Magic Skills

Sitting at the breakfast table this morning, trying to estimate if it was time to head to church.
Bowling dad, "Garrett, go tell me what the clock says."
Garrett heads over to the microwave, "eight, dot-dot, twenty-six."
Eliza chimes in, "Is that a five or a two, because they look the same."
Garrett responds before anyone can interject, "It's a two. I can tell, because I have Magic Skills."

Mind over Matter

A shout out to Garrett and Eliza for learning to ride their bikes on Tuesday. Bowling dad took Garrett's training wheels off this past summer, hoping to spur him on; he just used the scooter instead. But with a bit of Emily encouragement and a helping of his own machismo, G-man picked up the bike, walked to the top of the driveway, and made it happen.

Eliza, distinctly not content at letting her bigger little brother bask in his own glory, quickly followed suit.

By Thanksgiving day, they were twirling through the streets, driveway and garage like a pair of pros.

Bowling Parents are once again grateful to check one more "too young to do this" item off of the list.

A glimpse of things to come...

The Bowling house is blessed with dozens of mature oaks, shading us from the summer heat and establishing an adventurous childhood setting. While the beauty is idyllic, the constant encroachment of nature unites Bowling dad with suburbanites across this great nation in the trench warfare of grass-growing.

In our sixth season, the movement of fallen leaves from green to brown areas of the property has been effectively mastered, spurred on by Bowling mom's desire for order, dad's desire to be outside away from the noise of the kids, and the children's desire to make leaf piles. A solid 6-hour day (replete with Waffle House and Target toy section bribery) cleanses the yard of its accumulated debris... almost.

For while we have historically had squirrels living in every part and parcel of our land (a bit on this matter found here), they do not care for our acorns. The tiny little buggers escape the rakes, ignore the blowers, and are too many to count. At the end of clean-up day, you are too tired to care about such trivialities, allowing nature to outflank Bowling dad and sow the seeds to next Spring's patchy-grass.

While the property's rodents have proven uninterested in these acorns, the children proved otherwise, spurred on by a simple "Penny an Acorn" trade in program, modeled off of the questionably successful city's Anonymous Gun Buy Back Program the family volunteers at each year.

In the one hour program window, Emily and Louise partnered with the neighborhood Huck Finn to collect 1,100 acorns, split 3 ways, walking away with $4.00 each (I rounded up). Elizabeth and Garrett (and let me be clear who was in charge of this venture) continued working while Bowling dad counted the other team's earnings, and then begged for an extension. After two hours of collection, they turned in 2,200 acorns ($12 for Eliza, $10 for Garrett (don't ask)). Bowling mom was not pleased with Bowling dad. Bowling dad sees this as an investment in next year's greenery.

The bottom of the lists

An unexpected email yesterday from the Thomas Eye Group, a rather large outfit here in Atlanta. Maggie had nominated me as one worthy of free LASIK surgery, writing a short essay of my general contributions to life (taking her cue from the political establishment, the writing exaggerates the reality). Worthy or not, it is a generous gesture. The trick, for myself and the two other finalists, was to convince the Facebook world to 'like' one of us the most.

Somehow I am expected to branch out and ask friends, Romans, countrymen to do the great favor of "liking" me, crossing all sorts of indeterminate lines in my life. But if Maggie has gone out on this limb to honor me, and Thomas Eye has taken a step of faith that this gift of theirs will gain some sort of advertisement medium, I need to swallow my introverted pride and get bawdy.

In a moment of appropriate irony, LASIK is something I would love to have, but will never likely put on the top of the list of financial expenditures ("Sorry, kids. No Disney this year. Dad doesn't like his glasses."). I am now being asked to win a LASIK contest to move this dream-ticket to the top of the heap, as long as I engage in self-promotion, distinctly at the bottom of my activity-list.

     "Uhmmm, excuse me, but would you mind clicking this link and 'liking' me?" - too pitiful.

     "My wife really wants you to..." - don't hide behind Maggie; be a man.

     "This is SO CRAZY! I cannot believe that this once in a lifetime opportunity has landed on my lap. I'm just hoping you want to join me in this." - too bobble-headed.

Time to start begging...

The Effects...

See posts What He Says and What He Did for the first portions of this line of thought.

Jesus' resurrection is a key point in both the Christian faith and Christian living. From 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15:

• The Jesus story, condensed: 
• verses 3-4 - Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead
• Resurrection as a Key Component of the Christian Faith
• vs 12-14 - if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain
• vs 17-19 - if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead, our faith is worthless, and we are stuck in our sins; we put our hope in the wrong source, and are to be most pitied
• vs 32 - if the dead are not raised, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die"
• What Jesus' Resurrection does:
• vs 21-22 - Adam, the first man, brought death; Jesus, the Messiah/Christ, brought resurrection from the dead.
• vs 45-47 - "The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam [Jesus] became a life-giving spirit."
• Resurrection in its Importance to the Individual
• vs 26 - "The last enemy that will be abolished is death."
• vs 51-57 - Mystery... dead will be raised, imperishable... this mortal will put on immortality... "Death is swallowed up in victory"... thanks be to God, who gives the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
• vs 35-38 - the seed is sown and dies before it comes to fruition
• vs 42-44 - our body is sown perishable, dishonor, weakness, natural... then raised imperishable, in glory, in power, spiritual