Guess what I signed up for...

Guess what I signed up for… Nope that’s not it, guess again…No, I already did that… No, that’s not it either, besides, you know I would never do that! Ok, Give up? I signed up to swim the Ohio River. You don’t believe me? Oh, you do believe me, but can’t believe I would be that dumb. Oh, you believe I could be that dumb, but you figured Karen would be able to talk me out of something like that… Well be that as it may, that is what I signed up for.

So now that I have your attention, let me explain. As you know, I have been enjoying my time swimming at the YMCA. I have been swimming my ¾ of a mile pretty religiously, feeling better when I am done and watching my total time decrease fairly significantly. Well, last week we received the updated YMCA schedule for the fall and one of the opportunities listed was “Swim the Ohio.”

It describes the activity this way: “The Ohio River separates the state of Indiana from Kentucky and creates the southern border of Harrison County. If you could swim upstream from New Amsterdam to New Boston, you would cover 31 miles. Here is your opportunity to say that you swam the Ohio. Pick up a log sheet from the front desk and keep track of the distance you swim.”

“1650 yards=33laps/66 lengths = 1 mile”
(I know there are more yards in a mile than that, but apparently that is considered a swimmers mile, don’t ask me, I always base my laps on a mile being 1760 yards, but for this, I will take the lesser amount:)

“When you reach 31 miles you will receive a t-shirt and a certificate honoring your accomplishment!”

So the way I have it figured, I will have to swim 51,150 yards or 1023 laps or 2046 lengths.

I am currently swimming about 4050 yards per week so if all goes well, taking into account the fact that the pool will be closed for the next 2 weeks for maintenance, I will finish “swimming the Ohio” sometime around the middle of December, (good thing I will be inside, the Ohio could be very cold in December:)

I can already picture myself in my new t-shirt!

Blessings

Uh Oh! I think I just fell off the wagon...

First of all, I think that you would all be very proud of me. It has been almost two weeks on Facebook with some of the most outrageous statements and posts made to date and I haven’t responded to a single one, except in the way that I promised, being kind, uplifting and helpful:)

With that being said, I have to admit that I have been putting some thought into my gut reactions. I have been trying to understand why I feel so strongly, or even care about what others say especially on these inflammatory issues of politics/war/torture/health care…

I think that I have come to the conclusion that I see the world through a much different lens than many of my colleagues, especially the younger ones. I actually feel like I see the world through the lens of a pastor as well as that of someone who has spent the majority of his life not necessarily pursuing a religious calling. Let me explain the tension that I see the world though that my young colleagues don’t.

Let’s look at the issue of war. As a pastor, I detest killing of any kind, I place a high value on all life and am deeply troubled by violence of any kind. I stand by the principle of love your enemies. But, as a practical person, one who has a deep love of history, I also understand that if we followed the ideas and recommendations of my radically progressive colleagues, the world would be a very different place.

Just last century, Germany would have swept across Europe totally unchecked while those who oppose war would want to sit down diplomatically with the Nazi’s and appease them. OH WAIT! That is exactly what happened. Thank goodness for people like Winston Churchill who was willing to stand up and resist the German onslaught.

Once again, while Europe was falling, we sat by, guided by this idea that talk and negotiations with tyrants was the best course of action. We were still negotiating with Japan right up to the moment that the first bombs fell at Pearl Harbor. As a pastor I call for negotiations, I call for peace, but as someone who understands history, I am thankful to those who are willing to walk a post and stand on that wall to keep me safe, while I have the privilege of sitting around and debating about the way in which these types of decisions are made. (sounds a little like “A Few Good Men” doesn’t it:)

I guess what I am trying to say is that there must be a balance and what offends me the most would be those who are unwilling to look outside of their own world view and understand that the issues that we are facing are extremely complex and not simply black and white. Instead, they are filled with a multitude of gray.

So, to my colleagues who believe (and continually post) that they have all the answers and that America is bad, and we are the great evil in the world and that Bush was bad and everything he did was wrong, and that we torture people and that we should have investigations and prosecute everyone from the guy at the CIA who scrubs the floors to Vice President Chaney and President Bush, and that the government is good and only looking out for our best interest and that we should entrust them with 1/6th of our economy because only the government can “solve” these massive problems. I simply ask you to look back one year ago.

Did you trust the government then? Would you want Bush making these types of life and death decisions? Would you trust Bush with making the decisions that are best for you, your family or this country? If your answer is no, to any of these, then perhaps you might pause and look at the world from a different point of view, if only for a moment.

Because, the political pendulum will swing back, there won’t always be someone in the White House that you love and ultimately we need a nation that is strong, we need an intelligence system that works, filled with people who are motivated to do a good job, and we need a government that is by the people and for the people and not one that is a powerful Big Brother ultimately making these life and death decisions for you. Take a little time, study the issues from all points of view, and about the time you think you have it figured out, realize that there is the possibility that after all that, you could be wrong. Approach your conversations in that tone and you will go far. Beat me over the head with how stupid I am, for not believing like you do and I will….. simply turn the other cheek:) That’s my story and I am sticking to it!

Blessings

Maybe There is a Reason I Stopped Flying Radio Control Airplanes:(

You know, sometimes things just don’t work out the way that you plan them. I have been spending a little time here lately trying to get my old RC airplane stuff back up into operation. The first challenge that I encountered was when I realized that perhaps my radios were too old. In 1991 there was a law passed that all transmitters and receivers must be “Narrow Band” Do you suppose that my radios are too old? I know that some of them were bought before 1991. Oh noooo Are they no good anymore? Problem solved! After a bit of research I found that all of my transmitters and receivers are all “narrow band,” One crises averted.

Then I began to go through and check and attempt to charge my old battery packs hoping beyond hope that at least a few of them could be salvageable (perhaps the newest ones) Well, I couldn’t be that lucky, so when I started to look for new battery packs I realized that while I was away from RC flying, the industry had moved from NICAD batteries to NIMH batteries. What’s the difference you might ask? I have no idea, except that NIMH are not compatible with any of my chargers. Well, once again with a little bit of research I found NICAD battery packs for my receivers that I can order online, but I am still not getting any information on the transmitter packs. (Oh the humanity) So I have emailed the manufacturer of the radios and I hope that they will be able to tell me something. Perhaps they can go out to their museum and get the information for me.

So I am not much, if any, closer to getting an airplane in the air than I was a week or so ago. I also heard back from the first RC club that I contacted about possibly joining them and was told in no uncertain terms that they were by invitation only and I hadn’t been invited. LOL I am batting a thousand here:)

Well, so far I still can’t find my primary radio case that has my best radios in it; it is hopelessly lost in the garage somewhere. I don’t have any functioning batteries, I can’t find anywhere to get batteries for my transmitters and I can’t find a club that wants me to fly with them. Other than those small details I could go flying tomorrow:)

Blessings

Been a Long Day!

After a long day, it is nice to sit down at my computer, Odie sound asleep at me feet and all is well with the world. Today was a very challenging, rewarding, difficult, blessed day. I began the morning very early, heading up to Jacob’s Chapel UMC to meet with their pastor and then begin our trek northward to Indianapolis. Our first stop was the Cracker Barrel in Sellersburg where we met the 3rd member of our party and then immediately headed northward to the Cracker Barrel in Seymour to pick up the last of the Southern contingent of our Covenant Group. Along the way, we were yelled at by a State Cop and run off the road by a semi:) Our final destination was BD Mongolians in Indianapolis where we met with the Northern contingent of our Covenant Group.

The meal was excellent. I will have to take Karen there sometime. (Actually, there is one in Louisville) I am not sure if she will like it, but I loved it. After a couple of hours in meetings, we finished our work and headed back home, dropping everyone off at their appointed Cracker Barrel. As soon as we got back to Jacob’s Chapel, I went across the Bridge to Louisville to visit a parishioner who is in Intensive Care at Jewish Hospital (not at all my favorite hospital). This is where my day began to fall apart. First of all there was an accident on the bridge. It seemed to take forever getting across. Then I hit downtown Louisville right at about 4:00 PM. That was a big mistake. After my visit was over, I sat in the parking garage for about 45 minutes trying to get out. Not very good for a car that tends to overheat when it isn’t moving.

I finally fought my way through the traffic and arrived back in Corydon just in time to pick up poor Mimi’s ashes, make a stop at the nursing home and then finally back home to return a half dozen phone calls.

A couple more things to do here on the computer and I am going to relax with a piece of Karen’s B-Day cake and call it a night:)

(Tomorrow is Karen's Birthday:)

Blessings

I Think I am Going Back to Seminary!

I have been feeling a little out of the loop and a little out of sorts here lately as I have been reading the emails that my seminary has been sending out discussing the beginning of a new school year. I have also read many Facebook posts and read the thoughts of my colleagues as they prepare for another year of seminary education. What is missing this year? Me:(

The interesting thing (sad thing) is that I am not sure exactly how I feel about that. I know that I won’t miss those eight hour round trips in the car, or will I? I spent a great deal of quality time simply deep in thought and prayer during those trips. Perhaps on second thought I will miss those trips. (I, of course, am not speaking for my car, It never did enjoy the trips)

I certainly won’t miss all of those hours sitting in class! Or maybe I will. I learned so much simply being in that environment of great thought and ideas. I guess that those hours were so formative that maybe I will miss them after all.

I know for a fact that I will miss the people. This will be the most difficult part of all in not returning to seminary this fall. Ok, now I am getting depressed, maybe I should call over to MTSO and re-enroll in fall classes…Somebody talk me down here!!!!

Wait a minute, I know! I won’t miss the thousands and thousands of dollars that I have had to pay…Ok now I am felling better, and I won’t miss the hours spent writing what other people wanted me to write, and come to think of it, now I have time to read the books that I want to read, and I may actually have a little time for things like kayaking and fishing, oh and that rekindled RC airplane thing.

Whew, I was worried for a moment, I almost had to scrap this ministry thing and re-enroll in seminary. I thought I might have to start all over again just because I was going to miss it so much.

Good thing I talked myself out of it. Besides, Karen would have killed me and then divorced me, or maybe divorced me first and then killed me, either way, it’s a good thing I saw the light before it was too late:)

Blessings

Happy Anniversary!!!

I let a rather important anniversary slid past the other day without really any mention at all. August 12th was the one year anniversary of the beginning of my blog. Over the period of one year I have posted 266 blogs, which compared to 365 days in a year, that isn’t too bad of a percentage. I have had 5061 visits which compared to some of my juggernaut blogging friends that isn’t many, but it is far above what I would have ever dreamed of.

Over that time I hope that you have laughed along with me, cried with me, been angry with me (and at me:) and hopefully, just shared the simple joys and mundane things of life together.

I have been thankful to have you come along with me on this journey. It has been a difficult, wonderful, challenging, aggravating, and inspirational year for me. I have learned more than I could ever have imagined, been challenged more than I thought was possible and accomplished things that I wouldn’t have dared hope were possible. And, you have been with me every step of the way, through the good the bad and yes even through the ugly.

When I began this blog, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to deal with the stress and pressure that was building in my last year of seminary. I had just completed a challenging interview by the District Board of Ordained ministry and they made it quite clear that the road to Commissioning would be extremely difficult. I was facing my last year of seminary, a trip to El Salvador that I wasn’t sure how I would be able to pay for, and oh yes that little thing about the March interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry that would have at stake my entire future in ministry. It was with those obstacles and challenges facing me that a friend reminded me how much better it would feel to write these things down and how much better perspective I could get simply by putting my thoughts and concerns down on paper.

So with that thought in mind, I began my blog, not having any idea if I would write for a week, a month, a year or who knows how long, and certainly not imagining that anyone would be interested in reading my inner most thoughts. (kind of scary sometimes aren’t they:) A year later I can now look back and reflect on those obstacles, some of them were simply mole hills and others truly were mountains. But, through it all, you have been right there with me and for that I am very grateful.

So where do we go from here? Do I keep writing? Do I say to my blog, mission accomplished and put it away until needed again? I think for now I will be a little like Forest Gump when asked why he was running, to which he replied, “I just felt like running” For now, I just feel like writing and as long as it continues to feel like the thing to do, I will keep doing it, and if along the way my writing helps me to make a new friend, become a little closer to an old friend or just help others to realize that they aren’t alone, then I will be very pleased with the result:)

Thanks for sharing this journey with me!

Blessings

BENJAMIN JAMES HIGDON! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!

I just thought I would make a public pronouncement that I am really angry with my son Ben… (Right now, if Crystal, his wife, is reading this, she is saying Uh ohh Ben, your dad is talking about you again, and if Ben is reading this, little beads of sweat are forming on his forehead:) But he did something the other day that I am not sure I will be able to easily forgive.

Has everyone clicked on Ben’s Blog link? If you haven’t, go ahead and do it now. It is titled “Amazing RC Plane Flight.” If he has already posted something new, go ahead and click on it anyway and watch the RC airplane video that he posted. At this point you may be asking what problem I could possibly have with that? (Ben probably already has it figured out) The problem is that it has rekindled a spark and a passion (addiction) that I haven’t had for probably eight years and that is my love for flying RC airplanes. I have already started talking with Karen about where I might set up a workshop here in the parsonage.

This afternoon we took a road trip to Louisville to scope out a couple of Hobby Shops, a pilgrimage that I haven’t made for years. Unfortunately, one of those shops was closed with a bunch of notes hanging on the door, none of which were very nice, with one of them being from the Sheriff. (I doubt that I will be visiting that store in the future:(

I have also done a little research and found the closest Radio Controlled Flying Field, I have been to the Academy of Model Aeronautics web site and got the up to date information on their insurance program. Did you know that the world headquarters for the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is right here in Muncie, Indiana? On the down side, I have discovered that my all time favorite magazine "RC Modeler" has gone by the way of the dinosaur and I have also discovered that there seems to be a big push for electric flight instead of the nitro methane powered planes that we usually fly. Not me! I love the smell of caster oil and nitro fuel in the morning:)

So Ben you have rekindled my addiction, it is just a matter of time before the Big Brown airplane truck starts making regular stops at my house. Don’t you remember the pain in your mothers eyes when you would ask, “Mommy where did Daddy go?” and she had to tell you the terrible news that a new airplane kit was delivered today and that you wouldn’t see your Daddy for months at a time until the new plane was ready for it’s maiden flight. Ben where is your humanity? How could you do this terrible thing to your mother?

Now for those of you who may be concerned about Karen. Perhaps you should know her true feelings about my time spent away at the flying field. It was customary, as the men would all gather on Sunday afternoon at our RC Flying field, to discuss the important issues of the day and to have a time of male bonding. For instance, one guy would boast that his wife told him that he had to be back home no later than 2:00 PM and he would look at his watch, and point to the fact that it was already almost 3:00 PM and he was still there.

Then the next guy would say, “Well I can top that, my wife told me that I couldn’t go flying at all today, and you can see where I am.” Then they would turn to me and expect me to top their story and all I could do was look down, kick the ground and say, Karen just looked at me and said “Don’t you think that you should get out of the house and go flying?” So perhaps being plunged back into this addiction is a good thing. Maybe I should be thanking Ben instead of being angry with him. But as I figure it, maybe it is Karen that will be the happiest. I think she appreciates getting me out of the house any chance she gets:)

Blessings

Encouraged or Frustrated?

I have got to admit that I have been feeling a little encouraged and frustrated here lately. Now you might ask, how does one feel both encouraged and frustrated at the same time? Well that is the problem that I am having. This morning while swimming laps at the pool, I was reflecting on where I started from shortly after July 1st and where I am at now in my exercise program. I remember the first time in the pool, after I had already exercised for about 30 minutes, I swam 1 lap and had no doubt that I had gone as far as I could possible go.

Over the past 6 weeks or so, I have seen some remarkable changes. I am now swimming ¾ of a mile each time I swim and I have reduced my time by a little over 10 minutes. It now takes me about 54 minutes to swim ¾ of a mile.

Another thing that I have found encouraging is that Terry Laughlin in his book Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster and Easier, (If it were only possible LOL) says that only 2% of all Americans can swim a quarter mile without stopping. Well, I don’t know for sure if his numbers are true, but I am pretty sure that I have never been in the top 2% of all Americans in anything before and especially never in any form of athletic endeavor. So whether his numbers are true or not I will just savor the thought that possibly I can now do something that only 2% of the people can do.

So wouldn’t you think I should be very encouraged by all of this?

The frustrating part is that I haven’t seen the good results from the YMCA translating into my everyday life. I still seem to get out of breath way too easy walking up stairs and such. I really haven’t lost much weight. I started out beginning in the middle of June and lost 14lbs pretty quickly, and over the past several weeks I might have lost another couple of pounds. Of course it didn’t help my cause moving here to the sweet tea capital of the world:( I have never been anywhere in my life where sweet tea was so popular, so readily available and sooooo good. It is like getting a direct IV of sugar right into your blood stream:) Even one of my new found friends “Bentley” who is the adopted son (BIG, BIG DOG) of two of my parishioners, drinks (slurps) a glass of sweet tea everyday from Lee’s Chicken. (They do have great iced tea, we went there on Bentley's recommendation)

Another frustration is that I have a nagging mid back pain that I know has been caused by swimming and my shoulders and upper back seems to stay in a constant state of muscle soreness. I realize that there is something to be said for no pain no gain, but I really am a wimp:) I do have a day and sometimes more in between workouts, but the discomfort seems to persist no matter what I do, so I just keep swimming.

So I am feeling a bit encouraged and frustrated. This doesn’t mean that I am "encrusted" does it? I hope not:)

Blessings

I Think That I Owe You An Apology!

As I sit here this evening pondering the past few days, I want to apologize for my last couple of posts. I have begun to realize that this health care debate has opened up some very deep wounds that I thought were basically buried or at least forgotten. I realize now that this just isn’t so. I know that I have shared with you that seminary was a wonderful and meaningful experience where I was challenged, and blessed with viewing the world from a multitude of perspectives. It was also a very painful time where I was often forced into positions of wanting to rebel with every fiber of my being but being unable to even speak out because of the risk of alienating myself from fellow classmates and more importantly from those in power who held certain things like grades over my head.

I still remember one sermon in homiletics class where I gave what I would consider a main stream sermon, but was ultimately chastised by both my classmates and professor for a conservative theology that they didn’t agree with. The result? I received a “B” on that sermon. It was funny that the next time, I gave a sermon that I knew was “acceptable” theologically and of course that was an “A.” I’m not stupid, I learned pretty quick what to say and what not to.

Why do I tell you this? Because I know that my rebelling against this health care debate and the anger in my words is centered 100% in the anger that I felt being marginalized and unable to speak out over the past four years.

So what do I do? I’m not sure. I guess I am most troubled by some of my “friends” on Facebook. Until today, I don’t think that I have ever said anything political or in anger on Facebook (I know, you will say that I save it all for you:) But some of my “friends” post articles and comments on almost a daily basis that to me (as a conservative) are totally unfair, derogatory, sometimes nasty, and frequently untrue.

The problem is that I don’t even think that they realize it. I would love to ask them what they would think if I decided to start posting thoughts or articles from Rush Limbaugh or Conservative Christian voices. I am sure that they would find these as annoying and irritating as I find theirs. The difference is, that I would never do that. I try as hard as possible to be positive, lifting up good things, sharing life and ministry, but admittedly my posts on Facebook have been fewer and farther between because I almost dread going on there because I know what I am going to see.

So here I am, I don’t want to go off Facebook completely because I have a lot of family and people that I really care about on there. Some of you are reading this right now, and chances are if you are reading this you are not one of those people that I am talking about:) (They don’t even know I have a blog, or care for that matter)

So what do I do? Go off Facebook all together? De-friend people? (I don’t want to do that) Just keep my mouth shut and head down? (I am pretty good at that most of the time) Continue to be angry? (I really hate feeling like this) Let these friends know that they have a much larger audience than just fellow liberals and that they could be a little more sensitive to other peoples thoughts and feelings? (would they even care?)

I think that I will just stay away from Facebook for a few days, chill out, and remember why God put me here to begin with, and I assure you that it wasn’t to argue over health care.

Blessings

I Love It When Politicians Tell The Truth!

Ok, I absolutely wasn’t going to do this, but I just read an article that I think everyone should read. It is titled “How to Fight Health Care Fearmongers and Demagogues”by Robert Reich. In case you don’t remember, Robert Reich is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and is a former U.S. Secretary of Labor.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/512/obama-health-care.html

The reason I want you to read this is because of the absolutely remarkable and stunning admissions that appear in this article. As far as I am concerned, it proves every point (well almost every point, it doesn’t address the “death squad” thing:) that those on my side of the health care debate have been so vocal in complaining about. Let me address some of those issues that he brings up.

My friend, Keith, from New Orleans, just emailed to say he attended a local "town meeting" on health care and tried to get a word in favor but was almost hounded out of the room.

Why are these meetings brimming with so much anger? Because Republican Astroturfers have joined the same old right-wing broadcast demagogues that have been spewing hate and fear for years, to create a tempest.

But why are they getting away with it? Why aren't progressives—indeed, why aren't ordinary citizens—taking the meetings back?

Mainly because there's still no healthcare plan. All we have are some initial markups from several congressional committees, which differ from one another in significant ways. The White House's is waiting to see what emerges from the House and Senate before insisting on what it wants, maybe in conference committee.

But that's the problem: It's always easier to stir up fear and anger against something that's amorphous than to stir up enthusiasm for it.

“Mainly because there's still no healthcare plan” Well there you go, Duh! I am so glad that someone has the guts to say it! This is a significant part of the opposition's anger and concern. There is no plan! That is what he said. This is not the Republicans saying this, this is a diehard Democrat. Oh, there are plenty of ideas, but nothing solid and a great deal of rhetoric, but no plan! What the opposition (namely me) is concerned about is that just like the Stimulus Bill. Something, who knows what, will be rammed through the congress in the middle of the night and not even the legislators will really know what is in there until it is too late. This is way to important of an issue, affects too many lives, and costs way too much to be done in such haste. Thank-you Secretary Reich for your honesty!

But that’s not all…

“Admit that taxes will have to be raised and that cost-savings won't be sufficient to achieve nearly universal care. But be absolutely clear that taxes will be raised only be raised on the very top. He needs to decide whether he favors a surcharge on the top 2 percent, or a cap on tax-free employee benefits (which would affect only the very top), or some combination, and then announce which he prefers and why.”

Oh, so it’s ok, thank-goodness, they are only going to raise taxes on the top 2% whoo hooo that doesn’t include me so that makes it Ok. Uhhhhhh NO! It is not ok. We pay enough taxes. We should be looking for ways to reduce the burden not increase taxes. Oh and by the way, something else he said was important, cost-savings won't be sufficient to achieve nearly universal care, if you think that it will only be the top 2% who will pay more, then as my mother would say, You have another think a-coming!

Say unequivocally that the public option is essential for controlling costs and getting private insurers to offer people better deals, not at all a step toward a government takeover of health care.

Yeah Right! You have got to be kidding me, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday! Read on!

Being the one public plan, it will have large economies of scale that will enable it to negotiate more favorable terms with pharmaceutical companies and other providers. (Here, he must clear up any confusion about any deal made with Big Pharma.) But this won't lead to a government takeover of health care. The whole point of cost containment is to provide the public with health care on more favorable terms. If the public plan negotiates better terms—thereby demonstrating that drug companies and other providers can meet them—private plans can seek similar deals

“Being the one public plan, it will have large economies of scale that will enable it to negotiate more favorable terms with pharmaceutical companies and other providers.” I don’t want to be rude to my liberal friends, but this is exactly what my side is saying will happen. The government will by its very size be able to negotiate deals that private insurers couldn’t possibly receive. And going out of business is exactly what will happen to these businesses. (Which in case you haven’t figured it out already, that is exactly what Nancy Pelosi and President Obama want to have happen.)

Sorry, Not done yet…

It will have low administrative costs—Medicare's administrative costs per enrollee are a small fraction of typical private insurance costs—but that's no problem, it's a strength. One goal of health-care reform is to lower administrative costs. Competition with a public option is the only way to push private plans to trim their bureaucracies and become more efficient.


“It will have low administrative costs… a small fraction of typical private insurance costs.” Once again, this will not push private plans to become more efficient as Reich implies, it will drive them out of business. This isn’t rocket science people! This plan will ultimatly force all Americans into a one sized fits all government plan with a total government takeover of health care!

While it's true that the public won't have to show profits, plenty of private plans are already not-for-profit. And if nonprofit plans can offer high-quality health care more cheaply than for-profit plans, why should for-profit plans be coddled? The public plan would merely force profit-making private plans to take whatever steps were necessary to become more competitive. Once again, a plus.

Uhhhh Duh, Once again it shows how unfair, and if you ask me, un-American, this “Public Option Plan” is. First, the for profit insurance companies go out of business, then the "not for profit" ones follow suit, and then there is only ONE, the government plan! Trust me; these people know exactly what they are doing. And as much as they would like for us to simply follow along like “Lemmings,” to use their terms, I am personally grateful for those who have been willing to speak up and say. Not on my watch!

Now's the time for specifics. It's impossible to fight fearmongering lies with nothing but positive principles.

Well, I certainly agree that now is the time for specifics, perhaps it was time for those before they made every effort to pass this bill in the dark of the night to begin with! And, he is absolutely right, it is impossible to fight fearmongering with lies. He does a pretty good job making the case against this bill with his facts!

One final point and then I promise I will shut up and let this go. What was one of the biggest Democratic complaints about George Bush? That he went into war preemptively without even a plan for how to get out! Hmmmmm Does anyone see a comparison here? The American people are being expected to support a bill that really doesn’t exist, and simply trust that all the little details “like death squads” (LOL Sorry I had to put that in there just to cause a little more irritation than I already have:) will all work out in the end.

Put me down as a solid NO! on this one. Now, let’s put this government take over of insurance aside, and talk about the 15-20 things we could vote on tomorrow that we can all agree upon and make some real changes in insurance and in the lives of everyday Americans!.

Blessings

I recommend that my liberal friends not read this… unless you really want to know how I feel about the Health Care Debate!

Ok, I know, it was clear back on Sunday that I posted my last blog. I have both been very busy and also uninspired to write. In reality I have written two blogs that I decided not to post because I really don’t want to start or enter any more arguments. But with that being said, here I go!

I am so sick and tired of this Health Care debate, just as most of the people are who I read their posts and opinions on Facebook and blogs. The problem is that I am firmly entrenched on the opposite side of the argument from most of my online colleagues. (especially my very liberal colleagues) I am so tired of the lies and deceit that I hear in the arguments (of course my colleagues would say that all the lies and deceit are coming from my side of the argument) I am exceptionally tired of the name calling. (of course they would say that the name calling is all on my side)

Here are a couple of points that are being drowned out in the discussion. The problem we are facing is much greater than Health Care reform. This is just the straw that broke the camels back. Many people in our nation are afraid on multiple levels, and not because they are “Lemmings” like I hear from my liberal friends. People are afraid because no one in power is listening to them. (does that sound familier to you, it should, you have been saying that for the past 8 years)

The people spoke up loud and strong and said that they didn’t want to bail out all of these mega companies, and the government did it anyway, both Bush and Obama. The people spoke up loudly when the government took over GM and Chrysler. (I know that I will never by a car manufactured by the government) Once again the government pretty much did what they wanted which was not what the majority of the people wanted. The people spoke up once again on the budget, and once again the government didn’t listen, passing a bill full of pork and earmarks. The people spoke up again when they passed this stimulus package that was never, and will never stimulate anything except the special interests of those in power. Once again the government didn’t listen.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in “tea bag” protests and they were mocked and laughed at and called terrible names by the liberal media. Once again the administration and the government refused to listen, even pretending to ignore the protestors completely. Now, President Obama did everything humanly possible to ram this Health Care legislation down the throats of the people prior to the August break, hoping that, like the stimulus package, no one would really read what was in it. And when he wasn’t successful in ramming it through, the legislators have now had to go home and feel the heat of a people who are extremely tired of their government not listening to them.

And, now that the voices are finally being heard what do our legislators and the media say? That this is an “Astro Turf” movement, that these people are unpatriotic. Even the Speaker of the house had the audacity to say that these people are un-American. These people, people from all walks of life, from white haired senior citizens to young people preparing to vote for the first time, many of whom are deathly afraid of the radical (Yes I mean radical) direction that our country is going. Some of these people have fought for our way of life overseas, and some have lost sons and daughters to protect our freedom. We hear that these “Un-American people are just the radical fringe and that their voices mean nothing and that the government should do what it wants anyway.

What alarms me in this debate is the hypocrisy of people like Nancy Pelosi (and many of my liberal friends) who denounced President Bush vehemently, who called him every name possible, who hammered every word he spoke, who protested the war and said that Bush was evil. These were the same people who supported organizations like Code Pink and Acorn who make it their point to disrupt every chance they can. The hypocrisy I see is that when this outrage was coming from their side, they had no problems with it, and now that the outrage is turned on them, it is now somehow un-American. Oh Please! All I can say is that conservative people have learned these tactics very well from our liberal friends. It certainly seemed to work for them.

To be honest, I didn’t think that there was anyway possible that the political pendulum in this country could swing back so quickly. All I can say is, thank-you Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reed and Barack Obama. You have managed to do in seven months what I assumed would take years and years.

Our country is and has been a center right nation. Bush in the end didn’t understand that, and apparently Barrack Obama doesn’t either. President Clinton figured it out in “94” after the last health care debacle. Is history repeating itself?

Now if you want to have a civil debate on the actual issues of Health Care. I am more than happy to enter that discussion. I believe that health care should be affordable, that there should be mechanisms in place to help those who want insurance to get it. I also believe that we need tort reform desperately. When an OB-GYN has to spend close to one million dollars per year on malpractice insurance, then our system is broken. I believe that private individuals should be able to pool together to buy health coverage and that it should be tax deductible. I believe that people should never have to decide between food and medication and that preexisting conditions should not be held against someone. I also believe that Government does have a role to play in this debate. These among other things are what I believe.

Let the debate begin.

Blessings

I Was Born Under a Wandering Star...

I had the chance to watch "Paint Your Wagon" a couple of nights ago and for the life of me I can't get this song out of my head. "When I get to heaven, tie me to a tree, for I'll begin to roam and soon you know where I will be."

This movie came out in 1969 and all I can say is that they don't make movies like this one anymore. I am pretty sure that my kids would find it boring, but me, on the other hand, I could watch it a hundred times if for no other reason than to hear the awesome music. Songs like, "Paint Your Wagon," "Gold Fever," and "They Call The Wind Mariah" (Mariah Carey was actually named for that song)

I'm not sure about the moral or theological implications of "Paint Your Wagon," but ultimately the preacher wins:) At least that is one way of looking at it. Do yourself a favor and rent this one if you get a chance. (I can't believe that Clint Eastwood was ever that young:)

Blessings

Man's Best Friend is Always Ready

I think by now you have figured out that I love dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, fast dogs slow dogs, fluffy dogs or wiry dogs. It doesn't matter, there is just something about their ability to show unconditional love that I just can't resist. I ran across this piece the other day by Dave Barry that I thought was really great. I am not sure where to credit it to, it came by email, but I thought that you would enjoy it as much as I did. If I could write as well as Dave Barry, this is exactly what I would say about our four legged friends:) (Actually Odie does just about everything in this essay except swallow your arm, he would if he were bigger:)

Blessings

Man's Best Friend is Always Ready

by Dave Barry

I'm trying to convince my wife that we need a dog. I grew up with dogs, and am comfortable with their ways. If we're visiting someone's home, and I suddenly experience a sensation of humid warmth, and I look down and see that my right arm has disappeared up to the elbow inside the mouth of a dog the size of a medium horse, I am not alarmed. I know that this is simply how a large, friendly dog says: ''Greetings! You have a pleasing salty taste!''

I respond by telling the dog that he is a GOOD BOY and pounding him with hearty blows, blows that would flatten a cat like a hairy pancake, but which only make the dog like me more. He likes me so much that he goes and gets his Special Toy. This is something that used to be a recognizable object -- a stuffed animal, a basketball, a Federal Express driver -- but has long since been converted, through countless hours of hard work on the dog's part, into a random wad of filth held together by 73 gallons of congealed dog spit.

''GIVE ME THAT!'' I shout, grabbing an end of the Special Toy. This pleases the dog: It confirms his belief that his Special Toy is the most desirable item in the universe, more desirable even than the corpse of a squirrel. For several seconds we fight for this prize, the dog whipping his head side to side like a crazed windshield wiper. Finally I yank the Special Toy free and hold it triumphantly aloft. The dog watches it with laser-beam concentration, his entire body vibrating with excitement, waiting for me to throw it . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . until finally I cock my arm, and, with a quick motion I . . . . . .

fake a throw. I'm still holding the Special Toy. But WHOOOSH the dog has launched himself across the room, an unguided pursuit missile, reaching a velocity of 75 miles per hour before WHAM he slams headfirst into the wall at the far end of the room. This stimulates the M&M-size clump of nerve cells that serves as a dog's brain to form a thought: The Special Toy is not here! WHERE IS THE SPECIAL TOY??

The dog whirls, sees the toy in my hand and races back across the room. Just as he reaches me, I cock my arm and . . . . . .

fake another throw. WHOOOSH! WHAM! The fake works again! It will always work. I can keep faking throws until the dog has punched a dog-shaped hole completely through the far wall, and the dog will STILL sprint back to me, sincerely believing that THIS time, I'm going to throw the toy. This is one reason why I love dogs.

My wife, who would not touch the Special Toy with a barge pole, is less impressed. She fails to see the appeal of an animal that appears to be less intelligent than its own parasites. Oh, I've tried to explain the advantages of having a dog. For example:

A DOG IS ALWAYS READY. It doesn't matter for what: Dogs are just ready. If you leave your car window open, the dog will leap into the car and sit there for hours. It will sit there for DAYS, if you let it. Because the dog knows that sometimes the car just starts moving, and you have to be ready! Usually the dog will sit in the driver's seat, in case (You never know!) the dog is called upon to steer.

A DOG IS VIGILANT. One time, on a movie set, I watched a small dog walk past a line of six metal light stands. When the dog came to the sixth light stand -- which was EXACTLY the same as the other five light stands -- the dog stopped and began barking furiously at it. The dog would NOT stop. The owner finally had to drag the dog away, with the dog yanking wildly at its leash, still enraged by the light stand. Clearly the dog had detected some hostile intent in this particular light stand, something that we humans, with our inferior senses, were not aware of. We humans were thinking: ''What's WRONG with that dog?'' Whereas the light stand was thinking: ''Whew! That was close!''

These are just a couple of examples of the practical benefits provided by dogs. There are many more, and I have tried pointing them out to my wife, but she doesn't see it. This is why, in our house, we have fish. They're nice fish, but they're not a whole lot of fun. Although they are excellent drivers.

Is This The End? Or Just the Begining?

Well, another week is beginning to wind down. (Or is it just beginning?) The bulletins are ready for Sunday, my sermon is about 80% ready, and about all that I really have left is to figure out what to do for a children’s message. It really is a little funny when I think about Sundays. Most of the time I think about, and refer to it as the beginning of the week, but in reality, at least for me, it is more like the end of the week. Sundays are normally the culmination of a week’s work of reading, preparation and writing. So, for someone who procrastinates like I do, it always feels extra good (if not completely weird) if things are pretty much ready on a Friday morning.

One reason for being so early in my preparations this week is that tomorrow is one of the biggest days of the year at Fountain Church. It is the Annual Fountain Celebration which is really a big deal. They have been busy cooking and preparing for weeks now. The main part of the celebration is a community dinner where over 300 people are expected to come and join in the fellowship. In addition to the fun and fellowship, the church expects to make well over $1000 in free will donations. (Not a bad days work) I found out that my job tomorrow is to eat and talk to people. Whoo hooo, I am very good at both of those jobs. These folks are good at not making things too difficult on me.

So, for a Friday morning, things are actually pretty calm around here. We will take Mary and Andrew back to their Mom and Dad here in a few minutes and then this evening, I think that a band concert on the square will just about complete a perfect week. (Or is that just the beginning of the next week? I never can keep that straight:)

Blessings

Does the AMA Consider Procrastination a Disease?

For those of us who seem to be plagued by this awful disease called procrastination, (I know, it is a self inflicted illness) tomorrow always looks like the perfect day to get things done. Unfortunately, there always seems to be another tomorrow followed by another one, followed by a… well you get the picture. I had such high hopes for my office. I was going to have all my books organized into topics and then alphabetized, everything that I use all the time was going to be right on my desk or at least within arms reach, I was going to have just a perfect, well kept workspace, you know, the kind that would inspire me to do and write brilliant things. (well as brilliant as I am capable of)

But, as you might have guessed, that hasn’t happened yet. As a matter of fact, after one whole month of being here, I still have a dozen boxes, or so, in my office that haven’t even been unpacked yet. The worst problem is that my desk seems to be accumulating mail and books. You would think that now that I have twice (probably three times) the office space that I could find a place to put everything. Well, I guess I have, unfortunately it seems to be right on my desk:(

So, tomorrow is the big day, I am going to get up early, go to the YMCA and then come home and work diligently on my office until it is the show place that I have been dreaming of…

But then again, maybe tomorrow would be a good day to take Mary and Andrew swimming down at the Frank O’Bannon State Forest... and I do have that sermon to get ready for Sunday... oh, and I need to make some changes in the bulletins... well, I also have that meeting with my District Superintendent in the morning... and we have the set up tomorrow afternoon for the Fountain Church Celebration... and I should also stop by and see….

Come to think of it, my office is looking just fine:)

Blessings

Journey's End

These past few days have been wonderful and memorable. Karen has been spending the last week at her Mom’s house, while I have been here, taking care of the home front. Sunday, after church, Odie and I went up to Seymour to meet Ben and Crystal and the kids and from there we made the journey over to the Quad Cities to visit everyone and most importantly, to pick up Karen.

The journey, although long, was uneventful, well if you don’t count the 7 hours of driving in rain and storms today. But, we finally arrived back home safe and sound, ready to get started on this week’s work. It’s funny that today feels a lot like Sunday evening to me. I’m not sure if it is good or bad that when I wake up in the morning it will already be Wednesday.

The best part of the last few days was getting the chance to visit with everyone and to see how much weight my sister has lost and to be able to be with Karen’s Mom on her 80th birthday. I have got to say that the highlight was going to dinner Monday night at Happy Joe's Pizza, a local Birthday tradition in the Quad Cities. (Actually Karen worked there about the time we got married) They always make a big deal out of birthday’s including singing Happy Birthday accompanied by a loud, rather obnoxious horn. Well, Andrew thought that the horn was about the greatest thing that he had ever seen and for the rest of the day yesterday and the trip home today he would spontaneously break out in song, Happy Birthday to you, honk, honk! followed by laughter. You have just got to love the way a 2 year old mind works (his not mine) :)

Well, it’s about time to call it a night and get ready for Monday, uhh errr, Wednesday, or whatever day it is. One thing is for certain, it will be here too soon.

Blessings

Patients and Wisdom

Two of the greatest qualities in life are:
Patience and Wisdom.

This was just too good not to pass on. And you will have to trust me when I say that Odie doesn't posses either of these qualities (the same could probably be said for his owner) :)

Blessings