Threads from Henry's Web

Category: Personal

  • My Personality Type

    Lord's Prayer in biblical languages_2135
    Image by hoyasmeg via Flickr

    I don’t actually get personal on this blog all that often, but what is more personal than a personality type? In any case, you can blame it all on that mastermind Joel, who published his type (INTJ), thus causing me to fall into temptation, and try to remember mine.

    I didn’t remember it until I scored the test, and then I said to myself, “Oh, yes. That was me.” (Or was I, in my more grammatical moments. [Query: Can a moment be grammatical?]) So here it is, drum roll please …

    INTJ

    OK, the rational mastermind. Actually, though I always come up that way on the test, I don’t feel much like a mastermind.

    Now here’s the funny part. The Jung Career Indicator suggests that I might go into natural science, natural science education, IT, or computer programming, with an alternative in social services as a lawyer or a librarian. Well, I do own two businesses, one of which does IT, and I do computer programming as a hobby, but my work day is in publishing, and I end up doing a great deal of sales. My training is in Biblical Languages and I often teach.

    Probably I just missed my path way back when I chose a Biblical Languages major in college.

    Nah! I think I’m OK with what I do. Which is why you see the Lord’s Prayer in biblical languages rather than some personality type image at the beginning of this post.

    (And to demonstrate that salesmanship thing, how about a copy of Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord’s Prayer? [How’s that for connections? (So there! {Oh, and don’t try to tell me you weren’t trying to figure out what that image of the Lord’s Prayer was about!})])

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  • Snow

    No, not here in Florida.

    Snow in Ft. Worth!

    That’s our daughter and son-in-law’s front yard near Ft. Worth, Texas. Our granddaughters are enjoying themselves as school is closed.

     

  • Another Ham in the Family

    No, not that kind of ham, a ham radio operator. Congratulations to my nephew Jason who went straight to Amateur Extra class, and is now AE7JH. That makes a total of five Amateur Extra class operators in my immediate family, Mom (Myrtle, WB7OIU, who wanted to keep her old call when she made Amateur Extra), sister Betty (AC2BM), brother Robert (N3AU), nephew Jason (AE7JH), Dad Ray (KT4B), is now a silent key, and I inherited his call sign, when I got my Amateur Extra class license.

    Jason presented his license to his father as a Christmas present, and I understand that it was great fun for all concerned.

  • Flowers from My Dog Walking

    I don’t usually post pictures because I’m not a very visual person and I’m definitely not a photographer. But I enjoyed using my Palm Centro phone to take pictures of a few flowers I saw while walking my dog. He’s getting a bit older, so the walk is only about a third of a mile, but here are the pictures I took yesterday.

    Flowers 1 Flowers 2 Flowers 3
    Flowers 4 Flowers 5 Flowers 6
    Flowers 7 Flowers 8 Flowers 9
    Flowers 10 Flowers 11

    And sorry, no, I don’t have names for them.

  • My Desk

    People who visit my office, which is in a 12×24 portable building just across the yard, are astounded at the chaos in which I work.  So my readers can be astounded in turn, I thought I’d post a picture.

    My Desk Mid-Use
    My Desk Mid-Use

    That laptop is not my regular work computer which is on a table to the left.  There are an additional eight bookcases around the wall.  This is actually not my most chaotic; it’s rather orderly, in fact.

  • Family Pride and Amateur Radio

    I just got the news that my mother and older sister have passed their Amateur Extra examinations with flying colors. My sister received a 100% grade, making a clean sweep of the exams for her.

    This makes five extra class amateur radio operators in my immediate family:

    Dad – Ray Neufeld – KT4B – silent key (I inherited his call sign)
    Brother – Bob Neufeld – N3AU
    Mother – Myrtle Neufeld – WB7OIU
    Sister – Betty Nick – KC2TZO
    … and little ole me – KT4B (recently changed from KE0OY)

    There’s one more very special thing about this. My mother is 92 years old. I sure hope to be that active and still of such a sound mind when I’m 92!

  • The Privilege of Being a Father

    On previous Father’s Days I have blogged about my own father or about the experience of becoming a stepfather after 40.

    But yesterday and today as I received cards, phone calls, e-mails, and text messages I was thinking about what a privilege it is to be a father and to have some part of guiding and shaping young lives.

    With the privilege, of course, comes an incredible responsibility. I’ve found that one of the great responsibilities is to filter all the ways in which I think I can help with children and grandchildren, and try to say and do only those things that are constructive.

    It is so much easier to be destructive than it is to be constructive. You see, children–indeed families–can take quite a bit of time and effort. When trouble comes, the best course is often to listen and let people work things out. But when you just know the right thing for everyone to do, it’s so hard to keep quiet!

    The fact is that we will all make many mistakes in the process, but I’ve made one observation when looking at my own parents and friends and relatives. It seems that those who simply care, and are willing to take the time, have a great deal of success in spite of mistakes. I know I have been mistaken time after time. I take great comfort from the number of truly wonderful parents I know who also admit to mistakes.

    We’re not any of us perfect, but we can all try. We can all take some time. We can all care. That is both our greatest privilege and greatest responsibilty.

  • Of Making Many Books

    … there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. — Ecclesiastes 12:12 (ASV)

    I think that will be my new theme text.

    With four books in process with release dates varying from this coming week to July, and a very small staff with most work done by contract, I have been working day and night, and thus not blogging here very much. (Those interested in just what I’m publishing should read my business announcements blog.)

    On the other hand, since blogging produces, at the most, a few cents, while publishing books pays the bills, I should be happy. And indeed, I am–tired by happy.

    In the meantime, I’m hoping to get back to blogging a bit more, which is actually one of my forms of relaxation, but next week promises to be rather intense as well.

    A happy Easter to all. If you don’t celebrate, at least enjoy the day off!

  • The 2009 John Webb Winter Golf Tournament

    My stepson John Webb sponsors an annual golf tournament that raises money for the child life program of Sacred Heart Hospital here in Pensacola.

    The first tournament was held in January of 2003, and the next one will be held January 31, 2009. This year, the tournament comes under the sponsorship of John’s new foundation, named the James Webb Foundation in his brother’s honor. He intends to expand the program to include year round fundraising and support for other programs for children facing life-threatening illnesses.

    If you’re in the Pensacola area, come join us. Otherwise, remember these children, or perhaps some in your area.

  • A Double Holiday

    Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, but it is also just a day before my anniversary. Nine years ago, my wife Jody and I joined our lives together. That year it was a Sunday. We chose to have a Sunday wedding, after the church service, and slipped off to our honeymoon. Each Thanksgiving is thus a double holiday at our home.

    I was a 40-something bachelor, and acquired a complete family on the spot. That has now expanded to include five grandchildren, all of whom are wonderful. I occasionally remind my children that I am really a stepfather, and thus totally unbiased. They can take my word for it when I claim that my grandchildren are the greatest ever!

    This will also be the fourth year that we celebrate Thanksgiving and then the Christmas season without our son James. Though absent, he still remains a presence in all that we do. James always had very definite ideas on what should be done at the holidays and didn’t want any corners to be cut.

    Paul tells us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). There are times when it is much harder to rejoice than at other times. Paul similarly tells us a couple of verses later (4:6) not to worry about anything, yet elsewhere (2 Corinthians 2:13) he confesses to worry himself. I wonder if he also managed not to be joyful all the time?

    I say this not to challenge the advice he gives, because I have found that being grouchy or worrying do nothing to solve any problems I may be having. They just sap my strength so that I actually can do less than I could otherwise.

    At the same time, I still worry, and there are times when I don’t rejoice.

    Tomorrow is a day to take the most positive possible attitude. Whether you are religious or not, you can be thankful. Thankfulness isn’t just for the person who is thanked. It helps the person who is doing the thanking. It gives you a moment of positive time, a moment that will be healing for you, if you let it.

    I’m thankful for many things right now. I also have enough stuff that I could go nuts about. But I’m not going to do it. I’m going to enjoy time with my wife, and do some rebuilding of my spirit tomorrow, rejoicing and not worrying, at least as well as I can.