A new career in full motion

Today I had the "Newcomer's Welcome" for my organization. It's OK that I've only been working there since October. There were some folks there who had been on the job since last June. I'm used to getting training after the fact, though. At our first assignment in South Dakota, I went to my job technical training in October, I had been working in that job since July. A year and a half later, I got the actual in-depth training on the specific tasks I had been accomplishing that entire time. Most of my training as a parent has been on the job. Same goes for my faith. Just now, this semester, I'm starting to understand how to really interpret the scriptures which have been the foundation of my salvation as a Christian since I was six. I don't really think it matters when you get trained, though. I think it is more important to stay open-minded to the training and not bitter that you didn't get it in the beginning. Rachel is sewing some curtains for the kids' room and the house is quiet after another long day.

"Buzz Lightyear to th......." grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We are so easily distracted. Andrew borrowed someone else's "Buzz Lightyear" and barely got a wink during his nap today. Instead I spent the afternoon listening to him punching the buttons on the toy. . . "Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!" and laser noises punctuated what would have been a quiet afternoon working on my Masters. Now, I'm blogging about it and a little upset at his lack of obedience. Parenthood is not easy. I can only begin to imagine what God thought when He realized Eve had done the one thing she was not supposed to do. Akiane, the completely amazing and talented 12-yr old artist who has painted works that can compare to the greats, painted an amazing depiction of Eve in the Garden. It showed her in front of what appears to be a bunch of grapes. The fruit is rather the fruit of the tree of good and evil - red and green were the prominent colors of fruit. One of the green fruits shows a tear, where she had taken a bite - and instead of goodness flowing from it, blood came out. This deeply depicts how deceived she and Adam were by the serpent. I wonder if Andrew has been deceived into thinking it's OK to disobey. I wonder if he really understands the err of his ways. But then again, I wonder if I understand the err of my ways when I disobey. Have I really grown more mature or have I just grown older? Unfortunately, the case is probably more the latter than the former. God bless you all!

The Good Shepherd

Too many days since last post. That's OK, though, because only about 3 people have looked at the site since. Although a tad down-trodden, I am not totally depressed by our low site count. But, if you want to make a brother feel better, tell your friends to check out our site in their spare time. I just saw "The Good Shepherd" which I will dub "The Fairly Slow-Developing Movie of Overpaid Actors Projected on a Too-Small Screen at My Local Theater with Crummy Sound". I can just hear the nominations now, "And the winner, for longest movie title of the year is. . . . At any rate, I think Matt Damon actually said about 70 words or less the entire movie and he was way to promiscuous for my liking. I lost a lot of respect for his character, though I'm sure the director had some reason for all of that - I just wanted able to think deep enough for Coppola or DeNiro tonight. Maybe I should have stayed home and watched "Finding Nemo" again. After three weeks of working on my masters, I've decided that it is doable - just very time consuming and sometimes confusing. I love using the online classroom tools though. How great is it that I can watch the lecture anytime I want and take a test anytime during a two-week window??? I certainly wish my profs in college had record, pause, rewind, stop, and most importantly - fast-forward. I haven't used the latter yet with my current professors, as they seem to truly be worth their salt. Until my next spare instant - continue to love your neighbor! You'll love the results!

Welcome Nemo's

1.20.07 Masters degrees are hard! In other news, we picked up two perculas today ("Nemo-fish") and they are happily exploring their new home, our 46-gallon marine aquarium. They are joining the current residents, a blood shrimp who literally jumps out of his skin about once a month, a very shy and colorific rabbitfish, a skittish fairy wrasse, two sand stars, 20 lbs of "live" rock, and a menagerie of other creatures, most of them so small that we can't see them. Unfortunately, our son's personal tank that he got for Christmas, is fishless after an unsuccessful habitation by three Wal-Mart guppies. We'll try again in a little while, after the ammonia and nitrite levels drop to a more acceptable concentration (0 mg/l). The kids are excited about the "Nemo-fish" and we are excited about watching the interaction in the tank over the next few days. Until next time, FISH ON!

Reunion - a beautiful thing

1.16.07 Back in our home, and settled after the pipe was fixed. Even one night away can stir life up a bit. Lately, one word has come to mind a lot - Reunion. Since arriving in Alabama, we have had the privilege of re-uniting with several folks, sometimes even accidentally! Somehow I've been able to reconnect with friends and teachers from High School, College, our first and second assignments as well. That is, of course, not to mention the fact that we have spent considerably more time with family than we had during the years in Alaska. Sometimes you can just feel that God is about to do something different with your life. I feel that way now and I believe that this reunion with so many friends, family, and mentors from days past is preparing us for something great. We'll keep you posted as we try to keep our eyes shut and hearts open to His will.

Broken water

As time rolls by, without discrimination, some things are built up through hard work and labor while other things corrode and fade away through fatigue and neglect. One of the things that corroded away early this morning, was the water main to our housing unit! So, we are off to spend our nights in the lodging facility on base, free of charge, due to the unnecessary inconvenience. Hopefully we won't be there too long, but it should be fun regardless. I've got to go pack the van, so God Bless!

Rappell tower of life

Welcome visitors from my Old Testament class! Today, I learned the ropes - literally! I spent the day on the ropes course here at my job so that I can be a successful facilitator when my first students show up. There's something about climbing four flights of stairs to the top of an open-air tower that adds about 150 lbs to your weight! By the time I got the top of the tower the first time, I had tons of emotion and fear setting in. I won't spoil the tasks of the course for any potential trainees out there who may read this, but understand that the first one was not easy at all for me. However, it was necessary. Matthew's Gospel reads: "Come," [Jesus] said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" (NIV, Mt 14:29-30) I have an inkling of an idea of how Peter felt - though I was harnassed to aircraft-grade cable and my footing was a lot more sure than his. It reminded me of Christianity and a song by Third Day, "Wire". Christ compares it to a camel walking through the eye of a needle as well as a narrow path that we must not stray from. However, just like today, if we stray, left or right, there is a safety harness there - God's forgiveness. It may not be a pleasant experience, but it is a second chance. By the end of the day, I had rappelled a 40' vertical drop, five times and set my own lines for the journey down twice. Not a bad way to spend a brisk wednesday in Alabama!

Visitors from the north

On New Year's Day, we hosted a group of some amazing young men and women. These were Airmen and former Airmen, who (in addition to dedicating their lives to their nation's defense) attended the Urbana Missions Conference amidst heavy pressure from work and peers. In addition to this display of faith commitment and heart for others, they took personal leave time to assist the continued efforts in the Gulf Coast region in the rebuilding process. Talk about self-sacrifice! At my beckoning, they stopped over for an extremely short 2 hours to take a minute and be served themselves by my wife and to answer our questions about their journey. It was so wonderful that they stopped and even more wonderful to see that God was indeed moving in their hearts. Please pray for them as well as the other 21,000 who attended this conference as they seek His will in sharing the Good News.

Georgia Tech blues

Happy New Year! A couple weeks, some tornado warnings, visits from friends near and far, and the season premier of "The Apprentice" later, and I'm back to blog. Some sad news first, Georgia Tech lost to West Virginia in the Toyota Gator Bowl. Some good news though, it looks like Taylor Bennett just might work out as a great q'back. I don't really know a ton about football, but I know that they broke more records in that game (though they lost) than they've done in a long time. I also know that Tech needs a break - and he may be the one who delivers it. They haven't won an ACC Championship since 1998 and they are certainly due for a change. Sure, they've been winning games and getting to bowls, but they are having trouble closing the big game. UGA, Wake, and West Virginia were all completely beatable teams and Tech was in a winnable situation during all of those games - yet, they didn't make it happen. I know how much work goes into a class act football team and I know that Chan Gailey is running a class act program. I believe that it comes down to the attitude of the fans and the attitude of the players at the end of the day. I wish the best to Coach Gailey and his crew as they start the long preparation for next season.