The Old Is New Again

Spend some time observing and you will find that "vintage" is cool.  There are vintage pieces of furniture, cars, and so on.  Is there something about the simplicity and workmanship of items from the past that makes us long for the "good old days."

In part because of my own love of "vintage," I have taken up a hobby that connects my past, the past, and vintage technology.

I attempt to restore old tube type radios.  That word attempt is key.  At this point in my career, I am not always successful.

Not much in the way of equipment is necessary.  A few hand tools, solder, some electronic parts, a little know-how, and a VERY sympathetic spouse is required.  My garage is getting smaller due to all the vintage gear it now holds.

My hobby connects my past because in high school, I took Radio-TV repair.  I wanted to be a TV man. Those were the final days before solid state televisions, and certainly big screen LED's. I enjoyed tinkering with those big metal chassis and orange glowing vacuum tubes.  I really planned a career in electronics- but God had another plan for my life.  That's another story.

My hobby connects the past, because I am dealing with vintage technology.  Look at some old radios- wooden cabinets, metal cabinets, bakelite, and even plastic and you can see artistry, style, and taste.  Somehow the electronic devices of today often look drab and similar.  Each of those old radios had individual character.  What's more- they were made to be fixed- unlike so much of today's electronic items which are just tossed when they cease to operate.

Vintage technology is part of the mix because vacuum tubes just sound different.  Ask any guitar player today who knows his stuff, and he or she will likely tell you that they think tube amps sound so much better, warmer, and real than modern solid state stuff.

Real radios glow in the dark.  That's romantic....

So imagine my thrill when I read this article recently: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/05/return-of-the-vacuum-tube.html.  It reports that seemingly obsolete vacuum tube technology is finding use in space exploration.

The old is new....again.

That just warms my heart.

Anything Wrong With This Picture?

Tattoo artist Drew Blaisdell, 46, tattoos Pastor Steve Bentley at Serentity Tattoo that is located in Bentley's church, The Bridge, in Flint Mich. (RNS PHOTO/Mandi Wright/USA Today)

Revitalize Your Church: Small Town Pastor Cleans Up Abandoned Neighborhood...

Our church history reading group was discussing this week how the early church expanded so rapidly.  It was, in part, due to its willingness to care for the sick and societal outcasts.  "See how they love one another" was one outsider's comment.

That is why this news items resonates.  Our most powerful Christian apologetic is not our cleverly reasoned arguments, but our willingness to "love one another."

Check it out:

Revitalize Your Church: Small Town Pastor Cleans Up Abandoned Neighborhood...: Kudos to Pastor Dan Lemke, who understands that loving God ought to be translated into practical acts of kindness and community transformati...

How Well Said!

Every now and then, someone comes along and says something so well, there is little to add.  This is how I feel about this video.  I rarely do so, but I encourage the reader to pass this along.  The argument is well framed and stated.

He may be a Lutheran, but he sure sounds like a historic Baptist!

I applaud Rev. Harrison and his courageous statements.

Do These Go Together?

Don't know why, but this sign I saw struck me as a bit odd.

Football, Faith, Tebow and Trivia

I am impressed with Tim Tebow.  He seems to represent Christianity well.  It is time that we had a "celebrity" who truly lived out his or her Christian faith without phoniness and shallowness.
I am praying that he will stay true to this faith and not fall.  He has been put up on a higher level, so his fall would be great.  Then the skeptics could say, "Yeah, I told you; he's just like the rest of those hypocrites."


I noticed that the mayor of Pittsburg lost a bet with the mayor of Denver, so he had to wear a Tebow jersey while "Tebowing."  The one thing that bothers me about it is wondering if Tim (and others) are doing this in part, to be seen.  Jesus had a specific warning against that type of display.  (Matthew 6:1)


I discovered some amazing trivia about Tim Tebow: 


His favorite Bible verse is John 3:16. In his playoff win against the Steelers, he threw for 316 yards. His average yards per completion was 31.6 yards. The Neilson rating system had the game in the fourth quarter at a 31.6 share.

Now get this:  The referees who called the game were named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  And finally, according to his link, Witches are casting spells against him to end his season.


I pray for Tebow.  May he stand strong in his faith...and his football.

Enough To Make Me Rethink My Ebook Reader (Not!)

Try this with you Kindle or Nook!