Odds and Ends

Have I used the above title already for one of the previous posts? Well, if so, it just goes to show that there's nothing new under the sun (c.f., Eccl. 1).

Last evening, we went to see the movie Eragon. It was the movie of the weekend here in Petersburg. It's also the first movie we've watched here. I know I've previously mentioned how we get one recent movie each weekend (unless the auditorium is being used for some other event). The girls (all three of them) had read the book and wanted to see it.

Do any of you recall watching movies in a high school auditorium? Well, it hasn't changed all that much. The seats are much better -- real, authentic, theater seats. But unlike what one finds inside a cineplex, the atmosphere was -- for lack of a better term -- homey. You're bound to know someone, or many somebodies, in the room. All the kids know pretty much everyone else. So prior to the showing, the place was quite noisy -- lots of conversations, people milling about, walking in and out to get concessions.

The movie itself, well, the reviewers are probably right. It's a case of "ignorance is bliss" (c.f., Eccl. 1 towards the end of the chapter where the Teacher laments that meaninglessness of knowledge). I hadn't read the book, so I had no idea where and how badly the movie deviated from the book. Even then, I thought the whole thing was pretty shallow, dialogue seemed almost contrived and very simple, and the plot not entirely believable. I came away with the impressions that it wasn't very good, but not horrifically bad, and it was sufficiently entertaining. Now for those who were wise and knowledgeable in the ways of Eragon, it might have been like taking in a laxative -- not very good going in, and not very good going... well you know.

This afternoon I went and visited a woman who had written in to It Is Written. I've been trying to visit her since before Christmas, but it was only today that I was finally able to do so.

She is suffering from a number of health issues making it impossible for her to work. She lives on Social Security and lives with her son. There's a friend that comes by to help. With heating and electricity costs skyrocketing, she is finding it very difficult to make ends meet, meaning she often has to do without basic staples. Most of her family cares little for, or is hostile to, spiritual matters.

The skeptical and cynical side of me says that her family really ought to pitch in more to help. Or that maybe she could make some changes to her life in order to free up some cash flow.

And then I'm reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan, and also where Jesus says, "What you do to the least of these... you've done it to Me." And I think of God's grace... God doesn't ask any of us to change before grace is offered. It's because we've received grace that we are able to make any changes.

So it may sound foolish when common sense or conventional wisdom is considered, but I don't think I have a choice -- for whatever reason, God is asking me to help this individual when no one else will. I'll ask around to see if there is any assistance from other places that are available for long-term purposes, but ultimately, it seems God is asking me to be responsible. All I can say is, "Freely I've received, freely I choose to give." And who knows, perhaps I've been called to paint a more accurate picture of Jesus for her family.

Sermon: Light Source; John 1:5-9

In today's sermon (click on title for audio), I discuss John chapter 1, verses 5 through 9 where the Gospel writer John writes to us about the Word that became light through life. It's a fascinating section because John, the writer, throws in his first discussion about John, the Baptist, into the mix. On cursory glance, that seems entirely irrelevant and non-germaine to the topic at hand, but careful examination reveals it to be quite relevant for us today as we are faced with having to choose from many lights that try to beckon to us each day. And this passage can also show us what part we have to play in the grand cosmic narrative between light and darkness.

Evangelism vs. Proselytizing

The difference between evangelism and proselytizing -- what is it exactly? I think this is getting to the root of my discomfort (and perhaps many others) with what is often termed evangelism.

For starters, you might want to visit the dictionary definitions of evangelism and proselytize.

The difference I see is that evangelism is neutral -- I proclaim what I believe and leave it at that. There is no pressure on the listener. I have no motive other than to share what I already have.

Proselytizing is significantly different in that the ultimate motive is to turn (convert) the listeners into my clones, to make them join my organization (denomination). Because of this motive, everything I do is geared to achieve that goal. There is, therefore, unavoidable pressure applied to the listeners. I am allowed to use ethically questionable methods, because the end (conversion to a set of beliefs -- which is falsely equated with salvation) justifies the means.

Does this mean that in evangelism I should never ask for decisions to be made? No, I don't think so. But what I do think is that I shouldn't make blanket appeals. I need to work with each individual, know where they are in their spiritual journeys, seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, and gently pose questions to help each seeker cross the line of faith. I cannot use any pressure, I cannot use any guilt, I cannot use anything even remotely manipulative (or can be considered manipulative by even one person) in evangelism.

In other words, I am highly critical of those asking for decisions during public meetings because by its nature, there will be pressure. It is something that goes against my beliefs of evangelism. It crosses the line into proselytizing.

I am also critical of "evangelism" that does visit people individually, but slowly (or not so slowly) turns the pressure on them to make a decision in favor of a set of beliefs.

The Holy Spirit and the individual who is making the spiritual journey have to lead the way. My job is to observe and to suggest course changes, but never in a way that violates free will.

Photos from the air

Here are a few photos taken during the flights back from Anchorage.

Devil's Thumb from the air	Eastern peaks near Petersburg
Coast near Anchorage	Peaks near Juneau
Shadow inside rainbow	Mountains near Juneau

Reflections on this week

Now that I've had a couple of nights following the meetings in Anchorage, here are a few of my reflective thoughts:

On Soul-Winning

I agree wholeheartedly with the major premise of Bob Folkenberg's ShareHim initiative. What is the major premise? As I understand it, it is that every church member should be active participants in the gospel work. Even when I was at Tualatin, that was my vision of what all churches ought to be.

The misgivings I have are in regards to the processes and methods. Maybe I'm too cynical and skeptical... Maybe I've worked in teams and with projects too many times... And maybe I shouldn't be projecting my experience in software development processes and projects to spiritual processes and projects... But I think my experience in the software world is quite relevant to the spiritual.

I just don't believe in a one-process-fits-all world. I don't believe in (an anti-pattern, using a software development process term) silver bullets. I believe that all processes need to be tailored and customized to the environment and circumstances in which the processes will be applied. So when the call is to take the process and methods that were presented and apply them directly into every context, I hear loud alarm bells ringing inside of me.

So what does this mean for me? I believe I need to firmly resist attempts to push cookie-cutter processes and methods. I need to take the principles and derive tailred processes and methods that have the best chances of success in my local context. It may end up looking very different from what was presented, and I need to make a case showing why this is better.

On Enthusiasm

There were a couple of workers at the meeting, only shortly removed from their conversion experience. I envy the enthusiasm they have. Have my years of growing up and living in the church made me too cynical of some things that go on? Have I become too comfortable? Could I, should I, be doing more?

On Confidence

In these meetings, I was surrounded by most who have had formal theology training, and many who have done post-graduate work at the seminary. I felt wholly inadequate for the work I've chosen to take on.

The comfort I take is that I believe that when God calls, God also equips; that God's strength and grace work best in my weaknesses; that the first generation of the Christian church was built up by mostly those who were unlearned through formal schooling but had been trained by Jesus himself in his school of daily experiences.

So although I have no confidence in myself as to accomplishing the task that I believe God has called me to do, I have confidence that God will not let me down. This is the one and only thing that keeps me going day after day. Whatever natural gifts and abilities I have, when I place them in God's hands, he is able to use them to work out his plan in my life and in the life of others that I touch.

Both right before leaving for the meetings this week, and during it, the work I've been doing has been affirmed by a number of individuals. I'm grateful for these affirmations. They strengthen the tiny faith that I have, and they give me the courage and confidence I need to take the next few steps into the unknown.

Back in Petersburg

It was a relatively uneventful trip back to Petersburg. I rode over to the airport with the pastor from Nome, who was hoping to fly back today. Nome is one of those places where the airport shuts down frequently during bad weather. I think he was supposed to leave last night, but no flights were making it there. In fact, he says that many times, the flight would reach Nome, but is not able to land, so it flies back to Anchorage.

His flight was supposed to leave this morning, but the plane taxied a short distance, then due to some mechanical problem, came right back. He's hoping to make it out tonight. It's nice of the Anchorage airport to provide free public WiFi access.

My flight was delayed about 40 minutes. But once we got on our way, everything was fairly smooth. Going into Juneau and then all the way down to Petersburg, I was able to see snow-capped peaks floating above the clouds. I did take quite a few photos -- I'll find out tonight if any of them are any good.

There must have been a huge tailwind or something from Juneau to Petersburg, because most of the time lost at Anchorage was made up by the time we landed. It feels almost tropical here compared to the sub-zero temperatures I experienced during the earlier part of the week.

Upon my return, I discovered that our front windows now have pseudo-curtains on them.

Strip Malls

There are plenty of them in Anchorage. And after not seeing them for over three months, it doesn't bother me one bit that we don't have them in Petersburg.

Rick and I went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. I got a chicken stir-fry dish -- spicy! And boy, was it ever! In addition to the dried red chili pepper, I think there was a whole jalapeno -- with all the insides and seeds. It's been a while since I've had anything quite so hot. When I make spicy foods at home, I have to make sure it's toned down to where it's noticeable, but not actually hot (to my tongue).

Following that, we again stopped at Coldstone for a bit of ice cream. (Some of the other pastors went over to Coldstone every night that we were here.) This time I tried the standard chocolate ice cream with some raspberries. It was pretty good.

It was on the return to the Conference office that I really noticed all the strip malls, the big-box stores, and the commercialism of urban America. Sure I sometimes miss the convenience, but overall I would rather have the beauty of an idyllic small town than to be overrun by cookie-cutter stores.

Preaching and Coldstone

Monday's seminars was about how churches need to get back into the habit of sowing the
Gospel seeds, nurturing them, and then reaping them. I'm still pondering this topic and
how that applies to our Petersburg environment. The biggest mistake would be to try to
apply the suggested methods and even the suggested principles without making necessary
alternation to bring relevancy to the local context.

Two-thirds of yesterday's seminars was on preaching -- both the ideologies, the
philosophies, and some practical aspects. The presenter, Dr. David Thomas of Walla
Walla, affirmed that preaching should be the most important task of a pastor. And he
gave a number of good reasons why this is so.

In the practical portion, he provided an outline of what ought to be included in the
sermon preparation and delivery process. I found it comforting to see that many of the
things that I've picked up and do already are things that he recommends, perhaps in
slightly different ways. There were also a number of new ideas that I think would be
beneficial.

Following the day's meetings and dinner, a number of us drove out to Coldstone. Yeah,
it's a little ironic that my very first time to Coldstone is in Anchorage, AK during a
sub-zero night! I had a nice, dark-chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chips.

I still have not had a good night's sleep. The pillow is too big, or maybe it's too
soft, or is the room too hot, or maybe not warm enough... Maybe I might finally get a
decent night's sleep tonight.

There really isn't much to write about today's closing session in the morning. Overall I
enjoyed the time spent this week in Anchorage, getting together with other pastors in
Alaska, discovering that many of us share similar issues and struggles in leading
churches in this state.

When I looked up synonyms for the word evangelism, there weren't any good ones, but
plenty of ones with just horrible connotations. And evangelism itself doesn't hold very
good connotations today.

So what would be a better replacement? Is there another word that is better, or perhaps
a phrase? What about the phrase, "Proactive sharing of the Gospel," as a possible
replacement?

Now what kind of sermon can I work up using Coldstone ice cream...?

On to Anchorage

The morning started out a tad busy as I still had to pack for my trip to Anchorage. Before leaving, I also wanted to post up a few more flyers for our Bread/Cereal class in 3 weeks. So after packing the suitcase, I took the flyers and briskly walked (also a good way to get some exercise at the start of a week I know will be spent sitting around for much of it) into town. There were some gusty winds and little snow pellets coming down. The way to town was against the wind, so that meant pulling my jacket hood far out in front and looking down to try and get some shelter from the storm. After posting a few more up, I turned back home -- a much more comfortable walk with the wind at my back.

Upon returning, I took my suitcase over to the airport to check myself and the bag in. And then I drove back home to grab some lunch before returning to the airport for the boarding. It's a little different here, as you can tell. The airport, for one thing, is a 5 minute drive -- and heavy traffic means we might encounter a few other vehicles on the roads... And since there are just two daily flights serving a community of 3,000, the airport has no services. In fact, there is no waiting area past the security gate. Once past security, it's straight onto the plane. So if there are bags to be checked, passengers here arrive early, check the bags in, then go back home until boarding time.

For whatever reason, the flight was packed, both to Juneau, and then to Anchorage. I was seated up front to Juneau, and then all the way in the back for the segment to Anchorage.

Approaching Anchorage, I could see the ocean -- filled with ice floes. I'm pretty certain this is the farthest north I've ever been.

Once the plane stopped at the terminal, the back door was opened for the crew to service the beverage carts. And with it came a blast of near-0 degree air. And since I was seated in the very back, that meant it got really cold, very quickly. Those of us in the back were soon seeing vapors from our breathing. Yes, it is colder here. Petersburg is almost tropical compared to Anchorage.

What I found interesting is that because Anchorage is so much farther west, the sunset is nearly an hour after Petersburg's. However, sunrise is past 10 a.m. So it looks like there is about an hour less of daylight at this lattitude than there is in Petersburg this time of year.

Dave Brown from Wrangell was on the same flight, and after we picked up our baggage, we looked around, then at one another, and wondered, who was going to pick us up? Dave called the Conference office and was assured someone would be found to pick us up. After some time, Dan, with whom I will be sharing a room the next few nights, finally found us and took us to the Conference office.

Dan is a Bible worker in Kodiak. He's been there for about nine/ten months now. Prior to Kodiak, he was in New Mexico. A bit of a change, I would think.

For the first time in over 3 months, I was on top of a freeway. And saw Lowe's... And shopping centers... And snow measured by yardsticks.

We had a wonderful dinner, which was followed by some get-to-know-one-another games. There was a game a little like musical chairs, except that the person without a seat had to say something about him/herself and everyone for whom the statement wasn't true had to find a new seat. The one left standing would then have to say something.

There were a couple of games based on Gestures. A rhythm game where the leader would say a category, then everyone else in the circle would have to name something from the category, in time, without skipping a beat.

There were "prizes" which were given out, but not enough for every person to have one. The evening ended with an adaptaion of the white elephant gift exchange game. I did not end up with anything.

The actual meetings begin tomorrow morning.

Project: FAITH HOUSE Manhattan

A new interfaith community experiment, led by an Adventist pastor and logistical support provided through the Adventist church, has just launched in New York City. Click on the title above to go to their web site.

Here is a description of this project taken from the site:

Faith House will seek to bring progressive Jews, Christians, Muslims, and spiritual seekers of no faith to become an interfaith community for the good of the world. We have one world and one God. Nothing is impossible. Who can stop God from teaching us how to live together in community?

We envision a vibrant urban faith community to which all are welcome to bring the treasures of their faith. We believe that in this respectful and disarming environment in which we are all learners as well as teachers, the depth, the beauty, and the truthfulness of faith in God will shine and capture the imagination not only of the cynics looking from the outside, but also the imagination of the cynic within each of us.

God uses people to change the world. No matter where you live on this planet, we need your help at every phase of this journey. Efforts that change the world take time, energy, and unlikely people to come together. Only after people work together and persist over a long period of time, will the tectonic shift happen.

Love is the way. There is no other way. And there are not enough people who really believe this. Let’s support each other any way we can as we learn to live the kind of life that can make this dream a reality.

Today's sermon on John 1:1-4: Foundations

Today's sermon audio is available.

I examine the first four verses of the Gospel of John and see how John begins to build up the proposition that Jesus is the eternally divine God. The application for us today is that unless we are secure in our foundations of what the Bible claims about Jesus, we are inviting deceivers to come in and sweep us off our feet.

Next Sabbath I plan to work through verses 5 through 9.

I hope I get enough time to prepare this coming week, as I will be in Anchorage from Sunday to Thursday attending the AK Conference pastors meetings.

Snow continues to fall on and off. There hasn't been much more accumulation, but if the forecasts are correct, the temps are supposed to dip considerably below freezing over the next several days. And I'll be traveling farther north just in time for the colder weather. Brrr... (which according to the Scrabble Dictionary, is an actual word that can be used in Scrabble -- just thought you'd like to know).

Fair, then snow

We awoke this morning to fair skies, and nearly a full moon. There was a dusting of snow on the ground. As I was driving Elise over to the hospital, I noticed how the moon might become picturesque if it traveled to just the right location in relation to the landforms.

After returning to the apartment, I was doing some reading and studying, but keeping an eye on the moon. It was right around 8 a.m. when I noticed the moon was goint to set behind Kupreanof Island, so quickly, I grabbed the camera and tripod, and in open sandals (but I did have socks worn), rushed out toward the Narrows. I first took a grab shot just on the sidewalk outside the apartments before heading across the street and over the guardrail.

Here are a couple of moon images, plus an image of the clouds starting to roll in from the west.

Later in the morning, I made my way out on foot to the bank, insurance office, and the church. It was dry, but icy and slippery, when I started out. By the time I had finished my business at the bank, it was starting to snow. By the time I got out of the insurance office, it was snowing hard.

I did more cleaning up of the last Christmas stuff at the church, and then stepped outside to go to the toy store (to purchase some LEGO bricks for this Sabbath's sermon), the Post Office and then back home. By this time, the ground had an inch or so, perhaps more, of snow. And it kept coming down.

On the way back from the Post Office I stopped at the big grocery store to put up a flyer for the bread and cereal cooking class that we will be holding in three weeks. While there, Bob Carter of the Presbyterian Church, bumped into me and asked to take one of the flyers for his church. I was more than happy to have him spread the word.

I walked back from there using a route I had never used before. It is one of the walking paths through the muskeg, going past the Manor, and out to the ballfield. From there I took 8th street back towards the apartment. Altogether, I think I walked around 4 miles today.

Elise went home early today. The nursing director is out of town, and the other nurses there aren't quite sure how Elise is supposed to be legally classified while still in her training hours. So Elise has a couple of unexpected days off this week. She will resume next week after all the right people are back. She called me just as I arrived at the church. If I was driving, I could have gone to pick her up, but as I had walked... Elise didn't have boots nor a coat with her. She purchased a coat at the Salvation Army Thrift Store before walking home.

So taking advantage of this unexpected break, we all went back into the city. Since our auto insurance is up for renewal this month, we purchased a new policy here. And then we went to the library and spent some time there before going to the Salvation Army Thrift Store to look around and pick up some things Deloris had picked out for Shelley and Amy to look over. By this time the snow was thick and heavy. The top of our pickup had 3 or so inches in the hour or two that had passed. Tomorrow looks to be an interesting day.

Mild panic attacks...

I've been a part of a number of children's choirs, string ensembles, bands, and other choirs over the years. However, I've never directed one, let alone start one from scratch. And I've also never led out in any type of children's groups. Let me see... have I had any instruction in elementary education...? Nope. I found my college diploma, and when I looked at it, it still said Computer Science.

So I've been having a bit of anxiety and some mild panic attacks when I think about what I've gotten myself talked into doing...

I suppose it's all the better for God to work his grace -- and I'm going to need a flood of it, really, really soon. And I'm going to need a few more spiritual gifts that I don't yet possess.

If you're planning to visit us in 2007...

You might want to plan it to coincide with the Little Norway Festival to be held during May 17-20. The Chamber of Commerce website has the details on this annual festival.

There's no guarantee skies will be clear and blue like you see on the Chamber site. But I'm sure you'll experience some good Viking fun.

The individual responsible for many years of planning and running the whole show is leaving the city (gettin married, from what I hear), but word is that she'll be back and the new organizers might even get her back into the thick of things.

Findings on longevity

Here's an interesting article from the NY Times that I found through The Oregon Adventist Pastor blog.

The major premise is that how long a person stays in school is a strong determinant, even more than lifestyle and wealth, of a person's longevity. What is it about education that lengthens life? Studies suggest that it is because education teaches people to delay gratification. They are better able to look to the future, plan for it, and wait for it to come.

About halfway through the article (there are 3 pages) Adventists are mentioned, but disputes the traditional perception of diet being the primary reason why Adventists tend to live longer. Rather, it suggests from a study that the tight, cohesive social networks that Adventists have with one another is the major reason behind their longevity. (You know what I'm talking about -- you've gone to a church gathering in a state or country that you're sure you don't have any friends or relatives, but upon arrival you find out that there is someone who knows someone else you know -- or even knows you through some third party.)

Adventists are strong proponents of education. My guess and opinion is that Adventists tend to be better educated than the population at large. Our theology is one that emphasizes delayed gratification. And as studies have shown, we have tight social networks. Our focus on healthier living certainly helps.

Like most things, it seems to me that Adventist longevity is a result of a combination and a balance of many things. As a church and as Christians, we need to emphasize all these aspects as essential to life as God wants us to have, and not get tunnel-visioned on just one aspect.

Christmas is over

Since we did not have a Christmas tree inside the apartment this year, how does a family determine when Christmas is over? Traditionally, it's been the taking down of the tree.

This year, maybe the end is signalled by the deconstruction of the gingerbread house --

I've been cleaning up the Christmas decorations at the church this week. I just realized that I still have to take apart and put away the fibre-optic tree.

New Living Translation, 2nd ed.

The New Living Translation (NLT) is my favorite translation and the one I use primarily. The last few years, I've been using either web-based Bibles, or the one included in a recent QuickVerse library. I've known for a while now that the NLT was revised and is now published as the Second Edition.

What I didn't realize was that many of the phrases and thought interpretations that caused my eyebrows to raise up a bit and say to myself, "Huh...? Does it really say that?" in the first edition have been corrected in the second. I found this out as I was reading the printed version (first ed.) against the QuickVerse library (second ed.)

After discovering how much better the second edition is in removing interpretation bias, I determined that this was a required "upgrade" and ordered the new NLT ("new New...?") from Amazon.com.

I recommend to anyone who uses the NLT and is still using a pre-2004 edition to get the new edition (some of the 2007 publications are being labled NLTse). A basic one can be had on sale for less than $10.

A visit to the Manor

Mountain View Manor is the city-run assisted living facility. The Petersburg Christian Ministerial Association is responsible for the Wednesday morning devotionals there. Each of the pastors interested in leading the devotionals rotates through the schedule. It looks like each pastor ends up being scheduled to go there every other month.

Today was my turn. I got to meet Mary, Betty, Pat, Ann, and Lorean (who is a member of my church). We sang some songs, I read a few verses from Ecclesiastes (since that is this week's Bible reading) chapter 3 and commented about how time is a gift and we need to make sure we use this gift wisely by seeking God in all we do. I asked them, since they have many more years of experience in life than I do, what they would advise a young person like me...

• Love one another
• Do for others as you would have them do for you
• Spend time on the things that are important

We sang another song and closed the half-hour period with prayer.

These are wonderful ladies. Though I could tell that their short-term memories have already deteriorated to varying degrees. Long-term memories -- memories of their earlier lives -- they are still strong though.

Ann, I think, felt a particularly strong connection to me. She is half-Japanese, and the rest Swedish and Tlingit (prounounced "Klin-gkit"). Her father came from Osaka as a young man and never left, finding his wife here and building a family. She says there used to be quite a few Japanese in Petersburg, though there really aren't that many left today.

Calling physicians, dentists, vets

If you or anyone you know is a physician, dentist, or veterinarian; wants to practice in a small town; wants a mission experience without going to a foreign country; and doesn't mind the often wet weather, have we got a deal for you!

Petersburg's only vet died last year (and I know at least two kitties that would use the services of a vet). Of the two dentists, one will be retiring shortly (already, appointments have to be made months in advance just to get in). And there is room for another physician to open a practice here (and if the office needs a nurse, Elise might be available...)

Maybe God's calling you... Think about it.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

One of the things I appreciate most in Petersburg is the community, fellowship, and the brother/sisterhood of Christian believers. We recognize that we have differences, and that's okay. But what transcends our differences and brings us together is that we have a common Father, a common Brother, and we are all led by the same Spirit. Our goal, all of us, is to bring people to Christ so that they can find salvation and freedom through Christ.

Our monthly Ministerial Association meeting reminded me of this once again. Our weekly get-togethers are also reminders that God is much bigger than any of us can even begin to imagine.

Al Solmonson's (Lutheran pastor) Christmas sermon this past Sunday mentions this fellowship that he's found in Petersburg. Al talks about this fellowship about 2/3rd of the way down his sermon.

Welcome, 2007!

In case you slept through it, 2007 has arrived.

We went over to the Herbrandsons yesterday afternoon/evening/early morning to say good-bye to the old year and hello to the new year. We had some dinner, then played some games, while I made an attempt to get rid of some adware that was plaguing a computer.

Getting rid of the adware was the easy part. Earlier in the day, System Restore was used to try to get the computer back to a point where AutoCAD would function again. After that, for one reason or another, AOL's security center user-interface no longer came up. So the computer spent much of the evening and night downloading the security center software again, and installing it. As soon as that was done though, AutoCAD stopped working. Oh, oh... Apparently there are some incompatibilities with the components installed by the security center software and AutoCAD. There probably isn't a solution other than to ditch one or the other. I recommended trying out Windows OneCare instead of AOL's software (which actually is a combination of CA's PestPatrol and McAfee's VirusScan and Firewall). Hopefully that will resolve the current issues.

We took over some inari-sushi over there as our contribution to the dinner. Gerry, in particular was a bit skeptical, as his last experience with sushi was not very positive. But after tasting one of the ones we brought, I'm sure he would have cleaned off the entire plate by himself, if he was allowed to do so.

We got home around 1 a.m. I woke up past 9 a.m. this morning. Since there was a little bit of the sushi rice left from last night, I prepared some eggs and carrots to put into maki-sushi. The tool used to roll the sushi is over at the church, so I made do with a kitchen towel, so the rolls couldn't be rolled as tightly as they should. I guess it really doesn't matter once they get eaten.

Yesterday, in the early afternoon hours, I went over to a couple of homes of members who hadn't made it to church on Sabbath to offer them Communion. I had good visits with them.

We learned that in this city, New Year's fireworks occur on New Year's day. I don't know whether or not it will actually happen today. This month has seen a number of quite windy days. Plus it continues to rain heavily.

Today, no stores are open. In fact, on all major holidays, no stores are open. So we've been having to learn to anticipate and prepare for holidays, to make sure we have all the necessary groceries and supplies. It's not like the big cities where even on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, you can run out and find something open. Or even if not in a large city, you can drive to one if needed. When we discover we are missing something, we have to rely on the graciousness of friends and neighbors -- which may not be a bad thing.

Old year, New year, Communion

It's almost hard to believe, but the year 2006 is nearly gone. This was our last Sabbath of this year. I spoke on Joshua 1:1-9 this morning. Recently I subscribed to kine of a a pastor's book club that sends out a hardcover book with a set of sermon outlines once every 4 to 6 weeks. The first one of these was on Joshua.

This being Christmas week and everything, Elise starting to work full shifts at the hospital (meaning I have to take care of many more things around the house), Elise getting sick... I lost a couple of days that I would have normally used for sermon preparation. So I needed some jumpstarting for my sermon preparation. I took one of the sermon outlines as a starting point in putting together this weeks Year-End/New Year's/Communion 3-in-1 sermon. It's amazing how God is able to bring together diverse thoughts and order them in such a way as to meet the needs for a given Sabbath. This hasn't been the only week where I struggled early in the week to both identify an appropriate message, and then work with ways to communicate it. You can listen in on the final result, titled "Imagine..."

As noted, this was also our Communion Sabbath. First of all, on Thursday as I was pulling out the buckets and the basins, I was utterly astonished to discover that these were not the run-of-the-mill hardware store plastic stuff, but quality porcelain/steel deals. I don't know when and where the last time I encountered something like these were. It might be way back when I was a small child. The problem with these is that after use, they have to all be set out individually to dry completely. Otherwise, they rust. So plastic may be more efficient.

And then this morning, the communion trays were brought out to be filled. I couldn't find them earlier because they were located way back in one of the top cupboards. Again, I was astonished! These were real glass juice cups. For as long as I can remember, all I've ever seen used were the plastic disposable cups. Again, the problem is that each of these have to be washed. Good thing our congregation is tiny!

We have one ordained deacon who was not present today. We have no other elders. This meant that for this Communion, my first one in which I lead out, I also was responsible for distributing the elements. This was ceratainly a very different experience from days past, when I was one of the many assistants in the Communion service.

Maybe I've mentioned this in the past, and if so, it keeps getting reinforced all the time: Small churches require just as much work and effort, and it seems even more, than larger churches.

The congregation has an assignment for this week, and maybe you might want to consider doing something similar, too. The assignment is that each person is to imagine how they want to grow spiritually during 2007, to write it down together with some ways of reaching the targets, put it in a sealed envelope and hand it in to me next week. Then after six-months I will hand or mail them back to each person as reminders and encouragements to continue on with the process for the remainder of the year.

Bible Reading 2007, Week 1

The Bible Reading for the week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6 is

• Ecclesiastes
• Psalms 8, 19, 65, 77
• Genesis 1:1-11:9

The theme is Creator of Life.

Upgrade to latest Blogger complete

You might notice that the appearance of this page looks a little different. I started the upgrade to the latest version of Blogger yesterday, and completed the template upgrade just now.

The main difference is in the easier ways to access past postings. The contents of the left column can expand to show all the postings chronologically, or you can filter by category labels to see just a subset of postings.

Enjoy!

History, heresies, and failure to learn

Over the last few months, I've been more and more convinced that we need to do a better job of educating ourselves from history. Whether it's The Da Vinci Code, religions that deny the God-Man incarnation and full divnity of Christ, the nature of Biblical inspiration, or anything else, there doesn't seem to be anything controversial and/or heretical that hasn't already been a part of church history, all the way back to the first century AD.

I think these "issues" keep coming up because we fail to educate ourselves about history, and we fail to adequately teach these history lessons to our congregations. And because of these failures, many of these things that come up from time to time are shocking to many church members, and can in some cases result in people falling away from Christianity altogether.

During this next year, 2007, and perhaps even beyond, I sense my duty in our congreation is to go back to review and teach some of the very basics of Christianity, to reinforce the fundamentals, so that our foundations of faith will no longer be shaken. My sermons will primarily go through the Gospel of John, and I will try to incorporate church and denominational history to show how our beliefs developed into what they are today.

Additionally, I will challenge the congregation to read through the Bible this next year, together. I would like our worships and prayer meetings to be times when members are able to share with one another what they have been learning from the Bible, rather than me being the only one up front doing all the teaching. This seems more like the church God has in mind -- where everyone is a minister to one another, and where each person's spiritual gifts are being employed.

Elise is out with a flu

For spending the last two days with long-term residents with a variant of the flu, Elise is now out of commission this morning with the same thing.

Me, I'm hoping I don't come down with it, though the chances are getting pretty good that I will. I've increased my raw garlic consumption from occasionally, to regularly in the hopes that I can ward off the flu vampire.

The ground is white again this morning. It looks like we got about an inch of snow overnight.

Work and stuff

It's brrr.... cold this morning. It's been a few weeks since temps dropped into the mid-20's, but that's where they are. The skies look fair, and fog (freezing) is drifting through the Narrows. There is shiny, sparkly frost on the front lawn and on the roads. Once again, I drove Elise over to the hospital for her 2nd 12-hour shift.

Well, even though we don't have to directly pay for heating costs here, we sure are paying for heating an empty house in Tigard. Last month's natural gas bill that we just received came to almost $150. Here's another reason we really want to have the house taken off our hands.

The hoar frost was absolutely stunning today. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me on the bike. They looked like hundreds of little flowers coming up out of the sheets of ice and the wooden outside steps at the church.

For those with more British leanings, yesterday was Boxing Day, and for all others, December 26. It was Elise's first 12 hour shift at the hospital as part of her clinical experience. Everything apparently went okay, though she says her feet are tired from standing so much.

There's been a strain of the flu going around, and the long-term (nursing home) patients at the hospital are all down with it. There's probably a better than even chance of most of us coming down with it, now that Elise will regularly be exposed to all the nasty stuff.

What this all means is that I'm responsible now for handling many of the domestic duties in addition to the church duties. Things will get busier now, I suppose. Fortunately, the kids are mostly pretty good at taking care of themselves. What needs some prodding and motivation is in regards to schoolwork. I noticed that Amy has quite a bit of schoolwork left for this week still, so I'll have to nag her some more.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been doing quite a bit more sitting than moving. Various reasons, but the overall result is that I've been feeling sluggish. This morning, I rode the bicycle over to the church, stopping at the Post Office on the way to drop off a few items to be mailed. The cold air sure felt good hitting my face. On the way back a couple of hours later, there were a few snowflakes coming down.

Christmas Day, part 2

This afternoon/evening, we spent our time and had dinner with Verne and Wanda. They live 8-1/2 miles or so away from town, or about 10 miles from our apartment. We had a pleasant evening -- and I had some turkey.

The drive there and back seemed really long. Now that we've gotten used to 1 to 2 miles at most to get to just about anything we need, driving 10 miles (about 20 minutes) feels like eternity. When I think back, 20 minutes was the shortest commute time between Tigard and Beaverton -- and I'm talking about those rare commutes at 3 or 4 a.m. where all the traffic lights are in my favor.

I think one of our top priorities in locating our permanent home here is something in town, convenient and close to everything we need.

Over the last twelve days, Elise and the kids gave out themed gifts each day according to the Twelve Days of Christmas to our landlady and one of our neighbors in the apartments. I think both of them suspected they were responsible, but everyone on both the giving and receiving ends had fun.

Last evening, we were surprised to find on our doorknob a bag containing anonymous gifts. So this morning, those were the first ones to be opened, and we found little Norwegian figurines, but couldn't for the life of us figure out who left them or why they were given.

The mystery was solved this evening when Elise went to give the twelfth gift to our neighbor. She (the neighbor) had seen little black-haired "gnomes" running around, ringing doorbells, and leaving little gifts outside the front door. So she dropped off a couple of Norwegian gnome figurines, plus a figurine of a dancing pair of male and female gnomes -- in memory of the little Christmas gnomes of 2006.

Christmas Day

5:00 a.m. - The children were awake and bouncing. For whatever reason, I didn't get very good sleep, so I would have preferred to stay in bed, but that was no longer an option. The children searched about the house for their hidden stockings. (We don't have a fireplace, nor a hearth, so I suppose Santa comes through the water pipes...) Upon locating the stockings, the children pawed through its contents -- candy, puzzles, art supplies, playing cards, small baskets, etc.

7:00 a.m. - A quick breakfast and clean up because the children want to get on with the Christmas gifts.

7:30 a.m. - Opening of gifts. Clothing, toys, knick-knacks, games, food, and more. The thrills and joys of discovering what had been wrapped up and sitting about, beckoning peeks and shakes.


7:50 a.m. - We got the kids a couple of this year's U.S. Tamagotchi models, and so they are now reading through the instructions and raising their first little ones in their brand new world. These are able to talk with one another via infrared, and they can also sort-of interact with an online world via a PC and web browser.


8:30 a.m. - It's now sunrise -- We've officially entered Christmas Day (the day part). It's going be a cloudy, rainy day.

Thank you to everyone who provided us with a wonderful Christmas.

JAJAH for long distance calls

Recently, I discovered, while browsing the Wall Street Journal site, an Internet-based phone service that uses regular land line phones as well as mobile/cell phones for low-cost or even free calls, even between many foreign countries.

The service is run by a company from the Netherlands and is called JAJAH and is at www.jajah.com. To make calls the number of the phone making the call must be registered on the site. What you do is dial the call using the web site. The service calls your phone and when you pick up, it then rings the other phone number. A call to an unregistered number can be as low as 2.5 cents/minute, including many foreign countries in Europe and a few in Asia, including Japan. (The rate charts are all online.)

Calls to another registered number can often be free. There are some restrictions on how long and how often free calls are allowed. The registered number to be called must also be an "active" number -- in other words, that number has to be an originating call about once a week using the JAJAH service.

Within the U.S. it might not make a whole of sense for people with cell phones with plenty of minutes because most of the plans include nationwide free long distance included in the minutes. But for people without cell phones, or with plans that don't include free long distance, it could make sense.

And for calling overseas, it can make a whole lot of sense. For example, my calls to a landline number (mobile is more expensive) in Japan are 2.5 cents/minute, any time of the day. If the landline number in Japan is registered and active, the call can be free.

We've occasionally experienced service outages or busyness, so it isn't 100% reliable, but for the lower cost for calls, I think it's worth the hassle. And unlike many of the other IP-telephony services, no special equipment needs to be obtained. Just continue to use the existing landline and mobile equipment.

Gingerbread creations

Here are the kids' gingerbread creations that I mentioned a few posts back.

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas. We thank you for your support and your prayers for us during this year. There's no need to go into details of the last few months as they are all available here for your perusal.

The year 2006 began for us in a state of flux and uncertainty. I was still in the middle of seeing if a computer support service business would grow or not. The first couple of months seemed to bring an answer. Rather than growing, despite increasing the advertising, business shrunk to virtually nothing. And of the business I got, I was unsuccessful in resolving the majority of them. It was an exercise in sheer frustration, futility, and humility.

It was during this time that I received an unexpected e-mail from Ken Crawford from the Alaska Conference office inquiring if we might be interested in moving to and working in Petersburg. Elise wasn't yet too sure that our future plans involved a move to such a distant location. But we all agreed that we should look into this new opportunity -- just in case.

Elise continued to home school our girls, take them to piano lessons, skating lessons, and participate in a few home school cooperative group classes.

We continued our work at the Tualatin church, but as the months continued to pass by, there was a growing sense that our work was to be done elsewhere. We went to our annual Big Lake winter retreat, together with a few Canby church families. It would be our last trip there for the foreseeable future.

So in June 2006 we took the initial plunge to test the waters by making a two week visit to Petersburg. The first week we were treated to what a Petersburg summer is like. In fact as we later found out, it was the only summer that we had. The second week returned to the typical Petersburg weather pattern -- plenty of rain. However it was then that we began to discover that Amy really likes the rain. As others around here have noticed, Amy is seen outside more when it rains than when it is dry.

We had a wonderful time during those two weeks, meeting and visiting with a number of the church members plus others from the community. Upon our departure, we were pretty much certain that this is where our future lay.

So we began to make plans for our move. We knew that it would have to occur after the first part of August as that was when we were already scheduled to attend my cousin's wedding and make a final round of visiting relatives. We couldn't seem to get anything much accomplished during the month of July. We tried to clean things up and get ready to put the house on the market, but somehow neither the motivation nor the effort was there.

And so August quickly rolled around and we were nowhere near ready to go. In the week prior to leaving for our vacation, we quickly interviewed real estate brokers. And then we went on our vacation. During the middle of the trip, one of the brokers had been working hard and both called and sent us an e-mail with updated market analysis and plans. It was for that reason, and because of the brokers we interviewed, she was the one who appeared to genuinely love the house, that we hired her has our broker. I'm sure the others were just as good, but the one we chose has proven to be very conscientious in handling affairs and our requests from a distance.

Our initial plan was to wait for the sale of our house before moving, but in hindsight, if we had followed that plan, we would still be in Tigard. Now some (many?) of you might say, "Well, that would have been better for us." But for us, making the move meant making a firm decision and provided at least some closure to the uncertainties that we were having to live with.

The couple of weeks after returing from our vacation were very busy ones. We had to clear out much of the living areas of clutter and excess stuff. We rented a 20 cubic yard disposal container from Pride Disposal and filled it about 2/3 full. It actually was one of the most enjoyable things I did during the move -- tossing stuff in there and seeing it get full. I recommend it to anyone with too much stuff in their garage, attic, basement, and house.

And then we had to clean the house -- this was not fun at all. We also hired painters to paint a number of the rooms to their original, neutral colors. We hired window cleaners to clean the windows -- some so high that we had never cleaned them ourselves. We got the carpet shampooed.

Unfortunately, about the time we put the house on the market was when the market, which had already been slowing, took a nosedive for the worse. And as the weeks went by, things just kept getting worse and the real estate news was just one bad news after another.

But we were already committed to moving. We had begun working with the movers, we had already reserved spaces on the ferry. We didn't yet have a place to move into in Petersburg, however. And that resulted in yet more frantic calling and searching. In the end, things worked out and we were able to find an apartment that was willing to make an exception for our two lovely, well-behaved (except for their orchid destroying tendencies -- one is still alive, the other I think is still fighting a losing battle) kitties. I think God helped us find this place, not just for its grand vistas, but for its included water and heat. This has so far been one of the coldest autumns, and we were spared the cost of heating that would accompany the cold.

The remainder of our story from then until now can be found in the archives of this blog. Just click on one of the month links in the left column.

Merry Christmas, from the Kubo family -

Mark, Elise, Shelley, and Amy

Now for a little rest

There are definite advantages to leading an Adventist congregation vs. another denomination. When the Christmas Sabbath is over, that is it -- finished -- done -- finale -- until next year.

Because Christmas is a Monday this year, the other churches are extra busy during the next two days. First, there is the regular Sunday morning service, then many will have a Christmas Eve service, and then for a few, there will be another Christmas Day service.

We remember Christmas, but we don't feel the need to make it the biggest religious time of the year. The Advent is important, but what this event eventually leads to, the rest we find in Jesus accomplishing the work of salvation for us, is even more important, and we celebrate that each week during the Sabbath.

So the big work is now behind me, and I might actually have a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas Day.

Christmas Worship

We spent the last hour continuing our preparations for the brunch and worship. As 10 a.m. rolled around, we had a few individuals. One of the infrequent attenders, a young lady, brought along her boyfriend, which was his first time in the church and staying for the worship.

We began the brunch portion, and as the minutes passed by, some of the other members drifted in. We definitely had much more food ready than would be consumed. It's better to have more than to run short. There were rehearsals for tomorrow and Christmas Day going on in other parts of town which conflicted with the schedules of some who would have liked to join us.

As we moved into the sanctuary to begin our worship time, about half the family living across the street from our church entered in. The other half arrived mid-way into the program. We were thrilled to see them accept our invitation and join us. Altogether, we had a total of 23 -- about double our attendance on a typical good Sabbath.

We started the worship singing hymns and carols, and then went into the story of Christmas (Matthew 1 & 2, Luke 1 & 2) told in three parts with musical interludes in between. The story was read by Elise, Sheena (spelling? -- the young lady mentioned earlier), and Gerry alternating the paragraphs. Shelley played the more difficult version of Silent Night during the first interlude. Amy and I played a duet, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Sheena sang As a Deer during the second interlude.

Following the reading of the story, I gave a short sermonette on how our mission is to bring and live the hopeful message of Christmas all through the year (and used lyrics from a song in the Sesame Street Christmas CD as an illustration). This was the lead-in to O Holy Night.

Everyone joined in It Came Upon the Midnight Clear to close the service. The audio of the program is available. It begins from the story portion and continues to the end.

Of all the Sabbaths I've had here so far, this one had to be the most stressful. The perfectionist (or is precisionist?) part of me wants everything to play out exactly as planned. And with something like this where I have no idea who and how many might show up, and with so many things that could go away from the plan, it is very stressful. But in the end, it was a very nice and enjoyable service. Nothing I feared happened (as is usually the case).

So will this be the First Annual Petersburg Seventh-day Adventist Church Christmas Worship? I'd like to see it happen.

Winter Solstice

I think we are pretty close to that. It starts to get dark here around 2:30 p.m. as the sun goes behind the taller hills surrounding the island. By 3:00 p.m., it is sunset, and an hour later, it feels like the middle of the night.

On the other hand, sunrise is after 8:00 a.m., so we got to see the brilliant colors of sunrise in the sky this morning as we were driving to church. The small sun break lasted only briefly, as much of the remaining morning hours consisted of off and on snow showers. (Too warm to stick, though.)

Piano recital

Last night, Shelley performed at her first piano recital here. In addition to the 25 piano students, there were about a dozen vocal, guitar, and fiddle students also performing. When I first saw the list, I thought we were in for a three hour recital, but most of the pieces were fairly short and things kept moving along. So it was only about an hour and a half.

Shelley was the last pianist, prior to the finale by the ensemble of guitars and fiddles. I guess having one of the older and better pianists is not always an advantage, as we could not simply slip out in the middle of the recital (as did a number of families).

Shelley performed well, an arrangement of the Swan, and Silent Night. A dial-up friendly (i.e., very small and choppy) video is available for your viewing. You will need to use Windows Media Player, or another player that can play WMV (Windows Media Video) files.

Decorations

The church now looks quite festive. We (actually Elise, kids, and Deloris) spent much of the afternoon decorating. I spent a good part of is spreading de-icer on the parking lot surface, though it seems like a losing battle. The ice eventually did soften somewhat, but to break it apart is going to require heavy-duty pounding. I tried breaking it apart with my YakTrax and stomping, and I succeeded in small sections, but also succeeded in breaking one of the straps on the YakTrax. I think it still remains usable, though.

I wasn't planning on doing much speaking tomorrow, but after starting to write down a few thoughts on Christmas that were going to lead into O Holy Night, which I will be singing, I ended up with about a 5 minute sermonette. Provided the technical stuff doesn't go awry in the morning, I plan record a video of the whole thing.

Three months

It's hard to believe, but it's been three whole months since we first arrived. We've managed to get through all the trials of moving, the difficulties of settling in, and getting on with our daily lives. As we look back, we know we couldn't have done it all by ourselves. Family and friends, both from where we were and where we are now, have certainly helped. But it can only be our Lord and Savior, who works out all things for his good plan, who has worked things out and sustained us, and promises us that he will continue to do so.

A busy and long day

There wasn't a whole lot out of the ordinary yesterday, so consequently, there wasn't anything really to write about.

Today, however, was a different story...

Elise went to work this morning, and spent the entire day there. It was mostly about learning the hospital procedures, becoming familiar with things there, and such. The actual clinical practice begins on the 26th. Once those 80 hours are completed, and additional paperwork gets passed around, Elise will really be able to work.

Because I would need to carry some things over to the church later in the day, I drove Elise to the hospital in the morning. She walked back home in the evening.

Yesterday, the children started making gingerbread cookie creations from scratch. Today, they continued their project. Shelley made a house, complete with a front porch, thought one side of the roof seems to keep sliding off. Amy made a christmas tree from multiple star-shaped pieces stacked on top of another. Our kitchen has been absolutely chaotic since yesterday.

I did some cleaning about the church this morning, and also worked on the church bulletin for a while. Gerry stopped by to improve the cosmetics of the roof leak in the church. The leak had caused some of the plaster and paint in the ceiling to start peeling and it just didn't look very good. So the piece hanging down was taken off and new plaster spread. It isn't quite as noticeable now.

I came back home and packed up ingredients and equipment for making a triple recipe of latkes, both the regular kind and an herb kind. I was originally planning a quadruple recipe, but after peeling (with a mediocre peeler), grating (with a food processor), washing and soaking (repeat multiple times to get rid of as much starch as possible) 10# of potatoes (which filled all three large bowls that I found), I decided enough was enough. I didn't want to, nor have room, for 3 more pounds.

Once that part was done, I started with the first bowl to further rinse and wash the potatoes, then wring dry a handful of potatoes at a time in a kitchen towel. After that add all the other ingredients. Heat up oil for deep-frying, form the potatoes into little patties, and fry. And then while the frying is going on, prepare the next bowl of potatoes in like manner.

After 3-1/2 hours, half the batch was fried and done. I went back home for supper, then with Elise in tow (to decorate the church), I finished frying the remaining half. When it was all done, I smelled like hot oil, and so did the church. I aired out the building for a while, and hopefully most of it will dissipate over the next 1-1/2 days. That was one of the main reasons for getting all this ready early.

I don't know how many people will show up. I think it will be more than the usual crowd. I think it would be great to see the building full, but there's a bit of trepidation when I think about that actually happening. We won't have to wait too much longer to see how things go.

My recent reading list

Today, I thought I'd share my current reading list, ones I've recently completed, currently reading, and those on the to-read list. (Items marked with * open to Amazon.com. All others open to free online versions on SDANet.)

• (*) Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson
• (*) Latter Days: An Insider's Guide to Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Coke Newell
• More Than a Prophet: How We Lost and Found Again the Real Ellen White by Graeme Bradford
• Altar Call: A Call to Meet Christ at the Altar, by Roy Gane
• (*) Called to be God's Leader: Lessons from the Life of Joshua, by Henry & Richard Blackaby
• (*) Crossing Jordan: Joshua, Holy War, and God's Unfailing Promises, by Roy Adams
• (*) The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11, by Ron Suskind

As far as things happening today, I posted up some flyers for the Children's Choir in a few locations about town. We'll see how much interest we get.

Grandpa Tom and Danny are boarding the ferry past midnight for their sailing back to Bellingham. There are some high wind warnings in the general SE region of Alaska, so there could be some rough seas on their way back.

Yesterday morning, the children baked and decorated a couple of small cakes. Last night a couple of candles were placed on them for my (day early) birthday.

This evening, we were attempting to put together a Sloppy Joe topping from ingredients we had available. The flavors weren't quite where they should be. Elise added more salt, but it still wasn't right. I sauteed a couple cloves of garlic with additional seasonings, added it to the mix, and it was a little better, but it still wasn't quite right. As I was pondering what else would make it right, I started reading the ingredients from a completely unrelated food package and noticed sugar. I took the topping out of the microwave and added a few tablespoons of sugar into the mix. Voila! All of a sudden the flavors had improved. Somewhere I seem to recall hearing that in many foods, it's the balance of saltiness, sourness, and sweetness that gives it the right flavor. Anyway, something for me to keep in mind in my culinary explorations. And a good analogy to life in general, too. Everything in life needs to be in the right balance for it to be harmonious and pleasant, both to self and others.

Santa and filling in

Yesterday around 1 p.m., Santa arrived in Petersburg. Around this part of the country, reindeer (particularly flying ones) are scarce and sleighs aren't to be found, so Santa has to make do with the next best thing -- an Alaska Ferry!

I didn't go, but Elise, Grandpa, and all the kids went to the ferry terminal. From what I hear, it was quite crowded there, with children and their parents waiting for Santa to appear. Once he arrived, the children went to see him and received some goody bags. Shelley and Amy went and talked with Santa (as you can see), but apparently Danny did not.

While the rest of the family was at the terminal, I was busy making latkes (Jewish shredded potato deep-fried pancakes). I wanted to make sure this would work for our Christmas Brunch this Saturday. It can be made up to three days ahead and reheated in an oven to crisp-ness. Anyway, it looks like it will work, though I don't plan to shred 12-15 pounds of potatoes with a box shredder, nor grind 3 cups or so of Matzo (unleavened bread) meal. Elise did locate our food processor after she returned, and hopefully we can also locate our stand mixer as well.

Shelley went to a Wyldlife Christmas party at the Lighthouse church in the afternoon. It consisted of a movie, some games, and snacks.

And then right after that, all of us headed over to the Presbyterian church for their little Christmas play. I think we made up about the quarter of the attendees. And they were missing a couple of non-speaking parts, so Shelley and I volunteered to fill in. I was the innkeeper's son, Jonathan, and Shelley became Ruth, the daughter.

The play was an imaginative account of Christmas at the inn in Bethlehem, where all the dinner guests are transformed into inn guests. As dinner is being served and consumed, the play goes on around the inn. At the end of the meal, after Jesus is born, everyone goes to the "stable" to see the newborn baby. The whole play is written in a very engaging and humorous manner.

This was the first time inside the Presbyterian church. Size-wise, it looks to be about the same size as our church. They have more in regular attendance, from what I've heard.

The rain that started yesterday afternoon and continues has washed away most of the new snow from yesterday.

The rest of the family are over at the Hashagens baking cake (which I'm not supposed to know about). Something about my birthday... :)

A little more snow

We got three or so inches of snowfall last night, blanketing the landscape with a new layer of fresh white. The weather is warming up again, so it probably won't remain too long. We will be getting heavy rains, according to the forecast, for the next few days.

Danny, Shelley, and Grandpa went for a walk yesterday afternoon. At the far terminal of the trail, Danny was apparently being his usual self, jumping off of things when he slipped on a snow covered, icy log and fell. I got a call from Grandpa asking for someone to drive up and pick them up, while I heard screaming in the background.

Apparently everything was okay, because Elise said later that evening that Danny was subdued to the activity level of a typical child his age. This morning, he is running around in the snow, as if nothing had happened.

This week will be somewhat busy for us. Shelley is going to an event this afternoon. All of us are planning on attending the Presbyterian potluck and play this evening. There are some other things going on in the middle of the week. Shelley has a piano recital on Friday. And we have our Christmas worship on Saturday. Will we make it through the week in one piece? Find out during the next few episodes of "As Alaska Turns."

Today's sermon (Dec. 16)

Today's sermon is based on Luke chapter 1. I discuss the difference in responses to the angelic announcement of miraculous births made to Zechariah and Mary.

Invitations in the snow

We've had off and on sporadic snow showers since last evening. There's been a little accumulation -- an inch or two.

I went out on the bike this morning to deliver more of our bullein inserts for our Christmas service to a couple of the churches. As before, riding in snow and ice is a bit different from pavement and even dirt. Where there are ruts, the wheels simply want to follow them and not necessarily where I want to go. And even a couple of inches of snow requires much more effort to plow through. Coming down the hill from the Bible Church, I ended up falling -- the only time today. I'm sure there were plenty of people who saw me out there, pedaling away, wondering who this crazy idiot is.

So now the invitations have been sent out. I've been wondering what I'm getting myself into. I wonder if anyone from outside our church will come. Will we have none, a few, or too many? I want this to go well. And so I worry about it. And then I realize that I'm trying to accomplish everything with my own strength, planning, and abilities. I need to do less worrying and do more trusing in God. If there are people who can benefit from what we are doing, God will see to it that they are present. And however things go, I need to trust that as long as what we are doing is in order to bring the message of Jesus closer to the hearers, then God will see to it that all that needs to happen will happen.

It appears that today, both Shelley and Amy have gotten a little tired of trying to keep up with Danny's activity level. This afternoon both our girls have been reading books, and Danny's been kind of left alone. He built a small snow-person outside, but apparently wasn't balancing too well and has since toppled over. He's gotten a little bored with having no one to really bounce his energy onto, so it appears he took a short nap, after taking a loooong bath.

Elise starts clinicals on Dec. 21

Elise just got word today that she can begin the clinical and final part of her relicensing process. She will begin that on the 21st, after our guests head back home. So we are one more step closer to stabilizing our long-term finances.

We are now mostly Alaksa residents

Yesterday, both Elise and I exchanged our Ore. driver's licenses for AK ones. I say "mostly" because many of the benefits of being residents (such as fishing license and hunting tags) won't be available until spending a year in residence. There are others things, such as the state-based health insurance pool that isn't open to new residents until at least a year has passed.

The DMV licensing office here is located at the city Police Department office. It's open three days a week for just a few hours each. On the other hand, there's no having to take a number, wait an hour (or two, or...) get something done, get back in line, and then wait again, etc.

I'm not sure exactly why, but I had this sense of dread of having to take the written exam. Even though I know that it's designed so that even teenagers and elderly people can pass it, and people whose first language isn't English can pass it, there's the lingering fear that somehow I might manage to miss too many questions. But it was all unfounded as I ended up with a perfect score.

Elise's dad has been spending some of the time working on fixing some physical plant issues with the church. He says that's his hobby, and has in the past worked with Maranatha in church building projects. So our panic/crash bars on the doors, which used to feel loose and wobbly, are all feeling much more secure. He's been fixing some of the outdoor light fixtures and has found where the malfunctioning photo-cell is located. So it looks like we will have fully functioning outdoor lights before he leaves.

The weather forecast says that the rain this afternoon will likely turn into snow and may accumulate up to 4 inches by sometime tomorrow. I'm sure the kids will enjoy it, if things turn out as the forecast says. But as mentioned some weeks ago, forecasting here seems more art than science. So we will see.

We had an interesting discussion during our Wed. morning pastors' coffee time. We started out talking about Christmas sermons, and how after twenty or so years, pastors run out of new ways of telling the story, and most congregations have heard the story so many times that they might just tune out. I guess I don't have that problem yet, as I'm new and most of the members in our church haven't had the benefit of a regular pastor for many, many years.

And then we got on the topic of how some church members and pastors believe that they have an exclusive hold on salvation and that anyone not believing like them will be lost. All churches and denominations have a certain set of individuals who hold to this line of belief. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, at least one of the pastors says he's experienced Adventist pastors of that ilk. They're entitled to their belief and opinions, but I believe this reflects negatively on Christianity and only reinforces the stereotypes that many non-Christians have of Christians. If Christians are attacking one another, claiming exclusive hold on salvation (isn't that a cult?), why would someone on the outside want to become one? Of the pastors who regularly meet together here, we do have doctrinal disagreements, but we are first of all Christians, and only secondarily identify ourselves with a particular set of beliefs.

The discussion moved on to politics and religion, and we pretty much agreed that what we need in American politics is a party of the middle. And we wish the self-appointed spokepersons of Christianity would shut-up and sit down, and allow the moderate voices to be heard. We wish that the Christian contributions to political discussions would be more than just a couple of divisive issues, but rather, be more inclusive especially of those who are truly oppressed and beaten down.

Since Alaska is a so-called "red" state, there were some individuals back in Oregon who warned me that I might find myself isolated in my societal views, but that doesn't seem to be the case here in Petersburg.

Hectic and stressful

Last evening, Elise's dad and our nephew did indeed arrive on the Matanuska. After picking them up we headed over to our church as that is where they are staying this week. We had supper there, and examined the contents of one large piece of luggage filled with various items that Elise's mom sent with them. The thing I was looking forward to the most -- some whole Indian spices -- was in there. So I was happy.

This morning, Elise picked them up at the church and they came over to our wee, little apartment. A highly active 8-year old boy is not very conducive to quiet and reflection necessary for outlining a sermon. Fortunately for some of the time, the children were outside in the residual snow and falling rain. And so I managed to put together some initial thoughts for this Sabbath's sermon.

A doe came around to the front and she was offered some carrots. She warily took them from Amy and Danny.

A little while later we had a short snow squall episode. They were large, wet flakes, but the air temperature was still above freezing so they did not really stay around long. The snow soon turned to rain. Tonight, there may be a little bit more snow as the temperatures have fallen. But it looks like most of the moisture has moved away.

This afternoon was another episode of "will they, or won't they." I called the Browns to find out for sure if they were coming here this week or not. They thought they were, and so the van was already being packed so that when Dave flew back in from Seattle, they would be able to catch the ferry tonight. When I mentioned that the guest room was in use, Eunice thought they wouldn't come. But then Elise called a couple of hours later and Dave, who had returned by then, was preparing to come. So in a fit of panic and rushing, we had to start making alternate plans for Elise's dad and Danny. And then almost as soon as Elise's dad left our apartment to walk back to the church to start some laundry and pack things up, I got a phone call from Dave saying that in fact, the Conference had some other plans and needed Dave to stay in Wrangell this weekend. So the plans reverted to what they had been. Anyway, it was highly stressful dealing with unexpected changes.

So after all this, it appears that the next opportunity for the Browns to come over here is the first week of February. I have it penciled in using very light pressure and soft lead...

A few weeks ago I ordered a couple sets of bicycle pedals to replace the clipless pedals on my mountain bike and Elise's bike. Given the start of winter and all, these particular pedals were out of stock everywhere. They finally came in and arrived in the mail today. I got them installed so it will now be possible to cycle in the snow and ice using winter hiking boots. These pedals are called Power Grips and work a little like clips and straps, but are easier to deal with and work with wider range of shoes.

I drafted up flyers for the children's choir and our bread/cereal cooking class. I also put together a bulletin insert regarding our Christmas brunch and worship. These will be given to a number of the churches here to distribute. I have no idea if anyone from outside our own church will come, but as we've been invited to participate in some of the other churches' events, I thought it only right to reciprocate.

Cost of ink

We discovered today how much more inkjet inks cost here. Last night I discovered that one of our printers was basically running on empty. I had an extra color cartridge already, but discovered to my dismay that I didn't have the black. So this morning, Elise went out and purchased one -- for $45. It's one that can be had most anywhere else for under $30.

So I promptly went to Amazon.com and ordered an extra pair of color and black cartridges. And 2-week super saver shipping is still free, even to Alaska, at least for some items.

I also have a sneaky suspicion that the stores here don't carry the fine-art, archival inks for my Epson printer. Fortunately, I did come up here with enough replacements to last me for a while.

I got a message back from the owner, who now lives in Canby, of one of the houses here. It looks like there is a potential party to take over his loan here, so it looks like, at this point, the possibility of "trading" properties won't come to fruition. I did find out that the property is located about 10 miles out of town, which is much farther than we'd really like, so perhaps it's just as well things aren't working out.

I received another real estate update from our broker. Our property continues to get exposure, but with the holidays and continuing negative news from other parts of the country (East, California), these are holding back buyers from making offers. However, the projection for the Northwest continues to be good for the coming year. So we will continue to hold tight.

In case anyone reading this feels so inclined, I've added a couple of links on the left side column of this page where you can purchase some of my Alaska photos. The Fine-Art link will take you to where you can request prints that are made by me using archival materials. The other link takes you to the dotPhoto site where you can purchase regular photographic prints, posters, and photo gifts.

Sermon audio for December 9

Today's sermon is now posted. Two posts earlier, I mentioned the sad news coming from Oregon this week. This sermon makes application of the idea of preparation and how in our spiritual journeys, Christians need to be adequately prepared to meet life's storms and trials (which we are guaranteed to experience), and times where we might feel lost, or may actually find ourselves off the good path.

No real changes

Things have been pretty much the same the last few days. There hasn't been any change in the things we've been doing, nor the challenges we continue to face. We still haven't sold our house, and being in the middle of the holidays, it seems unlikely that this status will change.

Elise's dad and our nephew are currently somewhere along the inside passage and will be arriving here tomorrow evening.

Two Sabbaths from today, we are planning a Christmas brunch and worship in place of the regular Sabbath School and church service. Our hope and desire is to see some of the irregularly attending individuals, plus other friends and neighbors, to be able to come and enjoy a time of remembering Jesus' first advent.

Yesterday, while browsing Lillenas' online store, I discovered a set of three DVDs on the topic of starting and leading a children's choir, and teaching music to children. So I ordered the set, and as soon as they arrive, I expect to spend some time viewing them to really understand what I am commiting myself to, and hopefully gain some insights into how I need to proceed and what I need to do to make this enjoyable and successful for everyone involved.

A sad reminder

I'm sure many of you by now know that the search for a missing person in Southern Oregon ended in tragedy. It's a reminder that none of us are immune from unforeseen problems coming upon us. Whether or not we live past them depends on how adequately prepared we are.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the Presbyterian minister here is part of the regional Search & Rescue team. He is also an avid kayaker. He often goes out for a week all by himself. But before he heads out, he lets someone know where he is going and when to expect him back. He is also prepared with enough supplies and equipment to survive longer than planned, if needed, until help arrives. This is particularly important in a remote area such as what we have here.

So I took his advice (he doesn't want to be the one to tell Elise and the kids that because I was ill-prepared, the rescuers didn't reach me in time) and purchased a few essential gear for those times that I might head into the forests and other remote areas, whether by myself or with others. It's a few dollars that could mean the difference between coming out alive or dead.

So some of the essentials that everyone should do & carry, whether it's an afternoon hike, or a car trip through remote areas. Not only do you owe it to yourself, but to your family, in order of importance --

1. If lost, stay where you are -- if you start moving and don't know your surroundings, you might become injured. Once injured, the possibility of survival diminishes greatly.
2. Some form of shelter to keep dry and maintain body heat (space blanket, portable tarp, rain poncho). Just a few dollars and a few ounces.
3. Water - unless you're in SE Alaska, in which case an empty water bottle or skunk cabbage will do just fine in collecting fresh, clean water as it comes down.
4. Food - a few energy bars to maintain your body engine, enough to last a couple of days. Again, a few dollars, a few ounces.
5. Weatherproof matches, candle, and possibly some kindling - useful for both heat and signaling.
6. Useful, but less critical: Bright colored clothing, tarps, flashlight, glo-sticks, etc. to help searchers more easily locate you fro the air. Handwarmers for heat. Small toolkit -- like a Leatherman.

Cell phones may or may not be useful. Don't rely on them to be available when you need it most.

"Be prepared." That's also a good spiritual motto. None of us knows what sort of storms and trials are around the next corner in the journey of life. Are we sufficiently prepared to weather out the storms and make it through the inevitable wildernesses that we travel through?

Haircut, meeting, ice, bread

We tried out the hair clipper on me this morning. I think it came out fine. Some of the finer touch ups could probably benefit from more practice, but from what I can see, everything is still presentable. While being worked on, I was doing fine until the touch ups -- trimming near the ears, sideburns, and the back edge. It was then that I started feeling just a tad nervous. But in the end, it was all fine.

I went to the monthly Ministerial Association meeting at the Salvation Army church. We talked about things that were happening over the next month, talked about the recent Thanksgiving, what we might do next Thanksgiving, the problems caused by recent weather, etc. The pastor from the Bethesda Fellowship (a member of Faith Christian Fellowship) was present, and for me this was the first time meeting him.

Walking around town is very dicey once off the main downtown areas due to the solid layer of ice and the thin layer of water on top. I had taken my YakTrax with me, but hadn't needed it until after the meeting and walking towards the Post Office that is a half-mile or so outside of town. There is a bike/walking path that is absolutely icy. When I found myself not making any progress (it's a slight uphill incline -- imagine an ice skating rink whose surface has been tilted a degree or so and try walking up it), it was time to put on the YakTrax for the remaining 100 yards or so to the Post Office. YakTrax is great on ice, but it does hinder walking on bare pavement, which is why I hadn't used it until I didn't have a choice.

This evening, Amy (with the assistance of Elise) is making some bread. Shelley did this last week, and this week, it is Amy's turn. Meanwhile, Shelley is working on crafting some invitations to some sort of get-together for some of the homeschooling girls around town.

Cooking adventures

This will be a short posting. There hasn't really been anything new, different, or unusual since yesterday. Rain and clouds continue outside, and probably will do so for another week. Pastor Brown has confirmed that he will be arriving tomorrow and staying for the week, leaving Sunday. Or so I thought -- as I was just writing this, I received a call from his wife, Eunice, informing me that Dave's sister just passed away and so he will be heading south.

We haven't found any "a-ge" (deep-fried tofu) in either of the grocery stores here, so for the last couple of weeks I've been making my own. I think I've gotten fairly proficient at it. Heat an inch or so of oil on medium-high heat, then deep-fry tofu sliced to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick until the color starts to turn to a light brown. Turn up the heat almost to high to brown the surfaces a bit more, then turn the heat back down and take out the finished a-ge. I find that for stir frys, curries, and soups, a-ge is more flavorful and soaks in flavor much better than plain tofu.

I found a recipe for Pad Thai from scratch so I tried my hand at that this evening (and used the a-ge in place of the chicken). It came out pretty good. Everyone except Amy liked it. Amy has never been a big fan of the Thai rice stick noodles. The recipe was one that used linguine pasta, so I might try that next time and see if it's the noodles or the flavor that Amy objects to. She did like the a-ge though.

Back to normal

We are back to normal Petersburg weather -- i.e., rain, and lots of it. But with all the past snow still blocking much of the normal drainage paths, many roads and parking lots have become lakes. It makes for interesting driving and even more interesting walking. The snow outside is quickly getting packed down by the rain. I expect that in another day or two it will all be a memory.

We are in for this warm (relatively speaking) and wet pattern for another week to ten days. After that things are expected to get colder again.

We had a total of eleven at chuch yesterday, though not the same eleven as last week. If everyone who has shown up at one time or another in the last couple of months came together all at the same time, there would be around fifteen.

There is no audio for yesterday's sermon. Firstly, I discovered too late that the batteries on my recorder were low. Secondly, the sermon was based on the outline (Adobe PDF download) provided by ADRA for this year's World AIDS Day.

Shelley began fiddle lessons last Friday. So we are now "privileged" to listen to violin/fiddle practice sounds :) I'm told there is a special place in heaven for parents who have had this "privilege."

Elise's dad and our nephew will be arriving in about a week's time. We've asked our church member who owns a fishing boat to take us on a tour of it and show us a bit of how fishing is done here.

Just now, looking out to the Narrows, I noticed that the tide is quite high this morning, and the waters are quite rough. Sometimes, the water can be nearly as still as that of a calm lake, and sometimes, there are whitecaps. The scenery could be said to be the same, yet at the same time, it is always different and changing. The combination of light, clouds, water, wind, and many other elements ensure that things are never quite the same.

We have not had any word back from the interested party in our house. I'm not holding out much hope at this point. On the plus side, our house is getting a few showings each week whereas many other similar homes are simply getting no activity whatsoever. We ask for your continued prayers on this matter.

Another item that we would like you to remember in your prayers is Elise's RN re-licensure. Right now, most everything is out of our hands and waiting on various bureaucracies to shuffle the multitudes of data and papers around to their respective locations.