A Smatterin' of Stuff

A Smatterin' of Stuff

Remember our blizzard a few weeks ago? I never got around to putting more pictures of it up, so I'm putting one up now. But first, a couple of pictures in front of my house in west Kansas before the snow. Off to the left you can see our church building. I know the prairie might look barren, but you'd be surprised at the wildlife that inhabits, or at least passes through, that big field. From my house I have seen hawks, coyotes, deer and antelope out there. Every part of God's creation is beautiful and functional.

The snow drift is between our house and the neighbors. Two vehicles were stuck in front of this tractor.














And a video ... the score is 6-5. My daughter's team is winning. It is the bottom of the last inning with bases loaded, two outs and two strikes on the batter. Watch what happens then read on ...



... Ok, we got the strike three but the ball got away from the catcher. Technically, the batter could run to first (as she started to do) but the ump ruled it three outs. We won. Kristin ended her JV pitching career at 3-1 before she was moved up to varsity. She plays outfield in varsity, but did get to pitch to 4 batters the other night, striking out 2.

Warren

Strengthening Your Bonds #2

Strengthening Your Bonds #2

Some more suggestions to keep love alive and to help jump start romance.

Express gratitude to and for each other. To be in a mutually satisfying relationship, both the husband and wife have made sacrifices for the other through the years and have at times foregone their own needs for the needs of the other.

Remember what your spouse has done for you. Remember him or her with genuine gratitude, and let that gratitude flow through you as a warm feeling of appreciation and flow out of you in expressions of gratitude to your spouse.

You might express this thankfulness by filling a role your spouse normally fills in the home, such as preparing the meal, cleaning the garage, doing laundry or mowing the yard.

This gratitude can and should also flow out in conversation. You might begin an intimate talk together by saying, "I appreciate you for ..." or "I appreciate it when you ..." The first opening is a good way to recall an appreciation that goes back to an earlier time in your relationship but you remember with fondness, and the second opening is a good way to express gratitude for something current in your relationship.

The feeling that one is being taken for granted is a quick way to kill warmness or love. This can be avoided by offering regular verbal expressions of gratitude and by doing kind deeds for the one you are thankful for. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

Warren

Note: This is one of 6 suggestions from the article, "May Your Fountain Be Blessed." You can read the whole article here:http://warrenbaldwinbiblefountain.blogspot.com/2009/04/blessed-fountain.html

Strengthening Your Bonds #1

STRENGTHENING YOUR BONDS

To keep love alive or to help jump start your romance there are several simple things a husband and wife can do daily. While not everyone of these suggestions may be done everyday, some of them can and should be.

Have regular conversations with each other. They can be as simple as discussing the events of the day or they can be as serious as concerns you share for the children. Even the tough conversations have the positive effect of keeping the husband and wife open to each other and aware of each other’s feelings.

Conversations can and should also be intimate and personal. They can spark warm feelings and gender romantic yearnings. A good statement to open such a conversation with is "Remember when ..." and then recalling a warm, personal experience you shared together.

Simply changing the location of your conversation can open up possibilities for openness and intimacy. Take a relaxing drive in the country together, enjoy a meal at a nice restaurant (without the children), and occasionally spend a night away.

Warren
Note: This is one of 6 suggestions from the article, "May Your Fountain Be Blessed." You can read the whole article here:http://warrenbaldwinbiblefountain.blogspot.com/2009/04/blessed-fountain.html

The Jenny Tree

The Jenny Tree

My family moved into this house in Cody, Wyoming in 1992 and lived in it for 7 1/2 years. Wes was 7 and Jenny was 4. Kristin was born while we lived here.

A year or two after moving in I planted that tree you see in front of the house. The first year it died back to ground level. The next year two little shoots broke through the ground. I let them both grow, intending to cut one of them so the full strength of the roots could go to one shoot. Well, I never got around to it and both shoots grew strong. At 15 years now, this is a strong and beautiful tree with two trunks. (Click on image to enlarge. See the mountains in the background!)

I started calling this the "Jenny Tree" because of Jenny. Her bedroom window was the one just to the left of the tree branches. She told me one time that when she couldn't sleep at night she would roll over, open the window shade and look at the tree illuminated in the moonlight. Looking at the tree calmed her and she would fall asleep.

Sometime I'll ask her what it was about the tree that made her calm. God made it? It was beautiful? Dad worked to plant it, water it, fertilize it and trim it? (I'll bet that was it!)

Everybody needs a "Jenny Tree." It may be family, a tradition, a favorite Bible verse or persevering hope.

One thing I do when I need to calm my spirit is reflect upon God's presence. He has been here through every disturbing, chaotic and destructive event of history, and is still King. Nothing happening in our world today is new to man. It may be new to us, but it is not new to history and it certainly isn't new to God.

God is still here, like that tree in my former yard, strong and tall.

Warren

Rules

RULES

Healthy families provide boundaries for their children. These boundaries include rules that limit the behavior children can engage in. One common rule is that children can not play in the street. Other rules are that they eat their vegetables, wash their hands, and not sass mom or dad.

I don't know many (any?) kids that are happy with the rules. But, as we parents know, the rules are for the safety of our young charges. Parents, if we do not have some rules that are strictly enforced, we may be 1) endagering our children and 2) failing to provide them training in self-discipline.

But, really, rules are for all of us at all ages. I recently read a list entitled, "A City Dweller's Rules for Cutting Firewood." Here is the list, and then a picture illustration of why rules are important.

RULES FOR CUTTING FIREWOOD:
1. Park twice as far from the tree as the tree is tall.
2. It helps to notch the tree away from the truck.
3. If you live within driving distance of a forest that does not make you a lumberjack.
4. Just to be on the safe side, always borrow your buddy's truck.

Some rules really are for our good!

WB

Anger

Anger

What causes me to feel anger? Generally, two things.

One, when I have been wronged. If you lie about me, gossip, treat me rudely, I can get angry. When I do, most people do not blame me. They might say, "You have to get over it," but they at least allow me to feel the anger for a brief time.

Two, when I am wrong. This is an insidious form of anger. It is an attempt at self-defense working in conjunction with self-denial. If I gossiped about you, and you confront me, I may get angry not because you have wronged me, but because you have pointed out my wrong. Anger allows me to ignore my sin, blame you, and feel good about myself. This is a dangerous form of anger. It is deceptive.

Any suggestions on how we can protect ourselves from this self-delusional anger?

WB

Mentor a Youth

Mentor a Youth

Years ago if you wanted to be a silversmith or cabinet maker, you hired yourself out to a master in these trades. You became indentured to this person for several years. Nearly every aspect of your life was under the scrutiny and supervision of the person to whom you were indentured.

There were drawbacks to such an arrangement, such as a lack of freedom. But there were benefits as well. You not only learned the skills of your trade, but as you observed the master at work, you also learned money management, office administration and social and business skills.

I frequently hear bosses complain that new employees do not understand even basic skills of graciousness and service to their companies’ customers. They may understand spreadsheets and data processing, but don’t know how to say "Thank you," or "I’ll do that for you."

Many people are never taught the basic essentials of life. Some schools try to compensate for that by offering "Life Skills" classes. But is there another way to impart these necessary ingredients for life? Yes, through a process called mentoring.

Mentoring is simply taking another person under your influence and teaching them. Suppose you know a young person in your community, church or extended family that you would like to influence for good. How can you do that? Here are four basic elements of mentoring.

1) Take the young person on visits to church members, shut ins, retirees, and the aged. While there you might sweep their sidewalk, rake leaves or take out the trash. The people you visit will appreciate it, and the youth will learn to think of and serve others.

2) Talk to the young person about the future. What are their goals and aspirations? They may never have thought of this before. Stir their imagination. Ask, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" They likely won’t know. Just get them thinking and wondering, then maybe set some goals. Show them how to make wise choices today so they can reach their goals tomorrow.

3) Teach about life. Teach them about Christ, money, moral issues, the Bible, politics, history. Talk informally about a host of subjects. The youth will learn to engage new ideas, think, and respond intelligently.

4) Train them to train. Take another youth with you, younger than the one you are mentoring. Teach the one you are mentoring principles of mentoring the other youth. This keeps the process moving.

You do not have to have exceptional abilities or advanced training to spend time with a young person and pass on important principles of life. You just have to have a little more experience at living and a heart for young people. Everyone can be a mentor!

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." All of us can have a hand in helping shape someone’s future.

Warren Baldwin

Leadership Training for Christ

LTC

Leadership Training for Christ, or LTC, is a program for youth, families and churches to work together to train the next generation of church leaders. It is also a lot of fun!

The Great Plains LTC meets in Rogers, AR. where the accomodations and food are top notch (at the Embassy Suites). But the real attraction of LTC is the people. Over 1,600 youth from 3rd through 12 grades were involved this year, and there were almost as many adults present.

Youth participate in such diverse activities as song leading, preaching, digital photography and art work (with a Christian theme), Bible reading, puppets, signing for the deaf, choruses and drama. There is a tremendous spirit of cooperation present among each church group and all the of the church groups together. There were churches present from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri.

Below are some scenes from our church group, Ulysses, KS.

This is my family to the left: me, Jenny (a torchbearer, or college intern), Wes (a new board member), Kristin with her scholarship from OCU, and Cheryl.

LTC is one of the best programs for youth, families and churches I have ever seen. I appreciate our congregation who generously supports this program, the Great Plains LTC for their organization and support, and all the congregations who participate in this event. If you'd like more information, write me a note and I'll be happy to share it with you. WB

Softball

Softball

Tuesday night was a good night for the Ulysses Tigers JV softball team and particularly good for Kristin. She pitched our first win (14-6, I think). She also scored a couple of runs, one of which I got a picture of. Actually, my digital is an old one, so the picture snapped after she was well past home.

After they won the JV game Kristin was moved to varsity where she played 2 innings. The first batter in a game she played hit a fly ball which Kristin caught, but I didn't. But I did get a video of her catching this one-hop. She had a good night. WB

When Adam Met Eve

When Adam Met Eve

At least two things were going on in the first encounter between Adam and Eve. One, a sense of similarity and dissimilarity between the man and the woman. Adam had been spending time with all of the other living creatures and he hasn’t seen any that look like this woman standing in front of him. She looks enough like him for Adam to know that she does not belong to the animal realm. But she looks different enough for Adam to know that she is not exactly like him, either. She is, in fact, similar enough to belong with him, but different enough to complete him. Adam sees his completeness standing there in the form of Eve.

Secondly, there was total transparency. Adam and Eve had no cover. There was no hiding of any imperfections in their bodies, if there were any. Perhaps, because of their focus on the other, there was no sense of imperfections anyway. There was total acceptance of themselves and total acceptance of the other. They were exposed and they were comfortable. But the physical exposure is symbolic of the deeper exposure husbands and wives seek to achieve through their lives - the exposure of their hearts. The honesty it takes to be totally transparent takes many years to achieve. Adam and Eve had it in an instant. What are some ways husbands and wives can work toward transparency today?

Warren
You can read the full article at: http://warrenbaldwinbiblefountain.blogspot.com/2009/04/blessed-fountain.html

To the End of the Lane

To the End of the Lane

How far will you go with me, my Love?
To the stile or the bridge or the great oak tree?
The lane is a lonely and fearsome place
And there's no one journeying there but me.

She smiled at the stile with a sweet disdain,
She scoffed at the bridge and the great oak tree
And looked me full in the eyes and said,
"I will go to the end of the way with thee."

Then I loved her anew, with a strange fierce love,
As high as the stars and as deep as the sea.
She would share my heaven and share my woe;
She would go to the end of the Lane with me.
_________________

I got this poem from Steve Hawley's site. You can read the story of this poem and the testament it pays to the marriage of his parents here: http://stevehawley.blogspot.com/2009/04/oh-love-that-will-not-let-me-go.html

Marriage is a lot like walking down a lane we have never been on before ... do we know where it will lead? Do we know of the dangers ahead? The beautiful views? The joys and disappoinments we will experience in life and in each other? No.

But we still travel the lane together.

If your marriage is struggling, if you are limping down the lane right now, keep walking. After the trial you may be able to say in the spirit of this poem, "Then I loved her (or him) anew, with a strange fierce love." There is always the possibility and hope that the next curve in the lane will open up to something fresh and beautiful.

Warren Baldwin

Light of the Word

Light of the Word

The theme for Leadership Training for Christ this year is Light, Life, Word. One area of participation is in digital photography. Here is Kristin's entry in that category.


Oh, the verses that fit here!
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105
"I am the light of the world ..." John 8:12

This arrangement was Kristin's idea.

Kristin's 1st HS Softball Game

Kristin's 1st HS Softball Game

Last week (Apr 3) Kristin played in her first softball game in 3 years. She pitched the first game and played ss the second (JV). The score was "something to something." Ok, we lost, but it was fun! Below are a couple of pics and a video. (Note: This is about the 7th or 8th time I have tried to post this. The pictures keep getting out of order and spread way out. However it turns out this time it turns out!). WB

The Light

Kristin, my 16-year old, is speaking at Leadership Training for Christ this weekend in Rogers, AR. Here is the speech she wrote and will be delivering:

THE LIGHT

There are several problems in America we all need to be aware of. Abortion is one of them. Do you know just how bad it is? There have been almost 50 million abortions in the U.S. since 1973. 1,370,000 abortions are performed every year which means 3,700 are performed everyday.

Another problem we have is deaths due to drunk driving. Approximately 16,000 people are killed per year due to alcohol related accidents. One person is killed every half hour. Sexual assault is also a problem we need to be aware of. One in six women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Every two minutes someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

Recently a gunman went on a shooting spree. He killed 14 including himself and held at least 41 hostage. Two years ago a gunman opened fire on a college campus killing 32 and wounding many others, before he too committed suicide. Ten years ago two teenagers entered a high school killing 13 and wounding 23 others, before they committed suicide.

Is there any help for the people making these bad decisions? Is there anyone who can show them the light?

Being ignorant of the light and making bad decisions has always been a problem. A long time ago there was a woman who was searching for something. She hasn’t been able to find it in her five husbands and she likely wasn’t finding it in the man she was living with.

There was yet another woman around the same time who was caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders condemned her.

In all these stories and situations people are not seeing the light of God. The light of God is revealed in the Bible and shows us how to live good and healthy lives. The light of God shows us how to treat other people with dignity and honor. People that have abortions, commit assault and shoot up schools are not living in the light. They are not making good decisions.

But not all people in the world are blind to the light. Take a young woman living Africa named Kate. She is from Nashville, Tennessee and has a burning desire to follow Christ. That desire has taken her to Africa where she has adopted eleven children. She must always be prepared for more orphans who need a home to wander into hers. People like Kate are living in the light.

Kate is an example of someone living in the light because she is not blinded by the evil and darkness of the world. Abortions, alcohol, assault and, killing are all examples of evil and darkness. But these things have not blinded Kate.

Darkness hasn’t blinded Matt Steven, either. Matt is a senior at Saint Laurence High School in Darby, Pennsylvania. By special arrangement Matt was able to shoot all the free throws for his team in a tournament. With ten seconds left in the championship game Saint Laurence was behind by one. The best player on the team, Ryan, got fouled. The coach told Ryan, "We need these free throws. You shoot them." Ryan looked at Matt sitting on the end of the bench. Matt never got to play except to make free throws. So Ryan stepped off the line and told Matt shoot the free throws.

Matt stood at the line. He closed his eyes in concentration. He shot. When the ball swished through the hoop the crowd went wild! Tied game.

Matt had one shot left to win the game. Matt stood at the line. He closed his eyes in concentration. He shot. The ball hit the backboard. It bounced into the hoop and swished through the net. St. Laurence was one point ahead and the crowd was ecstatic! A desperate shot by the opposition wasn’t good and Saint Laurence won the championship.

You may be wondering what this could possibly have to do with seeing the light? I mean, great basketball shots happen all the time, what is so special about this one? What’s so special is that Matt Steven is blind.

Matt is blind in his eyes. But Matt can see the goal in his heart. Stand him at the line and he can shoot 50% of his free throws. The darkness in his physical world doesn’t blind him in his heart.

We have a lot of darkness in our physical world. The abortions and violent crimes I mentioned a moment ago are all examples of blindness in our world. But in our hearts, if we love Jesus and follow him, we can see the light. This happened for two ladies in the Bible I told you about. The woman with five husbands and the woman caught in adultery met Jesus and his light changed their lives. They were now free to live differently. That is true for all of us.

For some, like Kate, seeing the light might mean we move to Africa to work with orphans. For others, it might mean we stay right here and adopt a child. Or it might mean we teach a Sunday school class, help with the church benevolent program or host youth devotionals.

One thing is sure: if we are in Christ, we are in the light, and our lives will reflect the life of Christ.

Kristin Baldwin

If Words Were ...

I'm accepting an invitation to write a poem and submit it to a contest. The prompt for the poem is "If words were ..." and several suggestions were given for comparing words. Below is my submission.

Words

If words were hammers we could use them to pound our perspective into another person.
We wouldn’t need to listen, consider or evaluate their view. We could overpower them.

If words were knives we could use them to slice, cut and hurt.
We wouldn’t need to gently coax another person with our thoughts. We could threaten them.

If words were steamrollers we could use them to bulldoze our opposition.
We wouldn’t need to respect or honor anyone. We could overwhelm them.

But, word are words. And that is enough
Used effectively words are
More powerful than hammers
More cutting than knives
More crushing than steamrollers.

Words perform.
Once spoken, they are no longer ours alone.
They can encourage the discouraged
Give hope to the hopeless
Provide healing for broken.

But words can be dangerous weapons, too.
Like hammers, knives and steamrollers
Words can pound, cut and crush.
That’s why we speak with care
Because words are words.

And words are effective.

Warren Baldwin

Growing in Wisdom #1

Growing in Wisdom #1

"He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise." Prov. 15:31.

Rebuke is not pleasant. In fact, rebuke can be down right painful! Rebuke can come from another person (friend or foe), the Lord, or even painful experiences of life.

The aim of rebuke is to make us wise. Wisdom is not just knowledge. Knowledge is having information about something. Wisdom is the ability to apply what we know, such as how to be a good husband or wife, how to manage our money, how to control our speech.

Wisdom can be tough to come by, especially when it means swallowing our pride and being open to the rebuke of others, of God, or of painful life circumstances, such as pain and disappointment.

I have a friend who lost $1,000,000 to drugs and gambling. That is a lot of pain and disappointment! But, he doesn't think he "lost" that much money. From his view, that is how much he "invested" getting his life-changing education. He is much wiser now!

One great blessing of the grace of God is that no matter how bad our decision making has been, how much we have lost, or how badly we have suffered, our life never has to be a failure. We can learn from the rebuke and become better people for it. "He who listens to life giving rebuke will be at home among the wise."

WB

A Great Athlete

A Great Athlete

Pittsburg Steeler Troy Polamalu is a great athlete. His real greatness is not in his prowess and energy on the football field, but in his care and concern for the suffering and less fortunate. His attention to 10-year old Heather Miller is one example.

Heather has Ewing's Sarcoma, a cancer of bone and soft tissue. Heather has had surgery to remove part of her lung, three ribs and part of a few other ribs, and she is receiving chemotherapy and radiation.

But, she is a strong little girl with a lot of faith and love! She is also a little girl with a famous friend: Troy Polamalu. Troy has been visiting Heather in the hospital, texting messaging her, playing games, and exchanging gifts. Heather's mom says Troy is "a true angel for us."

Real greatness is not a matter of performance at some task, even something like playing football. Real greatness is a matter of the heart. Someone once said, "A new command I give you: love one another." Troy is doing that.

Warren

Stuck on the Escalator of LIfe

Why do complex problems seem to strike at the most inopportune times? It can happen anywhere and at anytime ... at work, home ... anywhere.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Prov. 16:9.

We can plan our steps, then pray the Lord's blessing, and then help each other along the way. And, always remember your cellphone.

Warren

Doing Stuff Together

Doing Stuff Together

It is incredibly important for families to do things together. It doesn't matter if it is baseball, hockey, tennis, painting, hiking, collecting stamps, softball, sculpting, basketball, rock hunting or singing, just do some fun things together on a regular basis. Do several different things, mix them up, find your favorites and do them over and over.

Doing fun things together binds the family as one. It also lets the kids see mom and dad in a different light.

I did a search but couldn't find out much about Faryl Smith's family life, but I'll bet her mom and dad have been very involved in her life! I assume that is her dad greeting her at the end of her performace. It is obviously someone close to Faryl that has given her a lot of love, encouragement and support. Click on the arrow below and listen as this 12-year old girl sings Ave Maria. (Thanks to our friends Jack and Diane Martin of Cody, WY for sending this to us).

The goal of doing things together is not necessarily to produce a singer like this, but if that happens, great! The real goal, and something very attainable for all of us, is that we draw closer together.

I understand that Faryl did not win the British version of "American Idol," and didn't even finish in the top three. I'm sure she was disappointed, but you know her parents couldn't be any more proud.

Warren