Continental Drift . . .

Saturday Paula and I caught an excursion out of SHAPE, and spent the entire day in Paris. And I HAVE to say, that everything I've ever read, or seen on TV or the big-screen fell far short of what it was really like to be in the City of Lights.
No matter which way you turned, your senses were assaulted by amazing beauty, whether it was the Parisiennes, the art, (and it was pervasive) or the smell wafting off the street vendors. There we gave into our first temptation of the day consuming some sort of Libyan delicacy, which was a fried, spinach stuffed empanada, and hoo boy was it good!
Our day began after the coach dropped us off nearly at the base of the Eiffel Tower, where we took photo-ops, then walked a few blocks to the Arc de Triomphe. There at the head of the world famous Avenue des Champs Elysees we started off toward the museum. We spent a couple of hours on the avenue just taking in much of what the city had to offer.
We literally oohed and aahed our way through what seemed to be several miles of attractions, (okay! okay! several kilometres, alrighty then) and then finally arrived at the Musee du Louvre. Then the sensory overload really kicked in. To actually see the MONA LISA up close and personal, the works of PICASSO and other masters was just incredible, it was almost too much. It would require a life-time to take in all that this world-class city has to offer, and we WILL return again, and again.

If/Then Propositions

If I go to bed early, then I will feel more rested tomorrow.
If I eat too much fast food, then my belt will feel more tight.
If I smile at someone, then they will usually smile back at me.
If I drive too fast, then I will catch the attention of the police.
If I shake the cat-food bag, then my cat will come running.

If I use the right bait, then I will certainly catch more fish.
If I want to ride the trains in Paris, then I have to be quick.
If I keep on playing & playing, then my Wii scores will go up.
If I go to IKEA with Paula, then we will likely buy something.
If I feel like fast food, then I'll go to McDonald's every time.

Matthew 9:18
While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came
and worshipped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but
come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.

If the ruler in the scripture understood anything at all he
understood this:

If I worship Him, then I can get Him to come to my house . . .
A very simple proposition . . .

The Latest Installment . . .

Not only does the title of this latest entry refer to the entry itself, but it has double entendre, which you may well know is a double meaning in French usage. And that is quite fitting, since we live in the French speaking sector of Belgium. The other latest installment refers to our service this past Sunday in which Paula and I were officially installed as Center Directors by presiding Bishop Christian Swift. Sometimes when I think that we are living in Europe, it doesn't seem quite possible. This all came about quite rapidly. My mother died in March of 2008 and three months later we found out that we had been recommended for this position and accepted. Then four months after finding out we had been accepted, I actually made the move. First it was me, then Paula followed six weeks later.

My parents had been center directors back in the 60s and 70s, and that was a role that I had always aspired to, but our ministry took us down many different routes. We served as young adult pastors, benevolence pastors, evangelists, short-term missionaries, teachers, just to name a few. Yet in the back of our minds we always wanted to reach our military. Even while living in Tacoma, Washington we saw the need for a military ministry center in that area due to the many military installations in the surrounding communities. It was still a dream to be realized. After leaving Tacoma, we moved to Kennewick in eastern Washington, on to Portland, Oregon, and then we decided to finish our college education, and we moved to Cleveland, Tennessee. We would graduate and call the southeastern United States home for thirteen years.

And then in a very short whirl-wind period did our world change, and our dreams that had been on the back burner for many many years finally came to fruition. The really amazing thing about all this is that it was a thing that we really didn't have to pursue. Our Father had known all along the desires of our hearts, and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to honor us with the chance to minister to the young men and women of our armed forces. We are now teaching, mentoring young soldiers from all over America. Knowing that we may have a few years or a few months, and in many cases a few weeks, the Lord has ordained us to pour into these vessels all that we can, to teach, equip and send out soldiers not only in the physical realm, but in a spiritual one as well. How cool is that!

Airmail Kitty Cat . . .

While in Tennessee getting ready to make our transatlantic move, several of our friends asked what we would be doing with our kitty Silly Millie. Actually we have had our cat for nine years. But we didn't think that moving her so far, and being in planes and airports for twenty-four hours would be very good for her. First my late mother's caregiver Agnes wanted her, and we began to make plans for her to move in with them. Then one of her daughters got another pet and they decided that Millie may not get along so well. It wasn't long after that that another friend who already had a cat asked if she could have Millie, we said sure. And then she backed out after a trial run with her cat, and they didn't get along at all. A few other friends said they would be glad to take our kitty. But as our departure grew closer, we decided that she would be better off with us, because she has never really had that social-butterfly type personna. She would hiss at strangers when they would come to visit. And she hated children. The funny thing is, now she actually likes people, children included. I think the commotion of packing and getting rid of stuff the months prior to our move bothered her so that shes just happy to be stable again. So we got her shots, bought a kennel and moved her some five thousand miles to Belgium. I hadn't seen Millie in over a month, but when Paula got off the plane and we picked up our kitty at baggage claim. Millie took one look at me and was happy again. We took her into our home, she sniffed around a couple of places looked at the both of us and jumped up on our bed and went straight to sleep. Back in the US she never wanted to sleep on our bed, but since coming to Europe she hasn't wanted to sleep anywhere else. She's just happy that the three of us are reunited. And so am I . . .

Reflexão / Reflexión / Reflection

Take a look backward, go ahead. You may be amazed at how clear the picture is. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see so clearly into the future? I am sure there are things that I COULD have done differently, or maybe WOULD have done with a different attitude, or most certainly many times there were things that I just SHOULD have done, period. When we reflect on our lives, I think that most of us would do things differently with those we hold close to our heart. Both of my parents have passed on, but there are oh so many times that I would like to see them just one more time, to touch their hand, to tell them I love and appreciate them. Even though I did that quite often when they were still alive. I also recall the times that my young son would ask me to go fishing, and I might respond with something like: "maybe later, or some other time." Of course there were plenty of times when I would say "go get your pole," and he'd be off in a flash, but If I could recall those times, most certainly we would have went fishin' every time he asked, and believe me he asked quite often. So it would be pointless to live a life of regret, wishing that we had done things differently.

Back in the eighties the pop-rock group MIKE AND THE MECHANICS put a song on the charts for a few weeks entitled "In the Living Years." Part of the lyrics said ♫Say it loud, say it clear, you can listen as well as you hear. It's too late when we die to admit we don't see eye to eye.♫ The writer of the song was looking back over his life and wishing that he would have had a closer relationship with his recently deceased father. He even went on to write later in the verse: ♫ I wasnt there that morning when my father passed away, I didnt get to tell him all the things I had to say, I think I caught his spirit later that same year, I'm sure I heard his echo in my babys new born tears, I just wish I could have told him in the living years.♫ So when you begin to reflect, don't let your past blur your vision, but let it improve your visual acuity of the future. My wife and I recently put our house on the market, placed all of our belongings in storage, left our friends and family and not only left town, or the state of Tennesse or even the country for that matter, we switched continents for cryin' out loud. We are now pastor/directors at the *SHAPE International Christian Center for our armed forces in St. Denis, Belgium, and lovin' every minute of it. This is really a decision that I will not look on in the future and wish I had done things differently.

*SHAPE is an acronym for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, This is the NATO headquarters in Europe and SHAPE is an international base that has over twenty military commands represented.

Pretty Paula

I have now been in Europe for a little over a month. When I left Tennessee in late October, Paula my wife of twenty-eight years had to stay behind in order to finish up some p/t. She had undergone a procedure to reattach a ligament in her shoulder, it was a complete tear in the rotator cuff. She is now with me in Belgium where we live in the small village of St. Denis, a small community right next to Mons, which is a pretty good sized city. I really enjoyed getting to know the parishioners here at the center where we are pastors/directors to men and women serving in the armed forces at SHAPE, Belgium. That is the NATO headquarters, and it is a multi-national base, where some twenty+ militarys of the world are represented.

And now I am very happy and complete again now that Paula is with me. And she brought our cat of 9yrs Silly Millie. She too makes it feel just like home. And oh by the way, this is my most viewed photo on Flickr.com, with 3111 views, 67 people call it a favorite, and she has garnered 120 comments.

Intrepid Ministry

This is my missionary father many years back . . .
He had friends on every continent. He was a man of integrity
and I miss him dearly. He is the reason I always wanted to be involved with Ministry to the Military.

My "intrepid" journey began at birth. I am the only son of my adoptive missionary parents. My father was a missionary pilot to the wilds of Alaska. There he and mom who couldn't concieve children met up with an eskimo lady who had conceived out of wedlock, and back in the mid-twentieth century, that was still sort of frowned upon. My birth mother then gave me up for adoption to the missionaries, and that was the beginning of a really adventurous life. In the middle 1960s when I was ten years old we took a summer vacation from the cool environs of Alaska 7500 miles to the warm, humid clime of Central America. We drove all the way from AK to Guatemala to visit some missionary friends who had lived in Guatemala City. On our arrival the regional presbyter for Panama was talking to the presbyter of Guatemala, who informed him of our visit. So he invited us to come to Panama since we were not very far away by then. We got to Panama, and the presbyter decided he wanted to return to the states. My father was then contacted by the church bosses back in the US and asked if he would like to stay in Panama as replacement presbyter or overseer? He conferred with me and mom, and we were all about it. So dad flew back to AK from Panama, bought an old army flat-bed truck and loaded all our belongings on it, built a plywood covering for it and drove it all the way back to Panama. We stayed there for seven years. Quite a vacation by anyone's standards.


This is my missionary mother just a little before her death on Easter Sunday 2008

After my mom's death this year, we flew her back to Seattle for her burial beside my father. I had just been in touch with my birth family only a few months prior to mom's death. And one of my newly found sisters called and asked how we all were. I told her that mom had died, and she asked about the funeral arrangements. She then told me she would meet us in Seattle with a couple other sisters. And they are pictured below. In order from left to right. Paula my sister, Paula my wife, Georgie my sister, and Georgie's husband Randy. They all live in Alaska, with the exception of Paula my wife who now lives with me in Europe.


What a ride we have had up until now . . .

Polar Opposites

Fall is by far my favorite time of the year, when the old things are dying off, making way for the new. I like winter as well, by now things are pretty much dead or dormant, and getting ready for the new life of spring which is my Paula's favorite season. Back in the US, when winter begins to fade Paula and myself begin making our annual treks to the Lowes garden dept. buying all sorts of greenery, bags of potting soil, fertilizer and plenty of flowers, potted and those meant for the landscaping



Paula and I are actually like autumn and spring, one doesn't do so well when the other suffers.
She is the more outgoing one, much like our son who never meets a stranger. I on the other hand would be typically content curled up with a good book and with a ray of sunshine. Which is much like our daughter. Although unlike polar opposites forces that repel, we are quite attracted to each other. One compliments the other, and not just verbally . . .

PUT IT DOWN!

"Put it down" is usually spoken with a little authority. These three words just sort of transport me back to a time when my children were young and still at home. I remember one time telling my two year old son to "put it down" when he picked up a cassette tape of mine. He did, but there was still a spark of curiousity going on in his head. Because the next morning when we got him up, fed him and his sister, and we were then getting ready for the day, he remembered those interesting cassettes. So after showering, getting ready for church. I walked out into the livingroom to get something, and there was Timmy amid not just one, but all of my cassettes. (alas, Cds had not made their arrival.) He had taken each cassette out of the case and pulled out all the tape rendering them useless. This is a habit that he has retained until this day.



He still dismantles things. Fortunately for him he also has learned to put things back together. And the things that he disassembles and reassembles are B1 Bomber engines. He is a SSgt in the USAF stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene TX.So these days when I hear the words "put it down" it is generally in the context of a little voice inside my head that is telling me to take thoughts, ramblings and put them on paper, or a little file stored away on my computer. This will then be my initial post of the "Put It Down" writings.And I would encourage you to do the same. I find that when I go to some of my earlier writings from years or even months earlier, that I have forgotten those things, and they then become a breathe of fresh aire.