tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18864003846135092132024-03-05T15:43:23.032-06:00Sitting at the GateAndy Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13708656825535226714noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-65418613980321524272020-09-21T11:16:00.000-05:002020-09-21T11:16:35.363-05:00Politics / Civility – Be good citizens of our country<p>In the midst of the season we are in (an approaching election in the U.S., a world-wide pandemic, unrest in many American cities and elsewhere around the world), I challenge you to read with an open mind <b>Romans 13:1-7</b>.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Read it again, <i>this time more slowly</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Could God’s Word be more relevant to our times</b>? Saying
these words out loud might start a fight with some. You may even be tempted to
do what the United States' third president Thomas Jefferson did with verses he was <i><u>not</u></i> in agreement with – he literally cut them
out of his Bible. That's really not an option for anyone who says they believe in God's Word. So, we need to keep our scissors in the drawer.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Why are these verses so inflammatory to us? I believe it is because we
have become a very independent and obstinate people. None of us are too happy about giving someone else authority over us. We prefer to be our own
authority, deciding what is best for us ourselves. We no longer value good
citizenship enough in the United States.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">But some of you might protest, doesn’t the Bible say our citizenship (as believers in Christ)
is in heaven? Yes, it is. However, Romans 13 also tells us we are not excused from
our responsibility to the government we are placed under (by God). We hold dual
citizenship.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If we flout the authority over us when a decision is not to our
liking, that works against the common good of all of society. Romans 13 tells us that
our civic responsibility is to submit to authority. Rebellion against what God
has ordained for our common good brings negative consequences.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It is important to remember that the Apostle Paul wrote this to Romans who were under the authority of the Emperor Nero at the time. Paul was warning
Christ followers not to identify with revolutionary movements advocating for
rebellion against Rome. Similarly, Jesus faced intense pressures from zealot
elements in His time in Palestine (Israel). But Jesus refused to endorse those zealots’ use of
violence to achieve their ends.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now read <b>Romans 12:9-21</b>. We receive instruction here on
how to face a hostile world – “<i>do not repay evil for evil</i>” because that only
follows the inclinations of our sinful flesh. We are to hold to a higher standard as
followers of Jesus Christ.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Finally, even if an authority over you <i>appears</i> unworthy, the
government established by God for our common good is not unworthy. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Now, regarding Romans 13:7 and paying taxes – where is my
scissors? Ha.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Actually, I am to pay my taxes. I am to respect all who hold public
office. And, I am to honor God completely with my life.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">God's Word is powerful and important to us today (Isaiah 40:8).</p>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-81258708723718771492020-03-17T13:17:00.000-05:002020-03-17T13:28:39.611-05:00Essential All'sOur oldest son from New York City called this morning to give us
an update on what’s going on with him out there. Lots of closures throughout the city. Lots of “social
distancing” required everywhere in the midst of that mass of humanity. This all affects his job and his ability to go into work
(and do just about anything else for that matter). Following our conversations with him, I became
fascinated with the concept of what’s “essential” in this world we live in?<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Webster defines <i><u>essential</u></i> as what is “<i>absolutely
necessary; extremely important; fundamental or central to the nature of
something or someone</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you think about it, what <i><b>is</b></i> really essential anyway –
especially in light of what’s going on in our world right now thanks to the coronavirus
pandemic? Essential. Hmmmm…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the years, I’ve heard about “essential oils” but I'm not very
familiar with them. As I understand it, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk35341368">these are
"essential" in the sense that they contain the "essence of"
a plant's fragrance — a characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is
derived.<o:p></o:p></a></div>
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Not sure if I’ve ever actually used essential oils, as least knowingly?
But, in contemplating many different thoughts and ideas in the past few hours,
I started wondering if <i>as a follower of Christ</i> there aren’t several “<b>essential
all’s</b>” that I can be doing as a fragrance of Christ in response to this
world crisis?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taking a cue from <i>Galatians 5:22-23</i>, what follows are
nine <b>all’s</b> I’d like to challenge each of us to consider while we have this forced pause in our normal life patterns:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All </b>of us can love people like we’ve
never loved them before. Reach out to your neighbors and find out if they have
a need. Love them in the midst of this crisis when they might be fearful or negative
or angry. And, if you don’t know your neighbors yet, use this time to think
about how you can get to know them when that will be appropriate. Think about
loving someone in new and different ways. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be joyful somehow, even in the midst of
this crisis. If you are reading this, you have life and breath and the ability
to connect with someone electronically. Something to be joyful about! It has been said that joy is good for your
health (Proverbs 17:22). Proverbs 15:13 says that a “<i>joyful heart makes a
cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken</i>.” Think about
being joyful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can seek peace. We can pray for
our country, our leaders, our families and our future. We can seek to do
whatever promotes unity (versus division) in our crazy world. We can avoid things that
make us overly anxious or excessively tense - things that cause us to actually be at war with one another at times.
Think about ways to seek peace in the midst of this storm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be patient with others (especially
those with whom we really would rather not!). Be an example to those around you of what
it means to trust the One in Whom we can literally trust our very lives. Think about the immediate needs and concerns of others around us, not just of our own selfish desires. Provide an
extra measure of <i><u>grace</u></i> to those around you. Think about being patient at all times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be kind. Communicate with your
loved ones somehow as often as possible (in spite of this "social distancing" we are required to be doing). Find out their needs and exhibit
compassion for them daily. All of us can provide some form of comfort to others who need it. All
of us can take this time to improve on our relationships, especially those that are strained. All of
us can give/be generous in some way to the benefit of others. Think about being kind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be good. What can you <i>learn</i>
during this time, especially with regards to helping others? What can you give up for
someone else's benefit? Look for ways to be creatively good now so that you can share
that same good once this crisis is over. Make at least one phone call each day to whoever is on your mind. Ask God to reveal His purpose for your life in the
midst of this crisis. Think about being good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be faithful. Place your
trust in the One Who is sovereign over all things. Share the Good News of the Gospel
with those who need to hear it, especially during this time of uncertainty. Point people to the
reason for your hope. Be grateful for at least one thing every day. Pray for
our missionaries around the world who desperately need our fervent prayers at
this time of uncertainty. As much as possible, ignore your fears and place your trust in the One Who
created this world and holds it all together. Think about being faithful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can be gentle. Look for ways to
encourage someone <i>somehow</i> in the midst of this crisis. Read a good book or two (or read one
to someone else). Ask for forgiveness from those whom you have wronged in the
past. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the coming days, giving you wisdom
for the times we are living through. Don’t be overly hurried or distraught about anything. Think about being gentle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b>All</b> of us can exercise self-control. Turn
away from media that is negative and scary, causing you to panic or be angry about everything. Pray
for and thank those who are putting their lives on the line each and every day to
solve this crisis. Put aside your own selfish desires and think more about the
needs of others around the world. Submit your life to the One Who holds all the
keys to all of life and then pursue happiness unceasingly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The thing about essential oils is that they provide
healing effects and induce relaxation. I am hoping that these “essential all’s”
provide healing, relaxation and a fragrant aroma to all those around us. Let’s use this time in our
lives to share a characteristic “fragrance” of hope from the One Who
created the recipe for same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-38367525335134266002019-10-19T11:37:00.002-05:002019-10-19T11:37:22.279-05:00Life is LongLast weekend, I was introduced to a new phrase (at least it was new to me). After hearing it spoken several times in a few hours, I asked about it. What was the meaning of the phrase "life is long?" All this week I have been pondering that phrase and giving its meaning a lot of thought. Here's my two takes on the phrase "life is long."<br />
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It was our son, Andy, and his beautiful girlfriend, Maddie, both from New York City, who introduced me to this phrase. They were our house guests for a quick 30 hours last weekend. We sure did pack a lot into that amount of time! It was our first time to meet Maddie in person and we had a wonderful time with both of them while they were here!<br />
<br />
Anyway, after hearing each of them use this phrase at different moments in our conversations, I asked about it. They told me that it had to do with the blessing of life giving you second chances, opportunities for do-overs and improvements when you need them based on what is now behind you. What was done in the past, whether it be yesterday, last week, last year or even several years ago, doesn't necessarily have to define your future. Isn't that a great idea to have the perspective that "life is long?" Even though the phrase was new to me, I have certainly experienced the benefits of this concept in my life.<br />
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Because thus far my life has been long, I have been able to learn from my mistakes and attempt to do things different the next time based on my experiences. This has been true in my life both personally and professionally. Imagine if you didn't have the perspective of "life is long." If what you did yesterday, last week, last year or even several years ago trapped you. That would be a terrible way to live! I am convinced that with God's help, we each have opportunities every day to start fresh, to blaze new trails, to learn from what happened in the past and to write new stories. <i><b>Hallelujah!</b></i><br />
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So, life is long. Except when it isn't.<br />
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Juxtaposed to Andy and Maddie's visit last weekend, I was mourning the loss of a very dear friend. He died last Saturday from heart failure. He was only 63. For my friend, Al Bryant, life <i><u>wasn't</u></i> long. It would seem that his life was cut way too short and I am really, really going to miss him.<br />
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However, after attending Al's funeral service yesterday, his life was in fact very long, and very full, and very productive, and one of tremendous impact! You see, Al's primary purpose in life was to love people. And love people he did! He not only loved just about everyone he ever met, he also purposefully pointed them to the One who could provide a greater love for all eternity, for the salvation of our souls - that is, Jesus Christ. It was remarkable to me to hear all the stories about all the lives that Al touched in his short time here on earth. As I was lamenting not reaching out to him more and spending more time with him these last several years, I began to realize, <i>"When would he have had time for me anyway?" </i>He was busy loving people, and loving more people, and loving even more people every day of his life!<i> </i><br />
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Al is an inspiration to me! His life was cut short (humanly speaking), but he made every effort possible to honor, love, serve and tell people about his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while he still had breath in his lungs. Even though his days on this earth were shorter than mine, what he accomplished for eternity was truly remarkable and incredibly inspirational.<br />
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I still like this new phrase "life is long." I especially like how it has been revealed to me to have multiple meanings. Thank God for second chances and opportunities for do-overs. Thank God for strength to persevere when given more time to make improvements based on what I've learned from my past. Similarly, "life is long" for opportunities to share it with others, loving them well. But, what am I accomplishing for eternity with the days/years I am given? Will what I am doing count?<br />
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In closing, I am reminded of some lines that may be familiar to you from the poem "Only One Life" by C. T. Studd:<br />
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<i>Only one life, yes only one,</i><br />
<i>Now let me say, 'Thy will be done';</i><br />
<i>And when at last I'll hear the call,</i><br />
<i>I know I'll say 'twas worth it all';</i><br />
<i>Only one life, 'twill soon be past,</i><br />
<i><b>Only what's done for Christ will last</b>."</i><br />
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Life is long. Think about it. <br />
Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-12422718655697333742019-06-06T15:46:00.001-05:002019-06-06T15:46:13.119-05:00My Six Months of Irresponsibility is Over TodayIt may not be until this stage of life that you can even offer words of wisdom. Let's face it, earlier in life you really haven't lived long enough to truly know and understand much. But, since I am soon approaching my 65th birthday, maybe I have lived long enough to actually impart some wisdom? You be the judge after reading this blog post.<br />
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Today marks six months since my official "retirement" from working life. In some ways it's hard to believe that it's already been that long. In other ways it seems like I've <b>always</b> been retired. Suffice it to say, I am still <i><u>loving</u></i> retirement! No question about that!<br />
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In contemplating writing something for today, it occurred to me that I might be having my own "Ecclesiastes" moment. What I mean by that is that I felt a need to <i>call an assembly</i> to hear my thoughts on retirement thus far, similar to how King Solomon did something like that in his book in the Bible. Solomon looked back, noticed life as a breath or a vapor, pondered his life's purpose, asked whether what he strove for was worth it, and questioned whether he'd lived life as he should have to that point. Not sure if all of that will come out in this post, but I'll give it a try.<br />
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Solomon started his book by saying: "...<i>words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.</i>" Well, I haven't ever been a full-time "teacher" in my life, and I'm certainly not the son of a king. But, I am amazed at the profound influence my Dad (a "king" to me) has had on my life (especially in the past year as we mourned his loss). I literally think about him and miss him every day. I wouldn't say that ours was an inseparable father/son relationship. But, I would say that his life has <i><b>totally</b></i> affected mine in ways innumerable. His life, well-lived, guides much of what I do and say and think every day. I am so very grateful for that.<br />
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In Ecclesiastes, Solomon spoke of a variety of miscellaneous topics about his life. I'll use several of those same topics as my framework for thoughts in what follows.<br />
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<u>Pleasures</u> - Solomon warned his readers that life can be a lot about gathering and accumulating - houses, gardens, treasures, etc. We are so fortunate to have a house that we love, a small yard that we enjoy and more than enough resources to live on comfortably. I am so grateful for that. But, there is an emptiness if enjoying pleasures like those is all you have. If all you are living for is the next pleasure you can experience, that won't be nearly enough and you'll never be satisfied.<br />
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<u>The Mystery of Time</u> - Our lives go by so very quickly. Reflecting back on the good life I've enjoyed thus far is a blessing, for sure. My life has been very full and for that I am extremely grateful. However, no one knows for certain the exact number of days you are given in this life. Only God knows that. So, these days I'm trying to live life with eternity in mind. I'm trying to enjoy the time I'm given, remembering that each minute, hour, day, and year is a precious gift from God.<br />
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<u>Loneliness</u> - Since I am not in the working world any more (with numerous friends and colleagues to interact with), my life could be somewhat lonely if I let it be. Therefore, I've discovered the vital importance of getting out of the house and interacting with other people more often. Not for the purpose of earning a living (as in my past), but rather to foster and deepen key relationships with the people God has placed in my life at this time. I've already discovered that it can be so easy to isolate from others at this stage of life. Therefore, I constantly need to make a concerted effort to call or e-mail people I know and love and/or schedule specific times with family, friends and neighbors so that the potential of loneliness is minimized. I <i>need</i> other people in my life.<br />
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<u>Caution in God's Presence</u> - As with my previous working days, obedience to God's calling and being careful with the words I say is still an important principle to live by in retirement. I really don't want to be one of those <i><b>old guy</b></i><b><i>s</i></b> who keeps talking even when those around me have stopped listening! Yikes. Hearing what other people have to say is important. Vows that have been made need to be fulfilled. Promises offered to others need to be kept. I must remember that all the riches and health/wealth I now enjoy are immeasurable gifts from God. I experience great happiness and maximum fulfillment when I do!<br />
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<u>Wise Sayings/Avoid Extremes/Friendships Important</u> - I am discovering that it is really important to share what I've learned in life with others. It's also important to avoid daily temptation extremes (in eating, spending, entertainment, etc.). The pent up demands for "<i>doing what <b>I</b> want to </i>do" (now that I can!) must be avoided constantly. In addition, proactively cultivating dear friendships while looking out for the needs of others around me (when I now have the time and resources to do so) is vital. I really need to continually be reminded to <i>not</i> waste the relationship opportunities I'm given each day.<br />
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<u>Enjoying Life</u> - Time spent with my wife, Ellen, each and every day is becoming more and more precious to me. It has been a big adjustment for both of us, for sure! But, as we do the hard work of getting to know each other more deeply (and completely) in these early days of retirement, I'm more and more convinced the rewards and payoff for doing so will be <b><i>so</i></b> worth it (for all the years to come).<br />
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<u>The Burden of Folly</u> - I am amazed at how tempting it is every day to want to just waste time or let time drift and not be useful or productive. Not that <i>every</i> minute of <i>every</i> day has to be totally useful or productive. But, there are golden opportunities every day to accomplish tasks and/or make a difference in other people's lives (if I am looking for them). Why waste those? Settling for silly stuff or letting my mind be occupied with stuff that just doesn't matter for eternity seems like such a folly.<br />
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<u>Invest in Life</u> - It has become painfully obvious to me as of late how important it will be to nurture and protect the great health I currently have going forward. And, I don't just mean physical health (although that is very important). Emotional, psychological and spiritual health is every bit as important. For the number of days I am given in this life, I want to live them in the best health possible, with gladness and joy to the max. But, that requires <b><i>daily</i></b> investments!<br />
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Solomon's conclusion at the end of his book was: ".<i>..fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity</i>." He also said: "<i>For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil</i>." My conclusion thus far is very similar. I want to remember that each day <i><b>is</b></i> a gift from God. I also want to remember to glorify God with everything I do. All things matter, even in my retirement years. I want to <i>always</i> be useful, <i>always</i> be heavenly-minded, <i>always</i> love people, <i>always</i> invest in other's lives, <i>always</i> serve those who I come in contact with, and <i>always</i> enjoy knowing that all blessings I enjoy come from God. <i>He</i> is the reason I even have the opportunity to be retired.<br />
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I'm still learning a lot about life, and still looking forward to the next milestones that come my way in retirement. I am very grateful for the privilege of even crafting these words and sharing them openly with all who read them. I don't have any more "cover" now for being completely irresponsible. I hope the next six months will be focused on acquiring and exuding additional wisdom for the rest of my retirement years, however many that may be.<br />
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It is fitting to note that at the end of this six months period of being completely irresponsible, I grew a beard for the very first time in my life. We'll see if it lasts...Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-48083252876191924872019-03-18T10:42:00.001-05:002019-03-18T10:42:10.804-05:00Retirement - The First Hundred DaysIt's been approximately 100 days since I retired from HDR in December, 2018. In some ways it seems like a lot longer than that. In other ways I say to myself, "It's been <u><i>that</i></u> long already?" In short, I am <b>absolutely loving retirement</b>. I still feel so blessed to even be in this amazing situation - unbelievably blessed, blessed beyond imagination actually! But, as it says in the Bible:<br />
<br />
"<i>From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.</i>" (Luke 12:48 CSB).<br />
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Leading up to my retirement, people would ask, "So what are you going to do when you retire?" My tongue-in-cheek answer became: "<i>For the first six months, I want to be <u>completely</u> irresponsible</i>." You see, I've had a bad case of the responsibilities for a long time and felt like I really needed to just chill and let each day come as it might for a while - not have too much of an agenda; be little more relaxed than I was prone to being while working. I'm still in that first six months and am probably failing at being completely irresponsible, but I am (with the help of my sweet wife, Ellen) learning to be a lot more interested in enjoying life versus just accomplishing tasks. However, a leopard cannot change his spots either (Jeremiah 13:23). Enjoying life and not fussing over the details? What a concept.<br />
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So, the purpose of this post is to reflect on some of the things I am learning in retirement and impart some other ideas about retirement to all of you who read this blog. Hopefully the next few minutes will be an interesting and thought-provoking read for you? If not, my apologies.<br />
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First of all, I feel like I am actually enjoying life for the first time in a long time. That is not to say that I <i>didn't</i> enjoy life before. I did! But, rather than feeling pressure to earn a living, accomplish tasks, and be completely responsible, I am actually beginning to realize that just enjoying life here at our home is really okay to do. Ellen has done this for years and has really been a big help in getting me there. I'm actually loving doing more domestic chores and activities with her. Why not help with more things around the house, in the kitchen, with the cleaning, etc. and free us up for other activities away from here together? I'm still in my "detox" phase of this, but learning to love life and experiencing all good things (with Ellen's wonderful help). I'm loving it!<br />
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How absolutely freeing it was to throw away my desktop calendar and just use my cell phone for "commitments" and other scheduled activities. Wow. I was so calendar-obsessive before I retired. Literally everything went on my calendar (or on a "things-to-do" list). Way too often I was overly concerned with where my time was being spent and how fast I could get things done. I had to fill out a time sheet and keep budgets for my time after all! So now I'm learning to relax more and not be so driven by time (and lists!). Still have a long ways to go, but I'm learning to enjoy the freedom.<br />
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I've recently discovered I don't need to take anything to the dry cleaners anymore. As a matter of fact, one of the first things I did was rearrange all the clothes in my closet, placing the more casual attire in the primary locations (because that is all I wear anymore!). Some of you who know me well know that I always seemed to want to be more "dressed up" versus super casual. Still have that bent, but I am not missing wearing office attire each day at all! Casual clothes <i>everyday</i> is wonderful! I might happily also admit to staying all day in my pajamas, too! Not more than a dozen times, I'm sure. And after all, why not on those cold winter days? Just because I can. SMILE.<br />
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The final few months/years of working, traffic to and from work here in the Dallas area was causing me to want to move to the country and get completely away from it (and fast!). The morning drive to work and evening drive home from work were my very least favorite activities. Now, we can travel the highways and byways in the middle of the day and avoid a lot of the congested Dallas traffic. Sweet! It is so fun to be able to be out during the day and not have to fight traffic. I'm actually beginning to enjoy living in the Dallas area again!<br />
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Quite a shock to my system was the first time I found myself at Kroger after a morning doctor appointment. I happened to look around and observe who was at the store with me. Seemed to be a lot of really "old" people and people with various visible needs (I hope they weren't saying the same thing about me?). All of a sudden I asked myself: "<i>How did I get in this demographic?</i>" Well, get used to it, Bucko! That's where you <b>are</b> these days. You are now a part of the retired masses in America and there's no turning back! Ha. I still forget to ask for Senior discounts and such. I did join AMAC (in lieu of AARP), however. How did this happen to me? I don't feel that old?<br />
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At the first of the year, Ellen and I got away for about nine days to an east Texas lake house (thanks to some <i>very</i> good friends' wonderful generosity!). Ellen ended up dubbing it the "retirement summit" as unbeknownst to her, I had prepared about eight or nine "topics" for us to discuss while we were there (<i>of course</i>!). We also read several books, went for long walks, slept in late a few times, and just thoroughly enjoyed exploring, dreaming and eating at various restaurants in that lovely lake community (and loved every minute of it!). One of the topics we discussed at the summit was <b>friendships/relationships</b>. Who did we want to make sure we invested in and made time for in our retirement years. Rather than just "<i>friendships of convenience</i>" (people from work, church, in our life group, neighborhood, etc.), who do we want to pursue <u>intentionally</u>, hopefully fostering greater and even deeper relationships going forward? In this day and age of pseudo-connections and oftentimes very shallow friendships (thanks to our strange, non-committal American culture and social media, etc.), how can we make sure to have <u><i>true</i></u> friends and healthy relationships for the long haul? Do people even call each other on the phone anymore? Do people even write letters to each other anymore? Do people just sit and talk at length with each other about what's on their hearts and what's important to them anymore? What could we do to foster this idea and develop richer, more fruitful friendships/relationships in retirement? (And, let's make sure our immediate family is <u><i>not</i></u> excluded from this pursuit.) I am still working on this; still having to get over lame ideas like "<i>Well, I don't want to bother them; they are probably busy with work or their family and all</i>." I really need to step out and swim against the stream of our culture on this one to make good things happen. But, I am totally committed to eventually succeeding in this pursuit. Having solid and beneficial friendships/relationships in retirement (and for the rest of my life) will be very, very important to me and to my family.<br />
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So, that's a little bit about the first 100 days. What about the next hundred? Well, I still have some time left in my six months of complete irresponsibility. <i>Thank goodness!</i> But, for now, a few things seem to be prominent on the horizon for my future:<br />
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OUR CHURCH - I have begun to do more and more tasks and activities with our church and it's wonderful leadership; I am writing more for our church's daily devotional and allowing myself to be much more available for other initiatives/activities that need energy and assistance there. I hope this will continue for a long time to come.<br />
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EXERCISE AND HEALTHY LIVING - I am starting to be concerned with getting more exercise and living a more healthy lifestyle. Still need to work on this (a lot!). I am discovering how easy it would be to just get really lazy and very sloppy with all of this in my retirement years. As a matter of fact, I have talked myself out of a good three-mile walk and talked myself into having another cookie way too many times already! I will need a lot more discipline and greater perseverance to exercise and eat right in order to make healthy living happen! Pray for me...<br />
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HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICARE - I still need to wrestle health insurance and Medicare (upcoming) to the ground. Ugh! Nobody is going to do it for us (unless any of you are volunteering to help?). And, the sooner we get it done, the sooner the constant junk mail and random, unsolicited phone calls preying on us "<i>soon-to-be-65ers</i>" will stop. Man! How did we get here?<br />
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JOY - I really want to have joy <b>every day</b>. I want to always have a willingness to give and share and make myself available to the needs and other urgency's around me, all without feeling a personal responsibility for all of it, and without making it a have-to for me. A <b>want-to</b> is so much better. I really need to thank God every day for His abundant provisions for us, and to inquire of Him every day as to how to use what He has so generously given me/us best for His kingdom and His glory. And then take joy in all of that. So far to go on this one, too.<br />
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I am loving retirement more than I thought I actually would. I was <u><i>not</i></u> the sort of person who couldn't wait for retirement years before it happened. I really loved my work at HDR and tried to give it my all and my very best efforts. But, for now at least, this is <u><i>so</i></u> much better. I am blessed beyond imagination and grateful for all of it!<br />
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To God be the Glory!Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-48092355546246694572019-01-13T15:20:00.002-06:002019-01-13T15:20:20.476-06:00Crumbling PotsIt was probably about 36 years ago. I was a young and very inexperienced design professional (landscape architect-in-training), working a job I really loved (and thought I was pretty good at, too).<br />
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That was when I had to learn some valuable lessons on life from <b>crumbling pots</b>.<br />
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I had designed what I thought was a really cool project - a "roof garden" at a hospital's expansion in Decatur, Illinois. It was definitely unique, innovative, and not a standard approach. Essentially, my design was the placement of various-sized geometric wooden pallets in decorative patterns all over an otherwise normal (and ugly) conventional roof, primarily to be viewed from the hospital expansion's new patient rooms. The pallets would be where hundreds of various-sized clay pots would be placed. They would then be filled with potting soil and planted with shrubs/flowers to provide the "garden" part of the design.<br />
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Conventional thinking at the time for roof garden design required placement of considerable depths of soil over roof areas, then installing landscape plant materials in same (like a typical garden). That was not possible for this project due to restricted structural loading (weight concerns) for the building's roof, as well as for a lot of other relatively complex and difficult construction/maintenance and drainage realities. As a wide-eyed, novice designer, I wasn't going to let restrictions keep me from coming up with some way to make that roof a garden. There just had to be a way, and I was convinced that I could avoid that restriction.<br />
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As the design was being finalized, I was receiving all sorts of accolades from my peers for creating such a unique and unusual design. However, some of my co-workers were skeptical. They were surprised that I had been able to convince the hospital's administration to spend a significant amount of money on such a folly. But, in my headlong pursuit of "greatness," I was <i>confident</i> that it would all work in the end somehow. I pressed on with completion of documents for construction, at times ignoring concerns brought to my attention by other more experienced design professionals. I wasn't interested in hearing what these "naysayer" colleagues had to say. Rather, I was preoccupied with dreams about how it would all turn out. How great it would be to photograph the results when complete. How proud I would be of my accomplishment.<br />
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About two years or so later when construction and installation for the roof garden was finished, <i>Voila!</i> My design <b>was</b> in fact cool! Everyone seemed to love how it all looked. I received numerous congratulatory comments on the design and adulation for coming up with the idea and seemingly progressive uses of common materials, in ways that were unique for roof gardens at that time. All was good.<br />
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Fast forward another two years. I received an unsolicited and rather excited phone call from my client. "<i>Hey, Mr. Architect. What are YOU going to do about all these crumbling pots on our roof?</i>"<br />
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Over the course of two winters, the realities of the elements (freezing and thawing) had ravaged my design. Almost all of the clay pots had crumbled in place. What was once considered a great triumph for me became a huge embarrassment and costly mistake. I had not done my homework. I had not researched the givens and realities of my design. Something that I thought would be a path to greatness (and cool) was now putting me (and my company) in a terrible position. We had a very unhappy client. I was ultimately responsible for creating something that didn't work. I was to blame and I had to own it.<br />
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So, what are some of the lessons I learned from this story of <b>crumbling pots</b>? Here's a few:<br />
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<i><b>1. If young and inexperienced, use caution before proceeding with unique, innovative ideas. </b>The "standard approach" may be there for a reason. Perhaps it has been tried/tested and proven it works. That's why it's now the standard approach.</i><br />
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<i><b>2. It's great to have a desire for doing something really cool. Steps away from conventional thinking are appropriate on occasion. </b>However, some realities and truths are just unchangeable and not to be trifled with. They need to be acknowledged and studied before proceeding.</i><br />
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<i><b>3. If you are confronted with restrictions that seem to limit you, don't dismiss them outright. </b>Ask questions about why they are there. Find out why they were created. Ask if the restriction applies to your situation before proceeding. Think more long-term.</i><br />
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<i><b>4. If you are receiving accolades from your peers, be careful. </b>Sometimes they can cause you to ignore advice from the more experienced/wiser people around you. Listen to concerns of others and criticisms of your work. They might be much more helpful to you than all the accolades in the long run.</i><br />
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<i><b>5. Dreams are great. They really are. </b>But, the realities of life must be evaluated along with your dreams. Dreams can oftentimes turn into nightmares if you don't consider realities.</i><br />
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The good news is that I did not lose my job and our company was not sued. However, I never forgot the lessons I learned about life from these <b>crumbling pots</b>.<i> </i>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-86624938586818461732018-06-01T12:50:00.001-05:002018-06-01T13:14:43.649-05:00A Son’s Remembrance of His Father<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">The fifth
commandment in the Bible says, “Honor your father…” That is what I hope to do
in the next few minutes – honor my Dad with a few words about who I think he
was.</span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">After it
was discovered that Dad had a “mass” in his pancreas and some other growths in
his liver in early April, I flew out to be with him for a few days. At that
time we weren’t sure that the diagnosis would be cancer. But, all signs were
pointing to the fact that he had it. Consequently, we had some very personal
and tough discussions at his kitchen table one afternoon. Dad eventually said
to me, “Well, I’ve had a good life.” I asked him, “Are you ready to meet your
Maker?” He told me immediately, “Yes, I am.” We then discussed other
end-of-life scenarios and cried together – a lot.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">As I flew
back home a few days later, I feared I’d have to prepare some words like this
to deliver at an occasion celebrating his life. I wasn’t all that excited about
doing so, but I also didn’t want to miss an opportunity to pay tribute to a man
I loved and admired greatly. On that flight (and later on flights to New York
City, Atlanta and Sydney, Australia), I had a lot of time to write down some
things that just seemed to epitomize my Dad. I decided to “alliterate” them
(using the letter “C”) to possibly make them easier to remember. So, here goes:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Cards</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> (Cribbage, Whist, Bridge, etc.) – Dad loved to play cards,
and he was so good at it, too. As a matter of fact, you had better bring your
A-game when you played cards against him because his policy was “no mercy.” He
would beat you ten times out of eleven, but then smile and encourage you to
play your best the next game! Cards just came easy to him. He literally had the
uncanny knack of almost knowing all the cards in your hand when you played
against him. As a result, some people didn’t even want to play against him! He
was that good. I am really, really going to miss playing Cribbage with my Dad.
Every time we got together, we played Cribbage (sadly, except for my final two
trips to see him). </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Careful</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – Dad was careful with just about everything he did. He
believed that there was a right way to do some things and he just didn’t take
shortcuts or overextend himself on much of anything. When he set his mind to do
something, it was going to be the absolute best something he could make it. He
got teased by my sisters and me for always saying, “You got to have a system!”
But, he was so right. Sloppiness in work or finances or golf or any other
activity really wasn’t his thing. If you were going to do something, do it
right and take the time and care you needed to make it the best. He didn’t
believe in “can’t.” When my sisters and I struggled with something early in
life and told him we just can’t do it, he used to tell us, “Can’t never did
anything.” </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Cars</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> (and especially Cadillacs) – Dad had very few obvious
indulgences, but the one he did have was driving really pretty cars. And, he
traded in his cars about every two years or so, always looking to get the very
best car he could (paying cash for them, of course). He started with
Chevrolets, advanced to Buicks, and then finally settled on Cadillacs. Except
for a couple of uncharacteristic purchases of a Lincoln and Volkswagen along
the way (?), my Dad drove Cadillacs exclusively for over 45 years. His
Cadillacs became his recognizable trademark. He must have been one of Cadillacs
best, longest and most faithful customers, I’m sure. Speaking of cars, when he
sold his farm in 2012, he actually bought each of his kids a brand new car!
What a great gift! Dad loved cars, and especially Cadillacs.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Choirs</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – Dad loved to sing! Whether it be in the church choir, or
with a men’s quartet, or at some other karaoke-type opportunity, Dad sang. And
he didn’t sing soft. No, he sang LOUD! His base voice was really, really
strong. When he was singing, he was all into it. He was the epitome of the
expression “belting it out.” Consequently, all of us in our family also loved
to sing, or at least we appreciated great music and those who produce it well.
Some of my favorite memories of Dad are from sitting next to him in church and
hearing him sing – especially the old hymns (How Great Thou Art always, always
makes me think of my Dad).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Clean-Shaven</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – Dad was always clean-shaven. I don’t think he ever had
facial hair his whole entire life. To him, it was really important to have a
clean-shaven face. I once had a goatee and mustache for a while and I know he
really didn’t care for it at all. Dad didn’t start his day until he’d had a
good shave each morning. He frequently shaved again before going out for the
evening, as well. Always with a splash of Mennen Skin Bracer afterwards, of
course.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Conservative</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – Dad was unquestionably conservative. He was never shy
about stating his beliefs and politics openly. He believed in conservative
values and ideals, and he loved voting in local, state and national elections
accordingly. I learned at an early age where his political views stood, and as
I’ve gotten older (and maybe a little bit wiser?), I find that I am gravitating
more and more towards his viewpoint every day. The good thing was that Dad
wasn’t ugly about expressing his political views. Rather, he just knew what he
believed in and didn’t have any fear about letting people know where he stood.
Frankly, I really admired that about him. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Consistent</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – Dad was never wishy-washy about anything. You could
almost predetermine how he would react to just about every situation. He had a
way of living life that worked for him and he stuck to it. For example, he
loved our Mom and us kids consistently, even when we disappointed him
(especially me!). He stuck with the people he called his friends and didn’t
ever abandon them. If he said he’d do something for you, you could take it to
the bank. Dad consistently did what he said he was going to do and you could
count on it every time. They don’t make too many like that anymore.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Corn</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – I just had to throw this word in. Dad grew corn most of
his adult life, and he was possibly one of the best in all of Central Iowa at
doing it. He prided himself in having very straight rows, really pretty fields,
and BIG yields. He loved farming so much. Growing corn was one of his
specialties – another potential trademark.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Country</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> (Music, Living, Farming and the USA) – Dad couldn’t get
enough of Country Western Music. As a matter of fact, all the stations on his
last Cadillac were tuned to Sirius radio and Willie’s Roadhouse! Whether
singing, dancing or listening to it, Dad loved Country Western Music. He also
loved Country Living. He eventually adjusted to living at his home in Sun City,
Arizona, because beyond his backyard was an absolutely beautiful golf course
with lots of trees and a stunningly gorgeous lake. But, he really wanted to be
out and away from everything somewhere in the country. Central Iowa was his
absolute favorite place in all the world. He also loved states like Montana,
Nebraska and Wyoming. In addition, he was a very proud American. He didn’t have
a chance to serve in the military, but <i><u>he defended his country every day
of his life</u></i>. He was a staunch patriot and didn’t understand it when
others weren’t. To this day, I really can’t say anything bad about the USA –
Dad taught me this was the best place in the world to live and I believe he was
right!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Courageous</span></b><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> – My Dad appeared to be completely unafraid of anything. I
mean, absolutely anything! You might even say that he was somewhat fearless.
Case in point was his final month on this earth. Anyone else would have
potentially buckled under with the health issues he faced. The cancer in his
body was ravaging his internal organs and other parts of his body terribly.
But, he was incredibly courageous through it all and faced the challenges of
pancreatic cancer all the way to the end. As a matter of fact, my sisters and I
felt like he got supernaturally sweeter and sweeter toward the end of his life,
even though his body was wreaking havoc within him at every single breath. It
was nothing short of unbelievable how he faced this adversity head-on and
without fear (or at least that’s what it looked like to us from the outside). I
will never ever forget how courageous he was to the end. He was amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I think I
speak for all of my family in saying that we were so blessed to have known and
loved such a wonderful man! I will forever cherish precious memories of times
with my Dad. He was an incredible human being and truly had a great life. In
addition, he positively impacted many of us forever. God bless the life, memory
and incredible strength of my Dad, Dick Ellwood.</span></div>
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Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-37963266625298920972016-11-04T08:01:00.001-05:002016-11-04T12:04:38.887-05:00Wanna Get Away?This post is something I wrote for our church's daily devotional - Vertical. Seemed like I should share it with others by way of this blog also. The passage I am writing about is Revelation 21:1-7. Enjoy!<br />
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You’ve all heard it. By now it's a very familiar sound and phrase.<br />
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<em>“Ding. Wanna get away?”</em><br />
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Southwest Airlines’ brilliant ad campaign appeals to all of us who desperately want to escape the hopeless situations we sometimes find ourselves in. I don’t know about you, but I’ve <em>really</em> been longing for some sort of getaway lately. I mean, can this world and the politics in the United States get any crazier?<br />
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But, before we think we are in the worst situation ever, let’s take a minute to put things in proper historical context. What was the world <em>really</em> like when the apostle John wrote these words in the Book of Revelation anyway?<br />
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Well, he was in exile because of his witness for Christ; it was a time of severe persecution for Christians. The Jerusalem temple had already been destroyed. People were being punished for not worshiping the emperor. Cruel, paranoid tyrants were in power; they sought to control public and private morals. Wars and chaos were abundant; heavy taxation dominated people's lives. Anarchy and lawlessness was everywhere: marriages of convenience and for political expediency, untold questionable activities by the political elite, power-hungry leaders oftentimes exercised absolute political power.<br />
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What do you think? Sound familiar?<br />
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<em>“Ding. Wanna get away?”</em><br />
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Yes, John was in a terrible place. The world around him was a mess; so many things he valued were gone: his Lord Jesus, his friends, his hope? But God gave him a vision and told him He had <em>everything</em> under control. God showed John that if he focused on the Lord’s return, not the circumstances around him, he could survive and even thrive. He became more concerned with the second coming of Jesus than with the political situation of his times.<br />
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We should not expect everything to be right here on this earth because of the inescapable presence of sin; this world will always be marred by sin and disobedience. But one day, sin will be gone and God will make <em>everything</em> new.<br />
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Next time you want to escape, remember this:<br />
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“<em>Ding. Jesus is coming back. It may be soon!</em>”<br />
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<span class="ng-binding" ng-bind="post.bio">When things don't seem right in this world, remember God has a plan; He'll make everything right in His time. You can count on that! The ultimate issue of our day is Jesus' victory over sin and death and His soon and coming return.</span><br />
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<span class="ng-binding" ng-bind="post.bio">Maranatha!</span> Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-64857057516994930222015-05-30T17:40:00.000-05:002015-05-30T17:40:04.396-05:00Now what?I should have known that this would be an emotional day. It's my Dad's 87th birthday. It is soon the three-year anniversary of my Mom's passing. Two people I knew died this past week. And, our youngest child, Nathan, left home. He's moving to Austin, Texas, to start his first job out of college.<br />
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Both Ellen and I were doing pretty good with him leaving until as we were saying our "good-byes" to Nathan out on the street, he looked up at the house and said, "Huh, I guess I won't ever live here again?"<br />
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Now what?<br />
<br />
We have been at this parenting thing now for many, many years. It's kind of what we do. It's not all we've done, but it certainly was our primary focus for over 33+ years. We have literally built our whole life around the wonderful children God gave us. And now, our youngest one is gone. Oh, he'll be back for a few weekends between now and when he marries Arlene MacArthur in August, but essentially he's gone.<br />
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Now what?<br />
<br />
I left the house to run an errand after Nathan drove away. On the radio they were playing the song, "Day One of the Rest of My Life." The lyrics speak of this day being the start of your future (no matter what happened before). Couldn't help but think of Nathan as I listened to it, but then I also began to think about Ellen and me. In a lot of ways this marks the first day of the rest of our lives, as well.<br />
<br />
Now what?<br />
<br />
Well, first things first. I want to publicly thank God for giving us these four children, and for the wonderful human beings they've all become. We could not be more blessed by Andy, Katie, Peter and Nathan. Our cup overflows with absolute joy when we consider all that God has done for us personally and for our children specifically over the past 33+ years. It is simply amazing! We wouldn't trade any of it for anything else in the whole world. So worth it! SO WORTH IT!<br />
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Second, there's always doubt that creeps in regarding "Did we do enough as their parents?" "Did we do too much as their parents?" And, sometimes as parents you can get bogged down by the "what ifs" and lost in the "if onlys" that come to mind. I just have to publicly declare at this juncture that we did what we thought was best for our children, we tried to live life with them having few regrets, and we now plan on trusting God for what's next for all of them. They belong to Him anyway - our job as parents was to love and protect them, provide for their needs until they could do so themselves, teach them the really important stuff in life (and hope they never forget it), and then trust that our heavenly Father will help them understand and navigate everything else they'll need for life. That He'll fill in all the gaps we missed and/or help them forget the mistakes we made.<br />
<br />
Now what?<br />
<br />
Well, Ellen and I are re-committing our lives to each other. We are really excited about the prospect of being able to primarily focus on our relationship now and for the rest of our lives. We are grateful to God that even after almost 35 years of marriage (plus four children, homeschooling for 19 years, paying for four college educations, and lots of other really challenging/rewarding stuff) we still love (and like!) each other. Praise God for that!<br />
<br />
Now what?<br />
<br />
Time will tell. But, here's a few broad ideas for how we want to live life going forward:<br />
<br />
We want to pray more. We want to love more. We want to be engaged in the lives of others around us more. We want to do all we can to make a difference in other people's lives. We want to continually share the GRACE we've been given. We want to be joyful at all times. We want to give others hope. And finally, we want to be all that God has called us to be for the rest of our lives.<br />
<br />
Now what? Stay tuned... Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-5688273213599834352014-01-12T16:15:00.002-06:002014-01-12T16:30:08.591-06:00A Tribute to Rusty Franklin's Wonderful Life!<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I lost a really good friend on January 1st. His name was Rusty Franklin. Rusty and I met a little over eight years ago at our church. He and I were close like brothers. I loved him greatly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Rusty and Anne (his wife) would
become people we wanted to know better and better, and we began to spend a lot of time with them. Rusty was so doggone engaging with his bright,
happy outlook on life (to Rusty, everything was AWESOME!). He also had a
wonderful eagerness/bounce in his step. He just approached everything in life
with a positive attitude. Rusty loved God and was always interested in learning more
about Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Rusty was competitive, a real gamer; well, to be
honest, he just loved to PLAY. As a matter of fact, one of the things I most
loved about Rusty was that over the past year or two, we played <i>Words with Friends</i> on our phones, nearly
every morning. Sometime before 7 a.m. each day, my phone would “ding,” and I’d
look to see that Rusty had played our game. I still had a game going with him on
my phone up until his final day; he made his last play the morning of January 1st. He and Anne were headed to our house (but didn't quite make it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, Rusty and I were friends,
and very good ones at that. I loved how he always called me “bud.” But, we really weren’t much alike; as a matter of
fact, we were very different types of guys. Rusty was a school administrator/coach/teacher. He was very athletic and had actually been a “star
player” in several sports (especially baseball). He was an outdoorsman and
loved to fish/hunt, not to mention experience wild adventures in nature (he
spoke many times of his thrilling escapades in Alaska!). He also loved to
tinker with miscellaneous equipment/machines/projects in his yard, do organic gardening,
planting all sorts of things in the ground and then delight in watching them
grow. He played with and entertained his dogs, Max and Gracie, enjoying their
frolicking around and/or snickering about their mischief! Finally, he was a HUGE Texas
Longhorns fan, and generally, a pretty happy-go-lucky, laid back sort of guy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m none of
those things. But, God in His infinite wisdom brought us together anyway. What
we did have in common was two very important loves. These two loves glued our
friendship together forever: Texas Rangers baseball (and a general love of sports); and Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the years I’ve
learned that you actually become a lot like the people you hang out with. I
believe Rusty rubbed off on me because we hung out together a lot. I’m so grateful
to be more like him. But, more important than that, Rusty
hung out a lot with Jesus – and Jesus rubbed off on him! Here’s evidence of
that, and some of the reasons why I loved my friend so much:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Rusty was a <b>gentle </b>man. I don’t believe there was
an unkind muscle or bone in his body. He went through his wonderful life
touching people with his gentleness, rather than knocking them down with brash
behavior or rudeness. Somewhere along the way, God gifted him with an
incredibly peaceful, gentle spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Rusty was <b>loyal</b> and <b>faithful </b>– first to his wife, Anne, then to his job and the students,
then to his family members (especially all of his favorite nieces!), and finally
to his many, many friends. As a matter of fact, there were times when I was actually
pretty annoyed with Rusty because he had so doggone many other demands on his
time/life. But, shame on me for being selfish. He gave me plenty of time/attention.
The trouble was, I wanted more. Everyone did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Rusty was a <b>servant leader</b>. He was always serving
others. He loved Anne more than anything else in the entire world and served
her daily. He loved his job and was compelled to give it his best effort
every day. He mentioned to several of us that he believed God had him at his
job for reasons beyond what they were paying him for. He truly felt that he was
called to minister to young people/students (as well as to the other teachers/co-workers)
there. He sought out opportunities to serve wherever he was called (and/or
wherever there was need). He considered it an absolute privilege to be the
hands and feet of Jesus as he interacted with others he was called to serve.
What a great model to follow!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Rusty <b>did things</b>. He and Anne did not wait
for other people to make things happen, or just sit around and dream about
doing incredible stuff. They actually got out there and made it happen! He told
me on more than one occasion that once Anne’s health became a concern (about 10+
years ago), they knew there wasn’t much certainty as to how many days they’d
have together. So, they chose to make a commitment to just love life (and each
other) to the fullest extent possible, getting out there and enjoying every single
day, as though it might be their last. Each minute/hour was absolutely precious
to Rusty, and he lived accordingly. He and Anne took a lot of trips together,
saw a lot of movies together, experienced fun get-away’ s together (with the school band and/or family members/friends). Sometimes they just took off in one of
their cars and went somewhere spontaneously just because it would be fun! And
then, when they returned, they loved telling us all about their adventure (with Rusty referring to everything as AWESOME, of course!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Rusty <b>did not live with regret</b>. He just refused
to do things that would cause him regret. He didn’t let the expectations or
demands of others define his day-to-day existence. I’m guessing that up until his
final breath, he probably didn’t have any thoughts of wishing he’d done this or
that. Even when he experienced his heart attack and other health setbacks back in
March of 2013, he didn’t attract attention to himself or beg for sympathy for his
condition. Rather, he got going on his exercises, ate healthier foods, lost a
lot of weight, tried to do what the doctors wanted him to, etc. He loved life. And,
when life threw him curve balls, he just adapted/adjusted to them (without
complaining or regret). When Anne’s health was a concern, his concern was for
Anne (not for what he was unable to do because of her limitations). I was
frequently astounded by his ability to take the hand he was dealt, and make the
best of it, with NO REGRETS.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Finally, Rusty <b>loved God</b> and was <b>committed to His Savior, Jesus</b>. I had the privilege of seeing him
grow deeper and stronger in his faith “up-close-and-personal” the past few
years. He helped me see new insights into
God’s Word, showing me evidence of where God was working in the world. Rusty
had a simple faith, but he clearly understood the importance of accepting God's free gift of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After Rusty died, Anne asked
me if I thought Rusty knew he was going to die. I told her that I thought he
knew it was a possibility, but that he wasn’t afraid of his death. I believe he
was caught somewhere between looking forward to seeing heaven and his Savior
face-to-face, and not wanting to leave Anne and his family/friends. One thing
is for certain, Rusty mentioned several times that he was aware that God spared
his life back in March of 2013. He knew that God was giving him the gift of more time
on this earth, and that time was very precious to him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks for living such a wonderful life, my friend. Thank you for your
gentleness, your loyalty, your faithfulness, your servant leadership, and your
“can-do” spirit that caused you to go out and just do things. Thank you for living
a life with no regrets, and for your love of God and His Son, your Savior,
Jesus. <b>I’m really going to miss you, bud…</b></span></div>
Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-26909057965785484442012-07-07T00:00:00.005-05:002012-07-07T00:00:44.698-05:00A Son's Reflection on His MotherThese are the words I spoke at my Mom's memorial service this afternoon:<br />
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The fifth of 10 commandments in the Bible says, “Honor your father and your mother…” That is what I hope to do in the next few minutes – honor Dad and Mom with these words.<br />
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After Mom died on the morning of June 16th, Dad, Roz, Debb and I spent time together over lunch talking about Mom. At one point it was asked, “What are the things that were truly Mom?” We began to reflect on that a bit, voicing things that came to mind. It was very therapeutic. <br />
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We will miss Mom terribly. But, we all have so many vivid memories of who she was that we’ll cherish for eternity. I decided to “alliterate” them (using the letter “L”), just to keep this more light, and to possibly make them easier to remember. So, here goes:<br />
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Lists (and Labor) – From as early as any of us can remember, Mom was a list-maker and a hard-worker. I don’t know if she made lists for Dad, but we kids sure had our share! That was Mom’s kind way of keeping us busy, teaching us to be diligent, and making sure we learned to accomplish tasks (and get things done). Roz mentioned something I’d forgotten. Sometimes Mom (who was a super-duper housekeeper) would put on our lists, “Pick up specks.” And we did!<br />
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Learning (and Listening) – Mom was a teacher at heart, quietly causing me and my sisters to learn in many ways. She wasn’t overbearing about it. Rather, she indirectly communicated to us that there was always more to learn. She wasn’t a big reader, but she listened and paid attention to everything that went on around her. We learned a lot about what was “proper” from Mom. I will be forever grateful to her for this. <br />
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Loving – When we were talking about Mom after she died, I mentioned that I was embarrassed at times about how much Mom loved me. When I would come to visit her and Dad, I truly felt uncomfortable at times at how she waited on me hand and foot. Roz and Debb tease me, saying that she loved me best. But, the truth is, I know that she loved others as much as she loved me, especially Dad! She had a tremendous capacity to love her husband, children, family and friends. Mom was a very loving woman.<br />
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Letters – More evidence of Mom’s exceptional love for me are boxes of hand-written letters in our attic in Texas, letters she wrote to me once I finished college and moved away. I am almost certain that I received nearly a letter-a-week from her for the first ten or fifteen years after leaving home following college. She wanted to stay in touch with her son (and my growing family)! She was so selfless about putting pen to paper, sharing her thoughts and life with me and Ellen and our kids. She also stayed in touch over the years with many others. This was her letter-writing ministry of love. What a great legacy! Too bad letter writing is almost a thing of the past these days.<br />
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Lovely – Mom was an attractive and very lovely woman all of her life. As my cousin, Ellen, said in an e-mail following Mom’s passing, “She was always well put-together and looked great!” Very true! Her skills as a hairstylist, and her love for art/design, propelled her to always put herself together well (and she helped Dad to look his best, too!). I really admired that about Mom. To this day, I think about my Mom as I get dressed for each and every day. What I learned from her was that appearances were not the most important thing, but being sloppily dressed/put-together wasn’t the way to be either. She was absolutely lovely.<br />
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Lashes – I hesitated to put this in here, but Mom started wearing false eyelashes some time along the way, and she wore them well. One of my favorite stories about Mom is that when our house on the farm was burning in 1976, she went back into the burning house to get two things – her eyelashes and the beauty shop appointment book! Typically, we might think that women who wear false eyelashes have a tendency to be vain, or are somewhat inauthentic. Not Mom. She made it a part of who she was and I loved that about her!<br />
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Laughter – Dad, Roz, Debb and I all remembered how Mom loved to laugh. She was always up for a good, clean joke. I remember a time when she and I actually embarrassed Dad out of the room. We were reading from a Norwegian Joke Book, and just got the giggles so bad, we couldn’t stop. Just when we thought we’d had enough, we’d say, “Oh, how about just one more!” And then we’d look into each other’s eyes and communicate, “Let’s just keep laughing like this forever, O.K.?” Mom absolutely loved to laugh, and to the end, we all loved to laugh with her. <br />
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Loyal (and Lowly) – Probably the most compelling trait that I will never, ever forget about my Mom was that she was loyal. She faithfully dedicated herself to being my Dad’s life-long helper/partner. No question about that! She was also absolutely loyal to those people/things she loved and believed in. In addition, she was okay with being lowly. Not that she was beneath anybody or anything. Rather, she just deferred to others all the time and whenever necessary without thinking anything about it. She had a true servant’s heart and noticeable Christ-like spirit about her. She did not need the spotlight to be on her. She actually shied away from it most of the time. Her goal was for others to receive the attention, not her. She never demanded attention for herself.<br />
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Lord – Finally, Mom knew Jesus as her Lord. She acknowledged her need for a Savior and accepted the free gift of salvation through Christ’s suffering sacrifice on the cross. She knew that living a good life was not enough, that she desperately needed God’s grace and unmerited favor. As a result of her personal relationship with Jesus Christ, believing that He came, He died, He rose and He now lives, she is actually with Him in glory for all eternity! Praise God for that promise and reality, available to each and every one of us.<br />
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In closing, I think I speak for all of my family in saying that we were so blessed to have known and loved such a wonderful woman! I will cherish the precious memories of times with my Mom as long as I shall live. Personally, I can’t wait for the day when I will be reunited with her in heaven! I’m sure we’ll laugh together and sing praises to God for all eternity. God bless the life and memory of Doris Ellwood.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-19870978324644222462012-07-03T20:50:00.004-05:002012-07-03T20:51:14.594-05:00It's been over 363 days...I've always told my kids, "You make time for what you think is important." So, when I look at this blog of mine and realize that it has been almost one year since I published my last post, what does that say? That this blog isn't important to me? I sure hope not.<br />
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I really love to write. And, I really love to share my thoughts on this blog. My "normal" time to write previously was Sunday afternoons. A glance at my personal calendar for the past 12 months reveals what I've been up to while not blogging. Not all of this was done on Sunday afternoons, mind you. But, most of this has contributed to the scarcity of my posts the past 363+ days.<br />
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TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL - I think I've probably attended at least five or six games in person down in Arlington, watched nearly 150+ games on TV (can that be right?), and cheered wildly for this baseball team of mine during the 2011 World Series. I really love baseball (!) and blogging sometimes takes a backseat to it. Smile...<br />
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WORK/MY JOB - I think I've probably taken over thirty-two separate trips to all parts of the United States in the past year, totalling more than sixty-five nights away from home doing HDR business (at least). I developed a new vision for architecture marketing services at HDR, and then took over responsibility for same, including giving guidance/direction to +/- 60 people on a daily basis. I handed over the Design Excellence initiative I've been working on at HDR for over six years to a new leader. I moved my location in HDR's Dallas office to the 2nd floor, and had to drastically “down-size” all the stuff I had accumulated over many, many years there. I made over a dozen presentations to large groups of leaders, and led four two-day marketing training sessions in various cities. I recruited, interviewed and hired at least six new employees for our company. I started serving on the Management Team of HDR Architecture, Inc.<br />
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PERSONAL (Miscellaneous stuff, Prayers/E-Mails/Phone Calls/Texts/Tweets/Instagrams, etc.) - I got some new eyeglasses (really needed the upgrade!). Also shopped for and bought a new car (thanks to my Dad’s extreme generosity!). I made some new friends and prayed in earnest for my family, our church, my work, our country, etc. I probably received, acknowledged, read, answered and filed more than 13,000 e-mails (at least!), not to mention the 3,500 texts, tweets, and instagrams that also passed by my eyes. Who knows how many phone calls I answered and/or initiated over the past year (was it 15,000?).<br />
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LIFE GROUP/CHURCH/ELDER ACTIVITIES - I attended REFRESH classes at our church last summer, as well as the Global Leadership Summit (for the fifth year in a row!). I led and/or prepared Bible studies for more than twenty-five meetings of our Life Group (either on Sunday nights or on Wednesday nights with just the men). I attended more than twenty-five meetings with the elders of our church (at least). I wrote several pieces for our church's daily devotional - VERTICAL. We assisted a young Ukranian couple in getting adjusted to life in Dallas (and at DTS), as well as loaned our car to another Ukranian missionary couple for two weeks while they were here. I helped organize a weekend get-away to east Texas with the men from our Life Group and had a great time doing so.<br />
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FRIENDS/MENTEE MEETINGS - I believe I had more than twenty coffee/breakfast dates before work with friends/co-workers, and more than twenty-five dates for lunch with guys I consider my closest friends. I probably also had more than twenty-five lunches/dinners with mentees (younger people asking for me for advice, etc.).<br />
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HOUSE - We had the countertops/sink replaced in our kitchen and I touched up the paint afterwards. My son and I put new tile backsplashes in our kitchen. I replaced all the hardware and hinges for the cabinets in our kitchen cabinets, and then cleaned and polished them thoroughly. I fixed/repaired our lawnmower shed attached to the side of our house and then we had the entire house re-painted. We also replaced our front storm door and screens on several of the windows on our house. Did I mention the weekly mowing and trimming and edging required for our yard (which I absolutely LOVE to do)?<br />
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FAMILY - I played golf with my sons (and others) at least four or five times on Sunday afternoons. I made a washers set for one son on his 17th birthday. We hosted birthday dinners at our house for most of our family members. We traveled to Iowa to help my Dad & Mom get ready for their farm sale. We saw an ultra-sound of our first grandchild three months before she was born! I became a grandpa in November for the first time! I enjoyed numerous Skype dates with Andy in mornings before work, and was captivated by lots of breakfasts/lunches/dinners with other family members, too. I paid off the remaining balance for Katie’s college loans (and will do the same for Peter's hopefully next week). We hosted my Dad & Mom for a few nights in Texas on their way to their home in Arizona. We helped our daughter, Katie, move into a new apartment (twice), and then gave her support and a place of refuge in between apartments. I made five or six trips to visit my Mom in Arizona after her stroke in November. Ellen and I celebrated 31 years of marriage. I attended my Uncle Robert's funeral in Iowa between Christmas and New Year's Day, and then served a ton of pancakes and sausage, etc. to over a hundred people at our house on January 1st. I made two trips to NYC to visit Andy & Annie (including surprising Andy and Katie on their 30th and 28th birthdays). I got to babysit my one and only granddaughter, Brynlee, for the first time (more to come, I hope!). We graduated Nathan from high school and prepared ourselves to send him to Abilene Christian University in the fall. I organized and thoroughly enjoyed MOTEF 2012 with Andy, Peter and Nathan following graduation. We attended the weddings of three or four of our friends’ children. Sadly, I lost my dear Mom and spoke at her funeral. And then nine days later, I lost my Uncle Jimmy and missed going to his funeral in Iowa. Finally, I attended an Anderson family reunion in Colorado with Ellen, Katie and Nathan.<br />
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So, no wonder there hasn't been time to blog!<br />
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I'm not sure whether it will be another 363+ days before I blog again. But, putting this one together has reminded me of Jesus' words in John 10:10 where He said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Thank you, Lord, for an abundant life! I am blessed beyond imagination, and I am also very grateful for the many blessings He has given me.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-41634484203978384202011-07-04T10:09:00.008-05:002011-07-04T14:00:58.394-05:00A High Price for FreedomThis morning (4th of July, 2011) I woke up to a very precious reality. I am <em>twice</em> a free man.<br /><br />First, thanks to those who have bravely gone before me to defend my individual liberties, I am privileged to be an American citizen living in a free country. <em>God bless the USA!</em> Second, because I am a Christian (having accepted God's free gift of salvation through the precious blood of Jesus Christ), I also enjoy and experience the <em>joy</em> and promise of being forever <em>spiritually</em> free. Praise God for that as well!<br /><br />I am truly celebrating today because of <em><strong>a high price for freedom</strong></em> paid for me by others.<br /><br />Thank God for our Founding Fathers and many brave souls who took their stands for freedom, and then declared independence from the ugly tyranny of a remote English monarchy 235 years ago! Thank God for the first century Church (several of them martyred), who carried the Gospel of Christ to all the world, declaring freedom from the tyranny of sin and telling people everywhere that they no longer needed to be separated from God!<br /><br />But, if history teaches us anything, it teaches us that precious freedoms (both political and spiritual) should <em>not</em> be taken for granted. What we enjoy today may not be there tomorrow if we don't fight to keep it. There are enemies out there trying to steal yours and my freedoms each and every day of our lives. We must do all that we can to actively protect them because there is <strong><em>a high price for freedom</em></strong>.<br /><br />The words attributed to one of the founders of our nation, Patrick Henry, as well as those penned by the Apostle Paul in a letter to first century Galatian Christians, seemed particularly relevant to me at this point:<br /><br /><em>"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"</em> - Patrick Henry<br /><br /><em>"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." </em>Galatians 5:1<br /><br />Notice the references made to life and death, as well as "chains" and "slavery" in these quotes? In the founder's and the apostle's mind, the opposite of freedom was death and/or bondage and indentured servitude to either an overbearing dictator/monarchy, or to sin. In other words, without freedom, there is no life and no independence. Enemies will always attempt to place chains on you and me and/or attempt to entice you and me into the bondage of slavery. We need to daily take our stands against these undesirable conditions.<br /><br />Yes, there is <strong><em>a high price for freedom</em></strong> for those of us who enjoy it. There is also an obligation on the part of both American citizens, as well as followers of Christ, to rise up and protect it, too. But, unfortunately many of us will rather use our precious independence and freedoms just to do whatever we want, thus destroying them. Shame on us when that is what we do.<br /><br />Once again, the words penned by the Apostle Paul to the first century Galatian Christians seemed very appropriate for me to read/hear this morning:<br /><br /><em>"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?"</em> Galatians 5:13-15<br /><br />May we all take these words to heart as we celebrate the 4th of July and/or our freedom in Christ, remembering that there is <strong><em>a high price for freedom</em></strong>.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-76411157526865832242011-03-27T21:15:00.003-05:002011-03-27T22:44:27.657-05:00How the body worksThis past Friday, my wife, Ellen, and I were planning to meet some good friends for dinner at 5:30 p.m., and then see a movie together after that. We were really looking forward to it! However, our plans changed in a moment when we received an urgent phone call from a friend before we left our house, a little after 5 p.m.<br /><br />Our friend was very distraught because her fiance had stopped breathing. She had already called 911 for help. She was reaching out to us for additional support and prayer. Her fiance wasn't responding to the treatment he was receiving. She was scared, really scared! We headed out the door immediately, calling our other friends to tell them we needed to make a change in our plans for the evening.<br /><br />Sadly, our friend's fiance did not survive a massive heart attack he experienced. His life ended suddenly, and very unexpectedly. A tragic death. We are finding it very hard to comprehend.<br /><br />Ever since that night, I have been very contemplative about this whole episode, earnestly praying for our friend (and her son) who have now lost someone very dear to them. As I have been reflecting on the events we experienced Friday night, I couldn't help but think about <em><strong>how the body works</strong></em>. When disease or pain strikes, our human body responds quickly.<br /><br />I'm not a doctor or an immunologist, but here's my limited understanding of <em><strong>how the body works</strong></em>.<br /><br />For our immune system to work, two things must happen. First, our body must recognize that it has been invaded, either by pathogens or toxins, or by some other outside threat. Second, the immune response must be activated quickly, before the invaders destroy many body tissue cells. There's also a lot of other reactions our human bodies generate, including the proper interaction of non-specific and specific defenses. The nonspecific defenses, like on our skin, do not identify the antigen (a substance capable of stimulating an immune response or reaction) that is attacking or potentially attacking the body; instead, these defenses simply react to the presence of what it identifies as something foreign. Often, the nonspecific defenses effectively destroy microorganisms. But, if these defenses prove ineffective, then the microorganisms manage to infect our tissues, and the specific defenses go into action. The specific defenses function by detecting the antigen in question and mounting a response that targets it for destruction.<br /><br />That's a somewhat scientific explanation for <em><strong>how the body works</strong></em>. So, what does that have to do anything previously written?<br /><br />Well, just as the human body works to protect us from diseases and pain, I believe the body of Christ responds similarly. As a matter of fact, I am a witness to how this transpired with our friend on Friday night. Let me explain.<br /><br />On our way out of our driveway, we began calling several of our Christian friends who were also friends of our friend who was experiencing the crisis, imploring them to begin praying immediately for the whole situation. The body of Christ was beginning to recognize that something unwanted/unexpected had invaded our friend's life, and that she was in desperate need of prayer. Next, we quickly activated a plan to help navigate the details of the situation. We volunteered to go get our friend's son (who had arrived at his work place a short time ago) and take him to the hospital where our friend's fiance was being transported. Likewise, we asked our good friends (who we were supposed to be having dinner with) to head straight to the hospital, telling them that we would meet them there. Within the hour, twelve other friends assembled at the hospital and were there to comfort our friend and her son when they received the news that her fiance was gone. Before the night was over, more than twenty-five of us gathered at a friend's home to provide comfort and to our friend, praying for her, and asking God to ease her pain and bring her comfort. Several wonderful Christian friends volunteered to spend the night with our friend and her son, helping them cope with the shock and sadness of the situation when disbelief and pain were intense. <br /><br />While none of us were able to alter the outcome of the sad situation with our presence and/or earnest prayers, I am so grateful to God that He gave us such a vivid picture of <em><strong>how the body works</strong></em>. The body of Christ, that is. It really is a beautiful thing...<br /><br />We still have questions and don't completely understand why. We probably never will be able to comprehend why God in His infinite wisdom allowed this tragedy to happen, at least not this side of heaven. But, one important lesson I learned in the whole situation is this: Be grateful if you are surrounded by other Christian friends; in your time of need, the body of Christ will be there for you. Praise God for the body of Christ!<br /><br />That's <em><strong>how the body works</strong></em>.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-42218849544031235732011-01-30T16:50:00.005-06:002011-03-27T22:43:57.007-05:00He still holds her hand...I just returned from a quick get-away trip with my wife, Ellen, to Sun City, Arizona. We were there visiting my parents for a couple of days. They live at this oasis "<em>in the desert</em>" from November through March to get away from the bitter cold and endless piles of snow in Iowa during these months. My Mom just turned 83 on January 7th (praise the Lord), so we were doing a bit of a belated birthday celebration for her. Plus, selfishly for Ellen and me, it's just a really great place to visit. Mom and Dad's home is right on the Union Hills golf course. Thus, the view out their back door (and from their patio) is beautiful, gazing over lush green grass to a small lake with fountains, with picturesque Arizona mountains off in the distance. We were blessed with some fantastic weather while we were there, too. Loved it!<br /><br />But, aside from the setting, I just have to brag on my Dad.<br /><br />Over the three days we were there, we went out for breakfast, lunch and dinner several times. We also did some miscellaneous shopping and ran a few errands. Consequently, there was a lot of getting in and out of their car, and a bunch of walking to and from their car to the restaurants/stores we visited. While we were doing that, I couldn't help but notice over and over again that after 62+ years of marriage, <strong><em>he still holds her hand...</em></strong><br /><br />Wow. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful that is to see my Dad holding my Mom's hand. I really want to be like my Dad when I grow up.<br /><br />He loves my Mom so much! He takes really great care of her, too. Mom has Parkinson's disease and it is begining to slow her down a bit more and more every year. She's not as steady on her feet as she once was. She gets a little bit flustered/confused at times because she is not as smooth in doing the things she used to do so effortlessly. But, there's my Dad, giving her a steady hand, and telling her by his actions and loving touch that he'll take good care of her. That she doesn't need to worry about a thing. That he's going to take care of her and protect her no matter what.<br /><br />What's really cool is that Dad would be doing this even if she didn't have Parkinson's. She's his wife, and that's what a loving husband does for his wife. He gives her a hand. He tells her with his actions and loving touches that he'll take good care of her. A husband's desire is to convince his wife that she doesn't need to worry about a thing. He will take care of her no matter what.<br /><br />Lately, Ellen and I have been <em>caught</em> "holding hands" on our way in to church, or in a few other relatively public situations/events. People have remarked that we are "cute" to do that and that it seems like we are really in love with each other.<br /><br />I love holding my wife's hand. We <em>are</em> in love with each other. In my way of thinking, that's what married people are supposed to do. Why is it that a husband holding his wife's hand seems so unusual these days? Whatever happened to romance and chivalry?<br /><br />I want to honor my Dad's love for his wife (my Mom) with this post. I want to declare to everyone reading this (especially family members) that this is what I plan to do. I hope to continue to follow my Dad's example for many, many years to come. Someday, I want my sons (and daughter) to remark when we have been married as long as my parents (hopefully!), <strong><em>he still holds her hand</em></strong>...<br /><br />Sometimes it is the little things, the simpler things, that are most important in this life.<br /><br />Thanks for giving me such a great example/model to follow, Dad! I love you.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-81414165287506060232011-01-16T12:22:00.005-06:002011-01-16T14:26:36.885-06:00Dragged, kicking and screaming...I've heard it said that a child's personality (<em>and a lot about how that child will respond to certain situations as an adult</em>) is already evident at age 5 or 6. <em>Kind of makes you realize how critically important those first few years of a child's life are, doesn't it?</em><br /><br />I am so grateful to God for my Mom <em>being there</em> to shape my personality and guide my development at an early age. Likewise, I am so glad that my wife, Ellen, was there to actively influence the personalities of our four children in their early years.<br /><br /><em>(In my humble opinion, the ideal situation for a child is for their mother and father to be the ones to perform this all-important task. It is that critical to their adult life!)<br /><br /></em>Just the other day, a vivid childhood memory popped into my consciousness. It made me realize that a dominant part of my personality, as well as how I frequently respond to certain life situations as an adult, is probably wrapped up in this early childhood experience.<br /><br />It was the first day of kindergarten in Ellsworth, Iowa, probably the fall of 1959. My family lived on a farm about three miles outside of this small town of 400+ people. To attend school, I would need to take the bus into town. It must have been a late-morning session of kindergarten as I don't remember my two older sisters being a part of this story. They were probably already at school when this took place.<br /><br />I have this mental picture in my head of my Mom "<em>escorting</em>" me down the end of our long lane to catch the bus. Actually, I was being <strong><em>dragged, kicking and screaming</em></strong> all the way! It must have been terribly embarrassing and upsetting for my Mom. You see, at four years old (I wouldn't turn 5 for another month) I just wasn't too sure about this whole going to school thing. <em>I wasn't excited about it at all!</em> I kind of liked being safely at home during the day with my Mom. What was she doing, making me go to school, for goodness sake? So, I decided to fight the inevitable.<br /><br />In spite of being <strong><em>dragged, kicking and screaming</em></strong> all the way down the lane, Mom won the battle. She placed me on that bus, let the bus driver close the door, and off to kindergarten I went. I must have liked it, too, as I don't remember her having to force me to go to kindergarten ever again. Apparently, once I got on that bus, I was O.K. Whatever I had feared so much before hand, didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought after all.<br /><br />But, I couldn't have been convinced of that when I was being <strong><em>dragged, kicking and screaming</em></strong> down our lane. <em>I was genuinely freaked out!</em><br /><br />Fast forward to today.<br /><br />I still get a little freaked out by new things. I will frequently dread a new adventure and/or resist a change in venue/responsibilities. It's as though I'm reverting back to being <strong><em>dragged, kicking and screaming</em></strong> down that lane outside of Ellsworth, Iowa.<br /><br />Even 50+ years later, there are remnants of that part of my personality showing up. <em>Fascinating!</em><br /><br />Likewise, once I "get on the bus" so to speak, I usually do O.K. with the new adventures or change in venue/responsibilities. I am reflecting back now on a whole lifetime of initial reluctance to lead, of timidness when it comes to participating in big events, and of massive squirming when asked to take on new tasks/responsibilities, etc.<br /><br />So what? Why is this even worth writing down (or being read?)? I guess here's what I'm learning about myself through this experience:<br /><br />- My personality was somewhat settled at an early age in life. That's not an excuse; it's just fact.<br />- I am who I am based on some of the experiences I had early in life. That's really O.K.<br />- I should not try to be someone I'm not. Others can seeminly tackle the big stuff and keep begging for more. Others can get frustrated when new adventures and added responsibilities don't come fast enough. Not me. That's just not who I am.<br />- Sometimes I am required to press on past my fears and hang-ups. Sometimes I just need to take on those new adventures and challenging responsibilities. I must get over my initial reluctance. I just need to buck it up and do it!<br />- It is always a good idea to ask myself before stepping in to something new, "<em>What's the worst thing that could happen here anyway?</em>"<br /><br />If you find yourself sometimes being <strong><em>dragged, kicking and screaming</em></strong> into new adventures and/or situations that freak you out, take a hint from me. Just relax. It probably won't be as bad as you think.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-22291660962457400482011-01-09T13:20:00.004-06:002011-03-27T22:43:57.008-05:00ResolutionsI'm normally not one for making New Year's <strong><em>resolutions</em></strong>...<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I'm all for setting achievable goals and striving for improvement in my life.<br /><br />As a matter of fact, I've already <em>tried</em> to eat better/more healthy since the first of the year. I've already <em>tried</em> to do more reading and reflection to begin and end my days. And, I've already been to the local recreation center to work out/exercise three times in 2011 (which is probably two more times than I did <em>all</em> of last year!). Ugh!<br /><br />But, really? Do <strong><em>resolutions</em></strong> work?<br /><br />During a time of reading and reflection one morning this week, I <em>rediscovered</em> a terrific example of some <em><strong>resolutions</strong></em>, and decided to make them mine for 2011. Here they are:<br /><br /><strong><em>One</em></strong> - Remember every day of 2011 that there is only one God. As a follower of Christ, there just aren't any others. Only one.<br /><br /><strong><em>Two</em></strong> - Avoid making anything else (man-made or natural) competition for God in my life. Remember every day of 2011 that God wants/deserves my devotion and worship. Don't give what belongs to Him to anything/anyone else.<br /><br /><strong><em>Three</em></strong> - Resist using God's name in an inappropriate way. Remember throughout 2011 that God's name is <em>holy</em>. That speaking curses (and/or coarse words) is just plain wrong for a follower of Christ.<br /><br /><strong><em>Four</em></strong> - Dedicate at least one day every week completely to God. Keep that day really special, just for Him! Remember throughout all of 2011 that there will <em>always</em> be more work, important errands and an endless list of tasks to do. As a Christ follower, I need to give one day a week over to God and rest.<br /><br /><strong><em>Five</em></strong> - Look for ways to respect/love my parents more in 2011. They are <em>not</em> to be more highly regarded than God; no family member deserves more respect/love than God. But, God <em>is</em> pleased when I honor my father and my mother with simple acts of kindness and special favor.<br /><br /><em><strong>Six</strong></em> - Refrain from killing in 2011. That includes killing with words, killing with looks/glances, and killing with hands, etc. Love other people and speak well of them. Denegrading or bad-mouthing or hurting others is just plain wrong for followers of Christ.<br /><br /><strong><em>Seven</em></strong> - Go overboard in love for my spouse so that I won't even be tempted to cheat with anyone else. Remember throughout 2011 that God is the one who created marriage, that wonderful relationship between one man and one woman. He expects me to be faithful to the incredible gift of "oneness" He's given to me.<br /><br /><strong><em>Eight</em></strong> - Resist all temptations to take from others. This includes big and small things. As a follower of Christ, there should not even be a hint or a suggestion of dishonesty when it comes to other people's money or possessions.<br /><br /><strong><em>Nine</em></strong> - At all times, speak truth about my family, friends and everyone else. If you really don't <em>know</em> all the facts about a situation (and you <em>never</em> will), keep your mouth shut. Don't say unkind things about others. Ever. Words hurt and careless, not well thought out phrases are deadly. All truth in 2011!<br /><br /><strong><em>Ten</em></strong> - Be content with what I have and refrain from desiring more and more of what someone else has. As a Christ follower, thank God everyday in 2011 for how He's abundantly blessed me and marvel at His goodness in all the things He's allowed me to possess.<br /><br />Well, those are my <strong><em>resolutions</em></strong> for 2011.<br /><br />By now, some of you are probably saying, <em>"Wait a minute! Haven't I heard those ten somewhere before?"</em> Yup. You have.<br /><br />See Exodus 20:2-17 for the <em>original</em> version.<br /><br />Even though I <em>know</em> I'm not going to be able to keep all of these <strong><em>resolutions </em></strong>in 2011 (because by myself, <em>I just can't</em>), I am asking God to work in me and allow me to make some headway towards these lofty goals and needed improvements in my life.<br /><br />How about you? What are your <strong><em>resolutions</em></strong> for 2011?Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-14199389952217607542010-11-26T09:50:00.003-06:002011-03-27T22:43:57.009-05:00Thanksgiving All Year Long!Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays! I absolutely love spending extra time away from work with my family and friends, as well as enjoying all the delicious foods of this magnificent time of the year! Yum-yum!<br /><br />But, why do we sometimes relegate <em>thanksgiving</em> to just one day a year? I know that the American version of Thanksgiving originates from the feasts enjoyed by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, around 1621 or so. They had a bountiful harvest and wanted to celebrate God's goodness to them for it. But, they were simply expressing their gratitude spontaneously and following a pattern of thanksgiving demonstrated by our ancestors down through the ages. There have probably been large thanksgiving feasts around since the beginning of time.<br /><br />After having such a rich and meaningful Thanksgiving Day yesterday, I believe that we should celebrate <strong><em>thanksgiving all year long!</em></strong> So, in the interest of trying to help all of us do this, I've chosen a "<em>who, what, where, when, why</em> and <em>how</em>" format for your consideration.<br /><br /><em>Who</em><br />First and foremost, God is the One who should be thanked. He is the One who is to be praised, not only for who He is, but also for all He's done (Psalm 100:4). Let your thanksgiving be an intentional <em>act of</em> <em>worship</em> to God <strong><em>all year long</em></strong>!<br /><br /><em>What</em><br />Our thanksgiving should be a constant celebration. It should be an all-out dedication on our part to continual <em>gratefulness</em>. We can express our thanksgiving to God with words (prayers), with songs/singing (praise and worship tunes or hymns), and with a truly authentic gladness of heart for all that God has done <strong><em>all year long</em></strong>!<br /><br /><em>Where</em><br />The great thing about thanksgiving is that you can be grateful to God <em>anywhere </em>and <em>everywhere</em>! You can express your gratitude by yourself, or in a group, or in your church, or in your office, in your car, inside your home or outside your home, too. There are <em>no</em> limitations to where you have to be in order to give thanks to God. <strong><em>All year long</em></strong> you can tell Him how grateful you are no matter where you are at the time.<br /><br /><em>When</em><br />We can experience thanksgiving all the time. Every day of the year. And when we express our thanksgiving, frequently it will be completely involuntary. We won't even know when it is coming. It will be an immediate response to an event/experience in our life (if we let it). Our thanksgiving can and will be contagious and spontaneous, causing others to also give thanks <strong><em>all year long</em></strong>, too!<br /><br /><em>Why</em><br />Thanksgiving usually brings an abundance of peace to us personally, and furthermore contributes to peace for those around us as well (Jeremiah 30:19, II Corinthians 4:15 & 9:11, Ephesians 5:4). We should not be holding back when we are grateful. We should give it all to God because He is so worthy and deserves all of our praise and thanksgiving <strong><em>all year long</em></strong>!<br /><br /><em>How</em><br />Through prayer (I Timothy 2:1). By voicing our gratefulness to others. Through physical acts and dances for joy. By singing and making joyful noises unto the Lord (Psalm 69:30 & 95:2). Through demonstrating to others ways to be grateful. By involuntary expressions of thanksgiving in all circumstances, no matter what they may be (Philippians 4:6, I Timothy 4:4). And through setting an example of thankfulness in our own lives <strong><em>all year long</em></strong>.<br /><br />So, while you are still enjoying the afterglow of yesterday's glorious Thanksgiving Day celebration with family/friends and great food, why not make a bold commitment to truly celebrate <strong><em>thanksgiving all year long</em></strong> this upcoming year? Or maybe even for the rest of your life?Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-17451125238616418742010-11-13T18:03:00.002-06:002011-03-27T22:43:57.010-05:00Every Man is an IslandYou've probably heard the expression "no man is an island." Frankly, I wonder if that's all wrong? I wonder if <strong><em>every man is an island</em></strong> is more like it. Let me explain...<br /><br />I believe that you and I were created for relationship. I believe that you and I <em><strong>need</strong></em> relationship more than anything else in all the world. I believe that without truly relating to other people in our lives, we become "islands," completely separated from each other, which is not very healthy.<br /><br />Why then are you and I so prone to times of isolation and broken relationships? Why do we unwittingly create barriers between us or establish "deep waters" that separate ourselves from the very people we should/could be relating to?<br /><br />Has this been anyone else's experience or is it just me?<br /><br />Take my important relationship with my wonderful wife, Ellen. She is absolutely one of the most highly relational people I have ever known. <em>Thank God for that!</em> She just thrives on relating to other people and sometimes I am just perplexed by how good she is at it. I really wish I was more like her some days. I really, really do! But instead, there are times when I sense that I am totally clamming up, creating an unwanted barrier between us. Usually I can't even figure out exactly why? Here's this highly relational, wonderful person in my life, and yet I am establishing "deep waters" around me to keep her at bay (so to speak). I don't get it?<br /><br />And then there's my four children, those supremely important and wonderful offspring God blessed me and Ellen with as a family. I love them more than anything else in all the world, and I would do absolutely anything for any of them (I really, really would!). But, too often I sense that I am once again creating barriers between them and me. And I ask myself, "Why in the world am I doing this?" Here are these terrific young people in my life, and I'm establishing "deep waters" around me, keeping them at bay? What's with that?<br /><br />How about other people in your life that you have opportunity to relate to? Like your parents, or those that you live around, or those you work with every day, or those you see at your church or school? Ever find yourself holding back from really relating to them? You realize of course that they probably are really great folks who also need relationship as much as you do, right? Why are we sometimes so prone to make "islands" out of ourselves when we were created for relationship?<br /><br />Well, I have a couple of thoughts on this subject.<br /><br />Relationships are hard. Relationships require a lot of us. Relationships frequently change. Sometimes we are not as willing as we should/could be to change with them. In an ideal sense, relationships are about us being willing to relate to that other person, not about whether that other person is satisfing my needs/wants/desires.<br /><br />I also believe that you can only maintain a small number of truly deep and fulfilling relationships. We kid ourselves when we try to relate to hundreds or thousands of people. It just doesn't work. Large numbers like that are not true relationships. They are just casual acquaintances. People whose names simply fill up our address books and cell phones. True relationships are more intentional and more methodical and more sacrificial. They are also very rewarding and beneficial.<br /><br />Yes, relationships are really the most important thing in this life. But, we frequently we mess them up, don't we? To the people we should/could love the most, we often become "islands" because we are afraid they might ask us to do something for them. Frequently we are unwilling to be that unselfish and vulnerable for them. Seems like we are often more willing to relate to someone and get along with someone in relationship <em>as long as they agree with us and/or do what we want them to do</em>. But when they demand something of us or ask us to commit to something that might interrupt our own selfish lives, we quickly become "islands."<br /><br />So, it seems like <strong><em>every man is an island</em></strong> can be our relational experience. But, does it have to be? I am committing to working real hard from this moment to change that going forward. How about you? Will you join me?<br /><br />No man is an island? Maybe they did get it right after all?Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-10641455342140100912010-11-07T13:12:00.002-06:002011-03-27T22:43:57.010-05:00Lessons Learned from DefeatFirst the easy one.<br /><br />The Texas Rangers were soundly defeated by the San Francisco Giants in only five games in the 2010 World Series. I was bummed out about their defeat for days!<br /><br />But, there was at least one obvious lesson to be learned from their disappointing defeat on November 1, 2010. That is: <em>Great pitching almost always beats great hitting in baseball. </em>Always has. Probably always will. While the Rangers made significant improvements to their pitching staff in the past several years, it wasn't quite enough to actually win a World Series.<br /><br />I'm still a big Rangers fan, however! I can only hope that they will take note of this and other <strong><em>lessons learned from defeat</em></strong>.<br /><br />Now for the more difficult one.<br /><br />The Democrats were soundly defeated by the Republicans in the 2010 mid-term elections on November 2, 2010. Being a conservative, and generally a fairly routine backer of Republicans in most elections, I was kind of happy about that. As a matter of fact, I still am.<br /><br />However, I think we all (regardless of our political persuasions) need to take note of some of the <strong><em>lessons learned from defeat</em></strong> while they are still fresh.<br /><br />Now, I know that I'm kind of stepping out there with this blog and taking a big risk with some of you. These are simply my humble thoughts and are based on my long-held convictions. But, I hope you will understand that these words are not written to alienate any of you or have this become an issue that divides us in the future. I really mean that.<br /><br /><strong><em>Lesson # 1</em></strong> - <strong><em>A "big shift" towards a certain political direction (be it left or right) in one election usually shifts back in the next election.</em></strong> It is really, really difficult for one political party to win election after election after election in this country. There will occasionally be big swings in our voting results to the left or the right . But, these have a way of correcting themselves the next time people are given a chance to go to the polls. In other words, winning one election doesn't mean that much. Multiple elections in a row are what is significant.<br /><br /><strong><em>Lesson # 2 - Politicians who primarily push their political ideologies and ignore the general will of the people do so at their own peril</em></strong>. I'm certain that a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking must have been going on in several political circles following the 2010 elections. "Maybe we shouldn't have pushed so fast and so hard on certain volatile issues?" "Maybe we should have listened more closely to the overall mood of our country, paying closer attention to what many of the people of this country were trying to tell us?" I think the old adage of live and learn applies here.<br /><br /><strong><em>Lesson # 3 - Liberty and freedom matters more than "progress" and change in this country</em></strong>. The United States of America was founded on the principles of individual liberties and freedom from any form of governmental tyranny. We as individual citizens still don't like being categorized into various "classes," or being told by the ruling party to pay excessive taxes to support stuff we really don't agree with. Americans didn't like that infringement by the British government on their liberty and freedom 200 years ago, and we still don't like it today. Don't mess with our liberty and freedom if that's what it takes to enact "progress" and change. It won't work.<br /><br /><strong><em>Lesson # 4 - Strong support for and defense of our Constitution with governing based on same (versus political ideologies) is what works in this country. </em></strong>Going forward as a nation, everything we do in the halls of Congress should be checked against the Constitution first and no laws should even make it out of committee without passing a test of Constitution-compliance first. Adherence to the United States Constitution is what has made this country great, not political ideologies. Deviation from the long-standing principles of our Constitution will be the end of this nation's greatness.<br /><br /><strong><em>Lesson # 5 - If you don't have the money for something, don't spend what you don't have</em></strong>. No matter how much you might want something to change or something to be a certain way, if you do not have the means by which to pay for it, it's just not the right idea. Period. Borrowing money and going into debt is only a good idea for rare occasions. You should only borrow money if you have a reasonable plan for how you plan to pay off that debt in the future, and that needs to square with all of your other obligations as well. It is foolish to spend borrowed money when you have no credible plan to pay it back in the future.<br /><br />Well, there you have it. My thoughts on <strong><em>lessons learned from defeat</em></strong>. Not sure if what I've written aligns with your thinking, or if it is completely contrary to same. At a minimum, I hope it will cause you to consider the implications of elections in this country and prepare you to be an even better citizen the next time we go to the polls in 2012.<br /><br />Go Rangers!<strong><em> </em></strong>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-45469090871005290652010-10-17T06:22:00.007-05:002011-03-27T22:43:40.043-05:00His was a life well-lived<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9lY03eaHaIAY6nTEp0S3xW9iRvFdlt03ha7nceAT6Snr-JJfcpJBfNDfecq2T_NWixgeyRPpieoYAh-ND1WsQTqjPAvX47bjus4NV3r0eUUcczvjMK5DcyT2d79P-QIL7lz3lchOZQ/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528974217005348946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9lY03eaHaIAY6nTEp0S3xW9iRvFdlt03ha7nceAT6Snr-JJfcpJBfNDfecq2T_NWixgeyRPpieoYAh-ND1WsQTqjPAvX47bjus4NV3r0eUUcczvjMK5DcyT2d79P-QIL7lz3lchOZQ/s400/IMG_3328.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Vernell G. Kvale - born September 30, 1931; died September 30, 2010. A complete life. <strong><em>His was a life well-lived.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div>I am thanking God today for the life of one of my favorite uncles. For the love he showed to me throughout his life, and for the inspiration he's been to me ever since his death.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Although it is usually ill-timed, we tend to appreciate someone we have loved and admired even more after they are already gone. I wonder why that is? Why do we tend to get so preoccupied with our own lives and our own affairs so much that we forget to honor those among us who have lived their lives well, and have blessed us (and others) immensely?</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>I don't have the answer to my own question. But, I can tell you this. Attending my uncle's funeral recently impacted me greatly. <strong><em>His was a life well-lived.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div></div><div>My Uncle Vernell lived most of his life in Lake Mills, Iowa. Except for a couple of years spent farming with my Dad following high school, and two years of active duty service in the United States Army following that, this small town of a few thousand people was his home. <em>I admire the simplicity and wholesomeness that represents.</em> I also admire the fact that he appeared to be perfectly content with living in the same community his entire life.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>He married my Aunt Violet in 1956. That means that they were into their 55th year of marriage at his death. <em>I admire the faithfulness and longevity that represents.</em> He loved her greatly and it showed! A testimony to his incredible love for her and his thinking of her needs all the way to the end was this story told to me by his son following the funeral. My aunt's birthday was just a week after his. So, a few weeks before he died when he was being taken to hospice, he made sure that his son purchased a birthday card and gift from him so that it would be there and given to her in case he wasn't around to give it to her himself. <strong><em>His was a life well-lived.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div></div><div>He was a loving and dedicated father to four living children, two daughters and two sons. He loved them greatly and it showed! He was also grandfather to four young grandchildren whom he loved dearly and they loved him back. <em>I admire the commitment and dedication to others that represents.</em> Another story told at the funeral conveyed the mutual love shared between my uncle and his grandchildren. When his life was coming to a close and he was already very weak and at hospice, one of his granddaughters really wanted to be with him, missing his tender, loving touch. So unprompted, she crawled up in the hospital bed with him to snuggle. Even though in a terribly weakened state, he still wrapped his arm around her as they lay there together quietly for several minutes. <strong><em>His was a life well-lived.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div></div><div>As to his vocations in life, he was a farmer, a manager of the Lake Mills Creamery, and a custodian at the Lake Mills Community School. Following his official retirement about thirteen years ago, he continued to perform some part-time carpentry with a friend and assisted various farmers in his community with their harvests. <em>I admire the hard work ethic and lifetime productivity that represents.</em> Knowing that he would eventually lose his battle with cancer after fighting it for ten years, he actively participated in the planning of his own funeral service. Because of his genuine love for children at the school where he was custodian for ten years, he requested a choir from the school sing at his service. And they did. It was an absolutely wonderful and refreshing patriotic tribute to America. <strong><em>His was a life well-lived.</em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><div></div><div>Finally, nearest and dearest to my heart is the fact that my uncle was a writer, and a believer in Jesus Christ.</div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>As to his writing, throughout his life he wrote prose and poetry and shared many of his original writings at Memorial Day and Veterans' Day ceremonies. With only a simple high school education, he also wrote meaningful pieces for friends and family in his community, blessing them at birthday or retirement celebrations.</div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>As to his Christian faith, it was obvious to me from words spoken at the funeral that my uncle had a deep and abiding faith in Christ. The pastor who conducted the services reflected on numerous conversations with my uncle and communicated effectively some intimate references to assurance of my uncle's salvation and personal relationship with Christ.</div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>Yes, <strong><em>his was a life well-lived.</em></strong> Thank you, Uncle Vernell.</div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>May we all express our love and openly appreciate someone we admire while they are still living. </div>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-47173068129463393832010-10-03T09:47:00.004-05:002011-03-27T22:43:57.011-05:00I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsmEVGBzGU2AFtdAow3P5g_tlOPlO-eBiM8QNAun0iPA_O1bAIpkFNI5GaikkZHH1aECx-YxO_GYOvZkIbU1Wkpcyu8XaivNL0BCcZiH6g-XggfDv-unvATscOaUfAQrig9Eo3_t9zAI/s1600/RangersBallpark2010.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 127px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523832944868939698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsmEVGBzGU2AFtdAow3P5g_tlOPlO-eBiM8QNAun0iPA_O1bAIpkFNI5GaikkZHH1aECx-YxO_GYOvZkIbU1Wkpcyu8XaivNL0BCcZiH6g-XggfDv-unvATscOaUfAQrig9Eo3_t9zAI/s400/RangersBallpark2010.jpg" /></a><br /><div>If you know anything about me, you probably already know that <strong><em>I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball</em></strong>! I love almost <em>everything</em> about it! And, this year, my love for this team may payoff in new ways as "my team" is actually going to the playoffs! Yay! And, hopefully they will go deep in the playoffs! Hopefully...</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, we went to a Rangers game at the Ballpark in Arlington (we also went to <em>another</em> game on my birthday, and are going to their final game of the season again today, too!). At that game, I told my sweet wife, Ellen, that I wanted to write down all the various <em>experiences</em> of a Rangers game so that I could blog about it later. Why shouldn't everyone who reads this blog learn more about one of my absolute favorite things? :-)</div><div></div><div> </div><div>So, here's a portion of my list of <em>experiences</em> so that you all can better understand why <strong><em>I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball</em></strong>:</div><ul><li>Even as you enter/approach the stadium, there are the nicest people who greet you with a smile and say, "<em>Welcome to the Ballpark!</em>" I love that.</li><li>I'm normally not much of a "groupie" type guy, but I love it that almost everyone wears Rangers shirts/gear to the games.</li><li>I love seeing all the young kids at Rangers games! They are usually so happy and smiling and just delighted to be there with their parents/grandparents (well, at least <em>most</em> of them are!).</li><li>I love the neatly manicured grass of the field and how the maintenance crews spray down the infield with water, getting it to look picture perfect before play begins.</li><li>They usually have a <em>ceremonial first pitch,</em> giving one special person the privilege of having his or her <em>moment in the sun</em>. I love that! The other night it was a boy who was born without arms. <em>He</em> made the first pitch! He <em>threw</em> the ball with his foot. The ball actually made it to the catcher's glove, too! Amazing! What a thrill for that boy. He'll never forget that, I'm sure.</li><li>I love the excitement of the crowd as the announcer gives the starting line-ups for "<em>Your Texas Rangers!</em>"</li><li>I get chills up and down my spine as The Star Spangled Banner is played, and we all remove our caps, stand in attention gazing at the flag and salute our country.</li><li>I love it that you can still bring your own food/drinks into the Ballpark if you want to. We (well, actually it's Ellen!) usually pack a lot of snacks and eat way more than we should. But, it's baseball, for goodness sake!</li><li>I love the video board and highlights from previous games. And, they always show the "positives" from those games, never the "negatives."</li><li>I love that they have short clips of songs for each Rangers batter as they come up to the plate. I love it that several of the Rangers have Christian songs/messages for their clip.</li><li>When you are at a baseball game, you get a chance to sit <em>outside</em> for three plus hours. Most of the time it is really glorious to be out there enjoying the fresh air and cool evening breezes.</li><li>At certain points in the game, the organist will play certain little songs/chords that help get the crowd fired up again and cheering for the Rangers. I love that!</li><li>I love the fact that you can just sit there for three plus hours if you want to and watch the game and/or the people around you and/or the video board and not say anything if you don't want to. To me, baseball is a lot like what other people might enjoy about fishing.</li><li>I love it that they shoot off fireworks when a Rangers player hits a home run.</li><li>I love the fact that even though individual players probably can't hear us when we yell encouragement to them from the stands, we still do it anyway. It creates a constant murmur and/or buzz in the crowd, and that's just baseball.</li><li>Being at Rangers games is still very much a family-friendly activity. I love that! It is still an affordable form of entertainment, there are lots and lots of activities for kids (like one of my favorites, the Longball Blast), and you can simply just enjoy being together during the games without any pressure to be involved in anything else.</li><li>I love the "bump music" between most innings and the standard favorite of singing of "Deep in the Heart of Texas" (complete with clapping) around the 5th inning.</li><li>Who doesn't like the Dot Race? And who doesn't slip back into being a kid again for just a minute while those silly people dressed up as dots run? I love that.</li><li>I love it that they play Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" when the opposing pitcher is in trouble and "give him the boot" when he leaves the game.</li><li>I love the "Stealing Third Base" moment when some kid gets a chance to run like mad to try and steal the base (literally) and make it back to where he or she started before time is up. Plus, if they do it (and a lot of grace is usually extended for this), they get to take that base home with them. How cool!</li><li>I love it that the Rangers still have Dollar Hot Dog nights. Not a big fan of hot dogs myself, but they are so much a part of baseball. And, only a buck for one of those things? What a bargain!</li><li>I love singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch and then dancing to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" after that. It gets everyone up on their feet moving and smiling and getting their groove on! Even me!</li><li>When they do it, I love the "Kiss Cam" during breaks between innings late in the game. So fun to see the cameras catch couples unexpectedly and then watch them kiss (or <em>not</em> if the couple happens to not be a couple and only on their first date! Ha.)</li><li>In some ballparks they have someone sing "God Bless America" after the 7th inning also. Love that song!</li><li>And finally, at the ballpark you sometimes end up talking with the people around you during the game and nearly become friends by the time 9 innings are over. How many places does that occur these days?</li></ul><p>So, that's a little bit about why <strong><em>I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball! </em></strong>I hope the Rangers play well into October, and can I even dream that they make it all the way to the World Series?</p><p>My biggest concern now is: What am I going to do from November through March without baseball?</p><p><strong><em>I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball!</em></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-40253908713147525482010-09-12T12:16:00.003-05:002011-03-27T22:43:57.012-05:00It had been 30 yearsI believe that God gives <em>special gifts</em> to each of us in the form of wonderful people along the way in the span of our lives. He seems to bring these relationships into our lives at strategic points in our development in order to bless us in unusual ways. Our job is to <em>notice</em> the blessing He sends our way, and then thank Him for them, too.<br /><br /><em>God really blessed me when He allowed my life to overlap with Herrick and Mary Smith.</em><br /><br />For a little over six months, this wonderful couple ministered to me at a vulnerable time in my life. I will be forever grateful to God for them!<br /><br />Let me tell you the story...<br /><br />It was late 1979, and I was a 25 year old single man working for HDR Architecture in Omaha. Kind of out of the blue, I was presented with a very unique opportunity to teach at the University of Florida for a limited six month period. In order to do this, however, I would need to take a leave of absence from my job, which I did.<br /><br />Upon arriving in Gainesville, Florida (all alone, not knowing another soul there and a week before Christmas), I soon met Herrick (as he would be my boss for the next six months). He subsequently introduced me to his sweet wife, Mary, over dinner. We three became fast friends! Their overflowing love and selfless generosity spilled over onto me in numerous ways. They even quickly made me "part of their family" and invited me to their home for Christmas Eve.<br /><br />I could go on and on about all the other things these two wonderful people did for me from that cold December to hot and muggy June in Gainesville. But, that one act of extreme kindness at Christmas impacted me in a very profound way. So much so that I decided I would commit to talking with them by phone every Christmas Eve thereafter (if possible), telling them how I would never forget their generosity towards me and thanking them again for it.<br /><br />Fast forward to the year 2010.<br /><br />Last weekend (just before the Labor Day holiday), I traveled to Florida to visit my long-time friend, Herrick, who lost his sweet wife of over 53 years in early August. She succumbed to the ravages of Alzheimer's, a terrible disease that had been diagnosed only a couple of years ago. Alzheimer's cut her wonderful life short, just a few months before her 85th birthday.<br /><br />After receiving the news of Mary's untimely passing, I wanted to be with Herrick in the worst way. Since I was not able to attend her funeral, I felt compelled to go there and be with him. But, <strong><em>it had been 30 years</em></strong> since we had spent any time together.<br /><br />What would it be like to be with him again, even if only for parts of two days? Would we even have that much to talk about? What could I do to bring comfort and companionship to this special friend who now found himself all alone in a house he shared with his wife for over 44 years? Was I even the one who should try to do this?<br /><br />Needless to say, I was a little nervous as I flew on Southwest Airlines from Dallas to New Orleans to Tampa to Jacksonville, and then rented a car and drove the final leg of the journey into Gainesville. I so much wanted my visit to be helpful to Herrick in the midst of his grieving process. But, <strong><em>it had been 30 years</em></strong>.<br /><br />What if it didn't go well talking with him? What would I do then? What if it was just too hard for either/both of us without his sweet wife, Mary, there? She was always the great conversationalist when we were together.<br /><br />Well, suffice it to say, the visit ended up going very well. As a matter of fact, I believe we both benefited from our time together. It was a time of healing and a time of hope. I'm so very glad I followed through with the promptings I had to take this trip and spend that time with Herrick.<br /><br />What lessons can be learned from all this?<br /><ul><li>Don't forget to <em>look</em> for the special people God puts in your path to bless you.</li><li>Don't forget to <em>be</em> one of the special people God may choose to use to bless someone else in a time of need.</li><li>If you have been blessed, don't ever forget that blessing and remember to pass a similar blessing on to someone else if you are given the chance.</li><li>If God lays a long-time friend on your heart, follow-through with contacting them now. You never know how important your friendship may be to them and/or how timely a call or a visit from you might be in their life right now.</li><li>Thank God for all the special people He's placed in your path along the way. </li></ul><p><strong><em>It had been 30 years</em></strong>. Both of us said we wouldn't let that much time pass before we got together again.</p>Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-62695069050211839522010-08-29T14:10:00.006-05:002011-03-27T22:43:40.045-05:00Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh Out Loud About LifeI'm usually a pretty serious guy. Just ask my wife, Ellen, and/or my family about that! I'll admit that I have frequently used this blog for "getting on my soapbox" about a lot of things that are going on in this world. Usually I write about things that appear to be going bad or wrong out there. And, there certainly are a lot of things that trouble me and cause me to get serious sometimes. But...<br /><br /><strong><em>Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.</em></strong><br /><br />It was just a couple of days ago on Friday, sometime in the mid-afternoon. I had just received an e-mail at work that hit me kind of funny. So, I decided to forward it on to a couple of people I <em>really</em> love, who I thought might be amused by it as well. As fate would have it, the forwarded e-mail ended up triggering some persistent giggles on the part of at least one of the loved ones who received my forward. Then she called me. At the office, mind you! Well, my apologies to anyone who happened to be sitting around me at work that afternoon, particularly if they were trying to get something done on a Friday afternoon. In a truly serendipitous moment, we both absolutely lost it on the phone! Once the laughter started, it began to snowball even further, to the point of being just a little bit ridiculous! Tears flowed. Knees were slapped. Hilarity became contagious. And finally, I ended up saying, "Stop! Stop!" as I gasped for my next breath. It was a really, really big surprise to both of us! Not what either of us was expecting when the call commenced.<br /><br /><strong><em>Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.</em></strong><br /><br />Earlier in the week, I received a series of e-mails about a particular subject from family members, including the one who caused me to get completely out of control on the phone on Friday. For some unknown reason, a little birdie inside of me said, "<em>Oh, go ahead! Have some fun with this why don't you?</em>" So, relatively uncharacteristically of me, I did have fun with it. Probably fooled a lot of my family members who don't normally see me pulling pranks or laughing that much or hearing jokes emanating from my mouth. But, I just couldn't resist! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to smile, giggle, and/or laugh to myself. Maybe the stresses of life have been taking their toll on me lately? Maybe it was time for me to just have some fun and relax a bit? Chill out about things happening in my life? I don't know exactly what was going on, but...<br /><br /><strong><em>Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />Many, many years ago, I remember experiencing totally uncontrollable laughter unexpectedly with my Mom. Neither of us are particularly funny people, as a rule. But, in this particular instance, we were over-the-top ourageous in our laughter. We just could not stop no matter what we did. It was another tears flowing, knees slapping, unending hilarity, gasping for a breath moment. Too funny! What made it even funnier was that my Dad was there, but he wasn't getting what we were laughing at. The more my Mom and I laughed, the more my Dad appeared to become completely disgusted with the two of us. It was a completely infectious moment for my Mom and me. We literally could not help ourselves. I am beginning to giggle just thinking about it! Have you ever had one of those moments (kind of like the "<em>I love to laugh</em>" scene in the movie Mary Poppins)? If so, cherish the memory! Remember moments like that when life gets hard and when things don't seem to be going the way you want them to go. Let it go because...<br /><br /><strong><em>Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.</em></strong><br /><br />It says in Proverbs 17:22 that "<em>A joyful heart is good medicine."</em> Also, I believe it was author and humorist Erma Bombeck who once said (after she found out she had terminal cancer) that if she had it to do all over again, she'd laugh more. Good advice! Let's all laugh more!<br /><br />So, for today - nothing serious, nothing dire, nothing too spiritual or intellectual or political. I'll save all that for some other blog, some other week. Rather, for today...<br /><br /><strong><em>Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.</em></strong><br /><br />Got a good laughter story to share? I'd love to hear it. :-) Oh, and did you heard the one about...Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886400384613509213.post-39228858710499401532010-08-15T11:39:00.003-05:002011-03-27T22:43:57.012-05:00There ought to be a law!This past Friday, I spent the whole day in a seminar entitled, "<em>Legal Issues for Texas Architects and Landscape Architects</em>." Since I am a licensed Landscape Architect in the State of Texas, I needed some continuing education credits for my annual license renewal and this seminar gave me eight TX CEPHs, including the required one for Sustainable Design and the required one for Barrier-Free Design. Those of you <strong><em>not</em></strong> in the architecture or engineering profession might be saying to yourselves right now, "Ho-hum..." Keep reading.<br /><br />The whole purpose behind requiring licensed design professionals in the State of Texas to garner a certain number of continuing education credits each year for renewal of their licenses is to keep them current in their professions. It also helps remind them on an annual basis of their overall charge in having a license issued by the state - that is <em>to protect the health, safety and welfare</em> of the citizens of Texas as we practice. Whew! Some of you might still be saying, "So what?" Keep reading.<br /><br />Well, about halfway through the seminar the thought occurred to me that everything I was hearing that day (from eventually all six attorneys who spoke to us), had to do with the miscellaneous interpretations of laws that had been passed by either our federal or state governments in recent years. Needless to say, there were times when I even felt like the speakers did not fully comprehend the laws that had been passed, even though they were declared to be the experts of them! Very frequently the speakers went back through all of the numerous, progressive "add-ons" to the original laws that had been passed, describing the necessities for how laws had to be modified to address issues that weren't covered or even fully considered by the initial piece of legislation. Ugh!<br /><br />That is when it hit me. I remember hearing this phrase many times growing up. We in this country for too long have been all too quick to say, "<strong><em>There ought to be a law!</em></strong>" Something doesn't set well with us, we see something we don't like happening, someone we know is somehow made uncomfortable by a circumstance and we immediately say to ourselves, "<strong><em>There ought to be a law!</em></strong>"<br /><br />I'm here to tell you that I think our mantra going forward should rather be, "<em>There ought to be <strong>fewer </strong>laws!</em>"<br /><br />For the past 40-50 years when we as a nation have come up against something we don't like and/or don't think should be happening, our knee-jerk reaction has frequently been to introduce legislation attempting to fix or change whatever we personally deem wrong. Oftentimes without regard for any other point of view. After all, too frequently in this country it's all about me, right? And then, when a law is passed in its oftentimes compromised state, we frequently have to go back and amend that law over and over again to get it right. We seldom do.<br /><br />I am beginning to think that this is no longer a good way to run a country. Rather, we should all just look around us, determine what each of us can do as individuals to make the necessary adjustments in our own lives to demonstrate a better way for others to follow, and then do that. Even if others don't follow, so what? Just live a life, set an example, prove that your way is the best way by living it and leave everyone else to their own business. It's still a free country, right? Right?<br /><br />Case in point - one of the topics at my seminar on Friday had to do with laws dealing with accessibility. What a great cause! We as a design community <em>should</em> be making sure that everything that gets built is as accessible as possible. However, universal accessibility for each and every possible instance everywhere in the world (no matter when it was built) is probably unrealistic and a big distortion of what was originally intended. Similarly, another topic at the seminar had to do with the "greening" of our buildings. Once again, a great cause! I support it. We as a design community <em>should</em> be making sure that everything we do in our responsibilities as licensed design professionals promotes sustainability. That just makes good common sense. Local materials, less energy, better health for occupants of our buildings, etc. However, you <strong><em>cannot</em></strong> legislate compulsary "greening" for each and every building type all over the world, nor should we even try to! It's just unrealistic to think it will happen! And the costs of attempting to do so will ruin us financially.<br /><br />So today, we have a lot of cries for laws that mandate proper foods to eat, or mandate generic details for universal healthcare, or mandate the prohibition of certain activities, etc. I'm telling you, all of that is dangerous, and someday soon we may all discover that it is also probably regrettable.<br /><br />Therefore, starting today, I'd like to advocate a nation-wide campaign that says we should change the language in our country from one that says, "<strong><em>There ought to be a law!</em></strong>" to one that says, "There ought to be <strong><em>fewer</em></strong> laws!" Anyone care to join me in this cause? In my humble opinion, our freedoms and liberty in this country depend on us doing this different in the future than we have done it in the immediate past.<br /><br />There ought to be <strong><em>fewer</em></strong> laws.Vince Ellwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16488738273743512256noreply@blogger.com0