Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

To unabashedly borrow and recast a popular saying: A boy in his parent's arms is safe. But that is not what boys are for.

In the astronomical geekalicious category I just found out that Mercury will be transiting the Sun on November 8, 2006 and will be viewable in Rochester from 4:11 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. ET. I witnessed the Venus transit that occurred on June 8, 2004 I will make sure that I do not miss this. The transit of the interior planets are way cool to observe but the event will end after the Sun sets over here so I will not be able to see all of it. I’ll plan to set the telescope up with my solar filter firmly affixed before 4:00 p.m. so I can get a good view of the beginning of the event. The next Mercury transit will take place on May 9, 2016 and the next Venus transit will take place on June 6, 2012.

Absent again. And, big surprise, no one noticed…save my family of course. I just completed another business trip to New Jersey and this one went smoothly in large part because I drove instead of flew. Of course it is a bit more stressful driving, but it beats the mad dash to the airport and the wait as the flight gets delayed. Or cancelled. For some reason the flights in and out of Rochester seem to take a back seat to those going to NY or even Buffalo . Then again it just may be my impression and not based in fact at all. My wife and I are involved in a youth group for 3rd through 6th graders at our church. Tonight is the first outreach night where we will be duct taping the four lightest clubbers to the wall and watching a Sugar Creek Gang video. I have been praying that it will go well. I would love to see 55-60 kids there, but less than that number will be a success as well. As co-director I liken my involvement to the insane running the asylum, but that is another matter entirel...

I would have laughed…at least on the inside. Had you told me with my Bachelor’s and Masters degree in Social Work that I would be working in corporate America a mere three years out of school I would not have believed you. And sometimes I wonder if it is all worth it. At times I struggle with working to pad someone’s pocket. I guess I would like the motivations of the shareholders here to be more altruistic. Kind of dumb I know but that would relieve my angst. The struggle is exacerbated by the fact that shifting gears has enabled my wife to stay home with the boys. That would have been impossible on my social worker salary. This is for her and them and I know it has been good for them. And for me as well. Would I like to get “back into” social work? Yes. It is the first career that I fell in love with and I am still in love with it. Pining for it at times. It is more lifestyle than work and it suited me well. But God has His way – and I firmly believe I am further along His way be...

I hate dropping the ball. Those who know me must think I absolutely love it because I do it so often. My temperament is prone to a live and let live attitude where, as long as everyone is happy, everything is all right. That is so diametrically opposed to God’s intention for this creation and my life that it is not even worth mentioning. When things went awry after the fall, God invaded this earth and set into motion events that would culminate in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That, as far as I can tell, is an one-hundred-and-eighty-degree departure from live and let live. I was rebuked this weekend for something that I needed to be doing and was not. I have re-started this practice and am excited about it. In fact, it is working out better than I thought it would and I need Your power, Lord, to continue it. Thank you for the rebuke. It hurt, but not as bad as it would had I dropped the ball…again.

Useless but fun on Talk Like a Pirate Day (which is today!): My pirate name is: Mad Jack Bonney Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr! Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com. part of the fidius.org network

OK so I have calmed down a little bit from yesterday but not much. There is still a lot going on, but, slowly, I am getting on top of things. But that is life…everyday stuff that make a hero or zero out of me. I am firmly convinced that heroic acts can be done by anyone. I can stand jumping into an icy cold river to save someone or even taking a bullet for someone because something just takes over at that point and I would be, essentially, out of my mind. Day to day is the mettle of who I am. That is where people see me for who I really am. Rarely is this on display in social settings although there have been times in my life where it has slipped out (in a bad way). My wife and children know me well. I pray that they like what they see and quickly forget that which they don’t. Deep breaths. Know that this is not the last of the roller coaster rides. But, Lord willing, there will be down time again for me to reflect on this time.

Above is a Reuters photo showing the Pope (John Paul II) speaking to the man that attempted to assassinate him. He forgave him. In high school this song was one of the defining lyrics in my emerging relationship with Christ: I saw a man he was holding the hand that had fired a gun at his heart oh, will we live to forgive? I saw the eyes and the look of surprise as he left an indelible mark oh, will we live? to forgive? Come...find release go...make your peace Follow his lead let the madness recede when we shatter the cycle of pain oh, we will live to forgive Come...find release go...make your peace I saw a man with a hole in His hand who could offer the miracle cure oh, He said live I forgive

OK so I have calmed down a little bit from yesterday but not much. There is still a lot going on, but, slowly, I am getting on top of things. But that is life…everyday stuff that make a hero or zero out of me. I am firmly convinced that heroic acts can be done by anyone. I can stand jumping into an icy cold river to save someone or even taking a bullet for someone because something just takes over at that point and I would be, essentially, out of my mind. Day to day is the mettle of who I am. That is where people see me for who I really am. Rarely is this on display in social settings although there have been times in my life where it has slipped out (in a bad way). My wife and children know me well. I pray that they like what they see and quickly forget that which they don’t. Deep breaths. Know that this is not the last of the roller coaster rides. But, Lord willing, there will be down time again for me to reflect on this time.

OK, it has been a while since I have had an entry in this here blog. I would like to say it is because I have been so busy, but if I can devote an hour and a half to watch the premier of the Amazing Race last night then I guess I could easily take 5 minutes and get an entry in. Chalk it up to laziness, time mismanagement, or whatever other moniker you would like to attach to it. I’ll take it from there. Every once and a while I get an overwhelming feeling that things are spinning out of control. I am looking at my schedule for the next couple of week and there is a lot that I need to put in place and accomplish. If there was ever a time that I needed to reject passivity and play the ball this is it. The stuff will get done (by His grace) but there is a lot that will be demanding my attention in the short to medium term both in and out of work. Lord, I need You to build these weeks into what you want. I need Your strength to not presume my plans are your plans. I also need Your strength...

I had a great conversation with my boys last night when they were just about to get into bed for the night. In response to the youngest boy’s prayer we talked about the fact that Jesus does love us and that praying is talking to God. We also talked about the blessings that God has given us and what He wants us to do with those blessings. The youngest was so engaged in the topic that he moved from the foot of the bed and planted himself right in front of me so close that I could feel his breath on my face. I am thankful that they are sensitive to spiritual things and that they have a concept that there is something bigger than themselves that is infinitely more important than the garbage that so often dominates our lives. I know where that sensitivity comes from. God continues to chase them down in spite of my mistakes and, too often, my intentions. I am looking forward to more and more of these conversations as time goes on. And, although I do not want this day to come too quickly, I a...

Kind of weird, but kind of cool. My son started Kindergarten this week and has been up every morning at 6:45. Mind you we don’t have to wake him up. He gets up on his own and is ready to go the minute he is up. That is a great thing for me anyway. Well, my wife is up as well and gets him ready and out the door for the bus that arrives at 7:35. It has all been rather strange for me because for lo these many years I have been virtually alone in my preparations for work but now am in the midst of all this activity. I participate when I can, but I am usually in the throes of my own stuff at that point in the day. It will be even more fun when both boys have to get up and out the door for school. Looks like the Fall has brought a few more changes to a few more people in the family than I had originally envisioned.

This text will be placed in my Will as my final words: As you all know, God has called me home. The steps that I have taken and even this pleasant death has been ordained by Him. The fact that I am, right now, in His presence signals that my rebellion is over. I am no longer tempted to sin; no longer swayed to gratify the desires aroused by the world, my flesh, or the Devil himself. What bliss this is! Surely this is exactly where I was meant to be! When the boys were young we prayed for their salvation and ruminated on the passport that would be into the presence of God. Through my salvation born out of God’s grace and applied to my life by faith I have been given a sinlessness that I could have never gained on my own. It would thrill my heart and the heart of God Himself if you were to join me here. Admit to God that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23); acknowledge that the sins that you have committed only result in an eternal separation from God in Hell (called death in Romans 6:23); ac...

Wow what a day so far. Just getting back from a holiday (Labor Day) where there were multiple people out the days before and the days after the holiday is always a wild ride. And here I am just getting to the point where I usually am at 8:30 in the morning. Hey, three hours “late” isn’t all that bad nor does it even matter much in this neck of the woods. I just received an email from someone who made a statement and then added “insh’allah” to the end of it. Given the context and the “allah” I figured it meant God willing and I was by and large correct. It actually means “if God so wills it” which is a tad different but not all that much so. Deo volente is the Latin form of the Arab phrase which is more in keeping with Christian expression. That having been said I was always impressed with the monotheism Islam and the intellectual contributions that Muslims have made to the defense of monotheism. Probably the most striking contribution that few Christians are aware of is the Kalaam ...

I guess I am a coffee guy. My brother and I went golfing last week on Wednesday and we stopped at the local Wegmans coffee shop and I was immediately drawn to the latte while he got something else. We had a conversation about coffee and it was clear that I drank more and had experience with more varieties of coffee than he had. Which is fine, but it also leads me to believe that I am a coffee guy. Of course this leads to problems especially on vacation when I am staying at a person's house where coffee is not on the menu. Not in the morning or ever. I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning as it gets me going in the right direction and I definitely miss it when I do not get to have one. Yeah - my addiction to the caffeine is the main culprit but I do like coffee and I think I would drink it regardless of the caffeine content. I enjoy the cappucinos, espressos, lattes (my favorite), iced coffee and even coffee ice cream on occasion. Tea is good too (lots of nice variety here), but, fo...