Day 4 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 4 this morning I ran for about a mile. Warm sunny morning. It was a good time over breakfast just hanging out with Kaytie. We got out the guitar again and figured out how to play "friend like that". Judah will be thrilled since it is his favorite song. Now we are working on a kids church mural with another girl. The picture is of Queen Esther, David and Goliath and something else. This afternoon is the VBS. Three painting teams have gone out to work on two local homes and the team center. The church really desires to reach out in practical ways doing for "Others". See www.aboutothers.com.I have enjoyed some of the other parents here (the 4 Dads) just sharing our stories. Its like a support group, very encouraging!

Day 4 Part 2 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 4 part 2 this afternoon we spent the afternoon painting the mural. Kaytie and I had a lot of fun hanging out with the other two girls, Kyli and Linzi. We finished a lot of that mural today! Tonight we will be swimming.

Day 3 Part 2 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 3 part 2 kaytie had a hard time wanting me to take her home so I went off to walmart with some leaders to get food. I told her we can't keep doing this. After I got back she came to me and apologized and promised not to talk about it anymore so we can enjoy our time together. Somebody had a guitar and so kaytie asked me to play and sing with her. We sang for half hour singing woship choruses and hymns. Others would join in from time to time. it was a great time.

Day 3 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 3 we found the church in lower brule about 10PM. It was along ride. About 12 hours traveling. But we settled in and went to bed by midnight. This morning I got up at 6am and went running down to missouri river. Very warm with lots of fresh air. There really isn't a store here but we need milk. Over 4 bucks for milk at the tiny convenience store. Later they will need to drive 2 hours round trip to walmart to get food. The church is a new building. Very nice with a parsonage. Seats about 80. Kaytie woke up grumpy from all the "drama". We are going to get oriented today with the plan for the week. VBS. Painting the youth center. Canvassing the community to invite the kids. Remote but beautiful here. The town is clean but I learned the unemployment is like 70 percent. Wow. Off to breakfast.

Day 2 Part 2 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 2 part 2 been on the road for 7 hours already. Lunch at Arbys in the middle of no where. Sitting in the backseat with Kaytie in the car talking about fun stuff. Playing with the camera. It can choose a color then when you take a picture it makes it black n white except for that color. Cool. Then she wanted to look at the calendar thinking about how long it is til she completes. It was hard again...we fell asleep...naps are not just for toddlers anymore. :) just passed through Sioux City Iowa. River town on the missouri. I think Tyson owns this town since they have their name on the new arena. Casinos. Fireworks. Lots of open spaces.

Day 2b - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 2 for breakfast. Grapes piece of bread spoonful of peanutbutter and a propel.

Day 2a - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 2 last night I took Kaytie to Subway was fairly hard because she misses home and wants to be home. We talked. I suggested the oak but it was blah blah blah. This morning we are packing up and getting ready. I will be riding in an Altima (very nice) with another parent, Bill, Kaytie and Bills daughter. He works with the parks department in Missouri. We will have countless hours to all get acquanted. I am charging the batteries for the camera as we wait to go. I am drinking a superfood feelgood drink with algae, fruit, wheat and barley grass. Kaytie is now bugging me to stop this blogging!

Day 1 Part 2 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Day 1 part 2 - kaytie told me she needed some things on her needs list so "Mr Doug" the director was nice enough to loan me his car so of to walmart we go. After two hours we found our way back to TC. By the way, its 1OO here with I think 100 percent humidity. Thank the Lord for AC. When we got back we learned we are not going to the fireworks guess the girls got in trouble and they are too tired. Tomorrow morning we leave for south dakota. Onward!

Day 1 - Missions Trip with Kaytie

Kaytie day 1 we are at a picnic in the park. She yelled and screamed when she saw me and would not let go! Tonight we are going to a fireworks display with her church.

Tiny Little Airplanes

Tiny little airplanes. I do not travel a lot so I have not had the experience traveling on Delta's tiny little airplanes. Now granted that there are very small private planes but I am talking about commercial jets with turbo engines. They look like the big ones but just tiny.

Sitting at the airport waiting for connection flights can be interesting. I was sitting there watching the news about Michael Jackson's death and this little baby judt across the aisle was smiling at everyone. Why do babies smile so much? It is almost like the outcome of what is in the heart. Jesus said something about "out of the heart the mouth speaks". I would assume then that could also apply to "out of the heart the face smiles". Babies don't have all the life history of, regrets, anger and hatred. They just have a need for feed and a smiling heart. What does all this have to do with tiny airplanes? Tiny baby makes it ok!

The Bikers Prayer

My wife went over to Seattle for the funeral of her uncle Bill. Bill was a biker who rode, fixed and breathed Harleys. Bill was a great guy and will be missed.

At his funeral a "Bikers Prayer" was printed on his memorial program. I wanted to share this because I also ride motorcycles.

Every year I go on some kind of road trip with my buddies from elementary school. Yes that is correct, I did say elementary school. We have known each other most all of our lives and have managed to stay in contact and meet together every year. About 5 years ago we started riding together. We have been on several trips, some up into Canada and a couple to Yellowstone. This year we are heading back up to Banff, Alberta, Canada and passing through Glacier National Park in Montana.

I do not know where they got this but it was written by Dean Downey and the story would go that Uncle Bill would get together with the Baptist Pastor in Preston, WA and say a prayer with the bikers before they rode.

Dear Lord, as I get ready to get on this hog and prepare to ride, just let me feel your presence with me riding side by side. Let us feel the wind together blowing across our face. Don't let me fail to see and smell the nature around me as I ride from place to place.

Dear Lord, keep me safe from harm and let the other drivers see me as I ride by. And every once in awhile even though I'm a biker let them say, "Hi". Keep me alert and always watching for others. Don't let me ever fail to stop and help out one of my sisters or brothers.

And when my time on earth is up and it's time for me to take that ride in the sky, just give me a chance to tell everyone I love them and don't forget me when I die. Lord, thank you for letting me be a biker and doing what I loved the best. For the many miles I traveled, places I got to go and see before I finally came to rest.

All those hurting people

Hurting people are everywhere. 

It's overwhelming. I do not know how God can take all of this. My heart breaks for just the handful that I am close to. 

But I know this...God can do something about it. I know that if I pray for them God will come to their broken and downcast hearts and lift them up. 

People love miracles. I've seen people chase after them. People love to see the miraculous happen right in front of their eyes. But I think the most amazing miracle of all is when a broken and contrite heart is revived and reconnected to the arms of God. Within that I see the miracle of a broken heart healed. That's what I long to see. 

It's something that only God can uniqually do. 

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (King James Version)

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest." (God's Word)

LONELY PEOPLE by America

This is for all the lonely people 
thinking that life has passed them by 
Don't give up 
until you drink from the silver cup 
And ride that highway in the sky 


This is for all the single people 
thinking that life has left them dry 
don't give up 
until you drink from the silver cup 
you never know until you try 


Well I'm on my way 
Yes, I'm back to stay 
Well, I'm on my way back home 


This is for all the lonely people 
thinking that life has left them dry 
don't give up 
until you drink from the silver cup 
She'll never take you down or 
never give you up 
you never know until you try 

 

Waiting in Line with Nothing to do

So here I stand in a very long line at the usps with only one employee working.

Is it because people do not mail personal letters much anymore? Could it be that Fedex and UPS do most of the packages? Perhaps the price of fuel or budget cuts or all of the above!

The cool thing is the one guy working is really friendly and doing a great job. Hard for him considering when he looks over here he sees the glares of impatient people.

OK now there is another employee that just jumped in. The line is getting longer as the drama continues.

Who will wait to be served? Who will give up and leave?

When will the outdated stuff for sale finally move off the shelves.

Wow! I just moved. Almost to the counter. Here I go!

The brown spot and the patch of grass

The Brown Spot

There's a patch of grass missing in my backyard. You see, I put one of those 18 foot round pools there 2 summers ago. After removing the pool it left a big round brown spot. I would joke to my kids and say that is where a UFO landed or something. Could have been aliens you know.

Well this year I decided the brown spot needs to go. So with out doing any planning at all I just bought some grass seeds and threw them on there and waited. I know what you are thinking..."he is an idiot!" Perhaps a little water, perhaps some tilling of the soil or what not.

After a month seeing that my brown spot was still there, I decided to read the directions on the package. OK, duh. "Till the soil, plant the seeds, add some fertilizer, then water, and keep moist for days", or something like that. The first few days nothing happened. I thought for sure that I was a failure again and even that perhaps I have some kind of "grass patch curse" or something. But because I took the time to water it every day, low and behold...baby grass appeared.

At first the babies were almost impossible to see but they were there. I realized that I needed to protect them. So I roped off the area with some plastic chairs and some rope I had from the fishing boat days. (I sold that to get my motorcycle).

The Patch of Grass

Two weeks later there is a ton of grass growing there. I've already mowed it once and you should see it now. Nice and green and getting full. Oh, there still is some empty spaces but it's filling in as long as I keep watering it, keep the little kids off of it, all I see is a flurishing lawn! And the brown path? It's been replaced by a patch of healthy growing grass.

Ok, you already see the analogy I am going to use...

My life has brown patches that were put there by my own personal "entertainment" which I thought was fine at the time but was actually slowly killing my spiritual life. At first I tried on my own to fix the problem. 1. Deny there is a brown patch at all. 2. Just throw a scripture of two at it and hope God does some kind of merciful miracle.

But then I "read the directions" and it was clear that I needed to till, fertilize and water. The directions in the Bible became obvious, tilling can hurt sometimes or at least is hard work, and I watered it with lots of prayer, and after time and patience on my part (God did not have an issue I should remind you, it was all me) the green grass began to grow and the brown spot was leaving.

What kind of brown spots do you have right now? My advice is to read the directions and then be patient, because God is not finished with you yet. Sounds like a button or bumper sticker.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Eph 2:10 (NASB77)

8 He covers the sky with clouds. He provides rain for the ground. He makes grass grow on the mountains. 9 He is the one who gives food to animals and to young ravens when they call out. 10 He finds no joy in strong horses, nor is he pleased by brave soldiers. 11 The Lord is pleased with those who fear him, with those who wait with hope for his mercy.

Psalms 147:8-11 (GW)

7 It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow.

1 Cor 3:7 (MSG)

Raising up the dead things

Jesus raises up the dead things in me.

In Luke 7:11 - 17 we read this episode:

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." 14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Luke 7:11-17 (NIV)

1. This woman not only had lost her son but she did not have a husband as she was a widow. The significance of that is that in those days, a woman relied on her husband to care for her. The son would be the one to inherit what the Father had and would be the one who also would be responsible to take care of his mother. With her son gone, she was not only losing her family but her provision for daily life.

2. Jesus' heart went out to her. He said, "don't cry" and then raised up her dead son.

Wow.

3. When I see the dead things in my life that seem to stare me in the face, Jesus looks at me and says, "don't cry", and then he raises up the dead things in me.

The people were filled with awe and praised God. What other response is there when good things happen in our lives?