Indoor Plumbing

Everyday, thoughtlessly we turn on water from a spigot in our bathroom, our kitchen, our laundry..and often we expect the water coming out to be hot. A toasty shower to cleanse our bodies, a quick flush to wash away our waste. Or perhaps it's just the convenience of throwing our clothes in a machine that swishes them around and takes off the dirt. We sure are blessed!

                                                                A camping situation...

This one..stay on the path at night or the watch dogs will attack. Plus, don't go out there alone...sometimes the lions get in the gate. 

                                                      The dish washing station in Kenya.

                                                                  A path to the Latrine...

          This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes...sing with me...

   In the bushes right over there I got bit by fire ants while....yeah ok. I'm really grateful for indoor plumbing.

What is something that you use on a daily basis that you are so thankful for?

Camping..the best "holiday"

What is your favorite holiday? Do you have one that just sticks out in your mind and brings warm fuzzy feeling when you ponder it? Is there one that you think takes the cake?
When I was a teen Memorial weekend was my favorite of favorites. it meant camping with friends or traveling to MN on a weekend road trip or other adventures. Then the last few years it was Labor day when I went camping with friends..so I guess I like camping?
I am thinking through the year and its so difficult to pick JUST ONE...but  I actually do think I still love those beginning and end caps of the summer.
Memorial weekend says "Summer is coming" and Labor day weekend says "Fall is coming"..my two favorite seasons (In most places.) Having the three day weekend or sometimes four...is enough to take a mini vacation and it usually involves BBQ and campfires.
Twice I took trips to Yellowstone with some good friends. A nine hour drive was a good enough "trip".  There is something about just getting away, leaving the day to day behind and going off the grid for a few days. We need to do that now and then. It's good for the head and good for the heart. I'm thankful we live in a land that has space and freedom to rest and recreate.
Short and sweet ...and not on Thursday..my Thankful "Thursday" posts. There you have it. A few thoughts on my favorite holiday.

"Thy Word Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee..."

One of the first verses I ever learned..hence the King James verbiage :).
I've been in the book of Deuteronomy for a while. Every time I read the book I see a little more what David was talking about when He wrote the 119th Psalm. He loved the Law of the Lord. That wasn't the New Testament..that was Genesis to Deuteronomy...wow. Every page, filled with God's longing to have relationship with His people. And loving parameters to keep them in a place of awareness of His goodness, kindness and wonder.

I know when life starts going topsy tervy that I haven't been in the Word of God. It keeps me grounded and my heart okay. It keeps me aware of His goodness, kindness, awe, grace, glory, power, desire...It just keeps me aware of HIM. Is it like that for you? You know when you don't eat for a while and you get light headed and you lose your focus, energy, pace...that's what happens when I don't get in the Word.

It has been a busy week, in spite of taking some time away from facebook and internet over all my spirit is hungry for lack of the Word. So, for that I am keeping it short and going to finish up the book of Deuteronomy and head on into Joshua..which brings me to another favorite passage:

"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 NASB

I'm so thankful for the freedom to own a Bible, the ability to memorize scripture, the power of the Word to transform our lives.
Good night.

Boredom can not exist for those who travel.

One of my favorite topics to talk about and I am getting it up late. Oops! It's been a busy week! Right now I am waiting for my pasty to heat up so I thought I'd take some time to write. (BTW, gluten free blend flour doesn't make that great of a pasty crust, next time I am trying an almond flour crust. but oh does the filling hit the spot!)
Anyway we are on week 19 of the gratitude challenge. If you are just getting on board for a read then you can check out some of my older posts to find out what it's all about...basically an opportunity to be thankful about things we don't often think to be thankful for in our lives.
This week the focus is TRAVEL! See why it's my favorite topic? I love to travel, it's so life giving! As kids we did a lot of traveling to see relatives, mostly via motor home, a few times in our van, and rare times- by plane. As I got older I would save up and go. From the time I was 17 I was flying at least once a year usually. Some teens spent their money on cars and movies; I spent mine on broadening my horizons....well, at least from west to east coast. THEN at 22 I went out of the country for the first time on a mission trip with YWAM- it rocked my world. I've never been the same. I'm pretty sure this past year and a half and the foreseeable future will be the longest span of time I've been state side since that year.

I love to travel because....

Relationships stay stronger even though we are far apart.
I get to see through different eyes.
Other cultures keep me grounded, recognizing that we do things different-not always better.
Travel helps me keep my priorities straight.
I have friends (and family) all over the globe.
Palm trees and glaciers don't exist in my neck of the woods. Neither does Kimball's ice cream.
Airports are fascinating.
People are too. Often..the ones you sit next to on the plane are quite interesting if you strike up a conversation. Once I sat next to some guy who was the author or playwright, or something like that, of the movie Dodgeball; it was his claim to fame. I had to tell him I never saw it. (And I never will.) At least I had heard of the title.


And because I have travelled I have...

....seen The Pont du gard, ridden the Hong Kong peak tramway, seen cathedrals in Europe, been Kiberia (2nd largest slum in the world), taught English in S. Korea, been on safari, slept on church floors..in stick huts...on the beach...in 5 star hotels, been on a boat in the Nile, experience the Mall of America, camped in Canada..and Yellowstone..and Ouray and in Lander WY, I've stayed in an Armory, ate on a roof top in Kathmandu, walked through the aftermath of the Haitian Earthquake, fed kids in South Africa, taken the train across Romania, prayed through the red light districts of Chang Mai, shared in churches all over the world, had my shoulder cried on by people with whom we had no language to share, proclaimed revival over London, danced with children in Mexico, held babies in Ecuador, put my toes in the indian ocean, shared the gospel beside idols in India, ridden on the other side of the road, taken tuktuks and rickshaws, eaten Korean BBQ, taken a limo in Florida, worshiped on the beach in CA, witnessed healing of a voice...pain...sickness...lame walking, walked a suspension bridge in Kenya, built a church in Mexico, viewed the Empire state building, climbed Mt. Monadnock, experienced life in Valdez, AK, ate silk bugs, picked up spanish, used internet cafes, been to a wedding of people I don't know, stayed up all night at a church Kesha, ridden a double decker bus, bartered in markets, bought food fresh from the locals, discovered the power of presence, ran through cornfields, been ice skating on lakes, eaten chicken on a stick, picked flowers in Uganda, eaten Ugali...
and I realize this list could go on and on and on...little memories are flashing through my mind as I write. Oh travel, how I delight in it. So thankful for all the opportunity the Lord has given me to go. Praying that soon again I will go beyond this nations boarders. In the mean time...those stateside, I'm looking forward to catching up with you!

2015 Book List.

I kept a list this year of all the books I read this year, it's been fun to keep track and actually see what I read. I read more novels this year than I have in recent years.  Here are my top 5:

1. A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton- Michael Phillips *****

2. The Meaning of Marriage- Timothy Keller *****
3. Hind's Feet in High Places-Hannah Hurnard (started in 2014) ****
4. Heaven's Wager- Ted Dekker ***

5. When Heaven Weeps - Ted Dekker ***

6. Thunder of Heaven - Ted Dekker ***

7. Wisdom Hunter- Randall Aurthur *****
8. The Sanctuary- Ted Dekker ****
9. Papa's Wife- Thyra Ferre Bjorn ***

10. Evidence of Mercy- Terri Blackstock ****

11. Justifiable Means- Terri Blackstock ****
12. The Wizard of Oz- L. Frank Baum *****
13. Presumption of Guilt-Terri Blackstock ****
14. Ulterior Motives- Terri Blackstock ****
15. Scary Close- Donald Miller *****
16. The Edge of Eternity- Randy Alcorn *****
17. Grace and Truth Paradox- Randy Alcorn *****
18. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Get's Down- Neta Jackson ***
19. Kiss- Ted Dekker *****
20. Steadfast Surrender- Nancy Moser ****
21. Heal Me, O Lord- Calvin Tadema ****
22. Crazy Love- Francis Chan *****
23. Burn- Ted Dekker *****
24. Bridge to Haven- Francine Rivers *****
25. Maid to Match-Deanne Gist **
26. The Measure of a Lady-Deanne Gist **
27. The Brushstroke Legacy- Lauraine Snelling ****
28. Saving Alice- David Lewis *****
29. Bendigo Shafter- Louis La'mour *****
30. Pursuit of God-A.W. Tozer ****
31. Forever Ruined for the Ordinary- Joy Dawson *****
32. Sacred Search -Gary Thomas ***** (I included this one though I still have a couple of chapters left, it's been one of the most challenging and interesting books I have read all year.) 

The **** are my personal rating, :) 

This list does not include countless audio books enjoyed in the evenings as I went to bed and at work cleaning. :) Recommended Authors: Eleanor H. Porter, Gene Straton Porter, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery

Lesson # 2015

2015 has felt like a year of "re"-learning.
Moving somewhere after being gone 7+ years means starting over. New doctors, new dentists, new friends, new home, new jobs, new vision, new focus. I've had to learn to give myself some patience because the transition just didn't happen over night. Thankfully it seems that I am reaching the other side. I am sure this is only to encounter new challenges, because life is full of learning until the end of our days.
A key piece for me during this past year has been discovering that amount of expectation I carried for myself, and even the perceived expectations of others. I've had to learn to lay them down as physically and emotionally it was impossible to fulfill all the expectations that were in my head. It is tough not to pick up more expectations as I go along and am establishing all of these new things...
I've learned that building new friendships in a new community takes a lot of energy and I have had to be okay with not having it happen very fast. In the last couple of months I have been thankful to have more energy to pour into relationship building.
I'm so glad that in the midst of this year the Lord promised to never leave me or forsake me, and going into 2016 is the same promise.
Have you taken time to reflect on what you learned in 2015? It's a tough question to answer because often we don't articulate what we have learned, it just gets tucked away in the recesses of our life and we pull it out and apply as needed when matters call for it.

Happy New Year!