This is Life

And now for the Revolution

2008-03-11T18:47:00.003-04:00

Ever had had one of those moments when you hear something that makes so much sense and you know it's the right thing to do and you would be so much happier if you did it but oh God please don't make this the thing that I have to do to be happy because it looks like I am going to have to change and that would be really hard and I really want life to be easy even if living like I do now is going to make life harder in the long run it would be easier right now if I didn't do it til later blah blah blah
Yeah, we're doing the Dave Ramsey Fiancial Peace University classes at church on Sunday evenings.
Okay, that's a little dramatic. But hopefully the change will be dramatic. The ideas behind his plan are very sound. Pay off your debt, have money in savings, prepare for retirement and retire with dignity. Maybe change your family tree. Isn't that the point anyway?
We've been to one class so far and I really like what he's saying. It's just so different from the way we've been living that it seems uncomfortable, outside of our comfort zone.
But any big change does make you feel that way. I really don't think it's going to be that hard. We really don't have like a buttload of debt. We're already cutting back on expenses.(see previous post)
But it still seems like a really big deal. It will take discipline and patience, two things I lack. Maybe it will help in those areas too.
Something I worry about, too, is what kind of example Jonna and I are setting for Kate. I hope to share what we learn with her because we haven't been the best examples of stewardship.
Jonna and I have decided to make this our financial plan. All prayers are greatly appreciated.
And that's all I have to say about that. Again, updates as events warrant.

Update on the resolution

2008-03-11T16:55:00.002-04:00

Jonna hasn't been able to blog much lately, and then only on items of great interest or impending doom. So maybe I should sacrifice my blog to things that are going on that aren't as earth shaking such as Jonna's new found business interest, freebie laptops (always a thankful shout out to Craig an Daryn), and romps in the snow for a wireless card.
So, we made a resolution before Jan. 1 that we would try to buy as much non-new stuff as possible. So far we've done pretty well with it. Nothing new except the expected, such as car parts(we figured used brake pads and shoes were probably not the way to go and our starter was a rebuilt one), groceries(and even then it's a lot of MC Sales stuff), tape and insulation for water pipes, and Jonna's wireless card and router. Pretty much gotta be new things.
And the strange thing is it isn't that hard. It's actually kind of fun. Because when you think about it, how much stuff really has to be new?
Clothes are probably the touchiest subject when you're talking about new vs. used. Thoughts of highwater pants and store brand gym shoes come to mind. Because who didn't have a pair of Sears Toughskins jeans when they were a kid? You know, the ones that were indestructible and lasted until they were almost up to your knees but you had to keep wearing them because "They're perfectly good pants" and you just knew everybody was laghing at you because....ok, maybe that's just me.
I'm not a clothes hound by any means, more of a jeans and t-shirt or button up shirt type guy so maybe it's easier for me to do the Goodwill thing. Since we started doing Goodwill I've found(and purchased) brands like American Eagle, Columbia(two fleece jackets), Patagonia, Levi's, Perry Ellis, Cutter and Buck, Arrow shirts, Quiksilver t-shirts, Sketchers and Dr. Marten shoes, Preston and York leather jacket, Gap, Hollister, Lands End, and Geoffrey Beene. And the list goes on.(my favorite being my red high top Chuck Taylor's)
So maybe I am a "Brand Watcher", but I can be at $3.95 for shirts and shoes, and $4.95 for pants and $7.95 for coats.
All this to say I ain't hurtin'. Heck, at those prices, you can shop for fun.
On a more serious note, all proceeds go to programs helping people with handicaps enter the workforce or retraining individuals with new career skills. It is most definitely an asset to the community and individuals alike. So it's a win-win situation.
All that being said, it will be interesting to see what happens come birthday and Christmas time. I am not a maker by any means. Time will tell.
I mentioned MC Sales earlier. It's on Charlestown Rd. just before you get into Sellersburg. This is a salvage foods store and it sells items(food mostly) that have had the packaging damaged or have been on the shelf a little too long. At a great savings to the purchaser. It would be wise to check this place out. Everything from staples(sugar, flour, spices) to bread to chips to baking supplies to chocolate to some organic foods. This store is by far our our most lucrative find. Again, I highly recomend this store.
That's the news so far.
As Calvin said,"More updates as events warrant."

One home, one to go

2007-07-14T09:33:00.000-04:00

Jonna arrived home yesterday safe and sound. But worn out from working at camp all week. And Katie comes home Tuesday from Lima, Peru by way of Miami after being gone for two weeks.
I had wondered how this trip would affect her spiritually. From reading her emails I can tell it has impacted her greatly. In a positive way. Just how, Jonna and I aren't sure. It'll be exciting to see how God has worked on her heart.
But, alas, they'll only be home a week and they leave for CIY at Southern Illinois University for a week. But that should be it for this summer, hopefully.And hopefully we'll be able to do some things together for a change. Maybe some camping, or hiking. REALLY looking forward to hanging out together. They're two of the neatest people I know.
So that's all i've got, it's a short blog but I felt like saying it.

2007-06-24T16:51:00.000-04:00

So this is day two of being left to my own defenses. To survive on my own as best I can. I'm kidding, it's not as bad as I make it out to be. I really miss them but I know they're doing the work they feel called to do.
And the schedule goes like this:
Jonna and Katie work all week in New Orleans
Jonna and Katie get home late Sat. 6-30
Sunday 7-1 is a blur of Church, clothes washing, a pitch-in, repacking and ongoing prayer for Katie's Peru mission trip
Monday 7-2 Katie gets up about 3:00A.M. to get to the airport to catch a 6:A.M. flight to Miami
Jonna leaves after Church 7-7 to work at Scenic Hills Church Camp until 7-13
Katie arrives back in Miami on 7-15 and since there were no flights back into Indyucky that late she is staying with a christian family who has graciously opened their home to a total stranger and are willing to take her to the airport the next day
Katie arrives home late 7-16
Katie sleeps from late 7-16 till 8:P.M. 7-18 to watch the season premiere of Dead like me
7-19 We all celebrate Bono Day (like who doesn't?)
Recuperating from aforementioned celebration until 7-22 when Katie leaves(once again) for a week of CIY in southern Illinois

I am confident our Lord will watch over Katie and our family this summer. I know that whatever happens, no matter how easy or difficult, it is in God's hands and I couldn't ask for anything more than that. The promises God gives us if we are in His will are of abundance and happiness.
That being said, if you'll excuse me, I have to find some crackers for dinner.

Fathers Day (caveman style)

2007-06-16T15:49:00.000-04:00

This being Fathers Day weekend, I would like to say Happy Fathers Day to all dads out there. I hope you enjoy the weekend and your family. I know I will. My family, I mean.
I went caving at Harrison-Crawford Forestry this morning as part of a gift package from Jonna and Katie. The other part is I get to go camping while they are on mission trips. I hope camping is easier. The kid, excuse me, naturalist, that led us didn't have a clue as to what normal people can do. He's done this since high school and is going to college to be like a cave professor or something. Geologist, I believe. He decided that three caves would be sufficient to kill anybody over thirty-five. Smart kid, he was right. I did the first cave, which went about four hundred feet . Take into consideration that it was a fifteen foot drop into a hole just to get into the cave. Then it was about a third walking (the first part, just to sucker us into thinking that it was going to be easy), then a third on our hands and knees, and the rest on our bellies. On top of wriggling on our bellies an inch at a time, the naturalist wanted us to be careful not to knock off any the hangie down things hanging from the ceiling. Lord knows it's not like they grow the things in caves. So, anyway, we made it out covered in mud and thankful to walk upright again.
I started wondering if this is for me or not. If you didn't know, I have a fused left arm. Which simply mans I can't bend it. Absolutely useless for crawling in caves. As I said, upon surfacing I did some some thinking and decided that the effort I have to put into it is not worth the joy I get out of it.
But, hey it's one time, a chance to see something different, so why not go with it and have a good time?
Then we got to the second cave. Again, i'm looking down about a thirty foot hole. The kid, AKA "The Naturalist" (why does that make me think of nude volleyball?), says "About thirty feet down, straight ahead for about a hundred feet and then down an eighty foot slope that's, oh, about eighty degrees". Down. Okay, let's get out our protractors and find eighty degrees. Got it? Yeah, right there beside ninety degrees. I Don't know about you gentle readers, but it's my first time caving, with slick and muddy rocks to hang onto. Eighty and ninety degrees are going to have the same effect on me.
When I told our guide of my misgivings he seemed disappointed that I wouldn't get to see all the cool things in the cave. I was thinking if you turned the lights out, all holes in the ground look the same. I went down the hole, straight for a hundred feet, but could not bring myself to go down the climbing slope into the main part of the cave. So I sat and waited for everyone else to come back out. And I waited. For about an hour.
But that's okay because I met some nice (and more sensible) people that were only in for about twenty minutes or so. One of the teenagers was obviously displeased with the the experience and was quite curious as to when they were going to the pool. I am always pleased when I find a young person with a good head on his shoulders. Wise beyond his years, that one.
By the time the others emerged from the ground, I had eaten my lunch, drank some water, and was in quite a relaxed mood. The first man out was a father smiling and encouraging his son as they climbed their way out of the pit. Happy Fathers Day to him because as soon as they were out and his son wasn't looking, he turned to me, shook his head, and said,"You didn't miss a damned thing." Seems there's a place called the keyhole that's diamond shaped and very narrow. By all accounts not quite half of the cavers made it through. At least one was stuck for about a minute or two in the Keyhole. Time is different in a cave. I wasn't in long enough to find out if minutes convert into hours or days. I'm sure that gentleman could tell you.
Now I'm not one who would say that I'm smarter than someone else. Just knowing is good enough for me. There was a teacher and his ten year old son who decided (I'm thinking about halfway down the slope) that they should probably head on home because they had a two and a half hour drive ahead of them. Never mind the huffing and puffing or the thirty to forty extra pounds we all seem to get about forty. I prefer to think of myself as an individualist rather than a wet blanket. But I must say that I was pleased I wasn't the only man who knew his limitations.
Lest some of you get the impression that I didn't have a good time, you are mistaken.
I enjoyed the physical exercise that comes with caving. I saw a salamander that I had never seen before. And I discovered why we don't live in caves anymore.
But seriously, thanks to Jonna and Katie for suggesting and encouraging me to do this. It was fun and fun to write about.

A new toy!

2007-06-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

I hope you like the Projectplaylist music player I installed. Especially since it took two sessions of about two hours each. Katie can attest to the second session. When I figured out what was wrong I felt like I had just rebuilt an entire engine and found out the only thing wrong was I was out of gas. Seems I had never gotten "NEW" blogger. I just had to update. You know, pick a new template so that it updates. Like I say at work all the time, I wish they would quit doing me the favor of trying to make things easier for me. I'm waiting for the day when "they" tell us that our computers will now be controlled by our thoughtwaves. All it takes is a hardware installation. Just log in to newcomputer. whatever and insert your brain in your hard drive. The do it yourself kit is just $999.95! For a tech to come to your house and install it..... well, we know how well that works.
Anyway, enjoy!

I gotta do what?

2006-09-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

I got this idea for a post from my friend Chris' blog. Kind of a spinoff of my response to one of his posts. So props to Chris.
It's not like there are any secrets to Christianity. It may take a little effort to find out what you need to know, but it's all there for us to learn for ourselves. Kind of like algebra. Man, it takes forever to learn it but there are no tricks or secrets to it. You just pick up a textbook and read and learn.
If you wanted to pick at nits and argue a point, you could ask,"What about the people who have never seen a bible or died before they got the chance?"
Consider this, would you hold it against a first grader if you asked him to solve a simple algebraic equation and he couldn't? Would you call him stupid or tell him it was his own fault that he didn't know? Of course not. At least I hope not.
So my short answer (and that's all you get today) is that I believe that there is Grace in this situation.
Sorry about the digression but there are a couple in every crowd.
Sure it takes Gods timing, alot of outside help from others and surrounding ourselves with strong faithful followers of Christ, but come on, in the end we are responsible for our own decisions.
That thought alone is enough to scare me straight. Because you know and I know there are going to be a buttload of people at judgement saying stuff like,"Yeah, my mother told me about God and the Bible but when I left home she never came and picked me up for church." Or,"I went to church once and the preacher never came up and talked to me or told me how to be a christian." Or,"I thought all I had to do was show up."
It's our lives, our salvation and our eternity. Not moms, not the preachers. Our very own. No one will do it for us.
The good news is that all we are fortunate enough to live in a country where all we need to know is available to us at any time. God has provided us with information, resources, and the freedom to be able to use them.
I pray we use the brains God gave us to take advantage of that provision.

Things that make you go hmmm #1

2006-08-26T11:45:00.000-04:00

There was a song in the eighties titled "Things that make you go hmmm". The line really caught on because people realized there are a lot of things in this world that make you stop and think. And go hmmm. Usually with a furrowed brow. For example, I was watching an expert in back to schol stuff for kids being interviewed on a morning news show yesterday. She explained in earnest the importance of stretchy book covers and the wisdom of a backpack that had an ipod holster on the strap. Now so far I've counted four things that "make me go hmmm" in this story.
Let's see if we're together on this.

There is such a thing as a back to school expert
It was on a supposed "News" show
The necessity of stretchy book covers
The wisdom of an ipod holster on a backpack "so kids can listen to it on the bus or walking to school" (an actual quote) because we all know that kids would never listen to them in the actual school building and MY child would NEVER listen to it in class. I don't care what the teacher says. Yeah, I'm kinda fixated on number 4.

The glittering jewel in this collection of mind numbing tripe was when the host - interviewer made the startling revelation that "You can get these anywhere they sell them." I am NOT making this up.

Alright, now that we understand what can make you go hmmm and the type of people we're dealing with, here's my thing.

When the price of gas started going up about seven weeks ago, every media institution kept us up to date of every one cent rise in the price of gas. Every day we were told the highest price per gallon in the country.

Well, if you haven't noticed, over the last two weeks gas has gone down forty cents, at least in my area. If you drive you've probably noticed this.

Have you noticed the media coverage on this? Neither have I. Hmmm. So gas goes up thirty cents in five weeks and it's the worst conspiracy not proven in the history of man. Gas goes down forty cents in two weeks and it's not worth the medias time to cover it. Why would that be?

That's my hmmm this time. I would really like to hear other peoples thoughts on this matter.

My New Favorite Place

2005-11-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at the airport I talked to a guy that works for Bass Pro Shops and asked what the open date for the Clarksville store was. To my surprise he said," Six o'clock this evening." Need I describe my happiness and joy? Well, the rest of the family was just as excited as I was. We ended up at BP(Bass Pro) about six thirty and stayed til about eight thirty and would have stayed longer if it hadn't been for sore legs, early mornings, and a very large crowd. There were a whole lot of very excited rednecks there basking in the presence of extremely cool toys that they will never be able to afford. This is not the sporting goods dept. at stuff-mart. This is years and years of target marketing at work. And boy does it work.
It's not completely finished. There's going to be a restaurant, Starbucks, and fish in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall thingie. So still a lot to look forward to.
That's enough for now though, Katie and I have to get ready to go back this morning. I hope she wants to.
Later, Travis

The Joy of Hunting

2005-11-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

Chris and I didn't see a thing on opening day yesteray. I was quite embarassed since I invited him and hoped he would get a deer on his first day. Much to my chagrin, I saw two good sized bucks this morning. Didn't get a shot at either one. The first was my fault. I wasn't ready when he showed up and I spooked him trying to get into position. The second was a LARGE buck that I scared up walking out and was too far away to get a shot at. Harumph. So, after deciding to stay home and watch the undefeated Indianapolis Colts whup up on the Texans again, I've calmed down some and I believe I will go out. The initial frustration is gone and now I am only determined. Hold onto your antlers boys, here I come. Go colts.
Later, Travis

Crisis Averted

2005-11-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

Once again I have dodged the bullet of confrontation. As soon as I read Jonna's post I sprang into action. I drove like the wind to the bank, withdrew sufficient funds and went shopping for Dwarf Spruce trees. I then came to my senses and decided to let her pick out the tree she wanted. So this morning I took her to Lincoln Springs and we picked a lovely specimen of Dwarf Spruce. Relief was immediate. Planting date to be announced. Now we are off to the Forestry to toast marshmallows and enjoy the colors.
G'day
Travis

I AM the halloween Grinch

2005-10-06T16:43:00.000-04:00

Hank Hanegraaff in "The Bible Answer Book" page 89;

"First, we should recognize that Halloween is indeed rooted in the ancient Celtic feast of Samhain (sah-ween).The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced, releasing demons, witches, and hobgoblins en masse to harass the living. In order to make themselves immune from attack, people disguised themselves as witches, devils, and ghouls; attempted to ward off evil spirits by carving grotesque faces on gourds illuminated with candles; and placated the spirits with a variety of treats.
Furthermore, we can learn a lot from how the early Christians responded to Halloween. October 31st, the eve prior to All Saints Day was designated as a spiritually edifying holiday (holy day) on which to proclaim the supremacy of the gospel over the superstition of ghosts. Thus, "All Hallows Eve", from which the word Halloween is derived, was an attempt on the part of Christianity to overwhelm the tradition of ghouls with the truth of the gospel."

All right, here we go. Everybody's got quirks. You know, the one thing that makes an otherwise seemingly normal person seem a little different. Well mine is halloween alternatives. DISCLAIMER: Please realize that from here on out I am simply spouting off my opinions. This is my blog and I am allowed to do that. I AM NOT questioning anyones faith or judging anyone. Perhaps this is just a cry for help to be pointed on the right path to understanding. But I don't think so.

I'm going to jump right in by saying halloween as it is popularly celebrated is WRONG. Dressing up as demons and witches as the pagans did in their fear of the unknown is not what a christian should do. I'm sorry, there are definites. Especially for christians. We know that they were unnecessarily afraid of what the Druid leaders taught them. We now have courage in the truth of Christ and the gospels.

Ok, for sake of argument, become all things to all men in order to witness to them. Should I become an adulterer to reach adulterers? Should I become an alcoholic to reach alcoholics? Should I commit a crime and be sent to jail to reach prisoners?

How about if I want to reach out to adulterers so I have an affair with another woman. But I'm doing it to attract other adulterers and show them I know where they're coming from and that I care about them. I'm someone they can relate to. So it's an alternative to adultery because I'm doing all the things an adulterer does, but I'm doing it to teach them about Christ.

Hank's paragraph two says that the early christians responded to October 31st (All Hallows Eve or halloween) by designating it as a spiritually edifying holiday or "holy day".

The American Heritage Dictionary defines edify this way;

To instruct or enlighten so as to encourage intellectual, moral, spiritual improvement.

I am not making this up. To edify does not mean to dress up. It means to lift up and build up. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to reach others for Christ at this time. This would actually be a good oppurtunity to point out the differences between what God teaches and what tradition teaches. But let's do that by being different. When Paul said be all things, he meant be everything they need. Be with them, be their friend, laugh with them, live with them. But be different. And when you have their trust, be the salt and the light. As Roebin preaches, the way you live your christian life day in and day out is what people see and think of us. That is how you earn their trust. If they see christians commiting adultery they'll think it's ok. If they see christians participating in a pagan ceremony paying off demons and witches with candy they'll think that's ok too.

So. There it is. The biggie. The belief that is almost as bad as the one that Jonna and I have that vacation bible school is "ob the deb'l". As Bobby Bouchier's Momma would say.

But, seriously, this is not like a deal breaker for attending a church for Jonna and me. And I certainly hope it doesn't affect the friendship of some people we are getting to know. This is just a personal view that I had to get off my chest. And a blog is the perfect place to do it.

But, hey, who's that throwing rocks at my pretty glass house???

Something to do

2005-10-05T13:27:00.000-04:00

I've been called out. Chris said post anything so here goes. I took today off and ran some errands. Okay, loosely translated into Travis speak that means I went to the bank and messed around in the Clarksbany area.G-W outfitters and all that. Scares the bejeesus out of Jonna when I do that. We were having lunch after I came home and the old guy next door brought some fried bluegill over. Pretty good stuff. Anyway, that got me to thinking about what Chris and Jonna had said about camping. Sounds like fun to me. One request though, I'd rather not go somewhere really crowded. Other than that I'm up for it. And another thing, I'd like to go fishing, too. Like to Patoka for the day or even just to Deam's Lake. So there, I've posted and didn't say a thing.

The Forty Post

2005-09-23T17:02:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I'll be forty. Don't worry, I'm not going to wax nostalgic. I know it's a milestone but I just can't seem to take it seriously. I think the popular term is "underwhelmed". On her blog, Jonna talked about what she learned this summer, but my brain doesn't work like that. Ideas rarely jump right up and say," Hey, think about this". Jonna learned these things as they happened but I have to look back at all the events that have taken place, put it all together and then I can see how everything fits together. So, yeah, that means most of the time i'm pretty clueless until I get to the point that I put it all together. Much to Jonnas consternation. Sorry honey, that's just how I think. I think that the biggest thing I've found out in forty years, and you have to listen because I'm old now, is that life is made up of only one big thing and then a few smaller things. It's realizing that God is the main source of everything and after that it's smaller things. If you make something else your big thing then the other smaller things will suffer. Even if you're still making God your big thing. In Katinas blog she talked about Eccliastes and how all of our efforts are like chasing the wind. So I'm thinking that anything we make a big thing is just chasing the wind or meaningless or folly.
Think about it. Why is a small life lived happily not one of our desires? Why must life be supersized and noticable from a distance before we can be considered successful? Because we are imperfect, selfish humans. Left to our own devices we will make ourselves our one big thing and seek out what makes us feel good. Hey, we ate the apple and guess what? We can't tell the difference between good and evil. Not without Gods guidance.
What about God saying He has a plan for us? Shouldn't we make that our big thing? I've struggled with this one a lot and I think I've stumbled upon an idea that makes a lot of sense. What if I stop jumping at every chance to do something big for God because this might be his plan for me? How about I just go about my business doing my few small things well and be open for when God wants to use us? I believe the way we handle little things is how God tells if we're ready for big things. (Matthew 25:15-30)
So, forty years, big thing, little things, small life lived well.
Until next time This is Life
Travis

Well here goes

2005-09-16T23:01:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this is life. Where you're at, what you're doing, what you do to survive. Any plan to change those things starts now. Or whenever you get around to it. So this is probably going to be mostly about life. As underwhelming as it is sometimes. But, along the way you'll read about the highlights of my life. One of the two greatest of those being my wife, Her Most Royal Highness The Queen Jonna Of Georgetown Indyucky. You'll read about the daring do of my darling daughter Katie. She's the other highlight. And I shall recount to the best of my ability the escapades of the most intelligent Black and Tan Coon-hound I have ever met, Obadiah Boudreax Coonhound. Pictures will follow when I figure out how. Shouldn't be long, I just figured out how to link.So I'm off to experiment with my blog. Pray I don't break anything. Later.
Travis