North Korea - Children of the Secret State

This is a documentary I watched today about the conditions in North Korea. Take a moment and watch it...I dare you not to feel moved by it.

little blessings

God's word has been such a blessing, first the Psalms I quoted earlier, then 1 Peter today. I read it from "The Message" and it was very encouraging.

I'll leave you with a brief quote from 1 Peter 4:12-19

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

angst...part II

Here is an e-mail I recently sent to a few friends, but it is fitting to share with all, as it relates to the struggle I am going through:

thank you for this. it is difficult to accept. I wish I could say I'm feeling better, but I'm not. hah...even as writing this, the song on the radio is "he will carry you." God's promises are everywhere.

sometimes I just want the obstacles out of the way so I don't need to grow or feel the hurt, but God anxiously waits to walk through the valleys with us, through the obstacles. they bring us closer to his presence, something of great comfort and fear.

I do wish we would communicate more...I would like to enter into a deeper fellowship of community with you and rivers, but that requires deliberate work. here in the DR I am surrounded by a community of believers - who live, worship, work, and struggle together. I grew up in a small town, but didn't even begin to understand what community is until I came here. I long for depth, investment, to be able to worship and weep with one another, tearing down all the walls we try to build and let the iron sharpen iron. What stops us as a body from doing so? Nothing can seperate us from God's love, yet at times the chasm seems as far as the east is from the wsst, so close yet seemingly unattainable. There is so much growth that God has for me in the coming months, I am eager and I resist.

I am deeply confused with where God is taking Vicente's project, and the relationship between Rivers and the Dominican Republic. There is so much that could be done! Yet I do not know clearly what is to be accomplished. "Be still and know that I am God" I hear...sometimes I just go and go and go, and not take time to stop and listen. busyness, stress, fear, and anxiety ensnare me, and I am tossed back and forth against these rocks like waves of the ocean against a rocky shore. my hands and body continue to be cut and bleed, and I continue to cling to those rocks of anxiety and busyness, yet the Rock that calms the storm waits.
Psalm 13:1-6
1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget R279 me forever? How long will R280 You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take R281 counsel in my soul, Having sorrow R282 in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider R283 and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten R284 my eyes, or I will sleep R285 the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, R286 "I have overcome him," And my R287 adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted R288 in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice R289 in Your salvation. 6 I will sing R290 to the LORD, Because He has dealt R291 bountifully with me.

Psalm 6:1-7
1 O LORD, do R110 not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining R111 away; Heal R112 me, O LORD, for my R113 bones are dismayed. 3 And my soul R114 is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD--how R115 long? 4 Return, O LORD, rescue R116 my soul; F51 Save me because of Your lovingkindness. 5 For there R117 is no mention F52 of You in death; In Sheol F53 who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary R118 with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my R119 tears. 7 My eye R120 has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Psalm 35:17-28
17 Lord, how R1021 long will You look on? Rescue my soul from R1022 their ravages, My only R1023 life from the lions. 18 I will give R1024 You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise R1025 You among a mighty throng. 19 Do R1026 not let those who are wrongfully my R1027 enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who R1028 hate me without cause wink R1029 F309 maliciously. 20 For they do not speak peace, But they devise deceitful R1030 words against those who are quiet in the land. 21 They opened R1031 their mouth wide against me; They said, "Aha, R1032 aha, our eyes have seen it!" 22 You R1033 have seen it, O LORD, do R1034 not keep silent; O Lord, do R1035 not be far from me. 23 Stir R1036 up Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord. 24 Judge R1037 me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness, And do R1038 not let them rejoice over me. 25 Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, R1039 our desire!" Do not let them say, "We have swallowed R1040 him up!" 26 Let those R1041 be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed R1042 with shame and dishonor who magnify R1043 themselves over me. 27 Let them shout R1044 for joy and rejoice, who favor my R1045 vindication; And let R1046 them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights R1047 in the prosperity of His servant." 28 And my R1048 tongue shall declare Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.

these verses echo the cry of my heart. I am also mindful of Psalm 51:12 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit"

that is all I have for now, may the God of mercy shower you with grace and love as you walk in the Spirit, now and forever, Amen.

angst...

Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain:

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right
http://www2.gol.com/users/quakers/simple_gifts.htm

Last night I awoke to my wife screaming because of a cockroach. I overreacted and treated her poorly. This display left me wide awake and I began to think about my wretched life. My priorities have fallen completely backwards! They have been:
(1) Work and Projects
(2) Myself
(3) My family
(4) God

How did this happen? I was trying to serve God and others, but made my focus on the things, not the relationship. My "walking with the Spirit" became a task, items on a checklist. Same goes with the relationship with my wife...Lord help and forgive me.

As I lay in bed, I pictured Vicente who was cleaning the garbage cans at work the other day, scooping garbage out with his bare hands. Now granted it's not part of his job and there are gloves, the image and idea brought me to tears. This man has received a vision from God to have an orphanage, take care of children, etc. He has a group committed to funding the construction of his new house which will one day become the orphanage. Yet no one will come over to build. Why, I ask. In tears, I beg God to send someone to build. I would if I knew how, but my hands have not been gifted in this area.

Life has no easy answers, and the concept of considering it pure joy when I face trials still baffles me at times.

It's a girl!

We had our "twenty week" appointment on Friday. For less than $10, I found out that pigtails, makeup, dresses, suitors (*gasp*), and having a "daddy's girl" were in my future.

I couldn't possibly be happier. :)

all things are possible...

So I'm teaching this Sunday school class on "The Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster, and we are currently going through a chapter on Solitude. During my prayer time last night, I asked God if he would wake me up this morning at 5:00 a.m. so I could spend some time in solitude with him and pray.

Well...this morning I woke to the noise of a dog barking outside. I was annoyed, wondering "Why is that stupid dog barking and not stopping?" I tried to ignore it but became more alert, and finally realized that I had asked God to wake me up at 5:00 a.m. I decided the prudent thing to do would be check the clock and see what time it was. Turned out it was 4:57 a.m., and God was giving me my wake up call! The dog kept barking until I got out of bed and was in the living room...it stopped and I didn't hear it the rest of the morning.

Thank you Lord for answering our silliest prayers in the most creative ways.

asking for help...

why is it so difficult for me? How far will God stretch me before I simply break? I secretly hope he never stops, but at the same time it pains me to let go.

homesickness...

...It's like a plague sometimes. I love life in Jarabacoa - the sun rises are amazing, the community we live in is like none other, life is so rich here yet a piece of my heart is yearning to be in North Dakota again. I long to spend a fall afternoon walking through sloughs hunting ducks. Or sledding at the dike in Fargo. I miss high school basketball, football games, Alive! practice, coffee with friends. Most of all, I miss my family. It hurts so much to be away for holidays or other celebrations like Micah's graduation (and both of Andrew's graduations...) Even more so just the day to day connectedness that I had with them. There are times I would give anything to snap my fingers and be 30 minutes into a three hour drive with one of my brothers, mom or dad. Perhaps to go golfing with dad and brothers on Fathers Day again.

It is a pain that never fully goes away. A scar that remains unclosed, and I desperatly cry out to God to heal it, but alas, he doesn't just take the pain away. There are times that I am thankful for that. Without this pain, without this longing, I would be severely lacking. I would take my family for granted. I would lose my dependence on God for my strength and peace. That would be a greater tragedy than the one I find myself amidst.

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Immediacy...

I've been thinking a lot lately about the immediacy and "Get it now!" mentality of American culture. This is just a quick example that was frustrating to me...I was on the internet, looking for driving directions from san jose, CA to seattle, wa. I wanted a scenic route, etc but all the map services only had two options "quickest" or "shortest distance." What ever happened to a "Scenic Diversions" option or adding a few detours to the route?

"Random" Connections

This past week has been an amazing array of connections and introductions. I want to post an overview of them all for you.

Holy Week - Having just finished talking with Jose Abreu (Habitat for Humanity officer at the national headquarters here) the week before about a possible trip to Santo Domingo to present our community to their office, I sat in front of a gentleman on the bus with a habitat hat on. Being the inquisitive one that I am, I asked him about the hat. Turns out him and his wife had just done a habitat trip here and are friends with Jose...Imagine that!

Denice Colson - She pioneered a type of therapy that we use at our school. There is little/no empirical data to support it (other than testimonials) so I wrote her asking if there was any research to support the therapy. She wrote back the same day and basically offered to:
1. Work with us/me on a research project to collect data, which could lead to published research!
2. Come down to our school and do a training. It turns out that her brother-in-law is Dominican. Imagine that!

Community Meeting in La Quebrada - Tonight we had our long-anticipated community meeting in La Quebrada, more of an introductory thing to get to know the community better. Two days ago, I got the idea to invite Martin and Noemi, two Columbians who live and work here. Their church is connected with my contact in the community, so I thought they might want to be involved. The meeting went splendidly! The community is excited to get to work and eager for the groups. They have a burden for a preschool, as there are approximately 35 young children (under age 5) who just run around all day (some of them without real families.) It was almost scary how quickly the pieces started falling into place: Noemi getting excited about the project, buildings available for the short-term to run the school, people in the community with education backgrounds and the desire to get teaching certificates. We will see what God does with it!

Rick Mackey - So about one month ago, my cousin Dan mentions that he knows this guy who will be a missionary in the DR and I should get in touch with him, here's his e-mail address, etc. I forget about it for a month, but finally write him back. Guess where he's going to be living? In Jarabacoa working as a pastor and will be here this fall...Imagine that!

The God we serve is a great and powerful God!!!

"Chance" Encounters of the God kind

What we think of as funny "coincidence" or "chance" encounters are nothing of the sort in God's eyes. Our perspective is so limited, yet at times we (well, at least I) float along resolved to have a general idea of what is the big picture. This past week I have had two "chance" encounters of the God kind. You can read about encounter number one at my Dream of 50 blog.

Encounter number two began mid-morning yesterday. I was enjoying a leisurely morning, goofing around on the computer, reading the Bible, etc when the doorbell rang. Not expecting anyone, I was inclined to ignore it. However I tossed that notion aside and went to the door. There were two young (late teens to early 20s) Dominican ladies saying something about them being Christians, and having a service tonight in a house nearby. From their description it sounded like a house that I knew, but I was still pretty tired which made my mind a bit more hazy. I half-listened to what they were saying, said yes at times, took their invitation and said good-bye. Julie and I decided it might be fun to go, so at 6:30 we called them to confirm the directions.

Turns out the house is right across the street, and is affiliated with a man that I have met on two past occasions. His name, I believe, is Ron and works with, again I believe, World Gospel Missions. I met him when coordinating an activity for the missions group who came in January. There is a missionary family from Curacao here that has a literacy mission. Their son, Rovian (age 14) took it upon himself to start a "kids club" with the children in his neighborhood. The goal of the club is to give them activities to do that are positive, and teach them the saving love of Jesus! It's a wonderful goal, and a wonderful club. Ron's mission has been helping them, and he was here on two trips the two times I "happened" to go to the kids club - once in Christmas and also in January when the ND Missions group ran the kids club.


So there we were at the house. The group is from a church called "Iglesia de Dios" (Church of God) in Santo Domingo, that is starting a Christian church in Jarabacoa. This is an exploratory trip for them to learn more about the community. At the meeting they played Spanish praise music, did some wonderful dance routines to a few songs, preached a message, then had games and supper. Julie and I ended up staying until 11 p.m., having been there over 4 hours!

I had been looking for a video to keep the kids busy tomorrow while staff hid the Easter eggs. It looks like God had something better in mind, that is to have this group perform for the kids! Please pray that this idea is approved, and it builds a bridge in the hearts of men that already exists in the eyes of God.

Change of Address Update

Greetings One and All!

Our address has changed, and I wanted you to be aware of that:

Peter & Julie Schott
Unit 3039 - ECDR
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946

Phone Numbers:
USA > 701-526-3331
DR > (H) 809-574-4349 (C) 809-492-8142

E-mail: psalm1382@yahoo.com

God is good. (I really need not say more, but I'll explain why)

Here's a recent conversation I had with a friend that sums up how God has been working lately and the glimpses I have had of it.

(09:29:37) Peter: hey shannon
(09:29:41) Peter: you can't possibly be on right now
(09:29:46) Peter: but if so hello :)
(09:29:59) Shantasmagoria Wittow: you can't!
(09:30:03) Shantasmagoria Wittow: hello :)
(09:30:09) Shantasmagoria Wittow: how are you?
(09:30:10) Peter: goodness
(09:30:16) Peter: what time is it there?
(09:30:24) Peter: must be like 5:30 am
(09:30:29) Shantasmagoria Wittow: 4:32?
(09:30:30) Peter: i'm doing well and yourself?
(09:30:40) Peter: it's 9:30 am here
(09:30:42) Shantasmagoria Wittow: good
(09:30:46) Peter: God is so good
(09:30:54) Shantasmagoria Wittow: :D
(09:31:00) Shantasmagoria Wittow: do you have a story?
(09:31:01) Peter: there are so many things to say
(09:31:03) Peter: oh yes
(09:31:13) Shantasmagoria Wittow: well, please tell
(09:31:16) Peter: do you ever read my blog? I may have put some of it on there
(09:31:19) Peter: I will tell though
(09:31:29) Peter: it started last july
(09:31:46) Shantasmagoria Wittow: okay :)
(09:31:47) Peter: i was thinking of vacation, not wanting to talk about myself and what I'm doing the whole time I was at home
(09:32:05) Shantasmagoria Wittow: oh yes!!!
(09:32:10) Peter: so I asked God what I could do and he gave me the idea to make a dvd showcasing various missions here
(09:32:22) Peter: so a couple friends of mine and I put it together
(09:32:28) Shantasmagoria Wittow: :)
(09:32:46) Peter: had the song "his eye is on the sparrow" as the theme as we let each of these groups tell their story and needs
(09:33:05) Peter: anyways, I was determined to show it to anyone that would sit down for 10 mins and watch it, then see what God did
(09:33:18) Peter: well the first day home, I showed it to Pauline...good Pauline :)
(09:33:38) Shantasmagoria Wittow: she's great
(09:33:39) Peter: she is affiliated with a new non-profit group called "rivers of life"
(09:33:51) Shantasmagoria Wittow: and a connection was born
(09:33:59) Peter: my goal in this video was to connect people/churches to missions in need
(09:34:14) Peter: to build relationshipsand offer a way for people/churches to give to reliable sources
(09:34:26) Peter: or if they were thinking of doing a missions trip it would spur that on
(09:34:30) Peter: etc
(09:34:38) Peter: well this rivers of life group has the same heart and goal
(09:34:46) Peter: and they are doing that with people in madagascar
(09:34:57) Peter: anyways they were having a board meeting the next day
(09:35:09) Peter: Pauline said they would be interested in seeing this and offered to arrange it
(09:35:11) Shantasmagoria Wittow: and...
(09:35:13) Peter: I happily said yes
(09:35:20) Peter: went out there, showed the video
(09:35:26) Peter: they got excited, asked what I wanted from them
(09:35:36) Peter: told them I would like them to be a conduit for resources to the DR
(09:35:42) Peter: they said they would pray about it
(09:35:50) Shantasmagoria Wittow: you flew?
(09:36:08) Shantasmagoria Wittow: oh wow!
(09:36:08) Peter: they prayed for me, received visions that I was going to have a new perspective on the DR when I returned here, that God was going to pour out blessing on the DR
(09:36:23) Peter: 2 hr later they called me and told me the answer was yes
(09:36:25) Shantasmagoria Wittow: I heard a little bit, this is more, and more fantastic
(09:36:30) Peter: and this is where it gets exciting
(09:36:39) Peter: they wanted me to be their "field officer" down here
(09:36:45) Peter: eyes/ears open for opportunities
(09:37:07) Peter: have me as a joint signer on a checking account to disburse any funds that come in
(09:37:29) Peter: and they want to send a few people down here on an exploratory trip sometime (possibly this month by now)
(09:37:34) Peter: I was home in october btw
(09:37:41) Peter: there's funny thing about that too
(09:37:48) Peter: I was planning on coming 10 days later than I did
(09:38:05) Peter: but my drivers license was going to expire and I was going to lose my CDL certifications for bus driving, etc
(09:38:17) Peter: and I wanted to keep them, so I needed to come back by a certain time and take this test
(09:38:26) Peter: so I came home a week early, lining all this other stuff up
(09:38:34) Peter: it "just happened to work out"
(09:38:35) Peter: ;)
(09:38:38) Peter: anywhoo..
(09:38:49) Peter: I came back here, and have been sharing with them when I see needs
(09:38:59) Shantasmagoria Wittow: wow
(09:39:03) Peter: I'm on two committees with our church here, benevolence and missions
(09:39:15) Peter: benevolence distributes money/resources to people in need
(09:39:22) Peter: and missions helps with missionaries on the island
(09:39:29) Shantasmagoria Wittow: this is so awesome Peter
(09:39:30) Peter: a man came to the benevolence committee
(09:39:46) Peter: who wanted concrete for a floor on his house
(09:39:50) Peter: he was building a house
(09:39:59) Peter: renting an aprt at the same time for his family
(09:40:06) Peter: couldn't afford the rent anymore
(09:40:13) Peter: so they moved into this house early
(09:40:28) Peter: no concrete floor, just dirt covered with carpet
(09:40:33) Peter: we went out to examine the site
(09:41:23) Peter: the house, it's a wreck...building the walls with scrapwood(basically bark), the ground isn't level
(09:41:42) Peter: and on the way out, we saw 14 other houses that hadn't finished their construction
(09:41:49) Peter: half finished houses, lined up in rows
(09:41:59) Peter: I asked the man what was going on with those houses
(09:42:15) Peter: said the property was donated by the gov't, and that the people needed to build the house on their own
(09:42:32) Peter: while I was out there I kept getting the thought, "build 50 houses"
(09:42:39) Peter: "in one year"
(09:42:43) Peter: thinking this is crazy
(09:43:01) Peter: kept praying about it, received confirmation through prayer and other people committing to help with the project
(09:43:20) Peter: talked with habitat for humanity today, someone from habitat is going to come here to meet with me and look at the sites, etc
(09:43:26) Peter: to possibly partner with us
(09:43:33) Peter: like I said earlier, God is good!
(09:44:09) Peter: so how do you like them apples
(09:46:09) Shantasmagoria Wittow: I LOVE THEM APPLES!
(09:48:23) Peter: please pray for Habitat, for Jose Abreu (the man who is coming here to see the project)
(09:48:31) Peter: check out http://www.theschottfamily.org/missions
(09:48:36) Peter: and pray for Vicente
(09:48:59) Peter: pray for the 14 owners of the houses and others that are homeless or living in substandard housing

Luke 6 - bravery in action

In Luke 6:8 Jesus sees a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath with a withered hand. The Pharisees were watching him to see if he might heal the man, breaking the law so they might accuse him. Jesus, in boldness, called the man forward (also helps that he knew what they were thinking!) He then responded to the Pharisees by asking in verse 9: "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or destroy it?" He then restored the man's hand.

What would we do in a similar situation? Not saying we are going to heal a withered hand, though I believe God has given us the power to ask him to provide physical healing for others. Situations like this are becoming more commonplace, where the "letter of the law" is diverting from Christian beliefs. I hear the debate all the time with prayer in school, children getting in trouble for telling their classmates about Jesus, and on and on...will we have the courage to stand boldly? Yesterday I watched the story of Daniel with the children for Sunday school. Daniel had the courage to pray publicly despite it being against the law. God protected him for his faithfulness. After all, I think Daniel knew he had nothing to lose! If he did die, he would be in heaven with his father. Look at Paul, he specifically requested to be seen by Caesar, even though he had the chance to be released. What lead to his eventual imprisonment and death became an opportunity to witness to many, including high government officials in Rome.

Would we have the same courage and faith?

You have got to be kidding me...

For those of you who thought something like this would never happen...

Woman Weds Dolphin

Woman weds dolphin

Tel Aviv, Israel
December 30, 2005 - 6:34AM

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British tourist Sharon Tendler has finally made her dream match - by "marrying" a dolphin she has been visiting for 15 years in the Israeli resort of Eilat, the mass-circulation Yediot Ahronot daily reported today.

Ms Tendler, 41, has been visiting the city on the Gulf of Aqaba two or three times a year to spend time with her 35-year-old underwater sweetheart.

"The peace and tranquility under water, and his love, would calm me down," the Israeli daily quoted her as saying.

Last week, Ms Tendler finally plucked up the courage to ask the dolphin's trainer for the mammal's fin in marriage.

The wedding took place on Wednesday, with the bride - wearing a white dress and watched by amazed spectators - walking down the dock to where the groom was waiting in the water.

She kissed him, to the cheers of the spectators and then, after the ceremony was sealed with some mackerels, was tossed into the water so she could swim away with her new husband.

"I'm the happiest girl on earth," the bride was quoted as saying.

"I made a dream come true. And I am not a pervert."

- DPA

Luke 5, New Year's Res (yes I'm actually doing one)

So I was reading in Luke today, and got convicted. Funny thing about that darn Bible, it tends to do that to me from time to time (namely any time I open its cover.) The Pharasees were asking Jesus why he was eating with the sinners and tax collecters. Jesus eloquently responded: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Gosh how many times do I expect the kids I work with to be perfect, or not misbehave so much! Look past the kids and move on to my friends or my wife...the bar gets higher. (Shame on me.)

On to the New Year's Resolution...(my official one) is to read the bible through in one year! I'm using the online one at crosswalk.com to get the references, then read it in my bible. I find it better to read the word on paper rather than a computer screen.

My other res is to do an average of 25 pushups and situps each day.

Here's an unofficial toast (with a non-alcoholic sparkly grapejuice, of course) to New Year's Resolutions, and the God that will make it possible for us to fulfill them.

To him be the glory, now and forever. make this year a meaningful one, and when I say that it is my hope that the meaning be found in a deeper, more intimate relationship with your creator. speaking of which, a random closing thought. The other day I was walking to work and decided to pray for everyone I came across on that walk. It wasn't *too* bad right away (read:the first five mins) but started to become overwhelming. Even early in the A.m. in a small mountain town, there are a lot of people to pray for! Houses filled with people that I've never met, scraggly concho drivers, etc. I got to thinking (dangerous habit, by the way) that God knows each of these people in a way that is more intimate than I will ever know my wife. Amazing! Praise God for his power...hey I'm glad he's the one in charge, not me...though I do try to usurp his authority from time to time (read:too many times in a day to count.)

good night all, happy new year.

feel free to post comments sharing any new year's res or how you spent your new years eve and day!