Three Men in a Boat
May 31, 2008
With apologies to Jerome K. Jerome for cribbing his title (by the way, if you haven’t read this funny little book, you should) , three septuagenarian Ayers brothers met at Monarch Cove, Lake of the Ozarks, for four days of relaxation, conversation, and fishing, in order of importance.
Gathered here on the deck of Dave and Marilyn’s condo, the reminiscences flowed, some of them accurate, all of them fun to recount without being immediately subject to marital correction. I suspect that our close neighbors on the deck opposite may have learned more than they really wanted to know about us.
In the event that his two older brothers started getting boring or overbearing, Tom brought along his painting kit. Whether from boredom or not, he painted the view to the East from our deck. I hope 1) that he decides to color the water green instead of the present muddy brown and 2) finishes it and gives it to us for framing.
The plan for assaulting our piscatorial adversaries included fishing the sunken beds around the dock for Crappie, drifting for Crappie from a rented pontoon boat, casting for bass from Dave’s bass boat. I very reluctantly report that except for a handful of Crappie caught due to Tom’s relentless and untiring effort (he’s younger than we are after all), the plan failed. But we did catch a few, some of which posed for their portrait.
Since Tom has only two hands, brother Don offered to display the runt of the catch.
Tom the younger simply never gave up, leaving his older siblings gasping for breath. Our Uncle Bus used to tell us that if we wanted to sink a basket, we probably should try to get the ball at least as high as the rim. Likewise, it’s hard to catch fish if our lure is not in the water. I might note here that, in spite of a friend’s insistence that you have to use minnows to catch Crappie, we were using little 1/16-Oz tube jigs below small bobbers. So there! I must admit, however, that our catch might have been better using minnows - live ones rather than the fragrant dead ones left in the boat after said friend’s last trip out.
Fishing tactic number two was to fish in the creature comfort of a 21-ft rented pontoon boat. Comfort it gave us; fish it did not, but not for a lack of trying. I remember days in my fishing past catching gobs of Crappie by letting the wind drift our bobbers over their hidey-holes. I’m morally certain that they got drifted over time and again, but this time they were not hungry. I blame it on sex. They were just off their spawn and were undoubtedly resting up.
We returned the pontoon boat and fired up the trusty, 14-year-old Ranger bass boat, which complained a bit trying to get “out of the hole” with three-abreast fishermen weighing it down, but up on plane it got and we went skimming across the lake to a pleasant little North Shore cove near historic Wilmore Lodge. Conditions were perfect and expectations were high. Little wind, temperature in the seventies. I guess that the bass were even more comfortable, because we got no bites in spite of expert technique and limitless patience.
Don’t we look professional and confident?
I’ll close this little photo essay with an image that personifies our fishing and conversational demeanor: calm and casual. Which is how it should be when three brothers gather to enjoy each other’s company, engage in tale-swapping, and try to eat each other under the table. Life is short, and opportunities like our pre-Memorial Day reunion are too rare. We figure that in a year or so we may try it again, if the Lord continues to bless and the creek doesn’t rise.
Dave, grateful for my bros; they’re the greatest!
Upgrade notice
May 28, 2008
The Wordpress software that makes the Orlop appear was upgraded to version 2.5.1 on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. (Not that you care, if you are reading this.)
Phoenix on Mars!
May 27, 2008
I sometimes wonder if we are losing our sense of wonder. Is it really possible to design, engineer and launch a mechanical contrivance on a ten month journey through space to make a soft landing on Mars? Must be - it happened Sunday evening, earth time. Here’s a pic of a Phoenix footpad beamed back to earth.
More amazingly, if that is possible, the Phoenix navigator took the Lander’s image just as it was deploying for landing.
Credit: Phoenix, HiRISE, NASA, JPL-Caltech, Univ. Arizona.
To learn more what went on, here is a video animation of the landing.
Dave, pinching himself.
Bible Diary - Hebrews 3:7-11
May 25, 2008
Am I hearing God’s Word? I believe this is another way of saying, “Do I hear the words of the Christ to me as I read Scripture?” The writer uses the words of Psalm 95 to show that faith provides the context for understanding God’s Word.
Exposition of Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith
3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks!
3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.
3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.
3:10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering and they have not known my ways.’
3:11 “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’”
Granting that there is still mystery in these words, I think I see at least two points for me to take seriously.
First, I must listen to the Holy Spirit speak to me through the words of the psalmist. Reading as much as I do, I sometimes find myself skimming without pausing to ponder what the words mean. I fail to listen, even though I know the rewards of reading often come from slowing down and listening carefully.
Second, as one with the usual allocation of clay feet, it is easy to yield to a wandering heart, which seems perilously close to a hardened heart, the “gift” of an angry God. I try to remember that only the mediation of the Son stands between me and the fate that I deserve on my own merit.
In other words, “Pay attention, Dave.”
Dave
-sdg-
Bible Diary - Hebrews 3:1-6
May 18, 2008
The writer continues his emphasis on the deity of Jesus Christ. Some first century Christians apparently had been worshiping Moses as the progenitor of their faith, raising him up to the point of equality with Christ.
Jesus and Moses
3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, 3:2 who is faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses was also in God’s house. 3:3 For he has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves greater honor than the house itself! 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 3:5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken. 3:6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. We are of his house, if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope we take pride in.
Moses is the servant in God’s house, but Jesus is the son and master of the household, clearly out-ranking Moses. Since I have never been tempted to elevate the status of Moses ahead of Jesus, I wonder what lesson there is in this passage for me. Perhaps it is enough just to reaffirm the basic truth of my faith that Jesus is God, along with the Holy Spirit. I can’t go wrong by trusting my life to Jesus.
Dave
-sdg-
Dogwood color
May 14, 2008
Springtime in Quincy, Illinois is often a riot of color. Her at 40 degrees North latitude, just about every flowering tree, plant, or shrub thrives. The color this spring was outstanding, and we had no late frosts or bad storms to rain on the parade of color. So did I get out and take lots of pics? No I did not. But I did make a few images of some Dogwoods in a park nearby that I will share with you.
Here a pink and a white Dogwood were just beginning to bloom, on April 26, with just a soft haze of color. But the best was yet to come.
Same trees on May 9, about 2 weeks later. The most brilliant display is usually when the flowers (they are really leaves, I am told) are fully developed and the green leaves are popping out. The whites are usually a solid mass of brilliant white, and it is a rare block in Quincy that doesn’t have a few of these eye-poppers.
Pink Dogwood blooms. There is also such a thing as a “Red Dogwood,” and we see a few of them around town. Their color is a deeper pink, and they rival the whites as attention-getters.
It’s another week later at this writing. The color, especially the whites have survived a couple of thunderstorms in pretty good shape, but one of these days a good blow will strip the petals off the trees to let us know that summertime is not far away.
Dave, slacker photographer
Bible Diary - Hebrews 2:5-18
May 11, 2008
With the exalted Jesus still squarely in focus, the writer of Hebrews uses Psalm 8 to show how it helps us understand the incarnation. It also provides, from our position this side of the Cross, an example of how the biblical history of redemption is a seamless whole, Old Testament to the New Testament.
Exposition of Psalm 8: Jesus and the Destiny of Humanity
2:5 For he did not put the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels. 2:6 Instead someone testified somewhere:
“What is man that you think of him or the son of man that you care for him?2:7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while.
You crowned him with glory and honor.
2:8 You put all things under his control.”
For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control, 2:9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone. 2:10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2:11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 2:12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” 2:13 Again he says, “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given me.” 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), 2:15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. 2:16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 2:18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
In my devotional reading of this passage, I see several important aspects of God’s relationship with Jesus (son of man) and with mankind (me). The purpose of sending his Son was to open a communications link between God and man through the Son. During Jesus’ life on earth, he was for a while “lower than the angels.” My path to God does not involve angels; it is mediated directly by Jesus. He is our “Pioneer” in the faith.
Another truth is that Jesus was raised to a position of preeminence with God, who put all things under his control, even though we cannot yet see that. Why can’t I see it? I think that one reason must be that Jesus’ ultimate control over creation will not be completed until he returns at the end of history. According to Revelation, this will not be without a final fight with Satan, but Jesus will ultimately prevail and Satan will be defeated, once and for all. (I sneaked a peek at the end of the book.)
Because God, in Jesus, identified with mankind and “adopted” us into God’s family, I can confidently know that I number with the “children of God.” This is in many ways a mysterious relationship now, but the relationship will be made manifest to me after I have run my earthly course.
Practically speaking, I can now live a life of hope regardless of my circumstances. My position in God’s economy is assured, and this exposition of Psalm 8 helps me to understand this.
Dave
-sdg-
My blogger grand-daughter
May 5, 2008
This is a shameless plug for grand-daughter Andrea Cooley’s blog, creative overflow. Andrea is an Associate Editor for a Des Moines publisher, and has a lot of creative juices flowing in her veins.
Her latest post is the reaction of Andrea and husband Adam to the profusion of spring color. They wonder if this was partly a reaction to a long winter with its shades of gray. (You left-coasters wouldn’t know about that.)
All of which reminds me that I have a few images of a recent spring walk in Quincy yet to post. I’ll do it Real Soon Now.
Dave, full of pride and good intentions.
Bible Diary - Hebrews 1:13-14; 2:1-4
May 4, 2008
The author wraps up his argument that Jesus is greater than the angels by observing that Jesus sits at God’s right hand until all enemies of the Son are conquered. And who might these enemies be? The fallen angels, headed by Satan, are the sworn enemies of God. They will be conquered when Christ returns at the final judgment when God rings down the curtain on history.
1:13 But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Warning Against Drifting Away
2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2:2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 2:4 while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Now, I really never thought that there were any angels closer to God than Jesus, but it’s interesting to see the arguments used to convince the first century Jewish Christians, some of whom were worshipping angels. Then comes the “therefore” that must grab every Christian reader by the lapels. These words at the beginning of Chapter 2 are not of just passing interest. They are convicting words to all believers.
My world is crowded with distractions, any of which can cause me to drift away, that is, to take my eye off the ball. While I believe that my ultimate salvation is assured, I’m also commanded to be obedient to my Master, to do, in the words of Oswald Chambers, my utmost for His highest. That is where the Christian life is lived — in the tension between these two realities.
Dave, just pluggin’ away.
-sdg-
Bullet now or cancer later
May 3, 2008
I commend to you a little book I am reading now: The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, a series of essays based on talks given by Lewis during the 1940s. One of the essays is “Learning in Wartime,” a talk to Oxford students who were uncomfortable because they were in school while their contemporaries were risking death in the early days of World War II. Lewis talks about several ‘enemies’ that may keep the students from doing their best at their studies.
The third enemy is fear. War threatens us with death and pain. No man — and specially no Christian who remembers Gethsemane — need try to attain a stoic indifference about these things, but we can guard against the illusions of the imagination. We think of the streets of Warsaw and contrast the deaths there suffered with an abstraction called Life. But there is no question of death or life for any of us, only a question of this death or that — machine gun bullet now or a cancer forty years later. What does war do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased. It puts several deaths earlier, but I hardly suppose that that is what we fear. Certainly when the moment comes, it will make little difference how many years we have behind us. Does it increase our chances of a painful death? I doubt it. As far as I can find out, what we call natural death is usually preceded by suffering, and a battlefield is one of the very few places where one has a reasonable prospect of dying with no pain at all.
In 1952 I was a college student with a draft deferment, and I was quite aware of my contemporaries serving in Korea while I was drilling with the ROTC. I can’t say that it caused me much, if any, mental anguish. I wonder what I would have thought if I had read these words. In those days I assumed I was immortal and didn’t think much about death, like most 21-year-olds.
It’s now 55 years later, and I know I am not immortal in the temporal sense, and I’ve long since lost my reasonable prospect of dying with no pain at all. But I am moved by C.S. Lewis’s words and his way of thinking.
Dave, not fearful at all, at all.
