How do you communicate?

Are you a blogger or a member of a yahoo or google group? Is your "face" on facebook or my space? Of course you e-mail and use a cell phone. No doubt you have viewed a few "youtubes". I'm sure you have looked on Flickr, talked on Skype, and listened to a podcast or two, but have you ever been a part of crowdsourcing, videobridging, webinars, mashups, or RSS feeds? Are you as baffled as I was as I read these varying types of communication? What has happened to the simple handshake,



or the snailmail letter?

I guess they still exist but don't carry the impact or value they once held. Most of us have dove off the high dive into the "internet pool" and found ourselves either sinking, barely treading water, or actually speedily swimming laps. Little did I ever imagine I would be a happy blogger or an "image" on facebook!

But as a Christian my most valued communication occurs around 7:00 a.m. when I meet with the Lord through the "Holy Spirit line". There still exists no more powerful form of communication than prayer. " I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon HIm as long as I live." Psalms 116:1-2

Well, there is one more form of communication that needs no introductions. Don't you just love a baby's "words"?


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LAUGHTER!

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:2-3

The Lord has indeed done GREAT things for me as He allows me to share in the belly laughs of my grandson, Christian. Praise the name of the Lord!

Cenotes of Mexico

Hunter and I just returned from a week scuba diving with good friends in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We went on 8 dives during the week including Tortuga Bay with giant turtles and the underwater "walls" along Cozamel Island. The ocean was calm and warm with 60-80 foot visibility-quite ideal for diving. But my favorite 2 dives were not even in the ocean. They were in fresh, cool water under the ground, in what the Mexicans call cenotes. Cenotes are fresh water pools connecting to submerged caverns and other cenotes. The standard formation is a round hole in the ground where you begin your dive. From there you switch on your underwater light and follow a guide into caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites. It was a "stretching" diving experience for me since each diver was on his own-no buddy system-simply maintaining your own buoyancy control and carefully following a line and the guide. At times we were in total darkness, except for our lights. Other moments sunlight filtered down through various openings creating a shimmering effect on the rock formations. It was indeed exhilarating! The following video will give you a taste of the experience. It was filmed as we exited the "batcave" cenote. ( Yes, it contained real bats hanging from the ceiling. Ha!)

Grandma's Cookies!

" Cookies, anyone?"


"I'll take some, please."

"Treasure"

What are your life's treasures? That is a question I have been pondering this week as I prepare my Sunday School lesson for a class of 32 eight year olds. The theme is Give your treasure to God. Our Bible verse to memorize is taken from Matthew 10:8, which states: "Give as freely as you have received!" The Bible story from Mark 12 centers around Jesus teaching his disciples the principle of giving your all, including your "treasures", to God. While Jesus and some of his disciples sit watching, numerous rich people give large amounts of money. The disciples, most of whom were from the lower economic classes, were probably amazed at some of the fortunes offered by these wealthy people. They may not have even noticed the poor widow who dropped her two coins, worth about $1-$2, into the treasury box. Yet Jesus specifically points her out to the disciples and explains that she gave more than all the others they had been watching. His point was that she gave her all whereas the rest gave out of their abundance. Some Christians today might consider the widow's giving foolish-she didn't have to give both coins; she didn't have to give even one coin. After all, she needed that money just to stay alive. But that kind of thinking is precisely what Jesus was teaching against. If we give only part of what we have-of what we are-to Jesus, we're holding back. Jesus wants all of us. He wants us to give him all we have and all we are and to trust him for the results. This is the lesson I teach tomorrow. Can I live it?

I think of my sister and her husband who are heading off to the mission field in Africa next week. I know they have given up many physical treasures as well as giving their family and friends up to Jesus while they are away for two years. Complete trust in the provisions of Jesus never comes without sacrifice, but sacrifice for the cause of Christ always results in untold blessings.

As Hunter and I approach the gate marked Retirement I wonder what treasures I need to lay down before we enter. I am thankful God has not asked me to be separated from family and friends for a time. Those treasures I will hold close. But there are material treasures that I must give up in order to pursue what God has called us to do-become volunteer missionaries at various projects across the United States. My thoughts can be more focused as I unclutter-"Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." Matthew 6:21

It is good for each of us to periodically take stock of our life's treasures and see if Jesus is asking us to give any or all of them to Him, trusting He knows what is best for our happiness!!

Thanks, "Bob"!

Thanks, Bob, for making a jogging stroller that both my grandson, Christian, and I love! Thanks for the aircraft aluminum frame making this stroller extremely lightweight. Thanks for the swivel front wheel that makes turning corners a breeze. Thanks for the easily accessible foot brake and the safety wrist strap to keep my precious cargo from escaping just in case I would take a tumble. Thanks for the "see through window" neatly sewn into the top sun visor so I can watch my little guy's antics while I continue to move. Thanks for the bicycle tires that give a smooth ride and the padded seat. (Christian appreciates these features!) Thanks for helping to make my 2 hour race walk a wonderful afternoon outing!!

P.S. For those of you unfamiliar with this company you can look it up on the web at http://www.bobgear.com/index.php

P.S.S. "Bob" stands for Beast of Burden, which this stroll ISN'T!

Grandma's photo gallery

Christian at 5 months.
Isn't he cute?