Just 2 Unjust

Camouflage??

2009-06-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I updated this. The face book thing has pulled me away. I' ve been debating weather or not to totally convert over, but haven't decided yet.

If you've seen my Facebook page, you might have seen the picture of the killdeer eggs we have in the driveway nest. Yes, I did say nest in the driveway. Killdeer are ground nesters and they rely on one single factor to allow the eggs and nest to survive and make it to hatching. That one factor is camouflage. The eggs match their surroundings so well, that predators don't see them....most of the time, that is. Something did happen to two of the four eggs in the driveway nest.

This got me to thinking about my life. How often do I sit back and blend into my surroundings - camouflaged, if you will? I mean, do people realize that I am not of this world and I don't want to be the same as it seems the world is sliding? I want people to know that I'm a Christian! I want them to know that I'm different. But I don't want them to think I'm weird or a fanatic, Do you know what I mean. Can anyone else relate?

I'm getting better at this as I get older, but why does it take so long? Because of the gift our Lord gave to us, we should be jumping for joy! We shouldn't care what the rest of the world

thinks!

So.......how bout it. Are you ready to join me in shedding the camouflage and putting on the neon???

Every Day is Easter

2009-04-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Cut off Catalpa tree stump.

I thought it might be time to start up the ole' blog again. I took a short sabbatical around Easter, so I could keep up with everything else. Thanks for the faithful readership (both of you! Ha!??)

As I was walking down by the creek a while back, I noticed that someone had come in and cut down my favorite tree that stood near the road and the creek bank. It was a Catalpa tree. To some of you, that name may not mean anything or be familiar to you. My brothers and I used to call it an elephant ear tree because of it's huge, elephant ear-like leaves. Anyway, these trees are native to Kansas and they bloom a brilliant white flower in early summer. Now, nothing is left of that tree but the stump. I don't blame anyone, and I really don't know who to blame anyhow.

But that incident caused me to start thinking, especially since Easter was still on my mind. It brought about the correlation of this tree and the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like Christ, this tree was a beautiful specimen. It was living what some would call a perfect life. It had a great future. But then, the tree was cut down. It was really causing no harm and was giving others joy. The parallels are interesting. Both Jesus and the tree were killed by man.

The difference, though, is that Jesus died and then came back to life after three days. (The tree's life is over.) And for believers, Jesus offers an eternity with Him, with no more sorrow, sickness, or pain. What a cool deal, huh? We've got a saying at our church that states, "Every Day is Easter!"

New Catalpa tree planted in our yard. (Happy Easter)

Conform Not

2009-03-03T20:56:00.001-08:00

I took this picture last Saturday. Yup, that's right - the day it was really cold, windy and a bit snowy. It was ten degrees when I took this. But if you'll notice, the flowers are vividly blooming. These flowers are always the first to bloom in our flower bed. They pop up about the end of February and bloom for about three weeks. They are called Glory of the Snow or Snow Glories ( Chionodoxa forbesii). Tamra and I bought these bulbs from our nephew, Evan, when he was selling them for a school project. We really didn't know what we were buying for sure, but thought it would be neat to have some extra flowers in the front.

If you'll notice, there are no other flowers blooming in the picture, nor is there anything else that is even remotely a bit green. This flower is the first to bloom in the spring season. In fact it gets its name from that because it is often seen poking through the snow - again when nothing else is even thinking of blooming.

When I saw these beautiful blue blooms, I thought of the fact that those flowers are such independent little boogers. They just do their own thing. God made them that way. I also thought of the verse in Romans 12:2 that says, Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

God's word tells us that we are not to follow the ways of this world. Hmmm.....just like the Glory of the Snow. If it bloomed when all of the other flowers bloom, it would quickly wither and die. So it is with us. If we follow the ways of everyone else, straying from the teachings and commandments of God, we soon "wither and die" spiritually. God gave us independence from others and the world so that we may follow Him and his will.

Isn't it great to be able to follow such a Savior who wants us to do our own thing? Take some time this week to ask God what that thing is you're supposed to do. You may just bloom in the process!

It's All in the Perception

2009-02-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

Snow Creek

I got back Monday from a ski trip with our church youth group. Where did we go, you ask? How' Missouri grab ya? Yep, Missouri. Believe it or not, there's a small ski area just a bit north of the KCI Airport outside of the town of Weston, MO called Snow Creek. It has 12 labeled runs and 6 lifts, counting the rope lift. Sound interesting?

Collin on the lift

Well, we had a small portion of our youth group wanting to go skiing, but none of us had much of a budget. So we found out about Snow Creek and then got an inside rate on motel rooms near the airport, and away we went. I had my doubts about the area, and I had convinced myself that I was just really along to help chaperon anyway.

Guess what! I was pleasantly surprised! For man made snow, the skiing was really pretty decent. The temps were just right and it was busy but not overly crowded. Only Collin and I got to go (out of our family) and we both had a great time. There were people from several states there, including MO, LA, OK, TX, Iowa, & KS; some other countries also.

FBC Youth

We found out that Snow Creek was a great place for people to learn to ski; a good place for skiers to refresh their skills; or just a neat little place to go and save money. I guess it's just like other things in life. It's all in how you perceive it!

Collin & Yours Truly

Sacrifice?

2009-02-04T08:17:00.001-08:00

We had a missions conference at our church this past weekend. There were 12 different sets of missionairies there, who present the Gospel in many different countries. It's incredible how these people have given to a walk that requires them to sacrifice so much.

I've been thinking about that lately. How is my walk? Am I giving and sacrificing for the sake of spreading the Gospel? At times, I think I do pretty good! I mean I have to alter my personal schedule once in a while and even miss out on "important" personal events as a sacrifice!

Could I be doing more? What is the meaning of sacrifice and being a "missionary" for God?

Romans 12:1 & 2 says, "And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Have a great week!

We've Got "Spirit," Yes We Do!

2009-01-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we've spent the last three days going to basketball games in which Adam and Collin played in. The boys both played Thursday, then Adam went on to play in two more games at the El Dorado tournament, the Bluestem Classic. There were some good teams there. Even though we (the El Dorado H.S. Wildcats) didn't win any of our three games, I'd still say that the El Dorado ball club is a good team. After all, we only lost to the tournament champion (Wichita Collegiate) in our opening game by four points. And we only lost the other two games by a deficit of two and four points. Man, we seemed good enough. We basically did all the right things. Most people were happy with the team's actions. Man people, said we appeared to have what it takes. We just couldn't seem to win the game, though.

Maybe you can already see where I'm going with this. Do the last few sentences remind you of some people's description of their "religious" lives? Unfortunately, there are still people thinking that they are going to earn their way to Heaven because they appear to have what it takes. They seem good enough and, basically, do all of the right things. Most people are happy with their actions, too.

Wow! We' been talking a lot in church lately about being in the Spirit. One of the statements that our Pastor said today was: "If we live in the Spirit, we must walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit doesn't mean just coming close to winning. Coming close to eternal life is not where I want to spend eternity. My idea of "winning" in life is ending up spending eternity in Heaven with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And in the meantime, I want to be walking in the Spirit, not just talking like I'm there and appearing to do all of the right things. It's more than that. Letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace (Rom. 8:6).

It's my goal this year to live a Spirit filled life. As we're talking in Church: I'm going to be on the front line in '09.

Are We Listening?

2009-01-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

Our Sunday School lesson last week was on listening to God. Now, if you're like me, sometimes I, not a very good listener. But when we were getting ready to leave, I asked the class to really listen to the Lord this week and come back and share their experiences. (That way we all could be encouraged and edified by the experience.)

Ex. #1: Well, I had prayed that I would be open to God's will for me and that I would obey, but you know - often we think it will probably be the other guy. It wasn't!

My supervisor and I were coming back from K.C. on the Turnpike, and we passed a car that was broke down on the side of the road. There were two girls outside of the car as we passed. I felt that we should turn around, so we did. Long story short.....the girls were headed back to school in California and the car was causing problems. We were able to get them started and followed them to a repair shop that I knew of in El Dorado where we always take our vehicles.

The girls were very grateful; I'm sure one of them was a Christian by the way she talked, which made me feel even better.

Ex. #2: I had been burdened with the sickness of an acquaintance of ours through our Church. Our S.S. class wanted to help them out in some way but we didn't know how and what the status of our "brother" was. I was able to obtain the cell phone number of the brother's wife and caught her in the grocery store. I told her that we were wondering how they were and if we could possibly help them in any way. She was so moved that I thought she was going to cry over the phone. She told me that she had been praying for help to see how she was going to handle this coming week, as our brother was needing to go to the doctor in K.C. and she was going to be tied up with her oldest daughter who just had a baby the day that I was calling her. Also, she was burdened with the fact that her grandson was receiving chemotherapy and all of the other aspects of life. (Wow!) I told her we were there for her and we would do whatever it took to help her.

If that isn't answered prayer on both sides, I'll eat my hat! But should I have been surprised? The Bible tells us when we pray to be prepared and expect answers. Yup! Awesome!

If you've got a story about hearing from the Lord, I'd like to hear it and maybe even pass it on to our S.S. class for their edification. Hey, you never know when God's going to give you that Elijah-type whisper or a little tugging at your heart! But when he does, go for it!! You and others will be blessed!

Resistant to Change? Me?

2009-01-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm wondering why everybody is so resistant to change. I mean, it's really very simple - change is a necessary evil to make the world go round. But why is everyone so against it? It' not that bad of a thing! But I do have a few questions?

- Why is it so important for young people to have their cell phones on 24 hours a day, especially for texting purposes? Are they missing an important meeting or business appointment?
- Why do girls wear those furry little boots with their pants tucked in them when it's not even snowing outside?
- Why do boys not comb their hair anymore?
- Why do girls wear at least 6 or 7 shirts, making sure the bottom one is longer than the others so it sticks out farther than the others....and then, the neckline still doesn't cover most of what it should?
- Why do boys wear their hats cocked off to the sides of their heads?
- Why do girls pierce everything?
- Why do boys put major holes in the lobes of their ears with this wooden or plastic ring in there? (Do they have any idea how stupid that will look when they get older?)
- Why do young car owners put those loud "mufflers" on a four cylinder engine?
- Why do girls pay $75 for jeans with holes in the knees? (I'd do it for $10!)
- Why do middle-aged men and women try to act like they are as young as these kids in the previous questions??????

Living Water

2009-01-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

While on my daily morning walk that last few days, my attention has been drawn to the sounds of the water flowing over the rocks in the small creek that runs near our house. The unique thing about this creek (properly pronounced "crick" where I grew up) is that it never freezes over and never quits flowing. You see, it originates from a spring back in the trees, so it gives continual water up from underground at a constant temperature (which by the way is usually the same as the mean annual air temperature: around 56 degrees in El Dorado).

I often walk in the dark, so when I walk over the little bridge, I can only hear the water. I still know it's there, though. (Just because I can't see it doesn't mean it's not there, right?)

This reminds me of the parallel between the Holy Spirit and living water. Remember the passage in John 4 & 7 where Jesus refers to His Spirit as living water? He said that it becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within you, giving you eternal life. (Is that cool, or what?)

I offer a challenge to you. When you see or hear water, meditate on these passages. If you don't know what it's like to have the living water within you, seek out a friend, Pastor, or contact me. We'd be glad to share that living water with you.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the spring fed creek near our house. Enjoy, and have a great week!

The warm water in the creek never freezes.

Cardinal Flowers bloom in the pool of the creek fed by the spring.

Christmas with Tamra's Family

2008-12-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

It was another Christmas to spend with family. This time it was Tamra's side. We laughed, we ate, we opened presents, we ate, we told jokes, we ate, we took pictures, and did I mention we ate??

Collin gets a good morning hug from Taylor's (Tamra's niece) dog, Mocha.

Can you believe it? We all made it to one place at the same time!!

The kids and the Grandpa & Grandma - Collin, Taylor, Adam, Robert & Bonnie.

Taylor (Tamra's niece) and Adam & Collin unwrap the gifts.

You buy them dog toys and buy them dog toys and what do they play with? A milk jug!!

Troy (Tamra's brother) and his wife Tammie open presents.

The best gift was just spending quality time together. I pray that you may do the same with your family. Merry Christmas!

The Last Time??

2008-12-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else see this spectacular event on December 1st? If you didn't, you missed one of the most beautiful sights of the night skies. Venus and Jupiter made the closest passes towards each other that they will make until the year 2042. I may not take a shot like this again??

This is not an unusual sight to many of us - a doe whitetail deer and a yearling fawn. But to many others, this is a rare sighting in the wild. Consider yourself blessed if you're able to see this on a regular basis. Another one of God's creations, made just for us. I have a tone of deer photos now.....maybe I won't take anymore???

Another sunset. I always say, I'm not going to take anymore sunrise or sunset pictures. I couldn't help myself on this one. In fact the D.J. on the radio was talking about it as I was clicking away with my camera. It was phenominal! God pulled out all the stops on this one! I may not take anymore sunset pictures for a while now!!???

In fact, I may not pull my camera out until I see another one of God's handiworks.........excuse me, gotta go! And where's my camera!

We Need Your Input

2008-11-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

Thought you might enjoy seeing an evening at the El Dorado Just house. Collin had a friend over and he wanted to have his picture in here too, so I'll put that in too. This is Aaron. He played football and now basketball with Collin.

This is Aaron's friend Collin. He's kind of funny at times!

This is the oldest El Dorado Just boy, Adam. He's sorta silly too!

Here's Tamra watching Adam......she keeps a level head.

And here's what happens when Tamra doesn't watch over Collin:

As you can see, this is what happens when a family doesn't have cable or satellite. For those of you who do not wish to see my children and their friends grow up to be demented, please comment on this blog, urging Tamra to support her husband with his quest in acquiring ESPN.

Thank you and God Bless America and the sports networks! (I'm Randall D. Just and I approve this message.)

Perplexed

2008-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

A quick question: how do we teach them? It has occurred to me that several of our community's youth claim to be Christians but are among those who "talk the talk, but don't walk the walk." When they are around their "church friends" they act and talk one way, but when they are around others, they act and talk the way of the world.

What has happened here? Why is this? I'm certainly not suggesting that I am perfect, or my earlier years were any better. I am suggesting that there is something missing in the lives of many of our youth.......I think that something is parental guidance and discipline. A number of these kids that have these issues don't have a Mom and a Dad to lead them down the path of righteousness. One parent may be a believer. Or one parent may be too soft in the disciplinary scene.

So what happens now? (I'm thinking out loud here.) Our church has the unwritten rule of, "it takes a village." It's up to us as Christian brothers and sisters to help out in this matter. If you remember, when babies are dedicated to the Lord, we say that we will help see to it that this baby is raised properly in the way of the Lord. Even if they don't go to your/our church, it's up to us as Believers to assist the youth to stay on the straight and narrow.

Now I've got to get busy. I've got a kid or two to talk to. If you would, say an extra prayer for the youths and for me as I go about the Father's business.

Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Unbelievable

2008-11-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

We witnessed an event that we all thought couldn't happen here in little old El Dorado. Our church's associate pastor had the vision of bringing Judgement House (A walk through drama that presents people with choices and ultimately gives them a choice of accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ in their lives.) to town through El Dorado First Baptist Church. How could we do it? We've never done anything like this before. We don't have the money! We don't have the time!

The "Heaven" scene

Adam & Collin in the cafeteria scene.

The "Hell" scene

People went to work. Some organized, some cooked, some constructed sets, some prayed, some gathered snacks, some gave money, some sewed, and still some more prayed.

The results: It was like a mini revival. Groups came in from everywhere to attend. Walk-ins showed up by the scores. People returned for another viewing. People were on fire for God! They couldn't get enough!

"Teacher" Randy and students in the classroom scene.

Tamra in the home scene

All total, 1047 people attended the presentation of Judgement House. 111 people made first time decisions for Jesus. 142 people rededicated their lives to the Lord.

Unbelievable? Did we make all these preparations and do all this work just to see the Judgement House fail? Of course, not! But we really didn't think this would happen. Not here, with just our minscule group. You see, God accomplished his plan in spite of us, not because of us. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Too Busy

2008-10-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

(This photo has nothing to do with the subject matter of this blog, but I thought some of you may enjoy seeing a photo of my class reunion. )

It was eighteen days ago when I posted my last blog. What happened? Where did the time go. I guess that I just got busy. Hmm! Too busy! Isn't that the story of our life?

We were studying in Sunday School this morning some of the things that prevent us from living a life of faith. The subject of being busy and caught up in life came up. It wasn't in the list, but I believe that it should be among the top five of the "barriers of faith."

So, what have I (we) been doing the last eighteen days? Try the following:

1) A Men's Retreat for all adult males from our Church. We got together at the World Impact's Morning Star Ranch near Cedar Point, KS. It was a great time of bonding, eating, learning how to love our wive's better, and good ol' fellowship. (I did have to take my camera and take a couple photos, of course.)

Some of the guys and me sat on the benches near the cross on top of the hill and swaped stories.

The cross on the hill at sunrise.

2) Football. Collin's last game was this past Thursday night. He really enjoyed the season and the team ended up with a respectable five wins and two losses. Collin says he's going to miss it. That's the way you want it - wishing you were still playing the game.

Collin (#78) put a block on a Hayesville opponent.

3) Practicing for Judgement House. Our Church will be ministering through the Judgement House live drama, with presentations starting Friday, Oct. 24 and running through Thursday, Oct. 30 (None on Weds., Oct. 29). If you have the opportunity to come to Judgement House, I think it will be worth your time. This will be especially good for those who don't attend church. (please pray for us during this time, and for those attending.

4) Working Cattle. This is the time of year when cattle are taken out of the pasture and taken home to the winter grounds. I missed the loading at the big pasture in Chase County because of the Men's Retreat, but I got in on the vaccinations and sorting.

Rod & Erika take a break from working cattle to pose for the camera.

Dad & Donny Hett run a cow out of the squeeze chute.

5) Just plain ol' work. You'd think it would slow down for us at the Park, but that's not the case yet. We shift to a different kind of work: training, trail work, resource management, special hunts, and educational programs.

Our handicap accessible hunting blind we made for the Youth Deer Hunt.

Tagging Monarch butterflies that will fly to Mexico.

Interestingly enough, our sermon in Church this morning was on waiting to hear on the Lord. WOW! Pretty cool, huh? So, my suggestion for us all comes from Psalm 46:10. I'm going to try to take my own advice this week!

This also has nothing to do with the blog content, but I thought Adam's latest drawing was neat.

Connections

2008-10-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

As I previewed in the last posting, the story of the Elk Hunt II is about to be told. Since this was our (big brother/pastor Rick, younger brother/teacher Rod, western KS hunting buddy Craig and myself) second hunt together, we had high expectations and we weren't let down. The first full day of hunting found us in a high mountain meadow, each in our own little spot - camouflaged from our prey. I had no longer sat down and was trying to organize my hunting gear when.... KABOOM! "What in the world?" I thought! Did somebody already shoot at an elk or did a gun accidentally discharge? I sat a few seconds and I heard Rick whistle. I ran over to where he was hidden in a clump of Spruce trees and he pointed towards the woods. There lay a cow elk. He had hit it in the spine and dropped it in its tracks. So, we dressed the elk and carried it down the mountain. Craig went and got a pack horse while we went back up the mountain for the rest of our equipment. We got back to our upper camp with all of our gear and the bagged up elk by dark.

Rick poses with his downed elk in the edge of the woods.

We hunted the next day and went trout fishing between hunts. Rick was the first to wet a line and, you guessed it, caught the first fish - which just happened to be the biggest fish caught on the trip. (That's right, the Ranger and outdoors man got skunked.) We ate good that night, though, enjoying fresh trout and a big bowl of chili.

Rick shows off his big Rainbow Trout and Rod covetously looks on.

Our upper camp in the edge of the Spruce forest.

Other highlights of the hunt included: eating lunch at numerous scenic vistas (one being at the ever enjoyable 11,000 feet; following elk trails through the woods and realizing that those animals have to be part mountain goat; listening to the coyotes howl a nighttime mountain chorus; taking a bath in ice cold mountain streams; and getting snowed on in the woods and in our tent.

The view looking west towards Derby Mountain from our camp.

The four mighty hunters pose on an alpine meadow.

Now, brother Rick joked that his success was because of his direct connection he has with our Creator. Interestingly, my devotions this morning were talking about fairness. In fact, it was saying that we are not the arbiters of fairness. God is, and he knows far more than we do about His plans and purpose. The question isn't about fairness. In the end, it's about trust in a faithful God who knows what He's doing. (He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice. Deut. 32:4) Isn't it great to know that life is not always fair, but God is always faithful?

Rod grazes with the horses (he was craving some roughage).

How about you? Do you have "connections?"

A Taste of What's Ahead

2008-09-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a little taste of my next blog posting. It's too late to post it all now so keep checking and I'll soon tell you the story of "The Hunt."

Confession is Good for the Soul

2008-09-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, I have to confess - I cheated on my brothers and hunting buddy Craig. I couldn't resist it. I just gave in to my sinful carnage. As you can see in the picture, I started our elk hunt early. My little walk in the woods turned into a full-fledged elk hunt. At least I didn't pull the bow string and let the arrow fly before I came back to my senses and caught myself. Oh, the agony, if I would have carried through with the shameful act. But they say it is as bad to think it as it is to carry it out, right? Woe is me. What will my fellow hunters think of me? Oh well, you know what they say.....

The boys have been busy working on school projects and sports practices. Collin earned a starting spot on the 8th grade offense, playing right tackle. He's really enjoying it so far. They have their first game Thursday evening so it should be fun. (He's #78)

Adam is already working on his basketball skills, amongst his studies and his job at Arby's (and drawing, of course). Unfortunately, he has to work during Collin's game Thursday. He is taking advantage of our home court (the driveway), though. I think he's ready to push right on past football and get to the round ball.

As far as Tamra and me......you know, we're just happy to have all this activity. I was talking to a brother from our Church at the Dillon's gas pump today and we were discussing how fortunate we are to have everything at out fingertips. Yes, gas is high priced, but we still are able to get it. We have all the food we could ever want and we even have the choice of what we want, most of the time. Good water is available to us out of the tap and we always have clothes to wear. God has supplied our every need and sometimes it's easy to overlook that. What an awesome God we have!!

Round and Round We Go

2008-08-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the "big wheel" is turning! The activities of the school year have started and there's no turning back. The boys are both heavily involved in school; Tamra's keeping them, me, the houshold and herself going; and I'm gearing up for whatever comes next.

As you can see in the first day of school picture, the boys are still running very close to being "more taller than Dad." Collin has me by at least an inch and Adam by 3-4 (depending on how much I slouch). Collin said many of the kids asked him what happened and how did he get so tall? (I told him to say that it came from Dad, but I haven't heard that yet.)

Adam is still working at Arby's and will continue to work as much as he can until basketball season. Then, he will probably just work Saturdays. As you can see from the picture, he continues to practice the "jam." He still would like a couple more inches to be consistent at it, but we'll see what happens.

Collin is out for 8th grade football and has survived the first week of practice. The team had a watermelon feed after today's practice and the boys seemed to have no problem inhaling watermelon. There was also a tug of war contest, in case they hadn't expended enough energy.

Tamra found a German Shepherd puppy so we lost her attention and assistance with the watermelon serving immediately. The puppy was thrilled with all the attention. Tamra has been working a couple days a week at Bird's CPA office (it's not so "taxing" to her now that she has the hang of it).

I'm still carrying my camera around and waiting for my big break. (You know the photo that will win me the free trip to Alaska to cover the wildlife of our largest state.) So far, my winnings have been having a few of my pictures published in the KDWP magazine - which I thought was really cool until I read the bi-line on the title page and they put in someone else's name. Hey, it's the thought that counts, right? (Just in case you're curious they are in the July/August issue on pages 40 & 42-44.) I think I heard somewhere that I get an expense non-paid trip to Cassoday, though! Just for my self-gratification though I did include a photo for you that I took Wednesday of an Indigo Bunting. (That's a bird for you non-ornithological type.) They're awesomely beautiful birds, seen rarely by the common Joe.

I've been meditating on some messages that I've heard this last week about being the same Christian everywhere you go, no matter what you are doing. It's been interesting that I've heard this same subject over and over recently. (Maybe God's telling me something?) This is one of my prayers for the new school year and I ask you to lift me up in this. I pray that I'll be like the man who "lived better than he preached."

Live it Louder!

2008-08-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about Camp Galilee Oh Eight. Tamra, Adam and I spent most of last week at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas at church camp, where Tam and I were team leaders/counsellors for a group a high school and college kids. We had a great time, of course, but more importantly were the lives of the youth that were changed. Kids today are faced with an enormous amount of pressure, which we talked about throughout the week. Praise God that they (we) have a way out, through Him.

Our small group (Team Purple)

Our theme song this week was Let the Redeemed Say So. It's a modern worship song that talks about us being salt and light in the world, showing the world heaven. Our theme Bible verse was taken from Psalms 107:2, Let the redeemed of the world say this .... It was so encouraging to see kids that were initially strangers and rivals come together and be joined under the umbrella of His blood, becoming brothers and sisters in Christ by the end of the week.

The camp members gather for praise and worship.

Once again, the hand of the Lord was upon us the whole week with: brake trouble on the church bus going to camp, rain falling the night of our scheduled campfire and worship time, and the boat having mechanical problems. These minor setbacks showed us that God was in control and we just needed to depend on Him for his timing and guidance. (What a novel concept, huh?)
I'd ask you to pray for our youth as they get ready to return to school this week. They'll be faced with major issues in their lives again and they'll need the Armor of God (Gal. 6:10) covering them and preparing them. I'll be praying especially for our small group: Carlton, Megan, Christopher, Anna, Holly, Sarah, Mark, Wes, and Ciara.

The campfire at our late night worship.

Our team competes in the van pulling contest.

The view of the swimming area on Bull Shoals from the lodge area.

Also please remember our Sunday School prayer requests: 1) Darla's brother; 2) Annessa's mother's friend; 3)Jeanna's Dad Curtis 4) the strike at Beechcraft 5) Richard's son Kevin; 6) Mike & Chris' week.

Remember, as this busy week plays out..... we're too blessed to be stressed!

"Why Doesn't God Answer our Prayers?"

2008-07-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

We had all prayed that God would grant us favor in relation to the weather so that the Escape Concert would go as we had planned. We had all worked so hard: planning, soliciting prizes, water, gifts, preparing meals, coordinating, handing out fliers, etc., etc. Now, it was the day of the concert and the projection units weren't working. Six of our team had stayed up all night working on the projection operation. It was cloudy, with some thunderstorms looming off to the west. We, once again, huddled in prayer and asked that the Lord would allow the rains to go around us so that we could have a successful concert.

Looking onto the crowd and the band as the Escape Concert Started

The concert started and a decent crowd had shown up. Sonlit had finished their set and the Butler Brothers were about halfway through theirs. Then it hit. The wind changed to the north, blowing information tables and their paraphernalia everywhere. Rain started and people scattered. The Escape team made a dash for the equipment, holding down tarps and carrying sensitive instruments and amplifiers under the protection of the amphitheater roof. Our audience, our precious audience was running for their cars and leaving before our headliner band DOWNHERE had even had a chance to play. We hadn't even had a chance to allow for the testimonies that we had planned or the alter call that was to be given. Why hadn't God answered our prayer? We had it all planned out to the smallest detail! Didn't God want what was best for us and His Kingdom? We were doing all of this for Him. Or so we thought.

Little did we know that had our projection units been working, instead of already being packed away when the storm hit, the strong winds would have ripped back the protective covers and the projection units and equipment would have been destroyed by rain. Little did we know that because of the weather circumstances, the Dove award winning group DOWNHERE would perform an intimate, worshipful service/concert using an inexpensive sound system from our church and a tom-tom, bucket and wastebasket for drums. Little did we know that a group of around one-hundred people would see and hear one of the most rewarding Spirit-filled concerts that some of us might ever attend.

The High School members of the FBC Youth Group performed a skit during the concert

The group Downhere sings to the crowd under the shelter of the backstage & roof of the amphitheater.

Why didn't God answer our prayer? He did. In more ways than we will ever know. You see, our prayer was our plan, not His. Our prayer was what we thought was best. Our prayer was what we wanted for us and what we wanted for God.

God's answer was better than we could have ever imagined. Praise be to God!!

Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually. Romans 12:12

A week of VBS at FBC in ELD

2008-07-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an exciting week for both my church family and my personal family. We had Vacation Bible School this past M-F and what a week it was. Our (my) whole family was involved in VBS: Collin attend for his last year; Adam was one of the actors in the skits; Tamra was an assistant in the fifth grade class; and I assisted in the Middle school class and drove a church van to pick up kids each day. The best thing about the whole week was seeing the kids, on Thursday, make first time decisions to bring Christ into their lives - I believe there were 29 total decisions made to follow Christ. Now that is awesome!! The kids also had a mission project and collected enough money to purchase two motorcycles for Pastors in Liberia so they can make better use of their time, instead of spending so much time walking from place to place for their ministry. Again, an awesome deal. As a result, both of our associate pastors will be losing some hair - Pastor Dave shaves his head and Pastor Jim shaves his goatee. (I'll include photos of that in my next posting after I take them Sunday.)

I may have good news! I cleaned my Bluebird nest out and have been noticing that a pair of Blues have been hanging around the house again. This morning I saw the mail enter the house several times, so I'm hoping another nest is pending. I'm taking no chances and am covering the post with plastic guards and taking some other "precautions" against the sparrows.

Have you noticed the moon lately? Talk about a creation miracle. There have been some beautiful moon rises the last few nights. I've been working nights at the Lake this past week, so I've really been able to enjoy them. I also experimented with a different setting on my camera and caught a neat sunset - something different anyway (See photo).

Adam also finished his latest summer art project (See photo). It's his rendition of a life sized LeBron James. Adam spent about a week on it and I think it turned out pretty good. I'm probably a bit biased though.

Collin's latest endeavour is turning the house into a drum rehearsal hall. He is borrowing a trap set from a friend so he can improve his drumming skills for the youth praise band at church. He's kind of a natural at it. I still think it comes from "Uncle" Ernest.

Continue to pray for the VBS kids who just committed their lives to Christ. We'll be following up with them and covet your prayers. Also pray for our Escape concert, featuring DOWNHERE, Sonlit, and the Butler Brothers. It's this coming Saturday, 7/26, at 7 p.m. at the Walnut River Amphitheater at El Dorado Lake. It's free, so bring your kids and prepare to be blessed!!

Again, to blessed to be stressed!

Randy

The Way of the World

2008-07-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted a new blog page. Lots has happened in the meantime. The most significant event from my point of view, was the newly hatched Bluebird chicks that I discovered on the morning of July 4th. I was so thrilled that there was actually life that had formed out of those blue eggs. My excitement turned to disappointment, though, as I found that that the nest had been robbed of it's new life on the morning of the fifth. I wanted to be angry at the villain, but then I remembered that nature has a sometimes cruel way of assuring that all creatures may carry on in life.... I am suspecting that a snake crawled up the post where the house was secure; I haven't seen any raccoons around, or any other small mammals that could make the climb. Next year, I'll snake-proof the post.

I survived the Tuttle Creek State Park Country Stampede. It rained all of Thursday night when we worked, so that kept the drunkards pretty much at bay. One word of advice. Don't ever let your children go there without you. (Take my word for it!)

Harvest came and went this year with a few showers, but we still managed to roll on the combines. I'm the designated truck driver/wheat hauler/unloader. This year my niece, Erika, helped me haul and move trucks. We had a lot of fun and got to catch up on middle school stuff! Rod and Dad kept the combines running, holding the record for at least one breakdown every day. (The Lord didn't want us to get too overconfident in our harvesting ability.) Anyway, the wheat is in the bin and we're all the better for it.

The 4th of July at the State Park was very quiet - almost erie this year. We had a pretty good recreational crowd for the holiday weekend, although - about 59,000 visitors. There were no major injuries or issues to deal with, so we were all thrilled. Tamra and I spent the evening of the 4th watching the fireworks with some friends from Church inside Bluestem Point this year. Tamra came away with the conclusion that it's too crowded for her at the Park. We had a good time, though.(We even had a parade in the Bluestem Point Area.)

We also got a chance to attend the annual July 4th celebration at Aulne this year. It was great to see old friends and, of course, sample everyone's ice cream. Bob and the Boys entertained and put on a good show, as usual. The Fruechting brothers shot up a great booming sky show for us. I was fortunate to work days this year so I could be a part of it all.

I've had a few people tell me that they would be leaving comments, but they didn't want to go through the hassle of signing in and all. Does anyone know why my blog requires you to do this, or how to get it changed? If so, let me know.

Have a great week and remember - we're too blessed to be stressed!

Randy

Forgotten

2008-06-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I thought you might enjoy seeing the latest new residents at the Windy Knob Ranch of rural El Dorado. We now have a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nesting in a very modest nesting box in our backyard. I got this box (bird nest) free with an order that I received from an outdoor catalogue, and I really didn't think much about it. Then I saw this Bluebird messing around an old wren house that I have up, so I decided to put the new house up and see what happened. Amazingly enough, the Bluebird immediately started using the house and now has a nest in it.

What is interesting about this new house is the fact that it is mounted somewhat haphazardly (sorry, I was in a hurry) and isn't even level, as the floor slants to the south. The entrance hole is somewhat low in relationship to the rest of the structure - making me think that the Bluebirds wouldn't consider it for a nesting box. And the bird house is fairly small, again making me think that it wouldn't be used.

So what does this have to do with life in general? Well, I got to thinking about the verse that says that even the "sparrows" are not forgotten by God: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6,7

Pretty cool, eh? At times, we think that we are having a tough time (and we probably are) and our day is going pretty lousy. If you're like me, you may be even thinking that God has kind of forgotten about about you for the day. But did you get it from the verses above? God even watches over the birds of the land. He provides for them and they take advantage of His provisions. There's been times when God's provisions have been right there in front of my face, and I have overlooked it. Evidently, I was thinking I needed a "fancier nesting box." Again, it wasn't because God hadn't provided. It was because I was blind to what he had provided for me.

I'll keep you posted on our new family in our backyard. Maybe they'll keep me reminded each day of the real provisions from God.

Have a good week!

Prayer requests: 1) The Liberia mission team as they return. 2) Jr Campers. 3) Those in the church family who have lost loved ones this past week.4) The Escape Concert. 5) Jim & Cathy S. as they travel to Disney World. 6) Chris C's Cousin Carrie dying of cancer.

Empty Me

2008-06-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

I try to go out and walk each morning before I start my day. As I sat down to put on my shoes in the garage, I heard the song, Empty Me on the radio. If you listen to the words, you hear the writer speaking of being emptied, or flushed out, of all fleshly and worldly desires, selfishness, and pride and being filled with Christ and His Spirit.

A circle of moisture around the morning sun.

As I walked, I meditated and prayed the prayer for Christ to do just that - empty me of my selfish desires and pride. It's so hard to live like this in today's society. The world believes that it's all about me and we see it displayed far too much. Can a Christian live in today's world and live as Christ wants him to? To be emptied of the world and filled with Christ?

Can we as Christians support and encourage one another to do this? I urge you (as well as myself) to empty yourself/die to self each day as you start your day. Galations 2:20 says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. A full moon moving over the morning sky.

Baby Killdeer chick at the end of our driveway.

Searching

2008-06-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I told you that I would let you know how the Wakarusa Music Festival (Hippie Fest) at Clinton State Park went, so here's a couple observations:
1) To be a new age guy hippie you must have have dreadlocks and not wash your hair (matted mop) but once a month. See Exhibit 1 below.

2) To be an old fashioned hippie, you must still own a VW mini-van (with custom paint job).

3) To attend the festival, you are required to dress totally weird in the outfit of your choice.

4) To make things easy to find, you may want to store your botanical substances in easy to locate, compact storage devices.

5) And lastly, all festival goers must be adorned with some sort of tattoo.

Now, if you noticed, the tattoo displayed is that of Jesus holding a cross. How ironic! The guy was with his buddies, all of them participating in consuming adult beverages. Doing my best not to judge them, but their fruits (language, etc.) didn't appear to be that of a Christian witness. The point is, most of the attendees at the festival appeared to be searching for something. Maybe this guy above had found it - only the Father knows. One thing I am certain of: we are promised a real peace and joy in our Savior, Jesus Christ. The search is over. We can fill our souls with a "new wine." Isn't it great that our God offers the peace, love, and contentment that no "Wakarusa" can ever fulfill?

This weeks prayer requests are many: Please, first of all, uphold our mission team leaving this week for Liberia, West Africa. (Don't forget about Pastor Wade's hand, which the enemy works on every time he goes on a mission trip.) Also, please lift up the following: 1)Thad W's first appointment concerning his disability; 2) Peggy W's dad/Peggy; 3) Darla S's travel and Mara & McKinna staying away from home; 4) Middle schoolers at camp; 5) Shannon B's family challenges; 6) Judy & Paige S as they go to N.Y.; 7) Jim S's sister Karen as she mourns and deals with life's challenges; 8) Trish F's comfort as Logan's covering as he goes on the team to Liberia; 9) Dale & Jeanna S as they travel; 10) Randy & Chris C's house plans/move...... Please let me know if we need to add to the list. Also, inform us of answered prayers, if you wish. Oh, also please cover Pastors Dave & Jim while Pastor Wade is away.

Have a great week! Remember we're too blessed to be stressed!

Remember the Hippies

2008-06-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Funny title to a blog, eh? Well, I'll let you know what it's like, but on Thursday and Friday of this week I go to Clinton State Park at Lawrence to work the Wakarusa Festival. It's kind of a modern day Woodstock, or so I'm told. It could be interesting. Emmylou Harris and The Flaming Lips are on the top of the lineup if that gives you any indication. Wow!

I thought I'd show you our pets here at the Windy Knob Ranch. The pictures are those taken out back. Pretty "wild", huh? The deer were taken right before sunrise with the night vision setting on my camera. The pesky "goats" were in our yard fetching themselves a free meal! And how about that long haired, long snouted "kitty cat" by the rose bush? Actually that's an opossum - not known for it's intelligence. It has the smallest brain, proportionally to it's body size, compared to any other mammal. So don't feel bad if you can't remember something.
Tamra found a pet box turtle in the driveway. It didn't stick around too long. Then there's those little hummingbirds. They have taken to the feeders that we have up and are they fast. We enjoy watching them.

So enjoy the rest of the week and say an extra prayer for me and the "hippies". Again, we're too blessed to be stressed!
Randy

Cow Slobber?

2008-05-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

It's my "Sunday" and I'm sitting in the dining room listening to all of the birds sing their morning wake up songs. I've never thought of it this way before, but what a great bit of worship music for

me (since it's my "Sunday", after all). Isn't it great how God always provides? And this is my kind of worship "music."

Another major summer holiday down at the Park. Considering the weather and the number of people we had, it was a pretty good weekend overall. There were no major injuries and no property loss from the storms. (Update - the boy who rode his bike down the dam is ok and he didn't have any broken bones after all.) The final visitation count came in at 47,416 people. We figured if one out of five people brought their pooch along with them, that was over 5,000 canines! Our visitation would have been much more, had it not rained over five inches over the course of the weekend. That sure brought the day use down. We've conceded to the fact that many people are going to vacation locally this year instead of spending the extra gas money on going out of state. What do you think?

We saw the Prince Caspian Chronicles of Narnia movie yesterday with the boys. They really have been wanting to see it. Have any of you seen it? What did you think? We enjoyed it - I guess it was quite a change from the book, though. Collin didn't care for the ending. See what your opinion is.

The boys are both in basketball activities this week. Collin is practicing for the summer Grizzly league (an organized league for the County players to keep up their skills) and Adam has summer basketball camp for the EHS team. Coach Melcher is the head coach this year. I think Adam will enjoy him. (Adam told me that he dunked it in practice last night. Coach M asked him if he was going to do that in a game. This I would like to see!

Our Sunday School lesson this week is on prayer. Give me your feedback on this subject. Does it scare you if someone asks you to pray out loud? Or what about praying for others? Please continue to pray for those on my previous blog. Also please remember: 1) Steve A's situation at work; 2)Peggy W's dad & the move; 3) Rick G's heart situation 4) Steve E's upcoming surgery.

Lastly, it's time for your interpretive Ranger Lesson for the day. I'm somewhat of a wildflower fanatic and this is my time of year. There has been an abundance of moisture (sorry, Rick) and the wildflowers are incredibly beautiful. I picked one of my favorites to show you for today. Does anybody know the name of it? The common name is Spiderwort. Break the tip off a leaf and wait for a drop of sap to appear, then touch it with your fingertip and notice how far you can stretch a thread of sap. This resemblance to a spider's silk may explain where its name came from. The gooey quality of the sap definitely explains its familiar nickname of "cow slobber"! Spiderwort flowers have a very short life - only a single morning - but each plant will produce 20 or more flowers per stem. The stems, leaves and flowers of spiderworts are edible. They may be eaten raw or added to stews. The flowers (which may be either pink, blue or rose-purple) make an attractive edible garnish for salads. Can you see why this is one of my favorites?

Take some time this week and look at the wildflowers. I think the Lord did a great job in their creation. I'll leave you with this: Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solemon in all hos splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27

"Just" not another Blog!

2008-05-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it - my first attempt at blogging. I see this blog as a blend of personal, professional, and Spiritual happenings in my life. Please show me a little grace, as I have never done this before. If you have suggestions, as well as constructive criticism, feel free to contact me. (If you have negative thoughts or criticism, send it to my brother's blog....just kidding.)

I want to represent my family, my Sunday School class, a little educational cool Ranger Stuff,and some edifying thoughts in general with this blog. (If that's not what you're looking for here, push a button and make me disappear....have a blessed day!)

I'm sitting here alone (Tamra and Collin are in Lyons visiting grandparents and Adam is working) with the radio on and listening to the song, "We Will Glorify." Pretty cool stuff, especially where it says the Great I AM. It's unbelievable to think that the great I AM cares enough about us to consider our every thought and every move. Why would he do that for lousy old me? That's just too awesome if you think about it!

We had a mini-monsoon this morning (Sat.) about 1:30 a.m. We only received about an inch, but it came down in buckets full. I was out at the Lake, thrilled that the nasty stuff went around us. We're praying to get through the weekend with no major perils. The worst so far was an injured 12 year old boy who decided to ride his bike down the dam (straight down - the whole way). We did also have a water rescue for two canoeists, but they were not hurt. (PTL for life jackets/PFDs). Continue to pray for the safety of our Ranger staff and the general public, as many of them have acquired the "Lake Disease" (this is where they disengage their brain once they get onto Park and Lake property).

We're studying the Holy Spirit in our Sunday School class (New Foundations). If you would like, tell me what the Holy Spirit means to you. I bet there are some interesting thoughts on this subject. Please remember to pray for various items/people in our class. I'll list requests from time to time to remind you. For now: 1)Peggy W's Dad and his health and Peggy dealing with it; 2) KC & Ness traveling and helping with wedding; 3) Our recent graduates; 4) Tamra's Dad, Robert, who is recovering from back surgery; 5)Jeanna S's speaking engagements, etc. 6) Pastor Dave's ministry and assorted challenges for his family and 7) Pastor Jim (and Julie), our new youth pastor. If you have requests to add, please let me know.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a photo of a recent sunrise at our house. There were some gulls flying over our house at the Windy Knob Ranch (that's what Tamra and I call it here) right when I was out taking sunrise photos. If you look at it, you have to think that only God could orchestrate such a sight. I mean, I just can't see that these gulls evolved from apes/whales or whatever else those Darwinists would like us to think. That sunrise could not have evolved from anything - only the great I AM could have painted that picture.

Well, this is it. What do ya think? Have a great day and remember.... we're too blessed to be stressed! Thanks for viewing!
Randy