Wednesday, November 28, 2018

I Just LIKE to be Barefoot

But it looks like there are plenty of benefits too!

I'd heard that walking barefoot outside is very beneficial, but this video shows much more than I was aware of. I'm going to have to make a point of walking barefoot on earth more often. Though, with winter fast approaching - it was 18° this morning - I may have to wait a bit. Unless I want cold toes.

I have been known to put my bare toes into the snow... (though that was a warm and sunny day and most of the snow had melted except for this little pile right here)

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

An Online Resource for Your Favorite Hobby

Dad's Model RailroadA model railroad can offer hours of amusement and intrigue. People who are fascinated by model railroads may want to devote hours to their hobby and have everything on hand they need to make their models look and sound like the real thing.

When you live in a city that has few if any hobby stores, you might lack the resources you need to transform your model railroad from a beginner's set into one that is more sophisticated and impressive. However, model parts, tracks, city layouts, and model railroading tutorials are available online so you can build and enjoy your model railroad no matter where you live.
If you are just beginning with this hobby, tutorials for how to build the perfect set will give you all the information you need. Learn how to lay out your tracks, what kinds of model trains are best, and what it takes to make your set as sophisticated as possible. The website offers dozens of tutorials that you can read that will help you make your train set all the better. The tutorials are written by people who have sets of their own and have devoted hours to perfecting what theirs look and sound like.

Depending on where you live, you might not have a lot of fellow hobbyists with whom to network. You may not actually know anyone else who builds and has model train sets. The website is a great place to find people who are just as enthusiastic about model railroads as you are.

BandNCoalTrestleYou also may want to know where you can take your model train set if it breaks down and needs to be repaired. The website can offer you locations near you where you can find repair services for your set. Many of these locations are also hobby stores where you can find new items to add to your model train. You can also add new items by ordering them directly from the website and through the merchants that advertise there.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

What is Your Definition of Church?

Most of my life I've attended churches that met in rented halls. School gyms, community centers, hotel meeting rooms, and even some church buildings belonging to other churches. We'd show up on Sabbath, set up the sound system and the chairs, and hold church services. Pretty simple, really though it often meant a lot of work for the guys who hauled and set up the sound system every week. There were many times we thought it really would be nice to have a permanent place of our own, if only to avoid that extra work.

I'm reading the book Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna right now. I've had it for years; just finally got around to reading it. I have to be honest - I really don't know much about the trappings such as you can get from, ceremonies, and meanings behind most things in traditional churches - and I'm not just talking about the pagan origins, which are really eye-opening. Those I'm pretty sure most people don't know about...

The churches we meet with most of the time now do have their own buildings. And most of the time the order of services looks pretty much like it always has - songs, prayers, announcements, a sermon. There are people who don't think it's 'church' unless we have something very close to that. That's pretty basic compared to churches where the minister wears special clothing, candles are lit, and incense is burned. Really, do they actually do that? Too much singing bothers me - yes, I know, some people think that is the best part of the whole service, but I just don't get it - so I can't imagine how all that extra stuff would make me feel. Does it add to the service? Or does it just distract?

Personally, I think the most important part of 'church' is the fellowship, the gathering together, the building of relationships. If your church doesn't eat together, can you really call it a church? Candles, altar tables, and incense notwithstanding.