A Place of Refuge...A Bit on Sharing Stuff

Exodus 12:4(NIV) If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.

So what happens when we loosen our hold on our possessions and begin sharing? What happens when we not only share what we have available, but receive what others have to share? What does God do in response to that sort of management?

Let me first say that you have to change the way you look at your stuff. I know several generous people. They love to share what they have. They would love to be able to meet your needs through what they have. But they want to be the ones sharing. They do not want to go without and be the ones dependant on someone else to share. They want to know that when they go to bed at night, they possess everything they will need. It makes them feel good to be able to have excess and share. I have to admit that in many ways, I am this way. I would love to have enough money to meet the needs of so many people, and the resources to bless the many wonderful programs with which I come in contact. But that is not the key to sharing. It needs to be give and receive.

2 Corinthians 8:14 (NLT)
Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal

My husband was given money to give away. Seriously! A friend of ours noticed that he seems to have a knack for allowing God to show him people in need. So the friend started giving him money to give away. At first, my husband said he felt a little weird about giving away someone else's money. He felt like he had to really be careful with how he distributed it, because someone else had entrusted him with the responsibility of managing it. Then it occurred to him that the source was the same. Money, whether it came from his bank account or someone else's, all comes from the same origin. God blesses us with it.

To truly grasp the meaning of sharing, we need to first really let our hearts absorb the fact that it all belongs to God anyways. We need to grab hold of that fact and let it infect every fiber of our being. It is not MY stuff! I'm only managing it. Then it becomes of question of what I believe God would choose as the best use for HIS stuff. What do I choose to do with it? Do my choices honor God? So, I choose to spend money on big toys....What do I do with those toys? He is not against us buying fun stuff. But how do I use what I have? Am I bringing honor to God? Am I glorifying Him in my use of them? Am I using them as a tool to strengthen my relationship with Him? Am I using them as a tool to strengthen my relationship with others? Or am I hindering my growth and relationships through my use of them? Is it any better to just save the money He gives me to manage, or then am I just hoarding?

Once we accept the fact that it is God's money and God's stuff, it becomes natural to share it. We want to do something with it that honors our God, and what better way than to meet the needs of His children?

Matthew 25:40 (NLT) “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Hebrews 13:16 (HCSB)Don't neglect to do good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

We know that sharing what we have makes God happy. But what else is there to it? What can we accomplish through sharing our possessions.

We will have more. Sounds crazy, but the less we own, the more we will possess. If we are dedicated to sharing, we have access to each others stuff. I don't have to buy a pickup truck for an occasional load of lumber if you are committed to sharing your truck. You don't have to purchase a boat to fish every couple of weeks if I will share mine with you. Every family doesn't have to fork out money for a lawnmower (or two) if we will pool our resources and buy one, or pay a lawn service. Suddenly we all have boats for fishing, and trucks for hauling. As a matter of fact, we don't each have to pour money into a complete wood shop for that occasional project. We can pool tools and equipment into a community shop and share in fellowship while we work.

Which leads me to benefit number two. We will be less wasteful. Okay, not everyone stands in the same position on the whole "Green Living" issue. But whether you are a greenie or not, you have to recognize that we have limited space for landfills. One day we will run out of land to bury our waste. When we share, we produce less waste. One truck, one boat, one lawnmower... You see where I'm going with this. They take up a lot less landfill space than six trucks, boats, and lawnmowers. And less storage space, so we don't need to buy all those sheds!

We can plug into helping in our area of giftedness, and allow others to plug into theirs. Some of us have some areas where we are super handy, and others where we appear to be trying to work with nothing but thumbs. And some of us have physical limitations. For example. My husband mows the yard at least once a week. But every time he does, he needs to take a Zyrtec, wear a mask, and still suffer somewhat for a day afterwards. What if you, my neighbor, like nothing better than to ride your mower? Think of the blessing you could be for my family. What if someone in the neighborhood loves beautiful flowers, but has arthritis? But I love to tinker in the garden. Could I pull her weeds while I am pulling mine? What if we have a few stay at home moms who love to can...and a few working moms? Can canning moms share in the bounty while working moms pick up a pack of diapers from the store they are passing on their way home from work? And you have the added bonus of fellowship with your neighbors as you share in chores. Those are just a few examples, but once you start thinking this way, more will just pop into your head as well.

Here is just one last thing to think about before I end this illustration of sharing. So many of us want to truly make a difference in our communities. We are being bombarded by soaring unemployment rates. Homes are being foreclosed on all around us. People are scared and hungry and they are praying for help. We try to buy some canned goods to distribute at the local shelter. We search for a few coats and blankets to distribute to the homeless in the winter. But with our own limited resources, we can only do so much. The answer is not just to work more to earn more. What if we lived in such a way that we could live off of less, and use the excess to help those people? What if we could, instead of making a small difference in the lives of a couple of people, band together with others to make a huge impact on our community? How many lives could be changed forever? Would ours?

Some verses to chew on:

Psalm 112:9 (NLT)
They share freely and give generously to those in need.Their good deeds will be remembered forever.They will have influence and honor.


Luke 3:11 (HCSB)
He replied to them, "The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same."


Acts 4:32 (NLT)
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.

Romans 12:13 (NIV)
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT)
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

1 Peter 4:9 (NLT)
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

More Quotable Quotes of Note about Education

Roger Lewin
Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.

Annie Sullivan
Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.

Arthur Koestler
Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

Beatrix Potter
Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.

Bill Beattie
The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.

Carl Rogers
If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning.

Dean William R. Inge
The aim of education is the knowledge not of fact, but of values.

Quotable Quotes of Note about Education

For many of you, the time is fast approaching for the dawn of the school year. In honor of this momentous occasion, I will be posting some quotes about education and learning over the next several days. Enjoy the following quotes:


Nelson Mandela
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Patricia Neal
A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though awakens your own expectations.

Maria Mitchell
Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

William Butler Yeats
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

Albert Einstein
It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.

Anatole France
The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards

Thought of the day....

Be silly!

Study, Meditate On, Memorize, Learn.....What Next?

I am a new creation. The Word of God is alive. By learning the Word and by following it's instruction I will be changed. Now, what am I going to do with that knowledge?

I have memorized scripture. I can flip back and forth from book to book in the Bible. I have absorbed what it says - love God, love your neighbor, love your enemy, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, take care of the widows and orphans. Live peacefully for the meek will inherit the earth. But what does God want us to do with that knowledge? Is it enough to be merely well-informed Christians?

Through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by my deeds, I have been saved. I have obtained salvation. I will spend eternity with God. But what about the space in between now and eternity? Do I stop at salvation? Should that be my goal line? Does God have any expectations of me?

I have heard people say that God only calls certain people to preach, evangelize, feed the poor, become missionaries, become martyrs, or sell their possessions to meet the needs of others. That is why they don't take action when they read the Word. They are waiting to be 'called'. Why would God share these stories in the Bible and instruct us to study them, meditate on them, memorize them and understand them, if they don't apply to each and every one of us? To inform us? To inspire us? What if they apply too me? What if they apply to you?

What if God doesn't expect us merely to be well-informed, knowledgeable, and righteous Christians, but expects us to be Christians of action?

Am I going to sit back and enjoy my new found, abundant life or am I going to use that knowledge blended with my softened heart to change the world in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

James 2: 14-26 (CEV)

14My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? 15If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16you shouldn't just say, "I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat." What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!

18Suppose someone disagrees and says, "It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds."

I would answer, "Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them." 19You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.

20Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did. 23This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, "Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him." That's how Abraham became God's friend.

24You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.

26Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!

A Place of Refuge...a bit on MY stuff

I was writing before about the benefits of sharing. Sharing not only possessions, but our victories and our burdens, does so much to develop peace in our hearts. But I want to look closer at the sharing of possessions. In this first article let's look closely at a picture of personal ownership (what's mine is mine, and what's yours is yours), and what happens to our relationships with God and with others. In the next article to come, we will look at a picture of sharing possessions, and what is gained or lost and how it effects those same relationships.

In this day in age, sharing of possessions is something that causes a huge internal struggle when it is first presented to us. We are taught that what we have is who we are. We are identified by our possessions.

What do you think when you see a person driving a Mercedes or Lexus? What do you think they do for a living? Do you assume they are intelligent? What about when you see a person mowing their lawn with a new, fancy lawnmower? Or better yet, when a landscape service is doing their mowing? What do you think when you see someone driving an old rusty lawnmower? See, we make assumptions about who people are, and how educated they are, and how successful they are, based on how they spend their money. We wrongly assume that rich people spend more money, when actually it is just the opposite. The rich often become that way by being frugal. Those that buy expensive things all the time will never be rich, as there will always be something new to buy.

Posessions seperate us. They help to establish the differences between us. Worse, we fall into the trap of judging people by what they possess and not by who they are.

These illusions trap us in our buying. We too want to be perceived as rich, successful, educated, sophisticated. So we accessorize. And we shrink from the whole idea of sharing, or giving up ownership of possessions. "Bbbbbut, what will be mine?" In other words, what will I have to show for all my hard work and success?

God doesn't view us that way. He doesn't identify us by our possessions. In fact, He knows that it all belongs to him anyways. He is only allowing us to care for it for him. He realizes how easily we fall into addiction to ownership of things, in our attempt to keep up with the Joneses. Worse, he knows that we can keep amassing things, but that we will never feel satisfied, and will never discover the joy that we obtain only through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:15-21
Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11
I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.


Here is the thing. God knows that as long as we are focused on obtaining and caring for our stuff, we will not be focused on Him. We are incapable of serving. These things are distractions.

Think about someone you may know who has purchased a new car. Do they park that car in tight places? Or throw the keys to everyone they know? "Take 'er for a spin!" Or do they wash that car frequently, park it away from other cars, sometimes taking up two or three spaces in the process? What happens when someone rams a shopping cart into their new car? Or when a neighborhood toddler runs into it with his tricycle? Or someone bounces a ball against the door? Do they say, "Aw, it's okay. It's just a car". Do they come unglued? How do they react to the person who damaged their car? What do they say or do to the toddler with his tricycle? Do they honor God with their actions? Is their focus on Him or on their car?

Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13
You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Things aren't bad. Money is not evil. It is the worship of money and possessions that leads to trouble. It is all about what you choose to do with them that determines whether you are worshiping them or using them as tools for God.

The only sure way to loosen the bonds that tie you to worship of your possessions is to give up ownership of them, either through sharing or giving them away outright. Not through selling, but through actually meeting someone's needs through what you already have. I have seen miracles occur when people really grab ahold of this way of thinking and living. The folks written about in the Bible have seen them too, and so can you!

More on that to come...

Uncle Ter ~ Two Year Anniversary of His Death

JACOBS TERRY WWO1

Terry W. Jacobs was a potential VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 08/04/2006 at the age of 58 from Helicopter crash while fighting fires in California.

Thomasville, NC
Flight Class 69-41
Date of Birth 02/18/1948

Served in the U.S. Army Served in Vietnam with 191 AHC in 70-71 This information was provided by Bernard R Harvey

More detail on this person: Terry Wayne Jacobs age: 58 date died: 08/04/2006
address: 676 Old Hwy 29 North city: Thomasville, state: NC zip: 27360 country: USA
place of death: California cause of death: Helicopter Crash
flight class: 69-41 branch of service: Army dates1: Jan 1970 Mid 1971 unit1: 191st AHC location1: Can Tho
survivors: Never married and no children

other: Terry was killed while fighting fires From: Bernard R Harvey (bharvey03@ntelos.net)
That crash was on 4 August. Steve Dillman (Gunslinger 39) had been flying that Crane and had just finished his rotation. I talked to him week before last and he said the aircraft was at the dip-site when it picked up a severe vibration. The crew pickled the load and tried to get it to a landing site. It slung a tail rotor blade and, before they had gone much over a hundred feet...it slung the t/r gearbox, went into a spin.... and the rest is history. Guess the aircraft wound up in the river. They grounded all the cranes for an inspection and replaced a bunch of blades etc. They are back flying now and when I talked to Steve he was enroute back to relieve one of the other crews. From: "doc daugherty"
This information was last updated 08/14/2006


On August 4, 2006, Heavy Lift Helicopter N6156U,
crashed into the Klamath River at Independence Creek, resulting
in the line of duty deaths of Andrei Pantchenko and Terry
“Jake” Jacobs.
Firehouse.com - Printable ArticleThe Web's Source for Fire, Rescue & EMS

Copter wreckage to be pulled out of Klamath River
Officials investigate crash that killed two in firefighting efforts.
By Christine Vovakes -- Bee Correspondent
Published 12:01 am PDT
Tuesday, August 8, 2006

HAPPY CAMP -- Officials plan to raise a mangled helicopter out of the Klamath River today as they continue to investigate the accident that claimed the life of the pilot and co-pilot Friday near the town of Happy Camp.

The bodies of pilot Terry Wayne Jacobs, 48, of Wofford Heights, Kern County, and co- pilot Andrei Pantchenko, 38, of Burns, Ore., were recovered from the submerged wreckage Saturday, Siskiyou County sheriff's spokeswoman Susan Gravenkamp said. The two men, who crashed around 7:45 p.m. Friday, had been part of firefighting efforts in the Marble Mountain Wilderness.Results of the autopsies are expected today, said Gravenkamp.

The pilots worked for Heavy Lift Helicopters Inc. of Apple Valley, a San Bernardino County company under contract with the U.S. Forest Service.Sheriff Lt. Jim Betts, operations commander during Saturday's recovery, said that either cranes or heavy-lift helicopters will be used to pull the Sikorsky CH-54 helicopter from the steep canyon. The wreckage will be taken to a National Transportation Safety Board site to be reconstructed in an attempt to determine what caused the accident.The river in that area -- about 10 miles southwest of Happy Camp along Highway 96 -- will remain closed to recreational use at least through today as divers continue to search the water.

The aircraft came to rest on its side in a portion of the river that is 6 to 8 feet deep. Witnesses on the river tried to aid the pilots, but to no avail, Betts said.

"There were people who could get up on the rig itself, but the wreckage was torn up and the pilots were pinned inside," he said. "About half the aircraft was submerged. The cockpit had partially torn away and was totally submerged."

Jacobs got his pilot's license as a teenager in Goshen, Ind., his sister Sandra Santrock said in a phone interview Monday.

Santrock, of Lexington, N.C., said her brother, a graduate of Purdue University, served two tours of duty in Vietnam, where he mainly flew medevac missions. "He loved to fly," she said.

Later, when Jacobs wasn't flying helicopters for logging or firefighting, he spent his time outdoors as a general contractor.

Several years ago he temporarily quit flying to care for his mother during her terminal illness, his sister said.

Jacobs was engaged to Lucette Evans of Wofford Heights, Santrock said.

No information was available about Pantchenko, whose family lives in Russia.

Jacobs and Pantchenko's helicopter was one of three that had been scooping water from mountain lakes to dump it on the persistent string of wildfires that have been burning for two weeks.

A series of thunderstorms in the far northern counties sparked numerous fires Sunday and Monday. Officials were worried that storms Monday night would result in more wildfires.

August 6, 2006
Two killed in Klamath River helicopter crashBy Paul FattigMail Tribune

HAPPY CAMP, Calif. — The pilot and co-pilot of a Sikorsky helicopter were killed Friday evening when their aircraft plunged into the Klamath River.

Terry Wayne Jacobs, 48, of Wofford Heights, Calif., was identified Saturday afternoon as the pilot of the Heavy Lift Helicopter Inc. chopper out of Apple Valley, Calif., according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department. The co-pilot's name was not released because his family lives outside the United States and had not been notified of the accident yet, sheriff's department officials reported.

The accident occurred while the aircraft was battling the Happy Camp complex wildfires in the Klamath National Forest some 10 miles south of Happy Camp, a Klamath River hamlet about 50 air miles southwest of Medford. The accident occurred near milepost 28.63 on Highway 96 near Happy Camp around 7:45 p.m. Friday, according to the Siskiyou County sheriff. A dive team from the department helped retrieve the bodies from the river Saturday. Autopsies were planned for early next week.

Smoke from the complex of fires drifted into the Rogue Valley Saturday and is expected to linger for a day or two.

U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Jean Gilbertson said the helicopter was owned by a private company working under contract to the agency. No additional information about the crash would be given to the media until a National Transportation Board team completed its investigation, she said.

The helicopter crew was among the roughly 500 firefighters deployed to the wildfire complex sparked by a July 23 lightning storm. Because of the crash, no aircraft were used in fighting the fire on Saturday, officials said. However, ground crews continue to dig firelines and burn out areas around the main fire to stop the fire's advance.
The accident was a severe blow to firefighters already hampered by steep, rugged terrain.
"In our small community, this is really devastating," said a weary firefighter who answered the telephone at the Happy Camp complex firefighting headquarters.

All but one of the 11 fires in the complex had been contained by firelines Saturday afternoon. The Titus fire, which had burned 2,843 acres in the Marble Mountain Wilderness, is only 25 percent contained.

In addition, firefighters are battling the Uncles complex in both the Marble Mountain and the Trinity Alps Wilderness section of the forest between the Klamath River and Interstate 5. That complex includes the 2,500-acre Rush fire, the 2,880-acre Hancock fire and the 1,915-acre Uncles fire.

The terrain is steep, rugged and rocky, said forest spokesman John Zapell.
"The fire behavior is one of creeping along, the making short runs uphill," he said. "We are taking indirect suppression action because of the terrain.

"What we're doing is going in on ridges and putting in containment lines," he added, citing safety concerns for firefighters on the ground.

"These fires do have the potential to get quite a bit larger," he noted.
With a chance of more lightning today, there is also the potential for more fires to spring up, he said.

Because of concerns for public safety, forest officials have closed the Marble Mountains Wilderness area and some roads and campgrounds immediately outside the wilderness boundary.

The road closures are in an area potentially threatened by the Titus Fire, and are being used by vehicles and equipment assigned to the Happy Camp Complex. The closures will remain in effect until the fires are suppressed.


Equipment Failure Behind California Fire Chopper Crash
............
JOHN DRISCOLLEureka Times Standard

Part of the tail rotor on a firefighting helicopter fell off moments before it crashed into the Klamath River outside Happy Camp, killing its two pilots, a preliminary report says.
The fatal crash of the Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane chopper on Aug. 4 was caused by the failure of a spindle connected to the tail rotor gearbox, the National Transportation Safety Board report reads. The report does not point to any human errors being to blame for the malfunction.
The helicopter was flown to Happy Camp on July 29 to help fight the Happy Camp Complex fires, which now total 3,800 acres. Killed in the wreck were Terry "Jake" Jacobs, 48, of Kern County and 38-year-old Andrei Pantchenko of Oregon, both veteran pilots.

No one from the safety board returned repeated calls.

After flying for two hours on Aug. 4, the helicopter returned to the base to refuel and was examined by mechanics. Then it left to begin a second round of firefighting.

"The helicopter conducted one uneventful dip and water drop during the second cycle and was in the process of conducting its second dip when the accident occurred," the report reads.

The helicopter had filled its tanks with water from the Klamath River at the site near Independence Bridge several times that day. On its final run to get water, a witness heard a loud bang, and ran toward the river. When he reached a road next to the river, the report reads, he saw the helicopter flying toward the bridge. A large piece of equipment -- later identified as the gear box -- fell off the chopper, reads the report.

The helicopter's nose pitched sharply forward, and without the tail rotor to counter the torque of the main rotor, the fuselage spun around until it crashed, the report says.

The twin engines of the helicopter transfer power down a series of shafts connected by universal joints to the gear box at the tail. Each tail rotor blade is connected to the gear box by a spindle. In this case, the blade associated with the failed spindle has not been found, according to the report.

On the morning of the accident, the helicopter went through a series of maintenance tests after having an engine replaced the day before. It was cleared by mechanics with chopper owner Heavy Lift Helicopters of Apple Valley and a U.S. Forest Service helicopter manager.

The tail rotor hub was overhauled on Dec. 22, 2005. That included using an X-ray like technique to inspect the spindle, a part that can be reused. The fractured spindle was sent to the safety board's materials laboratory in Washington, D.C.

A military helicopter pilot and maintenance expert consulted by the Times-Standard said that the material failure probably happened without warning -- until the loud bang. The crack in the spindle likely happened after the inspection, the expert said.

A helicopter can safely land after losing its tail rotor section, under certain conditions. The helicopter must be moving forward, possibly as fast as 100 mph. Or, if a tail rotor is lost at a hover, the engine can be idled and the craft settled vertically. But that can be exceptionally difficult in tight conditions like a river canyon, even for experienced pilots.

The Sikorsky CH-65A is considered a workhorse helicopter that first saw military duty in the 1960s. The wrecked chopper was built in 1966, and had been rebuilt and redesigned for firefighting by Heavy Lift Helicopters.

They can carry up to 750 gallons of water, making them valued by firefighting efforts around the world.

Marty Pociask, communications director and editor for Helicopter Association International, said both the CH-54A and Heavy Lift Helicopters have a solid reputation. Flying wildfire duty is unpredictable, and pilots and equipment are constantly operating in less than ideal conditions, Pociask said.

"These guys go out there and risk their lives and do a yeoman's job," Pociask said.
Pociask and others said a final determination by the transportation safety board could take a year or more.


In Memorium: Terry Wayne Jacobs and Andrei Pantchenko
August 13th, 2006

On Friday, August 4th, the pilot and co-pilot of a heavy-lift helicopter were killed battling the Titus Fire, one of eleven fires in the Happy Camp Complex in Northern California.

Terry Wayne Jacobs, 58, of Wofford, California and Andrei Pantchenko, 38, of Burns, Oregon died when their Sikorsky helicopter crashed into the Klamath River approximately 10 miles southwest of Happy Camp along Highway 96. They had been working for Heavy Lift Helicopter Inc. of Apple Valley, Calif.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation, since it was an aircraft accident. More detailed descriptions of the accident may be found here and here.

For descriptions of the Happy Camp Complex Fire see here.

The Northern Arizona Incident Management Team (Type 2) was managing the fire. Command was transferred to the Southern California Type 2 Incident Management Team on August 9th. The NAZ IMT was the team that suppressed the Warm Fire after the Kaibab N.F. punted their Wildland Use Fire designation.

Forest firefighting is a dangerous thing. Everyone who has ever fought a forest fire can tell harrowing tales. But fatalities are rare. Not as rare as everyone would like, however.
Terry Wayne Jacobs and Andrei Pantchenko died in an attempt to save a forest, and to protect the forest firefighters on the ground. We honor their commitment, efforts, and intentions. We mourn their passing. We extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends. Our prayers are with you.

And maybe, just maybe, if we took better care of our forests, then they would not burst into holocausts so frequently, and maybe we could save some human lives, too.

Investigation by the transportation safety board could take a year or more.


Pilots Killed in Copter Crash at Cal. Wildfire
Posted: 08-07-2006
Updated: 06-14-2007 12:09:44 PM

Two pilots died after a long day battling wildfires when their helicopter suddenly plunged into the Klamath River near the town of Happy Camp on Friday night.

The men, whose bodies were recovered Saturday by the Siskiyou County sheriff's dive team,
worked for a private company under contract with the U.S. Forest Service.

Siskiyou County sheriff's officials, who found the men's bodies about 10 miles from Happy Camp, identified the pilot as Terry Wayne Jacobs, 48, of Wofford. The co-pilot's name will be released after relatives living outside the United States have been notified, spokeswoman Susan Gravenkamp said.

Both men worked for Heavy Lift Helicopters Inc., of Apple Valley in Southern California.
Members of the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

The huge Sikorsky helicopter, called a Type-1 by forest officials, was assigned to the Titus fire, one of two fires in the Happy Camp Complex wildfire still burning since lightning sparked nearly a dozen blazes in Siskiyou County two weeks ago.

The aircraft that crashed was one of three helicopters that had been scooping buckets of water from Marble Mountain Wilderness lakes to dump onto the persistent string of wildfires.
The pilots also dropped supplies to fire crews who spent the night in the rugged, barely accessible terrain rather than return to the Happy Camp home base, Gravenkamp said.

Happy Camp Complex fire information officer Niko King said the helicopters are key to fighting the fire. "The contour here is just straight up and down," King said.

The fires are threatening two campgrounds, the Happy Camp watershed, and numerous American Indian cultural and spiritual sites. They have forced complete closure of the Marble Mountain Wilderness, a part of the Klamath National Forest that is popular for hiking, fishing, camping and mule-packing trips.

The section of the Pacific Crest Trail that wends through the area also is closed, but transportation to a detour drop-off is being provided, King said.

About 500 personnel are involved in fighting the Happy Camp Complex wildfire. The Goff fire is nearly suppressed, but the 2,500-acre Titus fire is only 25 percent contained, officials said.
Steep banks line both sides of the Klamath River where the orange and white helicopter went down near Independence Bridge on Highway 96.

The aircraft broke into several pieces, King said, with parts of the rotor strewn in all directions and a large portion of the fuselage in the water that is about 5 feet deep in midsummer.
"Debris is scattered on the east bank and in the water," King said.

A long segment of the river, which is popular with rafters, will remain closed to watercraft and recreational users until the recovery and investigation are complete.

No fixed wing aircraft have worked the fires. Smoke from the Titus and Goff fires grounded the helicopters for part of Thursday but they were back in the air on Friday, King said.


Terry Wayne Jacobs Andrei Pantchenko
U.S. Forest ServiceAugust 4, 2006
On the evening of August 4, 2006, Terry Wayne Jacobs and Andrei Pantchenko were piloting a Sikorsky CH-54 helicopter under contract to the U.S. Forest Service. The pilots were was in the process of conducting its second dip, refilling the aircraft’s water tanks while fighting the Titus Fire, when the crash occurred. Witnesses claimed they saw a large piece fall off the helicopter which was later identified as the tail rotor gearbox with three of the four tail rotor blades attached to the hub. The morning of the crash, the helicopter went through a series of maintenance and flight tests and the evening before the number one engine was replaced. Jacobs is survived by his finance Lucette Evans and his sister Sandra Santrock. He was 48-years old, from Wofford Heights in Kern County California and served two tours in Vietnam. Andrei Pantchenko was 38-years old and from Burns, Oregon. He was originally from Russia.

God is My Copilot. So...who's driving?

I saw this bumper sticker today God is My Copilot. Have you seen it? I never really paid attention before, but today it just hit me. So...who's driving? Is the driver really suggesting that he is in control of his destination and God is in the passenger seat...along for the ride...just in case he should require some rest?

Sadly, don't we all do that? We want control of our lives. We want to choose where we go, with who, and our method of transportation. Then we get lost, and we say, "Hey God, can you bail me out here? I'm in a jam. I think I would like you to drive for awhile. Maybe just 'til we hit a familiar area. Then I'll take over the controls again. Then you can rest while I drive. I can handle it. I'm cool."

We need to learn to surrender control to God. We don't just need a savior, we need a Lord. Trust me, he makes better decisions than we do. We will never find ourselves lost when he is driving. And when we allow God to direct our path, he will take us places we never dreamed possible.

A new sticker should read God is my pilot. I'm just along for the ride of my life.

Tagged Again? Aw shucks!

Trisha, at Suds to Love is one of my soapcrafting friends I have made through the Soapmakers Corner forum. She has presented me with the above blogging award. I am supposed to link to the person who sent it to me *check* and send it on to seven others. As this has traveled a bit already I am going to have to limit how many folks I send it to. Sorry, I only have so many friends! Go check out Trisha's blog and admire her gorgeous children.

The one plus to all these fabulous tags is that it gives us all an opportunity to explore new blogs that we would have never checked out otherwise. Thanks for the opportunity. I have been truly blessed with some wonderful new friends through the blogosphere. So.......I would like to take the opportunity to present the above award to

Sherlyn at Carolina Cowgirl
Starr at Threshold Moments
Elizabeth at Gassner Custom Soaps
and my newest blogging friend
Heather at Swallowing a Moose

I LOVE their blogs and I know you will too.

A Place of Refuge....and a bit on sharing

We are moving right along (slowly) on the plan to help build a community. We have agreed on a purchase price for half of the land, and are still working with the land owners to arrive at an agreement for the lease with option to purchase on the other half of the land. God gave us the project to work on so I have no doubt it will succeed, but, wow, what a road this has been thus far. Here is a little more information on what is going to be a thing of amazing beauty. I will try to provide pieces of the puzzle over the next several weeks. Hopefully, these pieces, when they come together, will provide the big picture of what we hope will be accomplished.

God wants us to help to kick-start a living community to reach out to the people of this area. God has outlined his plan for community living in Acts of the Bible. His plan includes people living in fellowship with each other, sharing their blessings, and sharing their burdens.

Acts 2:42-47 (NLT)
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 4:32-35(NCV)
The group of believers were united in their hearts and spirit. All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group. In fact, they shared everything. With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And God blessed all the believers very much. There were no needy people among them. From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles. Then the money was given to anyone who needed it.

Over time we have lost that vision. People don't often share what they have. They don't share possessions, or meals, or even their time. They have sealed off the avenue toward sharing by the way they live their lives. People don't live in close proximity to one other. They live in secrecy. Sometimes they live emotionally isolated from others within their own home. Look around as you drive through town. Homes face the road not for access, but for appearance. People drive around back, go through a back door, shut the doors and windows, and retreat into their secret lives. And if they go outside, it is often within the confines of the high 'privacy' fences they have erected. How many of your neighbors do you know?

At one time or another, each and every one of us bears something that needs to be shared. It doesn't just apply to things. Sometimes it is our hopes and our dreams, or our concerns or burdens that require sharing. When we have good news, we can't wait to share it with someone else. Victories seem hollow unless there is someone to share in your joy. When we are dealing with guilt and shame, they continue to eat away at our peace until we share the stories with someone else. Once we break free from those chains that bind us in secrecy, we are liberated. And when we are struggling, emotionally, physically, or even financially, we need to share that too with people. We need to stop trying to tackle those sorts of burdens on our own. Struggling against these powerful burdens ourselves is like trying to fight our way out of quicksand by ourselves. The more we struggle, the deeper we sink. But if we only had a hand to grab hold of, someone to help pull us out. If only we were given the opportunity, in turn, to be that hand reaching out to others.

....more to come on sharing, fellowship, and living in community....

Yikes!! I've Been Tagged!

Yikes! I've been tagged by my buddy Starr from over at Threshold Moments!

These are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Sooooooo......here are some nifty little tidbits about moi. I know you are on the edge of your seats!

1) I am a wee bit 'energetic'. This means I don't sit well, I talk excitedly, and I am easily distracted. You may be able to tell that from my writing. When I'm talking to you you may hear "Well I was driving down highway 8 and Oooh that's pretty. Did you see the color of her shirt. I like that..and I came to the stoplight and was sitting there thinking...Kasi, get off that chair. Furniture is for sitting, not for climbing...and finally it turned green and it was my turn to go..." Fun, eh?!

2) I love reading aloud to my girls. If we don't get any learnin' in for the day, we get in mommy reading time. And we talk about it and have a grand ol' time. How else can a momma get a chance to read those corny as always Nancy Drew mysteries? Ah, yet another chance to find out what sort of smart outfit titian haired Nancy is wearing, and what pleasantly plump Bess is eating.

3) I am married to the coolest pig farmer in the whole world. He is laid back and brings me back to earth when I do get a wee bit 'energetic'. God definitely brought us together to establish balance.

4) I wake up early every day and let my girls sleep in just so I can have a couple of hours or so to myself of complete silence. This is my selfish time. I hang with God, write on my blog, send emails, read....anything a wanna.

5) Cooking is a creative artistic outlet for me since I don't have time to paint anymore. There is no telling what you will eat when you come to my house. Beware! I will try to make anything.

6) I was once a correctional officer. That's right! At one time, a long, long time ago in a far away land...someone respected my authority!!!

7) Yup, I had to add one. I'm a nonconformist. I'm not as normal as you think I am.

So, now you know all the important whatsits, howsits, and whosits. Have a blessed day!

And, a tag you're it to.....we'll all find out after this important break.


A "Tag, you're it" goes out to my buddy Sherlyn over at Carolina Cowgirl. You will love Sherlyn. She is warm, funny, and a huge animal lover. And she is short like me. We short people are drawn to each other. Maybe it's 'cause we can hug flat-footed. What do you think, Sherlyn?

Next is her hubby and also my buddy Mike aka Preacher Mike. Mike writes some incredible posts that really get you thinking about the biblical relevance of some of our current trains of thought. Mike has been a little slack about posting lately and I want us all to encourage him to get back to it. Try it! You'll like it!

Next, one of my newer friends from the Soapmaker's Corner, Elizabeth from Gassner Custom Soaps. She too is a SAHM and a soap maker! See, and y'all thought I was weird. She is generous and has some adorable little girls. You will find all sorts of goodies on her blog. She's not just a soap artist. Enjoy!

I also want to tag my friend Karen aka That Mom. You really need to check out Karen's blog. She is an incredible mentor and encourager for homeschooling mothers, having home schooled her own six. She has numerous podcasts available for download from her site. Stop and hear some words of encouragement and testimonies, and enjoy the discussions and information you will find there.

Reverend Colin is a gentleman I have become friends with during the last year or so through my friend Lindsey via Blogger. Even if I am rushed, I stop by his blog, Share My Journey, for a visit. You will find the Word of God, encouragement, compassion for the needy, fabulous poetry, and also be able to access the Voice Ministries site for Christian music and writing. So often, when I visit I find that God has placed the same issues on our hearts.

And, lastly but not leastly is my newish friend Anne-Marie aka the Soap Queen from Bramble Berry. I think all of you need to learn a little bit more about soap making. It is incredibly fun, and natural soap is SO much better for you than those bars and bottles of harsh detergents you buy at the store. You will find that Anne-Marie not only writes about soap but her other passions. Stop by and learn about entrepreneurship, exercise, and maybe a wee bit about cupcakes. She's a busy woman. You never know what she will have going on.

Now give these folks a couple of days or so to get going with the game. They are all very busy people and incredibly good sports for playing along. Then drop by and see what they have to say. Get to know them. Encourage them. Learn some new stuff. You will see that my collection of friends are as eclectic as I am. Have a fabulous time getting to know them! Then enjoy your new friends.

Thought of the day....

Psalm 123:1 (KJV)

Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

Swimming or Serving?

Several days ago we had a blood drive at our church. Darrell and I were going to be donating. Normally, my girls, being the social butterflies that they are, walk around and talk to all the donors while we are there. The Red Cross always manages to get a wee bit behind, and even though we make an appointment, we are usually there for three to four hours. I figured that I would be prepared this time around, and asked my mom and step dad if the girls could stay with them and go swimming while we donated. They agreed that would be a wonderful idea. The girls love hanging out with their Grandma and Grandpa, and you have to realize that to my girls there are few greater pleasures than swimming.

So I told them. And they looked like they were going to cry. My eight year old, Alea, said "but Mooooom, we wanted to go and encourage people there giving blood". (she really does talk like that!) Kasi, my six year old, in the semi-Valley girl teenish tone she has adopted said "yeah Moooom, we just wanna walk around and talk to everyone...please, mom, please". (puppy dog eyes)

So our girls, bags packed with useful tools, came with us. They had fans to fan people waiting in the hot gym of the American Children's Home (where we meet for church). They brought their magical stuffed animals, 'Spotted Puppy' and 'Purrs' to give to folks if they got scared. And they worked all afternoon to encourage people. They walked around, talking to people, and fanning them. They gave hugs. They directed them to refreshments, and even brought them snacks and drinks. When the waiting got a little long, one woman announced that we needed music or entertainment, so the girls performed a dance for them. Before we left, they walked around and hugged all those remaining and thanked them for coming and sharing their blood. It was an amazingly blessed day.

We have had many people come up to us and tell us what having the girls there meant to them. One man shared that his mother couldn't give because her iron was low, and Alea stayed and talked to her and thanked her for trying, and encouraged her to try again at the next blood drive. God worked through them to touch the lives up many.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can use each and every one of us, even a child to touch others with the love of Jesus Christ. We just have to make ourselves available. It amazed me and humbled me that the children that God blessed me with would choose to serve others rather than go swimming. They learned that from the Bible. Jesus set the example and we are to follow it. He is our King, yet He chose self-sacrifice as his way of leading. He expects us to be servants, not Lords over others.

We have explained to our children that it is easy to give up something that you no longer need or want, but that true sacrifice and serving occurs when you give up something that you love and still want, merely because someone else has a need for it. I think they learned the lessen.

Galatians 5:13 (CEV)
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.

Romans 12:10 (NLT)
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Thank you, God, for using these children to teach me a valuable lesson. I love to serve my brothers and sisters, but thank you for showing me that when I give up something that I desire in order to serve, you truly step in and create a miracle.

Thought of the Day

Let your imagination soar!

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create. ~Albert Einstein

Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice.

~Arnold Toynbee

Imagination disposes of everything; it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.

~Blaise Pascal

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.

~Carl Sagan

Nothing happens unless first we dream.

~Carl Sandburg

You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"

~George Bernard Shaw

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

~Gloria Steinem

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one.

~John Lennon

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.

~Lauren Bacall

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Imagination is the living power and prime agent of all human perception.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Recipe for Homemade Granola

My own recipe for yummy, healthy granola. Packed with nuts, this granola is great for fighting those hunger pains between meals. I eat mine dry so it is not super-sweetened. If you like yours in a bowl of milk, I recommend sprinkling it with additional brown sugar or palm sugar while it is still warm from the oven. I like my granola crunchy with toasted nuts so I do allow mine to brown a little longer in the oven than an hour. Adjust it to your taste preferences.

8 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups raw almonds 'chunked' *I like the flavor of large bite sized pieces. You get maybe three or four chunks per nut.
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 cup sweetened cranberries *Craisins
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar or grated palm sugar
1/8 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and flax seed. Set aside.

Measure out your cranberries and set aside to add later.

In a saucepan over low heat, simmer cinnamon, vegetable oil, honey, brown sugar or palm sugar, and hot water until the sugar begins to dissolve.

Slowly pour sauce over your oat & nut mixture and mix well. Pour mixture into a baking dish and place in your preheated oven. Bake for about 50 minutes stirring mixture every 10-15 minutes. Mixture will begin to turn golden.

Add cranberries and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. *Any longer and they will become very chewy or hard.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

A Quote to Remember

Alea was sitting on my lap the other day and snuggling ... something she rarely does anymore ...unless she wants something. She was poking my belly ...something she always does. I was teasing her about playing with my fat.

I said, 'that's okay. I like my belly this way. It's not super fat... just fluffy.'

To which she replied, 'Yup! Stuffed with love!'

You gotta love her!!!

Living Green?

Do you ever consider the impact you have on the world around you? Do you think about how much you as a family or individual use for yourselves? Do you think about how much you waste? I didn't until recently, and wow, was it ever an eye opener!

How do we measure success? Usually we measure success by what we have and what we are able to do. If we take a Caribbean vacation, people assume we have it made, we must be doing well. If we have a big house, we must have arrived at success. How true is their assumption, and how often are we putting on a show to impress them. Or worst, how often do we think we deserve these things. We are entitled to them whether we can afford or even need them?

We decided we wanted to reduce our environmental impact when we sold our house. We started looking at 'green' house plans. I was amazed at the number of 'green' mini-mansions! Folks, it is not environmentally responsible if you are utilizing nearly 3000 square feet of space for one couple! And trying to heat and air condition that amount of space counteracts the fact that you constructed it passive-solar. The amount of material used on constructing the spaces that don't necessarily get used are a waste in themselves.

Here are several things to consider when trying to build 'green'.

Of course, we all know about using green materials. It is helpful to not only use materials made out of renewable resources, but ones that are constructed using methods that are environmentally friendly. For example, bamboo is renewable. However, if a product is made out of the bamboo, and it's production requires high amounts of energy and produces toxic gases, it's use is counterproductive.

Reduce Waste! Many home plans are now being developed in ways that produce less scrap material. For example, walls are being constructed in dimensions that use standard lengths of lumber. Floor plans are being developed with simplicity in mind, with fewer exclusive areas of the home, but with areas that serve more than one purpose. For example, a house can be constructed more efficiently if a study 'area' is designated off the main living area instead of an extra room designated as a den. Many people are considering the simplicity of design and are now constructing homes in simpler shapes, with fewer peaks and gables.

Don't build areas for infrequent use. When considering whether to construct extra rooms consider their usage. Do you need to build a guest room for Aunt Sally who may or may not come to visit once every year or two, or would it be more cost effective to pay for her to stay at a motel, or with a friend. Is there really a problem with her sleeping on an air mattress for a few nights?

Consider not only construction costs, but heating and air conditioning of that space. Consider the cost, then divide that figure by the amount of time the space will get utilized. How much are you paying per hour for usage of that space? If you have frequent guests, it may be cost effective, especially if you can use that space for something else during the rest of the time. But so often we just want to be prepared for the 'what ifs'. Use the same method for rooms used for a sewing room or home gym. Consider a multi-purpose room to serve as a home office with a sewing closet and a stow-away bed or sleeper sofa for infrequent guests. You get the idea.

Consider energy use. You can use green materials in the construction process. And you can keep the wastefulness of the design to a minimum. But if you construct a house that uses a large amount of energy in order to maintain a comfortable environment, you will be nullifying all your efforts.

Most of all, consider the reasons for your design. Why does it need to be so large? Do you need that much space, or are you trying to impress others. Be honest with yourself. Can you be comfortable with less? People often believe that they need a certain amount of space in a home in order to distance themselves for the other inhabitants - personal space. Buy, hey, that is another issue! (see posts on fellowship)

The most useful tool in building and living green is our own mind - measuring our sucess not by what we have, but by what we accomplish.

Cult Talk

There has been a bit of talk lately about emergent churches. Some refer to them as the 'new church'. Some refer to them as 'new testament churches'. Some refer to them as 'biblical-based churches'. Many traditional churches refer to them as 'cults'. I decided to look up the meaning of 'cult'. According to Merriam-Webster, the word cult comes from the French culte and Latin cultus which means care and adoration, and from colere which means to cultivate.

Cult~
1: formal religious veneration : worship 2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents 3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator 5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

As I began to read these definitions I began to say 'oh my goodness, I belong to a cult"! I am devoted to Jesus Christ. I participate in a system of beliefs and rituals, alongside a body of adherents to Jesus Christ. The questions begin to arise when we look at the wording of definition number 3 "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious". Unorthodox means breaking with convention or tradition. Something that is spurious is something that is not genuine, basically false.

Christianity in it's early stages was highly unorthodox. It was referred to by many as a cult. Here were all these people deviating from the norm of erecting idols and worshiping multiple Gods. People thought they were crazy. They thought they were following a spurious leader. But they were wrong. Time proved that Jesus was and is the Christ. I heard a pastor once say that Jesus was either mad, he was bad, or he was and is the son of God. Those are the only possibilities. It has been proven historically that Jesus the man existed. So, was he mad? Was he just a delusional crazy man? No records exist of anyone claiming such a thing. No historical record exists of anyone questioning the authenticity of Jesus. In fact, it appears that everyone he came in contact with became completely enamored with him, made a positive life change, and became a devout follower. And there is no record of him doing anything negative. Not exactly the fingerprint of a madman. So...was he bad? Was he just a liar? Did he merely claim to be the son of God to deceive people? What would his motive have been? Once again, there is no record of him doing anything negative. He didn't take money. He didn't live lavishly off the pennies of his devout followers. He didn't kill his enemies. And there is no record of anyone who knew him claiming he was a liar. There is only record of him showing love for everyone, including the unlovable. There is only record of him selflessly serving others. There is only record of him enduring beatings, torture and death. If he was merely a madman or a liar, couldn't he have avoided arrest and crucifixion? It leads me to the third option - that he is the Son of God. Who else could live such a selfless life, but a son of God? Compare Jesus to the 'gods' of other religions, the 'gods' of traditional religions of the time, who lived in selfish luxury, while their followers starved. What did they do for the people? And these were the orthodox religions, while the Jesus followers were considered members of a cult.

So, there is an example of what society has viewed a cult. Following the definition of 'cult' it qualifies...that is, until you get to the part of the definition that includes the word spurious (or false). Many of us believe that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. For us it is a question of faith. And, according to the Bible, which we believe to be the inspired Word of God, 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.' Hebrews 11:1

In our society, people are quick to throw names around when they become uncomfortable. And they become uncomfortable when they are treading unfamiliar ground. These New Testament churches have more in common with the early churches than with the churches with which we are familiar. Most of their followers are more interested in following the guidelines for living outlined in the Bible than the traditional denominational guidelines outlined by men. Shane Claiborne is known to say that he gave up Christianity to follow Jesus. Many like him are breaking out of the mold. They are receiving criticism for worshipping Jesus Christ in a way so many people are uncomfortable. They are reading their Bibles and doing what it says. Many people claim that these emergent church are to be the downfall of the 'Church'. But are they a trigger for destruction or the catalyst of Revival?

1 Peter 4:6 (New King James Version)
For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Thought for the day....

Dream with the same imagination that you used to use for looking for shapes in the clouds.

Imagination is more important than knowledge...
~Albert Einstein

Bye Bye Mousies!

I thought you would all like to know that two mice were found and evicted. They were very picky mice. They ate only peanut butter, peanut butter chips, homemade granola and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. They were so desperate to get to the peanut butter that they chewed part of the label off my jar of Skippy! Everything else appears untouched. Just to be sure they weren't part of a mouse community, I will be waiting another day or two before making any more granola.

You can all rest tonight knowing I'm not laying awake at night listening for nibbling.

Will You Eat Them In A House? Will You Eat Them With A Mouse?

I LOVE animals! I love mice. They are my friends. But when it comes to the furry little cuties breaking into my family's food supply and traipsing all over it with their little footsies, I get a little annoyed. In fact, I get irate! And a new little mouse has welcomed itself into the house we are staying in.

I have tried nice little humane methods of getting rid of our little friend, who, by the way, moves faster than any mouse I have ever seen in my life. Even made my husband jump. Trust me, that is no small feat! Nothing is getting rid of the little guy, who scurries at the speed of light from the storage closet to under the range to the wood stove to behind the couch to the pantry faster than you can blink. I'm not even sure what color he is. I call his color dark blur (aka. not white).

We went to Costco the other day, and have a sack load of goodies that I picked up for Grandpa. Soon to be Dead Mouse apparently has developed a taste for coffee and decided to help himself to Grandpa's coffee beans! So now he is hopped up on caffeine. And I have to use another half tank of liquid gold to drive to Costco and get Grandpa some more coffee. I do not have my happy camper face on right now. And he has been clawing his way into my boxes.

Then I sniff sniff opened the pantry to find my last little Ziploc of healthy homemade granola on the floor with little pieces of granola goodies strewn across the floor. It is eviction time Mousie! No more Mrs. Nice Guy! Just as soon as I finish my big bowl of not so healthy Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which, apparently, you are not so fond of.

Year Round Unschooling

So many people have asked my girls if they are glad school is out. Alea will tell them, "We are still doing school. I'm a natural learner." People often misinterpret what she is saying and think she is bragging about how easily she learns. Let me explain. Natural learning is learning from the things around us, and turning our experiences into a learning experience, as opposed to learning from a curriculum or worksheets.

The biggest difference between natural learning and school is that you don't turn your learning on and off. We don't take summers or weekends off. We discuss, look up and learn from daily experiences. We use movie watching as a jumping off point to learn about history. We use vacations to learn about cultures, geography, science, and take advantage of everything around us. Kids that go to a traditional school often see learning as 'work', so when they are out of school, they are off work. And they want to shut off their minds. My twelve year old niece made a comment about shrimp being her favorite fish. I told her that it wasn't a fish. My six year old pipes in "It's an invertebrate." Said niece rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips and said "well it swims in the ocean so it's a fish". This opened her up to learn that there are even mammals in the ocean and actually very few ocean creatures are fish. She told me that she was out of school, so she didn't have to learn anything, so she didn't want to hear any more. She actually covered her ears! She has never been taught that learning new things can be fun and exciting. We were designed to experience life, not just go through life. And all of the new things we experience and learn are the seasoning that give our life flavor!

So we choose to learn all the time. And it is working! We don't sit down and memorize times tables, yet even my six year old is multiplying. My eight year old (that is now 8 11/12 - deep sigh!) is writing books and has a business going where she makes and sells bookmarks, and donates 80 percent of the sales to our church. They are learning plenty. We are currently researching bats because......bats are cool! and interesting! We may finish up by making a bat house. Or ten! The property we are purchasing runs along a large creek so we may need ten bat houses to house all our friendly furry mosquito eaters. Did you know there are resources on the web to teach you how to make a bat house more desirable for our bat friends? I didn't either. But now I do.
Here is last week's fun learning project. We made lip balm. The girls picked the scent. They designed the name and the label. They poured the lip balm and applied the labels. We found a recipe that needed to be divided in half, so we worked on division. The recipe used decimals, so decimals were discussed. It was listed in ounces so we talked about units of measure and the metric system. And they weighed them on the digital scale. They even asked questions about the different oils and butters used, and we looked up ( and they read ) the different properties of the oils and butters we used, and why we chose them.

And here is what I have learned. I LOVE this lip balm. I have been making lip balm for over a year and tried several recipes, but this is the smoothest, creamiest lip balm ever. So, they have now developed my new lip balm for my new company! I might change the label though. And they are talking about a product line for girls. And they have discovered a new gift they can make for their friends. Who knows what this could turn into? All because we didn't take a summer vacation.

Go to Work with Daddy Day!

The girls went to work with Daddy yesterday.....FIELD TRIP!

They came home with a spot or two of dirt. And Kasi rode a bike (a two wheeler) down a steep hill, at the last minute deciding to dodge a mud puddle in the gravel. Wipe out! She has a couple of new boo-boos.

So the girls got to visit the piggies and play in the mud and I got to go run errands all by myself. The bank folks didn't recognize me without my girls limboing while in line, and I only spent 30 minutes at the grocery store, spent less than $40 and didn't visit the bathroom. Who's life is this, anyways?

Confessions of a Mere Puzzle Piece

I made a promise regarding this blog. I promised God that what I wrote would honor Him. I promised to not make it into a gossip column. I promised not to make it into a page for venting my frustrations when things don't go my way. It's not about me. It's about Him.

Well, here is the thing. Everything that we have been working on has been moving SOOOOO slowly. And I have been frustrated. I have not been content in my circumstances. I have not been rejoicing. And I have not been praising God in the storms. There! It is out! I have been thinking about MY suffering, and MY discomfort. I have been sticking out my lip and stomping my feet. Don't I look mature?

I haven't been writing because I haven't had anything positive to say. I haven't had any words of encouragement. Looking back, it almost cracks me up. Would you believe that miracles have been occurring all around me, and I couldn't see them? I was too busy looking at myself.

It really hit me yesterday about how blessed my family is. We are actually staying with a friend while we are waiting for all the pieces to fall into place for this amazing project God chose us to be a part of. How many people do you know who are willing to take in a family of four? And our host is being so good to us. God told him to take us in. And he chose to listen.

And God has been showing us favor wherever we go. I have run to pick up a bit for everyone to eat, and the clerk has smiled and told me he gave me a coupon discount (I'm not the cute young hottie that everyone gives free stuff to, by the way). We go to get the oil changed in our van, and the guy gives us our old air filter to us in a box marked 'merry early Christmas'. We know him, but I wonder, did God prompt him to do something for us as well? My van sure is running better with the new one! We went to one restaurant recently and it hit me. We have been to that restaurant more than a half dozen times, and have never paid! Someone else has offered to treat us when the check comes EVERY time. That is my new favorite restaurant, by the way.

And the pieces are falling into place. I can see it all around me. It seems like we have been waiting for months to be able to proceed with the survey and an actual contract for the land we intend to purchase. But I can see how that was moving slowly to enable us to be prepared financially. Now, new doors are opening in that area. As much as we wanted to jump in and get going, there is no way we could afford to proceed. We are coming across people who want to be a part of this amazing venture. We are coming across people who want to help. It may appear to be coming together slowly....but it is coming together. And much more smoothly than I could have imagined.

I need to catch myself when I start questioning God's purpose. Maybe you do too. Maybe the next time I wonder if He is listening, when I wonder if He is punishing me, when I wonder if He has forgotten me....maybe I will look away from me, and toward Him. Then He can show me all the puzzle pieces He is dropping into place, waiting for just the right moment to drop me in as a part of an amazingly beautiful puzzle.

Filling Our Hearts with God

I found this at my friend, Sherlyn's site (aka. Carolina Cowgirl). It struck me as to how true it is.

I'm afraid that I often crowd God out of my heart with thoughts of myself - thoughts of my desires, my discomforts - focusing on me, me, me. In all truth, I should be focused on God. I should focus my heart on God, and he will fill it up. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Our teaching pastor gives us an illustration of a triangle when describing the relationship between a husband and a wife. The husband exists at one lower corner, and the wife exists that the other lower corner. They are far apart. In fact, as long as they look toward each other, the distance remains. But as they travel upward toward the other corner (where God exists), they not only travel closer toward God, but closer toward each other. In seeking God, they will discover each other.

A Glimpse at a Future Community

These photos are of a future community. We are incredibly blessed to be working with a landowner who is excited about helping God's vision for this community become a reality. He has agreed to sell us a portion of the land with an agreement to lease and later purchase the remainder. We are awaiting the results of a re-survey to divide the land nearly in half. When it is complete we hope to sit down with the owner and strike an agreement that will benefit us all. We truly desire the entire tract of land, as you can see it is amazing. We have all agreed though that purchasing a portion for now, and making an agreement for a future lease and purchase is much more desirable than living in a tent for the next couple of years.

I am getting anxious and truly covet your prayers for this incredible project.

Thought of the day....

Make new friends!

*Note* photos taken at Tiger World. Tiger World is now open!

Signs of Change?

Yesterday, when driving past a place that sells sheds and picnic tables, I saw a sign that read 'rent to own'. It suddenly hit me....can you now rent to own a picnic table or shed? I thought it was a wee bit odd. Companies are now making it possible for us to finance ANY purchase. Harley Davidson makes it possible for you to own a motorcycle with just $99 down, and 72 monthly payments. Wow, that is a lot of payments for a toy! And those payments substantially increase after the first two years. But a picnic table?

I wish people would stop and think it out before they finance unnecessary purchases. Do I really need this item? There is nothing worse than the feeling you get when the newness of an item wears off, you tire of it, it is in the way, and you are still paying for it. How much will it cost me if I finance it? Figure in interest rates (and possible penalties) and you could be paying 200 percent or more (usually more if you make the minimum payment) of the original purchase price. Is this item something I could save for a couple of months and purchase with cash? If it is, the peace of mind you purchase when paying cash makes it worth waiting. Then when you scratch it, dent it, your kid hits it with a baseball bat, it catches on fire, or gets damaged in a storm, you don't panic. It is paid for!