One brief glimpse of power

This weekend we had quite the storm. I love thunderstorms. There is something neat about watching sheets of rain come down while feeling the house shake from the occasional crack of thunder. It's awesome! My son, Chris, loves all precipitation. He is infatuated with the radar and we are all but convinced he will be a meteorologist. He loves it more than I do.

Saturday and Sunday both had some impressive storm activity, but Saturday was the most intense when it comes to lightening. As the storm rolled in we sat on the front porch and counted between the lightning flashes to see how far the lightening was from us; four seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds...all of them very intense. I marveled at the power of the storm. It was enjoyable to watch the intensity and strength. Then it happened. The almost simultaneous flash and crack! My adrenaline rapidly increased, and I said, "OK buddy, let's watch the rest of this from inside!" This was probably less than a mile from the house. I had been closer to strikes before, but I don't know if I had ever seen such a crisp bright bolt as the one I saw Saturday, and the thunder crack shook the house - and me. Wow!

All this just to say, that as I stood in the window looking out at the intense power of the storm and the jump I had just had, I realized that I very much take for granted the power of God. That at one moment I could be thankful for the opportunity to watch a wonderful storm. To marvel at the power God has in nature and then in the next moment be completely awestruck to the point of fear. This is just a fraction of what the Almighty can do! I think I understand better what it means to praise and fear God at the same time from that one storm this weekend.

Technology isn't all it's cracked up to be

What with email, texting, wireless technology, text editors and DVRs, you'd think we were set, right? Well, I'm a little disappointed. Lately, I've been listening to my radio and when I miss something there isn't an option to rewind and listen to it again. Sheesh! Why is this the case. I have it on my VCR, DVD, DVR, CD and even old Cassette players. This is ridiculous!

Oh, and another thing. Why is it when I write in my journal in the morning and make a typo, there is no red line under the misspelled word? Intolerable!!!

There is no excuse for these things not being available. I'm entitled to this!

Once these minor advances take place, THEN I might be impressed. I'm looking forward to this. Oh, and when someone cuts me off while I'm driving, I really think I should be able to fire a red shell at them to knock them off the road. Then we'd really be getting somewhere!!!

First Love

A common feature here on Pair o' Dime Shift, is the "second hand" sermon point* from my weekend church service. This past week my pastor preached on Revelation 2:1-7 where Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus. He had some good things to say about this church, however, what he was most concerned about was that they had lost their "First Love." In this case, it appears that the Ephesian Christians were good at discernment and intolerance for evil, but had lost sight of their First Love, which is Jesus.

Essentially, we can get so caught up in "doing" that we forget the "why" behind the actions. It's quite the challenge really. It's so easy to say, "Hey, today I'm going to go work at a homeless shelter or sing carols at a retirement home because that's what I'm suppose to do." You don't have to be a Christian to do that. Our "First Love" wants us to desire Him and as a byproduct serve others. It can be easy to go through the motions of our earthly relationships. The kiss hello, the time spent together, etc. can become routine and essentially meaningless. Jesus challenged, well, essentially threatened to take away the Ephesian Church's "lamp stand" if they did not return to their First Love.

My pastor went on to ask the question of what a "first love" looks like. Perhaps we should look at what we would do for someone we are in love with. This is what Jesus wants. It's not the busyness of serving or ministry. It's the passion and desire to know him better. We do this through actions, but not in actions alone. When we're in love we would drop everything for that person. We would forsake many responsibilities for their sake. We would take risks to the point of death. We would be completely content just to be present with them. This is where the challenge lies. It's easy to see where the application is, but so extremely difficult to put it into action.



*You usually only get one point from me. It's typically all I hold on to on a Sunday morning. It's not my pastor's shortcoming...it's mine. So analogous to gossip, you only get part of the truth. I'm doing what I can but the sermons can be heard online as well.

Pair o' Dime Props: Fathers

It's been a few days since I've posted, but I can't let this day go without acknowledging dad's. Father's who engage in the lives of both their children and the mothers of their children provide a stable environment for all. To me, there is something special about a male role model. I was not fortunate enough to grow up with my dad, and although there are things about him that were good, this post is to give thanks to men in my past who have mentored me in some way. Some of them aren't even old enough to be my dad, but they modeled behaviors and/or shared their heart in a way that impacted who I've become. (The positive bits of who I've become :-) ). So today, I raise a glass to the following people:

Tom Spittal
Ralph Small
Dave Bratton
Loren Freshwater
John Theis
Don Mechlem
Tony Bonacci
George Jonson
David Ziels
LeMont Jacobs

These men have shown me how they raise their children, treated me like their son, or shared with me godly wisdom that has helped mold my spiritual life. All of which I count as treasures and today, I am thankful that I have known them.

Hallway Etiquette

Recently I moved across campus to a building near some different "clients" of mine. These are people I support or associate with who now see me when I step out of my office. Now I don't know if this is just me, but I'm beginning to get annoyed with what appears to be a lack of Hallway etiquette. Let me explain. I don't have a large number of subordinates in a closed space where my job is such that I manage by walking around. Therefore, if I am walking in the halls, it's for a purpose other than to casually ask clients how things are going. I'm on a mission of some sort. So allow me to enlighten and express myself at the same time:

• If I am coming in to my office with a bag of hot fast food around lunch time, it is not an invitation to say hello, walk in with me and proceed to talk to me for 30 minutes. My office is cold and the food is initially warm. I would like for it to stay that way all the way down my throat!
• If I am leaving my office and passing your office towards the men's room, please do me a favor and at the very least, wait until I'm coming back out of the men's room! I still don't care for being stopped and asked work-related questions, but have a little compassion.
• If I walk by the window of your office while you are waiting to ambush me, well...just don't.

The rule of thumb is to either call or come knock on my door. At least meet me on my own turf. Otherwise I may be afraid to even leave my office, and I don't think the university will pay for my own personal restroom and Chick-Fil-A restaurant.

There, I'm done. Thank you for "listening."

Our first Dinner Debate

With an 8 and 5 year old at the table, I think today we had our first family debate today. A friendly debate it was although my 8 year old and his mom found themselves on different sides of it. No insults were thrown but there has been no real resolution or even compromise. The debate rages on. The question: Is Clifford an indoor dog or an outdoor dog? I think I know the answer, but I don't want to take sides.

Pair o' Dime Props: Ken Griffey Jr.

It's time to give credit to one of the best baseball players of our time. Yesterday, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th Home Run in a game against Florida Marlins. Griffey, is now the fourth, along with Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, NATURAL baseball player to reach this milestone. The guy loves his wife and kids and is nothing but class.

Congratulations Ken!

Watch the video while listening to Hall of Fame announcer, Marty Brennaman, make the call.

Read more about Ken Griffey's accomplishment.

Ivy League Whiners

I can't help but share this. This was on Morning Edition (NPR) this morning. I'm less than encouraged that some of these future leaders of the free world were disappointed that J. K. Rowling was their commencement speaker. I'm not a Potter fan, but goodness...

Your choice, you can read it, or click on the listen link on the article page. I'd opt for the second if possible.

Burning Question: Stress

Here's the question for today. What is more stressful: Stress due to excessive busyness of our conscious life or stress due to intensity/drama of our conscious life?

I'd give you my current opinion, but I don't have the time right now.