tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88127286416117542024-02-06T21:24:38.027-07:00Walden's WitsA dad's perspective on homeschooling, parenting and connecting with God.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-40208230055218024762012-09-24T02:40:00.000-06:002012-09-24T02:40:23.869-06:00Who Cares Who Is Right?I found two interesting quotes tonight.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I don’t see any place in the Bible where Jesus says to be
right. And I see a lot in the Bible where He tells us to learn about love.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- <a href="http://www.lordsaveusthemovie.com/home.html"><i>Lord, Save Us From Your Followers</i> movie</a></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the other is, </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his
mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to
a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Paul
of <st1:city>Tarsus</st1:city>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:2&version=MSG">1 Corinthians 13:2</a> <span style="font-size: 6pt;">(Msg)</span></div>
</blockquote>
So often, ideas thrown around on the internet and discussed and prodded and poked and foisted upon people and packaged and presented and overmade and remade that a high emphasis is made of being "right." I'm less concerned today with being right than I am concerned with mirroring and becoming God's love to those around me.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com/">Kylie</a>, my 16 year-old just told me,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Being right inflates our pride, while love requires being humble. It's easier to focus on ideas. With writing, there is so much to learn about it. If you focus so much on the how, the rules, the technique, you can actually stop writing. What makes you a writer is <b>writing</b>. If we focus on theology all the time, there's little time to actually practice our Christian faith by putting the love we learn about into action.</blockquote>
Well said, baby girl.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-64528733549955984972012-09-15T15:01:00.000-06:002012-09-15T15:01:19.601-06:00Talking to someone with a chronic illness<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-left" width="350">Talking to someone with a chronic illness <a href="http://t.co/4ewfngzN" title="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/11/health/invisible-chronic-illness/index.html">edition.cnn.com/2012/09/11/hea…</a><br />
— Steve Walden (@stevewalden) <a data-datetime="2012-09-15T20:58:44+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/stevewalden/status/247077012060135424">September 15, 2012</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-26244322498423547992012-09-08T15:05:00.001-06:002012-09-08T15:05:34.241-06:00Denver Broncos to support Colorado with helmet decal - NFL.comAfter a very long summer, I appreciate the Broncos making this gesture. More importantly, I hope their visits to the victims will help bring healing to the wounds Colorado has suffered of late. <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000059753/article/denver-broncos-to-support-colorado-with-helmet-decal?module=HP11_content_stream">Denver Broncos to support Colorado with helmet decal - NFL.com</a>: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-78961270223107403912012-07-26T07:50:00.001-06:002012-07-26T07:54:48.520-06:00I Forgot To Type the Title of the PostNearly everything I've written lately has not been posted here. It's partly because my blog here is stalled. I wanted a better set up, a smoother appearance, a better this, a nicer that, and in my ignorance, I let my domain expire rather than transfer it. A word of advice about custom domains: Never, ever let them expire. All the momentum I never realized I had gained here went away when that happened. I should have listened to that little voice in my head that said, "Wait!"<br />
<br />
So. My momentum is no more. My "mo" is no mo'. Not exactly a shining achievement, but like my friends who lost nearly everything in the Waldo Canyon Fire, I have a chance to start fresh here. I have a few ideas that I'm starting to firm up. This blog will continue to publish as I go, making changes on the fly. Wherever I go, I'm going to do all I can to take you, my friends, along. I will be careful not to lose you again!<br />
<br />
Why haven't I been publishing? Partly because my walk with God had hit a coasting spot. If you've walked with Him for any amount of time, you'll know what I mean by coasting. He's not really talking much, and I'm not in any hot water with any one. Nothing seems to be in crisis (aside from fire, flood, and famine, which we've seen before, to one extent or another). I just came to think that there wasn't really anything going on in my walk. Boy, was I wrong! Never ever (is there an echo in here?) believe the lie that God isn't working 24/7/365 on you!<br />
<br />
Sure, there will be moments when there's peace around you and he's not visibly altering your heart by pressing it in a vice and heating it with fire, but that's where I got tripped up. I thought that since he wasn't coaching me and I kept talking to Him, that everything was fine and there were "no worries." It's the tagline from a <i>Jaws </i>sequel that haunts me: "<i>Just when you thought it was <b>safe </b>to go back in the water...</i>"<br />
<br />
It's always that problem that hangs just beneath the surface. Worse yet, it was contributing to my lack of writing. It seems to me that nothing is worse than a constipated writer. Sorry for comparing this to such a base idea, but when a writer is not writing, it's not that he's stopped writing. It's that he's stopped listening with his heart and writing from what he hears. All the other stuff he's written is not from that spot and the works range from little bits from his heart to what could be considered busy work.<br />
<br />
I had been up all night, struggling over the issue, when I had finally resolved to "fix" the problem with what appeared to be the only solution. That's when my wife, wonderful Karen, asked in a middle-of-the-night croaky voice, "Did ya pray about it?"<br />
<br />
"What?!" I responded in anger. Whoa. Wait a minute. Did I just yell at my wife? Yep, I shamefully confess that I did, and I was clearly in the wrong. Sorry. The worst part of it is that I hadn't consulted the God Who knows better than me in every circumstance. Sorry, again, Poppa. So I did, and He showed that He's got a better solution than I have. He is faithful, providentially faithful, even when we are faithless. He has never failed me to give me what I need, even if it's not always what I want.<br />
<br />
Your brother in the Lion of Judah,<br />
Steve<br />
<br />
PS: If you want to read a bit of <b>good news</b> that has come as a result of last Thursday night in Aurora, <a href="http://bstrait.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/a-miracle-inside-the-the-aurora-shooting-one-victims-story/">there is a story of God's grace</a> that, with a little help from me, has gone viral. Petra (PAY-tra) is a graduated homeschooler who already has a gift that shines even as her mom struggles to extend her days here with her. Brave young lady! I'm praying for her and all the others affected by this tragedy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-25369675604453967672012-06-04T17:27:00.001-06:002012-06-04T17:28:59.610-06:00Chasing the Changes, Changing the PagesSo. What has been happening at Walden's Wits? Not much, obviously. This blog is "in transition," to put it mildly. I deliberately let the domain WaldensWits.com lapse because I really didn't want to spend my family's already precious income on what is essentially a vanity. That might change, especially if finances pick up again in the fall like they usually do. While I understand that some folks may not be able to find my blog anymore, I don't know that many folks found the custom name terribly memorable. In the meantime, suggestions for new names on this blog can be <a href="mailto:waldenswits@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mailed</a> or commented. This being a personal blog, it's themes will change from time to time, but something on my name or my nicknames will surface eventually and we'll change the name.<br />
<br />
My life tends to oscillate between learning and teaching. When I started this blog, I was a gainfully employed husband and father of a toddler and two children under 10. Now those children will all be over 10 in a year or so, and my disability has prevented my full-time employment for most of that time. My family has started a ministry, a business and a few other ventures. I'm having to learn what it means to parent teenagers, how to manage hormones that aren't my own, and to do so without stressing myself out and making my condition considerably worse.<br />
<br />
I was a blogger advocating homeschooling as an education choice, which, because of it's own merits, is like advocating safer driving or Arbor Day. In doing so, I felt a little bit like a boy scout helping a linebacker cross the street. Much of the educational community seems to have decided that homeschoolers are going to fight any abrogation of their rights and figured they would be better off trying to "help" homeschoolers back into schools with programs rather than harass or intimidate them. Right now, there's just not that much controversy, not that I sought controversy, but it <b>is</b> what makes some blogs popular.<br />
<br />
Instead, I found my best work encouraging others in their efforts to educate their kids at home. Homeschooling is going strong and my wife and I continue to educate our kids exclusively on our own, a freedom we appreciate immensely and continue to support wholeheartedly. But change happens. Our local homeschool group disbanded, and it's emphasis on mothers didn't exactly help fathers engage. Our larger homeschool agency suffered a <i>coup d' état</i>, falling to folks whose views run contrary to our own, leaving us unaffiliated with a conference and without that seasonal boost to get us re-focused.<br />
<br />
Rather than focus on these issues, I've wanted to keep my tone positive. The problem came when I held myself back from saying things. It shuts me down and I haven't wanted to write about it. I guess that may keep me out of a fight, but if I want to write, it's not such a good idea. <br />
<br />
So. This is truly in transition! I'm not someone to champion a person or cause because anyone short of Jesus Christ is going to have problems and imperfections. I'm so fiercely loyal, I get wrapped up in those issues and my imperfect character and intellect can end up hurting a lot more than myself, and that is difficult to shoulder. I want to help, not hurt, protect, not proselytize, confirm, not condemn. I will continue to aspire to the positive. But I can't keep silent on issues I see. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I don't want to drag everyone in with me. I'll simply recognize the error--hopefully--and go on. In the meantime, I need to give myself permission to just say what's on my mind and not take so much in the way of self-censorship. I might even float the odd fiction piece or poem, even if there's plenty of bad fiction and even worse poetry already out there. I will either add to the dross or let my work be judged worthy of someone else's attention. In the meantime, stay tuned!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-72579157690109185552012-02-04T21:38:00.002-07:002012-02-04T21:41:53.693-07:00SP: Blimey Cow - Seven Lies About HomeschoolersMy kids have introduced me to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/blimeycow?feature=watch">Blimey Cow</a>, a YouTube Channel that's run by a collegiate home school student. He's definitely up there in terms of humor, but incredibly insightful too. Seven Lies About Homeschoolers is perhaps the most helpful and insightful commentary about home education I've seen all year. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yeah, it's February. So?</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xJHt-m3VX6o" width="560">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;D&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://youtu.be/xJHt-m3VX6o?hd=1">Click here to watch</a> (<a href="http://youtu.be/xJHt-m3VX6o?hd=1" target="_blank">in a new window</a>)</small><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>This post is designed to be sticky (thus the SP designation), so it may appear out of sequence for you.</i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-44773167144747328842012-01-16T14:43:00.000-07:002012-01-16T14:43:49.285-07:00What I'm Learning About MeI've been writing lately, just not publishing. I'm not sure why, but I'm thinking it's something to do with depression.<br />
<br />
I have been fighting depression most of the time I've been blogging, mostly because my loss of abilities has coincided with the advent of the blogosphere (circa 2005-06). I deeply enjoy my personal blog because I have the freedom to write about anything. The publishing or lack of it is because I self-censor a lot of it. Either I think it's not worthy of other's attention, or it's "just not quite ready" to show the world.<br />
<br />
What I need to be doing is finishing the Christmas letter I publish every year and send out to my friends and family. Yes it's January. It's okay because it's usually a re-cap of the year. Part of me wonders if the "season" of writing those letters is over, or if it's an attempt by the enemy to suppress our testimony, our recount of the way God has worked in our lives. I'm just not sure.<br />
<br />
Doubt, obviously, is a part of this depression.<br />
<br />
Then there's the other reasons for my depression. I've gained weight again. I'm over "four and a quarter" now. 30.4 stones, that doesn't feel nearly as bad as stepping on the scale does. I am frustrated because I cannot exercise in any meaningful way, and every change to my diet seems to fall short. Please know that this is not an invitation to tell me about your diet or miracle cure.<br />
<br />
Chronic fatigue is merely the surface of the issue. I have sleep apnea, which directly feeds the CFS. I have all sorts of neuropathy, but thankfully, my feet don't burn like I've heard others describe. My back is usually hot to the touch and inflamed. It requires ice packs 24/7. My arthritis in my back is not responsible for all of it, either. I have hemangiomas on my spine. Those are benign tumors that, like their name implies, are mostly blood. My arms, legs, back and neck are wracked with spasms unless I continue to take supplements. It's amazing how those supplements help, thanks to a dear friend who suggested them after years of patience and kind prayers. Friends like that are few and far between!<br />
<br />
I have skin issues, as well. I have stumbled onto one of the best dermatologists in the state, if not the world. What's worse is that he seems to know it, without my saying so. Colorado is one of the most likely places in the US that a person will contract skin cancer (<a href="http://www.tchd.org/pdfs/update7.07_skin_cancer.pdf">pdf</a>), so he is in the right place. I get in to see him almost more often than my CFS doctor. The only problem is that I leave his office feeling like a hunk of swiss cheese. I have been lucky thus far.<br />
<br />
My hobbies occupy my time, but I don't lose perspective. Much. Sometimes, I feel it's more of a job than a hobby. I just wish I'd get paid for the job part.<br />
<br />
I have found out the following in the last year:<br />
<ul><li>I love maps, with a passion. It's my need to explore. I used to lock myself in a bathroom with the most recent Rand McNally I could find and explore those distant places in my mind. I discovered how pathological this had become when I found out the USGS lets you download PDFs of their quadrangles at no cost. I have over 32 GB of the 7 1/2 minute series alone. Like I said, pathological ...but harmless.</li>
<li>I enjoy peppermint tea nearly as much as coffee</li>
<li>I like a peculiar juice blend, but I'm not sure what I can call it without saying a <a href="http://www.nakedjuice.com/our-products/juice">word</a> that would get my blog reclassified by the bots.</li>
<li>I cannot tolerate soft drinks with HFCS, because it messes my blood sugar up. On the other hand, a little bit of birch beer or a soft drink with real sugar in it is greatly enjoyed and doesn't mess me up as long as I have other food to go with it. This and the fact that I've always been borderline hypoglycemic makes me nervous when I think about my recent weight gain.</li>
<li>My kids have adjusted to my disabilities much easier than I have. I know that you get less pliable as you age, but I didn't realize how far this extended to psychological aspects.</li>
<li>Reading the names of USGS maps to my kids can be as funny as anything on TV. It's easy to giggle about names like:</li>
<ul><li>Badger Wash - How do you wash a badger?</li>
<li>Bald Mountain - Is it worried about its receding tree line?</li>
<li>Barking Dog Spring - There's a story there ...maybe</li>
<li>Bears Ears Peaks - There are two of each?</li>
<li>Big Hole Butte - 'nuff said</li>
</ul></ul>And that's just the B's in northern Colorado. <br />
<br />
I'd better hit publish before I self-censor again. Thanks for reading, and hopefully this doesn't come off as narcissistic, just self-absorbed. There's a lot of disclosure here, but I hope I haven't surprised anyone.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-43557103166185712902011-11-27T10:44:00.000-07:002011-11-27T10:44:29.294-07:00Shane & Shane "O Come Emmanuel"<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QIApy9rd7jw?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
http://youtu.be/QIApy9rd7jw<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-6028489209755608022011-11-03T12:36:00.000-06:002011-11-03T12:36:03.035-06:00Why Colorado's Prop 103 Failed<b>Why this year?</b> Colorado had a state-wide ballot issue on an off-year election this year with the hopes of stacking the polls. Most schools hold their school board elections on odd years because, quite frankly, they're not willing to risk asking the bulk of the population to pick their board members. They'd rather have it on years when voter turn-out is low because the teachers unions can more effectively work to keep their union-friendly--or union-intimidated--board members in power. Likewise, if the teacher's union stands to gain a windfall into their feeding trough via a tax increase, <a href="http://rossputin.com/blog/index.php/vote-no-on-colorado-proposition-103">like Proposition 103</a>, putting it through on an off-year election is when it's most likely to succeed. <br />
<br />
<b>What happened?</b> The upset was apparent in the polls this week. <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19252176">Colorado voters roundly rejected the tax hike by nearly a 2-to-1 margin</a>, even though commercials <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1p6Tm_nonvc">like this one</a> (note the lack of inspiring Colorado mountains, Colorado homes, or Colorado anything) pulled at the emotions.<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/colorado-rejects-higher-s_0_n_1070688.html"> HuffPo n' Co. stated unequivocally</a> that school budgets have been "decimated." Heavens. It's enough to make a school administrator reconsider <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/movies/16cartel.html">that Lexus purchase</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>Why did Prop 103 fail? </b>In short, it failed because of mail-in ballots that allowed the public to still voice enough of a general opinion. The Denver Post article addressed a tax hike's chances next year, saying,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Maybe when this economy turns around, and people feel a little more confident with their personal situations, people will be a little more willing to talk about it," said state Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, who led the 103 coalition. <br />
<br />
Some advocates had even wanted to mount such an effort in 2012, something [Boulder Democrat State Senator, Rollie] Heath said was now unthinkable.<br />
<br />
"I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell," he said. "In a presidential year? To do what we need to do to educate folks? I don't recommend doing anything in 2012."</blockquote>Glad to see that even liberals believe in hell, by the way.<br />
<br />
Seriously however, Heath was saying that it would be too costly, that too many people would turn out to vote next year for them to stack the polls in their favor. My belief is that unless the economy makes a turnaround in 12 months, the polls could turn even more hostile towards government solutions toward any issue, not just the majority that it's failing at.<br />
<br />
I'd like to think that the public's perception is that it really doesn't take a lot of money to educate children. After all, if homeschooling families can both support a government funded school system with their tax dollars and still produce students who on <b>average </b>out-score 9 out of 10 public school students. and entrepreneurs, along with the occasional star athlete, there must be more at work than money. Maybe successful students start at home. On the other hand, others may not see it that way. Maybe they're just ignorant and greedy, like Rollie Heath seemed to say. But I hope not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-15668785763238551402011-10-07T11:39:00.000-06:002011-10-07T11:39:10.558-06:00Todd: Jobs; Around the House, the Heart Is Where Dads Do the Real WorkI have long followed <a href="http://www.familymanweb.com/">Todd Wilson</a>, a homeschooling father like me, who goes across the country speaking to other homeschooling dads and moms, unlike me. If I had boundless energy and established donors and speaking contacts, I still wouldn't have the God-given anointing to do what he does to bring homeschooling families the encouragement he does.<br />
<br />
Todd's transparency, his willingness to admit his failures to live up to his own ideals, places him in a unique class of legitimacy and sincerity. His tag line, "You da dad!" means simply that each father occupies an irreplaceable role in the lives of his children and that each of us are called to step up and fill the role. It doesn't shift with the changing nature of relationships and the sense of impermanence that pervades today's society. We are the ones who shape the next generation into what they will be, by our presence or, regrettably, by our absence. Our children need things--irreplaceable things--from us as dads that they will never get from their moms or from anyone else in their lives; our approval and our blessing, to name two.<br />
<br />
Did I get all this by listening to Todd? Maybe. Or it could be that he simply confirmed what I've known in my heart all along. Regardless, I've grown under his leadership and direction as he teaches by his own life and experiences, which enables his sometimes brutal honesty to cut through all the malarchy and flotsam of being a parent and a person in ministry, two roles I can appreciate more than most. <br />
<br />
His latest dispatch from the trenches was about the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the most visionary leaders of technology the world has seen in the past 200 years, perhaps since creation. No, I'm not putting you on, and yes, I'm a PC person. I haven't supported Apple since the Apple IIc in 1985. Yet, even the most hardened PC proponent must recognize Jobs' role in making the technological world what it is today. Nonetheless, Jobs' accomplishments didn't really matter in the big scheme of things. Nor did Newton's or Edison's or anyone else's. They were all human, they died, and what really mattered was who they loved and who loved them. That's true greatness. Todd gives hints of this in his latest update.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Hey Dad,<br />
<br />
I hope you’re doing great, but I’m feeling a little somber. It started last night as we were gathered in the familyroom to watch one of the original Anne of Green Gables movies. My oldest son Ben (18) walked into the room and announced, “Steve Jobs just died.”<br />
<br />
I imagine it was a little like that evening in the 60’s when they announced that Walt Disney died, especially for a technology kid. Ben is also a techno-kid, so for the last 2-3 years he’s kept us abreast on all the latest Apple inventions and upgrades, Apple stock, and the news that just a few weeks ago Apple passed Exxon as the most valuable company in the world.<br />
<br />
Today, the tech-world is eulogizing him…recounting his story, his unique personality, and the gizmos he invented that have helped shape the modern world.<br />
<br />
To tell you the truth, I can’t stop thinking that all he worked for, sacrificed for, and cared about…didn’t really matter. Don’t get me wrong. I think all the iGadgets are cool, but I would just about bet that he wasn’t thinking about iGadgets during his last few moments.<br />
<br />
In fact, his name will soon fade (my little kids didn’t know Walt Disney was a real person), and someone else will control the iUniverse.<br />
<br />
The truth is that some things matter and some things don’t…iThings don’t matter but iDads and iHusbands DO.<br />
<br />
So, Dad, go love your wife and children…and change the world!<br />
<br />
You ‘da iDad! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.familymanweb.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXK0ef1MV4eZqUpCYEh_gGoXp17cdSs4NxLzyl6jP2qNv8DM-KYFIUfORmNQjh7pUnEuduvpTxdOs9TVwzhb5X0vbS7IIguDo25tXT0OiiSosiVrrtiEuPsMhOBHR_WmD2zbuV2CI1w/s1600/toddsignature.gif" style="cursor: move;" /></a></blockquote>There's little to say after all that, except that, the further I go in living with my disabilities, I'm realizing that my role as a husband and a father has so much less to do with my abilities than it does with my heart and my will. I could never lift a finger again and yet be a successful father. Though I can't walk out my love for them by providing for them and working with them on things, I can love them with my heart, my eyes, my words, and my care of their hearts. I will not always have them in my home as I do now, but being a father, as my own father is showing me, never goes away. I will live forever, and I will love forever as well.<br />
<br />
Much peace,<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-24107455307666882242011-09-28T18:45:00.000-06:002011-09-28T18:45:32.295-06:00Adoption Is A Love Most WonderfulSomething very close to my heart is adoption. No, I have not adopted a child, but I'm very open to it, if finances allow. Stories that feature adoption continue to move my heart. I believe it's because I've grown in my faith to view myself as a child of God, which very closely parallels adoption. Paul repeatedly used adoption to help his readers understand the faith, telling the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:14-16,22-24&version=NIV">Romans</a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%204:4-6&version=NIV">Galatians </a>and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%201:4-6&version=NIV">Ephesians</a> that as Christians, we are adopted as sons (and daughters) into God's family.<br />
<br />
Like everyone else born on this planet, I was born into the wrong "family." I did not know God in my heart. I was lost, and, if God Himself had not intervened, I would have died never knowing Him, nor ever finding my true home. He did intervene, thousands of times before I was born and likely many more after. He chose me, not because I was better or worse, happy or sad, or even because I was born to good (or bad) parents. He chose me because He loved me. He made me His son when I had no concept of what that meant.<br />
<br />
Adoption is a most wonderful love. It says, "You belong to me. I give you my family and those I dearly love. I give you my name that identifies me, so that you and I are linked together for all time." <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ADOPTING_ALLI?SITE=NYPLA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT#123d0696-1608-43a9-9305-853c9d06b605">Perhaps this story</a> that my daughter found on a friend's Facebook page best reflects this. I guarantee you will appreciate reading it.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-58131542995884447292011-09-28T18:04:00.001-06:002011-09-28T18:05:26.219-06:00Walden's Wits ReturnsAnnnnd, I'm back!<br />
<br />
If you have been trying to check this blog recently, you most likely got a 404 error or something similar. It's because a service I was using to bring you WW decided to take its servers down permanently. Oh well. It was free and I got what I paid for. Now I'm using a paid service and I'm happy. <br />
<br />
I know I haven't been super prolific lately and I'm grateful for my readers (both of them). I'm okay with it, because I can only do what I can. I'm no longer interested in personal success, if I ever was. I just want to be faithful to God and who He's made me to be by loving Him and loving those around me as sincerely as I can. <br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-3789762891803267652011-08-29T21:51:00.002-06:002011-08-29T21:57:38.933-06:00What A Pain!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/mYItQasdn8I?rel=0" width="560">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;www&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.painfoundation.org/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">www.painfoundation.org</span></a><br />
<br />
Pain is something I live with every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, week in, week out, year after year. I have a pain doctor who works with me fairly well. Others whom I've met haven't been so lucky.<br />
<br />
What would my life be like if pain relief was as important as some of the other causes out there? I know the answer would be "Better," but what would we have to say no to as a result? I'm not sure, but in my own case, I'm pretty sure it would be worth it. Pray for me, and the millions like me, who live with chronic pain. <br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-66092220490302419372011-06-30T00:50:00.002-06:002011-07-03T01:09:03.548-06:00Of Summer, Steaks and Suffering By ComparisonIt's been a tough few weeks. Physically, I have more energy, but pain, insomnia, and "fibro fog" have also been high.<br />
<br />
Here we are at the end of June already! It seems like only a few days ago, we were sitting down with our long-time friends, Andy and Sarah and their family, to a dinner of the best steaks I can remember eating. They were <b>that</b> good! A slow cook over charcoal made it even better. Great googly-moogly, if you want to make me salivate this 4th of July, offer the following menu! <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul><li>Steaks, USDA Choice or better, thick cut and broiled medium-rare to medium over wood or charcoal</li>
<li>Cherries, bing or likewise, chilled with a bowl for the pits</li>
<li>Fromage with Litehouse homestyle ranch, including</li>
<ul><li>cucumbers, English because they are easier to digest</li>
<li>baby carrots</li>
<li>celery </li>
</ul><li>Bavarian potato salad, heavy on the vinegar, sauteed onions and bacon</li>
<li><a href="http://www.simplyorangejuice.com/">"Simply"</a> Lemonade, Limeade, Raspberry Lemonade or just chilled, filtered water over ice</li>
<li>For--slurp, smack :-p~ --dessert, any or all of the following (he-he!)</li>
<ul><li>Apple or peach pie, homemade, a la mode with <a href="http://www.haagen-dazs.com/products/five.aspx">Hagen-Daz Five</a> or <a href="http://www.breyers.com/products/Original/French-Vanilla.aspx">Breyers All Natural french vanilla</a> (ingredients: <span id="lblIngredients">Milk, Cream, Sugar, Egg Yolk, Natural Flavor, Natural Tara Gum, and none of <a href="http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/food_additives_preservatives.php">this nonsense</a>)</span></li>
<li>Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies--a Sam's Club <a href="http://shop.ghirardelli.com/product-exec/product_id/283/nm/Triple_Chocolate_Brownie_Kit">mix</a> but there's others, a la mode (see above), using very high altitude (6000-9000 Ft ASL) adjustment</li>
<li>Banana Bread (my mom's recipe) with thick slabs of butter or cream cheese</li>
<li>Banana cream pie (my grannie's recipe) with plenty of meringue</li>
</ul><li>Finally <a href="http://www.peaberrycoffee.com/profiledark.htm">Peaberrys</a>, <a href="http://storefront.serranoscoffee.com/products/13-italian-roast.aspx">Serranos</a> or <a href="http://www.tucancoffee.com/page20.html">Tucan</a> espresso, pressed or drip, with whipped cream, half and half and <a href="http://www.dominosugar.com/">Domino</a> sugar to taste</li>
</ul>We are not going to a friend's, so I can give such a menu without imposing. Regardless, the steaks were truly amazing! It almost made up for my foul mood.<br />
<br />
Yep, you heard me. Even with the best meal, I can find a way to ruin it with my mood. It may be that not everyone noticed, but I'm pretty sure they did. So what happened? Why was I in a foul mood? It's a lot more complex than this, but the short of it was that I listened to the accuser.<br />
<br />
The way it worked was that he whispered so quietly that I didn't even perceive the words so much in my mind as I understood them in my heart. It went something like,<br />
<blockquote><i style="background-color: #666666; color: #cfe2f3;">Andy has all these things wrong with his body, but he still pushes himself to provide for his family. They see his hard work and they love him. But you ... how can you even say you love your family if you don't even do that?</i></blockquote>To which I responded, "But he's ripping himself up every time he does that. The scars would be too much! How can he expect to survive if he's pulling himself through knot holes every day, trying to make it work? And then, either my mind was taking over or the enemy perceived far more than I typically give him credit for, but a voice responded, "At least his scars would be scars of love."<br />
<br />
I now see how a lot of the issue was rooted in my disabilities. Andy is similarly disabled but different both in how he was disabled (the trauma) and how his body has responded to the trauma. I saw how he was striving and pushing and, instead of having God guide my response, I let the accuser of the Brothers sneak in.<br />
<br />
The clincher was the comparison I naturally drew between his actions and my own actions, which haven't been nearly as spectacular. In fact, I often feel like-- well, it's as if I bought some land with the hopes of building a dream home. I have all this concrete poured and set. The foundations are laid and to the best of my knowledge, it's ready for the first floor above ground. You know, the level people can look at from the edge of the property and say, "That looks like a house being built." It's sat for years, while I recover and deal with what my body experiences on a daily basis.<br />
<br />
Even now, I feel my frustration rising. I'm stopped. I feel that I am doing anything but building a house. I'm writing. I'm praying. I'm parenting. I'm husband-ing. But in the middle of all this, I've got a body that sees even this as a <b>major challenge!</b> I don't want to whine, and I don't want to <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2029:16,%2045:9&version=NIV">judge my Creator</a>. But this is the subtext into which the accusations were injected, and it poisoned everything I said or thought that night.<br />
<br />
That issue has sat for weeks. I dealt with the lies pretty soon afterward, but I didn't have much in terms of truth to replace it aside from the general, scripture-based "first aid." I had stopped the bleeding and got the swelling down, but somewhere, there was something functionally wrong that I didn't have the Spirit-led tool to fix it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Then, yesterday morning at 4 a.m., I'm awake, never having slept. I tried most of my tricks to get to sleep. I even tried reading about Unified Field Theory, which is something that gives my brain a good jog. Usually, letting my mind run off and ponder the big stuff of Creation gives it a way to bypass my insomnia. No luck. So I go off and hop into the bath. If I'm going to be awake, it might was well be doing something that helps me generally. My wife, who supports me and loves me, even at 4 a.m., brought me our little hand-sized Bible.<br />
<br />
So I asked Him, "Lord, what should I read?" I got <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%206&version=NIV">Galatians 6</a>. There it says,<br />
<blockquote>If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for <b>each one should carry their own load</b>. (NIV, emphasis mine) </blockquote>The inner thought-life of a kid with a learning disorder is just brimming with comparisons. I learned to judge others and judge myself, with a little help from the Accuser. Such judgments were anything but right. They were all in contradiction to the Word. I need to consider only my own actions, and let God look after the others. God is the only One who judges perfectly. His grace is perfect and holds all my frailties and mistakes. I have nothing to worry about in His eyes. There's no test, no performance objectives, and no comparisons with anyone.<br />
<br />
Jesus came to set us free, for freedom's sake. That's it. All I need to do is be. I am God's kid. I look up to Him, rely on Him, depend on Him, and live in Him. I don't have to perform. I don't have to meet someone's approval. By the shed blood of Jesus, which was the greatest, most terrible sacrifice ever made, I am under His grace. That's the freedom. I receive His love and it spills out on everyone around me. How hard is that? I rest in the incomparable love of God.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-59741030311254580062011-06-20T13:30:00.001-06:002011-06-20T13:32:53.206-06:00God Can Do the ImpossibleGod can do the impossible.<br />
<br />
A woman cries over the only son she ever had, lost at the hands of a ruthless murderer. 17 Years later, she has ... well, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/07/eveningnews/main20069849.shtml">watch this</a>.<br />
<br />
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" background="#333333" flashvars="si=254&&contentValue=50106093&shareUrl=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/07/eveningnews/main20069849.shtml" height="315" salign="lt" scale="noscale" src="http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="475"></embed><br />
<br />
God can help you forgive. God can do the impossible. What you seem to think is irredeemable, unlovable, immoral, and irreconcilable, is not. Instead, it is redeemable, lovable, justifiable, and certainly reconcilable. The body and blood of Jesus is the answer. His death makes all things possible. His resurrection makes us a promise.<br />
<br />
Instead of focusing on what I have lost from my disability, I choose to focus on what I am able to do with what He's given me today. It may not be running all over the mountains, jeeping with people and telling them about the love of God. Would I rather be doing that? Sure, but that's not His purpose for me, at least not today. Today, it's sitting in this chair and sharing a story I happened across by "chance."<br />
<br />
"It is no secret what God can do," goes the old song. Indeed, God can do the impossible.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-5196264312888270172011-06-17T14:53:00.000-06:002011-06-17T14:53:03.471-06:00God and Debt, Practice and ProvisionOne thing my wife and I have been trying to do the last eight months is pay down our credit cards and get out of consumer debt. It's one thing to use a credit card to maintain a standard of living that you can't truly afford anymore. It's quite another to be at an absolute minimum and still need things like food and heat after all the money is gone.<br />
<br />
We were living on credit a long while before we neared our maximum and could not keep the vultures from circling. We went into foreclosure, nearly losing our house, until friends stepped forward and helped us cure our mortgage under Colorado law.<br />
<br />
Since then, we have never been late on a mortgage payment, and hopefully we never will be again, although July looks a bit sketchy because of a downturn in our business. God knows, and he's already there at July with what we will need. I know it. I believe it. He's told us we "will not lose our house for financial reasons." He gave me a "<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%206:36-40,%202%20Kings%2020:8-11&version=NIV">fleece</a>" that came true to the letter, and that's what we hung on to during the foreclosure. If I hadn't received the fleece, I would likely have listened to the folks around me and sold our home to a vulture.<br />
<br />
God has stepped in like that from time to time, giving me what I needed to make a crucial decision. It's not my talent or abilities that saved us. It was His word to us and his children around us hearing his voice and obediently giving. Trusting His power and grace to meet us where we were was all we could do. We had no other option.<br />
<br />
<br />
So where was I? Credit cards. God has allowed us to go into credit card debt. We've prayed and felt His leading was to do what was necessary to provide for us. That may fiddle with people's theology or their fiscal theosophy, but that's where we were. He has always told us in those times that He will deliver us from the debt. But that doesn't mean He will the next time we may run short. It's His provision, so it's His call.<br />
<br />
Yet He's also given us enough the last eight months to not just stay out of adding to the debt, but to pay down the debt. But which cards to pay off first? Do we knock off the little ones regardless of the interest rate? Or should we pay down one of the larger ones first? If so, do we pick one with a low rate or a high rate? We don't get any particular direction, spiritually, so we set out to find the smartest way. The <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/what-debt-to-pay-off-first.aspx">answer</a> was a little surprising. <br />
<br />
I want to do what brings God the most glory with every aspect of my life, despite--and often through--my frailties. It's not about me, or my finances, or my family's future, really. It's about Him being willing to meet us in our need and acting to put us in a position that only his Son really deserves. He's powerful and wonderful and glorious in His work. We get what we don't deserve, and His providence is more than enough for what we need. Praise His name!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-60342202005879728402011-05-31T17:26:00.006-06:002011-05-31T17:47:13.574-06:00Fox, Elway and Bowlen, Listen Up: Keep Tim Tebow<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm1d3oX6tJtQ-clDEryVnzOeVfsKpyCN75QB5P2kcVgyvSRvmyyRuvXyOjagYlozrc7jhPKjCzztgt05nHrBH8OUavj_S5rQOET7oDrBDe3J2tuadmrvInKp3rFQS0J6qBSxhLoM-9w/s1600/Tebow+1st+minicamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm1d3oX6tJtQ-clDEryVnzOeVfsKpyCN75QB5P2kcVgyvSRvmyyRuvXyOjagYlozrc7jhPKjCzztgt05nHrBH8OUavj_S5rQOET7oDrBDe3J2tuadmrvInKp3rFQS0J6qBSxhLoM-9w/s320/Tebow+1st+minicamp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.associatedpress.com/">AP</a> Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I am thrilled to see home-educated Tim Tebow <a href="http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/MP4/SB101v1_Web_WS">continues to be a light</a>. He is one example of a properly sheltered child now thriving as an adult in a hostile environment. I pray for him, because the NFL is not without it's temptations, and all of mankind is very frail when it comes to resisting them.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://denverbroncos.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Hz2tkGxJXaimhkaAt-vq-WXRQMrgzd7U4WOJ3yWLZhDD1GnhD3ewSb9gtZkxVkLs49Ok0hXEwFUleQaLZ3C12Foh2xv2CmJQZ2Myo60PkYmvYv3kGdwlpe2z5pHlxL5dMsYQke8D7g/s200/Full+Bronco.gif" width="141" /></a>There are rumors--and that's usually the case--that the Broncos could trade Tebow. I'm not sure I could continue to be a Bronco fan--even after 35 years!--if they traded him. I would be <b>that </b>disenfranchised with the organization. <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/15033189/players-locked-out-but-broncos-tebow-locked-in">Lockout or no lockout</a>, Tebow is a <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/29693786">leader</a>. Tebow is the future and <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/121470-tim-tebow-and-the-nfl">he will change the nature of the game</a> if he's given enough flexibility. Denver <a href="http://www.huliq.com/10164/tim-tebow-thinks-he-has-believers-john-elway-and-denver-broncos">needs</a> this guy. They really do.<br />
<br />
Is football eternal? I know that if we have nothing better to do in heaven, there's been enough saints in the game football will be an awesome game. I'll be a great lineman or linebacker for a team. It is battle and strategy. It is conquest and struggle. Those are things that God has placed in this man's heart, as he has in <a href="http://www.ransomedheart.com/">others</a>. If there is not a battle to be fought against the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=MSG">dragon</a>, football would be an excellent way to express God's gifts inside us. I love Him and what He has made inside me<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCzccXAF8Lo">.</a><br />
<br />
Salvation from God through the blood of the Lamb is the message that Tim's life is devoted to <a href="http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/">spreading</a>. From his position, if he makes God his refuge, he can't lose. The Broncos and the NFL are not eternal, but the people hearing Tebow's message will live forever if they put their faith in the Gospel.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><br />
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PS: Here's a great part of that <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/15033189/players-locked-out-but-broncos-tebow-locked-in">long CBS article</a> I linked above:<br />
<blockquote>"When you go to the Pro Bowl, those guys are typically not only the greatest players but the ones that work the hardest. But Tim is a little different, from what I've heard," said John Lynch, a future Hall of Fame safety who invited Tebow and Miller to address the crowd at his annual foundation luncheon, which honors Denver-area youth who excel academically, in sports and the community.<br />
<br />
"He's my neighbor so I see him," Lynch continued. "He's out on a mountain bike going by and it looks like he never has a down moment. We were having dinner one night at some folks' house and the lady was a great tennis player. Next thing you know they break into a ping-pong match. Tim's sweating. And she beat him the first game. He was going to stay until he won. I mean, he <i>would not leave</i>."<br />
<br />
That's not to say Lynch, an analyst for FOX Sports these days, doesn't recognize the "serious legitimate questions" about Tebow's ability to smooth over his mechanical flaws on the field and break free of the spread-offense tendencies the former Heisman Trophy winner learned in college. <br />
<br />
"There are a lot of things he has to prove," Lynch admitted. "But there's an aura. He's got that aura, for whatever that's worth. And that means something to me."</blockquote><br />
It means something to me too. Go Broncos! Go Tebow!<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-90557289644205670012011-05-10T16:16:00.001-06:002011-05-10T16:24:13.419-06:00GraceWhat I posted <a href="http://www.waldenswits.com/2011/05/living-pro-life-living-proof.html">yesterday</a> was missing something. Sin is sin. It never stops being what it is. Yet what I just told a friend is something I need to say here. I told her,<br />
<blockquote><span data-jsid="text">Remember too that your Daddy's view of things is the only view that matters. What some would count gain, He calls loss and what is by all other accounts a loss is great gain.</span></blockquote><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Yes, a living being's existence is cut off by abortion. It is murder, heedless of Supreme Courts and counselors, legal and psychological. It is one of so many violations of the law. There's not one person who hasn't broken a part of God's law. Yet there is one Advocate Whose counsel even God heeds, the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth. He's the only One Who can plead our case before the Judge of all creation.<br />
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<span data-jsid="text">He died, but he's not dead. He lived a sinless life, laid it down of His own choosing, and then He took it up again, incorruptible and whole</span><span data-jsid="text">, appearing to more than 500 people in person. Yes, that Man is Jesus. He's your personal advocate before His Father, God, if you'll just ask Him.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35o_6dMW6-M8TVfeBe0EIKfb1-6L9PVoYrhgeqFukGXOVPQWdPDP7eKJlIhrStuuX7hOhrV4APor97ijvaxkaNtEaDTaG_YNegxR0rV2lrPwNq8kOhSyP24zhGAEKKZbOv40MJWuFkw/s1600/Grace.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35o_6dMW6-M8TVfeBe0EIKfb1-6L9PVoYrhgeqFukGXOVPQWdPDP7eKJlIhrStuuX7hOhrV4APor97ijvaxkaNtEaDTaG_YNegxR0rV2lrPwNq8kOhSyP24zhGAEKKZbOv40MJWuFkw/s400/Grace.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span data-jsid="text">Yesterday, it was easy for me to post about abortion because, thankfully, I've never been in the position where getting one was a temptation. Yet, that's not because I was "pure as the driven snow." I was a sexual addict. I was introduced to pornography at 7 years-old. I was led into temptation, and I led others into temptation. Is it easy to talk about? No. My addiction led me to take relationships with girls my age and older than me and allow the sex that should have been within a committed marriage relationship and let it grow without that commitment. Physical and emotional intimacy became a glue that bonded us together and when we eventually separated, it tore at our souls and left gaping wounds in our hearts. The sex never satisfied, and the consequences could have much greater than they were. I often regret the hurt I caused, but I continue to pray that God would work in their lives for good.</span><br />
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<span data-jsid="text"> </span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">I sinned big. I am guilty. Regardless of my contrition, I am worthy of being stoned under some Middle Eastern legal systems, according to Eric Metaxas. In chapter 14 of (deep breath) <i>Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God (But Were Afraid To Ask): The Jesus Edition</i>, Metaxas writes, in an advanced Q-and-A format,</span><br />
<blockquote><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Wasn't Jesus all about forgiveness and love, while the God of the Old Testament is about judgment and anger?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: No.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Why not?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Because Jesus made it absolutely clear that if you want to know what the God of the Old Testament is like, look at Him--at Jesus. He actually says that.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: But how can that be?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: It's true that Jesus is all about forgiveness and grace. But it's not sloppy forgiveness or cheap grace! He still sees sin as horrible. But that's what makes the forgiveness so important. If sin were no big deal, then forgiving sin wouldn't be any big deal. But it's a very, <i>very</i> big deal. Take the passage where Jesus saw the woman caught committing adultery.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: I'm not sure I know what that passage is. Care to refresh my memory?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Of course. It's the scene from the Gospel of John, where Jesus came upon a woman who was about to be stoned because she had been "caught in adultery"</span></blockquote><span data-jsid="text"><br />
</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">I need to break in at this point for two reasons, neither of which are truly important, but it's my blog, so thbbt. First, where's the guy who was presumably the other half? If it takes two to tango, where's the other partner? The guy might just have been someone powerful enough to evade being charged. It always bothered me until I realized Jesus knew who it was, regardless, and justice did not escape him.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">The other reason is the scripture he's referring to: </span><br />
<h4 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">John 8</span></h4><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26383">1</sup> but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26384">2</sup> At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26385">3</sup> The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26386">4</sup> and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26387">5</sup> In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.</i> <i>Now what do you say?”</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26388">6</sup> They were using this question as a trap,</i> <i>in order to have a basis for accusing him.</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i>But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26389">7</sup> When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone</i> <i>at her.”</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26390">8</sup> Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26391">9</sup> At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.</i> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26392">10</sup> Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i><sup class="versenum" id="bg_passage-26393">11</sup> “No one, sir,” she said.</i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i>“Then neither do I condemn you,”</i> <i>Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”</i> (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A1-11&version=NIV&src=embed">John 8:1-11</a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/?src=embed">New International Version, ©2011</a>)</span></div><span data-jsid="text"><br />
</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">Now, back to my block quote...</span><br />
<blockquote><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q.They really did that back then?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Yes, and they still do it today in parts of the Middle East. It's an awful way to die. Many of the early Christians were stoned to death. Stephen, the first martyr of them all, was stoned to death.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Okay, so this woman was about to be stoned.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Yes. She was about to be killed. Executed. And it's because she committed adultery.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Sounds harsh.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: It <i>is </i>harsh. It's extremely harsh. But Jesus stepped into the situation and said, "He how is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: What does that mean?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Well, first of all, it's amazingly clever. As I've said earlier, Jesus always said things that made the listener really think. He immediately stopped everything and made people thinkmore deeply about the situation. So in this case, He said, yes the Law of Moses says we are supposed to stone those who commit adultery. Correct. And who can disagree with the Law of Moses? After all, Jesus said that he had come to "fulfill the law." But ... and here is the big but ... He then said, okay, whoever among you has not committed a sin can throw the first stone.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: I don't get it.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: He didn't say not to follow the Law of Moses, but He showed <i>the limits of</i> living by the law. He said that it's easy to point our fingers and to have no grace for someone else who has sinned, but what if we think about our own sins. That changes things.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: So then what happened?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Then, one by one, the men who accused this woman slinked away. None of them was able to remain, since each of them knew that they were themselves sinners. As soon as they thought about it, they realized they were guilty too.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: What about the woman? </span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Jesus then said to the woman, "Where are those accusers of yours?" And she said that they had left. And then Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." So obviously Jesus hadn't taken lightly what the woman had done. <i>He called it a sin</i>. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: I have to say, I don't normally think of Jesus as someone who accused people of sin. </span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Right. And He didn't accuse her, really. But He did call a spade a spade. Adultery is a sin--and a particularly grievous sin that harms a lot of people, not least this poor woman. But Jesus showed grace and love toward her. That's what was so new and shocking. He immediately offered her grace and love and forgiveness. That's not something we see in the other religious authority figures. They seemed to have no idea what grace and love and forgiveness were.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: That's the Jesus I have an image of, the one who is forgiving and kind.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: Yes! But keep in mind that you can't offer forgiveness if you don't also say that there's something to forgive--as in a sin. Adultery is a serious offense. It's heartbreaking. Jesus didn't sugarcoat that. But He also realized the woman needed grace and forgiveness in the midst of her sinning. She didn't need condemnation. And He didn't condemn her. He realized that she was already condemning herself. She was already sorry. What she needed was love and forgiveness. And of course that 's what He gave her.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: So Jesus is all about forgiveness.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: But again, it's vital that we see forgiveness for what it is. God graciously forgives us, but He does want us to misunderstand. He's not offering us cheap grace, to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Who?</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: We'll get back to that. The point is that sin is ugly and harmful--to us and to others. It's not a small thing to commit a sin. And to forgive sin is to do something that is costly. And that's what Jesus does. He loves us and forgives us at a cost to Himself. Ultimately we see that in His death on the cross, but forgiveness is always costly.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span data-jsid="text">Q: Okay.</span></div><span data-jsid="text">A: So He wants to forgive us for our sins. But He doesn't treat it lightly. The more you see how awful sin is, the more you realize how important forgiveness is. So the God of the Old Testament's attitude toward sin is no different from Jesus' attitude toward it. He wants us to see how awful it is precisely so that we can turn away from it, so we can ask for forgiveness and be healed. But if we don't see how awful it is, we won't take it seriously enough to turn away from it. We need to know how bad it is; otherwise, we won't ask for God's forgiveness.</span></blockquote><span data-jsid="text"><br />
</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">Whew! Sorry for the long quote, but Metaxas puts it just the way I needed to convey it.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">There's a quote from <i>Braveheart </i>where William Wallace is about to be executed by torture. The judge, who oversees the ordeal with authority to cut the torture short and end Wallace's life if Wallace confesses his wrong, calls out to the crowd, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BTTCsY7LXU&feature=player_detailpage#t=121s">Now behold the awful price of treason</a>!" Jesus Himself suffered an even greater torture before His death. Mel Gibson produced both <i>Braveheart </i>and <i>The Passion of the Christ</i>, which accurately portrays the torture and death of Jesus. Gibson himself knows his own need to be forgiven, even before his widely-publicized sins, when his left hand appeared in The Passion, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsa_YspZiGI&feature=player_detailpage#t=424s">holding the nail for it to be driven into Christ's hand</a>, pinning it to the cross. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text">Under the law, I am a traitor, committing treason, sowing sedition, and blaspheming the name of the King. Under the law, I held the nails to be driven into His hands--the hands that that created <b>me </b>and my world. He forgives <b>me</b>? I cause such irreparable harm, and he chooses to heal me? I was Malchus, sent to arrest Jesus as a criminal, a fitting wound from Peter, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufopd5KJFrQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=131s">cutting off the ear that listened to Caiaphas and his lies</a>, and yet He picks up my flesh, restores it to me, and then goes on--unasked--to redeem my life? How? Why?!</span><br />
<br />
I am a great and terrible sinner. I have no worth on my own. Yet my weakened, cracked clay pot is the one He chooses to place inside the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:6-10&version=MSG">greatest treasure</a>. Why? Such short words come in answer: Love. Grace. Mercy. Such tiny words so full of meaning, all the posts in all the blogosphere could not do a rendering adequate to what He's given. The God who created the stars and other amazing beauties craves to love me, craves my love in return? How is that possible? Whatever the answer, I have an eternity to figure it out. What's more, if He could love me, I know He can love anyone, especially you.<br />
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Will you let Him? Will you open the door? <a href="http://www.ccci.org/how-to-know-god/would-you-like-to-know-god-personally/index.htm">Answer the door of your heart</a>. It will change everything.<br />
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As it is, in my humanity, I easily lose sight of the grace. I too easily slip into the mob and join the accuser. I fall in my pride, and need to be reminded. Someday, I will not forget so easily. He will keep me in His grace and love and forgiveness faithfully, even when I am faithless. Someday, I will not forget. Someday, and that's my hope.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-47652371094260122382011-05-09T00:10:00.052-06:002011-05-09T00:10:00.215-06:00Living Pro-life, Living Proof<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl7kWwvnJXBMW4QI7q2ecrE3X6dgam09otshsia0z-jUh4ZWC020IJ-uVZROasjWIBOYZinZ6m7o_uthK94qNTPsXr621AchXDrdWOOGSEpRwa4GdJxrBof5iBh-uqqWs3RY-JsNikQ/s1600/living+prolife+living+proof.png" /><br />
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I am pro-life. I have been since age 6. I will be pro-life whenever I die, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%204:13-18,%201%20Corinthians%2015:50-58&version=MSG">if I do</a>. I am among the first children born in the era of the federalized SCOTUS pseudo-law, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_McCorvey">Roe</a> v. Wade." <br />
<br />
That is ideology. I have very scientific and moral reasons for this belief. I also have a very scriptural foundation to believe that abortion and euthanasia are wrong and those who practice it, practice evil. It is what I believe to the core of my being. That is my ideology.<br />
<br />
When it comes to walking that ideology out, it means my family and I raise funds for our local pregnancy ministry every Spring. We even show up to some meetings for donors. I write our representatives in congress. I even write our newspaper editor. We are pro-life.<br />
<br />
But we've never been forced to make a decision like <a href="http://jessicacouncil.blogspot.com/">Craig and Jessica Council</a>. <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-young-mother-with-cancer-sacrifices-life-for-unborn-child">Their story</a> is intense, gut-wrenching and all-too-real.<br />
<br />
They are pro-life, and like a doctor said, they lived every bit of it.<br />
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<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><br />
<div style="color: #cccccc;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Living Pro-Life Living Proof graphic (c) Walden's Wits 2011</span></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-55747573141049895272011-05-07T05:30:00.000-06:002011-05-07T05:30:00.081-06:00Video of the Northern LightsI've always wanted to go see the northern lights (<i>Aurora Borealis</i>). <a href="http://www.wpyr.com/">White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad</a> might have a special someday. Or maybe I could form an expedition to go find the Rio Grande's lost Mikado locomotives not seen since WWII. Maybe I should set the intermediate goal of recovering my mobility and energy from Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Baby steps, right?<br />
<br />
Until then, this video will serve as inspiration. <br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21294655" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
Isn't that just the coolest? I think I know how they did most of the shots too. Such amazing camera work!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-40000217970072037022011-05-05T16:43:00.001-06:002011-05-05T16:49:02.001-06:00Air Chamber Versus Foam MattressI have sleep issues, this we know. An <a href="http://restministries.com/2010/05/15/sleep-number-bed-vs-tempurpedic-mattress-which-is-better/">article</a> at <a href="http://restministries.com/">HopeKeepers</a> asked which alternative bed (air chamber-sleep number versus foam) would be best for people who are chronically ill. Here are the comments I <a href="http://restministries.com/2010/05/15/sleep-number-bed-vs-tempurpedic-mattress-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-752">posted</a> ...<br />
<blockquote>I have had both an air chamber bed and a foam bed. Both of mine failed for the reasons specified (leaks and shape, respectively). It can be a real bummer when you've invested so much into both. The foam mattress reeked of chemicals for a few weeks, which was horrible for my Fibromyalgia sensitized-nose! <br />
<br />
I have arthritis in my upper and lower back. The air chamber bed had interlaced chambers so that it didn't create the "hammock" effect on my back. This was the best support for my lower back and I did not "toss and turn" all night with Fibro pressure points like I do with my foam bed. I miss my air chamber, especially because it also used a memory foam pad on top. Nonetheless, the problem remains that there's no way to patch them well enough to keep them inflated, and the warranty from a company that no longer exists isn't worth much anymore, anyway. <br />
<br />
I am waiting for technology to catch up with my needs on this. Springs and water are too hard. Air is to leaky. Foam is too "even" and un-adjustable. Maybe a floatation tank? (in my dreams!)</blockquote>I'll let you know if I have any other thoughts, but I need to work on my other posts. I have many posts for WW that I've begun, but few have made it to the publish-able point. Ah, the life of a writer with chronic fatigue!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-9258268345988136992011-04-25T08:44:00.114-06:002011-04-25T08:44:00.052-06:00Logic Applied To Glowing MonkeysI am not a scientist. I do not earn money for working in research. Yet even I can spot that there's something logically wrong with <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2001-01-11/health/green.monkey.02_1_rhesus-monkey-jellyfish-gene-human-diseases?_s=PM:HEALTH">this article</a>, given to me by a friend.<br />
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The issue is within only four sentences, which, oddly enough, are all together. Here they are: <br />
<blockquote>Three monkeys were successfully altered in this way, but only ANDi survived.<br />
The jellyfish gene was used, Schatten said, because it is known to be harmless and because it is easily detectable.<br />
ANDi appears normal so far - he does not glow the way a jellyfish does. But the two other monkeys who got the gene did exhibit florescence.</blockquote>Okay. The first sentence says three monkeys were genetically altered before conception, with two dying and one named ANDi surviving. The logic starts fine there, but the next sentence throws a curve. It says that a gene from a jellyfish was used because it is harmless and detectable. Harmless? Two of three died, although we don't know if it was the gene. Yet, the third and fourth sentences point in that direction pretty conclusively. It says ANDi doesn't glow like the other two did.<br />
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If the gene was detectable by making the monkeys glow, and ANDi doesn't glow, under the conditions set by the scientists, it should mean that the gene didn't take with ANDi and he's normal. Further, if the gene did take with the other two, and they died, wouldn't that point in the direction of the cause of their death? Regardless, if a drug killed two-thirds of its patients, I don't think the FDA would classify that as harmless.<br />
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Taking a step back from the internal logic of the article, I have a problem with the research described--but especially if it's pursued and embraced by the same illogical thinking that's in the article. History shows that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics">eugenics</a> were all the rage in the first half of the twentieth century, but Nazi Germany's attempts at producing the master race raised the moral and ethical questions needed. Was it right to sterilize, imprison, or kill a human being because they were somehow undesirable? Was it acceptable to breed humans the same way as animals to reduce some characteristics while enhancing other characteristics? What of the societal implications? Wouldn't genetic modification create two classes of humanity, regular, dull, dim-witted, scrawny, four-eyed freaks and new, improved, genius-level, brawny, clear-sighted humans? Many such questions still apply to the genetic research happening today.<br />
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Will we, as a society, someday be forced to live a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/plotsummary"><i>Gattaca</i></a>-like existence instead of the life we choose? Would there even be room in such a world for the disabled, the wounded, or the born imperfect? Man will always have a choice, but mankind will also be forced live with the consequences of the choices made. I know that eliminating genetic weaknesses toward disease feels right, but all the years we could buy--even the world itself--will seem hollow if the price is our conscience.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-85256899663384807122011-04-19T12:12:00.099-06:002011-04-19T23:20:04.732-06:00From Training A Child To Training A Young Man<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i>We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging for a very important letter from a father to his son. </i></span><br />
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Dear Son,<br />
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This letter is reaching you in April on your birthday, but I started it in January. Something this big is going to take planning and I need to get all the head start I can. I'll get to that in a moment.<br />
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You're 12 today. Yea! A solid dozen years of life is now under your belt, and that's terrific! Things haven't been easy for you all the time. You've stuck to your chores, and as you've gotten bigger and more capable, we've given you new ones. However, it's not just that you've grown more capable. You've grown more responsible as well. You don't shirk from doing the job you've been assigned.<br />
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You've learned the physical and demanding game of football, so much so that I respect your abilities and your talents. If you continue to practice, work hard, and stay true to your desire, you could certainly play high school in a few years, and from there, there's only One Who knows how far you can go.<br />
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Because of these changes and because you are my son, we're going to be training you in things that men are expected to be able to handle. I will teach you all I know about plumbing, household maintenance, car care, and more. I'll train you in driving. I will help you begin to think defensively and how to guard yourself and your loved ones to protect them as best you can.<br />
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I will be giving you scriptures to memorize so that you have His Word hidden in your heart. I know from experience that there will be times in your life where you are glad you committed the Scriptures to memory, times where having a Bible is too impractical but where you can bring up out of the storehouse of your heart the solid, insightful truth as you are led by the Holy Spirit. That is the true use of the Sword of the Spirit.<br />
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I will be praying with you, teaching you how to meditate, and how to cultivate an active prayer life. I've already worked with you on hearing the Spirit. My hope is that we can improve on this with time and patience.<br />
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We will consider all of this part of your homeschooling, but more importantly, I pray that in the end, you will consider this the most valuable part of your early education. I say early education because, really, you never stop learning. But if you start good, if you have a clean, stable foundation, whatever you place on top of it will be in good shape.<br />
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Son, I love you. I know you are getting older and I am racing to fill your mind and heart with what you need when you leave. I pray I give you everything God wants me to give you. If I do, I know I will have done as good a job as I can. In the end, I want to hear "Well done! You are good and faithful. Enter into your Father's happiness." As you grow, you will hunger for that more also.<br />
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As we move forward, my goal is not to create another "Steve," but to help you become the best you possible in God's sight. Remember that this may not be the same as the best you in the sight of the world. We need to keep talking about this as we go.<br />
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I love you, son. We are different in some ways and the same in others. In all, I find you a wonderful boy and future man. You bring me happiness and thankfulness. You are a blessing of God in my life, and I am thankful for you.<br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
Dad<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-91011407320598105022011-04-02T16:12:00.005-06:002011-04-02T16:12:00.183-06:00Tapping The Wallet For A New Set Of KeysI haven't posted a great deal in a great while. It has been difficult, to say the least--ha!--to not write so much. Part--no, most of it has been due to the wonderful disabilities I live with. I've also been on a bit of an introspective where God has been speaking and I've been taking notes. I'm not sure where this latest leg of the journey is going, but it's been a healthy trip so far I think. My identity and its impact on others has been a lot of it. <br />
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What have I been doing lately? Most of the time, I've been coping with aforesaid disabilities, specifically Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Other than that, I've been blogging on my railroad blog as a hobby. I've been coping as my family transitions to a new family business, helping my children manage the transition and offering as much moral support as one dad in a chair can.<br />
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More recently, I've been adjusting to life with a <a href="http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Ergonomic-Keyboards/Freestyle-Adjustable-Split-Keyboard">new keyboard</a>. I don't normally buy things so expensive, but this was an absolute necessity. For years, it has hurt to type. Really, I've needed this keyboard since 2003 or so. For a long time, I knew what I needed, but I didn't know who made it, or where to get it. Now that I have it, the knots and spasms in my upper back have had much less to complain about. They still make a fuss, but it's just not made nearly as bad as when I was using the old keyboard. <br />
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Winters are hard to endure when you have certain arthritic conditions. It's painful, and most folks don't discuss it because it's something non-arthritics can't relate to. Pain, it seems, makes more people than just the sufferer uncomfortable. What can I do, though? Ignore it? That's hard to do when you don't want to get out of bed or, worse, can't make it <b>to </b>bed from the chair. Still, I've opted not to blog exclusively about pain this winter because it's not all that beneficial for everyone. On the other hand, having a keyboard that helps that pain is a positive worth noticing.<br />
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Thanks for hanging in there with me, friends. I hope this keyboard lets me post more often with less pain. That, or I'll want my money back.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8812728641611754.post-59651320234744933232011-02-21T14:34:00.001-07:002011-02-21T19:57:13.439-07:00I Know Jesus More Today Than YesterdayThe older I get, the more central to my life Jesus becomes. Mercifully. Thankfully. It is not my good looks, my "wits" or my charm that make me or break me. It's Jesus, his message, and his mission. Paul wrote in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Cor.%202:1-3,%20Matt.%2016:24-27,%20Matt.%2011:28-30,%20Phil%203:7-11,&version=NIV">I Corinthians 2</a>,<br />
<blockquote>For I resolved to <b>know nothing </b>while I was with you <b>except Jesus Christ and him crucified</b>. ... My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. </blockquote>Despite my efforts, however, I often fail. My pilgrimage, my walk "in the light" can become a dark nightmare of a journey. I have so many pits that I can fall into. Legalism can set me on a course away from the Holy Spirit. Pride can make me shine until I'm blind to everything else, even the most basic, open pit. Whenever I trip in my walk, self-pity and depression can snag my feet and pull me in. Yet God has given me tools and blessings that can defeat each one of these pits, allowing me to walk around or even above them without falling into them. His grace is undeservedly mine, but mine nonetheless. And it can be anyone's too. All we need to do is move from being a fan of Jesus towards being a follower. It's a choice we all have, each day, every day.<br />
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I need Jesus every day. I need his power to carry my cross that I bear. Others have their cross, I have mine. I don't need to nail myself to it. I just need to follow Jesus wherever he leads. As I follow, I find myself drawn closer to him, knowing both his pain and his comfort. It is not an easy, wide, smooth road. It's a narrow, jagged, rough trail. But I believe that the end is truly the beginning and it is worth all I might suffer. <br />
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Jesus of Nazareth is the very Word of God and the life we can have through him, both here and hereafter is worth the price to pay. I choose him, daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute, but I choose him because I know enough about him to trust him. He will be with me forever. How can I say no to such a <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/knowgod.cfm">wonderful offer</a>?<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQDIntdeI7mFuAe5sCRQaTp2uwBBDCbWIl8LRpcBuPMmx8oXR2Or6T95ibk3EhPOldVqH-tYjqCTaM5IShEXzznZVdW5Nz6pRH3bU_-tkosRuyRTzDCib7zJliKY3wheVgpu-H-I5Q/s1600/Sig+WW+125.png" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p>Thanks for reading Walden's Wits! I'm publishing ad-free, thanks to Google's Blogger and Feedburner.</p></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05707188504449041953noreply@blogger.com0