Shepherds in the Field

Yesterday, I was reminded of the part of the nativity story which recounts that "the shepherds were abiding in the fields" (Luke 2:8) when I had the opportunity to meet this shepherd in the fields near Bethlehem.

His name is Hajj Ali, which means that he has been on the Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. And unfortunately, in contrast to the shepherds of Luke 2, Hajj Ali only recognizes Jesus as a prophet and not yet as the "Saviour who is Christ the Lord" (2:11).

He was a friendly man who told me that he had been grazing his sheep in this area for more than 50 years. He seemed very pleased that I would stop and talk with him, though it was challenging because he only speaks Arabic. We did the best we could and had a friendly exchange.

I asked if I could take some pictures, and he gave me his approval, but suggested that I should give him some money for doing so. I dug around through the change in my pocket and found a 10 shekel coin and put it into his weathered hand. I understood from his grunts and hand gestures that 10 shekels wasn't enough; he wanted the rest of the change in my hand, which all together totaled about 12 1/2 shekels. A small price to pay for the nice photos that I got and the joy that my daughter Grace had running amongst his sheep.

If I understood him correctly, he intended to use the money he got from me to buy some tobacco for his pipe, which was a prominent feature in most of the photo-opps he offered.

Day of Atonement 2008

The First Rains

Many, if not most people would think a rain shower would be a downer during a congregational picnic. And, perhaps in some places that would be true.

However, we haven't seen rain in almost six months. So, our congregation saw the rain as something to rejoice over. We thanked the Lord for his gift, kept the grill going, and tried to huddle under the trees as much as possible until the showers passed.

In the spring, we saw the green hill sides quickly turn to gold, indicating an absence of water. That cycle will begin to reverse soon: the hill sides will start to trade in their golden tone for a beautiful, lush green.

In the next six months, we will get our yearly allotment of water, and our prayer is that God will be very generous toward us.

For the last four years we have had less than our average annual rainfall, which finally created a critical situation. So much so that the government passed a new water conservation law that increased the cost of water used for gardens by almost 100%. Normally restrictions target farms and those that want to wash their cars at home: farms are typically forbidden to water during the middle hours of the day based on the thought that during the hot summer days more water will be needed due to evaporation; and it is forbidden to wash a car at home (though commercial car washes are allowed). So, when private gardens are targeted with restrictions, it is clear, we are in a water crisis. Hopefully, the rain this year will be abundant.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Recently, I was teaching my 1-3 grade class the 10 commandments, and thought it would be a good idea to teach them to Grace at home. She took to them fairly quickly, and could recite them pretty accurately (in four-year-old words, of course) when I called out the number. For example,
Me: "Number 1"
Grace: "Don't have other Gods."
Me: "Number 2"
Grace: "Don't make idols."
Me: "Number 3"
Grace: Listen Here

I burst out laughing when she said that because it was such a cute misspeak, and is the complete antithesis of our lives.

That made me laugh. This made me think:

Last week, I decided that we should start teaching Grace about giving financially to the Lord. Though it is a regular part of our life, it was something that was completely foreign to her.

I started out by explaining to her that when we love Jesus we give him a portion of our money. To some degree, she understands the concept of money. After all, she has a purse with an assortment of coins from here, there and yonder, which she is "saving for her trip to America." (I'm afraid she'll be disappointed in the small return those few coins will bring.) In an effort to encourage her to embrace the idea of giving to the Lord, we explained how the money from the offering box is used. Honestly, they were interesting details, but not critical for this four-year-old.

I tried to make the concept of giving reasonably understandable and doable by giving her two, one shekel coins. I explained that I was giving her two coins and that she might want to put some of that money in the offering box when we went to church later that evening. I even offered to show her where and how.

Clearly, by giving her two coins, I intended for her to give one and keep the other. Though I didn't say it specifically, I thought it would be a no-brainer. I even added, "Whatever you aren't going to give to the Lord, I want you to leave here so that you don't lose it." "Okay," she said, and quickly returned to doing whatever she was doing before I started this life lesson.

An hour or so later as we were gathering our things at the door, I noticed that she had both coins in her hand. Thinking that she had forgotten that detail of my instruction, I reminded her that she should only take what she's going to give to Jesus.

"I know Abba. I'm giving them both." Realizing that she must have misunderstood something in my lesson, I clarified: "Are you sure that's what you want to do? Whatever you aren't giving to the Lord, needs to stay here." "Yes, I love Jesus, so I'm giving them BOTH to Him."

Her simple answer caused me to think: Wow, she got the lesson better than I delivered it. Thank you, Lord! Wow, she got the lesson better than I sometimes get it. Help me, Lord!

My prayer: That the desire to honor, obey, and love Jesus will increase and permeate her life the rest of her life. That my desire to honor, obey and love Jesus will be as real as what my four-year-old modeled that day.

Jerusalem Face Lift

The landscape of Jerusalem is in constant change, and today's report covers two dramatic changes in the appearance of Jerusalem. One is in the Old City, the other in the New City. One isn't terribly surprising, the other,...well, let's just say, I never would have imagined.

New City

One of Jerusalem's major construction undertakings - both in cost and time - is the new light rail system that is supposed to help ease the strain of getting around town, reduce traffic congestion in the city, and reduce pollution. We'll have to wait and see if it accomplishes any of those objectives.

Anyway, the project has finally arrived downtown and Jaffa street has been almost completely removed. It has been reduced to a single lane with the rest of the road completely excavated to lay the foundation of the light rail system.

For those who have spent significant time in Jerusalem, the many appearances of the Jaffa Gate area (the beginning of Jaffa Road) are no longer startling: the area has been lifted and lowered, pushed and pulled, and otherwise dramatically changed a half dozen times since I first came to live in Jerusalem in August 1990.

The change to the downtown segment of Jaffa Road hasn't changed at all during my time here. That is, until now. It will never again be like it was. However, due to all the changes near Jaffa Gate, this change isn't so hard to imagine.

Below are two photos of the area of Jaffa Road and Ben Yehuda.





Old City

You've probably heard the saying: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." What has remained a modest - some would say sloppy and run down - tourist shop in the Old City will no longer be modest or sloppy or rundown. That's right, Ali Baba Souvenir Shop #14 - proprietor, Shaban Amer, a favorite hangout to countless students over the years, is getting a major face lift.

In the late 80's Shabban bought into the Walmart approach to marketing: Moving lots of merchandise at a small profit margin makes both the seller and buyer happy. Shabban continues to secure his customer base with a "one low price, no-bargaining" pricing system, his automatic offer of something to drink - even if you're not buying, his ability to get most anything a customer may want or take them to a friend or relative that offers such an item, his connections throughout the West Bank that can be helpful for the more adventurous students, and his ability to recover purses and/or wallets that have been lifted from unsuspecting tourists/students elsewhere in the market. He's a real hero to many. But if not a hero, most still view Shabban as an honest, reliable vendor. A friend.

Without going into the private details, I can say that over the last x-number of months some business issues have pushed Shabban to give his shop a complete face lift. I'm not talking about a fresh coat of paint. I'm talking (back) wall removal, resurfacing the walls and ceiling arches, fresh paint, new shelving, etc. When the doors reopen, you can expect to see a much larger, cleaner, and more organized shop.

Not only will the shop look different, but the items on the shelves will also be different. Different in the sense that his stock of items will be multiplied. Rather than the narrow range of low budget stock, he will now offer merchandise in both low budget and high ticket price ranges.

A few times Shabban has reminded me of how difficult and expensive the remodeling work is, but he has also assured me that in spite of the expense of this new look and feel, he will remain the same dependable and fair priced shop keeper. The changes are not an effort to change his client base, rather they are an effort to expand his base to include others.

This is what Ali Baba Souvenirs #14 looks like at the moment:

Nine Years Later

Nine years ago today, August 7, 1999, Colleen and I were married at the Temple Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas. It amazes me how quickly those nine years have passed, and how blessed I have been during that time frame.

We met on a blind date at the Chinese Kitchen in Odessa on December 24, 1996. If I believed in love at first sight, I would have to say this was one of those occasions. However, our attraction was more than simple sight: we sat at the Chinese Kitchen for 3+ hours engrossed in deep conversation, wondering if he/she could be "the one."

We had so many things in common, especially our faith and value system. But I was committed to return to Israel and she was committed to go to Czech Republic, which created a big dilemma: How could we square this circle?

To make a long story short: I returned to Israel and Colleen eventually went to Czech Republic, but we kept in touch and continued to grow more in love until...Colleen brought her stuff to Israel and we left twelve hours later for our wedding in Texas.

On October 1, 1999, we returned to Israel as Mr. and Mrs. Craig Dunning, and have lived here since. During that time, the Lord has blessed us with our daughter, Grace, and we have had the privilege to work with three congregations in different parts of Israel. We've seen and experienced a lifetime of things already, and are thankful to the Lord for shaping us the way He has, whether through happy times or difficult experiences.

Finally, in a personal note to Colleen, THANK YOU for being my best friend and life partner. I'm much better as a result of these nine years.

I Like His Style

I don't know much about Ron Washington, the manager of the Texas Rangers. I vaguely remember his name as a player when I was growing up, I haven't looked up his career stats, nor do I know what position he played. But I like his style.

I have heard or read that he is a player's manager, and that it's his character that keeps his players from quitting on him in what started out as a disastrous season. He isn't one of the big names in baseball management like Joe Torre (Dodgers), Lou Piniella (Cubs), Tony La Russa (Cards), or Bobby Cox (Braves), but he does have class, and he stood up to a MLB pitcher like many others probably would not have. In fact, those who have had an insider's look at professional sports, know that professional athletes "never hear the word 'no.'"

A friend who pitched for the Braves told me that they were fined if they carried their own luggage. Professional athletes, for the most part, don't live in the real world. That's why, for example, Manny Ramirez could get away with assaulting the Red Sox traveling secretary because the secretary told Manny it would be problematic to get 16 tickets a couple hours before their game against the Houston Astros.

Here's the story behind the photo, which made me a big fan of Ron Washington: C.J. Wilson, a left handed reliever for the Rangers, had a disastrous outing (8th inning, August 5, vs. NYY) that was ended by a Richie Sexson grand slam. It was time for him to be relieved, and in professional baseball, it's the manager's duty to go to the mound to make the change. In this case, before Ron Washington was able to get all the way to the mound, Wilson initiated his departure by flipping the ball to Washington. Apparently, as if it had been rehearsed, Washington grabbed Wilson by the arm and drew him back to the mound so that he could properly hand the ball to the manager. Once that was done, Wilson was free to leave the mound for the showers.

For those who are not aware: Baseball is a game with its own culture and traditions; and many things are done the way they are done simply because "that's the way it's done in real baseball." That includes things like not stealing bases once your team is up by 10 runs. In certain situations it's acceptable for a pitcher to intentionally hit a batter (it's called sending a message, or protecting his teammates), but it's never acceptable to hit a batter in the head. Though there is no rule against doing so, it is never acceptable for a batter to look down to see the catcher's signals to the pitcher. Interestingly, it is okay for a base runner or coach to assist the batter with what pitch is coming as long as it isn't done in a way that "shows up the other team."

Baseball is a funny game in many ways, and the way the game is supposed to be played isn't something that is known naturally. Rather, the way the game is supposed to be played is something that is learned over time and with proper exposure to its culture. I'm proud of Ron Washington for giving C.J. Wilson a lesson on how a pitcher gets relieved. Regardless of how bad a pitcher has performed or feels, he is supposed to stand there like a man and wait for the manager to arrive to relieve him of his duties because "that's the way it's done in real baseball."

Steeerike Oooone!!!

Here is a short clip of a very "entertaining" umpire we met during our recent trip to Pittsburgh.

In umpiring circles he would be used as a caricature of the classic Little League Umpire. His entertaining, if not distracting, strike one call, was contrasted in the extreme by his whispered "strike two" call. His called third strike routine was more animated than his strike two call, but still less than "steeerike Oooone!"

All in all, he was a very nice man and an entertaining umpire, but I did find his routine to be distracting. A general rule of thumb is that umpires shouldn't draw so much attention to themselves.

From 36,000 Feet

It's -50 F outside. I'm at 36,000 feet on a Continental flight from Tel Aviv to Newark and have the freedom to use my computer without battery worries. Not because it's a Mac, but because along with the rest of Continental's great service, they have now installed electrical outlets between the seats.

Not long ago, I saw an article reviewing different power supply devices, some of which were able to draw a small amount of electricity from the standard earphone jack. I don't remember all the negatives of such devices beyond the fact that they were not able to charge a battery. That device is not what I'm talking about now. I'm talking about a standard 3 prong plug that not only powers a computer (and/or other electronic devices), but also provides enough current to charge the battery. And this isn't limited to the front, very expensive section of the aircraft. Us common folk in cattle car also have electricity. Why has this been so long in coming?

In addition to the electric outlet, Continental now has touch screen, on demand, entertainment screens for each passenger. This on demand system provides 336 full length movies, over 250 short programs. music and games. No flight is long enough to accomplish all that. In fact, I'm sure it would take more than an hour just to scroll through the movie and short program offerings. By the way, I'm choosing not to spend my time scrolling.

The service has been good: ample food and beverages, accompanied by polite and efficient attendants. Our plane is clean and orderly and I don't see any wear and tear, which is nice.

I recommend Continental Airlines. At least on the Newark-Tel Aviv route.

"...fearing those who were of the circumcision."

"...for before certain men came from James, he [Peter] would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision." (Galatians 2:12)

"The mission against Jews" is a common way orthodox Jews refer to people in Israel, Jews or gentiles, who believe in Yeshua. And social pressure is one of the main weapons that orthodox Jews use in their battle against those whom they oppose. (See John 9:22 for another NT example.)

There are a few "anti-missionary" organizations that have the goal of protecting Jews from the "dangers" of believing in Jesus. Yad L'Ahim is the most well known, but there might be others. It's hard to tell how many organizations there might be because much of their efforts are done anonymously as can be seen in the photo below.

Recently, one of these organizations placed flyers in the mailboxes of a particular neighborhood. On that flyer they included the photos, names and addresses of 5 pastors of Hebrew speaking, Jesus believing congregations in Jerusalem. The sixth box (outlined in red) contained a not so subtle warning: Your photo could be here. Often, such a warning creates a fear of "those of the circumcision" that for all practical purposes silences believers in Yeshua.

The fear of man is a very real fear both in the NT period and now, and it is something that fellow believers around the world should pray for Israeli believers to overcome. I know four of the five men highlighted in the flyer, and am confident that they will not be silenced. In fact, for at least one of them, this isn't the first time his picture has been used in such a way.

As the local believing community continues to grow, the anti-missionary groups are becoming more determined to stop the message. And to the degree that humiliation doesn't work, more severe means of opposition will be implemented. Just this year, among the lesser known actions, there have been some very headline grabbing attempts to resist "the mission." Among those were the near assassination of Ami Ortiz, the son of a messianic pastor in Ariel. Ami, made the mistake of opening a Purim holiday package that had been left at his home. Inside that package of candies was a bomb. See one report here, or search YouTube for a variety of video reports and testimonies of that event.

In Or Yehuda, a small town next to Ben Gurion Airport, a bunch of Ethiopian New Testaments was gathered and burned in a public demonstration against "the mission." This action was instigated by the deputy mayor of Or Yehuda. See the article here where the deputy mayor tries to get the toothpaste back in the tube.

Father's Day 2008

Happy Father's Day to me. The older Grace gets, the more I understand the blessing that it is to be a father, particularly to her. And, the older she gets, the more I understand how great is my responsibility to train her in the ways of the Lord.

Today, was a wonderful day. Our family spent the afternoon at the pool. We don't go often because it is fairly expensive. In fact, we had sticker shock, today. However, the cost was worth the joy we shared through the afternoon.

I know so many men who aren't able (or choose not) to spend time with their children, and many of them don't enjoy the time when they are with their children. I'm so blessed.

Grace quickly made friends with twin girls whose father is American and whose mother is Belgian. They spoke French and English and have traveled extensively throughout the world. Like them, Grace will soon be bi-lingual, and she is already pretty well traveled.

The girls splashed me, rode my back and tried to dunk me throughout the afternoon - and every moment was both a joy and a trip down memory lane. When I was young, I often went to the pool with my best friend Kenny and his grandfather; and we did the same thing to him that the girls did to me, today.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me this day.

Stirring Things Up, Again

Well,...once again, Messianic Jews are stirring things up in Israel.

It's not enough that they've been in the news because their services have been disrupted and property damaged by Orthodox Jewish protesters as happened in Beersheva. Or that their leaders have been assaulted by Orthodox Jewish protesters and then put under house arrest by the police, making them a double victim, as happened in Arad. Or that one of their children almost lost his life when he opened a bomb disguised as a holiday gift as happened in Ariel. Or that one of their congregations was evicted from a secular kibbutz due to pressure from the Orthodox Jewish Establishment (OJE) as happened in Jerusalem.

Now, an 11th grader from Pisgat Ze'ev (a northern suburb of Jerusalem) has gone and qualified as one of four finalists in the International Bible Quiz (aka the "Global Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth") and caused the OJE to get into a tizzy, demanding that all "Jews" boycott the event if she is not disqualified. What's the reason she should be disqualified, you ask. It's not because she was discovered to have cheated her way to the championship. She wasn't, and she didn't. It's not because she admitted to being an atheist and believes the Bible is full of lies and fairy tells. She didn't, and it's not. Her offense: She's a messianic Jew that believes Jesus is the Messiah.

Ironically, had atheism been her identity, there would be no issue raised by the OJE. That's still a dilemma that the OJE has yet to resolve: How can an atheist be considered Jewish? Some respond that being Jewish is cultural. Okay, if that's the case then this student's "religious" beliefs should be of no consequence. Right? Right! And that brings us back to the dilemma: Who is a Jew? Is being Jewish a cultural issue? A linguistic issue? A religious issue? A national issue? And this is where in their inconsistency, the OJE has painted themselves into a corner. And they are inconsistent because their agenda is to delegitimize Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah.

By the way, the name of the state school Bible quiz champion is Bat-El Levi, the daughter of Ruti and Yitzhak Levi. Kol HaKavod, Bat-El.

Those who are interested in this type of event can read the complete story in this Jerusalem Post article. I would encourage you to survey the reader comments, too.

The Last Things to be Done Before Passover

Since Passover starts Saturday night immediately following the end of the sabbath, the last efforts to rid the home of leaven are underway throughout the country. Most people have been cleaning their homes for the last several days, and the last ritual is to gather the final bit of leaven and take it outside to be burned. In the first photo below, you can see the bread that our neighbors were burning.


Interestingly, while some are getting rid of the last bits of their leaven, others are busy getting their last bites of leaven for the next 8 days. Business at bakeries and pizza shops has been booming this week, and today, it is really booming.

Below, you can see the crowd in our favorite pizza shop, Sababa Pizza. In order to service the rush, they brought in a few extra tables and had a man clearing the tables as soon as someone appeared to be finished. For those that haven't dined out in Israel, that is unusual. Normally, diners are allowed to sit as long as they want without any hint that they should make room for those waiting, regardless of how many people are waiting. Not today.


Once upon a time, pizza shops closed during Passover. But that has changed in the last few years. Starting Sunday night, Sababa and other pizza shops will serve pizza on potato bread pizza dough, which doesn't contain leaven. Most hamburger chains have followed suit, though not too long ago, hamburgers were served between matza crackers during Passover.

Happy Passover.

R.I.P.

After more than 415,000 kilometers transporting scores of students, pastors, pilgrims and friends from border to border, and delivering thousands of pieces of gospel literature throughout the country, the engine in my 1995 Land Rover Defender 110 finally lost the battle.

It has been a great vehicle - one I would like to resurrect, but unfortunately, the cost to do so is something I simply don't have at this time. For the time being, it will be interred in our garage until I figure out what to do with it, or until I am able to have the engine restored/replaced.

Not an April Fool's Day Joke

I purposely didn't post this on April 1 because it could be too easily seen as an April Fool's Day Joke. It isn't.

On a recent trip to Mt. Carmel, as I was driving a group through the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel, I noticed what I thought was a "rassling ring" behind a building just off the main road. I didn't really believe it could be, but I was certain enough of what I thought I saw that I pulled over, grabbed my camera and told my group, "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute. I think I saw a rassling ring." Of course, that sounds so bizarre, that none of them believed me, but a few got out to see what it really was that I saw.

As it turned out, what I saw was, in fact, a rassling ring in the back yard of a home in a Druze village. When I first got in place to see the ring, one of the guys had a mask on, which, I guess is part of his rassling persona. However, once he saw me, he moved out of sight and removed his mask before coming back into sight. I didn't get close enough to talk with them, so I have no idea if they are part of "the show" in America or somewhere else; or if they are simply training to get a chance at a show. From what I saw, I'm guessing they are not yet in "THE show." 

In the photo sequence below, you can see the two rasslers and an apparent trainer (relaxing against the ropes).

In photo one, the smaller rassler on the right has just been thrown into the ropes and is rebounding toward the larger man coming into the photo from the left (previously in a mask). In photo two, the larger rassler is administering a "flying drop kick" to the head of the smaller rassler. Well, sorta: you can see that he needs more practice, because his kick came up a couple feet short of his intended target. However, to his credit, the missed kick was so powerful that he was still able to knock the smaller rassler down, as can be seen in photo three. Perhaps he isn't so far from the show, after all. 

NOTICE: No rasslers were harmed in the making of this photo sequence. 

Fuel Costs Up, Dollar Down

Today, the Drudge Report is linking to a story from California that reports a gas station in Gorda is charging $5.40 for a gallon of full-service gasoline.

Most of you have heard about the weak dollar and the global rise in fuel prices. Perhaps you are interested to know the result of that combination and how the prices in Israel compare to where you buy gasoline or diesel. The regulated price for diesel in Israel is $9.74 per gallon. If you shop around you can find it discounted down to $7.54.

The regulated price for self-serve unleaded is $6.95 per gallon, which can be found discounted down to $6.79.

I'm experienced enough to say, "I remember when,...diesel could be purchased in Israel for less than $2.00 per gallon." I'm afraid those days are long gone, never to be seen again.

Oops: A Confession

Last week, a Jewish friend that considers me the source of all information related to Christians called me to find out the date for Easter this year. I was a little embarrassed for not knowing the exact date, but said "I think it is probably another month or so away."

Since living in Israel means following the Jewish calendar more closely than I would anywhere else in the world, I have become more committed to celebrating the resurrection in relation to Passover, rather than as it is scheduled according to the Gregorian calendar.

Knowing that Passover was still a month away, I naturally thought of the resurrection as being a month away because, as another friend likes to say when talking about the differences between the Gregorian calendar and the Jewish calendar: "He has to be crucified before he can be resurrected, and he was crucified at Passover."

I advised my friend that Google would be a good source for questions such as this, and while we were talking, I Googled the date of Easter and was shocked to find out that not only was it not a month away, it wasn't even a week away. I was more embarrassed than in the beginning and tried to explain why it had "snuck up" on me. He was sympathetic and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep this between us." I laughed and said, "Hey, he has to be crucified before he can be resurrected."

Please don't understand my oversight as a lack of interest in the resurrection of Jesus. I'm definitely with the Apostle Paul who said that if Jesus wasn't resurrected, our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:18).

For those who celebrated the resurrection today, I hope that your faith was strengthened by the truth of his resurrection and the hope that we have because he was resurrected.

Because He lives,
Craig

Texas Longhorns

I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Scott of the Copa de Vino Ranch in Goliad, Texas for the freedom to get inside the fence to take some photos of their longhorn cattle. We were in Goliad seeing the area where Colleen's mother grew up, which was on the land across the road from the Copa de Vino Ranch.

As we were approaching the family property, I noticed the longhorn ranch and immediately pulled off the road to take some photos. About that time, one of the ranch hands drove in the gate and stopped to invite me inside for some better shots. At first I refused his offer, but after a few moments of consideration, I accepted his south Texas hospitality and we drove inside.

I like the color pattern of the first steer below, but wish he was wearing the horns in the second photo.

There's something really relaxing about photographing animals like these. Waiting for them to stand at the right angle, hoping for a good background and the natural beauty staring back at me creates the perfect storm of relaxation for me. Knowing that everyone in the car is waiting for me reduces the satisfaction some, but I'm thankful that my family is very patient with me when I drop into photography mode.

From 20 Floors Above Revisited

Since we wrote about the things that we've found in our yard that had been dropped from the floors above us, many more things have arrived. Things like carpets, patio umbrellas, shoes, lots more trash - things too disgusting to detail - and assorted kids toys.

While all these things are a nuisance, none of them are as disturbing as what came falling down today: a 25"x12", 20+ pound limestone tile. It fell from the 18th floor, which translates to something around 120 feet.

On a couple of occasions, I have wondered if these siding tiles ever fall off, and what would happen if they did. Now, I know the answer to both questions: Yes, they do; and they shatter on impact.

Thankfully, no one was in the yard at the time. Now, I wonder if we should allow Grace to play out there.

In the photo, the red circle indicates the location on floor 18 from where the tile fell. The inset photo is the result of that tile's fall.

Please disregard the dead appearance of the grass around the tile on the ground. At the end of last year's growing season we were invaded by army worms, which ate all the grass leaves. I was finally able to get rid of them, but not before they destroyed much of my yard. (But, that's stuff for another post.)

Bible Memorization Isn't Enough

The pastor in the first video clip below shames me when it comes to Bible memorization. To date, he has memorized more than 100 chapters of the Bible, which is commendable - even convicting.

However, after seeing how he handles the Bible, I realize that memorizing large portions of the Bible isn't enough. And, I'm not talking about his pulpit panache, or lack thereof. That doesn't matter much to me, unless, of course, the lack of panache is exacerbated by putrid, soulless drivel.



I've watched that video several times, but only because it's a multi-car pile up. You've driven by a bad auto accident and you know you shouldn't slow down to gawk, and you feel bad for doing so. But you can't help yourself. That's me and this video.

Another video that I have watched several times is this advertisement for a Don't Waste Your Life conference.



This second video, also by a Baptist pastor, is different. Much different. The way the Bible is presented in a "gives life meaning" kind of way draws me back time and time again. I feel guilty. But not because I'm watching a train wreck, rather because it challenges my soul. It challenges my value system. It goes to the core of my being.

One is man-centered. The other is God-centered. And that makes a big difference.