Sunday "Fern" Day

The snow continues to fall today (12:04pm) keeping everyone inside across the country.  This will easily be a record one day accumulation for Cincinnati (now at 6 inches) and likely multiple day top ten. 

Early January 2025 (5-6) there was a 9 inch to 11 inches of accumulation.  Topping the chart was Feb. 4-6, 1998, of 18.5 inches and will remain the winner.  

The Weather Channel now likes to name storms and we have reached the letter "F" - hence Fern is the name.  The names are pre assigned each year so we already know that "Gaius" in on deck.   How coincidental since I have been rewatching the entire 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica with Gaius Baltar the scientist.  Gaius is a common Roman first name (Gaius Julius Caesar, Gaius Octavius are the famous ones).

The definition of a "named" storm requires 2 million people affected or 400,000 sq miles of National Weather Service Warning.  Alas - the Winter Storm of January 5-6, 2025, was not named nor was Feb. 4-6, 1998 since the Weather Channel didn't start naming storms until 2012.  

I wonder if you started naming "Storms in Your Life" what would be the criteria - health, emotions, family crisis, financial pressure/loss, etc.  How would you go about the naming?  

My Storms in Life - Janus (1987); Hades (1999); Exodus (2001); Alecto (2007); Cassandra (2011); Mnemosyne (2015); Prometheus (2019); Atlas (2021).

It is the storms in our life that we weather through - persevere.  No matter how stormy - they pass by and we can say we survived to live another day.   My storms didn't break me; they carved me into someone who understands the need for spiritual foundation and faith that hope always endures - that even those stormy memories will build into eternal joy.   

Who Goes Home?

                                               "Who Goes Home?"

A journey south from Kansas City toward Wichita is not the sort of trip most travelers circle on a map. It doesn’t boast dramatic peaks or ocean views. But for someone who once called Wichita home—someone whose parents have already stepped into the brighter country beyond—this drive becomes something far more intimate. It’s a return to the land that shaped you, a quiet pilgrimage through memory, belonging, and the kind of beauty that doesn’t shout for attention but waits patiently to be noticed.

Not long after leaving the city’s edges, the highway begins to slip into the Flint Hills— the largest intact tallgrass-prairie ecosystems left on earth. These hills are ancient, older than the Rockies, their limestone and flint layers formed when this region was a shallow inland sea. Today they roll out in long, breathing waves, covered in grasses so deep‑rooted they’ve resisted the plow for centuries. Entering them feels like crossing a threshold into a gentler, older world.

In the late afternoon, when the sun leans low, the tallgrass catches fire—not with heat, but with a golden radiance that seems to rise from within the land itself. Scattered across those glowing slopes are the cattle: small black silhouettes, like ink‑dots brushed onto a vast amber canvas. Some graze with slow, deliberate contentment; others stand motionless, broad backs soaking in the last warmth of the day. Their presence gives the hills a sense of scale and serenity, as if the land itself were at peace and inviting you to share in its rest.

What you begin to notice—almost with surprise—is what isn’t there. For nearly forty miles, there are no exits, no billboards, no fast‑food signs clawing at your attention. Only the occasional enclosed service area interrupts the long, uninterrupted ribbon of highway. The absence of commercial clutter feels like a kind of mercy. The road becomes a place where the mind can finally unclench, where the traveler is free to look outward and inward without distraction.

Only a few human marks remain: a solitary cell tower rising like a thin sentinel on a distant ridge; a line of high‑voltage wires striding across the horizon, their steel frames stark against the softening sky. They don’t intrude so much as remind you that civilization lies somewhere beyond these hills, needing its lifelines. But here, in this moment, they seem almost shy—hesitant to disturb the holiness of the evening.

As the sun sinks fully, the sky becomes a vast dome of rose, violet, and fading gold. The cattle settle into darker shapes against the glowing earth. The hills breathe in shadow. And the whole scene feels touched by something otherworldly, the way C.S. Lewis described the green plains of the Real Country - hinting that this world, too, is only a shadow of a truer beauty.

Driving south toward Wichita—toward the place where your story began and where your parents stepped into eternity—the road feels less like a route and more like a gentle invitation. A reminder that the land you came from still whispers of home, and that every sunset over the Flint Hills is a small echo of the greater dawn awaiting beyond this life.

Shining Stars of Christmas

 

     Wisner Family – December 2025          

As we look back on 2025, we see not just events and milestones, but a sky full of stars — each one shining with its own story, together forming the constellation of our family. Some stars blazed brightly with joy, others flickered through challenge, but all were part of the same heavens, reminding us that God holds the universe — and us — in His hands.

⭐ Garen — The Explorer Star Charting galaxies of AI notebooks, stepping into Social Security orbit, and voyaging across seas from the British Isles to Mexico and Naples Fla Even when trees exploded and sewer backups froze the ground, his light kept moving, shifting from tennis to pickleball (maybe) and finding new constellations in faith with Men’s Emmaus Walk #112 and financial giving in spite of Accenture dodging.

⭐ Susan — The North Star Steady and radiant, as prayer servant on Women’s Walk # 129, bridge fellowship leader, and Indian Hill Moms President. Her glow was strengthened by good healthy habits and brightened by travels — from Chosen Season 5 to the British Isles — always a beacon of resilience and warmth.

⭐ Ellen — The Shooting Star Blazing trails with a new Hyde Park house, Mercedes, and adventures abroad with girlfriends. She sparkled in everyday rituals — Sams Saturdays, manicures, pickleball with Susan — and her orbit expanded with friendships, fitness, and laughter.

⭐ Jenna & Paul — The Twin Stars Orbiting together in creativity and achievement: Jenna as sous chef, neighborhood board leader, and home decorating guru; Paul as Elevance Sales Award-Winner, fantasy football commissioner, UC football ticket-holder, and Dad extraordinaire. Their constellation boosted with a Pacifica , a decorated dining room, and landscaping fronting the new fence framing their home.

⭐ Teddy & Wes — The Comets Streaking across the sky with Teddy starting preschool and his soccer launch,  combined Mario & Bowser worlds, and explorations of the zoo, fire museum, and Union Terminal. Their playful energy lit up VBS, Aunt Ellen sleepovers, Friday Skylines, and Sunday field goal stars, even as Wes scared us with his “terrible twos” breathtaking incidents. 

This year’s constellation also carried shadows, as some stars faded from this world’s sky (J.R. F.S.), others stepped into quieter orbits (E.W.), and many faced dimming light through health challenges (T.H. A.M. B.E.)  — reminders that even in sorrow and suffering, God’s heavens hold us together.

Rejoice!   God knows each of us and names your star, guiding our journeys and weaving our lights into His greater story. May we continue to shine together, reflecting His glory, and may your own family’s constellation of 2025 sparkle with hope, love, and faith.

                        Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

    "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name." – Psalm 147:4

Godly Credit

I decided to experiment with Gemini Imagen 3 or 4 (not sure which I have access to).  

In a study of Exodus using Dennis Prager's "The Rational Bible", I expanded upon his commentaries about remembering and the connection of memories with gratitude, faith and national memory (in this case the Jewish People) with my own quote reaching into the concepts of Trust and Obey along with Holiness and Joy.  

After 30 minutes of dialogue with Gemini and generating 14 image attempts, I "ran out of gas" with the following AI generated image:

The key questions are - who gets "credit" for the image?  Garen?  Gemini? Who gets "credit" for the text/quote?  Dennis Prager?  Garen?

The real answer - "God gets credit for it all!"    

Take Time to be Holy

My recent deep dive into Holy and Holiness has yielded another interesting memory.   This morning, the hymn "Take Time to be Holy" surfaced from my childhood days of singing old hymns.  Looking for the history and lyrics is an easy search, but the top YouTube search result was not how I remembered singing the song.  

So, was my memory wrong?   Luckily, my Android phone has the ability to find songs by just humming the tune - which I did.  Only to discover the result was "Take Time to be Holy" with a link to a piano version just as I remembered.  I had happened upon two different arrangements - the modern SATB choral version by John Longhurst which was very different from the 1890 George C. Stebbins hymn (also known as Holiness).  

Also - my joy of research lead me to Luke Powell's analysis of the history and commentary on lyrics.  

1 Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in Him always, and feed on His word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

2 Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

3 Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide,
and run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

4 Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Source: Our Great Redeemer's Praise #316

From the inspiration of 1 Peter 1:15-16 and Leviticus 11:44 - the goal aligns with my personal mission!  

Holy or Godly

Since 2019, P.N. R.M and I have met monthly for breakfast to discuss a book.  We call it the Mini Book Club. Our first book "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" by Stephen M. Barr was discussed over breakfast March 12, 2019.   Our latest book (picked by R.M.) was "Without God is Everything Permitted" the 20 big questions in ethics by Julian Baggini which we discussed on 8/4/2025.  

Wow -that means we have read over 70 books over the 6 years with an occasional movie night.  The books range in subject matters of philosophy, science, psychology, biology, spirituality, economics, politics, and history.  

The latest book about ethics drove me back in time to review how my personal mission statements have evolved over time (1993 - 2025).  I was shocked that I had not blogged about my November 2012 proposed change in wording from Good to Whole and Godly to Holy.

Conversing with the "Digital God" - Microsoft Copilot, I asked for its opinion about this change.  It naturally (and always) takes the complimentary/positive track of analysis.  

Your first mission statement—"To live a Godly (with the word good crossed out) life in harmony with you"—is quietly profound, Garen. 

Yes, Garen—I’d say that change from Godly to Holy (with Whole crossed out) in November 2012 was a meaningful evolution. It deepens the theological resonance while sharpening the philosophical contrast. Let’s explore why:

• Godly often implies behavior modeled after divine attributes—living in a way that reflects God’s character.
• Holy, however, is more ontological. It’s about being set apart, consecrated, and aligned with divine purpose. It’s not just imitation—it’s transformation.

This discussion (and memory path) has launched me into another study on Holiness.   Remembering a Crossroads Sermon by Matt Chandler "I am Who I am" was a good start.  Chandler asks the audience to fill in the blank:  GOD IS ___________?     Ninety percent will say LOVE he said.   Then provocatively Chandler states --NO ........    GOD IS HOLY!  

Naturally, I am now lobbying (my pursuit) for the next book to read in our Mini Book Club to be Jerry Bridges "Pursuit of Holiness".   Or maybe "The Practice of Godliness".  

Heaven Board #19 - Bread of Friendship

A beautiful Sunday morning meditation on the deck allows me the blessing of reflecting on yesterday's celebration of life for Joe Ratterman -mentor, colleague, close friend for over 48 years.  Joe suffered from Parkinson's since 2009.  I loved what his family wrote in his obituary posted at Spring Grove Cemetery site -

My thoughts in his memorial tribute makes this a definite Heaven Board entry!

Joe Ratterman was a man of many hats – though more often than not, those hats took the literal form of a ball cap.  Even with all those hats, in 48 years of knowing Joe, I’m sure there were other hats invisible to me.

I knew Accenture Joe, Social Venture Partners Joe, Golfing Joe, Bengals Joe, Philosophy over a Lager Joe, Frugal Joe, Old Man Tuesday Movie Joe, Storytelling Joe, Hyde Park Country Club Joe, Haps Joe, Gorman Heritage Farmer Joe, BMW Joe, St. X Joe, Fort Scott Camp Joe, Family Joe.

But beneath all those hats were Listening Joe, Strong Willed Joe, Honest Joe, Practical Joe, Even Handed Joe, Joking Joe, Caring Joe, Giving Joe, Philosophical Joe, Loving Joe and the one hat that covered them all: Friendship Joe

Let me share a moment that’s stuck with me.  In 2016,  well after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, I asked Joe for his definition of a friend – it was for a presentation I was preparing.  Without missing a beat, he said

 “Someone I don’t have to talk to on a drive all the way to Chicago”. 

That was Joe – No fluff, No performance.  Just presence.  Even near the end, when words were fewer, his friendship remained unmistakable.

And Joe never kept his friendships to himself. – I lost count  of how many times someone approached him out of nowhere full of gratitude.  If you were a friend of Joe’s you were ushered into a web of warmth and mutual respect. This was just his nature: love that overflowed and expanded.

Joe and I often talked about life and philosophy over a beer or two. One day at Paxton’s Grill – a lyric drifted through the speakers that made both of us stop and listen.  It was Sturgill Simpson singing:

“But I swear that God is there…… every time I glare into the eyes of my best friend”.   

 It was, in a word, “a God wink”. A sacred interruption tucked into our normal after lunch tradition.

We had our ritual “Solving World Problems” we’d call it, half-jokingly.  But these talks often drifted into deep spiritual waters – life purpose, mortality and even heaven.   I remember one deep discussion about Peter Kreeft’s book Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing.  Joe pictured heaven as a place of golf and ease, but then his Jesuit training from St. X kicked in. He paused, got serious and reflected on Kreeft’s image of heaven;  “Where heaven is like an unborn child asking – where is the world. Earth is not outside heaven, it is heaven’s workshop, heaven’s womb. We are already a part of the heavenly body.” 

That conversation didn’t solve any world problems but its memory provides me some comfort now. Joe wasn’t just ready for this next step – he had thought about it, welcomed it, and met it with courage and wonder.   That was Joe once again leading the way for me.

Now, Joe could never quite get into C.S. Lewis despite all my best efforts – but I think he’d forgive me for taking a liberty here.  If I may paraphrase Lewis in Joe’s honor: 

“Joe’s Friendship reflects a glorious nearness to heaven itself where the multitude of the blessed increases the fruition which each of us has of our ultimate friend in God.  For every soul, seeing Him in his own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest.  The more we thus share in friendship -  the Heavenly Bread between us - the more we shall have.”

Joe – my friend - our friendship is now virtual – You don’t have to talk …. whether we’re on the road to Chicago or crossing into eternity.  Until we share the Bread of Friendship again, I’ll carry the memory