Tag Archives: #amblogging

Hope in God’s Reminders

8 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged 3/8/34

Some weeks, the topic for these posts comes easily. Other times, I struggle to find the words. This week, I had written most of the post but when I went to finish; the document was missing. I guess it’s just another way God is trying to remind me what 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, something He’s done multiple times over the past several weeks. I wasn’t sure why this verse has continually popped up in my devotionals and other readings, even a post here on February 19.

I thought to myself how thankful I am that I’m not facing any trials at the moment. But when I felt led to write about this verse again for today’s blog, I took a step back and realized there are trials I’m facing.

The greatest of these is a situation I have absolutely no control over. I can’t fix it. I can’t even think about it without becoming physically ill over all the horrific ways it can turn out. I pray for resolution daily, and several months ago I surrendered it completely into God’s hands, but there are still moments of deep pain and worry.

On another front, there is uncertainty at work as we go through corporate restructuring. I’ve been with the company long enough to see these shifts come and go, always bringing with them drama and rarely working out as hoped. Fortunately, God burst the “my job is my identity” bubble long ago, so I don’t feel threatened by the change. Still, tension and uncertainty try to wiggle into my mind, and I wonder if it’s time for me to move into a new department.

Then there’s my current novel. I’m ready to be done with it, but there’s still work to do. The hours I spend editing fly by faster than any other hours of the day, except perhaps the hours I sleep, those fly pretty fast too.

It’s March and I haven’t even gathered my papers for the tax man. I have a to-do list that never seems to shrink. There are plans to be made for an upcoming trip. The dog needs a bath, the car needs the oil changed, weeds need to be pulled. Does anyone else ever feel like there are more jobs to do than hours in an entire lifetime?

It’s no wonder God keeps telling me the trials of this lifetime are momentary and I need to stop focusing on what is seen because it will all fade away. Instead, I need to focus on the unseen, the coming glory of eternity in His presence.

Stop where you are today and unload your worries. Ask God to show you where your priorities need to be and let Him lead you. There will always be struggles in this life, but they are fleeting. They may be outside our control, but He knows exactly what needs to happen. Find hope knowing that God wants the best for you, even if it means you have to walk a hard road for a time. He is there with you and will bring you through to the other side.

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

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My Brightline Train Trip-Part 3

6 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024 Continued)

Our next RideCircuit driver, for the ride back to the Brightline Station,  regaled us with the history and stories of the areas of Fort Lauderdale as we passed thru them, such as what was presently going on in the neighborhood where he lived.

Photo Credit: https://observernewspaperonline.com/2021/11/01/brightline-offers-door-to-door-transportation/

As we passed an old church building, he pointed at it and informed us that it had originally been built in 1921 as the St. Anthony’s Catholic church.  When that parish moved to a larger building in 1949, they sold the building to the Lutheran Evangelical Church and the building’s facade was moved to its present location.  The building was registered as a “Historic Landmark” by the city fathers, and sat vacant for many years.  In 2017 the building was sold to a local developer and the “Holly Blue” Restaurant & Lounge project was begun.  The restoration was finally finished in 2023, and that’s what I call a unique building transformation story.

Photo Credit: https://fortlauderdalecra.com/theabbey/FortLauderdale/neighborhood/

At one point a bunch of young kids on bicycles came riding at us, acting as if they were going to crash into us.  I grabbed the back of the seat in front of me when our driver didn’t slow down, and the cyclists peeled off around our shuttle vehicle, laughing and shouting at us.  When I asked him what that was all about, he told us about the gangs of young kids on bicycles that were stopping and terrorizing motorists in certain areas of Fort Lauderdale, causing the local law enforcement folks a lot of headaches.  He said several cyclists had deliberately run into cars, and then sued the motorists for damages (No money had been awarded to the cyclists that he knew of).

Photo Credit: https://wsvn.com/news/video-shows-dangerous-behavior-involving-bicyclists-cars-in-fort-lauderdale/

Our RideCircuit shuttle driver dropped us off right in front of the Brightline Station.  Billy and I had purchased coach tickets for our return trip, so we didn’t have access to the 1stCClass Lounge at this station.  However, we did inspect the lounge and found that it wasn’t as plush as the one in Orlando, but was still quit comfortable.

Photo Credit: https://www.roadtripsforfamilies.com/fort-lauderdale/

At first, we heard an announcement that our 3:25 train was going to be a few minutes late, but then heard the call that the train was arriving pretty much on-time.  We proceeded to the track-side waiting area, with the other passengers, and watched the train pull into the station.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

We had purchased a coach tickets for our return trip to compare 1st class seating, comfort, and amenities with that of coach.  Of course, the price was half that of 1stclass seating and that had something to do with our choice of return tickets also

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

As we boarded the coach car for our return trip, we found our reserved seats (side-by-side with no table) and discovered that coach seating was a little more crowded than 1stclass, and not as roomy as first class seating (No tables between some seats, so less legroom).

Photo Credit: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/brightline-

The train left the Fort Lauderdale station within a minute or two of our original 3:25 departure time and we were surprised to see that the car we were in was full.  Once we left the Fort Lauderdale station, Billy accessed the “Speed” and “Google Maps” apps on his iPhone so we could keep track of our progress and speed for the return trip.

Photo Credit: https://apps.apple.com/speedometer-speed-tracker

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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The Searcher of Our Heart

4 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

The Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. 

For example, sometimes, we don’t know how to pray or the best thing to ask for. 

But the Holy Spirit rises with us to super-intercedes on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.

God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings. Yet, he also understands the desires of the Spirit because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny. 

Photo Credit:Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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And Yet Another Cruise-Part 6

3 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I’ve pretty well described Disney’s Cruise Line ship Wish for you, so I’ll move on to the things we did on the islands where we docked.

Our first port of call was Nassau, Bahamas.  Fred and I have been to Nassau many times, and weren’t too thrilled to be back.  However, the island has “cleaned up” quite a bit since the last hurricane that devastated the island.  We decided to take an excursion,  one we’ve done before but enjoy none-the-less.   It was a type of “glass bottom boat” ride…actually a semi-submarine.  There was the upper-deck, where the crew maintained the boat, and the passengers sat – on the way to the designated observation area, and also on the way back to the dock.  After climbing down a short ladder, the passengers went to the “below” deck, where there were fold-down stool seats situated in front of each port-hole window.  There we could look out and see everything under water.  The level of the water’s floor, where they took us to see the underwater life, varied from about six feet to 30 feet.  Lots of seaweed, fish and we saw two sharks who were “resting” or sleeping on the bottom of the sand.  Wow!

Our second port of call was Disney’s island – Castaway Cay (pronounced key – don’t ask me why). 

 All Disney ships going to the Bahamas stop at Castaway Cay for a day.  I have grown to love this island, even if we do nothing more than walk around, walk in the sand, sit or stretch out on lounge chairs in the sand and people-watch as they play in the water.  Since neither of us are “water” people, we just enjoy watching people enjoying themselves as they play in the water. 

Photo Credit Disney.com/Wherever I May Roam blog

 We have walked the island many times – out to the lookout tower,

 down the runway, and just around the activities Disney offers.  We have rented bicycles and ridden around the island.  I am not comfortable on a bicycle, so we don’t do that anymore.

However, we had planned to take advantage of some water bicycles and paddle out and around the protected area.  Unfortunately, the wind was up that day, quite a bit, and so they were going to cancel that excursion.  We did get a refund, but were disappointed that we didn’t get to do that.  Perhaps next Disney cruise to Castaway Cay we can do it.

We took the tram down to Serenity Bay – the adults only beach.  We walked along the water on the sand, sat in some lounge chairs in the shade, and just rested.  There is a bbq eatery in Serenity Bay, and we had our lunch there…including some of their soft-serve ice cream!  A really nice set-up.  Some of the ship’s restaurant servers go to the island and work the eateries on the island, so perhaps one will see the servers from our tables on the ship.  We didn’t, but it’s possible.

Fred in front of the food set-up

Back to the ship and prepare for our supper hour and the last night’s performance of Aladdin, which was excellent. 

Then the overnight sail back to Port Canaveral and disembark.  We always carry our own luggage, and so after a quick breakfast we just walk off the ship, through Customs, get into our car, and drive home. 

Another Disney cruise under our belt!  Now we need to book an 11th cruise, so we can take advantage of those extra perks!!

It was a great cruise!

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

*All photos are credited to Judy Wills, with the exception noted.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Hope in Growth

1 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

As a teenager, I visited the local zoo and had a close encounter with a bird in the aviary. It landed on my head and its feet became tangled in my long hair. I recall my boyfriend at the time finding it hilarious before he helped shoo the bird away. That gave birth to a healthy distrust of birds for many years.

Jump ahead to 2010. My parents bought a place in North Carolina and we spent a good deal of time on the back porch whenever I visited. They had bird feeders, and I found myself enjoying the finches, nuthatches, cardinals, eastern towhees, and tufted titmice that flitted in for a bite to eat. As time passed, the porch was extended and a hummingbird feeder added.

By 2019, I enjoyed the birds so much, I sought out a unique experience during a trip to Ireland, a morning with a falconer. My friend and I had the chance to hold a hawk, a falcon, and a couple of owls. We sent them out in flight and received them back on our arms and I absolutely loved it! When I posted a short video on social media, my friends who knew about my fear of birds couldn’t believe it.

My friends didn’t see the gradual change in my heart toward birds. They just saw this surprising image of me with a bird of prey on my arm and a grin on my face. Similarly, when we first ask Jesus into our lives, or when we renew our faith by spending more time with Him, our lives should reflect a change that makes those around us ask what has happened.

What does all this have to do with hope? The apostle Peter said, “In His great mercy He has given us new birth and a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fail.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Followers of Jesus have a living hope in Him that provides comfort and encouragement through all things. We grow in this hope as we study the Bible, fellowship with other believers, and pray. We move from a fear of death to a delight in eternal life in the company of the Almighty God. That is something to get excited about and want to shout from the rooftops. Is there anyone who wouldn’t welcome a life without physical pain or illness, without hate and anger? Eternity with God, in harmony and rejoicing, was the plan for us all along.

When I sit on the patio or take Ollie for a walk and hear the song of the hawks that live nearby, I no longer fear they will land on my head. Instead, I remember the thrill of holding one of these magnificent birds and how much God has changed my life. That change is available to you too.

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, that has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

If you want to know more, email me at authorRebekahlyn@icloud.com

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A Thing to Remember

26 Feb

My Take

DIVoran Lites

Isaiah 40:31

Photo Credit:Pixabay

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary: and they shall walk, and not faint.

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Hope in Letting Go

23 Feb

Reblogged February 23, 2024

Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

2 Votes

This past week was rough. It started Monday when a coworker arrived in a foul mood that deteriorated throughout the day. By Tuesday morning, his attitude had rubbed off, leaving me anxious and edgy. Combined with poor sleep, a never-ending to-do list, and news of unexpected expenses, by Thursday night, I was snapping at everyone and Friday was a slog just to make it through the day.

It’s easy to allow the circumstances around us to dictate how we feel. Perhaps if I’d stopped listening to podcasts on Monday and played my praise music instead, I would have been able to take my eyes off myself and my surroundings. When I made the change on Thursday, I already had days of tension and anxiety to let go of. I’m thankful God can handle it when I drop a whole cart of baggage at His feet. Sometimes I unload the cart like a dump truck, letting it all go at once, but other times, like this, I wrestle to let go of each piece.

A few of the bags I’m clinging to are concerns for people I care about. I know I can’t change the outcome. I can pray for them, lend a listening ear, but it’s up to God to heal their brokenness. For a fixer like me, stepping back and letting God work is a challenge.

When I stop to listen to my heart and surrender my worries, I remember Jesus has already overcome all the troubles of this life. For those who follow him through faith, He offers the gift of rest. He is ready and willing to take our burdens and set us free. The troubles we face can seem insurmountable, but they are only fleeting. We can find hope in letting go of our worries and entrusting them to God’s care.

I’m not saying we give up or expect an instant change in circumstances. Rather, by spending time in His Presence, He will instruct us on what we need to do. We may need to keep praying, we may need to move forward, or we may need to accept a helping hand that He brings into our lives. Only through quiet, focused time in prayer, worship, and studying the Bible can we prepare our hearts to hear that direction.

I read a great analogy this weekend: “To release your problems to God means to let go in your spirit. It’s like a trapeze artist who performs in a circus. When the trapeze bar swings her way, she must let go of the bar she’s holding onto so she can grab the new bar.” (Kent Crockett, If God Knows What I Need Why Should I Pray?)

Take time today to let go, quiet your thoughts, meditate on a favorite Bible verse, sing a favorite song, and let God carry your burden. I have started a resource page with links to books that have influenced these blogs as well as music I find encouraging. I’ll continue to update it throughout the year.

Rebekah Lyn

Rebekah Lyn

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Is It Me?

22 Feb

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

In 2007 my husband and I purchased land in the North Carolina mountains with no immediate plans to build. But as we observed the challenges of building there, we decided to go with a prebuilt modular home. In 2008 our son found us a great deal on a model that we fell in love with.

We decided to save money by doing a lot of the interior finish ourselves. Once the home was delivered , we took two weeks off work and headed from Florida to North Carolina.

We were blessed to stay with friends from Florida who spent summers there. Not only did they give us a place to sleep, they made sure we had a nice meal every evening. We were so tired at the end of the day, it was wonderful to enjoy a meal and conversation. They have moved on to Glory now and I miss their sweet friendship.

I wanted the new home to have color, not monochrome walls. I chose soft blues, greens and even some gray. I was very pleased with the colors. Back at work during lunch, I was telling the group about the colors I had chosen. One person commented the colors were very Martha Stewart.

That comment rankled. I hadn’t even thought of Ms Stewart. Weren’t the color choices mine?

They were and they were’nt. The grocery store check out lines are flush with home style magazines. Martha and her successors were in my head. LOL

Those of us who raised children know well how they were influenced by cereal ads on the television.

And don’t get me started about the heavy influence on the children during the Christmas season. The must have toys!

Now is 2024 we are surrounded by 24/7 media. An evening of television isn’t simple entertainment. It is crafted for influence and has been for years. Product placement in a scene is coveted. We see it without taking it in, but the product is in our subconscious.

I am choosing to take my subconscious back. How you might ask. I plan to be more attentive to why I want something and why I think something. I don’t want to be a part of the chorus or a star. I simply want to be myself, liking what I like, disliking what I don’t. If I see the herd heading one way, I want to stop and ask, is this me or am I being manipulated.

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My Brightline Train Trip-Part 1

21 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

New Years Day (1/1/2024)

This day started early for me as I needed to drive to Orlando, Florida to meet my son, Billy, for our first ever Brightline High-Speed train ride.  After a quick breakfast, I made the 35-mile trip from my home in Titusville to Orlando on SR-528 and found the Wally Park off-site parking (As I mentioned in the Prolog, I chose the Wally Park off-site parking because the Brightline Station parking directions at the airport Terminal “C” seemed a little confusing, and I didn’t want to deal with the potential of being late for our 8:50 Brightline departure).

Photo Credit: https://m.facebook.com/WallyPark

It only took the Wally Park Customer Shuttle about ten minutes, after picking me up, to take me directly to the Brightline Station entrance located in Terminal ‘C’ at the Orlando International Airport.  That included two stops at airlines to pick up other passengers.

Photo Credit: https://www.google.com/search=Wally/Park/Shuttle

I took the escalator to the 3rd floor where I met my son, Billy, at the Brightline Station ticket area.  We used our e-tickets to enter the 1st class lounge to wait for them to call our 8:50 train.  I was surprised at how comfortable and spacious the lounge was.

Photo Credit: https://touringplans.com/brightline-train-to-orlando/

We were able to avail ourselves of an assortment of self-serve complimentary breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, sausage, home-fried potatoes, cheese cubes, and sliced ham.  Coffee, soft drinks, and bottled water were also available.

Photo Credit: https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/brightline-train-review/

I was impressed with the eco-utensils provided to us to eat with at the 1st Class Lounge, and later on the train.  Even though everything provided to eat with was recyceable, the wooden cutlery was so different from the plastic utensils I am use to receiving at most fast food places (and even at some restaurants) now days.  It was a unique experience.

Phot Credit: Bill Lites

When our 8:50 am train to Fort Lauderdale and Miami was called, we took our bottled water from the lounge, and proceeded thru the entry turnstiles (with our QR Code), down the stairs to the train on Track One, and entered the 1st- class car.  We found our reserved seats on the single seat side with a table between the seats.

Photo Credit: https://thepointsguy.com/news/brightline/

Billy got busy setting up his Speed Tracker App in his iPhone so we could track the speed of the train on our journey.  The train was only lightly loaded with passengers, and I was amazed at how smooth the train ride was from the Orlando Airport (Terminal ‘C’), east along SR-528 to Brevard County where the track turned south toward Miami.

Photo Credit: https://apps.apple.com/speedometer-speed-tracker

Billy said the highest speed he recorded along this straight stretch of track was 125 mph!  Billy also loaded the Google Maps app in his iPhone so we could track our progress as well as the train’s speed.  As the train slowed down for the turn south, we began looking for familiar sights along the train route adjacent to US-1.

Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/cocoa-florida-water-tower/

We saw the big Cocoa water tower, and Rockledge Square.  Then somewhere along this southern portion of the route, we must have moved onto a short piece of the FEC track, because the train began to rock and roll enough to make a few people sick.  That was the only short stretch of rough track that I remember during the entire trip.

Photo Credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/motion-sickness/

Luckily, this didn’t last long, and we were back on a smooth ride.  Then we passed over the Eua Galle River, Crane Creek (Melbourne), Turkey Creek (Palm Bay), St. Sebastian River (Sebastian) bridges, and thru the small towns of Wabasso, Winter Beach, and Gifford.  Then we passed thru Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, skirted the St. Lucy River inlet, thru Port Salerno, and Fort Pierce, before arriving at our first stop at West Palm Beach.  As the train was slowing, there was an announcement telling passengers who were getting off at this station to gather their belongings and prepare to exit the train, as“This stop would only be for a few moments.”

Photo Credit: https://www.theledger.com/brightline/

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Vitally Joined

19 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Romans 12:6

The human body has many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. Though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. We are all vitally joined to one another, each contributing to the others. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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