What's a trillion?

I'm convinced most people have no concept of just how much a trillion dollars represents, including those in our government. I was trying to figure out a way to which people might be able to relate, and I came up with the idea of figuring how much distance a trillion dollars would cover if one dollar bills were placed end to end. The following is what I came up with.

A dollar bill measures 6 1/8 inches long. There are 10,344.5 dollars in a mile. One million dollars translates to 96.7 miles. One billion dollars comes to 96,669+ miles. One trillion dollars would extend a whopping 96,669,728 miles. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOLLAR BILLS CIRCLING THE EARTH 3866 TIMES!! Our government is projecting a $9 trillion deficit in 10 years. That is absolute madness.
(posted by Ken)

Yard sale findings

As some of you know, my beloved wife Bev, loves yard sales and I sometimes reluctantly accompany her. I figure if I'm there, I might as well see if there is anything I can use. I usually head for the books since there are some good bargains occasionally. One of my most recent acquisitions was a book titled "MISTAKEN IDENTITY". It's a book about the Taylor University students and staff that were involved in a horrific traffic accident that killed 5 of them. A mistake was made in identifying two of the students who were similar in appearance. One of the two survived although barely. The book tells of the horrors the two families went through, one burying who they thought was their daughter while the other spent weeks beside the hospital bed of who they thought was their daughter. You can imagine the emotions of both families when they realized the truth 5 weeks later.

This was covered extensively by the media at the time. I recall hearing about it but didn't follow the story. I found the book spiritually uplifting after reading how these two families dealt with everything and still praised the Lord through it all. I admit I wiped a tear of two when reading about their experience. If any of you, like me, didn't follow the events at the time it happened, I highly recommend this book.
(Posted by Ken)
week

Book from the past

I recently received a book that once belonged to my grandfather on my dad's side of the family. It's titled "Miller Manning or, a Story of Cornish Life". The book with it's torn cover and yellowing pages was published in England in 1881. I thought it would be interesting to read since my grandparents came from Cornwall England. I found the language to be very entertaining though a little challenging to read. The book is a biography of a man who was a miller by trade. He was converted to Christianity and became a Methodist and traveled around holding bible meetings in barns and kitchens. Men who did this were called "rounders". These Methodists were looked down on by the established Church of England and often accused of being controlled by Satan. They were told since they had no training in Hebrew and Greek they weren't qualified to present the word of God. Also, they were told the only proper place to worship was in the temples. Walter Manning pointed out that if that were the case Jesus would have been born in a temple instead of a manger. Walter went on to have a fruitful ministry in spite of the opposition.

Part of what made this book interesting to me is because I've heard my grandfather had done some preaching similar to this in England. I would have liked to talk to him about his experiences.

The front of the book has dates written of when my grandparents were born, when they were married, my grandmother's maiden name and when they sailed for the united states. Also, there is a clipping from the newspaper announcing Bev's and my marriage license some 57 years ago. I'm pleased to have had this come into my possession after so many years.

Posted by Ken

Another good read

Whenever I read an exceptionally good book I like to let others know about it. I just finished reading "Against Medical Advice" by James Paterson & Hal Friedman. It's a true story about Cory Friedman, put in his own words by the authors. Cory has been afflicted since age 5 with Tourette's syndrome and OCD. The book tells of the struggles and trials he and his family went through as a result of his affliction. I had a diffacult time putting the book down. I normally average about two weeks to read a book but this one took 4 days. Not only was it entertaining but it has given me new insight into this affliction.
(Posted by Ken}

Date 'night'

Thanks to Christmas gift certificates, we had a fun afternoon yesterday. We met friends, Joyce and Maynard, for lunch at a favorite terriyaki place, Tokyo Stop - (thanks, Cath), then saw a fun movie, "Bedtime Stories" (thanks , Katie and Mica). Actually, both gifts were for Ken, but he says they were for him to treat his favorite girl! The movie was really good - imaginative, and funny, we really enjoyed it, and think you all will too - guys and gals, old and young.

During the evening, sipping a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream, I browsed through the NFL Cookbook (thanks, Amy and Dan) and found some tempting recipes to try. A nice surprise about the book - it benefits food banks! That makes it extra special in my book.

And speaking of giving, please remember Zimbabwe. With incredible suffering, and starvation, Campus Crusade has collected tons of food, and just lacks freight charges to get it to the people there. If you can help -(even $1 feeds a family!)- go online at give.ccci.org
or call: 1-888-278-7233.
Thanks for letting me slip in that commercial, and share my heart.

Snow casualty

The month of December has given us a record breaking snowfall of over 60". As a result there have been several buildings with flat roofs that have collapsed, including the gym at our church shown above. It collapsed at 4:00 in the morning. We are thankful that it was at a time when no one was there. That evening there would have been a group of kids using the gym. I can't help but think God was in the timing. There could have been serious injuries or even deaths if it had happened when occupied. Services have been suspended temporarily in our building but the Seventh Day Adventest church across the street has kindly allowed us to use their facilities until we are able to be back in ours.

Winter Wonderland

We finally dug out from our record snowfall, and then again - and again- as we got 30" in two days! Buses, mail, and newspaper delivery stopped, even the mall closed. Cathie couldn't get home -or even out of our driveway- so she spent 2 nights, and was a Godsend as she and Ken put in 3 sessions of snow blowing and shoveling, for 6 hours total the first day, and then 2 or 3 times the next day. I conveniently came down with a cold and was denied the fun.

You have to admit it's beautiful, though, especially today with the sun so bright.

Wishing you all a white Christmas, even if you have to come to Spokane to get it!