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Americana Journal

A Unique American Vehicle

 One of the fascinating sidelights of our visit to Glacier National Park was the ubiquitous red tour bus.   Since I was driving my own rented vehicle, I did not actually get to ride one, but we usually saw them parked with us at various points of interest.   One’s first impression when you see them is, “How do they dare run an antique vehicle up these mountains?”   Then you discover that they have been refurbished beautifully.   Even the interior work is excellent.  Ford Motor Company did the remodeling job.  They add a unique element to the park that somehow complements in time frame and style the grand lodges of the park which were completed in the early twentieth century.     This link is about riding in them.  http://glacierparkinc.com/tour_detail.php?id=1

They have become a cultural icon in themselves in the park.   The drivers are called “jammers” from the old days when the vehicles had manual transmissions rather than the automatics of today.   Even a local root beer is named for the buses.  I drank a bottled of it and peeled the label off for a souvenir.  

A modeling company (The Open Top Bus Company) has produced an O scale model of the 1936 White Tour bus # 706.  (White is the name of the company that made them, not the color.)  Being an O gauge railroad buff on the side, of course, I had to have one.   This link details the history of the vehicles.  http://www.fomentek.com/opentop_history.htm 

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Journal

KNN Up; Church Notes category closing

Our church webmaster, Steven Sgroi, has just finished putting up our newly formatted blog-style Kirkville News and Notes.   As readers of my blog have known, this has been in process over the summer. We have been experimenting on Steven’s computer with various formats to see which ones would present the news well, integrate well with our present site and allow for several key people to be involved in adding info. We decided that the online Kirkville News and Notes (KNN) would continue to feature both announcements of coming events and articles highlighting what has just happened.   The photo masthead is planned as a link to the past printed history of KNN.

I invite you to check out the result at http://www.kirkvillewesleyan.org/news.html.   As a result of this shift, this will be the last entry in my Church Notes category.   I will be taking that one down within the week.  (Previous entries can then be found in the Journal category instead, I believe.)  Articles that I would have posted on Church Notes will now be at the link noted which is under the News Tab on our home page.

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Journal Who Am I

Why I Signed the Manhattan Declaration (Sep 8, 2010)

 

Today I decided to sign the Manhattan Declaration.   The time has come for Christians to speak out strongly in unison about these values that are essential without clouding the picture with denominational exclusives and sub-culture preferences.   I was very drawn also to the way the declaration’s preamble linked the causes we are speaking out about today to some of the high moments in the history of Christianity.  Indeed, when I sign it, I do have a sense that I am standing in the greatest strands of Christian tradition.

I signed, first of all, because the three causes are ones with which I wholeheartedly agree.

  1. Every human life is a creation of God from conception and is to be respected as such.   As the Psalmist writes, “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps 139:13-14 NIV).  Every day God gives us until our natural death is a gift of God, and comes to us with “good works prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).   This is the Christian way and has nothing to do with country or politics.  Its truth stands prophetically opposed to any government at any time in history that covers its hands in violence and bloodshed, whether obviously or more silently by implication.
  2. Marriage is defined as a covenant union of one man and one woman for life.   It cannot be defined otherwise and be the same product.   It began in the Garden of Eden.    It was blessed by Jesus with his own presence in Cana.    It is a covenant that God uses to illustrate the relationship of Christ to the church (Eph. 5:25-32).   It has been under assault for years and now is in critical danger of official redefinition.  I believe that Christians need to stand together in the way they live, and pray about and stand up for the Bible’s idea of marriage.
  3. Lastly, religious freedom is a precious gift that came to us in our country because so many from so many different faiths were part of our fledging nation in its beginning.    They recognized that freedom of conscience was a divinely assumed parameter of Scripture.   So they made it a pillar of our system of government.   Today it is under direct attack by the “politically correct” crew.    What is not being made clear in our country today is that our Christian faith is the only safe foundation for our freedom.   Other great world faiths have not resulted in the potential for tolerance of diverse faiths that American Christianity has.   We need to recognize that preserving our Christian heritage is essential to the continuing of our freedom of religion.  

 

These three causes truly need our support today.

I do not need to repeat the work of the declaration.   But let me add that in my work as a minister of the gospel, I have seen the decline of marriage from several angles.  It is frightening.   Divorce is more frequent.   Promiscuity is a way of life especially among many twenty-something’s.  More and more children are born outside of marriage.   The number of marriages I have personally been asked to perform has fallen steadily over my years of ministry.   Today, many want to teach an outright falsehood by suggesting that somehow homosexual unions are the same as heterosexual.    If they were, why do homosexuals often imitate the heterosexual pair?  If they were, why don’t statistics concerning happiness come out equally well?   And today, we are in danger as pastors of not being able to say how we feel about that subject and others as has already happened in Canada.   This is just one reason why we need to speak out in defense of religious liberty. 

The success of these causes will require a unity across all brands of Christian faith.

It is high time that we became more creative in answering Jesus’ prayer for our unity.  “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (Jn 17:23 NIV).   I think all of us recognize that part of the reason for the powerlessness of the church in today’s world is its divisions.    To take one small example, if a media person wanted to call someone to represent the church on a given issue in a given city, who would they call?   The truth is, we couldn’t even advise the media what to do ourselves.   There are probably three ministerial associations at least; and the largest churches are often not even represented in them.  No wonder we have so little voice.   So the Manhattan Declaration gives Christ’s Church a chance to come together across all those artificial lines and speak out with one voice.  I want to be part of that.  

You can speak out too.

If you have been impressed to check up on the Manhattan Declaration with a view to joining in yourself—and I hope you have—I have added the website to my blog roll.  The sign-in process is simple.  You do not have to join the community to sign the declaration.   Let’s work together to stand up for truth!

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Americana Journal

The animals

Everyone wants to see the animals when they go west, and we were no exception.      One warning, you never know when you will see them.   It might be in a park and it might not.    One of our most exceptional sightings on this trip happened along the journey.  We were just a little ways out of a small town cruising along in Idaho when we saw some cars parked by the side of the road and people looking at something—usually a good sign for travelers looking for animals.  When we went by, we saw why.   On the far side of the pond filled with water lilies were a mother moose and her calf contentedly munching.       I turned around and we went back and took their picture.   On another rural road we passed a fenced in herd of buffalo.    Other times the animals were more where you would expect, like the grizzlies in Glacier National Park.   The pictures below start with the smaller animals.

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Journal

Children’s water party

The annual children’s water party this past Sunday was special.   But the day was also important as we celebrated two other things;  the work of our dedicated teaching staff and the important moving up time for students moving from the children’s program to the 6-8 grade program.  It was inspiring to listen as the teacher’s told their stories as to why they teach at church.   And it was my privilege to pray for about seven student s who are marking this important transition in their journey.   I was glad to be home from my trip away in time to be back in church even if I had not really returned to work officially yet.   I snapped a few pictures of the all-church picnic that accompanied the water party.

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Journal

For fun — the best and the worst chart for vacation 2010

 When you go on a long travel vacation, you just can’t resist rating things sometimes.  You know–what did you like best?  Well, here’s a for-fun chart of some the best and worst moments.    Part of our blessings were that none of the worst moments were very bad as you can see.

 

The best

The worst

meal Gail and Sue Stater’s salmon dinner Truly extraordinary Leftover bagels for breakfast with no banana, but we ate.
restaurant meal Happy Garden Chinese in Wallowa, OR – steak and vegetables – very tasty, excellent service Applebee’s Asian Ribs, Kalispell, Montana.  – thin cut with little meat, cooked dry and charred.
hotel Shilo Inn, Moses Lake, WALarge clean room, great breakfast, good internet, convenient,  and medium priced Edgewater Inn,  OR, near Crater Lake, in spite of being expensive.Not well cleaned from the last party, very skimpy breakfast.
roads 70 miles per hr freeways in WA Hell’s Canyon switchbacks  without guardrails
views A very tough choice – I nominate Logan Pass, Montana by a hair over Hurricane Ridge, WA Mile after mile of dry sagebrush in eastern WA
surprise The height of the Crater Lake peak and the size and beauty of the lake The great scarcity of rooms available close to Glacier National Park on both sides.
Enjoyable driving Farming valleys of eastern OR, Idaho and Washington Seattle traffic as we came back into the city at rush hour.
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Americana Journal

Mountain Pass Hiking (written Aug 23)

I may be a little sore tomorrow, but what an exhilarating feeling.   It was too cold for JoAnne up at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.  The wind was blowing hard and the stormy gray sky was spitting occasional rain, snow or hail as clouds tumbled over the backbone of the continent, as the Native Americans call it.   I had on a warm Henley, a flannel shirt and a wind breaker and I could still feel the chill.   JoAnne stayed behind at the center while I pressed ahead up the stepped walk over the Alpine tundra, 1.5 miles, mostly up the mountain, then over the Continental Divide, to the overlook to Hidden Lake.  The flowers were blooming everywhere.  Near the top, picas were abundant.    Just as we neared the overlook, a young teen girl behind me screamed/squealed as only girls that age can, “A goat!”     There it was– a momma goat ahead of us and in the middle of the walkway with an offspring close behind.  What a treat.   She was nearly pure white with those little curved black horns.  All the hikers were so distracted by the goats that the view hardly got the attention it deserved.   And it deserved attention!  The beautiful boomerang shaped lake lay below us, surrounded by mountains on every side except in one small corner. In that corner was an endless vista facing west.    One of the surrounding mountains was a tall pointed one named after an Indian leader called “Bear Hat.”  Little picas were running around everywhere, rating a poor third to the goats and the scenery.  On the way back I also spied a tundra-loving white-crowned sparrow and a marmot.    The hike was rigorous for me.  I could feel the altitude and had to stop a couple times during the ascent.   Between the cold wind, the occasional hail and the long climb, I was tempted to turn back.   But I am so glad I did not.   The hike was a great climax to the trip, both literally and emotionally.  

Whenever we accomplish something difficult that requires pushing through difficulties, we can relate to the climbing metaphor.  The difficulty tempts one to turn back.  The obstacles must be faced with courage, determination and savvy.   There is often pain in the process.   But the view from the top is worth it all. The feeling of accomplishment is thrilling.   And whether we realize it or not, we are better prepared for future challenges.  This kind of thinking is often applied in Scripture to help us with life’s challenges too.  “Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12 TNIV).   Or consider the thought in Hebrews as the author explains the example of Christ.   “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1-2 NIV).

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Journal Joy Notes

An abundance of blessings

We have just felt so blessed on our trip west.   So I decided to make a list of some of the special blessings we have noted.   The messianic blessing promised to Israel and received also by the church is pronounced in Isaiah 65:23 (NIV),  “They will be a people blessed by the Lord!”   We have certainly felt His care and provision on this vacation.   Here’s a small list to celebrate the last Sunday of our vacation.

  • It was a special joy to connect with loved ones on the West coast.   At the beginning of our trip, we so enjoyed our stay with our son-in-law’s parents in Eugene, OR.  We had not seen them since the wedding.   We were also happy to meet Mark’s brother, Bill and his wife Fatima for the first time.     Then at the end of our trip we had the privilege of seeing our nephew’s wife, Kim and their son, Lincoln, who is not quite 2, in Seattle, WA .                 
  • We sighted so many animals on this trip including elk, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, pica, prairie dog, ground squirrel, marmot, mule deer, and mountain goat. I’ll be blogging more about this.
  • We had unusually good weather – very few clouds on our trips to places that usually have clouds like Olympic National Park and Mt St. Helens.  We had almost no rain at all. 
  • We found safety while driving about 3100 miles in a little cherry red Nissan Versa the trunk of which surprising swallowed our large suitcases perfectly.   We had a couple close calls on the road, but God rescued us.
  • We worshipped on August 15 with Staters and it was communion Sunday at their church.   It is special refreshment for me to be able to receive communion while on vacation.
  • We were able to find places to stay that were quite nice.   The first night at Glacier was a little problematic because there was a state fair in Kalispell. Montana.    But we ended up at an East Glacier guest house, the most luxurious housing of the trip.  It was only available because the person renting it missed a plane for that evening. 
  • We repeatedly commented how much we enjoyed traveling together.  We work together while we travel.  JoAnne plans, reads tour books and maps and navigates.   I drive, handle luggage, and make choices that she hasn’t already figured out.  For us, it was a joy to be away from our routine, away from our responsibilities,  and doing something we love for vacation – seeing national parks.   It is a great way to celebrate our 40th summer together as a married couple.
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Americana Journal

A Rural Railroad Surprise

We had stopped to get gas in the middle of nowhere.   As I pumped gas, I looked to the left of the station and noticed a small railroad station and yard, only a couple tracks and a sideline or two.  But they looked like they might belong to a branch line or a tourist railroad.   So I walked up the street and checked it out.   The pictures show what I found.    It was obviously rather rural as the mule deer ate right beside the tracks.    I found a couple websites for it too.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4alxKVJ4eVk  and http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/WURR.html.

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Americana Journal

Hell’s Canyon – the scariest drive

Let’s just say that we figured out why they call it Hell’s Canyon.    Getting down in and back up the other side, even one branch of it took hours and involved the scariest driving in all of our Northwest adventures.     The switchbacks came one after another, stacked one above the other in tiers.   I downshifted the Nissan into second and at one point into first.   About then a double –yes double– grain tractor-trailer came roaring up the switchbacks – what would happen if you met him on some of the sharpest, blindest corners, I don’t even want to speculate.  I can’t imagine why doubles are allowed on this road!!   Did I mention that there were few guardrails or stone barriers?  The area is very arid yet the steep mountainsides are range land and we actually saw cattle on them.    I don’t know how the beef cows have any energy left to grow after all it would take to move around the canyon sides.   There were fences too, but the ranchers must have had climbing gear to build them.  We really didn’t get all the way down to the Snake River which forms the very bottom of the canyon; we crossed a tributary river called Grande Ronde.  

Before we began the drive down, we drove to one of the overlooks to view the scenery.   The area is very remote and getting to the overlook involved a  40 mile country drive one way.   It was our first experience at seeing the slippery metal cattle crossing grates across the main roads, an experience we would repeat many times.   Every mountain stream and river looked like a super-sized version of a Pennsylvania trout stream—pure clear water, often with that greenish cast of a spring run-off.  The canyon itself is vast in its scope and depth.    It is definitely grand enough to invite comparisons with the Grand Canyon itself.   There are few canyons in that league.  This one was much more complex in structure if that is possible; involving a large number of tributary canyons.  It did not have such precipitous sides as our experience of the South side of the Grand Canyon.   The rock here is much more eroded and has some sparse evergreen covering.     We spent some quiet time at the overlook while JoAnne sketched and I observed the flowers, scanned the canyon, and watched for birds with my binoculars.