"When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you." Proverbs 2:10-11.
Our last sailboat was an Irwin Mark IV on which we had many wonderful voyages on Fort Loudon and Watts Bar Lakes. For a family of three with the occasional niece/nephew tagging along, the 28.5 size perfectly accommodated us for the daysail or overnighter. I loved being on the boat and seized every opportunity I could to drop the lines and catch a breeze. However, my lack of discretion almost cost me the boat and possibly more. It was a very busy Saturday and I had spent the night before on the boat alone, cleaning and preparing for my wife, son and our two goddaughters to join us for a complete day on the lake. Arising early, I decided to embark on a little "me-time" sail and maybe even anchor out before returning to retrieve them around 1300. So, I cranked the Yamaha 9.9, established an idle, tied my dinghy to the ball and walked to the bow and offed the mooring line. Humming along upstream, I noticed a minor skip in the motor but really didn't give it much thought as I've had engine failure before and have been able to recover with no incident. Before moving on, I should mention the lake was full of Jet Skis, Ski boats, Bass Boats, etc... all of which I disdained as they were basically polluting MY space. So, after 10-15 minutes of motoring I killed the engine, pulled the sails and off I went. About 20 minutes into the trip, I made a critical error in judgement and decided to forego a much needed tack in order to avoid the artificial chop created by the recreational boaters. In doing so, I chose to closely run the north shoreline.....BAD, BAD DECISION. Realizing I was quickly approaching shallow waters, I loosened the jib and prepared to tack southward knowing this would impede my progress but was a better alternative than running aground. Additionally, I was approaching an area known as Turkey Creek which had a low-lying overpass, lots of power-boaters coming from the marina and........yep, you guessed it: Power Lines. Of course I was much too wise and knowledgeable to allow that to occur. Now remember, I'm running the North shoreline; The wind is on my nose from the Southeast; I needed to tack south which meant I needed enough wind and inertia to turn the 7500lb starboard. Here's were it really gets fun: when I pulled the tiller port, the boat barely moved. I again adjusted and the sails and even try to force the Main but I just didn't have enough wind to make the tack. So I turned to my trusty 9.9 and began to crank and crank and crank and crank. I later learned the fuel diaphragm in the carburetor had a small crack and wasn't holding fuel. Okay, so no big deal, I'll just throw the anchor. Unfortunately, not only was I too close to the shore for the anchor to set, the bottom was primarily rock. I was in a pinch as not only was the 20 foot bridge nearing my 45 foot mast but the Power Lines were going to take a crack at me first. By now, a couple fishermen on the bridge noticed I was in duress. Unfortunately, they were more interested in taking pictures of my eventual demise instead of initiating assistance. It was at that moment I realized the best course of wisdom was to seek assistance. I went to the bow and began frantically waving my arms to which a very nice family of four circled their Chaparal and hooked to me. They towed me back to my mooring and wouldn't accept anything other than a Thank You and promise that I would pay it forward which I have done and will do anytime the opportunity presents itself. I'm proud to say I didn't end up on the front of the local newspaper as the primary source of responsibility for a major power outage and it was a phenomenal lesson on what not to do. From a Biblical perspective, their are so many principles I could expound upon but I'll leave that for future posts or as a response to any who would like to hear. Whewwww!
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“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you.” Proverbs 2:10-11. Our last sailboat was an Irwin Mark IV on which we had many wonderful voyages on Fort Loudon and Watts Bar Lakes. For a family of three with the occasional niece/nephew tagging along, the 28.5 size perfectly accommodated us for the daysail or overnighter. I loved being on the boat and seized every opportunity I could to drop the lines and catch a breeze. However, my lack of discretion almost cost me the boat and possibly more. It was a very busy Saturday and I had spent the night before on the boat alone, cleaning and preparing for my wife, son and our two goddaughters to join us for a complete day on the lake. Arising early, I decided to embark on a little “me-time” sail and maybe even anchor out before returning to retrieve them around 1300. So, I cranked the Yamaha 9.9, established an idle, tied my dinghy to the ball and walked to the bow and offed the mooring line. Humming along upstream, I noticed a minor skip in the motor but really didn’t give it much thought as I’ve had engine failure before and have been able to recover with no incident. Before moving on, I should mention the lake was full of Jet Skis, Ski boats, Bass Boats, etc… all of which I disdained as they were basically polluting MY space. So, after 10-15 minutes of motoring I killed the engine, pulled the sails and off I went. About 20 minutes into the trip, I made a critical error in judgement and decided to forego a much needed tack in order to avoid the artificial chop created by the recreational boaters. In doing so, I chose to closely run the north shoreline…..BAD, BAD DECISION. Realizing I was quickly approaching shallow waters, I loosened the jib and prepared to tack southward knowing this would impede my progress but was a better alternative than running aground. Additionally, I was approaching an area known as Turkey Creek which had a low-lying overpass, lots of power-boaters coming from the marina and……..yep, you guessed it: Power Lines. Of course I was much too wise and knowledgeable to allow that to occur. Now remember, I’m running the North shoreline; The wind is on my nose from the Southeast; I needed to tack south which meant I needed enough wind and inertia to turn the 7500lb starboard. Here’s were it really gets fun: when I pulled the tiller port, the boat barely moved. I again adjusted and the sails and even try to force the Main but I just didn’t have enough wind to make the tack. So I turned to my trusty 9.9 and began to crank and crank and crank and crank. I later learned the fuel diaphragm in the carburetor had a small crack and wasn’t holding fuel. Okay, so no big deal, I’ll just throw the anchor. Unfortunately, not only was I too close to the shore for the anchor to set, the bottom was primarily rock. I was in a pinch as not only was the 20 foot bridge nearing my 45 foot mast but the Power Lines were going to take a crack at me first. By now, a couple fishermen on the bridge noticed I was in duress. Unfortunately, they were more interested in taking pictures of my eventual demise instead of initiating assistance. It was at that moment I realized the best course of wisdom was to seek assistance. I went to the bow and began frantically waving my arms to which a very nice family of four circled their Chaparal and hooked to me. They towed me back to my mooring and wouldn’t accept anything other than a Thank You and promise that I would pay it forward which I have done and will do anytime the opportunity presents itself. I’m proud to say I didn’t end up on the front of the local newspaper as the primary source of responsibility for a major power outage and it was a phenomenal lesson on what not to do. From a Biblical perspective, their are so many principles I could expound upon but I’ll leave that for future posts or as a response to any who would like to hear. Whewwww!
The bulk of my week rarely goes the way I have it planned out. Don't misunderstand me, it's not often I have what would really qualify as a "Bad Day" as the definition of such is mostly relative and given my predisposition to the theory that as long as my family and friends are doing well, I really don't have much to complain about. So nothing I'm about to write really qualifies as "Bad", per se.
Sunday: Overall, great day in church. Great Sermon, Wonderful Music (even if I was singing), Time with Family and Friends. Monday: Started out good but later learned surgery is in my near future for a torn rotator cuff, impinged shoulder-blade and a torn bi-cep tendon. This is especially cruddy given I sort of need my left arm to earn money for my family. Tuesday: Bronchitis set in. Wednesday: Bronchitis is full-blown and I need to get into the studio to do a demo for a potential wedding job. (Go ahead and laugh and use the "Wedding Singer" one-liners....the pay is usually pretty good). Thursday: Bronchitis subsiding, but my shoulder is cranking. Found a potential new boat but money and concerns of "what all will this need?" lurk. Also, my 540i is strong but it won't handle this 4k-lb beauty. Deal's not dead but more questions than answers. Friday: Bronchitis almost gone but something's missing and I can't quite put my finger on it....Wife's grandmother rushed to hospital early in the morning; non-responsive. Saturday: Grandmother making a recovery but not out of the woods yet. Son's basketball team won their division but in all of this there's something lacking. Then it hits me. I have been so pre-occupied with My life, that I've hardly spent anytime in The Word. Yeah, I've read every morning but honestly, my readings have been more cursory as opposed to really reading, contemplating, listening and then hopefully, applying. So I turned to the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes and settled on verse 13: "The conclusion , when all has been heard, is: fear G-d and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." NASB. Here's to a better track record this coming week. Not because I feel guilty or believe I'm condemned if I don't but rather because I want and love to. Fair Winds My Friends. To say we’ve had a significant amount of rain would be an understatement. As you can see from the picture, this partially submerged bench. At normal water levels, this bench is 20 yards from the water’s edge. From my house, I have a great view of my neighbors across the lake whose seawall was the first indicator Noah might make a return. Since this photo (01/15/2013), the water has dropped approximately six feet but now we’re dealing with an ice storm. Whew, come on Spring. In December of last year I had to make my way to Memphis, TN where I would be in company meetings for three days. We stayed in a hotel, downtown where everything was within walking distance, including the longest river in America. Ironically, I was so busy with the meetings I didn’t make it to the shore until the morning of the last day. Since I was facing a seven hour commute back home and it was beginning to rain, I decided to drive to a local park and walk to the bank. As I stood there peering at Arkansas and pivoting north to south, I thought about the first time I ever saw this massive waterway. I was seventeen and had driven all night after leaving work at a trucking company. I had a couple of friends from 4-H whose family lived there. We explored Mud Island, The Pyramid, Beale Street (Saw ZZ Top), and somehow, missed Graceland. Even though Memphis has a ton of stuff to offer, I was primarily enamored with the River. Since then I’ve been back numerous times but I still have the same, overwhelming sense of awe with each visit. Am I Alone?
A couple of weeks ago, I took my family on a road trip to check out a new (used) RV in Kentucky. After a couple of hours of "kickin' the tires" we departed for home and decided on a whim to explore the Big South Fork River amidst the local National Park. The park itself was very nice; clean; amenable, etc... However, for me the "aha" moment came when we hiked down a partially cleared path to walk the banks of the Big South Fork River. I was in awe of how beautiful, tranquil and clean the waters were. As my wife and son took turns posing for pictures, I wandered down stream until I arrived at the point you see within the picture. To see the fish freely gliding through the stream without fear of outboard propellers or jet skis scathing their heads was sort of refreshing. As I stood with my toes barely in the water, I began to sense a feeling of loneliness as if I was the only entity in the midst of this mega-sphere. Now I know that just a few feet a way, my family was in direct earshot and I could even hear the passing cars somewhere in the distance further denying my perceived reality. However, in my heart, my inner-being, I still felt isolated. It's odd how we can feel so insignificant even though we are very significant to our Heavenly Father. I was reminded of my significance this morning through the sermon delivered by a Peruvian Missionary who taught a very simple message from John 3:16. Without repeating the entire message below are several points pertaining to G-d's Love for us. His Love Is: 1. Unconditional; 2. Sacrificial; 3. Valuable; 4. Personal; 5. Accessible; 6. Non-judgemental; 7. Has a beneficial purpose. If you look closely at this picture, you’ll notice a 3.5 to 4 foot water snake slithering at the water’s edge. He/She is a light orange hue. Nothing too unusual about water snakes were we live. To humans, they are virtually harmless; typically quiet residents which inhibit the waters next to our house and feed on standard prey (fish, small rodents, etc….). Personally, I’m not “terrified” of the legless reptiles, but much like a mosquito, I don’t want them sneaking up on me and testing my legs as an appetizer.
What makes this particular snake of interest is that it approached me and my six-year old from behind as I was fishing and my son was playing with a small fish I had caught. We suspect the snake was beneath a nearby log and when I placed the freshly caught (bleeding, none the less) fish in the shallow water for my son to explore, the snake saw a potential for lunch. FYI, the fish lived as I let it go due to my lack of numeric fishing success. Thereafter, we walked back to our house to scare mom with the picture and contrive some sort of snake-catching tale she might possibly believe. During our walk I pondered momentarily the surprise I felt when my son said, “Hey Dad. There’s a snake.” My initial reaction was to rescue my son as I pulled my boot knife to defend (we also have copperheads but they are rarely seen). Instead, I decided to evacuate in case there were more to follow and since my fishing was constantly interrupted by passing boaters, rock throwing, etc…. Anyhow, back to my pondering. Why was I surprised? Why didn’t I believe? Did I not know snakes resided in shallow water, close to the shore, especially around partially submerged logs? However, when the reality of the snake’s appearing settled in, all of the signs made perfect sense. Luke 12:40: “Be ye therefore ready also : for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” As Yeshua speaks in this passage He has just issued warnings regarding hypocrisy, lack of fear of G-d and worry. Then this verse is spoken. He issued verbal signs thereafter regarding division, discerning of the times and other repentance related commentaries. In essence, He has removed the “unknown”, He advised to “expect” and by now, He had said and done plenty to remove a significant portion of their “unbelief”. If the unbelief was still present, it was about to exit. I knew the signs for a snake were present; I should have expected the result of a snake to be very probably; If I had believed, I probably wouldn’t have potentially jeopardized my son and myself. I know the signs for Yeshua’s return are present; I should expect His return at any moment; I say I believe so I shouldn’t do ANYTHING to jeopardize my relationship to him. |
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