The blog for today failed to send from our I-Pad

My technical prowess, or lack thereof, finally caught up with me and the blog I prepared is stuck in the I-Pad Outbox, to be delivered at a later date.  (The hotspot isn't so hot at the moment).  For now we will send a picture of Earl (our house guest the past week) and me for your enjoyment.  The blog was a serious one, so maybe it wasn't ready to be posted yet.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

November 30, 2014. Madison, GA. Live each day........

In Vietnam I learned a lot about what was a topic for lighthearted kidding, and what was not. One of our men was about to leave the unit by helicopter and as he was preparing, a number of those remaining kidded about what each would like of his personal belongings, if he didn't come back. I don't remember if I was in on the "dibs" discussion, but I know for a fact, I have never been part of one since, because he didn't come back to our unit, but was med-evac'ed to Japan and then back to The States because of an injury he received while boarding the chopper. One never knows.......
Last week, here at Source of Light, Bob was off to Augusta for surgery and Wanda, his wife was accompanying him. The surgery went well, but Wanda began to have problems, was taken to the Emergency Room Friday night and died Saturday morning. When we heard the news yesterday we were shocked, to say the least, and thought back to seeing her and being with her before they went to Augusta. Who could have imagined such a scenario. One never knows......
Many of the people we work with here at SLMI are in their late 70' and 80's. Most have been in the mission field or ministry of some kind for most of their life and are here to help missionaries still in the field or assist in the other discipling activities which we support. In the three weeks we have been here, two people on staff have passed away, the prayer list is replete with upcoming procedures, surgeries, health issues of various kinds as well as those for family members and friends.
As we partook of Communion this morning at church, the meditation message was to take seriously the reason Jesus commanded us to "eat His body, and drink His blood" as His words are recorded in John 6: 35, 48-59, and to treat each communion as if we might die before we have the chance to partake of it again. My brothers and sisters, live each day as if it might be our last. Only God knows. Our eternity is in the balance.

Sent from my iPad

November 27, 2014. Madison, GA. Thanks

Every morning I start my day with quiet time, devotional readings, Scripture and writing my thoughts and prayers in a journal. I've started every day in this routine since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior on June 27, 1999, with the journaling beginning in 2003. I am in my ninth notebook journal and while I do not have all the journals with us in the motor home, the entry for each day for the two I have with us, going back to July 21, 2013, with the exception of two entries, begins with the words "Thank You, Lord......" The two exceptions begin, "Lord, Thank You" and "Thank You....." My first written words each day for at least the past 16 months and, I would hope well before that, have been words of thanks.
And, why should I not begin every day being thankful for the life I have In Christ? How could I not be grateful for all that Jesus did for us and all He has blessed us with? While today is the official Thanksgiving Day as mandated by our government, it is interesting to note that most of proclamations establishing or solemnizing this holiday make reference to God or to some other title for our Heavenly Father. And yet, like many practices and traditions in our current culture, God has been taken out of the picture and in more and more ways, there are some who would have God removed from every element of our daily life.
But, it is vital that we as Christians, in our words and our deeds, do everything we can to reverse this trend and make God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit not only a part of our life of thanks, but THE foundation of our life of thanks. And in that vein, I boldly and emphatically say today and every day, THANK YOU, LORD.


Sent from my iPad

New Day

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

November 24, 2014. Madison, GA. What a difference a day makes

I think we experienced all four seasons in the past week. While western New York was being hammered with Lake Effect snows of record proportions, we were trying to adapt to a wide range of morning temperatures, from 22 to 54, wind, a full day of rain culminating last evening with a tornado warning, the sirens sounding, and a call to gather in the Source of Light "storm shelter". A tornado was sighted about 15 miles to the west (near the church we attended yesterday morning), and as suddenly as it appeared it disappeared and we were free to return to our houses. This morning we woke up to 54 degrees, fog, and a current temperature of 77.
I've written often about the wide variety of weather we have encountered in our travels and also the storms we have experienced over the years and how they have affected us emotionally, financially and spiritually. We know how little control we have over the daily weather, violent storms and extreme conditions. With the increasing availability of information at our disposal, we are doing what we can to plan around potential dangers, be prepared for the wide swings in temperature, possible rising waters in certain areas and praying for protection and direction where to go and not go. Right now, I'm enjoying the pleasant weather, last night we met a few more people from SLM, heard a little more about the weather history of the area, and trusted that we were being protected and watched over. Again, we are grateful for where we are, what we are doing, and for the freedom we have to live as we do and serve where called. As we start this Thanksgiving week we are sincerely thankful. We anticipate the seasons changing again this week, but we will face what comes in the assurance that God is with us and He is in control.

Sent from my iPad

Popcorn's Revenge

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

November 21, 2014. Madison, GA. Popcorn's Revenge

Last Saturday while eating a piece of Mike and Ike candy, my First Upper Left molar (tooth number 14) decided it was time to crack and break. Fortunately there was no pain involved and after a few inquiries here at Source of Light we were referred to a dentist in Madison. As I sat in the "chair" Monday afternoon, I was asked two questions about my eating habits: do I chew ice and do I eat popcorn? Yes and yes. The Great Passion Play lives and breathes popcorn. The whole six months we were there was saturated with popcorn during the day and before every evening performance. I'm convinced that a few "old maids" impacted that tooth and led eventually to its demise and the present hefty repair bill. In Christianity we talk a lot about crowns, but we're not referring to the expensive ones which go into our mouth.
Things break. People with talent to fix broken things are a blessing to those of us with broken things, and where things can't be fixed there are people who will sell us new things. All of this comes at a price and in my case it will be more care in what I eat and how I eat it. Many of my favorite foods are hard and while I enjoy ice cream and milk shakes, I'm not going to forsake some of the hard foods I like and go on a full liquid diet. Right now I'm sucking on an ice cube, not chewing it, and in a while we will be eating steaks to celebrate Hugh and LaVon's 27th, or is it 28th, anniversary. No popcorn now, but when we go back to Eureka Springs and TGPP next year, there will be a decision I'll have to make about if, and how much of it I partake. As for Mike and Ike, I think I've eaten my last one. The rest of the box went into the trash.
There's an old expression about "no such thing as a free lunch", there is always a price to pay. Right now I understand that expression full well, but thankful that all is well and that God provided the person to fix the problem and provides the resources to pay for it. "Crown Him with many crowns.......and hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity......,". Thank You. Lord.


Sent from my iPad

November 18, 2014. Madison, GA. Martha and Mary

Scripture has a number of references to the sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. But the one which grabs me from time to time is the incident where Martha is busily working while Mary is sitting at His feet listening to Him and worshiping Him, leaving all the work to Martha. Martha goes to Jesus asking Him to tell Mary to pitch in and help with the preparations, but Jesus tells Martha that Mary is actually doing a better thing and that Martha should not be so critical of her sister.
Sometimes we fall into the routine of serving, volunteering for every task, worrying about not getting the job done or just plain overdoing it, burning out from too much "religious" activity and being critical of others who may be less involved or not pulling their own weight in ministry. Yes, we are called to serve God and help those whose burden may be too heavy for them, but we are also called to take time to be with The Lord, to worship Him, exalt Him and listen at His feet when He speaks to us. There is a balance to our spiritual life which should develop as we mature in our faith, get more involved in being fed rather than always preparing the meal for others to eat.
Karen and I have "Martha'ed" a great deal in our spiritual journey. Our time at The Great Passion Play was much the same. It was a good experience and one we anticipate returning to in the Spring. Here at Source of Light, we are trying to find our "work"niche, but we have access to a great deal of literature which is distributed to missionaries, prison ministries and other areas where disciples are called to disciple others. I pray that with these resources available, we will both take the time to "Mary" more and "Martha" less, to be fed more and grow in our relationship with Jesus, to not just know more about Him, but to know Him more intimately. Of course we will continue to serve, but when Jesus calls us to sit, wait and listen, which may be the reason He brought us here, I hope we will be obedient to that call, and sit reverently at The Master's feet.

Sent from my iPad

November 15, 2014. Madison, GA. It's never too late

Years ago I was part of a drama team at our church in Fort Collins, CO. One of the skits we performed was about two older people in a rehab facility who had different attitudes about their usefulness in the world. Susie played a former teacher who was in a wheelchair and felt useless because she was "confined" in the chair and could only look ahead to her release from the chair when she could be useful again. I played a wisecracking, wheelchair-bound, ex-farmer who had physical ailments, but still was helping young people, who visited the facility, with their schoolwork. The two characters had a lively discussion about being useful even when physical or health limitations seemed to indicate that it might be time to "curse God and die".
Karen and I have been involved in Christian volunteer ministry for the past fifteen years and before that were active in community service with a number of organizations. We have always known people who have reached out to help others in their time of need by giving their time, resources or experience to assist others. For some it has been their profession, for others a volunteer activity after their work day is done. But during the past year on the road it is becoming even more evident to us that there are people who in their "retirement" are still finding ways to be of use to others and in the process are adding richness and blessing to their "golden years". For some, it is done to earn money to sustain them, for others a way to fill their life and sustain others.
Everyone has talents which can benefit others and for some of us less skilled, it's refreshing to know that "old dogs (dawgs in Georgia) can learn new tricks". Source of Light Ministries has a host of "retired" missionaries who are continuing to minister in their 70's and '80's and while they, and we, may be a step slower, are still moving and being useful in the world and in God's Kingdom. Keep pressing in to God, and pressing on with the work He has for us. We can all use the skills we have or learn new ones. There is still much to be done in a world which is in great need of what God promises and offers to those who are obedient to His call.


Sent from my iPad

November 12, 2014. Madison, Georgia. Home is where the coach is

We're in Georgia, y'all, and settled in at Source of Light Ministries International (www.sourcelight.org), just south of Madison, GA. If you've followed us on the road the past eleven months you know that we have really taken to the road-life and feel extremely blessed with the places God has sent us and the opportunities He has put in our path. We arrived here mid-day Monday and have been welcomed and found many things to keep us busy and involved already.
We settled in next to our Passion Play friends, Hugh and LaVon who arrived a week ago Monday and reunited with our good buddy, Earl the cat, who also was glad to see us. Watching the weather back in Colorado, we are sorry winter came so suddenly there, but we are glad to be here and have some fall-like weather at least for a few more days. We have met a few different critters already, including a raccoon fire ants and termites and were warned about the venomous snakes and poison ivy. But we feel at home already and there is a peace here which makes us feel we are in the right place, for now. We attended our first chapel this morning and I have met for prayer the past two mornings with the men in Operations. Karen has started working with the women in Accounting and likes what she has been doing. It feels like we have been here longer than two days. It just feels comfortable, and while we don't know much about the work of SLMI, we know that where we are is where we are supposed to be. We see God at work here and in the 30+ nations they are located in around the world. For now our coach has brought us here and this is home. For how long? ............... God knows............the cloud has settled over us in Madison, GA. Thank You, Lord.

Sent from my iPad

Tenn-Tom, Fulton, MS

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

November 9, 2014. Fulton, Mississippi. On The Road Again

From April 11 until yesterday, two days shy of seven months, our motor home was a resident of Arkansas. It did have a few days in Branson, MO with our friends Larry and Kari, but other than that it was a Razorback and was a big contributor to the Arkansas economy. In two visits to Searcy it had nearly all it's windows defogged and a window leak "almost" fixed, in Mountain View it had six new tires and other repairs "almost" done, in Rogers it had a tow package installed, an inverter repaired and other repairs "almost" accomplished. The nature of RV repairs, we are learning, is that there is always something to be fixed and it usually takes a few times to get it fixed "right" and it always costs a lot.
But Arkansas was great. We had a super time, met wonderful people wherever we stopped and have made some friends we will have for a long time. The Passion Play experience was an experience and one we hope to do again next year. For now we are "in transit" and have to relearn all the duties of Karen keeping us between the lines and me juggling the travel plans, the nightly places to stay, Gas Buddy, weight and height issues and guiding Karen in and out of places where motor homes (now with car-in-tow) can and cannot go. Our first night away from Eureka Springs we were in a Hobby Lobby parking lot in Jonesboro, AR and now we are in a Corps of Engineers Campground a few feet from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Fulton, MS. God provides and we are grateful. It's good to see diesel prices under $3.20 where they were getting close to $4.00 earlier in the year. God is Good and we are so blessed to be living as we are with a freedom we have always had, but appreciate so much more now. Our time is God's time and we feel no pressure to be "on time" as we were for so many years of our life. Yes, we still have worldly responsibilities, but we relish the slower pace, the back roads and the chance to serve God and serve others as He calls us. Yesterday we were pretty much on fast roads because there were few options, but today we plan to go rural, avoid Birmingham and Atlanta and see some small towns and slower roads as we make our way to Madison, GA. Thank You, Lord.

Sent from my iPad

November 6, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR.

Our "forty days" on Magnetic Mountain lasted nearly six and a half months. Today we get ready for our 800 mile journey to Madison, Georgia and Source of Light Ministries. Hugh and LaVon have been there since Monday and are enthused about the opportunity and the.work to be done there. We're sad to leave The Great Passion Play, but we feel that we can return in April, God willing, and take up the cup again and do our part in revitalizing and advancing this ministry. We're glad we had this experience and thank God for opening the door and allowing us to walk through it. I hope our blog conveyed some of the joy, peace and contentment we felt here and, more importantly, the presence of God in this place and His heart for those who are joining Him here. Pray for TGPP and God's continuing favor on it.
Tomorrow we will fire up the diesel and head east. Thank you for following our adventure. Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement. And......Thank You, Lord. Your Will be done, Your Kingdom come.

Sent from my iPad

Be Still

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

November 3, 2014. Still in Eureka Springs, AR. God Is Still On His Throne

I just took a few seconds to calculate that I have lived more than 2.1 billion seconds. I never thought I would be a Billionaire, but I am, and it is amazing to think that as our world population increases to over 7.2 billion how many seconds that population has to use each second that passes. It's hard to imagine how vast the world we live in is and how it all holds together in some degree of order and regularity. Do you doubt that there is someone who has a handle on what has taken place from The Beginning, is in control of what is happening Now, and who has the future set out for each of us? Is there any question that that someone is God?
As time passes, as we move into November of 2014, as our personal plans seem to be less certain and our days become more flexible and spontaneous, it is becoming more clear to me that we are trying to rush into tomorrow without really living today. I just read an article about "hurry sickness" and how we are trying to do too much, keep up with technological change and failing to find time to relax and rest, and are making ourself physically and emotionally sick in the process. While the article was not written by a Christian, it is obvious that many are rushing through their spiritual life without finding the internal peace which faith in Jesus offers us if we just realize and accept that God is in control, He is still on His Throne and we can avoid a lot of grief and anxiety by resting in Him and allowing Him to set the pace and direction of our day and our life.
I have been fighting a cold, cough and a general feeling of the blahs the past few weeks. I have not been the most pleasant person to be around, and while I can't retrieve the seconds I lost, I can resolve to start afresh, to enjoy the sun which just rose above the trees in front of us, and rest in the reality that time is moving on, the world situation is out of my control and above all........be still......and know........God is Still On His Throne.........all is well.
Sent from my iPad