Theological Thursday --- The Old Man and the Sea

Trivia Question: Who was the oldest man that ever lived?

Answer: Methuselah, 969 years, Genesis 5:27

That is a very popular trivia question in Bible trivia games, memory lessons for kids, etc. It may be inaccurate however as Methuselah is only the oldest man recorded in the Bible. We don't know a whole lot about Cain and his decendants and how long they were living...so a better question might be, "Who in the Bible lived on Earth the longest?"

In any case, how does a 969-year-old man die? Did his family kill him because they ran out of birthday candles? Did he slip on the ice? Perhaps a lion got the best of him. Although the Bible doesn't tell us for sure, I think we can have a pretty accurate guess of what happened to Methuselah. To gain insight into his possible death, you must look at his decendants as recorded in Genesis 5:

1) When Methuselah was 187, he gave birth to Lamech (5:25)

---Methuselah is now 187 years old

2) When Lemech was was 182, he gave birth to Noah (5:28)

---Methuselah is now 369 years old

3) When Noah was 600, the flood began (7:6)

---Methuselah is now 969 years old

The exact same year Noah and his family entered the ark and the flood waters came and wiped out the Earth, Methuselah died. It is possible that Methuselah died earlier that year and didn't have to face the flood, but I'd say it is more than just a coincidence and the old man went down with the sea.

So the next time you hear a trivia question about the oldest man, you can counter with the manner in which he died.

What's Up Wednesday --- July 30th

1) Please pray for our friend Kristie (in our class at church)...she has been battling cancer for the past 2+ years and had been in a trial for a new medication, but was taken off because her tumors had grown too big. She has 4 little kids at home and we're all praying for God to do a miracle.
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2) This Friday I will be traveling to Toledo to do a magic show. The YMCA is intentionally trying to put the "C" (Christian) back into its name.
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3) I will continue our series on the book of Colossians at church this Sunday. It's a great book! That phrase is an inside joke...we always laugh when a teacher or pastors says, "This is a great verse" or "This is an important part of Scripture" --- Great and important compared to what? The other verses in the Bible that aren't important???
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4) That's about all going on this week. We look forward to a Saturday with nothing planned for once!

Time Warp Tuesday --- Master Hunter

I was 12 years old the first year I went hunting with my dad and we would go every year after throughout my years of high school. I never really cared so much if I shot a deer as I was never a fan of venison and my mom had no clue how to cook it anyway. I got either a buck or a doe every year we went, but we would always just give it away to someone. The excitement for me was the competition and the excitement of getting to shoot.

During that first year I didn't get a buck, but there were so many deer that year I was sure to get a doe. On the afternoon of the first day of doe season as my dad and I stood together in the woods, a group of about 20 deer stumbled upon us. I took aim at a doe that was only about 40 yards from us. I shot...she immediately dropped. I just got my first deer!

My dad said, "Nice shot!" to which I replied, "I aimed for the heart just like you taught me". As we approached the fallen prize and examined my masterful hunting skills, my pride soon subsided...the shot was far from the heart I had aimed for...but rather went through the top of the deer's neck.

I am sure she must of ducked and lunged backwards just as I shot making my shot so perfect that --- OK, maybe not.

Magical Monday --- My Best Trick Ever?

Back when I lived in Pittsburgh, I had a contract with Max and Ermas (a chain restaurant) to perform magic at the tables for 2 hours every week. Since Pittsburgh is a big place, in general every week it would be completely new customers. But there were a few faithful families who would dine there almost every week and come during my hours so they could see some magic. Because of these families, I would always be sure to carry 1 or 2 new tricks with me so I had something unique to show them each week.

Throughout my years of magic, I have always been hesitant to use invisible string (I'll tell you a story about my uncle and an invisible string tragedy one of these Mondays) because it is so unpredictable with breaks, twists, etc. I did however own what's called an "invisible thread reel" that would allow me to make small objects float.

Since the technology and genius behind making objects float has increased greatly over the past decade, the invisible thread reel is rarely used today (there is something better now called the "spider"). Because it is outdated, it is ok for me to tell you a little bit about it (to better understand this story). The reel was an electric spool pinned inside my jacket. The end of the string was inside a ball of wax which you would stick to the wall, table, chair, or pretty much anything. You could place a light object on the thread (the string runs from the ball of wax to your jacket) and with the electric spool you can cause the object to float up and down about a foot or two.

One week I decide to take my reel to Max and Ermas for some of the regulars. One of the families I was used to seeing did show up and the table next to them was empty which gave me a perfect opportunity to plant the ball of wax. So I did that and went to their table and did a card trick or two and then asked to borrow a $20 bill so I could do this floating routine.

So I hook the guys $20 bill to the string and start to make it float up and down. The family was pretty impressed...especially the kids. However, something happened next that astonished the adults (including me). The bill suddenly started to float across the restaurant all by itself! The bill floated straight down the aisle of the restaurant and people at each table watched in silent amazement as the bill floated right passed their table.

OK, you're probably thinking at this point that I must be nuts...but it really did happen! Obviously there is a logical explanation, so what happened? As I followed the line of the path the bill was floating on, I saw how this miracle was occurring...one of the waitresses who saw my ball of wax attached to the empty table thought it was trash and was carrying it across the restaurant. Once she got to the trash can on the other side, she dropped the wax in. All I had to do was run my electric reel and the bill came right back up the aisle past everyone's table again (now it is running on the floor since the wax is no longer being carried or attached to anything) and floated right back up into my hands. The entire section of the restaurant erupted in applause (and the guy let me keep the $20 as a tip).

Of course the rest of the night all I heard was, "I want to see you make that bill float across the restaurant again". Don't think so!

Family/Friend Friday --- The Moneyball

On Sunday my friend and former roommate Steve turns 36 (by the way he acts, he is more like 56). On a recent visit we got to watch him down 17 pills/vitamins all at the same time. I can't even do one pill without cutting it into 3rds or hiding it in my food like we used to do for my cat.

So anyways, back when we were roommates, Steve started listening to this guy named Robert Kiyosaki author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. One night Steve came home and wanted me to listen to this "free" phone program about becoming a millionaire. Of course at the end of the call after peaking your interest they gave an exclusive offer that would allow you to become the next millionaire by getting coaching, more phone conferences, seminars, books, etc for something like $3,000 (now I know where Robert gets all his money!). So Steve calls, and of course they tell him, "There's only 2 spots left you better act now!" and he does. I told him he was nuts and they say that to get you to act on impulse and of course when I called the next day just to confirm my suspicions there were still, "A few spots left if I acted now".

As part of his insane amount of money he paid to become a millionaire, he received a "moneyball". It was a little ball about the size of a hacky sack with the image of money all around the outside (pictured above). It was to be used as a motivator to make your millions.

Now, even though the Bible tells us 365 times to "fear not", we all have fears. Steve's fear happens to be toilets....especially toilet water. One Christmas when I was done with a roll of wrapping paper, I stuck the inner tube in Steve's toilet. Several days later he was using my bathroom and I found out the tube was still in his toilet and he refused to take it out cause toilet water might drip on the floor (which is VERY unacceptable).

So one day I walk into Steve's room and head toward his couch. The couch in his bedroom was the ugliest couch you could ever imagine. It was always covered with a blanket, but underneath it was a cross between puke green and pee-stained yellow. I used to joke that if he had a girl over they should sit on that couch cause nothing immoral could ever happen on that thing!

As I headed to the couch, Steve threw the moneyball at me. I just ignored it and let it travel over my shoulder and of all places, it traveled into the bathroom and landed smack in the middle of the toilet. I fished it out with the toilet brush and to Steve's horror dropped it into his sink to soak with numerous disinfectants. Ultimately though, Steve couldn't get over the fact that it touched toilet water and ended up in the trash.

That was 5 years ago. I have to believe that Steve is not a millionaire yet because he lost his motivator...The Moneyball. Last year when Jen and I were at the county fair, I was shocked when I saw "The Moneyball" as a prize at one of the games. I told Jen I had to win one for Steve to replace the old one, and thankfully it only took 2 tries, and I won the largest one! (about the size of a basketball). I presented it to him at our annual retreat in November. If the tiny one makes you millions, I can't wait to see how much Steve makes with this one! He's going to need that money for all those vitamins.

Theological Thursday --- Bounded vs. Centered

Recently I sat in a pastor's office and a sign hanging on the wall caught my eye. It said, "It's against my relationship to have a religion". Quite a twist on the normal saying, "It's against my religion to..."

As I was thinking about that saying, a formula came to my mind about rules and relationship. It says, "Rules without a Relationship = Rebellion". That is so true when it comes to dictators that focus on rules with no relationship to his people, and the people rebel. Even if we think about children that grow up in very strict homes...if a loving relationship wasn't present along with the rules, many times these kids will rebel when they get out on their own. Problems also occur when there is a relationship, but no rules...both have their place.

So what does this have to do with the church? I believe many people are in rebellion against God because they grew up in a church or in a family that taught a religion of rules and obedience to God without the most important aspect --- a personal relationship with Him. It would be natural without the relationship to go into rebellion.

The Bounded/Centered Set for a church describes the philosophy of the church. A Bounded Set church is one that is all about rules. To fit in with us you must not be in a sinful relationship, must not drink alcohol, must refrain from gambling, etc, etc, etc. When you meet all of these qualifications we have set, then, and only then, do you belong. In a Centered Set church, the focus is on meeting people where they are, and moving them to where God wants them to be. Should the church expect unbelievers to fit any specific grid of morality before they know Christ? Should the church expect new Christians to have it all together (I hope not cause I'm not there yet!). It sounds kinda silly, but many churches operate that way.

Does that mean rules and obedience to God are not important? Of course not (especially according to 1 Timothy as it applies to the leaders of the church)! In a Centered Set philosophy, when people are sinning, the goal is to turn them back toward Christ and have them continue moving toward Him. In this, you can see the focus is on the relationship (moving toward Christ) rather than the religion (a set of rules). Both are important and play a part, but the difference is where the priority is placed.

Of course anything to be wise and true must line up with Scripture, and I think it is clear that Jesus was far more concerned with people's relationship rather than following a set of rules. The woman caught in adultery was simply told to, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11) and to the woman at the well the focus was on the relationship and not her sinful lifestyle (John 4). But Jesus still knew the law had its place (Matthew 5:18) and wasn't afraid to preach obedience (Luke 18:22). It is important that the church not leave out either aspect, because Jesus certainly didn't! Christianity is FAR MORE than a set of rules, but not to the point of the postmodern world where no truth, sin, or hell exists.

A lot of babbling to say the main function of the church should be to meet people where they are, and move them to where God wants them to be!

What's Up Wednesday --- July 23rd

Not a whole lot going on this week. We are excited to get some rest this weekend! Sunday will be a busy day as I begin teaching the book of Colossians, do the Sunday service at the detention home, and then we have our annual "Luau party" with our class at church.

Last week I indicated that there have been over 1,000 visitors to this Blog. Here are some interesting statistics:

1) There have been visitors from about a dozen different countries including Israel, Egypt, Turkey, England, China, Belgium, and others.

2) There have been numerous cities and states stop by here including Las Vegas, California, Texas, Arizona, Alaska, Nashville, Kentucky, and many others.

3) I can also see how people found my blog and the #1 search that was performed was for the word "Studabubba" from one of my family/friend posts back in May.

4) There have also been a number of visits based on a search for "atheist" from a Theological Thursday post --- no idea who they were or what they were looking for, but hopefully they got something out of it. One of those searchers has stopped back several times.

5) And my all-time favorite --- someone did a google search with the exact phrase, "What can I buy with 73 cents?" and came across a Magical Monday post about me and my uncle giving away our final 73 cents. Who knows what they were really looking for???

Time Warp Tuesday --- Real Magic Part 2

*To better understand this post, it is best to read yesterday's post first.

Two doors down from my house growing up lived a little girl named Brandy. Her brother Aaron and I were the same age and best friends in elementary school, and Brandy was born when we were in 4th grade. Aaron and I grew apart in Junior High/High School as I got more into athletics and we had completely different friends. But when I was in high school and Brandy got to be around 6 or 7, I continued to take an interest in playing with her as all the other neighborhood kids were older and she had nobody to play with.

So I would let her come watch us play Nintendo, or let her play right field when we played wiffleball, or teach her how to throw and catch a Frisbee, etc. Before long, I was her best and only friend and she would constantly come to the house to get me. As soon as the doorbell rang my parents knew it would be Brandy (and that doorbell might ring 15 times in a day).

As someone involved in athletics and other things in high school, most of the time I wasn't home. So there were numerous occasions that Brandy would ring the bell and my parents had to tell her I wasn't home...and she ALWAYS had the same response, "OK, I'll wait". Didn't matter where I was or how long I would be (I could be in Hawaii and she'd say it)..."OK, I'll wait". For her to wait meant she would sit on our porch and do what she always did. She had a little baby doll and a hair brush. She would brush that baby's hair for hours on end. I would estimate that 80% of the time I would come home, Brandy would be waiting for me on my porch brushing that baby's hair. In reality, there wasn't much else in the neighborhood she could be doing.

So how does this tie into yesterday's story and what makes it real magic? After Kristen (yesterday) was sitting there in 3 pieces, Brandy came into the house, took a look, and out of fear ran home like you wouldn't believe! To get her to leave my house...that can only come by real magic.

Magical Monday --- Real Magic Part 1

After my first year of college, my uncle and I went to a small magic convention that summer in Reading, PA. At the end of the convention, they were having a magic auction --- however, many of the convention attenders had left before the auction began, so there were probably only 30 people around when it came time for the auction.

One of the magicians who had stuff for sale at the auction was George Reiger. Some of you may have heard of him as the "Disney tattoo guy" as he has EVERY Disney character ever created tattooed on his body (and continues to add them when new ones are created). He has over 2,000 tattoos in all, including all 101 Dalmatians on his back. He is both a magician and carpenter, and has even built a "Disney house". If you are ever in Bethlehem, PA, you can actually go on a "meet the Disney Tattoo guy tour" and see his tattoos and house. Julie, have you ever heard of him? His website... http://www.disneytattooguy.com/

Anyways, I was able to purchase a zig zag illusion (pictured above) from the auction that George built for only $150.00 (buy it new from a magic dealer would run anywhere from $3000-$5000). The trick can work different ways, and with this particular design I had to use an assistant that was tall and slender.

Growing up I would always have "neighborhood shows" where the kids and some adults from the neighborhood would gather to check out some of my new tricks. One of the girls in the neighborhood that was tall and slender was Kristen, who was probably 14 at the time. So I got my friend Steve from the neighborhood to round up everyone for one of the neighborhood shows to check out some of the things I got at the convention (including the new zig zag illusion). I told him to make it 1/2 hour so I had time to teach Kristen what she needed to do.

So Kristen and I go to the house and start to practice. I put her in the box, push the blades through, take out the center piece, and the trick gets jammed. When I say "jammed", I mean it would not budge! She was completely stuck in 3 pieces and no matter what I did, there was no way for me to put her back together again (kind of like Humpty Dumpty).

I would need my dad's assistance to help me get her out, but unfortunately he wouldn't be home from work for 1/2 hour or so. Kristen graciously agreed to remain in 3 pieces until he returned home. In the meantime, many of the neighborhood kids began showing up at the house. Even though they didn't see how Kristen got into that position, they were quite amazed at what they saw. Of course they all wanted to see me "put her back together again", but that was not possible. Since all the kids in our neighborhood played together, 5:00 was pretty much the standard time everyone went to dinner, so at 5:00 they all left. It was pretty funny as I attempted to hold the phone up to Kristen's head as she tried to explain to her parents why she would be late for dinner. Eventually my dad came home, and after laughing about it for quite some time, he busted a few pieces (which were later fixed) and got her out.

So why was this blog called "real magic"? From this event, something amazing happened. Find out tomorrow in Part 2 in "Time-Warp Tuesday". Here is a picture of George the Disney Tattoo guy and some of his 2,000+ tattoos...

Family/Friend Friday --- 1,000 Visits

Late last week, my blog had its 1,000th visitor! With a site tracker I can tell where the visitors are from and can match their location with many family and friends and know who they are. I was hoping this would be the case with visitor # 1,000 so I could post a story about them, and it was!

So who was the 1,000th visitor?

My sister-in-law Joni (with husband Ron). I had several stories that came to mind from something funny she did playing a game to our long car ride to Kentucky for vacation, but my wife Jen suggested I share something that happened long before I knew her:

The family was sitting around the kitchen table having dinner. Joni was around 4 at the time. Out of the blue, Joni mentioned something that was going on that there would be no way that she should know anything about, so her parents questioned her on how she knew that. Her response was a very matter-of-fact, "Oh, that little girl that lives inside of my head told me". If that little girl is still there Joni, you are working at the right place! (in a mental health office).

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Theological Thursday --- A Theological Case for the American Way

Recently a friend of mine returned from a trip to Israel. During his visit, he noticed a very distinct difference in the way different cultures toured the Holy Land. The three types of tours that stuck out the most were:

1) The African Tour - The Africans would spend hours meditating and praying at each site. They would kneel before the temple mount, lie face down in the garden of Gethsemane, and just sit in stillness for hours. They may only go 2-3 places every day during their visit.

2) The American Tour - Which you are all probably pretty familiar with (although there have been some people from Israel, Turkey, Egypt, and other countries that have visited this blog)...basically the bus pulls up and says, "Everyone meet back here in 1/2 hour". Everyone goes, makes sure they see everything at the site, snap a few pictures, spend a few minutes in meditation and prayer, and they are on their way. They may go to 12-15 places in a day.

3) The Asian Tour - When the Asian tour bus pulls up, you better not blink! The windows of the bus fly down, and you hear, "click, click, click" from all the cameras snapping pictures. They don't get off the bus (too many other sites to see and they can't miss a thing!). So before you know it, they are there and gone. Who knows how many places they might drive by in a day.

My case for the American Way has nothing to do with a tour of Israel, but when I reflect on these cultural differences, I can see how it applies to the Christian life. We must be careful not to be constantly on the African Tour and have our "heads so high in the clouds that we are no earthly good" and spend so much time on ourselves that we miss the command to serve others (1 Peter 4:10-11).

We must also be careful of being constantly on the Asian Tour and focusing so much of our time on "do, do, do/go, go, go" that we neglect our relationship with Him (Mark 6:31). We can make God the one we serve (which is good), but lose Him as our helper (Psalm 63:7), lover (John 3:16), and friend (James 2:23).

You may have noticed I was careful in saying that neither of these tours are bad as long as we are not constantly on them. We may need to jump on the African bus once in a while and take a personal retreat with the primary purpose of refreshment for our souls and nothing but intimate time alone with God. We may also need to jump on the Asian bus at times and do some mission work with the primary purpose of serving. But again, we must be careful not to remain on these tours lest we lose our passion for serving, or lose our passion for our relationship with Him. The American tour has a balance of experiencing (connecting with God) and doing (serving others) which is why I make the case that this is the bus most of our Christian lives should be spent on. Which tour are you on?

USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

What's Up Wednesday --- July 16th

1) We had a great time with Jen's family last week in Gettysburg. See video above for some of the things we got to do.

2) One of my friends and neighbors here at the seminary passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly from a seizure in his sleep while we were gone. He was only 24 and was getting married next March. Please pray for his family and fiance.

3) My blog reached its 1,000th visitor! Sitemeter records all visitors, their locations, how long they stay, how they found my blog, etc. This Friday I will tell you some of the funny and unique ways people have stumbled across this blog. My reason for mentioning the 1,000th visitor --- it is someone I know and will post a story about them for Family/Friend Friday this week. Could it have been you?

Time Warp Tuesday --- The Mouse

One of the things my mom was always afraid of was mice. There was a time she moved out of the house for a few days and stayed with my grandma until a mouse was caught. One of my grandma's favorite stories is the time my mom called her on the phone and was standing on the chair screaming cause she saw a mouse while my older brother (who was only a baby at the time) was laying on the floor crying and my mom was afraid to get down and get him.

So one morning I hear my mom scream and come running up the steps. My dad soon went running down and before long yelled my name to come help him --- my mom and saw a mouse and it was now under our microwave. I was still half asleep and in my pajamas, but my only job was to hold a yard stick and make sure the mouse didn't come out while my dad went to the basement to get some things. Every once in a while it would peek out and I would tap the yard stick on the counter to scare it back under.

When my dad returned, he had mouse traps and a squirrel trap (a big cage that the sides would slam shut when something touched the middle). There was a small area behind the kitchen sink that my dad placed a mouse trap, the squirrel trap, and another mouse trap all in a line. He also filled the sink with hot water so the mouse would have no place to go.

My dad took the yard stick from me and pushed the mouse toward all his contraptions. The mouse ran over the first trap, through the second, and over the third --- none of them went off. My dad slammed the stick at it and again, it ran back through all 3 traps with no success and back under the microwave. I got the stick back while my dad started to fiddle with the squirrel trap and figure out why it didn't work.

As a stood there still half asleep, I didn't realize that the mouse snuck back out to the counter. I pushed it toward the traps, and again, it ran through all of them with none of them going off. My dad told me to push it into the hot water, and I overshot on my attempt and it flew to the floor and started running toward me.

Now at this point, keep in mind I had just gotten out of bed and was barefoot and with the mouse running at me, my dad yells, "STEP ON IT!!!". Um, I don't think so! I did take a nice kick at it though and it flew all the way across the kitchen, slammed against the cupboards and fell to the floor. It continued to stagger toward me, and this time I took the yard stick and a nice full swing at this thing. If this were golf, it would have been a perfect 250 yard drive down the middle! It was enough to put an end to the mouse, and I went back to bed.

Magical Monday --- My First PAID Show

From the time I was 7, I was used to showing tricks to my family, having teachers ask me to show tricks in school, and of course sharing with all my friends my latest tricks. However, I never saw a dime out of it. It wasn't until I was in 8th grade that I was asked to do my first paid performance. One of my teacher's husband was a driver for a local Amish Community (if they needed to go to a Dr.'s appointment, go to the store in town, etc) and they wanted to do something special for them...so they hired me to do a show at one of the Amish family houses.

So, for a whopping fee of $25, I agreed to do a 1/2 hour show (OK, $50 an hour isn't bad for a 14-year-old). Back then I had all my tricks in a large black trunk that I would lug around. Once I arrived, I said one of the dumbest things I've ever said at a performance --- wanting to get my tape player ready (this is still before CD's!!!), I asked the head of the house (an older Amish gentleman), "Where can I plug this thing in?". Actually, it ended up not being too dumb, as he went and got some type of generator that allowed me to run the tape player.

I am soooooo glad for that generator! Back in those days, I was way to shy to say a word during a show. I would do the entire 1/2 hour show without making a peep. I should have just painted my face white and been a mime as well. That stayed true until my senior year of high school (I'll tell the story of why that changed on a different Monday...now my show has a ton of jokes and audience participation).

So anyway, I was set and ready to go, and about 15 Amish kids sat on the floor in front of me. Now if you ask a "non-Amish" child what a magician and magic is, they can pretty much give you a description of what it's all about. But not these kids! They were clueless who I was, what a magician was all about, and what to expect. The older kids (ages 10-15) absolutely loved the show and it was a real treat for them. But those poor younger ones sat there with a glazed look of horror on their faces...not sure what to think. When I did my "floating ball" one of the little girls ran off crying hysterically. After the show, some of the adults asked another of the young kids what they thought, and they just sat there with a blank stare and couldn't speak.

I got my $25 and of course bought some more magic, but who knows what damage I did to those unsuspecting kids! Every time I see or hear about something bad happening in an Amish community, I pray I never hear, "My problems all started when this kid came to my house with this black trunk"...

Family/Friend Friday --- ALMOST the Perfect Mom

REMINDER --- Today we leave for Gettysburg for vacation for a week...there will be no Blogs next week. Come back on July 14th!

Growing up, I had a great mother! She was always there for me and my brother and sister for everything. She always took care of us when we were sick, got out of bed to get us a drink of water, never missed any of our sporting events, concerts, etc (even to this day she shows up at every single magic show I do within an hour of DuBois!), planned special vacations for us, and the list could go on and on. However, there was one area that prevented her from being the "perfect" mom --- COOKING

It is strange that she lacks in this area (she would agree with this as well) because her mom and grandma are the best cooks! Thankfully my grandma (her mom) lived right across the street growing up, so I knew I could always venture over to her house for a good meal. It wasn't as if she didn't try --- things would just never turn out right. And things as easy as heating up a meal could into disaster. Just last Thanksgiving my mom was attempting to heat up the dinner my grandma prepared and accidentally left the oven mitt in the oven filling the house with smoke and setting all the alarms off.

My dad could tell you stories about her culinary "attempts" all day long. For me, one story sticks out more than the rest. It was back when I was in college and home for Christmas. I walked into the house and my mom was in the kitchen making something to take to my aunt's house for Christmas Eve. She looked very proud of her creation --- peanut butter fudge. She asked me to try some, and I should have learned my lesson not to, but it did look and smell really good.

So I took a bite, and it was actually really good! I gave her some compliments, and took another bite. However, this time I tasted something unique...kind of like paper. Out of my mouth I pulled some wax paper. She assured me that I wouldn't find any more, but in the next bite...more wax paper. As we looked through all the fudge, we found more wax paper! What was going on?

Turns out the recipe called for a stick of butter. My mom used one of those sticks of butter that come in the clear wax paper rather than the shiny silver paper:

So when she was cooking and had to melt the butter, she threw in the entire stick...wrapper and all. But...at least after all those years, she still tried! After all, we can't be perfect at everything.

Theological Thursday --- What are You Missing???

Take a look at the following FedEx logo and see if you can find an arrow (don't keep reading until you've really checked it out)...
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Did you look? Did you find it? I promise there is one there...
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Take a look at the white area between the letter "E" and "X". See the arrow pointing to the right?
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How many times do we have things placed right before us and yet we miss them? In Genesis chapter 29, Jacob (Abraham's grandson) goes on a journey and meets 2 sisters...Leah and Rachel. Jacob immediately falls in love with Rachel. The Bible tells us that Leah was, "weak in the eyes". There is a lot of debate about what "weak in the eyes" means, but we know it is not a euphemism for "ugly"...but it is explaining something that is physically different about her eyes (some scholars say delicate, some say beautiful, some say she had some type of physical condition wrong with her eyes that stood out). But one thing is clear...Jacob could look into Leah's eyes and know (based on her "weak eyes") that it was Leah.
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As the story goes, Jacob agrees to work 7 years for their father in order to marry Rachel. In verse 20, we see how much he loved Rachel as the Bible said the 7 years "only seemed like a few days" because of his love for her. When his 7 years is up Jacob asked (vs. 21) not for Rachel, but for the father to bring him his wife (not a good idea since he is dealing with a family known for deceit!). So the father instead bring Leah to be his bride. Jacob marries her and doesn't realize it wasn't Rachel until after the wedding night.
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So how could Jacob NOT know he was given the wrong woman? Well, consider the following ancient bridal veils...
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So when you combine the two, Leah's body and head would have been pretty much completely covered...making it difficult for the average person to make the distinction. BUT WAIT --- remember what set Leah apart? It was her eyes! So the one body part that made Leah very unique was the only part showing. It's also interesting in verse 23 that the father "waited until evening" to pull off this deception...making it more difficult in the night sky. But next time you are out at night, see what body part you can see best on those around you...it's their eyes!
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So Jacob's answer was truly right in front of him, but he didn't take the time to really see what was placed before him. What do you have in your life that God has placed before you that you do not see? Don't miss the Blessings He has already given you that you just don't see!!!
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As a side note...you'll never look at a FedEx truck the same way again! That arrow will be the first thing you notice from now on.

What's Up Wednesday --- July 2nd

1) Tomorrow we leave for family vaction to Gettysburg (it is their big reinactment year). We will be gone until July 12th. I will have a Blog posted tomorrow and Friday, but none next week.

2) Our visit with the pastor and his wife went great last week! However, the other candidate has been a full-time small groups pastor in a very large church (they have more than 1 full-time small group pastors) for 8 years...and based on experience they are pursuing him first. It is discouraging all the time and effort over the past 6 months to come up empty, but encouraging that they received "a huge pile" (as we were told) of interested candidates, and I made it into the final two.

3) Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. I'll be sure to add a story about her on Family/Friend Friday this week.

4) My Wednesday night elective is over, so I can relax on Wednesday nights now...except for tonight as I have an elder's meeting.

5) My Gospel magic show on Sunday went very well. They had several "guests" in children's church that attended Vacation Bible School the week before. Several of the kids responded to the Gospel message during Bible school, and a few more on Sunday morning at my show.

Time Warp Tuesday --- The Shot

Back when I was a teenager, I would go hunting with my dad and his friends every year. We would always start out as a big group (about 15-20 of us), but as was tradition several people would get in a fight about something every year, and our group would dwindle as hunting season went on.

On this particular year, I shot a buck out of my tree stand early in the morning and my dad had gotten one during archery season so we were pretty much done for the day as far as shooting deer. But we would put on "drives" for the other hunters in our group to give them a better chance at getting a deer as well. Basically in a "drive", those who had not gotten a deer would stand on one side of the woods, while those who had gotten a deer would line up on the opposite end and walk toward them making noise trying to get the deer to move toward the hunters on the other end ready to shoot.

On one of our drives that day, there were about 7 hunters on one end, and 7 drivers (including my dad and I) on the other. The drivers stand about 75 yards apart (just barely close enough that we could see the person on our left and on our right). Some of the drivers hadn't gotten a deer yet, so they were carrying guns too as they walked. As we walked through the woods trying to push the deer to the hunters on the other end, someone shot. A few seconds later, they shot again. At the end of the drive we all gathered by the vehicles, and nobody had a deer.

People started asking who shot their gun. Everyone denied it. My dad and I sat back and listened since we weren't even carrying guns. Before long, as happens every year, people started arguing and accusing people of lying and people got mad and left since someone was obviously not telling the truth.

As my dad and I headed home in the truck he said, "Do you know who was doing all that shooting?"...I had my theories, but said I didn't know for sure. He said, "Well, I do". Then he pulled out a handful of M-80 (very powerful!) firecrackers from his pocket. It was my dad setting these off to get people all riled up (as he loves to do).

So that ends my 3-week Tuesday series on fireworks in honor of the 4th of July. Next year, I'll be sure to tell you what happens when you "accidentally" light a firework in the house (don't worry mom, it wasn't ours), and what happens when you take the powder out of 500 firecrackers, roll it in paper towels and light it all as once. I have to believe that's what Francis Scott Key did as he wrote in the Star Spangled Banner, "And the rockets red glare"...