Lecturing, 2006

Classes begin at Moody again on Monday.  This semester I am a “visiting lecturer” and am teaching “Short Format Radio Production” (for the 12th time) and team teaching “Introduction to Electronic Media” with my good friend Curt Wilkinson (I think we’re on our 9th time). 

People often ask if I miss the classroom.  Frankly, since I left the faculty in 2008 I haven’t had a semester when I haven’t taught at least one class, so its hard to say if I miss it…though I do know that I don’t miss the committee meetings, department meetings, etc. 

I am looking forward to another semester…though it feels like it may be my last at MBI, but hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future.

From Proverbs 30:

Surely I am more stupid than any man,
      And do not have the understanding of a man.

(hopefully this isn’t the life verse of any of my students this year…)

Resting, 2009

Since we remodelled the house, I have to admit that I have not watched our books very carefully.  In fact, I have not been the financial leader that my family needs.  Thanks be to God, I have an understanding and forgiving wife who is standing beside me as we begin taking steps to bring our finances under the headship of Christ.

So, we are “tightening the belt” and living on a budget (novel idea).  One of the things we started was a “treat jar” where all the pennies, nickels and dimes we find in the parking lot go, as well as any money from the recycling center visits, etc.  From this jar we pay for the occasional ice-cream, large McDonalds french fry or other unbudgeted treats.

Last week the kids learned that we were going to go the Lake County Fair (in Indiana) and they decided to sell some of thier unwanted items during an impromtu rummage sale and add the proceeds to the treat jar.  The neighbor kids bought about $15 worth of their goods.  The kids decided that this $15 would be the money they would bring to the fair for rides.  When we arrived, we found out that the rides were $3.75…each…if you do the math, that’s only one ride for each kid with $1.25 left over.

As we discussed what to do, I was tring to figure out how to provide more money for them, but the kids didn’t ask for more money, they decided to find the one ride to spend their treat money on.   Here, surrounded by dozens of rides, my children set their mind to enjoy the one ride and be content.  We knew they were disappointed yet they focused on the one thing they could afford instead of the 32 they couldn’t.  What a testimony to Pamela and I about contentment.

Someday, I look forward to providing them (or their children) with an unlimited ride pass, but this time God had another lesson for us, one we are slowly learning.

From Job 36:

If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.

Summer ‘09
photo by Christine Soto

Proverbs 18:22

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
      And obtains favor from the LORD.

The first thing I want to say: “I am so grateful for my wife…”

The second thing I want to say is: “The favor of the Lord is so undeserved…”

The third thing I want to say is: “Thank you God for showering it on me anyway!”

“The Charles Shaw”

Anytime one of the boys starts a conversation with: “I’m feeling creative…” you know that they found something laying around that they want to make into something else.  Past projects include an oatmeal container that became a tower. A feather and thread magically turned into a cat toy.  A small fabric scrap that became…well, frankly I’m not sure…it still looks a lot like a fabric scrap.

Yesterday, I threw out an empty bottle of cooking wine but set the cork on the counter.  Elliot soon came around with the creative line and was off planning a great sailing ship.  The first order of business was christening it the “Charles Shaw” (the brand of the product).  

Since we couldn’t do much about adding balast (which would prevent it from tipping over in the tub) we decided to cut off each end and make pontoons.  Elliot cut out little sails and tried in the tub.  It floated nicely, but with the funny outriggers, it looked more like a water bug than a clipper ship, so Elliot decided to take the pontoons off and made it the steamboat “Charles Shaw” instead.  I think its pretty cool.  

Now if I could just get him to do something with the oatmeal box that is still in the living room…

From Mark 4:

Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

Last weekend was my birthday; number 38.  A few weeks earlier I caught myself thinking of what I’d like to do for my birthday–a visit to our friends the Fuzaks, hobby farmers in central Illinois.  However, after thinking about it for a while, I thought Pamela would probably prefer to stay around home (since we’ve been busy for a number of weekends in a row) so I didn’t tell her.

However, Pamela was inspired a few days later to arrange a weekend away.  She told me later that it came like a bolt of lightning: “I bet Paul would like to spend his birthday on the farm doing chores!”

On the day before my birthday, my coworkers asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday.  I told them I wasn’t going to say, but I had my hopes (thinking all the time of a visit with the Fuzaks would be great).

So Friday evening I came home for dinner and the phone rang.  Pamela said I could answer it, but the kids tried to stop me.  It was Andy Fuzak.  The cat was out of the bag.  The kids were disappointed, but Andy was calling to invite us down early to try and beat the winter storm.  So we packed our bags and headed to the farm, giving us an additional night to spend there.  

That night, as we drove up to the house from the very dark country road, the light just poured out from the house.  It was such a welcoming sight, the first of many moments of delight for all of us. 

I had a great time.  Driving the tractor (plowing snow this time).  Pitching hay.  Helping care for the animals.  Wonderful fellowship with the Fuzaks over ice cream, steak dinner, ice cream, scrambled eggs, spagetti, garlic bread and more amazing ice cream.

It is a birthday I won’t forget, not just because of the activities of the weekend, but because it was a great lesson from God of making our desires known to Him and trusting Him for the results.  Obviously, not every request will be answered in the affirmative, but I am grateful that this one was.

From Psalm 37

 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 
         
 Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him, 
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday. 
         
 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, 
         Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
         Do not fret—it only causes harm. 

p.s.  Pamela, thank you so much.  I love you and look forward to another year with you. 

If I were to go back through all the blog posts I’ve written since I began blogging, one theme emerges…a promise that I’ll blog more faithfully. Which I might do for a few days, then I get hit with life again and forget all about it for a while…ok, more than a while…more like months.

At this point, I don’t expect there are many faithful readers beyond my family, but I am grateful for you.  Thanks for checking in.

By the way, in case you are just dropping by for the first time, I am faithfully keeping a production blog of all the radio pieces I am doing for Moody Radio, so if it gets too dull over here, you can always catch me over there.

From Proverbs 24:16

For a righteous man may fall seven times 
      And rise again, 
      But the wicked shall fall by calamity. 

As you probably remember, I shifted careers recently. It has been very stretching and rewarding. I did not anticipate how busy the change would keep me. When I was considering the change, a few wise men in my life challenged me to not let the realities of a daily deadline get in the way of family time. I have worked hard to honor their advice. One way I have accomplished this (sometimes to a limited degree) has been to let the blogging become much more irregular. However, I think it has become too irregular and hope to blog here at least once a week…though it may not start until the new year. Thanks for checking in…

I was thinking this weekend about how much of a blessing the house has been since the rehab.  Its hard to remember what was going on a year ago…

It seems like we were heading to the home supply store every few days…

At least when I wasn’t trying to figure out how to lay tile…

There are still many things to do before it is done, but we are so thankful for all that He has done between these four walls already for His glory…

From Psalm 127

Unless the LORD builds the house,They labor in vain who build it…

Argonne National Lab

Today I took a tour of the transportation research lab at the Argonne facility with Don Hillebrand, the division director.  When I pulled up to the facility, it brought back a vague impression of visiting Dad at the electronics lab while he was serving our Uncle Sam at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the U.P. 

Once I got inside, the smell, building style and even the color of the walls brought back some vivid memories of Dad’s days in the military (I was 8 or 9).  I remember how he couldn’t wear his wedding ring in the lab and wondering how Mom felt about it.  I remember all the test equipment buzzing in the background and thinking ”well, if he can’t be a pilot, this certainly must be the next best thing…”

There are so many cool things about the visit today I could blog about, and I’ll try to post a few of them here over the next few posts, but these thoughts are first on the list. 

The verse that God has been bringing back to my mind frequently over the last few weeks is found in Proverbs 25:

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, 
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. 

It is such a privilege that we get to search a matter out, and through it to reveal the glory of God by explaining those things He has hidden…

I am beginning the research phase for a few features on the Vikings and thier conversion to Christianity.  I was reading a translation last night of an early Norse Saga.  The introduction included the following description of the region we know today as the Ukraine and North/Western Russia.

The northern part of Swithiod lies uninhabited on account of frost and cold, as likewise the southern parts of Blueland are waste from the burning of the sun.  In Swithiod are many great domains, and many races of men, and many kinds of languages.  There are giants, and there are dwarfs, and there are also blue men, and there are any kinds of stranger creatures.  There are huge wild beasts, and dreadful dragons.

I’m intrigued by the reference to dragons.  I know that some people point to early writings like this which are also full of fanciful stories of Odin to suggest that dragons are merely mythical.  However, an interesting article by Timofey Alferov suggests that these dragons may have been dinosaur decendants of those that had been saved from the flood (article available here).  If dragons were real creatures it wouldn’t be surpising that dragons show up in mythology of both the Norse (those west of the Volga river) and in Asian cultures (east of the Volga river).

From Job 40:

15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
      He eats grass like an ox. 
16 See now, his strength is in his hips,
      And his power is in his stomach muscles.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar;
      The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18 His bones are like beams of bronze,
      His ribs like bars of iron.
19 He is the first of the ways of God;
      Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
20 Surely the mountains yield food for him,
      And all the beasts of the field play there.
21 He lies under the lotus trees,
      In a covert of reeds and marsh.
22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
      The willows by the brook surround him.
23 Indeed the river may rage,
      Yet he is not disturbed;
      He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
24 Though he takes it in his eyes,
      Or one pierces his nose with a snare.