Transformation

My family is here this weekend for my brother's "Welcome Home" party. Last night after dinner we celebrated my dad's 78th birthday...which was last week...with cake and homemade ice cream. Then we built a fire in the fire pit and sat outside talking and laughing until it got late. Pretty soon I noticed Jill just sitting in the garage staring at the little garage door. I asked Dan what she was doing...she was watching a locust shed it's shell. It was very cool! Here's the transformation...

Lonely...

Tonight our "siding crew" had an impromptu party. Jill's parents were here to fix the sump pump and Joe stopped to pick up his ladder. We were sitting in the kitchen eating cheesecake and telling our siding crew stories to Dan. Tyler was up in bed obviously listening to us laugh and, not wanting to be left out, sent this note downstairs...

Finally Home!

My brother, Dan, got home this week from a year of serving our country in the Persian Gulf. Here's his unit when they landed in New Hampshire. Their point of entry into the United States. He's the one in the front with the flag in his pocket.



I missed his homecoming in Des Moines because SoulFire was playing in Pella this week for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. But my friend, Sandy, was at the airport and she took these pictures...
















I'm proud of you, Dan!! Welcome home...

Almost Home

Some folks from my brother and sister-in-law's church came the other day and decorated the driveway to welcome my brother home. The word is that he will be home sometime on Tuesday night...but that still could change. And SoulFire will be out every night next week leading worship for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' All-Sports Camp in Pella...but maybe he'll arrive late enough so I can be at the airport!

The Briar Patch of Indecision

I blatently stole this entry from my friend, Joe. I read it on his blog and thought it was very interesting how he and I have been thinking about the exact same things lately. I even have a piece of paper in my Bible with my list of Pro's and Con's. You'll understand after reading this...

"We all have times in our lives when we are faced with decisions that should be made. And sometimes we spend a whole lot of time not making a choice at all. Which really is a choice to not decide. This my friends is called indecision. Today I wish to talk briefly of the purpose of indecision along with why we must deal with it.

The purpose: indecision is basically that time in our lives when we know we are facing a choice we must make. It may be a choice of relationship, or a choice of carrier, or a choice of missionary work. (such is my decision). What are the choices you are facing?

We face moments where we are undecided at the moment. And there is a purpose for this time. The purpose is this - during our time of indecision we are called to look at the pro's and con's of the decisions we could make. We are then faced to discover who we are at that present time. We are forced to examine what are lives are all about. We are then beckoned to choose who we want to become. Then we are asked to make our decisions based on what we unearth and discover as we wrestle with all that is tied into the choice we should be making. Should I date this person or not? Should I quit my job and get another one? Should I move to denmark? Or brazil? Or stay in Norwalk Iowa? (the last one is the choice I face) What choices are you facing? The purpose of indecision is that it forces us to truly examine the choice before us, as well as examine who we are and who we want to become. The second purpose of indecision is to bring us to a place of decision.

Which brings me to the main point of this blog adventure. We need to deal with indecision. Most people don't. And the results are harmful. For example, you do not decide what you want your relationship with so and so to be....the result is you end up playing with each others heart...and end up hurting each other in the end. You do not decide what to do about your job...you end up spending your life in drudgery wondering if you could be doing something else. You do not decide where you want to serve GOD....i.e. denamrk, france, brazil, norwalk Iowa. (that's me)....I end up missing the greatest adventure GOD has called me on so far in my life.

So why do people live so long in indecision? I think it's for a few reasons:
1.) They refuse to try to understand themselves.....we are complex. We confuse and mislead ourselves all the time. Choices make us find out who we are and force us to decide who we will become
2.) Because of fear......we are afraid we will make the wrong choice...or we fear people will not support our choices.
3.) We do not want to be held accountable for the choices we make. We are so lame sometimes. Personal responsibilty leads to freedom and so often we deny our freedom in order to freely blame everything on someone else.

One last thought before I go. To not decide is to decide. Yep....think that one over. You never gain anything by living your life in the briar patch of indecision. So I would suggest spending some time really examining every aspect of the choice you face. Take it before GOD and ask him to help you make the right choice. And then decide. And regardless of the outcome you will at least be moving forward. Instead of being torn apart by the consequence of not deciding at all."

Apple of God's eye...

I had dinner with my friend, Linda, last night. She just returned, with a team from my church, from a mission trip to Africa and I wanted to hear all about! (Bill, when do I get to hear your stories?!) I love missions…it’s one of things my heart beats for. And again I find myself on this continual roller coaster of what I should do and what does God want. I was reading in Psalms recently and one verse caught my heart...Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Do you ever feel like you have no idea what God is doing or what His desire is? Have you ever been so desperate to hear from Him and Him alone? It’s in these times that I pray I would simply take refuge in the God of the universe. For there is no better place to rest.

Recently I was reminded that I am the apple of God's eye. Have you ever been so close to someone that you can see your reflection in their eyeball? That what is means to be the apple of God's eye!! My reflection appears in the pupil of His eye as He is looking so intently at me. Now that is something that’s hard for me to get my mind around. But I'm glad He cares that much about me! So I wait, I pray, I listen, and I yield in submission to Him. Pray with me...seek with me. May He be your refuge as well.

No Caption Necessary

Ladies, I can't believe I've been doing it wrong all these years.

We must get the word out.

How's your prayer life?

"If we call upon the Lord, he has promised in his word to answer, to bring the unsaved to himself, to pour out his Spirit among us. If we don't call upon the Lord, he has promised nothing – nothing at all. It's as simple as that. No matter what we claim to believe, the future will depend upon our times of prayer."

Jim Cymbala in "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire"

Siding...

The siding project is finished!! Finally...and just in time to welcome my brother home from the Persian Gulf.

If you wish to see the photos from start to finish you can check out the "My Pictures" link in the column to the right. The album is called "Siding the house/garage"...enjoy!

Our God Is An Awesome God

My nephew, Lucas, making his world debut...

Scotch Tape Art