Making a Change

My Dad

Today, I made a change to the blog I started a long time ago. Yesterday, I sat with my Mom as we waited for my Dad to have a medical procedure that would restore his heart to the proper heart rhythm. My mother and father have given so much to me. Throughout the years of my life they have provided a foundation of stability which provided more then I can describe in words. There loyalty and faithfulness to each other, there gracious, unselfish service to others and the guidance they gave to me and my brothers and sister has inspired me along with my wife to provide guidance and love to more than just our own biological children. When I looked forward to my life as a child, I never would have dreamed of the ups and downs of the journey my life has taken. But I am so glad I've been blessed to take the steps I have. Now, I want to share with a much wider audience some of the great insights and lessons I have learned so they might experience the fullness of joy and happiness I have come to see and know.  I wish to share laughter for no reason.

Guidance Through Storms

Cost of Sin

Andrew Barracks
Berlin, Germany

      It seems to me that there is a multiplying nature to sin.  One person chooses to be selfish and irresponsible which effects others.  A parent abuses a child and that child come to see abuse as "normal" and so they abuse their children.  The cycle continues until someone or something stops the cycle.  But stopping the cycle means that someone must be aware of what is abnormal. However, the pattern is set, the rut of behavior has been cut deep and it take concerted effort to fill in the hole and form new and better thinking.  Do thoughts lead to behavior or does behavior bring about thoughts?  This is the question?

Berlin Wall 1971-2

     When one person makes a mistake other people also end up paying the price.  We are connected to other whether we like to admit it or not.

iHouse Fire

Firemen at Word

We see this in the fire that caused two families to lose their home. One tenant decided to do something foolish and now another family had to move. It also caused the landlord all sorts of problems, dealing with insurance, and the loss of income from his property. And what about the trauma of the little boy who lived next door or the little girl who was burned as she tried to help her father escape. I do not know how many people this fire touched nor do I know if it was a simple accident or one born of an illegal act, but I do know it shows us that mankind does see many things that can really suck the joy right out of life.

Time-Work & Play

With the advent of the internet and the number of really interesting things we can learn, how does one find the time to gain the skills to use this technology to its fullest? Or is this impossible?  Just as writing a blog is interesting and a good way to share good things or bad, one must make the time to do it.  Whether others read it or not it is a good way to put your ideas somewhere so they are not forgotten.  Also I would like to express my ideas succinctly and in a way that they can be remembered.  I want people to know about Jesus and what He did, but I also would like them to understand and grasp the value of this Good News so that they will not become indifferent to it.  We can learn facts on the internet, but turning those facts in to life attitudes and behavior is a whole other thing. Well, for now this is all I have time for.
 Blessings & Peace,
 Pastor John 

Strengths

Authentic Happiness.com is a place where you can take a test which gives you a breakdown of your strengths.

Remember this http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3892035

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com

I just added the printer friendly button to my blog. I think this is a real step forward in my computing education. Thanks printer button.

Dave Ramsey - Town Hall for Hope 2009 from Central FPU on Vimeo.

Mars

A once in a life time opportunity.

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that
will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in
recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is
in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on
Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be
certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth
in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as
60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when
Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and
will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in
the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9
and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest
75-power magnification

Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

Mars will be easy to spot. At the

beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m.

and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are
closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its

highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty
convenient to see something that no human being has
seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at
the beginning of August to see Mars grow
progressively brighter and brighter throughout the
month.

Share this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Web Links of Note

I have added an element to the side of my Blog to highlight web sites which I have found to be helpful or interesting.  As the list grows I may place these into categories so they will be easier to locate.  I hope you enjoy.

Creation Moments
This is a web site and an opportunity to read each day an e-mail about some aspect of our world which raises the question whether evolution in the broad sense is true. I am continually amazed at the incredible manner in which our world has been designed and built.
Take some time to check this out. I think you will also be amazed.

A Great Book

I have been reading a book titled, "The Ten Worse Books that Screwed
up the World". The author does a wonderful job discuss how these
books and the ideas they present have been practiced by leader of the
world. There is a direct link between ideas and the way we act. What
we believe and how those beliefs manifest themselves in how we behave.
Like the computer if you put junk in you get junk out.
Have a great day!

--
Blessings & Peace
John
Hebrews 13:20-21

This is where in the world I have been. As a looked at this web site and began checking off the states I realized my life has touched quite a few states.

This is a slide show of our trip down the tracks on March 25, 2008

Andrew the Engineer

 

Look who is driving this train.  Does he look like anyone you know?  It is Andrew.  On March 25, 2008 Andrew boarded the Huron and Eastern locomotive and headed south.  It was a snowy day in March.  But as you can see we have a happy engineer.

 

 

This is just so you can see its a real train engine.  We were supposed to go across the river to pick up a car but that was canceled.

 

 

 

Looking down the track	Inside the cab of the engine.
Coming up the a switch	A the controls of the great engine
Smiling riders	I'm in the train for real!
This is the horn lever.	Working together
At the end of the line	Two of our crew members.  The "Train Master and the Conductor".

 

 

 

 

http://photonotes.s3.amazonaws.com/B083666E0A4E4068B6676B4FA7CE0F5B.jpg

This is what happens when you are not watching yourself.

This is the way that it was at David's 15th birthday party.  We all had a great time. Hope you enjoy these pictures.

The New Pictures of a trip to Home Depot to make a Castle Bank. They all had fun!