L. Craig Harris

Good Lookin' Family

2012-01-27T20:07:00.001-06:00

Writing and Playing

2012-01-21T20:56:00.001-06:00

This is what I really enjoy doing - writing and playing songs on the keys and guitar. I haven't been doing this much in recent years, but I'm finally getting back to it.

Joan Hallmark Emmy Reception

2012-01-12T19:52:00.006-06:00

Really enjoyed seeing my friends from my days at KLTV. We still enjoy watching Joan's feature stories and Mark Scirto's weather. Joan was honored for winning a Silver Circle Lifetime Emmy Award for her years of great broadcasting. I was her photographer and editor from 1987 to 1989 or so. They showed some video of Joan's past stories at the reception and used video that I shot. It was a story on Earl Campbell we videoed in Austin at Memorial Stadium.

Jesus' Real Birthday

2011-12-05T21:43:00.004-06:00

We celebrate Christmas on December 25th each year, but is that really Jesus’ birthday? Almost certainly no. We celebrate Christmas on that day because Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor declared it be held on that day in the year A.D. 320. Scholars believe he did this because Christians were already celebrating Christ’s birthday on that date, which was the Roman holiday Saturnalia, a festival of light returning, to avoid persecution. Constantine did away with the pagan holiday and declared the 25th to be Christmas.
In fact, many believe the Bible indirectly teaches that Jesus was born on the first day of the Jewish festival called The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). The evidence is very compelling. John said Jesus came and “tabernacled” (dwelt in English translations) with us in John 1:14. The Feast of Tabernacles was a Jewish holiday that celebrated “God coming and dwelling with us”. It begins on 15th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (our September/October). It celebrates Moses’ building God a tent in the desert. During this joyous, seven-day celebration, the Jews go outside and live in booths (tents) to remind them that God is with us and that this earth is not our true home.
The Feast of Tabernacles holiday is called the “Season of our Joy” and the angel told the shepherds, “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people.” The holiday is also called “The Feast of Nations”, because it was to be celebrated by all peoples after the Messiah came (Zechariah 14:16).
The swaddling cloths that Mary wrapped Jesus in give another clue. During the Feast of Tabernacles, strips of cloths were used to light the 16 vats of oil in the court of women. Even the word “manger” is symbolic here. It is the same word used for “booth” in the Old Testament. (Genesis 33:17)
The Bible says Jesus was circumcised on the “eighth day”. This was Jesus’ eighth day, yes, but it is also the name of a day on the calendar, called Shemini Atzeret, which is the day after the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. That’s why many believe Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
But that’s not all. The Magi were probably Jews from Babylon who had remained there since Nebuchadnezzar captured them. They continued the Jewish traditions and during the Feast of Tabernacles would have stayed out in tents. The tents had a hole in the ceiling so you could see the star of the Messiah!
When you think about it, shepherds would not be out in the fields with new lambs in the winter, but in the spring, summer or fall.
There is even more evidence. The Bible says that John the Baptist was six months' older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). You can calculate that John the Baptist was born in the month Nisan, which is our March/April. Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, was in the division of Abijah, and Jewish Scholars say they were in the temple in the tenth week of each Jewish year. When you add nine months from when he was in the temple you find that John the Baptist was born in the spring.
John the Baptist, then, could have born during Passover. To this day, the Jews put out a plate for Elijah during their Passover dinner because he is prophesied to return before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Jesus said John the Baptist was the return of Elijah and fulfilled that prophecy when he was born (Matthew 11:14). Many believe, then, that Elijah did return during Passover, just as expected.
If you use an Internet calendar conversion program to calculate what Gregorian day Tishri 15 would have been on in 1 B.C. (The Jewish year 3761), you find that the day is Saturday, September 30th.
Why the year 1 B.C.? Because Luke 3:1 and 3:23 tell us that Jesus turned 30 years old 15 years after the Coronation of Tiberius Caesar which historians universally agree was in A.D. 14. When Dionysius Exignus, the Ukranian monk who declared the years that we still use, set the calendar, he used the January after Jesus’ birth as “the year of our Lord” – Latin: Anno Domini or A.D. 1. There is no year zero, so Jesus turned 30 in the fall of 29 A.D. Like it or not, we declare every day of every year that Jesus was born just before 1 A.D. Every time you write the date you acknowledge that Jesus was born, whether you believe in him or not. Some people want to say Dionysius was wrong, but I'm not willing to do that. I believe he was absolutely right.
Some scholars – even Christian scholars – have long stated that Jesus must have been born between 6 and 4 B.C. because of writings from Jewish historian Josephus stating that an eclipse occurred shortly before the death of Herod the Great and a known eclipse occurred in 6 B.C. Astronomers now say another eclipse occurred on December 29th of 1 B.C. Herod could easily have died in 1 A.D when Jesus was nearing two years old, which would fit right in with Matthew 2:16.
John 2:20 says the Temple in Jerusalem had been under construction for 46 years. It is universally agreed upon that Herod began renovations on the Temple “around 19 B.C”. If Jesus was 31 in 30 A.D., remembering that there was no year zero, then the Temple construction would have begun right when historians say it was.
Back to the birth date. This story is about to take an interesting twist: If Jesus was born on Tishri 15, he would have been conceived of the Holy Spirit on or near our Christmas Day. We may well be celebrating the day Jesus' life truly began on planet earth – the day he was conceived. A life begins at conception and it is fitting that we celebrate all of Jesus' life, not just after he was born. We make a big deal out of Christmas and well we should. For one thing, the world's economy would immediately collapse if we removed Christmas from the calendar. Whether or not you are a believer, your world would end as you know it if you took away the Christian faith.
One final thought. The Jewish holiday Hanukkah always falls near Christmas. The Hanukkah Menorah is said to represent Israel, “a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42: 6). It would be fitting if Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah because, as the Messiah, he is indeed the Light of the World.

A White Christmas (Tree)

2011-12-03T17:41:00.006-06:00

I talked my wife into getting this white tree this year. I wanted something different. I really like how it lights up the corner.

Evidence for a Reasonable Faith

2011-11-26T11:50:00.004-06:00

Psalm 22: 12 – 18 (NIV): Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

Jesus fulfilled more than 350 Old Testament prophecies and this passage has some of the most direct and amazing. It looks like it was written after his crucifixion, perfectly describing what he went through – but was actually written more than a thousand years before he was born! Not only that, but it was written by David, who never saw a person crucified because that method of execution hadn't been invented yet.

Jesus quotes the first line of Psalm 22 from the cross. I believe he was making sure we saw this amazing prophecy. The passage says “all my bones are out of joint”, “my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth”, and “my strength is dried up like a potsherd”. Scholars say this is what happened to a crucified person. Strong “bulls” surrounded him. Bashan had the strongest bulls in David's day and Rome had the strongest army in Jesus' day. “They have pierced my hands and my feet.” This is an undeniable prophecy. And the Bible tells us the soldiers cast lots to see who would get Jesus' clothing, and that people stared and gloated as he was being punished.

I get tired of people who are hostile to the faith saying we Christians are a bunch of irrationals whose faith is equivalent to “reading the entrails of a chicken”. (I'm quoting a Newsweek article from this week.) Our faith is not fluff with no substance. It has a rich heritage – a long line of believers who know what they saw and what was handed down to them. The New Testament is full of skeptics, James, Paul and Thomas among them, who believed when they saw the risen Christ.

But is the New Testament reliable? Internal prophecies, external history, content agreement, multiple manuscripts, and the blood of the martyrs prove it beyond doubt.

Our faith is reasonable, rational, logical, based on evidence, based on prophecies and based on truth. Our faith encourages strong families and teaches love, compassion and fair treatment for all. If anyone tells you differently, he is a liar just like his true father.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T10:06:00.003-06:00

This is my grandfather, who will be 97 Friday, about to carve the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner out at my mom's.

Veteran's Day Parade 2011

2011-11-12T11:54:00.000-06:00

Beautiful Blackgum

2011-11-10T19:05:00.002-06:00

Our Blackgum is really beautiful this year.

Mary Poppins Mix

2011-11-06T19:50:00.002-06:00

This video makes me smile! I love this.

David on His Birthday

2011-09-15T22:02:00.006-05:00

David Arrives on the Scene

2011-09-14T21:09:00.004-05:00

17 Years Ago Tonight - about 12:30am. One of my all-time favorite pictures. Here's who's in the picture: Teresa Taylor, Melissa Pettiette, Melissa Taylor, Wayne Taylor, Wendy Bales, Robert Rachuig, Kay Price, Shelly Weaver, Fran Harris, Leslie Mynatt, Michael Mynatt, Betty Britain, Jodi Harris and Jodi is holding David Harris.

Up on the Roof

2011-09-04T15:29:00.001-05:00

Our red oak limbs were rubbing the roof - and tearing it up - so David and I had to get up there and trim it back.

Friday Night in America

2011-08-27T12:05:00.002-05:00

The first game of the 2011 football season at Panther Stadium. It was 95 degrees.

Camo-Moth!

2011-08-16T19:06:00.003-05:00

Check out this camouflage-designed moth that was in our garage this weekend.

Squirrel Baffle

2011-08-06T12:04:00.005-05:00

I may have finally gotten the best of my pesky squirrels. We've tried several "anti-squirrel" feeders, but the squirrels defeated all of them. The last one I bought had springs and closed when the squirrels climbed on it, but they chewed through the plastic and ruined the whole thing.

So I bought this baffle - and I've seen two squirrels try to get past it and they cannot. I also bought this new feeder. It has a tray and not perches. The cardinals wouldn't land on the perches (not very often), but they'll land on this one. I'm hoping to attract the painted bunting that keeps perching on my fence to this new feeder. The chickadees and titmice have no problem with it either. The baffle was about 10 dollars and the feeder was 15.

Turning 50 with Friends

2011-07-29T16:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a photo from our 50th Birthday Party. We had a great time at the party. In the photo is me, Michael Bennett and Jody Morton. We had the party out at the Bennett's party barn. You'll notice 70's decoration since that's when we were teenagers. Also notice our matching shirts and the three red velvet cakes in front of us.

Craig's Youngster Pictures

2011-07-01T18:43:00.007-05:00

Since I'm turning 50 next week I thought I would post some photos from my childhood. See more at this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/lcraigharris

Our Honeymoon - 20 Years Ago

2011-06-25T23:04:00.009-05:00

Craig and Jodi's 20th Anniversary

2011-06-25T13:13:00.002-05:00

Amaryllis 2011

2011-06-04T14:01:00.004-05:00

This amaryllis came up in our yard this spring. I didn't plant it - a previous owner of our home must have. I posted this photo and said it was an iris, but a reader from Canada corrected me. Anyway, it's beautiful, isn't it?

Mulberry Tree

2011-05-07T10:46:00.003-05:00

This tree is growing in our back yard and I never could figure out what it was. I nearly cut it down, but I'm glad I didn't. It's a Mulberry Tree, and the fruit is delicious. It tastes a lot like blackberries, but more tangy. Wow! What a nice surprise this morning.

Brushy Creek Arbor Revival 2011

2011-05-04T21:26:00.003-05:00

Jodi and I went out to Brushy Creek tonight. It's so nostalgic. Hand-hewn beams. Weather was perfect. Preacher was a guy from First Methodist in Houston. My friend Perry Eaton led the singing. He did about a dozen old-fashioned gospel hymns and did a great job.

Azaleas with Butterfly

2011-03-25T19:15:00.002-05:00

This large eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly was fluttering about our azalea bush when I got home from work today.

Dogwoods 2011

2011-03-18T13:20:00.004-05:00

I climbed up on a step-ladder to get this shot. Then I waited for the sun to come out from behind a cloud. I used the "macro" setting on the camera since it's so close. This tree is in our back yard. This is a large file if you want to download it for your desktop.

Savannah's First Home Tennis Match

2011-02-17T18:22:00.004-06:00

She's undefeated in all of her games so far!

Here are more photos: click here.

Snow Day Feb 4, 2011

2011-02-04T10:50:00.001-06:00

Snow Feb 4, 2011

Dana-Papaw-74th Anniversary

2011-01-31T20:14:00.000-06:00

Dana-Papaw-74th anniversary

Winter Visitors 2011

2011-01-17T09:54:00.002-06:00

These pretty little gold finches spend the winter with us every year. They've discovered my feeders loaded with sunflowers. A whole flock of them come each year, but they'll be gone by spring break.

Cold and Rainy Day

2011-01-15T16:07:00.002-06:00

Here's what you do on a cold and rainy winter day. We bought this firewood from a guy out in Pert. He has it cut, split and stacked, but we have to go get it. The other night, when David and I went to get it, there was still snow on it from the sleet and snow we received a few days earlier.

This fireplace is right next to my chair and I love sitting beside it with a cup of coffee. Today we're watching playoff games and throwing another log on every 30 minutes or so. In front of this is about the only warm spot in the house.

Harris Family Christmas 2010

2010-12-18T17:53:00.002-06:00

Couple of Desktop Pics

2010-12-11T12:41:00.003-06:00

These make pretty good desktop photos if you want to download them.

Hamburger Cookout

2010-11-13T13:50:00.006-06:00

My grandparents, age 95, and my mom came for lunch today. Jodi and I made burgers on the grill and, boy, was it good. We took a couple of pictures, including recreating the famous picture of my grandpaw kissing David on the head at David's first Christmas. That picture was taken by the Palestine Herald Press and was in the paper on New Year's Day. The headline was "out with the old..."

Savannah at Octoberfest 2010

2010-10-31T18:34:00.003-05:00

It was beautiful weather at the 2010 Wonderfall Octoberfest in down-town Palestine. This was Savannah's first time to march in a parade. They looked and sounded great and we had a great time.

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-16T12:43:00.010-05:00

Here are some pictures from Westwood's Homecoming 2010. Savannah is in her full band uniform. They did great! They performed music from Star Trek.

Chris Tomlin Concert

2010-10-09T12:03:00.004-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the Chris Tomlin concert in Tyler Thursday. David and I went. It was at The Oil Palace, which is a pretty big place, and it was just about full. We were pretty far back, but David moved up when Chris took the stage.
Chris knew his audience and never strayed from what he is known and loved for. It was amazing to hear the whole crowd sing every word of every song with him. He took the stage with all of the anticipation and enthusiasm of a mega-star (which he is, since we all sing his songs every Sunday in church), but he channeled all of the praise to Jesus without flinching.
The sound was excellent and the mix was spot on. When Chris spoke, you could see right to his heart that he loved what he was doing. He quoted scripture throughout his remarks and even prayed for us. He put all of the lyrics on the big screens (most people didn't need them, but it showed that this was a worship event). He was funny, saying that an outsider coming in would think this was a big karaoke event, but he sang and played his heart out. He told us over and over how much it meant to him to be "home", since he was born in Tyler and grew up in the area.
I hadn't felt the way I felt during and after the concert in a long time. I felt the way I did when I was at Pineywoods Camp, back in the 90s and Chris led the singing and Scott Crenshaw spoke. I remember Chris sitting on the stage with me in the afternoons, teaching me the songs he was singing at the time. He came to my church one time and led worship. He even sat with my youth group at a Newsboys concert. Back then, he was just one of the guys. An Aggie like me, and a humble worship leader, although we all loved him. What's amazing is that he is still humble! Even though he's probably had more of a musical influence on the country than anyone since the Gaithers in the early seventies.
David got a t-shirt and put it on. It has a verse that Chris sings "and if God is for us, who could ever stop us." It's a great-looking shirt, and Chris wore one just like it on stage, which just added to the coolness for me.
At one point, Chris said, "I'm going to sing some songs you all know and I'm going to do some new ones, from our new album." He knew that we all knew his songs. He knew that we sang them in church every week. He knew we had his CDs. I thought to myself that that must be a wonderful feeling. At one point, the piano player played an introduction to a song and before Chris could even begin singing it, the audience started it. Chris just kept playing and let us sing. It was truly amazing.
And speaking of amazing. He said he was approached to add a new verse to Amazing Grace. At first he wouldn't do it. He said he didn't want to be the "punk" who ruined the world's best-known anthem. But then he found out that the last verse, "when we've been there ten thousand years..." was added a hundred years after John Newton wrote the song. He said "some other punk already added to it", so he wrote an incredible new verse. I can't wait to get the CD so I can hear it again.
It was a truly worshipful, wonderful experience. I'll never forget it and I hope he comes back to our area soon. I'm glad my son made us go. He's the bigger fan. Well, maybe before the concert. I'm not sure Chris has a bigger fan than me now.

David's 16th Birthday

2010-09-18T21:11:00.009-05:00

Brushy Creek Arbor Homecoming

2010-09-05T20:27:00.004-05:00

David and I met my mom at the Brushy Creek Arbor today for the 140th Homecoming there. My great-great grandmother used to go there as a little girl and my mom has her diary from her days there. We really enjoyed the morning. Here are a few pictures. You'll notice the sawdust floors and hand-hewn beams. Rev. Charles Millikan preached the sermon. Bubba Holcomb lead the singing. We didn't stay for lunch, and they hadn't put much food out when I took these pictures, but we walked down to the running spring.

Savannah's First Home Game

2010-09-03T22:13:00.007-05:00

It's hard to hold the camera steady enough to get good pictures in this light, but I think these came out pretty good. The band sounded great and it was fun watching Savannah march. She did perfect! The band is performing music from Star Trek.

Savannah's First Marching Band

2010-08-28T13:51:00.017-05:00

We went to see our daughter's band perform at the Chapel Hill Stadium last night. The temperature felt great - about 75 degrees - and we had a really good time. Here are some of the pictures. Since we were the visiting team, the band had its back to us when it performed. Hopefully, I'll get better pictures at the home game next Friday. My mom went with us and we sat with Rodney, Shirley and the girls.

Tucson Trip

2010-07-21T13:08:00.009-05:00

We went to Tucson to see my brother, Kevin, and his family. Had a really neat trip. Here are some photos. We stayed in Van Horn, Texas, coming and going. Part of the reason for the trip was to take my nephew home. It was going very smoothly right until we got into Tucson. We were still nearly an hour away from Kevin's house and I noticed the "check engine" light on. The heat gage was in the red. I looked up and saw an exit and took it. There was a Chevron there and we pulled right up to it. I was so thankful it happened where it did. We had just been in the desert - with no houses or businesses - and it was 105 degrees. It would have been miserable if we hadn't been able to sit in the Chevron. They had tables and chairs and plenty of cold water. If we had been out in the sun, it literally could have been a life-threatening situation. The ladies at the Chevron were really friendly. They gave me some phone numbers and pretty soon I had a tow and had found a mechanic that was open. It was costly, but it all worked out. I felt like God was really watching over us.

I loved the desert. It was blazing hot, but beautiful. Kevin has saguaro (se WAR oh) cacti right in his yard and over his fence. Saguaros only grow in Southern Arizona, Mexico, and a small area of California. White-wing doves land on them. I don't know how they do that! They also have orange and lemon trees. Beautiful mountains tower over Kevin's back yard. I could just sit and stare at them. They grilled burgers and we swam and sat in the hot tub. Kelly makes a great pasta salad. It was all very relaxing and very nice.

Summer Visitor

2010-07-03T20:16:00.005-05:00

I was mowing the back yard this afternoon and this red bird flew into my vision and landed on the fence near me. I just assumed it was a male cardinal and didn't think anything of it. Then I looked at again and saw that it was not a cardinal, but a summer tanager. It let me get pretty close so I could study it.

After I finished mowing, I went back out with the camera and took this picture. I haven't seen it again. I guess it was just passing through.

Homesickness

2010-06-26T11:28:00.003-05:00

I had the privilege of being a guest on Family Life Radio in Arizona this week. It doesn't hurt that my brother is the co-host of the show, and his partner is one of my best friends. I can see God's hand in orchestrating my brother, Kevin's, move to Tuscon to co-host a morning radio show there. The radio station, KFLR, hired Lorri Allen first. I worked with Lorri at KLTV in Tyler, and we have been good friends ever since, even though she's a Longhorn and I'm an Aggie.
So, when KFLR hired her this spring and said she could pick her co-host, she chose Kevin, whom she knew through her friendship with me. The two sound great together and you can listen to them by going to www.myflr.org. Click the tab that says "find a station" and then the dot where Tuscon is on the map. That will launch your Media Player and you can listen to them in the mornings on your computer.
Kevin and Lorri called to talk on the radio show this week about homesickness. They talk about all kinds of interesting topics and homesickness just happened to be one of them. Kevin knows that issue is something with which I struggle. He knows it may take me two days to drive to a destination, but I can drive home in one day. After one day at Texas A&M as a college student, I packed my stuff and headed home. Dad told me to bow my neck and get back down there and I'm glad I did.
It's not that I have any great advice for dealing with homesickness, I just know about it. I've outgrown some of my homesickness, but while Kevin has taken exciting jobs in Cincinnati, Dallas, Austin, Waco, and now Tuscon, I've made my living within a rock's throw of where I was born, except when I worked at KLTV. To this day, I enjoy traveling, so long as I know I'll be back in my own bed in a few days.
In the interview, I told them that people today have better ways to stay connected than when I was younger. Now, we have cell phones and texting and Skype and Facebook. I would have enjoyed that technology when I went off to college.
Lorri asked me why I think we suffer from homesickness. I discussed how we are created to love one another and to be loved. Science has proven that we are "hard wired" to be connected to friends and family. Our brains were designed to find connections with others -- and with God -- and we thrive on those connections. When we leave our comfort zones, or the comfortable presence of our loved ones, we can feel it. It hits me when the sun sets and I'm nowhere near my home town. I've simply come to realize that that's the way I am.
I wonder if some of that homesickness is the realization that no matter where we are on earth, we're never in our true home. When we are present in the body, Paul said, we are away from the Lord. When we arrive in God's presence, we'll never feel misplaced, lonesome or homesick again. Kevin pointed out that maybe God allows us to feel homesick to remind us that we aren't ever really home. Not in this life. Jesus said our hearts should be in heaven. That's our true home.
We plan to go see Kevin and Lorri sometime this summer. I'm looking forward to seeing them, but I know I'll feel that tug while I'm away.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T12:28:00.002-05:00

Ahh, summer time! Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer and you have to go swimming. So here I am. We got this pool for 80 bucks at Wally World. I put it under the patio cover to keep the water from getting so hot. Just one problem: this water is freezing!

Noah's Ark Found? Well Maybe

2010-04-27T18:39:00.008-05:00

Chinese and Turkish Christians have shown photos and video they say is from inside Noah's Ark, 13,000 feet up on Mt. Ararat. The thing is, a former colleague of the team says there are spider webs in the video and there wouldn't be spiders in those conditions. He claims the whole thing is a hoax. Why would people want to dupe people like that? What could they gain? Why would Christians want to fool other Christians? I hope it's not a hoax, but I'll wait to see.
I guess Christians will always hope someone finds Noah's Ark. But such a find would require extraordinary proof. It would require verification from a neutral news team or some other group.

Through the years, several people have claimed to have found the Ark, but no one has ever been able to independently verify the claims.

If the Ark were found, it would be a solid, physical proof of our faith. We Christians believe the Ark story, and finding it would confirm our faith and solidify our beliefs. But if we never find it, we'll go on believing. After all, wood that old might not have survived this long, even in the frozen conditions of a mountain top. Some culture may have "borrowed" the wood for shelter or firewood, or Noah himself may have used it. I'll keep watching and hoping such a find is made, but I'll hang on to my faith without it in the meantime.

Mammatus Clouds

2010-04-23T19:00:00.005-05:00

A storm passed nearby this evening and the mammatus clouds formed overhead. Rare and interesting clouds. My dad would have loved this.

Our Place in Spring

2010-04-02T11:13:00.002-05:00

These yellow flowers are just wild weeds, but they sure are pretty this year. You'll notice the dogwood tree in bloom in the woods too.

Third Snow

2010-03-21T11:04:00.005-05:00

It's strange to get this much snow here, and we keep expecting it to get really warm now that it's spring, but it's snowing again this morning. Big flakes, but they aren't sticking. The ornamental pear tree in the back yard is already white with blossoms. The Dogwood Festival was supposed to start yesterday, but it was raining and cold and everything got cancelled. The dogwoods are not yet in bloom anyway, but the red-buds, pear trees and tulip trees are out. I took a vacation day from church since it's spring break, so I've been enjoying watching it snow.

You Gotta Want It

2010-03-15T17:17:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about what my friend, David, said to me on a work trip about ten years ago. We were in New Mexico installing phone booths at convenience stores. As a side note, those have mostly gone the way of the dinosaurs now that everyone has a cell phone. Anyway, I had to loosen a big bolt to remove the old phone so we could install a new one. I pushed on the wrench and nothing happened. So I repositioned myself and pulled on it. Still nothing. I couldn't budge it. So, I went and asked David for help. He came over and strained on the wrench for a second and, sure enough, it loosened. He handed me the wrench and said, "You gotta want it."
The next bolt I encountered, I pushed harder, putting my weight into it. This time, I got it loose. I really wanted it. I didn't want to have to ask David for help again. So I tried harder, straining beyond what I thought I could. I had to want it.
I've used that catch phrase many times this past decade. It's simple, yet profound. It applies to nearly every endeavor. You can't loosen a bolt without putting your weight into it and you can't overcome any other challenge without really trying.
What challenge are you facing right now? You can do it, but you have to be determined to make it happen. You can't put half of your heart into it and expect to succeed. Losing weight, stopping smoking, getting some exercise, completing a course, getting a golf-ball in the cup, scheduling a regular quiet time -- no matter the challenge, you gotta want it to make it happen.
Last week, my wife was commenting on the challenges of spending quality time with our busy daughter. Guess what I said?
So, what do you really want? Do you want to be the number one influence on your children? It's going to take hard work and sincere effort. Do you want your children to grow up well-rounded, well-functioning, with good self-discipline and an old-fashioned work ethic? You gotta want it. I want my children to be spiritual. I want them to make good decisions. I want them to put God first in every area of their lives.
But this isn't going to happen if I only try half-heartedly -- I gotta want it. I have to make decisions every single day that push toward that goal. Some days it is every bit as hard as pushing against a rusted bolt, but I want it to happen so I strain forward, not looking back and not giving up. If I fail at one bolt -- one challenge, I may even ask for help and then try again on the next one.
Ultimately, my children will make their own decisions about God and about life, but I do not underestimate my influence on that. Some days, I would like to be lazy about it and just say what I want to say or do what I want to do. But I can't forget what I really want and that keeps me going.
It's a challenge to get my children up and to church on time every Sunday, but I'm very aware that half-hearted commitment will lead to half-way-committed children. That's not what I want.
Do you want to be a good parent? It's not easy. Do you want your children to be happy and successful? It's not easy. Do you want to instill your values in them? It's a challenge. You can do it, but you gotta want it.

Bomber Planes!

2010-03-09T18:44:00.001-06:00

Second Snow Day

2010-02-24T20:22:00.011-06:00

Please indulge me a few more photos from our second snow day this month. I got some really good ones. These are large files so you can use them for your desktop if you wish.

Snow Day!

2010-02-12T09:23:00.002-06:00

We got 3 inches of snow Thursday night and Friday morning. It's rare for us to get this much snow and was a real treat.

Pert Crop Circle

2010-01-18T19:07:00.014-06:00

We were at my folks place today and I took pictures of this strange, green circle that has appeared in their field. We first noticed it a few weeks ago, but I forgot about it. Then, my mom called us out to see what it is doing now. These large mushrooms are growing in the ring of the circle - and no where else in the field. As you can see, the circle is about twelve feet across. It is green because the grass is alive in the circle, but winter dormant in the rest of the field. We have no explanation for the circle. Very interesting!

Update: Now, I'm hearing this is called a "Fairy Ring". You can see the article on it in the Palestine Herald Press here.

The Danger of Showing Favoritism

2010-01-18T10:42:00.003-06:00

I was asked to speak to a group of mothers recently. I spoke on the topics of building our children's self-esteem and sibling rivalry. I talked for thirty minutes or so, reminding them that children, and especially teenagers, will make better choices when they feel better about themselves. It's scary when a young person doesn't feel his life has meaning or value. The choices he can make are devastating. From how well they perform in school to moral choices they make on the weekends, it is terribly important that they realize how loved and valued they are.
We help our children have healthy self-esteems by validating their feelings, giving them appropriate praise for their accomplishments, and encouraging them to be well-rounded. I told the story of the young man who said no matter how many accomplishments he achieved, it was never good enough for his father. It's not easy, but we must be deliberate in building our children's self-esteem. It can make all of the difference in their lives.
I then talked about sibling rivalry. I told them this was normal and not to feel too guilty when their children argue. This is how they learn to interact with each other. This is how they learn to get along, to share, and to deal with adversity. I said we, as parents, need to step in when one child is truly bullying the other. We have to step in when harm is threatened. Moms may be more inclined to referee the moment a voice is raised, I told them, but I feel we should let them work things out as much as we can.
Anyway, it was an interesting discussion and I did my part, then asked if they had any questions or comments. What followed surprised me. They began to talk about the trouble they were having with their parents showing favoritism toward one of their children.
They told stories of grandmothers taking one child shopping and leaving the other one at home. Not that the grandmother was taking turns doing this, but continually buying for one and ignoring the other. A mother said one daughter is praised for her looks and the other, well, not so much. One mother said her parents bought expensive gifts for her children's cousins, but not them. One talked about the cousins being invited over all the time, but her children were not. On and on it went. I had no idea this was such a universal problem.
Parents, you know better than to show favoritism to one of your children. You know how devastating it can be to them. You know this was a problem in the first families of Old Testament and always has been. Grandparents, please realize that you can't show favoritism without hurting your grandkids. Perhaps some grandparents think it's okay to have favorites since they are a generation removed, but the hurt is just as real as it would be in your own home. I asked the women how they were dealing with this and one said she has told her parents that they have to take all of the children and cannot leave one at home. One mother said she has forbidden her parents from purchasing one child a gift without getting the other something too. These seem like reasonable solutions.
I think it's okay to take turns spending time with and fawning over the children, but kids are smart - smarter than we give them credit - and they know when they are being slighted or given preferential treatment. Careful, there is much pain at stake here.

Barney and Beyonce!

2010-01-16T21:40:00.002-06:00

Harris Family Christmas 09

2009-12-20T20:46:00.001-06:00

Feeling Close to God

2009-12-08T19:25:00.004-06:00

I just don't feel close to God. I used to feel close to him, but not anymore. Have you thought this lately? I hear people say this and I experience it myself from time to time. Is there a secret to feeling God's presence? Is there a secret to feeling close to God?
How sad to go through the Christmas Holidays feeling disconnected from God. But many people do. How sad not to be joyful during such a joyful time. How sad not to feel the peace of Christmas. How sad to have to reach for pills or drinks to fill an emptiness. How disappointing to find that doesn't work.
Yes, there is a secret and I'm going to share it with you. The night before Jesus was crucified he left his followers with a command: love one another. That's the secret.
Are you telling me I have to love other people in order to feel closer to God? Yes, read on.
Jesus knew he was leaving their presence and going back to heaven. He knew they - and we - would need help feeling close to him after he was gone. So he did two things: he gave us the Holy Spirit to keep us connected to him, and he told us to love one another.
If you want to feel close to God, then draw close to other people. Hold them close. Hug their necks. Laugh and encourage and share and weep together. Remember, this is what Jesus told us to do. Think about it, if God wants to give me a hug, he uses your arms to do it. We are Jesus in the skin today. We are his hands, his feet, his voice. His love. That's the tremendous privilege and terrible responsibility he left us with. This is the church, the body of Christ.
We live in an endless circle of love. God the Father loves Jesus, Jesus loves us, we love each other, and we love God. If you aren't feeling close to God, then make sure you aren't breaking the circle. Make sure you are loving each other.
But, is it really this simple? Yes, but it's hard to do. We are pulling farther apart from each other these days. We lock ourselves in our homes and sit in front of the TV. We live our lives vicariously through fictional characters who tend to push us away from God. We listen to everyone except the ones who are speaking the real truth. We ignore God's love letter to us. We're too tired to go to church. We don't want to sacrifice for anyone. But Jesus said there is no greater love than for a person to lay down his life for his friends. Remember that? So, we have to sacrifice. Friendship with God is valuable, so it is costly. We have to stop being selfish and start loving like Jesus taught us.
When we do this, we will feel close to God. I guarantee it. This Christmas, draw close to your church family. God is not far away, we just have to love each other to feel how close he really is. We have to draw close to Jesus' body to feel close to him. Dive in, get plugged in. Jump in the middle of the circle. Then, when you see me, you can thank me with a big hug, straight from the heart of God.

At Church Today

2009-12-06T16:59:00.004-06:00

Our friend Julia took this picture of us after church today.

Palestine Christmas Parade

2009-12-05T20:16:00.011-06:00

It was bone-chillin' cold at the parade tonight, but we had a good time. Here are a few pictures.

Christmas Tree 2009

2009-11-28T19:22:00.003-06:00

Put up the Christmas Tree today. We've been using an artificial one the past several years, but we got a real one today. It's a Douglas fur and makes the house smell great.

Pittsburg, Texas, Trip

2009-11-21T18:32:00.011-06:00

We made an interesting trip today. It was nostalgic for me because I haunted these towns a lot when I worked at KLTV in Tyler. We went through my grandfather's home town, Winnsboro, then on the Pittsburg, where we ate at the famous Pittsburg Hot Links restaurant. The picture is not very good, I admit, but I was trying to get the Pilgram's Pride factory in the background of the shot. That telephone pole is right in the way. At the restaurant, they serve the links on paper with crackers and it's really good. Then we went to the museum to see the Ezekiel Air Ship. Supposedly, a preacher made an aircraft based on what he read in Ezekiel. They say he flew it before the Wright Brothers, but it was destroyed on a train taking it to a world's fair, so he never got credit for it. The nice lady at the museum let me take a picture, as you can see. This is a recreation of the original, but we can't see how it would ever fly, unless a good wind happened to come along. On our trip, we went through Tyler, Winsborro, Mineola, Quitman, Gilmer, Big Sandy, Pittsburg, Wynona and Frankston. It was more than 200 miles, round-trip.

Shower The People

2009-11-13T22:01:00.003-06:00

James Taylor performing "Shower the People" at the Colonial Theater in Boston in 1988. This is from a VHS that was released in 1991

Beautiful Fall Weather

2009-11-07T14:04:00.008-06:00

Wow, have I been enjoying the weather this past week! It's been just about perfect. Cool at night and warm during the day. I've been sitting on the patio today enjoying the blue sky and colorful leaves. Did a little mowing earlier, but even that was enjoyable. God is good.
Last Saturday, the day began with a parade (You can see Savannah watching through the band members in the photo) and ended with a hay ride. In between, we went downtown to a festival and ate extra-long corn dogs and had a great time. Blessings. In the pictures, you can also see the rocking chairs on the patio (that's my sweet tea glass in the bottom right corner) the beautiful tallow tree in the front yard and my laptop on the patio table, where I'm writing this.

Monster Mash!

2009-10-19T18:37:00.001-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

David's First Payin' Job

2009-10-04T20:42:00.002-05:00

David made real money for a real job Saturday. I was really proud of him and he did a good job. My folks needed someone to mow their yard and hired him to take care of it. I couldn't help myself and went out with him and took a picture when he wasn't looking...

Nice Desktop Picture

2009-09-27T20:08:00.004-05:00

I took this picture on a rainy evening recently. I cropped it and found it makes a really nice desktop. Download it if you want it.

Jello Vs The Gopher

2009-09-20T19:08:00.003-05:00

We have a gopher in the yard and we have a dachshund. The result is a yard that looks like this!

David's 15th

2009-09-14T17:57:00.007-05:00

My son's 15th Birthday is Tuesday. He took some buddies out to my parents' place in the country to celebrate. Here are a few pictures.

Shooting Stars and Quiet Moments

2009-08-18T20:34:00.004-05:00

Laid out in the back yard on the trampoline with the kids several nights in a row last week. There was a warm breeze and it felt pretty comfortable. We turned the lights off so they wouldn't distract us from the night sky. We were watching for shooting stars.
This has become an annual tradition for us. Each summer, the earth passes through the tail of a comet and little pieces of rock burn and streak across the sky as they enter the atmosphere at 60 miles up traveling at 17 thousand miles per hour. It's called the Perseid Meteor Shower and it peaks around August 12th. So as that night approached, we laid outside and watched for them.
The first night, we only saw one meteor after lying there for about thirty minutes. But it got better each night and I saw eight on the night of the 12th. It's pretty neat to see them, but you have to really pay attention because they streak fast and you have to be watching.
None of that is the point, of course. The point is, I laid out on the trampoline with my teenage children. No TV, no video games, no cell phones, no mp3 players, no twittering, blogging, texting, emailing, no wifi or high speed internet, not even any dial-up. No telephone of any kind. No facebook, myspace, youtube, movies or radio. No satellite radio or satellite television. No rented movies or pay-for-view or netflix. Just us lying outside. Crickets were the only sound. The only sound, that is, other than our voices.
And our voices were low and calm. Everyone could talk about whatever they wanted. No one was lecturing or preaching or teaching. Well, there might have been a little teaching going on: I pointed out some of the constellations that I could remember. And I know the names of a few stars, so I pointed them out. I told them that the beautiful cross-shaped constellation that was straight above us is called Cygnus the Swan. I don't call it that, though, I call it the Northern Cross. It makes a perfect cross in the night sky. Astronomers may have given it its name before the cross became so significant, I don't know.
But again, my knowledge of a few star formations is not the point. The kids talked about their friends and their plans for the year. Some of it may have been a little silly. Maybe a giggle or two. But the point is, we laid out on the trampoline for a nice, long time.
We were watching the sky when what looked like a shooting star suddenly appeared. It flashed then blinked out. We thought for a second we were seeing a meteor, but then it blinked on again. It was a firefly flying overhead.
After a while, our eyes would get tired or we would get bored, and we would climb down and drift back into the house to the tsunami of technology that was waiting for us inside in the electricity. But it was nice for a while, and it was a memory. That's the kind of thing that keeps the lines of communication open between us old fogeys and our cool kids.
That's how we earn the right to pass our values on to our children. Take some down time with your kids. Find a way to smother the distractions and open the dialog. The kids will love you for it and you may just enjoy it yourself -- especially when a good shooting star streaks across and lights up the night sky.

San Antonio

2009-08-14T21:36:00.010-05:00

We went to San Antonio for a couple of days. I think all true Texans must visit the Alamo now and then. So, we loaded up and headed down there. We had a really good time on the river walk, at the Rivercenter Mall, and having lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. We met my wonderful editor, Cari, who helped me with my novel, The Dead Peasants File, this summer. (Her daughter Ashley was with her.) Great time was had by all. Some of these pictures are kind of random. I took the one of the Robert E. Lee Hotel out of our hotel window because it says "100% Air Conditioned"...

Yellow Mushrooms in Yard

2009-08-03T20:25:00.003-05:00

We've been blessed with plenty of rain in our area this month. So much so, that we have white and brown mushrooms all over the yard. No big deal. But I spotted these canary-yellow mushrooms in the yard today. I thought they were really pretty so I took this picture.

2009-07-28T21:18:00.008-05:00

We have a new pet of sorts this summer. It's an Orb-Weaving Spider. We first noticed it early in the summer, but you can only see it at night. Every morning, this web is gone. One of the mysteries is where the web goes. Does the spider eat it? We don't know, but the spider rebuilds it every night. It's over on the edge of the patio (You can see our giant red oak tree behind it in this picture) and I figure it's helping with the mosquitoes out there.

It's amazing to watch it weave this web every night. It patiently walks around and around, spinning the web as it goes. It's incredible engineering and design when you think about it. (Clearly this arachnid was designed!) It's interesting that it doesn't get caught in its own web.

48th Birthday Party at Our Place

2009-07-11T21:52:00.003-05:00

Really enjoyed our 48th Birthday for Jody Morton, Michael Bennett and me. Present were: Mortons, Bennetts, Magees, Harrises, Lusts, Furnishes and Cannons. I cooked burgers on the grill.

Twin Fawns

2009-06-26T19:04:00.008-05:00

I was sitting at the table tonight, eating some excellent shrimp gumbo that my wife made. It was as good as Landry's! Suddenly, these twin fawns came walking up to the window. I grabbed the camera and the dog so he wouldn't scare them off and snapped a couple of pictures. The fawns were beautiful with full spots. This second picture is a large jpeg file if you would like to download it for your desktop.

The Faith of a Child

2009-06-20T10:47:00.002-05:00

I walked past the pool deck in our back yard about thirteen years ago. We had an above-ground pool and a high deck on one side so we could get in it. The deck was about four feet off the ground. My son, David, was about two years old at the time. Just a little guy.
As I walked past the deck, David, who was standing in the middle of it, suddenly ran to the edge at full speed and jumped off of the deck at me. I just happened to see him out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned and caught him in my arms, spun him around, and set him on the ground. He ran off in one direction and I continued on my way.
When I read what Jesus said about having faith like a little child, that's what I think of. David had total and complete faith that I would catch him. If I hadn't caught him, he would have crashed to the ground, possibly hurting or killing himself. He didn't give it a second thought. He made the leap of faith and never looked back.
Please understand me: I had already earned his trust or he wouldn't have given it to me. God has also earned our trust with the Bible and his intervention in our lives. David's faith wasn't a blind faith, it was an earned faith, supported by the evidence of my behavior up until that moment in his life. Our faith in God is also supported by the evidence. But faith takes you one step - or leap - past what you know for certain. David couldn't empirically prove I would catch him, but his faith told him I would.
A child's faith is also a humble faith. Jesus said so himself. A child knows he needs you to catch him and it doesn't bother him at all. Jesus said if we do not become like a child, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, we must realize we need him to save us. A child has no problem asking for help. Some adults feel they can earn their own entry into heaven, but Jesus said we cannot.
Do you have the faith of a child? Have you made the leap into his arms? If he drops you, you'll crash to the ground, but you trust him anyway. You have evidence, but your faith takes you one jump beyond it. If you place yourself completely at God's mercy, you are right where he wants you to be. Take the leap of faith. Adventure - and heaven - is waiting.

Jasper, Clear as Crystal

2009-05-26T11:55:00.003-05:00

I preached a couple of Sundays ago from Revelation 21 where John said the new Jerusalem shone like “jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). I looked up jasper and found it to be green, red or even beige, but not clear. I wasn’t sure what that could mean, but I presented the scripture as it was written.
Of course, I didn’t think any more about it. Then, four days later, I was driving home from Tyler. I noticed a new building being built by one of the local hospitals. This building’s sides are made of tinted green glass. In other words, it’s a normal, windowed building that we all see all the time.
Then it hit me. Wait a minute, that’s what John saw – tinted windows. Of course the new Jerusalem would appear just as any modern city. But John had never seen glass. He had never seen a building – or a whole city – made of tinted glass. That must be what the new Jerusalem looks like!

John was trying to describe something he had never seen before, just as he described helicopters in Chapter 9: 7 – 10.
And some people still don’t believe the Bible is true?

Memorial Day 09

2009-05-23T18:30:00.002-05:00

We went out to the Texas State Railroad Park to see the military displays, including a reinactment. Really neat.

A Miracle in Colorado

2009-05-08T10:26:00.002-05:00

Has anything like this ever happened to you? I was a kid on vacation with my family, sometime back in the ‘70s. We were in Lake City, Colorado. We had arrived the day before and, as far as I know had not fraternized with any of the locals.

Sunday morning we got dressed and went to the local Baptist church. (This picture is what the church looks like today.) No big deal. I’m sure my mom is the one who insisted that we go. Anyway, when we walked up onto the front porch, a lady met us at the door. None of us had ever seen her before, but she said something astonishing. She pointed at my dad and said, “I believe you are a song leader.” Then she looked at my mom and said, “And you are a piano player. Will you lead us in worship this morning?”
My dad led the singing and my mom played the piano. From what I recall, it was a small crowd. I don’t even remember who preached, but I’m talking to my folks to get a clearer picture of what happened that morning. Mom says my dad even sang a solo. I don’t remember that. But I do remember what happened on the porch. I saw it with my own eyes.
So, how did the woman know that my dad routinely led the singing at our church? More astonishing, how did she know my mom could play the piano? If she had asked, “Can you lead in singing, and can you play the piano?” It would have been completely different. But she didn’t ask – she said it, then asked if they would do what she already somehow knew they could do.
I’m working on piecing this together – when exactly we arrived, what year this was, how old I was. When I get more details, I’ll post.

Finding God's Plan for Our Lives

2009-05-05T11:31:00.001-05:00

Are you teaching your children that God has a purpose for their lives? Are you teaching them to fulfill their destinies? I heard Charles Stanley say that we should tell our children every day that God has a purpose for their lives. Good advice, but do we teach them that God has a specific plan for them?
A familiar scripture, Jeremiah 29:11, says, "I know the plans I have for you...", but what scripture tells us God has a plan for us? Does God have one plan -- one destiny -- for everyone?
The Bible says that God sees our whole lives before they happen. He saw us before we were born, knows everything we are going to say and do, and knows how many days we have. Somehow, God in his Wisdom knows what we are going to do, yet he has given us free will so that it is our choice. He knew you would read this column before you were born, but he didn’t make you read it, that was your decision, he just knew you were going to make it. Perhaps God has given us all certain interests and bents, and then uses them to point us where he wants us to go.
What the Bible teaches is that God's plan is to present us in heaven without fault and with great joy (Jude 24), his purpose for us is to build the Kingdom (Matthew 28:19-20) while we love Him and love each other (Matthew 22:37-38). His will is that we be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Anything short of that just falls, well, short.
So, does God have a plan for my life on earth or not? Does God have a plan for my children's lives or not? I think the right question is: "Am I living in harmony with God's plan?" The right thing is to realize that I am just a pixel in God's big picture. I am just a thread in God's master tapestry. (But God loves me individually.)
My goal, then, is to do my best at what I am, where I am. To grow where I'm planted. To ask each and every day if I am loving God most and building his kingdom on earth. That's where true joy comes from -- knowing that I have that purpose.
I think we put extra pressure on our children if we stress that they have some great job to do. The Bible teaches that we should do whatever we do for God, but it doesn't teach that everyone should preach or go to Africa as a missionary. Yes, we should share our faith, but that may or may not be our vocation.
Whether my children become plumbers, lawyers, teachers, office workers or preachers, they can still live out their purposes. They may do something really spectacular, like curing a disease or becoming an evangelist, or they may just live quiet lives loving God and their families. Either way, I'll be pleased.
We're not God's pets, robots or puppets. He gave us our own minds. Many things shape what we become. God somehow uses that to weave his master plan. Only a God powerful enough to create a universe could do that. I think God's true plan for us will only be revealed in heaven. Any plan for us on earth is stained by this fallen world. Some people are murdered -- could that really be God's plan for them? It's a deep and difficult issue and I'll leave it to God to sort out.
I'm teaching my children to fulfill God's will, sure, but I'm also encouraging them to do what they really want to do. I'm reminding them that they have a purpose, but finding God's plan is a little more tricky. I want them to delight in God, then follow their hearts. If they do that, they will have fulfilled their destinies and somehow fit nicely into God's master design.

Paradise Lost and Restored

2009-04-16T11:36:00.004-05:00

If you were God, how would you handle the world and people in it? You are the creator of the universe and have absolute power. What would you do? Me? Well, I would create paradise and walk in person with my people. They would have every need provided, never shed a tear, and have a warm, loving relationship with me forever.
Isn’t that what God did? But there was a problem and he knew there would be. He knew that the people would have to have free will in order to truly love him back. Love cannot be coerced or manufactured, it must be freely given. I can’t make my wife and children love me, it must be their choice. And God wants us to love him. The Bible says it is the most important commandment.
So God gave us free will, knowing full well that we would choose to rebel against his authority. That’s how important love is. The price? Paradise lost. That’s the incredible story of the Bible in a nutshell: Paradise Lost and Paradise Restored.
God knew subsequent generations would need to see and touch him in order to believe he exists. So, he used prophets to announce that he would come and walk among us. And then he did. Because God is God, he is absolute holiness, so he cannot overlook rebellion – if he could he would not be truly holy, and therefore, he would not be God. So, someone had to pay for our sins so we can have a right relationship with him. God took care of that on the cross. How would he prove it was really him walking among us? Miracles and rising from the dead should do it.
But he isn’t going to come to each generation and walk with us. If he did, we would be back in paradise, and paradise doesn’t fit into a fallen world. So, he left witnesses to tell us he came and walked with us. The only question is, are the witnesses reliable? We have two thousand Greek manuscripts, extra-biblical writings, the emergence and growth of the church, conversion of the skeptics, and some 350 internal prophecies fulfilled testifying that the scripture can be trusted.
If you were God, would you come and walk with each generation? Would you die for each generation? Or would you place your Spirit in their hearts? (Remember, you are an omnipotent God)
Nature tells us there is a God. Only a fool would deny that. The big bang is an empirically-proven fact. Something outside the universe had to cause it. The only way a person could not see this is if he refused to. The incredible diversity and complexity of life on earth tells us there is a designer. Only a fool would deny that. Computer code doesn’t write itself and neither does DNA code.
But which god? The internal prophesies that Jesus fulfilled, and the evidence of his resurrection show that the God of the Bible is the right one.
We must experience some suffering now, but God has told us that he will walk with us and that this life is only temporary. Our true existence is back in paradise with him. There, he will walk in person with us in a warm, loving relationship forever.
Again, how would you do things differently if you were God? Would you treat the people you created like pets? Would you treat them like robots? Or would you give them free will and the capacity to truly love you back (more like children)? Would you allow everyone into your heaven – or would you screen out those who chose not to love you?
My mind is finite and God’s is infinite, but I’m trying to understand why he has veiled himself from us so that only the humble will find him – and why we need faith. When I think it through, it really does make sense.

Crown of Thorns Galaxy

2009-04-09T10:20:00.002-05:00

Have you seen this? What an awesome sight for Easter.

This photo was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Wow!

B-17 and B-24 Bombers!

2009-03-27T22:11:00.002-05:00

I escorted some Palestine High School students out to the airport today to see these awesome WWII Bombers. They also had a P-51 Mustang and Vietnam-era Huey Helicopter. I really enjoyed going through these crafts. We got to watch the pilots fire up the airplanes and take off. This was especially special to me because my great-uncle, Jake Lively, flew in a B-24 over Italy during WWII.

Water Snake

2009-03-20T22:12:00.003-05:00

We were at the Palestine Dogwood Trails today and saw this water snake. I'm not sure what kind it is, but I think it's too colorful to be a cotton mouth. We didn't get close enough to make sure, but I'm pretty sure it is a harmless water snake of some sort. It was about 2 feet long. If you know what kind it is, write and let me know.

Dogwood Trees 09

2009-03-20T21:19:00.002-05:00

Here in Palestine we celebrate the Dogwood Trails every Spring. Today was the first day of spring and the dogwoods are beautiful. I took this in our Dogwood Trails Park. This is a big jpeg file so you can save it and use it for your desktop if you wish.

Great American Artists

2009-03-20T10:28:00.003-05:00

Has America produced any great artists? My son read in a book at school that some critics have stated that America has yet to produce a truly great artist. "But not to worry," it said, "America is still a young country." The book was written in the '70's.
So, do you agree? Michaelangelo, Bach, Beethoven, Shakespeare, and Di Vinci are all European. Has America produced a Shelly or Keats? A Picasso?
First, we must agree that the artist must be appreciated by his or her vertical audience -- by people after his or her death. We might be ga ga about some artist who is hot right now, but how will we feel about him 50 or 100 years from now?
How about Washington Irving? Or Steinbeck or Hemingway or Emily Dickinson? How about Mark Twain? Haven't their works stood the test of time? Then there's the artwork of the Wyeth's. I love their work, but I've seen critics call them too realistic. I think Andrew Wyeth was a great artist -- and not just a great American artist.
To be considered great, an artist would need to influence his peers, and change the culture. That being the case, the early rock and roll artists should be considered.
Still in the area of music, I submit the great hymn-writer Fanny Crosby. I also wonder about Ray Charles and Johnny Cash. I would like to submit Mark Heard as a truly great artist. He died a few years back. My favorite artists are Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, but they are still living. I was a sophomore in high school when my brother brought home "Aja". I was reading "The Great Gatsby" at the time (another great American writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald). I would lie on my bed, reading the book (I had to read it for an English Literature class), and listen to the album over and over. It was an amazing harmony of song and literature. They call that prosody - when lyrics match the music. In this case, the words on the page matched the music in my ears which matched the lyrical tone.
My son read this blog and pointed out that we have movie-making artists these days, too. Should any of them, be they actors, directors, or producers, be considered as great artists?
What do you think about this? Do you think America has produced any truly great artists?

Essential Character Traits

2009-02-28T10:52:00.002-06:00

What character traits do you want your children to possess? Noted Child Psychologist Dr. Tim Kimmel says there are six character traits that all children must learn as they mature.
First, faith. Faith gives a person the ability to see beyond his immediate surroundings. He can see that there is more to this life than what he is facing at the moment. This is important because our immediate circumstances will not always be to our liking. Faith gives a person hope. It is a character trait no one would want to be without.
Second, integrity. Integrity comes from the mathematical term, integer, which is a whole number. A person with integrity is honest, straight-forward, and consistent, no matter the circumstances. A person with integrity is wholly devoted to his principals and beliefs.
Third, poise. Poise is the ability to remain calm when things around us are falling apart. Dr. Kimmel says poise is the ability to act in an appropriate manner for the situation. There are times to act silly and times to behave in a more serious manner.
Fourth, self-discipline. This is the trait on which the other traits hang. The goal of parenting is to instill this character trait. This is what will save them when we are not around. This is what will keep them out of a world of pain and trouble. Self-discipline has been defined as having the ability to delay gratification. I like that because it reminds us that we can experience pleasure, but it is best in its proper place and time. A person who “can’t wait” for anything is going to suffer because of it. A person who cannot make himself do his homework before he plays a video game needs a good dose of this character trait.
Fifth, endurance. Endurance is the ability to stick with it and not give up. Every child will face many challenges in his lifetime. A person with this character trait will see things through. This is important in relationships, jobs, school, and just about everything else in life. Quitters never win, but winners never quit. We must teach our children this.
Sixth, courage. We often think of courage as not being afraid, but real courage is being afraid and doing the right thing anyway. Children will face many temptations, but courage allows them to make the right decisions. Having the courage to stand up for what is right will serve them well. Having the courage to do what is right will take them far.
So, how do we instill these character traits in our children? We can’t talk them into having them. Values are generally caught, not taught, so our children will catch them by observing us demonstrate them. In other words, we need to possess these traits if we want our children to have them. Fortunately, our kids can do better than us, but most of us have a tendency to follow the character traits we see in our parents. And yes, we tell our children what we expect from them, specifically vocalizing these traits, but that must be backed up by our actions or our children may tune us out.We want our children to possess these character traits. The truth is, they will generally follow the character they observe in us. Let’s make sure that is a good thing.

Frozen Fog Picture

2009-02-01T19:32:00.007-06:00

We had a rare frozen fog in my home town, Palestine, Texas, Thursday. I was at work, but had a camera with me and was able to take a couple of pictures. I really like this one. It's First Baptist Church and the YMCA. The trees had a coating of ice on them and it made everything look like a post card. My boss said, "Surely God is the best artist." Amen.

Saying the Right Thing at the Right Time

2009-01-28T11:02:00.003-06:00

Sometimes saying the right thing at the right time can make all of the difference. I remember the day before our daughter's surgery, back when she was seven-months old. We were meeting with the surgeon and scared half to death. Our daughter had a crimp in her aorta and it was forcing her little heart to work too hard. The surgeon was going in to fix it. He was explaining what the procedure was like and what the risks were. I doubt there was much color in my face. He had earlier told us there was a small chance she could be paralyzed if the surgery took too long.
But then he said something I have never forgotten. He said, “You guys get a good night's sleep tonight and I want you to know that I'm going to, too.” I found great comfort in that. It showed how seriously he was taking the surgery. He wasn't going to be out partying all night, then crawl in in the morning ready to wield a scalpel. I believed him too. It just didn't seem like something he would say if he didn't mean. We barely got any sleep at all, but I've always believed our surgeon did. And, of course, he was the one with our daughter's life in his hands. We were just spectators at that point, except for the praying.
He could have left it unsaid, knowing that we would assume he would. His position demanded that he take his job seriously. We could have assumed he would come to work rested. But we didn't have to. He told us plainly and we didn't have to wonder.
We can say the right things at the right times too. Our loved ones shouldn't wonder how we feel about them. They can know that we love them and that we are proud of them. They can feel appreciated. We can thank them. We can say we're sorry when we've blown it. These are the words that keep us connected. These are the words that bind us together.
Men, we shouldn't make our wives wonder if we love them. We should tell them plainly. And often. And we should tell our children just as plainly and frequently. True, actions speak louder than words, but can’t words crush us or make us soar?
Children crave hearing their parents' approval. The truth is, we all want to feel appreciated. The right word of affirmation at the right time can keep us going. It can make your day, just as discouraging words can ruin it.
Take the leap from thinking it to saying it. Go ahead, tell people how grateful you are for their friendship. Tell people how much they mean to you. Tell people how nice they look, how sweet they are, or how well they are doing their jobs. There’s no need to leave words that should be spoken unsaid. But we have to watch this or we will leave too many things silent and assumed.
If a person is doing his job well, he may never hear about it, but the first time something goes wrong, he’ll hear all about it! Let’s do better. Let’s tell our children’s teachers that we appreciate them. Let’s tell our doctors, mechanics, pastors, business associates, and others in our lives what they mean to us. If we do, we’ll teach our children to be appreciative people. And we’ll teach them to say the right words at the right time. There’s no way to measure how much it might mean to someone someday.

New Year's Resolutions for the Family in 09

2009-01-16T19:05:00.002-06:00

It’s a new year and a fresh start. A time for us to stop and reflect how to be better parents in 2009. Here are five resolutions for this new year:
1. Spend more quality time with your children than you ever have. I say this every year and have no plan to stop. There is just no substitute for this. Children spell love T-I-M-E. We can tell them we love them all day long, buy them material things, and provide for their every (other) need, but we’ll fall short this year if we don’t find a way to spend good, quality time with them. This means unfettered time. Planned time is not the same. Our children need some time with us that is unscripted – when they can take the lead in the conversion.
I’m not suggesting we let our kids dictate our every moment or conversation, but giving them large scoops of our down time is a wonderful gift. I’ve found some of the best bonding I’ve done with my children comes in these moments. They know we really love them when they come into the living room and we turn off the TV. Try it in 2009 and see what happens.
2. Laugh with your kids more this year than you did in 2008. In our busy lives, we may simply forget to do this. But we shouldn’t. Laughter bonds you as a family and makes your home a more comfortable, pleasant place to be. You want your kids to want to be around you. Sometimes we have to be deliberate about these things. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a good laugh together, do something about it. How do your children view you, as someone who is somber and serious all the time, or as a joyful person who is optimistic about life, has a good sense of humor, and a good balanced outlook?
3. Plan, then take a trip or two together this year. It’s tough in a down economy to spend the money that trips require, but it’s money well spent. Some of our family’s favorite memories are made on vacations and trips. Remember, we can’t go back in time and do things together, so we have to take advantage of the time we are given today. We can’t (or shouldn’t) spend what we don’t have, so this can be a challenge, but a challenge we should accept. In our home, we tend to take shorter, cheaper trips, but the point is to have some fun, do something together, and make some memories.
4. Watch your tongue in 2009. Know that your children are watching and they will catch your morals, values and faith. If you say your faith is important to you, but demonstrate with your actions that it is not, they will follow what they see, not what you say. How is your language in traffic? How well do you treat your spouse? How do you speak of people who are different?
5. Make sure your children feel connected this year. Researchers are finding out how important this is and families are in prime position to take full advantage of the benefits. We were designed to be connected. Nothing is more important in our lives than our relationships. We must feel that we belong. We must feel connected, loved and cared-for. That’s what family is all about. But we have to be deliberate this year to make sure our children feel welcomed in their own homes.
Let’s work on these goals this year so our families will have the best year ever.

Six Flags Trip

2008-12-30T10:00:00.006-06:00

We went to Six Flags for Jodi's Birthday. We had a great time.

Grackle Invasion

2008-12-27T20:13:00.005-06:00

A flock of grackles descended on our yard this morning. It was way cool. There were thousands of them and they completely encircled our house. We enjoyed it the few minutes it lasted.

Christmas Morning 08

2008-12-26T21:50:00.002-06:00

Ghillie Suit

2008-12-24T12:29:00.010-06:00

David spent some of his Christmas money on this ghillie suit. And here's what Savannah, the southern girl, does on Christmas Eve.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2008-12-20T11:00:00.003-06:00

My daughter and I watched a funny and wholesome TV movie the other day. It was a kids’ show on a kids’ network. Merry Christmas Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon. The plot was basically that one of them was playing Santa in a mall and promised a cute little girl, who was a foster child, the best Christmas ever.
The show was really funny and we enjoyed it, but there was a line that troubled me: one of the boys said, “What is Christmas all about? If I asked a hundred people, I suspect I would get a hundred different answers.”
Really? We can all have our own ideas of what Christmas is all about? Sure enough, the movie presented several wonderful things that we associate with Christmas, like snow and being with family and friends, but never mentioned the birth of Christ. He didn’t ask, “What does Christmas mean to you?” but “what is it all about?” Remember when Charlie Brown pondered the true meaning of Christmas and Linus quoted from the Christmas story found in the Bible? Well, that was 42 years ago. Today, the media seems afraid to offend anyone.
What is Christmas all about? According to the dictionary, Christmas is defined as: noun. 1. The Christian feast commemorating the birth of Jesus. 2. December 25, the day on which this feast is celebrated. From Old English Cristes Maesse, Christ’s Festival.
So Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Its meaning is not open to any other interpretation.
Christmas has obviously become too big a deal for just one day. It is a whole season. And, as life would have it, there are several holidays and Holy days near this time. That’s okay. If Drake and Josh’s movie had been called Happy Holidays Drake and Josh, they might have asked about the true meaning of the holidays. A hundred people just might give a hundred different answers like Hanukah, Kwanzaa, lights, shopping, parties, or simply winter break. These are all perfectly wonderful events, but Christmas is about the birth of Christ.
Christmas is the 800-pound gorilla on the calendar. We plan our whole year around it then drop what we are doing and head home to celebrate it. We spend more money than we have to embrace it. In fact, our whole economy is supported by it. Retailers might never make a profit without it, and that trickles into every aspect of the economy. It is a trillion-dollar bail-out each and every year.
And if I may say so, Jesus is the 800-pound gorilla in the pages of History. We acknowledge his birth every time we write the date. His book is the number one best seller of all time and will never be bested. More books have been written about him than any other topic. More human events have been shaped by his words than any other person’s. More money has been given in his name than for any other reason. And more people have lived their lives for him than for any other person.
So what is Christmas all about? If Drake or Josh would ask me, I would tell them that it is a celebration of God Himself, coming to earth as a child, just as it was prophesied, to humbly become of us, to teach us how to treat each other, and to die on our behalf, paying for our sins so we can have peace with God and live eternally in heaven.
That’s what Christmas is all about. Everything else is just window dressing. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

(The picture came from my friend Rick in Las Vegas. That's the palm tree in his front yard during this week's rare snow event.)

Christmas 08

2008-12-13T21:39:00.000-06:00

Jodi's Infusion

2008-12-03T11:13:00.013-06:00

This is the infusion clinic at Texas Neurology in Dallas. We come up here once per month for her Tysabri infusion. The male nurse working with her is Warren. I always walk across the street to get her a Starbucks coffee while we're here. We've been coming to this building for 18 years now.

Don't Train Your Children to Tune You Out

2008-12-01T14:53:00.004-06:00

Are you training your children to tune you out? You can say the right thing at the wrong time and it will fall on deaf ears, not doing anyone any good.

If you walk into the living room while your children are engrossed in what’s on television and begin to explain what you expect of them the next day, don’t count on their hearing any of it. If you tend to repeat instructions to them over and over, they quickly learn this and will tune you out, knowing you will say it again. They will reason that maybe they’ll catch it on the third or tenth time. If you keep nagging them about something they already know, they’ll tune you out. If they learn that you’ll leave nothing unsaid, they’ll tune you out while you’re doing it.

What I try to do is make sure it is a good time to speak, I have my children’s attention, and then say what I need to. That way, I’m not training them to isolate my voice from the din of noise in their lives and tune me plumb out.

Some things are better left unsaid. In fact, a lot of things are better left unsaid.

My daughter had left from school the other day, without telling us she was with a friend. I sat at the school and waited for her for several minutes. Finally, I caught on and realized she must have ridden with someone else. I didn’t panic, I just went home. Sure enough, she met me at the door looking very sheepish and guilty. She was also truly sorry for what she had done and told me so. I said very little. My wife wanted me to lay into her for doing that but I said, “No, she knows what she did was wrong and she feels bad about it. I don’t think she’ll do it again.” My wife, being a woman and all, wanted me to lecture our daughter. I refused.

Some people enjoy going to a church where the preacher tells them how bad they are every Sunday. They get their toes stepped on and feel bad about it. They don’t change their behavior, they just know where to go to do their penitence. I refuse to give that luxury to my parishioners or my children. I want them to own what they’ve learned.

I read a long time ago that the average parent repeats every command twelve times. As you can imagine, children soon learn this. So, they tune us out the first eleven times. It’s like they have a big mental clock in their heads and know when they better listen up. If the house is on fire, we better talk fast.

When my children so much as raise their voices at each other, my wife wants me to jump into their argument and referee. I refuse. Continual interfering in their lives trains them to tune me out. My idea is to wait until I’m really needed before I get involved. In my wife’s defense, though, I sometimes wait too long, being a guy and all. I may even tune them out. That’s why men and women make good parents – we tend to balance each other.

Just remember, if you continually speak to your children in a nagging tone, they will tune you out. If you repeat yourself over and over, they will tune you out. If you speak to them when they are concentrating on something else, they will tune you out. If you leave nothing unsaid, they will tune you out. The idea is to train our children to listen when we speak. If we’ll do our part, we may just succeed at tuning them in.

New Ad

2008-11-28T10:43:00.006-06:00

I saw a post card like this at a convenient store on the interstate coming home from my brother's house on Thanksgiving. We laughed at it and I thought it would make a good ad for my mortgage business. I plan to run it this weekend and we'll see if it works. If you like it, please let me know...

Falling Leaves

2008-11-10T15:11:00.005-06:00

The leaves are getting pretty deep in the back yard, falling off of the old red oak tree that shades and dominates our yard.

Did you know that leaves won't fall off of a dead limb? The tree sends out an enzyme that cuts the leaf free. We take it so for granted, but it is another miracle of creation every year. First, the chlorophyll leaves the leaf and runs down the tree into the roots. That exposes the leaf's fall color underneath, giving us the beauty of Autumn. Then, the tree sends out the enzyme to cut the leaf. The leaves form a blanket and provide fertilizer for the tree and ground around it. The tree then goes dormant until spring, when it goes through the cycle again. What a beautiful, incredible design.

Thinking With the Upper Brain

2008-10-27T20:56:00.001-05:00

Are you helping your children develop their upper brain functions? Did you know that it is difficult for them to learn anything new unless they feel safe and loved?
This was the discussion of a session at a parenting conference I attended last week. The class was about the three mental areas of the brain: the stem, the limbic system, and the cortex.
The brain stem is the area of the brain that controls our basic functions. We don’t have to think about breathing or keeping our heart pumping. The brain stem handles these automatic functions of the body. It also springs into action when we feel threatened. It causes a fight-or-flight, knee-jerk reaction. No social skills or empathy for others here, just survival. The brain stem asks the question, “Am I safe?”
The next level of brain function is in the limbic system. This is the part of the brain above the brain stem. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and hippocampus are part of this system. Researchers say this part of the brain controls our emotions, long-term memories, motivation, appetites and sleep cycles. Our sense of smell is also here, which is why memories are so closely associated with fragrances. Cinnamon and pine usually bring a flood of Christmas memories.
But here is what is so interesting to me: Religion is found in the limbic system. I had assumed our feelings toward faith would be in the higher areas of the brain, where philosophy and wisdom reside, but not so. The reason is because the limbic system handles our need to connect. We are hard-wired to connect with each other. We are hard-wired to be loved. We are hard-wired to believe in something. This is how gangs thrive: because we all have a strong need to be a part of a community. If the family doesn’t provide this, the children will seek it elsewhere. If the church fails, gangs are glad to take up the slack.
The limbic system asks the question, “Am I loved?” It is difficult for higher learning, sympathy and wisdom to have a chance if we are stuck on this question.
We can survive with these two areas of the brain, but we can’t excel or thrive. To do that, we must use our higher brain, or frontal lobes of the cortex. Here, we make choices, control the impulses of the lower brain, anticipate consequences, learn from experience, organize our thoughts, plan, set goals, and practice critical thinking. The cortex asks “What can I learn from this?”
Discipline then, is the process of guiding our children from the lower centers of the brain to the higher centers so they can learn. Some researchers say our frontal lobes are not completely developed until we are 24 years old. Think how many important decision we make before that age. It’s kind of scary.
One way to promote higher thinking, then, is making sure the lower needs are met. If our children feel safe, they can move to the next level. When they feel connected to the community that is their family; when they feel loved, appreciated, and accepted, then they can begin to blossom in higher thinking.
This is why some children have difficulty paying attention; they are stuck in the lower levels of brain function because they either do not feel safe or accepted. This is not the only reason children have trouble learning, but it is an all too common one.
As parents, we want to give our children every chance to dwell in the cortex. Smother them with love and acceptance and watch them thrive.