No Plane Jane

So this morning Jane left on a three day domestic at '0 dark 30. I was having coffee and the phone rang at 11AM. She was between flights just checking in to say sweet nothings.
Now after 30 years of flying and 27 years of marriage, we still get excited to talk every four or five hours every day. How great is it that God designed partners for each of us.
The older you get and the longer your relationships grow, the more you realize how precious those heart/soul connections are. I've been blessed more than most with a wife with a remarkable combination of work ethic, drive and passion coupled with a gentle peace maker spirit that puts others ahead of herself, (unless it's popcorn). Thank you Lord for such a precious treasure. I hope God brings and develops the same, and better for your life. - C -

Craig n Craig

Played in the Hope International Golf Invitational yesterday. It was great to see Master PGA Pro Craig Warayn again. Craig was my neighbor growing up. He's out spreading the gospel through remarkable golf teaching skills and people skills around the USA. We played at Edinburg USA; the little slice of earth where I used to hunt birds as a kid, before they built a golf course. It still has the same itch weed and rhubarb from 40 years ago. Tip 1. Don't play in shorts if you need to go into the woods to look for a ball or you'll be itching :)
Hope international is a micro lending company building houses and making micro loans for people in 3rd world countries. Average loan is under $300. USD. (Teach them to fish -- don't give them a fish). So many companies now entering this new ministry marketplace. (Be the hands and feet, don't just talk about it). Go Hope International, and show them what love is. Hope you and your's are having an exciting journey as you enjoy the first days of summer. Pray for those hurting in the Midwest floods right now. So many affected. Nature is not a respecter of people. It falls on the righteous and the unrighteous; which could be any of us at any given moment of strength or weakness.
Lord help us to sow good seeds and stop sowing into bad ground where ever that may be.
Wisdom, give us wisdom. Amen.

Graduation

Well, Jamison's grad party was on Sunday. Thanks to all the folks that came by for the afternoon. Thanks to Ran for supplying music and friends who brought by food!
And Ye haa's for the movie nights we've had all week from 10 till ??? playing movies on a 10 foot screen, a projector and big ole stereo monitors. This week was, As Good As It Gets, Frequency, Chris Boti Live, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The history of Worship pioneers "The Garretts" and Matrix Re-Loaded.
Blessings again to Jamison for making it through the fire and flames :)

Preparing For Guests

Well, it's round two of graduations. Jamison is graduating and my list of to do's for the house before the open house is ... well... nothing I should not have had done already in the last few years. So out comes the paint and stain and new screens and new windows and deck repairs and yard repairs and re-shuffling most everything thing in the house at least once. Why do we let things pile up? Well my short answer is because we are not anal, guilty or yelled at enough to get them done at an earlier time. The key is really that you can't get mad at anyone about it since it's piling up was your own doing, and once you are done fixing it all, you feel like you've exercised the demons. As a guy it is always fun to learn new "home repairs" even if it ends up costing more to have you do it three times over than a professional once :). Well here's to all the parents this year who have made their nests a little nicer as a result of a graduating teen. Oooooh, now what to do with that extra bedroom, or do we downsize the house and get the same square feet with fewer bedrooms????

There Are Times

1. I was thinking about Solomon and the book of Ecc. the other day. The futility of life in the midst of having everything. Nothing changes does it. People with it all are as lost as the day they were born, and people with nothing, clinging to the hope of promises. This lyric felt best with an Irish folk song background. So if you choose, go to this link and you'll hear what I'm singing about this week. Comments are welcome at the blog. http://www.praise2worship.com/therearetimes.htm

PS. If you missed the song written last week, it is on the praise2worship.com/news.htm page as a background.

Garretts

I sit this morning reading in Romans while having an extremely good and dark pot of coffee in my all time favorite coffee cup (The Rusty Pelican). Did I say "pot". :) Anyway this cup fits the perfect amount of coffee that you will finish before it gets cold, the thickness of the cup is spot on with a perfect rounded lip for sipping and a finger hole that's like butta' (yea, I got it bad).

Ok, actually, it's afternoon, but it feels like morning because Jane and I pulled an all night er for our Son's Graduation class party and slept in from 6am till noon. :)

Well checking mail this afternoon, I received an email from a friend who works the "Songbase" worship software company.
Jenny always answers the phones. In a long conversation about "worship" today, and all it's failings, she mentioned that her favorite worship style over the years was the early "scripture" songs. I was never in a flow that really did them, so she sent me a link to the Garretts in New Zealand, to find out more. http://www.davidanddalegarratt.com
Although there are no music clips to listen to, I sat and perused the site.
I so enjoyed the few articles listed, and was inspired by their new passion to promote and record indigenous music from around the world today. As they would say, "We have a current culture of white men's worship, that the world is supposed to embrace, when in fact all peoples have their own traditions and styles that need to be incorporated into the worship music and styles of their own cultures". I ordered a DVD about their new journey (post scripture songs) and will report back here about it in the future.
Davids wife Dale also said something profound in one of her articles. " I never could plan anything in my life. Got married, couldn't cook, do laundry or even make my bed.... Then a women from my church came over one day and said these words to me (don't put it down, put it away). It changed my life forever". Jane and I laughed as we read that this morning. We so related to that story as traveling people who are not in the same place each day. We said that phrase to our 18 year old and he looked at us with the deer in the headlights look (who meeee... what about you....)
Busted again by our children and learning God's sense of humor each day.
Craig

Edgar Asbury

Saturday, Jane and I attended a funeral for the Sr. Elder of New Life C.C. where i served for 6 years. I had visited Edgar a month or so ago, at the Sr. Center (he lived next door to my mom) and talked for 3o min. or so. He never mentioned spinal cancer and only said his back was giving him a few troubles. Edgar was a Naval Academy grad. (which I never knew) wow!! Anyway, this man never had a negative thing to say. He used such wisdom in his choice of words (and their timing). Always paused before answering, looked you in the eyes to let you know he was tracking with you, then he would say something reflective or uplifting or thought provoking. (sound a little like Jesus?) well.... he was a lot like the Lords character and his ministry proved that. What was his fruit? A church full of people and ministers celebrating his home going, all telling of how Edgar's "fruit" had changed their lives. Not his words --- but everything about how he did what he did.
Such a lesson of reminder that the world is not looking to our beliefs and our quotes, but they are looking for uncommon love and remarkable peace and inner joy with strength in the midst of struggle, sorrow, joy AND pain. That makes the world turn and say to their inner souls " gee, I'd like to have that in my life". THEN they find out it's because of a transformed life by the cross. YES, Lord help us to be and live lives of remarkable love and peace and compassion and natural acts of kindness in His name like Edgar did for 90+ years; always having fresh vegetables, jelly's and garage sale items in this car to give to strangers:). I honor this great man today. He served with distinction and honor for his nation and his King.