2012 Is Upon Us

Chiang Mai, Thailand, was recently named one of the top 5 travel destinations in the world. I love living and working here. I lived in Bangkok for 5 years and I did NOT like living there. Bangkok is a city of 14 million people and that is waaaay too many for me. Chiang Mai has only 3 million. I know that it is weird to say, but Chaing Mai feels like a small town when you have been living in a mega city like Bangkok for 5 years.

The people here are friendly and there is a lot of English spoken which makes it a wonderful travel destination for Americans, Brits, Australians, or actually anybody who speaks English. There are actually many English speaking people living and working here. There are hundreds of NGO's or non-government organizations stationed here and also many retired people also.

Since Thailand is a free country surrounded by countries that are not free, there are many refugees here and many organizations working with them as well. There are many Christian groups working here also.

Thailand is a safe country to visit with just normal precautions, those being, stay out of the dens of iniquity at night and stay sober. No country is safe in combination with alcohol, prostitutes, and the crime that shows up in those kinds of places.

Chiang Mai is loaded with good restaurants, inexpensive, but very nice hotels, great markets for shopping and a lot of interesting sights to see and places to go nearby. I can see why it is rated as one of the top 5 travel destinations in the world. And to think that I am fortunate enough to actually live here.

Cool Season is Almost Here

The rains and the floods in Thailand are creating havoc still as rainy season is still hanging on with a vengeance. One of my favorite cities in all of Thailand is completely uninhabitable. Ayuttya (I never can remember how to spell it), is completely flooded. It is the capital of the old Kingdom with many ancient ruins which have survived for thousands of years and will no doubt survive this as well, but it is a real disaster area. There is an elephant reserve and birthing center that is under water. All of the elephants as well as their handlers are living atop a huge, high and wide wall until the waters go down. Trucks are lifting hay and food to them, but it is amazing to see how this is affecting this small city. The only way to travel in the city is by boat. People are living on the second and third floors of their homes, in unbelievable circumstances.

This is not the only city that is under water. Lop Buri is also having major difficulties. The crocodile farm was flooded and all the crocs escaped and are now roaming around in the flood waters and attempting to get into people's homes. And snakes...they are trying to find high ground too. It is not a good situation in much of Thailand right now. Many cities are in danger of flooding in the next few days as the water heads south down out of the mountains into Bangkok.

My co-workers and I have been fortunate so far. In our location in Chiang Mai, we have dodged the bullet this time around. In August we got the floods, but no water got into our house. We were warned a couple of weeks ago that the water was coming again and the river in Chiang Mai over ran its banks and flooded the downtown area, but we remained dry where we are, even though we put up sandbags and waited, the water never reached us.

Other countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam are having horrible problems with flood waters. Right now we have friends from Bangkok who can't go home yet because as the water is flowing south the risk of their neighborhood being flooded is great.

Never a dull moment. Stay tuned.

Rainy Season in Thailand

We've been back in Thailand for a month now. It is Rainy Season here. Thailand has 3 seasons. Rainy, Cool, and Dry. Dry Season is very hot and there is absolutely no rain for 3 months. It gets so hot and dusty as much of the lush vegetation dies off. But right now it is lush and it rains almost every day for a few hours. I like rainy season. It is much cooler and I know that the next season will be cool season, which will last from November to the end of January. Thai people actually wear big parkas with hoods, while I wear T-shirts and light weight clothing and think it is wonderful. Many of them ride motorcycles, though and I know that it can get nippy when you are zipping down the road without any protection.

Chiang Mai is a very nice city. Much better than Bangkok. Chiang Mai has only 3 million people and compared to the 14 million in Bangkok, it has an almost small town feel to it. There are many western restaurants and much English is spoken up here. There are several big universities that are English speaking and there are many Ex-pats living here.

Living here and knowing many of the things there are to do and things to see, I feel like I could write a travel brochure. Many of the real travel guides are a little too upscale for me. I like the local flavor and the little out of the way places that tourists don't know about. But then, I have actually developed a taste for fried silk worm larve and grasshoppers, so I may not be the best one to ask about things to do, see and eat in Chiang Mai.

Going Back to Thailand

I am going back to Thailand for who knows how long. I guess you could say that I live there. Texas is my home, but Thailand is where I split my time. My husband and I are missionaries and we work all over the world while living in Thailand.

Right now it is a lot cooler there than it is here in Texas. Triple digit temps for almost a month here now. Rainy season is on its way and by the time we get there, it should be just beginning in earnest. I like rainy season. Number one reason: it is a lot cooler than dry season. Number two reason: I enjoy the sound of rain on the tile roof, especially at bedtime. Makes me sleep well.

We have a lot of friends in Texas that I really hate to leave behind, but I also have a lot of friends in Thailand that I am anxious to see again, so there is a trade off there.

While we were in the U.S. this time, we made a trip down to the extreme South. Houma, Louisiana, the hometown of Susanna Domangue, who was my partner in crime for several years in several countries, doing mission work. She is now married, living in Atlanta, Georgia, with one little boy and another on the way. Her parents went to Atlanta and kidnapped her and the baby and hauled them down to Houma to see us when they found out we were coming. I had not seen her for 4 years. That is way too long. Her Dad is the Pastor of the Galilean Baptist Church there in Houma and their family and the church family have been dear friends of ours for almost 30 years. Houma--now that is a place worthy of a travel comment. It is so far south that New Orleans is considered "up north." Antebellum homes, alligators, Cajuns. It is a wonderful place to visit. If you ever make it as far south as New Orleans, head on down to Houma. Visit Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce. South Louisiana is pretty awesome as an American tourist destination.

LONG TIME

It has been a long time since I kept up with myself, however a big event has hit. I finally realized my 48 year old dream of visiting Africa. I was there for 16 wonderful days in May. Three photo safaris, met several old and good friends, had a glorious time in most respects. Was able to see the animals, the people, the culture. It was expensive; much more than I thought it would be. We all have preconceived notions and for some reason I was under the impression that things would be cheap like they are in Asia. NOT! It amazes me how the locals manage, but they must because there are a lot of them. Many of the people have AIDS. It is everywhere and it is noticeable in the extreme gauntness of the people who are afflicted. Very sad...especially the kids. Nutritious food is too expensive for many, so they exist on corn meal mostly, with very little else. This was the part that was much less than glorious. It is very sad that so many live in such poverty. Disturbing and heartbreaking.

The U.S.

I have been in America for the past several months and the thing that hits me after being gone for a couple of years are grocery prices. All prices really, but grocery shopping was the first thing I did, so that was the first thing I noticed.

America has not gotten any better. It is more dangerous, less good, less Godly, more expensive, and generally scarier than ever. In the few months that I have been back, there was a terrorist attack on Fort Hood in Texas, an escalating economic crisis, and an ever increasing crime rate.

In the countries that I visit most of the people want to come to the United States. People who have never been here think that all Americans are rich, fat and happy. We are mostly fat, but the rich and happy part are seriously lacking for most of our population. And despite all of that, this is still the greatest country on earth. I wouldn't trade having America as my homeland for any other.

Yes, we are an arrogant lot, but we as Americans have always been the most benevolent and giving nation on earth to other countries in need. The countries that we have fought against, we have then rebuilt better than they were before. Remember Japan and South Korea? That is one of the problems today. People don't remember and our history is not taught truthfully in the public schools anymore. Our young people are taught a revisionist history that is distorted and full of lies. And our current administration is ruining us both at home and around the world.

I am leaving America once again for another country, but my heart will always remain here; in America, the greatest nation on earth.

Things are Changing

Many things are changing around the world and also around my world. We are once again leaving one place and going to another for a period of time. We spent April in the country of Lithuania. It is a very beautiful place and reminds me of rural America in the 1940's. I have been there 3 times and I like it better each time I go.

I have been very slack in writing on this blog. Flying under the wire caught up with me and I had to change some things. If you know who I am, please keep it to yourself. Rather than eliminate the blog and delete everything, I am trying this. Some of the countries we visit do not appreciate it when we tell people that they should or shouldn't visit there.

We are heading out of Thailand and back to the US for a few months. We need some time away from Bangkok and the miserable heat, smog, traffic and other things that make this place difficult. The tourism industry was ruined for this season by the ridiculous antics of the opposition "red shirt" party closing down one of the largest airports in Southeast Asia for over a week and the police and the military not doing a thing about it. It was no wonder people didn't want to come here. Getting stranded for an unknown amount of time really capped it for many people who have sworn they will never visit here again. Many of the smaller hotels and vendors have gone bankrupt because of the lack of tourists. It was a non-event for those of us living here, but for those trying to vacation then go home it was a nightmare. Hope the airport is open when it is time for us to vacate, but you never know.

Thailand's revered king is the only thing holding this country together and he is very old. Although the king supposedly has no political power, don't let that fool you. He holds incredible power. For the Thai people, his word is law. We thank God every day that he is a benevolent king and a really good person, otherwise this country would be in trouble. We shudder to think what will happen here when he dies. He has been the stabilizing influence in this country through thick and thin for over 60 years. Pray for his health, as I said before, he is very old and his health is poor.

Art Lessons 3

Today's rant in the Art Department is entitled: "The Art of Executing the Plan." By now your plan has been fervently prayed over and your resources are in hand. If you do not have your personnel and finances in hand, you are still in the planning phase so revert back to “The Art of Planning.”

The first step is to actually take the first step. This can actually be the hardest part of the whole plan. Be prepared to be very flexible especially at the beginning. Be advised that no strategy ever survives first contact with the enemy.

Day One: Put it in gear, and start moving slowly in some direction. It is actually much easier to change the direction of a vehicle that is actually moving than to try to turn the wheels and then start to move. Try pushing a car with the wheels turned. No, straighten the wheels, then when the vehicle is moving turn the wheels.

Day Two: Now that the vehicle is moving, look around to see if it is pointed in the right direction. More times than not, you will have to make adjustments in your direction. After moving smoothly and seemingly well, you may see a ditch or roadblock ahead. Being dogmatic in your plan will only put you in the ditch. Be prepared to adjust your steering. Some things work very well temporarily, but after a while the direction must be altered somewhat.

Day Three: Be prepared for bad weather. No plan for God will go unopposed by the enemy. There will be storms. You may find yourself stuck in a big mud hole. Rocking your vehicle back and forth, screaming and kicking will only get you dug in deeper and stuck tighter. Now is the time to sit tight, pray and wait. God owns a very big tow-truck.

If this is His work and His plan that you are executing, He will take care of things. However, He will take care of things His way and not yours. Sometimes His ways are completely impossible to understand. Sometimes they take a very long time. Are you willing to follow God’s plan if it takes many years of seemingly unfruitful labor? What if you die before the work is done and another is given the task of finishing the work you started, labored over, and for which you sacrificed. What if someone else is credited and praised for the work that you did? Before you even begin, you must hand it over to God and allow Him to execute the plan in any manner He sees fit.

Art Lessons 2

Today's Art Lesson is entitled "The Art of Planning." When you get a great idea, the first thing that you should do is pray about it earnestly and be sure that it is God's idea and not some cockamamie idea that sounds good and maybe even is a very good idea, but not for you and not for now.

Think about it, pray about it, get others praying with you about it and make certain that God is in it. When you are certain that God is in it, get a piece of paper and start writing things down. The Bible calls this "counting the cost." This is not just money. This is time, resources, health issues, etc. How much will it cost in money? How and where will you get this money? How much time will it take to implement this plan? How many people will need to be involved with you in this plan? Are these folks willing to be involved in your plan? How much physical strength will be needed to execute this plan.

There are many things to consider here. If the people helping you with this plan are older, they are probably smarter. If they are younger, they are probably physically stronger. Which do you need? These are things to consider. Do you need brains or brawn? Very few people can pull off a great plan all by themselves. We need each other. A prayer network is vitally important. If you are working with a team, it is important to begin each day with group prayer. It doesn't have to be long, last for hours, or take up half of your day, but it needs to happen before the work day begins.

Planning is a skill that every servant of God needs to acquire. There are those who are great planners, but who unfortunately never move beyond the planning stage of any great idea. Unless you are getting paid just to think things up for others to do, then the next thing you need to do is find out how to "execute your plan." And I don't mean kill it. You will need the help of God to do this also. Pray, pray, pray. The God who planned and built the universe and keeps it all going will be able to help you.

Art Lessons

Today's art lesson is entitled, "The Art of Minding Your Own Business." A lot of missionaries seem to have way too much time on their hands, yet they want as much of your time as they can get away with. I do not have to cook food from "scratch," we have a mostly dependable vehicle to get around in, there are plenty of places to shop for things, like the best pirated software and movies that money can buy, nice clothing if you are size 10 or under and are very short with small feet. However, seriously, all the real essentials are readily available, except for Dr. Pepper. It can't be found unless you end up in Phnom Penn, Cambodia, for the weekend.

But I digress. My team has hardly any time on our hands. We are very busy 6 days a week. Many weeks it's 7. On Saturday, we try to vegetate for the first part of the day. We veg because we are too tired to do much, most Saturday mornings. By 10:00 AM we are mostly up and ready to do something "else." Something besides working at a computer screen work. A great missionary once told me that everybody must have a hobby, a diversion from the everyday work, or they will burn out. I have learned the hard way how true this is. Which brings me back once again to the reason for this post. Don't call me early on Saturday morning with a great plan for my day on how I can spend it. I can figure out what to do by myself. And don't disguise this plan of yours by trying to make me think it was my idea in the first place. I'm not dumb. If you want me to do something for you that you can do for yourself, don't ask me to do it. I'm very busy. I have a team. Get your own team. I have a staff. I pay my staff. If you are too cheap to pay a staff, please stop trying to borrow mine to do your stuff. I am paying them to work for ME. This great missionary, as well as MANY others have told me that most of your problems on the field will not be lack of money, or health issues or danger, but most of your trouble will be with other missionaries. I found out that 150 years ago Adoniram Judson had this problem, so evidently it is nothing new. Now that I have learned from experience how true this is, I am making it a goal to do my very best to mind my own business, do my own work, and make everybody else do theirs, by not allowing them to have me do it for them.

I have several other 'Art" lessons that I am going to write about. Maybe this one will help some of you who are using others and some of you who are allowing yourself to be used. Boundaries are essential. Draw your line in the sand and stick to it. Fellowship with other missionaries, share burdens and prayer requests and help when help is really needed. But be careful and pay attention. Don't be an enabler for one who is lazy.

Facing the Facts

OK, I have been thinking about it and I have to finally admit that if I could live anywhere in the world, it would not be my beloved Texas. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Darwin, Australia. I have traveled to many places and have lived in several countries, but Australia, and Darwin in particular, is the place I would like to "live happily ever after." BUT that's not going to happen. A couple of years ago, I skidded over the line in the sand where we could get Australian citizenship. We're too old, and because Australia has socialized medicine, we are not welcomed to join the ranks of the old people who will need medical care more often than average. Oh, well, we can still visit and that will have to be enough.

Heaven will be a wonderful place. There won't be any need for borders, or socialized medicine, or any medicine at all, for that matter because we won't get old and sick. Having said that, I admit that I still have trouble imagining a place more wonderful that the Northern Territory of Australia. The bluest skies the most beautiful palm trees, the high adventure of living on the edge of the Outback. Where we lived, we were an hour from the Outback to the south and about an hour from the sea on the north. The lightening storms were breathtaking and the rainy season was awesome. We went swimming almost every day in an olympic sized pool a couple of miles from our house. Some folks are dumb enough to swim at the beach. Sharks and salt-water crocs are one of the awesome critters living there, and our team opted for the pool. We did however, go to the beach every weekend because they set up a wonderful market out there on the sand and you could grab some food and sit and watch the sunset. Incredible sunsets. I like Melbourne, and Sydney and "Brizzie," but there is simply just no place like Darwin. Living there was a gift. God gives really good gifts.

THINGS YOU HAVE DONE AND WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE

I just saw the movie entitled, "The Bucket List." It was about these 2 old guys who were both dying and met in the hospital. They became friends and made a list of the things they wanted to do before they died. They managed to do most of them. So, I made my own list. Missionaries have wish lists too, ya know. Our lives do not consist of handing out tracts all day long, 6 days a week, then preaching on Sunday. No, we are just regular folks like you. We have to shop for groceries, get our vehicles repaired, deal with people we don't like and who don't like us. God uses us here and He will use you there, wherever you are. I used to think missionaries were perfect people, until I became one. Then, after I stopped laughing long enough to take a breath, I realized that God indeed chooses the weak, the poor, the old, etc., who are willing. I am all of the aforementioned people. Enjoy the life that you have been so generously given.

( X ) Skipped school
( X ) Watched someone die - better said as "seen them off to Glory"
( X ) Been to Canada
( X ) Been to Mexico
( X ) Been to Florida
( X ) Been to Hawaii
( X ) Been on a plane
( ) Flown in a helicopter
( X ) Gone to Washington, DC
( X ) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with Stingrays
( X ) Played cops and robbers
( X ) Recently colored with crayons - I HAVE GRANDKIDS
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( X ) Made prank phone calls - WHEN I WAS A KID
( X ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans - AND had BEIGNETS in JACKSON SQUARE
( X ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - YEP! Carbonated beverages burn!
( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( X ) Watched the sunrise with someone - ONLY WHEN COMPLETELY NECESSARY!
( X ) Blown bubbles - WITH SOAP AND ALSO THRU MY NOSE When I had a cold
( X ) Gone ice-skating
( X ) Gone to the movies
( X ) Been deep sea fishing - LOVED THIS ONE
( ) Seen all 50 states
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving - TOO OLD FOR THIS NOW--BAD KNEES
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( X ) Lived in more than one country - 6 OR 7 AT LAST COUNT
( X ) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
( X ) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
( X ) Seen the Grand Canyon
( X ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
( X ) Traveled by train
( X ) Traveled by motorcycle
( X ) Been horse back riding
( X ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
( X ) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
( X ) Been in a rain forest
( X ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( X ) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( X ) Been to the Olympics - 2 TIMES
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China - CAN YOU DO THAT?
( ) Been water-skiing/tubing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( X ) Been to Vienna
( X ) Seen the Parthenon
( X ) Been to Prague
( ) Been white-water rafting
( X ) Milked a cow - I TRIED BUT NOTHING CAME OUT.
( ) Been to Ireland
( ) Been to the UK
( X ) Lived in Australia - the adventure of my life
( ) Toured Europe

Please feel free to copy and post this on your own blog. The instructions are really easy: place an X by all the things you've done and leave the space blank if you haven't done it yet, but want to. See? Very simple:). Alter the list anyway you like.

The Year Ahead

Sorry, but I had to take December off. Illness, death in the family and other things took precedence over blogging. I hope that each of you had a blessed Christmas. The past year of 2008 saw laughter and joy, grief and tears, disappointments and divine appointments. In other words, Life happened in 2008. Many things transpired here in the 10/40 window, many of them unreportable because of what happened and where it happened, but suffice it to say that our Jehovah God is still on the throne and in perfect control of His universe. It is easy to look around at the things going on in the world and if we are not careful we, like Peter, see the waves and take our eyes off of the Lord and start to sink. At times like this we have to remember that we are "in" the world but we are not "of" the world. Those of us who are trusting in Christ as our Saviour are both led and protected by an unseen hand that the world knows not of. I have been reading a book by Randy Alcorn entitled, "Heaven." It is a wonderful book and has given me joy just to read his thoughts about what Heaven will be like. I look forward to being there and I believe with all my heart that it will be very soon that we will hear the trumpet sound and we will be "caught up." This old world is not spinning out of control, it is spinning to a close. This is a great and wonderful difference for the child of God. Israel became a nation again in 1948. She celebrated her 60th birthday in 2008. If a generation is 70 years and this generation will not pass before the Lord returns, then folks, we don't have a lot of time to win the lost. Pray for Israel. Right now it is in the midst of a war...again. Israel knows that its only friends are the Christians who are standing with that nation. It has always been Israel and America its friend, but I wonder for how long America is going to stand with Israel. I do not believe in replacement theology. The church has NOT replaced Israel. Israel is still and always will be the apple of God's eye and God promised that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. America tried to force Israel to give away the covenant land and you can plainly see where America is today. In big trouble. Big, big trouble. Pray for Israel as the battle rages. Pray for America that we Christians will stand and do our best to reclaim our blessed country.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Thailand

THAI PROTESTERS ABDUCT POLICE OFFICER AT AIRPORT- By Chris lake

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's international airport seized a police officer, escalating tensions in a four-day standoff that appeared headed for a violent confrontation Saturday. The trouble started after about 1,000 demonstrators moved in on a police checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi international airport, triggering a showdown that ended without violence when officers hastily withdrew. Police, many in full riot gear, had a much more visible presence Saturday with several hundred in the area. Associated Press reporters saw one policeman being grabbed at the checkpoint by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven away toward the airport controlled by the demonstrators.
It was not immediately known if the officer was still being held.

How weird is this? We are stranded in Bangkok and cannot leave. At least we have a place to stay and are not at the airport, but we are still stranded. If we want to go home, we will have to drive to Vientiane, Laos or Phnom Penn, Cambodia in order to fly out of the country. The domestic airport is also being held hostage, so we can't fly to Laos or Cambodia, but would have to drive for many hours, then fly out.

This is the tourist season in Thailand. It is cool and pleasant and there are many thousands of people that are vacationing here who are now cooling their jets at the airport. They missed Thanksgiving with their families. They are saying that they are going home and would never in a million years ever come back to Thailand. I can't say that I blame them. If I were stuck in a big building with thousands of disgruntled travellers, I would be saying the same thing. The people who think they know these things, say that the tourism industry has been forever ruined. I don't think so. As soon as the airports reopen there will be folks lining up to come here. This is a nice place and a safe place and the tourism industry will bounce back, but it will take time. About 20 minutes. In the mean time, don't keep the porch light on for me. I may not be home for a bit and guess what? I don't care! I like it here.

Thanksgiving

Thursday evening the 2 teams here will be meeting for preaching, fellowship and a meal. There are now 9 members on our team and 6 on the other. Some are missionaries and some are paid staff, but all love God and consider what we are doing here ministry and not just a job. It will be a time of prayer for our country as well as this country. The whole world is in crises, and the time to win the lost is growing ever shorter. It is a sobering time in which to live. If it were not for the sustaining hand of the Lord Jesus, it would be a time of great fear and for many people, Christians included. It is a fearful time as we watch events unfold before us that would have been unheard of even 10 years ago. Fear, however, is not always a bad thing. If it causes us to examine our lives and our motives and to get back to the important things, it is a good thing. If it causes us to pray for the lost like never before and if it causes us to work harder as we see the dark night coming, it is a good thing. It is important to have faith in these last trying days and to not let the wrong kind of fear engulf us. Worrying over "what we shall eat, what we shall drink, and what we shall put on," should not be part of the Christian's character. Now is not the time to pull back from giving and serving and praying. Now is the time to forge ahead and watch God do His perfect work. It always humors me to hear of folks stockpiling food and waiting for some kind of famine. If you had a house full of provisions and your neighbors were starving, you know that you would give it all away in a couple of days anyway, so why stack all that junk in your garage. I recently heard that there was a big run on Spam. You know Spam, the canned ham stuff. When I think of having to actually live for a few months on Spam, I have to laugh. I personally like Spam, but I think if we actually have a famine, that the Lord will provide for His own one way or the other. Survival stuff is flying off the shelves like never before. Guns, ammo, and all kinds of stuff are being stockpiled by people who are very afraid. Christ has not given us the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind. Christian, if you are terribly fearful what shall be tomorrow, just remember God did not give you that fear. It was put there by your archenemy, the devil and his evil emissaries. So, on Thursday have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and pray and thank Him for all the blessings of this life and especially for the life in Glory that awaits every believer in Christ.

I'm Better Now

Yep, I've been gone a few days. I have been traveling and I have been sick. There is nothing like the puking diarrhea to make life interesting. Nobody else here got sick, so I'm not sure what caused it, but it was most unpleasant and it took me several days to fully recover. Then there was the election to listen to, and listen to, and listen to. We lost, but at least it is over and we won't have to listen to it over and over and over and over. I have never been so tired of listening to commentators. They are on my short list of people I would like to beat to a pulp. First of all they think that we are all so stupid that we can't understand what the people just said themselves!!! They have to repeat it several times putting their own spin on it to make sure we understand it the way we are supposed to, which is their way. Most of them are so liberal they should be taken out and shot, so listening to them only makes us look as stupid as they think we already are. So, no matter who won the election, God is still in charge of the universe, He still has everything under His complete control and we needn't worry as long as we remain faithful to Him. America may be in for a rude awakening, but then all of us who love God and are trying to serve Him already knew this was coming. We've killed too many innocents in the womb, allowed homosexuals (queers) to take over the land, and last, but not least, we have tried to force Israel to give away God's land and East Jerusalem, especially. We crossed the line on that one and now we're going to pay. We are in for a rough ride and we deserve whatever we get. Hang on, Christians, and keep your eyes upon the eastern sky... He's coming soon!!!!

Restaurant Food, Snacks, and Church

We usually eat out after church on Sundays. I had an old friend who is home with the Lord now who always said "I don't work on Sunday, and cooking is work. Heathens work on Sunday and I go and eat in their restaurants." OK, the theology may not be perfect but it works for me too, which brings me around to today's blog.

Eating out at a nice restaurant is very enjoyable. It is something that is special and probably not done by most of us for every meal every day, but on special occasions or when you are out and about and can't go home for lunch or dinner. However, most of us eat the majority of our meals at home. Wives and mothers usually try to feed their families a balanced diet and healthy food, so that an occasional meal in a restaurant can involve a little more fancy fare that usual. When we takes the kids out for a special restaurant meal, we usually let them indulge a little, just like we do. Burgers and fries, the occasional dessert or that not quite perfectly healthy dish that we love, but do not eat often because it is too rich, or fattening or has some other negative factor. But mostly, to maintain our health, wealth and sanity, we usually eat most of our meals at home. Sometimes after eating a really good healthy meal at home, a few hours later, we offer to take the family out for ice cream, or some small snack that will tide us over till suppertime. Nothing big, just a snack and some fellowship and family time, at some little hole in the wall place that is clean and informal.

I think of this analogy every time I hear someone say, and I hear this all too often. "We are going to find another church, because we just aren't getting fed at this one." If people only knew how utterly stupid they show themselves to be when they make a statement like this! The messages the preacher gives to his people are not meant to be their main meals. They are restaurant food. Sometimes they are very filling and taste wonderful. Sometimes they are snacks. Either way, they are not meant to be your only spiritual food. They are to be the things that are special or meant to give a little extra nourishment, but they are not the thing that you live on. It is the same with physical food. If you only ate on Sunday, no matter how much or how good the food was, it wouldn't be enough to get you by till mid-week service or the next Sunday. When folks feast on the Word of God themselves, when they study the Scriptures, they will be spiritually fat and full. Then when they go to church on Sunday it won't really matter whether they get a big meal or a snack, either way it will be something extra and not the main spiritual food. So, if you are one of those folks who aren't getting fed, don't blame the chef. If this week's message didn't ring your bell, rest assured that it probably did ring somebody else's, and please, what ever you do, don't show us your spiritual laziness by making the lame statement that "I'm not getting fed at church." Grow up. Pick up your fork and feed yourself.

This speaks for Itself

Friends

I loved this recent e-mail I received so much that I am going to share it with you. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Hi Rick,
Guess what? Art is going to kill me and I am going to kill you!!!!!!!!!!!!! The other day when you talked to him on the phone you told him that you had pictures of your trip on your "facebook". Well that is just great, Art nor I had ever even heard of facebook, so a few days ago I was bored without Art here to aggravate me and cook and clean for so I decided to see what "facebook" is... I just wanted to see your stupid pictures that's all! In order to go on there you have to fill out some stuff, so I did. I wrote Art's info. I figured it was you that told him about it, that maybe it needed to be his name and stuff. And now, here is the part that Art will kill me and I will kill you over... Every morning when I get up to check e-mail there are dozens and dozens of new people wanting us to be their "friends". How pathetic, all these people we thought we had finally moved far enough away from that we would never have to hear from again are all of a sudden here every morning on my computer when I get out of bed, wanting to be our "friend". I have no idea how to work this whole thing of "keeping in touch" with people you care little about, so I have been deleting the e-mails (trying to hide the evidence from Art, till he gets back and decides if he truly wants to be friends). On a bright note, I didn't put my name, so I have not been getting all these e-mails. In a word, life still works for me, I have no "friends". Your new "friends" wife, Jane

Not me. I didn't do it. I don't want any "friends" either. I'm too computer illiterate to get rid of them once they have taken up residence in my computer.

Toto was the dog in the Wizard of Oz

I was looking at some other blogs today and I realize that I am doing something that some have already found annoying. I am attempting to keep things somewhat generic as to where I am and what I am doing. It has to be this way. Our website has already been checked by the governments of at least 2 of these countries (that we know of). If they think that we are being in any way hostile, they can block us and then nobody can read our stuff or visit our website from here. They did this to a well known Christian man and just mentioning his name may get me in trouble here, so again, sorry about that. For those of you who know who I am, the places and perhaps some of the people you will recognize. No, I have not forgotten their names, I just can't mention them. Some of them are really "flying under the radar," in a couple of very hostile environments. Freedom of speech is not a constitutional right in this country. We ain't in Kansas, Toto. Anyway, to those of you who are wondering why all the cloak and dagger, just because 'dat is how it gotta be. Like I saw on a tee shirt the other day: Elvis is dead. Deal with it. Kinda the same concept.

To the many who have visited us here and know how it is, thank you for all the help you were and still are in the very important realm of prayer. I really miss all of you very much and think and pray for you often. One young man arrives tonight. We really look forward to his being here and hope he stays as long as he possibly can. Another lady arrives in about 2 weeks. We are so grateful for those who are making the sacrifice. Ah, Barnabas, I do so miss you especially, SMDYak. I do get very lonely here at times. There really is such a thing as evolution. If it were not for books, I would probably have evolved into a raving lunatic. Someone once said that our lives are shaped by only 2 things: the people we meet and the books we read. I have found that this is true. We have to meet a Person, and then afterward we need to read His book. Many have read the Book first, then met the Person. One way or the other, the saying does hold true. Stay in The Word, and then learn by reading the books of good, honest, Godly people. College is highly overrated, especially secular institutions of higher learning. If a person can read, he can educate himself better than any school ever could. If a few uneducated fisherman were good enough for Jesus, don't think too highly of your PhD. PhD stands for "piled high and deep." Many things are piled high and deep. Garbage for one example.