The Large Place

From my distress I called upon the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
(Psalm 118: 3)

I could not breath or think
nor see a way out
and my enemies were laughing
taunting, dancing around in their little circles

Pride had made me unaware 

and I wandered off too far
away from those who had loved me, led me
warned me to stay on the sure path

It is all too easy you know
the day is nice, the sun in its brightness, the air so inviting
and I am off, careful at first, poking, prodding, peek around the bend
finally I am striding, full steam, hell bent, lost in my thoughts - lost

When one ventures into enemy territory alone
one is alone, this we all know
but it is different when one forgets
where the borders are

Stupid me, I had a map, a good map
and a compass pointing North
but as I said, the day was fine, my heart was light
my eyes saw only what I wanted them to see

As the path narrowed and the prickers and thorns closed in
sun hid above the canopy, nasty unrelenting bugs, wet feet
I was startled by the urgent noise of barking dogs
far away but gaining

Very, very still, waiting
my heavy breathing alarmed me
and fear took control
and I ran

When I stopped, on one side a barrier of stone
high and smooth, far up as I could see
the other was a cliff, steep, jagged
a pebble jumped and never stopped

Before were bushes,bright red with long spikes
and behind, the way I came were the dogs
and men
and hate

A long time ago two armies faced off
every day a giant would strut forward and insult the Lord of Hosts
the entire army of the Lord quaked at every word
even the king, who hid in his tent

But one day a young man passing by 

heard the giant and got angry
he ran toward the giant with a little pebble on a large open field 
and knocked him silly

When the young man got older and the king's forces chased him
and the enemy's forces also chased him
when he was hemmed in and all seemed hopeless
he thought about his Lord and the large open field

And he remembered the little pebble and the defeated giant

he was disciplined but not given over to death

the large open field became a kingdom
the rock which the builders rejected became a chief cornerstone

I could not breath 

or think nor see a way out
and my enemies were laughing, taunting

dancing around in their little circles

in my distress I looked down and spotted a small rock
anger shook me from my fear, hope guided my aim
the leader fell forward, men and dogs ran, I made it back
through the gates into that large open field, humbled, forgiven

Is The Earth Flat?

You may be surprised to know that the notion of a flat Earth is actually quite modern, only going back about 120 years. The Greeks started to confuse all of us around 300 BC by claiming that we lived on a giant spherical object. That idea took hold among all the ancients and was believed by each successive generation so, unlike what you may have heard, Columbus thought he had a pretty good chance of hitting India.

I started getting interested in the idea of a flat Earth after hearing some politicians compare me (or anyone who wants even a debate on the effects that man has on our climate) to people belonging to the Flat Earth Society. Since I am diametrically opposed to almost everything those politicians are for it occurred to me that maybe there is something there.

The first thing I did was to check out the beliefs of the Flat Earth Society, all easily found on the web. At flatearthsociety.net you will see listed the top 3 reasons they believe the world is flat:

A flat Earth is socially more responsible

Removal of geographic bias in Politics

Newton's laws of Motion and Einstein's Relativity
(an extensive discussion which seems to boil down to the fact that gravity is an illusion)

They also list what they don't believe:

Ignoring Evidence - A Global Conspiracy - That the Earth is on a Turtle's Back

As you can see, this is heavy stuff. It got me thinking deep thoughts. For example, if the diameter of the Earth is about 26 thousand miles and it actually does rotate once a day then the Earth must be spinning at over 2 thousand miles per hour so if I was in an elevator and jumped up while it was going down my body should logically slam into the elevator's side. But it doesn't, does it?

Intrigued I checked out Wikepidea and saw that Flat Earth News had articles with these interesting (and actual) titles:

Whole World Deceived - Except the Very Elect
Australia, Not Down Under
Sun is a Light 32 Miles Across
Galileo Was a Liar
Science Insults Your Intelligence
World IS Flat, and That's That
The Earth is Not a Ball, Gravity Does Not Exist

Another site from the UK called Metro News provides a list of the top 10 reasons to believe that the world is flat. If these don't convince you then it's probable that your brain is totally closed and nothing will:

1.   It sort of looks flat, doesn't it?
2.   It's cheaper to fake journey into space than it is to journey into space.
3.   Satellite photos are actually faked.
4.   Day and night are created by the sun's visibility in a circle above and then below the North Pole
      (the sun also slides side to side for winter and summer).
5.   People who think they have flown around the world have actually flown in a big circle around
      the North Pole (the Earth is a large disk with the North Pole in the center).
6.   It all stays together because there is a big ice wall around the edge (Antarctica -  it keeps the
      oceans from flowing off the edge. The Flat Earth society however is "a little curious"
      as to what lies beyond).
7.   Gravity doesn't exist.
8.   The Earth is accelerating upwards due to 'dark energy'.
9.   Photos from airplanes look curved because of the windows.
10. An experiment proved that a six mile stretch of water was flat.

Of course not everyone is like me and open to a different "world view". When I checked out a skeptic site and referenced flat-Earth it seemed that a lot of people who go to discussion boards seemed really upset that anyone would actually believe that the Earth is flat. Here is a typical query:

"Well then, how do you explain photos of my house from the Google satellite? How is it possible to do that for any location? Do you know how long it would take to create these images and somehow frequently update them?"

For every stupid question there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Here is a flat-Earth answer:

"I assume you are talking about suites with Google Earth. The majority of pictures are taken from sources like planes and  balloons. Google themselves admit this."

What more can I add?

Praise The Works Of The Lord

Announcing that the universe is His
the early Spring day begins with a
warming sun, lifting fog, singing robin

Beneath the brown leaves from Autumn
rise blues and yellows and greens
everywhere, all fresh, unexpected

Coursing through every limb
is the life flow of each new bud
once again, as before, all things new

Driving over the river's bridge
we see deep and swollen waters
powerful, relentless, and very muddy

Every drop is on a journey
finding their charted course
from creeks, to rivers, to bulging great lakes

Flashing strobes and pounding kettles
entertained us just last night
prelude, main show, the extended curtain call

Great is the One who makes all things new
who designs each and every fiber
He is awesome, creative, always loving

His plans are perfect and full of grace
each thing has its own season
sure footed, far sighted, ever trustworthy

Innocent are those who fear the Lord
who put their trust in the Grand Designer
forgiven, reborn, constantly renewed

Jealous are those who worship chance
blind to the ebb and flow of life
they are absorbed, self centered, aging

Knowing that the flesh is weak
subject to decay and death, He breathed in
spirit, life, eternity

Loving all that He designed
picking sizes shapes and colors
we are special, unique, proclaiming

Morning sun peeks through low fogs
as we pass the fields and forests
all is quiet, expecting, revealing

New sights wave with each rise and curve
onward on our journey
circling hawks, grazing horses, fighting birds

Open heavens in powder blue
faint moon in white descending
another day, refreshed, I think I'm ready

Powerful is the force that binds things together
every part with a specific plan
all related, dependent, intriguing

Quiet is the voice of the ready skeptic
next to the roar of the waterfall's edge
your logic is silly, fleeting, so small

Renewed is the banner
I see on this morning
Revived! Recharged! Rejoice!

Strong is the Lord
who puts things together
Sturdy! Steadfast! Stupendous!

Triumphant is the march
that drums out before us
Tireless! Timeless! Tremendous!

Unique is our God
who made all of creation
Unbending! Unyielding! Unmatched!

Virtuous are those
who bloom where they're planted
they have faith, and hope, and love

Whenever I see the sureness of life
its steady course and flow
amazed am I to be, to share, to know

X marks the spot where we must stand
proclaiming what we've seen is true
to family, friends, and you

You are the one He loves the most
more than the birds and sky
our question is, just for me, and why

Zillions have asked if He has a plan
where do I fit, will He see me through
creation answers, yes He does, it's true

Indian Summer

I remember the grand old house of my Grandpa and Grandma Van Lente on 17th street. For so many Sundays we were there as family, my folks, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles and of course Grandma and Grandpa.

As you entered, first parking at the curb, then up the front steps, passing over the full length porch and through the front door you were greeted in the hall to the left by a large stairway with a wide banister heading up and the entry to the living room facing right. Just inside and to the left in the living room was Grandpa Van's chair. It always smelled of cigar or pipe smoke and sitting beside it or on the foot stool when we came was the Sunday paper.

I remember this because every year during a particular week in the late fall the magazine that came with the paper would feature the same cover. It was a painting and a story by John T. McCutchen which originally appeared in The Chicago Tribune in 1907. Every year in Michigan we have a short period known as Indian Summer which is a stretch of nice weather after the first frost but before the onset of the cold and snow which always follows. The cover was called Injun Summer and the story below the painting is the grandfather's tale about how the spirits of the long gone Injuns come back this time of year, turning the leaves to their reds, oranges and yellows.

The top half of the painting shows a grandfather, leaning against a large tree with smoke rising from his pipe talking to his grandson who was standing in front of him, looking out at a scene that had up front a large wooden rake lying on the ground, a pile of burning leaves and then an old rail fence as entrance to a field with a dozen sets of corn stacks piled together.

The bottom part of the painting shows the same grandfather and grandson but in the boy's mind the corn stalks were now Indian teepee's and in the smoke of the leaf fire were dancing "injuns".

I think for me there was this sense of comfort finding that same cover in the same place at the same time for so many years. Cousins would grow, Grandparents would age, my interests would change but Injun Summer assured me that like the seasons there were some things that you could always bank on.

It's funny but my memory of this was stirred up by a conversation I had yesterday with a test client from the nation of India. Gopi, who is 29 and who must have been nervous had about a dozen original conversation starters that he tried on me during our test. He started out by saying "Are you having a good day Bobb?" and then would add questions such as "What did you have for lunch today Bobb?"  (Jackie later told me I should have replied, "Nothing with curry in it, that's for sure.")

As we are driving Gopi inquires as to how old I am. I respond by asking him to guess. When he guesses 55 I tell him that he is so kind but off by 10 years. I can tell that he is a little confused that I am still working at 65 so I ask him where he sees himself at that age. "I think I will be dead by then" he says. "Why is that?" I ask and Gopi tells me that his father died of a heart attack when he was a boy. I find out that he is the oldest son and that one grandparent still lives from each side of his family.

My youngest daughter has a good friend who went over to India on a WYAM mission, met a guy there who was a son of a pastor and they eventually got married. Jackie and I met Sunder one day a few years ago at my daughter's home and had a nice visit. We find out later that he was quite impressed with us. "Becky, I use to think that when someone turns 60, poof, that was it, you were done, but after meeting your parents I think there might be hope."

Like most of the other people from India that I have tested over the years Gopi is a computer engineer who is employed by an Indian company that has contracts with clients in our country. He will be here for a year or three and then on to another assignment and eventually back to the heat and teeming humanity of southern India.

I say to Gopi; "If you are still living at 65 and retired, where will you be living and what do you see yourself doing?. Will you have a house or an apartment or will you be living with family?" Gopi tells me that the responsibility of the grandfather at that age is to enjoy his grandchildren. "To have a little money coming in, to live with my children and to play with my grandchildren, that is my dream."

I have been blessed with 18 grandchildren and do enjoy every minute with them but it sure is nice some days to hug them goodbye and say see ya soon or come again later. Perhaps after we retire Jackie and I will be able to live at home until death do we part and that would be sweet but you never know for sure what will happen.

In my mind I want to be like that old grandpa smoking his pipe (or in my case maybe drinking a Pepsi) and telling Injun stories to the youngest grandkids but I worry that I might be more like the grandma from the car commercials who is sitting way in the back saying that as a kid in a large family they only had one window and she only saw the moon 3 times growing up. My kids understand from wence they came but I not sure my grandkids have a clue yet.

Jesus Literally Rises From The Dead

Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so as she wept she stooped and looked into the tomb

and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.

And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him."

When she had said this,  she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that is was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"

Supposing Him to be the gardener she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which in Hebrew means, Teacher).

Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.' "

Mary Magdalene came announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" and that He had said these things to her.  (John 20: 11-18)

The world had literally just ended for Mary Madgdalene and the disciples. For the last couple of years they had heard and seen Truth and Power, every day and in so many different ways. Surely this was the prophesied coming of the Kingdom.

True, Jesus had been hinting, maybe even outright saying that the Son of Man must sacrifice Himself for the nation. But how could that have been true. When He was with them there was life as they had never experienced it. There was joy. And most important, there was hope.

But the last couple of days had been a nightmare. They were caught off guard by Jesus arrest. They were stunned by His trial. They were crushed by His gruesome death. They were numb by His absence. It wasn't the Kingdom after all that was so important. It was Him.

And then, early on a Sunday morning, at the entrance to an empty tomb, while talking to someone she thought took care of the garden, Mary encountered the true Caretaker, the second Adam, the Restorer, the Redeemer.

Jesus reveals Himself to Mary and tells her that He must now ascend to the Father and she needs to go to the brethren and proclaim to them what she has seen and heard.

Hope! Hope! It has now been returned. There is Light in a world that looked so dark! "I have seen the Lord" proclaimed Mary.

Hope! Hope! I proclaim to you today. The risen Lord has come into my heart and He lives! If your world seems dark and bleak know that Jesus lives! He loves you just as much as He loves me and just as much as He loved his good friend Mary.