Riches

It is not really getting rich that we struggle with.  It is about appearing rich.  As long as I look like I have wealth then I feel important, hence our consumer debt crisis.  It is better to actually have wealth and not act like it than to have debt to appear wealthy.

Priya and Vegetables

Today I asked Priya what she wanted for a vegetable at lunch and she said a carrot.  "Just one carrot," she demanded, as she is not big on veggies.  So I peeled a carrot and gave it to her and she munched it down. But I have noticed that if I take that same carrot and cut it into four pieces and give it to her, she has a big fit complaining that I am giving her four carrots and that is way too many!!    It is hilarious!  I've tried to explain that it is all the same amount and cutting them up just makes it easier to eat.  But evidently not for her, so I just peel the whole thing and give it to her.

dad

Priya and Stephen's first house

Built in one night! Great job guys!

Henry Nouwen - Life of the Beloved

I have been reading & reflecting on Henri Nouwen lately and his book “Life of the Beloved” It is so rich an meaningful. He uses 4 words to define us as being God’s beloved. He uses the words Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given. These are very powerful words in our walk with Christ. And lately, I have been focused on “Blessed”, when we realize that we are God’s Beloved we can rest in the reality that we are His Blessed children. Nouwen gives us an exercise to realize our blessedness. He says an aspect of prayer is sitting in silence and listening to the good things God has to say about us.

It is all about us being in God’s “presence” to hear the things he has to say. And I think the idea of “presence” is vital to becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. There are lots of really great ministries opportunities to pursue, lots of voices calling for our attention, but for now “presence” is the river from which everything else will flow.

Memory from Tralee Ireland

In 1997 I worked about 4-5 months in Swords, IRE with Amdahl Ireland. One weekend I rented a car and drove to West Ireland. I stopped at a B&B in Tralee. It was a fishing community and very friendly toward tourist. So I got to the B & B and a lovely family showed me to my room and I began talking with their 16 year old son and his grandpa. This grandfather was a fisherman his whole life (as his grandson explained).

So, I looked at Grandpa and asked him what kind of fish he caught? He answered me in a couple sentences and I didn't understand a word, not one word, of what he said! So I looked that the grandson and I said, "what language is he speaking?" The grandson said, "English."

Evidently, the old guy mixed in a little Gaelic and his accent was so thick I didn't get one word of what he said. I just about laughed myself out the door...

3 Questions from Church and Patrick Lencioni's book of 3 questions

1. What makes our family unique?

Priya 8 - We all have different voices.

Shoji - We are multi-cultures

Dad - Our faith transcends culture

Stephen 6 - our last name boldt - because there is a movie bolt and store named Boldt, founded by our great-grandfather Everett Boldt.

2. What is our top priority? hmmm.... working on it that.

3. How do you talk about and use the answers to these questions?

Hamster, Fish and Dog

We successfully avoided getting a dog. Priya has been insistent on getting a dog like crazy for months. We went to the pet story just to look at types of dogs and on the way to the dog area she saw a hamster and fell in love with it. So this was my chance to deal down, so to speak, because a hamster is way easier than a dog (cheaper too).

So I told the kids that if we get a hamster then we can't get a dog and we have to do something with this our goldfish. We have a one pet rule in the house.... I thought the goldfish could be a sensitive topic because they cried when the first one died. So I asked Priya, "what about Pineapple (or Treasure depending on the day). What are we going to do with him?"

Priya looked at me and said without a hint of hesitation.... "Just get rid of him... flush him down the toilet.... or feed him to the tarantulas..."

I wasn't expecting that!

Grandma Eleanor Boldt's Ice Cream recipe

Vanilla Ice Cream: Using electric ice cream machine.

Put 5 eggs (slightly beaten),

2 tablespoons vanilla,

2 cups sugar into the container then

add 1 quart cream and the rest milk so it is 2 inches from the top of the container.

Start the machine. Put snow, ice, salt around the outer bucket to keep it freezing as it churns. Still have the old machine if anyone wants to use it.

Priya the Psychologist

Priya told me about her friend that gives her some problems. Priya said, "Dad, I decided to write what I needed to say to in a letter and then read it to her. So I did and here is what I wrote:"

Dear [Name],
I want to be friends but I don't want to be your friend if you try to boss me around and be mean when you talk.

Her friend responds with, "Thanks for telling me that, I want to be friends."

It is actually quite profound, the truth spoken in love - I think children can teach us many things.

Tebow's Secret

How cool has this season been? Watching such an unorthodox style succeed in the NFL has created such a buzz. How can Tebow keep winning while throwing so poorly? That is really the question. I don't think it is as crazy as everyone thinks. Here is the secret... most good QB's need to complete 65% of their passes to win or to at least move the ball and score. So how is Tebow able to complete like only 48% of his passes and still win? The secret is that most NFL QB that throw a high percentage also throw a lot of short passes. Short passes tend to be high percentage and have essentially replaced a number of running attempts. But in Denver they have gone back to replacing short, high percentage, passes with runs. And having a QB that can read option run creates an advantage in the running game that makes it more effective. Then when called on to pass, Tebow often takes shots downfield which are not high percentage passes to begin with but are game breaking passes. Case in point was last week against Pittsburgh. Only 10 completions and 316 yds! That is nuts but it makes my point and shows what can happen when it is working right. You don't need to complete 65% of your passes when you have an effective running game and have big play passes. Ball control and low turnovers keep them in the game for Tebow-time at the end. When Tebow can't make downfield plays and the running game is shutdown, Denver loses.

We always think we know what can and cannot work, we are trapped by our assumptions. I love the fact that Tebow is challenging assumptions. He is changing the game. He may not win the super bowl or even be good next year. But you can win playing differently and it can create advantages for your team. I think you'll see more of it in the future. I love the offense Oregon runs and their move towards utility rather than just more specialization. Like they have multiple positions that need to run or throw, even kickers! I even saw a couple punters in the NFL try to pass this season because a WR was uncovered, it failed because the punter simply tanked the throw. But I think it's a good strategy, there is no reason punters could not learn to throw the ball 20 yards accurately to a wide open receiver. That would be a major advantage.