Saturday, March 13, 2004
NEW AND OLD PICTURES
3-13-04
Several people emailed me to say they had trouble seeing the pictures.
I have begun with a new service PhotoSite www.photosite.com
They publish 500 photos for 6 months at only $27.99 with a $10 set up fee.
And the first month is FREE.
Photos have been my weakness for years.
The fund raising seminars say to include LOTS of photos.
My web sites and email have many words without any pictures.
When I assist international students to prepare a support letter, I emphasize photos.
But I have not followed that wise advise until TODAY.
This service is super easy to use and promote.
I will have link from my web sites.
Pray for me to add photos in the coming weeks and months.
Note that one of the hobbies I have considered is presented here.
I would like to take and share digital pictures of flowers.
If you choose to create a PhotoSite then send me your link.
If you have other photos online then send me your link.
Here is my link.
http://fellowpilgrim.photosite.com
Send me your comments, please.
John 10:44 AM
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
TUESDAY BRIEFING
3-9-04
ALL glory to God in Jesus Name!
May you remember that God is ALWAYS good, no matter the circumstances.
May you trust the promises of God with ALL your heart.
May God grant you refreshing hope and sparkling joy for EACH new day.
Amen?
COMPLETED
1. During the trip to and from Colorado I prayed some of the strongest prayers of surrender and submission to God’s will that I have in a long while. Mind you I do the best I can a few times a week. But partly due to the atmosphere of prayers and nothing much else to do in the plane seat I went for it 100 percent.
2. Also after various phases of submission and surrender I asked BOLDLY for BIG changes. I felt confident faith. So get ready for BEAUTIFUL improvements in the coming weeks.
3. God was faithful to grant me many and various insights that I wrote down.
4. After unpacking and writing the Colorado Report I began to process the many new notes from the times in the planes and airports. A few of these ideas were brand new. Mostly they dealt with better focus and clearer priorities. The big blessing was several brief ways to express key parts of the emerging ministry.
5. While reviewing the notes I recalled related notes in my various files. So earlier today I went through all the papers and put the ones needed for this immediate phase on the dinette table that serves as a second desk. I began to see the fullness of what God has been revealing to me for more than a decade.
CURRENT
A. Currently the papers mentioned previously are all in a lumpy heap.
B. Soon they will be sorted into a few major piles.
C. The piles will have different degrees of details on related matters.
D. I will write into the PC the key concepts in each category.
E. Most of these papers will move into hanging file folders for easy assess. I will be careful not to get bogged down in getting too detailed while reorganizing all the files. I just need the papers for the next few months in a handy and orderly form.
F. I will look at the key concepts through the lens of the new perspective. And I will seek to communicate this clearly.
UPCOMING
i. The next Big Step is to write the script for the face-to-face presentation. I have already written various parts. The process mentioned above will help to make this more streamlined.
ii. Lord willing I will soon publish parts of this script on the web site for your prayers and feed back.
iii. Some people had trouble seeing the Colorado pictures so I will be presenting them in a different format with the week I hope.
IMAGES
Many asked if I enjoyed visiting my family in Colorado.
The image is like paying taxes.
It is the right and necessary thing to do.
It was not refreshing like a vacation is meant to be.
Another image is like going to the dentist … not pleasant but important.
Honoring my father pleases God.
It is my duty to see him once in a long while.
That is all he want of me besides a monthly phone call.
The visit was not all bad.
I ate great.
I enjoyed every minute with my brother.
Some day I hope to return and take long walks in nature just with him.
RESOURCES
A zillion light bulb jokes http://www.eyrie.org/~thad/strange/lightbulbs.html
Discount software see www.inksoft.com
Ear Saver is for soothing nature sounds and music. It helps me http://earsaver.com/
Here is a nature site for home school www.auduboninstitute.org
If you wish to unsubscribe then just let me know by reply email.
John 11:18 PM
Monday, March 08, 2004
Colorado report
3-8-04
THANKS again for your prayers.
I could feel them like I never had before.
God blessed us during the brief visit.
FATHER
My father retired in 1989.
He began in earnest to research the family tree.
During this visit he shared his findings.
There were more than 500 names.
A few went back to the 1700s.
This was arranged in a special genealogical software.
Using this the individuals and family tree could be seen from many views.
For your information the program is Family Tree Maker www.familytreemaker.com
My father, brother and nephew were born in Houston Texas.
His parents were born in Canada.
This went back a few generations.
Then before that they came from Scotland, England and North Ireland.
He told fascinating stories about his father and grandfather.
He had photos of them I had never seen.
I learned how entrepreneurial my father, grandfather and great grandfather had been.
He gave us a copy of his 37 page autobiography.
It had new information about his childhood, military years, hobbies and much more.
My father and I had many long and pleasant private conversations.
May God guide and bless him in completing the genealogy research.
May God guide him in to other meaningful activities.
BROTHER
My brother has the gift of hospitality like my dad.
It made things very comfortable and enjoyable for us.
He had complied a LONG list of options.
We chose what to do and adjusted according to the weather and energy.
For example we visited an aircraft museum.
There were all kinds of airplanes and helicopters.
The emphasis was on WWII planes and memorabilia.
Again I was reminded of the sacrifices they made to insure our freedoms.
The altitude of Pueblo West is almost one mile.
My 80 year old dad was easily winded at this height.
So active outdoor options were avoided.
My brother has been a web developer for many years.
He is in the process of migrating to producing videos.
He wants to eventually make documentaries and feature films.
He has been studying screen writing, story telling and video directing for 3 years.
He has taken classes and read many books.
He has just started learning by making his first wedding video.
He is taking video classes at the community college.
During our visit we went to the home of the owner of a fitness center.
There Jim interviewed him for a 29 minute show on public access TV.
He had already shot plenty of footage at of those working out at the center.
This is a good blend of Jim’s technical and creative energies.
He needs fund to buy the camera, lights and editing software.
May God guide him to make this transition smoothly and profitably.
NEPHEW
Trevor is very energetic.
He is constantly talking, moving, playing a video game or reading.
We played many games of pool and hours of a board game named Cashflow.
Jim said that he quickly mastered the child version.
He has beat Jim all but one time on the adult version.
This is a game to teach about investing in stocks and real estate.
I would highly recommend it for any child or adult.
It comes from Rich Dad company who teaches how to increase your passive income.
You can go to www.richdad.com
Trevor likes to play drums, dance and has acted in children drama classes.
His favorite subject is Star Wars.
He received a Star Wars video for his 12th birthday on Thursday with many other gifts.
Did you know that there are more than 80 Star Wars books written?
Trevor has heard more than 30 as book on tape.
My brother and he visit the library twice a week.
They borrow a wide range of books, videos and books on tape.
Trevor is being home schooled.
He took the standardized test last year.
He ranked one grade level above those his age.
My concern is in this avid interest in the Harry Potter books and videos.
This is a good season to explore options.
And sooner than later it would be good to choose a few to excel at.
May God guide in that choice.
COOKING
Wow I sure did eat well.
It was workout for my stomach.
My dad and brother are both good cooks.
So much of the day was involved with shopping and cooking.
That set me free to spend one-on-one time with Trevor.
The four of us together made a batch of cookies.
This was special because it came from the recipe of dad’s favorite aunt.
He had not tasted them in 54 years.
They had raisins and nuts.
They did not flatten out like usual cookies on a pan.
They stayed in the same clumps.
They are named Rocks
I rarely cook.
Instead I make salads, sandwiches and other quick dishes for myself.
Watching them helped me to appreciate the time that goes into each meal.
I confess that I have not been very grateful for those who have cooked for me.
MIRRORS
Most of these four days was spent together in Jim’s house or car.
At times it was like looking into a mirror.
As I saw Jim correct his sons’ table manners that mirrored my past.
The ways dad related to me, my brother and nephew mirrored memories.
He still has a hot temper that is just under the surface.
Several times there were quick bursts of anger and cursing.
As an outside observer I could appreciate how taxing an energetic boy can be.
NOTES
There were many hours involved in the commute to Colorado.
My father used his frequent flyer miles to get me there and back.
Thus I went from Dallas to Houston on Delta Airlines.
There was a 5 hour layover there.
Then it was on to Colorado Springs where my family met me.
On the way back I flew Northwest Airline through St Paul.
The lay over was 90 minutes.
These longer trips provided much time for prayer, reflection and journaling.
Also I read.
At many intervals God granted me many insights.
I return with many treasures including better focus for the emerging ministry.
LETTER
By the grace of God I did write a letter of thank to my dad.
I did share it with him during a quiet part of the morning.
He read it and said that is very nice.
There was no discussion after reading.
He just changed the subject.
I have published it on a blog.
Thank you letter to my dad is here http://fellowpilgrimblog.blogspot.com/
FAMILY
These are the biological members of my family.
I was the guest of my father and brother.
They are unbelievers.
They know from our monthly phone calls that following Jesus dominates my life.
I did not find an open door to share the gospel.
The experience was pleasant.
But not having God and Christ in the conversations made them shallow.
At one point I shared the passion and vision for the emerging ministry.
My dad said more power to you.
Then he changed the subject.
He cannot resonate with the priority of obeying the Word of God.
Jesus said that those who do the will of God are members of your real family.
From the divine perspective I have a huge and loving family.
PICTURES
Here is a link to some of the pictures I took.
Note that my father’s nickname in Hawaii is Papa John.
Here is the link http://www.hisstewardshipministries.homestead.com/JSO_pix.html
John 10:20 PM
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