Mt. Yale

I found out only recently that I'll be able to go with my friend/teammate, Shawn Griffith, on a trek. we're climbing Mt. Yale--over 14,000 feet! I am so pumped! I've been wanting to go really camping for a long, long, long time and was planning to go by myself in October. Now, I just have to take care of my checklist. I am so pumped! We'll leave September 14th and get back the following Friday. Man, I'm pumped! Click on the title to be linked to pictures of the mountain.

Here are some pictures from when we climbed the top bit of Clingman's Dome in east Tennessee near Gatlinburg:

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Max Weldon Whaley

It's hard to imagine how much love you've poured into my life. Thankfully, I don't have to imagine. I am in such an enormous debt of gratitude to you. Thank you for living your Jesus-following life in front of me.

Thanks for teaching me to love my wife by loving mom, being faithful to her, respecting her, and building her up. I have never worried that you would ever leave Mom because of your devotion to her. Thanks for teaching me to love my brother and sister--making me mean it when I said "Sorry" to Melissa and giving me the board when I hit Stephen. Thanks for hitting balls to me and letting me practice throwing them in to you at home.

Thanks for getting me to help you weave that soccer/volleyball net. Thanks for asking me if I wanted to be baptized while we did that. Thanks for putting up the tetherball pole. Thanks for letting me swing the sledgehammer against the post.

Thanks for pulling me out of the water on our first fishing trip together. Thanks for not letting the extended relatives drown me on our first camping trip together.

Thanks for demonstrating the true meaning of punctilious. Thanks for teaching me to buy shoes that fit well. Thanks for mowing a maze-path in the tall grass so I could race through it. Thanks for kicking my butt when I was being lazy while you were mowing. Thanks for racing me down Lakeview Road out in the country and trying to beat me, but still losing to me. Thanks for showing me that Tarantula, that King Snake, that opossum, and all the other animals. Thanks for showing me how to be calm around animals (and people) and for so many times helping me diffuse my out-of-control anger.

Thanks for having me read about Jesus' Resurrection and listening to what I thought about it while we sat on the back porch. Thanks for introducing me to all your coworkers and being so proud of me. A lot of people thought I'd never make anything of myself, but you did. Thanks for encouraging me to consider different vocations without pressing them on me too much.

Thanks for loving Nicole so freely and generously and gently and confidently. Thanks for praying such a beautiful prayer at our wedding. (And, by the way, thanks for teaching me about the vas deferens, too. ;-))

Thanks for playing the world's smallest violin for me whenever I would whine. Thanks for singing that song early on school day mornings--" . . . with egg on our places and bright shining faces, this is a good way to start a good day!" Thanks for letting me blow zerberts on your belly and letting me jump on your belly off the sofa. Thanks for letting me see you developing new skills (woodworking) late in life, too. Thanks for being an avid reader. Thanks for parking far out so other people could park up close and we could enjoy walking. Thanks for putting up with my long-winded theological lessons so graciously. Thanks for engaging me in theological conversations. Thanks for being willing to change your views--even later in life. Thanks for being patient--even when you were younger. You have always been like the young Timothy except that you're a father and now suddenly 60! "There is no one like you, who will show genuine concern for the welfare of others. You don't look out for your own interests, but those of Jesus Christ."

I love you, Dad. God bless you,
Jason

Testimony to Brain Power

I am amazed at what the body can do "on its own" and in spite of all sorts of challenges. We don't often see the hidden abilities that may reside in each one of us, but take a look at people with autism and see how strong the ability to remember can be. Click on the title to go to an amazing story. How many points could a 17-year old, 5-foot-6-inch boy with autism make in his first basketball game? What if he had been watching other kids make the same shots for several years? Unbelievable! He's a wonderful kid, too. Although he can't play in the post-season games since he didn't play the rest of the season, he's excited about continuing to support his team in his usual role as manager. “I just want to win as a team, not individually,” he said.

Brothers

My "little" brother and me during a hike up a mountain in the Smokies.

In addition to hiking, we also played our 2nd annual round robin tennis tournament. Last year, the ranking went: Stephen-1, Nicole-2, and me-3. This year, it was close again, but Nicole was #1, Stephen #2, and me #3. My family left us two tennis rackets so Nicole and I can practice. We played this morning, the first to six wins. I won the first three. Then, Nicole won six in a row, barely! We have Stephen to thank for inspiring us to play tennis.

Smokies

What a Royal Waste!

Here's a devotional I got in an email. I thought this was worth sharing.

As the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Jesus, a woman entered the room where he reclined at the table for dinner, broke a jar of costly ointment, and poured it on his head - a gesture recognized in that culture as conveying great honor and respect. The disciples were dismayed, perceiving this to be a waste when there was so much need around them. The ointment could have been sold and the money used to feed the poor. Jesus responded by demanding that they straighten out their priorities: "Why do you trouble this woman? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me" (Mt 26:10-11).

This rebuke to the disciples seems unfair, especially since it immediately follows Jesus' teaching that those who will inherit the kingdom prepared for them will be those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoner (Mt 25:31-45). He had just said that serving needs is the way disciples show their care for him: "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me" (Mt 25:45). Aren't the disciples responding appropriately to the woman's wastefulness in the face of all the need around them? Wouldn't a follower of Jesus be expected to use such a resource to care for the needs of others?

Jesus' teaching about the costly ointment points us again to why we serve. We serve not just because the need is there, but because we love Jesus and want to communicate that love. Our service is to be motivated by our love of Christ, not just by the needs of our communities. The disciples had missed the point. They could serve Jesus directly as a sign of their ultimate loyalty and love. Later, they would serve the poor and the powerless as SIGNS OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST. We serve through ministry with those who represent him in our midst - hurting and oppressed people. We are driven to serve by our mission, not simply by their needs. If we start with a focus on the need, then like the disciples, we will miss the point. If we serve only because the need is there, we will become discouraged and burn out, because the needs are so extensive. There will ALWAYS be family violence and divorce and inadequate parenting in this world; no mattter how hard and effectively we work, we will not make it all go away. We must stay connected to the source of our service, the vine of which we are branches (Jn 15:1-11). We serve because we love Jesus, and if we stay connected to that loving relationship, then we will not be overwhelmed by the enormous needs around us.

Jesus' description of himself as the vine, God as the vine-grower, and us as branches captures what happens if we forget that we are merely branches of Christ, expressions of Christ's love. We must "abide in the vine," otherwise we cannot bear fruit. When we lose focus on our connection to Christ and our service as expressions of that connection, we become disconnected: "Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned" (Jn 15:6). What a picture of burnout!

The Greatest Fool

I just had some thoughts only a moment ago that might be worth sharing. I noticed a pattern in my life. When, say my wife, isn't putting her full confidence in, say my health expertise, I get hurt or angry or depressed. Or it might happen while driving. She says, "Where are you going? This is the long way." Then I say, "Trust me," or "Why don't you just trust me?" trying to coerce my wife to admit that I am right about my road judgments. It is difficult for me to entrust myself to others, yet I cannot accept it when they do not entrust themselves to my judgment or control. It seems foolish to trust someone else's judgment over my own. It seems irresponsible to entrust myself to the criticism and possible ridicule of others.

"A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others." (Mark 12; cf Matthew 21; Luke 20)

Is God the greatest fool? I don't comprehend how or why God's son took on flesh. God entrusted himself to untrustworthy human beings. The world that should have cried out in worship to him tore him apart and killed him. How backward I am! When God would trust the untrustable, I would demand that other untrustables trust me.

The end of the matter for me is that I can't trust myself. I must die to myself. I GET to die to myself. It's better off for me this way. It's better off for the world this way. I'm going to try to put this into practice this week, but I have a feeling it will be a constant battle with me trying to make others trust my judgment and advice rather than entrusting myself to them. I assume that God is pleased when I try to learn from and imitate him in this respect. If I am wrong in this assumption, please try to stop me. ;-)

Trillion Dollar Health Scandal

Drug Plan Fiasco vs. God

After you read my comments, click on the title above ("Trillion Dollar Health Scandal") to read a brief summary and/or watch a 15-minute excerpt from 60 Minutes. I take the news piece as yet another sign that God will expose the powers of this dark world for what they are. I rest confident knowing that all creation looks forward not only to this exposing of drug lords, but also to the revelation of the children of God. I get a little excited when I see the foreshadowing of rulers and authorities getting their just desserts. What do you think? Anyway, that's why I liked watching the news piece via Dr. Mercola. By the way this is a portion of a quote from the 60 Minutes presentation: " . . . it has been one example of the incestuous relationship between Congress and the [Pharmaceutical] Industry . . ."

What is the point of sharing this information?

1. It's true. Truth is a valuable commodity for life.
2. Knowing about these kinds of evils in high places may encourage us to turn to God and trust the wisdom that comes from him.
3. Many people are enslaved by prescription and non-prescription drugs; at least they might be encouraged when they see the illegitimacy of their cruel master.
4. Accept your health and fitness as a gift from God and, ultimately, your responsibility--not your doctors or your drugs. Eat fresh! Exercise! Go, and trust pharmaceutical products no more!

Please note: Getting off addictions is tricky. Some people will die if they suddenly stop taking medications that they've been taking for years. Consider carefully how you can get off drugs and if it is possible for you. It's certainly easier to avoid drugs than to stop taking them. I don't know how people can stop, but there are lots of doctors (believe it or not) who know how. For example, my second cousin's grandson was having seizures from birth to about age five. The parents found "the right doctor" finally, who slowly removed the drugs and put the child on a strict, but fun, diet. The child hasn't had a seizure since and his brain has recovered remarkably. That is testimony to the power of God and goodness of the creation that he made!

One day I may take some kind of pharm product. I might be in desperation for comfort without the patience to endure. I may want to live longer (even if in slavery) so I'll take something to keep me hanging on. Still, I will hope in God's new creation that beats the hell out of the effects (and side effects) of drugs. And I will laugh when the rulers of this dark world fall.

Memphis Workcamp

Above is a picture from last year's Memphis Workcamp. This is what Nicole and I will be up to this week. We'll be driving a big white van pulling a trailer with ladders, paint, and other supplies. Tonight there'll be dinner, orientation, and a praise service. Then, Nicole and I will spend the night with her friend (and mine, too), Kari Neiman closer to the meeting place for the kids we'll be driving to the supply tent everyday. This is the 19th annual Memphis workcamp. Last year, the 500th house was scraped and painted. We don't know yet our house or our work crew, but we'll learn of both tonight. I'm a little nervous even though this is my third year. I'm not nervous about the neighborhood, just about leading/serving a crew. They are the best of the best, volunteering like $60 not to mention free and cheerful labor. Keep us in your prayers.

Also, please pray for your neighbor whom we just met Saturday evening. Her nickname is "Pooky". She's an older woman and has a lot of cancer. She's taking 9 pills a day. Some of them are anti-depressents. She doesn't seem to like being treated like she is mentally ill (they put her in a mental hospital at one point because she considered not taking the chemotherapy anymore). Personally, I would consider giving up on the chemotherapy as well if it made me feel that bad (which the anti-depressent doesn't change). I think if I am feeling excruciating pain, it's only right to count the cost of dying. Anyway, Pooky really encouraged us and appreciates our prayers. It's good to make new friends.

Anyway, have a good week. :-)

Lou

Do you know Lou Ferrigno? He played the Hulk in the tv show in the 70s-80s. I remember well seeing him on Mr. Roger's and learning about how the makeup/costume was applied. I also remember watching Pumping Iron my freshman year of college. My friends, Noel and Jason Green, got to meet Lou and eat with him in a restaurant. They got me an autographed photo of "the Hulk". Noel sent that to me while I lived in Japan. That was awesome. I used to watch the Hulk series from behind the kitchen bar in our house until I was four. I wouldn't let my parents change the channel even though I was scared somewhat.

Well, recently, we moved in to our new apartment. I set my framed Hulk photo on the top of my bookshelf. When two of our maintenance guys came in to fix stuff, they commented on the photo with great excitement. "Did you meet Lou?" We enjoyed talking about him for a few minutes.

Then, after the "assembly order" as my local church community calls it, Lou came up in my conversation with a recent newcomer, a semi-retired man who uses a device to help him hear prayers and sermons. I said, "Do you know who Lou Ferrigno is?" We had several minutes of enthusiastic conversation about this good man. I said, "Did you know he is practically deaf?"

There was another conversation, though I don't remember who with (Derrick?), in which the other person said in reference to Lou, "Man, isn't he good at reading lips!" This conversation may have been on Saturday since my friend of half my life, Derrick, has been bodybuilding for a couple of years now. (I'll post on he and Naomi later.)

I hope to hear more good things about Lou in the coming future. Some "facts" that I hear about Lou are probably inaccurate, but it seems most people like Lou better the Arnold. It is interesting, though unprovable phenomenon to me. Feel free to give your "Lou" reports or opinions anytime on my blog. I'm thinking of placing him on my mental board of trustees along with MLK jr and Song Sun, some of my other heroes.

P.S. Nicole, who will always be on my mental board of trustees, just said, "I will not sleep with Lou Ferrigno in my bedroom," referring to the framed picture . . . not having read this post. Sorry, Lou, I guess you're going to have to sleep in the closet or living room or something.

Is Ritalin Right for You?

The most powerful symptom: "Often figits with hands or feet or squirms in seat."

Should everyone take psychotropic drugs? Many M.D.s believe ADHD exists, but that doesn't mean everyone who "squirms" has it. You should seek critical doctors before you take any drugs--in my humble, but passionate opinion. Especially when you are giving the drugs to your child.

No tests document ADHD, only symptom clusters . . . but treatments cause long-term and, at times, permanent effects on the brain. ADHD is an unproven disease, but treatments are proven to produce brain atrophy. Other side effects according to a young man prescribed Paxill in the third grade: "hallucinations, a voice telling me to kill people". Can you imagine a Mormon kid becoming violent, walking into school with a gun?

If an "expert" gave you choices of "covering" your child's hyperactive squirming: fresh foods, watching the Little Mermaid 29 times, electric shock therapy, or a magic pill . . . which one(s) would you choose. Would you go to prison for not medicating your kid?

Was Television your babysitter? At what age must a person stop squirming? Why must the energy be stifled? Shouldn't it be channeled? Are pills ways of raising proper kids?

Well, hopefully my questions will make good teasers for the video. Click on the title link to watch the video and read a commentary.

Why do I put things like this on my blog? I trust in God to constantly provide renewable energy, healing, and joy. I'm not perfect. I get depressed, sick, and mean-spirited. But I don't expect the solution, ultimately, to come from people who will make a lot of money from it (i.e., many drugs on the Western market). I don't want to bow down to anyone. It doesn't mean I won't submit to medical care; I will as long as it is "care".

If you suffer from depression, I would recommend several choices. You may not find the side effects from drugs acceptable (especially for 80% of people diagnosed with depression). So try some or all of these proven solutions that have mostly positive side effects and no debilitating ones:

Exercise
Eat a fresh variety of food, especially plant food, without avoiding good fats like Omega-3s.

I think these have God's stamp of approval and the promise of his sustenance. Even if you are skeptical that God might work through natural living processes, at least be skeptical of specific technologically produced pharmeceuticals prescribed by an expert who may be indiscriminate, for example, psychotropic drugs. The person is not bad, but the prescription might be and, I would say, probably is.

Dirty Guts

Click on the Title link to read some interesting information and commentating about negative effects of using antibacterial soaps and positive effects of building up the trillions of bacteria living in our guts. (Link courtesy of www.mercola.com. Photo courtesy of www.hpylori.com.au/)

Bacteria may be the immediate cause of . . . (ahem) . . . throwing up and such, but the loss of intestinal bacteria diversity is the cause of chronic diseases that prevent many of us from living vigorously.

Death by Subsidies

"What’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth." (excerpt from Michael Pollan's website)

Michael Pollan has researched and written on the modern history of the food industry for several years. Here's a review of his latest book: "Expanding on his articles for The New York Times Magazine, he lays out the many ways in which government policy since the Nixon era — to grow as much corn as possible, subsidized with federal money — is totally out of whack with the needs of nature and the American public."

I am convicted of the fact that people ought to pay attention to what they eat, pay for, and the ethics (or nonethics) of the systems they are supporting. In a NY Times article published on my birthday, Pollan writes:

"Twinkies are made from 39 ingredients, most of them requiring elaborate processing themselves, in addition to packaging and marketing.

But they, like many other processed foods, are cheaper than a similar quantity of carrots, which require no processing or marketing, and little or no packaging. How is this possible?

The answer is a piece of legislation called the farm bill, which is renewed every five years (including this year), and sets guidelines for the American food system -- including which crops will be subsidized and which will not.

Processed foods like Twinkies are made from carbohydrates and fats extracted from corn, soybeans and wheat, which, along with rice and cotton, are the products supported with $25-billion subsidies from the U.S. government.

But the farm bill does almost nothing to support farmers growing other forms of produce, such as more nutrient-rich vegetables. The result is a food system flooded with corn-derived added sugars, and soy-derived added fats. Meanwhile, the real price of fruits and vegetables increased by nearly 40 percent between 1985 and 2000, while the real price of soft drinks (made with high-fructose corn syrup) actually declined by 23 percent.

The farm bill has far-reaching effects on health, the economy, and the environment. A growing body of activists are becoming aware of the implications, and are pressing for changes to the bill, which has remained largely unchanged for decades."

New York Times April 22, 2007 (Registration Required)

Whole Summer

If you're interested in health, you should regularly explore http://mercola.com. Dr. Mercola is an D.O., or doctor of osteopathy, which means he is " . . . licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. But [osteopathic physicians] bring something extra to the practice of medicine. Osteopathic physicians practice a "whole person" approach to medicine, treating the entire person rather that just the symptoms. With a focus on preventive health care, DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness, but help prevent it, too."

Dr. Mercola responds to scientific studies from various journals. You can find a lot of encouragement to live well and affordably. Here is an excerpt from a particularly basic article: " . . . the study very elegantly demonstrates that whole food sources are clearly superior to the supplement form of vitamin C. In whole foods, there are a variety of accessory micronutrients that work synergistically with the primary one. It is very rare where the isolated nutrient will perform better than the whole food version."

You should also search mercola.com for information about disappearance of honeybees. I think we should minister not only to the "whole person", but also to the "whole creation". The gift of the "breath of life" is not only a gift of metabolism, but a gift of interdependence with all other creatures who also have a gracious relationship with the Creator. In the beginning . . . God created creatures. There certainly are differences between humans and the other creatures, but we will have to deal with that somewhere else.

By the way, I graduated from Harding Graduate School of Religion last Saturday. I found I can't stop reading. I wondered into the library while babysitting Joshua on Tuesday and he led me to Mr. Turtle's guided research paper. I finished reading it last night. I also read the first chapter of Moby Dick last night. I don't know that I've been trained to read fiction, but I'll keep trying. I've definitely developed a thirst for knowledge, though.

I will be babysitting Joshua and doing grounds/maintenance work with the graduate school through May. Then, the first full week in June, Nicole and I will be doing Memphis Workcamp where we scrape, paint, and do minimal maintenance for low income folks in Memphis. The second full week in June I will probably begin working for Wagner construction. We need to find a cheap second car by then.

Provisions Plus

Just thought I would post something since I haven't in a long while. These were photos taken on my third fastest birthday yet, my 30-second birthday. We had a team meeting and had a small party at India Palace.

I wanted to type some words from Isaiah 55 in the Message version:

"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.

"For as the sky roars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
they'll complete the assignment I gave them."

So, let me ask you something. Do you trust God to provide? Do rich countries need to become richer before they will be capable of producing extra food? Or is God already providing enough food? Does it have to become cheaper for us before we can make it available to them? Do we trust God to provide?

Penguin Humour

It's a liberal myth, Mildred. You're making a fool of both of us.
(Ann Onimus)

Passover Experience

I have intellectually studied the Passover and the subject of Communion, . . . but that was different by far from actually experiencing Passover as a memorial and fellowship meal.

Tonight (Thursday) I participated in a Passover meal in which we remembered our misery, yet God’s saving actions. Mike White (I’m sure with the help of his wife and son) prepared the food, dinnerware, and script. Dwight, because he was the oldest male, served as “the father of the family”. There were about 30 of us there.

We listened to “the father” as he read from the script and at designated points we all read lines from the script. For example, we all blessed God together while we held up the bitter cup (actually it was sweet grape juice; we had to stretch our imagination here). One of the blessings was: “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” Then we all drank together.

After washing each other’s hands (it took several minutes to pass the only water bowl and towel around for that), “the father” held up a parsley sprig. Then he said, “The Passover holiday comes in the spring, when the earth turns green with new life. Only God can create life and keep it alive. This green parsley is the sign of life.”

Then he held up a small bowl of salt water and said, “But while the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt, their life was miserable. The salt water stands for their tears. We know our life can be miserable and full of tears when we live in Satan’s world. We dip our parsley in the salt water and eat it to remind us of our ancestor’s tears and of how miserable our own sin makes us. We also remember how God parted the salty [Reed] Sea to lead His people to new life.”

We ate bitter herbs and remembered captivity and slavery to sin while we tasted fresh salted parsley and took a bite of bitter/astringent fresh horseradish on a matzah cracker. We remembered how terrible it was while “the father” said, “ . . . let the bitter taste bring tears to your eyes. Remember with compassion the tears our ancestors cried in their slavery long ago, and remember the bitterness of our own slavery to sin when we do not allow Jesus to set us free.” Let me tell you, the horseradish brought tears to my eyes! . . . but Nicole had compassion on me. :-)

Then we dipped the matzah cracker with horseradish into some sweet dip that had raisins and nuts and honey and wine. That made the bitterness bearable. Right before we put it in our mouths we said, “We dip the bitter into the sweet to remember that even the most bitter things in life can be sweetened by our hope in God.” This was powerful for me. I recall when my grandmother had a massive stroke several months before she eventually died in 1996. It was kind of a terrible time for my family, a bitter time. But friends of my parents came into the hospital room with us around Zula, my grandmother, and prayed for her and for us. Their presence with us was a reminder of God’s presence and sincerely encouraged us. It is a sweet memory. This part of the meal will probably touch more things like this in my memory in the coming days.

Well, we heard and read more script and tasted other things that made us remember and bless God. Then we feasted! Mike and Dwight and a couple of others served up several other foods like matzah ball soup, lamb, chicken, asparagus with lime, carrots with raisins, this awesome fresh and dried fruit mix, and some other stuff. The food was so good! I joined in serving by passing food around and helping fill people’s glasses. Some of us moved around the table to visit with people on the far side.

Eventually, we moved back to our places, read more script, drank the fourth cup—hallel, the cup of praise, and blessed God some more. It was an unforgettable experience for me, having actually felt the tearful consequences related to bondage and sin, having actually tasted the sweetness that God provides in the midst of sorrow, and having joined in with my brothers and sisters to remember God’s actions and to bless his name.

Climate Porn

I'm proud to say that I'm leary of outrageous and supposedly scientific hype about global warming. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe global warming is occuring as a direct consequence of producing carbon dioxide. However, I doubt hype and shock.

Listen to this: Bjorn Lomborg via Jared's blog

I don't watch tv anymore (Heroes doesn't come back on until April 23), but I do occasionally (almost daily) read Wikipedia. Here are just a small portion of quotes from there:

Sallie Baliunas, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: "[T]he recent warming trend in the surface temperature record cannot be caused by the increase of human-made greenhouse gases in the air." [15] In 2003 Baliunas and Soon wrote that "there is no reliable evidence for increased severity or frequency of storms, droughts, or floods that can be related to the air’s increased greenhouse gas content." [16]

Robert M. Carter, researcher at the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University in Australia: "The essence of the issue is this. Climate changes naturally all the time, partly in predictable cycles, and partly in unpredictable shorter rhythms and rapid episodic shifts, some of the causes of which remain unknown." (Telegraph, April 9, 2006 [17])

George V. Chilingar, professor of civil and petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California, and Leonid F. Khilyuk: "The authors identify and describe the following global forces of nature driving the Earth’s climate: (1) solar radiation ..., (2) outgassing as a major supplier of gases to the World Ocean and the atmosphere, and, possibly, (3) microbial activities ... . The writers provide quantitative estimates of the scope and extent of their corresponding effects on the Earth’s climate [and] show that the human-induced climatic changes are negligible." (Environmental Geology, vol. 50 no. 6, August 2006 [18])

William M. Gray, professor of atmospheric science and meteorologist, Colorado State University: "This small warming is likely a result of the natural alterations in global ocean currents which are driven by ocean salinity variations. Ocean circulation variations are as yet little understood. Human kind has little or nothing to do with the recent temperature changes. We are not that influential." (BBC News, 16 Nov 2000 [24]) "I am of the opinion that [global warming] is one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American people." (Washington Post, May 28, 2006 [25]) "So many people have a vested interest in this global-warming thing—all these big labs and research and stuff. The idea is to frighten the public, to get money to study it more." (Discover, vol. 26 no. 9, September 2005 [26])

Zbigniew Jaworowski, chair of the Scientific Council at the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw: "The atmospheric temperature variations do not follow the changes in the concentrations of CO2 ... climate change fluctuations comes ... from cosmic radiation." (21st Century Science & Technology, Winter 2003-2004, p. 52-65 [27])

Mystery and Wonder

I started adding this tagline to my emails: " . . . they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Click on the title to read an interesting blog post the inscrutability of God and the inadequacy of science (and religion) to explain everything.

Fred Craddock once said something along these lines: I try not to preach with a tone the sounds like I've gone into heaven and taken polaroids of God.

I'm interested in how my family and friends approach God with his inscrutability in mind. Specifically, how do you consider scientific theories of both evolution and creation as explanations for how the cosmos exists?

Guests

We've been hosting wonderful family and friends lately. Unfortunately, we only took a few pictures. However, someday (soon we hope) Hayli will email us photos she took w/ her camera while she and Kim were here.

My family drove up from Abilene, TX, weekend before last. They joined our team meeting and shared some good insights with us which reminded me that we need to be accountable to God and to one another. My brother and Nicole and I practiced running for the race coming up next month (not pictured).









Damien and Miranda drove from Abilene, TX, via the Gatewoods in Tulsa, OK. Nicole and Miranda cooked ANZACs. The ANZAC (Australia-New Zealand Army Corps.) biscuits, or "cookies" in Americanese, were delicious. As I type this I'm reminded that I spilled some of my ginger beer on my keyboard while the Damien and Miranda were with us.

Thursday night, before Damien and Miranda spent their last night with us, Josh came down so we could share our friends, Miranda and Damien, with him, too. (Kendra came down, too, as well as Emily and Corey.) Damien was my roomate for 9 months back in 1999 while I lived in Australia. Now he and Miranda are "older" students at ACU. We really enjoyed spending time talking with this young, vibrant couple.

After Hayli whipped all of us at her favorite card game--Nerts--we played a few hands of Texas Hold 'Em. Kim won. Just for the record, though, I beat Nicole in both games, albeit by one point. This was Kim's first time away from Australia. Hayli grew up there but lives in Oklahoma now. Hayli has been to inner city Memphis a few times before and loves to return, so she joined Nicole and I in sharing this blessed city's people and stories with Kim. Kim and Hayli began driving back to Oklahoma this morning.