tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136024472024-03-07T02:56:41.228-05:00Ramblings of a Distracted MindRandom thoughts from a husband, father, seminary student, Air Force Chaplain candidate...robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-33376908809341282512008-09-04T19:29:00.002-04:002008-09-04T19:43:50.563-04:00the final countdownAnybody remember that song from the 80s? I loved 80s music. Still do.<br /><br />So what does 80s music have to do with me coming back to post on this blog for the first time in more than 6 months? Absolutely nothing. Other than the title of the song. It's the final countdown. I know in my last post I said that we had decided to extend our stay an extra semester. But things change. New schedules come out and you realize that you can fit in 3 classes in the summer instead of just 1. To make a long story short, as of 10:01 AM yesterday I officially have less than 100 days until my graduation from seminary.<br /><br />As I said above I was able to fit in 3 classes this summer, along with my Air Force tour to Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs. I currently taking my final 4 seminary classes and, assuming that I pass everything, I will graduate on December 12. That's when the fun really begins. I still have to get 2 years of pastoral experience before I can go on active duty with the military so we're looking for the place God has prepared for me to serve. Our lease on our apartment is up December 30 and we don't know if we'll still be here or moving elsewhere so we're not sure what to do about it. Oh, and Dee Dee is pregnant with our 4th child, which is due on January 15. Busy, busy, busy.<br /><br />Speaking of the baby, yesterday was great in many ways. Not only did it mark the crossing of the 100 day plateau but Dee Dee had an ultrasound and we found out that we are having another boy. His name is Tyler Ethan and we are all excited to welcome him into the chaos that is our family.<br /><br />Well, I know it's been a while, but you'll remember that in my last post I said I would be extremely busy during the Spring semester. Well, it lasted through the Spring and Summer, and into the Fall. I have 19 books assigned this semester, 2 of which I've already finished, 2 more of which must be finished, along with parts of 2 others by Tuesday. So I must bid you all <span style="font-style: italic;">adieu</span> for now as I bury my head in a book for the night. I promise that more will be coming to this website in the future. Good night all.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-43637578499350236532008-02-01T14:03:00.000-05:002008-02-01T14:08:56.878-05:00and then there were 2... (update)We have decided to reevaluate the timing of my graduation. I got all the syllabi for my classes and loaded everything onto my calendar. It was quite a bit of work but would still have been doable. The key came when sitting at community group on Wednesday. We are going through a series on money and our attitudes toward it. I was convicted by much of what was said and Dee Dee and I talked and looked over things after group. We realized that it will actually end up costing us less money out of pocket if I drop a class now and take an extra semester to finish instead of pushing myself to finish in December. So, I dropped my Personal Evangelism class and graduation has been delayed for an extra 5 months. A little more time and a lot less stress on me and my family is a good thing.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-12749436381147019802008-01-26T18:43:00.000-05:002008-01-26T18:53:08.045-05:00and then there were 2...As in only 2 semesters remaining in seminary. I can't believe that I will actually (God willing) be graduating in December. The spring semester starts on Monday and I will be taking 15 hours. Before everyone starts telling me how absolutely insane I am, I've already heard it quite a few times. The thing is, I can either take 15 hours this semester, 6 in the summer and 11 in the Fall or I will have to go another semester. Since I'm not keen on putting off active duty with the Air Force for an additional 6 months, I'll just have to take 15 hours. Here's the rundown of my classes for the Spring.<br /><br />Introduction to Old Testament II<br />Ministry of Proclamation (the preaching class)<br />Personal Evangelism<br />Biblical Worldview and Education Practice<br />Discipling Adults<br /><br />So, if the frequency of posting here on the blog does not increase like I <a href="http://rguilliams.blogspot.com/2007/12/writing-again.html">promised</a> for the next few months at least you'll know why.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-83216028965661271332008-01-07T19:33:00.000-05:002008-01-07T19:39:54.156-05:00square peg, round holeEver been somewhere--church, school, job, wherever--and felt like the proverbial square peg in a round hole. I've been feeling that a lot lately. It's not that I'm trying to force myself, or being forced, into positions that I don't fit. This is occurring in places where once I fit into the slot like a hand into a glove. I just can't tell if I've changed shape or if the hole has altered shape around me. I guess it's a little bit, or possibly even a lot, of both. But regardless of which shape has been altered I know that I no longer fit correctly in some of the places where I am and I need a change. Pray with me that I would make the change that God wants for me to make.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-74781540810597961862007-12-28T19:02:00.000-05:002007-12-28T19:19:20.560-05:00writing againSince I seem to have developed a small but fairly loyal following (as evidenced from the small but steady numbers on my traffic reports) I suppose I should attempt yet again to return to posting on this site. The end of this past semester left little time for things like blogging. Following almost immediately on the heels of Dee Dee's miscarriage I found myself rapidly coming to the end of the semester with all the book reviews, research papers, projects, and final exams which that entails. I managed to get everything done, with a little grace on the due date of a theological position paper from one professor since that paper was due the day after the misscarriage. It wasn't my best semester but I did pretty well, managing to squeak out an A-, 2 B+'s and a B-. Following finals I spent about three weeks reading nothing but fiction (I finished the Harry Potter series and started a new series about the legend of Robin Hood). Throw in traveling to Atlanta, Nashville, Greenville SC, and Hendersonville NC and my mom visiting with us for 3 weeks in the last month and things have been pretty hectic. Now I have two weeks to prepare for a one week class that I'm taking in January. Things are busy, but I still can't wait until January 1 when I can say "I am graduating THIS year."<br /><br />Well, that's a brief update on the last couple of months. I would say that I am going to make a New Year's resolution to post more regularly here, but come on, everybody knows that New Year's resolutions only last about 2 weeks anyway. I will however say that I will do my best to post more so keep checking back.<br /><br />P.S.: Thanks to whoever it was that used the links here on my site to purchase books through Christianbook.com. I get a small percentage back on all sales and that check got here in time to pay for my wife's Christmas present.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-22151834730324861682007-10-31T19:59:00.000-04:002007-10-31T20:14:17.595-04:00joy and sorrowSeveral weeks ago we found out that Dee Dee was pregnant with our fourth child. We told the kids, called all the family and friends, and began preparations for the addition to our family. On Monday of this week, Dee Dee and the kids went out to the campground where her parents were staying in their motorhome. When she called me to tell me they were on their way home that evening she said that she had been bleeding slightly during the day and had experienced a little bit of abdominal pain. We called the doctor on Tuesday morning and went to have her checked out. After blood tests and an ultrasound it was determined that the baby was measuring at about 6 weeks development instead of 8 1/2 weeks where it should be. The doctor prescribed some hormones and sent Dee Dee home to rest. At about 4:15 this morning (31 Oct 2007) our baby went home to heaven. We are sad that this has happened but we "know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)<br /><br />We may never know, this side of heaven, why God chose to end this pregnancy the way He did. But we know that He is in control and that His plan is perfect, no matter how hard it may seem to us at the time we are going through things such as this. God loves us and we are leaning on that love right now.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-48581207367751989982007-10-14T22:48:00.000-04:002007-10-14T22:59:46.005-04:00The BCS must goThis <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AiceEk4sHkAtW2n4WIe5eG0cvrYF?slug=dw-bcs101307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">article</a> from Dan Wetzel pretty much sums up my feelings on the BCS and what it is doing to college football. This thing just needs to die so we can move on to a playoff system like every other normal sport. For the people who are crying and moaning that it will destroy the old traditional bowl system I have a solution. The winner of each conference makes it to the playoffs. That's 11 teams. If you have a 16 team field then you would have 5 wild card teams that would have a shot (there's the chance for the stupid AP, USA Today, and Harris polls to still mean something). Then the remaining teams that are not in the playoffs can still play in the traditional bowl games. There you go, everybody's happy. The fans, players, coaches (and especially the SEC which tends to get messed over most years by the current setup) get an actual national champion crowned with fewer arguments (I would say no arguments, but come on, it is college football after all). The big corporations and the smaller conferences are happy because they get to keep the bowl system which brings in so much money. Of course, maintaining the bowl system and adding a playoff just generates even more money, so everybody is even happier. There, problem solved. Whose desk do I need to jump up and down on top of to get this thing done?robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-26144200229593788262007-09-28T00:20:00.001-04:002007-09-28T00:20:05.038-04:00semester 5 halfway pointWell I just got out of a midterm exam in my Intro to Old Testament class. Could have gone worse, could have definitely gone better. But regardless of that, we have reached the halfway point of the semester. We get a week to sit back and relax and take it easy next week................... Yeah right! We'll all be scrambling to catch up on the reading that we've fallen behind on over the last seven weeks and hopefully get a little jump on the reading and papers that will be coming in the six weeks following the break. But even with all this work ahead of me and even with a little more than a year remaining until graduation I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I started seminary it seemed like I would never be done with school. I figured out a while back that since I started Kindergarten I have been in school for 26 out of the last 31 years. But now I can actually see the end in sight. I'm ready to get done with school and get to work actually doing ministry. My chaplain candidate tour this summer was just a small taste of what I will be doing as an Air Force Chaplain but it was a wonderful taste. My current job, though with a church, has me sitting in front of a computer the vast majority of the time. I'm ready to get away from the machines and start dealing with people. And I can see the day coming!robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-76956321714120137282007-09-10T23:29:00.001-04:002007-09-10T23:30:38.677-04:00Incredible song and video<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/gh7icqR9zEY" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/gh7icqR9zEY" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>I got a link to this video from a friend of mine and just had to post it here. The love of Christ for us is amazing.<br /></p><p><br />The song, "New Again" is by Brad Paisley and Sarah Evans.<br /></p></div>robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-13427765885139627072007-08-31T22:52:00.000-04:002007-08-31T23:06:09.933-04:00preachingI got a call on Wednesday of this week from a little church out west of Louisville asking me to come preach for them on Sunday morning. The church is English Baptist Church in Stephensport, KY. Their interim pastor, or actually their former interim pastor now, was one of my graders at seminary my first semester. He was also an Air Force Reserve Chaplain. I ran in to him this summer and he told me that he was switching over to the Army so he could go on active duty and asked me to send him my resume to forward to the church. I got a call from the head of the pulpit committee this week. I would covet any prayers that might be lifted up for me as I prepare the share the gospel with them on Sunday.<br /><br />I'm still amazed that God has called me to do this since I never wanted to be a preacher and honestly liked dealing with computers more than I did people. But He has placed this call on me, and I have seen His transforming hand on my life over the past couple of years as He prepares me for it. I am now anxious to get away from the computers (at least as a profession) and to deal more with people. I long to develop relationships that will give me the opportunity to share the gospel with lost people and see them brought to Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I have seen the evidence of what I've heard all my life. God will not call you to do something without equipping you with the tools and gifts you need to do it.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-55348247070144373322007-08-24T23:17:00.000-04:002007-08-24T23:59:50.993-04:00Money for nothing? Well, almost...With as much time as I spend on the computer in general and on the internet in particular I have for a long time wondered if it is possible to make money online without spending a ton of it up front. I have tried many different programs and most of them end up dying a quick death just about the time they are supposed to actually send you money. I have found a couple that actually pay however. One of them is <a href="http://www.sendmoreinfo.com/ID/859050">sendmoreinfo.com</a>. This program works by sending you emails based on the interests you select in your profile. When you get the email you click on a link to go to the advertiser's site. You can then just close the site and move on to the next email. For each email you click on you get a "share". You also get shares for each email that anyone you refer clicks on. These shares are converted to cash at the end of each month. The amount varies based on how much revenue the company has generated and how many shares were earned. I was skeptical about this at first but I have actually received 4 checks from them. You're not going to get rich clicking emails (unless you refer a heck of a lot of people) but I know in my family, any extra money is a good thing.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-9137997733473084562007-08-17T15:52:00.000-04:002007-08-17T15:59:12.018-04:00back to the booksWell another semester has officially begun. I am again taking 4 classes this semester. They are:<br />1. Introduction to Old Testament I<br />2. Systematic Theology III<br />3. Introduction to Christian Philosophy<br />4. Team Ministry Relations<br /><br />So far it seems like this is going to be an interesting semester. The only drawback so far is that 3 of my 4 classes are 3 hour blocks one day a week. In one sense that's good because I only have to have assignments done for those classes once a week. However, I have the feeling that sitting through two 3 hour block classes on the same day is going to get really old. But, oh well, it's only for a season.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-34285989180791989342007-08-05T20:08:00.000-04:002007-08-05T20:13:54.816-04:00AF Chaplain Candidate Tour - update 4Well today was a new experience for me. I had the opportunity to preach my first sermon. I've led Bible studies and youth group meetings before but never had the opportunity to preach an actual sermon. It was a great experience. I'm sure it was nowhere near the greatest sermon ever preached. It probably wasn't even very good, but I got lot's of encouragement from the congregation following the service and that helped to build my confidence and let me know that, yes, I can do this job that God has called me to do.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-53879501989043969352007-07-21T12:40:00.000-04:002007-07-24T21:50:18.654-04:00AF Chaplain Candidate Tour - update 3I'm back. Blogger decided for a while that my blog was spam so I couldn't post anything new until they reviewed it and realized that there is in fact an actual person behind this thing.<br /><br />The past two weeks have been full of hospital visitation, invocations at various base functions, and meetings in preparation for two 5K runs that the chapel is sponsoring in the next few weeks. We spent the last two days going around to every building and every office we could get into passing out info about the runs and making sure everyone knows about them. The first run is tomorrow morning so I've got to get this done pretty soon and get in the bed. We've got to be at the chapel at 0530 to get everything loaded and set up at the run site.<br /><br />I've been scheduled to preach in the Evangelical service at the chapel on 5 August. I have the scripture that I am going to preach on and have some illustrations that I know I want to include, now I just need to sit down and figure out how to put everything together. This will be my first experience in preaching a sermon instead of leading a Bible study so pray that I would accurately convey the Word to those listening and that I would not be too nervous.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-87338636449993912192007-07-09T22:08:00.000-04:002007-07-23T17:42:05.494-04:00AF Chaplain Candidate Tour - update 2Our candidate team is complete. Two more chaplain candidates arrived today and both of them are guys that I went through COT with last summer. So now there are four of us, two Baptist seminary students and two Jewish rabbinical students.<br /><br />I got the briefing and tour from the hospital chaplain today so I guess the ministry begins in earnest tomorrow. The biggest challenge I anticipate right now is not getting lost in the maze that they call a hospital here. The next two weeks should be very interesting and intensely busy. The chapel staff is large but will be stretched pretty thin over the next two weeks so we candidates will get lots of experience in a hurry.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-48836568976306402682007-07-06T21:55:00.000-04:002007-07-06T22:29:55.816-04:00AF Chaplain Candidate TourI started my first AF Chaplain Candidate tour today. I drove up to Wright-Patterson AFB yesterday and got my car registered, got checked into billeting, and ran to the Base Exchange (the on base equivalent of WalMart or Target for those of you not in the military) to pick up a few things I needed. The chapel staff here is all very friendly (as you would expect a chapel staff to be). I actually ran into a couple of people I know. One of the other candidates went through training with me last summer. The other person is a reserve chaplain who was actually the grader for one of my classes at <a href="http://www.sbts.edu">Southern</a> while he was working on his PhD there.<br /><br />The day went pretty well. I got to Chapel 1 about 0715 and chatted with the NCOIC until my sponsor arrived a little later. After going out to breakfast with my sponsor all four candidates who are here right now went with one of the chaplains to a Commander's Call (an awards ceremony and a time of information briefing) for one of the squadrons. We then all went to the club for lunch and spent the afternoon moving some equipment out of a few rooms that the chapel doesn't use anymore so they can be turned over and then doing some maintenance in one of the chapels. I was done for the day and back in my room by 1600 (4 PM). I'm looking forward to finding out what the remainder of the summer holds.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-6267312094753406272007-07-01T23:25:00.000-04:002007-07-01T23:29:11.864-04:00too long away from all things LSUOK, we have officially been in Kentucky for too long as of tonight. I was just glancing through the headlines on my "My Yahoo!" page and saw one that read "UK officials widen hunt in terror attack." My first thought was "What happened at University of Kentucky?" Sorry, I've got to cut this short and go listen to LSU pregrame about 50 times in a row to purge myself of this Kentucky-itis.<span class="age"><br /></span>robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-25552777146274898532007-06-30T21:34:00.000-04:002007-06-30T21:57:55.468-04:00social networking - connections and reconnectionsI've been on the net for years now. That's a pretty simple thing to figure out considering that I've been involved in some way or another with computer networking as my job for almost 20 years. In all that time I've avoided many of the popular sites that have sprung up, especially those dedicated to social networking. I hated AOL and it's instant messaging from the outset. I've used it sparingly but never really liked it. I avoided Plaxo for years due to the privacy concerns that many industry leaders raised when they broke onto the scene. I've rarely even browsed on Myspace much less set up a profile. My sole foray into the popular culture of the net was in starting this blog just over 2 years ago. But even in this I've not been very active, as you can see by my post count. However, over that past year or so I've begun to break down a few of these barriers I've built up. I signed up with <a href="http://www.plaxo.com/">Plaxo </a>after reading a review in PC Magazine about how many of the privacy concerns have been answered. I've loved it so far. It has allowed me to get updated information from many of my contacts and even more importantly has allowed me to keep the data easily synced between my office, home and laptop computers.<br /><br />More recently I read some comments from a good friend of mine about how he had found many old friends on <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook </a>and Myspace. I thought "You know I think I signed up for a Facebook account a while back but never did anything with it." I went back and set up my profile and in a very short while have connected with friends ranging from my high school days to some that I am in school or work with currently. There was one person in particular that I went to high school with whom I had been looking for off and on for the last 10 years or so. Within 2 days of getting active on facebook we had reconnected. We also reconnected with some of the students from our youth group in Georgia that we haven't talked to in almost 5 years.<br /><br />Now that I'm reconnecting with all these folks I guess I'll have to do a much better job of using this blog for what it was originally set up for - a way to keep our friends and loved ones updated on what's going on with our family as we follow the path that God has laid before us.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-55180164113841932382007-06-15T08:40:00.000-04:002007-06-15T23:53:25.416-04:00and the silence is broken...I've noticed from my site statistics that there are at least a few people out there who still check this blog on a regular basis. So, after far too long a time spent away from writing, I have returned to break the silence that has held sway here for more than 4 months. Some may ask, "Why were you gone? Where were you?" Well, this past semester at <a href="http://www.sbts.edu/">school</a> was an incredibly stressful one for our family. It wasn't so much the workload as it was all the external things that occurred. There was a lot of traveling and many external crises that had to be dealt with. All of this on top of the stack of books that I had to read and the papers that I had to write left little time, and even less desire for blogging.<br /><br />The first weekend after school started we made the 13+ hour trip to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_Rouge,_Louisiana">Baton Rouge</a> for a surprise party for my Mom's 80th birthday. It was a wonderful occasion but far too quick of a trip. We left <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville%2C_Kentucky">Louisville</a> on Wednesday and came back on Sunday. About a month later was Dee Dee's sister's wedding on a small island off the coast of Belize. The kids and I didn't go to the wedding but a week without Dee Dee here and with my mom and cousin in town to help out with the kids so I could go to school and work added to the stress level a bit.<br /><br />A little later on in the semester we took our van in to the shop because the air conditioner was making noise whenever we turned it on. The estimate to fix all that was wrong was around $1800. Being poor seminary students we don't have $1800 lying around to fix the air conditioner. We do however have some pretty <a href="http://rguilliams.blogspot.com/2006/12/amazing-friends.html">wonderful friends</a> in Baton Rouge several of whom happen to be mechanics who offered to help and who refuse to take payment. So during Spring Break off to Baton Rouge we went once again. Toward the end of the semester we took the van in to the shop again (I honestly don't remember exactly what was going on that time) and the estimate to fix the shocks, struts, rear wheel cylinders, etc, etc, etc, was around $1500. Again, poor seminary students here. We did get the things fixed that were major safety issues and then my father-in-law helped me replace the shocks. OK, he replaced the shocks while I handed him tools and parts.<br /><br />Somehow, through all the traveling, visitors, automotive and financial crises I actually managed to pull my best set of grades since starting seminary. I got an A and three A-'s for the semester. I was planning to take at least one and possibly two classes this summer but decided I needed a break for a while. So for now I'm reading some fiction I picked up from the library and just taking a much needed break from academics. I leave 3 weeks from today for my ADT at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. I'm really looking forward to getting there and actually being able to engage in ministry with Airmen. A huge bonus is that one of my flight mates from last summer at <a href="http://www.afoats.af.mil/OTS/index.asp">OTS</a> and the Chaplain Candidate Course will be arriving just a few days after I do.<br /><br />Well, that's about it for now. I will try my best to make sure that it's not another 4 months before my next post.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-43684336955848660742007-02-06T22:25:00.000-05:002008-12-10T03:35:22.658-05:00In service for freedom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU4KOmXrVHo6whQYtl1e2ydnDtF-sWrLCus38ynqEfh2z1CFrWCrMz38oxoGFzwTrcjQFZIw87T_h-nOQZB0fl1juhHbY6bjYZD_d1HO8KRzd7wW1qRk5wdvDx2ztco2ITCNpoA/s1600-h/dad's+rack.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU4KOmXrVHo6whQYtl1e2ydnDtF-sWrLCus38ynqEfh2z1CFrWCrMz38oxoGFzwTrcjQFZIw87T_h-nOQZB0fl1juhHbY6bjYZD_d1HO8KRzd7wW1qRk5wdvDx2ztco2ITCNpoA/s320/dad's+rack.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028628741052367954" border="0" /></a>I have been searching for a while to find out what awards my Dad got during his time in the Navy. This image shows what I believe his rack to be. The records I got from the archives in St. Louis left a lot to be desired. When I got out of the Army the clerk that was processing me made sure that every single award I had earned was listed on my records. I guess they didn't take that much care with folks getting out 50 years ago. My dad's records showed only the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal. The other ones wer in his old stuff that my Mom still has though they were extremely worn and faded. His rack may not be the biggest or most impressive of the era but for a WWII era sailor it's not too shabby. I'm proud to come from a line of military service and I'm proud to be continuing that tradition of defending the rights we hold dear in this nation. I count it an honor to be one of the many who have voluntarily answered the call to serve. Remember that all the men and women serving in our armed forces today do so of their own free will. We are not compelled to serve, we are not sent to war; we choose to serve the interests of this nation. And if it means that we must lay our lives down on foreign soil, like so many of our predecessors, we will do so, in order that our loved ones, and those that we may not agree with or even like very much, may enjoy the freedoms that make this nation great. My father did not lose his life in service to our country, but he did answer the call to serve, and did so honorably. I pray that none of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, or Marines would ever again have to lay down their lives for the cause of freedom but I know that that prayer will probably not be answered in the way that I would wish. However, even though they lose their lives, it shall not be in vain if their sacrifice brings continued freedom to our nation and carries the cause of freedom to other peoples.<br /><br />If you are reading this, whether you agree with the current war in which we are fighting or not, please take a moment to say a prayer for the safety of the men and women in uniform who are fighting to keep this country free and to bring that same freedom to other peoples around the world.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-33880544255177212112007-01-27T22:22:00.001-05:002007-01-27T22:23:17.381-05:00fitness training - a new idea for setting goalsSince I got done with my Air Force training last summer I must admit that I have been pretty lazy. With work, school, church and finding time for family I just didn't eke out the time that I needed to in order to keep up with my physical conditioning. I finally realized something in December about the way I set goals for myself. In the past I have tended to set goals such as "Do 100 pushups and 100 situps everyday" or "Read 5 chapters in the Bible everyday." The problem with these type of goals is that when I miss one or two days I say "What's the point? I can't do it" and I give up the whole enterprise. So I decided to set my goals a little differently this time. Instead of setting a daily number for my fitness goals I decided to set a larger goal to shoot for. I set an average number of pushups and situps that I want to do for the month of January and figured out what the total number for the whole month would be. That way if I miss a day or two I can make it up by doing extra on other days and still reach my goal. For subsequent months I will add to the average number per day. Setting my goals this way I came up with a total number that I want to do for the entire year (38,420). Actually I set an ultimate goal of 40,000. I know that sounds like alot, but when you break it down over a year's time it's only about 110 per day.<br /><br />I've also set a goal for the total number of miles of cardio exercise I want to do for the year. I didn't want to limit this to running alone in order to plug in some variety. I'll keep track of running, biking, elliptical, etc. My goal for the year is 1500 miles. I might have to adjust that goal some as I go along, but we'll see how things progress.<br /><br />Ultimately of course, it's not about the numbers. The numbers are just a way to keep me focused. The real goal is to make physical fitness a lifestyle and not a means to pass my annual Physical Fitness Assessment for the Air Force.<br /><br />In order to keep track of my progress (and just because I wanted to try out the <a href="http://wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> blogging tool) I started a new <a href="http://changetime.wordpress.com/">blog</a>. I'm also using this blog to keep track of money that I find laying around. I started doing this on paper sometime last year after finding several blogs in which people were doing so. I haven't really been trying to find money the way some of the other folks do, but so far I've found a total of $59.82. Not great, but not too shabby either. I might find other things to track on there also. You never know. As the tag line on the blog says it is going to be "A place to track random things that no one else cares about."robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-43039475911759476382007-01-21T20:51:00.001-05:002008-12-10T03:35:22.841-05:001 picture, way more than 1000 words<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGbEtqmlWsdoXjzigQJL3NMoHaY3JWBIn4yed_zSIxfDHQf17tOeFyfjgCLXAvI3EbuSIHnGnHRyuFDK0L12ybTqKDQt3Tb4vZ4idwYAR_rLL7QSZLxEpjWBvQuA1qSzSBk2rIQ/s1600-h/memorial.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGbEtqmlWsdoXjzigQJL3NMoHaY3JWBIn4yed_zSIxfDHQf17tOeFyfjgCLXAvI3EbuSIHnGnHRyuFDK0L12ybTqKDQt3Tb4vZ4idwYAR_rLL7QSZLxEpjWBvQuA1qSzSBk2rIQ/s320/memorial.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022662453691681394" border="0" /></a><br />I saw <a href="http://www.baptistpress.com/bpnews.asp?ID=24797">this story</a> today on <a href="http://www.baptistpress.com/">Baptist press</a>. It's about a memorial for victims of abortion. The picture is what really grabbed me. So many in our culture today think of babies while still in the womb about the same way that they think about pennies. Many see pennies as worthless and just toss them away. Long ago many saw babies as worthless and wanted to be able toss them away in the same manner. In 1973 they were told they had the right to do this and this picture is a representation of the results of that decision by the Supreme Court. In 33+ years almost 5 million choices have been made to toss away what was seen as a worthless life. The picture shows a penny for each life that has been aborted. It adds up to almost $500,000. I guess pennies aren't so worthless after all and each life is worth far more than this. Life is a priceless comodity. Psa 139:13 tells us "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." We were formed by an act of God so each human life has infinite worth. We should not so blithely toss it awayrobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-1604542249875423542007-01-20T22:39:00.001-05:002007-01-20T22:39:19.349-05:00political games, when do we get to have an offseason?Hillary Clinton officially threw her hat into the ring for the Presidential race in 2008 today (as if anyone in the country had any doubts whatsoever that she would). We just got done with the mid-term elections, which were oh so much fun (yes that was definitely sarcasm you noticed in that statement), and now we get to start the whole process over again and listen to these people trash each other for the next 2 years. For once I'd like to see a politician run a campaign in which they actually talk about what they believe, and what they plan to do instead of spending all their time trying to discredit their oponent. I don't care what party a candidate is from, if they would take an ethical stance to build their campaign on their own merits instead of focusing on the bad points of thier oponent they would definitely have an advantage in getting my vote. I stop short of saying that I would definitely vote for them because what they consider to be their merits might not match up with my own worldview. Am I alone in this, or are there others who are tired of seeing these negative campaigns drag on and on for years on end.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-43305374031419734932007-01-19T22:35:00.000-05:002007-01-19T22:40:14.661-05:00to blog or not to blog...? to blog!It's been a while since I blogged anything significant. I want to blog because I want to exercise those writing muscles, to keep the creative juices flowing as it were. I know that's a tired old cliche, but it's true. I want to write and I know that the best way to improve writing is simply to do it over and over again. I've simply been in a blogging funk for the past several months. This past semester at seminary wasn't as difficult or time-consuming as previous semesters but for some reason I just had more trouble keeping up with the reading and finding time to do the things that I really wanted to do. The spring semester starts in a week and a half and I'm taking more classes this time. Maybe with more time constraints on me I'll actually do a better job of managing my time and finding the time to blog.<br /><br />One of my biggest concerns as this semester starts is finances. Our credit card balances are creeping ever higher and our income is not reciprocating. Even with a small scholarship this semester's tuition and books will come to around $1600. I received a small raise at the church to start the new year but I'm still only working part time. Plus, due to the busyness of the holidays Dee Dee has not had any Pampered Chef shows for approximately 2 months. Things will start getting a little better pretty soon as she has 6 kitchen shows and 1 catalog show scheduled over the next 4-5 weeks. I placed advertising from Yahoo! on the blog a while back in the hopes of creating a little bit of income from that, but the fact that I haven't blogged much has not helped the effort. That's one incentive to keep blogging. The more I blog, and the more people I get coming to the blog regularly, the more chance I will have that someone will actually click on an ad now and then.<br /><br />I'm officially done with my language study now. I took Introductory Biblical Hebrew this past semester and by the grace of God managed to pull an A- in the class. So, no more foreign alphabets, no more vocabulary, no more grammar. At least not until I get onto active duty with the Air Force and they see my background in languages and decide to send me back to DLI to pick up yet another language. Actually, I'm not sure if they would bother sending a Chaplain to DLI for language school, but I wouldn't mind spending another year out there in the Monterey Bay area.<br /><br />This spring I'll be taking four classes - Systematic Theology II, Biblical Counseling in Human Crises, The Ministry of Teaching, and Lifespan Developments. I'm really looking forward to this semester. I've got some great professors and the classes sound really interesting. I was planning on taking The Ministry of Proclamation (a preaching class) but after looking at the syllabus I decided that I needed to put that class off another semester or two. The class is basically designed to be a culmination of your seminary training so I'll wait and take it in the final semester or two before graduation.<br /><br />Well, that about does it for tonight. I'm going to go surf the web for a while and try to find something interesting to blog about for tomorrow. Hope to see you then.robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13602447.post-80259261835697613722007-01-05T11:19:00.000-05:002007-01-19T23:05:28.385-05:00My Exciting LifeIt's been a while since she did it but a friend from Baton Rouge posted this list on her <a href="http://pamela-august.blogspot.com/">blog</a>. I finally decided to go through it and post it here. The idea is to highlight the things on the list that you have done.<br /><br />01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink<br />02. Swam with wild dolphins<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">03. Climbed a mountain</span><br />04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive<br />05. Been inside the Great Pyramid<br />06. Held a tarantula<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">08. Said “I love you” and meant it</span><br />09. Hugged a tree<br />10. Bungee jumped<br />11. Visited Paris<br />12. Watched a lightning storm at sea<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise</span><br />14. Seen the Northern Lights<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)</span><br />16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa<br />17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables<br />18. Touched an iceberg<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. Slept under the stars</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. Changed a baby’s diaper</span><br />21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. Watched a meteor shower</span><br />23. Gotten drunk on champagne (let's say tipsy)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">24. Given more than you can afford to charity</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment</span><br />27. Had a food fight<br />28. Bet on a winning horse<br />29. Asked out a stranger<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">30. Had a snowball fight</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can</span><br />32. Held a lamb<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">33. Seen a total eclipse</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">34. Ridden a roller coaster</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">35. Hit a home run</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking</span><br />37. Adopted an accent for an entire day<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">39. Had two hard drives for your computer</span><br />40. Visited all 50 states<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">41. Taken care of someone who was drunk</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">42. Had amazing friends</span> (see the <a href="http://rguilliams.blogspot.com/2006/12/amazing-friends.html">previous post</a> for proof of this one)<br />43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country<br />44. Watched wild whales<br />45. Stolen a sign<br />46. Backpacked in Europe<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">47. Taken a road-trip</span><br />48. Gone rock climbing<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">49. Midnight walk on the beach</span><br />50. Gone sky diving<br />51. Visited Ireland<br />52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love<br />53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them<br />54. Visited Japan<br />55. Milked a cow<br />56. Alphabetized your CDs<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">57. Pretended to be a superhero</span><br />58. Sung karaoke<br />59. Lounged around in bed all day<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">60. Played touch football</span><br />61. Gone scuba diving<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">62. Kissed in the rain</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">63. Played in the mud</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">64. Played in the rain</span><br />65. Gone to a drive-in theater<br />66. Visited the Great Wall of China<br />67. Started a business<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">69. Toured ancient sites </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">72. Gotten married</span><br />73. Been in a movie<br />74. Crashed a party<br />75. Gotten divorced (might as well take this one off the list, not gonna happen)<br />76. Gone without food for 5 days<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">77. Made cookies from scratch</span><br />78. Won first prize in a costume contest<br />79. Ridden a gondola in Venice<br />80. Gotten a tattoo<br />81. Rafted the Snake River<br />82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”<br />83. Got flowers for no reason<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">84. Performed on stage</span><br />85. Been to Las Vegas<br />86. Recorded music<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">87. Eaten shark</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">88. Kissed on the first date</span><br />89. Gone to Thailand<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">90. Bought a house</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">91. Been in a combat zone</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">92. Buried one/both of your parents</span><br />93. Been on a cruise ship<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">94. Spoken more than one language fluently</span><br />95. Performed in Rocky Horror<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">96. Raised children</span> (still working on this one)<br />97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour<br />99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over</span> (not sure if this counts, but I've moved twice for school, to Baton Rouge, and to Louisville)<br />101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking</span><br />103. Had plastic surgery<br />104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived<br />105. Wrote articles for a large publication<br />106. Lost over 100 pounds<br />107. Held someone while they were having a flashback<br />108. Piloted an airplane<br />109. Touched a stingray<br />110. Broken someone’s heart<br />111. Helped an animal give birth<br />112. Won money on a T.V. game show<br />113. Broken a bone<br />114. Gone on an African photo safari<br />115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol</span> (yes, yes, and yes)<br />117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">118. Ridden a horse</span><br />119. Had major surgery<br />120. Had a snake as a pet<br />121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon<br />122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours<br />123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states<br />124. Visited all 7 continents<br />125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days<br />126. Eaten kangaroo meat<br />127. Eaten sushi<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">128. Had your picture in the newspaper</span> (I had a bag over my head, but it was me)<br />129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">130. Gone back to school</span><br />131. Parasailed<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">132. Touched a cockroach</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">133. Eaten fried green tomatoes</span><br />134. Read The Iliad<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">137. Skipped all your school reunions</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language</span><br />139. Been elected to public office<br />140. Written your own computer language<br />141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream<br />142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care<br />143. Built your own PC from parts<br />144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you<br />145. Had a booth at a street fair<br />146. Dyed your hair<br />147. Been a DJ<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">148. Shaved your head</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">149. Caused a car accident</span><br />150. Saved someone’s liferobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09984100543534226859noreply@blogger.com1