This coming Monday, April 15, 2024, from 8:00-9:00 am New York City time, my son Jonathan and a co-worker, Matthew Derek, will be sponsoring a one-hour workshop on the topic of prayer in a virtual reality setting. If you’re a high-tech, sci-fi-loving sort of person, you may find this fun and fascinating!
Jon explains, “Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that has long existed in the twilight between science fiction and science fact. First introduced to the consumer market in 2016, VR now offers a number of unique advantages to global prayer networks such as Aqueduct Project. This interactive workshop will offer an orientation to Prayer Room Neapolis (Our first VR Prayer Room) and discuss some of the particularities of facilitating prayer in an immersive environment. Participants are not required to have access to a VR headset.”
Interested? Here’s a link to register if you’d like to join in!
My eldest granddaughter celebrated her Sweet Sixteenth birthday a few months ago, and I am all agog with her loveliness, watching her grow in grace and beauty, serving the Lord by playing violin with their church’s worship team, running with her school’s track team, and participating with the Red Cross. In addition, she’s gone to great lengths to get admitted to a public Japanese school where she’s going to have all her high school subjects in Japanese! There are few things any more satisfying in life than watching our children and then grandchildren grow up walking in the light of Christ’s love and living lives of adventure and abundance, and I often find myself thinking about 3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” Amen.
During the twenty years our flock of seven was homeschooling, I dubbed our conclave “GIGAK.” I thought it would appeal to our boys especially, since it sounds hi-tech and trendy, but it stood for something as ancient as the Scriptures themselves: “Grow In Grace And Knowledge,” based on 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
And now, almost another twenty years since my own children have grown up—as God’s child I am continuing to spend a lifetime trying to grow in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Most of my life I’ve felt like a spiritual toddler, crawling up on my Father’s lap for comfort, tracking along behind Jesus for a little while each day but needing lots of naps and rarely following Him on scary adventures to find lost sheep.
Am I ready to be sixteen? April 8 marks the sixteenth anniversary of this blog. I’m not sure if I even feel sixteen spiritually—certainly not more, but could I qualify as a sweet sixteen along with my granddaughter and my blog?
Over the last sixteen years, the only goal I’ve been consistently aware of is trying to please my Father as an audience of One when I write, although I pray continuously that He’ll help me learn to write better so my words are winsome and encouraging in a way that draws people toward Jesus. Once I hit my “teenage years” as a blogger, I realized there was potential for reaching a million people (or, at least a million views), so I found myself hoping, “I wish I may, I wish I might . . .” That dream was fulfilled this past year by the time I celebrated Summer Setting‘s Fifteenth Anniversary. Then, this past January, I noticed that I’d reached people in 230 countries around the world. I didn’t even know there are 230 countries in the world! However, I noticed that no one from Chad or Turkmenistan has ever looked at Summer Setting, so now I’m asking my Father, “What about those countries? Could you bring someone from each of those countries who might be encouraged by something I’ve written?”
Some of you might know my story of having a passion to go around the world preaching the gospel, taking to heart Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” After university, my sister and I taught school, saved our money, and headed out to travel the world proclaiming the good news as summarized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7: “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present . . .”
We spent the first summer working with missionaries in Scotland, but our global trip was cut short when—on the very day we left Edinburgh and hitch-hiked to Glasgow— I received a letter from Alan that began, “I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. I hope she makes it.”
My mother had been in a near-fatal car accident on her way cross country to attend her mother’s funeral, and Alan had no idea my mom had requested the family not tell us because she didn’t want anything to hold us back from traveling. We didn’t know any of this, but we called, and after searching our hearts and prayerfully seeking the Lord, it seemed right to go home.
After all, Jesus told his disciples to be witnesses at home before traveling to the “uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Would it be honoring to our parents (neither or whom were believers at that point) to leave our mother near the point of death to share the good news of Christ’s saving work with others?
We returned home and ended up going to Grace Seminary instead. I believe we made the right choice (although it was a hard one), and thankfully both of our parents did become believers before they departed this earth.
But, I’ve continued to have a deep desire to reach the world with the gospel! It seems that over these past 50+ years this desire is slowly being fulfilled despite my failures! What a benevolent Father I serve! He gives us dreams, and even though everything gets turned upside down, He often fulfills our dreams, albeit through such circuitous routes that we stand amazed, knowing it’s been ALL His doing for us and through us, not ours for Him, as we’d intended!
Thank you, Father!
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
“Harsh beauty, this life. Not for the fainthearted” (Michael Armstrong).
This year, Alan and I celebrated our fiftieth anniversary. For years, Alan and I had been looking forward to celebrating with all our kids and grandkids gathered around—and possibly some other relatives and friends too. Not possible!
Michael’s family got transferred to Japan before Jonathan’s family finished their school year in Germany, so there was no time when those two families could be together in America. We settled for a series of family celebrations, including my brothers coming in the spring, two of our kids with their families coming in June, and three other kids with families in July/August. Thankfully, two of our kids’ families live right here in GR, so over the course of the summer, we did lots of celebrating and got to see all our kids and grandchildren! In reality, I am overjoyed that Alan and I are both still alive, in pretty good health, and able to celebrate fifty years of marriage. When you’re eating fruitcake, you don’t need frosting.
This summer Aaron and Carleen celebrated their twenty-first anniversary . . . two gorgeous, gifted, energetic, creative, wonderful, strong-willed firstborns who’ve produced four similarly ebullient sons, now in their second decade of life and more than four hands’ full.
I was overjoyed to read Carleen’s heart-felt reflection: “Marriage is hard. It’s a lot harder than I thought….and I truly did think I was prepared to do the work. But in spite of the difficulty, I am proud of the labor we put in and all the little goodnesses that we have made together. I am proud of us for hanging on when it was rough, for all the unglamour we have slogged through and for all the growth and forgiveness we have started learning together.
“I have now lived with Aaron longer than I did with parents in my childhood home which feels like a kind of staggering thought. Here’s to the next stage of home and growing up! I am grateful for the ways marriage has remade me and taught me about real love. Thank you, Aaron for being stubborn beside me. I’m not going anywhere. Let’s do another 21!”
This summer Mike and Grace celebrated their twentieth anniversary—in Japan.
To celebrate, they took their kids for a hike despite the rain! Their kids are intrepid.
Almost! When you’re two, it’s pretty hard to keep singin’ in the rain for very long.
I was overjoyed to hear they were able to slip out for a cup of coffee the next night.
Better than nothing when you’re staying in temporary housing while house-hunting in a foreign country with six kids, a dog, and a cat. Right?
This summer Jonathan and Gerlinde celebrated their fourteenth anniversary. Jon’s family came from Germany during their kids’ school break, which happened to coincide with their anniversary.
Alan and I were able to spring them for an overnight before their actual anniversary, but on the real day, they were busy giving their girls a wonderful time with their cousins at a water park, eating fudge and being playful. Romantic? No. Being wonderful parents? Yes.
I know love is blind, and I love my husband and my kids, but I don’t look around and say, “Other couples are having it a lot easier; I wish Alan and I—and our kids—didn’t have it so tough.” No, I look around and say, “Michael is right!” Life is harsh, and we only find the beauty as we persevere through the pain.
This summer, Alan and I read A Man’s Journey Through Grief: The Candid Memoir of a Jesus-Follower’s Struggles to Rebuild His Life after His Wife’s Death, written by Eric E. Wright. If you’re experiencing deep grief over the loss of a spouse, or you love someone who’s lost their spouse, I highly recommend this book.
Life is hard. Life as a couple is hard. But, life alone sounds so much harder! I am grateful every day for God, who gives us the power to love, persevere, and grow despite the problems.
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NASB).
“But you are to remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And it shall come about, if you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and serve and worship them, I testify against you today that you will certainly perish” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19, NASB).
One was fairly simple: from an apartment to a home of their own, and only the cats were alarmed.
(Luna and Lionel seeking refuge under the covers!)
The second move was the wildest ride in Frontierland yet and required a bit of family reunion along the way.
Because Mike’s family is going overseas again, four of our sons and their families got together for some good, old-fashioned fun.
The grand kids made one last film together, a production of Hamlet.
The babies got to know each other a little better . . .
And we all mourned the departure of Aaron’s family when they had to return to California.
Part two of Michael’s departure included a final camping trip over Father’s Day weekend with some of their friends.
Alan and I were supposed to go but ended up attending two funerals instead.
Otter Creek has some of the best shallow water rafting around (Kentucky)!
There’s a great (somewhat scary) rope swing so you can jump into the river.
Everybody spent a couple of days working to divert one side of the creek into a wonderful mud slid that provided no end of fun.
Otter Creek is a small tributary of the Ohio River, and the kids also hiked along the river.
When Mike and Grace when first arrived at Fort Knox, they ended up camping with their kids for over a month at Otter Creek while looking for a permanent home , so it holds a special place in their hearts.
Although we missed most of the camping trip, we did arrive in time to share a four-family Fathers’ Day service right at the campground. As Kirk Franklin would say, “Let’s have a little church right here!” Mike and Grace’s friends attend three different churches, so it somehow seemed appropriate to meet together around a campfire for a “home church” fellowship as their last worship service.
Later, Marc and Bridget threw a Father’s Day banquet for all of us. I need to write a post just about them. They live to bless! The first day Mike’s family visited their church, Marc and Bridget invited all (8) of them over for dinner. Marc brought Mike a riding lawn mower to cut his grass, and for the past two years they’ve just loved our kids! On this particular day, they also invited a homeless man in to enjoy dinner with us.
Talk about The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. We’ve experienced it being lived out!
That night, there were not one but two bonfires, karaoke for the kids, and one 85-year-old saint with congestive heart failure who was up and dancing about with the little children before the night was over!
But, these guys don’t just play hard, they work hard! Everybody pitched in to help with the huge last-minute pressures of packing for an international move and cleaning to get the house ready to put on the market. I thought of the adage, “Many hands make light work,” but in this case, it felt more like “Many hands make the work possible.” I thank God for spiritual community that goes deeper than kindness—way down to bone-tired sacrificial love!
From Kentucky, Alan and I caravanned with their family to Detroit Metro to help carry baggage.
(Nycteris carried their cat to and through the airport and on her lap to Asia!)
Not only do they have six kids, they have a dog and a cat and—you know, like 8 suitcases and 8 back packs, a stroller, car seats, diaper bag, food bag, a treasured violin . . .
While Papa helped transfer luggage, the kids and I watched the airplanes taking off. A generation ago when Michael was little and Alan was in medical school, we’d take Mike and Aaron to watch the planes take off from Detroit Metro. I never dreamed that some day we’d be watching him take off! I’ve shed plenty of tears over losing them, but I know they’re where God wants them, so I am content.
Today as I write this post, I know they’ve arrived and are (hopefully) sleeping sweetly with their dog and kitty happily at home in their new surroundings.
I guess there are two things on my mind. The first is that as terrifying and difficult as moving is, God provides the grace and strength to survive. He is our good, good Father, and we can trust Him, both with ourselves and our loved ones.
The second is a profound sense of gratitude for the family of God, who comes around us on our journey. Not only does God tell us to love Him and love others, He loves us and sends others to love us too!
(“God Provides,” written and produced by Kirk Franklin; sung by Grammy Award winner Tamela Mann)
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 23:37, ESV).
Fun facts: Did you know that Antarctica is the driest, highest, windiest, coldest and last inhabited continent in the world? Did you know it’s larger than Australia? It’s also larger than the entire continent of Europe. In fact, it’s 5.275 million square miles—larger than the entirety of America (including Alaska) and Mexico . . . yet without a single permanent resident and not even the possibility of citizenship! There’s no place like it on earth.
On the last day of January, I mentioned the Lord had provided an incredible 50th anniversary cruise for Alan and me to the last continent we had yet to explore. It wasn’t Pooh Bear’s expotition to the North Pole, but pretty close! We took a 22-day cruise around South America and to Antarctica.
There are so many stories I want to share from our adventure, but most of them will have to wait until I finish recounting tales from our trips around America last year. However, I can’t resist sharing a few highlights this week if you can be patient with me. Think of it as a trailer for stories I hope to tell in the future. Here are just a few of the (miraculous to me) gifts related to our trip:
Did I mention we got our tickets for a base charge of $200 per person? When we arrived on board, we had gift cards waiting for us from our travel company for $200 per person shipboard credit, effectively reducing the base price of our trip to exactly $0.00 per person. It was a complete gift from the Lord! If you didn’t read my January 31st account of how the Lord made me wait to plan this trip, it’s worth reading: “An Epic Anniversary Gift.” God is an awesome God!
We were given an inside cabin right behind the Navigation Bridge on the 8th floor. It probably doesn’t get any more secure than this. In all our years of cruising, we’ve never had a balcony room, but every once in a while I’d see the door open across the hall while the stewards cleaned the balcony room adjacent to ours, and I’d think, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a balcony some year?!” However, new friends we met on the cruise relayed to us the account of a woman with a balcony room on the 8th floor (although I can’t find verification of the floor now) of the Viking Polaris ship headed to Antarctica who had been killed just two months earlier (December 1, 2022) by a rogue wave that broke through the window. In case of trouble, an inside cabin is much more secure.
(Note the cruise ship under the cloud; Antarctica is vast!)
During our trip, we had to cross the dreaded “Drake Passage,” infamous for rough seas as it’s the confluence of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans just past the southern tip of South America. It was a bit exciting, and I was glad Alan was wearing a scopolamine transdermal patch to help with seasickness. On the return trip across the Drake Passage, I was standing next to a man on the bow of the ship taking photos, and he mentioned that he had opted for a 44-day cruise, basically taking the exact same cruise twice, but first leaving from Santiago, Chile, and then leaving from Buenos Aires, Argentina on the return voyage. He told me, “You can’t believe what an amazing trip this has been. On the first cruise, the weather was really rough and so foggy you couldn’t see anything almost the entire time. The weather this time has been spectacular.”
Iceberg appearing dead ahead on a foggy morning . . . although our captain knew about it and was actually taking us to see it.
The captain was exceedingly brave and brought us very close to some icebergs . . . only possible because the seas were so calm.
Stunning “Blue Ice” of one of the huge icebergs we investigated
Truly, the weather was fabulous. Oh, there were times of snow and sleet and rain and fog, but there were also days of intense blue skies and incredibly beautiful landscapes. I took nearly 6,000 photos and would love to download them all, but believe me, Antarctica—when not enshrouded by mists or blizzards—is a wonderland of blue and white.
Largest penguin colony on the Antarctic Peninsula
15,000 breeding pairs of penguins basking in the summer sunshine
We also saw some very special sights. We saw literally dozens of whales and thousands of penguins.
One day two pods of humpback whales decided to fish just off the bow of the ship.
The captain (who is a very experienced pilot) said he had never been as close to humpbacks fishing together and broadcast to everyone to appreciate this nearly unique opportunity.
And on and on. It wasn’t our first trip of a lifetime, but it was probably the most exotic and unique. It was a true expedition and adventure. One I’ll always cherish and never forget!
Penguin family afloat on a massive iceberg
Like our 50-year marriage, which has also been a wild ride, our anniversary was truly above and beyond anything I could have imagined.
I stand in awe of God and grateful for His unfathomable kindness!
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen“ (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Those of you who know me well also know that I’m always thinking about traveling and when and how to get there. I usually plan trips about a year in advance so I can use frequent flyer miles, and with our 50th anniversary coming up in 2023, I was especially keen to start searching for the perfect getaway. By January of 2022, I was getting antsy to start researching so I’d have a feel for the market and could watch for the best deals. However, last January when I started praying about what to do for our anniversary trip, I felt a clear and unmistakable prompting from the Lord, “Don’t even look until 2023.”
“What? I might miss the perfect opportunity. Why not?”
“I’m telling you, don’t even bother to look.”
That was all. But, I knew there was no use arguing with the Lord, because He’s always right, and He is the One Father who truly does always know best. So, I didn’t look. Every once in a while, Alan or one of the kids would ask what we were planning for our 50th, so I would tell them, “I don’t know. The Lord has told me not to think about it until next January.”
It’s hard to wait. There was a side of me that thought the Lord would give us a super special present for our anniversary, but there was also a dark side of me that dreaded the possibility of not going anywhere because one of us would be dead or too ill to travel. Or, one of our kids would need us. Or, ??? I had no clue, so I just had to wait on the Lord. When I’d start to feel myself becoming anxious, I’d repeat Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.“
Finally, the day came in early January, 2023, when the Lord said, “You may now look.”
Whew! It wasn’t just that one of us was going to die. It was that the Lord had a surprise waiting for us. This particular morning, there was a 22-night cruise on a 5-star ship with a brochure price of $4,889 on sale for $200 . . . to visit the last continent we’ve never explored! I was incredulous. That price couldn’t be right; that’s only $9.09 per day per person. We can’t buy breakfast at our favorite diner for that little. What’s the catch? I called. There was no catch. I bought tickets for two. We now have tickets and flights and a guaranteed place on board. I’d tell you which ship and where so you could join us if you want to, but when we tried to get tickets, the agent said, “Oh, I’m sorry. There are no cabins left at that price. (Pause) Oh, there’s one. You’re getting the last cabin!”
If we make it back alive, I’ll want to share what we saw someday, although this year I want to finish our adventures through America the Beautiful. So, until then . . . happy sailing! But, meet me in St. Louis on February 2 to share adventures through the Southwest, will you?
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:3-5).
“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays . . .” it’s just getting there that’s tricky, especially when you’re coming from San Francisco, Seattle, Raleigh, and Fort Knox as well as from GR. (Our kids from Germany didn’t even try this year.)
But come they came! Our house isn’t as idyllic as the home depicted on this Christmas card, but Tanglewood Cottage is definitely snuggled in the woods, and we had a white Christmas just as glorious!
Cords of firewood covered in snow
Our Christmas was epic in many ways. First, over twenty inches of snow fell over three days of constant wind and freezing cold from December 22-25.
It was cozy and warm inside, but our son Michael’s family of nine plus two dogs were not inside yet!
They were out in the blizzard, battling their way through Winter Storm Elliot.
They had already waited an extra day before coming, but it was December 23rd, and there was no sign of the storm abating before Christmas, so they decided the right thing to do was to brave it through 45-mph winds and 1/8-mile visibility to make the 423-mile trip home in time for Christmas. Finally, by about 10 pm, after seeing dozens of cars and even semi-trailers off the road in ditches, they decided to stop for the night at a motel . . . if they could find one. If you’re from Michigan, you might have heard about the big pileup south of us on I-94 and the man who broke into a school that night and rescued dozens of people who might otherwise have frozen to death.
Michael wasn’t that hero, but God provided in another way. A very merciful motel owner who had no room at his inn was willing to take an hour to gerry-rig some beds in a storage area. This kindly man even allowed their two dogs to stay so they wouldn’t freeze either! By midnight, the kids had a cold but life-saving space to sleep! We were all unspeakably grateful to know they were safe on that epic night before the night before Christmas!
Adoration of the Shepherds by Rembrandt, 1646
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). I never considered this possibility before, but perhaps the innkeeper also showed mercy by allowing Joseph and Mary to stay in his stable despite having no room inside his inn. I wonder if he took an hour to clear the cows away from the feeding trough and spread a little fresh hay. Whatever the circumstances surrounding that painful night of our Savior’s birth, we can rejoice that our heavenly Father provides a safe haven for our blizzard-worn souls: “I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room” (Psalm 31:7-8).
“Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble” (Psalm 31:9).
Alan was flying down the hall toward me when I heard “Open the gate again!” blaring over the loudspeaker. It was 10:10 am, and our American Airline flight to Charlotte was supposed to leave at 10:15 am. Was it even possible to board and leave the gate on time?
Frankfurt used to be a fairly easy airport to fly through, but since Brexit, some 50 new companies are building skyscrapers in Frankfurt and the population is skyrocketing. In the past, our son Jonathan found that two hours was usually enough time to get through the airport there (which is normally also true in GR where we live), but we definitely needed three hours, although we didn’t know it. We left Jon’s promptly at 6:40 am and arrived at 8:15 am. So far so just as planned!
Inside, the lines were distressingly long and slow. We waited about a half an hour to check in and drop off our luggage and then went to “Immigrations.” I got through without a hitch (after a long wait), but for some reason Alan’s passport couldn’t be read at any of the four kiosks (he tried them all), and it took an extra 20 minutes beyond our long wait before an agent directed him to the general line for everybody who was not from the EU or about a dozen special friendly countries (like USA, S Korea, Australia, UK, etc.). By this time we were running very late. We got to security, and even though we had “priority” tickets, the line barely moved. It was past time to start boarding, and the minutes were slowly ticking toward 9:45 am when the gate would close and they wouldn’t allow any more passengers to board. I asked twice if there was any way to expedite our going through security, but the guard didn’t even respond. He looked totally uninterested in being helpful.
“We’re doomed!” I lamented to Alan when the clock overhead read 9:45. However, to our great relief—at 9:46 am when we thought all hope was lost—an attendant from American Airlines came and asked who was scheduled to go to Charlotte, North Carolina. About 20-30 of us responded. The agent had us form a line and took us through security, commandeering all the various security scanners. Some people running late for the London flight (I think to leave a 10:30 am) were complaining loudly because they were being held up too, but the AA rep said they would be next but we had to go through first. We flew through the line, very disorganized and in a flurry!
I got the routine pat down, but they gave Alan an extra long going over, and then we got our luggage and practically flew down the halls to Gate D-1, where we were to board the plane. Again, I was able to go through without any questioning, but they said Alan had been selected for a random special search. They allowed me to wait just inside the agent checkpoint before the gate but took Alan to a private room where he and his carry-ons were thoroughly searched. After taking his carry on away (to be picked up in America), two police officers came in, one with a machine gun. They never found anything suspicious (although they ran a drug test on him) so let him go. Really? Seventy-two with nothing worse than a speeding ticket on his record and they chose this moment to give him the inspection of a lifetime?!
There were no agents left to show us the way at that point, since almost everyone else had already boarded, but I took an escalator down and Alan took the stairs. I was just a little ahead because I started running as soon as I saw him coming toward me, hoping to lead the way and catch the plane before they shut the gate again. I heard an attendant calling for them to open the door so we could board. A tall, official-looking attendant pointed us to the right hall to reach the plane, and we boarded. I think probably both our hearts were racing but also rejoicing! Although we knew the gate was to close at 9:45 am, they held it open for us (the last of some 20-30 people who’d gotten caught in the slow lines) until 10:10 am. We hurried to near the back of the plane, sighed HUGE sighs of relief, and settled into our seats just moments before the plane left.
YES! Amazingly, they left exactly at 10:15 am. I’m sure with such incredibly busy airports, every plane HAS to leave on time or throw off everyone else’s schedule for departure! Jumbo jets screamed in over the top of us as we taxied out, but in just a few minutes we were airborne and on our way to Charlotte, NC. Thank you, American Airlines, and thank you, Lord!!
Goodbye Germany!
In case you’re wondering (probably not), I have two morals to this tale: #1. If you’re traveling, especially during the holidays, give yourself considerably more time than you think you’ll need, especially for international travel! You never know when the airport will be a madhouse and you’ll be singled out for special attention!
#2. If you’re thinking about wanting to take a flight to heaven, don’t wait too long! Jesus is waiting with open arms to save all who come to him by faith, but there will come a time when the door closes and it’s no longer possible to board. Have you got your passport (“repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” [Acts 20:21])? Even if you think you’ve been “good” during life and that should be enough to get into heaven; it’s not “good enough!” Know that you will be searched and investigated! “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Know also that there is only one way to get into heaven—through Jesus—the only One who’s ever been perfect and “good enough”—“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Have you been through immigration? (“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” [Philippians 3:20, NIV]).
Like the American Airline representative, only Jesus is qualified to help us get through security and on the plane in time if we’ve been slower than we should be! “For He [Jesus] says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” ( 2 Corinthians 6:2, NKJV). But, even if we think all hope is lost, God will rescue us if we’ll simply follow Him! (“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” [Hebrews 6:19 NIV]).
Happy Holidays, and may all your Christmases (including your last) be safe flights! 🙂
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
If you’re Canadian—or if Epcot is in your blood the way it has been in ours—then you will be familiar with Bluenose, but have you heard of Lunenburg?
Bluenose resting in Lunenburg Harbor, Nova Scotia
Bluenose still holds the record for being the undefeated racing champion for fishing schooners in the North Atlantic.
Model of the original Bluenose
She was built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in 1921— so sleek and fleet she earned the nickname “Queen of the North Atlantic” and has been a provincial icon for Nova Scotia (and really all of Canada) for nearly a hundred years!
Bluenose Commemorative Stamp
Sadly, Bluenose had to be a working vessel too, and she eventually sank after striking a coral reef off the coast of Haiti in 1946, but she was such a celebrated symbol of undefeated championship that a replica, Bluenose II, was built in 1963.
This vessel was the one featured in the movie shown at Epcot’s Canadian Pavilion for many years while the evocative song, Bluenose (composed and sung by Stan Rogers) played in the background.
Bluenose II was built by the Olands family as a marketing tool and a pleasure yacht, which they sold to the government of Nova Scotia for 10 Canadian dimes! (Such a deal!!)
It served as a “sailing ambassador” for the next 50 years until 2013, when an exact replica of Bluenose II was launched out of Lunenburg Harbor.
Since then, Bluenose spends her summers sailing to various ports throughout eastern Canada and America, serving as a goodwill ambassador.
When we visited last autumn, Bluenose was back in the harbor with all her rigging in, just waiting to be shrink-wrapped for the winter.
Bluenose in the sun!
But, if you visit in the summer (and get a reservation ahead), you can take a harbor cruise on her!
Lunenburg Harbor
Did you know that every Christian is called by Jesus to be like Bluenose? We are called to be “working vessels” but also to be sleek and swift to run the race:
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
Also, we are called to be goodwill ambassadors from Christ to the world. Just like the latest version of Bluenose II was built to be an exact replica of Bluenose II, so God wants us to be made into the image of Christ:
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).
God wants us to share the good news so that we will have “many brethren” in Christ! What is the good news? That reconciliation between God and men is possible through the death of Christ for our sins:
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
#12. Because it will be such a visual treat! You can scroll through these pictures in a couple of minutes, and I think Peggy’s Cove one of the most scenic fishing villages I’ve seen anywhere in the world!
#11. St. John’s Anglican Church in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, built in 1893.
It’s tiny! There are only about 35 year-round residents and only one church!
However, some 700,000 tourists flock to visit every year!
Why?
Halibut Dinner at the Sou’Wester in Peggy’s Cove
#10. Well, for sure Peggy’s Cove deserves its reputation for “world-famous” seafood.
An appetizer of mussels at the Sou’Wester Restaurant
Their mussels are right up there with those we tasted along the Normandy Coast in France,
and their halibut is as good as or even better than any we’ve had off fishing boats in Alaska. Served in a pool of salty butter, it’s competition for lobster in texture and flavor!
(However, lobster is the #1 local catch for the village fishermen.)
But that’s not all!
#9. If you enjoy shopping, there are some unique shops along the boardwalk!
If you need any fishing nets or lobster traps, it’s definitely the place to be,
but they also harbor shops with clothing, food, and souvenirs.
#8. And there’s more! Peggy’s Cove is a haven for artists and the home of one of Canada’s finest sculptors, William E. deGarthe, whose finest work is on display here (as well as a gallery of his paintings).
William deGarthe carved his “Fishermen’s Monument” from a one-meter-long granite outcropping in his backyard! This boat-shaped masterpiece features 32 fishermen, their families, and even St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors. It stands like a sentinel near the middle of the village.
Margaret’s Bay
And, there’s more!
#7. Peggy’s Cove is situated on a watery wonderland known as Margaret’s Bay, just southwest of Halifax (Nova Scotia’s capital and the largest city in all of Atlantic Canada).
#6. The Maritime Provinces are always beautiful, but I think they’re at their peak in the fall.
#5. While visiting, we stayed at the KOA between Halifax and Peggy’s Cove, and let me tell you, it is one gorgeous campground!
The West Halifax KOA is especially beautiful in early October.It’s situated on the Upper Sackville Riverin Nova Scotia, Canada.
#4. For those who enjoy hiking, another reason for visiting Peggy’s Cove is the Coastal Heritage Trail, which has superb views as well as a couple of memorials:
#3. The Swissair Memorial Site, just a short walk from Peggy’s Cove, commemorates the 1998 tragedy when SwissAir Flight 111 crashed into the ocean at the mouth of St. Margaret’s Bay. Despite immediate, heroic actions on the part of the village’s fishermen, all 229 people aboard perished.
#2. Not far away, the SS Atlantic Heritage Park commemorates those estimated 550 people who died during the worst single-vessel marine disaster off the Canadian coast up until 1873. During this tragedy, the heroic efforts of the local fisherman saved more than 400 people, although another 550 people perished when the SS Atlantic sank.
The RMS Titanic leaving England for New York, April 10, 1912 (Public Domain)
This infamous record has only been surpassed by the sinking of a sister White Star Line vessel, the Titanic, in 1912 where 1,518 people perished 700 nautical miles off the coast of Halifax. But, I bet you’ve probably heard about that one, as it was the world’s worst ocean disaster.
But, I think the # 1. greatest attraction for people visiting is Peggy’s Cove is the lighthouse.
Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, first built in 1868
Although nobody can give certain statistics, the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove is among the most popular and most photographed of Canada’s 750 lighthouses and is said to be one of the most recognized in the world!
The lighthouse is built on top of barren granite outcroppings on the harsh Atlantic Coast.
Despite warnings about the unpredictable surf, every year some people are swept off the rocks and drown.
Thankfully, when we visited in 2021, they were just finishing a 3.1 million dollar handicap-accessible viewing platform at Peggy’s Cove so everyone can safely view the lighthouse and the crashing ocean waves below.
As I climbed on the rocks and admired the lighthouse, the words of one of my favorite songs came to mind: “How Firm a Foundation.” What a blessing to know that God offers His love and protection, not only to me, but to all who repent and run to him for help: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; you save me from violence “ (2 Samuel 22:2-4).
“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27).
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, ESV).
Summer Setting 