Ark Encounter

It was a fun overnight trip to Shaker Village, Ky with a stop on the way back to the Ark Encounter.

 

 

 

Just recently opened (July 2016), the Ark Encounter is jus 30 minutes south of Cincinnati and  conveniently right off of I75.  It's worth one trip to experience the actual size of Noah's Ark. - an would definitely be a fun experience for kids.  We spent about two hours walking through the Ark and ate lunch at the restaurant.  Full of fascinating Bible facts and rebuttal arguments to non-believers.  The other fascinating exhibit was the display of early Torah and Bibles - my favorite was the 1651 Geneva Bible.

 

I highly recommend that any Cincinnati visitors find a way to invest a half a day at this exhibit..    

 

 



Predicting Presidential Confidence

My predictive ability this presidential election matches my forecasting record on stock market timing - clearly 100% wrong.  As a statistician, it is rather embarrassing for the profession when so many people were surprised by the result of Donald Trump winning the electoral college vote.  Yet my training in this field gives me amply opportunity to defend the analysis before and after the election.

The best statistician is " 99.7% confident that he is three standard deviations from the mean".  Which means (no pun intended) that he is 100% confident that your outcome is impossible to predict.

Predicting human behavior (which is an attempt at prophecy) is exactly what caused me interest in statistics.. Yet time and time again human behavior surprises us.  That is the beauty in life with others- and keeps everything interesting.

My emotions about the election have less to do with ideology and more to do with being tickled about the very surprise that seemingly occurred. Are events really random?  Is there an interwoven master plan and designer?  Is it some combination of both of these with a dash of free will sprinkled on top?

I am confident about predicting Donald Trumps actions -  He will be unpredictable.


"We plan, We predict and God smiles"  

Monkey or Pig

I've been reviewing my "dinosaur blog" - namely "penned" spiritual journal(s) that I started over 10 years ago.   Back in October 2007 there was an entry from the book "Treasures of the Transformed Life" by John Ed Mathison - namely Chapter 27 titled "Faith is Rewarded".

As we approach Thanksgiving (and the natural cycle of Stewardship campaigns, Salvation Army Red Kettles, Crossroads Thanksgiving Meals, Non-profit donor requests, and Christmas giving), it is natural to reflect on the emotions, calling, and action of everyone of us.

Are you a monkey or a pig?

How to catch a monkey - put seeds in a gourd with a small hole on top.  The monkey will grasp the seeds with his fist, not let go and can't get them out.  He'll continue to hang on to those seeds, even until people come and capture him.  Is that what we are doing with our time and money?

Pigs never look up.  They will eat almost anything. They keep their head down looking for another acorn or nut.  Never looking up to give thanks for where those nuts and acorns come from. Is that what we are doing - consuming endlessly without even looking up to say thank you?

Maybe we should release our grip on money and pause to look up for the blessings we have been given.  

"No one has ever become poor by giving"   Anne Frank

 PS  -   For the Chinese Zodiac fans ..... this is the year of the Monkey. 

Sweater Weather

It is my first day of wearing a sweater, when Ellen informed me that the temperature was expected to peak at 71 degrees.  While we have had a few days of fall chill and frost has come, wearing a sweater has not been necessary. 

I personally like the image of a sweater and I try to find excuses to wear all types - vests, V neck,  and crew.  I prefer pullover to cardigan (button) and plain versus patterned.  My last sweater was a Christmas present from the girls.  It was a plain blue pullover, zipped V neck, with patched elbows (Vineyard Vines I believe).  It has become my favorite.

I am also partial to sweater vests.  J.B. quipped at Sunday fellowship, "I see you are wearing your 2nd Amendment sweater" awaiting for my ability to decipher his intellectual wit.  Alas, as he smiled to my puzzled inability to understand, he revealed the punchline:  "You know, the Right to Bare Arms".

Red Kettle Reason

Today was a luncheon for the Salvation Army that I was graciously invited to by M.L.  It was a pleasant surprise to see Brian Tome (Sr. Pastor Crossroads) give the invocation.  We sat a tables with empty plates for a reason - to highlight the number of families that will go hungry this holiday season and how the Salvation Army tries to minister to those in need.

Luckily food was delivered to the table - "Family Style".   What a great touch to have each table pass the food and/or serve each other by passing the plates.  This annual luncheon starts off  the tradition (beginning Friday) that everyone comes to connect over the holidays - the ringing of the bell at street corners (or your local Kroger in Cincinnati)  encouraging people to put money into the Red Kettle.

So this Holiday Season - empty your pocket of change into the Red Kettle.

Selfish Reds and Blues

The post election emotions of a surprise upset by Donald Trump, with a slit decision between the electoral college results and popular vote, has raised the volume of rhetoric around racism.  How appropriate (and maybe a God wink) that a page from Timothy Keller's book "The Reason for God" fell out of my spiritual journal (Susan and given me a copy of this page earlier this year).

The conundrum:  "The more we love and identify deeply with our family, our class, our race, or our religion, the harder it is to not feel superior or even hostile to other religions, races, etc.  So racism, classism, and sexism are not matters of ignorance or a lack of education.   THE REAL CULTURE WAR - is taking place inside our own disordered hearts ....."

If the highest goal is:
(1) The good of our family ....  we will care less about other families
(2) The good of our nation, tribe or race .....  we will tend to be racist, tribal, or nationalistic
(3) Our own happiness ..... we will focus on self economic and power interests

If we get our very identity, our sense of worth from our political position, then politics is not really about politics, it is about us. Through our cause we are getting a self, our worth - the very definition of selfish.

My observation is that both sides are selfish (and dangerously approaching racists)  -  The Reds for public ethnic slurs and degrading the PC (Politically Correct) elites;  and the Blues for their pride in PC and indignant comments about deplorable stereotypes.

Only GOD can be our Summum Bonum -  the highest goal.  As Greg Stover peached one Sunday - we are citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom.  Maintaining an identity to that political position would go a long way to healing the wounds of the red and blue tongues

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The Oneness of Marriage

Exactly one month ago, Susan and I acted as coaches at Outback Cincinnati with Marriage facilitators Dr. David and Terri Sumlin of Marriage Life Ministries. 

This was a follow-up experience to intentional marriage encounter we had at Scott River Lodge (see July 18, 2016  - Heaven Board #11). 

Today, I sent out my fifth follow-up email to the couples we shared the October weekend with - "Don't give up" - reminding them of the six week commitment after the Outback encounter.

"What if GOD designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"    Gary Thomas