Teamwork

Consider this photo for a moment:

Here we have a farmer and his wife coming to town, hopefully for a new wheel!  But, probably to pick up some shopping items or visit the family.  He is smiling as he drives their tractor; she is smiling while acting as the counterweight as they putt along.  This is teamwork.

Now maybe your hackles are up because be she is not driving, but then in this culture it is the men whom traditionally drive, and is still true for the generation before me.  So that is normal.  Or maybe you can take offense that she is being used as a counterweight and paraded through town, but then again each is doing what they can within the confines of their traditions and culture to achieve their goal.  Then again you might be thinking about how he is going to snarl up traffic with this mobile spectacle or the lack of personal safety she is displaying.  Applying modern values to this situation would lead to disaster – if your goal is to witness for love of the Lord – uh, which is your only goal as a Christian while on Earth….

Yes, Kris was thinking about teamwork this weekend.  As Christians we each have our own goals and desires – which usually are not the Lord’s – and this brings us into strife constantly.  It is when we are willing to work together towards the same goals that we are able to find peace and harmony with each other and perhaps in our own lives.  Sometimes you might get to be the driver but most often as not, you get to be the counterweight while someone else is out in front getting the attention.  All this wife has to do is step down to end his glory of driving his tractor – but then again, she is committed to achieving whatever their goal together is.

Think of this picture as a representation of the church – each doing his or her role and happy for it.  And yes, I do think there is a wheel off somewhere…

Invention of the Internet

Ten of the best April Fool's Day hoaxes

From television revealing that spaghetti grows on trees to advertisements for the left-handed burger, the tradition of April Fool's Day stories in the media has a weird and wonderful history.

Here are 10 of the top April Fool's Day pranks ever pulled off, as judged by the San Diego-based Museum of Hoaxes for their notoriety, absurdity, and number of people duped.

-- In 1957, a BBC television show announced that thanks to a mild winter and the virtual elimination of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. Footage of Swiss farmers pulling strands of spaghetti from trees prompted a barrage of calls from people wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti at home.

-- In 1985, Sports Illustrated magazine published a story that a rookie baseball pitcher who could reportedly throw a ball at 270 kilometers per hour (168 miles per hour) was set to join the New York Mets. Finch was said to have mastered his skill -- pitching significantly faster than anyone else has ever managed -- in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans' celebrations were short-lived.

-- Sweden in 1962 had only one television channel, which broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to receive color pictures by pulling a nylon stocking over the screen. In fact, they had to wait until 1970.

-- In 1996, American fast-food chain Taco Bell announced that it had bought Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, a historic symbol of American independence, from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.
Outraged citizens called to express their anger before Taco Bell revealed the hoax. Then-White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale and said the Lincoln Memorial in Washington had also been sold and was to be renamed the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial after the automotive giant.

-- In 1977, British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page supplement for the 10th anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semicolon-shaped islands. A series of articles described the geography and culture of the two main islands, named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse.

-- In 1992, US National Public Radio announced that Richard Nixon was running for president again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." They even had clips of Nixon announcing his candidacy. Listeners flooded the show with calls expressing their outrage. Nixon's voice actually turned out to be that of impersonator Rich Little.

-- In 1998, a newsletter titled New Mexicans for Science and Reason carried an article that the state of Alabama had voted to change the value of pi from 3.14159 to the "Biblical value" of 3.0.

-- Burger King, another American fast-food chain, published a full-page advertisement in USA Today in 1998 announcing the introduction of the "Left-Handed Whopper," specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new burger included the same ingredients as the original, but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees. The chain said it received thousands of requests for the new burger, as well as orders for the original "right-handed" version.

-- Discover Magazine announced in 1995 that a highly respected biologist, Aprile Pazzo (Italian for April Fool), had discovered a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. The creatures were described as having bony plates on their heads that became burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speed -- a technique they used to hunt penguins.

-- Noted British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on the radio in 1976 that at 9:47 am, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, in which Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, would cause a gravitational alignment that would reduce the Earth's gravity. Moore told listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment of the planetary alignment, they would experience a floating sensation. Hundreds of people called in to report feeling the sensation.

(copied from the news….)

However, my all time favorite was a few years ago when it was announced that Quartz was actually not silicon dioxide but actually a stable form of water.  Made more than a few of us mineral types wonder what the heck!  Of course, it was only April Fool’s!

Swiss Spaghetti Bushes

Where does Spaghetti come from?  In 1957 the BBC, informed the world that Spaghetti came from bushes. 

The original 1957 BBC hoax succeed because it was shown on the prestigious Panorama Program.  In true BBC documentary tone, Richard Dimbleby explained how Spaghetti was harvested from bushes, dried, then processed into strands of spaghetti.

The program continued with how the eradication of the spaghetti weevil, this year’s spaghetti crop was going to be the best ever and how pickers and dryers were needed in the south of Switzerland. 

I remember the Spaghetti Saga well and believed it, as did my father, mostly because he did not know better and I was really young!  But even at my tender age I wondered why an Italian plant was growing in southern Switzerland.  Did not they belong in Italy – land of the pasta?

And, the audience lapped it up as did most of our friends and the fellow scientists my father worked with!  I am told a few people even phoned in asking where they could buy a Spaghetti bush or whom to contact to work as laborers during the next season!

My guess is you could resurrect this April Fool's day stunt.  Today's children maybe more sophisticated in many ways - for example, they would not believe that a radio program purporting that Martians had landed in America was true.  However, today’s children are notoriously ignorant on the sources of food.  All they know is that if they want food, they just open a tin or raid the freezer.

Gays In The Clergy

I read on the web that the Church of England (Anglican) and the Episcopal Church continue their internal warfare over the issue of gay clergy.  Of course, had their respective theologians bothered to actually read their Bibles they never would have found themselves in this situation!

No this is not another of those postings I see all of the time, where if you are gay, I am going to tell you, "you are going to hell and let me help you get there" routines.

Rather, it is time for Christians to grow up and understand that homosexuality is a sexual sin - no different than adultery, etc.  And yet, so many Christians are willing to condemn the homosexual and accept a "repentant" er, randy pastor.  There is no difference here folks - sexual sin is sexual sin before God.  And oh, God forgives sin - if those involved are willing to repent and change their lives.

To those in the clergy whom are involved in sexual sin of any kind - you do not belong in a position where you represent God to a world lost in sin already!  I do not care if you are "straight" or "gay" - if you can not keep your zipper up - get out of the ministry - and stay out!  Ask me how I really feel sometime...

"Straight" or "Gay", the lost world needs to learn the forgiveness of their sin and be empowered to overcome their temptations.  It can be done - my Bible tells me this has been true for a few thousand years.  This is not to say we do not fail - but it does mean we can change the direction of our lives and work to overcome our base natures.

So had these denominations bothered to read Timothy or Peter and bothered to apply the requirements for the office to those whom would seek to represent God - there would be no gay pastors nor randy pastors present to make these problems for them.  But they have caved into culture and the pressures of special interests groups - perhaps to reach them initially - now to be destroyed by them in the world's eyes.  Good job!  I am sure you will will be aptly rewarded later in your existence  for that one.....

And to the argumentative Christian -

Yes, Romans 1 does tell us that due to the hardness of our hearts, God has given us over to the lusts of our flesh to the destruction of our bodies.  And so.....?

A "Christian", pastor or not, whom is sleeping his way through the church (of either bent) is fitting right into Romans 1.  So, what are you going to do about it?  That person's spiritual needs need to be addressed and if they are not willing to change their direction - they need to be disfellowshipped.  Keep it Biblical, keep it loving, keep reaching out ...

I sin, you sin, we all sin, and God forgives us continually - but God has a higher qualification for those whom would lead others in the faith - otherwise, Timothy and Peter would both read somewhat differently...

Meeting Our Needs

On the one hand, it is extremely frustrating being me.  I am the leper of the automotive world.  If I purchase a perfectly running automobile – it will commit suicide enough times that eventually it will be allowed to just die.  In the Netherlands, my cars would each have a lawyer and a doctor overseeing their suicide request is honored…  The worse was my last Volkswagen – 5 miles to a blown engine.  Of course, my having a broken body has only made working on this vehicle almost impossible and the shops want thousands to repair!  Grrrrr!

The most recent was a Ford I purchased from my best friend, who’s Dutch in laws had given it to him.  It ran beautifully for his in laws, beautifully for him – but as soon as I bought it – death was just around the corner.  For two years we have worked on its list of weird problems, to the extent that most of the wiring and engine have now been replaced.  It has sat in a garage or my driveway longer than it has run for me!  Then three weeks ago – the transmission went out.  I do not know about your town, but here – this is the death notice for any car.  It would take almost four months salary to put that rotten Ford back on the road!

So for three weeks I have searched for a car.  I went to the dealerships where I can go in debt for the next 7 years, supplying them with half of my post tax income.  Forget that one!  Next I looked for a car through private ads only to find nothing in the price range I can afford.  Then I found a mini van available through a local company in very nice condition and attractive price.  So, I bought it.

We will see how long this one lasts before the grim reaper harvests it parts.

And though it may sound like I am complaining, God continues to meet our transportation needs through friends and public buses or trams.  But, it will be good to be able to get my daughter to the doctors without having friends travel an hour to get us, to take us and then back home for us, and then them – a five hour commitment for them! 

Thank heavens for their charity and God’s provision!