Biff's World

OK, OK, so it has been a while...

2006-10-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

Got this idea from Helm's Deep... This is a fun little list of things that people do. The bolded ones are the ones that I have done at some point in my lifetime.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment – who hasn’t?
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children - still raising!
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

If you would like to participate then cut and paste into your blog and highlight the stuff you have done. Do me a favor and leave a comment so I can read about your "accomplishments."

Now the fun really begins

2006-04-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

At 12:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time I emerged from Promissor, Inc. with my temporary real estate salesman's license along with instructions on how to get the real one. All I can say is....

YYYEEEAAAHHH!!!

...and thank you to those who prayed for me today, 'cause that was the only thing that got me through the test

Father and son

2006-04-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Being unemployed does have some advantages. This brief interlude in our lives [and I pray that it is very brief] has afforded me some opportunities with my kids. One of those was yesterday afternoon. I spent part of the afternoon playing catch with Ben and his new baseball glove.

I have to stress that it was more like trying to "guide" the baseball into his open glove more than anything... but it was fun nonetheless. I think Ben enjoyed it. When we came inside Amy asked how we did to which I replied...Well, it was an adventure...

It then dawned on me that at 4 years old I had no idea what a baseball was, let alone how put my hand in a glove and attempt to catch a ball. I can't wait to go buy a bat and see how he handles that...

Stay tuned. Summer is right around the corner

Thursday is coming...

2006-04-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

...and my puny little brain is full of real estate law, property valuation, finance, agency relationships, easements and encumbrances, land use controls, yada yada yada... I just hope and pray that this Thursday at 11:00 AM I can retrieve all this gobbledy gook in my brain. Actually, all I need to be able to retrieve is 70% of the stuff and then I can have a job.

Your prayers would be appreciated...

Today is...

2006-03-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

My Fannie's birthday. And just in case you are wondering how old my Fannie is...she was born two days after NC State beat Marquette to win their first national championship. And no I am not an NC State fan, but I had to bring some March Madness into the picture.

Happy birthday Fannie from your one and only Biff.

Our new home

2006-03-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

Just a glimpse of our new church home...

http://millparkbaptist.org/

There is much that can be said here. Discretion would probably be the better part of valor here. Suffice it to say that this is a far cry from where we came from. And that is for the better. We look forward to the opportunities that await us as we follow the Lord...

And yes that is Tori on the home page... :)

Something to chew on

2006-03-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

I got this from Boar's Head Tavern and thought it was worth posting. It certainly hits home from my perspective. Especially as I look back at the road that Amy and I have travelled to get here...

"The source of false religion is the inability to rejoice, or, rather, the refusal of joy, whereas joy is absolutely essential because it is without any doubt the fruit of God's presence. One cannot know that God exists and not rejoice. Only in relation to joy are the fear of God and humility correct, genuine, fruitful. Outside of joy, they become demonic, the deepest distortion of any religious experience. A religion of fear. Religion of pseudo-humility. Religion of guilt: They are all temptations, traps--very strong indeed, not only in the world, but inside the Church . . ." -Fr. Alexander Shememann

Desiring God

2006-02-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

I have begun reading John Piper's Desiring God again. This will be my second attempt to get through the book. As much as I like Piper I have a difficult time reading some of his stuff. For me it is not just plow through it and get done. His point of view on issues (most of which I agree with) require me to stop and chew on it for a while. Maybe it is because my head is thick...

One of the statements that I really appreciated from chapter one is, "My old effort to achieve worship with no self interest in it proved to be a contradiction in terms. God is not worshiped where He is not treasured and enjoyed. Praise is not an alternative to joy, but the expression of joy. Not to enjoy God is to dishonor Him."

More thoughts and ponderables from Piper to come...

My new toy

2006-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Fruity showers?

2006-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

What is the deal with all these soap companies and their fascination with making you smell fruity? Has anyone else noticed the plethora of choices you have as it relates to fruity soap? And just who sits around and decides this stuff anyway? Just a thought as I sit here smelling like cucumber melon...

Biff & Ben's big adventure

2006-02-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are planning a move and are tempted with the prospect of doing it yourself, let me just give you a word of advice. Think again. For those of you who see the U-Haul cruising down the highway and notice the words "Gentle Ride Van" on the side and wonder if it is true...yeah right.

After spending two full days in a 'Gentle Ride Van" I am very grateful that we did not opt for the harsher riding one. I am also amazed that our tax dollars can not be used to create a highway system that is does not require companies like U-Haul to entice us with a "Gentle Ride Van."

There have been several bright spots along the way. There is the unhindered time with my four year old son who is loving every minute of the trip. Literally. I still have not been able to get him to drive the truck though...

There was the trip through all four passes today that went off without a hitch. What are the chances that a person could take a 26 foot truck through those passes in early February and not have to deal with weather? Or for that matter the results of weather...Yes there is a God that answers prayer.

There was also the unbridled beauty of His creation. Montana is truly a magnificent treasure. I absolutely love the western US. There is a ruggedness that coincides with the majestic beauty. I can only imagine what people like Lewis and Clark must have thought.

And then there is the ability that we have to cover the amount of territory that we do. Even just 50 years ago what I have done over the past two days would not have been possible. I am very thankful for the time in which we live and for the opportunities that these times allow.

Now if I can just get Ben to drive tomorrow...

Things that are cool

2006-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

Your one year old son trying to "wiggle" his eyebrows...

Your four year old living for the day (next Tuesday) that he gets to go on an 1,800 mile journey in a U-Haul with his father...

Getting to see how God is going to provide for the aforementioned excursion...

Your seven year old daughter falling asleep with daddy on the couch on a Sunday afternoon...

Your one year old mimicking the snoring that is coming from those two individuals on the aforemention couch...

A peace that passes all comprehension through circumstances that are not particularly pleasant...but necessary...

A God who is way bigger than petulant, petty, arrogant people...

A wife that keeps me in line...

I could keep going but we need to go pack...and that is cool.

Mankato musings...

2006-01-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity for the last week or so to work in Mankato, MN for Servicemaster. It has been many years since I have had to do what I would call grunt work. The place we were cleaning was a 120,000 square foot Scheels All Sports store that is due to open this April. A painting contractor's crew had left a pile of rags that were used to stain some of the wood work in the store. The only problem was that the rags spontaneously combusted and smoldered over a weekend. When the crews shewed up for work Monday morning what they found was a building covered in soot.

They called the Servicemaster in the Twin Cities which in turn called every other Servicemaster office within driving distance. And since I am presently unemployed and in the process of an 1,800 mile move, the lure of $20-40 per hour was too much to resist...

There were several things that stood out about the experience as I think back on it. First of all was the mentality of those that were working for the company. It is fair to say that almost without exception that the employees of this company were hard working people. They also partied just as hard as they worked.

Secondly was the reminder of where people live. And I am not just talking about geographically. I am talking about where people are emotionally and spiritually. The amount and degree of vulgarity was astounding. From the well paid and educated management on down to the $10 an hour guy. It was vitrually universal. I found it very difficult to relate to anyone on a spiritual level at all. In fact I found it difficult to even approach the issue. Not that I was afraid to. It was simply impossible to even approach the subject.

One of my frustrations was trying to get to the level of the person(s) that I was working with.

Having been in the pastorate for some four years, I wonder how many of my collegues have lost touch with the everyday working guy or girl. It is very easy to sit in an office with the latest software programs and study materials with the best of intentions to produce the most relevant message on Sunday morning and completely miss the audience. And I certainly can identify with that.

I think that Casting Crowns hit the nail on the head with a song entitled "Does Anybody Hear Her?" off of their latest CD.

She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon’s ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She’s another two years older
And she’s three more steps behind

Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she’s going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?

She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can’t see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her

After spending a week in Makato around those running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction, I can understand this a little better. May God grant me the patience and wisdom to deal with the everyday Joe.

Happy New Year

2006-01-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

This morning I was presented with a challenge of sorts. I really do not like devotional books and have not used them for some time. They tend to be fluffy and full of pithy little stories that really don't help that much. Having said that I pulled out my copy of John MacArthur's Drawing Near the other day and decided to give it a go this year. I am not sure how far I will get and I am not making any vows or promises...

This morning's (or todays) reading had a quote that is as follows: "When we bless God, it is with words of praise; when He blesses us, it is with deeds of kindness."

He goes on to challenge the reader to identify ten specific blessings that God has granted in the past few days and then thank Him for them. I decided to do that so here goes...

1. The blessing of a hardship - I received a letter recently from a very unhappy person that is really struggling with how to truly forgive a person. I am once again reminded that God loves me and cares for me unconditionally. I am thankful that He allows difficult people and difficult circumstances in our lives to teach us and show us that He is bigger than either.

2. A calling in life - I can not tell you how humbling it is to realize that God has a plan and a purpose for my life

3. A wonderful wife - We have been married for eight years and I can truly say that it has been the best eight years of my life.

4. Children that are not perfect - but growing

5. Our Sunday morning worship service on New Years Day- We have been here for just over a month. I pastored a small church in a farming community for almost four years previous to coming to Grace. We as a church "turned a corner" so to speak on Sunday morning and the service was wonderful.

6. That God does not give me what I really deserve - Lam 3:22-26 is really cool.

7. More material possessions than I could ever need - If you think you are poor then go to www.globalrichlist.com and find out how "poor" you really are.

8. Saturday night at Hope Gospel Mission - nothing like cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on a grill in NW Wisconsin on New Years Eve for a bunch of homeless guys... we had a blast.

9. Good health - in spite of the hot dogs and hamburgers...

10. A big note of encouragement from mother goose

I could go on and on - and I suppose that is the idea. We should focus on the blessings that God brings our way and that quite honestly is a challenge from time to time. Anybody up for the challenge?

Wishing you a blessed and Happy New Year.

The challenge of Christmas

2005-12-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

I am sure that most of us can remember the days when it was difficult to fall asleep the night before Christmas. Wondering and anticipating what we were going to find under the tree was almost unbearable. Little did I know that the challenge my parents had before them was assembling all those Christmas presents.

I understand that much better now because my wife fannie and I have three wonderful children. Having said that I would submit that the challenge before a 21st century parent is substantially more difficult than for our predecesors. At least my parents did not have to spend half the morning removing the toys from their boxes.

Can someone please explain to me why it is necessary to secure Program-a-Bot and any other toy with for that matter with a slew of twist ties and tape?

Just wondering

In my new world

2005-12-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

It is 2:30 on Thursday afternoon and I am sitting in my office at Grace. Books are on the shelf, coffee is in the kitchen and I have responsibilities starting next week. I am so blessed.

I did it

2005-11-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

I did something today that I have always wanted to do. I just did not know that I had wanted to until I did it. We are in the process of moving and with that comes the what do we take and what do we toss part of the move.

As I was rooting through my ever expanding library I came across several books that are no longer of value to me. One of those was the encyclopedia from the Bill Gothard seminars. I tossed into the "this stuff gets tossed" pile. Later in the day it dawned on me to go and check our outdoor woodstove. As I thought of it I spied the Gothard book....

You can probably figure out the rest

The value of friends

2005-11-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

I should probably post more often than I do. It just seems that I never find the time to actually put in writing what is rolling around in my head. Having said that our family had one of those blessings yesterday that I simply have to mention.

For those of you who have been following our family's foibles in fannies's posts you can probably understand to some degree how much this means to us. We are in the process of moving to Eau Claire and beginning a new chapter in our lives as well as our ministry. The process that has gotten us from where we are to where we are going has been less than fluid shall we say. And that is putting it mildly.

To add insult to injury, the only people that seem to have an interest in our well being are those outside of the church here. And I do not mean to imply that no one here cares for us. I know that after almost four years here that there are people that love us dearly and will miss us. With one or two exceptions, it is just a bit ironic that the only people that have offered help have been from outside of here.

Having said that we may have 20 people show up on Monday to help us pack up and move.

Anyhow, the point of this is not to bash the people here, it is to point out the value of a dear friend to our family. Yesterday one such friend delivered a slew of boxes to help us with our move. She and her husband also informed us that were it not for the mistake of an overly zealous employee at a local fast food restaurant, we would have had more boxes than we could have used. We all had a good laugh about it and we started to sort through the mountain of boxes.

At some point in this process my six year old daughter handed me a card that came with the boxes. I opened the card and began to read it. Enclosed was a check to help with our moving expenses. I was absolutely floored. Speechless (which for me is a lot). Misty-eyed.

All I could think was thank you Lord. I thank Him because this couple exhibits His grace in ways that they don't even realize. They challenge us and motivate us in ways that they will never know. Even as I type this I thank the Lord that He has allowed us to have them as friends.

Some of you may read this and wonder just how much was given. To be honest with you the amount is not really the issue. The fact that this couple allowed themselves to be a blessing to us is priceless to us. Proverbs 22:1 reminds us that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. As far as Biff and Fannie are concerned this couple has a good name and they are to us a valuable treasure.

A boy and his candy...

2005-09-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

We went shopping today for various and asundry items at our local Wal-Mart. This was right after the wife and kids picked me up from a complete physical at the doctors office. It is the first one that I have had in over ten years. It was really the first complete physical. And since I am now in my 40's I figured I needed one.

Anyhow on our way to Wally world my wife commented that she was very hungry. It was almost noon and the only thing that she had eaten was a lemon bar. I was kinda jealous considering that she was a lemon bar ahead of me in the food deal...but I digress.

At the wife's suggestion we decided on a little Mexican place that is really good. Especially when you consider that we are in northern Wisconsin up der close to da north woods you bethca...

So the wife is happy, the kids are all jacked up and I am getting hungrier all the time as I contemplate the coming feast. Well we get there, find our spot, get the menus, start devouring the chips and salsa and order our food.

A few minutes later the waiter shows up with the food and it was every bit as good as expected. Then all of a sudden in the middle of this epicurian delight, my four year old son spots the candy display. With a fair amount of passion he blurts out "Dad, can we get some candy...right now!!!" And of course as dads are required to do I gave him the obligatory "No" and informed him that he needed to finish his lunch. The change in the little guys demeanor was about as drastic as you can imagine. You would have just thought that I had told him he was the worst kid in the world. His reaction prompted an equally incredulous response from me.

And as I sat there watching all this play out before my very eyes it dawned on me - How often do I do the same thing with God? How often do I want to trade in the good and the valuable for that which is really worthless and cheap? And what kind of shape would I be in if God responded to me the way that I all too often do to my children? Suffice it to say that I will not look at a candy display quite the same way again. Suffice it to say that I am thankful for a Father that is gracious and full of mercy.

A response to worldliness

2005-09-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I suppose that there are many reasons to wade out into this ocean of the blogosphere. I must admit that I am not a "techie" so to speak, but I do love using technology. I also enjoy learning how to use technology. The issue that pushed me out into the water was one that was brought out by the lovely and talented fannie farkleberry. In her last post she made the following statement: "Worldiness is a state of the heart, not an action or activity."

She then proceeded to comment on the deplorable state of the independent fundamentalist movement (IFB) in our day and age. On both issues I believe that she is dead right. I also believe (like Phil Johnson) that the IFB movement is dying and is far too right. For an excellent expose on the movement and it's history one should read Phillip Johnson's "Dead Right: The Failure of Fundamentalism." It's fascinating, to be sure.

Ask any pastor in the IFB movement how his church is doing and you will get a variety of responses. One of those is "...well, bless God we are growing..." Interpretation? We have more of the coveted 3 B's (bodies, buildings, bucks). Growth is good. But they're not talking personal growth. The growth of the movement tends to be internal. People are simply moving from one IFB church to another over a variety of non-essential issues. "Well, the dress there is getting a little too worldly..." "Well, you know the first thing to go is always the music..."

Then there is the all too common mantra of "separation" over this, that or the other worldly thing. IFBers tend to define worldliness as a lack of adherence to a set of rules, and hence separate when those rules aren't followed. But most of the time these are CULTURAL issues. (Yes, there are clearly cases in which we need to separate from other people and groups, but those issues should be doctrinal and not cultural. Those issues are CLEARLY spelled out in Scripture for us.)

We as Christians must have a biblical understanding of the times and the culture in which we live. The question inevitably should be is how to define worldiness. Worldliness is not defined as something that the world does. The world eats, sleeps, goes to work, plays, etc. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of those things. Worldliness is defined for us in 1 John 2:15-16

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

Obviously, John is not talking about not loving the people of the world or the created world - that is another issue for another post. God clearly tells us to love our neighbors. He clearly speaks about the majesty of His creation and that it is to be enjoyed. What John is referring to is the world's philosophical system or ideology. He is referring to the way that the "world" thinks. He is not referring to behavioral aspects here.

If you try to define worldliness by an action, you are headed for trouble. I realize that there is the obvious argument that you can look at what people are doing and tell if they are worldly or not. Let me illustrate with a fairly obvious example. Let's suppose that you have a man having a sexual relationship with a woman who is not his wife. We would look at that and correctly discern that these are worldy people. But here is the rub. They are NOT worldly because they are sleeping with each other. What they are doing (i.e. the action) is revealing an attitude of the heart. They are worldly because they are rebelling against a clearly defined moral precept in Scripture (cf. Ex 20:14) That rebellion is fundamentally a heart issue and not a behavioral issue.

The reality is that we have people sitting in the pews of our IFB churches that are just as worldly, if not more so than those who are obviously in sin. We have countless numbers of men sitting in the pews who are "sleeping" with any number of women in their heart. In fact, Christ dealt with this in Matthew 5:27-28 when He said:

""You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

What He was saying in these verses and the ones that preceded them is that worldliness is, at its very core, a heart issue. This passage is not the only place such issues are dealt with. We could look at Luke 18 and see the contrast between the Pharisee who was doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons and the publican who was crying out to God in abject humility. I find it interesting that if we were to critique his prayer we would probably find all kinds of "errors" in it. After all, he didn't end it with the proverbial "in Jesus name, Amen." Yet Christ referred to the publican as the one who was declared righteous and not the guy doing the all the right things...

I could go on. Hopefully you get the idea. Hopefully it makes you think. All that to say that fannie's quote was dead right on.

Here I is...

2005-09-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

OK so I finally decided to jump into the big 'ol world of the blogosphere...