Norm's Spot

Fort Richardson Campout

2007-11-15T08:30:00.000-06:00

Our troop went camping this past weekend, so here is a summary of our campout:

Place: Fort Richardson State Park
Attendance: 5 youth, 3 adults
Activity: Scout skills - Woods tools, fire building; 6 mile hike (with a milkshake at the 4.8 mile mark :-)

Notes: Great campout. The weather was wonderful; cool nights and warm days. This time of year is my favorite time to camp in Texas.

Since it is deer season, we were not able to camp in the primitive camp sites. The park ranger offered us the overflow camping area. Had we made reservations earlier, we might have been able to plan a different location, but since we were on a short time line, we decided to take the overflow campsites. A more remote camp site would have been nicer, but we still had a good time.

In the morning we did the scout skills, then toured the fort. All of the buildings were open, and there are more displays than were here last time I visited. We started our hike from the fort, and ate lunch at along the trail.

The hike this time went much better than the last campout. The trail was easy to find, and well maintained. The troop made much better time completing the hike.

We also used the caterpillar method of hiking which allows the scouts to stay closer together, take fewer rest breaks, and cover more ground in less time. The way the caterpillar works is we all get into a line, and start hiking. The person at the front of the line takes 50 paces (counts how many times his right foot hits the ground), then steps to the side of the trail. The next person in line then starts counting 50 paces. The one who stopped, gets to rest until the last person in line passes him, then he joins the line at the end. This process is repeated until we reach our destination. Once they get the hang of it, it works very well. The key is keeping the group in the same order.

After our hike we came back to camp and prepared dinner. The boys cooked hot dogs over the fire, and they all thought they were the best hot dogs they had ever tasted. Maybe cooking them for themselves made the difference.

I did get to use my "Your Best Guide" chaplains minute on Sunday morning, so my prep work was not wasted.

I am happy with our new troop. The boys seem much closer than the boys in our old troop. I'm sure that size has something to do with it. Also, having a common bond of homeschooling may help. There are things that I miss about the old troop (it really is a good troop), but I'm confident that we made the right decision. Now maybe there will be another really good troop in Flower Mound.

Your Best Guide

2007-11-06T08:23:00.000-06:00

Our new “Scout Family” (troop and pack) had a family picnic Saturday. It was more fun than I thought it would be. We had a little over 100 people come out to enjoy the beautiful weather at Lake Lewisville Park. The location was ideal for this type of event.

For an activity, several of our Boy Scouts set up an orienteering course for the rest of us to run. Most of the boys tried it out. Since there was a possibility that I would get to give the devotional last night, I prepared the following “Chaplains Minute”. Someone else gave the Chaplains Minute, which was probably good since I didn’t have much time to practice this, but here it is for you reading pleasure.

Did everyone have a good time at the family picnic on Saturday? I know that I did. I especially enjoyed those deserts!

How many of you did the orienteering course that the Boy Scouts set up?

I thought it was a good course. It was about the right length; not too easy, and not too hard. I enjoyed doing the course.

Our group had three things with us. We had a map, a compass, and a GPS. Which of those three do you think was most important?

How many of you think that the GPS was the most important? No, it was probably the least important.

Compass; yes, it was important, and knowing how to use it was helpful in completing the course, but no, the compass was not the most important.

The map was the most important. With just a map, we could have completed the course. It probably would have taken longer, but we could have done it. Without the map, we would have had a difficult time finished the course at all.

You see, if you know how to use a map, the map can tell you where you are, what direction you need to go, and how far you need to go. We can even figure out where north is just by looking at the map.

I have heard some people say that the Bible is like a compass. It points the way that you should go. That may be true, but I think that the Bible is more like a map. With it you can tell where you are spiritually. It can also tell you where you should go, and how to get there.

In Proverbs 16:25 the Bible says. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”.

The Bible is our map for life. If we ignore the map, and do what seems right to us, it will lead to death.

If you want to get better at reading maps, you just need to practice. Just like map reading, you need to practice reading the Bible. The more frequently you read it, the better you will be able to use it to guide your life.

I know, you are probably thinking that the Bible is not a map, it is a book. “How can the Bible guide my life?” Let’s look at an example.

In Galatians 5:19-23, Paul tells us:
“19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. “
What do you think this area of the map is telling us? These are danger areas, stay away from them. It’s like seeing an area on the map marked “US Army Artillery Range, Keep Out”. If you go there, you may get hurt.
Now let’s look at the next area of the map that Paul shows us:
“22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
What about this part of the map? It’s telling us that these are good things to do. We should try to do these things; they may make our life easier. This would be like seeing an oasis on the map of the desert.
It’s not hard to read the map that God gives us in the Bible; we just need to practice reading it, and following it. So scouts don’t forget to practice your map reading skills.

A New Beginning

2007-10-15T14:33:00.000-05:00

It’s been a long time since my last post. A lot has happened, and most of my “spare” time has been sucked up by other endeavors.

I have a new job at work – Same employer, but a better position. The new job is requiring periodic travel to CA; and getting up to speed is taking its toll on my “spare” time. Hopefully I am past the worst part of the learning curve, and will be able to have some time to blog more.

The other change is that my two oldest boys and I have moved to a new Boy Scout troop. We are helping get a home school troop up and running. Tons to write about there, but I’m planning to include a short write up for each of our camping trips. I see two benefits to this plan. First I will have a record that I can look back on to see where and when we camped, second it will force me to write something at least once a month.

This past weekend was our first troop campout:

Place: Worth Ranch in Palo Pinto, TX.
Attendance: 8 youth, and 6 adults
Activity: 5 Mile hike and scout skills

Notes: Great campout. Great weather I didn’t even put the rain fly on the tent. The scouts all got along well and seemed to start the bonding process that will lead to a strong troop. The adults got along well too. It looks like we have a great group of youth and adults to get this troop started.

The boys decided on a route for our hike. After a few false starts, we ended up on the right trail. We had an enjoyable hike up Kyle Mt, and had lunch at the top. The boys decided to hike around the top a little while they refined their map reading skills, but we eventually made it down.

We refilled our water at the dining hall, and decided to hike along the road to the front gate then back to camp so we could get in the full five miles. Even the slowest hikers agreed to the plan. In the end it took us way longer than it should have to cover the five miles, but the boys learned more than they otherwise would have. I also think it helped the group bond a little. They had a common goal in getting to the five miles, and they made it happen. All of the attitudes were pretty good, and I think they all had fun.

After the hike, we worked on tot n chip with the new scouts while a few of the others built the campfire. After dinner and desert of scoutmaster birthday cake, we had a great camp fire.

On Sunday morning, everyone pitched in and cleaned up quickly. We held a short chapel service, and then headed home.

Most of the boys carried in all of their gear in their packs, so we are definitely heading in the direction that we want as far as being a “backpacking troop”. The hike in was only about twenty feet, but it helped us get used to backpack camping and cooking. Since this was the first campout for a few scouts, they ended up sleeping in tents with their dads. Hopefully they will be ready to sleep with their patrols next time. It is better for the troop and the boys if they camp, cook and work together as patrols.

We are trying to prepare the boys for backpack camping. You can car camp with backpacking gear, but you can’t backpack with car camping gear.

A Nice Long Weekend

2007-07-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post. It has been very busy around our house lately. Lots of changes at work, and lots of activities with the scouts.

Since July 4th fell on a Wednesday, I decided to take Thursday and Friday off from work making it a 5 day weekend. I was able to get caught up on lots of chores around the house. We made a list of things that needed to be done, and on Sunday night I counted 43 items on the list. We completed 37 of those items. Not too bad considering that some of the items were multi hour jobs. Of course there are still the 6 items left on the list. Maybe we can get to them during this week, because on Friday, we will probably generate another list for this weekend.

I think before the 4th, I was further behind on house chores than I have ever been. Scouts and work have been consuming most of my "free" time. Hopefully this shot of progress will keep me caught up for awhile. There are still tons of things to do around the house (and no mater how many I get done, there will always be more), but I feel like progress was made.

Now if I could only get that AC drain cleared :-)

Just a Little While

2007-04-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

My wife frequently tells the kids that she is so happy that God has given them to us. I agree, but then I add “for just a little while”.

I know that she doesn’t really like to hear it, but she knows that it is true. In the course of daily life it seems like they will be with us forever, but they will leave someday. Our job is to take care of them, and prepare them for life. My goal is to have kids that will be able to take care of themselves and their families.

Do I want them to go? Yes. Will I miss them when they are gone? Most definitely yes! However, they need to go; after all, they are His, not ours, and He wants them back.

My Little Brother

2007-04-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a month since I posted anything here. Guess I've been busier than I thought.

This is the Scoutmaster Minute I gave on Monday April 2nd, and Advisers Minute I gave on Tuesday April 3rd.

I start by asking about a symbol for the "brotherhood" of scouting (Brotherhood sash for the OA, and world crest for the scouts).

The symbol represents that you are a member of the brotherhood of scouting. You are each brothers to the other boys in our unit. We have a poem that we use at our house, it goes like this:

I have a little brother
he's watching me each day
He likes to do the things I do
and say the things I say
and so I must be careful
in words as well as deeds
to be the kind of brother
my little brother needs

Scouts, remember that your brother scouts are watching you. You are teaching them what it means to be a good scout. Your words and deeds(actions) are the way you teach your brother scouts. What kind of lesson do you want them to learn?

Ancient Wisdom

2007-03-08T08:14:00.000-06:00

We all would love to have some secret ancient wisdom. I think this may be some of the allure of the book The Secret than my friend Mike mentions in his blog. Let me tell you how I found some ancient wisdom.

I was on a weekend trip with my oldest son, and we had a list of “ice breaker” questions to help get the communication flowing. One of the questions was “If you had a time machine, who would you go back in time to meet?” Of course we both agreed that it would be coolest to go back and meet Jesus and see him during his ministry, so we focused on the next choice. His answer surprised me. He said that he would like to go meet Solomon, because he wanted to learn from the wisest man that ever lived.

I like that answer. It got me thinking, that I too would like to go learn from the wisest man who ever lived. So, I did. I couldn’t find a time machine, so I did the next best thing. You see Solomon left us his teachings in the book of Proverbs. I decided that I would make one chapter of Proverbs part of my daily (most days) Bible reading.

I now have some secret ancient wisdom. I have read through Proverbs more times than I can remember (I’m not trying to keep a tally). I think some of it is sinking in. When things happen in life, the applicable part of Proverbs comes to mind. Every time through the book I see something I missed before. Most importantly though is that I think it is helping me to know God better. His wisdom shows me more of his character.

So, if you want some secret ancient wisdom, go meet Solomon, or maybe more accurately go meet God in the book of Proverbs.

Come Tour My Boat

2007-03-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

This is the advisers minute that I gave to our OA Chapter on Tuesday night.

In the Navy, a submarine is affectionately referred to as a boat.

Let me take you on a quick tour of my submarine. First we walk across the companionway and meet the topside watch. He is the most important person on this boat. Without him, anyone could come on board, including our enemies. Follow me as we walk across the deck and climb through the hatch in the sail. We drop down the ladder into control. This is the place where the officer of the deck (OOD) stands his watch at sea. He is the most important person on this boat. He gives the orders on where to go and what to do. Let’s walk forward; on the right is the sonar room. We step inside, and meet the sonarman. These are the most important men on the boat. They keep a careful ear listening for other ships and subs to ensure that we do not have a collision, and remain undetected by our enemies. Let’s cross the passageway into Radio. Here again are the most important people on the boat. Without them, we would not receive our orders of where our country needs us to go. As we continue the tour through the torpedo room, mess deck, engineering spaces… you will notice that every space and person that you see is “the most important on the boat”. Even the trash disposal unit. How can this be? A ship (or sub) is a unit; every member of that unit plays an important role. If any one of these people does not do their job, the whole ship is in danger. Your troop and this OA chapter are much like my sub. Everyone in it is the most important person in the unit. If each member does not do his part, the whole unit can be in danger. And that danger can be very real. So remember, you are the most important person in your unit!

The Home Team

2007-03-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

I think of a marriage and a family as a team. So the home team is just that; the team at home.

We all have our positions on the team. I like to think of myself as the head coach. I am a head coach who leans very heavily on my staff of coaches. OK so the staff of coaches is really just Susan and I, but it is a good staff.

If we were a sports team, Susan would be the defensive coordinator, team manager, and team trainer (medic). I would be the offensive coordinator, equipment manager, and chief grounds keeper.

Our offensive coordinator takes care of earning the income. The defensive coordinator takes care of extracting the most bang for the buck from that income. I think I have the defensive coordinator of the year on my staff. She has really helped us keep our spending under control, which has enabled us to pay off lots of debt, and be able to accomplish the things that we want.

The team manager runs the day to day operations of our players. She keeps the team schedule, and helps coordinate player development. She makes sure that they have the things that they need to be successful (clean clothes, food, education, that kind of stuff).

The equipment manager keeps the equipment running, the vehicles maintained, appliances running, computers networked, buildings maintained, etc.

The team trainer takes care of all of the day to day injuries our players get from playing the game of life. She not only cares for the scrapes and cuts, but for the wounded spirits and bruised egos as well.

Grounds keeper, well I make sure that the outside of the house stays respectable. I delegate as much of this as possible to the boys, but ultimately, I’m the one who needs to be accountable for it.

Now don’t get me wrong. We both cross over in these roles all of the time. There are also way more roles than I listed. Like any good team, we pick up each others slack, and when we see what needs to get done, we pitch in and do it.

We may not win the super bowl, and our house will never be picture perfect, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to honor and glorify God in all that we do, and right now that means raising four boys into men.

Boys will be boys

2007-02-21T08:48:00.000-06:00

I’m sure that you have heard the saying “boys will be boys”. I understand where it comes from, and I’m sure that it is used innocently enough, but I hate that saying.

You see boys will not be boys; boys will be men.

Steven Covey in Seven Habits for Highly Effective People tells us to “begin with the end in mind”. I think “boys will be boys” works against this.

I understand that people use the phrase to explain the behavior of boys. Seeing boys playing in the mud, or the tendency for anything to become a gun in play is probably an acceptable use of the phrase. Using it to sweep away rudeness, vandalism, or bullying is not!

Yes, left to themselves, boys can be rude, destructive, and bullies. It is our job to address these behaviors and teach them how to control themselves. Real men don’t do those things.

My goal for our boys is not that they be good boys. It is that they become good men. So if I don’t have the perfect 15, 11, 8 or 4 year old boy, that’s OK. I’m not working on boys. I’m working on men.

My oldest son turns 15 today, so I can brag on him a little. I think he is well on his way to becoming a good man. I am proud of where he is. I don’t claim responsibility for it; that’s God’s job. All I do is try to provide opportunities for him to grow and learn, coaching when he needs it, cry with him, laugh with him, let him deal with struggles when he needs them, and through it all love him unconditionally.

Scout Spirit

2007-02-14T09:27:00.000-06:00

In scouting we refer to someone who lives up to the scout oath and law as having scout spirit.

On Tuesday, I attended the funeral for the wife of my friend Jim. Jim’s wife Sarah lost a long battle with cancer, and is now with our Lord. All of these events got me thinking about Jim and how good an example of scout spirit he is. Due to the situation at home, Jim was not as involved in the troop as he wanted to be, so many of the boys may not have seen this in him, but I’m sure I’m not the only one to notice.

Let me share some thoughts about Jim’s scout spirit:

The scout oath has three parts:
Duty to God
Duty to Others
Duty to Self

Jim has balanced all of these sometimes conflicting duties. He is the prime example of a devoted husband and father. He balanced caring for Sarah, the kids, and still managed to take care of himself enough to make it through. Even through it all he was a key contributor to our troop.

The scout law has twelve points:

Trustworthy – God considers him trustworthy; He entrusted Jim to care for His child Sarah, in her time of need.
Loyal – Loyal to the vows he made to Sarah to be there for her in sickness and in health
Helpful – I’m sure that Sarah would say that he was helpful to her. I know that he has been helpful to me, with sage advice when needed.
Friendly – One of the friendliest men that I know. Even in the midst of his trials, he always asks “how are you doing”, and listens like he means it.
Courteous – Jim is always courteous.
Kind – I don’t think I need to say anything here, but I will. Even on the day of Sarah’s funeral, he took the time to encourage my son who had lost the troop SPL election the night before.
Obedient – Obedient to God in caring for the people that God sent into his life.
Cheerful – In the midst of it all, he always has a smile on his face. Even when things were tough, you had to ask him to know how bad things really were.
Thrifty – I don’t know of an example of this, but I’m sure that he is.
Brave - Many men run from this trial that he faced head on.
Clean – OK, so he’s not perfect… Just kidding. Jim is clean; not just clean physically, but more importantly clean in character. He serves as an example that the boys can follow.
Reverent – Jim is one of the most reverent scouters I know. He knows the impact that ceremonies can have. He always gets choked up when he gives the Eagle charge to a new Eagle Scout. He tears up when we sing scout vespers at the close of a campfire.

By the way, Jim is an Eagle Scout, but more importantly he lives up to the title. If all Eagles followed the example of Jim, this world would be a better place.

Thank you Jim.

The Character House

2007-02-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

This is the advisers minute that I gave to the OA Chapter on Monday night. This is one of my favorite "Scoutmaster Minutes".

Does anybody know what happened around 1910?

That’s right, that’s when the Boy Scouts of America was founded.

Another thing happened in 1910. That’s about the time that Ralph Moody moved from New Hampshire to Colorado. He was about your age then.

His family had just gotten a new horse, and he wanted real bad to drive her. His father was gone for the day, so he lied to his sister telling her that his dad wanted him to use the horse to haul railroad ties home for fire wood. When his sister told his Mother, he stuck to his story reasoning that if I’m going to get a spanking, I might as well have some fun. And besides, if I get it done, father will be proud of me and not spank me.

Well, things didn’t work out too well, and when it was almost dark Ralph decided that he had better come clean with his mother. He reasoned if she spanks me, then Father won’t, and she doesn’t spank as hard as he does.

His mother just gasped when he told her, and she made him stand with his nose in a corner until his father came home.

I’ll let Ralph tell you the rest of the story:

“Hard as Father could spank, he never hurt me so much with a stick as he did when Mother stopped talking. He cleared his throat, and then he didn’t make a sound for at least two full minutes.

When he spoke, his voice was deep and dry, and I knew that he must have been coughing a lot on the way home. “Son, there is no question but what the thing you have done today deserves severe punishment. You might have killed yourself or the
horse, but much worse than that, you have injured your own character. A man’s character is like his house. If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin. If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn’t do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin. A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth.”

Scouts, listen to the words of Ralph’s Father. What kind of character house do you have?

I think he is getting it

2007-01-12T08:14:00.000-06:00

If you have read my other posts, you will know that I am involved in scouting. My oldest son, a 14 year old Eagle Scout, will be camping with our troop this weekend. I elected to stay home and work on pinewood cars for the next two boys who are Cub Scouts.

In Boy Scouts, the boys prepare their own menu, buy their own food, cook, and clean up for themselves while camping. The planning process usually works like this:

One boy develops a menu
The rest of the patrol agrees on the menu
One of the boys buys the needed supplies
He then tells the rest of the boys how much they need to bring to cover their share
He spends the next month trying to get his money :-)

This could be better, but it does have some teaching benefits.

My wife overheard my son on the phone discussing meals for this weekend. "Wow $14 that's kind of expensive isn't it? Well, maybe we can save some of the stuff for the next campout."

You see, he is on staff, and staff typically only has three boys at a campout. They choose to eat on their own rather than join another patrol; they can ensure the quality of their food that way. They are also pretty accomplished cooks, and enjoy cooking.

My son knows that you can eat well for a whole weekend for less than $10. He also knows that small groups can be more expensive since things rarely come in packages for three. Most important is that I know that he is learning the value of a dollar. He knows that $14 is high for a weekend of camping food. He is also thinking of ways to keep future costs down, by saving stuff for the next campout.

We have made a deliberate effort to teach our children about money; where it comes from and how to handle it. Hearing this makes me know that some of it is catching on. I'm proud of him.

Back to work

2007-01-08T08:20:00.000-06:00

Today is my first day back at work after a long break for the holidays. I took a few days off before Christmas, and a few days after New Years Day. All of the days between Christmas and New Years Day are holidays where I work. So, I ended up being gone for 3 weeks!

Now I don't know that I am rested, but it was great to be off. The days before Christmas were hectic getting ready for the holiday, and preparing for a trip to the Florida Keys. Then there was the trip, 3 Adults, and 5 Boy Scouts at Florida Sea Base for a week. After returning, there was all of the stuff that I normally get done over the Holidays. Add to that some additional responsibilities for my new OA job, and I'm pretty well worn.

It's good to be back to a "normal" routine. I definitely need to get back to eating better. However, I will miss the time with my family. It's nice to just be there. I think when we as a society decided that working away from home was a necessary thing, we lost something. I know that I make more money this way, and that money enables my family to have the things that they "need" and lots of the things that they "want", but I still feel that there should be a better way.

For the most part, I like my job. Every job has it's ups and downs, but on the whole, I enjoy what I do, so until I find that better way, I'll keep my day job.

God Does Give Wisdom

2006-12-23T22:41:00.000-06:00

God answered! He granted me wisdom even as I was asking for it. You see Susan read my blog, (she is probably the only one who does :-) and that helped improve our communication. She bloged on it too, and I think we were better for it. Yes, there were times when it was tough, but I can only think of one time that was bad, and it didn't last too long. Overall this seemed like the least stressful visit I can remember.

Why is company so stressful?

2006-12-14T07:45:00.000-06:00

In our house, having company is stressful. Especially when they are staying for a few days. The most stress is when my parents visit.

With four growing boys in the house, you can imagine that the house needs some cleanup before guests arrive. If we clean too early, it will just get messed up again before the company arrives. We always manage to get it all (or at least the most important stuff) done, but even when it is done, there is still stress.

I know where some of it comes from. Having guests in the house puts a damper on communication. We just don't address some issues that we would if we were alone. We also stay up later than we should, then when we go to bed, we need some time to catch up. So, we run on too little sleep.

Then there is the crowded car; if we all go out together, every seat is filled. Our car is big enough, it's just that the kids are not used to being forced to be so close to each other. The pushing and shoving make it unpleasant (not that they are ever pleasant in the car).

I'm sure that I contribute to the stress. I know that I tend to feel like every "issue" that comes up is an "attack" on my parents. I know that's not the case, but it can be hard to override the feeling. For example when Susan suggests taking two cars to reduce the crowding, I "feel" like she doesn't want to spend time with my parents. However, taking two cars makes sense, even if it doesn't "feel" right.

I know it is more stressful on Susan than me regardless of which set of parents visit. It's even harder for her when it's my parents. The whole house takes it's stress queues from her. When she is stressed out, I get stressed out. Then we are both tougher on the kids, which stresses them out. Stressed out kids makes for stressed out parents and ... so it goes. I wish I could find a way to make it less stressful for her, that thought too adds stress.

There has to be a way to enjoy company. I know that the time that we have on this earth with our parents is limited. Maybe more so for my parents since they are older, and we see them less frequently. I think that all they want to do is spend time with us and the kids. They probably don't care about the little things that bother us.

I know that the only person in this world that I can change, or control is me. So, how can I change me to make this whole thing less stressful? I will definitely be asking for wisdom from God. In James, it says that God will give wisdom to anyone who asks (James 1:5). Well God, I'm asking.

The Gateway

2006-12-07T13:43:00.000-06:00

This is the Advisor's minute that I gave to the OA Chapter on Tuesday night. I stole it from another scoutmaster, but it fit the bill. Short, but used the issues causing an advisor change as a "teaching moment"

How many of you have seen the elaborate gateways that Jamboree troops build at their camp sites? One of the Jamboree troops had several people spend more than 2 and a half days building their gateway.

How long do you think it took them to tear it down? It took less than 2 and a half days. In fact, it took less than 2 and a half hours. I am told that the whole thing was torn down and packed up in a little more than an hour.

That gateway is like your character. It takes a long time to build a good character, but you can destroy your character with just one poor choice.

So guard your hard earned character. Thank you scouts.

A New Job

2006-12-06T07:55:00.000-06:00

Well I now have a "new job". Not the one that pays the bills. That job is the same. My new job is a new scouting job.

Due to some recent events in our local Boy Scout district, they needed a new Order of the Arrow advisor. When the district vice chairman called to tell me of the situation, he asked if I could take over. I quickly said "yes". Now that is rare for me. Remember from other posts that I used to be in the Navy. You may not know that Navy stands for "Never Again Volunteer Yourself". In the past, when "new jobs" came up I carefully considered them, and consulted with trusted advisors (of whom my wife is chief) before I gave an answer. I'm also not afraid to say "no".

I have asked myself, why was I able to answer yes so quickly? I'm not completely sure. Maybe it is because I know that the boys need stability in this potentially troubling time. Maybe it is because I know that if I were involved with the OA as a young man, I would have loved it. I'm sure that part of the reason is that I want to ensure that the program continues for my sons. But maybe the biggest reason is that I feel God is calling me to this role. He has prepared me for this in many ways that I did not see while it was happening. He put me in a position to be there for the boys when this situation arose. He put me in touch with others in the Boy Scout organization that can make my new job easier. He must have prepared Susan too, because she was instantly supportive of the new job.

So as when I start any "new job", I have both excitement and fear. Excitement about the possibilities, fear that the new job will consume me. I will need to balance that fear and excitement, and depend on God to help me do all of my "jobs" well.

Nuclear Fallout

2006-12-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

Nuclear fallout is a bad thing. We are seeing some of the issues in the news stroy of Alexander Litvinenko the ex-KGB spy. The topic of this post is a different kind of "nuclear fallout". It is the fallout due to moral failure.

Having worked in the nuclear power field while in the Navy, I know a little bit about nuclear fallout. Nuclear Fallout is contamination from a nuclear incident that can have wide sweeping effects. The contaminated particles can land anywhere, and if not "cleaned up" can pose a significant health risk. To "clean up" nuclear contamination is to collect enough of the particles so that the radiation levels are below the "accepted" limits. It is extremely difficult to remove all of the particles, and in reality it is not necessary to do so.

The fallout due to moral failure is very similar. You don't know for sure where it will land. It can spread much wider than expected, and it really can't be completely cleaned up. Lives are affected, and the damage may heal, but will probably never go completely away.

This past weekend was a tough one for me. I had to deal with the fallout of moral failures of two men for whom I have a lot of respect. It is hard to say have, but in one case I do still have respect for him, the other, it's a little harder.

You see the one probably committed the "worst offence", but he admitted his failure, and is dealing with his consequences. Even though his failure will probably ruin his and his families lives, he has accepted it. I respect him for that.

The other appears to not have done that. He continues in his failure. His failure is "socially acceptable", while the others is not. The fallout from both of these failures is and will be far reaching. We will not be able to clean them up completely, but with time the cleanup will hopefully be good enough.

The Captains Chair

2006-11-27T08:54:00.000-06:00

While listening to Mike’s message yesterday, I was reminded of something from my days in the Navy. I was an officer aboard a US Nuclear Powered Submarine.

On the sub, there is a room called the wardroom. It is the place that the officers eat their meals, hold meetings, etc. At the table there is a specific order that the officers sit. The CO is at the head of the table, the XO to his right, the next senior officer to his left, then it moves down the table with the most junior officer being in the chair farthest form the CO. There is one exception; the supply officer, no matter his rank sits at the foot of the table. This ordering is steeped in naval tradition. Naval tradition is very strong even in the modern nuclear powered navy.

Another tradition is that no one sits in the Captains chair. If he is not there, the chair remains empty. It is a visible symbol that he is ultimately in charge. If there are too many people to sit around the table, people will stand rather than sit in the Captains chair. It is sort of sacred.

I can remember one time having some midshipmen assigned to our sub for a “summer cruise”. Several of the junior officers came into the wardroom and found the midshipmen playing cards at the table. One of them was sitting in the Captains chair. They were quickly instructed in the naval tradition of the Captain’s chair. Had it been the Captain or XO (executive officer) who caught them, they might have received a severe tongue lashing.

How does this tie in to Mike’s message? Well his message was about how God is on the throne throughout the universe, except in our hearts. God lets us control who sits on that throne. It is rightfully his, and only he should sit there, but we like that midshipmen, sit there when we should not. God is gracious, and doesn’t give us the tongue lashing that we deserve when we sit in his chair. He just lets us sit there. Like that midshipmen, we need to learn that it is His chair, not ours.

Veterans Day

2006-11-14T07:55:00.000-06:00

This is the Scoutmaster minute that I gave to our Boy Scout Troop last night.

Can anyone tell me what Saturday was? That’s right, it was Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is the day that we honor those who served in our countries military. Many of you have family members who have served or are now serving our country that way. Take the time to thank them for their service.

The scout oath starts like this. On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and … My country. Serving in the military is one of the ways that we can do our duty to our country.

Let me share with you a story about a couple of scouts who were doing their duty during World War II.

Some of the fiercest fighting of World War II was on Okinawa. It was long and bloody and fought with fierce determination by both sides. In the midst of one of the battles a young American soldier fell wounded. As he lay there about to lose consciousness he saw a Japanese soldier standing over him, bayonet at the ready, poised to strike. The American soldier was weak from blood loss and near to blacking out, but he raised his right hand in a familiar sign - the universally recognized Scout sign. Then he lost consciousness expecting never to wake up.

He did wake up, though. When he came to, he was in an American field hospital. When the medics found him, his wounds had been dressed. In his pocket he found a note, written in Japanese. He found someone to translate the note, and this is what it said:

"I could not bring myself to kill a fellow Scout."

The note also had the address of the Japanese soldier who, instead of killing him, had tended to his wounds before moving on.

When the war had ended, the young soldier was assigned to the occupation force in Japan. He went to find his savior at the first opportunity. He discovered that the Japanese soldier who had spared his life and tended his wounds had died later in the fighting on Okinawa. But his family had survived, and the American became their friend and helped them in every way that he could during his time in Japan.

When asked why he helped them, he explained what had occurred and showed them the note. The people were so touched by his story that they erected a statue of an American Scout and a Japanese Scout clasping hands, which stands in Kyoto, Japan today. It is a monument to our shared humanity - that in the midst of war and violence, of hatred and bloodshed, two young men found that they were in fact brothers.

It is a monument to the Ideals of Scouting - that even when nations are deeply divided, Scouting is a link that joins us and encourages compassion, mercy, understanding, and peace.

Although these two scouts were on different sides of the battle, they were both doing their duty … To country, but more importantly to God.

Saying no to God

2006-11-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

I was in a meeting yesterday, and we were discussing someone's ability to stand up to his boss when needed. There was no question in my mind that this person could do that to anyone, even God himself.

Well on further thought, we all say no to God himself at one point or another. Maybe saying no to God isn't that hard.

Why is it easier for us to say no to God than it is for us to say no to our earthly boss? Seems like saying no to God should be harder.

Hmm... Wonder if I can make a scoutmaster minute out of this one.

Image of God

2006-11-02T07:41:00.000-06:00

Normally when I hear the phrase "image of God" I think of how he made us in his image. Today I was reading in Psalms, and I saw a verse that stuck out. Psalms 50:21(b) says "you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face." In this chunk of the passage, God is talking to the wicked. However, I think the message applies to us all. These people made God into their own image. They thought God was just like them. God is not like us. We can be like God, but not the other way around.

I want to make sure that I have as accurate an image of God as I can have in this life. What is your image of God?

Weird Connection

2006-11-01T08:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Halloween. Our family usually does a family movie night for Halloween. Each person picks out some candy that they like, and rather than go from house to house, we watch movies and eat too much candy!

This year was the same. We checked out a bunch of movies from the library, and after I got home from work, we watched two. The two we watched were "Sky High" and "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Both were about what I expected.

What I didn't expect was a common thread between them. (spoiler warning) Both movies had a sub theme of a class system. In Sky High, it was the "Heroes" and the "Side Kicks". In "The Greatest Game Ever Played", it was the wealthy aristocrats and the commoners. Both movies put the class separation in a bad light.

What was even more interesting is that this morning I was reading Psalm 49 and in verses 5-9, God tells us how he feels about class distinctions.

Psalm 49
5 Why should I fear when evil days come,when wicked deceivers surround me-
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-
8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-
9 that he should live on forever and not see decay.

These words made me think about the wealthy English guys in the golf movie. They thought that their family line and wealth made them better than anyone else. In God's eyes we are all equal, and all loved too (John 3:16). I know it is kind of a weird connection, but I thought I would share it anyhow.

Life is messy

2006-10-31T07:54:00.000-06:00

It seems to me that life is messy. I think that's the way it's supposed to be. In order to live, we have to be willing to get dirty. I think it's a mistake to try to make life too clean.

For example. I really like to keep our yard neatly cut, and cleaned. I also want to raise boys that are responsible, and know how to work. I need to let go of the "neat" yard, and let one of them take on the responsibility to maintain it. If I keep that job, then he loses the opportunity to learn. If I let him have the job, then the yard may not look as good as when I do it myself.

My choice was to let go of the clean, and embrace the dirt. I did this in the spring, and now, the yard looks as good as if I had done it. Yeah, once in a while I have to point out a spot that he missed, but that's all part of the learning process.

By embracing the dirt, I got a clean yard. But I got way more than a clean yard, I gave a life lesson to my son. That is way more important than a clean yard.

Life is messy, and I know that I need to learn to embrace the dirt in more areas of my life.

Sleep is a Wonderful Thing

2006-10-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

The past two mornings, I awoke before the alarm. Some people I know never use an alarm, not me. I have never been good about getting up in the morning. I may not sleep as late as my kids do, but I do like to sleep in a little. I try to get into work early to miss the morning traffic. Getting in early also lets me leave early to miss much of the evening traffic too. So getting up early is a big plus to the quality of my family life.

Getting up early is not a big plus to my sleep life though. I seem to get to bed too late, and then have trouble waking up in the morning. If I am dragging, it takes longer to get out of the house. Longer to get out, plus snoozing means more traffic. ugh!

To complicate matters, I have mild sleep apnea. I have recently started using a dental device that keeps my airway open while I sleep, and I think it is helping. I am still tired frequently, but not as bad as I used to be. This past weekend, I made a minor adjustment to the device, and it may have helped. Of course two days in a row does not make a trend, but it is a start.

For those of you who are blessed with good sleep, be thankful. Sleep really is a wonderful thing.

Better than I deserve

2006-10-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

When asked "how are you?" Dave Ramesy (radio talk show host) answers "better than I deserve". I like that answer, and should probably use it, but I wonder if people realize it's significance.

No matter how bad things really are for me I can answer better than I deserve. I may not feel better than I deserve, but I know that I am better than I deserve.

How much better than I deserve? Infinitely better than I deserve. You see, I know that no matter what, I am not getting what I deserve. Romans 6:23 tells the whole story. Paul tells us that we are all sinners, and we deserve death. But that's not all. He goes on to tell us that we have a gift of eternal life through Jesus.

So, no matter what happens, or what I feel like, I am doing better than I deserve.

Not as tired as I thought

2006-10-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon, 3:45 PM - I sit down for a little nap. Why do I need a nap? Well...

Friday - Troop campout. 45 minute wait at Lake Ray Roberts State Park to get in. 1/4 mile hike from parking lot to the campsite. In bed sometime after 11 PM.

Saturday - Got to sleep in! All the way till just after 7:00. Busy day for the boys, not too bad for me, even got a chance to work a Su Doku puzzle. Campfire at 8:00 - nice cool night. In bed before 11 PM.

Sunday - Up at 7:00 - Pack up, eat breakfast, haul all of our stuff out. Wait for scouts to pack up, Chapel service, then the drive home. Unpack, eat lunch, run to Sam's. It's now 3:45, and I'm quite tired. Sleeping on the ground for two nights is taking it's toll. Maybe I'll get a little rest before going to church. I don't want Mike to think that it is his sermon that is putting me to sleep....

So, I try to take a nap. Well, Josh (my 3 yo son) saw that Daddy was sleeping. Usually he would just jump on me, and try to get me to play. Not this time. He decided that Daddy needed the sleep, so he made sure that everyone in the house was quite. He did this by yelling at anyone who made any noise "Quiet Daddy's Sleeping". What a precious thing for him to do. It made me smile when I heard it. Of course he did it about every 10 seconds :-) or so it seemed. Well I did get a few minutes of sleep, and I guess God worked it out that I got just the right amount, cause I didn't even nod off during church. So at the end of the day, I was not as tired as I thought.

Trustworthy

2006-10-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

I decided to start a blog to help process some of the thoughs going through my head. For my first entry, I'll share a Scoutmaster Minute that I gave to my Boy Scout Troop on Monday night. Some sad events at my church dealing with trust brought this story to mind, and I felt that I should share it with the boys.

Trustworthy; it is the first point of the scout law.

Let me tell you a story about someone who most of us would think of as trustworthy. This man used to be the pastor of a large church. Most people would think of a Pastor as a trustworthy man. He was about your age when this story took place.

Like many of you, Bill had the job of taking out the trash. In his house, the trash went out to the curb the night before trash day. Back then, people didn’t have these nice dumpsters with wheels, the trash was in metal trashcans, and he probably had to haul three or four of these to the curb each time.

Well the first trash day after Christmas is always a big trash day. There were lots of empty boxes, and wrapping paper. Bills dad had also asked him to take out the wreath from the front door. As it frequently is at that time of year in the north east, it was bitterly cold that night, and the ground was covered with snow and ice. Bill hauled out all of the trash, and had come back in the house. After he had removed his coat, hat and boots, his father asked about the wreath. Bill had forgotten the wreath. His dad told him to take the wreath to the curb.

Bill decided he would just put back on his boots, and run the whole way so he wouldn’t have to bundle up again. He stepped outside onto the front porch, and took down the wreath. He looked at that long trip to the curb, he was cold and tired. He looked next to the door, and saw the shrubs that were in front of his house. Bill decided that the wreath was “bio degradable”, so he tossed it behind the bushes, and went back into the house.

A couple of years later, his father noticed some holly bushes behind the shrubs growing in a circle. He asked Bill about them, and Bill came clean. He admitted to throwing the wreath back there. Well, his father dug out the holly bushes, and planted them in the yard. Every time the family moved, Bills dad moved those holly bushes too. By the time Bill was a man, those bushes were over 20 feet tall.

Bill had a long and successful career as a pastor. He is now retired, but I bet he still remembers the lesson he learned so well from those holly trees.

So scouts, remember that being trustworthy starts with little things like Christmas wreaths. You never know when your lack of trustworthiness in a little thing will grow into a 20 foot tall tree for all to see.