Christ's Death and Resurrection

So, maybe it's a little cliche to blog about Jesus' death and resurrection around Resurrection Sunday. After all, just about every blog I've viewed this week is talking about it. But then again, it needs to be talked about sometime right? Which is really the only problem with the whole thing. The death and resurrection is the Gospel and we should not be talking about it sometime, but rather all the time. Not that I am anywhere near being perfect here. No way. In fact, it's been my frequent prayer that God would show me at least some of the deeper significance of these two events because I have this unreasonable idea that I don't know enough about it in order to accurately and adequately describe it to some one else.

Now, I know that's probably pretty silly, and you know that it is silly. After all, I understand enough to get saved myself right? Right! So...that ought to be enough to share it with some one else right? Wrong. At least, for me it's wrong. I'm not really sure how to explain this odd idea, so I don't think I'll try. Suffice it to say that God is at the very least removing, slowly, all vestiges of this errant philosophy in direct answer to my aforesaid prayer. Am I making sense here? I don't think so. Alas, my currently fizzled brains do not have the energy to make it any clearer. Bear with them please. I know somehow you will all muddle through.

But really, God has been showing me bit by bit some of the deeper personal significance of the cross and resurrection.

For instance, a few weeks ago, I was staring out the kitchen window....Ahem, washing the dishes I mean, when a random thought triggered by who-knows-what crossed my mind. I remembered something I'd heard from my parents quite often as a child. The basic idea was that whenever I was sick or in pain, my parents would say something like: "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. You know, if I could I'd have...(fill in the blank) gotten that ear infection instead of you." Or else it might be something like: "I really want to spare you from this pain if I possibly could." Now of course, it's really not physically possible for our parents, in most cases, to spare us from say, a cold. Once I've got the germs, I've got them, and my parents can't really do anything about it except give me a cough drop and hope I get better soon. But it's the thought that counts right? Right!

However, as these remembrances filled my then-un-fizzled brain. (Yes, I am suffering from a cold right now!), I also thought this: My parents can't exactly always spare me from pain and suffering, but there is Someone who can! "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should have Everlasting life." Guess what!? Our sin is painful. Our sin causes us suffering. And that's nothing compared to the pain and suffering of our well-deserved punishment. But guess what else!?!? Our God is a wonderful Parent who not only desires to spare us from pain and suffering, but is also One who is in a position to do so! Wow. That's awesome! So, "even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In doing so, He gave us the option to accept His substitution. The substitution He made to spare us from pain and suffering.

But wait! There's more!

While reading Matthew 27 last night. I came across two interesting, little noticed verses. In one of them was one key word: "After." It's so easy to miss, but it can't possibly be a word that was merely translated differently in one version. It's in every single English version on BibleGateway.com. Matthew 27:50-53 reads: "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. (died) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves AFTER his resurrection, and went into the holy city, (Jerusalem) and appeared unto many."

I included verses 50 and 51 for context. As far as I can tell, the context for verse 52, when the graves were opened, is verse 50. The graves were opened when Jesus died. Scripture says Jesus was in the grave for three days. And THEN, the resurrected saints came out of the graves. Those people were alive three days before they came out. The only conclusion I can see from this is a powerful confirmation that Jesus' death, while powerful, was not complete. Jesus not only had to die, but He also had to conquer death itself. And He did! Hallelujah! He is Risen!Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Snippets of: Metz, Michigan

Metz is an itsy-bitsy little town on the North part of the Southern Michigan Peninsula. I discovered Metz while researching for my previous post about Michigan. As I mentioned in that post, I was impressed with the culture of character that the Michiganders seemed to have. The story of Metz is a clear-cut picture of that character. They are, or were, a people who care about other people by their actions even more than by their words. Unfortunately, heroes only seem to be heroes when there is disaster, tragedy, or trouble. On the morning October 15, 1908 a fire broke out near Metz. No one knows what began it, and no one really thought much about it at the time. Those living in Michigan were used to seeing smoke. Local farmers and logging companies set fires to clear brush almost daily. Perhaps they ought to have paid attention though. Historically, it seemed to be a month of fires in the entire region. On October 8th, 1871 a huge fire had erupted in Wisconsin, their neighboring state on the left. It had destroyed 2.5 million acres. On the same date was the Great Chicago Fire. Since then, few efforts had been made to restrict fires. The conditions in October 1908 were prime for fires with steady winds and hot weather. In 1908, the town of Metz had only been a town for 30 years. The population of the entire county was only about six hundred, mostly of German and Polish ancestry. One family, the Hardies, had a small farm. Railroad tracks crossed one corner of the farm. The Hardies had 8 children ranging from ages 16 to 11 months. Henry Hardie was 10 in 1908. At school that day, Henry noticed the fire. The smoke, which had earlier been a normal amount, was now rising up in huge billowing columns. Henry described them as 'great big pillars.' The steady winds drove the smoke in closer. By noon, the smoke covered the entire town, although the actual fire was still miles away. Still, no one really paid attention. It was just the wind blowing the smoke from a brush fire. Then, about an hour later, a sudden sense of gloom seemed to grasp the parents and they rushed to school to collect their children. By two, all the children had been released. At about the same time, the station master called Detroit to send an evacuee train to the rescue. What no one knew at the time was that a wall of fire literally surrounded the town. Families returned home to collect their possessions and then they went to the train station to wait. The Hardie family put their family heirlooms in a trunk and buried it on the property. When the train arrived, departure was delayed as the forty to fifty families loaded up. Most families rode in an open-top steel car. It was thought that the steel would resist the fire. One car contained hemlock bark. As the train left, they could begin to see the fire. It spread on both sides of the track. It became very dark. Only a mile out of town, the train was confronted by what is called a 'crown fire.' A crown fire is a fire that is in the tops of the trees. The train engineer had no choice but to drive straight through. As they went through the fire, its sparks set flame to everything flammable in the refugees possessions. For a quarter of a mile, hair and clothing was continually catching fire. Only a few seconds later, the train went through another fire. The car containing the load of hemlock bark was flooded in flames. Two refugees, the Nowickis, had asked to be let off at their homes further down the track. As the train began to slow however, it was seen to be an impossibility. Farther ahead, more trouble waited. The smoke hid the problem from sight. Incredible heat had warped the train tracks. Newspapers called the fire 'the hottest fire and densest smoke ever seen by mortals.' When the train hit the warped part, it went off the tracks. In panic, most jumped off the train. Henry, his father, and his brothers did too, but they became separated. Mrs. Hardie and the four daughters stayed on until Mr. Hardie had a chance to check on conditions. Two of the daughters however, bailed out by holding on to the coattails of a man about to jump down. Henry, his brother, and his cousin, grabbed a blanket and threw it over their heads to help them breathe. On the ground, Mr. Hardie found his two daughters. Mr. Hardie determined to return to the train to help his wife. He first placed his daughters in an open field covered in burning tree stumps. They were found by the Zimmerman family. When Mr. Hardie returned to the train car, a burst of flame rendered him temporarily blinded. The heat of the steel car made the task impossible. Meanwhile, the three boys with the blanket ran through thirty feet of flame, using the blanket as a shield, until they broke through to the field where they found their sisters and other refugees. Later, in the ashes, Mr. Hardie found one thing. His wife's wedding ring. He told his boys something that Henry never forgot: 'Now we have no Mama, and no sisters.' Mr. Hardie later married another survivor of the disaster. The Zimmerman family survived for one reason. John Zimmerman refused to place his family on the rescue train. Instead they stayed home. After attempting to save the house by soaking it in water, Mr. Zimmerman wrapped wet quilts around his children and sent them to an open, newly plowed field. They also buried cans of food and loaves of bread. The horses and cows were removed to the field. Then, Mr. Zimmerman remained at the house and continued to try to keep the house from catching fire. When at last it was useless, he started towards the field. He almost didn't make it. The smoke and flames had been too much and he stumbled and fell. His children dragged him the rest of the way. The Zimmermans built a small shelter in their field. They were able to help the refugees from the train, including the Hardies. Each family helped someone else. The other refugees and donors from around the country pooled together and gave one new mother a baby carriage, clothing, and blankets. The town of Metz was completely destroyed. Only the schoolhouse remained standing. In nearby Bolton, only the church was left. The Metz fire directly influenced law makers to restrict fires in Michigan. About fifteen people died on the train. Most were very young children. About twenty others died in other areas of the fire. In spite of the fact, the people of Metz returned. Today Metz itself has about 300 people living there. The Hardies, reunited, rebuilt their house and farm. They also dug up their family heirlooms. The trunk stayed in the family for generations as a double reminder of the tragedy, and the pioneering strength of the Hardies and other families who returned, in spite of it all. So, maybe not everyone survived, and maybe some heroics were thwarted, I'd still say that those people were heroes, not because they saved lives, but rather because they helped each other in the face of their own need, and because they didn't let it get them down. I'd say that it's not the buildings that make a town, but rather the people who live there. (This has been, Snippets of Metz. Look in next time to read: Stories of My Life:__)

A Day in the Life of: Dave Dravecky

I try to intersperse my mini-bios with people from the past and people from the present. Although Dave Dravecky's moment of fame was in the past, he still lives, so I'm counting him as from the present. Older baseball fans might even remember him. I came to admire Mr. Dravecky after reading his book, Comeback. I've never been a big sports fan. I enjoy some sports such as volleyball, Frisbee, basketball, and I'm beginning to like soccor. But I'm not a serious player and I'm not a fan-atic; you know, one of those people who idolize the sports figures. I just like to play, hope I do a good job, and have fun. If I'm watching a game, I like to watch, have fun, and not-too-seriously hope that the Mariners or the Sea Hawks win; or whatever team my friends are on. (Not that I've ever watched the Sea Hawks play. Wait. I did. I watched the final play of a supposedly famous game last year on TV. (No clue why it was famous.) It was very exciting. They hunched over in the middle of the field, some sort of a whistle thing blew. The commentator said something about their being enough time for one more play. The players dispersed and huddled up around their coach guy things, and then they went and hunched over in the middle of the field again, and then there was a little running (no sign of the football) and then the game was over ! whoo-hoo! Sea Hawks win!) Of the major games, baseball is my favorite because at the very least I understand a bit of how it's played. But, I've never played myself; only watched others. So, that ought to explain why I don't necessarily admire Dave Dravecky as a great baseball player, (although he was a good one) but rather as a person who is living, and has lived a rich Christian life. I admire his obedience to God, his courage and strength to overcome more than his screaming pitches and fast balls. (Actually, Dravecky was a control pitcher. He really didn't throw fast balls. He was better-known for throwing the ball exactly where he wanted it.) Dave Dravecky's dream was to make it to the big leagues. In spite of that, almost everyone thought that he was only good enough for the minor leagues. They told him he wouldn't make it. It only inspired him to try harder. The Padres called him up from the minor leagues in 1982. Actually, let me back up a little. Two major things happened while Dave was in the minor leagues. First, the Pirates offered to send Dave to play in Colombia. (the country, not the district.) He went with his wife Janice and experienced exactly the opposite of what he was expecting. He expected tropical beaches and exotic Latin sights, instead, they experienced misery in the shape of sickness, (due to bad food and water), guys with automatic guns on all the corners, and extreme poverty. For both his wife and himself, the experience changed their perspectives in two different ways. For his wife, who had been brought up to believe that God was just a kind old grandfather figure who watched over the world, the trip destroyed that image. She couldn't understand that 'a good God would allow bad things like poverty to happen.' She drew away from God temporarily. In the end, it turned out that she needed that image destroyed in order to make way for the correct image. For Dave, a Catholic who believed himself to be saved, the trip made him begin to rethink things. It made him realize, or at least become open to, the possibility that he needed God. He began to draw closer to God. The second thing that happened while Dave was in the minor leagues was that he, and his wife, became saved. A year or so after the trip to Columbia, (Dave actually took two trips, the second without his wife. So we're talking shortly after Dave came back from his equally bad second trip) the Pirates sent Dave to Texas. There, Dave's roommate was a devout Christian. After watching his roommate 'like a hawk,' Dave decided that he wanted to make a commitment for Christ. His wife came to Texas a few weeks later. They made the commitment together a few months later. In light of later events, both realized that their salvation was the important thing, not the limelights. Dave was traded by the Padres to the Giants, where he spent the rest of his baseball career. Dave was a good pitcher and he loved the game. What I like about his story, is how God reached thousands of people through him in an unlikely, unprecedented way. Dave noticed the lump in his pitching arm late in 1987. He thought nothing of it. It wasn't for another year that it made its presence really known. Laid up with a sore arm for a few days, he happened to mention the lump to his fitness rehab manager guy. The man recommended that it get looked at by a doctor, so that's what Dave did. In 1988, Dave heard the word 'tumor' for the first time. It was found to be malignant, but not a particularly life-threatening type right then. In the end, the doctors took out fifty percent of Dave's deltoid muscle. (Whatever that is.) In essence, they took away 95 percent of the muscle's ability to function. Dave was told several things. First, he would never be able to pitch again, he might not even be able to throw anything again. Second, he was told he probably would not be able to lift his arm over his head for a very long time or take his wallet out of his back pocket. Third, because of the way the surgery was done, the bone would be very brittle and likely to break for a while. (Because it was a relatively new procedure, the doctors were unsure as to how long the bone would be brittle. Their estimate turned out to be wrong.) Dave was able to both lift his arm over his head and remove his wallet in a matter of weeks. Doctors told his wife, 'short of a miracle, Dave will never pitch again.' The day Dave was able to remove his wallet from his pocket Dave was also able to demonstrate his pitching motion. I like this quote from the book that Dave told his doctor: "If I never play again, Doc, I'll know that God has someplace else he wants me. But I'll tell you something else. I believe in a God who can do miracles. If you remove half my deltoid muscle, that doesn't mean I'll never pitch again. If you remove all of my muscle, it doesn't mean I'll never pitch again. If God wants me to pitch, I'll be out there." Dave was able to pitch again. Not only that, he was able to pitch in the major leagues. It was a game to be remembered in baseball history. It was a time when fans came, not to see a game, but to see the guy in it who was living proof that you can overcome tough things. As the day approached, new dimensions were added. A pledge challenge was begun for 6-year-old Alex Vlahos. Alex was a cancer patient who needed a bone marrow transplant. Dave had become friends with Alex. As the big game approached, fans pledged x amount of dollars per pitch. Alex was able to get his treatment. (The challenge was not begun by Dave, but Dave fully supported it.) Dave pitched one of his best games ever. And then another dimension was added. Because of his amazing, miraculous comeback, Dave had the incredible opportunity to share his faith to the millions on TV via the reporters. Dave said "that doesn't happen often." On his next game, yet another dimension happened. Through it, God reached more people. Dave's arm broke exactly like the doctors had warned might happen. When Dave made his comeback, he was able to tell reporters that God had made it possible. When Dave broke his arm, he was able to tell reporters that the big picture was not what had just happened, but rather that it had begun with his salvation in Texas. In Dave's words, he couldn't just tell these people that the God who had just worked a miracle, was now doing an un-miracle. It was merely a new step towards reaching more people with the message that the God who can do such miracles is the God who gave Dave his God-glorifying perspective on the perceived un-miracle. (whew, that was a long sentence. Go ahead, read it a couple more times!) Really, that's what I like about his book, Comeback. It shows the big picture. I like the word vicissitude. It means 'the ups and downs of life.' In reality, as Dave saw it, each up and each down are a small part of life that set the stage for the next part. Particularly, each down sets the stage for the even bigger up. It's a good perspective to have. Dave hoped to make a second comeback. However, his cancer returned shortly after the breakage. The rest of the muscle and part of the triceps were removed. While the particular cancer was not an immediate killer, it was a type which is the most likely to return no matter what. Dave now has a ministry of speaking; of telling his story to those around. His cancer returned several times and his arm, parts of his collarbone, and his shoulder blade were amputated as the cancer began to take on a more life-threatening aspect. Dave operates his ministry from Colorado and speaks about both his famous story, and the less famous story of what it has meant to to grow in the Lord through his story. He has also written several more books including: When you can't Comeback, and The Worth of a Man. Unfortunately, I have yet to read these. Comeback however, I definitely recommend. (This has been: A Day in the Life of: Dave Dravecky. Look in next time to read: Snippets of:__)

My Thoughts on April Fool's Day

I can just hear you all gasping in the background. "Oh no! She's departed from her normal pattern! What shall we do!?" Let's just say that sometimes it's good to break out somewhere new. I enjoy reading and hearing about April Fool's Day pranks. Like the time Burger King advertised burgers with everything rotated 90 degrees to the left~for left-handed people. Or the time when the Prime Minister of New Zealand announced that cell-phones were banned. And we mustn't forget the time that the leaning tower of Pisa fell over. And my personal favorite-the one that happened to my mom-one of her friends crookedly taped her window with masking tape and left a note saying 'Sorry I broke your window. Will be back later to replace.' The window was not broken. In spite of enjoying all these however, there has always lingered doubt in the back of my mind. It has kept me from playing one myself. Here's my question: Does April Fool's Day promote good, or bad? I have been forced to admit that it is nothing good. All AFD jokes that I have ever heard of find their basis in deceit and lying. Playing pranks that are specifically intended to fool somebody into believing an un-truth makes the victim look like a fool. And, since most of the time, the pranks are just foolish anyway, it really makes the prankster look like a fool as well. The day is well-named. The really sad thing is that such a day is so widely spread that even prime-ministers and respectable companies and people condone and join in this promotion of deceit; even Christians. Someday, if I ever think of a prank that isn't any of these, you might find me playing it. But until then, don't expect it. In my opinion, it's just plain foolish. Here's a little history beginning with something that is just as sad as that other sad thing I mentioned. You see, the first recorded association with April 1st and foolishness is as early as 1392, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Here's something that's not quite so sad. In fact, it's a little funny. The Royal Airforce, (U.K.) was founded on April 1st, 1918. And yes, the U.K. does celebrate April Fool's Day on that day.

Fountain of Thoughts: Legal vs. Biblical Rights and Wrongs Part 2

I said in Part 1 that I'd be talking about Degrees of Sin. However, as I set out to write the post, I discovered that I had a whole post's worth of background to give before I could even begin on the subject. You see, I had quite a long thought process that led up to the topic of degrees of sin. So, bear with me here.
Part 2, like part 1, was triggered by a book I read. It was The Life of Lieut.-General Stonewall Jackson. I had read biographies of Stonewall and other Southern heroes of the Civil War before, but this book challenged me because the author was so blatantly...Southern. Published just a year or two after the end of the Civil War and written by Professor R.L. Dabney, the book challenged my long-held belief that the North was in the right. It sparked long discussions with some ardent pro-Southern southern friends and eventually it led me towards the topic of degrees of sin. I'd always been pro-North, because most of the books I'd read were pro-North, (though not all), and after all, who likes a loser? Before reading this biography, I'd never really thought about the rights and wrongs of the Civil War. Afterwards, I realized for the first time that even though the War occurred hundreds of years ago, many of the issues behind it are still valid today. Here's the question I asked after reading the book: Was it right, Biblically, for the South to secede? Now, that doesn't seem to apply today, but I'm getting there.
The issue is that of authority, and some of the applicable Bible verses are Romans 13, Acts 4:19, and Acts 5:29. Romans 13 covers the basic principle. 'Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever resists the power, resists the ordinance of God...' The Scriptures in Acts deal with the second part of the principle. In Acts, Peter and John tell the rulers, or higher powers, that they must obey God rather than man. Here, it is clear that when the higher powers tell us either to do something that Scripture says is wrong, or not to do something that Scripture says to do, then, and only then, is it right to resist the powers.
It took me a long time to understand this. In fact, I didn't understand it until I heard some slight acquaintances discussing the fairly recent DADT policy. (Don't Ask Don't Tell) These people, Christians, ended up concluding that (a paraphrase here) 'aside from Scripture; taking Scripture out of the question, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the government supporting the issue and repealing the policy. They, quote, "could see no reason why it was wrong."
As I listened to the conversation, I couldn't help but screaming silently, 'no, NO, NO!' As Christians, (and there was only one person involved in the conversation who appeared to take this view out of five or six people) we cannot, and must not, take Scripture out of the picture when dealing with any issue. You can have all the legal rights in the world to do something, but if God says not to do it, then we cannot do it. Now, not being an historian, I won't bore you with the rights and wrongs of the Civil War that I thought about; it's the principle that we're dealing with here. Suffice it to say that the above bolded sentence helped me to understand the rights and wrongs of the Civil War much better.
Let's look at a few examples. Hopefully, you'll be able to begin to see how it led me to degrees of sin.
Legally, the issue dealt with in the DADT policy is OK. But the Bible says it's not. Therefore, we cannot endorse it.
Again, socially, if somebody tells a 'little white lie' we excuse it as OK. It wasn't a big lie or anything. But in reality, God does not discriminate between lies. A lie is a lie, and a lie is a sin. Therefore, we cannot even excuse a 'little white lie' because there is no such thing as a such a lie.
And what about getting mad. That too, we excuse as 'being good for clearing the system.' But the Bible says, 'whoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of the judgement' in the same way that someone who kills is in danger of the judgment. (Matthew 5: 21-25)
These are specific, but mostly common, scenarios. I don't think any of them would merit the rising up of an entire people group/country against the government. We can oppose bad policies by speaking out and offering a positive alternative, but do bad policies mean we should overthrow the entire federal government? I would say 'no.'
So, what if the government is terrible, corrupt, and wicked? There appear to be two additional Biblical examples here besides the ones already mentioned. (Romans 13, Acts 4: 19, Acts 5:29) The first are those numerous Scriptures which speak about how it is the Lord who abases the proud and exalts the humble. In other words, it is usually not our prerogative to overthrow the government because of it's wickedness.
On the other hand however, we have the entire book of Judges. Over and over, God punished the people of Israel by putting them under the authority of other, wicked, nations. The same goes for the Babylonian Captivity. (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc.) In each case, God was punishing the Israelites for the Israelites wickedness, not the wickedness of the other nations. In the book of Judges, we also see the Israelites repenting many times of their sin. When this happened, God raised up judges in Israel who usually gathered together an army and overthrew the ruling government.
In the case of the Babylonian Captivity, we see that God did not have the Israelites overthrow the government. Instead, God delivered them by the aid of the government. In Ezra and Nehemiah, the Babylonian kings decreed that some of the Israelites could return to Jerusalem. In Esther, the king of Babylon decreed that the Israelites could slaughter their oppressors (led by Haman). In these instances, God 'turned the heart of the king where ever He desired' (Paraphrase, Proverbs 21:1) God used the ruling government to deliver the people from captivity. In the Babylonian Captivity, the Israelites' deliverance was a fulfillment of God's promise. God promised that they would only be in captivity for seventy years.
In the Egyptian Captivity, the Israelites merely spoiled the Egyptians and then left the country. The Egyptians were oppressive, but the Israelites did not just take over. Instead, they fled.
Now, as I see it, these are the options we have when the government is wicked, corrupt, and oppressive.
1st, we can leave the country. It may not be possible, but if it is, then we can. That's why America has so many refugees from Russia for instance.
2nd, we can stay, speak out, non-violently act against bad policies, and pray hard. God can and does change minds. A corrupt government could easily turn around if He wants it to and if we pray. We could also go undercover, like the Russians who stayed and the Chinese Christians. Mind you, going undercover doesn't mean we should stop sharing the Gospel.
As for the examples in Judges. In this case, I believe this was God's especial manner in delivering His people. I would take a lot of convincing before I believed we have the Biblical basis for gathering together an army and overthrowing the government.
So, those are my thoughts on the subject of authority. Part 3, hopefully, will go into more depth on degrees of sin. Let's pray for our country!
(This has been: Fountain of Thoughts. Look in next time to read, A Day in the Life of:__)
Disclaimer: Rest assured, these opinions and conclusions have been formed and arrived at after considerable discussion with my pastor and father. I am not intending to teach doctrine! These are only my thoughts and beliefs on the subject after my personal encounter with the book on Stonewall Jackson.

Tidbits of: Michigan

Five pieces of random Michiganian information, three major Michiganite events, and one story of Michigan's people. It is my hope that these will leave us fairly knowledgeable about the character of the Michiganders, their accomplishments, and general history. And yes, they do call themselves by all those names. Enjoy!

Random Info. #1: William Boeing Sr. was from Michigan. Boeing was originally spelled without the 'E' so that it would originally have sounded like 'boing!' William Sr. was a wealthy mining engineer who made his money off of taconite iron ore deposits. His son, William Boeing Jr., is that famous Washingtonian who pioneered in the aviation industry.

Random Info. #2: The Michigan State Mammal is the Painted Turtle. The painted turtle, so called because of it's beautiful, multi-colored, and usually striped skin and shell, is the only turtle that can be located from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The pictured turtle is one of the two western species.

Random Info. #3: The University of Michigan is the University in Michigan. It was founded in 1817 in Detroit. It was moved later to it's current location in Ann Arbor.

Random Info. #4: While rarely mentioned in historical accounts of the Civil War, Michigan actually contributed thousands of men and tens of thousands of supplies, mostly to the North.

Random Info. #5: From Michigan came one, and only one, President of the United States. To make up for the lack of numbers, he was at least fairly well-known since he came immediately after the infamous Richard Nixon. Gerald Ford was the 38th U.S. President. He was not a descendant of the famous Henry Ford. In fact, Gerald was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. He legally changed his name in 1935.

Major Michiganian Event #1: The Metz Fire. I'll be talking more about this in another post. In 1908, the small town of Metz, located almost at the tip of the lower peninsula, burned to the ground in a series of major wildfires. Incidentally, it occurred on the same date as the great Chicago fire; October 8th.

Major Michganian Event #2: The Erie Canal. Completed in 1825, the canal connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River. It was a breakthrough for industry in Michigan since the Hudson River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The Canal was the first in America to have locks.

Major Michiganian Event #3: The Model T. The invention of the Model T, also in October 1908, changed history because of it's innovative production methods and travel abilities. Previously, it could take as much as a whole day to travel forty miles. Henry Ford, the inventor, is thought to have said this about his invention:

"We can paint it any color as long as it's black."
Which leads me to the story about the people of Michigan. Actually, it's placed in Canada, but it's about how two men met Edsel Ford from Michigan. It's an example of the character of Michigan's people.

Michgan Story #1: The Sky Blue Model T. In 1942, Charles Foster and Harold Hetherington were given a car; a Model T. The two men were in Canada learning how to fly airplanes for the Royal Airforce. They were given their car in Bowden, Alberta. After two weeks of fixing it up so that it would work and after painting it a brilliant sky blue, they continued to Calgary where the flying school was located. Unfortunately, because of World War II, gasoline was rationed. To make the 80 mile journey, they purloined airplane fuel for their car. Airplane fuel worked, but left a tell-tale stream of smoke. A little way outside of Calgary, the two met a stranded man standing next to his broken down, non-Ford car. The man asked to be driven into Calgary. On the way he commented on their car. 'I rented my car. You fellows have good sense to be driving a Ford, but you're not doing it any good with that airplane fuel.'

The man asked to be dropped off at an expensive hotel. There, Charles and Harold learned that the hitchhiker's name was Edsel Ford, President of the Ford Motor Company Inc. After Ford left town a few days later, Charles and Harold discovered the truth of the statement, 'One good turn deserves another.' Not only did Edsel Ford pay for their hotel bill, but he sent a Ford Company Plane to the flight school. On board were two mechanics. The mechanics fixed up the pilots' car --which had been damaged by the airplane fuel-- until it purred like a happy cat. The mechanic liked the color of their car. 'One day,' he said, 'everyone can order a car in the color they want. You guy's are just a little ahead of the crowd.'

Charles Foster eventually got up the courage to ask the mechanic a question. 'Why in the world wasn't the President of Ford Motors driving a Ford?'

The mechanic laughed. 'Mr. Ford,' he replied, 'is an intelligent man. Can you imagine the stories that would have spread if he had been found stranded next to a broken down Ford?'

Charles and Harold later learned that Edsel Ford became ill shortly after his unexpected gift. Ford never recovered.

So, now you know. An act of gratitude can change the lives of those around you. Charles and Harold never forgot Edsel Ford or his gift. They later gave the Model T to their friend, Dave MacMillan. Dave was the man who had supplied them with their airplane fuel for the car. He used the car to take his bride on a honeymoon.

I discovered many other stories of the character of the Michiganites. Each story portrayed kindness, determination, resilence, and love for fellow man. It is, or was, the culture, and we ought to take note.

Stories of My Life: Peace and Pieces

Life, or so I've been told, is like a puzzle. Each event that happens is a different puzzle piece. As you experience each thing, it can be like turning over an up-side down piece, or maybe even putting a piece together with another one. At any rate, it's exciting. Unless, of course, you put a piece on that you only think belongs in that spot. Lately, I've had pretty much all of the above. In fact, I've had to remove a puzzle piece out of my picture. It was a little painful. I figure it must have been like those puzzle pieces that are a really close fit and yet not quite the right one. However, by removing it, God has blessed me with an inner peace that is beyond words. (If you can find out what's wrong with the italicized sentence before I tell you, Congratulations! You get a brownie point!)

Proverbs 18:24 says: 'A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.' (KJV) And that last half of the verse leads me to the big puzzle piece I was talking about. I am so grateful for how close God sticks with me even when I'm totally off track. And I've definitely been off track.

Have you ever put together a puzzle, found a piece that 'goes together' and kept on trying the piece over and over and over insisting that 'it's got to be the right one' and all along, it's not? The scenario described my life.

You see, when I graduated early, I had all sorts of goals and plans and expectations. I was going to do this, go there, learn that. And really some things were good things to have as goals. You know, 'get involved in a ministry,' 'spend more time in the Word.' I was sure that I could easily pursue my various goals without a problem. And yet, as time passed, absolutely nothing happened, even when I tried. Certain 'leads' for both getting a job and participating in a ministry petered out before they even got started. (These leads are indirectly referred to in Stories of My Life: My Advice. A previous post from this January). I could sort of understand that getting a job might be harder than I had anticipated, but, to my mind, working for a Christian ministry was a worthy goal. I didn't understand why God seemed to be stopping me at every single turn, even the 'good' things.

I became frustrated and took it out, sometimes internally and sometimes externally, on my family, myself, and God. I almost took my frustration out on one of my dear friends. Thankfully, I never got around to finishing and sending the letter.

I eventually ended up having an all-around complaint session with God one night. (Some of the issues that came up are very obscurely mentioned in Fountain of Thoughts: Bread Making. A previous post from last October). I still don't understand it, but that night, God chose to call a truce. I'm sure it wasn't me. All I did was complain and beg not-so-humbly for peace in my life over the issue of 'nothing is happening and it's supposed to be, so why aren't You allowing me to do anything?' I'm pretty sure I even quoted Scripture at God. So why in the world He granted a truce to me is more than I'll ever understand.

There should be an emphasis on 'truce' rather than peace. A truce, by definition, is a 'suspension of hostilities for a specified period of time by mutual agreement of both warring parties.' Peace on the other hand, has two pertinent definitions. 1: 'an agreement between warring parties to end and abstain from further antagonism.' And 2: 'untroubled, tranquil, and content.'

While for the first day or two I thought, wished, and hoped that I had been given peace, I knew deep down that it wasn't peace, but only truce. Sure enough, after a week or two, I blew up; again. Hostilities, at least on my side, were renewed with a vengeance.

Then, I randomly decided that I been reading too much fiction. I abruptly switched to reading non-fiction. I began with George Mueller, (A Day in the Life of: George Mueller. Posted in February.) From there I went on to Hudson Taylor, Borden of Yale, and With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray. Each of these books had a common thread in them. Faith, and the giving up of everything for God. I particularly noticed the second part of the thread.

If you'll look back at the beginning of this post, I wrote a sentence in italics. 'I've had to take a puzzle piece out of my picture.' Remember I said there was something wrong with the sentence? It should read, 'God had to take a puzzle piece out of His picture.' As I read those books, I began gradually to realize that my plans and goals were just that; my plans, my goals. I'd been trying to take things into my own hands; I'd been grabbing a puzzle piece out of God's hands and trying to fit it in where it didn't belong. The process of trying to put the piece in where it didn't belong effected not only myself, but also the puzzle pieces around me as my frustration grated on my family and my relationship with God.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I gave up my plans, all of them, even the 'good' ones. I finally realized that those 'good' goals were merely thrown in there in an attempt to be 'righteous.' God had blocked my efforts to become involved in ministry because my motives were not right.

What's the result? I can't get over it. Over the past couple of weeks, God has blessed me with His peace, not just a truce. I'm beginning to realize the truth of the verse that says 'it's a peace that passes all understanding.' I don't understand it. I now feel more 'tranquil, untroubled, and content' than I've ever felt in my entire life. It's...indescribable. Not only that, but just a day or two after, God, out of the blue, sent me a ministry to be involved in. It's not just a random ministry either, in fact, it's exactly the kind of thing I enjoy. I am now responsible for coordinating and gathering together 25 apple pies for the Annual Home School Day at the Capital in Olympia on March 15th. Wow! And I didn't even ask for it! God is so amazing! (If you're interested in making a pie, let me know).

I now have absolutely no clue as to what God wants me to do with the rest of my year and life. But in spite of that, every day I wake up and I can't help but saying, 'Thank you, God.' And, 'Wow, God, You're so...COOL!