Archive for February 2010

Fwd: Valentine's Day...

Friday, February 12, 2010 – 1:18 PM

The following is an email from my summer home through college, Wind River Ranch. Enjoy.




-------------
The following is a very short, yet enlightening, history of Valentine's Day:

According to church tradition, St. Valentine was a priest near Rome during the reign of Claudius II.  In one of the worst decisions of all time, Claudius banned marriage in an attempt to boost enlistment of soldiers.  His impaired thinking was that married men were too emotionally attached to their families, so to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.  Brilliant…

Valentine ignored this edict and continued to marry couples in secret. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the Roman gods to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused and actually attempted to convert the emperor to Christianity.  He was not successful and was sentenced to death shortly thereafter.  

While in prison, he befriended his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter who often came to visit them.  During one of these visits, God empowered Valentine to heal the daughter's blindness.  I imagine her visits became more frequent after that.  On the day of his execution (February 14, 270), Valentine signed a farewell message to her, "From Your Valentine," a phrase that has lived ever after.  
 
Thus, Valentine became the Patron Saint of lovers and unknowingly began a tradition which has kept Hallmark and balloon bouquets in business for years!

Just think, the only reason we know Valentine's name is because he stood against the ridiculous culture of his day.  He held to the precepts of God, and did what God called him to do, even when it became very inconvenient for him to do so. 

You and I have that same choice to make.  In a society that says "if it feels good...do it" and where faithfulness equals stupidity, God expects us to live according to His principles. And in so doing, God is lifted up - and when God is lifted up, He draws people to Himself. 

So as you write your Valentine's Cards this year, remember that our love is different than the world's love.  Our love is a reflection of the Love we have received freely and generously… may we be as free and generous in sharing that Love with all we meet.        - Rob

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another." - 1 John 3:11

Permalink | Comment (0)

The Thing About Airplanes...

Thursday, February 11, 2010 – 11:36 AM

As much as I try, I'm really no good at holding cards close to my chest. Most of my friends know the stuff I like the most, and as music goes, an Andrew Peterson reference likely evokes a collective 'that figures', to which I say that it could have been Rich Mullins.

This one comes from a hard-to-find album called 'Appendix A'. If you are ever so inclined, I believe you can purchase it from AP's artist community page, www.rabbitroom.com. The song is called 'The Thing About Airplanes'. AP is a master storyteller, and I'm so impressed the way these clear and relatable stories are told in a way that reveals so much truth.

The Thing About Airplanes
I left on a jet plane for faraway lands
but my expectations are much less than grand

‘cause I’m sitting here next to this overdressed man
and I only want you next to me

well, you know I love flying, especially at night
and I asked for the window, but I got the aisle
so I’m grumbling next to this overdressed guy
and I only want you next to me
yes I only want you next to me

this high road I’ve taken, this distance that kills
would be easier traveled if not for the guilt
‘cause it ain’t circumstances that drove us to this
no, I chose to be flying away

but that really don’t matter that much I suppose
in light of the distance between us that grows

‘cause I’m here and you’re there now and all that I know
is I don’t want to be on this plane
no, I don’t want to be on this plane

these clouds appear solid but the plane barrels through
an illusion of substance without any truth
so I’ll rest on your wings, Lord, and savor the view

and I won’t let my fear in the way
and I’ll try to consider it joy while I’m here
‘cause I read that I’m blessed if I persevere
God fashions a crown from the pain and the tears
and He carries us all of the way
yes, He carries me all of the way

now the thing about airplanes I noticed this time
is you can’t look ahead and you can’t look behind
but you can see where you are when you look out the side
and you can try to recover some peace

in these thunderhead mountains all cottony white
the works of my Maker I’m flying beside
but I can’t hardly see past this overdressed guy
oh, I only want you next to me
I only want you next to me.


AP is writing about his wife, and since I've been married, I can relate to this feeling whenever either of us travels for work or school. The funny thing about missing someone, (and learning to trust God - all that) is that even in marriage, I recognize a sense of longing and loneliness in marriage that I had when I was single. As close as I can get to Cara, I still feel like the guy on that plane. Why is that?

As much as I'd love to work through that now, I'm creeping up on 600 words, and you've endured enough from me for one post. Hopefully I'll get through that question soon, cause loneliness is a big deal. It was before I was married. It still is now. Even so, I trust God has his purposes, and I think even this question is one that can lead us closer to him.

Permalink | Comment (0)

Readership Update...

Friday, February 05, 2010 – 8:45 AM

Toot your horns, and I don't mean fart. Readership hit 14 on Tuesday, flirting like a schoolgirl with my 2010 goal of 15. Effective immediately, I am issuing executive order 3.wtp-1 and raising the 2010 goal to 20. 


I know, you're asking, but Nathan, why do you care? Or maybe you are asking, are you just that self-absorbed that you constantly monitor who feeds your ego?

Actually, as much as anything, I'm just that obsessed with statistics. My guess is most of you unknown ego-feeders already know that. In any case, thanks for reading my drivel, and have a good Friday.

Ciao.

Permalink | Comment (0)

Funny Morning...

Wednesday, February 03, 2010 – 10:57 AM

Do you ever have mornings when everything is slightly 'off'? Let's recap my first hour of conciousness:


- I walked around the house for 10 minutes looking for my jeans. I never thought to check the closet. They were in the closet. Where they belong.

- I got breakfast at Fuzzys. I get breakfast at Fuzzys every morning. Every. Morning. Today, exiting, I pushed the door from the hinge side. How did I do that? I push that door correctly every weekday morning, and today I messed it up.

- When I parked at campus, I reached up to shift into park and just missed the lever completely. I've had that car for 7 years and that's never happened.

- After I found my gear and parked, I reached down and pushed my seat belt release. I was surprised when nothing happened. Then I remembered that I wasn't buckled up to begin with.

Anyway, none of these are so stunning in their own right. But, for being such a creature of habit, these were an odd bunch of happenings to pair themselves in such a compact timeframe.

Permalink | Comment (1)

Sick Fun...

Tuesday, February 02, 2010 – 1:27 PM

Yesterday, I played a riveting, down-to-the-wire match of disc golf. The match had all the right components: lead changes, narrow misses, narrow escapes, good company, and showboating that turned easy escapes into stupid misses. Oh yeah, and due to the cold weather and recent heavy rains, some holes were in the middle of their own ponds, and gentle streams were not so gentle. More on that later.


Let me set before you the scene heading into the final hole. My dear competitor was mired in a 3 stroke deficit through 11 holes. Due to unforgivable blunders, I squandered my lead, regained it, and squandered it all over again, all to find myself in a 1-stroke deficit leading into the treacherous 18th hole. This nonsensical terrain was the ultimate showdown stage. No clear paths, no strategy. All one could hope is, after hurling an aerodynamic prayer, that some way, some how, God would smile, and said prayer would miss the randomly-placed trees long enough to clear the gorge and the raging river below. Alas, not even God could smile at the ensuing throw, which promptly smacked off a nearby tree and descended into the waters below.

The next 30 minutes were spent walking up and down the riverbank, trying in earnest to spot the disc below the river surface. Finally, we found the little submariner, smack in the middle of a river that, due to the rain, was running rather high and rather fast. I then proceeded to wade into the river, the water up to my chins, retreive the disc, and play my shot. Keep in mind that North Texas has been in a bit of a freezing spell lately. Just that morning I was scraping ice off my wife's car. That river was wicked cold, and the 10-15 minutes I spent in it were enough to make Nathan-above-the-knees feel comparatively toasty. 

I lost the round by a stroke and walked back to the car wearing my soaked and freezing badge of courage. Forget that I lost the round. Forget that I got freezing wet. Forget that I actually ran some fever last night as a result. The whole experience was a rush. As much time as I squander doing unproductive activities, I recommend and support any such activities that get us out in nature and allow the negotiation of her obstacles. We men were born to play in the wild, and I for one am happy to do so, resulting fever or not.

Permalink | Comment (0)