Consolidated, But Still Kicking!

For those of you who drop by and read my blogs somewhat frequently, you have no doubt noticed that I have been slow in posting articles and updates on "It's Just Me...".  In fact, I have consolidated the Heart & Path Journal quite a bit, and you can now see all of the blogs listed in the menu (to the left) without all of the other options of White Papers, Recommended Reading Lists, Links to Other Websites, etc.

Due to the Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ("FM/CFS") that I struggle with, I am limited in what I can "squeeze" into a day.  That usually means that the first thing to "suffer" is my writing.  Though I am laying down most of the day and all of the night, it is not the kind of health problem that is conducive to large or frequent writing projects... though I certainly have all kinds of ideas percolating at any one moment.

Having said the above, I do hope to post more than I have been, and to post regarding the topics that are close to my heart, such as:

• Being a Missional Christian
• Coaching Pastors in their Ministry Quest
• Coaching Board Members in Their Times of Service
• Offering My 2 Cents regarding Christian viewpoints in Politics

So, I hope you enjoy all of the postings-of-old that go back a couple of years, and that you will enjoy the new stuff that will be "coming down the pike" in the days and weeks to come.

If you are so inclined, please grab a cup of coffee and Post a Comment.  Thanks!

The Best Super Bowl Party Was Here!

Today was the 41st Super Bowl, and I think that the greatest tailgate party of this year's bowl was hosted by my wife, Teresa, here at our house.  Total number of attendees: 2 !

She and I got to spend the whole day together, starting with a small breakfast and a fresh pot of coffee.  After that, she began to make an awesome turkey dinner (tantamount to Thanksgiving!)  She had purchased a 17 pound turkey at an after-Christmas sale, and after having it thaw the last couple of days in the fridge, today was the day for the oven-aroma to fill the house!  Wow!

Thanks Babe, for a wonderful day of food, football, and especially fellowship!  You da bomb!!

[PS. We finished with Pumpkin Pie!]

A 32 GB Flash Drive is Now Within Reach!

Flash Drives (basically, "hard drives" without any moving parts) are almost within reach of the average citizen!

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, SanDisk unveiled a 32 GB Flash Drive that functions at about 100 times faster than the average hard drive.  The cost is about $600, but that price should drop fairly quickly as they become available to the average guy -- beyond the military and space applications that it has been used in to-date.

Imagine with me the silence of our current computers (desktops and laptops) when (if) we replace their hard drives with these flash drives!  At least for me, the price will need to drop quite a bit, but I can begin to dream, can't I?

THE Little Drummer Boy!

This is an INCREDIBLE little drummer boy!

Lunch with Astronaut Charlie Duke

A few months ago I had the honor and the privilege of having lunch with Brigadier General Charles M Duke (USAF-Ret), an astronaut whose multiple space missions included the Apollo 16 mission to the moon.  He was the 10th man to walk on the moon.

Talking with him woke-up my childhood memories of studying maps of the moon and my dreams of one day traveling to the moon, and beyond, following in the footsteps of the great (i.e. "Charlie" Duke).

In addition to the awe that his stories inspired in me, I was also impressed as I contemplated his personal accomplishments and considered the discipline that was no doubt a large part of his success in the space program, and in his business ventures after that.

Brig. Gen. Charlie Duke (USAF-Ret) and me.One more thing that -- in my book -- makes this man great is his humility and genuine "down-to-earth" (pun intended... "down-to-earth"/astronaut... get it?) manner with people.  He, as a Christian and as an executive, portrays a life of true success.

"Thanks Charlie Duke for some very memorable moments shared over lunch in San Antonio!"

You may see the Brigadier General's website at www.charlieduke.net.

Sleep Study Complete!

Last night I checked into the hospital.  No, it isn't as ominous as it might sound.  I was scheduled for a sleep study at Providence Hospital (one of the great hospitals in our Portland-metro area).  And, I am happy to report that I slept through the entire study!!

Before "hitting the sack" the technician attached about 25 sensors on my head, face, neck, abdomen, and legs.  I began to wonder if this was consistent with the Geneva Convention, but alas, there were no shocks administered.  They simply "read my mind" while I slept (and while I awoke a few times during the night).

They woke me up around 6:00am and began the eye-opening experience of "ripping" off each sensor one by one.  Though the technician was very careful and courteous, most of them came off the skin with a ripping sound -- not to mention what it felt like.  Fortunately, they placated me with a fresh cup of coffee.

Having had all the sensors taken off, I looked in the mirror.  Wow, I looked like a punk-rocker-wannabe.  They had marked my head with a colored pen and used a glue-like solution to make the sensors stick while I slept.  This made me look like a colored-hair hair-spiked something or other.

I cleaned up and left the hospital, and entered into a beautiful day outside!  It was a brisk 45 degrees when I got into the car and began to make my way east back to Gresham.  As I got closer to Gresham (the sun not having risen yet) I decided to drive to a couple of the look-out points along the Columbia River Gorge.  I sat and watched the sun rise over one of the mountain ridges while a fog bank crawled along one of the inlets of the river.

[The picture at right was taken with my cell-phone camera, so the low resolution just does not do the scene justice, but you get the idea.]

Surely the scriptures are true when they declare:

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

~ Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

Steve Irwin - The Croc Hunter

It was very sad to hear the breaking news on Sunday evening about the death of Steve Irwin, world renown animal lover from Australia.  He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and fans.  His wife, Terri, is originally from our neck of the woods -- Oregon.  I believe that she is from the Eugene area.

Steve had a very unique manner of inspiring love and instilling knowledge of the animal kingdoms all over the world.  His many ventures into Africa were always a special feature for me to watch, as the bushvelt scenes with the teaming animals brought back many-a-memory of my times with my father in Africa.

Happy New Year!

Greetings Everyone!  I hope that your Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years celebrations were filled with blessings and will provide some great memories throughout this new year of A.D. 2006.

While I have been quite absent from posting to my web journal, I have been spending time in the Word and with family, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  I am filled with wonder and anticipation of what God has planned for our lives and how He will bring these things to pass.

Suffice it to say, God's primary goal is not to do everything that we want, but He does take great delight is blessing us in the course of accomplishing His great plan and purpose for the entire world.  More on this later, after I preach the message this afternoon.

In the meantime, welcome back to the routine schedule (post-holiday) and I pray that we will continue to grow and develop in our relationship with the Lord.  Perhaps the Heart & Path Journal site will even help toward this end.

Blessings, and see you again soon!

The Missed Joy of Writing

The past couple of weeks have kept me from my keyboard, but not from my studies (out of which I usually write).  During this time I have been studying the book of Philippians and am only currently in chapter 2.  Chapter 1 was so rich that it has taken some time.

Regarding my health, I continue to have more tests done, but all of them remain "inconclusive," which I am hoping does not translate into laymen's language as "it's just all in your head."

Now, about the "missed joy of writing."  In these past couple of weeks that I have not posted to Heart & Path, I have found that I really missed the creative and expressive outlet.  It has reminded me that there are so many people who battle chronic issues of pain (or worse) and subsequently experience levels of frustration because they cannot create, express, or just be productive in some way.  It remains all bottled-up.

Thankfully I am still able to do enough to keep many of those kinds of things active.  While I have certainly had to forego quite a few of life's "normalities," I do my best to keep going with the things that I can.

If perhaps you are reading this and you are battling some kind of chronic hindrance to being creative, expressive, and/or productive, let us keep reminding one another that life may not be easy, but with Christ it is worth living to the fullest extent that we can!

Merry Christmas!  Thanks for dropping by.

Just a Quick Note

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I have not posted lately due to a week of interesting occurances, including my wife taking me to the Emergency Room of our local hospital twice (once on Sunday afternoon, and once on Tuesday evening).

I am doing just fine, and I am trying to catch up on things here at the office.  When I have time, I will post an update and some of the details.

In the meantime, life goes on, and God continues to be Good!!

Blessings,

~Dave