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I think this is the first time I've used anything other than an aviation picture. But I think the public deserves to see this amazing photo. Be sure to click it and see the full beauty.I might could get interested in railroad photography, but waiting for a train in the summer heat for hours is not pure joy. At the airport, the action is pretty much constant. I often come home with 300+ photos to examine.Today I went to Wylie, a hub for the Kansas City Southern railroad, expecting locomotive action. Nothing showed. Nada. Zero. A waste of my valuable retirement time. Maybe I should go at night, like the above photographer did.
My contact at DFW, Ken Sodergren, finally got released from his midnight shift, opening the door for me to do another ride-along yesterday. Uh, the temperature was 107. Just perfect for standing next to runways for 2 hours. Before we went out, Ken showed me something I had never seen. It was the communication center for the airport. Interesting stuff. It looked like a war room. A huge TV screen dominated a wall...tuned into CNN. Smaller screens framed it, and they showed various airport operations. The room was dark, eerily lit by computer monitors monitored by the personnel. An adjacent space was literally a war room, with tables, chairs and maps. Draped on each chair-back was a safety vest with someone's last name stitched on. I queried Ken as to what sort of situation would put this room into action. "Hijacking?" "Of course."We had a great time, heat notwithstanding. Because of the problem of heat haze, Ken had no choice but to get me as close as he could to the action. He edged me a few dozen feet from runway 17R and I captured the photo above, a Lufthansa heading nonstop to Frankfurt. At 107 degrees, I don't blame them for getting out of town.
...and we're into a form of cabin fever at our house. It is so ridiculously hot outside (100 degrees by noon today) that outdoor activities are almost non-existent. Even a routine trip to the grocery store means you have to come home and shower again.On the other side of the world, Hezbollah and Israel are exchanging words and bombs. Israel claims Iran is funding the enemy. This is interesting because there are those who feel Revelation predicts something like this happening in the Last Days.You would have to read their reasoning based on scripture to get a clear grasp of this theory. All I can tell you is that, to me, it is credible. How should we respond? Even if you reject such a prediction, you (and I) need to be living with a sense of urgency. As I get older and therefore closer to going home, I realize that if I'm going to have an impact on relatives and friends who don't know Jesus, I need to get after it.I believe I'm saved, but I also don't want to press the lever on heaven's gate knowing that I failed to speak with them about the most important talking point ever.Since I truly believe we are in the final moments before Christ's return, I am trying to reject anything superficial and void of eternal significance...while trying to concentrate on what does matter.
I want to recommend a book entitled Bruchko. It is the story of a 19 year-old man who left this country determined to bring the story of Jesus to isolated Indian tribes in South America.He left Minnesota with absolutely no support from his family and with little money in his pocket. All he had was incredible faith. He determined that he wanted to penetrate the jungle and somehow offer the gospel to a tribe that was greatly feared by entire country of Colombia. The word most often used to describe this group was "murderous".He does it. I won't give away details, but with God's help, he did it. The incredible hardships he overcame would have stopped any ordinary person. The story proves that we should never rule out anyone as a potential brother or sister in Christ. There are no circumstances that God can't conquer.
It is with some trepidation that I do this. The danger is that by sharing my early thoughts on retirement, some will have the perception that I'm gloating. After all, most folks who read this are working people for whom retirement is a faraway goal.But understand that I'm not rubbing it in - merely reporting on my feelings in a dispassionate way, I hope. As though I were being interviewed by someone taking a survey. Here goes:I'm blown away by how happy I am. Gone is lingering dark cloud of educational responsibilities that draped over my mental shoulders like supply bags on a pack mule. Before I go further, let me say that if Dallas Christian phones with a job proposition, I'll jump at it. There is a huge difference between DISD and DCS.All teachers know the feeling that begins creeping into their psyche this time of year. It's the saddening realization that summer is slipping through their fingers like sand in an hourglass. I, too, know that summer oozing away, but this year it doesn't bother me. Bring on fall, cool weather, and football games.Today, July 12, I walked past aisles in the grocery store dedicated to school supplies! July 12!! This experience used to bring the first cloud of dread into my summer sky. Today, I just laughed.One thing I've noticed about myself is patience. During the school year, time is at premium and my nerves were often frayed. What has jumped out to me as a manifestation of my calmness is my behavior behind the wheel. I'm not happy to confess that I speed. Not recklessy, mind you. More like doing 75 on I-30 and keeping up with everyone who's doing likewise in the left lane. Now, I camp out in the right or center lane and watch the type-A's frantically whizzing past me. During the school year, I was always pushing, pushing...trying to reward myself with a few extra seconds or minutes at home or wherever. Now the stimulus for such behavior has been excised.With this chunk of mental energy now removed from my thinking, I find myself meditating more on the spiritual things of life. I've slowed down and started listening to the Holy Spirit, and He is doing some talking. Not coincidentally, I doing more in the way of "servant works" than ever before. I love it.And, I'm a little self-conscious about going to get the paper at 7:30 in the morning. We live on a farm-to-market road that is travelled by hundreds of commuters. As I stumble out to pick up the paper, dressed in my pajamas (which for me is shorts and a tee shirt), I'm can feel the eyes on me of those dedicated workers heading off to work. How many of them are mumbling out loud, "Lucky stiff!"?So retirement, so far, is a wonderful thing. I'm staying active even though the summer heat suppresses a lot of the things I enjoy doing. I would urge everyone reading this to stay the course, keep grinding, and the reward will be there for you before you know it. And give God free play in your life. Tell Him you want to maximize your spiritual gift(s) in the workplace. And go ahead and allow yourself to daydream about your retirement.
I didn't think I'd ever toss in the towel on Iraq. I'm a good Republican and a veteran. I consider myself a flaming patriot. But I think we have reached the point where our goals aren't worth the cost. In fact, I'm not sure the goals are attainable.We dethroned, caught, and imprisoned Saddam. In retrospect, at that point we should have exited, stage left. Our goals, if I understand them correctly, were to eliminate WMD, eliminate Sadam's rule, allow Iraq to set up a democratic government, and cut the core out of Al Qaeda.Well, the matter of WMD turned out to be less of an issue there than we thought. We put Saddam in Lew Sterrett, Baghdad. So let's look at the other two issues. Bush seems adamant that we can eventually exit Iraq when they've got a democracy running all cylinders. My worry is that, governmentally-speaking, Iraq will never be able to even gas the car. These folks seem incapable of doing anything other than chunking rocks and waving their fists in the air. And the trouble is, the U.S. has committed so much effort, money, and blood there that a graceful exit is no longer possible.The other sticky point is our effort to drive a stake through the heart of terrorism with our presence in Iraq. I'm not privy to CIA intelligence and I don't know for sure just how many Al Qaeda operatives are based there. But at this point, I'm willing to concede Iraq and save the lives of our young military men and women. I think their expertise could better be used along the U.S./Mexico border. I hate to think that while our focus has been on Iraq, our back door has been compromised.Lyndon Johnson allowed Vietnam to become personal and his stubbornness prolonged the war unnecessarily. George Bush may have reached that point. He doesn't seem to grasp the "unwinability" of the war in Iraq and, like LBJ, lets his Texan pride cloud his otherwise reasonable judgment.It's gonna be messy whether we stay or leave. I say pull out now and save precious lives. As bad as it would make America look, the reward would be worth it.
I hope that at some point today, you've paused to reflect on this great country of ours. Yes, it has many, many problems. Yes, I'm not happy with current trends in several areas. But still, whatta country.This country is barely over 200 years old and we are the unquestioned world leader in power, resources, technology, and research. Think about all the other countries which have been around for millenia and haven't accomplished anything worth noting. (Hint: they DO produce homicide bombers...the press mistakenly call them suicide bombers.)So, a hearty salute for our country and those who fight to preserve it. We shouldn't take it for granted.
The situation at our house has settled somewhat. The people who were sick are doing better and Nana is back at her apartment. Nice trip to San Antonio coming up this weekend, but they are calling for floods...which is good - they need rain worse than we do.My crazy hobby has been a blast this week. I've been in contact with an aviation-image agent in London who is trying to sell some of my shots to a major Asian magazine. That deal is pending, waiting for the editor-in-chief to okay everything.I've been swapping emails with a reporter in Lagos, Nigeria. There is something of a bruhaha going on there because another reporter wrote a story claiming that the Nigerian president's new 737 wasn't really new at all. The prez had him arraigned in court. I have one of the few shots in existence of the plane and reporter #1 is trying to find out what I know...which is nothing.The head of corporate security at Southwest Airlines called me yesterday, said he was stressed out, and wanted to know if I'd like to unwind with him by sitting next to the Love Field runways for 90 minutes or so. Uh, yeah, I'd like to do that, sir. So we did and I took 305 photos. About 12 of them are good.These are indeed fun times for someone who has apparently sniffed too many jet fumes lately.
The fun began last Thursday. Carole's mom had carpal tunnel surgery. She's 87 and uses a walker to get around. Naturally, with one arm disabled, she needed a place to rehab where someone could take care of her. So we volunteered.Then yesterday, Sunday, I had to take Carole's brother, Joe, to the ER. He had a raging fever and shortness of breath. He was diagnosed with pneumonia. I took him because his wife, Laura, was sick and they have 1 year-old twins to care for.This morning, Laura was getting worse so she went to the doctor and I kept the twins. Carole stayed with her mom and also kept Maddie, our grand-daughter, because Maddie's mom was going to the baby doctor for her first visit with her new pregnancy. (Are you still with me?) Laura was diagnosed with bronchitis and an ear infection. She has had no sleep the last two days, so we offered to keep the twins for the time being. I brought them home with me.So now we have twins plus Carole's mom. As I was typing this, Carole's sister called and said that Ralph (her husband) was in the same hospital as Joe and had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Ralph is now right down the hall from Joe, but neither is allowed outside their room, so they can't see each other and swap stories.When this summer began, I prayed that God would give us opportunities for service in His name. I never dreamed he would wipe out most of Carole's family to accomplish it. I better go. The twins are waking up. Sigh....
Bill Gaither wrote that noted song, "There's Just Something About That Name." I am intrigued by all of the Bible references to the power of God's name and the name of Jesus. Now we give import to names, but it's almost cursory compared to Biblical emphasis.Noted instances:"Hallowed be your name." (Lord's Prayer)"...baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit""Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.""But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ""Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, "And there are a gazillion other examples. It is obvious there is overwhelming power in the name of God and His Son. It makes for a fascinating study. And this is why it galls me to hear godless folks say, "Oh my God!", or something equally flippant. Better not mess with that name.
Some of life's best moments when you're 57 or so come when one of your children announces that they are adding another child to the fold. We were informed Saturday night by Blake and Jaime of a new little Perkins baby coming next February. Just think...this child's sex, personality characteristics, and good looks are already set. And God knows what He has created...we humans have to be patient.We got valuable time with Maddie (baby X's older sister) by keeping her Saturday evening through Sunday morning. She is beyond delightful. My favorite thing she does is to impulsively say, "Hi, Papa!", at otherwise quiet times. (She also says "Hi, Mimi!"). She brings utter joy to my life.And, we will get to see the other grandchildren in two weeks. It is disheartening in that we don't see Zach and Ethan as much as we like. Zach is making enormous strides with language and comprehension despite his hearing deficiencies. He is so very special. Little brother Ethan is a bit of a mystery to us. We simply haven't had enough time with him to bond and I can't wait to spend quality time with him.So it ain't how much money is in the bank, how good or bad your health is, how much rain you got from the psuedo-ferocious storms (.24") or the like. It's family. It's God's miracles being played out before your eyes. Nothing brings deep-core warmth and satisfaction than this.
The National Weather Service is talking in terms of "heavy rain" this weekend. Now if you're reading this from a place other than Texas, you must understand just how good this news is. We're smack dab in the middle of a drought here. The black, clay soil is contracting, leaving enormous cracks in the ground. Our landscapes are in distress because we're under watering restrictions. The heat has been oppressive. Yesterday, I saw a grayhound chasing a rabbit and they were both walking.The problem is, can we trust the National Weather Service? Didn't they pick the Mavs in 4?
It is the goal of every American male to catch at least one foul ball before exiting this earth for the big ballpark in the sky. This act of manhood has eluded me for 57 years. Then, I got my best chance last night.Michael Young fouled a line drive toward the area above and to the left of us. "Us" is Michael, Brooke, myself, and Blake, sitting in that order. The ball ricocheted off someone's hands and directly toward us. Michael was first in line to catch it, but he claims he didn't see it. Next in line was Brooke, and the ball hit her on the edge of her hand and was deflected downward.I looked down and saw the ball wedged next to the rear end of the gentleman sitting in front of us and the side of his seat. Lightning-quick, I reached down to grab the horsehide prize, but the man was quicker. It was his first foul ball trophy as well.All of the above took place in less than two seconds. I'm left with several questions: What if we had sat in a different order? If Michael had caught the ball, would he have given it to me as a Father's Day gift? If I like macaroni and cheese, why don't I like cheese?
The calling card of the Churches of Christ has been our autonomy, the fact that each of our congregations is a unit unto itself, not beholden to any ruling entity except the Bible.We have revelled in this individuality and I'm sure it has its good points. However, it has one notable liability - we have absolutely no foundation of coordination between congregations, effectively hamstringing us when there's a crisis that needs a response.We sit on the sidelines and watch as the Baptist men respond to disasters with trucks and supplies. Interestingly, we care about people just as much as the Baptists but can't pull the trigger and help the critically needy except in a scattershooting way.I would hope that reasonable Church of Christ leaders would investigate ways we could have a unified response targeting those whose lives have been devastated by some sort of disaster.It would go a long way in reversing the negativity that one usually hears when the name of our church is brought up.
1. I've been spending a lot of hours landscaping our property. It's supposed to be very healthy psychologically and physically to "garden" like this. I would tend to agree on the psychological part. But the physical part is somethin' else. Good thing I have a Swedish masseuse.2. I grew up in home that had no air-conditioning. Our car had no a/c. Our church had none during most of my childhood. How in the world did we survive that?3. Rebuilding New Orleans is a mistake.4. Why couldn't the mothers of Dwyane Wade and Isiah Thomas spell their sons' names correctly?5. I have never seen Christianity and Christians held in such low regard as now. 6. Has anyone tried vanilla ice cream on banana pudding? I think it would work.
This is Monday. Hopefully by Friday, our two cats will no longer be tenants at our house. Please don't interpret what I'm going to say as being cruel. We have given a lot of thought to their departure and decided to pull the trigger.Cat #1 is Darcy, named after a long-forgotten Dallas Stars' goalie named Darcy Wakaluk. She was found in a church parking lot. Luckily it was a Church of Christ parking lot, so we know eventually she'll be saved. She was cute and cuddly early in her life. Now she is an overweight slobola of a feline whose only purpose in life is to shed.Cat #2 is Alex, Darcy's nemesis. Alex isn't the brightest light in the feline sky. In fact, Alex is more than plain stupid - he is intricately stupid. He meows constantly, never with any good reason. The other day, he was meowing away and went to his bowl for a drink. He continued to meow as he drank, making an incredibly retarded gargling sound. Carole purchased Alex in a fit of ignorance...wanting desperately to have a black and white kitty. If we had only known that he was not only the runt of the litter, but the dunce of the litter.Depending on how they act tonight, we won't have them euthanized. The plan is to put them in a shelter where other non-suspecting dupes will adopt them and ruin their lives. I'll let you know how the plan goes.
God is a rock. He will never fail us. It's important to remember that when we are confronted with human failure.As a kid, I woke up one day and decided I was a high-jumper. I didn't have a high-jump pit in which to practice, so I built my own. I tied a string around the telephone pole in our parkway and tied the other end to my bicycle, which was standing upright on the other side of the sidewalk. I couldn't really adjust the height much, but as it turned out, my pit was only going witness one jump. On my first effort, I failed to lift my first foot high enough and came down stomach-first on the concrete. It took several minutes to inhale my first post-jump breath. It was as though an invisible cannonball had penetrated my navel.Today I got the same feeling when I found out troubling things about a couple of Christians...two guys in whom I've put a lot of trust. I can't believe it. It hurts. And what does God compel me to do in times like these?1. Pray for them.2. Don't gossip.3. Lean on Him, the Rock.
On Memorial Day, Carole and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with daughter Brooke and son-in-law Michael. It was hot outside so I spent most of the time indoors, sitting directly under a ceiling fan in a cold room.At some point, I became aware that my sinuses and throat were caving in. Thus began the king of all jungle beasts, the summer cold. Today is Thursday and I am homebound - nose flooding, sinus cavities pounding, and voice very deep and about gone. I had so much planned for the first week of summer and those plans are still on the shelf. I'm getting cabin fever, wanting to go outside but afraid that I'll make myself worse.The floor is open to suggestions on how to overcome this malady. My current medications include Benadryl at night and generic Tylenol Sinus during the day. I may resort to Benadryl during my waking hours, which will no doubt turn them into sleeping hours. So do I simply outlast this or do I change my approach?
