Home Again!

We're back home again!  We went from the slopes of an active volcano to the shores of a beautiful tropical island.  We enjoyed yummy food, excellent friendships and received quality Bible teaching.  We survived ice cold splash baths, an almost broken arm (Aaron), very little sleep the first week, and no one got sick!  We camped out, roasted hot dogs, hiked, played capture the flag, did crazy relays, sang, flew on airplanes, walked on the beach, went to a water park, spent time with friends, spent time in prayer, hugged a lot, worshiped, posed for crazy pictures, watched a baptism in the swimming pool and paid a lot of money to eat some crazy good cheese cake.  It was a great 2 1/2 weeks.  

I didn't take very many pictures, which is unusual for me.  But I couldn't resist this picture in the airport.  There was an "unattended bag" in the waiting room...does it look suspicious to you?  LOL

And then we came home.  Our cat was so happy he meowed himself hoarse and didn't get his voice back until the next day.  Now it's time to get ready for summer guests!  My sister and her family arrive in 6 days and my parents arrive in 13 days...WOOHOO!  I am trying to clean the house up.  I was aiming for neat and clean, but I think my style for house decor is "Early 21st Century Clutter" so I'll just have to embrace the inevitable and put my efforts into things like laundry and keeping the dishes washed.  

So, if you rummage through items in your shelves that you haven't looked through in awhile, what do you find?  Dust?  Maybe a little bug like a cricket or silverfish?  Well, now, how about hatched lizard eggs?  That's what I found.  Awesome, lizards are setting up homes in my shelves.

Perhaps I need to say that my home is "Early 21st Century Clutter with a Jurassic Twist."

Summer Travels

Summer is here and we have a full one!  This week, among other things, I've been packing for 2 1/2 weeks worth of traveling.

First, the kids and I are going here (ok, you can't see it, but there is a volcano in the distance, lol.)

Then all five of us are going here.

So that means little to no blogging for me.  But I'll write when I get back so please don't forget to check again!

Stand Up and Lift Up Your Head!

Lately, I've been reading about Moses.  I was intrigued when I reread the beginning chapters of Exodus.  I saw that God laid out, in great detail, the plan for Moses to carry out.  God promised to be with Moses.  He gave Moses a sign.  God told Moses exactly who to talk to and exactly what to say.  God even told Moses who would listen to him and who would not.  God promised to give The Promised Land to the Israelites (even though God told Moses the land was currently occupied by other people.)  It took awhile to convince Moses, but he finally agreed to obey God.  And lo and behold, everything happened just as God said it would!  The rest of the story is God's faithfulness and the lack of faith of the Israelites (and even Moses and Aaron at times.)  Isn't it so frustrating to read about?  Why couldn't they just believe?  It would have been so much smoother (as in, they would not have had to wander around a desert for 40 years) if they had just stuck with the plan clearly laid out by God, even the hard parts (like Pharaoh not listening.)  It is so easy to judge Moses and the Israelites in the whole case of The Exodus.

Now let's bring it closer to home.  Jesus laid out the whole plan for us about what would happen in our day.  Take a look (from the four Gospels):
1.  We will be hated, beaten, persecuted, put to death
2.  Many will turn away, betray and hate each other
3.  Increase of wickedness, love of most will grow cold
4. False prophets will deceive many people
5.  Gospel will be preached
6. Wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven
7. Believers handed over to local authorities, arrested, brought to trial
8. Believers will witness to governors and kings
9. When interrogated, the Holy Spirit will speak through believers
10. By standing firm we will gain life

When Jesus told His disciples all these things, He said it was so that when these things did happen, they would remember that He had warned them. We should not be surprised by persecution, it is part of the plan that Jesus laid out for His disciples and now for us.  It is all part of the plan. It seems like defeat, but it is NOT! "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28).

It is so hard to think of the end of the world drawing near. But "these things," the things Jesus warned us about when He told us The Plan, are happening. These words echo in my head: "these are the beginning of the birth pains...your redemption is drawing near...and then the end will come."

Even with the plan all laid out for them, Moses and the Israelites got distracted:  when they had to cross the sea, when they were hungry, when they were thirsty, when they were busy, had disputes, tried to do things alone, when they felt their leader and God took too long, when they were plain old disobedient, when they complained about hardships, when they listened to "the rabble" among them, when they became unhappy with and spoke out against God's servant, when they took the "we can't, the enemy is too strong" attitude, when they forgot God's promises, and when they looked at unbelievers around them and got caught up in immorality. (Exodus & Numbers)

Jesus warned that we too would get distracted.  Luke 21:34-36 mentions these distractions and warns against them: dissipation (according to a dictionary: a wasting by misuse, mental distraction, amusement, diversion), drunkenness, anxieties of life (what are the anxieties of your life?)

I am reminded of the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  Jesus repeatedly tells us to keep watch and warns us against distraction.  And yet, we read in Paul's letters, distractions even within the early church.  So we know the distractions in our day are just as real as the distractions in Moses' day.

I am struck by the contrast of "a heart weighed down" and "a head lifted up" in Luke 21:28,34.  Jesus lays the plan out for us. We know the end of the story: he who stands firm to the end will be saved. He tells us to always be on the watch and pray.

Things are taking place all across the world, friends. Let's stand up and lift up our heads, our redemption is drawing near!

My Bucket List

I (Jana) had a birthday this month!  Last year was my "big 4-0" and the other day I was reading over something I wrote on my birthday last year.  I never posted it because I didn't want to sound like I was bragging or anything.  But I reread it this year and decided I should post it.  And just to remain humble, I will tell you that this year I got my hair highlighted and here I am getting it done! Enjoy the photo, I'm sure I'll regret this later...

So, I have never actually seen the movie, but this year (well, TODAY actually!) I (Jana) turn 40 years old!  I think I want to make my own "reverse" bucket list!  I keep thinking of how full my life has been.  If 40 years was all I had, I'd have no regrets.  I'd have done so many things already.  So I decided, instead of trying at 40 to do 40 more things, why not celebrate 40 things the Lord has already allowed me to do?  Besides, "done" lists are so much less stressful than "to do" lists!  So,

40 AWESOME THINGS I HAVE DONE IN THE PAST 40 YEARS
(but in my mind it will always be "My Bucket List"!)

1.  Saved and baptized on the slopes of the volcano Mount Merapi 

2.  Lived in 6 different countries 

3.  Visited 27 different countries 

4.  Seen some "wonders of the world" like Borobudur, Giza Pyramids and Sphinx 

5.  Went on a cruise 

6.  Got a SCUBA license (and a Ham Radio license) 

7.  Got married! 

8.  Have 3 awesome kids! 

9.  Studied 4 languages (2 with other scripts) 

10. Wrote a book! (ok, sort of) 

11. Led some folks to Christ 

12. Lived almost on the Nile River 

13. Went to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jericho 

14. Graduated from college 

15. Went to a Thai cooking class 

16. Studied Balinese dancing 

17. Learned to embroider on a treadle machine in Eritrea 

18. Went snow skiing 

19. Went water skiing 

20. Camped in the Sahara desert 

21. Boogie boarded in the Indian Ocean 

22. Rode a dogsled on the highest point in Europe (Jung Frau) 

23. Camped in New Zealand (in a camper) 

24. Para-sailed in Mexico 

25. Had an ALMOST lead role in a musical! ha!  (Mikado) 

26. Watched all three of my kids ask Jesus into their hearts and watched 2 of them get baptized in the Nile River (since then our third was baptized in a swimming pool in Thailand)

27. Visited the castle of the MacLeod clan (my ancestors) on the Isle of Skye in Scotland 
28. Watched Phantom of the Opera in London 

29. Seen at least 14 states of the United States 

30. Trained in spiritual disciplines by my parents! 

31. Watched a hernia operation 

32. Personally met many persecuted believers 

33. Proud of my parents and siblings (not everyone can say that you know!) 

34. Enjoyed a fabulous relationship with my grandmother, Betsy Crane

35. Bought a clam in Hawaii that had 2 pearls in it 

36. Spent the night at the circus 

37. Floated in the Dead Sea 

38. Rode an elephant in Thailand 

39. Rode a camel at the Red Sea 

40. Continue to watch my kids have similar awesome TCK experiences

Thank You, Lord, for 40 fantastic years.  They haven't always been easy, and they haven't always been happy.  But You have led me and have been faithful and today I am a stronger and better person because You have taught me so much.

Adventure in Singapore

Last week we took a quick trip to Singapore.  First things first:  dinner at Subway!

A Fantastic Mother's Day at the Science Center, we had a blast!

There were TONS of things to see.  One whole area was focused on Optical Illusions.

And one day we enjoyed Singaporean Chicken Rice with a friend and his cute little boy.

We had lots of fun riding buses and trains and doing LOTS of walking.  We enjoyed yummy food, a great bookstore, outings and restful times too.  But, of course, it's always good to go home at the end!

Puzzling Pictures: Swiss Signs

I was looking through old pictures the other day and found some more "Puzzling Pictures" for the collection.
This was a sign in a beautiful garden area in Switzerland.  We couldn't figure out what it meant.  Presumably "don't pick the flowers," but where on earth does the elephant come from?  And why is a giant hand pinching his ear?

Here is some Funny Toilet paper...  Literally.

The Plight of the Spaghetti Sauce

Yesterday a friend of mine went to the grocery store.  She had her eye on a jar of imported spaghetti sauce.  Yum!  Actually, she had seen the jar sitting on the shelf for several weeks and had tried several times to buy it.  But when she got to the check out line, the jar was not registered in the computer and therefore could not be purchased.  As the expiry date on the jar approached, my friend continued to try to buy it.  Into the shopping cart the jar would go.  Up to the cash register it would ride.  Across the scanner it would skim.  No beep.  The cashier would key in the number on the bar code.  No beep.  The cashier would tell my friend she couldn't buy it.  The jar would be returned to the shelf.

So yesterday my friend had a new idea.  After the usual trip to the cashier where the jar of spaghetti sauce did not register, she smiled sweetly and said to the cashier, "I would really like to buy this jar of spaghetti sauce.  How might I purchase it?"

"It's not in the computer, so you can't," replied the cashier.

"Yes, but it is on the shelf.  Surely there is some way I can buy it?"

"We don't have permission from the home office to sell it yet, so we don't have the price."

Anger and frustration doesn't work well here, you understand.  It only scratches your own itch and accomplishes nothing.  Everything should be addressed with a smile and politeness.

"Do you have a manager on duty today?"  asked my friend, in her sweetest voice and with a pleasant smile.

"Yes," replied the cashier, confused.

"May I speak with him?"

Baffled as to why this lady would want to speak to the manager, the cashier agreed and called for him.  My friend explained to the manager the plight of the jar of spaghetti sauce.  "I am a foreigner living here in your city.  You have this nice brand of imported spaghetti sauce that I would like to buy."

"Oh, you cannot buy that sauce because we don't have permission from the home office to sell it."

"Can you call the home office to find out the price?  Because I am willing to buy all the jars you have on the shelf."

"Oh no, we can't do that."

"But then you will never sell the ones you have and then the home office will never send more sauce because it did not sell well..." nothing... "So how could I purchase this sauce?"

"You can't."

"But it's on your shelf."

"But we don't have permission to sell it."

"So this means that, even though your store carries this nice brand of imported spaghetti sauce and I can see it on the shelf, in order to purchase it, I would need to fly to the capital city and buy it there..." smile... "So why do you even have it on your shelves if I can't buy it?"

Within minutes the manager had a a group of employees go to the pasta aisle and remove the yummy jars of imported spaghetti sauce!  There!  Problem fixed!

So, today I began to think about a spiritual lesson to take from this funny situation (or frustrating?).  Are there things in my life that I put on display, but never access?  Like faith.  Do I have faith?  Well of course I do.  But are there situations in my life that require faith, and even though I say, "Well of course I have faith!"  have I been in touch with the Lord so closely that I am ready to use it when the situation calls for it?  Or do I carry a bunch of great attributes to show off on the shelf, but don't know how to use them when the rubber meets the road (or should I say when the bar code hits the scanner?).   But if you discover this is true in your own life, don't pull it off the shelf for pete's sake!  Learn how to use it!

Have I stretched the analogy too far?  Maybe.  But I'll tell you, next time I walk down that aisle of the grocery store and see that empty spot where the imported jars used to be, not only will I giggle to myself, I'll also re-evaluate myself and make sure I am in touch with the "Home Office"!