In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5,14 (ESV)
And this is the miracle that Christmas brings - that the same God who authored creation became flesh and lived among us. In Christ is found the very God who made the heavens and the earth in mortal form. Jesus is not just another prophet or deeply spiritual man, but is the God of all creation. Very God of Very God, Very Man of Very Man.
And it is this same God who will later become our redemption, purchasing us from sin and death through His own sacrifice.
No wonder the angels sing. Hallelujah!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Summer Rain
The aftermath
Walking out from work, it was warm, but not hot. Overcast, but not dark. The remains of an earlier shower dotted the roof of the car, and a hint of moisture filled the air. Not enough to be muggy. Seemed like it would hold, and the Soap Box Derby is in town, so I thought I'd drive around and see if I could see any kids prepping for the big race.
The derby is held on the grounds of the Akron Fulton Airport. A tiny regional airport, its most famous aircraft use to be the GoodYear Blimp. The blimp hangar is adjacent to the airport, and I'm working in a building next to the hangar. The blimp isn't there anymore, another sign of the changing times in Akron, OH. Lockheed owns most of the property now.
Anyway, the derby is held in the same large quadrangle that bounds Lockheed, Meggitt, and the airport. I'm driving around, and as I approach the light to make a right, the rains starts coming down. Light, but not a mist - this is real rain. And as I turn the corner to start down the road opposite the Derby Downs, the pace of the rains picks up with the car. By the time I can see across the field (yes - it's a field, not yards of concrete), I've reached the end of the airport buildings. There are a couple of planes - they look like toys, maybe large models to be flown by some hobbiest. They are real planes of course, but now what I've some to think of after flying a million and a half miles.
The rain is coming down steadily, and I decide not to get out of the car to take a picture. I'll try again tomorrow, and maybe I will get to see the racers in the field. Having made an orbit of three quarters of the field, I make another right and start up the hill behind where the racers will be. There are cones in the lanes and tents sprout from the ground, temporary abodes for the many people who will work behind the scenes for the benefit of the kids. I'm driving up behind the Rubber Bowl and the Derby Downs, and now the road starts to descend. One final right and I'm running along the Lockheed plant.
Here you wouldn't know that the All-American Soap Box Derby is taking place. The activity is hidden behind the trees and rolling hill. And the rain starts to beat down harder. You can smell the rain - you can always smell the warm earth and water. It permeates the air, but today there isn't the electric tinge that so often accompanies the summer downpour. Instead, as I motor down the road, the clouds begin to part, making way for blue skies. The rain continues to pelt the windshield, and is joined by road spray. The pace quickens, and more sky is revealed. The clouds are painted with an aura where the sky breaks through, an aura which quickly becomes a corona. Almost like an eclipse, except the darkness surrounds the donut hole.
And then it comes - shattering the calm of the clouds and bringing them alive. Shafts of light stream like brushstrokes of gold across the clouds, from the hole to the ground. No rainbow here, just penetrating amber as solid a a sword, cutting apart the shroud that keeps it hidden. The clouds part way, but still no sun. It hides itself away as the rain passes through driving pellets to become a gentle shower. I turn up I-77 to go to FairLawn, where dinner and sleep await my arrival. I can see the sun moving along behind the clouds, peeking out here, poking out there, but still not in it's fullness. I find myself wishing I could just pull over on the road, but this is an expressway. I;m in the middle of a cloverleaf type exit, and surely I can't just stop. Only five more miles and I'll be done.
Suddenly, the landscape is bathed in a swath of light. The sun has broken out and blazes across the heavens. Immediately I drop the visor to prevent sun blindness, and the road begins its correction from West to North. As the fiery orb slides around to the side, I can see again. The rain has eased, but the spray from the road keeps the wipers on full. A couple more miles and I'll be at my destination - will the sky hold its paintings for me to capture? I can't say.
Finally, my exit appears, and I move over. The smell of the rain no longer fills my nostrils, and the falling drops have diminished to the point that I only need to clear the windshield occasionally. As the race to capture the beauty of the skies ensues, I've left the expressway and now approach the light for dinner. A left turn onto the winding road to food, I pull into the bank parking lot and get out. No rain now, and the Sun has hidden herself away again. but beauty remains. I share it here with you, a memory, a shadow, of what once was.
Walking out from work, it was warm, but not hot. Overcast, but not dark. The remains of an earlier shower dotted the roof of the car, and a hint of moisture filled the air. Not enough to be muggy. Seemed like it would hold, and the Soap Box Derby is in town, so I thought I'd drive around and see if I could see any kids prepping for the big race.
The derby is held on the grounds of the Akron Fulton Airport. A tiny regional airport, its most famous aircraft use to be the GoodYear Blimp. The blimp hangar is adjacent to the airport, and I'm working in a building next to the hangar. The blimp isn't there anymore, another sign of the changing times in Akron, OH. Lockheed owns most of the property now.
Anyway, the derby is held in the same large quadrangle that bounds Lockheed, Meggitt, and the airport. I'm driving around, and as I approach the light to make a right, the rains starts coming down. Light, but not a mist - this is real rain. And as I turn the corner to start down the road opposite the Derby Downs, the pace of the rains picks up with the car. By the time I can see across the field (yes - it's a field, not yards of concrete), I've reached the end of the airport buildings. There are a couple of planes - they look like toys, maybe large models to be flown by some hobbiest. They are real planes of course, but now what I've some to think of after flying a million and a half miles.
The rain is coming down steadily, and I decide not to get out of the car to take a picture. I'll try again tomorrow, and maybe I will get to see the racers in the field. Having made an orbit of three quarters of the field, I make another right and start up the hill behind where the racers will be. There are cones in the lanes and tents sprout from the ground, temporary abodes for the many people who will work behind the scenes for the benefit of the kids. I'm driving up behind the Rubber Bowl and the Derby Downs, and now the road starts to descend. One final right and I'm running along the Lockheed plant.
Here you wouldn't know that the All-American Soap Box Derby is taking place. The activity is hidden behind the trees and rolling hill. And the rain starts to beat down harder. You can smell the rain - you can always smell the warm earth and water. It permeates the air, but today there isn't the electric tinge that so often accompanies the summer downpour. Instead, as I motor down the road, the clouds begin to part, making way for blue skies. The rain continues to pelt the windshield, and is joined by road spray. The pace quickens, and more sky is revealed. The clouds are painted with an aura where the sky breaks through, an aura which quickly becomes a corona. Almost like an eclipse, except the darkness surrounds the donut hole.
And then it comes - shattering the calm of the clouds and bringing them alive. Shafts of light stream like brushstrokes of gold across the clouds, from the hole to the ground. No rainbow here, just penetrating amber as solid a a sword, cutting apart the shroud that keeps it hidden. The clouds part way, but still no sun. It hides itself away as the rain passes through driving pellets to become a gentle shower. I turn up I-77 to go to FairLawn, where dinner and sleep await my arrival. I can see the sun moving along behind the clouds, peeking out here, poking out there, but still not in it's fullness. I find myself wishing I could just pull over on the road, but this is an expressway. I;m in the middle of a cloverleaf type exit, and surely I can't just stop. Only five more miles and I'll be done.
Suddenly, the landscape is bathed in a swath of light. The sun has broken out and blazes across the heavens. Immediately I drop the visor to prevent sun blindness, and the road begins its correction from West to North. As the fiery orb slides around to the side, I can see again. The rain has eased, but the spray from the road keeps the wipers on full. A couple more miles and I'll be at my destination - will the sky hold its paintings for me to capture? I can't say.
Finally, my exit appears, and I move over. The smell of the rain no longer fills my nostrils, and the falling drops have diminished to the point that I only need to clear the windshield occasionally. As the race to capture the beauty of the skies ensues, I've left the expressway and now approach the light for dinner. A left turn onto the winding road to food, I pull into the bank parking lot and get out. No rain now, and the Sun has hidden herself away again. but beauty remains. I share it here with you, a memory, a shadow, of what once was.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Remembering Memorial Day
When I was a child, in elementary school and jr high, there was always a Memorial Day service in Colden, NY. When I was in the Cub Scouts, and later in Jr High Band, I marched in the parades. The service was early in the day (morning), and would set the tone for the day - remembering those who died in service to their country, and the terrible cost our freedom was bought with. Every year, 2 students would recite the pieces "In Flanders Fields" and the "Gettysburg Address". I know I memorized the Gettysburg address one year, but can't remember if I recited or not. These are on my mind almost every Memorial Day.
I'm sharing them here:
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Moina Michael wrote in response "We Shall Keep the Faith" in November 1918. I think this may have been recited in some years.
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
The Gettysburg Address
President Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I'm sharing them here:
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Moina Michael wrote in response "We Shall Keep the Faith" in November 1918. I think this may have been recited in some years.
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
The Gettysburg Address
President Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
iPad - first impressions
For those who know me, it's no surprise - I'm a Mac lover. Not enough to be a fanboy, but a true fan of Apple computer. So I went to the Apple store the other night to take a look at the latest out of Cupertino. And here are my thoughts -
First, I think that the iPad holds to key to revolutionizing the computing experience for millions worldwide. A huge untapped potential - and the chance to fulfill what the first Apple Macintosh was supposed to be - a computer as easy to use as a toaster. But it's probably a couple of apps and features away from that.
First, what I liked. The display was easy to read, the whole iPad is certainly portable enough, and as an eBook reader, photo manager, internet device it makes the grade. I think it fills the promises that have been made, and is very good start.
What's missing? Well, many have commented, but here's my take. 1) No print function. I want at least the ability to print to .pdf files. I think that wireless printing out to be easy enough, but someone has to write an app. 2) Storage - how do I save my work? There are online storage web sites, but there needs to be better integration.
Many have complained about the lack of USB - to me it's less of an issue. Bluetooth provides basic connectivity, and if I need to print at home, I can do it wirelessly through my network connected printer. Also, once I've set up my NAS (Network Accessible Storage) I could also save there. The hardware change I'd like to see is a SD card slot. Could solve the storage problem as well as another issue I've considered on the iPod - I'd like to store movies in SD cards and plug them in to view them - music and photos too.
As to the device itself - the onscreen keyboard wasn't to hard to use, though I'd likely want a wireless keyboard for any serious work. It wasn't as intuitive as I'd like. Couldn't figure how to open additional tabs in the browser - maybe I can't . It was difficult to navigate the the browser for me at least. I'm a multiple window guy - and couldn't figure out how to do it in the iPad version of Safari.
Also, it was hard to open links in the browser - all these things probably require some practice. And I didn't spend a lot of time in the store really trying to get to know the device. I'm told it doesn't work with a mouse, and I really don't care there, but I'd like the ability to use a stylus.
IMHO, at least, the iPad represents the first real "tablet" computer - and I can see a future where I could sit in my living room with my iPad, streaming video from my Apple TV, or surfing the net while watching my large plasma screen, doing a little mail, and maybe playing a game.
What should Apple provide in the next iPad:
- Front facing camera for video chat - or something on a swivel on the edge
- SD card slot
- OS upgrades for print and storage
What would really make the iPad for me?
- A couple of apps - "Notepad" - a tablet that I could take notes on, typing or stylus, and "Stickies" - an app that I could embed or overlay with eBooks to "mark up" my reading - again typing or stylus
- Support for multiple windows
At this time, I don't need USB or Flash.
And finally, here is my wishlist for Apple:
- GPS chipset and wireless access for the iPod touch, with the same wireless plan as the iPad gets - an iPhone without the phone (I'd buy this in a flash)- A larger available screen - 12/13 inch - not so portable, but more real estate to use as a "tablet" computer - to create 3 versions (pocket, travel, portable)
The iPad has the potential to become the computer for "the rest of us" - for the person who wants internet access and email, occasional writing, spreadsheets, etc, some games, etc - but wants it to be intuitive and straight forward.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Everyone needs a voice
In this day and age, everyone needs a voice. This is mine. You may agree or disagree with me, that's OK. That's how democracy works. I don't care if you disagree, just be civil about it. If you think that I misspoke, you can point it out, just be sure to document why you think I'm wrong, and please, use a reputable source. Just because Rush says it doesn't make it so.
Who am I -
An Evangelical Christian - but don't paint the label of social conservative on me, it just doesn't fit. I think that the Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks loud and clear to the poor, tired and hungry, and to our responsibility for our brother.
A Progressive Democrat - there is quite a bit of Libertarian in me, but I'm not afraid of taxes and paying our way. I don't want to leave a big steaming pile of crap for my kids (or anyone else's) to pay for. Let our Foreign Policy follow our values. Stand up for freedom wherever it may raise its lovely head. And when our "friends" stand against freedom, well, maybe they're not really our friends. Government should to protect the weak against the strong (the strong are powerful enough to take care of themselves). Invest in our people - education, health, and welfare - to provide for our future. Ask people to give back - it's a two way street.
I don't believe that government is the solution to every problem, but I've lived and worked in the private sector to know better than government can't do anything right, and that the private sector can waste as much as anyone. The government can and should regulate for the benefit of all - money is not king, and greed is not good. The bottom line is not the measure of the value of everything.
This is my first attempt at blogging. I'll give it the attention that I can, but sometimes I may be a while between posts.
That's it for now - I hope that what you read causes you to think. Remember the Oracle at Delphi - "Know Thyself". At least reflect on who you are, and I'll do the same for myself.
Who am I -
An Evangelical Christian - but don't paint the label of social conservative on me, it just doesn't fit. I think that the Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks loud and clear to the poor, tired and hungry, and to our responsibility for our brother.
A Progressive Democrat - there is quite a bit of Libertarian in me, but I'm not afraid of taxes and paying our way. I don't want to leave a big steaming pile of crap for my kids (or anyone else's) to pay for. Let our Foreign Policy follow our values. Stand up for freedom wherever it may raise its lovely head. And when our "friends" stand against freedom, well, maybe they're not really our friends. Government should to protect the weak against the strong (the strong are powerful enough to take care of themselves). Invest in our people - education, health, and welfare - to provide for our future. Ask people to give back - it's a two way street.
I don't believe that government is the solution to every problem, but I've lived and worked in the private sector to know better than government can't do anything right, and that the private sector can waste as much as anyone. The government can and should regulate for the benefit of all - money is not king, and greed is not good. The bottom line is not the measure of the value of everything.
This is my first attempt at blogging. I'll give it the attention that I can, but sometimes I may be a while between posts.
That's it for now - I hope that what you read causes you to think. Remember the Oracle at Delphi - "Know Thyself". At least reflect on who you are, and I'll do the same for myself.
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