Did you know?

So heres an interesting question which ends in a period. Ha. Ha. I know. Anyways, is it possible to drive from Menno, South Dakota to Eureka, California in only two days? I am excited to share with you the answer. Yes it is! I did not know this until just yesterday but Wyoming does not have Gazelles but Antelope which commonly roam the land and are afraid of people with video cameras probably because a camera can resemble the look of a gun being raised eye level. I also did not know this until the past year or so but the bank Washington Mutual is not in South Dakota but Verizon wireless cell phone service is prevalent all over the state. In Eureka California however, Washington Mutual isn't difficult to locate but finding a Verizon wireless cellphone signal is. In fact, text messaging doesn't appear possible in Humboldt County. Interesting enough, I use to have Sprint PCS service but switched because Sprint was available in Menno SD but Verizon is. Looks like I'll be switching again. Or not!
Did you know that gas prices in South Dakota and Montana have relatively high gas prices (2. 89) but right next door in Wyoming the prices drop nearly 30 cents to around (2.59) per gallon for Surpreme (Prices between grades of gasoline seem to be the same in states outside of California). And so that makes a spread of nearly 50 cents difference in Humboldt county and this is for regular unleaded! Yes, I know, California is the highest in the U.S.
Another fascinating tid bit. Actually, you're probably NOT fascinated by this but did you know that the Columbian ground squirrel is only found in Montana? It looks like a ferret to me but I hadn't even heard of him until I visited a rest area and they could be seen running around the place and sticking there heads up out of their holes like prairie dogs. They like to dig and hybernate during the winter. I'll have to post a picture of him soon. Wait, I don't have one! I'm sure it can be found somewhere on the internet too.
Two finale notes. Apparently there was battle or a series of battles between the states of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana because there are signs everywhere marking fights with cowboys and indians and a lot of breakdown of equipment perhaps associated with mental illness. It was so bad the creeks, horses and people all went crazy not to mention the broken arrows. There are places and people called Crazy Woman Creek, Crazy Horse, Broken Arrow, Wild Bill, Black Hills, Rapid City, Spearfish, Rushmore, Enemy Creek and the list goes on.

Troubling Teachings

I was listening to Mark Cahill the other day and something about what he and others (Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron) have been saying really troubles me. I haven't been able to pin down the teaching that is most difficult for me to digest. Perhaps a contributing factor is hundreds of thousands are heading for a lake of fire known as Hell or maybe it is the reality that every 7 seconds someone dies. Aha! I know what it is, it's that hundreds of people I've met haven't heard about the only way of escape but I knew what it was and kept it from them.
It could also be the reality that the more knowledge one gains about such matters, the more fearful one becomes in proclaiming it, or so has been my experience. I admire the boldness of the one who is able to tell any person, at any given time or place the need for a savior and will take the time to show that person the law in the Ten Commandments to prepare the heart for understanding such a need for THE Savior, Jesus Christ.
I admire those who swallow fear or simply have no fear to boldly, unashamedly proclaim Christ and Christ crucified without watering down any part of the Good News (Gospel).

More of the teaching that troubles me is the fact that God's holiness is real and because of His holiness, His wrath is certain, yet people on TV--- in shows, commercials, movies, talk shows, at work, in schools, on the street, and at home curse God through words and in the way they live but I am commanded to tell them about the wrath to come even if it's through handing them a powerful gospel tract. So simple, yet so hard. Let me know what helps you do it!

Terrorists are plotting to attack and kill more people. This goes on daily in countries outside the United States. Oh, to have the zeal and resolve to tell people of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, sin and the need for repentance, as the terrorists have for murdering Americans and Jews, babies, kids, mothers, fathers not to mention themselves!

One Man, Brilliance and a Shower

Building a new idea isn't easy in and of itself but making an idea reality is especially difficult, if not impossible when your resources are quite limited. When it's one's desire to shoot a video with a gospel message with yourself and a camera, one must go beyond simply putting props together and taking pictures of them in creating something worth being called a masterpiece. Did I say masterpiece? Actually no, because I wrote it and you read it....but to create a masterpiece of video creativity when you are physically alone, well...it probably can't be done---that is, without outside assistance. Yes I said assistance--help from the outside world. I never use that word, assistance, in eveyday speech, but somehow, for some reason it sounds so.....sophisticated....awww....something about the writing of big words. Ok...back to creating a masterpiece of vision--with assistance.
Some things are already in place to create such a work of mastery. That is, the scene is already in place as God has created it. Clouds for example will do nicely for a backdrop before a short pan of the horizon and over to some hills in opening our scene. I see a horse or maybe two horses gently descending over a distant hill but once again.....this can't be because where are we going to get some horses? Ideally, one would need em trained to come over that hill and toward the camera without getting spooked by all the migratory birds that would suddenly enter the picture overhead at precisely the moment when the horses enter midway into the frame. Hmmm....how about computer generated birds.....computer generated horses.
Perhaps a nice touch as soon as I can generate a computer to generate some money for this big budget video masterpiece!
I think there must be a simpler way....aha! I think I know one.....but my guess is, it won't become a masterpiece. I'll get back to you on that, when I first think of a better idea for a gospel video involving some beautiful scenery, a man and a really good camera. Call me crazy, but do I smell brilliance in the making or do I just need to take a shower?
Be right back.

Migratory Birds Revisited

I wasn't gonna write about this...but since it's becoming a large part of my life the last couple of weeks and as recently as today....I just had to say something more about it! I'm referring to migratory birds, of course. As many of you know from a recent past posting on migratory birds I was given an opportunity to shoot a few...with a video camera...(I'm afraid of guns).
Yesterday it happened at work, down at the station, we were preparing to do a story on bird flu and the effect birds will have on spreading it in our country and so I needed to find some file video of, you guessed it...migratory birds! I told them at work that I recently shot some footage of some, pretty funny huh. Ok maybe not but it made my day to know that a video of a swath of migratory birds was actually needed in the evening news because I had been saying to myself after watching the video I shot...I wonder who would be interested in this besides me. (Wait a min...I can think of someone else besides news people)
Today I received an email on a migratory bird workshop going on in the state for those who are interested... Hmmm...
Maybe they could use a camera person.