Ear Worms

Do you all know what an ear worm is? When you are hiking long hours, just going mile after mile, up and down, around and over, it can get pretty boring. An ear worm is what you find yourself thinking about in your subconscious. Usually it is a song that just replays over and over.

One day back in Georgia this esperienced hiker, he had hiked the trail a couple of years ago, told us that he had seen a big clump of poison ivy on the trail that day. He spent quite a bit of time telling us what poison ivy looks like since we don't know.

The result of all of his teaching was my main ear worm. It is a song from the 60's called Poison Ivy. It is a stupid song but it goes on in my head over and over till I think I am going crazy. "Poison Iiiiiiivvvvvyyyyyy. Poison Iiiiiivvvyyyyy. Every night while you're sleeping poison ivy comes a creeping around." You don't have to know all the words for it to be an earworm, just the words you know over and over. "Poison Ivy Lord will make you itch, You're gonna need an ocean, of calamine lotion., etc."

All it takes is someone mentioning poison ivy, or sometimes for no reason at all I realize I have been singing this stupid song for miles. You fight them by singing other songs, and that can work, at least until you go back into the subconscious and there is the old ear worm again. I spend a lot of time thinking about a lot of things. Like, if I ever agree to Pastor another church I have made a list of things I am going to require them to agree to first. That is another post. One day I made a list of things a church should expect from their pastor and the pastor should be able to expect from the church. Yep Another post.

One day I spent trying to figure a way to finish the trail if my knee just won't go on. My knee doesn't bother me when I am not carrying the pack so I figured out a way to hike without the pack. Fortunately my knee is doing better so I don't have to resort to that tactic yet. Maybe that is another post. This one is about ear worms. What I want to say is even thinking about things doesn't stop the ear worm. You realize that under your conscious thoughts, there is the ear worm. Usually for me, Poison Ivy.

On Good Friday though I realized that the ear worm was "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord." I was singing over and over all 5 verses. (If you look it up and there are not five verses I must have made one up.) Then on Easter Sunday the ear worm was "Up From the Grave He Arose". Guess what it was the Saturday in between. Poison Ivy.

One way to get rid of it temporarily is by getting out the Ipod and listening to something else. I really find that more distracting than helpful. But today I realized that after a full month of Poison Ivy the ear worm was now Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger. "You can't hang a man for killing a woman who tried to steal his horse." I got so sick of it I wished for Poison Ivy back.

By the way, I don't know if I have really seen Poison Ivy or not. It is kind of like the Poison Oak signs at Old Mill golf course. They discourage you from looking for golf balls out in the rough by putting up Poison Oak signs. I have found a lot of good balls by ignoring the signs.

Today we hiked 16.5 miles to make it to Erwin, Tennessee for a burger, a shower, clean clothes and resupply of food. Tomorrow we are heading out towards Damascus, VA. So I guess you could say we are on the Damascus Trail. Erwin is 338.7 miles from Springer Mountain, GA where we began.

Amy is going to post my journal at www.trailjournals.com and Nathan will post our pictures there. I don't think they are posted yet, but look for them in the near future.

Knee update. You know that I am slow to proclaim a miracle but let me just tell you what happened. On Monday morning when we left Hot Springs as soon as we got off of the pavement and onto the trail my knee began to hurt as bad as it did going into Hot Springs. The rest and the brace didn't help at all. We were hiking along side the river on a very slight uphill and every step was so painful I was sure that our hike was over. We stopped and I told Jen and she was as disappointed as I, but there didn't seem to be any hope. But we stopped and had our morning prayer and she prayed for my knee once again. I told her that I would try to make this climb but I didn't think I could do it.

I turned and took one step, which was a step up onto a rock and when I did my knee popped and the pain went away. The knee remains very sore, I have to be very careful not to overdo it especially on long downhills, but since Hot Springs I have hiked 14, 12, 11, and 16 miles. Praise the Lord.

Thanks for all your responses. May God bless you all.

Flint and Jubilee

Hot Dog!! Hot Springs

We hiked into Hot Springs, NC yesterday about 2pm. Hot Springs is right on the trail, there are actually AT markers in the sidewalk down the main street. Our trip into Hot Springs was not without incident.
One morning, just before we arrived at the shelter where we were planning to eat lunch I saw a large foot print in the mud. We talked about it a while, unsure what kind of print it was. There was a hiking club of older gentlemen on the trail and they were pretty sure it was a bear print, of a small bear.
I wasn't too sure, having never seen a real bear footprint before. So we went to the shelter for lunch. Each shelter has a log for hikers to sign so we can keep track of one another. Reading the log told the story. One hiker, an older man hiking alone, spent the night in the shelter. He said about 1am he awoke to a bear pulling on his sleeping bag trying to pull him off of the sleeping platform. He yelled at it and it let go and ran away.
After we left the shelter we saw a large pile of bear poop on the trail. We were pretty glad that we were not staying the night in the area. We hiked on another 10 miles or so before stopping for the night.
The night before getting to Hot Springs I messed up my knee somehow. Hiking is a limp along right now. Pray for me please. I purchased a knee support and will rest it for the weekend in Hot Springs. Krista is coming to meet us today with Andrew our Grandson. Hopefully three days rest and a support will allow us to continue at our needed pace.
thanks for the emails and responses. It is good to hear from each of you. We feel pretty much out of touch with the world. Not always a bad thing. You mean, Tiger didn't win the Masters?

Pictures
1. Hiking in the snow in the Smoky Mountains
2. Bear Track, I will spare you the poop
3. Snow depth, chest deep to a naked chicken

Goodbye Great Smoky Mountains

Today we hiked out of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and good riddance. Whew!!! what an experience. We wanted to finish the 70 miles in 7 days and we were able to, but not without some difficulty. You want to know about it?
We hiked out of Fontana Dam (not Damn) although that might be a good name for the Smokies on Tuesday the 3rd. 11 miles, uphill and spent our first night in a shelter. At 1am the thunderstorm struck and rained and blew all night long. We moved on on the 4th for 11.7 miles and spent our second shelter night among the snorus chours. The noise would drive any bears away.
The third day we planned a 14 mile day, over Clingman Dome which is the highest place on the whole Appalachian Trail. (6643 ft.) After 10.1 miles we made the Dome we realized that it was going to be very late when we made the shelter so we hitched a ride from the Dome parking lot to Gatlinburg, TN. Jen is learning to hitch a pant leg up, stick out her thumb and get us a ride. A nice couple on vacation from Maryland gave us a ride. At Gatlinburg we had Pizza, spent the night at the Quality Inn, sharing a room with Kiwi, had pancakes for breakfast and were back at Clingmans Dome at 8:45.
The fourth day we hiked 10.9 miles, then holed up in Icewater Spring Shelter as it began to snow. We woke up on the fifth day to 17 degrees in the shelter, about 5 degrees outside the shelter, and 6 inches of snow and it was still snowing. After a few miles that morning we caught up with Grambo. She is a 65 year old retired nurse from South Carolina who is hiking the trail solo. She was struggling in the snow without treking poles and we were hiking the most trecherous terrain yet. Some steep cliffs and slopes so we spent the whole day helping her to the next shelter. We only made 7.4 miles.
On day six we woke up to 19 degrees in the shelter, rock hard boots, frozen water in all our bladders and bottles. Nothing to do but get up and hike so we hiked 12.9 miles. On day seven, today, we woke up to a toasty 28 degrees in the shelter and all began to sing Beach Boy tunes. We were able to thaw out our water. Some nice guys from Dayton Ohio built a big fire in the shelter and we got everything thawed out. We hiked 10 miles to Standing Bear Farm and that is where we are tonight. 7 days in the Smokies and are we ever glad to be out. Tomorrow night back to our tent and the snorus chorus will be left behind.
At somepoint I need to tell you about Standing Bear Farm. It is beyond Rustic to more like primative. But, we are clean, our clothes are clean, we have food for the three days to Hot Springs where Krista and Andrew will meet us.
Jen celebrated her 58th birthday with a hostess cupcake. Oh and Mark Russell, you will appreciate this. I went with some guys to "town" to have BBQ. Town turned out to be A BP gas station off the interstate with a BBQ counter in the back. So we had Barbeque Pork at BP.
The internet connection is dial up and no where to post pictures. Hopefully we can post pictures at Hot Springs.
Thanks for you prayers and good thoughts. The Journey continues. Hopefully warmer. Actually, cold weather is great for hiking. The snow actually pads the trail and covers many of the rocks. Sleeping is better because our bags are made for lower temps and sleep better at 20 degrees than 60. But it is miserable between hiking and sleeping and between sleeping and hiking.

Eeeeiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!

Trudging up the trail. One weary step after the other. Will we ever get to the top of this gigantic mountain? I was following Jen, someone asked me, "Is that your woman in front of you?" I laughed and said, "Yes, I guess so. I have been chasing her since we were 16 and now I am chasing her to Maine."

Anyway, we were trudgin up this trail, tired, sweaty, worn out, when all of a sudden, Jen Let out a shout, jumped at least a foot in the air, 25 pounds on her back and all and came running back down the trail with her eyes as big as saucers.

BEAR! I thought. Finally something besides squirrels. "Did you see a bear?" I asked as I hurried to the place she yelped. "No! It is a snake." How disappointing. "What kind of snake?" I asked her. "A boa constrictor python rattle snake" she said. Actually it was about 2 1/2 feet long, little brown and yellow snake. When I touched it with the end of my hiking pole, it took off like a red racer.

I didn't get a picture of that monster. My camera is broken, I sent it home. Amy is sending the old digital camera to our next mail drop on the other side of the Smokies. Until then, we only have Jen's camera to take pictures with. I am going to be upset if I see a Bear and don't get a picture. According to the book, there are 400- 600 bears in the Smokey Mountain National Park, where we will be for the next 7 days.

When we leave Fontana Dam tomorrow, we will hike across the Dam. It is on the Little Tennessee River and we will be in Tennessee. Our third state. And sometime during the hike, before we sleep at Mollies Ridge Shelter we will drop under 2000 miles to go.

I asked Jen today if she had any thoughts of giving up. If she was thinking about how nice it would be just to go home and resume our other life. Her answer was, "not at all, how about you." "Nope I said, I am still committed to walking this thing to Maine."

I have started a journal at trailJournals.com. I have done that for the sake of the hikers we have met who keep track of one another there. If you would like more detail of our days, you can read them there. Go to www.trailjournals.com click on Journals and you should find us there under Flint and Jubilee.

I don't know why but this compter won't allow me to post a picture. Sorry. Talk to you on the other side of the smokies.

Call Us Tarheels

I think a tarheel is what they call someone from North Carolina. A couple of days ago we crossed the line from Georgia to NC. The picture is Giblet sitting on the border sign. (sorry got the wrong picture. The picture of Giblet is her sitting on the sign where the Chatahoochie River gets its start. "A way down yonder on the Chatahoochie, it gets hotter than a hootchie coochie." That is for you country music fans. The second picture is the red salamander, and the third is a picture of the trail.

At the risk of being repetitive we are having an absolute blast. We end each day with sore feet and weary knees, but a good hot bowl of Ramen Noodles and a nights sleep and we are ready to travel another 10 or so miles. We are two days ahead of our schedule and getting stronger every day.

Problems? We have had a few. The day after we reached NC Jennifer got sick. She woke up nauseated in the middle of the night and lost it all in the morning. We either had to stay there or attempt to move on, she chose to move on slowly. We only made about 5 miles that day and a couple of times I left her asleep by the trail and hiked ahead a ways, put my pack down and went back for her and her pack.

We reached a road where I figured we could eventually get a ride to town. There were three "trail angels" setting up shop. They were giving away cold drinks, sandwiches, moon pies, cookies, chips, and had lawn chairs set up to sit in. So I toasted a tortilla over a fire, obtained an orange soda from the angels and spread out the Bill Richard Honorary Tarp for her and she went to sleep. Late in the afternoon we hiked another mile to a shelter where we spent the night. The next morning she felt fine and we resumed our hike.

Night before last I had the strangest two dreams. In the first we were in a panic trying to get Grace White's wedding done. (Sorry Grace, I didn't ever see the grooms face) At the last minute Mrs. White had given me this elaborate ceremony she wanted done and I was scrambling trying to make it work. Then in the next dream I had three golf balls with funny faces on them I was trying to mail to Dan Walker. But the post office wouldn't mail them in the box I had and they didn't have a suitable box. So I waited until that night when we were all at dinner together and I gave one to Dan, one to Mark Soltice, and one to Milford Misner. (Milford is a pastor in New Mexico who has played golf with my dad quite a bit, but never with me.) Who understands dreams anyway.

Last night we spent in a Motel room in Franklin, North Carolina. This is the town famous for Eric Rudolf, the Atlanta Olympic bomber who avoided the law by hiding in these mountains we are hiking through. We heard some interesting stories about him yesterday.

Later today we are going to hit the trail and hope to make Wesser North Carolina on Friday. We have traveled 106.6 miles on the trail. Only 2068 to go. We have met a lot of interesting people, and are definitely getting a different perspective on American Culture.

We saw another squirrel yesterday, that makes the grand total of wildlife, 2 salamanders and 2 squirrels. Of course we are still walking through the winter woods, just that the temperature has been perfect since the first two nights. In front of us several hours day before yesterday some of the hikers saw a couple of bear cubs up a tree. They never saw the momma.

Better go, the trail beckons. God bless you all, and talk to you in a couple of days.

Flint & Jubilee

Greetings From Hiawasse Georgia

Well, 7 days hiking and we are enjoying ourselves immensly. The days consist of walking, uphill, downhill, and rarely, very rarely level. We are averaging about 45 minutes per mile overall. On gradual slopes we do about 30 minute miles.

The only disagreements we are having concern water. As soon as Jen takes two or three sips from her water, she starts worrying about where we are going to get water again. I tell her than any water left in the bag or in my bottles when we get to the next source is wasted energy, but she doesn't buy that. So we fill up a lot more than we probably need to.

After the first two days the weather has been tremendous. The first night it rained all night long. We actually stopped hiking about 3pm so we could set up before it rained. Thanks Bill R. for the tarp. We used it the very first night or we would have gone hungry.

The second night the shelter we aimed for was full of boy scouts so we had to press on. About dark we finally found a flat spot, but it was very, very, cold and windy. We used the tarp a second straight night. This time to block the wind so we could eat.

Since then, the weather has been perfect. We arrived here last night after a 15 mile hike, our first for that distance. Up to then we have done 5, 12, 9, 5, 9,11. We are feeling good except for some minor aches and pains. Last night i hitchhiked for the first time since I was in college.

Today is our first zero day, meaning "no hiking." We will stay here another night to let the bones rest, buy groceries, etc. The first day out from here we will cross our first state line and be in North Carolina.

Thanks for looking in, we will keep you posted. I would post a picture but I can't get this computer to read my camera. If you email us, use rodger.russell@gmail.com. I can't seem to check the other one.

ps. Giblet is a rubber chicken making her way to maine with us as a stand in for Tina who wishes she was going. Pictures later.

Jen and Rodger's Excellent Adventure

Well, we are off. At least we are leaving Salt Lake City today. All the planning and preparation are over, it is time to walk. We begin the trail tomorrow, hopefully we will be hiking by 11am.

Adventure? We have been enthralled by accounts of adventure. The great adventures of others has been a reading staple of mine since I was a kid. Too late to try being a mountain man, or traveling the Santa Fe or Oregon trail, I was fascinated by Lewis and Clark. From The Longest Walk, (check it out), “Walk Across America” to stories about Shackleton, Everest, Texas, Alaska, etc., I have enjoyed reading about people who set out to conquer their portion of earth. This is our great adventure.

Our gratitude goes out to all of you who have helped in some way to get us on the road. There are a couple of things I would like to ask you pray for as we leave.

1. Pray that we will enjoy. The number one reason people quit the trail is that they discover they are not having a good time.

2. Pray for our health. Specifically, pray for Jen’s bones and my knees. Even though I am carrying 15 pounds more than Jen, she is carrying almost ¼ of her weight. I am only carrying 1/6 of my weight.

3. Pray for our safety. While I am not concerned about anything in particular there are some hazards of the trail. Falls are the most prominent hazard. Others are bears, rattlesnakes, weather, ticks with lyme disease, and humans with evil intentions. Pray that we will stay aware and safe.

We will post our progress when we can.

So in the words of that famous Rodger, Roy, Happy Trails to You.

Flint (Rodger), Jubilee (Jennifer), & Giblet

Chasing Katahdin

Here is a picture of Mount Katahdin. It is located in Baxter State Park in central Maine. On its summit is the Northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. There is our destination. 2174 miles of trail separate it from our starting place on the trail, Springer Mountain, Georgia.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 people will start the journey this spring intending to walk the entire distance before winter. Less than 400 will succeed, 12-13 percent. The odds are stacked heavily against us. As a matter of fact it is almost absurd that two 57 year olds who will turn 58 a month into the journey think they can succeed where so many so younger fail.

Jennifer thinks that we have to take the first step thinking of Katahdin. If we want to finish we have to keep that goal in mind. On the hard days, on the cold days, on the rainy days, we have to remember our destination is a mountain in Maine. For one as disciplined as she is that is probably a good strategy.

I, on the other hand, think the answer to success lies in keeping our thoughts on the journey. Enjoy the walk. Enjoy every day. Don’t spend too much time thinking of Katahdin, it is 6-7 months away. Think about the next place to buy a hamburger. It seems so much more relevant to say, “it is 28 miles to hamburger,” rather than “it is 1700 miles to Katahdin.”

But whether your thoughts are “keep focused on the end,” or “keep your eyes on the journey,” there are some important things to remember. 1.) Pare the pack. Keep the weight of the pack as low as possible. We are learning to be fanatical about what we plan to carry and what we plan to leave home. That reminds me of Hebrews 12:1-2. Look it up. Could the extra pounds be compared to the “Sin which so easily besets us” 2.) Pamper your feet. Those puppies have to carry us every step of the way. We need to keep them clean and dry.

We know that in the 2000+ miles we are bound to have rainy days. The questions are, “how can we run our stove in the rain,” and “how can we set up our tent in the rain and keep the inside dry?” It might help you to know that the tent itself is mainly mesh. It won’t hold out a drop of rain. It is made for ventilation when the weather turns warm. The rain is kept off by a rain fly.

Today I put the rain fly up first, then crawled underneath and put down the footprint, (the tarp that keeps the tent itself off of the ground) and then the tent. That worked great, in the living room, with no wind nor rain. The answer to the stove question is to carry another tarp of some kind to string up to cover the cooking area.

Option one. A sheet of plastic, cut from a roll, that weighs 8 oz but may not be strong enough to hold up for very long. It is free, I cut it off a roll in my garage.

Option two. A 6 x 8 silicone impregnated tarp sold for this purpose. It weighs 9.2 oz. It sells for $54.99.

Option three. A 6 x 8 Polyethylene Tarp. It weighs 13 oz. It sells for 3.99.

Option four. Just plan to eat cold foods on meals that must take place while it is raining.

Vote today! Which do you think is the right choice, and why?

The Longest Night

With under three weeks to go until departure we really needed to try out the equipment. With our schedule we didn’t have a lot of choices as to when that shakedown campout would happen. So on Friday we left Salt Lake City in a snowstorm that didn’t quit as we went south as we hoped. As a matter of true fact it worsened.

There was some talk of abandoning the trip, but hardheaded as we are, we left the truck at 3:15 in a snowstorm to hike Eagle Canyon to a drop off where you can only continue with ropes. It was 32 degrees. My pack was 39 pounds, Jen’s was 23. We hiked the three miles in two hours. The last half mile or so the wind was howling in the narrow canyon so we started back looking for a side canyon where we might be able to get out of the wind.

With darkness chasing us we finally decided on a spot and hurriedly set up camp and got some supper cooking. With a little difficulty we got the tent up. The stove worked perfectly. By the time we finished eating night was upon us and with night the wind didn’t slow down and the temperature dropped.

It was too cold to look at stars under a sky that was beginning to clear. So we climbed into the tent into the bags. It was 7:20. It was 23 degrees. It was a long, long night. Finally the night faded into dawn but the cold didn’t fade into warm. We crawled out and made coffee. We were too cold for breakfast so we packed up and headed out. It took only an hour to hike back to the truck where we headed for breakfast at Denny’s. It was 11:45 when we pulled into Salina. It was 27 degrees.

What we learned.
1. We can sleep out in below freezing weather.
2. We can carry our packs.
3. Jennifer needs a new plan for gloves.
4. Rodger needs a new plan for upper body clothes.
5. The level ness of the tent is paramount.
6. It is important to set up camp, cook and eat dinner before it gets dark.
7. 2183 is an awful lot of miles.

Pictures:
1. The campers.
2. The canyon drop off.
3. The Tent
4. Morning Coffee

Mapping The Trail

I spread out all the maps on the kitchen table. They are in 11 packets, 3-5 maps per packet. The AT is meticulously mapped. If Lewis and Clark would have had maps as good they could have cut a year off their journey. Each set of maps also has a guide book with mileage between roads, shelters, water sources. Very convenient. But who wants to carry all those maps and guidebooks with them? Not me and Jen won’t do it for me either.

So I spread them all out, separated them into sections, found the nearest post office to the beginning of each section and made a list and a mailing label. As we approach these 10 post offices Amy will mail the next set of maps to us. I have also torn the Thru Hikers Handbook into the same sections and included them with the maps.

I guess it is ok to say we are on an adventure. It is even ok to say an outdoor adventure. But it is definitely not a wilderness adventure.

All 1274 miles of the AT is marked with the white blaze. This picture is one of the white blazes we followed when we hiked in New Hampshire in 2003. So hiking from Georgia to Maine is easy. Just follow the white blazes.

The side trails are also marked with blazes, but these are colored blue. Jen thinks that is the origin of a phrase. Whenever you miss a turn and find a blue blaze instead of a white blaze you say, “What in the blue blazes am I doing here?” I thought that was pretty astute of her.

Equipment Shakedown

As we near the date of departure, now less than 6 weeks away, we are spending time trying to exorcise the demons of doubt that creep in to our minds during short moments of sanity.

First, we practiced loading our packs to see how loaded down our mule team would be. We were pleasantly surprised. My pack weighed 10 pounds less than I expected. With just a few sundry items left to pack, it weighed in at 25 lbs. Jen’s weighed in at 22. We will do some readjusting to even it out a little, maybe mine at 30 lbs and hers at 20. In any case, that is about 20 lbs less than I was thinking we might have to carry.

Then we put the pads and bags out on the floor and tried to sleep on them through the night. Jen made it til 2:30. She said she gave up because there is too much light in our living room. I managed to 3:00 before heading back to the comfort of the bed. That being said, the pads work great. They are self inflating pads. You just open the valve and lay them out and in a few minutes they are 90% inflated. You blow in the valve two or three times and you have a nice sleeping pad. They were surprisingly comfy.

Third, we took a trip up the mountain to try our stove out on the trail. We hiked 2 ½ miles up a snow packed trail, stopped and made a pan of red chile, poured it over some fritos and had frito pie, hot on the trail. The two pictures are of Jen making the red chile.

The trail was 5 miles up and down. We hiked for 3 hours and 15 minutes. We walked from 7500 feet up to 8900 feet where we ate. That is 1400 feet gain in elevation for 2 ½ miles in distance. The first day’s hike on the trail is 2500 feet gain in elevation. However we have 8.8 miles to do it. See how a trail hiker thinks?

We hiked 5 miles in 3 hours, we should be able to do 9 miles in 7 hours. See how a trail hiker plans?
We came home and slept in our nice comfy bed. On the AT we will sleep on the ground and get up in the morning and start another 10 mile day. See how a trail hiker dreams?

Trail Logistics

A thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail is an exercise in logistics. Many have asked us about different aspects of the hike, like; how do you get food, how to you cook, where do you sleep? Boy am I glad they made me think these thing through.
We are going to be like the turtle family. Our home is on our backs. Our back packed kitchen includes 2 pots and a one burner stove. The pantry is dried foods with a few treats. The most important thing about food is the weight. Water is available all along the way so we can rehydrate foods easier than we can carry the extra weight. We will have to carry 4-5 days worth of food at a time. At 2 pounds per person per day that comes to 16-20 pounds of food between the two of us.
We plan to resupply our food stuffs every 4-5 days. There are towns on or close by the trail for that purpose. We will buy some foods at the store and we are preparing some of things at home now and Amy will mail it to us at Post Offices in the towns along the trail. Jen is experimenting with possible menus now. Last night we had burritos with red chile sauce. The whole meal weighed less that 1 pound using dehydrated beans, hamburger, and chile powder. It tasted just like home made and will taste even better after a long day of hiking. When we get to a town, I plan to feast on burgers and fries.
We will be carrying our bedroom on our back as well. I am carrying a two person tent that weighs 6 pounds. We both have self inflating sleeping pads and down filled sleeping bags. Jen’s bag is good down to 0 degrees, mine to 15 degrees. Hopefully we won’t experience weather any worse than that. If the bags are too warm when we walk into summer we plan to buy lighter bags and mail these home. They will have to be mailed back to us in New Hampshire.
All along the trail there are shelters that are available on first come first serve basis. They sleep from 8 to 20 people, but you still need a sleeping pad and bag. Our plan is to not stay in them. On town days there are campgrounds, hostels, and of course hotels. We will spend some nights in those as well.
We will have a cell phone for outside contact when we make towns. Their use is frowned upon while on the trail. Last summer Jen and I took a hike in the Wasatch. After several hours of climbing we reached the summit of Mt. Aire. There was a lady at the summit on her cell phone. She was having an argument with her daughter. I have to say, it was a wilderness experience spoiler. On the trail we will only use the cell phone in emergency.
Along the trail, at hostels, hotels, campgrounds, outfitters, and other places, you can borrow or buy internet access. It is there I will post updates on our progress to this blog and send an email to Amy. Amy will send an email to any who are interested telling them there is a new posting at the blog.
“How will you get to the trail?” is another question we are often asked. “Where will you leave your car?” is another. We will leave our car in the garage in Salt Lake and catch a Delta flight to Atlanta. We will arrive about midnight on the 14th of March. After a night at the red roof inn at the airport our plan is to take MARTA, the Atlanta subway, to the northern most depot. There we will be met by a friend who will take us to the trail. Our hope is to hike 8.8 miles that day to Springer Mountain and the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. After that it is only 2174 miles to Katahdin Mountain, Maine.
One last question we are asked. “And you are doing this because?” If that is your question, read the previous blog.
48 days til we leave. 49 days til we hike.

Under Two Months

Things for the hike are beginning to fall into place. We have all our equipment saving a few odds and ends and Jen hasn't decided on a sleeping pad yet. She is still weighing (and that is a good way to put it) the benefits of a thicker pad vs the weight of a thinner one.

We have our plane tickets to Georgia. It is really strange buying a one way ticket. But, who knows when the return flight will be? If everything goes according to plan we will return around October 20 from Baltimore. But for seven months we will be one injury from having to return home with the trail unfinished.

We will be leaving March 14 and hopefully on the trail March 15. I know, I know, that is the ides of March, but as I told my friend Barbara, I am not Julius Caesar so I don't think we need to "beware." (Hopefully most of you recognize the reference. If you don't check here. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0311_040311_idesmarch.html

My plan for documenting the hike is to post to this site each time a computer is available which I am told is quite often. Then I will let someone (I don't know who yet) know that a post has been made and they will send the notice out to an email list. If you want to be on that list, let me know.

For Holladay Church

This post is for the members of Holladay Baptist Church who want to know more about why Jen and I have decided to hike the trail. Sorry for its length, but it is necessary to adequately explain our seeming foolishness.

OK, friends and family. So when did I go off my rocker? What is the Appalachian Trail silliness all about? What in the world would cause two seemingly sane persons to decide to drop everything and play like a cow pattie, you know, hit the trail?

It was twenty years ago, February, 1987 when Jen and I first became aware of the Appalachian Trail (AT) when we read about it in National Geographic. “A Tunnel Through Time; The Appalachian Trail.” We discussed the article and talked about how much fun that would be, but our baby was 6 and our oldest was 13 with a 10 year old in between. The AT was a pipe dream.

Using cheap, heavy equipment we had taken several backpack trips in the days before children. They were primarily camping trips that involved hiking rather than hiking trips where you had to camp.

The next step was in 2002. Bill Bryson’s book on the AT came across our path. We read “A Walk in the Woods” and laughed and began to talk again about how much fun it would be. But it was still pretty much a far out there, maybe someday kind of thing. Jen was in a waiting room and saw a magazine article about the White Mountain Huts in New Hampshire on the AT. In 2003 we took our vacation and with son Nathan and his wife Amy we hiked through the presidential range of the AT staying in the huts. It was an exhilarating time except for one afternoon when my knee gave out on me.

After that experience we kept talking about hiking more of the trail, first in North Carolina where Josh was living, then in Virginia close to Baltimore where Josh moved to. In 2006 while visiting our new grand baby two things happened. We drove to the Shenandoah National Park and hiked on a side trail and we went to Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is the official midpoint of the AT and the location of the AT offices.

In addition to a short hike on the trail across the Potomac river we went into a bookstore where we purchased, “Long Distance Hiking on the AT for the Older Adventurer.” After reading the book we became serious about taking the hike.

Then there was a Baptist Press article about a ministry that works with the AT community. As I looked into their website I read every day of the journal for a couple of hikers. We began to make plans to hike.

Here is our list of reasons, excuses, alibis, whatever.

1. Dream. You only go around once in life. When you have thought about something off and on as often as we have the AT, you either try it when you still can, or you get to the age when you can’t and wish you could. We don’t want to get to the place where we regret not giving it a try. If we don’t like it, we can quit. If we can’t be retired we can go back to work for another 10 years. But if we wait 10 years we will be too old to attempt it.

2. Jubilee. Thirty years is a long time. Since August 1976 we have been responsible for a church with no break. That is 1560 Sundays. Every week for over 1500 weeks I have had the next sermon and/or series of sermons on my mind. There has always been the list of people I need to see. There is always one more prospect that could be contacted. It never ends and you never get it all done. It has been thirty years of having one more thing to do than could possibly be done. Until today. I have no idea when I will preach my next sermon. However I will still be doing the Wednesday night Bible Study at Holladay until we leave in March.

3. Simplify. One of the real attractions for me is the opportunity to live a simple life for 7 months. What are you going to do today? Walk. What decisions do you have to make? Where do I stop and spend the night. What will you do tomorrow? Walk. How do you introduce yourself? “Hello, my name is Flint. I walk.” Flint is the trail name I have chosen for myself. Jennifer will be Jubilee.

4. Weight and health. After 200 miles of hiking a person gets into trail shape. I am looking forward to being in trail shape. The average male loses around 30 pounds on the trail. I have a little more than average to lose, I am hoping for 40. The combination, better shape, less weight, less work stress, will work together to lower blood pressure. I am counting on it.

5. Time together. Not unlike most couples, Jen and I have spent a lot of time meeting the needs of others rather than spending the time together. We are as much in love, more really, than we were 37 years ago when we decided to get married. But we have spent much of the last 30 years raising kids and working. We are both looking forward to spending seven months involved in meeting a joint goal. I don’t think this can do anything but strengthen our marriage.

6. Spiritual growth. In the same vein, we will be spending a lot of time immersed in our own thoughts while walking. I hope to spend a lot of those walking hours in communion with the Lord. I have a copy of the NIV Bible on my Ipod. I plan to listen to the whole Bible, at least once while walking. We will be meeting a lot of people outside the Pastor/lay person roles we have met people in for the last 30 years. I hope to be able to share the grace of the Lord Jesus with other hikers.

So if you have made it this far on the post you may be interested in knowing that this is where I plan to document our progress. If you want to follow along, send me your email with a request to receive posts as they arrive. Send your request to rodger.russell@gmail.com or you can just check on the page now and then.

God bless you all.

First Book of the Year

Happy New Years. I spent my first day of 2007 reading my first book of 2007. My favorite mystery writer, Tony Hillerman has released a new Navajo mystery. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn chases the Shape Shifter in "The Shape Shifters." For you Hillerman fans, tell me, does the famous Leaphorn live in Window Rock or Shiprock? I am confused.

I have finished my list of books read in 2006. There were 45 of them. If you would like a copy of the list, I would be glad to send it to you. Reply to this blog and leave me an email address.

A New Direction

OK. the news is out and can be discussed now. After 30 years of Pastoral Ministry without a single break, Pastor Rodger is going to take one. I submitted my retirement effective Jan. 7, 2007. Since the day that Jen and I made that decision I have had a peace beyond comparison. It feels like the load of a universe has been removed from my shoulders. So what am I going to do now?

1. I am going to work to get our affairs in order so we can live on a substantial smaller income.
2. I am going to take a hike, from Georgia to Maine. 2174 Miles.
3. I am going to work on my health. Basically lose weight and decrease blood pressure.
4. I am going to finish one book that is about 75% finished. Work on another that is 25% started and begin one that is still just an idea and an outline.
5. Pray about what God has next for me.

Except for the hike, we have no immediate plans to move from Salt Lake City. Barring injury or illness, we will be on the trail from March to October. Wish us well.

Ski Day

Let'er start. Ski season. Snow = great but low. Rocks = Sharp. Skis = need repair. But the season is on.

Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, or Merry Christmas?

Why make such a fuss? When I am out fighting traffic and crowds shopping for cards, decorations, trees, and gifts, I think the term Happy Holidays is just fine. There is nothing intrinsically Christian about those things and I admit I am not really thinking of God’s supreme gift to the world as I am searching for the perfect gift. Until the current fuss about the war on Christmas I assumed that Happy Holidays was referring to Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

When I am putting up a tree, hanging the lights outside, planning for parties and special events Season’s Greetings speaks my thoughts perfectly. It is the season for indoor trees, decorated yards and houses, parties, and special events. Greetings to you as we meet during these times.

As I put together a series of messages designed to direct our thoughts toward the meaning of Christmas then the former terms will just not do. It becomes, “Merry Christmas.”

Holidays are for gift giving and feasting. The Season is the calendar dates and walking in the winter wonderland. Christmas is the Lottie Moon Mission Offering, the worship services, the advent candles, the carols that celebrate the coming of the only begotten son of God to dwell among us, and the reading of the Gospel story from Matthew 1 and John 1 and Luke 2.

I do believe there is a real culture war instigated by those who would remove every vestige of Jesus Christ from our culture. Christmas has become one of the battlefields only because it is a time when even nominal Christians begin to think about “religious” things. But the real truth is that the materialism that is so rampant at Christmas is so far from the meaning of Christmas that Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings works just fine for me.

“Here’s your credit card Mr. Russell” (as Grandma got ran over by a reindeer plays in the background) “Thank you so much for spending oodles of money in our store for toys, electronics, groceries, pastries, wrapping paper, etc. Have a Happy Holiday.”

“Hey neighbor, your house looks good.” (as up on the rooftop is on the radio) “ Where did you get those really unique decorations? Seasons Greetings.”

“Pastor Rodger, thank you for that service that reminded me of the blessings God has given because ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’” (and as Silent Night plays softly in the candlelit auditorium) “Merry Christmas.”

A Going Problem

“Go to church, go to church, all the time, all the time, go to church.” This was my little brother’s observation as a preschooler when he was told, get in the car, we are going to church.

I was raised in a church going family. I raised a church going family. My brother, the same one as above, raised a church going family. Sometimes it seemed that, yes, we were always going to church.

Some people think that going to church is a problem. The church expects way too much of them to be going all the time. Our current culture has pretty much limited church going to a once a week journey, usually on Sunday morning. The number of attendees at mid week services or even Sunday evening services has plummeted.

Ask people to make another journey to the church building for worship, prayer, study, service, or any other reason and we are accused in a busy culture of creating a going problem. If you have the additional audacity to suggest that people “go on mission,” you really create a going problem.

With apologies to Avodart, whose commercials you see regularly these days, perhaps we don’t have a going problem, but a growing problem. I may be that our unwillingness to invest time, energy, and resources to the things of the Lord doesn’t reflect so much our unwillingness to go, as our unwillingness to grow.

Happy Thanksgiving

Jen and I wish all the readers a happy thanksgiving. Last weekend was a tough football weekend around here and all the teams I root for. First, on Friday night the Moriarty Pintos lost 41-14 to Roswell Goddard. That ended their perfect season and their hunt for a state championship. Then on Saturday the Aztec Tigers, the high school Jen and I both went to, lost in the same state championships. On Saturday late afternoon the Lobos lost to BYU in a romp. Then on Sunday the Broncos couldn't hold on to beat the Chargers. And to top it all off, after Monday night's game I lost in my fantasy league for the first time in 5 weeks. Can you say Loser?

But we will have something to be football thankful for this weekend. It all starts tomorrow with the Broncos.

On a note other than sports. The Lord has blessed us this year. Our little Andrew is healthy and growing. We are loving being grandma and granddad. It would be nice to be a little closer. Video conferencing is better than nothing, but it is better for businesses than grandparents.

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Theology is a Bargain

OK, get ready for this one. It is a little contorted. I am warning you. In Salt Lake City there is a sports store that has a big ski sale every year. They call in sniagrab. For those who dare to ask where in the world they got the name, the answer is "it is bargains spelled backwards."

I was visiting with a friend yesterday and we were talking about the distorted view of theology many of todays churches and christians have. It was preacher talk. In our conversation I told him about the ski sale at Sports Authority and what Sniagrab stood for.

Later he said, maybe the problem is like Sniagrab, the church has theology spelled backwards thinking they are getting a bargin. So we got out a piece of paper and tried it out. Theology spelled backwards is ygoloeht. But if you sound it out and respell it you get, well almost you get, "ego less".

Maybe what we need is more Theology spelled backwards. OK, I warned you it was contorted. But that doesn't make it untrue.

I Hate What Our World Has Become

I hate what our world has become. Yesterday I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things on the shopping list Jen gave me. As I was wandering in the aisles hopelessly looking for dried cranberries there was a cart with two young children in it. Their mom was just a few steps away closely examining her proposed purchase. I wanted to stop and try to strike up a conversation with the two little ones. I love to talk to children and treat them like real people.

Then I remembered an incident at the church the night before when we were doing the harvest festival. 100’s of children were in our building, most with their parents. I was roaming the halls doing my Pastoral duty and had stopped to talk to one of our men who was helping direct traffic. He was sitting in a chair and had a large bag of candy. As each child or group of children came by he directed them down the proper hallway and offered them a piece of candy. Most children eagerly checked through his bag and took the piece they wanted. Some asked for two.

One little girl drew back in fear when she was spoken to. She just stopped, looked at John with a blank stare and didn’t move. I assume it was her mother who came along just then, looked over the situation, reached into John’s bag for a piece of candy, and said to John. “It’s ok, you’re a male.” She took the little girls hand and off they went down the hall.

I don’t know the family, I don’t know the story. There may be a history of abuse or it could just be our culture of fear. But remembering that incident I passed on by the two children in the grocery cart and continued the search for dried cranberries. I never found them by the way. But that is ok, she wanted fresh cranberries anyway. I finally figured that out.

The incident in the hall reminded me of another conversation earlier in the week. Jen and I were at lunch with a guest preacher for our State Convention . The conversation somehow came around to accountability. He told us of his accountability partner whom he has to answer the accountability questions for. In the conversation he made reference to being able to say he wasn’t alone with a woman. “If I am on an elevator by myself,” he said, “and a lone woman gets on, I get off.”

I guess I understand the implication. “If I stay away from being alone with women I won’t be tempted.” Or is the implication, “If the elevator door opens on the next floor and I am seen in this elevator alone with this woman it will be bad for my reputation.” Either way, what a mess our world has become.

Later that day I was at the airport awaiting another arrival. I was standing at the coffee bar line waiting to pay when a traveling woman stepped into line behind me. My first thought was, “Gee, should I get out of line so we won’t be seen in line together?” I laughed first at my self, then at the whole situation. I went into the waiting area and called Jen and told her, “If I am on an elevator and a woman gets on, I am not getting off. Is that ok?” Her response. “Huh?” “What are you talking about?”

Did I say, I hate what our world has become?

Broncos 13 Ravens 3

Andrew needs a refreshment break as we watch the Broncos defeat the Ravens. Hint. Andrew is the one with the Bronco Pajamas. Jen made me leave mine in Salt Lake City.

. . . And The Rockets Red Glare . . .

I had no idea what the rockets red glare was until I went to the visitor center at Ft. McHenry. Check the website for a description.

I love history and Ft. McHenry is about history. It played a part in the War of 1812, the Civil War, and WWI.

The star spangled banner was written durin. g the bombing by the British of Ft. McHenry during the battle of Baltimore. You have sung about the rockets red glare a million times. But do you know what the rockets were? I had no idea

They were long sticks with a canister of propellant attached. On the top was a bomb. They were not very effective in this battle although they had been in the past.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/hh/5/hh5l.htm

Across The Nation

Left SLC, UT, Monday AM, 8:15 MST; Arrived Baltimore, MD, Friday PM, 4:00 EDT; after a drive across America. Spent one day in Nebraska at Harold Warps, Pioneer Village in Minden.

Why did we drive? Don’t feel sorry for us. We drove because we wanted to. And I am really glad we did. My only regret is that we didn’t have time to stop at more places than we did.

Pioneer Village is a day well spent if you are at all interested in how our ancestors lived in and settled this land. There are buildings Mr. Warp saved from the 19th century that show what life was like in the Prairie states at least 100-150 years ago. There is a family stockade with cabin, a school house, a general store, a train depot, a church, a pony express way station, and a replica sod house built to authenticate life in the past. Included is all the tools of the era, as well as the tools, equipment, and especially the transportation from the 1800’s through the 1900’s. As my friend Cliff would say, “very worthy.”

Several of the museums we drove right past without stopping between Nebraska and Baltimore were dedicated to Herbert Hoover, Rutherford B. Hayes, Ronald Regan, We went by the birthplace of John Wayne. There was the Bob Feller museum and the College Football Hall of Fame. We might have stopped at the last two except we went by them well after they were closed.

We are having a great time with our kids and our new grand son. Andrew Wyatt Russell

In His Grip.

This week I was introduced to a realatively new ministry called, “In His Grip.” (See link at the bottom of the page.) It is a golfing ministry designed to reach men for Christ. It is another tool in the toolbox that if used correctly could be effective in outreach.

In His Grip uses golf analogies to teach men about life and about the Lord. There are a lot of similarities between life and golf, as well there should be. For millions of men and women golf is a part of life.

I am certainly glad that life isn’t just like golf though. Golf is harder. You can know all the right things to do. You can plan on doing the right things. You can practice to execute the right things. And then you duff it. I have discovered that if I put that much effort into life, I usually manage to get it right in life. Not in golf.

Many times my best efforts, even after a seemingly sufficient number of practice swings ends up in the rough, or in the trap. I fall short or I over hit. Sometimes I seem to have it in the bag, in the fairway, onto the green, everything lines up and then. . . a three putt.

Maybe golf is more like life than I want to admit.

Habits Are Hard To Break

Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

I stopped by to see my parents this week. We were driving to Glorieta, New Mexico and stayed with Mom and Dad for the night. They still live in the house we lived in when I was learning to drive. The neighborhood has changed quite a bit though. When I was first driving, the street we lived on was filled on both sides by houses with young families with children. It was a rather narrow street and made a turn that decreased visibility. Even today you have to be really careful and alert when driving down Parkland drive.

There was another way to get to our house. Instead of turning on Parkland you continued straight on Heiland until you came to Iris. Then you turned on Iris to Parkland and came out right at our house. There weren’t as many houses on those two streets. Dad told us teenagers we were always to take that route to the house. He didn’t want to see us driving down Parkland.

Today houses line both routes. There is no appreciable difference between route one and route two. I am 57 years old. I can drive down any road I want to. But I still feel just a little guilty, a little rebellious, if I turn on Parkland and take the forbidden route to the house.

Out where the highways come together there is a stop light. You come down the road from town, reach the highway intersection and there is a traffic signal. When I was growing up and learning to drive, there was only a stop sign. You came to the highway, looked both ways, and if it was clear, you entered the highway.

The traffic signal has been there for at least 30 years. Just the other day I came down the road to the highway, stopped, looked both ways and ran a red light. It was totally unintentional. It was reverting to the days of my youth, reacting to what I had been taught 43 years ago.

We are creatures of habit. We should make an extra effort to see that our habits are good ones.

Houston, we have a name.

My understanding is that one of those Texas cities was in the running for a while. Not Houston, Austin. The name that wins the honor of adorning my grandson is Andrew. (Still awaiting a middle name.) For the birth and death certificate they still need a name for Baby B as well.

Andrew. I like that. It is the name of a president and the general at the battle of New Orleans. Andy is the name of my High School Basketball coach and biology teacher as well as the name of my predecessor at Holladay Baptist Church. It is the name of one of the deacons here until he moved to Alaska. It was the name of one of my sons best friends in school, and the same friend became Drew and team mate on his High School football team. I can think of a few Drews but I don't know that is a regular nick name for Andrew. Is it?

I like all the Andys I have ever known. I am sure I will really like this one to. Vote on what you think his call to dinner name should be. Andrew, Andy,Drew,Ace, or some other nick name. Of course, the decision will be further complicated when he has a middle name, and the final decision will be made by his mom and dad.

I will gladly follow their direction.

What Do You Call A Grand Parent?

Granddad, Grand father, Grandpa, Gramps, Grand Pappy, PawPaw, Popsie. Those are all names given to the male grand parent. Who gives out the names? Who decides what you get called by your grandchildren?

We are still awaiting a name for our new grandson, but say, what about our new name? Grandma, Grandmother, Gramma, Grand Mammy, Mopsie, what do we call her? I mean, my name for her hasn’t changed in the 40 years since our first date, but what will the name be for the grand son?

My kids mostly called me dad when they were little. Today they call me all kinds of things, they just don’t call me enough. So Grand dad works for me. That was what I called my grandfather Russell, as I remember, though he died when I was 13. My other male grandparent was Bompie. By the time I was old enough to remember my older cousin had already named him and when he died at age 99 he was still Bompie. I think the only two people I regularly heard call him by any other name were my mom whom I heard call him daddy, and my grandma (and that is what we called her) who sometimes called him Alfred. (Probably the name she knew him by when they had their first date, some 80 or so years earlier.)

My kids call my dad Granddad. I think my brothers kids do too. But Jen’s dad is Poppa. Both Grandmas are Grandma. When they need t differentiate between them their given names are added. Grandma Betty and Grandma Mary. A friend of mine says his grandkids call him Utah Grandpa.

Actually I don’t care what he calls me. I still have a couple of years before he calls me anything. I am just thankful that he is here and healthy, and I pray he grows up to call me something.

If you want to view other pictures, use this link. http://web.mac.com/therussellist

Brazilian Report

Our Mission to Brazil is going very well. We have had our hearts blessed, our heart strings pulled, our eyes filled with everything from the beauty of creation to the poverty of sin.

Good things in Brazil:
Beautiful Country
Beautiful Beach
Wonderful, friendly people
A language more understandable for me than Arabic, Japanese, or Korean. (Other places I have been to on mission.)
Plenty to eat
Nice place to stay
Great group to work with
The work that our missionaries are doing in Brazil with the poor, the lost, the drug addicted, the orphans, the virtual orphans. (Kids with parents who would otherwise be on their own while the parents take care of their own needs.)
Churches with a heart for the needs of their own country. All the places we have worked in are missions and mission churches of Brazilian churches.

So So things in Brazil
The food. It is not bad, but it is very bland.
Travel. It seems to be a long ways to everywhere we go.
The communication. Of the places above I mentioned, the Brazilians understand less English than in any of the other countries. The people in our group who don’t at least know significant Spanish have trouble ordering at McDonalds.

Not so good things in Brazil
The poverty
The lack of basic amenities in many neighborhoods. (Running water, electricity, sewers)
Trash everywhere.

Trusting God’s Heart

We attended a church staff/spouse retreat last week in the mountains east of Salt Lake City.  It was a relaxing time.  I even convinced Jen to join me for a round of golf.    She shot a 49 on 9 holes.  Of course we played 18 and she only counted the nine she did acceptably well on.  Those were the only holes she put on the scorecard.  The rest of the holes she just recorded a smiley face.  (  

The main speaker at the conference was a Pastor from Georgia, Frank Cox.  His topic, “Trusting God’s Heart.”  The sub topic, “When you cannot trace God’s hand, trust His heart.”  That comes from a quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“God is too good to be unkind,
He is too wise to be mistaken.
When you cannot trace His hand,
You can always trust His heart.

That is a terrific statement of faith and hope.    If you are interested in his story, he has written a book.  It is called, Trusting God’s Heart, Finding Peace in Times of Sorrow.    I recommend it.

Independence Day Greetings

A long weekend every once in a while is really nice.  Today, Monday July 3, 2006, I didn’t go in to the office so I could spend the day with Jen doing some of the chores around the house that pile up.  Actually I tried to finish the deck I have been building, but alas, there is still more to do.  

When Jen works Holidays, and she seems to work most of them, it isn’t much fun celebrating by myself.  Instead, I plan to use tomorrow to get several days study and planning done.  Everyone else will be busy so I should have the day to myself.  Unless I go play golf, or work on the deck some more, or go see some fireworks, or take a hike in the mountains, or . . .  well you get the idea.  There are always a million things to do.  

Tonight some friends invited us over for an American Revolutionary Period Dinner.  All of the foods were from recipes from the Revolutionary period.  At my plate I used a fork and knife from that period.  The fork was like a serving fork, two tines, very sharp.  It was like the fork you use to hold the turkey still while you carve it, only it was personal size, not serving size.  It had an antler handle, a real antique.  The knife was like a regular butter knife except the blade was about 3 times as wide and very thin.  I enjoyed the experience.  

Happy 4th of July.  (BIG BOOM)

The Heat is On

Just in case you ever wondered, Fresno, California is one hot casa.  Whew.  I am here for a Peacemaker conference.  I would like for our church to become a church with a culture of peace.  It is difficult to serve the lord, teach discipleship, reach people for the Lord, and at the same time continually deal with Christian people who can not or will not get along.  

I pray with Jesus, that we might be one, as he and the Father are one.  Would that be fantastic or what.

When I was in Israel, you often heard the phrase “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”  Looking into the meaning of the name, Jerusalem, it probably means “foundation of peace.”  The city called the foundation of peace is one of the most unpeaceful cities in the world.  

Having to pray for peace among Christians because we can’t get along is along the same line.  Anyway, that is why I am in Fresno.  
  

In Times Like These

New experience at our age don’t come along very often.  Yesterday we had one.  Our friends Robert and Donna Marshall invited us to a rappelling adventure.  So we went to the mountain and experienced rappelling.  I had done it once before at a men’s retreat.  That was off a tower.  This was different.  And it was Jen’s first time.  

After instructions, it is time to fly.  Those first steps over the edge of  the cliff are the adrenalin moments.  Then it is pure delight as you descend, totally in control of your speed.  See the joy on Jen’s face as she experiences the freedom of controlled falling.  

Rappelling is an experience of faith.  At first you have faith in Robert.  He knows what he is doing. Doesn’t he?  Then you have to believe the equipment will hold you up and hold you back from descending too fast.  Then you have to believe the safety person at the bottom can catch you if you make an error.  

Perhaps the strangest faith factor is trusting that the unknown person who put the anchor in the rock, who knows when, it was already there when we started, did the job right.  Everything depends on the anchor holding, and gripping the solid rock.  

Not unlike our faith in Christ.  “Be very sure, your anchor holds, and grips the solid rock.”  (From the hymn, “In Times Like These.”  

A Walk In Postmodernism's Woods

A Walk in the Woods is a book by Bill Bryson. Several years ago he decided he wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail (AT) is a hiking trail that stretches over 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine, or from Maine to Georgia depending on which way you walk. They started their hike in Georgia, and after 6 weeks on the trail they were in a Park Service Visitors center when they saw a map of the whole trail. They realized that day that they were not going to be able to ever hike the whole trail. So they gave up their goal, split up, and decided to meet in August in Maine to finish the trail.

After a few days in Maine they decided that they had hiked enough. So they quit completely. But as they talked one of them tried to convince the other that they had walked the AT. After all, they had hiked on both ends, and some places in the middle. They had suffered and worked hard, so even though technically they had not hiked the whole trail, they decided that they had.

This is just another example of our culture. Here we believe that if we feel like we hiked the trail, then we are hikers.

I wonder how that transforms into our spiritual lives. Just because we feel like we are spiritual, without practicing the spiritual disciplines we are not. And it doesn’t matter how we feel.

Paul said he goes into strict training to be spiritual.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

When you go into strict training, you practice spiritual disciplines. In Timothy he invites us to train to be godly.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.


Don’t think you are a spiritual person because you want to be, or because you feel like you are. Train yourself to be Godly.

Cell Phone Mania

How fun.  A spiffy black SUV pulls over in the slow lane right in front of me, then slows down.  I pull around to pass and I realize what has happened.  The SUV driver has received a phone call on her cell and is having trouble driving and talking at the same time.  The slow lane is a good place for her.  I exit the freeway and pull up to the red light.  In a moment there she is, and now I see the real difficulty.  She is one of those who can’t speak without her hands.  So in one hand she is holding the cell phone to her ear.  With the other she is gesturing as she talks, pausing occasionally to re grab the steering wheel.  What a hoot.  I hope she arrives at her destination safely without hurting anyone else.

Vacations Tire Me Out

Vacations tire me out.  It isn’t the vacation itself that does it, it is getting ready for it and then catching up after I return.  I haven’t posted for one month since returning from Baltimore.  I have been terribly busy with the stack of stuff piled on my desk from being off for two weeks.  Hey I am not complaining you understand.  I really enjoyed the time in the desert and the time with the kids.

Another thing that has really suffered this spring is my golf game.  I decided to get an official handicap and play in a men’s league.  Since I signed up for the handicap I haven’t had one decent score.  Not one.  My new handicap should come in next Thursday, and I will be lucky if it is under 20.  The last time I had a handicap it was 11.  

Hmmmmm, maybe I am working too hard and playing too little.  

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.  Stay safe.

Alternative History

Yesterday I went to the first Smithsonian Museum I have ever been to. The Museum of American History. I have to tell you what a refreshing experience it was.

After finally being run out of the Museum at closing time and finding Jennifer waiting on the front steps outside, we sat down on the steps to rest and reconoiter.

I asked Jen, "You know what I find most interesting about all the displays?"

"What?" She said.

"I have looked at three days worth of American History now, all over Washington, DC and I have yet to see one single reference to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or The Book of Mormon. We really do get a distorted view of American History when all we get is filtered through the eyes of Utahans."

P.S. I haven't found anyone who didn't know New Mexico is a state of the United States.

In Memory

I didn't know Virgil very well. We went to school together from Jr. High on. I was never in his home, nor he in mine. We played on the Jr High and High School football teams together. I was present at the state wrestling tournament in Johnson Gym in Albuquerque when Virgil won the state championship in his weight class.

Today I saw his name on the Vietnam War Memorial. Panel 34W line 61. KIA in Vietnam in 1969. I was a little choked up as I thought of a classmate who has missed these last 37 years. My thoughts go out to his family for their loss as well.

Then as we walked on a litte further there was an athletic letter lying among the tributes. It was a big blue K. And at that point I realized the loss of 58,000 guys who have missed the last 37 years. George W., we need to win this thing in Iraq so in 40 years the people looking at the Iraq War Memorial won't be struck by the number of their buds that lost their lives in an unsuccessful war.

Today's blog, In Memory, Virgil Jessie Roberts.

Dog Gone Vacation

This camping trip to the desert could be called the Dog Gone trip. We had some dog on problems. She got a bath before we left but we forgot to put her collar back on. So she had no tags, including identification. No problem right. Wrong. Cause we lost her.

That’s right, Ms, Uma Ruth, Ruth because where you go I will go, decided to go hiking by herself. Actually, while we were stopped at a remote wash, getting ready to go hiking we decided to try our hand at a little tin can plinking. (Jen said to tell you she hit the can) I guess the noise was too much even if it was only a 22. When we were through shooting and ready to hike, No Uma. After about an hour of searching, our friend Neal found her and we were able to take our hike.

The next day in a decision very unusual for us we decided to go hiking inside a National Park. Most of our hiking is in the wilderness areas. We knew that she had to be on a leash in the park. We left our Tahoe at trails end and got a shuttle to the trail head. There we started up the trial only to discover that even on a leash dogs are not allowed on the trail. So what could we do? The first guy we met on the trail thought we should just go back to the trail head but he was too obnoxious to offer a ride to the Tahoe.

So Ms. Uma Ruth got her second day in a row of breaking the law. We got her off the trail as soon as possible thanks again to Neal and his wife Cindy.

Anybody interested in a little white dog that got her start as a Texas tramp and has turned into a lawbreaker? I think it is appropriate that the hike she took with us illegally was to Cassidy Arch, named after the notorious outlaw, Butch Cassidy.

He is not here! He is risen!

He is not here! He has risen. Indeed the tomb is empty and the Lord is alive! It was the day of transformation for the followers of Jesus. It was the day they changed from a fearful band of disappointed men and women into the army of God that marched across the world with the Good News. He loves us enough to die for us. He is powerful enough to defeat death. He offers new life to you, too.

How can you be sure? Well look in the tomb. It is empty. He is not here! He has risen.

I know that an empty tomb today is not proof of something that did or did not happen 2000 years ago.I know that we cannot be positive we know which is the correct tomb. But the afternoon I looked into the garden tomb, my heart leapt for joy as I shouted, much as Peter and John must have shouted. “It is empty! He is not here!

You can visit the tomb of almost every other religious leader, founder, prophet, etc., but when you get to the tomb of Jesus, IT IS EMPTY! Praise God.

Happy Resurrection Morning.

Prepackaged Communion

I don’t know if this is the epitome of modernism or the proof that postmodernism is in full swing. Today I received in the mail perhaps the most ridiculous item ever. I mean, I can handle almost anything in the way of convenience. Years ago I had a church treasurer refuse to buy me a baptismal robe and waders until I convinced him that it would make it convenient for us to do baptisms in the middle of a worship service. He reluctantly agreed.

But this is over the top. Tell me, is it modernism run amuck or postmodernism getting a firmer foothold. The item: It is a prepackaged communion set. It comes in just the right size to fit in our service trays. There is a little cellophane tab that you pull up and the wafer is exposed. Then you pull the foil top and the grape juice is ready to drink.

The advertising says they will last without refrigeration for 12 months. They will be less expensive because there is less waste. No preparation time or clean up time is involved for the deacons/ communion committee. They are packaged and sealed for purity. I mean, haven’t we already sanitized our faith enough? And of course it would save time because the servers would only have to make one pass, you get the bread and cup at one time.

I can think of a couple of other ways we could use them. We wouldn’t need as many Deacons present for a service as they wouldn’t have to be hand passed, they could literally be passed out. If someone dropped one they wouldn’t spill. They are sealed.

If the service ran long, those who don’t have more than an hour to spare for worship could leave early and just pick up a pack on the way out and observe at the first stop light. The scripture is printed right on top of the cellophane so you could read it out loud to yourself as you opened the tab.

We might need to change some of the words. “This is my body, pre packaged for you.” Doesn’t that sound more sanitized than broken?

I am sure my postmodern friends and children will accuse us moderns of this abomination. I don’t know though. There has to be a reason it didn’t find its way to market until 2006.

Please pray with me that the Communion Packaging Company of Sanford, Florida will be short lived.

Think About This Too

In a book published so long ago the copywright date is in Roman Numerals, I think it says 1961, Vance Havner, long time evangelist made this statement.

"In this nuclear age we must remember that survival is not the chief end of man. A little boy was asked what he hoped to be twenty-five years from now. He replied, "Alive!" But it is better to die for a conviction than to live by compromise. 'Tis man's perdition to be safe when for the truth he ought to die,' said Patrick Henry. He did not say, 'Give me liberty, death, or peaceful coexistence with George III.' Teddy Roosevelt said that among the things which would destroy America were 'Peace at any price' and 'Safety first instead of duty first.'

from Pepper and Salt, page 31

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9 (NASB95))

Paul has just used “at home or absent” to refer to being alive or dead. (look at 5:6 & 5:8) In this sentence then he is saying that our ambition ought to be to please God whether we are dead or alive. Wow! I think it pretty much goes without saying, we will please God when we are with him in heaven. The question then is, “Do I please God more in life than I will in death?”

What do I need to do today to please God?

Send Me The Trophy

Send me the trophy.  In my bracket challenge group, I am the champion.  After years of fumbling near the bottom of the pack, I have won my first bracket challenge, and the final games haven’t even been played.  All my challengers are out.  None of their teams made the final four.  And who pulled me through?  UCLA.  Go Bruins.  

Jen thinks it is silly to get hyped about winning something in which I don’t win anything at all.  But I do win bragging rights for a whole year, and that is something after being trashed talked to year after year.  After all, I am the 2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tourney, McConkey Boys Challenge, CHAMPION.  “Cut down the nets!”

Poor Old Lobos the Worst is Yet to Come, Hey!

The worst thing any team can have happen to them is for me to choose them to win. Mercy! I lost half my final four on Sunday afternoon. Admittedly I didn’t choose number one seeds, but I chose teams that should have at least made it into the sweet sixteen and on into the elite 8. Instead, I only have two left for the final four.

Tonight when I got home from work I turned on the women’s tourney. New Mexico was six points ahead of Baylor. I watched for only a few minutes and the Lobos were down 11 points. A 17 point turnaround. I got disgusted, and Bill O’Reilly came on, so I switched. Only to discover that in the last minute and a half the lobos got it back to four points.

I decided the best thing I could do for them was to not watch the second half, but ESPN made that decision for me. They went back to another game. Unfortunately that didn’t work and the Lady Lobos went down by 20.

Not a good year for Lobo fans. No bowl game for the football team. No post season for the basketball team, not even a NIT bid. And the ladies didn’t make it to the sweet 16 again. We can only wait til next year.

On Fire for Jesus?

I was reading about a church in a mess in a local paper.  (A church is in a mess when they are writing about the troubles in a local paper.)  One person they quoted though, really inspired me to think.  He said, “The church will be ok.  We have a lot of people who are on fire for Jesus.”

Am I on fire for Jesus?  Is anybody in our church on fire for Jesus?  Do I really know anybody who is on fire for Jesus?  What does it mean to be on fire for Jesus?  I want to be on fire for Jesus!  Does anyone think I am on fire for Jesus?  (I am not asking you to respond to this blog.  I may be afraid of the answer.)

How do we become on fire for Jesus?  I want to be on fire for Jesus.  

I read somewhere the following.  “Some people hate sin, but they don’t love Jesus. Some people love Jesus but they don’t hate sin. The secret is to Love Jesus and hate sin.”

The first person is a legalist.  The second is a libertine.  The third is where we need to be.  I want to love Jesus, be on fire for him, not just hate sin.  

If Sports Championships were determined like Oscars

The Academy Awards are a joke. What would happen if we chose the football championship the same way. There wouldn’t need to be a super bowl. Instead we could have an awards banquet, ala Oscar night and choose the champion by a vote of the league presidents and a few other undisclosed voters. Whichever team evoked the most emotion, tried to break down previous taboos, or had the saddest story would be this years champion.

If you add the box office receipts of all the nominated best pictures it doesn’t equal the take of the number 4 best attended movie. Whoever thinks that Hollywood is about entertainment is mistaken. It is about messages. And that is ok, I guess, but lets at least be honest about it. Which ever of the 5 nominated pictures win, it isn’t the best picture of 2005. Not by a long shot.

I think I will skip the show and listen to Wolfman Jack on my XM radio.

A Starbuck Moment

I stopped by Starbucks this morning on the way to the office.  I usually get my morning Starbuck coffee fix at Albertson’s.  This morning I had no need to go to the store, so I just stopped at the stand alone Starbucks.  After all, I told myself I have two Starbucks gift cards that I have been given lately.  (I also have a couple of Einstein’s gift cards as well.)

As I started to pay for my brew with the card I just kind of wondered aloud, “I wonder why people give me gift cards instead of inviting me to coffee?”  The cashier heard my rambling and said, “Maybe you are just a difficult person.”  

Hmmmm.  Maybe I am.

Greatest Snow on Earth

     I set my alarm for 5:30 Thursday morning.  When I went to bed it was snowing and Jen had to work Thursday.  That means I have to get enough snow off of the driveway by 6:20 that she can get her car up to the road.  Sure enough, Thursday morning showed about 8 inches of snow.  I went out and fired up the snowblower.  It was awesome!  The snow was the type that gives Utah the title, “greatest snow on earth.”  It was dry, light and fluffy, so light the blower shot it all the way into the street from the bottom of the driveway.
     When Jen came out to go to work I told her it would be a great day to call in sick with the Alta Flu.  Of course she didn’t and we missed a great chance for powder skiing.  We tried to make up for it today.  The skiing was great, but the powder was mostly skied down.  

Walk The Line

I went to see Johnny Cash Friday night.  I figured I would have a front row seat to see ole Johnny sing.  The theater was so crowded, I had an almost front row seat.  But it was primarily to see ole Johnny drink beer and pop pills.  

Joaquin Phoenix  and Reese Witherspoon did an incredible job singing.  The story of one man’s battle and eventual victory over drugs was inspiring.  It would have been even more so if they had been a little more clear about how that victory was achieved.  The only reference to a spiritual victory was one short scene showing June leading Johnny to Church.

One day in 1956, quite by accident rather than design, Johnny Cash and three other young stars, Elvis
Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis were recorded at Sun Records in Memphis while they were just messing around and singing mostly old gospel songs.  The album is called “The Millionaire Quartet.”  I haven’t got it yet, but it might be a good listen.

Times of Refreshing are Coming

Driving home from work this evening, just before dark, I found myself sinking into the mulligrubs because of the winter inversion. In the winter time in Salt Lake City, the city smog gets trapped in the valley and at times it can get very bad. We aren’t to that point yet, but this is the way it starts.

Only one thing reverses this blight on our otherwise beautiful city. A storm! We need a winter storm to move through. First it gets worse. It gets colder, it snows, driving becomes difficult. We have to shovel snow. But when the snow storm has exited the valley, the crud is gone with it.

What a relief. Take a nice deep breath of fresh air. Look at the beautiful blue sky. More relief that the plop plop fizz fizz of an Alka Seltzer. Anyway, I was thinking along these lines tonight on my ride home relishing the thought that on Friday a snowstorm is predicted, so on Saturday there will be a refreshing day of glorious winter sunshine in our valley.

That reminded me of Peter’s sermon in Acts where he promises times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. But just like the storm that brings the refreshing to the Salt Lake Valley, there is a storm that brings the refreshing from God. It is called repent and turn, so our sins can be wiped away.

Sin cause a spiritual inversion to take place in our lives. We get the mulligrubs in our life. We feel the depression that comes from a lack of good spiritual air to breath. And it is trapped by sinful inversion. How to get rid of it? Confess the sin. 1 John 1:9. Turn from the sin. And let the refreshing after storm of God’s spirit bring an atmosphere of refreshing.

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (NASB95)
----Peter the Apostle