human nature

i'm not one that's quick to attribute every (or any) negative or undesired behavior to "human nature." i think that too often, people use that as an excuse to be lazy and not allow the power of the Spirit of God to overcome the failings of humanity. (we've been granted victory over sin--claim it and be adapted to it).
but, i've been challenged in my perspective this week.
my 4-month old son has been granted permission from the pediatrician's office to begin eating cereal. for those of you who've been through this before, you know that's a big deal. for those who haven't experienced it, it's a big deal.
well, as expected from my genius child, he does really well with the spoon and swallowing. the problem is that we can't shovel it in fast enough for him. after about 10-15 bites, he starts to get angry and impatient.
so, is impatience wired into us? i can't imagine that he's old enough to have developed that yet. (give him at least a few more months before i'll admit that he's picked it up from me.) so, where is the line of nature and nurture?
on a tangent note: 4-months old getting angry is actually quite funny. he's actually trying to yell; he's not screaming or crying--pure anger. it's hard to be serious and comforting while holding back the giggles from within.
maybe it's a part of us or maybe it's learned. either way, it's our challenge, opportunity and responsiblity to allow God to help us overcome it.
Dear Lord, teach me patience and let me demonstrate it to others.

to blog or not to blog, that is the question

as with all great writers and thinkers (of which i am neither), eventually you hit a dry spell. some would call it writer's block.
so, here i am--a new blogger and it seems i've run out of things to say. it shouldn't be this hard to have something to write about.
but, alas, the block is in place.

however, as with all great optimists, i think of this block not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone. so, without further ado, i step up into the great beyond--that unexplored region of what i am yet to write. perhaps some of it will be funny and some of it will be serious; it may be profound or mundane. but, i see this not as the end but as the place when i refocus off self and look to the fountain of idea, concepts and mental images.

Lord, i realize this absence of original thought is self-induced. bring me back to you, the origin of original thought and let me be "filled with messages from Thee."

opportunities

random cell call
forgotten voice mail
finally returned
bizarre opportunity

this is the basis of an experience today. i can't really talk about the details yet because i'm not sure of them yet. that is to say, i'm still processing.
but, if God is working the way i think He's working, i'm in for a new adventure.

Dear Lord, what in the world are you doing?

unexpected project

have you ever had one of those projects that were supposed to be small, self-contained and relatively quick to complete, but then as you got started, you realized it was a lot bigger than you anticipated?

me, too!

we began last night to dust our logs. i realize that may sound a little off-color, but since you know we live in a log home, you know it's true. as best i can figure, due to the height of the cathedral ceiling and the awkward nature of trying to maneuver a ladder tall enough, these logs (which provide a convenient ledge upon which dust can rest) haven't been dusted since the house was built (20 years).
well, i started on it last night. keep in mind that these logs are beautiful and treated wood, but basically rough hewn. therefore, this is not a simple job of pledge or endust--no, sir, you have to scrub each individual log with a brush and then spray them with some stuff (aerosol, so of course, it gives me a headache). i started at the top and am working my way down. just to give you an idea of the time involved with the process, i started at 7pm and planned to be done by 10pm.
in actuality, i started at 7pm and finished at 10pm and only got 5 logs cleaned. and, unfortunately, these are not the full-length logs, but rather the shortened logs along the slope of the roof. so, i probably only cleaned the equivalent of 2 or 3 longs.
and to pour salt on the open wound, we have company coming early next week (for an entire week), so it HAS to be done by saturday.
it'll be a long week.
Thank you Lord, for providing a safe and beautiful home. I praise you for the opportunity to work with my hands and labor as unto you. May you continue to make our home a refuge for the weary and a safe place for fellowship (and food). Amen.

put this on my job review

I Kings 8:11
"And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple."

oh that i could be such an effective worshipper that the presence of the Lord is so overwhelming that we couldn't continue.

pix

just a couple of pix for family to download

4 months

this is the boy's 4 month picture. thanks to the recommendation of a friend, we take a photo on the 19th of every month and keep them in a seperate album. it always goes smoothly until this one--the little stinker didn't seem able to smile and look at the camera at the same time. we literally took about 100 photos before we got one that turned out OK.
Praise the Lord for providing a simple technology that helps us remember the precious moments of life.

my picture

this is my family on the day we got to meet israel for the first time. as you can tell we are all very happy.

first blog

This is my first blog. It's not much, but it's something to start with.