Yay! Flight news!

I got two letters from John today, which makes up for that fact that I didn't get any yesterday.  They had great news in them!  I now know John's flight schedule.  He gets in next Wednesday at 10:33.  I think he gets in at night, because he said he leaves the base at 1:00, and I doubt that they would be leaving at 1 in the morning.  It is the military, though, so I'll double check.  You never know.  I'm so excited, and so is John.  I think the fact that they have so many people in their platoon that don't want to do what they have to do is starting to really get to him.  I know it's frustrating to be continually getting punished when you're doing the right thing all the time, but that's the way the Army works.  I guess that's the whole point.  You just have to get used to it. 
He did the gas chamber last week.  Ick.  He said it was "hellish, but it was an experience."  I guess that means he's glad he did it, but he's also glad it's behind him.  I would be, too.  He seemed a little bummed that he doesn't get his letters as regularly as he would like.  I send them everyday, but I guess that doesn't mean he gets them everyday.  Well, that's pretty much it as for as news from John goes.
We had a nasty storm here in Omaha.  I spent an hour scraping an inch-thick sheet of ice off of my car this morning.  It was not fun.  If you live here and you've yet to go outside, don't bother.  It isn't worth it. 
Love,
Liz Nye

Is Not Tithing a Sin

“There is no sin which does not involve idolatry.” John and Paula Sandford

I see no reason to disagree with this statement, which appears to be a benign fact. They go on to address different sins, which are the breaking of commandments. I agree with the sin of theft and adultery, but then they go on to say that if we don’t go to church on Sunday we have made an idol of whatever we do instead. I agree that fellowship is powerful and necessary for a Christian’s health, but there is nothing magic about Sunday. They then go on to say if we do not pay tithing we are worshipping our money and sinning. I disagree with all Christians on this principle. Tithing is an Old Testament law and any Christian sermon concerning the principle is based on Old Testament scriptures. Pastors and churches feel compelled to enforce this legalism on their congregations to ensure adequate funds to build their empires of buildings, missions, etc. If a Christian is sinning for not following the law of tithing, then Christians have fallen short of all the laws concerning circumcision and the Sabbath observances. Just as Jesus fulfilled the laws, which were all shadows of his kingdom principles with a higher meaning, the tithing principle is to lead to a higher principle of generosity of more than money, but our life. If tithing was a New Testament rule I guarantee that Paul would have admonished new Christians to send him the money and used this to make them feel guilty if they didn’t.

Indian Pow Pow

Old Nye Family Pictures

Bonfire building underway in River Parishes

Bonfire building underway in River Parishes
Posted by The Times-Picayune November 23, 2007 2:41PM
PHOTO BY TED JACKSONMembers of the "Bonfire crew" push and cajole a willow through the canopy of other trees after they cut it with a chainsaw in their quest for logs for their levee bonfire in Lutcher. Groups of builders prepared to build Christmas Eve bonfires on the Mississippi River levee in Gramercy and Lutcher Friday.
By Matt Scallan
River Parishes bureau

For many in the New Orleans area, the day after Thanksgiving means lining up outside of a store. But for Dustin Poche' and his friends, it is the day to break out their chainsaws to light the way for Pere' Noel.

This is the day that residents of St. James Parish begin building bonfires on Mississippi River levees to be set alight on Christmas Eve.

"My grandfather built them. My father built them. Now I'm building them," said Poche', a 23-year-old sheriff's deputy, one of a dozen people cutting small trees and hauling the logs that will make an 18-foot-tall pyre.

The annual celebration of the bonfires culminates on Christmas Eve, but for the past 18 years, the parish has worked to capitalize on the tradition with an annual festival, which this year is Dec. 7 -9.

"We realize that everybody can't be here on Christmas Eve, so the goal is give people more time to come and visit," said Jason Amato, chief of the Lutcher Volunteer Fire Department, whose members build their own bonfires.

One bonfire will be lit each night during the festival, but on Christmas Eve, more than 100 will be ablaze, most of them on the east bank of the river, according to the parish office of tourism.

Building the bonfires used to be a seat-of-the pants operation. Volunteers would build their pyres in the shapes of national monuments or during the first Gulf War, of battleships. One memorialized the ferryboat that crossed the Mississippi River between Gramercy and Wallace before the Veterans Memorial Bridge was completed.

But after several of the structures collapsed in unexpected ways during the conflagrations over the years, the parish enacted uniform standards for construction. All the fires must now be in a teepee shape, except for one "non-traditional" structure in Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina.

"The people who do the non-traditional ones like to keep what it is a secret until the last minute," Amato said.

Whatever happens, the bonfires must be finished before noon on Christmas Eve, just as the narrow streets along River Road begin to become clogged with traffic.

Residents say the tradition helps bind the community together, but the young people tend to do most of the work.

"My dad still comes out, but it's mostly to supervise," Poche' said.

Matt Scallan can be reached at mscallan@timespicayune.com or (985) 652-0953.
STAFF PHOTO BY TED JACKSONMeggan Canale watches from her comfortable seat on the railroad tracks as the boys muscle a timber from the woods to a waiting trailer.

Updated MySpace

Topographic Oceans MySpace

Check out this web page

Web page to demand musicians come to your town Here!

Working the AOF Convention

I am at the convention center here in New Orleans early for work, so I am sitting up on the podium using the physican speaker's computer to update my Blog. I am in charge of running the Technology Pavilion, so I make sure the PowerPoint presentations work, the wireless microphones are right and other general stuff.

Street Car Back on St. Charles

Check out this video at:

http://blog.nola.com/tpvideo/2007/11/test_ride_on_the_st_charles_av.html

It is taking New Orleans awhile to get back on the "track", but finally the street cars are back on St. Charles. I wonder what all the people have been doing that depended on that transportation to get to work?

Invitation to view John's Picasa Web Album - Yellowstone Park Trip

You are invited to view John's photo album: Yellowstone Park Trip Yellowstone Park Trip Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - Oct 21, 2007 by John View Album Play slideshow Message from John: We took this trip years ago, but there are a few great pictures of the park. I scanned them, so they have some defects in the pictures. John If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/topographicoceans.john/YellowstoneParkTrip To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Palmetto bug

Moving to LA we have been introduced to the Palmetto bug, which is really a large cockroach and they are really gross in the house. Our cat Tokyo loves them!

Shrikism

"A shrike is a bird which impales its victim on a thorn and then tears it apart muscle by muscle. In human terms, a shrike is a person who so gathers all the righteousness to himself or herself that everyone else must act out wickedness. Then in the very act of seeming to try to help, the shrike acturally destroys the other bit by bit. Worse, the shrike actually thinks he or she is truly trying to be loving and helpful." by John and Paula Sandford in Healing the Wounded Spirit.

I really didn't understand the principle they were trying to teach until I read this paragraph later in the chapter.

"The essence of shrikism is that it establishes personal righteousness at the expense of others. Not all performance-oriented people are shrikes, but all shrikes are performance-oriented. Having bought the lie that they must perform well to be loved, yet insecure about their performance, they are driven unconsciously to contrast themselves with others; others must look bad in order for the shrike to look good. The shrike fears rejection more than anything else, yet in his striving to outperform everyone, he gathers righteousnessto to himself. Without knowing it, he does the very things which make him almost impossible to live with. His end is rejection."

Hornets Baskball Back in New Orleans

I was pleased to see Adam Haluska from Iowa is on the team!

Invitation to view John's Picasa Web Album - French Quarter & Rosedown Plantation

You are invited to view John's photo album: French Quarter & Rosedown Plantation French Quarter & Rosedown Plantation St. Francisville, LA - Jul 29, 2007 by John View Album Play slideshow Message from John: Took some pictures down Louisiana way and thought you may like to see them. This is beautiful country! John If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/topographicoceans.john/FrenchQuarterRosedownPlantation To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Loss of Spiritual Sensitivity

"Therefore when He says that the soul which sins shall die, we understand that to mean that our spirit loses its capacity to seek and embrace God and others and therefore the structures and desires of our soul and heart no longer are enabled. They consequently tend to block. Therefore we die to the ability to relate as we were intended to God, man, nature and ourselves. If sinful structures in the mind and heart, and waning strength of spirit continue, the body is afflicted." - John & Paula Sanford, "Healing the Wounded Spirit"

Wow! We as humans are much more complicated that hearts beating and chemicals pumping through the brain. Scientists continue to wonder what creates the individual and can a person exist outside of their body. Science has proven that depressed people's health will decline, let alone those who do not even value their own life, taking huge risks and maybe even precipitating their own death.

How many of us have been disenchanted with life or others around us, thus becoming bitter or hostile with revenge. Others focus on the career blinding ignoring relationships with families. And others blind their feelings with addictions of any sort. Not only do we lose sensitivity to our surroundings in nature, but we lose a whole other level of sensitivity to other's needs, becoming totally preoccupied with ourselves.

We as humans can actually relate at a higher more valuable level than just working interactions. Most have resigned to lonely lifestyles and don't even want to meet new people. Every interaction with others is ideally a wonderful opportunity to commune in fellowship, which moves our lives to a higher more purposeful reality.

"As one cannot step into the same river twice, so meeting any person is different each time because what emanates from the spirit moment by moment is different. Sensitivity through our spirit is what atually guides conversations in ways and subjects we seem merely to have stumbled into. It is a primary basic function of our spirit to enable us to meet and commune with others and with God." - John and Paula Sandford

Danger of Living with Bitterness

This is serious stuff and can ruin your life and all those around you. This is an excellent article about bitterness:

Deliverance From Bitterness by Francis Frangipane

We all want justice, but when we take the position of judge and become obsessed with getting revenge, we live in unforgiveness.

My favorite quote in the article by Francis is: "...spiritually incarcerated by a bitter experience or an injustice... Even now, His Spirit is reaching to release us from this unbearable burden of the past."

My question is how do we learn to entrust ourselves to God who judges righteously? Learning to trust legitimately, not blindly ignoring problems deep in our minds. How do I release my opinion of how God should deal with those who did the injustice to me? The real question is: when I find out something bad happened to those who offended me, do I feel restitution and believe God did it for me?

The quote I least like is: "We must, therefore, get over the idea that there is a painless place of existence on earth..." I have been looking for this place all my life by moving all over the country and changing jobs, yet never finding the perfect place to live. Reminds me of the Charlie Brown cartoon where he moves, but as he steps off the plane he says, "But, I'm still Charlie Brown."

My natural inclination is to be bitter, so I am asking God to give me His inclination, which is forgiveness.

One of the BIG Questions!

People may question the virgin birth of Christ, by attempting to verify the words of the gospel authors. However, can we question the words of Jesus? "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake." John 14:11. We are Christians who have a real relationship with Jesus by faith or we are unbelievers, there are no grey areas for doubters to linger.

Another Blog on Christ's Virgin Birth

FW: Now the rest of the story ! If you are interested in bing informed, PLEASE read

 

The rest of the story.....! Do you know?     I didn't know!   How could we?    Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in  Iraq?    Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?    Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated,   364 schools are under rehabilitation,   263 new schools are now under construction   and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?    Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities,   46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers,   all currently operating?    Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United State s in January 2005   for the re-established Fulbright program?    Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?   They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.    Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons,   which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft   (under Iraqi operational control)   which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?    Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?    Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000   fully trained and equipped police officers?    Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq   that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?    Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in  Iraq?   They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations,   22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.    Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5   have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?    Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?    Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq    and phone use has gone up 158%?    Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations,   180 newspapers and 10 television stations?    Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?    Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?     OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!     WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?   OUR  MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!   Instead of reflecting our love for our country,   we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib   and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.    Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:    It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States    thus minimizing consequent support,   and it is intended to discourage American citizens.    ---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site. http://www.defenselink.mil/  .......Pass it on!  Give it a Wide Dissemination!

 

 

FW: IRS Telephone tax credit

Subject: FW: IRS Telephone tax credit

Make sure you take your $30, $40, $50, or $60 credit on your tax
return this year.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161506,00.html

Just a FYI for everyone.

Telephone tax credit - one time 2006 (This is real) Check the IRS.gov
website. Pass it on

A SPECIAL ONE TIME TAX CREDIT ON YOUR 2006 TAX RETURN
http://money.CNN.Com/2006/05/25/news/telephonetax_refund/index.htm

When it comes time to prepare and file your 2006 tax return, make sure
you don't overlook the "federal excise tax refund credit." You claim the
credit on line 71 of your form 1040. A similar line will be available if
you file the short form 1040A. If you have family or friends who no
l onger file a tax return AND they have their own land phone in their
home and have been paying a phone bill for years, make sure they know
about this form 1040EZ-T.

What is this all about? Well the federal excise tax has been charge to
you on your phone bill for years. It is an old tax that was assessed on
your toll calls based on how far the call was being made and how much
time you talked on that call. When phone companies began to offer flat
fee phone service, challenges to the excise tax ended up in federal
courts in several districts of the country. The challenges pointed out
that flat fee/rate phone service had nothing to do with the distance and
the length of the phone call. Therefore, the excise tax should/could not
be assessed.

The IRS has now conceded this argument. Phone companies have been given
notice to stop assessing the federal excise tax as of Aug 30, 2006. You
will most likely see the tax on your September cutoff statement, but it
should NOT be on your October bill.

But the challengers of the old law also demanded restitution. So the IRS
has announced that a one time credit will be available when you and I
file our 2006 tax return as I explained above. However, the IRS also
established limits on how BIG a credit you can get. Here's how it works.

If you file your return as a single person with just you as a dependent,
you get to claim a $30 credit on line 71 of your 1040.

If you file with a child or a parent as your dependent, you claim $40.

If you file your return as a married couple with no children ,you claim
$40.

If you file as married with children, you claim $50 if one child, $60 if
two children.

In all cases, the most you get to claim is $60 - UNLESS you have all
your phone bills starting AFTER Feb 28, 2003 through July 31, 2006 (do
not use any bills starting Aug 1, 2006.), then you can add up the ACTUAL
TAX AS IT APPEARS ON YOUR BILLS AND CLAIM THAT FOR A CREDIT.

Now if you have your actual phone bills and come up with an ACTUAL TAX
AMOUNT, you cannot use line 71 on your tax return. You have to complete
a special form number 8913 and attach it to your tax return.

Individuals using the special from 1040EZ-T will have to attach this
form 8913 also.

One final point - this credit is a refundable credit. That means you get
this money, no matter how your tax return works out. If you would end up
owing the IRS a balance, the refund will reduce that balance you owe. If
you end up getting a refund, the credit will be added and you get a
bigger refund by that $30 to $60, depending on how many dependents are
on your return.

Feel free to pass this on or make copies for family and friends who
don't have computers.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161506,00.html