Thoughts about Steve Jobs

The world got the news last night that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had died at his home at the age of 56.  It has been interesting reading the reflections on his life, but a number of things bother me.

I was a proud owner of an original Macintosh Computer (1984), so I hopped on the Apple bandwagon very early.  When I started Celebration Church I really debated about going with Mac's but at the time there just wasn't much church oriented software out there (there still isn't) and I could not justify the cost.  I own the I-pod, I-phone and I-pad and just today ordered a Mac Book Pro for the Church.

I say all that because I think it is important that I separate my feelings for Apple with Steve Jobs the human.  One of the things that has long disturbed me is Jobs' lack of interest in philanthropy.  I know that Jobs' was a very private person, but his personal life left many things to be desired.  I don't need to detail any of that but the thing that struck me was his unwillingness to join Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' "Giving Pledge" in which they invited the super-rich to join them in donating at least half their wealth to worth causes.

Somewhere in the mix while we canonize Steve Jobs', we need to remember that inventing isn't the only thing.  Sure he will long be remembered as quite possibly the greatest inventor of our time; but we also need to remember his failure to be inventive with all the wealth that he accumulated.  Failure on his part to model for the rest of us ways to be generous, is also a major portion of his legacy.

Lots of Books and Stuff

In a little over a month I will heading back to Israel for a 13 day trip that will include a few days in Jordan.  The last time I was in Israel was February of 2008 when I was privileged to be the guest of the Grand Encampment of the Knights Templar.  Pictures from that trip can be found at: my flickr site.

One of the things that I hope to do is blog everyday about the trip.  I usually write a diary, but instead I will do it online.  I hope that this will provide some type of written journal not only for me but also for all those who join me on this trip.

One of the things that I am most excited about is the opportunity to return to Jordan.  I am not even certain when the last time I was there, but I would guess it was close to 10 years ago.

One of the things that I like to do on this blog is keep up to date on the books I have been reading.  I have been very dilatory in posting my reviews, and I doubt I will ever go back and do it.  So let me just share some of the books that I remember that I have read this summer.

Imperium by Robert Harris (very good story about Ancient Rome)

Pictures at A Revolution by Mark Harris (Wonderful history of Hollywood in 1967 and how that year transformed Hollywood forever.

Speaking Christian by Marcus Borg (Challenging book about how Christian words have lost their original meanings.)

Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (Miller is an author who often speaks my language, and when he doesn't he really gets me thinking --- I would highly recommend his books!)
Harvard Yard by William Martin (Fun historical fiction about the history of Harvard)

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler (Don't waste your time!!!)

In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson (Wow, I have loved everything that I have read from Larson and this one is no exception.  This is the story of an American diplomat during the rise of Hitler in Germany, 1933.  For any history buffs, this is a must read!)

The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbreck (This may be the definitive book on Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  It has made me want to travel to see the sights.)

Fire and Rain by David Browne (Great follow up to Pictures at a Revolution because this book follows the careers of The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY in 1970.  This book was a lot of fun and brought back lots of great memories!)

Sacred Trash by Peter Cole and Adina Hoffman  (OK, you have to be a little off to enjoy this book, and I did, since it is the story of the discovery of ancient texts from a Cairo Geniza.  You really have to be into archaeology and the back story to get into a book like this.)

I also just recently completed two books about Bicycle Touring.  One about touring on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the other about touring the Natchez Trace.  I plan on riding the Natchez Trace next summer, now I just have to get a bike!

I am sure I have forgotten a few books along the way.  I am going to try to do better and post regularly so that I don't fall so far behind, and so that I get in the habit before the trip to Israel.

Computer

After I got home, I went downstairs to turn on my computer and . . . nothing! I had been having problems for the last month with the darn thing and had it in the shop to remove some viruses, but now it seems to be doa! I don't need this right now!

Canada pt 2

Thursday
Got up and flew to Fletcher. Beautiful day to fly. Watched a number of float planes take off and land, got some pretty good pictures. Caught a total of 107 fish, I caught only 30 and was clearly low man on totem pole. Flight back was equally beautiful. Got a picture of Culloden lake from the air, we will see if I can identify it when I can rename pictures.  Once again I find something about the iPad that I cannot stand. 

Not going out fishing this afternoon which is fine with me.  Going to work on sermon for the 28th and the next sermon series. 

Completed a rough draft of the sermon.  Probably going to wait and finish it when I get home and after I hear what Nathan has to say this Sunday.  

Friday
Planned to go to South Scott Lake this morning.  Storms all night, lots of lightning and a little rain, but I never heard thunder.  The sky was full of lightning!

Windy in the morning, but we decided to head to South Scott.  We got 3/4 of the way there when we remembered that we forgot the gas for the boat engine, so we had to turn around and get it.  Had to add gas to the plane as well.  Headed back to South Scott and got tied up to the shore.  Jimmy and I got the boat that is stashed at the lake into the water and emptied the plane of all our gear.  Unfortunately we were unable to start the boat motor, so after about 1/2 hour we headed back to Lac Lu.

Jim and I went out fishing for fish to bring home.  I caught 6 (4 keepers) and Jim caught 5 (2 keepers).  We fished until about 1:30 and headed in for lunch.

This afternoon we will need to take the plane to Redit where it is stored for the winter.  Before we could do that, Jimmy and I flew to Kenora to fill the plane up with fuel.  It is really windy and he had to fight the wind in turning the plane.  We had a hard time getting back to the dock when we returned to Lac Lu.  Jim and I will drive to Redit while Jimmy flies the plane, we will meet him where the plane is being left for the winter.

Saturday
Left Lac Lu at 6:45 am to begin the journey home. According to the weather reports we might be in for a bumpy ride home. Should be home around noonish.  

Flight was good until we got about 15 minutes from home. Jimmy is a great pilot and did a great job getting us around a very large and potentially dangerous storm. 

Got home about 1 pm. It is good to be home!

Canada 2011

Monday
Jim picked me up about 5:15 am and we headed out to Griffith Airport to meet Jimmy.

Lots of low clouds initially, got some great sunrise pictures and pictures of the full moon.  We flew up the lake but it was too cloudy to really get pictures of Chicago.

Very uneventful flight, actually made it about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

After  stopping to get groceries, airplane gas and bait we headed out to the cottage.

Got to Lac Lu, and went fishing for our dinner.
Fishing was slow and I went a long time without catching anything, eventually Jim caught enough for dinner.  I caught:
2 walleye
3 northern pike
1 croppy
Took a couple of pictures, but nothing spectacular

Tuesday
In the morning we headed out to Fletcher, about 50 miles north of Lac Lu by airplane.  Very low ceiling, lots of clouds at about 2,000 feet.  We arrived and headed out with 4 or five dozen minnows with the goal of catching 100 walleye.

We were catching them like crazy, but after having been out for less than an hour we got soaked by a huge thunderstorm.  We headed for shelter to ride it out.
After it was over we got back to work.  Within 2 1/2 hours we were out of minnows, and had caught 105 walleyes.  What was weird is that we did not catch anything else.  I caught 35 Walleye.

We headed back to Lac Lu, while we were over Minaki, it started to rain, and there were very dark clouds in front of us.  We landed a few minutes later at Lac Lu and it started to really rain.  As we pulled up to the dock, it came down in a torrent.  It would have been a disaster if we had been just a little slower (we would have had to land on a different lake and wait out the storm).  The storm lasted about an hour.

Later that evening (at about 4:00 pm) Jim and I went out to fish on Lac Lu.  We should have stayed home!  I caught 1 northern, and didn't have many bites.

Had a delicious spaghetti dinner and Jimmy had even baked a birthday cake for me.  I would have liked to have been home, but it was a very touching gesture.

Wednesday
We were supposed to go to south scott, but way too windy
Went to Culloden instead.  We took big boat to Bennett's because it was so rough.

With such rough conditions, it was not surprising, but the fishing was real slow.  I managed to catch 4 walleye and 2 Northern.  We got enough to bring back for a fish dinner tomorrow night.

Went back via Kenora to get more bait and Jim decided to get the oil changed in the van
we ate lunch at crappy chinese place while oil was being changed.  Got bait and gas and headed back to the cottage.

When we got to bennett's we saw one of the workers bringing a boat up out of the water and realized that it was the big boat.  About 30 minutes earlier, the boat had swamped and flipped over from the heavy wave action.  We had to borrow a boat so that we could get out to the cottage.  They are going to try to dry it out and get the motor running again.  

It is still very windy at 4:30, so we are not going to go out and fish Lac Lu tonight.  Instead, once the waves settle down Jimmy and I are going to take the borrowed boat back and try to get online.

Catching Up

I have been very neglectful of my blog lately. I am about 5 books behind that I will try to post over the next week or so.

Last year, Lindsey and I completed the Indianapolis Half Marathon. I had set a goal of completing the 13.1 miles in 3hours 15 minutes (or 15 minute miles). Somehow, we managed to complete the course in a 14:24 mile pace. Since then, I got the crazy idea that I wanted to complete a full marathon. Nancy has done something like ten marathons (including 2 Boston Marathons), so I thought it would be cool to join that club.

On Saturday, September 3, Lindsey and I plan on completing the Marquette Marathon. Nancy was supposed to run the race, but she is laid up with an injury and probably will be relegated to cheering us on.

I thought the preparation for the half marathon was difficult, but this has been unreal. Getting ready is all consuming! Everyday I am out pounding the pavement trying to make sure that I am ready. My feet are covered in blisters! But I am feeling pretty good about my chances of competing the course in under 6 1/2 hours. The farthest I have gone is 18 miles, and shortly after doing that came down with sever bronchitis, but I am back on the pavement and hope to do 12-18 miles either tomorrow or Friday depending on which day looks better as far as the heat is concerned. I did 10 miles yesterday.

Regardless of whether I finish the race or not, the preparation has helped get me in the best shape that I have been in in 25 years. It feels good to be able to walk 5 miles and not even be tired. The biggest concern is my feet -- I hope that they can hold out.

Beyond Belief

I have read close to a dozen of New York Times best selling author John Maxwell's books, listened to numerous of his cd's, and have had the opportunity to hear him on two different occasions. His latest book, BEYOND TALENT: Become Someone Who Gets Extraordinary Results, is typical of his books that encourage you to grow beyond the limitations that we often create.

Maxwell suggests that talent is simply the starting point, not the final destination, and offers suggestions on how we can move beyond our talents. Maxwell's style is to use stories of people and let them illustrate how we can grow beyond our talents.

The major themes of the book include:
Belief lifts your talent.
Initiative activates your talent.
Focus directs your talent.
Preparation positions your talent.
Practice sharpens your talent.
Perseverance sustains your talent.
Character protects your talent. . . . and more!

Maxwell wants to remind us that it is our choices that make all the difference, not the talent that we start with.

Maxwell's books are never deep, but they do offer lots of interesting advice to help us grow. If you are looking for a how to manual, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for inspiration to help you on your journey to become all that you can be, there will be many nuggets of wisdom that you can glean from this quick read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Part-Time Vegan

Over the past seven or so years, two of my daughters have been vegetarians.  My youngest, a senior in High School is still living at home, so over the years my wife and I have been part time vegetarians.  When I saw Cherise Grifoni’s new book The Part-Time Vegan, I was intrigued.

What I appreciated about the book, was her no guilt approach to being a Vegan.  Too often, people who adopt that lifestyle want to convert everybody else that they become like worst evangelical Christians or Jehovah Witness.  She is not at all.  She lays out why she adopted this part-time lifestyle and why it could be beneficial to the rest of us – without the guilt.

I have only tried a couple of the recipes and the were very good.  I am sure I will continue to eat my way through the book.  My biggest complaint is that she can be, well to lack a better word, silly.  Otherwise, it is a pretty solid recipe book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Max on Life

Over the years I have read a number of books by pastor, teacher and author Max Lucado.  All of those books are what I would call devotional fiction.  He took a biblical event and then created a story around it trying to teach what he felt was the biblical lesson.  As I have said other times, I find his style simplistic and sweet --- I often think that we don’t live in the same world.  That notion really struck home as I read his latest book: Max on Life.  It is, as best I know, Max Lucado’s first attempt to really state his theology, in a semi-systematic way.

The genesis for the book is a collection of questions that Lucado has collected over his 25 plus years in ministry.  The questions came the way that questions usually do, sometimes solicited, other times spontaneous.  The questions came through letters, e-mails, even, he tells us, on a Dunkin Donut napkin.  In Max on Life, Lucado gives his answers to these often provocative questions.

The book covers questions about everything, from prayer to suffering in the world.  It also includes the seemingly mundane like parenting issues and financial questions.

While many reviewers love his answers, I find them trite and simplistic.  This book is meant for the choir --- if you are not a believer (or at least a non-believer who wants deep answers) you are not going to be satisfied with the answers that Lucado gives.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book, it isn’t bad, it just isn’t very good.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Final Summit --- Engaging, yet simplictic!

A few months ago, a friend gave me The Traveler's Gift to read.  I have not read it yet, but after reading, Andy Andrews: The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity, I feel the need to go back and read it.

The story is engaging:  humanity is running out of time, due to centuries of greed, pride and hate.  We have wandered far from our God given purpose, and there seems to be only one solution that can set the world back on the right course.  That solution consists of only two words, that Ponder must figure out.

David Ponder, who was introduced in The Traveler’s Gift, is a special human who has been chosen to help save humanity.  Along the way, Ponder meets fellow Traveler’s (Churchill, Lincoln, Ann Frank, Benjamin Franklin, and others) who help him solve the riddle on what must be done to save humanity.

If only the answer to our problems were so simple.  Andrew’s theological understanding of God leaves much to be desired.  God seems to be a capricious S.O.B. who can’t deal with the failure of creation, so God needs to find a way to either get people on the right track or to start over. 

If you tend to get sucked into theological syllogisms, then you might want to skip the book.  But if you can see past a very small vision of God this is a fun and creative book to read.

When I read books I am always looking for sermon material, this one will provide material for a great sermon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”