Stuff

• My last post I had  shared that I was planning to ride a bicycle sprint for the Kansas City Corporate Challenge and I am glad to report that I did, in fact, not fall over.  I also got to race on the Kansas Speedway itself for two laps at 8min 57sec for an average speed just a fuzz over 20mph. So I hit the modest goal I had and I've continued to ride regularly and I'm looking forward to the race next year.  I may even try a few time trials here around town for fun.  There's several guys at church who ride and it's been fun encouraging and being encouraged to stick with it.  If it stops raining we may get together and hit the trails...
• This last Sunday the worship team had the pleasure of having the father of one of our singers (Jessica Robins) visit and play acoustic guitar.  He's a great guitar player and since he was in town we couldn't let him just sit in a pew without giving us a hand on stage.(I learn a lot by just listening to him play).  It's great to hear how much a really good guitar player can add to our group and we got several great comments on worship. The whole group was really relaxed and enjoying the worship.  Thanks again Randy for sitting in... 

I'm still here... but on the road again.

I've been away for awhile I know... No reason really, I just haven't had any blog-able material.  I'll blame work for sucking the energy and creativity out of me lately.   Anyway, I've started riding my road bike again. I rebuilt it a few years back as a single-speed, no shifting gears, just one very big gear up front and a tiny one in back.  I used to ride regularly years ago as a way to keep in shape for the ski season and just got out of the habit as "life" got underway.   Two years ago I signed up for a KC Corporate Challenge event; a 5000meter (2.5 miles) sprint as a way to get motivated to get in shape and set a goal.  Well, I developed such bad tendinitis in my elbow and numbness and pain in my hands (not good for a guitar player) that I couldn't ride.  After finding some relief from that, but not until well after the event, I set my sites on the next year.  The next spring some of you may remember that I broke my ankle a year in a horrific (i.e. embarrassing) accident walking across a street while texting on my BlackBerry.  (Yes, I'm that guy)  So, here I am roughly a month away from the event and no severe pain is racking my body.  Thank You, LORD!  I've gotten several training rides under my wheels and my performance is improving.  It's not quite to the performance goal I've set but I've still got time and the rain is drying up a little.  I've even ordered a few cycling gadgets to make the ride a little better...   If you choose you can witness the spectacle (me in cycling gear should be hilarious by itself) on Wednesday the 26th at 7pm at the Kansas Speedway.  That's when the people in the middle of the age bracket race... :)

Disjointed Musings and Observations (I refuse to use the word random)

• Some very good (maybe even excellent) stuff on worship at: www.worshipmatters.com  I would greatly encourage you to check out Bob Kauflin's posts. Here's a snippet: "We will reap what we sow when we lead people to worship God as well. If we sow to musical experiences, we’ll reap a desire for better sounds, cooler progressions, and more creative arrangements. If we sow to feelings, we’ll reap meetings driven by the pursuit of emotional highs. On the other hand, if we want people to glorify God, we must sow to His glory. We must paint a compelling, attractive, grand, biblical picture of our great God and Savior."-Amen brother
•  I am trying to sell some stuff on ebay, wow what a hassle.  No wonder Craig's List is successful.  Anyone need a handful of 5meter single-mode simplex 9/125micron SC-SC fiber-optic jumpers?!?!  Anyone...? (crickets, crickets, crickets)  They're yellow...  (crickets, crickets, crickets) just as I feared.
• I continue to baffle my office mate by being a Christian that doesn't slide easily into the pigeon hole that he has prepared for me. I think it is mainly due to my unwillingness to die on any sword other than the one Christ has prepared for me in his Gospel.  If my office mate regards me, I want it to be in the context of my Christ-follower-ness (yikes!), not my "conservative" views, my midwestern sensibilities, or my snappy attire. :) He has declared me to be "not in the norm" and I find that deeply satisfying... and I hope the LORD finds that satisfying as well. 
• As I sit here, a flower that my wife has placed in the vase on our kitchen table is opening up and I am reminded of Sherlock Holmes and it is worth your time to find out why.  I will leave you with that little mystery to uncover for yourself with only this clue... "What a lovely thing a rose is..."

Today is kinda stinky...

It's cold outside and my little boy is having trouble breathing with strep and a cold... despite being in the hospital he has a remarkably great little attitude.

From Taking It From The Five*

It was warmer then...

Here are a few pics from this last summer where the only thing that was close to 16 degrees was the internal temperature of a dippin' dot...

From Taking It From The Five*

From Taking It From The Five*

That's big...real big

    

I've always been a fan of engines. I like jet engines, turbines (Teslas are neat), diesels, stirlings, steam, superchargerd and turbocharged; you name it, I like it.  Cylinder and crankshaft configurations I have pondered and doodled, and I have even downloaded the sounds of engines because I find the sound of racing motors to be rather exhilarating. (believe it or not but there are extensive collections of such things) You may or may not share my exhuberance for such things mechancical but I hope you find this a little interesting.  It is a whopper of a motor, the Wartsila- Sulzer RTA96C.  It was designed to move cargo ships. Here are a few specs:

power

up to 6030 kW per cylinder, 36,180 to 84,420 kW (49,200 to 114,800 bhp) altogether

engine displacement

1820 litres per cylinder (111,063 cubic inches)

engine speed

92–102 revolutions per minute

torque

7,603,850 newton metres (5,608,310 ft·lbf) @ 102 revolutions per minute

Here is a picture of the turbocharger that goes on it...  I'm super curious as to what kind of racket this thing makes.

Three Things... OK, Four; Five at the most.

• I still like my Jeep coming up on 4 yrs.  It's starting to show some age, but the kids still fight over who gets to ride with Dad.  It always feels like I'm driving a Tonka truck... :)
• A guy at work spotted me a can of Heritage Dr. Pepper last week.  Hmmm, not sure during the first few sips, but by the time the can was gone I was starting to like it alot.  Had a regular high fructose fountain one at lunch today and it tasted too syrupy and sweet by comparison.  Admittedly, fountain versions are inconsistent in quality.
• I am eagerly awaiting baseball season... not sure when I really became a fan.
• I still prefer Star Trek to Star Wars.  
•  A good healthy Church is too positive of a thing to not enjoy.  If you're not enjoying it (all other things being equal), you may be doing it incorrectly.  So, to paraphrase instructions given in times of fiery danger, Stop, Drop, and Pray...
• "Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
  Let this blest assurance control,
  That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
  And hath shed His own blood for my soul." -for Madison.