I Agree

From a British paper column today with which I agree:

"O-blame-o gets an A+ in blaming others. He based his presidential campaign on blaming Bush. He can’t blame Bush any more, so he blames government workers, departments and agencies. All from his luxurious vacation rental in Hawaii. Obama has no military experience, no executive experience, no management experience, can’t make a speech without a teleprompter, avoids the media or has staged news conferences (sic), won a Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing nothing, supports the Global Warming theory even while it was being proven a hoax, was absent from the Senate more than 50% of the time, and is questionably a US born citizen…one of the requirements to be a US President. Obama and his wife know how to plan 747 vacations at tax payer expense. That’s the extent of their successful accomplishments."

And, I might add: is spending us into oblivion, questions the wisdom of our military experts, and won't declare us at war with terrorists.

But, to be fair, he has perfected the Obama Strut.

Going South

We are preparing to leave Idaho this Friday, January 1, 2010, for Pahrump, Nevada. We'll be at the Terribles RV Resort (see photo above)for all of January; then we'll leave for Arizona where we will stay for a month. After Arizona, we'll head for Texas where we'll stay with Donna and Manning Davis at their ranch for a week. While there in Texas we'll attend the Annual Cowboy Symposium where genuine cowboys and cowgirls read their poetry and sing their songs. We'll make stops in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Gulf Shores, Alabama, before arriving in Atlanta (Cumming) for all of April.

We have had a wonderful time in Idaho and the people here have been very good to us.

Our girls have been such great fun whether they are at home, at school or at the horse farm. They are probably ready for a little respite from us for awhile. We will miss them and be ready to return next summer.

Our many new friends include our neighbors at the rv park and our new church family. Many have entertained us in their homes. Larry has new golfing buddies to return to next year. They said they will be practicing while he is gone!!

One of the outstanding events was attending a Boise State football game. It was very exciting to be part of the "Bronco Nation". We will follow them in the bowl game at New Years.

We are ready to see "southern" climes and friends.

Today is a beautiful sunny day, but snow is expected tonight.

Have a blessed and Happy New Year!

After our first year and a half...

Since July of 2008, we have pulled our RV more than 10,000 miles across America and are about to head out of Idaho for another 6,000-plus miles to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and possibly as far north as Connecticut and Michigan, then across the Dakotas, Wyoming, etc., on our way back to Idaho by August 1, 2010. It's been an exhilirating experience, filled with the wonder of the American landscape and the friendship and encouragement of genuinely wonderful people we have met (and made friends with) along the way.

Helen on Savannah riverfront:
Helen in corn maze:
Helen at Cowboy breakfast cookout in Alpine, TX:
Helen in Scotty's castle, Death Valley, CA:
Helen at Gammons Gulch in Benson, AZ, with owner of John Wayne movie set:
Larry tees off on Arizona golf course:
Horse shoeing contest in Wilcox, AZ:
Helen with oldtimers at Arizona horse shoeing contest:
Larry and his 'Deliverance' flyfishing buddies on Panther Creek, Idaho:
Honey relaxing in the Molly II:
Larry with a Tombstone lady:
Helen with Badland gunslinger:
Helen and Larry on top of the world, almost, on Lemhi Pass:


More photos of our journey added Wednesday, December 23rd:

Larry at Talledega race track:
Larry flyfishing at Torry's fishing camp near Salmon, ID:
Rodeo at Caldwell, ID:
Brother David digging us out of being stuck in his backyard in Nashville:
Sandstorm at Ambassador RV Resort:
Typical evening out west:
The mysterious Burro lady who rode the Texas roads, died shortly before we arrived; she was found dead beside the road, her faithful burro crying at her side:
Badland gang in Jackson, Wyoming - Larry, Buck, Mike and George:

Grandaughter Molly on her Arabian in Nampa, ID:
Grandaughter Emily preparing to ride:
Larry flew to Oxford, MS for the Ole Miss vs LSU game...Rebels won!
First snow -- December, 09:
An Idaho sunrise: We attende a Mission Aviation Fellowship to hear Astronaut Forester talk about his recent shuttle mission -- photo of MAF pilot in Africa:
We're going back to this resort in Pahrump, NV on January 1:
We got to Jackson, MS in March in time for brother Gene's 75th (photo of one view of his and Judy's place on Lake Catherine):
We stopped by Saltillo, MS to see my first church assignment (64-67):
Overlooking Lake Michigan from a spot on the north side...bridge in distance:

More photos of 18 mos on the road ...later....

A Possible New Name on the Political Front

Take time to watch and listen to this video. My reaction? Wow! Where is my bayonete?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M

A Troubling Question

It's cold. The U.S. is blanketed in cold weather.

Our pastor today reminded us of John Stott's question to his students in a time of very cold weather, and I paraphrase. He asked them to close their eyes and vision what was in their closets. Then he reminded them they came to class wearing a coat. In your closet, he reminded them, were other coats. Then he asked, "What are those coats doing in your closet when so many have no coat?"

I've been thinking alot about the poor and what I do or don't do to assist them.

Many churches have pantries for stocking food for the hungry, but many of those same churches don't have enough food in their pantries to meet the needs of the hungry around their churches. Our pastor wondered out loud, "What if each of us when grocery shopping bought one more can of food for our church pantry?" At our church that would mean 500 cans of food brought to the church each Sunday to be given to the local food bank or Rescue Mission.

Too, if all of our families in our church brought one coat to church next Sunday (one out of likely many coats in our closets), we would have hundreds of perfectly good coats to take to Salvation Army or the Rescue Mission or some mission outlet.

Our pastor was preaching on Luke 3:7-18. Read the passage and ask yourself how you would respond to Jesus. We all have plenty of the world's necessities, yet we hoard much.

What's in your closet?

We have a new greatgrand..uh...puppy!

Molly got her requested Christmas present early today when she and her Mom picked up a six week old black and grey Schnauzer puppy. Molly has named her new puppy 'Little Sargeant Danka' and will call him 'Danka' (German for 'thank you'.) He's a little dear ... here's some pics.

I'm no political guru, but ...

... a year ago I said that at some early point in Obama's presidency, we will ask ourselves, "What the hell did we do?" in electing this man to the highest office in the land, not to mention 'in the world'.

Obama and his Democratic cronies are, it appears, determined to sweep away into a garbage heap, the life of this nation. He strides with pomp to a podium day after day and quotes numbers that are lies; continues to denegrate the previous administation; continues to break his promises made during his bid for the presidency; spends hours and millions flying around the world and nation promoting his presidency, receiving ill-decided awards and ignoring the pleas and anxieties of the American people; and pushing his socialistic agenda.

I am finding it more and more difficult to pray for him, much less believe him.

First Snow December 7, 2009

First snow of 09-10 winter. Projected to go to 9 degrees tonight. Helen just returned from taking Molly to school...using four wheel drive. She said there were cars in ditches, others sliding. More snow on the way now that the no-snow barrier has been punched.

First Saturday In Advent

WE ARE THE GIFTS WE ARE GIVEN

"But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's Gift." Eph. 4:7

Many things in our lives matter intensely to us, but those are what we must be careful to "hold lightly." Holding lightly to all that is important in our lives means remembering that we are not what we acquire and we accomplish as much as what we have received. The deepest joys come not from the money we earn, the friends we surround ourselves with, or the results we achieve. Rather, we are whom God made us to be in his infinite love. We are the gifts we are given, not just the conquests we make. As long as we keep running around, anxiously trying to affirm ourselves or be affirmed by others, we remain blind to the ONE who has loved us first, dwells in our heart, and has formed our truest self.

O God, may we be grateful for the incomparable gift of faith you have granted us through the redemptive grace of your Son, Jesus.


ADVENT MEDITATIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF HENRI NOUWEN

"LVING IN HOPE"

Awesome morning at MAF headquarters!

Almost 25 years ago, my daughter Anna and I were on a mission trip to Zaire, Africa (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). She was 16 at the time. On two occasions we flew out of Kananga on a small four seater single prop airplane piloted by a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot. At the time, MAF's headquarters were in California. MAF sold it property and facilities in CA and moved its headquarters to Nampa, Idaho. Here, in Nampa, they built a state of the art facility for training missionary pilots, developing worldwide communications with other helping agencies, housing missionary pilots and their families on furlough, and overhauling as needed their more than 200 planes now in service in countries around the world.

This morning Helen and I and two new friends visited the MAP headquarters in Nampa. We were privileged to hear Astronaut/Commander Patrick Forrester who just recently completed his third shuttle mission to the space station 240 miles above the earth. We also were given an up-close and personal tour of the MAF facilities.
NOTE THIS! 'Through Gates of Splendor' is the book and movie of the five missionary men who flew into Ecuador and, upon finding the tribe they sought, tried to share the gospel with the leaders of the tribe. The five men were brutally murdered. Later their wives followed them to Ecuador, lived among the tribe that killed their husbands, and brought the leaders of the tribe to saving faith in Christ. (See also the book 'Jungle Pilot'.)

The son of the leader of the murdered five men returned to Ecuador in 1995 and found the remains of the small airplane his father flew in Ecuador. We were privileged to see the plane now in display in MAF's headquarters in Nampa. The frame, seat and some instruments are still intact. (The son later met and had Christian fellowship with the tribe chief who years before had speared his father to death.)

In 2008, the MAF fleet of 122 aircraft executed 88,200 flights, logged more than 6.7 million miles, transported 245,687 passengers and delivered 19.8 million pounds of cargo -- all on 2,812 rough, unimproved dirt and grass airstrips as well as waterways. MAF's learning technologies supported more than 39 ministries in 25 countries. More than 2,000 pastors were trained in digital resources.
MAF has enormous connections all over the world and is on top of any international catastrophy. They are usually the first ones into a catastrophy such as the tsunami a few years ago. We saw a wall size computer board lighting up all over the world that keeps them in touch everywhere. They have an International Operations office here at the facility in Nampa, Idaho. It is obviously a very dedicated mission work around the world.

If you can or want to fly,you can fly for Christ with Mission Aviation Fellowship.



Every 6 minutes, in some of the most remote places on earth, a MAF aircraft either takes off or lands. 54,187 pounds of precious mission cargo is delivered daily.
We are simply awed by discovering this mission ministry in our backyard, and realizing these are the guys/gals who flew Anna and me across African jungle several times. What a truly awe-inspiring morning it was, Commander Forrester and the tour.

Here is MAF's website. Check it out. www.maf.org