First Photo Permanent Ever

Niépce set up a device called a camera obscura, which captured and projected scenes illuminated by sunlight, and trained it on the view outside his studio window in eastern France. The scene was cast on a treated pewter plate that, after many hours, retained a crude copy of the buildings and rooftops outside. The result was the first known permanent photograph.

View From The Window At Le Gras, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, 1826

Waco and Oklahoma City

This is the 17th anniversary of Waco and 15th of the bombing in Oklahoma City. I recall watching the Waco tragedy and wondering where in the world Waco was in Texas. In 2005, I found out as we left Houston, along with 2.4 million poeple fleeing from Hurricane Rita!

We drove to Waco and then a little more westward to Hamilton and stayed with Keith and Sharon Felton, old friends from Georgetown, KY.

I remember the bombing in Oklahoma City was also a snow day for us in Cynthiana, KY and our exchange student, Frauke, loved playing in the snow as we watched the horrible pieces of the bombing being put together.

9/11

In my previous post on 9/11 in 2007, I talked about where I was and what happened to me on that day. It seems looking back to that post, I was rather selfish and self-centered. The tragedy did not strike my family outside of my kids being worried about another attack.

I choose to reflect today on those that were destroyed in the attacks, especially the kids. There were children going to bed that night, without a parent, and in some cases, without both parents. For those kids who had single moms and dads, that night meant so much more than it did for me.

So today, I reflect on others' loss and pain on Patriot Day.

Martin Luther

I copied and pasted from www.history.com

October 31: General Interest
1517 : Martin Luther posts 95 theses

On this day in 1517, the priest and scholar Martin Luther
approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,
Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95
revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant
Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption
of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice
of asking payment--called "indulgences"--for the forgiveness
of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel,
commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X,
was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany
to finance the renovation of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of
indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to
purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons
they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to
repent for their sins.

Luther's frustration with this practice led him to write the 95
Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from
Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way
to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to change his
tune. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope
Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic
Church. That same year, Luther again refused to recant his
writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of
Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring
Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for
anyone to kill him without consequence. Protected by Prince
Frederick, Luther began working on a German translation of
the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete.

The term "Protestant" first appeared in 1529, when Charles V
revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German
state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms.
A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a
protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their
allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their
opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply
to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those
outside Germany. By the time Luther died, of natural causes,
in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had formed the basis for the
Protestant Reformation, which would over the next three
centuries revolutionize Western civilization.


--
"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive." - Bruce Springsteen
"Fatigue makes cowards of us all." - Vince Lombardi

Ken Griffey, Jr

In 1992, I recall reading a Sports Illustrated article that suggested Ken Griffey, Jr would be the most likely candidate to hit more Home Runs than Hank Aaron (755).

Over time, that prediction has not been reached due to injuries, but yesterday he joined Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Sammy Sosa as the only players ever to hit at least 600 Home Runs. Watch #600!
He has been one of my favorite players (along with Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and Derek Jeter) over the last 20 years.

Joan of Arc: A Hero's Life

- Joan of Arc was born in 1412.
- At age 12, she Began hearing "voices" of three Christian saints; St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret.
- When she was 16 years old, these voices exhorted her to aid the Dauphin in capturing Reims and the French throne.
- In May 1428, she traveled to Vaucouleurs and told the captain of the garrison of her visions. Disbelieving the young peasant girl, he sent her home.
- A year later, she returned, and the captain, impressed by her piety and determination, agreed to allow her passage to the Dauphin at Chinon. Dressed in men's clothes and accompanied by six soldiers, she reached the Dauphin's castle at Chinon. Charles hid among his guards and officials, but Joan immediately picked him out and informed him of her divine mission.
- Charles had Joan questioned by theologians, who then advised him to make use of this strange and charismatic girl.
- Charles furnished her with a small army, and on April 27, 1429 she set out for Orleans. Two days later, as a French sortie distracted the English troops on the west side of Orleans, Joan entered unopposed in the eastern gate.
- She personally led the charge in several battles and was struck by an arrow. After dressing her wound, she returned to the battle, and the French won the day. On May 8, the English retreated and Orleans was back in rightful French hands.
- On July 17, Charles VII was crowned king of France, with Joan standing nearby holding up her standard: an image of Christ in judgment. After the ceremony, she knelt before Charles, and called him king for the first time.
- On September 8, the king and Joan attacked Paris. During the battle, she was wounded but continued to rally the king's troops until Charles ordered an end to the unsuccessful siege.
- In December, Charles ennobled Joan, her parents, and her brothers. On May 23 1431, she was captured and sold to the English. In March of 1431 she went on trial before church authorities in Rouen on charges of heresy.
- The charge was her rejection of church authority in favor of direct inspiration from God. After refusing to submit to the church, her sentence was read on May 24 for her to be turned over to secular authorities and executed. Reacting with horror to the pronouncement, Joan agreed to recant and was condemned instead to imprisonment. Ordered to put on women's clothes, she obeyed, but a few days later they found her dressed again in male clothing. Questioned, she told them that St. Catherine and St. Margaret had reproached her for giving in to the church against their will.
- She was found to be a "relapsed heretic" and on May 29 she was handed over to secular officials. On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc, 19 years old, was burned at the stake at the Place du Vieux-Marche in Rouen. Before the pyre was lit, she instructed a priest to hold high a crucifix for her to see and to shout out prayers loud enough to be heard above the roar of the flames.
- Joan of Arc helped turn the Hundred Years War firmly in France's favor and finally their freedom from English rule. In 1920, Joan of Arc, one of the great heroes of French history, was recognized as a Christian saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
---------------------------
Why blog about Joan of Arc? When I saw the movie, Joan of Arc several years ago, I was hooked and became interested in her and how she helped saved France and became a key player in world and Christian history.

April 3, 1974

Click the link below (or paste the link into your browser) to be connected to the Tornado History Project website:

F4 Tornado of April 3, 1974 which removed the roof of our church gym while my parents and others were in worship that night.

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/map.php?i=19740403.21.20&source=map&ref_url==&yr=1974&mo=4&day=3&st=Kentucky&fu=%25&co=Any&l=auto&submit=Map&ddat=on&dsta=on&dfuj=on&dfat=on&dinj=on&dcou=on&format=basic&p=1&s=1&submit=Go



other sites and cool links to April 3, 1974:
wikipedia
April 3, 1974

Louisville, KY

"Old" Men of MLB

I copied this from my favourite baseball site baseball-reference for stats, standings, and history.

Oldest Players:
1) Jamie Moyer-PHI 1962-11-18 (45)
2) Kenny Rogers-DET 1964-11-10 (43)
3) Tom Glavine-ATL 1966-03-25 (42)
4) Greg Maddux-SDP 1966-04-14 (42)
5) Tim Wakefield-BOS 1966-08-02 (41)
6) John Smoltz-ATL 1967-05-15 (41)

What do I make of this? I recall all six of these playing in their early days! If I was in this group, I'd be...6) Roger Feeback-CIN 1966-09-03 (41)

Jesus & His "Good Friday"

Forgive us Jesus, for making Good Friday a holiday and not a "holyday" - for everday is holy b/c of your grace which has and does make us whole again.
(from The Passion of the Christ, with the song Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew)

Dream Dinner 4 - Authors & Writers

A table of 10 and my favorite book by each:

* John Grisham (The Testament)
* Peggy Noonan (What I Saw At The Revolution)
* Philip Yancey (The Jesus I Never Knew)
* Max Lucado (Because I Love You)
* Dr. Suess (How The Grinch Stole Christmas)
* Joseph Girzone (Joshua: A Parable For Today)
* Henri Nouwen (Return of the Prodigal Son)
* David Halberstam (The Teammates)
* Jane Leavy (Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy)
* Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy In The White House)

9/11 - Where Were You?

I was sitting in class in graduate school when the professor came in and told us that he has no details, but a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center in NYC. Little did we realize how significant this day would be.

I began having chest pains and thought I may be having a heart attack. So I drove to the ER. After many tests, it was determined that I had pleurisy, which was easily treated.

Where were you? I'd like to hear your story...

In 1977 -

My dad was the last one to the table as we waited patiently. When he passed by my mom's seat, he tossed two objects down on her yet-to-be-filled plate. As all three of us kids looked and inquired about these strange two things that brought my mom such joy...whaalaa - tickets to see Elvis!

Tragically, he died within a few weeks of this surprise. My buddy Anthony Norton threw his skateboard in the air and it struck a telephone pole and broke a wheel. The death of Elvis caused much pain in our neighborhood and in my home. Today that happened 30 years ago.

A Date In History -

August 8, 1863 : General Robert E. Lee Offers Resignation
In the aftermath of his defeat at Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. As the press began to openly speculate about Lee's leadership, the great general reflected on the campaign at his headquarters in Orange Courthouse, Virginia.
The modest Lee took the failure at Gettysburg very personally. In his letter to Davis, he wrote, "I have been prompted by these reflections more than once since my return from Pennsylvania to propose to Your Excellency the propriety of selecting another commander for this army.... No one is more aware than myself of my inability for the duties of my position. I cannot even accomplish what I myself desire.... I, therefore, in all sincerity, request your Excellency to take measure to supply my place."
Lee not only seriously questioned his ability to lead his army, he was also experiencing significant physical fatigue. He might also have sensed that Gettysburg was his last chance to win the war. Regardless, President Davis refused the request. He wrote, "To ask me to substitute you by someone ... more fit to command, or who would possess more of the confidence of the army ... is to demand an impossibility."

August 8, 1974 : President Richard M. Nixon Resigns
On this day in 1974, President Richard M. Nixon resigns in the wake of the Watergate burglary scandal. He was the first president in American history to resign. In a televised address, Nixon, flanked by his family, announced to the American public that he would step down rather than endure a Senate impeachment trial for obstruction of justice.
Since 1972, Nixon had battled increasing vociferous allegations that he knew of, and may have authorized, a botched burglary in which several men were arrested for attempting to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Between 1972 and 1974, the press, and later a Senate investigation committee, revealed disturbing details that revealed that Nixon had indeed attempted to cover up the crime committed by key members of his administration and re-election committee. The most damning evidence came from subpoenaed tape recordings of Nixon’s White House conversations. Nixon fought the release of the tapes, which led the House of Representatives in 1973 to initiate impeachment charges against the president for obstruction of justice.
During the televised address, Nixon stated that he had never been a "quitter" and that choosing to resign went against his instincts. He refused to confess to committing the alleged high crimes and misdemeanors of which he was accused. He claimed his decision was encouraged by his political base and was in the best interests of the country and said that he hoped it would heal the political and social division caused by the Watergate scandal.
A report by the Washington Post on August 9 revealed the drama that had unfolded in the White House cabinet room an hour before Nixon’s resignation speech. After saying goodbye to 46 members of Congress, including his staunchest supporters, the president told them that the "country could not operate with a half-time President," broke into tears and left the room.

August 8, 2006 : I Agreed To Resign From Parkgate Community Church
Okay, so I am still sorting through this whole "resigning" from being a pastor. It has been a whole year since that discussion took place in the pastor's office @ 8:30 in the morning. I really thought then that by now, I would have been appointed to another place to serve and love.
Still waiting...we are back worshipping at Parkgate after 5 months of worshipping mostly at Sagemonth church. The kids are very pleased and more settled since we are back, but I am not 100% sure as to why we are there and not "in ministry" somewhere else.

August 8...will return many more times with many more resignations. Hopefully, my name will never again be attached to history like this again. God rules.