New Inspiration

Don't you just love it when someone, someone people seem to respect, stands in front of an audience and says what you are thinking and would like to say, and because the speaker has done research and has significant credentials, your thoughts transform from random to meaningful and supported.

While Dr Punya Mishra from Michigan State University. talked on different topics during his day of meetings, he hit a chord with me in the evening.  In part he suggested that math should be a fine arts subject in education.  It's fun, it's beautiful, it's creative - even though we have convinced our selves that two plus two is rigidly and always 4, but black is black in art and quiet and loud are always quiet and loud in music.

His idea of a mathematical word problem was similar to my idea of a good word problem.  He suggested panning the audience with a video camera, showing the clip to the students and having them estimate the number of persons in the room and their weights.  Mine is simply to ask long long does it take to get from here to Salem [Oregon].  In my case they would have to make and explain their assumptions regarding distance, speed, and mode of transportation.  These questions are much more authentic then when do two trains meet if they depart different towns at different times traveling at different speeds.

He also spoke of creativity, problem solving and critical thinking, a few of my favorite passions.  To emphasize his point he showed a Powerpoint slide of the word "creativity" which was the same upside down as it was right side up.  These ambigrams were the subject of an article by Martin Gardner in Scientific American some 40 years ago.  I have also created several ambigrams of family names as well.

One of his opening slides was "Creativity is not a talent, it is a way of operating."  His theme was around creativity, decreased creativity among school children and the need to foster creativity.  Amen.

Glorify

Our recently hired pastor at our church, Pastor Becky, will be installed at her installation service Sunday.  She's been grooming us as a congregation with songs that she will include in the service.  She's send our invitations and forwarded the order of service to all participating.  There seems to be a theme: what is the purpose of life.  This is evidenced by the collection of maxims on that theme.

One which is scriptural or Biblical and a part of the catechism has to do with glorifying God.  Glorifying is one of those words only used in church and religion, and seldom do we ask what it means in terms of people who don't attend churches.

Several weeks ago I was inspired to identify a path around our yard for daily aerobic walks.  Walking has always sounded like a good idea and walking on the road seems logical and reasonable.  However, the walk up the driveway to the road, a rather steep stroll, had us exhausted and discouraged and in pain before we turned onto the road.  Walking on the driveway around the sequoia tree was more level but monotonously short and one was always turned a corner.  So clearly some branches, mowed grass and created a walk around the house and barn and garden and over to the pond.  It's about a fifth of a mile and several daily laps seemed to be filling a great void.

As I grew up on the farm my exercise was farm work and there was plenty of that.  While raising a young family on a subsistence farmette in remote Alaska there was plenty of exercise splitting firewood, caring for the livestock, maintaining a garden and putting up food.  Extra exercise wasn't necessary there either.  However, sitting in front of a computer screen the past twenty has suggested an exercise regime would be advisable.  Walking seems most pleasing and beneficial.

I discovered that as I walked I could exercise my arms, my hands and my mind.  I could pray, plan the day and philosophize.  So today's topic was, "What does it mean to glorify God?"  Some shout, some dance, some pray, some raise their arms, some sit quietly.  My thoughts rolled around until what seemed like the best answer to me was to just appreciate what I have, where I am, whom I see.  God doesn't need me kill a lamb, one of God's creatures, to glorify God.  God doesn't need me to follow what others think if glorifying God by dancing and raising my arms.  I think God is glorified, honored, respected, praised when I look at a tree and go "Wow, what a wonderful creation."  When I look at the stars and internalize God's love for little me in such a vast "forever."  When I look at another person and see God and a neighbor, someone to love.

In this simple romanticized answer a natural question is how does war fit this thought.  Again I oversimplify my response with "There are people who don't see beauty in trees or people."

Outside the window before me is a beautiful scene, created by God, despite my intervention to chance the landscape, and every second it chanced with the moving breeze, the changing lighting from clouds and sunlight, and changing colors through days and seasons.  Thank-you all who offer my comfort and peace.

Fall is Coming

The weather remains summer-like, dry with day temperature in the eighties, but it feels like fall is coming.  Maybe it's the earlier sunsets.  Maybe it's the appearance of the fall crocus yesterday.  Maybe it's the maturing of the garden, the ripening and gathering of blackberries and raspberries and the grapes  turning color.  Maybe it's just an instinct as people talk about school starting soon and church choir starting up again.  Maybe it's the undeniable aging of a man who has enjoyed seventy years of life.

I could fuss about what's not going well or I could dwell on the great blessings of life.  Our full grown mature has but one pear, yes, just one, we counted them, this year, however, the younger pear tree with its five varieties grafted into in base - only two varieties remain - is over loaded.  The Barlett variety seem nearly ready for picking while the Oriental variety are rock hard and far from being scrumptious.  The blackberries which grow in the neighbor's ground and hang over our sagging fence within easy reach for me especially if I use a ladder.  With long sleeves and a heavy gloves, I gently move the vines within reach so the other hand can pluck the berries.  Blackberries don't ripen all at the same time so once a week I pick again the vines I picked the week before.  Washed and spread out on a cookie sheet, the berries are frozen and bagged before being stored for the winter.

The cycle of the year, at least as years have presented themselves in the last decade, suggests that I will soon be returning to the front of a university classroom, this fall to teach Website Design to and for teachers.  I have always looked forward to this time of the year, in fact for many years there was no break as I taught year round.  Now I ponder if I even want to teach another term past this fall.  I love the benefits of teaching, first and foremost working with students, but I regret and try to deny, I'm tired.

For now I bramble on about the arrival of fall and give thanks for the health and energy I do have.

Pictures of Final Work Day

Enroute Home

This will be the final post of our adventure in Honduras. In the planning development is a video which will be posted later.
Now is the time to pull together the thoughts and reactions of the previous week. Again I feel as if my reactions may not reflect those of the entire group. We would agree that we didn't have much interactions with the locals and that we worked very hard and there was clear evidence that the construction of the church moved forward. We'd probably agree that the accommodations were pleasant and comfortable and that our driver made us feel ore comfortable with his interpreting for us than his driving; but he hit nothing and none of us fell out so that is good also.
The team members were all very hard working and very compatible and we know each other better but I very reached the point of close friends or family; never was a hug exchanged. Everyone provided care for each other and were concerned about their safety and well being.
Personally I'm wrestling with some of the rituals, symbolism and interpretations of Christian churches and leaders. For example we visited the Basilica de Suyapa, a huge Catholic Church in Tegucigalpa. Why would we as a society out so much money into a structure when were is so much poverty, hunger and disease in the world. To the glory of God. I no longer think God wants our money or extravagance; God, if there is one, wants us to demonstrate the love God has for us.
So where does that out me. During the week I have been reading Brian McLaren, a modern Methodist theologian, although the word theologian in itself is scary, I'd rather think of him as a reasonable person carefully reading the Bible and writing about his understanding of its stories. He supports the idea to be alive in God is to be in service, and do it without arrogance. I hope that I have responded to all that I was called to do this week and that I did quietly with no call for recognition. I hope that my feelings and caring for each of the workers was genuine and serious, and was received in that spirit.
We came to work and during the week we received bruises and bumps, bled a little, ached at times and sweat in the heat of the sun. We bent lower with heavier loads then we have for some time, many forever. I saw no crying but we felt the pain of the workers whose shoe's sole fell off and labor was heavy, now we return to our comfortable homes and we have to ask: what's difference did we make this week in expanding God's kingdom. And when we think we have found the answer, we have failed in the expansion.
Forty thousand feet below lies southern Mexico and there is no connection to the technology to post this message at this time. It will be posted when we arrive in Portland after midnight.
May the spirit of human and natural love, and the love of the God as you understand God be with you all.

From the pad of Denvy & Gail

Thursday continued

(Sorry for the interruption.)

Continued ... The discussion around this situation involved the budgeting process for this project, how much there is in the project fund, the offering to buy and play for the lumber to continue. Depending on the view of the situation it was either a routine issue of mission or our first real road dump. A couple of us went with the minister and purchased the lumber and we were back at work and proceeding well. Today we actually worked until 4:00 which was our self-imposed timeline. It was a long hard day but good all the way around.

Pictures to follow.



From the pad of Denvy & Gail

What We Learned on Workday Four

So what DID we learn on this our fourth day of work? The front of our toes hurt from restricting gravity as it pulls the full wheelbarrow down the hill. Moving sand and gravel in the cool(er) of the morning is better than the heat of the afternoon. The drive from the hardware store is far shorter than the drive to the store; it must the one-way streets and boulevard dividers. Walking under four-foot high scaffolding especially when carrying long boards is a major pain in the back. When you run out of lumber and there no constructing to be done, picking up garage is meaningful. Sandy, the local coordinator, says we're the hardest working team. I agree, my body will verify that.
The issue of the day was that we ran out of lumber to make the forms. The discussion around ... (More later)


From the pad of Denvy & Gail