don't think Lem is doing much musically these days although he did have a short stint in a southern rock band a couple of years ago. We talk about getting together and jamming in some form or another, but nothing is happening. When I want to relive old memories, I have cassettes, CDS, VHS tapes and DVDS to enjoy. Whether we ever make music together again or not, I will always look back at the Tymetravelers with great fondness.
Good tymes indeed.
PS: This is only a brief overview of the Tymetravelers' story. Many episodes and details have been excluded. There were the parties at Scott and Corie's, John's homemade Mexican food, the all-night star gazing sessions, the unfinished Purgatory Mountain CD, the Tymetraveler Studio South in Candor, NC and, of course, the many personal stories which probably cannot be told without retaining a staff of high-powered lawyers! Maybe I will write a book someday.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Real Cuban Hero
Read about the cuban journalist who has been persecuted by the Castro regime:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/11/07/cuba.blogger.detained/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
Despite what the liberal, Hollywood pinheads (ie: Sean Penn) would have you believe, Fidel Castro is no hero or anyone who should be "looked up to".
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/11/07/cuba.blogger.detained/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
Despite what the liberal, Hollywood pinheads (ie: Sean Penn) would have you believe, Fidel Castro is no hero or anyone who should be "looked up to".
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Good Times
Had a wonderful trip to the coast this past weekend. Attended Riverfest in Wilmington on Saturday...great cannon fire exchange between a pirate ship and a group across the Cape Fear river. Saw the best fireworks show I've ever seen that night. Tasted great seafood and walked in the surf at Fort Fisher. It was a great extended weekend all the way around. I don't know if it will ever come about, but I would really like to live there!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Another Thought on Reading
More from Modern Reformation magazine:
Recently, a young girl on National Public Radio was asked at a "Read to Grow" rally why she loved reading books even over the summer break. The interviewer asked, "What would you tell someone who says it's boring and they just can't get into reading?" She replied, "You've just got to start. The more you read, the more you want to keep on doing it. Then it becomes a habit and it's what you want to do whenever you can."
Recently, a young girl on National Public Radio was asked at a "Read to Grow" rally why she loved reading books even over the summer break. The interviewer asked, "What would you tell someone who says it's boring and they just can't get into reading?" She replied, "You've just got to start. The more you read, the more you want to keep on doing it. Then it becomes a habit and it's what you want to do whenever you can."
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Famine in the Land
A trend I see in our society is very disturbing to me. Actually it's been happening during my entire lifetime, thus it is a trend that will probably not be reversed. It is the direction the civilization is going. I am speaking of the "dumbing down" of the masses. People are reading less and less. The electronic media has unfortunately played a major role in this situation. It grieves me that none of my three adult children are "readers", whereas I most definitely am.
I would like to share an excerpt from an article entitled, "Why Johnny Can't Preach" by T. David Gordon from the September/October issue of Modern Reformation magazine:
I would like to share an excerpt from an article entitled, "Why Johnny Can't Preach" by T. David Gordon from the September/October issue of Modern Reformation magazine:
"Poetry [also] trains the sensibility of the significant.
When not addled by narcissism or narcotics, poets
do not write about the trivial. Poets do not write
about hula-hoops or 'The Biggest Loser'. Why expend
the laborious effort at craftsmanship that poetry
requires merely to observe what is trite?
Television, by contrast, is essentially trivial.
It either has triviality as its overt content or,
on the rare occasion it attempts to address
what is consequential, it does so in a trivial
manner. Imagine, for instance, 'The News Hour'
on PBS doing a ten-minute television spot
and calling it 'in-depth coverage.' Most of
us know perfectly well that a significant
matter of public policy can hardly be defined
or introduced in ten minutes. Only by
television's preposterously silly habit
of 'covering' news items in fifteen or
twenty seconds can a ten-minute discussion be
considered 'in-depth.'
People who watch large amounts of television,
therefore, tend to become tone-deaf toward
significance. They rarely see it and therefore
do not notice it when it does appear".
When not addled by narcissism or narcotics, poets
do not write about the trivial. Poets do not write
about hula-hoops or 'The Biggest Loser'. Why expend
the laborious effort at craftsmanship that poetry
requires merely to observe what is trite?
Television, by contrast, is essentially trivial.
It either has triviality as its overt content or,
on the rare occasion it attempts to address
what is consequential, it does so in a trivial
manner. Imagine, for instance, 'The News Hour'
on PBS doing a ten-minute television spot
and calling it 'in-depth coverage.' Most of
us know perfectly well that a significant
matter of public policy can hardly be defined
or introduced in ten minutes. Only by
television's preposterously silly habit
of 'covering' news items in fifteen or
twenty seconds can a ten-minute discussion be
considered 'in-depth.'
People who watch large amounts of television,
therefore, tend to become tone-deaf toward
significance. They rarely see it and therefore
do not notice it when it does appear".
I pray that, as my generation slowly leaves this planet, God will raise up a new generation of true "readers."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Conspiracy?
I know I'm stretching for this one, but hear me out.
I really do not have as much interest in the "entertainment industry" as I once did, but this recent "event" caught my attention. Anyone who is familiar with Kanye West is aware of his history of outbursts and ridiculous behavior. Think through this with me. He shows his ass at the MTV awards show Sunday night and it so happens he is scheduled to appear on the debut of Jay Leno's new prime time show on NBC the following night. It is EXTREMELY important to NBC that Mr. Leno's new nightly program be successful. Is it totally out of the realm of possibility that NBC would hire West to pull this stunt intentionally, knowing this would cause more viewers to tune in Jay's show on Monday?
Just wondering.
I really do not have as much interest in the "entertainment industry" as I once did, but this recent "event" caught my attention. Anyone who is familiar with Kanye West is aware of his history of outbursts and ridiculous behavior. Think through this with me. He shows his ass at the MTV awards show Sunday night and it so happens he is scheduled to appear on the debut of Jay Leno's new prime time show on NBC the following night. It is EXTREMELY important to NBC that Mr. Leno's new nightly program be successful. Is it totally out of the realm of possibility that NBC would hire West to pull this stunt intentionally, knowing this would cause more viewers to tune in Jay's show on Monday?
Just wondering.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A Somber Day
Today, September 13, 2009 would have been my mom and dad's 62nd wedding anniversary, but we lost mom to cancer in 2005. I talked to my dad today. He is so lonely. We all miss my mom very much.
I Do Not Understand
I earlier today received the devastating news that a dear friend of mine has contracted a terminal disease. Her name is Cindy. I had not communicated with her for five months and she moved from this town four years ago, but that does not lessen the shock. It is a lung condition that may have been triggered by a bout with pneumonia. She does not even smoke! She tells me she has been given 6 months to a year. This brings up the age-old question....why do bad things happen to good people? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but the Bible says the rain falls on both the just and the unjust. From our finite point of view as human beings on this planet we cannot see the big picture that God does, but one day I believe we will know as we are known. For now I am praying God will spare Cindy. She told me she is not planning on becoming a statistic and I stand with her on that. I ask anyone who reads this would stand with us and pray for a miracle for Cindy, my dear friend.
Ephiphany!
I finally get it! It just hit me!
Keith Olbermann is like a liberal version of Steven Colbert. He is actually a comedian spoofing a liberal news commentator. Right guys?.....guys?......guys?
Oh crap. He really is serious...isn't he?
Keith Olbermann is like a liberal version of Steven Colbert. He is actually a comedian spoofing a liberal news commentator. Right guys?.....guys?......guys?
Oh crap. He really is serious...isn't he?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Thoughts on 09/09/09
The remastered cds of the Beatles catalog is being released today. Wish I had $250 of disposable income.
Just recently returned from my second trip in three weeks to Wilmington. I believe I really want to live the rest of my days in the coastal area, but getting there and generating income are the two big obstacles I face. It can be done, but some sacrifices may have to be made. It depends on how badly someone wants something, does it not? I believe I can trade red clay hills for sandy, flat land.
Just recently returned from my second trip in three weeks to Wilmington. I believe I really want to live the rest of my days in the coastal area, but getting there and generating income are the two big obstacles I face. It can be done, but some sacrifices may have to be made. It depends on how badly someone wants something, does it not? I believe I can trade red clay hills for sandy, flat land.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Most Powerful Woman in the World
The liberal media continues to amaze me. They continue to demean Sarah Palin and write her off as stupid and uninformed. So why don't they ignore her and just let it go? There she sits in her home in Alaska typing away on her little computer keyboard, making an entry on her Facebook page. Right or wrong she uses the term "death panels" and now for days afterward, the liberal pinheads keep repeating it and repeating it and repeating it. For some reason they are AFRAID of this woman. It's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The libs hate this woman so much. They don't want her in the White House. But keep on watching gang. They're gonna talk her right into the oval office one day! Go ahead liberal media. Keep Palin's name before the public. You will get what you don't want and it will be your own fault!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Disorder of the Mind
Over recent years I had come to suspect that liberalism/progressivism is a mental illness. After subjecting myself to several nights of watching "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", my suspicions are realized. Olbermann is the poster child for mental illness in America. He is so "cool" and "clever" as he accuses people he disagrees with as being name callers and such....then he turns around and commits the same act, such as charging people who oppose Obama's health care plan as being "on drugs". He is a hypocrite....nothing more than a self-righteous left-wing extremist hack. He is getting his butt kicked in the TV ratings, so he fights dirty. Shame on you Keith....how do you sleep? YOU are either very deluded or very evil....not the people you attack on your program. Just my humble opinion....I still have that right don't I? Dude....I never had anything against you....I even liked you when you were doing sports. But, you sir, are the one spouting hate speech and lies on a nightly basis. Shame on you.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
State of the World
The following is an excerpt from an article entitled "More than Meets the Mouth Or, the Meaning of Meals" by Kenneth A. Myers in the July/August 2009 edition of Modern Reformation magazine. I think it speaks well to the world today.
C. S. Lewis observed in an incredibly prescient book written in 1948 called THE ABOLITION OF MAN, "For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline and virtue." In other words, to be wise and to live a good life means to discern the ways of the world as Solomon did, to understand that there's an order in creation, and that I should fit my life into that order in some way; and we do that through knowledge, though an understanding of the world; we do it through self-discipline, where we constrain ourselves and contain our appetites and virtue, which is a development of entrenched habits of choosing to do the right thing. On the other hand, there is the modern view; he describes this as the view of applied science or technology and of magic. He relates our technical approach to the approach of magicians, where the problem for them is: "How do I subdue reality to the wishes of men?" The magician or the genie in the bottle comes in and remakes reality to fit our wishes. And modern technology is increasingly doing the same. We have our wishes; we want to reconstruct reality. We have certain desires; we want to reorder nature so that our desires can be fulfilled.
It seems we live in a world today where everything is relative. There appear to be no absolutes in this "alternate universe" we find ourselves in today. The world has gone insane and is turned upside down. But thank God the reality is that there are absolutes such as Biblical truth, no matter how much the world tries to ignore it or drown it out with their noise.
C. S. Lewis observed in an incredibly prescient book written in 1948 called THE ABOLITION OF MAN, "For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline and virtue." In other words, to be wise and to live a good life means to discern the ways of the world as Solomon did, to understand that there's an order in creation, and that I should fit my life into that order in some way; and we do that through knowledge, though an understanding of the world; we do it through self-discipline, where we constrain ourselves and contain our appetites and virtue, which is a development of entrenched habits of choosing to do the right thing. On the other hand, there is the modern view; he describes this as the view of applied science or technology and of magic. He relates our technical approach to the approach of magicians, where the problem for them is: "How do I subdue reality to the wishes of men?" The magician or the genie in the bottle comes in and remakes reality to fit our wishes. And modern technology is increasingly doing the same. We have our wishes; we want to reconstruct reality. We have certain desires; we want to reorder nature so that our desires can be fulfilled.
It seems we live in a world today where everything is relative. There appear to be no absolutes in this "alternate universe" we find ourselves in today. The world has gone insane and is turned upside down. But thank God the reality is that there are absolutes such as Biblical truth, no matter how much the world tries to ignore it or drown it out with their noise.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Recent happenings
I know I don't get around here often, but a lot has been happening the past few weeks. The wife entered the hospital on July 1 for back surgery....fusing of two vertebrae, cleaning out of arthritis and scar tissue.... we've actually been through these before, and we thought four days in the hospital and she would be home....sounds simple enough, but it did not work out that way. A few hours after the four-hour procedure it was discovered she had no feeling from the waist down. The surgeon made the call that it was a blood clot and he was going back in. That's right...two back surgeries in a 12-hour period. I knew this would not be good, considering my wife's pre-existing health problems. Well, the surgeon was correct...it was a blood clot, and he cleaned it out. Whew! We dodged a bullet....but the "fun" wasn't over yet. What might be expected in such situations occurred next. They were unable to maintain her oxygen level without placing her on a respirator which included her being sedated. And in that state she remained for almost two weeks. During that time acute, double pneumonia set in and those were dark days indeed. Looking back now I feel I can say it out loud....we almost lost her. I guess I will never know just how close. Without giving a blow-by-blow account and a lot of boring details, she did pull through and is now back home. She is getting around in a wheel chair and "normal" sensation is SLOWLY returning to her legs and feet. The doc says it could take 6 months to a year before things return to "normal" for her, but I have heard no promises of COMPLETE recovery. I am just grateful to God that she is alive at all. This experience has been eye-opening for all of us and I hope she can take something from this and learn from it. God has kept her on this earth for a reason...it was not her time.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wondering
So many different circumstances come into our lives every day. As my wife lies in a hospital on a respirator, I wonder, "what is next?" I know it is all in God's hands and He will see us through.....whatever the future may bring.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
On the road again?
I have been seriously considering pulling up stakes and relocating. I live in a great part of the world, but I constantly feel the call of the coast. I know I will never "retire" to a beach home, but the next, best thing would be get a job there. I am not getting any younger, so I need to act soon if it's gonna happen. I lived in a coastal area once, over twenty years ago, but that was in Virginia, and I was not totally happy with the situation. I am just a pilgrim passing through this world and do not need to own a house. That would probably be an impossibility anyway, considering I want to move to the Wilmington, NC area. A lot of things would have to come together for this to become reality.
First, I wanted to have other family in the area and not be "alone" considering my age. That hurdle has been crossed as my daughter-in-law is taking a new job at one of the hospitals in Wilmington. So, my son and his family will be moving there later this year.
Second, my wife would have to be willing to make the move.....she says she has no problem with it, as long as she does not have to do the packing. We'll see what we can do about that if the process ever gets that far. If everything else fell into place, I do not think this would be a problem.
Third, I need to find a buyer for my house and it really needs to be someone in the family. I live on "family land" (many of you know what this term means), and that's where this land needs to stay....in the family. This could probably be the toughest bridge to cross.
Fourth, I must find a job! My two careers have basically been auto parts retail/wholesale and radio broadcasting (strange combination, huh?). The economy is not good right now and may never recover. The times in which we live may dictate I stay put and live out my days right where I am....who knows?
I believe there will be no problem finding a good church in the area and that is of utmost importance to me.
This could all be a doddering old man's dream, but stranger things have happened in my life that I never thought would happen. Time will tell.
First, I wanted to have other family in the area and not be "alone" considering my age. That hurdle has been crossed as my daughter-in-law is taking a new job at one of the hospitals in Wilmington. So, my son and his family will be moving there later this year.
Second, my wife would have to be willing to make the move.....she says she has no problem with it, as long as she does not have to do the packing. We'll see what we can do about that if the process ever gets that far. If everything else fell into place, I do not think this would be a problem.
Third, I need to find a buyer for my house and it really needs to be someone in the family. I live on "family land" (many of you know what this term means), and that's where this land needs to stay....in the family. This could probably be the toughest bridge to cross.
Fourth, I must find a job! My two careers have basically been auto parts retail/wholesale and radio broadcasting (strange combination, huh?). The economy is not good right now and may never recover. The times in which we live may dictate I stay put and live out my days right where I am....who knows?
I believe there will be no problem finding a good church in the area and that is of utmost importance to me.
This could all be a doddering old man's dream, but stranger things have happened in my life that I never thought would happen. Time will tell.
The Unitarian Universalist Church
I attended the wedding of one my nieces this weekend in Richmond, VA. It was held in a unitarian universalist church, which come to find out, is a very interesting entity indeed. If you knew nothing of this church, one could guess just from the name as I did that they believe all people go to heaven....that is, as they would say, if there is such a thing as heaven. The Unitarian Universalist church has no creed...no belief system whatsoever. They apparently want to be everything to everybody. It is, in practice, a humanist organization. There was no mention of God or a "god" one time during the ceremony I witnessed this weekend. They are very much involved in social issues such as homosexual marriage, civil rights, etc. I don't understand why they even bother to call it a "church". Why don't they call it the "Everybody Do What Is Right In Your Own Eyes Club"? 18% of UU's consider themselves atheists! Give me a break! They definitely are not Christian, nor do they claim to be, apparently. I believe the UU church serves the purpose of being a place to go for people who like to "play church" or whose guilty conscience requires them to be somewhere other than in the bed or on the golf course on Sunday mornings. For those of you who have turned your backs on God and the Christian faith, if you start feeling guilty about staying home on Sunday mornings and "enjoying" that second cup of coffee, check out the Unitarian Universalists....you might find that for which you seek!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Musings
Nothing specific to share today....just felt it was time to check in again.
Friendships, relationships, anything dealing with other people are so complex and hard to understand for me. I hesitate to share some things because it will mean nothing to most people. So, forgive me as I indulge in "thinking out loud". I had this very dear friend who apparently decided it was time to leave me behind as a regular participant in their life.
[Just found this draft begun over two months ago.....]
So, continuing where I left off......
In the big picture of life it is best that this person has moved on. It would be good, though, to hear from them once in a while, just to know they are ok.
It has been nice having an email "pen pal" lately. A friend with whom I formerly performed music has stayed in touch over the past couple of months and it is good to have someone with whom you can regularly correspond.
I have very much enjoyed playing bass in the band lately....it is very fulfilling. I have stepped up more recently in a harmony, back-up vocals role and this is great also.
***This post was actually updated on June 28, 2009***
Friendships, relationships, anything dealing with other people are so complex and hard to understand for me. I hesitate to share some things because it will mean nothing to most people. So, forgive me as I indulge in "thinking out loud". I had this very dear friend who apparently decided it was time to leave me behind as a regular participant in their life.
[Just found this draft begun over two months ago.....]
So, continuing where I left off......
In the big picture of life it is best that this person has moved on. It would be good, though, to hear from them once in a while, just to know they are ok.
It has been nice having an email "pen pal" lately. A friend with whom I formerly performed music has stayed in touch over the past couple of months and it is good to have someone with whom you can regularly correspond.
I have very much enjoyed playing bass in the band lately....it is very fulfilling. I have stepped up more recently in a harmony, back-up vocals role and this is great also.
***This post was actually updated on June 28, 2009***
Saturday, April 4, 2009
One reason why I am Presbyterian
Found and interesting article which states the situation well:
http://byfaithonline.com/page/in-the-church/pca-churches-where-the-un-churched-might-see-a-difference.
http://byfaithonline.com/page/in-the-church/pca-churches-where-the-un-churched-might-see-a-difference.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
New Atheist's Holy Day
A Florida judge ruled recently in the case of an atheist challenging the religious holidays of Easter and Passover, complaining that atheists were being discriminated against because they had no such recognized days.
The judge told the atheist's lawyer, "But you do...... your client, counselor, is woefully ignorant".
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool's Day. Psalm 41 says 'The fool says in his heart there is no God'. Thus it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."
The judge told the atheist's lawyer, "But you do...... your client, counselor, is woefully ignorant".
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool's Day. Psalm 41 says 'The fool says in his heart there is no God'. Thus it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Why don't they just leave it alone?
Well.....actress Ashley Judd is now a wildlife expert speaking out against Sarah Palin and the population control of wolves in Alaska. It's amazing how in just the last few months so many "celebrities" have earned the right to comment on everthing except what they actuallly know about. The people who have an agenda and intense hatred for Sarah Palin are just defeating their own purpose. They are the ones who just a few short months ago wanted Palin to return to Alaska and disappear from the national scene. These idiots are the ones who keep bringing up her name! Their fear of Palin becoming the next president is so great, they feel it necessary to take pre-emptive pot-shots at the governor. What is sad is that the average non-thinking, American Idol-watching zombie in this country will probably swallow this liberal propaganda just as they did last November as evidenced at the voting booth.
No matter what your politics....PLEASE....JUST USE YOUR HEADS AND THINK FOR YOURSELVES, ALL YOU WHO CALL YOURSELVES AMERICANS.
Don't just accept everything that is spoon-fed you by the mainstream media. No one gets it....1984 is coming...just a little later than George Orwell thought. I hope everyone enjoys living in a totalitarian state. You asked for it and you are going to get it. Kiss what liberties you have left goodbye! And the irony of it all.....it's the "Left", the "Liberals" who will usher all of this in. That's why they make conservatives out to be the Nazi-types.....to divert your attention from the truth.
No matter what your politics....PLEASE....JUST USE YOUR HEADS AND THINK FOR YOURSELVES, ALL YOU WHO CALL YOURSELVES AMERICANS.
Don't just accept everything that is spoon-fed you by the mainstream media. No one gets it....1984 is coming...just a little later than George Orwell thought. I hope everyone enjoys living in a totalitarian state. You asked for it and you are going to get it. Kiss what liberties you have left goodbye! And the irony of it all.....it's the "Left", the "Liberals" who will usher all of this in. That's why they make conservatives out to be the Nazi-types.....to divert your attention from the truth.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Looking and Waiting for the "Perfect Bible"
On an earlier blog I sang the praises of the ESV Bible. It has become my translation of choice (and also the one used predominately by my local church as well). Since my discovery of this wonderful version of the Holy Scriptures in the fall of 2007 I have purchased several (six, I think) copies in various formats. I am still hoping that the publishers (Crossway) will come up with that "perfect" edition for me. They have come close twice. I own a SCR (Single Column Reference edition) and a PSR (Personal Size Reference edition). The SCR has an acceptable font size for the text, but it is sort of on the large size for carrying to church. It also does not offer the text layout in paragraph form. The PSR has the wonderful single column WITH paragraph format, but the text is small for my aging eyes. Now if Crossway could just publish a hybrid of these two editions! If you could take the PSR and just enlarge it somewhat, you would have what I would consider the almost "perfect" Bible! If necessary, it would be ok with me if they would eliminate the side references in favor of larger, readable print. Also, darker print for the text would be great. I know it can be done. I owned a copy of the NIV in the 70's and a copy of the NASB in the 90's which fell into this "middle category" perfectly...large, readable print with the paragraph format in a handy size. Until that wonderful day arrives (hopefully) I will use my SCR for daily reading and devotions at home and my PSR edition for carrying to worship services and Bible studies. Come on Crossway...I know you can do it!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Random thoughts
It never ceases to amaze me that atheists and agnostics spend so much of their time arguing against, fighting against and generally trying to disprove something or Someone in which they don't believe in the first place.
And to my friend "Mad Bob" who has a problem with people using the phrase "thank God": Again, it's just words....why should you be concerned about it? Besides, it has become so over-used that it actually doesn't mean much to the majority of those who use it anyway.
And to my friend "Mad Bob" who has a problem with people using the phrase "thank God": Again, it's just words....why should you be concerned about it? Besides, it has become so over-used that it actually doesn't mean much to the majority of those who use it anyway.
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