Update time

First of the New Year and time for resolutions? I seldom make resolutions anymore as too many times in the past I broke my resolutions. So, I suppose somewhere along the timeline I resolved to not make resolutions. However, I do like to continually update my life, that is, look at where I have been and what I am doing to see how I might improve. So, it is now update time.

Time to update this blog and perhaps other things in my life.

First the blog. Much has happened since last I wrote. Mainly good things with some not so good things.

We are slowly getting settled in our new home in Texas. Had to clear out a few critters first. As the photo in another blog below of the beautiful but dead deadly Coral Snake attest.

We have been on the road a lot, so it has been slow going. We got to stop going to get going on the home.

Had a great time with Heatherly, Mike, MeiLin, and Maiya for Christmas and soon will be headed to WA and then BC. Time to visit Amanda, friends, and do some teaching at TWU. Then head back and get busy with yard, etc., in the spring.

So, now that a quick update of where and what is done, what about my personal life? Big priority is finding the right church home. Next, is getting ready to move toward retirement through semi-retirement. I believe my focus will be on getting in better shape physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Need to get back on a regular exercise schedule and find that church home, or as AA says "First things First."

There is indeed a season for all things in this life. I knew that in some indescribable way the day I stood with my father as he stood at the bedsides while his parents, my grandparents, were passing from this life.

It was as if I saw the past and future as a progression of generational shape shifting images where the youngest progressed from being the accompanying consoling grandchild to the grieving child to the passing. I have shifted through those positions along with my wife and daughters (taking my place as the consoling ones) until soon it will be my turn in the bed and then the great beyond.

I have come to the full realization of how pregnant the phrase "great beyond" truly is. What better term for something so totally other. We know something scientifically tangible about life in the womb or before birth, and of course we all know something of this things called living as crazy wonderful as it is, but we all know experientially nothing about what lies after living.

Those of us who are Christians do have this great and blessed hope that is in Christ Jesus that indeed he has gone to prepare a place, a mansion, for us in His father's house. So, while I have much living left to be done, I believe and hope, I also increasingly turn my thoughts and feelings to looking "forward to the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:13).

So I make no resolutions, but I do update my hope to live the life left to me to the fullest and hopefully becoming more Christ like having this mind in me that is also in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). Living with faith, hope, and love; faith in the now present of God, hope in eternity, and love for God and of God.

Waiting Zone!

So, what is there about waiting that is so hard?

Yep, we are waiting. It seems like an eternity, but it has only been since May the eight. That is when we signed on the dotted line. We agreed to their counter offer, and supposedly, we were to close no later than June 15th, which has come and now is gone.

The contract breaker date for knowing about financing has been reset so many times that neither we nor the sellers any longer talk about it. We were told, via email, Eureka you have been approved for financing, but wait for it. Yes, that is right the other shoe, which is the actual closing.

No one, not the closing company, the mortgage broker company, our agent, their agent, them, or us knows when, or, even, if we will ever actually close. I mean, is it possible to be forever buying a home, but to never buy the home?

Why do I feel stuck in an old rerun of the Twilight Zone? Is anyone out there? Help, please find us and take us out of this Waiting Zone.

Decisions, decisions

Life is always full; full of many things and right now my life is full of decisions. You would think that by the time you get to be older and wiser (hopefully, wiser) that decisions would come easier. But, for some strange reason it seems that the opposite is true.

When I was younger I made decisions quickly and without a great deal of thought to what making a decision meant, or by what standard or standards I should be making my decisions. I often worked by the heuristic that if it got me closer to my goals, whatever they were, then it was a good decision.

I have come to realize that the only true standard is, does it keep me in the center of God's will. Now of course this includes first and foremost compliance with His standards, precepts, and principles which can be known from the Bible and the indwelling guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I have also come to realize that every decision made closes as many doors as it opens. This is fuel behind the alternative history literature genre.

So, if we decide something, what might have been could have been equally as pregnant as what can be. So, how do we decide?

I can only feel it goes back to the only true standard. However, knowing God's will beyond compliance with His standards is not always an easy task, alas. It is knowing the specifics, or as they say, "the devil is in the details" that is difficult.

And it means when we worry about the future details the devil can fool us. The real true test of faith is to trust God to "be a lamp unto our feet," and "to order our steps." Note that the empahsis is directly on the next step.

So, although, we have many decisions to make about the possible shape of our future, Linda and I, just need to pass the true test of faith one day and one step at a time.

What me Retire?

Lately I have been giving serious consideration to taking the big plunge into a second semi-retirement -- retiring from the USAF and then becoming a prof was my first semi-retirement.

Oh, I also decided to start using capitalization as appropriate. When I was in the USN we used 100 wpm (words per minute) teletypes which only had capital letters. Not having to worry about capitalization facilitates faster typing, but hey, I will go back to the flow and cap as I go.

Um, back to retiring, I have mixed feelings about such a big step. So, I am hoping the university and I can work out a progressive retirement deal, sort of like a progressive dinner. Progressive in that I envision a gradual shift into retirement; first elimination of ancillary responsibilities, like advising, committees, etc., then a reduced course load.

If it is a go, we will go; go that is back to Texas and begin to seriously do the work needed to build our home on our raw land. Yep, raw land in need of much improvement before a home can be built. Just as we all are "raw land" in need of much improvement. The land will certainly not be completely improved in my life time.

Personally I feel that God is in the business of person improvement until we leave this mortal plane for an immortal multidimensional existence. So, to me moving into semi-retirement is just another step in God's improvement plan for me and maybe, just maybe, I will finally no longer be able to say, "I have never lived longer than 4 years in any one place in my life." That will be nice.

new blog posting draft

i am on a new learning curve with blogging, blogger.com, and flock
browser, designed for social networking and to be user friendly. the social
networking part i get, but user friendly, still trying it on.

and so it starts

i have taken a bold step, as many have before me.  i am hoping i will not falter, but boldly go were so many have gone before me.  my daughter, the younger of two of the loves of my life, the other being their mom, my wife, convinced me to take the plunge.  so in the spirit of the seminal military satire of my gen; the doc is out!