It's time!

Now I am REALLY mad!

One of today's headlines reads "Athiest Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp"....the stamp, which is due to be released on Aug. 26th, on what would have been Mother Teresa's 100th birthday, would recognize the 1979 Noble Prize winner for her humanitarian work.

It seems that the athiests, which comprise a modest percentage of our nation's population, say that the commemoration violates postal regulations against honoring individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings.

I believe that my blood tends to come to a simmer when I hear of a small minority of people tyring to take away the rights and freedoms of the majority. Perhaps they are loud when we should be.

Mother Teresa was one of the greatest servants of all humanity. I am sure that she did not ask them of their faith as she cleaned their leprous wounds. She was one of the greatest servants of HUMANITY ever, and her selfless work among the poorest of the poor of Calcutta should be an inspiration for people all over the world.

As I age (gracefully, I hope)..I tend to be more vocal about what I believe to be right and true. And I believe God smiles when we do. After all, Jesus wasn't the most popular guy on the block much of the time. It was much later when mankind realized the truth of his words.

It has been said that the way for evil men to prevail is for the good to remain silent. I hope that we do not remain silent on this one.

Why I Love Seacoast Church

I have loved Seacoast Church from Day One, when we first attended in 2002. I have been going ever since. One of the MANY reasons I love it is because it is always looking for ways to reach out to the community, whether it be the local community or the global community.

Recently we have placed a strong emphasis on Water Missions, an organization that supplies clean water to areas that would not have access to it any other way. Water Missions water purifciation systems can be found all over the world. I had the honor of seeing one in action when I was in Sri Lanka in 2007.

Recently, Pastor Greg taught a series called "Hope Epidemic" and asked for Seacoasters to take home water bottles (supplied by the church) and fill them with coins (although there was always the option to add checks or paper money, of course!)....well, the big hearts of Seacoast brought in more than 3,000 POUNDS of coins, which took the local bank over a week to count. The last figure that I heard was well over $200,000!

As soon as we heard about the horrible earthquake in Haiti, we wanted to help as quickly as possible. Within a few days, a water purification system was loaded onto a truck and sent to Haiti. What was especially meaningful to me was that we got to write messages of hope to the people on the sides of the container. Imagine the devasted people of that island not only recieving precious water, but also receiving precious hope that God still loves them and is looking after them.....I wish I could have been there to see their faces.

" For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in....... whatever you did for the least of these my brothers, you did for me.".........Jesus

A Tribute to Doctor King

Since it is the birthday of one of our most prominent Americans, I would love to share a few of the memorable words spoken by Martin Luther King. I need to thank my friend, Katie Hann, for the inspiration, as she is the Queen of Great Quotations and I believe the MLK's are some of the most inspirational that I have ever heard. I hope that you like them too!
(We all need to be a little inspired now and then!)

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter"

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missles and misguided men."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Although he died so many years ago, his words ring true in our time.....as we read the headlines let us be reminded.......

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!

Yes, it is me, and I am back! I have wanted to jump back into blogging for some time and have just gotten the inspiration to do it! It is such a great way to keep connected with friends and relatives and to share my thoughts and experiences. I also find it a great way to share my photography which would otherwise reside on my hard drive without ever seeing the light of day, what a shame. Will National Geographic call? Probably not, but people that I know may enjoy it, especially if they see themselves!

I have attached this image to remind you to please pray for the people of Haiti. Such images break my heart...unimaginable suffering for people that have already suffered so much.
"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." Mother Teresa

I am in the process of preparing for a trip to Sri Lanka, so there will be lots of updates coming. It is my second trip there and I am very excited about going back. I leave as part of a team of 8-10 on March 3rd, returning March 13th.
Please stay in touch, I will do my best to keep you coming back!

Shalom,
Jackie

You Won't Believe This One!

If you think this picture is wild, wait until you hear the "Rest of the story".....Tom and I purchased a 14' canoe a few weeks ago and took it out for our third voyage yesterday. It was a blistering 90 + degrees, but still beautiful on Lake Moultrie. We had been paddling the streams and canals for about 2 hours. These canals are known for their alligators, so we were careful to keep a watch out for them. I had my handy camera safely hanging around my neck so that I did not drop it in the water. I heard Tom (who was at the back of the boat) say " I think we are taking on water"...and we were. It was up to his feet. I wanted to quickly row for the safety of shore, but he wanted to row back to where we put the canoe in the water. About 2 minutes later, I looked back and the canoe was half full of water. Just as I got out the words "WE ARE SINKING" to Tom, the back half of the canoe sunk and Tom was in the water. Seconds later, so was I, with my camera hanging safely around my neck. All I could think of was the alligators. So I swam hard and fast for the shore, carefully climbing up on the grass careful to avoid any snakes. The contents of the canoe were merrily floating downstream......Tom managed to recover all of our goods, including the canoe. We lost a cell phone, but were grateful since we still had all of our limbs....the camera did not work, imagine that.......We piled everything back into the canoe and paddled safely to shore. The moral of the story is that you do not put all of your weight (sorry, Tom) in the back of the canoe. Between Tom, the trolling motor and the battery, the back end of the boat was sinking lower and lower as the day went on.
I know that my Guardian Angels are wanting to organize since they work so much overtime watching over us. I am so grateful for the outcome, knowing what COULD have happened. God is indeed good. And would you believe, the camera now works! Go Kodak!

Good Friends

Friends Forever....Literally!

There are so many great quotes about friends. But how many of us have a shortage of great friends? Or long-time friends? Friends that know you well and still love you. Friends that you know would be there, no matter what, no matter when.
I have such a friend that lives on the other side of the country (Arizona) but our relationship is not limited by distance, but nurtured by it. Our times together are short, but very meaningful. And well planned-out. Quality girl-time, if you know what I mean.
Ann and I met when we were 12 and in the 6th grade. If you do the math, that is more than 50 years ago. (Hard to believe when you look at this picture of 2 young chicks!). We went to school together in Clearfield, Pennsylvania and were great friends through junior high and high school. Then we parted ways in 1963 when we graduated. Ann went on to school (and now holds numerous degrees) and went on with her life. I got married and started a family and we lost track of each other for more than 20 years as our lives took very different turns. We reconnected at a class reunion and it was like we had never been apart. Our husbands became instant friends and we all became travel buddies. Ann and I have been to Hawaii 3 times, California, Vancouver BC, New Mexico and most of the Southwest, Florida, and have many more trips to come, I am sure. We both love art, music and especially DOGS!
If you are blessed to have such a friend, wonderful, if not...it may be time to make one!
"Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a million little things"....Author Unknown