Blue Skies and Rainbows...

It has now been raining for 8 hours straight... since 3:45 AM. Rare in Arizona, especially in the last 5 years. We've had two days of temperature highs only in the 80s - even rarer for July. I know it won't rain forever - and if I could actually get through the flowing washes and closed roads, I'd go somewhere. For now, I'll just enjoy the rain and the interrupted chaos.

It takes a long time to grow an old friend...

A title in today's 'lifestyle' section of our newspaper:

"Keeping Friends" - Americans' inner circles are shrinking, despite technological innovations that make it easier than ever to stay connected

You can read the entire article at this address: http://www.azstarnet.com/accent/139382

The article goes on to state various reasons why there appears to be a 50% decline in the number of persons we consider "close friends", currently counted at 2 (one is a spouse), down from 3, in 1985. The suggestion? Susan Newman, a social psychologist at Rutgers University, attributes the decline in the number of close friends to be related to time and space. "We have less time to devote to our friends." she states. She also adds that "we need to be more intentional about hanging on to the friends we want, and less nervous about letting go of the ones we don't care about as much." (Does that sound harsh to you?)
Matthew Brashears, a researcher at the University of Arizona states that "It's possible, that the Internet and cell phones have led Americans to make a sort of trade. Instead of having three close friends you have coffee with on a regular basis, you might have two close friends and three more you e-mail regularly and talk to weekly on the phone."
So, what does this mean for the average American? Another interesting question - what does it mean for the average church family?
This article does not touch on those Americans who regularly attend church - something that should be bringing us closer together, and would probably change their research statistics. Yet, it is my observation that churches are having a more difficult time finding volunteers to handle servant roles - driving another member to the doctor; taking food for illness or bereavement; babysitting in the church nursery; teaching a Bible class; regularly picking up another member and driving them to church; sacrificing time to organize a women's retreat. Many of these servant roles are being handled by retired church members, members who have the time during the day to complete these needs. Not to down-play their service, but their serving does not relieve the rest of us from the responsibility.
Are we becoming too busy to serve God in our churches? Are we becoming too consumed with 'busy-ness' to maintain old friends and make new friends? Internet, computer, e-mail, instant messaging, blogging (yes, even that!), cell phones, pagers - all take us away from face-to-face contact with another living being. Don't misunderstand me, as I use all of the above mentioned tech tools regularly, as they help me stay in touch with family, especially my daughters, who don't live near me.
But, I wonder? In the time I've spent writing this blog, could I have called a friend and met for coffee? Or, sent a card to encourage a friend? Or ?

Whatever happened....

Have you ever had a particular appointment to keep, been on the way to work, or even on the way to church, and you are running late? You're rushing around, and the phone rings! You know you shouldn't stop to answer the phone, but you do anyway, and find yourself stressed because you're even later than you were before? Then, as you're driving to your intended location you come upon a car accident that has just happened. An accident that requires paramedics and emergency personnel. An accident that you know you may have been involved in had you not stopped to simply answer the phone.
And then you think - would that have been me? You thank God that it wasn't you, and pray for the people to which it did happen.
Have you ever been diagnosed with something or had a life changing event happen that caused you to try to think back to what may have precipitated the onset of the occurrence?

This week, someone gave me this quote: "Whatever happened, something happened before."

Meaning, I suppose, the we may never know the specific details of what forces combined together to place two cars in an intersection such that they crash together; that we may never know the specific carcinogen that invaded our body, only that we now have to fight it; that we may never know what minute particle combined with another to create havoc.
You may have heard of the movie "The Butterfly Effect." I haven't seen the movie (rated R), but I understand the concept. Butterflies flapping their wings off the coast of Africa, can create enough of a wind mass to effect weather in the Atlantic Ocean.
From the simple act of flying, butterflies have the capability to effect (and even affect) thousands of lives across an entire ocean. In science, the butterfly effect is part of chaos theory, or scientifically - The butterfly effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory. Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system.
Thinking on these things, what calms my heart is knowing that God is in control. It would be impossible to have peace were it not so.
Whatever happened, something happened before...
God is and was and will be.

Work?

Ventura, CA



Arch Rock, Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, CA



Well, maybe it didn't seem like work this day.... Check out the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary at http://channelislands.noaa.gov.

Do you think they have any whales in the ocean?

You never know what you'll find #2...

Strolling past the front door last night... looking for love in all the wrong places... our guest Tarry the Tarantula.
One of God's creations.
Can you see his 8 eyes? The two in front are easily visible, but there are also 3 on each side of his head. This may be a female as males are nearly black at maturity.
Could you have created this wonderful creature? Only God in His infinite wisdom.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776...

The first sentence of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I accessed the web and read the Declaration of Independence today - you can find it at http://www.ushistory.org, along with the Constitution and other historical facts related to the founding of the United States of America. Although the largest signature does indeed belong to John Hancock, other notable historical figures include John Adams (2nd President of the United States), Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Harrison, and Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States).
The men who signed the Declaration were united in purpose even though their ages ranged from 26 to 70 (Ben Franklin).
Four years ago this October, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston and seeing many historical places associated with the Revolutionary War - our separation from Great Britain. Standing in the Old North Church, and imagining Paul Revere's "one if by land, two if by sea;" walking on Bunker Hill and seeing the place of the first war battle; standing in Concord on the bridge where the first shot was fired; eating in Faneuil Hall (aka Quincy Market); walking the Freedom Trail.
Being able to see those places that signaled the birthplace of our country gives me only a glimpse of what it would be like to travel to Jerusalem or Bethlehem and see where Jesus lived. As the founders of our country were considered radical men, so was Jesus in His time. Imagine our response if a visitor stood up in our assembly and spoke words of purported prophecy and claimed to be the new Messiah! How bold and radical a move by Jesus.
I am grateful to the writers of our constitution for establishing freedom of religion, so that I don't have to hide my worship nor my attendance at church services. May God bless those that persevere to worship Him though they fear the consequences if they are caught.
Happy Fourth of July!