Thanksgiving -- Nov. 26, 2008

I wanted to shoot out a short missive before things get moving for this holiday celebration.

I start call this weekend which, historically, should not be too bad and now much easier since my father-in-law now has a high speed connection to the Internet.

Football is the usual fare on Thanksgiving afternoon so I may pop out the old laptop and work on a article or two. I have an idea or two for an article that I may try to play around with. I really need to get more articles out on Helium. I still have the eight I originally wrote and I have earned a whole 17 cents so it's about time I add to my vast fortune!

The Chicago branch of the Bowman clan will be in town for Thanksgiving this year and G'Pa B will be coming to town for Turkey day too! We will have a full house.

On a sadder note, the Bowman family will be having one of her "firsts" this Thanksgiving. The first without G'Pa A. For my family in losing Grady, the "firsts" were the hardest part and I do not imagine it will be any different for the Bowman clan. It is sad for me...

Though it is more traditional to reflect on the past year closer to Christmas time I'm feeling a bit nostalgic this morning so I will just take a peek backwards.

There is no escaping the fact that it was a tough year for the East Iowa Larson branch this past year, and as I look back it occurs to me that  I really never want to face another year like that again. On the other hand, it is the tough times that force us to look to God who waits for us to call on Him. He answers prayer, too! Oh, it is true that the way He answers those prayers may not be the way you would like for Him to answer them but He is faithful.

When I see all the times this past year that He took part in our pain and brought us to see Him in action, it was a real blessing in spite of a poor heart attitude. In fact, in the darkest times of the past year He provided. It is incredible to look back and see where He intervened.  Right now? Right now God has granted to us some relief. I would not say a mountain top time but the stress is of the normal, holiday type and not manufactured, as it is when you look ahead and worry about what might happen. No wonder God calls worry sin. It really comes down to a lack of trust in His provision.

No, it has not been a fun year but it is very good to look back and see how God has provided but I need to take what I have learned and remember it for the future. Because even though God has granted to us a reprieve from a difficult year, He also promises that this life is hard and there will be ups and downs. But when we learn to see God's hand in those times, how He moves to help us, as He promised He would,  we then experience a growth in faith and, if we have gained any wisdom form our past, are quicker to turn to Him when the next "tunnel experience" comes our way.

Have a God filled Thanksgiving! We all have a tremendous amount to be thankful to God for this year.

Bye!

Late Night Reflections -- Nov. 21, 2008

It's Friday night and my house is quiet. Kim is in bed watching the news. Alyssa is still working. She closes tonight so she won't be home until after midnight. Logan is at the first-ever Junior High Retreat at Camp Wapsi. This leaves me me in a quiet place for a while.

I'm not overly interested in going to bed and I really want to write but my attempts to get a Helium article out have crashed into a smoldering heap. Not discouraged but still needed to bang out some words, I'm turning to the faithful blog. Where I don't have to have a real plan but I still need to make some sense since there are some folks who do read this thing!

I made a plan to spend time with Logan at least once a week. A time where we can look at God's word, talk, play a game and perhaps some other activities just to hang out together.

I have wanted to do something for a long time but I have always talked myself out of it because I did not think I could compete with PS 2. But after praying about this and having been encouraged in Men's Fraternity, I decided to just do it and an interesting thing happened: we had a great time! I am now looking forward to doing this more often.

I want to do something with Alyssa too, but it will not be quite as intensive since she is much busier, but I still think a regular time with her at lunch or some other little activity will prove to be a real blessing. It sure was with Logan! It was most encouraging and I am so grateful to the Lord that He was able to talk me into it.

When I was still at home, around Logan's age, I did not appreciate the talks I had with my folks. Since that time; however, it has become a real joy to spend time talking with my parents. I do not feel I have missed anything. I do wish I could get over to see them more often but that doesn't work out too well at this phase of life.

It is interesting how your perspective changes on certain things as you grow older and mature. I can;'t say that there are many things I still have the same perspective on that I did 25 years ago. I know that career-wise I certainly have evolved.

Well, my teeth are feeling fuzzy which means I need to brush, and I think I hear my bed's siren song, so I will sign off for now.

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to be back on-line next week!

Bye!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made! -- Nov. 18, 2008

On Wednesday mornings before most of your alarm clocks are even awake I am meeting with a group of men at church. We are going through a series called Men's Fraternity. It has at least three years' worth of material and each years' material runs for about 16 weeks.

Last year I opted out but this year caught my eye. It has to do with finding out how you are built by God and leveraging that design to its fullest might to glorify God. I was really excited about this program!

Part of the program is taking an on-line personality test called, "My Design". We will be going into these evals over then next month or so but it was really fun taking time to sit down and think about your likes and dislikes. I took my eval last night. I learned some surprising things about myself and I had confirmed things I strongly suspected.

Before I read the results I had Kim read them and see what she thought and if she thought it it was accurate. Overall, she thought it was pretty accurate but there were a few odds and ends that did not fit me at all. After I read it I thought the same thing. It will be interesting to see how it all fits together once we are finished with the process.

I personally think it makes me look better than I at least think that I am but I can also be too hard on myself too. It's good to be honest with yourself both in the areas that you need to "fix" and the areas that may be strengths for you. I can be tough on myself without being honest about my strengths and that is wrong too! God has gifted all of us in certain ways and I think that it's wrong to diss the good in trying to be "humble". No, I do not think we need to brag about we can "do" because it all comes from God but what if we don't use the giftedness God has given to us? I think we dishonor the Giver along with the gift and we miss out on blessings god may have planned for us. Think about that...

For now, I will keep exploring who God has made me to be and see where He wants me to go and do! It is really exciting!

Good bye and may God direct your paths today!

The Story of This Week-- Nov. 14, 2008

I took some time last night to pull all of the pieces of the story I have been working on, together into one location. It is such a relief to actually have some organization to this beast! I really can see how an author can get lost in the details. I have three pages of just generic plot outline, no meat, mostly questions that need answers but there are a LOT of them! The more the merrier! Half the fun is in the creation! I'm hoping to spend a large number of minutes on this project this weekend!

Well, that's all for now.

Bye

The 'Pre' Week-In-Review--Nov. 11, 2008

I have a cold. I have a cold and I have to blame my father for my cold. No, I have not been close to my father in better than a week but he called on Saturday to say that he would not be coming over because he had come down with a cold. Now after talking with him on the phone I have come down with a cold and I stayed home from work yesterday because of it. Distance is no barrier to colds! Thanks, Dad! I think I need to upload Symantec's anti-virus suite so I can better fight this thing. If colds are now being transmitted over the phone lines, as seems quite obvious to me right now, then SURELY a good anti-virus software should cure my cold. Wouldn't you think??

Alyssa's musical was this weekend and as usual the kids did a great job but the overall story was a little lame! (NOT your fault Al, just not a great story) I can't wait for the spring and the play! Last year's play was so fun and Alyssa and the group she works with did such a terrific job in preparing! I love plays! I miss being involved myself so I now have to live vicariously through my daughter! Go get 'em, Little Love!

We also went to see the 'Wizard of Oz' this past weekend. Kyle's school did this classic for their musical and they did great too! The 'Wizard of Oz' is a much better story and I got to play with Emmy. WHO is Emmy you might ask? Emmy is one of the Renning's (from church) dogs and she is a sweet little poodle-ie  type dog who is immune to all excitement making her the best candidate to play the infamous 'Toto', as in, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto...", remember?

The Renning's also have a six month old mixture of energy and excitement named Riley and I really thought they should have used Riley as Toto. This dog would have added a new level of energy and probably changed the whole complexion of the play. tee hee! But I was the only one that could see the brilliance in that particular suggestion so the play went on as it was first scripted...Ho hum! Oh well, there's always next year!

Well, I have an upgrade to do tonight so I should sign off. See you later and have a pleasant evening!

Bye!

The Falling of the Snow -- Nov. 7, 2008

A crisp chill hung in the air as I left for work this morning. The distinct feel of snow caressed my face and I knew we'd see snow today. I also heard it from the weather guy but sometimes they forget to put their rocks out so they can't determine exactly what the weather is like at the moment.

I have a number of eccentricities about me which makes me a hard one to figure out at times but one thing I really like is to see snow falling. We can have a winter like we had last year and I still get a feeling of peaceful awe when it snows. (Note: I don't always like the results of the snow falling but I love to watch those fluffy pure flakes falling!) So, much to my delight, snow flakes were swirling around the crisp late fall air! I have often wondered what it would be like to float without a care in the world, down to a world full of cares and concerns and just maybe, add a bit of lightness to someone's day...

This reminds me of God's grace. Even the tiniest, most delicate creation on this earth can bring some tranquility to our lives if we would take a single moment to just appreciate what there is surrounding us. It's amazing what you can find when you take the time to stop and look and listen. No! Don't speak just observe. See the flakes fall; feel them on your skin as they lay their cool touch on exposed flesh; and hear...the silence. No one wants to be out in the snowy weather so silence can reign supreme; what a great go that can be! Especially if you take a walk down a park trail. What a wonderfully peaceful place to be! try it sometime. It's not that cold!

God's grace. Simple, elegant reminders are everywhere just take time to see them. Once you have experienced these joys you will never look at a snow flake in the same way, I promise you!

Bye for now!

Election Reaction -- Nov. 5, 2008

It's FINALLY over! Hurray! This round of presidential elections seemed to go on FOREVER and with good reason: They started so much earlier! BUMMER for most of us!

I have to say I did not vote for Mr. Obama but I am not disappointed. It is my firm belief that God allowed him to get into office and God is in control. I am also firmly convinced that nothing will really change. Why? Because there is a lack of team work. We do not have the UNITED States we have Democrats and Republicans. I feel that we will not really move forward unless we all work together.

I have more details in my article on Helium.com. Check it out for more of my thoughts.

 

Bye!~

The Gospel Truth -- Nov. 4, 2008

We are in the middle of a new evangelism training system at church that has been really eye opening. The Elders are going through the training now and then we have a plan to try and get sixty or so more folks trained by Fall 2009.

This system is from a group called "Evantell" out of Dallas, Tx. The Elders of our church spent two days with them back in September and we started the training six weeks ago.

It's a twelve week program that gives you a simple way to share the gospel in everyday life. You don't have to add more items to your "list" but just find ways to incorporate those who need to hear about Christ and His gift to us into your daily life. It also gives you a simple way of sharing the gospel.

What is the gospel? In essence, it comes down to ten words:

"Christ died for sins and rose again the third day." That is the gospel! See I Cor. 15 for proof.

The training encourages you to get people talking about themselves and for you to listen to what they say. As you listen you can pick up on areas where you could grab onto and turn the conversation from secular things to spiritual things. Asking questions and listening are two keys to this process.  As the Holy Spirit leads sprinkle liberally with salt and light (Colossians. 4:6) and if the Lord opens the door share the gospel! The target of our conversations with non-believers.

Of course this can only happen within God's strength so it is vitally important to bathe all of your evangelistic endeavors in prayer, asking God for boldness and opportunities. If you do this be warned: God WILL provide those opportunities so you need to be prepared!

One great method of sharing the gospel is the "May I Ask You A Question?" track. It is straight forward, short, and simple.  If you don't have a way to obtain the track you can go to this web site and read all about it:

http://www.morningside.ws/question.htm

Remember: We can only share the truth with others, bring them to Christ; God brings Christ to them! He does the real work of conversion! He just wants you and me to partner with Him in leading the lost to Him.

If you get involved with evangelism I would love to hear of your experiences, good and bad. We may be doing a news letter once we kick this off in January and we want to include stories of how God has used people in His mission to find lost souls!  If you do have something you would like to share use the 'Contact Me'  link and email me.

God bless you as you walk in His ways!

Bye!

The Year of Celebration -- Nov. 3, 2008

We had a fun weekend! We went to Ames to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of G'ma Allee.  Ninety years old! That is so cool! (Each year I get older makes those who celebrate birthdays seem much younger than they used to! Odd...)

We had good food and the kids and women folk went to an art studio they have in Ames to paint ceramic. They appeared to have a good time and we men folk were able to quietly cheer for our favorite football teams while they were gone. (If you count snoring a quiet activity!) We also played some table games and I actually won! That is a rarity!

On Sunday we went to my folks place and had some delicious Angus beef steaks grilled by my culinary wiz of a brother-in-law! He does a great job in the food department.

My nephew and sister also celebrated birthdays in the last few days so it was an entire weekend of celebrations.

Every other year Kim's brother and family stay in the Chicago area for T-giving so we don't get to see them until Christmas but this year is not that year! This year we have had the opportunity to see them them on several occasions.

1) We saw them at the funeral for Kim and Brian's Grandfather, Guy Allee. Not a happy thing to happen but it was most enjoyable being together. G'ma, as noted above, seems to be getting on fine but she certainly does miss her mate.

2) Our annual Chicago trip. Since this was an Olympic year we had the now traditional "Backyard Olympics". Fun was had by all and the pairings allowed us to play with any number of nieces, nephews, in-laws...it was quite a riot!

3) This past weekend for the big 9-0 birthday bash.

4) Thanksgiving

5) Christmas.

All in all we will have some good quality family time by the end of this year.

I hope you all had a great weekend and year too!

Bye