Golfing

This past Monday afternoon was the Greg Arends Memorial Golf Outing. The purpose of the outing is to provide scholarships for GCMS high school students to attend FCA leadership camp. There were over twenty teams of 4 that played. Pictured at left are my 3 golf partners, Dave, Dave, and Brian. Our score did not garner much attention from PGA golf scouts looking for some senior players, but we did laugh a lot. We had been misinformed, we thought the highest score won the tournament.

After playing, the teams gathered for a meal and to hear a couple of high school students describe their experiences at last years FCA camp. One of the students was Steve Massey, a young man from our church. The keynote speaker for the evening was Trent Meacham. Trent plays basketball for the U of I and is a devoted follower of Jesus. He has interned with the FCA through this summer. It was a delightful ending to a delightful afternoon.

And yet. It was also a bit of a bittersweet experience. The outing is in memory of Greg Arends. An exuberent young man whose life ended while he was 17. The events unfolding the morning of his death are seared into my memory. At his funeral, I said "If you came (to this place) hoping for an easy and quick answer to those questions (which you are asking), you will leave disappointed. But, just as those questions are real, so the ultimate answer is real. That is, in the midst of this agony, in the midst of this tunnel, there is a very real and powerful HOPE." I believed that on January 22, 2003 and I believe that today. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies." The golf outing and the subsequent monies used to send young people to FCA camp where they either come to know Jesus as their Savior or grow in their knowledge of Him is a testimony that out of deep tragedy, the Lord can bring great good.

Copper Island

They are on their way! As I write this Flight 2410 is between Billiings and Bozeman, Montana at 38,000 feet doing 430 mph (the internet really is an amazing tool). The Copper Island crew convened at County Market early this morning, or late last night - depending on your perspective. They are headed to a small island off of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. There is a mission there which ministers to First Nations Children. We were there in 06 on a construction job and are going back to build a worship center. Anyway, we took Andrew to County Market at 3:10 this morning and most were already assembled. Two vans and a pickup left for Midway airport for the flight to Seattle. I did not sleep much last night. Partly because I was awakened at 1:30 A.M. by a banging sound. Laying in bed, I counted 1 1000, 2 1000, 3 1000 and knew the banging happened every 40 seconds. If it was a ghost; it was a ghost with rhythm. After prowling through the house I discovered it was the upstairs toilet running and shutting off, running and shutting off. If you have ever seen "The Christmas Story" and the dad's response to the furnace in the basement, you know my response to the toilet upstairs; minus the profanity. When I finally got back to bed it was not long until Andrew was to get up to fly to Seattle. It was an opportune time to pray for him, to pray for the team, to pray for the project, to pray for all our short-term ministries. It was also a time when I felt discouraged because I was not sharing this experience with Andrew. It was two years ago that I went to Copper Island and I was thrilled he was going, but I felt like I missed an opportunity for some shared experiences. Plus, I wanted to witness for myself Andrew growing in his faith and life-experiences throughout this trip. But, his mother reminded me that it was good I was not there. Andrew would grow more absent my presence. I consoled myself that she was right even though I grumbled about her being right "again". It really is a matter of faith, this raising children. The Lord gives them to you to steward, and you give them back to Him with prayer. And off they go, winging their way to do missions trips or college or become a missionary or to walk away from the Lord while you wait for them to come back. Off they go to jobs and marriage and children and heart-ache and blessings and joys. If it is possible, your love deepens and matures as they grow older. Certainly your prayer life becomes healthier! The plane is now 481 miles from Seattle. It is not just a plane, it is a symbol of my son winging his way to maturity.

Parking Lot

Here is what is happening this morning, July 23, at our parking lot. To be honest, it is exciting to see the work being done and it makes it hard to concentrate on sermon preparation. This is especially true when the roller/vibrator is right outside my office and everything is shaking and rattling. Progress is being made! Thank the Lord for the faithful giving of the Lord's people and for His timing. The foreman of the job said if we had waited one more month, the price would have almost doubled. They anticipate being done next week. Today, we are getting the first layer of asphalt. There is another to come and the painting to follow. It is a fascinating process to observe. Come and see! Park across the street - it is fun to watch.

Parking Lot

Summer Time Worry

Summer Time! Time for sippin' lemonade, laying in the hammock, watching the lightning bugs and life is good. Enter the mosquito. The mosquito is an amazing insect. It plunges its needle like proboscis into your skin and draws out blood which it needs to survive. And, that makes me worry. For one thing, I am a mosquito magnet. For another, I usually get some pretty big welts when bitten. But, the BIG worry is West Nile Virus. My idillyic summer relaxation is disruped by the buzzing of this bug around my head. With the buzzing comes the worry. Jesus said, Don't let your hearts worry, don't be afraid. But, how we love to worry, even in the relaxed atmosphere of summer time. Worry is not only a pest - it is a sin. What are we to do? For one thing, we can talk to ourselves, remind ourselves of the grace and goodness of Christ. We can remind ourselves that Jesus told us to trust Him even when we can't understand all that is taking place and when we don't agree with all that is taking place. And, we can wait for faith to become sight - hope to become reality. We can combat our worry with the promises of God, swatting at them whenever they begin to assualt us. There are some folks who should be worried and are not. Like the farmer Jesus told of who built bigger barns but paid no attention to His eternal destination. Summer time - it is time to relax and seek grace to not worry, except about what really matters.

View over the Tail

I shot this from the top turret position. Imagine looking back over the tail and seeing bunches of other B-17s and . . . BF109s and ME262s and FW190s. The skin on the plane is mighty thin.

Landing

Landing back at Willard airport. We were in the air about 30 minutes. We were on the plane for 45. Since we were the first flight, we were on board for the engine run up at the beginning of the day. That was exciting! They offered ear plugs, but I wanted the full effect. It was not possible to carry on a conversation because of engine noise.

B-17

Here she is. We "pulled the props through" since we were first.

Cockpit and Interior (new)

It is amazing how the props seem to stand still. I assure you that they were turning!

The interior of the B-17, from front to back to front.

B-17 Video from the Bombardier position

What a great view! I am sure it was a lot more exciting sitting behind the plexiglass when people were shooting at you. It was the "quietest" spot in the plane. That was, of course, relative.