One of a Kind

Elizabeth "Freddie" VanderSchaaf passed away on Thursday, March 19. Pastor Bob and myself had the honor of officiating at her memorial service on Saturday evening. You can read her obituary and see a video tribute at this link. This what I shared at the service.

Freddie was a connector. She loved her God, she loved her family and she loved people. But she didn’t want to just meet people and exchange pleasantries, she wanted to connect. She wanted to get to know you, to find out about your family, what you do, where you’re from. And hundreds of other questions! Chances are that if you’ve lived in Cedar Rapids for more than ten years, Freddie knew you.

Sometimes Freddie’s inquisitiveness went too far or got her in trouble. Bill Halderman tells this story about his first encounter with Freddie.

We had been attending New Covenant for a few months when one of the Sundays my wife Marilyn didn’t attend. I found a seat in front of Freddie and Howard next to a friend of 40 years. Giving Adel a hug as we always do when we see each other. After the service Freddie asked me if this was my wife. I told her she was my second wife we were members of the Mormon Church before coming to New Covenant. At that point she was speechless! Not wanting to offend us she just said, “we are glad you’re here.”

And when a relationship or connection wasn’t working out quite right, or as she expected, Freddie would call me. It was such a visit over 15 years ago in my office at church, that our relationship changed. Freddie (and Howard, they always traveled together) set up an appointment and came in to see me. She shared about a hurt, I listened, offered to help, and a friendship was born.

Looking back, that was the day that I became adopted into the VanderSchaaf family. I know many of you know what I mean, because you were adopted too!

Everyone needs a friend who believes the best about you. Who only sees your strengths. And even when you make a mistake or let them down, they overlook the offense and come to your defense.

Freddie was one of those people to me. She gave me far too much credit and overlooked way too many of my weaknesses. She would introduce me to those outside New Covenant this way - “Come here, I want you to meet one of my favorite pastors!” She always introduced me with such pride. I always a little embarrassed and wondered what other people thougth! How many pastors does she have? Does she have some she doesn’t like?

But I came to understand that Freddie had all kinds of favorites! Favorite oldest grandson, favorite middle grandson, favorite youngest granddaughter, favorite oldest son, favorite youngest son, favorite youth pastor, favorite male soloist .... on and on. And of course she had her favorite husband, Howard!

But that was Freddie! She was a one-of-a kind! A big smile always greeted her friends. Freddie loved to connect with old friends and make new ones. Today, might the many memories we have of Freddie be an encouragement to live our lives for eternity – to love God, to love our family and to love people.

Pray for Fargo

Please pray for Fargo, North Dakota as they prepare and brace for the worst flood in their history. Fargo, our hopes, prayers and volunteers are with you this weekend.

March 27 Update
Residents in this city of 92,000 had been scrambling in subfreezing temperatures to pile sandbags along the river and spent much of Thursday preparing for a crest of 41 feet, only to have forecasters late in the day add up to 2 feet to their estimate.

The National Weather Service said in its follow-up statement that the Red was expected to crest between 41 and 42 feet by Saturday, but could reach 43 feet. It said water levels could remain high for three days to a week — a lengthy test of on-the-fly flood control.

The first estimate sparked urgency among thousands of volunteers in Fargo. The second shook their spirits.

Hydrologists are now estimating that the Red River will crest at 43 feet, over three feet past the previous high-water mark. After watching a similar catastrophic flood in Cedar Rapids and then an unprecedented national financial melt-down, I thinks it's safe to say that we are living in unusual times. You can throw your risk assessment, flood plain maps, and future predictions based on historical trend analysis out the window!

Here's the bottom line. We live in a world that is very unpredictable and full of risk. The harder we try to tame our environment and reduce risk, the harder it pushes back. This world is not our home. All of creation is groaning under the weight of sin, waiting for redemption. Our world is fraught with risk and danger. We will only know real peace and security when we shed this body to get to our true home in heaven.

In the mean time, pray for those who are going through lifes trials. And when possible, lend a hand and be the body of Christ in word and deed. And realize that even lifes unpredictable events do not take God by surprise ... and we shouldn't be surprised either. In this life we should come to anticipate and welcome the unpredictable, asking God to use it all for His glory.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you particpate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Welcome To The Digital World

In case you haven't noticed, the newspaper business is undergoing a rapid transition. According to a survey published by the Pew Research Center in December 2008, 40 percent of respondents said the Internet was a prime source for national and international news. Only 35 percent said the same about newspapers. That’s a steep rise from 2007, when just 24 percent relied on the Internet more than newspapers.

So, for the first time in history, more people turned to online for their news instead of turning the pages to their favorite newspaper. And this is just the beginning. Newspapers are in a free fall.

As of today the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is a 100% online publication, with the final print run of its paper edition already complete. The Post-Intelligencer's revenues from both sales and advertising have fallen so much that the paper had a loss of $14 million last year. The Hearst Corporation was forced to close the paper's printed edition, making it the largest newspaper in the U.S. to go 100% online.

In addition to the Rocky Mountain News that folded in February, here is a list of others newspapers that 24/7 Wall St says is most likely to go out of business next. The Philadelphia Daily News, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Miami Herald, Detroit News, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Daily News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Our own Cedar Rapids Gazette is in the process of laying off 100 employees and has repackaged the print edition in an effort to reinvent itself. I hope they make it. This is not for the faint at heart.

For me, I enjoy sitting down to read my morning newspaper with a cup of coffee. But here's the problem. By the time the paper is printed and delivered to my door step the news is already old! I've already read much of the news the day before online.

I get major headlines as well as local news via RSS feeds on My.Yahoo.com homepage. The best of both worlds for me will be when The Gazette begins to publish a Kindle edition. Delivered right to my Kindle each morning, the news will be up to date. There's no reason why breaking stories couldn't even be delivered to me throughout the day! No more hunting around in my bushes by the door on a cold winter morning for the news. I will be able to enjoy it with a good cup of coffee while I sit in my favorite chair.

Steve Rubel is a guy that understands the digital domain. Here is what he has to say!

"By January 2014 I will wager that in the US almost all forms of tangible media will either be in sharp decline or completely extinct. I am not just talking about print, but all tangible forms of media - newspapers, magazines, books, DVDs, boxed software and video games."

Wow! Quite a statement. Here is what Steve has to say about the Kindle and the impact that it will have on print media.

"The Kindle, like the iPod, is an emerging critical mass device that actually encourages people to pay for content rather than get it for free. When Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, people were skeptical that people would shell out cash for music they could snag for free from file sharing networks. They did. The same was true when Apple, and later others, rolled out movies. However, today millions rent or buy movies online."

"The Kindle offers a similar experience in a much larger market - text. This one is tougher to monetize. In the digital age books have managed to remain premium content. However, beyond books, magazine and newspaper content is available in abundance online for free. Yet, I still believe that people will pay to receive some of their favorites on their Kindles or their Kindle-enabled phones. Meet them there now while you can."

"So, media companies, please jump in now. Embrace the Kindle. Subsidize it. Create value-added content for it, such as e-books. Or even partner with advertisers to offer advertorials. This could be your last shot at getting people to pay for your content. Don't miss the next iPod."

The news is not going away. It's here to stay. But the way it's delivered is undergoing a profound change. All of us will be impacted in one way or another. A new age is being ushered in. Printing press, welcome to the digital world.

It's A New World

I've now owned the Kindle 2 for one week and I thought I would post some of my impressions and thoughts on this Amazon electronic book reader.

• It looks bigger in the photos. In person, it's remarkably small and light weight. Measuring only 1/3 inch thick and 10 ounces, it's easy to hold and tote around. The actual reading screen is 4.75" by 3.5".
• It so easy and enjoyable to read! The electronic ink technology is incredible. I've read several hours at a time with no eye strain or fatigue! And the 16 shades of grey render fantastic graphic images.
• There are all kinds of free books online in the public domain. I've already read G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy and am currently working on The Man Who Was Thursday. I've downloaded The Prince, The Brothers Karamozov, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Divine Comedy, Tremendous Trifles, the ESV Bible and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - all for free! You can't beat that.
• I'm reading more and I'm reading a wider variety of literature. If I'm interested in a book or get a recommendation, I download a sample copy of book to my Kindle and try it out. And the large variety of good titles in public domain have opened up new reading options.
• I'm a person who marks and underlines when I read. The Notes and Highlight feature of the Kindle is nothing short of awesome. You really need to see it to believe it. Mark the text or passage you like, push the five-way button and it's saved in a My Clippings file. Add a note annotation if you like and it's saved too. Connect the Kindle to your computer via a USB cable and you can download all you notes and highlights in a text format document. No more retyping favorite passages to share with others! The Kindle does it all for you.
• I love the live dictionary look-up function. Chesterton uses several words a page that I've never heard of. No problem! Just put the cursor in front of the word in question and the definition pops up at the bottom of the screen. I've already looked up more words in a week than I have in the past ten years combined!
• Want more information on a word or topic? No need to get out of your chair to go to the computer. Just fire up the Kindle's browser and it takes you directly to Wikipedia. Or you can open up Google and surf the web! It works great in a pinch. The Sprint EVDO network is at your disposal for no additional fee or charge.
• Have you ever tried to find that favorite passage or note in a book? With the Kindle, you can search your entire library, a particular book or your notes and highlights! Very cool! Add key works or tags and you have a powerful search tool.
• I enjoy skimming through a book before I read it. The Kindle makes this a little harder to do this. You can always jump directly to the Table of Contents, a particular chapter, bookmark or the last place you read. But it's not quite the same. All things considered, this is a small price to pay for the additional features the Kindle gives me.
• Do I miss the experience of holding an analog, printed book in my hands? Not at all. I can set the Kindle down on my lap and not have to worry about trying to keep the pages open.
• I'm looking forward to being able to subscribe to the Kindle edition of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Steve Buttry, the former Gazette editor, wrote on a recent "live blog" that the Kindle edition is in development and they hope to release it in the near future. Kindle editions don't have coupons, ads, or crossword puzzles. But they usually contain the same content as the printed or online editions. And for around $5 a month, you can't beat it!
• I'm enjoying the ESPN - The Baseball Report blog. It's delivered to my Kindle each morning and then updated throughout the day. I can get the same thing at my computer, but it's fun reading the blog while sitting in my favorite chair! It's a great price at 99 cents a month!
• The price is right for Kindle books. I recently purchased and read The Survivors Club. It retails for $27. Amazon sells it for $14.81 online. I purchased the Kindle edition for $9.99. I'm hoping that over the course of the next few years that the Kindle editions will drop in price. Currently, 10% of Amazon's total book sales are for Kindle editions. This is just the beginning of the growth curve. In the not too distant future, a paper book will be as unusual to find as a music CD is today.
• I love being able to carry around a library of books in a device that weighs under one pound! I just throw it in my bag or carry it with me as I go to an appointment or meeting. In an instant, I have access to various Bible translations, Bible study reference materials, current books that I'm reading, books that I have enjoyed reading and want to share with others, and many other books that I hope to begin reading some day.

Well, there you have it! Is the Kindle right for everyone. Absolutely not. You must be a reader to justify the expense. At $360, the up-front cost price is steep. But for the person who reads thirty plus books a year, the Kindle is a very viable option.

A special "thank you" to the several friends who made surprise contributions to my Kindle fund! I'm having a blast reading, experimenting, and exploring on my new Kindle! It's a new world!

World Champs

The baseball world is in shock. The Netherlands baseball team beat the highly esteemed Dominican Republic team twice in four days to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

The Dominican Republic is often referred to as the "The Republic of Baseball." Not Tuesday night. Not this year. The Dominican team, which was a pre-tournament favorite to win it all, went home in shame.

The 2-1 extra inning victory and elimination of the Dominicians is being hailed as the biggest upset in baseball history! Consider the following:

• 23 members of the Dominician team are on a major league roster, compared to only two from the Dutch team
• The major league salaries of the Dominican team total $84 million compared to $400,000 for the Dutch team

"I don't have big names, but I've got some long names," Netherlands coach Rod Delmonico joked. Names like Van Klooster, Duursma, and Stuifbergen. Good grief, I can't even pronounce them.

“It’s a miracle,” Delmonico exclaimed. “That’s all I can tell you. Our guys came together as a team, and miraculously we won. It’s not because we’re better than they are. They’re one of the best teams in the world. Collectively we just played hard, and it happened. I can’t tell you. Other than it’s a miracle.”

"I've been in this game for so many years and in so many leagues, and just when you think you've seen it all, you're proven wrong," said Dominican Republic manager Felipe Alou. "We've seen something happen we never could have imagined."

Something that could never be imagined happened Tuesday night. A miracle was witnessed by an entire stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The ecstatic Dutch players, who are known as honkballers in their home country, piled onto the field to celebrate the stunning win. For one brief moment in time, the team from the Netherlands was world champs!

Renewal

Sharon and I have been enjoying Sanibel Island, Florida for the past week. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! You can click on the picture above to see a slide show. We are staying with my dad on the island. He has cooked our evening dinners for us, it's almost like having our personal chef!

We are within walking/biking distance of the ocean and beach! The weather has been in the 70's so we have spent a lot of time outside. This past week I walked 21 miles and biked 37 miles! Sharon and I started each day with an early morning beach walk of 4 miles. What a great way to start your day!

I have been mostly unplugged this past week, making it very relaxing. We went to two spring training baseball games. There's nothing like watching baseball in February when it's 70 degrees in Florida and 10 degrees in Iowa! Sharon and I are working our way through the TrueFaced Experience guide, and we've had good conversations each afternoon in a local park or coffee shop over the topics of trust and grace.

We've also enjoyed evening walks on the beach at sunset, bike riding, extend times in the Word and times praying together. I read two books and have had fun capturing some photos of our week. It's been a great vacation. But better yet, it has been a wonderful time of recreation, refreshment and renewal.