Good News


Woo-Hoo!

Ikea will build a 300,000 or 350,000 square-foot store on a large vacant parcel adjacent to southbound Interstate 75 off Muhlhauser and Allen roads [just north of Cincinnati]

I’ve never been to an Ikea store, but I’ve eyed their catalogs and wanted to. The 3.5 hour trek to the nearest one in Pittsburgh or 4 hours to the new one in Canton MI (although it’s only about an hour from Mom and Dad …) has kept me away. This new store should be about 1.5 hours from my house, so maybe I’ll get some cheap-but-stylish, Swedish-designed, ready-to-assemble furniture.

Hat tip: OHIKEA

Money or Ministry?

Dan over at Cerulean Sanctum is about to go on hiatus for a month (which, if you are in a position to need a freelance writer, you might be able to help him come back sooner.) Before he leaves, however, he’s promised some hard hitting posts. Yesterday’s lived up to it.
Related to my post yesterday on our pursuit of our own wealth instead of sharing it, and this quote from Soren Kierkegaard, he wonders if we’re really willing to pursue ministry over money. He says:

the response [to the cross] is EXTREME. It means death. The cross says, Now here you die, here and now. All your desires, all your hopes, all of you. It also means real life. Have we tasted it?

That hits me where I live for sure. America is a money and possessions oriented culture. We are surrounded by stuff, stuff and more stuff. We are told incessantly that we need it and deserve it. You cannot avoid it and it pulls at you. Even if you resist it you cannot be sure that all you are accomplishing is slowing the tide’s pulling you out to the sea of materialism.
I wonder a lot if I am too immersed in this culture of wealth, even if I stand at its fringe, to recognize how far I am from the cross? It’s scary indeed. Go read Dan’s post.

What if His People Gave?

I subscribe to a few email lists for Pro|ENGINEER, the CAD software I use at work. It’s mostly folks from the US, though we do get posts from all over the world.
This week, one came through from India requesting someone, preferable also from India, to come train them in plastic part design. As you might expect, more than one person in the US took issue with this, coming down pretty hard on the guys English and complaining, indirectly, about the jobs going there.
It got me thinking. This Indian guy is just thinking, “Our company is growing, we need help. I’ll ask the Pro|E guys.” He’s enjoying the new found opportunities in his country, he has little or no clue what his prosperity may mean for some here in the US.
Then I though, here is this poor nation, beginning to find some wealth. And here we are, with our 2,500 square foot houses, 2.5 cars, HD TV’s, boats and what not, complaining about them trying to get a little piece of it.
So I wondered, what would the world be like, if in the last 50-60 years of prosperity, the Christians in America had decided that maybe 1,800 square feet was enough, I don’t need the new wide screen or maybe I won’t buy the boat. What it instead we used that new wealth and had given it to the poor, 3rd world countries that are now chasing their own version of the American dream at our expense? Imagine, 50-60 years of giving 15%, 20% or 25% of out money to help the poor of the world.
Now, I’m no economist or expert in human behavior or charitable giving, but I have to wonder.
If we had really given to them along the way, shared our wealth with them in their need, would they be trying to take it from us now?

[QT’s with Jessica] – John 7:1-24

My Summer time Bible Readings with 11 year old Jessica.
John 7:1-13
Does that make sense to you?
J -So Jesus went secretly? I don’t get how he could go and not be seen?
I’m not sure. Perhaps he used a miracle to make himself look different, or maybe he just stayed in the shadows and made sure his friends didn’t see him, people who knew what he looked like.
Why do you think he went in secret?
J -So the Jews wouldn’t know? or maybe he wanted to see what they were doing?
I’m just not sure, lets read on.
John 7:14-24
Do you have any questions?
J – Why did he go and teach then, not earlier?
Well, he said to his brothers that it wasn’t his time. Maybe he wanted to go and listen and watch the people so he could know what to teach them, to understand what they needed. But I really don’t know why.
What about the last thing he said, does that makes sense?
J A little. It’s kind of like don’t judge a book by its cover.
What does that mean?
J – Don’t judge people by what’s outside, judge by what’s inside.
He says “Stop judging only by what you see. Judge correctly.” Remember how he’s trying to get people to see things spiritually instead of physically. I think that’s what he’s talking about. He talks about the man he healed on the Sabbath, remember how they were angry?
J – Yes.
He says how they will allow some work to be done on the Sabbath if its for a greater good.
J- What’s the Sabbath?
It’s their holy day, remember that God told them to rest on the Sabbath.
J -Oh it’s like on Postcards From Buster, when he was in New York with some Jewish people, on the Sabbath buster had to turn off his video camera.
Yes, that’s right. So the Jews would let a baby be circumcised if the 7th day falls on the Sabbath, but they were angry at Jesus for healing a whole person on the Sabbath. Jesus says that doesn’t make sense. If that’s ok, why isn’t it OK for Jesus to heal a man on the Sabbath?

Observed

As a car guy, I get a lot of folks coming to me for car advice. I like being asked and I give out advice. This past weekend, however, it was pointed out how ironic it was that I seem to have cars with issues. I got to thinking about this, and it is disturbing. Consider:
Cars that were completely my choice:

  • 1980 Chevy Monza It was related to the Vega, what more needs to be said? I will add, however, the driver’s door that tended to want to fall off, the heat that failed to work when my wife (then girlfriend) was in the car and the starter that tended to keep running even after the key was completely removed from the ignition.
  • 1988 Nissan Pulsar SE Next car after the Monza, it was a money pit. Tended to eat tires and exhaust systems. Spent $5,000 (plus the payments) over 3 years to keep it running and needed struts, tires, exhaust and a steering rack when we traded it in.
  • 1992 Saturn SL2 Didn’t have it very long, but found out right after we bought it (warranty had just expired) that it was going through a quart of oil every 1,500 miles.
  • 1999 Honda OdysseyTwo new transmissions in 5 years and 90,000 miles. Currently have a sliding door needing repair.
    $0.360 per mile so far (plus insurance) over 5 years and 90,000 miles. (That’s dropping now that it’s paid off.)
  • 2005 Mazda3 So far so good mechanically, but it did just spend a week in the shop to correct some defects in the body work, mostly in the area that was repaired by the dealer before I bought it.
    $0.425 per mile so far after 6 months and 8,000 miles.

Cars that were not completely my choice:

  • 1988 Chevy Nova I helped my wife pick this one before we were married. If it were me, I would have picked something else, something more fun. It was generally a very good car. Over 3-4 years it needed only a clutch master cylinder until the head gasket went at about 130,000 miles.
  • 1988 Dodge Caravan A gift from Dad. It was not reliable, but given the price we paid I can’t complain. We did put in a rebuilt engine and transmission, fuel pump, AC compressor and radiator.
  • 1988 Chevy Celebrity A beater for a time of financial challenges, it came with a loan payoff as a trade for the Saturn. It too blew a head gasket in the short time we had it.
  • 1988 Subaru Wagon Lot of 88’s, eh? A freebie beater for my paper route, a woman in church was going to junk it. Broken timing belt and regular infusions of anti-freeze was all it needed while in my possession. Donated to charity when it died of what I think was another broken timing belt.
  • 1993 Ford Escort Boring but bulletproof, it was the lesser of available evils (Escort or Tempo? Ugh, Escort I guess.) when we went to trade that lemon Nissan. 10 years and 160,000 miles with only a bad intake manifold gasket as far repairs go.
    $0.185 per mile to drive for 10 years & 160,000 miles.

I wish I had costs per mile on the other cars, but I don’t.
I did the research, the Pulsar was supposed to be a good car, according to Consumer Reports, the only real source available at the time. Ditto on the Odyssey, although I honestly relied a lot on Honda’s reputation. I had low expectations for the Escort, but was real desperate to get out of that Pulsar. Only the Nova (and the Celebrity and Subaru beaters) really lived up to my expectations, except for the head gasket. I seem to remember that blown head gaskets on high mileage 4 cylinder cars were more common 10 – 12 years ago, but maybe that’s just cognitive dissonance.
So, what do you think, am I car choice challenged?

Argh! Argh! Argh!

Where is Tim Allen when you need him? [Insert manly grunts here.]
This past Wednesday, at the end of the 95+ degree temps, out AC quit. Thankfully it was at the end of Wednesday and Thursday afternoon brought thunderstorms and cooler temps. A little investigation found that the inside bits were working fine (fan blowing air) but the outside bits were not. Just a low hum.
Google to the rescue! I wrote down all the model numbers and serial numbers and started Googling. I found my way to DoItYouself.com and their forums where I asked a question. By Thursday AM, the consensus was that it was either the contactor or the capacitor. I needed more info to get the right parts, so after work I pulled the panel off the side where I found wiring diagrams and a parts list.
Friday, I called the parts place and get the parts. That night we went out to dinner and ice cream to celebrate the end of the week of Girl Scout day camp for all three. Mom was a counselor and she was especially glad it was done.
So today I opened it back up (after turning the power off at the breaker!). I actually took most of the panels off so I could hose the crud of of the coils too. I one by one I removed the wires from the old parts and placed them on the new parts. A capacitor is kinda like a battery, so I was particularly careful with those wires. Shorting it out could give me quite a jolt.
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late for that), I got it all back together and we now have AC again. Good timing too as the temps are supposed to climb again.
Gotta love the Internet.

Before the Prodigal was Prodigal

I wonder what the story that preceded the prodigal son is. Luke tells us simply that “The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’” but I wonder what transpired before that. After all, the next verse indicates that it took a little time after Dad gave him his share of the family estate for Jr. to actually leave, so I suspect that there was some time of pondering, questioning and wondering prior to the request.
What was going through his mind in the days, weeks and months prior? He lived in plenty and protection, yet there was the unknown calling him. Was it curiosity that drew him outside the walls of his father’s protection? The desire to see the unknown?
Was it some contempt for his safe, familiar surroundings? To escape from under the thumb of ‘the man’? Maybe he felt trapped by the security and predictability of home. He wanted some adventures and thrills. Maybe he was just bored.
In those prior days, did he sneak out at night into the nearby town to taste what he was missing, returning just before dawn and the rise of Dad and the rest of the family? Did what he found pull at his heart, calling him away?
And if he did, I wonder, did Dad know what he was up to? Did he watch him sneak away and return, never letting on that he knew? What did Dad do to prevent what he saw coming, what eventually happened? And if he did know, why didn’t he lock the doors from the outside and bar the windows?
My oldest daughter is 11. I’ve noticed that she’s begun to test the waters. She’s learned that she can make her own choices. She’s learned that when Mom and Dad aren’t around, they can’t see what she’s doing or hear what she’s saying and she can do what she wants, seemingly without consequence. I know because she’s not as good at it as she thinks. She slips and says things that she would normally only say when we aren’t there. Nothing horrible, mind you, but not what we’ve taught her to do.
Don’t hear me wrong, she’s a great kid and I’m immensely proud of her. Her mother and I are doing our best – and praying like mad – to see that she’s prepared for the journey ahead. She’s just nearing the precipice that we all come to and eventually jump from. The ways of the world are calling, and she’s listening.
It’s not too long before she will be the prodigal.
Not physically (I pray!), but spiritually. She will decide that she’s knows her way and she’s going to go off on her own. She’s learned enough from Mom and Dad and church, but it’s time to go her own way. Oh, she won’t go far, she’ll tell herself, she’ll be fine. And God is watching her, as he did all of us, and weeping, hoping that one day she’ll be back. And somehow, I don’t know how, he’s not locking the doors and barring the windows. He’s not thundering from the heavens “No! Don’t go!” I guess he knows that he will never truly have her love unless he lets her leave.
Me, I want padlocks, deadbolts, surveillance cameras, electronic tethers and bars on the windows. I want to call after her, reasoning, begging and pleading. But that’s not God’s way, so I swallow hard, pray harder, teach, discipline, wait and watch. Just as that father that Jesus talked about did.
I remember a day back when I wasn’t much older than Jessica is now. We were at a neighbors for a cookout. Their dog was chained in the yard and as I walked up, the dog in it’s excitement circled around me, tangling my legs in the chain and I fell. “Damn dog!” I shouted. Dad was only a few feet away and I looked up quickly, expecting a reprimand, but none came, he just stared at me.
The moment passed and I thought I had dodged a bullet. I remember wondering why he hadn’t said anything, wondering what that look was about. Now I think I know. I think it was a sort of resignation that his work as a Dad was nearly done. Now all he could do was watch and hope that the prodigal would come home soon.

Virtual Drifting

Drifting is a relatively new motorsport that’s sort of a combination of reckless abandon, ballet and road racing. Anyone who’s ever run out in the snow just to go do donuts in the mall parking lot or drove the minivan around the back of Wal-mart with the kids while the wife was picking up milk to do some 4 wheel drifts with the parking brake in the snow … What, no one else does that?
Anyway, anyone ever done a donut in the snow and smiled can understand the appeal of piloting a car around a track mostly sideways. Of course, if you’re good you still end up chewing up some expensive tires and throwing stones on your paint. If you’re not good? Well, it could get decidedly more expensive.
This is the cheaper way. All you need is a Playstation 2 and Grand Turismo 4. Then you can practice your drifting in a whole variety of cars, most of which you’ll never be able to afford, and replay the video of yourself. If you practice a lot, you might be as good as this guy. Very cool and fun to watch, check it out.
Via Autoblog

What Have I Learned?

Earlier this month, Pinakidion asked “What have we learned?” I mean, about 3 years ago the trouble that had been brewing for a while came to a head and the world changed in the ICOC. So, what has it taught me?
I’ve thought about that off and on for a while, even before pinakidion asked. Here’s my list, for now anyway:

  • The Kingdom of God has nothing to do with denominational or organizational boundaries.
  • Unquestioning and blind obedience is not discipleship.
  • The great commission is not the greatest commandment.
  • God did not create me to simply be an evangelism machine.
  • We should have been engaging the broader Christian community, not seeking to assimilate them.
  • I need not be afraid of the truth.
  • The ICOC was built on a rich spiritual history that we pretty much ignored.
  • Jesus is far more liberal than I gave him credit for.
  • We were – I was – appallingly arrogant about what I thought I knew and who I thought I was.
  • God cares far more about the wounded, broken and bruised than we did.
  • The purpose of baptism is forgiveness of sins, not to tell me who’s in and who’s out
  • Diversity of opinion is very healthy.
  • If we want to be blind, we can be blind.
  • Self deception is amazingly easy to achieve.
  • There’s a time to sound the trumpet. Even then, it’s very hard to do.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s good for now. I think that’s a good question for all of us in the ICOC, and potentially educational. I wonder what many folks in positions of leadership and influence have learned?

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