Near Death Experience

I had been visiting with my family over the week-end to celebrate my mother’s 90^th birthday. I was headed home and detoured to Oklahoma City to see an archaeology exhibit. On Monday I got to the airport early and boarded my flight to Memphis I would have an hour to change planes there. 

Our flight was a 50 seat jet that was full. As we took off we all heard a loud bang and the whole plane shuddered. We became distressed to say the least. After a bit the pilot announced that something had happened on takeoff and that we were returning to Oklahoma City for inspection. This was both good news and bad news. We all knew that we would miss our connecting flights.

We did a low fly over of the airport so the Delta ground crew could check the belly of the plane. It was decided that a tire had blown and the under carriage needed to be inspected. We would have to land. We had a full tank of fuel and a missing tire.  Not a good combination. So we flew in circles around Oklahoma City staying in the air past the time we would have landed in Memphis.

As we cam in for a landing there were fire trucks lining the side of the runway and they followed us in. We were instructed in crash landing positions for that aircraft. As we touched down and began to roll to the gate a cheer went up that we were safe.

Delta had a lot of staff working to get us new flights. Most of the planes leaving that evening were full already. I was given boarding passes to Atlanta and then Louisville for 6:30 Tuesday morning. We were also given meal vouchers and hotel rooms on Deltas dime.

It was an interesting feeling to realize that there was the possibility of the plane crashing when we touched down. Accidental death is always possible but to be that close to the reality of it had a lot of us praying while our heads were bowed in the crash position.

Flying Woes

I use to enjoy flying and still do the flying part but the TSA part is not fun at all.

Long lines at the TSA Check point - full body scans and searches - they take your stuff away from you.

I had a bottle of water and they took it/ I was told I could buy a bottle just like it at the counter and take that on the flight. It was $4  something wrong there.
I know that we must be protected for evil people but some of this is way too much.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Things My other Taught Me

My mother taught me many wonderful things that shaped my life Here are the four that are most important to me.

First is to love Jesus with ll my heart all the time.

Second to love others more than my self.

Third to always do my best.

Fourth to keep learning all my life.

My mother is about to have her 90th birthday and her children are gathering to celelberate.
God bless Dorothy Ida Waddell Groh

In the Matter of Forgiveness

Forgiveness

In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus taught us about forgiveness when Peter asked him how many times he should forgive someone. The Law of Moses said to forgive four times so Peter who knew that Jesus always went beyond the law ask if the number should be seven. Thinking that he would be praised for more than doubling what the law said, Peter must have been shocked when Jesus said seventy times seven.

Four Steps to Forgiveness:

1.     Recognize the underserved HURT for what it is and own it. Understanding the nature of what happened is important. Was the hurt intentional or unintentional? Was it personal or general? For example a slap in the face is personal while the 9/11 attack was general.

2.     Recognize your ANGER/HATE as the result of the hurt and know that holding on to anger and or hate is an acid that destroys the vessel that contains it. It will eat away at your soul unless you deal with it soon.

3.     Seek in prayer your SPIRITUAL INETRNAL HEALING. Remembering that Jesus taught us to pray “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. You goal is spiritual peace and wholeness as a child of God and a Disciple of Jesus.

4.     Proclaim your FREEDOM and RELEASE from your hurt, pain, anger and hate. The one who caused the hurt may not know that they hurt you and it may have been on purpose. What ever it is forgiving that person will release you from your bondage to the hate. It may even restore  a relationship.

Six Points of Prayer

1.     Prayer is internal not external. 

2.     Prayer seeks inner fulfillment, rather that outer manipulation. 

3.     Prayer is standing at attention before God. 

4.     If we really pray in God’s name, we shall ask only for those things which are consistent with the love of God.

5.     The goal of praying is not the fulfilling of our request; it is the glorification of God. 

6.     In prayer we don’t tell God what to do,  rather we seek to find out what God’s message is for us.

Texas Independence Day

The Unanimous Declaration of Independence
made by theDelegates of the People of Texas
in General Convention at the town of Washington
on the 2nd day of March 1836.

It was 176 years ago today the Texas declared its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas.  Texas is the only state that went from being an independent republic to a state.

I am flying the Texas flag at my  house here in Bellemeade Kentucky. You can take a Texan our of Texas but not the other way around. My darling and I are Texans in exile.

Happy Texas Independence Day 

Faith is Personal – Religion is Corporate

Faith is Personal – Religion is Corporate

I have a deep personal spiritual relationship with God. My first spiritual experience with God was overwhelming and powerful. After that day I had not doubt what so ever that God exist. Since that time my personal devotions have been the source of my strength of faith and life.

I believe that faith is a very personal thing that is internal, spiritual, and beyond logic. When one’s spirit is in contact with the Holy Spirit organized religion does not matter any more. Prayer then is the faith experience that matters most. To commune with God one to one is the essence of faith.

Religion is the corporate expression of faith. Any house of worship or religious community be it church, synagogue, mosque or temple is a place for the body of believers to gather and express their faith. The building is only a building and the people gathered are the church. Organizations run by humans have faults and that includes religious organizations.

I need my church as a way of expressing my faith, sharing my faith, and acting on my faith. The church provides me with a way to do ministry for God that I can not do well alone. The church was given to us as a help for our ministry so that we can be taught and in turn teach others.  

Faith is Personal – Religion is Corporate