dad, the accidental hero

Dad turned 70 years old this past weekend. Happy birthday!

My dad has helped shape who I am. Few things or people have had as great an influence on me, and so I am very grateful for a loving father who has continually taught me well and lived as he taught.

I have not had the good fortune to see my parents sealed in the temple as yet - I still hope that day will come. However, I have had no lack for righteous example, either growing up in their home or at the present day. Mom has long described dad as a "gentle man", and that title could not be more fitting. My dad defines what it means to be a gentleman to me. He has been my hero for many years. He might say that his life just unfolded that way, but I know that he is not who he is by a series of lucky mistakes and pleasant happenings. He has lived a great life, has overcome much, and been a blessing to his posterity.

A related quote, on the topic of fatherhood:

"I remind you brethren who bear the Melchizedek Priesthood that the seed of the present is the harvest of the future. I urge you, as fathers and as priesthood leaders, to focus more attention on teaching, guiding, and shepherding these young men, especially by example. The Lord has given you that obligation. Remember, the lambs have little chance of following the right path if the shepherd goes astray." (emphasis mine) --Joseph B. Wirthlin, 1988 Fall Conference, "The Priesthood of God"

georgia on my mind

A couple of pictures from the trip to Georgia. The course we played was The Frog, just west of Atlanta. Took awhile to get there by car, but it was well worth the trip.

Naturally we did things other than golf as well. I'll add a handful of other photos later. Was well worth the trip, and it was good to see Clay and Sarah and their children. Turned out to be cheap for cost as well, which is a bonus.

On arriving home and getting up the next morning, Apple ate breakfast with me and we watched part of a movie snuggled up on the couch together. She's been fighting a cold since the day I left. It was good to see the children and my wife again.

odds and ends

Two days until the trip to Georgia with friends. I'm excited, probably a little too much so.

Read a good quote this weekend - first heard it in church on Sunday.

Boyd K. Packer, Conference Report 1991
"Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings. Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Comforter abound in the scriptures...

"The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Raucous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth...

"This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.

"The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer.

"Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit." (emphasis mine)
---

It is important to remember that the Lord controls revelation, how it will be given, to whom, and to what level. Most often, he chooses to work in small, quiet ways. If we are not tuned in to those ways, or are drowning them out with louder activities, we will be less likely to receive personal revelation.

1 Timothy 4:15
"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them;..."

I'm not suggesting "meditation" after the new age sense that we use it today, with yoga mats or scented candles or whatever. Only that time be taken using whatever means brings you closer to God, in quiet ways, that allows your thoughts to be whispered to for inspiration. If that includes yoga mats and candles, that's okay too. :)

seeking questions

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtweZxNGk1Y

Nick Vujicic is an Australian without arms and without legs. Not with non-functioning limbs, but without limbs entirely.

One of my most vivid memories as a small child (not more than ten, because I remember we lived in Tahlequah when the event happened) was seeing a man without one arm (just a "flipper") play pool. We were at a party. A really crowded party. And I was amazed by this man, just transfixed, watching him balance the pool cue between his flipper shoulder and his chin, whilst shooting with his good arm. He was the best pool player I'd ever seen. Not saying much, cause I wasn't exactly a pool hall regular. But still, he was the first evidence I'd seen of a man overcoming something quite that big.

So here's Nick. He has no arms. He has no legs. Just a little flipper below one hip. And yeah, he can do cool physical stuff despite his limitations. Turns on lights with the aid of a putter. Goes swimming. Climbs stairs. But I'm not eight years old anymore. I've seen a one armed man play pool. I'm all jaded and worldly now. :) But Nick does something I haven't seen...not in many able bodied men, even. Nick freely bears testimony. Nick has an obvious love for his fellow man, for God who allowed his mortal life to be physically limited this way. Look at his face, and see a man at peace despite his nothingness before the world.

There are many excellent lessons to take from his testimony. I've heard new things with each listening. Among those things though, is that the seeking questions of his heart led him to God.

"What kind of hope and future can I have?
How can I hold my wife's hand?
How can I dance with my bride on our wedding night?
How will I be able to hold my children when they're crying?"

Those are seeking questions. They are not accusatory. They are not filled with blame. He had moved past his eight year old self, too - if God would not heal him, he would accept that. Not without a fight, I'm sure. He moved to the solving of the problems his condition presented. His first questions were seeking questions. How will the Lord do this? How will he accomplish his work with me? How will he keep and prosper me?

Clearly, those answers bring him peace. They lead him to proclaim despite his condition and despite no physical healing, "I stand before you today as a miracle of God."

Not because his life is different. He still only has a little flipper.

Not because God healed him when he was eight. This is no mere physical miracle.

Rather, because "circumstances do not need to change...its our heart that needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit." With love. With understanding, gained spiritually, of the plans God has for him and that they will come to pass.

The uncertainties of how, and what, have been replaced with the certainties of IS. WILL BE. AM. Each is reflected in his language.

True, earnest, seeking questions directed to God are what brought him there.

I saw another quote, this time on the ABC 20/20 website from an interview he granted with them last year. From ABC: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4531209

"The unanswered prayers he made as a child haven't left his mind, nor has he stopped praying occasionally for arms and legs.

'I totally surrender [the healing miracle] to God. I would be obviously elated if I had arms and legs right now ... but I know that God's in full control. And do I believe that He can give me arms and legs? Yes, sir ... The world doesn't understand how you can have these two parallel thoughts, where you can say, on one hand ... 'yes, I believe in the miracle,' and on the other ... say, 'You know what? I'm fully content. I'm not discouraged if He doesn't give me arms and legs.''

'That's where I am. That's the freedom and victory I have. I believe in a God who can do all things, but if He chooses not to give me arms and legs, I know it's for the better. And I may not understand it, but all I need to know is that He's going to carry me through, that there is a purpose for it.'"

Fits very nicely with the teachings of Christ.

ebay makes me cry

So I listed a laptop on ebay. That was my first mistake. I can see why people do the ebay thing full time, cause it's a pain in the rear to get something listed.

Once listed, I was exposed to all the world has to offer - quite literally. Foreign buyers galore asking all kinds of questions, wanting to know if I would ship overseas (I provided no overseas options for a reason), accept other payment methods like wire transfer (umm, how about no), if I could get the package to a certain location by X date (naturally not enough time for the payment to clear). *sigh*

On the plus side, hopefully the final buyer will complete payment and my one foray into ebay can finish a very educational death. Craigslist is paradise by comparison. At least there I'm offered a straight up trade for a used mattress or an old single room air conditioner...you know, something of real value.

scriptures that speak

I like talented people that can make the scriptures come alive. A few weeks ago, I read the Gerald Lund series The Kingdom and the Crown. Good stuff. He has an unusual ability to put ancient things into a context that has meaning today. Much of it comes in thorough explanations of the traditions and customs of that time. It lends fullness and humanity to our view of those the came before us.

In seminary this morning, we talked about Jesus' role as The Good Shepherd (John 10). That parable is unusual in that Jesus is represented by two things in the parable, as opposed to the usual one - he is both the shepherd and the door of entry into the sheepfold (pen). While I don't have the gift for putting those things in context, I did begin to see the more deep symbolism in a different way than I did when I first read the chapter. As the door, Jesus is the way in which we must enter. And so our thoughts naturally go to the difficulty of the straight and narrow. But a door is also a protection from the outside, just as the door to your home is locked at night...it's there to not only let you in, but to keep others out. Jesus stands as a guardian for us, and as long as we choose to enter in, then he will make sure we are kept safe as we feed and find rest.

I'm thankful for those times that the scriptures speak to me in a way that gives clear visualization of a principle.

it's good to be on the way back

Today I was fortunate enough to play a round of golf with a friend. It was slow going, being 75* and sunny in January it seemed everyone in town was looking to play. But we did, and I hit the ball well. That's several rounds now since I discovered what was the matter with my swing and began to do otherwise. (Note: there's nothing like a swing that is more technically sound but doesn't produce. I looked great on video, but ball flight was awful). Hitting it well doesn't always translate to score, and my lack of practice translates rapidly to a rusty short game. But certainly after a frustrating couple of years of hitting the ball poorly, I'm ready to stripe a few again, even if the rest of my game has fallen off at the most inopportune of times.

My drives on 17 and 18 (the wind had finally died to near zero) were both things of beauty, at least for a golfer. 17 plays 420 yards, I had 125 left to a frontish pin, so 285 total. 18 plays 515, I had 210 left to a solidly middle pin - 305 for a final tally. Both were crushed and dead center of the clubface. I thought the one on 17 was about as good as it gets, but the shot on 18 was just that little bit sweeter. I love the feel of true flushed and centered contact shooting up the forearms. Ended up closing out with a three foot birdie putt that dropped. Yay.

Likewise, I am happy that my Lora is "on the way back". She finished the composition of a poem today, and read it to me when I returned. She has such a special talent for poetry, and I'm grateful she feels the desire to be about those things again. Life is good.