I Almost Can't Handle The Images

I, like many people, thought that the hurricane in the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama region had spared much of the city of New Orleans. As you know, the aftermath has been stunning in scope and devastation.

I have been watching the news and the only thing in recent memory that I have seen like this was the tsunami - many tens of thousands more people died than here in the USA, but the images and suffering are similar.

The main difference is that the people in Indonesia were behaving less like animals than the people in our country.

I have no words...

WH

Away From Home Sucks

If you have been tracking here for a while you know that I work 120 miles away from my home - I have a two hour commute, and that is one way. What sucks more than high gas prices, more than the driving, is being away from home - my wife and the "comfort" that sitting on the couch feels like.

This has been recently brought home again since we have adopted this new dog - Lily. Jen loves animals and loves Lily. Lily is the kind of dog that is easy - she has never had obedience training and learned to heel in about 10 minutes. In fact she naturally walks next to you. Jen needed that. Cinnamon, our other dog, enjoys pulling your arm out of the socket. She has had obedience training and still needs a prong collar when Jen walks her since she is so STRONG.

Last night Jen had to go out. Lily had to go in the crate since she is "dig dog" and Jen would be gone for hours - Lily has probably never been in a crate before. Jen got home and Lily was SO GLAD to get out of her crate. That caused Cinnamon to manifest demons again since Lily wanted attention and Jen just isn't forceful enough to MAKE Cinnamon not be devil dog.

I wanted to be there. I am what you might call a "natural" with dogs. It comes easy to me. I can't explain why, it just does. So when things don't go well, like last night, Jen calls and just needs to know what to do, needs some reassurance. She is not a "natural" with the dogs. So sometimes she feels like no matter what she does, it's just not the right thing. I hate that. Being home each night, even closer to home during the day, would make a difference.

Closer to home would mean that I could be home EVERY night. It also means that I could get home faster if need be. You want to talk about suck? I get a call that my wife has kidney stones, at 2 am, and I am 2 LONG HOURS away just to get there. Thank God Suz was there to help.

All that to say that I respect people who travel and work away from home week after week, night after night. I am finding that, instead of getting easier, it is more difficult. There are other reasons but you get the point. It's getting long, and OLD. There has to be an answer. I just don't know what it is.

To those of you who are readers here, and talk to God, I have a favor - would you talk to God about this for Jen and I? Thanks. I won't even ask you what to say, just say it.

I'll let you know how it is going.

WH

"Lily" Houdini Dog

Well the honeymoon is over. We have been leaving Lily out in the back yard since we have too small of a crate - the new one is on the way, should be here Wednesday depending on the impact from weather from the Hurricane (the vet supply store is in Dothan, AL)- she has been enjoying herself sunning, pooping, and hearing the other neighborhood dogs bark.

Today we got back from church and went to get her from the back yard - "Lily, Lily" No dog. No response. She was gone. As I went around the corner I saw that she had dug under a portion of the fence. Let me tell you, she worked at this - slid on her belly through a hole that was 6 inches deep (I only thought about taking pictures of the hole after I had fixed the breach. I wasn't in the journalistic frame of mind).

Instant PANIC! "What do we do?" I grabbed two leashes and started driving around the neighborhood, Jen started walking. No dog! SHIT! So here we were, just "test driving" a dog from an adoption agency and I had to call the lady who had been fostering her and tell her that the dog had escaped - that phone call sucked.

I picked Jen up and we drove around the neighborhood, talking about how helpless it felt and that the last thing that we wanted to do was see her dead on the road, or have to go home and have to try and sleep, and in my case, drive to work without having found the dog. At that moment Jen says, "There she is, there she is." Sure enough, I look down a street and Lily is panting and trotting along. We went around the block and saw her. I pull over, get out of the car, and whistle. Instead of seeing that I am there to rescue her she freaks out and runs away. Stupid dog.

I grab a leash and run through the yard out a hole in the back fence and into the elementary school property and she is gone. No where in sight. Vanished. Shit! Our friend Suz drove from her house to help us look. Up and down streets. I was walking through the neighborhood just hoping to get a glimpse of the dog - twice as frustrated now that we have seen her and she has vanished. It was probably an hour.

I was walking around a subdivision and speaking to a man installing a mail box and my cell rings - it's Jen. She says, "I went back to the house and Lily is now digging back into the yard through the same hole. Oh no! She's digging back out again."

So Jen grabs the dog, puts the dirty thing in the car, and shuts the door. Whew! Got her.

So we bathe the dirty dog, and I go to Home Depot and get bricks and dig into the ground, bury the bricks and cover them up - She will not dig out from the same spot again. I was so relieved. I called the lady back and let her know that she came back home - pretty smart considering she was almost a mile away from our home and she had only been here for 1.5 days. Amazing.

So she is now crapped out on the floor - and will probably sleep all night and tomorrow. Her pads are raw from digging and she walks with a limp. But she is home and I can sleep.

WH

Annalisa aka "Lily"

Annalisa aka "Lily", by Macmania Pete

Well here she is. This is a picture of Annalisa at her foster home just before we picked her up. We found out immediately that she shared another phobia with Cinnamon - CAMERA'S! Great. As I leveled the camera she paused just long enough for me to snap this photo before she ran away.

The ride home was an exciting experience for her as she snuffed and snorted out the windows. Once home Jen stayed outside with the new arrival while I went in and got the "beast". Cinnamon greeted the new dog as a demonic manifestation of a wolverine - great. She snarled, growled, and snapped. I firmly informed her, in Doggy talk, that I, not she, was the ALPHA here and that the demon had to go away.

For the next hour the dogs acclimated themselves - "Lily" promptly baptized the back yard with a double-header - poop and pee - and then they both came in the house and the demon manifested once again - I cast it out once more and we were on our way to communal doggy bliss.

Lily likes to climb on the bed and the couch. I had to remind her that she was not allowed to do this. She does learn quickly and the two dogs are now sleeping away. We have class this evening and I think that we will leave Lily out in the back yard - hopefully it will not thunderstorm. We will have to see how she does this evening at bedtime. Hopefully she will sleep well. I hope to crate train her in the next few days so we have a way of controlling her fears and get her used to the house while we are away.

The weather has been beautiful - humidity is lower than it has been in days and I was able to get most of my home related chores done in the past two days. Ah! Hamburgers on the grill tonight then off to Augusta for class.

WH

[posted with ecto]

Looking Forward To A "Normal" Weekend

After 4 weekends that were somewhat different from the norm, I am back on schedule this weekend. Home this evening and then Friday - Sunday with regular activities.

The usual list of stuff greets me - washing cars, home maintenance, pick up dog shit, cut grass (much needed - I may need a bush hog), and other various duties. In addition Jen and I may actually get a DATE NIGHT! Yeah! We go out and sit and talk and don't answer phones and get "goo-goo" eyes and stuff like that - married couples, if you don't have a date night, GET ONE - they rock.

But the BIG news this weekend is the "trial run" of a dog that may be our newest addition to the "fambly". I introduced her a few blogs back. Her name is Annalisa.

The crate and bowl came yesterday and we'll pick her up tomorrow morning and bring her back home to see how she and "psycho" Cinnamon get along. I hope that all goes well.

If she stays, we will change her name to "Lily" - Jason always thought that Lily would be a good name for a dog, and Annalisa is just too long of a name for a dog.

As I mentioned, I'll have pictures tomorrow. My hope is to get pictures of her present family - 22 dogs and then some of her and Cinnamon in a more sedate environment, our home.

To work for now!! Hope you and yours are well. Oh, this was by far the coolest temp morning in Charleston in the past 3 months - Aiken should be VERY comfortable this weekend.

WH

On the Building This Morning

Luna Moth, by Macmania Pete


Got to work this morning and was met with this beautiful Luna moth on the side of the building. It's amazing that the colors on the wings match the stucco color.

Yesterday was a LONG day. Jen's doctors visit was not as positive as we would have wanted. She starts some new medication therapy today and has to get PFT's in two weeks. Once again, we were impressed with the CF Clinic here in Charleston. The doctor and his team are always thinking and make us feel good.

After only our 2nd visit we are more satisfied than a number of years at the previous clinic.

Time to get to work - two long days and back home for a long weekend.

Oh, and we get to see if our new doggie works out - I'll update on Saturday about the dog.

WH

Not Going Alone

Not Going Alone

This week is a bit different in that Jen will be going with me to Charleston for the next few days. She has her doctors appointment Tuesday afternoon so we will spend the night Monday, go to her appointment Tuesday afternoon and return home Tuesday evening.

It's tough for Jen since she has to get up at 5:00 AM. As she says, for her that is the middle of the night. Selfishly, I like it in that I get to have my bride with me tomorrow night. We also get to go out after work. One of our employees is having her last day tomorrow before she goes to college. Jen loves to go out and be around people.

So, we'll be packing up this evening and getting ready to get up early.

We also went to check out another dog today. Her name is Annalisa (if we get her we will change the name). She is a beagle mix, about 35 lbs, and smart. We will go back and get her Friday, bring her home and see if she gets along with Cinnamon. If she does, we will probably get her and Cinnamon will have a sister! Jen is super excited and we are ordering some stuff from Jeffers that will work with any dog that we get.

I'll have pictures of the dog by the weekend.

Church community was good today. We are seeing the slow and deliberate change of people who are wanting to be changed by God. There are the beginnings of a hunger and thirst for God and His Kingdom. We are now a people who, I think, are ready to have others come and find an atmosphere for honesty and openness. A few years ago we were a pretty angry group of folks. We have worked through a lot of that crap. Good stuff.

WH

John Riding Off Into The Sunset

This is John Garfield. He is a REAL cowboy. He has a farm in Montana, breeds horses, and has a VERY dry sense of humor. Oh, and he is ALSO a mechanical engineer, AND has written a book - he's a smart, educated cowboy.

This is a picture of our last day on the PCT. John has to ride back 18 miles to the trail head where he has parked his trailer - we have to walk out 6 miles in the other direction.

The fascinating thing was that we have all been in the wilderness for three days and two nights, and we look and smell like range buffalo, and John packs his stuff and rides up in a CLEAN, STARCHED, and PRESSED, white shirt - now that's a cowboy.



Here's a picture of Logan taken the same morning for a visual contrast to the "starched cowboy" look. Logan is representative of the rest of the group.

I asked John about the shirt and he nonchalantly says, "I have another one if this gets dirty." Where did he keep the shirt? The mysterious cowboy lives on. Oh, and yes ladies he is married - happily.

WH

OK, Not Planned, I'm Stranded In Atlanta

OK, Not Planned, I'm Stranded In Atlanta

That's what I get for getting a bit excited about getting home. The ORIGINAL plan was for me to have my skinny butt on a plane to Columbia, SC at 4 PM.

Well, here I sit in the Atlanta airport and it is 7:30 PM. Shit! I should be home by now.

BUT...

I'm at the Samuel Adams Pub typing on my laptop, waiting for, as Tatu said in Fantasy Island, "de plane, de plane!"

The little aluminum tube has been rescheduled four times now: first to 5:30 PM, then to 6:33 PM, and 7:30 PM, now 9:04 PM. What fun!!

Apparently, Thor, "Thunder God", has decided to saturate the South and South East with boomies and strand multitudes in airports across the South and South East -
"bastard" - (You can say that to gods who aren't really God).

Hopefully, the plane that I am waiting for has left Houston and is on the way to Atlanta, GA. If not, I'm stuck here for the duration. I guess that I'm kind of sick in that I like the delays, I hate not being home, but I like the airport crowd. My heros are the parents - especially the ones with two or more little kids who are stuck here. They all get medals and two nights away from home in the motel of their choice.

WH

Highlights from the PCT Backpacking Trip

Highlights from the PCT Backpacking Trip

I'm aboard my flight from Seattle to Atlanta Tuesday afternoon, and have some time to write. Here are some of the highlights of the trip to the woods:

Crying Babies - As those who have traveled with me know, I get a great parking spot at the airport with the trade off being that I am a "baby magnet"(NOT A BABE MAGNET - maybe this is some cruel joke by some demonic deity who took advantage of my constant pleas as a high-schooler) when I get on an airplane. This time I had not one but TWO babies within two seats of me on the flight out - They cried like banshees and the "wince factor" for those around was about an 8 out of 10. Thank God for my iPod! Increase the volume please!

The Vistas - As we walked this part of the PCT we were able to see Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens. During the second day of hiking we saw all four at one time or another.

Wildlife - The Pacific Northwest is known for it's plentiful and diverse wildlife. On this trip the most memorable was the screaming coyote. Early one morning, at about 3 AM, one started howling, barking like a dog and sounding like a wounded animal. The goal is to try and lure the dogs out of the campsite for a snack. We had 3 dogs with us - two are herd dogs and knew better and the other was louise, who just snuggled closer to her owner. There were tracks from elk, deer, bear, and someone said maybe cougar. We saw a deer feeding in a meadow just below us on the second night.

The Meteor Shower - the two nights we were out followed the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Each night we were treated to a show of shooting stars. Amazing.

The Stars - Having no lights from a city and a quarter moon enabled us to see a MULTITUDE of stars. The Milky Way looked like a dust cloud - billions of stars.

The Company - The 16 guys who went were a great blend of age and personality. We always have a great time around the campfire but this year was especially interesting. Ages ranged from 8 years old to almost 60. Everybody fared well - the usual blisters, sore muscles, and lack of sleep not withstanding.

Seeing Harold and Linda - Harold is the reason that I go there each year. It is his invitation that brings all of us together. Harold has been a part of starting some of the biggest Bible Colleges in Africa - they have trained thousands of pastors over the years. Harold has also written about twenty books and is trying to change the world. Linda is an amazing woman who teaches school there in Yakima, has raised three kids who are now adults, and is a great hostess. Her home is always open to people and her heart is huge. Thanks Linda!

Landing an Airplane - Bob, one of the guys who went, has a LARGE mint farm in Yakima (and Oregon). In fact, if you have eaten pickles from a grocery store, any grocery store anywhere in the USA, the dill from Bob's family farm has been in those pickles. Most farmers drive a pick-up truck around the farm. Bob flies a plane around the farm. Harold called him and asked if he would take us up and he said sure. We pushed the plane out of the hanger and took off. As we got to a small community airport in Sunnyside, WA, Bob looked over and said, "You can land the touch and go." I said, "No thank you." I can steer a plane in the air but land, NFW. We got about 500 feet off of the runway and he lets go of the stick and says, "keep the nose up." So, with his help, and constant reminder of "nose up, nose up" we landed. That was cool. And Harold didn't even scream from the back.

Great trip! Great friends! I am fortunate to have such an opportunity.

As always I have to thank my amazing wife who supports me as I go out and do this each year, sometimes at physical peril. As fun and expanding as travel is I always look forward to getting home to my bride!

WH

My backyard for 3 days

Mt. Adams, WA
Originally uploaded by Macmania Pete.

This is one of the pictures from the backpacking trip. I have 148. This is Mt. Adams - the west face. The glacier in the middle of the mountain is the Adams Glacier.

We watched BIG boulders roll off the side to the right. It sounded like thunder and kicked up large clouds of dust.

I leave for SC in the morning and hope to be home tomorrow evening at 7ish.

So much to say but I have to get to bed.

WH

I'm Back, Tired, and Sleepy

I'm Back, Tired, and Sleepy

Back in Yakima. The backpacking trip was excellent and I have a bunch of pictures. No one fell down the mountain but we all smell like wet dog.

Tired...going to bed...will post again tomorrow...

WH

We're Going In

We're Going In

In Yakima, WA, all packed up and ready to get up and go in the morning. My friend DID get broadband, and wireless, installed since I was last here. So here I sit in the upstairs bedroom - tired after a full day of travel and ready for a good nights sleep - posting to the blog.

I will have pics and an update on Monday after we get out of the woods.

WH

Why DO People DO This

Why DO People DO This

The other day at work, the doc who was there brought one of the salesman to me and said, "Hey Pete this guy has a son in the Army and has served in the Middle East you should talk to him."

He seemed nice enough and as we talked he told me that his son was serving as a Ranger and was now at a desk job due to injuries which he received while in Afghanistan. This guy then proceeds to tell me how his son came under fire and was injured by shrapnel, and that if he had turned one way or another, he would be dead right now - then he proceeds to theologize and states, "God turned him at the last minute. You know that nothing ever happens unless God allows it."

I walked away. I wasn't rude. I shook his hand, thanked him, turned my back and walked away - oh, he hadn't stopped talking yet, but he may have gone on for another 10 minutes and I didn't want to hear any more.

Maybe, I'm just sensitive, but why would you tell someone who has just informed you that he was struggling with how his son was stationed in Iraq, sent over months earlier than planned, and involved in an active operation - that your son took fire and could have been killed?

That's what I wanted to hear. RIGHT. That's like telling someone who just mentioned that they are pregnant, that you had a miscarriage and lost your first baby - but that was God's will.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

Anyway, don't do that. Please. If you have someone tell you that they are struggling just listen to them - don't say stupid stuff. Don't give bad theology. Just listen.

Oh, and the theology thing. Maybe some of you can help me here. Can you find me a passage, a theme, a verse, a solid concept in the Bible that states that NOTHING happens unless God allows it?

I know that not a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing - he knows what happens. I know that He knows the hairs on your head - He knows things. He even knows words that are on our mind before we speak them. BUT does He allow everything? You have got to be kidding me!

If this is so why in the world - or universe for that matter - would Jesus ask us to pray, "thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven" if it was already taking place?

The whole idea that God allows everything that happens has implications that are too repugnant and awful in relation to who God seems to be in the Scriptures, that I cannot entertain the concept. He then becomes an abuser and manipulator. He allows things to happen so we will be drawn to His compassion and life? I don't think so. I have had some theological shifts in my short 46 years but that one would be too much - and does not reflect a God who gives his all to have relationship with us.

Thoughts?

WH

Great Parting Gift

Great Parting Gift

I received the best parting gift ever this morning. Jason called me from Iraq. He is safe and all of his team came through the latest operation alive. He is getting some R&R right now and was able to use a satellite phone to call.

At least while I am away on this backpacking trip I know that he came through this latest operation safe.

WH

Ramping Up To Travel

Ramping Up To Travel

In 48 hours I should be sitting at the airport in Columbia, SC (that has free wireless access BTW) at the start of a long travel day. My first connection is Cinn, OH. From there to Seattle, and then to Yakima - total travel time is about 11 hours.

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Last year Jason and I were delayed in Columbia, SC due to thunder storms and the entire trip out was bumped - the trip back was from hell. The problem was that the airline, in rescheduling our departing flights, cancelled and never rescheduled our return - so when we got back to Seattle from Yakima on the return- they had no record of our being on the plane that leaves Seattle.

Have you ever changed flights post 9/11? The deal is that once you pass through security and change flights, the "roving security team" finds you and does another security check - sans X Ray. So up stroll a man and woman, pulling on their rubber gloves, and they ask us to step aside for some privacy - behind a 18 inch column - that was funny. We are about to board a 737 - there are HUNDREDS of people standing there staring as we get patted down, luggage searched, ID's checked, and basically humiliated by two folks that are pissed since they didn't get to sit and stare at an x Ray screen all day, but have to walk all over SEATAC airport doing security.

At one point Jason looked over and said, "this is humiliating." It was and they finished. And all of the people boarding the flight were wondering what we had done and if they were going to get home safely since two shady characters were just re-checked - I wanted to scream, "We changed flights, this is what they do! I didn't run through the turnstile or anything like that! I haven't even had a traffic ticket in my life, I am not a threat!" I didn't scream anything because "Joey and Judy" would have come back and done a cavity search - very bad.

Long story - that was even longer in real life - we got redirected and subsequently stuck in Washington/Dulles for HOURS. Small side note - United Airlines SUCKS - that felt better. We started that trip in Yakima, WA that day at 4:30 am and finished in Aiken, SC at midnight - math folks know this already - that is 20 hours!!

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So my hope is that there are no early AM thunder storms on Thursday. My connection in Cincy is about an hour, in Seattle about the same - NO DELAYS PLEASE.

If possible I will post from the airport or after the trip while in Yakima - last time in Yakima, my friend was getting broadband in his house, if it has been installed I will update from there.

Can't wait to get in the woods.

WH

Pictures From Our Friday Night

Monster Drink
Originally uploaded by Macmania Pete.

This was the Monster Margarita that we all know about:) This is not the type of drink, or quantity that small people should drink. In the background is the table that we sat at that looks like a bomb went off - we love to eat Mexican food together. This evening we had Steve and Lori, Hanson and Linda, Mike, Karen, and "Moo", Suzanne, Jen and me. It was great fun. Below are some more pics from the evening.

Looking for a 2nd Job?

Found Out What is Above Paradise
Originally uploaded by Macmania Pete.

This is for real. In an area we call the "Valley" that is between Augusta and Aiken. The store front "Training Center" is a better way to promote God than the next photo.

Makes Me Want a Relationship With God, How About You?

That's Sensitive
Originally uploaded by Macmania Pete.

This was a side of a sign that was being displayed on Broad Street in Augusta, GA. Augusta has what is called "First Friday" that takes place on, you guessed it - every first Friday of the month.

People walk up and down the street and view arts, hear music, and people watch each other - it's fun. Our church is actually on this street.

These people are not part of our church - they, and we, are thankful for that.

WH

Upside Down Pup

Upside Down Pup

This is our "Muppy" doing her latest "thing". She approaches the front of the couch from the side and slides along the ground on her belly. Once she is fully extended she executes a 180 and offers her belly for a rub.

The real task is getting a picture since she freaks out and runs when she hears the camera "bizzz" when it turns on or if I use the zoom.

I turned the TV up for this shot. Rest assured, that as soon as the flash went off she sprung up and ran around the couch - staring around the edge of the couch with a "you bastard" look on her face.

WH

And The "NO SHIT SHERLOCK" Award Goes to the DOD

And The "NO SHIT SHERLOCK" Award Goes to the DOD

Recent Attacks in Response to U.S. Pressure, Spokesman Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2005 – Increased U.S. and coalition operations throughout the Euphrates River Valley have forced insurgents to switch tactics in an attempt to cause damage, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad, Iraq, said today.
The two major attacks that killed 20 Marines this week in Haditha are evidence of these shifting tactics, Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston said in a press briefing. One of the attacks involved small-arms fire, and the other used an exceptionally large improvised explosive device. The IED may have been an "explosively formed projectile," which is a more sophisticated explosive used to defeat armored vehicles, he said.

The departure from traditional IEDs is the terrorists' response to the lack of effect they have had on coalition forces recently, Alston said. Another response the terrorists have made is to target Iraqi security forces, who are less able to protect themselves, and Iraqi civilians, who have no means of protection, he added.

Cause damage? How about almost 2 dozen dead Marines in a week?

You have to excuse my sarcasm, but my son and a bunch of other parent's kids are there too. Let's not demean these G.I.'s by hiding their lives in a statement like "cause damage."

WH

They Deserve A Medal

They Deserve A Medal

Unless you have been under a rock or don't watch the news, or don't listen to friends, you have heard about the Air France jet that landed and subsequently crashed in Toronto, Canada yesterday.

309 people, everybody and the flight crew, made it off of that plane before it caught on fire and burned - gutted and destroyed.

The fire crew at the airport was there in 52 seconds and the chief stated that most of the people were off by then. That's amazing!

Two side thoughts:
1. Listen to the flight attendant next time he or she describes how to exit the aircraft, or at least read the material in the seat pocket.
2. Sadly, there would be more news coverage if people would have died than there is with all of them getting out.

Stay safe.

WH

Interview With Bono of U2

Interview With Bono of U2

Salty dogma

Bono gives an explicit confession of being saved by Grace, not Karma | by Gene Edward Veith

Is Bono, the lead singer and songwriter for the rock group U2, a Christian? He says he is and writes about Christianity in his lyrics. Yet many people question whether Bono is "really" a Christian, due to his notoriously bad language, liberal politics, and rock star antics (though he has been faithfully married for 23 years). But in a new book of interviews, Bono in Conversation by Michka Assayas, Bono, though using some salty language, makes an explicit confession of faith.

The interviewer, Mr. Assayas, begins by asking Bono, Doesn't he think "appalling things" happen when people become religious? Bono counters, "It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma."

The interviewer asks, What's that? "At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one," explains Bono. "And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that. . . . Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

The interviewer asks, Like what? "That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge," says Bono. "It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."

Then the interviewer marvels, "The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that."

"The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death," replies Bono. "It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven."

The interviewer marvels some more: "That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has His rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?"

Bono comes back, "Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.' . . . So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. . . . The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."

Copyright © 2005 WORLD Magazine
August 6, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 30

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I know that this is from World Magazine - and has their particular tone in the article. I thought it interesting, it is, after all, all about relationship. On the other hand it's sad that we are still determining if someone is a follower of Christ based on their language, politics, or profession.

WH