A new job

I am happy to announce that I have a new job with Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust as the Audio Visual Technician. I will be based in the £17 New Weston Park Museum as I work with all of the Galleries and Museums in the trust in Sheffield. I am very excited to be part of the opening of the new Weston Park museum. (Formerly the City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery)

I am sad to leave Sheffield Hallam University's Langauges and Technical peoples. I have made a lot of friends here and have enjoyed my job. I do hope they find someone soon to replace me for the sake of the languages and technical peoples.

Also I will miss the students who I have worked with in the LLRC.

Progress on a building site

I have lived in Sheffield now for just over four years. In that time I have watch a lot of building work. Since my father is a builder I notice construction sites and take a keen interest in watching their progress.
When I got the job at Hallam and then moved my office to the fourth level beside the floor to ceiling windows across from two or three large building projects I have had a lot to look at. Then add to that the several large scale project along Bramall Lane and around the Matilda Street area and I'm practically in a glut of "progress".

Yet I wonder. How much of this is truly a move forward. For one thing I have noticed much of what at first looks like a clear step forward is within a rather short time all torn up again and in the end left less complete looking than it may have at the beginning or definitely at the end.
A nice new pavement (sidewalk for you Yanks)will be put down with new curbs, pedestrain cross ways, and disability sensitive surfaces for the blind and all only to ahve the heavy construction planned in that area damage the curbs, break the new disability paving stones, and later to have the new ashphalt pavement surface scared with a long gash where subsequent power, cable, gas, water, sewer, etc. had to be laid down.

Looking forward

Looking forward is a key to happy healthy living. We need to see what is coming. We need to anticipate changes and patterns. We need to plan for highs and lows along the way. The Bible says , "without a vision the people parish." And I think, people need to have hopes. Things they look forward to and things they learn to deal with which no matter how unpleasant because these things will come.
But today I was pondering, "getting your hopes up." So let us press on toward the goal and look forward to the great things in store for us. Have you ever thought about the fact that we talk about things ahead as being, "in store?" It is a good way to describe the future. Because as we anticipate the future we store up things in our hearts, we behave in certain ways and these behaviors create patterns, these patterns then become the growth which brings forth fruit and it is on the fruit we dine in life. It is the fruit, and fattened calves, and aged wine, that make up the feast we all look forward to in the end. So we need to look to the feast and pull up the weeds, carry the grain to the cattle, tread on the grapes, and wait. Wait while we work for in due time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up. but let us look forward to the harvest while we work for it will cheer us in the hot sun and the pouring rain. Today we work for tomorrow we feast.

A lot to say and a black Attaché

When I went off to university my Aunt Penny gave me a hard side very smart black Samsonite attaché. Over my years in Chicago I wore it out especially by overloading it. Finally the handle broke and the hinge gave way and it died a death.
All I wanted to replace it was a soft sided black leather attaché. I still carry it nearly everyday now. Oh I switch to other bags like backpacks and ruck sacks along the way all of which I have wore out in one way or another. But the black leather attaché given to me by Marilyn, my mother-in-law still is going strong. I have replaced the shoulder strap but otherwise this bag is the one I take to work each day.

Horray!

for the soft sided black leather attaché

given to me given to me so generously!

Where's the fruit?

So what are we looking for here folks? We are looking for good fruit. What does it look like? Where does it come from? How will we know it is from the Lord? Are we fruit inspectors? Should we be asking ourselves if this or that is good or bad fruit? Do we know? Fruit sounds like an end product. Sometimes the process seems a bit messy but ends up with a good outcome, was that good fruit? If someone thinks the messy process is off putting for them could they deem that as bad fruit before they know the outcome.
Recently Daniel said most of this is shades of grey dad, But it if the shady stuff produces bad fruit it was black as sin. What is bad fruit?

Denying God. Disobeying his word. Distrusting his the truth he has revealed. Thinking we know better than God. Wanting other peoples stuff, envy, greed, jealously, pride, selfishness, anger, malice, lust, hopelessness. Denying God is good. Denying God is in control.

So what is good fruit, affriming by my actions and my thoughts that God is good, that he is in control, that he cares about his children.

Never alone, never misunderstood

It is plain and simple. If you have a friendship with God because you trust in Jesus, you are never alone. God knows exactly what you can do, why you would do it, and how much you can take. He knows your motives. Self-righteous thoughts do no good with the one who knows your heart intimately. But although God knows my heart he also says he loves me and is changing my heart to be like Jesus.

I never have to worry about having to explain. God knows, He was there too.
I never have to try and "look" good, I can't God knows. I can respond to God's wonderful gracious forgiveness and praise him, love him, and obey him. He has set me free to do this. If by a miracle of grace I can or do today, I know it was only because of Him.

Three Point Turn

I had a friend whose road was so very easy to miss I seemed to often drive by and then have to do a three point turn in the road to go back and proceed down the intended but missed road. I don't think I ever mastered that blind corner and the road from which you had to turn off was so highly banked up and crowned it wouldn't do to try a U-turn. So there I was forever relegated to the three pint turn. I felt like Homer Simpson. I guess I often feel like Homer (like just now, I had to re type Homer no less than four times because after all these years I still can't seem to time the shift key with certian other keys, let alone get the space between a capital I and a lowwer case w like in "I was")

Well this morning I was looking for the three point turn. I had got up late. It was my own fault ( but I really wanted to blame Lyssa and did blame Lyssa even though I knew I was to blame.)

I could easily make a list off all the reasons I felt "out of sorts"(my mother has used that phrase all my life and I dreaded to hear it! I guess it does communicate what is going on with me.)

As Lyssa said as we walked in to work. "It is a beautiful day."

I have so much to be thankful for and it would be much better to resit the urge to focus on those things which I feel like complaining about. I rather should rejoice! Yes Fionia, I need to learn to rejoice.

1. God the Father hears, knows, and cares about my problems.
2. God the Son has lived the knowing what it is like. And He wants to help too.
3. My kids are helping with the painting and took inititive to move furniture about.
4. Daniel is looking for work.
5. My folks are here. ( I really do wish we could have more time. I think I miss some of the good times now since I want more than we will get.
6. I am going to Belgium in a week or so.
7. The sun is shining.
8. Bethany has been wonderful.
9. the place my parents is staying is very convienient.
10. Our church family is very supportive.
11. We have made it this far.
12. God promised to take us all the way to his Son.
13. My sins are forgiven.
14. I have been afforded many many chances.
15. Our application for citizenship goes out today!
16. I have good friends who love the Lord and are loved by the Lord in the States, UK, and Belgium!
17. I'm having lunch with Samuel today.
18. We had good visits with Maria and family and Joan Simpson yesterday.
19. Emily and Wendy's room is nearly done.
20. I'm well fed and able to work.
    

We Passed!

Today Lyssa and I passed our UK citizenship test! So now we are able to apply for citizenship. It was hard but we passed!
We could be UK citizens by end of the year if all goes well.

They are here!

Don and Bunny have arrived. We have already had a great time with them. I wish they could be with us more.

The flight from the States was delayed about 40 min. Or more because of a lack of tail wind. Although that meant we missed the train we intended to take we were able to get one in a timely fashion and the train stopped in Manchester Piccadilly and then in Stockport before winding its way through the beautifully unique Peaks. After piling high the booty brought by grandma for the girls in an overstuffed black cab we arrived at 13 Holland Place, our home in sheffield for the last three years.

Mum and Dad are actually staying in an old large anglican church building converted to a rather nice apartment building for Old Age Pensioners. You can have a look here http://www.sheffieldfhs.org.uk/serv_con/StBarnabus_Highfield.htm
Our friend Ruth lives in the building and the building has a guest apartment which is very very reasonable to stay in. It is only two streets away and we can see the tower of the building out our kitchen window.

Nine of us went last night to a professional basketball game
all the Bodes (six of mine and my two folks) as well as Alasdair. I got the tickets free from work.

We took a bus to city centre and a tram to Sheffield Hallam Arena, then we took a very packed tram back to the city centre and Lyssa, grandma, and the girls took the taxi. While Dad, Al and I walked home from the centre and Daniel took the tram to West Street and walked from there.


I have the day off work, Lyssa and the girls have school and work today. Daniel has a busy day.

Broadband blues with Blueyonder

I would have posted more here but my broadband has been acting up!!! So for two days I have had to wrangle to get online and to call and convice Telewest that everything on my side hasn't chnaged and is fine and that thngs on their end have been cuasing me problems. They don't like to admit problems.

I'm sort of well or at least on the mend but still sore nose and stuffy.

Poorly

I had to leave work early on Friday because my cold had really hit me hard! I've alternated between sleeping and sitting up feeling terrible for the past 32 hours. I am drinking so much I have to get up and make room for more.

Meredith is gone. And we feel the lose.

Sarah Troyer came and left now, she was a joy to have around.

Daniel seems to be doing ok these days, please pray he get a job. He has an interview with a bank on Tuesday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY

Sneezing and blowing my nose!

My mum called and said Grandpa Ed Grandma Jean's husband, my mother's mother) was very very sick with a cancer now in his lung and had to fly to Michigan to see a doctor there. My mum is going down to Louisiana to get Grandma Jean. Please pray for my grandpa Ed and Grandma Jean.\Please pray for my mum, Bunny and her friend Joanne Porter as they travel.

Thoughts from last trip to Belgium

We have left Sheffield feeling pretty good about how God is blessing and leading us these days. I suppose I should say all along life, but addmittedly I'm blind sometimes to the way God is blessing, growing and providing for us. I'm ashamed when I see things more clearly how I languish in shelfish pursuits when I'm not satisfied with what I think at the time God is doing for me.
Lyssa said, "I can leave with peace." What she was talking about was that things at home with the kids were better this past few days. Everyone was pitching in to work and nobody was having a fit. Daniel is much better.
The team meeting was very significant for our future. The Abbey team wants Michigan leaders, and Belgian ones to meet up over the next year to decide where we would become involved. This will effect where we live, work and such.
We also finished work well on Wednesday. So all in all we can enjoy this trip to Limburg looking for what God is about to do.

Lyssa and I both know a brokeness is what we have to show these past five years have prepared us for what lies ahead.


Our cottage is hard to find.

Isaiah 45:22 is a verse I want to remember. It is an invitation to me to turn to God. Verse 25 ends chapter 45 by saying that in the Lord Israel will be found righteous. It is amazing to think the hard hearted disobedient idol worshiping Israelites are found righteous. So we end the next chapter (46) with an assurance that God will accomplish what he planned. Further his plan is to bring his righteousness near and to save his stubborn people.

Matthew's party was very good. Then Marcel and Magda, Willy and
Marlene came to the cottage. Willy is picking us up for lunch this morning.

Sunday morning, we are getting up after having visited with so many people yesterday. Willy, Marlene, and all the kids, then at our place Bart and Gretje followed by Frank, Else, Naomi, and Tom. And lastly until morning Bianca and Linde. We asked each person what church our family should move to be part of.

Sport Quest Genk asked us to come and speak to the youth of Genk ages 12 to 14 this summer. We talked of many short trips to visit churches before summer.

Count down Belgium

Count down Belgium

• -daily language learning
• -schedule sunday visits before august
• -request leaders summit
• -contacts with belgians about housing, work, schooling
• -ask children to accompany on visits
• -ask church people to accompany on visits
• -regularly have flemish video nights, ?weekly?
• -request weekly prayer for belgium
• -sportquest planning for summer
• -find language school options.
• -check if Lyssa needs to become a British citizen. (done and yes she does)
  
• -schedule english citizenship test for Lyssa and I.

Is the move in site? I don't know but we are starting to plan as if in about 15 months we would make the move! We shall see. One step at a time.

How to have your holiday and keep your Euros too!

First off, I'd be remiss if I didn't say Eurostar is the way to travel!! I have been to Belgium over the past 6 years by plane, car, coach, ferry and train (aka erector) and by far from Sheffield to any where in Belgium it is a simple three hops. Train from Sheffield to London (St. Pancras) change via Tube (or walk or bus) to Waterloo Station, train (erector) to Brussels, and last hop is the train (or friends, or bus) to your final destination in Belgium.

erector is fast (120 Miles and hour), comfortable (plenty of leg room), clean, and you only have to show up around 30 min. Early which isn't too bad compared to Ferry or Plane. The toilets aren't too bad, and the food is reasonable. You can get up and walk around and the dining car even has some seats.
The Channel crossing only takes about 20 min.


Ok so now we are there and here is the real key. We stayed in a very reasonable cottage outside a rural village back off the road and hidden in the trees so well that the local doctor who does make house calls and others who have lived there all their lives could not find it without special instructions! So we were dropped off at a place with no shops close by. We had a quick trip to pick up reall the bare minimum of food, and then enjoy peace and quiet while a steady flow of friends dropped in through out the four days but we never had to get out and buy anything!

So all in all we went home with euros in our pockets unspent. We had a great time with the people we love. And were very encouraged to hear and see what is happening in all the lives, homes, families, and churches in the place that feels like home.

It was great to have the Belgians offer advice on our move to Belgium.

Seven Days of Visitation

He has come home! My son, Daniel is home from the hospital. It has been seven days of going to the hospital in the morning and back in the evening to sit with my poorly son, and then all day on the weekend. But he is now good enough to come home.

I 'm not sure he understand how to take care of himeself yet! Still the boy has to be reminded to drink enough, get enough rest, eat enough, wash regularly, and get reasonable exercise.

Join me in warning the young man to not wear himself out doing silly things, but to build his strength back steadily so he can start looking for a job!

I'm thankful for the doctors and nurses of the Royal Hallamshire hospital here in Sheffield for taking care of Daniel and when it is all said and done we don't have to worry about crippling bills.

As many of you know far better than I do when someone you love falls ill your whole life is put into an upheavel. And to have all the financial concerns on top of that would be too much.

Educate me Mr. Mozart!

Do you know in what order the famous classical composers lived? Do you know who was contemporary of Mozart? Who was the first big name that everyone knows and who was really in the Classical period and who was in the Baroque or Romantic?

I must confess I did not know and I wanted to. I felt as if my enjoyment of the music would be enhanced if I could hear which composer might have influenced another. Iwanted to know the names of the pioneers and the copycats who improved on a theme.

If you know of any resources which would help me in this quest for knowledge and understanding please feel free to pass on your suggestions.

To set the record straight though I really like Vivaldi and it turns out he was one of the first big names living from 1678-1741, so when young Mr. Mozart came on the scene in 1756 and before he died in 1791 George Friedrich Handel was already mostly done seeing he died in 1759 seventy-four years after he was born in 1685.

40 years to learn the basics

Well I was 40 this year and although I have spent the past two and a half years growing my hair out there is less of it per square centimeter of scalp.

But even more exciting is I have seemed to finally learn a routine. For some of you who know me this is more of a feat than most may think.

So here is a window on the day on the life of William:

(somewhere between) 5:30 - 6:00

• Wake up without alarm usually and roll over in bed and turn on light and open lap top.
• Clear mind while laptop find home wireless network and I open www.xanga.com/williambode and http://bible.crosswalk.com
• Think about what I have been reading and go to the days passage (recently in Isaiah) in the New Living Translation of the Bible and listen to the familiar voice of Mike Kellogg read while I follow along. I may read and/or listen a number of times. Try to respond to God and others about what I have read and how it hits me.

(somewhere between) 6:45 - 7:15

• check emails in wkbode@gmail.com respond to some and mostly wish I would take more time to respond.
• Possibly check work schedule and emails w.bode@shu.ac.uk to prepare my mind for work.

(somewhere around) 7:00

• Go downstairs make a bowl of porridge oats (2 packets Quaker instant golden syrup) with water boiled from the kettle and add in a bit of Soya milk (I discovered I was lactose intolerant and have avoid all products containing any dairy for nearly a year now, that alone is a big change. Oh I how I miss cheese cake, cheese, milk and cookies, and nearly everything you can think of has milk, whey, milk proteins, or cheese in it. You would be amazed!) and sometimes I will add honey or bananas to the porridge.
• Get out the vitamins and supplements. I normally take a fish oil, a gingko biloba, a multi vitamin and a calcium. I was taking ecchinatia but ran out.
• I make a cup of coffee and get a large glass of water from the tap, about a pint.
• I often will listen to radio four or a uplifting Christian CD while I eat.
• Say good morning to one of my three daughters who will also be getting up.

(approximately) 7:30

• Get in shower listen tot shower radio I usually am in there shaving, cleaning, washing my hair, and conditioning my hair till about 7:45 when I hear Thought for the Day on BBC Radio four and know I better be getting out.
• Dry hair, put aloe vera gel on face and hair

(not coping with panic) 7:45 (I really need to be out the door in like no less than 30 min now!!!!

• get trousers on gather wallet, keys, id card pass for work, switch things in bag/briefcase
• take down white shirt to iron it. (yes I iron my own white shirt every work day! And usually since the iron is still hot I feel bad that I am leaving the iron and ironing board out for Meredith or someone to put away.
• Come back upstairs and put on shirt and tie and tie my hair back.
• Shine my shoes a bit, might have done this before going down to iron shirt.
• Say goodbye to girls and Lyssa as they head off to school and work.

(My sort of goal was 8:00 AM)8:10 to 8:15

• walk out the door and decide if I'm taking the bus or walking depending on time, money and weather. The Bus is not quite a 40% option recently even less.
• Walk about a mile and a half to work along very busy streets thinking why do all these people have to drive to work in long cues with only one person per car. Saying things like wow that car cost a lot. And why are all the really hot sports cars now owned or at least driven by single women?
• Walk past all the construction sights, which are many, and think about my dad every morning and know he would like to stop and watch.

8:20 - 8:40 arrive at the Stoddart building car park under the building and take the lift to the 4th floor

Approximately 8:30

• start up computer and check emails
• speak to cleaning ladies
• turn on lights in the LLRC open access, unlock door to the LLRC office
• start replies to emails
• Open Staff intranet to begin tweaking things.
• Check schedule
• Turn on the satilite TV's in various languages

Work till 1:00 responding to requests for assitance, fixing broken computers, arranging for more information to be provided for the Staff Intranet, creating more web pages or menu structures, editing distance learning packages, meeting with people about one of the for amentioned, make sure Resource Advisor (student employee) is in on time and ready to work, Talk over the schedule with RA. Contact other technicians via MSN using trillian and see what jobs are coming through, speak to academics about labs, ect., install software.

1:00 till 2:00 Lunch with someone hopefully

Monday's Lyssa, Samuel, Steve and others and pray

Wednesday's Samuel, Tim, Steve, Matt to study Bible

Carry on with the same as above till 5:30 or 6:00 PM sometimes later.

Walk home or take bus, mostly walk

Wednesday nights team meeting

many and various other things I have to do too

Inverness

So I'm going to spend 24 hours plus on a coach journey from Sheffield to Inverness, via Glasgow and back! Why? well I do really like Scotland! My two previous visits have only made the allure all the more powerful. Second prior to working fulltime at Sheffield Hallam University I would have taken a guest like Meredith on a few trips around the English countryside. I'd at least have spent a few days out in Derbyshire near my home. But in the six months she has been with us I have hardly done anything special with Meredith. So when I relaized I had used almost all the holiday time doing important things and Meredith was about to leave to go back to the States I figured we had to break away and see something special before she left. National Express is running a deal where we could go anywhere in the UK for £18 return. That was a preatty good deal since it would have usually cost us two to go up that far north more than three times that much. So we are on our way to see the Loch Ness monster for ourselves. We leave on Friday morning and return Monday night.

We benefit from being made vulnerable and weak

Recently I have had sick children. I have had my own fears of medical problems. I have been burdened by a major shift in diet. I have had a number of friends have a loved one die. And I have had friends face the prospect of impeding death for a family member. Recently I have seen others face rejection, and the fear of loss of opportunites in school and work.

I know this all sounds like a downer; But it hasn't all been bad. I have also seen people get serious, look at life more realistically, listen to others, look to God, and with humility make changes.

We don't want to face hardship. But it seems to me if we didn;t we might never get around to the important things in life. We may never leave off the habits which are clogging our minds and keeping us from making progress towards greater things.

Times and gaps

Have you ever had an acquaintance, friend, or family member who you connected with but then lost contact? I mean one of those enjoyable connections where with serendipity you listen and talk with interest. Under no obligation you find commonality or friendly differences which are stimulating.
I often meet people whose lives offer a sort of travel or experience by proxy. And then there are those people who are knowledgeable about subjects which effective cause them to serve as expert guest lecturers and tutors in the university of continual life learning. Occasionally, you may encounter a light hearted witty person who seems to hover apart from controversy and without introspection, satire, sarcasm, or agenda you simply dismiss the turmoil of weightier issues.
My reason for finding a connection pleasant may differ. But since it is a meeting more or less outside the relationships which I am responsible to maintain I may lose contact. Or maybe it was at camp, on a holiday, at work but outside my direct area of responsibility or normal routine, possible a more distant family member, some one has moved , a student, a transient or traveling worker, a builder who came for a time, a tour guide, or the guest of someone else with whom we have regular contact.

Time passes and you don't see the particular person, for a month, a year, five years, or twenty years. Can we just pick up where we left off? Will they be the same? We wouldn't be just the same (at least I wouldn't be). But have you ever noticed in these situations we sometimes revert back to a former self? None the less there you are in the presence of a past joy.

I used to walk the street of Sheffield feeling very much the foreigner and quite priviledged to be here in such a far flung, out of the way, wild and exotic place compared to Lakeview or Entrican Michigan. And as I walked along I would expect one of these people from my past to walk past and be completely surprised to find me in Sheffield , England. I'd ask if they had some time and we'd go and have a coffee somewhere and catch up.

The book I'm reading entitled Austerlitz is so far about the chance meetings between the author and the man named Austerlitz.

I am the kind of person who can meet and get to feel a connection with practically anyone quite easily. But the length of the connection and the future of it seems an unpredictable element in life.
As I ramble on I have a strong feeling that the same thing I feel for people I actually feel also for places. Places I used to go often and grew to enjoy and now I hardly ever get to go to at all.

This summer Alasdair, Samuel, Paul (an acquaintance from Luke Dudenhofer's church in Chicago) and another Bulgarian friend of Paul's I think called Marcus went swimming at the Indiana Dunes State park on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was one of those idyllic days with the boys that you would see in a movie. The people I was with, the weather, the lake, the swimming, the train ride to get there, the big city(Chicago) we left behind for the day, the exciting yet down to earth guy that Paul is, the walk I had on the beach and around the camp sites, the meal in the old big brick state park building and the gates to the park, the short walk through the woods all added up to a real memory and I only wish somehow without changing it I could share it in a meaningful way with others. It will be a one off in my life. But one I'll remember with fondness for some time to come. It is an experience I wish on their own Lyssa, Emily, Wendy, Bethany, and Daniel could have.