Are you ready... to discuss the weather?

   I can't believe we haven't talked about weather here on the Vander Griend's  musing spot.  Is it too hot, too cold, too dry, too rainy, too windy...Today is the day - it is deserving of it since a good portion of the U.S. and Canada are in a deep freeze.   I talked with my mom who said even Florida had a "feels like" temperature of 35° this morning and she had her sweat pants on with a sweatshirt.  

   Here is our official temperatures at 10:00 am from our kitchen and the front porch - and the front porch is in the sun right now. (It was 11° at 8 am)

(ignore the time stamp - haven't figured out how to correct that)

   Which brings up the topic that is always mentioned when we tell people we are heading to Alberta, Canada for missions work.  

Weather - particularly temperature. 

There are lots of jokes, 

Lots of "are you ready for this",

 Lots of "you shouldn't be cold".

   Yes, its going to be cold outside there, and really windy a lot of the time.  Today the temperature in Lethbridge is going to be a balmy 12° for the high and a -10° for the low.

   But hey, it is January, and the temperature in Wisconsin Rapids were we lived for a year is projected to be a high of 9° and a low of -2°.

Are we ready for the colder temperatures and the longer winters?

Are we ready for the long nights and endless wind?

Are we ready to think in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit?

Are we ready for no pennies? (did you even know that?)

Are we ready for Showing Them Jesus?

How do you answer them?  How about defining the word ready?

read·y

ˈredē/

adjective

1. 

   1.

   in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation; fully prepared.

   "are you ready, Carrie?"

   synonyms:

   prepared, set, all set, organized, primed;
2. 2.

   easily available or obtained; within reach.

   "there was a ready supply of drink"

noun

BRITISHinformal

1. 1.

   available money; cash.

verb

1. 1.

   prepare (someone or something) for an activity or purpose.

   "the spare transformer was readied for shipment"

   synonyms:

   prepare, get/make ready, organize;

I like that definition: in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation: fully prepared.

1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

In light of those verses, we are working on getting ready.  We are preparing to give a defense to the Blackfoot people and other people we meet about How Great is Our God! We are relying on Him who strengthens us. And we are standing firm in our faith that God will provide the resources we need to get to Canada and provide the strength we need to serve Him there.

And, we are prepared for the weather - plugging in our humidifier when the heat runs all night, and packing up our electric mattress pad that has served us well from Illinois to Tennessee and on to Canada!

Alone in the pool?

It finally happened. 

 We have been members of the YMCA in Athens, TN and Chattanooga, TN for over a year now.  

  Howard walks the treadmill for 450 to 500 calories and then lifts some weights.




I swim and participate in the Activtrax program they offer
 (it's been fun to learn how to use all those intimidating machines).



  Every other day is swim day and when I arrive a little before 7 am, I usually have to wait for the the really committed Masters Swimming class to finish, and then I can have a lane for laps, although lately I have had to share a lane most days. Not a problem.

  Thirty minutes of laps - freestyle one direction, backstroke on the way back.  Fourteen strokes of freestyle - 18 strokes of backstroke.  It can get monotonous, but I have gotten praying while swimming down to a science.  The time flies by now.

  So today as I was about done with my 30 minutes, I happened to stop for a breather and looked around the pool - I had started my morning with sharing a lane with another person, now there was NO ONE in the whole pool except for me.

It was eerie, just me       -        and the life guard.

My own personal life guard for 5 minutes!!

Cool.

Which got me to thinking while I finished up my laps:

Was I really alone - of course not - the life guard was there.

Hey, I always have a personal life guard.   Jesus!  

I am never alone as I swim through the waters of life.

  What a nice thought to start my day and to think on for the rest of the week. And it will probably come to mind every time I swim.

Such are the musings of a morning spent in the pool.

New Year - New Calendar!!

  The first weekend of the New Year has passed.  I actually had to go and purchase a new calendar - no freebies came in the mail from anyone this year.

  I started entering birthdays and appointments and started thinking about the many things I HAVE TO DO today and tomorrow and next week and next month....

  I heard a great program on the radio on the 2nd day of January. It was a repeat on Moody Radio by Chris Fabry: an interview with Bill Hybels. (Bill Hybels interview)

  It was a good program to listen to as I was sewing on my machine. I was finishing a quilt I had started 30 years ago.  I had never scheduled it into my year and so never found time to finish the quilt and told myself that this would be the year it got done! 

(btw:This quilt has many memories as it contains fabrics from Nigeria, West Africa. It represents friendships from many years ago - finished photo and more story on that will come later.)

  Then some things Bill Hybels said got me to thinking. I started writing down what he said to meditate on later:
 

 "I want to order my life, I want to schedule stuff in, plan for activities and stuff to do. And all those things can push the important to the side."

"What if I plan for WHO I want to BECOME 

instead of WHAT I have to do?"

What if I plan a God first schedule instead of "good stuff"?

"How will I plan my schedule differently if I plan my life around the destiny of my family before God our maker and Savior?"

"How will I plan my schedule differently if I plan my WHOLE LIFE instead of just my work life?"

"If I simplify my life and unclutter my soul how will my calendar change?"

So, as I fill out my calendar I plan to keep these in mind as I start 2015, how about you?

   One of the suggestions given by Bill Hybels was to make sure you have a life passage from the Bible and set the course of your life around those verses.  

  Here is mine - I embraced it when I was 16 years old for the "Rejoice in the Lord Always" portion, but the rest of the passage has lifted me up through the years, and encouraged me, and challenged me.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

2015! The 15 Challenge

I don't make New Year resolutions - 

but I would like to challenge you to make one!

We are about half way to the monthly support we need to get to Lethbridge.

In light of that fact we want to give you:

THE 15 CHALLENGE !

We are looking for people to support us for the next 3 years 

in the one of the following "15" ways:

.15 ¢ a day - $54.75 a year

$1.50 a day - $547.50 a year

$150.00 a quarter $50.00 a month, $600.00 a year

$1500.00 a quarter $500.00 a month, $6,000.00 a year

                                                  

$1500.00 a year $125.00 a month

$15.00 a day $5475.00 a year

Get creative - you can do it - we can help!!

If you are already a supporter - thank you.
  
Do you know someone you could 
recommend to us as a possible supporter?