You Are Not What You Think You Are

17 Mar

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

(But what you think, You are)

Now that is controversial,
and truly is confusing.
You are toying with my thinking,
But I do find it amusing.

 

If I think that I am coping
with the problems of old age,
And truly believe that my life
is not ruled by a calendar page,
Then I will continue on my journey-
finding meaning as I go,
Trusting God to teach me
all that He wants me to know.

 

It never ceases to amaze me
when I think about the past.
The trials never seemed to end-
While the good times went so fast.

 

Everything in life happens for a reason.
God wants to conform us to the image of His Son.
When confronted with life’s problems,
Remember, the battle has already been won.

 

 

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A 2016 Dawn Patrol Rendezvous Trip~Part 11

15 Mar

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

 

Day 11 (Sunday Oct.9, 2016)
Weather Note: The temperature this morning when I awoke was 38° with a high forecast for today of 60° at 3:00 pm. I’m sure glad I brought jeans, heavy long sleeved shirts and a windbreaker on this trip. They sure will come in handy for the next few days.

 

My first stop this morning was to visit the Liberty Aviation Museum located in Port Clinton, OH. This was a small museum, with only about eight beautifully restored airplanes. They also had a variety of nicely restored military vehicles as part of their collection, and this was the home of the Art Deco styled Tin Goose Diner.

 

 

Next, I headed east for a visit to the Sandusky Maritime Museum located in Sandusky, OH. This was another very small museum, consisting of local maritime memorabilia and a couple of outside boat exhibits. I didn’t spend a lot of time at this museum.

 

 

Down the road a ways, I visited the Mad River Railroad Museum located in Bellevue, OH. Here again, this was a very small museum consisting of local railroad memorabilia. However, they did have several nicely restored pieces of rolling stock. I have been amazed to discover, how much railroad activity there was in Ohio during the steam engine hey-day of the 1920s through the 1950s.

 


Across the street from the Mad River Railroad Museum, was a large beautiful church that I just had to get a picture of. Its architecture reminded me of many smaller castles had seen in Europe.

 

 

As I headed east, out of Bellevue, I spotted a small sign on the side of the rural road advertising the Historic Lyme Village Museum. I had miles to go today, and didn’t have time to stop to see what the museum was all about. I Googled the museum later, and discovered the Historic Lyme Village and museum depict life in the Firelands (Northwest Territory-1787) of the first settlers (from Connecticut) in the early 1800s.

 

 

Next on the list for today, was a visit to the NASA’s Glenn Research Center located on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. The guard at the gate informed me that the museum is not open to the public except for monthly one-day tours, which had to be made on the Internet ahead of time.

 

 

As I was leaving the Glenn Research Center, I passed the 100th Bomb Group Restaurant and decided to stop and use their restroom. I wish I’d had time to stay for a meal at this aviation themed restaurant, which salutes World War II heroes, and gives their guests a view of the Cleveland/Hopkins International Airport runway while they eat.

 


I headed east again, to visit the International Women’s Air & Space Museum located, on the shores of Lake Erie, just to the northeast of the city of Cleveland, OH. As it turned out the Browns vs. Patriots football game was being played in the Cleveland Browns Stadium, about a half a mile to the west of the museum. Several of the roads in the area were blocked to traffic, and every parking lot within a ½-mile radius of the stadium was full by the time I got to the museum. They had even closed the museum and locked the building, because of the deluge of after game people, trying to use their restroom that had created horrible problems for the museum in the past. I was disappointed not to be able to visit this museum, as I was curious about how women have been portrayed in the Air & Space rolls by this museum.

 

 

Next I tried to visit the USS Cod (SS-224) Submarine Museum, just down the street from the International Women’s Air & Space Museum, but was again disappointed to find that this museum had also been closed because of the crowds attending the Browns vs. Patriots football game.

 

 

I had noticed a sign for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Museum, as I was heading for the USS Cod Museum, and thought I would see if I could find it. However, I had made too many turns, on too many streets, and could not find it. I was however, able to find the following photo and (interesting historical marker) on the internet.

 

 

So, I just headed for tonight’s motel located in Warrensville Heights, OH.
After I got checked in at the motel, I headed off in search of a restaurant for dinner tonight. I ended up having Baby Back Ribs, sweet potato, and green beans at the Applebee’s Restaurant down the road a ways, in the little town of Bedford, OH. There was more than enough left over for another meal tomorrow evening. Yummm!

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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There is a revelation of God in creation Psalm 19

14 Mar

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

There is a revelation of God in creation. His gospel is written in everything. As far back as I remember, I have been deeply connected to nature and the outdoors. As a child and even as an adult, stepping outside in nature was like arriving on an amazing planet. I am filled with awe and wonderment of the beauty and mystery before me. I run to explore everything great and small within my reach. I feel the presence of my Creator filling my soul with every breath. I almost hear His footsteps running with open arms to greet me. My spirit wide awake open to every morsel of knowledge and beauty I can possibly soak up. All my senses are alive with the sight, smell, sound and touch of God’s Holy presence.  A combination of inner peace and excitement comes over me. I fearlessly start exploring and unfolding the mysteries of all that surrounds me. When something catches my attention, I open my eyes, not only to see the common, but to see beyond that, to understand its role in the perfect workings of nature. What is its life story? Where does it fit in for the human race?

I believe everything we need to live, heal and survive, God has put on this earth for us. He gave us a mind to figure out the purpose of each entity and how to use it for good and not evil. Instead of treading on nature and destroying everything beneath our feet with no regard for it’s real worth, we must understand that it is Holy and is needed to sustain us. And some things are even simply for our pleasure.  We live like we have another planet to go to after we trash this one. I plead that we honor our Father’s precious gifts of earth and sky. Please don’t let our Godly gift be packaged and artificial as it seems to be transforming into. I pray our natural resources will not be traded for money or poisoned by greed. And I pray our future generations can look away from their electronics and know what is real.

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31 Days of God’s Comfort~Always

13 Mar

Painting and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites

 

Day 17

Always

Psalm 103

 

Beloved,

 

Don’t hesitate to ask others to pray for you.

They will be honored.

Each of you prays in your own way, but

You are one with Me and with each other.

Some ask me what and how to pray.

Some lay out every detail to fend off mistakes.

Some pray and walk away, leaving it all in My hands.

Some begin to thank me right away that the prayer is answered.

When two or three gather together to pray, your hearts beat in the same rhythm.

Jesus prays too.

He says to His Father,

It’s time for our family to know beyond any doubt that they are ours.

Our joy is completed in them.

Guard them from the evil one.

Make them whole.

Let them become of one heart and one mind.

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Memories of New Mexico~Part 3

12 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

I can remember going to Carlsbad Caverns as a family. It was fascinating! I especially remember standing with a large group of tourists in a huge cavern, and the lights were turned off. It was so dark and black that I, literally, could not see my hand in front of my face. I know, because I tried to see it – and couldn’t! And then the guide lit one match, and it was light enough to see everyone in the group. Astounding! My Aunt Jessie had always said that she would never go to the Caverns. Why? Because she was convinced that the day she went – it would cave in! Guess what? She died in 1990 – without ever having gone to the caverns – and the caverns are still standing! She had some funny superstitions.

Another fun memory is that of going to White Sands National Park. It is near Las Cruces, New Mexico, and also near the White Sands Missile Range. It was such fun for my brother and me to romp around in the white sands. The entire area looks like a desert, with the sands shifting and moving around – but the sand is sugar-white, not tan or brown as one usually sees a desert. The sand is made up of gypsum and calcium sulfate, and thus reflects the sun, rather than absorb the heat. And because it is at high elevation, with high evaporation, the sand is cool to the touch. Really a neat thing to see. These are some pictures taken of my grandmother and others back in the 1950’s. I think it’s hilarious to see them dressed up so much – to go walk in the sand dunes!

As an outing, my family would frequently drive around the state, to see what we could see. We would drive to Isleta Pueblo, just 15 miles south of Albuquerque. We crossed the Rio Grande River to get there. It was a fascinating place to see.

Credit Google Search

Lots of interesting information on the sign

 

Credit Google Search

 

Or we would drive to the Santo Domingo Pueblo (now Kewa Pueblo), on our way to Santa Fe. It’s about 25 miles southwest of Santa Fe, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. They had some wonderful turquoise jewelry there and other Native American artifacts. This trading post looks very much like I remember.

 

Credit Google Search and NCPTT

 

Another fascinating place to go and explore was Bandelier National Monument. It is near Los Alamos, New Mexico. I remember climbing up hand-made ladders into some of the dwellings dug out of the cliffs. It was grand fun for a kid like me.

 

 

Credit Google Search and Wikimedia Commons

 

Credit Google Search and YouTube

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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The secret to peace is in the still of the moment. 

11 Mar

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

(March 3, 2017)

 

Who, me? It’s not my fault…we sometimes want to say. Blaming someone else for our sorry situation can be so tempting. When we mess up, pointing at another promises to be the easy way out.

That’s what the Israelites did.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14: 10-14)

Have you ever complained like that? I have. Goodness gracious, where is Moses when we need him? Deep into our own struggles, we end up terrified like the Israelites. We grumble in the hot desert of frustration. And as we trudge through the dry land of conflict, of uncertainty and nervousness, we desperately look to be rescued.

But no one is there to do the rescuing. And when peace is gone, like those Egyptians, stress and anxiety come after us, threatening to ruin our day.

But should Moses show up in the midst of social media frenzy, He might use tweets to remind us: “The Lord will fight our battles; all we have to do is be still.”

That’s because in the still of God’s presence is when our nights know His peace. In the still of our heart is when His whisper brushes through. And in the still of the moment is when we see His promises come alive.

Can you tell me, in the midst of your hectic life, what keeps you from being still?

Janet

 

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

 

 

 

Source: The secret to peace is in the still of the moment. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Know How To Fail Greatly When Things Fall Apart

10 Mar

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

 

 

Failure is a teacher,
It is not the end, my friend.
There is a lesson to be had.
This is what I recommend.

 

When I came to the end of myself.
and, yes, most people do-
I realized that what was missing
was our Lord’s point of view.

 

You can’t leave Christ out of your life
for your future will be bleak.
When I came to my senses,
His purpose I did seek.

 

God created us in His own image.
Bring glory to His name.
Give your life to Jesus, my friend,
You will never remain the same.

 

There is one main truth none of us can deny.
We can’t fully enjoy life-
Until we are prepared to die.

 

Photo Credit Wunder Photo

 

 

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Fun, Fun, Fun

9 Mar

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

When I began this blog in January of 2012 I had no idea what I was doing or how I would come up with consistent content. Well five years later, I still struggle with creating consistent content but I have been blessed with a group of bloggers who are amazing. Every week they share their lives with us. Having surgery, going on vacation? No worries, these folks send their blogs to me in advance. I have read that managing a group blog is hard, but I am telling you, these friends are a delight.

Wednesday we gathered for our annual blogger lunch and yea, everyone was able to attend. We have a new blogger this year, Melody Hendrix and since we don’t all live in the same city, she had not met some the bloggers. We had a grand time with laughter from start to finish.

Left side: DiVoran, Bill, Mike, me, Louise, Janice . Right Side: Fred, Judy, Janet, Melody, Janice.

Looking at this picture I realize what an amazing group they are. Each has a life story behind their picture. DiVoran is an author and accomplished artist and  her husband Bill worked as an engineer on America’s space program (He liked to blow things up). My husband, Mike retired from the space program and has discovered hidden talents in painting, carving  and woodworking. Louise, our poetess has written poetry her whole life as she followed her military husband across the country, making a hone for  her family. At the end is her daughter Janice, an antique connoisseur and baker of confections.  Whew!

 Starting on the right side is Judy’s husband, Fred  a retired military meteorologist for the Air Force. Next is Judy.  She is a pianist, a  crafter and a military wife. Enough said on that, we know the important role wives play for our country. Once Fred retired, she became the secretary for her church. Let me tell  you, church secretaries should get an extra jewel in their heavenly crowns. Do you see Janet leaning forward to be in the picture? She is a best-selling author, an international speaker, has an MBA degree and she cracks everyone up with her blind jokes. She can do that, she is blind, and an amazing testimony of walking by faith, not by sight. See the lovely blond? That is Melody, our newest member and a professional photographer and collector of inspirational quotes. Each week she shares beautiful photos with us. Missing is Lynn, she took this picture. She is the daughter of Louise and my very best friend from high school and my go to when Word Press make me crazy. She recently retired from her financial planning business where she counseled women on money matters.  She promises that she is going to begin her own blog and I am holding her to it.

I am already looking forward to next year’s lunch. Maybe this year we can mange a second one. We barely stopped talking the whole meal, yet we still had more to say! Next time we plan to try out “seat shifting,” so can don’t miss anyone. I am not sure how that will work while we are eating .

We met at a seafood restaurant in Orlando and its decor was  “fishy”. The booths were lit by these clever lights. The fish and sea creatures are metal art and they look quite happy. As I study it, I find myself thinking about how Jesus is the light that draws us all together.

John 8:13  Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

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A 2016 Dawn Patrol Rendezvous Trip~Part 10

8 Mar

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

 

 

Day 10 (Saturday Oct.8, 2016)
This day did not turn out anything like what I had expected. Here it was another beautiful Saturday morning, when I thought everyone would be out and about, but no, that’s not the way it was.

 

The first stop this morning was to visit the World War II Victory Museum in Swanton, OH. As it turned out, this was the location of the 180th Ohio Air National Guard base, but there was no museum. At least Greta and I couldn’t find one anywhere in the area. Just this sign at the entrance to a closed gate.

 

 

So I headed up the road to visit the Snook’s Dream Cars Museum, located in Bowling Green, OH. As luck would have it, this museum is closed on Saturday and Sunday. I couldn’t believe a classic car museum would be closed on the weekends. Is that out of the ordinary or what? What do YOU think about that!  I was really disappointed!

 

 

But what could I do except head on down the road to visit the Toledo Firefighter’s Museum in downtown Toledo, OH. Now I had made such good time this morning, because I expended no time at the first two museums, so I got to the Fireman’s Museum at 10:30. And, you guessed it! They didn’t open until 12 noon. Well, I wasn’t going to wait around 1-½ hours for them to open, so I got back in the car and headed down the road again.

 

 

Next on my list for today, was the Colonel James Schoonmaker Ship Museum located on the Maumee River, just to the north-east of Toledo. This museum is part of the National Museum of the Great Lakes Maritime Center there in Toledo. It consists of a visitor’s education center, and a tour of the grain and ore carrying ship. The visitor’s education center was quite interesting, with lots of historical maritime memorabilia associated with the Great Lakes shipping industry. I opted out of a tour of the ship, as the access ladder to the visitor’s deck area was WAY more than my troubled knees would have carried me, and there was no elevator.

 

 

Next I headed back into Toledo, to visit the Toledo Police Museum located in the small quiet Ottawa Park.  This was a small, but interesting, museum consisting of historical memorabilia associated with the Toledo Police Department, some of which dates back to the late 1800s.

 

 

When I headed south to visit my next museum, I was surprised when Greta said, “continue 119 miles on I-75 south.” I exited at my first opportunity and checked the location on my Ohio map. I discovered that I had miss-placed this museum entry address, for the WACO Museum on my “Trip Itinerary.” I had actually visited that museum on day 2 of this trip. Dua! I wonder how that happened?

 

As you can see, I spent a lot of time on the road today, but this did not turn out to be a very productive day for museum viewing. So, I gave up any further attempt at sight-seeing, in the Toledo area, and headed for this evening’s motel which was located in Perrysburg, OH. Dinner tonight was leftovers of some of that most delicious Lasagna, from the Four Seasons Family Restaurant last night. Double Yummm!!

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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God’s Precious Gift….Time

7 Mar
A Life to Live
Melody Hendrix
Melody
Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.  Margaret Peters
The bad news is, time flies. The good news is, you’re the pilot. Michael Altshuler
You have thousands of thoughts a day. Don’t waste them on negative things. Unknown
Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you. 
Carl Sandburg
At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success, but our significance. Live a life that matters. Live a life of love. 
Author unknown
It’s really nice to wake up in the morning realizing that God has given me another day to live. unknown
time-2

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