Long live the "King"

Fishing on the Petrohue River in Puerto Varas, Chile provided a lot of fun and excitement. The first King Salmon I landed was over 40 inches long and put up a great fight. The next one was a bit smaller, but just as much fun. I had to keep pinching myself to think of what I was doing (fishing for King Salmon) and where I was doing it (Puerto Varas, Chile).

Moving on to the Maullin River was just as exciting as we changed from spin fishing for King Salmon to flyfishing for Rainbow and Brown Trout. What a blast! They were not nearly as big as the Kings, but there were a lot of them and flyfishing adds a great dimension to the challenge. It indeed is an art form that I truly enjoy. I hope to make another adventure to the rivers of Chile in the future to try my luck again. What a time!

"A Chile Reception"

What a reception we had in Temuco, Chile. It was great to establish such a wonderful relationship with 21 young girls in the Baptist Home there. Their ages ranged from 5 to 17 years old and all were precious in the Lords' sight as well as ours. The language was definitely a barrier, but not one that hindered expressions of love and appreciation on every one's part. The obvious love of Christ overshadowed anything that would have prevented us from having a wonderful time with them.

Much work was accomplished as we painted the roofs of the different buildings at the home as well as the inside of the girls living cottages. The girls chose a beautiful shade of lavender for their bedrooms and champion gold was the color selected for the roofs.

The true sense of accomplishment came not from the painting, but from the smiles that graced the faces of each of these special children. The joy that was expressed needed no translation.

Now my prayer is that the Lord will continue to bless not only these precious girls in Chile, but also the hearts and memories of the 13 volunteers that took time from their busy schedules to travel from Waco, Texas to Temuco, Chile. It was time well spent to touch the lives of others many, many miles away. The Lord does, indeed, have a long reach. All praise to Him.

Home At Last!

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." Psalm 116:15


After a long, hard fight, Bruce Coe, Jan's father, went home to be with the Lord. January 10th was truly a day of celebration because his broken body was no longer holding him hostage. His Lord and Savior came and set him free.

Bruce was indeed, a man on a mission. Whether it was on one of his 62 flying missions as a tail-gunner in a B-26 in WWII, designing for Sun Oil Company's off shore drilling, under the hood of one of his cars, blowing the leaves off his roof, digging a well in the backyard, building a tree house, making a rope swing, preparing to teach a Sunday School lesson or just "piddling" in his workshop. Bruce remained focused, driven and headstrong with the task always at the forefront. He had "his" way of doing things, and I discovered early in our relationship, to follow his instructions or get out of the way. He was going to get the job done with or without you.

Though sometimes a bit "gruff" on the outside, he maintained a tender, warm heart at all times on the inside. He had a passion and love for sports, hard work, his friends, his church, his family and his Lord. He truly enjoyed his independence in so many ways, but never forgot his dependence on the Father. Now, at long last and after a full and rich life on this earth, Bruce is home at last. Those of us who knew him and loved him are so very thankful he's home. No more hurts, restrictions or sufferings. Right now, we know he is in heaven probably mowing, painting or re-roofing his mansion. We also know that we will see him again when we go home, at last.

Why?

Why is it so difficult:
- to read the fine print?
- to drive the approved speed limit?
- to understand the lyrics of rap music?
- to go to the Dentist?
- to learn a foreign language?
- to say, "I'm sorry"?
- to follow assembly instructions?
- to remember why I came into this room?
- to find my car keys?
- to maintain a "quiet time"?
- to stand firm against peer pressure?
- to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do?
- to listen to the Lord speak?
- to read my Bible?
- to surrender to the Lord's perfect will?
- to say "yes" to Jesus?

Stop, Look & Listen

As we start the New Year, it's easy to get so busy in all that "needs" to be done and all that we "want" to do, that we forget to see the beauty in the little things. Little things like a smile, a sunrise, a kind gesture, a cozy fire, a rainbow, a "please and thank you." It's true, we need to accomplish goals, meet deadlines, cast visions and plan strategies, but we shouldn't overlook a child's laughter, a bird's song, the hug of someone special or the beauty of a flower and it's delightful smell. Don't overlook what you're looking over! Instead, look for those little things that can bless you in great ways. They usually have very little cost, but great value. Stop ... look ... and listen ... You won't regret it.

A New Year, A New Adventure

I love hiking in the mountains. It seems that there is something new around every corner, boulder and log. Part of the fun is remembering the path you've already tred. The sights and sounds are memories not soon forgotten.
Yet, what lies up ahead? It's always an adventure into the unknown. The anticipation is great, along with the expectations. New sights, new smells, new adventures.
2007 has been a true adventure for my family. Some parts of the path have been steep and rocky, while others have been scenic and breathtaking. We couldn't have taken advantage of the beauty without accepting the challenge of the climb. We had to stop along the way to catch our breath every now and then, but the experience was well worth the effort.
2008 promises to be a path with more adventure and excitement, yet a challenging climb is anticipated. But isn't that the joy of hiking? Always placing one foot in front of the other to ascend to the heights never seen before.
Blake and I traveled the path in the picture. It was a beautiful path, a gorgeous hike and a true adventure. What made it very special for me was the fact that Blake was making the trek with me. Another joy in the journey is having someone special to share it with. I look forward to many more hikes into the mountains with Blake. The climbs are sometimes difficult, but the encouragement and support along the way make it rewarding. If the path is not steep, the view won't be nearly as breathtaking.
I'm eagerly anticipating climbing the path of 2008. If we keep the journey in context of the reward yet to be seen and enjoy the experience with those we love, then it will be a wonderful year. Let's pick up our backpacks and hit the trail!! 2008 awaits.

Our Presents; His Presence!

Christmas is awesome! The traditions, celebrations, family gatherings, smells, sights and tastes. I just love all the carols, pageants, lights, nativities and candlelights. I simply didn't think Christmas could exist without them. Then came Christmas '07.
Christmas '07 was found "lacking" in my estimation. You see, our family has been experiencing various struggles and hardships in relationships as well as health. Many of our cherished traditions were broken. Much of the joyous spirit in decorating our house was declared MIA. The normal cheer and anticipation seemed to wain. Most was being done out of duty, responsibility and the feeling of "supposed to."
To top it all off, on Christmas Eve, I found myself miserably sick with a head & chest cold. As a result, I missed the Christmas Eve service and ended up spending the night on the couch trying to insure that Jan would not catch it.
As I lay there drugged up, on a couch that was 6 inches too short to hinder me from stretching out and about 2 feet too narrow to keep me from turning over, I focused on our Christmas tree now standing in the dark. My head was exploding, I couldn't breath, I was aching and chilled and really feeling a bit sorry for myself.
As I lay there thinking, "What a wonderful Christmas this has turned out to be," the Lord said something I truly needed to hear. He reminded me that the first Christmas was not a very pleasant experience for Joseph and Mary either. There they were, miles from home, Mary VERY pregnant, having either walked or riden a donkey for hours, hungry, dirty and unable to find a single room in the village. They ended up having to stay in a barn of all places, with nothing around them but smelly animals, dirt and straw. There were no cheery decorations, no brightly colored lights, no thermostats to adjust the heating/AC, no ZICAM, no ibuprophin, no kleenex, no soft pillow with a bear on the case to snuggle up with, NOTHING! Not my idea of a wonderful Christmas!
Then I thought of how blessed I was. Safe, warm, somewhat comfortable, with my wife and son all under the same roof. I had nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for. See, a miracle happened in that stinky, dirty, smelly barn, and that exhausted and rejected young couple got to see it first hand and have a part in it. They didn't sit there thinking of how bad things were when their focus turned to the little baby Mary had just delivered lying there in the manger. Instead, they recalled, "You shall call His name Jesus, Immanuel, God with us."
I looked in the dark at the silhouette of our beautifully decorated tree with all the presents surrounding it and saw our manger filled with straw holding the baby. When I began to focus on the baby, I wasn't so concerned about my sad situation. Instead I thought how in the midst of misery, the Messiah was born. In dirty surroundings, the divine Savior appeared. In that pitiful place, the Prince of Peace entered our world. That's the miracle and that's what makes Christmas, Christmas!! Our present is His presence! He is, "God with us." My Christmas became very merry.
God bless us, every one!