I know--it's the last post of 2009 and it should probably be something meaningful. Maybe a little look back at the year or a hopeful look to the future. But what I'm thinking right now is that in just about 7 weeks pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training Camp and the Great American Pastime will once again be underway.Here is a little winter warm-up to whet your appetite. Grab a bag of peanuts or box of Cracker Jacks, your favorite cold beverage and maybe grill a hot dog. Then sit back and enjoy...Happy New Year!John <...
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
...that in the mid 1500's, French politician, Jean Nicot served as an ambassador to Portugal? It was there that he was introduced to a plant heralded for its medicinal value. Nicot sent this plant (a member of the nightshade family) to France where it was declared to be the Queen's herb. Jean Nicot was duly rewarded for his find by being appointed as Lord of Villemain. He also gave his name to the plant genus, Nicotiana tabacum, which we know simply as tobacco.Along with the nicotine found in tobacco, other nightshade plants have toxic chemicals...
Sunday, 27 December 2009
One of the other blogs that I frequent recently ran a "Best of 2009" by picking one favorite post from each month. I was re-reading some of my old posts and thought that I would do the same. Although these are reruns, some of you haven't been reading for that long so they may be new to you. I hope that they will bring a smile to your face, encouragement to your heart and give you something to ponder.I do want to thank you for dropping by from time to time and reading my thoughts and occasional rants. I appreciate your comments--both here at...
Saturday, 26 December 2009
This story ran last week. There was video on ABC (video link in the story). Maybe you saw it. Maybe you were outraged by the wasteful spending. It came as no surprise to those of us that are Air Traffic Controllers. It was pretty much "business as usual" in the FAA. It really didn't take long for the culture to swing from working together for aviation safety (during the Clinton Administration) to the FAA dictatorship of the Bush Administration. It appears as if the FAA Management culture will take a little more time to swing back towards...
Thursday, 24 December 2009
It's just a little bit past the hour of midnight on Christmas morning. There is a mixture of freezing rain and snow falling on the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri and all will wake up to a white Christmas. Santa is making his rounds and will be returning to the North Pole for another year.In a few hours, kids will be waking up, presents will be exchanged, families will celebrate the holiday in many ways and with many traditions. I hope that your family tradition includes remembering the birth of our Savior, Jesus.This is one of my favorite newer...
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
A recent post on another blog labeled me as an idolater. It was said that that I am an anti-Christian, a part of the Christian counter culture and that I have a devil's worldview. Even the Christianity of those that examined me as a Deacon candidate was called into question.I said that so that you would know why this is a fitting song to wish you a Merry Christmas. I happen to be a Jackson Browne fan and had the opportunity (many years ago) to see him in concert. It sounds as if he's also worn the labels of anti-Christian, idolater, heathen and...
Monday, 21 December 2009
Saturday, 19 December 2009
It's a cold and blustery day in the Ozarks. I'm reading a few blogs and enjoying my second cup of coffee after a much needed 6+ hours of sleep.Weather forecasts give us a chance for some snow today but since they also have a fairly wide margin for error...well, I seriously doubt it. Wouldn't you just love to have a job that you could manage to be right so little and still have a justifiable reason for your errors?I haven't felt much like writing lately. Perhaps I just need to challenge myself to put something out on a daily basis. I'm not quite...
Monday, 14 December 2009
As our elected reprehensitives (thank you Bilbo) debate the grand health care reform bill, we keep hearing about the magic number of 60 to keep one side from filibustering to keep the bill from coming to a vote.The term filibuster is from the Danish word vrijbuiter and means free (vrij) booty (buit). Free booty is not a party call for college boys to invade the girls dormitories and sorority houses; it's a pirating term used when buccaneers raided the West Indies and Spanish-American coast during the 1600's. The word filtered through the French...
Friday, 11 December 2009
Tomorrow is the monthly meeting for our Christian Writer's group. The December meeting is one set aside for members to share some of their seasonal writing. I'm going to go with the writing in a previous post pretty much as it was written here.But I've been thinking about Christmas...the first Christmas. I've been wondering about the trip that Joseph and Mary made to Bethlehem. The thing that is bothering me is that they tried to find a place to stay in the inn. Wasn't this Joseph's home?I think that maybe Joseph's family refused to let...
Sunday, 6 December 2009
I am currently reading a book called Apologetics For a New Generation. In the third chapter I ran across some interesting statistics from three different studies. I have known that the influence of a father figure is important to the proper development of our kids, but these studies really suggest that the role of a dad is far greater than I imagined.The studies were done after the tragic killings at Columbine High School. The first, commissioned by Columbia University, was to see if family structure had any impact on drug and alcohol use and...
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Saturday, 28 November 2009
I know--the last thing that many of you need is one more blog to read. But since I have a new one that I'm following, I wanted to share it with you.Bible, Baseball, Burgers and Bar-B-Que--it sounds like something that I'd write, doesn't it? Actually, it's written by my son, Aaron. In the About Me section he writes, "I like the Bible. I like baseball. I like burgers. I like Bar-b-que. The number of things I like more than these four "B"s can be counted on one hand."I'm looking forward to reading the insights of a young man that is preparing for...
Friday, 27 November 2009
This morning, Black Friday in America, I will avoid the mass madness of the gift hunting crowds and give a gift to some very needy person. During the holidays, those that have cancer will continue with their chemo treatments and will continue to have a need for blood platelets. Many people that are having surgeries will need blood, and the accident rate from the many highway travellers will be on the rise as well as the associated blood need. Unfortunately, it is also a season that donations often drop. It's an easy give to give. Take a few...
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
While the date, time and place of the first Thanksgiving can be debated, and the thanks that we give can be to our God, to some imagined being or to no one in particular (yes, even atheists celebrate Thanksgiving and give thanks--although I'm really not sure that I completely understand this); it should be noted that when President Lincoln made the declaration that the United States would set this day aside to give thanks, it was to give thanks to the Almighty God that had blessed and watched over our country.We had been embattled in a great civil...
Saturday, 21 November 2009
It's odd how some things can cost little and yet have great value and other things can be very expensive and mean little to us. I guess it's because the price is set by the seller and the value is set by the receiver. Perhaps I find myself dwelling on these things now because it's the time of year when we are all looking for great deals at the stores and the stores are gearing up for the really big sales on "Black Friday" and leading all the way up to Christmas.Each December, the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writer's Association has...
Friday, 20 November 2009
I heard this Bible verse used earlier this week-- Psalms 109:8. It was used in reference to President Obama and was used by a pastor in a meeting of mostly pastors. As usual, I just hung my head and shuddered at the ignorance that seems to pervade otherwise intelligent beings and moral men and causes them to say the most stupid, hateful things.Sadly, these things aren't out of their own devotional readings of the Scriptures, but come from the loud mouthed radical right that are more interested in political victories than in the promotion of righteous...
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
I have mixed feelings about posting this link. On the one hand, it's embarrassing (we're not all like that). On the other hand, it's kinda funny. Anybody that's gone to church for any length of time or listened to a variety of preachers, has heard somebody take some Scripture out of context and build a sermon around it--but this guy really takes the cake! See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.John <>&...
Saturday, 14 November 2009
It is the Holiday Season! Already we have received numerous catalogs and sale ads that proclaim, "Just in time for the Holidays!"Along with all of the wishes for "Happy Holidays" and "Season's Greetings" come the seasonal complaints from Christians that that are offended by the use of "holiday" instead of Christmas. We'll say things like, "It's not a 'holiday tree' it's a Christmas Tree." We'll protest and boycott stores that have "holiday" sales but feel good about getting a good deal at a "Christmas" sale. I know that I've posted of these...
I picked this up from my blog-friend, Mike. While the title of this post says Just for Fun, there is plenty of truth here so pay attention!Guys Rules For WomenAt last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!1. Men are NOT mind readers.2. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving...
Friday, 13 November 2009
Last week a man found himself in court because of a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offense. It wasn't his first. The judge fined him and took away his driver's license. The very next day, this same person gets drunk and then gets behind the wheel of a car. He drives (at about 80mph) into traffic that is stopped. The young man that was in the car that was hit suffered severe head trauma and after a few days was removed from life support and died.Perhaps there will be a day when the young man's family will hear of a life that was changed from...
Monday, 9 November 2009
Last night there was a wedding at our church. It was not the first marriage for either the bride or the groom. This is not a judgment on them or on anybody that has been through the tragedy of divorce...just John thinking out loud (so to speak).In the morning service, we heard of four couples that celebrated anniversaries this past week. A young couple--their seventh, and the twelfth for another couple. Then came an older couple celebrating number 50 (sorry guys, but if you're celebrating number 50, you're an older couple!) followed by friends...
Saturday, 31 October 2009
It's been almost two years since I wrote a post about a friend that went out of his way to help my son when he had some car problems and was away from home. Today it's time for payback.It will come as no surprise to those of you that have been reading for a while--I'm a big fan of intercessory prayer. I believe that God hears us and honors our prayers when we pray for one another. I also believe in name dropping. Just as I would desire that you pray for me by name, I think that there are benefits when I pray for others by name.For example:...
My Pastor friend David posted this link a few days ago. A book burning. Talk about your church Halloween gimmicks! These folks have some misguided ideas about the translation of The Bible. Actually they have some misguided ideas about the translation of any book and the dynamics of our language. I don't doubt that they are followers of God, but they are under a false sense of what is an accurate translation if they still believe that the best English translation for today's English speaking people was done 400 years ago. You would think that...
Friday, 30 October 2009
Today I had the wonderful privilege of entertaining a small group of senior adults at The Fremont in Springfield MO. The Fremont is a retirement community that has a regular guest on certain Friday afternoons. This was the second time that I've been asked to come and share some magic. (It really is nice to be asked back.) Since the venue for these folks is more intimate than I'm used to performing in, I decided to use some of the effects that I really like but never get the chance to perform. I love close-up magic. It is the magic that I enjoy...
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Wow! It's been a little while since I've posted anything here at Out of My Hat. I'd say it was because I've been busy, but that isn't completely true. I just haven't felt like taking the time to write something worthwhile. I'm not saying that this is anything that is really special--in fact, it will just be some random thoughts that I have yet to formulate into a post that might someday make sense.My ministry year is coming to a close as far as revivals and magic shows. I'll be in Seligman MO tomorrow morning, Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday...
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
I'm a little bit down these days. I know that "Revivals" are supposed to elevate--revive--our spirits, but that hasn't been the case in the past few weeks. I've become depressed at the state of our churches and am wondering why we even bother with doing "church" the way that we are in the 21st century.Our churches are more like clubs, We even have memberships! We haven't made them exclusive (not officially) and generally make membership simple (and meaningless) to attain, but we do gather in our safe little holy huddles and maintain a cloistered...
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Yes, I know that it has been well over a week since I've posted. For a good part of that, I was just too busy. But other than that, I've just been in a posting doldrum kind of state. Oh there is certainly plenty to blog about, but I'm trying to keep things uplifting and positive.So...no mention here of the dismal way that the Cardinals finished out their last few games and just looking forward to the post-season play that begins this week. I know that they will be great with all pitchers feeling strong and everybody doing their part in the...
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
I know that it really irks some people that I would call myself a "conservative." This is because we have very different ideas of what "political conservatism" really is. Certainly, there are many that are old enough to remember the conservatism of the 60's and 70's, but many of today's conservatives are too young to know what real conservatism is. Today's conservative is more defined around a political party and is absolutely intolerant of other ideas. There is no middle ground for today's political conservative. Political parties have taken...
Monday, 21 September 2009
I had a great weekend! I spent Saturday afternoon at Perche Baptist Church, just a little bit north of Columbia MO. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to visit with my friend, Pastor Cole. Cole is a great guy, but he pretty much stinks at "washers." Washers is a game that is similar to horse shoes, but much more portable. There are different variations of the game and Cole used the excuse that he was used to a different style pit. If I had been throwing as badly as he was, I would have faked an injury or used a similar excuse,...
Saturday, 19 September 2009
I haven't weighed in on the Health Reform debate too much...for a number of reasons.I definitely believe that our system needs to be reformed. #37 in the world ranking for health care is simply unacceptable.I am NOT in favor of one mega-bill that is going to fix all of our health care problems and can't understand why the "smart" people think that this is the best way to address the problem. (Perhaps it is because they see "problem" when, in fact, they should see many "problems")I think that several smaller bills, each focused on one area the...
Friday, 18 September 2009
The run-off election for the president of the National Air Traffic Controller's Association (NATCA) and the Central Region vice-president is over. I have to say that I am very disappointed in the results for our national president. I wish Paul Rinaldi the best but will have to do some real mental gymnastics to overcome my fears that we are in for more of the mediocre (at best) leadership that we've experienced for the past few years. Sorry, Ruth. I know that you must be disappointed and yet I also know that you are all NATCA. Thank you for...
Sunday, 13 September 2009
I want to preface this post by saying that it is primarily directed to my Christian brothers and sisters. Feel free to read it or skip it as you please. Just remember that I'm making the assumption that I am writing to fellow followers of Jesus.Oxymorons are those strange combinations of contradictory words that we often use.Things like: That tastes awfully good or She's pretty ugly.There are the standard jokes like: Military intelligence or happily married.Some have become so common that we no longer think of them as oxymorons--virtual reality...
Saturday, 12 September 2009
I got to thinking this week about the person of John that different people see in different settings. I wrote about this some time ago--hence the "again" part in the title. As much as we might try to be the same person on a consistent basis, we are different in each setting.To the people that I work with, I'm John-the air traffic controller. They know about other aspects of my life, but I'm primarily a controller in their eyes. To the many churches that invite me as an evangelist, I'm...well...an evangelist. Some know that I have a full time...
Friday, 11 September 2009
Monday, 7 September 2009
I hope that you are one of the millions of Americans that have an opportunity to celebrate Labor Day with family and friends. On a normal Labor Day, I would be at work with thousands of other men and women that are watching the skies. Since I am still waiting for medical clearance, I get to enjoy the beautiful Ozark's day at home.Too often we take for granted all of the benefits that we have because of the victories of the Labor movement. In the Ozarks, labor unions are not well thought of and often blamed for all of the economic woes of our...
Saturday, 5 September 2009
I'm not a real big fan of Glenn Beck, especially since he's gone over to Fox News. I think that his candid observations of government and life have taken on the slant of his new employer. He was less offensive before, but still able to point to our government's faults and society's weakness.Last night, I was killing some time while Chris was shopping and picked up a copy of his book, An Inconvenient Book. I'm sure that there are many areas in his book with which I will disagree. However, the last part of his introduction is one that I truly...
Thursday, 3 September 2009
I was never a big Ted Kennedy fan. I certainly wasn't a Kennedy hater. I was (an am) pretty neutral when it came to the late Senator Kennedy. I was pretty shocked to hear many of the post death comments that came from people--especially the Catholics that were glad that he is dead and have hopes of him burning in eternal torment. Sen. Kennedy certainly took a different stand than the Catholic Church on some issues. Differing opinions on social/moral issues shouldn't rate the eternal death judgment from others...I think that Judgment stuff...
Monday, 31 August 2009
I love living in the Ozarks! The climate is moderate through all four seasons. The landscape is beautiful with hills, rivers, lakes and beautiful skies. The people are pretty down-to-earth folks (though not necessarily pretty folks) that (for the most part) love their families, their country and their God (although I'm not really sure what order to put those in). If I were to pick a downside of living in the Ozarks, it would have to be the lack of diversity. We are a pretty pale section of the American population. Of course, there are many that...
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
In spite of the success at the first two Maintenance Wakefulness Tests (MWT), today's test was a failure. The tech monitoring the test told me that I fell asleep for just over two minutes during the second test period. I don't recall dozing off, but that's what the test showed.They tell me I have to wait a week before I can test again so I'll be off of the boards for another week. Sacre Bleu!My sick leave balance is pretty low so I'll have to take advantage of my manager's generosity and spend a few days doing administrative stuff. Tomorrow...
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
After viewing yesterday's post about a young man using a magician to help with his marriage proposal, I was thinking to myself--"The real trick isn't the proposal--it's keeping the marriage together."For as long as I can remember, the failure rate for marriages has been around 50%. Half of all marriages end in divorce. It doesn't seem to matter if you get married in a church or at the court house. It doesn't seem to matter if you are younger or older. About half of the time marraiges end in divorce.The reasons vary--money, infidelity, career...
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