YES...WE BURNED A PIANO

Yes we did!!! We burned that piano.

Believe it or not, this is a long standing military tradition. Particularly an Air Force tradition. It comes from World War II. In England a gentleman who had played the piano at the officer's club had been on a mission over Germany. Well the bad news is, he did not come back. The Brits being somewhat morbid, got a little too many pints in them, and decided that if Ole "So-and-so" could not play the piano...then nobody would. So in honor of "So-and-so", they burned the piano to the ground.

We at the Air Force Academy did not need so many pints, just some lighter fluid, a road-side flare, and permission from the base fire chief.

It really was a lot of fun.

Oh yeah...and we did eat a whole bunch of good Chicken!!

4TH OF JULY HIKING

Over the Fourth of July weekend we did alot of hiking. First we did the very steep and grueling Stanley Canyon on the Air Force Academy. Then on the Fourth we did a portion of the Falcon Trail on the Academy. Below are pictures from our 6-7 mile hike in the Garden of the Gods.

Here are Annika, Nathan and Rebekah at the beginning of the trail.



Here is a good picture of Rebekah through the hole in the "Siamese Twins" rock formation, with Pikes Peak in the background.


Here is Nathan and Rebekah in the "Siamese Twins" rock.



Here is Annika and Rebekah.

COMING HOME

I have nothing cosmic to post today. Only wanted to post a most awesome photo I took of Pikes Peak from one of our wonderful city parks, Palmer Park.

I have been away for almost 3 weeks doing an aircraft mishap investigation...No I can't tell you any gory details. But coming home has been very good. I got to drive across the beautiful flat and scenic central and western Kansas in a convertible. I did get a little sunburnned. Had a most fantastic lunch in the Abilene/Salina area...a part of the state I love!! I have done the Eisenhower half marathon in Abilene twice, and there is a stupendous coffee shop called "Mokka's" in Salina. I drove around Salina with the top down not really caring that it was raining. And the people of Kansas are always so friendly. I even stopped at the Smokey Hill Winery off of I-70 and brought home a couple of samples of Kansas vintage wine, much better than you might expect.

Well I do love to travel, but it is good to be home.



Nice car eh?

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The Finished Product!


The final product is in place and in use. I need to rearrange the shelves a bit, but overall I am pretty happy with it.


I think now it is time for me to get to work on the wall unit that I designed. I will keep you all posted.

HOW NOT TO BUILD A BOOKSHELF

The original bookshelves and me.







About two years ago I built two bookshelves. In moving to Colorado I had to arrange furniture a little differently. As such I have been meaning to build a companion book shelf for the previous two. Maybe it was the snow contributing to a little cabin fever, maybe I am just tired of bending down to the floor to turn on the radio. Either way, I did get motivated to build. The pictures below are a photo essay of what I did. I am no professional, I am less than a novice when it comes to wood working. But I am having fun, and I think I will enjoy the shelf a little more than if I had bought one.


Here is the raw material that needs to be formed and shaped.

Sanding , Sanding and more sanding

They call me the "Sandman", that's my name.

Exhausting work preparing the wood.

Measure twice, assemble once, or maybe measure three or four times. But the assembly process has begun.

A stand-alone shelf begins to emerge from the sawdust and the sweat.

Hannah plays Vanna. I would like to buy a "Dowell"...O.K. bad joke...let's move on the the trim.

If you do not predrill the holes in the trim you will split the wood.

Trim is on...and yes the mitre cuts were not that hard.

I had to match the trim and the stain from the original shelf...Cross your fingers, I think I did o.k. on the stain, the trim will have to be different, the stores in Texas had a wider variety in stock than here in Colorado.

The top trim of the original shelf. If you notice...the book showing on the shelf is the book I am currently reading...The Biography of Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. I am really enjoying the story of this great patriot.

Shameless promotion and consumerism, product placement.

Let the staining begin.

The first coat is on...next coat I am wearing rubber gloves...my hands match the shelf.

2nd coat of stain. Did I mention that it is a "Pecan" stain. It is looking very nice, but after moving it upstairs next to the two original shelves, I decided a third coat would be needed. So after the third coat has cured, I will move it into place tomorrow and I will put a finished product photo on the blog. Thanks for bearing with me in this project. Come back tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS & BIRTHDAY

Hannah's 16th birthday party. We had a wonderful time at a nice restaurant.

All four kids were home for Christmas. From left to right Hannah, Nathan, Rebekah, and Annika.

FAMILY REUNION

Well Christmas is looking like Christmas. Rebekah arrived home on Monday and Nathan came in late Friday. Leben ist recht,und Gott ist Gut.



I will post a new picture of Nathan a little later. It is hard finding him as he has lost so much weight in boot camp...He looks great.

God bless all and Merry Christmas.

MORE PICTURES FROM MISSOURI

Nathan in front of a military veterans memorial in Cabool, MO.

Nathan on stage during the graduation ceremony, he had to step forward and declare his name rank and home of record. "Private Nathan Rogers, Colorado."

A picture of my Great Great Grandmother's grave stone. The inscription says; "He Giveth His Beloved Sleep" which is a quote a portion of Psalm 127:2

A picture of my Great Great Grandfather's grave stone, showing his service in the civil war which was actually in the 6th Indiana Infantry, Company A, not the 5th. His first name was "Gameliel", but most people called him 'G'.

NATHAN AFTER BOOT CAMP

Here as promised are some pictures of Nathan After boot camp.

Nathan in formation.

You may be wondering about the grave marker behind Nathan in the picture. Well my Great Great Grandfather and Grandmother are buried in Cabool, MO just about 45 miles from the Army base where Nathan did his boot camp. I thought since I had never seen it I would take Nathan there and show him some of his past. My ancestor in the picture lived from 1838-1923, fought in the civil war and was a circuit riding preacher after the war.

I had a wonderful time getting to see Nathan as he finished this milestone in his life. While there he lost 40 pounds and was quite exhausted. He looked great. More to come.

NATHAN's TRANSFORMATION

The above picture is a "Before" picture of Nathan at his enlistment ceremony in August. He has been away at boot camp for sime time in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Tomorrow I will drive across the great state of Kansas and into Missouri to attend his graduation from boot camp. From there he will go to Fort Gordon, Georgia to attend AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) or as we call it in the Air Force; Technical Training. he will be studying Sattelite Equipment Repair. His school should last until next October when he will come home to Colorado Springs and be assigned to a unit at Fort Carson, Colorado. From there he will begin a two track career...College and Army National Guard duty. I am excited to see what the Army has done with my son in the three months he has been in their care. When I get back I will post an "After" picture.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

In honor of Fathers Day, I put a picture of my four wonderful kids. These four people have been a tremendous blessing to me since their birth. God's true gift to a father is the love of his children. I will be on the road for fathers day visiting my own father in Eastern Kansas, so I will not be posting anything new this weekend, but I will try to put the next installment of the London Confession up when I get back.

Happy Fathers Day to all of you dads out there...count your blessings. For those of you who are not fathers, give thanks for the dad he has given you. At the very least thank God for the Father that your Heavenly Father is to us. He is all we need, even if we are without an earthly Father, our Father in Heaven is there for us at all times.

God bless you all

Jeff

MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES

[Pictures of our Memorial day hike on the "waldo Canyon" trail. One is a view of Pikes Peak. Another with three of my kids who accompanied me on the hike; Nathan, Hannah and Annika. The last is a shot of some Colorado wildflowers along the trail.]





On Memorial Day, besides grilling my famous chicken, me and my kids went hikhing. The mountiains in the srping are very beautiful. The photos give you a glimpse of the awesome beauty of our creator.

MY CONFESSION

As I have moved from place to place in recent years, I have had the exciting privilege of being queried by the new people I meet and the new churches I have attended as to what I believe. Often times when my personal understanding of the bible did not exactly line up with what they believed and taught I was taken to task, and even accused of believing heresy. The charge of heresy is strong and often when challenged those making the charge have backed down. But It happened and I wonder if maybe I am just not very skilled in explaining what I believe.

For the most part, my understanding of the bible lines up very very very closely to the London Baptist Confession of 1644. I do not see this confession in any way as on a par with the bible, but it is a very concise easy to read well referenced explanation of what seven Baptist churches in the middle seventeenth century believed. I want to post portions of this confession and open them to discussion to any who would take issue, or even just want to affirm the tenets outlined.

Please know that even in this confession I reserve the right to clarify my position in respect to its closeness to the statements written 363 years ago. I hope you enjoy this string as I find these truths to be very encouraging and strengthening to me.


I will start with the introduction and item number 1.

London Baptist Confession of 1644
________________________________________
A CONFESSION OF FAITH of seven congregations or churches of Christ in London, which are commonly, but unjustly, called Anabaptists; published for the vindication of the truth and information of the ignorant; likewise for the taking off those aspersions which are frequently, both in pulpit and print, unjustly cast upon them. Printed in London, Anno 1646.

But this I confesse unto thee, that after the way which they call heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers, beleeving all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets, and have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust. - Acts xxiv. 14, 15.

For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard. - Acts iv. 20.

If I have spoken evill, bear witnesse of the evill; but if well, why smitest thou me? - John xviii. 23.

Blessed are yee when men revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake. Rejoice, etc. - Matth. v.11, 12. & xix. 29.


I.
That God as He is in Himself, cannot be comprehended of any but himself
(1) dwelling in that inaccessible light, that no eye can attain unto, whom never man saw, nor can see; that there is but
(2) one God, one Christ, one Spirit, one Faith, one Baptism;
(3) one rule of holiness and obedience for all Saints, at all times, in all places to be observed.

1) 1 Tim. 6:16
2) 1 Tim. 2:5; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Cor. 12: 4-6,13; John 14
3) 1 Tim. 6:3,13,14; Gal. 1:8-9; 2 Tim. 3:15

THE STRIPES COME OFF

Another brother in arms from my unit has just retired. In his honor I post an old poem that I wrote for a good friend upon his retirement from the Air Force in 1999. This was also read at my retirement in 2002.

THE STRIPES COME OFF

The stripes come off, the suit goes on, a new life you have begun.
You have fought the fight, you have stayed the course,
a good race you have run.
You pack once more, for a distant shore,
now following a newer course.
Your life now new, you remember still your love for our Air Force.

That love will not fade, for the commitments you made
Were not for self, or gain. You have given much,
You have kept the faith, and have endured much pain.

Many friends you made will miss you dear
And wish you only blessings.
Your service, though often overlooked, was for
A grateful nation.

You have given much, you have served your time,
And now you go your way.
Those who remain will fill your place but still
To them, you have much to say.

Your tour of duty served with pride has taught you much indeed,
We who remain will do our best to live up to YOUR creed.
You take your place among the GREAT, THE NATIONS HALL OF FAME.
Your sacrifice will never be forgotten, our unit never the same.

We hold you now in great esteem,
your service we all admire.
For now you are in superb company,
The UNITED STATES AIR FORCE RETIRED!

MY CHILDREN

MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS

A picture of my three daughters. Taken at a renassaince fair in Norman Oklahoma on my oldest daughters 21st birthday.

From left Annika (13), Rebekah (21), Hannah (15)