Gladstone, MO Tornado - Images, Red Cross, Church Help

This storm roared through Gladstone, MO early Friday Morning (May 2) around 2:00am.  It was truly amazing that no one was critically injured as it took everyone by surprise.  Many people I talked to slept through the storm or woke up but didn’t take shelter. 

I was very impressed by the response of Gladstone and the Red Cross.  A shelter was set up almost immediately by the Red Cross at Antioch Bible Baptist Church.  They also had units at Continental North Apartments shortly after the storm hit.

Pleasant Valley Baptist Church had their emergency response helpers in the area.  I believe their trailer said, “Helping Hands.”  They were very busy cutting trees and helping people get their yards cleaned up.

Oak Hill Day School was severly damaged.  They will be spending their last 3 weeks of school at Antioch Bible Baptist.

It is interesting that the sirens didn’t go off in our area.  I haven’t heard exactly what happened in regards to this…perhaps the storm just hit too quickly.  I’m sure there will be more discussion around that issue.

Thank the Lord that no one was killed or critically injured. Below are some of the images and approximate locations. (click on each pic for a larger view)

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A duplex in Continental North Apts - 76th and Euclid

Continental North Apts - 76th and Euclid

 Pawn Shop (rear) 72nd and N. Oak (approx)

Antioch Bible Baptist Church - 72nd and Harrison

Restaurant - 72nd and N. Oak (Approx)

Pawn Shop (front) - 72nd and N. Oak.

Antioch Bible Baptist Mission’s House (72nd and Harrison)

78th and Garfield - Shed and debris (just north of continental apts)

Playground at Continental Apts (77th and Euclid)

Duplexes at Continental Apts (76th and Euclid)

Continental Apts - 77th and Euclid

Around 78th and Garfield (Just North of Continental Apts)

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows his handiwork.”

Captain Kirk was fighting Klingons when I would come home after school as a youth.  The Enterprise was exploring the vastness of space.  And Spock was using his Vulcan powers to defeat hostile aliens.  I remember I couldn’t wait until Star Trek came on.

The show gave us the famous line, “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”  We still haven’t gone there, but the Hubble space telescope

Ben Stein should not be “Expelled”

 

This movie did not live up to the criticisms thrown at it by the media.

From other reviews I expected a “Michael Moore” type of documentary; one that had a few more shenanigans’s and staged events.  The trailers portrayed the film as such with Stein in a school boy’s outfit writing “do not question authority” on a chalkboard.  Honestly, I was a little concerned about how the movie would portray people of faith.

However, the trailers turned out to be more sensationalistic than the movie.

Expelled is a documentary where Stein interviews scholars on various planes of the human origin’s discussion crystal.  Unlike Moore’s films, where he uses hand-picked stooges  to support his point, almost everyone interviewed in this film have earned Phd’s.  It just so happens they disagree about evolutionary theory and the question of origins.

Fisherman and Jesus Make Good Company

Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

Our family is a fishing family.  I think we have stinkbait in our blood.  Or blood in our stinkbait; I’m not sure which.  We just love to fish.  My grandfather and father passed on the fishing gene to me.  Although I don’t get out as much as I’d like, I enjoy it tremendously when I do.

There’s a misconception by many that fishing is a passive activity.  Anyone who has fished seriously knows this is false.  If you picture fishing as sitting for hours on end and waiting for the fish to “bite”, you’re probably not a fisherman (or at least one that catches anything.)

Fishing is an active sport.

What do Moses, Monkeys, and Mastiff’s Have In Common? (Think Charlton Heston)

What do Moses, Monkeys, and Mastiffs have in common?

They were all in movies starring Charlton Heston or at least Heston’s voice.

Heston died at 84 this week and left us a rich heritage of film work.  Among other characters, he played Marc Antony, Moses, Buffalo Bill, Ben-Hur, Michelangelo, Sherlock Holmes and the pirate Long John Silver.  Classic movies including “Planet of the Apes” are among his list of credentials. He also lent his voice to many roles including the Mastiff in “Cat’s and Dogs” and various documentaries.

Who can forget his role in “The Ten Commandments” when he depicted Moses confronting Pharaoh, leading Israel out of Egypt, splitting the Red Sea, and bringing the tablets down from God’s mountain.  Our minds will forever see Heston and his lightening streaked hair when we think of what Moses must have looked like.

A great actor with a great career is gone.

Heston leaves us more than memories of his roles on the big screen.  He leaves us a unique perspective on political correctness that was unusual in Hollywood – it’s absence.

What a ride! Ford - F650

Wow…this is what we saw when pulling into the grocery store parking lot tonight.  It’s a Ford F650.  I’d never seen one before.  I’m 6′ 2″ and don’t think my head would have cleared the side mirror.  The tires are the same used on semi-trucks. I took a few pics and noticed another guy driving his truck around it.  We talked a little bit; he thought it had a Cat engine.  He was going to wait and see who walked out and got in it.  It was really turning heads. Shaq owns one of these, but it’s a 6 door model and really nice.  Pretty cool….

 

“Who Dun It?”

 

 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

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Stephen King, Nancy Drew, Monk, and CSI: what do they all have in common?  Mystery.  We love mysteries.  That’s why we play the game Clue.  That’s the reason for murder mystery dinners. The question of “Who dun it?” intrigues us.

In fact, people look for mysteries where there are none.  Conspiracy theorists look for dark plots.  People play songs backwards looking for hidden messages.  And just why is my neighbor digging that big hole in his backyard?  Surrreeee he’s putting in a firepit.  We’ve all heard that one before.

Job, Job, How does your garden grow?

Job 38: 27 ….(who) causes to spring forth the growth of tender grass?

We were sifting our fingers through the soil and filling peat pots.  My wife, oldest daughter and I were planting tomato, pumpkin, watermelon and flower starts.  After digging little holes in the earth we dropped in the seeds; the melon and pumpkin seeds were planted little deeper than the tomatoes.  The flower seeds we barely covered.  I love springtime and getting my fingers dirty.  We finished our work and set our starts in front of the kitchen deck doors with anticipation.

It’s a magical time of year really.  You mix seeds, soil, sun, and water and voila!  A few days later little living things peek out of the soil.

Most Misused Verse of All Time…?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Phil 4:13 

What a great promise!  But what is it a promise for? This may be the most misused verse of all time. 

God does promise to help us and strengthen us in all situations.  But people have used this verse in some interesting ways. Here’s a sample of how you might hear it applied: 

• “God will help me make the 35 foot winning jumpshot”
• “God will help me with this financial disaster”
• “God will help me fix this lawn mower”
• “God will help me get this virus off my computer”
• “God will help me with ______________ problem” 

The Missing Hand of God

Letters which look like chicken scratches, flash cards, memorization, relating new words to odd memory aids; such is the life of beginning Hebrew students.  It’s hard to describe what learning Hebrew is like.  There’s a lot of necessary repetition. I’d compare it to brushing your teeth.  As a seminary student you need to do it, but it’s more of a necessary obligation than an exercise you look forward to.