Day of Prayer

I always thought that if I watched the news, whether Fox, CNN, NBC, whoever, I was hearing everything I needed to know...and oftentimes things I never wanted to know! It turns out that the media hasn't told us enough about something any of us who call ourselves a follower of Jesus DO need to know. There are brothers and sisters of ours, families all around the world who are being persecuted for Jesus. Yes, persecuted. What we thought was just an old tale of Christians being sent to the Coliseum, believers being stoned or burned at the stake is not a myth or legend or something of the past. It is happening now, and in awful numbers.
This is a fact I shut my eyes and ears to for far too long. Now, I know the truth, and I have a responsibility to do something with that truth. The enemy knows his time is short, and will do all he can to keep the church down. But, when you read the stories of those who have lost much and continue to serve, your faith can be strengthened. I encourage you to go to http://www.persecution.com/ , sign up for the free Voice of the Martyrs magazine, and participate in the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, November 11.

Airshow

This week was Nate's birthday, and so we took him and Shelby to the Airshow. What a blast!



Nate in a REAL army blackhawk helicopter(this was much too solemn an occasion to smile at the camera...)













Shelby asked the pilots a whole lot of questions, and couldn't wait to go inside the plane...













There was a re-enactment, where a downed World War 2 American pilot was rescued by American tanks and planes.

Here are the tanks and soldiers "moving out".

Planes were flying overhead with guns blazing, German machine gunners were firing back, and American GIs approached from the ground. What a great reminder of the bravery of our soldiers as they defended our freedom!

Nate's comment - "Awesome!"

Shelby's comment - "Daddy, I have to plug my ears because it's too loud!"

Life Imitates Art...or at least a commercial

OK, so most people reading this blog might know that my dad is going in for open-heart surgery early tomorrow morning (and by early, I mean before Starbuck's is even open, which is just not RIGHT in my book). Anyway, I'm off track. What I'm trying to say is that I am thankful for my family, especially my parents, who have dealt with this situation just like we've dealt with most others that have come along in our lives...with a lot of prayer, and a lot of humor!
The best example of this was when my dad was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago for chest pains. After many tests and many threats by Dad to escape, they found that a section of his aorta will need to be replaced. While still processing all of this, Mom made phone calls to the rest of the family. She got a hold of Travis (older brother) who was on his cell, driving back from Tallahassee, and explained to him that Dad needed surgery and it would be very extensive. Here is where the cameras should have been rolling, because Travis let Mom go on for a few minutes and then said, "Wait a minute. Don't you have insurance??" Mom: "Yes, of course. Anyway....." (she continued to explain the surgery here). Travis heard nothing she said from this point on, because HE thought she had said the surgery was "expensive." And he was amazed! Was her next stop ebay, to bid on a discounted procedure? Was she going to scour the paper for a coupon?? We all got a good laugh at it, and since we'll need a few more laughs over the next days/weeks to come, I came up with a short list of good reasons to have heart surgery. Here you go, Dad!
1. The gowns you wear are just so dang cute....and the ventilation is unsurpassed.
2. If you're a guy, it's one of the few times you get flowers delivered to you and you don't have to feel weird about it!
3. You get a hair-free chest, which gets you one step closer to the Men's Health magazine cover.
4. It's the one time you're allowed to take really, really great drugs. Life will never look better to you than when you're this medicated!
5. You get to sleep a lot...oh, I forgot. They do come in and wake you up every 2.7 minutes to see if you're resting.
6. You hear from people that haven't called you in years.
7. The food is so....um, scratch this one.
8. Pretty pink bedpan included at no extra charge.
9. If you've ever thought of yourself as a "modest" person and wanted to be a little more daring, let's just compare this experience to going from the Amish community to a nudist colony in one fell swoop! (no offense to the Amish)
10. And, finally, you get to find out how much people really love and care about you. We do love you, Dad!

Making the MOST of it...

Straight from the Words of Life:

"Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.... Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us see your miracles again; let our children see your glory at work.

And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!" Ps 90:12-17 (NLT)

When waiting seems wasteful, God reminds me that He is purging me of the unhealthy, unproductive, distracting, and downright disruptive, old hurts, habits, and hangups. Spiritual maturity is not an overnight process; and a calling does not equal readiness - it is merely an invitation. For years, the Spirit has waited patiently for me to submit to His authority, and now it a small thing to wait on Him for preparation He knows will be needed to fulfill His will.

All of these things come into clearer focus, and I wait. No longer in despair, frustration, or anxiety. Now, there is hope. He is replacing the evil years with good ones. It just might take years to replace years, but during the waiting I hope... and excitedly look forward to the promise of a loving God that a time of miracles awaits... that my children will see God's glory at work through our own family!

I can't wait! Then again, maybe I just will... as I look around I can see it's already begun! :0)