2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (in Context) 2 Corinthians 12 (Whole Chapter)

What can I say… there are days!  Some are better than others.  In my continuing journey through life, this song reigns true throughout.  I have my moments where I’m good at taking it in, and days where I seem to lose it altogether.  I’m not really good at always putting my faith and trust in God, no matter what.  I mean, in my head, I think I KNOW that He’s there and He won’t let me go.  But that’s easier to say than it is to believe.  So we go through tough times, over and over and over again, and we watch our loved ones do the same.  Deep down, I know who holds tomorrow, I know who redeems my past, and I know my past is in need of redemption!

We can make it through, baby, I promise.  Available in downloads. 

There Are Days
words and music by Chad Voller

there are days i feel like cryin'
there are days i feel like dyin'
there are days i've got my head on right
there are days i can't get one thing right
but i know Who holds tomorrow
i know who redeems my past
and i know these rain clouds, baby
they're gonna blow on past

there are days that start with sunshine
there are days that start and end with rain
there are days that seem to last forever
there are days i want to live again
but i know Who holds tomorrow
i know Who redeems my past
and i know these rain clouds, baby
they're gonna blow on past

download it now

Preparing for worship on Sundays often takes different forms. There are common elements, for sure: Bible, Songs, Pondering, Prayer. Last night the rain came fiercely.  It was heavy, loud, relentless, and powerful.  This morning as the light rain continued in spurts, I thought I would do a quick word study on “RAIN.” I did my word study in the New International Version.

I found similarities in the progression of the word “rain” in the books of Genesis and Revelation. In both cases, there were references to lack of rain and rainbows. God, or someone He has empowered, has control of the rain.  Others may be unable to stop or prevent the rain.  Rain can bring both life and destruction.  This study includes the first 5 instances of “rain,” and the final 5 instances of “rain” in the Bible.

The progression in Genesis:

1. Not rain – Gen. 2:5 – There had been no rain on the earth up until that point.

2. Promise of rain – Gen. 7:4 – God, upset with humanity, decides to flood the planet.

3. Rain – Gen. 7:12 – God causes the rain to fall for 40 days and 40 nights.

4. Not rain – Gen. 8:2 – God stops the rain.

5. Rainbow – Gen. 9:13 – God places the rainbow in the sky as a covenant sign.

Genesis 2:5
and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, (Genesis 2:4-6)

Genesis 7:4
Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made." (Genesis 7:3-5)

Genesis 7:12
And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:11-13)

Genesis 8:2
Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. (Genesis 8:1-3)

Genesis 9:13
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

The progression in James, Jude, Revelation:

1. Rain prayers – James 5:18 – Elijah prayed and God answered by stopping and starting the rain.

2. Rainless clouds – Jude 1:12 – Jude compares godless men in the end times to clouds without rain.

3. Rainbow throne – Rev. 4:3 – An emerald-like rainbow encircles God's throne.

4. Rainbows and angels – Rev. 10:1 – An angel comes down with a rainbow above his head.

5. Not Rain – Rev. 11:6 – For 1,260 days, God empowers two witnesses to stop the rain while they prophesy.

James 5:18
Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5:17-19)

Jude 1:12
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. (Jude 1:11-13)

Revelation 4:3
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. (Revelation 4:2-4)

Revelation 10:1
[ The Angel and the Little Scroll ] Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. (Revelation 10:1-3)

Revelation 11:6
These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. (Revelation 11:5-7)

This brief look into the word “rain” in Scripture has me thinking on songs that contain rain, nature references, and musings on the power of God.  Rain is just one facet of nature that God controls, but I am amazed at the vast effects provided by its lack or abundance.  Too little, you have a desert.  Too much, you have a flood.  Some here, some there, and you can grow a garden full of life.  Tomorrow, it is my hope that we would see a refreshing, pouring out rain of God’s presence.  Life is to me so much like a dry desert, and I need the presence of God in the midst of His people to quench my thirst for His mercy, grace, and love.

So, yesterday I was the “keynote” at our monthly Employee Communication Meeting.  I thought I’d share my raw notes with all of you… just for fun.  This is the outline I put together:

The Company Talk

1. Intro -- "Hello, I'd like to introduce myself to all of you.  My name is Todd Stouffer... and I'm the HR Manager here at Energy Focus."
DOGBERT HELP DESK

2. Real Intro
    A. How did I get into I.T. ?
        i.   built my first computer in 1997
        ii.  always helped as the default I.T. guy
        iii. trained myself over the years
        iv.  have a brother in I.T.
    B. Why did I STAY in I.T.?
        i.   the glamour, of course
        ii.  i like technology, i like people
             (some of you probably like technology, too... but technology doesn't like you)
             I.T. is a great line of work to be in to
        iii. seems like the I.T. field will be around for a while
    C. Notable places I've worked
        i.   Centers for Dialysis Care
        ii.  Great Lakes Science Center
        iii. Microsoft/National City
        iv.  Energy Focus Inc.

3. Meat and Potatoes
    A. Energy Focus I.T.
        i.   brief history (sporadic)
        ii.  current state (stabilized, improving)
        iii. future state (virtualization, integration, expanded services)
    B. Helpful Windows Shortcuts
        i.   WK + E
        ii.  WK + R
        iii. WK +
        iv.  Alt + Print Screen
    C. I Remember When
        i.   the first PC's came into our homes
        ii.  playing Oregon trail on the Apple II-e
        iii. the Internet was invented
4. Closing Remarks

5. Q and A

Strategy...where are we going?  where would we like to go? 

Something cutting edge? 

Something popular?

So, those goofy pictures that show up next to your comments… they could be your actual picture! How do you do it? 

1) Get a picture of yourself ready on your computer that you’d like to use

2) Go to http://www.gravatar.com and create your free account


3) Click the confirmation email they send you

4) Upload your photo!

Please note, it could take up to 24 hours before your Gravatar starts to show up on websites that use this technology (apparently, there are thousands). 

Also, emails and passwords should be all lower case letters and numbers, too.  That also goes for usernames (at gravatar.com).

I told her I would take pictures, because she was afraid: “Everything is going to bloom while I’m gone!”  So, I did.  I even changed the setting on my camera to macro in order to try a couple close-ups.  So, Allyson is returning today from Chincoteague Island (here, let me Google that for you).  Hopefully, she’ll return to a clean house, and I will have actually taken pictures.  I don’t do the whole Photoshop improvement cycle that she does, so what you see is what you get.  Enjoy!

Oh, but first, breakfast.  Yes, just like Allyson, I thought I would photo my food for you.  This was an interesting fried egg, kale, potato pierogies, onions, and doused with green Tabasco sauce.  Mmm, mmm good.

And now…. for the garden pics!  Commentary should be interesting, since I’m a plant moron.  I’m not soooo bad at macro shots…

Along the front walkway…

These things look like a paper craft when you get close!

 

This is something purple-ish.

These guys are pretty

Got a close-up of this one.  I think it’s a volunteer.

Close up of the dewy leaf of the above flower.  My favorite pic of the morning.

Peering along the north side of the house… with some cuties up close along the way… :-)

 

And the lovely little square-foot garden.  Of course, I had to include it!  AND, I had a familiar little visitor… known around these parts as Mr. Handsome.

The back yard would have felt neglected, so here’s some stuff from the back.  We thought the ferns might not make it this year, but they’re looking good!  And I love hostas for some reason…

And THAT, folks, is the end of amateur hour.  Blessings to all!

I was looking for something yesterday, and found something else.  Ever happen to you?  The something else was a copy of my high school’s newspaper the month after we had just repeated as Texas High School Football State Champions.

The year is 1994, it is January.  I have very, and I mean VERY, few memories of the school paper.  Don’t be angry with me, Joel Harrison.  This post is categorized in “What Was I Thinking,” because looking at this paper brought all kinds of high school memories flooding back.  Football was a huge part of life at Carroll High School back then, and it still is.  One of the most successful high school programs in the state of Texas, if not THE most, and certainly notable nation-wide in comparison to other power-house programs.  At the time, I was definitely thinking that those days were defining moments for me.  I still think they were, and I think I learned more about life and leadership and teamwork during those years than I have learned anywhere since.

We weren’t really flashy, as I recall, didn’t have a whole bunch of All-Americans (I think Dane even only got honorable mention for that).  An honest, person-by-person appraisal of each athlete on the team would probably have revealed that we were all average or slightly above, at best.  Yet year in and year out, we had success.  Looking back, I can only attribute this reality to two or three things:  1) Great coaching and leadership, and 2) Hard work.  Really, we played against athletes in some games that easily outmatched us pound-for-pound.  Hey Dragons, remember that Gladewater game?  I’ll bet their punter does. 

Great coaching (read an article on Steve Lineweaver here—at the time he was offensive coordinator for us) can take a group of athletes to a higher level than they are capable of by themselves.  I also think we had a solid group of student leaders (team captains) that contributed to the success of the team.  Each of us captains was willing to put in extra time, hold ourselves accountable, and help out the team in any way that we could.  We truly had the feeling, not just the appearance, of team.

There is no substitute for hard work.  We had hard work in spades.  Practices were hard, and we worked hard in the film room, too.  We came in on Saturdays after the games, and worked out more, and watched more film.  Hard work paid off, with two 16-0 seasons and host of great memories.  I’ll never forget what it took to accomplish what we did.  It was a great effort from a lot of people, and there’s no way we could have done it on talent alone.

	Not really sure how I ended up on Hamel’s shoulders holding the trophy, but the Tribune got the shot. We played that game, and our previous state title game, in Waco, if I’m not mistaken. My sophomore year, we played one of our games in Texas Stadium, where the Cowboys played.
	Ah, the repeat was sweet, if not a little harder to earn than the one before it.  The year before, we scored something crazy like 803 points all year, and we trounced the competition in the championship game, like 48-0? They were supposed to be phenomenal, had this “great” running back (averaged like 235 yards per game).  I think he ran for 30 years or so on us.  Maybe no one ever played defense on them before? This year was different, though, we won by a much narrower margin, and we fairly evenly matched by the other team.  Final score was 14-6, I think.  In spite of the way Kris Brown (yes, that Kris Brown was our quarterback) carried the football – like a loaf of bread – we came out on top for a great win!
	Perfect seasons!  At least, that’s what the record says.  All that matters at the end of the day is the “W.”  From the time I was a sophomore on varsity, we played 47 games, lost none.  Only in the State semifinal game of my sophomore year did we tie a game, then didn’t advance, because there was no overtime in HS football back then.  Is there now?  Does anyone know? The other team had gotten past our 20 yard line 3 times, we had only gotten past theirs twice.  So, naturally, that decided the game.  Unreal.  I can still see those seniors weeping in the locker room.
	Turns out Carroll was ready for 4A, and a few years later 5A.  You can check their record online for yourself, I’m pretty sure it stands on its own.  Seeing the tradition being carried on year after year is a pretty cool thing.  It’s fun to cheer on the students who are now doing what we once did.  I, personally, think we could have competed with most 5A schools back then.  Then again, what 5A school wanted to play us with a chance that they might lose to a 3A team?
	Joel Harrison, student writer at the time, wrote this thoughtful article that gives us a glimpse into his heart at the time.  I remember those brothers standing on the sidelines during the game.  I remember one particularly picture of a crazed Chad that one of them took.  Sorry, can’t remember which one took it!  The head was shaved, the scream was on, the intensity palpable.  I have it, somewhere.  We’ll post it for your amusement at some point.

Download the PDF with all the pages!

I’ve been thinking about what would make a decent blogpost. A subject that I could write about that I have any experience in that may be unique to me. “Women and Modesty” was brought up as a possible topic.  I like it, the only thing is, how does one even begin? Do I start at the beginning, where I am now, how I got here, why I did the things I did when I was younger, or am I even modest? Do I write about what I think modesty is? Anyway, here’s a part one installment about modesty that I hope will blossom into a good discussion.  For starters, here’s a little about myself, and my ideas about modesty.

Today, modesty sounds like an old, out of date, over-ill-used word. Something that is looked down upon with distaste. If someone says someone is modest it’s occasionally accompanied by derision. Then again, a popular idea of modesty refers only to one’s choice of apparel and how much one chooses to reveal, or not. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in comparing ourselves with other people. We even go to great lengths to try to make ourselves into someone else’s image. We dye our hair, we try to grow hair back, we cover ourselves in makeup, we promise we’ll start exercising tomorrow, we choke down disgusting food and pass by the delicious stuff just so we don’t gain an extra pound, or two, or three... It seems like everything we do is focused around our appearances and how we compare to other people. My friends, this should not be so. In doing this, we are “thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.” And thinking of ourselves too much. I had a realization a bit ago, that all the walking, all the exercising, all the watching what I eat, doesn’t really matter if I don’t have joy in doing it. God gave me this amazing body (seriously, the human body is simply an amazing creation) and I should enjoy pushing it, strengthening it, and keeping it healthy.

Back to modesty. I was home schooled all the way to college. I had two older brothers whom I idolized and followed everywhere I could. They didn’t really appreciate that. At all. All that to say, I didn’t have much exposure to the world of “boys, boys, boys,” that many teenage girls live in. The boys in my life consisted of my brothers and their good friends who may as well have been more older brothers. Then, one day in church, there where new girls who I had never met before and who terrified me.  They were close to my age and all they could talk about was boys, make-up, clothes, shoes, and boys. And of course, they started flirting with my brothers.  I was disgusted and maybe slightly amused.  A few years later though, one of those girls started dating one of my brothers, and I knew he liked her a lot. At that point I had to acknowledge that there must be something more human about at least one of these girls than the frills and flirts she put on.  Turns out, she’s actually pretty darn awesome.

Back to modesty again. During those teenage years I think I rebelled against what I considered to be the generally immodest standard for my gender. I refused to wear tight or even fitting clothing, I cut my hair insanely short (shudder), and I refused to attempt flirting (especially if I remotely liked a guy). I also recognized that guys struggle with temptation and that girls wearing certain clothes in no ways helps with that. I didn’t want to have anyone consider me a distraction, or a temptation in any remote way. I didn’t want to get involved in the competition I saw all around me. I knew the gain it could bring from winning could just as easily be as painful as rejection.

Some of my reasons for these decisions were unconscious. The truth, though, was that I saw what I considered to be foolish, silly, vain attempts to get attention (mostly the attention of older guys) and fit in, and I tried as hard as I could to stay away from such things. Lucky me, I was home schooled and didn’t have the ugly pressures of high school. But I don’t think I was that nice about my denial of that world, though, and I think the girls and others like them didn’t really care for me and vice versa.  Oddly enough, we get along now.  One of them is my sister-in-law and I love her dearly.

Some people may have seen some of my behavior as modest, and in some cases it was. I respected the age I was, and had no desire to appear or act older than I was. I didn’t like showing off my body with tight or revealing clothing, or altering my face with a lot of makeup, or using any part of me to get attention from boys or attempt to show up other people. I still don’t like many of those things, and my husband loves me for it :). 

The point is, modesty is more than apparel, or thinking less of myself. It’s about humility, of about thinking of myself less. In this regard I often fail miserably. I think of myself much too often when all I really need do is this:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

RC

I’m hooked.  My former college roommate lent Arthur and I the first season of LOST.  Needless to say, we’re both enjoying it immensely.  Even though we are only in the first season it’s fascinating to see the story developing and still not have a clue as to what is “really” going on.  It seems like the life I live sometimes.  I’m alive, I know where I’m going ultimately, I simply have no idea how I’m getting there. 

The people around me are each next to me because of circumstances and choices that led them there.  Life can seem quite random and incoherent at times, and we never really see the whole picture.  We never get to see exactly the complete result of our actions, and where/how they lead others.  In LOST, the storytellers slowly reveal how each person’s actions inadvertently led to others being on the same doomed plane.  It makes me pause, ever so briefly, and wonder how I would have ended up on that island.

  RC