I can't get enough of the Bible. Now, for some of you...that probably sounds like the most boring and irrelevant subject in the world! For others of you--you probably feel the same. So, let me explain for a few minutes of writing as to why I feel that way!
While in PR, I had lots of time to just read and I felt my soul expanding, rather than my waistline. Now, mind you, I have a long way to go to reduce my physical weight--but I've been finding that I'm sick to death of thinking about losing weight, eating less, cutting down on sugar, exercising, etc. etc. In fact, I think that my over-obsession with that whole subject is like bowing down to an idol made out of gold or silver.
So, instead, I've been taking my Bible in hand and just reading! Not stopping to ponder a whole lot (unless something just jumps out at me), but just reading chapter after chapter. And interestingly enough, I feel like I've been caught up into a whole sweep of history! God's history! And my soul is expanding because of it!
One quick scripture that has been rolling around in my brain--out of the Message version. Daniel 2:20-21. "Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: he changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also bring them down, he provides both intelligence and discernment."
For you that lean to the left politically, you might be cheering! Yes, finally...an old "regime" brought low...a new beginning with President Obama leading us on into a wonderful life. For those of you that lean towards the right, "Oh, this is the most horrible thing that has ever happened to America!" What has pumped into my heart is that fact that, "God guides history. He raises up and brings down leaders for HIS PURPOSES!"
Are all of God's purposes positive...in other words--do we always get protected from evil? Are we always deserving of the "good life"? Can one man truly be our savior? Only Jesus! He's the only one. So, we must not be gloating or in despair or whatever. We must be about our lives--extending ourselves to those in need, turning away from wrong doing and selfishness, opening up our hearts to the One who guides history--standing in the gap during our times of prayer!
History moves on--there are good times and bad times! There are times of horrible injustice and times of peace and right ruling! We forget that our time here on earth is relatively short in comparison with eternity. So, I've been asking God to help me keep His perspective and to not fall into bitterness and hatred or pride and arrogance!
Not an easy line to walk...at least not for me personally! I can't believe how quickly I can get puffed up in my attitudes over some trivial little thing that I do right! And as soon as I even get a hint that someone may be putting me down, I find unforgiveness and anger quickly raising it's ugly head in my mind. Man oh man! I do need a Savior--THE Savior!
And by the way...I'm thankful for all of you who take time to read this little blog! Our differences of opinion are all protected under the laws of this amazing land that we live in! Isn't it wonderful that we have the freedom to express our views and still be friends? More to come...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sunny beaches
It's been almost a month since I last posted anything. So, let me just jump right in with both feet and tell you all the news!
First of all, as you may remember, we had struggled greatly with renewing the contract here at the Fulton Airport. Our hearts burned for something new, but in the end--we thought that it would be prudent to keep the contract until something else opened up.
Joah, our son, and his girlfriend, Ingrid, both received unexpected end-of-the-year bonuses and they purchased round-trip plane tickets for us to come down to Puerto Rico for a 10-day visit! We thought that it was a bit "over-the-top", but what could we do? The tickets were purchased, so we went. My mom is here visiting us...so she went along too!
My oh my! God really, really does know us intimately! It was exactly what we needed. 2008 had been a tough year for us and little did we realize how desperately we needed a rest.
So, the day after the contract was signed, we flew out of St. Louis and landed that same day in sunny San Juan. I can't begin to tell you how just flying down there brought so much relief to me! And I had hours upon hours to rest, read, and reflect on what I had read without any interruptions.
The oddest thing happened to me...well, it shouldn't seem odd...but it was the first time in ages that I had felt this way. I curled up on Ingrid's couch and just read the Bible. It was like reading a really good novel. I couldn't put it down. Chapter after chapter after chapter. No interruptions, no worries, nothing! Just reading!
We did all kinds of fun things...runs to the beaches, wading and finding treasures of coral and shells in the sand, visiting a light house on the western end of the island, going to quaint restaurants and having some of the best fresh sea food ever, shopping in a huge mall, visiting a rain forest, watching "chick flicks" with my mom and Ingrid while Joah and Travis went flying, flying in the same planes that Joah flies, etc, etc.....
Glorious, glorious time! And now, Travis is over in Dubai for 2 weeks with Gary, Jessica, and their two little boys. I went last year and it was his turn to go! My mom and I are holding down the fort and enjoying some special time together.
So, that's just to catch you up.....
First of all, as you may remember, we had struggled greatly with renewing the contract here at the Fulton Airport. Our hearts burned for something new, but in the end--we thought that it would be prudent to keep the contract until something else opened up.
Joah, our son, and his girlfriend, Ingrid, both received unexpected end-of-the-year bonuses and they purchased round-trip plane tickets for us to come down to Puerto Rico for a 10-day visit! We thought that it was a bit "over-the-top", but what could we do? The tickets were purchased, so we went. My mom is here visiting us...so she went along too!
My oh my! God really, really does know us intimately! It was exactly what we needed. 2008 had been a tough year for us and little did we realize how desperately we needed a rest.
So, the day after the contract was signed, we flew out of St. Louis and landed that same day in sunny San Juan. I can't begin to tell you how just flying down there brought so much relief to me! And I had hours upon hours to rest, read, and reflect on what I had read without any interruptions.
The oddest thing happened to me...well, it shouldn't seem odd...but it was the first time in ages that I had felt this way. I curled up on Ingrid's couch and just read the Bible. It was like reading a really good novel. I couldn't put it down. Chapter after chapter after chapter. No interruptions, no worries, nothing! Just reading!
We did all kinds of fun things...runs to the beaches, wading and finding treasures of coral and shells in the sand, visiting a light house on the western end of the island, going to quaint restaurants and having some of the best fresh sea food ever, shopping in a huge mall, visiting a rain forest, watching "chick flicks" with my mom and Ingrid while Joah and Travis went flying, flying in the same planes that Joah flies, etc, etc.....
Glorious, glorious time! And now, Travis is over in Dubai for 2 weeks with Gary, Jessica, and their two little boys. I went last year and it was his turn to go! My mom and I are holding down the fort and enjoying some special time together.
So, that's just to catch you up.....
Friday, December 26, 2008
This and That
Good afternoon, all my faithful readers! I continue to be amazed when I hear about someone reading my blog. I guess I've never really considered that I might have anything very important to talk about!
First of all, I hope that each one of you had a very happy! We did, although it was probably the smallest gathering that we've ever had in our home! Just my mom, Sara, and her boyfriend, Erich! That's it! But, we had a great time!
We watched, "Christmas with the Kranks"last night. What a very funny movie! Have you ever seen it? I think it's the epitome of the hype before Christmas...
We received a very early morning phone call from our son, Crispin, this morning. Their base in Mosul, Iraq had been attacked early Christmas morning and one doctor was killed and several others wounded. We were supposed to talk to him via the internet that afternoon, but he was never online...so my mom, Travis, and I paused in the afternoon to lift him up in prayer.
He explained to us that the internet gets shut down when there is a death, as the govt doesn't want the family back home hearing of a death through unofficial channels. Makes sense!
So, how are we feeling? Very, very sad for the families that will receive this sad, sad news! Very thankful that God has kept His hand on Crispin, and feeling much more earnest in our times of praying for his safety and well-being....emotionally and mentally!
We listened to Rick Warren's Christmas message on Fox News the other night. One thing really touched my heart. He said that when we're feeling overwhelmed, or guilty, or fearful, etc...we need to see God. Not seek God about our problems or sins....but to seek HIM! That He is worthy of our seeking and as we turn our hearts to HIM...longing for that close relationship, these other things will be taken care of in their time. Might not be exactly like we would hope, but God works ALL things for good in our lives!
Gotta go make lunch! Love you guys!
First of all, I hope that each one of you had a very happy! We did, although it was probably the smallest gathering that we've ever had in our home! Just my mom, Sara, and her boyfriend, Erich! That's it! But, we had a great time!
We watched, "Christmas with the Kranks"last night. What a very funny movie! Have you ever seen it? I think it's the epitome of the hype before Christmas...
We received a very early morning phone call from our son, Crispin, this morning. Their base in Mosul, Iraq had been attacked early Christmas morning and one doctor was killed and several others wounded. We were supposed to talk to him via the internet that afternoon, but he was never online...so my mom, Travis, and I paused in the afternoon to lift him up in prayer.
He explained to us that the internet gets shut down when there is a death, as the govt doesn't want the family back home hearing of a death through unofficial channels. Makes sense!
So, how are we feeling? Very, very sad for the families that will receive this sad, sad news! Very thankful that God has kept His hand on Crispin, and feeling much more earnest in our times of praying for his safety and well-being....emotionally and mentally!
We listened to Rick Warren's Christmas message on Fox News the other night. One thing really touched my heart. He said that when we're feeling overwhelmed, or guilty, or fearful, etc...we need to see God. Not seek God about our problems or sins....but to seek HIM! That He is worthy of our seeking and as we turn our hearts to HIM...longing for that close relationship, these other things will be taken care of in their time. Might not be exactly like we would hope, but God works ALL things for good in our lives!
Gotta go make lunch! Love you guys!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Up and Down
Good morning, dear readers and family: Oh, life, life, life! One minute up and then next minute down!
We had a great Thanksgiving...missed my daughter-in-law, Erica and ended up with only one dish of corn! (Read previous blog)
Remember that we sold one of our planes to the Brazilian guy? Well, he made it back safe and sound and loves the plane...so that's an "up"!
This past Friday afternoon, a pilot came to rent our other plane...a little yellow Cessna 150. It was pretty cold outside, but he said that he was just going up and staying in the "pattern"...working on his landings and take-offs. So, that was cool....however, he got tired of doing that and decided to fly north to the practice area.
To make a long story short, something happened while he was practicing his maneuvers and he had to set the plane down in a bean field. It was about a mile long, all the beans had been harvested and Travis said that you could have set a jet down in it with no problems! But, this man forgot all of his previous training on what to do in case of an emergency and the plane ended up with the front wheel smashed and one of the wings damaged.
All I can say is that we're so thankful that he walked out without a scratch! Travis and 2 other guys (one is our mechanic) went to rescue him and ended up calling the FAA. Whoever Travis talked to told him that he couldn't touch the plane...had to leave it exactly as he found it until it had been inspected by either themselves or someone that they designated.
So, Travis had to leave the plane right where it landed. The next morning, he drove back up to this field, along with the designated person and crew to retrieve the plane and his heart fell into his shoes. A strong wind had come up the night before and the plane had been flipped on it's back and was completely totalled!
To say that we were "down" is an understatement! Punched in the stomache is more like it! Life, life, life! You never know what's coming around the corner. Sometimes good, sometimes bad!
Now, I can't possibly leave you there...because good things are all around us. We are surrounded with kind and caring people who have taken us out to dinner, dropped by to console us, called us to console us, and prayed for us. And it's that wonderful time of year when Christmas cards start arriving in the mail.
To conclude this "down" side of things, the insurance adjuster came out yesterday and said that he would do all in his power to get a check into our hands asap. He also felt very badly about the whole deal and the pilot that caused all of this? He's devastated! We feel so sorry for him! But, things happen and he wasn't hurt!
You might wonder...where is God in all of this? Oh, He's right here! Walking with us, consoling us, lifting our hearts...working behind the scenes to take awful things and bring good out of them. Will He hand us another airplane? I think not! But, good things are worked into our souls when we suffer! All kinds of things...patience, endurance, a softened heart, more compassion for those around us who also have "down" days!
I leave you here...I can't wait to go and check the mailbox later on this morning and see what lovely cards are waiting!
We had a great Thanksgiving...missed my daughter-in-law, Erica and ended up with only one dish of corn! (Read previous blog)
Remember that we sold one of our planes to the Brazilian guy? Well, he made it back safe and sound and loves the plane...so that's an "up"!
This past Friday afternoon, a pilot came to rent our other plane...a little yellow Cessna 150. It was pretty cold outside, but he said that he was just going up and staying in the "pattern"...working on his landings and take-offs. So, that was cool....however, he got tired of doing that and decided to fly north to the practice area.
To make a long story short, something happened while he was practicing his maneuvers and he had to set the plane down in a bean field. It was about a mile long, all the beans had been harvested and Travis said that you could have set a jet down in it with no problems! But, this man forgot all of his previous training on what to do in case of an emergency and the plane ended up with the front wheel smashed and one of the wings damaged.
All I can say is that we're so thankful that he walked out without a scratch! Travis and 2 other guys (one is our mechanic) went to rescue him and ended up calling the FAA. Whoever Travis talked to told him that he couldn't touch the plane...had to leave it exactly as he found it until it had been inspected by either themselves or someone that they designated.
So, Travis had to leave the plane right where it landed. The next morning, he drove back up to this field, along with the designated person and crew to retrieve the plane and his heart fell into his shoes. A strong wind had come up the night before and the plane had been flipped on it's back and was completely totalled!
To say that we were "down" is an understatement! Punched in the stomache is more like it! Life, life, life! You never know what's coming around the corner. Sometimes good, sometimes bad!
Now, I can't possibly leave you there...because good things are all around us. We are surrounded with kind and caring people who have taken us out to dinner, dropped by to console us, called us to console us, and prayed for us. And it's that wonderful time of year when Christmas cards start arriving in the mail.
To conclude this "down" side of things, the insurance adjuster came out yesterday and said that he would do all in his power to get a check into our hands asap. He also felt very badly about the whole deal and the pilot that caused all of this? He's devastated! We feel so sorry for him! But, things happen and he wasn't hurt!
You might wonder...where is God in all of this? Oh, He's right here! Walking with us, consoling us, lifting our hearts...working behind the scenes to take awful things and bring good out of them. Will He hand us another airplane? I think not! But, good things are worked into our souls when we suffer! All kinds of things...patience, endurance, a softened heart, more compassion for those around us who also have "down" days!
I leave you here...I can't wait to go and check the mailbox later on this morning and see what lovely cards are waiting!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Trivial Pursuit
Good morning! I have a little snippet of time, so will sit down and give you a couple of updates! Nothing really big! Just some St John trivia to pass on....
We sold our 4-place airplane to a guy from Brazil, Abrao Eliasquevici. He left a week ago, but is dawdling around somewhere in the Caribbean! Now, the plot thickens!
Joah, who flies inner-island planes in Puerto Rico for a company located down there, called Travis yesterday and said, "Hey dad, guess what happened? I just landed this morning at the town of Fajardo and as I was getting out of my plane, I glanced over on the ramp and there was your plane that you just sold!"
Joah received a special award when he was a little boy in the Christian school for being the "Most Observant". I guess some things never change!
So, Travis called Abrao on his cell phone and left him a message telling him to call Joah as they were right there in the same place. I guess they're going out to dinner or lunch today in San Juan! Small world, huh?
Travis, Denny (my brother-in-law) and I are driving over to Kansas City to have Thanksgiving at Sara's new apartment. Allen lives only about 15 minutes from her, so will also be coming to dinner, along with his son, Drew. Unfortunately, his wife, Erica, has to work. Of course, Sara's boyfriend, Erich, will be there too. So, should be lots of fun!
Now, the funny thing is this...before we decided to move the dinner from our house to KC, I asked Sara what she wanted to bring. She immediately said, "Corn!" Now, how hard is it to cook corn? Hmmmmm....we've been chatting on Face Book and giggling about her big contribution for the past couple of days.
I told her that since the dinner was moved to her house, I was bringing the corn and she could do the the rest of the dinner. But, that didn't fly! She's still providing corn, although she is going to make mashed potates now too.
I called my brother-in-law last night and asked what he would like to bring....Yep! Baked corn! Looks like the meal will be real yellow!!!!
Oh, life is so much fun, isn't it? I love all these little diverse pieces of trivia that pop up all over the place...just to make things interesting!
So, if I don't talk to you before Thursday...have a very happy Thanksgiving and for heaven's sake, don't eat too much corn!
We sold our 4-place airplane to a guy from Brazil, Abrao Eliasquevici. He left a week ago, but is dawdling around somewhere in the Caribbean! Now, the plot thickens!
Joah, who flies inner-island planes in Puerto Rico for a company located down there, called Travis yesterday and said, "Hey dad, guess what happened? I just landed this morning at the town of Fajardo and as I was getting out of my plane, I glanced over on the ramp and there was your plane that you just sold!"
Joah received a special award when he was a little boy in the Christian school for being the "Most Observant". I guess some things never change!
So, Travis called Abrao on his cell phone and left him a message telling him to call Joah as they were right there in the same place. I guess they're going out to dinner or lunch today in San Juan! Small world, huh?
Travis, Denny (my brother-in-law) and I are driving over to Kansas City to have Thanksgiving at Sara's new apartment. Allen lives only about 15 minutes from her, so will also be coming to dinner, along with his son, Drew. Unfortunately, his wife, Erica, has to work. Of course, Sara's boyfriend, Erich, will be there too. So, should be lots of fun!
Now, the funny thing is this...before we decided to move the dinner from our house to KC, I asked Sara what she wanted to bring. She immediately said, "Corn!" Now, how hard is it to cook corn? Hmmmmm....we've been chatting on Face Book and giggling about her big contribution for the past couple of days.
I told her that since the dinner was moved to her house, I was bringing the corn and she could do the the rest of the dinner. But, that didn't fly! She's still providing corn, although she is going to make mashed potates now too.
I called my brother-in-law last night and asked what he would like to bring....Yep! Baked corn! Looks like the meal will be real yellow!!!!
Oh, life is so much fun, isn't it? I love all these little diverse pieces of trivia that pop up all over the place...just to make things interesting!
So, if I don't talk to you before Thursday...have a very happy Thanksgiving and for heaven's sake, don't eat too much corn!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Who am I, REALLY?
I'm sure you really want to hear about this, right? Well, once again, I have to write about something else that has been stirring in my heart! :-)
I tried to answer some questions in my "Recovery" class last night, but found it almost impossible until we all sat and talked it out. Questions like: If you could live anywhere in the whole wide world, where would that be? If you had unlimited funds, where would you go on vacation? What do you really like to do? What really bothers you?
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But, for me...it wasn't. I've spent the greater part of my life deferring to everyone around me. Guess what!? That means I'm a people pleaser! My daughter will force me to give my opinion about things. "Mom, what do YOU want to do?" And my standard answer has been, "Whatever everyone else wants is fine with me..."
So, even in a workbook with imaginary scenarios, I couldn't just say..."I want to go to Egypt to see the pyramids!" Yep, that's something I've always (down deep inside) wanted to do! Will it happen? Only God knows, but the important thing is that I learn to express it! It's ok to have opinions, wants, and desires. In fact, God delights that I come away from trying to please everyone around me! I've come to realize that you absolutely CAN NOT please people enough. Someone will always be bummed!
I will try to express those inside desires more as I blog! Perhaps I'll find out who I really am after all! And if you don't like it? Oh, please don't be mad at me! :-)
I tried to answer some questions in my "Recovery" class last night, but found it almost impossible until we all sat and talked it out. Questions like: If you could live anywhere in the whole wide world, where would that be? If you had unlimited funds, where would you go on vacation? What do you really like to do? What really bothers you?
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But, for me...it wasn't. I've spent the greater part of my life deferring to everyone around me. Guess what!? That means I'm a people pleaser! My daughter will force me to give my opinion about things. "Mom, what do YOU want to do?" And my standard answer has been, "Whatever everyone else wants is fine with me..."
So, even in a workbook with imaginary scenarios, I couldn't just say..."I want to go to Egypt to see the pyramids!" Yep, that's something I've always (down deep inside) wanted to do! Will it happen? Only God knows, but the important thing is that I learn to express it! It's ok to have opinions, wants, and desires. In fact, God delights that I come away from trying to please everyone around me! I've come to realize that you absolutely CAN NOT please people enough. Someone will always be bummed!
I will try to express those inside desires more as I blog! Perhaps I'll find out who I really am after all! And if you don't like it? Oh, please don't be mad at me! :-)
Friday, November 14, 2008
Procrastination
Blogging is so much fun! Why do I wait to do it? I've been seriously working on not procrastinating so much. Did you know that this goes along with trying to be perfect? Yep! I've learned all about it (AGAIN) as I've been working through one of my "Recovery" classes that I facilitate on Monday nights.
When you have a "perfectionist" mindset--you tend to procrastinate. After all, it's really hard to do something perfectly! So, the thought of even getting started or finishing a project can be mentally and emotionally overwhelming! No one is perfect, except God, so why do we strive for that? We need to do things with excellence--which is a whole lot easier than "perfect".
OK...so what have I finished? Well, Christmas presents that needed to be in the mail no later than earlier this week to arrive overseas in time. I had to force myself to finish! I would almost get something complete, then would think, "Oh well, I'll just put this down for now and come back to it later!" I can't believe how hard and stressful it was to just finish, pack up the boxes, take them to the Post Office and get them mailed!
I'm sure this sounds silly, but we all have our "issues", right? Right! This just happens to be one of mine.
I'm starting in on another project and am thinking about the prospect of writing out Christmas cards. Seems a bit daunting, but I really love this time of year and anticipate hearing from family and friends all over the world. I just received my first Christmas letter from South Africa!
So, I'll close for now--am proud of myself that I didn't procrastinate any longer in writing to all of you, and will go pick up my next project--to complete with excellence! :-)
When you have a "perfectionist" mindset--you tend to procrastinate. After all, it's really hard to do something perfectly! So, the thought of even getting started or finishing a project can be mentally and emotionally overwhelming! No one is perfect, except God, so why do we strive for that? We need to do things with excellence--which is a whole lot easier than "perfect".
OK...so what have I finished? Well, Christmas presents that needed to be in the mail no later than earlier this week to arrive overseas in time. I had to force myself to finish! I would almost get something complete, then would think, "Oh well, I'll just put this down for now and come back to it later!" I can't believe how hard and stressful it was to just finish, pack up the boxes, take them to the Post Office and get them mailed!
I'm sure this sounds silly, but we all have our "issues", right? Right! This just happens to be one of mine.
I'm starting in on another project and am thinking about the prospect of writing out Christmas cards. Seems a bit daunting, but I really love this time of year and anticipate hearing from family and friends all over the world. I just received my first Christmas letter from South Africa!
So, I'll close for now--am proud of myself that I didn't procrastinate any longer in writing to all of you, and will go pick up my next project--to complete with excellence! :-)
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