I received an email from Montana’s Senator Max Baucus. You know, the one that helped cram down the multi-trillion dollar “health care” bill down our throats.  Anyway, I use Mozilla Thunderbird as my e-mail client (program).  And, guess what!  Thunderbird thinks that the e-mail from Max Baucus may be a SCAM!!  Yup, Thunderbird is a pretty smart program, but be careful if you decide to “Ignore the Warning”!

Click on the screen shot for a larger view.

I spotted this one off in an area by itself.  When I saw this little bush, I though it had a very spiritual concept behind it.

Its job is to bear fruit.  Not to look pretty, or hang around other bushes that are bearing fruit, but to do what it was created to do… Bear Fruit!

In our walk with the Lord, do we bear fruit?  Is it our life purpose to bear fruit for the kingdom?  Or, do we like to look pretty, hang around those that also look pretty… even in church?!

¹⁵“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)

What kind of fruit are we producing?  Do we live our lives like the false prophets, full of show, but inwardly dead? Or are we bearing good fruit for the kindom?  Are we the real thing? Or when it is all over, will be be thrown into the fire?

- John

On a very starry night, love was in the air!

Thirteen years ago today, on a cloudy night (actually early morning, or last night after midnight), on the dock at Ashley Lake, near Kalispell, MT, the Lord parted the clouds for a brief moment just for us.  I dropped on my knee, took Carol’s hand, and nervously asked her to marry me.

With each of us in the other’s arms, God’s glory shown with the heavens ablaze.  It was magnificent!  A short time later, the clouds again closed up the sky.

Thank you Carol for saying yes; and I would do it again in a second!

I Love You Carol,

John

The Mandelbrot Set Fractal

A couple of months ago, Desire’ (my daughter) and I were playing with a program called “Fraqtive“.  It is a simple program that enables one to crawl around in the Mandelbrot fractal.  Over the past years, I have found it fascinating to be able to dive further and further inside the Mandelbrot Set as computing power increased.  At this particular time, when Desire’ and I were exploring, Carol (my wife) was watching.  I commented to here something like, “Fractals prove there is God”, or some such thing.  Anyway, I believe these simple, infinite mathematical pieces of art show God’s workmanship.  Look at what we found hidden deep inside the Mandelbrot Fractal (The Picture Below).

Recently, I gave Carol the book, “The Shack“.  She became engrossed in it.  I travel around the state a lot, so I purchased “The Shack” in audio form to listen to while I travel.  Wow, what a book, and it sure makes you think.  While listening to the book, Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) shows Mack (the main character) a messy, fractal garden.

Papa then arrives. Mack says how, though the garden is a mess, he somehow feels strangely comfortable in it. Papa and Sarayu smile at each other. Sarayu says, “And well you should, Mackenzie, because this garden is your soul—this mess is you! Together, you and I, we have been working with a purpose in your heart. And its wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems messy, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive—a living fractal.” Mack crumbled. He looked at his garden and it really was a mess, but incredible and wonderful at the same time.

I encourage you to read “The Shack”.  It will challenge your theology.  What ever you think of the book, the fact is, God is passionately in love with you and wants the deepest relationship with you!  For the real story, read your Bible.

Yes, when I see fractals, I see the fingerprint of God, and He has placed His fingerprints EVERYWHERE!

Click on the picture to see a larger view. Then, right click and select "save as" to download it for wallpaper for your computer desktop.

A Cattle Drive In Montana

It is spring time in Montana and the ranchers are moving their cattle.  As I travel across this beautiful state, I frequently come across cattle drives.  This was a large one and whenever traffic started to make headway through the drive, the cattle sped up also, and made our achievement, null and void.

J.J.'s Drawing On The Magna Doodle

The above photo is a picture J.J. drew on his Magna Doodle.  Very good J.J.!

Don't Park In My Spot!

OK now, for all you A.D.A. experts out there, this one takes things to the extreme.  OK, OK, we won’t park there! Actually, it is a dog kennel that is for sale.

Those Fake Branches Are Ruining My View.

This one is really wild.  Oh, I want to live in the mountains of Montana, AND I wasn’t my precious cell phone, but don’t you dare put up a tower to ruin my view!  So, let’s put some fake branches on it and ruin a wider portion of the view!  (BTW, being a Ham Radio Operator, in my opinion, a tower never ruins the view, IT IS THE VIEW.)

John

Click to see Susan Boyle on "Britain's Got Talent"

I love a good “under dog” story. Here is a true one that is incredibly amazing.  Susan Boyle, an unmarried, unemployed Scottish woman, was on “Britain’s Got Talent.”  The judges were cynical, the audience was laughing at her, and there were a lot of eye rolling.  That all ended about two seconds after she started to sing.

Click HERE to view this awesome YouTube video.  You must view this video from YouTube’s web site because they don’t allow this one to be embedded on web sites.  You will be inspired when you see it.

John

Click a picture to see more of our snow.

John

Can you read the following sentence?

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.** **
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty  uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig  to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. ** ** **Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on  !!** *

Count every ‘** **F **’ in the following text: **

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS…** *

There are 6 F’s in the above sentence.

It is time to lose an hour of sleep. Set your clocks ahead Saturday evening, March 6 (Actual time, 2:00 a.m. Sunday Morning)  before you go to sleep.