Klink

Choosing the political candidate that I support for president has never been a problem for me until now. I have always made my decision early in the race as I align the candidates beliefs with my understanding of conservatism: the political philosophy to which I subscribe. However this election has placed me between a rock and a hard place. I strongly believe in the three legs of the stool of conservatism: strong national defense, fiscal responsibility in the government combined with the current need to shrink the size and scope of government, and the role of the government to preserve the life and liberty of it's inhabitants by upholding the laws that prohibit and punish criminal activity and that preserve the life of the citizens. However these tenets have not been displayed by the nominee for my party John McCain: he consistently opposed Bush's tax cuts until recently, fought for the equivalent of amnesty, and undercut many of the attempts to grow the economy on the part of the Republicans by decrying supposed corporate greed. His political decisions have been deplorable and you add to that the fact that he personally is somewhat of a mad dog in his approach to interpersonal relationships. Ask me privately about this last blemish. As you can see I am fit to be tied because I certainly cannot vote for the socialist propaganda of the most liberal candidate in our lifetime. My only recourse is to enter a write-in on the ballot and look forward to days when true conservatives will once again speak out for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness according to the constitution of our fathers.

Perhaps I should give an update to my life. Halloween is rapidly approaching and right behind it is November. It's hard to believe that we are this far into 2008. I'm trying my best to become a good pastor. I want to be competent in as many ways as possible. This particular week I have my sermon done fairly early. I completed it early so that I could continue to work on my thoughts for the week of prayer that I'll be doing next week at Burleson SDA School. I'm going to be talking about characters from the bible. My goal is to highlight some of the experiences of these characters when they where younger. I've entitled my series: Lessons from the Little Ones. Hopefully it will strike a few chords with the little ones that listen to it. Liz is trying to make the best of her situation as she takes care of Alexander and helps coach Matthews intramural soccer team. Lately she has been having a tough time being separated from family. I hope that she is able to find some way to deal with her feelings. Her mother is coming in a few weeks and I'm hoping that will make her feel a little better. Matthew seems to be doing pretty well. He enjoys soccer and he is part of a book club. Little Alexander is growing so much everyday. We're hoping that he will stop throwing up as much as he has been. We're concerned that it could be damaging if he continues to throw up a lot. Well my thoughts are long but the time is short.

We have had quite a lot of things happen recently and honestly our lives are still in flux. Liz took her NCLEX on Friday of last week. Unfortunately she did not pass. She is very upset about this and views this as a personal failure. She had a lot of pressure on her because we need to her to work so that we can pay on our student loans that are coming due. We needed her income. However we do have some money saved up and we might be getting some more money from Karen's estate soon. Liz will be able to take the test again in 45 days or so and then we will be able to reassess her job prospects. However because Alexander is not taking a bottle and we are having trouble finding someone who can care for him on a changing schedule Liz will probably not work until January. This solves the problem with childcare and the bottle and it also means that we will be able to visit our family for the holidays.

As I become more comfortable with being a pastor I am finding that my schedule is filling up. Perhaps it is only temporary, but at the moment I see several weeks ahead of me that will be very busy. I think that I need to be involved in activities that will further the gospel. However sometimes I feel that the meetings that I am required to go to are more for the amour-propre of others. I also need to explain that this journal will be a mix of my private thoughts and biographical detail. This journal is a place for me to exercise my thoughts as well as keep an intermittent written record of my life.

Right now it's dark outside and while I'm mostly referring to the fact that it's nighttime I'm also referring to the fact that I can't see very far in my life right now. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that for the past four years my life has been a series of events. These events have expectations. That means that I'm either experiencing the events like: getting married, graduating, having a baby, moving and starting my career or I'm anticipating these events. Now that these things have happened the beacons of my existence are smaller and harder to see. I think though that I need to keep looking where I'm going. I don't want to end up in the wrong place.

There has been a movement away from conservative values in this country. The leaders of this movement have been academia, the media, the entertainment industry, and the political left. However the "right" has been moving left as well. How do I know this. Well, in order to establish that there has been movement we have to establish the starting point. In this case the starting point is the the three legs on the stool of conservatism: strong national defense, fiscal restraint and social conservatism. The first two legs of the stool should be on the government's explicit agenda.

Karen died last week after more than a year of battling lung cancer. About six months ago it appeared that she was in remission, but  in June the doctors confirmed that the cancer was present in her lungs and adrenal gland. A few weeks ago she started having problems with shortness of breath again and she was readmitted to the hospital. Her lung collapsed and she rapidly deteriorated. As her condition worsened Kathy and Bob felt that Liz, Matthew and Alexander should come up to spend time with her. They flew up early on Friday the 26th of September. She died on September 29th. On the following day I flew to Michigan and joined Liz and many other family members as we prepared to have a celebration of Karen's life. On Thursday evening we had a party at Kathy and Bob's that was heavily attended by many of Karen's friends. I know that it was very hard for Liz to lose Karen. She was her mother. Karen was a wonderful woman. It never makes sense when you lose someone you love and no one should ever try to make sense of it. Certainly God was aware of this outcome, but God is the God of the living. He never desires the death of anyone. Jesus took away the second death at the cross. He provided the resurrection for those that die in Him. When He comes again He will take away the first death and the grave will be swallowed up in God's great victory.

I would like to update the reading public on the recent events in my life. On May 4 Liz and I graduated from Andrews University. She graduated with her B.S. in Nursing and I graduated with my M.Div. After we graduated we moved out of our duplex in  Berrien Springs, Michigan and moved down to Niles, Michigan to live temporarily with the Whites. We wanted to stay until the baby was born and then move down to Texas. On the weekend following graduation I flew down to Texas and attended the Burleson church. I also spent time with the Adams who are members of the Crowley church: the church where I spend most of my time. I was able to rent a house in a subdivision that is developing. The house continued to be worked on while we waited for the baby to be born. We had anticipated that the baby would be born early in June. However as the baby's due date approached we began to worry that the baby would come later than expected. This would have been a problem because we had already told the Texas Conference a date that we would be heading down to Texas. In addition the moving truck had been scheduled. So as the due date continued to approach we decided we would induce labor. We began inducing the labor on thursday June 5, 2008 and the Alexander Thomas Baldwin was born early Friday morning the 6th. The monday following the Alexander's birth I helped the truck driver load up our stuff that we had moved into storage in Berrien Springs. Then on the following weekend we left Michigan and began our trip down to Texas. We first stayed with my family and in Ohio for a few days. Then we made our way down to Huntsville, Alabama and stayed with the Evans for about two days. After that we continued on our way and stayed in Texarkana for the last night of our trip. We arrived at our home in Texas on thursday the 18th of June.

Life is full of learning. Lately I have realized the necessity of being intentional. Plants,animals and other organisms have less intentionality built in to their design than humans. Human beings, myself included seem to function most efficiently when we are purposeful. Discovering how to be purposeful is difficult however. This is because we have so many choices to make or to neglect and in addition we are not completely in control of ourselves. Spiritually I find that being intentional can be difficult because it often means that I need to do what I don't want to do. When we look at the tree the tree does not make the decision to do what it does not want to do or for that matter it does not decide to try and do something that it does not know how to do. Natural forces act upon the tree and the tree responds per it's design. Unlike the plant kingdom the animal kingdom responds with choice to the forces of nature. However animals excluding humans do not self evaluate. They are capable of making decisions that seem best given their previous experiences, but they cannot interrupt the chain of events by analyzing their decision making process. Man inherently has the ability to wonder whether the actions he makes are the appropriate ones. This self-evaluative process is further complicated by the emotions we experience. While I know that what I am describing is something that lacks complete definition I am starting to see that it is imperative to remove as many obstacles as possible. In order to be intentional I need to remove items, habits, thought processes that inhibit me from acting. I also need to add habits and thought processes that enable me to make the correct decisions.

This week has been exciting. We went to the doctor Monday for our scheduled ultrasound. We were going to find out the baby's gender. After checking in a nurse ushered us into the Ultrasound room. We were both anxious and excited. Liz really wanted a girl and at first the Ultrasound technician was having trouble seeing if the baby had a penis. I could see on Liz's face that she thought it might be a girl. The tech told Liz to lie on her side until the doctor came in. Apparently that would cause the baby to move and possible give a good look at his or her genital area.The doctor came in and after using the ultrasound machine to do a cross-section of the area. She quickly and emphatically said it's a boy. I was very happy but I could see that Liz was stifling her emotion. After the doctor talked to us and we printed off the ultrasound pictures Liz and I separated. I went to a small waiting room and Liz went to the bathroom to get a sample of urine for the doctor's office. As Liz came she was directed to stand on a scale. Turning back Liz looked at me sitting in the waiting room. I could see her eyes welling up with tears. I jumped up and ran over to her. Liz was really crying. The nurse asked if the tears were happy tears and she said no. This left the nurse a little confused. The next few days were hard for Liz as she came to terms with the idea that she would have another boy in the house. A couple of days after the ultrasound Karen called the house to tell us the result of some tests that she had done to state the condition of the cancer in her body. Miraculously the cancer is completely in remission. Liz wasn't home to hear the news. But after she left a message on Liz's phone and Liz called her she was overjoyed that Karen was cured. The tremendous relief and happiness that came from finding out that Karen was better made Liz so happy that the thought of having a boy turned out to not be that bad. She is still coming to terms with it but the future looks brighter.

My wife is now approximately 20 weeks pregnant. We will find out the gender of the baby on Monday. While my initial desire was to wait to find out the way my parents waited for their children, Liz really wants to know. As a result we have an appointment with an ultrasound scheduled. I'm excited. I know that whatever gender the Lord has plans for this child. In other news Matthew and I went to the doctor today. He had to have a planter's wort treated for the second time with liquid nitrogen to freeze the tissue. Interestingly I have a planter's wort on my foot in a similar position to Matt's. It is very likely that he got it from me. Matthew made sure to tell the doctor that I probably gave him the wort. When the doctor found out that I had a similar wort he offered to treat me with the liquid nitrogen free of charge. So there we were father and son sitting on the table with butcher paper with one sock off. We took turns holding each other's hands as we endured the stinging bite of the liquid nitrogen. The doctor was very nice to have offered this service. We did however have to wait for the better part of an hour to receive treatment and this could have been the doctor's way of pacifying a possible disgruntled parent. However the doctor was very nice and I think he would have offered even if we hadn't waited so long. While we were at the doctor's office Liz was coming back from her first week in her new internship in the O.B. unit at SouthHaven community hospital. She got to be involved with a birth today. The mother of the baby was 20 and Hispanic and had trouble understanding the directions from the medical staff. She was having a difficult birth so they resorted to using a vacuum to suck the child out. Liz says that's a practice that isn't used much anymore. Well, just thought I'd check in. Hopefully I will write more often.

I can't believe Christmas is over. It went pretty well. Liz's mother stayed over the night before and the four of us opened presents together. Then Liz, Matthew and I went to the Whites were we open more presents with the extended family. We stayed there the rest of the day. I've had a good Christmas. It has taken me a while to get my Sirius radio working. I had to get a home kit. Even with that it didn't work until I put the antenna through the window and outside the house about three feet. But it is working now and I understand the multifaceted approach the radio offers with Satellite and Internet listening. Outside of that we have a lot going on. Liz is 17 weeks pregnant. She's doing pretty well but she has been suffering from headaches. Liz and I both have sore throats right now. Anyway the new semester is coming up fast. It's the last one.

In less than two weeks we'll be leaving for D.C. and my grandparents 50th anniversary party. I'm looking forward to it. I think Liz and Matthew are too. As of today Liz is nine weeks pregnant. Just a few days ago we were given a gift for the baby: little cowboy boots. They look pretty cool. Liz and Matthew are asleep right now. It's Friday night. Today we saw Bee Movie. It wasn't very good. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good either. Liz just mumbled from the other room that she was dreaming. I'd have to agree with her. 

Well, we're having a baby. We're so happy. I can't believe it. Matthew is going to be a big brother.  We will be going to the doctor for our first visit in just a few weeks. Liz is about two months pregnant right now. We have basically settled on the names for either a boy or a girl already. That may change. Liz wants to know what the gender is as soon as we can find out. However in my family we don't usually find out. So against my better wishes I think that I am going to have capitulate. Well, I am so happy. I'm learning so much about pregnancy and babies. However I feel like I know so little. 

Well it was a long six weeks. There was a lot of intensity as we conducted a field school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Eight churches from the surrounding area were involved. We had between 10-15 baptisms. However we had around 40 decisions for baptism in the near future. I helped with giving out the lessons and materials throughout the meetings. We had the meetings in the Bradley Square Mall. It definitely was a learning experience. While I was there I lived in a mother-in-law suite in someone's house. I had my own living room, dining area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Liz and Matthew were able to come down twice for a few days each time. I'm really glad to be back home. I'll be going back to classes tomorrow.

I just got an email from Ron Clouzet who is conducting the field school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Among other things he informed the students that our responsibilities continue to October 13. This was news to me. I thought the program ended on the fifth.  I'm not going to enjoy being down there for that long away from my family. I don't think my family likes it either. Well on another note it's Sabbath and we're going to eat soon. I am really hungry. We're having like a chicken stroganoff or something similar. Matthew starts third grade on Monday. It's hard to believe. Liz starts the week after. I will leave on the 30th to head down to Tennessee.

I haven't written for a while. It's not that there isn't a lot going on. I'm just lazy. Liz and Matthew are over at Karen's.  I'm about to go and watch a new episode of Man vs. Wild.

Liz and Matthew are at Memorial Hospital visiting Karen. After going to the hospital for shortness of breath doctors found a growth that is likely cancerous. The final word will be given tomorrow when the doctors produce the results of the biopsies taken Monday. As a result of Karen's illness Liz, Matthew and I are obviously upset. Liz also has to go to work at her externship in Kalamazoo. She is working in Borgess hospital--a Catholic non-profit institution. I am in the second summer session and I am finding Dr. Choi's Pauline Writings class to be difficult. I enjoy his lectures but I am finding his tests to be hard. After taking Matthew to the White's, attending Pauline Writings, going to work and then going to Understanding the Christian World I did try and work on my Exegesis paper for Choi's class. Right now I am at the house by myself.

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I posted an entry. Lissy graduated from Spring Valley. We went down there for the weekend and there were 21 family members and one boyfriend that came up for the different events. We had a lot of fun. We've also found out that Liz got a job at Borges hospital in the Med-surge unit. I'm proud and happy for her. I just finished my Jewish Life and Thought class today. Oh and two days ago I got a weight bench from the Whites. I like it because it has a separate wide rack for the weights. It's nice and Sam gave me the olympic bars and weights that go with it. I've figured out that I need to deadlift to balance out my posterior chain of muscles. I've learned how to deadlift with proper form and I think that it's going to be beneficial.

It's Friday evening and the Sabbath is almost here. Today was a full day. I went to work at Guest Services around eight thirty. I was pretty busy, although I had a lot of fun joking around with Marcus, Vincent and Chabu. We were anticipating all the people coming for the Yugoslavian Sabor conference today. While I was working Matthew stayed home with Liz. He was sick again today.  I came home around twelve and then Liz and Matthew went with Mary Ellen, our neighbor to plant some fruits, vegetables and other things in Niles. I went back to work. But this time I worked with Marcus in the Campus Center and we sold Meal Cards to the Yugoslavians. I had a good time. I got off at six and after eating dinner I convinced Liz and a napping Matthew to go to Udder's for ice cream. Then Liz decided to go for a drive and we went out down old 31 towards Benton Harbor. We ended up at an old Antique shop on Shawnee Rd. There were two nice people a man and woman that ran the place. Liz got two plates that she liked. It was a nice day.