John Deere fans only!

Grandpa has started his grandson early!

P.S. We are still living with the kids, waiting on repairs for a "broken" motor home. I know friends and fish stink after three days but do parents???

Perseverance

Last Sunday the pastor of Manna Church,(where the kids attend),preached a sermon on the topic of perseverance. God gave him some great food for thought. His main two points were:

1. There is a place beyond what we feel.
2. There is a source beyond what we have.

He went on to state that most people are controlled by their feelings but that successful perseverance requires that we NOT be controlled by our feelings. It requires that we go deeper, looking through the shallowness of emotion and comfort into the realm where character and faith rule the roost. Quitting it not an option!

Another statement he made was that what you do in the face of "head wind" defines your race.

He used several scriptures (see below) to show that God wants us to persevere and is always there to take our hand and walk with us through the times of difficulty, in whatever form it takes.

Romans 5:3-5
2 Thess. 1:4
Hebrews 12:1-3
James 1:2-4
Proverbs 24:10

One of his final comments continues to play through my thoughts:
It is in the valley that you drink from his river of grace!

It is interesting to note that I realized these words were meant to encourage me concerning my health issue but little did I realize they'd return to "plague" me when we TRIED to "pick up" our motorhome this Friday, fully anticipating heading to Savanna for a brief vacation before our first scheduled MMAP project October 3rd in Florida. As we were driving out of the lot something broke and we were "dead in the water"! Once more we are living with the kids-this time with Rebecca and Steve-and will be contacting the "powers that be" to get parts and the proper maintenance accomplished. At this point we don't know if we will be able to make it to our MMAP project on time. That is in God's hands. He knows we want to be there. Through this, another difficulty with the motorhome, I have seen a spiritual depth in Hunter, obviously grown out of time spent in India, and an extra-ordinary ability to show Christian love under trying situations.

So we are continuing to take one day at a time in this retirement adventure and "enjoy" what God brings our way!
I pray you can successfully perseverance through whatever comes around your corner!

P.S. As a side-note, I even managed to "persevere" this week and complete a cross stitch project I have had under way for 13 years!!

a GREAT book!

I just finished reading this classic for the second time in my adult years. I have decided that every person; whether he/she is a Christian or non-Christian should be "required" to read this wonderful book at least once in their lifetime. This masterpiece provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith. Many portions of it spoke to me but especially the section below: "...we must not be surprised if we are in for a rough time. When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along-illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation-he is disappointed. These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now? Because God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level; putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before. It seems to us all unnecessary; but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us." Take Christian's example below and pick up a good cup of coffee and read this book! It's powerful!!

Life's "irritants"!

Have you ever felt like this?



Or maybe this?



Or possibly even this??




If you have, you are in good company. That's the way I've been feeling the last two days. If one more irritant pops "his" ugly head into my face I think I'll blow! Well, maybe it's not THAT bad but I'm not a happy blogger today.
Let me try to explain. Sometimes just sharing the misery makes it less miserable.
If you read my last post you know that during the month of September Hunter and I were orginally, before hurricanes and RV breakdowns, to spend a month laying on the beach sipping rootbeer floats while reacquainting ourselves with each other after a year's separation. Those plans flew away in the hurricanes and were replaced with a week enjoying the company of the kids while the RV was to be repaired. OK, I can deal with that slight wrinkle in the fabric. So we "house sat" the dog while Rebecca and Steve spent a week in Colorado and I cleaned kitchen cupboards and filled the freezer with baked goods. A week has passed, the kids have returned from vacation, and the RV is no closer to being fixed than it was 7 days ago! This was irritating enough when I discovered I had developed a case of shingles. "You've got to be kidding!!" On top of this I continue to deal with a chronic stomach ache. My daily intake of prescription pills now numbers 7!
Where do I go with all of this? To God-just like Job did. I realize He is in the business of humbling me and teaching me that in life there will always be "irritants"-some worse than others. Job says in Job 23:13-14 "Whatever he wants to do, he does. So he will do for me all he has planned." I need to remember the truth on this poster:



Let's ask God to help us in dealing with all of life's irritants!!