Homeward Bound!

Yahoo!!!!! We just got authorization to make a trip to the US for a little vacation in late July! We are working on itineraries now, but the current one we are planning would get us into Tulsa near noon on July 18th. I can see a trip to El Chico's on the way home from the airport!

Someone asked me what I wanted to do, see, and/or buy while I am in the States.
1) hug my mom
2) go fishing with dad
3) see my family & friends
4) go to:
a> El Chico's
b> Daylight Donut => then Krispy Kreme
c> Wal-Mart
d> El Chico's
5) buy:
a> Griffin's Waffle Syrup
b> new under-drawers & socks
c> a hand-held wind-o-meter (would like this one, will settle for this one)
d> OU Sooner paraphernalia
e> I'm too giddy to think about anything else right now...

Wow, I can't wait to see my mom. I'm not looking forward to the 11.5 hour flight from Tokyo to DFW. (13.5 DFW to Tokyo!)

Favorite Quote

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Jim Elliott

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Ghandi

I heard something interesting about Mahatma Ghandi that I thought I might post here for your reading pleasure:

It is said that due to his beliefs about poverty, he did not own a car and usually walked everywhere he went, making incredibly thick callouses on his feet.

It is said that due to his beliefs about pacifism, he often used hunger strikes as a way of public protest. This had a horrible effect on his health, especially in old age, leaving him incredibly frail in his last days.

It is said that he did not believe in modern medicine, but relied on ancient folk medicine in the form of herbs and roots. Due to an ongoing internal dysfunction/infection, those near to him said that he had chronically bad breath.


All this being said, it can be summed up like this: Ghandi was a
super-calloused fragile mystic vexed by halitosis.

(say it quickly)

Tropical Flowers in my neighbor's yard.

Happy Birthday, Randy!

Mark Moore, Randy Kluver & Rick Boyne
Celebrating OU National Champs 1985

Today is Randy Kluver's birthday. Randy is one of the very first people that I met when I went to college. He has had a tremendous influence on my life and my walk with God. He is the first peer that I met that was truly sold out for God. He challenged every aspect of my life; my motivations, my daily walk, and my attitudes. We had LOTS of really great times together: the Randy Kluver Total Immersion School of Sailing; trips to both "L.A's" (Los Angeles AND Lincoln Addition); working at Graybar; building the "new" Brady; visiting Hong Kong; and most recently, watching our kids get along very well.

Randy, you have always been a good friend and someone I could always count on. I appreciate you and your dedication to our Lord. Happy Birthday, Brother.

PS: Thanks for sticking in there an not "tubing out" all these years!

Happy Birthday Martin!

Mexico City, 1981

I have known Martin Whipple (in the pic above, on the right; that is me on the left) since kindergarten. For those trying to add that up, that is 35 years or so. In 1981, our Spanish class took a trip to Mexico City and Acapulco. It was our first trip out of the country for both of us. Martin turned 17 years old on that trip. I remember Senora Davis bought him a strawberry birthday cake. We had a really great time on that trip.

Martin, you are a good friend and I love you like a brother. I miss you and I wish we could spend more time together. God bless you for another year of health, joy, and service to Him. Happy Birthday.

PS. You're ugly and your wife dresses you funny!

New Feature

Take a minute and stick a pin in my new guestmap! You'll find the link button on the right side bar at the bottom of the list.

BTW, Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Hypocrisy

Last night on the History Channel or the Discovery Channel (I don't remember which), there was a promo for a show that was purporting using archeology to validate ancient Greek myths. What it actually said was that they were going to use archeological evidence to show that some of the ancient Greek mythological characters and events actually were real; not just myths. I guess when it makes "good TV", they can say what they want. Nevermind the silliness of the subject matter.
Yet, when it comes to things that do matter, they ignore "Truth", present falsities as "TRUTH", when in fact, some aren't even "truth". Does that make sense?

Romans 1:21-23 (NASB)
21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

How Far is It

Kind of strange, but I just found out at this website that I live less than 1000 miles from Mount Everest! WOW!

A Christian Thai Wedding

Our Family Picture at the Wedding

I know, "Christian" and "Thai" don't go very well together, for the very essence of being "Thai" is to be Buddhist. However, my younger daughter, Emily, was invited to be a flower girl at a wedding on Saturday. She did a great job. We didn't know the people who got married. (One of Emily's schoolmate's mother is friends with the happy couple.) When Christians get married here in Thailand, a traditional Thai wedding is simply out of the question because it is nothing but a huge Buddhist ceremony. Christians here have adopted a western ceremony. It is very close to a North American wedding but there was one thing that I have to say I really enjoyed seeing. Just before they were pronounced married, they both went to both sets of parents, knelt in front of them and received a blessing from them. It was really meaningful and I would love to see that sort of thing in American marriages. Very touching. And this from a guy that doesn't like to go to weddings in English!

Anyway, I was proud of Emily for doing such a great job!

Getting paid to do what you want

Cardstacker.com - Home

Check out this guy. He holds the world's record for the tallest house of cards. INCREDIBLE!

Strict Rules of Golf

One of the really cool things about living in Thailand is being able to play cheap golf on really good courses. The one I played on today requires a caddy. Something I could NEVER afford in the US.

My caddy thought it was important to enforce "strict rules of golf", something that I am uncomfortable with that makes golf a game of rules instead of just hitting a ball around a course. OK, to tell you the truth, I am much more comfortable with the "friendly rules of golf" that is, allowing for mulligans, better hits, etc. Case in point, one a par 3, I made a par 3. She put me down for 5. I asked about it and she said, "you put one in water, two strokes". In Vinita or Sapulpa, OK, playing with my dad or my friends, it would have been a 3. (and with hearty congratulations all around!)

Needless to say, I shot a very poor game today. I guess there is something to carrying your own clubs and keeping your own score. I might have broken "100" had I been keeping my OWN score!