Finally...something good happens to me

So I was minding my own business today when I received notification from my brother Aaron that I should go upstairs because there was a check from the IRS waiting for me. Now, if you have heard me talk about taxes and how much they suck for me, you'll know I wasn't expecting anything from Uncle Sam.

In fact, I remember having to pay a total of $30 to the state and federal governments.

Anyhow, I got enough back to pay for the new brakes, rotors, and wheel alignment I need on my car. This was money I thought before that I wouldn't have and have to end up putting on my credit card or some other way...But God is good. I have to say that this is probably the first time that I have felt really blessed financially. (Since I started tithing regularly). So, the lesson....tithe regularly...God will give you back in ways you didn't see coming or think possible.



On another note, I am reading a book called Experiencing Ministry Supervision as part of my internship requirements through Moody. I have to have this book finished in like 2 days and a 5 page paper written about it...YIKES!!!

Blogging Hiatus

It has been almost a full week since I have written anything on here.

The past week has been very busy...beginning summer classes, helping Bethany move in, spending long hours hanging out with peeps at the apartment, work, (and even more this week, I'm teaching at Nexus), etc...

As usual, setting aside a solid amount of quiet time has been difficult in the past week. It defintiely has been a struggle. I also have to read a book by the end of this week and write a 3-5 page review of it. The only trouble is, the book is a little boring...sure it's got good material, but the verbage used is a bit...old school.

And also very exciting...I will be celebrating my 100th Post in two more posts. This is post 98....are you as pumped as I am? I figured!!

Mowing and working out

So as I stated earlier today I needed to mow the back yard desperately. It was getting really long and I knew that if it rained a couple more days, I would be totally up a creek without a paddle if I didn't mow today.

So I did, as fast as I could, and then I decided to work out. You might be wondering why it seems like my day has been chronicled to this point, but I promise this post has a purpose for me to write it down...

So I did my usual routine with the weights, (going on 4 months consistently, lost a few lbs...I needed to get in shape a bit) and then I decided to run. I looked outside and noticed it was getting a bit "dark" as the ever so ominous clouds approached. I had a burst of energy and was feeling a bit "pumped up" from lifting (a great workout today) so I decided to go for it. I got about 1/2 mile in to my 1.5 mile run and it started pouring...then about 1 minute later (after I had decided to just keep running through the rain) the sirens started blaring. It was at this moment that I decided to turn back. It got pretty windy there for a few minutes. As I was approaching my house, I noticed tree limbs down everywhere and our mailbox had acutally blown off its post.

So perhaps it was a dumb move to go running this afternoon. But it was kind of fun to run in the rain.

Depressing Day

So today I have been working a bit from home...I need to mow the lawn...But I really don't want to. It's hot and humid outside.

The Cubs are on TV today and are so terrible it's amazing. It's not just today, it's been the last month. Oh well...

For the Young Lifers who read this...

We need to throw a Young Life party soon. We can do it during the week, the weekend, whenever. I was thinking it may actually be easier to do it during the week. Let me know so I can get the keg ordered (keg of root beer, that is)

I hate cars

I have never been in a big fan of automobiles. For one, it seems that I have never had a car that gave me no problems...the issue for me is that I see "regular maintenance" as problems. Today I spent $230 getting my oil changed and getting two new front rodors and brake pads. The really crappy part is that I need two more rodors and two sets of brake pads as well as to get my front wheels aligned and a new tie rod. The total bill for me is over $600, of which I have maybe $300. Now I have a credit card, but that has been used too much lately and I really don't want to continue to pile onto that debt leach. I keep saying to myself, "You graduate in December, you'll be able to pay off your CC debt with graduation money". But I don't want to rely on that to pay off my CC debt. Further, at some point I want to move out, buy a motorcycle, and eventually some expensive jewelry. So I guess I better start saving my money, maybe get another job, if I want to do be able to accomplish all of these things that cost a good amount of money. Some day...some day...

Props to Dan Bobbitt...

...for letting me ride his dad's motorcycle. What was he thinking? And why did he trust me on it? These questions and more I don't have answers to. All I know is that I got to feel the wind on my hair for the first time in a while. It was spectacular! So props to you Danbo...that was sweeetttt!!!

Also, having nothing to do with anything really, I am happy to report that this morning on my way to work I didn't have to stop at the Allen rd. stoplight as you get off the interstate. I pulled up, and it turned green immediately. There have been times when I have waited 5 minutes at that light in the past. So I knew today was going to be a good day when that happened!

Extended Thoughts on United 93

Okay, so I know I have beaten this into the ground, but I can't help but share an email that was forwarded to me. This is an email from a former pilot who was in the air the day of the attacks. He exaplins the day a bit, talks about the movie just released, and shares his thoughts about the entire thing. Thanks to Justin Ganschow for forwarding me the email...

This message was forwarded to me by a retired Delta pilot and written bya friend of his.

Guys,

Susie and I just got back from seeing "UAL Flight 93", it was absolutely gripping, and as a former airline pilot who was flying a trip thatmorning on a Boeing 767 from Cincinnati to Orlando it was almost toohorrific to watch...it was very disturbing! For you pilot types, the attention to detail, the cockpit, the preflight, the crew, pilots andflight attendants boarding the aircraft and making small talk was or soreal and routine...just another day in the office! Likewise the views from central flow control, NY and Boston ARTCC and the NORAD command center were very realistic. Should anyone have any doubts about our response, or lack of that morning you need to view this movie. Watching all the various controllers and their supervisors trying to get their arms around the problem and to come to grips and connect the dots is so very real. The movie appears to almost happen in real time and youcan really sense the problem that the commanders had in thinking outsidethe box and realizing that we were really at war.

Fighters are scrambled, late, and in the wrong direction, as threats are supposed to come from over the water to the east not from over land to the west; the planes are not armed, can they ram, and who has the authority to give that command...the command is given but not relayed to the pilots. The lack of communications, or rather the disbelief and lack of coordination is stunning but easy to understand. Even the pilots of UAL Flt 93 aregiven a data link message that the Towers have been hit and to beware of cockpit intruders...they brush it off in disbelief...as I'm sure anypilot would have prior to that date. The time line given at the end of the movie and the confusion over what planes were involved, and which flights were being hijacked is very revealing...we just couldn't get it together quickly enough. As pilots and crew members we had never been trained to deal with suicidal hijackers who were prepared to die, it wassimply inconceivable at the time.

A key point, though not belabored, was when the supervisor of the FAA Central Flow Control ordered that allaircraft in US airspace land immediately, (there were over 4200 in theair), that no planes from overseas would be allowed into the country and would be turned back, and that there were to be no over flights...he realized that we were at war but didn't know with whom...it was a very bold and brave move, and he was thinking way outside the box...I believe that it was also his first day on the job as the boss!

All Americans should see this movie as it may help them get a grip on the terrorist threat that we are up against vs. the radical Muslim world. I don't know if we belong in Iraq or how we should deal with Iranor North Korea or the Sudan, but I know that there is a real threat to our way of life from the radical Islamic fundamentalists. I continually hear that this is not a true reflection of the Koran or true Islamic beliefs. Well that may be true, and it might not be, but there would appear to be plenty of Muslims in the world that have an entirely different and radical interpretation of the Koran which we cannot ignore. What was probably as disturbing as watching an airline crew, that could have been me or any of my friends, seeing their world and their life taken away, was the hijackers preparing to die, washing themselves and praying to their god as if they were doing his will. They looked like ordinary young men, and to think that they could sit next to all these people on that plane th at they were going to kill, who had nothing against them or done nothing to them, was beyond words. I guess if nothing else it gives you insight into the minds of suicide bombers,which to our Western way of thought is beyond comprehension. This moviewill make you angry, very angry.

My experience on 9/11. We were just ready to close the door for our Delta 767 flight from CVG to MCO when the gate agent came on board andasked if we had heard anything about a small plane hitting the WorldTrade Center, we had not, so she said goodbye and closed the door. Shortly thereafter we were airborne climbing out on a beautifully clear crisp fall morning heading to Florida with not a cloud in the sky or acare in the world. I heard a bizjet ask for a reroute since he could notget to New York and I thought that was strange. Then another bizjetsaid "well I guess we won't be going there either" and asked for clearance to an alternat e.. At that point I asked center what was going on. There was a pause and then the controller came back in a very excited voice and said "they have hit both of the Trade Center Towers,they have hit the Pentagon, they have hit the Capitol and the WhiteHouse"...well you can imagine it got really lively on the frequency. I turned to my Co-Pilot and said "I don't know what has happened, but I do know that things will never be the same", and I think I got that right!

Within seconds the controller had composed himself and said all flights on this frequency standby, and it was dead quiet. He then said all flights are to land immediately and went down the list of the planes under his control..."American 235 turn right heading 230 you're landingat Pittsburgh, Continental 456 turn left heading 180 for Cincinnati,Delta 235 (that's me) turn right to 250 and descend to 8000, you're landing at Knoxville, airport your 2 o'clock 40 miles... .etc" It wasthe best, fastest and most efficient handling I have ever had fromATC...they had everyone on the ground all over the country in minimum time. After all the initial confusion, their professionalism, and that of all the flight crews was exemplary!

We spent two days in Knoxville and then ferried an empty 757 back to Atlanta and I believe were one ofthe first flights to land back at our main hub. Our arrival at ATL was one of the most moving experiences of my flying career. The airspace was totally empty, there was no talk on the radio, and we were the only plane in the sky over ATL, the busiest airport in the U.S., but we did have, unknown to us until informed by the controller, an F-16 right on our tail, but we never saw him. When we taxied in the normally frantic ramp area was dead quiet, all the ground equipment, tugs, baggage carts,tugs, fuelers etc. were lined up in military precision and the groundcrew were standing at attention and saluted...wow, I'll never forget that. They needed a sign that things were getting back to normal...that we were moving and flying again.

Reflections. As you may know I was on a United Flight several weeks ago from Chicago to Sacramento that had a passenger who tried to open the front cabin door, allegedly claimed to have a bomb, and took a swing at the flight attendant. Well, yours truly was sound asleep in the last row of coach and missed all the action, but suffice it to say that before he got very far he was rapidly subdued by the first class section and we diverted to Denver. Unlike Flight 93 he couldn't have gotten into the cockpit as the cockpit door is now armored and no passenger is going to sit still and let anyone interfere with the flight. I always felt that with the improved cockpit door that I would be totally safe, and that all my passengers in the cabin would act as Sky Marshals...I was and they did...they remembered 9/11, lets hope that we never forget!

I would also like to mention that all the crew members on my United flight as well as all the ground rescue folks in Denver and the United station personnel did an absolutely marvelous job in handling this incident. It made me proud to have once been a part of this profession.


I hope you finished reading this very long documentation of a pilot and his thoughts on Flight 93

Reading

For some reason it has been really difficult the last few weeks to really get interested in reading. Normally this is a bit strange for me, I usually love to read.
Perhaps it's because of finals, I dont know. But now that school is over I hope to continue into some good books. I'm reading a couple right now, one for work, and one for fun. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things...

Can you believe the Cubs have won two games in a row? That is almost a winning streak. They have a chance tomorrow to sweep the lowly Nationals. But no matter the foe, any sweep is a good sweep.

Survivor Finale, and being sick

I am watching the Survivor finale right now. This has been the most incredibly boring season of Survivor yet. The final two is made up of two morons who against the "true" Survivor would have no chance of winning from the jury. So, even though it seems CBS did everything they legally could to mix things up a bit, but it was unsuccessful...BORRIINNGG....

I have been sick for the past 3 days or so. This cold is wrecking me a bit. At least, it's slowing me down some. Next week will be one my lightest weeks I've had in a while. No school,normal amount of work. It is a good time because I am not feelin so hot...

Angels

I am slowly reading through Matthew. I came to a point in chapter 4 where I noticed something that I never really gave mention to before, and haven't ever really heard anyone speak to before. It is verse 11. Jesus had just been tempted by Satan several times. Each time he avoids temptation, temptation that is very attractive to Him, and it says "then the devil went away, and the angels came and cared for Jesus".
Jesus was hurt. I picture him breathing heavy like He just ran a marathon. He must have been exhausted because He needed comfort. He needed someone or something to care for Him. This brings a question to mind...

If Jesus needed help after being tempted, how much more do we need help after being tempted? And more than that, since Jesus was God we know He didn't sin and give in to the temptation like we sometimes do. We get a picture of how difficult it was for Him to avoid the temptation and He was God. Wow. It was so difficult for Him to say no that He needed "cared for" after Satan went away.

Now of course at this point He has gone 40 days and 40 nights without eating anything and this is when Satan attacks Him and suggests that He turn stones into bread. This is the ultimate from of temptation. Come on, the Dude is starving, literally, and someone comes along and says "Hey man, you can eat, don't be silly". But the God of the Universe resisted.

And then, Satan went away and the angels came and cared for Jesus.

Starbucks, No Internet, Working

I am at Starbucks on Bradley's campus. I must say I am quite impressed with the place. It is much more...Conducive to small groups meeting and talking. I say that as 2 other groups of three are having a meeting inside here right now.

The internet at my house is broken right now, so I am stuck here taking the final I was supposed to take several days ago...whoops! Good thing my prof is really strechable. Otherwise I'd be in for some trouble.

And since I am up here, not at my house, I figure I might as well work a little bit too. I've got a crudload of things to do this week, and it's already Wednesday. Oh well. Better late than never, right?!

Graduation plans

So today I sent in my graduation plans to Moody. It is so weird to think that within the next 8 months I willbe done with college, at least, done with undergraduate. It is incredibly excited and really weird at the same time. Who knows what I'll be doing once I graduate...All I know is that I'll have about $7,000 worth of debt that will need paid off, and a motorcycle that I'll be dreaming about...

It is kind of funny. Ever since I came home from Trinity, school has become...a little easier, and I have taken way more classes. By the time I graduate, I'll have taken over 135 semester hours. It's taken me 4.5 years to graduate, but I'll be finished. And come December, I'll have taken 58 hours in 1.5 years. Quite the heavy load to get done.

So mark your calendars for sometime in the end of December as I'll be requested your presence, and your presents as I graduate from College. What a joyous day that will be.

My parents will have three college graduates out three children. Not a bad percentage.

That little bird

Today Bethany came over for lunch after her first of three finals. We had some delicious turkey sandwiches (we are trying to go the entire week without spending money on food) and some pretzels with dip. For desert, I had a cinnamon roll and Bethany wanted none of it. I thought she was crazy though.

Then as she prepared to leave, to begin preparation for her second of three finals today, she and I noticed that there was a small bird that appeared to be stuck in my screened in porch. I 'm not sure how it got in there as both doors were completely shut, although the wind could have opened them at any time.

As we tried to "shew" it out of the porch Bethany began to be frightened by this 3 inch long bird. She said, "It's making a mean face" as she cowered behind me. "A mean face?" I responded. This little bird might have weighed 2 ounces. The fear in Bethany, though, was much heavier than that. She was really afraid that this little tiny harmless bird was going to attack and hurt her, or me. But the ping pong paddle in my right hand said otherwise. This bird was not even going to attempt an attack. And if for some reason it did, it would have been whacked with a little bit of backspin, as that is my natural ping-pong stroke.

So if you see Bethany today at Bradley, or anywhere else for that matter in the next few days, ask her about the little bird that almost killed her. Or, at least she thought it was going to attack based upon the look of it's measly little beak.

tribuneprotest.blogpost.com

If you are interested in giving any amount of money to help boycott the owners of the Chicago Cubs, The Tribune Company, here is a link to a blog that will give you more information...

The Cubs are owned by the Tribune Company, a multi billion dollar organization, an organization that has not been able to put a winning team on the field sine 1908. The owner of this blog is accepting donations to help purhase a billboard somewhere in Wrigleyville that will in some way protest that devil Dennis Fitzsimmons(President and CEO of the Trib). You can check this blog at http://tribuneprotest.blogspot.com for more info.

Please help this cause so we can voice our opinions...I can't take much more of this bull crap from the Cubbies.

Young Life

Tonight I am going to visit the Washington Young Life Club in attempt to try to get to know some of the seniors who will be graduating in a couple of days. It is a great way to create buzz about our ministry while at the same time genunely trying to get to know some kids who I'm sure are just ready to move on, (I know, I was there) So if you are a student at the Washington Young Life Club, I'll see you tonight. If you're not, I won't see you tonight.

Despressing

I have been completely depressed for the past couple of days. In the last 6 games, the Cubs have scored a total of 7, thats right 7 runs. Needless to say I think they are 2-5 in that stretch, causing me to be very downcast.

Okay, so not really totally downcast, but it is very dissapointing.

My brother who never plays golf (he hasn't played in almost 4 years) missed hitting a hole-in-one by less than 2 feet yesterday. It angers me. I have played for the past 8 years and haven't ever really come close to making a hole in one, but he drops in a 9-iron from 150 yards and it almost goes in. What a bum.

Elizabethtown

Bethany and I were bored tonight, and the friend front was quiet, so we rented a movie that a friend of ours suggested. The movie Elizabethtown is about a man who has no idea about the life he has already missed and the love he never knew. I must say that for the first 30 minutes of this flick I was a bit bored, even giving it time mandates as to when it better pick up or else. Or else I would turn it off and watch Sportscenter or something.

It ended up being one of the most beautiful stories that unfolded. Orlando Bloom plays a young man who meets a woman (Kirsten Dunst I think, not sure about spelling her last name) and the two fall in love. But this isn't the whole point of the movie. The movie is about her being that person who is able to show him everything he missed in life. He goes on a journey with his dead father's ashes in an urn next to him as he travels the country. He apparently learns a lot about life, about love, and about the girl of his dreams. The coolest part is that the focus wasn't on the love story, but that it was on the individuals finding themselves. They just so happened to find themselves through each other. So, go check out this movie if you haven't already. Give it more than thirty minutes or you won't like it...

Golf Course

Tonight I had another opportunity to play 9 holes of golf in about an hour. I am beginning to love playing by myself. It is an awesome time for me to get alone with God. The irony is that golf=frustration. So it is really good for me to be playing by myself sometimes. That way I am more concentrated on God than I am my game. It is an awesome sanctuary for me. But now my question is this...Does that hour-plus count as time really spent with God, worshipping God? I mean, I am doing something I love to do, golf, and something I else I love to do, talk to God. I think I can justify this.

The entire time today I had the David Crowder Song that goes like this in my head...

How great is your love for us
How great is your love for me
That grace would cover us
How great is your love

I know that's not verbatim to the chorus, but who cares...

John the Baptist

I am reading through the book of Matthew and I was reading in Matthew 3 today where John baptized Jesus. During this time when someone was baptized, John was the one who was likely to do it in Nazareth. One day Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River and wanted John to baptise him. John was reluctant...I mean come on...How weird that the Messiah whom he himself had been prophesying wants to be baptized. Of course John didn't feel comfortable baptizing Jesus. John knew it should have been the other way around. So my thought of the day today is about what John must have been thinking and feeling when Jesus came to be baptized. What types of thoughts were running through his head?

Thoughts on United 93

I just got done watching this movie...and I am far from a movie critic, but here are my initial thoughts...

1. How tragic.
2. How sad.
3. How courageous.

I'm not really sure what to think of the rest just yet. The only other immediate thought I have is that I'm glad that this movie included all "no name" actors. It helped to think of this actually happening since the people on the flight were "common people".

Also, I can't help but wonder why they didn't hijack more planes that day...I know that sounds a bit....morbid...but considering how easy it seemed to be, at least at first...why didn't they hijack more planes at the same time...and then just crash them around the same time......

Okay, fire back if you wish...