Engine Art - continued . . .

Well, as my engine assembly continues, the Art is taking form. It will still be some time before we get to see if the function follows as closely to the form as intended. But I remain optimistic.

The yellow and red colors will correspond to the split-color bumpers - front & rear. The cars overall color is Signal Orange. The split-color bumpers were used on the factory GT cars to aid in identifying them on the track. Though this will be far from a factory-like car, I still like the concept.

Nas-Car

Well my wife and I recently attended our first NASCAR race. The Checker 500 held here at PIR last Sunday was the first NASCAR event either of us has attended. I first would like to thank Mark (with a subcontractor we're using on a current project in the valley) for providing the tickets. Overall it was a wonderful, though sobering, experience. We had a delightful time together, and I was pleasantly surprised at my wife's genuine interest the whole afternoon.

We set off for the track several hours before the 2pm start time. I wasn't sure what to expect as we came within miles of the track, which is located out in the southwest valley. Surprisingly the Sherrif's Dept had a well organized and planned out set of routes to brings cars into the enormous parking area. That made the self-parking less chaotic. Since we were arriving on Sunday for an event that basically started Friday afternoon, you can imagine how far away we had to park. Quite right - it was a 30 minute walk from our car to the ticketing gate. My wife quickly noticed how all the cars, RV's, campers, etc - seemed to be a "maze of metal."

The maze of metal soon morphed into a stream of flesh as we were swept along in the crowds of people moving toward their repsective seats as race time approached. A flash of ancient Roman colosseum with venders lined all around the outside selling their wares, the smell of food, crowds of people moving in all directions - anxiously awaiting the main event - came to mind. There was, as you would expect, no lack of alchoholic beverages available, together with your typical desert thirst-quenchers. It could easily be likened to a circus, carnival, fair, or any such event intended to overwhelm the senses and lure the weak into over-consumptions of all kinds.

We were fortunate to find our seats two-thirds up the grand-stands. This allowed a gracious view of the entire infield, along with the complete track. We were also positioned just at the end of turn four and at the beginning of the long main straight (long for a one-mile track). Unfortunately (at first anyway) it also allowed us an uninterupted view of the sun. Even in the mid-80's it can still be quite sweltering with no shade. Did I mention they don't allow umbrellas! Who would need one anyway - it rarely rains in the desert - right? Not. It wasn't long before there was an abundance of shade - and even a little rain to cool things off. Many complained as it brought the race to a halt for 20-30 minutes, but we saw the blessing in it and appreciated it.

As the race gets underway, the most obvious feature during the whole event is the SOUND! We were prepared with ear plugs, but the shear consistency of it was amazing. Equally amazing to my wife was the closeness of the cars at such speeds with so few mishaps. Though there were a few in this race - expecially at the end of the race - they mostly moved around the track, one after the other - like an endless chain of pearls. I must admit it was a bit like watching a carousel - almost hipnotic.

As you might imagine, the race continued lap-after-lap, much the same. An occasional yellow flag, due to debri, to shake things up a bit. There were occasions where cars bumped each other and one or both ended up in the wall. This provoked the mass exudos of the other cars from the track into the pits. It also generated some of the biggest shifts in position. Some benfitted - others didn't. Finally in the end it was Jimmy Johnson who one the race - after leading it for most the laps.

As we left the track, we realized it was an enjoyable experience, and are glad we had the opportunity. Have we been bittin by the NASCAR bug? I think not. But that doen't mean we wouldn't welcome the opportunity to experience it again.

Up to grade?

OK, I know I haven't been keeping up on this Blog. I've been a little over-whelmed with work and school. Fortunately mid-terms are over and I managed an A on one and a B on the other. I could have squabbled over a couple of marginal corrections to push the B to an A, but it seems rather trivial. The A in the other course at least allows me to skip taking the final - as long as I get the same grades on homework and quizzes. A worthy goal indeed!

Electric!

I came across a couple of articles that fit in with our previous Electric discussion. One discusses a new electric vehicle and hybrid-electric that can be run run for pennies/mile, and provide a range of over 120 miles on all electric.

Aptera Test Drive

The Aptera

The other article is about roof-top wind turbines of unconventional design.

This is very encouraging reading. Enjoy!

Journal Entry - 9/4/2005

This morning provided an original thought in the quiet rest as my wife and I lay together - an original thought about God's purpose for Israel. I was thinking about my brother's position, in what I call, legalism, and how determined he is to honor God's written word. It occurred to me again that by focusing so much attention there, he seems to have missed the living word of God. The living word of his creation, of life, of all that is around us. I even imagined pointing to my brother and noting the living word of God in him. Yet where was the honor for that?

When our identity is crushed we seem incapable of honoring the living word of God's creation in us. It's from there, it occurred to me, the nation of Israel was in an opposite - yet equally extreme - position. Though they sought to claim their unique relationship with God at the exclusion of those around them, it was actually God's purpose to include the gentiles through Christ. It was never meant to be just about them. Nor were they the sole focus of his purpose. They were a part. They are what I have termed - the David before Goliath.

Let me explain.
Goliath was not merely a man - he was a giant among men; a warrior of warriors; the mightiest of men. Yet before him stands David; not a king, a shepherd - a young boy.
Now had Goliath been defeated by a man - another warrior - great would have been the claim of the nation he fought for. And the honor would fall upon the man and the nation.
But, defeat the mightiest of men with a young boy, and now the honor falls to the God behind the boy. It was all about revelation - God's revelation to all the peoples the nation of Israel encountered.

So now that brings to mind two questions for each of us:

1. What is God's pupose for me in this life?
2. Who around me is that purpose being fulfilled for?

Journal Entry - 4/16/2006

Many people look to the bible as the last and final word of God - but is it?

For me, the bible is the beginning, not the end. There is another word of God - more direct, more personal, more meaningful.
For many, I fear the bible has become the forest that can't be seen for the trees. So much focus is placed on fitting all the words together in order to see God in them, that we fail to recognize this might not be the only place to look.

When the nation of Israel was founded with Abraham, God's promise to him was that all nations of the world would be blessed through him. Yet at the time that Jesus Christ comes onto the seen, was that Israel's perspective? Not at all. They saw themselves as the chosen, separate, and special people of God - at the exclusion of all other peoples and nations. When in fact, God called them to be the chosen, separate, and special people of God for the inclusion of other peoples and nations.

I find the contrast in actual purpose and perceived purpose to most revealing. Especially consider how close the nation of Israel was to the word of God.

Yet today, I see many who do the very same thing - Christians and Jews alike, myself included. In fact, I suspect that anyone who has been indoctrinated by organized religion will be susceptible to the same error. An error only in that it limits one's spiritual growth - as it did Israel's. One reason, I believe, the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were unable to accept him was because they were so focused on what they thought the scriptures told them to expect, they didn't allow room for a broader perspective or God's subtlety.

Yet that subtlety still exists today, and we're still missing it. Let's look at it this way. When God revealed himself to Abraham - what characterized that revelation? Was is not blessing, provision, and faithfulness?
What about King David? Wasn't God's revelation characterized mostly in love - a deep, intimate, and knowing love?
What about Job? Was it not a revelation characterized by God as creator of all life?
What of Moses? Faith and power.
What of Mary the mother of Jesus? Honor! She did not receive her revelation in a dream, but from the archangel Gabriel himself.
And Joseph's was different. His came in a dream and was characterized by faith and humility. Faith to trust in God's purpose and humility to take Mary, who was with child, as his wife - contrary to what the law required.

And the list goes on. The subtlety in all this is that God's revelation and relationship was unique for each person he sought and called.

So now each of us might consider. What characterizes God's revelation and relationship with me?

My response is - don't look in a book. Look in your heart and listen to your spirit.

Journal Entry - 2/17/2007

I am returning home after working in the Denver office of Toll Bros., assisting with their plot plans & some surveying. I was scheduled to fly back Friday evening but the flight was canceled, delaying my return home until this afternoon. It was this morning that my wife relayed to me the news about my father: the news of his serious stroke and minor heart attack. I had forgotten that nearly twenty years ago he had heart failure due to a faulty valve that was subsequently repaired. That clarifies his occasional expression of "living on borrowed time."

Now with him in the hospital in such a serious condition, I suddenly felt fortunate that I spoke with him on a couple of occasions recently. One of these occasions was to get some details of his life for a school report my daughter was doing. At the time I was a little irritated that she didn't feel like talking to him. Now, however, I'm thankful that I had the time to learn more about his past and his short military career as an aerial photographer. It was one of those blessings you don't see fully at the time, though I wish my daughter could have shared in the blessing too.

The time on the plane home gave me an opportunity to reflect on the positive relationship I have with my father, and the contributions he has made to my growth and success. Following is a letter I wrote on the plane, and hope to deliver to him.

Dear Father,
I want to take this opportunity to tell you that I love you. I also want to tell you why I love you.

In addition to being a father who provided for my needs as a child, you also gave me support and direction when I needed it most. I have looked at you as a friend as much as I have a father. Let me recount some examples.

As my father, you were my friend and protector, keeping me safe from dangers I was unaware of - even saving my life.
As my father, you were always a friend and accepted me while others rejected me. Acceptance that rooted me in self-confidence.
As my father, you were a friend by extending trust and respect to me as a young man. A trust I worked diligently to honor.
As my father, you were a friend and mentor, giving me wise direction when my future seemed uncertain. Direction that I was able to build a family and a future on.
As my father, you were a friend, giving support and understanding when my life was upside down, giving me the courage to try again.
As my father, you gave me a name. A name to honor and pass on.

When I see my father, I don't see his faults, his failures, or his limitations. I see the enthusiasm he puts into everything he does. An enthusiasm I am proud to say continues in me.

One final thing. As a father you gave me an appreciation for your day and age - for your generation, its music, its perspective, and its history. And especially, in the fast pace of my generation, an appreciation for the slower, consistent, and dependable pace of trains. I will never see, hear, or ride one without thinking fondly of you.

My father died a week later. I was unable to get this letter to him in time, but I am confident he knew how I felt. As it turned out my trip home for the funeral was on AmTrak. It wasn't originally planned that way, but the flight I had scheduled to arrive days before the funeral was canceled, and I was unable to get another using my available frequent-flyer miles.
Coincidence? I don't think so.