Doing an internet search, I found video that she recorded with local news immediately after her return to safety. Looking at the transcripts of the video, I notice that some of it was left out, including this pivotal interaction between the kidnapper and the woman of faith.  She had chatted with him about her young daughter whom she was planning to see the next morning at 10 a.m.  She had lost custody of her daughter because of the drug issues, and worried about her little girl who’s father had been killed a few years before:

So we went back to my house and got in the house. And he was hungry, so I cooked him breakfast. He was overwhelmed with–”Wow,” he said, “real butter, pancakes?”

And I just talked with him a little more, just about–about–we pretty much talked about God . . . what his reason was, why he made it out of there.

I said, “Do you believe in miracles? Because if you don’t believe in miracles–you are here for a reason. You’re here in my apartment for some reason. You got out of that courthouse with police everywhere, and you don’t think that’s a miracle? You don’t think you’re supposed to be sitting here right in front of me listening to me tell you, you know, your reason here?”

I said, “You know, your miracle could be that you need to–you need to be caught for this. You need to go to prison and you need to share the word of God with them, with all the prisoners there.”

Then 9 came. He said, “What time do you have to leave?”

I’m going to condense the story for the sermon, but here is her amazing tale:

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I remember being thirteen and thinking that my fourteenth birthday would never arrive.  I don’t know why 14 was so important, but it seemed like a major milestone at the time.  Now 48 turns into 53 in the blink of an eye, to the point where I sometimes struggle to remember if I’m 52 or 53 this year.  I guess the answer’s pretty obvious if I can’t remember.

This story on National Public Radio gave me a little comfort and confirmed that Grandma was right.

Have you noticed…that when you recall your first kisses, early birthdays, your earliest summer vacations, they seem to be in slow motion?

That’s because when it’s the “first”, there are so many things to remember. The list of encoded memories is so dense, reading them back gives you a feeling that they must have taken forever. But that’s an illusion. “It’s a construction of the brain,” says [neuroscientist David] Eagleman. “The more memory you have of something, you think, ‘Wow, that really took a long time!’

It used to take a full year–three hundred and sixty five days–to go from Christmas to Christmas.  Now I put the decorations away and it seems like I’m getting them out again in just a few months.  Who shortened the year?

And didn’t we just celebrate the turn of the century?

Does time fly for you?

[via NPR]

Saints fans are ‘Aints fans, the people who wear paper bags over their heads but go to the Superdome to watch them play. Saints fans always felt lucky to even have a pro football team, given the smaller size of the city.  But even the grumpy fans bought tickets, gathered faithfully around the TV, and bought the merchandise to keep their beloved and beleagured team in place.

I’m thrilled for the Saints to win the Super Bowl, even though Peyton Manning is a class act and the Colts are a great team and organization.  Maybe it was the sheer willpower of the Louisiana fans, the underdog status of the Saints and the collective sympathy of the nation that made it happen.  I’m happy for the emotional victory it symbolizes for my hometown that has been so deeply burdened since Katrina.

No question–I’m celebrating the win! I just wish life weren’t so competitive in ways that require winners and losers.  If you look beyond competition, there’s usually something good to celebrate even in “losers”.  And Jesus certainly was one who rooted for–and spoke with courage on behalf of–the “losers” of society.  I wonder how different the world could be if Christians were as passionate about faith as we are about football, baseball, basketball or soccer.

I suppose competition is part of human nature.  We feel better about ourselves if we win and you lose.  So maybe football is a reasonable metaphor for life.  We are competitive beings.  We need goals to strive for.  We succeed when we build strong teams.  Let’s just tone down the “I win, you lose” rhetoric.

Wind turbines mounted on roadway lights, powered by the wind of cars rushing past.

I was on a stretch of highway late at night recently where the lights were not working.  There was a snow storm, and I could hardly see beyond my dashboard.  And yet, the power required to light roadways seems like such a waste of energy.  So here’s a solution, at least in theory. Is there any downside, beside light pollution?

[via Engadget]

Actually, Rob, now living in his own apartment, is attempting more home cooking because he can’t afford to eat out as often.  He’ll occasionally call with “how do I do this?”  or “what ingredients do I need for…”   Katie, I think, might starve without takeout.  She has no interest in cooking anything beyond a grilled cheese sandwich.

I understand not feeling confident in the kitchen, but it’s really not hard to cook.  It does take some time, but the effort and energy–and even the clean-up–are soooo worth it.  Sure, I take shortcuts all the time.  But the joy of pulling together a nice meal for family or friends is a wonderful thing.

Cleveland native and food writer Michael Ruhlman wrote a gently sarcastic blog post about the fear of cooking.

[http://blog.ruhlman.com]

Bill became a good friend during my spring journey to the Holy Land.   I joined a small group of travelers from our Holy Land pilgrimage who went with Bill to visit the Bet She’an National Park, an ancient Roman and Egyptian city.  Bill’s enthusiasm for history greatly added to my experience there.

Check out his blogposts through the link provided here.

Walking with God (williamcmills.blogspot.com)

More photos on my Flickr page.

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