Cain Update

~ James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away"

For those that were in the know, I recently put my old friend Cain Lopez on a list for prayer. He had recently been diagnosed with lunch cancer after a previous bout with jaw cancer in 2003. On July 9th Cain lost that battle that he was in and has entered into eternity. He will be sorely missed by all of those that knew him. I had the pleasure of seeing his a couple years ago when he was up in Seattle for work. Much to my surprise he had not let the previous ten years, and it's event get him down. He was still funny as ever and the same caring guy that he always was in the 7 years that we went to school together.

Though I cannot share most of what I found on You Tube for him, due to the language and subject matter not being appropriate for this blog, what I can post is the below message that he sent out direct from his hospital bed, a thank you for the prayers an well wishes that he received from all those that had the pleasure of knowing him. As you can see he was able to keep his spirits, and humor, up in spite of the horrible obstacle that was before him.



What he does say is all to true. Usually we never tell people just how much they've meant to us until it's almost to late. He always knew how to tap into people's psyches, and foibles, like that and make them humorous. The cancer may have taken his life, but it could not suffocate his humor.

It was my pleasure to be able to share the gospel with him, via email, prior to his death. What he chose to do with it I will only be able to find out in the other side of life, once my own journey here is done. It was also my pleasure to be able to call him my friend for a time.

He is survived by a wife, and I believe a daughter, as well as the many other family members that he's left behind. Please pray for them as they learn how to adapt to this new reality that they've now found themselves in. There were many fund raisers held, at various Comedy clubs, to help with the mounting medical expenses and I also pray that there was enough money raised to help alleviate the burden of the residual bills that will be left in the wake of his passing. Thank you for praying.

If you are left to wonder where your own eternity lies please take the time to check out the below links. You can know what is held for you after this life.
~ 1 John 5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
The Way of Salvation
The Good Person Test
E-Life Studies

FINALLY, Pierogies

For ages now I have missed out on the joy of my families favorite Christmas fare, Pierogies! I can buy them online, for about $12 a box, but that's just insane. I haven't had time to think of how to develop a recipe for dough to make one, but thankfully one of my favorit GF bloggers, Hey, that tastes good, figured out how to. Go go girl! I'm so excited, now I just need to find the time to invest in making them (making them from scratch can take alomst a whole day). This could potentially make my Dad a happy man, for now I can once again join in the scrumptousness of their doughy goodness:)

I was just so excited that I had to share. It's late, good night. zzzzzzz

The heavens declare the glory of God

Tonight I sit typing this out with only the glow of my laptop screen before me. Not because I have no power, if that were the case I wouldn't be online as I have no wi-fi, but rather because I am privileged to enjoy the spectacular show in the sky that God is blessing us with right now on the island.

Sometime around 9 o'clock this evening a cloud, much unlike anything that I've encountered before, enveloped Coupeville. I heard the thunder in the distance at first, but didn't pay much attention to it because of the other night. See when the Navy is doing touch and goes from one of their runways out here we can sometimes hear the turning of the engines in the distance, which can sometimes sound like natures stomach growling. So like I said, I really didn't pay it much mind. However, when I left my apartment to go into town to run an errand I found out much differently.

The sunset was red, what I could see of it that is. The glow of the sky was hidden by a behemoth of a black cloud with wisps of rain at it's edge. It seemed like something out of the Old Testament, you know when God gets ready to smite the heathen. With only just a hint of rain I decided to take my chance and venture into O.H. Ummm, this ended up to not be the wisest of all decisions. No sooner had turned onto HWY 20, then the sky lit up with a flash of lightening. The bolt crackled through the sky, like a whip lashing out at the fields that I was passing by, which was shortly followed by an even bigger flash that literally made my heart stop for a second, and I quickly looked to my side with a startled sense of my surroundings. Did I return home? No. Instead I rolled on forward to town in the giant electricity conductor that I was driving. All I can say in my defense is that I'm a girl that likes a thrill, and seeing as my jump is still 2 weeks away (can you believe that), I figure I owe it to myself to really "live".

The irony is that today there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. I was in Seattle at the Zoo and it was crystal clear out, I even think I started to make headway on getting rid of the farmers tan that's been plaguing me by finally getting some color on my shoulders. It's been quite the show this evening. I know I'll sleep great tonight as I usually do when the weather gets stormy like this.

It also made me relish in the promise of Revelation 1:7 ~ Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Oh, to see that show one day!

Free Music

There is such a want for good music that doesn't offend ones ear drums these days. When I say good, in reference to music what I really mean is music that glorifies God and edifies the spirit. Recently two free offers for such music have come my way. The end goal of these artists is to introduce their music to an audience, gain new listeners, without the pressure of purchasing one of them and then not liking it. Trust me though, you wont be
disappointed!

Portraits of Hope ~ This first one is by Greg Howlett that I received yesterday. His piano arrangements for these hymns is probably one of my favorites that I've ever had. Right now I'm stuck on "My Faith Looks Up to Thee". The violin accompaniment is just beautiful (I love string instruments). But his rendition of "Heaven Came Down" is wonderful as well. Very upbeat and joyful!

Hymns is the second offer, that I received today. It is by the Daybreak quartet, whom I have the pleasure of knowing personally. This album is dedicated to Pastor Gary Prisk who was taken home to glory just 3 years ago (it's hard to believe that it was that long ago). On it are some of his favorites. Here are the words of his son Nathan Prisk describing the album:

"I am excited about this CD. It is a tribute to Dr. Gary Prisk. Jason and I could not have asked for a better father and I have never come across a spiritual example whom I would want to emulate more. He started and pastored a church in Oak Harbor, Washington for 32 years before his Homegoing in 2006. He loved the Hymns for their message and timeless themes. It was a rare occasion when he would sing in public (our musical talent, if we have any, came from our mom), but I'm sure he's now singing all the time."

I'm sure that he's singing too Nathan! If you're not familiar with the music of the Daybreak Quartet, they are Southern Gospel, which may not be for everyone, but I enjoy them. The irony for me lies in the fact that I actually bought the CD when I first found out about it, before it was free. Oh well, it was worth it because today I received it in the mail and it was signed. I also get the pleasure of reading the liner notes and dedication to Pastor Prisk. It made me nostalgic for the comfort that his leadership and council brought to my life, as well as the friendship that I got to make with Meleah (but that I get to keep always).

My favorite song on the CD right now is "Constantly Abiding". The guys all break up into their appropriate parts and as the liner notes say it was Pastors favorite. However, what is also great about getting to read the cover is you get to find out who is playing the accompanyment on the CD. Wanna take a stab at guessing who plays the piano for Constantly Abiding? If you guessed Greg Howlett, then you win (but that's all you win).

I'm also linking their websites as well so that you can see the other music these artists offer...
The Daybreak Quartet
Gregg Howlwett

Anyway, I hope that you are all able to take advantage of these offers as they are only available for a limited time (Daybreak only lasts through July 24 and I'm not sure when Greg Howlett's offer ends). Ahhh, good music that soothes the aching eardrums.

PB&J the sequal (Police Bringing Justice)

So remember my HWY 20 blog (2 blog posts below), and the Power, Boldness & Joy that Tim encouraged to share the gospel with? Well the SPG's decided to take that and roll with it and go out into some of the lesser canvased areas of our community, mainly the areas that even the Thursday night summer outreaches don't get to. In a smaller group, such as ours, it's easier to go in unobtrusively. The idea was sparked by Alyssa's sweet spirit, mirrored by the rest of us, for her desire to reach out to her neighbors. . .on the NASWI base.

If you read my previous post on base security, you know that I have a knack for encountering them at the most inopportune times. Let me assure you that last night was no different. Without any foreknowledge of whether or not we could spread the gospel within the confines of base housing, we decided to take the chance and let the Lord bring us as far as we could go.

We met at the Alyssa's house around 7, after most peoples dinner and still light enough outside so as to reach many houses. I was on time and actually beat out by the arrival of Anna, and the rest of the SPG gang trickled in soon after. Alyssa lives on a street that is primarily made up of security personnel so we decided to start there first, if there was a problem we figured they would surely let us know. Security is really good like that, knowing the Navy regs that they do...right. Well we made it all the way down the block and no one said anything negative to us. With my pairing, Anna and I experienced much of the same thing that we usually do, which will consist of a polite we're not interested statement or people willing to take the tracts, but don't want to engage in spiritual discussions. Alyssa and Kali had some pleasant people to talk to though, which we took as a positive sign. However, other blocks were not as receptive.

Around the block from where we started there were a couple houses that declined, with fervor, at the inquiries into their spiritual status. Most considered us Solicitors, because there is no soliciting allowed on base, but beyond wanting to share the gospel with people, we were not trying to entice people into purchasing anything, donating, or doing something that they would otherwise be uncomfortable with as the definition of solicit, according to Websters 1828 dictionary would dictate. We're not sure which house it was, we all have different ideas about who it could have been, but no sooner had Alyssa and Josh left the home of one unhappy resident did the base police roll up on us (specifically Joel, Chris, Anna and myself).

They weren't quite as agressive as Ponch and John had been, but they moved with purpose, swift to action like a pointer called to the hunt. Little did they know that rather than catching a group of sinister civilians ready to take down the base, they would catch the solicitors of a lifetime. Anna and I were leaving the porch of a home when I saw the navy blue Explorers in the distance. Their lights weren't flashing, but they looked as if they were trying to find their way to our 20 (location) I poked Anna in the arm and said "Looks like their coming our way". As we made our way to the next door Anna and I realized that out fatigue from a long days work was starting to catch up with us. Taking a moment to pray our tiredness away was all it took for the patrolman to roll up on us. After praying we both looked up to find patrolman Ocho walking in our direction and asking us for our ID's.

Digging through my purse I pulled out my wallet and gave him my drivers license, as it turned out only Chris, Josh H., Joel, and myself had our ID's on our person (the rest of the girls didn't feel like carrying their purses and left them at Alyssa's house). However, because of the latter we soon found out that they were in violation of WA state law for not having identification on them at all times, so Alyssa had to go home to get the ID's. I found out later that evening that she had made that trip with tears, whether they came from frustration over the thwarting of our evangelistic efforts or because of the emotions already running high it was definitely a testimony to the sincerity of her heart. Never fear Alyssa, just remember the promise from Psalm 126:6...

He that goeth forth and weepeth , bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. ~ Psalm 126:6

We stood there for quite some time, surmising the events that had just taken place. They had to separate the ID'd people from the non-ID'd, which meant that I was once again the only girl with a group of guys (so to speak). I remember though from my security days that you should always have a piece of ID on your person, at all times. The chatter of the rest of the girls was humorous and as we stood across from each other my thoughts started to form for this post. Finger moving across my chin I stared into space trying to form the words. Maggie looked across at me, wondering what was taking place, when Kali whispered to her that I was probably doing just as I described. Finally catching their eyes Mags mouthed the very same to me to which I nodded and giggled. Chris looked down at me and asked what we were giggling over and I whispered that I was forming the blog in my head and the girls figured that out. LOL, he chuckled too.

Petty Officer Toy, the senior patrol man on scene, looked at us trying to figure us out. Completely compliant, we really had no defense for what we were doing doesn't really need one, we were straightforward in our pursuit, not lying to anyone or insulting their intelligence with condescension, nor were we out to degrade their service to our country (as others had done in the past). It is the latter that brought the concern from the patrol man. As I engaged him in conversation he shared a story with me about another religious group, or rather a cult, that had tried to do the same on base. Of course this group knows not the truth and believes that service in the military will send a person to hell and told those residents, of the houses they knocked on, just as much. This however was not our cause. We showed the patrolman the tracts that we were passing out, and taking a look at them he found nothing wrong with them but said that he still had to do what his job required of him, which was to make us stop. Of course you know I let him take those with him as well;)

Alyssa arrived soon after with the ID's, and her Dad in tow, all they wanted was the information for the report. Having written these report before and knowing all the people that were on scene with us, even though it was only 8, 8 peoples information equals a lot of typing. Not something that security personnel is fond of. Her Dad defended us with the solicitation charge since we weren't falling under the definition, but he was also rebuffed with the PO Toy's previous statement. So as any good Senior Chief would do, he asked him for the instruction. The silence Toy offered up was deafening. What a Sailor that doesn't know the instruction that he's in charge of governing? Say it ain't so. Sadly it is:( He should have had my Sr. PO's & Chiefs. Whenever I asked a question about an instruction, as a pesty Jr. Sailor, I was always met with the same statement, "Look it up". These research endeavors were almost never pleasant, because of course they wouldn't point me in the right direction I'd even have to figure that out. However, in the end it served a good learning curve. First, whenever I was challenged afterward I always knew those things for myself and usually ended up right, enjoyable for me but not for someone senior that wanted to be right simply because of his rank. Second, I now know how to do better research for school and break down the information that is important and remove everything that is extraneous.

As I said though Toy didn't know the instruction. So guess who's looked it up? Here's what I found. First of all, I couldn't find anything for the base instructions online. So I looked up what the DoD has to say on the matter of solicitation. Though there is an instruction on it, according to the referanced DoD dictionary, the term solicit isn't even in it. But I digress, after reading the instruction it is safe to say that we definitely do not fall under their identification of solicitation. However, rather than get permanently kicked off of base, and w/o reading NASWI's it's best to obey Paul's instruction in Romans 12:18 "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men". Unless of course we get a firm go ahead.Then there is this interesting prior case, circa 1943. that Tim found while heated enough to execute his pursuit of justice by way of Google. In the case the lady involved, who does not share my faith, was charged with violating a city ordinance against said doorknocking efforts with invitations to her meeting, this case was subsequently overturned for violation of the 1st & 14th ammendmends to our blessed Constitution. While I don't share the particular views that this woman holds to, it is interesting to note that such a decision can be overturned in favor of our 1st ammendment (may it always be so).

Whatever, the outcome of the evening was Toy did express the sentiment, a couple times, that he hoped that we had gotten to enough houses before his having to stop us. A secret service Christian? Maybe. Only time will tell. Dejected, we returned from whence we came, Alyssa's house, for fellowship, ice cream, and a little bit of ettiquite education from her father (which was actually a lot of fun).

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8. I can't bring myself to continue on with v.9 because I hardly call what we went through persecution, at least in light of what the forebearers of the gospel have faced; Peter being crucified upside down, Stephen being stoned to death. . .you get the idea. But will we always be so blessed? That is the question that only God knows the answer to. While the Lord still gives us the time though we should not be troubled or in despair for these types of outcome but instead count it all joy and know that the trying of our faith worketh patience like James 1:2,3 says. I always used to enjoy hear Pastor Jeremiah preach about whenever he'd meet these challenges. Not that it was any easier for him as a person, I'm sure in many ways it was harder, but there were times where I got the distinct impression that he was encouraged spiritually by them because as a Christian is makes you cling closer to the word of God, delving in to the meat that God has for you, to learn and defend why, and what, it is that you stand for.

However, let this tale stand as a testament to the fortitude of the SPG's and our willingness to meet challenges with grace, some tears, and a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. The Police may be able to Bring their Justice, but it will always be met with the Power, Boldness and Joy that the Lord generously besowes upon His children.