From The Believing Brain

The following is from a new book by Michael Shermer entitled The Believing Brain: From Ghosts to Gods to Politics and Conspiracies -- How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths.

Our brains evolved to connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen. These meaningful patterns become beliefs, and these beliefs shape our understanding of reality.
Once beliefs are formed, the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which adds an emotional boost of further confidence in the beliefs and thereby accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive feedback loop of belief confirmation.

How does one escape from a "positive feedback loop" which only serves to reinforce one's prior beliefs? I suspect the older one gets, the more difficult it is to escape. I remember coming to the conclusion that the Christian scheme of things did not make sense when I was around the age of 20. I was able to depart from it at that time.

Overpopulation and abortion

One of my concerns has to do with the overpoulation of the world.  Here is a video which addresses this problem and also speaks to abortion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yymzurPlLxA&NR=1

God is funny

A friend sent me a link to a video on YouTube.  The accent may be a bit difficult to understand, but you will probably be able to understand most of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op0kJ0N0p0M&feature=youtu.be

A blog I like

There are some six or seven blogs which I follow regularly.  Being a former Southern Baptist, I enjoy reading the writings of Dr. Bruce Prescott of Norman, Oklahoma.  His blog is entitled "Mainstream Baptist" and can be found at http://www.mainstreambaptist.blogspot.com/. Dr. Prescott follows and writes about issues related to religion in general, and to Southern Baptists in particular.

Home improvements

Lately, we have been involved in a home improvemnt project.  We pulled up the carpet in the hall and will be replacing it with linoleum tile, the peel-and-stick kind.  We have looked at Lowe's and have settled on the tile we want.  It is almost white, which should make the hallway lighter in appearance.

All the while, we have been doing a lot of babysitting.  Once again today, we will be picking up the grandkids when they get out of school.

Jim Hightower on Rick Perry

With Perry, you get the two basic political strains of today's Republican Party in one suit. On the one hand, he has carefully posed himself in the past couple of years as the farthest out of Tea Party Republican's far-out right-wingers. Think Michele Bachman with better hair: Perry called the BP oil disaster an "act of God." His response to the drought that's devastating Texas was to pray for rain (God did not oblige). He's a "tenther" who angrily asserted state's rights to nullify Obama's "socialist" schemes (until he needed federal cash to fix his state's bankrupt unemployment fund). He hates government-financed health care -- except for himself and his family. He loudly decries big government intrusion into people's lives, but enacted a law this year to require any woman considering an abortion to have a grossly-invasive probe inserted up her uterus to make her see a sonogram of the embryo. If elected, he would also try to scuttle Social Security, Medicaid and the federal income tax. All this, he warns, or else Texas might secede from the Union -- an idea lustily applauded by the other 49 states.

Peek-a-boo frog

As I was watering my topsy-turvy plants tonight, look what appeared from inside.  Forced to surface by the rising water, a little frog came scrambling to an exit hole.  My two topsy-turvy plants have produced thus far only one tomato, about the size of a grape.  I decided to leave the little feller alone.  It is probably the most interesting thing my garden has produced this year.  (Click on the picture to enlarge the view.)

Church service; piano; garden

On Sunday, I went to Church of the Restoration at 10 am for the RE hour which meets prior to the 11 am service.  The topic today was the financial meltdown which happened in 2008 and is still with us to this day.  The service was led by a young man from the School of Metaphysics.  There were about 15 people present.

On Monday Gail came over at the usual time and we played duets at the piano until around 11:40.  She was exhausted by that time, so we stopped.

My garden is a real disappointment this year.  My tomato plants went wild with foliage but produced little fruit.  The cucumber plants did better.  Maybe my garden next year should be all cucumber plants.

Movies we have seen recently

We do not get out to the movies a lot, but with keeping the grandkids much recently, we have seen a few movies.  We saw Mr. Popper's Penguins, Winnie the Pooh, and The Smurfs.

One of the best movies I have seen recently is Transcendent Man: The Life and Ideas of Ray Kurzweil. We viewed it today at the Humanist Discussion Group. Kurzweil is a futurist and inventor.

Mid-Week Report

Yesterday, I drove to a small community south of Claremore called Tiawah.  It was in Tiawah where the body of a former railroad co-worker lay at the altar.  The woman was just 39 years old when she was killed by a flatcar which rolled into her.  The accident happened on August 4.  She sat on the passenger side of a Kabota, a small vehicle used by the car department.  The driver did not realize that the flatcar was rolling down the hump.  The knuckle and draft gear of the flatcar struck Debby as they were attempting to cross over the track.  Most likely death was instantaneous.  It took two hours to extract her body from the Kabota.   I had transported Debby in my van many times when I worked at the yard.

Luke and Ayla spent the night with us again last night.  Although Jennifer returned home from the hospital yesterday, J asked to keep the children another night to give Jennifer more time to rest.

Weekend Activities

On Sunday, I went to Church of the Restoration.  The speaker was to be Will Poire.  However, Will sent me an e-mail saying that his employer was sending him to Kansas for the weekend.  He sent me his talk by e-mail, and I read it to the congregation in his place.  I also played a solo at the piano as the special music.  It was "Blackbird" by Lennon and McCartney.  It was Humanist Sunday and three humanists other than myself were there.  Gail was there for the first time since her surgery.  There were close to a dozen there, perhaps a few more as we had three guests.  We had a meal following the service.

Jen had surgery today.  I went to the hospital for a while and sat with Nick and Gary and Adra Dobbs.  Her surgery went well.  She will be in the ICU for a while.

Luke and Ayla are staying with us for a few days.  Luke is a real firecracker.  As it gets closer to bedtime, he becomes more active, running through the house as fast as he can.  J has a lot more patience with him than I.

Flying robotic bird

http://www.ted.com/talks/a_robot_that_flies_like_a_bird.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-08-03&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

The Oklahoma Freethought Convention

The Oklahoma Freethought Convention was held today at All Souls Unitarian Church from noon to 7 pm.  HAT was one of the groups with a table.  The were 318 attendees, perhaps the largest gathering of freethinkers in Oklahoma.  As Kenny said to me today, "Did you ever think when you started this group we would reach this size?"  I had to admit not.

I arrived around 10 am to set up the HAT table.  Herb also arrived about that time.  Set up was easy since I had all my materials in a box.  I attached the banner to the cloth covering the table with duct tape.  Then I spread out the printed material on the cloth.

I collected e-mail addresses from those showing an interest in HAT.  I got 24 names and addresses.

The first speaker was Dr. William Morgan, formerly on the faculty of ORU.  He lost his faith and became agmostic.  He was followed by atheist Abbie Smith, a researcher at the University of Oklahoma.  The last speaker before the break was Seth, the Thinking Atheist.  Actually, The Thinking Atheist is the title of a series of videos on YouTube which he produced.

During the break, I drove down Peoria and had a couple of soft tacos at Taco Bueno.

Returning to the Convention, we heard two more speakers: AronRa and Matt Dillahunty, leader of the Austin Atheists.  I did not stay for the meet and greet.  I had been there for 8½ hours and had reached my fill of freethought talk for one day.

Below is a picture of Herb, our president.

Tabling at the Oklahoma Freethought Convention

Herb (reading paper) and I manned the HAT table today.

A Spiral Galaxy

Click below for a scene that is out of this world:

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire/pr2007041a/large_web/

Copies of copies of copies

The original autograph is lost, of course, rendering the claim of its inerrancy meaningless.  What we have, as biblical scholar Bart Ehrman reminds us, are copies of copies of copies, in which all the mistakes, both accidental and intentional, have been multiplied exponentially over the centuries.  If fact, there are now more known differences among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.

--Robin Meyers

Crucifixion story

Serious study of the Bible reveals that no crucifixion story even existed for at least forty years after Jesus' death, and yet we continue to read the gospel accounts as if they are the work of eyewitnesses and view the crucifixion itself as if it is the unfolding of a divinely ordained drama.

--Robin Meyers

A Robin Meyers quote

Arguing over the metaphysics of Christ only divides us.  But agreeing to follow the essential teachings of Jesus could unite us.  We could become imitators, not believers.

--Robin Meyers

Week in Review

It has been a few days since I last posted anything (other than some pictures).  Going back to Monday, I got together with my duet partner, Gail, who is recuperating from having a cancerous tumor removed by surgery from her left lung.  She was in good spirits and eager to resume playing duets.  We played for an hour and could have gone on longer, but we stopped there.  For the first time, we held our practice at her house.  It was quite enjoyable to get back to playing duets.

We took Luke and Ayle to the Charles Page Library for a program on magic.  The library had hired a magician, and he was quite good.  He performed many illusions.  He did card tricks, coin tricks, and metal ring tricks.  He was smooth.  He certainly fooled my eyes.  After the program was over, we bought Luke and Alya a kit of magic each.  The kit had three tricks in it.  They seemed to like best the one with a sliding tray which seemed to turn one coin into another.

On Thursday we traveled to Springfield to visit my parents.  The AC in the car kept us cool all the way there and back.  Outside the car the temperatures were over 100.  We have had some scorching hot days here in Oklahoma.  While in Springfield, we went to Hoover's Music Store near downtown.  I bought four pieces of piano duet music: "Hoedown at Cripple Creek," "Festival Suite," "Festival Toccata," and "Waltz" from "Three Fantastic Dances" by Shostakovich.

The previous week I received in the mail 4 American Folk Songs (piano duet), which include the songs "Long Time Ago," "Every Night When the Sun Goes Down," "All the Pretty Little Horses," and "Cindy;" Piano Together (piano duet), a collection of five pieces which are: "Alouette," "Scarborough Fair," "Billy Boy," "A Little Rocky," and "The Fountain;" All American Boogie Woogie, a collection of twenty pieces for piano solo all written in boogie woogie style.  I also received Erik Satie, Piano-Album -- a collection of 286 pages of solo piano music written by Erik Satie.

I have been listening (while walking) to a series of lectures titled Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion.  The lectures were recorded by Bill Messenger of the Peabody Institute of Music.  I recently had to buy a new MP3 player after my other MP3 player went through the wash while in a pocket of my cut-off jeans.  The previous player had a 2G capacity.  My new one has 4G capacity, but costs the same as the 2G.  The music I recorded on the old MP3 player is still on it, but the player will not hold a charge for very long.  We transferred the eight lectures on The Teaching Company discs by Messenger to the new MP3 player.

We always eat well while in Springfield.  Dad took us Golden Corral and the next day to Logan's.  We ate high on the hog.  We returned to Oklahoma Friday evening.

Today was Food and Fellowship for July.  There were 11 of us present at Rib Crib for the meal.  I had the catfish dinner.

Garden pictures

Here I am standing next to my tomato plants.  Beneath the plants is a 4 ft. by 4 ft. frame.  It is no longer visible due to the growth of the plants.

In this picture (above) you can see my squash plants in the half-barrel in front of me.  At the rear next to the fence, you can see my cucumber plants.

Here I am examining my topsy-turvy plants.  I have two topsy-turvy plants hanging side by side.

Here is a general overview of my garden.  The topsy-turvy plants can't be seen from this angle.

Weekend update

Today at Church of the Restoration we watched another part of the documentary about the Mormons.  Then followed the service which today was led by Mary Rounds.  There were only six in attendance this morning.

I heard on the news that thieves hit another northside (of Tulsa) church, stealing the copper from the AC system.  I figure it is just a matter of time before our church will be a victim of a copper theft.

We had the grandkids after church again today.  Nick and Jen went to a movie and then ate at Panara Bread.

We get rain

It has been dry here, but occasionally we get some rain.  It rained yesterday and again today.    Although the weatherman had said chances of rain were only 20%, we were located in that 20% area.  At times the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled.  It reminded me of James Weldon Johnson's poem The Creation.

After we picked up Ayla, we went to Tulsa and to Incredible Pizza.  First we ate lunch and then Ayla played games.  I like to watch the old TV shows from way back when that are constantly running in the dining area.  I saw an episode of the "Dick Van Dyke Show" and an episode of the "I Love Lucy" program.

The music I ordered from Sheet Music Plus arrived this week.  Among the pieces I ordered is a book of music by Erik Satie, one of my favorite composers.  The book contains dozens of his compositions.

Another Meyers quote

Christianity has become primarily a strategy for "victory," but it is an individual victory over debt, obesity, or low self-esteem, not a collective victory over injustice, poverty, war, or environmental degredation.  Faith has become essentially an individual transaction, and the average image of God is that of a personal trainer.  Much preaching today is framed as an invitation to God to come into our story, but the biblical invitation is radically different.  We are being invited into God's story.

--Robin Meyers

Reading and From the Mail

I am currently reading a book I downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle.  The title is Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary by Ken Daniels.  The writer is quite sympathetic toward Christianity.  He tried hard to stay with it, but in the end he had to leave the church.  To stay with his religion would have forced him to be hypocritical.  In the foreward, Guy P. Harrison writes "Daniels has retained plenty of sympathy for those who cannot yet see that the supernatural claims of Christianity cannot stand up to honest scrutiny."

This past week I received two courses from The Teaching Company.  The first is on DVD and is titled "Optimizing Brain Fitness."  It is 12 lectures long.  We have viewed the first two already.  The second course is titled "Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion."  This course is made up of 8 CDs, each 45 minutes long.

Today we went to the Humanist Discussion Group, which met at Church of the Restoration.  The meeting started at 1:30 pm.  It was a hot day today.  Brandon was at the church for his monthly computer help.  He help people with their computers, getting rid of viruses and the like.  As he got ready to leave, his car would not start.  I went out to help him.  Even though I was out only a few minutes, the heat was unbearable.  I was soon back in the building.

I suggested that next month we discuss Ray Kurzweil.  According to Kurzweil, knowledge is accelerating exponentially.  He believes that life extention will soon be available for mankind.  I am presently reading Kurzweil's Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever.  He believes that we will conquer diseases, which will aid a lot in the extention of human life.  Of course, there will still be car accidents and other mishaps to cut short lives.

Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer deserves to be remembered as the greatest Christian of the twentieth century, yet he did not believe in literal miracles - the blood atonement, the bodily resurrection, or the second coming, just to name a few.  All he did was to walk away from everything the world calls good to follow Jesus.

--Robin Meyers

Christianity as a belief system...

Christianity as a belief system requires nothing but acquiescence.  Christianity as a way of life, as a path to follow, requires a second birth, the conquest of ego, and new eyes with which to see the world.  It is no wonder that we have preferred to be saved.

--Robin Meyers

The heat is on

There is only one good thing about this Oklahoma heat, and that is it kills the grass. I guess you can look at that two ways. I am thankful that I do not have to get out and mow the stuff. Just as we broke records for cold weather last winter, we are now breaking records for hot weather.

We kept Luke and Ayla from overnight until about 4 this afternoon. We discovered that there is a video that they love. It is titled School House Rock. I think we watched it a half dozen times while they were here. It has some catchy tunes.

Those two kids require a lot of attention; therefore, I did not do much else today. After we returned them to their parents, I did manage to go for a short walk (two miles) on the Katy Trail.

Meyers quote

Strangely, we have come to a moment in human history when the message of the Sermon on the Mount could indeed save us, but it can no longer be heard above the din of dueling doctrines. Consider this: there is not a single word in that sermon about what to believe, only words about what to do. It is a behavioral manifesto, not a propositional one. Yet three centuries later, when the Nicene Creed became the official oath of Christendom, there was not a single word in it about what to do, only words about what to believe!

--Robin Meyers

Meyers quote

"In my part of the world (Oklahoma is the reddest state in the union), there is actually a positive correlation between high church attendance and negative social statistics like teen pregnancy, divorce, physical and sexual abuse, and chemical dependency. Where there is denial there is dysfunction, and the more one's faith resembles a fairy tale the sooner the clock strikes midnight."

--Robin Meyers

Another Meyers quote

"A whole generation has been asked to accept a false dichotomy. Either you believe that Jesus is God or you don't -- therefore either you are a Christian or you're not."

--Robin Meyers

Video recommendation

I watched a video tonight that I would recommend to my friends. The video is biographical; it is titled Transcendent Man: The Life and Times of Ray Kurzweil. It is so rich in ideas that I would like to view it again. Anyone who would like to gain immortality (the real kind by not dying) should see this video. It runs for 84 minutes.

Meyers quotation

I recently finished reading a book (on my Kindle) by Robin Meyers, pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City. The title of the book is Saving Jesus from the Church. Here is a quote from the book:

In the end, what right do human beings have to expect eternal bliss for being good -- or on the cheap, for just believing the right things? And what single idea is more shameful or horrific than to project our human longing for vengeance upon God by claiming that in God's infinite mercy God has made and maintains a place of eternal torment? It is no wonder that so many good people avoid the word "Christian" like the plague.

July 2011 Calendar of Activities for Freethinkers

Sat., July 2, 7:00 pm
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E 54th

Sun., July 3, 11:00 am
Humanist Sunday; Church of the Restoration (COTR), 1314 N. Greenwood Ave.
Dan Nerren will speak on “Horror Stories from the Bible, part 4.”

Tues., July 5, 5:00 pm
Sapulpa Fellowship of Reality, General Meeting, Java Dave’s in Sapulpa, 122 W. Taft

Wed., July 6, 5 pm
Monkey Meetup for kids, 16136 S. Hickory, Lot #2, Sapulpa, OK

Sat., July 9, 12:30 pm
OutREACH Tabling, 1101 S. Sandusky

Sat., July 9, 1:30 pm
Humanist Discussion Group, COTR, 1314 N. Greenwood

Wed., July 13, 7:00 pm
ACT Mid-Month Social Dinner at Fuji at Brookside

Wed., July 13, 5:00 pm
Monkey Meetup for kids, 16136 S. Hickory, Lot #2, Sapulpa, OK

Sat., July 16, 2:00 pm
HAT Chapter Meeting, Genealogy Center, 2901 S. Harvard

Sun., July 17, 2:00 pm
GodLessons (Bible Babble), Residence at 8017 S. Peach, BA

Wed., July 20, 5:00 pm
Monkey Meetup for kids, 16136 S. Hickory, Lot #2, Sapulpa, OK

Sat., July 23, 8:00 pm
Drinking with Atheists, Blue Rose Café, 1924 Riverside Dr.

Sat., July 23, 11:30 am
Food and Fellowship, Rib Crib, 5025 S. Sheridan Rd.

Sun., July 24, 1:00 pm
ACT Meeting, Agora Coffeehouse, in center of Fontana Center

Sun., July 24, 3:00m
Dream Group at Marilyn Clarke’s, 4917 S. Maplewood

Sun., July 24, 3:15 pm
Post Meetup Social Gathering, Rib Crib, 5025 S. Sheridan Rd.

Wed., July 27, 5:00 pm
Monkey Meetup for kids, 16136 S. Hickory, Lot #2, Sapulpa, OK
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Prepared and distributed by Dan Nerren, 918-798-3629

Mall walk

As I was typing content for my blog entry for tonight (7.29.11), a message came upon the screen saying that my content might not be saved. Sure enough, it evaporated. So now I will type my blog content into MS Word and post it later when Blogger is working correctly.

Today we picked up Luke and went to Promenade Mall in Tulsa. We first went to the Food Court where Luke got a kid’s meal at Subway. I got a chicken and rice meal at a Chinese restaurant. J ate pizza.

Next J and Luke went to the play area for children, while I started the volkswalk located inside the mall -- three laps on the upper lever and three laps on the lower level. That is supposed to equal 5 kilometers. I need two more walks and my event book will be ready to mail in.

It was blistering hot as we left the mall in the afternoon. We soon got into our car and turned to A/C to max. We drove back to Sand Springs and returned Luke to his parents. We got back to the house around 3 pm. The walk combined with the heat had me spent, so I took a nap.

In the evening, I went out and watered my garden. The tomato plants are growing like crazy, especially the three planted in the ground. The two topsy-turvy plants are growing, but not like the three planted in the ground. They have grown up through and out of the support inside the 4 X 4 area.

We are supposed to entertain Luke again tomorrow. I guess I had better get to bed now.

Weekend happenings

This Sunday began with a video on Mormonism at Church of the Restoration (COTR). The video started about 10 am. We watched about 30 minutes of it and then stopped for a discussion of what we had just viewed. Next the 11 am COTR service featured Mary Rounds and Joy Avery of our congregation talking about the role of women in liberal religion. Following their comments we viewed a DVD on women in religion.

After the service was over I headed for midtown, stopping at the Gateway Market to buy a cake for the afternoon dinner at Marilyn's. Gateway is the only grocery store in north Tulsa. For a long time, north Tulsa had no grocery store. It almost folded after someone went in and held it up at gunpoint. Now there is an armed guard posted at the sole entrance/exit to the store.

After paying for the cake (devil's food with chocolate icing and chocolate chips embedded in the icing), I headed on to midtown. I called Marilyn on the way to see if I could leave the cake with her, since leaving it in a car with temps exceeding 100 degrees did not seem like a good idea. She said I could drop the cake off at her place. I did so , and then went to the Fontana Center for the TAM meeting. (See my Tulsa Atheist Rendezvous blog for what happened at the TAM meeting.)

Following this meeting, I went to Marilyn's. She lives about a half mile away, as the crow flies. Marilyn has been holding a Dream Group -- a place where we talk about our dreams. I very rarely remember my dreams. In fact, since we last met I could not recall anything I had dreamed about. Ron McDaniel was there and he told about one of his dreams. Marilyn also told us about one of her dreams. After about two hours of dreamtalk, but mostly non-dreamtalk, I remembered needed an Insert Card (a volkswalking item). I knew I could get on from the Thornton Y up the street, so I left saying I would be back soon. I went up to the Thonton Y and got the start card and returned to Marilyn's. Soon we were joined by Randy and Dawn. The five of us had BLT sandwiches, followed by watermelon and cake.

Humanist Dinner

Last Wednesday we had a humanist dinner at the Church of the Restoration. We charged $5 per person for a dinner of a salad, spaghetti (with sauce, with or without meat), and a dessert and a drink. It was a good deal. We raised $85 which will be divided equally between the church and HAT.

Today I mowed the front and back yards. Archie had called earlier to see if we wanted him to cut our grass. I told him we would do it ourselves this time.

We had our Food and Fellowship lunch at Chopsticks today around noon. There were ten people at this event.

Tomorrow we start a new topic in the Adult Religious Education portion of our weekly church meetings. We will be viewing videos on Mormons (a six-week program). This is a timely topic since Romney and Huntsman are both Mormons.

Friday roundup

Yesterday we took Luke back to his house following a day at our house. When J came back to the car she had with her Ayla. Ayla came home with us and spent the night here.

Today we took a meal over to Gail in Tulsa. J fixed a chicken dish along with brownies and Jello. I chopped the bell peppers and onions and fixed the Jello. J did the rest. After we left, we drove by the Tulsa Historical Society building and grounds, so that Ayla could see the location of Music at the Mansion that we attend periodically.

Next we drove to the McDonald’s on Yale Ave. for lunch. This McDonald’s has a large playroom for kids. Alya played on the equipment as J and I ate lunch. After lunch we returned to Sand Springs.

We had earlier agreed to take Ayla and the two boys who are grandsons of our neighbor to the south to Bartlesville. Actually Ayla rode with us while the two boys rode with the Lortons. We arrived first. The Lortons had some delay but showed up some twenty minutes later. The kids had fun at the “Kiddee Park” in Bville. It is located in Johnstone Park. It was getting dark, and I wanted to get back home before it got much later.

We are back from Springfield

Monday morning we left for a trip to Springfield. On the way, we drove through Joplin and saw the damage from the tornado of May 22 which cut a path through the town 3/4 of a mile wide and six miles long. The number of dead was around 152. At times all you could see was rubble in whatever direction you looked. Churches, the high school, the Home Depot....all smashed.

For lunch we ate at a Bob Evans restaurant. All the restaurants were full as might be expected at 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon. We soon left and drove on into Springfield. We snaked across the divergent diamond on National Avenue and made our way to The Abbey at Fremont and Erie. My parents were both doing well. My sister Paula was there at the time. For our evening meal we went to the Golden Corral.

My friend with lung cancer had a successful surgery and is now on the mend. We hope to be able to resume our piano duet playing in the near future.

Lost souls

I came across these words in a book by Rob Bell, Love Wins: "My wife, Kristen, and I often talk about raising our kids in such a way that they have as little as possible to unlearn later in life."

One has much to learn in life, but there is considerable to unlearn in life also. Is anyone so lucky that all of their major precepts turn out to be correct? I doubt it. You may walk down a path and come to a conclusion that it only leads to a dead end. When you reach that realization, you have to backtrack. Most likely you will have several things to unlearn.

I think we all know what I am talking about. However there are some people who for whatever reason swallow everything they have been taught in an uncritical way. These are the true lost souls.

Mid-week summary

Earlier this week, on Monday to be exact, we took Luke to Incredible Pizza near Memorial and 71st. We spent about three hours there. First we ate lunch. They have many kinds of pizza there out on a serving line. You help yourself when you want something to eat. There are three large seating areas for dining. Once we had eaten, we went to the games area. The previous time we were there, you would receive tickets based upon how well you played a game. This time, the tickets had been replaced by eTickets, or electronic tickets. As you pay to enter, you are given a plastic card the size of a credit card. You swipe the card to play a game. A computer keeps track of your score and how many tickets you won. Before you leave, you can redeem your tickets for prizes.

In addition to all the games inside the store, there is a nine-hole miniature golf course, a race track for small cars (which you actually get in and drive), and bowling. I think the building was formerly a Venture or Target store. Luke appeared to have a good time there.

Today we expect to have both grandkids while the two parents visit the doctors.

Weekend Roundup

Last Friday, J and I went to the dentist for a sixth-month checkup. Everything checked out OK for the two of us.

The next day we had a Humanism and the Arts program at Restoration. Vanessa called me around 5 pm and said I could come by her house to pick up the key. Vanessa lives on the north side of Sand Springs, not far from my son Nick. I left the house and drove to Vanessa's. She was working out in her front year.

When I arrived at the church the SOS group was still meeting there. SOS is an alcohol recovery group led by Larry Hochhaus. Larry is also a member of the church. I brought the refreshments inside. Although eight members had signed up to perform, three were no shows. Only five people performed. The first two people on the program were no shows. Joy had called me hours earlier to let me know she would not be able to be there. Vanessa was supposed to come later but never did. I led off the show playing a piece by a Russian composer with a title something like "Pioneer Campfire." It is a piece I found in a book I bought some forty years ago when Russia was at that time known as the Soviet Union. The book has some twenty songs in it. I enjoy playing them. The book is written in the Russian language. Next Barbara Frey read a poem she had written a few decades ago. She spoke of her time as a teacher. Barbara is now 84 years old.

Next was Marilyn Clarke. She read three poems by Billy Collins. Collins is one of my favorite poets. I always enjoy hearing his work read aloud. Following the Collins verse, Gail and I performed a duet at the piano. We played "Heliotrope Bouquet" by Scott Joplin. Larry Roth, usually a reliable performer, was to finish reading his ghost story, but he did not show.

Today I attended the service at Restoration. The were nine of us there. The number in attendance is much smaller than some Sunday School classes at other churches, but that does not slow us down. We keep plugging right along.

This evening we attended a gathering of the Methodist Church at their new Family Life Center in south Sand Springs. The church has a new minister. The Methodists rotate ministers every few years. Now was the time for a new minister. He preached his first sermon in Sand Springs today. He comes from Mangum, OK. It is in the far southwest of the state .

Luke is spending the night with us tonight. We will have him with us for much of the day tomorrow.

Two events today

The alarm went off around 7 am this morning. Normally we don't set an alarm, but this morning we wanted to go on a volkswalk in downtown Tulsa. The start point was near the old Union Station (now the Jazz Hall of Fame) on 1st Street. After registering, we struck out on the downtown 3.1 mile walk. The walk was billed as an Art Deco walk. The walk passed by many buildings noted for their use of the Art Deco style. Many of the buildings in downtown Tulsa were built during the heyday of Art Deco. After finishing the walk, we went to a McDonald's for a sausage and egg McMuffin.

This evening was "Humanism and the Arts" at Restoration. There were just five of us there. I played a Russian song at the piano. Gail and I played a duet by Scott Joplin, "Heliotrope Bouquet."

This week I learned that a good friend of mine has lung cancer. She is just 60 years old and has never smoked. What a blow!

Chautauqua this week

We went to two presentations of Chautauqua this week. On Monday night we saw a portrayal of D. W. Griffith, the founder of Hollywood, and last night we saw a portrayal of Paul Robeson. Robeson is best known for singing "Old Man River" in the musical Showboat. The theme this year is the early days of Hollywood. "Louella Parsons," gossip columnist, spoke on Wednesday night. Tonight the speaker will be "W. C. Fields." "Walt Disney" will speak Saturday night. I have other obligations for the reminder of this week and will not get to hear additional talks. Attendance is down this year from past years.

"The most interesting parts of your life, you can't write about" is a comment I hear often from Mrs. N. That is true. There is a lot happening that I cannot mention in this blog. So for the time being, I will just have to sit on this information.

Strange religion

The following quotation comes from an article titled “Texas Gov. Rick Perry Partnering with New Apostolic Groups for Houston “Call to Prayer” written by Rachel Tabachnick.

If readers are tempted to laugh or snicker at groups forming 24/7 prayer vigils to protect the interstates of America or hold ceremonies divorcing Baal, please think again. The apostles and prophets have become a major force in American politics and both Republican and Democratic political candidates are rushing to curry their favor. They will undoubtedly play a role in the selection of the Republican candidate for president.

You can read about the New Apostolic training in prophecy, strategic level spiritual warfare, and demon deliverance as well as other scary concepts by reading this article.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/6/6/112828/5087/Front_Page/Texas_Gov_Rick_Perry_Partnering_with_New_Apostolic_Groups_for_Houston_quot_Call_to_Prayer_quot

Saturday Night Live

Tonight we went to a live performance of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew on the grounds of the Philbrook Museum. We had a picnic dinner which we brought with us. We met Marilyn of the Humanist group there. We left at intermission in order to get back and get some rest before church tomorrow. As we were leaving I was unable to see the curb, and I took a spill. Fortunately, there were no broken bones -- just skinned knees. My night vision is getting worse.

Luke and Ayla

This morning we got up early and drove over to Nick's and got Luke and Ayla. We went to a donut shop for breakfast. Luke was pretty well behaved, but Ayla threw a fit. Jen has an appointment with her doctor at St. John Medical Center. Nick called a few minutes ago and said they had finished the meeting and would be eating next.

Garden report

Tonight I printed my talk for this coming Sunday at Restoration. Gail and I will be playing "Plymouth Pride," and I will be delivering the message. Barbara Frye will be reading the children's story.

In my garden, my squash plants are looking good. My tomato plants also look good, but my two topsy turvy plants (tomato) are just so so. I also have some cucumber plants which seem to be doing fine. The beans are doing well also.

Luke and Ayla spent the night here a few days ago. We will have them again tomorrow.

Recent news

Yesterday, I went to an eye surgery center to have my cataracts evaluated. I went to the place recommended by my optomitrist. It is on Harvard Avenue in Tulsa.

The center did a thorough test of my vision. They concluded that I did not need to have surgery at this time. I was told that if I noticed any degeneration in my vision, I should come back. So I will bide my time until I notice some vision impairment.

Today was Ayla's eighth birthday party. Her party was held at a roller skating rink in Sand Springs. Her parents had reserved the rink from 5 to 7. She had presents and a cake.

Back on Tuesday, we had more storms roll through. Our neighbor on the south side of us has a storm shelter in his back yard. We went over there and rode out the storm underground. The storm missed Sand Springs. I hope that was the last storm for this season.

Silent Night (new lyrics with an evolutionary perspective)

Click on the link below. Then click on "Music Videos for contemporary church services" in the lower right corner. Click on Connie Barlow. Then select "Silent Night." Have the sound on and click to enlarge the image. Read the new lyrics as you listen to the music and enjoy the visuals.

http://thegreatstory.org/

Weather worries

Again tonight we had some rough weather passing through. I figure it is only a matter of time before a tornado hits Sand Springs. How many times can you dodge the bullet before you lose? There were 116 people in nearby Joplin (100 miles from here) who lost their lives yesterday. We had storms in the area tonight, but fortunately we dodged the bullet again. I heard on the news this evening that we have had more than 1,000 tornadoes in the U.S. so far this year. I suspect global climate change is the source for all the weird weather we have been having.

Our next door neighbor has a storm shelter in his back yard. It might be worth looking into having something like that in our back yard.

Volkswalking in Owasso

Today when I woke up I headed out for Owasso, a suburb of Tulsa about 20 miles away. It had been a while since my last volkswalk. The walk today was only my second of this year. We had walked in Owasso before, but it was probably five years (a guess) since I last walked in Owasso. J did not go with me today.

The walk started in Elm Creek Park and then went around a lake. From it I returned to the park. Although the weatherman said rain showers were likely, we saw not a drop of rain.

This is good

A friend sent me a link to something on the Internet. There is a lot of truth in what this man says.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33qF4LDAXvQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Update

I've got a few minutes before it is time to pick up Luke and Ayla from school.

Here's a quick update on things since my last posting. On Saturday, we had seven members of HAT meeting at the church for a discussion led by Herb. We are now meeting at Church of the Restoration, except for our main meeting which is still held at the Genealogy Center (for the time being).

The service last Sunday at Church of the Restoration was led by Mary Rounds, Rosemary Powell, and Vanessa Adams-Harris, all from the church. The title of the talk was "Freedom Riders, Justice Bound: Are We There Yet."

Monday morning Gail came over for our weekly piano duet practice. Our next performance piece will be "Plymouth Pride" by Melody Bober. We should be playing again at Restoration on Sunday, June 5. I will probably be the speaker for that service.

The last few days

What has happened in the last few days? Last Wednesday I went to my eye doctor, Dr. Riggins. She checked my eyes for cataracts. She said the cataracts had progressed to the point where I should think about having something done about them. We talked about surgery and that appears to be the option I will take. I never realized I had a problem with cataracts and wouldn't know anything about having cataracts had not Dr. Riggins brought it to my attention. I thought my vision was fine.

It is about time for another doctor's appointment -- a follow-up to having pneumonia. I will finish this later.

Try again

The last time I tried to post to this blog, I got a message saying that Blogger was down. That was a couple of days ago. I tried again last night and got a similar message. So instead of writing a lot and not getting it posted, I am going to stop here and see if this will post.

Death of co-worker

Last week, I learned of the death of a woman with whom I had worked at the railroad. She, like me, was a clerk. She was about my age, being born in January of 1948. The last I knew of her, she was in good health. She left the railroad in the mid 90s for other pursuits.

I had intended to go to her funeral, but someting came up and we were needed to take care of our grandchildren. So I am left to wonder what happened to her. I recall that she was something of a free spirit and would on occasion put the pedal to the metal while driving the messager van. May she R.I.P.

Sickness

Last Friday, I saw a doctor for a cough I had been having. She took a couple of chest x-rays of me and then told me I have pneumonia. Since then I have been taking it easy. I skipped church last Sunday and let my meetings go. Tomorrow night we will skip Movie Night. The doctor told me to stay away from people as I am susceptible to catching something from somebody else.

The schola (chant) practice at the cathedral is tomorrow from 10 to 1. I will let that activity go by the wayside. This is my third time to miss. I think I will give up on that. A three-hour rehearsal seems rather lengthy to me.

I need to focus more on getting well at this time.

Just checkin' in

It has been a few days since I last posted on this blog. All I have to say at this time is that last Friday I had a visit with my doctor, and she told me I had pneumonia. I knew I was sick, but did not realize how serious it was. Since that time, I have been perfecting the art of lounging. It is not quite 10 am, but I am already thinking about taking a nap.

Good night.

Back from Springfield

We made a trip to Springfield to visit my parents this week. We drove there on Tuesday and returned to Sand Springs today.

We have Humanist Sunday coming up on May 1. This Sunday, Randy will be speaking. The title of his talk will be "Healthcare and the Moral Choice." Tomorrow I will assign the various remaining parts of the service to members of either CoR or HAT. Since Edna, our pianist, will be away, I will play the piano at the service.

The day closes

Here we are at the end of another day.

This day the highlight of my day was having a meal with my friends at The Royal Dragon, a Chinese restaurant in the Fontana Center.

Attendance was off somewhat. We had eight people there by the end of the dinner. Three was late arriving due to having been at the opera.

I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow; I think I will turn in now.

Garden pictures

This is a picture of the garden alone. The bed has been prepared and awaits planting.


This is the tomato plant that suffered trauma in my garage. I don't think it is going to survive. I will probably replace it in a day or so.


This is the same plant pre-trauma.


This is a topsy turvy plant in the back room.

Another garden picture.

Dan in the garden.

We visit the Philbrook

We visited the Philbrook Museum today along with several members of J's Sunday School class. Although the church provided transportation, we opted to drive to the museum ourselves. The traveling exhibit was on streamlined design and how it influenced commercial products of the times.

Following the visit, we all went to Luby's Cafeteria for lunch. The best deal with cafeteria food is at Furr's. It had been a while since I had eaten at Luby's. The food was good, but it was more exepensive than Furr's.

After the evening news, we drove over to the Katy Trail and walked two miles. We went in to the Drug Warehouse store and bought two cans of raisins. (Why? I will explain later.)

A couple days ago, I bought a 40 lb. sack a Miracle Grow potting soil. I finished filling up the topsy-turvy bags with potting soil. One topsy turvy is hanging in the back work room/library/computer room. The other t.t. had been hanging on a clothes line in the garage. When I put the t.t. back on the clothes line, it dropped like a rock to the floor. As you know, the plant grows upside down (out the bottom) from the container. So the first thing that hit the floor was the plant. The weight of the potting soil on top of it, didn't do it any good. I inspected the plant, thinking it might have broken. Seeing no break, I hung it from a more secure spot in the garage. Nevertheless, the plant did not look too good today. I may have to replace it with another.

At the Episcopal Church

Today we went to St. Matthew's Episcopal Church for the final Journey to Easter service. It is in a beautiful setting overlooking Sand Springs Lake. Off in the distance one can see the tall buildings of downtown Tulsa.

The service today was entirely scripted. The vicar asked for and received volunteers to read from a booklet distributed as participants entered the building.

After the service ended, we all went to the fellowship hall for a meal.

And now for a quote from Chapter 2 of Saving Jesus From the Church by Robin Meyers.

Christianity as a belief system requires nothing but acquiescence. Christianity as a way of life, as a path to follow, requires a second birth, the conquest of ego, and new eyes with which to see the world. It is no wonder that we have preferred to be saved.

What I Did Today

Once again, it is Sunday. I got up earlier this morning and went to Restoration for a special program that starts an hour before the 11:00 am service. We are watching the video series "God in America," which can be seen for free on the Internet. Today we watched the program about the rise of individualism in the religions brought over from Europe. Anne Hutchinson was one of the key figures examined today. Did those who came over to the colonies fail to anticipate that some of their contemporaries would apply their new freedom to their religion?

We decided that next week, instead of watching an hour-long episode with only a few minutes left for discussion that we would wtch only a half hour of the next episode and have 30 minutes left for discussion. Unitarian like to discuss things. That reminds me of a cartoon I saw a few years back. The scene is near heaven and shows two sign posts. One reads "To heaven" and the other reads "To a discussion about heaven." The Unitarians opt for the second path.

Which reminds me, last night I downloaded a fairly new book to my Kindle. One written by Robin Meyers, who I have heard speak twice -- once many years ago in Tulsa and most recently back on April 4 of this year in OKC. The title of the book is Saving Jesus From the Church. Meyers is pastor of the Mayflower Congregational Church in OKC.

Writes Meyers,"Among a myriad of fictions in the land today is the one that theology doesn't matter, and that whatever people want to believe is okay. But in truth, our national nightmare is not just political. It is theological. And "As long as Christianity is the dominant belief system in America, we cannot afford to be biblically or theologically illiterate." Forgive me, but one more quote: "Yet the people in the pews are not just reading The Da Vinci Code, The Secret, or The Prayer of Jabez. They are also reading Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossen, and Karen Armstrong." Okay, no more quotes from Meyers...for today. These quotes are all from the first chapter, incidentally.

Back now to the church service. April is "National Child Abuse Prevention Month." (I sometimes wonder how they come up with all these national months for this and that, but that's another topic.) the heading on the order of service reads "Poetry Month & National Child Abuse Prevention." Mary "Dependable" Rounds led the silent meditation, candle lighting, prayer, plus sang the special musical selection, and then gave the message. A real workhorse she is.

I had with me a check for $75 from the Humanist Association which I gave to Vanessa. We humanists will be using the building for three months, as a trial period. If things go well and our membership likes the facility, we will continue to meet there. Already space in the building is being used by the Quakers, Tulsa Peace House, Secular Organization for Sobriety, Center for Racial Justice, and a Muslim group. There are several rooms in the builing making it possible for more than one group to meet at a time.

Since today was poetry day, the poem I chose to read was Langston Hughes's Harlem Sweeties. The poem begins with the words "Have you dug the thrill of Sugar Hill?" Sugar Hill is an area within NYC's Harlem area.

After the service was over, I drove to Wendy's and got a couple of chicken sandwiches, not my usual serving of chili. When 2 pm rolled around, I was at Randy's for a meeting of FFRF Tulsa. We talked about an upcoming effort using billboards featuring the faces of some of our members. Each billboard (as many as ten in all) will have the face of one of our members. "Our" being HAT, TAM, and FFRF Tulsa.

On Saturday, April 30, All Souls Unitarian Church is sponsoring an event called "Seminary for a Day." The speaker is going to be Brandon Scott, a charter member of The Jesus Seminars. There will be three sessions. Session I is titled "A Quiz: What Do You Know About Resurrection?" Session II is "An Investigation: Pauls' Letter to the Philippians." Sessions III is titled "A Discovery: The Empty Tomb." If I am here on April 30, I would like to attend this seminar.

After the FFRF meeting was over at Randy's, I came on home and moved my topsy turvy planter (I have two this year) to the front porch and watered it.

Thoughts from Brian Dunning

Skepticism is, or should be, an extraordinarily powerful and positive influence on the world. Skepticism is not simply about "debunking" as is commonly charged. Skepticism is about redirecting attention, influence, and funding away from worthless superstitions and toward projects and ideas that are evidenced to be beneficial to humanity and to the world.

The scientific method is central to skepticism. The scientific method requires evidence, preferably derived from validated testing. Anecdotal evidence and personal testimonies generally don't meet the qualifications for scientific evidence, and thus won't often be accepted by a responsible skeptic; which often explains why skeptics get such a bad rap for being negative or disbelieving people. They're simply following the scientific method.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, particularly in claims that are far fetched or that violate physical laws. Skepticism is an essential, and meaningful, component of the search for truth.

Humanism and the Arts program

We had some stormy weather yesterday. Fortunately, we suffered no damage from the winds. I can remember the weatherman on a local TV station saying the storm would arrive in Prattville at 5:38 pm. By the time the storm got here it had veered south somewhat and passed over Sapulpa. The storm never formed a funnel cloud in our neck of the woods.

We did two things today. First, we attended the sixth and final Tulsa Town Hall program at the PAC. Today's speaker was Jon Meachem, a former editor of Newsweek and presently co-host of Need to Know on PBS.

And this evening we observed a "Humanism and the Arts" program. Leading off tonight's program was Joy Avery singing and playing her guitar. She sang "Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier." Next, the church administrative secretary, Vanessa Adams-Harris, did an excerpt from another dramatic monologue she will be presenting to the public within the next year. She is perhaps best known for a rendition of Rosa Parks. She also has another show titled "Who Will Sing for Lena." Since our church is without a minister, Vanessa sometimes fills that role also. She is the backbone of our church.

Next we were treated to a dramatic enactment of a poem written by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. It was followed by James Weldon Johnson's The Creation. Then Barbara Frey read "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost. "Something there is that doesn't like a wall" wrote Frost.

And then for something completely different, Larry Hochhaus (aka Larro) performed some magic tricks. He did six or eight tricks and left his audience baffled.

Next David Myers of our Poetry Group read "The Starlight of Tulsa," a piece he wrote as an entry in a writing competition. That was followed by Larry Roth reading the second part of a three part story titled "The Ghost Behind the Attic Door." I closed things out by playing "School Years" by Dmitri Kabalevskovo at the piano.

So far this week

I see that I have neglected to update my blog for a few days. Last Monday Gail come over and we played piano duets for a couple of hours. That afternoon, we went to the fitness center and walked. Likewise, we did the same on Tuesday and Wednesday. I have reached the 82-mile mark for the year. That's nothing to brag about. We have had some disruptions this year: sickness, and J's knee surgery. April so far is looking pretty good.

Tuesday we went to the Presbyterian Church for the latest pre-Easter service. After the service there is always a meal. We had chili, which seems to be a popular item to serve at these dinners. The Presbyterian Church is set on a hill overlooking the city of Sand Springs. There is one more service to go before Easter.

Sunday activities

This being Sunday, I made my way to Church of the Restoration this morning. I had forgotten that they were starting a new series based on the "God in America" video series which ran on PBS. The series started at 10 am.

About half of the congregation was there for the series. By 11 am, a few more people had trickled in. There were 9 or 10 people in attendance today.

After the service was over, I phoned J to see if she was going to go by Brahm's to pick up some lunch. She had the two grandkids with her. She said due to Luke having a meltdown at church, she had come straight on home from the Methodist church.

So I went to Wendy's for a bowl of chili. Next I went across the street to Atwood's and bought two bags of compost for my garden. I got the wheelbarrow and loaded up the compost.

My cucumber plants were starting to look stressed. I went ahead and transplanted them into the garden. The tomato plants are still looking fine in their original containers. They are still in the kitchen window. If the cucumber plants do not survive, I will get some more.

My next-door neighbor came out to the fence and we chatted a bit. His wife has been fighting cancer for the past few months. She has undergone chemotherepy and radiation treatments while battling cancer.

Readership is down

I have noticed that readership of my blog is down considerably from a year ago. I was averaging about a dozen hits per day then. Now it runs about a half dozen. I have probably managed to offend enough people to reduce the number of readers by that much.

In other news, I mowed the front yard and the yard on the south of the house today. J mowed the back yard yesterday.

Ayla is spending the night with us tonight. With the return of mild weather, Ayla played out in the back yard for several hours this evening.

Preserving paragraphing with Blogger

A friend wrote on her blog that she would at times lose paragraphing while blogging. At the top of the form into which you type your blog's content, you will see "Edit Html" and "Compose."

To preserve paragraphing you must be using "Edit Html." This will keep your paragraphs intact.

I went walking this morning at the fitness center. I did three miles. While walking, I listened to music by Scott Joplin.

This evening, we went to Barnes & Noble Bookstore for the Poetry Group meeting. This is the first time we have met at this venue. Border's Bookstore, our traditional meeting place, is closing its store. We found a number things about B&N that we did not like. We may be meeting elsewhere next month. Today we read poems by nineteenth century German romantic poets. Next month the subject will be the poems of Sharon Olds.

Work in the garden

Today we did a lot of work in the garden. When we get things in place I will post some pictures.

We began the day by going to the fitness center and walking two miles. While walking, I listen the the eighth and final lecture by Robert Greenberg on the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. What a harrowing life he lived! He lived during the rule of Stalin and is lucky not to have "dissappeared" during the night. Next, I would like to listen to Greenberg's lectures on Brahms.

I made a trip to Riddle's Plant Farm where I bought a bag of potting soil mix. At Atwood's I bought eight concrete patio blocks, which will be placed around my garden.

To OKC and back today

Here are two pictures taken today in Oklahoma City at the state capitol building. The weather was cool, but with wind gusting to 30 MPH, it got rather cold at times. The main speaker today was Rev. Robin Meyers.

Sunday and CoR

Today being the first Sunday of the month, it was Humanist Sunday at Church of the Restoration. This is the day when the local Humanists are in charge of the service. Gail and I played a piano duet and later I delivered the message. Following the service we had a potluck dinner. There were about 15 people there.

Inside Job

Tonight was Movie Night at the Bradleys. The movie we saw was Inside Job. Viewing this movie is enough to make one lose faith in our government officials. The sad fact is that many of these officials are still in Washington running things. This movie can make one be pessimistic about the future. On that sour note, I think I will now go to bed.

Catch up

I last posted to my blog on Tuesday, and here it is Saturday. I have a small problem with my computer -- one which Nick said he could fix in a couple of minutes. However, Jen was out in the car waiting on him, so J hurried him off. I am using the laptop computer to make this post.

Last Wednesday, I attended a meeting at the Democratic Party headquarters (downtown Tulsa) for delegates to the upcoming country convention. It lasted a couple of hours, maybe less.

The next day a service guy from Air Solutions came out for the spring tune-up of our AC.

On Friday, we had some banking to take care of. Luke and Ayla stayed overnight with us.

Today was the day of the Tulsa County Democratic Party Convention. That event lasted from 9 to 2:30. There were a couple of hundred people in attendance.

Lunch at the Catholic Church

We started today by going to the fitness center where I walked two miles. Upon returning home, we got ready for the "Journey to Easter" service at St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

After the talk, we went downstairs to the fellowship hall for chili and desserts. I think I have a touch of bronchitis coming on. I will probably stay in tomorrow and forego walking.

We went by the library. A video I had ordered had come in. It is Freakonomics. Maybe we can find time to watch it tomorrow.

Daily wrap-up

Today Gail came over and we played piano for two hours. We have a piece coming up this Sunday which we will play in the service at Church of the Restoration. It is "Minnesota Morning" by Melody Bober. When I was in Springfield last week, I went to Springfield Music and bought a book which contains five pieces by Bober.

In the afternoon, we went to the fitness center and I walked three miles. As I walked I listened to lecture two of "Shostakovich -- His Life and Music." Robert Greenberg is an excellent presenter. If you have not heard him lecture, check your local library and see if they have any lectures by Greenberg. You won't be disappointed.

I have posted a few pictures below which were taken in the last few days.

Photo 1

This photo was taken inside Ollie's Station restaurant in Red Fork.

Photo 2

This is a photo taken inside KTUL. On the left side is where the sets are located.

Photo 3

This is a view outside KTUL on Lookout Mountain. In the distance on the left side is downtown Tulsa.

The day in review

There were two event today that I will note. The first was Food and Fellowship at Chopsticks restaurant near 61st and Sheridan. We were about 10 minutes late getting there due to road construction. There were about a dozen people there. It was good to see Audrey there. I hadn't seen her in a while. She drives in from Claremore. The second event was a fund-raiser for Central Fine Arts Academy. Luke and Ayla both attend there. The fund-raiser was in the form of a carnival, with several activities to participate in. There was the Candy Bar Walk (think of a cake walk but with candy bars substituted), Bean Bag Toss, Fishing Pond, and other similar activities. There was also food. Ayla came home with us and will go to church with J in the morning. Darn - I haven't got those pictures posted yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Back from Springfield

We made a quick trip to Springfield. We drove down Thursday morning and drove home Friday evening. Twice we ate at the Golden Corral near my parents apartment. While there I went to the nearby Springfield Music Co. on Fremont Avenue where I bought a book of five piano duets by Melody Bober. I did all the driving on this trip. We come back to Sand Springs without stopping since we wanted to get back before dark. We made it.

J. helped my sister Paula in choosing a laptop computer. While there, I visited the music store as I mentioned above. I am pretty tired right now. I will post some pictures tomorrow.

KTUL and walking

The first thing I did this morning was go walking. I walked three miles at the Fitness Center. I came home, showered, and got dressed to go take the tour at KTUL. We drove up Lookout Mountain to the studios for the tour at 9:30 am. All the people we met were very nice and gracious.

We watched as a live production was in progress. We were careful to keep quiet. Just off screen, station personnel were walking around but stayed out of view of the camera.

I was surprised by how small the sets were. There is an area for a camera which could be aimed at any of three sets from its central position. The kitchen is housed in a separate room. I saw and talked with several of the station's personnel whom I had seen for years on the screen. We watched as two of the station's on-screen personalities recorded a promo for another show.

Newsman Mark Bradshaw talked with us for a while. He asked us what we liked and disliked about the news. Someone said they would like more positive, uplifting stories. Hey, weren't we expelled from the Garden of Eden? I would prefer to see what is happening in the world, warts and all.

The tour was arranged by Methodist church member Amy Miller, who works at the station. Her title is something like program manager or program director. She is the station's liasson with ABC. Next month the group plans to visit the Philbrook Museum.

Following the tour, we went to Ollie's Station, a restaurant in Red Fork with a train theme. The have several model trains which run on track suspended from the ceiling. They are also located next to the main line of the BNSF track that runs between Tulsa and Ft. Worth. I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Church and talking with Dad

Today I went with J to the Methodist Sunday School class J goes to regularly. There were about twenty people in the class. That is usually more people than you find in the Church of the Restoration (CoR) Sunday morning service. The class was over around 10:15 am. From there we went to the QuikTrip on Gilcrease Museum Road for gasoline and breakfast. From there it was on to CoR, a couple miles away.

We got there just after the church opened up. It was early enough that I sat down at the piano and played a bit as others came in. I think there were nine people there this morning, that included three guests. We were going to get a sandwich at Subway on the way home, but there was along line in Subway; so we just came on home.

Later we went to Walmart for a drill bit. The one I had been using was getting dull and not cutting well. I am using a drill bit (¼ inch) to assemble some pieces of lumber I bought recently into a frame to hold the soil for a raised bed garden. While there we looked at the potted plants but did not buy any. From there we went over to Atwoods, where we found plants at a much cheaper price than at Walmart. I bought three Better Boy plants and three Sweet 100 plants. The Sweet 100s produce cherry-sized tomatoes. I plan to buy two more Topsy-Turvy containers and grow those tomatoes upside down. I have three more lag screws to put in my frame. Then I will move it into position. It will be four foot square.

Gail called this evening to reschedule our weekly practice to Tuesday at 9:30 am.

This evening we IMed with my father in a video call on our laptop. We were able to talk to my father in Springfield and see him at the same time. He in return could see us. J warned me about making unauthorized calls on the laptop.

This and that

Today was Saturday. We had a HAT meeting today at the Genealogy Center. There were about a dozen of us there. On the way there, we picked up Barbara Frey from the retirement center about a mile away from where the meeting was held. After the meeting was over and we took Barbara home, we went to The Delta Cafe for a late lunch or early dinner. They had a shrimp special going; that's what I had. We got home just in time for the news.

Following the news, I took a nap. I got up and played piano for awhile. Here it is around midnight now and about time to hit the sack.

Humanism and the Arts

Tonight we celebrated Humanism and the Arts at Church of the Restoration with a one-hour program. We used the talents of (mostly) members who are members of both the Church of the Restoration and HAT.

The program began with Joy Avery singing "Mi Amor" and accompanying herself on guitar. Next, Ms. Bismillah did a Spirit Dance to recorded music.

Next was a drumming ensemble of three drummers who gave a powerful performance. This was followed by Marilyn Clarke reading three poems by Billy Collins. Then Barbara Frey, now 85 years old, read a poem she wrote back in the early 60s.

Next Larry Roth read the first part of "The Ghost Beyond the Attic Door." Larry has been working on this short story to enter into a competition sponsored by Tulsa World. Then Will Poire played "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.

This was followed by Gail and myself playing "Boogie Fever." Next Joy returned to sing two additional songs: "Be a Lamp Unto Yourself" and "Calm Soul." Finally, Gail and I played "Check It Out." Both pieces we played were written by Jeanine Yeager. We had a request for something by Scott Joplin, but I had no Joplin music with me. I promised that next time we would play some Scott Joplin.

Following the end of the arts persentation, we enjoyed refreshments. Immediately after this event was over, the film Avatar was shown. J and I stayed for a little of the film, but since the film ran for two hours, I did not feel like staying for the whole thing. It was a busy news day today what with the no fly zone being approved over Libya and the nuclear power plant disaster still unfolding in Japan. We came home and tuned in to MSNBC to get caught up on the latest developments.

There were about a dozen people at this event.

More on Colton Burpo

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but someone pointed out to me another thing to take into consideration regarding the story of Colton Burpo I had not realized before. 1 John 4:12 reads, “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

According to Pastor Burpo “God’s size clearly wasn’t scary to Colton, but it was also interesting to me that as eager as Colton was to tell about what God looked like, he was just as eager to tell me what god felt like toward us.”

These two citations put the Christian in a dilemma. Either the Bible is correct in saying “No man hath seen God at any time,” thus making Colton’s story suspect, or else Colton did see God, making the claim to Biblical inerrancy invalid. You can have it one way or the other, but you can’t have it both ways.

Another testimony

I found the following testimony on the Internet. I post it for your consideration.

I had something which is not really a NDE but very weird and profound like an NDE.

It happened when I was 13 years old (on my Bday I think). I was sleeping and I had a dream in which I was presented with a test. It was a picture of Jesus. As I saw it, I thought "what is this picture of the Son of God doing here? As soon as I said that I realized that there is only one true god who has no son, and that I had commited the greatest sin in the world, greater than even murder.

At that moment the earth shattered into tiny particles and I fell through darkness for what seemed like an eternity. But I did not have a body, it was just me, it's very hard to explain. Also everything was very real, much more real than me writing this to you right now. I had no body but it was dark and cold, I knew that I should be able to "see" but I realized there was a sort of barrier and I was not allowed to see.....I was being led to the grave where I knew I would spend an eternity away from Allah and I was terrified. That was pure terror, just imagine knowing you will never go to heaven or be alive again, only in a tortured state forever, it was immensely scary.

At that moment I instinctively knew that I would have to do something fast before it was too late and I was left there for all eternity and I would never see my family again and would not be able to warn them...so I screamed from the bottom of my soul "GOD (the only one god) SAVE ME!" and at that moment I woke up. The weird thing is that in the room where I was sleeping we were approx. 4 people and it was very hot almost unbearably hot, enough to make you sweat in your sleep, but I woke up freezing cold and clenching my teeth from the cold.

This dream was the driving force behind my quest for truth and subsequent reversion to Islam which is undoubtedly the truth. I am not making this stuff up brothers and sisters, this is the realest thing I have ever experienced.

Salam a leikum

I think this testimony shows how people are influenced by their culture, of which their religion is a part. While I came close to death myself in January 2007 (following emergency brain surgery), I recall having no near-death-experience.

Heaven is for Real?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7933292-heaven-is-for-real">Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3446736.Todd_Burpo">Todd Burpo
My rating: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/154455886">1 of 5 stars

I read this book because my father recommended it to me. It would have been more convincing had the author stopped writing sooner. You could imagine a little boy (indoctrinated by his Christian parents) being convinced he had traveled to heaven and back. But this testimonial goes way beyond that.

The visions of battles with horses and swords and breastplates, etc. is too Old Testament. Has there been no modernization in warfare techniques since Biblical times? Must people continue to hack each other to death with swords as in olden times? Why have they not advanced to bows and arrows, to say nothing of firearms? Why all the talk of killing and war anyway?

I have to also question the motive of the author/pastor. I can't help but wonder if he had a motive other than just telling Colton's story. Might there be a financial angle to telling this story? Why does Burpo feel compelled to explain the delay in reporting the story? Why does the story always conform to a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible?



http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1777864-dan">View all my reviews

Sunday and my events

The day began with my driving over to Church of the Restoration just on the north side of Tulsa. It's about a 25 minutes drive from my house. The service was lengthy with Betty Morrow speaking about three women who did a lot for our congregation. The other two lay leaders for the day were Vanessa and Mary. The subject of today's talk was "Our History Is Our Strength: Women's History."

I have a conflict in my schedule. On April 2, I should attend the Democratic Party Meeting for Tulsa County; also, I should attend the rehearsal for the chant group. Both events start at 10 am. I will probably go to the political event and skip chanting once again. Last time the group met, I had to miss due to a chronic cough I had. I will try one more time in May. If I have to miss that one, I will just give up. Sometimes I get involved in too many activities.

After church today I went to Wendy's and had a bowl of chili, a Dr. Pepper, and a Frosty. At 3:00 pm I was at Randy's for the Tulsa meeting of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. I will post info on the meeting at the FFRF Tulsa blog.

Bill Maher on religion

Bill Maher is one of my favorite comedians. Here he speaks about religion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTwK8oEvSd8

Another Mr. Deity episode

Here is the latest Mr. Deity episode:
http://www.mrdeity.com/deityrss.xml

Summary of the day

This morning we went walking at the Fitness Center. I did 2½ miles today. While I walked I listened to lecture 6 in the series of lectures on Robert and Clara Schumann. I checked the CDs out from the library and transferred the lectures to my MP3. I have two more lectures to listen to before I finish the course. I will have to see what other courses are available from the library.

I have been reading Heaven is for Real at the recommendation of my father. I'm just past the halfway point in the book. Once I have finished it, I will comment on the book.

Tonight I attended a meeting for the Democratic precincts for this part of Tulsa County. I live in precinct 856 and am now the chair for the Democrats in that precinct. I should receive my credentials in the mail soon. I have been following the attempt to cripple the unions in Wisconsin and have decided to become more politically active.

Unions dealt a blow

The standoff over union rights that rocked Wisconsin and the nation for weeks headed for a quick end Thursday, as Republican lawmakers were set to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from the state's public workers and deliver one of the strongest blows to the power of unions in years.

I was sorry to hear about this blow to labor. I have a feeling the story is not over yet, though. I am proud to be a union member. I have been a union member all my adult life, and even now in retirement, I am still a dues paying member ($2 per month) of my union. Solidarity forever!

My birthday - #63

Here I am on my 63rd birthday. J surprised me with a cake while the grandchildren were here. My son and his spouse came by and gave me gift cards to local restaurants. J and I will be going out for a special dinner tomorrow night. My cousin V. in Houston sent a lot of nice gifts and called me this morning while I was sitting in the barber chair. My parents called me this morning just after I finished with my morning walk.

You can tell my left ear is just about back to normal. Avoid spiders!

My weekend

Saturday I was feeling rather bad, having a constant cough. J slept in the front bedroom (now referred to as the playroom) so as not to catch whatever is was that I had. I felt better when I awoke this morning. I was able to go to church and give my talk to the congregation. Instead of the usual 8 to 10 in the congregation, this morning we had 25. There were two reasons for the increased attendance: (1) many of my humanist friends were aware that I was speaking this morning and attended to support me, and (2) Joy had invited many of her Muslim friends to attend.

This was a day when I stayed afterward to have a meal together. On the way to the church, I stopped by Wal-Mart and bought a chunk of sliced ham. I was not aware the Muslims would be there, otherwise I would have opted for another selection.

My talk, "Horror Stories from the Bible, Part 1" was well received by the congregation. When Rosemary's e-mail bounced back (she usually does the children's story), I went to the library Saturday and checked out a children's book, just in case. Good thing I did since Rosemary was not in the congregation today. I read a children's story (once we actually had children in the congregation) about a giraffe named Gerald. Then for the special music, Gail and I played "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues."

I was feeling pretty bad on Saturday, but by today I think I have recovered. We will probably go walking again tomorrow after Gail comes by for piano practice in the morning.

Daily wrap-up

I took it easy today in an effort to get well. My left ear continues to get better but has a way to go still. We continue to watch it.

Ayla is spending the night with us tonight. Tomorrow is Movie Night but I don't know at this time if we will go.

Instead of going to chanting class, I will stay home and try to get well. I seem to be coming down with a cold. I slept for several hours today. I think it is now time to return to bed.

Quoted from an article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Harper, often referred to as "George W. Bush's Mini Me," is known for having mounted a Bush-like war on government scientists, data collectors, transparency, and enlightenment in general. He is a wizard of all the familiar tools of demagoguery; false patriotism, bigotry, fear, selfishness and belligerent religiosity.

Harper's attempts to make lying legal on Canadian television are a stark admission that right-wing political ideology can only dominate national debate through dishonest propaganda. Since corporate profit-taking is not an attractive vessel for populism, a political party or broadcast network that makes itself the tool of corporate and financial elites must lie to make its agenda popular with the public. In the Unites States, Fox News and talk radio, the sock puppets of billionaires and corporate robber barons, have become the masters of propaganda and distortion on the public airwaves. Fox News' notoriously biased and dishonest coverage of the Wisconsin's protests is a prime example of the brand of news coverage Canada has smartly avoided.

Zimmerman concert

Tonight we heard a concert by Roy Zimmerman. It was held in the Nightingale Theater near 4th and Peoria. At the intermission Roy was selling his CDs. I bought one titled "Real American." The concert was sponsored by Tulsa Atheists. Zimmerman is from San Francisco.

Busy weekend coming up

I went to the doctor on Monday again as a follow-up to the spider bites I received in Broken Arrow. She sent in a prescription (renewal) for more anti-bacterial medicine. The next day I went to the hospital for scans: both CTs and MRIs. I will hear the results next week.

I have had a reaction to the medication I have been taking for the spider bites (on my lower left ear). I broke out in blotches on my hands and chest. It looks a lot like the measles. I have had a fever off and on for several days now.

I have been sleeping a lot since the bites. I sleep eight hours at night. Plus I take a two-hour nap in the afternoon. However, today I slept even longer at naptime.

I hope I am doing better tomorrow for I would sure hate to miss the Roy Zimmerman concert. Saturday morning I'm planning on being at the cathedral to look into chanting. That evening, we have movie night at the Bradleys. Sunday, I deliver the message at Restoration. We have a busy weekend ahead.