Looking for Glory, Finding the Cross

I had some time last evening as I was driving home to hit the play button on my phone and listen to some music I hadn't listened to some of the music in a long time.

I guess it had been almost four years--right when the miracle baby Jackson came into the world to amaze me with God's grace and showed me that we needed to make changes in our lives and worship. And we did something incredibly hard by severing ties with our church and our friends in search of grace and truth.

And I started listening to the Rich Mullins song that started playing. It is off the 1998 The Jesus Record which was done after his untimely death. The song is All the Way to Kingdom Come

The chorus really hit me as I was driving. It was Ash Wednesday, after all.

We didn't know what love was 'til he came
And He gave love a face and He gave love a name
And He gave love away like the sky gives the rain and sun
We were looking for heroes, He came looking for the lost
We were searching for glory, and He showed us a cross
Now we know what love is 'cause He loves us
All the way to kingdom come

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/rich_mullins/#share

And I realized that sometimes I spend too much time looking for heroes (or trying to be a hero) and searching for glory when the only thing I need to be doing is searching for Jesus and getting closer to him.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Traffic Gripes

Turning wide--drivers who cannot make a simple right hand turn into the closest lane are either lazy or need to have their licenses revoked. There is no reason to wait at the end of a street until both lanes of traffic are clear before turning right into the clear outside lane.

Not signaling--still one of my pet peeves. I spend a lot of time when driving trying to discern whether a driver is intending to change lanes because the lack of turn signal etiquette is so rampant.

Not allowing the "on" ramp room to enter--I love being stuck on the on-ramp, running our of road real estate attempting to merge. Everyone else on the road had to merge at some point. Why can't they provide a window of access for others?

Talking on the phone--Head down, gabbing and not paying attention. Dangerous and scary a lot of the time.

Frosted windows--on those cold mornings, it is really scary to see the number of vehicles impaired by lack of vision. They have become an accident looking for a place to happen. Scrape the ice!

I wonder if we become too complacent the longer we drive and begin to forget the things that make us safe drivers?

Time to do a driving inventory.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Stallion among the Nags

It apeared suddenly in my rearview mirror the other day. A red-orange, very low to the ground car speeding towards me in the outside lane.

I knew it was Italian. And fast.



It was a Lamborghini.

Not ever really thinking that I would see one on the highway, I really don't know which model or even year.

The driver slowed as the car passed me so that I could get a good look at the beauty in the lane next to me.

And drool.

The whine of its engine was inspiring as it began to accelerate.

I watched it speed off into the distance, effortlessly, probably at speeds easily topping 100 mpg on a road that police patrol very heavily. I felt the driver knew the road and where the county police routinely place their speed traps.

I was dreaming of power and horses and then I realized that as that car made its way past the other cars on the road, it was much like the thoroughbred stallion running in the pasture with a bunch of nags.

And I saw it turn onto the ramp to go out to play with the cars and trucks on I-95. I'm sure that many other people derived some pleasure from being on the same highway with such a fine piece of machinery as I had.

It was just fun to watch.

And dream.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 20, 2012

1. Happy President's Day. Enjoy the continued drama of the election process.


2. I ran across two British Shows this weekend, Sherlock and Downton Abby. Good drama. Too bad US producers can't do shows like these anymore.

3. Why does my dog whine? All of the time it seems.

4. I have discovered a store that I actually look forward to shopping in--Corridor Wine Store. It joins Lowe's and Home Depot as my favorite stores.

5. I saw daffodils blooming during our walk on Saturday.

6. I highly recommend the article in Time magazine this week about North Korea's new ruler Kim Jong Un.

7. I've been watching the presidential sweepstakes--I am still hoping our next president isn't in the race yet.

8. We were watching the weather closely this weekend and we missed by a big storm. That is good news again. I hate shoveling snow.

9. Writing of the weather, I am looking forward to the last morning where the temperatures are below freezing. It should happen soon. The average low for March is 34 and March 13th is where the average low progresses up to 33 degrees!

10. Lacrosse--pads, sticks, helmets, and gloves. Another sign that spring is upon us.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime At Last--Return of the Birds

You probably looked at the calendar and are preparing to respond that it is February and therefore still winter. Ah, but the calendar lies.

Baseball season has begun as pitchers and catchers have arrived for "spring" training. Therefore, despite the confusion with the calendar, it is officially spring.



Bring on the flowers, I saw daffodils in bloom yesterday, and cue the warmer temperatures.

The boys of summer are preparing to return to baseball diamonds around the country and bring the joy of baseball back into our hearts.

OK--so I do have a bit of an issue with ESPN rating the Orioles as the 30th best team in MLB. Even below the Astros. For those of you who don't fully get it, there are only 30 teams in MLB.

Nothing like being at the very bottom of the bottom five. At least the opportunity for success has the bar set low. Too low!

So despite the pundits, I have my hat with the new logo, I have my tickets to two spring training games in Sarasota, my tickets for opening day, and my partial season ticket plan.

Who wants to argue about whether it is spring?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Week Ago

I was in Fulshear, Texas, attending a wedding and enjoying time with my extended family.



It is amazing to think about how much things can change in a week.

We all looked so good together, ready to celebrate. Maybe I look a little stiff. I do so hate to have my picture taken. But at least I am standing with two beautiful women and two stunningly handsome boys.



In reflecting on the wedding, I have to admit the groom's cake was one of the most creative that I have ever seen. It looked like a cigar box. But it was edible.

And all of this was just a week ago. I wonder about next week.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

President's Day weekend 2012

Let the celebration begin. The celebration of the collective birthdays of the great presidents in the history of the U.S.

Washington and Lincoln are the key presidents we celebrate. But there are so many more who get forgotten.


I discovered on site that was conducting survey of the most underrated president. An interesting approach to the holiday. They stated that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were off limits.

I'm torn between Lyndon Johnson because of his social engineering and civil rights policies and John Adams for his work (albeit while vice president) in developing the rules of the senate and helping Washington get the nation off to a good start.

In terms of the most overrated president, if there were a category for that, I would choose John Kennedy.

It is an interesting question to ponder this weekend.

If you feel like it, let me know your thoughts.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sick Day, Really?

I did something mature yesterday. Instead of dragging my sick body to work and infecting the entire office with whatever crud crawled into my head, I took a sick day.

I slept most of the morning. When I was awake, I turned on some old westerns for background noise and relaxed.

I felt better as the day went on, but noted that I was still running at less than optimal once I started moving around during the evening.

One good thing that happened was that I was home to receive a shipment of wine. Although, if Makayla had not barked when the UPS man was at the door I would have missed it.

So for the entire day I did not leave the house, I was in bed mostly, and the place was quiet. I even canceled "E-day," which I didn't want to do but was probably in the best interests of Ethan.

There was only one nonsense phone call during the day--an amazing factoid.

I canceled my racquetball for the today in an effort not to overly diminish my strength and to continue my recovery. I never do that.

But, I do feel better.

Maybe I need another sick day!


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Forgiveness in a Movie

I heard an interesting statement about forgiveness during a scene in a movie the other day. The scene was about a daughter talking to her Mom trying to understand why she stayed married after a situation of infidelity. The answer the Mom gave back to the daughter went something like: I stayed with him because of all the things he did right and did not leave him because of one mistake--I forgave him.

It caught me by surprise.

The movie was The Vow, and this statement really struck me. It is the essence of forgiveness. We need to be able to overlook one transgression especially when considering that the body of actions are far more good than bad.

It was strange to see that scene in the movie. More often, in movies, one transgression is enough to end relationships or start wars. So it was different to hear those words of forgiveness being spoken in a movie.

We need to speak them more in our lives.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wedding Memories

The weekend of the wedding is over, but the memories linger. The travel, which was incredibly smooth.



The hospitality of the parents of the bride.

Time spent with family.

Memories of the preparations, the ceremony, the reception, and the after party. Well, maybe I don't remember too much of the after party.

But one image that stuck with me was that of the church. The flowers strategically placed and the petals in the aisle adding to the ambiance.

It was a wedding of dreams and memories.

My prayers for Colleen and Patrick are for a great marriage and for many years head.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD