So, of late, every night when I am driving home, there are a bunch of folks (from at least one church I've recognized and maybe a whole conglomeration) on the corner of the intersections that I have to cross in order to get home. (I've tried other routes, but darn it, they've got me covered.) They are there waving various signs to, ostensibly, get folks to vote yes on Prop 8. The problem is that what they are actually doing is just sending another message to the world about how out of touch many church-pack Christians really are. I so want to stop and have a conversation with them to just determine if they have even a small clue as to how they are viewed by most non church going folks. They have such sunny smiles on their faces as they wave their signs (that make no sense, ie., "Prop 8 equals parental rights" WHAT???) and American flags, (hello, what does the American Flag have to do with this???) that I am sure they really think they are doing a good thing. I think I can speak with some authority on this, because I used to also be completely sold on this way of thinking. I really had no idea how harmful to the cause of Jesus those tactics really are, and in fact, how they really do more harm than good. C'mon, how many of you really think the Bible thumper on the corner is effective? The argument would probably be, "Well, if we can influence even one to our way of thinking, that would make this worth it." BUT WHAT ABOUT THE 758 THAT YOU HAVE NOW CAUSED TO MOVE IN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION??? I find myself getting so overwrought each night as I have to drive through this, that I am a basketcase by the time I get in the door. When are they going to wake up and smell the coffee...and realize that most of the world drinks it just a bit stronger...?

So, let me just give a little disclaimer here, and then I'll leave you with some thoughts by John Fischer...I know I am strong willed and strong opinioned. If you disagree with me here, or are simply appalled, realize that this is just a small portion of how I feel, and I would welcome a discussion about how you feel about my opinion. I am always open to other points of view and am quite willing to admit when my own opinion might be completely off track. Give me a call...

Christians Who Need Jesus

We all need Jesus, but the assumption quite often in certain circles is that the people who need Him are those who aren't Christians. When we say so and so needs Jesus we usually mean that so and so is not a Christian. This is unfortunate because, as I said, we all need Jesus. Somehow I think we have gotten the idea that those who have Jesus don't need Him anymore. That simply is not true. A Christian without Jesus is a person who believes in Christian morals, who grew up in a Christian home, who goes to church and serves on committees or sings in the choir, who believes certain doctrines that are required by his particular brand of Christianity, who desires a Christian environment so her children will be safe, who listens to Christian music and Christian teaching, or who passionately votes "Christian" (Oh My Gosh!!!) as identified by the prevailing Christian spokespeople. All these things can be possible without Jesus. Knowing you need Jesus is a whole other thing. You know you need Jesus because you have seen yourself and you are appalled at the awfulness of your sin. You know you need Jesus because you can't take another step without hurting someone. You know you need Jesus because you very clearly realize that in yourself, that is in your flesh, dwells no good thing. You know you need Jesus because you are such a good liar that you can fool yourself half the time and not even know it. A Christian who is inclined to think that other people need Jesus is one who may need Him the most. Everybody needs Jesus. Not everybody knows it. Some Christians know they need Jesus. Some Christians don't. So bottom line is: knowing you need Jesus is a lot more important than being a good Christian.

John Fischer

Psalm 145:1-21

¹I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

²Every day I will bless you,

and praise your name forever and ever.

³Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴One generation shall laud your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

⁵On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

⁶The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,

and I will declare your greatness.

⁷They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹The Lord is good to all,

and his compassion is over all that he has made.

¹⁰All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your faithful shall bless you.

¹¹They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,

and tell of your power,

¹²to make known to all people your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,

and gracious in all his deeds.

¹⁴The Lord upholds all who are falling,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

¹⁶You open your hand,

satisfying the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is just in all his ways,

and kind in all his doings.

¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;

he also hears their cry, and saves them.

²⁰The Lord watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

New Shoes

Woke up cold one "Friday",
I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick,
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life,
So I quickly opened the wardrobe,
Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean,
Topped it off with a pair of old shoes,
That were ripped around the seams,
And I thought these shoes just don't suit me.

Hey, I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
It's so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I'm running late,
And I don't need an excuse,
'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

~Paolo Nutini

Nothing Else Matters...

Vanden's first winterguard team performance earned a score of 88% and 1st place!

Very cool!

How cool is that?

Did you ever imagine we could look so cool?

Or that we would BE so cool?

But cool we are, no doubt about it! We've cut an EP, our bio is done, and the world is waiting.

How cool is that?

I like knowing things...

This is a picture of my boss looking through the MicroPET II

Today I toured the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging (CMGI) which is in the basement of our building. Simon, my boss, is the director. It was very cool. There are various imaging machines down there such as CT scanners, the MicroPET II (which Simon holds the patent on), Optical scanners, and ultrasound. I learned about such extraordinary things as functional vs. anatomical modalities, flood histograms, in vivo functional imaging, and mouse phantoms, to name just a few. There is a cyclotron down there also. A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. Cyclotrons accelerate charged particles using a high-frequency, alternating voltage (potential difference). A perpendicular magnetic field causes the particles to spiral almost in a circle so that they re-encounter the accelerating voltage many times. Cyclotron beams can be used to bombard other atoms to produce short-lived positron-emitting isotopes suitable for PET (positron emission tomography) imaging, which is mainly what our lab does research on.

Anyway, it was all just more pieces of the puzzle that make up my new job. At first it was really hard to say all of these things let alone have even a clue about what any of it meant, but slowly but surely I am beginning to absorb stuff. Between editing research articles and dissertations, and things like today's tour, my knowledge base is growing.

I like knowing things...

Finally, a tea made just for ME!