Moons

After the sun went down on Sunday evening and darkness fell, I decided to capture a few shots of the moon as it rose over the eastern mountains. I also shot a few pics of the "moon" light outside of my apartment. I've included one of those as well.

"Fake" Moon

Details

Cloud Flare

High Clouds

Sailing Moon

Which Celeb Do I Look Like?

Here's a little fun thing I picked up from Olivia Wolf. The website uses face recognition software to see what actors or actresses that you most resemble. Here's my lineup.

Wandering Around Campus

Last night after church, I grabbed my camera and headed up the hill to Utah State University, home of the Aggies. I just goofed around, shooting different pictures. Here are a few of them.

The Skyline of Utah State

The Lights of Logan

Of Leaves and Lights

"A" For Aggie

Framed By Trees and Sky

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

I'll Be Looking at the Moon...

Just Google It

I don't know if you've tried it or not. It is a rather simple exercise and the results may be very interesting. What is it? Oh, glad you asked! Simply type in your name, first or first and last in quotes, in a Google search box and see what comes up. While I had expected all of the aviation themed hits, I was a bit suprised to see that I am famous for eating the 72-oz steak, well, at least they have a page entry for me and a link to a picture. Both are displayed below.

More Camping Pics

Dave & Holly having fun with their cups!

Ok, this one wasn't on the trip, but it does show all the Bunker kids: Holly, Amber, Derek and Anna

Derek & Derek

Lori, Boo & Holly

Here's all of us: Holly, Amber, Dave, Lori, Boo, Derek, and me (Linder)

Of Men and Munchkins

Here are a couple of funny jpegs that I got from the Internet. One is from Kandis, a gal I work with, and the other is from the VW website. I got a chuckle out of them at any rate! ;)

Still Excited!

Well, I thought I'd share something that happened last night after church which I trust will be a blessing to you all. (As an aside, both services yesterday were really good...if you want to know more I can post the details). Anyway, after the evening service, the young people and I (and I do use the words to indicate two distinct classifications, for only two or three are college age, and the rest are in high school)...decided to go out to eat at a little local joint called Angies. We'd been there about a month ago, and had a great time, laughing, joking, etc.

Last night started out in a similar fashion with the usual jokes, laughing, needling (in the sense of "to goad or provoke") et all. But, when our food came, we got rather quiet. One of the guys, Aaron, suggested that we go around and each person tell how they got saved. Not only did everyone (there were about eight of us) agree to do so, but each one spent several minutes telling not only how they were saved, but a bit of what the Lord has done since that time.

The testimonies were great, and when they were finished, Veronica suggested that we go around again, this time mentioning one thing that we are very thankful to the Lord for. (Sorry, I know the ending of that sentence doesn't follow grammatical rules! ;) This turned out to be very encouraging as each one again took their time to share one thing that God had done directly in their lives that they were thankful for (See, did it again with the sentence ending thing!)

The reality of the goodness of the Lord was evident on the faces and in the testimonies from this group of young people. What an encouragement it was to hear how God has proved Himself faithful, how He has demonstrated patience, how He has provided and met the needs of His children. I tell you what, I was excited!

But, that is not the rest of the story! As we were finishing up with the testimonies, one of the gals mentioned a couple of prayer requests. A couple of the others also mentioned one or two things that we might remember to bring before the Lord. Behind our booth was a group of elderly folks. One of the men got up and came over to where we were sitting. He asked if we were a church group of some kind. When we answered in the affirmative, he said, "Well, I kinda thought so. You are all having such a good time, you're all clean-cut and no piercings or tattoos." Katie had a church tract on her and was able to give one to this gentleman, showing him the service times, etc.

That in a nutshell is the story. I am hoping that there will be an opportunity in the near future for these young people to share with the church what God has been doing in their lives individually. I know it would be a great blessing and encouragement, not only to their parents, but to each one in the church...and I trust this has been a great encouragement to you all as well!

The 419th Maintenance Squadron

Here is a picture the unit I work with down at Hill AFB. It is the 419th Maintenance Squadron. I wasn't around when this picture was taken, but these are some of the folks I work with down there. Our jets normally don't have the tails painted like this one is, but since we were "celebrating" the departure of our jets to other squadrons, they decided to paint this one up just for the occasion. All our own jets are gone now, and we are working on the active duty jets.

Time Flies!

Wow, I can't believe it is already Thursday! It seems like it was just Saturday evening and I was trying my first blog post from my Moto Q. Ah well, such is life these days. To be honest, there hasn't been much bloggable news going on, so I'll just catch you up on the latest.

Work has been keeping me pretty busy. I've been working hard along with our new sales manager at work to maintain good sales numbers in the store, especially in regard to the electronics department. We are headed into the busiest time of year, (when is it not?) and looking towards the back to school season and then on into the holiday season.

I've been working on two lessons for Sunday School from the book of Ruth. The next two Sundays are already spoken for, so they don't have to be ready for three more weeks. That is actually a good thing, for they are requiring a lot of study!

One of them is on the nation of Moab, and how that nation represents the flesh (or is a "type" of the flesh). This is taking a lot of time, for there are numerous references to the flesh in the New Testament, and there are many stories and illustrations of Moab in the Old Testament. I am studying to see the correlations, similarities and differences. It is often said that there are three enemies of the Christian: the world, the flesh and the devil. As I continue to study, I am becoming more and more convinced that the flesh is the most potent enemy for the majority of Christians. The world and the things in the world appeal to the flesh, and are therefore great distractions and hinderances to the Christian. Let us not flatter ourselves in thinking that we are so spiritual as Christians that we are personally being attacked by the devil. Our flesh and that which we reap from sowing to it are more often than not the "attacks" we face, though this is not to say that we are never the subjects of Satanic or demonic influence.

The second study has been on the possible route that Elimelech and his family took to go to Moab. The obvious barrier to going directly to Moab was the Dead Sea. One either had to travel north, around the upper portion of the Dead Sea, crossing over Jordan near Jericho, and then coming down through the territory which Israel had taken from the Amorites and had subsequently become the land belonging to the tribes of Gad and Reuben, or, one could travel around the south end of the Dead Sea, passing through Hebron, Arad, and along through the nation of Edom until coming to the borders of Moab. A study of this sort sounds more like the sort of thing that would be useful for a Bible Trivia game or maybe for a Bible geography paper, but I believe that the different cities that Elimelech and his family would have traveled through, be it the northern or the southern route, would have reminded them of specific events in Israel's history, both good (God's intervention) or bad (Israel's rebellion). I am looking forward to seeing what God has in mind in both of these studies.

From the Q

Well, here is my first attempt to add a new post using my Moto Q. I'm down here at Hill AFB for my usual monthly hiatus. Not much to report so I'll wait until I get back to my computer and put a few more pics up. TTFN

Headstones

When was the last time that you walked through a cemetary? When was the last time that you walked alone through a cemetary? What were the thoughts that went through your mind?

Last night, I walked through our local cemetary. It was just minutes before the sun would slip silently behind the mountains on the west side of the valley. As I wandered along the tree-lined path, my mind was set to contemplating what was around me.

Each headstone represented a life. Each one represented a person who lived, loved and died. Now, their representation to the world is nothing more than a small piece of marble, perhaps engraved with one last saying or phrase that would in some way represent that life that was lived.

Row upon row of these headstones were before me. How many people were represented here? What had been their hopes and dreams? What activities, what interests, what passions and pursuits had consumed the lives of these here? And what legacy have they left behind? Families? Friends?

As I walked, I noticed one set of headstones in particular. It was surrounded by a small raised section which I presumed to be of marble. There was an opening on one side, and encircled by this raised section were maybe six or eight headstones. This I presumed to be one family plot. While I pondered on this site, I was struck by the futility of man's actions in the light of death. What was being attempted here? Was it the attempt to keep together a family unit? Was it to try to symbolize what had been experienced by this family while on earth? Yet there remained nothing visible to my eye but a group of headstones.

My thoughts continued. In what are we investing and spending our lives? If the Lord does not return prior to my death, than what will my headstone represent? Will it be the testimony of a man who lived for self, who was focused on his own passions and interests and of a life spent pursuing them? What will that small piece of marble or granite say to the passerby with whom I had never crossed paths in this life?

That tree-lined path and the open plots of grass dotted with headstones was a reminder of the importance of our priorities. It is a vain thing to run after all the things this world offers. It is exceedingly empty to spend ourselves in the pursuit of self-satisfaction. This, to me, was the testimony of the stones.

It would be an empty and cruel thing if this was everything. But no, there is more, for we know Christ! We have been created for the glory and honor of God Himself. We exist for Him, by Him and through Him. For those who have repented of sin and acknowledged the saving, justifying, redeeming work done at Calvary, there is more than simply living and dying. Oh let our headstones be but a poor reminder of eternal reward! Let it be a symbol of hours spent in prayer, of Bibles with dog-eared pages and faded underlined passages. Let it represent money placed in an offering plate to further the work of the Lord be it far or near. Let that headstone be a memorial of hours and hours in the pew, sitting service after service under the teaching of God's word. Let it be a token of a life invested in others for the sake of Christ, and treasures laid up in heaven.

These then were the thoughts that passed through my mind as I walked last night. I arrived back at my doorstep in a different frame of mind than when I had left. When was the last time you walked through a cemetary? When was the last time you walked through a cemetary alone?

Cache Valley Cruise-In Parade 2007

On Saturday, we had the annual Cache Valley Cruise-In Parade. Old, custom and classic cars are driven down Main Street which is blocked off for the occasion. We closed the store early and I met up with Matt and Annie Trott and some friends to sit and watch the cars...here are a few of them!

Justified

The group from West Coast Baptist College calls themselves Justified. Here is one of the songs they did at our Wednesday night service on July 4th.

What Happened on the 4th

As I had the day off, I was delighted to accept an invitation to head over to Dave and Kathy Trott's place for a get-together/picnic lunch. They had invited several folks over, and we had a blast.

There was a men's group from West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California that stopped by for lunch, driving up from Draper, UT. They've been on the road since the first part of May, singing at different churches.

After a great lunch, we all sat around, talked, played volleyball, jumped on the trampoline, etc. As it was quite warm and my blood is still "Alaska thick" I opted for indoor activities in the wonderful atmosphere of an air conditioned house!

We had our Wednesday night meeting at church, featuring the group from West Coast. We had a great time listening to their singing and preaching. I shot a couple of video clips, more on that later...

After the service, their piano player played a few songs and I played along on the guitar. We had a lot of fun! Their group leader actually gave me one of their CD's for playing along! (Well, the case was actually broken, so it wasn't one they could sell...nonetheless, I got a free CD...in fact, I'm listening to it right now!)

Here are some pictures from today:

Flying the Colors!

Matt Making Ice Cream

The Trott's Patio

Looking at the Wellsville Mountains

The West Coast Van

Lining Up for the Food

Dave Slaving at the Grill

An Impromptu Balcony Number

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight

O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Ketchikan Plans

I looks like my plans to get up to Ketchikan will have to be postponed for a couple three months. I was hoping to get up some time in July, but things at work will not allow for that. It looks like it will have to be some time in October, either towards the beginning (before we do inventory in the store) or near the end of October (after we've finished inventory). Anyway, the plan is still to get up there this fall! Look forward to seeing you all then!

There and Back Again...

Wow...what an eventful...or maybe just "full" last few days! First of all, the camping trip to Beaver, UT went well. I met up with Derek Bunker last Thursday, and that evening he and his wife Betty "Boo" and I drove down from Clearfield (near Ogden and Layton) down to Beaver. We had a good time down there, rode 4-wheelers, sat around the fire, etc. I even tipped one of the 4-wheelers on its side after a sliding turn to the left onto another road...lottsa fun! Anyway, I came back mid-day Saturday, because we were having an Independence Day program at church, which I was a part of, and because I was also doing the Sunday School lesson.

Sunday school, the program, and the services went well on Sunday. Pastor spoke on the liberty we have in Christ: 1) That we are free from bondage to sin, 2) That we are free from the law, and 3) That our freedom/liberty is in no way a license to sin. All in all, quite a day.

The program itself was good. Several folks from the church volunteered for specials and for a couple "choral" pieces. I was asked to put together a DVD slideshow with images of our nation, our soldiers, our past conflicts...all to remind of the price that has been paid and is being paid today for our freedom. I also was asked to do a little "humorous" number on the guitar, so I did a simple little medley of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", "Yankee Doodle", "Dueling Banjos (or whatever that is called)", and "Clementine." It came off ok and brought a few chuckles as well as applause, so I guess it served its purpose ;)

Here are a few pictures I took prior to, during and after the camping trip:

Bugs of a Feather: The Bunker's New Beetle and my older New Beetle

Camping is very inTENTS!

Getting the 4-wheelers ready to go

The Summit: 10K feet!

The Road Out of the Mountains