He's That Kind of Man

I've been blessed by being able to visit my daughter and her husband these past few days, and have been able to enjoy the grandkids. How wonderful it is to be here to be with them for a bit! I'm so thankful the Lord has allowed me spend some time with them.

My son-in-law is now the pastor of the church, and he's doing a really great job. He may be young, but he's got a definite idea of what the Lord wants him to do, and he's heading that direction. Saturday, he hosted a youth rally at his church (we got to sing, and my hubby preached!), and two folks trusted Christ as their Saviour. I've really enjoyed hearing him moderate the meetings, and especially I got a blessing out of his preaching.

But the real blessing was not in the pulpit, but on the street. He drives the church bus to pick up kids for church, and of course has a schedule to keep, being the pastor and all! This morning, however, he was driving the church bus picking up children when he saw a car with a flat tire along the side of the road. "It was a mother with two small children," he said later, "so I went ahead and pulled over to help them."

So, with the clock ticking away, Pastor was under a car, helping someone get back on the road again. Unfortunately, the spare tire was rusted onto the frame of the vehicle, so he just took them to their destination - another church! I can only imagine how difficult that must have been, to help someone with only minutes to spare, knowing that there would be no recompense for his service. (Reminds me a bit of a Bible story...)

Now he was running late, covered with dirt, grime and rust. He arrived at the church, dove into the shower, changed, ran out and taught Sunday School! That's the kind of man my daughter married.

People around here know that if they need help, he's that kind of man. If they need someone to pray for them, he's that kind of man. And if they need someone to point them to Jesus, he's that kind of man.

Thank you, Matt, for being sensitive to the Lord - for being that kind of man! We thank God for you!

By the way, we'll be visiting with the grandkids (and their parents!) for the week! You'll hear about it later! ;)

The Ogre of the Rolling Raub Ranch

Driving through Wisconsin, we're having good driving weather and great safety. Good driving weather, to us, is an overcast day, and maybe some light sprinkles. That means we don't roast in our tin oven on wheels! And then, of course, safety means that the white cloud of smoke we saw coming from the trailer we pull really was nothing, and we didn't run into the eighteen wheeler who honked at us as we pulled out. A few close calls here and there, but, as Ma Ingalls says, "All's well that ends well."

We've not been near any military bases within the past week or so, and I really miss it. But, thankfully, the Lord is opening up opportunities to still impact the military for Jesus. A church in Kentucky has taken our ministry on as a project, and they took it upon themselves to work with Bearing Precious Seed in Milton, Ohio to create a beautiful full-color cover for a John-Romans for our ministry. Then, they also paid for production of about 8,000 of them, and called us to ask where to send them. Well, wouldn't you know that the three bases we've just been at are wanting materials to pass out on their bases!! I think it's amazing how God works on one side of the country to bring about the desired effects on the other side of the country, and how God uses His people, poor and dumb as we are sometimes, to put forth His Word! Praise His Holy Name! So, within a few days, there will be some wonderful John/Romans with "Compliments of Eagles' Wings Military Ministry" on the back going out into three different bases across the United States! God is so good.

Family wise, we finished up our second week of school. It's been easy and rough at the same time. Most children are doing great, and one is having some problems. It makes it very difficult for me, because not only do I need to teach Jason second grade and grade four students' worth of papers, but I also have to keep calling back some people to do their work right, or complete their work, etc. I feel like The Ogre of Rolling Raub Ranch, but I have do keep some semblance of discipline amongst the troops.

I've been working bit by bit on my book, though, and I enjoy that. It is difficult, though, because the subject matter is very pertinent. To those of you who are praying for me about that, I want to thank you and ask you to keep it up! It will be a loooong time before it is finished, but I do not intend to let it go.

A verse for today: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Prov 3:5-6 How much we can trust Him! How faithful He is! How good to know that He wants us to trust Him! May we give ourselves completely to Him, as a living sacrifice.

I'm Back - and that's a threat! :)

It's been a busy time, with meetings and now school has started for us. We are currently parked in the Indianapolis area, but we are moving out today to head to another little town that no one has ever heard of.

It sure was great to see the boys, and to sing with them almost every night of the Jubilee. One of the things I love, I mean love, is to sing with my family. It is the greatest joy of my soul to sing the praises of Him who has done so much for me with the dear ones I love more than anyone on earth. Now, the girls and I have been practicing so that we can get used to singing without the boys, and so we can have a few new songs...just for us.

Today I will try to take Jason back to the dentist, because the spacer that was put on on Saturday is hurting him. Maybe he can file down the rough parts a little.

To those who have started school already, never fear! As the Lord has pulled you through each year until now, He will do it again.

Verse for today: "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even forever." Psalm 125:2 AMEN!

Opportunities, Interviews, and Overload...

...and our great Loadbearer!

We spent a lot of last week driving from Kansas to Indiana, where we picked up a new air conditioner. (Praise the Lord!) Arriving an hour before sunset, my husband immediately set to work installing it. It took him a few hours, but now we have all our a/c's working again! Most likely, unless you've spent much time living in an RV in the summer (with several other warm bodies), it's hard to realize just how wonderful air conditioning is. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His blessing!

Here in Indiana, we were privileged to be at a church that has a burden to reach Camp Atterbury, a reserve base which is going to be increasing in size considerably. The church is only fifteen minutes away from the base, so we are hoping and praying that someone there will be able to work a ministry.

Now we are at a meeting in southern Indiana. Jonathan and Stephen are coming out to be with us for the week, and we are all simply delirious to see them. We haven't been with Jonathan for a month, and haven't seen Stephen for about four months, so we are all looking forward to visiting with them.

It will be a busy week, however, with meetings every morning and every evening. It is also one of the best meetings I've ever been in, and I've been looking forward to it ever since the Jubilee last year!

Also, I am hoping to interview a bunch of people for my book project. Please pray for me about this, because I feel this is very important, and that this is a prime opportunity to get the information I need. Especially pray that the Lord will give me wisdom as I write, that I will be able to adequately express the principles that I am discovering.

This will make for a very busy week, so I will not be posting for at least a week. Thank you all for your patience!

Verse for today: "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." (Psalm 61:2-4)

Sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed, especially with what I call "sensory overload," lots of auditory stimulation going on in the background (or foreground) all the time. Sometimes the greatness of the load we carry is overwhelming, or the pain we face on a daily basis. I thank the Lord that we have a shelter: His great and loving wings, which protect us from the tempest. Thank God for His care for us!

Another Casualty...

We had some good meetings at a church near McConnel AFB. It is a blessing that these past three churches we’ve been in by military bases all want us to come back to help them establish ministries to reach the airmen. One of the main purposes for this trip through here has been to help establish a relationship with the churches, and present them with their options for reaching their local bases. Then, once they understand the possibilities and options, they can pray about it, and the Lord can touch the heart of someone in the church to work the base. It seems like a long, drawn out procedure, but it is necessary to establish a ministry that will last.

Meanwhile, there has been another casualty from the power surge we experienced the other week. Our back air conditioner bit the dust, which is very sad, because it for our bedroom. Our room is about eight feet wide, seven feet long, and the distance from floor to ceiling is about six feet, two inches, so it’s easy to feel claustrophobic. I don’t mind when the air is nice and cool, but when it gets stuffy and hot, it is virtually unbearable. This past Sunday, when it was time for the regularly scheduled Sunday afternoon nap, it had to have been at least one hundred degrees in there! I decided to move, and got into Lydia’s little cubbyhole, after setting up a myriad of fans to direct cool air back to the bedroom. Awhile later, after it had cooled down quite a bit, I checked to temperature, and it read, “90 degrees!”

Thankfully, on Monday, My Beloved took the front a/c, which we don’t use much but still works, and switched it with the back a/c. Whew! I was finally able to sleep Monday night!

Today, we are driving across Kansas. With the heat index somewhere around 105 degrees, I am praying that our generator and air conditioners keep up!

Verse for today: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 We will always have hard times, setbacks, and trials, but our God is stronger than them all! It is not whether we can handle it, but can God handle it. I know He can!

Could It Be Sacrifice?

We had an uneventful drive up to Wichita, Kansas, yesterday. Those are the kinds of trips I like! I'm thankful to the Lord that the engine did not overheat, and the generator, though it still ran hot, didn't overheat either, largely due to my husband's opening of a bay door while we drove. It's not the prettiest setup, but it works!

Here, we're close to McConnell Air Force Base, and Lord willing, we will be able to ascertain what is going on as far as ministry-wise on the base. Please pray that the Lord will continue to open doors, and that whatever He has in mind for us here would be accomplished. Our desire is to find what God has for us in every situation and fit into His puzzle, in His perfect Will.

As I was laying in bed this morning, a privilege reserved for Saturday mornings, I had this thought:

Serving God without a vibrant relationship with Him is basically sheer slavery. It is a constant drudgery, a painful sacrifice, the endless chore of grinding round and round on the big gerbil wheel of life. There is no light, only a mere dull gray.

However, serving God with a vibrant love relationship with Him is like a wonderful marraige. It is a dream come true in which I am loved for who I am, provided for with the utmost care (even spoiled at times!), and secure in my relationship.

I respond with love, working side-by-side with my soul-mate, the desire of my life. I love what He loves, I want what He wants, and I seek His goals, not my own. It is no sacrifice, only a great desire to be what He wants me to be.

Instead of the rock-hard altar, I lay my soul down the softness of the fragrance of His love.

Could there be any better life than that? Could it be called sacrifice, when I receive all my heart desires, all my life's wishes, and a peace which flows over my being as I serve Him? No, it could not be called sacrifice, it could not be called duty; it is pure delight.

Loved with everlasting love,

Led by grace that love to know;

Spirit, breathing from above,

Thou hast taught me it is so.

Oh, this full and perfect peace!

Oh, this transport all divine!

In a love which cannot cease,

I am His, and He is mine.

How wonderful that I am His, and He is mine!

It's not always trials and tribulations

...driving down the road toward Kansas

Here we are, in the Wild West...

The Lord allowed us to enjoy a Vacation Bible School this week! They had Bible Man and the Deceiver! Pictured here is the Deceiver...uh, oh, look out! The very best part is that one of the young boys got saved. Praise the Lord!

It was a beautiful ending to a great day - sunset on the prairie.

"When I consider Thy Heavens, oh, Lord, the works of Thy fingers...what is man, that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?"

The Parable of the Prodigal Mother

A certain mother had two daughters and the younger of them said to her mother, "Mother, give me the portion of thy time and thy attention and thy companionship and they counsel and guidance which falleth to me." And she divided unto her her living, in that she sent her off to music lessons, soccer practice, preparatory school and a fine college, and tried to believe she was doing her full duty to her daughter.

And not many days after, the mother gathered all her interests and aspirations and ambitions and took her journey into a far country, into a land of hobbies, books, crafts, computers, facebook, and other things which do not interest a girl, and there she wasted her precious opportunity of being a friend to her daughter. And when she had spent the very best of her life and had gained popularity but had failed to find any satisfaction, there arose a mighty famine in her heart and she began to be in want of sympathy and real friendship.

And she went and joined herself to one of the clubs in that country, and they elected her chairperson of the house committee and president of the club and sent her to the national conferences. And she would fain have satisfied herself with the husks that other women did eat, and no one gave her any real friendship.

But when she came to herself, she said, "How many ladies of my acquaintance have girls whom they understand and who understand them, who talk about their girls and associate with their girls and seem perfectly happy in the friendship of their girls, while I perish here with heart hunger? I will arise and go to my daughter and will say into her, "Daughter, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight. I have not been a mother to you and I am no more worthy to be called thy mother. Forgive me now, and let me be thy friend."

But the daughter said, "not so, for it is too late. There was a time when I wanted your companionship, but you were too busy. I got the information and the companionship I needed, but I got the wrong kind, and now, alas, I am wretched in soul and body. It is too late - too late - too late!"

- adapted from a story in Streams in the Desert, Volume 2

Driving in the rain...

The Lord graciously provided, through the pastor of the church which had the errant wiring, a new printer and a CPAP machine for my hubby. Now the only thing that needs replaced is the battery charger, which we'll take care of in the next few days. We have determined that, praise God, the air conditioner and refrigerator are both OK! Thanks to those who prayed for us!

We arrived safely in OKC (Oklahoma City) last night, but not without blowing a tire on the trailer. The rain from Alex kinda dampened the tire rescue effort, so eventually it was determined that I would just drive the truck the rest of the way in to lighten the load on the trailer, since it still had three more good tires. Today, we will get a tire and a spare, too.

Strangely enough, when we arrived at the campground, we were unable to shut off the bus engine! We had heard of that happening, and it is not good - I guess these engines can take a fit of "running away" if the situation is just right. My Beloved pulled the battery cable, the fuel lines, and shut off every switch he could think of, and finally the engine starved of fuel and died. Whew! I have a saying, "If it's not one thing, it's another!" I guess that goes for our travels, for sure.

After we get these things squared away, we are heading out for Coffeyville, Kansas, where My Beloved is teaching Sunday School tomorrow morning, and preaching in the evening. Thanks for praying!

It's always interesting and encouraging to see how God will work out every situation we come across as we seek to serve Him. One thing's for sure: (Here's today's verse, folks) "...He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!" (Hebrews 11:6) Praise Him in the sunshine, and in the rain as well!

Travel Day!

Today, we are driving to Oklahoma City, on our way to Coffeyville, Kansas. Next week, we hope to arrive at McConnell AFB, but in the meantime, there are some meetings on the way. Today we have about a 3 hour drive, which I'm sure we will stretch out...thankfully, we have everything we need right on board! (I'm always thankful to have water, food, electricity, and a bathroom with us wherever we go!)

Last night, My Beloved went out soulwinning on Shepherd AFB with two very nervous men. They had apparently never done anything like that before, so they had no idea what to expect. My hubby told me that he found out later that one of the men thought they were going to street preach right there on the base! Naturally, he was nervous! (Of course, that would not be a wise way of working on the base...it's a fast ticket to be kicked off!) The mass of humanity was simply amazing, so, they were able to pass our about a hundred gospel flyers within a short period of time. What a blessing! We are praying that the folks we have worked with here will see the opportunity as it really is - a huge, open door, and that they will do whatever it takes to reach the servicemen here.

As for me, today will find me doing the usual: laundry, cleaning, meals, tickling the kids, and trying to work on my latest book project, which is monstrously huge.

Verse for today: "he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

A quote from the famous missionary, Milton Martin, "If we don't spend a quiet time with God each day, every decision we make will be in error, so that by the time we are 30 or 40 years old, it will be impossible to serve God!" You young folks, remember that a life is not ruined by one big bad decision, but by many little bad decisions. You don't ruin your life by marrying a jerk, you ruin your life by deciding to even befriend a jerk, because you will never marry someone you barely know. Decide early in life that you will spend time with God daily, and it will set your direction for life!