tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63651502008-10-11T21:22:42.455-04:00...an attempt to see the forest in spite of the many trees. Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-29393376104703961882007-08-13T10:35:00.000-04:002007-08-16T00:32:14.458-04:00

Usually it begins with a global announcement to the household that the hot tub is open. Last night was no exception, but I initiated the invitation. After crawling around the kitchen most of the afternoon to install new hardware on the cabinets, my aging body was more than ready for the experience. Jeff decided to join me. Within a few minutes of partial immersion, a huge meteor caught my

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1158775389339005242006-09-20T13:53:00.000-04:002006-09-20T17:24:46.130-04:00

I really don’t like doing business with the United States Postal Service. After all, I gave up licking stamps and paying bills through the USPS nearly 20 years ago when my old Macintosh SE/30 was connected to CheckFree (the online banking approach of the 1980's). So why did two recent events rattle my cage so much? I mailed a letter to my sister (who unfortunately does not have email access)

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1152753704650207912006-07-12T21:19:00.000-04:002006-07-12T23:17:21.906-04:00

Along with power washing the house and removing some playground equipment now that the kids are in high school, summer projects around our home are essential in preventing total dysfunction among two teachers and two adolescents who are pretty much under the same roof 24/7 during the summer. Two technology related projects have consumed some of my time in recent weeks as I assisted in helping

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1148259238549271582006-05-21T20:51:00.000-04:002006-05-23T13:03:34.476-04:00

I recently heard Dr. James Garlow speak in response to the DaVinci Code and was reminded of a book he wrote when he was the minister of lay development in Oklahoma City. Simply titled, “Partners in Ministry,” Garlow fluently addressed the topic of laity and pastors working together in his book. It has been a joy to work alongside Pastors Gary Hashley and Peter Newland this past year. Their

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1145416308808620632006-04-18T23:06:00.000-04:002006-04-18T23:41:52.566-04:00

I’ve had to blink my eyes more than once in recent weeks and was wondering if the trees were once again obstructing my view of the forest. Maybe I just don’t get it. SCENARIO: I almost changed lanes stretching my neck to confirm the sign on M104 boldly proclaiming the topic for Easter Sunday: “The Cosmic Christ Risen in Us.” The alliteration was nice but the adjective seemed almost

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1136305616514087652006-01-03T11:17:00.000-05:002006-01-05T10:56:10.706-05:00

I’m not good with the New Year resolution thing. So I’ll refrain from the temptation of committing to more frequent posts in 2006. However, I hope my winter in relationship to writing will soon end. Life is good! Jeff looked at the sticker the other day and marveled at how a simple message of optimism could provide such a lucrative brand for an apparel company. “Hey, dad, that Jake guy with

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1125767778945318272005-09-03T11:45:00.000-04:002005-09-08T22:41:52.296-04:00

This post will quickly get to the point. I am exhausted from the biased network commentaries about our nation's response to the devasting Hurricane Katrina. The bottom line is that we have no experience with a disaster of this magnitude and we are truly writing the handbook on response on a hourly basis. Meanwhile, let us continue our call for action. All of us--individuals, families, villages,

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1117710524340679732005-06-02T07:07:00.000-04:002005-08-13T18:41:17.486-04:00

We’ve known each other for decades and chatted on Sunday night before Memorial Day. I’m glad our church took the time to recognize this American holiday—few do these days. The multi-media presentation was a bit too real for Reggie, however. Since his 1965 stint in Viet Nam, the images replay in his head frequently and this experience quickly transported him back to the horrific scenes of war. The

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1114990788127937972005-05-01T19:35:00.000-04:002005-05-01T20:31:59.436-04:00

My hibernation from writing seems embarrassing. It’s not for lack of material, however. Life these past several months seemed more like warp drive, if you accept such a fictional literary device, thrusting one faster than the speed of light. However, even a starship is not able to sustain such propulsion using infinite amounts of energy. Fortunately, mine is no solo excursion. I recently perused

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1105316382526458222005-01-09T19:19:00.000-05:002005-01-09T20:17:18.783-05:00

I was looking forward to heading north for a few days. I just finished wrestling with the integral code of a small web site as I began my weekend. It’s the final punch list on projects like this that can thrust your design into a mode of frustration. Finally, I approached closure on the extracurricular project. I then discovered that my son was expected to create a PowerPoint presentation by

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1101955431488555222004-12-01T21:40:00.000-05:002006-07-12T21:35:08.160-04:00

We lived at 224 East Savidge Street during my childhood. Ian Lawton of Christ Community Church now preaches in the general vicinity of where our family kitchen once existed. I walked to Holmes school everyday and, on occasion, had time to walk home for lunch in those days. I can still recall the names of all my elementary teachers. School was a comfortable place for me. Mrs. Fothergill

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1098231902309631092004-10-19T20:22:00.000-04:002004-10-19T22:21:41.263-04:00

I think the forest is often more beautiful than the trees. However, any journey through the woods requires an occasional encounter with a few trees. And it’s those random encounters that really do put a fresh spin on reality. A friend called last week to tell me their family is looking for another church to attend. The specific details need not be revealed, but they had become another

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1095259461442770072004-09-15T10:42:00.000-04:002004-09-15T10:44:21.443-04:00

It’s back to the future in recent weeks. School is in session and I have the pleasure of working with an exceptional community of 28 fifth grade students at Lake Hills Elementary School. They are our future! And in preparing for this academic year, several words beginning with the same letter emerged in my planning. Even for me, the energy required to engage in learning is something I no

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1091634681137272162004-08-04T11:50:00.000-04:002006-01-05T11:02:14.010-05:00

He would be 92 years old today. The middle child of seven to Emmons and Bernice, Bob was born in the family farmhouse in 1912. The growing Chittenden family grew up on a large parcel of farmland on the northeast corner of 152nd Avenue and Leonard Road. Bob and his 5 brothers and 1 sister spent most of their lives in the Spring Lake area. A favorite photo of my father is one taken in the early

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1088772484089809142004-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:002004-08-23T21:47:30.436-04:00

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was reauthorized in 2001 and is now called No Child Left Behind. Although the debate is intense among parents, teachers, administrators, and legislators, few would argue that NCLB has completely reshaped the federal government's role in American education. Introduced as the first legislative initiative of President George W. Bush, the final

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1086025367433176832004-05-31T13:41:00.000-04:002005-10-15T19:32:49.923-04:00

I didn’t know how to respond to the news. The memory of my dad passing away eight years ago on May 28 was just a topic of discussion a few weeks ago. Now, the sad events of another May 28 begin with a phone call early Friday evening. I first heard of Martin about 11 years ago when I began a search for more information about my biological parents. Prior to this time I had only non-identifying

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1082504513724283842004-04-20T19:40:00.000-04:002004-08-23T20:35:58.216-04:00

Jeff and I decided to wear our Rycenga Building Center shirts on a small family remodeling project recently. Maybe it was our quiet way of "taking on the giant" Home Depot which opens in Grand Haven this week. It just seems that we are slightly opposed to the entire mega-whatever these days. Whether it's the mega-lumber yard, the mega-bookstore, the mega-grocery store, or the mega-church, we

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1079810786988517032004-03-20T14:24:00.000-05:002006-01-05T11:11:20.440-05:00

During an independent study of music theory in high school, I learned the importance of counterpoint in good musical composition. For centuries composers have captured the ability to superimpose two or more melodies into a single harmonic pattern without losing the linear character of a composition. Whether it is the organ music of J.S. Bach or the black gospel music of today, rhythmic and

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1077512965424597692004-02-23T00:07:00.000-05:002004-08-23T20:37:42.140-04:00

With four curtain calls this week and eight shows remaining, the words of Judge Taylor in "To Kill a Mockingbird" haunt me throughout the day and may even be the cause of my recent insomnia. My supporting role in the Muskegon Civic Theatre production carries a minimal line load, but includes an interesting remark as act one draws to a conclusion: "People generally see what they look for and hear

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1075664918451380402004-02-01T14:48:00.000-05:002006-01-05T20:08:31.836-05:00

She hung on tightly as we ventured through the cold Michigan air and into the forested trail. Susan and Jeffrey were at least 20 minutes ahead of us on cross-country skis, a difference quickly reduced on snowmobile. Fortunately, Shelby enjoyed the wintery excursion, considering the air temperature was a mere ten degrees. The reality of our weekend events is accentuated by the preceding twelve

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365150.post-1075313217224897962004-01-28T13:05:00.000-05:002004-08-23T20:42:08.376-04:00

I was always intrigued with the passion of Qui Gon Jin: "Your focus is your reality." The Jedi mentor of Star Wars fame packed a lot of instruction into those five words; and I doubt that young Anakin Skywalker truly understood the scope of that lesson. To whom or what you direct your attention, is what determines your reality. The ability to change your focus in a second does not change the fact

Kirby Chittendenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233173191208355894noreply@blogger.com