What if things get worse? Where do we find reassurance?

13 Aug

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

08-05-16 flat tire

VIDEO OF THE WEEK SNEAK PEEK  (CLICK HERE)

The sound was awful, the heat unbearable and the tummies were empty. That describes our ride home from a theme park with the grandkids this past Saturday.

The sound came from the rear of the car. We had traveled a few miles and were in the middle of nowhere. The heat read 99 degrees. And the 6- and 8-year-old grandkids in the back seat were more than a tad hungry.

So, what did these two wise, grandparents do? Nothing, we rode for a while hoping the noise would go away, and at the same time going through options for the reason for such noise.

Hubby pulled over and discovered a totally flat rear tire. Aware that our somewhat new vehicle doesn’t provide a spare tire, we waited for the tow truck.

We wiped sweat from our foreheads as the heat sizzled through the windows. And to pass the time, we played a silly game. It’s called the what-if game. We imagine alternate options, ones much worse than we face in reality.

We took turns. They began and we followed. What if we had an accident instead? What if we had no gas in this heat? What if he air-conditioning didn’t work? What if Papa couldn’t drive and Nana had to take over? (They gasped at this one!)

The game, as silly as it seems, teaches them that life has unexpected glitches, bringing painful surprises that leave us in the heat of discouragement. Then like the tire, our joy goes flat. But even in the worst or truly devastating what-if’s we can imagine, we’re triumphant still. We’re secure in the power of God’s love. And we’re in the reassuring shelter of His protection.

The Apostle Paul confirms this as he might have come up with some what-if’s of his own. And so he asserts: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37b-39)

No matter how dark your situation might be, have you considered the what-if’s?

Source: What if things get worse? Where do we find reassurance? | Janet Perez Eckles

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You Are a Star!

12 Aug

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

 

 

We can’t all be in the Olympics,
(nor do I want to be)
In spite of the expectations of others.
I truly just want to be me!

 

Being good isn’t good enough
to meet another’s expectations.
I’ll be the best I can be,
but I have to be Me.
“What do you see in your reflections?

 

God created us just as we are.
He had a plan, don’t you see?
In His plan for your life You are a Star!
But I will still remain me!

 

Oh,but God has a plan for all of us,
Even though we can’t all have top billing.
On the “Stage of Life” we all have a part.
To serve takes a heart that is willing.

 

God, Himself, came to seek and to save.
What an example He set for you and me.
Lay down your life for your fellow man.
We are here to serve all humanity.

1 Samuel 12;14 “Thou shall fear the Lord and serve Him”.

 

 

 

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Missing Mother

11 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

We attend an old-fashioned country church. You know the kind, where the preacher gets excited and everyone stands to sing the Doxology. When our daughter visited she said there was so much standing and sitting, she felt like she was in a Catholic service.

I wonder what the pastor and the people in the choir think when they see my face and body language during congregational singing. Do they wonder why my stance appears poised to chase some invisible being and why my face has an attentive listening expression?

I would gladly chase the invisible being if she was indeed there. Yet, while death can take away her physical body, it can not take away the memories of my mother’s voice. She sang with the prettiest alto voice I have ever heard and she was not a timid singer, whispering the words to the hymns. She belted them out joyfully.

 When the older hymns are sung, it’s like amidst the voices of those around me,  I can hear her voice.  I tilt my head and close my eyes, trying to capture it. That is when my singing gets really funky. Have you ever tried to sing with someone who isn’t there?

I always wanted an alto voice like my mother, but was born with a low soprano. I may have been able to develop an alto voice but our family of five, needed a soprano. I think my voice became confused because when our family would sing together, my patient dad would frequently shake his head over my lack of ability to stay on key. I can carry a tune, I just carry it in many ways!

I don’t think mother approves of using the over head screens to display the song lyrics without the notes because lately, when we sing hymns  like Standing on the Promises, her voice fills in the alto part in the chorus while the sopranos hold the note.  I decided to do it too, but I do it softly…..standing on the promises, standing on the promises. I felt awkward the first few times so I decided to stop singing and listen. Sure enough, there was a faint echo of other folks singing it the old-fashioned way.

Standing on the Promises

Photo from Church Hymnal 1979

Maybe one day I will be brave enough to ask the pastor if he notices my odd expressions during the singing.  Or maybe I won’t. I will keep sitting in the back of the church and hope he can’t see that far!

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My 2016 Mid-West Trip~Part 6

10 Aug

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

Day 6 (Thursday)

 

I was surprised when leaving Oklahoma City, on I-70, to discover that it was a Toll Road. As it turned out, by the time I got to Kansas City it had cost me eight dollars in tolls. On the way I stopped in Tulsa, OK to check out the Tulsa Air & Space Museum located adjacent to the Tulsa International Airport. This was a small museum with only about six nicely restored airplanes.

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However, they did have a very unusual Spartan 12W as part of their collection. The Spartan 12W is an upgraded, tricycle gear variant of the Spartan Executive aircraft. I’m going to see if I can talk to my friend Terry (the airplane buff) to see if he has ever heard of, or seen, a tricycle geared Spartan 12W aircraft.

2

Just as I was about to cross the border out of Oklahoma I stopped in the small town of Afton, OK to visit in the Afton Station Route 66 Packard Museum. As part of the museum’s name implies, their claim to fame is a nice collection of beautifully restored Packard automobiles, dating from the 1920s through the 1960s. So, it surprised me to see a 1990 Maserati TC sitting off by itself in a side room.

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The museum is located on the old Route 66 Highway and they have every conceivable Route 66 type of memorabilia for sale in their gift shop. It brought back lots of memories from my childhood, when I was raised in Albuquerque, NM with the two-lane Route 66 as our main street (Central Avenue) through town.

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Just down the road a few miles was the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame. I was amazed at the display of some 50 one-of-a-kind custom cars in this collection. I discovered that most all of them were designed and built by Darrell Starboard, who is a famous car show participant with his magnificent original designs.

There is no way to describe the beautiful workmanship of these cars. I would have to compare Darrell Starboard with Bert Rattan, as far as forward-looking design concepts are concerned, in their respective fields.

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By the time I arrived at the TWA Museum located at the Kansas City International Airport they were closed. When I googled that museum I discovered that it was mostly memorabilia items recording the history of TWA’s hub, at what is now the Kansas City International Airport, from the 1920s to the 1990s.

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On the other side of the airport was the National Airline History Museum which was also closed. This is one museum that I was really sorry to miss visiting as I am interested in the history of all the different U.S. airlines. It appears that this museum and the TWA Museum are closely linked, as both display mostly aircraft used by TWA over the years. This is not hard to understand since what is now the Kansas City International Airport was the TWA hub for so many years. The museum’s website indicates it has set an ambitious goal for itself, with the restoration of several large projects. A 1934 Northrop Delta 1D, one of America’s first single engine commercial transport airplanes.   A Lockheed Constellation, known worldwide as one of the first international piston-engine passenger aircraft. A Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, one of America’s premium international jet airliners, and a Douglas DC-8 jet transport just to name a few. Any one of these projects would be a challenge for any museum to take on.

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The last museum on my list today was the Kansas City Automotive Museum located southwest of the city, just off I-35, between Lenexa and Olathe, KS. The museum was closed, but I was able to look through the windows to discover that this was a small museum consisting of 12 nicely restored cars dating from the 1950s and 1960s. There are just not enough hours in the day for me to see everything I want to see along the road I am traveling.

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I had a quick and easy dinner at Taco Bell tonight. Three Crunchy Beef Taco Supremes with lots of Verde Salsa to spice things up. Then it was back to the motel for some TV and a good night’s rest.

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—–To Be Continued—–

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Conflict

9 Aug

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
Ronald Reagan
“Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one. “
John Lennon
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”   Mother Teresa
 Ibis Playalinda

 
I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.

Melody

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A Snake in the Grass, and Other Places

8 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

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The air conditioning installers had a hard day from 2:30 in the afternoon until 9:30 p. m. when they finished getting all the equipment in place. We have a small air-conditioner in our studio/garage so we spent all afternoon and evening in there out of the way. I painted, Bill wrote on his computer. At suppertime we ate leftovers on a tray and watched Spencer Tracy in, “Stanly and Livingston.” Every time Bill came back from delivering ice water to the working men he had a bit of news for me: they put down the new slab, the head installer had to go to the store for parts, they don’t’ know when they’ll be done. One of the news flashes was that when one of the installers pulled the old tray out through the big pipe that held all the cables and wires, a six-foot black snake rode out with it. Bill was astonished. He had empathy for the installer’s startlement. Bill was bitten by a cotton mouth moccasin in a swamp down in Texas when he was a child. When he told me about the black snake, he shivered and said, “I had just put my hand in that hole up to the elbow.” Narrow escape indeed.

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Covered Over Snake Hole

I would have been startled too, even though there’s nothing inherently wrong with black snakes. They keep the rodent population under control and I happen to believe this particular snake had made himself part of the family. I’m pretty sure he’s the same one I wrote about in one of my first blogs. All I need to know is whether it could grow to six foot in four years or not. Back then it was a tiny black snake about as big around as a pencil and not much longer. That time we found it inside the hallway near the air conditioning closet. I’ve seen it under the azalea bush, slithering behind the model-airplane hangar and sunning itself on the slant bar of the chain link fence. I came to believe we could live in harmony, and now I imagine that the black snake is the one who has kept the invasive Cuban Tree Frog population down. I didn’t begrudge him his shelter under the house, but I was grateful that he didn’t come back into the house.

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Our neighbor had a big black snake come down through the vent in her roof and out into the bathroom through the toilet. When they discovered him he was moving over the big wall mirror leaving a trail of sewer smut behind. Our snake at least didn’t do anything as impolite as that.

At dinner the other day we discussed where the snake might live now that his home is closed off. Bill favored some nice-sized PVC pipes he has on the other side of the hangar. We also thought he might like the pile of rocks holding back soil erosion over the drainage ditch out back. We’re sure he’ll find a place. The next time the installers came, they spotted him hanging around in the grass close to the AC inlet. So far we love living close to nature. It’s been fifty years and we have a nature area behind us and a well-field on the other side of our neighbor, so hopefully it will go on for the next several decades before we travel on to our next home.

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Paw Prints

7 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

 

 Fred and I have arrived at the point in our lives where several things have happened:

1… I no longer cook as often – nor do I desire to

2…we both thoroughly enjoy eating out often

Consequently, servers at a bunch of restaurants and eateries know us by name, and smile at us when we enter their establishments. I don’t want to say that they fight over who will get to serve us, but they all seem eager. We must tip well…..

One of our favorite restaurants is Cracker Barrel™. We enjoy their food – just good old country home-style cooking. Their prices are reasonable, and the same food for the same price is for both lunch and supper. Since we have cut down on how much we eat, since we are older, we are pleased to find that we can order from the “kids” menu, as it is advertised as for “kids of all ages.” And it includes a drink with it. We have had several servers suggest that we get two kids meals instead of the same thing off the main menu and split it, as it would be cheaper for us. That says a lot about the integrity of the place, to us. And keeps us coming back.

But there is another aspect of Cracker Barrel™ that we enjoy – and that is the “store” part of the restaurant. I have purchased several t-shirts from there, and they are always top quality material. I’ve purchased other clothing for our grandchildren there, and found the quality to be quite good. They have some of the fun, old-time toys that we played with as children, still available.

So all-in-all, we find our experiences at Cracker Barrel™ restaurant to be most enjoyable.

Some years ago, as I was perusing items in the “store,” I saw something that really caught my eye. It was a 6″ square tile, or plaque, of an animal paw print. Fascinating! One was of a grizzly bear cub (unbelievable how huge a cub’s paw print is!!), and the other was a grey wolf. I purchased the grey wolf paw print, with the intention of purchasing the grizzly cub print soon thereafter. However, as with most things you see in stores – if you don’t get it right then, it probably won’t be there the next time – and the grizzly cub paw print was gone when I next looked for it. I was so disappointed.

Fast forward a year or two, and we went on our first cruise with Fred’s family to Alaska (please see my blog of November 11, 2012 titled Our First Cruise). Our final stop was in Anchorage, where we celebrated Fred’s dad’s 86th birthday before departing for our respective homes the following day. As I was browsing through a gift shop in the hotel, low-and-behold – there was the grizzly cub tile!! I snapped it up as fast as I could – I wasn’t going to let it get away from me this time!

So now they sit proudly on a shelf in our house, and I am amazed by them, each time I look upon them, and thank God that I was able to gather these “things” to myself for nothing more than enjoyment.

Such a fun memory for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Who’s behind all your fear? 

6 Aug

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Janet's new book.

 

07-29-16 fear“I need my Xanax,” a woman said in the waiting room as we waited for my mom’s doctor appointment. “I can’t take the bad news anymore. The horrible stuff all around is too much.”

Although I didn’t comment because she was talking to the person beside her, I reflected on what she said.

It’s true that we’re living in hard times. We’re facing unprecedented violence. And to give us emotional indigestion, we’re viewing images of horrific tragedies. We watch this from our couch as we squirm with disbelief.

And when fear is eating us for lunch, Satan is licking his lips; we’re his prey, and we’re in his agenda as he takes care of the leftovers. But why should this catch us by surprise? Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10a).

Satan did come, and is here to intensify the pain. But only if we let him. He steals our peace; God brings it right back. He kills our joy, but only for the moment because In God we can have it again. He destroys our serenity; God ushers it back.

And no matter what the next headlines read, we know we’re on the winning side. We’re on the triumphant court and rather than being afraid or stressed, we face all this with a secure heart because Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10b).

What changes will you make to live the full and secure life Jesus offers?

 

Source: Who’s behind all your fear? | Janet Perez Eckles

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Nothing

5 Aug

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us
from God’s love. Neither death, nor life, neither angels
or demons, neither our fears for today, nor our worries about
tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from
God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below–
indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate
us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our
Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

 

Isn’t it comforting to know that God loves you and will
never leave or forsake you?
God loves you because of who God is-
not because of anything you did – or didn’t do.

 

Life presents its challenges,
Of this we are all aware.
But the Lord is there throughout it all
to comfort through our despair.

 

“When they were discouraged, I smiled and that
encouraged them and lightened their spirits.”
Job 29;24 TLB

 

heart-shaped-clouds

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My 2016 Mid-West Trip~Part 5

3 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill Red Spot Plane

 

Day 5 (Wednesday)

 

The trip from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City was uneventful. The mesquite trees that inundated central and northern Texas began to disappear as I progressed north, to be replaced by beautiful green foliaged trees of all types in Oklahoma.

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My first stop today was to visit the Oklahoma Railroad Museum located on the east side of Oklahoma City. This museum turned out to be a very small museum with just a few steam engines, and some passenger & freight cars. It was closed, so I wasn’t able to go through any of their restored museum pieces.

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The H & H Gun Range was on the Internet list of “Things to do in Oklahoma City” and I was interested to see what it was all about.  It turned out to be one of the most impressive gun shops I have ever witnessed.  They had every type of pistol, rifle, and ammunition anyone could ever need. They had a pistol range, a rifle range, and even a bow and arrow range. They also had every type of hunting and fishing equipment that a person might have need of. All of this in one store that took up as much as a city block in length and was all housed under one roof.

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Next I stopped at the Oklahoma Science Center, but it was absolutely full of children (grade school through high school) and was so noisy you could hardly hear yourself think. As you might imagine, I didn’t stay long.

4

Down the road a ways was the Charles B. Hall Air Park located just outside the main entrance to Tinker Air Force Base. They had a nice arrangement of restored aircraft, statically displayed in the park. The park was named in honor of Major Hall, who was a Tuskegee Airman flying with the 99th Pursuit Squadron during WWII. He was also the first African-American to shoot down an enemy aircraft in combat. I really hate to see some of these magnificent warbirds sitting out in the weather and slowly deteriorating.

5

On my way to Bethany, OK to visit my next aviation museum, I stopped off at 180 Medical to talk to Taylor Dragoo, who is my company contact for my self-catheterization supplies. As it turned out he did not look anything like the picture I had of him in my mind, when we are talking on the phone. We had a nice visit but he was busy and I had places to go, so I didn’t stay long.

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My last stop for the day was at the Oklahoma Museum of Flying located in Bethany, Ok. The owners were kind enough to let me in, past their normal 4 o’clock closing time. The museum is quite small with only four planes in one small hanger. However all four of those airplanes are in flying condition. With one of their planes being a B-25 Mitchell, we talked of people in the warbird restoration community that we all knew, such as Tom Riley and Dave Matthews.

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When I arrived at the motel for the evening, I arranged everything I was going to take into my room on the passenger seat and punched the door unlock button. I walked around to the passenger door, to retrieve the items, and found the passenger door locked. What a surprise! I was sure I had punched the unlock button. But when I went back to the driver’s door it was also locked. “Uh Oh! Where are my keys? On the seat with the other things. What have I done now? Locked myself out of the car, dummy.” Everything I needed to contact Roadside Assistance was laying right there on the seat out of reach.

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It took me half an hour and four phone calls before I could contact someone with Thrifty who could help me. It took another half hour for the locksmith to get there and unlock the door. The only upside to this entire ordeal was that the manufacturer had included “Lockout Insurance” with the car, so I didn’t have to pay for the locksmith. You better believe I will be keeping a close eye on those car keys for the rest of this trip.

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Dinner tonight at the local Cracker Barrel was grilled catfish, collard greens and a tossed green salad, with ranch dressing. One of their famous biscuits and honey was my dessert. What a delicious meal that was.

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—–To Be Continued—–

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