Roadside Memorial

For some reason, as I drove past the cyclist who was waiting to cross the street, I was reminded of her. Something about the serenity on this lady's face brought back the feelings of warmth and security that came from being with her.

But one thing struck me. You would never see her on a bicycle. She was too much of a lady for that. In fact, you would never find her in pants or slacks of any kind. She always wore a dress or skirt. And practical shoes. She took great care to always carry herself with propriety and to live a quiet, upright life.

She was maybe the most beautiful woman I have ever known. I never knew her to be unkind, rude or in any way offensive. She exemplifies what a Christian should look like.

She always took time for us kids; and when she was with us, she was with us. For some odd reason, I don’t remember it ever being a drag to go spend time with her at her house. Going there after school, she would play the hostess and serve us our favorite snack, Sugar Brot (white bread, spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar) with a glass of cold whole milk. This was providing that there were none of her amazing sugar cookies in the shiny chrome cookie container embossed with penguins.

I can smell her house even now – a house that was well-kept, yet not so sterile that it lacked coziness.

I remember the way she smelled of Dove soap as I sat in her lap and she gently ran her fingernails across my back. I remember what it sounded like to hear her voice through her chest as I lay my head there, pretending to be asleep while the adults carried on their conversation after Sunday Dinner (of course, not until after everything had been cleaned and put away).

When I was older, there were cutthroat games of Scrabble with her and Aunt Esther.

I’ll never forget her laugh, her smile, her humility, her love.

I’ll never forget the last time I saw her. I sat at her bedside and we talked about life; about my upcoming move away from Kansas; about old times and fond memories. I wanted to stay longer. I knew this would be the last time I would see her “on this side”. As I stood to go, I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. I noticed, for the last time, the velvety surface of her hand as I squeezed it and released it back to her. I stopped at the door and looked back. “Keep the faith,” she said. It was the last thing I ever heard her say, and those three simple words still ring in my ears.

She was my grandma.

Bertha King Hodges
1894-1982

They don't make 'em like that anymore...

I hop in the car to run an errand and put the XM on one of my favorite channels -- Fine Tuning -- and what do I hear? Yes! I mean, the group Yes -- Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire -- that Yes. One of my all-time favorite bands. Yes' Fragile was the second album I owned.

So driving along listening to a live recording of "Ritual", complete with drum solo (yes, young people, drum solo) followed by "Roundabout". What a band. I had forgotten just how utterly astounding they were. There are a lot of great bands these days, but Yes was one-of-a-kind. They just don't make 'em like that anymore...

Let me explain "Fine Tuning". It's a station on XM satellite radio that plays the most interesting mix of music. Immediately following Yes, they aired Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring". Listen long enough and you'll hear The Moody Blues, Mozart, The Beatles, Pat Matheny, Sting, Tangerine Dream, The Chieftains, Alan Parsons, Al De Meola, and Yanni, just to name a few. It's a rather intriguing channel to listen to.

Podcasts 101

Podcasts are the greatest things. It's amazing the variety of information and entertainment that is available through these audio and video productions. And the best part -- they're free!

If you haven't discovered podcasts, you're missing out on a wonderful, tasty slice of modern culture. You don't even have to have an iPod to enjoy them. All you need to do is download iTunes to your computer (free) and begin browsing the selection of podcasts in the iTunes store, download a few and listen to them from your computer. Of course, an iPod or MP3 player makes the shows portable.

Many of you may ask, "What is a podcast?" Well, it's kind of like a radio or TV show, produced by anyone who can record on their computer (or if you feel it neccessary, you can go all out with professional audio or video equipment). Some are very professional and others not so much. Some are simply reformatted TV or radio shows. They cover pretty much anything you can think of that might be of interest to someone somewhere.

So what kind of pocasts am I listening to or watching on my iPod? Well...

- Several travel podcasts highlighting various parts of the globe.

- I regularly listen to "Morning Ireland", the morning drive show on RTE Radio (the NPR of Ireland).

- Lots of sermons from various pastors.

- Several worship-oriented podcasts -- discussions and interviews along with reviews of new music.

- Discussion-oriented podcasts about modern church movements and ministry philosophies.

- Various radio programs.

That's about it. I love my iPod. Thank you Steve Jobs.

peanuts

Deep thoughts like this overtake my mind from time-to-time...

How do you like your peanuts?

Plain roasted?

Salted or un-?

Redskin?

Raw?

Dry Roasted?

Honey Roasted?

In the shell?

Boiled?

Baked?

Boston baked?

As Peanut butter?

In M&M's?

In Asian foods?

In brownies?

On sundaes?

In GORP?

In peanut brittle?

In turtles, clusters, Snickers, Reeses, etc.?

For those of you who may be allergic to peanuts, I am so sorry. For me -- I love me some peanuts.

Our journey so far

In a certain sense, Beth and I would love to have been living in Ireland by now. Traveling back and forth isn't the most ideal way to carry out our ministry effectively. However, we have found God's timing to be perfect and He's showing us that yet again.

When we started down this road -- the one that will eventually take us into full-time service in Ireland -- it caused us great consternation regarding Molly. You see, when we first began thinking about moving to Ireland we thought that Molly would want to go with us. She loves Ireland and it seemed like a no-brainer. But then, as we were in the midst of the process to raise our monthly financial support, Molly finished High School and decided that she wanted to become a violin performance major. She had been working with Dr. Yanovskiy at University of West Florida and realized that she wanted to get her Bachelor's degree there.

So then we were faced with this dilemma: We knew beyond doubt that God had called us to Ireland, but we also knew that Molly was not ready for us to leave her in the U.S. on her own. But as I blogged about last year, God made a way for us to begin our ministry by taking regular trips to Ireland, while remaining based in the U.S., continuing to raise pledges for our current work as well as our eventual move overseas.

All the way through the process up to now, I have maintained that God was working out His best plan for all of us. There were times when I wasn't very convincing, even to myself, that we were on the right path and it caused a lot of soul-searching. But, bit-by-bit we see His plan unfolding.

Yes it has taken longer for us to raise our monthly financial support than we had anticipated, but we have, in the last several months, come to this conclusion: when the money is there, Molly will be ready and we will also be at peace about leaving her.

God is good. Here's how He is at work...

Since last September, every trip we have made, Molly has become more confident and self-sufficient. She has become one of the most focussed 19-year-olds that I have ever known -- very serious about her carreer path. The decisions she is making now are all guided by her plan to pursue a Master's and probably a Doctoral degree. She loves what she is doing. She loves UWF.

Last school year we decided (after much prayer and discussion) that it would be a good thing for Molly to live in the dorm at school. It would be kind of a halfway-out-on-her-own experience. It was good on many levels and was worth the extra money spent.

Now, as I write this entry, Molly is preparihttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifng to move into a rental house with some friends. Between her scholarships, grants, orchestra contracts, teaching, playing for weddings, etc., she is in the position to support herself completely if need be. (BTW -- she turns 20 in November -- can you believe it?)

So lately, instead of feelings of abandonment, she is anxious for Beth and I to move to Ireland so that she can come visit us there.

Meanwhile in Ireland -- our ministry continues to grow and we are seeing more demand for what we have to offer the worship ministries of churches throughout the country. Our upcoming trip in a few weeks will most likely prove to be our busiest to date.

It seems that the ship has turned and we're on a direct path to Ireland. Now, obviously the big task at hand is to gain the Ministry Partners we need to get us to our monthly goal of financial support.

Want to know how you can become a Ministry Partner and support God's work in Ireland financially? Go to our website and check out the page.

Coming quick!

Three weeks from today we leave for Dublin!

For some reason (although I always get excited before we leave on a ministry trip) I am beside myself this time. I am so looking forward to this trip. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that this is going to be even more significant than any of our previous trips.

We definitely have more events planned for this time in Ireland than we have had any other time. We'll be connecting with more people and churches with which we haven't yet been in contact. We're hoping to open up some doors in the southeast and southwest parts of the island where we haven't yet ventured.

Oh, to actually be living there. That's what we really need. We just need to trust that the Lord's provision and timing will have us there within a year's time. As our friends in Dublin may say -- Now dat'd be gran! It's only money, right? What's a few thousand more per month to the One who holds the universe in the palm of His hand?

For now, plan to visit here often to keep up with our doings while we're overseas and otherwise.

Success in life...

Got this list from a fellow missionary. Thought you might enjoy it...


* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to
one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once .

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and
some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they
all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

-- Author Unknown

On the lighter side...

This morning Beth, Molly and I are heading out of town for about a week of va-cay. Woo hoo!

This summer has been so busy that even though Molly has been at home, we haven't had a lot of time with her. This will be our last fling before school starts again and before Beth and I head to Ireland in 4 weeks. Just the three of us -- it'll be good. Did you know that Molly will be 20 come November? Man, that's just not right. But then again, it's very right.

Back to the matter at hand. It's getting rather tiring basically working from the time I get up to the time I should be going to sleep. As many of you know, I am working framing pictures for a friend who has a wholesale business to decorators. I'm also teaching voice lessons. Then, I am putting in full-time hours doing ministry work for our Ireland missions (Gotta get our financial support raised ASAP). Yeah, I need this vacation more than I realize.

Refiner's Fire

We get regular emails from GEM with prayer requests that come from GEM missionaries. Lately there has been a series of prayer requests highlighting the plight of a pastor in Azerbaijan, a small country nestled between Russia, Turkey and the Caspian Sea.

Pastor Zaur was arrested May 20 while conducting a worship service in his home. He has been convicted of preaching (yes - illegal) and is also accused of attacking and beating 5 police officers (he is in poor health with a heart condition). His sentence is 2 years in prison and the police continue to harass his family and the other church members.

We are praying for his release and for his family and church. At the same time, the members of the church family are growing stronger, their faith is increasing -- they are not despairing, they are not dismayed.

The whole scenario playing out in Azerbaijan has caused me to once again examine the western church, and specifically the American church.

We cry "foul!" when prayers are banned from public gathering such as ballgames or when our kids can't write about their faith when composing a school essay. We think we are being persecuted. Ha.

It stems from the consumer attitude that people have toward "church". I was speaking to a good friend who leads worship at a new church plant here in NW Florida. They are still very small and have had a number of people visit and say they liked it, but that they wanted something a little bit bigger. If all of those had stuck around, the church body would now be more than a little bit bigger!

When our pastor, Robert Pooley first planted Coast he had people telling him that they liked what was happening, but would wait and see if the church survived and then they might consider returning and becoming members.

So it brings me to the question - how did we get to the point that the majority of America views church as somewhere you go, something you do, and not something you are? The goal in the search for "the perfect church" seems to be to find the place that you get the most out of, instead of, "where can God use me the most?"

Of the fat and happy chosen who grace the pew each week, how many would be there should their gathering for worship be outlawed?

In some sick way, I would like to see real persecution break out against the church here on our own soil, as we see in China or Azerbaijan. I would like to see the church filled with the power of God, moving ahead in faith and being the Body of Christ, not continuing on with the fortitude of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. But I'm afraid that we won't see that happen until the church in America is refined -- and refining happens only with extreme heat and pressure.

Am I wrong? Please prove me wrong.

Tempus Fugit

Gee, it's only another 4 weeks and we'll be packing to return to Ireland. Crazy.

We continually hone our methods and are always on the lookout for things that can make our travels more efficient, more comfortable, more practical. Lately it's been a hunt for God's perfect shoes. We would both like to find a pair of shoes that are, A. comfortable, B. versatile enough to wear every day for weeks on end, and 3. cute enough to enjoy wearing (okay, so "cute" is not my stipulation, but I do want to like the way they look as well).

You see, it's all about reducing the amount of stuff and the weight of our luggage. What we don't want to have happen is what happened when returning from Dublin in January. We knew one of our suitcases was overweight, but we were willing to pay the extra $25 or so. (We had done this in the States before) When we told this to the agent who was checking us in, she curtly told us, "No, that's not an option. You simply cannot have an overweight article." So there we were, huddled around our open suitcases, surrounded by other travelers waiting in line, transferring this and that to our carry-ons and throwing away a good bit of cosmetics, shampoos, etc.

So back to the shoes. I think what we're looking at now is wearing one pair of shoes on the journey to Ireland and heading to the shoe stores as soon as we arrive. That should be fun. Jet-lagged. Looking for God's perfect shoes. Paying through the nose.

Oh well...

Pastor in Chief

Came across an interesting article based upon a series of interviews with Billy Graham.

Check it out.

The Gospel of Convenience

Why is it that at times, especially when I'm on "ministry trips" or whatever, that I can flow naturally in the Spirit and follow His leading, have His compassion, share His grace with anyone and everyone He puts in my path, and then totally ignore my next door neighbor or the homeless guy hanging out near my workplace because it's not convenient?

Too much of the time, when a ministry opportunity presents itself, I immediately rationalize it away and look for a "better offer". The sad thing is that the better offer is usually of benefit only to me, and only in the immediate, with no lasting merit.

What does that say to others about this Gospel I tout and upon which I stake my life? Is another person not worth of my sacrifice of convenience? My life is worth Jesus' much more costly sacrifice, is it not?

How does this happen? How do I get to this point? Now that I'm here, will it change me?

The jury is still out.

My better half

Is this not remarkable?

Beth and I -- we have these times, especially when we are working in Europe, that we are together for weeks on end with no break from each other. It's rather remarkable that I cannot recall one time when we wouldn't choose to be together. We simply don't get tired of each other.

I am truly blessed with my soulmate.