Time Flies Bye!

Recently we went on a day trip and saw this cuckoo clock! Hanging outside of the shop, it boast one of the largest handmade and working clocks! It was incredible.

It made me realize one thing...time flies bye quickly!

We have been in Germany almost a year at the end of March and we can not believe it.  We know that the Lord is moving and working in the hearts and lives of many of the families that we have the privilege of serving.  We have weekly been working with middle schoolers in our OASIS  program, REFUGE for high schoolers and Connect SL for our dependents that are college age.

Weekly we hang out with students with Bible studies, youth group as well as in our Chatterbox Cafe'...our coffee shop at the youth house!  It is so much fun and daily working with them we see God moving.  We see God doing some incredible things in their lives.

Just last week, one of the students came to me and said, "I am so glad that you, Melanie and Mama Shack are here! You have helped me and my family out in ways you will never know!" "Thank you for coming and obeying God!"

Time is is precious and we are thankful for the time we do have with each of the families and students. Thank you for taking time to pray for us regularly as we minister to our friends.  It is make an eternal difference!

Hard to say GOODBYE!

Two weeks ago at the end of Refuge, our high school ministry, we had to say goodbye to yet another one of our students.  This is something that is all to common in ministry to the military.  You see, having grownup as a military brat, I am somewhat used to it.  Although, it is still tough.

When you invest your heart and life into working with people, there is always the heart strings that get attached.  When the heart strings are attached, there comes a time when they are stretched, wound so tight as they join you close. They are interconnected with others.  They strengthen you when you are down and sad.  They hold you when you are discouraged. They are tightened during adversity and tough times.  They spring and bounce when joy and happiness is celebrated.  You see heart strings are the binding agent that connect us with people.

Well, on that night of Refuge, our heart strings were pulled on hard.  You see, "G" was leaving and moving back to the states. (the term is PCSing/Permanent Change of Station).  He would no longer be there on Wednesday, at the Christmas Dinner, at Spring break camp...and you see for us, spring break camp was big...that is where "G" met Jesus for the first time in a real and personal way.

He simply trusted Jesus with his life and gave control of his life over to Jesus.  "G" began to grow in his relationship and sought to understand the Bible and learn about his new friend, Jesus.  Their heart strings were eternally connected!

"G" also was connected with the other students at Refuge and his high school.  They enjoyed hanging out with him, playing video games, talking and just spending time with "G".  You see, "G" was connected.  His heart was attached!

When someone leaves our youth group, we take a time at the end to have them sit in the middle of the room on a chair and we speak words of life to them.  We share with them what they have meant to us, how they impacted us, how they changed us and how we will miss them.  Of course, it is tough and yet, it is a heart felt time of investing and encouraging.  Tears flowed as friends and classmates shared of "G"'s impact in their life.  When we were all done, "G" said, "Can I say something?". Of course I said yes and as he spoke of how he would miss all of us, he challenged the students that were there to stay in youth group, grow in Jesus and me an encouragement to each other.

WOW!!!  What a powerful thing to say to his peers and friends!

So you see, it is hard to say GOODBYE and yet, knowing that lives are being changed and impacted and that they will go out and make a difference after leaving here, well, the goodbyes are a tad bit easier.


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A bit of NW Humor

THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT ‘LIVING IN OREGON’…

• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon.
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
• If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
• If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.

A new church adventure

Today the three of us had a new adventure!  The entire garrison closed chapels due to the snow fall that hit early this morning dropping 4 to 5 inches of beautiful snow on the ground.  Making the road conditions to RED.

So, instead of driving in to post for chapel, we walked about 30 steps from our front door to the door of the local evangelical church right outside our windows.

We had been there before mid week to view the architecture and the beautiful murals that are on the ceiling.  The church dates back to the 12th century and is pretty impressive.  Marble columns, stained glass windows, cathedral altar area gated off to the public, preaching points where even Martin Luther is to have visited and preached.

As you can imagine, it doesn't look anything like the churches in the states or even on post here. It is unique and beautiful.

Well, part of the adventure was that the entire service was done in Deutsch including the 6 songs we sung. It was interesting trying to catch words and phrases we know and understand but the fun was the hymn numbers. Instead of saying one hundred and sixty two, they say the two then the sixty then the hundred and by the time my mind reversed it all, I forgot the number...oh well...thankful for the Rosetta Stone we were blessed with and need to keep working on it.

The other interesting adventure was we were never verbally greeted by anyone there. When we walked in, we were handed a hymnal and a song sheet. We greeted them with the standard, Guten Tag, meaning Good Day. No response back.

We made our way to three seats and sat there. No one greeted or acknowledged us. When we left, no one thanked us for coming except for one man that I approached and initiated a conversation in some Deutsch and mostly english.  Even at that, it was all business about the question I asked.

My take away from this adventure, it is crucial to greet people, welcome people and engage them in conversation when at church.  The isolation that I felt in a church that didn't speak my native tongue and did things differently, was very not inviting or welcoming.  That makes me aware of what I need to do when I see someone at chapel that I don't know or have never met.

What's in a box?

Just yesterday, our boxes that we shipped over in the two crates that some great men of God built for us ARRIVED!  A 40' tractor and trailer backed up to stairs to our flat. Myself, Randy Adams, Dan Haas and Chris Johnson began to unload 72 boxes!!

Up and down 41 stairs, we finally completed this in about 48 minutes!!

With the arrival of our stuff that we did ship, mind you we left our furniture and other boxes in the states, Julie, Debbie Bickel and Monica Brown began to open boxes, sort and yes, put things where they were to go!!

Melanie and I had to leave just shortly after all the boxes were unloaded to go to Refuge, our youth group that we have the privilege of leading.  What struck me the most was that, although we had an inventory list, we still wondered..."What was in the box?"

It reminded me of the days as a boy that my folks would get us each a box of Cracker Jacks and we would excitedly open the box just to see, "What was in the box!!"  Well, we have that same feeling going on in our home now...

I am reminded though, you can't tell what is on the inside of the box by how it appears on the outside.  It takes us opening the box, looking at the contents to truly know what is in the box.

You know, the same is true with our hearts!  We may look all put together on the outside.  We might say the right answers and attend the right church or chapel.  We might even give our money to the church and all but, the question is really this..."What's in the box?" In this case, "What's in the Heart?"

If we fill our heart with everything that is superficial, that is what we are.  If we fill it with all that we desire, then it will be empty and used up.  However, if we fill our heart with the ONLY TRUE ONE that can FILL IT, we will find, peace, hope, joy, love and the void that was there, will be filled.

What's in your box?  What is on the inside?  Have you looked lately?  We know that the world offers so much blink and distraction and yet, God offers fulfillment and so much more.  If you haven't recently reflected on what is in your box, I challenge you too.  If you know what is there and yet, you aren't feeling the fullness of His Joy in your life, take a moment and confess that to Him.  Ask Jesus to fill that void and emptiness and to make Himself real to you once again.

Only HE, JESUS, can fill our heart!!!  He is waiting to do that!

Boy is HIS timing ever good!!!

Copied from my recent post on Facebook regarding the travels of my ladies and how God uses the lessons of the week during my sermon prep to see Him Move!!!  The girls were unable to get on the first two flight options. Looking at about a 8 hour wait for the next flight that was full, the counter staff at Delta said, "we can make it work!"

In doing that, they fly from PDX to St Paul then to Atlanta!!  There in lies the Here and Now!!  HE had it planned along and God met them there at the airport and met a heart felt desire and need for Julie to connect with her mentor and life coach!!  WOW....That is great!!!

To God be the Glory!!!

Here and Now!!!! Just saw the Lord working...Julie wanted so badly to connect with many of our friends and all but time, pressures and house consumed her time, energy and focus. Then preaching the sermon God gave me today titled Here and Now, I see why they didn't make their flights. Her life mentor and coach is in Atlanta and she really wanted to see her and her husband. The only way that would happen is if she missed her flight and had to stay over in Atlanta...well, they board at 3ish Sunday afternoon via St Paul to arrive at midnight and then spend most of the day with Mary Pinkerton and Mike!!!!!!! God is so GOOD!!!!! WOW...Here and Now!! Julie McCaw Shackelford you get a blessing to see them!!!! Thank you Lord!!!!

Just had to share this with those that don't have Facebook but read our blog!!

Here and Now!

Today I had the opportunity to preach at one of the Chapels on post. The title to the message the Lord gave me was Here and Now.  We looked at Psalms 13, John 14:1-4 and Philippians 3:13-17.  In all three of the texts, the writer is either experience a traumatic or life changing event.  They are encountering difficulties that Here and Now are big to them.

As we worked through the passages, it was evident that in our times of needs, difficulty, struggles, trial and LIFE, the only constant thing that we can hold on to is...THE LORD IS FAITHFUL!!!

He is our Rock! He is our Fortress! He is our Salvation! He is our Refuge! He is our Anchor! He is our GOD!!!  He is EVERYTHING!!!

Because He is, we can rest in the uncertainties of everyday living and life.  Julie and Melanie are flying back home to Idstein on standby and even though they didn't make the flight as it was full, I KNOW that the Lord Knows!!  I know He is working it out!!  He has something else planned that right now we don't see but tomorrow or next week or next year, we will know exactly why.

What is your Here and Now moment? Do you see His hand on you? Leading you? Holding you? Taking you through the times is His opportunity to show Himself a little more to each of us!  His will and His way for HIS GLORY!!

I trust that you will find encouragement in the lessons of life as you seek Him for the Here and Now!!