9-year-old kicks off National Independence Week

Holiday weeks begin with the prior weekend and last through the next weekend—at least in my mind. So... we begin the birthday celebration of The United States of America today. In honor of our great nation, I present:

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s I get older, I find myself dealing with a whole new set of issues—things I never even considered when I was younger. And I frankly do not find them any easier than the things I dealt with as a teenager. I know we like to talk about how difficult the teenage years can be, and it is important for us to show that understanding to our teenage children and friends, but the simple fact is: life is hard! Very hard! No matter what the stage in life, it really is not a beach.

So I’m paying attention to the scriptures that provide encouragement, such as the passage I referenced yesterday (Psalm 37). But I’m also paying attention to the saints who have gone before... including some who are still living but who passed through my stage of life more than a decade ago.

As always, one of my favorites is John Piper, pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, and author of the phenomenal book, Desiring God – meditations of a Christian hedonist. I decided to pick this book up and read it again. I first read it about 10 years ago when I was at a very different place in life. So I’m going to see how it applies to my new context.

Here’s an appropriate quote from the book’s introduction:

The older I get, the more I am persuaded that Nehemiah 8:10 is crucial for living and dying well: “The joy of the LORD is your strength.” As we grow older and our bodies weaken, we must learn from teh Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (whoe died in 1691) to redouble our efforts to find strength from spiritual joy, not natural supplies. He prayed, “May the Living God, who is the portion and rest of the saints, make these our carnal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, that loving him, and delighting in him, may be the work of our lives.” When delighting in God is the work of our lives (which I call Christian Hedonism), there will be an inner strength for ministries of love to the very end.

John Piper, Desiring God (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2003), 11

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urrent events are enough to drive you crazy! But I guess you’ve noticed that—you don’t need me to tell you. I tend to be a worry-wort. I worry about my family. I worry about my job. I worry about politics. I worry about my friends, my church, my car, my lawnmower. Worrying seems to be one of my favorite pastimes.

But it’s not supposed to be that way—at least not for those of us who claim the name of Christ. I am not supposed to concern myself with things I have no control over. And, frankly, I have almost no control over everything.

When I compare my worries to the worries some other people might have, I realize mine are not so bad. I am not homeless, which is a great relief on a day like today when the temperature is forecast to reach 96 degrees. I am not a shut-in or bed-ridden. I have a family, reasonably good health, a great church, a good job, and I live in a beautiful location in a nation that has been truly blessed.

Perhaps I should see what God tells me to do when I am inclined to worry:

Psalm 37

1. Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
   be not envious of wrongdoers!
2. For they will soon fade like the grass
   and wither like the green herb.
3. Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4. Delight yourself in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5. Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act.
6. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
   and your justice as the noonday.
7. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
   fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
   over the man who carries out evil devices!

...

39. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40. The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

If, like me, you are prone to worry, click on Psalm 37 and read the entire psalm. It’s a wonderful salve for a worried soul.

Now... I need to just make sure that I do as the psalmist says.

Waaaaahhh!!! The liberal dream dies

I don’t mean to gloat, but when liberals get themselves this worked up it shows that something is going right in our nation. Let’s keep it going this coming November.

Hopefully, now we can say good riddance to democracy and get back to the representative republic our nation’s founders set up to protect us from the mob rule of democracy.

And here’s a video response to recall election:

Photographer Tadas Černiauskas

You gotta love photography. In what other profession can you have fun like this and get paid for it?

Photographer Tadas Černiauskas captured portraits of willing subjects who posed for the portrait as a photographer’s assistant aimed a running leaf blower at their faces. Check them out here: Blowing in the Wind - Leaf Blower Portraits! They’re pretty amazing (and fun).

Now I’d like to see him do the same type of series, except with the subjects being members of Congress and the Obama administration. Now those would be popular!

Rewriting human history

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have always been fascinated by antiquity. This fascination began early in high school when I learned about the ancient Sumerian civilization. I was later taken with Egypt and then Plato’s Atlantis. And this fascination continues today.

So I was delighted to find this interesting and informative documentary on Hulu, narrated by Charlton Heston—Mysterious Origins of Man: Rewriting Human History.

Blog Header - April 7, 2012

Happy Easter!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday—the day we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection from the dead and ultimate triumph over evil. I’m looking forward to church tomorrow. What a great God we worship!

The above blog header doesn’t have a whole lot to do with Easter. It’s a picture I took during heavy cloud cover up on the mountains. I love the picture. But this header photo is being replaced by the new Easter header, which will become a blog post when I replace it. But for now, I am posting a photo of spring apple blossoms, signifying the life giving power of the resurrected Christ.

Let the whole world rejoice! He is risen - indeed, he is risen!

Aleut (Sugpiag):

Kriiiiistuusaq Ungwektuq! Pichinuq Ungwektuq!

Albanian (Tosk):

Krishhti Unjall! Vertet Unjall!

Anglo-Saxon:

Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras!

Arabic:

Al Maset’h ahm! Hat’em ahm!
and El Messieh Kahm! Kakken Kahm!
and Al Maseeh Qam! Haqqan Qam!

Amharic:

Kristos Tenestwal! Bergit Tenestwal!

Armenian:

Christos harjav i merelotz! Orhniale harutjun Christosi!

Byelorussian:

Khristos Uvoskros! Zaprowdu Uvoskros!

Chaucerean Middle English:

Crist is arisen! Arisen he sothe!

Chinese:

Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!

Cantonese:

Gaydolk folkwoot leew! Ta koksut folkwoot leew!

Church Slavonic:

Christos Voskrese! Voistino Voskrese!

Coptic (Egypt):

PiKhirstos af tonf! Khen o methmi af tonf!

Coptic (Sahidic, not the Bohairic dialect which is the Coptic church's liturgical language):

Pchristos aftooun! Alethos aftooun!

Czech:

Kristus Vstal A Mrtvych! Opravdi Vstoupil!
and Kristus vstal zmrtvy'ch! Skutec~ne~ vstal!

Danish:

Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!

Dutch:

Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!

Eritrean (Tigre):

Christos Ten-si-OU! Ba-Ha-ke Ten-si-OU!

Esperanto:

Kristo Levig^is! Vere Levig^is!

Estonian:

Kristus on Oolestoosunt! Toayestee on Oolestoosunt!
and Kristus on surnuist ülestõusnud! Toesti ülestõusnud!

Ethiopian:

Christos T’ensah Em’ Muhtan! Exai’ Ab-her Eokala
and Yasous Taustwal! Aown Tasous Tanastwal!

Finnish:

Kristus Nousi Kuolleista! Totisesti Nousi!

French:

Le Christ est ressuscité- il est vraiment ressuscité!

Gaelic:

Erid Krist! G'deya! n erid she!

Gaelic (Irish):

Tá Criosd ar éirigh! Go deimhin, tá e ar éirigh!
(Phonetic -- Taw Creest Ereen! Taw Shay Ereen Guhdyne!)

Gaelic (Scotch):

Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh!
and Hah Creeist air eh-ree! Goo jeh-ruv, hah eh air eh-ree!

Georgian (IveroPontian):

Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!

German:

Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrhaft auferstanden!
and Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrlich erstanden!
and Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrhaftig auferstanden!
and Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!

Greek:

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

Hawaiian:

Ua Ala Hou ‘o Kristo! Ua Ala ‘I ‘o No ‘oia!

Hebrew:

Ha-Mashiah qom! Be-emet qom!
and Ha Mashiyach qam! Ken hoo qam!

Hungarian:

Krisztus feltámadt! Valóban feltámadt!

India (Spoken in):

Malayalam:

Christu Uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum Uyirthezhunnettu!

Indonesian:

Krisuts Telah Bangkit! Benar dia Telah Bangkit!

Italian:

Cristo e’ Risorto! Veramente e’ Risorto!

Iyaric Patwa (English dialect used by the Rastafarian subculture of the West Indies):

Krestos a uprisin! Seen, him a uprisin fe tru!

Japanese:

Harisutosu Fukkatsu! Jitsu Ni Fukkatsu!

Javanese:

Kristus Sampun Wungu! Saesto Panjene Ganipun Sampun Wungu!
and Kristus Sampun Wungu! Tuhu Sampun Wungu!

Kikiyu:

Kristo ni muriuku! Ni muriuku nema!

Kpelle (Liberia, West Africa):

Korai aa mu su Saa-yeei! Toya ma, E mu su Saa-yeei!

Korean:

Kristo Gesso! Buhar ha sho Nay!

Latin:

Christus Resurrectus Est! Vere Resurrectus Est!

Lugandan:

Kristo Ajukkide! Amajim Ajukkide!

Micronesian:

Pinglapese—Kreis Isadar! Oh ketin kalowehdier!
Palauan—Kristus a mla mekiis! Ngiima dingar!
Chuukese—Kristus a manaau sefan! A fokkun manan sefan!
Carolinian—Lios a melau sefal! Meipung, a mahan sefal!
Chamorro—La'la'i i Kristo! Megahet na luma'la' i Kristo!

Nigerian:

Jesu Kristi Ebiliwo! Ezia o’biliwo!

Navajo:

Christ daaztsáádéé' náádiidzáá! T'ááníí, daaztsáádéé' náádidzáá!

Norwegian:

Christus er Oppstanden! Sandelig Han er Oppstanden!

Polish:

Khristus Zmartvikstau! Zaiste Zmartvikstau!

Portugese:

Cristo Ressuscitou! Em Verdade Ressuscitou!

Quenyan (Language of the elves in J.R. Tolkien's writings):

Ortanne Laivino! Anwa ortanne Laivino!

Romanian (Vlkah):

Hristus A Inviat! Adeverat a Inviat!

Russian:

Khristos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!

Sanskrit:

Kristo'pastitaha, Satvam Upastitaha!

Serbian:

Hristos Vaskrese! Vaistinu Vaskrese!

Slovak:

Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc~ne vstal!

Slavonic:

Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!

Spanish:

Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad, esta resucitado!

Swahili:

Kristos Ame Fu Fuka! Kweli Ame Fu Fuka!
and Khristos amafafouka! Kwaeli amafafouka!

Swedish:

Kristus är Upstånden! Ja Han är Sannerligen Upstånden!

Syriac:

Meshiha qam! Bashrira qam!
and Qom Msheeho (men qabro)! Shareeroyith qom!

Turkish:

HristosDiril-Di! Hakikaten Diril-Di!

Ugandan:

Kristo Ajukkide! Kweli Ajukkide!

Ukrainian:

Khristos Voskres! Voistinu Voskres!

Welsh:

Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd yn wir!

Yiddish:

Eybershter undzer iz geshtanen! Avade er iz ufgeshtanen!

Zulu:

Ukristu Uvukile! Uvukile Kuphela!

Project 365+ Day 2

Day 2 of my Project 365+

I decided to use my long telephoto lens today—a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. I actually never made it past my front porch before I saw these adorable birds looking for food around our neighbor’s bush. The bird in this picture really seemed to want his portrait taken. I guess he heard about my project.

I obliged him.

Project 365+

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have always enjoyed going out on photo expeditions looking for odd things. At various times I have headed out with my camera looking for pictures of common things taken so closeup that it is hard to identify them, pictures of contrasting light and dark, pictures of complementary or contrasting colors, candid pictures of people touching, crying, and showing various emotions, and pictures of unique architectural elements. That kind of focus on a specific topic of interest always seems to unleash my creativity.

But today I came across a concept I had not heard of before—Project 365. This project is a commitment to take at least one picture every day for a full year. There’s even a web site dedicated to this project [365Project.org]. I liked the idea, but I’m calling mine 365+ because I know I won’t be able to limit myself to just one picture per day.

It ought to be fun.

So today, during my lunch break, I headed out into my yard to get the first of 365 straight days of photography. I wanted to up the ante, so to speak, so I also limited myself to using my Canon EF 80mm f/1.8 fixed focal-length lens. It’s a great lens, but the lack of a zoom makes me carefully consider the shot, rather than just twisting the zoom dial until the picture is cropped properly in the camera. I hope you enjoy these. I enjoyed taking them.

My son’s tire swing with our beautiful flowering Dogwood tree in the background

The Dogwood is the Virginia State Tree and one of my favorites. This is a closeup of the Dogwood flowers

These flowers are from our apple tree. The peak of color for the blooms was almost a week ago, so the flowers are not nearly as plentiful. But everytime a breeze blows, the whole backyard looks like it’s snowing because of all the white apple petals in the air.

Dandelions are weeds, but they’re beautiful when they’re flowering. This one is just under our apple tree and is surrounded by apple blossom petals.

This tree is actually in our neighbor’s yard. I love the deep red leaves.

What's that in the sky?

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here are not many reasons why getting up at 3:45 am in order to leave the commuter parking lot at 4:45 am is a great idea. In fact, perhaps only two:

1. We leave early enough to beat some of the traffic
2. We get to come back home at a reasonable time in the evening

But I think this morning gave me a new reason.

We were driving along at about 5:15 am and our driver asked me if I saw the luminous could shapes in the sky. I bent down for a better view out of the windshield and, sure enough, there were two large "Z" shapes glowing brightly in the night sky. After a while we noticed another long, wispy luminous shape a bit further east. It was an impressive and beautiful display, although somewhat frightening at first.

We speculated on what it could be. We considered the aurora borealis (Northern Lights), although it’s highly unlikely that the Northern Lights would ever be spotted from Virginia. The more fearful among our van riders wondered if it might be military in nature and even a potential attack.

Finally I pulled out my iPhone and went to Space Weather.com where I found an article NASA’s ATREX mission for conducting experiments on space weather. The article said that on March 27th, between midnight and 6:00 am NASA was firing off 5 rockets that would leave plumes in the upper atmosphere, just shy of space. These plumes would then be watched to track the movement of space weather. Cool stuff.

So... getting up at 3:45 am to see something this unusual and beautiful is actually kind of cool.