Baptism

It's New Years Eve and baptisms are happening tonight at church. Unless one of them gets cold feet, Jonathan and Rebecca have decided to get baptised tonight. A few years ago Kelly and I told the kids that if and when they decided to get baptised, we would join them. So, if everything goes as planned, all four of us are getting wet tonight. I'm glad the service is not being held in the Danberry parking lot this time!


Kelly, I think, was originally baptised as a baby, in the Catholic tradition. This time, it gets to be her decision.


As for me, I remember the event rather clearly. I'm not sure exactly how old I was when I first got baptised but I know it was somewhere between the ages of 10 and 15. My brother (who is a year older than me) and I were sitting together one Sunday when the minister asked if anyone wanted to commit their lives to Jesus and get baptised. I looked at Jeff and he looked at me, then we shocked our parents (and probably the rest of the congregation) by walking up the isle. I knew then that I believed in God and in Jesus, but I'm sure that I didn't know what that really meant. As for Jeff, I have no idea what was in his mind, and I still don't. We've never discussed it. Anyway, the next Sunday (or 2 Sundays later), our parents and grandparents were proudly sitting in the congregation as the two of us got wet. I think afterward we may have had some sort of family get together or a family lunch at some restaurant. I do know that I got a Bible as a baptism present from the church. In any case, I'm not sure I felt any different after being baptised then before or if I was supposed to. We'll see what happens tonight.

I once heard a story about a gentleman who probably had little in belief and happened into a church one day with an acquaintance. He was so moved by the entire experience that, when the minister invited people to come forward and accept Christ as their savior, he stood up. His acquaintance stopped him and convinced him to take a little time before making such a decision. The man agreed that a little reflection may be a good idea. Not minutes after the two stepped out of the church, gun shots rang out. Mortally wounded was the man who had decided to wait. Sometimes, I guess, we are better off to live in the moment and hopefully recognise that the "voice" we are hearing is that of God. I just wish that His "voice " didn't sound exactly like the other "voices" in my head.

Christmas thoughts

Well, the guy in the funny red and white suit will be here in a few days. Of course, I'm not ready yet. There's more shopping to do, decorations to get up, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, sprucing up for the impending visit by the family, etc. What a pain. Why do we do this to ourselves every year? I'm not sure if I like the lights on the tree, and that one ornament on that middle branch is hanging slightly crooked. And who's going to pay the electric bill for all these frigging lights. God, I hope my Master Card account gets confused with someone elses so I don't have to actually pay for all these stupid presents. And who is the clown that dreamed up this Santa Claus character anyway. Well, at least I get a day off work. Humbug!!!!!!!!!

That's my rant for the day. It's not actually true, but it's a rant.

Generally, I like Christmas. I enjoy exchanging gifts and spending time with family. Lighting up the Christmas tree can be fun as can be putting up all the ornaments (some of which have storys behind them, others just crack me up, like the "Hark it's Herald" series from Hallmark). This year, we even put out the "Dickens Village" pieces that haven't come out of their box for years and more than 75% of the nutcracker collection (yet no nuts, go figure). The "Holiday" plates and cups are getting used and there are even lights out in the yard. Yep, the trappings are all there and I enjoy them.

But, the trappings can actually become a trap. It is easy to get so focused on all the peripheral aspects of Christmas that you almost forget about the really important stuff. That being that it is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus, even though he was most certainly not born on December 25th, all those years ago. But somewhere down the line, someone selected this time of year for the celebration. So, Happy Birthday Jesus (probably a few months late, annually).


And, while I'm thinking about it, imagine if we celebrated Christ,s birth in, say, September.

Santa would probably have to wear shorts.
Bing Cosby would have to dream of a something other than a white Christmas ("I'm dreaming of a green and sunny Christmas").
Santa's sleigh would need wheels, not runners.
Frosty would only be a drink at Wendy's.
Jack frost might still nip at peoples noses, but not in any Christmas carol.
The whole idea of including the fire place in the Christmas tradition might be replaced by either the gas grill or the air conditioner unit (depends on your preference).
Egg nog, bye bye! (no loss).
Fruit cake, ditto.
Sleds for Christmas, out. Bicycles, skate boards, etc., in.
Christmas stockings replaced by Christmas Flip-flops?
Thanksgiving as the start of the Christmas shoping season replaced by the fourth of July (oops, that one's already happened).
And we'd all still get so caught up in all the trappings that we might forget about the true meaning of Christmas.

God spoke and I didn't listen?

When I stoped this morning to get gas in the van, I noticed a scratch along the drivers side that I didn't remember seeing before. As the sun came up farther, and I took a closer look, the scratch got bigger and was accompanied by a nice fresh dent and damage to the bumper. Though Kelly sometimes accuses me of being oblivious, I think I would have noticed any sort of contact with another vehicle had it happened while I was driving. My suspicions were confirmed when I got home and found car parts (not from the van) laying in the street next to where the van had been parked. One of the parts was an identical match to a piece I found sticking out of the rear wheel well. Yep, someone hit the car last night. Probably while we were sleeping (even Kelly didn't hear anything). Presumably with another motorized vehicle. Hopefully not on purpose.

I've never been much for "premonitions" and generally I wouldn't have any clue if God was talking to me or if the voices I "hear" in my head came from elsewhere. But the really odd thing about the van getting hit is that the thought occurred to me last night that I should park the van in the driveway for the evening. Not only do I never park the van in the drive, it never crosses my mind to do so. Until last night. And I didn't listen.

Had the van been off the street, it probably would have no new dents. I would also be unaware that another vehicle crossed through the space that is normally occupied by the van. I surely would not have it in my head that God was trying to warn me and I ignored him.

So, God, if you were trying to tell me something, thanks much for the effort. I should have recognized the voice as yours and followed your suggestion.

And, to whoever hit the van, I hope you didn't get hurt. Some of the missing parts from your vehicle are in the trunk of a Delhi Township Police car if you want them back. Most of the other parts missing from your car are in the trash. And, by the way, thanks for not waking me in the middle of the night to tell me that you tore up my van. Just ask my wife, my beauty sleep is ineffective enough, even without having it interrupted over some such trivial matter.

Christmas

In our life group last night, we talked a little about Christmas and gift giving. I understand that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and I'm not real sure where the whole gift giving thing came from (Yes, I know about the 3 wise men). But, to be honest, the last few Christmases have been a little depressing for me because I haven't been financially able to do what I want to in the gift giving department. Not to say that I have flamboyant tendencies, but I really used to enjoy being able to buy the thing I wanted to buy for someone without worrying about the cost. And it's not that I feel that I HAVE to go out and get gifts for everyone. It's that I want to. It especially breaks my heart that I can't afford that really nice present for Kelly (whatever it would happen to be). If you asked her, she would tell you that she doesn't want anything. And, that would be a completely truthful statement. After all, while trying to keep our heads above water with our bills, we are trying to save up for a trip we are taking with Kelly's family this summer. It is the whole families Christmas present to each other. However, I absolutely love that look on Kelly's face when she opens that last Christmas present, the one I've been saving for the end.

The same goes for the kids. While the last thing my children need is more toys, it's still fun watching them get opened.

Now, here's the irony. Every year we get together with Kelly's family on Christmas Eve for the gift exchange, lots of very fattening food, and an overall good time. Due to the above mentioned upcoming trip, we have all agreed to limit the gift giving to nothing. Thats right. No gifts (well, we will do the white elephant thing and see who winds up with the autographed George and Laura Bush picture and the matching slippers). I am so cool with this. I've actually looked forward to Christmas Eve this year since about last Christmas Eve. If we aren't spending so much time opening gifts, we'll have more time to have fun with each other.

Ok, so maybe it's not so much about the actual gifts that I can't give, it's about the fact that I have to worry about spending the money. I'm just having a little trouble "getting into" the season this year. Maybe I can make something. Anyone need a mess. I make them very well.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

Long before there were recycling bins, tree huggers, and global warming fears, there was my grandfather, Aurthur B. Nichols. Back in the 50's or 60's he tried to start a recycling business that, unfortunately, never really got off the ground. While that was before my time, I remember being at his house and seeing bags of crushed cans. Not aluminum cans as one would see today. He cleaned out and crushed every tin can that came into the house. Before the cans went into the bag, he'd always be sure to peel off the labels. There were green bean cans, corn cans, and other assorted variety of can in those bags. While I never knew what exactly he did with those cans, I knew that he thought it nearly a sin to pitch them into the garbage.

Grandpa also did not believe in throwing out perfectly good uneaten food. He always had a compost pile working, which he used on his gardens. He specialized in growing a wide variety of Lilly's.

While I wasn't blessed with grandpa's green thumb, his concerns about waste did rub off a little. As I was carrying limber toward the dumpster this afternoon, I got to thinking grandpa and about how much wood is wasted in the construction industry. Not that I would call myself a tree hugger, but I think it's a shame that all the scrap lumber winds up in land fills (or construction fires). A product called Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a building material made of wood chips that are glued and pressed into a sheet (something like plywood). Currently, the manufacturing company grinds up a whole lot of trees every year to produce the OSB. I think it would be great if someone could think up a way in which all the construction scrap could be rounded up, sent to the mill, and ground into OSB. There would be less material for the land fills and, maybe, a few less trees cut down every year. That might make grandpa happy (if he were alive to see it).

Time travel and other stuff

For the last few weeks, I've been thinking about creating a Blog and what I would do with it once it was created. All these wonderful topic ideas came to mind, but, as often happens with me, I've forgotten most of them.

Most of the time I'm at work, I am pretty much by myself , usually doing things that don't require a lot of mental effort. In other words, I have plenty of time to ponder a wide assortment of topics without much interruption. Some are rather mundane, others involve the nature of the world. The funny thing is that once I solve one of the worlds problems, my mind will wonder off onto another topic and I'll forget the solution I'd come up with earlier.

One of the mundane things I enjoy thinking and talking about is the idea of time travel. "Back to the Future" was an imagination inspiring movie. In no particular order, here are some of the events and times I'd like to go back and see:

1. Roswell, New Mexico - July 7, 1947 - Whether it was a weather baloon, an alien space ship, or some other secret government project, I'd like to know what really crashed into those fields.

2. Bethleham - about 2008 years ago - Was Jesus born in a cave, a barn, or what? (By the way, what was Jesus's answer if he left the door open and Mary asked him if he was born in a barn?)

3. Dallas, Texas - 1962 - Not that I want to see Kennedy get shot, I'd just like to know if whats his name worked alone.

4. Big Bang minus 10 seconds - Not that I completely believe or disbelieve the Big Bang theory, but if it is accurate, I'd like to know what preceeded it.

5. The Garden of Eden - Just because it sounds like paradice.

6. Noah"s Ark - I'd like to see how Noah got all those animals on that boat (I'd also like to try to talk him into squashing those flys).

7. Dates uncertain - I've read about several villages established in North America that, by the time the boat completed the round trip to Europe and back, all evidence of the villages and villagers had disappeared. I'd like to know what happened to them.

8. How cool would it be to watch as the Aztecs set eyes on a White Man" for the first time?

9. As Michelangelo painted the Sistine (?) chapel, I'd like to ask if he was trying to depict God pulling the old "Pull my Finger" Routine on Adam.

10. The Last Supper - What did they eat? Who all was there? Where was it? And so on.

There are a lot more that don't come immediately to mind. I'll save them for another day. I'm curious where others would go if able (only to watch, changing any outcomes is not allowed, except for those flys).

Obeying orders

Kelly said I needed to create my own blog, so
here I am.