Adios and Good Night

This is my last blog. There just doesn't seem to be much interest. There have been no comments posted for several months. So, say goodbye to the blog. I post every day on Twitter and Face Book, so you can keep up with me on those two places. I try to use those accounts for spiritual encouragement by using Scripture, famous quotes etc. more than just socializing. So, Blog Spot, adios and good night.

I am with my wife Debbie at Miami County Hospital in Paola, KS. She had a partial knee replacement the other day and is recovering from the surgery. The 'torturers' (rehab therapists) come in several times a day and work with her. I usually write this blog from the Country Bean coffee-shop, but, today I have to write from my wife's hospital room. Deb wonders how she can be walking fine on her knee one day, and the next she can hardly put pressure on it. She wishes she had been playing volleyball, basketball, or ice hockey so she has a good explanation! The only explanation I can give is that these bodies we are in are not redeemed. Our soul and spirit is redeemed if we know Jesus Christ, but not our bodies. Our bodies are dying. When we get to Heaven we will get a new glorified body. That body will never feel pain, disease, or sickness. That body will be perfect. People often ask if we will be recognizable in Heaven. God's Word says we will "know as we are known". Yes, we will recognize others and they will recognize us. Even our personalities will be similar, but without the sin, weaknesses, and iniquities. Though this life can be a real struggle at times, it is comforting to know that this life is not all there is! I am looking forward to Heaven some great day!

In EVERYTHING Give Thanks

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thess. 5:18. That is a great verse and I think it has been my motto this year. The only thing I have a problem with in the verse is the word everything. It is easy to be thankful for the good things and the neutral things, but not so easy for the negative things. And I'll be honest, this year has brought a host of negative things. I'm not complaining, just being honest. This has been a tough ol' year. Not just for me, but most people I know. And yet, God's Word tells us we must be thankful for these things, no matter how negative. There have been problems with marriages in my church, a general apathy and carelessness in the attitudes of some of our people, and a disunity among some. I dare not leave town, because everytime I have left town this year, I returned to a major crisis to deal with. I'm not going anywhere for a good long time! But, in EVERYTHING give thanks, and so I will. There have been personal problems to deal with as well as dealing with my grandson Bryce's rare genetic disease. We just learned that my wife Deb needs a partial knee replacement. Needless to say, she is not looking forward to that! And yet, in EVERYTHING give thanks, and so we will. I don't want to leave the impression that everything was negative this year. We have seen many people saved through the City Union Mission and State Hospital services. We praise the Lord for these victories. We may not be able to give thanks FOR everything, but we can give thanks IN everything.

Memories

I went paddling the other day at Wyandotte County Lake on the west end of Kansas City, Kansas. I was born and grew up in KCK, and pulling into the park and lake brought back a flood of memories. The first memory was of a swimming pool near the lake. I believe the name was Lakeside Swim. It was where I learned to swim at about 5 years of age in 1958! I have loved the water ever since. There is a smaller lake before you come to the park lake and I remember my real dad taking me fishing in a little john-boat once or twice. I don't remember whether we caught any fish, or any other details, just that my dad spent some time with me. (There might be a lesson there for us dads.) I recalled family picnics at the lake, swimming at the beach and getting a case of swimmers ear. (I had constant swimmers ear throughout my teen years.) I remember our old pontoon boat. It seems that every time we took it out on the lake we spent half our time working on the engine! I also remember some picnics there with my wife Deb when we were dating. Great times. It is good to go back and mull over memories because we are all the sum total of the events in the past that have shaped us. It is good, also, to realize that those days are gone forever and to look forward to the future. The future is a blank page, and with God's help, we can write on it His best goals and purposes. We can't do anything about yesterday, but we can certainly do something about tomorrow!

Laughter is Good Medicine

Need a good laugh? Follow these instructions: 1. Go to Google Maps 2. Type Japan as the starting point 3. Type China as the ending point 4. Read direction #43 5. LOL!

4000 Words

They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words. I have posted 4 pictures from recent paddling trips today for the benefit of those who do not like to read. The first is the Jayhawk Marina at Hillsdale Lake. The roof is covered with gulls. The second is the Wakarusa River on a beautiful fall day. The third is a flock of turkeys on the bank of the Wakarusa. The last is a logjam (aka "strainer") on the Wakarusa. Paddlers like avoid strainers.

When the Foundations are Destroyed

I put in at the personal watercraft beach at Hillsdale Lake. I had my Humminbird Depth and Fishfinder and map of the lake with me. On the map are the foundations and debris of homes when the lake was built. I headed out to find the remains of several homes. The transducer for the depthfinder is a float that trails behind my kayak. The screen is worn around the wrist like a watch. I found the remains of one home in about 20 feet of water southwest of the Jayhawk Marina. All of a sudden the depth was about 9 or 10 feet and as I checked the screen, sure enough, there was the outline of a lot of debris with fish swimming around it. It was kind of sad. I couldn't help but think of the state of homes in America today. Homes are unraveling at the seams. 52% of young people are growing up in single parent and broken homes today. Families are the very foundation of any stable nation, and the future of our nation is very much at stake. The second site of remains was in about 30 feet of water. About 20 feet down on my screen was the debris of a house. It was probably a proud house at one time. Now, it just debris totally swallowed up by the lake. Sadly, it reminded me of the debris left behind in marriages today. Even born again people are bailing on each other for the slimmest of reasons. The future of our churches and nation is bleak indeed when the foundations are nothing more that debris.

Cleft of the Rock

A couple of weeks ago I paddled at my favorite lake, Hillsdale. On this trip I had a casual paddle around several coves and cliff-lined shoreline near the Marysville boat ramp. The water was calm and carp were sun-bathing in the shallows, while bass were jumping after their next meals. I didn't see, but I could hear deer in the woods near the shoreline. As I traveled along the cliffs along the shoreline, I noticed a duck sitting in a cleft of the rock. I immediately thought of Exodus 33:22. In the book of Exodus, Moses requested to see the glory of God. God counseled Moses to hide in the cleft of the rock, and then covered him with His hand as He passed by. Moses, of course, was never the same after having such a close encounter with the glory and presence of Jehovah God! The cleft of the rock is a very good place to dwell. In Scripture, Jesus is the Rock! We should hide ourselves in the cleft of the Rock! The duck hiding in the cleft of the rock that day reminded me of this Bible truth. I have included a picture of the duck in the cleft of the rock, and some other pictures from that same paddling trip.

The Life Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ

I am sitting in the Country Bean in Paola, KS enjoying a vanilla latte. This is usually where I write this bi-monthly blog. The temperature is about 70 degrees and the door is open allowing a refreshing cool breeze. I was thinking about the nature of the gospel of Christ and how it has changed the course of my life and many others that I know. I preached last Sunday on the text "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation..." I know that when I accepted Christ as a 16 year old in Kansas City, nothing has ever been the same. One cannot come face to face with the living God and it not affect their life in tremendous ways. I have never regretted coming to know the Lord many years ago. The gospel certainly transformed my life, and consequently the lives of my family and churches that I would pastor. I have been concerned with modern day believers, though, who seem content to live in defeat. With some, there seems to be no regard that they do not reflect the victorious power of the gospel by living with addictions, defeat, and sub-normal Christian living. I have determined to live in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Verses such as "The people of God shall be strong and do exploits", and "God is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we ask or think" come to mind. I refuse to live a sub-normal, status quo, barely getting by, powerless, just enough, careless, apathetic, non-sacrificial, convenient kind of Christian life. With God's help, I want to live in the power of the gospel. Would you join me?

Hard Turns on the Road

As Jesus commissioned His disciples in Matthew ch. 10 to be His representatives and witnesses, He warned them that there would be some suffering and hard turns on the road. Jesus said that the disciple is not above His Master, and the servant is not above the Lord. As Jesus faced trials, hardship, adversity and problems, so would we. This has been a tough year for us personally, but, I have noticed that it has been a tough year for just about everybody in the church I pastor. Trials and heartache seem to be across the board. As pastor, I hurt when my sheep hurt. I wish I could just pray and all the hardship would be lifted. But, I know that if that were to happen, we would not learn the lessons that God wants us to learn. So, my prayer will be that God would go with us through the adversity to the other side. It is at times like these that the promises of God's Word become real and precious. Verses like, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus", and "There hath no temptation (test) taken you but such as is common to man...make a way of escape", and "When I am tried, I will come forth as gold". It is at times like these that we realize that when the Lord is all we have, we will find He is all we need. When we come to some hard turns on the road, let the Lord have the wheel.

Gods Way: Always the Best Way

God's way is always the best way! The Bible is a book of principles and precepts that are spiritual laws. Just as there are physical laws that govern our world (gravity, the laws of thermodynamics etc.), there are also sprititual laws that govern our world as well. If we neglect or transgress those laws, we will pay the consequences. The Bible speaks of laws that govern our homes and families. For instance, the book of Ephesians give one-word commands to each member of the family that just happen to correlate to that persons greatest need. To the husband, the Bible says, "Husbands love your wives." The wife's greatest need is to be loved and cherished by her husband. To the wife the Bible says, "Wives, submit yourselves..." When she submits to her husband, she fulfills his greatest need to be respected as a leader. The home works when it is done God's way. When it is not, there are serious consequences that will be paid. The Bible gives the blueprint for the operation of His local, New Testament church. The church's reason for being is to fulfill the great commission: win souls, baptize them, and teach and disciple them in the Word of God. Many have made the church today more man-centered than Christ centered. In many cases the church is based more on entertaining the world than preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we ignore and violate the principles of God's Word, we are building the house on a foundation of sand rather than on the Solid Rock. The storms WILL come, and only those who do it God's way will stand. Someone has said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result! God's way is always the best way.

Open Doors

The work of a pastor can be streaky. Some weeks a pastor does not have time to breathe. Problems, needs, administrative duties, study and preparation, counseling all tug at the pastor. It feels much like someone grabbing your collar and pulling you down. Other weeks, there is barely anything to do. These weeks are good for prayer, study, and soul-winning of course. Nearly two years ago, I went through a time period in which there were not a lot of opportunities to serve. I took it to the Lord in prayer. I asked the Lord to open up some doors of ministry. He answered those prayers in a mighty way. About that time, the economy in Kansas (and everywhere else) tanked. The state hospital in Oz could not afford to pay the chaplain any longer. God opened the doors for me and some other pastors to hold monthly chapel services. What a tremendous opportunity this has been. God has drawn people to Himself in every chapel service I have had the privilege to preach. I ought to point out that for 23 years I had called the hospital and offered to hold services. The answer was always the same: "We have a chaplain." I have no doubt that God miraculously opened the door of service and ministry at the state hospital. Not long after that, I was offered an invitation to teach a class to a select group of patients at the hospital. The class is entitled "Spirituality and Music Therapy". I happen to know a little something about those things, holding a masters degree in Bible and a bachelors degree in music. God opened another door! Not long after that, I realized that a friend of mine from my home church (Open Door Baptist, KC) worked at the City Union Mission in Kansas City.
I contacted him about the possibility of our church holding chapel services there. God opened another door and Faith Baptist of Osawatomie has had several chapel services at the mission with men saved at every service! I love preaching at my church in Oz, but I also love preaching to the people at the hospital and mission. They have made some mistakes (who hasn't?) and they are facing some hardships in life, but I believe these are the very people Jesus would go to if He were here in His earthly body. I praise the Lord today for these wonderful open doors of ministry and service. It is a privilege to serve the Lord!

Subtle Beauty

So, Kansas doesn't have any snowcapped mountain peaks, or ocean beaches, or national forests. That doesn't mean that Kansas does not have any beauty, though. The beauty of Kansas does not reach out and shake you. It is more subtle. For instance, gentle rolling hillsides of wildflowers gracing the Flint Hills. Miles and miles of ocean waves of golden wheat blowing in the relentless Kansas wind. Some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. The subtle beauty of Kansas can even be found in the huge 30,000 and 40,000 feet high thunderheads maneuvering around on the Great Plains. No laser light show can match the electrical display of a Kansas thunderstorm. I am a kayaker and I have often wished I could be closer to some of the more exciting rivers and lakes and oceans. However, I have discovered the subtle beauty of paddling Hillsdale Lake (20 minutes away), the Kaw river, Melvern, Pomona, the Marais De Cynge (about 100 yards from my front door), Cross Timbers and others. The other day, I took a 20 minute drive to Miami County State Lake near Fontana, Ks. and spent a pleasant hour on the lake. I have included a picture to show the subtle beauty of this small wooded lake 20 minutes away from my front door. Beauty can probably be found very close to where you live.

One State Closer to the Goal

I have set a goal to paddle every state before my life is over. I have paddled Kansas, Missouri, Oklahma, Colorado, and now I can add Idaho to the list. We rented a canoe and tandem kayak from North Beach Rentals on the upper part of Payette Lake. Eric, Michelle, Dathan and Tate were in the canoe, while Kaitlin and I were in the tandem kayak. We paddled north up the Payette River that feeds into the lake. We paddled an hour and 1/2 until the current became too strong to go further. The scenery was beautiful. When we returned the owner of North Beach Rentals showed us an image on her cell phone that someone up the river had just e-mailed her. A female moose was standing in the river. Sure wished we had seen that! The next morning I rented a kayak from Gravity Sports on Payette Lake. I paddled 2 1/2 miles across the lake in the teardrop section of the lake and then 3 miles north to the cliffs of the Ponderosa state park. Finally, I paddled back about 3 miles to the put in. I routinely saw depths of 90 some feet and 100 some feet. I think I went across the deepest part of the lake at 395 feet, because at one point my Humminbird depthfinder went to 0' and showed no bottom. My unit only goes to 120 feet. What a great couple of days on the water. I believe everyone should set goals in their lives and do their best to keep them.

Cursed Demon Possessed Car

As it turns out the transmission on our 03 Blazer is fried. This vehicle has been demon possessed from the moment we drove it into the driveway. The next morning after purchasing the car, we tried to start it and it wouldn't even turn over. We checked all the normal things and could find nothing. We had it towed to Lang Chevrolet for them to fix. They called a little later and said, "Thanks for the visitor". We asked, "What do you mean"? They said that when they opened the hood, a squirrel jumped out and ran all over the shop. They finally got rid of the creature and determined that the squirrel had eaten some of the wiring on the Blazer! The next incident happened after church on a warm summer Sunday night. My wife was taking a couple of ladies home after church. Some of us were standing outside fellowshipping. The sky turned a sickly yellowish green. The wind picked up and began spinning in a circular motion. Those of you who live in Kansas will automatically recognize these signs. Many of those fellowshipping ran for the basement. I didn't make it and the mini-tornado or microburst was over about as fast as it happened. At that moment my wife returned in our 03 Blazer. The occupants looked like they had just seen a ghost. A half block from the church a telephone pole fell on the top of the Blazer and a tree on the hood. There was a brach sticking out of the front of the vehicle that made it look like a unicorn. There was $7000.00 damage done to the car. I wish they had totalled it! After having the Blazer fixed the vehicle was the victim of a hail storm! I also nearly took out the mailbox of one of the families in our church. My wife has taken out a couple of deer with this car, it was sideswiped in our school's parking lot, and hit in Castle Rock, CO by a lady who couldn't speak English. And the list goes on. Now, the transmission is out. That is bad enough, but now I have no way to get my kayak to the water. When I get the car fixed, and that may be a long when, I am going to perform an exorcism on the vehicle! This car is, to borrow a phrase from my good friend Monte Draper a "stinkin' piece of junk"!

Going the Distance

One of the most pleasant floats I take at Hillsdale Lake is up Bull Creek at the northwest corner of the lake. I have paddled this stretch of Bull Creek the past three years. Each year I paddle farther and farther up this major tributary that feeds Hillsdale Lake. The goal is to paddle to the I 35 bridge. The last two years I paddled to within two miles of the bridge before coming to a strainer. A strainer is tress that have fallen into the creek and make passage difficult or impossible. The water was high this year and so I made it through several strainers until I came to within a mile of the bridge and met another strainer. I had already been on the water a good amount of time and was a little tired with the thought of the return trip, so I headed back to the put in. One of these days I am going to go the distance. I think I will probably make the trip with another person, pack some lunch, and start out early in the morning and finally reach the goal! On this particular trip I saw some herons, western meadowlarks (Kansas state bird), a lot of carp feeding at the surface, and a mother duck and her ducklings that kept the water stirred up trying to get away from me. It was a very pleasant day on the water. I want to tie this idea of 'going the distance' into a spiritual illustration. I believe the Bible encourages us to go the distance. " Without faith it is impossible to please God." Coll. 3;23 says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men". I believe God's will is for us to put our whole hearts into serving Him and "go the distance". One of these days I am going to reach that I 35 bridge!

Adventure

Life is boring without adventure. This past week I have had three adventures. The first was last Saturday. I took Cahill, one of the young men in our youth department, paddling. We loaded up the 'yaks and headed to Middle Creek Lake south of Louisburg, KS. We put in at the boat ramp and followed Middle Creek as far as we could. We were within two miles of the Missouri state line. We saw huge turtles floating on the surface, huge carp sunbathing in the shallows, and just had a generally pleasant afternoon paddling. The second adventure was Monday as I paddled my favorite lake Hillsdale. I put in at the Antioch boat ramp and made a round trip around the island on the south side of the lake. Yes, there is a small island at the lake. (See the picture). I also followed a small unnamed creek as far as physically possible. (See the picture. This was another pleasant day on the lake. The third adventure will take place this afternoon as Kaitlin and I will bike around the hiking trail at Hillsdale Lake. Kaitlin is out of school and Deb is still finishing out the week at Trojan Elementary, so we are going biking. O.K., these are not the most dangerous adventures, but they do break up the monotony of the routine. Incidentally, if you are bored with your Christian life, why don't you go out and give the gospel to several people. I promise you will have all the adventure and excitement you can handle.

Launch Out Into the Deep

This week I loaded up my kayak and headed to Melvern Lake just west of Melvern, Kansas. I thought this lake was farther from Osawatomie than it is. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lake is just an hour's drive away. Melvern is a large and scenic lake. The lake appears to be about 8 miles long and was created when the Marais De Cygne river was dammed near the town of Melvern. I took my Humminbird fish and depthfinder and launched out into the main part of the lake. I found an area of 72 feet of depth! That is the deepest water that I have ever paddled. Yes, I had my PFD handy and all of my electronic gear safe in dryboxes. 72 feet! That is the equivalent of 7 basketball goals stacked up on top of each other. It reminds me of the command Jesus gave to His disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told them to "Launch out into the deep". When they obeyed they were successful. I beleive that Jesus is calling us today to "launch out into the deep". I am tired of "just good enough", normal, average, status quo, mediocre, comfortable, shallow, stay close to the shore, "play it safe" kind of Christianity. I believe Jesus wants us to go deeper with Him! The Bible still says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Christian, launch out into the deep! Be willing to go the distance with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bald Eagle @ Hillsdale

I put in at the primitive boat ramp on the Little Bull Creek arm of Hillsdale Lake and paddled as far as I could up Little Bull Creek. It would be possible to paddle past the 235th St. Bridge, except for a huge logjam on the creek. I paddled to the logjam and then back. In all it is about a hour and a half trip. On the way back I paddled past the eagles nest on the north side of the lake. I noticed the bald eagle nesting in the huge nest. I snapped several pictures from different distances. As I was directly underneath the nest, she (I assume the bird was a she) took off in flight. I snapped a couple of pictures of her in flight. I assume she was protecting her young from the intruder in the bright yellow, orange, and red kayak. After taking the shots of our national emblem in flight, I got out of there pretty fast. The whole incident reminded me of the Scripture in Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." It was an awesome sight to see the eagle mount up with wings and fly! But, that is what she was created to do (among other things)! I noticed that she did not flap her wings much. She just spread them and coasted on the air currents. If we are tired, weary, or just plain exhausted, we need only wait on the Lord, and we have the promise that we will be strengthened and be able to mount up with eagles wings. And once there, we should spread our wings and soar on those winds of adversity.

Paddling Cross Timbers

Monday was a near perfect day for paddling. The temperature was about 70 degrees and there was no wind. The water was calm and like gliding over glass! I loaded up my 'yak and headed for Cross Timbers State Park and Toronto Lake, about 25 miles west of Iola. The Cross Timbers name comes from the geography of the area. The timberland of S.E. Kansas meets the beautiful Flint Hills. The Flint Hills are rolling hills with virtually no trees. Toronto Lake is a beautiful lake with an island on the south side of the lake. I paddled for a little over an hour in a wide circle around the island. There is nothing like a clear, calm day on the water to help clear one's mind and enjoy some of God's wonderful handiwork. I have inluded a couple of pictures. The land on the right is the island, and I enjoyed the lone, bare tree on a point of the island.

Writers Block

You might have noticed that I have not had a post in my weekly blog in several weeks. As I sat in the Country Bean coffee shop the last few weeks with a vanilla latte, I realized I had a severe case of writers block. I simply could not think of a thing to blog about. One might think that a pastor or a blogger would have the responsibility to impart great nuggets of wisdom and truth. But, being human, sometimes we are just empty, dry and out of gas! I had to admit to the Lord that "I've got nothing!" I am thankful that my salvation does not depend on my feelings, but on God's faithfulness. Why is it so hard for us to be open, honest, and transparent before the Lord? He already knows and we're not going to surprise Him! Maybe a verse that goes along with this topic is the one that says, "...my strength is made perfect in weakness". Only when we are honest with God about our weaknesses and failures can He begin to show His great strength through our lives. This has nothing to do with this post, but I have included a picture from my last paddling trip the other day.

A Ride in the Shamu VW

As you know, my wife and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in San Antonio, TX. We stayed in a beautiful hotel near the Riverwalk and visited the local sites. The Alamo was a "must see" site since we both love history. And we enjoyed eating at Rio Rio's on the river. It was fun feeding the ducks who put on a good "starving" act as we ate. The ride on the river was educational and interesting, especially hearing about the architecture of the high-rises along the river. But, the best ride of the trip was Monday after our day at Sea World. Incidentally, Shamu the whale had a great show. The only thing I can't figure out is how Shamu can be in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando at the same time! Anyway, we were heading to our rental car at Sea World, but, it wasn't in the same place we left it (or so we thought). When we arrived I noticed a post with a big number 13 on it down the way a little. I told my wife "remember # 13". We searched the entire area around post number 13 and no blue Ford Escape. Scattered over the massive parking lot were employees in elevated platforms watching the parking lot. I went to the nearest one and asked "What do you do when you can't find your car?" She said, "Hold on, I will call for someone to help you." A guy with a VW bug pulled up. The VW was painted to look like Shamu! It even had a tail fin. So, I hopped in and drove around the parking lot for 20 minutes until we found the car. The funny thing (it wasn't funny then) was that if I had looked to the left when we parked, about 20 feet away was a post with a big #12 on it! The #13 post to the right was actually about 100 yards away! It was a blast riding in the VW Shamu though. Unfortunately, my wife forgot to get a picture.

30 Wonderful Years

My wife and I will be traveling soon to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We will be going to San Antonio, TX. We are staying near the Riverwalk and plan on visiting Sea World, The Riverwalk, The Alamo, and eating some Mexican cuisine (our favorite). My wife Debbie and I were married 30 years ago at Elm Grove Baptist Church in Bonner Springs, KS. We have spent the entire 30 years in full-time service in several churches. My wife is pretty, smart, godly, the consummate pastor's wife, first class mother to her children, and a world-class cook! Those attributes are not necessarily in order of importance. The last 30 years have been great. If I had it to do all over again, I would marry her in a heartbeat!

Monday was sunny and a balmy 39 degrees, so, I loaded up my kayak and headed for the lake. The only problem was that the edges of Hillsdale Lake were frozen. I might be able to get on the water, but there would be no way to get out. So, I headed for Miola Lake in Paola, where there was ice, but I would be able to put in and take out. I was able to paddle for about 45 minutes. I have had a severe case of cabin fever, so it was great to be able to get out on the water and breath fresh air and get some badly needed exercise. I often pray while out on the water, and Monday was no exception. I was able to thank the Lord for an encouraging Sunday at church. We had two saved and a good attendence. Take a look at the pictures and you will see the ice that covered about 30% of the lake.

Paddling Frozen Miola

It's not exactly Thursday morning at the Country Bean coffee-shop (the time I usually write this blog, it's Friday evening. I waited to write this week because I had the oppotunity to paddle on Thursday. I went to Miola Lake in Paola. Mi is for Miami County and ola is for Paola. The lake was 50% frozen, so I paddled in the center of the lake for about 30 minutes. The temperature was 39 degrees and it was sunny. My Humminbird depthfinder told me the water temperature was 38, and the deepest part of the lake was 30 feet. There were fish, but they were staying near the bottom where the water was warmer. My average paddling time is about an hour and a half, but 30 minutes is a blessing with the kind of winter we have had.
Sorry, I forgot my camera so no pictures this time.

Is Anyone Out There?

I don't think anyone is reading these blogs. I haven't seen any comments in a long time. I am going to test my theory by writing something off the wall. And, just as I suspect, there will be no comments, because no one is reading this stuff! I think I will continue to write them, though, because I hate to quit anything. And, it is a good exercise in writing skills to write on a regular basis. The biggest reason is I have an excuse to have a vanilla latte at the Country Bean. So, my very profound thought this week is this: If a tree falls in the woods, and there is no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound?

The Longest Winter Ever

Another Thursday morning at the Country Bean coffee shop in Paola and I am thinking about what seems like the longest winter ever! I have paddled once since mid-December, and nearly 30 inches of snow so far this season has greatly hindered our people from coming to church. We did see the sun for about one day yesterday! It is amazing how the sunshine can lift your spirit even though the temperature was only 34 degrees. Maybe that is a reminder that the SON can also lift your spirit! I am thankful that our joy depends on the Lord on the inside, rather than what the weather is doing on the outside! Walk with the Lord and let the SONshine shine all the time.

this too shall pass

It is Thursday morning and I am at the Country Bean coffeeshop in Paola. I am enjoying my customary vanilla latte while writing my "Thursday Morning @ the Country Bean" blog. Last night I counseled an individual who was facing many problems. I told them that "this too shall pass". I hope it was some encouragement in view of the fact that our trials and problems are often persistent, and God does not always lift them right away. In the gospels, the phrase "and it came to pass" is often found. I am thankful that our trials and adversities do not come to stay, they "come to pass". It may be cloudy for some time, but eventually, the sun will shine again!

Paddling Oz Lake

It has been seven long, cold, frozen weeks, but the weather and ice broke a little bit the other day and I was able to paddle a while! It was a balmy 36 degrees and sunny, so I loaded my 'yak and headed for Osawatomie Lake. 36 degrees is the coolest that I have paddled in. Thanksgiving day two years ago I paddled when it was 38 degrees at Horsetooth Lake in the foothills west of Ft. Collins Colo. Oz lake is not a big lake, but it is big enough when you haven't paddled in nearly two months. My Hummingbird fishfinder told me the water temperature was 37 degrees, and the fish were pretty much near the bottom of the lake. The deepest part of Oz Lake is 27 feet. You may have to come back to this site again to see the pictures. I will probably need to have my wife load them to this site this evening. I am signing off from the Country Bean coffeeshop in Paola.

The Crisis in Haiti

I am sitting in the Country Bean coffee shop writing my weekly blog and contemplating a couple of things. First, I have not been able to paddle for over a month. Last winter, I paddled just about every other week. But this year, it has just been too cold. And, it is pretty hard to paddle when the water is frozen over with ice! The other thing I have been thinking about is the fact that paddling really doesn't matter that much when one considers the huge loss of life in Haiti due to the 7.0 earthquake. They have estimated that at this point, 200,000 have died. They have buried 80,000 in mass graves. Two million are homeless. To put that in perspective, 200,000 souls passed into eternity, either Heaven or Hell. If an individual had trusted Jesus Christ as personal Savior they went to be with the Lord. If they had never heard the gospel and never relied upon Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, they died and awakened in the fires of Hell. That is a sobering thought. I know from my missions trip in Haiti several years ago that there are many believers there. 54 were saved in the services that I preached. But, I also know that there are many more who are lost. It is a miserable thing to be lost, but, it is doubly miserable to be lost and without hope in a desperate crisis such as has overtaken Haiti. Some have asked where God was in the tragic crisis that has happened in Haiti. Quite simply, God is there every time someone is pulled alive from the rubble. He is there with the pouring out of compassion and supplies from every area of the globe. He is there with the men of God who are preaching the gospel.

My Grace is Sufficient

We should not presume on the future. We should plan, but keep in mind that God has the option to change those plans at will. God's Word warns us to approach life with the idea that if God is willing we will fulfill our plans. So far, this year has turned out to be nothing like I had planned. Frankly, it has been one trial after another since the day after Christmas. But that's o.k. God's grace is sufficient. I know that my only responsibility is to just be faithful. One of the trials I have faced this year is the crisis in Haiti. I vividly remember my time there several years ago. I remember the extreme poverty, the sweet spirit of the Haitian Christians, and their openess to the Gospel. I remember that 54 Haitians came forward in the invitations for salvation after I preached each night. I know that Haiti was in no way prepared for the devastation that befell them with a 7.0 earthquake. Very little worked right in Haiti with the best of conditions. Some are estimating that 500,00 could be killed. They will probably never have an accurate death toll. But, with all this, I also know that God's Word says, "my grace is sufficient for thee". God's grace is sufficient for any situation.

Life Can Turn On A Dime

I like to write this blog at the Country Bean coffee-shop with a vanilla latte, but the weather has not cooperated, so, I am writing this in my living room with a Coke. Life can certainly turn on a dime! After many winters with minimal snowfall, it seems we are making up for it this year. I had big plans for this new year. I always look forward to a new year with fresh goals and new beginnings. I had some great goals (I still do) that I could not wait to share with our church on the first Sunday of the year. A snow storm hit Saturday evening and I shared the goals with a handful of people. Another storm hit Wednesday evening and so just another handful of people at church. So far this year, very few have been able to make it to church. I totally understand though. I don't want anyone to get hurt trying to get to church. My point is, life can turn on a dime. Our best laid plans can get sidetracked. I also had some plans to paddle this winter whenever the temperature was above 32. We're having some of the coldest temps in many years. The temperature is 8 degrees as I write, and Hillsdale Lake is 100% ice covered! Life can turn on a dime. We (I) need to realize that God knows best! The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths". We should plan, but realize that God has the option to change those plans anytime He sees fit.