My sincere apologies to all who periodically checked my blog and found I was only able to write a few times during our time in England.  The primary factors for my infrequent writing were: lack of time, lack of internet availability after our first week and sharing Don’s computer with him.  I was disappointed in not being able to chronicle our experiences while there, but am determined to share some of the highlights with you in the upcoming days and weeks.

I know some who read my blog are Jane Austen fans, so I will tell you it was a great privilege to see the house where she lived after becoming ill, and to see her grave which is inside Winchester Cathedral.  I found the inscription on her gravestone to be beautifully written and filled with deep admiration for her.

Reading this lovely tribute made me think of her, not simply as  someone who wrote great stories, but rather as a real person.  I wondered. . .  what did she like to eat and what were her favorite places to visit?  What made her laugh — and when she laughed, how did it sound?  What was her favorite color, her favorite season?  I wished I could have sat with her and asked about her love for writing and how she found her inspiration.  But most of all, I longed to ask her about her relationship with God.  For upon her grave it states,

“but in their deepest affliction they are consoled by a firm though humble hope that her charity, devotion, faith and purity have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.”

. . . have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.   How awesome is that!  Famous author — tremendous earthly honor!!  Knowing her Redeemer — Eternal reward!

In Memory of JANE AUSTEN, youngest daughter of the late Revd GEORGE AUSTEN, formerly Rector of Steventon in this County. She departed this Life on the 18th of July 1817, aged 41, after a long illness supported with the patience and the hopes of a Christian. The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her and the warmest love of her intimate connections. Their grief is in proportion to their affection, they know their loss to be irreparable, but in their deepest affliction they are consoled by a firm though humble hope that her charity, devotion, faith and purity have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.

A brass tablet was added at a later date.
Jane Austen. Known to many by her writings, endeared to her family by the varied charms of her character and ennobled by her Christian faith and piety was born at Steventon in the County of Hants, December 16 1775 and buried in the Cathedral July 18 1817. “She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Looking down the street at the Town Centre

Our hearts are so saddened by the news of our friend Dan Thompson’s passing, and have found it hard to be in another country when a friend passes away and there is no way to get back in time for the visitation or funeral.  After hearing the news yesterday, we gathered with our new friends, Geoff and Mary to pray for the Thompson family; and while praying, my heart was deeply moved with the realization of how quickly we had become knit in spirit to them, and how incredible the body of Christ truly is!!

Today, we began with breakfast together and then spent several hours around Geoff and Mary’s dining room table, learning about the Pastoral Training Course and tossing around multiple ideas and strategies for using this model in our U.S. Family of churches.  When it appeared our brains had hit overload, we stopped, took a short break and then headed out for a walk around their community.  The weather was crispy-cold, with some rain off and on, but we weren’t to be deterred.  We were looking forward to seeing more of this amazing country.

Our walk through the streets of Witney, presented us with history dating back to the 1400′s and sometimes even earlier.  Yet, around the corner could be found urban supermarkets, restaurants and coffee shops.  It felt  inviting and quaint, old and new, cold yet cozy all rolled into one.  It was if we were in an old BBC movie one moment and the next we were in present day UK.  One of the highlights of the day was the hour and a half conversation we shared over coffee/tea at a “lovely” coffee shop in the Town Center.

I’ll post some pictures of the town and the coffee shop.  Enjoy!

The Clock Tower in the Town Centre

St. Mary's Church built in the 1200's!

Enjoying coffee and tea with our wonderful new friends Geoff & Mary Norridge.

This one is for Paul & Revonna -- a glimpse of the coffee shop where we chatted away the afternoon!

Lovely building in the middle of town

The couple on the right are Geoff & Mary Norridge, who lead the Pastoral Training Course (PTC), along with the man on their left Barrie Wood and his wife (not pictured) Mary.  We were privileged to participate in the PTC on Saturday, February 13, 2010.  We met people from various places in the UK, and learned right along with them some important lessons on Pastoral Counseling, Street Pastors, and Conflict Resolution.  We also participated in small group discussions on Discipleship.  Each session was dynamic in content, and challenging in application.  The PTC takes place once a month for 10 months and is designed for anyone who finds themselves pastoring people.  Small group leaders, pastors, teachers, administrators, doctors, nurses or any other people in the market place who oversee others.

Don & I are staying with Geoff & Mary here in the UK and spent today sight seeing at a beautiful palace called Blenheim Palace.  If you follow the link you will see beautiful pictures of Blenheim.  It is an amazing place!  You’ll have to see the pictures on the website to appreciate how beautiful it is.  It is the birth place of Winston Churchill.

While sightseeing, we spent a great deal of time sharing together about PTC and the spiritual foundations within it.  We were stirred and challenged by listening to Geoff and Mary share how it began, the changes they’ve made over the years and how Salt & Light churches have benefited by having their people go through it on a regular basis.  It has been offered to churches for the past 10 years and is bearing amazing fruit.  Don & I will be bringing this concept home and allowing the Lord to help us implement it among our Family of Churches in the U.S.  The content of PTC is far too vast to share here and we are would be remiss to try.

Suffice it to say we are on a huge learning curve during this time and we find ourselves very excited to see what the future holds, not only for us, but for our Family of Churches!

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be nicely situated in this lovely home in the UK. After you read this post, you’ll see why!

My husband Don met with his pastor’s small group and had them pray over him for our trip to England. During their prayer time they sensed that obstacles would come our way during our trip over, but the Lord wanted us to stay positive, stay in faith and trust Him with the outcomes. The encouragement those men gave through their prayers was what we grabbed onto throughout our trip to London. With each obstacle we hit, we turned our hearts toward the Lord, sought His help and encouraged one another to stay in faith.

Only minutes after checking in at the airport in Omaha we discovered our flight was delayed into Detroit. If it was much more delayed we would miss our flight into London. A few minutes later, we were looking at an even later delay therefore we would need a new flight plan for London. Arriving late in Detroit, we discovered we were now re-routed to Amsterdam and then on into London, pushing our arrival into the early afternoon hours instead of the early morning.

We boarded our plane in Detroit, found ourselves seated to a wonderful young man going home to Saudi Arabia and after quite a long time of chatting with him we heard the captain announcing we were going to need de-icing before taking off. Another long period of time passed and the captain reported one of the engines wouldn’t start and maintenance was being called to help. More time passed, the engine started, now we needed re-fueling again. More time passed and we wondered why we hadn’t taken off. I looked at my watch and discovered we had been sitting there for 2 hours. Again, the Captain’s voice came over the speakers in the cabin re-capping the things I’ve just stated. However, he then added information which made the already-mounting-tension in the cabin, mount even more. Homeland Security was looking for a suspicious piece of luggage and felt it was possibly in the baggage area in the belly of our plane. We were asked to move back into the gate so they could go through the luggage. At this point I started texting our children and others to pray for us. Even though the tension inside the cabin was high, our hearts remained peaceful. We joined hands, prayed and committed ourselves, the people on board with us and the situation, into the Lord’s hands. More time passed . . . . no luggage was found and we were given clearance to fly. Three hours from our original departure time we were in the air headed to Amsterdam. We were thankful!

After landing in Amsterdam we were once again asked to remain on board the plane because there had been an emergency medical situation with one passenger, so the emergency people needed to get on board and check her out first. Another amount of time lapsed and we were finally walking off the plane to find out what new flight had been arranged for us due to our very late arrival. We were to board another flight in a little over an hour, arriving in London at 6:00 p.m. — eleven hours later than our original time of arrival. We boarded our flight to London, had a very smooth flight and went to pick up our luggage. Except . . . there was no luggage. Fortunately we had packed one set of clothing in our carry-on just in case something like this happened. Our hosts were waiting for us and helped us with the details of where to have the luggage sent once it arrived. We were so very thankful to finally have arrived in London, to have met our new friends Geoff and Mary, and were now on our way to a Pastoral Training Course in Derby.

We are so grateful to the Lord for the awareness of His grace and help throughout our trip. We are also thankful for His words of direction and encouragement through Don’s friends in his small group! I’ll post more later about the Pastoral Training Course and our wonderful time at church today! We miss all of you at CFC and of course our children and grandchildren! Thank you all for your prayers! I “shudder to think” what our flights would have been like had there been no prayer. God is good!!

About a week from now, Don and I will pack our bags and fly “across the pond” to the UK for a two week visit.  We are very excited about this trip and feel it has a great sense of “destiny” to it.  While there we will meet with a couple who teach a Pastoral Training Course to the Salt & Light churches in Europe, Scandinavia, Africa and India.   After the Training Course, our daughter Stephanie will join us in Oxford, UK where we will attend the European Leaders Conference for Salt & Light.  Once the conference ends we will head to Basingstoke, UK to visit our friends Dave & Chris, and then it’s on to London where we will have great fun seeing the “sights” before returning home!

As we prepare to leave and also during our time away, my intent is to write frequent posts to keep our family, church family and friends updated on our travels and experiences.  As we meet new friends, we want all of you to meet them too.  We believe these days are going to be significant days for all of us, and we want you to be a part of it!  I’ll do my best to capsulize our days and not bore you, so stop by often if you can!

Whispered giggles floated down the pitch black hallway and a thud sounded as a child’s hushed voice said, “Ow, my knee.” More whispered giggles in the distance, then a moment later . . . total silence.

The eerie silence made me completely aware I was all alone. Where could they be? My knees were killing me, but I was determined to track them down. I rounded the corner into the bathroom and heard a stifled giggle. Reaching out with my hand I grabbed someone’s hair while touching another’s limb. Laughter erupted from the entire group.

“What took you so long, Mom?” “Where have you been?” “We’ve been stuck in here, on top of each other FOREVER!” “Somebody turn the lights on so we can get out of here.” With that the lights came on and everyone began untangling themselves so we could play it again!

One of our commitments to our children as they were growing up, was to have Family Night on a certain day almost every week.  Family night was a special time to focus on the kids and things they wanted to do.  We would play games, eat pizza (or some other favorite meal), watch a movie together — you get the idea.

“Sardines” was the name of their favorite game and was played with all the lights out in the house. ( Needless to say we played it when the all the children were old enough to participate without being scared.)  Once the lights were out, we would pick one person to go and hide. Then we would all (including Don & I) silently crawl around the house looking for the family member who was hiding. If one of us found them we had to be quiet and remain there with them until all the others found us.  Hence, the name Sardines — we were all crowded into one hiding place — sometimes stacked on top of one another.

Recently, someone noticed our adult children’s  interactions with one another and remarked to my husband Don, that they were impressed by how close the kids are and how much fun they have when they’re together.  This touched my heart and I wondered what had helped to create their closeness.

I decided . . .  it had to be playing Sardines!

We had just moved into our home after living in an apartment for over a year, when the doorbell rang and there, on my doorstep, was a beautiful lady with a loaf of banana bread in her hands. As she handed me the bread, she introduced herself in her sweet-sounding southern accent and said, “Hi, I’m Linda. Welcome to the neighborhood, y’all.” It was music to my ears and I sensed an immediate bonding in my heart. I had prayed God would connect me to the neighbors we would have in this new neighborhood, and it was happening already. I was delighted to have encountered Linda!

Our paths continued to cross as our children met and began to play together daily. She extended her beautiful southern hospitality to us and we sat at her dining room table just a few weeks after meeting her and her husband, John. It was a festive evening and we went away full — in our tummies and in our hearts. Once again, I sensed something of a “kindred spirit” with her.

As time passed I invited her to the bible study I was leading for women in our church and she came with an open heart. It just happened that we were traveling to a women’s retreat in the very near future, so I called her and asked her to come along. She said yes! Little did either of us realize how dramatically her life would change that weekend as she responded to Jesus and asked Him to enter her heart and life.

After that weekend, our lives were entwined even more deeply as we spent many hours together. We would meet over cups of tea, or salad lunches and talk non-stop about the Bible and it’s truths. Her desire to know God and His ways was simply unquenchable. We would pray for her husband and children to give their lives to God. . . . and before much time had passed her husband did give his heart to Jesus. Her children followed too. Those were rich days filled with God’s love and accompanied with loads of laughter!

Linda had an uncanny way of knowing when I needed a friend. There were many occasions, when she had no idea I was in the midst of a struggle — my phone would ring and she would ask my husband and I to dinner. Her ability to “nurture” people through her gift of hospitality made sitting at Linda’s table akin to being given a huge loving embrace! There was always amazing food, rich fellowship, much laughter and a deep awareness of “care” being given to us. The love she and John showered on us would fill us to overflowing and we would leave their home comforted! On more than one occasion, Linda’s hospitality touched deep places in my heart and healed me.

Today is Linda’s birthday and I want to dedicate this blog post to her because she has been such a faithful and loving friend to me. She no longer lives just two doors away from me, but instead lives in another state. However, distance can not separate the love and honor I hold in my heart for her. We still share the same love for God, for family and for our local churches that we shared so long ago. Her faith is an inspiration to me and I am grateful to God for giving her that southern hospitality which caused her to bake a loaf of banana bread, knock on my door and welcome me into the neighborhood. She may have thought she was welcoming me into the neighborhood, but in reality, she was welcoming me into her heart and life!

Thanks Linda — I will be forever grateful for YOU! Happy Birthday!

As the phone rang at 5 a.m. I wondered if this was it — the expected, yet unwanted phone call. It was. At 91 years of age, my husband’s mom, Opal, went to bed last Sunday evening and simply awakened on the other side of the veil.

In her latter years, on two separate occasions, Opal lived with us, due to her declining physical and mental health. Dementia was taking it’s toll on her mind and it was difficult watching her daily fight to retain her memory. Often she would spend the entire day piecing together her genealogy and then writing it multiple times in an effort to preserve it. Throughout her quest she needed answers regarding who was still alive and to whom she belonged or had been married to and who her children, grandchildren and friends were. Some days she knew she was living with us and other days she was back in her own home wondering where her wonderful husband, Lloyd had gone. A sense of longing and sadness accompanied this disease and throughout her struggle I began to understand a unique truth.

You see, the memories concerning our relationships to parents, siblings, spouses, children and grandchildren are what make us who we are now. As Opal slowly lost those memories, she also lost her identity. Her place in life was established by who she knew and loved and by those who knew and loved her. Her “people” were the most important part of her life, and as the years went by and the ability to remember them faded — so did she.

There is a phrase found in the Old Testament when it speaks of the death of a patriarch or matriarch which says, “. . . and he was gathered to his people.” Although my understanding of heaven is limited, I gain immense peace as I imagine Jesus coming to Opal while she slept, gathering her in His loving arms and bringing her to all her loved ones who had gone before her. It surely had to have been an incredible reunion. For at long last she had found “her people”!

To God be the glory!

Sumatran Tiger >Originally uploaded by tropicaLiving

As I face each new day, I find myself agreeing with C.S. Lewis’ observation that:

“The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.”

But we must respond in kind: “The first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (SanFrancisco, CA: Harper, 2001), 198.

Early in December I wrote a post called “A Special Christmas Tradition”. In it I shared a Christmas tradition we had started when the kids were little, and then asked others to share theirs. Some shared them on the blog, some told me in person, and some emailed me. My dear friend Annette, sent me an email with their family’s tradition and it grabbed hold of my heart. I asked her permission to share it here because I think it will be something many of us may want to incorporate in years to come. I know our family does.

I’m going to quote Annette as she shares with me their family tradition. (Annette’s husband’s name is Woody.)

“It was many years ago, probably 20 or so in my devotions that I was praying how we could make Christmas Christ-centered for our kids………I kept praying, day after day and one morning this came to mind. So you see, it was really from Him in the first place. It has been a rich family tradition for us.

The week before Christmas, each member of our family, (now our daughters-in-law too) write a gift to the Lord, our own gift that is of ourselves to Him. We each, sometime during the week, put it on the tree in an envelope that says “Jesus”. As the kids have gotten older, it is something we ask them to “prayerfully” do. Then Christmas morning before any gifts are distributed or things get going, we sit around the tree. Everyone takes their own gift to Jesus off the tree. Each year a family member is selected to read the Christmas story, and after that is done, usually from youngest to oldest we read our gift out loud — what we are giving to the Lord this next year. Something of ourselves, our walk, something we need to trust Him with, etc., you get the picture…..
When that is done, through many tears, Woody takes all of them in hand, we gather in a circle and he prays over our gifts.

It truly has become more sweeter and precious through time. Now as the kids are older, they see the meaning in it all. Also, I keep the requests in my prayer journal over the year and pray over them. And I have kept them from when the boys were 5 and 6 years old.”

What a beautiful tradition to have instilled in the lives of their children and now into their spouses and one day into their grandchildren! I love it!

We “tried” to start this tradition this year, but failed to accomplish it completely. Some of us put our gifts on the tree, but some didn’t get them done. Then, due to weather-related issues we were unable to gather everyone for the reading of our gifts. However, when our little granddaughters Claire and Ada, (who love to write notes and will spend oodles of time standing at my desk in the kitchen writing and drawing), learned they were to write something to Jesus, they immediately did so! Both put their gifts on the tree along with others from our family.

Don & I took the various envelopes down from the tree this morning and read them. You can view our granddaughter’s notes in the picture above and below. Even though we didn’t accomplish it as an entire family this Christmas, I’d say it’s begun in our hearts! And by next Christmas I’m sure it will come to fruition!

Thanks Annette, for sharing the gift God gave your family! It is a treasure!