GOD BLESS THE USA
Today is Memorial Day. So as play or relax; as we gather with family and friends, let’s not forget the courageous patriots who have died in service for the greatest country on earth, the United States of America!
Despite our failures and flaws, I still believe that because of our Christian roots, we are the greatest nation in the world.
Our greatness comes from our belief in God’s Word, which gives us the moral compass we need, so we can know right from wrong and good from evil.
In our Memorial Sunday Worship service we sang,“America, America, God shed His grace on thee.” Never has that request been more urgent that today.
God has been gracious to this nation, and I pray that we will turn back to Him like never before. I pray it does not take a national crisis to get our attention.
So today, remember the sacrifices that have been made by the men and women who have given their lives for the freedom we cherish. And remember the Lord who has blessed this nation in an extraordinary way.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
SAN DIEGO
We've been in San Diego for eight days and have had a great time. We've beached, seen the zoo, the Wild Animal Park and Sea World. We've also spent several days on the beach. As much fun as it has been, I'm looking forward to getting home tomorrow. Mary Ann and I have never taken this much vacation at one time, but I think I could get used to it.
Sunday at Gatetree
Our Memorial Day Sunday speaker will be Captain John Harris, Chaplain for Travis Air Force Base. Captain Harris is a great speaker and he has a tremedous testimony for the Lord. If you're in the area, drop in at 10:45 AM to hear Captain Harris.
We hope to see you then.
We've been in San Diego for eight days and have had a great time. We've beached, seen the zoo, the Wild Animal Park and Sea World. We've also spent several days on the beach. As much fun as it has been, I'm looking forward to getting home tomorrow. Mary Ann and I have never taken this much vacation at one time, but I think I could get used to it.
Sunday at Gatetree
Our Memorial Day Sunday speaker will be Captain John Harris, Chaplain for Travis Air Force Base. Captain Harris is a great speaker and he has a tremedous testimony for the Lord. If you're in the area, drop in at 10:45 AM to hear Captain Harris.
We hope to see you then.
Monday, May 11, 2009
MONDAY JUNE 11
We've had a terrific time visiting with Charles/Sandra, my brother and sister-in-law. They are gracious hosts and make us feel so welcome. We attended their church yesterday, Palmcroft Baptist Church, and had a great time of worship and Bible study. Phoenix has a lot of really wonderful churches much like the Southern California area.
Family
Coming to Phoenix is much like a family reunion. We've all lived apart for most of our lives and now every one lives in Phoenix with the exception of Mary Ann and me. It is great fun when we all get together. My brother and I played golf 3 times and he won all three matches. But I assure you, neither of us is ready for the PGA tour.
Today
We're leaving for San Diego very shortly. Our route will take us through Yuma, AZ, where we spent 7 years serving the First Southern Baptist Church. First Southern was much like Gatetree--a really great church. We'll eat lunch there and do a little sight-seeing before moving on to San Diego. We will stay on Coronado Island in a little motel we've been staying at for nearly 30 years. We always stay in the same room. While there, we'll do the beach (everyday), Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. I confess, San Diego is our favorite of all vacation spots.
That's all for now. I hope you have a great week. More to come in a couple of days.
We've had a terrific time visiting with Charles/Sandra, my brother and sister-in-law. They are gracious hosts and make us feel so welcome. We attended their church yesterday, Palmcroft Baptist Church, and had a great time of worship and Bible study. Phoenix has a lot of really wonderful churches much like the Southern California area.
Family
Coming to Phoenix is much like a family reunion. We've all lived apart for most of our lives and now every one lives in Phoenix with the exception of Mary Ann and me. It is great fun when we all get together. My brother and I played golf 3 times and he won all three matches. But I assure you, neither of us is ready for the PGA tour.
Today
We're leaving for San Diego very shortly. Our route will take us through Yuma, AZ, where we spent 7 years serving the First Southern Baptist Church. First Southern was much like Gatetree--a really great church. We'll eat lunch there and do a little sight-seeing before moving on to San Diego. We will stay on Coronado Island in a little motel we've been staying at for nearly 30 years. We always stay in the same room. While there, we'll do the beach (everyday), Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. I confess, San Diego is our favorite of all vacation spots.
That's all for now. I hope you have a great week. More to come in a couple of days.
Friday, May 08, 2009
VACATION
I promised to post our first vacation blog yesterday--sorry for the delay.
A quick recap
Mary Ann and I left Patterson on Wednesday afternoon and drove to Bullhead City, AZ (on the Colorado River.) Our brother-in-law, Mike, has lived there for six years. Mike was married to Mary Ann's siser, Bev, before she died in 2001. It was a nice visit. Bullhead City is famous for one thing--heat. While the full measure of summer heat has not yet arrived, it was still pretty warm at 103.
We left yesterday morning and traveled down along the Colorado River to Lake Havasu City, AZ. LHC is one of my favorite places in the whole world. It is famous for having the original London Bridge and incredible scenry. Mary Ann and I have spent endless hours on that lake and would do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we could be there just a short time before we had to push on.
We arrived in Phoenix yesterday afternoon around 3:00 to stay with my brother/wife, Charles and Sandra. After a brief rest, the six of us (did I tell you we brought our son/daughter-in-law, Tommy and Ariana?), went to the Mesquite High School in Mesa, AZ for a band concert. Charles/Sandra's grandson played his final concert before he graduates and goes to Northern Arizona University. All the relatives were there and we really had a great time. That brings us up today.
A little history
Mary Ann and I lived in Arizona for nearly 30 years. We met at North Phoenix Baptist Church when she was a student at Grand Canyon University. We were married in 1971, and except for a couple of brief stints in New Mexico and Texas, lived here until 1990. Arizona is in our blood.
Today
Charles and I will play a little golf today. Charles/Sandra live in Sun City (a terrific retirement area on the west side of Phoenix). There are several golf courses in Sun City, but we will play at my favorite--the South Course.. Because I'm playing with Charles, I will pay the grand total of $15 per found. For those of you who are golfers, you know the significance of that. We enjoy playing in the heat of the day (104) as it keeps most of the locals off the course. We wear a good hat, ride in a cart and drink plenty of water. Heaven.
Mary Ann and Sandra will visit and enjoy doing whatever they do when we're playing golf. I think they shop, see grandkids, eat lunch and shop. Mary Ann is holding up to the heat pretty well--she's tough.
Tonight will be capped off with a great dinner at Macayo's Mexican Kitchen. I may be prejudiced, but I think it's the best mexican food in the world. It will be a family gathering. There will be the six of us, plus my brother/wife (Dave/Paulette), Charles' two daughters and their families and Dave's two sons and their families. We have a room reserved and will visit until closing. The best mexican food in the world and family--priceless!
Until tomorrow
We will be in Phoenix until Monday when we drive to San Diego. Tomorrow night we'll go to an Arizona Diamondbacks game and eat once again at Macayo's. Are you seeing a trend? On Sunday we'll attend Charles/Sandra's church Palmcroft Baptist Church
That's all for now. Perhaps a few lines tomorrow. Blessings on you.
I promised to post our first vacation blog yesterday--sorry for the delay.
A quick recap
Mary Ann and I left Patterson on Wednesday afternoon and drove to Bullhead City, AZ (on the Colorado River.) Our brother-in-law, Mike, has lived there for six years. Mike was married to Mary Ann's siser, Bev, before she died in 2001. It was a nice visit. Bullhead City is famous for one thing--heat. While the full measure of summer heat has not yet arrived, it was still pretty warm at 103.
We left yesterday morning and traveled down along the Colorado River to Lake Havasu City, AZ. LHC is one of my favorite places in the whole world. It is famous for having the original London Bridge and incredible scenry. Mary Ann and I have spent endless hours on that lake and would do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we could be there just a short time before we had to push on.
We arrived in Phoenix yesterday afternoon around 3:00 to stay with my brother/wife, Charles and Sandra. After a brief rest, the six of us (did I tell you we brought our son/daughter-in-law, Tommy and Ariana?), went to the Mesquite High School in Mesa, AZ for a band concert. Charles/Sandra's grandson played his final concert before he graduates and goes to Northern Arizona University. All the relatives were there and we really had a great time. That brings us up today.
A little history
Mary Ann and I lived in Arizona for nearly 30 years. We met at North Phoenix Baptist Church when she was a student at Grand Canyon University. We were married in 1971, and except for a couple of brief stints in New Mexico and Texas, lived here until 1990. Arizona is in our blood.
Today
Charles and I will play a little golf today. Charles/Sandra live in Sun City (a terrific retirement area on the west side of Phoenix). There are several golf courses in Sun City, but we will play at my favorite--the South Course.. Because I'm playing with Charles, I will pay the grand total of $15 per found. For those of you who are golfers, you know the significance of that. We enjoy playing in the heat of the day (104) as it keeps most of the locals off the course. We wear a good hat, ride in a cart and drink plenty of water. Heaven.
Mary Ann and Sandra will visit and enjoy doing whatever they do when we're playing golf. I think they shop, see grandkids, eat lunch and shop. Mary Ann is holding up to the heat pretty well--she's tough.
Tonight will be capped off with a great dinner at Macayo's Mexican Kitchen. I may be prejudiced, but I think it's the best mexican food in the world. It will be a family gathering. There will be the six of us, plus my brother/wife (Dave/Paulette), Charles' two daughters and their families and Dave's two sons and their families. We have a room reserved and will visit until closing. The best mexican food in the world and family--priceless!
Until tomorrow
We will be in Phoenix until Monday when we drive to San Diego. Tomorrow night we'll go to an Arizona Diamondbacks game and eat once again at Macayo's. Are you seeing a trend? On Sunday we'll attend Charles/Sandra's church Palmcroft Baptist Church
That's all for now. Perhaps a few lines tomorrow. Blessings on you.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
PRAYER
We don’t always know what to pray in every given situation. That is when the Holy Spirit will help you, even intercede for you. (Romans 8:25-27)
What is God’s will?
We as humans are always in interested in the here and now, what will benefit us temporarily.
God, however, sees things a bit differently. He is also interested in the “bye and bye” and the eternal.
In other words, God has a bigger plan than my personal happiness in the given moment. He desires my holiness as I am conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
One other thing
I have found that happiness does not come from seeking it, but from seeking God. If you dedicate your life to being happy, it’s doubtful you will ever be.
But if you focus instead on being holy, on being the person God has called you to be, you will find personal happiness as a byproduct of having your priorities in order.
When we get to heaven one day, all of this will make sense!
Vacation
I have started a 17-day vacation and I have never taken off this much time--ever. It just seemed like a good thing to do for Mary Ann and me. We're going to Phoenix to visit my brothers; play a little golf; eat some incredible mexican food; and then over to San Diego for a week on the beach. I guess it is long overdue.
Mary Ann suggested that I blog each day of our vacation. I can't imagine that anyone is interested in those things, but I'll give it a try.
Look for it beginning on Thursday of this week.
We don’t always know what to pray in every given situation. That is when the Holy Spirit will help you, even intercede for you. (Romans 8:25-27)
What is God’s will?
We as humans are always in interested in the here and now, what will benefit us temporarily.
God, however, sees things a bit differently. He is also interested in the “bye and bye” and the eternal.
In other words, God has a bigger plan than my personal happiness in the given moment. He desires my holiness as I am conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
One other thing
I have found that happiness does not come from seeking it, but from seeking God. If you dedicate your life to being happy, it’s doubtful you will ever be.
But if you focus instead on being holy, on being the person God has called you to be, you will find personal happiness as a byproduct of having your priorities in order.
When we get to heaven one day, all of this will make sense!
Vacation
I have started a 17-day vacation and I have never taken off this much time--ever. It just seemed like a good thing to do for Mary Ann and me. We're going to Phoenix to visit my brothers; play a little golf; eat some incredible mexican food; and then over to San Diego for a week on the beach. I guess it is long overdue.
Mary Ann suggested that I blog each day of our vacation. I can't imagine that anyone is interested in those things, but I'll give it a try.
Look for it beginning on Thursday of this week.
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