The Theology of Fireflies

At my momentous age, I often look back at where I have come, and compare it to where I am now. I see pictures of myself at fifteen or twenty or thirty and realize that person isn't me. I was intense back then, and passionate about ideas. Though I miss that persons' youth and enthusiasm, to tell you the truth I'm glad the whippersnapper is gone. If I met that young man now, and he me, I 'm not sure we would get along that well. One difference between me and him is in our attitude to ideology and theology. I cared a lot more about it then. I used to enjoy debating the difference between presuppositionalism and evidentiary apologetics, supra and infralapsarianism, or the six day versus he framework approach to Genesis. Now, when my younger friends talk about them, I yawn. I used to find reasons for caring about minor differences of faith. I saw dominos tumbling everywhere--if you believe this it leads to that, if you believe that it saps your interest in this, etc. et. I used to think this made me a scholar and a deep thinker. Now, I realize my folly. The gates of heaven do not require high SAT scores, neither do I possess the intellectual arrogance I once had. I now know that I don't know much, never did know much. The longer I live, the lower my taste for nonessentials. I am almost, but now quite back to the "Jesus Loves Me" level of theology. Someday I hope to get there again. Let me tell you what excites me now. Monday night, my five year old granddaughter Chloe was sleeping at our house. We put her in our big bed but she couldn't sleep. After about the fifteenth "Grandpa!" of the evening, having given her water, fish crackers and comforting kisses, I decided my best approach was to lay down with her until she got sleepy. Whenever you get with a five-year-old, let them talk--you won't regret it. She talked about kindergarten, her toys, cartoons, garden spiders, her jewelry box--all kinds of things. Trying to remember what she says is like trying to put spider webs in your pocket, but some things stick. What I remember most from her monologue were the fireflies. You can't catch fireflies too hard, she says, you have to cup your hands just so. Fireflies' morning is our night, and the go to bed in the morning. Through the night they chase each other with "soccerberries" which I they get from the chinaberry bush outside her apartment. I'll never forget the image of fireflies playing soccer through the night. What moves me to worship and praise God today? I think it has less to do with systematic theology and more to do with fireflies.

"I Am The Bread Of Life"

“I am the Bread of Life.” John 6:48 This declaration happened at the high point of Jesus’ ministry. Just a few days before, Jesus had been in the wilderness along he east bank of the Sea of Galilee. When the Romans discovered this crowd of people gathering in the wilderness, they dispatched boats from their garrison to investigate. They would no doubt have arrested Jesus and his disciples if Jesus had not known that they were coming. During the night, he dispatched the disciples in a fishing boat, narrowly missing the Roman blockade. Then He joined them by walking on the water to them, and rode with them back to Capernaum, where they lived. There were two notable miracles in as many days When the people who had followed him into the wilderness finally caught up with them in Capernaum, they had a lot of questions. By this time Jesus was certainly looking like the Messiah for many of them. So they asked him the question that was on many of their minds. Verse 28"What must we do to do the works God requires?" Now why did they ask the question? First, because they knew that Jesus had to know the answer. No one could do what Jesus had just done unless God did it with them. Second, the asked it because it is what everyone in those days wanted. Jesus gave this unexpected answer. 29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." This wasn’t the answer they expected. They expected some commandments or some ritual. They did not expect Him to say “Just trust me.” Trusting Jesus is more difficult than following rules. They were being asked to trust someone they barely knew. So they asked Him, What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Evidently, multiplying loaves and fish and walking on water wasn’t enough! They demanded something more! Then they gave a “for instance.”31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Make bread appear from nowhere. Moses did it. If He were from God, couldn’t He do the same thing? They were saying “If you give us free food from heaven, we might follow you. Bribe us with bread, and you’ll have your disciples.” But Jesus was not about to bribe anybody. Jesus replied in 32-33 "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." “You’ve got it wrong,” Jesus said. “Moses did not send manna from heaven—God did.” The people of Israel were suffering from a condition called BOPS—Beloved Old Pastor Syndrome. They look at the glory days of a church, when they had Beloved Old Pastor Moses. They assume that their church was so great was because of their Beloved Old Pastor. It was he that made the church great. So ever since then, they have looked for the second coming of the Beloved Old Pastor. They did not like a single other pastor they had because they were not the Beloved Old Pastor. Everything that happened right or wrong in their church was because of the pastor. Their mistake is not in blaming their later pastors. It is in crediting old success to their Beloved Old Pastor. Whatever happens is the work of God, not the pastor. All pastors are weak, fallible men. God is the only one who can bring down bread from heaven. Then Jesus said something peculiar. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." He calls the bread “He.” I don’t know about you, but I never call my biscuits “He.” Jesus is saying something new. Spiritual words are bread. God’s Word is the bread from heaven. Before, God put His Word in the mouths of people. Now He made the Word a person. He will make God’s bread here on earth. In verse 34 The ask "Sir," from now on give us this bread." He identifies Himself in verse 35-36 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. The Bread has been staring them in the face, and they haven’t noticed. In verses 46-55, Jesus went into a long speech about His own importance. It is a typical Oriental style speech where the argument moves in circles, not straight lines. He makes his points, then goes back and makes them again and again. Since this form of convercsation seems strange to our Western ears, permit me to summarize His main points. 1. Believing in Him is essential. Jesus makes it crystal clear, that no one is going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without entering though Him. Here are some examples of what He says. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 7 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 2. We believe because God chose us. This is what we call “predestination.” God has to make our hearts to believe. If He make our hearts, then we will believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. Predestination is hard for many people to understand or accept. So why does Jesus introduce it to the argument? Two reasons. The first pertains mainly to His disciples. In verses 64-65 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him. He did not want the disciples to feel unduly angry at Judas. Judas did not have the regenerating spark of the Holy Spirit. That is why he would betray Him. But this too was part of God’s plan. The second reason is more general. He has been talking about the people’s question. “What must we do to do the works of God?” Jesus’ answer is nothing. There is nothing we can do. It is all of God. Even our faith is of God. It is a gift for those who God chooses. It is all His doing, and His work. 3.Everyone who believes gets eternal life. Verses 39-40 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Eternal life depends upon Jesus. We are saved by what He did, not by what we did. Jesus’ point is not to suggest that we can do anything we want. John even tells us later, that if we are believers, we can’t continue forever in sin. Jesus is not saying that you should not do what’s right. He is saying that doing what’s right is not what gets you into heaven. You can go to church every Sunday, never cuss, drink or smoke, be kind to kids and women and dogs, and still not have eternal life. What you do is not sufficient. What God does is. 4. We get eternal life by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Verses54-55 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. At this point, Jesus understandably lost his audience. Many walked away—so many that He asked His disciples if they were leaving. Many thought Jesus was crazy, but He was not. He knew what He meant. Eventually, his disciples understood, too. Jesus did not mean that we should engage in cannibalism, but that we should partake of His divine nature. Through His body freely offered for us on the Cross, we partake of that forgiveness. In the Old Testament, animals were burned as an offering. But most people have a misconception about what happened to them next. Only certain portions were burned on the fire. Some portions were given to the priests. The rest was returned to the person making the sacrifice and eaten at a meal. By eating the animal’s body, they ate forgiveness to themselves. It wasn’t a senseless slaughter of animals, but the gift of an animal’s body for food. When Jesus wanted to describe His sacrifice for sin, He used this picture. He is the sacrificial lamb. He offers His body, and we partake of it. Life comes from living in Jesus. He wants us to totally and completely in His presence and power. If you want to know what you must do to have eternal life, then believe in Him, Live in Him, partake of Him. He is the miracle we seek. He is the life we seek. He is the sacrifice that lasts forever. .

Grace Notes

And can it be That you really love me? Can this be true Even if I don't love you? Though I may hide Do you still want inside? Will you converse Even when my words are terse? And can it be That you really do love me?

Who Do You Say That He Is?

Who is Jesus? This is the most important question you or I will ever ask. Everything hinges upon the answer. Most of us, I’m sure, would answer this question the way we’ve been trained to answer it. We would say that Jesus is God’s son. Not only this, but He is God the Son—the second person of the Trinity, which is to say He is really God. That is the only Christian answer. But why is it so important that we believe this? Why does anyone care who a man who lived two thousand years ago really was? Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator. If you believe Julius Caesar was the emperor of China, I probably would not even bother to correct you. It doesn’t matter to me whether he was Roman or Chinese. It makes no difference. But Jesus what we think of Jesus makes all the difference in the world. It is the central point of the Gospel. I remember a conversation I had with a friend back in high school. He said dthat Jesus never claimed to be God. Over the years, I have heard other people make the same comment. Where in the Bible does Jesus claim to be God? He claimed that he had read the Gospels and that nowhere in it did Jesus Himself clam to be God. Think about how devastating it is to the Christian en if He did not! If Jesus Himself did not believe He was God, why should we? We are not he first to ask this question, of course. It was reason for the fourth Gospel. When we read the first three Gospels, there is no strong statement that Jesus is God. There are some good reasons for this. Jesus did not say it often. When He did, he couched it in terms that could be ambiguous. He would say “You have said it.” Or else He would talk abou Himself in the third person—“The Son of Man has some.” “Son of man,” “Christ,” Son of the living God” are all appellations that mean God, of course, but there is some room another interpretation, because of His enemies. The first three Gospels are very similar. Matthew and Luke borrowed a great deal from Mark, and they have much the same structure. But John was written later--at a time when those who had witnessed the ministry of Jesus had mostly died. Only John was left out of the original Twelve. He wrote to set the record straight. What was implicit in the other three becomes explicit in John. But even though the first three Gospels do not say it explicitly, we know that they believed it. It is critically important to Matthew, Mark, and Luke who Jesus was. Take Mark, for example. It was probably the first Gospel to be written. Peter’s confession of Christ is the hinge of the whole book. Until Mark 8, Jesus’ ministry is mainly to the crowds. After Mark 8, Jesus turns his attention to preparing the disciples. Peter understanding who He was changes the direction of His ministry. It happened like this. Jesus and His disciples had been hard at work. It was time for them to take a vacation. Like many of us, He headed for the mountains. The place they retreated to is called Mt Hermon. It towers over the landscape for miles around it. Mt. Hermon is very important, because it is the source of Israel’s drinking water. It is always covered with snow. As it melts in the summer, it runs off into the sea of Galilee, and from there to the Dead Sea. Around the base of the mountain is place of great beauty. Waterfalls and rapids run over ancient black rocks. Flowers and greenery grow almost all the time. It was there that Jesus’ disciples went to rest and pray. While they are there admiring the view, Jesus judged it would be a good time to ask them “the question.” “Who do you say that I am?” That’s all that Mark says about it. But Matthew and Luke add a bit more. First he asked “who do people say that I am?” In response, they came up with some ridiculous answers. Some thought He was Elijah, others Jeremiah, and some John the Baptist. The disciples are avoiding the most important question. So Jesus asked them “who do you say that I am.” Sometimes, a simple declaration can make all the difference in the world. “I love you.” “I am leaving.” “I quit.” All these can be said in the heat of passion, but they have repercussions for years to come. The disciples’ very lives will depend upon how they answer this question, and they knew it. What if thy said He was just a man? In time, they would have to leave the group. They could not stay if they did not believe in the one they followed. What if they said he was the Son of God?” Then for their entire lives, they would be hunted, hounded, and haunted by those who disagreed. There would be no place on earth they would be safe, except among those who were fellow believers. Wives would leave them. Parents would disown them. Children would forsake them, all for this one little word. They all hung back, afraid to say what was on their heart. Finally, Peter broke the silence.” You are the Christ.” Now, Peter said more than that. Some versions of the Gospel of Mark include him saying “you are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Matthew and Luke said “you are the Christ of God.” Whatever his exact words, Peter became the first believer. It is curious that we do not have anything about how the other disciples responded. Some let Peter speak for them. Others were not sure who Jesus was even then. At least one disciple did not believe at all. Why didn’t the Gospel writers include the confessions, or lack of confessions? Because they did not matter. There are only two people whose confession really matters. The first person is Peter. At the moment Peter spoke, the church began. There was someone out there who believed his message. It was there that Jesus called Simon Peter for the first time. He said, “upon this Rock (Peter) I will build my church. So when Peter made the first profession of faith, he became the first official member of Jesus’ church. Because of Peter, there is a church on earth. Then there was another one whose confession mattered. Let’s talk about that confession later. Consider what Peter actually said. “You are the Christ of God.” Calvin points out that this statement was not unknown to the ancient world. “Christ simply means, “the anointed one,” which was a title for a king. The believed kings were made by the hand of God. The same might be said by other people of Herod or Caesar. Peter may have understood that He was addressing God, the Son, or he may not. He certainly thought he was addressing the Messiah of the Jews. The Messiah was the only hope of salvation that the Jewish community had. To him he was the messiah, and that was enough. Which would have been the better confession—to call him King, or to call him God? At first, it would seem that the latter would be the most important. But I am not convinced that this is the case when Peter spoke it. Many people today believe Jesus is God but do not take Him as king. It is possible to acknowledge Jesus as God without claiming Him as our King. The Devil does it all the time. He knows he is God--and trembles. What if we take Him as King and not as God? In that case, we may be assured that one day we will call him God. Jesus claimed to be God, as we will see in the following weeks. If we believe and follow Him we must eventually accept His divinity. But what if we accept Him as God, but not king? Many people do. Sure, He is king of Sunday. But is He of Monday? Sure He rules our religious life. But does He rule all life? Have we given Him our eyes, our hands, our feet, our mouths, our tongues, and our bellies? Or have we withheld from Him key portions of our lives in order to run them as we wish? Which brings us to the second person who’s confession matters. You. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God? The eleven disciples looked on as Peter declared Jesus Christ. They may even have agreed with Peter. But it didn’t matter until they said it themselves. Knowing that He is God is not enough. We must take Him and our Lord and king. Suppose we go to a wedding. We hear the bride say “I do.” We hear it, and believer she is now a married woman. Nevertheless, this does not change our lives, unless we are the groom. It really doesn’t matter to the groom either, unless he confess his commitment o her. Suppose we have strong opinions about politics. We can fuss and fume all we want about it, but it won’t make any difference, unless we are willing to express ourselves in the ballot box. Suppose we witness a crime being committed. We can believe a criminal to be guilty, but our belief does not matter, unless we are willing to swear to it. Suppose we are patriotic, and believe men should muster with the army. Who cares what you believe, unless you are willing to defend it. We could go on and on. Belief without commitment is meaningless. Millions believe that Jesus is God. But where are they when it counts? When the call goes up, do they come down? We must join our voices to Peter’s voice. We must confess for ourselves that He is Christ, the son of the Living God. Not just God, but king as well. We must acknowledge Him to be our king. Jesus is calling us, as he called His disciples to commit themselves to learning, following, and serving. What do you say? Who is Christ to you? You must decide.

Old pictures

A couple of years ago, I scanned in a bunch of old pictures into the computer. I forgot where I got them, but I figured that Mom put them together. I recognized her handwriting in blue ink over the black, white, and sepia shadows of bygone years. Some of them I have scanned and labeled; others I just scanned in large bunches of eight to ten photos, thinking that some day, I would go through them and separate them into separate files. This week, during some off time, I found those old photos, and began to separate them. At first, I paid little attention to the blue writing, but then I realized that that was a mistake. The writing told the story of my family's life even better than the photos. Included in the photos were several photos of my mother in her teens. My mother was always a good looking woman (still is), and young for her age. She was forever being mistaken for my father's daughter instead of his wife. But when she was young, she was a knockout. As far as looks were concerned, on a scale of one to ten, she was about an eleven--dark raven hair, smoldering eyes, pouting lips. She could have been a model or a movie star. I always wondered how my dad snagged her. Anyway, there was one photo, probably from World War II, though I cannot be sure. In the photo, mom is seated on the ground, next to a flop-eared dog. She is holding a photo of my father. On the photo, barely legible, are words that look like "my love" or perhaps "my loves." Then there is my mother's name in the lower right hand corner. Over those words are words written in another hand, in block letters. There is one word--"Tootsey." I cannot be sure if the word refers to my mother or the dog. But the overall impression we get is of a woman who is proud of her man, and a man is proud of his woman. How deeply we forget the past! It's passions, its hopes, its worries, disappear quickly in the mists of time. But the are there, nevertheless--hidden by the screen of forgetfulness. We forget that old people were once old. Beauty fades with the calendar. So does strength. But love goes on and on. My parents, thank God are still alive--married for almost sixty years. They have grown old, which is the way of all things. But their love is still there, and the young lovers inside of them are still there, too. They are still lovers and always will be. Love does not fade. That thought keeps me warm at night

Car Troubles

Before we left for vacation, Molly's car was giving her trouble. We have been helping Molly for several years now, and we know whenever something goes wrong that costs money, she probably needs our help. In the two weeks before we left on vacation, we put seven hundred dollars into fixing the cooling system of her car. Evidently, it was not enough. On the Friday we returned home, Molly's car suddenly stopped working. It made a loud noise, and gave up the ghost for good. Until now, God has always provided for her needs, and ours. I have no doubt that He will again. But now, we are sending the word out that we need to find a car for a thousand dollars. I know that's crazy. There are few cars I can find that run. but I am convinced that somewhere God has a car for her, and a way out of it. We are praising God in advance that He will provide. We are happy, and content. We are claiming God's promise "God will provide all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus." We know that God will provide this one, just as he has provided in the past. It reminde me of the many times I have seen God provide in the past. Whenever we hve been down and out financially, God has always come through. this is true not only for us but for the churches we have served. I have no doubt that God will provide this time, too. So keep us in your prayers. We don't know how God will do it, but we know He will.

After months of waiting, Mapping the Christian Life is finally available. the publisher, RevPress, has put it on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and Eden.UK. Anyone wanting a signed copy needs only to contact me at bfleming2@carolina.rr.com, and I'll send one for 12 dollars plus postage. I believe the message of this book will enrich many lives and ministries. It provides an overview of whee we have been and where we are going as Christians that is essential for planning ahead for individuals and congregations. I'm also available for speaking engagements, as it can be fitted into my schedule. I have individual lectures and seminars available on a variety of subjects connected with this book. Those topics include. "The Stories behind the Psalms" "The Necessity of Disillusionment" "Surviving the Middle Ages" "A Guide to Positive Agin" "Finding your way in Life" ``and many other topics. I am also looking for endorsements and testimonials. If you read this book, and it blesses our life, please let me know. Send me a note to bfleming2@carolina.rr.com. I'd love to hear from you

We visit the beach

Wednesday Joy and I went to the beach in Grand Haven, Michigan. For anyone who has lived along the coast, the thought of a freshwater beach seems strange. But it is really very nice. Grand Haven is both a coastal town and a Dutch village, with neatly painted rows of cottages, and tree lined thoroughfares. There is a boardwalk and a main street with some excellent restaurants.

The beach at Grand Haven State Park is one of the longest I have ever seen and one of the least developed. There is a small changing building with a hot dog stand and a small store. Other than that, it is just hundreds of feet of beach.

When we first got there, it was practically deserted, but by 2 o'clock, it was almost wall-to-wall people. Michiganers are like flowers in Alaska. In the small summer they have, they really bloom.

It was Joy's ida to go. I am glad I did, for her sake, she was so happy there, it was glorious to see her.

God gave me a wonderful woman and a wonderful day at the beach.

   

It's What They Call Art

Tuesday, Joy and I visited the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Grand Rapids art scene is best known for a statue by Alexander Calder, a famous artist. Calder sculptures are mostly geometric swirls in bright colors. It is a huge orange structure which looks like a cross between a steel bridge and a traffic accident. In honor of the Calder's fortieth anniversary there was an exhibit of Calder's work. In addition there was also an abstract artist named Ellis, who was being feted.

As you walk into the art museum, one is greeted by a magnificent example of Ellis' work. The painting is, a ten foot representation of (get ready for this) a triangle! A purple triangle.

The note by the painting explained more deeply the subtlety of the painting. The artist, it said, sought to divide art from the restrictions of realism or emotion. (He succeeded) Furthermore, it explained that it was no mere triangle. One side was two inches shorter than the other two. Furthermore, while to the untrained eye it merely looked like a purple triangle, all the sides are a bowed a fraction of an inch. This is not apparent to the eye, but it makes it art.

Throughout the museum we saw other example of this stunning artists work. We saw purple circles, green ovals, red triangles, red triangles with yellow triangles, multiple many colored squares in a row, and (this was his masterpiece) an orange rectangle sitting cattycornered over a white triangle.

There were other masterpieces in the museum as well-- Picassos, Gaugins, Rembrandts, and Monets. But I will always remember the stunning beauty of a purple triangle on a white wall. It moved me to cry out in astonishment.

I paid eight bucks for this?

   

A Trip to the Zoo

Sunday we went to Joy's parents' church. They have a very good service with blended worship and a good preacher. That afternoon, we met one of Joy's childhood friends and her husband at the Grand Rapids Zoo It seemed an odd place to get acquainted, but it turned out to be a brilliant idea The weather was perfect, the animals were active, and the company was warm and enjoyable. We had a great time. Afterwards, we went to Rani and Mike's home (that was the name of the couple) for dinner. It was a little like a blind date, since we really didn't know each other. Joy had not seen or heard from Rani since high school forty years ago, and we had never met Mike. But again, it was a marvelous time. We shared our histories and testimonies over meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Rani and Joy talked about high school and children, while Mike and I sat at the dinner table and discussed theology. I won't get into the details of what we discussed. Much of it is private. But I will say this. This was the second time on this trip that we have renewed old friendships. In both cases, we discovered people with vibrant, sincere Christian lives, who have been beaten up by life and lived to tell about it. In my book, I write about the third and fourth stages of the Christian life. First comes the Settler stage, which is where we try to be a witness for Jesus in spite of facing the realities of life and the rage of the opposition. Then comes the Sufferer stage, where life seems to fall in on us. This can come through a death, a moral failure, the loss of a loved one or a job, or through some other crisis. All of us had experienced this, had our faith tested, and lived to tell about it. With God's grace we survived the storms, and were able to celebrate afterwards, and enjoy the zoo on a perfect day in August.

The long Trip

Yesterday was a long trip. We started off from southern Ohio and traveled all the way to Grand Rapids Michigan. We stayed in a Days Inn, after passing several hotels that looked more appropriate for roaches than people. But the Days Inn was small and clean and relatively cheap.

Southern Ohio has a neat, corn-fed look about it. The rolling gentle hills and verdant woods, are appealing and beautiful. It is classic American farmland.

We stopped for lunch with friends at Chillocothe, Ohio. Wendy and Creed are a couple we knew in college. He used to be a Methodist minister, but now is a business analyst. She was a computer technician who was laid off and is now starting a quilting business. They both looked much younger than their years.

It's amazing how much we had in common. Life had knocked them around a fair amount, and some of the knocks were similar to the ones we've had. But they are happy, optomistic people, whose faith has served them well. We really enjoyed our time together.

That afternoon, after traveling through Columbus, we passed through northern Ohio and southern Michigan. This land was rubbed smooth by glaciers during the Ice age and now is the flattest land I've ever seen. It is as though someone planted grass on the ocean. In the distance you can see neat little farms and groves of trees. In such a place, the sky becomes a central feature of the land, and the sky was gorgeous.

The area around Grand Rapids has its own distinct feel to it, that's hard to describe. Someone called it " quaint" but that's not exactly accurate. It's fairly cosmopolitian, actually. The adjective I would us is "dutch." It's a dutch doily neatly spread on a tea table. Grand Rapids is warm, friendly, but reserved. Like a tea set put out for guests. I always like it, when I'm here.

More later.

the Legend of the Mothman

Joy and I are on vacation. Yesterday, we stopped in Point Pleasant, West Virginia and took a picture of the legendary Mothman. I posted the picture on Facebook. Some people have asked me what the legend of the Mothman is, so I'll tell it. Then I'll tell our own, less interesting experience with it. In November of 1966, people around Point Pleasant started seeing a mysterious creature, about eight feet tall. It had glowing red eyes, fur, and batlike wings--bigfoot with wings, in other words. These reports lasted for about a year. Coinciding with its disappearance, the Silver Bridge over the Ohio collapsed, killing about forty people. Locals then interpreted the coming of the mothman as an omen of impending disaster. The mothman was there to warn them of the bridge. So far, a straightforward story. Now it gets a little weird. A few months after this, a mysterious stranger dressed in black arrived in town. He was about three feet tall, had thick glasses, and talked with a curious accent. He began asking people in Point Pleasant if they saw any UFOs. When people asked where he came from, he jumped in a black limousine and sped off, never to be seen again. Mothmen. Aliens, Men in Black. It has everything. It also has ghosts. Several buildings in Point Pleasant claim to be haunted. That's the story in a nutshell. Now, here's our visit. We left Waxhaw late Friday morning, headed for Michigan. Our itinerary had us stopping in Point Pleasant for the evening. Traffic jams made us late, and we didn't arrive there until about seven thirty, so we didn't have much time. Point Pleasant is a quaint (read seedy)little river town comprised of unpainted buildings, burger joints, and antique stores. Even though we were in a hurry, we were determined to at least see the mothman statue. It took us for a while to find it, its in the "historic" district by the river. It's a gleaming metal statue, life size, with nothing else around it. We saw no locals on the street nearby, probably scared off by the mothman. Across from the statue is the Lowe hotel, which is supposed to be haunted by a ghost in room 315. We were going to stay there, but it was now closed to the public. Three doors down is the mothman museum, where you can buy mothman t shirts and dvds. We took lots of pictures. Then as quickly as we arrived we sped off in a mysterious pt cruiser, never to be seen again in those parts.