FISHING: WILL'S DAY TO BRAG

This bad boy ended up being 15 inches, and the first of three catches.

I love his enthusiasm.

Does it count as catching a fish if you didn't actually hold the fish?

WHAT YOU LOOKIN' AT?

I have 400+ pictures to go through from this last weekend in Indiana. I'll just throw them up here as I get around to it.

INDIANA

Just got back from Indiana. Will have more soon.

THE CART

The one business idea I always come back to is the hot dog cart. I'm not sure why. I didn't grow up in the family business of selling hot dogs or anything like that. For some reason I just think it is a quaint idea that has low overhead, and if I fail, I wouldn't have a lot of equipment to hock.

From hot-dog.org I found this:

In 2007, consumers spent more than $4.1 billion on hot dogs and sausages in U.S. supermarkets, that equals more than 1.5 billion pounds of hot dogs and sausages bought at retail stores alone.
Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to AT&T Park in San Francisco.
New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city, beating out Chicago and Los Angeles.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.
On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times.
During Hot Dog Season, Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs or 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period.
U.S. soldiers in military posts around the world from Fort Meyers in Arlington, Va. to Okinawa, Japan to Aqaba, Jordon consumed 2.4 million hot dogs last year.

From the USA TODAY paper, I read this:
Ballparks selling the most hot dogs are:
Fenway (Boston) 1.5 million
Citizens Bank (Phili) 1.25
Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) 1.22
Yankee Stadium (New York) 1.2
Citi Field (New York) 1..05

With numbers like these, can you see why I would want a piece of the action?

3 MONTH CHECK UP

Sean had his 3 month check up today. His blood oxygen seems to have settled at 70%...still in a good range, but on the low side of that range. As we go for these check ups, we continue to discuss with Dr. Lane what the next steps are and when they will take place. With this visit, he has indicated he will consult with his team as to what needs to be done. We talked about the differences in how China would do a process/operation called a Fontan, and what the US would do. Dr. Lane didn't give all the details other than in China they have to stop the heart to do this procedure, and they go up the arteries in such a way as to leave scar tissue. Heart doctors are now seeing people who had this procedure done 10-30 years later and it is a serious problem, one which could lead to death. The US version doesn't stop the heart and does not leave scar tissue.

We are hoping for the best option which is a two ventricle procedure which gives Sean the best outcome. He can still have a Fontan, and it would leave less damage, but still not the optimal procedure. Anyway, the next item to happen would be a heart catheterization to see what it exactly looks like inside his heart. We were not given any date to do this, just that it could be sooner rather than later.

SO MUCH TO DO

If you read this blog, click on the title to go to a website that is promoting adoption and orphan care. I wish I could go, but can't, and I doubt most of the readers of this blog can go, nevertheless, look it over and see what God is asking you to do for orphans. I continue to ask myself, is James 1:27 a command or a suggestion, and is it for all the church or a select few? Are each of us to be involved somehow with orphan care?

EASTER PHOTO

RANDOMNESS

My Little Angel!


Come visit me.


Lost in thought.

BEST TIME OF DAY

Found in Entrepreneur magazine:

When are you most creative?
4:33 pm is the least creative time of day, according to 92% of those surveyed.
10:04 pm is the time when 25% of respondents feel most inspired.

IN ADDITION...
25% burn the midnight oil to inspire creativity
44% find inspiration in the shower
58% forget creative ideas by neglecting to write them down.

EMERGING CHURCH PART 4

I would think most of you are familiar with RBC (Radio Bible Class) ministries, run by Mart De Haan. If not, these are the folks who put out the Our Daily Bread, and in the most recent mailing we got from them, the extra little flyer that was included was an article written by Mart De Haan regarding the emerging church. I wanted to post a few highlights from that. I think he has a balanced approach on the subject.

He writes:

Many of the emerging church affirm:
1. The triunity of God as a basis for valuing community rather than self-cetered individualism.
2. Church as a mission, a conversation, and a movement of Jesus' people rather than just an organization.
3. Spiritual leaders who listen as well as teach, and who influence through example rather than authority and control.
4. A willingness to think through together the stories and mysteries of teh bible rather than just taking for granted inherited doctrinal statements.
5. Living and enjoying the Bible rather than just studying and defending it.

Emerging commnities often take issue with traditional evangelical churches, which they see as:

1. Regarding ideas that are possible implications of the Bible as if they are were necessary implications, absolutes, and tests of orthodoxy.
2.Emphasizing theology, favorite doctrines and the letters of Paul rather than telling the stories of the Bible and of lives changed by Christ.
3. Giving the church a hypocritical reputation by politicizing homosexuality and abortion while ignoring sins of pride, racial prejudice, greed, and teh abuse of women.
4. Interpreting and applying the Bible as if it were written to our generation rather than first trying to understand what it meant to the people living when it was written.
5. Seeing church authority as a matter of hierarchy and control rather than the example and servant attitudes of Jesus.

There can be problems within emerging communities such as:

1. They may say less than the Bible makes clear.
2. ...some emphasize social action at the expense ofeternal considerations.
3. While talking about a life journey of faith, some are neglecting the decision that begins the journey.
4. While trying to avoid judgmental atitudes, some neglect what Jesus said about a coming judgment.

De Haan goes on to point out the problems the different churches in Revelation 2-3 had. He then says this: "But what if the seven churches has been doing the equivalent of writing books, posting Internet articles, and adding to the rumor mill about the problems of the other "six". What if they had been calling attention to the failures of one another as if there were not serious issues with themselves? So it is today. Whether in emerging or traditional evangelical churches, ALL of us have our blind spots. Only when we are willing to listen to one another, and to come to terms with the downside of our own way of "doing church," will we have the humility and spiritual sobriety we need to work for, rather than against, the body of Christ we share.

That is what I think I have been trying to say all along. Thank you Mr. De Haan.

ECONOMY

I just read in Entrepreneur Magazine that there is an easy indicator as to how the economy is doing. When Wal-Mart sales are up (are they ever down?), and Starbucks and Fed Ex sales are down, the economy is still in a decline. I guess the logic is people aren't shipping as much or paying premium prices for coffee.

Speaking of Fed Ex, as Will and I were traveling near the Indianpolis airport, a Fed Ex plane came soaring right over us. Will grabbed my camera and got some cool shots. In fact, he exemplifies the title of my blog, getting the shot while going 65 mph....