Jerusalem, The Eternal City

I am just about finished with reading a book with the same title as this post, authored by Kelly Ogden, David Galbraith, and Andrew Skinner. It is a wonderful book that I have thoroughly enjoyed - as evidenced by the fact that, unlike most books I begin to read, I will actually finish this one. I thought I would share here a quote from page 401 of the book as it really struck me as a pretty succinct statement of why things are so difficult in Jerusalem, and, by the way, why it is so very important to the world that there be a true prophet on the earth; someone who can, with authority, speak for and represent God:
"While law is technically an instrument for resolving conflict, in the case of the holy places in Jerusalem, it appears to be less applicable. Part of the problem is that religious precepts by their very nature reject compromise. An individual may waive personal interests, but no individual may waive rights on behalf of his God. In disputes over holy places, the principal litigant - in this case God - is absent, as it were, and is represented by mortals who, rightly or wrongly, believe that they are not at liberty to yield anything on his behalf. Therein lies the crux of the problem with Jerusalem. Additionally, a secular state with a religiously mixed population must be neutral in religious matters. That requires the state to be both liberal and tolerant - a position that satisfies no one."

Thankful for the Spirit of Christmas

This year's celebration really has been a grand Christmas for us. Although we have dearly missed our children and grandchildren, we have made it even more service-oriented than in the past. We won't tell you how, as that would spoil it, but part of it was tending to poor M who had a bunch of teeth pulled just before Christmas. She is doing better now and we look for full recovery before 2010.

As I was looking at some of the Church's videos on Christmas morning as I made breakfast, two really stood out for me. I love the message of this first, as it puts Christmas gifts in perspective:


And this other is one that I think I will review on a regular basis throughout the year - just to help maintain my perspective.

The One Log House

This was another item we thought was pretty cozy. A 3-room, 2-door, house built into a single redwood log.

This is the view from the living room looking back through the bedroom to the kitchen area.

Here is the couch in the living room.

This is the "dining room" across the room from the sofa in the "living room".

And here is the kitchen area, complete with stove top and sink.

This is the bedroom - sleeps 2 rather nicely.

Into The Woods

Okay, now that you have put up with some rather odd photos, here are some of the better ones. The redwoods really are very beautiful. The day we took these first couple of photos the sun was just coming out and burning off the very patchy fog, creating some pretty shots.

These didn't turn out quite as I had hoped, but I knew when I took them that it would be a dicey proposition. I couldn't get the right angle so that I could photo the web and spider so that you could see them. In person this was really a great sight.

Here are a couple of shots of the Eel River showing the mist as it was departing.

It never ceases to amaze me just how green everything is. But it should come as no surprise, as everything is not only green - but wet. We love to walk in the woods as it is so quiet and we are surrounded by ferns and clover. This first photo is of an interesting phenomenon - it appears that new trees are growing up from one that has fallen over, presumeably, but definitely not, dead.

And a final shot of the fog shrouded hills. This really does not do it justice as it was very beautiful.

Redwood Chain Saw Art

One of the great things one sees during a trip to the redwoods is the chainsaw art perpetrated on redwood logs. Some of it is really good. Here is a sample of some that we enjoyed.