Me and Neil!

by | Aug 27, 2012 | Just Life

This may surprise you, but Neil Armstrong and I actually have a lot in common.  Well ok; maybe not a lot.  But we do have some similarities.  I like to tell people that I was born the year that the US landed on the moon.  In fact my birthday was March 17th 1969 just a few months before Armstrong’s historic first step.  Obviously Armstrong liked to fly and he actually earned his flight certificate even before he had his driver’s license.  I can’t claim that kind of accolade, but I still love to fly.  Even though I’m in my early 40s I still try to stick my head into the cockpit to look around every time I board a plane.  Neil became an Eagle Scout in 1947.  I entered the ranks of the Eagle Scouts in 1985.

But I think the real connection that I have with Armstrong is that we are both men who believe in a God who created the universe.  The news media has said very little about this and honestly it may just be because Armstrong worked very hard to stay away from the camera and the public eye.  But Armstrong acknowledged the existence of God and what many people are not aware of is that both he and Aldrin took communion with each other before leaving the Apollo lem module and stepping out onto the lunar surface on that historic day.

We can and should learn much from this humble leader in American History.  We should learn from his example of hard work and dedication.  We should learn from his example of exploration and visionary spirit.  But I also believe a huge lesson for us today is to remember that God and science are not opposed to one another. (more…)

On Tackling the Temple (The day I reached 196)

by | Aug 9, 2012 | Just Life

Well I wasn’t super happy this past week with my cholesterol check.  Apparently the number 196 is not very good.  At least my Dr. friend didn’t like it. He said that 200 is the beginning of the danger zone and obviously I’m not too far removed from that number.  So I took my beating and was told that my exercise routine needs to get longer and my diet needs to get smaller.  No, I was not thrilled at the results.  Beyond just not liking the idea of having a growing gut I recognized that if my cholesterol grows there can be health risks which will hold ramifications for my family.  In short, I need to get healthier not just for me, but for them.  After ruminating a bit it became clear that there are also spiritual implications to this bodily discussion.  (more…)