Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 10 - Power

I believe in the POWER of prayer.

I am not an overtly religious person, and for better or worse, I keep my religion personal and to myself.

But ask me if there is any power in prayer and I will say, without a doubt, "YES".

I have seen it happen. I know it works and you will not be able to prove it otherwise to me.

There is POWER in prayer.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 9 - Wait

"Wait!" "Hang on." "Just be patient." "In a minute." "Please take a number." "Your call will be answered in 4 minutes."

No thank you. I cannot wait.

I will not wait.

And if I do have to wait, I will not like it.

No one really likes to wait, but I do it worse than most people. I accept that I cannot wait for things to happen and have little to no real patience and I make no excuses for this flay. But I do not consider it a flaw. Only part of who I am. If you know me at all, then you know this explains a lot about me!

I never have been very good at it. But it was not until about 20 + years ago that I realized that I was hard wired to make life happen for me instead of waiting or it to happen to me. I was discovering that the world had so much to show me and there were so many things to do and see that I could not wait for those things to be seen, be done or be part of. It was a point of contention between my wife and I early on as I had a tendency to plan things without consulting her. Not that she did not want to be part of the plan but because she knew I did not think through the planning process well or simply did not consult a calendar! I am still guilty of doing this from time to time but now we plan together much more, and in turn we are never without something to do, see or be part of.



Ironically, today I was deeply saddened by the death of one of the icons of Sci-Fi and the actor behind one of the most beloved characters of all time in Science Fiction history - Leonard Nimoy. "Mr. Spock" of Star Trek. And I am reminded of a line from the movie, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

"Accepting Death - by understanding that every life comes to an end, when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted." - Spock

Time waiting is time wasted and in my world, time wasted is life wasted.

I will not wait.

Thank you Mr. Spock.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 8 - Place

Where is your place? Do you have a place? I don't mean a place were you live or a place where you work, but a place were you belong. A place that makes you feel perfectly comfortable and at ease and a place were you think you might just be making a difference.

My place is right in the middle of young people.

Ever since I had kids of my own, I knew that being involved in the lives of young people in my community was the place I belonged.

My son joined Cub Scouts as a Tiger Cub and when the opportunity for someone to take over leadership in the Cub Scouts arose, I jumped at the chance to be part of this organization that helps shape young boys into young men. This continued into Boy Scouts as my son advanced upward in his Scouting ranks and I was right there in the dirt with those Boy Scouts. Camping, merit badge work, service projects, you name it. I found my place with them.

Another opportunity arose when my daughter became a Girl Scout and my wife took over as leader. I needed to be part of that youth organization. I was maybe not as involved as I was with the Boy Scouts, but I supported them in every way I could.

At our church, my wife and I felt the need to be leaders of the High School aged Youth Group and we found even more rewards with this group of young people. We made two trips to New Orleans for Youth Gatherings that gave me, and I hope them, experiences they will never forget.

I even work my way into school trips and such... even going with a group of FFA kids to Washington DC for a week trip. Trips to the zoos or trips to Springfield. And in a few months, I am joining the PBL Marching Band on a trip to New Orleans as a chaperone.

And as I mentioned in an earlier blog, we hosted a foreign exchange student and soon our house became overrun with high school students coming and going from our house. I could not have been happier.

And now I am working at Parkland College and am heavily involved in the training and education of young people just starting off on their adult lives and I love it. I found my place even at work. And for that I am really thankful.

And to those young people who have let me be a part of their lives.... Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 8 - Remember

Nothing deep today... just a story of remembering.

Today, as most work days, I like to take a walk around the Parkland College campus to get some exercise and just get out of the office a bit. While doing so, I was remembering walking the same halls and stairwells when I was a student, fresh out of High School and trying to make a go of it as a college student. I was not a stellar student while studying at Parkland College but I did okay. What I remember most were the people I met, the friends I made and the fun I had trying out classes that were not part of my field of study.

It was there that I took my first radio class, working at WPCD and falling in love with something that would eventually become my career. And I remember even further back, as a young boy listening to the few stations that we could actually receive in my neck of the woods, thinking that it would be really great to be on the radio or have a career in radio. Jump back ahead again to my days as a Parkland student and I remember being told to go volunteer at this little place called the Illinois Radio Reader, not just to help out but to get more practice reading script on the air.

Eventually that stint as a volunteer opened up the opportunity for me to take the role of director of the Illinois Radio Reader which in turn (after 20 years) opened the door for me to take a job back at Parkland College and the very same radio station that I got my start at.

Now I have in my office the little plaque that used to be on the wall of the WPCD studio that showed where former students had moved onto after their time at WPCD. For me it is a full circle.

Funny what a simple walk with remind you of.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 7 - Path

I often wonder how my life would be different if I had chosen a different path in life in terms of career, family, and even my beliefs and opinions on the world.

I think we all wonder if we are on the right path in life. Did we make the right decisions and choices?

For some people it is painfully obvious that they did not.

For others, it looks like the world is their oyster and every decision they made was perfect. (But I really doubt it.)

I think back and wonder... What if I had signed that paper that would have enlisted me in the US Army instead of going to college? What if I had moved to a larger metropolitan area when I left home for college? What if I had not gone to a certain bar on campus and met a certain girl there? What if I had not decided to take a chance on a new job after being in the same one for 20 years?

I really have no idea what my life would look like now or how it would be if I had made different choices years ago... and more recently too.

I like the way things have turned out. REALLY like the way my path had led me. And for that I am Thankful.

But what I do know is that I have encountered a lot of great people, who have been with me on some great experiences and I think that is what the best part about walking this path of Life. You never know who you will meet on the path and how they will affect your life.

Sometimes they will make the path easier to walk on, and sometime make it more difficult.

It's not the path, it's the intersections that matter.

Lenten Photo Challenge; Day 6 - Covenant

"Covenant"

I really did not know where to go with this word. This is the hardest word so far in the Photo Challenge. I know the meaning behind it and like the word "promise", it means that you will follow through, you will uphold your end, and you are committed to something. My wife wrote a wonderful piece about this word HERE and I won't dare try to copy something as beautiful as what she wrote.

So I will go another route. Much like the word "announce" that was the first word in this Lenten Challenge, the word "covenant" has much that same meaning for me. (Unless you are talking about the Covenant in the "HALO" game series and then we skitter off into a much geekier discussion...)

I have made many covenants in my life. Covenants to my wife, my family, God, work and to myself. When I make a covenant with someone, I fully intend to follow through with that agreement and should I fall short, even though I am embarrassed by my failure, I can at least beg for forgiveness from those I failed. I am rarely able to forgive myself. I am probably harder on myself than I need to be but that is just the makeup of my personality. There are things that I have failed to do on a personal level that I feel I should have accomplished and finished with success. Some of them are trivial while a few are broken covenants that I will never forgive myself for.

I make covenants with myself to challenge myself, to better myself, and to be someone that others can depend on.

--On a side note, the photo is the result of one of my covenants to myself. To learn a new language. I am struggling to get there, but I am getting closer!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 5 - Celebrate

During this photo challenge it appears that each Sunday, the word is "Celebrate". So I think that I will take each of those to celebrate special people in my life.

Today I celebrate --- Wolf Burkhardt!!

Wolf came into our lives in 20112 when we began on the adventure of hosting a foreign exchange student in our home. We had decided to do this after having such a great time with some other exchange students who were in other families around Paxton. We began our journey of "shopping for kids" on the hosting website and settled on this goofy looking German kid that according to his bio, would be a good match for our family. And damn, did he fit in. Like a piece of the puzzle. Like he had been a part of the family that we had just never met. I won't go into details of his time here because most of you know the rest of the story because you were part of it! And that is why I am celebrating him today in this Lenten Photo Challenge!

I celebrate him because he is one of the most outgoing, friendly persons I know of.

I celebrate him because while he is an amazing and fun individual, he is a very humble and concerned person.

I celebrate him because he welcomes all new experiences and opportunities that come to him.

I celebrate him because he wants to know more about the people and world around him.

I celebrate him he can make friends where ever he goes.

I celebrate him because I was able to talk to him about a country I have a deep interest in and he could respond with first hand knowledge.

I celebrate him because unlike many of his fellow countrymen, he is not afraid to say he is proud to be a German.

I celebrate him for his wonderful sense of humor.

I celebrate him for being more American than some Americans I know.

I celebrate him because he inspired me to learn a new language.

I celebrate him because he was part of what set my family back to our normal routine after being on hold for a long time.

I celebrate him because he gave me a German family that I now belong to.

I celebrate him for being part of my family and being like a son to me.

Thank you Wolf!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 4 - Joy.

No one is ever unhappy when they are holding an ice cream cone.

It's the little things in life that give you joy.

To me, Joy and Happiness are two separate things. Closely related to one another and each affects the other but they are separate things in my view point.

Joy is fleeting. Happiness is enduring.

Having joy does not necessarily mean you are happy. I know many people who find joy in small things and activities, but overall, they are very unhappy people.

I think I am a happy person and I can wake up in the morning ready to face the day because I have created for myself, and surrounded myself with things, activities and people that are a joy to have, do or be around.

Things that bring me joy:

Playing with my dogs.
Teaching someone a new game and having them say it was the best game they have ever played. (Until the next game I show them!)
Playing a game, whether I win or lose.
Discovering a new wine.
Discovering a new wine.... with my wife or friends.
Making Campfire Coffee. (It's capitalized because its a THING in my life>)
Discussing the minutiae of some historical subject with my buddy Rick.
Hearing my daughter sing. (I am so jealous of her talent!)
Watching my son shoot guns. (I am jealous of his talent too!)
Teaching someone how to shoot a gun.
Hearing a church congregation sing a hymn just right that it gives you chills.
Having a clean car.
Having a clean house.
Studying a new subject.
Making something from an idea in my head.
Re-connecting with an old friend.
Fire and Wines.
My Sunday Night Sci-Fi kids... and hanging out with all of the kids that I call friends.
Eating an ice cream cone.
.... and on and on and on.

Not a single one of them requires a ton of work or a ton of money. They are the little things that bring me joy.

And they create for me a happy life.

Lenten Photo Challenge: Day 3 - Alone

I have no idea what it is like to be alone. I don't mean the kind of alone where you are by yourself at home, or at a restaurant or movie theater, but the kind of alone where there is no one you can depend on to be there when you need them.

My wife is always with me. Even if she is not physically near me, she is always with me. When I make a decision or plan, her voice is there advising me. And most of the times I listen... Sometimes, to my regret, I don't. :)

I have a big family and they are the type of family that will have your back and be there in an instant when you need them. Even my father who passed away five years ago is still with me if I take time to hear him.

I have friends that are the best that someone could ever ask for. They are fun to be around but most importantly I can turn to them for help and support.

All of these people are my foundation and my support system and with them I will never be alone. They are part of my pack. And for that I am grateful. Incredibly grateful.

But I am sure that there are many people I know that do feel alone. And I probably have no idea that they feel that way. But I am here to tell you that if you feel alone, please let me know. If you are one of those people that make it possible that I never feel alone, I want to return that favor. I want to be part of your pack.

No one should feel alone. No one should be a lone wolf.

** Note on the wolf photo. Obviously it is not mine. But if asked what something thinks about when they hear the word "alone", often they think of the "lone Wolf", out alone in the wilderness. But they are not. Wolves are social creatures that depend on their pack to survive. They might seem as though they can survive alone, but they cannot. I can relate to the wolf.

Photo source: Here

Lenten Photo Challenge Day 2 : Look

How do you start your day? Do you look forward to it? How do you look at your day? The 24 hours that you have. You have the same 24 hours that everyone else has, but you will spend it far differently than anyone else, all because of how you look at it.

It is very easy to become jaded and angry with ourselves, our lives. Even angry and jaded with others and situations that we really can't do anything about. (Even though we can but we can't see a way to do it.) So very often we don't look forward to the day that we have been given. The day becomes jammed packed with all kinds of things that demand our attention. We get frustrated and sometimes the day gets lost to us. And then we collapse in bed looking forward to the bliss of sleep but dreading getting up in the morning. I have been there. And sometimes I am there. I have been told by many that I always seem to be having a good time at what ever I am doing. I can't say if that is true but I certainly do try! I am not sure when, but at some point in the past I realized that I need to look at each day as a gift and make the most of it. That was impressed upon me in a big way a few years ago, because you can never know when you will not be able to look forward to another day. But there is also another reason... in a very geeky way.

I was inspired by, of all people, William Shatner. Yes. James T. Kirk himself. I was listening to an interview with his nephew I believe, and he was asked what it was like to be close to William Shatner. He described Shatner as having more fun than anyone else he knew. Everything is fantastic to Shatner. Everything is a wonderful experience, it is always the best he has ever had, even if it is a simple glass of lemonade. He is happy to be alive and looks forward to the next day. I am sure there are many like him in this world that have that same enthusiasm, but for a geek like me, I look up to him as role model... After all, he played CAPTAIN KIRK! And to a geek like me, that is all the incentive I need.

So I take a cue from the man himself. William Shatner. I look forward to each day and I look to have as good of a day as possible and try to revel in every experience. I don't always succeed, but I try!

Live Long and Prosper my friends and look forward to a great day!

Lenten Photo Challenge: Announce

Very often we hear people speaking their mind and announcing to the world what they think or feel about things, events, and people. The internet, Facebook, Twitter and all sorts of social media give people who might not otherwise be heard, a platform for speaking their mind. Much like a radio station allows it's on air personalities a platform for them to perform. The difference... most of the time... is that there are rules or guidelines to what you can or cannot (or are not supposed to at least) say on the airwaves. Some of those rules and guidelines are being tossed to the side and as more and more people ignore or overstep them, the fewer people are going to respect them in the future. On the internet, many people seem to feel insulated and will say things that they would never say to someone face to face. Words have meaning. Words have power. Whether stated as an opinion, in jest or as fact, when you say things, someone is going to hear you and assume that what you say is what you believe. I do. When you say something to me, I will take you at your word. I am someone that believes that when you say you will do something, you will do it. When you promise something, it will happen. When you say you will be somewhere, you will be there. But oh so often I am disappointed. People say words that they don't mean. They don't follow up. Words seem to be cheap now a days. Just look on the internet at all of the anger, hate and spiteful words are tossed around. But there are some good words used there too. Words used to inspire, uplift, comfort, and for knowledge. What I am getting at is that we all have a voice and we should be mindful of how we use it. And as far as I am concerned, if you say something, I am going to take you for your word. To that end, I am going to use this initial photo challenge to announce what I am doing for Lent. I think that when I state it and put it out there for the public, I am held more accountable to hold to what I have said I will do. Each year I try to add or change what I do for the Lenten Season. Here is my 2015 challenge to myself. Some are ones I have kept for a long time and some are new ones. Each one has a reason for being there and if you are curious why, just ask.

So... in the next 40 days I announce that I:

- will not eat any potatoes or foods with potatoes (harder than you think...)
- will not add white sugar to anything I eat or drink
- will not eat bread (as in slices of bread or rolls and such)
- will not eat candy of any sort (this is a big one for me!)
- will fast for 24 hours once a week
- will not drink soda pop
- will read at least one chapter from a book during the work week (I find that I have really dropped off how much I read)
- will partake in the photo challenge generated by ReThinkChurch.org
- will join my wife and daughter at the gym 3 times a week
- will go camping at least once during this Lenten Season
- will finish at least two projects I have been working on that are taking up way to much space in by basement

There... I have said it. Now I must follow through.

Rethinking Lent....

It has been a long time since I have written anything in my blog, or hell, even looked or thought about it, but the Lenten season is coming and I thought this that I should use my blog to participate in the ReThink Church Lenten Photo Challenge. I really enjoyed doing it a couple of years ago and it seemed well received so I think I will do it again. The photos and opinions will be my own unless I need help from the outside world and interwebs. This is not really for anyone but myself. I never used to take the Lenten Season very seriously, but over the last few years I have begun to rethink (See what I just did there...?) it and this challenge is something that I will add to my ever growing list of things I do or not do during the 40 days of Lent. So read along with me on my photo challenge, or even better yet, do it with me!