iPhone Or Not To eyePhone?

iHave been THiNKiNG lately that an iPhone iS a LiKELY new step in my iApple world of iProductivity. And, because iT iS iTime to iPurchase/iUpgrade to a new phone, Whi not make the iMove to the new 3G iPhone, paricularly SiNCE iHave the WiFE's BLESSiNG. 

"Prius Owners Are So Much Nicer"

When I reached the drive-thru window at the local Starbucks this afternoon, the barista suggested aloud that "Prius owners are always so much nicer than the people who drive Hummers." In her hippie-want-a-be, new-age crystal-spinning vernacular, she attempted to tell me that I was nicer than the "Hummer" customers that enter her drive-thru. I have a couple of observations:

1. It is obvious that she had no clue who she was addressing. OK, I'll admit that I was purchasing an iced grande white chocolate mocca. It's the new $2 after 2:00 p.m. thing that caused me to drive by early in the afternoon. However, this is a great example that one should never judge another based on the drink they order in the drive-thru.

2. I've seen Hummer people on the road. I don't find them more or less "nice" than my Prius brothers and sisters. Yes, they are destroying the planet with their military-like behemoth carbon footprints. But ignorant doesn't suggest that one is "mean." 

In the future, I plan to look for more ways to be nice when I'm driving the Prius. Tomorrow, I'm going to use the drive-thru at bank. I wonder if they will cash an out-of-town, 3rd party check without ID? In a Prius, anything is possible. 

Angels Among Us...

For some reason, I have always thought of angels as heavenly-based forms, like those illustrated in VBS materials, floating from cloud-to-cloud rather than functioning as God-sent individuals among us. During the last two weeks, however, I have personally witnessed a divine intervention unlike any time in my life. From the first sign that Carla's annual tests signaled the need for additional attention, an angel named "Judy" moved momentarily into our lives, supercharging the slow process of tests to doctors to treatment into an express lane of activity. And, during every phone call or meeting, Judy said she would be praying. When treatment required surgery, angels began to appear in the waiting room as I waited to meet with the surgeon. Even during their personal worry and concern for their daughter's surgery, Ruth and Jerry comforted me with words of encouragement and prayer.  Faith-filled friends also "worked" at the hospital, stopping in to make sure everything was going well, offering to intervene if necessary, floating from cloud to cloud at every stage of treatment and recovery. And, when I was wrestling with the difficulty of not knowing what was next, what to do, a brother sat next to me and comforted me without saying a word. 

In my life, I have never seen a white-robed angel floating across the sky, serving pixie-dust like offerings of hope or protection. However, during the last two weeks, I have experienced the plan of God as He brought (and continues to bring) angels in ways that I am unaware. Contrarians may argue that my experiences are simply fate and that I wish to make conjure up something to sooth my need for comfort. Yet, when I cry out "why" to the Lord, He reassures me that He is aware and ready to send a host of individuals into our lives when we are in need. 

Dad's Day

Having one day a year that is dedicated to dad is a great idea. I'm not completely sure who came up with the idea, but I salute the person (probably at Hallmark Cards) who invented Father's Day. While the days of three little kids all jumping on the bed at 5:00 a.m. to wish me Happy Father's Day and to request a run for donuts no longer occur, I was treated to some wonderful Mexican food at a "new favorite" restaurant of mine (the best I have had this side of the Mississippi) by a beautiful daughter and I was also fortunate to receive best wishes from the "Alaskan One" (a week early) and some iSight time from the "first" one. All-in-all it has been a wonderful day to be a dad. And then I got to thinking....

It has been a long time since I have been able to tell my dad how much he means to me. Oh there have been many "moments" over the years when something triggers a memory and I have a good laugh or cry to myself. But there is nothing like standing next to one's dad and letting them know how much they mean in your life. When I reflect on the number of sacrifices my dad made for me, I am awed by the significance of how much time and energy dad invested in me. I know that one day we will be reunited, but the bond of son and father will never be same like it was when dad would patiently let me stumble through my learning process. He was a man of character that humbles me everyday. Happy Father's Day!

A Proverbs Woman

A wife of noble character

She is worth far more than rubies

She gets up while it is still dark

She considers a field and buys it

She sets about her work vigorously

She sees that her trading is profitable

She opens her arms to the poor

She is clothed with strength 

She speaks with wisdom

She watches over her household

Her children call her blessed

Her husband calls her Carla

Psalms 34:3

"Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together." Early in our relationship, Carla and I chose this verse as our focus for life, the foundation for every decision we made. Over the years, 32 to be exact, we have experienced many challenges that required us to reflect on the Lord's admonition to magnify and exalt His name. And yet, when we looked in the rearview mirror, we could see His perfect design, realizing He had a purpose, a perfect will and timing for every crossroad or pothole we encountered. Today, we find ourselves challenged as a couple, once again claiming our verse to magnify and exalt His name together. How beautiful it is to walk beside a woman that praises the Lord for His blessings during the uncertainties of life. I can smell the lemon cookies. 

I Dwell in Possibility...

...to gather Paradise. 

Last night I was listening, consuming, some of the poems performed on the accompanying CD from my new Norton "Introduction to Literature" text. As I moved through a number of readings, I landed on Garrison Keillor's rendition of Dickinson's "I Dwell in Possibility." The combination of Keillor's voice mixed with Dickinson's prose offered a wonderful moment to contemplate the "possibilities" of life. As I also "spread open [my] narrow hands to gather Paradise," I am reminded that "a fairer house than prose" awaits all who know Christ. How much more glory we will experience when we step into Paradise and no longer "dwell in possibility."