Missing Guatemala

Its funny , when I get down about things in my life I think about people in Guatemala. I’ve been there three times in as many years for mission trips usually in February. I like to go on trips to a”third world country” because it gives me a reality check! When you get to know the people you realize that you can live with less and be happy especially when you know nothing else. So when I get bummed about money or a ”new” car I look at my pictures and think of a simpler life…

Old Age!

For the last couple of days I have been framing a new dormer on a house. The crew on the job are from another contractor that I know. I’m there to make sure the job goes smoothly and to lay out the more difficult details. Almost all of them are in there twenty’s which is making me feel old! They walk around moving ladders and nailing on roof shingles like its nothing. When I get out of my truck It takes me awhile to get moving. Its funny to remember back to the old days when I was in my twenty’s (80’s). Before cell phones, laptops, blogs………….

Traditional Thinking

I was reading through Collide magazine this week and saw an article by Tim Stevens. here is a quote from him that really hit home. “Somehow, our theology has taught us that God speaks only at church. He only talks to us through his written word or through an individual (aka pastor or priest) who has been trained. This belief is very confusing to us when we feel God tugging at our heart through the culture.”

Growing up in a traditional church this really hits home. If you didn’t have at least a Bible college degree ,you couldn’t speak at all. I think when the church had the reformation, It didn’t go far enough. Its amazing how much we (the church) haven’t changed.

I live in a community with a large population of Amish people. I think the church of today views the Amish as extremist, but I don’t think in a lot of ways we are not much different.(except for the clothes) Actually the Amish don’t have pastors ,the Elders do all the speaking, not to trash all you pastors.

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

On saturday my family took a trip to a place called Lake Tobias. You ride around on a school bus with the roof cut off , viewing wildlife in a big fenced in area. The animals are harmless to humans like buffalo, elk and mountain sheep. You can reach out of the bus and feed them corn or animal crackers that the park sells.
On Sunday, we had a bonfire at our house with some friends . We cooked mountain pies and hot dogs on the fire, then played some cards.
Monday, we went to a picnic with folks from church and the mostly the kids went swimming. The water temperature was about 72 which was pretty darn chilly!!
…….Thats my son feeding a water buffalo.

Wonderful Hot Liquid

Did you ever crave or have an addiction to a certain food ? Lately I’ve been obsessed with this cup of soup ! It’s become my favorite lunch. I heat some water up in the tea kettle, pour it in the cup up to the line inside ,seal the lid back up and wait. After a couple of minutes I peel back the lid ,stir the noodles and hot spices. Then my favorite part is to drink the spicy hot liquid out of the cup till all there is left is the noodles! Sometimes though I go to have one of these lovely treat’s and I find there is no more ! I debate whether to drive to that nameless big box store or should I just have something else.

Thought’s from Whiteboard.

Yesterday I went to Whiteboard , a conference in Reston,Virginia. There was 8 speakers ,who each had 30 minutes to share a thought. They are all a little different in were they come from, meaning conservative to what we would call a little out on the edge. It’s funny, The speaker that I thought would be a stick in the mud turned out to be good. And one that should be good, just basically promoted his book! I went with my pastor Mike and got to meet and hang out with Don Record of Action Church which was cool!

Faith

I’ve been in the construction trade for 25 years now. In all those years I’ve not had work for about a month and that was when I was single. The past two month’s all my job’s have dried up. All my work in the past     has come from word of mouth,I’ve never had to advertise. I’ve alway’s known that God is in control of my work especially being self-employed. I think people get a false sense off security because they work for a company and they don’t have to generate the work. Lately, being slow with work has been a real test and questioning time. Is the economy the problem or is it God testing me, maybe teaching me something? Am I doing enough to generate work? Could I just be spinning my wheel’s? Should I go out and try to get a job….?

Typing Mania

I’ve had a Blackberry phone for 6 month’s. Its the first what I call smart phone that I’ve had. It keeps me up on the latest e-mail and I can surf the net ,find places with the gps,pretty much do anything a regular computer can do but the most interesting thing I can do with it is type faster on the phone than I can with a regular keyboard.I never learned to type. I had the junior high typing class that we had to take for half of a semester (like home ec.)where we would type A B A B on a whole page and the teacher would give us a B for doing something. All I remember is the home key’s! with my new phone the keys do multiple functions and there is word recognition so you dont even know how to spell plus spell check. If my typing teacher could see me now! The only thing to type on back then was electric typewriters ….. 

Narnia

I went to see the new Narnia movie,Prince Caspian, today. It was really good! I liked it better than the first one. One part of the movie that really hit me was when Lucy finds Aslan and says where have you been ? Nobody believed you are still alive . Aslan says to her [I've always been here why didn't you come to me]. WOW!  That really hit me!  What a parellel to Jesus. I know these movies written, by C.S. Lewis, are a parellel to the life of Jesus but that really stuck out. I would definetly suggest seeing this movie.

One tired boy!

Man, am I tired! I was up till after midnight playing cards last night. Then I woke up at 5:30 to go to a yard sale. My family had two pickup loads of lovely treasures to part with. I would say we got rid of half of it. Everytime we go to be part of a yard sale I say never again Its just easier to take the stuff to the mission or thrift shop.Its funny how people who shop at these sales are so picky. Im talking your selling clothing for fifty cents a piece but if you raise the price to a buck they wont buy it!! You pay good money for a pair of pants for your kid and they dont want to spend a buck.  Well I’m probably just kranky from lack of sleep!