Death & Grieving 02/09/2012
 
I just read about the drive through funeral home in Southern California.  Yes, you actually drive through the funeral home.  The deceased is viewed through bullet proof glass and you don’t ever have to leave the comfort of your car to sign the guest book or to “pay your respects.”  Apparently this concept started in the late 1980’s when gang violence made going to a graveside service dangerous.  Now it is being promoted as helpful to the elderly who have trouble getting in and out of the car and for those “on their lunch hour.”  The article says, “The parlor offers a convenient alternative to older people who find it hard to walk, those who want to make a quick stop during the lunch hour, and the families of well-known deceased people who expect many visitors.”  Drive through funeral homes are also located in Chicago and Louisiana.  “It’s a convenience thing” one man was quoted as saying.

I find this a bit weird and unsettling... 
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Have you heard about the high school girl that had a successful lawsuit to get a prayer removed from the wall of the auditorium of her school where it has hung for the last 49 years?  Jessica is a 16 year-old atheist.  She was raised Roman Catholic but then quit believing when God didn’t answer a prayer she made for her sick mother.  A judge just recently ruled in her favor stating that the prayer hanging in Cranston High School West was unconstitutional and had to be removed.  It has caused an uproar in this heavily Roman Catholic, Rhode Island community and on-line as people on both sides lob explosive comments back and forth at each other. 

I think it is sad that anyone would be offended and demand that such an innocuous prayer be removed.  Forty-nine years ago...
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I was disturbed today as I read about a young, eight year-old girl being bullied on her way to school each morning.  She was being spit upon, yelled at, and shoved around by others in her neighborhood. What really got my attention was that these weren’t other kids taunting her because she was different in some fashion. These are adults treating her and others like this!  
 
This is happening in Israel.  This particular event is occurring in the city of Beit Shemesh, population of about 100,000.  The young girl is walking to a Jewish religious girls’ school in her neighborhood.  The adults are ultra-Orthodox Jews who call her “a whore” for dressing “immodestly.” By American standard, she is dressing very conservatively.
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Parenting 10/18/2011
 
Did you hear about the dad who had his 16-year old stepdaughter sword fight with him for two hours as a punishment for going to a party without permission?  Granted, they were wooden swords and she had some sort of armor on, but apparently she was severely bruised and collapsed from exhaustion by the ordeal.  Police also said the stepdad punched and beat his stepdaughter with a tree branch prior to the duel.  Her mom and stepdad say it is their right to discipline the daughter however they see fit.

Bizarre and a bit scary!  What is wrong with parents these days?  What were they thinking?
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Spider Solitaire 09/23/2011
 
I’ve been playing Spider Solitaire on the computer.  The object of Spider Solitaire is to remove cards from play in the fewest moves possible. You line up runs of cards from King through Ace in the same suit to remove them. At higher difficulty settings, you can also alternate red and black suits to line up, turn over, and move cards—but you still need runs to remove cards.  
 
I was doing pretty well at the Beginner Level with only one suit of cards, so I decided to switch to the Intermediate Level using two suits of cards thinking that I was ready for a bigger challenge.  Oh Baby! What a difference that made.  Now instead of winning regularly, I only win about 10% of the time.  

There is a lot of moving cards back and forth in order to line up the cards in one suit.  It takes a lot of mental focus to see the possibilities beyond the next move.  Frankly, sometimes I just stare at the cards and cannot see any possible moves left for me to do.  I become convinced that I’ve run out of options and that I am about to lose the game. There seems to be no hope and no alternatives.  I was about to concede the game when I noticed a “Hint” button.  I pushed it and it gave me a suggested next move.  It will keep giving suggestions until you don’t have any more possible moves, then it will suggest that you turn the next cards over off of the deck.  The “Hint” button opened my eyes to see all sorts of possibilities that I had overlooked before.  I was amazed at what I had failed to see before the cards flashed on the screen. Despite my best effort and search, I was missing so much.

Then I began playing Spider on my cell phone too.  But I found out that there is no “Hint”button!  Now when I think that I’ve played all of my moves and have nowhere else to turn, I wonder what I am missing.  I also found that I tend to lose games more on the phone.  The Hint button gives me an extra percentage of wins so without it, I fail more regularly.

One day I decided to “Google” Spider Solitaire Strategy.  I found a number of helpful hints.  One of them suggested using the “Undo” button liberally if you have multiple options of play.  It runs up the number of moves you take and lowers your total score, but you can explore which stack of cards is the most helpful to play and can increase the odds of you winning the game.   
 
Of course, with all of that, I still don’t win that often.  When I do it is a cause to celebrate.  I also find the challenge of winning rather addicting.  I find myself saying, “I’ll just play one more game” several times in a row after losing.

This leads me to ponder God’s wisdom verses my own limited insight.  Now I consider myself a reasonably intelligent man.  I’ve got a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Divinity degree and have done some coursework at the doctorate level.  I have an interest in many topics and stay abreast of the news. While I am not an expert in anything, I am conversant with most technology.  I think I have a good head on my shoulders and have a reasonable measure of common sense.  And yet…

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I am amazed at the news I just read. A 20-year-old man was arrested at an airport in Brazil for attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country. After examining the man, it was determined that he had swallowed 72 bags of cocaine.  Police say the cocaine was worth over $200,000.  He was charged with international drug smuggling and faces up to 15 years in prison.

I realize that I live a very sheltered life; but I cannot fathom how someone sinks so low that they would attempt to do this. I wondered if he was forced to do it or was this act of his own volition?  Was greed the motivating factor for this his man to do something so risky?  Actually this goes beyond risky; it sounds downright stupid to me.
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Everyone has gone back to school. No more sleeping in or spending the day just lying around. Now it is back to cracking the books, homework, and lots of activities.  Parents are rushing around in the mornings getting lunches packed and getting the kids off to school as well as coordinating who will pick up the kids and what’s for dinner.  Have you noticed how September always brings an increase to the amount of stuff you need to do, places you have to be, and events you have to attend?  
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Spiritual Growth 07/08/2011
 
I joined the elders this morning as we prayed for our teens and adults heading to Tennessee for their summer mission project.  They had to be at the church by 5:30 a.m. so they could leave at 6:00 a.m.  What else would lure 22 teens and adults out of bed this early on a pleasant summer morning?  They’ll drive 600 miles today and sleep on the floor of a church and get back into the van and do it again on Saturday so they arrive in Morristown, TN in the afternoon on Sunday.  While they’re on the project, it is hard to say what will happen.
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Ophidiophobia 06/15/2011
 
Have you heard about the family in Idaho that moved out of their house because the property was invested with hundreds and hundreds of snakes?  The family thought they had gotten a great deal on the house when they bought it well under the market price.  After they moved in, they found the reason for the low price...
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A World of Hurt 06/10/2011
 
Senseless. Brutal.  Heartbreaking.  Distressing. Stupid. Scandalous.  Does your heart ache when you read or listen to the news?  It is emotionally challenging at times to go to the web and read the news or even scan the headlines in the local paper.  A five year old drowns an infant…
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