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|  The inside is really rather plain. The seating is individual chairs in a circular pattern around one large room. There is no distinctive area for a "pulpit" or "lectern" as they have no clergy or "worship leader." Actually, I can't quite figure out what it is they worship, unless it is the "idea" once expressed by John Lennon in the new age classic "Imagine"   . B'Hai predates "diversity" and "new age", but it sure sounds the same to me. What I have read of his (the B'Hai was Iranian) writings seem to be a collection of moral aphorisms which would fit any ultruistic philosophy. Oh, well, if you have any curiosity, you can "google" them yourself. | | |
| I am home again, that is, in Newport News, but at Margaret's not Kathryn. Home is, however, where I hang my proverbial hat... Chicago was great. Weather was perfect, our accommodations were very nice, the tours were fun and informative and all of the Chicagoans, Chicagoites, Chicagopipples, whatever, that we met were very, very kind to we two senior citizens. I especially enjoyed the boat tour on the Chicago River that featured the downtown architecture. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable. She talked non-stop without notes of any kind; knew all of the architectural firms, all of the dates, the styles, the structural differences, etc. Were you aware that the difference between the post-modern architecture and the modern architecture involves the internal stress structure more than the "style"? Fascinating! On our own, on the first day, we passed the B'Hai Temple and I just had to get inside. It looks like a huge ivory carving. It looks both Indian and Iranian. The architect is French Canadian! I had an interesting discussion with a gentleman acting as a guide there who has been "B'hai" since his college days in the 60's! After Chicago we went to Rose's old home towns of Bryan and Defiance Ohio. Then to the "Sauder Village", established by Erie Sauder who began the woodworking business in the 20's. The Village has buildings from the Mennonite Settlers of the area from the 1830's to about 1900. Most buildings were found nearby (in Ohio) and moved to the site to create the "Village". We stayed at their "Inn" which was georgeous! Top Notch. Pictures will follow, hopefully in just a few days. | | |
| Just wanted to explain.... I had said I would blog about our trip to Chicago and didn't. Number one, they keep me busy here, number two, Baby (Moose) either beats me with her tail or puts her head on the keyboard or sits on my lap so I can't type! How's that for an excuse. Oh, and yesterday, Sunday after church, IKE got here, or so it seems. We had winds reaching 60 mph. Randy lost a huge cherry tree and several large limbs from one of the Walnut trees. (Too bad you are not here Kate, you could take the cherry wood somewhere to be sliced into planks and make boxes! Cherry makes beautiful furniture. You could make a coffee table. A dining table! A bed! Shelves....  ). We were out of electricity until sometime in the middle of the night. I took a flashlight to bed with me and read with it sitting on my shoulder. We're meeting Dickey at the Cracker Barrel in Seymour at ten for Brunch. Vacations equal overeating. I don't have the self-control to change that "fact". Later | | |
| Randy wanted Rose and I to have a ride in his new Conestoga. Actually he had bought the wagon used and spiffed it up, then he had a cover custom made for it in the conestoga style with curved wooden slats covered in canvas. He brought the team, his matched Belgians to the barn where Foxy, Chief and Navajo live and hooked them up. He hoisted Rose in, I managed to make it by myself. We were in the back, on a padded settee of sorts. Marla, Randy and Kayla were in front. Randy said we were going to the park in North Vernon, to the Farmer's market. I think he wanted to show the rig off in town as he hopes to offer rides in it, to Agri-tourists, dontcha know. They did great on the 4 mile ride into town, Randy did have to remind them to "walk" every so often as they have the yen to trot, even run. Highway 7 is quite busy and these huge horses handle the traffic with ease. At the park, as we were stopped to wait for traffic to break so we could turn into the park, disaster struck. Bob and Charlie, bobbing their heads, got their bridles stuck together and panicked. I didn't realized there was a problem until they jumped forward, made an unscheduled U-turn and took off. Randy jumped off the wagon and went to their heads. I was sure he would be trampled. But he is RANDY, the man, and he managed to run with them and guide them off the road through the drive of a closed business, through to a side road and into a back yard where they stopped at a large tree. They were so close to that tree that Charlie had to turn his head sideways. When we went under the tree we broke off a fair sized limb that nearly impaled Marla. Randy managed to untangle his "boys", to straighten out the leads, etc. And we were set to back out of the yard. A woman from the house next door had arrived to take pictures and she suggested that we drive forward through her yard to the front through to the next street. Randy did. The conestoga suffered its real damage during that process as a tree in her yard was lower and stronger than at first perceived and snapped the front curved stay of the conestoga's top. Got the picture? Add to that Kayla screaming at the top of her lungs, Marla yelling just a little, Randy shouting "whoas" and "easy boys" to Bob and Charlie and, oh, by the way, Rose and I had Abby in the back with us and she was so scared, she was trying to jump out and shaking like a leaf. My only injury was, therefore, dog scratches! I was talking to Kayla to calm her and was not really scared. Just excited! Rose knows more about horses so she realized that Randy was actually leading them toward that tree as that is a tried and true way of stopping a horse. They will crash into a building, but stop for a tree. I thought they were out of control until they actually stopped. My only fear was Randy getting injured, or, if he let go, we would have had no way of controlling Bob and Charlie. Should have known that Randy would not let go. He had some cuts and scratches and soreness in his shoulders later, but that was it. We actually continued on our way to the Farmer's Market and then on to home taking the back roads into the country toward Queensville. Bob and Charlie showed no sign of any distress at all. I think they want to go to town again. I'm not going. | | |
| I was noticing the short "quick notes" on Heather's blog and read Margaret's advice that to improve one's writing, one should, well, write! The good quote is from R.C. Sproul, Jr. and is from his "Kingdom Notes" " Secondly, and perhaps ironically, I believe we can expect to see the Spirit at work where we see Christians striving to live in peace and quietness with all men, as much as is possible. Consider these few statistics. Eighty percent of children of evangelical Christians attend the government’s schools. Eighty percent of them will leave the faith. Over the last twenty years, anywhere from half a million to two million evangelical families have taught their children in their homes. The overwhelming majority of these children walk in the way that they should go when they are grown. If these numbers are accurate, we are witnessing a silent revival right here in America . Taking back the schools is a failed and worldly technique. Taking back His children, that is changing everything. When we no longer render to Caesar the things that are God’s, our children, then we can expect to see revival." I am looking forward to his coming to our church for a conference this fall. I thoroughly enjoyed his book, "When You Rise Up" and I now regularly receive his "Kingdom Notes" by e-mail weekly. | | |
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