Pastoral Visitation

Yesterday, Pastor Brad stopped by our humble abode for a little face to face with our child. My wife and I deeply appreciated his inconveniencing himself and joining us for a cup of tea. It was good to catch up and to hear a little about his trip to Africa, Boystown and to begin the discussion about baptism vs. dedication.

Maybe next time we can discuss growing older gracefully.

Relevant Podcast

I am a new comer to the Podcast but in the last few days I've subscribed to nearly 10. Currently I am listening to Relevant Magazine's.

I have to admit I am not a big fan of talk radio, other than NPR, but am finding the tongue and cheekness of nearly every topic quite hilarious. If you've got an hour take a listen to their Podcast.

Watch Now

I've been a consistent supporter of Netflix for over 2 years. In this time I've viewed the most popular and obscure of movies and changed my level of subscription from 2 movies to 4. In my opinion they have the upper hand over Blockbuster like a Mac over a PC.

About a week and a half ago they made a transition. The company now allows a limited amount of subscribers, at no extra cost, to view some of their movies immediately online. Netflix will slowly continue to increase the number of films and subscribers with the ability to Watch Now. This process will ensure their ability to handle this increased usage.

I can't wait. Even though each subscriber is only allowed a certain amount of online viewing, I will no long have to annoy my wife with my expert ability to choose the best of Eastern Cinema (Kung-Fu to be exact).

The Bird Feeder

I like birds....I better retract that statement.......I like all birds but ONE. However this Blog is not about the ONE I loathe but the song birds I love.

Since I was a child my family spent many morning sitting around our dining room table watching the birds come and go from our platform feeder. The variety was often impressive from the bright red of the male Cardinal to the snootiness of the Blue Jay. There were times when the Mourning Doves would arrive so thickly we would question the bird feeder's integrity. Yet the feeder would always hold and we would continue our wonder.

Now it wasn't all sitting around, drinking coffee and pondering. In the corner of the dining room resided a Bebe Gun and its job was to encourage the squirrels to stay away from the bird's food. Now we tried many methods to discourage these furry creatures, but they were relentless in their pursuit of the sunflower seed. It truly was their own demise to climb the metal pole and plop their wintery lard on the feeder. Our only desire for these creatures was to scare them away and we would only pump the gun once. Yet to our great surprise this would only discourage them for a day or two. These squirrels had little self-control.

Today I have a feeder and have never seen a squirrel climb upon its platform. What I have seen are Cardinals, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Titmouse, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and many other feathered visitors. Watching the birds brings me great comfort and another chance to sit in awe of creation.

On January 8th

I am now a father.

His name is Mathis Jon and my wife and I are trying to savor every moment we get with him. He was a bit over 9 pounds and 22 1/2 inches tall (I prefer this over the common 'long').

The best thing about having a big baby is he likes to sleep. Big stomach means longer sleep periods.

We are doing our very best and hope to be half the parents that raised us.

The Garden of Eden

I like to read. It is my favorite way to fall asleep......please don't get me wrong, I like to read.

Last night I finished reading Ernest Hemingway's final piece of unfinished literature The Garden of Eden. The book revolves around the relationships of 3 individuals and how their lives become entangled then very twisted. Like all Hemingway books, his writing of dialogue and his ability to step deep into the minds of his characters makes this book a very quick read.

His subject matter was different from his other books I have read and threw me for quite a loop. I was unprepared for the non-graphic unpacking of the main characters' intimate relationships and their acts of manipulation. Also this book lacked what I enjoyed most about his other novels, Toreadors and war. In turn, it only highlighted a short fishing and hunting trip. In opinion, Hemingway's intent was simply to illustrate the complexities of human relationships.

The book was good. It was a side of Hemingway I had not grasped in his other novels. I am sure what came to the forefront in The Garden of Eden resides behind the bullfights and gun fodder of his others. I will read him differently.

The Wait

On January 1st of this new year my wife was predicted to give birth. It is now the 3rd and she is still ripe with child.

I have yet to become anxious but unfortunately as the days wane by the baby grows bigger. As the baby grows bigger I am guessing it creates a more uncomfortable scenario for my wife. In turn my nerve endings are beginning to spark.

I was told a couple days ago there is a reason he is late. It was a good reminder and as I am presented with another opportunity to trust God in a new way.