Matsu’s World: The One Less Traveled

Today is Easter Sunday. To celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I attended my church’s sunrise service. The photo shows the rising sun which I captured with my cell phone after the service.

As I sit here, watching my son play baseball, I can’t help but feel like I did on Sunday, August 27th, 2006. On that day 49 people lost there lives when Delta Flight 5191 crashed on take-off at the local airport. While I did not personally know anyone on that flight, I still went through a time of mourning for those who died and their families’ loss. That afternoon my son had a baseball game. Most of the parents that day were quiet and somber as our boys played. Any talking among parents was usually quiet exchanges of what we knew or had heard from friends or relatives that worked at the airport or were with the local emergency services.

So, today I once again sit quietly as my son plays the game thinking of tragedy and the suffering of people I did not know but grieve for nonetheless. Working in higher education I feel a connection with Virginia Tech. Also, I know a couple of the I.T. staff who work there. I met them at a SANS conference several years ago. I was impressed by their technical competence and understanding of computer security. At this point, I have no reason to believe they were victims in today’s shootings. I hope they weren’t.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the faculty, staff, and students of VA Tech. I know their pain and grief is beyond my comprehension, but I still grieve with them. We all feel their loss today.

For about twelve years I have stayed home and taken vacation leave the week that my children were out of school for spring break. This year was no different. The first couple of days we stayed in town so I could catch up on a few home projects. Then, last Wednesday, my son and I headed for a cabin in the mountains where we spent a few days. At that point I went totally offline since we had no Internet access. It was really nice.

I decided to stay offline on Sunday (yesterday) since it was Easter and that day holds such an important meaning to me, my family, and my church. I’m glad I did.

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the modern life (television, phones, Internet, etc.) was wonderful. It’s good to get away and go offline at least a couple of times a year.

Today, I go back to work and reconnect to the Internet. Now, I am trying to get caught up on all that I missed last week. I’m sure it wasn’t much.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. This year, I decided to look at the lighter side of this day that many people celebrate with parades, songs, and in Ireland, toasts.

Here are a few of the more interesting toasts that I’ve found:

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.

There are good ships,
and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.

May you live to be a hundred years,
with one extra year to repent.

God bless all those that I love;
God bless all those that love me;
God bless all those that love those that I love,
And all those that love those that love me.

Here’s to your coffin…
May it be built of 100 year old oaks,
which I will plant tomorrow…

‘Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!’
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

May your day be as lovely as a shamrock.

No, this is not about James Cameron discovering Jesus as his Savior and becoming a Christian. Instead, it’s about his assertion that he has literally found Jesus, or what he thinks remains of his body.

If you live in America or if you’ve been reading the American news on the Internet you may have seen a story that took place today in New York City. The movie director, James Cameron, has made a documentary that according to him proves that the skeletal remains of Jesus were found buried in a stone casket near Jerusalem.

If this is news to you, then you can see the video of one news report here.

To make matters worse, Mr. Cameron claims that not only did he find the remains of Jesus’ body, but he also found Mary, his wife, and their son, Judah. To prove it, he’s run DNA tests and conducted statistical analysis and believes he can definitely prove it was Jesus that was buried in that stone casket. Hmmmm.

To read a serious response to Mr. Cameron’s claims, read Ben Witherington’s post.