Benny

We better start sleeping now. Here are the most recent reports on Benny.

1. He talks alot, and is hyperactive.
2. He is awake all day. (ie: no naps)
3. He sleeps all night (8pm-6am).
4. He laughs and smiles.
5. He babbles "alot".
5. He cries when he wakes up, but not at any other time.
6. He is intelligent.
7. He watches TV.
8. He is healthy.

Start praying for G. He sounds like his Daddy's son. As Napoleon Dynamite says...."Yessssss". Only 2 months to go (hopefully).

IRA & Retirement

The war in Iraq.
The war in Afganistan.
Terrorist actions in Egypt.
Terrorist actions in London.

These are typical headlines and news stories we are bombarded with. Important news, but somehow there needs to be a balanced shift reporting the good that comes from the rubble of these tragic events.

Here is an important and encouraging story for the day. Hopefully it will be reported here in the States:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4724599.stm

Campfires and Guitars

It's universal. We all like things we are good, and excell at. For as long as my memory serves, I have loved skiing. My second day on skis, I won a bronze NASTAR medal. I like skiing!

Did you ever want to be good at something that doesn't come naturally? That is my relationship with the guitar. As Geri packs to go on another biz trip, I am listening to Jimmy Buffett), and working on my transitions between 5 chords for a particular song.

Earlier this month, Bennny's Uncle picked up the same guitar, in this very room. After a looooong absence from guitars, Fred promptly whipped through all these particular chords (and then some). He sounded good. I think he excels at the guitar for 3 reasons. He is musically inclined, he is excellent at math-the string/note relationship is quite mathematical if you think about it, and he probably locked himself in his room as a headstrong kid (ask his parents), and practiced his adolescent frustrations away.

I don't ask for much, so eventually (after more practice and callouses) my dreams will hopefully come to fruition. What is my dream you ask? It is to be able to play simple 6 string music around the campfire. That's all. I have other dreams-but that is for another post another day.

That day when Benny's Uncle picked up the ax and started playing, was a "highlight" for me. I guess you could refer to these times as being Memory Moments. Here we were, 3 friends reunited, just hanging out, nowhere to go, nothing in particular that was pressing our schedules, our loved ones downstairs.... a "Campfire Moment".

A common misconception about Jimmy Buffett is that he only sings about frozen drinks and the island life. Tis not true. He is an accomplished author of novels, and yes..even childrens books. He has great lyrics about children (mostly inspired by his daughter). One of my favorites is Barefoot Children (In The Rain). His songs make me think of Benjamin, and all the kids that have a grasp on my heartstrings. One kid I am praying about is in Panama.

Now, we have a great preacher at McKnight. We like to tease him because he always looks so beat up. He continually slouches his shoulders, and occasionally looks like he has mentally been in the ring a few rounds. He has an amazing heart. Brian (that's his name) recently came back from mission work in Panama, and spoke about it on Sunday. It wasn't the typical post-mission trip rah, rah. He spoke directly to our hearts with a few pictures of the local kids. They have nothing, and when I say they have nothing....they literally have nothing but a smile and a pair of pants.

There was one boy who caught Brian's attention. At the age of five, he had something, yet on the other hand didn't have something. Let me explain. What he has is Leukemia. What he has is 2 months to live. What he has is a flimsy piece of foam to sleep on. It breaks your heart. What he didn't have was something we take for granted. His family lives in a one room shack, and beds are obviously scarce. At the age of 5, the only thing he wanted was a bed to die in.

Brian's message ended with a challenge to start going to Panama and help the people out both physically and spiritually. I'm going to do my best to go. As your day winds down, you might be thinking of your kids, nephews, neices...They do need your love and smiles, but importantly they need your prayers.

Don't forget to pray for the Barefoot Children in Panama. Whether they are In The Rain or not, they need your prayers at the very least. I'm glad they are In His Reign.

By the way, the boy got his wish, complete with Pokemon sheets.

Power and the Space Race

As a typical guy, I love power. Some examples that get me fired up include hearing/watching jet fighters, feeling the boom of large fireworks, the electro-static crackle of guitar amp's cranked up during a concert. This stuff makes my skin look like a topographical map with goose-pimples. I witnessed one of the most impressive displays of raw power @ 2000 while I was training a large class in Orlando. After we broke for lunch, a few of us decided to get burgers at Hop's Brewery. Sothere I was, standing outside with one of those coaster-shaped buzzers in my hand (that goes off when they are ready to seat us). The crowd outside starts looking eastward, and the buzz level grows intense. All the sudden we see this big fireball streaking across the sky. After a morning of delays, the Shuttle had finally taken off. At that moment, I felt the tingling goose-bumps, and proud to be American. That is a grand display of power that is hard to beat (unless you are in the military).

This morning I am going to say a prayer for the astronauts. CNN was doing an overview of their snazzy space suits. They are a nimble 60 lbs, but are designed for a bailout just in case. An oft overlooked fact about the earlier space race is that Kennedy actually met with the USSR a week before he was killed, and offered a joint US/USSR effort to get to the moon together. That idea obviously never came to fruition after his death.

I talked with B, who saw the launch from the beaches by his home. How cool is that!

Getting back to the parable of the talents, I almost liken the 1 talent Servant to Jonah. I can definitely relate to Jonah. Not that I have ever been in the belly of a big fish, but my gut reaction sometimes is to try to run from responsibility. Not to trust that God has given me certain abilities to run on faith, outside my comfort zone.

Eventually Jonah came through to accomplish what God wanted. So through a bit of Holy strong-arming, he went from a 1 Talent Servant to a 5 Talent Servant. Tonight I am asking God to transform my life to a 5 Talent Servant. I'll be sure to take a shower instead of a bath-just in case.

We'll back to painting stripes in Benny's room. Here is another pic.

With Pearl Jam played out...on to my absolute favorite Arteest.....Jimmy Buffett. Music comes, music goes (ie: Steve Winwood during my depressive stages in college). Here are some pics to enjoy, as I enjoy hearing that master of 3 guitar chords. These were taken while we were on the Seranade Of The Seas this spring.

Back to painting.

$64,000 question

I have washed the dust off the woodwork, and am waiting for the proverbial paint to dry before I get back to taping off the project.

By the looks of the prose below. Can anyone be the Duke of Lyricism and Hazzard a guess to who and what I'm listening to. A plateful of oysters for the correct guess:

Tidal waves don’t beg forgiveness
'CRASHED' and on their way
Father he enjoyed collisions; others walked away
A snowflake falls in May.
And the doors are open now as the bells are ringing out
Cause the man of the hour is taking his final bow
Goodbye for now.

Today we start taping off Benny's room so we can start the painting. I guess like anything else in life, the fundamental key to success is in the preperation and planning. So here is the start to my prep and planning:
1. Go in room, and wonder where to start.
2. Leave room somewhat confused, and get cup of coffee.
3. Move the remaining sticks of furniture out of the room.
4. Drink more coffee.
5. Take a break to create my playlist that will be blaring out during the day.
6. Tape out everything.
7. Head to the john because of the coffee.
8. Go back to the computer to check email.
9. Be glad I'm not mowing in the heat.
10. Decide to pay someone to do the rest.