A Lie in the Land of Absolute Truth

Once there was a land of absolute truth.  Nothing in the land was less than truthful and pure.  It was an area of black.  There was no other color but black in the land.  No whites or grays or other colors but only varying hues of black.  Flat black, shiny black, a black that seemed dead in appearance.  All eyes only saw black and all souls only knew and understood truth. 

Then there was a man who was one day able to spin a lie.  What is odd about this phenomenon is that he didn’t even comprehend what he was about to do.  The actual act of his lie was never recorded.  Therefore, no one knows what the lie was.  Nevertheless, the lie cast a brilliant contrast of white upon the land. 

All eyes saw the white but had no understanding of what they saw.  Being only in a world of black, there was no manner in which to describe the apparition.  There were no words for what they saw.  It is like a man in the tropics trying to describe snow the first time he touched it.  Still, those close enough saw the white in its astounding contrast.  Populations off at a distance could gaze upon the hue piercing the horizon. 

The change had begun.  Innocence was lost.  People would never again be the same.  Slowly, one by one, lies were added and soon the world changed to white.  Grays became common and white received adjectives for the population to describe what they saw. 

The land was forever transformed, never again to be pure.  It was tainted through and through.  The black was gone.  The lies ruled.  



This story came to me today in a dream.  I don't know why the land wasn't white and lies caused it to turn black.  That makes more sense to me.  I'm just writing it the way I dreamed it.  It is kinda weird.  I know. 

 

The Mustard Seed of Faith: Final

The boys spent the day dusting and cleaning the house and garage.  Forty dollars was a lot of money for Ms. Finch’s budget but she clearly felt a tug at her heart to help these boys who loved their mother so much they wanted to buy her a present with their own money.  That they felt it necessary to step out in faith and trust God to supply warmed her heart.  She wanted to reward that faith.  How much more would their Heavenly Father want to reward them?

At the end of the work day, Ms. Finch paid the boys with a smile and a thank you for a job well done.  Then she handed both a twenty dollar bill.  They each politely expressed their gratitude.  Thomas then spoke up, “I still have my mustard seed.”

“I’m glad you do.”

Walking home, Lance asked Thomas about the mustard seed.  Thomas told him the whole story of their conversation about faith and mustard seeds and the one Ms. Finch gave him.  Lance stopped and yelled at his brother, “You cheated!”

“What?”

“You asked Ms. Finch so she would give us the job and pay us.  You cheated!"

“I didn’t know she was goanna give us a job.  I just asked her about believin’ and she answered me.  The mustard seed made me feel better but I didn’t know.”

“You got that mustard seed on you?”

“Yeah.”

“Lemme see this magic mustard seed.”

Thomas stuffed his hand into his right front pocket and pulled out a plastic sandwich bag.  It was wrinkled and dirty but inside there was a single mustard seed.  He held it up for Lance to see.  “Here it is, see?”

Lance snatched it from his hand and threw it on the ground.  Then he firmly planted his heal on the bag and twisted his foot back and forth.  He growled, “This is what I think of your mustard seed.  Let’s see what it does for you now.”  He stomped off toward the house.

Thomas picked up the bag.  It was ripped and the mustard seed was smashed.  It fell from the bag.  He cried as he walked back to Ms. Finch’s house.  An immediate look of concern was cast upon her face when she saw Thomas’s tears.  She invited him inside and he told her of Lance’s anger and how he ruined the mustard seed she gave him. 

Ms. Finch asked, “Do you know how many seeds are on a mustard tree?”

“No ma’am.  Hundreds or thousands, I guess.”

“Do you know how to get another mustard seed?”

“Buy one?”

“Yes, but what’s another way?”

“Ask?"

“That’s right, you can ask.”

“Ms. Finch, may I please have another mustard seed.”

“I will give you one but I want you to know you don’t need it.  There is no magic in the mustard seed.”  She paused as a thought came to her and asked, “Do you know how you get faith?”

Perplexed, Thomas replied, “No ma’am.”

“Wait here one moment.”  Ms. Finch went to her bedroom and returned with a bible.  She judged an approximate location and opened the book.  After flipping a few more pages, she handed it to him and asked, “Will you please read the part on the upper left side that is highlighted?”

“You mean Romans 12:3?”

“That’s the one.”

“’as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.’”

He looked up puzzled.  Ms. Finch said, “Remember when you said it must not take much faith for you to believe God would supply $40.00?" 

“Yes, ma’am.  Wouldn't need much.”

“Right, and if God gives to each a measure of faith, it must be what we need to believe.  So God not only answers our prayers, He gives us the faith to believe He will answer them.  We just need to hang onto the mustard seed or even that small portion He already gave us.” 

“I’m sorry for losin’ the mustard seed you gave me.”

“Why are you apologizing to me for that?”

“You gave it to me.  I was responsible for it.” 

“Oh Thomas, you understand so much for your young age.”  Ms. Finch went to her kitchen and retrieved a small handful of mustard seeds.  “Here, keep one for you and share the rest with your family and friends.  Let them know that God gives faith to everyone and it is vital they choose to use it.  But if they let someone crush it, He has a never ending supply of mustard seeds and faith to give.” 

The Mustard Seeds of Faith: Part III

Later that night the phone rang.  As usual, the boys raced to answer it and Lance got there first.  Sticking his tongue out at Thomas, he sweetly said, “Hello?  Yes ma’am, just a minute.”  Then he covered the mouthpiece and yelled, “Mom, it’s for you.”

Thomas stood next to his mother as Lance walked away triumphantly.  Thomas’s mother put the phone to her ear.  After exchanging pleasantries, Ms. Finch, got to the point, “I need a couple people to do some work around my house.  Do you think Lance and Thomas can help me?  I’m paying $20 per person to get the work done.” 

After hearing about the job offer from his mother, Thomas answered with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”  Then he ran to tell his brother about the news.  He burst into the room and blurted, “Lance, guess what?  We’re gonna get the forty bucks.  We’re gonna get the forty bucks.  God answered our prayers.  We’re gonna get the forty bucks.”

“Watter you talking about?” 

“Ms. Finch called and asked us to do some things around her house and she’s gonna pay us twenty bucks each.  That’s forty bucks, ain’t it?  God answered our prayers.”

Lance groaned and got up shouting, “Mom, is it true Ms. Finch’s gonna pay us to work at her house?”

Following his brother out of the room, Thomas said, “It’s true.  Mom told me so.”

Reaching his mother, Lance asked again, “Is it true Ms. Finch’s gonna pay us for working at her house?”

“Yes it is.  I just hung up with her.”

Looking at Thomas, Lance said, “That ain’t no answer to prayers.  We asked God to give us the money not work for it.”

Their mother asked, “What’s this about answering prayers and money?”

Thomas began to tell the story about their desire to buy a necklace but caught himself.  Lance glared at him.  He didn’t want to spill the beans either but didn’t want to work at Ms. Finch’s house.  Finally, Lance said, “Me n Thomas had a bet ‘bout God answering prayer but God didn’t answer this prayer.  The deal was God was to give us the money.  We shouldn’t have to work for it

“God feeds the birds but he doesn’t put the worms in the nest does He?” 

“No ma’am.”

“Then working isn’t going to kill you.  It might do you some good.  If God wants you to work for it, then you will.”

The Mustard Seeds of Faith: Part II

Then came the Sunday that was the week before Lance would ask dad for the money.  Thomas’s confidence was wavering.  Where was God?  Why hadn’t He answered?  Maybe He didn’t care about the prayers of two boys with so many important things happening in the world. Maybe, because Lance didn’t seem to care as much, God didn’t.

During Sunday School, Ms. Finch noticed Thomas was quiet and not his normal self.  Pre-teen boys being boys, she had no time to consider it.  They kept her busy that Sunday.  However, when Sunday School time was finished, Thomas stayed behind to help her clean up.  That was normal but his despondency was palpable.  She was about to ask what was wrong when he spoke up.

“Ms. Finch, remember when you taught us about havin’ faith the size of a mustard seed and nothin’ would be impossible for us?”

“Matthew 17:20, Jesus said if our faith was a small as that we could tell a mountain to move and it would.  Yes, I remember.  Why, what’s wrong?”

“Does that work for boys too?”

Ms. Finch considered the question for a moment and thought of Jesus saying we need faith like a child.  Then she replied, “I suppose it is even more so for boys and girls.”

The answer surprised Thomas and he looked at her and asked, “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

A ray of hope splashed upon his fragile soul.  He smiled and said, “Thank you, Ms. Finch.”

A thoughtful look appeared on her face and Ms. Finch said, “Hold on a second.”  Then she walked out the door and toward the church kitchen.  Thomas peered out the door and watched her opening and looking through cupboards.  Then she pulled down a small jar, opened the lid and dumped some contents into her hand and put the excess back.  Then Thomas went back to putting things away in the room.  He turned to face her when she entered the room.

Taking his right hand and turning it to be palm up, she placed something small into it.  She said, “Here, this is a mustard seed.  Do you see how small it is?”

“Yes, ma’am, it’s tiny.”

“I want you to keep it to remember just how little faith you need to do something impossible like move a mountain.  Now tell me this, how much do you need for what’s botherin’ you?”

With hope flooding in, he replied, “No much.”

“Now what is all this concern about?”

Thomas felt embarrassed and delayed answering.  Ms. Finch nicely but forcefully said, “Out with it!”

Looking at the floor, “Me n Lance wanna buy a necklace for mom for Mother’s Day but we ain’t got no money.  I told Lance we could pray for God to give us the money but Lance wants to get it from dad.  We made a deal that if we don’t have the money by next week, he’s gonna ask dad.”

Ms. Finch often wondered if any of the boys ever heard what she had to say during Sunday School.  She silently thanked God for this one.  Then she asked, “And God hasn’t given you the money yet has He”?

“No, ma’am.”

“How much does God need to give you?”

“Forty bucks.”

“I’m sure that seems like a lot of money to you but to God it is nothing at all.  I’m sure He will answer you soon.  Meanwhile, you use this mustard seed to remind you to keep praying and believing God will answer you.”

“Yes, ma’am, thank you ma’am, I will.  Thank you very much.” 

The Mustard Seeds of Faith: Part I

Matthew 17:20 “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Lance and Thomas were 12 year old twin brothers. They were typical brothers who could fight like cats and dogs one minute but best of friends the next.  Thomas believed the stories of Jesus taught to them in Sunday School.  Lance did not.  Though he loved his younger brother, he felt Thomas believed anything too easily. 

One day, Thomas went to Lance with a JCPenney catalog.  He pointed to a necklace on the page and announced they should get it for their mother for Mother’s Day.  Lance agreed it would be a nice thing to do and suggested asking dad for the money.  Thomas said, “No, it is our present so we should pay for it.” 

“How are we going to pay for it?  We ain’t got no jobs and we get no allowance.”

“Let’s pray for it.  God will give it to us.  Remember Ms. Finch taught us in Sunday School if we just have faith the size of a mustard seed nothing is impossible?”

“That’s a bunch of baloney!  Ain’t no way thats gonna happen but I’ll tell you what, I’ll pray with you about this but if we don’t get the money by the Sunday before Mother’s Day, I’m gonna ask dad for the money.”

“Ok, it’s a deal.”

The two bowed their heads and Thomas prayed, “God, we wanna do somethin’ nice for mom and buy a pretty necklace but we ain’t got no money to pay for it.  Please give us the forty buck to pay for it.  Me n Lance made a deal about getting’ the money so you have about a month before he asks dad.  In Jesus name, amen.”

Certain he would win, Lance added, “Amen.”

During the next two weeks, Thomas’s faith was strong.  He prayed in the morning, evening and at times during the day when the thought came to him.  He was certain God would come through.  Jesus promised didn’t He?

Apartamentos Aura Park Sud: A Review

My family, friends and I recently stayed in the Apartamentos Aura Park Sud in a suburb of Barcelona, Spain and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  If you are someone who likes to stay in an area and see it like the locals do, I believe you would also enjoy staying here.

We originally booked this hotel as part of our travel to take a cruise out of Barcelona in early June.  At the time, we chose it due to the rooms being one and two bedroom apartments.  We chose 2 two bedroom and 2 one bedroom apartments in order to accommodate everyone in our party.  Each apartment comes with a sofa bed.  We reserved the rooms approximately eight months in advance and continued looking for better deals but never found one.  Let me also say our decision was aided by online reviews.  Ultimately, we stayed at the hotel after our cruise due to being stranded by an Air France strike.  We chose to stay there again due to the positive experience a week earlier. 

The hotel is located in the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat which is approximately a 15 minute taxi ride from the Barcelona International Airport (BCN).  They do not have shuttle service to/from the airport.   You can plan to spend about 25 euros depending on the number of people and pieces of luggage you have.  For reasons I won’t go into, my wife and I did 4 round trips to/from the airport and found all the drivers to be competent and considerate.  To my knowledge, they did not speak English but we speak Spanish so that was not an issue for us.  One of the taxi drivers did recommend to give the two cross streets to drivers in the future in order to help them find the hotel easier.  (The cross streets are Av. Del Carrilet and Av. Fabregada.)

Check-in was straightforward.  Have your passports ready as they use them to note who is staying in each room.  Also, please be aware there is a separate fee (I apologize, I can’t remember what it is for.  Perhaps a city tax.) of approximately 6 euros that is paid separately at the time of check-in regardless of whether or not you prepay the room. 

Our rooms were on the second and fourth floors on the side facing west.  In the picture above, you will see we had balconies.  Personally, I enjoyed the balcony very much.  There was a cool breeze every day of our stay and it was nice to open the doors and let the air in.  Also, I enjoyed people watching.  That includes the day I saw a young man walking down the street in a wedding dress.  A bunch of other young men his age were following him.  Was he a partner in a gay wedding?  Did he lose a bet?  Was this an initiation? 

In our wing of the hotel, there are two small elevators or a set of stairs to get to your floor.  With international luggage, it is hard to fit more than 2 people on the elevators.  I took the stairs the rest of our stays.  I believe the lights in the stairwell are on a timer since they were always off whenever I used them.  The stairs were all marble.  It is a pity many people won't seem them.  They are gorgeous.

The rooms themselves were very nice but are starting to show some wear and tear.  Every room I entered had scratches on the floor from the sofa bed.  Still, the mattresses and pillows were comfortable.  There was more than adequate closet space and plenty of room to move about in the bedrooms.  The showers had hot water that was simple to adjust to your my taste.  There was a dual flush toilet. 

The kitchen had several pots and pans as well as a full supply of plates, bowls, cups, mugs and silverware and utensils.  The refrigerator was small by US standards but for someone with a short stay more would be wasted.  There was a two-burner stove and a small oven.  There is plenty of cupboard space in the kitchen.  There is also a pitcher to heat water for people who like tea or coffee.  The hotel supplies soap in the bathroom and kitchen.  Also, there is a paper towel dispenser in the kitchen in lieu of cloth towels. 

One additional reason we chose this hotel is to cook our own meals.  I am certain we saved up to $500 in meal costs over the 5 days we stayed at the hotel.  There is a grocery two blocks away and a butcher shop an additional two blocks from there.  The food at the grocery was inexpensive yet of high quality.  The breads were heaven.  There are various other shops, banks and restaurants in the immediate area.  (I offer no information about the hotel restaurant since we never used it.)  If you like dogs, this area has a couple dog parks and many people walk their dogs here.

There are two metro stops within four or five blocks of the hotel.  Just up the street from one of them is a spot to get a taxi.  Getting to all of the tourist stops in Barcelona is very easy.  Please be mindful of your belongings as a member of our party was pickpocketed on the subway during a late night return to the hotel. 

The hotel wants guests to clean up a bit before they leave.  If you need to empty the trash, there is a receptacle on the street on the south side of the hotel.  When you return through the lobby, you can pick up a new trash bag. 

One final thing to note:  It took us a while to understand how the lock works on the room doors.  You put your room card close to the door handle.  When a light flashes green, start turning the door handle until it opens the door.  If the dead bolt is on, it may take a few turns. 

Finally, let me say what we liked about the location is it felt relaxing.  Our first couple days in Barcelona were spent seeing the sights.  We hopped from train to train, walked from site to site and always were on the go.  When we returned to the hotel, we found it not as busy as the city and it seemed a respite.  During our extended stay, we explored the area around the hotel more and enjoyed to small town feel. 

I realize this is a long review of the Apartamentos Aura Park Sud.  It tried to give information to someone who is considering a stay there.  If you like to see a city the way the locals do, if you like to save money by doing some of your own cooking and if you want a hotel close to the metro, Apartamentos Aura Park Sud is the perfect stay for you.  I am sure you will not be disappointed. 

Why Can’t We Use That Plane?

I’d like to discuss some of the issues with changing planes.  In the following scenarios, we will presume the flight is departing from a major hub for that airline.

Have you ever been scheduled on a flight that was delayed due to a mechanical problem?  Then the gate agent announces the flight will be delayed for several hours.  Groans are heard throughout.  As you wait for the necessary repairs to be completed, someone comments they see other planes sitting around.  They are merely parked.  Why can’t one of those be used instead?  Why can’t we use that plane? 

It is a legitimate question.  Unless a plane is broken, we should be able to use it, right?  Let me first say that the airline has already began looking for swaps to the same airplane type as soon as they are aware there will be a mechanical delay.  However, in cases where the expected delay is an hour or less, an airplane swap would cause a longer delay than the repair.  Also, in cases where customers are already on board, it is normally better to stay with the original ship. 

If the delay is expected to be 90 minutes or more and another plane is available, they airline will first consider planes on the same concourse.  However, sometimes customers will need to change concourses or have the plane moved, if a tug is available.  Have you ever had a gate change shortly before your scheduled departure?  It may be due to another plane having a mechanical problem.  Sometimes 3 or 4 planes or more are swapped in order to get a plane on the same concourse (to minimize inconvenience after a mechanical) and cover the estimated delay. 

In the above situations, we are only considering the same plane type.  However, sometimes other kinds of airplanes may be available.  Perhaps you are flying on an MD88.  If so, sometimes an MD90 is available and at some airlines, the pilots are cross qualified.  That is, the pilots can fly both airplanes.  MD90s have more seats than the MD88 so no one will lose a seat.  Please know a ship downgrade is the last resort before a cancellation. 

What if you are on an MD88 but the only plane available is a 737?  In this case, different pilots are needed.  Normally, pilot crews require a couple hours from when they are contacted to when the flight will depart.  In this case, there may be an additional delay.  Also, going to a larger aircraft may require an additional flight attendant.  They also need time. 

These are just a few of the considerations for airplane swaps.  Here is other thought airlines must consider: a ship may have ground time to cover the delay but has routine maintenance scheduled that needs to be done and swapping airplanes will put it on a rotation that to where the work cannot be completed.  Airlines will tell you safety is their first priority.   

Running airline operation is very complicated and one action can cause several ripples to expand.  Whenever I look at the many gears and cogs that go together, I am always amazed at how often it works out.  Still when there is a hiccup, these are just some of the reasons why we can’t use that plane.