Heyz

see it http://gposys.net/index61.htm

--
Beatrice Kennedy
330-391-1916
All Saints
Mon-Sat 5 AM - 10 AM EST plus 10 flex hours.

I have no hope, except that I believe that Christ died for my sins,
According to the Scriptures.
I expect to swing out into eternity on that.
(F. F. Brown)

http://partakers.net

The Killing Time Blog Has Moved

Well, after having my own domain for a year, and paying for the space, and seeing some of the things that people were doing with their Word Press sites, I finally decided to give it a try. All the posts have been moved, my first attempt at a template has been set up, so time to make it official. You can find future news from Killing Time at http://partakers.net.

Bye bye blogger . . . .

The Juncos are Back

Around here, that means winter has arrived. That means we're in for 6 months of cold and gray. :(

More Fun With HDR

This is really cool. What I'm finding out is that, even if I only take one shot of a scene, as long as I don't blow out the highlights, the sensor on my camera does a pretty fine job of recording all the information in both the shadows and highlights. The file just has to be processed properly in order to display all of it. An 8-bit monitor just can't do that without some pretty sophisticated mathematics. Thank goodness for open source software!

Date Night

First, a really yummy steak at Ruby Tuesday's. Then Christmas tree shopping, thanks to our bank's rewards program. Then Starbucks for some java. Next stop, the movies.

My First Attempt at HDR Photography

This is probably just about the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Original picture as shot with an increase in the exposure to bring out some detail in the shadows. As you can see, doing so immediately blows out the detail in the sky and the sky reflections in the water, and the trees in the background are pretty washed out. There's also still a lot of shadow area that is lacking detail.



Enter the concept of High Dynamic Range, which brings the world of photography a bit closer to what the eye actually sees (although this does have a touch of surrealism to my eye). Take multiple shots of the same scene, expose some to give detail in the shadows, some to give detail in the highlights, and merge them on your computer at home.



I'm pretty impressed. I think I'll keep playing around with this and see what happens.

Fall in Ohio

Here are a "few" of my favorite fall pictures this year. A lot of them were taken on two covered bridge "tours" several weeks apart. If you pick up the Ohio Historical Society's Covered Bridges book, make sure you have a good map because a lot of them are on tiny little back roads, and while the book gives the location, there aren't any directions.

My favorite of several fall leaf still lifes.


Some of the ornamental grass in my yard at sunset.


My namesake.


First covered bridge tour, Route 26 near Marietta.








Second covered bridge tour, making a rough circle to the north of Newark

Herds of Cows with Cameras

I was reading G. Dan Mitchell's photography blog today. He posted a really nice shot of rocks surrounded by a lovely flowing river. After describing the shot, he said:

There is a funny story to add to this. As I was shooting, as often happens when one sets up near a roadway with a “pro-looking” gear (hey, all it really seems to take is a tripod), other visitors began to pull over to see what the photographer was shooting, jumping out of their cars with cameras in hand. This in a very dark section of the canyon. With me using a very long lens. Pointed straight down at some boring rocks in the river. Quite a few just shook their heads, looked at me like I was nuts, got back in the cars, and drove on. :-)

This struck me as enormously funny for two reasons. One, I've seen it all the time, especially when driving through some of the more scenic state parks. Someone will stop and get out of the car with a camera (especially a "pro-looking" camera), and everybody else will then follow suit like a herd of cattle. The second reason it amuses me is that my mindset was always that I steadfastly refused to go along with the crowd, no matter how spectacular the view. If by chance (or parental stopping) I got drug into such a scene, I always felt kind of dorky - like I knew there was a better shot somewhere off the trail that none of the other dorks would ever find, and why in the world did I have to get stuck following a herd of dorks who didn't know what they were doing, anyway? :)

Okay, so I've revealed my innate lack of humility.

Enjoy some of Mitchell's photography. His aspens are really nice.

Echoes of Babel?

Maybe it won't reach all the way to Heaven, but surely they must have been thinking something along these lines . . . .

'Space Elevator' Would Take Humans Into Orbit

The Greatest Story Ever Told

I was listening to the tapes from "Family Camp", which I didn't go to this year, but a lot of people from my church did, and in one of the messages the speaker mentioned reading through the Bible in 30 days and how it had changed him, as well as others he knew who had done it. He mentioned that for him it meant reading something like 48 pages in somewhere about 2 hours per day. Not a terribly insurmountable goal, I thought to myself. Hmmmmm....maybe I'll try it - not so I can say I read through the Bible in 30 days. That would be kind of meaningless. I happen to be a "big picture" kind of person, and so it intrigued me to consider how my view of God might change if I could see the whole scope of history from creation to consummation in that short of a time span.

So I started out today. In my Bible, reading the entire book in 30 days amounts to about 35 pages for a total of 1044. BUT as I was beginning to read page 1, I started to think about all the times as a kid that I had read entire books of 1,000 pages or more - think the Hobbit and LOTR series - multiple times in no more than a day or two. Nothing else got done, of course, and I often read way into the wee hours of the morning in order to finish a book before going to sleep, but once I started a good book, I seldom put it down for any but the most demanding tasks. I wouldn't even put it down to go to the bathroom (learned how to zip my pants with one hand) or go to school (I was quite proficient at reading while walking.).

What if . . . .

What if I set out to read the Bible in that same spirit - as a book that was so good and so much to be devoured in one sitting if possible - that only the most pressing necessities could tear me away from it. Hmmmm . . . .

Of course, I'm no longer a kid, and there are things like laundry and work, and such that won't be put off, so I kind of doubt that I would have 48 uninterrupted hours to finish the entire 1044 pages, but we'll see how it turns out. Not so I can say "I read the whole Bible in x number of days!" but so I can read the greatest story ever told.

Say Cheese!

Yes, I am shamelessly looking for sponsors to help me buy this when it comes out later this fall. Just kidding. No, really. Of course, any cash you want to throw my way would be graciously accepted . . .

Ike Still Packing a Punch

Don't try this at home. The final step in getting the tree off the phone line sent a pretty big chunk of wood about 20 feet in the air.



The fallen tree's twin still being pushed around by some pretty stiff wind.
If Hurricane Ike is capable of pushing trees over like toothpicks all the way up here in northern Ohio, then what must it have been like in Galveston?

Like Mother Goose Running Amuck

Tonight, my dad sang stanzas 5 and 6 of the "Nonsense Song" to me. I found a copy over at the Wisconsin Humanities Council and have posted them here for your funny bone's pleasure:

Nonsense Song
It was midnight on the ocean;
Not a street car was in sight.
The sun was shining brightly,
And it rained all day that night.

‘Twas a summer’s night in winter
And the rain was snowing fast.
A barefoot boy with shoes on
Stood sitting on the grass.

The rain was pouring down,
The moon was shining bright,
And everything that you could see
Was hidden out of sight.

It was evening and the rising sun
Was setting in the West.
The little fishes in the trees
Were huddled in their nest.

While the organ peeled potatoes,
Lard was rendered by the choir.
While the sexton rang the dish rag,
Someone set the church on fire.

“Holy Smoke,” the preacher shouted,
And in the rush he lost his hair.
Now his head resembles heaven,
For there is no parting there.

I saw a great, big, tiny house
Ten thousand miles away.
And to my view ‘twas out of sight
Last night, the other day.

The walls projected inward,
The front door round the back.
Alone it stood between two more.
The walls were whitewashed black.

30 What?

I thought that needing to do some maintenance around the house this summer was going to put me out of commission as far as this week's VBS is concerned. But as it turns out, I may actually have a more important role than ever. Here's how the conversation went:

B: I want you to know I'll be praying for you while I'm painting my porch this week.

(A little explanation about why the porch hasn't been attended to in the 5 years since we've lived here.)

K: This year I'm really feeling impressed to pray for 30.

B: (I know what he's referring to but . . . ) 30 what?

K: (Suddenly thoughtful . . .) I hadn't thought about 30 what . . . 30 decisions?

B: I tell you what I'll be praying for this week - 30 followers.

K: 30 followers?

B: Yes, 30 kids who will follow Christ from this day forward.

K: 30 followers it is! Shake on it. (handshake)

B: "If two of you shall agree on earth about anything, it shall be done for them."

K: Just between the two of us . . .

B: No, between the 3 of us. (pointing up)

B: Manual labor makes for some awfully good prayer time. :)

So the drive home was interesting. It's not like this is something either one of us are likely to see visible results in right away, but I almost feel a sense of finality . . . like it's already a done deal as far as heaven is concerned. Very interesting sensation. I can't wait to get out and do some painting.

6 Reality Checks

I'm not usually much for "topical" messages, but after hearing about the dismal state of Religion in America, specifically Christian religion, specifically Evangelical religion from the Pew organization this week, this message from Pastor Mullet seemed just a bit timely.

According to Pew, more than 1/4 of Christians, and specifically more than 1/4 of Evangelical Christians aren't sure that God actually exists. Even worse, more than 50% of religious people in this country don't believe their religion is the only way to eternal life, and specifically more than 50% of Evanglical Christians don't believe that their beliefs (specifically belief in Jesus Christ) is the only way to eternal life.

I suppose we're simply following in the footsteps of Europe, where the figures are much worse.

In contrast, a few reminders from the Word of God tonight:

1) Daniel 2:44 - There is a real heaven and a real kingdom to come.

2) Acts 17:28,31 - God created me, I have my being in him, and I will give an account to him.

3) 2 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 40:8 - God has spoken (in the scriptures that he has given by his very breath) and what he has said matters eternally.

4) John 3:16 - Without God's grace, love, and mercy we are doomed to eternal torment.

5) Matthew 25:41,46 - Heaven and hell are real.

6) 1 John 5:10-13 - Jesus Christ, God's Son died for the sins of the whole world, he has risen from the dead, and he gives eternal life to all those who truly believe in him. You know if you have truly believed in him or not.

7) James 1:22-25 - Only a believer walking in fellowship with and obedience to God will see this world and the next rightly.

Hmmmm. . . I guess that's 7. I still don't like topical messages for all kinds of reasons, but I'll forgive him for this one. :)

2,500,000

There were 2.5 million college degrees awarded this year. . . .

. . . One of them is mine.

Cow . . . abunga!!!

What do you get for the 25-year-old who went cow tipping in her mother's car as soon as she was set loose on the highways and byways of the world with her own driver's licence? (Yes, she really did come home one night shortly after getting her license in a panic because she had hit, not one, but two cows in the road on her way home.)

Well, each year it's been something a little different. One of my personal favorites was the special treat I concocted for her graduation from high school. While she was showering before we all left for the ceremony, I installed a custom cow car seat cover and steering wheel cover in her car and then strung 5 or 6 Cow Tales candies off the rear trunk latch. She drove down the driveway shaking her fist at me. Fun, fun, fun.

Now, nearly at decade later, I stumbled onto the cow gift of all cow gifts. Glen Wexler has come out with a book entitled, The Secret Life of Cows. So months ago, I purchased a copy and had him sign it and include a personal message that reads, "Aubrey, just how fast were those cows going?" Boy, has it been a hard secret to keep.



I don't know if it's even possible to top this one.

A Definition of Religion

On Wednesday, I'll likely be tested on my professor's definition of religion which reads as follows:

Religion derives from the haunting realization of ultimate powerlessness in an inscrutable world, where each person harbors the unquestioning and irrational conviction of the possibility of gaining mystic security by somehow identifying one's self with what can never be known.

He goes on to both quote and state that it is a "'never-ceasing attempt to discover a road to spiritual serenity across the perplexities and dangers of daily life' (Sapir), manifesting itself as a system of symbols which acts as the vehicle for establishing powerful moods and motivations through a) the formulation of conceptions of a general order, and through b) rituals to act them out (Geertz)."

Further:

"The components of the religious experience include a configuration of emotional states: Fear, awe, hope, love, the plea, and belief or faith, and sometimes ecstasy; emotional states that are brought within the context of ultimate values and transcendent truths which generate commitments to certain types of social action oriented to penultimate concerns, THE MOST ULTIMATE OF WHICH IS THE REALIZATION OF THE INEVITABILITY OF DEATH." (emphasis mine)

I suppose it's a fine definition as far as it goes. Fifteen years ago, I would have (and did) hop right on board with this and similar sentiments about religion in general and Christianity in particular. So what changed? On this day when the majority of the Christian world recognizes that something truly extraordinary, if not downright impossible, took place some 2000 years ago, what changed is that 10 years ago I ran headlong into a spiritual brick wall named Jesus Christ and became convinced over the course of the next 13 months that he did indeed die for MY sins according to the Scriptures,

and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the 12, after that he was seen of above 500 brethren at once . . . After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles, And last of all he was seen by me . . . (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

With that in mind, I was reading in the book of Hebrews this morning as communion was being served.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both he that sactifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I WILL DECLARE THY NAME UNTO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CHURCH WILL I SING PRAISE UNTO THEE. And again, I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM. And again, BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHICH GOD HATH GIVEN ME.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; AND DELIVER THEM WHO THROUGH FEAR OF DEATH WERE ALL THEIR LIFETIME SUBJECT TO BONDAGE,

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:9-18)

And continuing on, in chapter 7, something occurred to me earlier in the course in a discussion of the evolutionary pressures that have affected what males and females find attractive in each other - males - youth and curves and ability to procreate, females - power and ability to bring home the bacon.

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest,

WHO IS MADE, NOT AFTER THE LAW OF A CARNAL COMMANDMENT, BUT AFTER THE POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE.

For he testifieth, THOU ART A PRIEST FOR EVER AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.

For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

For the law made nothing perfect, BUT THE BRINGING IN OF A BETTER HOPE DID; BY THE WHICH WE DRAW NIGH UNTO GOD. (Hebrews 7:11-19)

Lots of quotes, I know. Maybe not the most decisive set of verses that would demonstrate the crucial difference between "drawing nigh to God" and "formulating conceptions of the general order and rituals to act them out", but I've hung my hopes on someone with the "power of an endless life", and that's okay by me. Does this "better hope" give me "spiritual serenity across the perplexities and dangers of daily life"? You bet it does. However, unlike my previous state of relative calm in the face of the "inscrutable", which was based mostly on the assumption that science would eventually provide answers to all of the unknowns and make religion obsolete, this hope is something that I have "AS AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL, BOTH SURE AND STEADFAST, AND WHICH ENTERETH INTO THAT WITHIN THE VEIL." (Hebrews 6:19)

Did I ever mention that I LOVE Hebrews? Try reading some verses from there during your communion service sometime.

Rules for Shopping

First rule, not original with me, is never go grocery shopping when you're hungry.

Next rule, which was discovered on Tuesday and adopted immediately is:

Never make your shopping list when you're hungry.

I ate lunch and then made my list this week and nothing looked quite as appetizing as it usually does, so my listed ended up about 1/4 the usual size. Not bad. Smaller list = less time involved in acquisition.

There are other rules that make this chore more bearable for those of us who don't like to do it. The one kind of shopping I rather enjoy, though, is second hand shopping. I've stumbled onto brand new clothes with the tags still on for a fraction of the new price. Today, I happened to find the cloth napkins and placemats that match a table cloth I've had for about 4 years now and paid a grand total of $2.00 for the complete set of 4 of each. This I can deal with.

Of course, I'd still prefer to have things just magically appear in my cupboards so I could eliminate the chore altogether.

"I just made this up, but it's true."

Okay, so maybe my husband has been right all these years, and all I learned in college was how to say "I don't know" in 20 words instead of 3. Dr. R made the above statement today while discussing a couple of concepts having to do with the complementary roles in society that men and women traditionally fulfill that will most likely appear on the next test. I'm sure that all he's claiming he "made up" is that he coined the phrase, or applied it in the particular context we're studying, but I did have to remind myself not to laugh out loud.

On the way home, I was wondering how this complementary structure of how men and women interact with the world in different ways, which seems to be rooted in our biology (the "true" part of the discussion), relates to what the Scriptures say about the differences between men and women, as well as how those differences are played out on a spiritual level.

My initial thought is that Dr. R, as interested as he seems to be in healing and spirituality and such, as knowledgable as he is about "religion", has never seen beyond the level of pure biology. It's rather interesting to me that he's mentioned a friend of his on several occasions who was miraculously healed of breast cancer. She attributes this healing to Jesus Christ. He relates exactly what happened in class with the straigtest of faces (how do you deny something physical has happened when an ulcerous lesion is just gone and when you really enjoyed the fried chicken after the healing service?) and calls it psychology and "faith" and electromagnetic energy. He reminds me very much of my old friends, the Pharisees in John chapter 10 who saw the miracles Jesus did, saw the blind man who could now see, saw Lazarus raised from the dead, and when they heard the voice of God speak from heaven said it sounded like thunder.

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

At what level does the physical relationship of man and woman joining their complementary roles together in marriage intersect with the spiritual reality of Christ's relationship with the church?

Stay tuned.

Hang Time

Our friend Janet expressed the week perfectly with those two words. She knows way more about hang time than I do, but after sitting in the surgery waiting room for upwards of 12 hours waiting for news, then moving to the critical care waiting room where we've spent the greater part of the last two days, it seemed fitting.

Even in this short time, I can see that hang time is different for different families. While dad was still in surgery, one family's hang time was coming to an end as a young 28 year old man lost the battle with a microscopic bacteria called Pneumonia. At the same time, another family's hang Time has already stretched out for a month while they wait for any sign of improvement from a 24 year old daughter sent into the land of limbo by a stroke.

Dad's proceeding as expected through his recovery. Thanks to all our family and friends who made much of our experience of hang time more like a reunion than a hospital waiting room.

On The Road Again

So, there's no reason at all for me to post a crummy phone picture of the St. Louis arch on a cloudy, gloomy day except that I can. On our way to visit with the folks before dad has his surgery. I seem to keep finding new and interesting ways to sleep without actually sleeping. Today's adventure included a woman describing a man at a casino table with firery, black eyes, and, more interesting to me, an interview with a woman from Mali who is seeking assylum in France so that she can protect her two year old daughter from the horrible practice of female genital mutilation. I think what I find most disturbing is that it's the women themselves who actually carry it out.

Who says there's no such thing as time travel?

For many years, I've said that you couldn't pay me enough to go back to a previous age unless I could take along all my accumulated knowledge. So, what's it like to have your education interrupted for 15 years and then go back to finish the job? Exactly like that. I feel like I've gotten to go back in time 15 years and take along all the accumulated knowledge of those years. Everythings the same, but it's all different. What a trip!

Raising up a new generation that knows what freedom is all about . . .

Merry Christmas!

For everyone I don't have in my email address book, you may view my Christmas "card" here.

Deflation

I created this "demotivation" poster in honor of the occasion of my petition to graduate under my old catalog being lost and having to wait two more months to find out what I'll need to do to finish up that degree. To creat your own demotivational poster, just go to
http://despair.com/ and click on the D.I.Y. tab. While you're there, enjoy some of the other great demotivators. :)

There is one really nice thing about being a Christ-follower that I've discovered along the way. I don't have to have my way in order to be happy. It's completely opposite from my previous way of approaching disappointment. It also makes it much easier to be nice to the person with the tack. O:)

Meet Spunkmeyer

Say hello to the newest member of the family. I knew this was coming the day my husband came home a couple of months ago and said, "I want a parrot." Well, the day has arrived. Spunkmeyer is 3 months old today, so say "happy birthday, Spunkmeyer" too.