On Our Way - Aaaahhhh

Ok we have arrived at the airport, checked in our bags, ate lunch, said our goodbyes, passed through security, found our gate and are sitting here taking a deep breath of somewhat fresh air.

 

Our first puddle jump is from Memphis to Chicago, a mere 2 hours away. Then a relaxing 6 hour wait for our 11 hour flight to Istanbul. Aaaahhhh

 

My only dilemma is what to do with all that time? Since I only sleep 5 or 6 hours a night, I am going to have a lot of time on my hands.

Well, they are calling us to board the plane so we will figure out what to do when we get there.

UPDATE:
We are in Africa and I have not bee blogging since the beginning of our trip. You can catch up on news and goings on from Tara blog CLICK HERE or Brandons videos Click Here. I will try to get a blog out tomorrow.

Cleaning Up

We have 8 days till we leave for Africa. It's not quite registering yet but the fact still remains we are leaving. We have our bags packed, we're ready to go, we're standing here, outside the door of the restaurant ( you thought Peter, Paul and Mary, right?) feeling really bloated.

Why do we do that?

Why do we go out to eat and stuff ourselves?

Is there some unwritten rule that says we have to eat everything that is set in front of us? I mean every last morsel of food on the plate.

Growing up, my mother harped at me to eat everything on my plate because of the starving children over seas. It didn't make sense to me that mother would make me eat all the food when she could send it to those starving children instead. None-the-less I ate it all. She would demand I "clean up" my plate.

Maybe it was that early training for cleaning up my plate that prepared me for my eating habits today. I would hate to think that my mother only wanted me to do that so she didn't need to scrape food into the waste can. I just can't seem to help myself though. I must eat whatever is on my plate.

It doesn't matter how much is on my plate, I have got to finish everything. Heaven forbid that I would waste a single bite of food. I must set a good example for my kids as well. How would it look to them if I left food on my plate and they were expected to clean up their plates?

I will eat a huge helping of food even if I can't possibly eat it. Why? Because somewhere out there my mother is watching, saying "I'll bet those starving children overseas would love to have that food to eat!" and so I bow my head, pick up my fork and continue to shovel it in. Moaning afterwards, "ooooooohhhhhh, why did I eat so much food?"

So, as I was saying earlier; our bellies are packed, we're ready to go. We're standing here, outside the restaurant door ..... (music in the background)

Dave says it's the right sized portion. Aaron says it the America sized portions, Shalom says the plate sizes are too large. Tara says you get a to go box, ya know?

I just hear my mother telling me to clean up that food.

My Plea to You for Earning Money for Rose Creek Village

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
There is a great opportunity for us to help with the financial status of our village and those missions of ours, who are in need of assistance. Please don't miss this.  Shammah has sent this message out at least two different time in the past but I'm not sure people are even using this or not. If you are, Thank you! If you are not, I am offering to help you get set up for FREE on your computers.

What is the GREAT OPPORTUNITY?

FIRST: You can get this set up for FREE.

SECOND:  Rose Creek Village can earn 1 Cent on each and every search we perform from GoodSearch when you have Rose Creek Village selected as your Charitable Foundation. This happens automatically when you are set up correctly.

THIRD:  Rose Creek Village can earn a percentage (some percentages are very large), on every item you purchase online, from all of the on-line stores associated with the GoodShop website.  This also happens automatically when you are set up correctly for the GoodSearch and GoodShop toolbars. It includes Amazon and eBay websites plus a whole lot more. There are no catches to this. No money to spend. No intrusions of privacy and no danger of viruses or other nasty stuff. It is Covenant Eyes approved.

Every search, every purchase provides an income to Rose Creek Village Ministries which will be able to help out with our expenses and contributions to other mission work we are involved in. Mexico, Kenya, India, and Myanmar missions we support can all utilize this type of income. We can even support needs we have here at home.

PLEASE think about having me set this up for you if you do not already have this installed. If you do have this installed, please check to make sure this is working correctly. You will be doing a great service without doing anything out of the ordinary things you already do on the computer and Internet.

Thanks!


Doug Chamley
doug.rcv@gmail.com

I GoodSearch & GoodShop for Rose Creek Village.
Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch (powered by Yahoo), or shopping online with GoodShop

Pruning Pains or More Fruit?

Pruning Pains or More Fruit?

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2).


As I read this devotion today I was reminded of the many farming and gardening process that go on each day on this land as well as the farming experiences in my own life as a boy growing up in South Dakota. My grandfather had a large farm and there were many similar questions formed in my mind about livestock and crops that needed tending each day.


As I came to understand who God was and turned my life over to His care, I quickly saw the correlation between the two. Jesus taught about those processes and used many examples of earthly things related to heavenly truths.


We have been going through many pruning processes here this past few month. An intense cutting back and pruning of this church in regard to producing more fruit. And that is what I want to bring to this post. It is painful to experience the pruning process but the result of all that pruning and chopping and cutting and pain is "more fruit"!


And isn't that what we want to achieve anyway? Don't we want to be productive instruments of God? Fruit bearing and good for consumption to bring health and healing to those who are hungry and sick? If we can bear up under the pain and allow God to do His pruning we will bear the fruit He has intended for us to bear.


He is the Vine, we are the branches.


If we will submit our lives to Him and allow Him to us us for what we were created for, we will bear fruit! Not because we have done anything special. We are branches. Branches don't strain and grunt their way into producing fruit. Branches abide in a vital attachment to the Vine. They let the life flowing energy of the Vine to pass through them and into the fruit that they were created to produce. 


Every branch has it's purpose and every vine gives the branches the life it needs. The branch is the vessel for the production of the fruit. The direct result of the life force of the vine flowing into and out of the branch. It takes submission to the Vine to be the attachment for the production of the fruit.


So my friends, take heart that the Root of the Vine and the Husbandman of the Vine and the Branches are fulfilling the purpose intended to produce the fruit. It is such a joy to be the branch and allow the fruit to grow out from us! God is in control of what happens and knows how to grow the fruit. The pruning is necessary and yes, it hurts a little, but not as much as being completely cut off and thrown into the fire.


So, let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!


Oh, sorry. I was thinking of another song we sing in the wintertime. That's a whole 'nother post.