South Pole Impact

'South' by Ernest Shackleton. I'll have to say that this book, along with 'The Heart Of The Antarctic', is probably the most fascinating book I have ever read in my life outside of the Bible. It is heavy on details, some of which I don't completely understand but it is definitely worth working your way through these. I've learned so much from both of his books and it certainly puts the toils of life in a different perspective for me. Anything that I've gone through pales in comparison to what I've just read.

This man seems to represent everything that most men aspire to be at some point in their life and what I love about him is that he didn't set out to be so. The details are too much to go into here and the essential facts are easy enough to come by on a quick search of your own but, if you're a guy , don't rob yourself of the experience of diving into these books to get the whole story. There's just too much to miss.

When I think of Shackleton and his men I think of Endurance (of course), stamina, integrity, determination, adaptability, pride, heroism, leadership, stepping up & stepping out, self sacrifice, wisdom, tenacity, and compassion. More could be said but you should make your own assessment. I am blown away at how intelligent this man was in the selection of the men who would assist him in his polar expeditions to the southern hemisphere and those men were no slouches themselves. Excelling in your field was not enough, for you had to be pliable with other mental giants in the most adverse of conditions which required wisdom on Shackleton's part and humility and self control on the men's behalf. And that's just the beginning!

Blizzards, shadowless landscapes, fathomless crevasses, darkness, killer whales, starvation, frostbite, death, disappointment, failure, abandonment, elusive hope, tempestuous seas and disease were the companions of these men. Their ability to survive all they went through makes me reevaluate my own mental toughness. Standards of toughness these days are a farce in my estimation and I feel sorry for men who try their best to continually live up to them. Most men think that toughness is determined by athleticism, who can hit the hardest, win fights, talk the loudest, look the meanest, and defend every God-given right that we THINK we've been given.
Toughness can only be found in the heart of the individual who, despite their circumstances, weathers adversity with humility, resilience, and faith in God.

Leadership is very rarely directly mentioned in this book but rather exemplified on every page and that's exactly how it should be. Heroism is abundant but only talked about in perfunctory detail and never mentioned twice. These acts of heroism were done by men who, at these points, would have rather been anywhere else. I can't count on 1 hand how many people I know who demonstrate genuine leadership. The world is full of leaders, good & bad, but truly good leaders and heroes never have to make mention of the fact that the privilege of stepping up was theirs. You are not a good leader just because you say you are or that you have managed to talk others into believing that you are.

Shackleton's masterful employment of the English language was a real hoot for me. I don't think that I have ever used a dictionary more and I have managed to compose a glossary of my favorite words in a little notebook that will help me introduce them, hopefully, into everyday conversation.

I am feeling pretty melancholy about putting these books back up on the shelf for I am going to miss these characters immensely, like Frank & Ernest Wild, who Shackleton said always had a look of confidence in their eyes when other men just wanted to go to sleep and die, and, Spencer-Smith who, knowing that death was inevitable, never ever complained but was always cheerful and supportive to spurn the men on. I know that I will never be the same for having read these and I certainly hope my boys will love them as much as I did someday!

The Wisdom Of Sherlock Holmes

One of England's greatest iconic figures has recently been resurrected on the silver screen by Guy Ritchie and portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. I thought that this would be a good time, perhaps, to start reading a rather prodigious collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories that my mother-in-law gave to me for Christmas last year.
Sherlock has quite the reputation for his analytical and insightful acumen that seems to mystify all those who engage him. Dr. Watson never ceases to be amazed at this agent of justice's ability to see what others cannot see, to hear what others cannot hear, and know all the while beyond a shadow of a doubt.
In 'Scandal In Bohemia', Holmes narrows down Watson's inability to attain Olympian heights of investigation.
"You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example,you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room."
"Frequently."
"How often?"
"Well, some hundreds of times."
"Then how many are there?"
"How many! I don't know."
"Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now,I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed."

To observe is to give careful consideration and attention to detail. A lack of observation is what lands most people in hot water. Either they have not been taught to observe (ignorance), or they just don't care (rebellion). It is the difference between a foolish man and a wise man.
To see what others do not see, to hear what others do not hear, to do what others do not do. This is the objective.

Have you given careful consideration to the life and claims of Jesus Christ or are you like the ones that Christ spoke of in Matthew 13:15? "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Do you just see God's Word when you read it, or do you meticulously connect the dots, suck the marrow from the bone, so to speak? Isaiah 28:9&10 says, Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.

Are you observing all the things that the Lord has commanded us or are you teaching others that living life at the level of mediocrity is worth failing relationships and a lack of fulfillment. Psalms 107:43 says, Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Men, are you willing to demonstrate love to your wife by attending to the details the are so important to her, or is that just for sissies? Wives, are you willing to uncover the way men really think and perhaps compromise you presuppositions, or does he just need to get with the program?

Parents, are you learning everything about your children that you can and actively engaging them one on one so that they know that you are amazingly in tune with them? Or do you busy them so much with other things and other people that the burden of responsibility for raising them has been dispersed enough to free you from all the undesirable details? Do your children observe that their parents believe that a marriage is worth fighting for?
Dad, If details aren't important then listen to this!
The death of a parent is less devastating to a child than divorce.
40% of children are being raised without a father.
A child in a female-headed home is 10 times more likely to be beaten or murdered.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sex abuse exist in America today.
1 in 4 girls & 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
Evidence is not always obvious.
30% of victims never disclose the experience to anyone.
Most disclosures occur accidentally.

Christians, do you ever look carefully at others and question to yourself the eternal destination of that individual or are they simply in your way, or worse yet, an object of lust which so easily besets us?

May Christ say of every one of us, "But blessed (happy) are your eyes for they see: and your ears for they hear.

Our prayer ought to be that we will see what cannot be seen, hear what cannot be heard, and do what cannot be done!

You Gotta Meet My Mom!

April 18, 1945. The day my mother came into the world. Nearly 1,000 British aircraft bombed a German Naval airbase, the Russians were storming Berlin, and 12 days later Adolph Hitler would commit suicide. Four and a half months later World War II came to an end. When I think about it, my mother's induction into this world was quite eventful!

I gotta love my mother because good, bad, or indifferent, I am who I am today largely because of her. She has been and remains a big influence in my life!

Life has never been easy for her. She was a preacher's wife and a mother of six children. She has had many proud moments and many sorrowful setbacks which I'm sure exceeds the norm.
There are several things you should know about her.
1. She is VERY strong willed. This is good and bad but I'm glad that she is not a push-over. She is tough as nails and the one of the most disciplined people I know! If she were a man she would be a cagefighter or a drill Sergeant in the Marines.
2. She is a VERY hard worker. Her stamina is unparalleled to match her ambition. I've never known her to get more than 4 hrs. of sleep and she has never been bored. Put her on The Apprentice!
3. She is an amazing housekeeper. I actually hate this because this has been hard for any woman I've ever had in my life to live up to. My wife is a good housekeeper too but she gets more than 4 hrs. of sleep every night!
4. Nobody, and I mean nobody, makes better Apple Crisp than my mom. Sorry, Cara!

Let me share with you seven life lessons that I have learned from her.

She taught me to:
1. Love God's Word. She claims that she doesn't remember making us do this but at one point in time she made us read 5 chapters a day when we were children. Yes you did, mom! I am enormously grateful now for it because it has become the skin I live in and the air I breathe.
2. Stay in church. She is rock solid about this. I think she was on to something!
3. Give to others. She was and is still always sewing, baking, and cooking things to give away to others, and often times anonymously.
4. Work hard. I think that she's actually a Spartan and just holding out on us! We always had jobs as far back as I can remember. Be punctual, be organized, and do more than good enough!
5. Stand your ground. Right is right and wrong is wrong. That's all there is to it. At least, that's what she used to tell me! Everybody that meets my mom tells me that they are scared of her (no joke!). Never look her in the eye, assume a sideways stance, speak softly, and never run from her! I have personally made the tragic mistake of underestimating her!
6. Keep on moving. Life has dealt our family more than a few devastating blows. Even when I've seen my mom get the wind knocked out of her I always knew that she would pull through for us. She always did whatever she had to do.
7. It's okay to cry sometimes. At times, life is just that hard! Cry your eyes out...but keep on moving!!

Happy Mother's Day, I love you mom!