Life on Snow Hill

A week ago today, Becky and I were on our way home from church. The truck had been doing some weird stuff leading up to the day, and I was leaning more and more towards getting somewhere to trade it in ‘really soon’. Well, on the way home, it finally broke down on us. Turns out it was the differential gear – it just would just sit there and grind away when I put the truck in any forward gear.

So the decision was made for us. The next day, I had to take a day off work and we headed to Carmax in Knoxville. I’ve heard lots of good reports from people that have bought from there, and I knew I wasn’t getting a new vehicle, so that was my first choice.

We had the truck towed to the lot, and they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse (sarcasm). I didn’t get much out of the truck, and I still owed some on it. So I had to roll that over into the new loan for the new (to us) car.

We had looked around on the Carmax website for cars we’d be interested in. We had picked out an Altima and a Rendezvous to test drive. We both liked the Altima, but not so much the Rendezvous. We went inside to do some paperwork to see if we could get approved for a loan for that car. While we were talking, the dealer overheard Becky and I discussing gas mileage. He suggested the Prius.

I’ve never liked the way a Prius looked. I still don’t, honestly. But he convinced us to take a look at it. Becky got in and sat in the driver’s seat. She immediately fell in love. I got in and noticed right away that it wasn’t as small inside as it looks from the outside. So we decided to test drive it.

We both liked it. The price tag was a little bit higher than the Altima, but the gas saved would more than make up for the difference in cost. So we got approved for the loan and we drove it off the lot.

Since bringing it home, we’ve put about 500 miles on it, and so far, it’s averaging at right around 3 times as much gas mileage as I was getting in the truck! It’s not nearly as handy as a truck for moving things around, but it’s perfect to get me to and from work, and for any trips we might take.

About a month or so ago, a young lady in our youth group at church approached me and asked if I would be interested in speaking at an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) gathering. I was honored to even be considered for something like that, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Since that time, I began thinking and praying about what God would have me to give that day. I was being led in a certain direction, then 2 of the young ladies that are in FCA and in our youth group told me what I should talk about. (I say that jokingly, but halfway serious also…)

Here’s what the deal was. At a late summer church event (a fun day to end the summer with lots of outdoor water games), I had the privilege to give a devotion to kick it off. I talked about how big God is, and how He meted out Heaven with the span of His hand. (Isaiah 40:12). In all fairness, I stole the thought from another preacher I heard preaching about it a few years ago. But it’s a great thought, and the youth were all amazed at how big God really is. So this is what they told me to speak on. This is also the direction God was guiding my heart.

So yesterday at this FCA gathering, I spoke to two groups at Central High in Wartburg. They have two lunch periods, and they meet during their lunch. I spoke along the same lines, and about how problems we face are like mountains. If God is so big to be able to mete out Heaven with the span of His hand, then the mountain of a problem we’re facing is a small thing to God and He has no trouble taking care of it, or taking care of us as we go through it.

They seemed to listen, and I really hope it was a blessing to them. I know it was to me. This was the first time I’ve done anything quite like this. I enjoyed it greatly, and my hope and prayer is that God somehow touched a life through me yesterday.

I saw this video a long time ago, but was reminded of it by someone on the radio on the way home from work. The video speaks for itself. I can’t stop laughing.

Yes, I have an addiction. It’s not so bad, though. I hope.

Sudoku. The puzzle game has its origins in France, and in Indiana. There is a grid, 9 squares by 9 squares with 9 3×3 squares inside. Here’s the idea:

• Each 3×3 square of 9 will have all numbers 1-9
• Each vertical row of 9 will have all numbers 1-9
• Each horizontal row of 9 will have all numbers 1-9
• There are no duplicates

I play the game on my iPhone. It’s cleaner than paper, and it’s like an endless supply of puzzles. And it keeps my brain occupied. I’ve included a couple of pictures – one of what the board looks like in ‘expert’ mode (obviously the hardest available), and one of what my best times are so far.

Try it out! If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can find free Sudoku puzzles all over the internet.

I was amused this morning by a caller on the radio talk show I was listening to on the way in to work. This caller was a black man. He basically went on a rant and as a part of that rant, he called the black talk show host a racist towards blacks. Later on in some of the comments he made, the caller made blacks out to be dumb and couldn’t make their own choices as to what to listen to. The host called the caller a racist.

This caller is an instigator by self admission. He likes to argue. That said, he listens to the mostly conservative talk show so that he can call in regularly only to argue. This morning, the host played a clip of a song done by a private school that praised Obama and pushed his healthcare reform. I could write a whole other (short) post about that all by itself. But on the show, the host was talking about how in his own personal opinion (and I hold the same) the school shouldn’t be pushing political agenda, whether liberal or conservative. A school isn’t a political platform – it’s an educational institution. But I digress.

This caller called in as the first response to the comments made by the host. “Why are you guys on here EVERY DAY bashing Obama? Is it because he’s black??” (I put the words in quotes, but I admit I can’t remember his exact words – this is the gist of his comments though.) What this idiot failed to acknowledge is that every president has had the same ridicule and has lived under a microscope. Apparently he didn’t like it when the tables were turned and they started talking about his guy, and he made himself out to be an idiot when he began defending his views.

One other thing he said at the beginning of his call – the South is a dump. Yep, his own words: a dump. I can only assume, based on the rest of his comments, that he thinks it’s a dump because of its generally conservative views. I say to you, Dave, if it’s such a dump, leave. I happen to love it here.