Pink #3

I woke up this morning early, about 5 a.m. I did a few things and then about 6 a.m. looked out the window and couldn't help but notice how absolutely beautiful and perfect it was outside. The water was nice and calm. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to go and toss out the line. If I caught a fish, that would be a bonus.

Once out I saw pockets of schools of fish feeding near the surface. That could only mean salmon had to be nearby. I saw a few fish follow my lure but they were all pretty small.

It was after I had been out there close to an hour when I felt a definite tug and jerking on the line. I began to reel in and pulled tight after a few seconds to set the hook. Then it was a waiting game of letting the fish go out with the line, reeling it in, back and forth for several minutes until it was weakened enough to bring it home.

Once close enough to the shore I could see that it was definitely a pink and a good sized one at that. I pulled it in a few times to see if it was weak enough, but it still had strength to go out. Finally it no longer fought and I pulled it in. The tide was far enough out now that I could just drag it onto the beach - much less chance for it to give a final jerk and spit out the hook.

I took it home, measured and weighed it: 23.5 inches long and close to 4.5 pounds.

More salmon

This morning I cooked and consumed the last of the king salmon. I broiled it with some tarragon and then sprinkled some lemon zest and juice after I placed it on the plate.



I caught another pink salmon this afternoon. It was 20.75 inches long and weighed in at just over 3 pounds.



When I opened it up I discovered it was female with quite a bit of roe. I hadn't a clue how to get the roe prepared, or even if it was possible to do so. I saved it just in case. After I had finished with the fish, I searched on the web for instructions on preparing the roe. The simplest method I found is to prepare it in brine and save it in a jar. It is supposed to keep up to two weeks this way.

Kelp Greenling with lime, butter, and cilantro

This is what kelp greenling looks like after it is cooked. It is a white flesh fish. I marinated the fillets in lime juice and salt, and then pan-fried them in butter. After setting them on the plate, I drizzled some of the browned butter over the top and then placed some cilantro leaves on top.

It tasted quite a bit like cod and lingcod, both which are relatives of the kelp greenling.

On a slightly different note, I got to use the fish spatula that I purchased during our vacation a few weeks ago. I cooked these fillets in the All-Clad stainless steel pan and they didn't stick. I really like the way the pan heats evenly and quickly and how I'm able to use fairly low heat settings and still get the food to cook.

My first salmon

As I posted yesterday I went out last evening to try to catch salmon. As I also posted, I ended up with a greenling and no salmon.

This morning I decided to try Blind River Rapids. I dislike fishing here because all I do is lose lures. But I heard there were still kings migrating upstream. When I got there, indeed there were salmon making their way up. I spent about two hours there. I snagged lures so many times I was surprised I only ended up losing 2-1/2 lures (the 1/2 was a BuzzBomb where I actually was able to retrieve the main lure part but lost the hook and the rubber washer). I was highly annoyed.

The timing was just right so that after I got home, I got a quick lunch and then went out to the Narrows just down from the house. I spent an hour casting and retrieving. I saw a handful of salmon jumping, but always way off in the distance. I tried BuzzBombs, a hoochie/flasher, a Zinger, and finally a Kastmaster. I gave myself until 2 p.m.

Then I felt resistance on the line. Did it get snagged on the bottom? The possibility was there, but low since it was rather high tide. Did I snag a huge piece of seaweed? That possibility was much higher, with the ever-present debris in the waters. But it wasn't acting quite like seaweed. Hmm... It was certainly heavier than a typical Dolly, and even more than a largest Dolly that I've experienced.

I decided to play it safe and release the tension on the baler and I could see and hear the line going out. Ah. This was likely a real fish on the end. I've previously lost what I suspected might be large catches by tugging and pulling too rapidly and hard. As I began to play with the line I could definitely feel the fish moving about. It went this way and that, in and out. It would rest and then try to zoom away. I could see that the hook was caught right around one of the jawbones - a tenuous location that pulling too suddenly might have broken. After several minutes the fish was beginning to tire and now I had to figure out a way to land it successfully. With Dollies I usually just fling it up and over, but this was too big for that. I carefully pulled it closer to shore, reeling in the line and then slowly pulled it out.

I had set it down and had pulled out the hook when it flipped and I lost grip. Aaaaaahhhhh! I didn't want to lose all my hard work back into the water. It was considerably weakened so after a short, desperate scramble I wedged it under my knees then grabbed it in its gills to secure it and whack it over the head with a rock a few times to stun it. With all that accomplished I brought my trophy home, showed it to the girls (Elise is working - so she'll get to see it tonight), then cleaned it.

Here is the humpy (pink salmon), 22-1/2 inches long:

Kelp Greenling

I was told there were humpies (pink salmon) at one of the creeks, so I drove out and fished there for a few hours. There were indeed humpies, but they weren't biting. They were going up the creek. You'd think that having lived here for nearly four years, I'd have seen salmon going up rivers, but oddly enough this is the first time I've actually seen it in the wild. It was a cool sight, watching the fish fight the current, jumping up small rapids. (It would have been better if I had caught one... but that's another story.)

What I did catch were a couple of small sculpins and the kelp greenling (female) pictured here. I wasn't quite sure what I had caught. Greenlings include the lingcods, so I was pretty sure it was one or the other. After returning home and looking at the sport fishing handbook, I was able to identify it. Next time I catch one like it, I will know. The next thing to figure out is whether this thing was worth cleaning. After doing a few web searches and learning about kelp greenlings, including the Wikipedia entry above, I learned that indeed they can be quite tasty. I had already figured that since lingcods are prized fish, kelp greenlings were at least edible.

The first thing I discovered upon starting to clean it was that this fish is quite scaly, unlike the Dollies I've been catching. Well, it is quite kosher, for those that care. I scaled, gutted, and cleaned before bringing it inside for the photo shoot.



Given my lack of experience with most freshly caught fish, this fish looks very "fishy." What was most surprising is that it really doesn't smell fishy at all. If I stick my nose right next to it and inhale, I can tell that yes, it is fish.

Oaks Amusement Park

Yesterday we went to the Oaks Amusement Park located in Sellwod, OR. It was a rather hot day (though apparently not has hot as it will get today and tomorrow) and some of us ended up with sunburns.

Oaks Park

Vacation Odds and Ends

There were a few photos from Discovery Bay that hadn't been posted so I got those up into an album. I also included a few photos from our lunch yesterday at Sinju Japanese restaurant in Bridgeport Village located in Tualatin.

Odds and Ends 201007

Shelley got a Karaoke machine at Toys R Us. It is one that she had been wanting ever since she used it at a friend's several months ago.

I weighed our filled suitcase and it came to 50 pounds. I moved a couple of heaveir items to our second suitcase. It too, is now filled and feels like it is right around 50 pounds.

Yesterday we also went to the cinema to watch our first 3D movie on the big screen - Toy Story 3D. (We have seen 3D movies, but only at the various Disney theme parks.) We enjoyed the movie and the 3D, but the admission at $12.50 per adult was a bit of a shock to us. (The IMAX admission is even steeper...)

New roads

Yesterday evening on our way to visit a friend we drove around the neighborhood where we lived only four years ago. I had the GPS navigation directing me and it was taking me towards a path that did not exist then. With a little doubt I went along and discovered that the road that used to dead end now goes through, resulting in a much shorter drive.

On our way back we drove up to the neighborhood where we lived to take a look. It looked pretty much the same except that the trees along the street were noticeably larger.

On our way back we drove the route that we used to take, but at the intersection where we would have turned left, it was now a four-way one with a road going straight through. "Odd," we thought, and I moved out of the left turn lane to go straight, wanting to know about this new road. It turns out that the roads near this intersection was realigned, and the road that I wanted was the one that indeed went straight through. If we had gone left, we would not have found the road that used to be to the right just a hundred feet down.

We continued with more shopping yesterday. We purchased a couple of large suitcases to take back with us. We filled one, but have yet to weight it. I'm not sure if is already over 50 lbs.

I also purchased a nice duffel-style luggage. It doesn't look that big, but it is about the same size as wheeled carry-on luggage and can fit more due to the lack of wheels and frame. With this I should be able to comfortably travel without having to check-in luggage.

Shop and shop

What do Alaskans do when they go on vacation? They shop. That's what we did yesterday -- all day long.

Elise and girls went with their grandmothers (yes, plural) and did their thing. I went on my own to run a few necessary errands and then hit some stores to find out if what I needed was available and if not, to place some online orders to hopefully get them delivered in time.

I went to the bank, got a haircut, dropped in a few luggage stores, had some coffee, looked at vacuum cleaner bags, looked at kitchen equipment, went to pet supply stores, Home Depot to get some replacement faucet handles, a late lunch...

Then we all met at the Washington Square Mall. Elise got an iPhone and wanted a case. We got much more than that. I picked up an All-Clad 10-inch stainless steel fry pan (now I have a fry pan that can go under a broiler, yay!). I also got an additional 10W power adapter for my iPad. (It includes a 6-ft cord, which makes it much more useful than the one included with the iPad.) And then I finally found a sporting goods store that carried BuzzBomb lures at a good price - $2-4 less/each than in Petersburg. I picked up 13 of them plus more line and some fishing tools.

Meanwhile the girls found a prom shop where each of them found and purchased dresses for next year's prom.

We ended our day by having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

More shopping today? Yes... We need to get a couple of suitcases to replace broken/worn ones that we left at home.

Weekend

We did not do much this past weekend. On Saturday we drove over to the Sequim Seventh-day Adventist Church and enjoyed the service there. We met some people who have been in or lived in Alaska, including a couple who had been in Petersburg before. We met another couple who spends part of their summer fishing around Bristol Bay.

With the Lavender Festival going on, the westbound traffic on US-101 looked slow going for many miles. We were happy our way back was eastbound. We took a break in our condo for the remainder of the day.

On Sunday it was time to pack up and head south to Portland. There was still a good amount of perishables and leftovers sitting in the refrigerator, so we made a concerted effort to finish all of that off. We did pretty well and only ended up throwing out a small amount of leftovers.

Shelley wanted a car charger for her iPhone. We first drove up to Port Townsend but discovered that the Radio Shack there was closed on Sundays. Our next stop: Olympia. When we got there we discovered that it was a full shopping mall with a Best Buy. We picked up a charger and then wandered about the mall for another hour.

The drive down itself was rather uneventful and we arrived in the evening.

Sequim and Bainbridge Island

The day started out foggy, misty, and overcast. We went over to Sequim and the 14th annual Lavender Festival where we spent a few hours at the street fair. We left early afternoon, stopped by the resort for a few minutes, and then drove over to Bainbridge Island to meet one of my classmates from Monterey Bay Academy.

Sequim

Bainbridge Island

Plug: Thoughtless Faith

I think that perhaps a thoughtful atheist is closer to the Kingdom than a thoughtless Christian.

Full article at http://www.battlefortruth.org/ArticlesDetail.asp?id=389

"Too often, I encounter thoughtless Christians who, frankly, know little or nothing about what they believe and why they believe it and, worse, have little interest in changing their condition. I am not sure they ever even give these larger questions a second thought. Instead their faith, it seems, is often based on a common set of popular assumptions that fall under the banner of Christianity with which they agree. In other words, they believe in God, Jesus, the Bible, conservative values, and so on, but they scarcely know or demonstrate how these beliefs should impact their lives...

"I respect this friend because he takes seriously the ultimate questions of life and he is endeavoring to make sense of the world... While I disagree with my friend’s worldview, I cannot condemn it as being thoughtless. He has invested tremendous energy and effort into trying to understand and work out his perspective of life and the world. More so, I fear, than many professing Christians."

McCarthyism and Salem Witch Trials in the Adventist Church

Browsing updates at another blog site, I was directed to a new anonymous Adventist web site that popped up recently, encouraged by Ted Wilson's election. It smacks very much of McCarthyism and the communist witch hunt as well as the much earlier Salem witch trials. See site at http://adventisttruth.webs.com/


I continue to be troubled by the polarization, dogmatism, and inflexibility that I increasingly observe being manifest within Adventism. The path I see this particular branch of Adventism taking is one that does not fit into what I believe comprises Biblical Christianity.

Sea Life and Port Angeles

After breakfast and seeing off grandma and cousins, we went down to the dock to see what kind of sea life the resort's divers brought up. We saw quite a few starfish, crabs, some shells, and an octopus. There were explanations given for each species. The interpretive talk ended with a demonstration of how to quickly kill and clean a crab.

Following this we drove out to Port Angeles and wandered about the downtown district for a few hours. The women once again found some apparel shops and went in and purchased some items. We stopped in a small coffee and ice cream shop and took a break with smoothies and an affogato for me.

Port Angeles is one of the locations found in the vampire novel series, Twilight. The city has capitalized on the series' popularity and makes mention of a number of locations found in the novels.

Sea Life Discovery Bay

Port Angeles

Port Townsend, Day 3

It was another very warm, summer day in the Port Townsend area. We remained at the resort through the morning. Past noon there was a scavenger hunt held at the resort.

Immediately following we drove out to Port Townsend again where the women spent a lot of time shopping for beads and clothing. (I got rather bored -- thank heavens for iPad with 3G, and a camera!)

After two hours we drove uptown to the Wednesday Farmer's Market where we purchased some pastries, artisan cheese, and raspberries. (For supper one of the dishes was a spinach, raspberry, and cheese salad).

We stopped at Safeway for some ingredients with which to put together a black bean chili, and then we returned to the resort.

PT Day 3

ATdoay: State of Adventist Church in Japan

http://www.atoday.com/content/adventist-sun-setting-land-rising-sun

Dennis Hokama writes the above article in which he relates the decline of Adventism in Japan and how that may be a portent - a "canary in the mine" - of Adventism in other developed nations.

Port Townsend, Day 2

This was our second full day in/around Port Townsend. The morning was spent with our kids and cousins taking part in a T-shirt tie-dye project held at the resort.

We drove out to Port Townsend in the afternoon and stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Afterwards we went over to Fort Worden State Park and spent a little time on the beach where the kids got rather wet in the surf.

On our way back we stopped at a couple of stores to get some new clothing (shorts) and for a few more groceries.

The day was sunny and rather warm. The morning started out a bit cool but the sun quickly warmed the air.

PT Day 2

Port Townsend, Day 1

We drove over to Port Townsend for a few hours today. We stopped at Subway for lunch and then wandered the city afterwards. We stopped in a number of bookstores, some art and antique shops, clothing stores, sporting goods store, and a drugstore.

The morning started out rather damp and even rainy, but by the time we started out and got to the city the skies dried up and it was a nice day.

The person at the front desk thought the day got rather chilly, but we are Alaskans! I thought it was pleasantly warm.

Port Towsend, WA

Back in the Lower 48

It was an uneventful trip back down to the Lower 48. We flew from Petersburg to Juneau, and then to Seattle. From there we drove to Discovery Bay.

Along the way I spotted a Target coming up so I whipped over to the exit. We purchased a number of necessities, including a chef's knife. From our past experiences at WorldMark resorts, the units don't have decent kitchen knives. I wasn't about to pay to check-in baggage just to bring along a knife from home. I figured I could purchase a decent one for the same cost as a check-in bag.

A little ways further down the road I spotted a sign for Safeway. We purchased a number of grocery items and then resumed our drive.

We made it safely to the resort, mostly thanks to the MotionX GPS Drive HD app on the iPad directing us all the way. I was somewhat skeptical but it worked admirably in getting us to our destination, even with the several detours that we took.

The unit that we are staying in is a 3 story split-level. The master suite is on the bottom, the laundry room and entrance half a level up, the living and kitchen on the second floor, a bathroom the next half level up, and then a sitting room/couch and a bedroom on the third floor. I checked the kitchen knives and as I suspected/expected there was no chef's knife.

Along the way the cell data coverage was for a time just EDGE, but getting closer to the resort 3G returned, so we are all happy.

Before leaving the airport we stopped at the Mexican food counter and purchased burritos to take along. We had them after our arrival at the resort.

ESV Online Study Bible

I’ve been using the ESV (English Standard Version) Online Study Bible for a couple of months now and I am quite pleased with it. Crossway, the publisher, just upgraded the site and added some new features, including the ability to invite five people to share the purchase. Yes, it does cost $19.99, but it is a lifetime purchase and not a subscription. Or you can purchase a print version of the ESV Study Bible and the online version is included.

The purchase provides access to the full Study Bible notes, articles, and maps. It also allows you to add your own notes and highlights. You can access the Bible text and reading plans without a purchase.

The site is currently not compatible with iPad/iPhones because it uses Flash, but the FAQ says that they are working on a mobile product.

I find the $19.99 purchase cost to be a bargain for what you get. More information on the ESV Study Bible can be found here. The online study Bible can be viewed here.

Against Fundamentalism

Here are a couple of links responding to a resurgence of fundamentalism. The first is a sermon, and the second uses the first as a launching point for further comments on the topic.

1. Answering Fundamentalists from Adventist Today
2. The Adventist Myth of the Bible Only

One-month reflection on the iPad

I’ve owned the iPad for a little over a month now; enough time I think to provide some informed thoughts on it. The reader must realize that this is meant to be a reflection on my experience based on my needs and priorities. Your mileage may vary.

I initially decided to purchase it because I wanted a web-connected device more functional than a smartphone and more portable than a notebook PC or even a netbook. With it I also ordered a dock, a Bluetooth keyboard, a case, and a camera connection kit. My aims were to travel light, be able to offload photos from a digital camera, share photos and words while on the road, and have portable access to books. For me, music and videos are not that important.

First of all, I love it. It has replaced nearly all my PC use. For e-mail and web browsing it is completely adequate for my needs. I love that very functional apps can be had for so little cost – nearly all under $10, many under $5, and some very good apps for free.

I think the Bluetooth keyboard is an essential companion. Yes, it is possible (much more than on an iPhone) to use the touchscreen keyboard, but I’d hate to think of having to rely on that for longer documents. The keyboard is very compact, thin, light, and adds very little weight nor takes up much space in a carry-on.

If I were to get a second chance, I would probably skip the Apple case and opt for a third-party one. The case works but one of the big issues is that it is not compatible with the dock. I had to perform some surgery on the case in order to get the iPad to connect and stay on the dock. Even with that the connection is somewhat tenuous.

I find the dock to be worth the cost. It stands up the iPad securely in portrait mode. There is a audio line-out on the dock so if you have external speakers you can leave it permanently connected to the dock.

The camera connection kit is an essential accessory for on-the-road photo work. The photos are imported unaltered; i.e., full resolution JPEGs or RAW. The main issue I have with the iPad’s photo features is that I haven’t yet found a way to upload full-resolution photos from the iPad to an online service. All the apps I’ve found reduce the resolution. The only way to access the full resolution images is from a PC (or Mac) after connecting via the cable. The PC sees the iPad as an external photo device. With the camera connection kit, the iPad functions as an external photo storage device. A comparable standalone unit can run $300 to $700 and doesn’t offer the kind of editing, touch-up, and online features that iPad apps provide.

Early on I discovered how useful the iPad is in the kitchen. Whether on the dock or propped up with the case, it functions quite well as a recipe book. Unlike a book, you don’t have to weight the pages to keep them open. The recipe doesn’t go across pages, but rather all that needs to be done is swipe the finger to scroll around the recipe. Not only that but many recipe apps (I use the free Epicurious) generate shopping lists that can be used on the iPad or e-mailed to another device (I’ve e-mailed the list to my BlackBerry).

Another unexpected discovery is the use of the iPad as a full-featured voice navigation GPS system. We are taking a vacation shortly and I looked into renting a GPS unit on our rental car. What I discovered is that for the duration it was cheaper to purchase a unit. As I began researching GPS units, I discovered that the iPad can do the same thing for much less. The GPS Drive HD app can be purchased for $2.99 and voice-navigation is $2.99 for 30 days. Since we live on an island and have no need for GPS navigation except when we go on trips outside of the area, this is much more cost effective for us.

I found a free piano app, Virtuoso, that is quite usable. The latest update turns one of the two keyboards around so that two people can play a duet on the iPad. Who needs to carry around a guitar when you can have an iPad?

A travel advantage of the iPad over a notebook PC is that according to the TSA web site, it is treated more like a phone; i.e., I should not need to take it out and have it scanned separately. (Btw, netbooks are also supposed to fall into this same category.)

I’ve already commented on the iPad’s usefulness in sermon delivery. While browsing apps yesterday I came across another app, a scrolling teleprompter, that may be useful for people who manuscript sermons.

Is the iPad worth it? For my needs, the answer is a resounding yes. Since my notebook PC is still non-functional (waiting for a rework shipping label to arrive…) the iPad is my portable PC.

Blogging from an iPad

I finally got the last piece of the iPad equipment I ordered back in May. This afternoon I picked up the Camera Connection Kit.



So here it is. I used Photogene to crop and adjust the photo, used iPicasso to upload the photo, and Blogspace to create and post this entry. (Only Photogene is a native iPad app. The other two are iPhone apps.) It is more work than what I'm used to, but I don't seem to have too much of an option at this time. Perhaps someone will create a good, native iPad blog editing app. (I think I saw one, but the reviews were not very good.)

Psalm 69:19-28

Reflecting back over the past six to twelve months, Psalm 69:19-28 expresses my feelings quite precisely. The words are harsh, but I do not apologize for how I feel and continue to feel.

¹⁹ You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. ²⁰ Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. ²¹ They gave me poison for food,      and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. ²² Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. ²³ Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. ²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.
²⁵ May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. ²⁶ For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. ²⁷ Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.
²⁸ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Plug: Time to take back the Adventist Church

In light of some of the events that transpired at the General Conference session last week, I found a blog post that is particularly relevant: Time to take back the Adventist Church. It begins --

A while ago the following article was submitted to Adventist Today who appear to have rejected the article for publication so in fairness I thought I would publish it here as it almost seems prophetic when we consider the events of the recent General Conference selection of President and his sermon this last week.

Other comments, editorials, and perspectives regarding the session from non-official sources can be found at

• Spectrum Magazine blog
• Adventist Today web site

Official reporting can be found in the Adventist Review online archives.

Backyard visitors

Amy spotted them in our backyard this evening. The grass is almost taller than the fawns who are about the size of a small dog.

Using iPad for a sermon

I got the iPad I ordered last Thursday and have been playing with it. It really is a cool little device.

I had earlier been asked to provide the sermon at the Presbyterian Church on Father’s Day Sunday. This provided me with an a timely opportunity to see if I could give a sermon using just an iPad.

I used Idea Sketch (free) to draw up an outline.

I used Instapaper Pro ($4.99) to download Wikipedia’s Father’s Day article (I did examine the referenced primary sources, just to be sure the article was correct) from which I would provide a brief history of Father’s Day.

And finally I used OliveTree’s BibleReader (free) and the ESV Study Bible ($39.99). With the combination I could see both the Bible text and associated commentary, plus I could pop up my own personal notes that I had made earlier.

Armed with these three components, with flicks and taps, I delivered the sermon. Overall it worked out quite well.

20.5 inch Dolly!

A few days ago I found a site that provides fishing forecasts and times during each day when fishing is expected to be best. This morning that happened to be between 4:12 and 6:12 a.m. I was awake at 4:12, but decided to wait until about 5 a.m. to go out.

It wasn’t too long before I caught the middle (smallest) of the three. The hook was embedded pretty deep and it took some work to get out. I then cast out and the knot on the hook must have come apart and the lure went flying away. This makes two lures lost within 12 hours. I was happy to get a fish, but not happy to lose my second lure in such a short period.

Some 40 minutes later though, I caught the bottom one pictured. It was HUGE. I decided that I still had some time so I continued a while longer and caught the top one – not as big, but still quite large. The three caught today easily make up for the lures I lost.

After bringing them back home I measured the big one at 20.5 inches and weighed in (already gutted) at 2.25 lbs. Before gutting it might have weighed in around 2.75 lbs. – a very good size for a Dolly Varden. I think I’ll be filleting and/or butterflying them and probably grilling them over a wood charcoal fire today.

First cutthroat catch this year

I was out in the rain this afternoon trying my luck at catching fish. After about an hour of no luck it appeared I had hooked a small-ish fish – except that it didn’t act like any Dolly. The fish jumped and flipped out of the water over and over again. I thought for a few seconds there that perhaps the fish had escaped the hook, but as I reeled in the line I could feel tension again and did see that I caught it. After bringing it up I could see that it had black spots – definitely not a Dolly, but a cutthroat trout. It was smaller than 11-inches so back into the water it went after removing the hook. No pics, since it was raining and my hands were wet – I didn’t want to fish out my BlackBerry to take a snap and risk dropping it in the water. Another half and hour or so later, I caught a 16-inch Dolly which will be dinner in a couple of days.

Sea Anemone

This morning I learned a new peril of fishing at low tide. The low tide today was –0.8. What that means in practical terms is that the tide line is now at subtidal level, exposing things like sea urchins, sea stars, and sea anemones. (The tide will continue to become even lower for the remainder of the week, making it a great time for exploring the beaches.)

I went out to fishing and caught and released a couple of small Dollies. I was doing well keeping the lure out of snags and rocks. And then it happened again: Only a few seconds after casting out and starting to reel back in the lure hit something that wouldn’t let go. It was still in the deeper waters so at first I thought perhaps the lure had caught a huge kelp. I tugged and tugged without it releasing. I thought it was rather odd: did the lure sink that quickly or was there an isolated shallow spot where it got caught? I pulled and tugged, moved around and pulled. And then I felt some response to the tugging, if ever so slowly. I continued to pull and I could feel continued movement in response. That was good news. I really didn’t want to cut the line and lose another lure. I continued pulling and pulling until I could see that there was something moving along the floor of the sea. I thought maybe it was a huge clump of seaweed. That is, until I finally got it dragged up onto the beach. That’s when I saw that I had caught a sea anemone firmly attached to a small rock. (More precisely, it had probably caught the lure when it touched one of the feelers.) It took some pulling to extract the hook out of it, but it did finally come out. I’m not sure how much the rock weighed, but I’m pretty confident that it weighed at least as much as a good sized salmon and now I know that my tackle and knots should hold up to a salmon.

New personal record catch

Caught around noon today: 18-3/4 inches.

Today was a much better fishing day. It is overcast and maybe that is bringing more fish to where I fish. I had a total of four bites during the hour I was out fishing.

Caught a fish at low tide

Catching a fish at low tide is a new experience for me. In the past when I’ve gone out at low tide, I’ve only caught no fish but often ended up with lost lures due to them getting stuck on rocks and snags at the bottom of the shallow waters. As a result I’ve avoided fishing during low tide.

The past two days I have had very little success fishing at high tide. Yesterday I got just three bites all from tiny fish and today just one during high tide, again a small fish. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy myself. For instance, I witnessed a fish doing a back flip out of the water, and I also saw a fish skip across the water.

Over the past couple of months I have been improving my casting and reeling in skills. When I started I didn’t have much control over the direction or the distance of the cast, and I frequently fumbled during the reeling and I didn’t have a good feel for the lures so that they would sink and catch on the bottom.

With the lack of luck during high tide and my increased confidence in controlling the lure, I ventured out during low tide. During the first few minutes I saw a decent sized fish following the lure a couple of times. Then nothing happened for a few more minutes as I kept casting and reeling, casting and reeling.

At around twenty minutes I cast it out and started reeling in. Then I felt strong resistance. I pulled back but whatever it hit wouldn’t let go. I pulled and pulled thinking I had finally gotten unlucky and got the lure stuck. That’s when I saw the line moving… Snags don’t move, I thought to myself and realized it was either a huge piece of kelp or a fish. I tugged and reeled in a bit more and when the line began to move left and right I realized it had to be a fish. I brought it in and could see that it was indeed a fish – not huge, but not small either. I carefully reeled it in closer to shore and then flipped it off onto the beach where I stunned it, bled it, gutted it, and took it home.

In other news, summer vacation has begun for the kids, and they received brand-new iPhones today.

Notebook PC is malfunctioning

For six months now my notebook PC has been exhibiting increasing problems. This past week it finally got to the place where it has become nearly unusable.

The first problem was its built-in WiFi began to fail intermittently. More often than not, the hardware failed to be recognized at all and wouldn’t show up in the list of known hardware. I could live with this problem by connecting a LAN cable or using a separate WiFi receiver. I contacted HP support but they gave me the usual try this and that, which I already had.

The second problem was that it began to randomly shut itself down with no warning. It seemed to happen most often when the CPU was running at its max and when the physical area near the CPU became very hot. I’m not sure why this didn’t happen when the PC was new, but it began to happen and with increasing frequency. Again, I could sort of live with this as long as I was careful to not run too many applications simultaneously.

However, the third problem introduced an unlivable problem. I had placed the PC on standby mode and when I tried to wake it, the power returned but operation did not. I forced a shutdown and tried restarting, but it would not. I looked up the support pages and found instructions on performing a hard reset, which I did, but it didn’t seem to do any good. The instructions also described a way of forcing boot into the BIOS to run a system check. I did that and the instructions actually worked.

I ran the system check and there the fourth issue appeared. The comprehensive hard disk check reported that the drive needed to be replaced. After running the diagnostics, I was able to boot back into Windows, so I backed up my data onto an external HD. Unfortunately I discovered my desktop PC doesn’t recognize this HD, so I had to back up the data to a different external HD.

With the data backed up I looked to see if the extended service plan I had originally purchased (through Office Depot) was still valid. Fortune was with me this time: I still have about five weeks left until its expiration! I called up the service and described the problems listed above. I didn’t get the runaround that I was afraid I would get (and expected) but I was promptly told that a service order had been opened and they would be shipping me a box in which to return the unit.

I am now working on my desktop PC which is not really adequate for all that I need. It too has some issues, mainly with the Operating System, so it is not a permanent solution. It doesn’t have a camera, speakers or microphone, so I am not able to run Skype on it, for instance.

I hadn’t been doing a whole lot with photography recently, and one reason is because of my various computer issues. I can’t run Photoshop on the desktop PC, and because of the suspected CPU/heat issues I didn’t want to try it on my notebook PC.

Since the beginning of the year I had been considering getting a new desktop PC for precisely the reason stated; however, I did not sense a decisive conviction that I should do it. I had been praying about it for weeks and I continued to be ambivalent about what I should do. It was during the Memorial Day weekend when I developed a strong feeling that instead of a desktop PC, I should instead go with the Apple iPad. Now I seem to understand why that happened. I most likely will not have the notebook PC back before we take off on our summer travels and the iPad will now serve as its replacement. This whole incident is quite annoying, but it appears now that things have and will work out okay.

New personal record catch

High tide is now in the early morning hours (well, it also happens in the evening, but right in middle of or after dinner), so I went out at 5:30 a.m. this morning. I ended up with six bites, 3 of them small fish which I either didn’t hook too strongly and allowed to escape, or caught and released. One large catch escaped. These are the two with which I returned home.

While catching the smaller of the two there was a lady and her dog walking nearby on the beach. The dog was very excited to see the fish flopping about in the water and wanted it for himself.

The larger one was caught not too long afterwards. As soon as I felt it hook and began reeling it back in, I knew that it was going to be a big one, and I was not disappointed. I measured its length at 18-5/8 inches (1/8-inch longer than my previous record) and weighed in a 2-1/4 pounds (1/4-pound heavier than my previous record).

An interesting day

Contrary to the weather forecast provided yesterday, today started out with warm sunshine. Elise and I went to the cemetery to be part of the Memorial Day service. This city hasn’t really done anything for this day in the past and due to one veteran’s concern last week, a service was quickly put together.

There were prayers, songs, and readings. I was tapped to read the last half of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. All in all, it was a short, but very fitting service honoring veterans as well as remembering those currently serving in the armed forces. This will likely become the first annual Memorial Day service in Petersburg.

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We’ve been watching the Babylon 5 TV series during the past few weeks. They were broadcast in the mid-1990’s and we enjoyed them then. We discovered that our library now has all five seasons on DVDs so we’ve been working slowly through them. This afternoon we watched four of the episodes from Season 2.

Afterwards, since the forecast rain still hadn’t arrived I went out to fish again. I forgot to bring along pliers and after I happened to catch a small Dolly, I found I couldn’t remove the hook without endangering my own finger. I called Elise and asked her to bring pliers. With pliers, I removed the hook but by this time the fish had weakened. I had planned to release this one but it was no longer in good condition for releasing so I ended up keeping it. I caught another large one not too longer afterwards.

All the while I was fishing, I was observing changes in weather. One moment the sky was bright and the winds warm. The next, clouds obscured the sun and even a few, scattered, heavy raindrops fell accompanied by strong, cool breezes. Over by the horn cliffs I could see rain falling and clouds increasing.

Right as I was starting to think about packing it up, I saw a flash of lightning. Then and there the decision was made for me. Open water and fishing pole are not a very good combination for a lightning storm. Taking up pole and bucket I hurried the block up home.

While cleaning the catches the storm landed on the island. There were flashes and thunderclaps that continued for a good 30 minutes. In the three-and-a-half years we’ve resided here, I do believe this is our first such storm experience. The right weather conditions don’t happen around here that often. The long, warm weather colliding with a cooler front from the north must have produced just the right conditions this afternoon.

After supper we finished watching Season 2. And now Amy is wondering what happens, since each of the first four seasons ends in a cliff hanger.

Leaping off the bridge

Yesterday afternoon we drove out to Blind Slough for lunch and the afternoon. It was a very warm day – over 70F degrees. One of the summer traditions in Petersburg for many people is jumping off the bridge that crosses over the slough.

Shelley had jumped off a number of times in years past, but Amy never had (and neither has Elise or I). With great trepidation Amy leapt off, but after that first jump she proceeded to jump off nine more times. Elise joined in one of the jumps.

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Law of Unintended Consequences

Over at the Spectrum blog an article was recently posted, Citing Apostasy, Michigan Conference Removes La Sierra University From Employee Subsidy.

I am not going to debate or opine whether or not they have or don’t have the right to do that, nor whether they were right or wrong in doing so. I am going to discuss a possible unintended consequence of the action.

For probably as long as the denomination has existed in an organized fashion, I’m sure people have questioned actions of its organizations and leaders. One of the few ways in which ordinary, individual members have any say is through tithes. Of course any church member knows the official position on the giving of tithe: The Conference is the “storehouse” and it is mandatory for members to give tithe to the Conference. All of us know that this has been disregarded throughout history, in greater or lesser numbers; perhaps greater in more recent years.

What the action of the Michigan Conference does is grant official legitimacy to withholding promised funds in order to express displeasure towards and to attempt to coerce change from an official denominational entity. It sets an official precedent that monetary means may be used by one church entity against another. It provides justification for all the members and churches in the past, present, and future who don’t approve of official policies and actions to withhold tithes and offerings.

First blast of summer

The temperatures today rose into the 70’s and provided for a sunny, hot day. This is supposed to continue for one more day and then clouds are coming in and cooling down again.

I spent a bit of the morning washing our pickup truck. I can’t recall the last time it was done, so I’m pretty sure it’s been at least a year – maybe longer. The dirt around some of the lower panels are so encrusted that I don’t think it will every truly come off.

While washing the car the base of the wash wand that I was using (has a brush and nozzle combined) popped out and it would no longer stay in properly so I ended up using just the brush portion to scrub the vehicle. I tried to put it in but after it popped out again and I got one side of me all wet, I decided that I would not try that again. After the wash I took a look at it and if I push it all the way back in, it may stay in.

Also, the faucet handle broke apart in the middle of the wash while I was fighting the wand. It looks like I have a bit of plumbing work to do.

Today was nice beside the water. The breeze wasn’t too strong but there was enough for it to be cooling. Yesterday the breeze was quite strong and cold. Even so I spent a couple of hours out there fishing, even though it didn’t look very promising at all. I was right: I hooked two but didn’t actually catch anything.

Today was a different story. The waters were much calmer and I caught a couple small fish that I released. While releasing one of them, it decided to poop all over one pant leg – my nice clean jeans. I was just about to call it quits for the day and cast out one more time. I felt a strong tug then the line going away. I tightened the reel and began pulling and reeling. It was a good strong fight and in the end I landed another 18.5 inch Dolly.

I have lots of fish in the refrigerator now: 9 Dollies in the freezer, 1 in the refrigerator, and also in the freezer a small king salmon that one of our church friends brought over yesterday. I also have leftover fish curry that I made yesterday from three Dolly Vardens.

Experiments with curried fish

After two weeks of daily consumption of salted and fire grilled fish, not too surprisingly I was starting to get a little tired of it. It was time to move on to some different preparations.

This evening I put together a simple marinade/sauce of vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and lime juice. I placed the fish on a large piece of heavy-duty foil, sliced a few vertical incisions into the sides, then brushed the sauce on the inside and outside of the fish. I closed up the foil tightly around the fish and baked it in the oven at 425F for about 30 minutes.

The result was quite good. I finished one side of the fish this evening. As I took the other side off of the bones, placed the pieces in a different container, and poured the remaining sauce on top of them, I realized this was actually a fish curry of sorts. This may not be the usual way to cook curry, but it might be a good way to make curry out of a whole fish. It’s much easier to pull the flesh off the bones after it’s cooked. I still have more fish already in the refrigerator and freezer, and I’m sure I’ll be catching more so I have plenty of supplies with which to experiment.

Personal Record

I didn’t get very many bites, but the one I did get broke my previous personal best. The big one pictured is 18.5 inches and weighed in a 2 pounds. All of these were caught with various Kastmaster lures; the largest one with the biggest lure that I have – a 10 oz one.

International Food Fest

The homeschool art class got together this evening to show off their projects they had worked on during the last several months and to sample foods from different cultures and/or eras. There were foods from Germany, the 1920’s USA, the Civil War, Spain, etc. Amy selected Japanese for our family.

I started some of the work yesterday, preparing sweet red bean paste (粒アン) and a salad in sweet vinegar (酢の物). For the salad I went out to the beach and foraged some sea lettuce. Although it comes from a different family of algae, it seemed close enough in texture to wakame (わかめ), a type of kelp.

This morning I started preparing sweet black beans (黒豆) at 5 a.m. I went out to fish at 6 a.m. and caught the two Dollies as reported earlier. After spending some time with the ministers in town, I returned home and resumed work on dinner.

I continued with making daifuku (大福) – mochi (though I used sweet rice flour) wrapped around the sweet red bean paste. I marinated some tofu for frying later in the afternoon. I cooked some carrots, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms to use in sushi. I cooked the rice (or rather, I washed the rice and the rice cooker cooked the rice). I prepared a spicy miso sauce to go over the tofu, and also chopped some green onions to go on top of that. I fried the tofu and set it aside for the assembly to be completed right before dinner.

While starting to take a brief breather, Shelley called and said she needed her costume for a play right now. So I tried to start the car, and it wouldn’t. I called Elise, she came over, picked up Amy and the costume, and left. Elise brought home some daikon and romaine lettuce. I shredded the daikon for use as a bed for a grilled fish, then shredded some carrots to use as accents. I went out and picked some dandelion blossoms, also to be used as decoration.

I got the sushi seasonings mixed into the rice and Elise went to work stuffing inari sushi. I put together futo-maki sushi after she finished her part.

I got the outdoor grill fired up and the fish salted and oiled. Then it went onto the grill and cooked nicely. When done it was placed on a platter with a bed of romaine lettuce and the shredded daikon on top of that. The carrots and dandelion blossoms would be arranged at location.

While this was going on, Amy was getting her kimono on and Shelley trying to get the obi tied properly. In the end, it probably didn’t get done quite right (Shelley wasn’t happy with it) but I don’t think anyone noticed that it wasn’t right.

We went to the Bible Church and set everything up, putting in the finishing touches. There was quite a crowd present. The children (and a few adults) were dressed up in cultural and period clothing. The food and company was good and a pleasant evening was had by all.

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Morning catch

I awoke before 5 a.m. this morning and after doing a few things headed out with fishing rod at around 6 a.m. It was off and on sprinkle and drizzle, but not bad enough to turn back.

As I approached the water I could see fish jumping about all over the place. During the next hour I caught two, large Dollies. Both gave a great fight and was certainly worth the time I spent. The biggest one measured about 17-1/2 inches and weighed in a 1 lb. 10 oz.

I’m just curious why, with all the fish jumping about, these were the only two that bit… Ah well, that’s okay. The two that I got are nice and big. Especially in the larger one you can see the family resemblance to salmon (Dollies are in the same family as salmon).

Little Norway 2010

Today was one of the main days of the four-day long Little Norway festival. This year marks the 100th year of Petersburg. Below are some of the sights on Main Street this afternoon.

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Fishing today

I purchased a few new lures today and tried one out. It was a small-ish Kastmaster lure with a red stripe down one side. The result? I landed eight fish, but one came off the hook and escaped as I made a frantic effort to chase it down the beach, and another one was just too small to keep. In the end I came home with six fish.

While out there, a whole flock of bald eagles landed on the beach (apparently finding some edible stuff) not too far from me. I could swear some of them were eyeing the fish that I had caught as they flew above me. The photo below shows just three of them since most of them decided to fly up while I had the camera out.

Nice catch

I went out fishing for about an hour and a half today and caught what you see in the photo. The largest one there is 16 inches and 1.5 pounds. It was a nice, fat one. Today was the first time I caught more than one during a single outing. I have almost a week’s worth of fish now, unless I share them with someone :)

What Christians and Churches need more of

I came across this passage in my devotionals today:

Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy,  we do not become discouraged. But we have rejected  shameful hidden deeds,  not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. (2 Cor. 4:1-2 NET)

Secrecy and manipulation is unbecoming (and according to this passage, is sin) of those who could call themselves Christians and of those who claim to work for the church.

Instead Christians ought to be more transparent, more open, allowing other Christians their freedom to act according to their conscience and as the Holy Spirit directs.

Psalm of the Day

Today’s psalm is Psalm 94. It is very apropos for what I am currently feeling.

O Lord, the God who avenges! O God who avenges, reveal your splendor! Rise up, O judge of the earth! Pay back the proud…! He will pay them back for their sin. He will destroy them because of  their evil; the Lord our God will destroy them.

The Dollies are back

Since late March I’ve been going down the block to see if any fish were out in the waters yet. I didn’t see any signs of them until yesterday afternoon when I saw schools of fish jumping about, but I didn’t catch anything.

This morning I changed the lure from a colorful spinner to a basic, metallic spoon. I went out and on my third cast caught my biggest Dolly so far – 17 inches long and 19 oz. I don’t have a pan big enough to fry it in, so I’ll have to either fire up the outside grill, or broil it in the oven.

I will be participating in the annual Blessing of the Fleet this afternoon. I hope the weather holds out for that. The forecast is rain, and the service is typically held outside.

A week of sun

Today marks over a week of continuous sunshine at this rainforest island. The temperature is in the lower 50s. I finally took down my bike for a spin out the road and back – about 1-1/2 hours. I caught a cold late last week and hadn’t felt completely well until today.

Shelley has been in Haines since the beginning of the week at ArtFest, a gathering of Southeast art teachers and students to learn about making different kinds of art. She is on her way back now and will arrive very early tomorrow morning.

This Saturday the Medical Center is hosting a Health Fair. We will have a booth there handing out small loaves of homemade bread.

Misfortunes

On top of all that is already going on, I was involved in a minor auto accident yesterday. And then this morning I noticed that the water pressure was low. I made sure no fixture inside the house was running, then looked out the front window to see water running out of the ground…

It almost seems like life, the universe, and everything has decided to conspire against me.

Went to the clinic

Elise made me go see a doctor yesterday :)

A hypothesis from the visit is that the northern latitude and the associated darkness may be depleting Vitamin D stores and affecting serotonin levels, contributing to some of the problems I’ve been experiencing. We shall see how things go after a few weeks of treatments to begin correcting this.

Is it okay to take a break from religion?

When religion, its routines, traditions, and the whole culture around it becomes a source of negative stress, is it okay to take a break from it? What if God becomes so hopelessly intertwined with the sources of stress? Is it okay to let God go for a while?

This is basically where I am at now. I think that in order for spirituality to return to something healthy in my life, I may need to cast off all the religious traditions that have negative associations. I may need to start in a new place where I can view my past religious experiences as an outsider. Is it possible to get to a place where I no longer have any emotional attachments to religion?

I am well on my way to fearing daily living: interacting with people, phone calls, talking, sleeping. I want out of this misery and pain.

Spiritual leadership != business leadership

Mike Bonem over at LeadershipJournal.net writes in his article “Good to Great to Godly”:

"We need more structure in our decision making. Without that discipline, we'll never accomplish anything."

"We're a church, not a business. We need to rely on God. We can't operate like the corporate world."

Ever been on one side or the other of this argument? Or perhaps in the middle? The tensions are present in most churches in America today. As corporate "best practices" are applied to church life, church leaders struggle to make sense of it all.

…

In the church, the "bottom line" is life transformation, which defies simple cost-benefit analysis. We wonder whether it's better to see one new convert or five believers who grow significantly in their faith. Or whether the dollar spent on children's programming produces more fruit than one spent on youth ministry. Or how to make the trade-off between music ministry or benevolence. So we wrestle with priorities and resource allocation, trying to make the right choices as we pursue a goal that is sometimes vague and elusive. What kind of leadership is needed to move from blurriness to clarity, from seeing through simple business lenses to seeing more as God sees?

…

My experience is that church leaders—senior pastors, other staff, and laity—need a style that transcends both of these, a leadership approach that is spiritual and situational (sometimes legislative, sometimes executive). Even as we create structured processes for making important decisions, we must allow time and space for God to speak into the hearts of leaders. Sometimes it's the pastor who hears God most clearly; at other times one or more lay leaders may have a divine insight. In other words, the "best practices" from business have much to offer regarding decision making, but they omit the greatest asset available to congregational leaders—the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

…

Jim Collins' monograph Good to Great and the Social Sectors has an interesting line before the title: "Why Business Thinking Is Not the Answer." Is Collins right? Yes and no. It's clear that the unfiltered, wholesale adoption of best practices from business is not the answer. The church is not a business, and if we run it like one, God might end up as just one of the constituents to be considered, not the One for whom the whole thing exists.

Easter Sunday, Pt. 2

Three of us, Shelley, Amy, and myself, went to the Presbyterian church for brunch, an egg hunt, and service. (Elise went to bed.) The brunch was good, then Shelley and Amy got roped into helping hide the eggs for the younger children. We watched them look for the hidden eggs, some which were up on low roofs and in trees. We got to watch a young girl with her Easter dress go scamper up a tree in pursuit of eggs… Shelly and Amy returned home after that while I stayed for the service.

Easter Sunday

It was a frigid morning. Right at the freezing point. But unlike yesterday afternoon and evening, the clouds broke and the rains stopped. It was quite a picturesque morning.

There were perhaps close to 100 people at Sandy Beach Park, looking out over Frederick Sound and to the Horn Cliffs. It was mostly cloudy, but enough breaks in the clouds to let shafts of sunlight through onto the mountains and the water.

The sunrise service (okay, technically not sunrise since that is about 6 a.m. and the service started about 7 a.m.) was a reading of the resurrection account of John 20 with singing between passages.

I got to provide the reflection at the end of the service. Here is the text of what I spoke.

• I'm sure we've all had our times of disappointments and discouragements
• Losing a job, or not getting the one you really wanted
• Receiving notice that, regrettably, your application was denied
• A word from the doctor: I'm afraid there is no cure
• Losing a home, car, a boat to an accident, or even worse, to someone else's negligence
• Watching your child suffer; bad enough if they made the wrong choices that got them into it, but worse when it appears there is no good reason, or because of someone else's malice
• Or how about when you're hoping and praying God will work things out and things don't turn out that way? When things seem to go from bad to worse?
• Have you ever felt like hope died?
• I wonder what kinds of emotions and thoughts the women watching the crucifixion and burial had
• Disbelief that it even happened…
• Grief that their loved one was no more…
• Anger at those that caused it: Judas, the Jewish leaders, Pilate, the Roman soldiers…
• Anger at God for not stopping it?
• Sense of betrayal by God…?
• Sense of betrayal by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus for not stopping it…?
• Discouragement…
• Depression…
• Emptiness…
• Loss of hope…
• After all, this was the Messiah, the Christ, the One that they had pinned their hopes upon
• Hopes for a brighter future -
• A future free from foreign occupation and oppression
• A future where nothing bad would happen again
• A future where righteousness and justice would reign
• In their minds -
• All of that died when Jesus died
• All of that was buried when Jesus was buried
• All of that was sealed away when the Roman seal was placed upon the tomb
• Yet something brought them back to the tomb on Sunday morning, in the wee, twilight hours
• What was it?
• A sense of duty, of needing to finish the burial rituals left incomplete?
• A feeling that they, the long-time, public followers of Jesus ought to perform the final burial honors, instead of those secret disciples who hurriedly buried the body on Friday?
• Simply the Jewish tradition of mourning at the burial site for three days? Perhaps
• But perhaps it was because they wanted to be with Jesus again, even if just his body…
• A hope that being near his body would bring back good memories -
• Of being loved and accepted,
• Of having worries and anxieties banished,
• Of receiving a sense of confidence and courage
• That somehow being reminded of Jesus and his presence
• Would bring back hope, and meaning, and purpose
• As the women approached the tomb they are stopped in their tracks by an earthquake
• "This can't be good," is probably the thought that goes through their minds
• Their fears are confirmed when the tomb is open and the body is gone
• "Who stole the body? Who would dare take away from them the one last reminder of Jesus?"
• The little bit of hope they had left is quickly extinguished
• Then they encounter an angel
• "Don't be afraid," he says, "Jesus is alive, just as he said he would"
• "Look inside and see where he was laid, then go tell the disciples about what you have seen"
• One by one, the women examine the tomb
• It is empty, except for the burial cloths and the face cloth
• No grave thief would unwrap the body before taking it…
• Could it be true?
• Is Jesus truly alive?
• A breath of fresh air seems to bring life to the dying flames of hope
• With cautious expectation, the women leave the tomb and hurry to tell the other disciples
• But before they are even completely out of the grove, they come upon Jesus
• "Greetings," he says and they recognize him immediately
• They rush up to his feet and clutch it, afraid to let go, afraid to lose him again, afraid that their hopes might be dashed again, afraid of being afraid again
• Jesus knows what is going on in their minds, in their hearts
• "Don't be afraid," he says
• "Go on and tell the disciples and I will see them - I will see you"
• Jesus had never lied to them
• Even his death, they now realize, he had spoken about it many times before it happened
• Confidence is recovered
• Faith is restored
• Hope is renewed
• Prior to the resurrection, the women had hoped for a particular future of their own understanding
• A faulty hope
• Even though the object of hope was based on Jesus
• After the resurrection, the women begin to understand that Jesus is the hope, that Jesus is enough
• The cross served to crucify false hopes and expectations, to tear away facades and masks
• The resurrection gave birth to genuine hope
• Genuine hope is -
• A hope that is as much about the present as it is about the future
• A hope where the future outcome is absolutely certain
• A hope where we are free to live in the present because we have no worries about the future
• A hope where we are able to overcome suffering, struggles, and trials of the moment because there is no question about the final result
• A hope where even if things don't get better in this life, even if we don't understand the why's of this life, we don't give up because being with Jesus is enough to give us ultimate meaning, purpose, and direction for all that happens
• A hope that frees us to really live
• "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Pet 1:3

The problem I have with tech support

Yesterday, the cable Internet connection was not functioning correctly for a couple of hours. All I wanted to know was if the company was aware of the problem.

I call up the toll-free support number and go through the multiple menus to get to tech support. The response I get is, “No, we aren’t aware of any problems.” That was exactly what I expected, but not what I wanted to hear.

At this point, support has two options: 1) go find out if this is a widespread problem, or 2) assume the problem is with my connection and go through the scripted steps to try to resolve it.

Of course the support side has no idea that I used to be a professional in the network and PC security business and I don’t call support unless I’ve exhausted the obvious and not-so-obvious solutions and workarounds. I don’t call unless I’m pretty certain the problem is not with my end of things. (After all, I hate wasting my time with support – and their time too…) But support opts for option two, when I would much rather have them go with option one and call me back. Even an, “I don’t know. We’ll look into it,” would be more welcome than patronizing the support rep and pretend to go through the useless steps.

Yesterday’s example is with the network connection, but I’ve also experienced similar things time and again with other pieces of hardware and software. The assumption is that if I am experiencing a problem, then the problem must likely be with me.

On the other hand, with less experienced and knowledgeable customers, it probably is helpful to look for some obvious failure points: Is the cable connected and secure? What are the status indicators? Did you make any changes recently? Does the Cable TV work?

In my ideal world, when someone calls tech support, the support person would already know the background and experience of the customer and can begin at an appropriate level. They would have already seen me going through troubleshooting procedures so they won’t ask me to repeat them. But it isn’t an ideal world and customers and tech support don’t have an ongoing relationship (well, I hope they don’t…) where that base of knowledge is learned.

I write this because it seems like there are some applications from this experience and these thoughts that might carry over to the arena of church and spiritual communities and life. And that will be left as an exercise for the reader, because I don’t have answers and some of the ideas I have, I haven’t fully thought through yet.

Good Friday

I was part of the annual, Community Good Friday service held this evening, as has been for all the years we’ve been here, at the Lutheran church.

This year, we changed the format from the seven last words of Jesus to taking the account written in Luke 23:26-56, dividing this up into four and having four speakers provide short sermons on each.

I also volunteered to sing a solo. I chose The Weight of the Cross by Christopher Machen. This was placed near the beginning of the service.

The passage I was given to speak upon was Luke 23:50-56. What follows is the detailed outline of the sermon on this passage.

• Joseph of Arimathea "was looking for the kingdom of God"
• This is the final mention of "the kingdom of God" by Luke in his gospel account
• The kingdom of God is one of the major themes in Luke
• By placing Joseph's request of Jesus' body immediately after "looking for the kingdom of God," Luke may be saying that somehow, in Jesus and in his death, the kingdom of God is realized
• Just a few minutes ago we heard that one thief asked Jesus for entry into the kingdom, and Jesus promised that he would be
• What is this kingdom?
• We need to turn back to the very beginning of Jesus' ministry
• Luke 2:43, Jesus said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."
• This good news describes the kingdom of God
• What is the good news?
• Luke 2:18-19, Jesus, in Nazareth read from Isaiah, "18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
• This is the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed and which now Luke portrays as being realized in Jesus through his death
• Why do I say this?
• The final sentence of Luke 23: "On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment."
• Here is the Sabbath commandment in Deuteronomy 5:12-15
  • 12"'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

• Did you catch the last two sentences?
• Are the similarities between this commandment and the last part of Luke 23 coincidental or intentional?
• The command to rest on the Sabbath is tied to deliverance from slavery
• This deliverance was accomplished through an outstretched arm
• Jesus' mission was to "set at liberty those who are oppressed"
• Jesus outstretched his arms on the cross and had his hands nailed to the tree to deliver us from slavery to sin
• Heb 4:9-10, the author of Hebrews writes, "9So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."
• Through Jesus and the cross, God completed the work of making freedom from sin available to us
• Jesus, having completed his work through his death, rested on the Sabbath
• The choice is now ours to make
• Do we enter the kingdom of God and the Sabbath rest it offers?
• Will we choose to cease our attempts to save ourselves and instead, rest in God's completed work of salvation?
• May each of us here this evening enter into the promised Sabbath rest

Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday. Most Adventists would say, “Huh?” The word Maundy is derived from the Latin mandatum, meaning “command” (or “mandate”), which is the first word of the commandment (in Latin) in John 13:34 found in English as, “A new command I give you: that you love one another as I have loved you.” Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and the giving of this “new commandment.”

I attended the worship service at the Presbyterian Church. It was a nice, reflective service. The core of the service consisted of hypothetical reflections on this evening by seven of the disciples that were present. This was followed by communion around the table up front.

Now the reason I’m writing this post is that up until today I hadn’t thought much about the actual setting and how this Passover meal (because that is what it was) would have played out. Even if I had, I hadn’t given it much notice. But I realized how much my particular religious tradition colors how I view this event.

The gospel writers would have assumed their readers already understood, if not participated in, the Jewish Passover meal. So they had no reason to go into all the details, elements, and order of the various components. They only wrote about the key points in the meal where Jesus said or did something significant. (See the present-day Seder order for an idea of the Passover ritual.)

One of the big revelations for me is that the foot-washing was probably not the first thing that happened. Rather the first occurrence of the meal was a blessing offered for the wine. Hand washing then follows the initial blessing. According to one historical resource, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, what Jesus did was instead of performing the ritual hand washing, he stood up to wash his disciples’ feet. Following this, the rest of the meal continues, including breaking the bread, additional drinking, and more blessings.

In my newly acquired copy of The Didache, what I found interesting in the instruction regarding the Eucharist is that rather than the bread followed by wine, it is wine followed by bread. This follows the traditional Jewish Seder order rather than the order given by Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) and the one used by most present-day Christian traditions. What is interesting is Matthew and Mark only record the bread followed by the cup (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25) but Luke records the cup, followed by bread, followed by the cup again (Luke 22:14-21), giving weight to the impression that what is recorded is just a small part of the whole meal.

Another interesting item I discovered is found in Numbers 28 (particularly v. 7, “strong drink” for a daily drink offering; and v. 24, the daily drink offering is to be continued during Passover and the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread). All these years I thought that nothing fermented (with yeast, or leavened) was permitted during Passover, but what is this that I read…? Maybe with our modern-day scientific understanding, we’ve over-generalized the term “leaven” that is used in the Bible. Could it be that the Bible really only refers to bread and its associated dough when it says to clean out the leaven for Passover?

As for the idea that Communion is part of the church liturgy, where did that come from? From the picture we read in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 and also from what the Didache describes, the early Christian community simply met together for meals. During that time, someone would take the bread and wine and bring to remembrance Jesus and the Last Supper. Communion or Eucharist (which simply means “Thanksgiving” – the other “baggage” associated with this term came much later) apparently came to be a ritual around the year 100 with Ignatius of Antioch and the associated strengthening of ecclesiastical authority (c.f, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Eucharist).

I’m not writing this to say that our interpretations and what we typically do in regards to Communion is wrong. I am writing this to show how our present-day traditions and and assumptions can color how we read Biblical accounts.

It is a revelation to realize that Communion was probably never intended to become a ritual. Rather, the interpretation I have now of Jesus’ words are to simply remember him and remind one another of him whenever we get together for a fellowship meal and share bread and wine (grape juice…).