Holmes -- House

When I read the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes I realized that our new friend, Dr. Gregory House must have been developed with Holmes in mind.

he perfect intellect --virtual machine of cogitation --emotional black hole of emotions --incapable of sustaining a relationship with more than one friend - Wilson --he abuses drugs --quirky habits --unbearably supercilious

It is interesting that House is played by a British actor. It will be interesting to see if House can stand the test of time. I am not sure. There seems to me to be something in House's eyes that I never saw in Holmes. There is a longing to be different. Holmes always seemed to be okay with who he was. Watson was an enabler just as WIlson. If I remembered correctly Holmes became an addict based on injury like House. I wondered what the difference of the two drugs side effects on the men would be?

Who in our culture is similar to Sherlock Holmes

Today I was reading Elizabeth George’s Book WRITE AWAY as a part of my ‘writing education.’ I am finding it very readable and informative. In the section on characters, she described Sherlock Holmes, a favorite character of mine. When I read this paragraph, I was shocked at who it reminded me of in our current culture. Let me list bullet points from her delightful prose on page and she if you can see the similarities.

--the perfect intellect

--virtual machine of cogitation

--emotional black hole of emotions

--incapable of sustaining a relationship with more than one Dr. friend

--he abuses drugs

--quirky habits

--unbearably supercilious

George believes that these characteristics make Holmes an unforgettable character. I was shocked and disappointed that I hadn’t thought of this comparison before. Who does it make you think of?

I’ll post my thoughts tomorrow.

A Review of The Good and Beautiful God

Lyndie Blevins

The Good and Beautiful God - Falling In Love With The God Jesus Knows

James Bryan Smith

ISBN: 978-0-8308-3531-7 IVP - Books InterVarsity Press Publisher

Published Date: 2009 Review Date: 3 December 2009

A review of The Good and Beautiful God

James Bryan Smith has combined his years of personally seeking spiritual transformation in his life with his studying under some of the scholars of spiritual formation to write this very readable, practical training guide for discovering the God that Jesus reveals to us. The book is organized in chapters focusing on false concepts we hold about God and the true concepts Jesus reveals. Following each chapter are ‘soul training’ exercises to help imbed the teaching of Jesus into our lives., so we can see and understand the world Jesus’ sees.

We frequently discuss change in our lives. As Christians we like to discuss it’s cousin - transformation. They are at the heart of our self-help culture. Jim says many Christians “lead a life of quiet desperation, longing for change and yet uncertain that it will never happen. “ I understand that statement. I have seen the truth of this in Paul’s writings and felt his eagerness for us to share in this new life in Christ. Often, I have felt like I was at the first screen of a internet mapping program. I could enter both my current and desired state, but I didn’t have the map and the step by step instructions of how to get from point A to point B. Jim’s book provides those instructions. He outlines and develops four things that are key to spiritual formation: changing the stories in our mind, engaging in new practices, reflecting and talking with others on the same path, and being the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Jim challenges the reader to understand the most important things to us are: what we think of God and how we love God. We achieve our deepest desires and become our true selves in light of God’s grace through faith working in love. We are storied creatures, but we need the right stories running our lives. Our stories have their roots in the kingdom of this world. What we need is the mind of Christ. Knowing that my life has often been driven by the tapes that run in my head, I found these principles for change very helpful.

Jim walks through scriptures and and the insights of others to reveal the God of Jesus who is good and beautiful, loving and trustworthy, self-sacrificial and forgiving, powerful and caring, and out for our good. While he clearly shows that our God has a love that is unconditional, he deals honestly with our holy God’s wrathful response to sin and evil. Another concept I found convicting was that it wasn’t my sin that moves me away from God, but my refusal to accept His grace.

The book is designed to be worked in a community over a period of several weeks, where working together will magnified the impact of the new knowledge. There is a very detailed small group discussion guideline for each chapter at the end of the book.

I heard Jim Smith speak in November and was enticed to learn more. As such, I read the book by myself and fairly quickly, totally ignoring his advice. This is an example of one of those false concepts that Jim describes in the book that applies in such a concrete way in my life, The need to outrun God. I could only laugh at myself when I realized this is what I had done with the book.

This is not a book that will go back on the shelf, but one I will be using and sharing. If you are looking for the directions on how to get from where you are to having the mind of Christ, this book is for you.

CLASS Christian Writers Conference

In November, I attended 2 Christian Writers Conferences. On was for 2 days in South Texas at an Episcopal Camp and 5 days in Northern New Mexico at the Ghost Ranch in Abuquiu, which is operated by the Presbitarian Church. Both conferences were great. I met some great new friends, learned a lot about the business/craft of writing and spent some quality time with Jesus.

The vistas in New Mexico were incredible. No matter how many photos I took it was never enough. The horse in the photos was given to the ranch with the understanding she could live out the remainder of her life. She is 46 years old. I have some new favorite writers to add to my list. I have finished one book and have a stack to go...

Check out more photos of New Mexico at

address: http://ccwcghostranch09.snapfish.com/snapfish/otsc=SYE/otsi=WCRroom code: HolyGhost

What's it like to be retired

It’s been a little over a month since I retired. With the deposit of my first check Wednesday night, I know it is real. I never think that I am superstitious until something good happens to me, and then I watch the circles I will go through to not lose it. Until I can get to a place where I know it is real I can’t let myself think or feel or experience the good things in life.

My last 2 days at work were emotionally draining. Saying goodbye to people and hallways and processes that have been at the heart of my life for thirty years was not only hard but almost unbearable to vocalize.

Those last few days seemed more like a dream than a reality. Much like an out of the body experience. I knew what I needed to do next, went through the motions, but it didn’t seem real. I know I wasn’t emotionally strong enough to say goodbye to people and processes and hallways that had been a part of my life for 30 years. Maybe, none of us can. Its why there are songs like Happy Trails and Until We Meet Again. There was always such a since of hope when Dale and Roy would sing Happy Trails at the end of their show. This wasn’t the end of an episode. It was the final episode of the series. But, there were no groups hugs, no tidy endings with everyone leaving to head off for new, exciting adventures. For everyone else it was only an event on their Outlook calendar. For me it was more like being in the Mayan 2012 calendar.

The last Friday, I loaded the car and drove away from my known life. The next few days are a blur. In between a couple of obligations and a brief Walmart trip, I slept for four days. During the stop at Walmart, I set the stage for the rest of the week by buying a new nightshirt and a pair of lounging pajamas. Lounging pajamas are a luxury I have never allowed myself. As I entered the store, I realized I wasn’t in a hurry. For the first time in a very long time, I didn’t feel like I was stealing time from all the other things I have to do.

What is it like to be retired? Freedom, absolute freedom! No decisions need to be made, no one waiting for me, depending on me, no responsibilities. This month has been the ‘break’ that Ross on Friends could only dream about.

In addition to resting I’ve been busy. I have merged the stuff from the office into the house. I almost have the house in order. I have a new cat and helping her adjust to a new home and dogs. I’ve been visiting my Chiropractor, which I desperately needed to do. I’ve helped my parents out with a couple of their doctor appointments. Some of the time, I’ve been learning about my new Mac and Iphone. It is hard to escape technology. However, most of my fun has been exploring eBay, amazon and aafes.com for bargains and things I just have to have. I also managed to work in a writers conference.

I know that this life of no responsibilities will not last. In fact, I still have my Sunday School and Bible Study commitments. And soon, I will be diving into this world of being a writer. But a for few days I am enjoying this sense of total freedom.

In memory of my Uncle

I originnally wrote this in October after our family reunion. I am reposting it today in memory of My Uncle Ewing who passed away yesterday afternoon Tuesday, 2 Feb. 2009. My Aunt Faye is sitting next to him.

H. E. Ewing Paris

I was fortunate when I was growing up to be surrounded by strong male figures, my Dad, Granddads and Uncles. In my little girl’s perception of life, they stood as heroic figures of working men. I never wondered what truck drivers or mail men or preachers or soldiers or cowboys or deacons or firemen were like. I saw them every day. I saw them take care of their families, work in their churches and stand up for what was right in their communities. My Uncle Ewing was the fireman. The fact that the dangers, that went along with the job on the streets of Dallas, were never really spoken out loud at family gatherings only made them more real to us. As children, we focused more on the adventure and excitement that went with the lights and sirens than the actual work that went with handling water hoses and fighting flames.Uncle Ewing ruled the 4th of July. This was, of course, before the community firework extravaganzas we experience today. If you were going to have fireworks, you did it yourself. We always had someone in the family who lived out in the ‘country’ and hosted the family’s 4th of July celebration. As our fireman, Uncle Ewing would decide if the conditions were okay for the evening’s fireworks. Was the wind blowing too hard? Was the grass too dry? As kids, we would tip toe around him all afternoon, trying to honor his authority, yet hoping, deep in our hearts, that he would announce,’ Yes, we can have fire works!’.On those ‘favorable’ years he would supervise the other uncles as they set up and ignited the fireworks. From as much of a distance as he could manage, we would be in awe at each shooting star or Roman candle. As an adult, I can only wonder how hard it must have been for him to do something that could so quickly start a fire. We could sense his reluctance for the fireworks (even if we didn’t understand it.) Yet, his willingness to do it anyway, because he loved us, gave birth to a true hero.At these family gatherings, my elders would gather in the evening to resolve the world’s problems. As I remember, Uncle Ewing would speak with reason. He has a deep, mellow voice that brings calm. I always imagined that it was exactly the right kind of voice to carry through a dark night of fire and smoke and to bring welcomed instructions to other firefighters.From Uncle Ewing, we learned simple things like tattoos might seem exciting, but years later, you regret your youthful indulgences. Or, it is okay to sleep in the nude as long as you don’t mind being carried out of the house naked by a fire fighter. The thought of Uncle Ewing coming through the fire has kept me in PJs even on the hottest nights.In the mid 70’s, when Uncle Ewing retired, we thought he had answered his last fire call in health. And for many years, he was able to enjoy golf, his grandkids and now his great-grandkids. However, the ravages of being a ‘smoke eater’ have become real. Years of toxic fumes and intensive heat created skin and breathing problems for him. Now, in his 80’s, he is on oxygen full time. Recently, he had a really low spell. The doctors had nothing encouraging for him, but he rallied. This weekend, we were glad when he felt well enough to attend our annual family reunion. I watched him sitting in his wheelchair, holding his oxygen bottle in his lap, and grateful to be with his family again. There in the sunlight, his inner priorities of God, family and community showed through his outer appearance. I knew he was still a hero to me.

The license plate game - my count for 2009

Every play the license plate game? I love to play it when I am on a trip. This is my rule, you can't count a state while you are in the state. I hate it when a colored plate whizzes by too fast to read the plate. Or the plate frame covers the state's name. (I was glad when Texas made it illegal to have the state name covered.) Last year I went to Orlando and Las Vegas on 2 trips. Since cars are often moving too fast to read them while I am driving, another rule I have is that it is legal to look for them in parking lots.
Large amusement parks and hotels always yield a wealth of plates. An amazing thing I have found is that a Texas plate is usually the first out of state plate I see. We are everywhere! I collected quite a few when I was in Orlando, but when I got home I put the list away. I didn't think much more about it until one Friday afternoon, while I was running errands after work I was sitting at a red light in Duncanville. Remember, I said Duncanville. I couldn't believe it, there were 6 different out of state license plates waiting with me for the light to change. Did I say I was in Duncanville? I did one of those 360 degree looks to verify where I was. I really for a second I had slipped into an alternate universe. I have spent most of my life explaining where Duncanville was, yet here were 6 cars from different states at the same place, at the same time in Duncanville. (And they weren't from Lousisanna, Arkansas, New Mexico or Oklahoma.) I was thinking did I miss something in news?
While I was still contemplating this event, someone at work transferred back to HQs from Hawaii. They shipped their car back! So when I saw a Hawaiian license plate in Dallas, Texas, what could I do but accept the challenge to spot all 50 states in the year. I pulled the list out and knowing I could collect a lot in Nevada in the fall. By the end of the year I had spotted 49 states, missing only Montana. And I probably saw it in Nevada and missed writing it down.
I decided to see how long it would take to find the states this year. Once again I am blown away. In the month of January, driving within the boundaries of Dallas country, I have spotted 34 different states. One afternoon, my brother and I were running some errands. One was to pick up my nephew at a private school in Oak Cliff (in south Dallas). I was explaining the game and what I was finding, and there were three out-of -state plates in the school's parking lot.

It is possible that I have been obvious to different plates around me in the past, but I don't think so. I know that ever since Katrina you see a lot of Louisiana plates. It is true that number has been dwindling the farther we get from the holidays, but I hardly ever make a trip without seeing one, even if it is one of the neighboring states. I can't help but believe that something is happening. I wonder if these are folks looking for jobs.

This used to be fun, but now it is almost an obsession with me . When I started my spreadsheet last year I stored it in a folder called 'Travel'. That is what it is suppose to be a game for when you are traveling not for when you are running errands.

At least now you know about my obsession. I am hoping that you will be a character witness for me in the event I am ever picked up for suspicious behavior in a parking lot. You can say, no, she wasn't lurking, she was collecting license plates. Of, course I don't think that sounds good either.

My dogs had other plans for me today

We have been experiencing winter in North Texas the last couple of days. Tuesday the freezing rain started, and over night it sleeted pretty heavily with the temperatures below freezing. I have a pretty tricky driveway. Some times the ice effects and some times not. Yesterday was one of the days it was effective. My work had a delayed opening of 10 am, but the sun did not come out of the clouds until 10.

This is what I saw from my garage. The driveway drops down to go over a creek and then back up to the street. Below is a view of the bridge through the trees, I wasn't able to walk down the driveway.

I wasn't able to go to work. So the dogs were in and out of the house all day. They love the cold, especially my Austrailian Shepherd. When they are in the house they are never far from me.

One of the greatest things yesterday, was the overcoming feeling of cleaniness. The air was so brisk and clean. All the trees and shrubs had a coating of ice that made them glisten. The photos don't do justice to the scene. I found that I could see the ice on the tips of the limbs by applying a watercolor technique.

It did remind me of the holiness of God's nature, fresh renewed again.

The temperature rose and the ice melted through the day and early evening.

And the temperature dropped below freezing again during the night. We woke this morning to a fog. I grabbed the camera and took a photo, it looked cold. But the driveway was clear, so I had to go work. I let the dogs back in, because of how cold it was. They were so excited. Evidently they thought we had the entire day to play. I think they were remembering another year when I took pictures of them in the ice. As I said goodby they blocked me from the door as though they were saying, "no, you are not leaving, we want to play!"

Here is what it looked like this morning. The downed tree limb on the right is from an ice storm a couple of weeks ago, when 3 limbs fell across the driveway.

After the dogs reaction this morning, I can hardly wait until my retirement, maybe they really won't let me out of the house.

The United States will not torture

After a full day of work, I sat down to check my email while the microwave was warming dinner. Turning on the TV, President Obama was speaking at the State Department earlier in the day. These were the first words I heard, "First, I can say without exception or equivocation that the United States will not torture." Of course, I knew why he was saying those words. I had known for a long time. Still, I could hardly believe my ears. The President of the United States was having to say outloud, "the United States will not torture." It makes my stomach turn. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that someone had the courage to say those words. How did we get to this place?

One way was certainly by allowing this to happen. By never saying the words outloud to ourselves and to others, we allowed it to happen. By thinking we had no control, we aloud it to happen. In a few seconds, I experienced shame and remorse and then immediately relief. I wish we could say, never again will it be true. Unfortunately, our history shows that when given the oportunities some Americans will take physical advantage of others. I can say never again on my watch and I will encourage those who I can influence to hold true in their lives the thought the United States will not torture.

20 January 2009

20 January 2009
I have a $25 small black & white TV that I keep in my office. I bought it at the HQs store probably 10 years ago. More than anything I was drawn to it because it cost $25 dollars; I was amused that I could buy a TV set for $25. You get what you pay for, but for days like yesterday, it provided what I needed. The reception in the building is poor and it was network TV, but to keep up with what was happening it did the job. Although every time I moved I had to readjust the antenna, remember those days? We were able to watch much of the day on our corporate television system on our PCs. So I would bounce between the PC and my portable TV through the day. I intended to write what I thought about the day last night, but by the time I got home I was emotionally drained.
I knew how excited my friends were who were making the trip to D.C. You could see the excitement in the crowds on the mall in the early morning. It reminded me of the week the Native American museum was opened on the mall in Washington. I was fortune to be in Washington, D.C. that week. I was honored to be able to go the mall several times for different events around my business obligations. The city was full of Native Americans who never thought there would be a day they would be honored. Many were staying at my hotel in Arlington, Va. It was exciting to be among the attendees and talk with them about the museum and what it meant to them. On opening day there was parade and many were wearing native clothing. I have to admit it took a little courage as one of the few Anglos to step into an elevator full of Native Americans dressed in native clothing including face paint and feather headdresses. What I saw on TV yesterday reminded of the pride and excitement I felt that week.
For myself, from the opening prayer to the benediction, my heart strings were tugged by each speaker. I would hear a phrase and feel a tug on my heart. I would take a breath. Before I could recover, another touching phrase would be uttered and the cycle would start again. Maybe it was so hard because it has been so long since I have heard those sounds of hope voiced yesterday.
I was surprised to hear and read the critical comments that have been spoken about the ceremony. It makes me wonder what speeches they were listening to, or were they listening at all? I also wondered if just like the different rendition ‘My Country Tis of Thee’, we were hearing a different voice for the Inaugural Speech.
I read all the text of the speeches again this evening, and found the same emotions overwhelming me. My yesterday was real. I was reminded of our great past and encouraged to believe in the potential for our greatness in the future. The rhetoric not only made me feel, it made me think.
As much as I hate to admit it, I had to wonder about what the difference would there have been if it had been a woman taking the oath for the oval office. Throughout the afternoon, those thoughts were with me. I have to say that while it would have been a great thing, I don’t believe it would have had the same impact as what we saw yesterday. Not just here in America, but around the world. I hope you can understand how difficult that is for me to say. I told a friend of mine today that twenty years ago I would not have been able to say it. Back then, I was heartbroken when I learned how the women that worked as early abolitionists were turned away as voting delegates from the World’s First Anti-slavery Convention. They came back to fight for their own freedom to vote. Although there are many barriers we have crossed and many we still have in front of us, as women we do have avenues for power and recognition.
All I can say is that yesterday, I was reminded that anything can happen in America. And our collective greatness will require you and me taking part.
What a thrill it would have been to be there and chime in with Amen and Amen and Amen!